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Woman Gets Infected With HIV After Manicure At Nail Salon

by December 10, 2016

A 22-year-old woman contracted HIV unknowingly after sharing manicure equipment. It was quite a shock because she had none of the usual risk factors of HIV, like unprotected sex. Doctors are aware of this transmission of the virus, but they say it is a very rare risk.

We all know the usual ways to get HIV:

  • Blood
  • Sexual Intercourse
  • Needles
  • Breast Milk
  • Saliva

But did you know it is possible to get HIV from a nail salon? I didn’t believe it myself until further investigation.

This 22-year-old woman in Brazil got a quite the deal out of the manicure when she ended up getting HIV. Her case was published in the journal AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. She was diagnosed with advanced HIV, but did not meet the standards for the conditions of transmission. She was a virgin who had never had a blood transfusion, surgery, tattoo, or even a piercing.

After looking into things and confirming that she was in fact, being truthful about the above, doctors tried to dig deeper and find out the cause of her disease. The only event that could relate back was an incident in which the young lady shared a pair of nail clippers with her manicurist cousin ten years before her diagnosis. A cousin who happened to be HIV positive. Something that leads people to believe that these instruments are a means of transmission in some cases.

How can this happen?

It all starts with a new pair of nail clippers or a metal file anything that could potentially puncture skin even a cuticle pusher. These items are supposed to get disinfected after each use, but sometimes this does not happen. If the tools are not properly cleaned, and there is even a small trace of blood from an infected person, then you can get the virus too.

By getting a manicure at a nail salon you are putting yourself at risk. Instruments are reused on a regular basis in these places and some of them do not disinfect properly. The standards for this are also different state by state. As for businesses that abide by OSHA standard you are in the clear, however, there are many businesses that likely do not abide by OSHA standard.

There are tons of nail salons in the United States alone. We can’t be aware of everything going on in the back room of each and every one. Some states do not even have enough inspectors to get to each and every salon. It has been estimated that around 75 percent of all U.S. nail salons don’t even bother to follow state guidelines when it comes to disinfecting their instruments.

If you want to find out if your salon is cleaning their items properly then you may want to look at a few things that can give you a good idea:

  • Do the nail techs wear gloves? They should!
  • Do they cut calluses? They should not!
  • Have they received any sort of advanced training? They are more aware of the need for sanitation.

If your nail tech doesn’t wear gloves, cuts out ingrown toenails, and has no sort of education on the trade then you might need to think about changing your salon. You get what you pay for sometimes. Be careful, Something as small as using a pair of nail clippers changed this young ladies life forever. This may appear to be the first case of its kind, but it will not likely be the last.

How To Heat A Room For Only 15 Cents Per Day

by December 10, 2016

A youtuber and journalist, Dylan Winter has come up with an incredibly cost efficient way to heat a room! He says that you can heat a room for 8 hours for 15 cents a day! He uses a simple, yet innovative, invention that uses the basic laws of heat transfer and convection.

He shows on his youtube channel how the invention works. The invention is created using two flower pots, tea candles, and a bread tin. It really is incredible, and a simple do-it-yourself. Using about 4 tea candles, place them inside of a bread tin and covered with a ceramic flower pot that is upside down. The hole in the top of the flower pot is covered up with metal casing leftover from the tea candles. That pot is then covered by another larger pot. The holes in the top of the larger flower pot are left uncovered.

The science behind the invention is that the candles produce gasses full of heated particles that are captured and channeled through the pots. The particles rise up through the holes of the larger pot, distributing heat. The process created a convection current causing the cold air to fall into the warmer areas, and redistributing the warm air through the holes. Dylan says, “You get a nice flow around the pots, and it warms the room up. You’d be amazed.”

Dylan originally created the invention to use on his boats to conduct heat on cold nights on the water. He says that he hopes that the invention can help families heat their homes up while saving a dollar or two. You can watch him demonstrate his invention in the video below.

Fukushima Nuclear Radiation Detected In U.S. Food Chain

by December 10, 2016

After the devastating natural disaster that shook Fukushima in 2011, seaborne radiation from the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster has been detected on the West coast of the U.S for the first time.

In a measurement taken by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on seawater from Tillamook Bay and Gold Beach in Oregon, researchers found Cesium-134, which is a hallmark chemical from Fukushima that has a very short half-life. The chemical has also been detected in Canadian salmon, by the inFORM project which was led by the University of Victoria.

Currently, the levels are extremely low, according to researchers, and do not pose a hazard to humans or the environment.
In 2011, when a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck the plant and left it crippled, there were massive amounts of contamination found in the water.

The Woods Hole chemical oceanographer Ken Buesseler runs a crowd-funded, citizen seawater sampling project which tracks the radiation plume as it makes its way across the ocean.

In the Oregon samples, cesium-134 made its way to U.S shores for the first time. The samples measured were a mere 0.3 becquerels per cubic meter of cesium-134.

Cullen leads the InFORM project in Canada, and in doing so, he measures the risks to the countries oceans following the disaster. It is a partnership of a dozen academic and non-profit organizations that include Woods Hole.

Just last month, the team found a single sockeye salmon that tested positive for cesium-134. Thankfully, the level was 1,000 times lower than the level that was set for action within Health Canada, and due to that, it posed no significant health risks to consumers, according to Cullen.

A recent InFORM analysis of Buesseler’s data confirmed that the concentrations of cesium-138 have increased considerably in the central northeast Pacific, although at the present time they do not call for concern. Cesium-134 has a half-life of two years, which means that its down to a fraction of what it was five years ago, however, Cesium-137 has a half-life of 30 years.

“It appears that the plume has spread throughout this vast area from Alaska to California,” the scientists wrote. “As the contamination plume progresses towards our coast we expect levels closer to shore to increase over the coming year,” Cullen said.

Buessler says that even that peak won’t pose health concerns. In the following figures, you can see how scientists are using the increase of cesium-137 instead of cesium-134 to track the plume of radiation contamination that was caused by Fukushima.

Thankfully, due to enhanced technologies and science, it is easier to detect the exact hazards that such a natural disaster could pose to the rest of the world. Such science also offers us insight into the effects of nuclear waste in general, as well as the devastating effects that are caused by events that are out of our control. Of course, only time will tell exactly what we are looking at on a larger scale, however, knowing how the influx of chemicals is appearing on our coasts it of the utmost importance.

Stop Using This Deodorant Immediately!

by December 10, 2016

If you normally use antiperspirants, you might want to stop. The company is being sued for $5 Million dollars after claims were being made that their deodorants gave them chemical burns and rashes.

Old Spice’s deodorant has caused thousands of customers to suffer chemical burns and rashes, a lawsuit claims.

The grooming company is being sued for $5million as part of a class-action suit, which says a range of their products gave ‘unsuspecting customers’ health problems.

The lawsuit names 13 Old Spice products among them, Old Spice Lionpride and Arctic Force High Endurance deodorants, that it says have affected “Hundreds, if not thousands, of customers.”

According to the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Columbus, there have been hundreds of online complaints about the products.

“In addition to blog complaints, YouTube features numerous videos also documenting armpit irritation, rash(es) and burning caused by Old Spice deodorant,” the lawsuit states. “Indeed, the problem is rampant, and rather than acknowledge the serious issue, Defendant is concealing it, in order to continue selling the product and reap windfall profits.”

Virginia plaintiff Rodney Colley filed the suit against Procter & Gamble in early March. He claims he bought the product after seeing the popular, “smell like a man” ads.

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After only a few uses of the Old Spice product, Colley suffered severe rashes, burning and discomfort requiring Colley to immediately cease using the product,” the lawsuit states.

He is not alone either, many people have made complaints online, The consumer affairs website and Old Spice’s Facebook page are full of photos shared by users, showing painful irritations and reactions after using the product. Many people describe the rashes as “chemical burns,” and some reported emergency room trips.

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“I need to put burn cream on it to help ease the pain,” one woman wrote on Consumer Affairs. “And it hurts to put my arm down or wear sleeved shirts. It’s seriously unbearable and it seems like it’s only getting worse.”

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But, according to Procter & Gamble spokesperson, Damon Jones, the products are safe to use. Stating that the small number of consumers that are experiencing problems are not experiencing chemical burns, but skin reactions that can be caused by a range of factors or ingredients, such as alcohol and fragrance.

“We go to great lengths to ensure our products are safe to use, and tens of millions of men use this product with confidence and without incident every year,” Jones said in a statement. “A small number of men may experience irritation due to alcohol sensitivity, a common ingredient across virtually all deodorant products. For men who have experienced a reaction to a deodorant, an antiperspirant may be a better option because they have a different formulation.”

In his statement Jones also urges users to switch to an antiperspirant if they notice any harmful or negative reactions to Old Spice deodorant since the formula is different than straight deodorant. But, aside from that, there is no word on whether or no they will take the blame.  So, perhaps in the meantime, it would be best to switch to a different antiperspirant or even make your own chemical-free version! Better safe than sorry.

The Landmark John Hopkins Sulforaphane Cancer Study Your Doctor Isn’t Telling You About

by December 9, 2016

There are many different ways to prevent or reduce one’s risk of cancer as you may already know. However, there are actually legitimate scientific ways to keep cancer away.

Founding director of the Lewis B. and Doris Cullman Chemoprotection Center at the Johns Hopkins University School of medicine, Dr. Talalay is considered one of the top biomedical researchers in the world. He completed what was and is a groundbreaking study back in 1991. He maintained a focus on cancer prevention and how to do so through one’s diet. His study was the very first to isolate sulforaphane in cruciferous vegetables as cancer prevention measures.

His study was the very first to isolate sulforaphane in cruciferous vegetables as cancer prevention measures. In his research the team he was leading fed broccoli sprout extracts to female rats for five days, They then exposed these rats as well as a control group to a carcinogen. The rats who received the extract developed fewer tumors than the rats that did not.

The rats that did develop tumors who had the extract also had tumors that did not grow anywhere near as quickly as those who did not have the extract. This study was actually rejected the first time Talalay attempted to publish his findings. It took one whole year of pushing to finally get the study published.

We should not waste any time, ingesting cruciferous vegetables could save our lives when it comes to cancer prevention. It is up to you to be proactive when it comes to your health and preventing illnesses like this. Adding more sulforaphane-rich foods to your diet could eventually save your life.

The Neurogenesis Diet: Supplements and Miracle Foods to Rejuvenate Your Brain From the Inside Out

by December 9, 2016

Research has discovered that when supplied with the right nutrients, supplements, food, and overall diet, your brain can literally regrow itself from inside out! This process is known as neurogenesis.

Neurogenesis is the process in which new neurons are produced. This process is most active in baby’s growing inside the womb. The development of new neurons continues during adulthood in two regions of the brain. Neurogenesis takes place in the subventricular zone (SVZ) that forms the lining of the lateral ventricles and the subgranular zone that forms part of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus area. The SVZ is the site where neuroblasts are formed, which migrate via the rostral migratory stream to the olfactory bulb. Many of these neuroblasts die shortly after they are generated. However, some go on to be functional in the tissue of the brain.

It is said that neurogenesis can be produced by a certain diet. The rapid production of neurons can lead to a healthier lifestyle. It can ward off depression, anxiety, and even stress. Research shows that high rates of neurogenesis are related to higher cognitive function, better memory and faster learning, emotional vitality and resilience, and elevated immunity. Who wouldn’t want these things for themselves? It dramatically improves everyday life.

The diet to increase neurogenesis consists of items that are available in extracts, making it much more practical and economical to incorporate into your diet. For example, a daily diet that consists of fresh blueberries can be pricey, but two capsules of blueberry extract can be much more affordable. Many of the food and nutrients in the diet may be taken several times a day, or weekly. With some of them, taking the correct amount is crucial. Taking too much could have the opposite reaction were trying to achieve on the brain. The four most productive food of the diet are blueberries, omega-3’s, green tea, and Curcumin.  

  • Blueberries – Blueberries act in so many ways to promote neurogenesis and protect the brain from cognitive decline that if blueberries were a drug, pharmaceutical companies would be bombarding us with ads to entice us to upgrade our brain with this neurogenesis supplement “miracle drug.” Blueberries are packed full of polyphenols, especially flavonoids called anthocyanins that stimulate neurogenesis through your diet. Blueberries have been proven to reduce or slow down the effects of dementia and alzheimers. Humans with cognitive decline show improvement after consuming blueberries each day.
  • Omega-3’s – Omega 3’s can be found in a variety of fish such as black cod, sockeye salmon, sablefish, or Alaskan salmon.  Neuroscience researcher Sandrine Thuret, Ph.D., of London’s King’s College, reported a 40% increase in neurogenesis by adding omega-3’s in Science Daily in 2007. Other studies on the neurogenesis diet have shown equally impressive gains in neurogenesis, elevated BDNF levels, increased in brain size, and neuroprotective benefits from omega-3 supplements.
  • Green Tea – Green tea contains polyphenols, the most powerful of which is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a type of catechin. Green tea’s polyphenols have been shown to increase neurogenesis, BDNF levels, and to have strong health benefits ranging from cancer prevention to fat loss, plus cardiovascular benefits, immunity improvement, and glucose reduction. 30-33 ECGC and green tea’s other polyphenols not only increase neurogenesis but, like blueberries and
  • Curcumin – Curcumin is the bright yellow powder like substance that is produced by some plants. It is a member of the ginger family and is sold as an herbal supplement, cosmetic ingredient, food flavoring, and food coloring. People who consume curcumin show better cognitive performance. It reduces beta-amyloid and plaque formation in aging humans and has high potential as part of an anti-Alzheimer’s strategy through neurogenesis diet.

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