Figs - A popular aphrodisiac with the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. These crunchy sweet yet soft luscious fruit are known to build up sexual stamina because of the high amino acid content.

Garlic – Probably best not to eat this just before your Valentine’s date. However, garlic contains allicin, which is an active ingredient that increases blood flow to both your sexual organs, resulting in a stronger erection in guys and better orgasms for guys and girls.

Coffee for her - I normally am so against coffee but once in a while might be good for your sex life! Scientists discovered that coffee boosts the female libido. This works best for girls that don’t drink coffee regularly. Yay me!

Damiana Tea for him – Damiana tea contains a South American herb that will stimulate his nether regions. with an active ingredient called gonzalitosin. This induces a feeling of mild euphoria and a tingling sensation in the penis. So what if your man doesn’t drink tea, tell him about this and he’ll be saying, “put the kettle on. right. now.”

Cinnamon for him - Cakes and buns with cinnamon will actually repel my sweetie because he HATES cinnamon but usually (for normal guys) the smell of cinnamon is one of the most arousing smells for men. I’ve heard that the smell arouses the guy and sends that much needed blood flow to the penis.

St. John’s Wort – This herb really needs to be renamed because don’t most people NOT want to consume the wort of St. John? I don’t! Back to this herb. It’s commonly known to lift a sad mood, but did you know it can also do wonders for a lowly libido?

Ginkgo Biloba for him - Taking Ginkgo Biloba will boost the blood flow enough to help maintain an erection, if you’ve been having issues with that.

Gingseng - Ancient Asian secrets do not tell a lie. Gingseng enhances the libido now and has for more than 7,000 years. It gets blood flow to the genitals, as well as perking up your mental and physical energy.

Other aphrodisiacs: The following foods will get your body GOING: asparagus, cucumbers, onion, garlic, leeks, oysters, ginger, chives, scallion, black pepper, honey, cinnamon, avocado, cayenne pepper, carrots, cardamom, fennel, bananas, anise, horseradish and tumeric. Lastly, foods containing high concentrations of essential omega 3 fatty acids can boost your body’s sex drive.

Here’s a community forum, a virtual meeting place specifically for you and like-minded people. It’s an online gathering place for people living and/or working in France.

Everything you ever needed to know about massage is at this forum; you can discuss with others and you can put up classified ads, as well.

Do you have a specific ailment like migraines, bad knees, achy shoulders, etc? Then, find out if a certain kind of massage will remedy the problem.

Many different but relevant topics are discussed so check them out so you can feel better!

Massage Forum in France

So where does all of this extra salt come from? According to Heart Healthy Magazine, “Roughly 10 percent of the salt in our diet comes from the salt we add ourselves (the salt we season with while cooking or sprinkle at the table) and 10 percent is naturally occurring. The vast majority of salt—amounting to about 80 percent of daily intake—comes from processed foods. Salt is added to processed foods to achieve a (very salty) taste profile. In many situations adding salt is what makes cheap, un-tasty food palatable. Salt also is added for stability and preservation reasons. But the amount of salt added is clearly above and beyond what’s required for the safety and function of the food supply. The simple math leads to the conclusion that going easy with the salt shaker is hardly going to put a dent in the unhealthy amount of salt in the typical American diet. It’s also hard to trust our taste buds when salt is involved. Some foods taste quite salty because the salt is on the surface, while other sodium-saturated dishes don’t taste salty at all because other flavors and textures (namely, lots of fat and sugars) cover up the salt.”

You can add great flavor to any of your dishes without salt. Here are just a few suggestions and alternatives to your meals. Getting active is another great way to keep your heart strong. Grab some friends and head to the park. Not only is this a great way to get your heart pumping (safely and within your limits), but you can also catch up on the latest gossip, a great stress reliever! President Obama has proclaimed February as American Heart Month. February 5, 2010 was National Wear Red Day, I hope you all wore red to show your support. But wearing red to show your support is not limited to one day a year. Wear red and share your ideas and tips with everyone, everywhere.

2.Get up and do something! Go for a walk and check out your neighborhood, window shop at the mall, take your dog for a jog at the park or join a gym and take advantage of their exercise classes. It doesn’t matter where you are or what you do, just get active. Get your heart pumping for at least 45 minutes each day.

3.Everyone needs time to wind down, especially after a stressful day. Find a hobby! Try learning to play a new instrument, cooking an unfamiliar dish, knitting, bird watching…etc. The possibilities are endless!

4.Laugh and smile! Laughing increases the levels of endorphins in your body making you less stressed and with a healthier immune system. Pop in a funny movie that will get you laughing in no time. Studies have shown that with just 15 minutes of laughter (even fake laughter) will burn 10 to 40 calories, depending on weight. Ever heard of laughter yoga? Pretty interesting.

5.Be positive. Living your life with the, “Why me?” attitude will only weigh you down. Life is a beautiful and precious thing. Don’t sweat the small stuff! Instead of questioning yourself and your self worth, question what you can do to make it better? There is always room for improvement.

6.Cut out the toxins – smoking, drugs and excessive alcohol consumption.

7.Adopt a pet! I can’t think of another way to get active. Pets are wonderful and loyal companions and they will show you unconditional love 24/7. Plus, you will always have an excuse to get out of the house to take them for walk. It’s a win-win situation!

8.Avoid these 5 ingredients as much as possible.

9.Track your ticker! 8.6 million women die from heart disease each year, worldwide. Get your blood pressure checked regularly and follow a heart healthy diet. Just by reducing your sodium intake and exercising everyday, you are on your way to a healthier heart.

10.Get those ZzzZzz! Try to sleep 6-8 hours every night. Everyone is busy, but your body needs time to recharge. By getting the recommended hours of sleep you will feel refreshed and energized in the morning. This will set your mood for the whole day.

“If you’re a Whole Foods shopper who occasionally peruses the market’s free pamphlets and brochures, you might know a thing or two about the dangers of irradiated food–at least, that’s where I learned about it. We hear a lot of talk about harmful ingredients: dyes, preservatives, trans fats, and HFCS, for instance, but little is mentioned about this equally harmful process that can alter the molecular composition of the food you eat, damaging valuable vitamins, minerals, and enzymes, all in the name of making said food safer.

During irradiation, food is exposed to ionizing radiation in an effort to destroy microorganisms, viruses, bacteria, or insects that could be dangerous if consumed by people. In addition to sanitizing our food, irradiation can also be used to prevent sprouting, delay ripening, or increase juice yield–in other words, messing with a fruit or vegetable’s natural life process or progression. How exactly does irradiation achieve all these things? By damaging the DNA of the food in question, basically stunting any growth.

Considering how much time and effort is spent attempting to halt or reverse DNA damage to our own cells, then, it’s ironic that … ”

Continue reading

1. Water. Filling up with water can suppress hunger and the more water you drink, the less you retain. I’m not recommending eight 8-ounce servings, I’m talking about a gallon a day! Drink that water!

2. Green Tea. You can drink it hot or iced, flavored or unflavored, caffeinated or decaffeinated. You can get little packets to add to your water bottle or you can get it in capsule form. No matter how you take it, green tea works! Green tea helps your body use more fat for energy. It isn’t a miracle drug, but a little weight loss along with the anti-cancer and heart disease prevention properties of green tea sure can do wonders for a person’s health!

3. Soup. This is a no-brainer. Eight ounces of soup vs. eight ounces of lasagna. Both will fill you up but that soup is guaranteed to have far fewer calories than the lasagna. Whether you start your meal with two glasses of water or a bowl of soup, you get the same result. You’ll feel full quickly and take in a whole lot fewer calories.

4. Grapefruit. Grapefruit has been shown to reduce insulin levels. If you are one of the many in the world today who are insulin resistant and your body is overloaded with insulin, try having half a grapefruit before each meal (halving a grapefruit!). As with green tea, you may not notice a miracle but the combination of the grapefruit and a healthy, low fat, lower calorie diet just might net some results.

5. Apples. Apples have plenty of fiber and that is just plain good for you. Nobody has proven why but the scent of apples has been said to have an appetite suppressing quality.

6. Broccoli. Broccoli is loaded with fiber and bodybuilders love it for its estrogen fighting properties. Estrogen, while being a very important hormone can just be a drag if we have too much of it. Estrogen helps us store fat for the next baby.

7. Low-Fat Yogurt. A low calorie diet with low fat dairy included seems to produce more weight loss than a low calorie diet without dairy. If you can’t have ice cream when you’re dieting, why not allow yourself some low fat yogurt as a treat?

8. Low-Fat Protein. Chicken breasts, turkey breasts, and lean cuts of beef and pork not only satisfy hunger but they can be readily used by your body to create more muscle or maintain the muscle you have. Muscle is a good thing in that it requires more calories per hour to maintain than fat (it burns fat) and it makes us look slimmer.

9. Oatmeal. Got fiber? Oatmeal will fill you up, stick to your ribs and give you body a much needed dose of fiber. Just stay away from the flavored instant oatmeal that is usually loaded with sugar. Buy the tub of Quaker Oats (it is much cheaper than packaged instant oatmeal) and try adding a fresh, chopped apple, some cinnamon and a bit of Splenda to it.

10. Jalapeno Peppers. Capsaicin is a chemical found in Jalapeno and cayenne peppers that causes the human body to release stress hormones and thereby boost metabolism. If a food makes you sweat, it is burning calories.

Incorporate any of these items into your daily nutrition plan and you’ll likely notice a difference in your weight loss efforts. After all, every little bit helps!

source

When DEET was used in studies by scientists at Duke University, prolonged topical use on rats resulted in their brain death. How does that translate into human topical use? The DEET industry has always questioned these studies but have clearly known that DEET has a negative effect on health.

Whatever the case and to simply play it safe, keep yourself and your family safe: Stay away from products containing DEET. It’s that logical.

Click here to see a slideshow featuring DEET-free products.

“A higher intake of vitamin E can cut the risk of lung cancer by more than half, researchers from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has found.

In a new study published in the International Journal of Cancer, researchers used the National Cancer Institute’s Health Habits and History Questionnaire and Food Frequency Questionnaire to assess the dietary intakes of 1,088 lung cancer patients and 1,414 healthy participants. Participants were further surveyed about various lifestyle factors, including smoking.

The average age of the healthy participants was 60.8, while the average age of the lung cancer participants was 61.7.

Vitamin E occurs in two main groups, the tocopherols and tocotrienols. Each of these groups, in turn, contains four varieties, named alpha, beta, gamma and delta. For the current study, the researchers analyzed participants’ dietary tocopherol intake, dividing it up based on which form it occurred in.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to compare dietary intakes of the different forms of tocopherols (alpha-, beta-, gamma and delta-tocopherol) and lung cancer risk,” the researchers wrote.

The researchers divided participants into groups based on intake of tocopherols in general and the four different varieties individually, then compared the rate of lung cancer between the groups.

Participants with the highest tocopherol intake were found to have a 55 percent lower risk of lung cancer than participants with the lowest intakes. The average intakes of the two groups were more than 12.95 milligrams per day and less than 6.68 milligrams per day, respectively.

A powerful protective correlation also showed up for alpha-tocopherol, with those consuming the most having a 53 percent lower risk of lung cancer than those with the lowest intake. The highest alpha-tocopherol intake averaged more than 7.73 milligrams per day, while the lowest averaged less than 4.13 milligrams per day.

Higher consumption of beta-, gamma- or delta-tocopherol alone, however, appeared to have no influence on cancer risk.

“We found consistent independent associations for increased dietary alpha-tocopherol intake and risk reduction but did not find independent associations for gamma-, beta- and delta-tocopherol in lung cancer risk,” the researchers wrote.

The European diet typically contains vitamin E in the form of alpha-tocopherol, while the U.S. diet tends to contain it in the form of gamma-tocopherol. Vitamin pills contain mostly alpha-tocopherol.

The study was not designed to analyze by what mechanism tocopherols in general or alpha-tocopherol in particular might act to reduce cancer risk.

“Our data should be useful in stimulating additional epidemiologic and basic science research in the relationship of different forms of vitamin E and cancer,” the researchers wrote.

Foods high in vitamin E include asparagus, avocado, green leafy vegetables, nuts, olives, seeds and wheat germ. A variety of vegetable oils, including canola, corn, cottonseed, red palm, sunflower and soybean are also high in the vitamin.

The new study is not the first to link vitamin E with cancer protection. The vitamin is well known to function as an antioxidant, meaning that it plays an important role in removing particles known as free radicals from the body. These electrically charged molecules are believed to be responsible for some of the cell damage that leads to cancer, other diseases, and the symptoms of aging.”

“New research that uses an innovative approach to study, for the first time, the relative contributions of food and exercise habits to the development of the obesity epidemic has concluded that the rise in obesity in the United States since the 1970s was virtually all due to increased energy intake.

“There have been a lot of assumptions that both reduced physical activity and increased energy intake have been major drivers of the obesity epidemic. Until now, nobody has proposed how to quantify their relative contributions to the rise in obesity since the 1970s. This study demonstrates that the weight gain in the American population seems to be virtually all explained by eating more calories. It appears that changes in physical activity played a minimal role,” said the study’s leader, Professor Boyd Swinburn, chair of population health and director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention at Deakin University in Australia….”

Read the full article

Tinnitus (pronounced /tɪˈnaɪtəs/ or /ˈtɪnɪtəs/, from the Latin word tinnītus meaning “ringing”) is the perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sound.

Tinnitus can be perceived in one or both ears or in the head. It is usually described as a ringing noise, but in some patients it takes the form of a high pitched whining, buzzing, hissing, screaming, humming, or whistling sound, or as ticking, clicking, roaring, “crickets” or “tree frogs” or “locusts“, tunes, songs, or beeping. It has also been described as a “wooshing” sound, as of wind or waves^,. Tinnitus can be intermittent or it can be continuous. In the latter case, this “phantom” sound can create great distress in the sufferer.

Tinnitus is not itself a disease but a symptom resulting from a range of underlying causes. Causes include ear infections, foreign objects or wax in the ear, nose allergies that prevent (or induce) fluid drain and cause wax build-up, and injury from loud noises. Tinnitus is also a side-effect of some oral medications, such as aspirin, and may also result from an abnormally low level of serotonin activity. It is also a classical side effect of Quinidine, a Class IA anti-arrhythmic. In many cases, however, no underlying physical cause can be identified.

The sound perceived may range from a quiet background noise to one that can be heard even over loud external sounds. The term “tinnitus” usually refers to more severe cases. Heller and Bergman (1953) conducted a study of 80 tinnitus-free university students placed in an anechoic chamber and found that 93% reported hearing a buzzing, pulsing or whistling sound. Cohort studies have demonstrated that damage to hearing (among other health effects) from unnatural levels of noise exposure is very widespread in industrialized countries.

Because tinnitus is often defined as a subjective phenomenon, it is difficult to measure using objective tests, such as by comparison with noise of known frequency and intensity, as in an audiometric test. The condition is often rated clinically on a simple scale from “slight” to “catastrophic” according to the practical difficulties it imposes, such as interference with sleep, quiet activities, and normal daily activities. For research purposes, the more elaborate Tinnitus Handicap Inventory is often used. (source: wikipedia)

How to Cure Tinnitus?

From newmediaexplorer:

“A high number of tinnitus sufferers are deficient in B-12, and Emily A. Kane, naturopathic doctor and licensed acupuncturist, recommends a daily dose of 2,000 mcg of B-12 for one month, followed by a dose of 1,000 mcg daily, if needed. Studies indicate that nutritional supplements can reduce the severity and incidences of tinnitus. Dr. Michael Seidman, MD, Director of the Henry Ford Health System, Department of Otolaryngology, Tinnitus Clinic, in Bloomfield, Michigan, suggests a smorgasbord of antioxidant nutrients: vinpocetine, Ginkgo biloba, ipriflavone, arginine, alpha lipoic acid, zinc, vitamin A, n-acetylcysteine, magnesium, melatonin, Chinese herbs, B vitamins and garlic. Other sources list additional supplements;: vitamin E, C, zinc, and choline, to help with both tinnitus and hearing loss.

Many European doctors and a growing number of U.S. doctors use Ginkgo biloba to treat tinnitus, and a few good trials suggest that this herb may lower the perceived loudness. The advice is to use a Ginkgo product that contains 24% flavone glycosides or “standardized extract.” According to several health experts, the recommended dose varies from 120 to 240 mg daily of the standard Ginkgo in divided doses. Start with the lower dose, and if not effective, increase gradually to the higher dose. Ginkgo biloba improves blood flow and nerve function, and is supposed to be quite effective for tinnitus when the cause is poor circulation, but use with caution if taking a blood thinner or if you have a blood disorder. After starting this regimen of Ginkgo, not only will your thinking be sharper within 3 to 10 days, but within 6 weeks your tinnitus should be relieved, says Dr. Kane. Once relief is obtained, lower the dose to a maintenance dose of 40 to 60 mg daily (also in divided doses during the day).”

Scientists now know enough about the long-term consequences of ingesting these powerful chemicals to advise that we minimize our consumption of pesticides.

What’s the Difference?
EWG research has found that people who eat the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables consume an average of 10 pesticides a day. Those who eat the 15 least contaminated conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables ingest fewer than 2 pesticides daily. The Guide helps consumers make informed choices to lower their dietary pesticide load.

Will Washing and Peeling Help?
Nearly all the studies used to create these lists assume that people rinse or peel fresh produce. Rinsing reduces but does not eliminate
pesticides. Peeling helps, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the skin. The best approach: eat a varied diet, rinse all produce and buy organic when possible.

How Was This Guide Developed?
EWG analysts have developed the Guide based on data from nearly
87,000 tests for pesticide residues in produce conducted between
2000 and 2007 and collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. You can find a detailed
description of the criteria EWG used to develop these rankings and
the complete list of fruits and vegetables tested at our dedicated
website, www.foodnews.org.

“1. If you hate crowds and lines, shop at dinnertime (5 to 9 p.m.) or even later. Only 4 percent of shoppers hit the aisles between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. Least-crowded day of the week? Wednesday.

2. Go ahead and reach way back for the fresh milk. Everybody does.

3. Coupons with a bar code are easy to scan. The other ones take an eternity. But if you’re willing to wait …

4. That star fruit has been here a lot longer than the broccoli. Familiar produce turns over more quickly than exotic things.

5. “The more products you see, the more you are likely to buy,” says Marion Nestle, author of What to Eat. “That’s why the aisles are so long and the milk is usually in the far corner.”

6. Like employees with a good attitude? Shop at chains that are employee-owned, suggest customer-satisfaction surveys. When employees have a stake in the profits, it shows in their attitude.

7. The “grazers” order food at the deli, eat it as they’re shopping, and get rid of the wrappers before they check out. We also call that stealing.
8. I’m not just selling groceries, I’m selling real estate. Look high and low-literally-for good values from smaller manufacturers who can’t afford to stock their products in the eye-level sweet spot.

9. We’re marketing to your kids too. That’s why we put the rainbow-colored cereals and other kiddie catnip at their eye level.

10. Be wary of “specials.” When people see signs with numbers-”8 for $10!” “Limit: 5 per customer”—they buy 30 to 100 percent more than they otherwise might have.

11. The baby formula is locked up because thieves resell it on the black market. Ditto for the cough and cold medications, smoking-cessation products, razor blades, and batteries.

12. Driving your Ferrari to the Piggly Wiggly and want to avoid shopping-cart dents? Park far, far away.

13. You’ll end up tossing 12 percent of what you buy.”

Read 16 more things your grocer hides from you

“1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.

2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.

3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.

4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.

5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).

6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you loose.

7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins.

8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.

9 Sugar leads to cancer of the ovaries.

10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.

11. Sugar causes copper deficiency.

12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.

13. Sugar can weaken eyesight.

14. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.

15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.

16. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract.

17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.

18. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.

19. Sugar can cause premature aging.

20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.

21. Sugar can cause tooth decay.

22. Sugar contributes to obesity

23. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.

24. Sugar can cause changes frequently found in person with gastric or duodenal ulcers.

25. Sugar can cause arthritis.

26. Sugar can cause asthma.

27. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections).

28. Sugar can cause gallstones.

29. Sugar can cause heart disease.

30. Sugar can cause appendicitis.

31. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis.

32. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.

33. Sugar can cause varicose veins.

34. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.

35. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.

36. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.

37. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.

38. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.

39. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E (alpha-Tocopherol in the blood.

40. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.

41. Sugar can increase cholesterol.

42. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure.

43. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.

44. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar bound non-enzymatically to protein)

45. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein.

46. Sugar causes food allergies….”

Continued reading the 100 MORE reasons!

Here’s an excerpt:

“Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.

But an organization representing the refiners is disputing the results published in Environmental Health….” continue reading

Avocados are loaded with monounsaturated fat, healthy fats. They help lower LDL cholesterol levels while raising the amount of HDL cholesterol in your body. They allow for the absorption of other carotenoids, particularly beta carotene and lycopene, which are absolutely essential for heart health.

Berries – Raspberries, blueberries and strawberries are full of anti-inflammatory ingredients, which reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer. Berries in general are important for vascular health. Be sure to only choose organic berries, as non-organic fruit tend to contain dangerous amounts of pesticides, chemicals and other toxic ingredients.

Beans Fill up on fiber with chickpeas (garbanzo beans) lentils, kidney beans and blac, beans. They have lots of omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, and soluble fiber.

Nuts Walnuts, almonds and macadamia nuts are all chock full of omega-3 fatty acids and mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Almonds are super rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Nuts contain fiber, very important and a good source of healthy fat.”

Garlic contains allicin, which reacts with red blood cells and produces hydrogen sulphide. This relaxes the blood vessels, and keeps blood flowing easily.

Salmon is extremely rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon is known to reduce blood pressure and keep clotting to a minimum. Salmon contains an ingredient called, carotenoid astaxanthin, which is a very powerful antioxidant. Important note: Choose wild salmon over farm raised salmon (or farm raised fish in general), which is proven to be packed with pesticides, insecticides and heavy metals.

Olive Oil is packed with monounsaturated fats. It has a tendency to lower bad LDL cholesterol and reduce your risk of developing heart disease. It’s best when used in salad dressings.

Oranges – Rich in Vitamin C, oranges protect arteries from free radicals, highly damaging molecules that cause our cells to oxidize. Oranges also contain folate, which processes the amino acid homocysteine in our bodies. Without folate, your risk of a heart attack is greater. Potassium in oranges play a key role in heart functions and muscle contractions. The calcium in oranges help maintain normal blood pressure, and magnesium helps your heart maintain a steady rhythm and normal blood pressure.

Spinach – helps keep your heart in top shape thanks to its stores of lutein, folate, potassium, and fiber.

Flaxseeds – Full of fiber and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, a little sprinkling of flaxseeds can be incredibly beneficial for your heart. Add it to yogurt or cereal for a healthy start in the morning.

Oatmeal is full of omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and potassium. This fiber-rich superfood is able to lower levels of LDL (or bad) cholesterol and help keep arteries clear. Choose coarse or steel-cut oats over instant varieties—which contain more fiber. Remember to add some flaxseeds and blueberries.

Don’t be a lazy bastard.
Gah, you might be thinking, you don’t have to be such a biatch. Sorry. I can’t help it when it comes to important things. So many people I know ALWAYS use the excuse, “I don’t have enough time in the morning to prepare anything, so we (or my kids) eat cereals or protein bars. It’s easy, fast and…” – let me finish that line for you, “CRAPPY FOR THEM.” You can’t argue with me; it’s true. Now, get a conscience and get caring about you and your kids’ health! I just can’t believe I have to tell you this.

Make a yummy nutritious meal for breakfast.
Ok if you HAVE to use that stupid, lame excuse of not having enough time in the morning, then prepare some things the night before so you have little to prepare the next day. Here’s one example (but DO search online for a variety of ideas) Make some whole wheat or multi-grain scones the night before, then in the morning eat them with organic almond butter and some organic jam. Or simply with fruit. Make a quick side of scrambled eggs and voila. Yummy and healthy meal.

Be more organized – Plan for the whole week and vary meals.
This also relates to the previous idea, “don’t be a lazy bastard.” If you plan for the week, your breakfast life will be smooth as peanut butter. During the weekends, plan your meals for every week day. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something different every single day, depending on the tastes of you and your family members, but it should vary to an extent. This is important so your bodies receive a variety of nutrients instead of the very same ones day after day. For example, if you have kids love their home-made organic muesli, allow it Tuesday and Thursday one week, then for the next week allow it Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Vary the kinds of fruit and nuts you add to the muesli. Maybe once in a while add yogurt instead of whole, raw organic milk.

Make Pancakes better.
If you and your family likes pancakes once in a while, instead of using just white flour, add more hearty and healthy flours into the mix like whole wheat flour and buckwheat flour. Also, make sure if you do use white flour, that it is non-bleached and organic. Use organic ingredients as much as possible including eggs, sugar and milk.

Offer all kinds of different spreads for toast.If there’s a die-hard, “gotta have” toast in the a.m., offer different things to spread on it: Peanut butter, coconut butter, almond butter or other kinds of nut butters, tahini, organic butters and cream cheese, organic fruit and jams. Or something completely different: pickled herring, organic cheeses, a poached egg, veggies. How ’bout some organic maple syrup?

The organic tortilla is your friend for breakfast.
I’ve been recently been liking brown rice tortillas but there are many kinds that are good for your health. Tortillas are champions in convenience and you can put all kinds of things into them. Breakfast burritos, veggies and scrambled eggs, bean and cheese, fruity wraps…you will only be limited by your imagination. And if you run out of ideas, look online for more ideas! You don’t have to be alone in this breakfast dilemma.

Let smoothies rule.
There’s nothing more healthy than throwing some fruit, plain yogurt or juice into a blender and make a refreshing, scrumptious and satisfying smoothie. Add some flax seed meal into it and you may become addicted to this excellent meal in a glass. Make sure to vary fruit and ingredients for your smoothies!

Related: Why you shouldn’t eat popular breakfast cereals, More reasons to give up Cereal, especially Corn Flakes! Healthy Organic Breakfasts

We’re just barely finishing the second week of the new year, and you’ve already gone off your workout. Have you given up completely? Will this be another new year’s resolution categorized as fail? Are you simply pushing forward the same ole resolution year after year because you can’t stick to the workout? Have I made you feel even worse than you already feel? Sorry ’bout that. I really don’t mean to do that because, in fact, I’m here to tell you that you probably gave up on your workout because it’s not the right workout. Really! It isn’t you; it’s the workout. Now, it’s time to figure out what will work for you.

Here’s an example: When I first started taking Tai Chi, I absolutely loved it (and still do) and knew I could stick to that for a long while. It is something that transcends me to another place, a place where I want to be day after day. It made sense in the deepest perspective and it was right for me. I took the class with my friend, Penny, who had the exact opposite reaction to it. She hated it so much, it was nearly torture. Actually, she’d remarked that she’d prefer torture to doing Tai Chi. She would rather have someone cut off her arm or stab her a million times or set her hair on fire than do Tai Chi. I was baffled. How could someone deeply hate something I deeply love so much?

But hey, I’m not one to dwell. I let it go. Tai Chi and Penny were not meant to be partners. End of discussion. And you should do the same if this happens to you. So, if you started your pilates or jazz dance or yoga or whatever you thought would help you keep a regular exercise regime and keep you fit and keep your weight at a manageable level – but gave up, don’t worry. You now need to find what’s best for you.

I don’t know what is best for you; only you and you alone know what is best for you. That said, if you try something and you cannot make a commitment to it, drop it! If you don’t find your “groove” or “flow” or “bliss,” forget about it. It’s as simple as that, BUT! don’t give up. Try other things until you find the right thing. Consider the following. If you can’t get into yoga or tai chi because you find it a little on the boring side or not active enough, try something like dance or aerobics or rock climbing or spinning or biking or hiking or skiing or surfing or soccer or swimming or basketball… Are you more of a mellow, steady and ready for mind and body challenges – kind of person? Maybe you will like martial arts, fencing, dancing the tango or ballroom dancing. Are you more of a social person? Try team sports, tennis, dance classes… You see where I’m going with this right?

There are LOTS of things to try, but it first helps to figure yourself out then go from there. If you get too bored running, obviously, don’t do that activity. If you love nature and being outdoors because it makes you feel more connected to the universe, by all means, partake in activities that involve nature. If you need to be alone have an intense workout incorporating mind, body and spirit, you will most likely be well matched with yoga, tai chi; maybe the Wii Fit is a good fit for you? The most important thing is to NOT give up.

Without a doubt, I am rejuvenile, not to mention too, that I have some weird connection with Weeds. There are just so many references that I can relate to, or that I already know about like the game “Carcassone,” which was incorporated into an episode. How many people even know or CARE about that? I know about it! And Dinah? They have free internet so I go there when I’m in town. Not too crazy about the food, however. Anyway, maybe it’s because I’m originally from L.A. that I simply see all of the stuff I grew up around. I haven’t lived in L.A. for a long time but it’s always fun to see my home town, a crazy wacko kooky village as it may be.

Back to Rejuvenile. Here’s an excerpt from Publishers Weekly: According to journalist Noxon, rejuveniles-adults who use childhood past-times as “a way of maintaining wonder, trust, and silliness in a world where these qualities are often in short supply”-are proliferating, and unlike other books on the topic of “kidults” (aka “twixters,” “boomerangers,” and “generation debt”), his book says this is largely good. Viewing the bright side of oft-bemoaned evidence showing increasing numbers of young adults living with parents and postponing marriage, Noxon has made an entertaining but incomplete read. In appropriately playful prose, he considers successful adults who play in rock n’ roll nursery rhyme cover bands, attend Disney World without kids, and happily plunk down 10 bucks to see Spongebob Squarepants: The Movie. Avoiding “The Downside of Now” until the end, Noxon almost admits that he isn’t telling the whole story of the rejuveniles: although it’s “nice to think of rejuveniles as freethinking romantics,” which he theretofore does, “it’s clear that outside forces also have a hand in shaping who rejuveniles are.” Those outside forces? Not crushing student loans, a stagnant job market or political age-bias, but “the media.” Of course, Noxon would probably just as soon leave worrying to grown-ups of the old school-he’ll be on the kickball field instead.

Want to get the book? Click the link below.

Rejuvenile: Kickball, Cartoons, Cupcakes, and the Reinvention of the American Grown-up

The healing powers of licorice: a remedy for gastritis, peptic ulcers, and abdominal cramping. Some studies report that licorice can increase gastric juices by as much as twenty-five percent without changing the natural pH of the stomach, making licorice noteworthy for proper digestion.

Licorice also has an anti-inflammatory effect. This root is often added to formulas for chronic inflammatory conditions such as arthritic and rheumatic complaints.

Notes: Always check with your health care provider if this is good for you. Licorice should not be used in excess or by people with diabetes, heart conditions or high blood pressure. Also please avoid licorice if you happen to be taking diuretics or using potassium supplements. Licorice has been known to have negative effects on estrogen-sensitive conditions, on thyroid hormone production, and it should not be combined with prescription corticosteroids.

Order Some Panda All Natural Soft Licorice

“More than 90% of homes in the US have a microwave oven. Builders routinely install these ovens in new homes and hardly a restaurant is without one. They are fast, convenient, economical, and ideally suited to the fast pace of modern lifestyles. There is only one problem with microwave ovens—they are extremely hazardous to your health. It is hard to conceive of any reasonable person who would eat microwaved foods if they understood the hazards. Obviously, very few people truly comprehend these hazards. And no one is rushing to educate them! Let’s have a look at some of the problems with this technology:

In 1991, an early clue that microwaved food is not safe came to public attention in the form of a …” continue reading

While some unfortunately uninformed people do not relate health to what they eat, the more informed and educated people know better. By eating the 14 super foods highlighted in Dr. Steven Pratt’s instant bestseller, you can actually stop the incremental deteriorations that lead to common ailments and diseases. Really. Don’t believe me? Try it and find out. What harm could it possibly do to give it a try? Here are the super foods to focus on and why:

* Beans — reduce obesity
* Blueberries — lower risk for cardiovascular disease
* Broccoli — lowers the incidence of cataracts and fights birth defects
* Oats — reduce the risk of type II diabetes
* Oranges — prevent strokes
* Pumpkin — lowers the risk of various cancers
* Wild salmon — lowers the risk of heart disease
* Soy — lowers cholesterol
* Spinach — decreases the chance of cardiovascular disease and age-related macular degeneration
* Tea — helps prevent osteoporosis
* Tomatoes — raise the skin’s sun protection factor
* Turkey — helps build a strong immune system
* Walnuts — reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancer

* Yogurt-promotes strong bones and a healthy heart

SuperFoods includes recipes created by Chef Michel Stroot of the Golden Door Spa and teaches you how to incorporate SuperFoods and their sidekicks into your diet. SuperFoods Rx is an indispensable guide to a healthy, long, and energetic life.

Read SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life

“Fruits, vegetables and animals can be 100 percent organic. What about people?

In a fascinating experiment — on himself — Dr. Alan Greene, a pediatrician and author in Danville, Calif., decided to find out. For the last three years, Dr. Greene has eaten nothing but organic foods, whether he’s cooking at home, dining out or snacking on the road.

He chose three years as a goal because that was the amount of time it took to have a breeding animal certified organic by the Department of Agriculture. While food growers comply with organic regulations every day, Dr. Greene wondered whether a person could meet the same standards.

It hasn’t been easy.

“This isn’t a way of eating I could recommend to anybody else because it’s so far off the beaten food grid,” said Dr. Greene, 49, the founder of a popular Web site about children’s health, drgreene.com. “It was much more challenging than I thought it would be, and I thought it would be tough. There were definitely days where there was nothing I could find that was organic.”

Other writers have ventured off the traditional food grid, notably Barbara Kingsolver in “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” and Michael Pollan in “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” But what makes Dr. Greene’s experiment remarkable is the length of time he devoted to it, and his effort to incorporate organic eating into the routines of everyday living. His findings offer new insight into the challenges facing the organic food industry and those of us who want to patronize it.

Organic farmers don’t use conventional methods to fertilize the soil, control weeds and pests, or prevent disease in livestock.

Organic methods often lead to higher costs, and consumers can pay twice as much for organic foods as for conventional products. Last week, the financial advice Web site SmartMoney.com reported that to feed eight people an organic meal of traditional Thanksgiving foods, a shopper would pay $295.36 — a premium of $126.35, or 75 percent, over a nonorganic holiday spread.

To cut back on the cost of an organic diet, Dr. Greene said he had to cut back on meat. “Whenever you go up the food chain, the costs pile up,” he said. “If you don’t eat meat at every meal, if meat becomes more of a side dish than a centerpiece, you can fill the plate with healthy organic food for about the same price.”

Questions remain about whether organic foods are really better for you. The data are mixed. This fall, researchers from the University of Copenhagen reported on a two-year experiment in which they grew carrots, kale, peas, potatoes and apples using both organic and conventional growing methods. The researchers found that the growing methods made no difference in the nutrients in the crops or the levels of nutrients retained by rats that ate them, according to the study, published in The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

But other research suggests that organic foods do contain more of certain nutrients — almost twice as many, in the case of organic tomatoes studied for a 2007 report in The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Dr. Greene said he was inspired to go all-organic after talking to a dairy farmer who noted that livestock got sick less after a switch to organic practices. He wondered if becoming 100 percent organic might improve his own health.

Three years later, he says he has more energy and wakes up earlier. As a pediatrician regularly exposed to sick children, he was accustomed to several illnesses a year. Now, he says, he is rarely ill. His urine is a brighter yellow, a sign that he is ingesting more vitamins and nutrients.

At home, he said, the organic routine was relatively easy. Organic food is widely available, not just at stores like Whole Foods but at traditional supermarkets. He also shopped at farmer’s markets and joined a local community-supported agriculture group, or C.S.A. Because he bought less meat, the costs tended to balance out. And his family (two of his four children still live at home) largely went along with the experiment.

On the road, though, life was more challenging. In corporate cafeterias and convenience stores, he looked for stickers that began with the number 9 to signify organic; stickers on conventionally grown produce begin with 4.

When dining out, he called ahead; high-end restaurants were willing to accommodate his all-organic request. He also found a few lines of organic backpacking food that he could carry with him.

Dr. Greene reached the three-year milestone in October, but his diet is still organic. He hasn’t decided whether to keep going full tilt or to ease up in the interest of cost and convenience. In his latest book, “Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth and Baby Care” (Jossey-Bass), he advocates a “strategic” approach, urging parents to insist on organic versions of a few main foods, like milk, potatoes, apples and baby food.

The biggest surprise of the whole experience, he says, was that many people still don’t know what “organic” means.

“It’s surprising to me how few people know that organic means without pesticides, antibiotics or hormones,” he said. “In stores or restaurants around the country, I would ask, ‘Do you have anything organic?’ Half the time they would say, ‘Do you mean vegetarian?’ ”” [source]

Backyard Hobby Greenhouse, Green, 8 By 12 Feet

You WILL thank me for posting about this now!

About the Elliptical Trainer
Maximize your home workouts with the Schwinn 460 Elliptical Trainer, which features Schwinn’s exclusive V-Stride Technology that allows you to change stride lengths without manual adjustments or machine modifications. The 460 provides a complete lower-body workout: step to target calves and quads; walk to work your thighs and glutes, and run to lengthen your strides and engage all muscle groups.

Featuring a high-tech design, the Schwinn 460 includes 11 workout profiles built by the Nautilus Institute with instructional messages on utilizing stride lengths and foot/leg motions for maximized results. And the Schwinn Advantage workout system tracks results and programming for up to two users. You’ll get heart rate feedback via the HR grips on the static handlebars, and heart rate telemetry using the included chest strap.

The dynamic backlit touchscreen console displays workout and interval time, distance, pulse, speed, calories, resistance level, and course profile. Other features include an oversized water bottle holder (accommodates 4-inch bottle), adjustable cooling fan, and transport handle and non-skid wheels for easy storage.

Get this Schwinn Variable Stride Elliptical Trainer NOW

Much more than recipes, The Self-Healing Cookbook gives fresh, heartwarming support to anyone aiming to prevent or recover from diet-related moods and health symptoms. A starter shopping list, food-mood charts, self-healer’s workbook, and healing foods glossary are included. Along with a wealth of wisdom on how to eat locally, think globally, cook with the seasons, lose weight naturally and nourish growing kids.

Word-of-mouth has carried this book to Great Britain, Canada, Singapore, Israel, and Australia. Over 21,000 copies have sold in the Japanese edition. In April, 2002, it will be published in Brazil, in a Portuguese edition. We’d love to hear from international readers where else it has found a home in your kitchens.

Get it now: The Self-Healing Cookbook: Whole Foods To Balance Body, Mind and Moods

Phew. That said, here’s a gift idea for anyone wanting an ergonomic chair that will ultimately help their posture and avoid any kind of back problems. See what it looks like and found out more by clicking the link below:

Wooden Ergonomic Kneeling Posture Office Chair

Since then it has been used to detoxify the body, enhance the immune system, fight fatigue, and soothe an upset stomach. This special healing formula is made with organic green tea (camellia sinensis), which is organically grown and, unlike other green teas, has a delicate flavor with no bitterness.

Green Tea has excellent antioxidant properties. This tea contains a concentrated and purified extract of kombucha-pure, which is produced without the use of refined sugar or black tea, and is made from kombucha grown in a unique medium of 32 supporting Chinese herbs.

The recipe is complemented with organic spearmint, which can help to relax the body and aid digestion; organic licorice root, to support the adrenals and enhance the effects of other healing herbs; and dong quai root, a well-known tonic. Once the benefits of these ingredients are released by hot water, you are ready to enjoy a delicious, delightful and soothing cup of tea and one that is naturally rich in antioxidants and other health-supporting qualities.

Yogi Tea Defense, Green Tea Kombucha, Tea Bags, 16-Count Boxes (Pack of 6)

Regular paraffin candles are simply not good for you because they’re made from petroleum sludge. That doesn’t sound very good, does it? It isn’t. When you burn paraffin candles, which are most candles, it creates an indoor pollution because the candles are made of a sort of toxic chemical. In fact, the smoke that comes from a paraffin candle emits what is equivalent to diesel fumes!

Do yourself a favor and stick to safe, healthy, clean burning BEESWAX CANDLES. Click below to order some and see different kinds of bees wax candles:

Beeswax Candles

The bamboo carbon creates tons of thick lather and bubbles. The other ingredients seem to work great together as well. This soap leaves your skin feeling tight and very clean.

It’s great for allergies, psoriasis, dry or oily skin, and acne too. It’s highly recommend as a soap to use when you want a deep, thorough cleanse. Use it daily to deep-clean and rejuvenate your skin.

Best of all, there are no artificial colors, fragrances, or ingredients, it’s anti inflammatory, anti allergenic, anti bacterial, and anti viral.

Order some now by clicking below:

Black Therapy 9 Fine Quality Soap featuring Activated Bamboo Carbon

Some of the extraordinary and healthful benefits include Air and Water Purification, Deodorization, Electromagnetic Shielding, Humidity Regulation, and the Release of Negative Ions and FAR Infrared Radiation, all of which can improve the overall environment in your home and office.

Beautiful packaging makes this product a unique and distinctive addition to any decor. Features:

Bamboo Charcoal for a Healthful Environment in Your Home and Office

Alternative Cures: The Most Effective Natural Home Remedies for 160 Health Problems

From treehugger:

“Phthalates, the plasticizer used to make vinyl soft, have been known to be a gender-bender that has been shown to affect the masculinity of rats. Even the Bush Administration, not renowned for its defence of the public against the chemical companies, has banned it from childrens’ toys.

Now new research has found new evidence of “phthalate syndrome”- smaller penises, and undescended or incompletely descended testicles- in humans. Shanna Swan, director of the Center for Reproductive Epidemiology at the University of Rochester’s school of medicine, who led the research, says phthalates are “”probably reproductive toxins and should be eliminated from products gradually because we don’t need them.”

Chemical Industry dismisses threat

Of course the American Chemistry Council, representing the companies that make the chemical (Exxon Mobil, BASF, Ferro Corp., and Eastman Chemical) warns us to be “cautioned against over-interpreting any individual study.”

Screw that; among guys, penis size is serious stuff. Martin Mittelstaedt of the Globe and Mail writes:

“Scientists have been investigating the possible effects on boys of phthalates because rodent studies have shown the chemical has the peculiar ability to shorten the space between the anus and the genitalia in male mice exposed during fetal development. This space, known as anogenital distance or AGD, is normally about twice as long in young male mice than in females. For mice, AGD is considered a measure of masculinity and a way to determine the sex of the pups. Scientists are so confident of the effect that they’ve given the impact of the chemical on male rodents a name – phthalate syndrome.

Surveys of children have also found that …..”

Continue reading

“With Breast Cancer Awareness month fully upon us once again, retail stores have been invaded with everything pink, including “pink ribbon” candies and personal care products made with blatantly cancer-causing ingredients. Retail grocery stores like Safeway even hit up customers for donations at the cash register, promising to raise funds to find “the cure for cancer.”

The Truth: Nearly 100% of the funds are used to recruit more ……”

Continue reading

“The line of asthma treatment depends on the types of triggers, your sensitivity to them and the severity of asthma. The treatment includes both conventional asthma cure and natural remedies. In chronic asthma, your physician would generally recommend asthma inhalers for immediate use in asthma attacks. However, if you don’t have a chronic condition, there are some good alternative medicines for asthma that include herbal and homeopathic remedies. These are safe, effective and affordable, and worth a try. Let’s see what they are:
a. Foods or supplements:

Eating fruits and raw vegetables appear to improve asthma. And foods or supplements that contain magnesium, quercetin, vitamin C, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B6, are all beneficial for optimal lung health and to ward off asthma food allergy. Magnesium causes airway dilatation that counteracts asthma’s constriction. Foods rich in magnesium include red cabbage, red bell peppers, tangerines, kiwi fruit, oranges, strawberries, potatoes, spinach, barley, almonds, to name a few. Quercetin’s antioxidant properties help to neutralize the damaging effects of pollution which can aggravate asthma.

Good sources of quercetin are green cabbage, cranberries, grapes, pears, apples, spinach, garlic, onions and grapefruit. Vitamin C also has a positive effect on bronchial function. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in salmon, tuna and trout, are helpful in reducing bronchial swelling and help in asthma prevention. Vitamin B6, contained in sweet potatoes, sunflower seeds, tuna, salmon, pork, potatoes, turkey, chicken, etc., decreases wheezing and other bothersome causes of asthma.
b. Homeopathy:

According to a new research on homeopathic asthma medication, if patients are given exceedingly small homeopathic doses of the allergens, it can provide significant relief within the first week of treatment. However, the common homeopathic drugs in use are pulsatilla nigricans, carbo vegetabilis and phosphorus.
c. Acupuncture:

Lungs and overall immune system can be improved through the Chinese science of acupuncture. Acupuncture for asthma decreases the sensitivity to allergens, improves lung strength and reduces stress, proving a boon for asthma suffers. Many acupuncturists also use Chinese herbs to supplement the acupuncture treatments.
d. Yoga and meditation:

Since, stress can weaken the immune system and reduce body’s ability to ward off the asthma triggers, it needs to be addressed specifically. By adopting yoga you can improve circulation and reduce stress. Meditation can also lower blood pressure and reduce stress. Following these disciplines will help prevent stress and save you from increased sensitivity to triggers and severity of an asthma attack.

A strong body and strong immune system can certainly help reduce asthmatic symptoms and the frequency of asthmatic episodes. The good news is natural asthma remedies help you achieve this state. But, consult your physician, if you’re opting for the natural line of treatment. [source]

“Definition

The prostate consists of 3 lobes which manufacture seminal fluid. The tube which empties the bladder passes over the middle lobe. In later life, the prostate gland often becomes enlarged and causes problems by closing off the exit of urine from the bladder. This urine retention often starts by a decrease in the force of the stream of urine leaving the body. Prostate blockage of the flow of urine because of infection or cancer can be very serious — even to the point of causing uremic poisoning within the body. The cause of enlargement of the prostate gland is the collection of mucus and sediment in the gland. Often the male hormones produced by the body are not enough to keep the prostate gland functioning well. The nitrates and nitrites in processed meats, hot dogs, baloney, and other cold cuts have a particularly important role in the formation of cancer of the prostate in the male.

Herbal Aids

General Instructions: Before (or instead of) arriving at the decision to submit to the knife and have the prostate gland surgically removed, may we offer the following suggestions: In any form of cell-deterioration, the Blood Stream Formula should be used to help clean up the blood stream. Of course the bowel must be cleared up first and foremost. Then, as a specific aid to the prostate area the following formula has aided in removing infection, sediment and the like. Male Urinary Tract: Dr. Christopher’s Prostate Formula, Cayenne, ginger, golden seal root, gravel root, juniper berries, parsley root or herb, uva ursi herb, and ginseng root. These capsules can be taken in the morning and at night, and they are best taken with parsley tea. Change the diet to the mucusless diet, and drink plenty of distilled water and fruit and vegetable juices. Cancerous tumors have a very difficult time growing when there is the presence of organic potassium in the body, so the tinctures of black walnut or elderberry or any other foods high in potassium can be helpful here, providing that the bowel is in good condition so that proper assimilation can take place. The Hormonal Changease: Dr. Christopher’s Herbal Hormone Formula will help the body produce the necessary hormones for proper functioning of the glands. It consists of Black cohosh, Sarsaparilla, ginseng, licorice, false unicorn, blessed thistle and squaw vine. Don’t worry if the formula contains estrogens as well as hormones. The body will select the substances it needs and will discard the rest in a natural formula such as this.

Gravel Root is used principally as a therapeutic agent for the urinary-genital areas, influencing the kidneys, liver, bladder, prostate gland and uterus. It relaxes moderately, stimulates, and tones the pelvic viscera and mucous membranes (helping to cast off any sediments that have settled on surfaces). It is good when used alone, or in combination with other herbs. Its popularity (note the name) has been due to its powerful solvent effect on stony deposits in the kidneys (here it can do the work alone, but its effects are improved with other herbal agents in combination). Gravel root is one of the greatest herbs to use for any kidney and urinary problem, and it is also great as a tonic and stimulant. As a nervine, it is reputed to influence the entire sympathetic nervous system.

Prostate Urinary Troubles: See formula using gravel root, marshmallow, parsley, juniper, lobelia, cayenne and golden seal.

Herbal Kidney Aid: See formula using cayenne, ginger, golden seal, gravel root, juniper berries, marshmallow, parsley and uva ursi. This will dissolve the stones that are in the kidneys, as well as clean out other sedimentation and infection in the prostate. Mix the powders and place in No. 2 capsules and take two morning and night.

Male Urinary Tract: Dr. Christopher’s Prostate Formula: (This is the same as in # 3 but already made into capsules). In case of malfunction we suggest this combination to help assist the male: cayenne, ginger, golden seal root, gravel root or queen of the meadow root, juniper berries, marshmallow root, parsley root or herb, uva ursi leaves. This will help dissolve the stones that are in the kidneys, as well as help clean out other sedimentation and infection in the prostate. Mix the powders and place in No. 0 capsules and take two or more morning and night, with parsley tea when possible….

Read the full article

Find out what you can do with all those apples

Amaranth flour. Its milled from the seeds of the amaranth plant, this flour boasts a higher percentage of protein than most other grains, and has more fibre than wheat and rice. It is also higher in the amino acid lysine, which some food scientists believe makes it a more complete protein than flour made from other grains. Amaranth flour can be used in cookies, crackers, baking mixes, and cereals.

Arrowroot flour: The rootstalks of a tropical plant are the source of this flour, often used as a thickener for sauces and desserts; the finely powdered arrowroot turns completely clear when dissolved (giving gloss to sauces), and adds no starchy flavor. Because of its easy digestibility, it is also an used as an ingredient in cookies intended for infants and young children.

Barley flour: This mild-flavored flour made from barley grain contains some gluten.

Buckwheat flour: A common ingredient in pancake mixes, buckwheat flour is also used to make Japanese soba noodles. It is available in light, medium, and dark varieties (the dark flour boasts the strongest flavor), depending on the kind of buckwheat it is milled from. You can make your own buckwheat flour by processing whole white buckwheat groats in a blender or food processor.

Chestnut flour: This tan flour is made from chestnuts, the meaty, lowfat nuts that are often served as a vegetable. The flour is a little sweet and is traditionally used in Italian holiday desserts.

Chick-pea flour (also called chana, gram flour or besan): This protein-rich flour is made from dried chick-peas or chana dal. This flour is used commonly throughout India, and in parts of the Mediterranean as well, in pancakes, pizzas, dumplings, soups and stews.

Corn flour: This is made from whole cornmeal, ground to a floury consistency.

Cornstarch: This silky ingredient is made from only the endosperm (starchy part) of the corn kernel. Avoid wheaten cornflour. It is used to thicken sauces and to create baked goods with a particularly fine texture.

Gluten-free flour mix: Some health-food stores carry this three-grain mixture of rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour. It can be substituted for 100% of the wheat flour in many recipes.

Millet flour: This yellow flour is high in protein and easy to digest. It may make baked goods somewhat coarse-textured and dry. Substitute it for no more than one-fifth of the wheat flour in a recipe.

Oat flour: Milled from either the entire oat kernel or the endosperm only, oat flour is frequently used in ready-to-eat breakfast cereals. You can make your own to use in baking by grinding rolled oats in a food processor or blender (1-1/4 cups rolled oats will yield 1 cup oat flour).

Potato flour (potato starch): Steamed potatoes are dried and then ground to a powder to make this gluten-free flour, which is commonly used in baked goods for Jewish Passover (when wheat flour may not be used).

Quinoa flour: Higher in fat than wheat flour, quinoa flour makes baked goods more moist. You can make your own quinoa flour by processing whole quinoa in a blender; stop before the flour is too fine – it should be slightly coarse, like cornmeal.

Rye flour: In combination with wheat flour, rye flour, which contains some gluten, is most commonly used in breads. Rye can be used alone for a substantial-textured bread. Light, medium, and dark varieties (with dark having the strongest flavour) are available.

Sorghum flour: A staple grain in many parts of the world. Sorghum flour works well in breads when combined with bean flours.

Soy flour: Another useful alternative.

Tapioca flour: Milled from the dried starch of the cassava root, this flour thickens when heated with water and is often used to give body to puddings, fruit pie fillings, and soups. It can also be used in baking.

Water-chestnut flour (water-chestnut powder): This Asian ingredient is a fine, powdery starch that is used to thicken sauces (it can be substituted for cornstarch) and to coat foods before frying to give them a delicate, crisp coating.

[source]

Rice bran – a so-called “superfood” – might contain dangerous amounts of a natural poison.

A new study suggests that rice bran, the shavings left over after brown rice is polished to produce white rice grains, contains “inappropriate” levels of arsenic. Andrew Meharg at the University of Aberdeen, UK, and colleagues found that the levels of arsenic in rice bran products available on the internet and used in food-aid programmes funded by the US government would be illegal in China – the only country in the world to have standards for how much arsenic is permissible in food.

Meharg’s team are calling on the European Union and the US to follow China’s example and update food standards for arsenic.

Arsenic is a natural carcinogen, present in drinking water around the world including in Australia, the US and many developing countries.

In previous work, Meharg has shown that brown rice contains more arsenic than polished white rice (Environmental Science and Technology, DOI: 10.1021/es702212p).

Nutritional drink

In the new study, Meharg and colleagues purchased brown rice from China and Bangladesh and polished part of it in the same way that it would be to produce commercial white rice. They found that 1 kilogramme of brown rice contained on average 0.76 mg of arsenic in its toxic inorganic form. The rice also contained some non-toxic, organic arsenic. The polished white rice grains contained 0.56 mg inorganic arsenic per kg, whereas the rice bran contained 3.3 mg per kg on average.

On the surface, this appears to be good news: the bran shavings are usually discarded except in Japan, where they are used in traditional pickling recipes. But in recent years a number of rice-bran products have come onto US and European markets, mainly targeted at health-food consumers. They are labelled “superfoods”: the bran is high in antioxidants, vitamins, mineral nutrients and fibre. Producers say it is the largest wasted agricultural food resource on the planet, with 60 million metric tonnes of it discarded worldwide each year.

Some companies have produced a powdered version with a long shelf life at room temperature. Mixed with water, these “rice-bran solubles” make a nutritional drink and have been distributed as food aid to malnourished children in Malawi, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador. There are plans to further expand the aid programmes in Latin America, India and the Caribbean.

Meharg and his colleagues purchased nine commercial rice-bran products online, including rice-bran solubles from NutraCea, a company that participates in food-aid programmes, and analysed their arsenic content. The products contained between 0.48 mg/kg and 1.16 mg/kg of inorganic arsenic. China recently updated its standards, and set the limit to 0.15 mg of inorganic arsenic per kg of food.

Risk analysis

“The arsenic concentrations reported are worrisome, but the risk assessment is complex,” says Philippe Grandjean, professor of environmental health at Harvard University’s School of Public Health.

Indeed, “safe” standards for arsenic intake are controversial. The risk of skin, lung, bladder and kidney cancer increases proportionally with arsenic intake, which has lead toxicologists to the conclusion that there is no “safe” limit. But risks must be weighed against the benefits gained from drinking water and eating certain foods that contain the poison.

NutraCea has carried out a pilot project distributing their rice-bran solubles to 67,000 pre-school children in Guatemala. They monitored the nutritional state of 150 children. Whereas at the beginning of the trial, 37% were deemed malnourished, that dropped to 5% after taking 15 g of the rice bran 5 days a week for 6 months. The project was funded by the US Agency for International Development USAID and the Christian Children’s Fund.

Marie Vahter, an environmental toxicologist at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden who has done extensive studies on the health effects of arsenic believes the nutritional benefits do not necessarily outweigh the risks, given the availability of other supplements. “Recent reports indicate increased fetal and infant mortality due to fairly low-level arsenic exposure via drinking water,” says Vahter. Arsenic also impairs brain development and impairs the body’s ability to repair DNA.

Unwanted substances

“Rice-bran solubles are not the only way of getting nutrients to malnourished children,” argues Meharg. “If aid agencies want to go down the bran solubles route why not wheat, oat or barely bran solubles. All these crops have ten times less total arsenic than rice and are just as nutrient rich.”

“One would expect dietary supplements to be virtually free of unwanted substances like arsenic, especially when aimed at children, who are particularly vulnerable to arsenic,” says Grandjean.

Drinking water limits on arsenic levels are more widespread than food limits, despite animal studies showing that the body does not distinguish between arsenic derived from food and from drink. Water limits tend to be based on the World Health Organization’s “provisional” guideline limit of 0.01 mg of arsenic per litre of drinking water – although the WHO itself admits that “based on health criteria” the guideline would be less than this. It says the value is restricted by measurement limitations, hence its provisional nature.

According to China’s standards, all of the rice-bran products tested by Meharg would be illegal. According to the UK’s 50-year-old standards, two of the nine products are safe – yet all can be purchased online in the UK. The US has no standards for arsenic levels in food, and has a limit of 0.01 mg/l in drinking water.

“We totally agree with the overall message that it is important to set standards for inorganic arsenic in our food,” comments Walter Goessler, an arsenic expert at the Karl-Franzens University in Austria.

“Rice-bran solubles are being produced by commercial companies who profit from this commodity,” says Meharg.

At the time of going to publication, NutraCea had not replied to New Scientist’s request for comment.

[source]

“Whether you’re nodding off during the afternoon slump at the office, working a double or a night shift, or fighting drowsiness while driving, a power nap can make you more alert and productive[1] but only if you do it correctly. Scientists have been studying the power nap–when to take it, how to take it, what to take before you take it, and so on; their findings suggest that the following steps will help you get the most power out of a power nap.

Find a good place to nap.

Napping at work – A survey by the National Sleep Foundation found that about 30% of people are allowed to sleep at work, and some employers even provide a place for employees to nap.[2] If your place of employment isn’t nap-friendly, you can take a power nap in your car.

Napping on the road – If you’re driving, find a rest area to park in. Don’t park on the shoulder. Always turn off the car and put on the emergency brake. If it’s nighttime, park in a well-lit area with plenty of people around and lock all of your doors.

Turn off your mobile phone and any other potential distractions. If background noise is unavoidable and distracting, or if you suffer from tinnitus, putting on headphones with relaxing music may help.

If you’re sleeping during the day and find that bright light inhibits your ability to sleep, wear sunglasses or use an eye mask to simulate darkness.

Have caffeine right before you nap. This may sound counterintuitive since caffeine is a stimulant, but it won’t kick in immediately. The caffeine has to travel through your gastro-intestinal tract, giving you time to nap before it kicks in. Taking a “caffeine nap” in which 200mg of caffeine are consumed right before a 20-minute nap will not only improve your performance, but it’ll also lessen how sleepy you feel once you wake up.[3] Skip the caffeine, however, if it’s late in the afternoon–you’ll have a hard time falling asleep later–or if you’re trying to quit caffeine.

When you’re close to finishing your coffee (or your green tea, or your caffeine jello shot, etc.), set an alarm to go off in 15 minutes. If you’re one of those people who has a habit of pressing the “snooze” button and going right back to sleep, put your alarm across the room so that you have to get up to turn it off. Immediately after consuming the caffeine, close your eyes and relax.

Even if you can’t sleep, close your eyes and meditate. You might not be used to napping, but if you incorporate short bouts of sleep into a daily routine (taking a nap every day after lunch, for example) you can “train” your body to expect a nap during that time and you’ll have an easier time falling asleep.[4]

What you’re doing during a power nap is capturing the benefits of the first two of the five stages in the sleep cycle. These first two stages take place in the first twenty minutes. In addition to making you feel more rested and alert, the electrical signals in your nervous system strengthen the connection between neurons involved in muscle memory, making your brain work faster and more accurately.[5]

After 15 minutes, not only will your alarm go off, but caffeine will also kick in and help since it blocks adenosine, the neurotransmitter that promotes fatigue.

Get up as soon as the alarm goes off. Sleeping for any longer than 20 minutes will be counterproductive. A half hour can lead to sleep inertia, making you feel sluggish and more tired than ever.[6]

Follow up with physical activity. Get your blood flowing with a few jumping jacks or push-ups, or a little bit of jogging in place.
Washing your face and exposing yourself to bright light (e.g. sunlight) can help you feel more awake as well.[3]

Remember that a power nap makes you more productive. Some people are reluctant to nap because it seems “lazy” but if that was the case, why would successful executives and athletes be power napping? Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison were power nappers, as well.

Warnings
A power nap can only help so much. If you’re sleep-deprived, you need to make up for your sleep deficit before you can realize the full benefits of power napping.”

^{Sources and Citations
Wired Magazine – Original source of this article. Shared with permission.
http://www.sleepdex.org/caffeine-nap.htm – Research source for “caffeine nap”
↑ The effects of a 20 min nap in the mid-afternoon on mood, performance and EEG activity. Clin Neurophysiol. 2003 Dec;114(12):2268-78.
↑ http://redeye.chicagotribune.com/red-072208-nap-main,0,2745098.story
↑ 3.0 3.1 The alerting effects of caffeine, bright light and face washing after a short daytime nap. Clin Neurophysiol. 2003 Dec;114(12):2268-78.
↑ http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/power-of-napping-feature?page=3
↑ http://www.mensjournal.com/healthFitness/0601/napping_power.html
↑ http://redeye.chicagotribune.com/red-072208-nap-main,0,2745098.story}

“We’ve all found ourselves chatting with someone whose breath could easily wilt a flower. With more than 90 million people suffering from chronic bad breath (also called halitosis), that’s a lot of wilted flowers. If you (or someone you regularly smooch) has an attack of bad breath that even Altoids won’t fix, try these eight simple tips to fix the problem.

Don’t let your tongue become a dirty carpet.
Bad breath often strikes when people aren’t properly taking care of their oral health. The odor is usually caused by decaying food particles and bacteria in your mouth. That’s why brushing and flossing your teeth is so important, but don’t forget to gently brush your tongue to get rid of even more bacteria.

A clean tongue goes a long way to warding off bad breath, says Stephen Z. Wolner, a dentist in private practice in New York City. “Your tongue microscopically is like a shaggy carpet. There are millions of filaments on your tongue that trap tiny food particles and bacteria,” he says. Get in the habit of regularly cleaning your tongue using a toothbrush, the edge of a spoon, or a tongue cleaner. If you have any mouth guards or oral devices, make sure to clean them thoroughly before putting them back in your mouth.

Mouthwash isn’t a bad idea, but it’s only a temporary fix. Granted, a little mouthwash comes in handy before a romantic dinner for two, but it masks the odor instead of tackling the source of your problem.

Chew gum like it’s going out of style.
Believe it or not, saliva is your best weapon against bad breath. That’s why dry mouth, often caused by certain medications or medical conditions, leads to odor problems. By washing away food particles and bacteria, saliva helps to eliminate odor, too.

If you’re wondering why your breath stinks in the morning, it’s largely because saliva production slows while you sleep, allowing particles and odor to linger longer. That’s where sugarless gum comes in handy, as chewing it will stimulate saliva production. Mints, on the other hand, don’t usually stimulate saliva production and only temporarily mask bad odor.

“When you chew gum it makes you salivate, and the more saliva you have in your mouth the fewer bacteria you have. It not only mechanically washes bacteria out, but we have antiseptic and enzymes in our saliva that kill bacteria,” says Wolner.

While anything that makes you salivate will improve your breath, a gum that is sweetened with xylitol is your best option. Xylitol is a sugar substitute that not only increases salvation but also works to prevent bacteria from replicating in the mouth.

Choose cinnamon — it’s sweeter.
A recent study of the cinnamon-flavored gum Big Red found that cinnamon might have breath-odor fighting abilities. Unlike other flavors, cinnamon is not just a cover-up, Wolner tells WebMD. In fact, he says, an ingredient in the flavoring appears to actually decrease the bacteria in your mouth. The only problem is that sugar gums are bad for your teeth, so stick to sugarless cinnamon-flavored gum instead….” Continued

Related: How to Tell Someone Their Breath Stinks!

“Despite the many public efforts to promote physical activity and good nutrition in recent years, despite the constant warnings about the obesity crisis, Americans just keep getting fatter. According to an annual state-by-state look at the problem, adult obesity rates increased in 37 states in the past year, and only the District of Columbia saw a decrease—down a mere 0.1%. More than 25% of adults are now obese in 28 states, up from 19 states last year.

In 1991 no state had an obesity rate above 20%. Today more than 20% of adults are obese in every state except Colorado, where the number stands at 18.4%, according to the survey by two nonprofits, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Trust for America’s Health. Mississippi, the worst performer of all 51 on the list (which includes the District of Columbia), stands at 31.7%. Similarly disturbing increases were found in the percentage of adults with Type 2 diabetes, a weight-related disease. The survey found higher incidence of diabetes in 26 states. Four states are above 10%…..” Read the rest

The book has quite a bit going for it:

1. Beautifully made, illustrated and laid-out, this book is meant to last and be used readily and often. Typical Dorling Kindersley quality.

2. An eye-friendly typeface and bright, semi-gloss pages make this easy reading.

3. The shear breadth of the information here is outstanding. Packed into 306 letter-sized pages are the following chapters:
*The Meaning of Self-Sufficiency
*Food from the Garden
*Food from Animals
*Food from the Fields
*Food from the Wild
*In the Dairy
*In the Kitchen
*Brewing & Wine-making
*Energy & Waste
*Crafts & Skills
*Things You Need to Know

4. Good specifics on all the categories of info listed above. You should be able to get started on your way to being people of the soil. Need to know how to kill, gut, and prepare your cattle? It’s in here. Got a hankering to get off the electrical grid altogether? Helpful windmill buying advice is here. Can’t tell rye from barley? You will after reading this book.

5. A helpful list of contacts and companies that can get you started on your dream are included.

This is a fine primer on self-sufficiency. Anyone looking to escape the rat race could hardly do better than to pick up a copy of “The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It.”

[source: amazon]

Get it now

From healthbot:

• In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.
• 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)
• 40 minutes………Read the rest
  

My best solution for this situation so far is this Elliptical Trainer, which I absolute adore and if I didn’t have it, I’d gain approximately 30 pounds during those harsh, cold winter months where all you want to do is eat comfort food. This way, you can eat your comfort food but work it off. And remember, exercise is a great way to fight depression, that can sometimes creep in your life during these months. Just eliminate that whole SADD process. How awesome is that?

More about Elliptical Trainers
Elliptical trainers represent the next wave of advancement in low-impact cardiovascular exercise machines and continue to grow in popularity. By simulating motions experienced through walking, stepping, cycling, and skiing, elliptical machines allow for a smooth and fluid motion while building strength in the arms and legs. Similar to the exercise position for treadmills, elliptical trainers are used by standing in an upright position while holding the handrails of the machine. With elliptical trainers, however, your feet remain in the foot pedals throughout the exercise regimen and circulate in a smooth and seamless motion, resulting in little to no impact on the knees, back, and hips.

Elliptical trainers are compatible for all ages and fitness levels and allow you to select the difficulty level through the incline and intensity settings. Additionally, elliptical trainers allow you to determine the complexity of your workout based on your needs, all while listening to music, watching television, or reading a magazine while exercising in the comfort and safety of your own home.

Although different types of elliptical trainers offer an assortment of features, many of them include an array of challenging programs, forward and reverse directional movement, EKG grip pulse handles, a lightweight portable design with easy fold-up capability, and a monitor displaying calories burned, distance, speed, time, and heart rate. Other types of exercise machines, namely treadmills and bikes, offer excellent cardiovascular exercise and muscular training for the legs in a forward-motion exercise. Elliptical trainers take this to the next level by offering an upper and lower body workout with dual motion, challenging and diverse programs, and a low-impact exercise machine that won’t strain sensitive joints.

See photos and find out more about getting in shape

“Massachusetts health authorities are warning consumers not to eat ground beef bought from Whole Foods Markets over the last two months after seven infections have been linked to meat bought there, some after a national recall.

The state Department of Public Health today confirmed the seventh E. coli case linked to ground beef. The people who fell ill — five of whom were hospitalized — had all eaten ground beef from Whole Foods last month. Preliminary results indicate that the ground beef products were part of a nationwide recall of meat produced by Nebraska Beef Ltd. because of possible E. coli contamination.

“A review of records from Whole Foods indicates that some of the stores received product from the recall list,” the state said in a release. “At this time, it is not known why the food listed under the USDA recall was sold to the public after the recall date.”

In a statement, Whole Foods said it will “continue to work with state and federal authorities as this investigation progresses, and looks forward to providing its customers with the high quality products that they have come to expect.”

The products involved include ground beef and ground beef patties from the stores’ meat counters as well as packaged meat found in the stores’ cooler. Any meat bought between June 2 and August 6 should be thrown out, state officials said. Consumers should also check their freezers for meat they may have bought last month and frozen for later use.

E. coli can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, the elderly and persons with weakened immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.

Ground beef cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit kills the bacteria.” [source]

Why take part in a Drumming Circle?
Drumming is a vehicle to express as well as to feel. It is exercise, nurturing, social support, bonding and spirituality, to intellectual stimulation, heightened understanding and enhanced capacity to cope with life’s challenges, the benefits of recreational music-making extend far beyond music. This type of music making ultimately affords unparalleled creative expression that unites and heals our bodies, minds and spirits.

Start Your Own Drumming Circle
World-renowned author offers tips to run a successful drum circle. As the popularity for drum circles continues to grow, the need for facilitators increases as well. Written by the foremost authority in this field, Arthur Hull offers his insights, plans and practical strategies to become a facilitator – regardless of your musical background or expertise. This can be used by social workers, store owners, human resource managers, church leaders, camp leaders, nursing home activity coordinators – for anyone who wants to unify a group that will enjoy the benefits of participating in this simple activity. It’s about leadership and communication. The book covers dozens of exercises, instrument suggestions, facilitator’s shorthand, interviews with successful facilitators, and even marketing tips on how to promote and expand your events. This is the complete rhythm event facilitation handbook from the expert.

Start a Drumming Circle Now

From concierge:

1. WILDFLOWER HALL
Where: Shimla, India

Guru says: Yoga was invented in the Himalayas, in caves where acolytes of Tantric bliss experimented with astrology, nutrition, sex, medicine, and asanas (postures). But cave dwelling is so 5,000 years ago: Stay instead at this cliff-side manor, once home to British commander-in-chief Lord Kitchener and now a luxury Oberoi property. Instruction with local masters who grew up practicing yoga can be arranged in private sessions or with a group. Most programs last one week and include spa and Ayurvedic treatments.

Classmates: Wealthy Indian families looking to escape the heat of New Delhi and Mumbai, as well as many European couples. The Himalayan environment attracts a steady stream of fit, young professionals into adventure travel.

Om factor: Didn’t we mention yoga was invented here? Teachers are often part of a guru-disciple lineage dating back centuries.

Prerequisites: A simple mountain pose. Better: the sweat-inducing headstand.

Extracurricular: Day-trips on the white water of the Sutlej River, hikes and single-track mountain biking trips leading to king-of-the-world views, tennis in the summer and ice skating in the winter.

When to go: The summer is warm, but not hot; wildflowers bloom in late spring; and snow falls regularly in January and February. Take your pick.

Doubles from $390; morning yoga classes included, individual yoga programs extra

Wildflower Hall
Tel: 800 562 3764

2. COMO SHAMBHALA AT PARROT CAY
Where: Turks & Caicos

Guru says: This is the spot for well-heeled yogis whose idea of Zen minimalism doesn’t extend to thread counts and evening meals. The private 1,000-acre island in the Turks + Caicos has snow-white sand and turquoise coves, and the rooms are unfussy but gorgeous, all teak and white cotton. Instructors give daily yoga classes, but the resort also attracts some of the biggest names in American yoga for retreat weeks.

Classmates: A yoga rule of thumb: When the price goes up, so does the average age of the clientele. Don’t expect the barefoot, stringy-haired hard-bodies you share floor space with at home. Instead, you’ll get moneyed couples and a smattering of New Age yuppies.

Om factor: With American yoga luminaries such as Rodney Yee and Erich Schiffmann as retreat week regulars, the level of instruction is excellent, with an average of five hours per day during retreat weeks.

Prerequisites: Downward-facing dog. If you don’t already know this pose, just watch your dog stretch when he gets up from a nap.

Extracurricular: Dive or snorkel in the most pristine waters and healthiest reefs of the Caribbean region. Or just collapse on the beach for an extended savasana.

Doubles from $680 including group yoga classes; $120 an hour for private instruction; retreat weeks $6,240 all-inclusive

Como Shambhala at Parrot Cay
Tel: 877 754 0726

3. CHIVA-SOM
Where: Hua Hin, Thailand

Guru says: This retreat, my budding spiritual narcissist, is all about you. Thailand’s top destination spa ensures no annoying classmates and no early mornings unless you want them. Upon arrival at the luxurious, secluded seven-acre property located 135 miles south of Bangkok, you’ll be assigned a Health and Wellness advisor who’ll design a personal yoga program, ranging from 3 to 21 days (or longer), and augment it with spa treatments and a nutritional program.

Classmates: There may be no one on the mat next to you (all instruction is private), but other guests do exist. Between yoga and spa sessions you’ll hobnob with British, Swedish, and Australian thirty- and fortysomethings. Most guests are women traveling with their girlfriends or mums to detox or lose weight, but there are plenty of soloists, so you won’t have to dine alone.

Om factor: High. Every morning Buddhist monks wander along Hua Hin beach draped in faded red robes.

Prerequisites: Half lotus with breath of fire (kalabati breathing). You aren’t going to be able to fake this one.

Extracurricular: While most guests don’t leave the property, we suggest shuttling into town to explore the market and local Buddhist shrines.

When to go: The most comfortable time is the dry season, October through April. But prices drop during the summer rains, May to September.

Three- to 21-day retreats from $1,530 to $10,710, including meals and yoga instruction

Chiva-Som
Tel: 949 487 0522

4. BEGAWAN GIRI
Where: Bali, Indonesia

Guru says: Bali seems tailor-made for serenity: The Balinese culture is based on harmony, and locals couldn’t be more hospitable. If you don’t come away from here feeling balanced and fulfilled, you need a personality replacement. The only decision is how upscale to go. The tippy-top is Como Shambhala Estate at Begawan Giri, where the guest villas are architectural masterpieces and the sumptuous spa overlooks the Ayung River. Yoga instructors are on staff, and the hotel hosts retreat weeks throughout the year. But Balinese tranquility isn’t limited to the elite. Australia-based yoga studio Inspya Yoga offers a handful of affordable Bali retreats each year, most of them hosted by renowned teacher Lance Schuler in the town of Ubud (just a stone’s throw from Begawan Giri). Retreat guests are lodged in a simple but comfortable compound with two-story bungalows, an open-air restaurant, and a spring-water swimming pool.

Classmates: Donna Karan at the Begawan Giri; attractive, down-to-earth Aussies with Inspya Yoga.

Om factor: Spirit saturates Bali. There are thousands of temples on the island, and even if you don’t know anything about Hinduism, it’s hard not to be intrigued.

Prerequisites: Wheel pose. Bali attracts types that do full back-bends in their sleep.

Extracurricular: Visit the mother temple complex, Pura Besakih; scale the sacred Mt. Agung volcano; dive in the pristine waters of North Bali; or learn to surf on the south coast.

When to go: Lance Schuler’s next Bali retreat is in July 2007. Begawan Giri announces its retreat week calendar in November 2006; check the website for details.

Begawan Giri: Doubles from $495, including daily yoga; retreat weeks from $3,882. Inspya Yoga: 10-day retreats from $1,009, including accommodations

Begawan Giri
Tel: 62 361 978 888

Inspya Yoga Retreats
Tel: 61 2 6687 2717

5. ADVENTURE YOGA RETREATS
Where: All over the Americas

Guru says: Perfect for those as likely to find enlightenment charging down a mountain or carving a wave as during yoga and meditation. Founder and yoga instructor Ted McDonald teams with well-known New York- and L.A.-based yogis to lead students on adrenaline-addled eco-adventures in some of the world’s wildest places. His students run rivers in Patagonia, hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (pictured), snowboard in the Sierra Nevadas, surf Costa Rica, or scale Mt. Whitney—all between morning and evening yoga sessions.

Classmates: Young, mostly single, fun-loving sensualists who can enjoy an ayahuasca ceremony with a Peruvian shaman as much as a midnight skinny-dip.

Om factor: Low on spiritual pretense, high on thrill-seeking.

Prerequisites: Warrior III. Expect an athletic intermediate practice with lots of standing and one-legged balancing postures.

Extracurricular: Drinking fine Chilean wine, soaking in snow-banked hot tubs, and exploring altered states with Peruvian medicine men.

When to go: Scale Mount Whitney, October 5–7 ($300); snowboard Mammoth Mountain, January 12–15 and March 15–18 ($595); raft Chile’s Fútaleufu River, February 1–10 ($3,800).

Adventure Yoga Retreats
Tel: 310 455 6681

6. ESALEN INSTITUTE
Where: Big Sur, California

Guru says: A New Age hot spot since the ’60s, the institute grows its own vegetarian food, has basic rooms with a view, and hosts workshops in everything from African dance to Tantric sex. The time freeze means you kinda expect John Lennon to drop in at any moment. The yoga classes are led by internationally renowned figures such as Mark Whitwell and Shiva Rea. Too granola for you? Well, the property is outrageously beautiful, as it’s balanced on the edge of the Pacific cliffs. And the coed naked hot-spring tubs—50 feet above the swirling, crashing Pacific—are pretty nifty. Some are exposed to the elements, others are sheltered beneath dynamic cantilevered ceilings; each sucks the stress from bones and souls.

Classmates: Flower children and their ilk. Whoever they are, you’ll be seeing a lot of them. Public displays of self-assured nudity are rampant—height, weight, and body fat be damned.

Om factor: Esalen is fervently committed to a set of spiritual and ecological ideals, and attracts visitors of like minds. So it’s high on pious sanctimony and low on collective sense of humor. Which, in a way, is sort of funny.

Prerequisites: Sun salutations, the central series in vinyasa or flow yoga practice.

Extracurricular: Workshop schedules are pretty packed, but you’ll find time to comb the beach, enjoy a massage, and dip in the hot springs—if you know what’s good for you.

When to go: Hit Shiva Rea’s high-energy Thanksgiving weekend retreat, November 24–26 ($655), or learn how to develop a daily practice in Mark Whitwell’s more introspective and gentler Flow Workshop, December 10–15 ($1,120).

Weekend retreats, $655 per person, including yoga workshop, accommodations, meals, and access to hot springs; weeklong retreats $1,120

Esalen Institute
Tel: 831 667 3005

7. LIFETIME RETREATS
Where: Kangaroo Island, Australia

Guru says: This family-owned property on secluded Kangaroo Island, off the coast of Adelaide, oozes character, with three distinct villas that include the Cliff House, reminiscent of a ’70s rock’n'roll crash pad, and the earthen Sky House. A pre-arrival questionnaire not only includes queries guests about yoga habits but also favorite tunes, dining preferences, and even comforting smells from childhood (it isn’t unusual to arrive to find an apple pie in the oven). Rachel Hannaford, a former personal chef who’s fed the Dalai Lama and is now LifeTime’s general manager/yogi/head chef, teaches yoga every morning at eight, and an Introduction to Tibetan Meditation class in the evenings.

Classmates: American couples here to view the island’s diverse wildlife; group retreats full of fit Aussies.

Om factor: Up to you. Hannaford can discuss Buddhist philosophy if you like, but she’s more than happy to keep it light.

Prerequisites: Chair pose or child’s pose. A disciple of Baron Baptiste’s athletic brand of hatha yoga, Hannaford uses techniques that’ll make quads rattle and brows drip.

Extracurricular: Humans are outnumbered ten to one by mobs of wallabies, kangaroos, seals, and koalas. Romp with them (or close enough) around the stunning, unspoiled coastline.

When to go: Australia’s spring and summer, October through March.

Retreats from $493 per person per night, all-inclusive

LifeTime Retreats
Tel: 61 8 8354 2368

8. MAYA TULUM
Where: Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

Guru says: Set on an absurdly gorgeous stretch of Yucatán shore 90 minutes from Cancún, this is the best-regarded retreat destination within the yoga community, hosting more than 50 events a year. Join a group trip sponsored by one of several international yoga stars, such as Baron Baptiste, or simply sign on for Maya Tulum’s five-night or seven-night MBS (as in mind, body, spirit) program. The price includes yoga sessions, meditation classes, three vegetarian meals per day (fish is optional), massages, and day-trips. The spa serves up specialties such as Mayan clay massage and Sobata Maya—a concentric navel massage. Oh, and there’s a sweat lodge run by a third-generation shaman named Fabian.

Classmates: Among the hippie-chic 20-to-45 set, this place is more popular than soy chai lattes. You’re liable to share hardwood with film and rock stars, politicians, and Manhattanites looking for time off from the social circuit.

Om factor: Given the Mayan context and enthusiastic clientele, expect bizarre conversations about Krishna, string theory, indigo children, 2012, Tantra, the evils of Fox News, and the holographic nature of reality. Quick: Say, “Mayan navel massage” 50 times fast.

Prerequisites: Crow pose. You don’t have to know how to balance on your hands with legs curled up like a perching crow’s wings, but if you don’t, you may have asana envy.

Extracurricular: Aside from getting sweaty with Fabian, explore the nearby Mayan ruins in Tulum and some of the largest pyramids in Mexico at Coba. Snorkeling is also first-rate.

When to go: Winter and spring are the most popular, but good deals can be had in summer and fall. Baptiste leads weeklong “boot camp” retreats October 21–28 and May 19–26. (For more information, visit Baptiste’s site.)

All-inclusive MBS retreats from $1,020 per person; Baptiste’s boot camps from $2,595

Maya Tulum
Tel: 888 515 4580

9. THE STANDARD MIAMI
Where: Miami Beach, Florida

Guru says: A state of egolessness in South Beach? Sounds suspect, huh? Well, while retaining all the retro-cool design motifs of Andre Balazs’s hip hotel brand, this property on a small bay island off the Venetian Causeway is geared around wellness. Its daily group yoga classes are open to hotel guests and the paying public, as are its pranayama and Tibetan meditation classes. The spa is off-the-charts slick, with an emphasis on water therapy—a Turkish hammam, a waterfall hot tub, a spa menu full of double entendres like “Tag Team” (four-hands massage) and “The Standard Spanking” (yes, it involves your buttocks). But it isn’t style over substance here; this place does deliver the goods. There’s a staff acupuncturist and naturopath, a diverse stable of instructors, and terrific yoga facilities. It’s generating great buzz in the yoga world.

Classmates: Two parts international travelers, one part models (and wannabes), and a garnish of Miami locals.

Om factor: Undetermined. The Standard is working to deliver age-old techniques in cool packaging. Does that make it less authentic? You be the judge.

Prerequisites: There’s a touch of Kundalini yoga here, which means holding poses longer and with a variety of breathing techniques. Endure some pain, and you’ll leave feeling high.

Extracurricular: South Beach, and all its toned and tanned glories.

When to go: This one’s wide open.

Doubles from $125; yoga and meditation classes $17

The Standard Miami
Tel: 305 673 1717

[source]

20: Saltiest Side Dish
Denny’s Honey Smoked Ham, grilled slice
1,700 mg sodium, 85 calories
Calorie for calorie, this is the saltiest dish in America.

This side is steeped in salty brine before it’s smoked, soaking up 70 percent of your daily sodium intake.

19: Saltiest Dessert
Atlanta Bread Company Raspberry Scone
1,750 mg sodium, 360 calories
This fruit scone packs the same sodium load as seven servings of bacon at Atlanta Bread Company. If you need a sweet fix, opt instead for the pumpkin bread, which has a tenth of the sodium (160 mg).

18: Saltiest Soup
Baja Fresh Chicken Tortilla Soup
2,760 mg sodium, 320 calories
Soup and salt are nearly synonymous in the food world, but Baja takes it to the extreme, sinking more than a day’s worth of sodium into a single serving. Start with a bowl of stewed black beans with a scoop of fresh salsa instead; a serving has an eye-popping, belly-filling 26 grams (g) of fiber, with less than half the salt of the soup.

17: Saltiest Burger
Hardee’s 2/3 lb Monster Thickburger
2,770 mg sodium, 1,420 calories, 108 g fat
More than 100 percent of your daily sodium allowance is trapped inside this burger’s bun. And the three slices of processed American cheese are oozing with 780 mg sodium. Try the Low-Carb Thickburger–you’ll shave 1,000 calories and 1,700 mg sodium.

16: Saltiest “Healthy” Food
Chili’s Guiltless Grill Chicken Platter
2,780 mg sodium, 590 calories, 85 g carbs
Beware the bait and switch. Many restaurants and packaged-food producers advertise their dishes as being low in calories and fat, only to jack up the sugar and salt content. Case in point: This platter actually has more sodium than Chili’s 1,890-calorie Country Fried Steak with sides, toast, and gravy. Stick with the Guiltless Salmon, the best choice on Chili’s sometimes-healthy special menu.

• 15: Saltiest Pasta
Fazoli’s Rigatoni Romano
3,180 mg sodium, 1,090 calories, 54 g fat, 101 g carbs
Salt is one of the top ingredients in Italian sausage, meat sauce, and mozzarella cheese, the three items that serve as this dish’s backbone. Simply order your noodles topped with marinara sauce and peppery chicken. The chicken has just 1 g fat and less sodium than the other toppings you can order for your pasta.

14: Saltiest Chinese Entrée
P.F. Chang’s Beef with Broccoli
3,752 mg sodium, 1,120 calories, 65 g fat
Like many Chinese dishes, this ubiquitous entrée sounds deceptively healthy. Also like many Chinese dishes, this meal is swimming in a murky brown sauce made mostly of soy sauce and oil. Skip the fried rice (it can contain up to 2,700 mg sodium on its own) and send out an SOS (“sauce on the side”) to your server.

• 13: Saltiest Breakfast
Arby’s Sausage Gravy Biscuit
3,754 mg sodium, 961 calories
Yes, cured meat and lard-riddled biscuits are found in this troubled Southern staple, but the coat of gravy carries 2,600 mg sodium on its own, making it the primary offender.

12: Saltiest Beef Entrée
Bob Evans Steak Tips and Noodles
4,131 mg sodium, 822 calories, 43 g fat
Bob lubricates his take on beef stroganoff with a huge ladleful of gravy, damning this dish before you even poke your fork into it. Try your steak without the salt bath: The regular sirloin has half the calories and a commendable 638 mg sodium.

11: Saltiest Frozen Dinner
Swanson Hungry-Man XXL Roasted Carved Turkey
4,480 mg sodium, 1,360 calories, 70 g fat
Yes, the nutrition data on the back suggests that the package contains two servings, but the label proudly proclaims the 1 1/2 pounds inside, and besides, how many guys are going to share their frozen dinner?

10: Saltiest Bread
Dunkin’ Donuts Salt Bagel
4,520 mg sodium, 320 calories, 62 g carbs
This bagel is more like a giant salt-encrusted pretzel, delivering 188 percent of your recommended daily sodium intake.

9: Saltiest Sandwich
Quiznos Turkey Bacon Guacamole Large Sub with Cheese and Reduced-Fat Ranch Dressing
4,670 mg sodium, 1,120 calories, 49 g fat, 116 g carbs
First, skip the large sandwich. At Quiznos, few come in under 1,000 calories and 3,000 mg sodium. Next, abandon mozzarella for Swiss, which has a tenth of the sodium. Finally, choose one of the low-calorie subs at Quiznos–the Tuscan Turkey, or better yet, the Honey Bourbon Chicken.

8: Saltiest Pizza
Pizza Hut Meat Lover’s Stuffed Crust Pizza (3 slices of the 14” large)
5,070 mg sodium, 1,560 calories, 87 g fat, 114 g carbs
A good rule of thumb: Never order a pizza with more than a single meat topping. Because if the calories don’t get you, the salt will. This problematic pie has six meats and 4,000 mg sodium too much.

7: Saltiest Comfort Food
Denny’s Meat Loaf Dinner (with Mashed Potatoes and Corn)
5,080 mg sodium, 1,210 calories, 69 g fat, 97 g carbs
There’s nothing comforting about a dinner that carries the same sodium load as 27 strips of bacon. Trade the salty loaf for the Steakhouse Strip Dinner, which has just 460 mg sodium and 390 calories (before sides).

6: Saltiest Salad
Romano’s Macaroni Grill Chicken Florentine
5,460 mg sodium, 840 calories, 53 g fat
Salads are often the biggest blood-pressure boosters on the menu, since the innocent leaves play perfect host to a flurry of briny toppings and dangerous dressings. Here, salt-laden olives, capers, and Parmesan collide with Macaroni Grill’s massive portions and its cooks’ affinity for the saltshaker.

The only reasonable insalata on the menu is the Mozzarella alla Caprese: It has 450 calories and 760 mg sodium.

5: Saltiest Mexican Entrée
Chili’s Buffalo Chicken Fajitas
5,690 mg sodium, 1,730 calories, 107 g fat, 143 g carbs
Here are a few offenders to choke on: fried chicken, Buffalo sauce, blue cheese, smoked bacon, ranch dressing, and sour cream. All make this the sodium equivalent of single-handedly downing three and a half baskets of Chili’s bottomless tostada chips. Add rice and beans and you’ve just ordered 3 days’ worth of sodium and an entire day of calories. If you’re salt-sensitive, avoid fajitas–any kind of fajitas–at all costs.

4: Saltiest Kids’ Meal
Cosi Kid’s Pepperoni Pizza
6,405 mg sodium, 1,901 calories, 93 g fat, 190 g carbs
Kids under 13 should max out at 1,900 to 2,200 mg sodium a day, according to American Heart Association. This pizza serves up nearly three times that much, plus an entire day’s worth of calories. You could feed your child 50 turkey sandwiches at Cosi for the same sodium price tag. (But stick to just one.)

3: Saltiest Seafood Entrée
Romano’s Macaroni Grill Grilled Teriyaki Salmon
6,590 mg sodium, 1,230 calories, 74 g fat, 79 g carbs
Think you’re playing it smart by opting for fish? The slather of teriyaki, which is essentially highly sweetened soy sauce in concentrated form, sinks that strategy fast. The grilled halibut, topped with a fresh tomato-basil relish instead, has just a quarter of the sodium.

2: Saltiest Appetizer
Papa John’s Cheesesticks with Buffalo Sauce
6,700 mg sodium, 2,605 calories, 113 g fat, 296 g carbs
If you were to split this appetizer with two friends, you’d still be close to downing your daily sodium allowance before you even reach for the pizza. Each stick packs the same amount of sodium as a small slice of cheese pizza, and that’s without dipping. Your best bet? Cheese pizza. Thin crust.

1: The Saltiest Dish in America
Romano’s Macaroni Grill Chicken Portobello
7,300 mg sodium, 1,020 calories, 66 g fat
With three items on our top 20 list, plus a slew of dishonorable mentions, Macaroni Grill earns its title as America’s saltiest chain restaurant. But what makes this the saltiest dish in America? One word: demi-glace, a fancy French name for the viscous salt slick that blankets this disastrous dish. You would have to eat 32 cups of potassium-rich broccoli to compensate for this sodium avalanche. [source]

From alfalfa to ginseng to yellow dock, more than 100 entries are included, featuring historical backgrounds, popular and practical uses, folklore, and bibliographies. Herbal Medicine and Botanical Medical Fads also contains related listings and essays that range from alternative medicine to food preparation and nutrition to herbs in wedding celebrations. Detailed enough for reference use by academics, the book has a natural tone that appeals to garden club members, herb and spice experts, hobbyists, and others.

Herbal Medicine and Botanical Medical Fads also includes information on:
-herb growing and marketing
-herbs and spices in literature
-medicinal herbs and spices
-federal regulations on herbs and spices
-horticulture therapy

An everyday guide for enthusiasts and a perfect place to start for newcomers, Herbal Medicine and Botanical Medical Fads is an easy-to-use handbook with wide-ranging appeal.

For more information and to sample some pages click below:

Herbal Medicine and Botanical Medical Fads

Sage & Honey Tea (for a medium pot)

2 large fresh sage leaves
Honey

In a medium teapot, place 2 large sage leaves inside, pour hot water into the pot and let steep at least 5 minutes. The water will have a slight tint of green. Once it has steeped, pour into tea cup or mug and add some honey, to your liking. Sip the tea while it is still hot.

It’s simple; I know but I swear by sage tea. You actually can leave out the honey but sage leaves has a very strong (some call it medicinal) flavor and honey rounds out the flavor. This tea is also a natural calmer and if you have some problems with insomnia, this will help you by leaps and bounds. Try it.

On a side note

Growing fresh sage is easy as pie. It grows very well in a garden with very little maintenance. No garden? Plant some in a pot and keep it indoors next to a window sill. It is beautiful and makes a lovely decorative addition to your house or apartment.

“Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California signed a bill banning trans fats in restaurant food, making California the first U.S. state to ban the use of the cooking oils linked to artery-clogging cholesterol.

The new law, modeled after a ban implemented in New York City, prohibits the use of partially hydrogenated oils, which contain trans fats, by the state’s 87,000 restaurants beginning in 2010 and in all baked goods sold in the state starting in 2011.

Trans fats, found in processed and fried food, candies and cookies, are vegetable oils that are treated with hydrogen to extend the shelf life of products. The oils have been linked to LDL cholesterol that clogs the arteries. New York began a ban on trans fats in all restaurants in December 2006.

“Consuming trans fat is linked to coronary heart disease, and today we are taking a strong step toward creating a healthier future for California,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

Diets high in trans fats increase the risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes, according the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Web site.

Restaurant companies including McDonald’s and KFC already use cooking oils in the U.S. that are free of trans fats.”

At least 1,013 people died of overdoses in several U.S. cities from 2005 to 2007 after illegally injecting the highly potent painkiller fentanyl, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

The fentanyl, at least some of which came from Mexico, was sold illegally by drug dealers on U.S. streets, sometimes mixed with cocaine and heroin, according to a report issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Chicago area had the most deaths with 349, followed by Philadelphia with 269, the Detroit area with 230. Other deaths were reported in St. Louis, Missouri, and the states of Delaware and New Jersey. Emergency medical personnel reported finding some victims with the needle still in their arms, not having completed the injection because the drug was so powerful, said retired CDC public health service officer Dr. Stephen Jones, who wrote the report.

The fentanyl caused perhaps hundreds of other deaths not reflected in the official tally of 1,013 deaths, Jones said in a telephone interview. “I think this is an extraordinary episode of fatal drug overdoses. But it’s got to be recognized as part of the bigger problem of the increasing numbers of drug overdose deaths in the United States.”

The number of deaths from drug overdoses and other cases of unintentional drug poisonings jumped from 11,155 in 1999 to 22,448 in 2005, the CDC noted, with powerful painkilling drugs playing an important role. The fentanyl used in Chicago and Detroit was believed to have come from an illicit production facility in Toluca, Mexico, that was shut down by authorities in May 2006, the CDC said. Fentanyl is used medically to treat pain in cancer patients and others but also is abused for recreational use. “One gram of pure fentanyl can be cut into approximately 7,000 doses for street sale. Manufacture of (fentanyl) requires minimal technical knowledge, and recipes for making (fentanyl) are available on the Internet,” according to the report.

“The unknowns of what somebody can obtain on the streets and misuse are a very obvious message from this outbreak,” Nick Reuter of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said in a telephone interview. Jones said the recent deaths marked the worst known outbreak of U.S. fentanyl deaths. An earlier series of deaths in the 1980s included at least 110 fatal overdoses, he said

Marital Strife
Research has shown that married people tend to have fewer sleep problems than those who are divorced. But it turns out the quality of the marriage is important, too. New research out of the University of Pittsburgh indicates that happily married women had fewer troubles falling asleep, staying asleep, fewer early morning awakenings and more restful sleep compared with unhappily married women.

Being With Baby
Most new parents lose shut-eye waiting for their babies to learn to sleep through the night. But new research from Penn State University shows that parents’ sleep and their satisfaction with the infant’s night-time behavior was worse when the infants spent any part of the night with parents vs. those who slept apart. This was true even of parents who endorsed the concept of co-sleeping with their babies.

Health Concerns
Are worries about cancer keeping you up at night? New research out of the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Long Island University in Brooklyn shows that a significant number of women worried about cancer, none of whom had a history of a physician-diagnosed cancer, had trouble sleeping.

A Sleep Disorder
In cases of sleep apnea, the throat is blocked during sleep, preventing sufficient air flow to the lungs. The blockage may be caused by the relaxation of the throat muscles, too much fatty tissue in the throat–an obesity-related problem–or a naturally small airway. The condition leads people to snore as well as temporarily stop breathing during sleep, causing them to momentarily awaken.

Father Time
Sleep patterns change as we age. Health experts say that between the ages of 50 and 60, people tend to sleep lighter and wake up more frequently. More trouble falling asleep is also a common complaint. Some sleep disruption is also due to the pain or discomfort of chronic illnesses, such as arthritis, that affect the aging population.

Heart Disease
While poor sleep can contribute to heart disease, poor heart health also can upset your night’s sleep. According to research reported in the Harvard Heart Letter in 2007, people with heart failure may wake up due to breathing troubles, a result of fluid buildup in the lungs. Some people may also experience angina or chest pain, atrial fibrillation and palpitations at night, which can disturb sleep.

Too Busy
A hectic daily schedule can wreak havoc on your ability to get a good night’s sleep, particularly if you don’t make time to decompress for a half hour or an hour before climbing into bed. Most people need to spend some time processing what’s happened during the day and planning for the next to help them wind down.

Depression And Anxiety
It’s estimated that 40% to 50% of people with insomnia also have depression or an anxiety disorder. New research out of the Centers of Pediatric Sleep Disorders at the University of Rome La Sapienza shows the connection is present in children, too. A study looking at more than 100 children ages 7 to 11 who had a major depressive disorder and 200 of their healthy peers showed that 82% of the depressed, medication-free children had trouble sleeping, vs. 5% of the control group.

Medication
One option for people dealing with depression is to take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), antidepressants that affect serotonin levels. But the medications can cause insomnia, a double whammy considering that many people who face depression already have difficulties sleeping. If you’re having trouble sleeping, it might be worth it to talk to your doctor about your prescriptions.

Environment
Whether we’re just born that way or it’s a side effect of insomnia, some of us are more sensitive to noise at night than others. The temperature of your bedroom can also have an impact on how many winks you get. It’s also believed to be better to have a cool rather than warm bedroom. Some studies have shown that it’s the cooling off effect you experience after drinking warm milk or taking a warm bath that helps you feel sleepy.

You’re A Woman
Women tend to have higher rates of insomnia than men. Research suggests a host of reasons. Certain phases of a woman’s period, pregnancy and menopause all cause hormonal changes that can cause sleeping problems, not to mention the discomfort associated with pregnancy for many and the sleep deprivation often associated with child rearing.

Too Much Napping
You may think you’re doing yourself a favor by taking a nap after a restless night’s sleep. Think again. Experts say that napping during the day decreases your overall drive for sleep, which builds throughout the day, and may make it more difficult for you to fall asleep at night.

Staying In Bed
If you’re trying to sleep but having no luck, do yourself a favor and get out of bed. People tend to think that by sticking it out in bed, rather than getting up and doing something, they at least have a chance of falling asleep. But lingering can increase performance anxiety. After a while you may begin to associate lying in bed with your struggle to fall asleep rather than a restful snooze.

Late Night Eating
Eat a big meal before bedtime and you’re asking for a restless night’s sleep. Your body may be too focused on metabolizing your meal to relax. If the meal happened to be a big plate of pasta you could wind up waking up hungry in the middle of the night. Experts recommend eating snacks throughout the day so you don’t overload at dinner and making sure you don’t hit the hay until at least three hours after dinner.

[source]

The juice of the beet is high in vitamin B1, B2, C, natural sugar, sodium, sulphur, copper, chlorine, iodine and bioflavonoids. Many health professionals believe that beet juice combined with other juices like carrot and cucumber restore the health of the kidneys and gallbladder. It’s considered excellent for cleansing these organs. Finally, because the beet is a fibrous root it’s wonderful for eliminating constipation.

Now, what can you do with beets:

1. shred or roast beets then and throw them into salads.
2. slice the roasted beets and put them in sandwiches, maybe on a nice baguette with goat cheese, arugula, and salt and pepper.
3. make borscht.
4. Make your standard risotto and throw in roasted beets at some point during the cooking process. Or dice raw beets and put them in right at the beginning. They turn the grains a beautiful color. I might serve this with simple grilled fish, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with lots of fresh herbs. This meal might be a good way to get rid of the beet greens, too — they’d be nice sauteed and served on the side with the fish and risotto. (What to do with beet greens would take up a blog entry of its own!) If you can get your hands on the nutty, chewy grain farro, you can make a fantastic risotto-style beet farro.
5. chop beets and make a pseudo tabbouleh with bulgur, chopped mint and parsley, cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, and plenty of s&p. Couscous (not a grain, but that’s OK) tossed with beet chunks, liberal chopped basil, feta, olive oil, vinegar, and s&p is a nice side.
6. Am I crazy for imagining that beets might be good rolled in nori with brown rice, creamy goat cheese, wasabi, and chives for a beet maki?
7. Beets are also good in pasta. Caramelize some onions and toss them with spaghetti, some Greek yogurt, chunks of beets, and salt and pepper. Sprinkle lots of grated pecorino on top.
8. raw beet salad – Peel beets and grate them (a food processor will keep the juice contained). Add pistachios or hazelnuts; dress with orange zest and juice, and olive oil. Add bits of goat cheese and chopped parsley.
9. beet tart with phyllo, feta, and herbs.
10. Beets are so versatile, because they pair well with so many things: herbs such as mint, greens peppery and mild, cheeses soft and hard, citrus, creamy things, cumin.

[source]

It can prevent and treat a wide range of health problems, it cleans and purifies the home, and adds zest and nutritional value to food. Find out everything you wanted and needed to know about The Healing Powers of Vinegar. This fascinating book traces the origins of vinegar to ancient Greece and Egypt and follows its history to the present day. You’ll read advnice from leading alternative health practitioners as well as medical researchers. There’s great detail about the healthful ingredients found in two of the most important vinegars: apple cider vinegar and red wine vinegar, explaining the benefits of their vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids. Here, you’ll find the latest research about cutting-edge nutrients found in these two vinegars, including a new class of antioxidants that reduce the risk of cancer and protect against heart disease.

You will also see beauty tips and household hints as well as over 100 recipes that team-up vinegar with other nutritious foods for a healthier and longer life.

Read other people’s review of this book and find out more about the power of vinegar.

“4 out of 5 sunscreens contain chemicals that may pose health hazards or don’t adequately protect skin from the sun’s damaging rays. Some of the worst offenders are leading brands like Coppertone, Banana Boat, and Neutrogena.

1. Keys Soap Solar Rx Therapeutic Sunblock, SPF 30
2. Trukid Sunny Days Facestick Mineral Sunscreen UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum, SPF 30+
3. California Baby Sunblock Stick No Fragrance, SPF 30+
4. Badger Sunscreen, SPF 30
5. Marie Veronique Skin Therapy Sun Serum
6. Lavera Sunscreen Neutral, SPF 40
7. Vanicream Sunscreen, SPF 35
8. UV Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+
9. Sun Science Sport Formula, SPF 30
10. Soleo Organics Sunscreen all natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+

Read the rest

“Tyramine
Mechanism: amino acid and vasodilator
Found in: aged cheese, wine, chocolate, smoked, cured or pickled meat, processed meats, tofu, some fruits and vegetables such as eggplant, avocado, bananas and raspberries

Food Additives: Nitrites, MSG
Mechanism: preservative that excites neurons and has been linked to the onset of migraines; research is inconclusive.
Found in: Chinese food, cheese powders such as Doritos, Campbell’s soups, potato chips, frozen meals, and some salad dressings

Aspartame
Mechanism: artificial sweetener that research has linked to onset of migraines, though mechanism is unknown. Some believe it’s linked to serotonin. It’s been shown to cause neurons to fire spasmodically, burning out neurons.
Found in: diet drinks and foods

Alcohol: contains Histamines
Mechanism: histamines stimulate the immune system
Found in: wine and beer, some cheese, beef, pork, bananas”

Read article

All I can say is: DON’T DO THAT!

Why? Because anything processed and canned is treated with chemicals such as sodium nitrites (to keep its color and to preserve it) and salt. That’s why it can live in your cupboard for…ever! (I’m not kidding, you can keep spam indefinitely. That’s gotta tell ya something.) Anyway, in spam, these dangerous ingredients are included in high doses. There’s also a lot of FAT in it.

Try to replace meat with more healthful options. Here are some suggestions:

1. Beans (legumes) / Lentils & Sprouts – kidney beans, black beans, soy beans, chickpeas, peas, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, lima beans, to name just a few.

2. Organic Eggs and Cheese and yogurt – eggs are fortified with omega 3 fatty acids and protein. Organic dairy products are rich in protein and calcium.

3. Tofu / Seitan / Tempeh – Seitan and Tempeh are extremely high in protein while tofu contains about 1/4 of the protein of seitan and tempeh, but still a good source.

4. Vegetables! – Eat a variety of veggies and you will get a variety of nutrition. For example, the leafy parts of some veggies are really great for you: beet leaves, carrot stems, pumpkin leaves, mustard green, etc. Some other vegetables to explore are: broccoli, spinach, carrots, beets, kale, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, bamboo shoots, bok choy, chard, etc.

5. Whole Organic Milk – great source of calcium, protein, vitamin a, d, b6, b12, potassium, thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid, magnesium, zinc. Make sure to get some natural sunlight for vitamin d, which helps your body to absorb the calcium.

6. Nuts & Seeds – Almonds, cashews, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc. and their “butter” form, i.e., peanut butter, almond butter, walnuts, hazelnuts etc. (*make sure you are not allergic to these nuts and seeds)

7. Protein rich grains – bulgar, quinoa, amaranth, oats, whole wheat, brown rice, millet, etc.

8. Supplements – B12 is an important vitamin in meat and can be found in vitamins and fortified foods. (Check with your health care provider.)

9. Real Grass Fed Meat once a week – If you do not want to be a vegetarian, limit your meat intake to once a week. You really do not need more than this. This is relatively easy on the wallet and better for you. Eat grass fed meats (chicken, beef) or organically raised pork.

10 – Seaweed – is high in protein and very nutritious – and is great with sushi maki.

The combination of grains and legumes give a complete amount of protein, i.e., brown rice and beans. Make certain you eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruit, and a variety of those. Never overeat and never eat excessive amounts of one thing.

Notes: Make sure you’re not allergic to anything of these things and be sure to consult a doctor before making changes to your diet, to verify you are getting the right amounts of protein, vitamins, minerals, etc.

The 24-Hour Pharmacist- is the perfect pill for anyone seeking insight on overall health from a resource that is thorough and fun to read. With chapter titles such as “Frazzled, Frustrated and Freaked Out: Coping with Anxiety and Stress” to “More Jiggle, Less Joint Pain: What You Can Do About Arthritis” you get the sense that the author well knows what course to recommend but also truly enjoys educating others. One feature I found especially enlightening were the sections in each chapter entitled “Suzy’s Secrets From Behind The Counter”. Here is where she (Suzy) offers great little insights to live by with a perspective that only a pharmacist can give. One good example of this is in the chapter about weight loss where she explains that some drugs can make you hungry. Included in her list are sedatives and tranquilizers, antidepressants, allergy pills, female hormones and diuretics. Wow, who knew?

Read more about it here: The 24-Hour Pharmacist

“Spicy Nuts.
Now regular nuts meet our A, B and C requirements. They’re crunchy and interesting and full of fat, fiber and protein. But if you had a trough of them at the office, you’d be buying new pants weekly. That’s why I like spicy peanuts, they’re self regulating. You can only eat as many as you can handle. I like Ass Kickin’ Peanuts myself.

As an added bonus, snacking on these all day really builds up your tolerance for heat. So the next time you and your brother go out for Thai food you can make him look like a total wimp (I hate my brother).

Homemade Salsa and Tortilla Chips.
Tortilla chips with any dip are crunchy, creamy and low on the GI. Salsa is the best choice for a dip because it has the highest flavor/nutrition ratio and because when you make a batch it’s good for a week. You can pack it up and take it to work, unlike guacamole, which might make it to the table before it turns brown.

And I say homemade because it’s better, cheaper and super easy. I use the Alton Brown salsa recipe (halve that unless you’re a pro linebacker) and I buy bulk tortillas from the supermarket and fry them up in some corn oil. In about 10 minutes I have a bag of chips at 1/6 the cost and they’re restaurant quality.

Deviled Eggs.
Boiled eggs have the same benefits, but deviled eggs bring a little more flavor to the mouth party (yeah, I said that). They taste great, they’re filling and they have 0 carbs which means they don’t even register on the GI. I would call them self regulating because they are not easily packed and transported.

Half a Toasted Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwich.
A whole sandwich is a bit too much for a snack, but a half is perfect. The peanut butter is the key part here, it’s got enough fat, protein and fiber to keep the GI low. The honey provides a nice sweetness with fewer calories (sugar is only 80% as sweet as honey) and it won’t create the purple slurm on one side of your sandwich like jelly will.

Don’t skip the toasting part though. The toast has a crunchy outside, chewy inside thing that makes this snack interesting; remember that’s important.

Homemade Popcorn.
This is my favorite. It’s pure fiber and carbohydrate and it’s GI isn’t too high. It tastes great and it has the most interesting mouth feel (I’m telling you, that’s important) of any snack. It’s perfectly healthy if you don’t add butter and it’s not too bad if you use a healthier olive oil butter spread. It keeps great for a day or so and if you haven’t eaten it by then (why would you not eat it by then?) throw it in a bowl with milk and sugar. Popcorn is the original cereal.

And if you make it yourself (don’t buy those overpriced bags of microwave popcorn with carcinogenic imitation butter) it’s practically free. It literally costs pennies per gallon if you pop it in a wok on your stove.

Almost free, tasty and healthy. What more could you want? Huh? You want more? 5 isn’t enough for you? Fine, whatever. Here is a 6th:

Bonus: Diced Apple with Lime.
This is big in Mexico and it’s a great way to make an apple a little tastier. Just dice it up real fine and squeeze a lime or lemon on top. The sour gives a great contrast to the earthy, sweet flavor of the apple. It also stops the apple from turning brown so you can dice it at home and throw it in a zip lock for work.

Snacking is an important part of your day but you have to snack smart. Look for things that have a low GI (fat and fiber) and always plan to snack. It’s thinking that you won’t eat anything between breakfast and lunch that leaves you standing in front of the candy machine at 10:30 in the morning, starting a cycle that’s going to ruin your day.”

From inventorspot:

“Ever since I was a child, I’ve been allergic to polluted air. Leave me breathing fumes for a few hours and I’ll be suffering from constant cough and cold for the whole month—no kidding. While my doctor keeps prescribing me medicine, Bio International Japan concentrates on physically blocking the allergens out. As some might know, it isn’t deemed as strange in Japan to go around wearing face masks if you want to, but thankfully, Bio International has a better alternative. As you might have guessed from the pictures, the device in question is meant to be stuck up one’s nostrils. Not quite as appealing when said out loud, but it actually makes for quite a discreet anti-allergen gadget…”

Check out the rest here.

“While some vitamin supplements can boost your health, others may actually harm.

Wild Claims
Google “vitamins” and you get 50 million results and the wildest claims you can imagine. That’s almost six times more than what you get for “Brad Pitt,” but the descriptions are just as breathless. As you navigate the maze of sites, you see phrases claiming vitamin supplements can “increase energy,” “stimulate brain function” and “improve sex drive.” There are promises of “reversing cancer” and “removing plaque” from your arteries. It all helps explain why Americans shell out $7.5 billion a year on vitamins, hoping to prolong life, slow aging and protect against a bevy of illnesses.

But new research not only refutes many of these claims, it also shows that some of these vitamins may in fact be harmful.

A February report in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that taking antioxidant vitamins actually increased a person’s risk of dying by up to 16 percent.

A study by researchers at the University of Washington last May found that high doses of vitamin E taken over ten years slightly elevated lung cancer risk in smokers.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute found that men who took more than one multivitamin daily had a higher risk of prostate cancer.

Antioxidant Paradox
The antioxidant study, in particular, surprised a lot of people and has prompted a heated debate. Antioxidants such as vitamins A, beta carotene (another form of vitamin A), E and C have long enjoyed a reputation as disease fighters because they’re thought to protect against free radicals that can damage….”

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“Products containing high fructose corn syrup cannot be considered ‘natural’ and should not be labeled as such, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said.

The decision is likely to cause a massive stir in the food and beverage industry, where a discreet battle has been raging over the status of the controversial sweetener.

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is derived from corn, and used primarily to sweeten beverages. The trade group Corn Refiners Association and numerous industry members have long maintained that HFCS is a natural sweetener.

However, the sugar industry is more critical, as HFCS comes into direct competition with sugar as a sweetener. Industry group Sugar Association, as well as consumer groups such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest categorically maintain that HFCS cannot be considered natural because its chemical bonds are broken and rearranged in the manufacturing process.

The debate raged on for one simple reason: FDA does not define the term ‘natural’, and it has therefore been left open to different interpretations.

However, in response to an inquiry from FoodNavigator-USA.com, the regulatory agency examined the composition of HFCS, which it said is produced using synthetic fixing agents.

“Consequently, we would object to the use of the term ‘natural’ on a product containing HFCS,” the agency’s Geraldine June said in an e-mail to FoodNavigator-USA.com. June is Supervisor of the Product Evaluation and Labeling team at FDA’s Office of Nutrition, Labeling and Dietary Supplements.

FDA on ‘natural’

FDA has received two petitions to define the term ‘natural’ – one from the Sugar Association, and one from bakery firm Sara Lee.

Although the agency had not provided a formal response to these petitions, it told this publication that it has no plans to define the term in the near future, due to limited resources. “We’re not sure how high of an issue it is for consumers,” it said.

Nevertheless, FDA does have a longstanding policy regarding the use of the term. This states that a ‘natural’ product is one that has not had any artificial or synthetic substances added to the product that would not normally be expected to be in the food – including artificial flavors or color additives, regardless of source.

FDA also does not currently restrict the use of the term ‘natural’ except on products that contain added color, synthetic substances and flavors as provided for in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), section 101.22.

FDA on HFCS

Although FDA provides no definition or detailed guidelines for the use of the term ‘natural’, it said it has a system in place for manufacturers with doubts to approach it and ask for guidance on the use of particular ingredients.

Under this system, FoodNavigator-USA.com submitted an inquiry about HFCS.

FDA responded that HFCS is prepared from a high dextrose equivalent corn starch hydrolysate by partial enzymatic conversion of glucose (dextrose) to fructose using an insoluble glucose isomerase enzyme preparation.

The glucose isomerase enzyme preparation is fixed (rendered insoluble) using safe and suitable immobilization/fixing agents, it said.

“The use of synthetic fixing agents in the enzyme preparation, which is then used to produce HFCS, would not be consistent with our (…) policy regarding the use of the term ‘natural’,” said Geraldine June.

“Moreover, the corn starch hydrolysate, which is the substrate used in the production of HFCS, may be obtained through the use of safe and suitable acids or enzymes. Depending on the type of acid(s) used to obtain the corn starch hydrolysate, this substrate itself may not fit within the description of ‘natural’ and, therefore, HCFS produced from such corn starch hydrolysate would not qualify for a ‘natural’ labeling term,” she concluded.

HFCS and industry

Although FDA’s conclusion may not be welcome by some industry members, who would have liked to have promoted their HFCS-containing products as ‘natural’, it will at least prevent any future misinterpretations.

Last year for example, both Cadbury Schweppes and Kraft faced lawsuits after making ‘natural’ label claims on beverages that contained high fructose corn syrup. Both companies changed the labeling of their products before any legal action was taken.

The market for ‘natural’

The quest for natural foods and beverages has burgeoned on the back of an overall consumer move towards healthier nutrition.

According to Mintel’s Global New Products Database, ‘All Natural’ was the third most frequent claim made on food products launched in the US in 2007, appearing on 2,617 products. It ranked fourth most popular claim for beverages, used on 542 items.

In Europe, 878 ‘All Natural’ food products and 509 beverage products were launched last year.

Additionally, the Natural Marketing Institute reported in 2004 that 63 percent of US consumers have a preference for natural foods and beverages. In 2006, a Harris Interactive survey found that 83 percent of people wanted a government definition of the term.”

“Whoever coined the term “necessary evil” might have been thinking of pain. No one wants it, yet it’s the body’s way of getting your attention when something is wrong. You’re probably sufficiently in tune with your body to know when the pain is just a bother, perhaps the result of moving furniture a day or two before or eating that third enchilada. It’s when pain might signal something more serious that the internal dialogue begins:

“OK, this isn’t something to fool around with.”
“But I can’t miss my meeting.”
“And how many meetings will you miss if you land in the hospital?”
“I’ll give it one more day.”
Etc.
You need a guide. WebMD consulted doctors in cardiology, internal medicine, geriatrics, and psychiatry so you’ll understand which pains you must not ignore — and why. And, of course, if in doubt, get medical attention.

No. 1: Worst Headache of Your Life
Get medical attention immediately. “If you have a cold, it could be a sinus headache,” says Sandra Fryhofer, MD, MACP, spokeswoman for the American College of Physicians. “But you could have a brain hemorrhage or brain tumor. With any pain, unless you’re sure of what caused it, get it checked out.”

Sharon Brangman, MD, FACP, spokeswoman for the American Geriatrics Society, tells WebMD that when someone says they have the worst headache of their life, “what we learned in medical training was that was a classic sign of a brain aneurysm. Go immediately to the ER.”

No. 2: Pain or Discomfort in the Chest, Throat, Jaw, Shoulder, Arm, or Abdomen
Chest pain could be pneumoniaor a heart attack. But be aware that heart conditions typically appear as discomfort, not pain. “Don’t wait for pain,” says cardiologist Jerome Cohen, MD. “Heart patients talk about pressure. They’ll clench their fist and put it over their chest or say it’s like an elephant sitting on their chest.”

The discomfort associated with heart disease could also be in the upper chest, throat, jaw, left shoulder or arm, or abdomen and might be accompanied by nausea. “I’m not too much worried about the 18-year-old, but if a person has unexplained, persistent discomfort and knows they’re high risk, they shouldn’t wait,” says Cohen. “Too often people delay because they misinterpret it as [heartburn] or GI distress. Call 911 or get to an emergency room or physician’s office. If it turns out to be something else, that’s great.”

He tells WebMD that intermittent discomfort should be taken seriously as well. “There might be a pattern, such as discomfort related to excitement, emotional upset, or exertion. For example, if you experience it when you’re gardening, but it goes away when you sit down, that’s angina. It’s usually worse in cold or hot weather.”

“A woman’s discomfort signs can be more subtle,” says Cohen, who is director of preventive cardiology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. “Heart disease can masquerade as GI symptoms, such as bloating, GI distress, or discomfort in the abdomen. It’s also associated with feeling tired. Risk for heart disease increases dramatically after menopause. It kills more women than men even though men are at higher risk at any age. Women and their physicians need to be on their toes.”

No. 3: Pain in Lower Back or Between Shoulder Blades
“Most often it’s arthritis,” says Brangman, who is professor and chief of geriatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y. Other possibilities include a heart attack or abdominal problems. “One danger is aortic dissection, which can appear as either a nagging or sudden pain. People who are at risk have conditions that can change the integrity of the vessel wall. These would include high blood pressure, a history of circulation problems, smoking, and diabetes.”

No. 4: Severe Abdominal Pain
Still have your appendix? Don’t flirt with the possibility of a rupture. Gallbladder and pancreas problems, stomach ulcers, and intestinal blockages are some other possible causes of abdominal pain that need attention.

No 5: Calf Pain
One of the lesser known dangers is deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot that can occur in the leg’s deep veins. It affects 2 million Americans a year, and it can be life-threatening. “The danger is that a piece of the clot could break loose and cause pulmonary embolism [a clot in the lungs], which could be fatal,” says Fryhofer. Cancer, obesity, immobility due to prolonged bed rest or long-distance travel, pregnancy, and advanced age are among the risk factors.

“Sometimes there’s just swelling without pain,” says Brangman. “If you have swelling and pain in your calf muscles, see a doctor immediately.”

No. 6: Burning Feet or Legs
Nearly one-third of the 20 million Americans who have diabetes are undiagnosed, according to the American Diabetes Association. “In some people who don’t know they have diabetes, peripheral neuropathycould be one of the first signs,” says Brangman. “It’s a burning or pins-and-needles sensation in the feet or legs that can indicate nerve damage.”

No 7: Vague, Combined, or Medically Unexplained Pains
“Various painful, physical symptoms are common in depression,” says psychiatrist Thomas Wise, MD. “Patients will have vague complaints of headaches, abdominal pain, or limb pain, sometimes in combination.”

Because the pain might be chronic and not terribly debilitating, depressed people, their families, and health care professionals might dismiss the symptoms. “Furthermore, the more depressed you are, the more difficulty you have describing your feelings,” says Wise, who is the psychiatry department chairman at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Fairfax, Va. “All of this can lead the clinician astray.”

Other symptoms must be present before a diagnosis of depression can be made. “Get help when you’ve lost interest in activities, you’re unable to work or think effectively, and you can’t get along with people,” he says. “And don’t suffer silently when you’re hurting.”

He adds there’s more to depression than deterioration of the quality of life. “It has to be treated aggressively before it causes structural changes in the brain.”"

“How long has it been since you really enjoyed a glass of water?

Odds are, any number of things in your H2O (both better and worse for you than just regular water in its unspoiled state) have tainted your chance to experience this life-giving liquid at its best.

I recently had the chance to taste water at its most pure – straight from an iceberg – and it changed my outlook on it forever.

Inspired by that eye-opening glass, here – in my opinion – are the five best glasses of water on Earth:

5. Waste water never tasted so good

Folks in Sweden are so into water purification that Stockholm even has an annual water wastewater reclamation prize, offered up to the most deserving innovators. The city boasts a global reputation for doing things right when it comes to the environment.

From an area of the city that gets rid of its garbage and recycling through giant vacuum tubes and incinerators, to systems that recycle waste water to drink (from sinks, not the other place waste water comes from) the city has made some tough decisions to stick to a green agenda.

Having tasted this water (in regular and snazzy “sparkling” form), I can tell you it’s tastier than anything I’ve ever had out of a tap before – Hints of charcoal, but that’s maybe my reaction to a complete lack of fluoride or the bottled water I usually drink in Europe.

4. Tap water that doesn’t offend

According to the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting Awards (legitimately acknowledged as an authority on water taste), Clearbrook (near Abbotsford), British Columbia has the best-tasting tap water on Earth.

The BC town won the Virginia spa’s annual world-wide water taste-off for 2008, along with the water district of Southern California.

3. Best spring water on Earth

Though some die-hard environmentalists consider bottled water a big no-no, we’re talking taste here – and I can tell you that U.S.-based Tumai bottled water is the best-tasting liquid I have ever guzzled from a 500 ml prison of polycarbonate…

Gathered from a spring in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, this Martinsburg, West Virginia-based company has won several top prizes for taste in 2008. Its water is 100 per cent free of sodium and it shows in the taste.

What’s more, the company donates 15 per cent of its proceeds to programs that better the quality of life for impoverished communities in Sub-Saharan-Africa.

2. Simulating a mineral spring in your kitchen

For years, I’d guzzled water from the cooler jug. Tastier than our rural tap water run though a filter, I was content to drink from the cooler at home and (ironically) from the tap at work (Toronto tap water is “quality filtered 300,000 times a year”, after all.)

A few months ago, I was introduced to one of these new gravity water filtration systems, which allow clean water from any source to trickle through a series of mineral and ceramic filters, producing tasty, pathogen-free water.

What’s most impressive is the taste, though – smooth with a hint of what tastes like a combination of clay mixed with mild vanilla – Totally weird but once you have a glass, you can’t get enough.

A note on some of these gravity water systems – ours is a water-cooler-top model from Nikken: Some of these have been heralded lately as eco-snake-oil, offering few of the health benefits their packaging claims. However, none make the water any less safe than it started out and for taste alone, many are worth the price.

One of the more sensible and proven models is the British Berkefeld gravity water system from DoultonUSA. The sting of its $230 US price tag is softened a bit by the fact that it doesn’t need any filters replaced for years at a time.

1. An iceberg in your glass

Early in the day, staff from The Norseman on Newfoundland’s Northern Peninsula receive their regular chunk of ice from the north Atlantic, and allow some of it to melt into pitchers, with a few still-frozen chunks thrown in to keep things cold.

A meal at the restaurant is a tasty mix of local seafood and diner-theatre-style historical re-enactments courtesy of the kitchen staff.

All fine fare. But the water was the real show-stopper:

Never before had I wondered if water was supposed to taste different than the fluoride-sanitized stuff that flows from your tap, or the mineral-overtones of spring water. Until I tried iceberg water

This was “just” water – or about as close to just water as water had been since it first came into being during the formation of our solar system: Tasteless but somehow still satisfying.

Contrary to what you might think, there is absolutely no taste of salt in iceberg water. That’s because ice freezes slowly enough to prevent any inclusion of salt in its complex crystal structure.

A life-changing experience to put on your wallet to-do-in-life list.”

The Empowered Patient – is a new must-read book from author, Julia Hallisy. She has written something so fundamentally necessary that everyone will benefit from reading it. Some background: Her daughter, Kate, had been diagnosed with a fast-spreading cancer of the eye when she was just five months old. She’d underwent chemotherapy, radiation, reconstructive surgery, and an operation to remove her right eye. She’d developed a infection directly related to hospital malpractices that led to toxic-shock syndrome and a leg amputation. Kate died in 2000. She was only 11 years old.

“The Empowered Patient is by far one of the best resources available for patients and families to learn more about their health care experiences. The Empowered Patient is all-inclusive and speaks directly to the basic concerns that are faced in health care every day, raising issues rarely discussed with patients and families by providers. It is crucial to know what to do when seeking health care in our complicated and multi-faceted system, and this valuable resource will draw a clear path for the reader. The Empowered Patient might very well be the first of it’s kind in that it will educate and enlighten those who read it about issues that are either unknown or taken for granted by the reader. In the healthcare arena, what you don’t know can hurt you. The Empowered Patient is a book that belongs in every home and will no doubt save countless lives. “

^{–Jennifer Dingman, Co-President, PULSE of America}

Available at Amazon

“In 1968 a Chinese-American physician wrote a rather lighthearted letter to The New England Journal of Medicine. He had experienced numbness, palpitations and weakness after eating in Chinese restaurants in the United States, and wondered whether the monosodium glutamate used by cooks here (and then rarely used by cooks in China) might be to blame.

The consequences for the restaurant business, the food industry and American consumers were immediate and enormous. MSG, a common flavor enhancer and preservative used since the 1950s, was tagged as a toxin, removed from commercial baby food and generally driven underground by a new movement toward natural, whole foods.

“It was a nightmare for my family,” said Jennifer Hsu, a graphic designer whose parents owned several Chinese restaurants in New York City in the 1970s. “Not because we used that much MSG — although of course we used some — but because it meant that Americans came into the restaurant with these suspicious, hostile feelings.”

Even now, after “Chinese restaurant syndrome” has been thoroughly debunked (virtually all studies since then confirm that monosodium glutamate in normal concentrations has no effect on the overwhelming majority of people), the ingredient has a stigma that will not go away.

But then, neither will MSG.

Cooks around the world have remained dedicated to MSG, even though they may not know it by that name. As hydrolyzed soy protein or autolyzed yeast, it adds flavor to the canned chicken broth and to the packs of onion soup mix used by American home cooks, and to the cheese Goldfish crackers and the low-fat yogurts in many lunchboxes.

It is the taste of Marmite in the United Kingdom, of Golden Mountain sauce in Thailand, of Goya Sazón on the Latin islands of the Caribbean, of Salsa Lizano in Costa Rica and of Kewpie mayonnaise in Japan.

“It’s all the same thing: glutamate,” said Dr. Nuripa Chaudhari of the University of Miami, who was part of the first research team to identify human glutamate receptors.

In September Dr. Chaudhari will take part in the University of Tokyo’s centenary celebrations honoring Prof. Kikunae Ikeda’s 1908 discovery of glutamate flavor. The Japanese company Ajinomoto turned that discovery into crystalline powder form, MSG, and patented it in 1909.

“Just like salt and sugar, it exists in nature, it tastes good at normal levels, but large amounts at high concentrations taste strange and aren’t that good for you,” Dr. Chaudhari said.

If you live in the United States and like spicy tuna rolls, Puerto Rican roast pork or Thai noodles, there is a good chance you are eating, and enjoying, MSG. And if you are the kind of cook who likes to keep a globe-trotting kitchen, well, then, some of these MSG-laden ingredients may deserve a place in your cupboard.

“I don’t cook with MSG because that’s not my training, but it definitely has its place,” said Zak Pelaccio, a New York chef whose ride to fame has been greased with Kewpie mayonnaise. One of the dishes that put him on the map was a sandwich of roasted salmon on pumpernickel bread slathered with wasabi aioli: wasabi from a tube and the mayonnaise.

In regions where meat and meaty flavors have been out of reach for most cooks, MSG has long filled the gap.

“My father called Maggi sauce la segunda venida, the second coming, because he was not a very good cook and it saved him,” said Irma Cecilia Sanchez, a home health aide from Puebla, Mexico, who was waiting in line at a taco truck on the Upper West Side. Maggi sauce is a 19th-century Swiss creation, a general flavor enhancer now made with MSG, sweeteners and extracts.

Her mother died when …”

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Gorton’s Inc. recalled about 1,000 cases of frozen fish in 10 states on Friday after confirming items a Pennsylvania woman reported finding in her food were pills.

Gorton’s voluntarily recalled the product as a precaution while a laboratory conducts further tests to determine the nature of the pills. The results are expected early next week.

“Obviously product alteration is a very serious matter,” said Jud Reis, vice president of marketing for the Gloucester, Mass.-based company. “We are conducting a full investigation into the source of the problem.”

Tracy Rowan, of New Freedom, called police after she bit into one of the pills Sunday about the same time her daughter realized one was in her fish, too. On Friday, Reis said the material was some sort of pill, not compressed batter or bread crumbs as suspected.

“It’s kind of frightening to not only find something in your mouth, a foreign object,” Rowan said Friday. “But then basically my heart stopped when my daughter said, ‘I have one in my mouth, too,’ and pulled it out.” She described them as beige and aspirin-sized.

Rowan, her daughter and son spent about 3½ hours getting checked out in an emergency room. None of them has gotten sick, and Reis said the company knows of no other incidents.

Rowan’s 9-year-old daughter cooked and served the food, and they had eaten more than half of their fillets when they encountered the pills. Her 10-year-old son reported tasting something bitter and spit it out, but it’s unclear whether that also was a pill, she said.

Rowan said her daughter was adamant that she did not alter the fillets and that the pills found inside do not match any medicine in her home. The fish was purchased from a Giant supermarket in Shrewsbury.

“Kids are kids, but I went through here and I don’t have a single thing that matches that,” said Rowan, 47, a health care company project manager.

The recall is for Gorton’s 6 Crispy Battered Fish Fillets, 11.4 ounces. The UPC Code is No. 44400157770, with a date code of 7289G1 and best-if-used-by date of April 2009.

The fish was sent to nine other states: Alabama, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Reis said the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration were investigating.

Consumers who purchased the fish can call Gorton’s at (800) 896-9479

From the phosphate mines in Idaho to the oil fields in China, Twinkie, Deconstructed demystifies some of the most common processed food ingredients— where they come from, how they are made, how they are used—and why. Beginning at the source (hint: they’re often more closely linked to rock and petroleum than any of the four food groups), we follow each Twinkie ingredient through the process of being crushed, baked, fermented, refined, and/or reacted into a totally unrecognizable goo or powder—all for the sake of creating a simple snack cake.

An insightful exploration of the modern food industry, if you’ve ever wondered what you’re eating when you consume foods containing mono- and diglycerides or calcium sulfate (the latter a food-grade equivalent of plaster of paris), this book is for you.

Find out more about the book

“Picking out a pillow must be one of the most subjective and personal choices one can make for their personal well-being. It’s just a pillow, but it makes a huge difference between having a good night’s rest and one tossing and turning. Another consideration for many is allergies. Although goose down is considered the premium choice, there are many out there who’d suffer dearly sleeping on the soft filling. So we’ve compiled a list of ten natural, eco-friendly choices for your sleeping needs worth considering…”

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Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods – “When I worked at Monsanto, I warned both scientists and executives that our GM foods may cause disease, but no one was even willing to listen, let alone investigate the unpredicted side effects. For them, it was all about profit. Now our whole population is threatened by the serious dangers described in Genetic Roulette.” —Kirk J. Azevedo, DC

The Gmo Trilogy And Seeds of Deception Set – DVD 1: Unnatural Selection: This stunning, award-winning documentary by Bertram Verhaag and Gabriele Kröber reveals harsh consequences of genetic engineering on three continents. Vandana Shiva, Andrew Kimbrell, Percy Schmeiser and others, describe uncontrollable, self-replicating GM contamination, failed crops, farmer suicides, and new GM animals that threaten natural populations. DVD 2: Hidden Dangers in Kids’ Meals: Genetically Engineered Foods: Shocking research results, inadequate regulations and warnings from eminent scientists explain why GM foods are dangerous and should be removed from kids’ meals.

Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating – Recent news headlines have focused on the disagreement between the U.S. and Europe over genetically modified foods: the U.S. exports them, but the European Union doesn’t want to import them, believing their safety remains unproven. Are genetically modified foods safe? Longtime anti-GM foods campaigner Smith presents the “opposing” case. He offers cases where GM produced results that were at best unexpected (increased starch content in potatoes), at worst grotesque (pigs without genitals). He describes how one corporation reportedly tried to bribe Canadian government scientists into approving genetically engineered bovine growth hormones they deemed unsafe; how some scientists have reported their careers were threatened as a result of their refusal to approve certain GM products in the U.S.; and how “conflicts of interest, sloppy science, and industry influence” can distort the approval process. The cases Smith presents are scary and timely, but he explores only one side of the story. Readers looking for a balance consideration of genetically modified foods will want to look elsewhere.

Beware of the Coming Food Apocalypse! GMOs – GMOs – Beware Of The Coming Food Apocalypse! — is such a warning. Our food supply is being threatened by a new and highly controversial technology that is being unleashed upon us whether we like it or not. Unless a massive protest against this radical new science arises from the people, it may very well be too late for the human race. This book will make you angry; this book will get you mad, but it is a story that must be told. Please share it with everyone you love.

Your Right to Know: Genetic Engineering and the Secret Changes in Your Food – More than half of America’s processed grocery products — from corn flakes to granola bars to diet drinks — contain genetically altered ingredients. They are unlabeled and untested, and we are eating them. Your Right to Know is a complete, full-color reference guide outlining how unmarked genetically modified foods go from the factory to the family dining table, and what consumers can do about the health risks they present. This accessible guide is for concerned parents — as well as anyone concerned about genetically altered foods — who want to know more about the potential health risks, the organic alternatives, and the methods available to counter the corporate takeover of the food we eat

Genetically Engineered Food: A Self-Defense Guide for Consumers – The 1995 outbreak of “mad cow” disease in Europe provoked public attention to genetically engineered or modified food, a concern that has spread to the U.S. Cummins and Lilliston, food safety advocates, examine the scientific, political, economic, and health issues. With billions of dollars in profits at stake, the biotech food industry promises that new technology will end world hunger and improve public health and the environment. Cummins and Lilliston weigh those promises against the unpredictability of the new technology, and the fact that much of it hasn’t been adequately tested for safety and that its products are being distributed without labeling. Genetically modified organisms are so common that they are part of the average consumer’s daily intake in food from breakfast cereals to infant formula to margarine. The authors include information on what consumers can do, from smart shopping to grassroots lobbying, to reduce the threat of genetically engineered food. This is a thorough and well-researched look at an issue of growing public concern.

Researchers at Toronto’s University Health Network found that curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, both prevents and dramatically reverses enlargement of the heart in mice.

Enlarged hearts can lead to cardiac failure, a common and often fatal condition where the organ is unable to pump enough blood to keep the body functioning properly.

If similar results were one day duplicated in humans, the widely available spice could repair heart damage in a way no drug is able to do now, say researchers behind the study, to be published Friday in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Curcumin has the added benefit of causing virtually no toxic side effects in even relatively large doses.

Despite their earlier hopes for the ingredient, researchers were taken aback by the scope of the improvement it actually made to the mice hearts.

“That was quite a surprise,” said Dr. Maral Ouzounian, a research fellow at the network’s Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. “It was quite dramatic.”

The next step is to try to ….”

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REGULAR mobile phone users are up to 50 PER CENT more likely to develop mouth cancer, boffins claim.
And those using phones in the countryside may be even more at risk – because handsets give off more radiation in areas with poor coverage.

Experts linked mobile use to cancer of the paratoid salivary gland – located close to where a phone is held to the ear.

They studied 500 patients with this kind of tumour then compared their mobile use to that of 1,300 healthy people…

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There was an experiment with three groups of rats: one group ate corn flakes and water; another group ate a cardboard box (the cereal box but no cereal) and water; and the third group ate regular rat chow.

You are gonna love the results: As would be predicted, the rats that ate rat chow were in perfect health throughout the experiment. The rats that ate the box and water eventually died of malnutrition. Duh. And the most shocking result: the rats that ate corn flakes and water developed
schizophrenic behavior, threw fits, bit each other and finally went into convulsions and died. But they died BEFORE the rats that died from malnutrition! See??!

Do you think that eating processed food causes violent behavior in people?

That’s a rhetorical question.

[source]

When Victoria Inness-Brown contacted me about “explosive information” concerning aspartame (Equal,NutraSweet) the controversial, artificial, chemical sweetener, I didn’t know what to expect. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence of aspartame’s danger to human health (tires have been recalled for less) it remains in 6,000 food, drink and medicinal products.

Who could imagine a private citizen would do an aspartame experiment with 108 rats for 2 years and 8 months?

The late Dr. Adrian Gross explained that rodent experiments are the means to find out what a particular substance will do to human beings.

Look at Victoria’s pictures of her animals that ingested the equivalent amount of aspartame (in human terms) of less than one diet coke a day, until their spontaneous death. Importantly…

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Garlic – Probably best not to eat this just before your Valentine’s date. However, garlic contains allicin, which is an active ingredient that increases blood flow to both your sexual organs, resulting in a stronger erection in guys and better orgasms for guys and girls.

Damiana Tea for him – Damiana tea contains a South American herb that will stimulate his nether regions. with an active ingredient called gonzalitosin. This induces a feeling of mild euphoria and a tingling sensation in the penis. So what if your man doesn’t drink tea, tell him about this and he’ll be saying, “put the kettle on. right. now.”

Cinnamon for him - Cakes and buns with cinnamon will actually repel my sweetie because he HATES cinnamon but usually (for normal guys) the smell of cinnamon is one of the most arousing smells for men. I’ve heard that the smell arouses the guy and sends that much needed blood flow to the penis.

Coffee for her - I normally am so against coffee but once in a while might be good for your sex life! Scientists discovered that coffee boosts the female libido. This works best for girls that don’t drink coffee regularly. Yay me!

Chocolate - Lucky for us we LURRRRVE chocolate to bits! Forget the white or milk chocolate, and instead, head for the decadent, dark rich yummy bar with at least 70 percent cocoa solids. Cocoa contains phenylalanine, an amino acid that is known to boost arousal and enhances your mood.

St. John’s Wort – This herb really needs to be renamed because don’t most people NOT want to consume the wort of St. John? I don’t! Back to this herb. It’s commonly known to lift a sad mood, but did you know it can also do wonders for a lowly libido?

Gingseng - Ancient Asian secrets do not tell a lie. Gingseng enhances the libido now and has for more than 7,000 years. It gets blood flow to the genitals, as well as perking up your mental and physical energy.

Ginkgo Biloba for him - Taking Ginkgo Biloba will boost the blood flow enough to help maintain an erection, if you’ve been having issues with that.

Other aphrodisiacs: The following foods will get your body GOING: asparagus, cucumbers, onion, garlic, leeks, oysters, ginger, chives, scallion, black pepper, honey, cinnamon, avocado, cayenne pepper, carrots, cardamom, fennel, bananas, anise, horseradish and tumeric.  Lastly, foods containing high concentrations of essential omega 3 fatty acids can boost your body’s sex drive.

1. Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing

2,900 calories
182 g fat 240 g carbs

Even if you split this “starter” with three friends, you’ll have downed a dinner’s worth of calories before your entree arrives. Follow this up with a steak, sides, and a dessert and you could easily break the 3,500 calorie barrier.

Front-load: Start your meal with a protein-based dish that’s not deep-fried. A high-protein starter helps diminish hunger without putting you into calorie overload. At Outback, that translates to either the Seared Ahi or the Shrimp on the Barbie.

2. Chili’s Awesome Blossom

2,710 calories
203 g fat 194 g carbs
6,360 mg sodium

Hard to believe that a single onion can wreak so much nutritional havoc, but batter and fry anything and serve it with a rich dipping sauce and your bound to do some damage.

Start properly: At Chili’s, take a detour to the “Sides” menu and try the Garlic & Lime Grilled Shrimp. 4 shrimp will only cost you 160 calories.

3. On the Border Stacked Border Nachos


2,740 calories
166 g fat 191 g carbs
5,280 mg sodium

The only way you should ever consider eating these is if you’re rolling with a crew of eight.

Turn away: You won’t find a decent option on the appetizer menu. Instead, turn to the Chicken Tacos on the entee portion of the menu; at 250 calories a pop, they make as good a start to your meal as you can hope for.

4. Macaroni Grill Spaghetti and Meatballs with Meat Sauce

2,430 calories
128 g fat 207 g carbs
5,290 mg sodium

This meal satisfies your calorie requirements for an entire day.

Downsize the Devastation: Ask for a lunch portion of this dinner dish (or any pasta on the menu, for that matter), and request regular tomato sauce instead of meat sauce. You’ll cut the calories in half.

See the whole list of 20

“The World Health Organization warned in a new report Thursday that the “tobacco epidemic” is growing and could claim 1 billion lives by the end of the century unless governments dramatically step up efforts to curb smoking.

In its first comprehensive report on tobacco use in 179 countries, the U.N.s health agency said governments around the world collect more than $200 billion in tobacco taxes every year but spend less than one-fifth of 1 percent of that revenue on tobacco control, it said.

“We hold in our hands the solution to the global tobacco epidemic that threatens the lives of 1 billion men, women and children during this century,” WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said in an introduction to the report.

The WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008 calls on all countries to dramatically increase efforts to prevent young people from beginning to smoke, help smokers quit and protect nonsmokers from exposure to second hand smoke.

It urges governments to adopt six “tobacco control policies” – raise taxes and prices of tobacco; ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; protect people from second hand smoke; warn people about the dangers of tobacco; help those who want to quit smoking; and monitor tobacco use to understand and reverse the epidemic.

Chan announced the report Thursday at a news conference with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, helped fund it with a $2 million grant. The report examines the tobacco policies of 179 countries for the first time, Bloomberg said.

According to the report, nearly two-thirds of the world’s smokers live in 10 countries: China, which accounts for nearly 30 percent, India with about 10 percent, Indonesia, Russia, the United States, Japan, Brazil, Bangladesh, Germany and Turkey.

It forecast that more than 80 percent of tobacco-related deaths will be in low- and middle-income countries by 2030.

Dr. Douglas Bettcher, director of WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative, said WHO estimates 5.4 million smoking-related deaths a year, rising to more than 8 million a year by 2030 if nothing is done. That adds up to 175 million between 2005 and 2030. Beyond that, he said, deaths will continue to rise and statistical projections put the death toll at near 1 billion by the end of the century.

Tobacco use is growing fastest in low-income countries, the report said, “due to steady population growth coupled with tobacco industry targeting, ensuring that millions of people become fatally addicted each year.”

It warned that “the shift of the tobacco epidemic to the developing world will lead to unprecedented levels of disease and early death in countries where population growth and the potential for increased tobacco use are highest and where health care services are least available.”

According to the report, 74 countries still allow smoking in health care institutions and about the same number allow smoking in schools. More than half the countries, with two-thirds of the world’s population, allow smoking in government offices and workplaces, and only 20 of 179 countries have complete bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.

“The tobacco epidemic is growing – it is shifting toward developing countries, with tobacco use growing fastest in low-income countries,” Chan said.

For the tobacco industry to survive, and keep existing customers hooked and attract new customers, “it spends tens of billions of dollars a year on advertising, promotion and sponsorship,” WHO said.

Michael Pfeil, vice president for communications for Lausanne, Switzerland-based Philip Morris International, said the company advocates “for tough, fair, cohesive regulation of the industry” and believes many countries need to do more. The company has operations in 160 countries.

He said regulations Philip Morris supports mirror some core provisions of the U.N. anti-smoking treaty that came into force last year. These include mandatory health warnings, restrictions on advertising including bans in some media, and minimum age laws for smoking, he said.

“We’re going to continue to spend money,” Pfeil said in a telephone interview. “I think we have a duty as a commercial entity to continue to grow our business, but … our interest is in marketing to adult smokers who are smoking competitive products.”

David Howard, spokesman for R.J. Reynolds, the second-largest cigarette manufacturer in the U.S., said the company is responsible in its advertising and warns consumers of the risk of smoking.

“The best course of action for any tobacco consumer concerned about their health is to quit,” he said.”

Related: The one reason to quit smoking

First, here is a general rule of thumb of what to avoid and what to eat:

Avoid
1. Sugar – Definitely avoid foods and drinks containing sugar (high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, sugar). If possible replace sugar with organic honey.
2. Processed/Refined foods (cookies, biscuits, cakes, processed breakfast cereals, white bread and even industrially processed whole wheat breads and muffins)
3. Artificial additives and preservatives (commonly used in sweets, chips, biscuits, ready meals, soft drinks)
4. MSG
5. Caffeine (tea, coffee, cola, energy drinks)
6. Margarine and anything else with hydrogenated fats. (trans fats)
7. Milk and dairy products that have hormones and chemicals.

Eat
1.Try to buy organic and local when possible.
2. Organic fresh fruits and vegetables – vary your selection each day.
3. Organic whole grains – such as wholemeal breads, oats, brown rice, wholemeal pasta
4. Organic whole foods – foods that are not processed are better for you.
5. Lean sources of protein – uncured meats, poultry or vegetable sources such as beans or nuts
6. Hormone-free and chemical-free milk, yogurt and other dairy products.

Here are some healthy breakfast ideas. Some take longer to prepare; some are quick meals for people on the go.

1. Homemade Cereals – If you must have your breakfast bowl of champions, do it the organic way: easily throw together a mix of organic rolled oats, barley and rye flakes, seeds, nuts, dried fruits and berries.
2. Breakfast Smoothies or Juices – mix your favorite fruit and maybe add a little milk or yogurt, pack a handful of nuts to crunch on while drinking your yummy breakfast smoothie.
3. Organic Oatmeal – If you’re into a warm, soft and comforting bowl of oatmeal, go for it. Mix in fruit like raisins, bananas, cherries or whatever fruit you like.
4. Fruits – Eat a fruit or more. I love eating fresh fruit salads for breakfast (don’t eat those canned ones) and top it with a dollop of plain yogurt and also sprinkle with sunflower seeds.
5. Egg dishes – contrary to popular belief, eggs are good for you. They just have to be organic eggs (from grass-fed chickens). It’s the industrial eggs that are bad for you. Never overindulge in eggs, however. 1 or 2 should be adequate for breakfast. A little bit about eggs fyi: eggs are rich in protein, and vitamins A, B12, D and E. Also they are a rich source of calcium and zinc. There are 9 types of essential amino acids that the body cannot produce itself and has to get it through food. Eggs are one of the few foods that have all 9 types of essential amino acids.
6. Veggie Omelette (mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, etc. – add cheese if desired)
7. French Toast - instead of drenching your FT in maple syrup, try organic honey or just eat it with fresh fruit.
8. Whole wheat crepes with fruit – ‘nuf said.
9. Breakfast Burrito – salsa, potatoes, scrambled eggs, cilantro, cooked pinto or black beans wrapped in an organic whole wheat tortilla.
10. Yogurt with fruit – choose a plain yogurt, add your favorite fruit and seeds or nuts and maybe a splash of organic honey.
11. Egg and veggie sandwich-scrambled egg (or however you like your eggs) with sauteed veggies and some melted cheese in between organic whole wheat bread.
12. Veggie egg wrap – like a breakfast burrito but with cooked veggies and cheese wrapped in an organic whole wheat tortilla.
13. Organic Kashi with fruit and soy or regular organic milk – crunchy goodness.
14. Organic muesli – add some fruit and nuts and milk and voila!
15. Grilled cheese and tomato on organic whole grain bread
16. Organic rice cakes or rice crackers spread with organic peanut butter, Vegemite, a boiled egg (crushed), eggs, veggies or cheese.
17. Organic whole wheat or bran muffins with fruit.
18. Roasted pecan whole wheat pancakes with honey or fruit.
19. Whole wheat scones with blueberries or other fruit
20. Organic whole wheat bagel with cream cheese.
21. Leftovers – eat some leftover dinner for breakfast! Like, say you made whole wheat pasta primavera for dinner and there’s a serving left. Eat that! Etc.

Those popular breakfast cereals are industrially processed and have high levels of salt, sugar, preservatives, dyes and fat – which can dramatically increase a person’s risk of developing serious health problems in later life. Processed cereal, cereal bars, bread and cookies contain large amounts of salt, sugar and hydrogenated fats. Oftentimes people are unaware of the amounts they are actually eating, which can be very dangerous for their health.

Let’s see. What are some potential problems with eating these breakfast cereals. Shall I count the ways?

1. Strokes – Consuming large amounts of salt, sugar and hydrogenated fats increases the risk of having a stroke.

2. Teeth Problems – All that sugar can lead to serious dental issues, and we know what that means. Do you want yourself and your kids to have false teeth for the rest of your/their lives?

3. Preservatives – BHT, BHA, and TBHQ are common preservatives found in in beverages, ice cream, candy, baked goods, soup bases, potatoes, breakfast cereals, dry mixes, enriched rice, animal fats and shortenings containing animal fats. They may also be listed as “anti-oxidants” because they prevent the fats in food from oxidizing or spoiling. These preservatives cause allergic reactions and are known to affect kidney and liver functions, brain function and may also convert other ingredients into cancer-causing substances.

4. MSG is not a good message to the body – MSG, also known as monosodium glutamate, is linked to infertility and brain damage lab animals and people who’ve eaten MSG complain of headaches, chest pains and numbness.

5. Sugars, (high-fructose) Corn Syrup , refined starches and sweeteners (NutraSweet, Equal, Sweet’n Low, Sucralose, Acesulfame-K) rob your children of their health, and artificial sweeteners have been linked to brain damage, MS, Lupus and other central nervous disorders.

6. Pesticides – pesticides, hormones and synthetic food additives have been known to affect brain development, behavior and learning abilities in kids.

So, what SHOULD you eat? Stay tuned. I’ll write about that in another blog post…

Creamed Sugar & Coconut Milk Scrub – SheaShea combines the fabulous properties of Unrefined/Organic African Shea Butter (solid) and Shea Oil (liquid) with Organic Coconut Milk to create a luxurious bath treatment. This thick, creamy scrub has an uncommon texture, and the end results are worth it.

Organic Macrobiotic Cookies – organic, delicious, healthy snacks offered in 6 delicious flavors: Coconut & Chocolate, Almond Perfection, Carob Fudge, Cherry Serendipity, Peanut Butter & Chocolate, and Oats & Blueberries.

Zen Bubble Bath Gift Set – With vitamins, A, D, & E, jojoba oil, chamomile extract and other wonderful ingredients.

See all of the gift ideas at Amazon

12. Because it’ll KILL you – and quitting would reduce that risk. But that’s not the one reason I’m talking about. No, no. I know you can get lung, throat, larynx, esophagus, mouth, bladder, kidney, and pancreas cancer, high blood pressure, emphysema, and I know that over 400,000 die from smoking related diseases every year. I’m not talking about that.

11. It ages you fast and you’ll wrinkle up like a prune (even though you are in your 30s!) – Yes, smoking makes your skin wrinkle unnaturally. Yuck. Of course, that’s not the one reason, either.

10. You can get a heart attack or stroke – which could kill you right then. That sucks but that’s not it.

9. You’ll save a lot of money – yes, having a habit of smoking digs pretty deep into your wallet. By quitting, you’ll save lots o cash. Whatever.

8. You will look so much better – if you quit, your personal appearance will improve drastically – by eliminating such things as stained teeth and ugly brown fingers (ew!), bad bad OHSOBAD breath (*gag*), coughing, and smoking odor on body and clothes. You’ll prevent wrinkles from prematurely aging you, and your skin will look so much nicer. Of course, there are more important reasons for quitting.

7. You will not harm the health of people around you – when smoking, you not only risk your own health, you risk the health of your family and friends with second hand smoke. You will not be responsible for them getting smoking related diseases if you stop. If you don’t, it’s all on your shoulders, buddy. Can you live with yourself? 3,000 people die in the U.S. every year from second hand smoke.

6. You will pollute less. Smokers cause air pollution with their smoke! But they also pollute the world with their non-biodegradable filters. Those things don’t go away! Makes you wonder what they’re made out of, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s the filters that give you diseases, huh? Anyway back to the number one reason for quitting. But first…

5. You’ll regain your sense of taste and smell – You will actually be able to taste the REAL flavors of food! Imagine that.

4. You will have more energy, be more active – This feeling will motivate you to accomplish things you couldn’t muster yourself to do as a smoker.

3. You will sleep better – you will feel more rested and no longer need that extra perk of a smoke to get you going.

2. People will want to kiss you! You will eliminate ‘hairy tongue’ and ‘smokers cough’ or wheezing, and your bad breath will go away. Who wants to kiss a coughing, wheezing, dragon breath person with a hairy tongue? Ew. Well, I suppose another smoker, heeheehee! *shudders*

Yeah, that’s a lot and all good and that but if you need just one, and only one reason to quit smoking it’s probably this. (if it doesn’t do it for you, you might need to see a doctor. Immediately.)

1. Cigarette smoking (as well as drug use and drinking) clogs the arteries that take blood to the penis, which mean, guys, that your happy guy might not get too happy very often – if at all. Your sex drive will plummet. “Libido? What’s that?” you’ll be saying. In the end, you might be forced to rename Happy Guy to something more appropriate like Mushy Guy or Tiny Tim or something like that…

I know you skipped the above and jumped right down to the bottom.

Would the French call it Poisson ou poison?

Industrially farmed in Vietnam along the Mekong River, Pangas or whatever they’re calling it, has only been recently introduced to the French market. However, in a very short amount of time, it has grown in popularity in France. The French are slurping up Pangas like it’s their last meal of soup noodles. They are very, very affordable (cheap), are sold in filets with no bones and they have a neutral (bland) flavor and texture; many would compare it to cod and sole, only much cheaper. But as tasty as some people may find it, there’s, in fact, something hugely unsavory about it. I hope the information provided here will serve as very important information for you and your future choices. Here’s why I think it is better left in the shops (and not on your dinner plates):

1. Pangas are teeming with high levels of poisons and bacteria. (industrial effluents, arsenic, and toxic and hazardous by-products of the growing industrial sector, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT and its metabolites (DDTs), metal contaminants, chlordane-related compounds (CHLs), hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCHs), and hexachlorobenzene (HCB)). The reasons are that the Mekong River is one of the most polluted rivers on the planet and this is where pangas are farmed and industries along the river dump chemicals and industrial waste directly into it. To Note: a friend lab tests these fish and tells us to avoid eating them due to high amounts of contamination. Regardless of the reports and recommendations against selling them, the supermarkets still sell them to the general public knowing they are contaminated.

2. They freeze Pangas in contaminated river water. Ew.

3. Pangas are not environmentally sustainable, a most unsustainable food you could possibly eat – “Buy local” means creating the least amount of environmental harm as possible. This is the very opposite end of the spectrum of sustainable consumerism. Pangas are raised in Vietnam. Pangas are fed food that comes from Peru (more on that below), their hormones (which are injected into the female Pangas) come from China. (More about that below) and finally, they are transported from Vietnam to France. That’s not just a giant carbon foot print, that’s a carbon continent of a foot print.

4. There’s nothing natural about Pangas – They’re fed dead fish remnants and bones, dried and ground into a flour, from South America, manioc (cassava) and residue from soy and grains. This kind of nourishment doesn’t even remotely resemble what they eat in nature. But what it does resemble is the method of feeding mad cows (cows were fed cows, remember?) What they feed pangas is completely unregulated so there are most likely other dangerous substances and hormones thrown into the mix. The pangas grow at a speed light (practically!): 4 times faster than in nature…so it makes you wonder what exactly is in their food? Your guess is as good as mine.

5. Pangas are Injected with Hormones Derived from Urine – I don’t know how someone came up with this one out but they’ve discovered that if they inject female Pangas with hormones made from the dehydrated urine of pregnant women, the female Pangas grow much quicker and produce eggs faster (one Panga can lay approximately 500,000 eggs at one time). Essentially, they’re injecting fish with hormones (they come all of the way from a pharmaceutical company in China) to speed up the process of growth and reproduction. That isn’t good. Some of you might not mind eating fish injected with dehydrated pee so if you don’t good for you, but just consider the rest of the reasons to NOT eat it.

6. You get what you pay for – and then some. Don’t be lured in by insanely cheap price of Pangas. Is it worth risking your health and the health of your family?

7. Buying Pangas supports unscrupulous, greedy evil corporations and food conglomerates that don’t care about the health and well-being of human beings. They only are concerned about selling as many pangas as possible to unsuspecting consumers. These corporations only care about selling and making more money at whatever cost to the public.8. Pangas will make you sick – If (for reasons in #1 above) you don’t get immediately ill with vomiting, diarrhea and effects from severe food poisoning, congratulations, you have an iron stomach! But you’re still ingesting POISON not poisson.Final important note: Because of the prodigious amount of availability of Pangas, be warned that they will certainly find their way into other foods: surimi (those pressed fish things, imitation crab sticks), fish sticks, fish terrines, and probably in some pet foods. (Warn your dogs and cats and hamsters and gerbils and even your pet fish!)

Watch this Report on Pangas (in French) (Video excerpt from Capitale on M6, which aired about 3 months ago)

Links: Buying fish in France, Le Panga, nouvelle abération de la mondialisation ?

“Parents who feed their children ready-made puddings are unwittingly giving them excessive amounts of salt, according to health campaigners.

Nearly half the recommended daily salt intake for a young child is hidden in one serving of supermarket-bought jam roly poly, treacle sponge or sticky toffee pudding, a report reveals.

The research, carried out by Consensus Action on Salt and Health, also found that savoury food aimed at children, such as baked beans and sausages, contain levels of salt that are “dangerous” to their health.

Children aged four to six should eat no more than 3g (0.1oz) of salt a day, according to Government guidelines.

Those aged between one and three should have no more than 2g a day.

But CASH found that a can of Morrisons baked beans has 2.8g of salt, nearly the daily limit for a six year old, while a Waitrose Cornish pasty contains more than their maximum recommended intake at 3.2g.

Other foods have a surprisingly large amount of salt. A bowl of Rice Krispies contains more salt than a bag of crisps, around 0.65g compared to 0.5g.

A serving of butter-flavoured microwave popcorn has 2.2g of salt, two-thirds the recommended daily amount of salt for a six-year-old…”

Continue reading

Since we’re all in agreement that a good night’s sleep is one of the best things you can do for your health and mood, pick three of these tips to follow each night until you get the night’s sleep you so desperately crave.

New Video on Factory Farming From The Humane Society – The Humane Society of the United States just released a new video documenting the horrible truths behind America’s factory farming industry and our incessant hunger for meat (I know, only some of us). The video, narrated by James Cromwell, is certainly an eye-opener.

Cash carrot for obese people to lose pounds – The government in England plans to pay obese people to lose weight!

The 247 lb. Vegan – NFL star Tony Gonzalez is out to answer a question: Can a football player live entirely on plants?

Guys, that should be a great incentive to NOT get fat.   [source]

First off, let’s define hemorroids as best as we can. Basically, it’s a swollen anus due to inflamed veins in your anus and rectum. Sometimes, they can be very uncomfortable and itch or bleed.

Hemorrhoids can develop from any increase in pressure in the veins in the lower rectum. Common sources of pressure and hemorrhoid causes include:

• Constipation and the accompanying straining
• Diarrhea and the continuous expulsion of loose stools
• Sitting or standing for a long time, especially sitting on the toilet
• Obesity
• Pregnancy and childbirth
• Genetic tendency to develop hemorrhoids

You may be asking, “Why talk about this???!” Sorry if it’s a bit embarrassing, really. While this condition is known to affect older (50+) people, that sad news is that today, more and more younger people are afflicted with it because of obesity, which is increasing at an epidemic speed, and because of the all the tech people now, who spend hours upon hours sitting down in from of their computers. Face it, hemorroids are here, whether you like it or not.

When should you see your doctor about these pesky critters?
Generally speaking, go seek medical attention if your hemorrhoids do no improve with self-care, or if they cause pain, or bleed frequently or excessively.

If your poo is black, tarry or maroon in color, see your doctor immediately. These types of stools can indicate more extensive bleeding elsewhere in your digestive tract. Lastly, go to emergency care if you feel faint and lightheaded and notice large amounts of rectal bleeding.

How to treat the problem
If you have a mild case, your doctor might prescribe over-the-counter medications. Otherwise, more intense treatment might be called for: infrared treatment cuts off the circulation to small blood vessels, which will shrink the hemorroids. Surgery is the last resort treatment when all else has failed.

More natural treatments and prevention

Eat foods high in fiber – Eat meals loaded with vegetables, fruits, grains. Later, when you pass your stools, you will not need to strain.

Avoid sitting or standing for long periods of time – take frequent breaks and move around.

Exercise – Exercise is best whether you have hemorroids or not but if you do have hemorroids, exercise helps you to have regular stools and also helps you avoid sitting for too long.

Drink plenty of fluids – a sufficient amount of water and juices keep your body hydrated and healthy.

Don’t strain – When you “go” #2, try not to push too much because it puts excessive strain and pressure on your veins in your lower rectum.

Keep that area clean – wash well there and dry!

Now, that wasn’t too horrible for you, was it? Thank me for NOT including a photo on this post.

From The Milkweed:

“Last month, The Milkweed detailed how Pizza Hut restaurants illegally claim to use “Mozzarella” cheese on certain menu items, when in fact, Pizza Hut’s salt, starch and water-laden “Pizza Cheese” does not conform to FDA standards of identity for Mozzarella.

In this issue, writer John Bunting details how Pizza Hut’s cheese supplier—Leprino Foods—uses a silicone-based industrial chemical in the patented manufacturing of “Pizza Cheese.”

That chemical—Polymethylsiloxane—has no FDA approval for use as a food ingredient. Polymethylsiloxane is sold by Dow-Corning as “Antifoam FG 10”. THIS MATERIAL IS APPROVED BY FDA FOR USE IN FOOD PLANTS ONLY AS AN ANTI-FOAMING AGENT FOR BOILER WATER.

In its patented manufacturing process, Leprino Foods liberally sprays Polydimethylsiloxane on “cheese granules”.

Leprino’s “Pizza Cheese” supplied to Pizza Huts contains about 900 parts per million of Polymethylsiloxane: 90 times higher residue concentration than FDA allows when Polymethylsiloxane is used as a boiler water anti-foaming agent.

Repeat: Polydimethylsiloxane has no FDA approval as a safe food ingredient. It is a violation of FDA rules to use an unapproved ingredient in human foods.Silicone is amazing stuff. In its various forms,silicone may “enhance” the female anatomy (a la amply-endowed actress Pamela Anderson). Silicone products can caulk seams around the bathtub to sealout water. Silicone compounds are used for lubricants. However, using silicone products in human foods is a novel, if extra-legal, application. Leprino Foods, the world’s largest Italian cheese manufacturer, is the nearly exclusive supplier of “Pizza Cheese” to the 6000+ Pizza Hut restaurants in the U.S. Leprino is based in Denver, Colorado.

To control costs (and boost profits), Leprino Foods uses patented manufacturing processes that add large volumes of water, salt and food starch to so-called “granules” of “Pizza Cheese” prior to flash-freezing. Food starch is a particularly profitable addition to processed foods, since food starch holds ten times its own weight in water. All that food starch, water and salt in the Leprino’s “Pizza Cheese” creates problems for both cooking and refrigerated shelf-life.

To “solve” these cooking problems, Leprino’s patented process for making cheese granules sprays 1.75 parts of a water-based spray containing 0.05% Dow-Corning Antifoam FG 10 for each 100 parts cheese. Yield: 900 parts per million of Antifoam FG10 (generically known as Polydimethylsiloxane) in the “Pizza Cheese” that Leprino sells to Pizza Hut.

Polydimethylsiloxane is….”

Read the full article

IMPORTANT UPDATE

1. Indoor Rock Climbing – There’s nothing better than rock climbing to tone up your muscles while at the same time, giving you a pretty good workout. Go with some friends and make it a fun, group activity.

2. Bowling – This activity would be relatively low on the physical workout barometer but it will get you out of the house, get you moving, get your hand-eye coordination working (or not), and can be really fun with a group of friends.

3. Ice Skating – You can be the next Michelle Kwan or Todd Eldridge if you can handle the cold. Skate outdoors if any places are available near your home or go to an indoor place. Remember to wear appropriate clothing and earmuffs to keep warm. Not into Ice Skating, try in-line skating/rollerblading (or roller skating if you can find them), and you won’t have to deal with getting cold.

4. Dance Classes – You can spice up and heat up your life with salsa dance classes or any other kind of dance (jazz, hiphop, ballroom, line, etc) that grabs your interest. Work up a sweat, burn off those cookies AND ice cream you polished off the other day and look great all year long.

5. Yoga / Tai Chi / Pilates / Spin Classes or the Gym – These are more obvious activities I thought I’d list just in case they haven’t occurred to you. I particularly love Tai Chi but if it’s not for you, try Yoga or another kind of martial art. Maybe even give a go at the martial arts dance hybrid from Brazil, Capoeira.

6. Wii Night (or Day) – Yup! I’m gonna suggest video games to get into shape. Yay and vive les video games! Don’t argue with me; the Wii Sports games like the boxing game or tennis game – will get your heartrate up and even get you sweaty. It’s a mega fun thing to do especially with friends and family, and it’ll give you a pretty good workout, too.

7. Indoor Swimming – What?! You don’t have your own indoor swimming pool? Oh well – Sometimes the local public pools are open. If they are open during these winter months, forget about goosebumps and try to muster up all the strength you need to go for a swim. It’s one of the best ways to exercise because it’s easy on all the joints, but you’ll feel like a million bucks afterward.

8. Rajio Taiso – Wha??! No, I didn’t sneeze just now. Rajio Taiso (radio calisthenics) is a funny and relatively short calisthenics workout developed in Japan a long time ago to get students and workers moving before they started their day. It’s short (about 6 minutes) and effective, if not a bit dorky and quirky. Here’s a vid.

10. Have Sex – Duh. The obvious one right?? It’s so obvious that I almost forgot it.

UPDATE: I forgot #9! (Thanks, Ronald!)

9. Indoor Racquetball / Indoor Tennis – These activities will get your heart pumping in no time at all. They’re probably some of the best cardio-vascular workouts you can get, you’ll be happily sweating up a storm, burning off those mashed potatoes and will perk you up for the rest of the day.

“Edible antifreeze developed by a US researcher could keep ice cream tasty and smooth, and prevent other frozen foods from being ruined. The antifreeze contains proteins similar to those that help “snow flea” insects survive winter without freezing solid.

The taste of good ice cream depends on a blend of flavour, temperature, and texture – what food scientists call “mouth feel”.

The formation of tiny ice crystals, each around 15 to 20 microns wide, is crucial to making smooth ice cream. But if ice cream is subjected to sudden temperature fluctuation – when transported home from the store, for example – these crystals can grow to 40 microns or larger, as water melts and refreezes.

This can ruin the texture of good ice cream, making it gritty to eat. It can also damage frozen soft fruits.

Gum-like carbohydrates are used by manufacturers to restrict the movement of water molecules and prevent big ice crystals from forming in ice cream. However, as anyone who has tasted crunchy ice cream will know, these carbohydrates do not work perfectly….”

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“Ms. O’Brien encourages people to do what she did: throw out as much nonorganic processed food as you can afford to. Avoid anything genetically modified, artificially created or raised with hormones. Don’t eat food with ingredients you can’t pronounce.

Once she cleaned out her cupboards, she said, her four children started behaving better. Their health problems, which her doctor attributed to allergies to milk and other foods, cleared up.

“It was absolutely terrifying to unearth this story,” she said over lunch at a restaurant in Boulder, Colo. “These big food companies have an intimate relationship with every household in America, and they are making our children sick. I was rocked. You don’t want to hear that this has actually happened.”

But has it?

Record numbers of parents are heading to doctors concerned that their children are allergic to a long list of foods. States are passing laws requiring schools to have policies protecting children with food allergies. But no one knows why the number of allergies seems to be on the rise, or even if they are rising as fast as some believe…”

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Related: Industrial Food is really, really bad

Sorry bout the unrelated cannibalistic reference from Silence of the Lambs. I’m a brat!

From NewsTarget:

“Two years ago this month a good friend of ours joined us for a humble beginning of our natural nutrition and whole food preparation classes. She was one of those students who just took everything and ran with it. She lost about 15 pounds, her bowels started moving better and she looked ten years younger.

For all of this, she complained that she was being driven crazy with hot flashes and did not want to go on hormone therapy. She decided to come see me professionally.

I spoke with her and quizzed her about her diet. She had been following our health program exactly. I figured that she just needed an infusion of plant based hormones.

I explained to her that plant hormones are the best protection in the …”

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What you eat is so very important, which is why this blog starts with “Diet” – obviously, not having anything to do with “dieting” per se but focusing on eating right.

When you eat real organic fruit and vegetables, you body doesn’t take in any of the toxic pesticides that get sprayed on non-organic produce. (In most cases, the chemicals stay underneath the skin.) If you haven’t heard, pesticides were not meant to be consumed AND they are not good for your health.

Another effect you might notice when switching to organic food is that some of your illnesses might disappear. For example: psoriasis , depression, allergies, sinusitis, constipation, asthma, congestion, rashes – to name just a few, are some of the many, many maladies caused by unheathful foods, the worst culprits being processed foods, and factory farm meats.

All this isn’t to say you shouldn’t exercise and adopt healthy lifestyle options (like quitting smoking) it’s just a hypothetical, “If you had to choose one thing…”

This subject is just the tip of the iceberg, and you’ll find me blogging more specifically about the dangers of bad food, as well as the benefits of Real Food. Stay tuned, readers!

Related: Wired’s “Healthy Habits Can Mean 14 Extra Years“

If you simply take time to be aware of breathing in and breathing out, a wonderful thing happens: You stop thinking, particularly about all the chaos that is swimming around in your head. Whether you’re thinking about what you have to do or what you will do, or what someone said or did to you, etc. you have a tendency to lose yourself. You get a bit lost in the outside world. What that mean is if you are conscious of your breathing, you forget about the superficial, and then focus on the Now. You are living in the present moment and that is very important.

When you are not living in the present moment, you are either living in the future or the past and when you are in those places, you can not see clearly or deeply. You miss everything because you are not “here” in the Present. When you concentrate on breathing in and breathing out, you begin to be where your body is in the present moment. The body and mind are no longer separated from each other. When your mind and body are unified, you begin feel calm, relaxed, composed and aware; you’re on your way to becoming truly yourself.

Videos like these have been circulating for a while, and admit it. They are oh so very cute, cuddly and adorable and they will tend to give us all a warm fuzzy feeling all over but face it, it is so very wrong. Cell phones are direly dangerous to people, especially babies and toddlers. Keep these away from them! Geez, are you evil?

As an adult you have a choice of whether you want to expose yourself to electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) and radio frequencies (RF), which are microwaves, but little kids don’t know any better. If you want to microwave your brain, you go! Personally, I am not that fond of putting microwaves up to my head, but whatever. If you believe the industry when they say that cell phones are SAFE, just remember: “industries” also said asbestos, thalidamide and blood supply and PVC were safe. You know, for the bottom line. Manufacturers ALWAYS deny the existence of any dangers. It’s just plain obvious for evil corporations to say stuff like that, so don’t be a naive twit. So you think they are telling you the truth when they say there’s no documented evidence? If you do, you are ignorant and just plain idiotic. Guess what people, they LIE. Yes they do (Remember the tobacco industry saying that smoking has no dangers??? Puhleeze.) Do you think these cell phone companies care about what will happen to people? Answer: NO. (They just want to SELL.)

To be noted: There ARE warnings on those products to “limit the use of these products.” Yes, there are warnings. I WONDER WHY?!

Anyway, please try to keep these EMF and RF emitting devices away from vulnerable parties (babies, toddlers, ill people and the elderly), and please use your devices sparingly.

If you think I’m an alarmist, conspiracy theorist, good for you. Go ahead and live your life that ignoramus way. But maybe if you care (especially about your family), you can do a little research on your own about this subject. In any case, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Links: Cell Phone Dangers Revealed, Patents Prove Cell Phone Dangers from Wired, Hidden Dangers of Cell Phone Radiation, Chemical and Cell Phones, Harmful Effects of Cell Phones, Hazards of the Wireless Age

Kick off the new year by just remembering what Frankie Goes to Hollywood sang, and live by those words. (If you don’t know the song, “Relax” check out the lyrics here.)

Ok, do I have to spell it out for you? M-a-s-t-u-r-b-a-t-i-o-n. Most guys (if not all of them) will happily admit they do it, but for some stupid reason, women either don’t do it or won’t admit to doing it. Whatever. I suppose in the end it doesn’t matter if you admit to it or not, but the essential thing would be to…just do it. Why the hell not?

Sooooooo…. you really don’t need any reasons TO do it but if you were wondering, “Why do it?” Besides the obvious “because it feels good,” I offer you the following 20 benefits of masturbation:

1. For men, it’s a good way to keep their prostate healthy. (reduces chances of getting prostate cancer)
2. It gets the imagination working.
3. You get to explore and know your body better. (Especially great for women who haven’t experienced an orgasm. This helps them learn what they need to achieve one.)
4. Once you know your body better, you can tell your partner what you really like.
5. Relieves menstrual cramps! Yay!
6. For teens, it can reduce spontaneous (and oh-so embarrassing) erections.
7. Reduce unwanted wet dreams. A guy thing.
8. An orgasm releases mood lifting hormones (endorphins). Yes!
9. Having insomnia. Masturbating can help you sleep. Or at least keep you busy while you’re awake
10. Helps stimulate the immune system.
11. It gets your heart pumping; consider it a mini-workout.
12. It’s a natural stress and tension reliever. (Relaxes the muscles)
13. Men who suffer from premature ejaculation can use masturbation to practice control.
14. It’s known to relieve migraines.
15. Try mutual masturbation; it’s a turn on and a learning experience.
16. Gives you confidence and raises self-esteem.
17. Orgasm causes muscular contractions in the uterus that can tone muscles.
18. Having orgasms on a regular basis has been reported to give you a more youthful appearance.
19. Improves blood flow in the body.
20. Relieves depression.
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DIGG IT!

Chamomile – Chamomile has been used used in Europe, South America, and Mexico for insomnia and restlessness combined with irritability. Chamomile oil can also be put in bath water to soothe nerves. There are mild sedative effects associated with chamomile. The FDA considers chamomile to be safe and the herb has no known adverse effects. Don’t tale chamomile if you’re pregnant or suffer from any chronic disorders of the digestive tract, including ulcers and ulcerative colitis.

Oats – oats have a mild sedative effect and has long been used as an herbal treatment of insomnia. Oats are rich in vitamins A, B1, B2 and E, manganese, zinc, calcium, phosphorus. They are also used to treat nervous exhaustion and “weakness of the nerves. Oats are thought to stimulate sufficient nervous energy to make sleep possible.

Magnesium – Magnesium is helpful for relieving restless leg syndrome (RLS) and for treating insomnia. It is needed for bone, protein, and fatty acid formation, making new cells, activating B vitamins, relaxing muscles, clotting blood, and forming ATP – the muscle’s energy source. About half of the body’s magnesium stores are found inside cells of body tissues and organs, and half are combined with calcium and phosphorus in bone. Only 1% of the magnesium in the body is found in blood. Sources of magnesium include green vegetables such as spinach, as well as nuts, seeds, and some whole grains. The magnesium content of refined foods is usually low.

California Poppy – California Poppy was used by the Native Americans as a gentle sedative for children and the elderly. Although California Poppy is closely related to the Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum) it has a markedly different effect on the central nervous system. California Poppy is not a narcotic and does not contain opiates like the Opium Poppy and is not addictive. In fact, rather than disorientating the user, it tends to normalize psychological function.

Medicinally, California poppy is a plant with sedative, analgesic and antispastic activities. It is particularly helpful if sleep is difficult from anxiousness and acute pain. It lessens both nerve centered and muscular pain, calms the mind and relieves anxiety.

Note: Please consult your private physician before undertaking any new methods for your insomnia.

Dehydration is a major cause of headaches. Adults should be drinking about 8 to 10 glasses of water a day for proper hydration. Sorry, coffee and sodas don’t count, it must be water.

Pain medications

Ironically, people who take a lot of pain medications on a regular basis can experience more headaches. Both over the counter pain relievers and prescription pain relievers are the culprits.

Odor

Strong odors from perfumes, new carpet, new car, smoke, or fumes can cause headaches.

Caffeine

Too much caffeine can cause headaches. Caffeine usually helps relieve headaches, however, when it is taken in large doses it does the opposite.

Lots of Stress

Stress is a big culprit, especially chronic stress. People who tend to push themselves beyond the limit tend to experience more headaches. Physical activity and taking breaks can help relieve stress, which in turn will help reduce headaches.

Watching TV or using the computer

Excessive use of computers or watching TV for extended periods of time can cause headaches.

Sinuses

Dry Sinuses or congested sinuses can cause headaches.

Blood sugar

Imbalances in blood sugar, especially low blood sugar can cause headaches. Imbalances in blood sugar can be corrected by eating adequate protein. Protein helps to stabilize blood sugar levels.

Food

Certain foods that contain a lot of tyramine (amino acid) can cause headaches. Examples include: peanuts, chocolate, and red wine. Other foods that contain nitrates can also cause headaches. Examples include: salami, hot dogs, and sausages. Although not as common, diary and wheat can also cause headaches in certain individuals.

Weather

Changes in weather can cause headaches.

Altitude

Higher altitudes can cause headaches. Many mountain climbers experience headaches as they reach higher altitudes. Even a visit to a town or city that is at a higher elevation than when you currently live can cause a headache.

Hormones

Changes in hormone levels can also bring upon headaches. Women are obviously more susceptible to this type of headache.

Sleep

Very little sleep or sudden changes in sleep patterns can precipitate headaches.

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“Feeling stressed, anxious, overwhelmed or fatigued? Having trouble making decisions, falling and staying asleep and solving problems? A bit low on energy, just all-around baked? Life does that to us sometimes. The good news is…there’s a short list of simple practices that, done regularly, can pretty quickly un-bake your brain…and your body!

A NASA study revealed that…

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