I remember reading this on the 10th of Sept in the Mail on Sunday. I was gobsmacked by people negative reactions. Let’s give it a go !

UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization released a draft report on sex education. The report advise that children as young as five should be taught about explicit sex acts. The advice also calls for youngsters to learn about abortion, same-sex relationships and sexually transmitted diseases.

The guidance is due to be issued to governments, local authorities and education bodies around the world by the end of October.

Since published, the report has provoked an international outcry. Critics claim that addressing the issue of masturbation, which is contained in the plan, is too explicit for young children and removes the responsibility of parents to teach their own children about sex.

About the guidelines of the report
The guidelines break down suitable topics for discussion into four age groups. Among the most controversial recommendations are for teachers to begin discussing subjects such as masturbation with children from the age of five.

They recommend teachers should discuss the idea that ‘girls and boys have private body parts that can feel pleasurable when touched by oneself’.

When children are 12, teachers should be covering issues such as ‘access to safe abortion and post-abortion care’ and the ‘use and misuse of emergency contraception’.

The guidelines also recommend young people should learn about the ‘right to and access to safe abortion’. The report is intended to help countries improve sex education and sexual health, especially in the developing world

Reactions..
But Tory MP Ann Widdecombe said: ‘This is wholly inappropriate and is destroying parental responsibility. It is parents who should determine the pace of revelation, not the authorities.

‘What one child may be ready to learn about at the age of ten, another child may not be ready for until 13. It should be up to parents to make these decisions.

‘When it comes to innocent children at the tender age of five years old, it is absolutely appalling these guidelines suggest that they should be taught about subjects such as masturbation.’

Fellow Tory MP Nadine Dorries said: ‘Educating children and young people to believe that access to legal abortion is a right delivers a message which suggests that abortion is a lifestyle choice  -  a method of contraception as opposed to the incredibly traumatic and distressing experience it is for most young women.’

UNESCO officials last night insisted that the guidelines will help to reduce the risk of infections from sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies among the young.
They added that it was up to governments and educational bodies to decide whether to implement the guidance.
In addition, the guidelines had been compiled for two years by a team of experts, who have drawn on more than 80 international studies of sex education.

The report, which is estimated to have cost over £200,000, is currently under discussion. But its content is unlikely to change substantially before it is officially released.

Mark Richmond, UNESCO’s global co-ordinator for HIV and AIDS, said: ‘It doesn’t mean that teaching about masturbation must take place at five years old. It may be mentioned, but it is up to parents and teachers about whether this is done. The guidelines are forms of advice.’

The UK’s governement’s reaction
A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said the Government was already conducting a review of sex education.
The spokesman added that sex education is ‘essential’ if young people are to make responsible decisions

What about your views?
My view is that it’s just great. The sooner my kids learn about their sexuality, the better.

September is over and the mad rush to Christmas has started. The tube is busy again, work can be manic and you have many things to be anxious about.

Natural and gentle help is at hand
Instead of popping prescription meds for that new bout of anxiety, stop it before it gets too far with a little bit of natural help. The Kava kava plant is here to help slow your mind and reduce your workday, school day, and dinner time anxieties.

What is Kava Kava?
Kava kava—or scientifically termed Piper methysticum—is native to many island nations in and around Polynesia (including Hawaii) where it has been used for centuries as a ceremonial herb to induce intoxication as a way to calm the patrons of celebrations. Although the kava plant has large, green leaves and stems, the actual root is the only part of the plant that is used for medicinal or recreational purposes.

What is Kava Kava good for ?
Besides anxiety, kava kava has been used in numerous natural remedies for insomnia and back pain as well as help with children who are hyperactive or have trouble sleeping. It has been used by business associates trying to keep up with their workload, athletes crushed by their vigorous schedules, and intellectuals hoping to take that pressure off and assist in focusing their minds.

What does Kava Kava do to you ?
Kava kava helps make the body as calm as possible and stay that way as long as the root is in your system. Kava root relaxes your muscles, gives you a feeling of well-being, creates peaceful and relaxing feelings, increases concentration, lowers inhibitions, and can act as an organic form of aphrodisiac. By making people more sociable and less self conscious, it makes sense that it’s the premier “ice breaker” drink of Polynesia.

Kava is also used as an alternative to alcohol among the islands and is a well-known drink available at large functions like weddings, graduations, funerals and community gatherings. There is no known hangover quality to imbibing a kava concoction and has little known side effects when used sparingly.

Potential side effects and warnings
Potential side effects of taking kava are drowsiness, headache, and reaction with certain drugs, indigestion or skin rash; more serious conditions may occur with dangerous amounts of kava and people interested in adding kava to their routine should always consult their healthcare provider before taking anything new.
In addition, pregnant women and people with liver problems have been cautioned not to take it. Kava kava, while used as a drink or a medicine should also never be taken along with alcohol.

How do you consume Kava Kava ?
Traditionally, the kava root was chewed for the medicinal effects or crushed and simmered and made into a beverage. In modern times, kava kava is now available in capsules, teas, liquids, extracts, tablets, and mixed into natural health beverages.

How does it work?
Scientists believe that the root of the kava plant seems to be used as a type of neurotransmitter sending good feelings in the form of chemicals to your brain cells. A 2004 study came to the conclusion that kava, “appears to be an effective symptomatic treatment option for anxiety.” The study also showed, however, that it should not be abused because although there is a percentage of effectiveness against anxiety, it is not high, and should not be used for prolonged or extreme cases of anxiety.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for a natural anti-stress, Kava Kava may well reduce your natural anxieties and help you cope with demanding situations

article Source healthnews.com

Today Q&A about the news that a 14 year old girl died soon after receiving the Cervarix vaccine in the UK.

My view

It’s always sad when someone dies.

I have no objection to the safety of vaccinations. It is a fact that there are risks, but they are remote, especially when compared to the diseases they prevent.  We do not know yet what caused the accident but this is the first death in England.

Any doctor will tell you that death caused by vaccine will be very rare and that since 750 women die from cervical cancer in England every year the benefits outweigh the costs.

One issue does remain, the vaccine has not been proved to work beyond the 5 year period and the vaccine is marketed as working for 5+ years, so there may be a need for vaccinate again all those young girls (see death stats here).

I have to say there are a lot of critics out there. Some will question the success rate of the vaccine, some will question the link between the HPV virus and having cervix cancer, some will attack the marketing techniques, some will say that regardless of the vaccine a yearly review will still be needed, some regard the vaccination program as an experiment. So many more…

Apart from all these views which are well worth listening to,  I am of the view that this vaccine program is worth being undertaken. I just hope a better vaccine will in time be developed  that has lesser side effects.

What happened?

All we know at this stage is that a 14-year-old girl tragically died shortly after being given the vaccine. We do not know her past medical history, and a post-mortem has yet to be held to ascertain the cause of death.

What do we know about the vaccine?

Cervarix vaccine prevents infection with the two commonest types of HPV involved in cervical cancer. HPV stands for Human Papillomavirus.

Cervarix is given in three doses during a six-month period to trigger immune responses that help protect against two strains of HPV responsible for most cervical cancer cases.

The vaccine is approved for females ages 9 to 26. The vaccine has not been tested beyond 5 years so it is not known how long the immunity from the vaccine will last beyond that.

Even with the cervical screening program, in England, each year, there are:

• 21,617 cases of advanced precancerous disease.

• 2,221 cases of invasive cancer of the cervix.

• 899 deaths from cancer of the cervix.

The vaccine will probably prevent around 70% of these. It has been used in this country for just over a year, and more than a million doses have been given. Worldwide, many more doses have been administered with a good safety record.

Here are links to some stats and infor from the NHS

Is the vaccine safe?

The vaccine is safe, there will always be events of bad reactions and some mild to serious side effects.  Since the vaccine was introduced (it is now licensed in over 90 countries), its safety has been monitored very carefully. In spite of millions of doses being given, we haven’t heard of other deaths.

Now i don’t want to appear biased but the side effects do exist.  In the UK, Cervarix has been used for a year now, there have been over 2000 adverse reactions and over 4000 suspected adverse reactions. About 10 of these are so serious that their families are suing Glaxo Smith Kline, the manufacturer of the vaccine. Read here on page 2.

My conclusion is that overall, rarely a person does have a life-threatening allergic reaction after a vaccine and things have not changed with this one.

Could there be a problem with a particular batch of vaccine?

Until we know more, this is impossible to say. However, as a precaution, the batch from which this young girl was immunised (AHPVA043BB).

Should we go on using the vaccine?

The worldwide track record of this vaccine is such that it is most unlikely there is any problem with the vaccine in general.

Simply, many men and women are not aware of the risk factors for heart disease, especially when it comes to cholesterol.

About the risks

To put it bluntly, high cholesterol will cause your heart to fail. As an example  high cholesterol can cause anything from Diabetes to Heart failure.

For women, if you’re a middle-aged, 40 to 60, high cholesterol is the single most important risk factor for heart disease and heart attacks.

Evidence strongly indicates that high cholesterol levels can cause narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis), heart attacks and strokes. The risk of coronary heart disease also rises as the blood’s cholesterol level increases. If other risk factors, such as high blood pressure and smoking, are present, the risk increases even more.

Some background
Millions of British people get a diagnosis of high cholesterol every year. Cholesterol comes from two sources: your body and your food. Your liver (and to a smaller degree, your cells) makes about 75 percent of blood cholesterol. The remaining 25 percent comes from the foods you eat.

Cholesterol is divided into two main types. HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, is the “good” cholesterol because it helps to clear excess fats from the arteries. LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, is the bad cholesterol because it clogs the arteries, increasing a person’s risk for heart attack and stroke.

Women are particularly at risk in the premenopausal period. At First etrogen tends to raise HDL (good) cholesterol, but as estrogen drops during menopause, HDL levels drop too, and LDL levels rise. That’s why women need to know their cholesterol level.

In some people, improving diet and adding exercise can lower the overall number, but when lifestyle remains the same or people have a genetic predisposition for high cholesterol, medication is usually prescribed.

Cardiologists say many people think that because they are taking medication, they’re protected and don’t need to worry about their cholesterol level. That’s just not the case.

Know your cholesterol levels
So what are good cholesterol levels? Your overall cholesterol number should be under 200. If you have other risk factors — like smoking, high blood pressure or a family history of heart disease — your doctor may want it lower.

A good HDL level of 60 mg or greater is considered protective. LDL should be under 100 mg for those with no risk factors for heart disease and 70 mg for those at higher risk. But again, depending on your health and family history, your doctor may want different readings.

Natural recommendations to help lowering cholesterol
1. Keep your weight down, and cut down on calories, especially from saturated and trans fats, carbohydrates and alcohol. Even small amounts of alcohol can lead to large changes in triglyceride levels (although red wine may slightly bump up good cholesterol).
2. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and nonfat or low-fat dairy products. And add fish to your diet. Fish oil helps reduce cholesterol.
3. Get off the couch and get active. Even 30 minutes of moderate exercise, five days a week or more, can make a difference.

What you can do
The first step in fighting high cholesterol is simple: Get a blood test.
It is recommended that that everyone age 20 and older gets a reading of the “lipoprotein profile” every five years. It gives your doctor information about total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides, which are the main type of fat in blood.
If your numbers are unhealthy, your doctor can advise you on treatment. If you want to avoid medication and try to achieve healthy cholesterol numbers naturally.

Tomorrow i will follow up with a post of Cholesterol related illnesses…