Psychological Harassment Information Association

Brainstorming tip, ranting and making fun of different issues can help you brainstorm them or lead to ideas. - (news flash)

- Ranting and making fun of different issues can help you brainstorming these issues by leading you to links or other points of view that you may not have thought of or realized.
- The 'funny brain' is also very creative and this can help you create or view different ideas.

Dr. Phil: Let's tame the "Wild, Wild Web" - CNN (video)

Dr. Phil McGraw told a cyber security council that "keyboard bullies" are using "weapons of mass destruction" on kids.

- Dr Phil McGraw is a heavey weight when it comes to the media so any involvement in bring attention to the issue of cyberbullying is very welcomed.
- The "wild, wild web" has permitted websites like this one to exist and the word tame is used to replace the word control, a psychological manipulation, a word that is not very popular among the cyber community.
- One possible solution would be to use a cyberbullying reporting system and to work with the cyber community.

High blood pressure can sometimes lead to brain damage, reports CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta - CNN (video)

- high blood pressure can cause minor strokes and bleeding.
- daily exercise, reduce sodium intake, increase potassium intake.
- too much sodium causes you to lose potassium and this can cause muscle aches.

Cutting out sugary drinks can lower your blood pressure - CNN (video)

- even a small reduction in blood pressure can lower your stroke and heart disease risk.
- cutting down on sugar drinks lowers blood pressure.

Shopping became an addiction that helped her avoid emotions and left her in financial ruins - MSNBC (video)

For Avis Cardella, shopping became an addiction that helped her avoid emotions and left her in financial ruins. She reveals how she came to terms with her compulsive and destructive habit.

Study links organophosphate pesticide exposure to ADHD - MSNBC (video)

A new report suggests that relatively low-level exposure to common pesticides, probably from reidues on foods, doubles children's risk of developing ADHD.
- Study links Ognanophosphate Pesticides in common foods to ADHD, may affect functioning of nervous system.
- 28% of frozen blue berries, 25% of straberries there was residue of oganophosphate.

A pharmaceutical corporation fined $250 million in sex bias case - MSNBC (video)

A New York Federal Jury hit the drug company Novartis with a multi-million dollar damage verdict Wednesday in the largest gender discrimination suit of its kind.

Diet Secrets: "The Biggest Loser: 6 weeks to a healthier you" - MSNBC (video)

"Biggest Loser's diet and nutrition expert Cheryl Foreberg shares quick and easy meal ideas from her new cookbook, "Six Weeks to a Healthier You."

Diet Blunders That Slow Metabolism - MSNBC (video)

Diet Blunders That Slow Metabolism

Study: BPA found in most canned foods - MSNBC (video)

A new report from The National Workgroup for Safe Markets reiterates earlier findings that BPA is in many canned goods.

Facebook; Employers go online to check up on employee prospects featuring Obama warning to think before you post - MSNBC (video)

Being savvy about the practical uses, and pitfalls, of social media is becoming increasingly important as employers go online to check up on what their workers and prospective hires are up to. Career expert Nicole Williams explains why more and more people are taking a "less is more" approach to their online lives.

Football Concussions: NFL Study: FMR. Players' Rate of Alzheimer's 19x Public Rate - MSNBC (video)

- NFL Accused of denying long term effects of concussions
- Lawmakers Examine Growing Rate of Football Head Injuries

Studies suggest that floating pieces of amyloid beta called oligomers are what's killing off brain cells in Alzheimer's - Reuters (article link)

- The plaques may be the body's way of trapping and neutralizing oligomers.
- "The plaque is not the main culprit in terms of toxicity,"
- "It actually sequesters all of that amyloid," adding that oligomers are "the really toxic substance."

Study strengthens evidence linking long-term lead exposure to the fatal neurological condition ALS - Reuters (article link)

- Researchers found that a doubling in the blood lead level was associated with a doubling in the risk of ALS.
- Even when they accounted for markers of bone breakdown, blood lead levels were still associated with ALS.
- In older adults, whose bones mass may be breaking down faster, stored lead released may be the main driver of blood lead levels.

The first synthetic cell that's been made; Scientists reported they had created an artificial genome - Reuters (article link)

- "This is the first synthetic cell that's been made,"
- "an important advance in our ability to re-engineer organisms"
- "This is the first self-replicating species that we have had on the planet whose parent is a computer."

Specialists in aging are lobbying the FDA to consider redefining aging as a disease - Reuters (article link)

- Experts say it's time to recognize aging as a condition that can be treated and delayed.
- Because aging is not viewed as a disease scientists are hampered by regulators who license for diseases.
- By finding the genes thought to help determine longevity, scientists think they may be able to mimic their action to extend health span.

A combination of 2 antibody drugs shrank tumors in 40% of women with breast cancer whose tumors generate HER2 - Reuters (article link)

- T-DM1 -- an "armed antibody" that ties Roche Herceptin to a toxic chemotherapy compound from ImmunoGen.
- results shrank tumors in 9 of 23 women whose cancer had worsened after a median of 8 prior treatments.
- Herceptin is designed to block the function of HER2, a protein produced by a specific gene with cancer-causing potential, 25-30% of breast cancers.

Diabetes drug linked to B12 deficiency; B12 is essential to maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells; Mental changes and neuropathy - Reuters (article link)

- symptoms of B12 deficiency include fatigue, mental changes, anemia and nerve damage known as neuropathy.
- all these symptoms can easily be misdiagnosed as being due to diabetes.
- an estimated 246 million people have diabetes -- rates are expected to rise -- type 2 diabetes linked to poor diet, lack of exercise.

Researchers suggest that art therapy makes kids less anxious about their condition or chronic illness - Reuters (article link)

- the art therapy group had lower anxiety and higher quality-of-life and self-concept scores.
- "Kids tend to feel better after doing art therapy," "physical health and psychological health are often linked"
- American Association of Art Therapy

Women with a history of irregular menstrual periods may have a higher risk of developing heart disease - Reuters (article link)

- Women who had irregular periods were 28% more likely than women who had regular periods to develop heart disease.
- polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and very long menstrual cycles -- have been linked to increased risks of type 2 diabetes, which is a heart disease risk factor.

Cancer survivors might want to try yoga to sleep better and have more energy - Reuters (article link)

- Studies have suggested yoga could lower stress hormones.
- Yoga cut fatigue by up to 1/2 -- "We really don't have any good remedies for fatigue for cancer survivors"
- With yoga -- cut back on sleeping pills and slept better -- a 22% increase in sleep quality -- twice the improvement.

Checklist helps surgical teams avoid mistakes and cuts deaths by more than half during urgent surgery - Reuters (article link)

- The number of surgical complications fell by more than a 1/3.
- Washing your hands -- saved Michigan State more than $100 million and 1500 lives over 1.5 year.
- 8 different hospitals tested around the world -- urgent surgery -- deaths dropped by almost 2/3.
- Study introduced by World Health Organization (WHO) in 2008 -- Safe Surgery Saves Lives program.

Toronto Leafs' GM Brian Burke takes on bullies aimed at fighting homophobia - YouTube (video)

- Toronto Maple Leafs' GM Brian Burke launches new anti-bullying website aimed at fighting homophobia.
- Homophobia, fear, and bullying.
- www.mygsa.ca

A disabled boy with a limp was bullied and punched on a school bus - YouTube (video)

A Saskatchewan father is considering suing the Prairie South School Division for failing to stop his son, who lost one of his legs in an accident, from being bullied on the school bus.

Study links happiness and access to technology, IT, internet - CNN (video)

- technology leads to higher satisfaction, life satisfaction increases 10%.
- access to the internet increases well being and freedom, making life easier.
- low incomes benefit the most, a sense of empowerment and freedom.

New study suggests virtual violence in these games may make kids more aggressive in real life. - CNN (article link)

- Kids exposed to more video game violence became more aggressive over time
- Imitation, desensitization are ways that violent games can lead to real-life aggression.

Vitamin D and Cancer: Take Vitamin D; "Sunshine" vitamin D is crucial for immune system and killer T cells - (news flash)

- Women who take vitamin D every day were at 24% lower risk of breast cancer.
- "T cell must have vitamin D or activation of the cell will cease."
- "If the T cells cannot find enough vitamin D in the blood, they won't even begin to mobilize."
- New "cancer treatment involves taking white blood cells and using a drug that trains them to more actively attack cancer cells."
cancer    immune system tips

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Dr. Louann Brizendine neuropsychiatrist talk about men and women, hormones, pheromones - CNN (video)

- Hormones predispose our brains towards certain behavior.
- Pheromones change or effect the brain.
- The male brain is 9-10% bigger.

Nuts are good for the heart; improve cholesterol and triglycerides levels - CNN (video)

CNN's Elizabeth Cohen reports on a new report that finds nuts are good for the heart in many ways.

Several tips on reducing cancer risk from toxins and pesticides - CNN (video)

- To reduce exposure to pesticides Wash produce thoroughly.
- Some toxic substances that we eat, breathe or are exposed to daily can lead to cancer.

Caffeine might help some shift workers make fewer errors - CBC (article link)

- Sleepiness is thought to increase the risk of traffic collisions, injuries on the job and medical errors.
- "It seems reasonable to assume that reduced errors are associated with fewer injuries, although we cannot quantify such a reduction,"
- The trials suggested caffeine improved memory, orientation and attention.

Breathing polluted air is more strongly linked to heart attacks and strokes than previously thought - CBC (article link)

- cause-and-effect relationship fine particulate matter, which comes from fossil-fuel-burning says AHA.
- A growing link and evidence between air pollution and peripheral vascular diseases, irregular heartbeats, heart failure, and ischemic stroke.

Fire officials are looking to protect their front-line workers against toxic materials or toxic blazes - CBC (article link)

Emergency workers from the city are meeting this week with firefighters from around the world as part of the Ottawa Fire Symposium at Carleton University.

Children attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD linked to pesticide exposure - CNN (article link)

Children exposed to higher levels of a type of pesticide found in trace amounts on commercially grown fruit and vegetables are more likely to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder than children with less exposure, a nationwide study suggests.

Stem cells regrow crucial hearing cells in mice - Reuters (article link)

- Stem cells can be coaxed into becoming the hair cells deep inside the ears that are destroyed in hearing loss.
- 15 percent of Americans between 20 and 69, or 26 million people, have high frequency hearing loss caused by noise.

Workplace rants on social media like Facebook are headache for companies - CNN (article link)

- Compliance firms say more companies complain about work rants on social media.
- Posting work gripes on Facebook could be grounds for firing, employment attorneys say.
- One woman who was the subject of his offensive comments believed she had been sexually harassed at work.

Some researchers say the light from devices iPad and laptops may alter internal clocks and sleep cycles - CNN (article link)

So, for one month, whenever the sun set, he turned off all the gadgets and lights in his house -- from the bulb hidden in his refrigerator to his laptop computer.

8 Natural Remedies That May Help You Sleep - Health (article link)

- Try one of the following natural sleep remedies. "These are safer and have fewer side effects than OTC medications," says Jacob Teitelbaum, MD
- Magnesium and calcium, wild lettuce, hops, aromatherapy, melatonin, yoga, meditation, L-theanine, valerian

DNA Nanotechnology microscopic robots can follow instructions, assemble simple products, and mimicking the machinery of living cells - WSJ (article link)

- A research group built a molecular factory in which mobile DNA robots assembled gold particles in eight different ways.
- Another researech group programmed a DNA robot that could start, stop, turn and move.
- Scientists might be able to build autonomous medical robots able to cruise the human bloodstream.

Attorney General Eric Holder says the Arizona state law on immigration may increase racial profiling - CNN (video)

- The potential for racial profiling is certainly increased by the passage of such laws.
- That then leads to a wedge between the communities that law enforcement is trying to reach out to.
- If the community feels that it is being profiled or singled out by law enforcement people are less likely to share information or report crimes.

The Province of Ontario Canada wants to make workplace bullying against the law in June – CNN (video)

- Identifying certain types of behavior that are unacceptable and contrary to a statute.
- Part of a trend and a big shift in what is considered acceptable workplace behavior.

Oats lower bad cholesterol but also diabetes, heart disease, blood pressure, and cancer - CNN (video)

- Oatmeal from scratch increases the nutrition and reduces or removes additives such as sodium and sugar.
- Note: Large Flake are best and oatmeal also reduces inflammation (see Dr Gupta video on food and inflammation)

Sugar-heart diseas link revealed - NightlyNews (video)

- Access sugar in processed foods decrease good cholesterol HDL and increase triglycerides which can be a lethal combination

Sleep deprivation; 1 sleepless night can hamper the body's ability to use insulin to process sugar - Reuters (article link)

Type 2 diabetes is caused by the body's inability to adequately use insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, to control glucose sugar produced from food. Sugar levels rise and can damage the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and major arteries.
- Partial sleep restriction during a single night reduced some types of insulin sensitivity by 19 - 25%.
- "Our findings show a short night of sleep has more profound effects on metabolic regulation than previously appreciated,"
- "Our data indicate that insulin sensitivity is not fixed in healthy people, but depends on the duration of sleep in the preceding night,"

Stressful situations in early pregnancy can lead to the birth of babies who are underweight or born too early - Reuters (article link)

- Premature birth is the single largest contributing factor in infant deaths in the developing world.
- The risks of premature births increased two-fold in women who were exposed to severe life events during their first and second trimesters, a China study.

Obesity accounts for 20% or more of cancer; A report that concludes Americans are under constant assault from carcinogenic agents - Reuters (article link)

One big problem -- people are soaked in chemicals, electromagnetic radiation, hormones and other known causes of cancer that can interact with thousands of genetic variations to start tumors growing -- or not. Figuring out whether any one ingredient is mutating a gene or set of genes in a certain way will be difficult.
- Tobacco use and other unhealthy behaviors cause cancer.
- Obesity; "The lack of physical activity, weight gain, obesity clearly account for 20% or more of cancer"
- Alcohol; "We know that alcohol causes 4% of cancers.

New cancer treatment uses a drug that trains white blood cells to more actively attack cancer cells - CNN (article link)

- The new FDA approved cancer treatment involves taking a patient's own white blood cells and using a drug that trains them to more actively attack cancer cells.
- "But the real breakthrough is the approval of this new way of treating disease, which could be used for other cancers and conditions, such as HIV"
- "It's a landmark in the sense that it would be the first approved cell-based immune therapy,"

Women who reported taking at least 400 international units of vitamin D every day were at 24% lower risk of developing breast cancer - Reuters (article link)

- Breast cells have receptors for vitamin D raising the possibility that the nutrient could help regulate the division and proliferation of these cells;
- There's also growing evidence that vitamin D could help protect against other types of cancer.

Mushrooms provide more selenium than any other fruit or vegetable, selenium believed to decrease some human cancers. - CBC News (article link)

“One of the most significant health benefits is the potential role played in inhibiting different types of cancer tumours,” says Hauck. “In fact, mushrooms provide more selenium than any other fruit or vegetable.”
- Selenium contains a compound that is believed to decrease the incidence of some human cancers.
- They also contain anti-inflammatory compounds similar to those in over-the-counter painkillers.
- Source: Mushrooms Canada, www.mushrooms.ca

Anger can strangle blood flow in the heart and lead to abnormal heart rhythms, and has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease - Reuters (article link)

People with heart disease might want to take a careful look at how they handle their feelings of anger. A new study found that heart disease patients who suppressed their anger had nearly triple the risk of having a heart attack or dying over the next 5 - 10 years.

Diet can reduce strokes and sharply reduce Alzheimer's risk according to a study, about a 40% reduction - Reuters (article link)

- Saturated fatty acids in red meat and butter, need to be avoided and omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, vitamin E, vitamin B12 and folate, benefit and directly protect the brain.
- "People who adhered mostly to this dietary pattern compared to others have about a 40% reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease," Gu said.

Scientists find why "sunshine" vitamin D is crucial for immune system and killer T cells - Reuters (article link)

Researchers found that immune systems' killer cells, known as T cells, rely on vitamin D to become active and remain dormant and unaware of the possibility of threat from an infection or pathogen if vitamin D is lacking in the blood.
- "When a T cell is exposed to a foreign pathogen, it extends a signaling device or 'antenna' known as a vitamin D receptor, with which it searches for vitamin D,"
- "This means the T cell must have vitamin D or activation of the cell will cease. If the T cells cannot find enough vitamin D in the blood, they won't even begin to mobilize."

Dr. Gupta's mailbag; What's bad for the heart is bad for the brain and physical activity can actually repair neurological connections in your brain - CNN (video)

- What's bad for the heart is bad for the brain, the brain requires a lot of blood flow.
- Mini strokes happen all the time in the brain without much damage but over time can lead to problems associated to Alzheimer's.
- Physical activity can actually repair neurological connections in your brain and make it physically larger.
- One study on diabetes indicated that through diet people were able to go into remission.

Psychiatrist Marie-France Hirigoyen: The intent is to systematically destabilize and confuse victims with irrational threatening behavior - (news flash)

- Often, emotional abuse builds over a long period of time until it becomes so unbearable that victims lash out in frustration and anger, only to appear unstable and aggressive themselves.
- This, according to Hirigoyen, is the intent of many abusers: to systematically "destabilize" and confuse their victims (with irrational, threatening behavior that preys on the victim's fears and self-doubts), to isolate and control them and ultimately to destroy their identity. - psychiatrist Marie-France Hirigoyen, author of Le harcèlement moral