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DO YOU HAVE SOME PROFESSIONAL WISDOM YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOUR PEERS? WRITE TO ME AT KARRIE@ABMP.COM. LET THERE BE LIGHT Reduced dementia symptoms and a greater synchronization of the all-important circadian rhythm are some of the benefits from increasing the brightness of daytime lighting for the elderly. A recent study from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports that with dementia, elderly patients not only have cognitive decline, but also disturbances in mood, behavior, sleep, and difficulties managing the aspects of daily living. In turn, these symptoms are known to disrupt the circadian rhythm, which regulates the body's biological processes in cycles of about 24 hours. Researchers found that bright environmental light used between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. reduced cognitive deterioration in elderly patients by 5 percent, symptoms of depression by 19 percent, and the escalation of functional limitations by 53 percent. Researchers said whole-day bright light should be considered for use in all facilities for elderly patients with dementia. Don't Dye on Me Yellow 5. Red 40. Blue 1. What sound like options for the painter's palette are actually chemicals that have long been added to preserved foods to make them look more appetizing. Consumer advocates are calling these food dyes the "secret shame" of the food industry and say they should be banned in the United States. This action follows a recent move by the U.K. Food Standards Agency to phase out additives from their products, and also responds to the results of a recent study, published in The Lancet, that found that the dye and preservative "cocktail" found in commercial food products can exacerbate hyperactive behavior in children. The Center for Science in the Public Interest Advocates (CSPI) has formally petitioned the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to include warning labels on food containing the dyes, which also include Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3, and Yellow 6. "Banning these synthetic chemicals is certainly a far less drastic step than putting so many children on Ritalin or other potentially dangerous and sometimes- abused prescription stimulants," says Michael Jacobson, CSPI executive director. "The industry has known about this problem for 30 years, yet few companies have switched to safer colorings," he said. While some food manufacturers say a ban could prove costly, critics say many companies already produce U.K. products with natural food colorings, all the while manufacturing U.S. versions of the same product with synthetic colors. Now there's a head-scratcher. PEACEFUL ORDER In a disordered mind, as in a disordered body, soundness of health is impossible. —Cicero, 106–43 BCE visit massageandbodywork.com to access your digital magazine 93