Health News:Toxins remain in your clothes ♦ WHO: Eating processed meats increases chances of developing certain cancers ♦ Spotting the earliest signs of type 1 diabetic kidney disease

WHO: Eating processed meats increases chances of developing certain cancers After reviewing an assessment of the best available scientific evidence, the World Health Organization (WHO) has concluded that the consumption of processed meats can increase a person’s chances of developing certain cancers. WHO, the Geneva-based public health arm of the United Nations, was following a recommendation from its International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)

Depression too often reduced to a checklist of symptoms How can you tell if someone is depressed? The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) -- the 'bible' of psychiatry -- diagnoses depression when patients tick off a certain number of symptoms on the DSM checklist. A large-scale quantitative study now shows that some symptoms play a much bigger role than others in driving depression, and that the symptoms listed in DSM may not be the most useful ones

Toxins remain in your clothes Thousands of chemicals are used in clothes manufacturing. Researchers have examined if there are chemicals in the clothes we buy as well. Several substances related to health risks were identified and not even organic cotton was a guarantee for non-toxic textiles

Spotting the earliest signs of type 1 diabetic kidney disease In an effort to pinpoint the earliest signs of diabetic kidney disease, researchers are leading a multi-institutional international effort dedicated to finding a new breed of disease indicators.

Blackouts and near drownings may signal sudden death risk Blackouts and near drowning events may signal an increased risk of sudden death, reveals new research. Such events point to long QT syndrome, a genetic heart condition that can be undetected or misdiagnosed as epilepsy or a panic attack.

Hot Dogs Can Kill

Every year young children die from choking on hot dogs. They're the perfect size to block a three year old child's throat. Many people don’t think of slicing the hot dog up before giving it to a small child. If a hot dog was a toy there would be a warning label.

Hot dogs can be dangerous for adults. Sodium nitrite is a preservative used in hot dogs  It is used to slow the development of botulism, give a spicy flavor and turn the meat pink. When ingested, sodium nitrate breaks down to form sodium nitrite in the body, which has the antimicrobial properties to fight botulism. So, it is only when sodium nitrate becomes sodium nitrite that it becomes a functional preservative  When ingested, sodium nitrate breaks down to form sodium nitrite in the body, which has the antimicrobial properties to fight botulism. So, it is only when sodium nitrate becomes sodium nitrite that it becomes a functional preservative. Both nitrate and nitrite, however, form nitrosamines, a known carcinogen, when mixed with protein-rich foods like meats. Nitrosamines create cell damage and lead to colorectal cancer.

Nitrites and nitrates are also linked to Bacon, Slim Jims, most processed meat and canned hams. Research showing that eating 3.5 ounces of processed meat every day (one large hot dog a day) increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 36 percent when compared to someone who eats no processed meat. Nitrites and nitrates are also linked to lung cancer, kidney cancer, stroke, coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus.

There a safe alternatives.   Health food stores have nitrate free hot dogs or you can get vegetarian hot dogs. By the time you put on some sauerkraut and mustard you can't tell the difference.