January/February 2006 Issue

.

Reasons to Buy Organic!

By Lena Sanchez

 

There is a lot of controversy being thrown around these days as to whether organically grown foods are better than traditional. I thought I would give you some good reasons why it is better and how it benefits your health. The benefits are far-reaching and very important to assure a healthy body and clean and healthy environment along with leaving our next generation a less polluted world. Those reasons are:

 

1.     PROTECT FUTURE GENERATIONS HEALTH: The average child receives four times more exposure than an adult to at least eight widely used cancer-causing pesticides in food. Check out several reports straight from the horses’ mouth at http://www.antibiotic-alternatives.com/pesticides_reports.htm.

 

2.    PROTECT WATER QUALITY: Water makes up two-thirds of our body mass and covers three-fourths of the planet. Despite water’s importance, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that pesticides and herbicides contaminate the ground water in at least 38 states. Considering that only 54% of the states have reported in, it could be much more.

 

3.    TASTE, NUTRITION AND QUALITY: Legendary restaurant chefs across the country, from Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California to Nora Pouillon of Restaurant Nora in Washington D.C. will tell you: Organic food tastes better! Why? Well-balanced soils grow strong, healthy plants, which in turn make vegetables and fruits taste great.

 

4.     SUPPORT A TRUE ECONOMY: Organically grown foods may seem more expensive, but mere retail prices are deceptive. Current food prices do not reflect the costs of federal subsidies to conventional agriculture, the cost of cleaning up contaminated drinking water, the cost of loss of wildlife-habitat and topsoil, or the cost of disposal and cleanup of hazardous waste generated by the manufacturing of pesticides. Consumers can pay now or pay later.

 

5.     PRESERVE BIODIVERSITY: The loss of a large variety of species is one of our most pressing environmental concerns. Many organic growers have been collecting and using heirloom seed varieties for decades. Compare that to conventional farms, which continue to grow hybridized vegetables and fruits bred for uniformity, ease of shipping and cosmetic appearance versus great taste.

 

6.     REDUCE POTENTIAL HEALTH RISKS: Many EPA-approved pesticides were registered long before extensive research linked these chemicals to cancer and other diseases. Now, the EPA considers 60% of all herbicides, 90% of all fungicides and 30% of all insecticides as potentially cancer-causing.

 

7.     MASS PRODUCED VEGGIES LOST THEIR NUTRIENTS: Data from USDA food composition tables in 1936 reported that the land was nutrient deficient! Since 1975 to today, a dozen vegetables have been checked by Alex Jack, macrobiotic nutritionist, for a book he was editing. Results were as follows:

 

Calcium down 27% on average

Iron down 37%

Vitamin A down 21%

Vitamin C down 30%

 

A study in the British Food Journal three years ago found nutrient values had declined by as much a 22% in Britain from the 1930s to the 1980s. These figures are the very reason organic farmers usually add natural nutrients to the land by rotating crops that feed the ground and add the nutrients to keep them higher in their vegetables. I am not saying that all the nutrients are back to the 1900 standards sufficiently, but it is sure a lot better than the traditional farmers who mass produce for looks and amount, rather than quality. Traditional farming adds chemical compound fertilizer that puts exactly three nutrients in the plants. Now, when I was in school I was taught that our body requires a consistent need of 94 nutrients. I think 3 falls way short somehow, don't you?

 

 

This, along with not adding pesticides and chemicals, which adds to the cost we pay for organic, makes it far more worthwhile than the average grocery story fare. Getting sick and paying horrific medical bills or maybe dying from nutrient deficient foods that are creating free radicals throughout the body causing life threatening illness or disease, is very expensive, making buying organic far less expensive in the long run! Again, pay now or pay later!

 

These reasons alone should make buying organic foods the smart thing to do for yourself and your family if not for the rest of the world!

*** Meet Lena Sanchez, author, retired Medical office nurse/administrator/consultant http://www.antibiotic-alternatives.com/lenas.htm  Lena also does consulting in online business along with alternative health matters helping to build your success in business as well as healthy minds and bodies http://www.envirodocs.com  Editor of “Natural Environmental Health Facts & Your Home Business Coach” ezine subscribe at http://www.envirodocs.com/newsletter.htm 

BOOK OF THE WEEK

The Truth About
the Drug Companies

How They Deceive Us
and What to do About it

Marcia Angell, MD is a former Editor-in-Chief of The New England Journal of Medicine and winner of the 2002 Polk Award for magazine reporting.

“What does the eight-hundred-pound gorrilla do? Anything it wants to.” These are the first words of Chapter One, innagurating the pages of this monumental book with metaphoric clear-seeing that is beyond deniability. Indeed, America has made the drug companies (aka “Big Pharma”) a political and economic behemoth nearly incapable of stopping. A staggering $200 billion is now spent on prescription medications every year, lining the pockets of Big Pharma executives and milking an increasingly parched cash cow. In The Truth About the Drug Companies, Dr. Angell presents the grim details of Big Pharma’s rise to power and the manipulative and downright devious tricks it uses to stay there.

As part of a multifaceted strategy to prevent a loss of revenue, AstraZeneca (makers of Prilosec, a heartburn drug) developed an audacious plan. “The company would take out a new patent on the active form of the Prilosec molecule, name it Nexium (it wouldn’t have done to call it ‘Half-o’-Prilosec,’ but that’s what it was), and promote it as an improvement over Prilosec just in time to switch people over before the Prilosec patent expired. The plan worked.” (Page 77)

With a clarity of expression that makes the twists and turns of an otherwise confusing pharmaceutical labyrinth comprehensible, Dr. Angell lays Big Pharma’s bones bare. She details how drugs are created not by the industry but by tax-payer supported institutions, just how un-innovative the industry is, and the manner in which the industry exploits the very people it is supposed to be helping. High on the top of her hit list are the “Me-Too” drugs – new versions of old drugs that are given new names, higher prices, and enough hype that they become blockbusters on the top 10 drug list. 

“Once upon a time, drug companies promoted drugs to treat diseases. Now it is often the opposite. They promote diseases to fit their drugs.” (Page 86)

From the start, the reader is exposed to a disquieting and exasperating accounting of Big Pharma’s activities. Details jump off the page, and if the reader can get beyond seeing red, the facts start adding up to one giant, eight-hundred-pound gorilla’s mess: Big Pharma is swindling everyone, the government is letting it, and unless “We-the-People” rise up and do something about it, it will only continue. An example of these pharma-attrocities?

  • Most drugs are aimed at people with chronic conditions (e.g., depression, high cholesterol, arthritis), because such conditions by their nature are not so serious that they’re imminently lethal, but they don’t go away, either. There’s a lot of money to be made there. (Page 83)
  • Think your doctors always do what’s best for you? They’re “educated” by Big Pharma in the latest drugs, which of course, then get prescribed most often. And just to keep things lucrative, the industry piles on the gifts: Free tickets to big games, family vacations in Hawaii, wads of cash. Where this would usually trigger red flags reading “bribery,” doctors think otherwise and continue to prescribe drugs with one hand while the other is openly waiting for the next big gift. (Page 128)
  • The pharmaceutical industry has the largest lobby in Washington, by far. In 2002 it employed 675 lobbyists at a cost of over $91 million. That’s more than one lobbyist for each member of Congress. And who are these lobbyists? Many of them are former members of Congress or congressional staff. They definitely have close ties with a government reliant on pharmaceutical dollars. (Page 198)
     

“In my view, we have become an overmedicated society….Patients have also been well taught…that if they don’t leave the doctor’s office with a prescription, the doctor is not doing a good job. The result is that too many people end up taking drugs when there may be better ways to deal with their problems.” (Pages 169-70)

In an age when an overwhelming proportion of the American population is popping drugs for every conceibable sickness and discomfort, The Truth About the Drug Companies gives people even more reason to feel ill. With nearly prophetic and unapologetic verve, Dr. Angell sets the record straight: Is the pharmaceutical industry controlling government? Yes. Is it controlling medical schools and influencing doctors with incredibly biased “educational” seminars? Yes. Is it making ridiculous amounts of money by dodging research costs, milking the public, and forcing international trade laws to bend? Yes. But do we have to put up with it any longer? No. And this declaration – saved until the final chapter of the book – is like a breath of much-needed, drug-free air for a pharmaceutically-sickened audience.

Book Review by Ryan N. Harrison, MA, HHP and Editor-in-Chief of Natural Healing Today magazine.
 

MOTIVATIONAL TIPS

Building Vocabulary:
Using Context Clues to Learn Word Meaning

When authors write, they often include context clues to the meaning of words they use but think that some of their readers may not know. The context clue is usually presented in the sentence or paragraph in which the word occurs. Sometimes a visual such as a picture is provided.

Here are six types of context clues used by authors to help the reader understand the meanings of words. An example is provided for each.

1. Definition context clue. The author includes a definition to help the reader understand the meaning of a word. In the following example, “tainted” is defined as having a disease.

The people of the town were warned not to eat the tainted fish. The local newspaper published a bulletin in which readers were clearly told that eating fish that had a disease could be very dangerous. This was especially true for fish caught in Lake Jean.

2. Synonym context clue. The author includes a synonym to help the reader understand the meaning of a word. A synonym is a word that means the same as or nearly the same as another word. In the following example, the synonym “pity” helps the reader understand the meaning of “compassion.”

After seeing the picture of the starving children, we all felt compassion or pity for their suffering.

3. Antonym context clue. The author includes an antonym to help the reader understand the meaning of a word. An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another word. In the following example, the antonym “eager” helps the reader understand the meaning of “reluctant.”

Joe was reluctant to take on the position of captain of the basketball team. He was afraid that the time it would take would hurt his grades. On the other hand, Billy was eager for the chance to be captain. He thought that being captain of the team would make him very popular in school.

4. Description context clue. The author includes one or more descriptions to help the reader understand the meaning of a word. In the following example, descriptions of President Kennedy as having charm, enthusiasm, and a magnetic personality help the reader understand the meaning of “charismatic.”

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, our 35th president, improved human rights and equal rights for all people. He was a very charismatic president. People were attracted to his charm and enthusiasm. His personality was described as magnetic.

5. Summary context clue. The author makes a number of statements that help the reader understand the meaning of a word. In the following example, statements about being rude, showing no respect, having poor manners, and being impolite help the reader understand the meaning of “impertinent.”

Andrea was a very impertinent young lady. She was so rude that she talked while her teacher was explaining a lesson. She showed no respect for other students. Her manners were very poor. Even her parents thought that Andrea was impolite.

6. Visual context clue. The author includes a picture, drawing, chart, graph, or other type of visual to help the reader understand the meaning of a word. In the following example, the picture and its caption that is close to the sentence helps the reader understand that “exultant” means great joy.

Peggy had an exultant look on her face.

Using the context clues provided by authors can help you learn the meaning of many new words.

From http://www.How-To-Study.com

 

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                                      -
Amy Bloom
 

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Feel the Force

Nutrients for Life!

When was the last time you felt
fully alive? In top condition? 
Totally healthy?

     
Most health experts agree, if you are not taking a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement, chances are you’re not getting the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients you need to experience great health and wellness. The sad truth is that the “modern American diet” has become so nutrient-poor in quality that the foundation of an overall health maintenance program has shifted from what you eat to what supplements you take.

 “Most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone…
It appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements.”

~ Journal of the American Medical Association

In addition, pollution, toxins, pesticides, junk food, cigarette smoking and stress all contribute to an excessive load of free radicals – rampant molecules produced by the body that attack and damage cell membranes and tissues. It is recognized that more than 60 human diseases involve free radical damage, including cancer, diabetes, arthritis, heart disease and many other chronic diseases.

Antioxidants are nature’s free radical fighters and naturally occur in fresh fruits and vegetables. There are many clinical trials which show that antioxidants lessen the impact of degenerative diseases. Therefore, if you are not getting enough variety and quantity of antioxidants, supplementation is a necessary part of your health maintenance program

DetoxiGreen is a professionally formulated, broad-spectrum antioxidant supplement, specifically designed to support vibrant, long-term health. DetoxiGreen provides the optimal potency of essential vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids and other vital nutrients in a synergistically balanced combination. Containing 45 different nutrients, including green “superfoods” (such as Spirulina, Green Tea extract, Barley Grass and others), DetoxiGreen helps maintain a healthy immune system and prevent any nutrient deficiencies. At the same time, it does not contain iron which can be harmful in large doses, especially for men. This comprehensive, vegetarian formula – for men and women, alike – is a perfect daily supplement.

DrNatura.com recommends the long-term daily use of this comprehensive multiple antioxidant formula as a cornerstone of an overall health maintenance program.

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ALERTS

Medical Freedom Alert

Our health freedom remains under siege. Please support the following organizations, which are at the forefront of those working to protect our rights:

Citizens for Health http://www.citizens.org
(Sign their online petition to safeguard
health supplements.)

Institute for Health Freedom http://www.ForHealthFreedom.org

International Advocates
for Health Freedom (IAHF)

http://www.iahf.com

Health Lobby (Monica Miller)
http://www.healthlobby.com
.

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YUMMY RECIPE OF THE WEEK


T
ry this at home!
Potatoes with Almonds

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. potatoes 
- 1 lb. ground almonds 
- 2 tbsp. minced onion 
- 2 slices bread 
- 2 cloves garlic 
- 1 tsp. saffron 
- 1 bay leaf 
 -a touch of powdered cloves 
- buttered breadcrumbs 
- olive oil for frying 
- salt 
- freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Fry the cubed bread in the oil with the minced garlic, bay leaf and minced onion.
2. Mix with the ground
almonds and mix all together with the saffron, seasoning well.
3. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes, place them in a well greased casserole. Pour the almond mixture over the potatoes. Moisten with a little milk if necessary. Add sufficient boiling water to cover the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and cloves and buttered breadcrumbs.
4. Bake in a moderate oven (350 – 375º F or 190 – 220º C) until tender and brown.

(From www.1stholistic.com/Recipes)

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