Connect with us

NewsMakers

Local brand challenges consumers to race to 2M single-use plastic bottles refused by end-2021

To show commitment in their advocacy to love and steward the environment, Human Nature has taken steps to reduce plastic pollution by offering personal and home care products that’s good for you, your family and the earth! Human Nature believes in genuine and solid goodness that’s not just kind for the self but even kinder to our environment.

Published

on

Photo by Mae Mu from Unsplash.com

Single-use plastics have been a detriment to the environment for a long time and the Philippines is one of the countries with the highest share of plastic waste that is deemed inadequately mismanaged. According to a 2020 study, only 40% of packaging waste in the Philippines is collected, and only 9% of the plastic waste is recycled at the national level. As waste management continues to struggle in the country, other efforts to reduce plastic waste must be done to prevent plastics from reaching landfills, beaches, and the oceans. To reduce plastic footprint, a more radical change can be made when corporations and consumers work together to refuse single-use plastic. 

Chief Mermaid of Save Philippine Seas Anna Oposa began the e-vent by talking about sustainable household alternatives that are making waves in saving our oceans from plastic pollution. Her talk was followed by Executive Director of the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation Dave Albao who explained the effects of plastic waste on our marine environment and shared their virtual snorkelling session. Final speaker was Human Nature Co-Founder and President Anna Meloto-Wilk who shared about the brand’s road to sustainability (and the challenges behind it!)–from waterless formats and plastic bottle-free packaging to making refilling and recycling possible. 

To show commitment in their advocacy to love and steward the environment, Human Nature has taken steps to reduce plastic pollution by offering personal and home care products that’s good for you, your family and the earth! Human Nature believes in genuine and solid goodness that’s not just kind for the self but even kinder to our environment. 

Human Nature has prevented close to 1 Million plastic bottles (916,616 to be exact) from going to the oceans and landfills because of their consistent efforts through the past years. This year, they stepped up their drive for change through breakthrough waterless formulations: 

1) The H❤️N Natural Shampoo Bar has all the goodness that you love in a shampoo but saving you up to 98.59% plastic waste. One 70 gram bar is equivalent to two bottles of 180ml liquid shampoo; 

2) The H❤️N Natural Dishwashing Powder is the 1st locally-made, genuinely natural waterless wonder powder for your dishes! That’s 98.90% less plastic on your most important kitchen sink essential!

These are true innovations from Human❤️Nature’s Natural Care Labs scientists! By taking out the water from the formulation and keeping the concentrated power of these products, they were able to ditch the plastic bottle! 

  • Preventing less plastic from finding its way into landfills, our beaches and oceans – Lighter product so it costs less to transport 
  • Less overall cost means more savings to consumers

Human Nature has been battling the bottle since 2010 with their Balik Bote Recycling Program. Their “1 Liter, Less Litter” campaign that started in 2019 encouraged people to shift to bigger sizes and cut down plastic waste for their dishwashing liquid, shampoo, conditioner, and baby bottle cleanser. Human Nature also launched their Home Care Refilling Station in March 2019. Their refilling stations are available in SM North EDSA, SM Megamall, and in their flagship store in Commonwealth, Quezon City. 

If you are ready to take a simple but concrete step towards a better planet, join the fight to reduce plastic consumption and help get rid of 2 million plastic bottles by the end of the year before they end up going to landfills, beaches, and the ocean. #BreakFree from plastic and be a part of the solution. 

NewsMakers

Cannabidiol therapy could reduce symptoms in autistic children and teenagers

The use of cannabidiol (CBD) cannabis extract can lead to meaningful benefits and improve the behaviour of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

Published

on

New research presented at the 2025 European Congress of Psychiatry reveals that the use of cannabidiol (CBD) cannabis extract can lead to meaningful benefits and improve the behaviour of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD affects approximately 1 in 100 children around the world and symptoms can include difficulty interpreting language, difficulty expressing emotions, and repetitive behaviour and routines.1,2 

The meta-analysis included randomised, placebo-controlled trials on the efficacy or safety of CBD cannabis extracts in children and adolescents with ASD. Three studies were used in total with 276 participants with a mean age of 10.5, ranging in age from 5 to 21. The dosage of CBD cannabis extract started at 1 mg/kg per day and was titrated up to 10 mg/kg.  

Key findings from the study include: 

  • CBD cannabis extract use shows moderate improvements in social responsiveness and small yet notable reductions in disruptive behaviours.
  • CBD cannabis extract significantly enhanced social responsiveness and reduced disruptive behaviour.
  • The use of CBD cannabis extract has a favourable safety profile as it did not increase adverse events compared to placebo  
  • There were no significant differences between adverse events in CBD cannabis extract versus placebo  

Lara Cappelletti Beneti Branco, Lead Investigator, São Camilo University Center, University of São Paulo, said: “The global population prevalence of ASD diagnosis amongst children and adolescents is growing, but many treatment pathways are not effective. It is promising to see the effect of CBD cannabis extract on the study participants. However, there still needs to be considerable focus on further research with larger trials to clarify its efficacy and safety in managing ASD.” 

Professor Geert Dom, EPA President, said: “ASD can be extremely frustrating for all involved; parents of children and adolescents with the disorder, the treating clinicians and of course the children and adolescents themselves. A large part of this frustration is down to finding a viable treatment option that works to reduce symptoms. It is with delight that we see the results of this meta-analysis and we hope to see further research into this so we can move towards a solution to the unmet need within this community”.  

Continue Reading

NewsMakers

Relaxation techniques may help lower high blood pressure — at least in the short term

Most relaxation techniques seemed to lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure for people with high blood pressure after 3 or fewer months. The most commonly included interventions were breath control (13 studies), yoga/tai chi (11), biofeedback (8), progressive muscle relaxation (7), and music (7).

Published

on

Relaxation techniques may help lower high blood pressure—at least in the short term—but the longer term effects are unclear, finds a pooled data analysis of the existing research published in the open access journal BMJ Medicine.

And the risk of bias in the existing body of research means that further, more rigorously designed and longer studies are needed to confirm whether these techniques have a constructive role in the treatment of high blood pressure, conclude the researchers.

High blood pressure affects around a third of 30-79 year olds and is one of the leading attributable causes of deaths in both men and women, note the researchers. While drugs are available to treat the condition, adherence to them is poor, generating interest in alternative approaches, such as relaxation techniques, to reduce one of the major risk factors for high blood pressure—high stress levels. But it’s far from clear which of these methods, which can include breath control, mindfulness, yoga, Tai Chi, and biofeedback, among others, might be most effective.

To build on the evidence base, the researchers scoured research databases for studies, published in English up to February 2024 that looked at the potential impact of relaxation techniques on high blood pressure (140/90 mm Hg and above) and elevated blood pressure (120/80 mm Hg and above). They included 182 studies, 166 of which looked at high blood pressure, and 16 of which looked at elevated blood pressure (pre-hypertension).

Where possible, the researchers deployed network meta analysis, a statistical technique used to simultaneously compare the effects of several different ‘treatments’.

The pooled results of 54 studies showed that most relaxation techniques seemed to lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure for people with high blood pressure after 3 or fewer months. The most commonly included interventions were breath control (13 studies), yoga/tai chi (11), biofeedback (8), progressive muscle relaxation (7), and music (7).

Compared with no intervention, breath control achieved a reduction of 6.65 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure (the first and higher number in a blood pressure reading), meditation a drop of 7.71 mm Hg, meditative movement, such as tai chi and yoga, a drop of 9.58 mm Hg, and mindfulness a drop of 9.90 mm Hg.

Music was also associated with a fall of 6.61 mm Hg, progressive muscle relaxation with a fall of 7.46 mm Hg, and psychotherapy with a reduction of 9.83 mm Hg. Combined techniques were associated with a drop of 6.78 mm Hg in blood pressure. 

There was no statistical evidence of effectiveness for any technique after 3 to 12 months and the certainty of the evidence was very low. The most commonly included techniques at this timepoint were biofeedback (7 studies), yoga/tai chi (4), and progressive muscle relaxation (4).

Very few studies included long term follow up of 12 months or more, and of the 3 included in the network analysis, the results showed that compared with no treatment autogenic (self directed) training might lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, but the certainty of the evidence was low. 

There was no statistical evidence of effectiveness for other treatments assessed at this time point, including biofeedback, progressive muscle relaxation, and techniques involving a combined approach.

Limited data were available for elevated blood pressure: only two studies compared relaxation techniques with no treatment/usual care and the effects on systolic blood pressure were small. 

The researchers note that the descriptions of relaxation interventions were sometimes incomplete or sparse, there were few data on costs and cost effectiveness, and most of the included studies didn’t report information on the risk of cardiovascular disease/events/deaths. 

But they suggest: “The results of our systematic review and network meta-analysis indicate that relaxation or stress management techniques might result in meaningful reductions in blood pressure at up to three months of follow-up.” 

But they caution: “Uncertainty exists about this effect, however, because of the risk of bias in the primary studies, the potential for publication bias in this area, and imprecision in the effect estimates, meaning that the observed changes in blood pressure might be too small to affect cardiovascular or cerebrovascular outcomes.” 

And they add: “Hypertension is a chronic condition, likely to require long term drug treatments or behavioural changes. As such, interventions that are used for a brief period, or provide only short term benefits, are unlikely to be clinically useful. 

“Too few studies exist, however, to assess whether the beneficial effects of relaxation are maintained when the techniques are practised for longer than three months. Future studies must clearly report whether participants were still using relaxation methods at the time of the outcome assessment, with details on adherence to the relaxation schedule. These factors might strongly influence the effectiveness of the different relaxation and stress management techniques.” 

Continue Reading

NewsMakers

Poor oral health linked with body pain and migraines in women

Findings highlight the importance of good oral health to potentially mitigate pain and improve overall wellbeing, prompting further exploration into the role of oral microbiota in chronic unexplained pain conditions. This includes fibromyalgia, a condition experienced by 67 percent of the study participants.

Published

on

New research from the University of Sydney has revealed poor oral health is significantly associated with higher instances of migraines, abdominal and body pain in women. 

Published in Frontiers in Pain Research, the world-first study identified specific oral microbes correlated with certain pain conditions, suggesting a potential relationship between the oral microbiome and the nervous system.   

The findings highlight the importance of good oral health to potentially mitigate pain and improve overall wellbeing, prompting further exploration into the role of oral microbiota in chronic unexplained pain conditions. This includes fibromyalgia, a condition experienced by 67 percent of the study participants. 

“This is the first study to investigate oral health, oral microbiota and pain commonly experienced in women with fibromyalgia, with our study showing a clear and significant association between poor oral health and pain,” said lead investigator Associate Professor Joanna Harnett from the Faculty of Medicine and Health. 

“Our findings are particularly important to fibromyalgia which, despite being a common rheumatological condition, is often underrecognised,” said first author and PhD candidate in the Faculty of Medicine and HealthSharon Erdrich.  

“Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterised by widespread musculoskeletal pain, and headaches including headaches, as well as fatigue, sleep disturbances, and cognitive problems.” 

The research examined associations between self-reported oral health, the oral microbiome, and various pain presentations in a group of New Zealand women with and without fibromyalgia.   

Oral health was assessed using the WHO oral health questionnaire and evaluated against body pain, headaches, migraines, and abdominal pain using validated instruments, including the Short-form 36 (which measures quality of life), the International Headache Society headache survey and the functional bowel disorder severity index. Strong associations were evident between oral health scores and pain and each of these were associated with specific microbes found in the mouth, which were assessed using advanced genomic technology.   

Participants with the poorest oral health were more likely to suffer from higher pain scores: 60 percent were more likely to experience moderate to severe body pain, and 49 percent were more likely to experience migraine headaches. Lower oral health was a statistically significant predictor of frequent and chronic migraine. 

Four oral microbial species from the Dialister, Fusobacterium, Parvimonas and Solobacterium genera were significantly associated with pain after age, BMI and added dietary sugars were considered.   

A weak but significant inverse correlation with diet quality and oral health was also found, though the researchers note this has yet to be investigated in detail. 

The Australian Dental Association recommends regular oral hygiene appointments and dental health checks, in addition to twice daily teeth brushing and flossing. 

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Like Us On Facebook

Facebook Pagelike Widget

Most Popular

Copyright ©FRINGE PUBLISHING. All rights reserved.