Olympic Acupuncture

Acupuncture in China

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU4qypP0L7w

Vitamin D Delivers Maximum Health Benefits

While it has always been viewed as an essential nutrient, vitamin D hasrecently gained superstar status due to an impressive array of new studies
that confirm its ability to strengthen immunity, support healthy blood sugar levels, and promote bone, breast and cardio health.* These studies also
confirm the correlation between vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk to one's health, making supplementation beneficial.

For example, in the September 2008 edition of the journal Current Opinions in Rheumatology, an article1 noted that there has been increasing interest regarding vitamin D and auto-immunity.* Supplementation with vitamin D may help the body maintain bone health and a healthy auto-immune system function.*

Also, in the September 2008 edition of the journal Epidemiology, another study2 was published indicating that there is an association between vitamin D levels and the body's ability to maintain healthy blood sugar levels already in the normal range.*

The journal Osteoporosis International reported in its September 2008 issue about a group of 110 elderly women that were recruited for a study3. 96% of these women had vitamin D insufficiency and 38% of them had extremely low levels of vitamin D. One year following, the women were restudied. Those individuals that had the higher levels of vitamin D experienced improved leg performance compared to those with the lowest levels of vitamin D.* The researchers concluded that vitamin D sufficiency may have important effects on lower extremity function without excessive health care cost.*

In a related article4 published in August 19, 2008 edition of the prestigious journal Annals of Internal Medicine, 400 elderly patients were compared to a group of 400 control individuals. Those women with the lowest levels of vitamin D in their blood had greater leg performance compared to those with higher concentrations.*

A case control study5 that took place between 1991 and 1994 in Italy comparing the dietary intake of vitamin D and breast health was published in the August 2008 edition of the journal Annals of Oncology.* Researchers found that those women with the highest intake of vitamin D had a correlation to maintaining healthy breast tissue.* They concluded that the study adds to the existing evidence that vitamin D intake is associated with breast health.*

Finally, an article6 was just published in the September 2008 edition of the journal Stroke from the American Heart Association. A total of 3,316 patients were studied for their cardiovascular health. It was found that those individuals with higher levels of vitamin D had greater cardiovascular health.* The authors suggested that vitamin D supplementation is a promising approach in maintaining cardiovascular health.*

I have a patient that spent $120 for ONE vitamin D pill, after insurance covered a portion, prescribed by by her doctor, for 100000 IU. We have approximately the same amount, emulsified in a little dropper bottle, which makes it easier to absorb, for less than $20.

Remember, vitamin D is fat soluble, so taking any excess is stored in your fat cells.

1Kamen D and Aranow C, Vitamin D in systemic lupus erythematosus, Current Opinion in Rheumatology, 20(5):532-537, September 2008.

2Knekt P, Laaksonen M, Mattila C, Harkanen T, Marniemi J, Heliovaara M, Rissanen H, Montonen J, Reunanen A, Serum Vitamin D and Subsequent Occurrence of Type 2 Diabetes, Epidemiology, 19(5):666-671, September 2008.

3LeBoff MS, Hawkes WG, Glowacki J, Yu-Yahiro J, Hurwitz S and Magaziner J, Vitamin D-deficiency and post-fracture changes in lower extremity function and falls in women with hip fractures, Osteoporosis International, Volume 19, Number 9, September 2008.

4Cauley JA, LaCroix AZ, Wu L, Horwitz M, Danielson ME, et.al., Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations and Risk for Hip Fractures, Annals of Internal Medicine, August 19, 2008, Volume 149, Issue 4, Pages 242-250.

5Rossi M, McLaughlin JK, Lagiou P, Bosetti C, et.al., Vitamin D intake and breast cancer risk: a case-control study in Italy, Annals of Oncology, Annals of Oncology Advance Access published online on August 18, 2008.

6Pilz S, Dobnig H, Fischer JE, Wellnitz B, et.al., Low Vitamin D Levels Predict Stroke in Patients Referred to Coronary Angiography, Stroke, 2008;39:2611-2613.

7Udenigwe CC, Ramprasath VR, Aluko RE and Jones PJH, Potential of resveratrol in anticancer and anti-inflammatory therapy, Nutrition Reviews, Volume 66, Issue 8, Pages 445-454.

Vaccines and Autism and Some Research Articles

The broader picture for autism and vaccination has changed dramatically very recently.
Legal information on the Hannah Poling case.
CBS reports that nine other autism cases have been settled and sealed, but the parents have gone public in this case.
See CBS report on the case.
Dr. Poling, Hannah's father, has already gone on record defending vaccinations, confounding his critics who want to label him a fanatic.
Dr. Poling's defense of vaccination.
Dr. Poling has also responded to his uninformed medical critics by opening his daughter's case up to public scrutiny and answering any possible criticism.
Dr. Poling rebuts his medical critics.
The medical community is clear that none of the science has changed, but that is secondary because the possibility of liability has changed. If parents can win in court, then the medical community will follow the lead of the courts by changing the way that vaccinations are treated.

Dr. Poling is quotes the CDC policy line that “vaccinations are the most important medical discovery in the last 100 years,” which completely ignores the discovery of antibiotics, etc. But he is clear that parents should question and possibly refuse vaccinations.

The safety record for vaccinations is incredibly hard to find and almost impossible to estimate now that we are using multiple vaccinations. I have listed some information under the vaccinations page. Previously the CDC did give some estimates, but that information was removed and the VAERS reporting site is impossible to interpret.

Mitochondrial disorders such as what Dr. Poling describes for Hannah are more common than has been reported in the media. Her specific mutation is incredibly rare, but I have seen estimates as high as 1 in 500 children for general mitochondrial dysfunction.

In summary: just as non-autistic children can benefit from a good diet (by which I mean something dramatically different from the S.A.D., or Standard American Diet), studies indicate that diet plays a profound role in the brain development of autistic children.

Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2002 Apr;16(4):663-74. Related Articles, Links

Review article: the concept of entero-colonic encephalopathy, autism and opioid receptor ligands.
Wakefield AJ, Puleston JM, Montgomery SM, Anthony A, O'Leary JJ, Murch SH.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Study Group, Centre for Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, UK. wakers@aol.com

There is growing awareness that primary gastrointestinal pathology may play an important role in the inception and clinical expression of some childhood developmental disorders, including autism. In addition to frequent gastrointestinal symptoms, children with autism often manifest complex biochemical and immunological abnormalities. The gut-brain axis is central to certain encephalopathies of extra-cranial origin, hepatic encephalopathy being the best characterized. Commonalities in the clinical characteristics of hepatic encephalopathy and a form of autism associated with developmental regression in an apparently previously normal child, accompanied by immune-mediated gastrointestinal pathology, have led to the proposal that there may be analogous mechanisms of toxic encephalopathy in patients with liver failure and some children with autism. Aberrations in opioid biochemistry are common to these two conditions, and there is evidence that opioid peptides may mediate certain aspects of the respective syndromes. The generation of plausible and testable hypotheses in this area may help to identify new treatment options in encephalopathies of extra-cranial origin. Therapeutic targets for this autistic phenotype may include: modification of diet and entero-colonic microbial milieu in order to reduce toxin substrates, improve nutritional status and modify mucosal immunity; anti-inflammatory/immunomodulatory therapy; and specific treatment of dysmotility, focusing, for example, on the pharmacology of local opioid activity in the gut.

PMID: 11929383 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Neuropsychopharmacology 2003 Jan;28(1):193-8 Related Articles, Links


Oxytocin Infusion Reduces Repetitive Behaviors in Adults with Autistic and Asperger's Disorders. Hollander E, Novotny S, Hanratty M, Yaffe R, DeCaria CM, Aronowitz BR, Mosovich S.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by dysfunction in three core behavioral domains: repetitive behaviors, social deficits, and language abnormalities. There is evidence that abnormalities exist in peptide systems, particularly the oxytocin system, in autism spectrum patients. Furthermore, oxytocin and the closely related peptide vasopressin are known to play a role in social and repetitive behaviors. This study examined the impact of oxytocin on repetitive behaviors in 15 adults with autism or Asperger's disorder via randomized double-blind oxytocin and placebo challenges. The primary outcome measure was an instrument rating six repetitive behaviors: need to know, repeating, ordering, need to tell/ask, self-injury, and touching. Patients with autism spectrum disorders showed a significant reduction in repetitive behaviors following oxytocin infusion in comparison to placebo infusion. Repetitive behavior in autism spectrum disorders may be related to abnormalities in the oxytocin system, and may be partially ameliorated by synthetic oxytocin infusion.Neuropsychopharmacology (2003) 28, 193-198. doi:10.1038/sj.npp.1300021

PMID: 12496956 [PubMed - in process]

J Fam Health Care 2002;12(2):34-8 Related Articles, Links


Diet in autism and associated disorders. Garvey J. Royal Free Hospital, London.

A dietitian discusses the theory that peptides with opioid activity may cause or trigger autism. The use of an exclusion diet to treat autism is explained, weighing the potential benefits against some of the practical difficulties of keeping to a strict exclusion diet. The use of nutritional supplements is described. An abnormal gut flora has also been implicated in autism and the use of probiotics and prebiotics in improving the integrity of the gut mucosa is also discussed.

Publication Types:
• Review
• Review, Tutorial

PMID: 12415751 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Neuropsychobiology 2002;46(2):76-84 Related Articles, Links


Innate immunity associated with inflammatory responses and cytokine production against common dietary proteins in patients with autism spectrum disorder.

Jyonouchi H, Sun S, Itokazu N.

Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn, USA.

OBJECTIVES: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently reveal various gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms that may resolve with an elimination diet along with apparent improvement of some of the behavioral symptoms. Evidence suggests that ASD may be accompanied by aberrant (inflammatory) innate immune responses. This may predispose ASD children to sensitization to common dietary proteins (DP), leading to GI inflammation and aggravation of some behavioral symptoms. METHODS: We measured IFN-gamma, IL-5, and TNF-alpha production against representative DPs [gliadin, cow's milk protein (CMP), and soy] by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from ASD and control children [those with DP intolerance (DPI), ASD siblings, and healthy unrelated children]. We evaluated the results in association with proinflammatory and counter-regulatory cytokine production with endotoxin (LPS), a microbial product of intestinal flora and a surrogate stimulant for innate immune responses. RESULTS: ASD PBMCs produced elevated IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha, but not IL-5 with common DPs at high frequency as observed in DPI PBMCs. ASD PBMCs revealed increased proinflammatory cytokine responses with LPS at high frequency with positive correlation between proinflammatory cytokine production with LPS and IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha production against DPs. Such correlation was less evident in DPI PBMCs. CONCLUSION: Immune reactivity to DPs may be associated with apparent DPI and GI inflammation in ASD children that may be partly associated with aberrant innate immune response against endotoxin, a product of the gut bacteria. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

Publication Types:
• Clinical Trial

PMID: 12378124 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Nutr Neurosci 2002 Sep;5(4):251-61 Related Articles, Links


A randomised, controlled study of dietary intervention in autistic syndromes.

Knivsberg AM, Reichelt KL, Hoien T, Nodland M.

Center for Reading Research, Stavanger University College, Norway. ann-mari.knivsberg@slf.his.no

Impaired social interaction, communication and imaginative skills characterize autistic syndromes. In these syndromes urinary peptide abnormalities, derived from gluten, gliadin, and casein, are reported. They reflect processes with opioid effect. The aim of this single blind study was to evaluate effect of gluten and casein-free diet for children with autistic syndromes and urinary peptide abnormalities. A randomly selected diet and control group with 10 children in each group participated. Observations and tests were done before and after a period of 1 year. The development for the group of children on diet was significantly better than for the controls.

PMID: 12168688 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Nutr Neurosci 2001;4(1):25-37 Related Articles, Links


Reports on dietary intervention in autistic disorders.

Knivsber AM, Reichelt KL, Nodland M.

Center for Reading Research, Stavanger College, Norway. ann-mari.knivsberg@slf.his.no

Autism is a developmental disorder for which no cure currently exists. Gluten and/or casein free diet has been implemented to reduce autistic behaviour, in addition to special education, since early in the eighties. Over the last twelve years various studies on this dietary intervention have been published in addition to anecdotal, parental reports. The scientific studies include both groups of participants as well as single cases, and beneficial results are reported in all, but one study. While some studies are based on urinary peptide abnormalities, others are not. The reported results are, however, more or less identical; reduction of autistic behaviour, increased social and communicative skills, and reappearance of autistic traits after the diet has been broken.

PMID: 11842874 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

J Autism Dev Disord 2000 Oct;30(5):463-9 Related Articles, Links


Comment in:
• J Autism Dev Disord. 2000 Oct;30(5):471-3.

Metabolic approaches to the treatment of autism spectrum disorders. Page T. Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, USA.

Although the exact prevalence of metabolic abnormalities in autism spectrum disorders is unknown, several metabolic defects have been associated with autistic symptoms. These include phenylketonuria, histidinemia, adenylosuccinate lyase deficiency, dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency, 5'-nucleotidase superactivity, and phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase deficiency. When the metabolic consequences of an enzyme defect are well defined (e.g., phenylketonuria, 5'-nucleotidase superactivity), treatment with diet, drugs, or nutritional supplements may bring about a dramatic reduction in autistic symptoms. This review evaluates evidence for metabolic etiologies in autism spectrum disorders, as well as for the efficacy of dietary and vitamin treatments. The relationship between gastrointestinal abnormalities and autism spectrum disorders is also considered.

PMID: 11098885 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Am J Psychiatry 1978 Apr;135(4):472-5 Related Articles, Links


The effect of high doses of vitamin B6 on autistic children: a double-blind crossover study.

Rimland B, Callaway E, Dreyfus P.

The authors used data from an earlier nonblind study to identify 16 autistic-type child outpatients who had apparently improved when given vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). In a double-blind study each child's B6 supplement was replaced during two separate experimental trial periods with either a B6 supplement or a matched placebo. Behavior was rated as deteriorating significantly during the B6 withdrawal.

Publication Types:
• Clinical Trial
• Controlled Clinical Trial

PMID: 345827 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Kinesiotape in the news

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream?

William Shakespeare isn't the only one to espouse the benefits of adequate sleep. The question remains, however: How much is enough? Certainly, not enough sleep can be detrimental to your health, but can you also suffer health risks from catching too many zzz's?

Daniel Kripke, co-director of research at the Scripps Clinic Sleep Center in La Jolla, Calif., compared death rates among more than 1 million American adults who, as part of a study on cancer prevention, reported their average nightly sleep totals. He recently discussed the results of his findings in an interview with Time magazine.
According to Kripke, "Studies show that people who sleep between 6.5 hr. and 7.5 hours a night, as they report, live the longest. And people who sleep 8 hours or more, or less than 6.5 hours don't live quite as long. There is just as much risk associated with sleeping too long as with sleeping too short. The big surprise is that long sleep seems to start at 8 hours. Sleeping 8.5 hours might really be a little worse than sleeping 5 hours."

I've seen this even 20 years ago in my health books so this is not new evidence.

He added that risks for various illnesses, such as depression, obesity, heart disease and diabetes increase both with not enough and too much sleep. 'Morbidity [or sickness] is also ëu-shaped,' in the sense that both very short sleep and very long sleep are associated with many illnesses."

Finally, getting out of bed when you're not sleepy and restricting your time in bed actually helps you to sleep more. Kripke noted this helps people get over their fear of the bed. "Spending less time in bed actually makes you sleep better. It is, in fact, a more powerful and effective long-term treatment for insomnia than sleeping pills."

The Skinny on Juice

Scan the grocery store shelves and you'll find a variety of juices on display. The old favorites still remain — apple, orange and grape — but you'll also see some new flavors these days, such as blueberry-pomegranate, cranberry-raspberry, guava and even "lychee" (an edible fruit native to the Kwangtung and Fukein provinces of China).

Juice can provide many health benefits, especially for those trying to squeeze in the recommended number of servings. Just 6 ounces or ¾ of a cup of 100-percent fruit juice can equal one serving of a fruit or vegetable. Fruit juices can contain a number of important vitamins and nutrients our bodies need including potassium, antioxidants and vitamins A and C.
It's important to read the labels as you make your juice selection. You want to look for labels that say "100% juice." Only juice with this on the label can truly be considered juice. Anything less than 100-percent juice and the label must clearly be labeled a juice "drink," "beverage," "cocktail," "punch," "blend" or "sparkler." These products might contain as little as 10 percent or as much as 99 percent juice. The rest of the ingredients might include artificial sweeteners, sugar or other artificial ingredients. Review the list of ingredients on the products. Ingredients must be listed in order of volume. The farther down the list of ingredients juice appears, the less there is of it in the drink.

In your grocer's freezer section, you'll find juices from concentrate. These are the same as the original juice, except most of the water has been removed. Once you add the water back in, the juice has the same nutritional profile as it does in its original form. Many people think fresh-squeezed juice offers a nutritional advantage and some experts might agree. However, the important thing is to realize that the goal is to incorporate the right amount of fruits and vegetables into your diet, and when juice is consumed as part of a well-balanced diet, this can be achieved without consuming fresh-squeezed juice all the time.

Some juice is fortified with extra vitamins, minerals, cholesterol-lowering sterols and omega-3 fatty acids - something to consider if you aren't getting enough of any of these nutrients in your normal diet. Recent research indicates certain juices also might help in protecting against certain health conditions and diseases. Pomegranate juice has been shown to lower total cholesterol and reduce systolic blood pressure, while cranberry juice helps women maintain proper urinary tract health.

Check with your doctor to make sure certain juices won't interfere with any prescription medication you're taking. For example, grapefruit contains a natural substance that inhibits the liver's ability to metabolize certain drugs. These restrictions aside, 100-percent juice is a great way to get those recommended daily servings of fruits (and vegetables) into your diet.

My opinion is to make smoothies by blending fresh, frozen (or yikes! even canned) whole fruit and vegetables with some soy or almond milk or even kefir or yogurt. This extra step definitely helps to maintain a healthy digestive system. You may even blend some store-bought juice into the equation. Juice may have a lot of sugar and very little fiber. If you are to have juice straight I would recommend diluting it in filtered water 2 parts juice to 1 part water.

Mix and Match: The Do's and Don'ts of Pairing Foods

Certain foods become even healthier when mixed with other certain foods. Conversely, other food pairing may become less healthy and even endanger your health. Follow these simple rules from CNN.com to get the most out of your food choices:

Now remember, this is from CNN.com so you already know my stance on caffeine. :)

DO mix grilled steak and brussels sprouts: Certain compounds in brussels sprouts and other cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cauliflower, may help rid the body of carcinogens that can form on meat during high-heat cooking. Nevertheless, charring meat on the barbeque is not the best preparation method. Instead, cook your meat or fish at low temperatures until done.
DO mix avocado and tomato: Tomatoes, which contain the antioxidant lycopene, are a superfood. If you eat some avocado at the same time, you've just made it even more super. The fat in the avocado helps the body absorb seven times more lycopene. Also, add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil to your zucchini, spinach and other dark green vegetables to unleash the lutein, an antioxidant that may help protect against age-related macular degeneration.
DO mix spinach and oranges: Although spinach has lots of iron, your body doesn't absorb it well when spinach is eaten alone. Add in some vitamin C and spinach becomes a veggie Popeye would be proud to eat. That's because vitamin C converts the iron in spinach into a form that is more available to the body. This is also true for other foods that are sources of iron, such as broccoli and tofu. It doesn't take a lot of vitamin C – one medium orange will do.
DON'T mix alcohol and energy drinks: Vodka mixed with an energy drink might be popular on the party circuit, but this combo can cause heart palpitations and breathing difficulties. In severe cases, it could contribute to a heart attack or a stroke. Overloading the body with stimulants such as caffeine (which is found in many energy drinks) and alcohol, which is a depressant and a diuretic, puts tremendous stress on the central nervous system and heart.
DON'T mix alcohol and diet soda: You might cut calories but you also might get drunk faster. In a recent study, it took just 21 minutes for half a diet cocktail to leave the stomach and reach the small intestine, where most alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream, while the same amount of a non-diet cocktail took 36 minutes.
DON'T mix coffee and breakfast cereal: Most cereals sold in U.S. are fortified with iron. The problem is that polyphenols, an antioxidant in coffee, can hamper the body's ability to absorb iron. Black tea and some herbal teas (including peppermint and chamomile), which also contain polyphenols, also may reduce iron absorption – by as much as 94 percent – and hot cocoa cuts it by 71 percent.
The solution is to have your java before or after your cereal. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a cup of coffee consumed one hour before an iron-rich meal didn't affect absorption. If you choose to get your fix after breakfast, wait at least an hour or more.

Cooked vs raw food: it's Alive!

Try This For Breakfast... Its Alive!

One of the toughest meals of the day is breakfast.I mean really, what are the options for the average person? We have been brainwashed by the food giants and their commercials to limit ourselves to: cold or hot cereal, eggs, pancakes,waffles, toast or bagels. Any of these carb laden foods complimented with processed breakfast meats like bacon, ham, sausage links is a surefire recipe for inflammation and fatigue.

The problem is there just aren't a lot of good breakfast food alternatives that promote a non-inflammatory life style.Most people are shocked to learn that the average fast food sausage and egg breakfast sandwich increases NF-Kappa B by 150% and it's elevated for 3-4 hours. It’s amazing that simple breakfast sandwich can increase inflammation in your body by 150%. It’s no wonder people are tired and in chronic pain. NF-Kappa B is present in the cytosol of every cell and when its inhibitors are disrupted by stress, diet, injury, or a host of other factors it migrates to the mitochondria where it literally affects genes and sets up a cascade of genetically induced inflammation. The word picture that best describes NF-Kappa B would be that of an amplifier. It can ramp up or down existing levels of inflammation just like an amplifier can amplify existing voice or music levels.NF-Kappa B is one of the hottest topics in biomedical research right now, and pharmaceutical companies are racing to capitalize on it.

Today we're talking “BREAKFAST”So what are our options? Before I go into that I want to share with you some research done by Francis Pottenger between 1930 and 1950 on over 900 cats.He was evaluating the effects of adrenal extract on the cats and as a result his team did over 600autopsies and extensive data collection. He found that when he would give raw food (either raw milk or raw meat) to the cats, they would be vibrant, reproduce easily, have strong bones,engage in play, and in short exhibit health on whatever parameter was evaluated.“In older cats inflammation and diseases of the gums was seldom seen. The calcium and phosphorous content of their femurs remained consistent and internal organs showed full development and normal function. Over their life spans these raw food fed cats proved resistant to infections, fleas, and various other parasites,and showed no signs of allergies.When the cats were fed cooked food, their health declined. The longer they were on cooked food the longer it took to recover. As cats raised on cooked food progressed through 2or 3 generations, their health declined proportionally. Dr. Pottenger said in the third generation cooked food fed cats, some of the bones become as soft as rubber. The cats developed heart problems, nearsightedness and farsightedness.They had under activity of the thyroid gland, infections of the kidney, liver, testes,ovaries and the bladder.These cooked food fed cats had arthritis and inflammation of the joints and nervous system,as well as paralysis and meningitis. Cooked food fed cats showed much more irritability.Some females were even dangerous to handle. The males on the other hand were more docile,often to the point of being un-aggressive and their sex interest was slack or perverted. Such sexual deviations were not observed among the raw food cats. The cooked food fed cats also displayed vermin and intestinal parasites, skin lesions and allergies appear frequently and are progressively worse from one generation to the next. Abortion was common running about 25% In the first generation to about 70% in the second generation, and the average weight of kittens of cooked meat was 19 grams less than the raw meat nurtured kittens. He discussed several other animals and their genetic diets. Cows had healthier adrenal glands. Chickens were stronger and had healthier eggs. Guinea Pigs had less skin and GI problems.So here’s the point. We need to get more raw food in our diet. Raw foods have bio-available vitamins and minerals. Raw foods have enzymes in them to help digest our foods and enzymes that we need to sustain life. And…..it’s ALIVE. There are essences in raw foods that science will probably NEVER understand.

Exciting Cancer Breakthrough

Is This One Of The Most Exciting Cancer Breakthroughs Of The Century?



Cancer is more preventable than you think. My mind was reeling as I read the data. It's inspiring to me, and I have to share it with you. I believe one of the most exciting breakthroughs of the century has been documented by an oncologist from Rome, Italy, Dr. Tullio Simoncini. He has written a book called "Cancer is a Fungus”, and he details his work treating cancer as a fungus.



He uses sodium bicarbonate and literally injects and/or bathes the tumor in this alkalizing solution and has seen some tumors disappear in as little as a week.



Let me reiterate that he is a medical doctor who is a board certified oncologist, trained in Europe, and has treated thousands of patients in the traditional manner. Many of his patients were children, and it broke his heart to watch them die so painfully. He re-counts that he often found himself prayerfully asking God how can he find a way to help these suffering children,and then the observation came that opened the door to a whole new way of treating cancer.



He noticed that when he scoped the patients to observe their tumors they were white. For some reason he put the connection together that fungi are also white. He admits that some tumors are also bloody but when the blood is washed away the white color is unmistakable.



Remember the Warburg hypothesis. Years ago, Dr. Warburg received a Nobel Prize for his work showing that cancer grows in an acidic, anaerobic environment and thrives where sugar abounds—surprise—surprise, so do fungi. Give them a little sugar, lack of oxygen and an acidic medium and you have a recipe for growth. Remember that most fungi give off messages that will weaken and/or impede the immune system. If we impede the immune system, we have fertile ground for tumor growth.



I have provided an address to his website, http://www.curenaturalicancro.com/, and I encourage you to order his book “Cancer is a Fungus”. It is easy to become engrossed on his site as he has videos and materials describing his techniques. Here are some case studies from his website. The first is a case of a 60 year old patient with melanoma of the lower eyelid. After just 10 days of treatment, the protruding mass was undetectable and after 2 months the melanoma is totally eliminated.



Another case on his website was that of a 9 year old with Ewing’s sarcoma on the right humerus. Before treatment there were 3 tumors ranging from 2.4 to 6 centimeters. Within just 30 days an echo scan revealed almost complete regression of 2 of the 3 tumors, and after only 3 months only minor residual scarring remained—using a sodium bicarbonate solution!



On his website he outlines a rationale for breast cancer, bladder tumors, brain cancer,and cancers of the spleen, intestine, liver, lung and a host of others. Based on his research and those of his peers he concludes that Candida is always in the tissues of cancer patients. Candida is an opportunistic organism and many researchers feel it occurs as a result of a weak immune system. Dr. Simoncini feels it is an important precursor to the disease process. As I mentioned, he uses sodium bicarbonate in a catheter and literally pipes the bicarbonate solution to the tumor site. Alkalizing the gland and surrounding area creates an environment that the fungus does not thrive. We can eat an alkaline diet and use anti-fungals when appropriate for prevention. The take home message for our clients is that sugar is fuel for cancer as well as a host of other medical conditions. This is huge news and for the European medical community to document this finding is exciting. With this understanding we can see why so many different types of therapies create an environment that supports spontaneous remission. Think about it. Whether it is a macrobiotic diet, Dr’s Gerson or even Dr. Lorraine Day’s cancer strategy, all have the same biological end result: an alkaline pH and little or no sugar. Eat more plants and eat them in the way God created them.



With 1 out of 3 people contracting cancer at sometime in their lives, sooner or later you or your loved ones could be faced with decisions to make about the therapies to consider.



Keep in mind, we only stock the best brands such as Biotics Research and they have developed some natural anti-fungals that have been shown to be extremely effective. We use FC-Cidal and Bio-HPF for upper GI issues and use ADP and Dysbiocide for lower GI and systemic antifungal agents. Remember the real issue is prevention. Why wait for the bad news from the oncologist. We have a greater range of prevention than even we as clinicians thought possible. WE have the most powerful "drugs" available: “that which we put on our forks”.



Ask us to see if any of these is right for you.

Exercise reduces risk of colon cancer

But not all doctors informing patients of this simple
preventive approach, study says

(HealthDay News) -- Physical activity can reduce the risk of
colon cancer, but few American adults are aware of this, a new
study shows.

A sedentary lifestyle accounts for as many as 14 percent of all
colon cancer cases in the United States. People who get lots of
exercise have a 30 percent to 40 percent lower risk of
developing colon cancer, according to study co-author Elliott
Coups, of the Division of Population Science at the Fox Chase
Cancer Center in Cheltenham, Pa., and colleagues.

But their analysis of survey data from 1,932 adults who
answered questions about colon cancer risk found that only 15
percent said they used physical activity as a way of reducing
their colon cancer risk. The findings were published in the
August issue of Patient Education and Counseling.

Several factors may contribute to this lack of knowledge about
the link between exercise and colon cancer risk.

"Patients may not be learning this information from their
health-care providers and information regarding colon cancer
prevention is not as well publicized as it could be," Coups said
in a new release from the Center for the Advancement of Health.

Doctors may find it easier to tell patients about the general
health benefits of exercise, rather than specifically referring
to colon cancer, even if a patient has a family history of colon
cancer or other risk factors for the disease.

"In the context of busy clinic visits, it is, in some ways,
efficient for patients to be reminded that physical activity is
good for their health in general. Going through each specific
health benefit of physical activity would take considerable
time," said Coups.

Sedentary people can greatly benefit from starting a modest
exercise program, such as gardening or walking two to three
hours a week, according to Dr. Edward Giovannucci, a professor
at the Harvard School of Public Health.

"Sedentary people should first set such moderate, achievable
goals. More benefits could accrue from higher levels and more
intense exercise, such as jogging, running or tennis. To some
extent, more may be better, but it is important to note that a
little is much better than nothing," Giovannucci said in the
news release.

Ingredients in Cigarettes

from tobacco.org 599 ingredients the tobacco manufacturers add to their cigarettes.


Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including 43 known cancer-causing (carcinogenic) compounds and 400 other toxins. These include nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide, as well as formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic, and DDT.
Nicotine is highly addictive. Smoke containing nicotine is inhaled into the lungs, and the nicotine reaches your brain in just six seconds.
Nicotine in small doses acts as a stimulant to the brain. In large doses, it's a depressant, inhibiting the flow of signals between nerve cells. In even larger doses, it's a lethal poison, affecting the heart, blood vessels, and hormones. Nicotine in the bloodstream acts to make the smoker feel calm.
As a cigarette is smoked, the amount of tar inhaled into the lungs increases, and the last puff contains more than twice as much tar as the first puff. Carbon monoxide makes it harder for red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. Tar is a mixture of substances that together form a sticky mass in the lungs.
Most of the chemicals inhaled in cigarette smoke stay in the lungs. The more you inhale, the better it feels—and the greater the damage to your lungs.

another cigarette article by:
Lowell Kleinman, M.D., and Deborah Messina-Kleinman, M.P.H.

Cigarette flavors have gone through many changes since cigarettes were first made. Initially, cigarettes were unfiltered, allowing the full "flavor" of the tar to come through. As the public became concerned about the health effects of smoking, filters were added. While this helped alleviate the public's fears, the result was a cigarette that tasted too bitter.

Filters Don't Work

Filters do not remove enough tar to make cigarettes less dangerous. They are just a marketing ploy to trick you into thinking you are smoking a safer cigarette.
The solution to the bitter-tasting cigarette was easy -- have some chemists add taste-improving chemicals to the tobacco. Unfortunately, some of these chemicals also cause cancer.
But not all of the chemicals in your cigarettes are there for taste enhancement. For example, a chemical very similar to rocket fuel helps keep the tip of the cigarette burning at an extremely hot temperature. This allows the nicotine in tobacco to turn into a vapor so your lungs can absorb it more easily.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner?

Most people prefer to use ammonia for things such as cleaning windows and toilet bowls. You may be surprised to learn that the tobacco industry has found some additional uses for this household product. By adding ammonia to your cigarettes, nicotine in its vapor form can be absorbed through your lungs more quickly. This, in turn, means your brain can get a higher dose of nicotine with each puff.

The complete list of chemicals added to your cigarettes is too long to list here.
Here are some examples that will surprise you:
Fungicides and pesticides -- Cause many types of cancers and birth defects.
Cadmium -- Linked to lung and prostate cancer.
Benzene -- Linked to leukemia.
Formaldehyde -- Linked to lung cancer.
Nickel -- Causes increased susceptibility to lung infections.
If you are angry that so many things have been added to the cigarettes you enjoy so much, you should be. Many of these chemicals were added to make you better able to tolerate toxic amounts of cigarette smoke. They were added without regard to your health and with the intent to keep you addicted. As the tobacco industry saying goes, "An addicted customer is a customer for life, no matter how short that life is."
Make sure that you have the last laugh. Regardless of the countless chemicals in your cigarettes, quitting is always your option.

Ask us how our all natural quit-smoking program can help you quit and regain your optimal health potential. Call 630-789-8080 or email us.

How to Stay Sick

The first, and most important, is to keep the status quo. If you are consuming copious amounts of highly processed, high-calorie and nutritionally depleted foods, by all means, keep it up. If you do not take nutritional supplements and want to stay sick, continue to avoid them at all costs. If you are a practicing couch potato, please do no more exercise than is absolutely necessary. If you can get someone to bring your nutrition depleted meals to you, so you don’t even have to walk to the dining area that is even so much better. It is also important to keep your excuse sticker so you won’t have to walk so far to get to the scooters that are provided by the store. And, last but not least, if the same doctor has treated you for some time without improvement, it would seem like a good idea to keep your appointments.

Good health does not just happen.

The first commitment for optimum health is education. We must have an understanding about what it takes to enjoy good health. After acquiring the understanding it takes for good health, two very important steps remain, desire and determination. Without desire, you can comfortably stay sick. Even with desire, without determination, poor health, huge medical bills and an early demise can literally be guaranteed.

How Healthy is Dairy?

There is no human requirement for milk from a cow," says Suzanne Havala, RD, author of the American Dietetic Association's "Position Paper on Vegetarian Diets" and several books on nutrition. "The use of milk and its products in our country is strictly a cultural tradition," she notes. "There are millions of people around the world who never consume cow's milk and are none the worse for it."

While doctors recommend increasing the intake of calcium in order to prevent ostreoporosis and maintain good health, most calcium supplements are insoluble in the distal small intestine where absorption of calcium occurs. In fact calcium, like all minerals and vitamins have a selection of ideal partners to enable optimal absorption and utilisation by the human body. Silica is one of these critical partners.

Vitamin D also plays a critical role in maintaining bone health. When blood levels of calcium begin to drop, the body responds in several ways. It promotes the conversion of vitamin D into its active form, which then travels to the intestines (to encourage greater calcium absorption into the blood) and to the kidneys (to minimize calcium loss in the urine).

For bone health, an adequate intake of vitamin D is no less important than calcium. Vitamin D is found in milk and vitamin supplements, and it can be made by the skin when it is exposed to sunlight in the summertime.

Vitamin K, which is found mainly in green, leafy vegetables, likely plays one or more important roles in calcium regulation and bone formation.

Calcium is calcium, however, whether it's from broccoli or cottage cheese. "There's no best source of calcium," explains Robert Heaney, a professor with the Osteoporosis Research Center at Creighton University School of Medicine. "The sheer quantity of calcium in dairy products certainly makes them attractive sources, but they have no monopoly on calcium. There's no reason in the world why you couldn't get an adequate intake from a vegetable source."

Indeed, researchers have found that nations with the greatest calcium intake have the highest rates of osteoporosis and hip fracture, and that there are relatively few fractures among populations where calcium levels are not so high. After studying bone fracture rates worldwide, researcher JA Kanis concluded that the differences in fracture rates, "cannot be accounted for by differences in dietary intake of calcium but may relate more to physical activity [which promotes strong bones]."

Another worrying piece of information according to gynecologist Christiane Northrup, MD, author of "Women's Bodies Women's Wisdom", other health problems associated with the consumption of dairy foods include benign breast conditions, recurrent vaginitis, acne, menstrual cramps, fibroids, chronic intestinal upset and increased pain from endometriosis. These health problems could be occurring due to some farmers artificially increasing a growth hormone in cows in an attempt to increase yield.

Milk can also be associated with the conditions described below.
Allergies: Milk is the most common cause of food allergy. A recent study found that one way to reduce the number of allergies in infants is for the breastfeeding mother to avoid consuming, or make very limited use of cow's milk.

Anemia: Overreliance on milk in children can lead to anemia, as milk is very low in iron, and drinking large quantities of it can crowd iron-rich foods from the diet. In young infants, protein from cow's milk can cause intestinal bleeding, another possible cause of anemia.

Colic: Sensitivity to cow's milk can cause colic, a digestive ailment in infants. Colic can cause problems even in infants who aren't drinking cow's milk but whose mothers are.
Fermented dairy products are a much better option compared to straight dairy products such as fermented milks and yoghurts containing 'probiotic' cultures such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. These are currently among the best known examples of functional foods. They are simpler for our body to absorb due to the fact that they are already partially digested due to the fermentation process.

Check out this website on dairy: notmilk.com

Chiropractic heals a blind man.

Olympic Kinesiotape

I'm watching the women's beach volleyball with US May-Treanor/ Walsh vs. Cuba's Fernandez / Larrea. The black tape you see on her shoulder is Kinesiotape. It allows you to move yet provide stability. I commonly call it Lance Armstrong tape, which he made the public aware of with the *pink* tape on his knees and with his team while bike riding. Back to the Olympic program...



If clinically indicated, or even if you just want to get to know kinesiotaping, I've done many kinesiotaping therapy, and we DO have Lance's hot pink kinesiotape...








By the way, did you know my classmate, Dr. Mary Beth Larsen, was 4th in the first-ever Olympic Pentathlon. She was also featured on the cover of Esquire magazine. I remember seeing special exhibit honoring women with her at the museum of Science and Industry a few years back.

Balance away the blues, and sleep better too!

There several benefits of L-tryptophan, such as how it has been shown to normalize
sleep, enhance mood and even reduce our craving for carbohydrates. I've had patients on this for fibromyalgia as part of my protocol with great success. L-Tryptophan has recently been reintroduced back into the market by the FDA, who unjustifiably banned it for many years because of the negligence of one overseas manufacturer cutting corners to produce profit. But some are confused about the purity and quality of various forms of L-tryptophan, because there are several forms of this amino acid available on the market today.

Ajinomoto TryptoPure™– L-Tryptophan of Unsurpassed Purity
The L-tryptophan in our Best L-Tryptophan, TryptoPure, is produced by Ajinomoto of Japan. Ajinomoto is the world's foremost producer of pharmaceutical-grade amino acids, including l-tryptophan. TryptoPure surpasses all testing criteria established by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), Japan Pharmacopeia (JP), and European Pharmacopeia (EP) standards. In fact, Ajinomoto's L-tryptophan has enjoyed uninterrupted importation into the United States for more than 25 years, and is currently used in hospitals and pharmacies all over the world.

The Highest Quality Formulation at Clinically-Proven Potency
Our Best L-Tryptophan is additive-free, solvent-free, 100% fermented, and GMP certified. Each vegetarian capsule contains 500mg of this pharmaceutical grade amino acid.

We Strive to Look for and Always Recommend the Best
Our Best L-Tryptophan featuring TryptoPure™ is a science-based formulation, made with a trademarked ingredient of unsurpassed quality and purity that is delivered at clinically-proven potency.

I have personally tried this the other day and WOW! it gave me a wonderful state of relaxation within 10 minutes. (I actually opened the capsule to check the taste of the powder-I know you know I'm a little silly this way!) It was totally unexpected, since I was on my way to the office. I personally did not feel any impairment in driving whatsoever, but please, use your own sound judgement and get used to the effects for several days before operating any machinery. This supplement should be taken best before bedtime.

Lastly, I've found a source that give great savings off of the manufacturer's price!

The Cost of Drugs You Pay

Story verified @ http://www.snopes.com/medical/drugs/generic.asp
Make sure you read to the end. You will be amazed.

Make sure you read all the way past the list of the drugs. The woman that signed below is a Budget Analyst out of federal Washington, DC offices.
Did you ever wonder how much it costs a drug company for the active ingredient in prescription medications? Some people think it must cost a lot, since many drugs sell for more than $2.00 per tablet. We did a search of offshore chemical synthesizers that supply the active ingredients found in drugs approved by the FDA. As we have revealed in past issues of Life Extension a significant percentage of drugs sold in the United States contain active ingredients made in other countries. In our independent investigation of how much profit drug companies really make, we obtained the actual price of active ingredients used in some of the most popular drugs sold in America.

Celebrex: 100 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $130.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.60
Percent markup: 21,712%

Claritin:10 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $215.17
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.71
Percent markup: 30,306%

Keflex:250 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $157.39
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.88
Percent markup: 8,372%

Lipitor:20 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $272.37
Cost of general active ingredients: $5.80
Percent markup: 4,696%

Norvasc:10 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $188.29
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.14
Percent markup: 134,493%

Paxil:20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $220.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $7.60
Percent markup: 2,898%

Prevacid:30 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $44.77
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.01
Percent markup: 34,136%

Prilosec: 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $360.97
Cost of general active ingredients $0.52
Percent markup: 69,417%

Prozac:20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) : $247.47
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.11
Percent markup: 224,973%

Tenormin:Û 50 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $104.47
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.13
Percent markup: 80,362%

Vasotec:10 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $102.37
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.20
Percent markup: 51,185%

Xanax:1 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) : $136.79
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.024
Percent markup: 569,958%

Zestril:20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) $89.89
Cost of general active ingredients $3.20
PercÛ ent markup: 2,809%

Zithromax:600 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $1,482.19
Cost of general active ingredients: $18.78
Percent markup: 7,892%

Zocor:40 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $350.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $8.63
Percent markup: 4,059%

Zoloft: 50 mg
Consumer price: $206.87
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.75
Percent markup: 11,821%

Since the cost of prescription drugs is so outrageous, I thought everyone should know about this.
It pays to shop around! This helps to solve the mystery as to why they can afford to put a Walgreen's on every corner. On Monday night, Steve Wilson, an investigative reporter for Channel 7 News in Detroit , did a story on generic drug prices gouging by pharmacies. He found in his investigation that some of these generic drugs were marked up as much as 3,000% or more. So often we blame the drug companies for the high cost of drugs, and usually rightfully so. But in this case, the fault clearly lies with the pharmacies themselves. For example if you had to buy a prescription drug, and bought the name brand, you might pay $100 for 100 pills.
The pharmacist might tell you that if you get the generic equivalent, they would only cost $80, making you think you are saving $20. What the pharmacist is not telling you is that those 100 generic pills may have only cost him $10!

At the end of the report, one of the anchors asked Mr. Wilson whether or not there were any pharmacies that did not adhere to this practice, and he said that Costco consistently charged little over their cost for the generic drugs.


I went to the Costco site, where you can look up any drug, and get its online price. It says that the in-store prices are consistent with the online prices. I was appalled. Just to give you one example from my own experience I had to use the drug Compazine which helps prevent nausea in chemo patients.

I used the generic equivalent, which cost $54.99 for 60 pills at CVS. I cheÛ cked the price at Costco, and I could have bought 100 pills for $19.89. For 145 of my pain pills, I paid $72.57. I could have got 150 at Costco for $28.08.

I would like to mention, that although Costco is a 'membership' type store, you do NOT have to be a member to buy prescriptions there as it is a federally regulated substance. You just tell them at the door that you wish to use the pharmacy, and they will let you in.

I am asking each of you to please help me by copying this letter, and passing it into your own e-mail, and send it to everyone you know with an e-mail address.
Sharon L. Davis
Budget Analyst
U.S. Department of Commerce
Room 6839
Office Ph: 202-482-4458
Office Fax: 202-482-5480
E-mail Address: sdavis@doc.gov

What Is Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture?

What wouldn’t any woman or any modern man for that matter, do to turn back the clock as far as their looks went? Anti-aging treatments account for a billion-dollar business today. For those unacquainted with the unconventional beauty treatments available today, sticking needles in the face may seem like we are taking it a tad too far. However these same people who run far away from needles would have never imagined that one day they would come back looking for a safe alternative to take years off the face and body. Facial rejuvenation acupuncture gives you that.

The idea of revitalizing the face by sticking needles into it now would not seem such a bad idea after all.Facial rejuvenation acupuncture is based on the incredible success of general acupuncture and concentrates on enhancing youthful looks. The professionals assert that it can take away years from the face by reducing the age lines and at the same time also revitalizing and beautifying the individual on the whole.As all treatments go, facial rejuvenation acupuncture aims to influence energy centers in the body also called ‘chi’ so as to remedy the blocked energy flows that reflect badly on the body and soul. This task is achieved by placing hair thin needles in the skin along energy channels to re-route the flow. This concept of channeling energy through matter connected to the human body has been universally accepted for a long time. Acupuncture has acquired greater acceptance along with solid proof to reinforce its claims. The way it works on the other hand is a little hard to explain. Keeping in mind that every individual is unique with different needs, facial rejuvenation acupuncture not only treats the face but also channels energy in the rest of the body which is also responsible for an aging face. The needles can therefore be inserted anywhere in the body to show results. The interlinking of systems when it comes to circulation of energy is not surprising as many of the energy flows start or end in the face. We will thoroughly examine the patient, studying the energy flow to find the blockage points and the areas that need to be worked on before zeroing in on a treatment plan.

Practitioners claim that the procedure can take almost 10 to 15 years off, moisturizing the skin at the same time by increasing the circulation. It will also be able to remove small wrinkles and lessen the large ones. All this can be done in just a few sessions. It can also enable the reduction of double chins and jowls, lift sagging eyelids as well as treat the dark circles under the eyes.

These claims are definitely very ambitious. But keeping in mind that the only thing to lose here is your wrinkles, it is not a very high price to pay. So here is a chance for every woman (and some men, too) to get what they’ve always wanted – everlasting youth!

When Taking Calcium Can Hurt You

Calcium prevents osteoporosis, so lets all take
more calcium . . . right? Not necessarily, and
here’s why. Recently we’ve been told that vitamin
D is needed for calcium absorption and
that’s true, but what has always troubled me is
how little is said about the need for proper digestion
and absorption of calcium. You can take
ingest calcium; but if you don’t have the synergic
factors for absorption and digestion, it will
cause more harm than good.
How can too much calcium cause harm? Let’s
backtrack for a minute and see what the media
says. They say to use calcium citrate or liquid
calcium for better absorption which is half the
truth. They fail to articulate the fact that if you
don’t have the proper pH in your stomach it
doesn’t matter what form you take it’s not going
to be fully utilized. Minerals must be cleaved
from their substrate, ionized and then attached to
amino acids for transport and absorption.
The addition of calcium carbonate to Tums has
always confused me. Calcium carbonate needs a
very acidic Ph in the stomach for proper digestion
and absorption. Tums, an antacid, reduces
the hydrochloric acid produced in the stomach.
With all the over the counter and prescription
antacids and stomach acid blocking agents available,
it’s no wonder we have problems with an
epidemic of many modern diseases. Hydrochloric
acid decreases as we age. Maybe that’s the
reason osteoporosis is more prevalent as we age.
What happens when we get too much calcium or
calcium in an unusable form? I’ve seen calcium
abnormalities show up as bone spurs, kidney
stones, and calcium deposits noticed on mammograms
and heart scans. The lack of proper absorption
of calcium can cause calcium deposits
which are related to osteoporosis, heart disease
and heart attack. Remember too much calcium
can push or displace magnesium and potassium
which are 2 essential minerals for heart health.
For years white specks on finger nails have been
thought to be “zinc deficiency” spots. I think
they are indicative of a general malabsorption of
minerals. An associate of mine and a nutritionist
for 20 years brought to my attention that she had
numerous specks on her nails for years despite
zinc supplementation. She also had calcium deposits
on her fingers and found that when the
calcium deposits on her fingers were eliminated
all her white specks disappeared. She has also
seen this pattern with her patients for many years
as she changes people’s diets and digestion.
She came to this conclusion by accident many
years ago when she had multiple calcium deposits
appear on several knuckles of her hands.
They not only hurt but were unsightly. She also
had a mammogram which revealed numerous
calcium deposits. She had always had digestive
problems including heartburn, hiatal hernia,
and lack of hydrochloric acid in her
stomach.
She started taking Hydro-Zyme which is a
HCL supplement which also contains glutamic
acid and ammonium chloride. These last 2 ingredients,
she found out later, break down the
undigested, stored calcium that’s in the tissues.
She also started taking higher doses of Betaine
Plus HP, a higher dose of hydrochloric acid, to
correct her problem of heart burn and other digestive
and absorption problems. Within approximately
6 months all the calcium deposits
on her fingers were gone. She’s never had
them since.
That's amazing! She continues to take a small
dose of Hydro-Zyme, 1 with each meal and
large doses of the Betaine Plus HP, 4-6 per
meal. Her digestive issues are corrected and
her nails are stronger and grow faster with no
“zinc spots.”
There's also a story of "Bob”, and his family history of kidney
stones. Each of the 6 members of his family
has gone through numerous, painful episodes.
After he experienced 3 bouts with kidney
stones within a year, he decided to try to do
something about the calcium utilization problem.
By taking 2 Hydro-Zyme each meal, the
kidney stone formation stopped; and he has
been pain free for over a year.
As I mentioned earlier, when calcium utilization
is a problem, we can expect bone
spurs, kidney stones, and calcium deposits
that show up on mammograms and heart
scans. Due to the kidney stones and white
spots on his nails, Bob was encouraged by
my associate to get a heart scan. His cardiologist
was amazed to see calcium deposits
on someone only 34 years of age.
So what are the causes of poor calcium utilization?
The major ones are: drinking carbonated
beverages, a lack of hydrochloric
acid in the stomach and antacid use. No
wonder we have a calcium problem with all
the antacid and stomach acid blockers prescribed
and taken by the majority of people.
The body is trying to tell us something when
we get indigestion, poor growth of hair and
nails, and certainly as things like bone spurs,
kidney stones or calcium deposits are detected.
We need to listen to what our bodies are
trying to tell us. Why wait for something
serious to develop. Pay attention to the signs
early.

Coffee

Although coffee is one of the most heavily researched commodities and studies have spanned decades, there is still much controversy surrounding its effects on health. Study after study is performed--often with conflicting results--and it seems there is always a new study out to discount the last one.

For example, one 2004 study found that drinking coffee disrupted short-term word recall. This was promptly followed up by research published the following year, showing that the equivalent of two cups of coffee could improve short-term memory, prioritizing information efficiently, planning new tasks, and dealing with stored information.

I wonder who paid for the latter research? Hmmm.

Should You Drink Coffee?

It appears that drinking coffee may interfere with your body's ability to keep homocysteine and cholesterol levels in check, most likely by inhibiting the action of the vitamins folate, B12 or B6. Coffee has been previously associated with increased risk of stroke and rheumatoid arthritis. Studies have also shown that caffeine in coffee can raise blood pressure and levels of stress hormones, and if consumed in large quantities it can lead to heart palpitations, jitters and nervousness.

With that said, coffee is clearly not the healthiest liquid to drink – your best choice is pure water -- but coffee is still far less dangerous than fruit juice or soda.
While I do believe that eliminating, or at the very least limiting, coffee should be one of your goals. You'll definitely want to eliminate soda and fruit juice from your beverage list first.

There are, however, some important facets of coffee that you should know before you have your next morning cup.

The Dangers of Caffeine During Pregnancy

Pregnant women should NEVER drink coffee.

Caffeine is a stimulant drug that easily passes through the placenta to your developing fetus and is also transferred through breast milk.
During pregnancy and in infants, the half-life of caffeine is increased, which means that it will stay in your body, and your infant's body, longer. Moreover, fetuses have no ability to detoxify caffeine.
Research suggests that drinking more than 300 mg of coffee daily, or the equivalent of two to three 8-ounce cups, may increase the risk of miscarriage, birth defects such as cleft palate, and low birth weight. But as I mentioned above, I don't believe that ANY amount coffee is safe when you're pregnant.
Even with moderate caffeine intake, when the woman experiences no effects, studies have found changes in both the mother's and the fetal heart rate and blood pressure. Preliminary studies also suggest that drinking four cups of coffee or more per day may put the infant at an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Caffeine may also make it more difficult for women to maintain necessary levels of iron and calcium, which are especially important during pregnancy.

Would you like your coffee with cream and DDT?

There Probably Are Pesticides in Your Java. Coffee also has the issue of pesticide contamination, which is particularly harmful during pregnancy.

Coffee is usually not grown in the United States and we therefore have no control over which and how many pesticides are sprayed on coffee crops. And coffee is a heavily sprayed crop, so drinking coffee is likely to expose you to a dose of pesticides with each cup.

Pesticides have been associated with a number of health problems such as:
Prostate cancer and other cancers
Parkinson's Disease
Miscarriages
Aside from any pesticide residues that make it into your brew, there's also the issue of whether buying coffees grown with the help of potentially harmful chemicals contributes to the destruction of the environment and threatens the health of poor coffee farm workers.
If you choose to drink coffee, drinking organic coffee will hopefully reduce or eliminate your exposure to toxic herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers, and would be a more environmentally conscientious choice. The only drawback is that many of the 45 countries where coffee is produced have less control and monitoring for compliance to organic practices.

Avoid Coffee if You Have Certain Health Issues

Since coffee is a stimulant it will only worsen symptoms of insomnia and anxiety, and should definitely be avoided if you're already suffering from either. People with panic or anxiety disorders may find that they are especially sensitive to caffeine and may find that even a small amount of the stimulant exacerbates their symptoms.
Similarly, the caffeine will linger in your body for hours after you drink it, so it might keep you up at night even if you drink it long before bedtime.

-Personal experience: I drank an iced coffee this month, because I was tired. I only drink coffee about once per month, if that. Well, at 1:30 pm I drank, I was fine. By 6pm I was dry heaving. I know it was from the coffee. My Lebanese friends used give me strong imported Lebanese coffee to drink because we were studying and I still had no effects from the caffeine. It was only until the past efew years that I actually developed the "normal" caffeine drug effects.

For those with high blood pressure, a general rule is that the more caffeine you drink in a day, the higher your blood pressure will be. So if you are already at the higher end of the scales, drinking coffee will only increase your blood pressure further.

Also Protein Nutritional Types do not do well with caffeine and should only consume coffee or tea in small quantities, and not in the late afternoon or evening, as it will likely keep them up. (However this can be a good thing if you are using coffee as a drug for jet lag).

How to Wean Yourself off Coffee

If you try to stop drinking coffee "cold turkey" you will likely experience symptoms of withdrawal. According to one study, the more caffeine you use, the worse your withdrawal symptoms will be. This is because even small amounts of caffeine, such as one standard cup of coffee a day, can create an addiction. For those who consume it regularly, cutting even the smallest amount of caffeine could result in a range of withdrawal symptoms such as:

Headache
Fatigue or drowsiness
Depression and irritability
Lack of concentration
Flu-like symptoms such as nausea and muscle pain

This can be avoided by cutting down the amount you drink gradually over a period of days, or even weeks. It's also important to drink plenty of water during the process in order to keep your body well hydrated.

If you find that you miss your morning coffee-drinking ritual, replace it with a new tradition that will also boost your health and energy. Vegetable juice makes a great coffee replacement. It will give you the energy boost that you're looking for in the morning without the negative effects of caffeine.

While you're in the process of weaning yourself off coffee, here are some tips to reduce the chance of harmful effects until you can completely eliminate it:

Use organic coffee. As mentioned above, coffee is a heavily sprayed crop, so drinking organic coffee might reduce or eliminate your exposure to toxic herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers. It will also help the people working in the coffee fields, as they will be exposed to fewer pesticides as well.

Try "Swiss Water Process" decaf. If you are going to drink decaffeinated coffee, be sure that it uses a non-chemical based method of decaffeination. The "Swiss Water Process" is a patented method and is the best choice. Most of the major brands are chemically decaffeinated, even if it says "naturally decaffeinated" right on the container. If you are unsure of the methods, contact the manufacturer.
Avoid sugar and milk. These are actually much worse for you than the coffee itself. Don't compound the detrimental health effects by adding milk or sugar to your coffee.

Only use unbleached filters. If you use a "drip" coffee maker, be sure to use non-bleached filters. The bright white ones, which most people use, are chlorine bleached and some of this chlorine will be extracted from the filter during the brewing process.