. . . it could double your risk for macular degenerationA European study on nearly 4,700 men and women over 65 found that daily aspirin users more than doubled their risk of late stage, "wet" macular degeneration. Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of legal blindness resulting in loss of independence among older Americans.The macula is a tiny, highly sensitive region in the center of the retina that allows you to see fine details and colors. Without it, you aren't totally blind, but all you see is shapes and movement in shades of black and white. With age, the macula can deteriorate in one of two ways. It can become thin and sprinkled with debris called drusen (the dry form), or blood vessels beneath the retina may push up into the macula and leak blood and fluids (the wet form). The wet form, which is considered the more serious, was the form associated with aspirin use in the above study. (Aspirin is known to cause small hemorrhages under the retina.)Other ris…

Bisphenol A (BPA) could be a poster child for the Precautionary Principle—the principle that synthetic chemicals should be proved safe before they are allowed to come into commercial use. Now that BPA is found just about everywhere and in everyone (see above article), it has been implicated in a host of dysfunctions and diseases.But there’s some good news. Scientists have been exploring various nutrients which may be able to limit BPA’s harmful biological effects and/or assist the body in breaking down and excreting this estrogenic compound. Fortunately these include many of the nutritional “good guys” Beyond Health has been recommending for years.Green and Black TeaOne way in which BPA harms body tissues is through oxidative stress—it reportedly has effects similar to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). However in two laboratory studies, extracts from both green tea and black tea were able to mitigate these effects and protect cells from oxidative damage. Green tea also stimulates glucuronidat…