Siberian city declares emergency as dozens die from drinking alcoholic bath tincture

A state of emergency has been declared in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, as at least 48 people were reported dead on Monday from drinking a bath tincture known for its high alcohol content.

The deaths have renewed controversy over the widespread ingestion of “surrogate” alcohol in Russia, including medical ethanol, window cleaner and perfume. Experts estimate that up to 12 million Russians regularly ingest such surrogates.

The deaths in Irkutsk appear to have been caused by a counterfeit batch of Boyaryshnik, a concentrated liquid sold as a relaxant to add to bathwater but widely known as a cheap alcohol substitute. It cost a maximum of 40 roubles (£0.52) per bottle, making it cheaper than even the lowest-cost vodka, and was even put on sale in public vending machines earlier this year.

According to the label, Boyaryshnik contains 93% ethanol, hawthorn extract and lemon oils but tests on the Irkutsk consignment suggested it also contained methanol, an ingredient in antifreeze. Police said they had discovered an underground workshop in the city where bottles of fake Boyaryshnik were being produced, along with counterfeit bottles of well-known vodka brands.

Russia’s investigative committee said it had detained two people on Monday, and seized over two tonnes of the liquid from shops and kiosks around Irkutsk, to ensure no more of the batch reached consumers. Other reports suggested five people had been arrested.

Dmitry Berdnikov, the mayor of Irkutsk, declared a state of emergency in the city on Monday afternoon and also placed a temporary ban on the sale of all liquids containing alcohol not designed for consumption.

The death toll rose steadily throughout the day, with 41 confirmed dead by evening in Irkutsk. A further nine people remained in serious condition in hospital. The local prosecutor’s office said the majority of victims had arrived at hospitals already in a coma.

Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told journalists that the deaths were “a terrible tragedy” and said the Russian president had been informed.

Dmitry Medvedev told a meeting of the cabinet that the deaths were unacceptable. The prime minister said: “We cannot put up with this any longer. We must take all measures either to get this kind of product off the market, or to ensure full control of the way they are sold.”

Medvedev also told the interior minister to ensure people involved in black-market production or sale of such industrial alcohol drinks would face criminal charges, and suggested tightening the law to provide harsher penalties.

Alcoholism remains a major problem in Russia. A survey two years ago showed that a quarter of Russian men died before reaching the age of 55, compared with 7% of men in Britain. The survey found that the average Russian adult drank 20 litres of vodka a year, compared with an average of three litres of spirits a year consumed in Britain.

The ingestion of low-quality surrogate alcohol not meant for human consumption causes even worse health risks. Medical professionals estimate that between 10 and 12 million Russians drink these types of alcohol, including surgical spirit, aftershaves and cleaning fluids, because they cannot afford to buy vodka or other alcoholic drinks. A ministry of health survey in a town close to Moscow earlier this year found that 13% of residents admitted to consuming surrogate alcohol.

“Every year, Boyaryshnik is killing more people than terrorist acts did in the whole history of Russia,” wrote opposition politician Alexei Navalny on Monday. He said people were being pushed into drinking surrogates due to low incomes and said only fighting against poverty could improve the situation.

Oleg Kuznetsov, a Russian toxicology specialist, said deaths from surrogate alcohol ingestion had gone up this year due to the economic crisis. “People are poorer, especially those who drink a lot, but the need for alcohol remains. Before, someone with alcohol dependency would go to the shop and buy the cheapest vodka, now he’ll go and buy something different like window cleaner,” he said.

Siberian city declares emergency as dozens die from drinking alcoholic bath tincture

Can a hot bath beat a bike ride for good health?

Name: Hot baths.

Age: Ancient.

Appearance: Bubbly.

That’s nice. I love a long, hot bath with a book and a cup of tea. Who doesn’t?

Cats. But otherwise, sure. It’s like being back in the womb, but with a book and a cup of tea. And it’s good for you. Better than exercise!

Really? Well, in one narrow way, based on a single study with a small sample, perhaps.

I see. How do we know this? Some scientist called Dr Steve Faulkner did this experiment at Loughborough University where he fitted 10 unfit males with rectal thermometers and other devices, then got them to have long, hot, relaxing baths.

I think I’d be more relaxed without the thermometer. You get used to it. After the bath, the men got a meal, and on another day they did some vigorous cycling instead of the bath.

And? Much to everyone’s surprise, the bathers had peak blood sugar levels after eating that were 10% lower than the cyclists’. In short, the study suggests that hot baths might do a better job than exercise at lowering your blood sugar, which is the challenge in diabetes. The theory is that it is something to do with “heat shock proteins”.

Fantastic! When I develop diabetes, I’ll remember that. Controlling peak blood sugar may also prevent diabetes. Plus, having a long, hot bath was found to increase calorie burning by 80%. Nowhere near as much as cycling, but still useful. In an hour in a hot bath, the men each burned 126 calories, which is about the same as a half-hour walk.

So, quick recap: science says I can stop doing exercise and eat whatever I like as long as I have plenty of baths? No. Science says: “We would always encourage increased physical activity and exercise as the best way to maintain good health.” Faulkner does, anyway.

How about the risks, such as slipping over on the tiles or getting wrinkly toes? Don’t baths also poach your testicles and stop you having children? Some research suggests they may.

What if you’ve already got, arguably, too many children? Then I suppose the bath is the perfect place to hide.

Do say: “I like to arrange scented candles around the room to create my own peaceful sanctum. Bliss.”

Don’t say: “Until someone needs the toilet.”

Can a hot bath beat a bike ride for good health?

Luxuriating in my bath of warm seaweed, I come to feel like a mermaid

I restricted my foods intake for the day to fresh juices and coconut water, which is rich in potassium and high in protein (this acts as an appetite suppressant, minimizing hunger pangs). I suffered no headaches or tiredness.

When I needed to hold my thoughts off the rumblings, I headed back to the bathroom. Right here, I unwrapped a Lazy Days seaweed bath brick from Voya (£16, www.voya.ie).

Dark green and about the dimension of a breeze block, it smelt really, effectively, north Atlantic. Drop it in the working bath and the scorching water helps make the compressed seaweed increase to regular dimension. It looked really uninviting, swooshing about, and the water turning murky. Once I’d steeled myself to get in, the sensation was amazingly pleasant. The organic seaweed felt like sporting a warm blanket in the bath. Mermaids really do not know how lucky they are.

While soaking in the deep, I uncorked a Detox Assortment Tube from the stunning new Eminence Organic selection (£50, theskinsmith.co.uk). The kit of half-a-dozen active products for the encounter employs fruit, vegetable and herbs to detoxify the skin: a lemony exfoliating wash, pear and poppyseed microderm polisher and sour-cherry-whip moisturiser skin care.

That was my face sorted. For everything else, I picked my way via the comprehensive Ragdale Hall Spa variety (from Marks and Spencer travel set, £10). So that was a Mother of Pearl Spa Sugar Scrub for the body and the luxurious Spa body butter afterwards. In spite of the nagging hungriness, I slept unusually soundly.

Day Two started with an additional good surprise: I woke up 3lb lighter. And the day could only get far better, as I had organized to be fed by MyFood (myfood.co.uk/rawfood), a £40-a-day home-delivery meal service primarily based in Poole, Dorset, which guarantees tasty raw food meals and snacks tailored to my wants.

Breakfast consisted of chia seed porridge, which looked like astronaut meals but tasted pleasant enough. Lunch was a scrumptious vegetarian sushi box, and supper a satay – all calorie-managed.

To bring back some radiance to my complexion, I had also booked a residence go to from a Skinbreeze facial technician (www.skinbreeze.co.uk £175). This is a new blend facial of microdermabrasion to slough off outdated skin red light therapy to stimulate collagen and heal blemishes and serums forced into the epidermis employing an oxygen stress gun to tackle dullness or blemishes. Right after a calming mask, I was accomplished. It wasn’t a traditional treatment but it definitely brought outcomes. And I’d undoubtedly repeat it ahead of a huge get together.

No detox is a single long rose-scented daydream, nonetheless. More than the two days of deprivation, I drank no coffee, only herbal and fruit teas – the Bootea Teatox variety (£19.90 for a 14-day supply) is scrumptious – and gallons of great previous tap water. I craved sugar and salt and cheese… oh, and sauvignon blanc. By the finish of Day Two I may possibly have been grumpy. I also suffered a piercing detox headache, due to not getting had caffeine for 36 hrs, but it disappeared the subsequent morning when I stood on the scales and discovered I had shed a additional two lbs. Wow.

And the therapy I most want to repeat? That seaweed soak: it was somewhat bizarre, calming and organic… and the leftovers, when I scooped them out of the bath, are on my roses now. It was the ideal residence detoxifier, even if my green-tinged bath now seems like it could do with a detox, as well.

Location DETOX: 7 SHINING SPAS

Lefay Resort Italy

Set in woodland overlooking Lake Garda, this revolutionary spa resort provides brief-break detoxes involving algae wraps, saltwater therapies and mud massages.

www.lefayresorts.com

La Clairière France

A holistic “bio-spa” resort in Alsace offering invigorating skin scrubs, massages, daily group pursuits and fitness courses.

la-clairiere.com

BodyHoliday St Lucia

Sweat away toxins in the resort’s treehouse spinning studio, whilst paddle boarding, Hobie Cat-sailing – or, significantly less strenuously, in the Caribbean’s largest spa, exactly where treatments incorporate body wraps, deep tissue massages and hydrotherapies.

www.thebodyholiday.com

SHA Wellness Spain

Presently undergoing a massive growth to double its dimension, this hillside clinic outside Alicante is the perfect location to tackle health issues or shed fat the 7-night detox prepare entails yoga, tai chi, a healthful cookery course and luxury spa treatment options galore.

shawellnessclinic.com

Viva Mayr Clinic Austria

For a full gut cleanse, hit the daddy of medi-spas. Michael Gove invested a week here and lost two stone.

viva-mayr.com

Amansala Chica Mexico

Perched on the Mayan riviera, this ‘bikini bootcamp’ – which has hosted Charlize Theron and Jade Jagger – runs Destination Detox, a five-day raw-food programme created to cleanse, nourish and consider off bodyweight.

www.amansala.com/chica.php

Kamalaya Thailand

A good all-round choice for very first-time detoxers, this Koh Samui hideaway combines Conventional Chinese Medication with fusion cuisine, fitness classes and Oriental spa treatment options.

kamalaya.com

Luxuriating in my bath of warm seaweed, I come to feel like a mermaid

Spa Spy: The Macdonald Bath Spa

A Decleor Comforting Aromatic Facial (Mon-Thurs £72, Fri-Sun £85).

The procedure

Billed as the most regenerating massage your face will ever know. Aromatherapy oils were artfully deployed by Spy’s therapist, whose hands smoothed and softened this prematurely ageing visage.

The verdict

A facial that leaves you looking, if not feeling, as however you’ve had eight hours’ continuous sleep within living memory can’t, in Spy’s see, be advisable hugely ample.

The health-related view

Dr Max Pemberton writes: “In trials, aromatherapy has demonstrated substantial optimistic results on mood and relaxation, and this in flip can have positive aspects for the skin. It’s not clear if these advantages are relevant to the placebo effect but irrespective, it is a safe, successful and pleasurable way to deal with tension.”

The feelgood issue

Substantial. Foods and hospitality are 2nd to none and, as Jane Austen wrote of the hotel’s environs, “it would be pleasant to be near the Sydney Gardens”. Two centuries later, her overview stands.

B&ampB doubles from £176. The hotel has a spring break deal offering. For information go to macdonaldhotels.co.united kingdom or get in touch with 01225 444424

Spa Spy: The Macdonald Bath Spa

Is Kratom the New "Bath Salts" or Just an Organic Pain Reliever with Euphoric Effects?

Image credit score: Wikipedia

By now you’ve heard about “Bath Salts” (psychoactive stimulants) and “Spice” (synthetic marijuana) — drugs that had been until just lately very easily discovered and bought at fuel stations and tobacco outlets across the nation.  The Drug Enforcement Company (DEA)  has cracked down on these and other variations of these drugs by labeling the major ingredients as managed substances. Producers of the medicines maintain discovering methods to skirt those regulations, but total it is significantly tougher to purchase them now than it was just a 12 months ago.

But, have you heard of the latest legal drug craze to hit a gasoline station near you?  It’s called Kratom, and not like bath salts, Spice or any of the synthetic, formerly ”legal” medicines on the DEA hit checklist, this one is totally natural, and so far not listed as a managed substance.

Kratom is another name for the leaves of the mitragyna speciosa tree, which look like large, smooth, oval mint leaves. The trees are indigenous to Southeast Asia and their leaves have been utilized as a conventional medication in Thailand and Asian countries for centuries. Kratom is not new to the United States. It is been floating around the herbal marketplace for decades, offered as a tonic for a range of makes use of, but in the last few years it has steadily acquired traction as one of the major legal drugs of selection amongst the Bath Salt, Sativa, Spice crowd.

The result of the drug mimics that of opiates, ranging from sedation to pain reduction to extreme euphoria. It also carries with it a host of opiate side effects, such as nausea, dizziness, constipation, and in worst situations hallucinations and delusions.

Kratom is offered as raw or crushed leaves that can be smoked or steeped for tea, and also in gel caps. Potencies and strains fluctuate, as do costs (generally $ 15 to $ 50 per five-gram packet, or $ 18 to $ 25 for about 50 capsules). Doses normally range from two to 10 grams.

The DEA lists Kratom as a “Drug and Chemical of Concern.”  In a number of other nations, however, it has been banned outright, including  Bhutan, Australia, Finland, Denmark, Poland,Lithuania, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), and Thailand, where it is reportedly the third most popular drug, behind meth and marijuana.

Until finally just lately it wasn’t even achievable to determine Kratom in drug exams, but a new urine test just grew to become accessible that is able to isolate essential compounds in the drug.

Kratom is not with no its supporters, who argue that the substance has been utilised for centuries as a secure means to alleviate pain, improve vitality and reduce anxiety.  You can pay a visit to the Kratom Association to understand considerably far more about the drug and why its supporters fervently defend it.

The drug’s supporters argue, for instance, that there is no credible proof that Kratom is an addictive substance. This is not fully real.   A 2004 study on the tolerance and withdrawal results of kratom in mice performed jointly by the Josai Worldwide University in Japan and Chulalongkorn University in Thailand concluded that tolerance to seven-hydroxymitragynine (the chemical in Kratom thought to possess addictive properties) produced “as takes place to morphine,” and there was proof of cross-tolerance to morphine, as well. Withdrawal signs and symptoms also have been observed. [Phoenix New Times, August four, 2011].

And as MSNBC reported earlier this year, Kratom use is creating its presence identified in more and more hospital emergency rooms.

To be fair, caution is warranted ahead of throwing Kratom into the exact same basket as Bath Salts and Spice. At the extremely least, it’s a relatively “clean” drug compared to the others, which are mixtures of synthetic chemical substances, numerous identified to be toxic.  But whether or not or not Kratom deserves a  DEA-exempt existence among legal substances in the marketplace remains to be witnessed.

If you have had knowledge with Kratom, or would simply like to voice your opinion about this or associated drugs, please do in the comments part.

UPDATE: If you just finished this article, please study this follow-up as nicely. 

Is Kratom the New "Bath Salts" or Just an Organic Pain Reliever with Euphoric Effects?