Freeze-Dried Formula May Block HIV Virus in Breast Milk (HealthDay)

HealthDay - THURSDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- In developing countrieswhere breast-feeding is betaine hcl necessity, and HIV is rampant, the risk ofdisease transmission through breast milk might be reduced if infants werefirst fed a freeze-dried formula full of good bacteria that could captureand potentially destroy the deadly virus.

I could not believe this item on UK television last night. What could handbags have done to attract the disapproval of the moral watchdog. Well apparently following the fashion trend to bigger bags and in conjunction with the higher heels women are wearing they are putting extreme and long term irreparable damage to spine, hips, knees and feet. The reason being, as all women know to their cost, bigger bags mean you can take more with you.

The program presenter stopped a cross section of women on the street to rummage in the contents of their bags. Most were carting the equivalent of a bag of potatoes with them to work or to go shopping and many were disabling themselves with a load comparable to 3 bricks!

It's the big, in vogue shoulder bags that do the worst damage. Unfortunately I am that fashion victim, with a veritable library in tow, just in case. Then there is the notebook, pencil case, glasses, address book, indispensable diary, makeup bag, sweets, medicine, water, wipes. And that's not even to mention a myriad of tiny necessities like needle and thread, toothpicks and things those traveling with me might need! I know that frustration of searching for something I've carried around for months, the day after I finally cleaned the thing out.

At least with a haversack the weight is distributed evenly over your back. But excessive weight, unevenly concentrated on one side requires a compensatory adjustment and unreasonable wear and tear on the body. So it's not a substitute for extreme weight training, because it leads to long term damage.

I thought I was being quite savvy with my semi suitcase. Surely a self respecting mugger would not want to noble their quick escape, when it can also be the lethal weapon of choice for many women. However shoulder bags remain most dangerous, for catching on things. They slip off the shoulder and bash people or knock things over and are unavoidable when left lying around the dance floors, I've found.

Give a woman a bag and she will fill it with a multitude of imperative essentials. Every mother will fill hers with necessities for the kids. I well remember my husband ridiculing me for having everything and the kitchen sink, when we found emergency disposables a year after my son was toilet trained. But since that was because I couldn't find his mobile quick enough in that black hole that's called my shoulder bag, he has now learned tact or he'll carry his own junk.

Yet other than the skeletal and muscular damage it gives you, the handbag is a dangerous seething cesspit of infection spreading toxins. We already knew not to share cosmetics anyway, but that bacteria is there multiplying anyway. Not least, the cocktail of rotting tissues, loose decaying sweets and crumbs, stale bottled drinks, crushed wrapping papers, dirt, grime and greasepaint that are a potential health hazard whenever you open Pandora's satchel to percolate these festering germs to the atmosphere. Implicated in MRSA and other nasty transferable infections the average bag should be condemned and treated with caution, especially around those that are frail or in hospital.

So I've slapped a 'health warning' on mine and hope it finally keeps my curious little monkeys out, until the Spring clean comes around.

After many years in the beauty, fashion and health industry Magdalene Cossar a qualified Beauty and Psychotherapist is now working online to bring her unique style of recommendations and advice to a wider audience.