Special Holiday Facts 12 days of christmas

Well the big day is here, so before I partake in all the goodies and open my new socks, I wanted to share a few things i discovered en route to looking up other things:

So. Do you know the meaning inherent in the well-known carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas"?

What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

Today, you'll find out.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning, plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality that the children could remember.


The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ

Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments

Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love

The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament

The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation

Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit
Prophesy

Serving
Teaching
Exhortation
Contribution
Leadership
Mercy

The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes

Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit

Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self Control

The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments

The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples

The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles'
Creed

Merry Christmas

The DEA, Civil Rights, and Inneffective On Site Drug Tests

Organic Consumers and Companies Harassed by Drug Agents and Police

When Canadian citizens Nadine Artemis and Ron Obadia took a family vacation, it ended with them being led through Toronto's airport in handcuffs, locked up and separated from their baby.
Police told them they could be facing years in prison for exporting narcotics.
Two and a half pounds of material found in their carry-on bag had tested positive for hashish. But they didn't have drugs. They had chocolate. So far, the couple's legal bills have topped $20,000.
The couple was caught up in what civil libertarians say is a growing problem -- the use of unreliable field drug-test kits as the basis to arrest innocent people on illegal drug charges.
The kits, which are used by most every police department in the U.S., and by federal agents in Customs at the nation’s borders, use powerful acids that react with the substance in a plastic pouch. If the liquid turns a certain color, it is a considered a positive result.
A positive result generally leads to an arrest.
But a number of legal products and plants test positive:
chocolate for hashish
rosemary for marijuana
natural soaps for the "date-rape drug" GHB
With the growth of organic and natural foods and products, experts say arrests are likely to increase.
Sources:
Organic Consumers Association November 1, 2008

>

As a certified DOT workplace drug test evaluator, I have long known that hand held, on site drug screens are grossly inaccurate. I never used them or recommend any institution use them,
let alone police and other law enforcement agencies that often employ those in our society with the lowest IQs, the most corrupt, and ironicly have total power and the ability to cause the most damage to our civil liberties than any other organizations in our country.
As Coroner and physician for our local jail, I have never worked with a more uneducated, ignorant, misguided group of individuals in my life.
Particularly probation officers who rank as the most untrustworthy, corrupt and ignorant individuals on the planet.
To put these inaccurate tools in the hands of these people is a travesty of justice that must be addressed. This is a system with nearly no counterbalances of power.
I personally have seen local adult parole authorities with a 4 hour course on drug testing use these tests to put people in jail on a regular basis, then have them tell me that they are 100% accurate! It smacks of third world justice and is happening all over this country.

As organic products become more popular, the potential for civil rights violations using these inaccurate test kits at borders, and in police patrol cars, is enormous.
This is not the first time innocent people have been jailed and burdened with large legal fees over organic fare like chocolate, herbs, all natural soaps, and even deodorants.
Cornelius Salonis of Shakopee, Minn., spent two nerve racking months in jail after police stopped him for drunk driving. He admitted to the drunk-driving charge, but was “scared witless” over the drug charge that was slapped on top of it when a deodorant in his car tested positive for cocaine. Lab tests ultimately showed it did not contain the drug.

Punk rocker Don Bolles also spent three days in jail in Newport Beach, Calif., in April last year, after his Dr. Bronner"s soap tested positive for GHB during a police traffic stop. Again, further lab tests found no drugs in the soap and the charges were dropped.
According to government officials, there are no records on how many people have been wrongly arrested because of this field test, but it’s probably safe to assume it certainly can, and does happen with some frequency, as people tend to travel with their favorite products. These days, many have switched to organics.

As for Nadine Artemis and Ron Obadia, just two weeks shy of being cleared of their drug charges, the couple, who are founders of Living Libations, a company that makes organic and natural food and beauty products in Haliburton, Ontario, were charged with drug possession again. This time while crossing the border in Lewiston, N.Y., on their way to a natural health festival -- despite the fact that they were traveling with a lawyer, just in case!
Officers ran the drug test on the food and toiletries in their possession, and the chocolate again tested positive for drugs. Ditto for a bottle of tea tree oil (a natural antiseptic and antifungal). Mr. Obadia was subsequently arrested again, and is currently awaiting the lab results that will likely exonerate him a second time.
But is it really reasonable to subject our constitutional rights to a test that is so clearly limited, and will lead to an untold number of arrests simply for carrying an organic treat, or an organic personal care product?
According to Allen Miller of Forensic Source, maker of the NarcoPouch® 928 test kits, the tests are designed to find “families of chemical compounds,” and are not meant to be definitive. “Any arrest should be the result of good investigative police work,” he says.
But following up with a real, valid test, after receiving a fake positive in the field usually means spending time in jail, posting bail, and hiring an attorney – potentially in a foreign country, depending on whether you’re coming or leaving, and where you get “caught” with your organic stash.
According to retired FBI agent and forensics expert Dr. Frederick Whitehurst:
“There is no effort by the National Academies of Science to validate forensic science protocols, and there are no national standards for presumptive field drug tests.
I believe our freedoms are being infringed upon because of fake science.”

NarcoPouch is a Great Natural Soap Test
As it turns out, any true natural soap product -- such as soaps by Dr. Bronner, Tom’s and Pangea -- will test positive with the NarcoPouch test, as demonstrated in this video on Dr. Bronner’s website. As will many all natural deodorants. Says David Bronner,
“Our testing shows that real soaps, which are made using the ecological time-honored process of saponification of vegetable oil, will always test positive for GHB, while complicated synthetic detergent-based so-called ‘liquid soaps’ will test negative.”

My Advice
Does it really take a rocket scientist to figure out, that at the very least, DON'T FILE ANY CHARGES UNTIL RELIABLE CONFIRMATION TESTS ARE RETURNED! DUH!???
Until these narcotic field tests have been re-formulated to give accurate results, and field agents can tell the difference between an organic personal care product and an illegal narcotic, (which given the stupidity and sheep like mentality of government agencies is highly doubtful) I strongly recommend you avoid traveling across the U.S. border with any kind of all natural soap, deodorant, or any other item that may get flagged, such as tea tree oil, or organic chocolate. You may also want to reconsider keeping these items in your car, in case you’re ever stopped and searched for a traffic violation.
It seems unreasonable, yes. But unless you’re willing to deal with that kind of hassle, think twice about what you pack when you travel.
This is the United States of America, where we are about to lose all of our civil liberties and our auto industry.

Wal Mart Stampede Death

It is very early in the process of discovering what truly happened, but one of those outrageous events that is hard to comprehend has occurred. a Wal Mart worker was trampled to death while trying to manage a crowd of early morning bargain seekers at a New Jersey Wal Mart
Apparently the doors were actually pushed in off the hinges and a throng of about 200 workers pushed through over and around this unfortunate 34 yr old temp worker.
I at first thought it was a hoax because of a quote about a pregnant lady losing her baby on site, which would never happen, she would be emergently taken to the hospital.
My initital gut is that no one individual caused this. I m sure the crowd pushed forward and the people in the front were merely at the tip of the spear.
However there must be surveillance tapes and its entirely possible that individuals may be charged in this persons death.
Reports were in the media and seem to be reliable that shoppers refused to stop shopping when told of the tragedy and that many were angry when told that the store was going to close to handle the tragedy.
These folks have to live with the reality of what they participated in, and ask themselves if this bargain merchandise they were trying to buy was worth acting like animals to get. Would they feel joy giving those gifts this Christmas?
I suppose the huge resulting lawsuit in this episode will result in changes in how these sales are handled including increased security and the handing out of entry numbers, and coupons that one must have in order to purchase the most desirable items, in the hours before the store opens in attempts to decrease the crowd size.
Each store only had probably 100 of the flat screens for sale anyways. So hand out those 100 coupons in line 2 hours before the store opens so folks can come anytime that morning to buy them and help stop the stampede mentality.
My how the almighty dollar affects otherwise basically rational people.
Was it worth standing in line all night in the cold to try and save $400 on a flat screen TV?
An outrageous death nonetheless.

McCain Or Obama

This is not a political blog.
But i think it needs to be said that McCain has been taking a hard knock for his bold plan to tax health benefits like any other benefit you get from your employer like a company car, bonuses or other allowances.
Heck yes that is painful. It is not a new concept and has been talked about for years. It is SURELY a burden from the haves to the have nots, (isnt this a DEMOCRATIC TENDENCY?)
IF IT IS USED TO EXPAND COVERAGE.
The other point is that the Bush administration STUBBORNLY REFUSED TO ALLOW MEDICARE TO NEGOTIATE LOWER DRUG PRICES WITH THE MAJOR PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES LIKE EVERY OTHER INSURANCE COMPANY IN THE COUNTRY
We absolutely need to allow medicare to negotiate and save up to 40% on drug acquisistion costs and stop the PROFIT WINDFALL for the drug companies.
We also need to consider a true one party payer. Its time. It works in other countries. Its not a swear word. Neither candidate is considering this at all.

Vitamin D more than just bones

Vitamin D is a Key Player in Your Overall Health
Vitamin D, once linked to only bone diseases such as rickets and osteoporosis, is now recognized as a major player in overall human health.In a paper published in the August issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Anthony Norman, an international expert on vitamin D, identifies vitamin D's potential for contributions to good health in the adaptive and innate immune systems, the secretion and regulation of insulin by the pancreas, the heart and blood pressure regulation, muscle strength and brain activity. Access to adequate amounts of vitamin D is also believed to be beneficial towards reducing the risk of cancer.Norman also lists 36 organ tissues in the body whose cells respond biologically to vitamin D, including bone marrow, breast, colon, intestine, kidney, lung, prostate, retina, skin, stomach and uterine tissues.According to Norman, deficiency of vitamin D can impact all 36 organs. Already, vitamin D deficiency is associated with muscle strength decrease, high risk for falls, and increased risk for colorectal, prostate and breast and other major cancers.An unrelated study also suggests that low vitamin D is associated with Parkinson’s disease. The majority (55 percent) of Parkinson's disease patients in the study had insufficient levels of vitamin D. Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics has doubled its recommendation for a daily dose of vitamin D in children, in the hopes of preventing rickets and promoting other health benefits.The new guidelines now call for children to receive 400 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day, beginning in the first few days of life.“ … Evidence has shown this could have life-long health benefits," said Dr. Frank Greer of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Sources:
Eurekalert October 9, 2008
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition August 2008, Vol. 88, No. 2, 491S-499S
Archives of Neurology October 2008, Vol. 65, No. 10
Reuters October 13, 2008

It’s somewhat unfortunate that dermatologists and sunscreen manufacturers have done such a thorough job of scaring some people out of the sun. Their widely dispersed message to avoid the sun as much as possible, combined with an overall cultural trend of spending more time indoors during work and leisure time, has greatly contributed to the widespread vitamin D deficiency that’s seen today.
There are only 30,000 genes in your body and vitamin D has been shown to influence over 2,000 of them.
That is one of the primary reasons it influences so many diseases (as seen in the table below).
Cancer
Hypertension
Heart disease
Autism
Obesity
Rheumatoid arthritis
Diabetes 1 and 2
Multiple Sclerosis
Crohn's disease
Flu
Colds
Tuberculosis
Septicemia
Aging
Psoriasis
Eczema
Insomnia
Hearing loss
Muscle pain
Cavities
Periodontal disease
Athletic performance
Macular degeneration
Myopia
Pre eclampsia
Seizures
Fertility
Asthma
Cystic fibrosis
Migraines
Depression
Alzheimer's disease
Schizophrenia

Vitamin D really isn’t a vitamin at all but a potent neuroregulatory steroidal hormone. It has become very clear that vitamin D deficiency is a growing epidemic across the world and is contributing to many chronic debilitating diseases. In the United States, the late winter average vitamin D is only about 15-18 ng/ml, which is considered a very serious deficiency state. Meanwhile, it’s thought that over 95 percent of U.S. senior citizens may be deficient, along with 85 percent of the American public.

Further:
• Vitamin D deficiency is epidemic in adults of all ages who have increased skin pigmentation, such as those whose ancestors are from Africa, the Middle East, or India, who always wear sun protection, or who limit their outdoor activities.
• African Americans and other dark-skinned people and those living in northern latitudes make significantly less vitamin D than other groups.
• 60 percent of people with type 2 diabetes have vitamin D deficiency.
• Studies showed very low levels of vitamin D among children, the elderly, and women.
• One U.S. study of women revealed that almost half of African American women of childbearing age might be vitamin-D deficient.Vitamin D and CancerGiven that cancer, heart disease and diabetes are three of the top causes of death in the United States, ensuring that you are getting enough of this crucial vitamin should be a top priority.A study by Dr. William Grant, Ph.D., internationally recognized research scientist and vitamin D expert, found that about 30 percent of cancer deaths -- which amounts to 2 million worldwide and 200,000 in the United States -- could be prevented each year with higher levels of vitamin D.Vitamin D has a protective effect against cancer in several ways, including:
• Increasing the self-destruction of mutated cells (which, if allowed to replicate, could lead to cancer)• Reducing the spread and reproduction of cancer cells
• Causing cells to become differentiated (cancer cells often lack differentiation)
• Reducing the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, which is a step in the transition of dormant tumors turning cancerousBeyond cancer, the researchers pointed out that increasing levels of vitamin D3 could prevent diseases that claim nearly 1 million lives throughout the world each year! And other studies showed that you can decrease your risk of cancer by MORE THAN HALF simply by optimizing your vitamin D levels with sun exposure.Worried About Getting the Flu? Optimize Your Vitamin DAs we enter into flu season in the United States, you should know that your vitamin D levels play a direct role in your risk of getting the flu. Vitamin D levels in your blood fall to their lowest point during flu seasons. If you have low vitamin D, you will not be protected by your body’s own antibiotics (antimicrobial peptides), which are released by vitamin D. This means that a person with a low vitamin D level is more vulnerable to contracting colds, influenza, and other respiratory infections.

.What can you do instead to safely prevent, and even treat, the flu? getting enough vitamin D will nearly eliminate your risk of getting the flu.
BUT THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!!!!!
But don’t listen to the RDAs spouted by the public health agencies. They are not nearly enough to keep you healthy. In order to prevent the flu, children need 2,000 IU a day of vitamin D, while adults need 5,000 IU to 10,000 IU.So even though the American Academy of Pediatrics just announced that they’re doubling the RDA of vitamin D for children to 400 IU, their new guidance still falls absurdly short of what’s needed to keep kids healthy.
If you do come down with a case of the flu this year, vitamin D can also help to eliminate the illness. The dose of vitamin D is 2,000 IU per kilogram of body weight, taken as one dose, every day for three days. If you start this program early on in the illness, it should be able to completely wipe out the flu.

The Best Source of Vitamin D, and What Level You Need to Stay HealthyExposing your skin to sunlight is the best way to get vitamin D. Sun exposure (without sunscreen) of about 10 to 15 minutes a day, with at least 40 percent of your skin exposed, is a general guide of how much you need, although people with dark skin will need to stay out significantly longer.
If you’re able to get out in the sun for an adequate time period each day, your vitamin D levels should be naturally optimized. However most of us struggle with seasonal vitamin D winters in which we may not be able to get enough sun exposure during certain parts of the year. In that case, I also advise using a safe tanning bed (one that has the harmful emissions shielded) to have your own body produce vitamin D naturally. A third option is taking a high-quality vitamin D supplement. The most important thing to keep in mind if you opt for oral supplementation is that you only want to supplement with natural vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), which is human vitamin D. Do NOT use the synthetic and highly inferior vitamin D2 How do you know if you’re getting the right amount of vitamin D?You need to have your blood levels tested, but not just any test -- or any lab -- will do. Most doctors will not tet for this vitamin and consider it not an important medical test.
I personally use Ultra-Vitality by symmetry. it is high quality totally complete daily supplement with more than just vitamins and minerals.
It has a blend of herbals that actually increase the uptake of nutrients on the border of the small intestine. It has a blend of herbals, antioxidants and energy blends that is among the best on the market
go to www.symmetrydirect.com/sservices and click on products to view this supplement

Climate, Natural Disasters and Health Care

HERE we have a great article about the terrible natural disasters we have been having in the last several years Straight from TIME magazine. See the link at the end.
Why is it here?
Well it is my position that the concept of climate change is given way too much precedence and focus of our national resources.
While we spend billions on carbon reduction, which is at best a dubious answer to global warming, other long term solutions are negelected.
We need alternative energy sources that are cleaner than what we have now. We need to pour money into developing systems that are sustainable.
We need to consider population growth as a huge factor in that sustainability.
What we do not need is to pour billions into answers to the wrong problem.
I am still not convinced CO2 levels are causing climate change.
We have had ice ages and global warming cycles throughout history that correlate better with sunspot activity! Shouldn't we have a broader view of energy production than limiting CO2 output?
I mean, I know it is not an easy question to ask, but why do so many people live in a place below sea level like New Orleans? What are the long term questions surrounding continuing to live there?
And with politicians running around like chicken Little about carbon output, what are we doing about health care and the solid answers that need to be developed to provide and yes RATION care and a myriad of other issues that need immediate attention.

Enjoy this article, and remember not everything related to climate has a CO2 output level attatched to it.

(time articel follows see end for citation details)
If it seems like disasters are getting more common, it's because they are. But some disasters do seem to be affecting us worse - and not for the reasons you may think. Floods and storms have led to most of the excess damage. The number of flood and storm disasters has gone up by 7.4% every year in recent decades, according to the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. (Between 2000 and 2007, the growth was even faster - with an average annual rate of increase of 8.4%.) Of the total 197 million people affected by disasters in 2007, 164 million were affected by floods.
It is tempting to look at the line-up of storms in the Atlantic (Hanna, Ike, Josephine) and, in the name of everything green, blame climate change for this state of affairs. But there is another inconvenient truth out there: We are getting more vulnerable to weather mostly because of where we live, not just how we live.
In recent decades, people around the world have moved en masse to big cities near water. The population of Miami-Dade County in Florida was about 150,000 in the 1930s, a decade fraught with severe hurricanes. Since then, the population of Miami-Dade County has rocketed 1,600% to 2,400,000.
So the same intensity hurricane today wreaks all sorts of havoc that wouldn't have occurred had human beings not migrated. (To see how your own coastal county has changed in population, check out this cool graphing tool from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.)
If climate change is having an effect on the intensities of storms, it's not obvious in the historical weather data. And whatever effect it is having is much, much smaller than the effect of development along the coastlines. In fact, if you look at all storms from 1900 to 2005 and imagine we had today's populations on the coasts, as Roger Pielke, Jr., and his colleagues did in a 2008 Natural Hazards Review paper, you would see that the worst hurricane would have actually happened in 1926.
If it happened today, the Great Miami storm would have caused $140 to $157 billion in damages. (Hurricane Katrina, the costliest storm in U.S. history, caused $100 billion in losses.) "There has been no trend in the number or intensity of storms at landfall since 1900,"says Pielke, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado. "The storms themselves haven't changed."
What's changed is what we've put in the storm's way. Crowding together in coastal cities puts us at risk on a few levels. First, it is harder for us to evacuate before a storm because of gridlock. And in much of the developing world, people don't get the kinds of early warnings that Americans get. So large migrant populations - usually living in flimsy housing - get flooded out year after year. That helps explain why Asia has repeatedly been the hardest hit by disasters in recent years.
Secondly, even if we get all the humans to safety, we still have more stuff in harm's way. So each big hurricane costs more than the big one before it, even controlling for inflation.
But the most insidious effect of building condos and industry along the water is that we are systematically stripping the coasts of the protection that used to cushion the blow of extreme weather. Three years after Katrina, southern Louisiana is still losing a football field worth of wetlands every 38 minutes.
Human beings have been clearing away our best protections all over the world, says Kathleen Tierney, director of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder. "The natural protections are diminishing - whether you're talking about mangrove forests in areas affected by the Indian ocean tsunami, wetlands in the Gulf Coast or forests, which offer protection against landslides and mudslides."
Before we become hopelessly lost in despair, however, there is good news: we can do something about this problem. We can enact meaningful building codes and stop keeping insurance premiums artificially low in flood zones.
But first we need to understand that disasters aren't just caused by FEMA and greenhouse gases. Says Tierney: "I don't think that people have an understanding of questions they should be asking - about where they live, about design and construction, about building inspection, fire protection. These just aren't things that are on people's minds."
Increasingly, climate change is on people's minds, and that is all for the better. Even if climate change has not been the primary driver of disaster losses, it is likely to cause far deadlier disasters in the future if left unchecked.
But even if greenhouse gas emissions plummeted miraculously next year, we would not expect to see a big change in disaster losses. So it's important to stay focused on the real cause of the problem, says Pielke. "Talking about land-use policies in coastal Mississippi may not be the sexiest topic, but that's what's going to make the most difference on this issue." View this article on Time.com

Growing Portions and Growing Obesity

With soaring food prices sparking protests in many countries, and more than 800 million people going hungry every day worldwide, U.S. food portions are under scrutiny.
Portion sizes in the United States not only exceed those in less-developed countries, but also in the developed world. Americans have the highest per capita daily consumption in the world, eating 3,770 calories a day.
One fast-food chain calls its massive burger a "monument to decadence".
"We've looked at large portion sizes almost entirely in terms of whether it's healthy for us, and now we have to consider is that sort of a demand going to be sustainable," said Paul Roberts, author of The End of Food. "It would probably be a way to take pressure off of grain markets if we somehow convinced people to take smaller portion sizes."
Sources:
Reuters July 29, 2008

Comments!
Although this Reuters article was trying to connect smaller portion sizes with being able to lessen the current worldwide food crisis I believe we should really focus on reducing American portion sizes for pure health reasons. Maybe it will help lessen the impact of rising food prices around the world, maybe not.
But eating less could do wonders for the health of most people reading this.
Mini-Size Me!
Morgan Spurlock’s documentary film, Supersize Me, should be a mandatory film for all children and their parents to see. Prior to his experiment, Spurlock was a highly fit and athletic individual weighing 185 pounds. He went on a McDonald's diet, gained 25 pounds, and looked and felt absolutely terrible. It is truly amazing to SEE what massive amounts of trans fat and 31 pounds of sugar will do to you in just one month.
He ended up suffering from many health complaints I see every day such as fatigue, headaches and indigestion. His cholesterol levels were high and he suffered from uric acid and mild chemical hepatitis. Before his 30 days were even over, his doctor urged him to cancel his experiment because his health was deteriorating so rapidly and getting flat out dangerous.
Not only does eating fast food expose you to addictive sugar and dangerous trans fats, but it also gives you more calories than you may think. As stated in this article, the average American consumes an amazing 3,770 calories a day!
Listen folks, unless you’re in daily training for the Olympics, in three separate events, the only thing this amount of calories will accomplish is rapidly deteriorating health.
The problem with “supersizing” is that the larger a meal gets, the harder it becomes to estimate how many calories are involved (not to mention that when you eat out, you don't know how the meal is prepared, or with what ingredients, which adds to the difficulty).
Super-sizing -- whether from a fast food or slower food restaurant – simply tempts you to spend more money on extra calories you don't need

Eat What You Need, Not What You’re Served
Previous studies have shown that it actually takes you longer to reach fullness or satiety when you’re served a larger than normal portion of food, and young children consume about 25 percent less when allowed to help themselves to what they want than when served.
In one survey, 67 percent of participants said that they finish their entrees when eating out all or most of the time. As many restaurants serve very large portions, it’s no wonder studies have also found a link between body weight and frequency of consuming meals from restaurants.
Always use your hunger as a guide, rather than deciding how much to eat based on what’s on your plate. Your hunger may in fact be a major clue that you’re eating not only the wrong types of food, but that you’re likely consuming them in lopsided ratios for your individual biochemistry.
“What’s Cooking?”
Right now, about 90 percent of the money Americans spend on food goes toward highly processed foods. This is a prescription for chronic degenerative disease; most Americans are simply exchanging convenience for their health.If you choose to rely on restaurant food for most of your meals, you are simply cutting off decades from your lifespan and increasing the likelihood of having to rely on expensive and potentially toxic drugs to treat the symptoms that will result from not eating healthy.
So you either pay now or wind up paying later, at which point it will typically be far more painful and expensive.
You, a family member, or someone you pay, simply has to spend time in the kitchen cooking fresh wholesome meals if you have any hope of staying healthy. Like many people, I have very little "free time" in my life, but still I am committed to preparing over 95 percent of my meals in order to preserve my health. It is a commitment, a truly important one, and it CAN be done.
Rather than have 90 percent of your food as processed, set a goal to reverse that ratio and strive for a diet of 90 percent non-processed food and only 10 percent from other sources. Not only will you enjoy numerous health benefits, but you will gain the satisfaction of preparing meals and being able to control the ingredients.

Yes, it takes more time and energy to follow an individualized nutrition plan than to eat fast food, but doing so could:
Add years to your lifespan
Give you more energy than you know what to do with
Help you avoid cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis

It’s all in the Ratios of Your Rations
The beauty of eating according to your nutritional type, which is based on your personal biochemistry, is that your food cravings will dissipate, making reducing the sizes of your portions that much easier. You can split your meals into five or six smaller portions, and still be far less hungry than you ever were before because your body is finally getting the fuel it needs to thrive.
If you are having food cravings and “can’t stop eating,” then you likely need to readjust your food choices as discussed in my book Take Control of Your Health
Typically this involves shifting the ratio of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, once you have determined what types of food your body is designed to eat. Optimal health may actually have less to do with the type of food you are eating, but with the relative percentage of each food you consume.

Global Warming Cause: A left Wing Media Lie?

At a press conference on May 19, Dr. Arthur Robinson announced the release of the names of 32,000 scientists who have signed a strongly worded petition dissenting from the position taken by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and other scientific organizations.
Signers include more than 9,000 Ph.Ds, although only a relatively small percentage of the signers are climate scientists.
Most signatures were obtained by mailing to lists of university professors and a compendium that constitutes a “Who’s Who” of American scientists.
Sources:
Association of American Physicians and Surgeons May 20, 2008
HumanEvents.com May 20, 2008

The debate over global warming is very similar to the propaganda machine started by tobacco giant Philip Morris in 1992, as they went to work on discrediting an EPA report attributing dangerous health problems to smoking. That was when the term “junk science” became part of the lexicon.
To smoking advocates, junk science referred to scientific, peer-reviewed studies linking smoking to cancer, whereas "sound science" meant studies supporting the tobacco industry's claims that the link was inconclusive, principles soon used by global warming advocates to blur the debate in a similar fashion.
Are We Focusing on the Real Issues at Hand?
Personally, I think it’s quite clear that global warming is a natural cyclic occurrence that is not solely created by man. To ignore these cycles and focus exclusively on data that supports global warming as a man-made phenomenon doesn’t solve the problems associated with global warming, but it does create brand new financial and political platforms.

The Two Biggest Lies:
1) That Scientists have reached a consensus
There is MUCH more dissent about this issue that is commonly reported, and only 5% of the most recent consensus ARE EVEN CLIMATOLOGISTS!
Also science IS NOT A DEMOCRACY, it is not done by census nor convention. It is lead by FACT. If you took a consensus 500 years ago leading scientists would have said the earth was flat and the sun revolved around it!!!

2) That rising carbon monoxide levels correlate with global warming. They simply don't!! Carbon monoxide has been increasing for 50 years and has exploded in the last 10, but the warming has continued at the same rate. Sun spot activity actually correlates better! (more on that later)
However, that does NOT mean I’m for continuing polluting the world as we are today.
Naturally, we would all be healthier with less pollution and environmental toxins of all kinds. But these are things we need to address because they are health hazards in and of themselves, not necessarily because they’re heating up the planet and must be strictly controlled and enforced by some small empirical ruling group who will make the decisions to save us from ourselves.
I believe in more self-responsibility by individual citizens, and better, cleaner, safer alternatives. Not just more governmental taxes and fines while letting business go on as usual and ignoring real health-benefiting solutions.
The issue of global warming is indeed a hot topic – just reading through the unusually prolific and fervent opinions in the in most public discussion forums will give you a taste for how divided people are on this issue.
Opinions, and “supporting evidence” abounds; covering the entire spectrum from ‘man had nothing to do with it and therefore we need to do nothing to clean up our atmosphere,’ to ‘man is solely responsible, and we have to take severe and drastic measures to stop its progression.’ There are studies that purportedly support both sides of the argument, with each side saying that “the debate is over.” But as Lawrence Solomon said in the Financial Post, “How many scientists does it take to establish that a consensus does not exist on global warming?”
Does the Sun Influence Climate on Earth?
There are clear correlations between the ebb and flow of sunspots and the temperature here on earth. When the frequency of sunspots rises, earth’s temperature rises as well. When they disappear, the earth cools. During the Maunder Minimum, a 50-year period when the sun was uncommonly quiet, the earth fell into what’s referred to as The Little Ice Age.
Right now, we’re heading into a big sunspot cycle. It started in January 2008, with the onset of a reversed-polarity sunspot. So, in the next several years, we’re likely to experience many record high summer temperatures, and warmer than normal winters. The glaciers will continue retreating.
And then, when solar cycle 25 hits ten to twelve years later, the overheating will subside, and we may even experience a minor ice age.
Who Does the Idea of Man-Made Global Warming Benefit?
(I mean besides the asshole Al Gore)
I haven’t taken a stance on why, exactly, political global warming activists are doing what they’re doing. But I’m not ruling out the possibility that there are vast financial gains involved that will be made even though it won’t change the inevitability of the natural occurrence of global warming, which will be followed by a natural global cool-down.
One of the dangers, as I see it, is that by being distracted by fear mongers, we might not focus on the real issues at hand: securing safe and healthy foods to eat; ensuring safe water supplies; figuring out alternative, non-polluting sources of energy as oil becomes a scarce commodity and poor air quality is choking many parts of the world literally to death.
And, fixing the fatally flawed health care system in the United States, which will only get worse as the climate changes, regardless of what or who’s at fault.
On May 29th, the Associated Press announced that the White House had finally produced their U.S. global warming report, under court order, after refusing to release it for four years. This 271-page report includes predictions of increased smog-induced deaths, water shortages across the United States, a need for billions of dollars in more power plants, increased food- and waterborne diseases, and last but not least, a disproportionate disparity between the poor, the elderly, and the uninsured, compared to those who can afford health care insurance.
These are the issues we need to focus on changing.
We can’t do anything about the inner workings of the sun, but we can work toward creating a cleaner and healthier environment for all, and you can work on creating optimal health for yourself and your family, and make the necessary preparations for surviving and staying safe in these changing times.
Do your own research and form your own opinions.

Is this why losing weight is so hard??

I haven't added a post here in a month due to my daughter's surgery and surrounding issues. She is doing fine and I hope to return to a normal routine.

From an article reporting on a recent obesity study:

Scientists have discovered why overweight people find it so hard to lose weight; the difference in the number of fat cells between lean and obese people is established during childhood. Although overweight people replenish their fat cells at the same rate as thin ones, they have around twice as many fat cells total.
This means that the number of fat cells in a person remains the same, even after a successful diet.
Until now, it was not clear that adults could make new fat cells. Many believed that fat mass was increased solely by incorporating more fats into already existing fat cells. In fact, people constantly produce new fat cells.
Fat cells are replaced at the same rate that they die, about 10 percent every year. Obesity is determined by a combination of the number of fat cells and their size; they can grow or shrink as fat from food is deposited in them.
Sources:
The Telegraph May 4, 2008
Nature May 8, 2008; 453(7192):169 (Free Full Text Article)
Nature Genetics May 4, 2008 [Epub ahead of print] (Free Full Text Article)


Keeping up with this kind of twisted logic is difficult, but somebody’s got to do it. The alternative is to allow articles like this to cloud the minds of otherwise intelligent folks like you into thinking that weight has nothing to do with your lifestyle choices, and everything to do with the number of fat cells your parents so rudely handed down to you via the family gene pool.
According to the author of this Telegraph story, scientists have now discovered why it’s so difficult for overweight people to lose weight – they somehow ended up with nearly twice as many fat cells as their slimmer counterparts during childhood, which can be linked to a genetic aberration.
And from this revolutionary knowledge, new treatment protocols (read: drugs) to attack the signals and genes in fat cells that control the formation of new cells, and/or gene manipulation, will undoubtedly be born. As Dr. Spalding said, "Until now it was not clear whether there was fat cell turnover in adults. Now we have established this does occur, we can target the process.”
What’s Wrong With This Thinking?.
In fact, fat cells around your hips and bottom (subcutaneous fat) “communicate” and affect your metabolism in an entirely different way than the fat cells around your waistline and inner organs According to those findings, a heavier bottom actually protects you from developing metabolic syndrome and diabetes, because your subcutaneous fat aids your metabolic functioning, whereas visceral fat around your gut predisposes you to those same diseases.
So what could you reasonably assume might happen, were you to take drugs to eliminate fat cells, or fat cell renewal throughout your body?
Who knows?
But if the history of pharmaceuticals has taught us anything, it’s that the only thing that’s certain is that side effects are highly unpredictable.
And as far as the faulty gene theory goes, science has already debunked the "bad genes" theory showing that good nutrition can overcome this predisposition!
But, gene therapy is such a lucrative dream. No Big Pharma-funded scientist can bear to watch that dream die.
What’s Fat Got to Do With It?
Contrary to the popular belief that fat cells should be banished, they are a very important metabolically active part of your body, producing hormones that impact your brain, liver, immune system and even your ability to reproduce. Yes fat cells are not just some inert storage product that has no real purpose except as a fuel reserve.
What’s more, the hormones your fat cells produce impact how much you eat and how much fat you burn.One of these hormones is leptin, which sends signals that reduce hunger, increase fat burning and reduce fat storage. You might recognize this word because once these hormones are discovered, fly by night weight loss product companies soon incorporate these words into products to try to convince you they are the modern up to date new magic bullet of science.
So using this hormone normally functioning fat cells are communicating properly and can “hear” this message of hunger or lack of hunger.
If you eat a diet that is too high in sugar and grains, the sugar gets metabolized to fat (and is stored as fat in your fat cells), which in turn releases surges in leptin. Over time, if your body is exposed to too much leptin, it will become resistant to it (just as your body can become resistant to insulin).And when you become leptin-resistant, your body can no longer hear the messages telling it to stop eating and burn fat -- so it remains hungry and stores more fat.
Leptin-resistance also causes an increase in visceral fat, sending you on a vicious cycle of hunger, fat storage and an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and more.
As Sadaf Shadan states in the scientific journal Nature, there are two contributing factors to an increase in fat mass: the number of fat cells, and how much fat each of them stores (their volume).
So essentially, you can have fewer fat cells and still be overweight because each cell is “maxed out,” if you will, or alternatively, you can have more fat cells overall and be at an ideal weight simply because your fat cells are functioning properly and not storing excess fat.
Either way, you’re in control here.

What Genetic Mutation Disaster Happened in the 60’s?
Interestingly enough, man has not always struggled with obesity.
According to historical analysis, presented in the policy research study: Pub. 757, Public Policy in Global Health and Medical Practice, 2006, obesity began it's climb to become the second leading cause of unnecessary death, back in the 1960’s.
Did man suddenly experience a mass genetic mutation at that time, giving rise to one of the leading health problems of today?
No.
Cultural changes, dietary changes and technological changes had a major impact on the evolution of obesity from then on. Americans, as well as many other countries, now live in a society that encourages excessive food intake, including non-food food-stuffs like processed foods and snacks, and discourages physical activity.
If inappropriate diet and sedentary lifestyles created the problem, how can it be cured by messing around with your genes, or removing fat cells, either surgically or pharmaceutically?
Do You REALLY Want to Lose Weight?
Yes, it’s true:
“The worst part of eating healthy and getting in shape is that you usually have to get out of bed yourself to do it”
There is no Magic Pill. Some might help kick-start things temporarily, but they can’t keep you there.
There are, however, four tenets of long-term optimal health and weight that remain the same, regardless of the cause:
Eat a healthy diet that’s right for you, paying very careful attention to keeping your insulin levels down
Get plenty of sleep
Manage your stress
Exercise
Remember, obesity is a direct result of poor dietary choices and insufficient exercise.

Final Thoughts
People often ask me why I do this work. Am I not just wangling my own wares like everybody else?
Well the answer is quite simply that I’ve seen far too much needless suffering through my years in medical practice. Absolutely needless suffering -- whether in the form of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stress, you-name-it –because people were carefully manipulated and deceived by our current modern culture from the get it know pain free look good world to the total reliance on corn for our entire system of food production.
The real tragedy is that they never explored the simple options that could relatively easily reverse their illness. The paradox is that most of these alternatives are as free as the air you breathe. Changing your eating habits, getting to bed at a decent hour, learning to say “no” when you’re overloaded, and going for a walk will cost you nothing. But the rewards can be priceless.
Some people insist I was misguided to recommend sun exposure daily to assure appropriate vitamin D levels but the science seems to be bearing these beliefs out.

I believe information is more powerful than pills when it comes to creating and maintaining optimal health.
So stay informed, be the change, and spread it around as widely as you can.

How To Keep Men From Missing the Toilet

CLICK TO ENLARGE !!

Here is an interesting example of either human psychology or process engineering, depending how you look at it.

Another Chemical We Don't Need in Our Food

New Stealth Chemicals Hidden in Your Food
If you pick up a can of soup and find that the sodium levels are lower than you expected, or that a food item advertises it has “less sugar” or “no MSG” ... then there may be cause for alarm.
A relatively young company, Senomyx, may be responsible for the sodium and sugar levels falling in various grocery store items. They may be putting chemicals into your food right now, without telling you and without you even realizing. Under the law, they don’t have to.
Senomyx has contracted with Kraft, Nestle, Coca Cola, and Campbell Soup to put a chemical in foods that masks bitter flavors by turning off bitter flavor receptors on your tongue. The companies can then reduce sugar and sodium levels by approximately half without affecting the flavor.
All of the companies declined to identify which foods and beverages the chemical additives have been or will be added to. These chemical compounds are not required to be listed separately on food labels; they are grouped into the general category of "artificial flavors.
"Senomyx was able to obtain FDA approval and a “generally recognized as safe” classification from the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association in less than a year and a half, based on a safety study of rats conducted for just 3 months.
Food items that are most likely to contain these new chemicals include soups, juices (fruit and vegetable), ice cream and sauces.
Sources:
Natural News April 10, 2008

Say What?
Perhaps one day we can all simply eat cans of mush, and it won’t matter because they’ll contain chemicals to block and alter all of our taste receptors! This is an example of reverse engineering gone awry.
Processed foods, by their very nature, do not taste good unless they have loads of artificial colors and flavoring agents, salt, sugar and often MSG added to doctor up the flavors.
In fact, most processed foods would taste incredibly bitter if they weren’t doctored up because of things like their extremely hot cooking processes and added caffeine (in soft drinks).
So what do food companies like Nestle, Cadbury Schweppes, Campbell Soup, and Coca-Cola do? They hire Senomyx, a biotech company that can skillfully manipulate your taste buds with synthetic chemicals.
The company has already developed several chemicals that, although they contain no flavor of their own, activate or block receptors in your mouth that taste. The chemicals can mimic or enhance savory, sweet and salty tastes, and are intended to reduce the use of sugar, salt and monosodium glutamate (MSG) in processed foods.
One of Senomyx’s chemicals even causes a “cooling” taste, and we have only just begun to hear about the “innovations” that come from this company.Senomyx already has 113 patents, and 371 more pending, in the United States, Europe and elsewhere in the world.

A Lesson About Your Taste Buds
When you were in grade school, you were probably taught that certain areas of your tongue can taste different flavors. The “sweet” taste buds, for instance, were said to be at the tip of your tongue, and the “bitter” ones in back.This taste-bud tongue map is still being taught today, but it has been known for decades to be entirely incorrect. In reality, each one of your taste buds contains 50 to 100 receptors for each taste. This means that you can taste every flavor there is with every taste bud on your tongue.
And, along with the standard sweet, sour, salty and bitter tastes that everyone has heard of, your tongue can also taste a fifth basic taste: umami (the taste of glutamate, which is found in many Japanese foods, bacon and also MSG).
It is also being debated whether or not there is actually a sixth taste receptor for fat on your tongue as well.Of course, your taste buds are not only there for pleasurable purposes. They also help you determine if a food is spoiled, unripe or otherwise unsafe to eat, which is why you’re probably better off leaving your taste buds as nature intended them to be: in fully functioning, tasting condition.
Your Taste Buds May Already be Deceiving You
Nestle is already marketing products that contain one of Senomyx’s savory enhancers.But you would never know it, because the chemical compounds are lumped in with an ingredient that’s already listed on most processed foods: “artificial flavors.”
A little digging and found that the first product sold by Nestle that includes these “savory flavor ingredients” is bouillon used as a base to make soups and stews.
So if you are using one of theirs that lists “artificial flavors,” I’d be very suspicious.Meanwhile, because the compounds are being used in small amounts (less than one part per million), Senomyx did not have to go through the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval process typically necessary to release food additives. Instead of the lengthy FDA process, the company only had to be classified as "generally recognized as safe" by the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association -- a task that took less than 18 months.
And as for safety, well there was that one three-month rat study. That’s right: one three-month long study is apparently enough for major food manufacturers to decide that a never-before-used chemical is safe for you and your family to eat.
Unfortunately, for now it appears that these taste-bud-altering chemicals are here to stay, as earlier this month both Coca-Cola and Nestle extended their research agreements with Senomyx.
If You Want Chemical-Free Food …It is becoming more important than ever to avoid processed foods. At the very least, boycott any product that lists “artificial flavors” as an ingredient.

You can tell a real food from a processed food because real foods are:
Grown, not processed
Messy, not neat and convenient
Of variable quality, not always the same
Prone to spoiling, not “forever” fresh
Vibrantly colored and textured, not dull and bland
Naturally flavorful, not artificially flavored
Strongly connected to the land and culture

Real foods have flavors that your taste buds won’t want to miss, so take a break from the grocery store and take advantage of your local farmer’s markets. There you’ll find fresh, whole foods that your taste buds will be happy to recognize

The Mysteries of Sleep

New Information on the Science of Sleep

Human beings sleep through one-third of their lives, yet why we sleep is one of the biggest unanswered questions of science. In the fascinating article from 60 Minutes, linked below, Lesley Stahl explores all of the latest scientific findings about the reasons for -- and functions of -- sleep.Here is a sampling of what she found after talking with sleep researchers from across the United States:

You can die from sleep deprivation, just like you can die from being deprived of food.
Sleep can actually enhance your memories.

A single night of sleeping just four, five or even six hours can impact your ability to think clearly.
Sleep deprivation can cause changes in your brain activity similar to those experienced by people with psychiatric disorders.

Sleep deprivation puts your body into a pre-diabetic state, and makes you feel hungry, even if you’ve already eaten.

Sources:
CBS News March 16, 2008


It is just an amazing thing that for something we spend so much of our time doing, there is no strong consensus as to exactly WHY we do it. Sure we are rechargin, regenerating but what is the science behind this?
What is known is that humans are the only animals that continually push the limits of sleep -- and try to function without enough of it.As Stahl’s report so clearly revealed, skimping on sleep is a recipe for disaster. For instance, too little sleep can:

1. Make you fat: People who sleep less than seven hours a night tend to have a higher body mass index (BMI) than people who sleep more. This could be because sleep deprivation alters metabolism. Leptin, the hormone that signals satiety, falls while ghrelin, which signals hunger, rises -- and this boosts your appetite

.2. Harm your brain: Lack of sleep may cause your brain to stop producing new connections
among the trillions of cells is your brain.

3. Increase your risk of cancer: How well you sleep can seriously alter the balance of hormones in your body. This can then disrupt your sleep/wake cycle, also called your circadian rhythm. A disrupted circadian rhythm may influence cancer progression through shifts in hormones like melatonin, which your brain makes during sleep.

4. Increase your risk of diabetes: Too little sleep may reduce levels of leptin, possibly causing you to gain weight and then develop diabetes.

5. Accelerate aging: Regularly catching only a few hours of sleep can hinder metabolism and hormone production in a way that is similar to the effects of aging.Studies have also linked sleep deprivation to heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. And it’s during sleep that your body does most of its repairs, so not getting enough of it can impair your immune system and leave you less able to fight off diseases.Yet, in today’s society, the ability to get just five hours of sleep a night, or less, is touted like a badge of honor. Well, you may think that you can function on just a little bit of sleep, but you cannot fool your body. All of the caffeine in the world cannot make up for a good night’s sleep.

How Much Sleep Do You Need?Generally speaking, adults need to get between six and nine hours of sleep a night. But there are definitely exceptions. Some people can, in fact, function well on as few as five hours a night, while others need up to 10.You may also need more sleep during times of illness or emotional stress, or during the winter months. And pregnant women often need several hours more sleep than usual during their first three months of pregnancy.A good rule of thumb to follow is that if you feel tired when you wake up, you probably aren’t getting enough sleep. Most of us have set times that we need to wake up in the morning, so getting more sleep, for most of us, means going to bed earlier.

Secrets to a Good Night's Sleep
which include:

Avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains and sugars. This will raise blood sugar and inhibit sleep. Later, when blood sugar drops too low (hypoglycemia), you might wake up and not be able to fall back asleep.
Sleep in complete darkness or as close as possible. If there is even the tiniest bit of light in your room it can disrupt your circadian rhythm and your pineal gland's production of melatonin and serotonin.
No TV right before bed. Even better, get the TV out of the bedroom or even out of the house, completely. It is too stimulating to your brain and it will take longer to fall asleep.
Wear socks to bed. Due to the fact that they have the poorest circulation, your feet often feel cold before the rest of your body. A study has shown that wearing socks reduces night wakings
Get to bed as early as possible. Our systems, particularly our adrenals, do a majority of their recharging or recovering during the hours of 11PM and 1AM.
Keep the temperature in the bedroom no higher than 70 degrees F. Many people keep their homes and particularly the upstairs bedrooms too hot.
Eat a high-protein snack several hours before bed. This can provide the L-tryptophan need to produce melatonin and serotonin.

Bad foods that are not as bad as you think!

A large number of us want to be healthier and lose weight. In our quest to accomplish this we often avoid foods like burgers, pizza and ice cream.
But when approached properly these foods can actually help you lose or keep off weight.

RED MEAT
Burgers and meatballs can be a healthy alternative if you rethink what goes into them. using extra lean red meat can be a great choice. First, it gives one the feeling of eating how most of us were raised, with red meat being a staple. Secondly these meats are a great source of muscle building and preserving proteins and they digest slowly and can help produce a feeling satisfying your hunger and maintaining the sense of fullness longer.
Choosing grass fed beef is an excellent choice. The fats in grass fed beef are primarily of the unsaturated type that are what humans were meant to eat, not the tainted saturated fats created when humans feed cattle corn. Please see my older posts on this topic.
Can't afford or don't have access to grass fed like we do here in southeast Ohio? Chose ground beef labeled "97 percent lean" or " extra lean" which means it has less than five grams of fat per serving.
Chose steak cuts that are lower fat cuts like sirloin tip, t-bone or strip steak. Keep serving size reasonable. restaurants often serve up 9-12 ounces when 3-4 ounces, about the size of an open palm, is more in line. The focus should also be on a sensible salad and vegetables.
AVOID beef that is labeled PRIME this is a cut that is very high in fat. Choice has less fat and near equal taste.

EGGS
eggs have been given a bad rap. they are an excellent source of protein, have all eight essential amino acids and seem to produce satiety, or a feeling of fullness in many folks.
Egg whites have about 16 calories and whole eggs have about 72 each. they are fast and easy. See more recipes at Health.com/eggs.

AVOID restaurant eggs that are likely fried in vegetable oils or butter or worse smothered in cheese that add calories and saturated fats. You can request it be prepared in cooking spray.

Ice Cream
Recent studies seem to suggest that eating full fat dairy products seems to lead to more successful weight loss. Reasons are unclear but possibly due to substances like CLA, conjugated Linoleic Acid. This has gotten a lot of publicity as a weight loss supplement and I don't recommend using it in that manner as it appears not to be worthwhile in supplement form and the data is all over the board on its use and any effectiveness. It may be just a satisfying treat that fulfills ones cravings.
one must keep servings small, and watch total fat intake not because fat is inherently evil but can be a vehicle for significant calorie intake.

Pizza
Chose whole wheat crusts, stick to vegetables and chicken as toppings, avoid red meats like pepperoni and sausage. Stay away from deep dish or pan as that indicates it is cooked in oil, likely a vegetable oil that is high in saturated fats. In this way a medium slice will only cost you about 200-250 calories.

Canadian Bacon, a protein secret.
Unlike regular bacon Canadian bacon comes fro the loin and is leaner. It is thicker and should be cooked without oil or heated in an oven. A great source of protein, it can be used on a whole wheat BLT or added to salads or scrambled eggs

As always some form of exercise is key to a healthy lifestyle and should not be forgotten as the cornerstone of weight loss, a healthy lifestyle and disease prevention.

Vitamin C Helps Prevent Fracture Pain

A recent study confirms that 500 mg of Vitamin C daily in fracture patients greatly reduces the chances of developing a painful sometimes debilitating condition call Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.
CPRS is a mysterious condition whose cause is unclear. It consists of unexplained pain, difference in skin color and temperature compared to other limb, swelling and loss of range of motion not explained by the injury.
It used to be believed that psychological issues were a large factor in these syndromes. This belief however has largely fallen out of favor, and other factors such as micro trauma, abnormal central nervous system response, abnormal inflammatory response.
It is believed to be rare but recent studies suggest it may occur in as many as one in ten patients and be severe and debilitating in as many as 2% of all fractures.
Anyone suffering from CPRS can attest that is can be totally life altering with severe pain, and loss of limb function. There is no effective treatment for this syndrome and it is made more difficult to deal with by the fact that it is often misdiagnosed, undiagnosed or patients are sometimes told they are exaggerating or frankly faking the condition.
The condition often starts out with cast complaints and it is now believed that as many as 50% of cast complaints can be mild forms of CPRS.
The good news is that several recent studies indicate that 500 mg of vitamin C started at time of fracture treatment can greatly reduce the incidence of CPRS.
Its cheap, it has basically no side effects and can decrease the incidence fivefold from 10% to 2% and helps greatly decrease the severe lifestyle altering forms of this syndrome.
The study of wrist fractures out of Netherlands followed 416 fractures for a year. Using established criteria for diagnosis 10% of the placebo group was diagnosed with CRPS, but only 4%, 2%, and 2% in the 200mg, 500mg, and 1500mg.
The take home is this CPRS is not as rare as we thought it was and it can be greatly reduced with just 500mg of Vit C a day for 7 weeks.
I believe this can be extended to ALL fractures.
It is cheap, and easy with nearly zero side effects.
So if you or a loved one sustains a fracture it would be wise to treat with 500mg of Vitamin C daily for 7 weeks.
And tell your doctor about this information, have them do a search on the study. It is an inexpensive and effective preventative tool.

An Unsolved Chicago Murder

I opened the letter with more than mild curiosity. Why would I get a letter from the Chicago Police?
Well they have an unsolved murder. What does that have to do with me, the coroner of a sparsely populated Southeast Ohio County that has less than a quarter murder a year?
I was about to find out.
Two detectives from the Chicago Police cold case unit were heading this way for a sit down with myself and the prosecutor.
They sent an advance packet outlining the purpose of the meeting. It read like a dime store gum shoe murder mystery. Except this was a real person, and a real family that really lost a loved one in a horrific murder.
Ten years prior a beautiful young college student and part time waitress had been brutally murdered late night on her doorstep. She was 19.
She was the victim of a brutal attack from behind as she was about to enter her home. It was an OJ Simpson like attack, a blade of some sort had nearly severed her head from her body. There were almost no leads, no apparent motive besides possibly a sexual assault gone wrong. No real evidence except some trace spots of blood that did not match the victims blood type. Not enough for DNA analysis.
An exhaustive investigation revealed no suspects. Save for one.
Some of her coworkers had seen a Navy man the past several nights hanging around the bar in the restaurant. He was quiet, said little and spoke to no one.
But he did seem to be observing this waitress and she had mentioned to a coworker that he made her a little uneasy.
They got a description of him and set about trying to identify or find him.
Great lakes Naval Station is near there and hundreds if not thousands of sailors do naval reserve drills for 2 weeks in the summer making this a daunting task.
They got lucky however.
They started with the Naval authorities criminal investigations hot sheet and found the usual numbers of sailors had been arrested and disciplined the weekend of the murder, but one stood out.
A male reservist fitting the description of the man at the restaurant had gone AWOL. Not an uncommon occurrence for a service member to go absent without leave. but this man had gone AWOL the night of the murder. He was a reservist, on drill for 2 weeks. Interestingly, there was only 2 days left of 2 weeks active duty time.
His military record was above average without problems. He had no prior offenses.
Soon a picture was produced and it was confirmed by workers at the restaurant that he was the man who had been frequenting the restaurant bar.
He had appeared to have come in late to his quarters, packed hastily, as he had left some of his uniforms, and and had not been back.
So they called his home. His elderly parents whom he lived with answered and told an alarming tale.
Their son had arrived home early from drill. He gave no explanation. He did not speak to them. He seemed quite distraught.
He went to his room and he never came out alive.
Some time during the night he had hung himself in his room.
No note. No reasons. No history of mental illness. No apparent logic could be made from it.
I pulled the coroners report from my county but it shed no further light.
I called my retired predecessor who had been coroner over 25 years. He remembered the case. His wife had taught the boy in high school. He was a quiet, reserved boy from a conservative farming family. He was the last of several children and was 10 years younger than his nearest sibling
It was a mystery. My colleague was unaware of the Chicago PD investigation. Dead end on both counts.
Now fast forward 10 years. Science marches on. techniques have been developed to magnify a DNA sample and get a genetic profile from samples that previously were insufficient.
Here lies the crux of the story.
The Chicago police needed a source of DNA to rule out or rule in this young man as a murderer.
He was long buried, the navy did not keep DNA samples like they do now and I am not sure that those samples, which are meant to help identify a service members remains and not for legal purposes, are even discoverable in a court of law.
The detectives asked the parents for DNA but they absolutely refused. They apparently were not willing to take the chance of ruling their son in as a murderer.
They made it absolutely clear that they opposed exhumation of the body. They were even told that if they did not give DNA that exhumation could be sought through legal channels.
They gambled that the evidence was too circumstantial for the Chicago PD to convince a court to order exhumation. They knew that they could not be compelled to provide DNA under these circumstances, having obtained legal counsel. The case was too circumstantial to compel those not a direct party to the case to provide a DNA sample.
So the investigators came to me. They knew that the coroner has absolute power to order exhumation and that this process does not need family consent.
So it was up to me.
I did not contact the parents. their wishes had been made very clear.
I carefully examined the evidence. Compelling but circumstantial none the less.
But the family of that murdered girl deserved closure. How would I feel in those shoes?
I was torn. It came down to one aspect for me. It was really a toss up in my mind. Hey I actually WANTED TO KNOW how this case ended.
But who was I elected to represent?
Then I thought of the cost. Over $1500. Over 5% of my annual budget. I called the Chicago investigators. Were they prepared to foot the bill?
My entire budget for the year covered my pittance of a salary and about 4-5 autopsies a year. If I exceeded that I would have to request more and the county would be obliged to pay, but still it was an expense for this rural, chronically broke county.
No the detectives replied, they could not pay for the exhumation.
So after much thought, I denied the request for exhumation.
His secrets died with him and it appeared that is where they would stay.
What would you have done in my shoes?

Stroke Prevention

Grape Skin Extract Useful in Stroke

Researchers have found that a compound in red wine or grapes may help to minimize brain damage from strokes.
Many Americans have suffered from a stroke, whether it’s themselves or family members. As many people know, strokes can be very unexpected and the results can be permanent.
A stroke can occur when there is blockage of blood flow to the brain, which means oxygen and nutrients cannot enter. The brain’s neurons in the affected areas begin to release excitatory amino acid neurotransmitters. The transmitters encourage calcium to move into the neurons resulting in free radicals that can be very hazardous.
Research has discovered that resveratrol--a compound found in grapes--can absorb the free radicals, stopping them from doing any more damage to the brain.

Science Daily News November 27, 2003

It appears that not only is this molecule useful for longevity and preserving vegetables and fruit but now it might minimize the effects on brain damage with stroke victims.
Wine is the primary dietary source of resveratrol, which has been found in at least 72 species including mulberries, peanuts and grapes, but it is also found in enriched grape skins. Fresh grape skin contains about 50 to 100 micrograms of resveratrol per gram, while red wine concentrations range from 1.5 to 3 milligrams per liter.
Wine does appear to be reasonably safe in moderation, however there are some precautions that need to be taken in regard to red wine, or any alcohol, consumption. While drinking about one glass of red wine each day may yield some benefit, drinking two or more glasses (of wine or any alcoholic beverage) may offset the benefit and increase your risk of certain cancers.
Of course I like the symmetry product GENESIS which has the resveratrol of one whole BOTTLE of wine. It also has a myriad of other antioxidants like pomegranate. quercetin in apple extract and many other herbals.
Its a great way to fine tune your health.
go to www.symmetrydirect.com/sservices for more information on this product.

80% of your Immune System Is In Your Gut

Bacteria similar to beneficial Lactobacillus

You may think that promoting your digestive system health is as simple as eating some yogurt once in awhile.
Unfortunately, that just won’t work (for reasons I’ll tell you about shortly).
Promoting digestive health goes beyond just your digestive system. You may not realize it but 80% of your immune system is located in your digestive system.
For years, I’ve researched different products that could help, looking for the best one to help you promote your digestive and immune system health. Especially Since I suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Even though I’ve come to the conclusion that no one solution works for everyone, I’m excited about certain products that do help boost ones immune system and promote a healthy digestive system

How Probiotics Can Make Your Digestive System “Happy” Again
First of all, many of you may not know much about probiotics. I understand this fully, as confusion still remains on the topic.
The term probiotics comes from the Greek word “for life.” (So now you probably understand what the word “antibiotics” really means.)
When ingested, these living microorganisms replenish the microflora in your intestinal tract. This replenishment results in the promotion of a number of health-enhancing functions, including enhanced digestive support.*
One question I frequently get in my clinic involves how people solved their digestive issues in times long past. Did they simply live with their digestive challenges — or perhaps these types of issues did not even exist?
The answer probably involves a little of both. But history does show us how different cultures have best promoted their intestinal health over time.
Historically, people used fermented foods like yogurt and sauerkraut both as food preservatives to limit spoilage, and to support their intestinal and overall health.
80% of your immune system is located in your digestive system
As far back as Roman times, people consumed sauerkraut as a delicious food, and for health-related issues.
In ancient Indian society, it became commonplace (and still does) to consume a before-dinner yogurt drink called a lassi. At the end of the meal, the people of India consumed a small serving of curd.
These Indian traditions were based on the principle of using sour milk as a probiotic delivery system to your body.
The Bulgarians are noted both for their longevity and their high consumption of fermented milk and kefir. In Asian cultures, pickled fermentations of cabbage, turnips, eggplant, cucumbers, onions, squash, and carrots still exist today.
So it seems that many cultures used different techniques to support their intestinal health. Why can’t we simply practice these methods today?
As you may have noticed, many cultures are still trying to follow traditional dietary practices today. However, challenges arise from poor dietary habits and the environment.
The processed foods so inherent in most diets can upset the balance of bacteria needed for the support of your intestinal health. Plus, many food products get pasteurized or sterilized in the production process, destroying helpful bacteria you need for promoting your intestinal health.
One of the top issues I’ve been faced with in my clinic involves patients looking for better ways to support their overall digestion.
Taking a good probiotic and following sound dietary principles provide the best ways I’ve found to promote your digestive health. That’s why I recommend Complete Probiotics to all my clinical patients.
Complete Probiotics helps you maintain the proper balance of bacteria in your gut in support of effective digestion.
And guess what? It doesn’t just stop with your intestinal health promotion — it goes far beyond…
Good Intestinal Health Becomes Crucial in Promoting Your Overall Health
Increased understanding of bacterial effects on the gastro-intestinal (GI) and immune systems has led to increased credibility in the use of probiotics over the past thirty years.
Ongoing research confirms health-supporting benefits of probiotics.
Today the science of probiotics has evolved into a rapidly growing field, generating a great deal of interest both from physicians and consumers.
I've heard it said that "death begins in the colon." On the contrary, I'd rather say "life is promoted and enhanced in the colon — if you know what you are doing."
Maintaining great intestinal health is akin to maintaining great overall health.
And when you’re in good shape with your overall health, you’ll naturally feel better — and be able to do more of the pleasurable things in life.
Some of the statistics about your intestine read like a "Ripley's Believe It or Not". Did you know that?
About 80% of your immune system resides in your gastrointestinal tract.

500 species of bacteria live inside you.
About one hundred trillion bacteria live inside you — more than TEN TIMES the number of cells you have in your entire body.
The weight of these bacteria constitutes about two to three pounds.
Some of these bacteria are referred to as "good" and some as "bad". The ideal balance between them is 85% good and 15% bad.
This ratio between the "good" bacteria and the "bad" bacteria becomes one of the critical factors determining your optimal health.
What sorts of things influence the ratio between good and bad bacteria? Diet, geographic location, age, stress, and health issues are some of the key factors.
When you take your best step forward in improving your intestinal health, your overall health improvement naturally follows.
For example, if you’ve been frustrated by occasional irregularity, taking probiotics could not only help your problem, but could lead you to feeling better while supporting your overall health as well.

Your Immune System is Depending on You
Before your birth, your GI tract was sterile. The moment after your birth, colonization of bacteria began in your gut.
The first bacteria to settle in were the immune-building ones from breast milk, increasing your level of health and favoring your survival.
In a sense, we spend the rest of our lives "trashing" it with bad stuff – like poor dietary choices and other lifestyle choices that cause the wrong bacteria to flourish in your intestine.
Or sometimes our environment plays a major part as well.
Yet gut flora, the microorganisms living in your gut, continually and dynamically affect your immune system.
Helpful bacteria prevent the growth of undesirable ones by competing for both nutrition and attachment sites in the tissues of the colon.
Therefore, keeping the right balance of bacteria becomes critical in support of your immune system.

Where Have All the Bacteria Gone?
It seems that in our collective zeal to rid ourselves of disease (and every trace of bacteria in our food supply and everywhere else), we may have outdone ourselves.
Energy and passion to go! Smart health with probiotics.
As a whole, we’re less exposed to bacteria now than in the past – both "bad" and "good" bacteria.
Foods presently labeled as ‘health-promoting’ contain good bacteria. Think cultured foods like yogurt, some cheeses, and sauerkraut.
But due to strict food safety regulations, less bacteria (bad or good) survive the manufacturing process.
At the end of the production process, many products get pasteurized or sterilized, destroying bacteria.
While this may be helpful in disease prevention, it also means we get less health-enhancing bacteria.
Since helpful bacteria are increasingly absent in our food, it becomes even more important to include supplementation with probiotics.
This gives your GI tract and entire immune system an extra "edge" – to maximize the benefits of a healthy diet.
With all the multiple varieties of both good and bad bacteria, when it comes down to the top health-promoting bacteria.

The Probiotics "Medal of Honor" Goes to...Lactobacillus
Recently, Lactobacillus was found to produce the beneficial lactic acid that improves probiotic shelf life and survival issues in your stomach.
Unlike other bacteria lactobacillus exists as a spore, wrapped in a protective coat. Spores exist like plant seeds – they can stay alive for years. And when conditions exist for optimal growth, they open up and become a new plant.
Taken orally, the spores' protective coat helps them survive the rigors of stomach acid. The spores get activated due to the low pH, mechanical churning of the stomach, and water in the gastric environment.
As the spores absorb water, they swell and move faster, propelling them into the small intestine.
Once in the small intestine, they germinate, proliferate and multiply rapidly into viable bacilli to persist in their beneficial life activities.
In the intestinal tract, they continue their metabolic activities, producing lactic acid to assist in digestion and absorption of vitamins and minerals.
In turn, the lactic acid levels on the inner surface of the intestinal tract maintain a micro-ecological balance in the GI tract.
Probiotics’ life-promoting microorganisms optimize your health in considerable broad-based ways.

11 Remarkable Ways Complete Probiotics Works For You
With all the compelling benefits of probiotics that you’ve been reading about up to this point, there’s even more incredible ways the products promotes your overall health.
Here are 11 clear-cut ways probiotics works for you…11 solid reasons

Maintains an ideal good to bad ratio by making the environment hostile to undesirable bacteria

Supports production of B vitamins, especially folic acid and biotin, and vitamin

Promotes mineral absorption

Supports protein and carbohydrate digestion via probiotic enzymes

Aids in metabolism and the breakdown of toxins

Maintains appropriate bowel transit time

Promotes optimal fungal and viral levels in the body

Supports immune system function by removing toxins

Produces lactic acid for support of digestive processes and colonic pH balance

Sustains suitable serum lipid and blood pressure levels

Supports normal inflammatory response

This is one of the reasons that I the Symmetry complete once a day supplement, Ultra-Vitality.

It is not just a mulitivitamin, it is a complete nutritional system. Of Course it has all the essential vitamins and minerals of a complete multivitamin but it also has THE PROBIOTIC ALREADY IN THE SUPPLEMENT so you don't have to buy 2 or 3 different expensive products. Easy and simple.

But look at all the other amazing ingredients in this product

Proprietary blend With 1 million colony forming units of Lactobacillus acidophilus in every daily dose, along with Garlic, Ginger, Cayenne Pepper, Borage seed, and many others

Nutritive herbal blend with Dandelion, Irish moss and nettle leaf

Energy blend with Gotu kola, fo ti root and eleuthero root

Antioxidant Blend with Rose hips, Grape seed extracts, Green tea leaf

Super Food Blend Apple pectin, barley grass, red clover,

As you can see this is not your average multivitamin. One would spend hundreds a month to get as complete a product

TO order or simply see a list of all the amazing ingredients of this complete daily supplement

go to this site

www.symmetrydirect.com/sservices

Click on Products for info or the TO ORDER tab

There is no better once daily supplement on the market. When combined with a source of omega 3 essentials fatty acids makes for a complete daily regimen!

Kiss Me But Don't touch Me

Share a Kiss, But Don't Shake Hands

A recent report warns that you are at far greater risk of passing on an infection by shaking someone's hand than by sharing a kiss.
The report also notes that regular handwashing may be more effective than drugs in preventing the spread of respiratory viruses such as influenza and SARS.
Germs that cause stomach infections such as salmonella, campylobacter and norovirus can also circulate directly from person to person via your hands. Stomach germs can also be passed on if you put your fingers in your mouth or forget to wash your hands before preparing food.
Breaking the chain of infection depends on how well you wash your hands.
Sources:Eurekalert December 19, 2007American Journal of Infection Control March, 2007; 35(2):86-8

Infectious agents like bacteria and viruses are pervasive. They are in your home, in common shared areas such as your kitchen sink and counters, in your laundry, in your shower and tub – even your handbag commonly contains thousands of bacteria such as salmonella, E. coli, staph bacteria and more. You simply can’t escape them.
This is nothing to be afraid of. They are part of the normal ecology and it is important to know that you are designed to live in harmony with them, not to be fearful of them.

The Easiest Way to Stop the Spread of Infection
Washing your hands frequently is the easiest way to wipe out germs and reduce your chances of becoming sickened by them. It has been shown time and time again that washing your hands with plain old soap and water can kill viruses that cause:
The common cold
Hepatitis A
Acute gastroenteritis
Other illnesses

In fact, studies have found that soap and water work better than the waterless, alcohol-based hand wipes and rubs. Antibacterial liquids and soaps should be avoided altogether. These products kill both good and bad bacteria, thereby contributing to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Furthermore, the active ingredient in most antibacterial products is triclosan, an antibacterial agent that not only kills bacteria and inhibits bacterial growth, but has also been shown to kill human cells. That would be the definition of “over-kill.”
As stated in this article, good hand hygiene is your best option in the event of a flu pandemic, for example.

How to Wash Your Hands Effectively
The best hand-washing technique involves three steps:
Use warm water Work up a good lather all the way up to your wrists for at least 10 or 15 seconds Don't forget to get all surfaces including the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers and an area often overlooked -- your fingernails Don’t become obsessive about washing your hands, however; if you wash them too frequently you can actually extract many of the protective oils in your skin, which can cause your skin to crack and bleed. It is important to realize that your skin is actually your primary defense against bacteria – not the soap.
It is rare for a germ on your skin to cause a problem -- it is typically only an issue when you transfer that to your nose, mouth or an open wound like cracked skin. So obsessive-compulsive washing can actually increase your risk of getting sick by providing an entryway for potentially dangerous pathogens.

A Healthy Immune System is Your Best Defense
About 30 percent of all people carry methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) -- the bacteria that’s been linked to recent MRSA outbreaks in schools across the United States -- on their skin.
A recent study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that a swab of your forearm may reveal up to 182 species of bacteria (8 percent of which were unknown). So bacteria are a natural part of life. Many of these bacteria are good and essential for your very survival. Others, however, are bad and capable of making you sick.
Your first line of defense against all disease causing agents, such as pathogenic bacteria, is a strong immune system.

You can support your immune system by:
Getting a good night’s sleep
Minimizing stress in your life
Exercising regularly and effectively
Getting enough sun exposure or, alternatively, enough of the right vitamin D (if you live in a cold environment where you can't stay out in the sun)
Avoiding sugar and grains, and instead eating plenty of raw foods Taking a high-quality probiotic (good bacteria)
There’s no need to walk around sporting rubber gloves and a disinfectant spray if you follow the advice above, and it is by far your most effective way to stay healthy.
When you follow the Take Control of Your Health program you build up your body’s immune system and are able to keep nearly every infection in proper balance so it does not cause any disease.
However many view these infections as terrible evils that need to be avoided at all costs and wind up using dangerous toxic chemicals like antibacterial soaps and also removing much of the protective layer on their skin by washing their hands too frequently.
So while it is certainly prudent to wash your hands, you need to be especially careful in the dry winter months and not use a soap that will actually worsen this condition