Water Will Be Our Next Big Battle

Dear EarthTalk: I saw a cover line on a magazine that said, "The next world war will be over water." Tell me we're not really running out of water!

-- Nell Fox, Seattle, WA

Today fully one-sixth of the world's human population lacks access to clean drinking water, and more than two million people -- mostly kids -- die each year from water-borne diseases. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), an independent organization that provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States, predicts that by 2025, one-third of all humans will face severe and chronic water shortages.

Needless to say, water is of primary importance to our survival, and protecting access to and the quality of fresh water supplies will likely become more and more of a challenge in the coming years. According to the non-profit World Water Council, the 20th century saw a tripling of the world's population while freshwater use grew by a factor of six. With world population expected to increase as much as 50 percent over the next half century, analysts are indeed worried that increasing demand for water, coupled with industrialization and urbanization, will have serious consequences both for human health and the environment. Access to freshwater is also likely to cause conflicts between governments as well as within national borders around the world.

According to USAID, the world's "water crisis" is not so much an issue of scarcity as it is of poor management and inequitable distribution. The hardest hit regions have been countries in the Middle East, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Worldwide demand for water is presently doubling every 21 years.

Water-related problems are not the sole purview of the developing world though. We here in North America have polluted and diverted our fresh water supplies far beyond nature's capacity to restore the flows, notably in the West where sprawling, thirsty metropolises have grown up in deserts where the only way water can be provided is to siphon it from other regions.

So how do we fix the world's water woes? The key lies in using water more efficiently -- especially in agriculture and industry, which together account for over 90 percent of the world's total freshwater use. But changing the practices of millions of farmers and businesses around the world is a Herculean task.

Irena Salina, director of the award-winning documentary film, FLOW, about the world's dwindling water supplies, thinks it can be done if world leaders, international banks, the United Nations and other governmental organizations establish cooperative agreements for the use of bodies of water, including groundwater, and economic mechanisms to make sure those who need access to water can get it.

As for the developed world -- where we use 10 times the water as do developing countries--Salina remains pessimistic. "If our own leaders were serious about solving problems, we would not allow corporations to discharge pollutants into our water sources," she says. "Instead of spending billions on technologies that clean up pollution, we would be using resources to prevent water pollution in the first place.

"CONTACTS: World Water Council, www.worldwatercouncil.org; USAID, www.usaid.gov; Flow the Film, http://www.flowthefilm.com/

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; or submit it at: www.emagazine.com.

A gift from God, share it with others

By Samaneh Nazerian

One of the blessings God has bestowed on us is the smile.

If you have yet experienced it, you would well know that what a strong weapon we have. Nowadays, people smile just when they feel good or take pleasure in life. We can solve a great number of our problems and make others happy in a very simple way -- with a little smile!

Let’s take a look at some of its positive effects:

Do you know how relaxed we feel with a smile? It gives great comfort to us and others.

If someone gives you a sweet smile, you would definitely reply to him or her with a smile. This is a completely an unconscious reaction.

Today, it seems that people are less interested in smiling. They only manage to force a smile. Dealing with lots of problems has wiped the grin off of people’s faces.

Sometimes they refuse to beam at each other because no one wants to be regarded as a sensitive, perceptive, or vulnerable person.

One reason that a smile is effective is that through it we transfer a good feeling, kindness, and love to others. Do you remember once when someone gave you a little grin? How did you feel then, at that time? Save goodness, do you have any other feelings?

With a smile, we feel wonderfully relaxed and calm. It’s a certain calm. It heals and unites us. It makes us more attractive and builds up our self-esteem. It causes a domino effect of joy and amusement and sets off a number of positive physical effects, including reducing the level of stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine and growth hormone. It also increases the level of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins, and neurotransmitters.

Strengthening our immune systems, it helps us recover from illness and brings joy into our lives.
It shortens the distance between people, binds us together, lightens our burdens, and helps us keep things in perspective.

The main thing sapping our energy is the time, focus, and effort we put into coping with life’s problems. Bear in mind that we are human beings; our families, our friends, and our neighbors are not perfect and neither are our marriages, our kids, our in-laws as well as us ourselves. When we beam at each other, it can bind us closer together instead of pulling us apart. Even in the most difficult of times, a little smile can go a long way in helping us feel better.

The best smiles:

• Smiling with eyes is the most sincere kind of smile. Smiles are enjoyed best when they are friendly and honest.


• Many people want to seem more sincere, or simply want to be able to express themselves. When it comes to happiness, “smiling with our eyes” is of great importance to us and can be learned.
  
• Know that 90% of a sincere “smile with the eyes” is just getting the muscles of our face trained properly. When something really makes us happy, our eyes get brighter, taking on an excited shine or gleam. This is the exact opposite of “glassy eyes”.


• In order to achieve this goal, we will need to train our mind with practice, just as we trained our face.


• We have to learn to convince ourselves that what we are smiling about is really something we like and are excited about. If we can’t do this, we will have to practice quickly bringing to mind a memory or image that makes us happy. When we have to give our best smile (even if you don’t feel happy), quickly think of this happy thought and make the smile. Anyone watching will see a person smiling with their whole face.


• Some people are used to this. Others may take more time to get the hang of it. Take comfort. If you can’t pull this off to save your life, it just means you’re honest.
  
• We should try to avoid untimely smiling, and smiling at each other for the sake of ourselves in an attempt to feel better, not to receive others’ attention.


• Even when we are alone, and there is nothing making us happy, we can manage to bring a smile to our lips just for being still alive, well, and even alone.


• Let’s try it, and then enjoy life. It’s free, convenient, and beneficial in so many ways. It definitely makes good sense. Practice it now and see its positive effects on yourselves and others. It’s a free gift. We shouldn’t withhold it from others in the interests of ourselves

Christ Took Our Punishment On Himself

By DR. BILLY GRAHAM


DEAR DR. GRAHAM: I've never understood why Jesus, when He was on the cross, cried out and asked God why He had forsaken Him. If God turned His back on Jesus when He was dying, could He turn His back on us when the time comes for our death? This really worries me. -- Mrs. V.L.

DEAR MRS. V.L.: Don't let this thought worry you any longer -- and it won't, once you realize what Jesus Christ actually did for you on the cross.

Admittedly Jesus' cry from the cross seems strange at first: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). How could God turn His back on His only Son (which is who Jesus was)? During all His time on earth up to this point Jesus had walked in perfect fellowship with His Father -- but now that fellowship was broken. How could this happen?

The key is to realize that when Jesus died on the cross, He became the final and perfect sacrifice for our sins. He was without sin, because He was God in human flesh. But on the cross the sins of the whole world -- including your sins and mine -- were placed on Him. He took upon Himself the death and judgment you and I deserve. We deserved to be on that cross -- but He took our place. And because our sins were placed on Him, God had to turn away. A holy God could not remain in the presence of sin.

But because Christ took the punishment we deserve, we don't have to take it! God has already dealt with our sins! If you have never trusted Christ for your salvation, pause right now and ask Him to come into your life and forgive you -- and He will.

10 Lifestyle Tips for Cancer Prevention

Diet, Activity Recommendations May Reduce the Risk of Cancer, Experts Say


By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Oct. 28, 2008 -- Looking for ways to cut your risk of developing cancer? Here's a list of 10 diet and activity recommendations highlighted this week in Chicago at the annual meeting of the American Dietetic Association (ADA)

• Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight.


• Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day.


• Avoid sugary drinks, and limit consumption of high-calorie foods, especially those low in fiber and rich in fat or added sugar.


• Eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes (such as beans).
  
• Limit consumption of red meats (including beef, pork, and lamb) and avoid processed meats.


• If you drink alcohol, limit your daily intake to two drinks for men and one drink for women.


• Limit consumption of salty foods and food processed with salt (sodium).


• Don't use supplements to try to protect against cancer.


• It's best for mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies for up to six months and then add other liquids and foods.
  
• After treatment, cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention.
  

Here Are Some Tips To Keep Your Pets Safe This Halloween:

Don't leave your pets out in the yard on Halloween or the night before. There are plenty of stories of vicious pranksters who have teased, injured, stolen, even killed pets. If you have cats, it's best to keep them inside all year long, but it is especially important to keep them inside as Halloween approaches. The same goes for dogs and even the sweetest dog could bite an innocent trick-or-treater in a scary costume if the animal feels threatened. So it's best to keep them inside.

Trick-or-treat candies are not for pets. Chocolate is dangerous for dogs and could kill them and candy wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed.

Be careful of pets around a jack-o-lantern lit with a candle. Pets may knock them over and cause a fire. Cats and Kittens are especially at risk of being burned around lit candles. It's not uncommon for a tail or a whisker to be singed. This year consider a faux jack-o-lantern. No carving or candle necessary.

Keep your pets in a separate room when answering the door. Sometimes strangers in strange costumes can be scary for a dog. Especially hats, wigs, masks and sun glasses. Watch out for open doors too, so your cat or dog doesn't dart out as you pass out candy.

Program your vet's emergency number in your phone. Having your vet's emergency phone number programmed in your phone is the easiest thing you can do to prepare for an accident any time of year.

Keep candy and other treats out of your pet's reach. Crinkling paper and yummy smells can be very tempting to cats, dogs, ferrets and even birds.

Scientists Prove It Really Is A Thin Line Between Love And Hate

The same brain circuitry is involved in both extreme emotions – but hate retains a semblance of rationality


By Steve Connor,
Science Editor
Wednesday, 29 October 2008



Michael Douglas and KathleenTurner played a couple with a stormy relationship in the 1989 film War Of The Roses

Love and hate are intimately linked within the human brain, according to a study that has discovered the biological basis for the two most intense emotions.

Scientists studying the physical nature of hate have found that some of the nervous circuits in the brain responsible for it are the same as those that are used during the feeling of romantic love – although love and hate appear to be polar opposites.

A study using a brain scanner to investigate the neural circuits that become active when people look at a photograph of someone they say they hate has found that the "hate circuit" shares something in common with the love circuit.

The findings could explain why both hate and romantic love can result in similar acts of extreme behaviour – both heroic and evil – said Professor Semir Zeki of University College London, who led the study published in the on-line journal PloS ONE.

"Hate is often considered to be an evil passion that should, in a better world, be tamed, controlled and eradicated. Yet to the biologist, hate is a passion that is of equal interest to love," Professor Zeki said.

"Like love, it is often seemingly irrational and can lead individual to heroic and evil deeds. How can two opposite sentiments lead to the same behaviour?"

The study advertised for volunteers to take part in the study and 17 people were chosen who professed a deep hatred for one individual. Most chose an ex-lover or a competitor at work, although one woman expressed an intense hatred for a famous political figure.

Professor Zeki and John Romaya of the Wellcome Laboratory of Neurobiology analysed the activity of the neural circuits in the brain that lit up when the volunteers were viewing photos of the hated person.

They found that the hate circuit includes parts of the brain called the putamen and the insula, found in the sub-cortex of the organ. The putamen is already known to be involved in the perception of contempt and disgust and may also be part of the motor system involved in movement and action.

"Significantly, the putamen and the insula are also both activated by romantic love. This is not surprising. The putamen could also be involved in the preparation of aggressive acts in a romantic context, as in situations when a rival presents a danger," Professor Zeki said.

"Previous studies have suggested that the insula may be involved in responses to distressing stimuli, and the viewing of both a loved and a hated face may constitute such a distressing signal."

One major difference between love and hate appears to be in the fact that large parts of the cerebral cortex – associated with judgement and reasoning – become de-activated during love, whereas only a small area is deactivated in hate.

"This may seem surprising since hate can also be an all-consuming passion like love. But whereas in romantic love, the lover is often less critical and judgemental regarding the loved person, it is more likely that in the context of hate the hater may want to exercise judgement in calculating moves to harm, injure or otherwise exact revenge," Professor Zeki said.

"Interestingly, the activity of some of these structures in response to a hated face is proportional in strength to the declared intensity of hate, thus allowing the subjective state of hate to be objectively quantified. This finding may have implications in criminal cases."

Healthy Habits

Herald Sun
October 28, 2008

Australia has now officially overtaken the US as the fattest nation in the world and a recent Murdoch Childrens Research Institute study has found 30 per cent of Australian children are overweight or obese.

That figure is expected to increase to 33 per cent by 2025. In Term 1, 2009, the Herald Sun tackles the challenging issue of childhood obesity with its Healthy Habits education resource. Accompanied by four-page lift-outs in the Herald Sun, the resource aims to give school-aged children a better understanding of how good eating habits and physical activity can impact on their health and general wellbeing.

Fight Obesity With New Antibody That Degrades Appetite Stimulant?

ScienceDaily (Oct. 28, 2008)

Scientists from the Scripps Research Institute have discovered a catalytic antibody that degrades a known appetite stimulant. The antibody works against the gastric hormone ghrelin (pronounced "grell-in"), which has been linked to weight gain and fat storage through its metabolic actions. These findings point towards a potentially novel treatment for obesity that would interfere directly with the some of the biological mechanisms determining weight.

In the study, which was led by investigators Kim Janda and Eric P. Zorrilla of The Scripps Research, the antibody catalyst GHR-11E11 led to a higher metabolic rate in fasting mice and suppressed feeding following 24-hour food deprivation.

"Our study showed that this novel catalytic ghrelin antibody could specifically seek out and degrade ghrelin," said Janda, who is Ely R. Callaway, Jr. Professor of Chemistry, member of The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, and director, Worm Institute of Research and Medicine (WIRM), at Scripps Research. "While this antibody lacks a high level of catalytic efficiency, our study clearly demonstrates that even a basal level of catalysis can effectively modulate feeding behavior. These findings not only validate antibody-based therapeutics, but strongly suggest that catalytic anti-ghrelin antibodies might help patients reach and maintain their weight loss goals."

According to recent reports from the World Health Organization, about 1 billion people worldwide are overweight or obese, with most of these in the developed world. In the United States, for example, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that, in 2003-2004, approximately 66 percent of all adults 20 years of age or older were overweight or obese. Almost four out of every five American men aged 40 to 59 were classified as overweight, according to a 2006 study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The new study is being published the week of October 27, 2008, in an advance, online Early Edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Targeting Ghrelin
While non-surgical treatments can be modestly effective against obesity, weight loss or gain can be affected by ghrelin, which is released by the body to encourage eating during periods of calorie restriction. A gastric endocrine hormone produced primarily in the stomach, ghrelin promotes weight gain and fat storage through its metabolic actions, decreasing the break down of stored fat for energy as well as energy expenditure itself.

During periods of weight loss, the body produces high levels of ghrelin to encourage eating. Human studies have shown that ghrelin levels rise before meals and fall afterwards, findings that are consistent with the hormone's role in hunger and eating initiation. Indeed, circulating ghrelin levels are increased by food deprivation and decreased by eating, glucose load, insulin, and somatostatin, an important neural signaling hormone. Recent studies suggest mice deficient for ghrelin or its receptor store less of their consumed food and are resistant to diet-induced obesity. Also, small-molecule ghrelin receptor antagonists have been shown to reduce food intake, promote selective weight loss in the form of body fat, and improve glucose tolerance by augmenting glucose-induced insulin secretion.

The new study suggests the possibility that passive immunopharmacotherapy with a catalytic anti-ghrelin antibody such as GHR-11E11 could decrease the level of serum ghrelin as well as modulate energy homeostasis.

"The reason we looked at passive immunopharmacotherapy to treat obesity was because agonist/antagonist types of drugs have been remarkably unsuccessful," Janda said. "They are effective only while treatment is maintained and when treatment stops, weight returns. For obesity treatments to work, they must affect food intake and energy expenditure or storage—which is what this new catalytic antibody does by degrading ghrelin. Some people have the idea that because ghrelin is an endogenous hormone there might be too many adverse side effects if you eliminate it, but there is new evidence that the body itself produces antibodies against ghrelin."

Immunotherapeutic approaches against ghrelin may hold certain advantages over small-molecule antagonist treatments. First, immunoneutralization would occur outside the central nervous system, eliminating potential side effects that might occur with blood-brain barrier-penetrating small molecule antagonists. Second, therapeutic antibodies utilize the bloodstream as a site of action, which produces a pharmacological profile of safety and efficacy that is highly predictable and reproducible. In addition, immunization against a ligand may be more effective than small molecule receptor antagonist approaches when the receptor targets are unknown, multiple, or difficult to bind with any specificity.

Given the complex nature of obesity, any antibody-based strategy would most likely be used in combination with other available drugs, and as part of a comprehensive treatment approach that included nutritional, exercise, educational, and psychosocial components, Janda said.

However, he added, more research is needed. In addition to the development of more effective ghrelin antibodies, scientists need to better understand issues such as the effect of the antibodies over the long-term and their impact on individuals with varying body weights.

Doctors Regularly Prescribe Placebos

Study Suggests Many Physicians Prescribe Drugs for Patient Peace of Mind Alone


By AUDREY GRAYSON
ABC News Medical Unit
Oct. 24, 2008

When you visit the doctor's office with a cold or other illness, you may leave with a prescription that does more for your peace of mind than it does for your actual ailment.

According to a new study published in the British Medical Journal, U.S. doctors regularly give placebo treatments such as vitamins, sedatives or even antibiotics to patients, even though in many cases these doctors don't expect such treatments to help the patient's underlying disease.

In a survey of 679 general internal medicine physicians and rheumatologists, researchers from the National Institutes of Health found that about half of the doctors admitted to prescribing placebo treatments without informing the patient.

Moreover, most of the doctors, 62 percent, believed that the practice of giving a patient a placebo without their knowledge is ethically sound.

Look After Your Skin!

The skin reflects your general health and social behaviour. Situations which effect your health can have an important effect on your skin, for example cigarette smoking causes ageing and wrinkling of the skin with time.

If your skin changes suddenly and with no apparent reason it may be a sign of ill health, e.g. the sudden onset of dry skin with coarse hair and weight gain may mean your thyroid gland is underactive.

Keeping the skin clean is important to prevent infections and odours but excess washing can particularly in people with a tendency to dry skin already, cause loss of oil in the outer layers of the skin and provoke dermatitis. Similarly, chemicals such as petrol, white spirit and detergents can cause dry and damaged skin leading to hand dermatitis. This is a large cause of illness related to occupation; people particularly at risk are those who have their hands in and out of water a lot, such as hairdressers, nurses, mechanics etc. The young and the elderly have more sensitive skin because their barrier is less well formed. People who have had eczema, asthma or hay fever as children are more prone to these problems in adult life.

The major cause of ageing of our skin is ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet causes pigmentation changes e.g. liver spots or sunspots, broken blood vessels, thinning of the dermis and wrinkling of the skin. In order to prevent this, protection of the skin against ultraviolet light is required. Certain skin types are more susceptible to these effects. Most at risk are those with fair skin that burns easily.