Posted By Dr. Mercola | March 18 2011 |
By Russell L. Blaylock, MD, CCN
Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death in women worldwide and breast cancer rates are increasing rapidly.
A compelling number of studies, though not all, have shown that free iron concentrations in breast tissue, especially the ductal tissue, is playing a major role in stimulating cancer development and eventual progression to aggressive, deadly cancers.1,2
Cancers are Very Dependent on Iron
Iron is needed for DNA replication in rapidly dividing cells.3
A recent report from the Department of Biomolecular Sciences in Urbino Italy, found that fluid taken from the nipple of cancer patients contained significantly higher levels of aluminum than did nipple fluid taken from women without breast cancer—approximately twice as much aluminum.4
A number of studies have found that extracting nipple fluid by a breast pump (in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women) is a simple way to study the microenvironment of the ductal tissue, the site of development of most breast cancers.5
Examining this ductal fluid is an excellent way to measure such things as iron levels, ferritin (an iron-binding protein), CRP (a measure of breast inflammation) and aluminum.
The researchers also found that women with breast cancer had much higher levels of ferritin, an iron transport protein, in their breast fluid, which was 5X higher in women with breast cancer.6
This observation has been confirmed in other studies.
In previous studies researchers found that one's intake of iron did not necessarily correlate with risk of breast cancer, but rather the release of iron from its protective proteins, such as ferritin and transferrin was critical.7
This distinction is very important and explains why some studies found no link between iron intake in the diet and breast cancer incidence.8
Free Iron Can Be Very Dangerous
Over 90% of iron absorbed from your diet is normally bound to these protective proteins. Recent studies have shown that some things we do can cause too much of the iron to be released into surrounding tissues, and if this iron exists as free iron, it can trigger intense inflammation, free radical generation and lipid peroxidation.
Bound iron is relatively harmless.
So, what can cause these protective proteins to release their iron?
One factor is an excessive alcohol intake. Studies by Lee et al have shown that women who drink greater than 20 grams of alcohol a day significantly increase the free iron in their breast tissue and have a higher incidence of invasive breast cancer—the most deadly form.9
It has also been shown that excessive estrogen can displace iron from its protective proteins, thus increasing free iron levels and associated breast cancer risk. 10 This helps explain the link between high estrogen levels and breast cancer.
Of more importance than the total intake of iron is where the iron ends up that is absorbed from your food.
As stated, most of it is bound to protective proteins, such as transferrin in the blood and ferritin within cells. If you have a lot of extra space within these proteins for binding iron, then a high dietary iron intake would be less harmful.
Previously it was thought that a spillover of free iron occurred only when the protective proteins (tranferrin and ferritin) were fully saturated, as we see with the condition hemochromatosis.
How Aluminum and Alcohol Worsen Iron Toxicity
We now know that both aluminum and alcohol can displace the iron from its protective proteins, raising the level of harmful free iron, even when these protective proteins are not fully saturated with iron.9
If this occurs within the breast, as this study demonstrates, free iron levels in the breast ductal tissue can become dangerously high and over time induce malignant tumor formation.
The question to be asked is--where did the aluminum come from?
The authors of the paper suggested underarm antiperspirants as a possibility. But, there is another source that is becoming increasingly a problem and that is from vaccine adjuvants.
Vaccines are a Major Source of Aluminum for Many
Many inactivated vaccines contain aluminum salts to boost the immune reaction. Studies have shown that this aluminum is slowly dispersed all over the body and may be concentrated in breast ducts.11
The amount of aluminum in vaccines is tremendous, especially in such vaccines as the anthrax vaccine, hepatitis vaccine and tetanus vaccine.
Since many American children are being exposed to multiple doses of aluminum containing vaccines by the time they are 6 years old, one would expect very high exposures to injected aluminum.
A recent study by Lucija Tomljenovik and Chris Shaw found that a newborn receives a dose of aluminum that exceeds FDA safety limits (5mg/kg/day) for injected aluminum by 20-fold, and at 6 months of age a dose that was 50-fold higher than FDA safety limits.12
Aluminum at this young age will accumulate in various tissues and with new vaccine recommendations, children and young adults may be exposed to many more aluminum containing vaccines every year throughout life.
With the ability of aluminum to displace iron from its protective proteins, we may not only see a dramatic increase in breast cancer, but also other iron-related diseases, such as liver degeneration, neurodegenerative disease, diabetes, heart failure and atherosclerosis.13 No one is addressing this very real danger.
References
1 Wu T et al. Serum iron, copper and zinc concentrations and the risk of cancer mortality in US adults. Ann Epidemiol 2004; 14: 195-201.
2 Cade J et al. Case-control study of breast cancer in southeast England: Nutritional factors. Epidemiol Community Health 1998; 52: 105-110.
3 Kalinowski DS, Richardson DR. The evolution of iron chelators for the treatment of iron overload disease and cancer. Pharmacol Rev 2005; 57: 547-583.
4 Mannello F, et al. Analysis of aluminum content and iron homeostasis in nipple aspirate fluids from healthy women and breast cancer-affected patients. J Appl Toxicol 2011; Feb 21,(ahead of print)
5 Mannello F et al. Iron-binding proteins and C-reactive protein in nipple aspirate fluids: role of iron-0driven inflammation in breast microenvironment. Am J Transl Res 2011;3: 100-113.
6 Mannello et al and Shpyleva SI et al. Role of ferritin alterations in human breast cancer cells. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2011; 126: 63-71.
7 Lithgow D et al. C-reactive protein in nipple aspirate fluid: relation to women's health factors. Nurs Res 2006; 65: 418-425.
8 Kabat GC et al. Dietary iron and heme iron intake and risk of breast cancer: a prospective cohort study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007; 16:1306-1308.
9 Lee DH et al. Dietary iron intake and breast cancer: The Iowa Women's Health Study. Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res 2004; 45: A2319.
10 Wyllie S, Liehr JG. Release of iron from ferritin storage by redox cycling of stilbene and steroid estrogen metabolites: a mechanism of induction of free radical damage by estrogen. Arch Biochem Biophys 1997; 346: 180-186.
11 Flarend et al. In vivo absorption of aluminum-containing vaccine adjuvants using Al-26. Vaccine 1997 15, 1314-1318.
12 Tomljenovic L and Shaw C. 2011 in press.
13 Weinberg ED. Iron toxicity. Ox Med Cell Longevity 2009; 2: 107-109.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/03/18/vaccines-increase-cancer-risk.aspx
About Me
- Miriam
- I have a health ministry for friends, family, and health lovers world-wide. I choose natural options whenever possible and avoid chemicals, food additives, etc. even in my cosmetics. I eat mostly organic whole foods. You’ll find lots of healthy recipes and great health research on this site.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
The Sleeping Habit That Can Make You Hungrier, Plumper, and Forgetful
Posted By Dr. Mercola | March 16 2011 |
Experiments on mice have shown that throwing off their ancient circadian rhythms by artificially altering the length of their days has a substantial impact on their bodies and brains. This suggests that the modern, round-the-clock lifestyle, made possible by electric lighting, could disrupt metabolism and interfere with learning in ways that are only just beginning to be understood.
Researchers put mice through 10 weeks in 20-hour light-dark cycles, instead of their natural 24-hour circadian cycle. After six weeks, the mice got fatter, showed less mental flexibility and were more impulsive.
Science Daily reports:
"The researchers believe that [the effects of an altered circadian cycle] may affect how an individual, whether animal or human, responds to additional challenges to the immune or metabolic systems, such as infection ... They are also working on models to understand the impact of different kinds of light-dark shifting such as those experienced by flight crews, shift workers, military personnel and medical residents."
Sources:
Science Daily February 27, 2011
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
Time and again, research shows us the hidden price we pay for our 24/7 lifestyles. Lack of sleep due to over-crowded day planners, e-mail, web surfing, and other distractions take a toll on your health whether you realize it or not.
Amazingly, 95 percent of those surveyed in the National Sleep Foundation's 2011 Sleep in America poll report using some type of electronic device within an hour of going to bed, and about 20 percent reported being awakened by phone calls, text messages or email, at least a few nights a week…
As you probably know, the physiological functions of virtually all organisms are governed by 24-hour circadian rhythms.
When your circadian rhythm—which acts like a built-in time-tracking system—is disrupted by late-night artificial light exposure, or being roused from sleep by beeping phones, it can have a profound influence on your physical and mental health and well-being.
One of the worst things you can do to disrupt your body clock is to engage in regular night shift work. I realize many may not have a choice once they've chosen these professions, but it is vital to understand that when you regularly shift your sleep patterns because of a job like police, fire, or ER work, you are in fact sacrificing your health and longevity—in more ways than one.
Round-the-Clock Lifestyle Damages Your Health in a Number of Ways
In this latest study, mice were kept in 20-hour light/dark cycles for 10 weeks to evaluate the effect on their metabolism, mental acuity and behavior. After six weeks, "the disrupted mice got fatter, showed less mental flexibility and were more impulsive than mice kept on their natural schedule," Science Daily reports.
The authors found changes in metabolic hormones, and "loss of dendritic length and decreased complexity of neurons in the prelimbic prefrontal cortex, a brain region important in executive function and emotional control."
Since the circadian system "drives" the rhythms of biological activity at the cellular level, disruptions tend to cascade outward throughout your entire body, which explains why the health effects of sleep deprivation and sleep disruption are so numerous.
The Many Ways Disrupted Sleep Patterns Can Impact Your Health
For example, your circadian clock influences your:
Short term memory -- Your circadian clock controls your daily cycle of sleep and wakefulness by alternately inhibiting and exciting different parts of your brain through regulating the release of certain neurotransmitters. The part of your brain known as the hippocampus must be excited in order for the things you learn to be organized in such a way that you'll remember them later.
If your internal clock isn't functioning properly, it causes the release of too much GABA. According to a previous study, an excess of GABA inhibits your brain in a way that leads to short term memory problems and the inability to retain new information.
Creativity and learning performance – Proper sleep enhances performance, learning and memory by improving your creative ability to uncover novel connections among seemingly unrelated ideas.
Weight gain/loss – In addition to the study above, previous research has also demonstrated that lack of sleep affects levels of metabolic hormones that regulate satiety and hunger. For example, when you are sleep deprived, your body decreases production of leptin, the hormone that tells your brain there is no need for more food. At the same time it increases levels of ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger.
Diabetes and heart disease risk -- Both too little and too much sleep may increase your risk of type 2 diabetes. A 15-year study of more than 1,000 men found that those getting less than six or more than eight hours of sleep a night had a significantly increased diabetes risk.
A similar pattern has also been observed in the relationship between sleep and coronary heart disease.
Immune system – Research has found that when you are well-rested you are likely to have a stronger immune response to viruses than when you have not gotten enough sleep. It's believed that the release of certain hormones during sleep is responsible for boosting your immune system.
Cancer risk -- Disruption of your circadian clock may influence cancer progression through changes in hormones like melatonin, which your brain makes during sleep, and which is known to suppress tumor development.
Melatonin is an antioxidant that helps to suppress harmful free radicals in your body and slows the production of estrogen, which can activate cancer. When your circadian rhythm is disrupted, your body may produce less melatonin and therefore may have less ability to fight cancer.
Chronic Diseases Made Worse By Lack of Sleep
Furthermore, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), lack of sleep can further exacerbate other serious and chronic diseases, such as:
Parkinson disease (PD)
Alzheimer disease (AD)
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Gastrointestinal tract disorders
Kidney disease
Behavioral problems in children
Disrupted Circadian Cycle Unleashes Stress
Making matters worse, poor sleeping habits also tends to raise your levels of corticosterone, the stress hormone associated with road rage.
When your body is under stress, it releases hormones that increase your heart rate and blood pressure. Your muscles get tense, your digestive processes stop, and certain brain centers are triggered, which alter your brain chemistry.
Left unchecked, this stress response can eventually lead to a variety of health problems including:
Headaches
Indigestion
Increased anxiety
Depression
High blood pressure
As you can see, the ramifications of engaging in a 24/7 lifestyle runs the gamut from minor stresses to life-threatening health problems! Yet judging by the poll responses mentioned at the very beginning, precious few are willing to take a much-needed look at their sleeping habits and make the required readjustments to their schedules and habits. I strongly urge you not to be part of the majority in this regard...
Instead, take the following advice to heart.
Reestablish a Natural Rhythm by Optimizing Your Light Exposure
Part of living in accordance with your natural circadian rhythm is to have consistent, regular exposure to bright light during the day, and sleeping in absolute darkness at night.
This optimizes your natural melatonin production.
Unfortunately, while over-exposure to light in the evenings is typical, most of us are also under-exposed to light during the day! Most incandescent- and fluorescent lights emit very poor quality light, and what your body needs for optimal functioning is the full-spectrum light you get outdoors.
If you're stuck in a windowless office for the majority of your day, using full spectrum light bulbs can help ameliorate this lack of high quality sunlight.
The reverse is true for the evenings. Ideally, once the sun sets, you'll want to reduce the overall amount of light you're exposed to. Here, using "low blue lights" can help. These light bulbs emit an amber light, opposed to the blue that suppresses melatonin production. Therefore, these bulbs are ideal for areas such as your living room, bedroom and bathroom.
TVs and computers also emit quite a bit of blue light, which will zap your melatonin if you work past dark, so ideally, you'd want to turn these items off once the sun goes down.
Once it's time to sleep, make sure your bedroom is pitch black.
I strongly recommend installing blackout shades for this reason, or use thick drapes. Make sure all the lights are off in your room and that no light enters your room from other areas, such as night lights in your bathroom or hallway.
It's important to realize that even a small amount of light, like that from a night light, or turning on the bathroom light to go to the restroom, can be enough to suppress your melatonin production for that night. So, if you have to get up, try to resist the temptation to turn on the light.
This may be a bit more than you are willing to invest, especially if you live in temporary circumstances. So what I have found that works really well is a high quality eye mask.
Fine-Tuning Your Sleeping Pattern for Optimal Health
Optimizing your light exposure as described above can go a long way toward reestablishing your natural circadian rhythm and a healthy sleeping pattern.
The next question then becomes, how much sleep do you need?
The right amount for you is based on your individual sleep requirements and not on a one-size-fits-all prescribed number of hours. That said, research has shown that, in general, chronically sleeping less than eight hours a night can have significant cumulative consequences. In short, your best bet is to listen to your body and adjust accordingly.
If you feel tired or sluggish upon waking or during the day, you're likely not getting enough.
However, it would be very unusual for anyone to require less than six hours of sleep. The sweet spot is more likely between 7 and 8 hours. There are other variables though, such as the:
Number of times you awake at night
Time it takes to fall asleep
Percentage of your sleep at REM, and
Time spent in deep sleep.
Later this year I will be providing some articles that go into this topic more deeply.
Unfortunately, many people are quick to pop a pill once they start having sleep problems. But sleeping pills come with numerous side effects and can cause more harm than good. Better alternatives include using the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), listening to a brainwave synchronization tape, or trying a natural remedy that can help you relax without the side effects.
Summary of Key Points to Remember to Keep Your Body Clock Running Smoothly
It's important to realize that even if you do everything else right – eat nutritious meals, exercise, manage stress – if you aren't getting high-quality sleep your health is bound to suffer in any of the numerous ways mentioned above. So please, take your sleep seriously, and do your best to live your life in closer alignment with your circadian rhythm.
As a summary, the following guidelines can help to keep your circadian rhythm in its natural cycle:
Use full-spectrum light bulbs in your home and office during daytime hours.
Use "low blue lights" in areas where you spend most of your time in late evening, such as your living room, bedroom, and bathroom.
Turn off computers and electronic gadgets once the sun sets, and avoid watching TV late at night. Again, the blue light emitted from TV's and computer screens mimic the blue light found in daytime sunlight, which can alter your melatonin production.
Sleep in total darkness! This is the "hidden" secret that most people tend to ignore, but which can dramatically improve the quality of your sleep. Personally, I sleep in a room that is so dark, it's even pitch black at noon. Liberally use blackout shades and drapes to achieve this.
Sleep when it's dark outside and get up when the sun comes up. At minimum, strive to sleep between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. This means you should be in bed, with the lights out, by 10 p.m. and be up by 6 a.m.
Avoid working the night shift. It's been linked to significantly lower levels of serotonin, which may cause sleep problems, anger, depression and anxiety. If you currently work the night shift, I would strongly suggest trying to switch your hours, or at the very least not keeping the night shift for longer than a couple of months at a time (and giving your body a chance to readjust in between).
For even more helpful guidance on how to improve your sleep, please review my 33 Secrets to a Good Night's Sleep. If you're even slightly sleep deprived I encourage you to implement some of these tips tonight, as high-quality sleep is one of the most important factors in your health and quality of life.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/03/16/this-modern-day-convenience-can-disrupt-your-metabolism-and-interfere-with-learning.aspx
Experiments on mice have shown that throwing off their ancient circadian rhythms by artificially altering the length of their days has a substantial impact on their bodies and brains. This suggests that the modern, round-the-clock lifestyle, made possible by electric lighting, could disrupt metabolism and interfere with learning in ways that are only just beginning to be understood.
Researchers put mice through 10 weeks in 20-hour light-dark cycles, instead of their natural 24-hour circadian cycle. After six weeks, the mice got fatter, showed less mental flexibility and were more impulsive.
Science Daily reports:
"The researchers believe that [the effects of an altered circadian cycle] may affect how an individual, whether animal or human, responds to additional challenges to the immune or metabolic systems, such as infection ... They are also working on models to understand the impact of different kinds of light-dark shifting such as those experienced by flight crews, shift workers, military personnel and medical residents."
Sources:
Science Daily February 27, 2011
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
Time and again, research shows us the hidden price we pay for our 24/7 lifestyles. Lack of sleep due to over-crowded day planners, e-mail, web surfing, and other distractions take a toll on your health whether you realize it or not.
Amazingly, 95 percent of those surveyed in the National Sleep Foundation's 2011 Sleep in America poll report using some type of electronic device within an hour of going to bed, and about 20 percent reported being awakened by phone calls, text messages or email, at least a few nights a week…
As you probably know, the physiological functions of virtually all organisms are governed by 24-hour circadian rhythms.
When your circadian rhythm—which acts like a built-in time-tracking system—is disrupted by late-night artificial light exposure, or being roused from sleep by beeping phones, it can have a profound influence on your physical and mental health and well-being.
One of the worst things you can do to disrupt your body clock is to engage in regular night shift work. I realize many may not have a choice once they've chosen these professions, but it is vital to understand that when you regularly shift your sleep patterns because of a job like police, fire, or ER work, you are in fact sacrificing your health and longevity—in more ways than one.
Round-the-Clock Lifestyle Damages Your Health in a Number of Ways
In this latest study, mice were kept in 20-hour light/dark cycles for 10 weeks to evaluate the effect on their metabolism, mental acuity and behavior. After six weeks, "the disrupted mice got fatter, showed less mental flexibility and were more impulsive than mice kept on their natural schedule," Science Daily reports.
The authors found changes in metabolic hormones, and "loss of dendritic length and decreased complexity of neurons in the prelimbic prefrontal cortex, a brain region important in executive function and emotional control."
Since the circadian system "drives" the rhythms of biological activity at the cellular level, disruptions tend to cascade outward throughout your entire body, which explains why the health effects of sleep deprivation and sleep disruption are so numerous.
The Many Ways Disrupted Sleep Patterns Can Impact Your Health
For example, your circadian clock influences your:
Short term memory -- Your circadian clock controls your daily cycle of sleep and wakefulness by alternately inhibiting and exciting different parts of your brain through regulating the release of certain neurotransmitters. The part of your brain known as the hippocampus must be excited in order for the things you learn to be organized in such a way that you'll remember them later.
If your internal clock isn't functioning properly, it causes the release of too much GABA. According to a previous study, an excess of GABA inhibits your brain in a way that leads to short term memory problems and the inability to retain new information.
Creativity and learning performance – Proper sleep enhances performance, learning and memory by improving your creative ability to uncover novel connections among seemingly unrelated ideas.
Weight gain/loss – In addition to the study above, previous research has also demonstrated that lack of sleep affects levels of metabolic hormones that regulate satiety and hunger. For example, when you are sleep deprived, your body decreases production of leptin, the hormone that tells your brain there is no need for more food. At the same time it increases levels of ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger.
Diabetes and heart disease risk -- Both too little and too much sleep may increase your risk of type 2 diabetes. A 15-year study of more than 1,000 men found that those getting less than six or more than eight hours of sleep a night had a significantly increased diabetes risk.
A similar pattern has also been observed in the relationship between sleep and coronary heart disease.
Immune system – Research has found that when you are well-rested you are likely to have a stronger immune response to viruses than when you have not gotten enough sleep. It's believed that the release of certain hormones during sleep is responsible for boosting your immune system.
Cancer risk -- Disruption of your circadian clock may influence cancer progression through changes in hormones like melatonin, which your brain makes during sleep, and which is known to suppress tumor development.
Melatonin is an antioxidant that helps to suppress harmful free radicals in your body and slows the production of estrogen, which can activate cancer. When your circadian rhythm is disrupted, your body may produce less melatonin and therefore may have less ability to fight cancer.
Chronic Diseases Made Worse By Lack of Sleep
Furthermore, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), lack of sleep can further exacerbate other serious and chronic diseases, such as:
Parkinson disease (PD)
Alzheimer disease (AD)
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Gastrointestinal tract disorders
Kidney disease
Behavioral problems in children
Disrupted Circadian Cycle Unleashes Stress
Making matters worse, poor sleeping habits also tends to raise your levels of corticosterone, the stress hormone associated with road rage.
When your body is under stress, it releases hormones that increase your heart rate and blood pressure. Your muscles get tense, your digestive processes stop, and certain brain centers are triggered, which alter your brain chemistry.
Left unchecked, this stress response can eventually lead to a variety of health problems including:
Headaches
Indigestion
Increased anxiety
Depression
High blood pressure
As you can see, the ramifications of engaging in a 24/7 lifestyle runs the gamut from minor stresses to life-threatening health problems! Yet judging by the poll responses mentioned at the very beginning, precious few are willing to take a much-needed look at their sleeping habits and make the required readjustments to their schedules and habits. I strongly urge you not to be part of the majority in this regard...
Instead, take the following advice to heart.
Reestablish a Natural Rhythm by Optimizing Your Light Exposure
Part of living in accordance with your natural circadian rhythm is to have consistent, regular exposure to bright light during the day, and sleeping in absolute darkness at night.
This optimizes your natural melatonin production.
Unfortunately, while over-exposure to light in the evenings is typical, most of us are also under-exposed to light during the day! Most incandescent- and fluorescent lights emit very poor quality light, and what your body needs for optimal functioning is the full-spectrum light you get outdoors.
If you're stuck in a windowless office for the majority of your day, using full spectrum light bulbs can help ameliorate this lack of high quality sunlight.
The reverse is true for the evenings. Ideally, once the sun sets, you'll want to reduce the overall amount of light you're exposed to. Here, using "low blue lights" can help. These light bulbs emit an amber light, opposed to the blue that suppresses melatonin production. Therefore, these bulbs are ideal for areas such as your living room, bedroom and bathroom.
TVs and computers also emit quite a bit of blue light, which will zap your melatonin if you work past dark, so ideally, you'd want to turn these items off once the sun goes down.
Once it's time to sleep, make sure your bedroom is pitch black.
I strongly recommend installing blackout shades for this reason, or use thick drapes. Make sure all the lights are off in your room and that no light enters your room from other areas, such as night lights in your bathroom or hallway.
It's important to realize that even a small amount of light, like that from a night light, or turning on the bathroom light to go to the restroom, can be enough to suppress your melatonin production for that night. So, if you have to get up, try to resist the temptation to turn on the light.
This may be a bit more than you are willing to invest, especially if you live in temporary circumstances. So what I have found that works really well is a high quality eye mask.
Fine-Tuning Your Sleeping Pattern for Optimal Health
Optimizing your light exposure as described above can go a long way toward reestablishing your natural circadian rhythm and a healthy sleeping pattern.
The next question then becomes, how much sleep do you need?
The right amount for you is based on your individual sleep requirements and not on a one-size-fits-all prescribed number of hours. That said, research has shown that, in general, chronically sleeping less than eight hours a night can have significant cumulative consequences. In short, your best bet is to listen to your body and adjust accordingly.
If you feel tired or sluggish upon waking or during the day, you're likely not getting enough.
However, it would be very unusual for anyone to require less than six hours of sleep. The sweet spot is more likely between 7 and 8 hours. There are other variables though, such as the:
Number of times you awake at night
Time it takes to fall asleep
Percentage of your sleep at REM, and
Time spent in deep sleep.
Later this year I will be providing some articles that go into this topic more deeply.
Unfortunately, many people are quick to pop a pill once they start having sleep problems. But sleeping pills come with numerous side effects and can cause more harm than good. Better alternatives include using the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), listening to a brainwave synchronization tape, or trying a natural remedy that can help you relax without the side effects.
Summary of Key Points to Remember to Keep Your Body Clock Running Smoothly
It's important to realize that even if you do everything else right – eat nutritious meals, exercise, manage stress – if you aren't getting high-quality sleep your health is bound to suffer in any of the numerous ways mentioned above. So please, take your sleep seriously, and do your best to live your life in closer alignment with your circadian rhythm.
As a summary, the following guidelines can help to keep your circadian rhythm in its natural cycle:
Use full-spectrum light bulbs in your home and office during daytime hours.
Use "low blue lights" in areas where you spend most of your time in late evening, such as your living room, bedroom, and bathroom.
Turn off computers and electronic gadgets once the sun sets, and avoid watching TV late at night. Again, the blue light emitted from TV's and computer screens mimic the blue light found in daytime sunlight, which can alter your melatonin production.
Sleep in total darkness! This is the "hidden" secret that most people tend to ignore, but which can dramatically improve the quality of your sleep. Personally, I sleep in a room that is so dark, it's even pitch black at noon. Liberally use blackout shades and drapes to achieve this.
Sleep when it's dark outside and get up when the sun comes up. At minimum, strive to sleep between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. This means you should be in bed, with the lights out, by 10 p.m. and be up by 6 a.m.
Avoid working the night shift. It's been linked to significantly lower levels of serotonin, which may cause sleep problems, anger, depression and anxiety. If you currently work the night shift, I would strongly suggest trying to switch your hours, or at the very least not keeping the night shift for longer than a couple of months at a time (and giving your body a chance to readjust in between).
For even more helpful guidance on how to improve your sleep, please review my 33 Secrets to a Good Night's Sleep. If you're even slightly sleep deprived I encourage you to implement some of these tips tonight, as high-quality sleep is one of the most important factors in your health and quality of life.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/03/16/this-modern-day-convenience-can-disrupt-your-metabolism-and-interfere-with-learning.aspx
The Exercise Mistake Proven to Damage Your Heart
Posted by: Dr. Mercola | March 22 2011 |
Not long ago, researchers studied the heart health of a group of very fit older athletes -- men who had been part of a national or Olympic team in distance running or rowing, and runners who had completed at least a hundred marathons. The results were unsettling -- half of these lifelong athletes showed evidence of heart muscle scarring.
The affected men were invariably the ones who had gone through the longest, hardest training. And now a new study, this time in laboratory rats, provides solid evidence of a direct link between certain kinds of prolonged exercise and heart damage -- scarring and structural changes, similar to those seen in the human endurance athletes.
The research effectively shows that years of strenuous cardiovascular exercise can damage your heart.
According to the New York Times:
"Unfortunately, it remains impossible, at the moment, to predict just what that threshold is for any given person, and which athletes might be most vulnerable to heart problems as a result of excessive exercise".
Sources:
New York Times March 9, 2011
The Journal of Applied Physiology February 17, 2011 [Epub Ahead of Print]
Circulation 2011;123:13-22
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
Before I discuss this study I believe it is important to review my personal history with exercise so you can understand where I am coming from.
I started running in 1968 and ran for over 40 years before I stopped. During medical school I was a member of the University of Chicago Track Club and ran a 2:50 marathon. I was competitive on a local level and won a few races, so I have some experience with intense aerobic training.
I am excited about these studies as they really are groundbreaking for their scientific documentation of what many of us have been warning you about for some time now on exercise. The vast majority of those who exercise are choosing to do some form or aerobic or cardio activity. This research now supports the notion that this choice is likely not your best one over the long run.
By focusing on extreme examples we can tease out some of the truth when it comes to exercise. These studies help explain why well-trained professional athletes can suddenly die from heart failure. For example, four years ago, one of the best American marathon runners ever, Alberto Salazer, nearly died from a heart attack at the age of 49.
I remember when Alberto won the New York City Marathon in 1981 and apparently broke the world record at the time with a 2:08:13. Unfortunately the course was later found to be short by 147 yards and the record was taken away. However he was still one of the fastest distance runners in the world and you simply don’t get much more aerobically fit than he was.
This is a powerful lesson to anyone who engages in large amounts of cardio exercise, because as it turns out, conventional cardio may actually be counterproductive... So, although most people who read this are not exercising nearly enough, it’s still important to understand that it is indeed possible to over-exercise—especially if your primary focus is on traditional cardio.
Research emerging over the past several years has now given us a whole new understanding of what your body requires in terms of exercise, and many of our past notions have been turned upside-down.
Study Finds that Focusing Exclusively on Lifelong Cardio May Damage Your Heart
In the first study mentioned above, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in February, researchers recruited a group of extremely fit older men. All of them were members of the 100 Marathon club, meaning athletes who had completed a minimum of 100 marathons. Their ages ranged from 26 to 67, and all of them had trained vigorously throughout adulthood.
The control group consisted of 20 healthy men over 50, but none of them were endurance athletes.
The New York Times reported that:
“The different groups underwent a new type of magnetic resonance imaging of their hearts that identifies very early signs of fibrosis, or scarring, within the heart muscle. Fibrosis, if it becomes severe, can lead to stiffening or thickening of portions of the heart, which can contribute to irregular heart function and, eventually, heart failure.
The results, published online… in The Journal of Applied Physiology, were rather disquieting.
None of the younger athletes or the older nonathletes had fibrosis in their hearts. But half of the older lifelong athletes showed some heart muscle scarring. The affected men were, in each case, those who’d trained the longest and hardest. Spending more years exercising strenuously or completing more marathon or ultramarathon races was, in this study, associated with a greater likelihood of heart damage.”
Direct Link Between Elite Cardio Training and Heart Scarring Found
Still, there were questions about whether the extreme training itself had caused the heart damage. Additional answers were found in another study, this one done on rats, which, according to the New York Times “provides the first solid evidence of a direct link between certain kinds of prolonged exercise and subtle heart damage.”
Recently published in the journal Circulation, the study was designed to mimic the strenuous daily exercise load of serious marathoners over the course of 10 years. All the rats had normal, healthy hearts at the outset of the study.
At the end, most of them had developed “diffuse scarring and some structural changes, similar to the changes seen in the human endurance athletes.”
The point is, too much of something that is normally good for you can have the reverse effect. This is a profound concept; so much so that one researcher even wrote a book about it, called The Reverse Effect. It is a fascinating book that is absolutely counterintuitive, yet makes more sense today in light of more recent discoveries within the field.
So, what does all of this mean for you?
Again, unless you’re engaged in high-level or elite endurance training, this information may be of little value—you certainly shouldn’t use it to further avoid exercising at all! Exercise is absolutely necessary for high-level wellness, but reducing your risk of heart disease is usually not the main reason you exercise.
You exercise because it makes you feel better, and for most, it helps keep your weight at an optimal level. It’s also one of the best treatments for insomnia and reducing insulin resistance, as well as being a wonderful aid in the treatment of depression. So the reasons to exercise are many. If you start slow, and most importantly, listen to your body, you shouldn’t run into the problem of exerting yourself excessively.
If you’re a serious athlete, however, you may want to reconsider how you train.
As I’ve discussed before, research has shown that replacing those long cardio sessions with shorter, high-intensity burst-type exercises, such as Peak 8, actually produces GREATER results in far less time!
Updated Guidelines on Optimal Exercise
Four years ago, the American College of Sports Medicine issued new guidelines on exercise, stating it must be “tough” in order for you to reap physiological benefits. This may seem confusing to some of you, so let’s reiterate a couple of key points you should always keep in mind, namely moderation, and individualization.
That said, their updated guidelines falls in line with other research showing the superior health benefits of high-intensity exercise. In essence, it’s the intensity, not the duration, that is critical for producing optimal results. But again, the optimal intensity will vary from person to person.
As described in my Peak 8 program, after a three minute warm up, you want to raise your heart rate up to your anaerobic threshold for 20 to 30 seconds, followed by a 90 second recovery period. Then repeat that cycle for a total of eight repetitions.
To perform the sprint portion properly, you will want to get very close to, if not exceed, your maximum heart rate by the last interval. Your maximum heart rate is calculated as 220 minus your age. (Keep in mind you’ll need a heart rate monitor to measure this as it is nearly impossible to accurately measure your heart rate manually when it is above 150.)
These cycles are preceded by a three minute warm up and two minute cool down so the total time investment is about 20 minutes, but the actual sprinting totals only four minutes!
But how is it possible to get better results with less exercise?
The “Magic” Factor of High-Intensity Exercise
The reason for this is because high-intensity exercises engage a certain group of muscle fibers that you cannot engage through aerobic cardio, and these engaging these muscle fibers cause a cascade of positive health benefits.
First, you need to understand that you have three different types of muscle fibers:
Slow
Fast
Super-fast
We now know that in order to naturally increase your body's production of human growth hormone (HGH), you must engage your super-fast muscle fibers.
HGH is a vital hormone that is KEY for physical strength, health and longevity.
Neither traditionally performed aerobic cardio nor conventional strength training will work anything but your slow muscle fibers, and hence has no impact on production of HGH. On the contrary, it has the unfortunate effect of actually causing the super fast fibers to decrease or atrophy, further impeding natural HGH production.
Power training, or plyometrics burst types of exercises will engage your fast muscle fibers, but only high-intensity burst cardio, such as Peak 8 exercises, will engage your super fast fibers and promote HGH, and that is the “magic” factor that explains why it’s so much more beneficial for you than traditional aerobic cardio.
Benefits of Peak Fitness Exercises
Once you regularly participate in these 20 minute exercises about twice a week, most people notice that it:
Lowers your body fat
Dramatically improves muscle tone
Firms your skin and reduces wrinkles
Boosts your energy and sexual desire
Improves athletic speed and performance
Allows you to achieve your fitness goals much faster
“Bullet-Proof” Your Heart with the Right Type of Exercise
The take-home message here is that one of the best forms of exercise to protect your heart is short bursts of exertion, followed by periods of rest.
By exercising in short bursts, followed by periods of recovery, you recreate exactly what your body needs for optimum health. Heart attacks don't happen because your heart lacks endurance. They happen during times of stress, when your heart needs more energy and pumping capacity, but doesn't have it.
If you have a history of heart disease or any concern, please get clearance from your health care professional before you start doing Peak 8 exercises. However, most people of average fitness will be able to do them—it is only a matter of how much time it will take you to build up to the full 8 reps.
The beautiful thing about this approach is that if you are out of shape you simply will be unable to train very hard as the lactic acid will quickly build up in your muscles and prevent you from stressing your heart too much.
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2011/03/22/beware--new-study-finds-too-much-cardio-can-hurt-your-heart.aspx
Not long ago, researchers studied the heart health of a group of very fit older athletes -- men who had been part of a national or Olympic team in distance running or rowing, and runners who had completed at least a hundred marathons. The results were unsettling -- half of these lifelong athletes showed evidence of heart muscle scarring.
The affected men were invariably the ones who had gone through the longest, hardest training. And now a new study, this time in laboratory rats, provides solid evidence of a direct link between certain kinds of prolonged exercise and heart damage -- scarring and structural changes, similar to those seen in the human endurance athletes.
The research effectively shows that years of strenuous cardiovascular exercise can damage your heart.
According to the New York Times:
"Unfortunately, it remains impossible, at the moment, to predict just what that threshold is for any given person, and which athletes might be most vulnerable to heart problems as a result of excessive exercise".
Sources:
New York Times March 9, 2011
The Journal of Applied Physiology February 17, 2011 [Epub Ahead of Print]
Circulation 2011;123:13-22
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
Before I discuss this study I believe it is important to review my personal history with exercise so you can understand where I am coming from.
I started running in 1968 and ran for over 40 years before I stopped. During medical school I was a member of the University of Chicago Track Club and ran a 2:50 marathon. I was competitive on a local level and won a few races, so I have some experience with intense aerobic training.
I am excited about these studies as they really are groundbreaking for their scientific documentation of what many of us have been warning you about for some time now on exercise. The vast majority of those who exercise are choosing to do some form or aerobic or cardio activity. This research now supports the notion that this choice is likely not your best one over the long run.
By focusing on extreme examples we can tease out some of the truth when it comes to exercise. These studies help explain why well-trained professional athletes can suddenly die from heart failure. For example, four years ago, one of the best American marathon runners ever, Alberto Salazer, nearly died from a heart attack at the age of 49.
I remember when Alberto won the New York City Marathon in 1981 and apparently broke the world record at the time with a 2:08:13. Unfortunately the course was later found to be short by 147 yards and the record was taken away. However he was still one of the fastest distance runners in the world and you simply don’t get much more aerobically fit than he was.
This is a powerful lesson to anyone who engages in large amounts of cardio exercise, because as it turns out, conventional cardio may actually be counterproductive... So, although most people who read this are not exercising nearly enough, it’s still important to understand that it is indeed possible to over-exercise—especially if your primary focus is on traditional cardio.
Research emerging over the past several years has now given us a whole new understanding of what your body requires in terms of exercise, and many of our past notions have been turned upside-down.
Study Finds that Focusing Exclusively on Lifelong Cardio May Damage Your Heart
In the first study mentioned above, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in February, researchers recruited a group of extremely fit older men. All of them were members of the 100 Marathon club, meaning athletes who had completed a minimum of 100 marathons. Their ages ranged from 26 to 67, and all of them had trained vigorously throughout adulthood.
The control group consisted of 20 healthy men over 50, but none of them were endurance athletes.
The New York Times reported that:
“The different groups underwent a new type of magnetic resonance imaging of their hearts that identifies very early signs of fibrosis, or scarring, within the heart muscle. Fibrosis, if it becomes severe, can lead to stiffening or thickening of portions of the heart, which can contribute to irregular heart function and, eventually, heart failure.
The results, published online… in The Journal of Applied Physiology, were rather disquieting.
None of the younger athletes or the older nonathletes had fibrosis in their hearts. But half of the older lifelong athletes showed some heart muscle scarring. The affected men were, in each case, those who’d trained the longest and hardest. Spending more years exercising strenuously or completing more marathon or ultramarathon races was, in this study, associated with a greater likelihood of heart damage.”
Direct Link Between Elite Cardio Training and Heart Scarring Found
Still, there were questions about whether the extreme training itself had caused the heart damage. Additional answers were found in another study, this one done on rats, which, according to the New York Times “provides the first solid evidence of a direct link between certain kinds of prolonged exercise and subtle heart damage.”
Recently published in the journal Circulation, the study was designed to mimic the strenuous daily exercise load of serious marathoners over the course of 10 years. All the rats had normal, healthy hearts at the outset of the study.
At the end, most of them had developed “diffuse scarring and some structural changes, similar to the changes seen in the human endurance athletes.”
The point is, too much of something that is normally good for you can have the reverse effect. This is a profound concept; so much so that one researcher even wrote a book about it, called The Reverse Effect. It is a fascinating book that is absolutely counterintuitive, yet makes more sense today in light of more recent discoveries within the field.
So, what does all of this mean for you?
Again, unless you’re engaged in high-level or elite endurance training, this information may be of little value—you certainly shouldn’t use it to further avoid exercising at all! Exercise is absolutely necessary for high-level wellness, but reducing your risk of heart disease is usually not the main reason you exercise.
You exercise because it makes you feel better, and for most, it helps keep your weight at an optimal level. It’s also one of the best treatments for insomnia and reducing insulin resistance, as well as being a wonderful aid in the treatment of depression. So the reasons to exercise are many. If you start slow, and most importantly, listen to your body, you shouldn’t run into the problem of exerting yourself excessively.
If you’re a serious athlete, however, you may want to reconsider how you train.
As I’ve discussed before, research has shown that replacing those long cardio sessions with shorter, high-intensity burst-type exercises, such as Peak 8, actually produces GREATER results in far less time!
Updated Guidelines on Optimal Exercise
Four years ago, the American College of Sports Medicine issued new guidelines on exercise, stating it must be “tough” in order for you to reap physiological benefits. This may seem confusing to some of you, so let’s reiterate a couple of key points you should always keep in mind, namely moderation, and individualization.
That said, their updated guidelines falls in line with other research showing the superior health benefits of high-intensity exercise. In essence, it’s the intensity, not the duration, that is critical for producing optimal results. But again, the optimal intensity will vary from person to person.
As described in my Peak 8 program, after a three minute warm up, you want to raise your heart rate up to your anaerobic threshold for 20 to 30 seconds, followed by a 90 second recovery period. Then repeat that cycle for a total of eight repetitions.
To perform the sprint portion properly, you will want to get very close to, if not exceed, your maximum heart rate by the last interval. Your maximum heart rate is calculated as 220 minus your age. (Keep in mind you’ll need a heart rate monitor to measure this as it is nearly impossible to accurately measure your heart rate manually when it is above 150.)
These cycles are preceded by a three minute warm up and two minute cool down so the total time investment is about 20 minutes, but the actual sprinting totals only four minutes!
But how is it possible to get better results with less exercise?
The “Magic” Factor of High-Intensity Exercise
The reason for this is because high-intensity exercises engage a certain group of muscle fibers that you cannot engage through aerobic cardio, and these engaging these muscle fibers cause a cascade of positive health benefits.
First, you need to understand that you have three different types of muscle fibers:
Slow
Fast
Super-fast
We now know that in order to naturally increase your body's production of human growth hormone (HGH), you must engage your super-fast muscle fibers.
HGH is a vital hormone that is KEY for physical strength, health and longevity.
Neither traditionally performed aerobic cardio nor conventional strength training will work anything but your slow muscle fibers, and hence has no impact on production of HGH. On the contrary, it has the unfortunate effect of actually causing the super fast fibers to decrease or atrophy, further impeding natural HGH production.
Power training, or plyometrics burst types of exercises will engage your fast muscle fibers, but only high-intensity burst cardio, such as Peak 8 exercises, will engage your super fast fibers and promote HGH, and that is the “magic” factor that explains why it’s so much more beneficial for you than traditional aerobic cardio.
Benefits of Peak Fitness Exercises
Once you regularly participate in these 20 minute exercises about twice a week, most people notice that it:
Lowers your body fat
Dramatically improves muscle tone
Firms your skin and reduces wrinkles
Boosts your energy and sexual desire
Improves athletic speed and performance
Allows you to achieve your fitness goals much faster
“Bullet-Proof” Your Heart with the Right Type of Exercise
The take-home message here is that one of the best forms of exercise to protect your heart is short bursts of exertion, followed by periods of rest.
By exercising in short bursts, followed by periods of recovery, you recreate exactly what your body needs for optimum health. Heart attacks don't happen because your heart lacks endurance. They happen during times of stress, when your heart needs more energy and pumping capacity, but doesn't have it.
If you have a history of heart disease or any concern, please get clearance from your health care professional before you start doing Peak 8 exercises. However, most people of average fitness will be able to do them—it is only a matter of how much time it will take you to build up to the full 8 reps.
The beautiful thing about this approach is that if you are out of shape you simply will be unable to train very hard as the lactic acid will quickly build up in your muscles and prevent you from stressing your heart too much.
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2011/03/22/beware--new-study-finds-too-much-cardio-can-hurt-your-heart.aspx
New warning: dangerous antibacterial soap chemical found in fish
Wednesday, April 20, 2011 by: S. L. Baker, features writer
(NaturalNews) The current mania over putting anti-bacterial chemicals in everything from cleaning wipes and hand soap to detergent and toothpaste has resulted in the widespread contamination of the environment with two related toxins often found in these products -- triclocarban (TCC) and triclosan.
Never mind that in lab studies these chemicals have been found to disrupt hormones, probably cause cancer and spur the growth of drug-resistant superbugs. The FDA seems to think it's fine and dandy that humans keep pumping these substances into our bodies through contact with skin, and flushing these toxins down the drain into the water table.
At the recent national meeting of the American Chemical Society held in Anaheim, California, scientists sounded yet another warning about the clear and present danger of the antibacterial ingredient TCC -- at least in the aquatic ecosystem. For the first time, scientists have evidence that this endocrine system disruptor is accumulating in fish. The animals encounter TCC as they swim in water that washes down drains and flows out of sewage treatment facilities into lakes and streams.
And, no, this isn't some minor finding. The researchers found TCC has a "strong" tendency to bioaccumulate in fish -- that means the fish take in the substance far faster than their bodies can break it down and eliminate it. Because TCC so strongly bioaccumulates in fish, even minute and seemingly harmless amounts in the water can build up to toxic amounts inside the animals' bodies.
"Due to its widespread usage, TCC is present in small amounts in 60 percent of all rivers and streams in the United States," study leader Ida Flores of the University of California-Davis said in a press statement. "Fish are commonly exposed to TCC, even though much of it is eliminated by wastewater treatment plants."
Dr. Flores soft-pedaled the idea that fish becoming loaded with TCC has much to do directly with human health -- because TCC supposedly doesn't bioaccumulate in humans and certain other mammals. Instead, the human body quickly breaks down, or metabolizes, TCC. That changes it into other substances that are excreted in urine and feces.
However, this skips over several important possibilities. First of all, because TCC is an endocrine disruptor, will fish contaminated with the chemical lose the ability to reproduce, thereby reducing the availability of fish as food?
And if fish contaminated with TCC are eaten, what does that mean for the human body? If TCC is "changed into other substances" by the human body, where is the proof those metabolites are safe for human health?
Dr. Flores noted that unmetabolized compounds, such as dioxins, can't be excreted from the human body -- unlike TCC -- and so they are particularly dangerous to humans. People are exposed to dioxins through the environment and the food chain, including dairy products, meat, fish and shellfish. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned this exposure can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system and may cause cancer.
Unfortunately, although this was not covered by Dr. Flores, other investigators have uncovered a critical connection between an anti-bacterial soap chemical and dioxins. As previously covered in NaturalNews, University of Minnesota civil engineering professor William Arnold and his colleague Kristopher McNeill have published their findings that TCC-related triclosan, when exposed to sunlight, generates dioxins.
And other researchers from the University of Minnesota's Institute of Technology, Pace Analytical (Minneapolis), the Science Museum of Minnesota and Virginia Tech, have documented that triclosan is transformed into dioxins that are accumulating in the environment.
Bottom line: any line of reasoning that downplays the seriousness of environmental contamination with anti-bacterial chemicals is just plain fishy -- and probably dangerous to human as well as animal health.
For more information:
http://www.naturalnews.com/029006_a...
http://www.naturalnews.com/022178_t...
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021...
Articles Related to This Article:
• Interview with Dr. Boris Worm, Marine Biologist, on Overfishing, Aquatic Ecosystems, Aquaculture Farming and More
• Brain health dramatically improved by intake of omega-3 fatty acids and fish oils
• The Powerful Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Preventing Diseases of Inflammation: The Experts Speak
• Fatty Fish may Reduce Kidney Cancer Risk
• Debating Pescatarianism: To Fish or Not to Fish for a Protein Source
• Drug-Induced Fish: Hormone Causes Tilapia to Undergo Sex Change
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/032134_antibacterial_soap_fish.html#ixzz1K5VW5Iz2
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/032134_antibacterial_soap_fish.html#ixzz1K5VP74T2
http://www.naturalnews.com/032134_antibacterial_soap_fish.html#ixzz1K5PJ3n40
(NaturalNews) The current mania over putting anti-bacterial chemicals in everything from cleaning wipes and hand soap to detergent and toothpaste has resulted in the widespread contamination of the environment with two related toxins often found in these products -- triclocarban (TCC) and triclosan.
Never mind that in lab studies these chemicals have been found to disrupt hormones, probably cause cancer and spur the growth of drug-resistant superbugs. The FDA seems to think it's fine and dandy that humans keep pumping these substances into our bodies through contact with skin, and flushing these toxins down the drain into the water table.
At the recent national meeting of the American Chemical Society held in Anaheim, California, scientists sounded yet another warning about the clear and present danger of the antibacterial ingredient TCC -- at least in the aquatic ecosystem. For the first time, scientists have evidence that this endocrine system disruptor is accumulating in fish. The animals encounter TCC as they swim in water that washes down drains and flows out of sewage treatment facilities into lakes and streams.
And, no, this isn't some minor finding. The researchers found TCC has a "strong" tendency to bioaccumulate in fish -- that means the fish take in the substance far faster than their bodies can break it down and eliminate it. Because TCC so strongly bioaccumulates in fish, even minute and seemingly harmless amounts in the water can build up to toxic amounts inside the animals' bodies.
"Due to its widespread usage, TCC is present in small amounts in 60 percent of all rivers and streams in the United States," study leader Ida Flores of the University of California-Davis said in a press statement. "Fish are commonly exposed to TCC, even though much of it is eliminated by wastewater treatment plants."
Dr. Flores soft-pedaled the idea that fish becoming loaded with TCC has much to do directly with human health -- because TCC supposedly doesn't bioaccumulate in humans and certain other mammals. Instead, the human body quickly breaks down, or metabolizes, TCC. That changes it into other substances that are excreted in urine and feces.
However, this skips over several important possibilities. First of all, because TCC is an endocrine disruptor, will fish contaminated with the chemical lose the ability to reproduce, thereby reducing the availability of fish as food?
And if fish contaminated with TCC are eaten, what does that mean for the human body? If TCC is "changed into other substances" by the human body, where is the proof those metabolites are safe for human health?
Dr. Flores noted that unmetabolized compounds, such as dioxins, can't be excreted from the human body -- unlike TCC -- and so they are particularly dangerous to humans. People are exposed to dioxins through the environment and the food chain, including dairy products, meat, fish and shellfish. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned this exposure can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system and may cause cancer.
Unfortunately, although this was not covered by Dr. Flores, other investigators have uncovered a critical connection between an anti-bacterial soap chemical and dioxins. As previously covered in NaturalNews, University of Minnesota civil engineering professor William Arnold and his colleague Kristopher McNeill have published their findings that TCC-related triclosan, when exposed to sunlight, generates dioxins.
And other researchers from the University of Minnesota's Institute of Technology, Pace Analytical (Minneapolis), the Science Museum of Minnesota and Virginia Tech, have documented that triclosan is transformed into dioxins that are accumulating in the environment.
Bottom line: any line of reasoning that downplays the seriousness of environmental contamination with anti-bacterial chemicals is just plain fishy -- and probably dangerous to human as well as animal health.
For more information:
http://www.naturalnews.com/029006_a...
http://www.naturalnews.com/022178_t...
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021...
Articles Related to This Article:
• Interview with Dr. Boris Worm, Marine Biologist, on Overfishing, Aquatic Ecosystems, Aquaculture Farming and More
• Brain health dramatically improved by intake of omega-3 fatty acids and fish oils
• The Powerful Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Preventing Diseases of Inflammation: The Experts Speak
• Fatty Fish may Reduce Kidney Cancer Risk
• Debating Pescatarianism: To Fish or Not to Fish for a Protein Source
• Drug-Induced Fish: Hormone Causes Tilapia to Undergo Sex Change
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/032134_antibacterial_soap_fish.html#ixzz1K5VW5Iz2
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/032134_antibacterial_soap_fish.html#ixzz1K5VP74T2
http://www.naturalnews.com/032134_antibacterial_soap_fish.html#ixzz1K5PJ3n40
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Missing Nutrient to Blame for Heart Attacks and Osteoporosis (Nope - NOT Calcium or Vitamin D)
Posted By Dr. Mercola | March 26 2011 |
By Dr. Mercola
The past decade has brought an explosion of research revealing the many beneficial roles vitamin D plays in keeping you healthy.
But there's a new kid on the block that could end up being "the next vitamin D," and we are finding that some of vitamin D's benefits are greatly enhanced when combined with this other vitamin.
That "new kid" is vitamin K.
Much new research is now focusing on the synergy between vitamin K (specifically, vitamin K2) and vitamin D3, particularly in terms of bone strength and cardiovascular health.
Before discussing the influence of each of these vitamins, let's review a bit about vitamins D and K and what their roles are.
Vitamin D: A Brief Review
Vitamin D is a key player in your overall health. The name is misleading -- it isn't actually a vitamin at all but a potent neuroregulatory steroidal hormone that influences nearly 3,000 of your 25,000 genes.
It literally turns on and off genes that can exacerbate -- or prevent -- many diseases. Vitamin D has been shown to influence dozens of conditions, including:
Cancer Hypertension Heart disease
Autism Obesity Rheumatoid arthritis
Diabetes 1 and 2 Multiple Sclerosis Crohn's disease
Cold & Flu Inflammatory Bowel Disease Tuberculosis
Septicemia Signs of aging Dementia
Eczema & Psoriasis Insomnia Hearing loss
Muscle pain Cavities Periodontal disease
Osteoporosis Macular degeneration Reduced C-section risk
Pre eclampsia Seizures Infertility
Asthma Cystic fibrosis Migraines
Depression Alzheimer's disease Schizophrenia
One of the key factors explaining today's high rates of chronic disease, besides poor diet and sedentary lifestyle, is an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. It is estimated that 85 percent of Americans have insufficient levels of vitamin D.
Sadly, when the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) released their updated recommendations for vitamin D (and calcium) on November 30, 2010, it caused shockwaves of disappointment through the natural health community.
According to the IOM, the new recommended daily allowance (RDA) for pregnant women and adults up to 70 years of age is the same as that for infants and children -- a measly 600 IU's. This despite the overwhelming evidence showing that vitamin D is extremely important for a wide variety of health conditions besides bone health, and that most people need about ten times this amount or more.
For more information about the IOM's new vitamin D recommendations, please see this recent article in which Dr. Cannell, founder of the Vitamin D Council, and Carole Baggerly, founder of GrassrootsHealth, share their concerns.
The best ways to increase your vitamin D levels, in my order of preference, are by:
Exposing your skin natural sunlight. Vitamin D from sunlight acts as a pro-hormone, rapidly converting in your skin into 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or vitamin D3.
Using a safe home tanning bed like the Sun Splash to achieve similar results as that from natural sunlight exposure.
Taking an oral vitamin D3 supplement whenever natural sun exposure is not an option.
For more about vitamin D and how to get the appropriate test of your blood levels, please listen to my free one hour lecture about vitamin D, and refer to my vitamin D resource page.
Vitamin K Basics
Vitamin K may very well end up being as important for you as vitamin D, as research continues to illuminate the growing list of its benefits for your health. Vitamin K is probably where vitamin D was ten years ago, with respect to its appreciation as a vital nutrient that has far more advantages than originally thought.
And, according to Dr. Cees Vermeer, one of the world's top researchers into vitamin K, nearly everyone is deficient in it -- just like most people are deficient in vitamin D.
Most of you get enough K from your diet to maintain adequate blood clotting, but NOT enough to offer protection against the following health problems -- and the list continues to grow:
Arterial calcification, cardiovascular disease and varicose veins Brain health problems, including dementia (the specifics of which are under study)
Osteoporosis Tooth decay
Prostate cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer and leukemia Infectious diseases such as pneumonia
Vitamin K exists in two basic forms, K1 and K2:
Vitamin K1: Found in green vegetables, K1 goes directly to your liver and helps you maintain a healthy blood clotting system. (This is the kind of K that infants need to help prevent a serious bleeding disorder.)
Vitamin K2: Bacteria produce this type of vitamin K. It is present in high quantities in your gut, but unfortunately is not absorbed from there and passes out in your stool. K2 goes straight to vessel walls, bones, and tissues other than your liver.
Making a long story even longer, there are several different forms of vitamin K2: MK4, MK7, MK8, and MK9. The form of vitamin K that has the most significance for our purposes here is MK7, a newer and longer acting form with more practical applications.
Most vitamin K2 supplements are in the form MK7.
MK7 is extracted from the Japanese fermented soy product called natto. You could actually get loads of MK7 from consuming natto as it is relatively inexpensive, and is available in most Asian food markets. Few people, however, tolerate its smell and slimy texture, so most people who find natto unpalatable prefer to take a supplement. You can also get MK7 by eating fermented cheeses.
For a comprehensive exploration of all the research and functions of vitamin K, refer to this article on the Weston Price website.
Now, how do vitamin D and vitamin K play together?
Vitamins D and K: "The Gatekeeper and the Traffic Cop"
One of the undisputed benefits vitamin D provides for you is improved bone development by helping you ABSORB calcium. This is not news -- we have known about vitamin D and the absorption of calcium for many decades.
But there is new evidence that it is the vitamin K (specifically, vitamin K2) that directs the calcium to your skeleton, while preventing it from being deposited where you don't want it -- i.e., your organs, joint spaces, and arteries. A large part of arterial plaque consists of calcium deposits (atherosclerosis), hence the term "hardening of the arteries."
Vitamin K2 activates a protein hormone called osteocalcin, produced by osteoblasts, which is needed to bind calcium into the matrix of your bone. Osteocalcin also appears to help prevent calcium from depositing into your arteries.
You can think of vitamin D as the gatekeeper, controlling who gets in, and vitamin K as the traffic cop, directing the traffic to where it needs to go.
Lots of traffic -- but no traffic cop -- means clogging, crowding and chaos everywhere!
In other words, without the help of vitamin K2, the calcium that your vitamin D so effectively lets in might be working AGAINST you -- by building up your coronary arteries rather than your bones.
There is even evidence that the safety of vitamin D is dependent on vitamin K, and that vitamin D toxicity (although very rare with the D3 form) is actually caused by vitamin K2 deficiency.
Vitamin K, Vitamin D, and Cardiovascular Disease
When your body's soft tissues are damaged, they respond with an inflammatory process that can result in the deposition of calcium into the damaged tissue. When this occurs in your blood vessels, you have the underlying mechanism of coronary artery disease -- the buildup of plaque -- that can lead you down the path to a heart attack.
Vitamin K and vitamin D work together to increase Matrix GLA Protein (or MGP), the protein responsible for protecting your blood vessels from calcification. In healthy arteries, MGP congregates around the elastic fibers of your tunica media (arterial lining), guarding them against calcium crystal formation.
MGP is so important that it can be used as a laboratory measure of your vascular and cardiac status.
According to Professor Cees Vermeer:
"The only mechanism for arteries to protect themselves from calcification is via the vitamin K-dependent protein MGP. MPG is the most powerful inhibitor of soft tissue calcification presently known, but non‐supplemented healthy adults are insufficient in vitamin K to a level that 30 per cent of their MGP is synthesized in an inactive form.
So, protection against cardiovascular calcification is only 70 per cent in the young, healthy population, and this figure decreases at increasing age."
As you would predict, scientific studies confirm that increased dietary intake of vitamin K2 does indeed reduce your risk for coronary heart disease:
In 2004, the Rotterdam study was the first study demonstrating the life-extending effects of vitamin K2. People who had the highest intake of vitamin K2 had 50 percent lower risk of death from coronary heart disease and calcification than people with the lowest intake of vitamin K2.
In a subsequent study called the Prospect study, 16,000 people were followed for 10 years. Researchers found that each additional 10 mcg of vitamin K2 in the diet resulted in 9 percent fewer cardiac events.
Animal studies show that vitamin K2 not only prevents hardening of the arteries but can actually reverse calcification of highly calcified arteries, by activating MGP.
People with severe calcifications have high percentages of inactive osteocalcin, which indicates a general deficiency of vitamin K2.
Let's take a look at how calcium supplements play into all of this.
Does Your Calcium Supplement Actually Increase Your Risk of Heart Attack?
If you take calcium and vitamin D but are deficient in vitamin K, you could be worse off than if you were not taking those supplements at all, as demonstrated by a recent meta-analysis linking calcium supplements to heart attacks.
This study did indeed find that people taking calcium supplements were more prone to heart attacks. However, that doesn't mean that it was the calcium supplements themselves that caused the heart attacks.
Please remember that calcium is only ONE of the players in your bone and heart health.
This meta-analysis looked at studies involving people taking calcium in isolation, without complementary nutrients like magnesium, vitamin D and vitamin K, which help keep your body in balance. In the absence of those other important cofactors, calcium CAN have adverse effects, such as building up in coronary arteries and causing heart attacks, which is really what this analysis detected.
And the FORM of calcium you take matters greatly, which I will address in a moment.
You simply can't take isolated supplements "willy-nilly" and expect to optimize very complicated physiological processes.
Vitamin D itself has been found to protect your heart. A study in the Netherlands provides compelling evidence that a high vitamin D status is associated with improved survival in heart failure patients.
If you are going to take calcium, you need to balance it out with vitamin D and vitamin K, at the very least. It is also important that you get adequate magnesium, silica, omega-3 fatty acids, and weight-bearing exercise, which are all important to the health of your bones.
Which leads us to the next important topic: osteoporosis.
Dense Bones are NOT Necessarily Strong Bones
One of the great health concerns for menopausal women is osteoporosis.
The classic way osteopenia (decreased bone density) and osteoporosis are diagnosed is by an x-ray called a DEXA scan, which specifically measures bone density, or the degree of mineralization of your bones.
But bone strength is MORE than bone density -- which is why drugs such as biphosphinates have failed so miserably.
Your bones are made up of minerals in a collagen matrix. The minerals give your bones rigidity and density, but the collagen gives your bones flexibility. Without good flexibility, they become brittle and break easily.
So, density does NOT equal strength!
Drugs like Fosamax build up a lot of minerals and make the bone LOOK very dense, but in reality, they are extremely brittle and prone to fracture, which is why there have been so many cases of hip fracture among people taking these damaging drugs.
Biphosphinates are poisons that destroy your osteoclasts, which interferes with your normal bone-remodeling process.
You are much better off building your bones using exercise and nutritional therapies, hormones like progesterone and vitamins D and K.
The Calcium Myth: Revising Our Theory of Bone Mineralization
Countries with the highest calcium consumption have the highest rates of osteoporosis -- namely, the U.S., Canada and Scandinavian countries. This is commonly known as the "calcium paradox."
This is because nutritional guidelines have been based on an incorrect theory of bone mineralization.
When you take the wrong form of calcium, or when your body's ability to direct calcium to the right places becomes impaired (as when you are deficient in vitamin K), calcium is deposited where it shouldn't be -- like sand in gears.
David Wolfe, raw food "guru" and nutritionist, has extensively studied and written about calcium physiology. In an interview, Wolfe discusses the myth about calcium's role in bone health:
"Calcium does not build bones, and that is one of the biggest misconceptions ever, and it actually goes to the real core of our problems with science. That is, the human body is a complex biological machine and an unbelievable mystery.
There is strong evidence that if you eat calcium—let's say it's calcium from coral calcium, for example, oyster shell calcium—it is almost impossible to get that into your bones to increase bone density. The amount of increased bone density, at best, is 1 or 2 percent. That is not good enough."
He goes on to explain that many calcium supplements (such as coral calcium, oyster shell calcium, calcium citrate, and calcium carbonate) are not well handled by your body. These forms of calcium can't be broken down and form miniature "rocks" that get deposited in your soft tissues -- kind of like hard water calcium deposits in your showerhead that eventually impede the flow.
According to Wolfe and others, these silty calcium deposits are major contributors and even causative factors in many conditions, including:
Aging Gallstones, colon cancer and Crohn's disease
Coronary artery disease and atherosclerosis Kidney stones
Dental plaque and gum disease Ovarian cysts
Hypothyroidism Cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration
Obesity and diabetes Bone spurs, stiff joints, osteoarthritis, tendonitis and bone cancer
Alzheimer's disease Cellulite and scar tissue
Breast cancer and cysts (fibrocystic breasts)
How Vitamin K Prevents You from Turning into a Walking "Coral Reef"
Complicating the problem of calcium deposits are nanobacteria that actually use this bad calcium to their advantage, forming hard shells of calcium phosphate that serve as defensive armor against your body's immune system, like a clamshell shields a clam.
When the shells harden, toxins such as mercury, pesticides, and plastics are trapped in there, which is why it is so hard for you to get those toxins out of your body. This encapsulated space also forms an excellent hiding area for opportunistic viruses, bacteria and fungi.
Overconsumption of calcium creates other mineral deficiencies and imbalances, and Western civilization vastly overconsumes calcium.
According to Rudolf Steiner, creator of biodynamic farming:
"Most calcium is gravitational and channels or conducts forces which accelerate gravity. The more calcium supplements one takes, the quicker one is dragged back into the Earth for recycling."
You don't want to turn into a human coral reef -- or be "recycled into the Earth" before your time!
By getting adequate vitamins D and K, your body will work synergistically to escort calcium to where it's needed, while preventing it from accumulating where it shouldn't.
So, What REALLY Increases Bone Strength?
As it turns out, you need a combination of plant-derived minerals for strong bones.
Your bones are actually composed of at least a dozen minerals. If you just focus on calcium, you will likely weaken your bones and increase your risk of osteoporosis as Dr. Robert Thompson explains in his book, The Calcium Lie.
It's more likely your body can use calcium correctly if it's plant-derived calcium. Good sources include raw milk from pasture-raised cows (who eat the plants), leafy green vegetables, the pith of citrus fruits, carob, and wheatgrass, to name a few.
But you also need sources of silica and magnesium, which some researchers say is actually enzymatically "transmuted" by your body into the kind of calcium your bones can use. This theory was first put forth by French scientist Louis Kevran, a Nobel Prize nominee who spent years studying how silica and calcium are related.
Good sources of silica are cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and a number of herbs including horsetail, nettles, oat straw, and alfalfa.
The absolute best source of magnesium is raw organic cacao. Yes, healthy high quality chocolate is extremely rich in magnesium!
A great source of trace minerals, which are important for many of your body's functions, is Himalayan Crystal Salt, which contains all 84 elements found in your body.
The bottom line?
The absolute best way to achieve healthy bones is a diet rich in fresh, raw whole foods that maximizes natural minerals so that your body has the raw materials it needs to do what it was designed to do.
Of course, the same can be said for your heart -- or any other part of your body.
To Wrap it Up ...
In order to achieve the best possible health, you have to devise a plan of attack from multiple angles. These suggestions will synergistically help keep your heart, blood vessels, organs and bones healthy.
Optimize your vitamin D either from natural sunlight exposure or an oral supplement, as described above. Check your blood levels regularly.
Optimize your vitamin K through a combination of dietary sources (leafy green vegetables, fermented foods like natto, raw milk cheeses, etc.) and a K2 supplement, if needed. Although the exact dosing (for oral supplementation) is yet to be determined, Dr. Vermeer recommends up to 185 mcg daily for adults. You must use caution on the higher doses if you take anticoagulants, but if you are generally healthy and not on these types of medications, I suggest 150-300 mcg daily.
Make sure you do weight-bearing exercise, which has profound benefits to both your skeletal and cardiovascular systems. My favorite is the Peak Fitness system but it is also very important to do strength training exercises to produce the dynamic electric forces in your bones which will stimulate the osteoblasts in your bone to produce new bone..
Consume a wide variety of fresh, local organic whole foods, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, organic meats and eggs, and raw organic unpasteurized dairy. The more of your diet you consume RAW, the better nourished you will be. Minimize sugar and refined grains.
Consider a high-quality animal source of omega-3 fatty acid supplement—my favorite is krill oil.
Make sure you are getting enough restorative sleep each night.
Handle the stress in your life since it has a significant impact on your physical and mental well-being. My favorite de-stressing tool is the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/03/26/the-delicate-dance-between-vitamins-d-and-k.aspx
By Dr. Mercola
The past decade has brought an explosion of research revealing the many beneficial roles vitamin D plays in keeping you healthy.
But there's a new kid on the block that could end up being "the next vitamin D," and we are finding that some of vitamin D's benefits are greatly enhanced when combined with this other vitamin.
That "new kid" is vitamin K.
Much new research is now focusing on the synergy between vitamin K (specifically, vitamin K2) and vitamin D3, particularly in terms of bone strength and cardiovascular health.
Before discussing the influence of each of these vitamins, let's review a bit about vitamins D and K and what their roles are.
Vitamin D: A Brief Review
Vitamin D is a key player in your overall health. The name is misleading -- it isn't actually a vitamin at all but a potent neuroregulatory steroidal hormone that influences nearly 3,000 of your 25,000 genes.
It literally turns on and off genes that can exacerbate -- or prevent -- many diseases. Vitamin D has been shown to influence dozens of conditions, including:
Cancer Hypertension Heart disease
Autism Obesity Rheumatoid arthritis
Diabetes 1 and 2 Multiple Sclerosis Crohn's disease
Cold & Flu Inflammatory Bowel Disease Tuberculosis
Septicemia Signs of aging Dementia
Eczema & Psoriasis Insomnia Hearing loss
Muscle pain Cavities Periodontal disease
Osteoporosis Macular degeneration Reduced C-section risk
Pre eclampsia Seizures Infertility
Asthma Cystic fibrosis Migraines
Depression Alzheimer's disease Schizophrenia
One of the key factors explaining today's high rates of chronic disease, besides poor diet and sedentary lifestyle, is an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. It is estimated that 85 percent of Americans have insufficient levels of vitamin D.
Sadly, when the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) released their updated recommendations for vitamin D (and calcium) on November 30, 2010, it caused shockwaves of disappointment through the natural health community.
According to the IOM, the new recommended daily allowance (RDA) for pregnant women and adults up to 70 years of age is the same as that for infants and children -- a measly 600 IU's. This despite the overwhelming evidence showing that vitamin D is extremely important for a wide variety of health conditions besides bone health, and that most people need about ten times this amount or more.
For more information about the IOM's new vitamin D recommendations, please see this recent article in which Dr. Cannell, founder of the Vitamin D Council, and Carole Baggerly, founder of GrassrootsHealth, share their concerns.
The best ways to increase your vitamin D levels, in my order of preference, are by:
Exposing your skin natural sunlight. Vitamin D from sunlight acts as a pro-hormone, rapidly converting in your skin into 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or vitamin D3.
Using a safe home tanning bed like the Sun Splash to achieve similar results as that from natural sunlight exposure.
Taking an oral vitamin D3 supplement whenever natural sun exposure is not an option.
For more about vitamin D and how to get the appropriate test of your blood levels, please listen to my free one hour lecture about vitamin D, and refer to my vitamin D resource page.
Vitamin K Basics
Vitamin K may very well end up being as important for you as vitamin D, as research continues to illuminate the growing list of its benefits for your health. Vitamin K is probably where vitamin D was ten years ago, with respect to its appreciation as a vital nutrient that has far more advantages than originally thought.
And, according to Dr. Cees Vermeer, one of the world's top researchers into vitamin K, nearly everyone is deficient in it -- just like most people are deficient in vitamin D.
Most of you get enough K from your diet to maintain adequate blood clotting, but NOT enough to offer protection against the following health problems -- and the list continues to grow:
Arterial calcification, cardiovascular disease and varicose veins Brain health problems, including dementia (the specifics of which are under study)
Osteoporosis Tooth decay
Prostate cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer and leukemia Infectious diseases such as pneumonia
Vitamin K exists in two basic forms, K1 and K2:
Vitamin K1: Found in green vegetables, K1 goes directly to your liver and helps you maintain a healthy blood clotting system. (This is the kind of K that infants need to help prevent a serious bleeding disorder.)
Vitamin K2: Bacteria produce this type of vitamin K. It is present in high quantities in your gut, but unfortunately is not absorbed from there and passes out in your stool. K2 goes straight to vessel walls, bones, and tissues other than your liver.
Making a long story even longer, there are several different forms of vitamin K2: MK4, MK7, MK8, and MK9. The form of vitamin K that has the most significance for our purposes here is MK7, a newer and longer acting form with more practical applications.
Most vitamin K2 supplements are in the form MK7.
MK7 is extracted from the Japanese fermented soy product called natto. You could actually get loads of MK7 from consuming natto as it is relatively inexpensive, and is available in most Asian food markets. Few people, however, tolerate its smell and slimy texture, so most people who find natto unpalatable prefer to take a supplement. You can also get MK7 by eating fermented cheeses.
For a comprehensive exploration of all the research and functions of vitamin K, refer to this article on the Weston Price website.
Now, how do vitamin D and vitamin K play together?
Vitamins D and K: "The Gatekeeper and the Traffic Cop"
One of the undisputed benefits vitamin D provides for you is improved bone development by helping you ABSORB calcium. This is not news -- we have known about vitamin D and the absorption of calcium for many decades.
But there is new evidence that it is the vitamin K (specifically, vitamin K2) that directs the calcium to your skeleton, while preventing it from being deposited where you don't want it -- i.e., your organs, joint spaces, and arteries. A large part of arterial plaque consists of calcium deposits (atherosclerosis), hence the term "hardening of the arteries."
Vitamin K2 activates a protein hormone called osteocalcin, produced by osteoblasts, which is needed to bind calcium into the matrix of your bone. Osteocalcin also appears to help prevent calcium from depositing into your arteries.
You can think of vitamin D as the gatekeeper, controlling who gets in, and vitamin K as the traffic cop, directing the traffic to where it needs to go.
Lots of traffic -- but no traffic cop -- means clogging, crowding and chaos everywhere!
In other words, without the help of vitamin K2, the calcium that your vitamin D so effectively lets in might be working AGAINST you -- by building up your coronary arteries rather than your bones.
There is even evidence that the safety of vitamin D is dependent on vitamin K, and that vitamin D toxicity (although very rare with the D3 form) is actually caused by vitamin K2 deficiency.
Vitamin K, Vitamin D, and Cardiovascular Disease
When your body's soft tissues are damaged, they respond with an inflammatory process that can result in the deposition of calcium into the damaged tissue. When this occurs in your blood vessels, you have the underlying mechanism of coronary artery disease -- the buildup of plaque -- that can lead you down the path to a heart attack.
Vitamin K and vitamin D work together to increase Matrix GLA Protein (or MGP), the protein responsible for protecting your blood vessels from calcification. In healthy arteries, MGP congregates around the elastic fibers of your tunica media (arterial lining), guarding them against calcium crystal formation.
MGP is so important that it can be used as a laboratory measure of your vascular and cardiac status.
According to Professor Cees Vermeer:
"The only mechanism for arteries to protect themselves from calcification is via the vitamin K-dependent protein MGP. MPG is the most powerful inhibitor of soft tissue calcification presently known, but non‐supplemented healthy adults are insufficient in vitamin K to a level that 30 per cent of their MGP is synthesized in an inactive form.
So, protection against cardiovascular calcification is only 70 per cent in the young, healthy population, and this figure decreases at increasing age."
As you would predict, scientific studies confirm that increased dietary intake of vitamin K2 does indeed reduce your risk for coronary heart disease:
In 2004, the Rotterdam study was the first study demonstrating the life-extending effects of vitamin K2. People who had the highest intake of vitamin K2 had 50 percent lower risk of death from coronary heart disease and calcification than people with the lowest intake of vitamin K2.
In a subsequent study called the Prospect study, 16,000 people were followed for 10 years. Researchers found that each additional 10 mcg of vitamin K2 in the diet resulted in 9 percent fewer cardiac events.
Animal studies show that vitamin K2 not only prevents hardening of the arteries but can actually reverse calcification of highly calcified arteries, by activating MGP.
People with severe calcifications have high percentages of inactive osteocalcin, which indicates a general deficiency of vitamin K2.
Let's take a look at how calcium supplements play into all of this.
Does Your Calcium Supplement Actually Increase Your Risk of Heart Attack?
If you take calcium and vitamin D but are deficient in vitamin K, you could be worse off than if you were not taking those supplements at all, as demonstrated by a recent meta-analysis linking calcium supplements to heart attacks.
This study did indeed find that people taking calcium supplements were more prone to heart attacks. However, that doesn't mean that it was the calcium supplements themselves that caused the heart attacks.
Please remember that calcium is only ONE of the players in your bone and heart health.
This meta-analysis looked at studies involving people taking calcium in isolation, without complementary nutrients like magnesium, vitamin D and vitamin K, which help keep your body in balance. In the absence of those other important cofactors, calcium CAN have adverse effects, such as building up in coronary arteries and causing heart attacks, which is really what this analysis detected.
And the FORM of calcium you take matters greatly, which I will address in a moment.
You simply can't take isolated supplements "willy-nilly" and expect to optimize very complicated physiological processes.
Vitamin D itself has been found to protect your heart. A study in the Netherlands provides compelling evidence that a high vitamin D status is associated with improved survival in heart failure patients.
If you are going to take calcium, you need to balance it out with vitamin D and vitamin K, at the very least. It is also important that you get adequate magnesium, silica, omega-3 fatty acids, and weight-bearing exercise, which are all important to the health of your bones.
Which leads us to the next important topic: osteoporosis.
Dense Bones are NOT Necessarily Strong Bones
One of the great health concerns for menopausal women is osteoporosis.
The classic way osteopenia (decreased bone density) and osteoporosis are diagnosed is by an x-ray called a DEXA scan, which specifically measures bone density, or the degree of mineralization of your bones.
But bone strength is MORE than bone density -- which is why drugs such as biphosphinates have failed so miserably.
Your bones are made up of minerals in a collagen matrix. The minerals give your bones rigidity and density, but the collagen gives your bones flexibility. Without good flexibility, they become brittle and break easily.
So, density does NOT equal strength!
Drugs like Fosamax build up a lot of minerals and make the bone LOOK very dense, but in reality, they are extremely brittle and prone to fracture, which is why there have been so many cases of hip fracture among people taking these damaging drugs.
Biphosphinates are poisons that destroy your osteoclasts, which interferes with your normal bone-remodeling process.
You are much better off building your bones using exercise and nutritional therapies, hormones like progesterone and vitamins D and K.
The Calcium Myth: Revising Our Theory of Bone Mineralization
Countries with the highest calcium consumption have the highest rates of osteoporosis -- namely, the U.S., Canada and Scandinavian countries. This is commonly known as the "calcium paradox."
This is because nutritional guidelines have been based on an incorrect theory of bone mineralization.
When you take the wrong form of calcium, or when your body's ability to direct calcium to the right places becomes impaired (as when you are deficient in vitamin K), calcium is deposited where it shouldn't be -- like sand in gears.
David Wolfe, raw food "guru" and nutritionist, has extensively studied and written about calcium physiology. In an interview, Wolfe discusses the myth about calcium's role in bone health:
"Calcium does not build bones, and that is one of the biggest misconceptions ever, and it actually goes to the real core of our problems with science. That is, the human body is a complex biological machine and an unbelievable mystery.
There is strong evidence that if you eat calcium—let's say it's calcium from coral calcium, for example, oyster shell calcium—it is almost impossible to get that into your bones to increase bone density. The amount of increased bone density, at best, is 1 or 2 percent. That is not good enough."
He goes on to explain that many calcium supplements (such as coral calcium, oyster shell calcium, calcium citrate, and calcium carbonate) are not well handled by your body. These forms of calcium can't be broken down and form miniature "rocks" that get deposited in your soft tissues -- kind of like hard water calcium deposits in your showerhead that eventually impede the flow.
According to Wolfe and others, these silty calcium deposits are major contributors and even causative factors in many conditions, including:
Aging Gallstones, colon cancer and Crohn's disease
Coronary artery disease and atherosclerosis Kidney stones
Dental plaque and gum disease Ovarian cysts
Hypothyroidism Cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration
Obesity and diabetes Bone spurs, stiff joints, osteoarthritis, tendonitis and bone cancer
Alzheimer's disease Cellulite and scar tissue
Breast cancer and cysts (fibrocystic breasts)
How Vitamin K Prevents You from Turning into a Walking "Coral Reef"
Complicating the problem of calcium deposits are nanobacteria that actually use this bad calcium to their advantage, forming hard shells of calcium phosphate that serve as defensive armor against your body's immune system, like a clamshell shields a clam.
When the shells harden, toxins such as mercury, pesticides, and plastics are trapped in there, which is why it is so hard for you to get those toxins out of your body. This encapsulated space also forms an excellent hiding area for opportunistic viruses, bacteria and fungi.
Overconsumption of calcium creates other mineral deficiencies and imbalances, and Western civilization vastly overconsumes calcium.
According to Rudolf Steiner, creator of biodynamic farming:
"Most calcium is gravitational and channels or conducts forces which accelerate gravity. The more calcium supplements one takes, the quicker one is dragged back into the Earth for recycling."
You don't want to turn into a human coral reef -- or be "recycled into the Earth" before your time!
By getting adequate vitamins D and K, your body will work synergistically to escort calcium to where it's needed, while preventing it from accumulating where it shouldn't.
So, What REALLY Increases Bone Strength?
As it turns out, you need a combination of plant-derived minerals for strong bones.
Your bones are actually composed of at least a dozen minerals. If you just focus on calcium, you will likely weaken your bones and increase your risk of osteoporosis as Dr. Robert Thompson explains in his book, The Calcium Lie.
It's more likely your body can use calcium correctly if it's plant-derived calcium. Good sources include raw milk from pasture-raised cows (who eat the plants), leafy green vegetables, the pith of citrus fruits, carob, and wheatgrass, to name a few.
But you also need sources of silica and magnesium, which some researchers say is actually enzymatically "transmuted" by your body into the kind of calcium your bones can use. This theory was first put forth by French scientist Louis Kevran, a Nobel Prize nominee who spent years studying how silica and calcium are related.
Good sources of silica are cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and a number of herbs including horsetail, nettles, oat straw, and alfalfa.
The absolute best source of magnesium is raw organic cacao. Yes, healthy high quality chocolate is extremely rich in magnesium!
A great source of trace minerals, which are important for many of your body's functions, is Himalayan Crystal Salt, which contains all 84 elements found in your body.
The bottom line?
The absolute best way to achieve healthy bones is a diet rich in fresh, raw whole foods that maximizes natural minerals so that your body has the raw materials it needs to do what it was designed to do.
Of course, the same can be said for your heart -- or any other part of your body.
To Wrap it Up ...
In order to achieve the best possible health, you have to devise a plan of attack from multiple angles. These suggestions will synergistically help keep your heart, blood vessels, organs and bones healthy.
Optimize your vitamin D either from natural sunlight exposure or an oral supplement, as described above. Check your blood levels regularly.
Optimize your vitamin K through a combination of dietary sources (leafy green vegetables, fermented foods like natto, raw milk cheeses, etc.) and a K2 supplement, if needed. Although the exact dosing (for oral supplementation) is yet to be determined, Dr. Vermeer recommends up to 185 mcg daily for adults. You must use caution on the higher doses if you take anticoagulants, but if you are generally healthy and not on these types of medications, I suggest 150-300 mcg daily.
Make sure you do weight-bearing exercise, which has profound benefits to both your skeletal and cardiovascular systems. My favorite is the Peak Fitness system but it is also very important to do strength training exercises to produce the dynamic electric forces in your bones which will stimulate the osteoblasts in your bone to produce new bone..
Consume a wide variety of fresh, local organic whole foods, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, organic meats and eggs, and raw organic unpasteurized dairy. The more of your diet you consume RAW, the better nourished you will be. Minimize sugar and refined grains.
Consider a high-quality animal source of omega-3 fatty acid supplement—my favorite is krill oil.
Make sure you are getting enough restorative sleep each night.
Handle the stress in your life since it has a significant impact on your physical and mental well-being. My favorite de-stressing tool is the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/03/26/the-delicate-dance-between-vitamins-d-and-k.aspx
Monday, April 18, 2011
US meat and poultry widely contaminated with bacteria including superbugs
Saturday, April 16, 2011
by: S. L. Baker, features writer
(NaturalNews) How would you like a big, juicy burger loaded with onions, mustard, ketchup -- and a big helping of drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), a bacteria linked to a wide range of human diseases?
If you find that dish stomach-churning instead of appetizing, then maybe you should think twice before eating not only meat but chicken and turkey, too, at least in the U.S.
According to a nationwide study just released by the Flagstaff, Arizona-based Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), meat and poultry from U.S. grocery stores have an unexpectedly high rate of dangerous disease-causing bacteria, including antibiotic resistant superbugs. In fact, almost half (47 percent) of all meat and poultry samples tests were contaminated with S. aureus.
What's more, 52 percent of these contaminated meats contained superbugs, meaning the bacteria were resistant to multiple classes of antibiotics.That adds up to multi-antibiotic resistant Staph germs being present in about one out of every 4 samples of meat, chicken or turkey.
"For the first time, we know how much of our meat and poultry is contaminated with antibiotic-resistant Staph, and it is substantial," Lance B. Price, Ph.D., senior author of the study and Director of TGen's Center for Food Microbiology and Environmental Health, said in a statement to the media.
The research, published today in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, is the first national investigation of antibiotic resistant S. aureus in the U.S. food supply. The scientists collected and analyzed 136 samples of beef, chicken, pork and turkey sold under 80 brands in 26 retail grocery stores in Los Angeles, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Flagstaff and Washington, D.C.
So where does this downright nauseating contamination come from? The TGen researchers reported that DNA testing shows the food the animals themselves were fed is likely the major source of contamination.
"The fact that drug-resistant S. aureus was so prevalent, and likely came from the food animals themselves, is troubling, and demands attention to how antibiotics are used in food-animal production today," Dr. Price added.
The dirty truth many Americans -- especially meat eaters -- don't want to face is that conditions on so-called industrial farms are not only often inhumane but downright sickening. Animals raised for slaughter are packed together densely and steadily fed low doses of antibiotics in their food. The new report concludes these industrial farms are the ideal breeding grounds for drug-resistant bacteria that can move from animals to the human population.
"The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria -- including Staph -- remains a major challenge in clinical medicine," Paul S. Keim, Ph.D., Director of TGen's Pathogen Genomics Division and Director of the Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics at Northern Arizona University (NAU), emphasized in a media statement.
"This study shows that much of our meat and poultry is contaminated with multidrug-resistant Staph. Now we need to determine what this means in terms of risk to the consumer," Dr. Keim, a co-author of the paper, added.
But doesn't the U.S. government routinely survey retail meat and poultry for drug-resistant bacteria? The study points out the feds only check for four types of superbugs -- but S. aureus is not among them. The paper urges a more comprehensive inspection program and points out S. aureus can cause devastating health problems.
While it's true Staph germs can usually be killed with proper cooking, the scientists pointed out Staph still poses a substantial health risk through improper food handling and cross-contamination in the kitchen. Infections with S. aureus can cause a range of illnesses from minor skin infections to life-threatening diseases, such as pneumonia, endocarditis (inflammation of the heart) and sepsis (infection in the bloodstream).
And should you get one of these antibiotic-resistant strains from meat or poultry, treatment can be difficult.
"Antibiotics are the most important drugs that we have to treat Staph infections; but when Staph are resistant to three, four, five or even nine different antibiotics --like we saw in this study -- that leaves physicians few options," Dr. Price stated.
For more information:
http://www.tgen.org/
Articles Related to This Article:
• Processed Meat Unsafe For Human Consumption; Cancer Experts Warn of Dietary Dangers
• Artificial meat would be a preferable alternative to the cruelty and environmental impact of factory farms
• The Energetic Contamination of Beef Products (Transcript)
• Eating Meat Kills More People Than Previously Thought
• Red meat consumption doubles risk of colon cancer, says study; is it time to go vegetarian yet?
• Why Kosher Meat Is a Healthier Alternative
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/032099_poultry_superbugs.html#ixzz1JtKgvwsm
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/032099_poultry_superbugs.html#ixzz1JtKZMgj4
http://www.naturalnews.com/032099_poultry_superbugs.html
by: S. L. Baker, features writer
(NaturalNews) How would you like a big, juicy burger loaded with onions, mustard, ketchup -- and a big helping of drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), a bacteria linked to a wide range of human diseases?
If you find that dish stomach-churning instead of appetizing, then maybe you should think twice before eating not only meat but chicken and turkey, too, at least in the U.S.
According to a nationwide study just released by the Flagstaff, Arizona-based Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), meat and poultry from U.S. grocery stores have an unexpectedly high rate of dangerous disease-causing bacteria, including antibiotic resistant superbugs. In fact, almost half (47 percent) of all meat and poultry samples tests were contaminated with S. aureus.
What's more, 52 percent of these contaminated meats contained superbugs, meaning the bacteria were resistant to multiple classes of antibiotics.That adds up to multi-antibiotic resistant Staph germs being present in about one out of every 4 samples of meat, chicken or turkey.
"For the first time, we know how much of our meat and poultry is contaminated with antibiotic-resistant Staph, and it is substantial," Lance B. Price, Ph.D., senior author of the study and Director of TGen's Center for Food Microbiology and Environmental Health, said in a statement to the media.
The research, published today in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, is the first national investigation of antibiotic resistant S. aureus in the U.S. food supply. The scientists collected and analyzed 136 samples of beef, chicken, pork and turkey sold under 80 brands in 26 retail grocery stores in Los Angeles, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Flagstaff and Washington, D.C.
So where does this downright nauseating contamination come from? The TGen researchers reported that DNA testing shows the food the animals themselves were fed is likely the major source of contamination.
"The fact that drug-resistant S. aureus was so prevalent, and likely came from the food animals themselves, is troubling, and demands attention to how antibiotics are used in food-animal production today," Dr. Price added.
The dirty truth many Americans -- especially meat eaters -- don't want to face is that conditions on so-called industrial farms are not only often inhumane but downright sickening. Animals raised for slaughter are packed together densely and steadily fed low doses of antibiotics in their food. The new report concludes these industrial farms are the ideal breeding grounds for drug-resistant bacteria that can move from animals to the human population.
"The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria -- including Staph -- remains a major challenge in clinical medicine," Paul S. Keim, Ph.D., Director of TGen's Pathogen Genomics Division and Director of the Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics at Northern Arizona University (NAU), emphasized in a media statement.
"This study shows that much of our meat and poultry is contaminated with multidrug-resistant Staph. Now we need to determine what this means in terms of risk to the consumer," Dr. Keim, a co-author of the paper, added.
But doesn't the U.S. government routinely survey retail meat and poultry for drug-resistant bacteria? The study points out the feds only check for four types of superbugs -- but S. aureus is not among them. The paper urges a more comprehensive inspection program and points out S. aureus can cause devastating health problems.
While it's true Staph germs can usually be killed with proper cooking, the scientists pointed out Staph still poses a substantial health risk through improper food handling and cross-contamination in the kitchen. Infections with S. aureus can cause a range of illnesses from minor skin infections to life-threatening diseases, such as pneumonia, endocarditis (inflammation of the heart) and sepsis (infection in the bloodstream).
And should you get one of these antibiotic-resistant strains from meat or poultry, treatment can be difficult.
"Antibiotics are the most important drugs that we have to treat Staph infections; but when Staph are resistant to three, four, five or even nine different antibiotics --like we saw in this study -- that leaves physicians few options," Dr. Price stated.
For more information:
http://www.tgen.org/
Articles Related to This Article:
• Processed Meat Unsafe For Human Consumption; Cancer Experts Warn of Dietary Dangers
• Artificial meat would be a preferable alternative to the cruelty and environmental impact of factory farms
• The Energetic Contamination of Beef Products (Transcript)
• Eating Meat Kills More People Than Previously Thought
• Red meat consumption doubles risk of colon cancer, says study; is it time to go vegetarian yet?
• Why Kosher Meat Is a Healthier Alternative
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/032099_poultry_superbugs.html#ixzz1JtKgvwsm
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/032099_poultry_superbugs.html#ixzz1JtKZMgj4
http://www.naturalnews.com/032099_poultry_superbugs.html
Sunday, April 10, 2011
New study says plant-based foods help prevent cancer
Note from Miriam:
This is clearly why God put Adam and Eve in a garden not a McDonald's drive-thru lane!
Saturday, April 09, 2011 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
(NaturalNews) Researchers from the University of Minnesota Hormel Institute now admit that plant-based foods are highly beneficial in helping to prevent cancer, particularly among those who have the highest risk of developing the disease. Published in the journal Nature Reviews Cancer, their study says that plant phytochemicals -- which include powerful nutrients and antioxidants like selenium, resveratrol, beta-carotene, and lycopene, -- are a viable option in cancer prevention.
"Although successful for a limited number of cancer types, the efficiency of (conventional) cancer therapies, especially for later stages, remains poor," said Dr. Zigang Dong, one of the study authors and director of The Hormel Institute. "We would like to use target therapies for prevention of human cancer. We have identified many protein targets that can be used to develop more effective cancer preventive agents."
And while Dong and his team in their study speak specifically of extracting plant phytochemicals and turning them into patented pharmaceutical drugs, these phytochemicals in their natural form are perfectly capable of providing anti-cancer benefits without having to be modified.
Myricetin, a phytochemical in green onions that the researchers identified, was also previously identified in a 2007 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology as a powerful anti-cancer nutrient. Three different types of flavanols, including myricetin, together exhibited anti-cancer benefits in the study (http://www.naturalnews.com/022364_p...).
Resveratrol, a phytochemical antioxidant compound found in grapes, has also been shown to prevent and fight cancer, as well as protect against heart disease, deter the negative effects of aging, improve vision, and prevent diabetes, among many other things (http://www.naturalnews.com/resverat...).
Other anti-cancer plant phytochemicals include allicin in garlic, anthocyanidins in cranberries and blueberries, sulforaphane in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, and anti-aromatase compounds in mushrooms.
Sources for this story include:
http://www.austindailyherald.com/20...
Articles Related to This Article:
• Cancer is not a Disease - It's a Survival Mechanism (Book Excerpt)
• The mineral selenium proves itself as powerful anti-cancer medicine
• Healing Illness - A Natural Anti-Cancer Protocol
• New research shows vitamin D slashes risk of cancers by 77 percent; cancer industry refuses to support cancer prevention
• Mammograms cause breast cancer (and other cancer facts you probably never knew)
• Exposed: 10 Facts about the Breast Cancer Industry You're Not Supposed to Know (opinion)
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/032010_plant-based_diet_cancer.html#ixzz1J7mWGCQO
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/032010_plant-based_diet_cancer.html#ixzz1J7mLniMf
http://www.naturalnews.com/032010_plant-based_diet_cancer.html
This is clearly why God put Adam and Eve in a garden not a McDonald's drive-thru lane!
Saturday, April 09, 2011 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
(NaturalNews) Researchers from the University of Minnesota Hormel Institute now admit that plant-based foods are highly beneficial in helping to prevent cancer, particularly among those who have the highest risk of developing the disease. Published in the journal Nature Reviews Cancer, their study says that plant phytochemicals -- which include powerful nutrients and antioxidants like selenium, resveratrol, beta-carotene, and lycopene, -- are a viable option in cancer prevention.
"Although successful for a limited number of cancer types, the efficiency of (conventional) cancer therapies, especially for later stages, remains poor," said Dr. Zigang Dong, one of the study authors and director of The Hormel Institute. "We would like to use target therapies for prevention of human cancer. We have identified many protein targets that can be used to develop more effective cancer preventive agents."
And while Dong and his team in their study speak specifically of extracting plant phytochemicals and turning them into patented pharmaceutical drugs, these phytochemicals in their natural form are perfectly capable of providing anti-cancer benefits without having to be modified.
Myricetin, a phytochemical in green onions that the researchers identified, was also previously identified in a 2007 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology as a powerful anti-cancer nutrient. Three different types of flavanols, including myricetin, together exhibited anti-cancer benefits in the study (http://www.naturalnews.com/022364_p...).
Resveratrol, a phytochemical antioxidant compound found in grapes, has also been shown to prevent and fight cancer, as well as protect against heart disease, deter the negative effects of aging, improve vision, and prevent diabetes, among many other things (http://www.naturalnews.com/resverat...).
Other anti-cancer plant phytochemicals include allicin in garlic, anthocyanidins in cranberries and blueberries, sulforaphane in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, and anti-aromatase compounds in mushrooms.
Sources for this story include:
http://www.austindailyherald.com/20...
Articles Related to This Article:
• Cancer is not a Disease - It's a Survival Mechanism (Book Excerpt)
• The mineral selenium proves itself as powerful anti-cancer medicine
• Healing Illness - A Natural Anti-Cancer Protocol
• New research shows vitamin D slashes risk of cancers by 77 percent; cancer industry refuses to support cancer prevention
• Mammograms cause breast cancer (and other cancer facts you probably never knew)
• Exposed: 10 Facts about the Breast Cancer Industry You're Not Supposed to Know (opinion)
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/032010_plant-based_diet_cancer.html#ixzz1J7mWGCQO
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/032010_plant-based_diet_cancer.html#ixzz1J7mLniMf
http://www.naturalnews.com/032010_plant-based_diet_cancer.html
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Getting started with natural household care and healthy food
Here are 4 posts I wrote in the past to help you get started with natural household care and healthy food:
Household Cleaning and Personal Care Home-Made Recipes (includes time-saving cleaning tips)
Shopping List - Household Cleaning / Laundry
Shopping List - Natural Foods
My Online List of approved products (including websites to order from)
Household Cleaning and Personal Care Home-Made Recipes (includes time-saving cleaning tips)
Shopping List - Household Cleaning / Laundry
Shopping List - Natural Foods
My Online List of approved products (including websites to order from)
Saturday, April 2, 2011
The Popular Food You Should Never, Ever Feed Your Baby (soy formula)
Posted By Dr. Mercola | April 02 2011 |
A study has linked soy formula given to babies with uterine fibroids in adults. Uterine fibroids are tumors of the uterus that can cause pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding, and fertility problems. Uterine fibroids are the leading cause of hysterectomy.
Twenty thousand women participated in the study. They were asked whether they had ever been diagnosed with uterine fibroids, and were also asked about a variety or early childhood exposures including whether they had been fed soy formula.
According to Baby Gooroo:
"Women who were fed soy formula as babies were 25 percent more likely to develop uterine fibroids ... The link between uterine fibroids and soy formula is thought to be a response to the isoflavones (naturally occurring estrogen-like substances) in soy, and in particular, the high exposure at an early age in women given soy formula during infancy."
Sources:
Baby Gooroo February 4, 2010
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
Soy formula sits on the same shelf next to formula made from cow's milk, and well-intentioned mothers have listened to doctors who told them that soy formula is an ideal alternative for colicky babies or those who are unable to tolerate milk based formulas.
However, according to a report done by Claire McCarthy of Harvard Medical School, very few babies benefit from soy formula, and I'm going to go one step further than that: soy formula is the absolute most dangerous food you can give your baby.
Let me explain why you should never feed your infant soy formula, what your alternative options are, and the best remedies for colic and diarrhea.
This article will also explain why most commonly-consumed soy products are anything but a health food for parents as well.
Birth Control Pills in a Bottle
In a recent article, I expose the truth about soy foods and the negative effect they are having on you and your family's health. If your baby drinks soy formula, he or she is at risk for serious health problems.
It is estimated that infants fed soy formula have 13,000 to 22,000 times the amount of estrogen in their little bodies than infants fed other types of formula or who are breast fed.
In fact, infants fed soy formula take in an estimated three to five birth control pills' worth of estrogen every day, depending upon the particular batch of formula and whether your baby is a big eater.
What does this mean?
Let's take a look at the risks associated with this astronomical amount of hormone in your child's developing body. Infants fed soy formula have an increased risk of:
Food allergies and digestive distress
Behavioral problems
Asthma
Thyroid disorders
Early puberty and fertility problems (including anovulatory cycles; the inability to menstruate)
Cancer -- It's also important for pregnant women to avoid eating non-fermented soy, as a high estrogenic environment in utero may increase their child's subsequent breast cancer risk. Boys could increase their prostate cancer and testicular cancer risk. Vegan moms who use soy as both milk and meat replacements AND are trying to take in more protein are at very high risk.
As you can see, the health risks far outweigh any "benefits" soy formula promises.
Now, we can also add fibroid tumors in adulthood to this list.
Though uterine fibroids are benign (non-cancerous) tumors found in the muscles of your uterus, they can cause chronic pelvic pain, heavy vaginal bleeding, painful intercourse and fertility problems. It is estimated that one quarter of women develop fibroid tumors and they are the leading reason for hysterectomy (removal of the uterus).
A recent study followed 20,000 white women between the ages of 35 and 59. Women were asked if they'd ever been diagnosed with uterine fibroids and their age of diagnosis. They were then asked if they'd been fed soy formula.
They found that women who were fed soy formula as infants were 25 percent more likely to develop uterine fibroids than women who were exclusively fed breast- or cow's milk.
Uterine fibroids seem to be the body's response to the isoflavones (estrogen-like substances) in soy infant formula and the early age at which the woman was exposed to these substances.
Dangers to the Developing Brain
Infants being fed soy formula are at increased risk for developing behavioral problems because soy contains phytates, which block the absorption of essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc, all which are crucial to the proper brain and emotional development of infants.
The most common health concern stemming from phytates however, is that they can cause poor bone development.
Soy infant formula also contains another dangerous element, manganese. Though an essential nutrient found in soil and ground water, manganese becomes highly toxic when consumed in excess.
As this previous article explains, manganese can adversely affect your child's intelligence if consumed during the stage of early brain development. (This makes it a health issue specific to soy formula, not necessarily to other soy foods or soy milk.)
Research shows that soybeans absorb manganese in soil and concentrate it, making the levels of manganese found in soy infant formula up to 200 times that of the levels found in breast milk.
A condition called, "manganese madness" occurs when those in an industrial setting, namely welders, come in contact with high levels of manganese in an area not well-ventilated. Symptoms of this syndrome include aggressive behavior, severe agitation and insomnia. If your child received this dangerous dose of manganese in their baby bottle during the first few months of life, it could account for any behavioral problems he or she is experiencing now.
According to a scientific research study, those living close to manganese mines in Mexico have also shown loss of some motor control.
Some researchers even postulate that manganese may contribute to neurological problems like autism. According to an independent study done by Dr. Lawrence Wilson, MD, a three-year-old boy named Joey diagnosed with autism was found to have a severely elevated manganese level of 0.123mg percent (normal is 0.04).
Autism and autistic-like syndromes have been climbing steadily with since the early 1990s with the increased rate of required childhood immunizations containing dangerous levels of thimerosal.
Combine this startling statistic with soy infant formula mixed in water contaminated with fluoride and you've got a recipe for disaster.
GM Soy – Danger to Both Mother and Child
One of the worst facts about soy is that 90-95 percent of it is genetically modified (GM).
So what are the dangers of genetically modified soy?
There are plenty. While even organic soy can cause a host of serious health complications, genetically modified soy only makes things worse.
Since the introduction of GM foods in 1996, we've had an upsurge in low birth weight babies, infertility, and other problems in the U.S. population, and animal studies thus far have shown devastating effects from consuming GM soy.
Genetically modified or GM seeds are designed to be "Roundup Ready". In other words, GM seeds planted in the ground have been engineered to withstand high doses of pesticide without killing the plant.
The active ingredient in Roundup herbicide is called glyphosate, which, in addition to the soy itself, can also disrupt the delicate hormonal balance of the female reproductive cycle. So truly, you have a triple whammy: the soy itself, the genetic modification, and the increased pesticide load.
If you consumed soy during your pregnancy, the damage to your child may begin in the womb.
Glyphosate is toxic to the placenta, which is responsible for delivering vital nutrients from you to your child, and eliminating waste products. If your placenta is damaged, it could result in miscarriage or serious birth defects.
Women who consume genetically modified soy products are also at increased risk for developing retrograde menstruation (the menstrual cycle backs up into the body instead of outward), causing endometriosis, which can lead to infertility.
So, if you are pregnant, stop consuming unfermented soy products immediately!
GM Soy May Cause Sterility in Future Generations
In this interview with Jeffrey Smith, author of the bestseller Seeds of Deception, and Genetic Roulette, he addresses growing concerns about the highly bizzarre physiological side effects of GM soy.
Hamsters studied during a two-year period were divided into two groups. One group was fed a normal diet, the second non-GM soy, the third GM soy, and the fourth a higher amount of GM soy than the third.
The results were disturbing.
Using the same genetically modified (GM) soy that is produced on over 90 percent of the soy acreage in the US, the hamsters and their offspring were fed their respective diets over a period of two years, during which time the researchers evaluated three generations of hamsters.
First they took five pairs of hamsters from each group, each of which produced about seven to eight litters each, totaling about 140 animals.
At first all went well, but serious problems became apparent when they selected new pairs from the offspring.
The first problem was that this second generation had a slower growth rate and reached their sexual maturity later than normal.
However, this second generation eventually generated another 39 litters:
The no-soy control group had 52 pups
The non-GM soy had 78
The GM soy had only 40, of which 25 percent died
So these second-generation GM soy-fed hamsters had a five-fold higher infant mortality rate, compared to the 5 percent normal death rate that was happening in the controls.
But then an even bigger problem became apparent, because nearly all of the third generation hamsters lost the ability to have babies altogether.
Only a single third-generation female hamster gave birth to 16 pups, and of those, one fifth died.
In short, nearly the entire third generation of GM soy eaters were sterile!
Growing Up Too Fast – Soy Can Lead to Precocious Puberty
The age of puberty has been decreasing over the last thirty years just as the use of soy infant formula has been increasing. I don't believe this is a coincidence.
How might feeding your infant soy formula be responsible for your child starting puberty as early as age seven? .
According to one study, young female hamsters fed the soy isoflavone, genistein showed physical signs of sexual maturity and interest in mating much more quickly than female hamsters who matured naturally.
Soy isoflavones mimic estrogen so effectively that they are able to bind to estrogen receptors in your child's body and "turn on" the physical and emotional characteristics of puberty. (Soy is not the only factor causing preconscious puberty however. Other environmental estrogens play a role too, such as BPA, pesticides, supermarket meats, tap water with estrogen from birth control pills, and more.)
According to researchers, girls who go through puberty early in life are at increased risk of developing breast and uterine cancer as well as suffer eating disorders, poor self-esteem, depression and increased likelihood of substance abuse.
In short, their bodies are developing way before their mind and emotions have a chance to catch up, and this can spell disaster for your child.
Breast is Best
Breastfeeding is the least expensive and most effective way to ensure the health of your child. Breastfed children have been shown to have a lowered risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and have a healthier immune system.
The effects of breastfeeding your child for the first six months of life carry on well into adulthood. Adults who were breastfed as children experience:
A higher IQ
Decreased risk of heart disease
Decreased risk of type II diabetes
Lowered risk of bowel diseases such as Crohn's
Less incidents of allergies and asthma
The ability to maintain a healthy body weight
Breastfeeding is also a built-in birth control designed by nature when food and resources were scarce. The ability of the mother to focus her attention and nutrition on one growing infant at a time boosted the survival rate of the child, prevented nutrition depletion of the mother and reduced sibling competition for food during the critical first months of life.
Quieting Your Colicky Baby
There is nothing more distressing to parents both new and experienced than the constant crying of a colicky infant. If you are one of those parents who is up with your screaming infant at all hours of the night and are exhausted from sleep deprivation and at a loss for what to do, you are certainly not alone in your struggle. It is estimated that colic affects one quarter of all newborns during the first three months of life.
Fortunately, there is hope.
Contrary to what you might believe, breast-fed children do develop colic and it is usually in relation to what the mother is eating. As this previous article states, quieting your colicky infant may be as simple as removing a food your child is sensitive to from your own diet.
Common culprits are wheat and milk. Eliminating these foods from your diet for the duration of the time you are breastfeeding frequently eliminates the colic.
Infants must also be given sufficient time to digest and absorb nutrients from their food. Therefore, feeding times work best when spaced out every three hours. Those parents who go against the common feed/sleep cycle find their babies are better able to sleep through the night and suffer less digestive distress.
Those of you who are feeding your colicky infant a commercial formula would do best to switch to a homemade whole food product for reduction of symptoms.
Babies Need Probiotics Too
Good gut health is essential to good overall health and friendly bacteria called probiotics may be just the answer you and your colicky infant are looking for.
In a recent study, 83 infants were given either a probiotic or the pharmaceutical simethicone (medication commonly used for colic, also called Mylanta) for a period of one month. A daily dose of 108 colony-forming units (CFU) of L. reuteri was given to the infants in the probiotic group thirty minutes after eating, and breastfeeding mothers were asked to follow a diet free of cow's milk.
After the test period was over, mothers of infants given the probiotic reported that infant crying was reduced to 51 minutes per day as opposed to the control group taking the simethicone, whose crying was only reduced to 145 minutes per day.
According to a study published by the British Medical Journal, a probiotic supplement can also reduce incidents of infant diarrhea.
Most Soy Unhealthy for Adults Too
Soy is anything but a health food. Not only is soy infant formula a terrible food choice for your growing infant, it can have adverse affects on your health as well. Unfermented soy contains goitrogens, substances that suppress thyroid function. When the thyroid is suppressed, a host of health problems result, namely:
Digestive problems
Food allergies
Difficulty losing weight
Anxiety and mood swings
Insomnia
Difficulty conceiving children
and so much more.
The health problems mentioned above are only a handful of the side effects caused by the consumption of unfermented soy products. In addition to suppressing your thyroid, the phytoestrogens (plant estrogens) in soy have been linked to breast cancer, kidney stones and brain damage. Soy also contains phytates, which prevent the absorption of minerals in your body and create a deficiency.
To learn more, read "The Truth About Soy Foods".
The Only Healthful Soy
The claim that soy products can prevent osteoporosis, decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease and dementia and protect you from cancer of the prostate, lung and liver is actually true but only if the soy is fermented.
Why is that?
The process of fermenting soy destroys the dangerous substances mentioned above and makes it fit for consumption.
Fermented soy products are a rich source of vitamin K2, a vitamin that works in harmony with vitamin D to keep you healthy. Vitamin K regulates your body's blood clotting ability and vitamin D is essential for optimal bone health.
Examples of healthy fermented soy products include:
Tempeh a fermented soybean cake with a firm texture and nutty, mushroom-like flavor.
Miso, a fermented soybean paste with a salty, buttery texture (commonly used in miso soup).
Natto, fermented soybeans with a sticky texture and strong, cheese-like flavor.
Soy sauce, which is traditionally made by fermenting soybeans, salt and enzymes. But be wary because many varieties on the market today are made artificially using a chemical process. Look for raw, unpasteurized soy sauce. Most health food store brands are pasteurized.
For those of you who enjoy tofu, I'm sorry to say it didn't make this list because tofu is an unfermented soy product.
For more information on the truth about soy, I recommend reading a book by Dr. Kaayla Daniel, entitled The Whole Soy Story. In it, Dr. Daniel describes the dark side of America's favorite health food and how you as a health-concious consumer have been cleverly targeted and led down the wrong path.
I understand what your health and the health of your children means to you. That's why I encourage you to continue your own research into soy, soy formula, breastfeeding and natural health. When you're armed with knowledge, you can no longer be misled and you can take control of your health!
A study has linked soy formula given to babies with uterine fibroids in adults. Uterine fibroids are tumors of the uterus that can cause pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding, and fertility problems. Uterine fibroids are the leading cause of hysterectomy.
Twenty thousand women participated in the study. They were asked whether they had ever been diagnosed with uterine fibroids, and were also asked about a variety or early childhood exposures including whether they had been fed soy formula.
According to Baby Gooroo:
"Women who were fed soy formula as babies were 25 percent more likely to develop uterine fibroids ... The link between uterine fibroids and soy formula is thought to be a response to the isoflavones (naturally occurring estrogen-like substances) in soy, and in particular, the high exposure at an early age in women given soy formula during infancy."
Sources:
Baby Gooroo February 4, 2010
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
Soy formula sits on the same shelf next to formula made from cow's milk, and well-intentioned mothers have listened to doctors who told them that soy formula is an ideal alternative for colicky babies or those who are unable to tolerate milk based formulas.
However, according to a report done by Claire McCarthy of Harvard Medical School, very few babies benefit from soy formula, and I'm going to go one step further than that: soy formula is the absolute most dangerous food you can give your baby.
Let me explain why you should never feed your infant soy formula, what your alternative options are, and the best remedies for colic and diarrhea.
This article will also explain why most commonly-consumed soy products are anything but a health food for parents as well.
Birth Control Pills in a Bottle
In a recent article, I expose the truth about soy foods and the negative effect they are having on you and your family's health. If your baby drinks soy formula, he or she is at risk for serious health problems.
It is estimated that infants fed soy formula have 13,000 to 22,000 times the amount of estrogen in their little bodies than infants fed other types of formula or who are breast fed.
In fact, infants fed soy formula take in an estimated three to five birth control pills' worth of estrogen every day, depending upon the particular batch of formula and whether your baby is a big eater.
What does this mean?
Let's take a look at the risks associated with this astronomical amount of hormone in your child's developing body. Infants fed soy formula have an increased risk of:
Food allergies and digestive distress
Behavioral problems
Asthma
Thyroid disorders
Early puberty and fertility problems (including anovulatory cycles; the inability to menstruate)
Cancer -- It's also important for pregnant women to avoid eating non-fermented soy, as a high estrogenic environment in utero may increase their child's subsequent breast cancer risk. Boys could increase their prostate cancer and testicular cancer risk. Vegan moms who use soy as both milk and meat replacements AND are trying to take in more protein are at very high risk.
As you can see, the health risks far outweigh any "benefits" soy formula promises.
Now, we can also add fibroid tumors in adulthood to this list.
Though uterine fibroids are benign (non-cancerous) tumors found in the muscles of your uterus, they can cause chronic pelvic pain, heavy vaginal bleeding, painful intercourse and fertility problems. It is estimated that one quarter of women develop fibroid tumors and they are the leading reason for hysterectomy (removal of the uterus).
A recent study followed 20,000 white women between the ages of 35 and 59. Women were asked if they'd ever been diagnosed with uterine fibroids and their age of diagnosis. They were then asked if they'd been fed soy formula.
They found that women who were fed soy formula as infants were 25 percent more likely to develop uterine fibroids than women who were exclusively fed breast- or cow's milk.
Uterine fibroids seem to be the body's response to the isoflavones (estrogen-like substances) in soy infant formula and the early age at which the woman was exposed to these substances.
Dangers to the Developing Brain
Infants being fed soy formula are at increased risk for developing behavioral problems because soy contains phytates, which block the absorption of essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc, all which are crucial to the proper brain and emotional development of infants.
The most common health concern stemming from phytates however, is that they can cause poor bone development.
Soy infant formula also contains another dangerous element, manganese. Though an essential nutrient found in soil and ground water, manganese becomes highly toxic when consumed in excess.
As this previous article explains, manganese can adversely affect your child's intelligence if consumed during the stage of early brain development. (This makes it a health issue specific to soy formula, not necessarily to other soy foods or soy milk.)
Research shows that soybeans absorb manganese in soil and concentrate it, making the levels of manganese found in soy infant formula up to 200 times that of the levels found in breast milk.
A condition called, "manganese madness" occurs when those in an industrial setting, namely welders, come in contact with high levels of manganese in an area not well-ventilated. Symptoms of this syndrome include aggressive behavior, severe agitation and insomnia. If your child received this dangerous dose of manganese in their baby bottle during the first few months of life, it could account for any behavioral problems he or she is experiencing now.
According to a scientific research study, those living close to manganese mines in Mexico have also shown loss of some motor control.
Some researchers even postulate that manganese may contribute to neurological problems like autism. According to an independent study done by Dr. Lawrence Wilson, MD, a three-year-old boy named Joey diagnosed with autism was found to have a severely elevated manganese level of 0.123mg percent (normal is 0.04).
Autism and autistic-like syndromes have been climbing steadily with since the early 1990s with the increased rate of required childhood immunizations containing dangerous levels of thimerosal.
Combine this startling statistic with soy infant formula mixed in water contaminated with fluoride and you've got a recipe for disaster.
GM Soy – Danger to Both Mother and Child
One of the worst facts about soy is that 90-95 percent of it is genetically modified (GM).
So what are the dangers of genetically modified soy?
There are plenty. While even organic soy can cause a host of serious health complications, genetically modified soy only makes things worse.
Since the introduction of GM foods in 1996, we've had an upsurge in low birth weight babies, infertility, and other problems in the U.S. population, and animal studies thus far have shown devastating effects from consuming GM soy.
Genetically modified or GM seeds are designed to be "Roundup Ready". In other words, GM seeds planted in the ground have been engineered to withstand high doses of pesticide without killing the plant.
The active ingredient in Roundup herbicide is called glyphosate, which, in addition to the soy itself, can also disrupt the delicate hormonal balance of the female reproductive cycle. So truly, you have a triple whammy: the soy itself, the genetic modification, and the increased pesticide load.
If you consumed soy during your pregnancy, the damage to your child may begin in the womb.
Glyphosate is toxic to the placenta, which is responsible for delivering vital nutrients from you to your child, and eliminating waste products. If your placenta is damaged, it could result in miscarriage or serious birth defects.
Women who consume genetically modified soy products are also at increased risk for developing retrograde menstruation (the menstrual cycle backs up into the body instead of outward), causing endometriosis, which can lead to infertility.
So, if you are pregnant, stop consuming unfermented soy products immediately!
GM Soy May Cause Sterility in Future Generations
In this interview with Jeffrey Smith, author of the bestseller Seeds of Deception, and Genetic Roulette, he addresses growing concerns about the highly bizzarre physiological side effects of GM soy.
Hamsters studied during a two-year period were divided into two groups. One group was fed a normal diet, the second non-GM soy, the third GM soy, and the fourth a higher amount of GM soy than the third.
The results were disturbing.
Using the same genetically modified (GM) soy that is produced on over 90 percent of the soy acreage in the US, the hamsters and their offspring were fed their respective diets over a period of two years, during which time the researchers evaluated three generations of hamsters.
First they took five pairs of hamsters from each group, each of which produced about seven to eight litters each, totaling about 140 animals.
At first all went well, but serious problems became apparent when they selected new pairs from the offspring.
The first problem was that this second generation had a slower growth rate and reached their sexual maturity later than normal.
However, this second generation eventually generated another 39 litters:
The no-soy control group had 52 pups
The non-GM soy had 78
The GM soy had only 40, of which 25 percent died
So these second-generation GM soy-fed hamsters had a five-fold higher infant mortality rate, compared to the 5 percent normal death rate that was happening in the controls.
But then an even bigger problem became apparent, because nearly all of the third generation hamsters lost the ability to have babies altogether.
Only a single third-generation female hamster gave birth to 16 pups, and of those, one fifth died.
In short, nearly the entire third generation of GM soy eaters were sterile!
Growing Up Too Fast – Soy Can Lead to Precocious Puberty
The age of puberty has been decreasing over the last thirty years just as the use of soy infant formula has been increasing. I don't believe this is a coincidence.
How might feeding your infant soy formula be responsible for your child starting puberty as early as age seven? .
According to one study, young female hamsters fed the soy isoflavone, genistein showed physical signs of sexual maturity and interest in mating much more quickly than female hamsters who matured naturally.
Soy isoflavones mimic estrogen so effectively that they are able to bind to estrogen receptors in your child's body and "turn on" the physical and emotional characteristics of puberty. (Soy is not the only factor causing preconscious puberty however. Other environmental estrogens play a role too, such as BPA, pesticides, supermarket meats, tap water with estrogen from birth control pills, and more.)
According to researchers, girls who go through puberty early in life are at increased risk of developing breast and uterine cancer as well as suffer eating disorders, poor self-esteem, depression and increased likelihood of substance abuse.
In short, their bodies are developing way before their mind and emotions have a chance to catch up, and this can spell disaster for your child.
Breast is Best
Breastfeeding is the least expensive and most effective way to ensure the health of your child. Breastfed children have been shown to have a lowered risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and have a healthier immune system.
The effects of breastfeeding your child for the first six months of life carry on well into adulthood. Adults who were breastfed as children experience:
A higher IQ
Decreased risk of heart disease
Decreased risk of type II diabetes
Lowered risk of bowel diseases such as Crohn's
Less incidents of allergies and asthma
The ability to maintain a healthy body weight
Breastfeeding is also a built-in birth control designed by nature when food and resources were scarce. The ability of the mother to focus her attention and nutrition on one growing infant at a time boosted the survival rate of the child, prevented nutrition depletion of the mother and reduced sibling competition for food during the critical first months of life.
Quieting Your Colicky Baby
There is nothing more distressing to parents both new and experienced than the constant crying of a colicky infant. If you are one of those parents who is up with your screaming infant at all hours of the night and are exhausted from sleep deprivation and at a loss for what to do, you are certainly not alone in your struggle. It is estimated that colic affects one quarter of all newborns during the first three months of life.
Fortunately, there is hope.
Contrary to what you might believe, breast-fed children do develop colic and it is usually in relation to what the mother is eating. As this previous article states, quieting your colicky infant may be as simple as removing a food your child is sensitive to from your own diet.
Common culprits are wheat and milk. Eliminating these foods from your diet for the duration of the time you are breastfeeding frequently eliminates the colic.
Infants must also be given sufficient time to digest and absorb nutrients from their food. Therefore, feeding times work best when spaced out every three hours. Those parents who go against the common feed/sleep cycle find their babies are better able to sleep through the night and suffer less digestive distress.
Those of you who are feeding your colicky infant a commercial formula would do best to switch to a homemade whole food product for reduction of symptoms.
Babies Need Probiotics Too
Good gut health is essential to good overall health and friendly bacteria called probiotics may be just the answer you and your colicky infant are looking for.
In a recent study, 83 infants were given either a probiotic or the pharmaceutical simethicone (medication commonly used for colic, also called Mylanta) for a period of one month. A daily dose of 108 colony-forming units (CFU) of L. reuteri was given to the infants in the probiotic group thirty minutes after eating, and breastfeeding mothers were asked to follow a diet free of cow's milk.
After the test period was over, mothers of infants given the probiotic reported that infant crying was reduced to 51 minutes per day as opposed to the control group taking the simethicone, whose crying was only reduced to 145 minutes per day.
According to a study published by the British Medical Journal, a probiotic supplement can also reduce incidents of infant diarrhea.
Most Soy Unhealthy for Adults Too
Soy is anything but a health food. Not only is soy infant formula a terrible food choice for your growing infant, it can have adverse affects on your health as well. Unfermented soy contains goitrogens, substances that suppress thyroid function. When the thyroid is suppressed, a host of health problems result, namely:
Digestive problems
Food allergies
Difficulty losing weight
Anxiety and mood swings
Insomnia
Difficulty conceiving children
and so much more.
The health problems mentioned above are only a handful of the side effects caused by the consumption of unfermented soy products. In addition to suppressing your thyroid, the phytoestrogens (plant estrogens) in soy have been linked to breast cancer, kidney stones and brain damage. Soy also contains phytates, which prevent the absorption of minerals in your body and create a deficiency.
To learn more, read "The Truth About Soy Foods".
The Only Healthful Soy
The claim that soy products can prevent osteoporosis, decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease and dementia and protect you from cancer of the prostate, lung and liver is actually true but only if the soy is fermented.
Why is that?
The process of fermenting soy destroys the dangerous substances mentioned above and makes it fit for consumption.
Fermented soy products are a rich source of vitamin K2, a vitamin that works in harmony with vitamin D to keep you healthy. Vitamin K regulates your body's blood clotting ability and vitamin D is essential for optimal bone health.
Examples of healthy fermented soy products include:
Tempeh a fermented soybean cake with a firm texture and nutty, mushroom-like flavor.
Miso, a fermented soybean paste with a salty, buttery texture (commonly used in miso soup).
Natto, fermented soybeans with a sticky texture and strong, cheese-like flavor.
Soy sauce, which is traditionally made by fermenting soybeans, salt and enzymes. But be wary because many varieties on the market today are made artificially using a chemical process. Look for raw, unpasteurized soy sauce. Most health food store brands are pasteurized.
For those of you who enjoy tofu, I'm sorry to say it didn't make this list because tofu is an unfermented soy product.
For more information on the truth about soy, I recommend reading a book by Dr. Kaayla Daniel, entitled The Whole Soy Story. In it, Dr. Daniel describes the dark side of America's favorite health food and how you as a health-concious consumer have been cleverly targeted and led down the wrong path.
I understand what your health and the health of your children means to you. That's why I encourage you to continue your own research into soy, soy formula, breastfeeding and natural health. When you're armed with knowledge, you can no longer be misled and you can take control of your health!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)