• 
  A tracing of an artistic representation of the Maya sun god found on the north side of the Diablo Pyramid at El Zotz, an archaeological site in Guatemala.Stephen Houston
  

Are you ready for the end? Or perhaps a new beginning?
Either way, buckle up, because today marks the one-month countdown until the 2012 Mayan Apocalypse, set for Dec. 21. That date corresponds to the end of the 13th b'ak'tun, or 144,000-day cycle, on the Maya Long Count calendar, marking a full cycle of creation, according to the ancient Maya.
This milestone has triggered both fear and excitement in some subcultures, particularly online. Some believers see the day as a true doomsday, when the Earth will be destroyed in a planetary collision or other major disaster. Others see it as a day marking a new dawn of peace and unity.
All of this excitement stems from two ancient texts found in Central America and dating back to the heydays of the Mayan Empire. One calendar inscription was found on a monument made around A.D. 669 in Tortuguero, Mexico, and refers to the coming of a god associated with cycle changes on the Dec. 21 date. (Of course, since December is an invention of western calendars, they didn't use quite those terms.) [Doom & Gloom: Top 10 Post-Apocalyptic Worlds]
A second inscription, unearthed this year in Guatemala, refers to a struggling king who called himself the "13 k'atun lord," an effort to tie himself to the 13th b'ak'tun of Dec. 21, 2012. This was likely a public relations move designed to shore up support after the king suffered a crippling defeat in battle a few years before.
In neither text were apocalyptic predictions made. But when westerners caught wind of the Mayan calendar, they mixed in their own end-of-the-world mythology, much of it stemming from Christianity, and created a new legend, according to University of Kansas Maya scholar John Hoopes.
Apocalypse predictions are a fairly frequent occurrence in western civilization. Most recently, radio preacher Harold Camping gained notoriety after predicting Judgment Day on May 21, 2011 and the end of the world on Oct. 21 of that year. Camping had initially claimed the world would end in 1994, later asserting he had gotten his Biblical math wrong; the real date, he said, would be Oct. 21, 2011.
The real Mayan Empire did actually end, of course, albeit slowly and not on anyone's predicted timetable. Environmental evidence suggests that drought helped crumble advanced Mayan cities and may have kept them from rebuilding once their political institutions collapsed.

Read More

A dangerous trend: Kids and teens using steroids

By Dr. Manny Alvarez

Published November 19, 2012

FoxNews.com

• 
  
  

A new study shows that about five percent of middle and high school students have used anabolic steroids to put on muscle, and that as many as one-third of boys and one-fifth of girls have used protein powder or shakes. Between five and 10 percent admitted to using non-steroid muscle-enhancing substances like creatine.
I was shocked to read these numbers. This is a brewing epidemic and parents need to become aware. We live in a complex world, and just like the war on drugs, we have make this a priority when it comes to our children.
Many kids see steroids as a tool to speed up the process of achieving their ideal body type and enhancing their athletic performance. And of course, this keeps them preoccupied with an image that they feel the need to achieve at any cost. And what’s even scarier, is that many people who abuse anabolic steroids often use more than one kind of drug at a time – a practice that’s called stacking.
The problem is that the potential effects of steroid use could be quite deadly. Steroids can damage vital organs in the body including the heart, kidneys and liver, and they can also interfere with the natural development of hormones. They can also alter kids’ behavior – even to the point of emotional instability. Especially in teens, steroids can cause bone growth to stop before it is complete – meaning a child may not reach his or her full adult height.
Unfortunately, many schools fail to teach about the dangers of steroids and athletic trainers in gyms around the country often fail to impress the scary facts upon their young clients. And of course, many professional athletes still are not helping enough because we continue to see them stripped of their medals and banned from their respective leagues for abusing steroids.
So what are we to do? Parents need to become aware. I would argue that a healthy interest in your child about exercising and athletics is good -- but you need to know what they are doing.
As a parent, you need to know the game plan. You need to know that your child understands that steroids are dangerous. And if they don’t understand it, you need to have that conversation.
Another thing you might want to consider is testing your child if you notice some of the tell-tale signs, like becoming aggressive, obsessing over body image or dramatic changes in their appetite.  It’s as simple as testing for illegal drugs like cocaine, pot or methamphetamine. It can be done in the privacy of your own home and these tests are incredibly sensitive to dozens of different kinds of steroids. You typically have a 1-4 week window to test for traces of steroids in the urine. If a test does come back positive, at least you know what you are dealing with and you can prevent a bad outcome in the future.
We cannot bury our heads in the sand when it comes to this issue; we have to be aware to keep this problem under control. 

Read More

As Thanksgiving nears, we tend to think of holiday foods. Thanksgiving is a bad day for turkeys for sure, but the typical holiday meal, with squash and other healthy ingredients, is a favorite time for many. One of the regular features of a Thanksgiving dinner is cranberry sauce, and that brings us to the healthy benefits of this remarkable berry.
Native to North America, most cranberries are wet harvested. The berries, which ripen on low-growing perennial dwarf shrubs, are cultivated in bogs, where they are beaten off of the branches of the plant, and float until they are collected. Cranberries were introduced to colonial settlers by Native Americans, who used the berries which they called Sassamanash, in the concentrated food pemmican. A blend of fat, nuts, and dried fruits, pemmican provided a lot of energy, and travelled well. A colonial setter named Henry Hall is widely regarded as the first non-native to plant and grow cranberries.
Cranberries, with their tart flavor and rich red appearance, have become popular for juices and sauces. They have also made their way into the health market where they are increasingly highly regarded for their numerous therapeutic benefits. Probably the best known remedy for urinary tract infections (UTI), cranberries contain a group of antioxidant compounds called proanthocyanidins. These natural agents prevent bacteria, including E. coli, from adhering to the walls of the bladder and urinary tract. This was first reported in 1988 by Dr Amy Howell and her co-researchers in the New England Journal of Medicine. If bacteria can’t adhere to the walls of the urinary tract, they can’t proliferate and maintain infection. A six ounce glass of cranberry juice twice daily is often sufficient to eliminate a UTI for good.
From a cardiovascular standpoint, cranberries offer a rich concentration of antioxidant flavonoids, which help to inhibit the oxidation of fats in the blood, lower LDL cholesterol, and reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Atherosclerosis is a primary cardiovascular disease, and contributes to clots known as thrombosis that can obstruct vessels and lead to heart attack or stroke. Regular consumption of cranberry juice and other cranberry foods can make a positive contribution to cardiovascular health.
The same mechanism of action by which cranberries help to prevent and treat UTI’s also comes into play with ulcers. It is widely established that most stomach ulcers, other than those causes by excess use of aspirin, are due to the bacteria H. pylori. Cranberries appear to inhibit the adhesion of H. pylori to the lining of the digestive tract. The more concentrated the cranberry, the better this activity. H. pylori is a factor in cases of stomach cancer, acid reflux, and gastritis. Cranberry may turn out to be one of the very best medicines for reducing the risk of these diseases.
Tantalizing research shows that cranberries may even help to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Studies conducted in the US and Canada show that compounds in cranberries contribute to early destruction of prostate cancer cells. In several studies, cranberry concentrates proved toxic to cancer cells. As research continues, we may see the emergence of cranberry chemotherapy as a primary treatment for some types of prostate cancers.
As a powerfully antioxidant berry, cranberries deserve the monicker “super fruit.” They are low in calories, very high in beneficial compounds, and they not only contribute to well-being, but they also help to fight disease. A number of companies make highly concentrated extracts of cranberry for use in supplements, so if you don’t want to eat or drink cranberries on a regular basis, you can still derive their benefits.
From use by native Americans and their appearance on the first Thanksgiving table, cranberries have made their way to cultivated crop, widely enjoyed food, and natural medicine imparting significant benefits. Now that is something to be thankful for.
Chris Kilham is a medicine hunter who researches natural remedies all over the world, from the Amazon to Siberia. He teaches ethnobotany at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is Explorer In Residence. Chris advises herbal, cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies and is a regular guest on radio and TV programs worldwide.  His field research is largely sponsored by Naturex of Avignon, France. Read more at www.MedicineHunter.com

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/11/14/give-thanks-for-healthy-cranberries/#ixzz2CHXz9HbS

Read More

Deadly epidemic: Are you at risk for diabetes?

Published November 13, 2012

FoxNews.com

Wednesday is World Diabetes Day, so it’s important to educate yourself on one of the fastest-growing health epidemics across the globe.
But for millions of people, diabetes doesn’t have to be a fact of life – it’s avoidable – with some simple diet and lifestyle changes.
Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, is linked to excess weight. Fat damages the body’s ability to use insulin – the hormone which controls blood sugar.
"At some point, the system breaks, and you get diabetes,” said Dr. Ronald Tammler, endocrinologist at Mount Sinai Diabetes Center in New York, told Fox News. “It causes all kinds of damage in the blood vessels, leading to heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, blindness and amputation."
It is estimated that 26 million people in America have diabetes. Of those, 95 percent have Type 2, and 7 million more are undiagnosed. And what’s more – another 79  million people are believed to be pre-diabetic, or at risk of developing the disease.
There are many treatments for type 2 diabetes, including: blood sugar monitoring, healthy eating, regular exercise, insulin therapy and medication, and, in some cases, bariatric surgery.
Type 2 diabetes can be avoided, but for the 1 million Americans suffering from type 1 diabetes – it’s not so easy.
In type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the pancreas and stops insulin production. The cause of the disease is still unknown, but weight is not a factor.
Typical treatment for patients with type 1 diabetes usually involves insulin injections or a pump to administer the medication. But healthy eating and exercise are key to managing both types of the disease.
“Changing your lifestyle is more powerful than the vast majority of medications," Tammler said. “Changing what you eat, exercise and what physical activity you integrate into your life – whether it's just walking – it doesn't have to be in a gym.”
Tammler recommended people at risk for diabetes avoid sugary drinks like sodas, orange juice, sugar-sweetened iced teas and lemonades at all costs. And, he added, things like fast food and potato chips are among some of the worst foods for pre-diabetics to consume.
If you think you have diabetes or are pre-diabetic, it’s imperative that you see a doctor immediately for a blood sugar test – it could save your life.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/11/13/deadly-epidemic-are-at-risk-for-diabetes/?test=latestnews#ixzz2CCu7rFgz

Read More