Studies done on the stress responses of infants have found that babies delivered by c-section have lowered stress responses later on (as infants) when compared to babies delivered vaginally. So while there are still many reasons why vaginal births are preferable, this study shows that a c-section child might be a bit more laid back.
 
Lancet. 2000 Jan 8;355(9198):120

I love this study. A perfect example of data manipulation. I actually cut and pasted the abstract below. The conclusion of the study stated that “Our data show that the 900 MHz EMF exposure, at least under our experimental conditions, does not appear to affect endocrine functions in men.” However, if you read it you’ll notice that growth hormone was reduced by 28% and cortisol was reduced by 12%. However, levels returned to normal when cell phone usage was discontinued…. Ok, so how many people use cell phones for a month and then discontinue using them? … that would be almost noone. These authors clearly had an agenda or were funded by a cell phone company.
 
Fortunately, we have the actual data (assuming it wasn’t also manipulated) and it showed that when you use cell phones, growth hormone levels and cortisol levels decrease dramatically. Consider that growth hormone is involved in tissue repair and in “anti-aging”. Cortisol helps control inflammation, anxiety, etc. So when you are using a cell-phone regularly or even a cordless 900mhz phone, you are accelerating aging and degenerative disease. If you have questions about this, you can call us, but use a land line .
 
Radiat Res. 2008 Mar;169(3):337-43

abstract from medline:
Influence of electromagnetic fields emitted by GSM-900 cellular telephones on the circadian patterns of gonadal, adrenal and pituitary hormones in men.
Djeridane Y, Touitou Y, de Seze R.

Faculté de Médecine Pierre et Marie Curie, Service de Biochimie Médicale et Biologie Moléculaire, INSERM U713, 75013, Paris, France.

The potential health risks of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMFs) emitted by mobile phones are currently of considerable public interest. The present study investigated the effect of exposure to 900 MHz GSM radiofrequency radiation on steroid (cortisol and testosterone) and pituitary (thyroid-stimulating hormone, growth hormone, prolactin and adrenocorticotropin) hormone levels in 20 healthy male volunteers. Each subject was exposed to RF EMFs through the use of a cellular phone for 2 h/day, 5 days/ week, for 4 weeks. Blood samples were collected hourly during the night and every 3 h during the day. Four sampling sessions were performed at 15-day intervals: before the beginning of the exposure period, at the middle and the end of the exposure period, and 15 days later. Parameters evaluated included the maximum serum concentration, the time of this maximum, and the area under the curve for hormone circadian patterns. Each individual’s pre-exposure hormone concentration was used as his control. All hormone concentrations remained within normal physiological ranges. The circadian profiles of prolactin, thyroid-stimulating hormone, adrenocorticotropin and testosterone were not disrupted by RF EMFs emitted by mobile phones. For growth hormone and cortisol, there were significant decreases of about 28% and 12%, respectively, in the maximum levels when comparing the 2-week (for growth hormone and cortisol) and 4-week (for growth hormone) exposure periods to the pre-exposure period, but no difference persisted in the postexposure period. Our data show that the 900 MHz EMF exposure, at least under our experimental conditions, does not appear to affect endocrine functions in men.

A very interesting study conducted on 900 Mhz frequencies found that they reduced thyroid function in rats. 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week for 4 weeks only. Compare this to the average person talking on the cell phone for hours a day seven days per week, 52 weeks per year for many years. By the way, regular cordless phones are also frequently at 900Mhz, so these can also cause problems. Now other frequencies are being used as well, but we don’t yet have data on how they may be affecting us. Note that the study said it “lowers TSH and T4 and T3″, but they probably meant that it raises TSH and lowers T4, T3. Regardless, T3 is the more active form so if that is reduced then your thyroid function is reduced.
 
Toxicol Lett. 2005 Jul 4;157(3):257-62.

I have many patients that want to get pregnant and lose weight at the same time. This is generally a bad idea (at least how most people do it). It has been my clinical observation that people who were dieting (esp. through caloric restriction) did not get pregnant as easily. This study confirmed my clinical observations. They found that a hormone that produces hunger in the body (Ghrelin), suppresses LH in rats. Suppressing LH can translate into ovulatory problems, and we (the reproductive medicine community) currently believe if you aren’t ovulating, you won’t get pregnant. In this study they found that fasting (i.e., caloric restriction) made it even worse. Having said this, there are ways to lose weight and improve your fertility at the same time, but this has to be done carefully. One way is through metabolic typing.
 
Neurosci Lett. 2009 May 27

A chemical in carrots called falcarinol was found to increase proliferation of colon cancer cells in low doses. However, if you ingest high doses of carrots you can strongly induce programmed cell death (apoptosis) in these same cells. While this study was done on rats, it could explain claims from those using Gerson therapy to treat various cancers such as colon cancer. In Gerson therapy they rely heavily on large amounts of fresh juices and carrot juice is one of the major constituents. This suggests that if you have colon cancer, having a few carrots a day might be a bad idea. Juicing carrots, however, will provide the high doses necessary to kill colon cancer. You should, however, juice in the appropriate dose. Specifically, the falcarinol should be greater than 10 microM. For more information, or if you are interested in a consultation, our oncology support is headed by Steve Gomberg.
 
J Agric Food Chem. 2007 Feb 7;55(3):618-23

Grapefruit inhibits a particular enzyme in the liver (CYP450 3A4) that helps metabolize estrogen. So if this enzyme isn’t functioning optimally, estrogens will be much stronger. Theoretically, this could increase risks of estrogen dependent cancers. This study looked into that question and found that indeed there was a 30% increase in breast cancer incidences. The dose was 1/4 grapefruit or more a day. Does this mean you shouldn’t eat grapefruit? Not really, but if you have a family history or other risk factors for estrogen receptive breast cancers (e.g., dense breast tissue) then I certainly would consider a substitute.
 
Br J Cancer. 2007 Aug 6;97(3):440-5. Epub 2007 Jul 10

The Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects over 3% of the world population and is the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. A compound in grapefruit called naringenin was shown to reduce HCV secretion in infected cells by 80%. In addition, it is effective at concentrations that are an order of magnitude below the toxic threshold in human hepatocytes (liver cells) and in mice. Just keep in mind that if you are on medications or herbs that grapefruit can make them much more potent. While that may sound good, it can actually cause overdose at normal doses so be very cautious and inform your healthcare provider if you decide to take therapeutic amounts of grapefruit extract or if you eat them regularly.
 
Hepatology. 2008 May;47(5):1437-45