Concern as Canada’s Asbestos Export causing concern for Mesothelioma

June 21st, 2009

While multiple countries around the world have issued bans on asbestos, Canada continues to export the toxic mineral to several developing countries, including India, Pakistan and Vietnam.

As a result, Pat Martin, Winnipeg Member of Parliament, is trying to make the House of Commons declare April Fools Day (April 1) an asbestos awareness day for asbestos-related diseases. “We’ve fooled the world with phony science for too long,” Martin said.

Martin is also asking for the government to end asbestos exports and improve health services for asbestos-related diseases, including lung cancer, asbestosis and pleural mesothelioma.

Much of Martin’s drive to make these changes stem from his youth when he spent two years mining asbestos in the Yukon. At the time, he was completely unaware that the effects from working in such an environment could be fatal.

Currently, Canada is exporting more than 200,000 tons of asbestos each year. In 2005, 61 percent of occupational fatalities in Canada were the result of asbestos exposure, totaling 340 people.

While the government is still reviewing Martin’s motion for an awareness day, the Canadian Cancer Society is in full support of Martin and wishes for some type of asbestos ban to take effect. They have already asked Prime Minister Stephen Harper to set a timeline for phasing out the use and export of Canada’s chrysotile asbestos.

Some believe chrysotile asbestos is less harmful than other forms of asbestos, but a spokesperson for the Canadian Cancer Society said, “We are stating factually that all forms of asbestos cause cancer.”

The last remaining active asbestos mine in Canada is located in Quebec, which exports 90 percent of all the asbestos that it produces.

The World Health Organization lists asbestos as a cancer-causing substance and reports 90,000 people worldwide pass away from an asbestos-related disease each year. More than 40 countries have already banned the use of chrysotile asbestos, including the United Kingdom, which banned the import and use of the hazardous mineral in 1999.

New cancer act to benefit Mesothelioma Community

June 21st, 2009

The introduction of the bipartisan 21st Century Cancer ALERT (Access to Life-Saving Early detection, Research and Treatment) Act by Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) could place renewed emphasis on the fight against cancer, specifically in the areas of research, prevention and treatment.

The act pays special attention to rare cancers and requires reporting on cancers with a five-year survival rate of less than 50 percent with less than 40,000 incidences occurring annually.

“We include programs that will bring resources to the types of cancer we least understand,” stated Senator Kennedy.

Mesothelioma is one such cancer, as only 2,000 to 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with the aggressive illness each year. Caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure, mesothelioma is typically diagnosed once the cancer has greatly progressed, since mesothelioma symptoms generally do not surface until 20 to 50 years after the initial asbestos exposure occurred.

“In 2008, over 1.4 million Americans were diagnosed with some form of cancer, and more than half a million lost their lives to the disease,” said Senator Kennedy. “In sum, we need a new model for research, prevention and treatment of cancer, and we are here today to start that debate in Congress.”

Currently in the first step of the legislation process, the act aims to improve cancer research through the promotion of partnerships, research collaboration and additional funding. Early detection improvements and cancer prevention efforts will also be targeted through the study of biomarkers, molecules that may indicate the presence of cancer in the body.

The 82-page act also notes the need to increase enrollment in clinical trials and aims to make participation in the studies more accessible.

“We give new focus to clinical trials, which have been the cornerstones of our progress in treating cancer in recent decades,” said Senator Kennedy. “Only through clinical trials are we able to discover which treatments truly work. Today, however, less than 5 percent of cancer patients currently are enrolled in clinical trials, because of the many barriers exist that prevent both providers and patients from participating in these trials.”

The act also addresses cancer survivors noting the need to invest in research to “understand the later effects of cancer and how treatments affect survivors’ health and the quality of their lives.”

Clue found for Motor neurone disease

June 21st, 2009

A gene linked to a type of motor neurone disease that runs in families has been found after a 10-year search.

Along with a related gene reported last year, it opens up an unexplored area of research into the condition, investigators said.

The finding will also help doctors screen and counsel families at risk of the disease, the US and UK team wrote in Science.

Up to 10% of cases are inherited within families because of genetic mutations.

Motor neurone disease (MND) involves the progressive wasting of the muscles, while usually leaving the mind unaffected.

It affects some 5,000 people in the UK.

The first MND gene – SOD1 – was found in 1993 and it has been a major focus of research.

But then researchers found a protein called TDP-43 is deposited in the neurons of 90% of people with the condition.

However, it was not apparent in animal models with the SOD1 mutation, suggesting that the first gene found is not linked with the major underlying biology of the disease.

For the past decade the UK and US team have been looking for a gene believed to be located on chromosome 16.

They eventually found a mutation in the FUS gene in one family with inherited MND – also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Further studies showed that 4% of all families had FUS mutations.

The FUS gene is related to TDP-43, the gene for which was found by the same researchers last year.

‘Accelerating research’

Professor Christopher Shaw, from the Institute of Psychiatry at Kings College London, said the FUS gene was a very important clue as to what causes motor neurons to degenerate.

“It’s very interesting, we really have wrung SOD1 out. We have looked at cells and mice endlessly, but the major pathways are not SOD pathways.

“The genetic pieces of the jigsaw puzzle are beginning to fit together, leading us in new and exciting directions of research.”

He said the research would have immediate implications for genetic testing of families affected and also for reassuring those with sporadic cases that their relatives were not at risk.

Dr Belinda Cupid, research manager at the MND Association, said the fact that two genes had been discovered in 12 months reflected the “accelerating pace” of such research.

“Not only will it open up an entirely new avenue of scientific investigation, it will also allow researchers to compare the different known causes of MND and start to home in on the main biochemical events that cause motor neurones to die.”

Hair Waxing & Common FAQs

June 21st, 2009

Out of the various methods available, waxing hair removal is one of the most popular, due in part to the fact it is:
• inexpensive
• convenient (can be done at home)
• lasts for some weeks in most cases
The following answers to frequently asked questions will help you decide whether you might be a good candidate for waxing hair removal:
How does waxing hair removal work?
A wax combination is spread thinly over the skin. A cloth strip is pressed on the top and then ripped off with a quick movement removing the wax along with the hair and dead skin cells leaving the skin smooth.
What’s the difference between hot waxes and cold waxes?
Good hot waxes melt just above body temperature so they can be easily spread thinly over the skin. As they harden they trap the hair in the wax so it is removed by the roots when the wax is ripped off.
Cold waxes are available in pre-coated strips which can be pressed directly onto the skin. The hair sticks to the wax and is then removed with the quick pull back action. (Cold waxing is also known as Persian waxing)
What effect does waxing hair removal have on the skin?


As dead skin cells are removed in this process the skin can feel quite smooth afterwards. The hair waxing action does cause the skin to sting and many find a soothing skin healing cream to be helpful afterwards. Some persons find the skin reacts with redness and bumps which disappear after a few hours.
Are there any health precautions to keep in mind with waxing hair removal?
Some physicians do not recommend hair waxing for persons suffering from diabetes or who have varicose veins or poor circulation as they are more susceptible to infection.
Users of Retin-A, Renova, Differin or Accutane are advised not to use hair waxing on the face as these medications tend to weaken the skin and tearing of the skin may occur when the wax is removed.
Hair waxing should not be done on areas of skin affected by warts, pimples, moles or rashes or on skin that is irritated, chapped or suffering from sunburn. Never apply wax to peeling, broken skin or varicose veins. Never apply wax to the nipples when removing hair from the breast area.
On what body areas wax be used?
It is wise to test a small area first but generally waxing can be used on most parts of the body. The exceptions are the male genitals, nipples, inside the ears and nose, eyelashes.
How long before hair reappears?
Generally between 3 and 8 weeks. Less hair regrows and it is generally finer. Eventually some hair never regrows.
How can the pain or discomfort be minimized?
A simple way to greatly minimize the discomfort is to press hard on the skin right after the waxing strip is pulled off. To emphasize again, do this IMMEDIATELY after the strip is pulled off. Press down hard with the cushion of the finger or the palm of the hand on larger areas.
Additionally, rubbing an ice cube over the area can do much to reduce the risk of swelling and skin irritation.
In conclusion: Depending on your level of skin sensitivity or pain toleration, texture of hair and rate of hair growth, waxing hair removal may be a viable option for you. Check out the links in the resource box for suggestions on how to make the results last longer and to check out a good supplier for a huge range of the latest waxing products.

Will proactive acne cream work well?

June 21st, 2009

Proactive acne cream is one of the United States best selling acne treatments and is endorsed by A list celebrities such as Jennifer Love Hewitt, Vanessa Williams and Jessica Simpson. There is no doubt that the celebrity endorsement has help this treatment attain this leading position, but the fact that the treatment has some serious medical pedigree as well, is another import factor when judging its success.

In 1995, Dr Kathy Fields and Dr Katie Rodan, who are both trained dermatologists from the University of Stanford, decided there was a need in the market for an effective, cosmetically acceptable new acne treatment. Proactive was born on the back of a concept of treating the whole of the infected area of skin, rather than just individual spots or pimples. The name Proactiv came about because the whole idea is to treat the affected area until the acne has gone, and then continue to treat healthy skin to prevent the acne returning. This is what the proactive approach is all about, being proactive in preventing the acne appearing in the first place – it was a revolution to many acne sufferers.

You can read Proactive acne cream reviews all over the Internet and in the published press, and when you read as many reviews as I do, you soon come to realize that those reviews are either very positive or very negative, there is very little middle ground in those reviews. The reason for this is that the reviewers can do nothing but report on their own experiences with the medication, which distorts any objectivity they may be trying to maintain. Generally you will read a piece that says “Proactive acne cream is the best treatment ever”, or words to that effect, or alternatively you will read “Proactive acne cream sucks and is a total waste of money”.

In reality, both these quotes are right and both of them are wrong. Proactive acne cream is NOT “the best treatment ever”, although it is very good and will work extremely well for many of you, neither does it “suck and is a total waste of money”, although there are some people it will not work for.

So to get back to the original question, will Proactive acne cream really work for you? The answer is yes, no, maybe – you see there is no way to tell how well any acne medication will work unless you try it on your own skin. All patients are different, and they all respond differently to the different treatments available.

All I can say is that in my experience Proactive acne cream will work extremely well for the majority of patients that try it, if you are one of the unlucky ones, do not despair, just send the empty bottles back with your original receipt and take advantage of their no questions money-back guarantee.

Ways to look after your skin

June 21st, 2009

If they admit it or not, most all women have those inner desires to always look their hottest every day of the week. But looking beautiful each and every day definitely can be harder to accomplish on some days compared to others for so many of us. While some women may unwittingly accept that they are not always being effective in expressing the outer beauty, they have yet to learn just how truly simple it is for all of us to bring out the skin’s growing radiance each and every day!

Although we all vary in our skin types that is genetically distributed amongst us, there are also a good number of beauty depleting factors that also damages our skin, and prematurely depletes the major nutrients that gives radiant glowing skin. But instead of learning and practicing the golden rules on just how to maintain beauty without trying to hide the unnecessary flaws that are so often related to not knowing the basics in good proactive skin care.

Even with all of the inflictions that tend to most often contribute in the very undesirable damages of the skin, and the unnecessary stealing of our skin’s beauty. With our skin truly being so precious to us all, there is no doubt as to how important it is for taking the most appropriate steps in good skin care. It is with these few women that give that daily glow all the time already know the true beautify secrets that really come with simplicity and ease.

When it comes down to it, daily radiance and beauty has to come from those basic simplicities in eating the best balanced daily diet of proteins, fruits and vegetables, along with a strong combination of a personally form fitted exercise regimes that truly works just for you! Along with always following the healthiest of daily personal care of your inner body’s needs of vitamins, minerals and nutrients, there are a wide variety of all natural blends and mixtures just for the extra skin’s needs for bringing out the healthiest most natural beauty that all women are entitled to have.
For the best of skin beautification results, you do not need to look any further than your kitchen cabinets and fruit packed refrigerators. If you have the basics of such food items of grapes, bananas, oats, eggs, sugar, honey; to just name a few of the many all natural healthy skin replenishing ingredients that are so quick and easy for blending a quick daily application so complement best your skin for the utmost desired skin radiance.

Some Cardio workouts to lose belly fat

June 21st, 2009

Losing belly fat isn’t always easy or fast but it can be done with cardio workouts. However, you may have seen cardio-addicts at your local gym who do endless amounts of cardio and still have that stubborn layer of belly fat. This is because they don’t really know how to do cardio and are simply wasting their time. By the time you finish reading this article, you will not make the same mistakes as they are.

Cardio tricks

The way to do cardio in order to burn belly fat and body fat is to make it intensive. There’s very little point to do workouts which don’t push your body to exertion. What’s the benefit of being on a treadmill for an hour if you hardly break a sweat? It is much better to do an intensive 20 minute workout as long as you feel that you’ve really pushed yourself.

That’s the first rule: intensive cardio is more important than long duration cardio. The quality is more important than the quantity.

Cardio workouts

The second rule to know is that not all cardio is created equal. You can burn twice as many calories by doing one cardio workout than you would by doing another workout for the same length of time. If you don’t want to spend hours at the gym, you better do fat burning cardio workouts and not waste time on easy to do exercises.

Belly fat burning cardio workouts include:

* Running – make sure to alternate speed to really push yourself
* Rowing – Good for upper body strength too
* Swimming – Develops the upper body
* Jumping rope – A great home cardio workout
* Hiking – A great way to spend time with your loved ones and burn some stomach fat in the process
* Kickboxing and aerobic classes – These depends on the level of the class but can be quite intensive

Also, cardio workouts which involve strength elements like rock climbing, martial arts, certain ball game sports, can help you burn more abdominal fat for each minute you do them.

If you spend your time doing intensive cardio workouts and make sure to really push yourself, you will see massive results.

Quit the common addictions: Alcohol and smoking

June 21st, 2009

Drinking is one of those things that many people say will cause you to relapse into smoking. When you quit smoking, you’re supposed to quit drinking, partying, and seeing your friends…and that doesn’t sound fun at all. It’s enough to make you not want to quit smoking.

Well, luckily that’s not the case. You don’t need to stop drinking to quit smoking. If you were to quit smoking the way that almost everyone thinks how people quit, however, you would have to quit drinking, or really doing anything at all, because all of those things can make you pick up smoking all over again…if you’ve quit the wrong way.

So, you’re asking, what’s the right way to stop? The way I see it, there are two ways that people quit smoking. They either force themselves to not smoke, or they become non-smokers.

There’s a difference between those two. Someone who forces themselves not to smoke still wants to smoke, they’re just denying themselves cigarettes. Someone who has become a non-smoker couldn’t really care less about smoking. As such, someone who has become a non-smoker could easily go to the bar or hang out with their friends without wanting cigarettes, because they don’t want them anyway.

In other words, the best way to quit smoking is to not want to smoke any more. If you don’t want to smoke any more, then you won’t think about cigarettes when you normally would, because you don’t feel the need to smoke.

Now that we’ve figured all of that out, you’re probably wondering just how you go about stopping your want for cigarettes, since otherwise all we’ve done here is change the name of the problem without really coming up with a solution. Want to know how to stop wanting cigarettes? Read this book on quitting and by the time you’re done, you won’t want to smoke any more. Sounds scary? The book even asks you to smoke while you’re reading it. Pick up a copy and become a non-smoker today!

Since curing yourself of your smoking addiction is a mental process that you can be walked through, you don’t need to be completely mentally ready to quit smoking just yet. You can even be smoking as you read this, trying to decide if you’re even ready to quit, and these guides to quitting smoking will help you quit! Without stopping the mental addiction of smoking though, you will always in the back of your mind be a smoke

Forehead wrinkles

June 21st, 2009

Forehead wrinkles are easily visible. They are series of horizontal lines running across the entire forehead. They may cause embarrassment and discomfort in a public gathering. Their appearance makes you look older than your age. Everyone tries to get rid of these lines as they reflect dullness. They are also known as frowning wrinkles.

As you grow old, these lines become more prominent. Environmental factors, more exposure to sunlight, diet and your lifestyle may also create forehead wrinkles. With the accessibility of so many different products and services in the market, we can easily succeed in removing them.

So let’s find out some methods to cure Forehead lines and Wrinkles.

· Sunscreen lotion: Apply sunscreen lotion whenever you walk outside. It will protect your skin from heat rays. It can also cure your forehead lines.

· Apply anti-aging cream: Anti aging cream helps in the production of collagen in our body. Due to aging, the production of collagen slows down in our body and so we get wrinkles. With the increase in the production the formation of wrinkles will slow down. They are also easy to use and skin friendly. You don’t have to consult a doctor before applying this cream.

· Control your facial expressions: Sometimes your facial moves determines the formation of wrinkles. Your monotonous expressions can add more lines to your face. Try avoiding repetition in your facial movements in order to get a wrinkle free skin.

· Botox treatment: You can remove your wrinkle by taking botox injections. It is advisable to consult a doctor before this treatment.

· Drink water: Drink enough water to keep your body hydrated. It will rejuvenate your skin and keep you wrinkle free.

· Spa: Enjoy a good Spa. It will rejuvenate your mind, body and soul. It will revitalize and smoothen your skin.

1 step comparision for Anti wrinkle Eye cream

June 21st, 2009

I know it’s difficult, but taking a few minutes to compare anti wrinkle eye cream before you buy is vitally important to your skin care (not to mention your wallet). Consider this a mini-guide into the “best anti wrinkle eye cream” world. Just one simple pointer will set you on the path towards smoother eyes, and younger skin.

When you really sit down and compare anti wrinkle eye cream from your regular ‘ole joe-shmo manufacturer, you may not find many differences. Same price, same ingredient list. .. It makes the decision of which one to buy so much harder. How do you discern from virtually-identical products which is the better buy?

Aha! An answer to the rescue. Actually, it’s quite easy to determine which of those companies have the best anti wrinkle eye cream. Have you seen the manufacturer’s name on any advertisements? Is it familiar to you? Then throw it out.

The deeper I dig to compare anti wrinkle eye cream ingredients, the more I’m struck by how it’s the smaller producers that actually make the better products.

Why is this? Because the larger the company, the less money they have to spend on research and development. They have name recognition going for them, so they can scrimp on the ingredients themselves.

Once you learn the difference between healthy ingredients and toxic ingredients, it becomes even easier to compare anti wrinkle eye cream. That simple knowledge reveals that the bulk of what is going into the “Miracle XYZ Eye Cream” is nothing more than chemicals and petroleum by-products (like mineral oils).

The best anti wrinkle eye cream will contain no toxic chemical ingredients, instead focusing on the plant-based substances found in nature: Homeo Age, Babassu, active manuka honey, and other extracts found in the wild and under a microscope.

Did you know that many of the most commonly used ingredients used today in skin products have been scientifically proven to be organ toxins, neurotoxins, and carcinogens? The major corporations continue to use these ingredients because FDA efforts to have them banned have so far failed.

These harmful ingredients are extremely low-cost to use. After all, they do have an expensive celebrity-driven marketing campaign to fund!

When you compare anti wrinkle eye cream you need to find one that only contains natural ingredients that will not harm your body in any way. This is especially important when looking for an eye cream. The skin around your eyes is the thinnest, providing only a narrow of barrier between bad-chemicals and your bloodstream.

Many people (including myself) believe that the best anti wrinkle eye cream available comes from an all natural anti aging skin care manufacturer in New Zealand. They have recently put together a formula that has been clinically proven to safely cause a dramatic increase in the amount of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid that is being produced by your body.

In summary, I believe when you compare anti wrinkle eye cream from Clinique or other top-brand manufacturers with the effect of natural, pure ingredients on your skin, the results will leave you open-mouthed and wide-eyed.