Recalls of bread from Sara Lee

Sara Lee Recalls Some Breads:

from WebMD Health
Sara Lee Food & Beverage has issued a precautionary recall of selected whole wheat breads that may contain small pieces of metal."

Cancer patient chooses Raw foods diet instead of chemo

A family is going to try a raw food diet instead of chemotherapy and it's making
headlines "The alternative treatment involves a diet of raw vegetables developed by Florida's Hippocrates Health Institute , which is dedicated to the belief that a pure enzyme-rich diet, complemented by positive thinking and non-invasive therapies, are essential elements on the path to optimum health" according to its website.

I looked more into the institute and their therapy sounds very much on track involving an all raw food diet, massage, relaxation, exercise, and more... They have some videos about them here
An Introduction to Hippocrates

Wow, that takes courage for a family to stand up to the doctors and say that they will not undergo chemotherapy. I am not sure which option is better for the child in this case since the cancer is brain and bone marrow, but a change in ones diet has certainly been shown to heal other types of cancer. If anything it's worth a try.

Here is some links to cancer and diet

Cancer and diet

• Increasing the Survival of Cancer Patients
• HealthDay News: Veggies Good, Cured Meats Bad
• Fruits and Veggies vs. Diabetes and Colon Cancer
• Pomegranates, Atherosclerosis, and Diabetics
• Ten Ways to Help Prevent Breast Cancer

Sushi and Fish Scare - TIME reports

Ahh Sushi, it's a dish like no other. You can wrap practically anything in rice and seaweed. However there is a greater concern now about the fish being contaminated with pollutants such as mercury and other pollutants. See the recent FDA updates on fish products from China
http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/fishtimeline062807.html
http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/seafood062807.html

Time reports further on what a consumer can do How to Eat Sushi During a Fish Scare - TIME: "Seafood and sushi eaters are navigating troubled waters these days Ever since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned imports of certain farmed fish and shellfish from China last month, seafood fans have been nervous — especially the huge cohort of raw fish eaters converted to sushi and sashimi over the last two decades. And several industry veterans and watchdog groups say those worries appear to be justified. "It's really hit-or-miss," says Jeff Nitta, director of operations at Hokusai, a Beverly Hills sushi restaurant that zealously monitors the origin and quality of fish it serves. "People do need to be worried, depending on where they get their fish. There are a lot of chefs and fish market owners who are passionate about doing the right thing. But differentiating between those that are and those that aren't is the tough part."
...
"The fish distribution system is so opaque and complicated that even many fishmongers and sushi chefs have no idea where their fish comes from," says Trevor Corson, author of The Zen of Fish: The Story of Sushi from Samurai to Supermarket. "They just trust their guy who trusts his guy who trusts his guy. Sometimes it leads to good quality fish being served, but other times fish gets to the restaurant and no one has any idea where it was caught.

To assess the rest of the fish that's on the market, here's what the experts advise:

1. Educate yourself, and ask lots of questions
2. Don't let your eyes be your only guide.
3. Be prepared to pay more to insure quality and safety."

So if you must eat fish, don't just assume it's clean and healthy. Since there is no sure way to know, the advice in this article is a good guideline. Sometimes we have to be reminded of the things we already know to put it into the present context.

Melanoma - What one can do to prevent it.

Web-MD has good information about the risks and prevention of a very serious condition.

Melanoma

A serious form of skin cancer, that can be prevented. Unfortunately I don't think many of us really understand what the danger is.

Experts talk about prognosis in terms of "5-year survival rates." The 5-year survival rate means the percentage of people who are still alive 5 years or longer after their cancer was discovered. It is important to remember that these are only averages. Everyone's case is different, and these numbers do not necessarily show what will happen to you. The estimated 5-year survival rate for melanoma is:⁵

• 98% if cancer is found early and treated before it has spread.
• 64% if the cancer has spread to close-by tissue.
• 16% if the cancer has spread farther away, such as to the liver, brain, or bones.

So there is a risk that you will die within 5 years once diagnosed. That's scary.

How can I prevent melanoma?

You can prevent all forms of skin cancer, including melanoma, by avoiding overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays.

• Stay out of the sun during the midday hours (10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.).
• Wear protective clothing outdoors, including a wide-brimmed hat, a long-sleeved shirt, and pants.
• Use daily a sunscreen with an SPF of least 15. Look for a sunscreen that protects against both types of ultraviolet radiation in the sun's rays-UVA and UVB.
• Use a higher SPF when at higher elevations.
• Avoid sunbathing and tanning salons. Studies suggest that UV rays from artificial sources such as tanning beds and sunlamps are just as dangerous as those from the sun.³
• Set a good example for your children by always using sunscreen and wearing protective clothing.

Perform a skin self-exam monthly to identify suspicious growths that may be cancer or growths that may develop into skin cancer (precancers). Look for any abnormal skin growth or any change in the color, shape, size, or appearance of a skin growth. Check for any area of injured skin that does not heal. Also, have your health professional check your skin during your regular physical exams, or at least once a year.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is the number one cause of skin cancer, but UV light from tanning beds is just as harmful. Exposure to sunlight during the winter months puts you at the same risk as exposure during the summertime.

Cumulative sun exposure causes mainly basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer, while episodes of severe sunburns, usually before age 18, can cause melanoma later in life. Other less common causes are repeated X-ray exposure and occupational exposure to certain chemicals.

Melanona is the most serious skin cancer. Lets see what else overexposure to sun is about:

How Does the Sun Change My Skin?

Exposure to the sun causes:

• Pre-cancerous (actinic keratosis) and cancerous (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma) skin lesions - caused by loss of the skin's immune function
• Benign tumors
• Fine and coarse wrinkles
• Freckles
• Discolored areas of the skin, called mottled pigmentation;
• Sallowness -- a yellow discoloration of the skin;
• Telangiectasias -- the dilation of small blood vessels under the skin;
• Elastosis -- the destruction of the elastic tissue causing lines and wrinkles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Learning about melanoma:	What is melanoma? What causes melanoma? What happens in melanoma? What are the symptoms of melanoma? How common is melanoma? What increases my risk for melanoma? Can I prevent melanoma? When do I need to see my health professional? How can I protect my skin from ultraviolet radiation and skin cancer? Can a test find skin cancer early?
Being diagnosed:	How is melanoma diagnosed? What is a skin biopsy? What is a sentinel lymph node biopsy? What are the stages of melanoma?
Getting treatment:	How is melanoma treated? Which medicines are used to treat melanoma? Will I need surgery? Will I need radiation therapy? What are clinical trials?
Ongoing concerns:	When should I call my health professional?
Living with melanoma:	What can I do at home to manage the side effects of melanoma treatment?
End-of-life issues:	How can I prepare for end-of-life issues? What is hospice care?

Another reason to avoid meats - Red 2G

Red 2-G:
is used to make processed meats look red—causes cancer. It was banned in Britain and Ireland. Read more here

Teaching Kids to eat healthy

Here is some good info diseaseproof blog
Teach your kids the importance of healthy eating habits early. From Dr. Fuhrman’s book Disease-Proof Your Child:

We teach our children to eat when not hungry. We encourage it. Many parents actually think it looks health for their kids to be plump and bigger than average. They continually encourage them to ignore their bodies and eat when not hungry. The children learn to eat for a taste thrill; it is recreational eating, akin to recreational drug use. They do it for a thrill and pay a price for it later. These children and adults have overeaten their whole lives, so that they have no recollection of what true hunger feels like.

The first step toward your child’s healthy eating is changing your own. Concentrate on changing the dietary habits of the parents first and gradually remove more and more of the unhealthy options. If your child doesn’t change his diet right away, that is okay. Stop trying to control his intake. Stop battling. Instead, continue to offer delicious vegetable dishes and other great foods that are available. If he chooses to eat very little of it, that is fine. The best way to handle it is to say, “You don’t have to eat. If you are not hungry, why don’t you go and play.” If he asks for something not in the house, simply tell him that you do not have any. When he gets very hungry, he will ask to eat and relish what was offered earlier. You might be surprised at how much good stuff he will eat because he is really hungry and not forced to eat something when he was not. It will also be easier if he sees the rest of the family enjoying eating the healthy food choices and healthful recipes.

And here are some more posts that’ll help you and your family lock into health eating:

• Preparing Your Home for Eating Healthfully
• The Secrets to Getting Your Children to Eat Healthfully

Diet and Macular Degeneration - Scientists see a link

NY Times reports that a new study has found that eating carbohydrate-rich food with a high glycemic index(measure of a food’s potential to raise blood glucose levels)— is associated with the development of Macular Degeneration disorder.

See some info on glycemic index here http://tinyurl.com/yv3tqw

Read more about the study here

Macular Degeneration - Diet and Nutrition - Medicine and Health - New York Times: "The glycemic index is a measure of how fast carbohydrates are metabolized — the faster they are broken down into glucose, the higher the glycemic index. Simple carbohydrates, like those in cakes and cookies, cheese pizza, white bread or other foods sweetened with sugar or corn syrup, are quickly metabolized by the cells, while the complex carbohydrates in brown rice, barley and many other vegetables are broken down more slowly.

Heavy consumption of foods with a high glycemic index has been implicated in the development of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers, according to background information in the paper, which appears in the July issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

A new study treated children with ADHD with high-dose EPA/DHA with positive results

The following study links increased levels of EPA/DHA to behavior improvement in children with ADHD.

A study treated children with ADHD with high-dose EPA/DHA

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurological condition in children. This pilot study evaluated the effects of high-dose eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation on the isolated plasma phospholipids and behavior in children with ADHD (primarily inattentive subtype and combined subtype).

Methods: Nine children were initially supplemented with 16.2g EPA/DHA concentrates per day. The dosage was adjusted dependent on the ratio of arachidonic acid (AA) to EPA in the isolated plasma phospholipids at four weeks to reach a level normally found in the Japanese population.

Results: At the end of the eight-week study, supplementation resulted in significant increases in EPA and DHA, as well as a significant reduction in the AA:EPA ratio (20.78+/-5.26 to 5.95+/-7.35, p<0.01). A psychiatrist (blind to supplement compliance or dosage modifications) reported significant improvements in behavior (inattention, hyperactivity, oppositional/defiant behavior, and conduct disorder). There was also a significant correlation between the reduction in the AA:EPA ratio and global severity of illness scores.

Conclusions: The findings of this small pilot study suggest supplementation with high-dose EPA/DHA concentrates may improve behavior in children with ADHD.

Lighter Footstep - All the Nutrients We Need Are Plant-Based

Lighter Footstep - All the Nutrients We Need Are Plant-Based: "It's a Matter of Health. The bottom line: your mom was right. Eat your vegetables!" - That's what Colleen says along with some good written info about calcium, fat, and other nutrients as well as some misconceptions about eating non-living animals ;)

The Right Way to Praise Your Kids

An article on WebMD asks the question The Right Way to Praise Your Kids: "So what is the right amount of praise?"

Do we over praise our kids or not praise them enough?
The experts say that "neither extreme is a good thing and the quality of praise is more important than the quantity: if praise is sincere and genuine, and focused on the effort, not the outcome, you can give it as often as your child does something that warrants a verbal reward." also "Praising the effort -- not the outcome is better"

Here are some Praising Tips

Praising your kids is an important part of building their self-esteem and confidence. But there are some important dos and don'ts to keep in mind before you break out in applause that will help your child find value in your words of encouragement:

Be specific. Instead of saying, "You're such a good baseball player," say, "You hit the ball really hard and you are an excellent first baseman." Being specific is much better and helps kids to identify with their special skill, explains Berman.

Be genuine. Praise should always be genuine. Kids have a way of knowing when your praise is insincere, and you lose trust. Worse yet, they become insecure because they don't believe your positive words, and they find difficulty in telling the difference between when you really mean it and when you don't, explains Berman.

Encourage new activities. "Praise kids for trying new things, like learning to bike ride or tie their shoelaces, and for not being afraid to make mistakes," says Donahue.

Don't praise the obvious. "Try not to overdo praise about a child's attributes: 'You're so smart, handsome, pretty, bright, talented, gifted,'" says Donahue. "Parents and grandparents are of course going to indulge in some of this, and that is OK, but if our kids hear a constant litany of praise it will begin to sound empty to them and have little meaning."

Say it when you mean it. Saying "Good job," when you mean it, or "Boy, you really worked hard on that paper," tells children that, as parents, you recognize the value of their hard work and efforts, explains Donahue, and that you know the difference between when they work hard at something, and when it comes easy.

Focus on the process. Praise children for their effort and hard work, not for their inherent talents, explains Donahue. "Remember, it's the process, not the product that matters," he says. "Not all our kids will be fantastic athletes or brilliant students or accomplished musicians. But children who learn to work hard and persevere have a special talent. As I like to say, pluggers go far in life."

Why don't kids walk to school anymore?

A recent blog post raised an observation

Disease Proof: Kids Not Walking to School: "Even though one out of three American children live within a mile of their school, barely half of those students regularly bike or walk to class, researchers report." This report has the details.

I remember I walked to school all the time, but I do not remember many children my age walking with me from my neighborhood. So I guess there's some truth in that.

I wonder if this is due to the fact that we want our children to 'have it better then us' and we instinctively try to protect them and walking may be just too dangerous and sometimes uncomfortable (too hot, too cold, too far, too uncertain of safety) But maybe we should try to take a step back and think about being maybe too overprotective and not giving our kids the same experiences as we had. For all the reasons kids should not walk to school, we could design a simple solution.

Fasting for Health

Have you ever heard of Fasting for Health? I started looking into it recently and I want to share what I found. Fasting is a practice with a rich history and some benefits that cannot be overlooked. Take a look at Answers.com Fasting article

"Fasting is voluntarily not eating food for varying lengths of time. Fasting is used as a medical therapy for many conditions. It is also a spiritual practice in many religions.

Definition

Fasting is voluntarily not eating food for varying lengths of time. Fasting is used as a medical therapy for many conditions. It is also a spiritual practice in many religions.

Purpose

Fasting can be used for nearly every chronic condition, including allergies, anxiety, arthritis, asthma, depression, diabetes, headaches, heart disease, high cholesterol, low blood sugar, digestive disorders, mental illness, and obesity.

I Even found psoriasis and other skin conditions can be helped with fasting.

Fasting is an effective and safe weight loss method. It is frequently prescribed as a detoxification treatment for those with conditions that may be influenced by environmental factors, such as cancer and multiple chemical sensitivity. Fasting has been used successfully to help treat people who have been exposed to high levels of toxic materials due to accident or occupation. Fasting is thought to be beneficial as a preventative measure to increase overall health, vitality, and resistance to disease. Fasting is also used as a method of mental and spiritual rejuvenation.

Physiology of fasting

Through evolution, the body became very efficient at storing energy and handling situations when no food was available. For many centuries, fasting was probably a normal occurrence for most people, and the body adapted to it. It is estimated that even very thin people can survive for 40 days or more without food. The body has a special mechanism that is initiated when no food is eaten. Fasting is not starvation, but rather the body's burning of stored energy. Starvation occurs when the body no longer has any stored energy and begins using essential tissues such as organs for an energy source. Therapeutic fasts are stopped long before this happens.

Many physiological changes occur in the body during fasting. During the first day or so, the body uses its glycogen reserves, the sugars that are the basic energy supply. After these are depleted, the body begins using fat. However, the brain, which has high fuel requirements, still needs glucose (sugars converted from glycogen). To obtain glucose for the brain, the body begins to break down muscle tissue during the second day of the fast. Thus, during fasting some muscle loss will occur. To fuel the brain, the body would need to burn over a pound of muscle a day, but the body has developed another way to create energy that saves important muscle mass. This protein-sparing process is called ketosis, which occurs during the third day of a fast for men and the second day for women. In this highly efficient state, the liver begins converting stored fat and other nonessential tissues into ketones, which can be used by the brain, muscles, and heart as energy. It is at this point in the fast that sensations of hunger generally go away, and many people experience normal or even increased energy levels. Hormone levels and certain functions become more stable in this state as well. The goal of most fasts is to allow the body to reach the ketosis state in order to burn excess fat and unneeded or damaged tissue. Thus, fasts longer than three days are generally recommended as therapy.

Weight loss occurs most rapidly during the first few days of a fast, up to 2 pounds per day. In following days, the figure drops to around 0.5 pound per day. An average weight loss of a pound a day for an entire fast can be expected.


Performing a fast

Fasts can be performed for varying lengths of time, depending on the person and his or her health requirements. For chronic conditions, therapists recommend from two to four weeks to get the most benefits. Seven-day fasts are also commonly performed. A popular fasting program for prevention and general health is a three-day fast taken four times per year, at the change of each season. These can be easily performed over long weekends. Preventative fasts of one day per week are used by many people as well.

Juice fasts are also used by many people, although these are not technically fasts. Juice fasts are less intensive than water fasts because the body doesn't reach the ketosis stage. The advantage of juice fasts is that fruit and vegetable drinks can supply extra energy and nutrients. People can fit a few days of juice fasting into their normal schedules without significant drops in energy. Juice fasts are also said to have cleansing and detoxifying effects. The disadvantage of juice fasts is that the body never gets to the ketosis stage, so these fasters are thought to lack the deep detoxification and healing effects of the water fast.

Medical supervision is recommended for any fast over three days. Most alternative medicine practitioners, such as homeopaths, naturopathic doctors, and ayurvedic doctors, can supervise and monitor patients during fasts. Those performing extended fasts and those with health conditions may require blood, urine, and other tests during fasting. There are many alternative health clinics that perform medically supervised fasts as well. Some conventional medical doctors may also supervise patients during fasts. Costs and insurance coverage vary, depending on the doctor, clinic, and requirements of the patient.

Preparations

Fasts must be entered and exited with care. To enter a fast, the diet should be gradually lightened over a few days. First, heavy foods such as meats and dairy products should be eliminated for a day or two. Grains, nuts, and beans should then be reduced for several days. The day before a fast, only easily digested foods like fruits, light salads, and soups should be eaten. During the fast, only pure water and occasional herbal teas should be drunk.

Fasts should be ended as gradually as they are entered, going from lighter to heavier foods progressively. The diet after a fast should emphasize fresh, wholesome foods. Fasters should particularly take care not to overeat when they complete a fast.

Precautions

Fasting isn't appropriate for everyone and, in some cases, could be harmful. Any person undertaking a first fast longer than three days should seek medical supervision. Those with health conditions should always have medical support during fasting. Plenty of water should be taken by fasters since dehydration can occur. Saunas and sweating therapies are sometimes recommended to assist detoxification, but should be used sparingly. Those fasting should significantly slow down their lifestyles. Taking time off of work is helpful, or at least reducing the work load. Fasters should also get plenty of rest. Exercise should be kept light, such as walking and gentle stretching.

Side effects

Those fasting may experience side effects of fatigue, malaise, aches and pains, emotional duress, acne, headaches, allergies, swelling, vomiting, bad breath, and symptoms of colds and flu. These reactions are sometimes called healing crises, which are caused by temporarily increased levels of toxins in the body due to elimination and cleansing. Lower energy levels should be expected during a fast.

Research and general acceptance

The physiology of fasting has been widely studied and documented by medical science. Beneficial effects such as lowered cholesterol and improved general functioning have been shown. Fasting as a treatment for illness and disease has been studied less, although some studies around the world have shown beneficial results. A 1984 study showed that workers in Taiwan who had severe chemical poisoning had dramatic improvement after a ten-day fast. In Russia and Japan, studies have demonstrated fasting to be an effective treatment for mental illness. Fasting has been featured on the cover of medical journals, although mainstream medicine has generally ignored fasting and detoxification treatments as valid medical procedures.

The majority of research that exists on fasting is testimonial, consisting of individual personal accounts of healing without statistics or controlled scientific experiments. In the alternative medical community, fasting is an essential and widely accepted treatment for many illnesses and chronic conditions.

Resources
BOOKS

Cott, Alan. Fasting: The Ultimate Diet. Chicago: Hastings House, 1997.

Fuhrman, Joel, M.D. Fasting and Eating for Health. New York: St. Martin's, 1995.

Page, Linda, N.D. Healthy Healing. CA: Healthy Healing Publications, 1998.
ORGANIZATIONS

Fasting Center International. 32 West Anapurna St., #360, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. .

[Article by: Douglas Dupler]

Here are some studies done on fasting

A trial of fasting cure for PCB-poisoned patients in Taiwan.
Imamura M, Tung TC. PMID: 6425850 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Sixteen patients poisoned by ingestion of a rice oil contaminated with polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) in Taiwan voluntarily joined a trial of fasting cure for either seven or ten days approximately 26 or 35 months after being poisoned. During fasting, mixed juice made of fresh vegetables and fruits and milk or " tohnyu ," that is, boiled soybean juice, were given on a fixed schedule. All these patients showed improvements of their symptoms and signs caused by the poisoning. Some of them enjoyed a dramatic relief of their sufferings such as severe headache, lumbago, arthralgia, pain at the sole, cough, sputa, and/or acneiform eruptions. The eruptions forming abscesses or cysts were, however, hard to cure. Thus, the fasting cure was demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of the patients. PCB concentrations in blood were rather elevated during and after the fasting.


FGF21: A Missing Link in the Biology of Fasting. Cell Metabolism, Volume 5, Issue 6, Pages 405-407 M. Reitman doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2007.05.010

No Free Lunch and why you should think about this

I stumbled on this Digg Pharmaceutical Industry's Systematic Bribing about to be Exposed which was interesting since I was aware for a while that this "bribing" is happening.

Take a look at this excerpt from
No Free Lunch: "Why should doctors “Say No” to drug reps?

Your doctor’s job is to make sure that you are prescribed the most cost-effective drug. A drug rep’s job is to sell his or her product, whether or not this product is in fact the most cost-effective. Not surprisingly, information provided by reps is likely to biased in favor of their product. Furthermore, reps often provide gifts—food, pens, pads, and more food—in hopes of influencing what your doctor prescribes. Again, not surprisingly, research (as well as common sense) suggests that this works: Doctors who meet with reps and accept gifts from drug companies are more likely to prescribe their drugs – and this may mean a more expensive and possibly even inappropriate drug. There are plenty of sources of information available to doctors—non-promotional, unbiased, independent sources of information, so there is no longer any need for doctors to rely on sales people for this information. Unfortunately, these sources don't come with free lunch!"

I looked for a doctor in my area who participates and the closest one is like 15 miles away.

I wish more doctors knew about this pharma-dependency and take action like instructed on this website. I also hope even more so that they actually do some more research in how nutrition effects a patients health and drugs are not the only answer....

Nutritional Supplemets - Liquid form

I am looking into a product called Pancea which promises many great ingredients. I did research the manufacturer and it's Drucker Labs which makes IntraMax, and other products.

Initially this company sounds too good to be true, since the list of the ingredients is so impressive. What the company tells us on their website is the product was reviewed by many physicians and researchers. I will keep looking.

They have a section of video / audio talks called DoctorTalk

I listened to a few and they made sense on some level; especially the No Milk and the Excessive calcium intake: What is it and what does it do to the body? Listen for such things as "Too much calcium can be shown to associated with Parkinson's and Alsheimer's diseases.