Prenatal Vitamins Prevent Hydrocephalus - A Common Baby Brain Birth Defect bookmark this at :: del.icio.us
:: Digg it
June 22, 2009
(NaturalNews) A vitamin supplement composed of several different forms of folate may help prevent or even treat the brain defect hydrocephalus in children, according to a study conducted by researchers from the universities of Lancaster and Manchester, England, and published in the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology.
"Hydrocephalus can cause severe disability and learning difficulties, so the possibility of prevention through a specific vitamin supplement is exciting," said Andrew Russell, head of the Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus.
In hydrocephalus, cerebrospinal fluid abnormally gathers in the brain's cavities, placing pressure on the tissues and leading to neurological dysfunction. Symptoms include an unusually large head, irritability, sleepiness, vomiting, drooping eyes, verbal aggression, hyperactivity and other abnormal behavior, and even seizures.
There is currently no cure for the condition, which is normally treated by installing shunt to divert the fluid from the brain to the heart or abdomen. These shunts must be cleaned with several surgeries throughout a lifetime, however, to prevent blockage and infection.
In the current study, researchers found that a folate mixture led to significant reductions in the rates of fluid buildup in the brains of hydrocephalic rats. They also found that the symptom's conditions might come less from pressure caused by cerebrospinal fluid, and more from its chemical composition.
"Cerebrospinal fluid is not a liquid which simply cushions the brain and carries chemicals around it," lead researcher Jaleel Miyan said. "It is actively produced and transported and plays an essential biological role in developing the brain."
The researchers are now seeking to partner with a pharmaceutical company that can make the supplement into a pill, which can then be used in human clinical trials.
Folic acid, the naturally occurring form of folate, is known to prevent against neural tube defects such as spina bifida but has not proven effective in preventing hydrocephalus.
"There are so few things we can currently do to decrease the incidence of birth defects so these findings are really to be welcomed," said Imogen Montague of the United Kingdom's Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Sounds ridiculously simple, but it's an ideal base for your salad, especially if it's of the Caesar variety. And this phytonutrient-dense leaf makes a great bread substitute if you're cutting down on carbs.
The all-purpose mixer can keep your internal plumbing clean, thus helping to prevent urinary tract infections. When you're not thirsty, go for dried cranberries..
Fresh or frozen, berries - choose your favorite kind - are loaded with antioxidants. Add them to a bowl of low-fat yogurt for a healthy, refreshing snack.
10 things that should be in every man's fridge bookmark this at :: del.icio.us
:: Digg it
April 16, 2009
Do your refrigerator staples include beer, soda and leftover pizza (still in the box)? Yeah, that’s not good.
There are building blocks to healthy eating and none of those items are on the list. Content provided by Revolution Health Group
In the next few weeks I will talk about ten things all men should keep stocked in the icebox - I might even get carried away with it and list a few more.
Another food that may surprise you is healthy dark chocolate, but don't keep this in the fridge. When I say healthy dark chocolate you may respond like most people and say there is no such thing. But there is!!
Seaweed Farms Could Grow Biofuels Without Using Water or Land bookmark this at :: del.icio.us
:: Digg it
April 13, 2009
(NaturalNews) Seaweed could be a valuable source of biofuels that does not compete with food for land or require fresh water to grow, according to a report commissioned by The Crown Estate and conducted by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SMAS). "Given Scotland's rugged western coastline and island groups, and relatively clean seas, it is sensible to examine the farming of seaweeds and sustainable harvesting of natural supplies as a source of energy, to heat our homes and fuel our vehicles," said Mike Cowling, science and research manager for The Crown Estate, which manages land holdings for the British monarchy.
"Heating and transport make up around three quarters of our energy use, so it's vital that we find new ways of meeting that demand. Extracting energy from seaweed is a particularly efficient and reliable method of producing green energy," he said.
Prior research has suggested that chopped or ground seaweed is a more effective source of methane and than land plants, because it contains very little cellulose and no lignin. Brown seaweed, such as kelp, is easier to process than green or red varieties. Kelp also holds potential as a feedstock for ethanol, because its sugars are easily extracted when the plant is milled.
The report recommends that several 2.5-acre kelp farms be established off the coast of Scotland in order to test their productivity and give researchers an idea how the farms could best be managed. The estimated cost of setting up such a farm is $3,800, but the facility could produce approximately 130 wet metric tons of kelp per year.
Extensive kelp forests already exist naturally off the coast of Scotland. The largest and most productive stands 500 miles and 56,000 acres off the coast of the island of Orkney, and is estimated to hold more than one million metric tons of kelp.
~And you could cycle daily earning $540 each and every time?
~And it was only $200 one time?
~And the admin fee was only $60?
~And it featured products that you really want and can actually use?
~And the timing was perfect...just at the beginning of the year?
2009 has just begun and something great is happening! Three top marketers coming together to bring you a new cycler that will give you just what you want...and need!
Money in your pocket NOW and in the Year to come.
Don't wait. You'll regret it if you do. Go here and sign up now:
Love, Stained Glass Windows and An Open Mind bookmark this at :: del.icio.us
:: Digg it
January 23, 2009
Three Very Wise Women
"Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary."
- Mother Teresa
"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."
- Elizabeth Kübler-Ross
"If your mind isn't open, keep your mouth shut too."
Another very interesting and informative article from NaturalNews
Osteopenia is a condition whereby there is loss of bone mass; it is not as severe as osteoporosis, but is generally accepted to lead to it. It is estimated that, in the United States, about 10 million people suffer from osteoporosis, while about 18 million have osteopenia. And a recent study conducted at the University of Toronto in Canada has found that vitamin K1 may protect postmenopausal women with osteopenia against bone fracture as well as cancer.
Details of Study
The study, which was randomized, controlled and led by Dr Angela Cheung, looked at a group of 440 postmenopausal women who suffered from osteopenia. The women were split into two groups – one group received 5 mg of vitamin K1 daily for a period of two years, while the other group received a placebo. In order to find out the effects of long-term consumption of vitamin K1, 260 of the women then continued their treatment for another two more years.
All in all, the study team reported that vitamin K1 supplementation was well tolerated by the subjects over the entire 4-year period, and no particular adverse health effects were associated with long-term vitamin K1 supplementation.
Findings of Study
Tests taken at the 2-year and 4-year marks of the study measured the bone mineral density of the women. Measurements were taken at the lower back and hip.
The study found that bone density had decreased at similar rates in both the vitamin K1 and control groups. This implied that vitamin K1 did not stem the loss of bone density which is generally related to advancement in age. However, what was significant was that the women who consumed vitamin K1 suffered fewer fractures than the other group. In the former group, there were only 9 fracture incidents, as compared with 20 in the latter group.
In addition, vitamin K1 seemed to offer a protective effect against cancer, too. In the vitamin K1 group, only 3 women got cancer, as opposed to 12 in the placebo group.
Discussion
The study team has urged caution on their findings with regard to cancer and fractures. This is because, firstly, their study is quite small and, also, it was not actually designed to look at the two conditions. In the long run, larger studies would definitely be needed and, until then, they do not recommend high dose vitamin K1 supplementation for preventing osteoporosis. It would thus also follow that cancer patients or those seeking to prevent the disease should not be rushing to load up on vitamin K1.
Having said that, however, vitamin K, which is a fat soluble vitamin, is critical for good health, in particular for proper bone formation and blood clotting. Only with vitamin K can our health be aye okay, and it would thus be prudent for us to ensure that we get a decent amount of it via our diet.
Good sources of vitamin K include green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, collards, kale and spinach. It is also found in vegetables such as asparagus, brussels sprouts, cabbage, green peas, romaine lettuce and Swiss chard. Other decent dietary sources of the vitamin include canola oil, cottonseed oil, olive oil and soybean oil.
Reuben Chow has a keen interest in the area of natural health and healing and carries out regular research on the topic. His website, All 4 Natural Health, offers a basic guide on natural health information. It details simple, effective and natural ways, such as the use of nutrition, various herbs, herb remedies, supplements and other natural remedies, to deal with various health conditions as well as to attain good health.
Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving.
It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible.
After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible, instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though. I was too busy wallowing in self-pity. Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard.
"Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight"
I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what.
Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. "I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. Here, help me." The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high side boards on.
After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood - the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all Fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something.
"Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?"
You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked.
The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what?
"Yeah," I said, "Why?"
"I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt."
That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another arm load of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand.
"What's in the little sack?" I asked.
Shoes, they're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy."
We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn't have been our concern.
We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible. Then, we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?"
"Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt, could we come in for a bit?"
Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp.
"We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children - sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out.
"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said. He turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up." I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak.
My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known before filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people.
I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us.
"God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us."
In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.
Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.
Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their Pa, and I was glad that I still had mine.
At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away.
Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say, may the Lord bless you, I know for certain that He will."
Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that, but on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand."
I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children.
For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.
Don't be too busy today. Share this inspiring message. God bless you!
Is it Better to Give or Receive? bookmark this at :: del.icio.us
:: Digg it
Let's get reflective this Christmas and think about giving and receiving.
When people ask you what you want for Christmas or your Birthday, what do you say? Do you give it much thought, or do you just fob them off?
I think it's worth putting some thought into the question, and the reason is that there is as much pleasure, or more, in giving to loved ones as there is in receiving from them. If you can indicate the type of gift that would make you happy you will increase their pleasure because they will know what they give you will be acceptable and bring you pleasure.
Ask the question of yourself - what about me allowing them the joy of giving to me by helping them with the selection?
The whole package involves giving and receiving gifts, and giving and receiving joy on the occasion.
Most of us love to give, and see the pleasure on the recipient's face. The hard thing for some of us is to allow others the real joy of giving by really entering into the joy of receiving.
Enjoy the holiday season and your celebrations, whatever form they take.
How can Chocolate be good for you? bookmark this at :: del.icio.us
:: Digg it
December 08, 2008
Hello, Maggie Brown here, and I want to ask you some questions.
How many people in our society would love to have better health?
How do you cope with the battlefield in your body?
Most people don’t want to know – they just keep on eating what they’ve always eaten, and wonder why they are feeling worse every year.A lot of the ill-health and feeling of being under par is caused by what you eat, and can also be alleviated by making some changes in your diet.
What do I mean by “the battlefield in your body”?
There really is a war going on in there!The war between the free radicals and the antioxidants. Who will win?
That depends on how you handle the situation.
If you want a chemistry lesson you’ll have to do the research yourself – I’m only giving you the short story here.
What we know as a free radical is an atom or molecule that has a single unpaired electron in an outer shell.Free radical damage is closely associated with oxidative damage, and we can think of it as being similar to the effect of oxygen on iron, which is destructive in the form of rust.In our bodies antioxidants combat the effects of these free radicals.
What is the food that is rich in antioxidants and tastes delicious?
If you said chocolate you’d be nearing the truth, but not just any chocolate, it must be healthy chocolate.
How can Chocolate be good for you?
It is packed full of antioxidants, which fight free radicals and inflammation (the baddies)
Is a perfect anti-aging food
It helps promote cardiovascular health
Improves sleep and creates a general sense of well-being
Helps control appetite and can aid in weight loss
It is safe for diabetics to eat
Provides natural energy
Is a source of flavonoids and phytonutrients
It is delicious
Join me NOW in being one of the many who are making money by eating and sharing this special healthy chocolate.Click here.
P.S.Many people are making six figure incomes from this opportunity.Don’t miss out.Click the link
P.P.S. Email me if you have any questions - I don't want you to miss out. Can you imagine the pleasure you could get from helping people with their health by sharing healthy chocolate?
I've talked before about Vitamin D being an important compound in the fight against cancer, but it doesn't stop there.
What would you think if I told you that Vitamin D is also necessary for another great fight?
Harvard researchers have looked at the Vitamin D levels in more than 18,000 men over the age of 40, and have found a clear link between Vitamin D deficiency and increased risk of heart attack. Even when adjusted for risk factors such as diabetes, high tryglyceride levels and a family history of heart attack the men with low to mid-range levels of Vitamin D were at higher risk compared to men with high levels.
Make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D to keep you healthy, but remember that the balance of vitamins and minerals is very important.
The best source of Vitamin D is sunlight, but if you live in areas far north and south of the equator you can get your daily Vitamin D intake by taking a good quality supplement.
Click here and go to March 18, 2008 for more on Vitamin D.
Vitmin C Benefits You May Not Know About bookmark this at :: del.icio.us
:: Digg it
November 22, 2008
Make sure you take vitamin C daily.
Why???
You probably already know some of the benefits of taking vitamin C every day, but here are two more reasons why it may be beneficial.
A recent meta-analysis has examined 13 clinical trials which included more than 400 people with high cholesterol levels. It has come to the conclusion that a minimum supplement of 500 mg of vitamin C daily may lower LDL cholesterol AND ALSO triglycerides.
Other research has shown that heart attack patients who combine vitamin C with vitamin E may significantly reduce the risk of a second heart attack.
Alternative to taking statin drugs bookmark this at :: del.icio.us
:: Digg it
November 18, 2008
I was interested in a tactic undertaken by someone who didn't want to take statin drugs even though her cholesterol levels were elevated and her doctor suggested that she should.
Although she knew that inflammation and oxidation of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) are the real culprits behind heart disease she still wanted to get her cholesterol levels down.
What she did was start an exercise program, cut the simple carbohydrate foods from her diet, and started taking a dietary supplement containing artichoke leaf extract (ALE).
A recent study has shown that 1,280 mg of ALE taken daily for 12 weeks produced a significant reduction in total cholesterol in healthy subjects with elevated cholesterol levels.
This article is not to be taken as advice - it is merely a report on a study into raised cholesterol levels.
Link Between Obesity and Bowel Cancer bookmark this at :: del.icio.us
:: Digg it
November 11, 2008
Obese people are 20 per cent more likely to contract bowel cancer, according to new research showing even modest excess weight significantly increases the risk of getting the disease.
A major new study in Australia by Sydney scientists has provided the clearest and most direct link yet between extra weight and cancer risk.
The report reviewed international studies involving more than 70,000 patients. It found that obese people, those with a body mass index over 30, have a 20 per cent greater risk of developing colorectal cancer, also known as colon or bowel cancer, compared with those who have a normal BMI under 25.
Obese men had the greatest risk, 30 per cent higher than for obese women, according to the report published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.
But the researchers from the George Institute for International Health warned that even those carrying a little extra weight had an increased chance of developing the disease. For every five kilogram weight gain, the risk of developing the cancer increases by seven per cent, said co-author Dr Rachel Huxley.
“Approximately one in 20 Australians will develop colorectal cancer in their lifetime, and our data clearly indicate that the risk of developing the cancer can be substantially reduced by maintaining a healthy weight,” Dr Huxley said.
The finding comes just weeks after the release of a landmark World Cancer Research Fund Report which warns of suggested links between diet, weight and cancer rates. It concludes that maintaining a lean weight, or BMI between 21 and 23, is the most important factor for reducing cancer risk.
Dr Huxley said that the mechanisms behind the link were not yet fully understood, but there was substantial evidence suggesting diet and physical activity play a vital role. Both reports stress the increasing levels of obesity in both high income and developing countries. About 300 million people across the world are obese, with this figure expected to rise up to 700 million by 2015, Dr Huxley said. “Considering that obesity increases the threat of colorectal cancer by 20 per cent, this means that 10,000 cases each year are due to severe excess weight,” she said. “The number of cases of colorectal cancer alone, caused by obesity, is likely rise to at least 25,000 by 2015.” Bowel cancer is the second most common cancer in Australia, with more than 12,000 new cases diagnosed each year. AAP
(NaturalNews) Soil scientists have known for many years about the decline in soil fertility. To address the problem, farmers, agricultural companies and governments have advocated a number of solutions which, however, have not ensured that our food is more nutritious.
Farming is big business and the aim to is give people cheaper food and make profits. This has meant that crops are genetically modified to ensure resistance against disease and to grow faster; that pesticides and herbicides are used to control pests; that ammonium-based fertilizers are applied to try to improve the soil.
This business has created an entirely unnatural ecosystem, where the soil has become barren and devoid of micro-organisms that are needed to create organic mineral complexes. The trace minerals have been used up and there is no immediate way to restore the micro-organisms.
The minerals from the soil contribute to producing nutrient rich food (including minerals). These nutrients are absorbed by us when we consume food. Like it or not we are connected to the soil. If it's depleted, then so are we. Unhealthy, barren soil does not produce food that is abundant in nutrients. For example, between 1951 and 1999 Vitamin A was completely lost in onions and potatoes.(1)
Soil that is depleted is unable to help nutrient deficient plants overcome attacks from pests and fungus. This means more pesticides are used. Synthetic (inorganic) fertilizers have little benefit since they create insoluble mineral complexes which are difficult for plants to absorb. Dr Richard Drucker (of Drucker Labs) reports that healthy nutrient-rich crops need 70 trace minerals, but that farming is only replacing 3-5 of these.(2)
Government authorities have been aware of the problem for 70 years. In 1936 it admitted that almost all soils in the US were depleted of minerals, and this was reiterated again in 1992 at the Earth Summit.(3) What does that have to say about progress?
Another reason why soils are depleted is acid rain. The University of Maine published a study in the December 2003 issue of the Soil Science Society of America Journal which confirms that acid rain depletes nutrients from the soil. Authorities have long ignored scientists' reports that acid rain depletes the soil of nutrients needed for growing trees.(4)
Can we then get minerals from other sources? Drucker believes that the best inorganic trace minerals from coral, colloidal or ionic have very large and insoluble molecules that are difficult to absorb at cellular level. Further, once they are absorbed, they accumulate in the body and are stored in fatty tissues. Over time, these substances become toxic leading to possible disease. Given this problem, we can assume that it will be difficult to get minerals from other sources. He does suggest that we need high quality supplements until a solution is found.(2)
Organic minerals have very small molecules which are easily absorbed through the cells. The minerals work as activators in the body as they are required to set off chemical reactions. For example, magnesium is an activator for over 300 enzymes and is important for the energy system of the body.
Dr Linus Pauling is famous for saying that every disease, sickness and ailment is related to mineral deficiency. The reason is that minerals are required for every cell in our body to function.
If minerals are lacking in our food, vitamins are of no use because vitamins (and enzymes) need minerals for them to work in our bodies. This means that vitamin supplements would be of no use unless we also have adequate minerals.
Our focus on progress in the name of money is having significant impacts on our health. Money was the very reason why authorities did not over the 70 years insist on sustainable farming practices, and why producers of pesticides, and synthetic fertilizers held sway. So some people have benefited financially, but what use is money if it cannot buy us food that will sustain us and keep us healthy in the long term?(1)
At any time you may be faced with a medical emergency - have you ever asked yourself, "How will I react?"
Are you afraid that you may not know what to do?
Read this short article and commit it to memory, and you may be able to save someone's life.
STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters.... S.T.R.
STROKE IDENTIFICATION: During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) .....she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.
They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself for the rest of the evening.
Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die.... they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
It only takes a minute to read this... A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify and unfortunately the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke .
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions: S * Ask the individual to SMILE. T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today) R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS. NOTE: New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue Ask the person to stick out his tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call an ambulance immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
Remember that if a person gets medical attention within 3 hours they can be saved from the adverse effects of a stroke.
Adjusting After Daylight Saving bookmark this at :: del.icio.us
:: Digg it
November 01, 2008
How to Adjust to the Time Change
The one-hour time change can be a big adjustment for many people, but there are ways to minimize the disruption.
Dr. David Rapoport, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at New York University Langone School of Medicine in New York City, has these suggestions for individuals who already have sleep problems:
Go to bed at your regular time and wake up at the new time. "It's money in the bank. You've paid back a debt," Rapoport said.
Don't use the extra hour to work or party. "You will be using this freebie to add to your fun but not pay back your debt," he said.
Move your body into sync with what's happening outside in terms of light. For example, go for a 15-minute walk toward the end of the day while the sun is still out. "Walking facing the sun without sunglasses is an excellent way to push your clock back," Rapoport said. (In the spring, reverse this and take the walk in the morning.)
"In our society, almost everybody is sleep deprived and this is a golden opportunity to catch up on it," Rapoport said.
Does Daylight Saving Affect The Heart? bookmark this at :: del.icio.us
:: Digg it
October 31, 2008
Content provided by Health Day
Changes in time are occurring in several countries at this time of year - some putting the clocks forward an hour for the start of summer and others, in the Northern hemisphere, putting the clock back an hour at the end of their daylight saving period. Believe it or not this may cause more serious problems than just adjusting our sleep patterns.
Although it is only a preliminary study, researchers in Sweden have found that more people have heart attacks at the change to and from daylight saving than normal, and more when the clock is put forward in spring than when it is put back an hour. One conclusion would be that people who are already sleep deprived, and those with high cholesterol and particularly those who snore, must be very careful with the time they go to bed and get up. This should be a general rule, but needs to be paid more attention when the clocks are changed for daylight saving, as sleep deprivation certainly affects the health sometimes causing stroke and heart attacks.
Susan Zafarlotfi, clinical director of the Institute for Sleep-Wake Disorders at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey says "Our circadian rhythm, which is the biological clock within the human body, gets its cues from time and light. This coming Sunday when we go backwards, our bodies are not going to be clocking so quickly, so the clinical consequences would be fatigue, tiredness and a little bit of lack of attention and lack of concentration."
For the new research, the study authors used a registry with information on all heart attacks occurring in Sweden since 1987. Then they compared how many heart attacks happened during each of the first seven days after "spring forward" and "fall back," and the average of how many occurred on the corresponding weekdays two weeks before and two weeks after the day of transition.
There was a spike in heart attacks for the first three weekdays after the change to daylight saving time in the spring, an effect that was more pronounced in women. In the fall, there was a slight drop in the number of heart attacks on the Monday after the transition, but more heart attacks by the time the following Friday rolled around; this effect was more pronounced in men, the researchers found.
Regardless of the time of year, the effects tended to be stronger for people younger than 65 than for those over 65.
The study authors hypothesized that the increase in risk was likely due to the negative effects of sleep deprivation on heart health.
The next step in the research would be to see if prolonged sleep might reverse the problem, especially given that people in western societies tend to lack sleep. Their average night's rest has decreased from 9 hours to 7.5 hours during the last century.
The Emotion-Health Connection bookmark this at :: del.icio.us
:: Digg it
October 24, 2008
Continued from yesterday
Generally speaking, there have been other studies which have drawn a link between positive mental and emotional states and better health. For example, some studies have shown that positive emotions cause the body to produce more immune cells, while negative ones have the effect of suppressing one’s immune system.
But exactly and specifically how attitudes contribute to health, is something which we cannot say we know very well. One theory is that the body’s immune system is influenced by brain chemistry, which is in turn affected by one’s emotional experiences.
"The mechanism in which the central nervous, hormonal and immune systems interact and how behaviour and external events modulate these three systems is not fully understood," said Peled. "The relationship between happiness and health should be examined in future studies and relevant preventative initiatives should be developed."
One thing we do know, though, is that emotions such as happiness, stress, anger, anxiety and fear affect the human at a biochemical level. In other words, when our emotions change, our bodies also become chemically different.
What Next For Us
One thing that must be noted about the study is that the women were in fact interviewed after their cancer diagnosis, which could very well affect their recollection of their emotional state in the past. When a person is going through a crisis, it would perhaps be a natural tendency to view events in the past more negatively.
Despite this, and although the “how” is still uncertain, Peled is convinced that the link between emotional events and health exists. He feels that “we can carefully say that experiencing more than one severe and/or mild to moderate life event is a risk factor for breast cancer among young women. On the other hand, a general feeling of happiness and optimism can play a protective role".
According to him, young women who have gone through a number of adverse life events should be identified as being ‘at-risk’ for breast cancer and then be treated as necessary.
Most of us wish to find a specific solution for every health problem. The truth is, many degenerative diseases, and most certainly cancer, have their roots in multiple causes. That being the case, many factors would contribute to one's risk profile, and a multi-pronged approach in preventing and dealing with the disease is almost always necessary.
What we now know, being happy and optimistic forms an important part of such an approach.
And if you have been through some tough events in life, you may want to seek some help to address unresolved issues, either through professional counseling or otherwise. Leaving these issues lingering would just be adding more ammunition to the potential cancer time bomb.
Main Sources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website
Reuben Chow has a keen interest in the area of natural health and healing and carries out regular research on the topic. His website, All 4 Natural Health, offers a basic guide on natural health information. It details simple, effective and natural ways, such as the use of nutrition, various herbs, herb remedies, supplements and other natural remedies, to deal with various health conditions as well as to attain good health.
How Important is Happiness in Preventing Breast Cancer? bookmark this at :: del.icio.us
:: Digg it
October 23, 2008
(NaturalNews) Want to lower your risk of getting breast cancer? Recent research in Israel published in the British journal BMC Cancer has given us one more thing to take note of.
Breast Cancer Statistics
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after non-melanoma skin cancer, cancer of the breast is the next one which most commonly afflicts American women. In 2004 alone, over 185,000 women and more than 1,800 men were diagnosed with the disease, while almost 41,000 women and 362 men actually died because of breast cancer.
Overall, in that year, breast cancer was the number five killer of American women, while being their number two cancer killer. For Hispanic women, breast cancer was also the type of cancer which caused the most deaths.
These numbers do not make for good reading at all. What actually causes breast cancer, and what can we do to stave it off?
Possible Causes of Breast Cancer
Those who are familiar with natural health and healing will know that breast cancer, like all other forms of cancer, can be prevented and even treated using powerful dietary and lifestyle choices, such as consuming enough fiber, exercising regularly, as well as getting enough sunshine and vitamin D.
What is also clear is that breast cancer, again like all forms of cancer, is a multi-factorial disease which needs to be tackled from various angles.
Recent research at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel has given us one more piece of the jigsaw – it seems that happiness and optimistic attitudes may reduce one’s risk of contracting the disease. On the flip side, adverse life events may increase one’s susceptibility to it.
Details of the Study
For the study, 622 women aged between 25 and 45 were asked about their life experiences, and researchers then assessed their levels of optimism, happiness, anxiety and depression before diagnosis. This information was then used to draw a link between life events, psychological distress and the occurrence of breast cancer. Of the participants, 255 were breast cancer patients, while the other 367 had never had cancer.
According to Professor Ronit Peled, the leader of the study, its findings “showed a clear link between outlook and risk of breast cancer, with optimists 25 percent less likely to have developed the disease”.
On the other hand, women who had been through two or more traumatic events in their lives had a 62 percent higher risk of contracting the disease.
Yummy, Healthy Chocolate Brownies bookmark this at :: del.icio.us
:: Digg it
September 23, 2008
Have a look at this fabulous recipe, and if you want to find out about that healthy chocolate just email me at meb@westnet.com.au with 'Healthy chocolate' in the Subject line.
New research suggests link exists between acrylamide, a chemical in fried foods, and cancer Jennifer Neal, Cavalier Daily Senior Writer
There appears to be another reason not to supersize those fries. A recent study conducted by the Swedish National Food Authority found that many high-carbohydrate foods, cooked at high temperatures contain the chemical acrylamide -- a compound known to cause cancer in laboratory animals. The foods containing this carcinogenic compound include French fries, potato chips, certain cereals, breads and crackers. Acrylamide is not used as a preservative or additive but appears to be a by-product of the cooking process.
It isn't clear how these foods become contaminated by acrylamide. Research presented last week suggests that acrylamide forms when asparagine, an amino acid, reacts with sugars such as glucose when heated above 100 degrees Celsius. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, compounds responsible for cellular structure, function and reproduction.
Asparagine is a nonessential amino acid that is naturally made by the body but also can be obtained through plant foods, explained Larry Mesner, biochemistry and molecular genetics assistant professor of research.
Food scientists have long known of a particular reaction that occurs when proteins are heated in the presence of carbohydrates -- compounds made of simple sugars. This reaction is known as the Maillard reaction and is responsible for the flavor of most fried foods -- especially plant based foods.
It is not known what impact these new findings will have on the general public's cooking and eating habits.
"I think the study showing formation of relatively high levels of acrylamide during the cooking process in certain foods is significant and certainly warrants further investigation," Molecular Physiology graduate student Jennifer Hendrix said. "However, until further studies are done, I don't feel it is necessary to change my eating habits."
Hendrix went on to point out that there already are many other reasons why Americans should limit the intake of fried foods. "Over-consumption of fried foods is already discouraged for reasons other than high acrylamide content, including increased risk of cardiovascular disease and obesity," she said.
Nonetheless, the popularity of fried foods in the United States has made the quest to determine how acrylamide forms a priority for public interest groups.
"Acrylamide is a risk. We estimate that acrylamide causes several thousand cancers per year in the United States. The more french fries and potato chips we eat the more acrylamide we are exposed to and the greater our chance for cancer," said Dr. Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "Scientists need to do something to figure out how to stop acrylamides from forming."
Although there have been few studies conducted to determine whether acrylamide causes cancer in humans, numerous studies have shown that exposure to the chemical causes increased instances of cancer in laboratory rats.
"In high concentrations acrylamide does cause types of cancers in certain animals such as mice," said Dr. Christopher Holstege, assistant professor of emergency medicine and director of the Blue Ridge Poison Center. "The doses that they used with animals where they found that there was some affect was 500 times more than what they are finding in foods."
Citing these studies, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services indicated in the Ninth Report on Carcinogens that acrylamide is "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen based on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals."
The U.S. government has long known of the dangers of this multi-functional compound. The Environmental Protection Agency mandates that drinking water contains no more than 0.12 micrograms per serving (eight ounces). However, the Food and Drug Administration issued no warnings about acrylamide and recommends only that Americans eat a well balanced diet.
Such an oversight upsets Jacobson. "We have urged the FDA to advise Americans to cut back on the least nutritious contaminated foods, and French fries would be at the top of the list," he said.
In an effort to spur the FDA into action, The Center for Science in the Public Interest recently commissioned the same group of scientists that published the original findings for the Swedish National Food Authority to examine the acrylamide content in a variety of American foods. Their findings indicated some brands of potato chips and French fries contained up to 800 times the amount of acrylamide allowed in eight ounces of water. The fact that popular foods contain high amounts of a possible carcinogen is alarming, but not unusual. "To put it in perspective, remember that polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs, which you get with grilling, probably pose a much greater risk for cancer than those associated with acrylamide -- but I don't see anybody stopping grilling," Holstege said. "There is also a high content of acrylamide in smoke, so people that have been smoking have been exposed to acrylamide for years."> Holstege said he believes more studies are needed to determine whether the amount of acrylamide found in carbohydrate rich foods causes cancer. But until that data is available he stresses that people should eat less processed foods and more fresh fruits and vegetables. "Remember, eating just the processed foods -- potato chips and things like that -- is not necessarily a good thing. People have to vary their diet with a lot of fresh vegetables," Holstege said. "There are anti-carcinogenic properties of eating fresh fruits and vegetables."
Weight gain, sleep deprivation and alcohol bookmark this at :: del.icio.us
:: Digg it
September 03, 2008
According to J. Steven Poceta MD there is a definite correlation between not getting enough sleep, taking alcohol and gaining weight.
A major study conducted in Boston assessed over 5000 girls over the span of one year in the 2000-2001 time frame, which shows that there is a link between alcohol, short sleep, caffeine, time spent on the internet and weight gain. There were attempts to factor out expected weight gain (growth) as well as the degree of activity or inactivity.
More internet time, less sleep, and more alcohol were highly associated with weight gain over the course of the year. For those females over age 18, drinking alcohol more than 2 times per week, and sleeping 5 or less hours per night were highly associated with weight gain. The estimate was an extra four pounds per year.
Although one drink with dinner at night is probably not too disruptive to sleep, in higher doses it disrupts sleep, especially in the last half of the night. In fact if you have sleep problems it would probably be better not to have alcohol at all.
The idea would be to minimize alcohol, to try and sleep about 7 hours per night, and to limit internet time. To quote the authors of the study, “older girls may benefit by replacing recreational internet time with sleep and by avoiding alcohol.”
Some Alarming Facts About Weight Loss bookmark this at :: del.icio.us
:: Digg it
August 21, 2008
Are you trying to lose weight but not succeeding?
Have a think about these facts:-
* Consuming just 210 kilojoules more than you need each day can pile on 2 kilos in a year.
* Three beers each night can put on up to 20 kilos in one year. * One can of soft drink daily can add another 7 kilos over a year.
* Two chocolate biscuits daily can add 4 kilos per year.
Such simple habits as these can add up to you having a life that is less than optimal. I said habits, because that's where I believe most of our problems start. We do something several times for a particular reason, it feels good or makes us feel good overall, so we continue to do it, even if it is not good for us.
This may be something like having sweets after dinner because we've had a bad day. Or having a couple of beers after work because we're not feeling so good.
If you let these things become habits, it is much more difficult to stop doing them than if you don't start in the first place. This is really obvious to most people, but the trick is to keep it in the front of your mind if you do something that you know will not be good for you. Then, make sure you don't do it again the next day.
It is a good thing to have treats, to eat or drink something we don't normally have, but the very definition of 'treat' is that you only have it very occasionally.
NOTE: Check out my article about healthy chocolate, which is one of the superfoods, and rest assured you can have this chocolate every day and be helping your health. It also tastes yummy.
There is a buzz around the world that chocolate has amazing powers. It has long been eaten as a treat because people just love it, but now we are learning that this food that we looked on as a wicked treat has some incredible health attributes.
It will lavish you with more magnesium than any other food, which is great if you get cramps or anxiety. Both of these symptoms have been helped tremendously by taking magnesium supplements. Magnesium is one of the greatest stress relievers in the world, and also builds strong bones and teeth.
Magnesium is the number one mineral deficiency in the west, and the good news is that it can be obtained by eating special healthy chocolate every day.
If you are overweight or a diabetic keep reading for the secret as to how you too, can enjoy this previously forbidden delight.
Natural raw or specially processed chocolatehas the highest amount of natural antioxidants of any food in the world.
Chocolate is also rich in sulphur, which is a natural skin care product and also produces lustrous hair and strong nails. Think about all those sulphur hot springs that people have been flocking to for millennium for their beautifying properties.
Chocolate gets the serotonin pumping through your brain and is one of the only sources of PEA, the love hormone! If we want to feel more love then chocolate may hold the key.
And now for the secret especially for diabetics or overweight people who have always been excluded from the chocolate feast. Watch this videoand find out the truth about how this healthy chocolate is revolutionising people's lives. Click on the linksafter you've watched the video, and find out all you can about healthy chocolate.
You can ask me any questions you have by clicking on my email address on the website.
For better or for worse, there seems to be no real, ongoing scientific debate about whether trans fats are truly dangerous. In recent months, we’ve seen an unusual amount of attention devoted to trans fats. Restaurant chains are rushing to announce the total or partial elimination of them from the foods they serve. The list includes such diverse establishments as KFC, Starbucks and Bennigan’s. Even the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has jumped on the bandwagon. This comes at a time when some cities and states are considering or enacting prohibitions against the use of trans fats in restaurant foods.
It’s difficult to argue that trans fats are good for you, but it’s also difficult to argue that their immediate removal from the food supply, sometimes to be replaced with saturated fats, deserves this much sudden effort and attention. The assertion that trans fat increases a person’s risk of coronary heart disease is not entirely without controversy.
Since mandatory nutrition labeling became effective in 1994, there have been “bad nutrients” included in the nutrition facts panel. They include sodium, cholesterol, saturated fat, calories from fat and, for certain dieters, total carbohydrates. Mandatory declaration of trans fat content began in 2006, and this prompted many food manufacturers to replace trans fats. If trans fats had been included in the list from the beginning, we almost certainly would not have seen such a sudden rush within the food industry to get rid of it.
The health concern associated with trans fat is that it may elevate “bad cholesterol” while at the same time decreasing “good cholesterol,” thereby increasing the risk of heart disease. It also has been suggested that in clinical trials, trans fatty acids replace cholesterol-lowering fatty acids such as oleic and linoleic acids, thus giving an appearance that increased bad cholesterol was caused by the trans fat. For better or for worse, however, there seems to be no real, ongoing scientific debate about whether trans fats are truly dangerous. The jury is in, and trans fats are on the way out.
Reporting on trans fats in the media is sometimes garbled. Many reports associate trans fats with obesity. An editorial in the Washington Post called on FDA to revoke the “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) status of trans fats. There is no existing GRAS regulation to be revoked. Technically speaking, FDA would need to adopt a regulation prohibiting the use of trans fats in human food. FDA does not seem to be entertaining such a move. Jumping on the trans fat bandwagon, for the sake of replacing trans fat with saturated fat, should not be on FDA’s regulatory agenda.
It is not easy for large restaurant chains, for example, to switch quickly from hydrogenated fats and oils to substitutes that are free of trans fats. The switch requires extensive research and development, taste testing, securing adequate supplies of the substitutes and doing all of this in a way that does not unreasonably increase the cost of the finished food.
Some consumer activists and food industry critics would no doubt be pleased to see large restaurant chains struggle to survive without trans fats. The pressure on restaurant chains to eliminate trans fats almost immediately is unfair. The risk associated with trans fats, if accepted at face value, is something that manifests itself upon chronic consumption. There is no need to eliminate them immediately from the diet.
A better model for promoting a safe and healthy diet would be to eliminate “nanny state” solutions. Educating consumers and encouraging them to choose a healthy diet, with a little room for doughnuts and a little room for brie, would be a better solution. If we instead go down the path of prohibiting politically incorrect foods, we must ask ourselves what foods and food ingredients will be targeted next.
New research on napping provides the perfect excuse for office slackers, finding that a little midday snooze seems to reduce risks for fatal heart problems, especially among men.
In the largest study to date on the health effects of napping, researchers tracked 23,681 healthy Greek adults for an average of about six years. Those who napped at least three times weekly for about half an hour had a 37 percent lower risk of dying from heart attacks or other heart problems than those who did not nap. Most participants were in their 50s, and the strongest evidence was in working men, according to the study, which appears in Monday's issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. The researchers said naps might benefit the heart by reducing stress, and jobs are a common source of stress.
"It's likely that women reap similar benefits from napping, but not enough of them died during the study to be sure", said Dr. Dimitrios Trichopoulos, the study's senior author and a researcher at Harvard University and the University of Athens Medical School. Heart problems killed 48 women who were studied, six of them working women, compared with 85 men, including 28 working men.
A daytime siesta has long been part of many cultures, especially those in warmer climates. Mediterranean-style eating habits featuring fruits, vegetables, beans and olive oil have been credited with contributing to relatively low rates of heart disease in those countries, but the researchers wanted to see if napping also plays a role."My advice is if you can (nap), do it. If you have a sofa in your office, if you can relax, do it," Trichopoulos said.
"Exactly how stress is related to heart disease is uncertain. Some researchers think it might be directly involved, through unhealthy effects of stress hormones, or indirectly by causing people to exercise less, overeat or smoke. The researchers in the latest study factored in diet, exercise, smoking and other habits that affect the heart but still found napping seemed to help. Previous studies have had conflicting results. Some suggested napping might increase risk of death, but those mostly involved elderly people whose daytime sleepiness reflected poor health", Trichopoulos said.
His research team studied a broader range of people, ages 20 to 86, who were generally healthy when the study began. Still, it's possible that study participants who napped "are just people who take better care of themselves," which could also benefit the heart, said Dr. Marvin Wooten, a sleep specialist at Columbia St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee.
(NaturalNews) "I hope this latest fiasco at the Olympics in Beijing will serve as a reminder that China isn't the only country that isn't free: The U.S., U.K., Australia and most other western nations practice their own forms of censorship, and much of it is carried out at gunpoint. (Many health clinic raids in the U.S., for example, are carried out with SWAT teams armed with assault rifles and body armor.)
When it comes to accessing accurate information about health and supplements, U.S. citizens are no more free than China's citizens, and they're nowhere near as free as the citizens of Ecuador, for example, where a package of the Chanca Piedra herb just openly says, "Eliminates kidney stones." Try to put that text on your bottle of herbs in the U.S. and you'll find your product inventory confiscated by the FDA, which has become the "Ministry of Truth" on anything related to health.
While many reporters might be hoping for freedom in China right now, I'm hoping for freedom at home first. Let's reclaim our own freedom of speech right here at home before we go worrying about how other countries censor their news.
Words and ideas banned in China: Falun Gong Tiananmen Square Religious worship (including Christianity) Voting rights Workers' rights Civil liberties
Words and ideas banned in America: Curing cancer with herbs Saying no to vaccinations Reversing heart disease with nutrition Curing diabetes with vegetable juices Eliminating depression with supplements "Treating" any disease at all with herbs Disagreeing with the "official" explanation of 9/11 and the WTC7 building
... and more. And while some skeptics might say that China's censorship is far more severe because it deals with human rights violations, I say the FDA's censorship of truthful health information IS a human rights violation!
What could be more important to human rights than the right of an individual to protect and preserve their own life by learning the truth about nourishing foods? To deny a population access to truthful information about the life-protecting properties of common nutrients is, all by itself, a crime against humanity and a damning violation of human rights!
It's always easy to fool the sheeple with TV propaganda
The most astonishing thing about all of this is that China's citizens think they are free! And if you live in the U.S., I'm willing to bet you think you're free, too.
Remember this: Tyranny is always, always, always sold to the People as freedom. Every government lies to its People, as it is a necessary component of creating the illusion of freedom. But there is no such thing as real freedom in a society that restricts the Peoples' access to the very information they need in order to make informed decisions about their own lives. America, then, is no more "the Land of the Free" than China.
Want to make America free? You'll have to take it back from those who stole it from you.
Remember the words of Thomas Jefferson: And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that the people preserve the spirit of resistance? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal
(NaturalNews) "In fact, it is the mainstream media -- the very group whining about freedom at the Olympics -- that fully cooperates with the FDA by focusing its reporting on pharmaceuticals while ignoring the wealth of important information about natural remedies that could revolutionize health care and save the U.S. more than $40 trillion over the next few decades.
Really? $40 trillion? Absolutely: According to the CDC and the National Institutes of Health, a 1% reduction in cancer mortality is worth about $500 billion to the U.S. economy over the long term. We have nutrients right now that can slash cancer rates by nearly 80 percent, across the entire population (vitamin D being the simplest one). That comes to $40 trillion in economic abundance from preventing cancer alone. (That's enough money to rebuild every school, bridge, highway, park, library, airport and seaport in the entire country, by the way, but again, you're not supposed to know that...)
The FDA doesn't want anybody to know that Vitamin D prevents cancer, you see. That's why no Vitamin D supplement company can make any statements at all about cancer. If they tried, they'd be arrested at gunpoint and dragged into prison like a Falun Gong member in Beijing. In China, of course, you might be sentenced to death and have your organs harvested and sold on the black market. In America, you might have your children kidnapped by state officials and watch in horror as their organs are destroyed by state-mandated chemotherapy chemicals that you are then obliged to pay for (at monopoly prices, no less). Don't believe this actually happens in the United States? Think again. Read the story of Abraham Cherrix: http://www.naturalnews.com/019617.html
Don't believe for a minute that you are free in America. You are merely a subject that's exploited by powerful corporations and corrupt government regulators working in collusion with a media institution engaged in all-out censorship of stories that threaten the status quo: Health freedom, the truth about 9/11, voting fraud, the mass fluoridation of public water supplies, the real story behind the fractional reserve banking system and other similar topics. While every American citizens is TOLD they are free, if you look at the man behind the curtain, you'll realize it's all just smoke and mirrors (and bombs and bullets).
Censorship is a tool that protects the powerful
Every government, you see, has its power base to protect, and in the U.S., the power base is the corporations. If you threaten the corporations by telling the truth about nutritional supplements or natural healing modalities, you will be arrested, imprisoned or run out of the country. It happens in America every day. That's why all the really effective cancer clinics are in Mexico and South America -- they've all had to flee the "health police" in the U.S. that run around arresting people like Communist China Secret Police! Read my article documenting the true history of armed FDA raids on health clinics: http://www.naturalnews.com/021791.html
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal
I read this article recently and think it is spot on - when are the large multi-national companies going to be brought to task for censoring the truth about health products?
(NaturalNews) "The U.S. media is loudly protesting the censorship of their reporters at the Olympics in Beijing. Betraying its promise to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), China has blocked reporters' access to "sensitive" websites, including those that mention human rights violations, the suppression of the Falun Gong religious group, the Tiananman Square uprising and other similar topics the Chinese government would like to imagine never happened. In response to these restrictions, U.S. reporters are crying foul, insisting that they should have full access to information without government censorship. By implication, they are also stating that the U.S. is a "free society" where information is never censored by the government.
Perhaps these reporters have never actually opened their eyes in their own country. While China's censorship of news websites is deplorable, the U.S. is engaged in a far more restrictive, freedom-crush brand of censorship in the health industry: The censorship of truthful descriptions of health products by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Like China's government at the Olympics, the FDA has outlawed free speech by nutritional supplement companies, threatening them with fines, business interruptions and even jail time for their founders if they don't remove all text from their websites and product packaging that seeks to inform consumers about the genuine health benefits provided by their products.
The FDA's campaign of intimidation against food and supplement companies
For example, last year the FDA sent threatening letters to 29 growers of cherries, warning that they could not place links on their websites linking to scientific studies documenting the health benefits of cherries. Allowing consumers to be informed of the scientific truth about cherries, it seems, was simply intolerable by the FDA. Any company that linked to a scientific, peer-reviewed study showing cherries to be natural anti-inflammatory foods would be sued by the FDA and put out of business, the letters warned.
And that's just the beginning. Over the last several decades, the FDA has seized imports of herbs from South America, threatened honest supplement companies to remove accurate information from their labels, and pursued a campaign of intimidation and tyranny against virtually the entire natural products industry. In fact, the FDA has even ordered the destruction of recipe books containing dessert recipes using stevia (you thought book burnings only happened in China? Think again...).
Why China and America both use censorship to protect the powerful
In all, the actions of the FDA makes China's government look downright Libertarian. In the United States, the FDA has made sure that consumers have virtually zero access to truthful information about the benefits of nutritional supplements in much the same way the Chinese government blocks its citizens from having access to truthful information about human rights websites. These campaigns of censorship also happen for much the same reason: To protect the status quo and prevent a revolution from taking place (in China, it would be a social revolution. In the U.S., it would be a health care revolution).
You see, when it comes to real freedom, it makes no difference that China is a Communist government and America claims to be a Democracy: America blocks its citizens from accessing all sorts of crucial information about health freedom, just like China censors its internet to prevent people from learning about political freedom. In fact, both China and the FDA use many of the same online technologies to search for "offending" websites that they can shut down, intimidate or threaten with legal action. Those technologies, of course, were created by American companies like Google. And it is American companies like Yahoo that gladly hand over free speech protestors to tyrannical governments, betraying the privacy of their users and colluding with the thought police of various nations.
So reporters can protest all they want at China's censorship of the internet, but when they return home from the Olympics, they will return to nations that practice the same brand of crushing censorship... the kind of censorship that keeps consumers ignorant and uninformed, protecting the profits of drug companies and cancer centers, all while interfering with the distributing of truthful information about the astounding ability of foods, superfoods, herbs and nutritional supplements to prevent cancer, halt heart disease, reverse diabetes, dissolve kidney stones, end depression and greatly extend lifespan (among other benefits).
They will talk about how China's citizens don't have access to a free press, and then they'll turn right around and execute the very same censorship they are criticizing by refusing to print stories about the fraud of modern medicine; the quackery of chemotherapy; the monopoly price controls of Big Pharma and the outright criminal actions of the FDA." Read more
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal.
Buy into the back and forth of the “flavor-of-the-month” scientific studies and you’ll crash and burn.
I’ve done it. So have you.
If you really want to rely on science, you have to look at who’s doing the study, who’s funding the study, how many people participated in the study, how controlled the study was, and if they did a follow up study to verify results.
This is a daunting task and if you actually take the time to do so, you’ll find that many of the studies are much more inconclusive than the media reports.
There is one scientific fact about exercise and health that you need to know. The fact is this: if you start to take control of your own health and fitness you WILL succeed.
You might think that’s not exactly science, but it really is. I remember reading Newton’s laws in the 7th grade: “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Translated to fitness: For every action you take there will be a reaction that will give you feedback and tell you if it works or if it doesn’t.
You can’t listen to all the studies that say working out at a certain time of day is better than another, or doing this type of exercise is the ONLY way to get the results you want. There is no “only” way. There are ineffective ways, there are better ways, and for each individual there may be a best way.
For an “only” to exist, it must be an “absolute,” and if an “absolute” keeps changing, it’s absolutely wrong!
You don’t need doctors and physiologists and trainers telling you what is right and what is wrong, or what has been scientifically proven and what hasn’t.
There’s a 10,000 year history of exercise that we’ve completely ignored over the past 30 or so years that has all the answers you’ll ever need.
The lessons from all these years are based on common sense. Move, move and, yes, move—and do so sensibly. It’s so simple it pains me to tell you.
About the author Kevin Gianni is a health advocate, author and speaker. He has helped thousands of people in over 85 countries learn how to take control of their health--and keep it. His book, "The Busy Person's Fitness Solution," is a step-by-step guide to optimum health for the time and energy-strapped.
The Model on the Cover of Vogue is a Perfect Picture of Health. We cannot believe everything we see. Models, fitness and beyond, are not the picture of perfect health.
Supermodel Carol Alt - when she was in the prime of her modeling career lived on coffee and bagels. Arnold Schwarzenegger? Steroids, note: They were legal then.
What about the others? What about the guys you see on the fitness magazines? Do you really believe that they look like that under their clothes all the time?
They don’t. It is common knowledge in the training industry what some of these guys do to look like that for their photo shoots. They bulk up and put on weight and muscle first by eating an exorbitant amount of food everyday—straining their digestive, circulatory, muscular and skeletal systems. Then they practically go on a starvation diet that gives them a minimal amount of nutrients.
This is just a more intense version of binge and purge—over do it and then severely under do it.
Worse, in the last few days leading up to the shoot or body building competition, they drink barely any water (you might hold on to it) and stop eating anything with minerals that might cause the body to retain water.
And this is just if they do it naturally without steroids, HGH or any other muscle building, performance enhancing drugs.
Many of the fitness and diet programs you’ve done or read about are variations of this technique.
You throw your body out of its natural balance for limited periods of time to achieve short term results through subtle deprivation or extreme overexertion. Is this what you want to put yourself through, only to briefly resemble a false ideal?
I know I don’t. You want fantastic health and fitness. The way of the cover model and centerfolds is all about smoke and mirrors. These images we’re bombarded with are NOT real. The people are, but the message they are passing along to you is a lie.
Look at what’s happening in our sports leagues. The players are getting caught using banned substances over and over again. Baseball is a mess, so is sprinting, and so is cycling. What other sports are passing along this lie?
Are our athletes and cover models the people that we should want to look like? Probably not. Some of them are caricatures. They’re larger than life comic book figures. You wouldn’t set a goal to physically look like the Hulk, because he’s a fantasy figure. Just as fantastic are the images we see everyday on our TVs, magazines, and the internet.
Don’t buy into this and you’ll be happier, healthier, and more successful than you’ll ever imagine!
About the author Kevin Gianni is a health advocate, author and speaker. He has helped thousands of people in over 85 countries learn how to take control of their health--and keep it. His book, "The Busy Person's Fitness Solution," is a step-by-step guide to optimum health for the time and energy-strapped.
The Truth About Fat Loss - Free Report bookmark this at :: del.icio.us
:: Digg it
June 29, 2008
What is the secret about some "health foods" that are disguised as junk foods that can actually stimulate you to gain more belly fat... yet the diet food marketing industry continues to lie to you so they can maximize their profits?
What types of exercise REALLY work in a minute to get flat six-pack abs? HINT: It's not ab crunches or sit-ups.
Which types of unique workouts produce the best results to lose body fat and uncover those six pack abs?
DON'T waste your money on expensive "extreme fat burner" pills or other bogus supplements. Get the free report and find out how to use the power of natural foods.
Do ab belts, ab-rockers, ab-loungers, and other infomercial ab-gimmicks make the difference?...No, they're all a complete waste of your time and money. For REAL workouts and REAL nutrition strategies click here to find out what really works.
One person before starting the program weighed 80kg and had a waist size of 42 inches. After 11 weeks he still weighed about 80kg but his waist size was 35 inches. A loss of 7 inches in 11 weeks! Since his weight stayed about the same, that means he gained muscle while losing 7 inches of fat from his waist, making him a lot healthier!
Caffeine Linked to High Blood Sugar Levels in Diabetics bookmark this at :: del.icio.us
:: Digg it
June 16, 2008
(NaturalNews) Diabetics who consume caffeine may experience a significant increase in blood sugar, according to a new study conducted by researchers from Duke University Medical School and published in the journal Diabetes Care.
Researchers placed tiny blood sugar monitors under the skin of 10 people with Type 2 diabetes, which allowed the participants' glucose levels to be tracked over the course of a normal 72-hour period. Participants were given a caffeine pill one day, and a placebo pill the next.
When given the caffeine pill, the participants experienced an 8 percent rise in blood sugar levels. The increase was even stronger after meals, with blood sugar increasing 9 percent after breakfast, 15 percent after lunch and 26 percent after dinner. The increase in blood sugar was not observed in those taking a placebo pill.
The amount of caffeine contained in the pill was roughly equivalent to the caffeine contained in four cups of coffee.
Prior studies have shown that caffeine could increase the body's insulin resistance, leading to an increase in blood sugar levels. In people without diabetes, however, this effect is fairly minor. In diabetics, any increase in insulin resistance can have serious consequences.
The researchers are now planning to conduct a larger trial to study if diabetics can manage their blood sugar better by removing caffeine from their diets.
"My advice would be, if patients are having trouble controlling their blood glucose and they are coffee drinkers, particularly heavy coffee drinkers, they might want to give it a try to see if it makes a difference to them," lead researcher James Lane said.
The reason that caffeine causes a spike in blood sugar is not yet fully understood. According to Lane, caffeine might interfere with the mechanisms that remove glucose from the blood. Alternately, caffeine consumption might cause the body to release adrenaline, which is known to cause a rise in blood sugar levels.
Every time I get out of the shower and am drying my toes I think about balance, and how important it is to our everday lives. Do you wobble all over the place in an effort to stand on one leg and dry between your toes? Or have you reached the stage where you've just given up and hope you don't get any nasty fungal infections?
There is one very important thing to do which will help you when balancing on one leg.
Fix your gaze on something a metre in front of you on the floor. Watch this spot steadily for a while before you raise your leg, and you will find that balance just got a whole lot easier. Mind you, it will still take some practice if you are starting from a point of overbalancing every time you try to stand on one leg, but you will get better.
As we age, it is vitally important to maintain good balance in order to prevent falls, so if you do something every day to practice balancing, you will be helping yourself to age gracefully.
