Health & WellnessS


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Whole Foods Adds Creepy Warning Stickers To Their Raw Juices

Whole Food Label
© GreenMedInfo
After a recent trip to the juice bar at the Naples Whole Foods - a place, mind you, I usually avoid at all costs because they don't explicitly label the ingredients in their prepared foods as being certified organic - I allowed my good judgment to be euthanized by the sweet-sounding clerk's assurance that they use "mostly organic" ingredients, with the highly non-binding qualification: "whenever possible."

Of course, my main concern with not buying 100% organic juice is the greater likelihood that the produce was grown in factory-farmed animal manure, or raw-human sewage, which is a breeding ground for serious, even deadly pathogens, and which may contaminate both the food grown in it, and the people who consume the contaminated food.

But, a battery of factors conspired against what I would like to consider my better judgment: 1) being fatigued by the morning outing at the Zoo. 2) knowing our favorite organic juice bar (at Food & Thought) was taking a much deserved day of rest. 3) being in the company of less "neurotic" and equally exhausted child-towing company ... I just decided to shut up and give it a shot.

And so, with all my pre-purchase doubts happily behind me I sat down to an already half-consumed glass of raw vegetable juice, only to discover the following warning sticker staring back at me, declaring in CDC-speak that I had just engaged in highly risky, if not downright dangerous behavior:
"WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and, therefore, may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly and persons with weakened immune systems." ~ Whole Foods Market
And then, to my dismay, I noticed that my sweet 3 year old daughter's Whole Foods Almond Milk Smoothie also bore the same terrible warning, which needless to say was giving me a bit of indigestion as I contemplated the implications of the statement further.

Arrow Up

Oxytocin Improves Brain Function in Children With Autism

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© Yale UniversityPreliminary results from an ongoing, large-scale study by Yale School of Medicine researchers shows that oxytocin — a naturally occurring substance produced in the brain and throughout the body— increased brain function in regions that are known to process social information in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
Preliminary results from an ongoing, large-scale study by Yale School of Medicine researchers shows that oxytocin - a naturally occurring substance produced in the brain and throughout the body - increased brain function in regions that are known to process social information in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

A Yale Child Study Center research team that includes postdoctoral fellow Ilanit Gordon and Kevin Pelphrey, the Harris Associate Professor of Child Psychiatry and Psychology, will present the results on May 19 at the International Meeting for Autism Research.

"Our findings provide the first, critical steps toward devising more effective treatments for the core social deficits in autism, which may involve a combination of clinical interventions with an administration of oxytocin," said Gordon. "Such a treatment approach will fundamentally improve our understanding of autism and its treatment."

Health

New research shows long term high-fructose corn syrup diet alters learning and memory

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© Unknown
New research out of the University of California, Los Angeles has found that aside from the health risks already associated with high-fructose corn syrup, long term diets heavy in the sugary substance could actually result in a decline in memory and learning ability. Thankfully, this study wasn't purely bad news, as it revealed that this can actually be counteracted by eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

There are many ways to introduce higher levels of these crucial fatty acids into one's diet, including relatively inexpensive supplements, flaxseed (which is available in ground, milled and/or in oil form) delicious nuts (the most omega-3 rich being walnuts), salmon and many other delicious foods.

Considering the dangers associated with genetically modified foods, which, like high-fructose corn syrup, are present in many mass-produced processed foods, in addition to the dangers associated with high-fructose corn syrup, never before have we had more reasons to seek out healthier alternatives. The research - published in the Journal of Physiology - was conducted on rats, a common subject for analog studies, especially dealing with the brain since the brain chemistry of rats is similar to that of humans.

Health

Marijuana Oil Helps 3-Year-Old Son Beat brain Cancer, Dad Says

What would you do if your 3-year old son was stricken with brain cancer? Most parents wouldn't think twice about bringing their child to a mainstream doctor, only to undergo modern-day cancer 'treatments' such as chemotherapy. This is what one father, Mike Hyde, from Montana did when his 3 year old was diagnosed with brain cancer, but the father doesn't attribute his sons victory against cancer with the use of chemotherapy or any other mainstream treatment; the dad actually says marijuana oil is what made the young boy beat cancer. While the story isn't recent, it is one that everyone should hear about.

Marijuana Oil Helps 3-Year-Old Son Beat Cancer

In May of 2010, radiologists at Community Medical Center in Missoula, Mont., discovered a stage 4 brain tumor in a 20-month-old boy named Cash. Shortly after the tumor was discovered, the toddler was brought to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he was placed in intensive care. It was recommended that Cash receive three cycles of chemotherapy, only to be followed by another 3 cycles of high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue. The boy would also receive 'max amounts' of anti-nausea pharmaceutical medications.
"After his first round of high-dose chemo in August 2010, he no longer ate anything, and this went on through September. He was getting worse and worse...By the end of September he was so sick. He no longer was able to take feedings into his G-tube. His stomach lining was burnt from the chemotherapy, it was no longer processing anything - it was fried. I asked doctors if there was anything else we can give him and they said 'We're giving him max amounts of all anti-nausea medications we can give him.' They basically told me that this was as good as it was going to get. I told them that it was unacceptable," Hyde said.

Info

Coconut Water: Far More Than Just A Refreshing Beverage

Coconut Water
© GreenMedInfo
Few beverages on this planet are as biocompatible to the human body and its hydration needs as coconut water. Indeed, coconut water was been reported to be used for intravenous hydration and resuscitation of critically ill patients in remote regions of the world for over half a century. [1]

It is also an excellent preserving medium for avulsed teeth (and semen!), besting even Hank's balanced salt solution, a commonly used medical solution. [2]

While some are concerned about the sugar content of this slightly sweet beverage, recent research shows it actually exhibits blood sugar lowering properties in an experimental model of diabetes.[3]

Additional animal research shows coconut water prevents and reverses high blood pressure associated with fructose feeding-induced hypertension, as well being able to reduce oxidative stress and insulin resistance. [4]

Perhaps one of the most amazing properties of coconut water is its superior lipid modulating activity in the animal model vis-à-vis the cholesterol-lowering statin drug known as lovastatin. [5] Which means we can, in clear conscience, modify Hippocrates' famous saying to: "Let What You Drink Be Your Medicine."

Health

Artificial Sweeteners Linked with Preterm Delivery

Preterm Delivery
© Natural Society
Sugar sweetened beverages such as sodas have received a wide-scale bad reputation for their negative impact on health. All the while, diet sodas are falsely promoted as a healthier alternative. But artificial sweeteners used in diet soda, such as aspartame, have also been tied to numerous health complications, with one study linking artificial sweeteners to premature delivery.

Although some attest to the safety of artificial sweeteners like aspartame, these sweeteners have actually been shown to cause considerable harm to health.

The study looking at the relationship between soft drink consumption and pregnancy outcome found that preterm delivery risk is upped 38 percent for pregnant women having 1 or more servings of artificially sweetened drinks a day. What's more, consuming 4 or more servings daily was associated with an increased risk of 78 percent.
"There was an association between intake of artificially sweetened carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks and an increased risk of preterm delivery...A stronger increase in risk was observed for early preterm and moderately preterm delivery than with late-preterm delivery. No association was observed for sugar-sweetened carbonated soft drinks (P for trend: 0.29) or for sugar-sweetened noncarbonated soft drinks (P for trend: 0.93)," the study states.

Evil Rays

Ways To Reduce The Cancer-Causing Effects of Cell Phones

Evil Rays
© GreenMedInfo
Ever since the World Health Organization admitted in 2011 that cell phone radiation is "possibly carcinogenic," and may be contributing to the global uptick in brain cancer cases, its far harder to label someone a hypochondriac for being concerned about the health consequences of exposure.[i]

In fact, one study cited in their report showed a 40% increased risk for gliomas in the highest category of heavy users (reported average: 30 minutes per day over a 10-year period) - not exactly a small effect.

A recent study published in the journal Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology confirms that the microwave radiation given off by mobile phones is capable of transforming normal cells into cancerous ones.

Titled "Cellular Neoplastic Transformation Induced by 916 MHz Microwave Radiation," researchers exposed fibroblast cells, a connective tissue-producing type of cell, to 916 MHz electromagnetic frequencies (which have already been shown to alter brain biomolecules), and found that after 5-8 weeks exposure they changed their form and rate of proliferation to a cancerous phenotype.

These cells were also found to be tumor-forming when transplanted into mice.

Pills

Protesters Lobby Against the Shrinks: Stop Medicalizing The Normal Symptoms of Life!

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© Hapa/Getty ImagesProtesting for choice
"LABEL jars, not people" and "stop medicalising the normal symptoms of life" read placards, as hundreds of protesters - including former patients, academics and doctors - gathered to lobby the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) annual meeting.

The demonstration aimed to highlight the harm the protesters believe psychiatry is perpetrating in the name of healing. One concern is that while psychiatric medications are more widely prescribed than almost any drugs in history, they often don't work well and have debilitating side effects. Psychiatry also professes to respect human rights, while regularly treating people against their will. Finally, psychiatry keeps expanding its list of disorders without solid scientific justification.

At the heart of the issue is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) - psychiatry's diagnostic "bible" (see main story). Allen Frances, who headed the last major rewrite of the manual - DSM-IV - fears that the revised version will undermine the profession's credibility. "What concerns me most," he says, "is that its publication will dramatically expand the realm of psychiatry and narrow the realm of normality."

Comment: Many leaders in the field of psychiatry have allowed them selves to become paid puppets of the pharmaceutical industry:
Has Psychiatry Become Unhinged?
The Total Failure of Modern Psychiatry
Talk Doesn't Pay, So Psychiatry Turns Instead to Drug Therapy


Sheeple

Wheat the Opiate of the Masses?

Last week I was aboard a cruise liner in the Caribbean. I had a lot of fun but was primarily there to participate in a kinda conference organised by low-carb advocate Jimmy Moore. I was privileged to share the stage with some very lovely and inspiration speakers, among them the US cardiologist Dr William (Bill) Davis. I was looking forward to meeting Bill because I'd had a skype conversation with him some months ago, and was impressed by his warmth, humour and humanity. In person, Bill did not disappoint, and he also gave what I thought was a fascinating presentation about the perils of one of the modern-day diet's most ubiquitous components - wheat.

Bill is the author of the highly acclaimed and readable book Wheat Belly, which systemically makes a strong case for the elimination of this grain from our diets. His lecture on the low-carb cruise' focused on this aspect of his work, and focused on what I took to be three key areas:

1. Wheat's content of the readily-digested starch amylopectin A, which is highly disruptive to blood sugar levels.

2. The lectin (toxin) in wheat known as 'wheat germ agglutinin' which can cause inflammation in the gut and elsewhere.

3. Gliadin - a component of gluten in wheat which has, among other things, drug-like effects.

It's this last issue I'm going to focus on in this blog post.

Cow

Autoimmune Illness and Chronic Pain Helped by Paleo Diet

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I have always been interested in holistic medicine. Even as a teenager, I read and studied many different healing modalities. Given my love of medicine and my participation in competitive sports, it was no surprise to anyone that I became a Certified Athletic Trainer and physical therapist. Over the past 20 years in my healthcare career, I have worked in many different settings. The constants in my career have been interacting with people in pain and using all of my knowledge/skills to assist them in restoring maximum function.

I have a special interest in working with people who experience chronic pain. As happens with many people, it took my own experience to propel me to study and learn more about how to best help this patient population. In 2007, I became very ill with what was later diagnosed as Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. This is an autoimmune illness (AI) caused by the body mounting an attack on the thyroid gland in an attempt to destroy it. For those who have not heard of this illness, the thyroid is a major part of the endocrine system. It is a gland that makes and stores hormones that help regulate the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and the rate at which food is converted into energy. Thyroid hormones are essential for the function of every cell in the body. They help regulate growth and the rate of chemical reactions (metabolism) in the body.

It took me 5 years of researching, asking questions, and trial and error to begin to regain my health. At the urging of a colleague, I went gluten free in the fall of 2010. After 2 weeks, I felt so much better that I decided to continue avoiding gluten. As I continued to research, I found information about what was referred to as the "Paleo" lifestyle. I decided to try it in the Spring of 2011. After several months, the majority of my inflammation was reduced, my blood work showed changes in a positive direction, I began going days at a time without taking anti-inflammatory medication, and I was able to slowly begin bodyweight exercises and walking.