Craig Hitchens Therapies - Health Online

The day after Thanksgiving is the most important holiday before Christmas. It’s our signal to start shopping for holiday gifts!

But what do you give someone who is crazy about genetics?

Well, my friend, you came to the right store, if you need a gift for any of the following reasons:

• The holidays! What better way to say Merry XX-Mas! (or Merry XY-Mas!)
• Birthdays and anniversaries, graduate fellowships, employment, promotions, new discoveries, grant approval, postdoctoral work and all the major accomplishments in life!
• Something for your boss; your boss’ boss; your professor; your department head and all the important people who can sign your papers!
• Something for your laboratory head, technicians, the statisticians and programmers, and everyone who makes your life easier.
• Something for your classroom, art walls, bare walls, bathroom walls? and other walls you want jazzed up!
• and don’t forget YOU. You deserve to have the best.

Genetics and Health Showroom has everything most of what you want (shameless promotion) for gift ideas of all occasion.

For starters, your own DNA in Portrait. Yup, submit a cheek swab and DNA 11 will send you a printed canvas of your genetic material. Check out a sampling from the Gift Guide.

Happy Black Friday!

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Thanks for commenting on Genetics and Health.

I appreciate each comment that you leave on on this blog and really would want to see a strong community for both health junkies, students and people needing medical/genetic issues/information.

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We can all make Genetics and Health a great community!

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For all of man’s scientific prowess and evolutionary advancement, we are the helpless victims of this sneaky little villain. Cold viruses have very few genes, so they have one purpose and one alone - to make our lives miserable!

So we hack, snort, sneeze and feel awful until this prokaryote decides it has enough of us. There is no cure. We can treat the symptoms, sure, but we’re not fighting the virus. We’re simply "letting it run its course" and that really sucks, right? Here is man, the mighty Goliath, and this puny David of a virus swings at us and down we go, crying for our mommies.

The latest research found that it’s not the rhinovirus that causes the cold symptoms. Rather our immune response goes into "overdrive" because this viral infection. Great. The scientists believe the ideal treatment should "maintain body’s natural antiviral response while normalizing the inflammatory response."

Cool. Meantime, excuse me for the infrequent posting while my body goes into overdrive as the cold virus continues to taunt and bring havoc to my existence.

image: Wikimedia

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Genetically modified corn was found to lower the fertility and body weight in mice, reports an study (translated in English) commissioned by the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety. 

Austrian scientist found that mice who were fed for over 20 weeks with GM corn developed by Monsanto decreased their liter size around the third-fourth generation compared to the control group.

The Institute for Responsible Technology immediately issued a "moratorium" on the distribution of GM food products until their "safety are undeniably established". Monsanto responded to the news and statements made by Greenpeace about their products, and I quote:

The Greenpeace press statement is inconsistent with over a decade of reputable, peer-reviewed, scientific studies, including multi-generational studies, which demonstrate and confirm the safety of GM crops.

“These products have been proven to be safe. This report does not provide any basis to conclude otherwise,” said Jerry Hjelle, Ph.D., Vice President of Monsanto’s regulatory group.

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(Continuing Genetics and Health Series on Living with genetic disorder:

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome)

Beth Hopkins danced before she walked, and sang before she talked. Her mom said she was one of those little kids who just knew what she wanted. Beth was dancing until two years ago, when her condition worsened and her joints were dislocating everywhere.

Beth Hopkins has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a group of rare and life-threatening genetic disorders that affect connective tissues. There are six major types in the syndrome, and all affect the joints and skin. Symptoms include easy bruising, loose joints, weakness of tissues and skin that stretches easily. Beth has experienced all these growing up.

Beth’s jaws would dislocate while sleeping, and it must be pushed back in again. Sometimes, her fingers or toes would slip out of joint. Once while traveling to Vancouver, her sternum dislocated. Beth’s knees would dislocate after warming up for ballet, a dance she has enjoyed since she was young. Two years ago, she had to give that up as the condition worsened. These days, Beth is in a wheelchair.

For more information about Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), visit the EDS support site.

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