Olive Oil During Pregnancy Reduces Wheezing

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and using olive oil for cooking/dressing salads during pregnancy were both significantly associated with less wheezing during the first year of the infant's life.
Other factors remained associated with wheezing: male gender, day care attendance, maternal asthma, maternal smoking during pregnancy, infant eczema and mould stains on the household walls.
Source: Castro-Rodriguez JA, Garcia-Marcos L, Sanchez-Solis M et al. Pediatr Pulmonol 2010; 45(4): 395-402

Midlife High Blood Pressure & Dementia Later in Life

Analysis suggests that 17 % of late-life dementia cases are attributable to midlife systolic blood pressure levels between 120 and 140 mm Hg.
Source: Launer LJ, Hughes T, Yu B et al. Hypertension 2010; 55(6): 1352-1359

10 Organic Foods That Are Worth the Money

1. Peaches/Nectarines: very highly sprayed due to problems with fruit flies, mould, etc.

2. Apples: more pesticides are found on apples than are found on any other fruit or vegetable – a grand total of 36

3. Capsicum/Sweet Bell Pepper: 3^rd on list of pesticide load after peaches & apples

4. Celery: 4^th on list for pesticide load & cannot be washed off very well

5. Baby Foods: an infant’s immune system is less developed than an adult’s so is more vulnerable to damage

6. Dairy: dairy cows eat grains that are heavily treated with chemicals as well as given antibiotics. These are passed into the milk and stored in the dairy fat.

7. Grapes: imported grapes get treated with numerous chemicals. Grapes are also, whether organic or not, especially high in fructose which elevates blood sugars rapidly

8. Spinach/Lettuce/Kale: the chemicals used to treat green leafies may cause cancer or interfere with hormone production

9. Strawberries

10. Green beans: there are over 60 pesticides that are registered for use on green beans

Source: Environmental Working Group

Stress Increases Mortality & Chronic Diseases

High cortisol level is known to be associated with osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, susceptibility to infections and depression but may protect against chronic obstructive lung disease.
Source: Schoorlemmer, RMM. Relationships between cortisol level, mortality and chronic diseases in older persons. Clinical Endocrinology. Volume 71, Issue 6, pages 779-786, December 2009

A Simple, Inexpensive Trick to Cure a Cold

The most common way cold viruses are spread is not from being around coughing or sneezing, or walking barefoot in the rain, but rather from hand-to-hand contact. For instance, someone with a cold blows their nose then shakes your hand or touches surfaces that you also touch.
However, the key to remember is that just being exposed to a cold virus does not have to mean that you'll catch a cold. If your immune system is operating at its peak, it should actually be quite easy for you to fend off the virus without ever getting sick.
Common contributing factors are:

• eating too much sugar and too much white flour products
  
• not getting enough rest
• using insufficient strategies to address emotional stressors in your life
• Vitamins D & C deficiency

Myself and my clients have had remarkable results in curing colds and flu within 12 to 14 hours when administering a few drops of 3 % hydrogen peroxide into each ear. Your will hear some bubbling, which is completely normal, but no pain.
Wait until the bubbling subsides (usually 3-5 minutes), then drain onto a tissue and repeat with the other ear. A bottle of hydrogen peroxide in 3% solution is available at any chemist for a couple of dollars or less. It is simply amazing how many people respond to this simple, inexpensive treatment.

Early Childhood Television Exposure

A study in Canada studied 5-month-old infants and their families with follow-up at 17, 29, 41 and 53 months, to estimate the influence of early childhood television exposure on academic, psychological & lifestyle characteristics in grade 4 (10 years of age).

Every additional hour of television exposure at 29 months corresponded to:

• 7 % & 6 % decreases in classroom engagement & achievement in mathematics
• 10 % increases in victimization by classmates
• 13 % decreases in time spent doing weekend physical activity
• 9 % decreases in activities involving physical effort
• Higher consumption of soft drinks & snacks

Hepatitis B Vaccination For Your Baby's Health

3 Hepatitis B Vaccinations are part of the standard government-recommended childhood vaccination schedule, with the first dose given at 12 hours of age in most hospitals.

But Hepatitis B is a primarily blood-transmitted disease associated with risky lifestyle choices such as unprotected sex with multiple partners & intravenous drug use involving sharing needles – it is NOT primarily a “children’s disease.”

As Dr. Jane Orient of the Association of American Physicians & Surgeons testified to Congress:

“For most children, the risk of a serious vaccine reaction may be 100 times greater than the risk of hepatitis B.”

There are more reports of serious adverse reactions in children than there are cases of childhood hepatitis B and, despite what you may hear in the media, reactions can be serious.

In 2008, French authorities launched a criminal investigation of two vaccine company managers (from GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi Pasteur) for failing to disclose dangerous side effects of their Hepatitis B vaccines.

According to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System in USA, there were 36,788 officially reported adverse reactions to Hepatitis B vaccines between 1992 and 2005. Of these, 14,800 were serious enough to cause hospitalization, life-threatening health events or permanent disabilities.

And 781 people died following Hepatitis B vaccination.

According to a study in the UK, Hepatitis B vaccines may increase risks for developing multiple sclerosis 3x.

In New Zealand, the incidence of type 1 Diabetes rose by 60 % among children following a mass Hepatitis B immunization campaign.

A study published in Annals of Epidemiology (Sep 2009) found that giving Hepatitis B vaccine to infant boys increased the risk for an autism spectrum disorder 3x.

In the journal Neurology (2009), another study revealed that children who received a particular Hepatitis B vaccine were more likely to develop “central nervous system inflammatory demyelination” than children who did not receive the vaccine.

Pet Chip Implicated in Cancer

Pharmaceutical giant Merck is being sued over claims that its HomeAgain pet microchip caused cancer in a cat. Two years after the chip was implanted, the cat developed a cancerous tumor at the implant site. The tumor was removed surgically, and the microchip was found embedded in the tumor.

In 2007, Dr. Katherine Albrecht released an in-depth analysis of animal studies involving microchip implants & found a “clear causal link between microchip implants & cancer in mice & rats,” as well as an association with cancer in dogs.

The reason why this is an important issue is that many predict there will be a massive push by government authorities to microchip humans. Not only will this be a mistake for privacy reasons, but it appears that there are also serious health consequences.

Fortunately, our pets are serving as canaries for this health challenge & providing us with an early warning alert as to what would happen if we choose to get these microchips.

Multivitamin & Lower Heart Attack Risk in Women

An article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Sept, 2010) reports an association between multivitamin use and a reduced risk of myocardial infarction in older women.

Using a multivitamin along with other supplements was associated with a 30 % lower risk and use for at least five years was linked to a 41 % lower risk of myocardial infarction compared to nonusers.

They attribute the vitamins’ protective benefit to their antioxidant properties, which retard atherosclerosis via free radical scavenging, and the ability of B vitamins to lower homocysteine levels. Minerals, e.g. Magnesium, inhibit insulin resistance, decrease vascular tone and prevent pro-inflammatory changes & endothelial dysfunction.

Women Are Dying From Hormone Therapy: Why Is It Still Available & Recommended?

Big Pharma is still pushing its hormone therapy for women, despite the fact that it increases women’s risk of cancer and other health problems.

Pharma’s lucrative estrogen plus progestin combo is already known to increase the chance of getting breast cancer by 26 %. But an article in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows hormone therapy also increases the chance of dying from breast cancer, as follow ups are conducted on women who took it.

In fact hormone therapy, already indicted for causing delays in breast cancer diagnosis by increasing breast density (& increasing lung cancer deaths) is now so dangerous that Peter B. Bach of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, who wrote an accompanying JAMA editorial, told the New York Times that even the recommendation to take “the lowest possible doses for the shortest possible time” is now questionable. Perhaps like prescribing the fewest and lowest tar cigarettes as possible.

Hormone therapy is also linked to asthma, lupus, scleroderma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, urinary incontinence, hearing loss, cataracts, gout, joint degeneration, dementia, stroke, blood clots, malignant melanoma, & 5 other kinds of cancer according to medical journal reports.

Given over 5,000 lawsuits in USA brought by women with hormone therapy-caused breast cancer, why is it still on the market? Why is it being tested (with tax dollars) to extend the franchise into a new generation of women? And why is it still presented to women as a “choice”? As in We Warned You.

Bee Pollen Superfood

Bee Pollen is a power-packed Superfood providing high levels of energy and stamina. It contains vitamin A, B, C, and E, calcium, magnesium, iron & potassium, to name a few of its minerals. It contains up to four times as much protein as beef and eggs per 100 grams. Its most outstanding benefits include more stamina, energy and endurance, and over time, regular consumption of bee pollen will help alleviate many different health problems, slow down ageing and improve your quality of life.

You can take these granules as they are on a spoon, sprinkle them in salads or add them to smoothies

The Worst Cooking Oils of All

Polyunsaturated fats are the absolute WORST oils to use when cooking because these omega-6-rich oils are highly susceptible to heat damage.

• Corn
• Soy
• Safflower
• Sunflower
• Canola

Damaged omega-6 fats or trans-fats are disastrous to your health, and are responsible for far more health problems than saturated fats ever were by clogging your arteries & raising LDL cholesterol.

This is formed when vegetable oils are hardened into margarine or shortening.

There is no safe level of trans-fat consumption. Use pure virgin coconut oil for cooking which is stable at high temperature.

New Warning About Olive Oil

Extra-virgin olive oil is a good monounsaturated fat that is also well-known for its health benefits. It’s a staple in healthy diets such as Mediterranean-style diets.

However, it’s important to realize it is not good for cooking. It should really only be used cold, typically drizzled on salads and other food.

Due to its chemical structure and a large amount of unsaturated fats, cooking makes extra-virgin olive oil very susceptible to oxidative damage. Even when used cold, it’s still extremely perishable! Any time the oil is exposed to air and/or light, it oxides.

Consuming spoiled oil (of any kind) will likely do more harm than good.

To help protect extra virgin olive oil from oxidation, squeeze capsule of vitamin E oil into the bottle.

Kellogg's Froot Loops

This cereal contains 23 ingredients including:

Butylated hydroxytoluene: A common food preservative, BHT is also used as an antioxidant additive in jet fuel, rubber & electrical transformer oil. There has been some controversy surrounding its use in foods and it is prohibited as a food additive in Britain. The US Food and Drug Administration has stated that there needs to be further research into the possibility that BHT could react with other ingested substances and become toxic.

Red No. 40: Allura red, a popular colouring agent, is not just used in foods but also in cosmetics & drugs. Artificial colours have been widely blamed for causing hyperactivity in children. Last year, Britain banned Allura red and five other food colours.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Oct 30-31, 2010, p. 24)

Dangers of Commercial Sunscreen and How To Protect Ourselves Naturally

Organizations like The Environmental Working Group have identified the following common sunscreen ingredients as being potentially harmful to human health:

• Octocrylene
• PABA
• Octyl-methoxycinnamate (OMC)
• Benzophenone-3
• 4-methyl-benzylidene camphor (4-MBC)
• Homosalate

The vast majority of synthetic chemicals found in sunscreen lotions can potentially damage your skin by increasing the number of free radicals that are generated throughout the many layers of your skin & those substances then have the potential to damage the DNA in your cells, and if allowed to create ongoing damage, can contribute to the development of skin cancer.

Use clothing and a hat that provide protection against UV rays. Limit the amount of time you spend outdoors on extremely hot days and when the sun feels hottest - usually between 10am - 4 pm. Use a natural sunscreen that relies on natural physical (not chemical) blockers and other all-natural ingredients to protect your skin against sun damage. Zinc Oxide and Titanium Oxide are both mineral compounds that act as physical blockers that prevent UV-A & UV-B rays, but are not nano-fine enough to potentially get absorbed into your bloodstream.

GE Wheat in Australia - Coming To a Store Near You!

Australia is at risk of becoming the first country in the world to Allow GE wheat, creating a major threat to farmers, consumers and to Australia’s future food security.

Wheat is Australia’s most important crop, bringing $5 billion into our economy each year. Monsanto and other chemical companies failed to commercialize GE wheat in North America. Now they have a stranglehold over Australia’s wheat infrastructure.

In June and July this year, the federal government approved over 1,300 different types of GE wheat for trials across the country. If GE wheat is commercialized, farmers face legal and financial risks of cross-contamination, either in the field or in grain silos.

We know that GE plants operate differently in the field than they do in the lab, with unpredictable impacts on our environment. We also know GE consumption by animals is linked with allergic reactions, organ damage and reduced fertility. But the real problem is there has been no testing on humans. We are all in the dark about the safety of GE food.

Bill Clinton's Heart Disease & Weight Loss Diet

Bill Clinton recently made news headlines, not with his politics but with his shrunken waistline. On diet made up of beans, legumes, vegetables and fruit, he said he lost 24 pounds in time for his daughter Chelsea’s wedding. But he was most impressed in how his whole metabolism has changed. He understood his previous by-pass operations did not give him the security of his heart disease not returning.

Chelsea who allegedly had a wedding cake free of gluten & sugar must have inspired her father who used to love fast food (& was public about it) to make this change.

The doctors he referred to are Dr. Dean Ornish & Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.

Wholesome plant based diet and healthy lifestyle is a lot more effective, not just for reversing heart diseases, but most other chronic diseases. These doctors also said how this kind of diet promotes a better sex life which I am sure gets people’s attention! (Remember Morgan Spurlock from Supersize Me who became impotent half way through his McDonald’s experience?)

Source: www.integrative-living.com & www.edition.cnn.com

One of the Worst Parenting Mistakes You Can Make

No matter how physically active a child is, time spent in front of the computer or television screen is associated with psychological problems.

The study found that > 2 hours a day in front of a TV or computer was associated with more emotional and behavioral difficulties.

Source: Pediatrics (Oct 11, 2010)

Quinoa and Its Benefits for Health

Quinoa is a grain which has been cultivated for thousands of years in the mountains of the Andes. Its nutritional value is superior to the other grains. It protects cell membranes and it has positive results in brain neuronal functions in particular.

Source: Nutrition facts and functional potential of quinoa (Sept 2, 2010), Department of Food Engineering, Universidad de La Serena, Chile

“Folate-Fortified” Babies Are Less Hyperactive…

A study carried out over 10 years showed that low folate levels in early pregnancy were associated with a higher prevalence of behavioral problems such as hyperactivity and inattention in children and other peer problems.

Source: www.fondation-louisbonduelle.org

Monsanto Finally Reaping Its Just Desserts

Monsanto, the giant biotechnology agriculture company that created genetically modified corn, soybeans and herbicides, isn’t riding so high this year in the stocks department, as news comes in that its products aren’t working like they’d hoped.

According to the New York Times

• Monsanto’s newest genetically modified product, SmartStax corn, provides no greater yields than older products, despite being more expensive
• Weeds are growing resistant to Monsanto’s Roundup
• The Justice Department is investigating Monsanto for possible antitrust violations

Already, shares of Monsanto’s stock have fallen 42 % since January, and earnings for the fiscal year are expected to be well under projections.

This company represents one of the biggest threats to your future health, and that of the planet.