Various Health-related Articles

VARIOUS HEALTH RELATED ARTICLES WRITTEN OR COLLECTED BY REZA GANJAVI A LONG TIME AGO (This file is not kept up to date with latest research, however, some of the content is still very pertinent).

Nothing on this page provides medical or health advice. Consult your doctor for medical advice.

WEIGHT LOSS TIPS BY REZA GANJAVI

If you want to lose weight, here are 4 golden tips (by Reza Ganjavi) 

[PLEASE KEEP IN MIND I AM NOT AN EXPERT AND YOU SHOULD CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR IF YOU HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION AND NEED PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. I AM MERELY SHARING MY EXPERIENCE HERE AND WHAT YOU READ HERE IS NOT EXPERT OPINION BUT ONLY MY OPINION.] 

- Do not eat meat

- Do not eat sugar

- Go for walks

- If you're still overweight try Yoga (but there's a lot more to yoga than just this... some info in yoga.html).

My Experience With Inclined Bed “Therapy” (IBT)

by Reza Ganjavi

I am a Yogi. One of the first principles that you learn in yoga is that yoga reverses gravity and that is a good thing. Gravity is a major factor in aging. And it's always pulling you down. 

This is more than a theory. If I don't do yoga for a few days I really feel it. I feel the effect of gravity. And doing something like forward bend or a shoulder stand or head stand you really feel all the blood coming down (up) and the gravity pulling your cells, your fascia, everything, in a different direction than normal. And this is very rejuvenating.

I came across a so-called therapy called inclined sleeping. The idea behind it is that because food goes downwards in your system, and because trees are always standing yet they have life in the upper branches etc., therefore when we lay down flat that just defeats the purpose of gravity in sending the food down your system.

I also watched a bunch of videos from people who are doing this therapy. And none of them looked particularly impressive. I decided to try it myself. So I raised the head of my bed but it was terrible because again from being sensitive to gravity I felt my legs were deprived from a reduction of gravity that happens from lying flat, and change of direction which is a form of reduction from the vertical effect of gravity.

So I woke up without getting proper rest, and I really missed that lying flat and a break from the usual direction of gravity. Therefore, I will not do it again. It was very clear for me that it's not right for me.

As for the arguments for the therapy, regarding movement of food in the system, I believe this should not be an issue if a person stops eating let's say 3 or 4 hours before sleep, which is the intelligent thing to do which is not always what I do when I have too much charity work dropped on my head or I'm otherwise out of tune, food serves as a quick shot of happiness. However, I only eat very healthy food, organic, vegetarian, top quality. But still, I have thought that eating close to bedtime should be criminal or forbidden by scriptures or … :-)

Because during sleep your system should be resting. And not digesting or passing things through your belly and then gravity issue and so on. Also when there’s air in the belly or other pressure this can affect the GPCR receptors in the brain which are connected to that area for satiety measurement, etc.,  so when triggering those receptors can lead to strange dreams.

Also, what really helps is to do some yoga before sleep because that gets rid of the excess air, and provides general relaxation.

I like to try the opposite to IBT. It’s quite restful to have legs up for example. Why not the whole body?

Reza Ganjavi, 24 May 2021

VITAMIN C - FROM PAULING INSTITUTE 2017

Reza,

I don’t think fluctuating vitamin C intake is particularly harmful. Some might argue that the longer you go without a particular dose, levels in your body fall to accommodate the new level you are taking. However, I don’t think the change in your blood stream – for example – would be large.

People who have gone a long period of time taking vitamin C at a high level and suddenly stop find themselves feeling tired (although I think this takes weeks) because the body is excreting large amounts of vitamin C to compensate for the large intake level. 

Dr. Pauling’s recommendations of taking 18 grams or more per day is a little high for most people. So far, nobody has demonstrated any difference between someone take 2 grams, 5 grams, or 20 grams per day.

If there are any more questions that you have, just let me know.

Alex 

---

Reza,

Sorry, I probably wrote my response in haste. What I meant to say is that the levels of vitamin C in your blood stream will change to reflect the amount of vitamin C you are taking. Change the level of vitamin C you consume, and the levels in your blood (and tissue) will change accordingly.

However, when people take large amount of vitamin C – for the sake of argument let’s say 10 grams/day  – and then drop it down to a lower level – say 1 gram/day – the change in blood concentrations of vitamin C are not as severe as someone who was taking 1 gram/day and then stopped taking it.

These changes take time, however, and this has to do with how the body processes vitamin C in the kidneys. When people take large doses (anything above 500 mg is considered a “large dose”), most of what goes into the blood stream ends up in the urine. Therefore, blood levels of vitamin C may be high for a while, but 12 hours or 24 hours after taking that dose, they will drop to a level the kidney finds appropriate.

After the levels in the blood reach about 60 micromolar, the body stops filtering vitamin C to the urine. After that point, blood concentrations of vitamin C will continue to drop if you don’t take any more but the loss takes place over the course of days or weeks – not hours

There is a known phenomenon of when people who were taking doses above 2 grams per day suddenly stopped supplementation and felt very tired. Some people thought this was blood levels of vitamin C dropping very fast because the kidneys were accustomed to excreting vitamin C. Unfortunately, we don’t know too much about this phenomenon – but the tiredness was something I have heard from many people for many years.

I currently take 1-2 grams of vitamin C per day, but sometimes I miss a day. I haven’t noticed any issues when I skip, however.

Alex

 ---

Alexander J Michels Ph.D.

Linus Pauling Institute

Oregon State University

Corvallis, OR

ALPHA LIPOIC ACID IS A GREAT ANTI-OXIDANT -- I take it regularly -- something around 300 to 600 mg a day. 

Best form is R-Lipoic Acid. 

Conclusion: take R-ALA bound to soldium is good

https://www.thorne.com/products/dp/r-lipoic-acid

Alpha-lipoic acid occurs naturally as a 50/50 mixture of R-lipoic acid (R-ALA) and S-lipoic acid (S-ALA). R-lipoic acid by itself functions as an essential cofactor for many enzymes involved in energy production.* It also has characteristics, including significant antioxidant effects, that contribute to liver, brain, nerve, and eye health.* Studies indicate that supplements containing only R-lipoic acid appear to be better absorbed than supplements containing both R-lipoic acid and S-lipoic acid, with results showing twice as much ALA appearing in the bloodstream after an oral dose of R-Lipoic acid.* Because R-Lipoic acid is the form best utilized by the body, Thorne provides R-lipoic acid bound to sodium, providing it in its most stable, absorbable form.*

Alpha-lipoic acid, also known as thioctic acid, was discovered in 1951 as a molecule that assists in acyl-group transfer and as a coenzyme in the Krebs Cycle. In the 1980s, the scientific community realized that alpha-lipoic acid is also a powerful antioxidant.* What sets ALA apart from other fatty acids is that it's an antioxidant in both fat- and water-soluble environments, and it's also an antioxidant in both its oxidized and reduced forms.* This is unlike vitamin C, for instance, which is a water-soluble antioxidant, as well as vitamin E, which is a fat-soluble antioxidant. ALA also increases intracellular glutathione and CoQ10 levels.* Its other mechanisms of action include promoting normal protein glycosylation and inhibiting the enzyme aldose reductase, which in turn inhibits conversion of glucose to sorbitol.*

~~~

https://www.performancelab.com/blogs/energy/r-lipoic-acid-vs-alpha-lipoic-acid

There are two main forms of lipoic acid that you’ll see: R- and S-enantiomers 1. These enantiomers are mirror images of each other, but only the R-form is synthesized by the body and bound to proteins but also found in food sources. In supplements, you’ll generally find only R-lipoic acid or a 50/50 mix of S-lipoic acid and R-lipoic acid.

However, the therapeutic effect of supplemental lipoic acid is often attributed to its role as an antioxidant. Both DHLA, the reduced form of lipoic acid, and lipoic acid itself possess metal-chelating capacity and scavenge ROS, but DHLA can also regenerate endogenous antioxidants (vitamin E, vitamin C, and glutathione) and repair oxidative damage 2.

But the one super beneficial thing about lipoic acid as an antioxidant is that it’s both water-soluble and fat-soluble—whereas most other antioxidants are either or—which makes it a powerful radical scavenging agent in virtually every cell and tissue in the body 3.

While both forms of lipoic acid offer health benefits, we gravitate towards bioenhanced R-lipoic acid like what’s found in Performance Lab® Energy.

Synthetic perfumes

Most commercial perfumes use synthetic perfume which is not healthy -- so best not to wear it on skin but only on clothes -- or use natural perfumes. There are some very nice natural perfumes that use natural essential etheric oils -- or some essential oils by themselves are wonderful perfumes.

"Many synthetic chemicals in fragrances are petroleum-based and can be harmful to human health. Chemicals found in fragrances include phthalates, which are endocrine disruptors, and carcinogens benzophenone and styrene."

"A National Academy of Sciences points out some vital facts: About 95 percent of chemicals used in synthetic fragrances are derived from petroleum (crude oil). They include benzene derivatives (carcinogenic), aldehydes, toluene and many other known toxic chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders and allergic reactions. "

~~~

Vaccine

A lack of problem-solving skills and rigid thinking linked to vaccine refusal, study finds

A new study published in Environmental Research and Public Health suggests that individuals who struggle with problem-solving and demonstrate absolutist thinking, political conservatism, and xenophobia are more likely to refuse to get vaccinated.

https://www.psypost.org/2023/02/a-lack-of-problem-solving-skills-and-rigid-thinking-linked-to-vaccine-refusal-study-finds-68568

~~~

Grounding

The Benefits of Grounding: An Interview with Clint Ober : https://neurohacker.com/the-benefits-of-grounding-an-interview-with-clint-ober

~~~

Exercise 

People who spent “even small amounts of time in more vigorous activities — as little as 6 to 9 minutes — compared to sitting, sleeping or gentle activities had higher cognition scores,” s

~~~

Cloves / Immune System / Heavy Metals

Cloves have antioxidants that help in fighting free radical damage to the body and boost our immune system. 2. Cloves also have antiseptic, antiviral, and antimicrobial properties that keep common infections, cold, and cough at bay.

Clove may be good but it usually contains heavy metals - https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=109766

The concentration of selected heavy metals (Chromium-Cr, Cadmium-Cd and Lead-Pb) collected from different sites of Unguja and Pemba were determined using Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF). The findings showed that Cr ranged from 10.3 to 16.25 ppm, Cd from 3.39 to 8.00 ppm and Pb from 0.35 to1.18 ppm for Pemba Island. For Unguja Island Cr ranged from (6.65 to 12.3 ppm, Cd ranged from (2.61 to 6.00) ppm and Pb ranged from (0.52 to 0.80 ppm). Significant elemental correlation (p ≥ 0.05) for all three metals detected from Unguja sites. The metal levels found from both sides of Islands were above standard limits set by FAO and WHO. The results of this study suggest that the levels of toxic metals detected from Zanzibar spices have potential risk to public health.

~~~

In recent years, there is an increasing involvement in observance heavy metals

contamination in various spices which are commonly consumed by people in-

cluding cloves. These toxic levels on human wellness and the environment have

attracted considerable attention in recent years [3]. The toxic metals concentra-

tion level is due to their long persistence and accumulation behavior in the en-

vironment and ecosystem [4]. Heavy metals contaminate clove trees through

soils and atmospheric deposition.

https://www.scirp.org/pdf/oalibj_2021060816243788.pdf

~~~

Carrots

Carrots are a great source of important vitamins and minerals. A half-cup can give you up to:

• 73% of your daily requirement of vitamin A

• 9% of your daily vitamin K

• 8% of your daily potassium and fiber

• 5% of your daily vitamin C

• 2% of your daily calcium and iron

https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/benefits-carrots

~~~

Okra

A 1/2-cup serving of sliced, cooked okra contains 32 micrograms of vitamin K. This amount supplies about 27 percent of the daily vitamin K intake that the Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board recommends for adult men over 19 years old. For a woman, eating a 1/2-cup serving of okra fulfills 36 percent of her recommended daily requirement.

https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/vitamin-k-okra-6392.htm

~~~

Noise

Are you overly sensitive to noise? You could be a certified genius

A new study by scientists at Northwestern University in Illinois, has found that an inability to filter out irrelevant sounds in people is indicative of greater creative prowess

Inspired geniuses in their field that were famously intolerant of noise include Johann Goethe, Charles Darwin, Anton Chekov and Franz Kafka.

~~~

Thyme 

Thyme is excellent for disinfecting and cough / chest issues but might act like estrogen in the body. If you have any condition that might be made worse by exposure to estrogen, don't use thyme.

~~~

Viva California - About Artificial Colors 

https://www.npr.org/2023/03/23/1165526938/california-red-dye-3-food-ban

California could ban certain food additives due to concerns over health impacts

Under Assembly Bill 418, Red Dye No. 3, as well as titanium dioxide, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil and propylparaben would be outlawed in the manufacturing, distribution or sale of foods in the state.

"Californians shouldn't have to worry that the food they buy in their neighborhood grocery store might be full of dangerous additives or toxic chemicals," said Assembly member Jesse Gabriel, a Democrat. "This bill will correct for a concerning lack of federal oversight and help protect our kids, public health, and the safety of our food supply."

~~~

Food Color

20-Dec-2022

Common food dye can trigger inflammatory bowel diseases, say McMaster researchers 

Long-term consumption of Allura Red food dye can be a potential trigger of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, says McMaster University’s Waliul Khan.

The dye directly disrupts gut barrier function and increases the production of serotonin, a hormone/neurotransmitter found in the gut, which subsequently alters gut microbiota composition leading to increased susceptibility to colitis.

B12  100 mcg of B12 a day   or   mcg once a week

Sleep deprivation increases chances of alzheimer. 

Protein: .35 grams per pound of body weight per day -- 55 grams for 155 pound person (70 kilos).     

K2 is important too - if you eat enough fat you don't need as much K2 to supplement vitamin D.

Walking

Faster walking pace is indeed likely to lead to a younger biological age as measured by telomeres."

April 2022

Trout, Mice, Rats, and Humans All Agree: Brussels Sprouts Can Prevent Cancer  Dietary indoles are found in cruciferous vegetables and are part of their cancer-fighting properties. Indoles can fight the effects of the carcinogens that are present in the food you may already be eating!

Vegetarian

May 2022

Children With Vegetarian Diet Have Similar Growth and Nutrition Compared to Children Who Eat Meat

https://neurosciencenews.com/vegetarian-diet-growth-20513/

Leftie

Study: Left-Handed Snails Have Advantage

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Left-handed snails are better than righties at defending against predators, according to a new study that suggests lefties have the same competitive advantage in nature that they enjoy on the baseball diamond or in the boxing ring.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D lowers cancer risk: study

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cancer researchers urged people on Wednesday to take more vitamin D to lower their risk of colon, breast and ovarian cancer, saying studies showed a clear link.

Vitamin D is found in milk, as well as in some fortified orange juice, yogurt and cheeses, usually at around 100 international units (IU) a serving.

People might want to consider a vitamin supplement to raise their intake to 1000 IUs per day, Garland said, adding that it was well within the safety guidelines established by the

How Long Does It Take for Formaldehyde & VOCs to Off-Gas From Your Home?

Fortunately, scientists in Hong Kong did real-world tests. They tested for formaldehyde and other VOCs in homes and then compared new/remodeled homes with older apartments. The data showed formaldehyde fell 48% one year after remodeling.

The data suggests it takes about two years for formaldehyde in newly built or remodeled homes to off-gas down to levels of the average home. However, higher humidity and temperatures can make VOCs off-gas faster.

https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/3-things-you-need-to-know-about-formaldehyde-part-two/

~~~

excerpt from a great article by Corinne, I am a Certified Building Biologist Practitioner with 7 years of experience helping people create healthy homes. https://www.mychemicalfreehouse.net/blog-page_24

She does consulting on mold etc etc - https://www.mychemicalfreehouse.net/contact-me

https://www.linkedin.com/in/corinnesegura/

Corinne Segura

Her youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCayzVkOxoJTQbjdZQoHk4qg

Chemical Composition of Laminate Floors – Are Laminate Floors Toxic?

HDF (High Density Fibreboard) Core:

    Softwood and hardwood fibers – around 75-85%

    Urea-formaldehyde, or melamine urea-formaldehyde as the binder – around 11-13%

    Paraffin – is added as water repellant – around 4% or less

    Ammonia – sometimes added as a formaldehyde scavenger (to reduce formaldehyde levels)

    Polystyrene is added in one brand (Duravana) to the core 

Many laminate brands are GreenGuard Gold certified. This means they offgas no more than 0.0073 ppm formaldehyde. The outdoor level of formaldehyde in urban areas is 0.0015 – 0.047 ppm (source).

Laminate Flooring Brands that are Certified GreenGuard Gold Include:

    Swiss Krono USA

    Shaw

    Duravana from LL Floors looks like your typical laminate but the core seemed a little different to me so I asked the company about it. The core has polystyrene added to it (it also contains the usual wood fiber and melamine urea formaldehyde) which makes it more inherently waterproof than other brands. It does not have more offgassing than other brands.

    Traffic Master

    Pergo used to have Greenguard Gold certification before they were bought out by Mohawk. I don’t think the glues have likely changed, Mohawk simply doesn’t use Greenguard. Judging from the samples I received, this uses the same glue the others. 

How Long Does it Take Laminate Flooring to Fully Offgas

Lynn Baker, an air pollution specialist with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) says “you’ll get a fairly large amount that off-gasses early on, and then it starts to become less over a period ranging from months to a couple of years depending on the amounts contained in the product” Source.

Years ago, high formaldehyde products like MDF made with urea-formaldehyde could take 7+ years to offgas but products with lower levels of formaldehyde and products made from phenol or melamine-formaldehyde offgas less and take much less time.

In my observation, laminate flooring is mostly offgassed in the first few months and is usually fully offgassed within a couple of years. 

https://www.mychemicalfreehouse.net/2021/01/laminate-flooring-what-does-it-offgas.html

Safety of Colloidal Silicon Dioxide in Food and Supplements

With the wide usage and frequent inclusion of colloidal silicon dioxide, you may be worried about your exposure or consumption to it. Is silicon dioxide safe? The FDA considers colloidal silicon dioxide as generally safe, and most research shows that the silicon dioxide that we ingest via food and supplements is safe.

In fact, it has been found to not accumulate in the body. Excess silicon dioxide is flushed out via the kidneys according to the World Health Organization.3 Furthermore, researchers have found no link or association between silicon dioxide added to food and an increased risk of organ damage, disease, or mortality.4

Is silicon dioxide safe during pregnancy? Thus far, existing research has not found any evidence to suggest that additive silicon dioxide has any effect on birth weight, bodyweight, or reproductive health in general. This suggests that silicon dioxide is safe for pregnant mothers.4

https://drformulas.com/blogs/news/is-colloidal-silicon-dioxide-safe

ESSENTIAL OILS / SPF... 

Peppermint Oil and Olive Oil have highest SPF (around 8) - maybe together it's 16? Good level is 30+ but all natural 16 is good.

Peppermint Oil 

25 Healing Peppermint Oil Benefits For Skin

https://www.alyaka.com/en-us/blogs/alyaka-magazine/25-healing-benefits-peppermint-oil

https://juicychemistry.com/blogs/skincare-blog/peppermint-oil-for-skin-benefits-and-how-to-use

Vetiver Oil

Vetiver essential oil is hailed for its use in skin cell regeneration and boosting the growth of new cells. It facilitates wound healing, effectively reduces scars, blemishes, and marks due to acne, burns or pox by removing dead skin cells from the body and hence bestows a radiant skin.

7 SKIN BENEFITS:  https://vedix.com/blogs/articles/vetiver-benefits-for-skin

Top 5 Healing Benefits Of Vetiver For Skin

https://mycocosoul.com/blogs/ayurvedic-skin-care/benefits-of-vetiver-for-skin

https://www.kamaayurveda.in/blog/vetiver

Vetiver for Skin: Fade the Appearance of Dark Spots

Vetiver is classified under ‘varnya’ or skin brightening herbs in the ancient Ayurvedic texts. It contains numerous phytochemicals that exhibit the ability to suppress melanogenesis [1] by decreasing tyrosinase (an enzyme responsible for melanin synthesis) activity.

https://www.annmariegianni.com/vetiver-fade-the-appearance-of-dark-spots/

Coffee Tea Cacao Chocolate Antioxidant (but Contain Heavy Metals)

I generally avoid stimulants because they cause stress. But they have antioxidant properties that help especially in high RF_EMF areas (cell towers, wifi etc.) - so when I'm in polluted areas I take a small piece of very dark organic chocolate like 94 to 100% cacao. But never 2 days in a row because sugar and caffeine are highly addictive and give a kick to the brain (which is very nice) but downside is not nice. So brain / body needs to be free from it to find equilibrium.

Black tea and coffee are supposed to help reduce risk of stroke etc. but I am not so convinced. Anyway, here's comparison:

"Cocoa contained much higher levels of total phenolics (611 mg of gallic acid equivalents, GAE) and flavonoids (564 mg of epicatechin equivalents, ECE) per serving than black tea (124 mg of GAE and 34 mg of ECE, respectively), green tea (165 mg of GAE and 47 mg of ECE), and red wine (340 mg of GAE and 163 mg of ECE).

Flavanols found in cocoa have also been shown to increase the formation of endothelial nitric oxide, which promotes vasodilation and thus blood pressure reduction.

The majority of prospective studies have reported a weak inverse association between moderate consumption of coffee and risk of stroke. However, there are yet no clear biological mechanisms whereby coffee might provide cardiovascular health benefits. Awaiting the results from further long-term RCTs and prospective studies, moderate consumption of filtered coffee, tea, and dark chocolate seems prudent.

~~~

Dark Chocolate (cacao) has toxic heavy metals: lead and cadmium according to a new study. Even organic cacao has it so I just avoid it. Even low levels of cadmium is cancer-causing and have been linked to kidney cancer and fragile bones. Lead is linked to memory loss, high blood pressure, abdominal pain, low moods, brain / CNS damage in children.

~~~

Coffee and cocoa are good anti-oxidants but not without a heavy cost

1) They are metabolic stimulants. I hate being chemically stimulated.

2) Most coffee contains contaminants like Ochratoxin A, Acrylamide, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Yeast, Pesticides, and toxic heavy metals like Cadmium and Lead can cause long-term health consequences like cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

So I would rather get anti-oxidants from safer sources.

~~~

HALF-LIFE OF LEAD 

The half-life of lead varies from about a month in blood, 1-1.5 months in soft tissue, and about 25-30 years in bone (ATSDR 2007). Lead in bone is considered a biomarker of cumulative exposure because lead accumulates in bone over the lifetime and most of the lead body burden resides in bone.

Among lead's well-known developmental health effects is stunting of skeletal growth in children. Moreover, lead is known to delay fracture healing and may contribute to osteoporosis.

Pasta

Pasta is good. Whole grain is even better. Left over is even better. "When pasta is cooked and cooled, some of the carbohydrates convert to resistant starch. This starch gets its name from being resistant to digestion, so it contributes less energy and is better for blood sugar levels. So, your leftover pasta, even if you reheat it, is lower in calories than the night before.

Coffee Tea Cacao Chocolate Antioxidant

I generally avoid stimulants because they cause stress. But they have antioxidant properties that help especially in high RF_EMF areas (cell towers, wifi etc.) - so

Cocoa contained much higher levels of total phenolics (611 mg of gallic acid equivalents, GAE) and flavonoids (564 mg of epicatechin equivalents, ECE) per serving than black tea (124 mg of GAE and 34 mg of ECE, respectively), green tea (165 mg of GAE and 47 mg of ECE), and red wine (340 mg of GAE and 163 mg of ECE).

Bitter Almonds

Bitter almonds contain glycoside amygdalin. sweet almonds contain amygdalin which turns into cyanide which is a toxin. The level is not high in sweet almonds therefore eating them without soaking is safe but if almonds are soaked the amygdalin gets rinsed out so it's even better 🙂

Fat Cells Communicate with Nerve Cells

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Researchers have discovered that fat cells have the ability to communicate with nerve cells outside the brain and may have more control over their own destiny than previously thought. The investigators found that the fat cells sent a chemical signal to the nerve cells to increase production of neuropeptide Y (NPY). NPY is a chemical known to signal the brain to stop burning fat and to start eating.

 ~~~

Appetite / Weight 

"Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are satisfied. If you think of your appetite as a gauge ranging from empty (0) to full (10), my recommendation is to eat when you are really hungry (at a level 2 to 3) and stop when you are comfortably full but not stuffed (6 to 7).

By not filling your stomach to capacity, you will allow your digestive power to work at an optimal level."

-Dr. Deepak Chopra, bestselling author

"Exercise every day for at least 10 minutes, drink lots of water and maintain good posture."

-Denise Austin, host of "Denise Austin's Daily Workout" on Lifetime TV

~~~

"It's all about maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle. When I lost 245 pounds, I not only incorporated sandwiches from Subway's "7 Under 6" menu (seven subs with six grams of fat or less) into my diet, but I walked every day. Now that I've shed the weight, I continue to eat low-fat meals (including lots of fresh veggies and water) and stay active. A healthy diet coupled with regular exercise will transform your body, increase your confidence and rejuvenate your spirit."

-Jared Fogle, lost 245 lbs. on "The Subway Diet"

~~~

"Permanent weight loss is easy as long as you control your insulin levels. All you have to do is to balance your plate at every meal. Start by dividing your plate into three equal sections. On one-third of the plate, put some low-fat protein that is no bigger or thicker than the palm of your hand. On the other two-thirds of the plate, fill it until it is overflowing with fruits and vegetables. Finally, add a dash of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat like olive oil, slivered almonds or guacamole. Do this every time you eat, and you will keep your insulin levels in the Zone for a lifetime."

-Dr. Barry Sears, bestselling author of The Zone

"Try to limit your intake of white products including salt, sugar, white flour and fat. Also, stay away from carbohydrates after 6 PM."

-Karen Voight, fitness authority and trainer to the stars

 ~~~

Obesity pandemic engulfing world: experts

SYDNEY (AFP) - Obesity has reached pandemic proportions throughout the world and is now the greatest single contributor to chronic disease, an international conference was told here.

~~~

Study: Losing Weight Can Help Sex Life

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE, AP Medical Writer

40 minutes ago

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Losing a little weight can do wonders for your sex life. So says Duke University psychologist Martin Binks, who presented a study Monday at a meeting of The Obesity Society showing that shedding a few pounds can improve things in the bedroom by making people feel better about their bodies.

"You reap a lot of benefit from a moderate weight loss of 10 percent," Binks said. "It's a wonderful message. You don't have to reach some ideal weight to be healthy and happy."

EGGS

"The amount that one egg a day raises cholesterol in the blood is extremely small, so small in fact that the increase in risk in heart disease related to this change in serum cholesterol could never be detected in any kind of study," said Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard's School of Public Health."Elevations in LDL of this small magnitude could easily be countered by other healthy aspects of eggs."   Based on the research, my recommendation is if you eat a healthful diet, go ahead and eat an egg a day. (My interview on CNN summarizes the key reasons why.) 

Protein. Eggs are considered the gold standard that other proteins are measured against. Because of the superior amino acid mix, an egg's six grams of protein are absorbed easily and efficiently used by the body. The egg is also low-calorie (74 calories).

Choline. Yolks are one of the best sources of this essential nutrient. Choline is needed for brain development in a growing fetus and may also be important for brain function in adults.

Lutein and Zeaxanthin. These two, important, beneficial phytochemicals found in egg yolks (as well as kale and spinach) help prevent eye diseases, especially cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. While eggs contain less lutein and zeaxanthin than greens, these phytochemicals are more absorbable because of the presence of fat in the yolk.

Vitamin D. Eggs are one of the few natural sources of Vitamin D, important for the bones and teeth. Vitamin D aids the absorption of calcium, which is important for the heart and colon, as well.

https://www.livescience.com/39353-eggs-dont-deserve-bad-reputation.html

DISTILLED WATER OR NOT

Many of my friends just drink distilled water. I am not convinced. Anyway, I was looking into it. Boiling doesn't make it. Machine is too noisy and consumes about €600 of electricity extra per year according to someone who measured it. To make it myself in another way is too cumbersome. So best is to buy low mineral water if at all. I'm still researching the topic. 

"I opened my eyes because about two years ago I started hearing from long-term distilled water drinkers who had been consuming only distilled water and who had developed troubles with their hair either thinning or falling out in clumps. I've subsequently learned that hair loss is a condition often associated with various mineral deficiencies."

https://www.mercola.com/article/water/distilled_water_2.aspx

SOYA / RED / KIDNEY BEAN TOXICITY

"Even after an overnight soak, it is important to boil kidney beans at a high temperature to destroy toxins. To deactivate PHA, boil them for at least to 10 to 30 minutes at 100 degrees Celsius, says the FDA. It also recommends an initial soak of at least five hours in water, which should then be discarded and replaced with fresh water for cooking.

If the beans are cooked at a lower temperature, such as in a slow cooker or combined with other ingredients in a casserole, the toxic effect is increased. Research from the Toxicology Reports has found that beans cooked at 80 degrees Celsius are five times as toxic as raw beans."

https://www.livestrong.com/article/511807-red-kidney-beans-health-risk/

~~~

"You can reduce legumes’ phytic acid content through several methods, including soaking, sprouting, and fermentation (12, 13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source)".

"Soaking them overnight and boiling them at 212°F (100°C) for at least 10 minutes degrades phytohemagglutinin and other lectins (17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source)."

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/legumes-good-or-bad

~~~

Cooking kidney beans safely

Kidney beans contain a natural toxin called lectin. This can cause stomach aches and vomiting. The toxin is destroyed by proper cooking.

§ soak the dried beans in water for at least 12 hours

§ drain and rinse the beans, then cover them with fresh water

§ boil them vigorously for at least 10 minutes, then simmer the beans for around 45 to 60 minutes to make them tender

Cooking soya beans safely

Soya beans contain a natural toxin called a trypsin inhibitor. This can stop you digesting food properly. The toxin is destroyed by proper cooking.

§ soak the dried beans in water for at least 12 hours

§ drain and rinse the beans, then cover them with fresh water

§ boil them vigorously for 1 hour, then simmer the beans for about 2 to 3 hours to make them tender

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/beans-and-pulses-nutrition/

FLAX SEEDS / OIL / HEAVY METALS

One meta-analysis included in that publication reviewed nine studies that revealed a possible association between flaxseed oil intake or high blood levels of alpha-linolenic acid and increased risk of prostate cancer.

But ground flax seeds can help prevent prostate cancer. BUT flax contains heavy metals.

I basically avoid flax seeds and flax seed oil.

Our tests revealed a concerning amount of cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, in several flaxseed products that contained up to 4 to 5 times as much cadmium as other products. 

~~~

Cadmium, a heavy metal found in soil, can accumulate in flaxseeds. 

~~~

In conclusion, dietary FXO supplementation ameliorated PbAc-induced specific metabolic alterations and oxidative damage by empowering antioxidant defense mechanism and improving BBM integrity and energy metabolism. 

~~~

Contaminated water and soil with toxic metals is a critical environmental problem, and there is a need to adopt useful methods for the rehabilitation of our environment. Earlier studies showed that flax is appropriate for the phytoremediation of soil and wastewater. Moreover, it can tolerate harsh environments, and uptake, accumulate, and translocate a broad range of diverse metals. Flax is characterized within fiber crops by a genotype for heavy metal tolerance or accumulation. It was also observed that many species are vulnerable to petroleum contaminants but flax has a unique property to tolerate an excessive amount of hydrocarbons and is capable of accumulating a large amount of it in their organs.

~~~

Comparative analysis of cadmium uptake and distribution in contrasting canadian flax cultivars

genotypic differences in Cd accumulation in flax seeds may be partly due to differences in the redistribution of Cd to the seeds during maturation. 

flax contains very small amounts of cyanide compounds, especially when consumed raw. Heat, especially on dry flax seeds, breaks these compounds down.

Flaxseed & Cancer Risk https://www.drfabio.com/healthblog/flaxseed-cancer-risk

Heavy Metals in Seeds

We at Rapunzel are aware of the problem of cadmium in oilseeds and have oilseeds regularly analysed for heavy metals by recognised laboratories.

The legal limits for cadmium are <0.1mg/kg for oilseeds in general. Exceptions are linseeds and sunflower seeds, where it is <0.5mg/kg.

The values of Rapunzel linseed are mostly in the range <0.3mg/kg

The same values and limits apply whether linseed or linseed oil is used.

BLOOD TYPE

Your Blood Type May Predict Your Risk Of Having A Stroke Before 60, Says Study

Those who carried the gene for blood group O1 had a 12 per cent lower risk. The higher risk of stroke among those with type A blood, according to the researchers, is minimal, thus there is no need for additional screening or monitoring.

Childhood Cancer

Out of 10 U.S. births out of wedlock 

ATLANTA - Out-of-wedlock births in the United States have climbed to an all-time high, accounting for nearly four in 10 babies born last year, government health officials said Tuesday.

 Pollution exposure linked to childhood cancer

Exposure soon after birth, or even before, to combustion gases and particularly engine exhaust, is strongly linked to the development of childhood cancers like leukemia, according to a report from the UK.

Radiation Cancer

Panel Affirms Radiation Link to Cancer

Even very low doses of radiation pose a risk of cancer over a person's lifetime, a National Academy of Sciences panel concluded. It rejected some scientists' arguments that tiny doses are harmless or may in fact be beneficial.

The findings, disclosed in a report Wednesday, could influence the maximum radiation levels that are allowed at abandoned reactors and other nuclear sites and raises warnings about excessive exposure to radiation for medical purposes such as repeated whole-body CT scans.

"It is unlikely that there is a threshold (of radiation exposure) below which cancers are not induced," the scientists said.

While at low doses "the number of radiation-induced cancers will be small ... as the overall lifetime exposure increases, so does the risk," the experts said.

Even common X-rays pose some risk of adverse health effects, the scientists found, although the panel said there was not enough information available to accurately estimate the cancer risk from X-rays. Nevertheless, the report said, there is evidence that per unit of absorbed radiation, X-rays may be more dangerous than other radiation.

Wheat Protein

Nutritionally, seitan is a nearly complete, high quality protein (more protein per serving than tofu), provides a modest amount of B vitamins and iron and contains no saturated fat or cholesterol. A 3 1/2 ounce (100 gram) serving contains 118 calories, 18% protein and less than 1% unsaturated fat. The same amount of beef has 207 calories and 32.2% protein and is high in saturated fats. As recent studies have shown, our need for protein is much lower than previously believed and any opportunity to remove saturated fats from our diet is a welcome improvement.

It isn't a complete protein, though, unlike soya fake meats. It is deficient in lysine, so having a good source of lysine with it may be a good idea.

Good sources of lysine are beans, lentils, watercress, some spices.

On Plastic / PBA

By Dr. Colleen Huber, NMD

Plastic polycarbonate bottles such as Nalgene are still popular as drinking water bottles. However polycarbonate releases a chemical known as bisphenol A also know as BPA. Whereas plastic industry safety studies find no significant health effects from typical daily doses of bisphenol A, a full 90% of government studies found harmful health effects [1] especially to children and expecting moms, [2] but also for male sexuality and reproduction as well. [3]

The problem is that bisphenol A acts as a "xenoestrogen," which just means it's like the female hormone estrogen, except for two things: 1) it's foreign to the body, which is what "xeno" means, and 2) it is way more harmful than our natural estrogen for everyone, male and female. Breast cancers are much more of a risk in women who carry a high burden of xenoestrogens, and both sexes are subject to a huge range of other harmful health effects. The most far-reaching effects are birth defects and miscarriages. Another effect is a disruption of beta cell function in the pancreas, which creates a pre-diabetes type condition of high blood insulin and insulin resistance.

~~~

Professor vom Saal said recent studies have shown that BPA is extremely harmful, even in very low doses. The chemical acts like the female hormone estrogen and interferes with the body's natural processes. BPA has been linked to adverse effects on male reproduction, altered immune system function, behavioral changes, learning disabilities, brain damage and an increased chance for certain cancers. Researchers are most concerned about the exposure of babies to the chemical. "The science is clear and the findings are not just scary, they are horrific," vom Saal said. "When you feed a baby out of a clear, hard plastic bottle, it's like giving the baby a birth control pill."

~~~

In two studies funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia have demonstrated that two plasticizer compounds, BPA and BBP, are environmental estrogens capable of affecting gene expression in the mammary glands of young female laboratory rats exposed to the compounds through their mothers' milk.

Loud music threat to the young

A new survey conducted by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People reveals alarming statistics about the negative impact of loud music on young people. The survey found that almost 50% of individuals aged 16 to 34 experience hearing issues after being exposed to loud music. This poses a serious risk of creating a generation that will have hearing problems in middle age due to greater exposure to loud music. Interestingly, 80% of young people who attend clubs and concerts regularly do not seem to be concerned about this issue. Reports of tinnitus have increased threefold since the early 1980s, and this is largely due to concerts and nightclubs producing sounds up to 120 decibels. In response, the RNID is launching a Safer Sound campaign aimed at raising awareness and providing advice to young people on how to reduce the risk of hearing damage.

Breast-Fed Babies Handle Stress Better Later in Life: Study

A UK-based research has revealed that breast-fed children are more capable of coping with stress in their later life than those who are bottle-fed. The study was conducted on a sample of around 9,000 children at the time of their birth, 5 years old and 10 years old. The data was collected from various sources, including parents, teachers, health professionals, and midwives. The research found that breast-fed children whose parents had divorced or separated were almost twice as likely to be highly anxious, whereas bottle-fed children were more than nine times as likely to be highly anxious than their counterparts. The study authors warn that the results are not conclusive evidence of a direct link between breast-feeding and stress management in later life. Instead, the findings suggest that breast-feeding could be an indicator of other maternal or parental factors that influence a child's response to stress. The quality of physical contact between a mother and child in the first few days of the child's life may also impact the development of the child's neural and hormonal pathways.

TV found to be a painkiller for children

Researchers at the University of Siena in Italy conducted a study that discovered children who watched cartoons during medical procedures experienced less pain compared to those who did not watch TV. The study involved 69 children, aged between 7 to 12, who were asked to rate their pain level after being pricked with a hypodermic needle for a blood sample. The children were separated into three groups- those who watched TV cartoons, those who were comforted by their mothers, and those who did not receive any form of distraction. The children who watched TV reported 50% less pain than those who were comforted by their mothers. Compared to children who only sat in a hospital room with mothers who did not provide any comfort, the TV watchers reported one-third of the pain. Carlo Bellieni, a neonatologist and pediatrician who authored the study, emphasized that while television can distract children during medical procedures, it should be controlled and regulated.

Eating slowly really does make people eat less

According to a study carried out by Dr. Kathleen Melanson and her team at the University of Rhode Island, women ate about 70 fewer calories when they savored their pasta and sauce meal slowly than when they ate it quickly. The women also reported that they enjoyed the meal more when they ate it slowly. The study involved 30 young women who were given a large spoon to eat quickly on one occasion and a small spoon on another occasion, with instructions to take small bites and chew each bite for 15 to 20 times. The women consumed an average of 646 calories in nine minutes when they ate quickly, but when they ate slowly, they consumed 579 calories in 29 minutes. Eating slowly could aid in weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight, as someone who eats three relaxed meals could consume 210 fewer calories per day than someone who eats quickly.

Berries belong to cancer-fighting superfoods: study

A small study on rats has shown that the berry antioxidant pterostilbene may protect against colon cancer by reducing pre-cancerous lesions and inhibiting certain genes involved in inflammation. The compound also has a cholesterol-lowering action, which could be beneficial given the link between colon cancer and high levels of saturated fats and calories in Western diets. Additionally, Ohio State University has begun clinical trials on humans to test whether blueberries can prevent the development of esophageal and colon cancer. Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Alabama found that chemicals in grape seed extract may protect against skin cancer by inhibiting the suppression of the immune system caused by ultraviolet light exposure.

Study says soccer is better than jogging

The Danish scientists have found that playing soccer burns off more fat and builds more muscle than jogging, according to a study conducted on 37 men. The researchers compared the results of the soccer players and joggers after a three-month-long study, which consisted of exercise periods lasting one hour, three times a week. The study found that the soccer players' body fat percentage dropped by 3.7%, compared to 2% for the joggers, and the soccer players increased their muscle mass by almost 2 kilograms (4.5 pounds), whereas the joggers didn't have any significant change. The soccer players and joggers had the same average heart rate, but the soccer players got a better workout due to the intense bursts of activity. The researchers also found that the soccer players felt less tired after exercising than the joggers because they were having more fun. However, the researchers warned that sedentary people shouldn't jump-start their bodies with a dose of intense exercise but rather ease into their fitness regime with some moderate activity.

Vegetables may help keep brains young

A six-year study of almost 2,000 Chicago-area men and women aged 65 and over has suggested that those who ate more than two servings of vegetables each day appeared about five years younger mentally than those who ate few or no vegetables. The findings add to mounting evidence suggesting that vegetables can reduce mental decline. Green leafy vegetables, particularly spinach, kale and collards, were found to be the most beneficial because they contain healthy levels of vitamin E, an antioxidant that combats chemicals produced by the body that can damage cells. Vegetables are also often eaten with healthy fats such as salad oils, which can help the body absorb vitamin E and other antioxidants, and which can keep cholesterol low and arteries clear, both of which contribute to brain health. The study did not examine whether any of the study participants developed dementia.

Organic fruits have right stuff for health

A study by scientists at the University of California, Davis, has shown that organic fruit has higher levels of polyphenols and antioxidant activity than conventionally grown fruit. Polyphenols have been shown in other studies to reduce cholesterol and improve blood circulation, and some research has indicated that they may help prevent certain cancers. The authors suggest that the difference in polyphenol levels may be due to the negative impact of chemical farming. The study also found that the organic plants produced more of these beneficial compounds, as they were thrown onto their own defences against disease and predators, and therefore more “stressed”. Organic yields were smaller, averaging 22.5 tonnes per hectare (nine tonees per acre) compared with 26.9 tonnes per hectare (10.75 per acre) for conventionally grown fruit.

Aging nation faces growing hearing loss

By 2050, up to 50 million people in the US may have hearing loss, with young people having a rate of impaired hearing 2.5 times that of their parents and grandparents due to loud music and noise. While damage to outer ear cells can be helped by hearing aids, damage to inner ear cells cannot be repaired and causes deafness. However, research is being done on restoring damaged hearing cells using ear stem cells and gene therapy, although it is still at the beginning and a long road. Scientists are experimenting with drugs to spur the growth of hearing cells in young mice, but something still prevents cell development in the inner ear.

Onions, garlic linked to lower cancer risks

Older adults with high onion and garlic intake have a lower risk of colon, ovarian and throat cancers, according to a study of eight studies from Italy and Switzerland, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The findings suggest that the anti-cancer benefits of these vegetables are not just limited to Asian populations. It is not certain that onions and garlic have a direct effect on cancer risk, but the potentially protective substances include sulfur compounds found in garlic and antioxidant flavonoids in onions. Experts recommend that people eat a variety of fruits and vegetables every day for overall health.

OKRA

A 1/2-cup serving of sliced, cooked okra contains 32 micrograms of vitamin K. This amount supplies about 27 percent of the daily vitamin K intake that the Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board recommends for adult men over 19 years old. For a woman, eating a 1/2-cup serving of okra fulfills 36 percent of her recommended daily requirement.

https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/vitamin-k-okra-6392.html

SENSITIVITY TO NOISE - SIGN OF GENIUS

Are you overly sensitive to noise? You could be a certified genius

A new study by scientists at Northwestern University in Illinois, has found that an inability to filter out irrelevant sounds in people is indicative of greater creative prowess

Inspired geniuses in their field that were famously intolerant of noise include Johann Goethe, Charles Darwin, Anton Chekov and Franz Kafka.

DRINK WATER

Every day drink 1 liter of water per 25 kg of weight.

Killer Fastfood 

Eeating fast food can increase the likelihood of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which causes fat to build up in the liver.

While regular fast food consumption has been linked to obesity and diabetes, researchers say this is one of the first studies to demonstrate a negative impact on the liver as well.

one meal a day fasting is a bad idea -- When participants ate just one meal per day, they saw a greater reduction in their body weight and fat mass. However, participants also had greater reductions in lean mass and bone density when eating just one meal a day. This could lead to reduced muscle function and greater risk of bone fractures if the diet was to be followed for a longer period.

~~~

Sourdough

I usually don't eat sourdough because in principle alkaline is better. But here's an article research: 

~

Weisenberger, author of “Prediabetes: A Complete Guide,” specializes in diabetes and prediabetes care. Because of this, she recommends sourdough as a healthy bread for those managing their blood sugar levels. A study from the University of Guelph in Canada found lower glycemic responses compared to those of whole wheat breads. 

Sourdough’s low pH and long fermentation time means the bread is more digestible than those fermented with baker’s yeast because the nutrients in sourdough have more time to break down. Sourdough also has increased minerals for the gut to absorb, according to Colorado State University. Unlike commercial baker’s yeast, sourdough organisms can quickly break down phytate complex, a molecule that sequesters calcium, sodium, zinc and magnesium. 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2023/04/16/what-is-the-healthiest-bread/11551845002/

~~~

"As a walker, you should aim for at least 30 minutes per day, or a total of 150 minutes per week,"   breaking it up into three short, 10-minute sessions will give you all the same health benefits   Michael Fredericson, MD, director of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation division of Stanford University    "Studies have shown that regular brisk walking can be just as effective as running in reducing the risk of heart disease and improving overall levels of fitness."   https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2023/03/22/how-many-miles-should-walk-day-step-counts-you-need-how-do/11507805002/   A new study by the London School of Economics and Political Science has found that a brisk 30-minute walk (roughly 3000 steps) is more effective at weight control than running, swimming or going to the gym.

Similarly SPF values for volatile oils were found to be in between 1 and 7. Out of these essential oils taken, the SPF value of peppermint oil and tulsi oil was found to be around 7; lavender oil, around 6; orange oil, around 4; eucalyptus oil, around 3; tea tree oil, around 2; and rose oil, around 1.

SEEDS

Hopefully organic sesame seed doesn't have heavy metals? 

The concentrations lead and cadmium metals for the

sesame samples under study were 0.0130-0.0214 mg/kg

and 0.0121-0.0319 mg/kg, respectively, the concentrations

of these two elements in all samples were slightly higher

than the acceptable limits (0.01 mg / kg) (CODEX, 2011),

the contamination of some crops with lead and cadmium

can be closely related to contaminants in irrigation water,

soil and pesticides as well as pollution from highways

traffic

http://plantarchives.org/19-2/3217-3222%20(5133).pdf

~~~ 

Black Sesame Seeds on Heavy Metal Cleanup

Lignans in black sesame seeds are responsible for heavy metal binding. L

Great article

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/black-sesame-seeds-on-heavy-metal-cleanup

SLEEP

Andrew D. Huberman, Ph.D.

This week I learned from a sleep expert that if we go to sleep 1-2hrs later than usual we get none (zero) of the normal in-sleep bolus of growth hormone that night, regardless if we sleep in. In other words, keeping regular to-sleep times is as important as sleep duration.

Maltodextrin

Cleveland Clinic researchers found that maltodextrin alters gut bacteria. The additive with the normal digestive process causes the bacteria to adhere to the layers of cells that line the intestines – a characteristic of IBD.

5 Min Walk or Exercise Every 30 Minutes

To reduce the harmful health effects of sitting, take a 5-minute light walk every half-hour. That's the key finding of a new study that my colleagues and I published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

RAW POWER GREEN SMOOTHIES

By Reza Ganjavi

My life changed after reading The Queen of Green Smoothies, Victoria Boutenko's excellent book on green smoothies. Ever since I've been making green smoothies every day and feeling their benefit.

I would strongly recommend a visit to Victoria's site: www.rawfamily.com

Check out Victoria's song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN1X0zchLiw

Here's an extract from her site, reprinted with permission:

"In  , we experienced an intense decline in health. Faced with our numerous health problems, (juvenile diabetes, obesity, hyper thyroid, chronic fatigue, arrhythmia, arthritis, asthma, and allergies) we began researching nutrition. After switching over to a healthful way of eating we were able to fully reverse our symptoms and regain vibrant health. Since that time our family has been dedicated to helping people around the globe learn about natural healing and nutrition by writing books, making films, and presenting health lectures. We are here to inspire you to take your health into your own hands. On this site you will find an abundance of free information and research about acquiring naturally radiant health.

We invite you to browse our extensive newsletter archives and follow our raw food journey as we discovered the healing power of greens and introduced green smoothies to the world. Greens are the most nutritionally dense food available on the planet. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, proteins, and phytonutrients. What better way to consume them than in a delicious green smoothie? The fresh ripe fruits dominate the flavor of the greens and the absence of any fats maximize the absorption of the nutrients. These two factors make the green smoothie the most epic nutritious concoction the world has seen to date. Adding even one cup of green smoothie a day to one’s existing diet can dramatically improve anyone’s health. And the best part is, nearly everyone already has what they need to make a green smoothie sitting around in their kitchen right now!"

She recommends using a Vitamix blender. Click here for more information on Vitamix blenders (link to be updated).

Have a Green Day

Reza Ganjavi

October 2010

Alcohol

DALLAS, Dec. 5  – Consuming low to moderate amounts of alcohol may be linked to decreased brain size in middle-aged adults, according to a new study published in today’s rapid access issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

The new study also showed that low to moderate alcohol intake did not lower their stroke risk, as some previous studies found.

Alcohol shrinks the brain

The bad news is that every drink is associated with greater brain shrinkage, a condition called atrophy, says lead researcher Kenneth J. Mukamal, M.D., M.P.H., an instructor at Harvard Medical School and associate in medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Researchers studied 3,376 individuals over age 65, who were part of a nationwide study called the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS).

Alcohol and the Brain

It is a supposed scientific fact that alcohol kills brain cells. And presumably, those who would suffer this damage the most would be drinkers in their 70s and 80s who had been at it for decades.

But a new Australian study of 209 elderly men, 178 of whom used alcohol, revealed not a single sign of intellectual impairment or brain atrophy that could be related to the amount of alcohol they regularly consumed.

[RG: YES, BUT HOW WAS THEIR MOOD, AND EXPERIENCE OF HAPPINESS?]

Alcohol abuse shrinks, lightens the brain

Researchers have been able to map the damage caused to the brain by chronic consumption of alcohol and the results are not encouraging to alcoholics.

New research is beginning to explain how the brains of alcoholics become smaller and lighter compared to those of non-drinkers, and what functions may be lost due to chronic drinking. Scientists believe a number of factors — including alcohol’s toxic byproducts, malnutrition, even cirrhosis of the liver — interact in complex ways to cause brain damage. ... Alcohol appears to be particularly damaging to the “white matter” or “hard wiring” — fat-insulated nerve fibers that allow brain cells to rapidly communicate with other parts of the brain... “The most important permanent structural change is nerve-cell loss,” Harper said. “Some nerve cells cannot be replaced — those in the frontal cortex, the cerebellum and several regions deep in the brain.”...

...continuous drinking for as little as eight weeks can produce deficits in learning and memory that continue for up to 12 weeks after drinking stops. ... “Drinking doesn’t just produce a hangover,” said D. Allan Butterfield, a professor of biological and physical chemistry at the University of Kentucky. “Chronic drinking may lead to permanent cognitive deficits,” he added, noting that the findings should be of particular concern to college students who engage in binge drinking.

Brain Cells Killed During Binge Drinking Episodes

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A few days of binge drinking can lead to the almost immediate death of brain cells, new research conducted in laboratory animals confirms. "Very high alcohol consumption, even for a short period of time, damages the brain," study lead author Dr. Fulton T. Crews, professor of pharmacology and director of the center for alcohol studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told Reuters Health.

Studies of alcoholics have found that heavy consumption of alcohol can lead to neurodegeneration, death of brain cells and reduced brain tissue mass, and subsequent damaging effects such as a lack of impulse control and difficulty in setting goals. However, "people promoting an individual who just turned 21 to have 21 drinks (should realize) that this might have permanent long-term damage.

"It might not just be a one-day celebration," he warned. "Once you've lost these brain cells, they're probably gone forever--how would you ever know?"

Experts Downplay Heart Benefits of Wine

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A panel of physicians urged doctors Monday to downplay the potential heart-healthy effects of red wine and encourage patients to exercise and eat more fruits and vegetables.

But it remains unclear whether components in wine or the heart-healthy lifestyles of wine lovers are behind this boost in cardiac protection, say researchers writing in the January 23 issue of Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association (news - web sites) (AHA).

``Alcohol is an addictive substance and adverse effects of drinking occur at more moderate levels in some

individuals,'' write Dr. Ira J. Goldberg and colleagues, who serve on the AHA's nutrition committee.

Doesn't help

Although moderate alcohol consumption has been consistently associated with reductions in coronary heart disease risk, it is not yet clear whether red wine polyphenols confer any additional risk reduction. Interestingly, studies that administered alcohol-free red wine to rodents noted improvements in various parameters related to cardiovascular disease (93, 94), and a placebo-controlled human study found that heart disease patients administered red grape polyphenol extract experienced acute improvements in endothelial function (95).

Booze Blocks Action of Immune System Protein

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Alcohol consumption suppresses an

immune-system protein involved in fighting pneumonia, which may

explain why alcoholics have an increased risk of the lung infection, a

study in mice suggests.

Alcoholism Changes Brain's Genetic Wiring

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Using the latest DNA technology, scientists in Texas have found that alcohol abuse can alter genes in the brain.

Out of more than 4,000 genes analyzed in brain tissue, about 4% differed by at least 40% between alcoholics and nonalcoholics, researchers report in the December issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

``Just as a computer virus can change the programming of specific functions, our data show that chronic alcohol abuse can change the molecular programming and circuitry of the frontal cortex,'' the study's lead author, Dr. R. Adron Harris, of the University of Texas at Austin, said in a statement.

~~~

Researchers followed documented avocado consumption of around 110,000 people over a 20-year period. The team found participants who ate two or more servings of avocado each week were at 16 percent lower risk than those who rarely consumed the fruit to develop cardiovascular disease.  They were also at 21 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease. 

~~~

Adults should get 150 to 300 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous physical activity a week, according to the World Health Organization. But people who surpass those levels live longer than those who don't.

~~~

weight in pounds divided by 2 = number of ounces of calorie-free liquid per day. For 155 pound person = must take 2.5 liter water / tea (no sugar)  every day

~~~

Brain Scans Show Impairments in Young Alcoholics

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Alcohol dependency may impair certain brain regions in young women, results from a small study suggest. The findings indicate that even at a young age, alcohol abuse may take a toll on mental functioning.

The 10 alcoholic women performed more poorly on the tests and showed functional differences in certain brain regions compared with the 10 healthy women.

Alcohol's effects on fetal brain revealed

By Merritt McKinney

NEW YORK, Feb 10 (Reuters Health) -- For the first time, researchers have discovered how drinking alcohol during pregnancy damages the brain of a fetus.

According to a report in the February 11th issue of the journal Science, getting drunk just one time during the final 3 months of pregnancy may be enough to cause brain damage in a fetus.

Alcohol affects teen brain, impairs memory

NEW YORK, Feb 14 (Reuters Health) -- Teenagers who drink heavily have more difficulty recalling new information compared with teens who do not drink, according to a report.

The findings suggest that teenagers who drink may be exposing their brains to the toxic effects of alcohol during a critical time in brain development.

This is a very important time for brain development... ``Certain brain developments, such as the refinement of neural connections, are completed by about age 16,'' she commented. ``Developments in the frontal lobes -- parts of the brain that are important in judgment, planning and problem solving -- continue until about age 16.''

Study finds alcohol does not protect health

Contrary to previous studies on the health benefits of

moderate alcohol consumption, results of a new study of Scottish men suggest that alcohol has no

beneficial effects on health. SOURCE: British Medical Journal  ;318:1725-1728.

Alcohol Suicide

States with an 18-year-old minimum legal drinking age have higher rates of teen suicide than states that do not permit legal drinking until age 21, researchers report.

They suggest that alcohol may increase the risk of suicide in 18-20 year olds in several ways -- by

deepening depression, negatively affecting the ability to make decisions under stress, and interfering with the treatment of mental

illness.

New Brain Cells Develop During Alcohol Abstinence, UNC Study Shows

CHAPEL HILL -- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scientists have reported - for the first time - a burst in new brain cell development during abstinence from chronic alcohol consumption.

Chronic alcoholism, a disease affecting more than 8 percent of the adult U.S. population, or more than 17 million Americans, produces cognitive impairments and decreased brain volumes, both of which are partially reversed during abstinence.

Alcohol dependence also is associated with depression, which is consistent with inhibition of neurogenesis. Cessation from alcohol is associated with improved cognitive abilities, Crews said.

~~~

Organic fruits have right stuff for health

Organic agriculture got a big boost Monday from a study proving that fruit grown without chemical inputs contains significantly larger quantities of at least three compounds associated with improved health.

Scientists at the University of California in Davis grew two otherwise identical plots of kiwis side-by-side, one organically and the other with a standard mix of herbicides, pesticides and chemical fertilizer.

Upon reaching maturity, and after different periods of storage, the organic fruit showed 18 and 27 percent higher levels, respectively, of polyphenols and antioxidant activity, both widely linked with health benefits.

~~~

Berries belong to cancer-fighting superfoods: study

~~~

Colon cancer survivors with diets heavy in red meat and fatty foods are more than three times as likely to suffer a recurrence of their disease or die from it than those who avoid such foods, a study found. 

~~~

LAUGHTER

Laughter May Be Best Medicine for Heart Disease

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Laughter may indeed be the best medicine,

researchers said on Wednesday as they released a study showing that people

who report that they laugh more are less likely to have heart disease.

``The old axiom that laughter is the best medicine appears to hold true when it comes to protecting your heart,''

Dr. Michael Miller, director of the center for preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland in Baltimore,

told a news conference.

``This is the first study to demonstrate a link between laughter and heart disease.''

Miller and colleagues told a meeting of the American Heart Association (news - web sites) that they believe

laughter may release chemicals that relax the blood vessels.

``It's not just going 'ha, ha, ha','' Miller said. ``It's having a good, hearty laugh.''

For their study they interviewed 150 patients who had either suffered heart attacks in the past or had undergone

procedures such as angioplasty to clear out clogged arteries.

They compared their responses to those of 150 people the same age who did not have heart disease.

The questions came off standard tests used to measure humor in day-to-day situations, such as getting to a

party to find someone else wearing the same outfit.

``If you were woken up in the middle of the night by a good friend who had been out of town and whom you

hadn't seen for a while, how would you respond?'' Miller asked.

``We found that individuals that had heart disease had a 40 to 45 percent reduced likelihood of laughing in

response to those social situations.''

He hopes laughter may one day be used for therapy.

``We don't know yet if forcing yourself to laugh when you're angry is beneficial, but there may be effective,

practical ways for people to lessen their discomfort or hostility to improve their humor response and increase

the amount of laughter in their lives,'' Miller said.

Laughter As Exercise

``There is no reason we can't learn to regulate our laughing muscles, like all the other exercises we do,'' he

added. ``Second, we may be able to find ways to take ourselves less seriously.''

Miller said his team is now looking to see if the act of laughing releases chemicals that affect the blood vessels,

perhaps like nitric oxide, known to dilate blood vessels.

The chemical, related to the nitrous oxide used to relax dental patients, is already targeted by some heart drugs.

``Wouldn't it be ironic if laughing gas turns out to be protective for the heart?'' he asked.

Miller said many studies had shown that feelings of anger and hostility cause the cells lining blood vessels to

release chemicals that make them constrict.

A second study released Wednesday, this one in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, tends to

confirm this.

Dr. Peter Angerer of the Medizinische Klinik der Universitat Muenchen-Innenstadt in Munich, Germany found

that angry, lonely people developed heart disease.

``We demonstrated that low perceived social support and, to a lesser extent, high outwardly expressed anger

... were associated with accelerated progression (of heart disease) within two years of follow-up,'' Angerer said

in a statement.

They used angiography to examine 150 heart patients' arteries and asked them questions designed to measure

social support, anger expression and hostility.

Two years later, the patients got angiography again to see whether their atherosclerosis -- clogged, hardened

arteries -- had worsened.

Patients who had high scores on anger expression and low scores on social support were much more likely to

have even worse atherosclerosis than before, Angerer's team reported.

Hostility levels had no effect.

~~~

Laughter May Be Good for Your Heart

By E'Louise Ondash

HealthScout Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthScout) -- Watch two Three Stooges

movies and call me in the morning.

That could be the prescription to prevent a problem that's no laughing matter.

Heart-healthy people are 60 percent more likely to laugh their way through life than those with heart disease,

claims a new study by researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.

"Previous studies have suggested that mental stress contributes to heart disease. Our study questioned whether

laughter may have the opposite effect," says Dr. Michael Miller, director of the university's Center for

Preventive Cardiology.

Half of the 300 study participants either had suffered a heart attack or had undergone coronary artery bypass

surgery. The other half, who were the same age, had no heart disease. All participants completed two

questionnaires: one judged how likely they were to laugh in certain situations, and another measured anger and

hostility.

For instance, they were asked:

If you arrived at a party and found that someone else was wearing a piece of clothing identical to yours,

would you (a) not find it particularly amusing (b) be amused but not show it outwardly (c) smile (d) laugh

or (e) laugh heartily?

If you were eating in a restaurant with some friends and the waiter accidentally spilled a drink on you,

would you (a) not find it particularly amusing (b) be amused but not show it outwardly (c) smile (d) laugh

or (e) laugh heartily?

True or false? I often wonder what hidden reasons another person may have for doing something nice for

me.

True or false? I am likely not to talk to people until they speak to me.

If your answers show you are a bit stodgy and stiff, the researchers might suggest you quickly rent a video of

"A Fish Called Wanda" or read the comics and take a load off your mind.

"I believe that laughter should be incorporated into our daily lives. Think of how more relaxed we would be as a

nation, especially after this last election," Miller says.

"There are very few positive factors that have been identified that reduce heart disease risk. This is the first

study to suggest that hearty laughter may be cardio-protective. Further studies must be carried out to determine

the relative impact of laughter compared to other cardio-protective measures such as exercise, low saturated fat

diet, etc.," Miller says.

"Nonetheless, it is clear that a good laugh is stress reducing and should be part of everyday life," says Miller,

who will present the findings today at an American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans.

Laughter's effect on the immune system of children with cancer and AIDS is being studied by researchers at the

Jonsson Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Called "Rx Laughter," the study is looking at what makes healthy children laugh by measuring their reactions to

classic cartoons, television shows and comedy films. Researchers then plan to show the funniest of the funny to

sick children.

If their immune systems respond favorably, "Abbott and Costello" or "Malcolm in the Middle" might become a

standard part of blood drawing and chemotherapy.

"It's already been suggested that if you make people laugh, they don't get as anxious, and they deal better with

pain and do better in the hospital," says Dr. Margaret Stuber, professor of psychiatry at the UCLA

Neuropsychiatric Institute.

"What we don't know, and what we hope to find out, is whether laughter actually makes a physical difference in

such things as speed of healing," Stuber says.

What To Do

To learn more about laughter and its effect on health, check Laughing Out Loud to Good Health or visit the

Web site of the American Association for Therapeutic Humor and scroll to "What is Humor?" For a fact sheet

on why laughter is good medicine, visit Ohio State University online.

If you're interested in why optimistic people live longer than pessimists, look at a report published in the Mayo

Clinic Proceedings.

Or, you may want to read previous HealthScout articles on the health benefits of laughter.

~~~

They were taking part in the hospital's monthly "Strength Through Laughter" therapy. It is one of several types of laughter or humor therapy being offered by medical facilities around the country for patients diagnosed with cancer or other chronic diseases.

~~~

BANANAS

~~~

THC (found in marijuana and hashish) produces serotonin, a derivative of indole - the basic psychedelic compound that lights brain cells. LSD-25 also produces huge amounts of serotonin in the brain. Among the fruits only bananas produce serotonin. Which is why they say: "going bananas" to a person who's going crazy...

~~~

Reza,

something that you might be interested in...

i figured out today that in the past two years

my legs have propelled my bicycle for over 16,700 miles

and in that time, have injested approximately

1,680 organically grown bananas!

thats a whole heap of yellow buggers!

thought you might get a kick out of that...

(oh, we had a discussion about organic vs. commercial 'nanners

early last year)

take care, and congratulations on your release of the CD in the us,

i'll take a look for it.

sincerely, SV

~~~

some argue that bananas are mucus forming (in sinuses too)

The fruit may even help heal damaged lining that may already be present in the stomach. The banana causes the cells in the lining of the stomach to secrete more mucus. This thick mucus functions as a barrier as the banana releases other substances that help rid the stomach of the bacteria that is linked to ulcer formation.

The benefits of an organically grown banana vs. the consumption

of commercial bananas (e.g. chiquitas) are at least two-fold.

1) the common practice of farming commercial bananas is on in which

large corporate growers usually purchase virgin forest areas, clear

cut the area, reap the land of all sustainance, and pump the ground with

pesticides and herbicides--only to gather up a few years later and move

on down the road to revisit this same experience.

organically grown fruits and vegetables have standards of

sustainability and environmental cooperation that they must meet.

therefore, organic bananas having somewhat of a nutritive benefit to the

earth, as well as the body....

2) commercial bananas are not restricted on any amount of chemical

fertilizer or pest control application. logically, the chemical

influence will not simply dissipate into the great abyss. the toxic

residue will certainly remain upon the outlying layers, and arguably

become part of the constituant of the fruit itself.

i turn to an example that i remember from my kindergarten science

class-- the teacher took a piece of celery and placed it into a glass of

blue food colored water. the next day, the stalk and leaves were

intrusivly interrupted with a dark hue of blue. an oddity at a young

age, but moreso a reflection on farming techinques---

if you spread the analogy to the celery being the plant and the

foodcolor being the chemical pest/herbicide/fertilizer concoction.

a few more cents a pound to cover the cost of organic bananas could give

one a piece of mind for the environment, as well as the being.

spenser villwock

ames, iowa usa

~~~

Yes, there may be a problem. It turns out that bananas typically come from

other countries. Common practice is to use a pesticide called benomyl. This

pesticide is suspected to cause gene mutations, cancer, and birth defects.

Moreover, benomyl is an illegal pesticide and forbidden to use in this

country.

Scot

http://www.naturesalternatives.com

Nature'sAlternatives.com

The information on this website is not a substitute for diagnosis and treatment by a qualified, licensed professional.

Bananas' Toxic Past

Most of the 10.3 million tons of bananas going to market are produced in

the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. Conventional

banana growers cut down the forests to plant their crops, and after a few

years, when the soil is exhausted, move on in a never-ending cycle of

destruction.

Bananas grown by conventional means are highly prone to disease and

require the application of huge amounts of toxic chemicals. Herbicides are

used to kill weeds, nematocides combat root-attacking worms, and, in

countries plagued by the black sigatoka fungus, the banana plantations are

dusted with toxic chemicals up to 40 times per year. To further protect

the fruit, plastic bags with a neurotoxic pesticide are tied around the

bunches, and a fungicide is applied prior to shipping. Yum!

Workers at banana plantations become contaminated with the toxic

chemicals used on the fruit, and skin rashes and headaches are common

complaints. Researchers at the University of Costa Rica recently found

that women working in banana-packing facilities have a high risk of

developing cancer and bearing children with birth defects.

Organic bananas are sometimes available in the U.S., but the small

operations that produce them have trouble competing with the large

multinational companies that dominate the market. Based on information in:

Sierra, Sept-Oct  

Excerpted from Spectrum Magazine

The Hidden Life of Chiquita Bananas

Each year the average American will consume up to 28 pounds of bananas, totaling 3.7 million tons per year for the entire U.S.

population. Bananas have the reputation of being "the perfect food for life," but the plantation workers who help grow bananas

know otherwise.

Bananas are a very high maintenance crop. Loose soil with a high organic content is essential to the production of the best

bananas. These qualities are readily available in the rainforests of South America where most conventional growers propagate

their plantains. Unfortunately, this is often done without attention to environmental impacts. Crops are rarely rotated and

nutrients are forever removed from the soil. Thousands of acres are lost each year to irresponsible harvesting practices.

Most banana growers also use tremendous amounts of pesticides to combat various fungi which attack bananas. The chemical

compounds have proven to be devastating to the land and peoples in and around banana plantations. Distributed via

crop-dusters, the pesticides have been responsible for the destruction of much agriculture in Latin America. In a report

published by the International Union of Food, Agricultural, and Allied Workers (IUF) regarding these insecticides, one worker

in Costa Rica was quoted as saying, "The region used to produce rice and maize, but not any more. There are no more fish in

the rivers, people are being poisoned, and the ground is being contaminated."

Even within the plantation lands, precautions are not taken to shield soil and workers from harmful pesticides. Crop-dusting

often takes place during business hours, showering laborers with chemical rain up to 40 times annually. Pesticides can seep into

skin merely by picking bananas, through worker's boots, or can be ingested during hand-to-mouth contact. Despite the health

risks involved, workers are seldom notified of exposure and are not given protective gear. Headaches and skin rashes are

common complaints among workers. Particular pesticide exposure among plantation workers has been linked to low sperm

count, cancer, and the bearing of children with birth defects. In addition to the environmental and health effects of these labor

practices, workers have been complaining of 16 hour work days, extremely low wages, contaminated drinking water on the

premises, and a lack of housing.

Workers of Chiquita brand and affiliated banana plantations have united to form the Organization of Latin American Banana

Workers Unions (COLSIBA), which has asked repeatedly for negotiations with Chiquita executives to review working

practices. Though Chiquita failed to respond in the past, recent pressure by the union and a variety of workers' rights groups

has convinced Chiquita to convene a meeting with COLSIBA (date not yet determined). Chiquita claims to be an industry

leader in environmental and workers rights concerns, but has not been found to operate more safely than any other banana

farming group. It is important that Chiquita receives and responds to public pressure, lest they share the same fate of the grape

industry in the 1960s. Other groups working on this issue include the Pesticide Action Network, Rainforest Alliance, and the

U.S./Guatemala Labor Education Project.

ACTION: Write a letter to Carl Lidner, Chief Executive Officer of Chiquita Brands International. Thank him for his recent

agreement to meet with COLSIBA. Urge him to support plantation workers' health and the health of our environment by

improving Chiquita's labor practices. Remind him that Chiquita is a self-proclaimed industry leader in environmental and

workers' rights and should accurately assume that role.

Write: Carl Lidner

CEO

Chiquita Brands International

250 E. Fifth St.

Cincinnati, OH 45202

For more information, contact Steve Coats of the U.S./Guatemala Labor Education Project at (773) 262-6502.

COFFEE

June 2014 - On Coffee

From:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/156822-what-are-the-negative-effects-of-caffeine-on-the-internal-organs/

caffeine also has a negative effects. In addition to disrupting sleep, it also has detrimental effects on several internal organs.

Caffeine has several negative effects on the heart.

Caffeine can contribute to hypertension, or high blood pressure. Hypertension puts you at risk for heart disease and strokes, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. It can also produce effects such as headaches, nausea, eyesight problems and seizures.

the caffeine present in coffee also negatively affects the liver. According to Dr. Donna Smith,... caffeine combines with hydrochloric acid in the stomach to produce a toxin called caffeine hydrochloride. This toxin is absorbed by the liver, which must neutralize and flush it out of your system. As the liver processes toxins, it incurs tissue damage and forms scar tissue, which eventually impacts the liver's ability to function correctly.

Ingesting foods and beverages containing caffeine can affect the brain by affecting the secretion of chemicals in the brain that affect the body. The brain reacts to caffeine by producing adrenaline, which can have short-term effects of increased alertness and energy, but produces a "crash" after the caffeine wears off, according to the Pacific Northwest Foundation. It also interferes with the brain's production of adenosine, a chemical that induces calmness. Coffee and other caffeine-containing products cause the brain to release cortisol, a stress hormone that constricts blood vessels, contributes to hypertension and hampers the absorption of essential minerals and vitamins, among other negative effects.

25 March 2014 - Curse of Caffeine & Chocolate

Short-lived Cocoa Experiment -- Caffeine / Theobromine use is as evil as tobacco use

Caffeine is evil because it takes away the organism’s peace.

Caffeine = Stress !!

Theobromine = Stress !!

Cocoa contains both caffeine and Theobromine.and caffeine.

Theobromine and caffeine are methylxanthines and found in cocao, coffee and tea.

I knew this already -- but in Dubai's healthfood store, bought some 100% raw organic cocoa -- and experimented with it -- and NO THANKS. Even the little caffeine it has wound up the body and took away the beautiful precious peace. It took me days to wear it off and it was all stressful.

How could something that causes stress be good for the organism overall? It may have some positive properties but it has costs, heavy costs, in terms of stress and toxicity. Surely corporations love it because chemical stimulation makes their workers work harder, faster, and with more intensity but at the great expense of forgoing of their happiness and peace, at a most fundamental, organism level.

It's true that it has some healthy substances like magnesium but many things have magnesium! It's true it has some mood altering substances like PEA (phenylethylamine) and lipid anandamide but those things also can cause addiction or at least psychological dependence. If a person is naturally interested in what they're doing -- if they love what they do, life itself, the miracle of breathing and being alive, the marvel of perception, being able to see, smell, hear songs of birds, feel a tender touch, etc., etc., would one want to stimulate oneself chemically to feel good? Of course not. But humans have made corrupt traditions which have turned humans into thinking machines where thought dominates every aspect of life, is often misapplied, over-applied, and therefore pushes love out, causes all kinds of psychological turmoil based on comparison, image making, etc etc, and with love gone, one resorts to stimulants, chemicals, emotional, intellectual, etc., to boost one's organism, being, metabolism!

Chocolate / Cocoa contain theobromine which negatively affects our nervous system, and oxalic acid which has its own set of problems including inhibiting the absorption of calcium (chocolate has sugar which further inhibits absorption of calcium).

Anti-oxidant rich? Sure but at a far higher cost in therms of negative side effects as things like berries and greens.

"Chemically, caffeine is a methylxanthine. Many methylxanthines are used as pesticides both by humans and plants. It's possible, though not confirmed, that caffeine is used to poison herbivores and plant pests to discourage them from attacking that plant type again; that is, if they survive after metabolising the caffeine. But because caffeine is toxic to plant cells it's stored in specialised cell compartments called vacuoles which are rather like a medicine chest and keep the caffeine safely locked away from the rest of the cell contents until it's needed."

"So it seems that caffeinated plants are lucky to have this compound as part of their natural defences, but it doesn't deter all attackers. For instance, caffeine doesn't poison humans in the doses that we typically ingest (even a Monday morning dose), but it does cause addiction. It works by stopping the enzyme phosphodiesterase from breaking down a signalling substance called cyclic AMP (cAMP for short) and its close relatives. One of the actions of the stress hormone adrenaline is to increase the levels of cAMP in cells, so by preventing cells from breaking down cAMP, caffeine potentiates the action of adrenaline, and gives us a buzz. In even higher doses, and with prolonged use, it can trigger anxiety, muscle tremors, palpitations and fast heart rates, and profound withdrawal effects including headaches, inability to think clearly, and bad moods whenever you mistakenly switch to decaff !"

Yes, caffeine is like thorns of a flower, designed to protect it -- it doesn't kill us but it still has very unhealthy side effects which in a corrupt tradition people just get used to it and think of that level of stressful being as a way of life!

From an excellent article by Cynthia Perkins

http://www.holistichelp.net/blog/is-raw-cacao-really-healthy

"Raw cacao contains over 300 naturally occurring chemicals and many of them are detrimental to the human body and mind when consumed on a regular basis. Many of them could be considered toxins. Some of the most potent, harmful and disconcerting include theobromind, theophylline and caffeine. These chemicals have a devastating effect on the central nervous system, gastrointestinal system, cardiovascular and endocrine system and can result in depression, anxiety, nervousness, insomnia, gastrointestinal disorders, adrenal fatigue, chronic fatigue, nausea, nervous disorders, osteoporosis, heart and circulation disorders and many more."

"raw cacao stimulates high levels of serotonin, endorphins and dopamine, three crucial neurotransmitters involved in regulating mood, pain, sleep and appetite, and the cycle of addiction, and has high levels of other chemicals like phenylethylamine and anandamide."

"Many of these chemicals are also overstimulating to the autonomic nervous system and thrust the body into a state of fight or flight. "

~~~~~

TCM practitioner said caffeine burns holes in nerves.

~~~~~

the caffeine present in coffee also negatively affects the liver. According to Dr. Donna Smith, contributor to the Chet Day website, caffeine combines with hydrochloric acid in the stomach to produce a toxin called caffeine hydrochloride. This toxin is absorbed by the liver, which must neutralize and flush it out of your system. As the liver processes toxins, it incurs tissue damage and forms scar tissue, which eventually impacts the liver's ability to function correctly.

Caffeine has several negative effects on the heart, according to the Harvard Medical School website.

Brain Effects

Ingesting foods and beverages containing caffeine can affect the brain by affecting the secretion of chemicals in the brain that affect the body. The brain reacts to caffeine by producing adrenaline, which can have short-term effects of increased alertness and energy, but produces a "crash" after the caffeine wears off, according to the Pacific Northwest Foundation. It also interferes with the brain's production of adenosine, a chemical that induces calmness. Coffee and other caffeine-containing products cause the brain to release cortisol, a stress hormone that constricts blood vessels, contributes to hypertension and hampers the absorption of essential minerals and vitamins, among other negative effects.

~~~

ON COFFEE

(collected by Reza Ganjavi : www.rezamusic.com )

Caffeine's blood pressure effect persists in some

By Amy Norton Wed Jun 22

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Though some coffee drinkers develop a tolerance for caffeine, those who don't may be sending up their blood pressure with each cup, new research suggests.

In a study of regular caffeine consumers, researchers found that many persistently showed small blood pressure spikes shortly after a large dose of caffeine -- even when that dose came after several days of high caffeine intake.

~~~

Too Much Caffeine? Go Figure

Tue Sep 3

(HealthScoutNews) -- Without realizing it, you could easily be consuming enough caffeine to be affecting your sleep or other aspects of your health. Why? Because consumption of a little of this, a little of that and a bit of something else containing this stimulant will put far more in your system, far faster, than you may realize.

In addition to coffee, tea and many soft drinks, caffeine also is contained in chocolate and many prescription and non-prescription drugs. Scientists say that a combined consumption of more than 250 mg of caffeine a day can increase your metabolism, raise your blood pressure and heart rate, and accelerate breathing. It also can offset the effects of sleep deprivation, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

Because caffeine content levels vary greatly from one food or beverage to another, you might do well to check out the NSF's Caffeine Calculator ( http://www.sleepfoundation.org/caffeine.htm), which reflects differences based on such things as the type of coffee bean, brands of coffee, the way coffee is brewed and the way caffeine is presented. This can be a highly valuable tool for those who want to avoid caffeine for health or dietary reasons.

~~~

Caffeine, Even in Small Doses, May Hurt Arteries

Fri May 17

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Small doses of caffeine--even as little as that in one cup of coffee--can cause temporary stiffening of the blood vessel walls,

~~~

Friday February 16  12:45 PM ET

CORRECTED: Researchers Say Coffee Can

Raise Cholesterol

(corrects typo in first paragraph; causal instead of casual)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - There may indeed be a causal relationship between drinking unfiltered coffee

and high cholesterol levels, according to results of a new study.

~~~

Scientists See Possible Cancer Risk in Coffee

Tue Aug 27, 5:53 PM ET

BERLIN (Reuters) - German researchers said on Tuesday they had found traces in coffee of a substance that some experts fear could cause cancer.

Researchers for German ecology magazine Oeko-Test discovered acrylamide, which can cause cancer in animals, in all 24 brands of ground coffee and seven brands of espresso they tested.

"It was known that there is acrylamide in coffee beans," Oeko-Test editor Hella Hansen told Reuters. "We wanted to know how much of it gets into a cup of coffee."

The test found the substance was present in brewed coffee, although in much lower quantities than in ground coffee beans.

Preliminary scientific studies have found that acrylamide--a substance found in french fries, potato chips, water and carbohydrate-rich foods such as bread that are fried or baked--can cause cancer in animals.

The World Health Organization ( news - web sites) (WHO) said in June that acrylamide was a cause of concern but more research was needed about the possible effect on humans.

It repeated its long-standing nutrition advice--eat a balanced and varied diet and limit consumption of fried and fatty foods.

The US Food and Drug Administration ( news - web sites) has also said the information currently available about acrylamide is not sufficient to assess the substance's impact on public health.

Coffee has been the subject of a wide range of studies, looking at its link to cancer, heart disease and infertility.

According to the American Cancer Society ( news - web sites), "the vast majority of studies agree that coffee has not been shown conclusively to have a link to bladder, breast, lung, pancreatic, prostate or any other cancers."

Earlier studies found that some compounds in coffee seemed to be anti-mutagenic, meaning they prevent DNA damage. Experts point out coffee is a highly complex food and no studies of a single compound are likely to show for certain what its health effects might be.

The head of the German coffee federation, Winfried Tigges, said acrylamide was not present in raw coffee beans, but was formed when they were roasted.

He said coffee producers were researching ways of producing coffee without the substance building up.

"It is an issue for us. It is not clear at the moment whether acrylamide is dangerous for people, but if it is we want to get it out of coffee," he told Reuters.

"Thank goodness, it is found in very low quantities in coffee, but all coffee producers are carrying out research into how acrylamide is formed," Tigges said.

Swedish scientists earlier this year prompted a worldwide food scare when they reported finding high levels of acrylamide when carbohydrate-rich foods such as rice, potatoes and cereals were fried or baked.

~~~

Tuesday September 4 11:14 AM ET

One Cup of Coffee May Temporarily

Harden Arteries

By Kristin Demos

STOCKHOLM (Reuters Health) - The amount of caffeine in just

one cup of coffee could be enough to harden a person's

arteries for several hours afterward, according to a study

presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress

here.

Hardened arteries, or atherosclerosis, put extra pressure on

the heart and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke,

researchers said. They noted that their findings could have

implications for people already at risk of these conditions.

``People must be careful with caffeine, especially if they have

high blood pressure,'' said Dr. Charalambos Vlachopoulos

from the Cardiology Department of the Henry Dunant Hospital

in Athens, Greece. ``After drinking a cup of coffee, blood

pressure can rise up to 5 or even 10 millimeters of mercury.

The amount depends on the individual and dose.''

``Regular rises of this magnitude are important in a person's

long-term prognosis and could increase their risk of suffering

from a stroke or heart attack,'' Vlachopoulos said. ``I think that

people with high blood pressure...should consider reducing

their caffeine intake or having caffeine-free drinks.''

~~~

Nov 18  

By Alison McCook

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The mysteries hidden inside a coffee cup may be more multi-layered than many realized, results from a small study suggest.

Dr. Roberto Corti of the University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland, and his colleagues found that something other than caffeine may also affect the cardiovascular systems of coffee drinkers. And for habitual drinkers, another ingredient may eventually suppress some of caffeine's effects.

Corti explained to Reuters Health that coffee contains several hundreds of ingredients, and the current findings demonstrate that "there is something else that has some activity in our system."

Just what coffee does to the cardiovascular system remains unclear, Corti and his team note in the rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association (news - web sites) for December 3rd. Previous research has found that drinking coffee can cause a slight increase in blood pressure in some, while some studies have shown the beverage has no effect on blood pressure or can actually reduce it.

In the current study, Corti and his team investigated the effects of regular and decaffeinated coffee on six regular coffee drinkers and nine others who said they opted for coffee only on occasion.

The investigators found that the blood pressures of occasional coffee drinkers rose after they drank coffee, while regular consumers experienced no blood pressure increase after drinking coffee. Both groups showed similar increases in the levels of activity of their sympathetic nervous systems, a body component that helps regulate blood pressure and heart rate.

Occasional drinkers also showed a blood pressure increase after drinking decaffeinated coffee--a finding that suggests the beverage contains an ingredient besides caffeine that could affect cardiovascular health, Corti told Reuters Health.

But could the bodies of occasional coffee drinkers simply be reacting to the taste of decaf coffee, associating it with caffeine and responding as they would to regular coffee? Not likely, Corti said. Along with an increase in blood pressure, these participants also experienced a jump in the activity of their sympathetic nervous systems that lasted for 60 to 90 minutes, Corti noted, and such an extended change is difficult to explain by the previous phenomenon, known as the placebo effect.

To explain why the blood pressure of regular coffee drinkers didn't jump after a cup of java, Corti suggested that something may suppress the effect of caffeine on blood pressure--either an ingredient in the coffee or a change that occurs in the bodies of regular drinkers.

Additional experiments revealed that while regular coffee drinkers may develop some type of tolerance to the beverage, it is not to the caffeine, Corti noted. When the researchers administered an IV that contained caffeine or placebo and didn't tell participants what they received, both groups had a similar increase in blood pressure and sympathetic nervous system activity after an IV of caffeine. None responded to the placebo IV.

In an interview, Corti said the findings don't suggest people who drink coffee should stop in order to protect their cardiovascular health, although the study did not examine the effects of heavy coffee drinking on blood pressure and nervous system activity. For those who drink one cup a day or so, the beverage is reasonably safe, the researcher said.

SOURCE: Circulation  ;106:2935-2940.

~~~

Thursday October 25  2:12 PM ET

Caffeine, Genes Tied to Bone Loss in Older Women

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An appetite for coffee and chocolate can take its toll on the bones

of elderly women, especially those with a particular genetic mutation, researchers report.

The investigators found that in a group of women whose average age was 71, those who consumed

the most caffeine had significantly lower bone mineral density (BMD) after 3 years compared with

women who consumed the least. BMD is a marker of bone strength. Women with two copies of a

gene with a mutation in the vitamin D receptor were even more prone to bone loss, the report

indicates.

The findings add weight to research linking caffeine consumption to the bone-thinning disease

osteoporosis, which can raise the risk of fractures in the elderly. However, until doctors are able to

more easily determine which patients carry the genetic risk noted in the study, it is too soon to advise

people to avoid caffeine, Linda K. Massey, from Washington State University in Spokane, writes in

an accompanying editorial.

~~~

Friday November 30  1:33 PM ET

Caffeine May Up Miscarriage Risk for Some Women

By Merritt McKinney

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Contrary to what researchers expected to find, women who rapidly

metabolize caffeine may be at risk for having a miscarriage, unlike women who take longer to clear

caffeine from their bodies.

~~~

Claudia W: Coffee IS addictive. A friend of mine does anything to get his coffee - he can stop a whole group from walking because he hasn't got his coffee in the morning. He says if he doesn't get it he's angry and you can't talk to him.

~~~

Wednesday August 30,   5:29 PM ET

Coffee drinking may damage blood vessels

AMSTERDAM (Reuters Health) - Drinking coffee, the world's most widely

consumed pharmacologically active substance, has potentially harmful effects

on blood vessels, according to research presented here this week at the 22nd

Congress of the European Society of Cardiology.

Dr M. O'Rourke and colleagues at St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, Australia,

presented data linking caffeine consumption with alterations in the aorta, the

main artery supplying blood to the body.

In the study, 18 middle-aged healthy volunteers consumed 250 mg of caffeine

(equivalent to 2 or 3 cups). The results showed that caffeine led to a loss of

aortic elasticity, and raised blood pressure. The elasticity of the aorta is linked

to heart function and coronary blood flow, the researchers say.

Monday November 13,   5:33 PM ET

Drinking Filtered Coffee May Up Heart

Disease Risk

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who enjoy several cups of filtered

coffee each day may be putting themselves at increased risk of heart disease,

preliminary study findings suggest.

Daily consumption of a liter of paper-filtered coffee was associated with a

roughly 20% increase in homocysteine levels after 2 weeks, according to the

report published in the November issue of the American Journal of Clinical

Nutrition. Homocysteine, a compound that is produced when the body

metabolizes protein, is a risk factor for heart disease.

Monday September 27 1:35 AM ET

BARCELONA (Reuters) - U.S. coffee consumption, already down 50 percent per capita from 30

years ago, could fall to a ''critical low'' unless young people start drinking more, a leading industry

representative said Sunday. ``The population between 15 and 19 years of age consumes 16 times less coffee today than the

previous generation did. It is dramatic,'' said Joaquim Leite, export director of Cooperativa

Guaxupe, Brazil's biggest coffee growers' cooperative.

European coffee representatives said marketing was key to stimulating demand.

``Coffee and tea will fit into a post-modern age. They are ideal for post-modern advertising.''

~~~

Caffeine causes changes in brain cells

NEW YORK, Oct 11,99 (Reuters Health) -- Caffeine may affect the process of long-term

memory by changing the structure of dendritic spines, tiny ``branches'' found on nerve cells

in the central nervous system.

~~~

DECAFFEINATING

COFFEE

by Saul N. Katz

CAFFEINE is a small, bitter-tasting

alkaloid. High-quality Arabica coffee

beans (the source of most specialty

coffees) are typically 1 percent caffeine by

weight, whereas cheaper and more bitter

Robusta beans have twice that amount.

Spurred by the belief that excessive

coffee drinking had poisoned his

father, the German chemist Ludwig

Roselius, in about 1900, found a

number of compounds that dissolved

the natural caffeine in coffee beans

without ruining the drink's taste.

Chloroform and benzene did the job

but were toxic, so for 70 years

methylene chloride became the

solvent of choice.

When it was discovered in the 1980s

to be a suspected carcinogen, the

chemical was abandoned by all the

big U.S. coffee labels. The Food and

Drug Administration continues to

permit the use of methylene chloride if

the residues in the coffee are below

10 parts per million. Processing for

specialty decafs still often uses it

because it perturbs other flavorings so

little.

Many other solvents can serve to

debuzz coffee. An "all-natural" label

may mean that ethyl acetate is the

solvent in use, because that chemical

occurs naturally in fruit. Water also

works as a means of decaffeination.

The so-called Swiss water process

soaks green coffee beans in a solution

that contains the chemical

components of beans dissolved from

a previous batch, except for the

caffeine. Because the water is already

saturated with sugars and peptides,

only the caffeine passes from the

beans into the water. [NOTE: in

mid-80's a study showed that

exposing coffee beans to high

temperature steam creates cancerous

chlosterols]

Another process, illustrated here, uses

supercritical carbon dioxide as a

solvent; in this state, the carbon

dioxide is intermediate between a gas

and a liquid. The variety of caffeine

extraction methods demonstrates that

a lot of sleepless nights have gone into

helping the world get a good night's

rest.

SAUL N. KATZ retired in   as

a principal scientist at the Maxwell

House Division of General Foods.

He holds several patents on the

process for supercritical fluid

extraction of caffeine.

. Experts have said the caffeine used in the beverages can mask the effects of alcohol, leaving drinkers unaware of how intoxicated they are.

"FDA does not find support for the claim that the addition of caffeine to these alcoholic beverages is 'generally recognized as safe,' which is the legal standard," Sharfstein told reporters. "To the contrary, there is evidence that the combinations of caffeine and alcohol in these products pose a public health concern." . Experts have said the caffeine used in the beverages can mask the effects of alcohol, leaving drinkers unaware of how intoxicated they are.

BREAST FEEDING

Breast-fed babies are better able to cope with stress later in life than babies who are bottle fed, according to a U.K. study.

~~~

Breast-fed infants need extra vitamin D

Monday, April 7  Posted: 10:07 AM EDT (1407 GMT)

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- The American Academy of Pediatrics says all exclusively breast-fed infants should receive vitamin D supplements to prevent rickets, a bone-weakening disease doctors fear may be becoming more common.

Breast-fed infants should receive vitamin supplements beginning at 2 months of age and until they begin taking at least 17 ounces daily of vitamin D-fortified milk, the academy says in a new policy statement.

BREAST-FEEDING

Breast-Feeding Linked to IQ Gain

Study Ties Adult Intelligence to Nutrition in Infancy

By Marc Kaufman

Washington Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, May 8 ; Page A01

Infants breast-fed for nine months grew up to be significantly

more intelligent than infants breast-fed for one month or less,

according to a study published in today's Journal of the

American Medical Association.

"We are really quite certain that what we are seeing here is

the effect of the duration of breast-feeding on an individual's

intelligence,"

"The evidence is growing that breast-feeding is among the most important lifelong benefits a mother can

give to her child," she said.

~~~

Thursday January 18 5:34 PM ET

Immunity-Boosting Protein Identified in

Breast Milk

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A protein present in breast milk has been

found to stimulate the immune system in mice and is likely to perform a similar

function in people, according to a report in the January 16th issue of the

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (news - web sites).

``We have known the benefits breast milk provides to newborns for many

decades, (including) growth factors, nutrition, and passive protection or

passive immunity to infections. This means that antibodies produced by the

mother in response to illness-causing microbes that she has encountered, are

passed to the baby in her milk and help protect the baby from the same

microbes the baby is very likely to come in contact with,'' Julius said.

~~~

Friday March 9  5:37 PM ET

Lack of Confidence Can Hinder Breast-Feeding

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A lack of confidence, rather than a lack of knowledge, may lead low-income women to

quit breast-feeding, results of a study suggest.

Because experts recognize that breast milk is the best nutrition source for infants and offers many advantages over formula,

the Department of Health and Human Services (news - web sites) last year set as a target that half of US newborns should

be breast-fed for 6 months.

~~~

Tuesday January 23  6:47 PM ET

Breastfeeding Lowers Risk of Infection And

Eczema

By Suzanne Rostler

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Encouraging new mothers to breastfeed can reduce the chances that a baby

will develop allergies, eczema and infection in their first year of life, study findings indicate.

And the payoff of the program was significant. Infants whose mothers were still breastfeeding at 12 months had

a 40% lower risk of developing gastrointestinal tract infections and a 46% lower risk of atopic eczema, a scaly

red rash that is allergy-related.

``For mothers who work, that may involve breastfeeding at work or expressing breast milk and having it fed by

cup or bottle,'' he said.

~~~

Thursday December 28,  

Breast Milk Feeding Boosts Preemies' IQ

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Low birthweight infants who are breast-fed

or given breast milk in a bottle appear to have slightly higher IQs at ages 7

and 8 compared with similar children who are not given breast milk, a new

study suggests.... The longer the duration of breastfeeding the greater impact on IQ scores, the researchers report. Those

children fed breast milk for 8 months or longer had verbal IQ scores 6 points higher than those who did not

receive breast milk.... Currently, 64% of US women try breast-feeding their newborn, but only 29% are still

breast-feeding 6 months later. The rates are particularly low among poor women and among African Americans.

SOURCE: Archives of Disease in Childhood, Fetal Neonatal Edition  ;84:F23-F27.

~~~

Breast-Feeding May Protect Against Asthma

Monday November 20,   5:33 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Breast-fed children are less likely than

others to have asthma or wheezing disorders, results of a study of more than

5,000 Brazilian schoolchildren indicate.

Ninety percent of the children had been breast-fed. Those who had not been

breast-fed were about 1.5 times more likely to have asthma, 1.3 times more

likely to experience wheeziness, and 1.5 times more likely to wheeze after

exercise than those who had been breast-fed for at least 6 months.

~~~

Breast-fed babies have lower risk of heart disease

NEW YORK, Mar 29,  (Reuters Health) -- Now from British and Dutch researchers, comes word that breast-fed babies also tend to be healthier adults. That's the conclusion of a study published in the Archives of Disease in

Childhood. ``Exclusive breastfeeding seems to have a protective effect against some risk factors for cardiovascular disease in later life,'' according to Dr. J.H.P. van der Meulen of Southampton General Hospital in the UK, and colleagues there and at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The bottle-fed group also had less-than-satisfactory levels of cholesterol, indicating an increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

The authors note that ``bottle-fed babies have a different hormonal response'' compared with breast-fed babies, particularly in

insulin response. The team also suggests that the fat content in breast milk may help protect against overfeeding and point to animal studies indicating that growth factors and other hormones contained in breast milk may affect the metabolism of cholesterol and related fatty substances in the body.

~~~

Wednesday September 22, 99 6:27 PM ET

Breastfeeding linked to higher IQ

After reviewing 20 published studies on the effects of breastfeeding on infant IQ (intelligence quotient), researchers from the University of Kentucky in Lexington suggest that breast-fed babies' IQs may be 3 to 5 points higher than those of formula-fed babies. And the longer a baby is breast-fed, the greater the benefits to his or her IQ

Dr. James W. Anderson, professor of medicine and clinical nutrition at the University of Kentucky, attributes the higher IQ levels to ``brain food'' found in the mother's milk. Breast milk contains docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) -- long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids that appear to support brain development. These nutrients are not found in formulas sold in the United States. ``This study confirms that nutrients in breast milk and maternal bonding have beneficial effects on IQ,''

(Quoted from Reuters)

~~~

Friday February 9

Breastfeeding Lowers Blood Pressure Later

in Life

By Suzanne Rostler

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Results of a new study may give women one more reason to breastfeed: they

could be helping their baby avoid heart disease and stroke later in life.

In a study of 216 children who were born prematurely, consuming breastmilk in the first months of life was

associated with lower blood pressure at ages 13 to 16.

~~~

Wednesday November 1,  

Herbal Tea May Pose Risks in Breast-Feeding

CHICAGO (Reuters Health) - Breast-feeding moms who like to curl up with

a cup of herbal tea may want to take a good hard look at the list of

ingredients on their product of choice. Some herbs are perfectly fine for

nursing moms, while others may be toxic or reduce milk supply, according to

a pediatrician from Rochester, New York.

What's more, even herbs promoted as a natural way to boost milk

production--such as those in mother's milk tea--may have hidden dangers,

said Dr. Ruth Lawrence, of the University of Rochester, on Tuesday at the American Academy of Pediatrics

meeting here.

~~~

Child psychologist found that sound of mother's heartbeat has calming effect on infant.

~~~

TOXIC PLASTIC

Plastic polycarbonate bottles such as Nalgene are still popular as drinking water bottles. However polycarbonate releases a chemical known as bisphenol A also know as BPA. Whereas plastic industry safety studies find no significant health effects from typical daily doses of bisphenol A, a full 90% of government studies found harmful health effects [1] especially to children and expecting moms, [2] but also for male sexuality and reproduction as well. [3] 

The problem is that bisphenol A acts as a "xenoestrogen," which just means it's like the female hormone estrogen, except for two things: 1) it's foreign to the body, which is what "xeno" means, and 2) it is way more harmful than our natural estrogen for everyone, male and female. Breast cancers are much more of a risk in women who carry a high burden of xenoestrogens, and both sexes are subject to a huge range of other harmful health effects. The most far-reaching effects are birth defects and miscarriages. Another effect is a disruption of beta cell function in the pancreas, which creates a pre-diabetes type condition of high blood insulin and insulin resistance. By Dr. Colleen Huber, NMD 

~~~

Professor vom Saal said recent studies have shown that BPA is extremely harmful, even in very low doses. The chemical acts like the female hormone estrogen and interferes with the body's natural processes. BPA has been linked to adverse effects on male reproduction, altered immune system function, behavioral changes, learning disabilities, brain damage and an increased chance for certain cancers. Researchers are most concerned about the exposure of babies to the chemical. "The science is clear and the findings are not just scary, they are horrific," vom Saal said. "When you feed a baby out of a clear, hard plastic bottle, it's like giving the baby a birth control pill."

~~~

In two studies funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia have demonstrated that two plasticizer compounds, BPA and BBP, are environmental estrogens capable of affecting gene expression in the mammary glands of young female laboratory rats exposed to the compounds through their mothers' milk.

~~~

BPA is used in a wide variety of consumer products, including some hard plastic bottles and metal food or beverage cans. Several makers of baby bottles recently said they had stopped using the chemical. Some 90 percent of the U.S. population carries detectable levels in the urine.

Scientists are concerned that BPA exposure might harm the reproductive and nervous systems, and possibly promote prostate and breast cancers. Last year, a preliminary study linked BPA to possible risks for heart disease and diabetes.

BPA is used in hard plastic bottles, etc. BPA exposure has been linked to reproductive and nervous system problems, prostate and breast cancers, heart disease, diabetes, and most recently to sex problems (i.e., trouble achieving erections, difficulty ejaculating, low sex drive, low satisfaction with sex).

The legality of BPA is questioned by FDA's scientific advisers so the FDA is reviewing its stance that trace amounts of BPA that leach out of bottles and food containers are not dangerous and the US government has recently announced new funding for BPA research. Already 90% of the US population show BPA in their urines.

~~~

From "7 Compelling Reasons to Stop Drinking Bottled Water

http://yourwatermatters.com/news/bottled-water-isnt-cool/

#1 It’s Making Us Sick - Plastics Are Toxic

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET #1 plastic) is used for single serve plastic water bottles.

This type of water bottle has been approved for one-time use only. It has become common practice for many people to unknowingly re-use these plastic bottles. Studies show that bacteria easily breeds in PET plastic bottles when re-used and that re-use may cause DEHA, a carcinogen, to migrate from the plastic into water contained in the bottle. A new 2006 study revealed that significant levels of antimony, a toxic chemical, leaches into water sold in PET plastic bottles. Learn more

Bisphenal-A is a toxic compound found in polycarbonate (#7 plastic), the rigid, translucent, hard plastic used in Nalgene water bottles and many baby bottles. It is a hormone disruptor that mimics estrogen and is linked to early-onset puberty, declining sperm counts, obesity and the huge increase in breast and prostate cancer. Due to the alarming toxicity of this chemical, in March 2007 a billion-dollar class action suit was filed in Los Angeles against five leading manufacturers of baby bottles containing Bisphenal-A. Learn more"

Melatonin

turns on fox03 -- FOXO3 is activated by caloric restriction and intermittent fasting, and by dietary components, such as EGCG, which is found in green tea, and by quercetin, which is found in onions and apples. Heat stress, such as from using the sauna, also activates FOXO3.               

~~~

VARIOUS

Garlic:

One review of 18 studies concluded that garlic helped boost sperm production and increase levels of testosterone, which may be due to its antioxidant properties. In a recent animal study, S-allyl cysteine, a compound found in garlic, increased testosterone production in mice.

~~~

Walking could lower your risk of Type 2 diabetes, and your speed may affect how much, study finds

https://www.ksl.com/article/50802657/walking-could-lower-your-risk-of-type-2-diabetes-and-your-speed-may-affect-how-much-study-finds

Current Vitamin D Recommendations Might Not Be Enough to Protect Heart Health

https://www.health.com/vitamin-d-recommendations-heart-health-8403638

Gluten, including Seitan is inflammatory. Avoid. And of course, meat too.

~~~

Alcohol and white break increase risk of cancer.

and “Notably, whole grains are a major source of many vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that have anti-cancer properties and may influence CRC risk through several potential mechanisms,”

https://nypost.com/2023/11/28/news/these-foods-could-be-putting-you-at-a-higher-risk-of-cancer-researchers-say/

This Navy SEALs breathing technique helps you drastically reduce stress and relax

To do the exercise, you must inhale slowly for 4 seconds. Then hold your breath for 4 seconds. Then slowly exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds. Then hold your breath again.

https://www.unilad.com/community/navy-seal-breathing-exercise-technique-943215-20231124

~~~

News Release 30-Oct-2023

Groundbreaking study reveals link between air pollution and incidence of Parkinson’s disease

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1006402

~~~

Eating red meat more than once a week linked to Type 2 diabetes risk, study finds

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/red-meat-type-2-diabetes-risk-study/

~~~

kelp     Iodine is very water-soluble, and if you dip Sugar kelp in boiling water for approximately 30 seconds, the iodine content will be reduced by over 90%, so you can eat more kelp without exceeding the recommended daily intake of iodine. 

~~~

For every 20 minutes of computer use stare for 20 seconds how far distance greater than 20 ft

The closer to object the harder the eye has to work so to see far away objects it's easy for the eye it doesn't take much work.

~~~

Women Get Paternal Clues in Men's Faces 

"This study suggests that women are picking up on facial cues that are perhaps related to paternal qualities," said

"Women make very good use of any information they get from a man's face,"

"Depending on what they want and where they are in their lives, they use this information differently."

"What this study illustrates is that there are genetic programs that increase survival of the species because there are hormones in women that are cuing their reactions to the hormones of the men"

"It seemed that the men who picked more infants in that test had a happier or more content look on their face,"

~~~

Women Get Paternal Clues in Men's Faces 

"This study suggests that women are picking up on facial cues that are perhaps related to paternal qualities," said

"Women make very good use of any information they get from a man's face,"

"Depending on what they want and where they are in their lives, they use this information differently."

"What this study illustrates is that there are genetic programs that increase survival of the species because there are hormones in women that are cuing their reactions to the hormones of the men"

"It seemed that the men who picked more infants in that test had a happier or more content look on their face,"

~~~

The longer one doesn’t ejaculate, the more positive the results. The benefits of not ejaculating for a week were explored in 2003. It was found that among the 28 volunteer participants, T levels maxed out on the seventh day. A study conducted two years prior resulted in elevated testosterone levels in those who did not ejaculate for three weeks straight. This all points to the physiological benefits manifesting quite quickly. 

Elevated testosterone levels have been linked to the following improvements:

    Thicker hair

    Increased muscle growth

    Greater energy levels

    Improved sperm quality

https://premiermensmedical.com/blog/benefits-of-not-ejaculating-practicing-semen-retention/

~~~

sperm that aren’t ejaculated simply get reabsorbed into your body, or ejaculated out of your body during a nocturnal emission. 

~~~

For those who want a baby:

Some studies suggest less frequent ejaculation improves the semen. Others contradict it, e.g., "therefore, shortening the abstinence period may be a potential strategy to improve sperm quality. It is thus recommended that the current guidelines regarding the prescribed abstinence period are revisited." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5641453/

~~~

Some studies show frequent ejaculation prevents prostate cancer. Other studies refute that finding. 

~~~

But role of good healthy diet and lifestyle cannot be denied in overall health, including the prostate.

~~~

The longer one doesn’t ejaculate, the more positive the results. The benefits of not ejaculating for a week were explored in 2003. It was found that among the 28 volunteer participants, T levels maxed out on the seventh day. A study conducted two years prior resulted in elevated testosterone levels in those who did not ejaculate for three weeks straight. This all points to the physiological benefits manifesting quite quickly. 

Elevated testosterone levels have been linked to the following improvements:

    Thicker hair

    Increased muscle growth

    Greater energy levels

    Improved sperm quality

https://premiermensmedical.com/blog/benefits-of-not-ejaculating-practicing-semen-retention/

~~~

sperm that aren’t ejaculated simply get reabsorbed into your body, or ejaculated out of your body during a nocturnal emission. 

~~~

For those who want a baby:

Some studies suggest less frequent ejaculation improves the semen. Others contradict it, e.g., "therefore, shortening the abstinence period may be a potential strategy to improve sperm quality. It is thus recommended that the current guidelines regarding the prescribed abstinence period are revisited." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5641453/

~~~

Some studies show frequent ejaculation prevents prostate cancer. Other studies refute that finding. 

~~~

But role of good healthy diet and lifestyle cannot be denied in overall health, including the prostate.

~~~

Certain foods, including oysters, leafy greens, fatty fish, and olive oil, may encourage the body to produce more testosterone. Foods that contain zinc, vitamin D, and magnesium may be key. A person can ensure they receive the right nutrients by following a balanced diet.

~~~

Sulforaphane is a good anti oxidant

Sulforaphane, an active extract of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage, upregulates genes that suppress oxidative stress, inflammation and DNA damage.

it's so important to steam cook for 1-3 minutes.

Boiling and microwave heating caused an initial loss of nitrile, with a concomitant increase in sulforaphane, followed by loss of sulforaphane, all within 1 min. In contrast, steaming enhanced sulforaphane yield between 1.0 and 3.0 min in all but Brigadier.

All cooking treatments, except steaming, caused great losses of chlorophyll and vitamin C. Only boiling and stir-frying/boiling caused the loss of total carotenoids.

11 Sulforaphane-Rich Foods

    Kale – 67 mg per 1 cup chopped.

    Turnips – 60 mg per 1/2 cup cubed.

    Cabbage – 35 mg per 1/2 cup chopped.

    Watercress – 32 mg per 1 cup chopped.

    Broccoli – 27 mg per 1/2 cup chopped.

    Cauliflower – 22 mg per 1/2 cup chopped.

    Bok choy – 19 mg per 1/2 cup chopped.

    Horseradish – 24 mg per 1 tablespoon.

A study by Jeffery that compared boiling, microwaving, and steaming found that steaming broccoli for up to five minutes was the best way to retain its myrosinase. Boiling and microwaving broccoli for one minute or less destroyed the majority of the enzyme.

If you prefer your broccoli cooked longer — even mushy —  you can still get sulforaphane to form by eating your broccoli with raw foods that contain myrosinase. Radishes, arugula, even Brussels sprouts are a few.

Indole-3-carbinol is found in highest concentrations in broccoli, but is also found in other cruciferous vegetables, such as cauliflower, cabbage, and kale.

~~~

"There's a relationship between body fat and reduced brain volumes," said Dr. Cyrus Raji with Washington University in St. Louis.

"It turns out when you have a lot of fat cells, fat tissues that are overactive and inflamed, they're sending these cytokine signals to the brain which are telling the brain to actually downsize," said Dr. David Merrill with Providence St. John's Health Center.

When brain volume goes down it increases the risk for dementia later in life.

Merrill prescribes 30 minutes of moderate daily activity.

"You have the opportunity to make choices every day. I'm living proof of how I've reversed my cognition," she said.

https://abc7.com/fat-dementia-link-food-brain-health/13946719/

~~~

News Release 30-Oct-2023

Groundbreaking study reveals link between air pollution and incidence of Parkinson’s disease

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1006402

~~~

Eating red meat more than once a week linked to Type 2 diabetes risk, study finds

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/red-meat-type-2-diabetes-risk-study/

~~~

For every 20 minutes of computer use stare for 20 seconds how far distance greater than 20 ft

The closer to object the harder the eye has to work so to see far away objects it's easy for the eye it doesn't take much work

~~~

Omega-3 Supplements: Do We Really Need Them?

https://longevitylive.com/anti-aging/omega-3-supplements-do-we-really-need-them/

Most People Don’t Need to Take Omega-3 Supplements

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/most-dont-need-omega-3-supplements

~~~

Studies on omega 3 are inconclusive. Here's a good article: https://www.self.com/story/omega-3s-health-benefits  -- but Pauling institute recommends it -- so verdict is not out for me - but it makes sense to reduce processed food / with high Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio. 

~~~

Any amount of alcohol could increase risk of over 60 diseases: study

https://nypost.com/2023/06/08/any-amount-of-alcohol-could-increase-risk-of-over-60-diseases-study/

~~~

Peanuts have a high ratio of arginine to lysine — ideally we want to take more lysine than arginine. Most vegetarians get plenty of arginine but not enough lysine unless they eat correctly:

Beans are high in lysine and theronine.

Rice, gains, seeds are low in lysine.

So eating both groups is important.

Lysine rich foods include quinoa lentils and other beans, soy stuff tofu etc., pistachios, pumpkin seeds  etc.

Beans lack Methionie. But grains, nuts and seeds have Methionie.

Nuts are high in arginine and low in lysine. They’re important but not to eat too much.

Eggs and dairy (yogurt etc.) have good levels of lysine and other goodies.

~~~

good article on wiping the ass 🙂

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/wiping-wet-wipes-pooping_l_659817b8e4b0f27b6e372a71

~~~

GARLIC ONION

In an analysis of eight studies from Italy and Switzerland, researchers found that older adults with the highest onion and garlic intakes had the lowest risks of a number of cancers -- including colon, ovarian and throat cancers.

~~~

ON OVULATION, PERIOD, INFERTILITY, SEX, ORGASM, PREGNANCY, PMS, MENOPAUSE, ETC.

"Male chimps, unlike their human counterparts, show a distinct sexual preference for females on the riper side of life, an American anthropologist reported in a paper... male chimpanzees consistently sought out the oldest females within a troop for sexual intercourse...A female chimpanzee reaches sexual maturity when she is about 10 years old, visible in the form of a pink protuberance around the genitals. During the estrous cycle -- when, in other words, the female is on heat -- it swells considerably, causing males to become aroused...Males have the run of the field, and will typically copulate in succession with half-a-dozen willing partners, who sometimes literally line up to wait their turn."

~~~

Window of opportunity only six days – All pregnancies resulted from sex on day of ovulation or one of the 5 days before.

By Kim Painter – USA Today

The facts of life may not be quite what you think. Scientists dispel some of the more enduring myths about human conception with a new study that pinpoints the long. sought window of fertility - the time during a woman's monthly cycle when she can become pregnant.  That Window consists of six days: the day of ovulation and the five days leading up to it, the study says. Just one day after ovulation, the window appears to be firmly closed, at least for most women, says the report in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. 

In fact, "the more Inter- course you have, the greater chance you have of getting pregnant, " Wilcox says. ~ Contrary to claims made In several popular books, the timing of sex had no effect on gender. 

But he says sex on the day of ovulation or the two days before produced the vast majority of pregnancies in his study as well. 

~~~ 

A New Rhythm Method to Get Pregnant

Study finds earlier, shorter period for fertilization

By Curt Suplee – Washington Post Service

WASHINGTON -Couples who are trying to get pregnant, or trying not to, may need to change the rhythm of their method, according to a new study. Researchers reported in Thursday's The New England Journal of Medicine that the highest probability of pregnancy each month occurs during a 4 six-day period ending on the, day of ovulation, a time frame.

The researchers found that all pregnancies in the study group were initiated on the day of ovulation or during the five previous days; none was produced by intercourse after this interval. 

~~~ 

  Enzyme Helps Sperm Fertilize Egg

  By Amy Norton

  NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Japanese scientists have discovered an

  enzyme that is key in allowing sperm to penetrate an egg. They say the

  finding may potentially lead to a male contraceptive.

  The enzyme phospholipase C (PLC) has been known to exist, in various

  forms, in the eggs and sperm of mammals. But exactly what these PLC

  variations do remains unclear, Kiyoko Fukami of the University of

  Tokyo told Reuters Health.

~~~ 

                     Men Sense 'Scent of a Woman'

                     NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Could love truly be in the air?

                     Researchers in Texas believe men become especially attuned--and

                     attracted to--female body odors during the most fertile stage of the

                     menstrual cycle.

                     ``These findings raise serious doubts about conventional scientific

                     wisdom that human female ovulation is concealed...and that men cannot detect when women are

                     ovulating,'' according to Drs. Devendra Singh and P. Matthew Bronstad, psychologist researchers at

                     the University of Texas in Austin.

                     ``These findings suggest that ovulation may not be concealed and that men could use ovulation-linked

                     odors in their mate selection,'' Singh and Bronstad conclude.

                     SOURCE: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London  ;268:797-801.

~~~ 

                     Age, Confidence Big Factors in Achieving Orgasm

                     NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Factors such as age, confidence in

                     one's sexual prowess and preference for either ``fast'' or ''slow'' sex help

                     determine how often men and women achieve orgasm, according to a

                     new survey of more than 2,200 adults in Finland.

                     Overall, individuals ``who have developed a perception that they are

                     skilled and experienced lovers are more orgasmically responsive''

~~~ 

"In one ounce of semen there's a concentration of the most valuable chemicals distilled from 60 ounces of blood".

~~~ 

Big teen secret: most are not having sex

 NEW YORK, Mar 01 (Reuters Health) -- While 3 out of 4 American teens assume that

 most of their peers are having sex, only 40% of teens say that they've actually had sexual

 intercourse, according to a national survey released this week by Seventeen Magazine.

 However, the majority of teens are indeed sexually active. Fifty-five percent of teens say

 they have had oral sex, although 40% do not define oral sex alone as being ``sex.'' Over half

 said they thought that oral sex was ``gross.''

~~~ 

Worldwide, the average age that men lose their virginity is 15, and for women, 16, according to an international survey of 16 to 21 year olds. The   survey, which included 4,900 sexually and non-sexually active individuals from 14 countries -- also showed that young people have sex about 98 times a year, and about half expect to have sex within the first month of meeting a new partner. ``Kids are having sex much younger'' than in previous years but ``they are using condoms. They're protecting themselves in ways other generations haven't,''. Not all of the 16 to 21 year olds were sexually active. The most popular reason for remaining a virgin was because they were not ready for sex (47%) or they ``have not met the right person'' (27%). ``I think what we owe to the next generation is good information and good family connections, where the family can take charge and be able to educate their kids about sex and sexuality,''

~~~ 

 Noting that 87% of the girls with STDs had no symptoms when they came to the clinic,

 Bunnell and her team emphasize that ''frequent screening for STDs is critical for sexually

 active adolescents,'' and recommend screening for chlamydia every 6 months.

~~~ 

 Low-fat vegetarian diet may reduce PMS symptoms

 NEW YORK, Feb 04 (Reuters Health) -- Consuming a low-fat, vegetarian diet appears to

 reduce the length and severity of menstrual cramps and other premenstrual symptoms, US

 researchers suggest.

 According to the study in the February issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology,

 menstrual cramps are caused by prostaglandins, substances that come from traces of fat

 stored in cell membranes in the uterus. Sex hormones such as estrogen drive production of

 prostaglandins.

~~~

                     Sexual Decline in Women Due to Aging, Menopause

                     By Melissa Schorr

                     NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women experience a decline in

                     sexual responsiveness later in life as a result of both aging and

                     menopause, Australian researchers report.

                     And, the study's authors suggest, other aspects of sexuality

                     probably also decline as a direct result of menopause.

             ~~~ 

                     US Is World's Sexual Superpower

                     By Rodney Joyce

                     WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Reuters) - The United States remains the sexual superpower of the

                     world with Americans making love more often and with more partners than any other nationality,

                     according to a survey by a leading condom manufacturer.

                     Durex said on Tuesday that its annual poll of 18,500 people in 28 countries showed the world was

                     having more sex and starting earlier than ever before, and the United States was leading the field in all

                     departments.

~~~ 

                     Morning-After Pill Found to Work 5 Days

                     After Sex

                                   By Melissa Schorr

                                   NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new

                                   study by Canadian researchers questions

                                   the conventional wisdom that women who

                                   have had unprotected sex must use

                     emergency contraception within 72 hours to prevent an unwanted

                     pregnancy.

                     The investigators found that taking so-called ''morning-after'' pills 3 to 5

                     days after having unprotected sex was up to 87% effective in preventing

                     pregnancy, while receiving the treatment within 3 days, as has been

                     recommended for decades, was up to 90% effective.

[within 5 days  doctor can install a sterileIUD inside the womb

~~~ 

Tuesday June 20,   Less Time With Partner, More Interest in Sex

NEW YORK (Reuters Health). According to researchers, the less time a man spends with his

 female partner after having sex, the more attractive he finds her--and the greater his interest

 in having sex with her again. This phenomenon may arise from an evolutionary strategy

 known as ''sperm competition,'' according to Todd K. Shackelford, an assistant professor

 of psychology in the College of Liberal Arts at Florida Atlantic University.

 ``The bottom line here is that we find (this) effect for men but not for women,'' he said.

 Shackelford and his colleagues presented the findings at the 107th Annual Convention of the

 American Psychological Association, held earlier this month in Miami.

~~~ 

                    Women's Mental Skills Vary During Monthly

                    Cycle

                    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Hormones may help explain some of the differences in the ways that men and

                    women think, according to a report.

                    As a rule, women outperform men on tests of verbal skills, while men tend to score better on tests measuring

                    spatial abilities, which include such skills as rotating an object mentally. Some research suggests that the

                    differences may be explained in part by varying levels of hormones in men and women.

                    ``We conclude that spatial performance is sensitive to hormonal fluctuations over the menstrual cycle and that

                    different aspects of spatial abilities are related to different hormones or hormone combinations,'' the authors

                    write.

                    SOURCE: Behavioral Neuroscience  ;114:1245-1250.

~~~

Women Get Paternal Clues in Men's Faces

James Roney

Dario Maestripieri

Dr. Daniel Alkon

"This study suggests that women are picking up on facial cues that are perhaps related to paternal qualities," said

"Women make very good use of any information they get from a man's face,"

"Depending on what they want and where they are in their lives, they use this information differently."

"What this study illustrates is that there are genetic programs that increase survival of the species because there are hormones in women that are cuing their reactions to the hormones of the men".

"It seemed that the men who picked more infants in that test had a happier or more content look on their face,"

~~~

High Ozone Levels Hurt Sperm Count, Study Finds

            Fri Apr 19  5:57 PM ET

                     By Kathleen Doheny

                     RANCHO MIRAGE, California (Reuters Health) - Ozone can

                     adversely affect a man's sperm, reducing their numbers as well as their

                     crucial ability to move or "swim," according to new research that

                     evaluated more than 14,000 sperm samples.

                     "Our most significant finding was that as the ozone level went up, the

                     sperm concentration went down," said Dr. Rebecca Z. Sokol, a

                     professor of medicine and obstetrics and gynecology at the University of

                     Southern California's Keck School of Medicine. Sokol presented her

                     findings here Friday at a meeting of the Pacific Coast Reproductive

                     Society.

~~~ 

Number of Sex Partners Key in Cervical Cancer Risk

By Jacqueline Stenson

LOS ANGELES (Reuters Health) - The number of sexual partners a woman has had may be a key factor that helps doctors determine whether precancerous cervical changes should simply be closely watched or surgically treated, according to a new study.

It found that women who have had more than five partners are at increased risk of cervical abnormalities progressing to cancer.

Another strong determinant is whether a woman is infected with human papillomavirus, or HPV, a virus believed to contribute to nearly all cervical cancers, said Dr. John K. Chan of the University of California, Irvine.

While having multiple sex partners increases a woman's risk of contracting HPV and, as a result, her risk of developing cervical cancer and "precancer," the study results showed that having more than five sexual partners was an independent risk factor for precancerous cervical abnormalities, even when a woman did not carry HPV.

~~~ 

Biological Clock Starts Ticking in Late 20s: Study

LONDON (Reuters) - A woman's biological clock starts ticking in her late 20s, not her mid-30s, and male fertility also begins to wane with age, doctors said Tuesday.

In what is thought to be the first study to show a drop in female fertility below the age of 30, researchers in the United States and Italy said their results do not mean older couples will not be able to conceive, it just might take them longer.

"Although we noted a decline in female fertility in the late 20s, what we found was a decrease in the probability of becoming pregnant per menstrual cycle, not in the probability of eventually achieving a pregnancy," said Dr. David Dunson of the National Institute of Environmental Health Science in North Carolina.

The doctors estimated the chances of conceiving during the peak time, or fertile window, in the woman's monthly cycle for couples in three age groups: 19 to 26 years, 27 to 34 years, and 35 to 39 years.

~~~

Kindness, Intelligence Important in Mate Selection

By Charnicia E. Huggins

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The idea that men are interested in a woman's beauty while women are interested in the size of a man's wallet is overly simplistic, according to new study findings.

The truth is, though attractiveness and income may indeed be factors of interest, qualities such as kindness and creativity are also very important, researchers report.

~~~ 

Men: Breaking Up Is Bad Only if Women Do It First

By Alison McCook

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters Health) - When rating previous breakups, women view the process of ending of the relationship no differently if they are the dumper or the dumpee--but the same is not true with men, new research shows.

According to researchers at Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina, men believe there was much more scheming on the part of their partners, less finality in the relationship and less working together during the breakup if they were dumped than if they ended the relationship themselves.

For example, when rating how much scheming went into the breakup, "females don't differ much whether they were the actor or the target," Dr. Mike Jordan told Reuters Health.

"The males, on the other hand--if they're the ones who did it, they thought 'Oh, there was no plotting on my part or anything.' But there was a lot if she broke up with them," he added.

~~~

By Roger Dobson

Men whose jobs involve sitting down for more than six hours a day may be reducing their chances of fathering children.

Researchers, who have designed special thermometers to fit into male underpants, found that sitting down for more than one hour led to significant increases in scrotal temperatures, something that is been linked to poorer-quality sperm.

"A high scrotal temperature is a common finding in infertile patients, and experimental studies indicate that specific types of heat exposure reduce semen quality," say the researchers.

"More and more men have a sedentary work position, which increases scrotal temperature. Normal sperm production depends on a testicular temperature below body temperature."

~~~ 

Soy May Help Keep Postmenopausal Arteries Healthy

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A Western diet rich in tofu and other soy products may help protect older women from artery disease, new study findings suggest.

According to the report, phytoestrogens were associated with less artery stiffness among more than 400 postmenopausal women. The benefit was most pronounced among the oldest women, or those who had been postmenopausal the longest.

Arterial stiffness increases as the blood vessel disease atherosclerosis progresses, and atherosclerosis can lead to heart attack or stroke, explain researchers in the August issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology: A Journal of the American Heart Association ( news - web sites).

~~~ 

More Teens Lose Virginity in June, December

By Keith Mulvihill

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Teens are much more likely to lose their virginity during the months of June and December than at any other time of the year, a new study has found.

The findings suggest that parents and sex education professionals should involve teens in discussions about sex just prior to the onset of summer and again before the winter holiday season, according to lead author Dr. Martin L. Levin of Mississippi State University.

Upwards of 19,000 adolescents in grades 7 through 12 participated in a survey that identified the month that they had sexual intercourse for the first time and whether or not the act was with a romantic partner or a casual fling. The findings are published in the November issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family.

In general, most teens reported that if they had lost their virginity, they had done so in June. The next most popular month was December.

The analysis confirms the "summer vacation" theory for adolescent females and is now extended to adolescent males, according to the report. The seasonal effect associated with losing one's virginity was stronger in white adolescents than non-whites.

~~~ 

The sperm can survive for a week. The egg is more short lived.

Ovulation is 11 to 16 days after start of period.

New researchshows the sperm swims towards female egg due to the egg's attraction.

~~~ 

DL: ideally a woman on period should have a break - if I had a partner during my period I'd leave (/he leave - we taken turns).

~~~ 

Oral Sex Shown to Be Linked to Mouth Cancer

LONDON (Reuters) - Although the risk is small and it is more likely to result from heavy drinking and smoking, scientists have uncovered evidence that oral sex can cause mouth cancer.        

Researchers had suspected that a sexually transmitted infection that is linked to cervical cancer could also be associated with tumors in the mouth.

Now a study by researchers working for the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France seems to have confirmed it.

"Oral sex can lead to oral tumors," New Scientist magazine said Wednesday, referring to the latest research.

The scientists studied more than 1,600 patients from Europe, Canada, Australia, Cuba and the Sudan with oral cancer and more than 1,700 healthy people.

They found that patients with oral cancer containing a strain of the human papilloma virus (HPV) known as HPV16 were three times more likely to report having had oral sex than those without the virus strain.

~~~ 

Women's Brains Really Blown By Orgasms

An orgasm is literally a mind-blowing experience for a woman, scientists have revealed.

Much of her brain shuts down when she reaches a sexual climax.

The discovery was made during experiments in the Netherlands when couples' brains were scanned during lovemaking.

Neuroscientist Dr Gert Holstege, from the University of Groningen said it appeared that shutting down the brain during orgasm ensured that obstacles such as fear and stress did not get in the way.

"When you are fearful or have a very high level of anxiety, then it's hard to have sex because during sex you really have to give yourself and let go."

Men were studied in the same way but because the male orgasm typically takes such a short time it was difficult to obtain meaningful brain scan data.

~~~ 

In a small study, one out of three young women experienced postcoital blues at some point in their lives and 10 percent said they frequently or almost always felt sad after sex.

~~~ 

Sex vs. Intelligence: Bigger balls mean smaller brain

mongabay.com

December 13

In a recent study of bats, Scott Pitnick, professor of biology at Syracuse University, found that testis size is inversely related to brain size. In other words, the bigger the balls of a bat species, the smaller its brain.

Comparing brain size and testis size for 334 species of bats, Pitnick's team looked to explore the contribution of sexual selection to brain evolution. Specifically, the research tested and confirmed two theories:

larger testis are found in males with smaller brain size, and relative testis depends on female promiscuity.                     

Pitnick and his team showed that among bat species, those with promiscuous females have relatively smaller brains than species with females that are faithful to their mates. The study also found that male infidelity, by contrast, had no evolutionary impact on relative brain size.

Pitnick says a likely explanation for this relationship relates to the energetic demands of producing and maintaining both brain and sperm cells; males cannot afford a lot of both. Under this explanation, males with relatively large testes and small brains leave more offspring than larger-brained, less fertile, competitors.

“When females mate with more than one male, sperm compete to fertilize the female’s eggs. Such ‘sperm competition’ is rife in many bat species, perhaps due in part to the unusual ability (among mammals at least) of sperm to survive inside the female’s reproductive tract for a very long time,” says Pitnick. “The male who ejaculates the greatest number of sperm may win at this game, and hence many bats have evolved outrageously big testes—as much as 8.5% of their body mass. Because they live on an energetic knife-edge, bats may not be able to evolutionarily afford both big testes and big brains. We’re excited about these results, as they may stimulate more research into the correlated evolution of brains, behavior and the extravagant and costly ornaments and armaments favored by sexual selection.”

The finding is consistent with research conducted on primates.

~~~ 

Frequency of ejaculation according to 2 different books (they both could be wrong):

Up to ago 45: once a week

46-50: once every 1.5 weeks

51-59: once every month

over 60: never

~~~ 

 formula: age divided by 5

e.g. 40 year old: once every 8 days

~~~ 

WARNING: "Condoms break more often than the manufacturers like you to believe".  This is what a pharmacist said.

~~~

How do you use a male condom? 

A drop or two of water-based lubricant or saliva may be placed inside the condom to facilitate rolling the condom down over the tip of the erect penis. The tip of the condom is not pulled tightly against the penis -but rather a half-inch of space is left as a reservoir to collect semen. If not circumcised, the foreskin should be pulled back to increase sensation in men who are not circumcised before the condom is rolled down the length of the penis. One hand is used to pinch the air out of the tip to avoid friction against air bubbles (which is thought to be responsible for most condom breaks). The other hand is used to roll the condom down to the base of the penis. All air bubbles should be smoothed out of the condom before insertion into the vagina. After intercourse the condom should be held against the base of the penis as the penis is withdrawn to avoid spillage of semen. 

extract from article by sexualityandu.ca

~~~

"Because of recent findings, many condom manufacturers in the United States have stopped using nonoxynol-9 and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) no longer recommends using condoms with spermicide.

Use a lubricant to reduce friction and tearing during intercourse."

~~~

"Vaginal Spermicides: Advantage 24, Vaginal Contraceptive Film and other spermicides can be used for vaginal intercourse, offering some protection against unplanned pregnancy and possibly some STIs.  Note: If you or your partner develop an irritation from a spermicide, stop using it. These irritations may increase your risk of getting an infection like HIV."

~~~

Here's an interesting statistic in regards to abortion. The national crime rate dropped by about 23% in the 20 years following Roe vs Wade. No big surprise there, but something that rarely gets mentioned. And for those who will claim that the drop in crime was not related to the legalisation of abortion, I would point out that 5 states legalized abortion approximately 5 years before Roe v Wade and all 5 states showed a drop in crime preceding the rest of the nation. fpdoc1234 

~~~

Study: Mice Sing in the Presence of Mates

By CHERYL WITTENAUER, Associated Press Writer

ST. LOUIS - Songbirds may be the Sinatras of the animal world, but male mice can carry a tune too, say Washington University researchers who were surprised by what they heard.

Scientists have known for decades that male lab mice produce high-frequency sounds — undetectable by human ears — when they pick up the scent of a female mouse. This high-pitched babble is presumably for courtship, although scientists are not certain.

But it turns out those sounds are more complex and interesting than previously thought.

"It soon became ... apparent that these vocalizations were not random twitterings but songs," said researcher Timothy Holy. "There was a pattern to them. They sounded a lot like bird songs."

~~~

Male sweat can boost arousal in women

BERKELEY, Calif. - A chemical in male sweat can boost mood, brain activity and sexual arousal in heterosexual women, according to a new study released just in time for  The study offers the first direct evidence that humans secrete a scent that can affect the physiology of the opposite sex, said researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. Their findings were published this week in The Journal of Neuroscience.

According to evolutionary psychology (these apply to animals close to humans but as humans we can overcome some of these biological dictates)

For man the imp thing is pleasure in sex and continuity

For woman imp thing is pleasure in kids and continuity

Neither one cares for the other except for the above

Until there is love and friendship

~~~

Evolutionary psychology is very fascinating. Not only it perfectly explains many  traditions.

Women like men who are good looking, talented, rich, intelligent, and those who have a strong immune system !! Research actually shows that!!

Men and women don't want their mate to go to someone else because of economics // woman wants the man's resources spent on her kid and man wants to make sure he supports his genes not another man's. That's all folks. That's the animal conditioning handed to us and what has shaped tradition. What do we do with it? Worship it? Or be more than animals by understanding its dictates and be free from it which doesn't mean to run and have sex with different people -- freedom still carries responsibility -- but the key is to be also free from image making, and implications of lower level influences and deeper tendencies which show themselves as possessiveness jealousy anger etc. which evolutionary psychology also explains -- it's all about survival and continuity of the species -- but look what mockery we've made it into. It's simple.And -- we are more than animals.

Freedom and love are a totally different ball game and so is natural joy, ecstasy, creativity, benediction. 

Animals also feel joy when they're not busy searching for food, having sex, eating, and fermenting/vegetating.  They also tune into the unknown -- they are the unknown -- everything is part of That. Humans can be more than animals and that's one of the great challenges of life which requires understanding animalistic conditioning and by seeing what-is being free from it, as much as possible.

sometimes a woman can have a second ovulation during her cucle. This ovulation can happen during her period so woman can get pregnant with sex during her period.

woman can have period even if she's pregnant.

machine that tests urine every morning can detect hormones as soon as they're present (5 days before ovulation).

temperature test only picks up when ovulation is there and to determine when the fertile period starts it has to be guessed based on past record of number of days of cycle.

~~~

"You have a need in an evolutionary sense for both money and women. They trigger the same brain area," said Camelia Kuhnen, a Northwestern University finance professor who conducted the study with a Stanford University psychologist.

~~~

Overall, those who said they had sex less than once per week were twice as likely to develop ED over the next five years as men who had sex at least once a week. Furthermore, compared with men who had sex three or more times per week, their ED risk was increased nearly four-fold.

A number of factors contribute to ED development, many of which could also affect a man's sexually activity -- such as age, diabetes and heart disease. However, after taking account of those factors, sexual activity itself remained linked to ED risk, Koskimaki's team found.

It may be a matter of "use it or lose it," according to the researchers. Just as exercise boosts physical fitness, they note, regular sexual activity may help a man preserve his erectile function.

ED occurs when there are problems with blood flow to the penis. Regular sexual activity, Koskimaki's team writes, may help maintain healthy blood vessel function in the erectile tissue.

SOURCE: American Journal of Medicine, July 2008.

~~~

Kissing build immune system

Writing in the journal Medical Hypotheses, researcher Dr Colin Hendrie from the University of Leeds, said: "Female inoculation with a specific male's cytomegalovirus is most efficiently achieved through mouth-to-mouth contact and saliva exchange, particularly where the flow of saliva is from the male to the typically shorter female."

Kissing the same person for about six months provides the best protection, he added.

As the relationships progresses and the kisses become more passionate, the woman's immunity builds up, cutting her odds of becoming ill.

By the time she becomes pregnant, the odds of her unborn baby becoming infected are much lower.

~~~

"Without a doubt, a discreet anatomic entity called the G-spot does not exist," said Dr. Amichai Kilchevsky, a urology resident at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut, and lead author of the review, published Jan. 12 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

~~~

QUOTES

Also, as medical evidence suggests that men experience a significant loss of zinc with each ejaculation, eating a food high in zinc after ejaculation is recommended.

The most respected of the Tao theorist, Sun Simiao, quoted above, recommends ejaculation no more than once every 20 days for men over 50 and no more than once every 100 days for men over 60.

A research published by the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health found that after 7 days of not ejaculating, men’s testosterone levels reached 145.7% of the baseline. The interesting thing is that they didn’t observe significant fluctuations from the baseline on days 2 through 5. The research also showed that the peak levels were at day 7 

RAW FOOD

RAW VS. COOKED & PROCESSED FOODS

 by Rhio  (excerpt from her forthcoming book, Hooked on Raw) -- For more info please visit www.rawfoodinfo.com 

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KNOWN DIFFERENCES?

Cooked foods cannot create true health because they are missing some very vital elements needed by the body for its optimal functioning; things like enzymes, oxygen, hormones, phytochemicals, bio-electrical energy and life-force. When foods are heated above 105 degrees F they begin to lose all of these. By 118 degrees F, most food is dead. Yes, the vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats and proteins are still there, but in a greatly altered state - not at all what nature provided.

         Each cell of the body is like a tiny battery, and raw and living foods supply the bio-electricity which charges these batteries. The bio-electrical energy of raw food can be clearly seen in Kirlian photographs of the food. This photographic process shows electrical discharges that naturally emanate from all living things as luminescent, aura-like flares surrounding the subject. The glow is bright and radiant in raw foods, yet almost totally absent in Kirlian photographs of comparable cooked foods.

         To me "life-force" means "the energy that is able to create life." The sprouting ability of raw foods demonstrates the presence of the life-force within them. All grains, legumes, beans and seeds sprout. Nuts in the shell sprout. Potatoes sprout and create new potato plants. (Do not eat potato sprouts as they are poisonous.) If you stick the top part of a pineapple into water, it will sprout roots. Apple seeds create apple trees. Avocado pits and mango pits sprout.

         Now, take cooked versions of all the above, put them into soil and see if a plant will grow. Cooked food rots, rather than sprouts, and a new plant does not come forth. Through observation, you can easily demonstrate for yourself what you are losing by eating cooked foods. A food that is cooked cannot create life and cannot maintain the life-force energy in our bodies.

         Cooking food disrupts its molecular structure and kills all the enzymes too. Enzymes are the indispensable biological catalysts (infused with "energy charges") which enable the body to utilize vitamins and minerals. (Think of enzymes as the workmen and vitamins and minerals as the bricks and mortar. Without the workmen, the bricks and mortar don't get put into place.) Enzymes are extremely heat-sensitive and thus do not survive in cooked foods. The vitamins and phytochemicals also are injured, greatly diminished, and left in an altered molecular state. The minerals are made less soluble. The fats have turned from life enhancing cis fatty acids to trans fatty acids, which create damaging free radicals in the body. Trans fatty acids also interfere with respiration of the cells. The proteins (including vegetable proteins), become denatured; they then coagulate (like the white of an egg) and are very difficult to digest. Some researchers report that unmetabolized protein particles in the bloodstream are a possible cause of allergies.

         When you eat cooked (enzymeless) foods, you put a heavy burden on your body, which then has to produce the enzymes missing in the food. One of the reasons you feel lethargic or sleepy after a cooked meal is because the body is diverting its energy to replacing the enzymes that were not supplied. By comparison, a raw food meal leaves you feeling light and full of energy. You can judge this for yourself. Uncooked foods digest in 1/3 to 1/2 the time of cooked foods. The stress of creating and replacing enzymes, meal after meal, day after day, year after year, greatly contributes to accelerated aging.

         Ingesting cooked food also causes the body to produce a surge of white blood cells (leukocytosis). These cells normally defend against disease, infection and injury to the body, but their production is a routine effect of ingesting cooked foods (as if the body considers such food a threat or danger). Because leukocytes carry a variety of enzymes, there is another possible explanation for the increase in white blood cells. The leukocytes may be delivering the missing enzymes so that digestion can proceed unhindered. Leukocytosis does not occur when raw, unheated foods are eaten. According to Viktoras Kulvinskas,5 "in any pathological condition, including the intoxification of the digestive system with cooked food or other toxic materials, these white cells increase from 5 or 6 thousand per cubic millimeter to 7, 8 or 9 thousand per cu.m.m." Leukocytosis also occurs when additives, pesticides and chemically based supplements are ingested. And, of course, producing these cells creates an additional stress upon the body.

         Raw foods are full of oxygen, especially green leafy vegetables which contain an abundance of chlorophyll. The chemical structure of chlorophyll is almost identical to the hemoglobin in our red blood cells. The only difference is that the hemoglobin molecule has iron in its nucleus and the chlorophyll molecule has magnesium. Chlorophyll detoxifies the bloodstream and every other part of the body better than anything else you could eat. When you eat raw green chlorophyll foods, you oxygenate the blood. The bloodstream, through its capillary system, then delivers this oxygen to every cell in your body. And when you eat greens in blended form, such as in Dr. Ann's Energy Soups (see Recipe Index), this process is even more efficient.

         Sprouted seeds contain vital elements which nourish our glands, nerves and brain. The hormones needed by the body are created out of the natural fat and other essential principles found in seeds. Think about how few seeds are found in the average diet. The plant breeders are hybridizing most of the seeds out of our foods. Now we can get seedless watermelons, seedless grapes, seedless citrus, and the list goes on. Even if we did find a seed, most of us don't understand the value of eating it and thus, it would be discarded.

         When you eat cooked starch, the body absorbs more than it needs. Getting rid of the excess starch then becomes another burden to the body. Those who favor cooked foods often make the point that since the body cannot absorb raw starch, this is a sign the food should be cooked. Another way to look at it, however, is that the body absorbs just enough of the raw starch for its needs and then passes out the rest. (When pig farmers feed their pigs raw potatoes, the pigs stay slender. Since farmers sell their pigs by the pound, they have learned to feed them cooked potatoes, which fattens them up.)

         Cellulose - the woody, fibrous part of food - was previously believed to be unnecessary to the body. Because the body did not absorb it, it wasn't deemed important. Now we know that this fiber is what keeps things moving through our body so that we don't become constipated. Nature is vindicated again! I believe, in addition, that raw fiber has the ability to act as a broom which sweeps the intestinal tract and keeps it clean. Cooked fiber has lost the ability to do this for us. Enemas and colonics serve their purpose, but they are a poor substitute for what nature, by putting (raw) fiber into foods, has provided.

         Raw and live foods nourish and improve the body's inner environment. Raw and live foods enable the body to dislodge and expel accumulated wastes. A member of my family had a tiny sliver of metal lodged in his hand as a result of an accident. For two years he tried to get it out by squeezing, pushing, and probing with sterilized needles, etc., but it wouldn't budge. He went to the Optimum Health Institute (to learn about live foods) for a week and, when he returned home, decided he would continue on raw foods. Four weeks later, a bubble formed on his hand and inside the bubble was the sliver of metal. The bubble then burst and the sliver came out. This is an example of what raw and live foods do. If something is not supposed to be in your body, it will be expelled.

         Eating cooked food prevents the immune system from working on what is really important in keeping us superbly healthy and young in body, mind and soul. We exhaust and dissipate the body's strength by using the immune system to combat the unnatural cooked foods, chemically based supplements, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, hormones (in meats, poultry, fish and dairy) and numerous other toxins we ingest, breathe in or absorb through our skin. When we really need the immune system to support us (as when a disease or infection develops or an injury occurs), it then lacks the strength to defend us properly.

         Eating healthy means giving your body power foods it can easily assimilate and use for regeneration and rejuvenation. Life comes from life. So the more foods you eat which are organic and straight from nature's raw garden, the better you are going to feel.

~~~

2021 

[12:14, 10/21/2021] Réza: enzymes denature above about 50o C.

[12:15, 10/21/2021] Réza: While higher temperatures do increase the activity of enzymes and the rate of reactions, enzymes are still proteins, and as with all proteins, temperatures above 104 degrees Fahrenheit, 40 degrees Celsius, will start to break them down.

[12:15, 10/21/2021] Réza: also some vitamins die in cooking.

~~~

Wed Feb 3, 2010

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Internet addicts who devote much of their lives to browsing the Web are more likely to show signs of depression, British researchers have found.

Some people develop a compulsive Internet habit, socializing online through social-networking sites and chat rooms instead of meeting people in person. The researchers found that people who did this were more likely to have depression than other Internet users.

The study, published Feb. 10 in Psychopathology, looked at 1,319 people, ages 16 to 51, and found that 1.2 percent were addicted to the Internet. Those that were deemed "Internet addicts" also had a higher incidence of moderate to severe depression, the researchers found.

~~~

THIS ONE IS A BIT EXTREME BUT HAS SOME GOOD POINTS - rg

FROM: www.livingnutrition.com

IS COOKED FOOD GOOD FOR US?

by T.C. Fry (from “The Miracle of Living Foods”)

Living Nutrition Magazine vol. 1

 In nature all animals eat living foods as yielded up by nature.  Only

 humans cook their foods and only humans suffer widespread sicknesses

 and ailments.  Those humans who eat mostly living foods are more alert,

 think clearer, sharper and more logically and become more active.  Best

 of all, live food eaters become virtually sickness-free!

Cooking is a process of food destruction from the moment heat is

 applied to the foodstuff.  Long before dry ashes results, food values

 are totally destroyed.

If you put your hand just for a moment into boiling water or on a hot

 stove, that should forever persuade you just how destructive heat is.

 Food is usually subjected to these destructive temperatures for perhaps

 half an hour or more.  What was living substance becomes totally dead

 very rapidly with exposure to heat!

Cooking renders food toxic!  The toxicity of the deranged debris of

 cooking is confirmed by the doubling and tripling of white blood cells

 after eating a cooked food meal.  The white blood cells are the first

 line of defense and are, collectively, popularly called “the immune

 system.”

         As confirmed by hundreds of researches cited in the prestigious

 National Academy of Science’s National Research Council’s book, “Diet,

 Nutrition and Cancer,” all cooking quickly generates mutagens and

 carcinogens in foods.

 Proteins begin coagulating and deaminating at temperatures commonly

 applied in cooking, and are devoid of nutritive value.

Vitamins are rather quickly destroyed by cooking.

         Minerals quickly lose their organic context and are returned to their

 native state as they occur in soil, sea water and rocks, metals and so

 on.  In such a state they are unusable and the body often shunts them

 aside where they may combine with saturated fats and cholesterol in the

 circulatory system, thus clogging it up with cement-like plaque.

Heated fats are especially damaging because they are altered to form

 acroleins, free radicals and other mutagens and carcinogens as confirmed

 in, “Diet, Nutrition and Cancer.”

Thus you can see that dead foods make dull, diseased and sooner dead

 people.

VARIOUS HEALTH TOPICS 

 ~~~

Eat Nuts – Have a can of nuts around your office or home, eat a handful daily

 ~~~

Get a Tan – Doctors are rethinking the notion of slathering yourself with sunscreen. Up to half of Americans are Vitamin D deficient--a condition that can double your chance of dying in any given year. A tan not only looks healthy, it is.

 ~~~

Green scenery reduces hospital patients' duration of illness (study by Rajiverlich).

 ~~~

Ordinary table salt has been stripped of it's companion elements and contains additive. In studies table salts have been link to hypertension and other heart or blood illness. Table salt also gives many people the feeling of being bloating.

Natural sea salt is a healthy replacement for ordinary table salt on the market; it contains about 80-85 mineral elements that the body needs. Sea salt has nutrients and minerals that help your body preserve the blood cells. Overall, sea salts are better for you. If you haven't tried it, switch salts for a week and you will see a difference.

~~~

some of the most commonly used food colorings have been linked to increased hyperactivity in children.

A research study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health analyzed the sleep patterns of a group of adults over age 70 and found that those who slept for shorter amounts of time and had poorer sleep quality, had higher levels of Beta amyloid, a brain plaque that is an indicator of Alzheimer’s.

 ~~~

Recent studies have shown poor sleep may cause changes to hundreds of genes that may interfere with body processes or damage organs and other tissues.

Last week, a study found sleep may help flush out cellular waste and other "gunk" that builds up in the brain when people are awake.

 ~~~

SELENIUM, E

"Men should avoid selenium or vitamin E supplementation at doses that exceed recommended dietary intakes," Dr. Eric Klein, chairman of the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, and his colleagues wrote in their study, published today (Feb. 21, 2014) in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

The doses used in that trial were 200 micrograms of selenium and 400 international units of vitamin E. These doses are higher than most multivitamins, which contain about 50 micrograms of selenium and 30 to 200 international units of vitamin E.

The findings also point to a complex interaction between selenium and vitamin E, the researchers said. The study showed that vitamin E increased the cancer risk in men who had low levels of selenium.

 ~~~

12 Sep 2013 - Non Organic Spirulina is no good... (may have BMAA)

I work for Parry Nutraceuticals.Let me clarify your questions on Parry Organic Spirulina. Parry has done extensive testing of its Organic Spirulina in third party labs and universities like Wright State. The tests covers microcystins, BMAA and other toxins. The Organic Spirulina is grown in controlled raceway ponds and is cultured using purified ground water with vegetarian plant-based nutrients. The culture is closely monitored and tested daily. So, there is no possibility of wild algae cross contamination in this controlled and monitored environment. The Organic Spirulina facility is strategically located in a pristine environment that is away from agriculture and industrial environment. The product meets the highest level of safety compliance for contaminants like heavy metals. It is the only Spirulina that is USP Verified - that stands for - batch to batch compliance to USP monograph / specifications, meets contamination limits and GMP standards. The product also received FDA GRAS status recently.

Parry Organic Spirulina is not sold directly by the company to consumers. But, it supplies to some of the major Organic Spirulina brands across the world including NOW Foods, Solgar, Vibrant Health, Ultimate Life etc in the US."

 ~~~

Institutes of Health, researchers followed 120,000 people for 30 years. They found the people who ate nuts regularly were less likely to die during the study.

Even the people who ate nuts once a week were 11% less likely to die during the study.

"The most obvious benefit was a reduction of 29% in deaths from heart disease, but we also saw a significant reduction -- 11% -- in the risk of dying from cancer," said the study's lead researcher, Dr. Charles Fuchs of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

 ~~~

Omega-3 fatty acids are used by the body to make molecules that help regulate inflammation, known as eicosanoids.

 ~~~

Eating more fruit, particularly blueberries, apples and grapes, is linked to a reduced risk of developing type-2 diabetes, suggests a study in the British Medical Journal.

Blueberries cut the risk by 26% compared with 2% for three servings of any whole fruit - but fruit juice did not appear to have the same effect.

 ~~~

Cornelian Cherry

Abstract Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.), apple (Malus domestica Borkh. cultivars Jonagold and Red Boskoop), pear (Pyrus communis cv. Conference), and plum (Prunus domestica L. cv. Common Plum) juices were assayed for their quality, organic acids, polyphenol content, and antioxidant activity (determined as a ferric-reducing antioxidant power [FRAP]). Cornelian cherry juice revealed the highest titratable acidity-2.58?g malic acid/100?g. The highest polyphenol content was also noted for Cornelian cherry-45.6?mg gallic acid (GA)/g.

Zoghal Akhteh

~~~

An estimated 40 percent of cancers worldwide can be prevented by exercise, eating healthy foods and not using tobacco, according to the World Health Organization.

But more people in Asia are moving into cities and becoming overweight and obese from inactivity. They are replacing fruits and vegetables with fatty meals full of meat and salt, which is leading to increases in stomach and colon cancers. Meanwhile, traditional diseases like malaria are killing fewer people — building an aging population that's a prime target for cancer.

~~~

Good sources of Omega 3

Kidney beans, flax seeds (< ¼ cup), walnuts (1/2 cup), olive oil, winter squash, tofu, soy beans, navy beans, algae

I was told that Omega 6 is very high in sun flower oil and its ration to omega 3 is very high which causes inflammation. Seems it's disinformation according to Harvard.  See: 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/no-need-to-avoid-healthy-omega-6-fats

Veggies including seaweed and algae, brussels sprouts, spinach, broccoli etc. are excellent vegetable sources of omega 3.

~~~-----

Dr. Johanna Budwig found that a yellowish green substance in their blood was replaced with a healthy red pigment, hemoglobin. She also found that the tumors receded and disappeared, anemia was alleviated, and vital energy was regained…. The essential fats bind to the proteins in the cottage cheese making them more easily absorbed by your body.

Blend:

1 cup organic cottage cheese

2-5 Tbsp. of flaxseed oil

1-3 Tbsp. of freshly ground up flaxseed (electric coffee grinder ($15) works fine)

enough water to make it soft

a little Cayenne pepper (red hot chilly pepper)

~~~

5 Superstar Veggies

Artichokes

Radishes

Broccoli

Red chicory

Leeks

---------

Black Cumin Seed

http://www.kitchendoctor.com/herbs/black_cumin.php

Protects Healthy Cells and Stimulates Production of Natural Interferon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigella_sativa

Common names

In English, Nigella sativa seed is variously called fennel flower, nutmeg flower, Roman coriander, blackseed or black caraway. Other names used, sometimes misleadingly, are onion seed and black sesame, both of which are similar-looking, but unrelated.

The seeds are frequently referred to as black cumin (as in Assamese: kaljeera or kolajeera or Bengali kalo jeeray), In south Indian language Kannada it is called "Krishna Jeerige", but this is also used for a different spice, Bunium persicum. Original black cumin seed is Carum bulbocastanum.[2]

~~~

VITAMINS

ALLERGIES

OLIVE OIL

TOMATO

CALCIUM

HAIR

AGING

MEDITATION

DIET (food...) / Organic

MISCELLANEOUS - Ear, PMS, Mountain biking hazard for men, Noise, Heart, Sleep, Hands, Drugs, Oranges, etc.

SOY / BEANS / LEGUMES

WATER

HOW SAFE ARE MOBILE PHONES?

MISCELLANEOUS

FASTING

and other articles at the bottom on white bread, digestion, the stupid low-carb diet

Middle-aged men who drink more than 36 grams of alcohol, or two and a half US drinks per day, may speed their memory loss by up to six years later on, according to a study published in the January 15, 2014, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

~~~

GENERAL

~~~

- A high intake of fruit is important in the prevention of all cancers of the digestive tract. [American Journal of Epidemiology]

- Taking supplements of Vitamin A can be harmful to your unborn child, yet all vitamin A and Beta Carotne in fruit and vegetables is completely harmless [New England Journal of Medicine].

- An apple contains 12 vitamins, 13 minerals, 386 phytonutrients of which 59 are proven cell protectors and detoxifiers and those are only the known nutrients! [Dr. John Heinermann]

- Flax seed: great source of Omega3 - grind it - take 2 tablespoons a day. Keep in fridge.

- One doctor recommends: Take vit C 1000 mg twice a day and take B Complex every day to make sure getting enough folic acid.

- Too much protein stresses kidneys and liver.

~~~

Cabbage is anti-inflametory

sunflower seeds contain various sedative essential oils also lots of B vits, good for nerves.

~~~~~~

For everyone 9 and older, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends at least three cups of milk or milk equivalent per day. Choosing skim or low-fat dairy for these servings helps prevent you from consuming too many calories or saturated fat. An 8-oz. glass of whole milk contains 146 calories and 8 g of fat, 5 g of which is saturated. An equivalent serving of 1 percent milk has 102 calories with 2 g of saturated fat, while skim milk has 83 calories and no fat.

~~~~~~

Extract from a website... read at your own peril...

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower your bad cholesterol (or LDL).

Cinnamon may be helpful for Type 2 Diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels and increasing the amount of insulin production in the body,

antifungal properties, against candida, leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells, anti-clotting effect on the blood.

Honey and Cinnamon combined has been found to relieve arthritis pain.

inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage

fights the E. coli bacteria

eliminating headaches and migraine relief

stablize blood sugar

BUT

The European Food Safety Authority in 2008 considered toxicity of coumarin, known to cause liver and kidney damage in high concentrations and a significant component of cinnamon, and metabolic effect on humans with CYP2A6 polymorphism, and confirmed a maximum recommended Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) of 0.1 mg of coumarin per kg of body weight.[37][38] The European Union set a guideline for maximum coumarin content in foodstuffs of 50 mg per kg of dough in seasonal foods, and 15 mg per kg in everyday baked foods.[39]

true cinnamon (Ceylon) has much lower level of coumarin

~~~

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters Health) - The curry spice tumeric may

help reduce and even prevent inflammation of the intestines,

according to research on laboratory animals presented here Tuesday

at Digestive Disease Week, an annual conference for

gastroenterologists.

~~~

Curry Spice May Inhibit Tumor Growth

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A compound found in the curry spice turmeric may suppress production of a protein

that spurs tumor growth in the body, researchers report.

~~~

Exercise Cuts Inflammation-Related Protein in Blood

Wed Nov 27, 02

By Alison McCook

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Exercise is good for you for a number of reasons, and now researchers think they have found yet one more. Men who are physically fit tend to have lower levels of a protein linked to body-wide inflammation, new research reports.

~~~

Few Adults Lead Healthy Lifestyles, Survey Shows

By Emma Hitt, PhD

ATLANTA (Reuters Health) - Maintaining a normal weight, eating a nutritious diet,

exercising and not smoking are all crucial to staying healthy, but only about 3% of people

manage to achieve all four of these healthy habits, according to US health officials.

The Michigan Department of Community Health and the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (news - web sites) conducted a telephone survey of more than 4,000 Michigan

residents in   and  .

The investigators found that about 38% of adults maintained a healthy body weight, while

just over 20% ate the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. Only about

one-quarter engaged in regular physical activity, and roughly the same number smoked.

Women were more likely to engage in all four healthy behaviors than men. Fewer than 2%

of men achieved all four behaviors, whereas 4.5% of women did. In addition, the number

of college graduates achieving all four behaviors was three times higher than the number

of those with a high school education or less.

~~~

VITAMINS

Lysine is an essential amino acid and therefore everyone needs it. Recommended daily intake of lysine is rouglhy 10 mg per pound of body weight. That would translate into a 180 lb man taking 1.8 grams per day. Side affects have been reported when more than 10 grams per day were consumed.

Research suggests that people with the herpes virus can directly benefit from supplementation. Anyone interested in healthy hair, skin, nails, bones, and muscles should consider supplementation as well.

anyone 13 and older should take 12 mg per kilogram of body weight.

~~~

pauling - B12

High-dose oral supplementation is another treatment option, because consuming 1,000 mcg (1 mg)/day of vitamin B12 orally should result in the absorption of about 10 mcg/day (1% of dose) by passive diffusion (4). In fact, high-dose oral therapy is considered to be as effective as intramuscular injection (7-10).

adults need 2.4 mcg/day

that equates to about 2.5 mg / day orally --

since i don't take it every day - 5 mg should be safe

~~~

Don't be afraid of eating eggs despite their cholesterol, he chides. Their yolks are among the richest known natural sources of choline. A tall glass of skim milk offers as much choline as an egg does. And coming soon, predicts Gregory Paul, director of nutrition for Central Soya of Ft. Wayne, Ind., will be a host of foods—orange juice, baked goods, and pasta—fortified with choline-rich soy lecithin

Milk Consumption Does Not Lead to Mucus Production or Occurrence of Asthma

Brunello Wüthrich, MD, Alexandra Schmid, Barbara Walther, PhD and Robert Sieber, PhD

~~~

Study: Extra Folic Acid May Help Memory

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer Tue Jun 21

WASHINGTON - High-dose folic acid pills — providing as much of the nutrient as 2.5 pounds of strawberries — might help slow the cognitive decline of aging. So says a Dutch study that's the first to show a vitamin could really improve memory.

....

The research, unveiled Monday at a meeting of Alzheimer's researchers, adds to mounting evidence that a diet higher in folate is important for a variety of health effects. It's already proven to reduce birth defects, and research suggests it helps ward off heart disease and strokes, too.

The new study doesn't show folic acid could prevent Alzheimer's — the people who tested the vitamin didn't have symptoms of that disease.

But as people age, some decline in memory and other brain functions is inevitable. Taking 800 micrograms of folic acid a day slowed that brain drain, reported lead researcher Jane Durga of Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

SELENIUM

Although there is no known way of preventing prostate cancer, studies have shown that men who took 200 microgrammes of selenium each day substantially reduced their risk of prostate cancer.

~~~

In the study, 818 cognitively healthy people ages 50 to 75 swallowed either folic acid or a dummy pill for three years.

On memory tests, the supplement users had scores comparable to people 5.5 years younger, Durga said. On tests of cognitive speed, the folic acid helped users perform as well as people 1.9 years younger.

That's significant brain protection, with a supplement that's already well-known to be safe, said Johns Hopkins University neuroscientist Marilyn Albert, who chairs the Alzheimer's Association's science advisory council.

"I think I would take folic acid, assuming my doctor said it was OK," Albert said. "We know

Alzheimer's disease, the pathology, begins many, many years before the symptoms. We ought to be thinking about the health of our brain the same way we think about the health of our heart."

Indeed, there's enough research now suggesting that there are ways to gird the brain against age-related memory loss and Alzheimer's that the association has begun offering classes to teach people the techniques.

Topping the list:

_Exercise your brain. Using it in unusual ways increases blood flow and helps the brain wire new connections. That's important to build up what's called cognitive reserve, an ability to adapt to or withstand the damage of Alzheimer's a little longer.

In youth, that means good education. Later in life, do puzzles, learn to play chess, take classes.

_Stay socially stimulated. Declining social interaction with age predicts declining cognitive function.

_Exercise your body. Bad memory is linked to heart disease and diabetes because clogged arteries slow blood flow in the brain.

............

Folate is found in such foods as oranges and strawberries, dark-green leafy vegetables and beans. In the United States, it also is added to cereal and flour products. The recommended daily dose here is 400 micrograms; doctors advise women of childbearing age to take a supplement to ensure they get that much.

~~~

Thu, Feb 17

Vitamin D May Ward Off Prostate Cancer

ORLANDO, Fla. - Getting a little sunshine may be one way for men to cut their risk of prostate cancer. A large study presented at a cancer conference Thursday found that men with higher levels vitamin D in their blood were half as likely to develop aggressive forms of the disease than those with lower amounts.

Doctors are not ready to recommend the "sunshine vitamin" without more study, but many see little harm in getting the 15 minutes a day that the body needs to make enough of this nutrient.

<> 

~~~

<> 

Nov  

"I spend all my time trying to tell patients why they should not take vitamin E," Dr. Raymond Gibbons, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist and chairman of the American Heart Association conference. "Too often in terms of the supplements there's very scant science. In this area, we have the science. Vitamin E doesn't work."

The idea that antioxidants such as vitamin E might ward off heart trouble was based in part on test tube studies that indicated they protect the heart's arteries by blocking the damaging effects of oxygen. Studies also show that healthy people who eat vitamin-rich food seem to have less heart disease.

~~~

Vegetables may help keep brains young

New research on vegetables and aging gives mothers another reason to say "I told you so." It found that eating vegetables appears to help keep the brain young and may slow the mental decline sometimes associated with growing old.

On measures of mental sharpness, older people who ate more than two servings of vegetables daily appeared about five years younger at the end of the six-year study than those who ate few or no vegetables.

~~~

BetaCarotine:

Need 10 to 30 mg a day.

1 carrot has 5.7 miligram

1 cup carrot juice has 24 mg

sweet potatoe has 10 mg

1/2 cantelope has 8 mg.

~~~

Vitamin D And Calcium Keep Blood

Pressure Down

By AliciaMarie Belchak

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Taking a vitamin D supplement along

with calcium may be a more effective way for older women to lower

their blood pressure than taking calcium alone, German researchers

report.

~~~

Women Could Need Antioxidants More Than Men

Mon Sep 2  1:52 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Might that morning glass of orange juice or vitamin tablet be more important for women than men? It is too soon to say, but for reasons that remain unclear, new study findings suggest that women experience more oxidation--a process suspected of increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke and several other diseases--than men. Vitamin C and other antioxidant vitamins can counteract this process.

Oxidative stress is the accumulation of cell-damaging substances called free radicals. This stress can be caused by outside factors, such as cigarette smoking, or by factors on the cellular level. Damage caused by oxidative stress is thought to contribute to the aging process and to many diseases. To confirm the role of oxidation in the development of disease, many large studies have measured the dietary intake of antioxidants, such as vitamin C. But few studies have gauged the extent ofoxidative damage in people.

Chia Seeds

“These wonderful superfood seeds are not only rich in protein and omega 3, but are a great source of soluble fibre. Chia seeds/ chia meal (ground chia seeds) can absorb toxins and heavy metals in the body.”

“"Patients should never consume dry chia seeds," explained Rawl. "They can absorb many times their weight in water and expand and may become lodged in a patient's esophagus, especially if there is a history of swallowing problems." Because chia seeds will expand to up to 27 times their weight, make sure to add liquid to them before consuming them. After they have already expanded, they are safe to eat and will easily be digested”

“Celebrity nutritionist Lindsey Duncan, ND, CN shared with the Doctor Oz Show the many benefits of chia seeds. "The chia seeds are 'super' because, like a superfruit, they deliver the maximum amount of nutrients with minimum calories," she explained. "They have several of the same benefits as the more well-known 'super seed' flax, but unlike flax seed, you don't need to grind them to reap the health benefits."

“Chia seeds contain a variety of antioxidants, such as gallic acid, caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid, chlorogenic acid, isoflavones, myricetin , quercetin and kaempferol, vitamin C, vitamin E, etc.”

“According to historical records, chia seeds were once a staple food of the ancient Aztecs and Mayans. Today, some people feel a surge of strength and vivacity after consuming chia seeds.”

Vitamin A Supplements May Hurt Bones

Taking vitamin A supplements can weaken the bones and increase the risk of fractures up to seven times, according to a large Swedish study.

The research, conducted on men, confirms three earlier studies in women showing that high intake of vitamin A raises the risk of broken hips and weak bones. The latest study is the first to measure levels of the vitamin in blood, rather than just asking about diet and supplement use.

The three-decade study and other evidence suggest that daily vitamin A consumption of more than 1.5 milligrams can be dangerous, and that most people should not take vitamin A supplements.

Current dietary recommendations call for only 0.7 mg of vitamin A for women and 0.9 mg for men a day. That is easily supplied by a healthy diet. But many popular multivitamins contain 0.75 mg to 1.5 mg of vitamin A, generally listed on labels as 2,500 international units and 5,000 IUs, respectively.

"Vitamin A is potentially harmful," said Dr. Donald Louria, chairman emeritus of preventive medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark, N.J. "Unless there is a known medical reason like certain diseases of the eye, people should not be taking vitamin A supplements."

The study by doctors at University Hospital in Uppsala was reported in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine (news - web sites). It involved 2,322 men.

Vitamin A is known as an antioxidant. Antioxidants are believed to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. Government studies show one-third to one-half of Americans take vitamin A or multivitamins containing it.

Vitamin A can interfere with cells that produce new bone, stimulate cells that break down old bone and interfere with vitamin D, which helps the body maintain normal calcium levels.

In the study, about one-fifth, or roughly 465 of the men, were found to be at risk because they had the highest levels of vitamin A. The men were about 2 1/2 times more likely to break a hip and 65 percent more likely to suffer any fracture than those with lower levels of the vitamin in their blood.

Those in the 99th percentile were about seven times more likely to break a bone.

Louria said that people should not take fish oil supplements or eat liver more than once a week, but that multivitamins containing 0.1 mg or less of vitamin A are fine for people eating a healthy diet.

Large amounts of vitamin A are found in beef liver and fish liver oils; smaller amounts are in egg yolks, butter and cream. Milk and some cereals are fortified with vitamin A and, per serving, provide about 10 percent of daily needs. And substances in dark green, leafy vegetables and yellow vegetables and fruits are converted to vitamin A in the body.

Annette Dickinson, acting president of the trade group for supplement makers, the Council for Responsible Nutrition, said the Swedish men had an unusually high intake of vitamin A, even though very few were taking supplements.

"I don't think there's a reason now from the studies we have before us to say that multivitamins containing ordinary amounts of vitamin A are harmful," Dickinson said. She said that in many multivitamins, much of the vitamin A is in the form of beta-carotene, which studies have shown does not weaken bones.

The study had some shortcomings: Blood levels of vitamin A were measured only once, and the participants' reports of diet and supplement use 20 years later did not match well with their earlier vitamin A blood levels.

~~~

Thu May 19,12:00 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) -

"Our data suggest that diets rich in vitamin E protect against the development of Parkinson's disease," said Dr. Mayhar Etminan, of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Quebec, Canada, in a report in The Lancet Neurology journal. … Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects cells from damage. Foods rich in the vitamin include nuts, seeds, wheat germ, spinach and other green leafy vegetables.

~~~

Calcium and Magnesium must be taken at least one hour apart. For women, calcium better absorbed at night [not confirmed].

A Little Bit of Sun May Be a Good Thing:Experts

Fri Feb 15  5:54 PM ET

By Anne Harding

BOSTON (Reuters Health) - While a lot of sun exposure increases the risk of skin cancer, a little bit of

sunlight is good for you, according to experts who spoke here Friday at the annual meeting of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science (news - web sites).

Researchers spoke at a press briefing on the effects of solar radiation on human health, particularly

ultraviolet-B (UV-B)--the component of sunlight that triggers the body's production of vitamin D.

Vitamin D doesn't just help keep bones strong, noted Dr. Michael Holick, a professor at Boston

University School of Medicine who has studied the effect of sun on the body for more than 10 years. It

also activates several genes responsible for regulating cell growth, thus helping to prevent the

out-of-control cell division that can lead to cancer, he explained.

Sunlight exposure, Holick said, is a more effective way to get vitamin D than taking the vitamin orally,

and vitamin D manufactured by the body from the sun's energy also lasts longer in the body.

"Vitamin D deficiency is a major unrecognized epidemic in the adult population," Holick said. As many

as 40% to 50% of adults older than 50 may be deficient in the vitamin, according to the researcher. He

noted that some people who appear to have fibromyalgia, a syndrome marked by chronic muscle and

joint pain, may in fact have vitamin D deficiency.

Holick also said that African Americans may be "chronically vitamin D deficient," largely because their

darker skin allows less UV-B radiation to penetrate.

For whites, who absorb UV-B radiation more easily, Holick said that exposing the hands, face and

arms to sunlight for 5 to 10 minutes two to three times a week will be enough to build the body's

vitamin D stores.

Also, he added, vitamin D is fat soluble, so if a person gets enough sun in the spring, summer and fall,

he or she can rely on stores of the nutrient in their body fat during the winter months when sun is

scarce.

But darker skinned people require 10 to 20 times the sun exposure length that whites do to build up

the same amount of vitamin D, Holick noted.

~~~

July   - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Taking a daily multivitamin in combination

with one of the antioxidant vitamins A, C or E appears to reduce the risk of

dying from heart disease and stroke, results of a study suggest.

~~~

Vitamin E may prevent smoking damage to arteries

NEW YORK, Feb 01,   (Reuters Health) -- Taking vitamin E supplements may help protect

the cells that line arteries from damage immediately after cigarette smoking, but do not

appear to reverse the long-term arterial damage caused by smoking, Austrian researchers

say.

Prior studies have shown that cigarette smoking promotes the formation of molecules called

``free radicals'' in the bloodstream. These free radicals are highly reactive chemicals that

cause oxidation, or changes that alter the cell lining of the arterial walls (the endothelium).

Vitamin E can counter these changes because it is an antioxidant, meaning that it can absorb

or neutralize damage-causing free radicals.

``Free radicals have been implicated in several chronic diseases such as cancer or arthritis.

They can cause terrible harm to the body, and not only to the endothelium,'' said Dr. Jerome

D. Cohen, professor of medicine in cardiology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine,

Missouri, in an interview with Reuters Health.

According to Cohen, ``The chemicals in cigarette smoke lessen and can reverse the ability of

the arterial walls to dilate during periods of stress or exercise, when increased blood flow is

necessary. In fact, cigarette smoking may even cause the arterial walls to constrict. This may

account for the increased incidence of sudden death and heart attacks seen in smokers.''

~~~

Tuesday August 29,   10:21 AM ET

Vitamin B12 by mouth as good as injection

By Pippa Wysong

TORONTO (Reuters Health) - People who need vitamin B12 replacement

may not need to get a shot in the arm after all. Instead, they can use a form of

the vitamin that dissolves under the tongue.

In a study presented at the 28th World Congress of the International Society

of Hematology, researchers revealed that a sub-lingual form of the vitamin is

just as effective as an intramuscular shot.

The patients were asked to take two of the sub-lingual nuggets daily for 7 to 10 days, half an hour before

breakfast, but after drinking a glass of water. Each nugget contains 1,000 micrograms of vitamin B12, and are

available over-the-counter.

All the patients eventually attained normal blood levels of the vitamin. Most either doubled or quadrupled their

initial deficient levels, and no side effects were reported.

~~~

CALCIUM

NEW YORK, Oct 01, 99 (Reuters Health) -- Including a calcium-rich food or a calcium supplement at each meal is the best way to ensure adequate calcium intake, advises a nutrition expert.

The body can absorb calcium at levels up to 500 milligrams at any one time -- but at higher calcium levels in the di et, the body

does not absorb much more than that.

``Women who take calcium supplements after a meal high in calcium-rich foods may not absorb as much as they think,'' s aid

Dr. Connie Weaver, professor and head of the department of foods and nutrition at Purdue University in a statement.

Many may believe that adding supplements to meals high in calcium is the most effective way to ensure one meets the daily

requirements. However, Weaver told Reuters Health, ``If you have di vided doses throughout the day, you'll absorb it more

efficiently than if you take the whole big bunch of calcium at onc e.''

Calcium is important not only for women to prevent the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis, but for all individuals. ''It helps as a

co-factor for almost every bodily function -- activating nerve transmission, hormone synthesis, muscle contraction -- yet most

people over the age of 11 are not meeting the calc ium requirements,'' said Weaver. Sources of calcium include dairy product s,

certain vegetables including broccoli and kale, and fortified foods and supplements.

The recommended amount of calcium for adults under age 50 is 1,000 milligrams daily (similar to the calcium found in about 3

glasses of milk), and for adults over 50 years of age, 1,200 mi lligrams daily. Children aged 6 to 8 years need 800 milligrams

daily and those aged 9 to 18 should have 1,300 milligrams daily (found in about 4 glasses of milk).

A rule of thumb to meet these requirements, according to Weaver, is ``to get a calcium rich source with every meal.''

~~~

HAIR

From: http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/herbsvitaminsek/a/Alopecia_2.htm

The results of one research study suggest that the essential oils of thyme, rosemary, lavender, and cedarwood mixed with an oil and applied on the areas of hair loss may stimulate hair growth. This double blind, placebo-controlled study enrolled 84 people who who massaged either these essential oils or a non-treatment oil into their scalps each night for seven months. Results showed that 44% of people in the treatment group had new hair growth compared to only 15% in the control group.

Hair Oil Recipe

3 drops each of essential oil of thyme, lavender, rosemary, cedarwood

1/8 cup each of grapeseed oiljojoba oil

Mix the ingredients together. Cover your pillow with an old towel. Apply several drops of the mixture to areas of hair loss each night, massaging gently into scalp for 3-5 minutes.

~~~

Natural Food Sources Containing Copper:

Brazil nuts, raw cashew nuts, walnuts, peanuts, whole wheat bread, butter beans, lentils, barley sunflower seed tempeh garbanzo

Food sources of copper includes whole grain cereals, Legumes, Oysters, Organ meats, Cherries, Dark chocolate, Fruits, Leafy green vegetables, Nuts, Poultry, Prunes, soybeans, Tofu, Organ meats, Shellfish, Nuts, legumes.

~~~

Brushing Your Hair for Shine

All you need is a few strokes to style hair and spread the natural oils from roots to ends. "Anything more than that is unnecessary friction, which can lead to breakage," says Amy J. McMichael, M.D., an associate professor of dermatology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Shampooing Daily

"Hair looks its best when the natural oils from the scalp are allowed to reach the ends," says Sally Hershberger, executive style director for John Frieda/Sheer Blonde. That's why most experts suggest that you shampoo every other day or even every third day. If you feel you need a freshener, simply spritz roots with water

~~~

In China the best pillows are filled with silk-worm shit (which is expensive) - it keeps the head temperature cool.

Re White hair he said it’s related to Kidney - we know this because when one has one fearful night the kidney

is stressed and hair goes white. Kidney is like your battery. If you are low on energy then you use (stress) the kidneys.

So it’s important to get good nutrition and rest…

According toi Dr. Davis Switzer, it could be a lack of elemental copper.

rusty

Martin Skou wrote in message ...

>I'm slowly getting more and more gray hair.

> 

>Is there anything my body lacks, which could course this effect?

> 

>Thanks.

>Martin

You are most likely lacking several of the B-vitamins. Take a strong

B-complex vitamin pill daily. Also avoid or cut down the use of stimulants

that destroy B-vitamins. Coffee is a really bad one.

Sincerely,

Niels Christensen

On-line Health Consultant: http://come.to/healthconsultant

>I'm slowly getting more and more gray hair.

> 

>Is there anything my body lacks, which could course this effect?

> 

>Thanks.

>Martin

Try a tablespoon of unsulphured black strap molasses per day

for a month and see if it makes any difference.

>what's a good source of elemental cooper?

colloidal minerals [minerals suspended in water]. Also sold as trace

minerals, but it must be in the liquid form.

~~~

AGING

'One of the few universals we know about aging is that calorie restriction can extend life'. Leonard Guarente, professor of biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

~~~

Veggies Reported to Help Women's Brains

Mon Jul 19, 5:04 PM ET

By MALCOLM RITTER, AP Science Writer

Here's another reason to eat your veggies: A new study suggests certain vegetables like broccoli and spinach may help older women keep their brains sharper.

Researchers found that women in their 60s who ate more cruciferous and green leafy vegetables than other women went on to show less overall decline over time on a bundle of tests measuring memory, verbal ability and attention.

Such foods include broccoli, cauliflower, romaine lettuce and spinach.

~~~

CALORIES SPEED AGING

Friday August 27 1:22 AM ET

Diets May Be A Pain, But They Do Keep You Young

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The aging process can damage cells in ways that look very similar to injury, but a carefully

controlled diet can slow the damage, at least in mice, scientists said Thursday.

SNIP

So-called heat shock genes, which help repair damaged proteins, also became more active as the mice aged. Energy

metabolism slowed and genes associated with the repair of damaged nerve cells kicked in.

But putting the mice on a diet stopped much of this process. Mice who got only 76 percent of the usual calories, but whose

feed was enriched so that they did not suffer from malnutrition, had their genetic changes ``remarkably'' reduced.

``Most alterations were either completely or partially prevented by caloric restriction, the only intervention known to retard

aging in mammals,'' the researchers wrote.

Dieting basically transformed the metabolism, the researchers said, slowing it.

Weindruch said it could be that as an animal ages, it must devote more energy to fixing damaged cells and less to building

strong, healthy cells.

~~~

Jonathan Lonsdale <jon3001@spamblock.surfree.com> wrote in message

news:7osbv6$hfv$1@plutonium.btinternet.com...

> Mabel <mabel@clear.net.nz> wrote in message

> news:01bee095$892b0740$61f0a7cb@default...

> 

> > Firstly, the test used to establish peoples' biological ages (as

distinct

> > from their chronological ages), needs to be properly established by the

> > medical profession so that a consistent measurement can be obtained, no

> > matter what qualified person does the test or where it is carried out.

The

> > test would need to be very consistently applied over a period of

several

> > years. Has such a test been established to the satisfaction of the

medical

> > profession?

> 

> I saw on a TV program once (again on the ageing process) that human cells

> would divide with a regular cycle. This is a measurable process and could

be

> used to determine someones age within 5 years. The narrator said it was

> analogous with the rings of a tree trunk. I'm sorry if this is somewhat

> vague - maybe someone else has more details.

> 

> -Jonathan

> 

I read about this and it may be an excellent idea. The process is termed

"apoptosis". Human cells (and, obviously, others) can only split so many

times before they can no longer do so. There is a repeated sequence of

nucleotides, called the telomere, at the ends of the chromosomes which

diminish after each division. Once these sequences have been depleted, it

is believed that the cell dies. The accuracy by which this can determine

biological age was not discussed, but doubts were expressed about using it

for such a purpose.

As long as experimental studies show a high correlation between age and the

number of cell divisions, this method would provide a pretty accurate means

of determining biological age. Again, as stated, it may not stand up to

experimental trials.

The interesting article can be found here, with references to two books on

the issue:

http://www.sciam.com/0197issue/0197review1.html

Regards,

Robert Templeton

~~~

Thursday January 17  

For Elderly, Brain Ages More Gracefully Than Body

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Living to a ripe old age may sound appealing to some, but will the

quality of life--including mental and physical health--ensure that those added years are worth it? A new

report suggests that if a person is hale and hearty at age 75, they may enjoy more years with sharp wits

than with a physically able body.

The investigation revealed that after the age of 75, men's mental abilities were impairment-free another

8.4 years on average, while women enjoyed nearly 10 more years with sharp wits.

However, physical ability did not fair as well. Men who reached the age of 75 had an average of 4.6

years of good physical health while women had about 3.1 years of good physical health, the report

indicates.

~~~

DIET

marc:

bitter things are good for the liver / stomach / spleen

oats, carrot, sprouts, brusel sprout

meal has to be warm, warm tea etc.

liver is wood, direct influence on the earth

egg – 2 a day is good - easy boil.

~~~

Chili, Broccoli Help Prevent Cancer - Studies

Tue Apr 19

Health - Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Broccoli and red chili peppers may help fight cancer by slowing the growth of cancerous tumor cells, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.

~~~

Thursday March 22  1:30 PM ET

Oats, Vitamin E Open Arteries After

Fatty Meal

By Suzanne Rostler

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A side dish of oatmeal or an appetizer of vitamin E may help prevent

some of the damage to arteries caused by fatty foods and may lower heart disease risk, researchers

suggest.

A new study found that a bowl of oatmeal or 800 international units (IUs) of vitamin E helped maintain

blood flow in the arteries of individuals who had just consumed high levels of fat. Fat has been shown

to cause arteries to constrict, thereby reducing blood flow and raising the risk of heart disease.

~~~

Zhang said that when the men were divided into four groups, or quartiles, based on their consumption

of boron, the men in the highest-consumption group had ``a 64% lower risk of developing prostate

cancer.''

``It looks like 3.5 servings of boron-rich fruits and one serving of nuts a day would put men in the top

quartile,'' Rainey said in an interview with Reuters Health. She said that one serving of nuts is the

equivalent of ``a handful of peanuts or almonds.'' Other good boron sources include grapes, dried

fruits, avocados, red wine or grape juice, Rainey said.

~~~

Wednesday May 30  5:21 PM ET

Study: Cinnamon Kills Bacteria in Apple Juice

By Charnicia E. Huggins

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A hint of cinnamon can do more than fill the air with its spicy aroma,

it can also reduce bacterial growth in apple juice, according to new study findings.

``We recommend pasteurization of apple juice to ensure food safety, but addition of cinnamon will

provide added protection and pleasant taste,'' according to study author Dr. Daniel Y. C. Fung and

colleagues from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. ``This common household condiment

when applied to apple juice can provide an added protection for public health.''

~~~

~~~

Monday December 18,  

Soaking Brown Rice Enriches Nutritional Value

By Anne Harding

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Soaking brown rice for a day before it is

cooked may be an inexpensive and easy way to turbocharge the nutritional

value of this staple food, Japanese scientists have found.

Soaking the rice stimulates the early stages of germination, when a tiny sprout, less than a millimeter tall, grows

from the grain. ``The birth of a sprout activates dormant enzymes in the brown rice all at once to supply the best

nutrition to the growing sprout,'' Dr. Hiroshi Kayahara, a professor of bioscience and biotechnology at Shinshu

University in Nagano, said in a statement.

Kayahara presented his group's research Saturday at the   International Chemical Congress of Pacific

Basin Societies in Hawaii.

Sprouted rice contains more fiber, vitamins and minerals than non-germinated rice, Kasayara and his colleagues

report. The germinated rice also contains triple the amount of lysine, an amino acid needed for the growth and

repair of tissues, and 10 times more gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which can benefit the kidneys.

Within the sprouts, the research team also identified a chemical that blocks the action of prolylendopeptidase.

This enzyme regulates activity in the central nervous system.

The researchers soaked the brown rice in warm water for 22 hours to make it sprout. The sprouted rice is not

only enriched, it is also easier to cook because the hard outer husk has been softened, Kayahara noted, and it

tastes sweeter. White rice will not sprout when soaked, he added.

Rice has been cultivated in warm climates for tens of thousands of years. The people of China, Indonesia and

India--2.5 billion in all, or more than half of the world's population--rely on rice as a staple food, according to

the Asia Rice Foundation.

In the next 20 years, the foundation reports, the number of people depending on rice will grow by 1.2 billion.

~~~

Heart Association Says Soy Lowers

Cholesterol

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters Health) - Tofu or bean curd are good dietary

choices for people with high cholesterol, according to the American Heart

Association.

People with high cholesterol should consume about 25 to 50 grams of

protein daily as part of a program aimed at lowering cholesterol, the new

AHA recommendation states.

The new recommendation is the result of analysis of 38 clinical studies that

demonstrated that substituting soy products such as tofu for meat and other

foods containing animal proteins lowered ``bad'' LDL cholesterol by as much

as 8%. Dr. John W. Erdman, Jr. is the author of the new AHA statement,

which is published in the November 14th issue of Circulation: Journal of the

American Heart Association.

Substituting soy for meat products also lowers triglycerides, another blood

product that has been associated with heart disease, while increasing ``good''

HDL cholesterol.

~~~

Soda-Drinking Children End Up Lacking

Nutrients

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children and adolescents who drink large

quantities of soda may be selling themselves short of several important

vitamins and minerals, results of a survey suggest.

Soda drinkers aged 2 to 17 years were less likely to get the recommended

levels of vitamin A--a nutrient necessary for vision and immunity, according to

a report published in the November issue of the Archives of Pediatric and

Adolescent Medicine.

Children younger than 12 who drank soda were less likely to consume the

recommended amount of calcium--a mineral needed for proper bone growth, and soda drinkers aged 6 and

older were at increased risk of magnesium deficiency.

~~~

Studies in animals have shown that very hot water can promote the growth of tumours. “It appears that there is thermal injury from exposure to hot liquids that is capable of leading to cancer of the oesophagus,” he said.

~~~

- beans have glutamine which maintain a supply of antioxidants in the body.

~~~

Vegetarians suffer 20 percent less premature mortality, 30 percent less heart desease and 40 percent less cancer than meat-eaters. A vegetarian diet can protect against diabetes, obesity, hypertension, bowel disease, gallstones and other disorders. The research is published by Andy Boyd, research manager of the Vegetarian Society. Many of the studies quoted are large-scale, e.g. one involving 6115 British vegtarians and 5015 meat-eaters found vegetarinas had 20% less general mortality, 39% less cancer deaths, 28% less heart disease. Obesity was 19.5% among meat-eaters and 5.4% among vegetarians. All the research came from respectyed medical journals. In the UK   people a week are switching to a vegetarian diet. [The Independnt News Service - June 26,  ]

~~~

Apple a day keeps lungs healthy

NEW YORK, Jan 20,   (Reuters Health) -- Eating an apple a day is supposed to keep the

doctor away, and now researchers have found one reason the old adage might be true. Men

who eat five or more apples a week appear to have better lung function than men who do

not eat the fruit, according to a research team led by Dr. Barbara Butland of St. George's

Hospital Medical School in London, UK.

Apples May Lower Risk of Stroke

Friday May 26,   NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An apple a day may keep stroke at bay, new study findings suggest. ``One speculative possibility is that the effect comes from some phenolic acids present in apples,'' lead author Paul Knekt from the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki, Finland, said in an interview with Reuters Health.

Phenolic acids are a class of antioxidants, or compounds that quench free radicals. These unstable molecules are byproducts of normal metabolism that clog arteries and cause changes to DNA that can lead to cancer and other diseases.

High fruit and vegetable intake reduces stroke risk

NEW YORK, Oct 05 (Reuters Health) -- Men and women who eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day are less

likely to suffer from ischemic stroke, the most common form of stroke, than those who eat fewer than three servings a day,

Boston investigators report in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

~~~

College students flunk the food groups

WASHINGTON, DC, Oct 04 (Reuters Health) -- Fruits, vegetables, dairy products and grains are the four basic food groups

-- and a survey suggests that US college students fail to get adequate amounts of these core foods in their daily diet.

The food pyramid recommends that people consume 2 to 3 dairy products per day, 2 to 4 servings of fruits,

and 3 to 5 of vegetables.

~~~

NEW YORK, Sep 22, 99 (Reuters Health)

``A variety of salads, herbs and cooked vegetables that are common in the human diet can alter bone metabolism,'' state Drs.

Roman C. Muhlbauer and Feng Li of the University of Bern, Switzerland. ``If this also happens to humans, then including an

appropriate amount of these vegetables in the daily diet could be an effective and inexpensive way to decrease the incidence of

osteoporosis.''

Muhlbauer and Feng fed male rats 1 gram of dry onion per day for 4 weeks. Compared with rats that did not receive

onion-spiked feeds, these rats had significant increases in bone mineral content and density.

Onion and a variety of other veggies also slowed down bone resorption, the loss of minerals from the bones that characterizes

osteoporosis. A number of vegetables and vegetable mixtures produced significant effects on the rate of bone loss, including

500 mg daily each of onion and Italian parsley, for example, and 100 mg each of ``a mixture of lettuce, tomato, cucumber,

arrugula (rocket), onion, garlic, wild garlic, common parsley, Italian parsley, and dill.''

~~~

Tuesday April 20 6:14 PM ET

Dr. Mark Levine, an National Institutes of Health researcher, said the recommendation reflects a growing body of research showing that five servings of fruit and vegetables a day can help prevent cancer. By raising the recommended amount of vitamin C, people are encouraged to eat more fruits and vegetables, he said. Vitamin C, which is not produced naturally in the body, is one of 13 vitamins and minerals people need to stay healthy.

~~~

NEW YORK, Aug 31 (Reuters Health) -- High dietary intake of red meats and ham appear to increase a

woman's risk of developing benign uterine fibroid tumors, according to Italian researchers.

On the other hand, ``high intake of green vegetables seems to have a protective effect'' against fibroids,

~~~

Monday September 27 4:53 PM ET

Antibiotic Resistance Seen A Risk In Food Supply

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The increased use of antibiotics in food animals is boosting the risk that dangerous

''superbugs'' resistant to drug treatment could be passed along to humans, scientists said Monday. ``It's not just a single pig or a single cow. It's a whole food commodity issue,'' Michael Osterholm, CEO of the Infection Control Advisory Network, told a news conference at a scientific meeting here. ``Red meat, white meat, produce -- any commodity stream can play a role.'' Scientists both in Europe and the United States have raised questions over the treatment of food animals with antibiotics, which farmers use widely both to fight animal illness and as part of animal feed to promote growth. The European Union banned four antibiotics used in animal feed last December, hitting multinational drug companies Rhone Poulec, Pfizer, Eli Lilly's Elanco Animal Health and Alpharma and potentially costing them hundreds of millions of dollars in lost sales. In a study at the University of Antwerp, researchers found that samples of chickens, pigs and turkeys turned up ''alarmingly high'' anti-microbial resistance rates among strains of campylobacter bacteria, which are a major cause of human gastroenteritis and diarrhea.

~~~

Thursday January 4  3:50 PM ET

Study: Pesticide Combination Leads to

Parkinson's

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A combination of two commonly used agricultural pesticides, when injected into

mice, causes the same pattern of brain damage seen in Parkinson's disease, researchers said on Thursday.

Mice given the herbicide paraquat and the fungicide maneb showed clear signs of Parkinson's, a progressive

and incurable brain illness, Deborah Cory-Slechta and colleagues at the University of Rochester School of

Medicine and Dentistry said.

~~~

ALLERGIES

Tuesday February 13  6:59 PM ET

Laughter May Be Best Medicine...For Allergies

By Charnicia E. Huggins

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although few would consider allergies to be funny, results of a new study

suggest that laughing them off might actually work.

Dr. Hajime Kimata, of Unitika Central Hospital in Japan, induced allergic responses on the skin of 26 people

with allergic dermatitis by exposing them to house dust mites, cedar pollen and cat hair, and then had them

watch ``Modern Times'', featuring Charlie Chaplin.

The participants exhibited a significant reduction in their allergic responses after watching the classic comedy,

according to the report in the February 14th issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (news -

web sites).

The effect lasted for 4 hours after the viewing.

In contrast, no effect on allergic responses was noted after the study participants viewed a nonhumorous

87-minute video featuring weather information.

``These results suggest that the induction of laughter may play some role in alleviating allergic diseases,'' Kimata

concludes. However, the exact mechanism by which this is done is not known, the researcher added.

But the findings were viewed with skepticism by one US researcher.

Kimata's findings are ``pretty far removed from anything that will help patients,'' according to Dr. Philip S.

Norman, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.

He told Reuters Health that while he does not doubt the value of laughter in making people feel better, he is not

sure it has anything to do with the allergic reaction.

SOURCE: The Journal of the American Medical Association  ;285:738.

~~~

Friday December 29,  5:49 PM ET

Allergies to MSG May Not Exist

The authors conclude that ``neither persistent nor serious effects from MSG are observed, and the responses

were not consistent on retesting.''

~~~

Fatty Acids May Play Role in Children's Allergies

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A perceived increase in allergies

among children in the industrialized world has been blamed on

everything from environmental pollutants to sanitizing products. Now, a

team of researches from Finland suggests that diet may play a role.

Their study, published in a recent issue of the journal Allergy, found that

children who eventually developed allergies ate less butter and more

margarine compared with children who did not develop allergies. The

allergic children also tended to eat less fish, although this dietary

difference was less significant.

While it is too soon to make dietary recommendations aimed at lowering

the risk of allergies, the findings provide evidence of a link between

certain dietary fats and allergic diseases such as asthma, according to

Dr. Teija Dunder and colleagues at the University of Oulu.

The study is not the first to suggest that certain types of fatty acids may

play a role in the onset of allergic diseases. Polyunsaturated fats like

those in margarine are thought to promote the formation of prostaglandin

E2, a substance that promotes inflammation and causes the immune

system to release a protein that triggers allergic reactions.

A diet higher in unsaturated fats and low in saturated fats such as those

in butter is more healthful in general. But the growing emphasis on

achieving this fat balance has been blamed in some research for the

increasing rates of childhood allergies, the report indicates. At the same

time, however, studies have suggested the unsaturated fats found in

certain types of fish may protect against allergic disease.

This study, according to Dunder's team, supports the overall idea that

dietary fat somehow affects allergy risk.

~~~

MISCELLANEOUS

~~~

MORE REASONS TO EAT ORGANIC TOFU :-)

Tue, Aug 24

EPA: U.S. Waterways Contain Polluted Fish

WASHINGTON - One of every three lakes in the United States, and nearly one-quarter of the nation's rivers contain enough pollution that people should limit or avoid eating fish caught there.

Every state but Alaska and Wyoming issued fish advisories covering some and occasionally all of their lakes or rivers in  , according to a national databased maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency (news - web sites) and updated every year.

Nearly all the advisories involve contaminants such as mercury, dioxins, PCBs, pesticides and heavy metals, including arsenic, copper and lead. Currently they cover 35 percent of the nation's lake acreage and 24 percent of river miles.

~~~

Soy, Fish Oil May Protect Against Alzheimer's-Study

Wed Sep 1   PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Omega-3 fatty acids, found in soy, fish and other oils and known to provide a range of health benefits, may help protect against Alzheimer's disease , U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.

Tests on mice showed that a diet high in one particular omega-3 fatty acid called DHA helped protect the brain against the memory loss and cell damage caused by Alzheimer's disease.

"We saw that a diet rich in DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, dramatically reduces the impact of an Alzheimer's gene, said Greg Cole, a professor of neurology at University of California Los Angeles school of medicine.

Writing in the journal Neuron, Cole and colleagues said they studied mice bred to have genetic mutations that cause brain lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease.

They were looking for something else but noticed the mice did not have the expected memory loss or brain damage. Notably, the synapses, the connections between brain cells, were not as damaged as would be expected.

"We discovered that the mice lived on a nutritious diet of soy and fish -- two ingredients chock-full of omega-3 fatty acids," said Sally Frautschy, who worked on the study.

"Because earlier studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids may prevent Alzheimer's disease, we realized that the mice's diet could be countering the very thing we were trying to accomplish -- showing the progression of the Alzheimer's-related brain damage," she added in a statement.

The researchers took the fish and soy out of the mouse diet and substituted safflower oil instead, which is low in omega-3 and rich in another fatty acid called omega-6, which does not include DHA. Some mice got the original diet and others got the new, less-healthy diet.

"We found high amounts of synaptic damage in the brains of the Alzheimer's-diseased mice that ate the DHA-depleted diet," Frautschy said. "These changes closely resembled those we see in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease."

Mutant mice on the DHA-rich diet did better on memory tests than the mice fed safflower oil, the researchers said.

"After adjusting for all possible variables, DHA was the only factor remaining that protected the mice against the synaptic damage and memory loss that should have resulted from their Alzheimer's genes," said Cole. "We concluded that the DHA-enriched diet was holding their genetic disease at bay."

People are already advised to eat omega-3 fatty acids to protect the heart.

DHA and a related fatty acid called AHA are also added to some infant formulas and milks to promote brain development. They are found naturally in human breast milk.

~~~

Endurance Training May Stave Off Heart Failure

Wed Sep 15

By Anthony J. Brown, MD

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Long-term training in endurance activities, such as running, swimming or cycling, may help prevent the stiffening of the heart that occurs with age, an effect that might reduce the risk of heart failure, new research suggests.

Whether less intensive exercise provides any benefit, however, remains to be determined.

When the heart stiffens, it is less able to relax and expand between each beat, and therefore fills with less blood. Then, with each contraction, less blood is pumped to the rest of the body, which can lead to serious problems over time.

Based largely on animal research, "it has been speculated that the heart stiffens with age," senior author Dr. Benjamin D. Levine, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, told Reuters Health. "But this is the first time that completely healthy older adults have been studied and had their (heart stiffness) measured."

~~~

Thursday October 18  7:22 PM ET

Exercise May Improve Brainpower, Study Finds

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A preliminary study has found that

exercise may rev up a person's brainpower.

In the study, the researchers measured the thinking ability of 20 men and

women aged 18 to 24 after 30 minutes of moderately heavy to heavy

running on a treadmill.

Brain wave measurements showed that ``exercising increased the speed

of the decision-making process,'' Hillman told Reuters Health.

In addition, the respondents answered more accurately after exercise

then they did when they had not exercised, he noted.

If the findings hold true, they can be added to a growing body of

research on the beneficial effects of even short periods of activity. One

recent study found that 10 minutes of moderate exercise daily can

improve mood and reduce fatigue. Another study reported that stair

climbing for 2 minutes several times a day can lower total cholesterol,

raise HDL (''good'') cholesterol and improve the resting pulse rate in

sedentary young women.

~~~

Fiber and FOS together have a synergistic effect. FOS (Fructo-oligosaccharides) also cleanses the colon and builds colon cells and friendly intestinal bacteria. FOS are naturally occurring complex sugars that have beneficial effects in your diet. Some can be found in banana, rye, onion, garlic, burdock, asparagus, chicory root, and Jerusalem artichoke. Judging from usual eating habits, it may be difficult to ingest the recommended daily doses of FOS from foods. Most animal and human diets are deficient in FOS.

banana

miso

tempeh

live yogurt

Why are probiotics supplements necessary?

The answer is, that while it is true that certain foods - especially live yogurt, Japanese Miso, Tempeh and some cheeses have a probiotic action in the gut, you can never be sure what strain of bacteria you are eating or exactly how much is contained in these foods. And there is no way of knowing just how many of those replacement bacteria are going to survive and make it all the way through the acidic and bug-killing environment of the stomach to the colon.

There are other foods, such as bananas, garlic and onions, which can also help repopulate levels of the good bacteria in the intestine. But we do not yet know how many you need to eat for the best results and, you can only eat so much garlic in a day!

~~~

Computer's Mouse May 'Bite' Hands, Wrist, Neck

Fri Feb 28

By Matías A. Loewy

FOZ DO IGUAÇU (Reuters Health) - The more you click using your computer's mouse, the greater the chance of suffering from pain, swelling, numbness and other problems in the hand, wrist, neck and shoulder, two teams of Danish researchers reported at a meeting here this week.

In one study, Dr. Chris Jensen and colleagues from the National Institute of Occupational Health in Copenhagen found that workers who used computers for more than two-thirds of their work time had a higher risk of developing hand or wrist problems.

However those who worked in front of a computer almost all day and used the mouse at least half the time had a four-fold higher risk of problems than those who used the computer the same amount of time but used the mouse only a quarter of the time.

The findings come from a survey of nearly 3,500 workers at 11 Danish companies, with follow-up about a year and a half later.

"The problem is not only the mouse, but performing repetitive tasks," Jensen told Reuters Health.

In a second study, researchers from the Odense University Hospital and Glostrup and Herning hospitals found that those who used the mouse for more than 30 hours per week had as much as an eight-fold higher risk of developing forearm pain, double the risk of moderate to severe neck pain and triple the risk of right shoulder pain. Neck and right shoulder symptoms started to become evident after more than 25 and five hours of weekly use, respectively.

The findings come from a survey of nearly 7,000 technical assistants and machine technicians, with a follow-up one year later.

Certain professionals are particularly at risk, the researchers note.

"Computer-assisted designers use the mouse almost all the time," co-author Lars Brandt of Odense University Hospital told Reuters Health. Having a demanding job seems to aggravate the problem, he added.

Jensen said that a variable pattern of mouse and keyboard use can be considered the best combination from an occupational health perspective. Other measures have uncertain effects. Around 80% of Danish workers use traditional instead of newer "ergonomic" mouse devices, but none of the studies examined differences between users of either type of mouse.

"My impression is that it does not really matter so much which device you use. I do not believe that you can invent a device capable of solving these problems," Jensen said. "You could try some preventive exercises instead, but I think the best thing...is that they keep you away from the mouse or the keyboard while doing them."

Both studies were presented at the 27th International Congress of Occupational Health.

~~~

Friday March 2  6:26 PM ET

Carpel Tunnel Syndrome May Wane with Time

By Amy Norton

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters Health) - People with the repetitive stress injury carpal tunnel syndrome can be treated with

everything from painkillers to surgery, but for many patients the problem may simply go away, Italian researchers said on

Thursday.

In a study of 354 patients referred to surgeons at eight centers in Italy, investigators found that for about one third of the

patients, time healed at least some wounds. Over the course of about one year, more than 200 of the study patients were

left untreated, only ``sporadically'' using anti-inflammatory medication when they needed pain relief. By the end of the study,

patients' reports and tests of nerve function in the wrist showed that 34% had seen their symptoms improve, while 21% had

worsened.

The findings show that carpal tunnel syndrome can often resolve on its own, and that surgery may be an overused treatment

strategy, Dr. Roberto Padua of San Giacomo Hospital in Rome told Reuters Health.

He presented his team's findings here at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.

Marked by numbness and tingling in the hand and wrist, and pain that can extend up to the shoulder, carpal tunnel syndrome

may be caused by work or hobbies that involve repetitive motions of the upper limbs. Swelling in the wrist compresses

nerves that travel from the forearm to the hand through a ''tunnel'' in the wrist. Treatment includes painkillers, braces, steroid

injections into the joint, and surgery to ``release'' the ligament that runs through the tunnel and puts pressure on nerves.

While surgery may be necessary for some patients, Padua said, he and his colleagues wanted to discern which patients do

well with minimal treatment. They found that the younger a patient was, the better the chances of improving without therapy.

For each year in a patient's age, Padua reported, the odds of improving without treatment declined 4%.

In addition, having carpal tunnel syndrome in only one hand boosted the odds of improvement: patients with two injured

limbs were 70% less likely to see their symptoms ease.

Padua said doctors should take patients' age into consideration when deciding treatment, holding off on surgery for younger

ones. He said he favors several months of conservative treatment unless the patient's symptoms are severe and

long-standing.

~~~

4Q  

An orange a day may keep cancer away.

A new study from the Australian government's key research group found that eating citrus fruits can reduce the risk of mouth, larynx, and stomach cancers by up to 50 percent, reports Reuters. And that's not all. Eat one extra serving of citrus fruit a day--that's on top of the recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables--and you could reduce the risk of a stroke by almost 20 percent, as well as lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and diabetes.

That's the word from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) which reviewed 48 international studies on the health benefits of citrus fruits and concluded they protect the body through their antioxidant properties, as well as by strengthening the immune system. They also inhibit tumor growth and normalize tumor cells.

While all yellow and orange fruits and vegetables are known for their high antioxidant level, CSIRO researcher Katrine Baghurst told Reuters that oranges have the highest level of antioxidants with more than 170 different phytochemicals, including more than 60 flavonoids shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and blood clot inhibiting properties.

~~~

Tuesday March 27  11:23 AM ET

Americans' Work Ethic Causes Sleep

Habits to Suffer

By Merritt McKinney

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Working more and sleeping less? If so, you're not alone, according

to a survey released Tuesday.

The poll found that more than one-third of Americans say they get less sleep than they did five years

ago. Many of the hours that could be spent sleeping are spent on the job, according to the survey,

which was sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). Some 40% of respondents said they

work longer hours than they did five years ago.

``We want people to understand that getting 8 hours of sleep is important,'' Richard L. Gelula, the

executive director of the NSF, told Reuters Health in an interview. Americans ``need to make sleep a

priority at least as much as anything else they do for their health, such as diet and exercise,'' he said.

~~~

Tuesday March 13 10:56 AM ET

Scientists Get Proof of Natural Anti-Cancer System

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers said on Monday they have confirmed the existence of a natural system used by

the body to defend against the cancer-causing effects of toxic chemicals in food and the environment.

~~~

Thursday April 19  1:45 PM ET

Depression May Slow Wound Healing

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Wounds may take longer to heal in people who are depressed or

anxious, UK researchers report.

~~~

Monday January 1 2:43 PM ET

Mineral Supplements May Give Athletes An Edge

``Top-notch athletes often exert themselves to the point where their bodies are depleted of natural substances

like magnesium, zinc or calcium. If you compare such athletes with normal individuals, who are not as active,

you will find that the athletes have enormous nutrient requirements and may therefore easily run into shortages,''

Dr. Knut Flytlie, a Scandinavian expert in nutrition, pointed out in an interview with Reuters Health.

~~~

Tuesday November 14,   1:37 PM ET

Heart Attack Risk Jumps After Big Meal

By Martha Kerr

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters Health) - Just in time for Thanksgiving,

researchers report that people who eat an unusually large meal are four times

more likely to have a heart attack in the next 2 hours. The findings were

reported here on Tuesday at the American Heart Association meeting.

~~~

Friday October 15 5:14

Among both men and women, the investigators found, risk of colon cancer was linked to

several lifestyle factors, even when participants' age was taken into account. Study

participants who exercised more were less likely to have colon cancer. Diet was also an

important risk factor in the study, especially for participants who were younger than 67

years of age. Those who ate a ``Western'' diet -- featuring high-calorie intake, animal

proteins, red meats, high-fat dairy products, and sugar -- were at an elevated risk for colon

cancer.

In contrast, those whose diet was characterized by low-fat dairy products and calcium were

less likely to develop colon cancer.

Slattery and colleagues conclude that ``the importance of developing a lifestyle that

incorporates vigorous physical activity appears to be universal to all groups evaluated and

may be the most important component of a healthy lifestyle that decreases risk of colon

cancer.''

SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiolog

~~~

Long-burning candles can emit unsafe levels of lead

NEW YORK, Oct 08 (Reuters Health) -- Burning a candle with a metallic core in its wick

-- such as a scented or ceremonial candle -- for just one hour in an enclosed room can raise

airborne lead to levels determined unsafe by the US Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA).

~~~

Friday January 28,  

Secrets of the inner ear revealed

NEW YORK, Jan 28 (Reuters Health) -- A more complete understanding of the nature of

hearing and hearing loss may be near, according to Texas researchers.

Drs. William Brownell and John Oghalai, together with colleagues at Baylor College of

Medicine in Houston, Texas, looked at the functioning of the cochlear outer hair cell, a highly

sensitive structure in the inner ear that acts as an amplifier, allowing people to hear very quiet

sounds and those of specific frequencies.

According to a study in the January 28th issue of Science, they found that the cells shorten in

response to electrical stimuli, and that certain drugs can also result in changes in the cell's

shape. Humans have about 12,000 such cells in each ear and the cells, which are vulnerable

to damage due to noise and aging, do not regenerate once they are injured. About 28 million

Americans have some degree of hearing loss, much of which can be traced to deterioration

of the outer hair cell.

The thousands of outer hair cells are ``responsible for amplifying sounds of a specific

frequency'' in a process called electromotility, said Oghalai in an interview with Reuters

Health. The electromotility results in changes in the fluidity of the hair cell membrane, causing

the membrane to undergo rippling, ``much like the folding and unfolding of an accordion's

pleats,'' Oghalai and Brownell explained.

``The outer hair cells act as microscopic machines that pump up and down in synchrony with

sound waves'' which are then amplified to detectable levels, Oghalai said.

According to Oghalai, ``such dynamic changes in membrane fluidity have never before been

demonstrated in any type of cell or membrane.''

~~~

Sodium Bicarbonate, added to some soft drinks to increase the fizziness gives health problems such as slowing the absorption of vitamins. The body is unable to break it down and so excretes it as it is.

~~~

Friday June 29  10:52 AM ET

Cranberry Juice Keeps Urinary Tract Infection Away

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - While it's been folk advice for years, a new study appears to confirm

what many women think they already know--drinking cranberry juice can reduce the chances of getting

repeated urinary tract infections.

~~~

Friday October 20 10:50 AM ET

Mountain Biking Could Impair Men's Fertility

By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Men who mountain bike run a high risk of

injuries to the scrotum that could affect their fertility, results of a study

suggest.

In a study of 45 male mountain bikers, Austrian researchers found that 96%

had scrotal abnormalities. In contrast, such problems were seen in only 16%

of 31 men who had never biked. The abnormalities included calcium

deposits, cysts and twisted veins, and half of the men had scrotal tenderness

or discomfort.

Twisted veins in the scrotum are known to impair fertility, study author Dr.

Ferdinand Frauscher told Reuters Health. Taken together, he said, the

abnormalities seen in this study suggest that many of the mountain bikers may

have fertility problems. To investigate this possibility, Frauscher and his

colleagues at University Hospital Innsbruck are now getting sperm counts

from the men.

~~~

Friday November 3 2:38 PM ET

Noisy Offices Bad for Your Health

By Keith Mulvihill

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Now there is yet another reason to be

jealous of your co-workers lucky enough to have their own offices. A new

study reports that those who work in noisy open-office environments had

increased levels of a stress hormone, and were more likely to run out of

steam after several hours of work, than those working in quieter

surroundings.

~~~

From Newsgroup: "According to my Abnormal Psychology textbook, Ritalin production alone has increased ninefold from 1985 to  . It's

apparent that medical institutions are making these diagnoses much more readily today. My friend who works at a CVS pharmacy

said the most common prescriptions she fills in any given day are for prozac (#1) and ritalin (#2). I agree that these diagnoses are

more of a current phenomenon and did not exist as frequently back in the day. It will ultimately lead to a chemically-dependent

society.

SS69

Caffiene, nicotine, alcohol, ritalin, valium, etc. and those are just the legal ones. We already live in a chemically dependant society.

IMO- it is time for a new dialogue"

~~~

OLIVE OIL

Olive oil ingredient may improve circulation

By Anne Harding

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Certain micronutrients contained in olive oil and other foods could be responsible for the Mediterranean diet's well known heart-healthy effects, Spanish researchers report.

~~~

A new study provides the first-ever scientific proof that if you eat slowly, you will eat less -- and you will enjoy the meal more.

~~~

Extra-virgin olive oil anti-inflammatory?

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have just found out what gourmets have always known -- that there is something special about fresh extra-virgin olive oil.

A tasting experience at a molecular gastronomy meeting in Sicily led U.S. Monell Center biologist Gary Beauchamp to analyze freshly pressed extra-virgin olive oil, in which he found a chemical that acted like ibuprofen.

He and his team named their discovery oleocanthal and found that, although it has a different chemistry, its effect is similar to that of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory compound in the commercial pain-killer, they wrote in the science journal Nature.

The discovery is significant because scientists believe to an increasing extent that inflammation plays an important part in a variety of chronic diseases like stroke, heart disease, and breast and lung cancer.

"Our findings raise the possibility that long-term consumption of oleocanthal may help to protect against some diseases," they wrote.

It may also go some way to explaining the health benefits long attributed to the olive-oil rich Mediterranean diet.

~~~

Loud Music Leads to Tinnitus --Max Standley

~~~

Loud rock concerts can cause permanent hearing damage

~~~

RNID warns that the MP3 Generation Are Facing Premature Hearing Damage  

~~~

Walking May Ward Off Alzheimer's

Walking regularly at age 70 and beyond can help keep the mind sharp and ward off Alzheimer's disease (news - web sites), according to research suggesting that what is good for the heart is also good for the brain.

~~~

Olive oil may cut breast cancer

By Nigel Hawkes, Health Editor

SCIENTISTS have discovered why the Mediterranean diet protects against breast cancer. The secret appears to be olive oil, which is high in oleic acid.

In laboratory experiments using breast-cancer cells, a US team has shown that oleic acid cuts the levels of the breast cancer-promoting gene Her-2/ neu by up to 46 per cent.

~~~

Southern Europeans live longer - a 15 year study found - and it's related to the kind of fat they eat: Olive Oil which lowers LDL cholesterol and increases heart-protecting HDL cholestoral. Choose cold-pressed, extra-virgin: the product of the first cold pressing, made from not-quite-ripe olives that are picked by hand. Store olive-oil in a cool, dark place.

~~~

Olive oil may help prevent colon cancer

NEW YORK, Jan 26,   (Reuters Health) -- Including olive oil in your diet may help reduce your risk of developing colon cancer, Spanish researchers suggest.

Soccer / Football

A friendly game of soccer, a new study has found, works off more fat and builds up more muscle than jogging.

~~~

Monday June 18  

Vegan Diets Can Meet Children's Nutritional Needs

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - With some careful menu planning,

children and even infants raised as vegans can get all the nutrients they

need for good health, according to two reports in the June issue of the

Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Because vegans shun all animal products, they may get too little of some

nutrients found in meat and dairy products, such as calcium and vitamin

B12. Nutrient deficiencies are a particular concern when it comes to

growing babies and children.

But according to the reports, a well-rounded vegan diet--sometimes

supplemented with certain nutrients like B12 and zinc--can provide

children with all their nutrition needs. 

Reza Ganjavi: but I would not raise my kid as vegan - and I am not vegan myself either. I don't eat meat but enjoy high quality dairy products.

~~~-

By Reza Ganjavi - 23 Dec 08

the beans look heavenly - slightly sprouted - boiled and threw away the water - no gas

for new bean eater the high fiber content may feel awkward but that's all it is. it's a high fiber food and has good protein. not all amino acids. best combined with something else - bread, corn, rice, flour, other grains, or dairy but my body loves beans alone too -- they have vitamins and mineral (e.g. lot of B vitamins, calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, magnesium, etc.), are low in fat, and give leg muscles a boost of glycogen which I really feel and it's comforting. Perfect food for athletes but they need to prepared correctly to avoid gas (soak - rinse - boil - rinse -- easy).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~---------

Tuesday April 3   6:19 PM ET

Soy Appears to Stave Off Alzheimer's in Monkeys

By Keith Mulvihill

SAN DIEGO (Reuters Health) - Soy may have a protective effect against Alzheimer's disease (news -

web sites), according to results of a new animal study.

~~~

Wednesday January 3  2:25 PM ET

Soy Foods May Protect Bones After

Menopause

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A diet rich in soy may help women retain strong bones after menopause,

thereby reducing their risk of fractures and osteoporosis, research findings suggest.

~~~

Friday November 30 1:33 PM ET

Beans, Peas Can Cut Heart Disease Risk: Study

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Bulking up the diet with legumes such as beans and peas can lower

the risk of heart disease, study findings suggest.

Men and women who ate legumes at least four times a week had a 22% lower risk of coronary heart

disease over 19 years than those who consumed legumes once weekly, researchers report in the

November 26th issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine (news - web sites).

The most enthusiastic legume eaters also had lower blood pressure and total cholesterol, and were

less likely to be diagnosed with high blood pressure and diabetes.

The findings have implications for the health of America, where heart disease is the leading killer of

adults and one of the leading causes of premature and permanent disability, according to Dr. Lydia A.

Bazzano from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and colleagues.

Legumes are rich in soluble fiber, which has been shown to help lower total cholesterol and LDL

(''bad'') cholesterol levels and improve insulin resistance, the study authors note. Legumes also contain

low levels of sodium and high levels of potassium, calcium and magnesium--a combination that is

associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. Folate, a mineral also found in abundance in legumes,

is thought to reduce blood levels of homocysteine, a compound that can boost heart disease risk.

``Increasing legume consumption may be an important part of dietary interventions to reduce the risk

of coronary heart disease,'' Bazzano and colleagues write.

~~~

SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism  ;86:3045-

Soy Protein Suppresses Breast Cancer Hormones

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Antioxidant compounds found in soy foods have been shown to reduce levels of hormones associated with breast cancer risk in women. Now, the results of a small study suggest that other factors associated with soy may also play a role in lowering cancer risk.

~~~

Soy May Reduce Heart Risk Factors

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Including hearty amounts of soy in the diet may improve some heart disease risk factors in healthy men and postmenopausal women, recent study findings suggest.Individuals who consumed soy protein reduced their blood pressure, cholesterol levels and other fatty substances in the blood over 3 months, compared with individuals who consumed protein that did not contain soy, report researchers.

Still, ``the results of the present study suggest that soy may have a role to play in the prevention of cardiovascular disease,'' conclude Dr. Helena J. Teede from Monash University in Clayton, Australia, and associates.

According to the study in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, phytoestrogens, which are plant-based estrogen-like compounds found in soy, may mimic the beneficial effects of estrogen on the heart. Soy also contains antioxidants--compounds that neutralize disease-causing free radicals before they can damage cells.

SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism  ;86:3053-

WATER

Friday November 30 5:29 PM ET

Runners Beware: Too Much Water Can Be Dangerous

By Keith Mulvihill

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Marathon runners consuming copious amounts of water to avoid

dehydration during their 26-mile run should know that too much of a good thing can lead to illness.

Excessive exercise and drinking large amounts of water can lead to steep falls in blood levels of

circulating electrolytes (salts), which are essential for many body processes. Symptoms of

hyponatremia can include fatigue, confusion, dizziness and, in extreme cases, coma.

Exercise itself releases an antidiuretic hormone and slows blood flow to the kidneys--reducing urine

output.

Maharam also recommends that runners should not consume more than 800 milliliters (about two cups)

of water for each hour they are on the course.

~~~

- My chinese neighbour who even makes pancakes with chopsticks said in China they always drink warm water - a yoga teacher said same thing - that wam water is good for body. The Chinese explained how boiling water will make the hard water (Ca(HCO3)2) when heated break down: the CaCO3 remains as residue in the pot, CO2 evaporates, H2O remains with whatever minerals (e.g. Mg, Fe…)... she suggests boiling water for 3 minutes or more and letting it sit warm. Anurag, our other engineer neighbour says because the body does not get that hot the chalk etc. never separates and is excreted.

~~~

FASTING

 Fasting is good. It cleanses. Reduced calorie is good. And it gets body's survival mechanism going which keeps you young. 

~~~

SPROUTS

Sprouted flours are highly digestible. According to Shiloh Farms' website : "When grains are sprouted they are converted into a living food with more vital nutrients that are more easily absorbed by the body. Sprouted flour digests as a vegetable not as a starch." 

~~~

PARKINSON'S / DAIRY PRODUCTS

13 dec 02 -- NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Men--but not women--who eat a lot of dairy products appear to have a slightly higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease (news - web sites), but researchers cautioned that more study is needed to confirm the finding.

Dr. Honglei Chen from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts said that even if diet played a role in the development of Parkinson's disease, it would likely be only one of many factors. Consequently, cutting back on dairy may not affect risk of Parkinson's disease in men, and may increase their risk of other conditions linked to low calcium and vitamin D.

Although the association between dairy products and the risk of Parkinson's disease appeared strong, Chen told Reuters Health that researchers need to confirm this finding in other studies, and understand more about how these ingredients might raise risk before recommending that men scale back on dairy.

~~~

Man's best friend in the dock over blindness risk

PARIS (AFP) - People may become infected from a worm that causes blindness simply by stroking a dog that carries the parasite, according to research.

The worm, Toxocara canis, lives in dog intestines and -- until now -- was only thought to be transmissible to humans through contact with dog faeces which contain the parasite's eggs or with faeces-tainted soil, according to the next issue of New Scientist.

The risk of toxocara infection is statistically remote but the results can be horrific.

The worm can grow in the back of the eyeball, causing lesions that in the severest cases can lead to blindness, or it can migrate to the liver and lungs, causing a debilitating lethargy called toxocariasis.

Those most at risk are young children who touch the faeces or soil and then suck or lick their fingers. After ingestion, the eggs hatch in the intestine and the larvae are carried to other parts of the body by blood circulation.

British veterinarians have now discovered T. canis eggs in dog hair in addition to canine faeces, New Scientist says.

Of 60 dogs that they examined, a quarter had eggs of the worm in their hair, the British weekly says.

A total of 71 eggs were found, a quarter of which had begun to develop embryos. Three of this number were found to contain embryos that were mature enough to infect humans.

The vets, Ian Wright and Alan Wolfe, say theirs is the first study to examine the coats of dogs as a source of toxocara infection.

"We looked mainly at the anal region and the backs of legs," Wright told the British science weekly.

The eggs are just a millimetre (0.04 inches) long and are sticky, which means they could easily be picked up by someone stroking the animal.

Dog owners should give worming pills to puppies every fortnight for the first three months, then once a month for the following three months, says Wright.

After six months, dogs develop some immunity and only need worming every six months and washing every fortnight.

His most important advice is for people to wash their hands with soap and water before meals and after giving the dog a good stroke, and for families to be big on hygiene if infants and babies share their home with a dog.

In the United States, around 10,000 people a year become infected with toxocara.

In Britain, the risk is far lower -- fewer than 20 people per year in a population out of 60 million -- partly because many of the population have developed immunity to the parasite through exposure to it.

Research: Refined Grains Expand Girths

By IRA DREYFUSS, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Many Americans are like a loaf of bread — soft, with one side round. Their choice of bread may be part of the reason. Some researchers say white bread and other refined grains seem to go to the gut and hang out as belly fat.

Table of Food Sources of Magnesium

Food

Milligrams

%DV

100% Bran, 2Tbs

44

11

Avocado, Florida, 1/2 med

103

26

Wheat germ, tosted, 1 oz

90

22

Almonds, dry roasted, 1 oz

86

21

Cereal, shredded wheat,

2 rectangular biscuits

80

20

Seeds, pumpkin, 1/2 oz

75

19

Cashews, dry roasted, 1 oz

73

18

Nuts, mixed, dry roasted 1 oz

66

17

Spinach, cooked, 1/2 c

65

16

Bran flakes, 1/2 c

60

15

Cereal, oats, instant/fortified

cooked w/water, 1 c

56

14

Potatoe, baked w/skin, 1 med

55

14

Soybeans, cooked, 1/2 c

54

14

Peanuts, dry roasted, 1 oz

50

13

Peanut butter, 2 Tbs

50

13

ABOUT NETI POT

scottishmommy:

Ok stop using the neti pot until your sinuses clear. Pooring water into already swollen nasal passages can make congestion worse and possibly damage your ears. If I were you I would get some real sudafed (you have to get it from the pharmaicist). Generally I don't like using sudafed, but sometimes it can help prevent sinus infections because it allows things to drain. I hope you feel better soon!

Eta

The reason I know this is because I did the exact same thing last year and ended up with a sinus infection. Ugh

ACV thins mucus almost immediately. One of the first things you will notice after drinking apple cider vinegar is that the color of your mucus goes from white or green and thick, to thin and clear. The thinning of mucus is the key to kicking your sinus infection. Once you have thin mucus, you can clobber the infection with one of many remedies from this page. Wild oregano oil is one of our favorites for bacterial infections, but grapefruit seed extract is also very potent. Whatever remedy you try, remember to keep up the apple cider vinegar throughout the day for several days and drink lots and lots of water.

~~~

Vitamin D lowers cancer risk: study 

Cancer researchers urged people on Wednesday to take more vitamin D to lower their risk of colon, breast and ovarian cancer, saying studies showed a clear link. 

… 

Vitamin D is found in milk, as well as in some fortified orange juice, yogurt and cheeses, usually at around 100 international units (IU) a serving. 

People might want to consider a vitamin supplement to raise their intake to 1000 IUs per day, Garland said, adding that it was well within the safety guidelines].

~~~

CANDLES

§ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259249337_Emission_of_air_pollutants_from_burning_candles_with_different_composition_in_indoor_environments

§ https://www.besthealthmag.ca/article/news-candle-smoke-could-be-as-toxic-as-cigarettes/

§ https://www.goblueox.com/blog/are-candles-bad-for-the-air-quality-in-your-home/

§ https://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/21/candles.air.pollution/

§ https://enviroklenz.com/are-candles-toxic-indoor-air-quality

§ https://www.secondnature.com/blog/the-danger-of-candles-to-your-indoor-air

§ https://wellnessmama.com/4629/clean-indoor-air/

§ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S135223101 683

§ https://www.momscleanairforce.org/can-holiday-candles-cause-air-pollution/

CHAMOMILE

Chamomile Tea

During the study, researchers tested the urine of 14 healthy volunteers who drank five cups of chamomile tea every day for two weeks. They found that drinking tea produced changes in the urine that suggest there was an increase in a substance that helps the body fight off colds. Tea drinkers also produced higher levels of a substance called glycine, which can ease muscle spasms. This finding may help support claims the tea can relieve menstrual cramps, the researchers note.

SOURCE: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, January 26  ( quoted from Reuters )

~~~

TURMERIC

January 18  Curried Cauliflower Effective Against Prostate Cancer

RUTGERS, New Jersey, January 16  (ENS) - Turmeric, the mild spice that gives curry its deep yellow color, appears to have good potential for the treatment and prevention of prostate cancer, particularly when combined with certain vegetables, Rutgers University scientists have discovered. The scientists tested turmeric, also known as curcumin,long with phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), a naturally occurring substance particularly abundant in a group of vegetables including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi turnips, and watercress. "The bottom line is that PEITC and curcumin, alone or in combination, demonstrate significant cancer-preventive qualities in laboratory mice, and the combination of PEITC and curcumin could be effective in treating established prostate cancers," said Ah-Ng Tony Kong, a professor of pharmaceutics at Rutgers.

~~~

They said curcumin, found in the spice turmeric, interferes with melanoma cells and could help fight skin cancer.

~~~

A compound found in the curry spice turmeric may suppress production of a protein that spurs tumor growth in the body, researchers report.

~~~

The pigment that gives curry spice its yellow hue may also be able to break up the "plaques" that mark the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients, early research suggests. Scientists found that curcumin, a component of the yellow curry spice turmeric, was able to reduce deposits of beta-amyloid proteins in the brains of elderly lab mice that ate curcumin as part of their diets.

SOURCE: Journal of Biological Chemistry, online Dec. 7 . (quoted Reuters)

~~~

NAP / SLEEP 

Afternoon nap may lower heart disease risk

Taking midday naps often may significantly reduce the risk of death from coronary heart disease, according to a new study by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the University of Athens Medical School (UAMS) in Greece.

~~~

HUMANS ANATOMY / FOOD

by Steve Pavlina

Are human beings anatomically more similar to natural carnivores or to natural herbivores? Let’s find out….

Intestinal tract length. Carnivorous animals have intestinal tracts that are 3-6x their body length, while herbivores have intestinal tracts 10-12x their body length. Human beings have the same intestinal tract ratio as herbivores.

Stomach acidity. Carnivores’ stomachs are 20x more acidic than the stomachs of herbivores. Human stomach acidity matches that of herbivores.

Saliva. The saliva of carnivores is acidic. The saliva of herbivores is alkaline, which helps pre-digest plant foods. Human saliva is alkaline.

Shape of intestines. Carnivore bowels are smooth, shaped like a pipe, so meat passes through quickly — they don’t have bumps or pockets. Herbivore bowels are bumpy and pouch-like with lots of pockets, like a windy mountain road, so plant foods pass through slowly for optimal nutrient absorption. Human bowels have the same characteristics as those of herbivores.

Fiber. Carnivores don’t require fiber to help move food through their short and smooth digestive tracts. Herbivores require dietary fiber to move food through their long and bumpy digestive tracts, to prevent the bowels from becoming clogged with rotting food. Humans have the same requirement as herbivores.

Cholesterol. Cholesterol is not a problem for a carnivore’s digestive system. A carnivore such as a cat can handle a high-cholesterol diet without negative health consequences. A human cannot. Humans have zero dietary need for cholesterol because our bodies manufacture all we need. Cholesterol is only found in animal foods, never in plant foods. A plant-based diet is by definition cholesterol-free.

Claws and teeth. Carnivores have claws, sharp front teeth capable of subduing prey, and no flat molars for chewing. Herbivores have no claws or sharp front teeth capable of subduing prey, but they have flat molars for chewing. Humans have the same characteristics as herbivores.

But aren’t humans anatomically suited to be omnivores?

Nope. We don’t anatomically match up with omnivorous animals anymore than we do with carnivorous ones. Omnivores are more similar to carnivores than they are to herbivores. For a more detailed summary table that compares the properties of carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores side by side, see this page:

Comparative Anatomy & Taxonomy

The link above also debunks the opportunistic feeder theory, which states that because humans can eat like omnivores, that we must therefore be omnivores. And this is of course false because mere behavior doesn’t indicate suitability. There are plenty of things we can do as a species that would threaten our survival if we all considered them suitable default behavior, such as shooting each other, lobbing hand grenades, or sending spam.

Most People Don’t Need to Take Omega-3 Supplements

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/most-dont-need-omega-3-supplements

9. Flaxseed (2,350 mg per serving)

These small brown or yellow seeds are often ground, milled, or pressed to extract oil.

They are by far the richest whole food source of the omega-3 fat alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Therefore, flaxseed oil is often used as an omega-3 supplement.

Flaxseed is also a good source of fiber, magnesium, and other nutrients. The seeds have a great omega-6 to omega-3 ratio as compared with most other oily plant seeds (19Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source, 22Trusted Source).

Omega-3 content: 2,350 mg of ALA per tablespoon (10.3 grams) of whole seeds, or 7,260 mg per tablespoon (13.6 grams) of oil (19Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source)

10. Chia seeds (5,050 mg per serving) 

Chia seeds are incredibly nutritious — rich in manganese, selenium, magnesium, and a few other nutrients (23Trusted Source). 

A standard 1-ounce (28-gram) serving of chia seeds contains 5 grams of protein, including all eight essential amino acids.

Omega-3 content: 5,050 mg of ALA per ounce (28 grams) (23Trusted Source)

11. Walnuts (2,570 mg per serving)

Walnuts are very nutritious and loaded with fiber. They also contain high amounts of copper, manganese, and vitamin E, as well as important plant compounds (24Trusted Source).

Make sure not to remove the skin, as it packs most of walnuts’ phenol antioxidants, which offer important health benefits (25).

Omega-3 content: 2,570 mg of ALA per ounce (28 grams), or about 14 walnut halves (24Trusted Source)

12. Soybeans (670 mg per serving)

Soybeans are a good source of fiber and vegetable protein.

They are also a good source of other nutrients, including riboflavin, folate, vitamin K, magnesium, and potassium (26Trusted Source).

However, soybeans are also very high in omega-6 fatty acids. Researchers have suggested that eating too much omega-6 may cause inflammation (27Trusted Source).

Omega-3 content: 670 mg of ALA in a 1/2 cup (47 grams) of dry roasted soybeans, or 1,440 mg per 3.5 ounces (100 grams) (26Trusted Source)

Good sources of ALA are ground or milled flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, chia seeds, walnuts, soy foods and canola oil. Another source of ALA is algae or algae oil, which is broken down to DHA. Many foods that are fortified with omega-3 use algae oil. These are excellent options for vegetarians that do not eat fish.

~~~~~~

LYSINE 

You need enough Lysine and not too much Arginine. Herpes Zoster virus which most people have in their bodies, lies dormant in a ganglion in spine. Lysine prevents it from proliferating. When person gets too stressed, the immune system gets weak and the virus wakes up. Lysin suppresses it. 

Eat these Foods Rich in Lysine (and low in arginine)

!"Yogurt

!"Most cheese (and other dairy products)

Learn the steps you can take to kiss your cold sore goodbye https://quantumhealth.com/blog/post/kiss-your-cold-sore-goodbye

!"Apples, mangoes, apricots, pears (and many other fruits).

Lysine plays an important role in supporting your immune system. It may also improve athletic performance. The typical dietary guideline for lysine is 1 gram (g) or 1000 milligrams per day.

First, the amount of lysine. You want to aim for at least 1.5-3 grams of lysine per day.

Our bodies can’t produce essential amino acids.

If you’re interested in upping your lysine intake while consuming as little arginine as possible, try eating dried apricots. On average, dehydrated, uncooked apricots have twice as much lysine as arginine per serving.

Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid, which means your body

makes it in addition to getting it from food sources. You should

be getting enough arginine from a well-balanced diet. Arginine is

good for you but it competes with lysine for absorption. For

certain conditions, and to get as much benefit from lysine as

possible, you’ll want to consume less arginine.

avocados

dried apricots and mangoes

tomatoes

pears

green and red peppers

potatoes

Legumes

tempeh

tofu

soybeans

soy milk

Beans

kidney beans

navy beans

black beans

edamame

pumpkin seeds

pistachios

cashews

macadamia nuts

quinoa

amaranth

buckwheat

seitan

yogurt

cheese

butter

milk

Spirulina

Avoid these foods rich in Arginine (and low in lysine)

!"Most nuts

!"Most seeds

!"Many grains (including oats and wheat).

!"Jello

!"Chocolate

In addition, some experts recommend an alkaline diet, which consists of foods that

are low in acid. Here’s a list of acidic and alkaline foods.

Eat these alkaline foods:

!"Most fruits (including lemon, believe it or not).

!"Peppers, asparagus and parsley

Here’s a table of the best high lysine low arginine

vegan foods per 100 gram serving:

Food Lysine(g) Arginine(g) Ratio

Cauliflower 0.22 0.09 2.52

Apricot 0.10 0.04 2.16

Mango 0.07 0.03 2.13

Avocado 0.13 0.09 1.48

Bamboo shoot 0.08 0.06 1.39

The 30 Best High Lysine Low Arginine Vegan Foods

VegFAQs ABOUT CONTACT Navy beans 0.52 0.41 1.25

Green bean 0.09 0.07 1.20

Sweet potato 0.07 0.06 1.19

Adzuki beans 0.57 0.49 1.17

Rapini 0.20 0.17 1.15

Asparagus 0.11 0.10 1.15

Guava 0.07 0.07 1.11

Kidney beans 0.59 0.54 1.11

Black beans 0.61 0.55 1.11

Carrot 0.10 0.09 1.11

Spinach 0.17 0.16 1.07

Kale 0.17 0.16 1.07

Lotus root 0.09 0.09 1.07

White potato 0.09 0.08 1.06

The 30 Best High Lysine Low Arginine Vegan Foods | VegFAQs https://vegfaqs.com/best-high-lysine-low-arginine-vegan-foods/

4 of 19 8/19/22, 10:39 PM

VegFAQs ABOUT CONTACT Turnip greens 0.10 0.09 1.04

Leek 0.08 0.08 1.00

Mung bean 0.49 0.49 1.00

Lima beans 0.45 0.46 0.99

Okra 0.08 0.08 0.96

Cowpeas 0.21 0.22 0.94

Watercress 0.14 0.15 0.92

Lentils 0.63 0.70 0.90

Swiss chard 0.10 0.12 0.85

Chestnut 0.19 0.23 0.83

Brussels

sprouts

0.12 0.15 0.76

Barley 0.08 0.11 0.75

Soybeans 0.74 0.99 0.74

The 30 Best High Lysine Low Arginine Vegan Foods | VegFAQs https://vegfaqs.com/best-high-lysine-low-arginine-vegan-foods/

5 of 19 8/19/22, 10:39 PM

VegFAQs ABOUT CONTACT

spinach

0.11 0.15 0.73

Seaweed

(dried)

3.03 4.14 0.73

Chickpeas 0.59 0.83 0.71

Broccoli 0.14 0.19 0.71

Quinoa 0.24 0.34 0.70

Squash

In general, you want to focus on:

!"Fruits – Even though they don’t have much

protein, they have a relatively high amount of

lysine. Apricots, mangos, apples, plums,

peaches, etc. are all good. They’re also one

of the main sources of vegan vitamin C.

!"Vegetables – Cauliflower, avocado, and bell

peppers are all near the top of the list.

!"Legumes – Multiple types of beans 

Legumes should be the main plant protein source for anyone on a high lysine, low arginine vegan diet.

Cauliflower is a standard healthy vegetable. It has a decent amount of vitamins and minerals, plus a

bit of protein. Most importantly, it has the best ratio of lysine to arginine of any plant that I could find.

Basically, spinach is a food that just about any vegan should try to eat as much as possible of. I try to eat at least a few bunches per week.

The Vegan Foods With the WORST Ratio of Lysine to Arginine

Walnut 0.248 1.333 0.19

Hazelnut 0.283 1.492 0.19

Grapes 0.013 0.064 0.20

Sesame seeds 0.41 1.894 0.22

Grapefruit 0.052 0.234 0.22

Pine nuts 0.365 1.629 0.22

Brazil nut 0.326 1.423 0.23

Almonds 0.307 1.331 0.23

Pecans 0.142 0.583 0.24

Coconut meat 0.146 0.542 0.27

Hemp seeds 0.383 1.365 0.28

Peanuts 0.676 2.252 0.30

Cassava 0.09 0.279 0.32

Onion 0.029 0.078 0.37

Chia seeds 0.291 0.643 0.45

AMALGAM

Note by Reza Ganjavi : MS had Neurodermitis -- he took out all his amalgams and the problem went away.

Excellent article: https://stgvisie.home.xs4all.nl/AMALGAM/EN/SCIENCE/bernie_science.html

Mercury Exposure 

Dental Mercury Toxicity and Health effects Bibliography

by Bernard Windham

1. Toxicity and Health Effects of Mercury 904-878-9024

 II. Systemic Mercury Intake Levels from Amalgam Filling Exposure

 III. Medical Studies Finding Health Problems Related to Amalgam Fillings

 IV. Health Effects from Dental Staff Exposure to Mercury

 V. Documented Results of Removal of Amalgam Fillings

 VI. Scientific Panel and Government Bodies That Have Found Amalgam Fillings Unsafe

Dr. Klinghardt woo woo medicine

The Klinghardt Neurotoxin Elimination Protocol blah blah...  and 9 Steps to Detox from Mercury Fillings

[I removed theis section because it was by Dietrich Klinghardt whom I do not trust because he was also selling BX Protocol "Cure All"! (see https://www.rezamusic.com/writings/law-ethics/bx-protocol-asd-ponzi-scheme-fake-knights-of-malta )

Acrylamide

Norwegian Study Backs Fried Food Cancer Danger

OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian scientists said on Thursday they had confirmed Swedish research indicating that fried and baked foods contained a cancer-causing substance and urged big eaters to cut back.

Link Seen Between Cooking, Cancer  Frying, Baking Starches Creates A Carcinogen\

  The process of frying and baking starchy foods

  such as potatoes and bread causes the formation

  of potentially harmful amounts of a chemical listed

  as a probable carcinogen, the Swedish

  government said yesterday.

  The Swedish officials said they were so surprised

  by the information that they decided to make it

  public immediately, rather than wait for publication

  in a scientific journal.

FOOD SAFETY/ACRYLAMIDE: 

HEADLINE: Could these foods be giving us cancer?: Acrylamide is a chemical used in the manufacture of plastics and the treatment of water. It is also carcinogenic. But what nobody knew until recently was that it occurs at dangerously high levels in baked and fried foods such as chips, crisps and breakfast cereals. So should we worry? Jenni Russell investigates a food scare that could revolutionise the way we eat

Acrylamide is a genotoxic carcinogen that causes damage to the nervous system, and is listed as "probably" carcinogenic to humans. A chemical used in the manufacture of plastics, it is also present in tobacco smoke, and is used in the treatment of drinking water. The US Environmental Protection Agency considers it potentially so dangerous that it has fixed the safe level for human consumption at almost zero. The maximum permissible level of acrylamide in American drinking water is 0.5 parts per billion, or 0.5 micrograms per litre.

 ~~~

2017:

Studies in rodent models have found that acrylamide exposure increases the risk for several types of cancer (10–13). In the body, acrylamide is converted to a compound called glycidamide , which causes mutations in and damage to DNA.Dec 5, 2017

POLLUTANTS

                     Long-Lasting Pollutant Found in Fertilizer, Fish

                     By Keith Mulvihill

                     NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Biosolids, the treated sewage sludge

                     that is spread on cropland as a fertilizer, contain ''high concentrations of

                     an environmentally persistent class of organic pollutants'' called

                     brominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs), study results indicate.

                     And the researchers report that they found BDEs in 87% of fish

                     sampled from Virginia waters, with one fish close to setting a world

                     record for contaminant levels.

                     ``This finding indicates that significant environmental release of these

                     pollutants is occurring in the United States and that humans may be

                     exposed to them through their diet,'' according to Dr. Robert C. Hale

                     and colleagues from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in

                     Gloucester Point.

~~~

Purportedly, according to Howard Lyman author of The Mad Cowboy, if you rinse off your non-organic fruits and veggies with bio degradable liquid soap that gets rid of 75-80 percent of the pesticides and insecticides. That is what he told my students when I had him come out and add us to his speaking engagement tour.

In Health,

Jinjee

Common Herbicide Causes Genital  Abnormalities in Frogs