Who Speaks For The Green "Silent Majority"?

According to the online environmental magazine Grist (www.grist.org), nearly half of all U.S. adults think the government's doing too little to protect the environment. Almost three-quarters say that eco-protections are important, and that standards cannot be too high. No, you're not dreaming — it's a fresh new Harris Interactive poll on attitudes of Americans toward environmental protection. The survey of a nationwide cross section of 1,217 adults indicated that 71 percent think large corporations are doing less than their share to help reduce environmental problems. Fifty-three percent say President Bush isn't stepping up to the plate, 57 percent think Congress needs a kick in the butt, and 44 percent say the media isn't doing enough. Water and air pollution rank as the highest-priority problems, followed closely by global warming, ozone depletion, loss of forestlands, and the need for more recycling.

Why doesn't this translate into public policy? That's what the environmental movement has been asking itself since Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring in the early 1960s. While everybody seems to want clean water, clean air, and pristine wilderness, who is willing to pay a premium for it? Or is an emerging Green "Silent Majority" simply being ignored by vested corporate interests?

Source: The Wall Street Journal, October 13, 2005.

Pesticide Exposure Linked With Parkinson's Disease

Here's one more reason to eat organic and nix the weedkiller and bug spray, too. Hundreds of studies of animals, at least 40 of human patients, and three of human brain tissue have found "a relatively consistent relationship between pesticide exposure and Parkinson's," according to British scientists whose research was published in a recent issue of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Without these environmental exposures, researchers believe that there would be significantly fewer cases of the disease. Over 1 billion pounds of pesticides are used in U.S. farms, gardens, and households every year.

Source: Los Angeles Times, Marla Cone, November 27, 2005.

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Global Warming: Viruses Escape from Melting Ice

As the world warms up, ice sheets and glaciers are melting, releasing trapped viruses that have been frozen for hundreds of thousands—perhaps even millions—of years. Are any of them dangerous?

The Independent (UK) newspaper reports that during the freezing process, glaciers incorporate nearby fungi, bacteria and viruses, many of which remain alive, in a state of suspended animation. Since these ice sheets are melting quickly, a whole new group of viruses is about to be released into the world, recreating ancient illnesses. Diseases we thought we had eradicated, like polio and smallpox, could reappear. A new type of flu virus could emerge which, in combination with the rapidly spreading avian flu virus, could mean a deadly future for human beings. As microbes thaw out and reenter our world, they can affect fish, animals and plants as well. If a microbe attacks something low down on the food chain, like plankton, it could lead to starvation for higher animals and for us.

In 1999, climate researcher Scott Rogers found a virus called ToMV in 17 ice-core sections, hidden deep inside the Greenland ice pack. The virus had survived being frozen in ice for 140,000 years. Since then, he's found many other frozen viruses in ice cores from Greenland, Siberia and Antarctica. Last year, Rogers found flu virus frozen in ice on a lake in Siberia. Flu viruses mutate every year, and our immune systems have to struggle to keep up with these changes. A sudden release of an older flu virus could be devastating.

Source: The Independent, September 28, 2005.

Yoga Helps Middle Age Weight Reduction

New research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle suggests that yoga can help you lose weight. Studying 15,500 volunteers, Dr. Alan R. Krystal found that overweight people who practiced yoga at least 30 minutes a week for at least four years lost five pounds, while those who didn't do yoga gained nearly 14 pounds. "Yoga makes you more aware of your body," says Krystal. "So when you've eaten enough, you're sensitive to feeling full."

Source: Reader's Digest, October 2005.

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Low Carb Diet Craze RIP... Long Live Whole Grains!

Atkins Nutritionals Inc., the company that once promoted an international craze for ultra-low carbohydrate diet and food products, filed for bankruptcy court protection Sunday, July 31, 2005. In a seemingly unrelated story, PBS's Nightly Business News reported on Monday, August 1, that Krispy Cream Donuts stock had risen. Coincidence?

Lost in the low carb versus high carb controversy is the importance of distinguishing between good carbs and bad carbs. Simple carbohydrates and refined sugar, the kinds you find in traditional breads and pastries, can be as addictive as heroin—and just as dangerous. A healthful diet consists largely of complex carbohydrates, the stuff of whole grains and legumes.

If a diet is going to work, you have to be able to stick with it and enjoy it, too. Harry Balzer, vice president of market researcher NPD Group, follows Americans' eating habits. "[Atkins] asked you to change your behavior forever, to get rid of dessert, don't eat bread,'' he said. ''It's too hard. If it was easy we'd all be thin.''

To explore the many physiological and psychological issues related to food and weight, please see OPEN EXCHANGE's Weight Issues category.

Sources: www.msnbc.msn.com
Nightly Business News
foodisworse.typepad.com

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Swimming With Dolphins Relieves Depression

Randomized, controlled studies show that swimming with bottlenose dolphins can alleviate mild to moderate symptoms of depression. Patients who interacted with dolphins showed a significant reduction in the mean severity of their symptoms. In fact, nine of the 10 patients who swam with the dolphins reported lasting improvement and did not require additional treatment even three months after the study had ended compared with only three patients in the control group, European investigators reported in the November 26 issue of the British Medical Journal.

	Is this dolphin therapist conferring with a canine colleague regarding one of his human clients?

The findings give weight to the theory of biophilia, which suggests human health is dependent on people's relationships to nature, the authors said. Biophilia also employs a holistic approach, which may be an option for patients struggling with more traditional treatments, such as psychotherapy or medication, they added.

"The biophilic method of intervention represents a new emphasis in psychiatry and has the potential to bring alternative clinical strategies to the treatment of emotional disorders," wrote Christian Antonioli, Ph.D., a biologist and founder of the Tursiops Society in Torino, Italy, a biophilia research organization, and Michael Reveley, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of Leicester Medical School in Leicester, England.

They continued, "Psychiatric rehabilitation occurs, operating on the emotional, holistic, and psychophysical aspects of participants through the interaction with animals in nature and the stimulation of the nervous system through the senses." Earlier studies have extolled the healing powers of animals, particularly dogs and cats, and have suggested these creatures may help alleviate depression and stress and even improve cardiovascular health.

In this study, 30 patients with mild to moderate depression were randomly assigned to the dolphin therapy group or a water therapy group that involved no animals. This latter group served as the controls.

All patients discontinued their antidepressant medications or psychotherapy at least four weeks prior to the study. Patients with major depressive disorders, cyclothymia, or bipolar disorders were excluded from the study. The study took place at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences on the Honduras coast.

The investigators noted that their study is limited by the fact that they were unable to blind participants to the treatment. To reduce disappointment among the control group patients, the researchers allowed them to have a day with the dolphins after the final evaluation.

Although fear of the water and inability to swim well may deter some, the researchers said the distraction of the animals themselves could help nervous patients overcome this obstacle.

Belinda Farrell, longtime OPEN EXCHANGE lister who has conducted dolphin workshops for over 10 years, comments: "I have witnessed such miraculous healings through play with the dolphins. The ease and grace with which these healings take place, accompanied by the unconditional love that the dolphins share with us, reassures me that when we are ready... we can heal the broken parts of our spirit and be whole again."

Sources: www.medpagetoday.com
British Medical Journal; November 26, 2005; vol. 331; p. 1231-1234; Antonioli C. and Reveley M. "Randomised controlled trial of animal facilitated therapy with dolphins in the treatment of depression."

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Exercise Reduces Pain

As reported in Dr. Andrew Weil's Self Healing Newsletter, older people who get regular aerobic exercise have 25 percent less muscle and joint pain than their less active peers. A study compared nearly 500 people in their mid-60s and70s who did at least five hours of vigorous activity each week, including running, brisk walking, or swimming, to some 400 older adults who got less than two hours weekly. Over 14 years, the more active group had a higher risk of injury but fewer aches and pains. Dr. Weil suggests that a good way to lower injuries is to switch from running to low impact exercise such as swimming, cycling, or brisk walking.
Sources: Arthritis Research & Therapy, September 19, 2005.
Dr. Andrew Weil's Self Healing Newsletter, November 2005.

Exercise Delays Dementia & Alzheimer's

As reported in a recent edition of TIME, drug makers are all excited over a new drug that delays the onset of Alzheimer's for 18 months. But there's better news. Lifestyle changes such as avoiding processed foods, eating fruits and vegetables, engaging in regular physical exercise and even pursuing daily brain exercises can delay Alzheimer's for a lifetime. Plus, you don't need a prescription.

Sciencedaly.com reports on a new study published in The Journal of Neuroscience showing that physical activity appears to inhibit Alzheimer's-like brain changes in mice, slowing the development of a key feature of the disease. The research demonstrated that long-term physical activity enhanced the learning ability of mice and decreased the level of plaque-forming beta-amyloid protein fragments—a hallmark characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD)—in their brains.

A number of population-based studies suggest that lifestyle interventions may help to slow the onset and progression of AD. Newly published research also suggests that people who engaged in leisure time physical activity at least twice a week as they passed through middle age had a 50 percent lower chance of developing dementia and a 60 percent lower chance of developing Alzheimer's disease compared with those who were more sedentary.

There are still more questions than answers, however, and scientists hasten to add that the mechanisms which cause AD are still unknown. Yet there's hope. Although there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, the most recent research indicates that taking steps to improve your cardiovascular health, such as losing weight, exercising and controlling high blood pressure and cholesterol, may also help prevent Alzheimer's disease or possibly slow its progress. Some studies have also suggested that eating a low-fat diet, as well as consuming foods rich in omega-3s, such as fatty fish, may be helpful.

Sources: The Journal of Neuroscience, April 27, 2005.
www.sciencedaily.com
www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101040802-672601,00.html

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Save A Life With This—3-Step Test For Stroke

During a recent BBQ, Ingrid stumbled and took a little fall. Although friends offered to call paramedics, she assured everyone that she was fine, just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. After the party Ingrid's husband called to say his wife had been taken to the hospital. That evening she passed away. Had friends known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within three hours he can almost always reverse the effects of a stroke. The trick is getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and getting to the patient within three hours.

Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say that a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

1.) Ask the individual to SMILE.
2.) Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
3.) Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE such as: "It is sunny out today."

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this message sends it to 10 people, that at least one life will be saved. Please copy this article and share it with a friend!

Oprah Wants YOU To Improve Your Life

Is your life on hold? Seems like everybody is saying that it's time for a change! When OPEN EXCHANGE started over 31 years ago, self-improvement classes and growth groups were quite avant-garde. Now that they've gone mainstream, even daytime talk show diva Oprah Winfrey wants to give you permission to go for it: "Are you waiting for someone to give you permission to do what will make you live more fully and healthfully? Are you waiting for a crisis at work, or a scary diagnosis, or a firsthand look at disaster before you choose to take the dance or yoga or cooking class, the daily walk or jog around the park, the 15 minutes to meditate before you leave your bed? What are you waiting for?"

Source: Oprah Magazine, April 2005