• Health study: Breastfeeding tied to stronger lungs, less asthma
• Namaste, travellers! San Francisco airport opens yoga room
• US: White House chef says Obamas eat seasonal, home grown foods

• Transcendental Meditation research: Reduction in heart-related deaths has relevance for veterans
• What is stress? An expert discusses effects on the brain
• Successful journalist uses Transcendental Meditation to stay on top - and healthy

• 'Spam' meat tied to diabetes risk in Native Americans: study
• Medical group halts work in Libyan city's prisons
• Global Fund Chief quits after funding cuts

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Positive Trends
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

Health study: Breastfeeding tied to stronger lungs, less asthma
4 February 2012 - Children who were breastfed as babies may have better lung function, and a lower risk of asthma, than those who were formula-fed, two new reports suggest. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of life, continued for two years or longer. (more)

Namaste, travellers! San Francisco airport opens yoga room
3 February 2012 - Travellers in Northern California can now find their inner calm in the Yoga Room at San Francisco International Airport. Airport officials believe the 150-square-foot (14-square-meter) room is the world's first airport yoga studio, said spokesman Mike McCarron. The room is open to all ticketed passengers No shoes, food, drinks, or cell phones are allowed. (more)

US: White House chef says Obamas eat seasonal, home grown foods
1 February 2012 - The White House has fully embraced one of eating's hottest trends -- seasonal cooking with ingredients grown at home. Presidential chef Cristeta Comerford credits the change in the food coming from the White House's kitchen to Michelle Obama's decision in 2009 to start a garden on the South Lawn as part of her Let's Move campaign to encourage kids to eat healthier. (more)

The flexible benefits of stretching
30 January 2012 - Experts say stretching can help you sharpen your performance, stave off injury, perk up your posture, and even boost your mood. 'It's a great way to unwind,' said Jessica Matthews of the American Council on Exercise. 'Most people don't associate that with stretching.' (more)

US: Carter Center gets $40 million to eradicate Guinea worm disease
30 January 2012 - The Carter Center on Monday announced it received $40 million in donations to help fuel its mission to eradicate Guinea worm disease, a debilitating parasite that once plagued millions of people across the developing world. Infection is prevented by filtering water and educating people how to avoid the disease. (more)

US: San Francisco airport unveils yoga room for travellers
30 January 2012 - San Francisco Airport has opened what it calls a first of its kind yoga room. Airport officials aim to afford travellers, stressed out or sanguine, an oasis of calm in which to flex, twist, and decompress. The idea for the room came from a passenger suggestion. Located inside Terminal 2 security, it joins the Berman reflection room, a space intended for silence and meditation located before the terminal's security. (more)

Thailand: Making 'Sense' of organic
28 January 2012 - It's hard not to like chef Anthony Reynolds' cooking concept at the Six Senses Yao Noi beyond Phuket. An Aussie, Reynolds has been cooking all his life, but surprisingly, it turns out the more he cooks, the fewer ingredients he uses and the slower his cooking becomes. Reynolds prefers slow cooking based on organic and biodynamic practices. This approach, he says, is good not just for the body but for the environment as well. And he reckons that's what many people today are looking for. (more)

World's first airport yoga room opens at San Francisco International Airport, USA
27 January 2012 - With his arms open wide in a Sun Salutation (hatha) yoga pose, the director of San Francisco International Airport opened the world's first airport yoga room. Located just past the security checkpoint in SFO's newly remodelled Terminal 2, the 'first of its kind' Yoga Room is a 150-square foot silent space to stretch out and unwind amidst the often-stressful atmosphere of modern day air travel, airport officials said. (more)

US: School lunches to have more vegetables, whole grains
25 January 2012 - The first major nutritional overhaul of school meals in more than 15 years means most offerings -- including the always popular pizza -- will come with less sodium, more whole grains, and a wider selection of fruits and vegetables on the side. First lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the new guidelines during a visit Wednesday with elementary students. Mrs Obama, also joined by celebrity chef Rachael Ray, said youngsters will learn better if they don't have growling stomachs at school. (more)

Canada: Hospital trays deliver change to patients' diets
19 January 2012 - Real Food for Real Kids provides fresh, locally sourced meals and snacks to nearly 200 daycares and elementary schools every day, part of a mandate to encourage children to enjoy healthy food from a young age. Now, with the help of a grant from the Greenbelt Fund and the provincial government, Real Food for Real Kids is trying to expand the business beyond the school system -- and into hospital kitchens. (more)

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Success of Maharishi's Programmes
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

Transcendental Meditation research: Reduction in heart-related deaths has relevance for veterans
3 February 2012 - The National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US has provided over $26 million in grants to study the effects of the Transcendental Meditation Technique on heart disease. Findings include a 47 per cent reduction in heart-related deaths--findings relevant to veterans, given the greater risk of heart attacks in people who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS). (more)

What is stress? An expert discusses effects on the brain
2 February 2012 - Stress today is so prevalent that many people maintain a chronic stress response, which means that they stay in the fight or flight response mode for a long time, said clinical neuropsychologist William Stixrud, Ph.D., in a recent discussion about the effects of stress on the brain and health and how to alleviate them through the Transcendental Meditation Technique. (more)

Successful journalist uses Transcendental Meditation to stay on top - and healthy
1 February 2012 - British journalist Julie Eagleton writes lifestyle and travel articles for The Times, the Telegraph, and the Independent. She learned Transcendental Meditation last year to help maintain her energy and meet the challenges of being a freelancer, and to keep on top, creatively, of a very competitive field. Since then, she says, 'I have found that I am able to concentrate and focus for much longer periods of time without getting tired, and that ideas come much more freely and with greater clarity.' (more)

Reduction of atherosclerosis through Transcendental Meditation: More findings of importance for veterans
31 January 2012 - In addition to reducing smoking, blood pressure, and cholesterol, another study shows that the Transcendental Meditation Technique also reverses the development of atherosclerosis. This study is part of the large body of published research, supported by the National Institutes of Health (US), that has found the Transcendental Meditation Technique highly effective in treating cardiovascular disease. Because Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) is associated with greater risk of heart attacks, the findings have especially important implications for veterans. (more)

A time-tested, holistic system of natural health care for women
30 January 2012 - The natural, effective, scientifically proven programmes offered by the Global Women's Organization for Total Knowledge enable women and girls of all ages to develop their full potential and bring fulfilment to every area of their lives. These include a holistic system of health care that addresses women's needs, prevents disease, and creates balance and well-being. (more)

'Relief from the constant anxiety attack': Iraq veteran describes effect of Transcendental Meditation
28 January 2012 - 'The first time I meditated I experienced this relief from the constant anxiety attack my life had become,' says Iraq veteran David George. 'When I meditated, it stopped. I just felt completely relaxed for the first time in five years.' (more)

Transcendental Meditation highly effective in treating cardiovascular disease, help for veterans with PTS
26 January 2012 - Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. For veterans suffering from PTS and major depression, this disease is even more deadly. A large body of NIH-funded, published research has shown the Transcendental Meditation Technique to be highly effective in treating cardiovascular disease. Findings include significant reductions in blood pressure and harmful cholesterol, decreases in atherosclerosis, and a 47 percent drop in cardiovascular-related mortality. (more)

'It's a traumatic-stress buster' - David Lynch on Transcendental Meditation for veterans
23 January 2012 - In his inaugural address to the media during the launch of Operation Warrior Wellness, filmmaker David Lynch, chairman of the David Lynch Foundation, describes the intense suffering experienced by veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) and the relief Transcendental Meditation brings. (more)

Ellen DeGeneres, others raise awareness about TM for overcoming traumatic stress
21 January 2012 - Meditating celebrities, leaders of veteran service organizations, and top scientists and educators gathered at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on 3 December for the David Lynch Foundation's third annual 'Change Begins Within' benefit gala. Television talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who has practised Transcendental Meditation for a year, opened the evening: 'There's something about TM. It's the only time I have that stillness. . . . I open my eyes and I'm sad that it's 20 minutes later. It gives me this peaceful feeling--I just love it so much . . . . I can't say enough good things about it. (more)

''Transcendental Meditation was absolutely transformational'' - Vietnam veteran
13 January 2012 - Vietnam veteran Dan Burks shares a compelling account of fighting in Vietnam and his struggles to reintegrate into civilian life. Mr Burks credits the Transcendental Meditation Programme with his recovery from PTS. (more)

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Flops
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

'Spam' meat tied to diabetes risk in Native Americans: study
30 January 2012 - Native Americans who often ate processed meat in a can, generically known as 'spam' and a common food on reservations, one subsidized by the government -- had a two-fold increased risk of developing diabetes over those who ate little or none, according to a US study. Native Americans are at especially high risk of developing diabetes, with nearly half having the condition by age 55. 'A lot of communities in this study are in very rural areas with limited access to grocery stores... and they want to eat foods that have a long shelf life,' said Amanda Fretts, the lead author and a researcher at the University of Washington School of Medicine. None of the 500 survey participants, whose average age was 35, had diabetes at the start of the study when they answered questions about diet and other health and lifestyle factors. After five years, a follow-up survey found that 243 people had developed diabetes. (more)

Medical group halts work in Libyan city's prisons
26 January 2012 - Doctors Without Borders has suspended its work in prisons in the Libyan city of Misrata because it said torture was so rampant that some detainees were brought for care only to make them fit for further interrogation, the group said Thursday. The announcement was compounded by a statement from Amnesty International saying it has recorded widespread prisoner abuse in other cities as well, leading to the death of several inmates. The allegations, which come more than three months after former leader Moammar Gadhafi was captured and killed, were an embarrassment to the governing National Transitional Council, which is struggling to establish its authority in the divided nation. The transitional government has been unable to rein in the dozens of militias that arose during the war and have been reluctant to disband or submit to central authority. (more)

Global Fund Chief quits after funding cuts
25 January 2012 - The head of the Global Fund, the largest backer of the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, will step down in March after a misuse of funds led it to cut back on new grants to battle the diseases. Michel Kazatchkine has been the Global Fund's executive director for five years, half its life, but was sidelined in November after the organization said it would be forced to cut grants and was bringing in a new manager. The Fund, which raises money from donors every three years, commissioned a review of its procedures in March after reporting 'grave misuse of funds' in four recipient nations. This prompted donors such as Germany and Sweden to freeze their donations. The Fund was forced to cut back and said it would make no new grants or funding until 2014. (more)

PFC chemicals tied to immune problems in kids
24 January 2012 - Children exposed to chemicals from food packaging and textile products may have compromised immune systems, researchers said. researchers found that a doubling in mothers' blood levels of a common type of PFC corresponded to a 39 per cent drop in the diphtheria antibody concentration of their children at age five. Similar results were found for antibodies against both tetanus and diphtheria based on blood samples from children themselves. At age seven, for instance, a doubling in a child's PFC levels corresponded to a halving of antibody levels. Although the findings don't prove the chemicals themselves are harming the immune system, Grandjean said he thought that is 'very likely' to be the case. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, PFCs are toxic to laboratory animals, causing reproductive, developmental, and other health problems. 'I don't feel comfortable with the compounds for myself and my family and would rather eliminate them,' Dr. Philippe Grandjean of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston told Reuters Health. (more)

US: Meth fills hospitals with burn patients
23 January 2012 - A crude new method of making methamphetamine poses a risk even to Americans who never get anywhere near the drug: It is filling hospitals with thousands of uninsured burn patients requiring millions of dollars in advanced treatment -- a burden so costly that it's contributing to the closure of some burn units. So-called shake-and-bake meth is produced by combining raw, unstable ingredients in a 2-litre soda bottle. But if the person mixing the noxious brew makes the slightest error,the concoction can explode, searing flesh and causing permanent disfigurement, blindness, or even death. The average treatment costs $6,000 per day. And the average meth patient's hospital stay costs $130,000 -- 60 per cent more than other burn patients. The influx of patients is overwhelming hospitals and becoming a major factor in the closure of some burn wards. Burn experts agree the annual cost to taxpayers is well into the tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars. (more)

One in five American adults mentally ill in past year
19 January 2012 - One in five adults in the United States, or nearly 50 million people, suffered mental illnesses in 2010, with women and young adults suffering disproportionately. The survey found women were more likely than men (23 per cent versus 16.8 per cent) to have experienced a mental illness, while the rate of mental illness among people aged 18 to 25 was twice that of those aged 50 and older. Americans suffering mental illnesses were three times more likely to have developed substance dependence or substance abuse disorders than adults who had not experienced mental illness. Among youths aged 12 to 17, 8 per cent -- or 1.9 million teenagers -- experienced a major depressive episode in the past year, defined as a period of at least 2 weeks when a person experienced a depressed mood or loss of interest. Those teenagers who experienced a depressive episode also had twice the rate of illicit drug use than teenagers who had not experienced depression. (more)

Lead poisoning common in Burmese refugee kids
17 January 2012 - Many Burmese refugee children bound for the US may have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood, a new government study finds. Researchers at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that of 642 US-bound Burmese children, 90 per cent had some amount of lead in their blood. Overall, 5 per cent had lead poisoning -- including nearly 15 per cent of children younger than 2. High lead exposure is especially dangerous for young children, since it can permanently damage their developing brains. The findings point to some factors that put children at particular risk while they're still in refugee camps. The biggest factor seemed to be anemia, which is most often caused by iron deficiency. Anemia is known to make children more vulnerable to lead poisoning. (more)

China: Villagers made ill by cancerous factories
16 January 2012 - Exposure to noxious chemicals in fields and drinking water from factory runoff is making Chinese villagers deathly ill. In the southwestern Yunnan province, runoff from chromium-6, listed as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization, seeped into the river Nanpan. Levels in the water were 200 times above the permissible limits. Enforcement of laws regulating the disposal of chromium is poor. Virtually every resident of the villages knows of someone who contracted cancer. Last year, the environmentalist Li found 140,000 tonnes had been buried in the nearby villages of Xiaoxin and Xinglong. 'Many villagers didn't know what chromium is, they thought it was soil, so they'll dig up the chromium to pave roads. Studies have shown that exposure to chromium-6 causes leukemia, and cancer of the stomach, liver, and breast. 'It is one of the worst chemicals to get in drinking water.' Greenpeace estimates there are 1 million tonnes of chromium-6 dumped across China that still has not been disposed of. (more)

India reports new TB strain resistant to all drugs
16 January 2012 - Indian doctors have reported the country's first cases of 'totally drug-resistant tuberculosis,' a long-feared and virtually untreatable form of the killer lung disease. It's not the first time highly resistant cases like this have been seen. Since 2003, patients have been documented in Italy and Iran. It has mostly been limited to impoverished areas, and has not spread widely. But experts believe there could be many undocumented cases. Most of the cases of this kind of TB were not from person-to-person infection but were mutations that occurred in poorly treated patients. Ordinary TB is easily cured by taking antibiotics for six to nine months. However, if that treatment is interrupted or the dose is cut down, the stubborn bacteria battle back and mutate into a tougher strain that can no longer be killed by standard drugs. The disease becomes harder and more expensive to treat. (more)

Pollution tied to disease risk in LA black women
13 January 2012 - In a study of more than 4,000 black women in Los Angeles, those who lived in areas with higher levels of traffic-related air pollution were at increased risk of developing diabetes and high blood pressure. The researchers, led by Patricia Coogan at Boston University, found that black women living in neighbourhoods with high levels of nitrogen oxides, pollutants found in traffic exhaust, were 25 per cent more likely to develop diabetes and 14 per cent more likely to develop hypertension than those living in sections with cleaner air. Previous research has linked air pollution to health problems such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and even higher rates of death. 'The public health implications are huge,' said Dr. Jiu-Chiuan Chen, who studies the effects of air pollution at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles, especially for black women, who have higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure than white women. He was not involved in the current work. (more)