Smoking May Boost MS Risk
April 8, 2010 by admin
Filed under News Stories
April 8, 2010
Reuters
By: JoAnne Allen
Smoking may increase the risk of multiple sclerosis in people who have other risk factors for the neurological disorder, researchers said on Wednesday.
The findings suggest that smokers who have high levels of a protein that protects against the Epstein-Barr virus, a common herpes virus, were twice as likely as nonsmokers to get multiple sclerosis (MS), the researchers wrote in the online edition of the journal Neurology.
Previous studies have suggested that smoking and the virus-fighting protein were independent risk factors and this research looked at how they may be associated with each other, Claire Simon of Harvard University said in a telephone interview.
“We found that that association was stronger in people who reported smoking compared with people who did not report smoking,” Simon said.
The study found no association between smoking and a gene related to the immune system gene called HLA-DR15, which is thought to be another risk factor for MS, she said.
Studying the potential risk factors simultaneously might provide clues about why some people get MS and others do not, Simon said.
MS is an incurable condition that affects more than 1 million people worldwide. The disease can cause mild symptoms in some people and permanent disability in others. Symptoms may include numbness or weakness in one or more limbs, partial or complete loss of vision, tingling or pain, electric-shock sensation with certain head movements, tremors and an unsteady gait.
Simon and colleagues analyzed information from 442 people with MS and 865 without the disease. All were participants in either the U.S.-based Nurses’ Health Study, the Tasmanian MS Study and the Swedish MS Study.
The team determined whether participants had either of the potential factors and looked at the participants’ smoking history. The researchers said they found a consistent association between MS, smoking and the body’s immune response to the Epstein-Barr virus across the three distinct, geographic regions.
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Predictions for the Next few Years
February 15, 2010 by admin
Filed under News Stories
February 15, 2010
Natural News
By Mike Adams
Ask around and you’ll hear this over and over again: People are concerned about what might be coming. They’re concerned about a global financial collapse, an ecological crisis and potential disruptions in the food supply. The radical weather patterns now being witnessed across the world are further indication that something’s wrong with the world we thought we knew.
But what’s really going to happen between now and 2012? Is there any way to take an educated guess about which challenges are most likely to appear?
That’s what I’ve done here in this collection of thirty-five predictions for 2010 – 2012. Although I can’t actually see the future in some sort of crystal ball, I do have a successful track record of predicting many large-scale events years before they happen. As published here on NaturalNews, my predictions for 2009 clocked in at 79% accuracy. I’m on the record calling the 2007 housing crash a full two years before it took place, and those who have been following these writings for several years know that I openly warned people about the dot-com crash two years before it happened as well.
So here’s what I see coming in 2010 – 2012. This is based on “educated guesses” about where current trends may lead us. This is not some sort of psychic prediction exercise; it’s based entirely on observation and forward thinking.
By the way, if these predictions seem too pessimistic, be sure to read the bottom of this article which talks about the upside of what will happen after these next few years. Ultimately, there is good news ahead…
#1 – Worldwide shortage of rare earth metals
The world depends on Rare Earth Metals (REMs) to manufacture everything from electric motors to solar panels and computer parts. Expect a global shortage to hit hard over the next three years.
#2 – Food supply disruptions hit western nations
There will be one or more serious disruptions in the food supply that will wake up Americans to the possibility that their food may not be as secure or plentiful as they had imagined. While this could take the form of a crop disease that spreads across corn or wheat farms, it’s more likely to involve radical weather patterns that destroy crops and limit food supply.
#3 – Deadly superbug mutation goes wild
A deadly superbug will escape the hospital and get into the “wild” — meaning it starts to infect everyday people, perhaps being transmitted through gyms or schools. A review of what led to the escape will point to abuse of antibiotics and failure of hospital staff to wash their hands.
#4 – New evidence links vaccines and neurological disorders
New evidence will emerge linking vaccines to neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. This evidence may point to the chemical adjuvants used in vaccines which cause an inflammatory response in the body. The vaccine industry, of course, will deny any such link, but evidence will mount that points to the link.
#5 – U.S. power grid suffers catastrophic failure
At some point over the next three years, the U.S. power grid will suffer a catastrophic regional failure that puts tens of millions of people in the dark. The power grid is a fragile system just waiting to be brought down by cascading failures. It will be repaired relatively quickly (perhaps in 72 hours), but its failure will leave many people on edge and cause a rush of business at preparedness retailers.
