Tarryall.net
. . . a Guide for Living Energetically
. . . a Guide for Living Energetically
NEWSLETTER
February 2008
February 2008
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| "Love is not love that alters when it alteration finds." Shakespeare "Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction." Saint-Exupery "To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already three parts dead. " Bertrand Russell |
What's New
Did You Know?... (from various sources)
Point to Ponder #1 - The "Stop Monsanto" Petition ...
an email from Steve, a reader
Hi Rowan,
I just came across a link to this website while reading an article by Dr.
Mercola. I thought you might be interested in joining the petition and
sharing the link in your next newsletter.
I hate everything that Monsanto stands for and would love to see them
exposed and shut down. I personally feel that company is one of the
biggest threats to the world’s environment and the population’s health.
They are mad scientists mixing and matching human, animal and plant
genes to make what they believe are improvements on natures design
(WRONG!).
I believe they are responsible for the sudden disappearance of the bee
population due to genetically modified plants. Pertaining to insects, there
are studies that shows GMO corn has contributed to a decline in the
monarch butterfly population.
Pertaining to humans, Monsanto is also responsible for Aspartame (the
sweetener) and the herbicide called RoundUp.They also developed
RoundUp resistant plants just to name a few.
I certainly hope they can be stopped before they cause more damage to
our foods, environment, animals and humanity.
I have attached links for reference.
..... Suffice it to say that I am in full agreement with Steve and thank him
mightily for his impassioned plea - although I would add in all the drug
and vaccine companies that do so much harm to health and which tend to
fund most of our medical and veterinarian schools. :(
.... and here is Steve's reply to my request for posting his whole email:
Yes Rowan, you have my permission to use my statement. I hope people
will take a little time to educate themselves about Monsanto the Monster
Company. Obviously they have so much money and power (government
backing) that most major news companies steer clear of them, which is
concerning. Thank goodness for the Internet.
Point to Ponder #2 - The Crazy Makers . . . an email
from Sumner, a reader
I usually fall asleep about 10 PM with an ear bud turned to AM 600, The
Coast to Coast Talk Show. An interesting segment was when the author
of "The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Brains
and Harming Our Children" discussed harmful food additives. I believe this
would be of great interest to you and your readers.
The author's most recent revision has added a chapter on Autism.
Read more about the book at http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Makers-
Industry-Destroying-Children/dp/1585421049/ref=sr_1_2?
ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199123412&sr=1-2
Point to Ponder #3 - Smoothie Recipe for Healthy
Bones and Teeth by Dr. Ben Kim http://drbenkim.
com/smoothie-recipe-healthy-bones-teeth.html
If you want to build and maintain healthy bones and teeth, you have to
supply your body with a variety of nutrients. The vitamins, minerals, and
macronutrients that you need most to promote healthy teeth and bones
are:
The following smoothie recipe was designed to provide all of the nutrients
listed above.
Ingredients:
as you go until desired consistency is reached.
Notes:
If you don't use a super green food powder, include an extra handful of
romaine lettuce.
If you eat goji berries, add a small handful to the mix of ingredients
listed above for another excellent source of vitamin C, calcium, iron, zinc,
and phosphorus. I recommend soaking the goji berries in water for 30-60
minutes before blending; soaking the berries will allow your blender to
more thoroughly incorporate the berries into the smoothie.
In order to build and maintain healthy bones and teeth, beyond ensuring
optimal nourishment, it's important to avoid the following foods and
substances:
exposure to these foods and substances can cause your body to leech
calcium out of your bones to keep the pH of your blood within a desirable
range.
Point to Ponder #4 - Common Vaccine Threatens
Children by Shane Ellison, MS
http://thepeopleschemist.com/blog/2008/01/04/common-vaccine-
threatens-children.html
The pertussis vaccine, administered via the DTP or DTaP vaccine, offers
very little efficacy and is a risk to the health of our children. As shown in
my book, Health Myths Exposed, natural alternatives to the real and
present danger are a wiser decision - most have been buried by vaccine
hype and blind faith in doctors among fearful parents.
When administered, the vaccine does in fact increase antibodies to
pertussis (Bordetella) yet immunity is short lived and maybe even non
existent. This fact was noted by the well respected medical journal
Pediatrics when they published that only a small portion of pertussis
cases can be prevented by immunization. Specifically, as shown by the
Journal of the American Medical Association, immunity to pertussis
declines by 50% between 1 month and 1 year after vaccination. Further,
during a pertussis outbreak in Ohio, the New England Journal of Medicine
reported that 82% of those who suffered from the disease had received
regular doses of the vaccine.
Many health professionals advocate the use of the vaccine by asserting
that the decline in pertussis over the last 100 years is attributed to the
pertussis vaccination. This is false. Pertussis rates plummeted by 79%
between 1900-1935. The pertussis vaccine was not introduced until 1940.
A math lesson would be helpful.
Because the pertussis vaccine provides little benefit, does it make sense
to expose children to the negative side effects associated with it? In a
presentation to the Institute of Medicine, published in 1990, the public
was informed of the following dangers:
- babies die at a rate 7 times greater than normal within 3 days of
receiving the shot
- side effects include asthma and other auto-immune disorders
- encephalitis, leading to permanent behavioral changes such as lack of
focus and poor problem solving skills can result as well.
Many are unaware of these facts simply because the IOM, CDC, AMA, AAP,
WHO, UNICEF and the FDA are proving to be untrustworthy in the areas of
immunization, due to financial conflicts of interest. As a result, they have
endangered the health of children by not reporting safe and effective
nutritional supplements that have proven to give substantial protection
and treatment to pertussis.
Most notably, natural treatments include but are not limited to zinc,
vitamin C and and beta carotene, as shown by Pediatrics and the
University of Maryland Medical Center.
Still though, it is important to note that like vaccines, nutritional
supplements are no silver bullet. However, considering the danger
associated with the pertussis vaccination, it is both logical and
scientifically sound to choose safe and effective natural remedies over
vaccination.
Point to Ponder #5 - Ask Your Doctor If This Vaccine
is Right For You! by Dr. Rima Laibow, MD, Natural
Solutions Foundation
Oncologists refuse chemotherapy for themselves and others. The State’s
Attorney, Glen Ivey, who forced vaccination on 2300 poor, black children
in Prince George’s County, Maryland, on November 17, 2007 (at gun point
and with police dogs present, by the way) after threatening parent with
fines and jail time in a state which allows parents exemptions to
vaccination for their children had, himself, taken that option for his own
children since Hepatitis B and the other vaccines being forced on the
children were, he said, too dangerous for his children.
Doctors, on the other hand, may actually believe that vaccines are good
for you and are safe. The Natural Solutions Foundation firmly states that
neither condition is true. However, if your doctor does believe in the
safety and necessity of vaccination, he or she ought to be willing to tell
you why. And since vaccination is such a serious issue, that belief should
be based on strong scientific information, not a vague and unformed bias
in that direction. Such a science-based belief should be able to be
documented in a linear, logical and documented fashion.
A participant in the Natural Solutions Foundation’s No-forced-vaccination
Forum named Mary shared this letter. Bring it to your doctor or your child’s
doctor and ask the doctor to sign it if he or she believes that vaccines are
safe. If your doctor will not sign it, you have your answer!
You might also print off a copy of the Atlanta Manifesto and ask your
doctor to read it carefully if, in his or her medical opinion, your doctor still
thinks that vaccination is either save, or responsible (or both). Please be
aware that you may have to find another doctor since “experts” often
respond to effective challenges to wrong information that they have
staked their careers and reputations on with less-than-mature responses
when they are challenged.
Read complete article at www.healthfreedomusa.org/index.php?
p=489
Point to Ponder #6 - A new book takes aim at the cost
of US health (A review of Overtreated: Why Too Much
Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer by Shannon
Brownlee) by Ralph Moss, PhD, Cancer Decisions Newsletter
http://www.cancerdecisions.com/010608.html
Americans spent more than $2 trillion on health care in 2006. That's
almost as much as the world spends annually on petroleum. We currently
spend more than two and a half times more per capita on health care
than other industrialized countries do. The rising cost of health care is
already a serious obstacle to our economic competitiveness in the
international marketplace, and things are rapidly getting worse. Experts
predict that within the next decade the cost of our health care system will
consume almost 20 percent of the nation's gross domestic product.
Are we getting value for money? Is all this lavish expenditure resulting in
longer and healthier lives? By any objective standard, the answer is a
resounding no. Although we are constantly being told by politicians that
our health care system is the best in the world, the facts tell a very
different story. For decades, the US has been slipping steadily downwards
in international rankings for life expectancy. Two decades ago, we ranked
11th in the world; we now rank 42nd. People in Canada, Japan and
Western Europe have a significantly higher life expectancy than US
citizens. The infant mortality rate - another reliable yardstick by which the
quality of a nation's health care can be measured - is better in 27 other
countries than it is in the US; we rank 28th, lagging behind countries such
as Cuba and the Czech Republic.
Why does American health care cost so much, yet yield so little
improvement in our health and longevity? There are undoubtedly many
contributory factors. One is the lack of universal access to health care in
the US: with 47 million Americans currently uninsured, and tens of
millions more underinsured, health care can be excellent for some while
others go without care entirely because of inability to pay. In 2007, for
example, a twelve year-old Washington, DC, boy died as a result of an
overwhelming brain infection that originated in a decayed and abscessed
tooth. His mother was too poor to afford the $80 it would have cost to
have the tooth extracted, and was unable to find a dentist who would
accept Medicaid.
Those who defend our current system often claim that, for all its faults, it
is still intrinsically better than the state-run systems in countries such as
Canada, France and the United Kingdom, where health care is rationed
and there are long waiting lists for non-emergency conditions. But when a
team of researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health made a comparative study of health care spending and waiting
lists in the US and other countries, they found no basis for this assertion.
Instead, they found that the fifteen tests and procedures that account for
the majority of the waiting lists in other countries accounted for just 3
percent of costs in the US, and could not therefore account for the huge
disparity in health spending between the US and other countries
(Anderson 2005).
Besides, attempts to control costs by means of managed care - which is
itself a form of rationing in all but name - have also signally failed.
Instead, we have created a greatly expanded (and hugely expensive)
bureaucracy that has interposed itself between patients and their
physicians, placing strict constraints on clinical decision-making and micro-
managing everything from how long physicians may spend with each
patient to what services they are encouraged – or in some cases
forbidden - to discuss.
Some consider that the rising cost of malpractice insurance is contributing
strongly to the problem, and suggest mandatory caps on non-economic
damages in malpractice cases. Others see this as simply a way of
restricting patients' rights. Even malpractice insurers themselves seem far
from united on this issue. For example, the nation's largest medical
malpractice insurer, GE has admitted, in a filing obtained by the non-
profit Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, that non-economic
damages awarded in malpractice suits represent only a small percentage
of total losses paid. "Capping non-economic damages will show loss
savings of 1.0 percent," the company states in its filing (FTCR).
In an intriguing new book - Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine Is
Making Us Sicker and Poorer - award-winning journalist and science writer
Shannon Brownlee suggests another (and hitherto largely unexamined)
reason for the rising and unsustainably high cost of health care in the US.
Throughout the political discourse on our current health care crisis, she
writes in the book's introduction, "…the most important piece of the
puzzle has been consistently overlooked. There's one more factor that
contributes to our medical bills, and that's unnecessary care. We spend
between one fifth and one third of our health care dollars…between five
hundred and seven hundred billion dollars…on care that does nothing to
improve our health. And while overhead and high prices hurt our
pocketbooks, the vast amount of unnecessary care in the system also
makes our health care worse than it ought to be. Unnecessary treatment
and tests aren't just expensive; they also can harm patients."
Superficially this looks like another exhortation to restrict care and
introduce more de facto rationing - exactly the approach that has been
most vigorously resisted by doctors and patients alike in the US. But
while Brownlee acknowledges that her central thesis - that we are getting
too much care, not too little - runs counter to conventional wisdom, her
well-argued and meticulously documented book makes a convincing case
that overtreatment is indeed the single most significant contributor to the
spiraling cost of health care.
How did our collective infatuation with medical intervention come about?
Brownlee traces its origins back to the mid-nineteenth century, when
some of the most astonishing advances in medicine were made. She cites
a survey conducted by a group of Harvard researchers that found that over
a third of respondents believed that American medicine "can cure almost
any illness for people who have access to the most advanced technologies
and treatments." One of the physicians that Brownlee cites in her book
sums it up thus: "We are the new priesthood, and the myth we are
peddling is not everlasting life in heaven, but everlasting life here on
earth."
Read complete article at www.cancerdecisions.com/010608.html
Point to Ponder #7 - Recreational Drugs FAR Less
Likely to Kill You than Prescribed Drugs! by
Christopher Kent, D.C., J.D.
Recreational drugs, including cocaine and heroin, are responsible for an
estimated 10,000-20,000 American deaths per year. While this represents
a serious public health problem, it is a "smokescreen" for America's real
drug problem. America's "war on drugs" is directed at the wrong enemy. It
is obvious that interdiction, stiff mandatory sentences, and more vigorous
enforcement of drug laws have failed.
The reason is simple. Cause and effect have been reversed.
The desire to solve problems by taking drugs is a product of our culture.
When a child is taught by loving parents that the appropriate response to
pain or discomfort is taking a pill, it is obvious that such a child, when
faced with the challenges of adolescence, will seek comfort by taking
drugs.
Drugs are Dangerous Whether Pushed or Prescribed
While approximately 10,000 per year die from the effects of illegal drugs,
an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
reported that an estimated 106,000 hospitalized patients die each year
from drugs which, by medical standards, are properly prescribed and
properly administered. More than two million suffer serious side effects.
An article in Newsweek put this into perspective. Adverse drug reactions,
from "properly" prescribed drugs, are the fourth leading cause of death in
the United States. According to this article, only heart disease, cancer,
and stroke kill more Americans than drugs prescribed by medical doctors.
Reactions to prescription drugs kill more than twice as many Americans as
HIV/AIDS or suicide. Fewer die from accidents or diabetes than adverse
drug reactions. It is important to point out the limitations of this study. It
did not include outpatients, cases of malpractice, or instances where the
drugs were not taken as directed.
According to another AMA publication, drug related "problems" kill as
many as 198,815 people, put 8.8 million in hospitals, and account for up
to 28% of hospital admissions. If these figures are accurate, only cancer
and heart disease kill more patients than drugs. Has the situation
improved since the publication of this information? Hardly. Null et al have
published the most comprehensive and well-documented study I have
seen of deaths associated with medical practice. In this report, their
research revealed some shocking facts. The findings are summarized in
the abstract: "A definitive review and close reading of medical peer-
review journals, and government health statistics shows that American
medicine frequently causes more harm than good. The number of people
having in-hospital, adverse drug reactions (ADR) to prescribed medicine is
2.2 million. Dr. Richard Besser, of the CDC, in 1995, said the number of
unnecessary antibiotics prescribed annually for viral infections was 20
million. Dr. Besser, in 2003, now refers to tens of millions of unnecessary
antibiotics.
The number of unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed
annually is 7.5 million. The number of people exposed to unnecessary
hospitalization annually is 8.9 million. The total number of iatrogenic
deaths shown in the following table is 783,936. It is evident that the
American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the
United States. The 2001 heart disease annual death rate is 699,697; the
annual cancer death rate, 553,251." Drugs Number One Killer The
authors conclude: "When the number one killer in a society is the
healthcare system, then, that system has no excuse except to address its
own urgent shortcomings. It's a failed system in need of immediate
attention. What we have outlined in this paper are insupportable aspects
of our contemporary medical system that need to be changed -- beginning
at its very foundations." A recent article in Archives of Internal Medicine
[7] stated that in the seven year period from 1998 through 2005, reported
serious adverse drug events increased 2.6-fold, and fatal adverse drug
events increased 2.7-fold. The authors noted that reported serious events
increased 4 times faster than the total number of outpatient prescriptions
during the period. Another study concluded that the majority(86%) of the
adverse drug reactions for which patients were admitted to a medical
intensive care unit were preventable.
One proposed solution to the illegal drug problem was encouraging
potential users to ignore peer pressure and "just say no." Interestingly,
this strategy is not being recommended for prescription drugs. Bruce
Pomeranz, MD , one of the authors of the JAMA paper, said he is not
warning people to stay away from drugs. "That would be a terrible
message," he said. Lucian Leape, MD, of the Harvard School of Public
Health said, "When you realize how many drugs we use, maybe those
numbers aren't so bad after all."
Does that mean that the number of deaths due to illegal drugs, suicide,
HIV/AIDS, diabetes, accidents, and drunk driving "aren't so bad" either?
Does it mean that we shouldn't discourage drunk driving or unsafe sex?
The folly of such double standards should be obvious to all.
It is time to address the real drug problem -- the cultural notion that the
first solution to seek for relief of life's problems is a drug. That's the drug
culture we need to address.
Read references and Dr. Mercola's comments at http://articles.
mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/01/15/recreational-drugs-
far-less-likely-to-kill-you-than-prescribed-drugs.aspx
Point to Ponder #8 - Soft Drinks, Hard Facts . . .
Research suggests kids who drink a lot of soft drinks
risk becoming fat, weak-boned, cavity-prone and
caffeine-addicted by Sally Squires for Chet Day's
Health & Beyond
Americans drink more soda pop than ever before. These popular
beverages account for more than a quarter of all drinks consumed in the
United States. More than 15 billion gallons were sold in 2000. That works
out to at least one 12-ounce can per day for every man, woman and child.
Kids are heavy consumers of soft drinks, according to the U.S. Department
of Agriculture, and they are guzzling soda pop at unprecedented rates.
Carbonated soda pop provides more added sugar in a typical 2-year-old
toddler's diet than cookies, candies and ice cream combined. Fifty-six
percent of 8-year-olds down soft drinks daily, and a third of teenage boys
drink at least three cans of soda pop per day.
Not only are soft drinks widely available everywhere from fast food
restaurants to video stores, they're now sold in 60 percent of all public
and private middle schools and high schools nationwide, according to the
National Soft Drink Association. A few schools are even giving away soft
drinks to students who buy school lunches.
As soda pop becomes the beverage of choice among the nation's young --
and as soda marketers focus on brand-building among younger and
younger consumers -- public health officials, school boards, parents,
consumer groups and even the soft drink industry are faced with nagging
questions: How healthful are these beverages, which provide a lot
calories, sugars and caffeine but no significant nutritional value? And
what happens if you drink a lot of them at a very young age?
Beginning tomorrow, representatives of the soft drink industry, concerned
that public opinion and public policy may turn against them, will stage a
three-day "fly-in" to lobby Congress to maintain soft drinks sales in
schools; and to educate lawmakers on the "proper perspective" on soft
drink use. The industry plans to counter a U.S. Department of Agriculture
proposal, announced in January, that would require all foods sold in
schools to meet federal nutrition standards. That would mean that snack
foods and soft drinks would have to meet the same standards as school
lunches.
Some state legislators are already taking steps to limit soft drink sales to
youngsters. In Maryland, a bill introduced by Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince
George's) would prohibit sales of soft drinks and other non-nutritious
foods in schools until after 3 p.m. Current law says vending machines
can't be turned on until after the final lunch period.
Nearly everyone by now has heard the litany on the presumed health
effects of soft drinks: Obesity. Tooth decay. Caffeine dependence.
Weakened bones. But does drinking soda pop really cause those things?
Even the staunchest critics of soft drinks say finding the scientific bottom
line on soda pop can be maddeningly tricky. "It's hard to pull out the
health effects of soft drinks from the whole diet," says Michael Jacobson,
executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest and
author of a critical report on soft drinks called "Liquid Candy: How Soft
Drinks Are Harming Americans' Health." "There are relatively few studies
on sugars. And some studies don't distinguish between naturally occurring
sugars and refined sugars."
To help separate fact from fiction, the Health section reviewed the latest
scientific findings and asked an array of experts on both sides of the
debate to weigh in on the topic. Be forewarned, however: Compared with
the data available on tobacco and even dietary fat, the scientific evidence
on soft drinks is less developed. The results can be a lot like soft drinks
themselves, both sweet and sticky.
Read the rest of the article at http://chetday.com/softdrinkdangers.
htm
Menu of the Month - Heart-Loving Valentine's Dinner
Avocado Salad - on a bed of leafy greens (your choice), lay 1/2 avocado,
sliced, per plate, sprinkle with chopped roast walnuts and raspberry
vinaigrette
Simple Baked Salmon w/ spicy mango salsa - bake 2 6oz salmon fillets
at 400 for 15-20 min. salsa - gently mix together: 1 peeled/diced mango,
1 seeded/diced jalapeno, 2T chopped cilantro, 3T fresh lime juice, 1 tsp
fresh orange zest; season to taste with NTM salt and freshly ground
pepper - make the day before, refrigerate, and bring to room temperature
to serve
Black Bean & Quinoa Pilaf
Heat 1tsp olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 1
chopped onion and 3 cloves smashed garlic, and saute until lightly
browned. Stir in 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa and cover with chicken broth.
Season with 1 tsp ground cumin, dash cayenne pepper, & NTM salt, and
pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and
simmer 20 minutes, stir in 1 cup frozen corn and continue to simmer
about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in 1 can drained/rinsed black
beans and 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro.
Unbaked Chocolate Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting
Process 1 cup unsoaked walnuts and 5 pitted Medjool dates in a food
processor until mixture sticks together. Add 1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa
powder, 1 tsp coconut oil, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2
tsp almond extract. Roll into 8 small balls - place each ball into 1 ¼-inch
baking cups, forming into a cupcake shape. coconut icing - Puree 1 cup
coconut pulp, coconut butter, 1/2 cup agave nectar and 1/4 cup coconut
water in the blender until you achieve a smooth consistency. Add 1/2 tsp
vanilla extract and dash sea salt. To make it pink for Valentine's day, add
approximately 1 tsp beet juice, or enough to achieve coloring you want.
(for other colors, use liquid chlorophyll for green or some unsweetened
cocoa powder & maple syrup for chocolate)
Words of Wisdom ... from "The Darkest Evening of the
Year" by Dean Koontz, p. 314
"Dogs lives are short, too short, but you know that going in.
You know the pain is coming, you're going to lose a dog, and there's
going to be great anguish, so you live fully in the moment with her, never
fail to share her joy or delight in her innocence, because you can't support
the illusion that a dog can be your lifelong companion.
There's such beauty in the hard honesty of that, in accepting and giving
love while always aware it comes with an unbearable price.
Maybe loving dogs is a way we do penance for all the other illusions we
allow ourselves and for the mistakes we make because of those illusions."
- Questions & Answers - If you haven't yet visited my new Q&A page,
please do so.... and then send me YOUR questions!
- Reader input - And speaking of sending in questions, I just LOVE it
when you, my readers, give me input! Here's one reader, Kathy, whose
email shares a valuable website. Down in the Points to Ponder are two
other interesting inputs (is that a word?) from readers. "You bringing
up the dangers of fluoride reminds me to tell you about a Web site that
has archives of health interviews that you might be interested in or
might want to pass on to others. I listen to the show live on Saturday
mornings, and almost ALWAYS want to listen again on the computer.
The show last Saturday was about the dangers of fluoride. Very
interesting. The only problem with this program is that it is only an hour
long so they just begin to scratch the surface. The Web site is: www.
healthybynatureshow.com.
- Do you STILL believe the hype about Splenda? - Another reader,
Cathy Justus who is so deeply involved in educating about the dangers
of fluoride (which include thyroid, brain and bone damage), sent me an
article by Dr. Joseph Mercola concerning the dangers of Splenda. Instead
of reprinting it here, just go to www.mercola.com and search for articles
on Splenda. You will come up with a plethora of them! And if you still
think any of the other artificial sweeteners are safe, search for them,
too, on his site. In truth, these are deadly. If you're still hooked, once
you read these articles, you WON'T be!
- Declassified information about fluoride - Cathy also sent me this link
with declassified information concerning the Manhattan Project's use of
fluoride and the deadly results - must reading! http://nexusmagazine.
com/articles/fluoridebomb.html
- I was wrong - I have always believed in "natural" cleaning products but
here is one cleaning aid that is NOT "natural". However, it actually
lessens the environmental burden while cleaning every surface of your
home without anything but plain water! What a $ savings this could be,
too! Please link to www.care2.com/greenliving/dust-away-the-old-with-
microfiber.html. Make sure to read ALL the comments at the end.
- Wound Balm Testimonial - Read about this fabulous scar-breakdown in
a human here!
- Codex Alementarius update from the Dr. Rath Health Foundation -
Huxley's Brave New World seems to be alive and well. Do we REALLY
want this to happen? www4.dr-rath-foundation.
org/THE_FOUNDATION/Events/codex2007-badneuenahr.html
Did You Know?... (from various sources)
- The drug Traysol is removed from market - After numerous studies
showing the deadly effects of this anti-bleeding drug, the FDA finally
removed it from the market. The FDA had begun re-evaluations on
Traysol's safety in January 2006, after a study suggested serious side
effects like kidney problems, heart attack, and strokes. During this time,
Traysol remained on the market and continued being on the market for
over a month following even a definitive Canadian study. Worldwide
sales of Traysol were roughly $135 million for just the nine months
between January and September of 2007; the drug was pulled in
November, 2007. U.S. sales accounted for $91 million of that total –
nearly 68%.
- The TRUTH about Aspirin - Contrary to popular belief, Bayer did not
"invent" Aspirin. Mother Nature did. Thousands of years ago, humans
made a tea from the bark of white willow trees to alleviate pain. The
Greek physician Hippocrates (he's the one who gave us the Hippocratic
Oath) prescribed willow bark to his patients to reduce pain and fever. All
with no side effects. It is only in very modern times when salicin (only
one ingredient of the bark) was synthesized that Aspirin was born and
side effects began. In truth, Aspirin depletes the body of life-saving
nutrients such as folic acid, iron, potassium, sodium and vitamin C.
Symptoms associated with such depletion include: anemia, birth
defects, elevated homocysteine (a risk factor for heart disease),
headache, depression, fatigue, hair loss, insomnia, diarrhea, shortness
of breath, pale skin and suppression of the immune system. Internal
bleeding is also a real and present danger. In fact, the side effects of
Aspirin are so severe that they can cause a higher death rate relative to
the populations who do not take it. Each year, a grossly underestimated
7600 deaths and 76,000 hospitalizations occur in the United States from
use of Aspirin and other NSAIDS like Motrin, Aleve, and Celebrex. Only
about 10% of deaths caused by NSAIDS are reported. Death by drugs is
usually attributed to the patient being either too sick or too old.
Fortunately, the pain relieving ability, as well as any purported
cardiovascular benefits, of Aspirin can be procured without risk by use of
the forgotten white willow bark tea, ginger, high dose MSM, cayenne, or
certain types of grape seed extracts. The track records of these natural
products are impeccable.
- Graveyard shift - It may be time to take the term "graveyard shift"
literally. A new study has re-affirmed the old medical suspicion that
night work can shorten your life. And fully 20 percent of the working
population of developed countries earns their living at night. The reason
for the concern is the hormone melatonin, a powerful ally in the body's
fight against tumor development, and which is produced by the body at
night. The theory is that night work causes such disruption in your
circadian rhythm that it short-circuits melatonin development, opening
the door for all manner of nasty, lethal cancers. What's true for shift
workers who are awake in the middle of the night is equally true for
ANYONE whose sleep is continually disrupted – including insomniacs,
frequent business travelers, and even new moms. Humans are simply
not nocturnal animals. Your body's natural rhythms are delicate and
easily disrupted, and this disruption can lead to the breakdown of
critical functions. Certain bodily processes like cell division and DNA
repair happen at regular times. And anyone knows that not getting
enough sleep makes your immune system vulnerable, making it just as
tough for your body to do battle with potentially cancerous cells as with
the common cold. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a cure-all for
the night workers' potentially deadly predicament. Many physicians say
that it is imperative that night workers sleep in a darkened room once
they get home from work to help maintain the body's light/dark balance.
- A fish story - While fish is a super food, especially those with high
levels of Omega 3, the concern about mercury toxicity is equally real.
What fish are safe? Current thought, remembering that every fish is still
unique, is contained below. Vital Choice, www.vitalchoice.com, is an
excellent source for good ocean fish, including the occasional tuna for
die-hard fans. The freshwater trout you get to catch yourself in
Colorado! Dr. Mercola, www.mercola.com, recommends his special krill
capsules as the best source of supplemental Omega 3, although
Carlson's fish or cod liver oil are definitely excellent and available as
either liquid or capsules.
- Wild Salmon (1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids per 2 ounces of fish;
0.014 parts per million mercury concentration) - Herring (1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids per 1 ounce of fish; 0.044
parts per million mercury concentration - Sardines (1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids per 2-3 ounces of fish;
0.016 parts per million mercury concentration) - Freshwater Trout (1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids per 3-4 ounces of
fish; 0.072 parts per million mercury concentration)
- Just say "No" to sugar - According to the Center for Science in the
Public Interest, per capita consumption of added sugars has risen by
28% since 1983. The average American consumes at least 64 pounds of
sugar per year, and the average teenage boy at least 109 pounds.
People who consume diets high in added sugars consume lower levels of
fiber; vitamins A, C, E, and folate; magnesium; calcium; and other
nutrients. By displacing protective nutrients and foods in the diet,
added sugars may increase the risk of osteoporosis, cancer, high blood
pressure, heart disease and other health problems. Aside from what
sugar is contributing to ill-health, consuming the typical amount of
white sugar makes most people moody or hyper or cranky or nasty or
just plain sick. And artificial sweeteners are far worse. But don't just
take my word for it. Be your own scientific study. Remove all sugar and
sugar substitutes from your diet for seven days (remember to read all
labels since this includes fructose, etc.) and amaze yourself at how
much better you'll feel at the end of that period. Just ONE WEEK. Be
sure to check with your doctor before trying this if you are diabetic or
have any kind of health problems related to sugar intake.
- Chinese Dietary Supplements Contain Viagra - Dietary supplements
marketed to provide male sexual enhancement contain undeclared
erectile dysfunction drugs putting users at risk, the Food and Drug
Administration says. The agency advised consumers to stay away from
Shangai Chaojimengnan supplements sold under the names Super
Shangai, Strong Testis, Shangai Ultra, Shangai Ultra X, Lady Shangai
and Shangai Regular. The Chinese-made supplements are packaged and
distributed by Shangai Distributor Inc. of Puerto Rico. Product testing
indicates that some of these so-called supplements contain Viagra's
active ingredient, sildenafil, or a compound with a chemical structure
that mimics sildenafil. These chemicals could interact with nitrates in
drugs taken for disorders commonly associated with erectile dysfunction,
including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart
disease. The result could dangerously lower a user's blood pressure,
according to the FDA. The agency also warned that the safety and purity
of these illegal ingredients is unknown.
- FDA vs Congress - A report has been issued from an FDA advisory
panel that was supported by 30 in-house scientific advisors. Their
conclusion: the agency is in shambles. The report states that over the
past 20 years the responsibilities of the agency have increased
enormously while the FDA budget has grown very little. Their computer
system is outdated, they're behind in their analysis of dangerous
product reports, and they're poorly equipped to interact with other
government systems when a crisis occurs, such as last year's E. coli
contamination of spinach. Even though the report comes from the
agency itself, it doesn't mince words, stating that an inability to keep
pace with scientific advances "means that American lives are at risk."
What must be recognized is that the FDA is funded by Congress and the
question that must be asked is why hasn't Congress protected the
public by increasing the agency's budget to keep up with expanding
responsibilities? After all, if Congress provided the FDA with a proper
budget, the agency would be able to thoroughly scrutinize new drugs,
old drugs for new purposes, and that little thing we fondly refer to as
"our food supply." But when the budget is anemic, the agency is
hamstrung. Which is exactly the way drug company executives, and
their "pet" congresspersons, like their safety oversight.
- Walnuts fight insomnia - Most of us now recognize that getting a good
night's sleep is essential for health and even for weight loss. But rather
than going to the drugstore for one of those heavily advertised sleeping
medications, try walnuts! Before going to bed, eat a one-ounce serving
of fresh walnuts. It's important to chew them slowly and thoroughly and
don't swallow until you've reduced them to a liquid.The reason this
works is that walnuts are one of the plant kingdom's richest dietary
sources of seratonin, the magical chemical that promotes feelings of
relaxation and well-being. As an interesting side effect, seratonin also
tends to suppress appetite. In addition to helping you overcome
insomnia, eating fresh walnuts on a regular basis may even help you
lower cholesterol and fight depression. Pretty good, hmmm, for a
delicious snack?
- Are you SURE you want the flu vaccine? - Consider what H. Hugh
Fudenburg, MD, (nitrf.org/fudenberg.html), a leading geneticist with
hundreds of original publications, has to say about the flu vaccine: "We
have found that clinically normal individuals aged 60-65 who receive
influenza vaccine three or four times during a five-year period, will
five years later have an incidence of Alzheimer's disease 10-fold
greater than age-matched individuals who did not receive it."
- Structured water - According to Mikhail Tombak, Ph.D. in his book Can
We Live 150 Years?, the Yakut people in Siberia have been known to
live on average longer than people in most societies in spite of having
an inadequate diet. Dr. Tombak attributes that to the fact they drink
structured water. No, they don't make their water with all the costly
modern appliances. What the Yakuts do is get ice and then melt it in
the sunshine to drink. You can do this yourself by pouring water into a
container, freezing for 2-3 hours., removing it and breaking the frozen
surface. The water under the ice has the same structure as the water in
our cells. Freezing changes the viscosity of the water and increases
intercellular communication, etc. Naturally it's best to use the purest
water possible before the freezing.
- Parlais vous Francaise? - The United States places last among 19
industrialized countries when it comes to deaths that could have been
prevented by access to timely and effective health care, according to a
new study published in the January/February issue of The Journal Health
Affairs. France finished first when it came to preventable deaths,
followed by Japan and Australia. In “Measuring the Health of Nations:
Updating an Earlier Analysis,” Ellen Nolte and Martin McKee of the
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine compare trends in
preventable deaths for the years 1997-1998 and 2002-2003. While other
nations dramatically improved preventable death rates between 1997-
1998 and 2002–2003, the U.S. improved just slightly, the researchers
said.
- Vinegar lowers fasting blood sugar levels - In a recent study
published in Diabetes Care, Arizona State University researchers
recruited 11 type 2 diabetics for a highly controlled intervention. Fasting
glucose was measured for each subject, first thing in the morning, for
three days in a row. For the next two days, each subject followed a
strict meal plan including two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar [ed:
preferably raw organic ACV] or water as a placebo, along with one ounce
of cheese. The two-day intervention was followed by a three-day
washout period in which no vinegar was consumed. Another two-day
intervention followed, with subjects crossing over: those who took
vinegar in the first intervention period switched to water, and vice
versa. Results showed that fasting glucose was lowed with both water
and vinegar, but vinegar use was two times more effective than the
placebo water.
- Caffeine cause of miscarriage - Daily coffee consumption during
pregnancy –- whether from coffee, tea, caffeinated soda or hot
chocolate — increases the risk of miscarriage, according a new study by
the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. The study, which published
online in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, found that
consuming 200 mg of caffeine, equal to two cups of coffee per day or
five 12oz cans of caffeinated soda, doubles a woman's risk of
miscarriage during pregnancy. Dr. Tracy Flanagan, director of Women's
Health, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, recommended women
limit themselves to one or less cups of coffee per day during pregnancy.
“Learn to perk up instead with natural energy boosts like a brisk walk,
yoga stretches, snacking on dried fruits and nuts.”
Point to Ponder #1 - The "Stop Monsanto" Petition ...
an email from Steve, a reader
Hi Rowan,
I just came across a link to this website while reading an article by Dr.
Mercola. I thought you might be interested in joining the petition and
sharing the link in your next newsletter.
I hate everything that Monsanto stands for and would love to see them
exposed and shut down. I personally feel that company is one of the
biggest threats to the world’s environment and the population’s health.
They are mad scientists mixing and matching human, animal and plant
genes to make what they believe are improvements on natures design
(WRONG!).
I believe they are responsible for the sudden disappearance of the bee
population due to genetically modified plants. Pertaining to insects, there
are studies that shows GMO corn has contributed to a decline in the
monarch butterfly population.
Pertaining to humans, Monsanto is also responsible for Aspartame (the
sweetener) and the herbicide called RoundUp.They also developed
RoundUp resistant plants just to name a few.
I certainly hope they can be stopped before they cause more damage to
our foods, environment, animals and humanity.
I have attached links for reference.
- Garnered from Mercola's site, www.mercola.com .... The "Stop
Monsanto" Petition www.organicconsumers.org/monlink.cfm
- Health Destruction and Lawsuits: www.ethicalinvesting.
com/monsanto/aspartame.shtml
- Study Links Monsanto's Roundup Herbicide to Hormone Disruption &
Fetal Damage: www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/fetal030105.cfm
..... Suffice it to say that I am in full agreement with Steve and thank him
mightily for his impassioned plea - although I would add in all the drug
and vaccine companies that do so much harm to health and which tend to
fund most of our medical and veterinarian schools. :(
.... and here is Steve's reply to my request for posting his whole email:
Yes Rowan, you have my permission to use my statement. I hope people
will take a little time to educate themselves about Monsanto the Monster
Company. Obviously they have so much money and power (government
backing) that most major news companies steer clear of them, which is
concerning. Thank goodness for the Internet.
Point to Ponder #2 - The Crazy Makers . . . an email
from Sumner, a reader
I usually fall asleep about 10 PM with an ear bud turned to AM 600, The
Coast to Coast Talk Show. An interesting segment was when the author
of "The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Brains
and Harming Our Children" discussed harmful food additives. I believe this
would be of great interest to you and your readers.
- 20% of our vitamin C and many other drugs come from China.
- The vitamin C is derived from corn with many harmful additives.
- Most of Colorado processes sewage and introduces it into our water
supply. - Estrogen is only one of many harmful ingredients that can't be
filtered out and that is added to our water supply. [editor: Fluoride is
another one.]
The author's most recent revision has added a chapter on Autism.
Read more about the book at http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Makers-
Industry-Destroying-Children/dp/1585421049/ref=sr_1_2?
ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199123412&sr=1-2
Point to Ponder #3 - Smoothie Recipe for Healthy
Bones and Teeth by Dr. Ben Kim http://drbenkim.
com/smoothie-recipe-healthy-bones-teeth.html
If you want to build and maintain healthy bones and teeth, you have to
supply your body with a variety of nutrients. The vitamins, minerals, and
macronutrients that you need most to promote healthy teeth and bones
are:
- Vitamin D - Needed to help you absorb calcium from the foods that
you eat. - Vitamin C - Needed to synthesize collagen, which is a long, fibrous
protein that is needed to provide your bones with tensile strength. - Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, manganese, zinc, iron,
and silica - Needed to build the matrix of your bones and teeth. - Healthy fat and cholesterol - Needed to ensure absorption of the
nutrients listed above, and to ensure adequate vitamin D production
from sunlight exposure.
The following smoothie recipe was designed to provide all of the nutrients
listed above.
Ingredients:
- Large handful romaine lettuce (torn into pieces)
- 1 raw, organic egg
- 1 tablespoon super green food powder
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 orange
- 1-2 teaspoons acerola cherry powder
- 1 tablespoon cod liver oil
- Water
as you go until desired consistency is reached.
Notes:
If you don't use a super green food powder, include an extra handful of
romaine lettuce.
If you eat goji berries, add a small handful to the mix of ingredients
listed above for another excellent source of vitamin C, calcium, iron, zinc,
and phosphorus. I recommend soaking the goji berries in water for 30-60
minutes before blending; soaking the berries will allow your blender to
more thoroughly incorporate the berries into the smoothie.
In order to build and maintain healthy bones and teeth, beyond ensuring
optimal nourishment, it's important to avoid the following foods and
substances:
- * Artificial sweeteners
* Soft drinks (pop)
* Sugar
* Cookies, cakes, and pastries made with white flour
* Table salt
* Alcohol
exposure to these foods and substances can cause your body to leech
calcium out of your bones to keep the pH of your blood within a desirable
range.
Point to Ponder #4 - Common Vaccine Threatens
Children by Shane Ellison, MS
http://thepeopleschemist.com/blog/2008/01/04/common-vaccine-
threatens-children.html
The pertussis vaccine, administered via the DTP or DTaP vaccine, offers
very little efficacy and is a risk to the health of our children. As shown in
my book, Health Myths Exposed, natural alternatives to the real and
present danger are a wiser decision - most have been buried by vaccine
hype and blind faith in doctors among fearful parents.
When administered, the vaccine does in fact increase antibodies to
pertussis (Bordetella) yet immunity is short lived and maybe even non
existent. This fact was noted by the well respected medical journal
Pediatrics when they published that only a small portion of pertussis
cases can be prevented by immunization. Specifically, as shown by the
Journal of the American Medical Association, immunity to pertussis
declines by 50% between 1 month and 1 year after vaccination. Further,
during a pertussis outbreak in Ohio, the New England Journal of Medicine
reported that 82% of those who suffered from the disease had received
regular doses of the vaccine.
Many health professionals advocate the use of the vaccine by asserting
that the decline in pertussis over the last 100 years is attributed to the
pertussis vaccination. This is false. Pertussis rates plummeted by 79%
between 1900-1935. The pertussis vaccine was not introduced until 1940.
A math lesson would be helpful.
Because the pertussis vaccine provides little benefit, does it make sense
to expose children to the negative side effects associated with it? In a
presentation to the Institute of Medicine, published in 1990, the public
was informed of the following dangers:
- babies die at a rate 7 times greater than normal within 3 days of
receiving the shot
- side effects include asthma and other auto-immune disorders
- encephalitis, leading to permanent behavioral changes such as lack of
focus and poor problem solving skills can result as well.
Many are unaware of these facts simply because the IOM, CDC, AMA, AAP,
WHO, UNICEF and the FDA are proving to be untrustworthy in the areas of
immunization, due to financial conflicts of interest. As a result, they have
endangered the health of children by not reporting safe and effective
nutritional supplements that have proven to give substantial protection
and treatment to pertussis.
Most notably, natural treatments include but are not limited to zinc,
vitamin C and and beta carotene, as shown by Pediatrics and the
University of Maryland Medical Center.
Still though, it is important to note that like vaccines, nutritional
supplements are no silver bullet. However, considering the danger
associated with the pertussis vaccination, it is both logical and
scientifically sound to choose safe and effective natural remedies over
vaccination.
Point to Ponder #5 - Ask Your Doctor If This Vaccine
is Right For You! by Dr. Rima Laibow, MD, Natural
Solutions Foundation
Oncologists refuse chemotherapy for themselves and others. The State’s
Attorney, Glen Ivey, who forced vaccination on 2300 poor, black children
in Prince George’s County, Maryland, on November 17, 2007 (at gun point
and with police dogs present, by the way) after threatening parent with
fines and jail time in a state which allows parents exemptions to
vaccination for their children had, himself, taken that option for his own
children since Hepatitis B and the other vaccines being forced on the
children were, he said, too dangerous for his children.
Doctors, on the other hand, may actually believe that vaccines are good
for you and are safe. The Natural Solutions Foundation firmly states that
neither condition is true. However, if your doctor does believe in the
safety and necessity of vaccination, he or she ought to be willing to tell
you why. And since vaccination is such a serious issue, that belief should
be based on strong scientific information, not a vague and unformed bias
in that direction. Such a science-based belief should be able to be
documented in a linear, logical and documented fashion.
A participant in the Natural Solutions Foundation’s No-forced-vaccination
Forum named Mary shared this letter. Bring it to your doctor or your child’s
doctor and ask the doctor to sign it if he or she believes that vaccines are
safe. If your doctor will not sign it, you have your answer!
You might also print off a copy of the Atlanta Manifesto and ask your
doctor to read it carefully if, in his or her medical opinion, your doctor still
thinks that vaccination is either save, or responsible (or both). Please be
aware that you may have to find another doctor since “experts” often
respond to effective challenges to wrong information that they have
staked their careers and reputations on with less-than-mature responses
when they are challenged.
Read complete article at www.healthfreedomusa.org/index.php?
p=489
Point to Ponder #6 - A new book takes aim at the cost
of US health (A review of Overtreated: Why Too Much
Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer by Shannon
Brownlee) by Ralph Moss, PhD, Cancer Decisions Newsletter
http://www.cancerdecisions.com/010608.html
Americans spent more than $2 trillion on health care in 2006. That's
almost as much as the world spends annually on petroleum. We currently
spend more than two and a half times more per capita on health care
than other industrialized countries do. The rising cost of health care is
already a serious obstacle to our economic competitiveness in the
international marketplace, and things are rapidly getting worse. Experts
predict that within the next decade the cost of our health care system will
consume almost 20 percent of the nation's gross domestic product.
Are we getting value for money? Is all this lavish expenditure resulting in
longer and healthier lives? By any objective standard, the answer is a
resounding no. Although we are constantly being told by politicians that
our health care system is the best in the world, the facts tell a very
different story. For decades, the US has been slipping steadily downwards
in international rankings for life expectancy. Two decades ago, we ranked
11th in the world; we now rank 42nd. People in Canada, Japan and
Western Europe have a significantly higher life expectancy than US
citizens. The infant mortality rate - another reliable yardstick by which the
quality of a nation's health care can be measured - is better in 27 other
countries than it is in the US; we rank 28th, lagging behind countries such
as Cuba and the Czech Republic.
Why does American health care cost so much, yet yield so little
improvement in our health and longevity? There are undoubtedly many
contributory factors. One is the lack of universal access to health care in
the US: with 47 million Americans currently uninsured, and tens of
millions more underinsured, health care can be excellent for some while
others go without care entirely because of inability to pay. In 2007, for
example, a twelve year-old Washington, DC, boy died as a result of an
overwhelming brain infection that originated in a decayed and abscessed
tooth. His mother was too poor to afford the $80 it would have cost to
have the tooth extracted, and was unable to find a dentist who would
accept Medicaid.
Those who defend our current system often claim that, for all its faults, it
is still intrinsically better than the state-run systems in countries such as
Canada, France and the United Kingdom, where health care is rationed
and there are long waiting lists for non-emergency conditions. But when a
team of researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health made a comparative study of health care spending and waiting
lists in the US and other countries, they found no basis for this assertion.
Instead, they found that the fifteen tests and procedures that account for
the majority of the waiting lists in other countries accounted for just 3
percent of costs in the US, and could not therefore account for the huge
disparity in health spending between the US and other countries
(Anderson 2005).
Besides, attempts to control costs by means of managed care - which is
itself a form of rationing in all but name - have also signally failed.
Instead, we have created a greatly expanded (and hugely expensive)
bureaucracy that has interposed itself between patients and their
physicians, placing strict constraints on clinical decision-making and micro-
managing everything from how long physicians may spend with each
patient to what services they are encouraged – or in some cases
forbidden - to discuss.
Some consider that the rising cost of malpractice insurance is contributing
strongly to the problem, and suggest mandatory caps on non-economic
damages in malpractice cases. Others see this as simply a way of
restricting patients' rights. Even malpractice insurers themselves seem far
from united on this issue. For example, the nation's largest medical
malpractice insurer, GE has admitted, in a filing obtained by the non-
profit Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, that non-economic
damages awarded in malpractice suits represent only a small percentage
of total losses paid. "Capping non-economic damages will show loss
savings of 1.0 percent," the company states in its filing (FTCR).
In an intriguing new book - Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine Is
Making Us Sicker and Poorer - award-winning journalist and science writer
Shannon Brownlee suggests another (and hitherto largely unexamined)
reason for the rising and unsustainably high cost of health care in the US.
Throughout the political discourse on our current health care crisis, she
writes in the book's introduction, "…the most important piece of the
puzzle has been consistently overlooked. There's one more factor that
contributes to our medical bills, and that's unnecessary care. We spend
between one fifth and one third of our health care dollars…between five
hundred and seven hundred billion dollars…on care that does nothing to
improve our health. And while overhead and high prices hurt our
pocketbooks, the vast amount of unnecessary care in the system also
makes our health care worse than it ought to be. Unnecessary treatment
and tests aren't just expensive; they also can harm patients."
Superficially this looks like another exhortation to restrict care and
introduce more de facto rationing - exactly the approach that has been
most vigorously resisted by doctors and patients alike in the US. But
while Brownlee acknowledges that her central thesis - that we are getting
too much care, not too little - runs counter to conventional wisdom, her
well-argued and meticulously documented book makes a convincing case
that overtreatment is indeed the single most significant contributor to the
spiraling cost of health care.
How did our collective infatuation with medical intervention come about?
Brownlee traces its origins back to the mid-nineteenth century, when
some of the most astonishing advances in medicine were made. She cites
a survey conducted by a group of Harvard researchers that found that over
a third of respondents believed that American medicine "can cure almost
any illness for people who have access to the most advanced technologies
and treatments." One of the physicians that Brownlee cites in her book
sums it up thus: "We are the new priesthood, and the myth we are
peddling is not everlasting life in heaven, but everlasting life here on
earth."
Read complete article at www.cancerdecisions.com/010608.html
Point to Ponder #7 - Recreational Drugs FAR Less
Likely to Kill You than Prescribed Drugs! by
Christopher Kent, D.C., J.D.
Recreational drugs, including cocaine and heroin, are responsible for an
estimated 10,000-20,000 American deaths per year. While this represents
a serious public health problem, it is a "smokescreen" for America's real
drug problem. America's "war on drugs" is directed at the wrong enemy. It
is obvious that interdiction, stiff mandatory sentences, and more vigorous
enforcement of drug laws have failed.
The reason is simple. Cause and effect have been reversed.
The desire to solve problems by taking drugs is a product of our culture.
When a child is taught by loving parents that the appropriate response to
pain or discomfort is taking a pill, it is obvious that such a child, when
faced with the challenges of adolescence, will seek comfort by taking
drugs.
Drugs are Dangerous Whether Pushed or Prescribed
While approximately 10,000 per year die from the effects of illegal drugs,
an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
reported that an estimated 106,000 hospitalized patients die each year
from drugs which, by medical standards, are properly prescribed and
properly administered. More than two million suffer serious side effects.
An article in Newsweek put this into perspective. Adverse drug reactions,
from "properly" prescribed drugs, are the fourth leading cause of death in
the United States. According to this article, only heart disease, cancer,
and stroke kill more Americans than drugs prescribed by medical doctors.
Reactions to prescription drugs kill more than twice as many Americans as
HIV/AIDS or suicide. Fewer die from accidents or diabetes than adverse
drug reactions. It is important to point out the limitations of this study. It
did not include outpatients, cases of malpractice, or instances where the
drugs were not taken as directed.
According to another AMA publication, drug related "problems" kill as
many as 198,815 people, put 8.8 million in hospitals, and account for up
to 28% of hospital admissions. If these figures are accurate, only cancer
and heart disease kill more patients than drugs. Has the situation
improved since the publication of this information? Hardly. Null et al have
published the most comprehensive and well-documented study I have
seen of deaths associated with medical practice. In this report, their
research revealed some shocking facts. The findings are summarized in
the abstract: "A definitive review and close reading of medical peer-
review journals, and government health statistics shows that American
medicine frequently causes more harm than good. The number of people
having in-hospital, adverse drug reactions (ADR) to prescribed medicine is
2.2 million. Dr. Richard Besser, of the CDC, in 1995, said the number of
unnecessary antibiotics prescribed annually for viral infections was 20
million. Dr. Besser, in 2003, now refers to tens of millions of unnecessary
antibiotics.
The number of unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed
annually is 7.5 million. The number of people exposed to unnecessary
hospitalization annually is 8.9 million. The total number of iatrogenic
deaths shown in the following table is 783,936. It is evident that the
American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the
United States. The 2001 heart disease annual death rate is 699,697; the
annual cancer death rate, 553,251." Drugs Number One Killer The
authors conclude: "When the number one killer in a society is the
healthcare system, then, that system has no excuse except to address its
own urgent shortcomings. It's a failed system in need of immediate
attention. What we have outlined in this paper are insupportable aspects
of our contemporary medical system that need to be changed -- beginning
at its very foundations." A recent article in Archives of Internal Medicine
[7] stated that in the seven year period from 1998 through 2005, reported
serious adverse drug events increased 2.6-fold, and fatal adverse drug
events increased 2.7-fold. The authors noted that reported serious events
increased 4 times faster than the total number of outpatient prescriptions
during the period. Another study concluded that the majority(86%) of the
adverse drug reactions for which patients were admitted to a medical
intensive care unit were preventable.
One proposed solution to the illegal drug problem was encouraging
potential users to ignore peer pressure and "just say no." Interestingly,
this strategy is not being recommended for prescription drugs. Bruce
Pomeranz, MD , one of the authors of the JAMA paper, said he is not
warning people to stay away from drugs. "That would be a terrible
message," he said. Lucian Leape, MD, of the Harvard School of Public
Health said, "When you realize how many drugs we use, maybe those
numbers aren't so bad after all."
Does that mean that the number of deaths due to illegal drugs, suicide,
HIV/AIDS, diabetes, accidents, and drunk driving "aren't so bad" either?
Does it mean that we shouldn't discourage drunk driving or unsafe sex?
The folly of such double standards should be obvious to all.
It is time to address the real drug problem -- the cultural notion that the
first solution to seek for relief of life's problems is a drug. That's the drug
culture we need to address.
Read references and Dr. Mercola's comments at http://articles.
mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/01/15/recreational-drugs-
far-less-likely-to-kill-you-than-prescribed-drugs.aspx
Point to Ponder #8 - Soft Drinks, Hard Facts . . .
Research suggests kids who drink a lot of soft drinks
risk becoming fat, weak-boned, cavity-prone and
caffeine-addicted by Sally Squires for Chet Day's
Health & Beyond
Americans drink more soda pop than ever before. These popular
beverages account for more than a quarter of all drinks consumed in the
United States. More than 15 billion gallons were sold in 2000. That works
out to at least one 12-ounce can per day for every man, woman and child.
Kids are heavy consumers of soft drinks, according to the U.S. Department
of Agriculture, and they are guzzling soda pop at unprecedented rates.
Carbonated soda pop provides more added sugar in a typical 2-year-old
toddler's diet than cookies, candies and ice cream combined. Fifty-six
percent of 8-year-olds down soft drinks daily, and a third of teenage boys
drink at least three cans of soda pop per day.
Not only are soft drinks widely available everywhere from fast food
restaurants to video stores, they're now sold in 60 percent of all public
and private middle schools and high schools nationwide, according to the
National Soft Drink Association. A few schools are even giving away soft
drinks to students who buy school lunches.
As soda pop becomes the beverage of choice among the nation's young --
and as soda marketers focus on brand-building among younger and
younger consumers -- public health officials, school boards, parents,
consumer groups and even the soft drink industry are faced with nagging
questions: How healthful are these beverages, which provide a lot
calories, sugars and caffeine but no significant nutritional value? And
what happens if you drink a lot of them at a very young age?
Beginning tomorrow, representatives of the soft drink industry, concerned
that public opinion and public policy may turn against them, will stage a
three-day "fly-in" to lobby Congress to maintain soft drinks sales in
schools; and to educate lawmakers on the "proper perspective" on soft
drink use. The industry plans to counter a U.S. Department of Agriculture
proposal, announced in January, that would require all foods sold in
schools to meet federal nutrition standards. That would mean that snack
foods and soft drinks would have to meet the same standards as school
lunches.
Some state legislators are already taking steps to limit soft drink sales to
youngsters. In Maryland, a bill introduced by Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince
George's) would prohibit sales of soft drinks and other non-nutritious
foods in schools until after 3 p.m. Current law says vending machines
can't be turned on until after the final lunch period.
Nearly everyone by now has heard the litany on the presumed health
effects of soft drinks: Obesity. Tooth decay. Caffeine dependence.
Weakened bones. But does drinking soda pop really cause those things?
Even the staunchest critics of soft drinks say finding the scientific bottom
line on soda pop can be maddeningly tricky. "It's hard to pull out the
health effects of soft drinks from the whole diet," says Michael Jacobson,
executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest and
author of a critical report on soft drinks called "Liquid Candy: How Soft
Drinks Are Harming Americans' Health." "There are relatively few studies
on sugars. And some studies don't distinguish between naturally occurring
sugars and refined sugars."
To help separate fact from fiction, the Health section reviewed the latest
scientific findings and asked an array of experts on both sides of the
debate to weigh in on the topic. Be forewarned, however: Compared with
the data available on tobacco and even dietary fat, the scientific evidence
on soft drinks is less developed. The results can be a lot like soft drinks
themselves, both sweet and sticky.
Read the rest of the article at http://chetday.com/softdrinkdangers.
htm
Menu of the Month - Heart-Loving Valentine's Dinner
Avocado Salad - on a bed of leafy greens (your choice), lay 1/2 avocado,
sliced, per plate, sprinkle with chopped roast walnuts and raspberry
vinaigrette
Simple Baked Salmon w/ spicy mango salsa - bake 2 6oz salmon fillets
at 400 for 15-20 min. salsa - gently mix together: 1 peeled/diced mango,
1 seeded/diced jalapeno, 2T chopped cilantro, 3T fresh lime juice, 1 tsp
fresh orange zest; season to taste with NTM salt and freshly ground
pepper - make the day before, refrigerate, and bring to room temperature
to serve
Black Bean & Quinoa Pilaf
Heat 1tsp olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 1
chopped onion and 3 cloves smashed garlic, and saute until lightly
browned. Stir in 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa and cover with chicken broth.
Season with 1 tsp ground cumin, dash cayenne pepper, & NTM salt, and
pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and
simmer 20 minutes, stir in 1 cup frozen corn and continue to simmer
about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in 1 can drained/rinsed black
beans and 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro.
Unbaked Chocolate Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting
Process 1 cup unsoaked walnuts and 5 pitted Medjool dates in a food
processor until mixture sticks together. Add 1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa
powder, 1 tsp coconut oil, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2
tsp almond extract. Roll into 8 small balls - place each ball into 1 ¼-inch
baking cups, forming into a cupcake shape. coconut icing - Puree 1 cup
coconut pulp, coconut butter, 1/2 cup agave nectar and 1/4 cup coconut
water in the blender until you achieve a smooth consistency. Add 1/2 tsp
vanilla extract and dash sea salt. To make it pink for Valentine's day, add
approximately 1 tsp beet juice, or enough to achieve coloring you want.
(for other colors, use liquid chlorophyll for green or some unsweetened
cocoa powder & maple syrup for chocolate)
Words of Wisdom ... from "The Darkest Evening of the
Year" by Dean Koontz, p. 314
"Dogs lives are short, too short, but you know that going in.
You know the pain is coming, you're going to lose a dog, and there's
going to be great anguish, so you live fully in the moment with her, never
fail to share her joy or delight in her innocence, because you can't support
the illusion that a dog can be your lifelong companion.
There's such beauty in the hard honesty of that, in accepting and giving
love while always aware it comes with an unbearable price.
Maybe loving dogs is a way we do penance for all the other illusions we
allow ourselves and for the mistakes we make because of those illusions."
- Until March . . .
Rowan & John
| The information contained in this newsletter has not been evaluated by the FDA. This information in not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health program. |
