Ho, Ho, Hum...

Tis the Season for happiness, togetherness, giving, receiving. Well you get the hint, “great tidings of comfort and joy.” But what if happiness isn't the prevailing theme? What if loneliness, sadness, and even depression are what you are feeling?

Not only is that not good for your mental health, it is also harmful to your physical well being. In Lessons From The Miracle Doctors by Jon Barron, he points out that depression can by as hard on your physical body as stress, which we all know can be a killer. “Your body is a product of your thoughts. The cells of your body have receptor sites for the various neuro-hormones you produce. Your immune cells, to use just one example, have receptor sites for each of those hormones. When you are happy, you produce a set of neuro-hormones that are picked up by the cells of your immune system. These particular neuro-hormones tell your immune system to jack up – which it does. In other words, happy thoughts improve your health. However, when you are depressed, the opposite happens. The neuro-hormones your body produces literally shut down your immune system. In effect, negative thoughts can actually kill you.”

Spend this day focusing on happy. Look around you and be grateful for the things you do have, give no energy to those things you don't. If you are alone, go to a soup kitchen and volunteer, if you are sad write a list of five things that make you happy. Go to the video store, read a good book, be grateful for the moment. If you spend enough time and energy focusing on what you are grateful for, the things that bring you down will lose their strength. Spend this day in gratitude, your body will thank you for it.

The Gratitude of Thanksgiving

Well here we are, in the United States anyway, with another major Holiday in the rear view and heading full tilt into the Christmas Season. Thanksgiving Day, a day to stop, reflect, and give thanks for all of the abundance around us, to be grateful for our homes, our families.....basically everything that is “good” in our lives.

How very American, to schedule a Holiday to give thanks....when in all actuality, giving thanks should be an every minute of every day occurrence. I know, I know, Thanksgiving is historical in nature, a meal between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans whose land they were just beginning to plunder....a benchmark in the development of our country, yada, yada, yada....but historical aspects aside, let's just take a minute to look at the gratitude of Thanksgiving.

Since Thanksgiving is about togetherness, I think it would be safe to assume that first and foremost, Thanksgiving is about the people. Now those “people” don't have to be family members, and in many instances, you are better off if they aren't, but for me, it is a duality, friends and family.

Family. Yep, I'm grateful for that....but whether it is a late night snack with my teenage son or a meal on the go with my daughter, I am grateful. A nice quiet evening with Gary, or a family birthday or celebration that brings everyone together....I am grateful.

Friends. Well, in most aspects, my friends are my family. They are the ones I turn to when I need to laugh, cry, share and grow. My friends bring me joy, tears, laughter and good times, we dish, bitch, you name it....and for the wonderful, beautiful people in my life that I have the honor to call my friends....I am grateful.

Work. My work is another something something I am grateful for. To have the opportunity to wake up each and every day and get paid to do what I love, what a blessing. Whether it is a day working with words or caught up in research and communication...what a cool thing to be fortunate enough to make a living doing the things I am passionate about. For my work, each and every day....I am grateful.

And Stuff. We are supposed to be grateful for stuff too, right? Well, my home is nice, safe, warm, and a great place to both live and work out of and for that, I am grateful. My car, runs, is comfortable and safe and for that, I am grateful. But possessions can be a tricky thing. A great teacher, Rev. John F. Schulte, once told me that, “Everything in your experience, you share energy with. If it does not serve a purpose or it does not bring you joy – let it go.”

I think that oftentimes, people get caught up in the acquisition of “stuff” and that can blur the gratitude of any day, especially Thanksgiving. Now I'm not sitting here pointing fingers, because the acquisition of “stuff” is something I can be guilty of too. Wishing I had a new house, new rug, new this or new that. But those feelings and drive towards acquiring more “stuff” didn't bring me joy – it made me focus on what I did not have, and in turn I was not grateful for the beauty that was already surrounding me. So what if my couch was old or my end tables didn't match, why did I spend the energy focusing on that rather than the fact I have always had a safe, warm home to raise my children in. Always remember, at the end of the day, if it does not serve a purpose or it does not bring you joy – let it go.

It is the people in your life that truly make a difference, whether friends, family, a neighbor, coworker, or even a kind stranger in the supermarket....look for the good things, the smiles, the thank yous, the things to be grateful for. If you have a warm bed to sleep in, be grateful. If you have a job that meets your needs financially and emotionally, be grateful. If you have good health, be grateful. I could go on and on with this, but the important thing is to find at least five things to be grateful for each and every day. Write them down, refer back to them, and remember, gratitude...always.

Thanksgiving is a state of mind, and the more things that you can reach for and for which you can be truly grateful, the more peace you will have in your life. And as we head towards the frantic pace of the Christmas Season, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Peace one of the themes?

Organic Really Is Better

Well I've been saying it, and while some people agree, other's think that I am a food snob, a person who truly enjoys flaunting my snobbery by paying two or three times more for an organic product than I would for a conventional. Now how paying 5 dollars for a loaf of bread over 2 dollars can be considered a good time is beyond me, but guess what, my buying habits aren't snobbery, organic food really is better.

Jon UnGoed-Thomas recently reported in the Times Online that the biggest study into organic food has found that it is more nutritious than ordinary produce and may help to lengthen people's lives. Funded by the European Union, the four-year study found that organic fruits and vegetables contained as much as 40% more antioxidants, in addition to higher levels of beneficial minerals such as iron and zinc.

Professor Carlo Leifert, the coordinator of the study, said the differences were so marked that organic produce would help to increase the nutrient intake of people. And while the English Food Standards Agency is reviewing the evidence of the study before deciding whether or not to change it's current stance, “no significant differences between organic and ordinary produce,” Leifert contends that there is enough evidence now to prove that the level of good things is indeed higher in organics.

Imagine that, food grown in healthy soil, lacking all of the pesticides and chemicals from seed to harvest, can actually be healthier for you.....boggles the mind, doesn't it. Taking it ten steps further, organic foods generally (but not always) lack many of the harmful effects of genetic engineering and the thousands of “additives and preservatives” that can make food not so, well food like.

But a word of caution here, not all organic foods are created equally. With the rising popularity of organic products, organic foods have become big business, and we all know what business means to our food supply - some organic standards have been compromised.

Try and buy local when possible, as Dr. Mercola states, “If you want to get the freshest, most nutrient-rich foods available, you simply must seek out real sources close to your home. When I say “real sources” I’m referring to farmers, food coops, farmers’ markets, and community supported agriculture programs. These are the people who are growing your food, and only by speaking with them and establishing a rapport will you truly know if your food is being raised with integrity and health in mind.”

When you do have to hit the supermarket or the local health food store, start with the organic label and know that now when you go through the checkout line, the organic foods in your cart truly will “feed” your family better than anything else in the store.

Bologna? I Think I'll Pass....

I have had a thing about processed meats for a number of years now – never been one to enjoy a hot dog, bologna makes me woozy and well, I could go on and on. So in the course of researching my new book, I found validity for my feelings, sodium nitrite proved that my ick feelings about processed meats were dead on.

As a food additive, sodium nitrite (also beware of sodium nitrate) serves a dual purpose since it both alters the color of preserved fish and meats and also prevents the growth of Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria which causes botulism. Sodium nitrite can turn your meats and fish the bright red color that you generally associate with freshness, when in fact the product can be anything but.

While sodium nitrite will prevent the growth of bacteria, it is also toxic for mammals. Recent studies have found a link between high processed meat consumption and colon cancer, possibly due to preservatives such as sodium nitrite. The evidence doesn't stop there, a recent study shows a 67% increase in pancreatic cancer for people consuming moderate amounts of processed meat on a frequent basis.

But leave it to our friends at NewsTarget.com to up the grossness factor a few more notches with the video below. This humorous take on a frightening subject will make you think twice before ordering pepperoni on that pizza or buying a hot dog from the corner vendor – I promise!!

Canary in a Coal Mine

Trace amounts of pharmaceuticals could be as close as your next glass of water. Narcotics, birth control pills, antidepressants and other controlled substances are now being found in U.S. rivers, lakes and streams, which is where our drinking water comes from.

As Greg Peterson recently reported in E Magazine, intersex fish in the Potomac River and frog mutations in Wisconsin have federal officials studying the effects of pharmaceuticals in the water supply....and it isn't just a maybe there are pharmaceuticals in the water supply, it's a guess what's here so what do you think we should do about it scenario.

The cumulative effect of the trace amounts of pharmaceuticals that have been found in the water on humans is not yet known, but the Environmental Protection Agency is taking preventative measures because these trace amounts of pharmaceuticals have already been linked to behavioral and sexual mutations in fish, amphibians and birds. And those mutated frogs, well, Peterson reports that the amphibian is considered to be the canary in a coal mine when it comes to water issues.

While the debate heats up with one side saying, much ado about nothing, and the other saying WTF, federal officials studying the human health effects of the pharmaceutical compounds found in the water say they generally serve as endocrine disruptors, including possible links to neurological problems in children and increased incidence of some cancers.

The rising number of Americans regularly consuming pharmaceuticals in part led to the U.S. Geological Survey and EPA finding 80% of the samples taken in 139 streams spanning 30 states contained pharmaceuticals. And many of America's wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove pharmaceuticals and personal care products from the water supply.

So what to do? Firstly, check to see if there is a pharmaceutical collection station in your community that can properly dispose of old or unwanted prescription medications, because guess what, grandma's plan of putting old and unwanted prescriptions down the drain or into the toilet helped get us here. There are organizations sprouting up through numerous grassroots groups and local governmental initiatives. If there isn't a collection station or movement in your area, find out how you can start one.

If you strike out locally, turn to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and their new partnership with the American Pharmacists Association, they recently launched SMARxT DisPOSAL, a public education project about pharmaceuticals and fish.

And last but not least, whatever you do, do NOT flush pharmaceuticals or personal care products, because the canary, isn't dead yet, but he is mutating quickly.

Tell Kellogg’s Where to Put Their Snap, Their Crackle and Their Pop

GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SUGAR TO HIT STORES IN 2008 and it starts with American Crystal, a large Wyoming-based sugar company, who recently launched an "organic" line of their sugar. Several other leading U.S. sugar providers have announced they will be joining American Crystal in the endeavor and source their sugar from genetically engineered (GE) sugar beets. Like GE corn and GE soy, products containing GE sugar will not be labeled as such. Since half of the granulated sugar in the U.S. comes from sugar beets, a move towards biotech beets marks a dramatic alteration of the U.S. food supply. These sugars, along with GE corn and soy, are found in many conventional food products, so consumers will be exposed to genetically engineered ingredients in just about every non-organic multiple-ingredient product they purchase. To make a bad situation even worse, GE sugar beets are designed to withstand strong doses of Monsanto's controversial broad spectrum Roundup herbicide. Studies indicate farmers planting "Roundup Ready" corn and soy spray large amounts of the herbicide, contaminating both soil and water.

The Organic Consumers Association recently took issue with this move and along with their allies, sent a letter to Kellogg’s on June 12, requesting that they NOT use sugar from genetically engineered sugar beets, and if they did choose to use the sugar beets, that they should be prepared for a consumer boycott.

It appears as if though Kellogg’s could care less.

In a response to Mr. Ronnie Cummins, National Director of the Organic Consumers Association, David Mackay, President/CEO of Kellogg’s said, “Being a global organization, our focus has always been on meeting the needs of our consumers worldwide and being responsive to a variety of consumer preferences. Our decisions on whether or not to use biotech ingredients are made on a market-by-market basis and depend on a variety of factors specific to each market.

Mackay went on to discuss how, “concerns about biotech ingredients in food production are low” in the US, whereas, “public acceptance of biotechnology in Europe is lower than in the United States and as a result, all Kellogg products sold in Europe are free of any ingredients derived from biotech sources.”

Hello! WTF!! How in the WORLD can we allow this to happen! In Europe, where news of the dangers of GE food consumption is common knowledge, they don’t put biotech ingredients in their products?? But here, in the US where apparently concerns are low, they will poison us???

Give ME A BREAK! Put your money where your health is and refuse to purchase products that could contain GE ingredients. Put your money where your children’s health is and buy local, buy organic and say ENOUGH.

And write your congressman, your senator and your elected officials; tell them to pick up the stump speeches Senator John Edwards, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, and Senator Chris Dodd, spoke so passionately about last October. Each one of them stood in Iowa and promised they would push for mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods if elected. Make this a priority, tell your friends and let us stand up like our European neighbors and say, not in our food supply!!!

The Art of Sandwich

Well it’s back to school time, which for many parents means, back to trying to figure out how to provide their child with a healthy lunch and snacks. As a mother of two myself, I can say that when mine were young, the thoughts of the lunch line and institutional fare was never too appealing to me, thankfully, my kids would rather not eat than take part in pigs-in-a-blanket or mystery meat day.

But that leads to the question, what to send. Well, a sandwich may be the easiest choice, but it isn’t always the best choice. Let me restate that, your basic white bread and lunch meat sandwich is not the best choice, but sandwiches are still a viable option.

As some of you may know, I am currently working on a book and during some of my research, I have uncovered information that has made me rethink the way I look at a sandwich. First of all, a serious health risk can be found in the one staple all sandwiches share – bread. If you are living in the United States, your typical grocery store white bread could very well contain an ingredient that is dangerous…so dangerous it has been banned throughout the world for food use, including Europe, the United Kingdom (1990), Canada (1994), Sri Lanka (2001), Nigeria, and China (2005).But for me, it is as close as the corner market.

What is this insidious additive, in two words – potassium bromate. It is typically used as a flour improver, and when cooked under the right conditions, will be completely used up in the process of baking the bread. However, if too much is added or the bread is not cooked long enough or at a high enough temperature, a residual amount will remain, which is harmful if consumed. Not just harmful, it it actually is a known carcinogenic. As a matter of fact, Bromate is considered a category 2B (possibly carcinogenic to humans) carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Potassium bromate is available in the US, with the exception of the state of California. If it is used there, a cancer warning would be required on the label under the guidelines of Proposition 65. Rather than label their baked goods as being carcinogenic, most California bakers have switched to bromate-free flour.

Outside of California though, your diligence is required, beware and look closely for this additive, because believe it or not, it's still widely available. Just to prove it, if only to myself, I went to the grocery store, part of a regional chain, and started reading that teeny tiny little list of Ingredients. Guess what. Numerous loaves of white bread contained potassium bromate – a known CARCINOGEN! Generally, it was the off brands, lower cost loaves, which means that those on a budget or looking for a bargain are picking these loaves up, three for $2.00 and taking them home to feed their children.

How can something that is a known carcinogen be put in baked goods and sold to an unsuspecting public. Why can entire countries ban this product, and the state of California make it something nobody wants to use, but here in Missouri I can take my pick of tainted loaves?

The answer lies with the FDA. Potassium bromate was sanctioned by the FDA before the Delaney Clause of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act went into effect in 1958 – which bans carcinogenic substances – so now, it is more difficult for it to be banned. Instead, since 1991 the FDA has simply urged bakers to voluntarily stop using it. Apparently, not too many bakers listened.

Next time you need some bread, read the label, and if it has potassium bromate, in addition to all of the other lovely additives, put it down and run out of the store screaming.

And now on to the filler, the oh-so-easy, every time convenient option – lunch meat. Now lunch meat or a processed deli meat would not be the healthy choice. Why? Because most lunch meats share one common ingredient that can have devastating effects on your health – sodium nitrite/nitrate.

As a food additive, sodium nitrite (also beware of sodium nitrate) serves a dual purpose since it both alters the color of preserved fish and meats and also prevents the growth of Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria which causes botulism. Sodium nitrite can turn your meats and fish the bright red color that you generally associate with freshness, when in fact the product can be anything but.

While sodium nitrite will prevent the growth of bacteria, it is also toxic for mammals. Recent studies have found a link between high processed meat consumption and colon cancer, possibly due to preservatives such as sodium nitrite. The evidence doesn't stop there, a recent study shows a 67% increase in pancreatic cancer for people consuming moderate amounts of processed meat on a frequent basis.

Sodium nitrite can be highly carcinogenic once it enters the digestive system because once there it forms a variety of nitrosamine compounds that enter the bloodstream and wreak havoc on a number of internal organs, particularly the liver and pancreas.

Being a toxic ingredient is not a new label for sodium nitrite, the USDA actually tried to ban it's use as an additive in the 1970's but the move was vetoed by food manufacturers who complained they had no alternative for preserving packaged meat products.

Dr. William Lijinsky, an internationally recognized authority on nitrites and cancer, told a US Senate agricultural committee that there is evidence to show that nitrites in meat are the most dangerous food additives today and that they are major contributors to cancer. Yet here we are, sodium nitrite can befound in every packaged meat product you can imagine, bacon, sausage, beef jerky, pepperoni, lunch meat, ham, hot dogs, and even meat products found in canned soups.

Whenever you think of sodium nitrite just think to yourself, reason number 10,585 to buy only fresh, organic, free-range meats.....and never, ever eat a hot dog again.

So what’s a busy parent to do? Well, in my case, I got creative. I purchased either the higher end natural breads in the grocery store (after reading the labels of course), or I run to the health food store and pick up an organic/sprouted grain variety. By making the trip to the health food store to buy my bread, I am not only removing the risk of the insidious potassium bromate, I am also removing about 35 other ingredients I have not yet researched, and I am sure that removing those ingredients is only helping me – and my kids.

With the bread down, the remaining question is what to put inside. Well, for starters make sure your meats are of the organic/grass fed variety. Maybe a little leftover chicken from last night’s dinner could turn into a healthy chicken salad sandwich, or roast beef, or really any meat that you buy fresh and cook at home. Other alternatives include organic or raw cheese with veggies, peanut butter or almond butter and a fresh fruit jelly. The sky is the limit when it comes to sandwich building, really you can make it out of anything that you know would be good for you in a sandwich or wrap form.

And as far as the remainder of the lunch goes – remember to avoid juices and sodas that are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (more on this next issue), stick with organic fruits and veggies to avoid pesticides, natural chips or crackers and read your labels to finish it off with clean, healthy snacks and treats.

While it may be oh-so tempting to buy the pre-packaged lunches, deli meats, processed cheeses and crackers, taking a few extra steps when it comes to preparing your child’s lunch will pay off in more ways than you can imagine.

Coughs, Colds and Proteolytic Whats?

Ahhh January – the holidays are behind us and cold and flu season is right on schedule. Coughs, fevers, sore throats and the dreaded cold are making their post-holiday rounds spreading moans, groans and sick days. Vitamin C, chicken soup, throat lozenges and aspirin are always wise choices, and even boosting the immune system with Echinacea, Oregano and Elderberry supplements can take the edge off.

But did you know there is a little something you can do for yourself each and every day that will not only boost your immune system but also greatly improve your overall health? Something that can send a cold or flu bug packing before you even get sick? In a word...or make that two words...think proteolytic enzymes.

When we are living and eating from the modern diet – things like white flour, white rice, pasteurized milk, processed cheese, chemically preserved foods, soda pop, candy, TV dinners – well you get the idea, when everything we eat has been cooked and processed, we force our body to divert its production of enzymes away from the proteolytic enzymes designed to govern our metabolic functions into enzymes designed to break down dead protein in our diets.

According to Jon Barron, director of the Baseline of Health Foundation, supplementing with digestive enzymes at mealtime can ease that burden on the body so that it no longer has to divert it's resources. Supplementing with proteolytic enzymes between meals means that the enzymes can go straight into the bloodstream and augment the proteolytic functions that are occurring in your body 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

So what does this mean for your immune system? How can a proteolytic enzyme actually make a difference as to whether or not the cold your kids bring home from school will affect you? Simple. Barron writes that the primary vehicle the immune system uses for destroying invaders is enzymes. Macrophages for example literally digest invaders with proteolytic enzymes and supplementation significantly improves the ability of your immune system to do its job. Not only that, bacteria, molds, viruses and fungi are protein/amino acid based and proteolytic enzymes taken between meals literally go into the bloodstream and digest these invaders before they take hold.

Proteolytic enzymes are available in any and all health food stores. Barron recommends that whatever brand you choose needs to have a lot of protease – at least 200,000 HUT, 300,000 if you can find it. Make sure that your enzyme not only has protease, but a variety of types – allowing it to work optimally in a variety of pH ranges.

Here's to a cough and cold free season!