More on Life and Health
April 3 (Reuters) - A survey of U.S. teenagers found that most have used alcohol and drugs by the time they reach adulthood, and researchers said this could be setting many of those kids up for a lifetime of substance abuse.
NEW YORK, March 29 (Reuters) - About one in 88 children in the United States has autism or a related disorder, the highest estimate to date and one that is sure to revive a national argument over how the condition is diagnosed and treated.
An infant's passage through the birth canal is an important process that has a profound long-term effect on the health and well-being of the baby.
Scott Trautman is a first-generation modern-day American farmer who, with his wife Julie and their family, has created a thriving farm that is unique in its philosophy.
Although must of us have exhibited some "narcissistic" behaviors
at one time or another, a specific set of personality traits must be habitual for
someone to be officially diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder.
Hippocrates has been quoted as saying, “Let food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.” So what foods do qualify as health-promoting?
It is not a surprise that many factors contribute to whether a person abuses alcohol or is able to use alcohol responsibly. A British study examined two aspects of teen drinking.
The popular image of bucolic bovine bliss involves contented cattle browsing in verdant fields of fresh fodder. But such a picturesque ideal is rarely a reality for modern cows.
Climate change, global warming and greenhouse gases are subjects that are prominent in the news lately, and most often, the blame is laid on humans. But humans aren’t the only species implicated in our planet’s warming trend.
In 1929, Ted Forrest Fansher, a leading U.S. dairy manager in his day, sailed on the R.M.S. Mauretania to England, then continued on to the island of Jersey. He returned with 13 Jersey cattle. These were the beginnings of a new herd of dairy cattle.
Grass-fed beef, milk and milk products are growing in popularity with health-conscious and environment-conscious consumers.
The effects of smoking on physical health are well-documented—for example, oral and lung cancers, plus diseases of the respiratory system—but new research is shedding light on the effects of smoking and tobacco use on mental health.
A compromised immune system cannot come to our rescue when a germ takes hold. The antidote is to practice good health habits: get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage stress and eat nutritious food.
In the early 20th century, the commercial availability of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers promised to revolutionize worldwide agriculture and food production. And it lived up to its promise, enabling increased crop yields and making possible the enormous population growth on our planet since then. Yet, one century after the introduction of artificial nitrogen fertilizers, we are beginning to understand some negative effects of the discovery that was previously so lauded by science. And environmentalists are sounding the alarm.
The application of synthetic nitrogen as fertilizer is standard practice in much of the world. This has not always been the case—synthetic nitrogen has only been commercially available since 1913. However, worldwide use of synthetic nitrogen mushroomed to 80 million tons by the close of the century, and today we feed a growing global population with the crops fed by this fertilizer.
Farmers, backyard gardeners and scholars of science and environment alike understand that nitrogen is one of the most important plant foods. Although ancient sources (including the Hebrew Scriptures) indicate that humans have known about the importance of maintaining the soil for millennia, it wasn’t until the last two centuries that science and environmental studies determined a need to develop artificial means of reintroducing nitrogen into the soil.
Supplement to "Turning the Hands of Time." Until only the last few years, it was dogma that differentiated body cells could not be coaxed back to a pluripotent or stem-like state.
The latest survey of substance abuse attitudes conducted by America's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) found that, compared to young people who have not seen their parents drunk, teenagers who have are more than twice as likely to get drunk themselves in a typical month. But the impact of the parents’ example doesn’t stop there.
Researchers are investigating an array of biochemical fixatives that propose to increase longevity.
Aging and death are an inevitable part of life—or are they? Science is now telling us that it may soon be possible to extend life and health indefinitely. But is that what we really want?
Who doesn’t want to feel and look his or her best? Part of the task of looking our best involves paying attention to what we eat. And learning about food and nutrition is the first step to healthy eating.
The past few years have had their share of potential pandemic scares: the A/H5N1 avian influenza (commonly called bird flu) and the West Nile virus both caused considerable anxiety across the globe. But as those threats subside, widespread apprehension of the next potentially deadly virus is upon us.
In How and Why We Age, Leonard Hayflick, best known for his research in cell biology and mycoplasmology, argued more than a decade ago that aging is inevitable. Vision contributor Dan Cloer asked Dr. Hayflick to comment further about the relationship between aging and longevity.
Each cell in the human body is composed of smaller components called organelles, one of which is the nucleus. The nucleus contains our chromosomes—“packages” of all the genetic information that chemically defines what we are. This information, our genes, forms the hereditary material that we pass on to our children.
Worldwide, obesity rates are escalating and obesity-related diseases continue to take millions of lives. Both on an individual level and on a global level, the time to take care of soaring obesity rates is before they careen out of control.
For many years we have heard that fats are bad for us. In recent years science has discovered that dietary fats are not all equal, nor are they all bad.
Obesity research shows that the best way to obtain and maintain a healthy weight is to replace bad habits with good habits and that means changing the way we think about food and activity.
While current health news articles warn of the expanding problem of obesity in adults, our children are growing into the problem as well.
In an in-depth interview Prue Leith, internationally known food expert and chair of the United Kingdom’s School Food Trust, discussed subjects ranging from current health news to family and relationships and even what she would ban if she were “the Czar.” Leith feels that fighting the problem of obesity, which often begins in childhood, is “quite difficult to do but it is really worth doing.”
In an in-depth interview Prue Leith, internationally known food expert and chair of the United Kingdom’s School Food Trust, discussed subjects ranging from current health news to family and relationships and even what she would ban if she were the Czar.
The Surgeon General's Call To Action To Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity was one of the first attempts by any government to draw attention to the current health news of obesity as a public health crisis.
In 2001, the United States released the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity. The Call to Action included a section titled “A Vision for the Future.” Now the future is here, and the suggestions found in this report continue to be promoted in current health news around the world.
Nutrition articles tell us to watch the ratios of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in our diet. But how do we achieve the proper balance for health and wellness?
New studies from around the world give more reasons to avoid recreational use of marijuana.
Researchers, government health agencies and various churches have a great deal to say on the subject of alcohol, though much of it is conflicting and therefore confusing. What does the Bible say about drinking alcohol?
There is no doubt that sugar-sweetened soft drinks can wreak havoc with our health, and we consume far more sodas than we used to.
Insomnia can be a serious problem for older adults. A lack of sleep can cause difficulties that mimic symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease: slower response time, increased falls, decreased memory, attention and cognitive performance.
Study after study reaffirms that drinking a moderate amount of alcohol daily as a part of a healthy lifestyle can help you live longer—longer than if you abstain from alcohol altogether.
When you cook simple, healthy meals at home, it’s easy to cook a bit extra for another meal. Not only does this practice save time and money, but it also helps you avoid the fast-food trap when you’re coming home late from work and you have neither the desire nor the energy to spend hours in the kitchen.
For thousands of years, the harmonious synchronization of mother, placenta and fetus concluded in the birth of a healthy baby, born when it was ready to be born. Today, however, elective cesarean sections and to a lesser degree, the use of modern labor inducing drugs give parents the opportunity to choose their babies’ birthdates.
In 2007 the U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimated that 1 in 150 eight-year-old children in the United States has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Marijuana was largely considered to be a mild intoxicant until the landmark study by Dr. Gabriel Nahas, published in book form in 1976 as Keep Off The Grass informed the public of its myriad medical hazards.
Since many children today bring no food from home, the school cafeteria is their only source for food. However, the unfortunate truth is that many of the food and beverage options provided in mainstream schools today encourage lifelong habits of unhealthy eating choices.
Living in this caffeine-charged, 24/7-society leaves a large percentage of us chronically and dangerously sleep deprived.
Life & Health
2007 WHO Report Focuses on Global Health Security
August 29, 2007
The five chapters of this sobering report show “how the world is at increasing risk of disease outbreaks, epidemics, industrial accidents, natural disasters and other health emer
As our lives get busier, we all find we are trying to fit more and more into what may seem like shorter and shorter days. We often make the choice to make more time by cutting back on the hours we sleep, usually underestimating the toll it’s taking on our health.
Habitual late bedtimes and sleep disrupted with computers, television and other electronic devices are growing problems—and they’re not limited to American teens.
Some of the claims of the medicinal benefits of cocaine and extracts of the coca plant are now known to be frighteningly absurd while others may be valid.
The scientific knowledge and public perception of the dangers of marijuana use is also undergoing a noteworthy change.
Until now, the specific reasons for abdominal weight gain in some people have remained a scientific mystery.
Multiple studies have shown both the physical and mental health benefits of shared meals in a peaceful setting.
The problems associated with exposure to communicable diseases have plagued humankind since ancient times. Thousands of years before Antonie van Leeuwenhoek first observed bacteria with his early-17th-century microscopes, some knew the principle of isolating ill patients to prevent the spread of disease.
Amid growing concerns about the spreading problem of overweight and obesity in Western nations, the promise of Alli, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved diet pill newly available without a prescription, is giving hope to many.
Newsrooms and chat rooms were effervescent last week with yet another health scare: sodium benzoate in soft drinks may cause cell damage, premature aging, cirrhosis of the liver, and Parkinson’s and other degenerative diseases.
Parents can easily underestimate the power of example. It is what they do, not what they say, that affects the health of the next generation.
Some bereaved are more likely than others to be overlooked. Such people often do not receive the comfort they need in order to grieve properly and can be vulnerable to loneliness and serious, long-term depression.
The last decade has seen great strides in understanding some of the brain science behind emotions like sorrow and joy—at least of the mechanics. One area that begs further study is that of grief and bereavement. How can we use the discoveries of neuroscience to help those who are grieving avoid the pitfalls that often lead to depression?
Of the more than 150 pathogens linked with emerging infections, roughly 75 percent are zoonoses—diseases that are transmitted between vertebrate animals and people.
By the 1970s, the medical community believed they had all but won the war against communicable diseases. What happened?
Ways children's grief differs from that of adults.
How can we cope (or help someone else cope) with the death of a loved one?
The world urgently needs to recognize and assert a set of values that promotes responsible choices and personal accountability. That way of life is what the Bible teaches. This increasingly neglected book dispenses sensible, time-honored, yet cutting-edge advice that, if followed, would lead to better health.
Many disorders that were previously regarded as derived from moral or social problems are now viewed as medically treatable.
The benefits of quitting smoking.
At Vision, however, we believe more is needed to win the war against HIV/AIDS. Regular readers will know that we believe a largely forgotten and ignored source of wisdom—the Bible—provides an additional perspective on today’s problems. It contains instruction regarding human sexuality that, if followed, would prevent what is an unnecessary catastrophe.
It’s almost impossible to talk about HIV/AIDS in South Africa without Nkosi Johnson’s name coming up. Nkosi died in June 2001. Four months later, John Meakin and Robyn Page spoke with his foster mother, Gail Johnson, in Johannesburg, South Africa.
AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It cannot be caught by sneezing, coughing or casual physical contact. But it can be acquired by unprotected sexual contact with an HIV-positive person; mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy, childbirth or breast-feeding; or exposure to infected blood or blood products—for example, through a blood transfusion, by an accidental needle prick, or by sharing contaminated needles (usually in the case of injection drug use).
Surprisingly, what geneticists are seeking to discover by probing the mysteries of life was revealed long ago.
Common elements that helped bring these diseases under control were such simple principles as quarantine of the sick and maintaining high levels of personal and environmental hygiene. The ravaging effects of these diseases were diminished so that today they are not the problem they once were. Despite these principles being widely known, to the extent that they are neglected, there is a resurgence of these diseases.
The antibiotics battle is on, and new strains of deadly bacteria are fighting back with a vengeance.
Can the battle against AIDS in South Africa be won?Vision interviews authorClem Sunter on the subject. Sunter serves on the board of governors of the South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS.
Part Two of Vision's look at the failings of evolutionary theory.
Although a few proponents are fully convinced that HGH can favorably alter the aging process, the National Institute on Aging feels the scientific evidence supporting this premise is, for the most part, sketchy. Before they will recommend it for antiaging, the institute is waiting for results of investigations into its long-term use.
More and more people are grasping at ways to stay young. Will science find a way for us to live forever?
On this the 20th anniversary of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, two doctors discuss the timeline of events that led to the catastrophe and the ongoing suffering of Ukranian citizens, especially the children.
In discussing infectious diseases and the steps that can be taken to minimize our risk of infection, most people ignore the age-old wisdom revealed in the pages of the Bible.
Experts predict that the avian flu virus will likely mutate and cause a human pandemic. How might that happen, and what can we do?
Just when South Africa thought its future looked bright, a new and ominous crisis emerged.
People have always wondered about life after death. What happens when we die? What the Bible has to say on the subject may be surprising.
Warning: The following statistics may leave you gasping. Despite mountains of evidence about the harmful effects of cigarette smoking, the death toll continues to rise as tobacco companies find new ways to push their products.