Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?

By Mark Bittman
THE "fact" that junk food is cheaper than real food has become a reflexive part of how we explain why so many Americans are overweight, particularly those with lower incomes. I frequently read confident statements like, "when a bag of chips is cheaper than a head of broccoli ..." or "it's more affordable to feed a family of four at McDonald's than to cook a healthy meal for them at home."

This is just plain wrong. In fact it isn't cheaper to eat highly processed food: a typical order for a family of four - for example, two Big Macs, a cheeseburger, six chicken McNuggets, two medium and two small fries, and two medium and two small sodas - costs, at the McDonald's a hundred steps from where I write, about $28. (Judicious ordering of "Happy Meals" can reduce that to about $23 - and you get a few apple slices in addition to the fries!)

In general, despite extensive government subsidies, hyperprocessed food remains more expensive than food cooked at home. You can serve a roasted chicken with vegetables along with a simple salad and milk for about $14, and feed four or even six people. If that's too much money, substitute a meal of rice and canned beans with bacon, green peppers and onions; it's easily enough for four people and costs about $9. (Omitting the bacon, using dried beans, which are also lower in sodium, or substituting carrots for the peppers reduces the price further, of course.

Thanks to Speculative Investors, the Food Market Will Be the Next Bubble to Burst

By Ari LeVaux
Residential real estate may be slumping, but ag land is booming. In Iowa, farmland prices have never been higher, having increased a whopping 34 percent in the past year, according to The Des Moines Register. The boom is driven in part by agribusiness expansion, but also by a new player in the agriculture game: private investment firms. Both are bidding up land values for the same reason: the price of food.

They're betting on hunger, and their reasoning, unfortunately, is sound. This is bad news for would-be small farmers who can't afford land, and much worse news for the world's hungriest people, who already spend 80 percent of their income on food.

Thanks to the world's growing population of eaters and the fixed amount of land suitable for growing food to feed them, supply and demand tilts the long term forecast toward higher prices. More immediate concerns -- like increasing demand for grain-intensive meat and the rise of the corn-hungry ethanol industry -- have fanned the flames of a speculative run-up in agricultural commodities like corn, wheat, and soy. Add cheap money to the mix in the form of low interest rates, along with an army of traders chasing the next bubble, and you've got a bidding war waiting to happen.

The Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 allowed the bidding to begin by allowing the trade of food commodities without limits, disclosure requirements, or regulatory oversight. The Act also permitted derivatives contracts whereby neither party was hedging against a pre-existing risk; i.e. where both buyer and seller were speculating on paper, and neither party had any intention of ever physically acquiring the commodity in question.

Lies of Biotech Industry: Don't Buy GE Red Herring

By Roberta Actor-Thomas
In his "Straight Poop" Green Chain column, Norm Benson uses a strange urban legend having nothing to do with labeling to confuse readers about the need to label GE food.

A basic rule of economics is that if buyers can't obtain complete and truthful information, it's not really a competitive free market. Neither big corporations nor the government can tell us that we aren't smart enough to be told what we're buying.

The "inconvenient truth" is that genetic engineering (GE) is not the same as selective breeding or natural cross-pollination. It's a new and dangerous technology that's causing health and environmental problems. Unlabeled GE food is banned in most countries where the government has to pay for people's health care -- just think about the implications of that.

The policies governing the release of GE crops into our food supply were written 20 years ago when many scientists still thought that one gene caused each genetic trait, a hypothesis that was disproved by the Human Genome Project. They thought 90 percent of our DNA was "junk DNA" that had no function.

Geneticists still know little about what is now called non-coding DNA, but it does perform essential functions such as regulation of protein-coding sequences. Guess it's true -- God doesn't make junk.

So why would anyone think it's a good idea to shoot genes into these complex molecules and then put them into our food when we don't even know what they do? Benson's article ignores the biotech industry's reckless disregard for scientific advances and the rush to profit regardless of the risks.

Incidentally, the proposed law doesn't require warnings on GE food. The ingredients will simply include the words "genetically modified" when the soy, corn, sugar or canola actually are genetically modified.

UK Officials Believe 15,000 Britons Are Incubating Human Mad Cow Disease (CJD)

By Frank Dobson
The government's expert advisers assume that as many as 15,000 people in this country are infected with the prion infection agents that cause the lethal brain disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob (vCJD), the human form of BSE or "mad cow disease". The experts don't know if this is the right figure. It could be a lot higher but ministers are refusing to fund trials of a new test to find out.

So far just 200 of our fellow citizens have developed the disease. But the prions that cause the disease can lie dormant for decades and people who are infected pose a risk to others if they are blood or organ donors, or if surgical instruments used on them are then reused on other patients.

The Medical Research Council Prion Unit at the UCL Institute of Neurology, led by Professor John Collinge, was set up at my behest to come up with ways to treat vCJD and, better still, prevent it. They were also asked to devise a test to identify vCJD in the general population. They recently announced a new blood test that does just that. This is a great breakthrough. It should enable our doctors and scientists, for the first time, to assess accurately the incidence of vCJD infection so policy decisions on how best to protect patients can be based on evidence, not guesswork.

As health secretary, the day I became aware in 1998 that it might be possible to transmit vCJD by blood and blood products, I got the experts together. Their advice was that infection through blood and blood products was likely but not certain and that the infection, if any, would probably be carried in the white blood cells. "What should we do?" I asked.

Malnourished millions

People can 'fall through the gaps' and miss out on support UK 'doing too few tonsil operations' Britain needs 'obesity GPs' Why a nudge is not enough School sun care policy The problems of obesity and overeating in our society receive a lot of attention.

But in this week's Scrubbing Up, Katherine Murphy of the Patients Association calls for more action to help the millions in the UK whose malnutrition is "unnoticed, unheard and unsupported".

It is unbelievable that in the UK today there are more than 3m people either malnourished or at risk of malnutrition.

What is alarming is that 93% of these patients are not in hospital but are living in the community.

It is our most vulnerable members of society who are most at risk.

This includes the elderly, those who are housebound or who have limited mobility and do not have a social support network in place to assist with tasks such as food shopping and cooking.

Patients are discharged from hospital and can be left isolated with no social care support.

They "fall through the gaps" and miss out on key support services, such as home help and meals on wheels.

People suffering from malnutrition are more vulnerable to infection, take longer for their wounds to heal or to recover from illness, have weaker muscles and may become depressed.

The malnourished also visit their GP twice as often and are three times more likely to be admitted to hospital.

For malnourished patients, their length of stay in hospital is increased by three days.

Woman, 81, gets 'Do Not Resuscitate' tattoo on chest

Joy Tomkins has had the tattoo since the start of 2011 An 81-year-old woman from Norfolk has had "Do Not Resuscitate" tattooed across her chest in case she falls ill and attempts are made to revive her.

Joy Tomkins had the message tattooed, along with "P.T.O." and an arrow on her back, earlier this year.

The former magazine company secretary said she could not bear to "make beds and wash-up for another 20 years".

Despite having a living will for about 30 years, she said the tattoo meant there was be "no excuse" for error.

"The tattoo is immediate... no excuse for not knowing what I thought," she said.

The grandmother, who is diabetic but said she was not seriously ill, said she got the idea from a retired nurse, who did something similar in 2003.

She said her willingness to not be resuscitated would "save money" for the NHS.

Mrs Tomkins, who went to a tattoo parlour to get her message done, said she was happy with life but stated she would be "just as happy" not to wake up in the morning.

She added she was determined to have the final say if she falls seriously ill.

'Much better dead'

"If I'm found lying about and can't say something,

GP 'will help poorly woman die'

Dr Michael Irwin has helped four other people attend the clinic A former GP has said he will help a woman from Eastbourne travel to Switzerland to end her life even though she is not terminally ill.

Dr Michael Irwin, from Cranleigh, in Surrey, said he would help the 91-year-old who suffers from severe arthritis to travel to the Dignitas facility.

He has refused to name the woman and said he had helped four other people travel to Switzerland.

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said officers would contact Dr Irwin.

He said: "When you're in your late 80s or early 90s and you've got all kinds of medical problems and your quality of life has changed so much... why should you be forced to continue in that existence?

"I have spoken to this lady on several occasions on the telephone. I've never actually met her. It's her decision and I don't want to be any closer to identifying her.

"It's her right to be anonymous."

'Doctor's responsibility'

Mr Irwin, who formed pressure group Society for Old Age Rational Suicide in 2009, said he had no moral objections to assisted suicide.

He was arrested for taking Raymond Cutkelvin, of London, to die at the facility, but in June 2011 Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer decided not to prosecute saying it would not be in the public interest.

Assisting a suicide remains a criminal offence in England and Wales, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Dr Irwin added: "I'm a retired GP and I have felt that a doctor's main responsibility is to help the patient in the best possible way."

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said: "We will be getting in touch with Dr Irwin in relation to the report that he may be taking a woman abroad to be helped to die."

A spokesman for East Sussex County Council said the authority would not comment on individual cases.

He said: "If we thought the law was being broken we would inform the appropriate authorities. We would hope that anyone contemplating such action would talk to the appropriate people before doing anything.

"There could be other ways of resolving this."

'Right to C-section' considered

A Caeserean section can be necessary for medical reasons The NHS watchdog for England is considering giving all women the option to have a Caesarean delivery even if there is no medical need.

Currently women do not have an automatic right to choose a C-section.

The change has been suggested in a draft of a report to be published by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence later this year.

Obstetricians say this is welcome and will "formalise" what many hospitals are doing already.

The C-section rate in England has remained approximately static at about one in every four births or 25%.

Guidelines by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence currently state: "Maternal request is not on its own an indication for Caesarean section" and that: "An individual clinician has the right to decline a request for Caesarean section in the absence of an identifiable reason."

It recommends that women should be offered counselling if they are afraid of childbirth.

Continue reading the main story“Start QuoteIt is formalising what was informally happening in most hospitals”

End QuoteConsultant obstetrician Patrick O'Brien NICE is drawing up new guidelines for all aspects of c-section to take account of the latest medical developments.

In the latest draft, it no longer says maternal request is not a justification: "For all women requesting a Caesarean section, if after discussion and offer of support, a vaginal birth is still not an acceptable option, offer a planned Caesarean section."

The finalised guidelines are not due until the end of November. The process is in the stage known as "pre-publication" and it is often the case that even significant details can change before the final report is published.

Patrick O'Brien, consultant obstetrician working in London, said: "It's laudable what they've done, I'll support it.

"I don't think it changes practice a whole lot. It is formalising what was informally happening in most hospitals."

Continue reading the main storyReasons given for non-medical C-sections Fear of labour or pain Fear of pelvic floor damage Previous bad experience of vaginal delivery A personal assessment of the benefits and risks of a vaginal delivery versus an emergency Caesarean Concern about the impact of vaginal delivery on sex life Viewing a Caesarean as more modern Needing to co-ordinate the birth with a busy or difficult lifestyle

Source: North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust

He said that at the moment: "If patients want a Caesarean section, it is generally agreed and if an obstetrician really disagrees the patient is referred."

However, some primary care trusts have recently announced that they are no longer offering C-sections for non-medical reasons.

When North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust made the announcement last month, its medical director Dr David Geddes, said where a woman was requesting to have a C-section with no medical reason, the PCT "shouldn't be supporting that" because the procedure was more dangerous than natural childbirth.

UK pancreatic cancer care lagging

Pancreatic cancer is difficult to diagnose in the early stages of the disease Cancer centre focus on treatment The UK ranks as one of the worst countries in the world in terms of survival for patients with pancreatic cancer, largely because of inadequate care, say experts.

A review suggests that although a fifth of patients with this deadly cancer could receive potentially life-saving surgery, only 10% do.

And many with symptoms see a doctor up to five times to get a diagnosis.

In Canada and Australia survival rates are twice that of the UK.

Pancreatic cancer has the poorest five-year survival rate of any cancer in Britain, with just 3% of people alive five years after diagnosis.

Most people die within six months of discovering they have the cancer, and only 16% are alive at one year, says the charity Pancreatic Cancer UK, which carried out the review.

England's cancer tsar Professor Sir Mike Richards said the review findings show that "We clearly have a long way to go before we can say with confidence that everyone diagnosed with pancreatic cancer has access to the best possible treatment and care available."

Continue reading the main story“Start QuotePancreatic cancer must not be written off as a hopeless cause”

End QuoteProf Sir Mike Richards He added: "Pancreatic cancer is a challenging cancer - but we need to take this information and the opportunity it presents to improve survival and quality of life for everyone.

"Pancreatic cancer must not be written off as a hopeless cause."

Henry Scowcroft, of Cancer Research UK, said that this type of cancer was difficult to treat, but that was "no excuse" for patients in the UK faring worse than those in other countries.

"We urgently need to improve the way we manage the disease in this country," he said.

Pancreatic Cancer UK's study sought the views and experiences of 1,000 stakeholders affected by pancreatic cancer, including patients and their carers, GPs, nurses, pancreatic cancer specialists and researchers.

Pancreatic cancer kills about 7,600 Britons a year.

It is a difficult cancer to diagnose because many patients will not experience symptoms until the cancer has spread to other organs. Also, the symptoms can mimic other diseases.

The most common signs of the disease are pain in the abdomen which may spread to the back, jaundice, and unexplained weight loss.

MPs reject abortion advice change

Nadine Dorries MP said : "I don't want to see a return to backstreet abortionists"

Tory MP Nadine Dorries wanted to stop abortion providers giving NHS-funded counselling to women.

She said it was about offering women more choice but was accused of trying to "import American sensationalism" to the abortion debate.

MPs rejected her call to offer women the "option" of independent counselling by 368 votes to 118, but there will be a consultation on improving services.

MPs did not have to follow party lines as abortion is considered an issue of conscience.

Labour MP Frank Field - who had backed Ms Dorries' original amendment - withdrew his support at the end of the debate after the government said it would consult on improving abortion counselling for women.

'Would not work'

Ms Dorries had proposed changing the statutory duties the NHS must provide to include "independent information, advice and counselling services for women requesting termination of pregnancy" - and had said private abortion providers should not be considered "independent".

But that was not put to the vote - instead it was on another of her amendments, proposing instead to offer women "the option of receiving independent" counselling and advice, that MPs voted.

Health Minister Anne Milton had urged Ms Dorries to withdraw her amendments.

Continue reading the main storyANALYSISNick TriggleHealth correspondent, BBC News

Abortion is one of those areas of health care where the NHS relies heavily on the independent sector.

More than half of all terminations are done by the main two providers - BPAS and Marie Stopes International.

Their services are regulated and they have to keep to official guidelines.

Counselling is provided by trained professionals independently of the clinics' doctors, but women do not have to take this up.

This reflects the fact that for some women their mind is already made up by the time they arrive at the doors of an abortion provider.

They may have discussed the decision at length with their GP and/or partner and so health professionals accept that they have reached a clear personal decision.

She said the government was "supportive of the spirit of these amendments" but that putting it in primary legislation was unnecessary and would "deprive Parliament of the opportunity to consider the detail of how this service would develop and evolve."

The Health and Social Care Bill, which MPs are debating, gives local government new public health functions, she said, including on abortion services and the government intended to ensure that "a part of what they commission is a choice of independent counselling".

She said defining "independent" was not simple and the government wanted to think through all the financial and legal implications first.

"We want counselling to be provided by appropriately qualified people who offer non judgmental therapeutic support and who act according to their professional judgement, without undue interference or regard to outside interests," she said.

Ms Dorries told the BBC later that she had "got what we wanted" as the government had now agreed to consult about abortion advice.

She said she had only pushed the issue to the vote because many MPs backing her had wanted to publicly declare their stance on the issue and the "spirit" of her amendment would be taken forward by the government.

Nightcap 'good for older women'

A sherry before bedtime may be advisable Women who enjoy an alcoholic drink in the evening tend to be healthier as they move into old age, research shows.

This nightcap could be a pint of beer, a glass of wine or a single measure of spirit, PLoS Medicine journal reports.

A study of 14,000 women concluded that those who drink in moderation were far more likely to reach 70 in good health than heavier drinkers or abstainers.

Spreading consumption over the week is better than saving it for the weekend, the researchers say.

Women who drank little and often fared better than occasional drinkers.

Compared with non-drinkers, women in their mid-50s who drank 15-30g of alcohol (one to two drinks) a day had a 28% greater likelihood of achieving what the US researchers call "successful ageing", meaning good general health free of conditions like cancer, diabetes and heart disease in their 70s and beyond.

Continue reading the main story“Start QuoteModerate amounts of alcohol may offer some protection against heart disease, especially for women who have gone through the menopause, but it's very important not to go overboard”

End QuoteNatasha Stewart of the British Heart Foundation And women who drank on 5-7 days of the week had almost double the chance of good overall health in old age compared with complete abstainers.

Experts are not sure whether it is the alcohol itself that is conferring the benefit or whether it simply goes hand in hand with other things in the lives of the women that makes them healthier.

The Harvard School of Public Health researchers said they tried to control for factors like smoking that might have affected the results.

Other studies have shown that moderate alcohol consumption - no more than the recommended two to three units a day for women in the UK - is linked with a lower risk of heart disease and some other health conditions.

And research has shown alcohol can have a positive impact in the body, reducing insulin resistance, inflammation, high cholesterol and other harmful processes.

However, drinking has been linked to other conditions, such as breast cancer.

Experts welcomed the findings, saying they supported current recommendations concerning alcohol limits.

Natasha Stewart of the British Heart Foundation said: "Moderate amounts of alcohol may offer some protection against heart disease, especially for women who have gone through the menopause, but it's very important not to go overboard.

"Drinking too much doesn't offer any heart health protection at all and may actually lead to heart muscle damage, stroke and high blood pressure. And if you don't already drink alcohol, there is certainly no need to start now.

"Clearly there are much better ways to look after your heart than drinking alcohol, like eating a healthy, balanced diet, getting active and by not smoking."

Broken heart link in parent study

Bereaved parents are up to four times more likely to die in the decade after a child's death, it suggested Parents who lose a baby before its first birthday are more likely to die early themselves, according to a study.

Researchers at York and Stirling universities said bereaved parents were up to four times more likely to die in the decade following the child's death.

Previous studies have suggested there is a similar effect after the death of a spouse - often referred to as dying of a "broken heart".

The impact of losing a child has not been analysed to the same extent.

This research, published in BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care, is the first to look at the effect on UK parents.

Its authors have said their findings are of "major concern" and have called for more research.

Stillbirths

The study was not large enough to analyse how many of the deaths were due to suicide or other causes such as stress.

"The stress of bereavement may involve significant physiological effects - for example suppressing the immune system thereby increasing one's propensity to disease," the report said.

Another theory is that stillbirths and infant deaths may be more common in parents who have poor health.

Although the risk of premature death lessened over time, the researchers found that it was particularly pronounced in mothers, who continued to be 1.2 times more likely to die 30 years after the death of a baby.

Row over PM's NHS bill 'support' claim

Mr Cameron and Mr Miliband clashed over police and the NHS during PMQs Q&A: The NHS shake-up Analysis: Why the NHS wants to move on How the NHS works in rest of UK A row has broken out after David Cameron told MPs that doctors and nurses were now "supporting" government plans to overhaul the NHS in England.

Following the remarks during prime minister's questions, the Royal College of Nursing issued a statement saying it still had "very serious concerns".

The Royal College of GPs said it was "extremely worried" about some aspects.

The health bill cleared its Commons stages on Wednesday, despite criticism from some Lib Dems as well as Labour.

It was approved by MPs by 65 votes, and will now go to the House of Lords where it is expected to face further opposition.

Earlier this year, the government was forced to "pause" the bill while ministers re-consulted on the proposals via a listening exercise called the NHS Future Forum.

A number of changes were subsequently made to the legislation.

'Risks'

But during Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Miliband told the PM that in newspaper articles published this week, the British Medical Association, the Royal College of GPs and the Royal College of Midwives had still "all rejected your bill".

But in his reply, Mr Cameron insisted that "now you've got the Royal College of GPs, the physicians, the nurses, people working in the health service supporting the changes we're making".

Later though, two of the professional bodies mentioned by the prime minister issued statements apparently disputing the comments he had made.

Continue reading the main storyAnalysisNick TriggleHealth correspondent, BBC News

Wednesday - it is fair to say - was another tricky day for the government and its controversial health bill.

The two-day House of Commons debate on the NHS overhaul was always going to attract attention.

But the government's cause was not helped by the choice of words of Health Minister Lord Howe or his boss, the prime minister.

By saying the overhaul presented private groups with "huge opportunities" and it did not matter "one jot" who provided NHS care, Lord Howe invited the wrath of the medical profession.

David Cameron's claim that the reforms were now supported by a host of professional bodies did not help either - they still have a number of serious concerns.

It forced the Department of Health press office back into rebuttal mode as they sought to clarify what both men meant.

Of course, the rows will die down. But with the House of Lords preparing to sink their teeth into the bill next month, the government's troubles are far from over.

Dr Peter Carter, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: "While we acknowledge that the government have listened to our members in a number of areas, we still have very serious concerns about where these reforms leave a health service already facing an unprecedented financial challenge."

He said the government had changed the bill in response to calls from nurses, including amending the role of competition in the health service, and he welcomed the commitment made to supporting ongoing professional training.

Gay blood donor ban to be lifted

Men who have sex with other men will be allowed to donate blood Ban liftedCall to end gay donor blood banHIV test push as UK rates double The lifetime ban on blood donations by homosexual and bisexual men will be lifted in England, Scotland and Wales.

Ministers have agreed to let men who have not had sex with another man in the past 12 months to donate from November.

The restrictions were put in place in the 1980s to prevent the risk of HIV contamination.

However, the latest medical evidence presented to a government panel argued the ban could no longer be justified.

Ministers in the three countries accepted the argument and said they would be relaxing the rules. Northern Ireland is expected to make a decision soon.

The National Blood Service screens all donations for HIV and other infections. However, there is a "window period" after infection during which it is impossible to detect the virus.

In the UK, a lifetime ban was introduced in the early 1980s as a response to the Aids epidemic and the lack of adequate HIV tests.

'Opportunities missed' in TB case

Alina Sarag lived life to the full, her family said Opportunities were missed to diagnose a 15-year-old girl who died of tuberculosis (TB), the BBC can reveal.

Alina Sarag, a pupil at Golden Hillock School in Sparkhill, Birmingham, died on 6 January.

A simple phlegm test which could have shown she had tuberculosis was never carried out at one West Midlands hospital, a clinical review of the case revealed.

A chest X-ray could also have indicated TB but the condition was not picked up.

The review, by Heart of Birmingham Teaching Primary Care Trust, concluded there must be a Birmingham-wide review of all standard procedures for TB after no-one considered the possibility in Alina's case, a high-risk patient.

Alina had been treated for TB and was seen at Birmingham Chest Clinic, in October 2009.

She was treated with antibiotics but the clinic failed to follow up her treatment.

After a visit to Pakistan in July 2010 she was sick upon her return.

Her mother, Farhat Mahmoode, said: "We took her to every hospital.

Continue reading the main storyTreatment timetable On 26 August 2010 Alina referred to Heartland Hospital but given all-clear On 5 October referred to Birmingham Children's Hospital, but history of TB not picked up and hospital queried typhoid or an infection A week later, transferred to Sandwell Hospital after going to City Hospital in Birmingham. She remains there for five days and TB is noted but sputum test not carried out Chest X-ray carried out but deemed most likely to have picked up chest infection Alina attended Birmingham Children's Hospital on 30 October where it is suggested that it was a psychological issue On 14 December she saw a clinical psychologist but was in such extreme pain that the psychologist could not complete the assessment Second appointment was arranged for 6 January, the day of her death "If Heartlands Hospital didn't pick up something, maybe City Hospital.

"We took her to the Children's Hospital.

"We thought maybe another doctor would find out what was wrong, but we were failed at every turn."

After doctors at Heartland and City hospitals did not detect TB, Alina was admitted to Sandwell Hospital where she stayed for five days.

TB was picked up but no sputum test was carried out and a chest X-ray was thought to have found a chest infection.

She later saw a clinical psychologist at Birmingham Children's Hospital but was in such extreme pain that the psychologist could not complete the assessment.

A second appointment was arranged for 6 January, the day of her death.

The medical director of Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals, Donal O'Donahue, accepted there were mistakes with her care, but denied there was any need to change the systems.

'Clinicians devastated'

Mr O'Donahue said TB was very difficult to diagnose and when the reader of the chest X-ray decided it was unlikely to be TB, the phlegm test was cancelled.

He said not diagnosing TB from the X-ray was reasonable.

"All the clinicians involved in Alina's case were devastated that we had missed an opportunity to diagnose TB.

"Other than the need to bear TB in mind, there is nothing in our systems that we felt that we needed to improve on the basis of Alina's care."

The review decided the chest clinic should have followed up her treatment and it should have ordered X-rays to ensure her treatment had been successful.

Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT), which runs the chest clinic, said it had put an action plan in place.

It said: "HEFT is the centre of excellence for infectious diseases in the West Midlands and saw and treated over 350 patients last year with TB.

"We have completed an internal investigation into the care provided to Alina Sarag by Birmingham Chest Clinic and an action plan has been developed with our clinicians."

The review team has recommended training to increase awareness about TB for all Birmingham GPs and other clinicians.

Young get sex health web warning

Young people account for more than half of all new sex infections Rise in UK sex infections Many young people worried about sexual health problems shun traditional health services for potentially untrustworthy websites, a poll suggests.

The Information Standard - a government-backed scheme to improve the reliability of health information - surveyed 1,200 18-24-year-olds.

The research showed eight in 10 relied on the internet for help without being aware of the authenticity of the sites.

Experts said it was essential the young sought help from official channels.

Nearly two-thirds of participants reported never having had a sexual health screening.

Their reluctance to use official NHS services was blamed on embarrassment and a lack of awareness about the seriousness of conditions.

Informed advice

Where young people do rely on the internet, the Information Standard said it was important to use reliable sites, such as those produced by the NHS, local authorities or leading charities.

Official and authenticated sites carry the Information Standard brand.

Ann Robinson, director of public awareness at the Information Standard, said: "We want all young people to understand how to spot a trustworthy site.

"Just because it ranks high in the search engine, for example, does not mean that it will provide informed advice."

Dominic Edwardes, of the Terrence Higgins Trust charity, said: "Sexually transmitted infection rates are worryingly high amongst young people, accounting for more than half of all new diagnoses in England in 2010.

"To reduce these figures we need to make sure that young people are equipped with trustworthy advice and understand how to have safe protected sex."

Gene find 'may curb chronic pain'

Lower back pain can be a chronic, lifelong condition for many people Hope over NHS pain relief implant A gene responsible for chronic pain has been identified, with scientists saying this could lead to drugs for treating long-lasting back pain.

Writing in the journal Science, University of Cambridge researchers removed the HCN2 gene from pain-sensitive nerves in mice.

Deleting the gene stopped any chronic pain but did not affect acute pain.

About one in seven people in the UK suffer from chronic pain, which can also include arthritis and headaches.

The researchers say their findings open up the possibility that new drugs could be developed to block the protein produced by the HCN2 gene, which regulates chronic pain.

The HCN2 gene, which is expressed in pain-sensitive nerve endings, has been known for several years, but its role in regulating pain was not understood.

For the study, the researchers removed the HCN2 gene from pain-sensitive nerves. They then carried out studies using electrical stimuli on these nerves in cell cultures to determine how they were altered by the removal of HCN2.

Continue reading the main story“Start QuoteIndividuals suffering from neuropathic pain often have little or no respite because of the lack of effective medications”

End QuoteProf Peter McNaughtonUniversity of Cambridge They then studied genetically modified mice in which the HCN2 gene had been deleted.

By measuring the speed that the mice withdrew from different types of painful stimuli, the scientists were able to conclude that deleting the HCN2 gene abolished neuropathic pain.

However, they found that deleting HCN2 did not affect normal acute pain - which occurs suddenly, for example when biting one's tongue.

'No respite'

Chronic pain comes in two main varieties. Inflammatory pain occurs when a persistent injury, such as a burn or arthritis, results in very sensitive nerve endings which increase the sensation of pain.

Neuropathic pain occurs when nerves are damaged, causing ongoing pain. This type of chronic pain, which is often lifelong, is surprisingly common and is poorly treated by current drugs, the study says.

It is often seen in patients with diabetes and shingles, and in the aftermath of cancer chemotherapy. It is also common in lower back pain and other chronic painful conditions.

Professor Peter McNaughton, lead author of the study and head of the department of pharmacology at the University of Cambridge, said there was now hope for these people.

"Individuals suffering from neuropathic pain often have little or no respite because of the lack of effective medications. Our research lays the groundwork for the development of new drugs to treat chronic pain by blocking HCN2."

He added: "Many genes play a critical role in pain sensation, but in most cases interfering with them simply abolishes all pain, or even all sensation.

"What is exciting about the work on the HCN2 gene is that removing it - or blocking it pharmacologically - eliminates neuropathic pain without affecting normal acute pain. This finding could be very valuable clinically because normal pain sensation is essential for avoiding accidental damage."

Dr Brian Hammond, chairman of charity BackCare, said the findings of the study were good news.

"Any effective treatment which relieves the suffering of chronic pain is to be welcomed. Treatment which helps reduce pain but still leaves the body's warning mechanisms intact is a major breakthrough."

The study was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), and the European Union.

The Dangerously Deranged Ethics of Biotech Ag

By Steven McFadden
My unease about genetically engineered crops and animals dates back to the beginning. I had immediate concerns in the late 1980s and early 90s as I began to learn about the technology and associated marketplace machinations. Over the following decades as more and more facts emerged my concerns deepened.

Then just a couple of weeks ago my misgivings were rudely provoked to the forefront when I read an op-ed column by Nina Federoff, published in The New York Times. Her column amounted to a fact-deficient apologia for the GMO industry, and an exhortation to charge heedlessly forward with genetically engineered food. For me, and for millions of other people, this is a massively deranged and dangerous proposition.

So many factors are coming to a head now. Widespread famine, a global land grab, soaring food prices, a horde of profit-mad speculators, drought on the scale of the Dust Bowl, a host of other wildly wobbling environmental events, and a huge, well-organized, well-funded propaganda push by corporate industrial agriculture to claim that the only sensible way forward is with genetic engineering and its allied cauldron of petrochemical-based herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides. But it's not the only way forward. It is, instead, a profoundly perilous pathway encouraged by what I regard as dangerously deranged ethics.

After the Times published Federoff's column, well-reasoned rebuttals came swiftly from Anna Lappe writing for Civil Eats, from Tom Philpott in Grist, and from Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, Senior Scientist, Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA). Individually and collectively, their articles constitute a convincing, fact-backed refutation of Federoff's claims for GMO safety and suitability. They effectively assert the case for a global 21st century agrarian vision of human-scale organic sustainable farms and food.

EU Court Puts Limits on Modified Honey

By Gabriele Steinhauser
BRUSSELS - Honey that contains traces of pollen from genetically modified crops needs special authorization before it can be sold in Europe, the European Union's top court said Tuesday, in a judgment that could have widespread consequences on the bloc's policy on genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.

The ruling from the European Court of Justice came after several Bavarian beekeepers demanded compensation from their government for honey and food supplements that contained traces of pollen from genetically modified maize.

The beekeepers had their hives close to fields where the Bavarian government was growing Monsanto's MON 810 maize for research purposes.

The EU has strict guidelines on authorizing and informing consumers about foods containing GMOs - a policy that has caused problems for producers of genetically modified seeds such as U.S.-based Monsanto Co. that are used to much laxer rules in other parts of the world.

Kelli Powers, a spokeswoman for Monsanto, said the company could not provide detailed comment on the ruling until the firm had a chance to read the entire judgment.

But Powers emphasized that the company's engineered corn seed has been approved as safe for human consumption.

Organic Farming Can Be More Profitable in the Long-Term than Conventional Agriculture

By Jeremy Hance
Organic farming is more profitable and economically secure than conventional farming even over the long-term, according to a new study in Agronomy Journal. Using experimental farm plots, researchers with the University of Minnesota found that organic beat conventional even if organic price premiums (i.e. customers willing to pay more for organic) were to drop as much as 50 percent.

"Doing an economic study like this, it's important to get as complete a picture of the yield variability as we can," explains Timothy Delbridge, lead author of the study and a doctoral student studying agricultural economics at the University of Minnesota. "So, the length of this trial is a big asset. We're pretty confident that the full extent of the yield variability came through in the results."

Conducted over 18 years, the study found that a conventional farm, rotating corn, soy, oat, and alfalfa over 4 years brought in $273, while an organic farm netted $538. Even if the organic premium dropped by half, it would still be more profitable given that the cost of production was lower for organic, since organic farmers would spend nothing on chemicals.

"What we're looking at here are results between an established organic and an established conventional system. This research doesn't take into consideration the issue of the transition itself: how difficult or costly that may be," cautions Delbridge.

Wikileaks Reveals Monsanto's Close Relationship with the US Government

By Jonathan Reynolds
In cables released by Wikileaks this past August, 2011, US diplomats asked the State Department for funding to send biotechnology experts to "target countries" for discussions with high-profile politicians and agricultural officials.

The "target countries" include African, Asian and South American countries where genetically modified (GM) agriculture has yet to gain a foothold. Even some European countries have been targeted, such as France, since it has been slow to adopt GM foods. Summarizing a French documentary, "The World According to Monsanto," a 2008 cable reads:

"Jeffrey Smith, Director, Institute for Responsible Technology, who is interviewed says that a number of Bush Administration officers were close to Monsanto, either having obtained campaign contributions from the company or having worked directly for it: John Ashcroft, Secretary of Justice, received contributions from Monsanto when he was reelected, as did Tommy Thompson, Secretary of Health; Ann Veneman, Secretary of Agriculture, was director of Calgene which belonged to Monsanto; and Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, was CEO of Searle, a Monsanto subsidiary; and Justice Clarence Thomas was a former lawyer for Monsanto."

Embassy diplomats requested Washington provide "talking points" so officers could respond to the documentary on an "if asked" basis and emphasize "the positive role ag biotech can play in meeting world food needs."

The close relationship between the US government and Monsanto has unfortunately continued into the Obama administration. President Obama nominated the former pro-biotech governor of Iowa, Tom Vilsack, as USDA Secretary; he nominated Michael Taylor, former Monsanto Vice President, as the FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods; and he nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan, who took Monsanto's side against organic farmers in the Roundup Ready alfalfa case, to the Supreme Court.

10 Years Later, 9/11 Still Shrouded in Mystery

By Will Bunch
IF YOU THINK that on the 10th anniversary you know the whole story of 9/11 - and here I'm addressing conspiracy-minded "truthers" and the 13 percent who approved of the job Dick Cheney did as vice president - actually, you don't.

Time has upheld the broad story line of how hijackers loyal to Osama bin Laden hijacked four planes and killed nearly 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001 - claims about holograms being used to attack buildings instead of jetliners notwithstanding. At the same time, the dictum of famed investigative reporter I.F. Stone about all governments - i.e., they lie - is no less true about 9/11 than any other event.

Here are 10 questions about 9/11 that remain unanswered.

1. Did the CIA cover up its advance knowledge of at least two of the 9/11 hijackers?

Richard Clarke, the national counterterrorism czar on 9/11, thinks so. In an interview for an upcoming radio documentary, Clarke claimed that top-level CIA officials deliberately withheld from the White House and the FBI knowledge as early as 2000 that two al Qaeda members - Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar - were living in San Diego.

The former anti-terror chief said he believes that the CIA kept the info under wraps because it wanted to recruit the two Saudis to serve as double agents within bin Laden's organization. Instead, the two terrorists ended up hijackers on American Flight 77. George Tenet, who was CIA director, claims that Clarke is "reckless and profoundly wrong."

2. How strong is the connection between the 9/11 site cleanup and cancer and other diseases?

Last week, the New York City Fire Department's Dr. David Prezant published research in the prestigious medical journal Lancet showing that male firefighters who responded to 9/11 now have a cancer rate that's 19 percent higher than unexposed co-workers. That comes on top of earlier reports of higher rates of asthma and post-traumatic stress disorder among the responders at Ground Zero.

Indeed, the real questions are a) Why was the Bush administration so lax in issuing warnings about the toxicity of the site in 2001? and b) Why did it take a comedian, Jon Stewart, to shame Congress into funding a health-care bill for the ailing heroes of Ground Zero?

Goodbye to All That: Reflections of a GOP Operative Who Left the Cult

By Mike Lofgren
Barbara Stanwyck: "We're both rotten!"

Fred MacMurray: "Yeah - only you're a little more rotten." -"Double Indemnity" (1944)

Those lines of dialogue from a classic film noir sum up the state of the two political parties in contemporary America. Both parties are rotten - how could they not be, given the complete infestation of the political system by corporate money on a scale that now requires a presidential candidate to raise upwards of a billion dollars to be competitive in the general election? Both parties are captives to corporate loot. The main reason the Democrats' health care bill will be a budget buster once it fully phases in is the Democrats' rank capitulation to corporate interests - no single-payer system, in order to mollify the insurers; and no negotiation of drug prices, a craven surrender to Big Pharma.

But both parties are not rotten in quite the same way. The Democrats have their share of machine politicians, careerists, corporate bagmen, egomaniacs and kooks. Nothing, however, quite matches the modern GOP.

To those millions of Americans who have finally begun paying attention to politics and watched with exasperation the tragicomedy of the debt ceiling extension, it may have come as a shock that the Republican Party is so full of lunatics. To be sure, the party, like any political party on earth, has always had its share of crackpots, like Robert K. Dornan or William E. Dannemeyer. But the crackpot outliers of two decades ago have become the vital center today: Steve King, Michele Bachman (now a leading presidential candidate as well), Paul Broun, Patrick McHenry, Virginia Foxx, Louie Gohmert, Allen West. The Congressional directory now reads like a casebook of lunacy.

Headlines or Not, the Iraq War is Not Over

By Phyllis Bennis
It might seem like cause for celebration after reading the New York Times headline, "Iraq War Marks First Month with No U.S. Military Deaths." But the smaller print on the page reminds us why celebrating is not really in order: "Many Iraqis are killed..." The cost of this war is still way too high - in Iraqi lives and in our money.

With so much attention and so many billions of our tax dollars shifting from Iraq to the devastating and ever more costly war in Afghanistan, it is too easy to forget that there are still almost 50,000 U.S. troops occupying Iraq. We are still paying almost $50 billion just this year for the war in Iraq. And while we don't hear about it very often, many Iraqis are still being killed.

There's an awful lot of discussion underway about the massive cuts in the Pentagon's budget that may be looming as part of the deficit deal. But somehow few are mentioning that those potential cuts from the defense department's main budget don't even touch the actual war funding - this year alone it's $48 billion for Iraq and $122 billion for the war in Afghanistan.

Just imagine what we could do with those funds - we could provide health care for 43 million children for two years, or hire 2.4 million police officers to help keep our communities safe for a year. Or we could create and fund new green middle-class jobs for 3.4 million workers - maybe including those thousands of soldiers we could bring home from those useless wars.

Barack Obama, back when he was a presidential candidate, promised he would end the war in Iraq. In 2002, he called it a "dumb" war. The U.S. role in the war has gotten smaller but it sure isn't over. And it hasn't gotten any smarter. A year ago Obama told us that all combat operations in Iraq were about to end, that "our commitment in Iraq is changing from a military effort" to - what exactly? The 50,000 or so troops still in Iraq are there, we are told, to train Iraqi security forces, provide security for civilians, and, oh yes, to conduct counterterrorism operations. Apparently "counterterrorism operations" don't count as part of a military effort?

Nepal's Women Farmers Discard Imported Hybrid Seeds and Husband Local Varieties in Co-Op Seed Banks

By Sudeshna Sarkar
Kathmandu - Learning a lesson from crop failures attributed to climate change, Nepal's women farmers are discarding imported hybrid seeds and husbanding hardier local varieties in cooperative seed banks.

"I had a crop failure two years ago," says Shobha Devkota, 32, from Jibjibe village in Rasuwa, a hilly district in central Nepal which is part of the Langtang National Park, a protected area encompassing two more districts, Nuwakot and Sindhupalchowk.

"The maize was attacked by pests, the paddy had no grain and the soil grew hard. I had a tough time trying to feed my three daughters and sending them to school."

Since her marriage 17 years ago, Shobha had been sharing farming chores with her husband Ram Krishna. However, when he left for Dubai four years ago to work as a security guard, farming became her responsibility entirely.

Though she has never been to school and can only scrawl her name, Shobha and other women in the village who share similar backgrounds, are keenly aware of changing climate and its adverse impact on livelihoods.

Fake Facebook Identity Used By Military Contractors Plotting To Hack Progressive Organizations

By Lee Fang
Earlier this year, ThinkProgress obtained 75,000 private emails from the defense contractor HBGary Federal via the hacktivist group called Anonymous. The emails led to two shocking revelations. First, that an assortment of private military firms collectively called "Team Themis" had been tapped by Bank of America to conduct a cyber war against reporters sympathetically covering the Wikileaks revelations. And second, that late in 2010, the same set of firms began work separately for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a Republican-aligned corporate lobbying group, to develop a similar campaign of sabotage against progressive organizations, including the SEIU and ThinkProgress.

In presentations obtained by ThinkProgress from the e-mail dump detailing the tactics potentially used against progressives, HBGary Federal floated the idea of using "fake insider personas" to infiltrate left-leaning groups critical of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's policies. As HBGary Federal executive Aaron Barr described in several emails, his firm could work with partner companies Palantir and Berico Technologies to manipulate fake online identities, using networks like Facebook, to gain access to private information from his targets. Other presentations are more specific and describe efforts to use social media to hack computers and find vulnerabilities among even the families of people who work at organizations critical of the Chamber. 

Anti-GMO Movement in Europe Offers Lessons for the U.S.

By Lisa Marshall
>If European states can ban genetically modified crops, why not America? See how global activism drove the charge against GMOs abroad-and how we can apply the same principle in the United States.

Get a group of people together to talk about the genetically modified organisms (GMOs) gobbling up American soil and, chances are, someone will bring up "what happened in Europe."

How is it that our neighbors across the pond were able to swiftly enact mandatory labeling laws and essentially ban genetically modified (GM) crops in six European states, while here in the United States we let the biotech machine plow on? What lessons can we learn from the Europeans?

Georgina Silby has some ideas.

Silby was among the legions of infuriated youth who took to European streets upon learning about the specter of genetic engineering in the mid-'90s. These young activists donned tomato costumes (or nothing at all) for their protests by day, dug up GM test crops by night and formed alliances with stakeholders around the globe. Their efforts generated what has eluded activists here so far: Media attention and mass-market consumer outrage.

The Environmental Threat of Dental Mercury

By Dr. Mercola
Dental amalgams have been in use since the American Civil War. They are an anachronism that have been perpetuated by dental industry patents, and there's a conspiracy of silence that seeks to keep the 75 percent of Americans who are ignorant about the fact that amalgam fillings are actually 50 percent mercury.

Fortunately, in the last 10 years nearly half of dentists have recognized this and have stopped using them in their practice. However, 50 percent of all US dentists still use them, and that currently accounts for between 240-300 tons of mercury entering the market every year. In the United States, dental offices are the second largest user of mercury - and this mercury eventually ends up in our environment by one pathway or another.

Dental Mercury-A Major Source of Environmental Pollution

 Mercury from dental amalgam pollutes:

     Water via not only dental clinic releases and human waste (amalgam is by far the largest source of mercury in our wastewater)      Air via cremation, dental clinic emissions, sludge incineration, and respiration; and      Soil via landfills, burials, and fertilizer

9/11 After A Decade: Have We Learned Anything?

In a few days it will be the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001.  How well has the US government's official account of the event held up over the decade?

Not very well.  The chairman, vice chairman, and senior legal counsel of the 9/11 Commission wrote books partially disassociating themselves from the commission's report.  They said that the Bush administration put obstacles in their path, that information was withheld from them, that President Bush agreed to testify only if he was chaperoned by Vice President Cheney and neither were put under oath, that Pentagon and FAA officials lied to the commission and that the commission considered referring the false testimony for investigation for obstruction of justice.

In their book, the chairman and vice chairman, Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, wrote that the 9/11 Commission was "set up to fail." Senior counsel John Farmer, Jr., wrote that the US government made "a decision not to tell the truth about what happened," and that the NORAD "tapes told a radically different story from what had been told to us and the public." Kean said, "We to this day don't know why NORAD told us what they told us, it was just so far from the truth."

Most of the questions from the 9/11 families were not answered. Important witnesses were not called. The commission only heard from those who supported the government's account. The commission was a controlled political operation, not an investigation of events and evidence. Its membership consisted of former politicians. No knowledgeable experts were appointed to the commission.

One member of the 9/11 Commission, former Senator Max Cleland, responded to the constraints placed on the commission by the White House:  "If this decision stands, I, as a member of the commission, cannot look any American in the eye, especially family members of victims, and say the commission had full access. This investigation is now compromised."  Cleland resigned rather than have his integrity compromised.

Whole Foods Refuses to Support GMO-Mandatory Labeling Efforts in California

Recently, our intrepid real food activists and California Label GMO pioneers Pamm Larry and Stacey Hall reached out to Whole Foods Market asking them to allow educational events at their stores and for volunteers to be able to collect signatures from Californians who want mandatory labeling of GMOs--something that over 70% of people polled supported.  Below is their response.  We find it hard to believe that Whole Foods, ostensibly committed to healthy food and real choices, is against truth-in-labeling.  Please visit their Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/wholefoods or call your local Whole Foods and tell the manager that you would like them to allow signature gathering at their stores.  We have a real chance at victory in this campaign.  Let Whole Foods know they should be with us, not against us.

Hi Marci,
Thanks for getting back to us.  We are disappointed that Whole Foods is not interested in some of our suggestions.   And just to be clear, because it was not specifically addressed, we need to know whether Whole Foods will allow us to gather signatures in front of your stores in the Fall of 2011 for the California Genetically Engineered Food Labeling Act of 2012?  Signature gathering is expected to start in October so we need to know your answer by Friday, September 23rd at 5pm.  If we do not receive a response, we will assume that Whole Foods will not support signature gathering in front of your stores.  While we appreciate your strategy, polls show that consumers want mandatory labeling of genetically modified ingredients.  We hope that you will choose to support what your customers have repeatedly requested which is mandatory labeling.

Male medical mysteries

Sweating on the way to a date. Every man's worst nightmare? Why are men reluctant to seek medical help? Figures suggest women are much more likely than men to visit a doctor. Even when they do, men can find it hard to talk about what's really ailing them. So what strange worries are on their mind?

Men are notorious for failing to open up about things that are bothering them. Particularly when their concerns are of a medical nature.

A survey by the Office for National Statistics found women were more likely than men to visit their GP regularly, and the Men's Health Forum also thinks men are becoming increasingly unlikely to visit a GP. With 17 years in medicine, Dr Mark Hamilton has first-hand experience of the medical matters that men struggle to talk about the most.

For the 60-Second Hypochondria slot on BBC Radio 5 live's Men's Hour, Dr Hamilton reveals some of the more unusual questions men have struggled to spit out to him - and gives his answers for those who have never been brave enough to ask.

Danger zone

What could we learn from Joey Barton? Can you calculate the world's best sportsperson? A new documentary with Prince Harry follows four wounded servicemen on a trek to the North Pole. But why do so many disabled people embark on adventures that most "able" people wouldn't even think of doing?

The foursome accompanying Prince Harry to the North Pole includes Steve, who had his back broken, and 26-year-old Jaco, who is missing part of an arm.

They are far from being the first injured ex-servicemen to test their new bodies when faced with a disability.

In 1947, Denny Denly, who became a wheelchair user after contracting polio while on active service, fancied a holiday in Switzerland. He rode 1,500 miles across the French Alps on a petrol-powered tricycle with a top speed of 30mph.

His journey, which involved climbing to 8,000 feet (2,440m) through mountain passes, was documented by the BBC Home Service. Public reaction to the trip was so positive it led to the launch of the Invalid Tricycle Association, a precursor to today's Disabled Motoring UK.

Left blinded and with part of a leg missing by a landmine in WWII, climber Syd Scroggie refused to be daunted and completed 600 ascents.

Bringing up baby

Dr Spock rejected the idea that too much affection made children weak

The book's title wasn't the most exciting. But in the austere post-war years its message was revolutionary.

"As soon as it hit the market, it was acclaimed," says Professor Lynn Bloom, Dr Benjamin Spock's biographer and friend.

"It was so radical and so different from the child-rearing manuals that preceded it.

"People wanted the opportunity and the sanction to have children and to love them. And that book did this."

Continue reading the main story“Start QuoteIt isn't enough to bring up children happy and secure, you need to provide a decent world for them”

End QuoteDr Benjamin Spock Baby and Child Care challenged the child-rearing orthodoxy of the early 20th Century - that babies should be fed according to a tight schedule, and that showing them too much affection made them weak and unprepared for the world.

Instead, Dr Spock encouraged a more gentle approach to bringing up children, and told parents to trust their own instincts and common sense.

"I urged parents not to be intimidated by the rule that had existed in paediatrics up until that time - you must never feed a baby off schedule, not a minute early, not a minute late," he said.

"I was one of the first paediatricians to say that's nonsense. That rule made babies cry.

"It was even harder on mothers, they bit their nails in anguish waiting for the clock to say this is the minute you can feed."

The opening sentences of the book are: "Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do."

In 1946, that was a big departure from the prevailing wisdom, that doctors and paediatricians knew best.

Co-operative care

Continue reading the main storyRelated StoriesSocial enterprise's plans for NHS hospital Government defends NHS reforms Ministers want to turn the NHS in England into "the largest social enterprise sector in the world". They envisage a network of small co-operatives and mutuals run by doctors and nurses not managers. But would that be a good thing? And is it even practical?

"'Public sector' and 'public service' are not interchangeable phrases," says Geoff Walker, chief executive of Sandwell Community Caring Trust.

"I used to have to deliver the 'public sector' with all the management, admin and local politics that come with that. Now all I do is deliver a service - all I have to do now is keep 700 people happy."

Geoff's organisation is a social enterprise that provides care services for adults and children. Since it started in 1997, it has grown from having 85 staff looking after 62 people, to employing 475 for the aforementioned 700.

It's exactly the sort of thing the government wants to see more of - particularly with the number of elderly people growing and the clamour for more early years intervention rising.

It's all part of the Big Society - but just like other aspects of that idea, there are plenty who think it's, at best, impractical - at worst, downright dangerous.

'Mushrooming'

Co-operatives and mutuals are not new - we've banked with them, shopped in them - but they're far from widespread in the health and care sector.

Continue reading the main story“Start QuoteAt the moment we're in the rhetoric phase”

End QuoteJonathan BlandSocial Business International The exact form varies but in general, such organisations are run and owned by their members, control their own funding and direction, and have clear social rather than commercial objectives.

One that is doing well is Ripplez - a not-for-profit enterprise based in Derby which gives intensive support to teenage mothers.

Chris Tully, nurse and midwife turned managing director, says: "There were 10 of us, including seven nurses, and we took a vote on whether we should do it. It was a risk - plenty of people weren't convinced - but we're professionals and we wanted to prove we could do it."

Ripplez is, in Chris's words, "mushrooming" and has just attracted some philanthropic investment.

"We can spend that money how we choose and we're using it to give our parents more involved in what we do," she says.

"The NHS is supposed to do that - give people a say in their care - but it doesn't really, it just pays lip service to it."

Even in Sandwell though, social enterprise isn't universally popular - there were protests when the Primary Care Trust tried to become one - but Geoff Walker is relentlessly positive.

Why we're here

An injured rebel fighter is attended to in Al-Galah hospital in Benghazi As rebel forces continue their fight to overthrow Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, fears are growing of an impending humanitarian crisis in the country.

Two doctors and an aid worker, who have travelled from their homes in the UK to help, recount their experiences.

Khaled, 41, doctor, Libyan Doctors Relief UK

Khaled is originally from Benghazi but has been in the UK for 16 years. He lives in west Yorkshire with his wife and four children and works as an orthopaedic surgeon.

He felt compelled to help when the uprising began and has visited Libya three times since then to deliver aid and work in local hospitals. He hopes to be in Tripoli next week.

All in the genes?

Having lulled me into a false sense of security, in due course it will cause my vital organs to shut down and my innards implode and before I know it I'll be communicating with a roll of the eyes and taking my meals through a plastic tube.

Such fears are irrational I know that.

Yet in the last few years alone I've had CAT scans and colonoscopies, MRIs and ECGs, chest X-rays and sleep studies, turbine and tonsillectomies, and paid so many visits to my GP that he once joked about inviting me to the office party.

I've sought the advice of neurologists, ophthalmologists, dermatologists, rheumatologists, podiatrists, pulmonary surgeons, Ear, Nose and Throat experts, acupuncturists, chiropractors, hypnotists and holistic healers and on top of that I've even been to Lourdes!

And every specialist consultation involved that nerve-wracking moment when they shut the door, plucked the test results from the file, and uttered those five truly terrifying words: "There is nothing wrong with you."

Because the one thing a hypochondriac can't bear to hear it's that he's fit and well.

Risk assessment

And if there is one thing more irritating that that, it is when your bodily fluids instead of underperforming start to steal the show eliciting gasps of admiration for everything from the colour of the urine to the consistency of the stools, which is what happened to me.

Yet instead of proving a source of comfort, it made me more convinced the medics had missed something.

So it came as a considerable relief to hear about a company that could take a small sample of your saliva and use it to assess your risk of getting any one of nearly 100 different diseases.

With almost feverish excitement I gathered my saliva sample and cheque and sent them off to the lab and started pacing up and down. Then a few days ago up popped an email with the results.

Of the wide variety of diseases they test for it is clearly the scary stuff that people are most drawn to, the results for the big two - Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease - were locked away behind several pages of explanation and qualification and even required their own password.

Marriage and divorce 'increase weight'

The study found getting a wedding ring on your finger - and losing it - could cause people's weight to rise 'makes women fatter' Both marriage and divorce can trigger weight gain, according to research being presented at the American Sociological Association.

There is an increased risk of piling on the pounds in the two years after a marriage starts or ends, according to their study of 10,071 people.

Newly-married women were at greatest risk of "large" weight gains.

Some gains may "pose a health risk", say the authors from Ohio State University.

The study followed people from 1986 to 2008 and monitored changes in body mass index (BMI) - a weight/height ratio measurement - and marital status.

The researchers compared the BMI of people who married or divorced with those who were already married or stayed single.

Life-changing

Even after adjusting the data for each person's health, education, employment, poverty and pregnancy - there was still an increased risk of weight gain associated with marriage and divorce.

Continue reading the main story“Start QuoteThese are significant changes in someone's life. It can change their living situation and the types of food they eat”

End QuoteHelen RileyBritish Nutrition Foundation In women, marriage increased the risk of a small increase in weight (up to a three point increase in BMI) by 33%. There was a 48% higher risk of large weight gains (more than a three point BMI increase).

Newly-divorced women had a 22% increased risk of small weight gain.

Men were 28% more likely to have small increases in weight after marriage and 21% after divorce.

The report concludes: "All marital transitions act as a weight shock, encouraging small weight gains regardless of the destination marital state."

Lead author, Dmitry Tumin, said: "To some extent, marriages for women promote weight gains that may be large enough to pose a health risk."

Helen Riley at the British Nutrition Foundation charity said: "These are significant changes in someone's life. It can change their living situation and the types of food they eat.

"But different people deal with it in different ways and it can be positive for some people."

DNA study probes ancestry of European men

Did Palaeolithic hunters leave a genetic legacy in today's European males? Continue reading the main storyRelated StoriesFarmers spawned most European menMigrants spread farming to EuropeAncient farmers were goat-herders A new study deals a blow to the idea that most European men are descended from farmers who migrated from the Near East 5,000-10,000 years ago.

The findings challenge previous research showing that the genetic signature of the farmers displaced that of Europe's indigenous hunters.

The latest research leans towards the idea that most of Europe's males trace a line of descent to stone-age hunters.

But the authors say more work is needed to answer this question.

The study, by an international team, is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Continue reading the main story“Start QuoteI would say that we are putting the ball back in the middle of the field”

End QuoteDr Cristian CapelliUniversity of Oxford Archaeological finds show that modern humans first settled in Europe from about 40,000 years ago - during a time known as the Palaeolithic.

These people survived an Ice Age some 20,000 years ago by retreating to relatively warm refuges in the south of the continent, before expanding into northern Europe again when the ice melted.

But just a few thousand years after Europe had been resettled by these hunter-gatherers, the continent underwent momentous cultural change. Farmers spread westwards from the area that is now Turkey, bringing with them a new economy and way of life.

The extent to which modern Europeans are descended from these early farmers versus the indigenous hunter-gatherers who settled the continent thousands of years previously is a matter of heated debate.

The results vary depending on the genetic markers studied and are subject to differing interpretations.

Family tree

The latest study focused on the Y chromosome - a package of DNA which is passed down more or less unchanged from father to son.

The Y chromosomes carried by people today can be classified into different types, or lineages, which - to some extent - reflect their geographical origins.

More than 100 million European men carry a type called R-M269, so identifying when this genetic group spread out is vital to understanding the peopling of Europe.

R-M269 is most common in western Europe, reaching frequencies of 90% or more in Spain, Ireland and Wales.

New blood pressure checks at home

Patient Sheila Milson tries out the blood pressure recording device. Prof Mark Caulfield, from Queen Mary University of London, explains how works.

Continue reading the main storyRelated StoriesHome blood pressure checks call Patients thought to have high blood pressure should have the diagnosis confirmed at home, according to new guidelines.

Patients in England and Wales will be offered extra checks using a mobile device that records blood pressure over 24 hours, says the watchdog NICE.

A quarter of patients may find visiting a GP stressful, leading to misdiagnosis and being given drugs they do not need.

Paintball ruptures breast implant

A woman has had one of her silicone gel breast implants ruptured after it was hit by a paintball shot.

The 26-year-old had been taking part in a game at an outdoor centre near Croydon on Saturday (20 August).

She went to her doctor's surgery on Monday, where it was discovered one of her implants had been torn apart.

"We respectfully ask that any ladies with surgical breast implants notify our team at the time of booking," says a statement on UK Paintball's website.

"You will be given special information on the dangers of paintballing with enhanced boobs and asked to sign a disclaimer.

"You will also be issued with extra padding to protect your implants while paintballing."

The woman involved hasn't been named.

Early diet 'shapes heart health'

What we eat as a child has long-term effects on our heart, say researchers Continue reading the main storyRelated StoriesWestern diet 'raises heart risk' Growing up starved of calories may give you a higher risk of heart disease 50 years on, research suggests.

Researchers in The Netherlands tracked the heart health of Dutch women who lived through the famine at the end of World War II.

Those living on rations of 400-800 calories a day had a 27% higher risk of heart disease in later life.

It's the first direct evidence early nutrition shapes future health, they report in the European Heart Journal.

The Dutch famine of 1944-45 gave researchers in Holland a unique opportunity to study the long-term effects of severe malnutrition in childhood and adolescence.

A combination of factors - including failed crops, a harsh winter and the war - caused thousands of deaths among people living in the west of The Netherlands.

The women, who were aged between 10 and 17 at the time, were followed up in 2007.

The team, from the University Medical Center Utrecht and the University of Amsterdam, found those who were severely affected by the famine had a 27% greater risk of developing heart disease than those who had had enough to eat.

Diet impact

Lead author Annet van Abeelen told the BBC: "The most important message is that it is good to realise that disturbing the development of children through acute malnutrition can have implications for later adult health.

"It's not only the short-term direct consequences that matter. Even 50 years later, there is still a higher risk of adult coronary heart disease."

Victoria Taylor, senior heart health dietitian for the British Heart Foundation, said: "This study showed a link between children and young adults experiencing famine and the likelihood of them developing heart disease later on in life.

"Although it wasn't clear exactly what changes occurred in the body to increase the risk, this highlights how our environment can have a long-term impact upon our heart health.

"Fortunately, the problems of famine seen in other countries have not been an issue in the UK in recent times. But that doesn't make this study irrelevant for us.

"It adds to the importance of providing a healthy diet for children and young people because of the way it can shape their future heart health."

Mystery drop in mosquito numbers

Mosquitoes are now a rare sight in some parts of Africa Mosquitoes 'develop resistance' Malaria blocks 'super-infection' Malaria-carrying mosquitoes are disappearing in some parts of Africa, but scientists are unsure as to why.

Figures indicate controls such as anti-mosquito bed nets are having a significant impact on the incidence of malaria in some sub-Saharan countries.

But in Malaria Journal, researchers say mosquitoes are also disappearing from areas with few controls.

They are uncertain if mosquitoes are being eradicated or whether they will return with renewed vigour.

Data from countries such as Tanzania, Eritrea, Rwanda, Kenya and Zambia all indicate that the incidence of malaria is dropping fast.

Researchers believe this is due to effective implementation of control programmes, especially the deployment of bed nets treated with insecticide.

But a team of Danish and Tanzanian scientists say this is not the whole story. For more than 10 years they have been collecting and counting the number of mosquitoes caught in thousands of traps in Tanzania.

In 2004 they caught over 5,000 insects. In 2009 that had dropped to just 14.

More importantly, these collections took place in villages that weren't using bed nets.

'Chaotic rainfall'

One possibility for the reduction in numbers is climate change. Patterns of rainfall in these years were more chaotic in these regions of Tanzania and often fell outside the rainy season. The scientists say this may have disturbed the natural cycle of mosquito development.

Continue reading the main story“Start QuoteIt is most likely we will have an epidemic of malaria ”

End QuoteProfessor Dan Meyrowitsch,University of Copenhagen But the lead author of the study, Professor Dan Meyrowitsch from the University of Copenhagen, says that he is not convinced that it is just the changing climate.

"It could be partly due to this chaotic rainfall, but personally I don't think it can explain such a dramatic decline in mosquitoes, to the extent we can say that the malaria mosquitoes are almost eradicated in these communities.

"What we should consider is that there may be a disease among the mosquitoes, a fungi or a virus, or they're may have been some environmental changes in the communities that have resulted in a drop in the number of mosquitoes"

The research team also found anecdotal evidence that their discovery was not an isolated case.

Prof Meyrowitsch added: "Other scientists are saying they can't test their drugs because there are no children left with malaria.

"They observed this in communities with no large interventions against malaria or mosquitoes. It may be the same scenario that the specific mosquitoes that carry malaria are declining very fast now"

The researchers are unsure if mosquitoes will return to these regions. If they do, one particular cause for concern is the young people who have not been exposed to malaria over the past five or six years since the mosquitoes began to decline.

"If the mosquito population starts coming up again" says Professor Meyrowitsch "and my own assumption is that it will, it is most likely we will have an epidemic of malaria with a higher level of disease and mortality especially amongst these children who have not been exposed."

'Tough action' needed on obesity

Obesity is a problem in low, middle and high income countries Tougher action - including taxing junk food - is needed by all governments if the obesity crisis is going to be tackled, experts say.

The international group of researchers, who have published a series of articles in The Lancet, said no country had yet got to grips with the problem.

They said changes in society meant it was getting harder for people to live healthy lives.

And they warned without state action, health systems could become swamped.

Obesity-related problems, such as diabetes, were now accounting for between 2% and 6% of health care costs in most countries.

Rising spending

But as one of the articles showed, this is likely to get worse if current trends continue.

Researchers made projections for the US and the UK - two of the developed countries with the worst rates of obesity.

They predicted obesity rates would rise from a quarter in the UK to about 40% by 2030.

Vitamin A 'could save children'

The WHO backs vitamin A supplementation Giving vitamin A supplements to children under the age of five in developing countries could save 600,000 lives a year, researchers claim.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, UK and Pakistani experts assessed 43 studies involving 200,000 children, and found deaths were cut by 24% if children were given the vitamin.

And they say taking it would also cut rates of measles and diarrhoea.

The body needs vitamin A for the visual and immune systems to work properly.

It is found in foods including cheese, eggs, liver and oily fish.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that, around the world, 190 million children under the age of five may have a vitamin A deficiency.

But despite widespread efforts, supplementation programmes do not reach all the children who could benefit.

Capsules are now distributed twice a year in at least 60 countries, with average annual coverage rates nearing 80%.

However, University of Oxford and Aga Khan University researchers who carried out this work say the effectiveness of vitamin A is so well-established that policy-makers should provide supplements to all children at risk.

'Effective and cheap'

They evaluated studies that involved children aged six months to five years, and compared rates of illness and death among those who were given vitamin A and those who were not.

Continue reading the main story“Start QuoteEffort should now focus on finding ways to sustain this important child survival initiative and fine tune it to maximise the number of lives saved”

End QuoteProfessor Wafaie Fawzi, Harvard School of Public Health They found vitamin A supplements reduced child mortality by 24% in low- and middle-income countries.

They calculate that, considering the estimated 190m children who are vitamin A deficient, reducing deaths by 24% would save more than 600,000 lives each year.

Dr Evan Mayo-Wilson from the University of Oxford, who worked on the study, said: "Until other sources are available, supplements should be given to all children who are at risk of vitamin A deficiency.

Nurofen Plus makers recall stock

Only packs of Nurofen Plus are affected

Earlier, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued an alert after three packs were found to contain an antipsychotic drug.

Reckitt Benckiser (UK) Ltd said it had heard reports of the wrong drug in two more batches of Nurofen Plus.

A spokesman said the firm was working with police on a formal investigation to find those responsible.

Consumers are advised to return any packs of Nurofen Plus to a pharmacy.

Four packs were found to contain Seroquel XL 50mg. The packs were bought in Victoria, Bromley and Beckenham in south London.

Another tampered pack, containing a prescription medicine for epilepsy, was uncovered in Northern Ireland.

Most people who take one Seroquel will just experience sleepiness, but those on sedatives could feel stronger effects.

Thousands of 32-tablet packs are in the affected batches - numbered 13JJ, 57JJ and 49JJ.

Continue reading the main storyAFFECTED PACKS Batch 13JJ - Expiry date 03/2014. Product licence no - 00327 / 0082. First distributed - 30 April 2011 Batch 57JJ - Expiry date - 05/2014. Product licence no - 00063 / 0376. First distributed - 21 June 2011 Batch 49JJ - Expiry date - 05/2014. Product licence no - 00063 / 0376. First distributed - 1 July 2011 Packs from the three batches - which contain between 4,000 and 7,500 packs each - have been distributed across the UK. But it is known that not all the packs are affected.

Reckitt Benckiser (UK) Ltd said one of the two additional batches affected contained Seroquel XL 50mg, and one contained the Pfizer product Neurontin 100mg capsules, which is an epilepsy drug.

Dr Aomesh Bhatt, medical director for Nurofen Plus, said: "We are taking this matter extremely seriously and have decided to recall all packs of Nurofen Plus as the most prudent course of action in the current circumstances.

"We're asking consumers to return any packs of Nurofen Plus to a pharmacy. No other Nurofen products are affected or being recalled."

A Reckitt Benckiser (UK) Ltd said: "Sabotage is suspected and we are working with the police on a formal investigation to find the person or persons responsible.

"Distribution of Nurofen Plus has been halted at this time."

'Sedation'

Seroquel XL is a prescription-only anti-psychotic drug used to treat several disorders including schizophrenia, mania and bipolar depression.

Nurofen Plus is for pain relief and contains codeine and ibuprofen.

The Seroquel tablets are larger and have gold and black packaging, compared with the Nurofen Plus tablets which are smaller and have silver and black packaging.

Nurofen Plus is stocked behind the counter in chemists, so people cannot simply pick it up. Pharmacists have been asked to check the stock on their shelves.

Earlier, Ian Holloway, from the MHRA's defective medicines report centre (DMRC), said people who had affected packs of Nurofen Plus could also report it to the MHRA's DMRC on 020 3080 6574.

He added: "If you have taken a tablet and you have any questions, speak to your GP."

Two people are believed to have taken Seroquel by mistake, but are not thought to have experienced any ill-effects.

Professor David Nutt, head of the department of neuropsychopharmacology and molecular imaging at Imperial College, said: "The effect of taking Seroquel entirely depends on the dose.

"The only likely impact of a single ingestion would be sedation, but in people taking antihistamines and other sedatives the added effects could be quite extreme."

Neal Patel, from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: "For a healthy adult a single dose of Seroquel is unlikely to cause major problem, however, for patients taking other medicines or those with other medical conditions or if you suspect you may have accidentally taken Seroquel and feel unwell, seek advice from your pharmacist or doctor as soon as possible."

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Man sues over resuscitation rule

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS trust is responsible for Addenbrooke's Hospital A man is suing a hospital trust over his claims doctors put "do not resuscitate" orders on his wife's medical notes without her consent.

David Tracey is taking legal action following the alleged use of the orders at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

Janet Tracey, 63, was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in February. She was later admitted to hospital after breaking her neck in a car accident.

A spokesman for Addenbrooke's Hospital said it disputed the family's account.

But he said it could not comment further because the hospital was subject to ongoing judicial review proceedings.

Mrs Tracey died at the hospital 16 days after breaking her neck.

Mr Tracey claimed doctors cancelled the first "do not resuscitate" order after his wife - who worked as a care home manager - objected to it, only to then put on a second one without her consent or any discussion.

He is taking action against Cambridge University Hospitals NHS trust - which is responsible for Addenbrooke's - and the Department of Health, which he claims have acted unlawfully by not having a standard policy on resuscitation decisions.

'Appropriate'

The spokesman for Addenbrooke's Hospital said: "Our clinicians followed the DNACPR policy, which remains in place."

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "Decisions on Do Not Attempt Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation must be clinically appropriate for the individual involved, weighing up the possible benefits of CPR against any burdens or risks associated with the treatment.

"Because clinical judgment is so important in these decisions, it's our view that guidance provided by a responsible body of professional opinion, based on direct experience of the complexity and sensitivity of these circumstances, is more appropriate than the setting of national guidance by the department.

"There is a substantial amount of expert guidance available to assist those making complex decisions in discussion with other members of the healthcare team, the patient and their family."

Psoriasis 'linked to stroke risk'

Psoriasis linked to stroke and heart problems People with psoriasis have nearly three times the normal risk of stroke and abnormal heart rhythm, according to scientists in Denmark.

A study of 4.5 million people, published in the European Heart Journal, showed the highest risk was in young patients with severe psoriasis.

Researchers believe this may be because the skin and blood vessels may share similar sources of inflammation.

The Stroke Association said this should not be an immediate cause for concern.

Super fast

Skin cells are normally replaced every three to four weeks but, in patients with psoriasis, that process can be greatly speeded up.

It can take between just two and six days, resulting in red, flaky, crusty patches on the skin.

The condition affects 2% of people in the UK and the cause is unknown.

Researchers analysed data from everyone in Denmark between 1997 and 2006 - 36,765 had mild psoriasis and 2,793 had the severe form of the condition.

In patients under 50 with mild psoriasis, the risk of abnormal heart rhythm - atrial fibrillation - increased by 50%. The risk of ischaemic stroke increased by 97%.

In those with severe psoriases, the risks increased by 198% and 180% respectively.

The increased risks for patients over the age of 50 were much smaller.

Inflammation

The researchers said: "The relative risks of atrial fibrillation and ischaemic stroke were highest in young patients with severe psoriasis.

"The results add to accumulating evidence that patients with psoriasis are at increased cardiovascular risk."

The study can say only that there is a link between psoriasis and increased risk, not that one causes the other.

Psoriasis in an inflammatory disorder caused when the immune system attacks healthy skin cells, which stimulates the production of new skin.

Researchers believe the inflammation may play a role in stroke and heart problems.

Dr Sharlin Ahmed, research liaison officer at The Stroke Association said: "Previous research has shown that psoriasis could increase a person's risk of heart disease and this research seems to suggest that it could also increase a person's risk of atrial fibrillation and stroke.

"However, the reasons for this are not known. Psoriasis is a very common condition and the results of this research should not be an immediate cause for concern.

"Anyone concerned about their stroke risk should speak to their GP."

Too Many Farmers Markets or Not Enough Farmers?

By Tom Laskawy
On the heels of the USDA announcement that farmers markets are sprouting up at a swift pace comes a contrarian article in The New York Times suggesting that this phenomenal growth might represent too much of a good thing:

 Farmers in pockets of the country say the number of farmers' markets has outstripped demand, a consequence of a clamor for markets that are closer to customers and communities that want multiple markets.

 Some farmers say small new markets have lured away loyal customers and cut into profits. Other farmers say they must add markets to their weekly rotation to earn the same money they did a few years ago, reducing their time in the field and adding employee hours.

Blogger Matt Yglesias -- tempted to dismiss these farmers' concerns -- invokes Adam Smith to suggest that this is a case not of "supply outstripping demand" but of incumbent players wishing to reduce competition.

As someone who has recently lauded the growth of farmers markets as well as their job-creating potential, I'm certainly not inclined to assert that there are indeed too many of them. Yet there are issues worth exploring here. The prime complaint -- that farmers find themselves spending too much time driving from market to market -- suggests that some areas may be saturated with true farmers markets. One sign of this would be a spate of "counterfeit" farmers trying to get in to these new markets, i.e. resellers offering wholesale produce as their own. A dead giveaway is typically farm stands featuring out-of-season vegetables and tropical fruits.

Expanding Deserts, Falling Water Tables and Toxins Driving People from Homes

By Lester Brown
WASHINGTON - People do not normally leave their homes, their families, and their communities unless they have no other option. Yet as environmental stresses mount, we can expect to see a growing number of environmental refugees. Rising seas and increasingly devastating storms grab headlines, but expanding deserts, falling water tables, and toxic waste and radiation are also forcing people from their homes.

Advancing deserts are now on the move almost everywhere. The Sahara desert, for example, is expanding in every direction. As it advances northward, it is squeezing the populations of Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria against the Mediterranean coast.

The Sahelian region of Africa - the vast swath of savannah that separates the southern Sahara desert from the tropical rainforests of central Africa - is shrinking as the desert moves southward. As the desert invades Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, from the north, farmers and herders are forced southward, squeezed into a shrinking area of productive land.

A 2006 U.N. conference on desertification in Tunisia projected that by 2020 up to 60 million people could migrate from sub-Saharan Africa to North Africa and Europe.

In Iran, villages abandoned because of spreading deserts or a lack of water number in the thousands. In Brazil, some 250,000 square miles of land are affected by desertification, much of it concentrated in the country's northeast.

Extreme Weather Is the New Normal

By Julie Cart and Hailey Branson-Potts
Reporting from Los Angeles and Marshall, Okla.- Oklahomans are accustomed to cruel climate. Frigid winters and searing summers are often made more unbearable by scouring winds. But even by Oklahoma standards, it's been a year of whipsaw weather.

February was so cold - with the wind chill it felt like 16 below - that Tim Gillard installed a door in the long hallway of his home in the small farming town of Marshall, walling off three rooms to more affordably heat the rest of the house. Now, in this summer's unrelenting heat, his family huddles in the air conditioning behind that same door.

The Gillards' respite ended this month when a windstorm knocked out the town's electricity. That sent many of Marshall's 290 beleaguered residents out to their porches at night to sleep, cooler than inside but still sweltering. In July, Oklahoma's average statewide temperature of 89 was the highest ever recorded for any state.

Oklahoma's misery has been writ large across the country this year, which federal climate scientists have labeled one of the worst in American history for extreme weather. With punishing blizzards, epic flooding, devastating drought and a heat wave that has broiled a huge swath of the country, the 2011 weather has been unrelenting and extraordinary.