Note:
I made these tonight for the first time. Awesome! I've made various kinds of veggie burgers, and my hubby believes these are the best so far. By the way, I made mine in my Foreman Grill instead of an outdoor grill. You can also heat them in a pan for about 2 minutes each side. For the bread crumbs I take 2 slices of Ezekiel bread, toast them, and grind them in my food processor. Instead of using a full 2 cups of bread crumbs I combine my homemade ones with 1 TBS of ground flax seeds.
Miriam
Your Grill Just Got an Upgrade
This recipe comes from Connie Maginnis, who writes, "When we go to cookouts with people on the Standard American Diet, we bring these Black Bean Burgers to grill. Their acceptance is amazing and I have to bring enough for everyone because all the other people want ours!"
Ingredients
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small onion (coarsely chopped)
1 medium red pepper (chopped)
4 medium cloves of garlic (minced)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 cups cooked or canned organic black beans (drained)
1 cup cooked brown basmati rice
2 cups fresh whole wheat bread crumbs
Hot pepper sauce to taste (optional)
Also optional is adding 1 tablespoon of Ketchup (from Rhonda's Recipe book)
1 1/2 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt
Directions
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, red pepper, and garlic. Cook while stirring frequently until soft and onions are translucent. Stir in cumin, turmeric, and cook for an additional minute. In a food processor, combine beans, rice and onion/pepper/garlic mixture. Transfer to a large bowl. Add breadcrumbs and mix well. Season with salt and hot pepper if desired. Flatten 1/4 cup amounts of mix into patties and they are ready for the outdoor grill. Cook about 3-5 minutes each side. Makes 8 burgers.
http://www.hacres.com/recipes/cards/black-bean-burgers-by-connie
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.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sweet and Sour Slaw recipe
note from Miriam:
I made this tonight. Very tasty! I did not include celery or celery seed since my family is not big on it.
Submitted By: Jackie Graff, Sprout Raw Food
Summer or winter, this cole slaw classic offers a brightly colored, tangy addition to any meal! Watch the video instructions on HATV!
Ingredients
Slaw:
1 cabbage, finely chopped (for extra color, use 1/2 head green and 1/2 head purple cabbage)
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 carrots, grated
1 onion, finely chopped
2 apples, finely chopped
HINT: Use food processor for cabbage, celery, onion, and apples
Dressing:
1/2 cup raw honey or agave nectar
1/2 cup lemon juice or unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1-2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp celery seed
Directions
Blend lemon juice, honey or agave nectar, olive oil, celery, and salt in a blender until smooth.
Place cabbage, celery, carrots, onions, and apple in a bowl and stir in dressing.
http://www.hacres.com/recipes/cards/sweet-and-sour-slaw
I made this tonight. Very tasty! I did not include celery or celery seed since my family is not big on it.
Submitted By: Jackie Graff, Sprout Raw Food
Summer or winter, this cole slaw classic offers a brightly colored, tangy addition to any meal! Watch the video instructions on HATV!
Ingredients
Slaw:
1 cabbage, finely chopped (for extra color, use 1/2 head green and 1/2 head purple cabbage)
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 carrots, grated
1 onion, finely chopped
2 apples, finely chopped
HINT: Use food processor for cabbage, celery, onion, and apples
Dressing:
1/2 cup raw honey or agave nectar
1/2 cup lemon juice or unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1-2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp celery seed
Directions
Blend lemon juice, honey or agave nectar, olive oil, celery, and salt in a blender until smooth.
Place cabbage, celery, carrots, onions, and apple in a bowl and stir in dressing.
http://www.hacres.com/recipes/cards/sweet-and-sour-slaw
Monday, August 29, 2011
Tomato and Red Pepper Salad recipe
Made this tonight. Very good! I did not have fresh basil leaves on hand so I used other greens.
Selection of salad leaves
Fresh basil leaves, I used around 5 tiny ones from the plant I have on my windowsill.
2 tomatoes, look for vibrantly red ones, or ones on the vine.
1 red pepper, diced.
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
METHOD
Wash the salad leaves, basil, tomatoes and pepper. Rip the lettuce into more bite sized chunks, and tear the basil.
Thinly slice the tomatoes, and dice the red pepper.
Add the veg to a large bowl. Then add the vinegar, lemon and olive oil, thoroughly coat the veg in the dressing and serve.
Selection of salad leaves
Fresh basil leaves, I used around 5 tiny ones from the plant I have on my windowsill.
2 tomatoes, look for vibrantly red ones, or ones on the vine.
1 red pepper, diced.
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
METHOD
Wash the salad leaves, basil, tomatoes and pepper. Rip the lettuce into more bite sized chunks, and tear the basil.
Thinly slice the tomatoes, and dice the red pepper.
Add the veg to a large bowl. Then add the vinegar, lemon and olive oil, thoroughly coat the veg in the dressing and serve.
Green beans almondine recipe (easy veggie side dish)
Ingredients:
1 lb green beans cut into 1 inch pieces (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup or more almonds (sliced or whole)
1 tsp Liquid smoke
Sea Salt to taste
Add 1 tsp of Liquid Smoke to about 1 inch of water in a stainless steel pot. Put the green beans into a steamer basket on top of the water and steam covered for about 6-7 minutes.
In a bowl toss the beans, sea salt, and almonds.
1 lb green beans cut into 1 inch pieces (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup or more almonds (sliced or whole)
1 tsp Liquid smoke
Sea Salt to taste
Add 1 tsp of Liquid Smoke to about 1 inch of water in a stainless steel pot. Put the green beans into a steamer basket on top of the water and steam covered for about 6-7 minutes.
In a bowl toss the beans, sea salt, and almonds.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Vegan Pasta Sauce Loaded with Veggies recipe (dairy, egg, gluten, and sugar free)
I whipped this up tonight on a whim when my kids said they wanted pasta for dinner. Normally, they just put sea salt and olive oil on their organic whole grain pasta, so I decided to find a way to put some veggies into the picture. I never did this before but loved it! Yum!
If your kids are picky like mine you can purée the cooked veggies in a blender before adding them to the sauce, and don't tell them the veggies are in there.
Ingredients:
2 medium size sweet yellow onions chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 cup zucchini chopped
1 cup squash chopped
1/2 cup green onions chopped
1/2 cup or more grape tomatoes cut in half
1 jar Organicville Organic Pasta Sauce
1/4 cup Silk Almond Milk (Original, unsweetened)
1/4 cup Cheezy Cheese Sauce (recipe posted on this blog site) or No Cheese, Cheese Sauce (Easy recipe, see below)
Sea Salt, basil, parsley, turmeric, oregano to taste
Organic Coconut oil for pan
Saute onions and garlic in coconut oil until golden.
Add the rest of the veggies, except tomatoes, and continue sauteing a short time.
Add pasta sauce, tomatoes, cheese sauce, and milk. Sauce should now look orange instead of red.
Add extra nutritional yeast if you like. Stir and heat a little while.
Pour over pasta and enjoy!
No Cheese, Cheese Sauce recipe from the Hallelujah Diet:
If your kids are picky like mine you can purée the cooked veggies in a blender before adding them to the sauce, and don't tell them the veggies are in there.
Ingredients:
2 medium size sweet yellow onions chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 cup zucchini chopped
1 cup squash chopped
1/2 cup green onions chopped
1/2 cup or more grape tomatoes cut in half
1 jar Organicville Organic Pasta Sauce
1/4 cup Silk Almond Milk (Original, unsweetened)
1/4 cup Cheezy Cheese Sauce (recipe posted on this blog site) or No Cheese, Cheese Sauce (Easy recipe, see below)
Sea Salt, basil, parsley, turmeric, oregano to taste
Organic Coconut oil for pan
Saute onions and garlic in coconut oil until golden.
Add the rest of the veggies, except tomatoes, and continue sauteing a short time.
Add pasta sauce, tomatoes, cheese sauce, and milk. Sauce should now look orange instead of red.
Add extra nutritional yeast if you like. Stir and heat a little while.
Pour over pasta and enjoy!
No Cheese, Cheese Sauce recipe from the Hallelujah Diet:
Ingredients
- ½ cup grapeseed oil Vegenaise (purple label - available in health food stores and better grocery stores)
- 1 heaping Tbsp nutritional yeast
- Distilled water to thin
Directions
- Combine Vegenaise, nutritional yeast, and 2 tsp of distilled water in a personal blender and blend until creamy.
- If you don't have a personal blender, place ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until creamy and pourable.
- If too thick, add a little more water.
- Serve on baked potatoes or over steamed vegetables. Adds a creamy, cheesy flavor to whatever you place it on.
Doctors, Nurses Often Use Holistic Medicine for Themselves
Note from Miriam:
They may not tell their patients, but most MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS USE HOLISTIC MEDICINE for themselves! 3 out of 4 use alternative medicine! It sure would be nice if they told their patients to do the same!
Released: 8/16/2011 2:45 PM EDT
Embargo expired: 8/19/2011 12:00 AM EDT
Source: Health Behavior News Service
By Milly Dawson, Contributing Writer
Health Behavior News Service
Newswise — U.S. health care workers, especially doctors and nurses, use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) far more than do workers in other fields, according to a new study. CAM includes diverse therapies outside the realm of conventional medicine. Overall, 76 percent of health care workers report CAM usage, compared with 63 percent of the general working population.
Health care workers use chiropractic treatment, massage and acupuncture for conditions that conventional medicine does not address well, said study co-author Lori Knutson, executive director of the Penny George Institute for Health and Healing with Allina Hospitals and Clinics in Minneapolis. While conventional providers often treat common issues such as back pain with pain medication, holistic providers address root causes, she said.
The researchers used data from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, analyzing responses from 14,329 working adults. Their findings appear online in the journal Health Services Research.
Among respondents, 1,280 worked in health care and fell into four categories: (1) providers including doctors and nurses; (2) technicians, for instance, sonographers; (3) support workers such as nursing assistants and (4) administrative personnel not providing patient care.
The study looked at practitioner-based CAM, such as acupuncture; self-treatment with CAM, such as practicing Pilates; and any CAM usage such as following a vegetarian diet, meditating and taking certain herbs.
Doctors and nurses had more than twice the odds of having used a practitioner-based CAM method during the prior year and nearly three times the use of self-treatment with CAM than support workers.
“As insiders, health care workers understand what’s missing in our medical system. They’re more educated than others about orthodox and alternative medicine,” said Joya Lynn-Schoen, M.D., a psychiatrist by training who instead practices alternative medicine, offering patients homeopathy, nutrition and chelation therapies. “Mainstream medicine will say, ‘Here’s a pill’ or ‘Have an operation” or ‘There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re just tired.’
“We may be opening Pandora’s box by disclosing utilization of CAM by conventional providers,” Knutson said. “I prefer to believe that this will create an opening for both provider and patient in optimizing health for the whole person.” Knutson added that consumers ought to know that providers use CAM and that health care workers should know that their peers use CAM, although perhaps without discussing it.
How shocked consumers would actually be by their doctors’ use of CAM is questionable, however. The researchers used a broad definition of CAM that includes practices as commonplace as deep breathing, meditation and massage, and ones as complex as biofeedback, hypnosis and chelation therapy, which involves administration of chemicals called chelating agents to eliminate heavy metals such as lead, arsenic or mercury from the body. To discover the depth of doctors’ and nurses’ involvement with the more esoteric approaches will require further research.
TERMS OF USE: This story is protected by copyright. When reproducing any material, including interview excerpts, attribution to the Health Behavior News Service, part of the Center for Advancing Health, is required.
Health Services Research is the official journal of the AcademyHealth and is published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. on behalf of the Health Research and Educational Trust. For information, contact Jennifer Shaw, HSR Business Manager at (312) 422-2646 or jshaw@aha.org. HSR is available online at www.blackwell-synergy.com/loi/hesr.
Johnson PF, et al. Personal use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by US healthcare workers. Health Serv Res online, 2011.
http://www.newswise.com/articles/doctors-nurses-often-use-holistic-medicine-for-themselves
They may not tell their patients, but most MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS USE HOLISTIC MEDICINE for themselves! 3 out of 4 use alternative medicine! It sure would be nice if they told their patients to do the same!
Released: 8/16/2011 2:45 PM EDT
Embargo expired: 8/19/2011 12:00 AM EDT
Source: Health Behavior News Service
By Milly Dawson, Contributing Writer
Health Behavior News Service
Newswise — U.S. health care workers, especially doctors and nurses, use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) far more than do workers in other fields, according to a new study. CAM includes diverse therapies outside the realm of conventional medicine. Overall, 76 percent of health care workers report CAM usage, compared with 63 percent of the general working population.
Health care workers use chiropractic treatment, massage and acupuncture for conditions that conventional medicine does not address well, said study co-author Lori Knutson, executive director of the Penny George Institute for Health and Healing with Allina Hospitals and Clinics in Minneapolis. While conventional providers often treat common issues such as back pain with pain medication, holistic providers address root causes, she said.
The researchers used data from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, analyzing responses from 14,329 working adults. Their findings appear online in the journal Health Services Research.
Among respondents, 1,280 worked in health care and fell into four categories: (1) providers including doctors and nurses; (2) technicians, for instance, sonographers; (3) support workers such as nursing assistants and (4) administrative personnel not providing patient care.
The study looked at practitioner-based CAM, such as acupuncture; self-treatment with CAM, such as practicing Pilates; and any CAM usage such as following a vegetarian diet, meditating and taking certain herbs.
Doctors and nurses had more than twice the odds of having used a practitioner-based CAM method during the prior year and nearly three times the use of self-treatment with CAM than support workers.
“As insiders, health care workers understand what’s missing in our medical system. They’re more educated than others about orthodox and alternative medicine,” said Joya Lynn-Schoen, M.D., a psychiatrist by training who instead practices alternative medicine, offering patients homeopathy, nutrition and chelation therapies. “Mainstream medicine will say, ‘Here’s a pill’ or ‘Have an operation” or ‘There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re just tired.’
“We may be opening Pandora’s box by disclosing utilization of CAM by conventional providers,” Knutson said. “I prefer to believe that this will create an opening for both provider and patient in optimizing health for the whole person.” Knutson added that consumers ought to know that providers use CAM and that health care workers should know that their peers use CAM, although perhaps without discussing it.
How shocked consumers would actually be by their doctors’ use of CAM is questionable, however. The researchers used a broad definition of CAM that includes practices as commonplace as deep breathing, meditation and massage, and ones as complex as biofeedback, hypnosis and chelation therapy, which involves administration of chemicals called chelating agents to eliminate heavy metals such as lead, arsenic or mercury from the body. To discover the depth of doctors’ and nurses’ involvement with the more esoteric approaches will require further research.
TERMS OF USE: This story is protected by copyright. When reproducing any material, including interview excerpts, attribution to the Health Behavior News Service, part of the Center for Advancing Health, is required.
Health Services Research is the official journal of the AcademyHealth and is published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. on behalf of the Health Research and Educational Trust. For information, contact Jennifer Shaw, HSR Business Manager at (312) 422-2646 or jshaw@aha.org. HSR is available online at www.blackwell-synergy.com/loi/hesr.
Johnson PF, et al. Personal use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by US healthcare workers. Health Serv Res online, 2011.
http://www.newswise.com/articles/doctors-nurses-often-use-holistic-medicine-for-themselves
Saturday, August 27, 2011
New hope for Alzheimer's disease: scientists find way to make brain-saving compound found in rare moss
Note from Miriam:
Promising news for the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's. This compound is available in Seven+ Focus plus additional extracts that are great for brain health!
Friday, August 26, 2011 by: S. L. Baker, features writer
(NaturalNews) Big Pharma has come up with a host of side effect laden, expensive drugs to supposedly treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). So far, the prescription meds work only a little or not at all -- and for just a short time. But while mainstream medicine considers AD treatment pretty hopeless at present, a host of natural strategies and nutritional therapies are showing promise in the fight against this most common, and dreaded, form of dementia.
For example, as NaturalNews has covered previously, vitamin D may help stop AD (http://www.naturalnews.com/026392_V...) and traditional Chinese martial arts exercises and meditation such as qigong and Taiji can slow their physical, mental and psychological decline of Alzheimer's, too (http://www.naturalnews.com/025040.h...).
Now researchers have found a natural substance in a type of moss, Huperzia serrata (also known as Chinese Club Moss) that could be a powerful treatment for AD, and may potentially combat the effects of chemical warfare agents, too. Called huperzine A, the compound is an enzyme inhibitor that has been used to treat Alzheimer's disease in China since the late 1990s. It's also sold in the U.S. as a dietary supplement to help maintain memory.
Several studies have shown it has the remarkable power to benefit and protect the brain and may be a treatment for diseases and conditions associated with neurodegeneration, including myasthenia gravis as well as Alzheimer's disease. Huperzine A has been found to be more easily absorbed by the body and last longer in the body than other treatments now prescribed to try to delay AD's progression.
So why isn't huperzine A more widely known and used to help people with Alzheimer's? Unfortunately, the moss is extremely rare and may be near extinction in its native China. But now there has been a major breakthrough - Yale scientists have come up with a practical way to synthesize huperzine A in just eight steps, producing a yield of 40 percent. Their research was just published in the journal Chemical Science.
"Being able to synthesize large amounts of huperzine A in the lab is crucial because the plant itself, which has been used in Chinese folk medicine for centuries, takes decades to grow and is nearing extinction due to over harvesting," Seth Herzon, a chemist who headed the Yale research team, said in a statement to the media. "We believe huperzine A has the potential to treat a range of neurologic disorders more effectively than the current options available. And we now have a route to huperzine A that rivals nature's pathway."
Currently, huperzine A's rarity means it can cost up to $1,000 per milligram. But Herzon and his co-researchers believe their technique of synthesizing the compound will be able to drive the cost down to just 50 cents per milligram (a projected typical dose is around one milligram per day).
Plans are underway to further test the therapeutic potential of huperzine A in clinical trials involving research subjects with several different neurological disorders. In addition, according to the media statement, the U.S. Army is interested in huperzine A's potential to safely block the effects of chemical warfare agents.
For more information:
http://dailybulletin.yale.edu/
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033435_Alzheimers_disease_medicine.html#ixzz1WI9kQ4eM
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033435_Alzheimers_disease_medicine.html#ixzz1WI9RPpe5
http://www.naturalnews.com/033435_Alzheimers_disease_medicine.html#ixzz1W927tpZA
Promising news for the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's. This compound is available in Seven+ Focus plus additional extracts that are great for brain health!
Friday, August 26, 2011 by: S. L. Baker, features writer
(NaturalNews) Big Pharma has come up with a host of side effect laden, expensive drugs to supposedly treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). So far, the prescription meds work only a little or not at all -- and for just a short time. But while mainstream medicine considers AD treatment pretty hopeless at present, a host of natural strategies and nutritional therapies are showing promise in the fight against this most common, and dreaded, form of dementia.
For example, as NaturalNews has covered previously, vitamin D may help stop AD (http://www.naturalnews.com/026392_V...) and traditional Chinese martial arts exercises and meditation such as qigong and Taiji can slow their physical, mental and psychological decline of Alzheimer's, too (http://www.naturalnews.com/025040.h...).
Now researchers have found a natural substance in a type of moss, Huperzia serrata (also known as Chinese Club Moss) that could be a powerful treatment for AD, and may potentially combat the effects of chemical warfare agents, too. Called huperzine A, the compound is an enzyme inhibitor that has been used to treat Alzheimer's disease in China since the late 1990s. It's also sold in the U.S. as a dietary supplement to help maintain memory.
Several studies have shown it has the remarkable power to benefit and protect the brain and may be a treatment for diseases and conditions associated with neurodegeneration, including myasthenia gravis as well as Alzheimer's disease. Huperzine A has been found to be more easily absorbed by the body and last longer in the body than other treatments now prescribed to try to delay AD's progression.
So why isn't huperzine A more widely known and used to help people with Alzheimer's? Unfortunately, the moss is extremely rare and may be near extinction in its native China. But now there has been a major breakthrough - Yale scientists have come up with a practical way to synthesize huperzine A in just eight steps, producing a yield of 40 percent. Their research was just published in the journal Chemical Science.
"Being able to synthesize large amounts of huperzine A in the lab is crucial because the plant itself, which has been used in Chinese folk medicine for centuries, takes decades to grow and is nearing extinction due to over harvesting," Seth Herzon, a chemist who headed the Yale research team, said in a statement to the media. "We believe huperzine A has the potential to treat a range of neurologic disorders more effectively than the current options available. And we now have a route to huperzine A that rivals nature's pathway."
Currently, huperzine A's rarity means it can cost up to $1,000 per milligram. But Herzon and his co-researchers believe their technique of synthesizing the compound will be able to drive the cost down to just 50 cents per milligram (a projected typical dose is around one milligram per day).
Plans are underway to further test the therapeutic potential of huperzine A in clinical trials involving research subjects with several different neurological disorders. In addition, according to the media statement, the U.S. Army is interested in huperzine A's potential to safely block the effects of chemical warfare agents.
For more information:
http://dailybulletin.yale.edu/
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033435_Alzheimers_disease_medicine.html#ixzz1WI9kQ4eM
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033435_Alzheimers_disease_medicine.html#ixzz1WI9RPpe5
http://www.naturalnews.com/033435_Alzheimers_disease_medicine.html#ixzz1W927tpZA
Friday, August 26, 2011
Fight Against Tapeworm-Caused Epilepsy Intensified (pork tapeworm)
Note from Miriam:
By the way, my neighbor contracted epilepsy from eating pork. It's not just epilepsy either; Neurocysticercosis(NCC) is the most common parasitic infection of the brain affecting more than 50 million people all over the world. NCC is caused by infection of the larvae of the pig tapeworm Taenia solium(TS).
God did not give us food restrictions to put a burden on us; He did it bcs He loves us and wants to protect us from harm! Several of the early Christians allowed themselves to be killed rather than eat pork at the hand of Emperor Constantine's soldiers who tried to force them to eat it as a form of torture or be killed. They chose death.
Science News
ScienceDaily (Jan. 13, 2011) — The Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp is intensifying its fight in Congo against the pork tapeworm, which in spite of its name is also a human parasite, causing epilepsy. ITM scientists have worked for years on the tapeworm infection. That work now receives an important boost, thanks to a grant of the Gates Foundation, one of the most important health charities in the world. The Gates Foundations invests 1.5 million dollars in an international project to improve control of the tapeworm.
Humans are infected by the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium, by eating undercooked pork meat, containing larvae. The larva grows into a tapeworm and installs itself in your gut, where it normally causes little harm. It produces eggs that leave your body with your excrements. Where pigs have access to human faeces, as is the case in poor developing countries, the eggs produce larvae that settle in the pig, and the cycle is maintained. Problems develop when a human ingests the eggs, through contaminated water or food. In humans, these eggs grow into cysts in the tissues, including the brain, where they can cause severe neurological problems such as epilepsy.
The incidence of epilepsy has increased in sub-Saharan Africa as pig keeping and pork consumption have become more widespread in the past decade. A recent study in Tanzania shows that 14 per cent of all epilepsy may be caused by this parasite. Last year, ITM scientists found the pork tapeworm in four Congolese pigs out of ten, a worrying number.
Also last year, researchers at ITM have shown that pigs can be vaccinated against the tapeworm, so for the first time breaking the cycle. The vaccine is not yet on the market.
The ITM is one of the partners in a project of the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI), that will investigate if efforts to combat the pork tapeworm with drugs, can be integrated into existing disease prevention programmes. This program now receives a grant from the Gates Foundation.The project is coordinated by Imperial College London; the ITM researchers are responsible for the Congolese part. The WHO and other international aid workers are increasingly focussing on targeting many diseases at once. Instead of sending in a separate team for each disease, such a program treats up to seven diseases at once. Until now, diseases that jump from animals to humans did not get much attention. Yet the pork tapeworm is an evident candidate, as infected humans can be treated with praziquantel, a low-cost drug that already is part of the combination package, against the Schistosoma worm (albeit in a different dose).
In Congo, the ITM scientists will investigate if repeated administrations of high doses of praziquantel against Schistosoma, lower the number of tapeworms in humans and larvae in pigs. These numbers also will help refine the models for disease transmission in a population. The Institute of Tropical Medicine is one of the few institutions with the right expertise for combined research on humans and pigs, because it disposes of a Unit of Medical Helminthology and a Unit of Veterinary Helminthology.
The researchers not only will document the impact of integrated approaches on the burden of disease; they also will assess the cost-effectiveness of these interventions. Indeed, also the pigs profit from controlling the tapeworm in humans. To poor farmers a healthy pig is a considerable financial asset; the money in turn supports their general quality of life, including their health.
Email or share this story:
| More
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, via AlphaGalileo.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110113101219.htm
By the way, my neighbor contracted epilepsy from eating pork. It's not just epilepsy either; Neurocysticercosis(NCC) is the most common parasitic infection of the brain affecting more than 50 million people all over the world. NCC is caused by infection of the larvae of the pig tapeworm Taenia solium(TS).
God did not give us food restrictions to put a burden on us; He did it bcs He loves us and wants to protect us from harm! Several of the early Christians allowed themselves to be killed rather than eat pork at the hand of Emperor Constantine's soldiers who tried to force them to eat it as a form of torture or be killed. They chose death.
Science News
ScienceDaily (Jan. 13, 2011) — The Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp is intensifying its fight in Congo against the pork tapeworm, which in spite of its name is also a human parasite, causing epilepsy. ITM scientists have worked for years on the tapeworm infection. That work now receives an important boost, thanks to a grant of the Gates Foundation, one of the most important health charities in the world. The Gates Foundations invests 1.5 million dollars in an international project to improve control of the tapeworm.
Humans are infected by the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium, by eating undercooked pork meat, containing larvae. The larva grows into a tapeworm and installs itself in your gut, where it normally causes little harm. It produces eggs that leave your body with your excrements. Where pigs have access to human faeces, as is the case in poor developing countries, the eggs produce larvae that settle in the pig, and the cycle is maintained. Problems develop when a human ingests the eggs, through contaminated water or food. In humans, these eggs grow into cysts in the tissues, including the brain, where they can cause severe neurological problems such as epilepsy.
The incidence of epilepsy has increased in sub-Saharan Africa as pig keeping and pork consumption have become more widespread in the past decade. A recent study in Tanzania shows that 14 per cent of all epilepsy may be caused by this parasite. Last year, ITM scientists found the pork tapeworm in four Congolese pigs out of ten, a worrying number.
Also last year, researchers at ITM have shown that pigs can be vaccinated against the tapeworm, so for the first time breaking the cycle. The vaccine is not yet on the market.
The ITM is one of the partners in a project of the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI), that will investigate if efforts to combat the pork tapeworm with drugs, can be integrated into existing disease prevention programmes. This program now receives a grant from the Gates Foundation.The project is coordinated by Imperial College London; the ITM researchers are responsible for the Congolese part. The WHO and other international aid workers are increasingly focussing on targeting many diseases at once. Instead of sending in a separate team for each disease, such a program treats up to seven diseases at once. Until now, diseases that jump from animals to humans did not get much attention. Yet the pork tapeworm is an evident candidate, as infected humans can be treated with praziquantel, a low-cost drug that already is part of the combination package, against the Schistosoma worm (albeit in a different dose).
In Congo, the ITM scientists will investigate if repeated administrations of high doses of praziquantel against Schistosoma, lower the number of tapeworms in humans and larvae in pigs. These numbers also will help refine the models for disease transmission in a population. The Institute of Tropical Medicine is one of the few institutions with the right expertise for combined research on humans and pigs, because it disposes of a Unit of Medical Helminthology and a Unit of Veterinary Helminthology.
The researchers not only will document the impact of integrated approaches on the burden of disease; they also will assess the cost-effectiveness of these interventions. Indeed, also the pigs profit from controlling the tapeworm in humans. To poor farmers a healthy pig is a considerable financial asset; the money in turn supports their general quality of life, including their health.
Email or share this story:
| More
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, via AlphaGalileo.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110113101219.htm
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Naturally improve your sleep by avoiding blue light
Note:
I easily downloaded the f.lux software mentioned below for free from this site:
http://f-lux.en.softonic.com/
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
by: Lenette Nakauchi
(NaturalNews) In order to fall asleep, the human body produces melatonin, a hormone created in the pineal gland. Melatonin allows the body to relax enough to sleep, allowing it to follow the natural circadian rhythm. However, some environmental factors can interfere with the production of melatonin and make falling asleep naturally a highly difficult task. One such factor is blue light.
Why is light such a crucial factor? Before technology and electricity, the human body relied upon environmental light to determine when it was time to sleep and when it was time to wake up. In today's world there are alarm clocks, cell phones, and other devices that dictate when it is time to get out of bed, but the body has yet to adapt to these technological changes. Despite the fact that you may have depended upon an alarm clock for your entire life, your body is still capable of matching its sleep cycle to the natural cycle of the environment.
Blue light is a part of the light spectrum that is especially visible during the day, making its appearance a cue to the body to wake up. No matter how tired you are, your body may be limited in its production of melatonin if you are exposed to blue light. It follows, then, that avoiding blue light before going to bed is a great way to allow your body to produce the natural levels of melatonin that it needs to fall asleep.
Though this sounds straightforward, many of the technological gadgets that people use emit the blue light that reduces melatonin production. For example, the screens on computers and television sets can interfere with natural sleep habits because they emit the blue light that limits the melatonin produced in the brain. In an effort to sleep peacefully, and fall asleep faster, people should avoid using their computers and watching television before bed.
Though watching a sitcom or playing solitaire before falling asleep may be a habit, picking up a book or having a quiet conversation with your spouse before drifting off will be more conducive to a naturally restful sleep. Should it be necessary for you to use a computer, though, f.lux is a free downloadable program that can make your computer screen's blue light levels fluctuate, depending upon the time of day. This will help ease your body back into the natural circadian rhythm even if you have to work late or get an earlier than normal start.
The health benefits of getting an ideal amount of sleep are numerous, but avoiding blue light can also bring about other health improvements, including the reduction of ADHD symptoms, the avoidance of postpartum depression, the prevention of Seasonal Affective Disorder, and even a reduced risk of cancer.
Getting enough sleep is a task that challenges many people, but doing what you can to help your body rest naturally can greatly improve the quality of the sleep that you are able to get. By avoiding blue light in the evening and right before bed, you can help your body produce the optimal amount of melatonin and you can fall asleep in a natural way. Additionally, you will reap all of the benefits that a healthy sleep cycle provides.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033413_melatonin_sleep_disorders.html#ixzz1VycnrlXq
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033413_melatonin_sleep_disorders.html#ixzz1VyciJSmm
http://www.naturalnews.com/033413_melatonin_sleep_disorders.html
I easily downloaded the f.lux software mentioned below for free from this site:
http://f-lux.en.softonic.com/
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
by: Lenette Nakauchi
(NaturalNews) In order to fall asleep, the human body produces melatonin, a hormone created in the pineal gland. Melatonin allows the body to relax enough to sleep, allowing it to follow the natural circadian rhythm. However, some environmental factors can interfere with the production of melatonin and make falling asleep naturally a highly difficult task. One such factor is blue light.
Why is light such a crucial factor? Before technology and electricity, the human body relied upon environmental light to determine when it was time to sleep and when it was time to wake up. In today's world there are alarm clocks, cell phones, and other devices that dictate when it is time to get out of bed, but the body has yet to adapt to these technological changes. Despite the fact that you may have depended upon an alarm clock for your entire life, your body is still capable of matching its sleep cycle to the natural cycle of the environment.
Blue light is a part of the light spectrum that is especially visible during the day, making its appearance a cue to the body to wake up. No matter how tired you are, your body may be limited in its production of melatonin if you are exposed to blue light. It follows, then, that avoiding blue light before going to bed is a great way to allow your body to produce the natural levels of melatonin that it needs to fall asleep.
Though this sounds straightforward, many of the technological gadgets that people use emit the blue light that reduces melatonin production. For example, the screens on computers and television sets can interfere with natural sleep habits because they emit the blue light that limits the melatonin produced in the brain. In an effort to sleep peacefully, and fall asleep faster, people should avoid using their computers and watching television before bed.
Though watching a sitcom or playing solitaire before falling asleep may be a habit, picking up a book or having a quiet conversation with your spouse before drifting off will be more conducive to a naturally restful sleep. Should it be necessary for you to use a computer, though, f.lux is a free downloadable program that can make your computer screen's blue light levels fluctuate, depending upon the time of day. This will help ease your body back into the natural circadian rhythm even if you have to work late or get an earlier than normal start.
The health benefits of getting an ideal amount of sleep are numerous, but avoiding blue light can also bring about other health improvements, including the reduction of ADHD symptoms, the avoidance of postpartum depression, the prevention of Seasonal Affective Disorder, and even a reduced risk of cancer.
Getting enough sleep is a task that challenges many people, but doing what you can to help your body rest naturally can greatly improve the quality of the sleep that you are able to get. By avoiding blue light in the evening and right before bed, you can help your body produce the optimal amount of melatonin and you can fall asleep in a natural way. Additionally, you will reap all of the benefits that a healthy sleep cycle provides.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033413_melatonin_sleep_disorders.html#ixzz1VycnrlXq
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033413_melatonin_sleep_disorders.html#ixzz1VyciJSmm
http://www.naturalnews.com/033413_melatonin_sleep_disorders.html
Thursday, August 11, 2011
How I protect my family against EMF radiation from cell phones and cell towers
The World Health Organization has officially announced that cell phone use can cause cancer! This is after many years of surgeons operating cancerous brain tumors on the side of the head where people use their cell phone most.
Dr Mercola says that kids should NOT be allowed to use cell phones except for emergencies! You will understand why when you click the 2nd link below.
The folllowing are items that my family and I use to protect ourselves -
EP2 Stress Pendant and explanation of how it works:
http://www.ewater.com/Products/EP2/
Cell phone protection chip (it uses German technology to protect against all 6 frequencies, some of which are missed by other chips on the market):
http://www.ewater.com/Products/EDOT/
Whole house protection lamp:
http://www.ewater.com/Products/ESLL/
In my family we each have a pendant and both our cell phones have the chip (together we get 99% protection). Be sure to glue the chip to the outside of the cell phone if it doesn't fit inside where the battery is or inside the phone cover. I have mine inside the phone cover so I can easily transfer it to a new cell phone if needed. We also have the special salt lamp that protects the entire house.
Dr Mercola says that kids should NOT be allowed to use cell phones except for emergencies! You will understand why when you click the 2nd link below.
The folllowing are items that my family and I use to protect ourselves -
EP2 Stress Pendant and explanation of how it works:
http://www.ewater.com/Products/EP2/
Cell phone protection chip (it uses German technology to protect against all 6 frequencies, some of which are missed by other chips on the market):
http://www.ewater.com/Products/EDOT/
Whole house protection lamp:
http://www.ewater.com/Products/ESLL/
In my family we each have a pendant and both our cell phones have the chip (together we get 99% protection). Be sure to glue the chip to the outside of the cell phone if it doesn't fit inside where the battery is or inside the phone cover. I have mine inside the phone cover so I can easily transfer it to a new cell phone if needed. We also have the special salt lamp that protects the entire house.
Is This Natural Hormone One of the Keys To Slowing Brain Aging?
Posted By Dr. Mercola | August 11 2011 |
Melatonin is best known as a sleep hormone because of its action controlling the circadian cycle. But melatonin also has antioxidant properties, and may have an important anti-aging role.
A recent study looked at artificially aged mice to determine the effects of melatonin on aging. Such mice are used as a model to study the fundamental mechanisms of aging because they develop markers also found in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
According to the study, as reported by Green Med Info:
“... [T]reatment with melatonin ... was able to reduce oxidative stress and the neurodegenerative calpain/Cdk5 pathway ... and ... markers of cerebral aging and neurodegeneration ... indicating the neuroprotective and anti-aging effect of melatonin.”
Sources:
Revista de Neurologia May 16, 2011; 52(10): 618-622
Green Med Info
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
It's well known that lack of sleep interferes with metabolism and hormone production in a way that is similar to the effects of aging. One way that this may occur could be related to the action of melatonin, the "sleep" hormone secreted by your brain.
Normally, your brain produces melatonin in a daily rhythm that peaks at night, around 9 or 10 p.m. This makes you sleepy, and it is these regularly occurring secretions that help regulate your sleep cycle. If you're not getting enough sleep, there's a good chance your melatonin production is not up to par either, and this could have far-reaching impacts on your health, even accelerating the aging process of your brain.
The Powerful Antioxidant Effects of Melatonin
In a new study, artificially aged mice treated with melatonin had reduced oxidative stress and markers of cerebral aging and neurodegeneration, indicating the melatonin offered both neuroprotective and anti-aging effects. Melatonin actually has antioxidant properties that may help explain its important anti-aging role, as it helps to suppress harmful free radicals in your body and even slows the production of estrogen, which can activate cancer.
Melatonin's immediate precursor is the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is a major player in uplifting your mood. And, like serotonin, melatonin plays important roles in your physical and mental health. Studies have shown that insufficient melatonin production can set you up for:
Decreased immune function Accelerated cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth (including leukemia)
Blood pressure instability Decreased free radical scavenging
Increased plaques in the brain, like those seen with Alzheimer's disease Increased risk of osteoporosis
Diabetic microangiopathy (capillary damage) Depression and/or seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
Beware This Common Mistake Can Destroy Your Melatonin Production
The consequences of sleep deprivation are so intense because your circadian rhythm has evolved over hundreds of generations to align your physiology with your environment, and your body clock assumes that, like your ancestors, you sleep at night and stay awake during daylight hours.
If you confuse the situation by depriving yourself of enough hours of sleep or not sleeping when it's dark outside, you send conflicting signals to your body. One of these consequences can be a lack of melatonin production, which can be detrimental to your health.
So, what can you do to protect this fragile system?
One of the most important tips to remember is to sleep in complete darkness, as this is what allows your body to produce melatonin.
Inside your hypothalamus is a group of cells called the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN), which controls your biological clock by responding to light. Light reaches your SCN via your eye's optic nerve, where it tells your biological clock it's time to wake up. Light also causes your SCN to initiate other processes associated with being awake, such as raising your body temperature and producing hormones, like cortisol.
On the flip side, the lack of light reaching your SCN triggers melatonin production, which helps you sleep -- and this is why sleeping in total darkness is so important. If there is even the tiniest bit of light in your room it can disrupt your circadian rhythm and your pineal gland's production of both melatonin and serotonin.
This is the "hidden" secret that most people tend to ignore, but which can dramatically improve the quality of your sleep and your health. Personally, I sleep in a room that is so dark you can't see your hands in front of your face . It is wise to liberally use blackout shades and drapes to achieve this.
Remember that any light is problematic, even that from televisions and other gadgets. Computer screens and most light bulbs emit blue light, to which your eyes are particularly sensitive simply because it's the type of light most common outdoors during daytime hours. As a result, these items can easily disrupt your melatonin production.
Electromagnetic Fields Can Also Disrupt Your Sleep
Additionally, I recommend checking your bedroom for electro-magnetic fields (EMFs) as these too can disrupt your pineal gland's production of melatonin, and may have other negative effects as well. To do this, you need a gauss meter. You can find various models online, starting around $50 to $200. Some experts even recommend pulling your circuit breaker before bed to kill all power in your house.
At a bare minimum, move alarm clocks and other electrical devices away from your head. If these devices must be used, keep them as far away from your bed as possible, preferably at least three feet. Also avoid keeping cell phones and portable phone bases on your night stand. Cell phone chargers should be kept at least four feet away from your bed, while portable phone bases and wireless routers should be kept as far away from your bedroom as possible. Avoid running electrical cords underneath your bed.
Unfortunately, none but a few communities in the US require that wiring in the walls be placed in metal-clad conduit. This is primarily done for fire prevention, but it also essentially eliminates the electric fields. Therefore, more than likely, you are exposed to electric fields that radiate from the wires in the wall at the head of your bed when you are sleeping. The solutions are to move your bed three feet away from the wall, or turn off the power circuit to your bedroom.
To check for the presence of electric fields in the walls, you can purchase an inexpensive low voltage e-field detector. They are commonly available at most local electrical, electronic and hardware stores. A widely used e-field tester is the Non-contact Adjustable Voltage Detector, AC 5-1000V, available from All-Spec Industries and ToolUp.com, as well as other online sources. This device will also allow you to check for the presence of electric field exposure throughout your home and workplace.
Last but not least, beware of what's on the other side of your bedroom wall, and under the floor. Avoid sleeping with your head against a wall that has electric meters, circuit breaker panels, televisions or stereos, for example, on the other side. All of these are source of magnetic fields that you should sleep at least four feet away from to limit dangerous exposure.
Optimizing Melatonin Production and Regulating Your Body Clock
Melatonin production is stimulated by darkness and suppressed by light, which is why your levels should be highest just prior to bedtime. This perfectly orchestrated system allows you to fall asleep when the sun sets and awaken refreshed with the sunrise, while also providing potential anti-aging and disease-fighting benefits.
Therefore, if you are having trouble sleeping, a signal that your melatonin production is off, I suggest you make sure you're sleeping in total darkness and also turning lights down prior to bedtime.
As mentioned earlier, TVs and computers emit significant blue light, which will tend to decrease your melatonin if you work past dark, so ideally you'd want to turn these items off once the sun goes down. For use in the evening, you can purchase "low blue lights," which emit an amber light instead of the blue that suppresses melatonin production. Therefore, these bulbs are ideal for areas such as your bedroom, bathroom, or living room in the evening.
Additionally, the quality of light you're exposed to during the day also matters when it comes to maintaining a healthy rhythm. While most of us are over-exposed to light in the evenings, most of us are also under-exposed to light during the day!
Most incandescent- and fluorescent lights emit very poor-quality light. What your body needs for optimal functioning is the full-spectrum light you get outdoors, but most of us do not spend much time outside to take advantage of this healthy light. Using full-spectrum light bulbs in your home and office can help ameliorate this lack of high-quality sunlight during the day.
Remember, when your circadian rhythms are disrupted, your body produces less melatonin, which means it has less ability to fight cancer, and less protection against free radicals that may accelerate aging and disease. So if you're having even slight trouble sleeping, I suggest you review my 33 Secrets to a Good Night's Sleep for even more helpful guidance on how to improve your sleep-wake cycle and get restful sleep.
If you've made the necessary changes to your sleep routine and find you're still having trouble sleeping, a high-quality melatonin supplement may be helpful. For instance, the amount of melatonin you create and release every night varies depending on your age. Children usually have much higher levels of melatonin than adults, and as you grow older your levels typically continue to decrease.
Researchers believe this may explain why many older adults occasionally experience disrupted sleep patterns. With less melatonin in their blood, the stimulus to fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake feeling rested can potentially be compromised, which is why some older adults may benefit from extra melatonin -- likewise if you perform night shift work, travel often and experience jet lag, or otherwise suffer from occasional sleeplessness due to stress or unexplained reasons.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/08/11/is-this-natural-hormone-one-of-the-keys-to-slowing-brain-aging.aspx
Melatonin is best known as a sleep hormone because of its action controlling the circadian cycle. But melatonin also has antioxidant properties, and may have an important anti-aging role.
A recent study looked at artificially aged mice to determine the effects of melatonin on aging. Such mice are used as a model to study the fundamental mechanisms of aging because they develop markers also found in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
According to the study, as reported by Green Med Info:
“... [T]reatment with melatonin ... was able to reduce oxidative stress and the neurodegenerative calpain/Cdk5 pathway ... and ... markers of cerebral aging and neurodegeneration ... indicating the neuroprotective and anti-aging effect of melatonin.”
Sources:
Revista de Neurologia May 16, 2011; 52(10): 618-622
Green Med Info
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
It's well known that lack of sleep interferes with metabolism and hormone production in a way that is similar to the effects of aging. One way that this may occur could be related to the action of melatonin, the "sleep" hormone secreted by your brain.
Normally, your brain produces melatonin in a daily rhythm that peaks at night, around 9 or 10 p.m. This makes you sleepy, and it is these regularly occurring secretions that help regulate your sleep cycle. If you're not getting enough sleep, there's a good chance your melatonin production is not up to par either, and this could have far-reaching impacts on your health, even accelerating the aging process of your brain.
The Powerful Antioxidant Effects of Melatonin
In a new study, artificially aged mice treated with melatonin had reduced oxidative stress and markers of cerebral aging and neurodegeneration, indicating the melatonin offered both neuroprotective and anti-aging effects. Melatonin actually has antioxidant properties that may help explain its important anti-aging role, as it helps to suppress harmful free radicals in your body and even slows the production of estrogen, which can activate cancer.
Melatonin's immediate precursor is the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is a major player in uplifting your mood. And, like serotonin, melatonin plays important roles in your physical and mental health. Studies have shown that insufficient melatonin production can set you up for:
Decreased immune function Accelerated cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth (including leukemia)
Blood pressure instability Decreased free radical scavenging
Increased plaques in the brain, like those seen with Alzheimer's disease Increased risk of osteoporosis
Diabetic microangiopathy (capillary damage) Depression and/or seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
Beware This Common Mistake Can Destroy Your Melatonin Production
The consequences of sleep deprivation are so intense because your circadian rhythm has evolved over hundreds of generations to align your physiology with your environment, and your body clock assumes that, like your ancestors, you sleep at night and stay awake during daylight hours.
If you confuse the situation by depriving yourself of enough hours of sleep or not sleeping when it's dark outside, you send conflicting signals to your body. One of these consequences can be a lack of melatonin production, which can be detrimental to your health.
So, what can you do to protect this fragile system?
One of the most important tips to remember is to sleep in complete darkness, as this is what allows your body to produce melatonin.
Inside your hypothalamus is a group of cells called the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN), which controls your biological clock by responding to light. Light reaches your SCN via your eye's optic nerve, where it tells your biological clock it's time to wake up. Light also causes your SCN to initiate other processes associated with being awake, such as raising your body temperature and producing hormones, like cortisol.
On the flip side, the lack of light reaching your SCN triggers melatonin production, which helps you sleep -- and this is why sleeping in total darkness is so important. If there is even the tiniest bit of light in your room it can disrupt your circadian rhythm and your pineal gland's production of both melatonin and serotonin.
This is the "hidden" secret that most people tend to ignore, but which can dramatically improve the quality of your sleep and your health. Personally, I sleep in a room that is so dark you can't see your hands in front of your face . It is wise to liberally use blackout shades and drapes to achieve this.
Remember that any light is problematic, even that from televisions and other gadgets. Computer screens and most light bulbs emit blue light, to which your eyes are particularly sensitive simply because it's the type of light most common outdoors during daytime hours. As a result, these items can easily disrupt your melatonin production.
Electromagnetic Fields Can Also Disrupt Your Sleep
Additionally, I recommend checking your bedroom for electro-magnetic fields (EMFs) as these too can disrupt your pineal gland's production of melatonin, and may have other negative effects as well. To do this, you need a gauss meter. You can find various models online, starting around $50 to $200. Some experts even recommend pulling your circuit breaker before bed to kill all power in your house.
At a bare minimum, move alarm clocks and other electrical devices away from your head. If these devices must be used, keep them as far away from your bed as possible, preferably at least three feet. Also avoid keeping cell phones and portable phone bases on your night stand. Cell phone chargers should be kept at least four feet away from your bed, while portable phone bases and wireless routers should be kept as far away from your bedroom as possible. Avoid running electrical cords underneath your bed.
Unfortunately, none but a few communities in the US require that wiring in the walls be placed in metal-clad conduit. This is primarily done for fire prevention, but it also essentially eliminates the electric fields. Therefore, more than likely, you are exposed to electric fields that radiate from the wires in the wall at the head of your bed when you are sleeping. The solutions are to move your bed three feet away from the wall, or turn off the power circuit to your bedroom.
To check for the presence of electric fields in the walls, you can purchase an inexpensive low voltage e-field detector. They are commonly available at most local electrical, electronic and hardware stores. A widely used e-field tester is the Non-contact Adjustable Voltage Detector, AC 5-1000V, available from All-Spec Industries and ToolUp.com, as well as other online sources. This device will also allow you to check for the presence of electric field exposure throughout your home and workplace.
Last but not least, beware of what's on the other side of your bedroom wall, and under the floor. Avoid sleeping with your head against a wall that has electric meters, circuit breaker panels, televisions or stereos, for example, on the other side. All of these are source of magnetic fields that you should sleep at least four feet away from to limit dangerous exposure.
Optimizing Melatonin Production and Regulating Your Body Clock
Melatonin production is stimulated by darkness and suppressed by light, which is why your levels should be highest just prior to bedtime. This perfectly orchestrated system allows you to fall asleep when the sun sets and awaken refreshed with the sunrise, while also providing potential anti-aging and disease-fighting benefits.
Therefore, if you are having trouble sleeping, a signal that your melatonin production is off, I suggest you make sure you're sleeping in total darkness and also turning lights down prior to bedtime.
As mentioned earlier, TVs and computers emit significant blue light, which will tend to decrease your melatonin if you work past dark, so ideally you'd want to turn these items off once the sun goes down. For use in the evening, you can purchase "low blue lights," which emit an amber light instead of the blue that suppresses melatonin production. Therefore, these bulbs are ideal for areas such as your bedroom, bathroom, or living room in the evening.
Additionally, the quality of light you're exposed to during the day also matters when it comes to maintaining a healthy rhythm. While most of us are over-exposed to light in the evenings, most of us are also under-exposed to light during the day!
Most incandescent- and fluorescent lights emit very poor-quality light. What your body needs for optimal functioning is the full-spectrum light you get outdoors, but most of us do not spend much time outside to take advantage of this healthy light. Using full-spectrum light bulbs in your home and office can help ameliorate this lack of high-quality sunlight during the day.
Remember, when your circadian rhythms are disrupted, your body produces less melatonin, which means it has less ability to fight cancer, and less protection against free radicals that may accelerate aging and disease. So if you're having even slight trouble sleeping, I suggest you review my 33 Secrets to a Good Night's Sleep for even more helpful guidance on how to improve your sleep-wake cycle and get restful sleep.
If you've made the necessary changes to your sleep routine and find you're still having trouble sleeping, a high-quality melatonin supplement may be helpful. For instance, the amount of melatonin you create and release every night varies depending on your age. Children usually have much higher levels of melatonin than adults, and as you grow older your levels typically continue to decrease.
Researchers believe this may explain why many older adults occasionally experience disrupted sleep patterns. With less melatonin in their blood, the stimulus to fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake feeling rested can potentially be compromised, which is why some older adults may benefit from extra melatonin -- likewise if you perform night shift work, travel often and experience jet lag, or otherwise suffer from occasional sleeplessness due to stress or unexplained reasons.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/08/11/is-this-natural-hormone-one-of-the-keys-to-slowing-brain-aging.aspx
Monday, August 8, 2011
ORAC Versus Cap-e Test (does your anti-oxidant supplement actually work)
Healthy Lifestyle Trainer
8 Principles of a Healthy Lifestyle by Pascal Durand, Trainer/Nutrition Consultant
ORAC Versus Cap-e Test
ORAC or CAP-e?
The CAP-e assay (Cell-based Antioxidant Protection in Erythrocytes) is a new method for evaluating the antioxidant potential of natural products such as:
Monavie
Goji juice,
Noni juice,
Jusur
based on the concept that many antioxidant products are only of biological relevance if they are able to penetrate living cells.
The CAP-e antioxidant protection test is the new industry standard specifically developed to investigate how bioavailable the antioxidants are to the cells.
This cell-based testing has emerged as a new technology to assess the complex biologic protective mechanisms in the cells. It is a cell-based assay for the evaluation of whether antioxidants in natural products are capable of penetrating and protecting live cells from oxidative damage (free radical damage) – it is designed to measure the antioxidant bioavailability of a product at the cellular level. Put simply, the test can tell what is going on inside the cells of our bodies after consuming the supplement.
eXfuze is one of the only companies using CAP-e as its testing method to determine the effect and penetration of the product in human body cells.
Most products that use antioxidants as a marketing claim today have used ‘chemical based’ methods to base their claims on (refer to ORAC testing below)
This was for a good reason, because until recently it was quite expensive to do batch-to-batch tests in a “cell-based system”. With the introduction of the CAP-e, “cell-based testing” is now an affordable and more superior alternative to the “chemical-based” methods.
STUDY DESIGN FOR CAP-E TESTING
The CAP-e assay is performed by allowing red blood cells to absorb antioxidants from a physiological liquid containing soluble product. All compounds not absorbed into the cell are then removed. The cell is exposed to oxidative stress. An indicator dye shows the degree of intracellular damage to the cell, in the presence versus absence of serial dilutions of the test product.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH ORAC (CHEMICAL BASED) TESTS?
Most testing in the liquid nutrition industry has focused on biochemical assays of oxidative chemical reactions in nutrient fluids. Until recently, ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) has been the standard in the liquid nutrition industry as an easy, inexpensive method to test body fluids or extracts of nutrients for antioxidant levels. However, this does not measure the abilities of the antioxidants to actually penetrate the cells, where the oxidative damage occurs. Clearly, there are more complex mechanisms of benefit at work than the limited series of chemical reactions measured by ORAC. Additionally, the solvents used in extracting a nutritional agent for ORAC testing can alter the chemical reactions being measured, giving a misleading result.
There are many superfruit products on the market touting the high levels of antioxidants that they contain. Many tout their ORAC (Oxidative Radical Absorbance Capacity) testing values. The question is are they accurate figures and more importantly, are they even relevant from a cellular standpoint?
Be aware of magic bullet. Do not be fooled by scams like most of multi level markettings who sell magic juice who can cure everything.
I believe in some supplements and healthy nutrition (whole food). Follow my 9 principles, if you need more help, feel free to contact me.
If you are far from West Palm Beach, try to hire a very knowledgeable lifestyle personal trainer.
http://www.healthylifestyletrainer.com/?s=cap-e
8 Principles of a Healthy Lifestyle by Pascal Durand, Trainer/Nutrition Consultant
ORAC Versus Cap-e Test
ORAC or CAP-e?
The CAP-e assay (Cell-based Antioxidant Protection in Erythrocytes) is a new method for evaluating the antioxidant potential of natural products such as:
Monavie
Goji juice,
Noni juice,
Jusur
based on the concept that many antioxidant products are only of biological relevance if they are able to penetrate living cells.
The CAP-e antioxidant protection test is the new industry standard specifically developed to investigate how bioavailable the antioxidants are to the cells.
This cell-based testing has emerged as a new technology to assess the complex biologic protective mechanisms in the cells. It is a cell-based assay for the evaluation of whether antioxidants in natural products are capable of penetrating and protecting live cells from oxidative damage (free radical damage) – it is designed to measure the antioxidant bioavailability of a product at the cellular level. Put simply, the test can tell what is going on inside the cells of our bodies after consuming the supplement.
eXfuze is one of the only companies using CAP-e as its testing method to determine the effect and penetration of the product in human body cells.
Most products that use antioxidants as a marketing claim today have used ‘chemical based’ methods to base their claims on (refer to ORAC testing below)
This was for a good reason, because until recently it was quite expensive to do batch-to-batch tests in a “cell-based system”. With the introduction of the CAP-e, “cell-based testing” is now an affordable and more superior alternative to the “chemical-based” methods.
STUDY DESIGN FOR CAP-E TESTING
The CAP-e assay is performed by allowing red blood cells to absorb antioxidants from a physiological liquid containing soluble product. All compounds not absorbed into the cell are then removed. The cell is exposed to oxidative stress. An indicator dye shows the degree of intracellular damage to the cell, in the presence versus absence of serial dilutions of the test product.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH ORAC (CHEMICAL BASED) TESTS?
Most testing in the liquid nutrition industry has focused on biochemical assays of oxidative chemical reactions in nutrient fluids. Until recently, ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) has been the standard in the liquid nutrition industry as an easy, inexpensive method to test body fluids or extracts of nutrients for antioxidant levels. However, this does not measure the abilities of the antioxidants to actually penetrate the cells, where the oxidative damage occurs. Clearly, there are more complex mechanisms of benefit at work than the limited series of chemical reactions measured by ORAC. Additionally, the solvents used in extracting a nutritional agent for ORAC testing can alter the chemical reactions being measured, giving a misleading result.
There are many superfruit products on the market touting the high levels of antioxidants that they contain. Many tout their ORAC (Oxidative Radical Absorbance Capacity) testing values. The question is are they accurate figures and more importantly, are they even relevant from a cellular standpoint?
Be aware of magic bullet. Do not be fooled by scams like most of multi level markettings who sell magic juice who can cure everything.
I believe in some supplements and healthy nutrition (whole food). Follow my 9 principles, if you need more help, feel free to contact me.
If you are far from West Palm Beach, try to hire a very knowledgeable lifestyle personal trainer.
http://www.healthylifestyletrainer.com/?s=cap-e
Is Your Multivitamin Toxic?
Post date: Thursday, August 4, 2011 - 20:51
Is Your Multivitamin Toxic?
In episode #11 (season 2) of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, a woman poisons her husband with the chemical sodium selenite. Strange as it may sound, this exotic murder weapon, and it’s close cousin, sodium selenate, are listed as “nutrients” on the labels of most mass-markets vitamins. Even though both sodium selenite and selenate are classified as dangerous and toxic to the environment by regulatory bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the European Union, they are the primary forms of the mineral sold on the mass market today. In fact, most mass-market vitamins contain chemicals that the EPA does not allow in our public drinking water at levels above 50 parts per billion per liter. According to the EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) standards, the highest allowable level of selenium in public drinking water is 50 parts per billion (equivalent to 50 micrograms, dry weight). To get a sense of how small an allowable limit this is, 50 parts per billion is equivalent to a tablespoon of water in an Olympic-size swimming pool.
How can vitamin manufacturers advertise something as being a “nutrient” when the EPA—out of concern for our health—has barred it from our drinking water at all but exceedingly minute levels? Have sodium selenite/selenate really been shown to be toxic? A brief perusal of toxicology reports from the Hazardous Substances Databank (toxnet.nlm.nih.gov) and PUBMED (pubmed.gov) shows that both forms can be carcinogenic and genotoxic and may contribute to reproductive and developmental problems in animals and humans. The question is not whether these minerals have toxicity, but rather, at what level they overwhelm our capacity for their detoxification and/or biotransformation into non-toxic metabolites?
A word should be said here about the differences that exist between inorganic minerals and biologically active ones:
The selenium that is found in foods like brazil nuts, mustard seeds, and fresh produce grown in selenium-rich soil is infinitely different from the biologically inert forms being put in some multivitamins. In fact, i.e., sodium selenite/selenate can cause cancer, whereas the selenium found within food, or laboratory chelated forms like selenomethionine have all been shown to prevent and combat cancer.
The basic principle that explains this difference is that when you isolate a nutrient or vitamin out of the food complex within which it is naturally found, and where it is inseparably bound to thousands of known and unknown food factors (e.g., enzymes, protein chaperones, glyconutrients, etc.) it is no longer as beneficial to life. This is especially true in the case of vertebrate mammals who are equipped to get their minerals from the plants they ingest or through the biotransformation of inorganic minerals to organic ones by microflora in their gastrointestinal tracts.
The primary reason that sodium selenite/selenate are preferred by some vitamin manufacturers over safer, more beneficial forms like chelated or yeast-grown selenium is because it is more profitable to use raw materials of lower quality.
“You get what you pay for” is a saying that almost always rings true for dietary supplements. Buying industrial waste products, or chemicals that are considered hazardous waste, and repackaging them as “dietary supplements” can be extremely profitable.
Indeed, this is not the first time in American history that such a hoax has been perpetuated on the public. The FDA-approved use of fluoride in our drinking water and the use of radioactive cobalt-60 culled from nuclear reactors for the IRRADIATION OF conventional food illustrates how industrial waste products with known toxicity are eventually converted into commodities or technologies “beneficial to health.” Whereas initially these substances have very high disposal costs for the industries that excrete them into our environment, the liability is converted — through the right combination of lobbying, miseducation and “checkbook science” – - back into a commodity, with the environment and consumer suffering health and financial losses as a result.
Unfortunately, inorganic forms of selenum are not the only problem with mass-market vitamins. Take the multivitamin Centrum, for instance, whose manufacturer Wyeth is one of the most powerful pharmaceutical companies in the world. This vitamin contains the following chemicals:
Chemical: Amount Found in Centrum/ EPA Maximum Allowed Limit in 1 Liter of Drinking Water
1) Sodium selenite : 55 mcg/ 50 mcg
2) Nickelous sulfate: 5 mcg/ 100 mcg
3) Stannous chloride (tin): 10 mcg/ 4 mcg
4) Ferrous fumarate (iron): 18 mg/ .3 mg
5) Manganese sulfate: 2.3 mg/ .05 mg
6) Cupric sulfate: .5 mg/ 1.3 mg
In the left hand column above you will see the quantities of inorganic minerals found within each dose of Centrum. In the right hand column are the maximum quantity allowed by the EPA in one liter of drinking water In the case of stannous chloride (tin), ferrous fumarate (iron) and manganese sulfate there are significantly higher doses in Centrum than are considered safe for human consumption in a liter of water. Although the others listed are at levels well under the EPA’s allowable limit, it is simply amazing that they are found in a product for human consumption at any quantity given their known toxicity.
So, if these chemicals are toxic, how can they be marketed as beneficial to our health?
As of today no law forbids the use of these substances in dietary supplements, despite laboratory research demonstrating their toxicity in animals, and epidemiological and occupational data demonstrating their actual or potential toxicity in humans. This is due to the widespread acceptance in the U.S. of a a chemical and drug industry-friendly “weight of evidence” standard for toxicological risk assessment. Rather than using the “precautionary principle,” which dictates that a substance that is suspected of being harmful should be duly regulated in order to minimize the public’s exposure, the “weight of evidence” paradigm requires a panel of government appointed experts must evaluate all available toxicological data, and must come up with a consensus that the evidence, unequivocally, demonstrates the substance in question poses a serious health risk. Until such an assessment can be made, a number of substances with obvious toxicity are “innocent until proven guilty” and can be portrayed by irresponsible and/or uneducated manufacturers as being beneficial to human health. It is sad and ironic that at a time when smaller dietary supplement manufacturers are being accused of being “unregulated” and having poor quality standards (even when they are incurring great costs by using vastly superior ingredients) that massive pharmaceutical companies who have every resource at their disposal are allowed to market toxic chemicals to consumers under the banner of USP (United States Pharmacopeia) or “pharmaceutical grade” quality, and get away with it.
Ultimately, we need to use common sense in our purchasing decisions and realize that sometimes companies will intentionally mislead the public—with the complicity of regulatory bodies like the FDA—and will advertise a product that has no health benefits; or worse, may actually detract from our health. The fact that Centrum may or may not be “the #1 doctor multivitamin brand” is irrelevant, considering that one does not ordinarily go to a doctor to seek wise counsel on nutrition. It is simply not their specialty.
The irony is that billions of dollars in health care cost —and the suffering these costs represent—could be saved every year if Americans took the simple step of taking a good multivitamin every day. It is advisable to look for product manufacturers that use high quality ingredient, including those from whole foods, as they are easier for our bodies to absorb and to utilize and therefore contribute more significantly to filling the voids in our diet.
For a toxicological analysis of Centrum, visit GreenMedInfo.com's Consumer Advocacy Page of Centrum: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/vitamin/centrum
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/your-multivitamin-toxic-0
Is Your Multivitamin Toxic?
In episode #11 (season 2) of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, a woman poisons her husband with the chemical sodium selenite. Strange as it may sound, this exotic murder weapon, and it’s close cousin, sodium selenate, are listed as “nutrients” on the labels of most mass-markets vitamins. Even though both sodium selenite and selenate are classified as dangerous and toxic to the environment by regulatory bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the European Union, they are the primary forms of the mineral sold on the mass market today. In fact, most mass-market vitamins contain chemicals that the EPA does not allow in our public drinking water at levels above 50 parts per billion per liter. According to the EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) standards, the highest allowable level of selenium in public drinking water is 50 parts per billion (equivalent to 50 micrograms, dry weight). To get a sense of how small an allowable limit this is, 50 parts per billion is equivalent to a tablespoon of water in an Olympic-size swimming pool.
How can vitamin manufacturers advertise something as being a “nutrient” when the EPA—out of concern for our health—has barred it from our drinking water at all but exceedingly minute levels? Have sodium selenite/selenate really been shown to be toxic? A brief perusal of toxicology reports from the Hazardous Substances Databank (toxnet.nlm.nih.gov) and PUBMED (pubmed.gov) shows that both forms can be carcinogenic and genotoxic and may contribute to reproductive and developmental problems in animals and humans. The question is not whether these minerals have toxicity, but rather, at what level they overwhelm our capacity for their detoxification and/or biotransformation into non-toxic metabolites?
A word should be said here about the differences that exist between inorganic minerals and biologically active ones:
The selenium that is found in foods like brazil nuts, mustard seeds, and fresh produce grown in selenium-rich soil is infinitely different from the biologically inert forms being put in some multivitamins. In fact, i.e., sodium selenite/selenate can cause cancer, whereas the selenium found within food, or laboratory chelated forms like selenomethionine have all been shown to prevent and combat cancer.
The basic principle that explains this difference is that when you isolate a nutrient or vitamin out of the food complex within which it is naturally found, and where it is inseparably bound to thousands of known and unknown food factors (e.g., enzymes, protein chaperones, glyconutrients, etc.) it is no longer as beneficial to life. This is especially true in the case of vertebrate mammals who are equipped to get their minerals from the plants they ingest or through the biotransformation of inorganic minerals to organic ones by microflora in their gastrointestinal tracts.
The primary reason that sodium selenite/selenate are preferred by some vitamin manufacturers over safer, more beneficial forms like chelated or yeast-grown selenium is because it is more profitable to use raw materials of lower quality.
“You get what you pay for” is a saying that almost always rings true for dietary supplements. Buying industrial waste products, or chemicals that are considered hazardous waste, and repackaging them as “dietary supplements” can be extremely profitable.
Indeed, this is not the first time in American history that such a hoax has been perpetuated on the public. The FDA-approved use of fluoride in our drinking water and the use of radioactive cobalt-60 culled from nuclear reactors for the IRRADIATION OF conventional food illustrates how industrial waste products with known toxicity are eventually converted into commodities or technologies “beneficial to health.” Whereas initially these substances have very high disposal costs for the industries that excrete them into our environment, the liability is converted — through the right combination of lobbying, miseducation and “checkbook science” – - back into a commodity, with the environment and consumer suffering health and financial losses as a result.
Unfortunately, inorganic forms of selenum are not the only problem with mass-market vitamins. Take the multivitamin Centrum, for instance, whose manufacturer Wyeth is one of the most powerful pharmaceutical companies in the world. This vitamin contains the following chemicals:
Chemical: Amount Found in Centrum/ EPA Maximum Allowed Limit in 1 Liter of Drinking Water
1) Sodium selenite : 55 mcg/ 50 mcg
2) Nickelous sulfate: 5 mcg/ 100 mcg
3) Stannous chloride (tin): 10 mcg/ 4 mcg
4) Ferrous fumarate (iron): 18 mg/ .3 mg
5) Manganese sulfate: 2.3 mg/ .05 mg
6) Cupric sulfate: .5 mg/ 1.3 mg
In the left hand column above you will see the quantities of inorganic minerals found within each dose of Centrum. In the right hand column are the maximum quantity allowed by the EPA in one liter of drinking water In the case of stannous chloride (tin), ferrous fumarate (iron) and manganese sulfate there are significantly higher doses in Centrum than are considered safe for human consumption in a liter of water. Although the others listed are at levels well under the EPA’s allowable limit, it is simply amazing that they are found in a product for human consumption at any quantity given their known toxicity.
So, if these chemicals are toxic, how can they be marketed as beneficial to our health?
As of today no law forbids the use of these substances in dietary supplements, despite laboratory research demonstrating their toxicity in animals, and epidemiological and occupational data demonstrating their actual or potential toxicity in humans. This is due to the widespread acceptance in the U.S. of a a chemical and drug industry-friendly “weight of evidence” standard for toxicological risk assessment. Rather than using the “precautionary principle,” which dictates that a substance that is suspected of being harmful should be duly regulated in order to minimize the public’s exposure, the “weight of evidence” paradigm requires a panel of government appointed experts must evaluate all available toxicological data, and must come up with a consensus that the evidence, unequivocally, demonstrates the substance in question poses a serious health risk. Until such an assessment can be made, a number of substances with obvious toxicity are “innocent until proven guilty” and can be portrayed by irresponsible and/or uneducated manufacturers as being beneficial to human health. It is sad and ironic that at a time when smaller dietary supplement manufacturers are being accused of being “unregulated” and having poor quality standards (even when they are incurring great costs by using vastly superior ingredients) that massive pharmaceutical companies who have every resource at their disposal are allowed to market toxic chemicals to consumers under the banner of USP (United States Pharmacopeia) or “pharmaceutical grade” quality, and get away with it.
Ultimately, we need to use common sense in our purchasing decisions and realize that sometimes companies will intentionally mislead the public—with the complicity of regulatory bodies like the FDA—and will advertise a product that has no health benefits; or worse, may actually detract from our health. The fact that Centrum may or may not be “the #1 doctor multivitamin brand” is irrelevant, considering that one does not ordinarily go to a doctor to seek wise counsel on nutrition. It is simply not their specialty.
The irony is that billions of dollars in health care cost —and the suffering these costs represent—could be saved every year if Americans took the simple step of taking a good multivitamin every day. It is advisable to look for product manufacturers that use high quality ingredient, including those from whole foods, as they are easier for our bodies to absorb and to utilize and therefore contribute more significantly to filling the voids in our diet.
For a toxicological analysis of Centrum, visit GreenMedInfo.com's Consumer Advocacy Page of Centrum: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/vitamin/centrum
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/your-multivitamin-toxic-0
Mold—A Hidden Pandemic in America? (Vitamin D helps)
Living in South Florida, I find mold a common occurrence in homes, work and schools. So when Mercola.com released this article, it really made an impression on me.
I have personally worked with a family whose son was missing school due to allergy type reactions. His teacher was not helpful and pressuring the mother for allowing her son to "skip" school. The mother felt strongly that the portable school room in which her son attended class had a mold problem. I was able to suggest homeopathic remedies to help lessen the reactions and the mold in his system along with recommended the use of an excellent air purifier for his bedroom. At least at home, his breathing would be safe. An interesting note to this situation is that later in the school year, the teacher actually ended up in the hospital due to the mold in the classroom. Obviously the school had to address this issue and the boy is doing very well now.
Here in an article found in Mercola.com, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/30/dr-thrasher-on-the-health-dangers-of-mold.aspx?e_cid=20110730_DNL_art_1
I have included a portion of his info below.
Dr. Jack Thrasher has a PhD in cell biology from the UCLA School of Medicine, and is an expert on the impact of mold on human health. he discusses the health effects of toxic molds and bacteria, as well as his recommendations for remediation.
Jack Thrasher, PhD, is extremely knowledgeable on the topic of mold and how it impacts your health. Interestingly, from a toxicity point of view, some mycotoxins that molds produce are actually far more toxic than heavy metals, in terms of concentration. Mold mycotoxins also tend to affect more biological systems in your body than pesticides or heavy metals do.
According to Dr. Thrasher, the prevalence of mold in America is so great, he refers to it as pandemic. As many as 40 percent of all American schools and at least 25 percent or more of all homes are believed to be affected by mold and microbial growth due to water intrusion. A large portion of the problem stems from shoddy construction.
How to Detect a Mold Problem
Clearly, the first step would be to conduct a visual inspection. A musty, mildew odor is a tip-off that you need to check the area in question for any visible signs of mold. If you can't see any visible traces of mold, Dr. Thrasher recommends taking an air sample, and using a moisture meter to determine the moisture level in the area.
"I use a moisture meter on every wall of the building or the home looking for hidden moisture. The moisture content of wood flooring, for example, should be no more than 10 to 12 percent. I'm finding floors that have moisture content of 48 percent. Exterior walls shouldn't have anything more than 15 percent, and I'm finding exterior walls with 40, 50, 60 percent.
There are certain bacteria that do not release their spores into the air very regularly and you won't find them in the air… So become educated as to what to look for and how to look for it, and don't accept somebody coming in, taking an air sample and saying, "There is nothing wrong with this because the indoor counts are less than outdoor counts." That's wrong logic. Certain species of mold grow indoors much more regularly than they do outdoors. So you have to look at the species of mold, not just the spores."
A better option is to do 24-hour monitoring. However, this type of testing cannot be performed by a typical mold inspector. You need to hire a high-level mold expert for this type of air testing. (I'll list several sources for finding a qualified expert below.) Dr. Thrasher also suggests interviewing the expert in question to find out who they typically work for.
"If they're doing work for insurance companies stay away from them," he says. "You want somebody who is unbiased… [Also] ask them the question, "If you take the airborne mold in the indoor environment can it hurt you or cause toxic reaction?" If the person says, "No, don't worry about it. All it can do is cause allergies," then stay away from that person. That person is not well informed."
After air sampling, Dr. Thrasher also takes swab and bulk samples of the mold growth; actually cutting out a piece of the affected area if necessary, for proper lab testing. Dr. Thrasher explains what he typically tests for:
"We culture for the bacteria. We culture for the mold. We do what we call ERMI (Environmental Relative Moldiness Index), which is an EPA test that was developed by a group in the EPA. This is a PCR-DNA analysis for 31 different species of mold… that is very inexpensive, relatively speaking. It costs $350 to do that test… [W]e take swab samples looking for endotoxins. We also look for… polysaccharides called 1,3-beta-D-glucans… We want to get a good idea what's going on in the indoor environment."
Next Step: Remediation
As soon as you've identified the problem, you have to stop the water intrusion and remediate the problem at its source.
"Let's say you have an infested wall that's in the middle of the home between the living room and say, the adjoining den; what is recommended is that the whole area must be walled off from the rest of the house… In other words, you drape them with a plastic and you have to tie the plastic down with masking tape so that that area will not, theoretically, contaminate the rest of the house," Dr. Thrasher explains.
While you can clean affected metal objects, all organic materials (such as wood, particle board, and carpets) must be completely removed and replaced. You want to make sure that the contractor you hire for the job uses a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Arresting) filtration machine to trap minute particles, and that they're meticulous when using it.
WARNING!! Be Careful How You Chose Your Remediator
There is no question that a high quality air purifier can help control mold issues but it will NOT remediate against them. You can use the best air filters and purifiers and they will never solve the problem if you continue to have water intrusion into you home that increases the humidity and feeds the growth of the mold.
You will need to stop the water at its source and carefully remove and clean the mold infested materials. While this may superficially seem an easy task, let me assure you that it isn't.
You need to find a qualified expert and professional that is certified by one of the agencies below. I would also suggest getting several bids for the work. You can find contractor or professional listings on the following sites. Both the IICRC and NORMI are certifying organizations for mold remediation, but the IICRC certification is perhaps the most widely used:
IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification)
ACAC (American Council for Accredited Certification)—a certifying body that is third-party accredited.
The IAQA (Indoor Air Quality Association)—a membership organization with no certification program (the ACAC handles this by agreement)
RIA (Restoration Industry Association)
NORMI (National Organization of Remediators and Mold Inspectors)
Keep in mind that a mere certification or listing may not be enough. Also evaluate the remediator's qualifications and insurance (liability as well as workman's comp). With the ACAC, there are a few different levels.
How to Clean Up Minor Surface Mold
If you have just a small area of surface mold, you probably don't have to call in an expert. However, only attempt to clean it if it's limited to the surface of a small area. You cannot "clean" deep-rooted mold. Dr. Thrasher has one word for those of you who have bought into the home-remedy advice to "kill off mold" with ammonia or bleach: Don't.
"What happens is you'll kill the mold but you'll leave the carcass behind," Dr. Thrasher explains."The carcass will disintegrate and release toxins into the air. So you really went from one problem (mold growth) to another problem; dead mold and the release of all of their toxins… and then once water is reintroduced in the environment, the mold will grow right back to the surface."
However, for minor visible surface mold on say a baseboard, or on a piece of furniture, you could use a little bit of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and vinegar to wipe it off.
"I just use the concentrated vinegar and baking soda," he says."All you need is a couple of tablespoons [of baking soda] to a quart of water. The vinegar I just take straight out of the bottle… I generally do the vinegar first and then follow it with the baking soda… The vinegar will kill the mold and the bacteria but you're going to leave residue on the surface and so you scrub the surface to try to get rid of the residue.
Air Purifiers - make sure you purchase the right one!
Thanks to recommendations by Jordan Rubin, my family depends on the technology of "Healthy Perceptions" and their Aclare Air zone Purification system - it is a must in my household. You can learn more at : http://healthyperceptions.com/
"As many of you know, for many years I worked with various physicians and was able to prove to them that mold caused significant health problems. Are you now seeing suspect diagnoses in your children like chronic sinusitis (documented as being mold induced in 95+% of cases), or bronchitis or asthma, all of which can be due to mold? We have three of these Aclare units in our home, and as health care workers begin to understand the mold link to serious diseases and learning disorders, I am certain that John and his family will sell out of these incredible units..." Doug Kaufmann , "Know the Cause"
"A healthy environment leads to a healthy life. Toxins in the air we breathe can have a negative impact on many systems of the body. To ensure the air I breathe is as healthy as possible, I use the Aclare Air Purifiers made by Healthy Perceptions. I have used these air purifiers in every room of my home for the last five years. I have often used the portable units in hotel rooms when I travel. The health of my family is a primary concern of mine and I trust the health of the air we breathe to Aclare Air Purifiers and you should to." Jordan Rubin, CEO of Garden of Life & CEO of Beyond Organic
Could Your Health Problems be Related to Mold?
Common health problems that can be attributed to poor and potentially toxic indoor air quality include:
Frequent headaches
Depression
Neurological problems; poor concentration and forgetfulness
Joint aches and pains
Skin rashes
Muscle wasting
Chronic fatigue
Stomach & digestive problems, such as dysbiosis, leaky gut, and frequent diarrhea
Allergies
chronic sinusitis
Asthma or trouble breathing
It's important to determine whether or not your health problems are indeed due to mold, in order to properly treat it. Most doctors will simply prescribe an antibiotic for chronic sinusitis, for example. But if your sinusitis stems from bacteria- and mold growth in your home, it's not going to clear up.
This article is not to alarm but to educate - yes, these symptoms can be caused by several other health concerns.
During my consultations, I have helped to point many in the direction of researching mold in their lives due to the mold reactions that I find during the LSA Pro screening. I have also found that homeopathics work very well with strengthening the body during this time.
Vitamin D Fights Mold Allergies
Researchers found that vitamin D not only reduced the production of a protein driving the allergic response to mold, it also increased production of the proteins that promote tolerance.
This means vitamin D may not only help treat mold allergy, it may help prevent it as well.
This makes perfect sense when you consider that sufficient vitamin D is also imperative for proper functioning of your immune system, and virtually everyone who is sickened by mold has an immune system that is functioning well below par.
For asthmatics, who are among those most impacted by this particular mold, the benefits are even greater, as optimal vitamin D levels can help lessen asthma severity and symptoms in addition to reducing the risks of an allergic reaction to mold.
As I mentioned in the beginning, this mold issue is something I wanted to make those who follow Palm Beach Nutrition & Wellness away of.
Knowledge and education are key to our health - followed by being proactive in the way we live, eat and the supplements we take.
I hope you find this article informative - if you want more info, here are the links:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/30/dr-thrasher-on-the-health-dangers-of-mold.aspx?e_cid=20110730_DNL_art_1
http://healthyperceptions.com/
Have a healthy day ~ Kim Butler, Natural Health Counselor
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