PAPA

Marie's Balloon
July 31, 2009 (Friday)

Credit: Limelight

With a perfectly pink balloon leading the way, Jessica Alba enjoys a casual shopping trip with daughter Honor Marie, 13 months, Wednesday in West Hollywood. Source

Thimerosal, Brain Damage, and Autism
July 29, 2009 (Wednesday)

A recent study reveals that the small amounts of thimerosal found in vaccines are connected to brain pathology found in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The study “A Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Impaired Oxidative-Reduction Activity, Degeneration, and Death in Human Neuronal and Fetal Cells Induced by Low-Level Exposure to Thimerosal and Other Metal Compounds,” by Paul King, David Geier, and Marc Geier is published in the June 2009 issue of Toxicology & Environmental Toxicology.

By inoculating neural cells with infinitesimal amounts of thimerosal (ethylmercurithiosalicylic acid) and other metal compounds (aluminum sulfate, lead acetate, methyl mercury hydroxide, and mercury chloride) comparable to the amounts a baby or child would get in a vaccine, it was found that thimerosal was by far the most toxic.

Cell injury included mitochondrial damage, reduced oxidative-reduction activity, cellular degeneration, and death. Cell damage was similar to that found in cell studies of autistic children.

A urine test is available for non-chelated children or adults with ASD. Mercury poisoning correlated closely with the severity of ASD.

Many dedicated doctors and parents are searching for answers and for cures for autism. Until all the mechanisms of its cause and cure are laid bare by private doctors, entrepreneurs, and concerned citizens, it appears that the epidemic of autism will continue. Source

Beck's son Cruz gets animated
July 25, 2009 (Saturday)

Credit: David Aguilera/BuzzFoto

Roger Federer & Wife Welcome Twin Girls
July 25, 2009 (Saturday)

Tennis superstar Roger Federer and wife Mirka announced the birth of their twin daughters on his Web site on Friday.

The twins, Charlene Riva and Myla Rose, were born Thursday, July 23 in Switzerland.

"This is the greatest day of our lives. Mirka, Myla and Charlene are all healthy and doing very well," the Grand Slam champ said in posted statement.

Roger and Mirka wed in April after dating for nine years.

The birth of the athlete's new twins comes the same month he won Wimbledon, marking his 15th Grand Slam tennis title, edging out Pete Sampras' previous impressive record of 14 titles. Source

Breast cancer drug shows promise against serious infections
July 22, 2009 (Wednesday)

Tamoxifen, an FDA-approved drug used for preventing recurrence of breast cancer shows promise in fighting life-threatening fungal infections common in immune-compromised patients, such as infants born prematurely and patients with cancer, a press release from the University of Rochester said Monday.

"It's still early, but if tamoxifen, or molecules like it, turns out to be an effective treatment against serious fungal infections, it'll be a welcome addition to our arsenal," said Damian Krysan, author of the research recently published in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy and assistant professor of Pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

While serious fungal infections are generally isolated to patients with cancer, patients in intensive care units, patients with HIV or patients taking immune-suppression medications for chronic conditions, they are among the deadliest infections. Fungus is the third most common cause of blood stream infection in premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. The survival rate for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia is about 95 percent, but if they acquire a Candida albicans fungal infection, that drops to 80 percent. Bacterial meningitis has a five percent risk of death, but the risk of death for C. albicans blood stream infection is 20 percent.

Tamoxifen is given to prevent breast cancer from returning. It is given orally, and often for months at a time. Scientists had known that tamoxifen has anti-fungal properties in test tubes, but it was Krysan and his team, including Melanie Wellington, assistant professor of Pediatrics, that found that it kills yeast in mice with Candida infections.

This is a crucial step toward developing tamoxifen or structurally related molecules for use in patients. At high levels-- about the same as those used, experimentally, to treat brain tumors -- tamoxifen reduced yeast levels by 150 fold. In fact, the drug caused the fungus cells to break apart and die (lysis), and it didn't allow the surviving cells to morph into their disease-causing state.

In the past 20 years, only one new class of antifungal drugs has been introduced and they must be administered intravenously, not orally, which presents challenges in outpatient settings. The most widely used antifungal drug that can be given orally slows the growth of fungus cells but it doesn't kill them, which means that patients whose immune systems are compromised may have trouble completely fighting off the infections.

"We don't have vaccines against fungal infections and the few drugs we do have aren't always effective," Krysan said. "We've got a lot more work to do to figure out whether tamoxifen could be used in high doses or whether it could be used in combination with other treatments, but we're excited about the possibility of giving doctors another way to help these critically ill patients." Source

Roller Babies
July 21, 2009 (Tuesday)

Baby Alive
July 20, 2009 (Monday)

Baby Alive - Hasbro

My eldest Coo Coo has been pursuing us to get her one of the above doll. Luckily, she has chosen other toys instead when we've brought her to Toy R Us store recently. You see, I already have a real live baby at home who eats, poops and wet his diaper as well as crying all the times. Who else wanted to add-on to all these thingy by bringing home another much like a real baby doll?

Super Foods for a Super Baby, Made Simple
July 17, 2009 (Friday)

There was a time, not too long ago, when women consistently and easily bore children vital and free from disease. Dr. Westin Price was a dentist who traveled the world looking for healthy populations with healthy children. He did this at a very unique point in history, right as “foods of modern commerce,” as he called them, were seeping into the last remaining isolated cultures. What he documented was nothing short of astounding.

Dr. Price documented 14 cultures that were near perfect health, free of the afflictions so common in today’s infants and children. He noted superb facial and skeletal construction, open nasal passages, well-formed chins, and a robustness and vitality that were simply not found in children born to parents who ate modern foods. He documented countless examples of children with perfect teeth and jaw alignment, at least until mother’s began eating modern foods.

Dr. Price found healthy pregnant women who easily birthed healthy children. In these areas, he spoke with other doctors who all told him that they never needed to tend to births or treat diseases in these cultures until “the first generation after the adoption of the modernized diet.”

He compared mentally healthy adolescents to their mentally unstable neighbors effected by modern food products. Dr. Price documented the clear nutritional wisdom of these people, in awe that they knew so many things that are essential for life—“things that our modern civilizations apparently do not know.” What he found was so powerful that he removed much of his consideration of heredity or genetic blame and replaced that blame onto the food choices of the parents.

Although each culture’s pregnant women had access to different foods, they all had a few habits in common. The primary component that brought all 14 cultures together was simply the consumption of whole, unprocessed foods. Dr. Price also documented the importance placed on gathering specific foods for pregnancy, though much of this ancient wisdom has been lost today. He noted that every healthy population he studied ate animal products and used saturated fat liberally, and that every meal included fermented, soaked, or sprouted foods. He documented the importance placed on organ meats for healthy reproduction.

In one culture, the people traveled huge distances to obtain special seafood for the pregnant mother, while in another, several people of the village were appointed to take shifts securing certain foods for the pregnant women. The highest priority in these cultures was placed on creating a healthy child. As such, it seems a modern woman who wants to ensure having a very healthy baby would be wise to incorporate as many of these traditional foods as possible.

The diet that Dr. Price suggested based on his studies can be found at www.westonaprice.org. This diet is based on whole foods and the guidelines are great for simplifying the many nutritional decisions a pregnant mother is required to make when considering the nutritional health of her baby and herself.

James and Kim are certified nutrition and lifestyle coaches who assist pregnant moms and new parents to achieve optimal health. They can be contacted at FitForBirth@gmail.com or through their Web sites GetFitForBirth.com and SecretsofPainlessChildbirth.com Source

Joey McIntyre Expecting His Second Son
July 15, 2009 (Wednesday)

Evan Agostini / Getty Images

Joey McIntyre is getting ready to welcome another new kid! The New Kids on the Block singer, 36, and his wife, Barrett, are expecting their second son.

The baby is due in December. The couple -- who met in 2002 and were married a year later -- also has a 20-month-old son named Griffin. Source

Expectant mama Heidi Klum
July 09, 2009 (Thursday)

Tom Meinelt/Splash News Online

The model and Project Runway host showed off her gams while strolling in Hudson River Park with her family on Tuesday.

Baby number four, a girl, is due in October. Source

Food Advertising to Children
July 07, 2009 (Tuesday)

                                               Pic source

Every day children are targeted by hundreds of adverts for unhealthy foods (foods high in fat, sugar or salt, such as confectionary, salty snack foods, fizzy sugary drinks and fast food). These adverts appear on television, on the Internet, in shops, on packaging and in many more ways.

The National Heart Alliance and the Irish Heart Foundation are calling for a ban on TV advertising of these unhealthy foods to children because there is a vast amount of scientific evidence linking these foods to a poor diet and obesity in young people.

Parents too are very concerned and a survey has found that 78% of Irish parents said they would like to see a ban on television adverts up to 9pm.

The Children's Food Campaign led by the National Heart Alliance and the Irish Heart Foundation has created a paper on all forms of unhealthy food marketing to children.

The main recommendations are:        

- A healthy eating policy in schools.

- More support for parents and guardians on encouraging healthy eating in the home.

- A healthy eating policy for children's healthcare facilities.
 
- The retail sector and manufacturers have a vital role to play.
 
- The type and amount of food marketing to children needs to be monitored.

Check out Children's Food Campaign's website for latest news & publications.

Diddy's son flashes the peace sign
July 06, 2009 (Monday)

Roger Walsh/Landov

Christian Combs, 11, flashes the peace sign — and sports some funky glasses — while posing with parents P. Diddy and Kim Porter at the VIP reception for The Rock N Roll of Hip Hop, held June 26th at the Celebrity Vault.

Diddy and Kim also have a set of identical twin girls together, D’Lila Star and Jessie James, 2 ½. Source

Unconventional Health Tips for the Pregnant Mom
July 02, 2009 (Thursday)

With the recent restructuring of official pregnancy guidelines, very overweight pregnant moms are looking for ways to safely and effectively keep their weight gain to a minimum. Starting before pregnancy is ideal, but healthy steps can be taken at any time. There are an infinite number of ways to take control of one's health and weight. Here are some not-so-common health tips, and a few can be implemented immediately. 

The natural health movement has been saying for years that an overload of toxins can keep body fat high as the body must store toxins until an accumulating reprieve is found. Toxins can mean anything from pesticides and car exhaust to heavy metals and normal metabolic wastes. Removing toxins is not only beneficial for the mother's baby and her health, but many medical doctors adhere to the theory that toxins are stored in fat cells.

The book, "Conscious Breathing," by Gay Hendricks, discusses how deep diaphragmatic breathing may remove up to 70 percent of the toxins in the body. Breathing deeply is known as a de-stressor that works against the release of the body’s main stress hormone, cortisol. Not only are sustained cortisol levels directly associated with maintaining excess body fat, one's body will not prioritize the detoxification of normal metabolic wastes when one is in a state of stress. This book offers an easy introduction to learn how to breathe away internal toxins.

To apply this information, while breathing deeply, take a walk somewhere in order to establish the healthy habit of exercise. Walk to the store, walk to a friend’s house, or rescue a dog if extra motivation is needed.

Eat unprocessed foods. Dr. Weston A. Price, who searched the globe looking for the healthiest moms who birthed the healthiest babies created a diet that pregnant and nursing mothers from traditional cultures used to birth healthy babies. This diet is posted online at http://www.westonaprice.org/children/dietformothers.html.

Sleep between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. as often as possible. Lack of sleep creates “disturbances in thyroid function that put people at risk of gaining weight,” according to "The Body Clock Guide to Better Health," by Michael Smolensky, PhD., and Lynne Lamberg. Sleeping in anything lighter than a pitch black, cave-like atmosphere can potentially destroy one's hormone timing and biological rhythms.

Finally, and most importantly, it is good for a mother to think of herself as a beautiful, vibrant, healthy, and optimally toned woman. It will not be long before her body follows this instruction, according to documentaries like "What the Bleep" and "The Secret," as well as Dr. Emoto’s famous water studies and The Blue Zone’s suggestions about maintaining a positive outlook in everything we do.

Please remember that cutting calories is not considered healthy or even effective for permanent weight loss, whether pregnant or not. If you are in the 45 percent of the childbearing population who are not considered overweight, you must gain weight during pregnancy in order to have a healthy baby.

James and Kim are certified nutrition and lifestyle coaches who assist pregnant moms and new parents to achieve optimal health. They can be contacted at FitForBirth@gmail.com or through their websites at GetFitForBirth.com, SecretsofPainlessChildbirth.com, and YourSuperBaby.com

UTM student found dead after giving birth
July 01, 2009 (Wednesday)

Pickup story from The Star. A Universiti Teknologi Malaysia student was found dead in her campus dormitory after she had given birth to a baby boy. The baby, whose umbilical cord was still attached to his mother, was also dead.

The 26-year-old fourth-year student, who was unmarried, was found in her dormitory by a warden around 5pm on Monday.

Johor Baru (North) OCPD Asst Comm Ruslan Hassan said initial investigations revealed that the student, who was from Kelantan, had been dead for more than two days.

“We believe she died after giving birth.

“However, we are not ruling out the possibility of a criminal element in her death,” he said.

He said the victim’s partner could be a fellow student.

“The bodies have been sent to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital for post-mortem,” he said.

ACP Ruslan urged anyone with information to contact the police hotline at 07-2212 999 or the nearest police station.