More on risks to pregnant ladies.

[Guest guest]

From the Alternative Medicine Newsletter:

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Gender-Bending Phthalates

Male infants whose mothers’ bodies contained high levels of chemicals called

phthalates (“THAY-lates”) during pregnancy may have abnormal genital development

and possible future fertility problems, according to a new study in

Environmental Health Perspectives.

 

Personal care and cosmetic companies commonly use phthalates in products such as

makeup, shampoo, hairspray, soaps, nail polish and perfumes. Plastics, paints

and some pesticides also contain the chemicals. Numerous phthalate studies have

observed reproductive anomalies in animals, but this is one of the few that

examines possible effects in humans.

 

The researchers found a direct correlation between phthalate levels in pregnant

women and subtle genital birth defects in their year-old sons that could lead to

impaired testosterone production as the boys mature.

 

However, the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association and the American

Chemistry Council charge that the study is flawed and purely speculative.

Manufacturers aren’t required to list phthalates on product labels, so the

general public is largely unaware of their exposure levels.

Go to www.SafeCosmetics.org or www.NotTooPretty.org for more information on

phthalates and what you can do to avoid them.

 

Can Zinc Prevent Prostate Cancer?

Genetic researchers are honing in on the importance of zinc in prostate

health—especially the role the mineral might play in preventing prostate cancer.

Department of Agriculture geneticists have been doing in vitro tests to see what

happens when cancerous and healthy human cells from the same person are exposed

to zinc. They’ve discovered that cancerous cells accumulated one-third less zinc

than healthy cells, in part because they contain fewer zinc transporters.

 

It appears that the reduced zinc levels may play a role in the proliferation of

cancerous cells. Too soon to tell whether eating zinc-enriched foods will keep

prostate cancer from spreading, but it certainly can’t hurt.

 

Soothe Your Road Rage

Cinnamon—but not cinnamon buns—may help cure road rage. Researchers from West

Virginia’s Wheeling Jesuit Institute recently found that the smell of cinnamon

or peppermint curbed drivers’ frustration and helped them stay alert. Peppermint

also decreased anxiety and fatigue. However, the smell of fast-food wrappers,

bread and pastries actually fueled road rage. In the study, those aromas

increased the drivers’ irritability and propensity to speed, possibly because

the smells stoked their hunger and their impatience to get home.

 

By Laurel Kallenbach

 

 

 

 

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