Unwarranted, Unconsented, Unwanted Hysterectomies

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It is no secret that hysterectomy is one of the most-performed major surgeries in the country and is also one of the least necessary and most damaging. It is also no secret that there is widespread hysterectomy-related abuse by gynecologists and that the hospitals, legislators and other authorities who could rein in the maltreatment of women have failed to do so. An estimated 76% of women who are hysterectomized are castrated at the same time. The removed uterus and ovaries, however, are commonly found to be perfectly normal. What is worse, some women have never consented to the removal of any of these organs. And according to the HERS Foundation Data Bank, 99.7% percent of women in an ongoing study were given little or no prior information about the acknowledged adverse effects of hysterectomy - information that is a legal requisite of consent.

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Benefit of Probiotics

Should you take a daily dose of bacteria? asks Harvard Women’s Health Watch

BOSTON, MA — The idea of tossing down a few billion bacteria a day for your health might seem—literally and figuratively—hard to swallow. But the May issue of Harvard Women’s Health Watch reports that a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that you can treat and prevent some illnesses with supplements containing certain kinds of health-promoting bacteria, called probiotics (meaning “for life”).

An estimated 100 trillion microorganisms inhabit every normal, healthy bowel, where they keep pathogens (harmful microorganisms) in check, aid digestion and nutrient absorption, and contribute to immune function. If these gut-dwelling bacteria become depleted—usually because of disease, stress, poor diet, or medications like antibiotics—health problems can result.

According to Harvard Women’s Health Watch, probiotic therapy has been best studied for the treatment of diarrhea. It may also help people with Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and other gastrointestinal problems. Probiotics that help restore the balance of microflora in the vagina may be useful in treating such common female urogenital problems as bacterial vaginosis, yeast infection, and urinary tract infection. More study is needed to know which probiotic strains work best for which conditions.

Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests that people considering probiotics keep these points in mind:

• The recommended doses range from 1 billion to 10 billion colony-forming units (CFU)—the amount contained in a capsule or two—several days per week.
• A daily supplement for one to two weeks may improve conditions such as infectious or antibiotic-related diarrhea.
• The microorganisms in probiotic supplements need to be alive when you take them (or when they’re freeze-dried for capsules). They may die on exposure to heat, moisture, or air. Some require refrigeration

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Understanding Your Thyroid

Did you know that a sluggish thyroid can lead to fatigue, weight gain, depression, and high cholesterol? In fact, over 20% of women in perimenopause or menopause are diagnosed with hypothyroidism. See what our hormones have to do with it, why typical medical treatments fall short, and your options for an effective holistic approach.

Click here for the complete story on thyroid health.

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EcoWellness: Pollution and the Heart

By CHRISTINE DELL’AMORE

UPI Consumer Health Correspondent

Click here for source.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 (UPI) — A new study that shows a powerful connection between particulate pollution and the risk of cardiovascular disease and death should motivate policymakers and health officials to limit Americans' exposure to air pollution, a burgeoning public-health danger.

Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle have found postmenopausal

women living in U.S. cities and exposed to average levels of fine particulate matter pollution, or PM 2.5, were drastically more at risk for getting cardiovascular disease and dying from its complications.

The study, which will appear Feb. 1 in the New England Journal of Medicine, is the largest study of its kind and the first to evaluate the effects of air pollution on new cases of cardiovascular disease in healthy subjects. It's also the first to examine local air-pollution levels within a city — by taking data from several air-quality monitors in different neighborhoods of one city — rather than comparing rates between cities, which is considered a less accurate measure.

The study underscores the need for research on the health effects of pollution and for more pollution prevention, lead author Dr. Joel Kaufman, a professor of environmental health and medicine at the university, told United Press International.

Kaufman and colleagues studied 65,893 women who lived in 36 U.S. cities from 1994 to 1998 and followed them for an average of six years. The women did not have previous histories of cardiovascular problems. The data came from the Women's Health Initiative, a major federal effort to investigate health outcomes in women, who have been long neglected in medical research. The researchers measured each woman's exposure to air pollutants by getting data from a pollution monitor closest to her ZIP code.

Over the follow-up period 1,816 women had one or more fatal or non-fatal cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events, such as coronary heart disease, heart attacks and stroke.

Particulate matter is a mixture of tiny particles, including dust and droplets of liquid in the air, generated mostly by vehicle exhaust and other industrial processes. The smallest of the particles, PM 2.5, is measured in micrograms per cubic meter; it is less than 2.5 microns in diameter and invisible to the human eye.

The metropolitan areas tested in Kaufman and colleagues' study generally had average levels of PM pollution, from about 4 to 20 micrograms per cubic meter.

But with each increase of 10 micrograms per cubic meter there was a 24-percent increase in the risk of a cardiovascular event among the study subjects and a 76-percent rise in the risk of death, the researchers found.

The team also noted differences in PM concentrations throughout various areas of a city. These fluctuations also translated to higher or lower health risks for the women, based on where they lived.

The researchers corrected for age, race, smoking status, educational level, household income and other markers that could skew the results.

However, the study was not a true experiment, and it's not possible to say for sure whether air pollution causes cardiovascular problems. Likewise, the measurements of air pollution were not exact, despite being more localized than other studies, and it's unknown where some women spent more time in traffic or indoors. The researchers also were not able to measure short-term exposures to PM. How short-term and long-term exposures differ is still being studied.

PM can travel into the deepest areas of the lungs when inhaled, and exposure has been linked in past studies to several health conditions, from aggravated asthma to premature death in people with heart and lung disease, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Most research has targeted PM 2.5, which is believed to be most detrimental to health. Although the link between PM exposure and heart problems is not well understood, some scientists suspect the particles encourage hardening of the arteries, a forerunner to heart disease. Kaufman told UPI his next research will focus on this question.

In 2006 the EPA, which is charged with setting PM standards to protect public health, made a series of revisions to its national air-quality standards. The standards were based on data from an ongoing, colossal research initiative to study the health effects of particulate matter. In 1997 the EPA recruited thousands of peer-reviewed epidemiologic studies on PM 2.5 and PM 10, the coarser particles, in the United States and Canada.

Many of these studies have reported a connection between lung cancer and particulate matter, and observed a spike in sudden heart-attack deaths in people exposed to the pollutants.

The California Children's Health Study showed PM 2.5 exposure was linked to a slowing of lung growth in children, which compromised the lungs' long-term function. The research found both long-term and short-term exposure to fine particles is associated with sickness and death.

A follow-up to one major study, Harvard's Six Cities, suggested a reduction in PM 2.5 levels subsequently lowers a person's long-term risk of death.

A 2006 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found short-term exposure to PM 2.5 can increase hospitalization of older adults suffering from heart and respiratory problems.

The new study led by Kaufman “is going to be a landmark study,” said Dr. Ralph Delfino, an associate professor and epidemiologist at the University of California-Irvine. What's most telling, he says, is the magnitude of the associations between PM exposure and cardiovascular troubles were much larger than found in previous studies.

Delfino was also impressed by the careful collection of air-pollution data within cities, as most studies have relied on between-city comparisons. By gathering data from the nearest air-pollution monitor where a woman lived, the researchers were able to reduce “exposure error,” or the tendency to ascribe a type of exposure to every resident in a city.

“The very robust contrast of between-city and within-city associations really suggests we need to look at effects at a smaller spatial scale, even down to where you live and work,” Delfino said. Capturing exposures in finer detail will inform better policies and standards for controlling PM. Public-health agencies such as the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences are committed to improving ways to measure exposure, Delfino pointed out.

The Women's Health Initiative data also gave the researchers a wealth of details about the women's physical qualities and behaviors, an improvement upon previous studies that had to rely on gross measures of study populations, said Dr. Russell Luepker, a Mayo professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis.

As a growing momentum toward more regulation of PM pollution takes shape, many in industry ask the question, “Where's the proof?” said Luepker. “Studies like this answer that question.”

The study makes it clear that at the current standards for PM pollution, Americans continue to be at risk for cardiovascular problems and even death, Delfino said.

“The current regulations are seemingly inadequate to protect us,” he added.


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Managing Morning Sickness

Morning Sickness Facts, Causes and Cures

Author: Karen Cook

Click here for article source

Congratulations! You're pregnant! One minute you're overjoyed with your news, the next you're brought back down to earth with a thud. Often with the pregnancy news comes the rude awakening that soon after conception, your body begins undergoing a series of major changes to help prepare it for your baby's growth and development.

Mother Nature loves irony. How else to explain taking the happiest time in a woman's life and causing her to become physically ill and miserable? And, what's with using the term, "morning sickness"? Actually, the correct term is "nausea and vomiting of pregnancy". Which is closer to the truth since the condition can and will occur anytime of the day.

Some quick facts about the morning sickness:

1. 50-95% of pregnant women suffer from it

2. Dehydration can happen in extreme cases

3. Occurs in first month of pregnancy

4. Continues until 14th-16th week

5. 50% of women will suffer for another month

Although nobody will say for sure what the definite causes of morning sickness are, the theories are:

• Estrogen level increase
• Low blood sugar
• Increased sensitivity to smells where many odors instantly trigger the gag-reflex
• Rise in progesterone level . This hormone helps relax the uterus in order to prevent early labor but it also relaxes the stomach and intestines which cause excess acids in the stomach and slower waste removal.
• Eating unhealthy foods. Seems the body has a sure-fire way to make sure you don't ingest anything not good for you or baby.
• An increase in human chorionic gonadotropin. Now you know why they prefer to call it (hCG) This is a peptide hormone produced by the embryo soon after conception and later on by the placenta. It's role is to maintain crucial levels of progesterone production vital in human pregnancies.
• Excess salivation which nauseates some women

It's difficult to spend time on the causes morning sickness when all you really want is relief. As with anything to do with the human body, there's no one-size-fits-all remedy. There will be a period of trial and error as you find what works for you. Of course it goes without saying, you will be consulting with your doctor/care-provider.

So here are some corrective measures used by many women:

1. Eating small, frequent meals. An empty stomach produces an acid which aggravates the stomach lining.

2. Foods should be high in proteins and complex carbohydrates such as yogurt, cheese and eggs or whole-grain breads and cereals. Don't make the mistake of thinking of whole-wheat as being whole- grain. You want the product label to say " 100% whole-grain". There is a big difference for mother and baby.

3. Drink fluids. Dehydration makes everything worse. Extreme cases of morning sickness require hospitalization. If you can't stomach fluids, try eating fruit which has high water content and low acid like grapes and watermellon.

4. Ginger (zingiber officinale) This is an age-old remedy for upset stomachs. Try either capsules, ginger tea or ginger- snaps, candy. Try to get ginger ale made with real ginger and not the supermarket brands. You may have to try the health-food section in your grocery or an actual health-food store.

5. Brushing teeth after vomiting will decrease excess saliva and lessen stomach turmoil. It also prevents tooth decay and makes you feel somewhat better.

6. Get proper rest. Fatigue and stress will cause morning sickness to worsen. If able to, nap often.

7. Stay away from fatty, spicy, rich, acidic and fried foods.

8. Eat crackers before getting out of bed. Get up slowly.

9. Take food based prenatal vitamins later on in the day.

10. Try vitamin B6.

11. Microwave cooking produces less odors. Better yet, have someone else do the cooking while you, lucky girl, stay away!

12. Go smell lemons. Believe it or not, relief may be found by sprinkling essential oil of lemon on a handkerchief and holding it to your nose.

13. Warm places can trigger nausea. Try to stay cool. If not in air conditioning, install fans around you. Even a battery-operated hand-held fan can bring relief.

14. If your stomach agrees, eat what you want when you want it. Your special cravings are trying to tell you something.


Although it can be downright annoying when well-meaning friends and family tell you, "This too shall pass" , especially when you feel miserable. Usually after the first trimester, you will again be concentrating on happy, future events.

Again, Congratulations!

(c) 2006 Karen Cook
Reference Sources: Wikipedia and Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
About the author:Karen Cook works the main desk at her town's Public Library. The most rewarding part of her job is researching self-help information for the patrons. Visit the weblog: http://happilypregnant.blogspot.com

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Good News about Breast Cancer

Click here for article source

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among females in the United States. Both in situ and invasive female breast cancer rates have been decreasing in recent years, with a sharper decline occurring from 2002 to 2003. These rate decreases have been across several age and stage groups and most racial/ethnic populations. Decreases in 2003 occurred primarily among women aged greater than or equal to 50 years. Future studies should focus on determining potential causes for these decreases.

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Cancer Survivor Battles U.S. Government

Jackie Brown says her illnesses were caused by working at a now-closed nuclear weapons plant
By WAVENEY ANN MOORE
St. Petersburg Times, December 15, 2007

When Jackie Brown developed cancer of the uterus at age 29, she was forced to have a hysterectomy. Sixteen years later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy.

Brown blames her illnesses on 17 years as an employee for U.S. government contractors who operated a now-closed Pinellas County nuclear weapons plant.

The government disagrees with the St. Petersburg woman and has repeatedly rejected her claims for compensation.

Brown is among more than 1,000 people who have requested compensation for illnesses they say were caused by working at the plant at Bryan Dairy and Belcher roads operated initially by General Electric and Lockheed Martin and later by Martin Marietta.

Brown and other former workers are basing their claims on the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act, passed in 2001 to compensate nuclear weapons workers who became ill as a result of exposure to radiation, beryllium or silica on the job.

Recently, she and 11 others spoke of their frustrations to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson's staff in Orlando, saying that the approval process for financial compensation is inconsistent and biased.

"Sen. Nelson has asked the CDC to put together a working group to examine the claims process involving the former Pinellas plant workers," said Bryan Gulley, a spokesman for Nelson's office.

"We're certainly sympathetic to the plight of the workers and would like to help them any way we can," he said.

Brown, 49, remembers being ecstatic when she landed the job at the GE facility.

"It was a very well-paying job with excellent benefits, but little did we know what it was doing to our bodies," she said.

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Bacteria that cause urinary tract infections invade bladder cells

Women's Health News
Published: Wednesday, 19-Dec-2007
Click for source: News-Medical.net

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found definitive proof that some of the bacteria that plague women with urinary tract infections (UTIs) are entrenched inside human bladder cells.

The finding confirms a controversial revision of scientists' model of how bacteria cause UTIs. Previously, most researchers assumed that the bacteria responsible for infections get into the bladder but do not invade the individual cells that line the interior of the bladder.

"Our animal model of UTIs has allowed us to make a number of predictions about human UTIs, but at the end of the day, we felt it was critical to show this in humans, and now we've done just that," says senior author Scott J. Hultgren, Ph.D., the Helen L. Stoever Professor of Molecular Microbiology at the School of Medicine.

The results appear in the December issue of Public Library of Science Medicine.

Fully understanding what bacteria do in the bladder is critical to developing better diagnoses and treatments for UTIs, Hultgren says. The bacterium Escherchia coli is thought to be responsible for 80 percent to 90 percent of UTIs, which occur mainly in women and are one of the most common bacterial infections in the United States. Scientists estimate that more than half of all women will experience a UTI in their lifetimes, and recurrent UTIs will affect 20 percent to 40 percent of those patients.

"Recurrence is one of the biggest problems of UTIs," says Hultgren. "Even though we have treatments that eliminate the acute symptoms, the fact that the disease keeps recurring in so many women tells me that we need to develop better treatments."

Prior to the work of Hultgren and his colleagues, most microbiologists and urologists believed for a variety of reasons that E. coli wasn't getting into bladder cells.

"For example, there is a barrier in the bladder that prevents toxins and other things in your urine from leaking back into the body," notes David Rosen, an M.D./Ph.D. student at the School of Medicine and lead author of the paper. "And it was thought that bacteria could not penetrate that barrier."

A biopsy could reveal the presence of bacteria in bladder cells, but taking a tissue sample in an infected bladder incurs an unacceptable risk of allowing bacteria to spread into the bloodstream, a dangerous condition called sepsis.

Scientists also thought that if the bacteria were getting into bladder cells, they would replicate and spread rapidly, sometimes leading to sepsis. But after Hultgren first discovered that bacteria are able to invade bladder cells in 1998, he later found evidence in his animal model that bacteria could establish residence inside those cells. He showed that this process involved several behavioral changes that allow the bacteria to form cooperative communities known as biofilms. By working together, bacteria in biofilms build themselves into structures that are more firmly anchored in infected cells and are more resistant to immune system assaults and antibiotic treatments.

To prove that the model correlates with human infections, Rosen led an analysis of human urine samples sent from a clinic at the University of Washington in Seattle. The 100 patients who gave samples were either suffering from an active, symptomatic infection or had previously suffered infections. Researchers analyzing the specimens were not told which group of patients individual specimens had come from.

Using light and electron microscopy and immunofluoresence, scientists found signs of bladder cell infection in a significant portion of the samples from patients with active UTIs. These included cells enlarged by bacterial infection and shed from the lining of the bladder.

In addition, Hultgren's experiments had previously suggested that some bacteria progress to a filament-like shape when exiting out of the biofilm. Rosen was able to identify bacteria with this filamentous morphology in 41 percent of samples from patients with symptomatic UTIs.

Neither indicator was detected in urine from women who did not have active infections. This was anticipated: Hultgren's animal model work suggests that when women are between episodes of symptomatic infection, intracellular E. coli may be in dormant phases where there would be little cause for bacteria or the cells they infect to be shed into the urine.

Further research is needed to determine if the infection indicators Rosen detected in urine samples from symptomatic women are signs of increased risk of recurrent infection. But looking for those signs using immunofluorescent staining and a variety of microscopy methods is unlikely to be practical on a widespread clinical basis. So to follow up, Hultgren plans a search for biochemical indicators linked to higher risk of recurrent UTIs and of infection spreading to a patient's kidneys. His lab also continues to be involved in many different efforts to develop new vaccines and treatments.

"What we're learning about how bacteria behave in the bladder may also have application to other chronic, treatment-resistant infections such as sinus infections and ear infections," he says. "We're increasingly starting to realize that biofilm formation is generally an important strategy bacteria use to evade host responses and antibiotic therapies. Attacking biofilms is going to be a really important approach as we enter a new era of fighting infectious diseases."

http://www.medicine.wustl.edu/

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Clinical Trials from US Department of Health and Human Services

Click for source - WomensHealth.gov

(HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of Thomson CenterWatch:

Endometriosis

If you are a woman aged 18 to 50 and have been diagnosed with endometriosis, you may be eligible for this study.

The research site is in Aventura, Fla.

More information

Please see http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/cat60.html.

-----

High Cholesterol (Hyperlipidemia)

If you have high cholesterol or are at risk for coronary heart disease, you may qualify for this study.

The research site is in Cherry Hill, N.J.

More information

Please see http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/cat170.html.

-----

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

If you are 18 or older and have non-Hodgkins lymphoma, you may be eligible for this study.

The research site is in Arlington, Texas.

More information

Please see http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/cat203.html.

-----

Copyright 2007 Thomson CenterWatch. All rights reserved.

The Truth About Parabens

From Terr Essentials.com

The National Organic Program prohibits chemical preservatives in products that are labeled "organic." So what are chemical preservatives such as methyl, propyl, butyl and ethyl parabens doing in personal care products labeled "organic?"

There are many delightful organic foods that contain no preservatives. Read the labels on your organic honey, maple syrup, vinegar, olive oil, sugar, raisins, peanut butter and wine. These foods are considered by the FDA to be "self-preserving" and contain no preservatives. This means that, because of certain inherent qualities, these foods are naturally stable and not overly susceptible to contamination from bacteria.

Organic herbal medicinal tinctures made from high quality organic herbs and organic grain alcohol are shelf-stable for around two to three years. True castile soap, liquid or bars, has an excellent shelf-life of up to eighteen months or longer and requires no preservatives. Wouldn´t you prefer body care products that are fresh (like the food you eat) rather than several years old?

A self-preserved 100% organic moisturizing body oil made from organic sunflower oil, organic cocoa butter, organic coconut oil, organic peppermint oil and organic spearmint oil can have a shelf-life of up to 18 months.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in their report "Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the Environment: Agents of Subtle Change?" reported that the chemical preservatives called parabens—methyl, propyl, butyl and ethyl (alkyl-p-hydroxybenzoates)—displayed estrogenic activity in several tests. This means that these chemicals mimic your body´s own hormones and can have endocrine-disrupting action when they are rubbed into your body or washed down the drain into your drinking water. These disruptors interfere with your body´s endocrine system: your hypothalamus, your ovaries, your thyroid—virtually every system in your body. The EPA also stated that "continual introduction of these benzoates (parabens) into sewage treatment systems and directly to recreational waters from the skin leads to the question of risk to aquatic organisms." Scientists in Europe found other endocrine-disrupting body care chemicals in the bodies of fish that humans are eating, and in human breast milk.

Dr. Elizabeth Smith has written that "It is a known medical fact that estrogen stimulates breast cancer" and that "anything absorbed through the skin may be as high as 10 times the concentration of an oral dose." (Think about how nicotine and birth control/hormone patches work—the chemicals are absorbed through the skin!) She also reported that, in one study, a paraben was injected under the skin and was found to have an "estrogenic response on uterine tissues." Scientists observing these harmful effects on the uterus remarked that "it is suggested that the safety in use of these chemicals should be reassessed."

Endocrine disruptors are transported into the body, daily, via absorption through the skin and hair follicles when using personal care products. Now that we know that we absorb toxins through our skin, isn´t it important that body care products that claim to be organic should be as pure as the organic foods that we eat?

Click To Read Cautions about Paraben Preservatives

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Aromatherapy oils 'kill superbug' - and E.coli

Click for Source - BBC News

Essential oils could kill the deadly MRSA hospital 'superbug', scientists have claimed.

University of Manchester researchers found three of the oils, usually used in aromatherapy, destroyed MRSA and E.coli bacteria in two minutes.

They suggest the oils could be blended into soaps and shampoos which could be used in hospitals to stop the spread of the superbug.

Hospital-acquired infections, such as MRSA, kill an estimated 5,000 a year.

The Manchester study was triggered when complementary medicine specialists at Christie Cancer Hospital asked university researchers to test essential oils.

They wanted to ensure they could not harm the patients, whose immune systems are weakened by the treatments.

Dr Peter Warn, who carried out the research, said: "When I tested the oils in the lab, absolutely nothing grew. Rather than stimulating bacteria and fungi, the oils killed them off."

Soaps and shampoos

The team then tested 40 essential oils against 10 of the most infectious agents found in hospitals, including MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus).

Two of the oils were found to kill MRSA and E.coli almost instantly, while a third was found to act over a longer period of time.

However, the researchers say they are unable to reveal which oils carry benefits because of commercial sensitivities.

MRSA is often carried in patients' nostrils, and is currently treated by putting disinfectant on the area to kill the bacterium - which many patients often find unpleasant.

Dr Warn says the essential oils could be used to create much more pleasant inhalation therapies - which he said were likely to have a much higher success rate than the current treatment, which is only effective in around 50% of cases."

Dr Warn said: "We believe that our discovery could revolutionise the fight to combat MRSA and other superbugs."

But he said the team now needed around £30,000 in order to continue its research.

Jacqui Stringer, clinical leader of complementary therapies at Christie Hospital in Manchester, instigated the oils research.

She said: "Our research shows a very practical application which could be of enormous benefit to the NHS and its patients.

"The reason essential oils are so effective is because they are made up of a complex mixture of chemical compounds which the MRSA and other superbug bacteria finds difficult to resist."

The Department of Health evaluates products which are claimed to prevent or treat HAIs before it permits them to be used across the NHS.


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From bibs to cribs, baby goes green

By Marisa Belger

TODAYShow.com contributor

updated 12:40 p.m. ET, Mon., Dec. 10, 2007
Click for source - MSNBC.com

Having trouble keeping up with our increasingly organic, eco-friendly world? Let me be your guide! From all-natural makeup to the best in eco-conscious jeans, I will test and review the products and treatments that are best for you and the planet.

Have you noticed how many pregnant women are walking around the streets these days? I sometimes stroll around my neighborhood and count the number of pregnant bellies I spot in a five-block radius. It’s hard not to be amazed at the sheer number of gestating ladies making their way around town. I once counted seven and then looked down and realized that the basketball I seemed to be carrying under my shirt made eight.

Procreation is definitely still trendy.

These days, chances are good that you’re either pregnant, married to a pregnant woman, friends with someone pregnant, or the sister, brother, mother, father, aunt, uncle, or cousin of someone who’s having a baby. This connection to a woman who’s with child should be enough to inspire a bit of eco-friendly baby care, but even if you are not on a first name basis with somebody who’s about to give birth, I encourage you to care about environmentally-conscious baby care.

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Official backing from MOH for the Middle East Natural and Organic Products Exhibition in Dubai

Click for source - AME Info.com

Strong official encouragement to boost UAE consumption of natural and organic products has come from the Emirates' Ministry of Health and Ministry of Environment and Water.

The two ministries have lent their full support to the fifth Middle East Natural & Organic Products Expo (MENOPE) to be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre on December 16-18.
Natural and organic products in the UAE are being promoted to offer healthy consumption choices to residents, stressed HE Humeid Al Quttami, Minister of Health.

'We want to have more natural and organic products in our markets which are safer and healthier options,' he said. 'The Ministry of Health is hopeful through this exhibition to boost the opportunities and usage of these products on a larger scale and at more affordable prices for all people'.

Organic food for is known for its good taste and quality, being naturally grown and processed without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or fungicides, and being free of toxins and artificial or synthetic chemicals.
Locally produced organic food has superior health benefits, as it preserves the overall quality, tastes better, and has higher nutritional value.

Although the UAE already has several organic farms, the Ministry sees an immediate need to have more natural and organic products available in the market and in more affordable prices.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Environment & Water is working on important agricultural projects, such as advancing and developing organic agriculture since it greatly believes in the importance of producing food without harmful chemicals, avoiding environment pollution, and protecting natural resources.

Dr. Abdullah Al Abboudi, from the ministry said: 'Organic agricultural follows the highest health standards that prevent water, air and soil pollution.

'The Ministry of Environment & Water has set high standards for organic agriculture in the country after intensive research with the support of international experts. However, the programme that the Ministry has adopted needs the support of the private sector to market organic products more extensively in the UAE.'
This year's MENOPE is set to double in size, occupying two halls in DWTC covering 8,000 square metres of exhibition space compared to 5,000 square metres last year.

'Many new participants from different countries will be participating, and the event will be characterised by new categories that will include a special showcase on natural cosmetics, natural healing stones, and natural spas and healing resorts,' said Ashraf Sharaf, director of Global Links Dubai, the event organisers.

In addition to the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Environment & Water, the event is attracting support from many leading international organisations such as Conex, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), Greentrade, Korea Health Supplement Association (KHSA), Organic-bio, Italian Village, and OPR.

The exhibition will bring together manufacturers, producers and distributors of natural and organic products including cosmetics, organic food, baby care, aromatherapy, yoga, naturopathy, food and beverage, natural juices, dairy products, music, herbal remedies, energy substitutes, fabrics and clothing, and furniture and gifts.
There will be national pavilions for Italy, France, USA, India, New Zealand, Australia, and Korea, with many new exhibitors from Lebanon, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Pakistan and Tahiti. The event will have its biggest ever Indonesian participation and first-time Greek representation through a national pavilion.

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Nag Champa's Healing Properties in Soap Form

Nagchampa is considered as one of the most fascinating incense of Indian origin. It bears its importance since ancient days when the people used to burn incense woods on religious ceremony and prayers. Since then it has evolved along the generations and now is used globally due to its fragrance.

So what’s exactly is Nagchampa, it is an aromatic blend of resins, gums, spices, flowers and oils with a wonderful after-aroma. It is commercially available in the form of incense sticks and cones besides this it is found in soap, perfume oils and incense candles.

In soap base, nag champa oil mixed with natural herbs acts as anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, bactericidal, fungicidal, action on the skin. It helps to remove scars, stretch mark and slack tissues and makes the skin wrinkle free and natural. Nag champa sachet can now be used at the places where burning of a stick is not possible like in cars. This helps to refresh mood and increases concentration while driving. As the fragrance has deep impact on ones mind, body and soul; Incense’s Fragrances are now used a lot in Aromatherapy. Aromatherapy helps to control stress of day-to-day life. Nag champa candles not only provide light but also refreshes the air in the room with its sweet fragrance.

Historically Nag Champa belongs to the "Champa" class of Indian incense, having its origin from the Champa flower. Nag Champa incenses contains natural vernacular ingredient of India called "Halmaddi", which is a semi-liquid resin obtained from the Ailanthus Malabarica tree which ultimately gives Nag Champa its characteristic grey color.

There is an exclusive position for Nag champa in Hindu religion where it is considered as sacred and is always used in religious ceremony or event. Nagchampa has been appreciated for centuries as exceptional quality incense for calming meditation and for creating sacred spaces. It has a strong fragrant with long lasting effect, as a result the scent will linger in your room for hours.

Nagchampa finds its applications in:

- Religious Ceremonies
- Morning Prayers
- General Fragrance in Houses / Offices
- Special Events
- Bath & Body etc.

It is an assumption that Nag champa is used only in Indian Markets, but stats has shown that the product pertaining to Nag Champa is of high demand in the Western World including North America. It is much more preferred than the artificial perfumes because of the Nagchampa natural behavior and is highly used in gifts pack for gifting on special occasions.

To purchase Nag Champa soap and other Aromatherapy Soaps, check out Tropical Oils Product Line at Feel Real Goods.com

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