Line and Length - Times Online - WBLG: Must England sack Peter ...

A very English cricket blog by Patrick Kidd. Subscribe to a feed of this Times Online blog at http://timesonline.typepad.com/line_and_length/rss.xml. [more]

Bank of England - To Cut Rates to Lowest Level in 300 Years ...

From the UK Telegraph: The Bank of England is this week poised to cut interest rates to the lowest level in its 300-year history, in the latest sign of the severity of the economic crisis. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is widely ... [more]

LDV readers say: yes to Church of England disestablishment ...

LDV asked: Do you think the time has now come for the Church of England to be disestablished? Here’s what you told us:. >> 47% (147) - Yes, the link between state and church should be immediately ended >> 35% (107) - Yes, in principle, ... [more]

Martin Lewis: Stop This Vicious Slaughter! England Must Stop ...

Stop This Vicious Slaughter! England Must Stop Waging War On The Nazis! - The Huffington Post. [more]

Official RBS 6 Nations Rugby : England U18 squad unveiled

6nations.net The Official Website of the RBS 6 Nations Europe's Premier International Rugby Tournament. [more]

Newcastle Falcons : England Call-Up For Gray

The official site of Newcastle Falcons with news, online ticket sales, merchandise, live match commentary, player profiles, mobile content, wallpapers and forums. [more]

Goal.com - England - Carlos Tevez: I'd Love To Join Real Madrid

Carlitos edges ever closer to the exit door at Old Trafford with his latest comments., [more]

Cricket: England head coach likely to go after clash with captain ...

Mike Selvey: Any successor to Peter Moores, while being appointed by the managing director of England cricket, will bear Kevin Pietersen's 'by appointment' stamp. [more]

England call 'a big deal' for Rashid - England in West Indies 2009 ...

Rashid may be handed his chance to shine on the upcoming tour, and the England coaching staff will be glad to have the chance to see him at close quarters, having had a glimpse of his potential in India. ... [more]

London Irish 48 Newcastle 8: Corbisiero pushes England claims as ...

Alex Corbisiero put down a marker as the coming force among Guinness Premiership props and a possible solution to England’s creaking front row. [more]

Home loan approvals at record low

2008-06-30 09:55:36Z
Home loan approvals at record low The Press Association - 11 minutes ago Loans agreed for people moving home slumped by 28% during the month to just 42000 - a third of the number agreed in May last year, the Bank of England said.

Home loan approvals at record low

2008-06-30 09:50:31Z
Home loan approvals at record low The Press Association - 16 minutes ago Loans agreed for people moving home slumped by 28% during the month to just 42000 - a third of the number agreed in May last year, the Bank of England said.

Kallis plays down injury concerns

2008-06-30 09:42:55Z
Kallis plays down injury concerns Carluke Gazette, UK - 24 minutes ago South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis has insisted he will be fit for the opening Test against England at Lord's after giving his side an injury scare.

Sex diseases among over 45s

2008-06-30 09:42:54Z
Sex diseases among over 45s stv.tv, UK - 24 minutes ago Researchers from the government's Health Protection Agency looked at the number of patients visiting 19 sexual health clinics in central England between

NOTEBOOK: Tipsarevic turns the page on his reading habits

2008-06-30 09:42:34Z
NOTEBOOK: Tipsarevic turns the page on his reading habits Earthtimes (press release), UK - 24 minutes ago "For the last few months I'm not reading as often as I used to," said the serious Serb who reached a second straight fourth-round at the All England club.

Service sector perks up in April

2008-06-30 09:42:29Z
Service sector perks up in April stv.tv, UK - 24 minutes ago Separate figures from the Bank of England showed the number of mortgages approved for British homebuyers fell to a record low 42000 last month,

Smoking ban triggered the biggest fall in smoking ever seen in England

2008-06-30 09:42:17Z
Smoking ban triggered the biggest fall in smoking ever seen in England News-Medical.net, Australia - 25 minutes ago Smokefree law in England has helped more smokers to quit than ever before and will help prevent an estimated 40000 deaths over the next 10 years - according

Kallis plays down injury concerns

2008-06-30 09:42:16Z
Kallis plays down injury concerns Lanark Today, UK - 25 minutes ago South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis has insisted he will be fit for the opening Test against England at Lord's after giving his side an injury scare.

Kallis plays down injury concerns

2008-06-30 09:41:41Z
Kallis plays down injury concerns Linlithgow Journal & Gazette, UK - 25 minutes ago South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis has insisted he will be fit for the opening Test against England at Lord's after giving his side an injury scare.

Wimbledon: Tipsarevic turns the page on his reading habits

2008-06-30 09:41:39Z
Wimbledon: Tipsarevic turns the page on his reading habits Bangkok Post, Thailand - 25 minutes ago "For the last few months I'm not reading as often as I used to," said the serious Serb who reached a second straight fourth-round at the All England club.

Divided Opinions Amongst Mortgage Advisers

Mortgage advisers are divided in their opinions as to who are the real winners and losers out of the recent interest rate rises. No one could argue that borrowers who have variable rate mortgages have lost out because their monthly repayments have increased due to the extra interest due. However there is debate over whether borrowers of fixed rate mortgage products are better or worse of than before the recent base rate rises.

The interest rates set on fixed rate mortgage products are not necessarily tied to the Bank of England Base Rate. Rather, they are derived from the cost of borrowing to the lender, which is called the swap rate. While the base rate has risen over the past year, so have swap rates. This should result in an increase in the interest rates offered by lenders on fixed rate mortgages. In other words, lenders would pass on the increasing borrowing costs they are forced to endure to their borrowers.

However, this has not strictly been the case. Many lenders have not passed the increased swap rates on to their borrowers and have instead reduced their margins. Some mortgage advisers are claiming that by not passing on the full amount of the increase in swap rates, the borrowers are gaining a huge benefit. Other mortgage advisers, however, are quick to point out that although the interest rates offered on fixed mortgages haven’t risen in line with the increase in swap rates, they have risen, and borrowers are worse off as a result.

Whatever their individual opinions, mortgage advisers have been busy helping their clients save money by remortgaging to more favourable products as interest rates increase. This flurry of activity has meant that mortgage advisers may be the real winners as they receive commissions and fees from mortgage lenders for each remortgage they complete for their clients.

Each time the Bank of England raises the base rate to curb inflation many lenders subsequently increase the interest rates they charge on their mortgage products. This is because most mortgages have interest rates that are calculated as the Bank of England Base Rate (BoEBR) plus a certain percentage point – for example BoEBR + 1%. A mortgage with an interest rate calculated in this way would have a rate of 6% if the BoEBR was sitting on 5%.

The base rate is normally increased or decreased by one quarter of a percentage point in modern times. When it is increased several times in succession home owners with mortgages begin to feel the pinch as their monthly repayments increase. This can lead to a flurry of activity in the home loan market. Some borrowers will look to remortgage to other home loan products in order to source a cheaper variable rate deal while others will look to lock in their monthly repayments with a fixed rate product.

When this happens mortgage advisers become extremely busy as they hurry to arrange new home loan products for their customers. Advisers normally charge a fee for sourcing and arranging mortgage deals for their clients which means that they will benefit financially from periods of high activity in the BoEBR.

How To Treat Depression Without Taking Antidepressants

We now have proof of what I’ve long suspected: Antidepressants don’t work.

That’s bad news for the millions of Americans who suffer from depression.

This condition can cause a depressed mood; loss of interest or pleasure in most activities, including sex; fatigue; sleep problems; feelings of hopelessness and helplessness; and difficulty thinking and making decisions.

Women have a 10 to 25 percent risk and men a 5 to 12 percent risk of developing severe major depression in their lifetime.

Depression has different causes. And each cause needs a different approach to treatment.

Yet many people believe that antidepressants drugs are the answer. Today, one in ten Americans takes an antidepressant.

Unfortunately, new research shows that they don’t work and have significant side effects.

In fact, most patients taking antidepressants either don’t respond or have only partial response.

And 86 percent of people who take these drugs have one or more side effects, including sexual dysfunction, fatigue, insomnia, loss of mental abilities, nausea, and weight gain.

No wonder half the people who try antidepressants discontinue them after just 4 months.

Now let’s talk more about this new research.

A report published in a recent issue of “The New England Journal of Medicine” looked at 74 studies involving 12 drugs and over 12,000 people. Some of these studies were published -- and some weren’t.

You see, drug companies don’t have to publish all the results of their studies. They only publish those they want to.

The report’s researchers really had to dig to find these unpublished studies. When they did, they found that 37 of 38 trials with positive results were published, while only 14 of 36 negative studies were published.

And the negative published studies were twisted to imply the drugs worked when they didn’t.

Now that really is depressing news -- and there’s no easy fix.

However, Functional Medicine, on which my approach of UltraWellness is based, can help.

Functional Medicine doesn’t rely on drugs to suppress symptoms, but uncovers the root causes of depression.

Let me tell you about a few of my patients.

A 23-year-old woman had been on various antidepressants throughout her childhood and adolescence. We discovered that she had food allergies, which cause inflammation. And recent studies suggest that inflammation may be related to depression.

The patient eliminated her food allergies and her depression disappeared. She was able to stop taking her medication -- and she lost 30 pounds to boot.

A 37-year-old had depression that didn’t respond to drugs, plus fatigue and a 40-pound weight gain.

When we got the very high levels of mercury out of her body, she soon became happy, thin, and full of energy.

And a 49-year-old man had taken antidepressants for years but was still severely depressed.

We treated his severe deficiencies of vitamin B12, B6, and folate. Now he’s free of depression.

As you can see, antidepressants are not the answer.

We need different solutions.

Try the following measures to help alleviate depression. They are based on Functional Medicine which is the foundation of my practice and the core of UltraWellness.

1. Try an anti-inflammatory elimination diet that gets rid of common food allergens.

2. Check for hypothyroidism.

3. Treat vitamin D deficiency with at least 2,000 to 5,000 U a day of vitamin D3.

4. Take omega-3 fats in the form of 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams (mg) a day of purified fish oil. Your brain is made of up this fat.

5. Take adequate B12 (1,000 micrograms, or mcg, a day), B6 (25 mg) and folic acid (800 mcg).

6. Get checked for mercury.

7. Exercise vigorously five times a week for 30 minutes. This increases levels of BDNF, a natural antidepressant in your brain.

These are just of few of the easiest and most effective things you can do to treat depression. But there are even more, which you can address by simply working through the 7 Keys to UltraWellness.

References

(1) Turner EH et al. 2007. Selective publication of antidepressant trials and its influence on apparent efficacy. New England Journal of Medicine. 358: 252-260.

(2) Eaton WW, Kalaydjian A, Scharfstein DO, Mezuk B, Ding Y. 2007. Prevalence and incidence of depressive disorder: the Baltimore ECA follow-up, 1981-2004. Acta Psychiatr Scand.116(3):182-188.