Free Republic

An article demonstrates the beneficial effects of consuming 500 milligrams (mg) per day of propolis for people living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The authors found that the group given propolis, unlike the group given placebo, displayed a significant reduction in plasma levels of malondialdehyde, a marker of oxidative stress. Total antioxidant capacity increased slightly in the same group, reflecting the direct combating of free radicals. "Although people living with HIV have excellent life expectancy, one of the problems still faced is the question of premature aging," said biologist Karen Ingrid Tasca. This process of premature aging is...

MCNEAL — Once it housed soldiers stationed at Fort Huachuca, then it was moved to McNeal and was filled with the sounds of happy feet dancing and the chattering of ladies at coffee cloches. Now abandoned, there are new inhabitants that really are no fun — killer bees. The irritable, six-legged flying pollinators have been in the building on Frontier Road for a number of years, tending huge honeycombs and creating problems for those who walk their dogs, ride horses or just take a morning stroll. If one puts out nectar for the hummingbirds and orioles in spring within the...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Makers of vitamins, herbs and other dietary supplements taken by millions of Americans must meet new government standards to show the products are free of contamination and contain exactly what the label says, U.S. health officials said on Friday. Food and Drug Administration rules, companies in the $18-billion-a-year industry must test the purity, strength and composition of all of their supplements."This rule helps to ensure the quality of dietary supplements so that consumers can be confident that the products they purchase contain what is on the label," FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach said in a statement.Congress gave...

Bug bites are common in summer but a new super bug sweeping San Diego could have potentially fatal effects. Local hospital emergency rooms are being jammed by patients who've been bitten by a strain of bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Although the bites look they come from spiders, officials say they're much more harmful. Even worse: They're spreading so fast that the local emergency rooms are reporting at least one new infection per day. The bacteria is called "metha-cillin resistant staph aureus'' -- or "MRSA" for short and while it looks harmless under a microscope, Scripps Mercy hospital epidemiologist Frank Myers...

FRIDAY, June 10 (HealthDay News) -- Cancer researchers have been given a million-dollar grant to investigate the therapeutic value of the folk medicine propolis and the food spice turmeric. The U.S. National Cancer Institute grant is earmarked for the study of the two alternative remedies, each of which has shown promise in reducing risks for breast, prostate and colorectal malignancies, and in enhancing cancer treatment. Propolis and turmeric are rich in plant polyphenolic compounds that exhibit potent antitumor activities, the researchers said. "A very interesting property of these compounds is that they have been shown to cause cell death in...