Hi Everybody,
PEANUT ALLERGY CRISIS- According to an article published in the May 12 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology peanut allergies in children have more than tripled in the United States from 1997 to 2008. Unlike other food allergies, peanut allergies are seldom outgrown and is one of the most dangerous allergies to have.
One theory is the “hygiene hypothesis”, meaning that we live in much more sterile environments than our ancestors, and we kill off every little infection or invasion with an antibiotic, so our immune systems are not getting a chance to build and get strong, which makes our children more susceptible to alleries.
Another theory is that we are actually not becoming more allergic to peanuts, but to the new ways that peanuts are being processed and prepared for consumption.
This increase in the rate of peanut allergies is not only in the US. Across the globe similar rates of increase are being noted.
NEW HAPPIEST COUNTRIES LIST- According to the Better Life Index Report, the residents of Switzerland are the most satisfied with their lives. For the third year, the United States failed to make the top 10 (we were 14th), while countries like Canada, Mexico and all the Scandinavian nations did.
The happiest countries seemed to have several things in common – first off was jobs. Of the 10 countries with the highest levels of reported life satisfaction, eight had among the 10 highest employment rates. Of the 10 countries with the lowest reported levels of life satisfaction, six had low employment rates. This includes countries like Greece, Portugal and Italy.
Good health, income equality and governments that provide a lot of benefits for their citizens were also factors that seemed to increase overall happiness.
Here is the top 10:
10. Mexico
9. Finland
8. Canada
7. Austria
6. Netherlands
5. Denmark
4. Sweden
3. Iceland
2. Norway
1. Switzerland
A SIMPLE and CHEAP CERVICAL CANCER TEST- It has been found that swabbing the female cervix with diluted vinegar temporarily causes abnormal cells to change color.
Using this simple test slashed cervical cancer death rates by over 30% in a study of 150,000 women in the slums of India, where pap smears are too expensive and the disease is especially rampant.
Hope this helps,
Dr Matt and Dr Robin
mattandrobin@yahoo.com (email)
This week’s bit of Useless Information: The desire to lie, cheat, and steal is increased when you get less than 8 hours of sleep.
This email is courtesy of Matthew Barnes, D.C. and Robin Barnes, D.C. Neither this nor any of our emails are intended to be medical advice and should not be taken as such. They are opinion and are for informational purposes only. None of the nutrients discussed here are meant to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.