Bonnie Carroll's Life Bites

If you’ve felt this way, you’re not alone. Heart disease is the number one killer of post-menopausal women, and the symptoms of menopause and heart attack can be startlingly similar. Dr. Eileen Hsich, Director of Women’s Heart Failure Center, Heart & Vascular Institute, Cleveland Clinic, explains how to tell the difference between your heart and your hormones.

This article was created in partnership with Speaking of Women’s Health, a national women’s health education program from the Cleveland Clinic Center for Specialized Women’s Health.

Dear EarthTalk: What’s the latest research on the question of whether cell phone use causes cancer? -- William Thigpen, via e-mail

Cell phones have only been in widespread use for a couple of decades, which is far too short a time for us to know conclusively whether or not using them could cause cancer. Research thus far appears to indicate that most of us have little if anything to worry about.

According to the federally funded National Cancer Institute, the low-frequency electromagnetic radiation that cell phones give off when we hold them up to our heads is “non-ionizing,” meaning it cannot cause significant human tissue heating or body temperature increases that could lead to direct damage to cellular DNA. By contrast, X-rays consist of high-frequency ionizing electromagnetic radiation and can lead to the kind of cellular damage resulting in cancer. Nonetheless, some cell phone users and researchers still worry about our cell phone usage, given how much we now use them and how little we know about their potential long-term effects.

The reason the issue keeps coming up is that some initial studies in Europe, where cell phone usage caught on a decade before the

U.S.

, showed links between some forms of tumors and heavy cell phone usage. As a result, researchers teamed up to do a more definitive study, called the “Interphone” study, across 13 countries between 2000 and 2004. The results, published in May 2010 in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Epidemiology, indicated no increased risk of developing two of the most common types of brain tumors, glioma and meningioma, from typical everyday cell phone usage. Study participants who reported spending the most time on their phones showed a slightly increased risk of developing gliomas, but researchers considered this finding inconclusive due to factors such as recall bias, whereby participants with brain tumors may have simply remembered past cell phone use differently from healthy respondents.

Researchers looking to get past the relatively short timing window and the recall bias issues of the Interphone study recently launched a longer term study, dubbed COSMOS (short for Cohort Study on Mobile Communications), in Europe. Some 250,000 cell phone users between the ages of 18 and 69 and located in

Britain

Finland

, the

Netherlands

Sweden

and

Denmark

will participate by allowing researchers to track their cell phone usage and health over three decades. According to an April 22, 2010 article in Reuters, the study will factor in the use of hands-free devices and how people carry their phones and will also be on the lookout for links to neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

There are some precautions you can take to minimize whatever risk may exist. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) suggests reserving the use of cell phones for shorter conversations, or for times when a conventional phone isn’t available. Also, using a hands-free device places more distance between the phone and your head, significantly reducing the amount of radiation exposure. If the fact that many states require hands-free devices for using a cell phone while driving isn’t enough to make you go out and spend the extra money on such an accessory, maybe the cancer risk, perceived or real, will.

CONTACTS: National Cancer Institute, www.cancer.gov; INTERPHONE Study, www.rfcom.ca/programs/interphone.shtml; COSMOS Study, www.ukcosmos.org, FCC, www.fcc.gov

A Food Investigations mini-documentary released today exposes what it calls the "blueberry deception" in name-brand cereals, bagels, breads and bars. As revealed in the investigative video (http://www.foodinvestigations.com/), big-name food companies that offer blueberry cereals, muffins, pastries and bars have been caught "faking" the blueberries by creating them out of artificial colors, partially-hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

This investigation was conducted by award-winning investigative journalist Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as part of the non-profit Consumer Wellness Center (http://www.consumerwellness.org/), which provides nutrition grants for children's education programs around the world. The non-profit "blueberry deception" video can be viewed in its entirety at http://www.foodinvestigations.com/

Named in the video are Kellogg's, Target, Betty Crocker, General Mills and other food companies that use artificial colors to create the illusion of real blueberries in their products. One General Mills cereal singled out in the mini-documentary is called Total Blueberry Pomegranate Cereal. But a Consumer Wellness Center investigation reveals that this cereal contains neither blueberries nor pomegranates.

As explained in the video, consumers can avoid being deceived by food companies by following these three simple steps:

#1) Read the ingredients labels and look for artificial colors such as Red #40, Blue #1 and Blue #2. They are usually found near the end of the ingredients list.

#2) Don't buy foods made with artificial colors because the purpose of those colors is to cosmetically alter the appearance of those foods to make them appear more visually stimulating in order to "trick" or influence the consumer's purchasing decisions.

The Health Ranger, who also volunteers as the editor of NaturalNews.com, believes it is important to emphasize that real blueberries are very good for human health. "Real blueberries offer a powerhouse of health-enhancing nutrition. They protect arteries, health lower blood pressure and provide an assortment of natural antioxidants to protect the eyes, brain and nervous system," Adams says. Blueberries are also known to help prevent cancer, boost memory and even help reduce belly fat (http://www.naturalnews.com/blueberries.html).

Made from super soft faux suede with cozy faux shearling lining, the Pony Express Dog Carrier and Walking Vest are as cute as they are comfortable. Machine washable and come in five original styles to suit your dog’s many moods. Made in the

USA

, choose from Dixie Doe, Baby Burro, Puppy Love, Courage or Betsy Ross.

So pups can be as stylish as their owners, each Pony Express Carrier has a matching vest. Both carrier and vest, like all Pet Flys Pet products, are pet tested and Monkey Boy approved so you know your dog will love them. The vests retail for between $28 to $34, the Carrier is $120. Both are available at your favorite pet boutique or online at www.PetFlys.com.

AM I HAVING A HEART ATTACK?

You’re lying in bed, your heart starts racing, and you swear you feel it skip a beat. Suddenly, you feel dizzy and a cold sweat breaks out across your forehead. Is this a hot flash, or the beginning of a heart attack?