Know Which Food is Genetically Modfied

[gratefully borrowed from http://www.care2.com/greenliving/know-which-food-is-genetically-modfied.html]

One of my friends sent me a great article today on how to know which food is genetically modified, as well as which food is organic, or just conventionally grown.

Did you know that an amazing 80 percent of processed foods are genetically modified? I wasn’t a big fan of processed foods before I read that, but will be even less enthusiastic (if that’s possible) now.

In an article published on FriendsEat.com, Spencer Cooper tells us the codes to look for in determining what type of food we’re getting. You’re looking for the number in front of the four-digit Price Look Up, or PLU, code on the product you’re about to buy and subsequently put in your mouth. A 9 means organic, an 8 means genetically engineered (GE) or genetically modified (GMO); and just the four-digit code means conventionally grown (i.e. pesticides, chemical fertilizer, stuff like that).

The example Cooper gives us is clarifies all this:
A conventionally-grown banana will have a code of 4011
An organic banana will be 94011
A GE or GMO banana will be 84011

So cool! I had no idea. I buy organic whenever possible, but now will be on the lookout for the telltale eight or missing fifth number.

- Jocelyn Broyles

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/know-which-food-is-genetically-modfied.html#ixzz1NNjK8K3b

10 Reasons to Hate Veg*ans

It's continually amazing to me how intense are the feelings of meat eaters when they become aware they've come into contact with a veg*an (vegetarian/vegan). Rarely do they ask pertinent questions: "Why did you decide to abstain from animal products?"; "Have you found your diet/lifestyle to be beneficial?"; even, "How are you doing with your decision?"

Instead, they either step back, aghast and fearful of infection with the disease, or they attack: "What're you some kind of hippy nutcase?"; "There's nothing in the Bible that says eating meat is a sin - IN FACT! God tells us to eat meat!"; and the fake caring, "Oh dear! How do you get your protein? Aren't you afraid you'll get sick?" (Like they go around counting how many grams of protein, etc. they eat!)

So many of them wind up getting all confused and tangled up in their false claims and fears, it's rather sad to watch them. Therefore, I thought I'd help our my carcass-eating friends with a list of good, solid reasons to hate veg*ans:

1. Them durn veg*uns are always tellin me how meat and good stuff will hurt me! How dare they stick their ol noses in my business? If I want to ruin my and my kids' health, that's my own business! I can push any dangerous substance on my kids I want to, like hamburgers, hot dogs, cigarettes, beer, meth, milk, sodie pops. They're my kids!
2. Looking smug while sitting there all skinny and healthy and all! If I want a 52 inch waist line, I'll durn sure have one! I don't need your ol pink cheeks grinnin at me when I try to get up from my chair.
3. They don't hold up their end on supporting the healthcare industry. Why is it, me and my kids have to be sure the doctors and hospitals and clinics stay in business? Stoopid veg*ans don't have to go to them near as much as we*uns do. Just ain't fair! (Where's my heart pills, Mother, I'm a gittin worked up!)
4. And how come I have to pay more for life insurance then them? If I'm gonna die sooner, seems like mine should cost less!
5. They don't have to walk near as far as I do when they go grocery shopping! There dumb ol produce department is always at the front of the store, while my meat, cheese, and budder is all the way at the back! Don't the grocery store people know we get short of breath quicker?
6. They make me sick, goin on and on about how my beloved meat is hurting the environment. Who cares about the chicken, cow, and pig poop anyways? That's just good fertilizer to grow more crops to feed my animals. Who cares if it takes a whole lot more veggies to make a little bit of meat? Ain't like people's starvin, is it?
7. They make me feel uncomfortable with all their talk about sufferin and tortured animals. I can't help it if animals gotta be penned up tight all their lives so I can eat a big ol greasy burger. It ain't none a my business how the food gets to my plate, just so long as there's plenty of it!
8. If they're so concerned about the starving children in third world countries, let them kids raise their own cows and pigs and chickens! I don't know what they'll feed their animals! Send them some food for the animals! Starvin kids across the world ain't my concern, as long as my kids get hot dogs and pertater chips!
   
9. It also annoys me when they start off talkin about God meanin for us to be veg*uns in the beginning. That was then, in the Garden of Eden. I don't care what God wanted us to do. I ain't never killt no body - not directly, anyways. I CAIN'T LIVE WITHOUT MY MEAT!
10. When we all get old, I've heard them veg*uns will be stealing our wives and husbands in the nursing homes! It ain't fair! Not only will they live longer, they'll be in better shape! Stoopid veg*uns! Wow! muy hearts a'poundin outta my chest! Mother! where's them heart pills? Better call 9-1-1 agin, Mother. I'm having another one of them attacks!

Feel free to pass this along to your meat eating friends. Just don't wait too long - you may be too late!

Immunize Yourself!

Scientists have recently discovered that vitamin D, known to support bone health and much more, is a crucial component in our body's immune system. This often overlooked vitamin serves to activate T cells so they can fight off viral and bacterial invaders.


Researchers have found that T cells rely on vitamin D in order to activate and that they remain dormant if vitamin D is lacking in the blood. In other words, if there’s not enough vitamin D in the blood, then the T cells remain passive and no immune response occurs. Their study was published in the journal Nature Immunology.

Professor Carsten Geisler, of the Department of International Health, Immunology and Microbiology, explains that “when a T cell is exposed to a foreign pathogen, it extends a signaling device or ‘antenna’ known as a vitamin D receptor, with which it searches for vitamin D. This means that the T cell must have vitamin D or activation of the cell will cease. If the T cells (white blood cells) cannot find enough vitamin D in the blood, they won’t even begin to mobilize.”

And that could spell trouble—especially since 75% of U.S. teens and adults are deficient in vitamin D.
Make sure your T cells are activated this season. T cells are part of the adaptive immune system. That means that they function by teaching the immune system to recognize and adapt to constantly changing threats.

T cells are white blood cells that can transform into two types of cells—at least once they’re activated. One type searches and destroys infectious agents, while the other type records information about the invading pathogen and communicates that knowledge to other parts of the immune system. That’s why the latter cells are called “helper” cells; they help the immune system respond quickly if there is a future infection with a similar invader.

The key here is that these T cells must be activated in order to function properly. If they’re not activated, then they just sit there—with no immune response—and those invaders can march right on in and gain a foothold.

So what activates these killer T cells? Vitamin D.

You heard right.  To make sure your family has a healthy immune system during this coming flu season, you don't have to rely on a very questionable flu shot which many are avoiding like the plague. Instead, help your bodies' own natural immune systems by supplying your family with enough vitamin D to fight off the invaders themselves, naturally.
 

This information is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be used in place of an individual consultation or examination or replace the advice of your health care professional and should not be relied upon to determine diagnosis or course of treatment. Find a doctor who is open to alternative, natural cures and not just brainwashed by the pharmaceutical industry!

When I Am the Brat

Twila Paris sings a song, The Warrior is A Child, about a Christian minister who falls into his Father's arms when he gets hurt or tired, despite others thinking he is a tough warrior. I love that song because it so clearly depicts the parent's or stepparent's dilemma. We are supposed to be strong, to remain calm and wise, to bear all the stepkids' attacks and our own children's tests, and to be saintly to our dear spouse. But we can be just as weak and just as prone to failures as anyone else in our family ... can't we?

I lost it last night. I have excuses. Input overload; tired from pressures of work; frustrated over numerous small problems; a slow Internet signal; cats determined to steal some of our cheese dip; on and on. You know, life. Anyway, one straw too many was dropped onto this camel's back and I sort of, you know, ... exploded at everyone. Threw a fit. Had a tantrum. Acted inappropriately. And ruined what had been until my outburst a perfect evening at home. My darling wife had blessed me with a short nap when we got home, then a wonderful dinner, then a quiet evening together. And I blew it.

On my way to work this morning I stopped at a little park on the way and gathered the fragments of my mind for a moment by the lake. It is a perfectly still, cool morning today, so the surface of the lake is like a sheet of glass. No ducks or geese make trails across the water today. As I look at the lake, I see so clearly the trees, rocks, and walkers on the other side of the lake, reflected in the pristine surface. An occasional bubble from a bottom feeding turtle breaks the surface and causes ripples that disrupt the serene picture in the liquid mirror, but overall it's perfect.

The Bible says, "Be still and know that I Am God." And, once again, He is right.

When I am at peace, I more clearly reflect God. Looking at that lake surface, you have to really focus to see the lake itself. Instead, you see what is reflected on it's peaceful face, in this case, the beautiful natural setting on the other side of the lake. When I am at peace, you do not at first see me. You see what I reflect.

However, on a windy day when waves disrupt the lake, or when outside forces disturb it (like ducks or rocks thrown by someone), the lake itself jumps into view. You lose the serene picture of the reflection and are jolted back to looking only at the lake and what's disturbing it.

How much time do you devote to peaceful meditation and prayer? How many times during the day do you sit aside the jangling issues of your life to find your peaceful, quiet center? ("Be still and know that I Am God.")

If you are a spouse to someone you value; if you are a parent to a normal child; if you are a stepparent to a "typical" stepchild, you need to "renew your strength" on a regular basis. To be who your mate, your children, and your stepchildren depend on, you must give them the gift of a peaceful you. And in order to have that peaceful you available for them, you must take time for your surface to grow calm.

I know, I know. In a hectic daily grind life of work, chores, responsibilities, parenting, marriage, and everything else, it can seem impossible to find your quiet self. But of all your tasks, this one is one of the most important. You MUST do it. In order to be the person your family is depending upon, you MUST repair your soul regularly. Join a prayer group or a Bible study class or a yoga class. Find a quiet park on the way to work and leave early enough to stop there. Hire a coach to guide you.

Get something in place to help you. Because, if you're like the vast majority of overburdened individuals out there, you'll set it aside and place your serenity last. If you put it off, if you let it slide, you will wake up someday ashamed and disturbed at what you've become. You owe it to your family, your God, and yourself to do this.

If you just cannot find a way to find your peaceful center otherwise, I will help. But whatever method or assistant you choose, DO IT. Your future is counting on you.


God bless your whole family!
STEPcoach Bob Collins

To hear Twila Paris' song and read the lyrics, you can go here: http://artists.letssingit.com/twila-paris-lyrics-warrior-is-a-child-dcc26pg

Antibiotic Soap Danger!!!

The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing the safety of a widely used chemical found in antibacterial soap, toothpaste and other consumer goods.

The agency said Thursday in an online statement it is looking into recent studies showing the chemical triclosan can alter hormone levels in animals. Other studies suggest the chemical increases bacterial resistance to antibiotics.

The FDA says it currently has no evidence that triclosan is hazardous to humans and does not recommend consumers avoid it. However, the agency said there is no evidence that soap with triclosan is superior to soap without the ingredient.

The European Union recently banned triclosan from any products that come into contact with food.

[SOURCE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/08/fda-will-review-safety-of_n_530797.html]

FDA approves poison in food

We give so much credence to the FDA and their decisions regarding our health. But issues like the following keep popping up. It is good to keep in mind that the FDA is very open to outside influences, including those by producers of dangerous substances.

"WHY HAS THE FDA ALLOWED A DRUG MARKED 'NOT SAFE FOR USE IN HUMANS' TO BE FED TO LIVESTOCK RIGHT BEFORE SLAUGHTER?:" 02/02/10: "While researchers and scientists investigate the cause of our diabetes, obesity, asthma and ADHD epidemics, they should ask why the FDA approved a livestock drug banned in 160 nations and responsible for hyperactivity, muscle breakdown and 10 percent mortality in pigs, according to angry farmers who phoned the manufacturer... Though banned in Europe, Taiwan and China--more than 1,700 people were "poisoned" from eating Paylean-fed pigs since 1998 says the Sichuan Pork Trade Chamber of Commerce... How does a drug marked, "Not for use in humans. Individuals with cardiovascular disease should exercise special caution to avoid exposure. Use protective clothing, impervious gloves, protective eye wear, and a NIOSH-approved dust mask" become "safe" in human food? With no washout period? The same way Elanco's other two blockbusters, Stilbosol (diethylstilbestrol or DES), now withdrawn, and Posilac or bovine growth hormone (rBST), bought from Monsanto in 2008, became part of the nation's food supply: shameless corporate lobbying. A third of meetings on the Food Safety and Inspection Service's public calendar in January 2009 were with Elanco, a division of Eli Lilly--or about ractopamine...

...Nor can we overlook the effects of "adding these drugs to waterways or well water supplies--via contaminated animal feed and manure runoff-- when this class of drugs is so important in treating children with asthma," says David Wallinga, MD of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy...."

Original story: http://www.alternet.org/story/145503/

Arguments against an Alternate Lifestyle

While I accept that eating meat is a personal choice, and that it is not considered a "sin" by God or His church (just as smoking cigarettes isn't), it is also true that flesh eating is not what our bodies were designed for. We were created with a specific diet (fuel source, if you will) in Mind - vegetables, fruits, nuts, and legumes. Carnivorism, or carrion eating, is an alternative lifestyle choice some may choose over the recommended, natural way we were intended to live.


Whether you choose to avoid dead flesh and blood for religious, environmental, or health reasons, here are some facts which may help you explain your choice to others if they pester you - which scavengers tend to do when their own unnatural lifestyle is challenged. And for some reason (conscience perhaps?) just by being a vegetarian, they feel we challenge their alternative lifestyle.


Thoughts?

The Hunger Argument

Number of people worldwide who will die as a result of malnutrition this year: 20 million
Number of people who could be adequately fed using land freed if Americans reduced their intake of meat by 10%: 100 million
Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by people: 20
Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 80
Percentage of oats grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 95
Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 90
How frequently a child dies as a result of malnutrition: every 2.3 seconds
Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on an acre: 40,000
Pounds of beef produced on an acre: 250
Percentage of U.S. farmland devoted to beef production: 56
Pounds of grain and soybeans needed to produce a pound of edible flesh from feedlot beef: 16

The Environmental Argument

Cause of global warming: greenhouse effect
Primary cause of greenhouse effect: carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels
Fossil fuels needed to produce meat-centered diet vs. a meat-free diet: 3 times more
Percentage of U.S. topsoil lost to date: 75
Percentage of U.S. topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85
Number of acres of U.S. forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260 million
Amount of meat imported to U.S. annually from Central and South America: 300,000,000 pounds
Percentage of Central American children under the age of five who are undernourished: 75
Area of tropical rain forest consumed in every quarter-pound of rain forest beef: 55 square feet
Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rain forests for meat grazing and other uses: 1,000 per year

The Cancer Argument

Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat daily compared to less than once a week: 3.8 times
For women who eat eggs daily compared to once a week: 2.8 times
For women who eat butter and cheese 2-4 times a week: 3.25 times
Increased risk of fatal ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week vs. less than once a week: 3 times
Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily vs. sparingly or not at all: 3.6 times.

The Cholesterol Argument

Number of U.S. medical schools: 125
Number requiring a course in nutrition: 30
Nutrition training received by average U.S. physician during four years in medical school: 2.5 hours
Most common cause of death in the U.S.: heart attack
How frequently a heart attack kills in the U.S.: every 45 seconds
Average U.S. man's risk of death from heart attack: 50 percent
Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat: 15 percent
Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat, dairy or eggs: 4 percent
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of meat, dairy and eggs by 10 percent: 9 percent
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption by 50 percent: 45 percent
Amount you reduce risk if you eliminate meat, dairy and eggs from your diet: 90 percent
Average cholesterol level of people eating meat-centered-diet: 210 mg/dl
Chance of dying from heart disease if you are male and your blood cholesterol level

is 210 mg/dl: greater than 50 percent

The Natural Resources Argument

User of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the U.S.: livestock production
Amount of water used in production of the average cow: sufficient to float a destroyer
Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of wheat: 25
Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of California beef: 5,000
Years the world's known oil reserves would last if every human ate a meat-centered diet: 13
Years they would last if human beings no longer ate meat: 260
Calories of fossil fuel expended to get 1 calorie of protein from beef: 78
To get 1 calorie of protein from soybeans: 2
Percentage of all raw materials (base products of farming, forestry and mining, including fossil fuels) consumed by U.S. that is devoted to the production of livestock: 33
Percentage of all raw materials consumed by the U.S. needed to produce a complete vegetarian diet: 2

The Antibiotic Argument

Percentage of U.S. antibiotics fed to livestock: 55  (70% today)
Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13
Percentage resistant in 1988: 91
Response of European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: ban
Response of U.S. meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: full and complete support

The Pesticide Argument

Common belief: U.S. Department of Agriculture protects our health through meat inspection
Reality: fewer than 1 out of every 250,000 slaughtered animals is tested for toxic chemical residues
Percentage of U.S. mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT: 99
Percentage of U.S. vegetarian mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT: 8
Contamination of breast milk, due to chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides in animal products, found in meat-eating mothers vs. non-meat eating mothers: 35 times higher
Amount of Dieldrin ingested by the average breast-fed American infant: 9 times the permissible level

The Ethical Argument

Number of animals killed for meat per hour in the U.S.: 660,000
Occupation with highest turnover rate in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker
Occupation with highest rate of on-the-job-injury in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker

The Survival Argument

Athlete to win Ironman Triathlon more than twice: Dave Scott (6 time winner)
Food choice of Dave Scott: Vegetarian
Largest meat eater that ever lived: Tyrannosaurus Rex (Where is he today?)

Source = "Diet For A New America" by John Robbins

The Problem with Soda

This is from a Care2 article:

Most soft drinks are made with highly concentrated sweeteners, like high-fructose corn sweetener. Even the “healthier” versions made with good old-fashioned sugar deliver it in a highly concentrated dose. The job of the pancreas is to secrete insulin when needed to process sugar, so when you hit your body with a wallop of sugar, the pancreas goes into overdrive. Experts at the University of Minnesota followed 60,000 people in China and found a link between those who drank large quantities of soda and the incidence of pancreatic cancer. The researchers theorize that stressing the pancreas repeatedly with high doses of sugar leads to inflammation, which in turn sets up a vulnerability to pancreatic cancer.

Their study found that people who drank two or more sodas a week had an 87 percent increase in their risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Since pancreatic cancer is rare, and the overall risk of developing it is low, even an 87 percent increase is not as big as it sounds. But pancreatic cancer is a particularly deadly type of cancer, killing most of those who get it within a few years. So protecting our pancreas is something we all need to take seriously.

 I can't overemphasize this point - it is dangerous to drink sugar pops (sodas, colas, soft drinks, etc). For an adult to do so is about the same as smoking - personal choice to defy a slow, painful death from your body falling apart. For a parent to hand a sugar pop to their child is tantamount to handing that child a syringe filled with a drug!

In her book, Food & Behavior, Barbara Stitt notes:

The connection between food and behavior is so basic that it is being over looked by parents, the school system, counselors and most of the medical professionals.
Ask any hyperactive child, depressed, angry teenager, violent adult or criminal what they eat and you'll find they "live" on junk food - sweetened boxed cereals, candy, carbonated drinks, potato chips, fast foods.
Junk food abuses the mind, undernourishes the body and distorts the behavior.

Children model after their parents. Studies have shown repeatedly that children whose parents smoked are much likelier to smoke, whose parents drank alcohol would probably drink; therefore, it follows that if you have sugar pops in the house and you drink them in front of your kids, they will become addicted to this drug, also.

What do you want to will to your children: diabetes, obesity, hyperactivity, and pancreatic cancer, among many other problems, or habits of good health so they can enjoy a good, long life?

Think about it!
STEPcoach Bob Collins

Food for Thought for Food

Plutarch taught: Can you really ask what reason Pythagoras had for abstaining from flesh? For my part I rather wonder both by what accident and in what state of soul or mind did so, the first man touched his mouth to gore and brought his lips to the flesh of a dead creature, he who set forth tables of dead, stale bodies and ventured to call food and nourishment the parts that had little before bellowed and cried, moved and lived.

How could his eyes endure the slaughter when throats were slit and hides flayed and limbs torn from limb? How could his nose endure the stench? How was it that the pollution did not turn away his taste, which made contact with the sores of others and sucked juices and serums from mortal wounds?

It is certainly not lions and wolves that we eat out of self-defense; on the contrary, we ignore these and slaughter harmless, tame creatures without stings or teeth to harm us, creatures that, I swear, Nature appears to have produced for the sake of their beauty and grace. But nothing abashed us, not the flower-like like tinting of the flesh, not the persuasiveness of the harmonious voice, not the cleanliness of their habits or the unusual intelligence that may be found in the poor wretches.

No, for the sake of a little flesh we deprive them of sun, of light, of the duration of life to which they are entitled by birth and being.
-----

We consume the carcasses of creatures of like appetites, passions and organs with our own, and fill the slaughterhouses daily with screams of pain and fear.
-Robert Louis Stevenson
-----
I don't eat chicken anymore. I won't eat it. I won't allow it in my house. -Rodney Leonard - U.S. Poultry inspector

 -----
Based on my experience in Los Angeles, my advice to the public is not to eat meat. - Gregorio Natavidad - meat inspector

Diabetics: Got Vinegar? Yaotta!

 Just read some very interesting news about keeping my blood sugar under control and making my wife happy: scientists have completed a study that showed that vinegar prevents sugar spikes after eating. Here, look:

Past studies have shown that consuming vinegar can improve insulin sensitivity in people with insulin resistance and possibly improve blood glucose control in people with Type 2 diabetes. Now, research has indicated that vinegar consumption is also effective at controlling after-meal blood glucose levels in those with Type 1 diabetes.

Diane Fennell reports in Diabetes Self Management that the subjects of the study drank two tablespoons of vinegar in one and a half tablespoon of water just before eating. Their blood sugar rose after the meal - as everyone's does naturally - but it did not spike high as is common with diabetics.

No one is completely sure why this works, but it does.

While the mechanisms by which vinegar helps control after-meal blood glucose levels aren’t entirely clear, it is known from previous studies that vinegar delays stomach emptying and that acetic acid, the main component of vinegar, enhances glucose storage in the liver and muscle tissue.

 So, if there's a good result, why not try? And unlike medicines that usually cause more dangerous side effects than their intended good, vinegar is a natural treatment. That means it is unlikely to have any negative side effects. Of course, some people do have allergies to some things, so you might want to ask your M.D. if you've never used vinegar in this way before.

The article closes with this note:

According to the researchers, “two tablespoons of vinegar could easily be used as a complementary food (e.g., in a salad dressing) to reduce hyperglycemia.” 

 Now, Jo Donna and I have been using apple cider vinegar (ACV) for years to stop colds and flu and to ease indigestion, but this is a nice bonus. It's important to note that, if you're going to try ACV, you get the right kind. If the vinegar is a clear amber color, that's not right. Good ACV is amber colored, but it looks smokey, like there's something foggy in it. That's called The Mother (no, really) and it's all the natural enzymes of protein molecules, which are what do most of the healthy stuff.

We've settled on Bragg brand (their web site is HERE) mostly because that's the brand carried in most of our local stores, but also because they wrote the book on ACV benefits - literally! Paul Bragg was one of the pioneers in discovering all the many health virtues of ACV. Also their's is organic, so that's good too.

I highly recommend unprocessed apple cider vinegar for all sorts of things - now including keeping your or your family member's blood sugar under control without drugs.

LINKS:
the original article : http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/Diane-Fennell/vinegar-reduces-after-meal-glucose/
Bragg vinegar info: http://bragg.com/products/bragg-organic-apple-cider-vinegar.html

go get 'em!
STEPcoach Bob Collins
P.S. you do know what "yaotta" means, don't you?

Overlooked 150 Year Old Household Cleaner a Remedy for Swine Flu?

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/12/15/Baking-Soda-Used-to-Treat-Swine-Flu-85-Years-Ago.aspx
December 15 2009
 

In today’s modern world of medicine the FDA just will not let companies that sell products make medical claims about them unless they have been tested at great expense, and approved as a drug. But this was not always the case.
In a 1924 booklet published by the Arm & Hammer Soda Company, the company starts off saying, “The proven value of Arm & Hammer Bicarbonate of Soda as a therapeutic agent is further evinced by the following evidence of a prominent physician named Dr. Volney S. Cheney, in a letter to the Church & Dwight Company:
“In 1918 and 1919 while fighting the ‘Flu’ with the U. S. Public Health Service it was brought to my attention that rarely any one who had been thoroughly alkalinized with bicarbonate of soda contracted the disease, and those who did contract it, if alkalinized early, would invariably have mild attacks.”
Recommended dosages from the Arm and Hammer Company for colds and influenza back in 1925 were:

• During the first day take six doses of half teaspoonful of Bicarbonate of Soda in glass of cool water, at about two hour intervals
• During the second day take four doses of half teaspoonful of Bicarbonate of Soda in glass of cool water, at the same intervals
• During the third day take two doses of half teaspoonful of Bicarbonate of Soda in glass of cool water morning and evening, and thereafter half teaspoonful in glass of cool water each morning until cold is cured

STUDY: Coffee Lowers Diabetes Chances

[BTW, did I tell you my other "office" is at our local Panera Bread, where I get free refills all afternoon! - Bobby C]

Found this today - thought you'd like to know:

People who drink several cups of coffee or tea a day–even decaf versions–can dramatically lower their risk of diabetes, researchers reported on Monday. Drinking three to four cups of coffee per day was associated with a 25 percent lower risk of diabetes than drinking no coffee or just one cup, researchers said.
And the more coffee or tea you drink, the greater the benefit–so keep that pot filled. “Every additional cup of coffee consumed in a day was associated with a 7 percent reduction in the excess risk of diabetes,” wrote Rachel Huxley, who headed a team of Australian researchers at the George Institute for International Health in Sydney, Australia. The study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

One reason this study is making headlines around the world is that the conclusions didn’t come from just one study, but were the result of what’s called a “meta-analysis” of 18 different studies, which together included more than 450,000 people.

Although Huxley said the study didn’t identify exactly how coffee and tea are controlling diabetes, the researchers singled out a series of antioxidants and other ingredients that seem to be responsible for the beneficial effects. These include:-magnesium- chemicals called lignans- chlorogenic acids.

This news is important for aging Americans because the number of people with diabetes is rising so fast. Right now, one in ten adults in North America has diabetes, and the International Diabetes Federation projects that by the year 2025 (which is only 15 years away) 380 million people worldwide could have type 2 diabetes.

By Melanie Haiken, Caring.com

I'll have mine straight up, with a packet of Stevia, thanks!

http://www.onlineeducation.net/bottled_water/

Stronger Bones? Eat Veggies (not milk!)

For strong bones, milk or veggies? Veggies win hands down - Vegsource.com

If you're loading up on dairy but skimping on vegetables, you could still be at five times the risk of low bone mass. That's the implication of a recent Japanese study of roughly 100 female college students, comparing dietary patterns with bone mass. Those with daily intake of beta-carotene-rich veggies (e.g., carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, red bell peppers and pumpkin) were 500% less likely to suffer low bone mass. Since dairy intake was fairly similar across the board, researchers speculate that the difference in vegetable consumption was the decisive factor. This echoes similar, previous research, which found greater bone mass and less calcium excretion among girls with the highest fruit intake.

Why might that be? Well, as explored in Beyond Calcium, nutrient-dense fruit and vegetables provide the rainbow of other vitamins, minerals and antioxidants needed for overall bone health. For example,

• cantaloupe's a top beta-carotene source, but also provides 60% of daily vitamin C, needed to produce collagen, a structural component of strong bones. 
• Beta-carotene-rich leafy greens are also top sources of vitamin K, adequate intake of which is linked to a 65% lower fracture risk among seniors. 
• Beta-carotene-rich tomatoes are also a top source of lycopene, linked to 66% less bone loss in another recent study.

In addition to eating a plant-based diet, keep bones strong with plenty of weight-bearing exercise -- whether that's strength-training or high-impact team sports like soccer and volleyball.

For high-intensity athletes, bear in mind that you lose a significant amount of calcium and other nutrients needed for bone health through the profuse perspiration that comes with vigorous activity.

[respectfully shared from http://www.vegsource.com/news/2009/12/veggies-500-times-more-important-to-bone-mass-than-milk.html]

MY Letter to IHOP

Most of you are aware of the Humane Society of the United States' campaign to stop the International House of Pancakes from using cruel, unsanitary battery caged chickens for their eggs. I joined over a million other concerned Americans and wrote (emailed) directly to IHOP about my concerns. Here is what I said to them:

Many of your concerned "customers" are not raving do-gooders. Many are common sense business persons like me. I run my own business, hold meetings and mini-conferences at local restaurants, and patronize eating establishments with my family and friends during my leisure time. 

I also am one who will not support your business while you continue unacceptable business practices. If your kitchens were filthy, your employees inconsiderate, or your menu unsavory, I would shun your restaurant. Since your procurement practices are very objectionable, I will avoid contact with your fare and I will encourage my associates, business and private, to go to other restaurants.

Please make life easier for both of us. Please refuse to purchase your foodstuffs from suppliers who exercise filthy, inconsiderate, unsavory practices. Free range eggs cost more. But free range eggs are much, much more flavorful and much healthier than the contaminated eggs you are foisting on your trusting (and discriminating) clientèle. 

Please choose better.
Sincerely,

You can view undercover investigative video of the supplier, Michael Foods, HERE.

Do you think this is a trivial problem? Or do you agree that this is a matter to be addressed? Why?
PLEASE COMMENT so others may get this information.

Vitamin B12

[NOTE: This information comes from VegFamily a very good source of reliable information for the wiser of us (i.e. veg*ans) and was orginally written by Dina Aronson, M.S. R.D.]

Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria, fungi, and algae. Neither plants nor animals can synthesize the vitamin. Thus, it is not found in plant products naturally (there might be trace amounts in plant foods contaminated with B12-producing microorganisms, but we should not depend on contaminated food). Animal foods are reliable sources of B12 because large amounts of bacteria live inside animals, and vitamin B12 remains in flesh, milk, and eggs.

We vegans need to get B12 from supplements and/or fortified foods. The B12 added to foods and supplements are synthetically produced in a laboratory from bacteria, not animal sources. Here are some other foods that typically are B12-fortified. Make sure you read the food label! B12 is also called cobalamin.

• Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula Nutritional Yeast*
• Fortified breakfast cereals
• Fortified soy milk
• Fortified vegetarian meat analogs
• Fortified energy or snack bars, such as Luna Bars
• Fortified soy powders or other beverage mixes

*Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavor to foods; my favorite way to use it is in tofu scrambles.

By the way, the lack of vitamin B12 in plant foods has led many to question how "natural" a vegan diet is. After all, if an essential nutrient is lacking from a 100% plant-based diet, how can such a diet be good for you? This is a very good question. Remember, B12 is produced only by microorganisms. Consider the sanitary modern world: only in the last several decades have we had the luxury of treated water, power-washed produce, and machine-sanitized packaged foods. Before these conveniences, people (vegans and non-vegans) ate locally-grown fruits and vegetables and drank water from the well or public water supply, all of which were rich in vitamin B12 due to bacterial contamination. In those times, vitamin B12-producing microorganisms contaminated the entire food supply, not just animal products. The need of a modern-day vegan to supplement the diet with B12 is not because the vegan diet is inferior to a diet with animal products; it is the result of modern sanitary conditions

Thanksgiving or Turkey Day???

We ain't a eatin' no old dead birds for Thanksgiving this year!
 

We've got much more to be thankful for than the death of a bird just so we could eat it. The pilgrims and Indians didn't eat turkeys for the first Thanksgiving, so why do we? Marketing, man! The turkey farmers, just like the milk pushers are lying to you about the fake benefits of eating dead, rotting, pesticide and hormone filled bird bodies. Why do you think they clearly post the numbers to the Turkey Hotline on each bird? so you won't poison your family! Sheesh! But then, many of you go ahead and smoke cigarettes despite warnings, too!

God designed our bodies to operate at peak efficiency on a vegetarian diet (did too! see Genesis 1:29 for proof), so putting dead animal bodies and guts into your stomach is tantamount to putting diesel into a gasoline engine - NOT a good idea!

Here are some more reasons to skip the turkey this year:

 **************

No Turkey?! Why Not?

For the Animals

Abusing and killing an innocent bird betrays the life-affirming spirit of giving thanks for our life, health, and happiness. The nearly 300 million turkeys killed each year in the U.S. spend their entire lives crammed in large sheds with little room to move. Artificially inseminated and selectively bred to gain enormous amounts of weight, they suffer heart attacks, broken limbs, lameness, and death from their genetically-induced accelerated growth rate. Most of these same conditions apply to "free range" turkeys.

Click here to continue reading and learn more about atrocious animal farm practices or watch undercover investigations of turkey facilities.

For Your Health

Turkey flesh is loaded with cholesterol and saturated fats, which have been linked conclusively with an elevated risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases that kill 1.3 million Americans annually. Turkey flesh is also contaminated with deadly pathogens and antibiotics.

Click here to continue reading about the negative effects of turkey on our health.

For the Globe

In addition to threatening personal health, factory farming is a global problem. Much of the 10 billion pounds of manure generated by 7,300 turkey farms in 33 states ends up in our drinking water. Grain fed to turkeys is denied to millions of starving people in the world's most impoverished nations.

Click here to continue reading about how animal farming ruins the earth.

Want More?

Find out the Top Ten Reasons to drop turkey from your holiday menu!

Original source: http://www.gentlethanksgiving.org/index.htm

God's Original Health plan:

Genesis 2:29:
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

The Daniel Fast: A Personal Experience

Around day 15, something started just gnawing at my brain. My clinical self began working at the speed of light as I started to note a marked difference in the health and stature of some of these people. One of my favorite ladies, suffering from osteoarthritis and on a steady diet of pain pills, seemed to just glide into service one night. I noticed she literally forgot to bring her walking stick, which was usually dutifully planted by her side. One of the gals, a busy and tired mom, commented on how well she was sleeping and enjoying her excess bursts of energy. A dangerously diabetic fellow had cut his use of insulin in half. Some of the kids, labeled hyper and otherwise ADHD, had started to show signs of settling and appeared much more relaxed.

The Daniel Fast: A Personal Experience

By Linda Posch

Each day that we awaken is certainly a glorious and a blessed day, given to us by the Lord our Father. My passion for each day and the wonders it brings is sometimes insurmountable. Often, it’s the simple things that radiate such joy through my heart. The sun peaking above the horizon, the branches of the trees swaying in the gentle morning breeze, watching my daughter sleep for she so looks like an angel and the nectar sweet taste of my breakfast, usually melon and a slice of spouted bread. I cannot imagine what more a person could ask for. One might ask, “Why so content?” Especially when so many do not feel peace in their hearts. My answer: I am lucky and I am blessed by God. My life experienced radical changes 6 years ago when one of the Lord’s messengers reached out to me. At a late age (it is never to late) I was saved. Through my salvation, I came to realize that the written word empowers us with everything we require in order to live a fruitful, gracious, peaceful and spiritual life.

I have worked within the confines of allopathic health care for over 17 years. My background includes neuro-rehab services in the areas of spinal cord injuries, strokes, and traumatic brain injuries. I have worked adult acute psychiatric care, special education services, and autistic child services. I have worked with cancer patients in rehab services and with those suffering Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s Korea and Dementia. I have worked with doctors, nurses, and other specialists who were absolutely brilliant, compassionate, and absolute masters in their fields. I have worked with the same, who were not so bright and possessed not one ounce of compassion. All the time doing my best to make sure that my patients received the very best of care, the care they deserved and as taught to me during so many years of University. However, despite my best efforts, I never really felt I was making the difference I had set out to do so early in life. Many of my patients were still sick or ailing, not making the strides, leaps, and bounds I had envisioned for them. While I was at a loss as to why, I came to find many years later that the Lord was not lost at all. God knew all. Unfortunately, I was neither intimate nor familiar with His word, wishes, and teachings. Therefore, I was limited as to what I could do for those in my care. I was also limited as to what I could do for myself and my family.

At the beginning of every year, my fellow parishioners (or should I say those who are willing to do so) take 3 weeks to fast for 21 days. The Daniel Fast they say. By fasting, it is meant that for 3 weeks nothing is consumed but water, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and juices. For those that feel really “tough”, and so inclined to do so, they will consume only fluids for the 3 weeks. During this time, the lists of taboo foods include any and ALL meat products, ALL sugar products, ALL fast food products, and ALL processed food products.

I did not partake in the Daniel Fast festivities even though I was a newly saved child of God. It really did sound particularly yucky to me. I decided to sit back and simply watch these folks who had destined themselves to eating sticks and roots for the next 21 days. After church that day, I went to my favorite ice cream shop and had a double chili dog topped off with a hot fudge sundae. I felt happy and quite satiated that day compared to my poor friends who were off to a meal of sprouts and lettuce. “No thank-you” I thought.

I did not expect that the Daniel Fast festivities would be that big a deal. But oh it was. By day 3-4, many began complaining of feeling light headed, dizzy and nauseated. Some of the most steadfast parishioners, those who never missed a service or a meeting, all of a sudden felt so badly that they had to stay home for a few days to rest. My silent thoughts were to tell them to “just go grab a burger and feel better”. This early phenomenon of “suffering” was my introduction to the concept of detoxification.

Around days 5-7 I noticed that my fellow Christians had begun huddling in almost clique type groups. They shared giggles, silent whispers, knowing looks and sometimes uncontrollable laughter. What was the big secret? A couple of these groups finally “let me in” and told me what all the giggles were about. Some of these people were absolutely amazed at the bowel contents found in their toilets. There was a hint of pride as each freely shared, without shame or embarrassment, the size, color, shape, amount and frequency of their bowel movements. Some described deposits that had never been seen before, almost like some blob you would find in a science fiction horror movie. Interestingly, some of these folks were beginning to feel considerably better at this point, while a few suffered such severe constipation that it was painful and at times almost crippling. This was my introduction to the concept of colon cleansing.

The fast was also a time for “extra fellowship” as I called it. The ladies would get together and share their best recipes for raw foods, salads, steamed vegetables and the like. They shared tips and tricks for satisfying the stomachs of grumpy fasting husbands and whining children who could not figure out why they had not been to a fast food restaurant in over a week. Parishioners invited each other to their homes for dinner and shared with each other how they took cabbage, sprouts and beans and turned them into meals fit for kings. I was invited to a couple of these dinners. Even though I was not fasting, I went anyway. I looked at the dinner table decorated in bleak offerings and thought to myself, “Okay, where are the french fries, I need steak, and cheesecake covered in chocolate sauce for dessert please.” I politely ate my dinner, fit for a rabbit I thought, and raced to grab a double cheeseburger soon after. I secretly felt sorry for those who were fasting. Three weeks was a long time to chew on shrubs.

Around day 15, something started just gnawing at my brain. My clinical self began working at the speed of light as I started to note a marked difference in the health and stature of some of these people. One of my favorite ladies, suffering from osteoarthritis and on a steady diet of pain pills, seemed to just glide into service one night. I noticed she literally forgot to bring her walking stick, which was usually dutifully planted by her side. One of the gals, a busy and tired mom, commented on how well she was sleeping and enjoying her excess bursts of energy. A dangerously diabetic fellow had cut his use of insulin in half. Some of the kids, labeled hyper and otherwise ADHD, had started to show signs of settling and appeared much more relaxed. That entire day, almost everyone who was fasting received my solid and silent clinical examination. I was intrigued by the results and somewhat puzzled. Some of these folks were achieving a body balance and equilibrium they had not seen in a long time. It seemed quite obvious to me that many were in the initial stages of healing from what had plagued them. Some of them just looked happier, brighter, revitalized. I remained my miserable self.

At this point, some of my fellow parishioners were on a countdown. Happily marking their calendars and anxiously awaiting day 21, when their fast would soon be over. Hmmm … interesting thought patterns indeed. Why? Why change what was suddenly making you feel so well? I was especially concerned about our severe diabetic who had cut his use of insulin in half. It was difficult for me to believe that he was counting down to the day where he then could embark on the pre-fasting habits that were quickly killing him and conjoining him with an umbilical cord to his doctors office. At this point, I began to appreciate and embrace the many changes I had witnessed in the past 2 ½ weeks. My mind was racing as I tried to figure out ways to encourage these people to continue onwards with God’s lifestyle, the life He meant for them to have and not treat this experience as a short 21 day “sacrifice” in the name of the Lord. These thoughts coming from a person who lived on burgers, tacos, soda, and french fries. However, I was still in the mind frame, with regards to myself, that I really did not need to fast. I was young and healthy as a horse. Not to worry. I took plenty of vitamin supplements to insure my good health. I rode horses and jogged. My weight was normal and my physique muscular. Little did I know that my thoughts, habits and actions would change much sooner than later.

Day 21 soon arrived. I was shocked when our pastor announced the fast was over. Hooray, Amen, and Halleluiah everyone shouted. Huh? Why were these good people shouting for joy? The fast was making a marked difference in many of them. To celebrate the end of the fast, there was pizza and lots of other “goodies” in the lounge to be enjoyed and gorged upon by all. I was horrified as I watched my diabetic friend eat slice after slice of pizza. He topped off his pizza dinner with a mound of cinnamon rolls, lovingly made by the best pastry cook in the church. I watched some of the kids who had been doing so well, gorging themselves on dishes of ice cream that had been sprinkled with candies and buried in whipped cream. All of a sudden, what had been normal to me and most of us living an American life had become an absolute horror. It was like watching a monster movie in slow motion, with the wicked creatures being sugar, food dyes, processed meats and the like. Somehow, this day was indeed a sad one for me. In the same breath, it was also a day of glory. I realized that God had given me the answers I had been looking for all of these years. I had the answers as to how to help my patients heal, regain function and live a better quality of life. Even those who were limited by a loss of function due to an accident or a stroke could still reap marked benefits within their own confines. The part that saddened me most was that the answers had always been there, I just hadn’t known where to look.

About two weeks after the 21 day fast, I gave my entire congregation a silent physical examination once again. Where eyes had been bright and sparkly, the same dead pan and tired looks had returned. Where belt buckles had been taken down a notch, some looked as if they were now carrying more weight than they had been carrying before the Daniel Fast. Where children had started to settle down, some seemed more irritable than ever. My sweet, sweet lady suffering from arthritis pain had her walking stick planted firmly by her side once again. All in all, the congregation as a whole just didn’t look so good. That day, my wonderful pastor during his sermon, was creating an analogy. He said something to the effect that “As a congregation, we are at the start of the race, and WE WILL make it to the finish line!” I silently thought to myself, “This congregation won’t be able to make it 10 feet past the starting gate.”

About two weeks later, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. My good friend and excellent gynecologist wished to perform surgery. My mind kept wandering to the Daniel Fast. I started my own Daniel Fast that day. In fact, ever since that day, I have been on the “Daniel Fast”. It has been 6 years now that I have been “Daniel Fasting”. I do not consume meat or it’s by products. I do not consume sugar or processed foods. Where I drank at least 6 cans of soda per day, I now drink just as much water, sometimes with a bit of lemon and/or lime. My plate is full of leafy greens and succulent delicious fruits. I enjoy a myriad of delicious herbal teas. I love home made rolls, crackers and pasta made from my bags of organic oat and spelt flours. Nuts and seeds are a most delicious snack. I take whole food liquid vitamins and a few other supplements in their whole food forms to assist me in my quest to stay healthy, especially when life is just so busy that I literally forget to eat. I did not require surgery during my cervical cancer ordeal and my health has never been better.

On the other hand, my own biological family is plagued with health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, arthritis and high cholesterol. As the old saying goes, “The plumber’s sink is always broken.” Because I choose to care for my body God’s way, I suffer none of the above. Can life really be so simple? I am here to tell you, yes it is. Our Father, through the Written Word, has given us everything we require in order to live solid, peaceful, productive and healthy lives. In my heart of hearts, I do not believe for one moment that God intended for us to experience prolonged physical suffering of any sort. If that were the case, he would not have been so specific as to what he provided us with in order to assist us with the prosperity of our physical bodies. Allow me to support my position with few quotes from the Written Word.

In those days, I was mourning 3 full weeks, I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till 3 whole weeks were fulfilled. Daniel 10:32, 3.

In other words, Daniel gave up certain foods in order to honor God. He was fasting from foods that would defile his body. In fasting Daniel honored God with his body, mind, and soul.

Then God said I give you every seed bearing plant on the face of the whole earth, and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. Genesis 1:29

How can things be stated more clearly? God says nothing here about artificial food colorings, animal products and artificial fats! He is quite clear about fruits, grains and vegetables.

Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah “Please test your servants for 10 days. Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see. So he agreed to this and tested them for 10 days. At the end of 10 days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead”. Daniel 1:11-16

With all due respect to modern day science, of which I am a product and student, these people over 2 thousand years ago, did not require the latest research in order to determine what was healthy for them, their spirits and their bodies. After all, it is written in The Word.

Be not anxious for what you shall eat or what you shall drink or what you shall wear. Isn’t life more than food? And the body more than clothing? Luke 12:22; 29

Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, therefore, glorify God in your body. Cornthians 3:16

Point very clear and well taken. Unfortunately, (or I guess that really depends on one’s viewpoint) after being so touched by The Word and its simplicity, I found I had to educate myself once more. I had to go to school again to get the right piece of paper so that I can now “legally” tell people to eat their fruits and vegetables. (SIGH) However, it has been worth every twist and turn in my oftentimes bumpy road. I now have a private practice, own a laboratory and have the burning passion to share God’s word with as many as I am physically and spiritually able to reach. Oh how He changed my life, through so many of his messengers here on earth. I can only hope I am worthy enough to help deliver the same message of love and salvation to others.

Dr. Linda Posch MS SLP ND, ezdoc21@bellsouth.net


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