Consumption of Red Meat in diet linked to shortened life span.

 Recently featured on the Dianne Rheme show, and also mainstream media such as CNN and the New York Times, consumption of Red Meat has been linked to heart disease, and other significant causes of illness and death in humans.  

 With Processed Meats such as hotdogs and lunchmeats already linked with certainty to colon cancers and stomach cancer, this news, while alarming can serve to help individuals choose their diets more wisely and decrease the likelyhood of serious ailments later in life. 

From the Dianne Rheme Show 

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. An estimated 80 million Americans have one or more types of the deadly disease. For many years, numerous studies stressed the link between a diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol with hardening of the arteries. But critics of these studies doubted they had found the true dietary cause. Now, new research from doctors at the Cleveland Clinic finds that a compound in red meat and supplements leads to higher heart disease risk. For our Mind and Body Series: the latest research on red meat and what it might mean for heart disease treatment and prevention.

From CNN 

Using data from two long-running studies of health professionals, researchers tracked the diets of more than 121,000 middle-aged men and women for up to 28 years. Roughly 20% of the participants died during that period.

On average, each additional serving of red meat the participants ate per day was associated with a 13% higher risk of dying during the study. Processed red meat products -- such as hot dogs, bacon, and salami -- appeared to be even more dangerous: Each additional daily serving was associated with a 20% higher risk of dying.

Based on these findings, the researchers estimate that substituting one daily serving of red meat with fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, whole grains, or low-fat dairy products would reduce the risk of dying in this stage of life by 7% to 19%. If everyone in the study had slashed their average red-meat intake to less than half a serving per day, the researchers say, 9% of deaths among men and 8% of deaths among women could have been prevented.

Scared of the dentist? New acupuncture study shows cure for phobia.

 Acupuncture may well be the new cure for patients who are scared of going to the dentist. A new study carried out by experts at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria has revealed significant evidence that traditional Chinese medicine could help to relax nervous patients prior to dental treatment.

"The aim of the study was to analyse whether acupuncture in the outer ear could reduce fear of dental treatment," wrote Andrea Michalek-Sauberer and her co-author from the clinical department for special anaesthetic and pain therapy at the AKH (Allgemeines Krankenhaus) in Vienna.

The research was carried out on 182 randomly selected patients whose fear of the dentist was measured before the therapy with a psychological test created by the experts. The patients then underwent either acupuncture carried out on the specific parts of the outer ear which help to calm and relax, fake acupuncture on fingers or shoulders or no therapy at all. The psychological test was then repeated 20 minutes later just before the dental treatment itself.

The results of the test revealed that those who received some form of therapy before dental treatment were significantly less anxious than those who did not. The patients who received the real acupuncture in the outer ear scored 7.9 points less on the scale of the chosen psychological test than the group who received no treatment. The group who received the fake acupuncture scored only 3.7 points less.

"Aurikular (outer ear) acupuncture could be an option for dental patients, who suffer from severe fear and want urgent therapy," concluded the author of the report.