March 8th, 2010
By Dr. Jeffrey Schaler
Assistant Professor of Justice, Law & Society
It is fifty years now since Thomas Szasz rocked the world of psychiatry by writing The Myth of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct. His work continues to have a profound impact on how we think about disease, behavior, liberty, justice, responsibility, and most important of all, what it means to be human. Szasz has shown us how the idea of mental illness is used by the state to deprive innocent people of freedom, and guilty persons of justice. Without the state involved, the medicalization of behavior means nothing.
He has shown us how the idea of mental illness functions as legal fiction within our legal system. In this sense, the idea of mental illness has been used much as the idea that African American slaves were considered three-fifths of a person. Persons labeled as mentally ill are now considered three-fifths of a person. It is as if there was a postscript at the bottom of the Bill of Rights that reads: “PS: For mentally healthy people only.” Read the rest of this entry »
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March 4th, 2010
A recent study reported that those who drank 2 or more soft drinks per week had a significantly higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer than those who did not.
Xylitol is a natural sweetener that is made from Birch tree bark and corn husks and tastes just like sugar, but has 40% less calories and creates no sugar highs or lows!
Sources: Soft Drink and Juice Consumption and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: The Singapore Chinese Health Study
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February 25th, 2010
Mice that were developed to exhibit signs of old age and that were given a special nutrient rich “cocktail”, demonstrated an improved ability to offset major markers of aging including locomotion, mitochondrial function and neurotransmitter formation.
The nutrients used in the study included vitamins B1, C, D, E, beta carotene, folic acid, garlic, ginger root, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, green tea extract, magnesium, melatonin, potassium, cod liver oil, and flax seed oil.
Many of these nutrients can be found in IPM’s comprehensive Synergy Multivitamin. Read the rest of this entry »
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February 24th, 2010
Patients experiencing mild Alzheimers disease who were given a nutrient rich supplement that included phospholipids, omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins and antioxidants demonstrated improvements in memory, according to a recent study.
IPM offers the supplements PhosChol and Mega Omega 4:3.
Source: Nutrients Support Brain Synapses
Posted in Alzheimers | Comments Off
February 20th, 2010
Tags: Exercise
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February 13th, 2010
Two compounds found in green tea, l-theanine and caffeine, when used in combination, were found to increase attention in subjects performing attention specific tasks.
IPM offers Mighty Leaf Organic Green Tea.
Source: L-theanine and caffeine in combination affect human cognition as evidenced by oscillatory alpha-band activity and attention task performance.
Tags: Green Tea
Posted in Attention/Cognitive | No Comments »
February 10th, 2010
The evidence between blood serum levels of vitamin D and reduced cancer risk continues to pour in. Recently, it’s been shown that increased blood levels of vitamin D may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by as much as 40 per cent. The study also mentions that greater dietary intake of calcium was associated with a lower colorectal cancer risk as well.
IPM offers Vitamin D in both 1000 IU and 5000 IU.
Sources: Association between pre-diagnostic circulating vitamin D concentration and risk of colorectal cancer in European populations:a nested case-control study
Tags: Vitamin D
Posted in Cancer, Gastrointestinal | No Comments »
February 9th, 2010
Low plasma levels of vitamin B6 are now being associated with increased risk markers of inflammation, oxidative stress and metabolic disease, all of which can lead to increased risk of heart disease.
Higher levels of P-5-P, the active form of vitamin B6, were linked to lower levels of important markers of inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which are related to heart disease risk.
Source: Association of vitamin B-6 status with inflammation, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammatory conditions: the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study
Tags: Vitamin B6
Posted in Cardiovascular | No Comments »
February 6th, 2010
A recent Newsweek article contains compelling evidence against the use of anti-depressant. To vew this article, click here.
Posted in Mental Health | No Comments »
February 3rd, 2010
Every hour of television watched per day while being sedentary may increase the risk of dying prematurely, and particularly from cardiovascular disease. David Dunstan, from the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute (Victoria, Australia) tracked the lifestyle habits of 3,846 men and 4,954 women, ages 25 and older, and found that each hour spent age 25 and in front of the television absent of physical activity resulted in:
• an 11% increased risk of death from all causes;
• a 9% increased risk of cancer death; and
• an 18% increased risk of cardiovascular disease-related death.
Additionally, the team warns that their findings apply to both obese and overweight people as well as people with a healthy weight because prolonged periods of sitting have an unhealthy influence on blood sugar and blood fat levels. Writing that: “Television viewing time was associated with increased risk of all-cause and [cardiovascular disease] mortality,” the team urges that: “ In addition to the promotion of exercise, chronic disease prevention strategies could focus on reducing sitting time, particularly prolonged television viewing.”
Source: A4M: Couch Potatoes At Increased Risk for Premature Death
Posted in Environment, Nutrition | No Comments »
