Tag: health

New Study Links Longer Breastfeeding to Fewer Developmental Delays

The more scientists research the effects of breastfeeding, the more benefits they identify for infants. Some advantages extend past infancy into childhood and even have a potential effect on adult health.

A recent study found that breastfeeding for at least 6 months was associated with fewer delays in reaching social, language, and motor developmental milestones. It was also linked to a reduced likelihood of neurodevelopmental conditions that can cause disability.

The findings build on earlier studies from recent years associating breastfeeding with a lower likelihood of allergies, asthma, high blood pressure, and infant death.

“It is widely known that ‘breast is best’ and that babies who are fed breastmilk have fewer infections, less allergic diseases, healthier GI [gastrointestinal] tracts, and so much more,” Dr. David Berger, a board-certified pediatrician not involved in the study, told The Epoch Times in an email.

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Trump Confronts What Every Other President Ignored: The Toxic Collapse of America’s Health

Today, from the White House, President Trump, joined by his HHS Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., unveiled the MAHA Report, a groundbreaking new initiative to Make America Healthy Again.

The timing couldn’t be more urgent. Chronic disease is skyrocketing, life expectancy is plummeting, and America’s health is teetering on the edge of collapse.

The White House event started with a warning. “There’s something wrong,” he said, his tone heavy.

He wasn’t speaking in vague generalities. Trump listed the cold, hard numbers.

“More than 40% of American children now have at least one chronic health condition.”

“Since the 1970, rates of childhood cancer have soared in many cases by nearly 50%.”

“In the 1960s, less than 5% of the children were obese. Now over 20% are obese.”

“Just a few decades ago, 1 in 10,000 children had autism. Today it’s 1 in 31.”

Each one was a glaring signal of a system in collapse.

Trump then vowed to get to the root of the crisis and “not stop until we defeat the chronic disease epidemic in America.”

The report lays out the full scope of that epidemic in unforgiving detail.

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Netflix, the FBI, and a Federal Frame Job That Took Down a Wellness Company…

There’s a dangerous trend happening in this country that we’re all aware of—and it’s picking up speed. The federal government is using the justice system as a weapon. Not to punish real crimes, but to punish the people it doesn’t like. That’s what lawfare is, and it’s been the go-to move of the FBI and DOJ for years now.

Conservatives have felt the bitter sting of lawfare more than anyone. From Douglass Mackey to the January 6ers to President Trump himself, the feds have gotten really comfortable twisting the law into a pretzel to go after political enemies. But here’s the curveball—what happens when they start using those same dirty tactics on people or groups who aren’t categorized as Trump supporters?

That’s what makes the case against the California-based wellness company OneTaste so disturbing. Not because the group is conservative—far from it—but because their prosecution reveals just how brazen and far-reaching lawfare has become.

OneTaste started as a Silicon Valley wellness company, but over time, it started to be accused of being a “sex cult.” We’re talking taboo rituals, a tight rein on emotions, and a setup that felt more like a tribe than a business. Most conservatives would take one look at this group and say, “No thanks”—but that’s not the point of this story, as you’ll find out below. And that’s precisely what makes the case so important.

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Toothpaste widely contaminated with lead and other metals, US research finds

Toothpaste can be widely contaminated with lead and other dangerous heavy metals, new research shows.

Most of 51 brands of toothpaste tested for lead contained the dangerous heavy metal, including those for children or those marketed as green. The testing, conducted by Lead Safe Mama, also found concerning levels of highly toxic arsenic, mercury and cadmium in many brands.

About 90% of toothpastes contained lead, 65% contained arsenic, just under half contained mercury, and one-third had cadmium. Many brands contain a number of the toxins.

The highest levels detected violated the state of Washington’s limits, but not federal limits. The thresholds have been roundly criticized by public health advocates for not being protective – no level of exposure to lead is safe, the federal government has found.

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Following the Money on RFK’s Top Targets, Pharma Ads & Soda

What do Big Pharma ads on TV and Diet Coke have in common? Both are targets of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the new head of the Health and Human Services department.

In his early efforts to press the “Make America Healthy Again,” Kennedy has singled out two seemingly different issues: those ubiquitous television ads for pharmaceuticals, and whether people on federal food assistance programs should be able to buy soda and junk food on the taxpayer dime.

Popping open a can of Diet Coke to open the latest episode of The Drill Down, host Peter Schweizer savors the taste of crony capitalism.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign to swiftly bar the use of food stamps to buy soda is fueling tensions between his team and the Agriculture Department. Of course, the American Beverage Association, a trade group that lobbies on behalf of “Big Soda,” is firing back, too.

HHS wants the Trump administration to approve petitions from the governors of Kentucky and West Virginia to ban soda purchases from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) program for the first time. But the USDA controls the program, not HHS. So that sets up a conflict, and for the beverage industry the stakes are very high.

The SNAP program costs $100 billion per year and serves about 42 million Americans.

Co-host Eric Eggers says that Coca-Cola would see a 2.5 percent decline in worldwide sales if sugary sodas were no longer covered by SNAP nationwide. Coca-Cola is just one of many makers of soda. Moreover, about 25 percent of all SNAP program spending is done at the cash registers at Walmart, so its influence will be felt as well.

The show also takes on another perennial issue and MAHA target — pharmaceutical advertising on television.

Every American is used to hearing and seeing ads for miracle drugs when watching television, especially news programs and sports. They often show bright, happy old people whirling around in golf carts or briskly walking while a voiceover speed-reads a cocktail of terrifying potential side effects.

“I’m generally a free-speech guy, but what is the purpose of these ads? They are meant to create demand for new, expensive drugs,” Schweizer points out.

Here also is the brewing conflict with those who make money based on those ads — media companies that sell those ad spaces to Big Pharma. About 30 percent of the ads sold for any news show on TV are for pharmaceuticals. Many people have noticed how generally easy the news media at those networks go on pharmaceutical companies.

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RFK Jr. Moves to Cut Soda from List of Approved Food Stamp Purchases – Pay Attention to Who Is Fighting Him on It

If HHS Secretary and healthy food advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has his way, SNAP will stand for Soda Not Allowed Period.

On Friday, Kennedy brought his “Make America Healthy Again” campaign to West Virginia, where Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced that he will be seeking permission from the Department of Agriculture to put soda on the list of items that cannot be bought through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, often referred to by its former name of food stamps, according to The Washington Post.

“Taxpayer dollars should be targeted toward nutritious foods,” Morrisey said.

Kennedy issued a full-throated request for states to copy Morrisey’s lead.

“I urge every Governor to follow West Virginia’s lead and submit a waiver to the USDA to remove soda from SNAP,” Kennedy said in a statement, according to Newsweek.

“If there’s one thing we can agree on, it should be eliminating taxpayer-funded soda subsidies for lower income kids. I look forward to inviting every Governor who submits a waiver to come celebrate with me at the White House this fall,” he said.

Waging a SNAP war on soda is opposed by Valerie Imbruce, director of the Center for Environment and Society at Washington College.

“Controlling how the poor eat is a paternalistic response to a problem that is not based in SNAP recipients’ inability to make good decisions about healthy foods, it is a problem of the price differential in choosing healthy or junk foods,” she said.

“Soda and candy are much cheaper and more calorie dense than 100 percent fruit juices or prebiotic non-artificially sweetened carbonated beverages, thanks to price supports and subsidies by the federal government to support a U.S. sugar industry,” she added.

The soda industry was also miffed, the Post noted.

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CBD Mouthwash Helps Reduce Oral Inflammation And Prevent Plaque Biofilms, Study Finds

Newly published research suggests that mouthwash containing cannabidiol (CBD) and another botanical extract could be a useful tool for promoting oral health, controlling bacteria and reducing inflammation.

The report, published late last month in the journal Clinical Advances in Dental Medicine and Oral Health, involved 40 patients using a mouthwash containing tea tree oil, CBD oil and spilanthol, a fatty acid extracted from the Acmella oleracea plant. Authors noted growing interest in CBD and spilanthol as natural ingredients in mouthwash products.

Compared to a mouthwash containing only tea tree oil, the CBD-infused product was significantly more effective at reducing plaque buildup and oral bleeding—chief symptoms of gingivitis.

Researchers also found that the CBD/spilanthol mouthwash maintained “homeostasis of the oral microbiome, thereby reducing the levels of bacteria that can affect periodontal health.”

The findings stand to benefit more than just oral health, authors noted, writing that inflammation in the mouth “has been demonstrated to correlate with the health status of the entire organism.”

“Prolonged, unaddressed inflammation, instigated by plaque bacteria and their interaction with the host immune system,” the paper says, “results in the deterioration of the supporting tissues of the teeth, as well as elevated levels of inflammatory mediators, which in turn, increases the risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and complications during pregnancy.”

In the study, participants who had oral inflammation and demonstrated what’s called “bleeding while probing” (BOP) showed a “significant reduction in BOP index values,” researchers observed.

They noted that CBD and spilanthol share characteristics that appear to help address oral inflammation and bleeding.

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THIS IS YOUR GOVERNMENT: Capitol Hill Lawmakers Drop Disturbing Details Allegedly Revealing the Dire Health Issues and Behavior of Many of Their Colleagues

We all know how poorly members of Congress behave and represent the American people, but now lawmakers are dropping damning information allegedly revealing how dire the situation on Capitol Hill really is.

As TGP readers know, several members have shown multiple signs of cognitive decline, and there are two glaring examples that immediately come to mind. The first is late California Senator Dianne Feinstein.

Feinstein held onto office despite being so diminished mentally that she had no choice but to give up power of attorney to her daughter as the New York Post notes. Then, in December 2024, Texas GOP representative Kay Granger was found in a dementia care home last year after going missing from Congress for six months.

This is on top of the numerous falls we have seen from other elderly politicians like Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) told Politico that up to a dozen of his colleagues are in advanced stages of cognitive decline and have no clue what they are voting on.

“There’s no question that somewhere between six and a dozen of my colleagues are at a point where they’re… I think they don’t have the faculties to do their job,” he revealed.

A Republican lawmaker who withheld his name agreed with Himes that dementia on the Hill was a problem and added this:

“I have a difficult time sometimes telling between the deterioration of members and a handful who are just not very smart.”

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) dropped even more disturbing information to Politico: members of Congress are showing up drunk and high as they go to vote.

“I’ve seen one Republican who, unfortunately for you, has to go unnamed, show up drunk a number of times,” he said. “There were one or two Dems I thought might be high on something but not drunk.”

Himes added that most members were rarely sober when they cast late-night votes, though he had never witnessed anyone extremely drunk.

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Study: Majority of EBT-Eligible Food Products Are Ultra-Processed

We’ve all been there: you’re waiting in the checkout line at your local Save money. Live better™ Walmart, or wherever fine groceries are sold, and in front of you is a family of four — all obese if not morbidly so — with a cart chock full of Dr. Thunder (Walmart’s Dr. Pepper knock-off) and Hot Pockets and stuff like that.

“EBT,” they say when the cashier reports their bill.

Then you realize — with a disparate mix of revulsion, empathy, and helplessness — that you have just subsidized their slow-burning suicide and the homicide of their equally fat children.

One advocacy group recently attempted to quantify this phenomenon.

Via GoCoCo (emphasis added):

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has come under increasing scrutiny for how its benefits are spent. Critics point out that the program may be “encouraging families to eat highly processed, unhealthy junk food” rather than nourishing them with wholesome options. This concern prompted us to conduct a detailed investigation into the foods eligible for purchase with Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards (which deliver SNAP benefits) at one of the nation’s largest grocery retailers…

Our analysis of more than 13,000 SNAP-EBT eligible products reveals a stark nutritional reality. The vast majority of items that SNAP recipients can buy are highly processed. Notable findings include…

62% of EBT-eligible products studied are ultra-processed foods…

Nearly half (47%) of the products contain artificial flavorings…

8% of products contain additives that are banned in California or in California schools…

Over 160 products contain Red Dye No. 3, which has been recently banned by the FDA.

Of course, one of the biggest reasons this mass-scale human tragedy is allowed to play itself out is the influence of big food lobbyists in Washington (and at the state level) who bribe politicians and policymakers to include ultra-processed foods manufactured by mega-corporations like Nestle, Coca-Cola, et al. in the EBT program.

Often, these lobbyists go as low as weaponizing accusations of racism against anyone who objects.

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Teens Who Eat Ultraprocessed Foods Have Lower Muscle Mass

A revelation from recent research highlights that consuming higher amounts of UPFs elevates the risk of developing low muscle mass by 60% in young and middle-aged adults.

Published in Frontiers in Nutrition, this study draws attention to the growing concern over UPFs infiltrating modern diets and their tangible impact on muscle health.

Low muscle mass, a key indicator of sarcopenia, is characterized by a significant reduction in muscle size and strength.

This condition not only limits your physical capabilities but also increases the likelihood of metabolic disorders and raises your risk of mortality. Maintaining adequate muscle mass is key for overall health and functional independence as you age.

The study analyzed data from 10,255 adults aged 20 to 59 and found that 7.65% of participants were classified with low muscle mass. Individuals in the highest quartile of UPF consumption derived an average of 55.7% of their daily calories from these foods, compared to 54.62% in those with normal muscle mass.

According to the researchers, “Our study underscores a significant linear association between higher UPFs consumption and an elevated risk of low muscle mass in adults.”

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