mkent52 – Rejuvenation Institute of Natural Health

U.S. Students Rank Worst In New Sleep Study

March 17, 2018March 31, 2018
by mkent52

Having a tough time getting the kids to sleep? Researchers have recently discovered that the long term affects of sleep deprivation could be a lot worse than a few extra grey hairs. Your child’s future could hang in the balance.

Researchers at Boston College recently surveyed 900,000 students and teachers in 50 countries. The results, reported by Time Magazine and the BBC, show that U.S. students rank worst in the world when it comes to sleep affecting academic performance. When poor sleep habits are present, U.S. students suffer more than other students around the world, particularly in math and science. Some age categories suffer at rates of 73% – 80% or up to 55% higher than the world average.

Below are the best and worst countries:

Kazakhstan
Azerbaijan
Slovakia
Japan
Malta

Australia
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia
New Zealand
United States

Poor sleep habits in children have been connected to a few sources including poor diet, sugar and technology. The addictive qualities of games and other media is hard to break away from. In addition, the bright light influences light sensitive cells in the retinas of their eyes, throwing off their internal clock. When this happens, their brain thinks it’s daytime, promoting alertness and preventing them from winding down.

All hope is not lost, however. If you can get the kids sleeping seven to nine hours per night, their academic future looks every bit as bright as it did before. Pay extra attention to the types of food your child is eating as well as the times that they are eating. Turn off the electronics (including TV) at least one hour before bed, allowing for dim light leading up to bed and absolute darkness (if possible) for sleep.

Source: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/05/09/u-s-students-rank-worst-in-new-sleep-study/
Photo by DavidDennisPhotos.com

Chemical Stress

New Study Links Monsanto’s Roundup A Host Of Diseases

March 1, 2018March 31, 2018
by mkent52

A new study published last week in Entropy suggests that Glyphosate, the most popular herbicide in the world and a key ingredient in Monsanto’s roundup, has been linked to gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Scientist Anthony Samsel and MIT Researcher Stephanie Seneff found that Glyphosate inhibits cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes – “an overlooked component of its toxicity to mammals”.

Monsanto and other proponents of conventional farming have denied the presence of herbicide and pesticide residues as well as their potential health risks, but this new research may prove otherwise. Various groups including the Environmental Working Group (guide to pesticide residues here) have confirmed the presence of pesticide and herbicide residues in produce. This new research could provide insight into just how dangerous those residues may be. As Samsel and Seneff point out, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, cancer and Alzheimer’s represent an increasingly common set of disieases and conditions commonly associated with a Western diet.

photo by kdwood2

Food

Organic Produce Exposed At A Middle School Science Fair

April 20, 2013August 18, 2013
by mkent52

The decades-long organic food debate has found its way from laboratories to farms and our very own kitchens. So, is organic produce really healthier for you? In 2010, Ria Chhabra’s parents were having this very argument when she decided to find an answer.

With a little bit of research, 13-year-old Ria found fruit flies to be the usual suspects for this type of experiment. She reached out to several fly laboratories and peaked the interest of Johannes Bauer, an assistant professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. What began with a middle-school science project has turned into three years of research, science fairs and national competitions. Ria’s work has even been published in the Public Library of Science (PLoS).

Ria’s early experiments with fruit flies confirmed the fact that organic foods contain higher concentrations of vitamin C. Following her early success, Ria moved on to explore the effects of organic foods on overall health. She used the flies to test both organic and conventional foods finding organic foods to be far better for the flies. In fact the flies that consumed organic produce displayed better fertility, stress resistance and longevity than those fed conventionally grown produce.

Dr. Bauer admits that more research is needed to determine causation, but there are a few obvious possibilities. Maybe these results are due to pesticide and fungicide residues in conventionally raised produce or maybe organically raised produce has higher nutrient levels. Another popular possibility is that organically raised plants produce more natural compounds to protect themselves from pests and fungi, which may make the plants healthier.

Today Ria is using the flies to observe the affects of natural remedies like cinnamon and turmeric on Type 2 diabetes. To read Ria’s research, check out Organically Grown Food Provides Health Benefits to Drosophila melanogaster

Source: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/is-organic-better-ask-a-fruit-fly/?ref=health
Photo credit: servitude