Women’s Hormones

Once again, I have borrowed from Dr Mercola, the source of so much of my really great information and this fabulous piece comes from his archives circa November 2000.  This may be more than you want to know, but for those always seeking the “Big Picture” in order to arrive at answers, you’re gonna love it. This can be very enabling toward a more healthy perspective and possible reduction in biology-confusion.  This was tucked in as a reference on his recent post on OPRAH and the seeming ire of the AMA toward her for her broad views on altrernative medicine etc.  It’s not too easy to push someone like Oprah around (thank God), but they aren’t happy with her.  Go Girl!

By I. Michael Borkin N.M.D.

Originally Published in Alternative Medicine, Issue 37

Female hormonal health is not just related to menstruation and menopause – it is a matter of lifelong well-being and longevity

While a great number of women in our culture develop some kind of sexual reproductive organ dysfunction, most are misled about true sexual and reproductive health and what options exist to achieve it. People tend to think of women’s “hormone problems” as starting in midlife with the onset of menopause. In fact, a dysfunctional pattern can begin during adolescent years or even before birth. The severity of hormonal problems may increase with age, but it is not aging per se that is the root of declining health. It is most often the cumulative physiological effects of stress that cause disruption of the natural rhythms and balancing mechanisms of women’s hormones (see Quick Definition), thereby eventually compromising overall health as well as sexual and reproductive health.

Quick Definition – Sex and stress hormones are chemical messengers formed in endocrine organs and certain body tissues and then carried in the blood to other areas of the body. Depending on how specific their effects, hormones can alter either the functional activity or the structure of one or more organs. Synthetic hormones are different from naturally occurring hormones; they are structurally altered (so as to be patentable).

Allopathic (conventional) medical thinking fails to look for or treat the root causes of women’s hormonal imbalances. For example, more young women today are experiencing infertility because they are not ovulating, yet they are being given fertility drugs like Clomid without comprehensive hormonal evaluations. Though these women often succeed in conceiving, they generally end up paying a price for short-sighted symptom management. The future health consequence is that other symptoms will appear and hormonal imbalance will progress.

Similarly, women are led to believe that it is normal to experience distressing menopausal symptoms. They anticipate having to accept the conventional treatment choice of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with synthetic hormones. Women are encouraged to do this in spite of the fact that estrogen supplementation places them at risk for breast cancer and other serious health problems. HRT and fertility drugs — as well as birth control pills and other hormonal therapies — were all designed to treat only specific symptoms with no regard for the effects they have on the entire body. Because of this non-holistic approach, we are seeing an increase in the incidence of not only breast cancer and sexual reproductive organ dysfunctions but also uterine and ovarian cancer.

Another problem with conventional HRT is that it generally employs the wrong forms of estrogen and progesterone. Synthetic estrogens or the estrogens that are excreted in pregnant mare urine are often used. And of the three estrogen hormones (estradiol, estriol and estrone) found in women’s bodies, most conventional pharmaceutical products use only estradiol. Many HRT formulas also contain synthetic progestin (as opposed to natural progesterone), which is included to help balance the effects of synthetic estrogen. Yet an artificial hormone cannot function in concert with another artificial hormone to create balance in the body. Worse, these HRT formulas ignore the increasingly common wisdom that it is progesterone deficiency — not estrogen deficiency — that leads to early or difficult menopause and many other health problems affecting women.

A lot of women are discovering that conventional HRT does not give them the overall health and well-being they had hoped for, and they are seeking out healthier alternatives. What everyone will hopefully soon realize is that menopausal and sexual reproductive problems are actually symptoms of overall hormonal imbalances. Women need to get a complete picture of their hormonal status and find appropriate therapeutic steps to maintaining balance.

Meanwhile, millions of women continue to experience dysfunctions such as PMS, depression, decreased libido, fibrocystic breasts, food and sugar cravings, uterine fibroids, irregular or excessive uterine bleeding and endometriosis (see Quick Definition below). Those whose dysfunctions are extremely painful or debilitating are told that their “health is more important than their reproductive organs” and that “a hysterectomy would be the best thing.” Unbelievably, an estimated trillion-plus dollars was spent during the twentieth century to remove women’s reproductive organs. Hysterectomy now out-numbers almost all types of surgery performed in the U.S.

Reproductive organs play an important role in more than reproduction. Many studies show that each aspect of the female sexual anatomy serves an integral part in the health and well-being of the entire body. Each function is part of the whole, part of a system, or symphony, of interrelated parts and timing.

The Endocrine Interplay

What needs to be understood is that, for example, if a woman’s thyroid or adrenal glands are depleted or functioning inadequately — a fairly common occurrence in our stressful culture — she will likely experience problems with her sexual reproductive organs. The connection between these organs and the thyroid, the adrenals and other endocrine glands is that they are all governed by endocrine hormones. This is an important interrelationship, which is why what disrupts one gland can disrupt another, causing a kind of domino effect or vicious cycle. The immune system and the thymus are involved, too, because immune response is inhibited by abnormal hormone levels.

The endocrine system (see below) is responsible for homeostasis, the body’s ability to maintain stable internal conditions, including body temperature, regardless of changing external conditions. Balance is crucial to all life processes. The body functions within very specific margins, and being forced to function outside of those margins can cause a whole series of negative events, even death. The endocrine system also controls the processes of reproduction, metabolism, growth and development.

The Endocrine System and the Female Cycle

The endocrine system regulates the body’s major continuous and prolonged processes, including reproduction; growth and development; cellular metabolism and energy; blood balance of nutrients, electrolytes and water; and the mobilization of body defenses against stressors (things that cause wear and tear on the body’s physical and mental resources). It is made up of eight different glands located strategically throughout the body:

• ovaries (in men, the testes)
• adrenals
• pancreatic islets
• thyroid
• parathyroid
• pineal
• pituitary
• hypothalamus, which is also part of the nervous system

Besides these major organs, the system includes pockets of hormone-producing cells in tissues in the small intestine, heart, kidneys and stomach. The endocrine system develops and begins producing hormones by the end of the second trimester of fetal development.

In the order of endocrine command, the hypothalamus is the body’s CEO, orchestrating the events of the rest of the endocrine system. The hypothalamus controls autonomic reflexes (such as the activity of the heart and smooth muscles), and it houses the body’s “thermostat” and biological clock, which maintains the body’s rhythm of 24-hour sleep-wake cycles. The somewhat mysterious pineal gland also has a role in biological timekeeping, being an organ sensitive to retinal response to light. The pineal gland, believed to coordinate fertility hormones, produces melatonin, the hormone known for its sleep-triggering ability.

The hypothalamus also initiates part of the adrenal stress response,causing the pituitary to secrete the hormone that travels to the adrenal glands to stimulate secretion of cortisol, DHEA and aldosterone. The hypothalamus also initiates the female cycle by producing gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which signals the pituitary to secrete follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). FSH stimulates the ovaries to secrete estrogen, the sex hormone that stimulates development of breast, uterine and ovarian tissue (and in synthetic HRT forms is associated with excessive cell growth that leads to cancer).

When estrogen reaches a certain level, it signals the hypothalamus to trigger the pituitary to secrete luteinizing hormone (LH). Estrogen levels then fall, while the level of LH rises and peaks (around day 14 of a 28-day cycle), stimulating ovulation, the release of an egg from its ovarian follicle. After ovulation, the follicle (now called the corpus luteum) is filled with cholesterol, which is converted first to pregnenolone and then to progesterone. This newly-made progesterone is used in part for the building up of the uterine lining. If after about 13 to 15 days the egg is not fertilized, the uterine lining is sloughed off (in menstruation) when both estrogen and progesterone levels drop.

Both estrogen and progesterone are necessary in the female cycle, and their balance is key for full health. Many women in our culture have an imbalance of these hormones, especially, insufficient levels of progesterone to counter excessive estrogen — an imbalance further exacerbated by chronic stress. Progesterone is a hormone important to a number of body functions. During times of stress or conditions of chronic adrenal hyper-stimulation, progesterone is capable of being converted into the stress hormone cortisol.

When one goes through chronic or severe long-term stress, the hypothalamus at first triggers an overproduction of the adrenal hormones (especially cortisol and DHEA). This eventually leads to adrenal insufficiency, a state in which the exhausted adrenals cannot respond adequately.

The thyroid gland is also adversely affected by chronic stress. This gland’s roles include regulating calcium metabolism and glycolysis, the breakdown of glucose for body energy fuel. Under normal conditions, the fight-or-flight response causes the thyroid to increase glucose breakdown. In conditions of chronic stress, however, the thyroid is continually overstimulated and eventually becomes depleted. Thyroid function is also disrupted by excessive estrogen, but this can be prevented by adequate progesterone levels.

Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid functioning) and especially hypothyroidism (low functioning) have become more common. The classic symptoms of hypothyroidism include sluggishness, early morning fatigue, cold extremities, lowered basal temperature and menstrual problems, including scanty periods.

Adrenal and other hormonal gland dysfunctions can cause some of the above symptoms and more, including cravings for sweets, weight gain, allergies, heart palpitations, insomnia, depression, fatigue, poor memory, foggy thinking, headaches, nervousness, inability to concentrate, recurrent infections and glucose intolerance.

One very damaging adrenal dysfunction is excessive cortisol production, which causes, among other serious problems, increased calcium mobilization from the bones, leading to osteoporosis, or loss of bone density. In a person with a healthy stress response, excessive levels of cortisol are automatically buffered. Constant stress destroys this feedback loop.

Hormonal imbalances compromise not only physical health but also psychological health, manifesting as problems ranging from depression to panic disorder. One way the body tries to compensate for imbalances created and exacerbated by the demands of stress is to overproduce key hormones. Another way it tries to compensate is by converting sex hormones to stress hormones, thus further diminishing reproductive functions and the enjoyment of sexual health.

It is helpful to learn about these hormonal interdependencies because they allow one to see the bigger picture, that the problems commonly associated with menses or menopause are actually indicators of greater endocrine imbalance. For many women, the next step in understanding the bigger picture might be to look at digestive health — such as the possibility of malabsorption syndrome or food allergies — and at nutritional supplementation strategies (see Supplementation below) that help restore or maintain hormonal balance.

One of the biggest reasons why hormonal imbalances are misunderstood is because “modern” medicine disregards the way the human body deals with its environment. Consider that the body’s responses basically have not changed for 50,000 years. We still respond to our environment with the most primal of mechanisms: the “fight-or-flight” mechanism, the release of adrenaline and other stress hormones. The stress response, initiated in the hypothalamus and pituitary, and regulated by the adrenal glands, is responsible for redirecting energy and resources away from the reproductive organs when we are under severe or chronic stress, directing it instead to the muscles and organs that are necessary for survival. This redirection is allowed to take place because, on the body’s list of priorities, survival comes first and reproduction comes last.

The reproductive system is the only body system whose functions are biologically expendable. With this in mind, we see how the ability to reproduce becomes a privilege in the body, not a right. Fertility, or the ability to ovulate, is therefore a good indicator of the overall health of a woman.

The fight-or-flight response can be a detriment as well as a lifesaving response. In a modern environment, many things — ranging from allergic reactions to being cut off while driving — can evoke this mechanism. Throughout daily life, there are many hidden as well as overt sources of stress. Most of the time, our response to stress ends without a literal “fight” or some form of physical activity, as our ancestors would have engaged in. One of the problems with this is that adrenaline, unlike most hormones, has no enzyme “switch” to turn it off. Once released it must be used or it remains active. As a result, we remain in a state of hyper-stimulation, with abnormal levels of adrenaline and cortisol, the primary fight-or-flight hormones. Other hormone levels, such as the pancreatic hormone glucagon, also become dysregulated. If hyper-stimulation persists, we have difficulty inducing a relaxation response, and we do not return to a normal state.

Over a period of time, if chronic stress continues, the body adapts to adrenal hyper-stimulation, continuing in a perpetual fight-or-flight mode. This is called maladaptation, a process in which endocrine system organs begin to break down. This process eventually reaches the point where the adrenals become exhausted and cortisol levels drop. One example of what can result from adrenal exhaustion is fibromyalgia, a condition that can arise when the protective benefits of normal cortisol levels are lost.

The adrenals are usually first in the order of endocrine function breakdown, followed by the insulin-producing portion of the pancreas, thyroid, ovaries, parathyroid, pineal, pituitary and finally, the link to the autonomic nervous system, the hypothalamus. The thymus gland, which produces immune defense cells, is also affected in the endocrine breakdown process. Each of these glands controls specific functions, and as each breaks down new symptoms appear. Symptoms are subtle at first. Then over the years, as the body goes further into deficit, the symptoms will increase and worsen.

The more stress endured, the worse the hormonal problems become. When the endocrine system is severely dysregulated, the hypothalamus is affected. If the production of corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) becomes severely affected, the psychological symptoms can become debilitating. Because CRH controls fear through stimulating adrenal secretion, an abnormal level of CRH can make it difficult to perform routine chores or leave the house. The fear response in turn worsens hormonal problems by further stressing the adrenals, which respond by converting more sex hormones to stress hormones and becoming more maladapted — a vicious cycle.

The Creation of Maladaptation

A woman’s hormonal problems can begin even before birth, during her fetal development. If her mother is under chronic stress and adrenally hyper-stimulated, the mother’s body will draw on the developing fetus’s “survival chemistry” to supplement her own body’s hormonal needs. During the second trimester, the placenta produces on average about 450 milligrams of progesterone a day, and some of this progesterone will be routed to the stressed mother and converted for stress purposes. In the third trimester, the developing baby’s adrenal glands begin to produce stress hormones, and these can also be taken and used by the mother.

Quick Definition - Endometriosis is the buildup of endometrial (uterine lining) tissue outside the uterus, most often in or on the fallopian tubes, ovaries and pelvic area. It is thought to be caused by or exacerbated by estrogen dominance (too much estrogen in relation to progesterone), and it can in turn cause organ dysfunction or intestinal blockage. Symptoms include painful menstruation and frequent and severe bleeding.

Women are rarely cautioned about this kind of fetal stress before or during their pregnancies. Nor are they told how the developing baby’s adrenal glands will enlarge to meet the mother’s demand for additional stress hormones. A baby born in this state of secondary hyper-stimulation produces too much stress hormone. While the baby’s adrenal glands can eventually decrease their output, the glands will tend to reinflate more easily — like a balloon — every time extreme demands are made upon them.If severe or chronic stress persists, however, hyper-stimulation continues. As the baby grows and matures into an adult, this maladaptive cycle will be perpetuated, causing her sex hormones to be routed from her reproductive system and used for her own stress purposes.

Breaking the Stress Cycle

Once a maladaptive stress cycle has been established, it will continue until appropriate intervention takes place to restore hormonal balance. This can be done at any age, and functional hormonal testing is the first step. The best type of stress and sex hormone testing is known as a circadian test, which is performed over a 24-hour period.

Sampling is easily accomplished at home, and the test results will determine the exact levels of accumulated stress and sex hormones. Using a collection kit, a woman can obtain a saliva sample every four hours for 24 hours by chewing on a salivette (a small dacron roll). The results will show specific hormonal changes that occur every four hours, demonstrating a 24-hour graphic representation of the body’s stress reactions.

Salivary testing is the best test method because saliva contains free fractions of stress and sex hormones. Free fractions are the utilizable hormones, those that the body actually has access to. Many studies have been conducted showing the validity of assaying these steroid hormones in saliva. The usual hormone tests, conducted with blood samples, measure total hormone production, a value that includes bound (not free) hormones that are unavailable for the body’s use. It is important to measure free fractions to get an accurate picture of how sex and stress hormone levels are varying by body function and activity.

Also, conventional hormone panels usually test only the blood plasma levels of the sex hormones and only at the moment of sampling (when the blood was drawn). The Female Circadian Panel from Sabre Sciences evaluates fluctuations of the salivary hormone levels of estrogen (estradiol), progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, DHEA and melatonin over a 24-hour period. Important clues about endocrine health are revealed by circadian fluctuations. For example, we know that because human skin regenerates mostly at night, high nighttime cortisol values mean that less skin regeneration is taking place.

Steps to Restore Hormonal Health

• First, support the endocrine system and allow it time to repair.
• Support immune function, thereby reducing stress on the endocrine system.
• Make dietary and nutritional changes according to genetic predisposition,
  allergies, personal weight and exerciseobjectives.
• Support proper digestive function; eliminate any malabsorption problems.
• Get exercise, establishing your level of capacity and personal training objectives.
• To relieve stress, try meditation, hypnotherapy, visualization, Hatha Yoga, Tai Chi or QiGong.
• Consider individual counseling and group stress management workshops.
• Relax by walking in nature, swimming, pursuing creative activities, changing routines.

Establishing a Baseline

Comprehensive hormonal testing should be performed to establish a baseline before a woman chooses any kind of hormonal treatment, and then should be repeated periodically thereafter. Baseline test results are also needed to order custom-made transdermal hormonal creams from Sabre Sciences and various compounding pharmacies around the country. Women should also consider additional testing, such as a comprehensive, 5-hour glucose tolerance test and a lipid panel (cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL). An abnormal (especially high) level of cholesterol, the basic building block of sex and stress hormones, indicates that the body is attempting to provide more stress hormones. In some cases, testing for gastrointestinal problems, allergies or even parasites is advised.

Note, however, that “normal” (negative) results from conventional laboratory diagnostic tests do not always mean normal function. Some tests do not reveal serious existing conditions, others are not able to detect borderline conditions. One example is thyroid testing, which cannot indicate how well thyroid hormone (T3) is able to bind to target cells, a thyroid condition that can be caused by high levels of estrogen. Woman suspecting hormonal imbalances or experiencing distressing symptoms should discuss testing with a healthcare practitioner.

Effective Treatment

By evaluating hormonal changes over a 24-hour period, a pattern can be determined and a treatment protocol designed. An effective plan involving natural hormones, nutritional support and various stress-relief therapies can be successfully implemented to reestablish the proper menstrual dynamics, hormonal balance and well-being.

It should be mentioned that in many scientific circles, the 28-day menstrual cycle is believed to be a result of the impact of the modern world. Up until the last hundred years, the menstrual cycle is said to have reacted to seasonal changes. Fertility was at its peak during the fall months, thus helping guarantee the survival of the newborn during the much more hospitable spring and summer environment. The menstrual/fertility cycle could last as long as 90 days, and was absent during times of serious stress.

When evaluating the “modern” 28-day cycle and hormonal balance it is important to understand that approximately the first 14 days of the cycle are estrogen dominant and the second 14 days are progesterone dominant. This is an over-simplification but it helps to establish an understanding of the healthy dynamics of the menstrual cycle.

The first treatment consideration is that the maladaptive stress response must be interrupted so that sex hormones will no longer be converted for stress purposes. Women must know that, until these conversion pathways are closed, supplementation with the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone is of little value because they will easily be converted. First, therefore, proper levels of the adrenal hormones cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) need to be reestablished. DHEA is a much talked about hormone these days because of its importance in maintaining youthfulness; a healthy DHEA level is considered an indicator of longevity.

Hormonal restoral with transdermal creams is accomplished using a dual-phase approach, which uses estrogen-dominant supplementation during the first 14 days and progesterone supplementation during the second 14 days.

Transdermal Delivery System

In addition to individual needs, an important factor regarding the correct levels of any kind of supplement is how quickly it is metabolized and eliminated from the body. This is called metabolic clearance. A supplement, especially a hormone, should not accumulate or remain in the body too long, or it will interfere with the changes that must occur — in this case, the necessary shift from estrogen to progesterone — for supplementation to be effective.

A transdermal hormonal cream supplement works best. It is easily applied and delivered, bypassing the obstacle of breakdown in the digestive system or liver. Most of the available hormonal creams claim to be transdermal, but are actually topical. A big problem with topical creams is that most of them use an inexpensive oil cosmetic base. They are absorbed into fat cells, and months after discontinuance they can still be found in body tissues. Also, a topical relies on the small size of the hormone molecule (progesterone being very small, estrogen very large) to transverse the layers of the skin and make its way into the bloodstream. A true transdermal does not rely on the size of the molecule; instead it has a vehicle to carry it to the target. This is called a liposomal delivery system, which employs a molecular coating to control absorption.

A “stealth” liposome has 100 bilayer lipid shells, identical to cell membrane lipids, allowing it to pass through the skin tissue. The shells slowly dissolve, releasing hormones and cofactors gradually into the bloodstream.

The Sabre Sciences transdermal cream delivery system is also pulsatile, meaning that only a small, measurable quantity of hormone is released at one time. This not only allows for easy calculation of the amount that will be in the blood but also comes closest to matching the body’s own cyclic hormone rhythm.

Recreating Healthy Dynamics

The key factor in positively influencing estrogen and progesterone levels is to recreate or enhance the healthy dynamics of the menstrual cycle by maintaining estrogen dominance during the first 14 days of the cycle and allowing a shift at mid-cycle to progesterone dominance. A one-phase treatment involves supplementation throughout the entire cycle using only estrogen or progesterone factors. If you use this approach, not only will you not restore hormonal balance but also you will cause further imbalance, negatively affecting sexual and reproductive health as well as the health of the whole body.

To support the adrenal system, dual-phase transdermal creams from Sabre Sciences contain DHEA and pregnenolone, important precursors of sex and stress hormones. The creams also contain cofactors and nutrients (such as Alpha Lipoic Acid) as well as botanicals and homeopathics, all of which help estrogen and progesterone work properly. Custom transdermal creams are formulated using an individual’s hormonal test results. Off-the-shelf dual-phase creams called BioEst™ Phyto-Estrogen Formula and Bio-Femme™ Progesterone Formula are also available. These creams are designed to enhance the healthy dynamics of estrogen and progesterone activity in both pre- and post-menopausal women. For example, women suffering from hot flashes or postmenopausal vaginal dryness are aided by the phyto-estrogen cream.

Supplementation

The following list includes general recommendations for women who are “stressed out” or hormonally imbalanced and would like to restore overall hormonal health. For best results, consult a qualified healthcare practitioner for guidance in establishng a supplement plan before assuming the important responsibility of self-care.

• Transdermal hormonal supplements (dosages vary)
• Vitamin A (25,000 IU daily as beta carotene)
• Vitamin B5 (500­1,500 IU daily)
• B complex vitamins (25­50 mg daily)
• Vitamin C & Bioflavonoids (2,000 mg/1,000 mg daily)
• Vitamin D (400­1,000 IU daily)
• Vitamin E (400 IU daily; 800 IU for women on HRT)
• Digestive enzymes (needs and dosages vary)
• Probiotics (including acidophilus; dosages vary)
• Alpha Lipoic acid (100­200 mg twice daily)
• Biotin (1,000 mcg prior to meals)
• Calcium (1 tsp Coral Calcium daily)
• Chelated magnesium (1,000 mg daily)
• Licorice root (use if cortisol level is low)
• Phosphatidyl choline (acetylcholine precursor; use if cortisol level is low)
• Phosphatidyl serine (revitalizes nerve cells; use if cortisol level is high)
• Siberian Ginseng (use if cortisol level is high)
• Royal Maca (affects hypothalamic action; important to all hormonal therapies)

While the use of these creams or any other hormonal therapy should be initiated under the guidance of a healthcare practitioner, the creams provide an individual the ability to adjust the dosage to the exact amount needed during each phase. Supplementing with both phyto-estrogen (from natural plant sources) and progesterone will re-balance the natural monthly cycle. Pre-menopausal women should use the phyto-estrogen cream from day one through 15 of their monthly cycle (day one is first day of menses); the progesterone cream should be used from day 16 through 28. Postmenopausal women can create a cycle by choosing a day to begin using the creams. After four cycles, women should get fully retested to see whether the dosages of the creams and other supplements need further adjustment.

Women have seen amazing results after employing these creams, especially in combination with other treatments, including nutritional supplements (see above) and therapies for normalizing adrenal stress. Some women without a period for years, clinically diagnosed as being post-menopausal, have begun to menstruate again after using this system of hormonal supplementation. Most women find that the healthy, youthful aspects of their skin, hair and nails are reestablished, and they report greatly enhanced moods and feelings of well-being.

Again, it is important to look at all aspects of the reproductive system and its interplay with the endocrine system, especially adrenal health. It is equally important that women become observant and vigilant about what is happening in their own bodies. This is what it takes to maintain optimum sexual and overall health and maximize longevity.

Contact: I. Michael Borkin, N.M.D., in professional practice for 17 years, is dedicated full-time to endocrine research and is CEO/Director of The Foundation for The Advancement of Endocrine Research. He is also Director of Research and Development for Sabre Sciences. A pioneer in transdermal delivery systems, his ideas have given birth to naturopathic therapies, including Neuro Emotional Sensory Training (NEST) and Quantum Magnetic Manipulation (Q2m). He is past president of the California State Naturopathic Medical Association, and is an independent medical/nutritional consultant. Tel: 323-450-7101.

Sources

Sabre Sciences, Inc., EndoScreen Labs: hormonal test kits for women and men. (Doctors can order test panels; patients can order user-friendly testing systems.) 910 Hampshire Road, Suite P, Westlake Village, CA 91361. Tel: 888-490-7300. Web address: www.sabresciences.com.

Sabre Sciences, Inc., Transdermal Division: transdermal creams. 910 Hampshire Road, Suite P, Westlake Village, CA 91361. Tel: 888-490-7300.

The Foundation for The Advancement of Endocrine Research: 1218 S. Eastern Ave. Las Vegas, Nevada 89104. Tel: 323-450-7101. Hormonal research information (physicians only please).

Reprinted with permission from Alternative Medicine magazine, September 2000/#37. For subscription information call 800-333-HEAL (4325). Website: www.alternativemedicine.com.

Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

I had the opportunity to have Dr. Borkin come to my office and show me his work. He has developed quite an interesting and comprehensive method of diagnosing hormone imbalances.

He uses a technique called Q2M (quantum magnetic manipulation) in conjunction with his version of a transdermal hormone cream which appears to have resolved many of the concerns of the older creams.

Overall though, this is an excellent summary of a natural perspective on how the hormone axis becomes imbalanced.

DEM’s Betraying us – unbelievable

Shame on the Democrats – Big Time!

Why are we being bombarded daily,   especially from the LEFT over this HEALTH-CARE issue?  This is what President Obama ran on and promised to do once in office.  How can our party come apart like this?  Wasn’t our years roaming the outlands bad enough while ruthless, greedy, insensitive leaders impoverished the “middle-class’ to the extent that they disappeared  into homelessness,  need and desperation?  Do not take hope away from those who still have a trace of it left.  This was a major issue Barack Obama ran on. The people believed him and responded – we are counting on him now  But he cannot fight this alone  or with just Speaker Pelosi (tho, thank God for her),  and a rare Sherrod Brown (Ohio thanks God daily for him) and Dennis Kucinich, one of the purist jewels of the bunch.

Where are all those other elected Democrats?  A party can not be, unless there is Team Spirit and cohesiveness.  There are too many egos with separate agendas for actual accomplishment to form and happen.  Everybody is fighting.   Hell, I was too because as I see it, the only way to truly reform this gigantic mess is to truly start over and the redraw the whole thing with single-payer.  No one can deny that social security has been successful.  Where would several generations of elders be without it?  It indeed, did work no matter how much carping goes on about it.  No one likes to pay for anything which pardon my saying so expresses a consciousness of lack which ultimately will keep us mired in – - LACK.  We should be grateful to be able to spend lavishly and wholeheartedly assure that all shall be treated to medical care as a matter of fair treatment under the law of our land.

So yes, I had my preferences too which I have had to cede to the higher good and to a man I trust.  I am willing to leave it to more educated minds than mine to figure out ways to handle the financial end of this stuff.  It can be done.  But with the Insurance companies “out of the way,”  the profit picture changes so dramatically as to be  radically unrecognizable.  That’s a good thing.   You think that the savings realized wouldn’t more than compensate for the burden that our “public option” plan would lead to?   There is no question whatsoever that all this could be done through  taxes alone without citizenry having to pay for medical care individually.  The middlemen are removed from the equation, and with the streamlining already laid out with certain modernizations – - this could be magnificent.   Herein lies the problem.

Without that MONEY from the corporate Insurance industry and its related medical community (AMA) and Big Pharma,  how would all those “poor” senators and “congressmen and women” finance their careers?  How could they get those votes if they had no money to pay for all this stuff?  Even tho President Obama said he was going to change the way business was done in Washington – - that corporate America was no longer going to “run things” there,  it is beginning to sound like its too late already.  If there is no will to do, why of course it can’t be done.  But please,  lets call a spade a spade. Finding the cleanest path to HEALTH-CARE REFORM appears not to be what is going on, but rather, how to preserve the status-quo (staying alive politically) while going through the motions  NEWSFLASH:  FAIL US NOW AND YOU ARE ALREADY DEAD!  The Independant party is about to grow big time.

This man we elected to the presidency was pursuing the higher road, wanted to serve the needs of the people with the promise that Corporate America would no longer RULE.   He has done almost everything totally right, so cool, pragmatic – just what we needed.  But he is being severely undermined.   This smart, savvy man has a plan and can get it done – we’ve never had this opportunity before!   So why must this great resistance loom so large now while the wind is still at our back and the public is hugely in Barack’s corner maintaining faith in him with massive margins asking for the “public option”

Our party must decide and quickly – integrity or greed. What’s it gonna be, believe me, we are ALL WATCHING!

Paleo and Your Bones

Here is one last shot at the Paleo Update – - great as always.     Good people, cutting edge thinking, enviable reputation.   This one is on Protecting the Health of Your Bones.

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www.ThePaleoDiet.com Loren Cordain, Ph.D. Issue: # 2009 – 25/June 19, 2009 Jan, Hello! Welcome to The Paleo Diet Update, an in-depth review of breaking scientific research investigating how what we eat influences our quality of life. The Paleo Diet refers to the diet that was available to our Paleolithic ancestors over a period of time that accounts for approximately 99% of human evolution. Thus, the Paleo Diet provides the best nutritional guideline to support optimum fitness and reduce disease because it is most closely aligned with our genetic makeup. After digestion and metabolism, foods release acidic or basic substances into the circulatory system. With a heavy reliance on fruits and vegetables, our hunter-gatherer ancestors maintained a net-base-producing diet. In contrast, modern diets tend to be net-acid-producing with heavy reliance on dairy products and cereal grains and few servings of fruit and vegetables. The Paleo Diet offers the net-base balance needed to reduce the risk of kidney malfunction, osteoporosis, age-related muscle wasting, kidney stones, hypertension, and exercise-induced asthma. In this issue, we’ll look at what causes osteoporosis and how the Paleo Diet can provide optimum bone density. We’ll also share suggestions for Paleo athlete snacks to provide fuel for training. Enjoy.	Loren Cordain, Ph.D. In This Issue Protecting the Health of Your Bones Paleo Athlete Snacks: Fuel for Training News and Upcoming Events Our Recommendations
Protecting the Health of Your Bones by Pedro Bastos
Although people in the United States have one of highest calcium intake rates worldwide, they still have one of the highest rates of bone de-mineralization. A reduction in bone mineral density or osteoporosis not only increases the risk of bone fracture, but has also been associated with many other diseases and disorders.1 The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that 44 million Americans, or 55 percent of the people over 49, are at risk for osteoporosis. It’s true that osteoporosis largely affects seniors, but it can be present at any age. It’s been called the silent disease since no pain or symptoms accompany it. Most of the nutritional guidelines for osteoporosis rely on calcium supplementation or the consumption of calcium-rich foods such as milk, but, as Americans have proven, bone mineral content is not just dependent upon calcium intake. Bone mineral health depends upon vitamin D status,2 physical activity,3 micronutrient intake4-7 (including not just calcium, but also magnesium, zinc, copper, folic acid and vitamin K, B2, B6 and B12), protein intake (it increases intestinal calcium absorption8,9 and has an anabolic effect on bone,8 particularly in the context of a net base yielding diet),10 omega-6/omega-3 ratio,11,12 and the glycemic load/insulinotropic effect of the diet (high blood insulin levels cause calcium loss).13 Moreover, when we talk about calcium balance, it should be pointed out that calcium intake is only part of the equation. We also have to consider calcium excretion, which can be increased by a diet that chronically elevates blood insulin levels13 (such as a diet composed of high glycemic load foods, such as sugar containing foods, potatoes and many grain based products,14 and by milk and fermented milk).15-19 Calcium excretion is also increased when people eat a net acid yielding diet, which is key to bone health. After the nutrients in the foods we eat are metabolized, they report to the kidneys as either acid or base.20 If the diet yields a net acid load, the acid must be buffered by the alkaline stores of base in the body,21 such as calcium salts,22 which are released from bone and then eliminated in the urine, gradually leading to osteopenia21 (low bone mineral density) and eventually to osteoporosis. Acid producing foods include hard cheeses, cereal grains, meats, fish, eggs20 and salted foods.23 Fruits and vegetables are the only alkaline, base-producing foods.20,21 Energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods (such as separated fats and oils and refined sugars), although they have a neutral effect in terms of acid-base balance, displace fruits and vegetables, and hence contribute to the diet’s net acid load.24 Because the average American diet is overloaded with grains, cheeses, salted processed foods, fatty meats, refined sugars and separated fats and oils at the expense of fruits and vegetables, virtually everyone in the U.S. consumes a net acid yielding diet,24 which leads to bone de-mineralization.21,22 Replacing hard cheeses, cereal grains, processed foods and refined sugars and separated fats and oils with plenty of vegetables and fruits can bring the body back into acid/base balance,24 which naturally brings it back into calcium balance, and has numerous other health benefits.21 The Paleo Diet recommends an appropriate balance of acid yielding and base yielding foods, including lean meats, fish, seafood, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. We believe that this way of eating combined with proper exercise3 and optimization of vitamin D status2 (either through sun exposure or supplementation) affords protection from osteoporosis in otherwise healthy individuals, because it: Provides all the micronutrients25 (including calcium, which can be obtained from green leafy vegetables of the large genus Brassica, in the mustard family. This includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi and mustards); Encourages the intake of plenty of fruits and vegetables to become net-base yielding. It is important to mention that green leafy vegetables are net base yielding and milk, yogurt and cheese are net acid yielding;20,24 Is high in protein; Provides a high intake of omega-3 fatty acids and warns against excessive omega-6 intake; Has a low glycemic load and avoids dairy products. Remember that milk, fermented milk and yogurt elevate plasma levels of insulin as much as white bread,15-19 making green leafy vegetables (again) a safer source of calcium. This summer, you have another reason to enjoy your bone-building garden greens more than ever! Next time, we’ll look at the health implications of the increasing intake of legumes in modern diets. We’ll also share how to make homemade smoothies – a quick snack you can eat on the go.
Paleo Athlete Snacks: Fuel for Training by Nell Stephenson
Having just completed our first round of The Paleo Diet Implementation Program, it’s become very clear to me how many athletes there are who’ve begun to eat a Paleo Diet, but are concerned that it may not provide enough fuel for training. Being an endurance athlete myself, I can promise firsthand that it does! It will require more preparation since you’re not likely to find baked yams with salt in your local mart. You’ll fare much better in your training, racing and recovering than if you were to default to the commonly available sports bars, made with whey, grains and all sorts of other “interesting” non-Paleo food ingredients. The following are some of my favorites. For a complete listing of why these are favorites, review sections on what to eat before, during and after training around the time of a training session in The Paleo Diet For Athletes. Natural, unsweetened applesauce with plain egg white protein powder and a sprinkle of salt Baked yam with hard-boiled egg whites (I’ll give the yolks to the dogs as I prefer a light meal of protein and carbs only if workout session is going to follow immediately and I don’t have time to digest the fat) and again, a touch of table salt Bananas – either fresh or sliced, and then frozen. There’s not a time I enjoy a banana more than after a workout session! Pineapple – again, right after a workout is a perfect time for this fruit. Pineapple (and papaya and mango) contain bromelain, an enzyme that aids in digestion and helps to settle the stomach. That’s quite handy for those hard sessions when you’ve pushed your limits, and ended up feeling a touch of nausea! Dried fruit – the best time to eat this higher-in-sugar snack is right after a session when your muscles are screaming for carbohydrate to repair and refuel for your next session. Cantaloupe – a great source of potassium, even higher than bananas! Finally, I can’t omit the essential: the recovery drink recommended in Paleo For Athletes, “Homebrew.” It’s superior to anything you’re going to find commercially available, and it contains fruit, protein and salt. You’ll never tire of it, as you can always vary which fruits you use to keep it interesting. If you haven’t committed to being 100% Paleo for fear that it won’t support your athletic endeavors, again, I promise you, it will. Train Hard Paleo Athletes!
News and Upcoming Events
Loren Cordain on National Portuguese TV: On June 14, Portuguese National TV included a segment with Loren Cordain. It can be found, in Portuguese, at http://tinyurl.com/ljohs5. Losing weight linked to vitamin D: A new study found that Vitamin D levels in the body at the start of a low-calorie diet could predict whether weight loss would be successful. Unlike most of us today, our Paleolithic ancestors got their vitamin D directly from sunlight. Unfortunately, Vitamin D it is not available naturally in many foods. Because Vitamin D is important not only to improve weight loss, but also to prevent disease as well, it is one of the few supplements that we recommend most people take. The TV series “Food Investigators” features the Paleo Diet: The episodes can all be viewed in June online at: www.sbs.com.au/foodinvestigators.
Our Recommendations
The Dietary Cure for Acne has been shown to eliminate acne in just a matter of weeks: With this program, you don’t have to buy medications, creams, masks, etc. With this program, you avoid any risk of drug side effects, and you get all the benefits of healthy nutrition, including optimizing your weight, improving your energy, and reducing your risk of a long list of diet-related diseases. “I quit my medication the day I started the acne diet and since then my skin has steadily improved over the past two months. I have had minimal breakouts, inflammation has gradually decreased, and my skin is clearer now than it has been since pre-high school.” Mathew With 174 scientific references, The Dietary Cure for Acne explains all four causes of acne, and is the only program shown to clear acne blemishes in a human clinical trial. It has been shown to break the acne cycle even after decades of failure, as Nick found: “After 10 days, my skin is completely clear for the first time in 40 years, and maintaining my ideal weight is far easier.” Nick The Paleo Diet has helped people solve critical health problems without risking drug side effects: Professor Loren Cordain, widely acknowledged as a leading expert on the diet of our Paleolithic ancestors, shares his in-depth understanding of the dramatic health benefits derived from optimum nutrition. The book is filled with examples of modern hunter-gatherer societies virtually free of the epidemics of life-threatening diseases that plague modern society. Here’s an example of how the Paleo Diet has been life enhancing: “I just want to let you know how incredibly grateful I am for your research…I’ve been following the plan for well over a year now and have never looked or felt better. Headaches, allergies, and skin problems that used to constantly plague me have vanished and people constantly comment on my “radiant appearance.” The Paleo Diet combined with an excellent exercise program (CrossFit) has allowed me to effortlessly optimize my body composition. I’ve stabilized at a lean (single digit body fat)/muscular 160 lb (I’m 5′6″). My workout performance continues to increase as well. The benefits have extended to my family as well. In the past couple of months, I’ve managed to get my mom and dad on the wagon and they have both experienced enhanced health and vitality. The plan has helped to alleviate aches and pains and is providing a route for my mother to get back to her ideal weight. Both of them are also experiencing higher levels of energy and greater resistance to fatigue. Needless to say, the plan has been a panacea for all involved.” Jonathon The Paleo Diet Implementation Program started yesterday, June 18th, but you can still join at the last minute: It’s one thing to read about how nutrition can help you lose weight, overcome disease and accomplish athletic goals. Actually searching through grocery stores, knowing when to use olive versus flaxseed oil, and understanding the acid-base balance that fights disease may take a little more effort. That’s why people are joining together for six weeks of live Q&A with Pedro Bastos, Jess Kuzma, Chris LaLanne, Dr. Loren Cordain, and me, Wiley Long. The Implementation Program also includes a discussion forum to enable you to connect with your fellow participants. You’ll receive an 80-page binder filled with step-by-step instructions on how to implement this optimizing diet. It will make not only make shopping and preparing meals easier and quicker, but will also provide: ·   63 easy-to-follow recipes ·   180 meal ideas ·   Tips to make dining out and traveling easier ·   30 days of meal plans, including weekly grocery shopping lists and meal plans Here’s how Joyce has overcome scleraderma with the Paleo Diet: “I have been following the Paleo diet for over two years and have achieved great success. I live in the greater Los Angeles area and was diagnosed with scleraderma over eight years ago. The disease is fast moving to harden the skin and internal organs. Two rheumatologists and one cardiologist have been following my progress or lack thereof. Two years ago my sister-in-law, a nutritionist familiar with the Paleo Diet recommended it based on hers and my brother’s success. I started cold turkey…after advising my doctors of my decision. After two weeks, there was marked improvement in my skin and nails. I continued to gain energy and lose weight. My goal was to feel better and that has certainly been achieved. I weighed over 225 when I began and have continued to lose weight down to 147. This is a way of life for me and my husband and I will never knowingly eat any other way. When scleraderma was diagnosed my pulmonary function was tested at less than 50%. Last week, I was tested and reported normal (for age 69). I would like to improve more and will continue my 2-mile walks and other exercise to do so. My rheumatologists were very pleased with my progress and they spent a long time last week examining me and brought in three other doctors working with them to ask me questions and check me out.” Joyce As soon as you sign up, you can listen to the mp3 of the first call.  We’ll rush the binder to you, and get you caught up with the rest of us.  To take control of your own health, register for the June 18th Paleo Diet Implementation Program.  The program comes with a full money-back guarantee.
Follow Up and Feedback
In this new section of our newsletter, we’ll occasionally print questions, feedback, criticisms, and responses. We’d like to share a letter we received regarding our article on Pregnancy, Young Children and the Paleo Diet. In this article, we wrote “For the Western mother, weaning at age 3 is impractical, but weaning should be delayed as long as possible (preferrably at least 1-1.5 years).” Jennifer wrote that she disagreed with this and here are her reasons below. Thank you Jennifer for sharing your experience and information about nursing. “I would disagree with this statement. It’s not that it is impractical, but that it is often discouraged by societal factors. I managed to nurse my son until he was 4 years old, simply because we set up his bed (in various forms) adjacent to ours from day 1. Before you assume that I stay at home, let me assure you that I am most definitely a full-time working mom. He has been in daycare, full days, since he was 4 months old; until he was 13 months old, I pumped and sent bottles. When he moved from the infant room to the young toddler room, he chose not to drink milk from bottles any more – in fact, he won’t drink milk of any sort now. He still nursed lots in the evening and on weekends. Most mothers, however, are often not aware that nursing for so long can remain beneficial for young children (and mothers as well). It is certainly a convenient and easy way to avoid those meltdowns that 2 year olds and 3 year olds have! I’m always a little saddened when I hear that a mother has stopped nursing, saddened because I know how much joy a child has nursing. Nursing an older child (even one with a lot of teeth!) is so different from nursing an infant – it’s an entirely different relationship and the mothers who give up nursing early miss out on this later aspect of a nursing relationship. I would direct you to the work of Kathy Dettwyler, http://www.kathydettwyler.org/ – an anthropologist who studies extended breastfeeding, for some insightful information.” Jennifer Talk to you next week! To your optimum health, Wiley Long, M.S., Nutrition and Exercise Science Editor References: 1. Simonelli, C et al. (July 2006). ICSI Health Care Guideline: Diagnosis and Treatment of Osteoporosis, 5th edition (PDF). Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement 2. Holick MF, Chen TC. Vitamin D deficiency: a worldwide problem with health consequences. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Apr;87(4):1080S-6S 3. Borer KT. Physical activity in the prevention and amelioration of osteoporosis in women : interaction of mechanical, hormonal and dietary factors. Sports Med. 2005;35(9):779-830 4. Sojka JE, Weaver CM. Magnesium supplementation and osteoporosis. Nutr Rev. 1995 Mar;53(3):71-4 5. Abrams SA, Griffin IJ. Microminerals and Bone Health. In Holick MF, Dawson-Hughes B. Nutrition And Bone Health. Humana Press, 2004, pp 377-387 6. Cockayne S, Adamson J, Lanham-New S, Shearer MJ, Gilbody S, Torgerson DJ. Vitamin K and the prevention of fractures: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Arch Intern Med. 2006 Jun 26;166(12):1256-61 7. Pols H, Yazdanpanah N, van Meurs J. Homocysteine, the vitamin B complex family and bone. In Burckhardt P, Heaney R, Dawson-Hughes B. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Nutritional Aspects of Osteoporosis, 4-6 May 2006, Lausanne, Switzerland. Elsevier, 2007, pp 151-157 8. Kerstetter JE, Gaffney ED, O’ Brien O, et al. Dietary Protein increases intestinal calcium absorption and improves bone balance : An hypothesis. In Burckhardt P, Heaney R, Dawson-Hughes B. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Nutritional Aspects of Osteoporosis, 4-6 May 2006, Lausanne, Switzerland. Elsevier, 2007, pp 204-216 9. Dawson-Hughes B. Protein intake and calcium absorption – Potential role of the calcium sensor receptor. In Burckhardt P, Heaney R, Dawson-Hughes B. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Nutritional Aspects of Osteoporosis, 4-6 May 2006, Lausanne, Switzerland. Elsevier, 2007, pp 217-227 10. Sebastian A. Dietary protein content and the diet’s net acid load: opposing effects on bone health. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Nov;82(5):921-2 11. Weiss, l.A.; Barrett-Connor, E.; Von Muhlen, D. Ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids and bone mineral density in older adults: the Rancho Bernardo Study. Am J Clin Nutr; 2005;81(4):934-8 12. Watkins, B.A.; Li, Y.; Seifert, M.F. Dietary ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs and docosahexaenoic acid: actions on bone mineral and serum biomarkers in ovariectomized rats. J Nutr Biochem 2006; 17(4):282-9, 2006 13. DeFronzo RA, Cooke CR, Andres R, Faloona GR, Davis PJ. The effect of insulin on renal handling of sodium, potassium, calcium, and phosphate in man. J Clin Invest 1975;55:845-55 14. Cordain, l.; Eades, M.R.; Eades, M.D. Hyperinsulinemic diseases of civilization: more than just syndrome X. Comp Biochem Physiol Part A; 136:95-112, 2003 15. Gannon MC, Nuttall FQ, Krezowski PA, Billington CJ, Parker S. The serum insulin and plasma glucose responses to milk and fruit products in type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic patients. Diabetologia. 1986 Nov;29(11):784-91 16. Holt SH et al. An insulin index of foods: the insulin demand generated by 1000-kJ portions of common foods. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997 Nov;66(5):1264-76 17. Ostman EM, et al. Inconsistency between glycemic and insulinemic responses to regular and fermented milk products. Am J Clin Nutr 2001;74:96 -100 18. Liljeberg Elmstahl H & Bjorck I. Milk as a supplement to mixed meals may elevate postprandial insulinaemia. Eur J Clin Nutr 2001; 55:994-999 19. Hoyt G, Hickey MS, Cordain L. Dissociation of the glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to whole and skimmed milk. Br J Nutr. 2005 Feb;93(2):175-7 20. Remer T, Manz F. Potential renal acid load of foods and its influence on urine pH. J Am Diet Assoc 1995;95:791-797 21. Frassetto L. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pubmed_AbstractPlus&term=%22Frassetto+L%22%5BAuthor%5D>, Morris RC Jr. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pubmed_AbstractPlus&term=%22Morris+RC+Jr%22%5BAuthor%5D>, Sellmeyer DE http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pubmed_AbstractPlus&term=%22Sellmeyer+DE%22%5BAuthor%5D>, Todd K http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pubmed_AbstractPlus&term=%22Todd+K%22%5BAuthor%5D>, Sebastian A http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pubmed_AbstractPlus&term=%22Sebastian+A%22%5BAuthor%5D>. Diet, evolution and aging–the pathophysiologic effects of the post-agricultural inversion of the potassium-to-sodium and base-to-chloride ratios in the human diet. Eur J Nu tr. 2001 Oct;40(5):200-13 22. Barzel US. The skeleton as an ion exchange system: implications for the role of acid-base imbalance in the genesis of osteoporosis. J Bone Miner Res 1995; 10:1431-1436 23. Frassetto LA, Morris RC Jr, Sebastian A. Dietary sodium chloride intake independently predicts the degree of hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis in healthy humans consuming a net acid-producing diet. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2007 Aug;293(2):F521-5 24. Frassetto L.A., Morris Jr R.C., Sebastian A. A practical approach to the balance between acid production and renal acid excretion in humans. J Nephrol. 2006 Mar-Apr;19 Suppl 9:S33-40 25. Cordain L. The nutritional characteristics of a contemporary diet based upon Paleolithic food groups. J Am Nutraceut Assoc 2002; 5:15-24

(REAL) PROBIOTICS

I know, I know. . . . sorry,  its the second one today from Donna Gates!  But this is something We ALL seem so vitally interested in – I simply couldn’t help myself.  Especially after that ridiculous 4 – piece ASSOCIATED PRESS article which concentrated on supplementation.

As is probably evident,  I am a senior on social security which means that I don’t generally live too high on the hog.  Just graciously and as beautifully and completely as I can.  This is referenced for one main reason,  my mother (God bless her radiant soul) quite generally referenced me as a cheapskate.  I don’t agree, I have just always, always been basically a practical person (Virgo that I am).  Quality, value and utility and beauty are equally important to me (Libra rising). But these are trying times and one must try a little harder to make stuff come out neatly in the end.  So, with my practical nature in mind and dedication to all things healthful, I am totally committed to the practice of making my own fermented foods. I do this approximately every 6 to 8 weeks as my supply wanes.  My habit is to make a couple of gallons at a time put up in those  big quart and 1/2 jars with the rubber ring around the lip and a clamp down lid.  I put all in a portable cooler chest and leave in pantry about 10 days.  It lasts for months on end and just gets better with time.  NOTHING could be better for your gut or intestinal problems.  I did have a little anguish when I first tasted this stuff after all that work.  Lets just say that it took some getting used to, on the heels of which – addiction sets in.    Wouldn’t want to be without it now.  Use 1/4 to 1/2 cup with lunch and dinner and a spoon full or so whenever my tummy decides to feel funny.  Generally have a shot of Dong Quai to start the day.  So for me, I’ll always be grateful for learning about Donna Gates and her Body Ecology ways.  Its a good thing!  Enjoy.

Probiotic Liquids and Foods versus Probiotic Supplements: Which Is Better?

by BodyEcology.com

Did you know that many probiotic supplements on the market don’t actually contain all the beneficial microflora they claim to contain? Find out how to be SURE you get the probiotics you need to build your immunity.

If you look at the shelves of your local health food store, you may be confused by the vast array of probiotic supplements.

Probiotics are the buzz word in health these days for a good reason. With benefits ranging from boosting your immunity to easing Irritable Bowel Syndrome, treating autism and ending cravings, it’s no wonder we want our probiotics.

But how can you be sure that these probiotics contain all the friendly microflora necessary to populate your gut, build your immunity, and help you digest and assimilate your food?
The Business of Probiotics

Probiotics are big business, and sales of probiotics topped $243 million in 2005.¹

In a lucrative market, it’s no surprise that supplement manufacturers would want a piece of the probiotic pie. Often, in the race to create a product with so many millions of beneficial bacteria strains and with little FDA regulation, one thing is becoming clear: not every supplement manufacturer understands the true nature of healing your inner ecosystem.

So while we know probiotics absolutely have nutritional value, what you see on the label may NOT be what you get.

In fact, two researchers at Bastyr University in Washington recently tested a wide variety of probiotic supplements and found that in four out of twenty products no sign of living friendly bacteria was present.²

The unfortunate truth is that too many probiotic supplements vary widely in quality and potency. Here’s why:

• Many probiotic supplements cannot survive harsh stomach acid in order to get to your intestines.
• Manufacturers talk about number of CFUs (colony forming units), but don’t always offer the types or combinations of probiotics that are ideally suited to human intestines. So while they have some value, they do not help re-colonize your inner ecosystem, which is the overall goal.

Just like the Earth has ecosystems that strive for balance, your body has it’s own “inner ecosystem.” At the heart of your inner ecosystem are probiotics, the beneficial microflora that keep you healthy and strong. Products containing these beneficial microflora are called probiotics.

After decades of studying exactly which microflora allow your inner ecosystem to thrive, Donna Gates developed the Body Ecology system with probiotic-rich fermented foods and drinks as one of the mainstays of health and healing.
Best Probiotics?

Fermented foods and drinks can be your best solution to ineffective probiotic supplements!

Here are some reasons that fermented foods and drinks are superior:

• Beneficial bacteria and yeast in fermented foods and drinks are live and active! Whether you purchase fermented foods and drinks or make them at home, you are getting active bacteria.
• Fermentation pre-digests vital nutrients for you. Packed with B vitamins, minerals and enzymes, fermented foods and drinks are whole foods full of nutritional value in their own right. On top of that, the microflora increase the bioavailability of the nutrients in all the foods you eat by hundreds of times.
• Fermentation does not use heat. Your fermented foods and drinks retain their vital amino acids that can be destroyed by heat.
• You get a variety of live cultures supplied by nature in fermented foods and drinks. Lab produced probiotics are often a single strain of bacteria, like Lactobacillus acidophilus.
• Supplements contain bacteria only while fermented foods and drinks also contain “food” for the microflora to help promote their growth. It’s like sending the good guys down into your digestive tract with a lunchbox of goodies to sustain them on their long and perilous journey down under. Once they reach their destination (and IF they reach their destination) the microflora in a supplement need up to 6 hours to colonize in your intestines. The microflora in fermented foods and liquids are so hardy they start working at once.
• Fermented foods and drinks are acid-resistant and are viable in your system from the time they touch your lips all the way down into your gut.
  Body Ecology is on the cutting edge of using probiotics to impact your health, and because we believe in the healing value of beneficial bacteria and yeast, we have created several different ways for you to get daily doses of high quality, potent microflora in your diet.

(If you are just starting to use probiotics, be sure to read Is It Possible To Get Too MUCH Fermented Food In Your Diet? by Dr. Leonard Smith.

Our probiotic liquids and culture starters fit every lifestyle and every taste to populate your gut with a variety of nature’s beneficial bacteria and yeast.

Dong Quai is a potent probiotic drink that gives your body beneficial bacteria and healing herbs at the same time. Try Dong Quai today!

Dong Quai is one our newest probiotic drinks that not only supplies your body with four active cultures but also gives you fermented dong quai, a prized herb known for its hormone stabilizing properties.

Our fermented Dong Quai contains all four of these live probiotics, uniquely designed to re-colonize your intestines:

• Lactobacillus acidophilus
• Lactobacillus delbreukii
• Saccharomyces boulardii
• Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Besides being a potent probiotic drink, Dong Quai is an herb known for its ability to:

• Stabilize female hormones
• Protect men from prostate cancer
• Ease PMS symptoms
• Support male fertility
  Read our In-Depth Guide to the Benefits and Uses of “Women’s Ginseng” (Which is also Great for Men!) for more on Dong Quai’s amazing healing properties.

Also be sure to learn about our top-selling probiotic drink “star,” Coco-Biotic.
Make Your Own!

You can also make your own fermented foods and drinks at home with Body Ecology fermented food and drink starters.

Our starters are carefully formulated so that you can reap the health benefits of probiotics at home by making cultured vegetables, cultured butter, Young Coconut Kefir and milk kefir.

Try these fermented food starters and have fun doing it yourself:

• Kefir Starter is perfect for homemade milk kefir and Young Coconut Kefir.
• Essential Duo has high levels of two essential bacteria and can be used for delicious fermented drinks.
• Culture Starter makes delicious vegetables and whipped cultured butter or crème fraiche (aka sour cream). Try it today!

To learn more about each starter, read Which Fermented Food Starter Should You Use For What?
Probiotics The Easy Way

Until a supplement exists that delivers the beneficial bacteria and yeast you need for a healthy inner ecosystem, you can rely on our probiotic liquids, like Dong Quai and fermented foods and drinks that you can make yourself.

You’ll be sure that you’re getting potent probiotics every time!
Sources:
Condor, Bob, “Living Well: ‘Friendly’ probiotics have some cons, too,” Seattle P-I, 18 Dec, 2006. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/296142_condor18.html.

• Copyright © 2009 Donna Gates; all rights reserved |

GO GREEN at the table

The Body Ecology Guide to the Ten Healthiest Greens

by BodyEcology.com

Crammed with vital nutrients for every body, greens just might be the healthiest food our planet has to offer!

Popeye wasn’t just a man with muscles. He was a man with brains, too. He knew the power of leafy greens could get him out of a jam in a flash. (Okay, he was just a cartoon character… but you get the idea!)

Going Green – A Whole New Meaning

Leafy green vegetables rule the roost in the vegetable kingdom. Nothing against rutabagas or cucumbers, but leafy greens have the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. ¹ That’s enough to make any vegetable feel superior!

The Power of Green
Just check in with a bowl of greens and you’ll find they are brimming with vital nutrients that provide a variety of health, growth and fertility benefits.

Your Liver’s Favorite Color is Green

Livers love greens because they’re amazing detoxifiers. If you want to cleanse your liver, eat your greens!

A Lean, Mean, Green Machine

Just to give you an idea of how important they are to include in our diets at every meal, this is a sample of what you can expect with every bite of green goodness:

• Fiber – A leader in blood sugar regulation, blood cholesterol regulation and bowel function.
• Protein – Perfect for vegetarians! Who wouldn’t rather have a side of escarole than a tofu cutlet?
• Calcium – That’s right, leafy greens are an excellent source of calcium. Cows will rejoice everywhere!
• Vitamin A – Better to see you with, my dear. Vitamin A is essential for vision and bone growth.
• B Vitamins – Vital for human health and nourishes the nervous system.
• Vitamin C – Powerful antioxidants to supercharge the immune system. Great for strong muscles, bones and skin, too!
• Vitamin K – Just what you’re looking for to help support the healing process. Leafy greens are your best source of vitamin K1 but vitamin K2 is synthesized in your gut by microflora. So eat greens and a probiotic diet together for both forms.
• Iron – Fit for a strongman, this mineral aids in immune function, cognitive development, temperature regulation, energy metabolism and work performance.
• Chlorophyll – Scan through your notes from your third grade science class and you’ll be reminded that chlorophyll is what makes leaves green. Chlorophyll provides oxygen that’s necessary for the healthy bacteria in your gut to grow and flourish. Go chlorophyll!

Experts Agree, Green is the Color for All Seasons!

Much research has been done on the benefits of greens. Take a look at what has been found when greens are put to the test:

• Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that individuals who eat leafy greens had a 23% reduction in coronary heart disease.²
• Scientists found that a diet rich in leafy green vegetables actually showed a significant reduction in the chance of developing colon cancer.³
• Research shows that folate, one of the impressive B Vitamins in greens, may protect against cognitive decline in older adults .⁴
• Studies found that caratenoids (powerful antioxidants) in green leafy vegetables can inhibit the growth of certain types of breast cancer cells, skin cancer cells, lung cancer and stomach cancer.⁵ Doesn’t it make you want to have a plateful of broccoli rabe right now?
• Another study showed that women who ate the most leafy greens had half the risk of ovarian cancer compared to those who ate the least.⁶ Half!! Pile them on!

The Greener the Leaf, the Greater the Good

The darker the green in edible plants, the more nutrients they hold. Choose those that are lusciously deep in color and mix them with a variety of shades, textures and tastes for the perfect balance of vitamins and minerals.

Go Ahead, Eat Them – Nature Will Make More

The Body Ecology Diet recommends eating greens at every meal…yes even breakfast or at least for brunch. Starting your day with greens is an alkalizing, mineral-rich way to get your day going!

A steamy bowl of greens sautéed in coconut oil with a little garlic and Celtic sea salt is the perfect complement to a healthy lunch.

And if you’re like most people, dinner isn’t really dinner without a leafy green salad on your plate.

And now for what you’ve all been waiting for…
The Ten “Must-Have” Healthiest Greens for Every Nutritional Wardrobe

1. Collards – These fan-like greens stand out as a nutritional superstar. Their vitamin K, A, C and magnesium levels are off the charts and their folate, calcium and dietary fiber content is nothing to sneeze at. ⁷Dinosaurs must have been gnawing on collard greens because they date back all the way to prehistoric times. They’re one of the oldest members of the cabbage family and a close cousin to the curly-headed relative, Kale. ⁸Known as a time-honored tradition in southern kitchens, collards are held in high regard as the green of choice and are at their best between January and April!
2. Kale – Flat or curly, this vegetable is considered to be one of the most highly nutritious vegetables, with super strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. ⁹Central and northern Europe as well as North America seem to be the breeding grounds for kale. On a quest for something bigger and better, kale is actually the result of man’s artificial selection for enlargement of leaves in the wild mustard plant. ¹⁰
3. Spinach – The incredible shrinking vegetable! If you’ve ever prepared spinach, you know that the volume is decreased by three quarters when cooked.But that’s OK, spinach is loaded with enough vitamin C and fiber to survive the loss and make it worth every bite! While spinach is a good source of calcium it also contains oxalic acid that reduces intake of dietary calcium.Despite a popular misconception, spinach has only slightly more iron than most other vegetables.

   The mega-iron myth first began in 1870 when Dr. E. von Wolf misplaced a decimal point in his publication which led to an iron content figure that was ten times too high. Although investigated in 1937 by the Germans, the rumor remained strong for decades (thanks to a pipe-smoking sailor man).

4. Chard – Packed with nutrients, chard is one of the most powerful anti-cancer foods due to its combination of traditional nutrients; phytochemicals, chlorophyll, other plant pigments and soluble fiber. ¹¹Folks in the US love the veiny leaves for cooking while European chefs save the stalks and toss the leaves. Slightly bitter, the fresh young leaves can be steamed, sautéed or used raw in salads. (See note at end of article about the oxalic acid in chard.)A visual knock-out in your grocer’s produce section, chard is found in green forms as well as red-ribbed such as Ruby Chard, Rhubarb Chard and the always exquisite Rainbow Chard.
5. Mustard – Also known as leaf mustard, Brassica Juncea and Indian mustard, mustard greens have a distinct horseradish-mustard flavor. In fact, the brown mustard we all grew up on is made from mustard greens.Mustard greens are particularly beneficial for women going through menopause. They’re a no-nonsense vegetable that can protect against cancer and heart disease and also support bone health.A little on the pungent side, mustard greens are typically mixed with other milder greens and are a favorite in soul food, Chinese and Japanese cuisines.¹²
6. Broccoli Raab – Oh, that broccoli raab is such a trickster. Despite its name, look and taste, broccoli raab has nothing to do with broccoli. It’s really in the turnip family.Loved by Italian and Chinese cooks, broccoli raab, also known as rapini, is a great source of vitamins A, C and K, as well as potassium. ¹³A little on the bitter side with a rich, nutty flavor, broccoli raab can be an acquired taste. But once it’s acquired, watch out! It can be positively addictive.
7. Dandelion Greens – Without a doubt, this leafy vegetable is one of the most nutritious foods you can pick.Dandelions support digestion, reduce swelling and inflammation, and treat jaundice, edema, gout, eczema and acne.A close cousin to the sunflower, dandelions can create the perfect spring tonic with their liver cleansing properties. Also known as a good laxative and diuretic, it’s French name, pissenlit (wet the bed), tells all. ¹⁴

   Find a field free of pesticides and forage away for a delicious salad or stir fry. A bit on the bitter side but tasty as can be with a little olive oil and lemon.

8. Watercress – Yet another member of the cabbage family that’s doing amazing things with its vitamins B6, C, magnesium and carotene.Watercress is a fast-growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic perennial and one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by humans. It has a significant amount of folic acid and acts as a great digestive aid.With a perk-you-up peppery flavor, watercress is found on a lot of salad bars these days, but is best known for the cute little sandwiches served at ladies’ teas.
9. Bok Choy – Bok choy is also considered a cabbage, although you would never know it based on its long stalks and slender leaves.High in vitamins A, C and calcium, bok choy is high in nutrients but low in calories.¹⁵ They make a beautiful presentation on any plate and are yummy in salads (but blanch and chill the bok choy first), stir-fries and soups. Bok Choy can be fermented like any other cabbage and is the main ingredient in Chinese Kim Chi.Cultivated in China since ancient times, bok choy is a favorite for its light, sweet flavor and crisp texture. Young, baby bok choy lightly sautéed and seasoned with a few shakes of shoyu just might be the most delicious food known to man.
10. Chicory – This crunchy salad green can be divided into five groups: radicchio, sugar loaf, large leaf, cutting leaf and Belgian endive. The curly types are the most cultivated and often seen in a salad bowl.Rich in potassium, iron, beta carotene, vitamins A and B, chicory has more calcium than even kale and collards. This is the green for anyone who is looking for more calcium in their life.First introduced to England, Germany, Holland and France in the 13 century, the French used it primarily for medicinal purposes to “comfort the weake and feeble stomack and to help gouty limbs and sore eyes”.¹⁶
11. Seaweed – What, did you think we were only covering leafy vegetables that grew on land?Seaweed, or sea vegetables if you want them to sound more dignified, is incredibly nutritious and provides many minerals (most notably from iron), a good supply of protein and fiber as well as vitamins A, B6 and C.Basically, sea vegetables are algae and are used in a number of processed foods as stabilizers and thickeners, not to mention a closet full of beauty products. ¹⁷

    Because of the staggeringly strong nutritional value of sea veggies, Donna Gates, author of the Body Ecology Diet recommends eating them each and every day. There are a number of species, each with slightly different tastes and characteristics and are great additions to soups and salads, or sautéed with other vegetables.

    Not everyone loves the taste or texture of sea vegetables, though, or has the time to create flavorful recipes. Our Body Ecology Ocean Plant Extract is a concentrated supplement that offers all of the valuable nutrients in sea vegetables without any preparation time needed.

12. Cereal Grass – We really couldn’t end this list without at least mentioning healthy grasses. Known as one of the healthiest foods on earth, healthy grass is supersonic fuel for your body.To learn more about this miracle food, check out the Body Ecology article at http://bodyecology.com/07/08/02/healthiest_grasses.php

Don’t Go It Alone!

To get the most of out of your healthy greens, be sure to eat them with cultured foods such as raw cultured vegetables or young coconut kefir. Both pump the gut with friendly bacteria that is necessary for your body to get optimal performance out of B Vitamins and Vitamin K.

Pot Likker (or Liquor) is Quicker

A tradition all the way from Africa, pot likker is the juice from greens that have been cooked and saved at the bottom of the pot that is perfect to drink for a quick, super recharge. Don’t throw those precious minerals away!

But VITALITY SuperGreen Has It ALL!

Body Ecology’s VITALITY SuperGreen is a robust blend of mega-nutritious whole foods designed specifically to balance, heal and revitalize your body, with a special emphasis on nourishing your digestive tract.

Get all the vital nutrients of greens plus so much more with Vitality SuperGreen. Learn More About Body Ecology’s Vitality and Order Now!

With all the benefits greens have to offer, Vitality SuperGreen is a smart and convenient way to include green goodness in your diet any time of day.

In addition to all of the vitamins and minerals found in leafy greens, Vitality SuperGreen is an outstanding source of complete, easily assimilated protein, enzymes, essential fatty acids, nucleic acids, and microflora, critical for a healthy inner ecosystem.

Our delicious formulation includes:

• Fermented Greens (kale, parsley and spinach)
• Fermented Algae
• Fermented Soy Lecithin

Clearing Up Some of the Confusion around Green Veggies and Oxalates

Some greens like parsley, spinach and chard contain a significant source of calcium and also have a high oxalate content. Because about 80% of kidney stones are made of calcium oxalate there is both concern and controversy over eating these greens.

Is their oxalate content too high for some people? And should they be cooked or not?

Repeated food chemistry studies have shown no statistically significant lowering of oxalate content when green leafy vegetables are blanched or boiled. However, some green foods like collards and kale are difficult to digest and cooking breaks down cell walls so we can absorb the nutrients.

While many researchers do not believe that dietary restriction reduces the risk of stone formation, if you have kidney or gall bladder disorders, you may want to limit the amount of oxalate foods in your diet. This would include coffee and chocolate as well.

It is interesting to note, however, that black tea thought to increase stone formation because of oxalates actually appears in more recent research to have a preventative effect. So sorry, but we probably haven’t cleared the confusion at all since the science around this subject is still remains unclear.

Sources:

(1) Arts & Leisure, http://weeklywire.com/ww/10_25_99/alibi_veggies.html
(2) http://www.happystomach.com/scg.htm
(3) http://www.happystomach.com/scg.htm
(4) Science Daily, “Green Leafy Vegetables May Help Keep Brains Sharp”, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050926082256.htm
(5) American Institute for Cancer Research, “Foods that Fight Cancer”, http://www.aicr.org/site/pageserver?pagename=dc_foods_greens
(6) American Institute for Cancer Research, “Foods that Fight Cancer”, http://www.aicr.org/site/pageserver?pagename=dc_foods_greens
(7) The World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=138
(8) Collard Greens (mess o’ greens) History and Recipe of Collard Greens, http://whatscookingamerica.net/Vegetables/CollardGreens.htm
(9) Dr D.G.Hessayon (2003) The Vegetable & Herb Expert, Expert Books, ISBN 0-903505-46-0
(10)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kale
(11) http://www.everynutrient.com/healthbenefitsofchard.html
(12) Brassicajuncea, Wikipedida, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica_juncea
(13) http://whatscookingamerican.net/vegetables.broccoliraab.htm
(14) Rebecca Wood – The Kitchen Dakini, Healing with Food, http://www.rwood.com/Articles/Dandelion_Greens.htm
(15) http://chinesefood.about.com/od/vegetablerecipes/a/bokchoy.htm
(16) http://www.innvista.com/HEALTH/foods/vegetables/chicory.htm
(17) National Geographic, The Green Guide, http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/97/seaweed

• Copyright © 2009 Donna Gates; all r

AP 4th/Series (Alt Med)

Here it is, as I said I would do, giving you the fourth  in this series.  No need to say much else about it as I was fairly wordy yesterday with the 2nd and 3rd issues presented together.  At least this final piece is more interesting to read.  Aside from stating that the author glosses over much that has merit, tosses all together as so much garbage and just throws it all out – baby with the bath water!  It is far too simplistic, too black and white – - these are some experts.   I get that this is over a decade’s worth of work.  I get that you and I have paid for this in tax dollars in the form of a  grant.  These results are in my mind impossible to accept.  Also, there are no honest particulars given as to how testing was done, under what conditions, overseen by whom, for how long and where?  What were the parameters? What were the dates and how many participants were there.   Who were the “testees” and with which products?   In short, where is the documentation? Need anyone say more?     You paid for this, you may as well read it.

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FOURTH IN AP SERIES

$2.5 billion later, no cures

Taxpayers pay for alternative-remedy studies with little chance of success

By Marilynn Marchione
ASSOCIATED PRESS

BETHESDA, Md. — Ten years ago, the government set out to test herbal and other alternative health remedies to find the ones that work. After spending $2.5 billion, the disappointing answer seems to be that almost none of them do. Echinacea for colds. Ginkgo biloba for memory. Glucosamine and chondroitin for arthritis. Black cohosh for menopausal hot flashes. Saw palmetto for prostate problems. Shark cartilage for cancer.   All proved no better than dummy pills in studies funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The lone exception: Ginger capsules might help chemotherapy nausea.

As for therapies, acupuncture has been shown to help certain conditions, and yoga, massage, meditation and other relaxation methods might relieve symptoms like pain, anxiety and fatigue.   However, the government also is funding studies of purported energy fields, distance healing and other approaches that have little if any biological plausibility or scientific evidence.

Taxpayers are bankrolling studies of whether pressing various spots on your head can help with weight loss, whether brain waves emitted from a special “master” can help break cocaine addiction, and whether wearing magnets can help carpal tunnel syndrome.

The acupressure weightloss technique won a $2 million grant even though a small trial on 60 people found no statistically significant benefit — only an encouraging trend that could have occurred by chance.  “You expect scientific thinking” at a federal science agency, said R. Barker Bausell, author of Snake Oil Science and a research-methods expert at the University of Maryland, one of the agency’s top-funded research sites. “It’s become politically correct to investigate nonsense.”   Many scientists say that unconventional treatments hold promise and deserve serious study but that the federal center needs to be more skeptical and selective.   “There’s not all the money in the world and you have to choose” what most deserves tax support, said Barrie Cassileth, integrative medicine chief at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
“Many of the studies that have been funded I would not have funded because they seem irrational and foolish — studies on distant healing by prayer and energy healing, studies that are based on precepts and ideas that are contrary to what is known in terms of human physiology and disease,” she said.

In an interview last year, shortly after becoming the federal center’s new director, Dr. Josephine Briggs said it had a strong research record. She conceded that there were no big wins from its first decade, other than a study that found acupuncture helped knee arthritis. That finding was called into question when a later, larger study found that sham treatment worked just as well.  “The initial studies were driven by some very strong enthusiasms, and now we’re learning about how to layer evidence” and to do more basic science before testing a particular supplement in a large trial, said Briggs, who trained at Ivy League schools and has a respected scientific career.

“There are a lot of negative studies in conventional medicine,” and the government’s outlay is small compared with drug company spending, she added.  However, critics say that unlike private companies that face bottom-line pressure to abandon a drug that flops, the federal center is reluctant to admit a supplement might lack merit — despite a strategic plan pledging not to equivocate in the face of negative findings.  Echinacea is an example. After a large study by a top virologist found that it didn’t help colds, its fans said the wrong one of the plant’s nine species had been tested. Officials agreed that more research was needed, even though they had approved the type used in the study.

“There’s been a deliberate policy of never saying something doesn’t work. It’s as though you can only speak in one direction” and say a different version or dose might give different results, said Dr. Stephen Barrett, a retired physician who runs Quackwatch, a Web site on medical scams.

Critics also say the federal center’s research agenda is shaped by an advisory board loaded with alternative medicine practitioners. They account for at least nine of the board’s 18 members, as required by its government charter. Many studies they approve for funding are done by alternative-therapy providers; grants have gone to board members, too.  “It’s the fox guarding the chicken coop,” said Dr. Joseph Jacobs, who headed the Office of Alternative Medicine, a smaller federal agency that preceded the center’s creation. “This is not science, it’s ideology on the part of the advocates.”

Briggs said, “If you’re going to do a study on acupuncture, you’re going to need acupuncture expertise.” These therapists “are very much believers in what they do,” not unlike gastroenterologists doing a study of colonoscopy, and good study design can guard against bias, she said.  Congress created the center after several powerful members claimed health benefits from their own use of alternative medicine and persuaded others that this enormously popular field needed more study. The new center was given $50 million in 1999 (its budget was $122 million last year) and ordered to research unconventional therapies that Americans were using.   That is opposite how other National Institutes of Health agencies work, where scientific evidence or at least plausibility is required to justify studies, and treatments go into wide use after there is evidence that they work.   “There’s very little basic science behind these things. Most of it begins with a tradition, or personal testimony and people’s beliefs, even as a fad. And then pressure comes: ‘It’s being popular, it’s being used, it should be studied.’ It turns things upside down,” said Dr. Edward Campion, who reviews alternative-medicine research submitted to the New England Journal of Medicine.

That reasoning was used to justify the $2 million weight-loss study, approved in 2007.  It will test Tapas acupressure, devised by Tapas Fleming, a California acupuncturist.  Use of her trademarked method requires employing people she certifies, and the study needs eight.  It involves pressing on specific points on the face and head – - the inner corners of the eyes are two – - while focusing on a problem.    Say you are tempted by Twinkies.  The solution:  start acupressure   and say something like “I have an uncontrollable Twinkie urge.”   Then focus on an opposite thought like “I’m in control of my eating”  In Chinese medicine, the pressure is said to release natural energy in a place in the body “responsible for transforming animal desire into higher thoughts”.

GREG WAHL-STEPHENS ASSOCIATED PRESS
Elizabeth Karkosky uses Tapas acupressure during a session in Portland, Ore. A $2 million federal study will test whether the technique can prevent dieters from regaining weight.

AP Junking Gold w/Crap

Scant “truth” in AP Series demands my response

Both 2nd and 3rd in AP Series

(following my response)

(As is my custom, I’m sure I’m getting carried away.  I was so displeased with this series that I was sorry that I even attempted to present it at all.  After all, it is a perfect example of the lengths to which the medical powers that be will go to make their point.  The intention is to enforce the correctness of their own interpretation of what makes good medicine and thereby enforce that there is no room for anything else.  There is a mocking, derisive tone to the entire piece creating the scenario that only the slight of mind would takes all these “quackery” supplements and cheat themselves out of the possibility of true help and good solid medicine when they become really ill.  Perhaps “they” don’t realize that many of us plebeians out here are aware that Many professionals of the medical establishment (doctors and nurses) are loathe to even consider the “Standard Treatment”  ( surgery and radiation) for themselves when faced with a serious cancer for they know too well how poor their chances and how vile the treatment truly is.   Some do nothing and others pursue radical departure from the American version of “sound medical practice” and travel abroad to enhance their chance of survival.  These options are of course, only available to the financially capable  who can afford these things.

For many decades doctors who thought outside the box and tried new things have been chased right out of our country if they wanted to continue their practice.  Many have gone to Mexico.  Indeed!.  One I know of because of personal experience with the relief she can bring  is Dr. Hulda Ruger Clark.  I’ve bought her books and built her zapper.  Unique woman, loved all around the world, sought as speaker and educator because of her simplicity, demeanor and generosity. Brilliant and remarkable she is.   Another one I have done a post on is Dr. Tulio Simoncini, the oncoplogist from Rome, Italy.  Again, a remarkable human who saw a better way and practices it, but not in our country. Dr. Simoncini has a book out there too – called “Cancer is a Fungus”.   How could Big Pharma make money if doctors were to start using baking soda to “cure Cancer”?  Here again, we the people are cheated out of  “things that work” because they are not approved by our establishment of medical rule makers.  They are too busy protecting us – yeah, sure!

This series spends little time on the doctors, the main thrust seems to be the supplements and unnecessary vitamins and so on After a decade of searching, they really can find little other than “ginger” for nausea (guess they never heard of “weed” and acupuncture for its calming influence.  This is a little harder to criticize  because there is a lot of junk out there and there are a lot of unscrupulous  claims floating around.  Everyone indeed, has something to sell.  While I’ll admit that beautiful sunsets and butterflies are free,  in life, we often get what we pay for.  Sometimes, if it sounds too good, well, it probably is.  But who would have believed that baking soda could cure cancer.

Back to the supplements.  Straight up – - I think they are important.  It takes some digging to find out what you need and what works for you.   Once again, if one is on a limited budget, it is far more painful and compensations must be made.  Prepare your own food from the best, freshest, food-stuff you can afford.  Do NOT  eat prepared anything.  This would be your single biggest offset to a limited budget.   One couldn’t ask for better than beans (dried, soaked, made at home) and greens – - any.  Plenty of good water and fresh fruits.   But for those who are not so limited financially,  there are product lines out there that are simply undisputed – fantastic,  the best there is.  Standard Process is one line which is almost unparalleled in that all they make is first off, grown by them on  organic soil and bottled with every nutriment that nature gifted it with in tact.  The negative is that they are only sold thru doctors.  People like Dr. Bruce West of California (thru his newsletters) teaches all about the line and what to do with them.   Thats how I learned some years ago, but I also learned what a great friend the internet is if you get my drift.

Another product line which is magnificent and almost without peer is the Garden of Life stuff developed by Dr. Jordon Rubin Once again, there could never be any question about quality with this line from the farming (beginning) to the (end) the product in a jar for he designed every step to his remarkable high standards.  His bio is a read in itself.

There are many excellent lines of products out there – - New Chapter comes to mind with their amazing mushrooms from the rain forest.   One thing is for sure, you can’t get stuff like this in drug stores – - its not going to happen.  Its like the difference between “raw milk” and pasteurized anything else.  There is no comparison in taste, quality, benefits and costs or content.

So Big Pharma, AMA, FDA,  have spent decades in stripping away our precious rights to make our own decisions.  To care for our bodies in manners that make good sense to us.  Our choices have been gradually limited, scaled back and one by one, taken from us.  The kinds of doctors we want – limited.  Many items removed from over the counter or health-food store status – - now only by prescription.  It is outrageous, shameless and so transparent!  For the driving factor is as always, their bottom line and control and power.   If we would have it otherwize, we must dig in,  get the straight poop and make our own decisions.   Also,  we must come to terms with the fact that we can’t buy a $10 bottle of  “do-everything” at the drug store and expect results.  It helps to remember, the world is a friendly place, – - what goes around, comes around.

See you with the 4th, maybe tomorrow.

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SECOND IN A SERIES

With cancer, herbs, diets are huge risk

By Marilynn Marchione
ASSOCIATED PRESS

TAMPA, Fla. — With much of her lower body consumed by cancer, Leslee Flasch finally faced the truth: The herbal supplements and special diet were not working.  “I want this thing cut out from me. I want it out,” she told her family. But it was too late. Her rectal cancer — potentially curable earlier on — had invaded bones, tissue, muscle, skin. The 53-year-old Florida woman could barely sit, and she constantly bled and soiled herself.  “It was terrible,” one doctor said. “The pain must have been excruciating.”  Flasch had sought a natural cure. Instead, a deadly disease ran its natural course.  And the herb peddlers who sold her hope in a bottle? “Whatever money she had left in life, they got most of it,” said a sister, Sharon Flasch. “They prey on the sick public with the belief that this stuff can help them, whether they can or can’t.”

Some people who try unproven remedies risk only money. But people with cancer can lose their only chance of beating the disease by skipping conventional treatment or by mixing in other therapies. Even harmless-sounding vitamins and “natural” supplements can interfere with cancer medicines or affect hormones that help cancer grow.  Yet they are extremely popular among cancer patients, who crave control over their disease and want to do everything they can to be healthy. These (survival) emotional needs make them vulnerable to deceptive claims. Studies estimate that 60 percent of cancer patients try unconventional remedies and about 40 percent take vitamin or dietary supplements, which do not have to be proved safe or effective and are not approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration. (as if this would protect us, yeah!)

None has turned out to be a cure, although some show promise for easing symptoms.  Touch therapies, mindbody approaches and acupuncture might reduce stress and relieve pain, nausea, dry mouth and possibly hot flashes, and they are recommended by many top cancer experts. A recent study found that ginger capsules eased nausea if started days before chemotherapy.Many hospitals offer aromatherapy, massage, meditation, yoga and acupuncture because patients want them and there is little risk of physical harm. They call this complementary or integrative medicine because it is in addition to — not in place of — conventional treatments.

At the other end of the spectrum are quacks selling fringe therapies and supplements through testimonials, not proof. Laetrile, “detoxifying” coffee enemas, shark cartilage: The miracle cures change, but the bogus claims remain the same.
“What I am noticing in the last year or two is a resurgence of these things. It’s coming back,” said Barrie Cassileth, integrativemedicine chief at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and a longtime adviser to the American Cancer Society.  The Internet fuels this trend by letting people buy direct and bypass doctors who could help them see through scams and misleading claims of scientific proof.  Seven percent of cancer patients go straight to an alternative approach, sometimes traveling to Mexico, the Bahamas or a “spa” in Europe for treatments not allowed in the United States, Cassileth’s research found. Most cancers spread slowly, so people can be temporarily fooled into thinking that herbs or special diets are keeping it at bay, Cassileth said.  “After they’ve been there some months, they’ll realize things are not working. But with cancer, you get one chance,” she said. “By the time they get back to a reasonable hospital, they’re dead. Nothing can be done for them.”

These are ways that supplements and fringe therapies can harm:

• Financially. Pills that seem cheap actually cost a lot if they are worthless or are bought in place of realmedicine.

• Medically. Trying an alternative remedy can delay a patient’s acceptance of an effective treatment, allowing the cancer to spread. A potentially curable cancer might become untreatable, as Leslee Flasch found out when she belatedly sought the surgery that had been recommended.

• Physically. Supplements, even those said to be natural, have biological effects and can interact dangerously with a wide array of medicines.

• Psychologically. Futile treatment raises false hope and deprives people of the chance to prepare for the end of life and die in dignity and comfort.
Leslee Flasch believed that dietary supplements would make her stronger and help fight the cancer. Her othersurviving sister, Donna Flasch, still believes that, despite Leslee’s death.

But getting nutrients from pills is different than getting them from a balanced diet, nutrition experts say.
“So many people think, ‘Well, if a little bit is good, then more is better,’ and that’s definitely not true with most dietary supplements,” said Kathy Allen, a Moffitt Cancer Center dietitian.
Examples of potential harm:

• Vitamin E can prolong bleeding time and has forced cancellation or delay of cancer surgeries; some studies suggest it might raise the risk of certain cancers. (but at least its not toxic like the rat poison Coumadin or Warfarin which must also be stopped prior to any surgery).

• Beta carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, might raise smokers’ risk of developing lung cancer.

• Folic-acid supplements might raise the risk of precancerous growths in the colon.

• Vitamin C in large doses might help cancer cells resist chemo and radiation.

Herbs and dietary supplements can undermine cancer treatments in ways that patients can’t feel and doctors can’t measure. When a treatment fails, it’s impossible to say whether it was because of the person’s cancer or because a supplement subtly interfered.  Studies show that as many as two-thirds of cancer patients who use unproven remedies do not tell their doctors. Sometimes, it is because they fear disapproval, but often they do not realize that this can inhibit their care.
“I didn’t think they were medications. They’re not prescription, they’re not drugs. This is all natural substances,” said Vince Palella, a Bradenton, Fla., prostate-cancer patient. A Moffitt dietitian, Diane Riccardi, discovered that Palella was taking dozens of pills a day, including a saw palmetto extract. That supplement might have interfered with his hormonal cancer treatments or the monitoring to see whether those treatments were working.  Another supplement that can pose a risk for prostate cancer patients is DHEA, which can affect testosterone levels, said Phyllis Matthews, a urology nurse practitioner at a group of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs clinics in the Denver area.  Doctors also worry about isoflavones and other soyrelated supplements; some research suggests they might stimulate breast tissue.

CHRIS O’MEARA ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dr. Lodovico Balducci, who practices at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, says patient Leslee Flasch must have suffered excruciating pain with advanced rectal cancer after she rejected surgery and other standard medical care in favor of herbal supplements and a special diet. The 53-year-old eventually could barely sit, and she constantly bled.

ASSOCIATED PRESS TELEVISION NEWS
A photograph of the late Leslee Flasch is displayed by a sister, Donna Flasch, who still believes the dietary supplements her sister took were able to help her fight cancer.

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THIRD IN AP SERIES

Too often labels lie

Tests expose quality, health problems with numerous supplements

By Marilynn Marchione
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lead in ginkgo pills. Arsenic in herbals. Bugs in a baby’s colic and teething syrup. Toxic metals and parasites are part of nature, and all of these have been found in “natural” products and dietary supplements in recent years.  Set aside the issue of whether vitamin and herbal supplements do any good.  Are they safe? Is what’s on the label really what’s in the bottle? Tests by researchers and private labs suggest the answer, sometimes, is no.   One quarter of supplements tested by an independent company over the past decade have had some sort of problem. Some contained contaminants. Others had contents that did not match label claims. Some had ingredients that exceeded safe limits. Some contained real drugs masquerading as natural supplements.

“We buy it just as the consumer buys it” from stores, said Dr. Tod Cooperman, president of ConsumerLab.com. The company tests pills for makers that want its seal of approval, and it publishes ratings for subscribers, much as Consumer Reports does with household goods.   Other tests, reported in scientific journals, found prenatal vitamins lacking claimed amounts of iodine and supplements short on ginseng and hoodia — an African plant sparking the latest diet craze.   “There’s at least 10 times more hoodia sold in this country than made in the world, so people are not getting hoodia,” said Dr. Mehmet Oz, a heart surgeon and frequent Oprah guest who occasionally has touted the stuff.

Industry groups say problems with quality are the exception rather than the rule.  “I believe that the problem is narrow, that the well-established and reputable brands deserve their reputations,” said Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association.

Fifteen years ago, Congress passed a law that treats supplements like food and allows them to go straight to market without federal Food and Drug Administration approval. The FDA can act only after consumers get sick or a safety issue comes to light.The law said the FDA could write quality-control rules for products sold in the United States. It took the FDA 13 years to adopt these, and they are just now taking effect. But the rules do not say what tests companies must do to prove what is in their products, and some tests can be fooled by subbing other ingredients. The rules also set no limits on toxins such as lead; nor do they change the fundamental way these products are sold to the public.  “It leaves the level of quality up to the manufacturer,” Cooperman said.

In a written statement, FDA spokeswoman Susan Cruzan said the new rules contain what is “needed to ensure quality,” and that products that contain contaminants or whose labels do not honestly describe their contents are considered adulterated and subject to further action by the agency. But she conceded that the agency is spread thin.  “In that FDA has limited resources to analyze the composition of food products, including dietary supplements, it focuses these resources first on public health emergencies and products that may have caused injury or illness,” she wrote.

Millions of Americans take vitamin, herbal or other dietary supplements.  Annual sales exceed $23 billion, and more than 40,000 products are on the market. U.S. poison-control centers handle tens of thousands of supplement-related health problems each year, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002. Until last year, supplement-makers were not required to report problems to the FDA, and even now they must report only serious ones. The agency estimates that more than 50,000 safety problems a year are related to supplement use.

The Institute of Medicine, an independent panel that advises the government, studied the situation in 2005.
“The committee is concerned about the quality of dietary supplements in the United States. Product reliability is low,” says its report, which urged amending the 1994 law to tighten consumer protections.  Trade associations say the FDA’s new rules do that.  “We are FDA-regulated products,” though not in the same way as prescription or over-the-counter drugs, said Steven Mister, president of the Council for Responsible Nutrition.

ROB CARR ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dr. William Obermeyer of ConsumerLab.com prepares supplement pills for testing in Maryland.

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See what $2.5 Billion buys

What I had in mind on this post was to bring to you what I hoped would be a welcome and long-awaited, unbiased reporting on the essence of what “research” has found and determined to be relevant and hopeful information with regard to so-called “Alternative Medicine”  and/or “Integrative medicine.”  It is a series article;   done in four daily  episodes.  I am disheartened to say the least.  The author is Marilynn Marchione writing for the ASSOCIATED PRESS and this appeared in The Columbus Duispatch starting 6-8-09.  I am not able to see whether the “gist” is due to Ms.  Marchione’s personal slant on things,  pressure being brought to bear on the series because of vested interests behind it or some other arcane reason.

There seems to be the  intention to denigrate, belittle and/or brush aside the good strides and advances made in differing corners of this varied and broad realm.  This contains a mocking tone, though to be sure, the overall presentation is so shabby, it would appear that mocking is all it warrants – - even though this  was $2.5 Billion tax funded  research over a decade.  More than a little hard to swallow.

With tension mounting in Washington, with time being of the essence and President Obama’s stated intention of having every effort brought to bear as quickly as possible  on this pressing and totally necessary reform of the medical system as it is practiced today in our country – - we shall all see great stirring of the pot.  Well folks, the great behemoth has stirred,  as the roaring has started, let us all be fully awake and observe what is going on, for it will not go quietly into that dark night.

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FIRST IN AN AP SERIES

Alternative medicine wins fans, if not praise

By Marilynn Marchione
ASSOCIATED PRESS

BALTIMORE — At one of the nation’s top trauma hospitals, a nurse circles a patient’s bed, humming and waving her arms as if shooing evil spirits. Another woman rubs a quartz bowl with a wand, making tunes that mix with the beeping monitors and hissing respirator keeping the man alive.   They are doing Reiki therapy, which claims to heal through energy fields. The anesthesia chief, Dr. Richard Dutton, calls it “mystical mumbo jumbo.” Still, he’s a fan.   “It’s self-hypnosis” that can help patients relax, he said. “If you tell yourself you have less pain, you actually do have less pain.”

Anesthesiologist Richard Dutton acknowledges that Reiki therapy can help relax patients.

ROB CARR ASSOCIATED PRESS
Reiki practitioner Bonnie Tarantino, far left, and nurse Donna Audia, center, conduct the “energy field” therapy on a patient in Baltimore as his mom and wife hold his hands. Such treatments are increasingly seen in medical settings.

Alternative medicine has become mainstream. It is finding wider acceptance by doctors, insurers and hospitals such as the shock-trauma center at the University of Maryland Medical Center.  People turn to unconventional therapies and herbal remedies for a variety of concerns, including hot flashes, sleeplessness, cancer and heart disease. They crave more “care” in health care. They distrust drugmakers and the government. They want natural, safer remedies. But often, that’s not what they get. Government actions and efforts by interest groups have left consumers vulnerable to flawed products and misleading marketing.

Dietary supplements do not have to be proved safe or effective. Some contain lead and arsenic. Some interfere with other medication, such as birth-control pills.  “Herbals are medicines,” with good and bad effects, said Bruce Silverglade of the consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest.   Contrary to their little-guy image, many of the products are made by big businesses. Ingredients and countries of origin are a mystery to consumers. Even therapies that might help certain conditions, such as acupuncture, are touted for uses beyond their evidence.

An AP review of dozens of studies and interviews with more than 100 sources found an underground medical system with a different standard than the rest of medical care, and millions of people using it on blind faith.   How did this develop?

Fifteen years ago, Congress decided to allow the sale of dietary and herbal supplements without federal Food and Drug Administration approval. The number of products soared from about 4,000 to well over 40,000.
Ten years ago, Congress created a federal agency to study supplements and unconventional therapies. But more than $2.5 billion of tax-financed research has found no cures or major treatment advances, aside from certain uses for acupuncture and ginger for nausea related to chemotherapy. Yet they are finding ever-wider use:  (emphasis added)

• Big hospitals and clinics increasingly offer alternative therapies. Many offer stress reducers such as meditation, yoga and massage. But some also offer treatments with little or no scientific basis to patients who are gravely ill.

• Some medical schools teach about alternative medicine, sometimes with federal grants, so future doctors will know what patients are using and can give evidence-based, nonjudgmental care. But some schools have ties to alternative-medicine practitioners and advocates.

• Health insurers are cutting deals to let alternative medicine providers market directly to members. Some insurers steer patients to Internet sellers of supplements, even though patients must pay out of pocket.

A few herbal supplements can directly threaten health. A surprising number do not supply what the labels claim, contain potentially harmful substances such as lead or are laced with hidden versions of prescription drugs.  “In testing, one out of four supplements has a problem,” said Dr. Tod Cooperman, president of ConsumerLab.com, an independent company that rates such products.

Even when the ingredients aren’t risky, the cost can sometimes be great. Cancer patients can lose their only chance of beating the disease. People with clogged arteries can suffer a heart attack. Children can be harmed by unproven therapies forced on them by parents who distrust conventional medicine.

Mainstream medicine and prescription drugs, such as the painkillers Vioxx and Bextra, have problems, too. But at least there are regulatory systems, guide-line-setting groups and watchdog agencies helping to keep traditional medicine in line.
The safety net for alternative medicine is far flimsier.  More than a third of Americans use unconventional therapies, including acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic and native or traditional healing methods. These practitioners are largely self-policing, with their own schools and accreditation groups. Tens of millions of Americans take dietary supplements — vitamins, minerals and herbs, ranging from ginseng and selenium to fish oil and zinc, said Steven Mister, president of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, an industry trade group. “We bristle when people talk about us as if we’re just fringe,” he said. Supplements are “an insurance policy” against poor diet, he said. Some are widely recommended by doctors — prenatal vitamins for pregnant women and calcium for older women at risk of osteoporosis, for example. These uses are generally thought to be safe, although testing has found quality problems with specific products.

Dr. Mitchell Gaynor, a cancer specialist at the Weill-Cornell Medical Center in New York, said he includes nutrition testing and counseling, meditation and relaxation techniques in his treatment.  “You do have people who will say ‘Chemotherapy is just poison,’” said Gaynor, who says he doesn’t agree. “Cancer takes decades to develop, so you’re not going to be able to think that all of a sudden you’re going to change your diet or do meditation (and cure it). You need to treat it medically.
“You can still do things to make your diet better. You can still do meditation to reduce your stress.”

About Your Water

Your water is SO IMPORTANT as well it should be.  Your health will not prosper the way it should without an adequate ongoing supply of fresh, vital water.  You know this.  Also, if you are a regular visitor to this blog, you have no doubt seen other of my rantings going back a while. . . . “You Think Fluoride is Safe?” (11-22-08),   “Chlorine and Your Shower” (11-08), and “Fixing Water” (1-05-09).          This reminder  is prompted because today, I am adding welcome and helpful thoughts from  Donna Gates at Body Ecology in her letter of today.

There is no question that we cannot get there (good health) from here if we are slaking that thirst with soda pop ( see  “Soda Pop – all it’s Gifts”,  2-10-09), nor can most of our bodies handle the extra sugar of fresh fruit juice no matter how delicious

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Dehydration is More Common Than People Realize: How to Tell If You are NOT Getting Enough Water

BodyEcology.com

Ahhh, water. Our bodies crave it and it tastes so good. But how much water do you really need? And what are the best kinds? Read on to learn how to give your body the hydration it needs.

Are you dehydrated?

One of the easiest conditions to reverse, but one of the most commonly overlooked, dehydration is serious and can cause major problems in your body. Severe dehydration is even fatal.

Here’s how to know if you’re dehydrated:

• Headache
• Irritability
• Weakness
• Cravings for sugar and salt
• Dizziness
• Dark urine
• Dry mouth
• Nausea
• Vomiting

Some people experience these symptoms on a regular basis, especially the milder ones like headache, irritability, cravings and weakness.

But most people don’t realize that these are symptoms of dehydration!

Imagine: the solution to your chronic headaches and afternoon fatigue could be as simple as drinking more water. But that’s not the only solution, so read on to find out more!
Bodies of Water

Our bodies are mostly made up of water, and our cells need lots of it. While you do get some water from water-rich foods like fruits and vegetables, you also need to drink a substantial amount of water every day.

How much?

Most health experts are now recommending that you drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day.

If you’re 200 pounds, that’s 100 ounces of water. That’s 12.5 cups or 3 quarts, 4 ounces of water.
What’s the best way to get that much water? Just think slow and steady.

Sipping 2 to 3 ounces at a time is the best way to effectively hydrate your body. If you gulp it down, you may dilute your blood and actually cause your kidneys to excrete more water.

Here are a few other tips for optimal water consumption:

• Drink only 2 to 4 ounces of water with meals.
• During and after exercise, always replenish with more water.
• Whenever possible, drink pure, high quality water.

Hydrate Your Body Right

Now that you’re ready to properly hydrate your body, it’s time to decide what kind of water to drink. But with all the water out there, sometimes it is difficult to decide what kind is best.

Here at Body Ecology, we recommend that you drink pure, mineral-rich water whenever possible.

Mineralrich waters include:

• Well water
• Natural spring water
• Artesian or spring water
• Mineral water

Look for these designations on labels.

If you use tap water to drink or for cooking be sure you use a high quality water filter. There are many on the market. Reverse osmosis water is pure but we suggest you add minerals to this water because it is acidic. To learn more about the different kinds of water filters available, read The Best Water to Drink, And The Types That Should Be Avoided. (below)

If you don’t always like the taste of pure water, try some Body Ecology options:

• Make a healthy “soda” by combining sparkling mineral water with a few ounces of one of our probiotic liquids, plus a 12 – 15 drops of Stevia, and even a splash of lemon or lime juice.Full of alkalizing minerals and probiotics, you can hydrate your body and populate your intestines with good microflora at the same time.One of our favorite probiotic liquids is Innergy-Biotic, the gluten-free probiotic liquid that makes you feel happy and energetic from the inside out.
• Brew some tea. Tea time is a ritual around the world. Delicious and nutritious, teas have powerful antioxidants, vitamins and minerals plus a great flavor. They can certainly make it easier to enjoy your recommended amount of water every day.

Find out about the benefits of one of our favorites, green tea, by reading: The Nine Most Amazing Health Benefits of Green Tea

Add apple cider vinegar to your water. Apple cider vinegar in water makes an potassium-rich and alkalizing drink that helps you digest animal protein and lowers your blood sugar.

Ahhh, water. Our bodies crave it and it tastes so good. But how much water do you really need? And what are the best kinds? Read on to learn how to give your body the hydration it needs.

Just because you need to drink a lot of water doesn’t mean it can’t be delicious. If you are thirsty and want a tasty, sparkling beverage, try a probiotic liquid, like Innergy-Biotic With nutritious and delicious drinks like these, you’ll be hydrated AND energized!

Still Thirsty?

Are you drinking large amounts of water but still experience dehydration symptoms? You might actually have adrenal fatigue.

Your adrenals are two tiny organs that sit on top of your kidneys. They create energy and regulate hormone levels in your body, including those that help you respond to stress.

If your body and mind are frequently under stress (from negative thoughts and emotions, lack of sleep, processed foods, and toxins), you may be depleting your adrenals and thus unknowingly dehydrating your body. No amount of water will hydrate your body unless you first nourish your tired adrenals.

Adrenals need rest and nourishment, so adequate sleep, plenty of minerals, and pure water can renew your adrenal function, enabling your body to stay healthy AND hydrated.

To learn more about hydration and adrenal fatigue read: You May Be Dehydrated Even If You Drink Lots of Water: Dehydration Risks & Solutions.
Hydration for A Healthy Body

To sum it all up… proper hydration is essential for a health body. Each time you hydrate, you will flush out toxins, give your cells needed water for proper function and cellular growth and enjoy greater energy.

So while pure water with minerals is your most important liquid to drink each day, additional liquids from a tasty tea (especially hot with meals to aid digestion) or a delicious probiotic liquid “soda,” for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up, here’s to drinking up to build up your health!

Cheers!

The Best Water to Drink, and the Types that Should Be Avoided

by BodyEcology.com

Water: it makes up almost 75% of your body and is absolutely necessary for life. You probably know you should drink 8 to 10 glasses of this life-giving liquid per day, but have you given serious thought to the quality of your water? Our water guide will tell you everything you need to know about water and which kinds are best for optimal health.

Water is the elixir of life- without it we cannot exist. But the water you drink every day could be harming your health!

Water, Water Everywhere and Not a Drop to Drink

In the United States, we have many different options for our drinking water, but they are not all healthy!

• Tap water is municipal water that comes out of the faucets and has been treated, processed and disinfected. It is purified with chlorine and generally has added flouride. But one of the byproducts from using chlorine in our drinking water is linked to cancer¹.
• Distilled water can be any kind of water that has been vaporized and collected, leaving behind any solid residues, including minerals. Distilled water has no minerals in it at all.
• Reverse osmosis water has been forced through membranes that remove larger particles, pollutants and minerals. Reverse osmosis water is usually acidic².
• Deionized water has had ionized impurities and minerals removed from it but not bacteria or pathogens.

All of the above waters lack essential minerals that are necessary for good health. Mineral deficiency can lead to insulin resistance, migraines, high blood pressure, constipation and even heart beat irregularities!
The Dangers of Bottled Water

Bottled waters deserve some special attention because they are not always as pure as you might expect them to be.

Here are some reasons not to choose bottled water:

1. Dangerous toxins from some plastic water bottles can leach into your water.
2. Bottled water is often just purified municipal water and lacks essential minerals. (Brands like Dasani and Aquafina are cleaned-up city water.)
3. Purifying, bottling and shipping water requires vast resources and uses more water than when you get your water from a pure source in the first place.

If you do you use bottled water, make sure you use reusable glass or plastic containers, and try not to consume ultra purified municipal waters in favor of naturally clean sources.
Mineral Rich H2O

The best water to drink is naturally clean, pure and full of naturally occurring minerals:

• Well water comes from a hole drilled in the ground that taps into a water source. A pump brings it to the surface. If you do not have access to city water, then you would need a well.
• Natural spring water flows up from a natural spring and is bottled at the source.
• Artesian or spring waters come from a natural source but are bottled off-site and are processed and purified.
• Mineral water could be natural spring water or artesian water, comes from an underground source, and contains at least 250 parts per million (ppm) of dissolved solids, including minerals and trace elements.

All of the types of water mentioned above have essential minerals and nutrients like magnesium, potassium, and sodium.

Minerals are important for nearly every function in your body, especially your adrenals. Learn more about adrenal fatigue and why minerals are so important for hydration in this article: Adrenal Fatigue: Symptoms & Solutions for this Under-Reported Condition Even Your Doctor Doesn’t Know.

Mineral-rich water can be one source of these nutrients, but if you can’t get these waters because of cost or your location, then home filters are an option.

Filters

Look for these types of filtration when you purchase filters or bottled water:

• Absolute 1 micron filtration removes any particles that are larger than 1 micron in size. This filtration leaves minerals in water.
• Ozonation is used by bottled water companies instead of chlorine to eliminate baceria. Ozonation does not change the mineral content of your water.

Remember that any filter is better than no filter, so even standard “pour through” filters like those from Brita help clean up your water, can remove chlorine and improve the taste, but they also remove minerals.

Obama focused on Health-care, Really?

Obama taking bigger health-care role

By Sheryl Gay Stolberg
THE NEW YORK TIMES

WASHINGTON — After months of insisting that he would leave the details to Congress, President Barack Obama has concluded that he must exert greater control over the health-care debate and is preparing an intense push for legislation, senior White House officials say.
Mindful of the failures of former President Bill Clinton, whose intricate proposal for universal care collapsed on Capitol Hill 15 years ago, Obama until now had charted a different course, setting forth broad principles and concentrating on bringing disparate factions — doctors, insurers, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, unions — to the negotiating table.
But Obama has grown concerned that he is losing the debate over certain policy prescriptions he favors, like a government-run insurance plan to compete with the private sector, said one Democrat familiar with his thinking. With Congress beginning a burst of work on the measure, top advisers say the president is determined to make certain the final bill bears his stamp.
“Ultimately, as happened with the recovery act, it will become President Obama’s plan,” the White House budget director, Peter R. Orszag, said in an interview. “I think you will see that evolution occurring over the next few weeks. We will be weighing in more definitively, and you will see him out there.”
Yesterday, while Obama was traveling in Europe, he used his weekly radio and Internet address to make the case that “the status quo is broken” and to set forth his ambitious goals.
Broadly speaking, he wants to extend coverage to the nation’s 45 million uninsured while lowering costs, improving quality and preserving consumer choice. His budget includes what he called a “historic down payment” of $634 billion over 10 years, accomplished mostly by slowing the growth of Medicare and limiting tax breaks for those with high incomes.
“We must attack the root causes of skyrocketing health costs,” Obama said.
The radio address was the beginning of a public-relations campaign in which Obama will take his case to the American people with the hope of providing what his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, called “air cover” for lawmakers to adopt his priorities. It is a gamble by the White House that the president can translate his approval ratings into legislative action.
“Obviously,” Emanuel said, “the president’s adoption of something makes it easier to vote for, because he’s — let’s be honest — popular, and the public trusts him.”
But as Obama wades into the details of the legislative debate — a process that began last week when he released a letter staking out specific policy positions for the first time — he will face increasingly difficult choices and risks.
Aides say he will not dictate the fine print. “It was never his intent to come to Congress with stone tablets,” said his senior adviser, David Axelrod. But he will increasingly make his preferences known.
If Obama insists on a biggovernment plan in the image of Medicare, he could lose any hope of Republican support and ignite an insurance-industry backlash. If he does not formulate credible ways to pay for his plan, which by some estimates could cost more than $1 trillion over 10 years, moderate Democrats could balk.
Obama is well aware of these risks, advisers say. “This is what he is now very focused on,” Orszag said.