Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/72195
touch and such BY KARRIE OSBORN Keep it Clean We know air pollution clogs our lungs and damages our heart. Now it appears it can also cause additional harm to our bodies. According to a recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health, long-term exposure to air pollution may be associated with an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis. The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (http://archinte. ama-assn.org), found that particulate air pollution—small particles of solid and liquid chemicals that result from burning fossil fuels and other sources— not only increases risks of heart disease and stroke, but also can increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis by 70 percent. Particulate matter is the 13th leading cause of global mortality, causing approximately 800,000 deaths annually. NCCAM TIME TO TALK CAMPAIGN The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has launched the Time to Talk Campaign, an educational initiative to encourage patients— particularly those aged 50 or older—and their healthcare providers to openly discuss the use of CAM. NCCAM highlights that patients' willingness to tell providers about their CAM use can facilitate effective management of their health. For additional information and downloadable resources (in both English and Spanish), visit www.nccam. nih.gov/timetotalk. 96 massage & bodywork september/october 2008 Where's Your Stuff? If you have not yet seen the Story of Stuff, put down that plastic water bottle and head to Storyofstuff.com. This entertaining, 20-minute video from Annie Leonard has already been seen by more than 3 million viewers and details our ailing materials economy. Leonard explains how we are facilitating a system in crisis by consuming twice as much as we did 50 years ago, emitting 4 billion pounds of toxic chemicals each year, and extracting resources at a staggering rate where only 4 percent of original U.S. forests remain. Her info on built-in obsolescence and perceived obsolescence serves as a good reminder that the world we live in can be reclaimed if we quit buying into the skewed stuff mentality.