Mainstream Media Finally Realizes That Cell Phone Use Can Increase Possible Cancer Risk

May 31st, 2011

CNN.com

By: Danielle Dellorto

Radiation from cell phones can possibly cause cancer, according to the World Health Organization. The agency now lists mobile phone use in the same “carcinogenic hazard” category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform.

Before its announcement Tuesday, WHO had assured consumers that no adverse health effects had been established.

A team of 31 scientists from 14 countries, including the United States, made the decision after reviewing peer-reviewed studies on cell phone safety. The team found enough evidence to categorize personal exposure as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”

What that means is that right now there haven’t been enough long-term studies conducted to make a clear conclusion if radiation from cell phones are safe, but there is enough data showing a possible connection that consumers should be alerted.

“The biggest problem we have is that we know most environmental factors take several decades of exposure before we really see the consequences,” said Dr. Keith Black, chairman of neurology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

The type of radiation coming out of a cell phone is called non-ionizing. It is not like an X-ray, but more like a very low-powered microwave oven.

“What microwave radiation does in most simplistic terms is similar to what happens to food in microwaves, essentially cooking the brain. So in addition to leading to a development of cancer and tumors, there could be a whole host of other effects like cognitive memory function, since the memory temporal lobes are where we hold our cell phones.”

The voices urging caution to consumers have gotten louder in recent years.

The European Environmental Agency has pushed for more studies, saying cell phones could be as big a public health risk as smoking, asbestos and leaded gasoline. The head of a prominent cancer-research institute at the University of Pittsburgh sent a memo to all employees urging them to limit cell phone use because of a possible risk of cancer.

“When you look at cancer development — particularly brain cancer — it takes a long time to develop. I think it is a good idea to give the public some sort of warning that long-term exposure to radiation from your cell phone could possibly cause cancer,” said Dr. Henry Lai, research professor in bioengineering at University of Washington who has studied radiation for over 30 years.

Results from the largest international study on cell phones and cancer was released in 2010. It showed participants in the study who used a cell phones for 10 years or more had doubled the rate of brain glioma, a type of tumor. To date, there have been no long-term studies on the effects of cell phone usage among children.

“Childrens’ skulls and scalps are thinner. So the radiation can penetrate deeper into the brain of children and young adults. Their cells are dividing faster rate, so the impact of radiation can be much larger.” said Black of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Manufacturers of many popular cell phones already warn consumers to keep their device away from their body.

The Apple iPhone 4 safety manual says for users’ radiation exposure to not exceed FCC guidelines, “When using iPhone near your body for voice calls or for wireless data transmission over a cellular network, keep iPhone at least 15 mm (5/8 inch) away from the body.”

Blackberry Bold advises users to, “keep the BlackBerry device at least 0.98 in. (25 mm) from your body when the BlackBerry device is transmitting.”

Click here for the full report from CNN.com

What’s Really Causing Your Headaches?

February 11th, 2011

Health.com

By: Hallie Levine Sklar

You assume … Your aching neck is caused by hours at the computer.

Who knew? Your BlackBerry or iPhone is the real culprit.

We all know that poor posture at the keyboard can cause aches and pains, but too much text messaging can also increase the risk of neck and shoulder pain, according to a recent Temple University study. It turns out that the way the body is positioned for texting (stationary shoulders and back with rapidly moving fingers) is very similar to the position for typing on a computer, possibly priming you for neck pain, says study author Judith Gold, ScD, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Temple University’s College of Health Professions and Social Work.

The Rx? Vary your position—sometimes text with hands in your lap, other times with hands higher up—because holding one position for long periods is what may cause the pain. You can also get relief with this quick stretching routine, courtesy of Tanya Boulton, managing teacher of PURE Yoga East in New York City: While seated, tilt your head to the right and raise your right arm up and over your head, gently resting your hand on the left side of your head; close your eyes and hold for 6–8 breaths. Repeat on the other side. Then interlace your fingers behind your head, drop your chin down toward your chest, and draw your elbows toward each other; hold for 6–8 breaths.

You assume … Lack of sleep is to blame for your headaches.

Who knew? Napping isn’t helping.

You may know that sleep problems can trigger headaches, but if you take naps to try to get some relief, you may actually make the problem worse, a recent study suggests. “Napping during the day can lead to insomnia at night, and lack of sleep makes you even more susceptible to headache pain,” explains study author Jason Ong, PhD, director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Training Program at Rush University Medical Center.

To break the cycle, try skipping your nap and going to bed earlier. If you are still plagued by headaches—or are tossing and turning at night—see your doctor to discuss treatment options. One to try: cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which may help you better deal with the stress that may be causing both headaches and insomnia.

You assume … You’re just destined to keep getting pesky UTIs.

Who knew? Your supermarket chicken may be to blame.

Sounds crazy, but it’s true, according to a study published this past January in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. When researchers surveyed chickens from local supermarkets and restaurants, they found that the strains of E. coli bacteria in the poultry were the same as those causing urinary tract infections (UTIs) among women in the area. “E. coli can live in your intestine without making you sick. But when it passes through your digestive system, it ends up in your anal area and can be swept into your urethra during sex, causing the UTI,” explains study author Amee Manges, PhD, a professor of epidemiology at McGill University in Montreal. “Unfortunately, because many chickens are fed antibiotics to prevent disease while alive, the bacteria present may be already resistant to some common antibiotics.”

Your best protection? Avoid ingesting E. coli in the first place. Manges recommends cooking chicken thoroughly to kill bacteria and washing hands, utensils, cutting boards, and countertops with hot soapy water to avoid cross-contamination. You may also want to buy antibiotic-free chicken when possible, to reduce the chance of being exposed to drug-resistant bacteria. And it doesn’t hurt to practice a few good hygiene rules for UTI prevention: pee after sex to flush bacteria from your urethra, and wipe from front to back after using the bathroom.

Click here for the full report from Health.com

US Wants to Ease Telecom Wiretapping

October 19th, 2010

Agence France Presse

An Obama administration taskforce is seeking to overhaul a federal law requiring telephone and broadband carriers to ensure their networks can be wiretapped, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

Law enforcement and counterterrorism officials from the Justice and Commerce Departments, the FBI and other federal agencies told the Times tougher legislation was necessary because some telecommunications firms have launched new services and system upgrades that impede surveillance.

As part of their draft legislation to expand and strengthen the 1994 law, the officials want more legal incentives and penalties to push AT&T, Comcast, Verizon and other carriers to make sure any changes to their networks will not disrupt efforts to conduct wiretaps, the report added.

According to the Times, President Barack Obama’s administration intends to submit a package of draft legislation to Congress next year. Citing officials familiar with the deliberations, it noted there was still no agreement over the details.

Officials cited two previously undisclosed episodes during which major carriers struggled for weeks or months when they tried to comply with court-approved wiretap orders in criminal or terrorism investigations.

The newspaper said the FBI spends about 20 million dollars a year on efforts to help companies fix such problems.

Last month, the Times reported that the White House is also pushing to require all online services that enable communications — such as Gmail, Facebook, BlackBerry and Skype — to be technically capable of complying with a wiretap order, bringing them under the law’s mandate for the first time.

Among proposals floated by the Obama administration, one would increase the likelihood that a firm would pay a fine for wiretapping lapses, while another would create incentives for companies to show new systems to the FBI before implementing them, the Times said.

Click here for the full report from the Raw Story

Infomercial King Avoids Jail Time for E-mail Deluge

May 21, 2010

Chicago Sun Times

It’s a jail sentence they don’t want him to serve.

Infomercial king and best-selling author Kevin Trudeau, who markets his products as things “They don’t want you to know about,” won’t have to serve a 30-day contempt of court jail sentence because a federal appeals court threw the sentence out Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman had ordered Trudeau to spend 30 days in jail for urging his followers to deluge Gettleman with e-mails as the judge prepared to make a key decision in a Federal Trade Commission case against Trudeau.

That shut down the judge’s BlackBerry and clogged his e-mail inbox in February. Most of the 300 e-mails were “polite and enthusiastic,” the appellate court noted, but some had “threatening overtones.”

“This was an attempt by Mr. Trudeau to harass, intimidate and influence the court,” Gettleman said at the time. But the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the penalty and sent the case back to the judge.

Click here for the full report.

7th Circuit Nixes 30-Day Jail Term for Infomercial Pitchman Whose Fans Flooded Judge’s E-Mail Inbox

May 20, 2010

ABAJournal

by Martha Neil

A 30-day jail term for criminal contempt imposed on an infomercial pitchman after his followers flooded a federal judge’s BlackBerry and courthouse computer inbox with e-mail has been nixed by the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Court of Appeals.

Because U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman didn’t actually see the conduct at issue, which occurred outside the courtroom, and there was no need for an immediate, emergency sanction to keep his courtroom functioning, his summary finding that Kevin Trudeau was in direct criminal contempt was inappropriate, according to the court’s opinion today.

And, because the summary disposition of the case, without an evidentiary hearing, hasn’t established a sufficient record to determine on appeal whether a criminal contempt finding was appropriate under standard procedures, the appeals court vacated not only Trudeau’s 30-day sentence but the contempt finding itself.

However, Trudeau could still be found in contempt on remand, after evidence is presented, the appeals court said. His followers sent some 300 e-mails to the judge within 36 hours, some with threatening overtones.

As the court recounts in the opinion, Trudeau was already in federal court in Chicago for a civil contempt proceeding when the e-mail issue intervened. Initially fined $40 million for violating a consent order requiring him not to misrepresent the contents of his books on television, he was awaiting a new penalty after the 7th Circuit overturned the $40 million fine.

Meanwhile, he wound up being held in criminal contempt after urging his fans to e-mail Gettleman. The resulting deluge reportedly crashed both the judge’s BlackBerry and his court computer. (Gettleman thought he had not made his e-mail address public, but Northwestern University School of Law, where he teaches as an adjunct, had included it on his faculty Web listing, the opinion notes.)

Click here to read the full report

Court Spares Infomercial Pitchman From Jail

May 20, 2010

Google.com

An appeals court in Chicago has ruled that an infomercial pitchman won’t have to serve a 30-day jail sentence for getting his supporters to flood a federal judge’s e-mail inbox.

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Kevin Trudeau’s contempt of court conviction on Thursday. It says a judge cannot find a defendant in contempt on the spot and without a hearing unless the offending action occurred in the presence of the judge.

U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman found Trudeau in contempt after his computer and BlackBerry were jammed with e-mails from Trudeau’s supporters. Gettleman argued that a contempt ruling was appropriate because his computer was part of his court.

The judge has overseen a long-running legal battle between Trudeau and the Federal Trade Commission.

Click here for the full report

Court Spares Infomercial Pitchman From Jail

May 20, 2010

ABCNews.go.com

An appeals court in Chicago has ruled that an infomercial pitchman won’t have to serve a 30-day jail sentence for getting his supporters to flood a federal judge’s e-mail inbox.

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Kevin Trudeau’s contempt of court conviction on Thursday. It says a judge cannot find a defendant in contempt on the spot and without a hearing unless the offending action occurred in the presence of the judge.

U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman found Trudeau in contempt after his computer and BlackBerry were jammed with e-mails from Trudeau’s supporters. Gettleman argued that a contempt ruling was appropriate because his computer was part of his court.

The judge has overseen a long-running legal battle between Trudeau and the Federal Trade Commission.

Click here to read the full report

Info Pitchman Trudeau Avoids Jail

May 20, 2010

SouthtownStar.com

An appeals court in Chicago says infomercial pitchman and author Kevin Trudeau won’t have to serve a 30-day jail sentence for getting his supporters to flood a federal judge’s computer with e-mails.

The appeals court Thursday dismissed Trudeau’s contempt of court conviction, saying an act of contempt must occur in the presence of the judge.

U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman had found Trudeau in contempt after his computer and BlackBerry were both jammed with e-mails from Trudeau’s supporters.

The appeals court disagreed with Gettleman’s finding that Trudeau had in effect committed contempt in the presence of the judge because the computer was a part of his court.

Trudeau has been fighting a battle with the Federal Trade Commission before Gettleman.

Click here to read the full report

Infomercial Pitchman Avoids Jail

May 20, 2010

KWQC.com

An appeals court in Chicago says infomercial pitchman and author Kevin Trudeau won’t have to serve a 30-day jail sentence for getting his supporters to flood a federal judge’s computer with e-mails.

The appeals court on Thursday dismissed Trudeau’s contempt of court conviction, saying an act of contempt must occur in the presence of the judge.

U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman had found Trudeau in contempt after his computer and BlackBerry were both jammed with e-mails from Trudeau’s supporters.

The appeals court disagreed with Gettleman’s finding that Trudeau had in effect committed contempt in the presence of the judge because the computer was a part of his court.

Trudeau has been fighting a battle with the Federal Trade Commission before Gettleman.

Click here to read the full report

Infomercial Pitchman Avoids Jail

May 20, 2010

CBS2Chicago.com

An appeals court in Chicago says infomercial pitchman and author Kevin Trudeau won’t have to serve a 30-day jail sentence for getting his supporters to flood a federal judge’s computer with e-mails.

The appeals court on Thursday dismissed Trudeau’s contempt of court conviction, saying an act of contempt must occur in the presence of the judge.

U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman had found Trudeau in contempt after his computer and BlackBerry were both jammed with e-mails from Trudeau’s supporters.

The appeals court disagreed with Gettleman’s finding that Trudeau had in effect committed contempt in the presence of the judge because the computer was a part of his court.

Trudeau has been fighting a battle with the Federal Trade Commission before Gettleman.

Click here to read the full report

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