The Gary Null Show

The Gary Null Show - 07.21.22

HEALTH NEWS
· STUDY SHOWS THAT AMINO ACID TAURINE COULD BE USED IN ANTI-AGING THERAPY
·         ATTENTION CANCER PATIENTS: BOOST THE IMMUNE SYSTEM WITH ONE HOUR OF SINGING
· HIGHER OMEGA 3 INTAKE ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER COLORECTAL CANCER MORTALITY RISK
· HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE MAY DOUBLE THE RISK OF SEVERE COVID, EVEN AFTER FULL VACCINATION
· OUT OF SHAPE NATION: HALF OF AMERICANS ADMIT THEY CAN’T TOUCH THEIR TOES WITHOUT STRAINING
·  Valuing your time more than money is linked to happiness
·  OCCUPY PEACE & FREEDOM RALLY INFO
 
Mary Grant
 
Mary Grant is the Public Water for All Campaign Director at Food & Water Watch. Food & Water Watch is a national nonprofit organization that mobilizes regular people to build political power to move bold and uncompromised solutions to the most pressing food, water, and climate problems of our time.Since 2015, Mary has overseen Food & Water Watch’s campaigns across the country to support universal access to safe water in the United States by promoting responsible and affordable public provision of water and sewer service. Prior to becoming the organization's campaign director, she was a researcher for Food & Water Watch. Her research has been featured in the Washington Post, the Associated Press, the New York Times, the Guardian, and other news outlets. She has also co-written peer reviewed studies dealing with the privatization of water and  public health risks due to lack of water access.  Food and Water Watch's website is FWWatch.org

The Gary Null Show - 07.20.22

1. The (evil?) architect of The Great Reset - Sorelle Amore Finance (10:46)
*Who is Klaus Schwab, really? I'll be trying to bring a more balanced perspective to the answer to that question. Because when it comes to the leader of the WEF, it seems like most of the information that's out there is pushing a very one-sided view.
2. United Nations announces Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum and UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres have signed an agreement to ‘accelerate’ Agenda 2030 (0:30)
3. World Economic Forum | Strategic Intelligence
4. If I Were the Devil: Paul Harvey (2:47)
* Paul Harvey Aurandt was an American radio broadcaster for ABC News Radio. He broadcast News and Comment on mornings and mid-days on weekdays and at noon on Saturdays and also his famous The Rest of the Story segments. From 1951 to 2008, his programs reached as many as 24 million people per week. 
5. Gun Control and The Vaule Of Life (8:09)
 
Vitamin B6 Supplements In High Doses Can Calm Anxiety, Depression
 
University of Reading (UK), July 18, 2022
Taking high-dose vitamin B6 supplements may help to reduce feelings of anxiety and depression, a new study reveals. Researchers from the University of Reading in England report that young adults taking a dose 50 times the recommended daily dose reported feeling less anxious and depressed after a month.
Vitamin B6 increases the body’s production of GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid), a chemical that blocks impulses between nerve cells in the brain. Vitamin B6 is found naturally in a variety of foods, including salmon, tuna, chickpeas, and bananas.  Vitamin B6 helps the body produce a specific chemical messenger that inhibits impulses in the brain, and this study links this calming effect with reduced anxiety among the participants.”
The study provides evidence lacking in previous studies as to what exactly drives the stress-reducing effects of marmite and multivitamins.
More than 300 participants took either a placebo or Vitamin B6 or B12 supplements at 50 times the recommended amount – around 70mg. Each participant took one tablet a day with food. Vitamin B12 had little effect compared to the placebo, but B6 showed a statistically reliable difference.
The team also detected subtle but harmless changes in visual performance, consistent with controlled levels of brain activity. Health officials in the United Kingdom recommend that people do not take too high a dose – more than 200mg a day – as it can lead to a loss of feeling in the arms and legs. In a few cases, this has become permanent in people who have taken very large doses for several months.
 
“Many foods, including tuna, chickpeas and many fruits and vegetables, contain Vitamin B6. However, the high doses used in this trial suggest that supplements would be necessary to have a positive effect on mood,” Dr. Field continues. “It is important to acknowledge that this research is at an early stage and the effect of Vitamin B6 on anxiety in our study was quite small compared to what you would expect from medication. However, nutrition-based interventions produce far fewer unpleasant side effects than drugs, and so in the future people might prefer them as an intervention.
 
Study Ranks Healthiest ‘Powerhouse’ Vegetables, Which is #1? 
William Paterson University, July 14
 
Research from William Paterson University attempted to rank fruits and vegetables according to the amount of nutrition within. In all, they list 41 “powerhouse” vegetables and fruits, scoring them according to the presence of 17 nutrients.
The produce was scored by the presence of: fiber, potassium, protein, calcium, folate, vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin B12, and more.
 
To make the study’s “powerhouse” list, the researchers calculated each fruit or vegetable’s “nutrient density” score based on the percentage of your daily need for each nutrient the food provides. (The study assumed a 2,000 calorie per day diet and 100 grams of each food.) The scores were capped to ensure that a fruit or vegetable that provides a huge amount of just a single nutrient wouldn’t receive a disproportionately high overall score.”
So, which earned the top spot? Super easy-to-grow watercress.
Watercress scored an even 100, with Chinese cabbage closest behind with a score of 91.99. In third place was chard (89.27), followed by beet greens (87.08), spinach (86.43), and chicory (73.36). 
Fruits scored lower, with red pepper at the top (41.26), followed by pumpkin (32.23), tomatoes (20.37), and lemons (18.72). Many of these are surprising considering they aren’t the “superfruits” we are accustomed to hearing about. But, that’s largely because of the nutrients measured in this study.
Fruits like blueberries, that are considered healthiest by many, earn that spot because of their antioxidant levels. This study didn’t capture the concentration of antioxidants, however.
 
 
 
Can listening to the Beatles improve your memory? New research says music just might stir the brain
Northeastern University, July 19, 2022
When Paul McCartney wrote "Get Back," he never would have predicted how useful or relevant the song would become for music therapists.
The song's refrain—"Get back to where you once belonged"—might as well be a therapist encouraging a dementia patient to recall a distant memory. In new research, Psyche Loui, an associate professor of music, is attempting to do exactly that.
Published in Scientific Reports, Loui found that for older adults who listened to some of their favorite music, including The Beatles, connectivity in the brain increased. Specifically, Loui—and her multi-disciplinary team of music therapists, neurologists and geriatric psychiatrists—discovered that music bridged the gap between the brain's auditory system and reward system, the area that governs motivation.
The researchers had a group of older adults between the ages of 54 and 89 from the Boston area listen to a playlist for an hour every day for eight weeks and journal about their response to the music afterward. Loui and the team would scan the participants' brains before and after listening in order to measure their neurological response.
Playlists were highly personalized and featured a combination of the participants' self-selected songs, which ranged from The Beatles to Bruce Springsteen, and a preselected mix of classical pieces, pop and rock songs and new compositions.The most important lesson that we learned from the music therapist was that there is no one-size-fits-all for what kind of music works best," Loui said.
What the researchers found was striking: Music was essentially creating an auditory channel directly to the medial prefrontal cortex, the brain's reward center. Notably, the medial prefrontal cortex "is one of the areas to lose its activity and functional connectivity in aging adults, especially in folks with dementia," Loui said.
Music that was both familiar and well-liked tended to activate the auditory and reward areas more. However, the music that participants selected themselves provided an even stronger connection between these two areas of the brain.
 
DHA omega-3 linked to ‘significantly improved periodontal outcomes’: Harvard data
Harvard University, July 14 ,2022
Scientists from Harvard report that supplementation with DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) omega-3 may improve periodontal outcomes in people with periodontitis.
Periodontitis is a serious gum infection that destroys the soft tissue and bone supporting the teeth. It is reportedly the second most common disease worldwide, with 30–50% of the US population suffering from it.
Data published in the Journal of Dental Research indicated that DHA supplementation was associated with a decreased the average depth of the pockets between the teeth and the gums, and the gingival index, which is used to assess the extent of gum disease.
In addition, inflammatory biomarkers in the gum tissue were significantly reduced.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 2,000 mg per day of DHA or placebo (soy/corn oil) for three months. All of the participants also received 81 mg per day of aspirin.
Results showed DHA levels in red blood cell membranes increased between 3.6% to 6.2%, whereas no such increases were observed in the placebo group. In addition to the improvements in pocket depth and gingival index, the researchers reported that levels of the inflammatory biomarkers C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta) decreased significantly in the DHA group. 
 
 
This “Holy Herb’ Shows Promise in Treating Alzheimer’s Disease
Yerba santa may also treat brain swelling in dementia patients
Salk Institute, July 14, 2022
A shrub known as Yerba santa, dubbed “holy herb” in Spanish, appears to show promise in treating Alzheimer’s disease, researchers say. It has the potential to reduce brain swelling in people with dementia. 
Native to California, Yerba santa has long been used as a treatment for fevers, headaches, and other common ailments. But researchers at Salk’s Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory believe it could be used to treat much more serious health problems. In fact, millions of dementia patients stand to benefit from the natural treatment, they claim.
A molecule in the shrub called sterubin – the plant’s most active component – could be the key to transforming millions of lives. The team found that sterubin had a significant anti-inflammatory effect on brain cells called microglia, which are involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, among other ailments.
The researchers further found that sterubin effectively removes iron. This is an important discovery, as iron contributes to nerve cell damage in the aging brain and neurodegenerative diseases.
Sterubin was found to effectively reduce numerous causes of cell death in the nerve cells.
 
An inflammatory diet correlates with colorectal cancer risk
The risk of developing colorectal cancer for individuals that follow a pro-inflammatory diet is two times higher than usual
Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (Spain), July 15, 2022 
Researchers from the Molecular Mechanisms and Experimental Therapy in Oncology program (Oncobell) of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) published in Nutrients the results of a multicenter study that unveils a correlation between inflammatory and antioxidant diets and the risk of developing colorectal and breast cancer. 
"We have observed an association between the risk of developing colorectal cancer and the inflammatory potential of the diet. That is, the participants who followed an inflammatory diet had almost twice the risk of developing colorectal cancer, which is the 4th most frequent cancer worldwide", explains Dr. Mireia Obón.
An inflammatory diet is usually characterized by the consumption of refined carbohydrates, red and processed meat, and saturated or trans fats. In an antioxidant diet, the consumption of vegetables, legumes, fruits and nuts predominates. "In this study we have focused on the role of diet, and specifically on its inflammatory and antioxidant capacity, as there is evidence that both chronic inflammation and oxidative stress influence the development of these two types of cancer", says Dr. Víctor Moreno.
"Following a pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidant diet is a very important risk factor for colon cancer.  We should reorient our eating habits towards a Mediterranean diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grains and healthy oils, such as olive oil and move away from a more pro-inflammatory diet", she argues.
 
 
OCCUPY PEACE & FREEDOM RALLY INFO
Saturday, July 23 -- 2:00 pm
Kingston, NY (at the historical 4 corners -- Crown and John Streets)
Speakers:
Gerald Celente
Judge Andrew Napolitano
Gary Null
Scott Ritter
Phil Giraldi (former CIA official)
Live music, food and drink

The Gary Null Show - 07.19.22

Videos:
1. There was an unexpected 40% increase in 'all cause deaths' in 2021 (8:28)
2.Dr. Mike Yeadon: The Reason Why They Had to Use Genetic Vaccines
3. [PROOF] The Great Reset Is HAPPENING!- Russell Brand
4. Dr. Peter McCullough, MD, MPH, Jun 27, 2022 Texas Senate HHS Testimony
5. If I Were the Devil: Paul Harvey (Clean Audio Version)
6. A few highlights of a recent speech of mine that went slightly viral - Simon O'Connor 
(Simon David O'Connor MP is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives. He is a member of the National Party. He has represented the Tāmaki electorate since 2011. He is a member of the Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Trade committee).
7. Gun Control and The Vaule Of Life
Health News:
Cinnamon could stop Parkinson’s in its tracks 
Leucine-rich protein supplements could benefit adults with sarcopenia 
Nutrients for the bones
Searching for meaning? Try appreciating the small things
Want a higher GPA in college? Join a gym
Men's hot flashes: Hypnotic relaxation may ease the discomfort men don't talk about
 
 
Cinnamon could stop Parkinson’s in its tracks 
Rush University Medical Center, July 14, 2022
In an article appearing in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology indicates that cinnamon could one day be used by Parkinson’s disease patients to prevent the disease from progressing.
Saurabh Khasnavis and Kalipada Pahan, PhD, of Rush University Medical Center studied the effects of the spice in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease. They found that when cinnamon is metabolized into sodium benzoate in the blood and brain, the loss of beneficial proteins known as Parkin and DJ-1 is halted, while neurons that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is reduced in Parkinson’s, are protected. Motor function, which can be significantly impaired by the disease, was improved in animals that received cinnamon.
"Cinnamon is metabolized in the liver to sodium benzoate, which is an FDA-approved drug used in the treatment for hepatic metabolic defects associated with hyperammonemia," explained lead researcher Dr Pahan
"Cinnamon has been used widely as a spice throughout the world for centuries,” he noted. “This could potentially be one of the safest approaches to halt disease progression in Parkinson's patients."
 
 
Leucine-rich protein supplements could benefit adults with sarcopenia
Seoul National University College of Medicine, July 15 2022. 
Sarcopenia is a condition characterized by muscle wasting that contributes to frailty in aging men and women. Results from a meta-analysis of randomized trials reported in the Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics concluded that protein supplements rich in the essential branched-chain amino acid leucine could improve muscle strength in sarcopenic individuals.
“The treatment of choice for sarcopenia is still resistance exercise with nutritional supplementation because no pharmacological agents to treat sarcopenia have become available yet,” Sang Yoon Lee, MD, PhD, and colleagues at Seoul National University College of Medicine noted. 
The meta-analysis included 6 randomized, controlled trials that involved a total of 699 men and women with sarcopenia. Three hundred forty-six trial participants received a daily protein supplement containing 3 to 6 grams of leucine and 353 participants received a placebo or no leucine for 8 to 13 weeks. Muscle strength, muscle mass and physical performance were evaluated before and after the treatment periods.
Muscle strength significantly improved in leucine-supplemented participants as a primary outcome in comparison with the control groups. There was also a trend toward improvement in muscle mass and physical performance in the groups that received leucine. There was no significant difference in response between lower and higher amounts of leucine. No serious adverse events were reported.
 
 
Nutrients for the bones
Catalytic Longevity Foundation, July 13 2022. 
A review appearing in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences describes how specific nutrients activate bone-preserving mechanisms.
Osteoclasts are bone cells that break down bone tissue while osteoblasts synthesize bone. With respect to osteoblasts, the RUNX2 transcription factor is the master regulator of osteoblast formation and function, driving the transcription of a number of genes essential for the bone forming process.
Signaling pathways that drive RUNX2 gene transcription are triggered by bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) 2 and 4. AMPK, which is activated by G. pentaphyllum, hesperidin and metformin, promotes BMP 2 and 4 expression in osteoblasts. 
The protein Sirt1 promotes RUNX2 activity. Sirt1 activation is increased by melatonin, nicotinamide riboside, glucosamine and thymoquinone, found in Nigella sativa. 
Activation of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), the only known nitric oxide receptor, also leads to the promotion of RUNX2. High doses of biotin activate sGC.
Nrf2 regulates the cells’ defense against oxidative stress, as well as enhancing the activation of RUNX2 in osteoblasts and osteocytes. Lipoic acid, melatonin, thymoquinone, astaxanthin and sulforaphane can promote Nrf2 activity. 
Activation of these mechanisms also promotes autophagy, a process in which the cells consume their own damaged cellular components, which helps to prevent apoptosis (programmed cell death) and senescence in osteoblasts and osteocytes.
“Regimens providing a selection of these nutraceuticals in clinically meaningful doses may have an important potential for preserving bone health,” the authors concluded. “Concurrent supplementation with taurine, N-acetylcysteine, vitamins D and K2, and minerals, including magnesium, zinc, and manganese, plus a diet naturally high in potassium, may also be helpful in this regard.”
 
 
 
Searching for meaning? Try appreciating the small things
Texas A&M University, July 18, 2022
Appreciating the intrinsic beauty in life's everyday moments can contribute to a more meaningful existence, according to new research.
In a paper recently published in Nature Human Behavior, Joshua Hicks, a professor in the Texas A&M University Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, says this may be a previously unaccounted for factor tied to perceptions of meaning.
"It might not relate to whether you matter in the grand scheme of things, but we've shown people who value the little things, like your cup of coffee in the morning or being mindful in conversations with others, tend to have a high sense of meaning in life," he said.
Hicks studies existential psychology. Put simply, he aims to understand the "big questions" in life. He describes his main focus as the experience of life—studying people's subjective feeling that their life has meaning.
Scholars like Hicks generally agree there are three main sources of a subjectively meaningful existence: coherence, or the feeling that one's life "makes sense"; the possession of clear, long-term goals and sense of purpose; and existential mattering. This last factor, he says, is the belief that one's actions matter to others.
What Hicks and his co-authors argue in their latest research is that appreciating and finding value in experiences, referred to as experiential appreciation, is a fourth fundamental pathway toward finding meaning in life.
 
Want a higher GPA in college? Join a gym
Michigan State University, July 10, 2022
 
For those students looking to bump up their grade point averages during college, the answer may not be spending more time in a library or study hall, but in a gym.
 
New Michigan State University research shows that students who were members of the recreational sports and fitness centers on MSU's campus during their freshman and sophomore years had higher GPAs than those who weren't.
 
The research also indicated that students with memberships stayed in school longer. An increase of 3.5 percent in two-year retention rates was seen among this group.
 
The research supports previous theories suggesting that by creating an environment that connects students to an institution, in this case a university recreational facility, an increase in academic success and retention can occur. During the project, Pivarnik's team analyzed data from a sample of freshmen and sophomores, totaling 4,843 students, and compared the GPAs of those who purchased a fitness facility membership and those who did not. Results showed that after four consecutive semesters, the students with memberships obtained higher cumulative GPAs. They also had more credits completed by the end of their first year in college.
 
 
Men's hot flashes: Hypnotic relaxation may ease the discomfort men don't talk about
Baylor University, July 10, 2022
Men who experience hot flashes are unlikely to talk much about it, but they may find relief from their silent suffering if they are willing to try an unusual treatment, according to findings from a Baylor University case study.
After seven weeks of hypnotic relaxation therapy, a 69-year-old man who had uncontrolled hot flashes following prostate cancer surgery showed a drastic decrease not only in hot flashes but also an impressive improvement in sleep quality, according to the study.
Men's hot flashes are, of course, not related to estrogen, the primary female sex hormone. They occur in men with a history of prostate cancer — the second most common malignancy in men — or another disorder causing a testosterone deficiency.
Up to 80 percent of prostate survivors experience hot flashes, and about 50 percent of those experience them as severe and needing treatment. What's more, hot flashes due to prostate cancer tend to be more frequent, more severe and more prolonged than those women experience.
The new research follows previous published studies by Elkins that found a marked decrease in hot flashes among postmenopausal women and also among breast cancer survivors who have undergone hypnotic relaxation therapy. It reduced hot flashes by as much as 80 percent, and research findings by clinically trained therapists show it also improved participants' quality of life and lessened anxiety and depression. (Quality of life included such issues as work, sexuality, social and leisure activities, mood and concentration.)

The Gary Null Show - 07.18.22

Sen. John Kennedy Piles Damning Facts on Biden's 'Deeply, Profoundly Stupid' Energy Policy
 
Jacinda Ardern admits Highly Vaccinated New Zealand is losing the COVID battle because the Jabs don’t work

The Gary Null Show - 07.15.22

Lutein and zeaxanthin isomers benefits during high screen exposure
University of Georgia, July 10, 2022
An exciting new peer reviewed publication based on ongoing research on macular carotenoids from the University of Georgia demonstrates that supplementation with lutein and zeaxanthin isomers can protect against a growing issue among the general population -- the undesirable effects of prolonged exposure to high-energy blue light emitted from digital screens of computers, tablets and smartphones. Lutein and zeaxanthin isomers -- known as the macular carotenoids -- are natural filters of high-energy blue light. High-energy blue light reaches deep into the eye and can harm the macula -- the region of the eye responsible for highest visual acuity- by promoting the production of free radicals. Short-term effects can cause eye fatigue while long-term exposure can lead to a progressive loss of visual function.
This is the first study to examine the impact of macular carotenoids supplementation to protect visual health and performance, improve sleep quality and reduce eye strain and fatigue during prolonged exposure to blue light emitting digital screens.
The study was a 6-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled supplementation trial with 48 healthy, young adults with screen time exposure of at least 6 hours daily. Subjects were evaluated at baseline, 3-months and 6-months for MPOD (Macular Pigment Optical Density) and markers of visual performance including contrast sensitivity, photostress recovery and disability glare. Sleep quality, which is affected by blue light exposure, and physical indicators of excessive screen use were also measured. The results show that supplementing with lutein and zeaxanthin significantly improved macular pigment optical density, visual performance and indicators of excessive screen use, including eye strain and fatigue and headache frequency. Sleep quality also improved significantly.
 
Study explores the effects of eating dark chocolate on the brain
Isfahan University of Medical Science (Iran), July 14, 2022
 
Elham Kalantarzedeh, Maryam Radahmadi and Parham Reisi, three researchers at Isfahan University of Medical Science in Iran have recently carried out a study on rats investigating the impact of different dark chocolate dietary patterns on synapses in a specific region of the brain, known as the hippocampal CA1 area. Their findings, published in Nutritional Neuroscience, suggest that dark chocolate consumption could have beneficial effects on the brain of individuals exhibiting chronic isolation stress.
"Although stress causes brain dysfunction, consumption of dark chocolate (DC) has positive effects on brain functions," the researchers wrote in their paper. "The current study investigated the impact of different DC dietary patterns on synaptic potency and plasticity in the hippocampal CA1 area, as well as food intake and body weight in rats under chronic isolation stress."
Overall, the experiments carried out by this team of researchers suggest that the systematic consumption of dark chocolate could reverse the adverse effects of chronic isolation stress on the synaptic potency and plasticity of the hippocampal CA1 area. This would in turn have beneficial effects on both memory and learning.
 
Vitamin C found to block growth of cancer stem cells, says peer reviewed study
University of Salford (UK),  July 8, 2022
 
Increasingly, researchers are discovering the role played by cancer stem cells in the growth and spread of the disease. In groundbreaking new research, vitamin C showed its ability to target cancer stem cells and stop their growth – preventing the recurrence of tumors.
In a newly-published study conducted at the University of Salford in Manchester, vitamin C demonstrated its power to stop tumors in their tracks by interfering with cancer stem cell metabolism – suppressing their ability to process energy for survival and growth.
The study explored the effects of vitamin C on cancer stem cells – and provided evidence that vitamin C, in the form of ascorbic acid, can target and kill them.
The team investigated the impact on cancer stem cells of seven different substances. Three were natural substances, three were experimental drugs, and one was an FDA-approved clinical drug that is widely used.
The natural products studied, along with vitamin C, were silibinin – derived from milk thistle seeds – and caffeic acid phenyl ester – or CAPE – derived from honeybee propolis. The experimental drugs were actinonin, FK866 and 2-DG, and the clinical drug was stiripentol.
Researchers noted that vitamin C destroyed cancer stem cells by inducing oxidative stress. And, the vitamin performed this process ten times more effectively than 2-DG.\
By inhibiting glycolysis, vitamin C inhibited mitrochondrial protein synthesis in cancer stem cells – while leaving healthy cells unaffected.
All seven of the substances tested inhibited the growth of cancer cells to varying degrees – including the non-toxic natural substances. But researchers said the most “exciting” results were with vitamin C.
Again, vitamin C was 1,000 percent more effective than 2-DG, an experimental pharmaceutical drug – in targeting cancer stem cells. 
 
 
Preterm birth more likely with exposure to phthalates 
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, July 11 2022
Pregnant women who were exposed to multiple phthalates during pregnancy had an increased risk of preterm birth, according to new research by the National Institutes of Health. Phthalates are chemicals used in personal care products, such as cosmetics, as well as in solvents, detergents, and food packaging.
After analyzing data from more than 6,000 pregnant women in the United States, researchers found that women with higher concentrations of several phthalate metabolites in their urine were more likely to deliver their babies preterm, which is delivering three or more weeks before a mother’s due date.
“Having a preterm birth can be dangerous for both baby and mom, so it is important to identify risk factors that could prevent it,” said Kelly Ferguson, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of NIH, and the senior author on the study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
Higher concentrations of most phthalate metabolites examined were associated with slightly higher odds of preterm birth. Exposure to four of the 11 phthalates found in the pregnant women was associated with a 14-16% greater probability of having a preterm birth. The most consistent findings were for exposure to a phthalate that is used commonly in personal care products like nail polish and cosmetics.
The researchers also used statistical models to simulate interventions that reduce phthalate exposures. They found that reducing the mixture of phthalate metabolite levels by 50% could prevent preterm births by 12% on average. 
 
Study finds vitamin A directs immune cells to the intestines
Purdue University, July 9, 2022
A key set of immune cells that protect the body from infection would be lost without directions provided by vitamin A, according to a recent study.
A team of researchers from Purdue University found retinoic acid, a metabolite that comes from digested vitamin A, is necessary for two of the three types of innate immune cells that reside in the intestine to find their proper place.
"It is known that vitamin A deficiencies lead to increased susceptibility to disease and low concentrations of immune cells in the mucosal barrier that lines the intestines," said Chang Kim, the professor and section head of microbiology and immunology in Purdue's College of Veterinary Medicine who led the research. "We wanted to find the specific role the vitamin plays in the immune system and how it influences the cells and biological processes. The more we understand the details of how the immune system works, the better we will be able to design treatments for infection, and autoimmune and inflammatory diseases."
Within the immune system there are two categories of cells that work together to rid the body of infection: innate immune cells, the innate lymphoid cells and leukocytes that are fast acting and immediately present to eliminate infection; and adaptive immune cells, the T-cells and B-cells that arrive later, but are specific to the pathogen and more effective at killing or neutralizing it. All innate immune cells are produced in the bone marrow, but eventually populate other areas of the body. 
Innate lymphoid cells first gather in the lymph nodes before traveling to their final destination, and this is where retinoic acid acts upon two of the three subsets destined for the intestines. Kim and his team found that retinoic acid activates specific receptors in the cells that act as homing devices for the intestines.
"It is interesting that both innate and adaptive immune cells share a vitamin A-regulated pathway for migration."
 
Drinking alcohol while pregnant could have transgenerational effects
University of California, Riverside, July 7, 2022
Soon-to-be mothers have heard the warning – don't drink while pregnant. 
The  study by Kelly Huffman, psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside, was published in the journal Cerebral Cortex.
"Traditionally, prenatal ethanol exposure (PrEE) from maternal consumption of alcohol, was thought to solely impact directly exposed offspring, the embryo or fetus in the womb. However, we now have evidence that the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure could persist transgenerationally and negatively impact the next-generations of offspring who were never exposed to alcohol," Huffman said.
To determine whether the abnormalities in brain and behavior from prenatal ethanol exposure would pass transgenerationally, Huffman generated a mouse model of FASD and tested many aspects of brain and behavioral development across three generations. As expected, the first generation, the directly exposed offspring, showed atypical gene expression, abnormal development of the neural network within the neocortex and behavioral deficits. However, the main discovery of the research lies in the subsequent, non-exposed generations of mice. These animals had neurodevelopmental and behavioral problems similar to the those of the first, directly exposed generation.
"We found that body weight and brain size were significantly reduced in all generations of PrEE animals when compared to controls; all generations of PrEE mice showed increased anxiety-like, depressive-like behaviors and sensory-motor deficits. By demonstrating the strong transgenerational effects of prenatal ethanol exposure in a mouse model of FASD, we suggest that FASD may be a heritable condition in humans," Huffman said.
 

The Gary Null Show - 07.14.22

Quercetin phytosome reduced allergy symptoms in clinical trial
University of Shizuoka (Japan), July 11 2022. 
A randomized trial described in the European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences revealed a decrease in seasonal allergy symptoms among men and women who were given quercetin, a flavonoid that occurs in fruits, tea, onions and herbs. 
The trial included 60 participants who reported experiencing eye and nasal symptoms related to pollen or house dust exposure. Half of the participants received 200 milligrams quercetin phytosome (a food-grade bioavailable formulation of quercetin) and the remainder received a placebo daily for 4 weeks. Blood samples were analyzed for various factors and quality of life questionnaires that evaluated eye and nasal symptoms were administered before the treatment period and at 2 and 4 weeks. 
At the end of the study, eye itching, sneezing, nasal discharge and sleep disorder scores, were significantly improved among participants who received quercetin in comparison with participants who received a placebo. Severity of sneezing, nasal discharge and disturbance of daily living were lower at the end of various time points among supplemented participants compared to the placebo group. 
 
Kiwi fruit powder shows gut health benefits
Medicus Research (New Zealand), July 10, 2022
Kiwifruit containing Zyactinase called Kivia may enhance bowel movement frequency and improve other symptoms of occasional constipation, say new data from a randomized clinical trial.
A daily 5.5 gram dose of Kivia powder was associated with a reduction in abdominal pain and flatulence in subjects with occasional constipation, according to findings published in the Nutrition Journal .
While the exact mechanism of action is still to be elucidated, researchers led by Dr Jay Udani at Medicus Research note that kiwifruit extract is rich in enzymes able to aid in digestion, as well as potential prebiotics which may enhance the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
“Improvements were noted in the number of bowel movements, with increased bowel movements in the group using the studied extract,” they wrote. “There were also improvements observed in bowel health and stool formation.
“This suggests that Kivia powder improved bowel habits in this group of subjects.”
Results showed that the Kivia group experienced significant increases in spontaneous bowel movements at every week, compared to data from the start of the study. Significant differences were also observed between the kiwifruit extract group and placebo at weeks 3 and 4.
 
 
Lifestyle may be more important than age in determining dementia risk: Study
Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, July 13, 2022
Individuals with no dementia risk factors, such as smoking, diabetes or hearing loss, have similar brain health as people who are 10 to 20 years younger than them, according to a new Baycrest study. The study found that a single dementia risk factor could reduce cognition by the equivalent of up to three years of aging.
"Our results suggest lifestyle factors may be more important than age in determining someone's level of cognitive functioning. This is great news, since there's a lot you can do to modify these factors, such as managing diabetes, addressing hearing loss, and getting the support you need to quit smoking," says Dr. Annalise LaPlume, Postdoctoral Fellow at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute (RRI) and the study's lead author.
The study is one of the first to look at lifestyle risk factors for dementia across the entire lifespan.
The study, published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment, and Disease Monitoring, a journal of the Alzheimer's Association, included data from 22,117 people aged 18 to 89.
The researchers looked at participants' performance on memory and attention tests, and how this was impacted by eight modifiable risk factors for dementia: low education (less than a high school diploma), hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, alcohol or substance abuse, hypertension, smoking (currently or in the past four years), diabetes and depression.
Each factor led to a decrease in cognitive performance by as much as three years of aging, with each additional factor contributing the same amount of decline. For example, having three risk factors could lead to a decrease in cognitive performance equivalent to as much as nine years of aging. The effects of the risk factors increased with age, as did the number of risk factors people had.
 
Research shows that drinking Matcha tea can reduce anxiety
Kumamoto University (Japan), July 9, 2022
Many different countries have a tea culture, and Japanese Matcha tea is growing in popularity around the world. A group of Japanese researchers from Kumamoto University has shown that anxious behavior in mice is reduced after consuming Matcha powder or Matcha extract. Its calming effects appear to be due to mechanisms that activate dopamine D1 receptors and serotonin 5-HT1A receptors, both of which are closely related to anxious behavior.
Matcha is the finely ground powder of new leaves from shade-grown (90% shade) Camellia sinensis green tea bushes.  In Japan, historical medicinal uses for Matcha included helping people relax, preventing obesity, and treatment of skin conditions. The researchers, therefore, sought to determine its various beneficial effects.
The "elevated plus maze" test is an elevated, plus-shaped, narrow platform with two walled arms that provide safety for the test subject, typically a mouse. It is used as an anxiety test for rodents with the idea that animals experiencing higher anxiety will spend more time in the safer walled-off areas. Using this test, researchers found that mouse anxiety was reduced after consuming Matcha powder or Matcha extract. 
 
Spirituality linked with better health outcomes, patient care
Harvard School of Public Health, July 13 2022
Spirituality should be incorporated into care for both serious illness and overall health, according to a study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
"This study represents the most rigorous and comprehensive systematic analysis of the modern day literature regarding health and spirituality to date," said Tracy Balboni, lead author and senior physician at Harvard Medical School. "Our findings indicate that attention to spirituality in serious illness and in health should be a vital part of future whole person-centered care, and the results should stimulate more national discussion and progress on how spirituality can be incorporated into this type of value-sensitive care." 
According to the International Consensus Conference on Spiritual Care in Health Care, spirituality is "the way individuals seek ultimate meaning, purpose, connection, value, or transcendence." This could include organized religion but extends well beyond to include ways of finding ultimate meaning by connecting, for example, to family, community, or nature. 
According to the researchers, the simple act of asking about a patient's spirituality can and should be part of patient-centered, value-sensitive care. The information gleaned from the conversation can guide further medical decision-making, including but not limited to notifying a spiritual care specialist.  "Overlooking spirituality leaves patients feeling disconnected from the health care system and the clinicians trying to care for them," said Koh. "Integrating spirituality into care can help each person have a better chance of reaching complete well-being and their highest attainable standard of health." 
 
Kids Who Play Sports Are Happier, Healthier Than Those Who Go Straight To Their Screens
University of South Australia, July 11, 2022
 
Kids who go straight onto their screens after school are more miserable and feel less healthy than those who do homework or play outside, a new study reveals.
Researchers from the University of South Australia say those who meet up with friends, practice sports, or take music lessons feel much better about themselves. They also found that kids didn’t have to get out and exercise to feel more positive than those on screens, as doing their homework or reading also contributed to better well-being.
The team analyzed data from 61,759 school students in fourth through ninth grade to see what they did between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day. Results show most students watched TV about four days a week and spent time on social media about three times a week.
Researchers measured the activities against well-being factors such as happiness, sadness, worry, engagement, perseverance, optimism, emotion regulation, and life satisfaction.
Overall, the study found that children’s well-being improves when they participate in extracurricular activities but drops when they spend time on social media or using screens. Lead researcher Dr. Rosa Virgara says the research highlights an acute need to encourage children to participate in activities and cut down on screen time.
“Our study highlights how some out-of-school activities can boost children’s well-being, while others – particularly screens – can chip away at their mental and physical health,” Virgara says in a university release. “Screens are a massive distraction for children of all ages. Most parents will attest to this. And whether children are gaming, watching TV or on social media, there’s something about all screens that’s damaging to their well-being.”
The study, published in the journal BMC Pediatrics, shows that students in lower socioeconomic backgrounds who frequently played sport were 15 percent more likely to be optimistic, 14 percent more likely to be happy and satisfied with their life, and 10 percent more likely to be able to regulate their emotions.
 

The Gary Null Show - 07.13.22

The Colonization of the American Psyche
 
Richard Gale & Gary Null
Progressive Radio Network, July 12, 2022
 
 
 
We delude ourselves at our own peril by wrongly believing that government policy makers and the captains of private finance and industry are older and wiser. Because these people have managed to reach the top of their game, we assume they possess the intellectual acumen to steer a nation past its economic and social ills. We falsely believe they have the comprehensive skills to tackle the dire challenges that lie ahead such as a warming planet, growing cultural divisions, and an economic system on the verge of total collapse.  But as the years go by, more and more Americans are mounting questions with no realistic answers in sight. People feel we are charging blindly towards unaffordable energy costs, food insecurity, out-of-control debt and runaway inflation.  We realize we can no longer rely upon our leading institutions and the mainstream media. Our politicians constantly voice promises that are never fulfilled. 
 
We need to realize that the colonialist perspective, which has dominated American history since its founding, cannot be completely divorced from government efforts to manipulate and control factions within the population. A colonialist mindset can never offer constructive solutions to solve problems. Promoting common ground to simmer disharmony between seeming oppositional segments of society is counterintuitive to colonialism. Rather it must rely on instilling discord, conflict, and eventually violence, either psychological or physical, in order to keep conflicts alive, which in turn validate further control, surveillance and heavy-handed measures.  Our nation's leaders and institutions believe they are the adults in the room and we their children deserve their tough love. 
 
Consequently whatever can be weaponized in order to manipulate the sensitivities of others to keep conflicts alive is fair game. The emotions behind racial and gender tensions are weaponized to keep people divided. For example, Biden wants to criminalize parents who oppose school boards that seem determined to sexualize grammar school education. Religion has been weaponized whereby authentic religion barely exists in the American landscape anymore. Politicians on both sides of the aisle weaponize any issue contrary to their ideological goals. The Covid pandemic's controversies are manipulated so that science is weaponized against itself. Physicians and medical professionals who disagree with the pandemic's lockdowns, drug treatments, vaccine mandates and the wet market theory about the SARS-2 virus' origins, are censored, demonized and threatened with the loss of their medical licenses. However there are always blowbacks and serious repercussions when others are weaponized in order to colonize a perceived enemy psychologically or by physical force. 
 
A fundamental problem is that the average person expects very simple solutions to otherwise extremely complex problems. Regardless of the political divide, people expect instant transformation to be backed immediately by legislation. They want their emotional biases and self-righteous believes to written into law. And the easiest solution is to create a scapegoat and then keep the victim alive and wandering in the wasteland until the problem reaches its final solution. Nazis colonized the German psyche by scapegoating Jews, gypsies, and members of the LBGT community. But of course a final solution is never reached constructively and inevitably leaves catastrophic destruction in its wake. 
 
Instead we are led to a more rapid breakdown of the remaining threads of democracy. The educational system, the nuclear family, and the very moral fabric that keeps a culture healthy and vital collapse. Inescapably, whoever is the aggressor generates its own negative and destructive identity. The new cancel culture, which has now been absorbed into the federal government, has become the very cancer of hatred and vitriol it tries to marginalize and eradicate. One party or the other becomes vehemently juxtaposed to the opposing party as an enemy to be abolished; eventually that party identifies subliminally with the very pernicious characteristics it blames on its enemy. The powerless seize power by demonizing those less powerful. What we are witnessing is American culture being displaced by a hyperactive Hollywood dystopia.  People are displaced by technological robotism. News porn displaces pragmatic inquiry. And as we look around, we no longer have a culture that is even capable of defining itself in any way other than a psychological tyranny bent on coercive control. It is as if we inhabit a haunted house of horrors while being completely oblivious to that fact. 
 
Perhaps it is time to regard our nation's politick as grievously and mentally unstable. For many people this is self evident. The US is the world's most anxious, depressed and mentally disturbed nation. Despite the widespread use of psychiatric drugs to palliate symptoms and enormous resources spent to tackle the epidemic of mental disorders, Americans’ psychological health continues to worsen. Our ruling institutions believe they understand their own psychology but they are unquestionably clueless. The psychological fragmentation and creation of divisions in American culture are sometimes viewed as the Balkanization of American culture. This doesn’t suggest that the powers that be desire to carve up the nation into separate regions hostile and uncooperative with each other. That is counter-intuitive for any government or corporate ambition to strengthen political and economic control over a population. Nevertheless it has resulted in the red and blue factions becoming more distinctly divided and hostile. The Balkanization of the American psyche is the unwanted consequence of a mentally unsound political apparatus and an equally psychologically unstable media. 
 
Perhaps it is more accurate to regard the belligerent quagmire of factional animosity towards the “other” as a fascist colonization of the American psyche. After Trump’s surprising 2016 electoral win, book sales dealing with fascism soared. Sales of Hannah Arendt’s Origins of Totalitarianism and Orwell’s 1984 skyrocketed.  However we should be very wary of our choice of words and the real life definitions we give them. Rather than assuming the reemergence of an early 20th century fascism on American shores, perhaps we might consider the term Americanism as a unique fascist ideology contrary and in opposition to the Constitution.
 
In 1938, a Yale Divinity School professor, Halford Luccock, gave a sermon at Manhattan’s Riverside Church. Luccock derogatorily coined the term Americanism.
 
“When and if fascism comes to America it will not be labeled “made in Germany’; it will not be marked with a swastika; it will not even be called fascism; it will be called, of course, ‘Americanism.” 
 
Similar predictive warnings were not uncommon in the 1930s. The prominent social commentator H.L. Mencken gave a similar prediction. Writing for the Baltimore Sun, Mencken wrote:
 
“My own belief, more than once set afloat from this spot, is that it will take us, soon or late, into the stormy waters of fascism. To be sure, that fascism is not likely to be identical with the kinds on tap in Germany, Italy and Russia; indeed it is very apt to come in under the name of anti-fascism.”
 
In her 1939 Harper’s Magazine article, Lillian Symes wrote about Huey Long’s suspected prediction that “Fascism would come to America in the name of anti-fascism” (a quote often wrongly attributed to Winston Churchill)
 
“If a fascist movement ever triumphs in America it will undoubtedly triumph in the name of our most popular slogan – Democracy, and under the leadership of some such “friend of the common people” as the late Huey Long…. Whoever its angels and whatever their purpose, it will speak the language of a populist left.”
 
The fragmented Balkanization of the American psyche has certainly given rise to warring populist factions. The triumph of cancel culture, in groups such as Antifa, the radicalized factions in the race-based and gender movements, the White Fragility phenomena, and Silicon Valley social media censorship is evidence of a new emerging authoritarian Americanism growing within the ranks of the left’s liberal populism. 
 
Roosevelt’s vice president Henry Wallace likewise observed signs that US’s weakness might flirt with fascism.  In April 1944, the New York Times quoted Wallace stating: 
 
“The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information. With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the fascist and his group more money or more power... They claim to be super-patriots, but they would destroy every liberty guaranteed by the Constitution… Their final objective, toward which all their deceit is directed, is to capture political power so that, using the power of the state and the power of the market simultaneously, they may keep the common man in eternal subjection." 
 
Wallace believed that the greatest weapon to prevent fascism was to prioritize the importance of human well being above dollars and profit. He saw evidence that ‘fascism in the postwar inevitably will push steadily for Anglo-Saxon imperialism and eventually war with Russia.” Although such a war would never erupt during America’s Cold War against the Soviet Union, Wallace’s warning now seems to be at our doorstep. “Already American fascists,” Wallace wrote, “are talking and writing about this conflict and using it as an excuse for their internal hatreds and intolerance toward certain races creeds and classes.”  If Wallace could hear the venom spewed by the neo-con cartel surrounding Biden in the Oval Office, he would certainly see America’s fascist moment on hand. However, domestically, the ultimate goal of American political conceit and elitism is to impose homogeneity across society. Thus we observe the government imposing an aberrant universal vanity not only on its own population but repeatedly upon other nations through electoral interference and military or intelligence intervention.
 
Another obstacle is that America’s attention skills are direly week. Most Americans emotionally react to wherever the headline of the day leads them. Their priorities about the nation’s most urgent challenges shift and change dramatically.  For example, when the economy is strong, global warming and the preservation of the environment are high on people’s lists. Today with rising popular uncertainty, confusion and aimlessness, the percentage of people who place climate change as the single most important threat barely reaches double figures. It is only the most conscientious among us who are aware of how our activities and habits contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and the depletion of the environment.  Our international climate change summits are utterly worthless. They are little more than weeklong seminars for world leaders to learn more platitudes and more talking points for political campaigns and press conferences. Since no nation is held legally accountable by international environmental treaties, everything is voluntary and nothing essential is done. It is all smoke and mirrors to cover over Washington’s guilt.
 
Good intentions without deep moral and spiritual understanding and resolve to act, are fruitless.  Once the intention fades from awareness, the potential to act constructively vanishes immediately. An amusing comparison can be made between Kim Kardassian’s sister Kylie Jenner and green activist Greta Thunberg.
 
Kyle Jenner is a fashion mogul billionaire with 300 million Instagram views. She claims to be a strong proponent of protecting the planet and the environment. Yet, typically of the rich and powerful, the sincerity of their claims are questionable. She has a closet stacked with hundreds of pairs of shoes. She is a massive consumer who travels in a private jet. Contrast Kylie's faux environmentalism with Greta Thunberg, and her 12 million social media followers, who rails against the acerbic hypocrisy of national presidents, prime ministers and business leaders. Kylie and Greta both claim to have a mission to protect the planet.  Yet one is a habitual spender; the other is an extraordinarily conscientious consumer. One is a plastic manikin of media hype and privileged elitism; the other aggressively challenges the fossil fuel, lumber, mining and livestock industries. Kylie flaunts empty words; Greta pragmatically persuades us in taking account of our lives. There can never be a sustainable future if we are unable to disengage from current American standards of living, consumerism, dietary habits and modes of transportation. 
 
Fortunately distrust in government and the media is growing exponentially. Yet sadly this will not solve our population’s growing disorientation in US’s new no-mans-land. Similar to the warnings given seven decades ago, the American media has been fully captured by private and secretive national security interests. We hear the dreaded dirge of a single official mantra; that is, increase irrational hope, surrender your independence and individuality, leave your reason at the door and obey your elected leaders and the unelected cartels that keep them in office. Only a tiny percent of the US population actually controls the larger national dialogues and agendas, both domestic and foreign. But a new generation of technocrats, groomed in the halls of the culture wars of division, condemnation and conquest are now entering the halls of government, finance and corporate boardrooms.  These are new shock troops that are leading the assault to colonize the American psyche, the mass formation of a distinctly American hive mentality, that forebodes far worse things to come in the near future.

The Gary Null Show - 07.12.22

Gut bacteria can cause, predict and prevent rheumatoid arthritis
Mayo Clinic  July 9, 2022
 
The bacteria in your gut do more than break down your food. They also can predict susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis, suggests Veena Taneja, Ph.D., an immunologist at Mayo Clinic's Center
 
Dr. Taneja and her team identified intestinal bacteria as a possible cause; their studies indicate that testing for specific microbiota in the gut can help physicians predict and prevent the onset of rheumatoid arthritis.
"These are exciting discoveries that we may be able to use to personalize treatment for patients," Dr. Taneja says.
 
"Using genomic sequencing technology, we were able to pin down some gut microbes that were normally rare and of low abundance in healthy individuals, but expanded in patients with rheumatoid arthritis," Dr. Taneja says.
 
The second paper, published in Arthritis and Rheumatology, explored another facet of gut bacteria. Dr. Taneja treated one group of arthritis-susceptible mice with a bacterium, Prevotella histicola, and compared that to a group that had no treatment. The study found that mice treated with the bacterium had decreased symptom frequency and severity, and fewer inflammatory conditions associated with rheumatoid arthritis. The treatment produced fewer side effects, such as weight gain and villous atrophy—a condition that prevents the gut from absorbing nutrients—that may be linked with other, more traditional treatments.
 
While human trials have not yet taken place, the mice's immune systems and arthritis mimic humans, and shows promise for similar, positive effects. Since this bacterium is a part of healthy human gut, treatment is less likely to have side effects, says study co-author Joseph Murray, M.D., a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist.
 
 
 
 
Adding salt to your food at the table is linked to higher risk of premature death
Tulane University School of Public Health, July 11, 2022
 
People who add extra salt to their food at the table are at higher risk of dying prematurely from any cause, according to a study of more than 500,000 people, published in the European Heart Journal today.
Compared to those who never or rarely added salt, those who always added salt to their food had a 28% increased risk of dying prematurely. In the general population about three in every hundred people aged between 40 and 69 die prematurely. The increased risk from always adding salt to food seen in the current study suggests that one more person in every hundred may die prematurely in this age group.
In addition, the study found a lower life expectancy among people who always added salt compared to those who never, or rarely added salt. At the age of 50, 1.5 years and 2.28 years were knocked off the life expectancy of women and men, respectively, who always added salt to their food compared to those who never, or rarely, did.
"To my knowledge, our study is the first to assess the relation between adding salt to foods and premature death," he said. "It provides novel evidence to support recommendations to modify eating behaviors for improving health. Even a modest reduction in sodium intake, by adding less or no salt to food at the table, is likely to result in substantial health benefits, especially when it is achieved in the general population."
 
Hops extract studied to prevent breast cancer
University of Illinois  July 8, 2022 
 
An enriched hops extract activates a chemical pathway in cells that could help prevent breast cancer, according to new laboratory findings from the Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
 
Researchers led by Judy Bolton, professor and head of medicinal chemistry, applied hops extract to two different breast cell lines to see if they would affect estrogen metabolism, a key mechanism in breast cancer. One compound, 6-prenylnarigenin, or 6-PN, increased a detoxification pathway in the cells that has been linked to a lower risk for breast cancer.
 
"We need to further explore this possibility, but our results suggest that 6-PN could have anti-cancer effects," Bolton said.
 
 
 
New study determines psychedelic mushroom microdoses can improve mood, mental health
University of British Columbia, July 11, 2022
 
The latest study to examine how tiny amounts of psychedelics can impact mental health provides further evidence of the therapeutic potential of microdosing.
Published in Scientific Reports, the study followed 953 people taking regular small amounts of psilocybin and a second group of 180 people who were not microdosing.
For the 30-day study, those microdosing demonstrated greater improvements in mood, mental health and psychomotor ability over the one-month period, compared to non-microdosing peers who completed the same assessments.
"This is the largest longitudinal study of this kind to date of microdosing psilocybin, and one of the few studies to engage a control group," says Dr. Walsh, who teaches in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. "Our findings of improved mood and reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress add to the growing conversation about the therapeutic potential of microdosing."
Microdosing involves regular self-administration in doses small enough to not impair normal cognitive functioning. The doses can be as small as 0.1 to 0.3 grams of dried mushrooms, and may be taken three to five times a week.
The most widely reported substances used for microdosing are psilocybin mushrooms and LSD. Psilocybin mushrooms are considered non-addictive and non-toxic—especially when compared to tobacco, opioids and alcohol. 
 
Could a phytochemical derived from vegetables like broccoli be the answer to antibiotic resistant pathogens?
 
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Israel), July 10, 2022 
Antibiotic resistant bacterial pathogens are increasingly playing a role in rising illness and preventing wound healing, especially in hospitals. While more and more pathogens have developed biofilms that protect them from being eradicated by antibiotics, fewer classes of antibiotics are being developed. Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev decided to go in a different direction and investigated a phytochemical derived from cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli that breaks down the biofilm.
The phytochemical 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) successfully broke down the biofilms protecting two different pathogens including Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa– enabling their eradication 65% and 70% of the time, respectively. Combined with antibiotics, that number jumped to 94%.
Additionally, when they introduced DIM into an infected wound, it sped up the healing process significantly, the team found.
 
 
Researchers find Alzheimer’s begins in the brain 30 years before any symptoms
 Daniel Amen Clinic July 9, 2022
 
Science is beginning to unravel the mystery of Alzheimer’s disease and what they are discovering is alarming.  Researchers now believe that Alzheimer’s disease begins with changes in the brain as much as 30 years or more before symptoms begin.
 
This shocking revelation comes at a time when the aging of the Baby Boomer generation means Alzheimer’s is expected to triple in the coming decades. Long before someone is diagnosed in their 70s or 80s, their brain has begun to deteriorate. With conventional medicine unable to offer a cure, this realization makes it all the more critical to care for brain health throughout your lifetime, naturally reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The idea that a fading memory is just a natural part of the aging process is a misconception.  Instead, loss of memory is a sign of the brain beginning to break down.
 
In addition to a diagnosis for ADD, other factors he believes can increase the risk of developing the disease include:
 
• Failure to engage the brain in regular learning activities• Lack of exercise or exercising less than twice a week• Personal medical history of cancer, diabetes or heart disease• Suffering of a stroke• Coping with a head injury• Diagnosis of depression
Along with understanding your risk level, Dr. Amen advocates keeping both mind and body active. Dr. Amen also believes it is important to increase antioxidant levels in your diet. He also tells patients it is important to modify lifestyle habits that promote the growth of brain plaques.

The Gary Null Show - 07.11.22

Videos: 
 
1. Tucker Carlson: This may have been the greatest crime in history (5:07 to 5:30)
 
4. Bye Bye Boris
 
Curcumin reduces muscle soreness: Study
University of Naples, July 3, 2022
A proprietary curcumin extract can ease post-exercise muscle soreness caused by oxidative stress and inflammation, an Italian study has found.
The randomised, placebo-controlled, single-blind pilot trial gave 20 moderately active men 1 g of curcumin twice a day which contained 200 mg of the antioxidant or placebo.
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) was reduced in the curcumin group after all the men had taken part in a strenuous downhill running exercise.
The curcumin group reported less pain in the lower limb as compared with subjects in the placebo group, “although significant differences were observed only for the right and left anterior thighs.”
 
 
Vitamin C related to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and early death
University of Copenhagen (Denmark), July 7, 2022
 
New research from the University of Copenhagen and Herlev and Gentofte Hospital shows that high vitamin C concentrations in the blood from the intake of fruit and vegetables are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and early death.
New research from the University of Copenhagen shows that the risk of cardiovascular disease and early death falls with a high intake of fruit and vegetables, and that this may be dued to vitamin C.
As part of the study, the researchers had access to data about 100,000 Danes and their intake of fruit and vegetables as well as their DNA. "We can see that those with the highest intake of fruit and vegetables have a 15% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease and a 20% lower risk of early death compared with those who very rarely eat fruit and vegetables. At the same time, we can see that the reduced risk is related to high vitamin C concentrations in the blood from the fruit and vegetables.
 
 
Mindfulness meditation reduces pain by separating it from the self
by  University of California - San Diego, July 9, 2022
 
For centuries, people have been using mindfulness meditation to try to relieve their pain, but neuroscientists have only recently been able to test if and how this actually works. In the latest of these efforts, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine measured the effects of mindfulness on pain perception and brain activity.
The study, published in Pain, showed that mindfulness meditation interrupted the communication between brain areas involved in pain sensation and those that produce the sense of self. In the proposed mechanism, pain signals still move from the body to the brain, but the individual does not feel as much ownership over those pain sensations, so their pain and suffering are reduced.
You train yourself to experience thoughts and sensations without attaching your ego or sense of self to them, and we're now finally seeing how this plays out in the brain during the experience of acute pain."
On the first day of the study, 40 participants had their brains scanned while painful heat was applied to their leg. After experiencing a series of these heat stimuli, participants had to rate their average pain levels during the experiment.  Participants were then split into two groups. Members of the mindfulness group completed four separate 20-minute mindfulness training sessions.
Researchers found that participants who were actively meditating reported a 32 percent reduction in pain intensity and a 33 percent reduction in pain unpleasantness.
When the team analyzed participants' brain activity during the task, they found that mindfulness-induced pain relief was associated with reduced synchronization between the thalamus (a brain area that relays incoming sensory information to the rest of the brain) and parts of the default mode network (a collection of brain areasmost active while a person is mind-wandering or processing their own thoughts and feelings as opposed to the outside world).
One of these default mode regions is the precuneus, a brain area involved in fundamental features of self-awareness, and one of the first regions to go offline when a person loses consciousness. 
 
Four in 10 pancreatic cancers could be prevented by lifestyle changes
 
 
Cancer Research UK, July 2, 2022
 
Almost 40 per cent of pancreatic cancers -- one of the deadliest forms of cancer -- could be avoided in the UK through maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking according to Cancer Research UK, in a call to arms against the disease.
 
While more research is needed to find better ways of diagnosing and treating the disease, there is evidence to suggest that some pancreatic cancers are linked to being overweight and to smoking -- and almost four in 10 could be prevented by lifestyle changes to address this.
 
 
Doing something is better than doing nothing for most people, study shows
 
University of Virginia and Harvard University, July 3, 2022
 
Most people are just not comfortable in their own heads, according to a new psychological investigation led by the University of Virginia. The investigation found that most would rather be doing something -- possibly even hurting themselves -- than doing nothing or sitting alone with their thoughts, said the researchers, whose findings will be published in the journal Science.
 
In a series of 11 studies, U.Va. psychologist Timothy Wilson and colleagues at U.Va. and Harvard University found that study participants from a range of ages generally did not enjoy spending even brief periods of time alone in a room with nothing to do but think, ponder or daydream. The participants, by and large, enjoyed much more doing external activities such as listening to music or using a smartphone. Some even preferred to give themselves mild electric shocks than to think.
 
The period of time that Wilson and his colleagues asked participants to be alone with their thoughts ranged from six to 15 minutes. Many of the first studies involved college student participants, most of whom reported that this "thinking period" wasn't very enjoyable and that it was hard to concentrate. So Wilson conducted another study with participants from a broad selection of backgrounds, ranging in age from 18 to 77, and found essentially the same results.
 
"That was surprising -- that even older people did not show any particular fondness for being alone thinking," Wilson said.
 
During several of Wilson's experiments, participants were asked to sit alone in an unadorned room at a laboratory with no cell phone, reading materials or writing implements, and to spend six to 15 minutes -- depending on the study -- entertaining themselves with their thoughts. Afterward, they answered questions about how much they enjoyed the experience and if they had difficulty concentrating, among other questions. Most reported they found it difficult to concentrate and that their minds wandered, though nothing was competing for their attention. On average the participants did not enjoy the experience. A similar result was found in further studies when the participants were allowed to spend time alone with their thoughts in their homes.
 
The researchers took their studies further. Because most people prefer having something to do rather than just thinking, they then asked, "Would they rather do an unpleasant activity than no activity at all?"
 
The results show that many would. Participants were given the same circumstances as most of the previous studies, with the added option of also administering a mild electric shock to themselves by pressing a button.
 
Twelve of 18 men in the study gave themselves at least one electric shock during the study's 15-minute "thinking" period. By comparison, six of 24 females shocked themselves. All of these participants had received a sample of the shock and reported that they would pay to avoid being shocked again.
 
"What is striking," the investigators write, "is that simply being alone with their own thoughts for 15 minutes was apparently so aversive that it drove many participants to self-administer an electric shock that they had earlier said they would pay to avoid." Wilson and his team note that men tend to seek "sensations" more than women, which may explain why 67 percent of men self-administered shocks to the 25 percent of women who did.
 
 
Post-pandemic diet shifts could avert millions of deaths
University of Edinburgh, July 8, 2022
 
Encouraging people to eat more fruit and vegetables post-pandemic could avert up to 26 million deaths every year by 2060, a study has found.
Premature deaths from diseases such as heart disease, stroke and cancer—conditions that are also risk factors for COVID-19 patients—could be prevented by including measures to reduce global meat consumption in recovery plans, researchers say.
Reducing the amount of meat eaten globally would also make food more affordable—particularly in low- and middle-income countries—and be better for environment, the analysis shows.
The findings suggest post-pandemic plans prioritizing economic recovery above all else would lead to millions more deaths linked to poor diet, be worse for the environment and do less to reduce food costs.
A team led by Edinburgh researchers show plans that include dietary shifts toward less meat and more fruit and vegetables could prevent 2600 premature deaths per million people by 2060. With the world's population projected to be more than 10 billion by 2060, this could potentially avert 26 million deaths that year alone, the team says.
 

The Gary Null Show - 07.08.22

Video:
1. Jonathan Pie: The World’s End2. New Rule: OK, Zoomer | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)3. Forget the Great Reset. Embrace the Great Escape. – Zach Weissmueller of ReasonTV (8:204. An Imminent Threat from Artificial Intelligence | Aidan Gomez | TEDxOxford
 
Study finds people who practice intermittent fasting experience less severe complications from COVID-19
Intermountain Healthcare, July 7, 2022
Intermittent fasting has previously shown to have a host of health benefits, including lowering the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Now, researchers from Intermountain Healthcare have found that people who regularly fast are less like to experience severe complications from COVID-19.
In a new study published this week in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, Intermountain researchers found that COVID-19 patients who practiced regular water-only intermittent fasting had lower risk of hospitalization or dying due to the virus than patients who did not.
“Intermittent fasting has already shown to lower inflammation and improve cardiovascular health. In this study, we’re finding additional benefits when it comes to battling an infection of COVID-19 in patients who have been fasting for decades,” said Benjamin Horne, Ph.D., director of cardiovascular and genetic epidemiology at Intermountain Healthcare.
They identified 205 patients who had tested positive for the virus. Of those, 73 said they regularly fasted at least once a month. Researchers found that those who practiced regular fasting had a lower rate of hospitalization or death due to coronavirus.
“Intermittent fasting was not associated with whether or not someone tested positive COVID-19, but it was associated with lower severity once patients had tested positive for it,” Dr. Horne said.
Fasting reduces inflammation, especially since hyperinflammation is associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes. In addition, after 12 to 14 hours of fasting, the body switches from using glucose in the blood to ketones, including linoleic acid. “There’s a pocket on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 that linoleic acid fits into—and can make the virus less able to attach to other cells,” he said.
Low CoQ10 levels linked with neurodegeneration: Study
University of Tokyo , July 4, 2022
Researchers have found low levels of CoQ10 in people with multiple system atrophy, and suggested supplementation could help.
The study , published in JAMA Neurology, shows a link between low levels of blood coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA). 
The data backs recent hypotheses that CoQ10 deficiency could be linked with development of the neurodegenerative disorder, and that supplementation could be beneficial for MSA sufferers, the team said.
The study included 44 Japanese patients with MSA (average age of 64) and 39 Japanese control patients (average age 60).
CoQ10 has properties similar to vitamins, but since it is naturally synthesized in the body it is not classed as such. With chemical structure 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-6-decaprenyl-1,4-benzoquinone, it is also known as ubiquinone because of its ‘ubiquitous’ distribution throughout the human body.
The coenzyme is concentrated in the mitochondria – the ‘power plants’ of the cell – and plays a vital role in the production of chemical energy by participating in the production of adenosince triphosphate (ATP), the body’s co-called ‘energy currency’.
A role beyond the mitochondria is also acknowledged, with CoQ10 acting as a potent antioxidant. The coenzyme plays an important role in preserving levels of vitamin E and vitamin C.
They found plasma levels of CoQ10 were significantly lower in MSA patients, regardless of age, sex and Coenzyme Q2, polyprenyltransferase (COQ2) genotype. COQ2 is a protein coding gene which plays a part in the biosynthesis of CoQ10, Dr Tsuji explained.
Gardening can cultivate better mental health
University of Florida, July 6, 2022
Many longtime gardeners will tell you that the garden is their happy place. New research suggests that many people may indeed reap mental health benefits from working with plants — even if they’ve never gardened before.
In a study published in the journal “PLOS ONE,” University of Florida scientists found that gardening activities lowered stress, anxiety and depression in healthy women who attended twice-weekly gardening classes. None of study participants had gardened before.
Our study shows that healthy people can also experience a boost in mental wellbeing through gardening,” said Charles Guy, principal investigator on the study and a professor emeritus in the UF/IFAS environmental horticulture department.
Thirty-two women between the ages of 26 and 49 completed the study. All were in good health, which for this experiment meant screening for factors such as chronic health conditions, tobacco use and drug abuse, and having been prescribed medications for anxiety or depression. Half of the participants were assigned to gardening sessions, while the other half were assigned to art-making sessions. Both groups met twice a week for a total eight times. The art group served as a point of comparison with the gardening group.
“Both gardening and art activities involve learning, planning, creativity and physical movement, and they are both used therapeutically in medical settings. This makes them more comparable, scientifically speaking, than, for example, gardening and bowling or gardening and reading,” Guy explained.
Given the relatively small number of participants and the length of the study, the researchers were still able to demonstrate evidence of what medical clinicians would call the dosage effects of gardening — that is, how much gardening someone has to do to see improvements in mental health.
Vitamin B3 reduces the risk of skin cancer
University of Sydney, July 5, 2022
Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine offers new hope to those at high risk of developing the most common types of skin cancer. The study found that a form of vitamin B3 significantly decreased the chance of high-risk patients developing non-melanoma skin cancer.
Nicotinamide, the active form of vitamin B3, was found to reduce the rate of non-melanoma skin cancer by 23 percent. Commonly available in over-the-counter supplements, it has been found to be very well tolerated without unfavorable side effects.
12-month study points to reduced skin cancer risk with vitamin B3
Lab and animal studies have already shown nicotinamide to hold promise in preventing skin cancers, particularly the most common, non-melanoma variety that are the subject of this latest human study. But even though it was suspected that taking vitamin B3 could reduce skin cancer risk, the results were surprisingly dramatic.
The 12-month study involved 386 healthy subjects, all with a history of at least two non-melanoma skin cancers over the past five years, making them at risk for further skin cancers. Subjects were assigned to one of two groups: one receiving 500 mg of nicotinamide twice-daily and the other receiving only a placebo.
After 12 months, the rate of new non-melanoma skin cancers was reduced by 23 percent in those receiving the nicotinamide supplement compared to subjects receiving the placebo. It is unusual for a single, natural change to have such a significant impact.
An Avocado A Day Helps Keep Bad Cholesterol At Bay
Penn State University, July 7, 2022
An avocado a day helps keep bad cholesterol away, a new study reveals. Researchers from Penn State have found that eating an avocado daily for six months decreased unhealthy cholesterol levels. The “healthy” fats in avocados also had no negative effect on a person’s belly fat or waist circumference, though it didn’t lead to any weight loss either.
Previous studies have pointed to the benefits of eating avocados for losing weight, but the current study  is the largest to date that looks at multiple health effects of avocados.
“While the avocados did not affect belly fat or weight gain, the study still provides evidence that avocados can be a beneficial addition to a well-balanced diet,” says Penny Kris-Etherton, an Evan Pugh University Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State, in a university release. “Incorporating an avocado per day in this study did not cause weight gain and also caused a slight decrease in LDL cholesterol, which are all important findings for better health.”
Doing good deeds helps socially anxious people relax
Simon Fraser University (Canada) July 1, 2022 
Being busy with acts of kindness can help people who suffer from social anxiety to mingle more easily. This is the opinion of Canadian researchers Jennifer Trew of Simon Fraser University and Lynn Alden of the University of British Columbia, in a study published in Springer’s journal Motivation and Emotion.
Sufferers from social anxiety are more than just a little shy. Dealings with others might make them feel so threatened or anxious that they often actively avoid socializing. Although this protects them from angst and possible embarrassment, they lose out on the support and intimacy gained from having relationships with others. They have fewer friends, feel insecure when interacting with others, and often do not experience emotional intimacy even in close relationships.
Performing acts of kindness to the benefit of others is known to increase happiness and may lead to positive interactions and perceptions of the world at large. The present study investigated if, over time, the pro-social nature of kindness changes the level of anxiety that socially anxious people experienced while interacting with others, and helped them to engage more easily. It extends previous findings by Alden and Trew about the value that doing good deeds holds to socially anxious people.
Undergraduate students who experience high levels of social anxiety were enrolled in the study. The 115 participants were randomly assigned into three groups for the four-week intervention period. One group performed acts of kindness, such as doing a roommate’s dishes, mowing a neighbour’s lawn, or donating to a charity. The second group was only exposed to social interactions and was not asked to engage in such deeds, while the third group participated in no specific intervention and simply recorded what happened each day.
A greater overall reduction in patients’ desire to avoid social situations was found among the group who actively lent a helping hand. The findings therefore support the value of acts of kindness as an avoidance reduction strategy. It helps to counter feelings of possible rejection and temporary levels of anxiety and distress. It also does so faster than was the case for the participants who were merely exposed to social interactions without engaging in good deeds.