Hotel In California - 7 Signs Your Child Is An iPad Addict

Source      - http://news.yahoo.com/
By             - Tia Ghose
Category   - Hotel In California
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Hotel In California

Withdrawal symptoms and cravings may seem like the province of hard-drug addiction, but increasingly, psychologists are noticing these same signs of addiction in people who use devices ranging from smartphones to tablets.

And as more and more households get iPads, more children may start to get hooked.  In April, reporters pounced on a story about a 4-year-old who was seeing a therapist to kick her iPad obsession.

Though diagnosing a 4-year-old may be a stretch, "with what we're learning about addictions, it is fair to say that somebody can become addicted to an iPad," said Oren Amitay, a psychologist in Toronto.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM-V), sometimes called the psychiatrist's "bible," has not officially added Internet gaming to its roster of disorders, but it's under consideration. And it's likely that iPad, smartphone or other device addiction will be viewed similarly as more data show their harmful effects, Amitay said. 

From physical withdrawal symptoms to losing touch with the outside world, here are seven signs your child may be hooked on the iPad.

1. Withdrawal

Withdrawal from heroin or alcohol causes headaches and the shakes, but device addiction has physical withdrawal symptoms as well. In a 2011 study, researchers asked 1,000 college students around the world to go 24 hours without using their smartphones, other mobile devices or the Internet. Many reported symptoms such as anxiety and depression, and one anonymous student even said he or she was "itching like a crackhead" from the longing to use a phone.

If your child is irritable, anxious or sad after having the iPad is taken away, he or she may have an unhealthy attachment to the device.

2. Tolerance

Just as heroin addicts need bigger and bigger hits to get the same effect, iPad users can also develop a tolerance.

"Kids might have enjoyed it for 10 minutes, now they need it for an hour or two hours or three," Amitay said.

If playing 20 minutes of Math Ninja or Subway Surfer is no longer enough to make a kid happy, that may also be a sign of addiction.

3. Loss of interest

If children who once loved playing soccer, picking on their kid brother, or climbing trees have lost interest in all those activities in favor of hours of "Air Hockey Gold," it may signal a problem. (An occasional preference for the iPad over other activities isn't a problem; the screen craving has to be crowding out everything else to a significant degree.)

4. Lack of control

Addicts typically have an inability to control their usage. And though 4-year-olds are not known for their self-control, children may have a problem if parents have a really hard time taking the tablet away from their child without a huge meltdown.

On the other hand, parents of young children should be able to set limits, and a young child throwing a temper tantrum is not a sign of addiction on its own, Amitay said.

5. Deception

Have you caught Henry hiding underneath the kitchen table hunched over a lit-up screen, playing his favorite game? Yes, another red flag of addiction is children lying about iPad use, sneaking the iPad into their bedroom or other hideout, or otherwise deceiving family members to get more screen time.

6. Trouble dealing

Addicts often use a substance or an activity as a way of escaping from a negative mood or feeling.

"Whether it's sex, drugs or gambling, it's about other feelings that they can't control," Amitay said.

Kids who are using the iPad to avoid dealing with sad, stressful, or negative emotions could have a problem. For instance, if your kid always grabs the iPad after a fight with a sibling or a parent, he may be coping with his negative emotions using the iPad.

7. Losing opportunities

Losing significant relationships, failing in school, or performing poorly at work are all signs of addiction. Though young children have probably not lost their shot at the corner office as a result of too much Candy Crush Saga, they may be losing friends or their grades may be slipping.

"The idea is that the child is detaching from the world around them," Amitay said.

Normal or not?

For all these symptoms, it's important to note that mentally healthy children, especially young children, become slightly obsessive about any new activity.

"When a child s learning to master their environment, or trying to get good at something, it's okay for them to spend a lot of time on it," Amitay said.

In young children especially, most symptoms of iPad addiction can be short-circuited early on if parents set limits, create consequences for excessive use and provide daily structure for their children. The fact that parents have trouble taking an iPad away from a 3-year-old doesn't necessarily mean they have a toddler addict; it means the parent have trouble saying no, Amitay said.

"If parents can't intervene with a 3-year-old, good luck with a teen," he said.

Hampton Hotels Santa Clarita - Apple’s iPhone Marketing Strategy Exposed

Source       - http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/
By              - Fion McCormack
Category    - Hampton Hotels Santa Clarita
Posted By  - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Hampton Hotels Santa Clarita

Every ambitious business owner hopes to succeed and become a leader in their niche. The tough truth of the matter is that there is only room for one brand in the number one spot. And when you hit that spot you have to fight hard to keep it.

Most business owners recognise the value in investing in services like SEO, PPC, Social media as well as offline promotional methods like advertising on radio, TV, billboards etc. For many business it becomes a race and the winner is the brand who invests the most into these advertising mediums.

Although most of us think of ‘marketing’ as a must have ingredient for success, you may not have noticed how one of the world’s biggest and most successful brands has succeeded in marketing their products all the way to the top spot on little more than a shoe string marketing budget.

While most businesses try to out-do their competitors with sheer advertising brute-force, Apple have dared to be different and have reaped the rewards by becoming the top dog globally in the mobile phone niche.

Apple do not have a marketing budget. They never advertise their mobile phone products anywhere. That means no SEO, PPC, Social media, TV, Radio or print ads of any kind. They simply do not promote their iPhones what so ever.

If you think you have seen Apple advertising their iPhone products you are mistaken. What you have actually seen is some other company advertising Apple’s products for them. Apple are so clever that they have actually managed to get other companies (mainly mobile phone operators) to pay for, and execute advertising for them. Apple iPhone ads are in fact paid for by a network operators who want to advertise that they sell the iPhone. When operators want to tell the world that they sell the iPhones, not only do they pay the bill but Apple slaps a fat stack of strict branding restrictions on the operators that dictated how the ad must look and what information it can contain. Hence why all ads for Apple products look the same.

You might think that mobile operators are stupid for what is effectively paying for Apple’s advertising but what choice do the networks have? Apple is the bestselling smartphone year after year. If an operator wants to get a bigger slice of the ‘Apple’ pie, they need to advertise that they have it. And they can’t advertise Apple’s trademark without conforming to Apple’s branding guidelines.

If an operator breaks the rules, they pay the price. Operators that don’t play by the rules are not prioritised when it comes to stock distribution.

So while you are splashing your businesses cash on promotion why is it that Apple doesn’t have to? After all, we’ve all been told that you have to spend money to make money.

It’s not because the iPhone is the best phone on the market. The iPhone is a good product but in terms of spec most iterations of the iPhone have really struggled to match those of the equivalent high end devices by HTC or Samsung.

The secret to their success is in Apple’s marketing strategy. They use what is known as the Exclusivity Technique. You would have seen this technique used, or maybe even used it yourself before.

The Exclusivity Technique is typically executed with relative success by businesses giving a select subset of customers a special deal on goods or services. For example some companies make certain offers exclusively available to existing customers or Facebook fans. This is the Exclusivity Technique at its most basic form.

The exclusivity technique works by making the eligible subset of customers feel special. This creates a better customer business relationship and is proven to increase brand loyalty.

Apple have taken this technique and put their own spin on it to develop what has been one of the most successful, and probably low-cost marketing techniques of all time.

Instead of making a special offer exclusive, Apple made their entire iPhone product range exclusive. The cherry on top for Apple is that they orchestrated the Exclusivity Technique to make their mobile phone the world’s most popular, despite it supposedly being exclusive.

So what did Apple do differently with their iPhones? They deliberately restricted the flow of their iPhones to customers and mobile phone providers.

When the first iPhone model came out it was made exclusively available from just one mobile provider for its’ entire life span. When subsequent iPhones were released there were “stock problems”. iPhones’ were issued on a first come first serve basis. Those who wanted one had to cue and sometime camp outside an Apple store. This attracted media attention and generated free publicity for Apple.

For those who didn’t get and iPhone, stock shortages ensured they had to wait until the next batch was released, often weeks after the official launch date. These restrictions of stock generated tension between those who wanted one and those who had one. This tension was vocalised openly by anguished customers across the web. The desire was infectious. People who didn’t even care about an iPhone picked the desperation of those that expressed their want for one. It generated an increased demand because as more people talked about wanting one, the more people that thought “hey what’s all this fuss about? If this thing is so good, I want one too”. The device became a rare commodity, a must have gadget.

This year Apple not only released the usual limited number of iPhones but of those there were three colour variants of the iPhone 5s. The gold colour was extremely limited in supply making it a talking point and creating a demand even within the subset who were lucky enough to get an iPhone before they sold out. Furthermore, Apple restricted SIM free iPhone sales to themselves. So, as things stand, mobile providers in the UK are not allowed to sell PayG iPhones. This means that anyone on a SIM only contract or will need to visit their nearest Apple store if they want a new iPhone.

Apple’s version of the Exclusivity technique not only gave a feeling of specialness for those that got an iPhone but a feeling of jealousy in those that wanted one and couldn’t have one just yet. This made them even more determined to get an iPhone, almost as a means of compensating themselves for rejection on some psychological level.

There are of course a huge portion of people who don’t want an iPhone and are sickened by the thought that so many are fanatical about these mobile devices.

The beauty of Apple’s exclusivity technique is that it creates two opposing groups within society (those with an iPhone and those without) and it creates conflict. The conflict is verbalised through blogs, forums even in person.

This purposely incited speculation and bickering about iPhone is Apple’s method of generating free publicity. It is what keeps the spot light firmly on the iPhone and makes it a perpetually hot topic.

Word of mouth has been recognised as the most effective form of promotion for any product or service because of its honesty and non-commercial intent. Forums and blog comments have become this century’s extension of word of mouth. Apple recognised this and capitalised on it early on.

It costs Apple nothing for the world to bicker about whether iPhone is better than any of the Android, Blackberry or Windows flagship devices. Whether you love of hate iPhones, if you have ever contributed to any online debate about Apple, then you have unwittingly taken part in promoting selling iPhones to the next generation.

Hotels In Northern California - How To Sweat With Soul

Source      - http://news.yahoo.com/
By            - Brett Hoebel
Category  - Hotels In Northern California
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Hotels In Northern California

When it comes to fitness, if your routine is just about sets and reps, you can get lost in an emotionless rut and will find it harder to stay fit; you will just be sweating - without passion. 

To make fitness a real part of your life, you need to make a connection that requires both your body AND soul. Because if it connects with you emotionally and spiritually, you will do it with passion, you will do it more often and it will change your life ... every day.

Lost the Soul

Have you lost some of your passion, some of your fire? Between family and work obligations, do you find it hard to see yourself as the individual you are? Has doing things out of duty turned your fitness routine into a "duty," leaving you exhausted instead of energized after a workout?

It's time to make a deeper connection. I always say "getting fit is hard ... staying fit is harder." To stay fit, you have to have a real connection to what your body is doing, or you won't stick to it. It's not enough to "just work out" if you want to make this a part of your life for the long haul. Today, I want you to figure out what your soul is attracted to when it comes to fitness.

The type of connection and attraction I'm talking about is like falling in love - it will energize you, and you will feel part of it, invested. That's the kind of passion you can create for fitness - going beyond the workout to have an experience.

Beyond the Sweat

You can find exercise routines anywhere: from gyms and the Internet to the best and worst personal trainer. And when you get fixed on doing the same sets and reps, it's easy to lose the emotion and the experience. So how do you go beyond that? Movement. Music. Mantra.

When I integrate the right movement, music and mantra, I have a spiritual experience. It frees me from my problems, my stress, my pain. It's my salvation - it's my "medicine." You can tell because my head will be bowed, and my fist will be pumping.

The music hits me emotionally, I get goose bumps and my body has to move. The movement gives me a physical outlet for the emotion pouring out of me and connects my body with my mind. Then, finally, the mantra or the message starts to echo inside of me - it inspires me, it gives me something to reach for and brings clarity to why I am doing this.

I can feel the ascension begin and the connection between my body, mind and soul.

One of my passions is Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art that incorporates fluid movements, beautiful music and inspiring meanings and mantras. There is so much to Capoeira beyond the martial art - the unforgettable people and mentors, the Portuguese language, the Brazilian culture, the musical instruments, the singing. Capoeira goes beyond the sweat and feeds a part of my soul.

Another passion of mine is spinning. The right music matched with the physical act of climbing, cruising and everything in between creates an energy in the room that hits me in my gut and makes me feel alive. These feelings create the mantras and messages I give to my students - and myself. It's powerful, and it's changed my life.

You can't get a fitness "experience" on a piece of paper. It's about being vulnerable, digging deep and investing your mind, body and soul into what you're doing. It's the commitment that gives you more than you imagined. And the more you give, the more you get. 

How to Sweat with Soul

There are three things you'll need to sweat with soul: community, commitment and challenge. In Capoeira, these elements flow together like mixing paint for your canvas of life.

-- The Community

The community that follows Capoeira is also committed to learning the three instruments: berimbau, atabaque drum and pandeiro tambourine. We know the corridos folk songs, we share the Portuguese language, and we understand the history of Capoeira from slavery to the resurrection of the art in the 1950's.

-- The Commitment

I am committed to the Brazilian culture, which is an important piece of Capoeira. I travel to Brazil and other countries where Capoeira is popular because it helps me stay invested in the art, and that feeds my passion. It's a part of who I am, so I have to stay committed to being a part of what it is.

-- The Challenge

I stay motivated by constantly recognizing and experiencing my own limitations as well as seeing others' amazing talents. I still have much to learn, and this challenge keeps me motivated. Capoeira is a gift that keeps me striving to be better in many areas of my life.

We all need a little soul in our fitness and in our lives. For you, maybe it's a martial art, meditation, yoga, Zumba or even CrossFit. But whatever it is, don't let your fitness life go on without soul. Once you find it, don't let it go. Because the more you feed your soul, the better you will treat your body ... and the happier and more fulfilling a life you will lead.

Accommodation In Santa Clarita - Astronomers Discover Most Distant Known Galaxy

Source      - http://www.latimes.com/
By             - Monte Morin
Category   - Accommodation In Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Accommodation In Santa Clarita

Just 700 million years after the big bang, our most distant known galaxy was a cauldron of star production, churning out new suns hundreds of times faster than our own Milky Way galaxy, scientists say.

But it was only this spring, roughly 13 billion years later, that astronomers first glimpsed evidence of this ferocious activity and confirmed the distance and age of the galaxy now designated as z8_GND_5296.

In a paper published Tuesday in the journal Nature, researchers said discovery of the galaxy suggested our early universe was capable of far more star production than previously believed.

"Such a galaxy is unexpected," wrote lead study author Steven Finkelstein, an assistant professor of astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin. "The early universe may harbor a larger number of intense sites of star formation than expected."

Radiant energy, including visible light, travels no faster than 186,000 miles per second. Since it took that energy almost 13 billion years to travel from z8_GND_5296 to the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, researchers can only study the galaxy as it was in its infancy.

It would appear very different if we were to glimpse its form in real time, scientists say.

"Such a galaxy would be very massive today and, having exhausted its supply of gas, would not be able to form many stars at the current time," said study coauthor Naveen Reddy, an assistant professor of astronomy and physics at UC Riverside.

In order to determine the galaxy's age and distance from Earth, scientists study its so-called redshift, or the lengthening wavelengths of energy emitted by its stars over great distances. The higher the redshift, the greater the distance.

It's only recently, however, that technology has advanced to the point that high redshifts can be studied. In the case of z8_GND_5296, scientists used Keck's MOSFIRE, the Multi-Object Spectrometer for Infra-Red Exploration, for this purpose.

Dominik Riechers, an assistant professor of astronomy at Cornell University who was not involved in the galaxy study, said that the discovery of z8_GND_5296 may presage a new era of research into very distant galaxies.

In an accompanying News & Views, Riechers noted that the James Webb Space Telescope will be able to detect similar galaxies with relative ease after its launch toward the end of the decade.

It's likely then that further galaxies will be observed.

Riechers notes that astronomers have confirmed the explosion of a massive and more distant star 70 million years earlier. However, due to the difficulty of detecting high redshift energy emissions, scientists have yet to link a galaxy with that tumultuous event.

The value of studying such distant galaxies, scientists say, is that it provides a window into the conditions of the early universe.

In particular, scientists said it could illuminate the period after the so-called cosmic dark ages, when the first stars and galaxies were formed and the neutral hydrogen that pervaded the universe became ionized.

"Astronomy is a little bit like archeology ... as we dig deeper into the 

sand, we are probing earlier periods in history," Reddy said.

Attractions In Santa Clarita - Apple Unveils New IPads Amid Crowded Tablet Market

Source       - http://www.businessweek.com/
By             - Adam Satariano
Category   - Hotel Reservations In Santa Clarita
Posted By  - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Hotel Reservations In Santa Clarita

Apple Inc. (AAPL:US) introduced new iPads in time for holiday shoppers, as it battles to stay ahead of rivals in the increasingly crowded market for tablet computers. 

Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook debuted a new iPad mini with a high-definition screen, as well as a thinner and lighter design for the larger tablet named the iPad Air. The iPad Air goes on sale on Nov. 1, starting at $499. The iPad mini will be available later in November for $399 and up, higher than the previous model’s starting price of $329. 

“This is just the beginning for iPad,” Cook said to a crowd of media and technology-industry insiders at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in downtown San Francisco. “We have been busy working on the next generation of iPad.” 

 

In the year since Apple last updated the iPad, companies including Samsung Electronics Co. (005930), Asustek Computer Inc. (2357), Google Inc. (GOOG:US) and Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN:US) have unveiled new tablets, often at lower prices. The competition adds pressure to Apple because the iPad is its second-largest source of revenue after its flagship iPhone. Success of the new models will be critical as the Cupertino, California-based company attempts to reignite revenue growth, which has slowed.

New Macs

Apple today also introduced new Mac software, called Mavericks, which is available free of charge. The software may stoke hardware sales, with the company also showing an updated high-end Mac Pro desktop computer starting at $2,999 aimed at professions that need extra computing power, as well as new MacBook Pro laptops. 

“We still believe deeply in this category and we’re not slowing down on our innovations” in Macs, said Cook. The Mac Pro will be assembled in the U.S., he said. 

Apple shares fell less than 1 percent to close at $519.87 in New York, leaving the stock down 2 percent for the year, compared with a 23 percent increase in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. 

Apple is updating its products ahead of the lucrative holiday shopping season. As part of the lineup, the company released new iPhones (AAPL:US) -- the iPhone 5s and 5c -- last month. 

Yet more than three years after Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad, the growth of the global tablet market is showing signs of decelerating. Tablet shipments are projected to increase 28 percent in 2014 to 301 million units, after doubling in 2012, according to Counterpoint Research. 

Competitors are cutting into Apple’s lead. The company’s tablet market share slid to 32 percent in the second quarter, compared to 60 percent a year earlier, according to IDC. 

Samsung, Asustek, Lenovo Group Ltd. (992), Acer Inc. (2353) and others are offering devices with prices starting at less than half of the iPad mini’s previous starting cost of $329. Amazon.com introduced new Kindle Fires last month with higher-resolution screens at prices starting from $229, while Microsoft Corp. and Nokia Oyj (NOK1V) took the wraps off new tablets this week.

Biggest Usage

Cook alluded to the competition today, noting that “everybody seems to be making a tablet.” He said the iPad is still used more than four times more than all other tablets put together. Apple has sold more than 170 million iPads, he said. 

In a move to spur growth, Apple will also roll out the new iPad Air in China at the same time as other markets, said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of product marketing. Apple also dropped the price of last year’s iPad mini model to $299.

No Worries

Benedict Evans of Enders Analysis said the higher starting price of the iPad mini shows Apple isn’t worried about competitors. He said the tablet market has bifurcated into two, with Apple controlling the high-end with its collection of popular iPad-specific apps, and a slew of other lower-end tablets used mainly to watch video or browse the Web. 

“Apple apparently doesn’t fear much tablet competition,” he said. 

Some rivals’ tablet efforts have flopped. Microsoft took an $900 million writedown earlier this year after its Surface failed to catch on with consumers. 

Apple is also going on the offensive by offering its operating system software for free. That threatens companies such as Microsoft, which typically sells its software in pricier packages. Carl Howe, an analyst at Yankee Group, said Apple giving away its software is tantamount to “challenging the Microsoft model.” 

Developers at Apple’s event said the updated iPads will attract consumers, especially the lighter and thinner iPad Air. 

“When you have a lighter weight device, you’re going to get more usage,” said Mike McCue, co-founder of news-reading application Flipboard Inc. “People are more likely to throw it in a backpack, pick it up or use it.” 

Some carriers and developers immediately began using the new iPads as a marketing opportunity. T-Mobile US Inc. (TMUS:US), which is selling the iPad for the first time, is offering users 200-megabits of high-speed data service at no extra cost, to help the fourth-largest carrier stand apart from its rivals. The 200-megabit allotment covers about five Web page downloads a day, according to the company’s data calculator. Users can buy 2.5GB of additional data for $30 or 4.5GB for $40.

Vacations In Santa Clarita - Learning New Skills Keeps Aging Minds Sharp

Source       - http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/
By             - Press Release
Category   - Vacations In Santa Clarita
Posted By  - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

Vacations In Santa Clarita

We are constantly reminded to "use it or lose it," and new research from the University of Texas at Dallas shows the same is true for keeping your brain up to speed.

 

No one likes the idea of slowing down as they age, but a new study suggests that challenging yourself to learn a new skill can bring noticeable benefits to an aging mind. 

The Administration on Aging predicts that there will be 72.1 million Americans aged 65 and over by the year 2030 - 19% of the population. And the new research provides insight into how everyday activities contribute to cognitive vitality as we age. 

Lead researcher, Denise Park, PhD, from the University's School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, says: 

"We need, as a society, to learn how to maintain a healthy mind, just like we know how to maintain vascular health with diet and exercise."

Randomly assigned activities

For the research, published in Psychological Science, Professor Park and her colleagues studied 221 adults aged between 60 and 90 for a period of 3 months. 

The researchers randomly assigned participants an activity and asked them to engage in it for 15 hours each week. 

Some participants were asked to learn a new skill, such as digital photography or quilting. These activities require active engagement and tap into both working and long-term memory, as well as other high-level cognitive processes. 

Others were encouraged to pursue more familiar pastimes in the comfort of their own homes. They were asked to listen to classical music and complete word puzzles, including crosswords. 

And keen not to overlook the importance of social contact, the researchers assigned a third group of participants to engage in activities with social interactions, such as field trips and excursions. 

Interestingly, participants in the study were very open to the idea of new experiences. 

Park explains: 

"Our participants essentially agreed to be assigned randomly to different lifestyles for 3 months so that we could compare how different social and learning environments affected the mind." 

"People built relationships and learned new skills - we hope these are gifts that keep on giving, and continue to be a source of engagement and stimulation even after they finished the study." 

And it seems that fortune really does favor the brave, as those who were the most mentally challenged showed the biggest improvements in recall and memory. 

 

While acknowledging that all three learning groups were pushed to keep mastering more tasks and skills, only the groups "confronted with continuous and prolonged mental challenge improved."

Meeting Space Santa Clarita - Buying Breast Milk Online? It May Be Contaminated

Source       - http://www.usatoday.com/
By             - Michelle Healy
Category   - Meeting Space Santa Clarita
Posted By - Hampton Inn Santa Clarita

 

Meeting Space Santa Clarita

Thanks to the Internet, women who produce an abundant supply of breast milk and those in need of it for their babies have more opportunities than ever to connect. But a first-of-its-kind study finds high levels of harmful bacteria and contamination in breast milk purchased via the Web.

Researchers' analysis of 100 samples of breast milk bought on a public milk-sharing website found three in four samples contained either high levels of bacterial growth overall or contained disease-causing bacteria, including fecal contamination.

The findings were likely the result of poor hygiene during milk collection, the use of either unclean containers or unsanitary breast milk pump parts, or compromised shipping practices, says epidemiologist Sarah Keim, lead author of the study in November's Pediatrics, published online today.

Nineteen percent of sellers did not include dry ice or another cooling method when shipping, according to the study.

It is unknown exactly how common purchasing breast milk online is, but a soon-to-be published journal article by Keim found 13,000 postings on U.S. milk sharing websites in 2011.

It is "totally normal" for there to be certain bacteria in human breast milk, says Keim, a principal investigator with the Center for Biobehavioral Health at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Some are "very important and healthy for babies and the development of their immune system and digestive system," she says.

This study focused on bacteria which "are generally pretty harmless as long as they don't grow out of control" but have also been associated with illnesses in infants linked to contaminated milk, including staphylococcus and streptococcus, says Keim. It also focused on bacteria associated with disease even at low levels, such as salmonella and E. coli.

Researchers compared the online-purchased breast milk samples to samples of unpasteurized breast milk donated to a non-profit milk bank.

Twelve such banks throughout the U.S. follow strict guidelines set by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America and provide pasteurized milk from carefully screened donors to fragile and premature infants, primarily in hospitals. Pasteurization kills the harmful bacteria before the milk reaches an infant.

In all the samples analyzed, the Web-purchased milk had higher bacteria counts and were more likely to contain disease-related types of bacteria, even though the donated milk from the milk banks had yet to be pasteurized:

-- 72% had any detectable gram-negative bacteria, which are associated with bloodstream infections, wound or surgical site infections, meningitis and fecal contamination vs. 35% of milk bank samples

-- 63% tested positive for staphylococcus vs. 25% of milk bank samples

-- 36% tested positive for streptococcus vs. 4% of milk bank samples

-- 3% were contaminated with salmonella vs. none of the milk bank samples.

All of the samples tested negative for HIV, says Keim, but the laboratory analysis to determine "the authenticity" of the breast milk is just beginning, she says, adding: "We're a little suspicious of some of the milk."

"This study confirms what people have suspected in terms of online milk purchases," says Anne Eglash, a family medicine physician with University of Wisconsin Health in Mt. Horeb and a co-founder of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine. She was not involved in the new study.

"You don't know what you're getting, you don't know the quality, how honest people are about how old the milk is, and so many other issues. It's important to realize that this may not be the safest way to get breast milk when you don't have enough," she says.

But Eglash, co-medical director of the still-in-development Mother's Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes, cautions against "throwing the baby out with the bathwater" when it comes to the sharing of raw, unpasteurized human breast milk between lactating women and those who cannot, for medical or other reasons, provide their own milk for their healthy, full-term babies.

"I don't think the message should be that women should never share milk, but that this behavior of buying it on the Web from someone you don't know should not happen," she says. Eglash emphasizes that "you don't want unpasteurized milk that has various bacteria going to an infant whose immune system is vulnerable," but says there are safe ways to share human breast milk with healthy infants who are not your own, as well as pasteurize it at home.

The Food and Drug Administration warns against feeding babies breast milk acquired directly from individuals or through the Internet, citing safety concerns; the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages feeding preterm infants human breast milk from unscreened donors.

Keim, author of the new study, says her findings "may not apply to situations where milk is shared among friends or relatives or donated rather than sold. The potential risks of those situations are less well understood."