In the market for a new shower curtain? Here`s some information you might want to consider before heading to the store.

Often wondered about the smell of a newly purchased vinyl shower curtain? According to researchers at Center for Health, Environment, and Justice, many vinyl shower sold at major retailers across the country emit toxic chemicals that can cause serious health problems, such as damage to the liver, as well as to the central nervous, respiratory and reproductive systems.

Vinyl shower curtains sold at 19 retailers across the country have been linked to serious health problems because of the toxic chemicals they emit in the air. These chemicals can persist for up to a month and can cause consumers to feel sick, gives them a head-ache, and makes them feel nauseous.

The Virginia-based Center for Health, Environment, and Justice has notified 19 major retailers of their findings and encouraged them to stop selling the PVC shower curtains.

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More people are turning to herbal medicines in their search for more natural and gentle health care. Herbal remedies are cost-effective and offer relief from an abundance of ailments.

However, self-medication is cautioned, as herbal remedies can have short-term or long-term effects.

Most spices are not consumed in large amounts so the average person will not notice their effect. Large or long-term doses of any spice or herb to achieve a desired health benefit should not be taken without consulting a physician.

As every human has individual needs, the health benefits of all herbs and spices may vary from person to person. Also potencies vary among the many different preparation methods and brands.

Always follow label directions, unless otherwise prescribed by a herbologist, traditional Chinese doctor, Ayurvedic doctor, naturopathic or homeopathic doctor or other certified natural health care provider.

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In a case study published in the February edition of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, a young asthmatic woman's death has been linked to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). The woman who was a waitress at a bar in Michigan, collapsed 20 minutes after arriving to work and died shortly after from acute asthma. Kenneth Rosenman, a Michigan State University (MSU) professor of medicine, states in a press release, "This is the first reported acute asthma death associated with work-related ETS...", and that, "Recent studies of air quality and asthma among bar and restaurant workers before and after smoking bans support this association."

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Causes for disorders such as stroke, migraine, and Alzheimer's disease have been pinpointed by Scientists at the University of Vermont. The study was published November 1, 2006 in the prestigious journal Nature Neuroscience.

Blood flow disorders occur when the supply of oxygen and glucose, as well as which is provided through an intricate network of blood vessels in the brain is interrupted.

The quest to understand brain function continues, elevation of blood flow increases to meet the metabolic needs of the neurons required by various activities, such as analytical thought, playing music, sight, hearing, walking. Extracellular potassium contained inside and outside of the cells, permit changes in blood flow in the brain, as well as other organs and tissues.

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From a Science Daily Article, comes news of the possibility of therapies which could help the brain repair itself after a stroke. Stroke is the number one cause of disability in adults.

Research results from the Department of Neurology at the UCLA Geffen School of Medicine have linked angiogenesis the development of new blood vessels and neurogenesis, the birth of new neurons.

The molecular signals have also been identified. These discoveries are promising for the development of clinical applications which may help to repair the brain after stroke.

Usually caused by a blockage in an artery carrying the blood to the brain, stroke creates a lack of oxygen, damaging brain function. You may experience temporary or permanent damage to the area controlled by that part of the brain. Currently within weeks of having a stroke, new neurons appear from other areas of the body to aid the regeneration process.

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We may be closer to finding the fountain of youth, thanks to 15-year-old Afghan boy.   It was learned he possessed a mutation in a gene responsible for the enzyme which is crucial in repairing DNA damage in cells. The genetic flaw caused him to age prematurely and die essentially of old age before completing puberty.

"What we say is [that] both are valid and that, in particular, damage to DNA contributes to aging," says Jan Hoeijmakers, a geneticist at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and lead author of the study, which comprised teams from four different institutions in Europe and the U.S. "Damage accumulates ... but it is modulated by your genetic makeup. If you have better repair and/or slower metabolism, you age slower."

The boy was studied in the 1990's, when admitted to a hospital in the Netherlands. His condition, now known as XPF-progeroid syndrome resulted in aging prematurely causing death of old age while still in puberty. His symptoms included hypertension, hearing and vision loss, kidney failure, anemia and sensitivity to light.

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Dublin researchers have warned phone-users who notice a slowdown in their text-typing speed that they could be subject to "Dystextia", an early symptom of neurological disease, reports The Times Online.

... Mobile-phone texting involves numerous higher brain functions including vision and language as well as motor skills. These are likely to be impaired in patients presenting with stroke. "

The patient who inspired the research was a 40-year-old man with a poor history of health. He had type 2 diabetes, obesity and had suffered a previous stroke from which he made a full recovery. He noticed his texting abilities had started to deteriorate, with a reduction in the speed and accuracy of sending messages on his phone.

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(WCCO) A new treatment is helping people who have suffered from stroke re-learn how to do simple but important things many people take for granted.

The AutoAmbulator is helping some people learn to walk again.

A few months ago, David Buckley suddenly had trouble speaking, thinking and the right side of his body was paralyzed, from a stroke.

Without aggressive rehabilitation, he was facing life in a wheelchair but he is now back on his feet, thanks to the AutoAmbulator.

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Stimulating a protein on the surface of the brain's stem cells helps rats recover after a stroke, US researchers have found. The discovery suggests that in humans it could be possible to provoke the body's own stem cells into repairing an injury, rather than laboriously growing and transplanting new cells.

Researchers believe that many of the body's tissues harbour stem cells capable of dividing to make new tissue. But some of these are recalcitrant and do not naturally divide to repair damage wreaked by severe injuries such as stroke or spinal-cord damage.

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