Health Plus Letter Vol. 8, No. 2

The Health Plus Letter
January 26, 2010 Vol. 8, No. 2
By Larry Trivieri, Jr. – founder & publisher

Table Of Contents
Quote of the Day
Fast Fact
The Aztec Wonder Food
My Cold- and Flu-Busting Drink
No Deaths From Vitamins, Minerals, Amino Acids or Herbs
Common Drugs Increase Risk Of Stroke And Death by William Campbell Douglass, MD
What The Massachusetts Election Means To Your Health by Robert J. Rowen, MD
Recommendations
Medical Freedom
Contact Information

As always, if you like what you read, please feel free to share this issue with others and invite them to join you as a subscriber to the Health Plus Letter. Thanks for reading!

Quote Of The Day

“Only the mediocre are always at their best.”
-- Jean Giraudoux

Fast Fact

There are approximately 2.5 trillion red blood cells in your body at any moment. To maintain this number, about two and a half million new ones need to be produced every second by your bone marrow. That's like a new population of the city of Toronto every second.

Unabashed Plug

Protect Yourself From Energy Pollution With the BioElectric Shield^TM. Energy pollution is all around us in the form of harmful electromagnetic frequencies and radiation (EMFs and EMR) emitted by power lines, cells phones, computers, and many other so-called modern conveniences. By wearing the BioElectric Shield pendant, you can protect yourself from the harmful effects of EMFs and EMR. To obtain a BioElectricShield, visit http://www.mcssl.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=408491. To learn more about how and why the BioElectric Shield works, see my article about it at http://www.1healthyworld.com/ezine/vol4no9.cfm.

The Aztec Wonder Food

The ancient Aztecs of Mexico were known as fierce warriors who exhibited great strength and endurance during battles. The key to their physical prowess had much to do with a particular food they ate as they prepared for battle. This food was so prized by the Aztecs that they bestowed it upon their kings as a sign of tribute because it was considered almost as valuable as gold. In fact, because of the value the Aztecs placed on this food, they used it as currency.

Today in Mexico another tribe of Amerindians are just as renowned as the Aztecs were for their legendary athleticism and endurance. They are the Tarahumara Indians who make their home deep within the Copper Canyons of northern Mexico. The Tarahumara are known as the world’s greatest runners. In traditional Tarahumara culture, running is a way of life for both men and women, and it is not uncommon for both sexes to run at least 50 miles a day through the canyons, and to continue to do so well into old age. Even more remarkable, degenerative diseases such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity that are so common in the United States, are virtually nonexistent among the Tarahumaras who continue to follow their native ways, despite their extreme poverty. Like the Aztecs before them, the secret to the Tarahumara’s remarkably good health and endurance is also in large part due to a single “wonder food.”

What is this amazing food? The humble chia seed.

To most Americans, the chia seed isn’t known as a food at all, but as the main ingredient behind the novelty item known as the Chia Pet (clay shaped in the form of animals from which chia seeds sprout). Fortunately, that is beginning to change as more and more researchers are discovering the potent combination of health benefits that chia seeds provide when consumed on a regular basis.

Power-Packed Nutrition In A Single Serving

The Tarahumara people, as well as other native peoples of Mexico and the southwestern region of the US, have been known to sustain themselves during day-long runs and marches on just a single serving of chia seeds (between one and 3 tablespoons). Unlikely as that may seem, it becomes more believable when you consider the nutritional properties of chia seeds.

To begin with, chia seeds are a very rich form of easily-digested protein. Unlike most other protein-rich foods, the protein chia seeds contain is digested and absorbed very quickly, allowing the body to rapidly transport it to its cells and tissues. For this reason, chia seeds are an exceptional food source for children and adolescents, a time in which rapid, protein-dependent development of tissue takes place. For the same reason, the seeds are also highly beneficial for woman who are pregnant, as well as for mothers who are breastfeeding. Because of how quickly and efficiently the human body can make use of the protein chia seeds contain, the seeds are also excellent for anyone interested in building and regenerating muscle.

But the benefits of chias seeds don’t end there. The seeds also provide a richer source of omega-3 essential fatty acids than either flaxseeds or fish like salmons and sardines. In addition, chia seeds are an excellent source of dietary fiber, and consumption of chia seeds has been shown to slow the digestion of carbohydrates, making it an ideal food for people with type 2 diabetes, as well as anyone struggling with blood sugar problems and insulin resistance. Research shows that regular consumption of chia seeds also helps to improve metabolism, increase lean muscle mass, and lower unhealthy cholesterol.

Chia seeds also provide a healthy supply of important vitamins and minerals, including boron, calcium (five times as much as milk and in a far more absorbable form), copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, niacin, phosphorus, and zinc. And, if that isn't enough, chia seeds are an excellent food for keeping the body hydrated and lubricated. This last health benefit is important. Chia seeds can absorb more than 12 times their weight in water. Because of this fact, the seeds can significantly prolong your body’s ability to remain properly hydrated, and therefore help your body to more effectively absorb and regulate electrolytes and nutrients, while also maintaining the proper intra- and extracellular fluid balance to ensure healthy cell function.

Yet another health benefit that chia seeds provide is that it can improve digestive and other gastrointestinal problems. This, too, is due to the seeds’ ability to absorb water. When chia seeds are combined with water and gelatinous substance known as a hydrophilic colloid forms. Such colloids are essential for maintaining the health and integrity of the mucosa lining the GI tract. This lining in people who suffer from GI problems such as impaired digestion, heartburn, chronic flatulence, and inflammation of the intestinal tract is almost always damaged to some degree. Regularly consuming chia seeds can help to repair such damage and alleviate related GI disorders.

Start Your Day With A Glass of Chia Fresca

Now that you are aware of the many health benefits that chia seeds provide, you most likely are ready to add them to your daily diet. The easiest way to do so is to prepare a glass of chia fresca, the traditional drink of the Tarahumara people. Doing so is very easy. Simply add one tablespoon of chia seeds (most health food stores now carry chia seeds; you can also order them online) to 10 tablespoons of pure water. As soon as you add the seeds, stir the combination vigorously for a few moments, then let it sit. Five minutes later, stir it all again, and then wait another 10 minutes. During this time, the seeds will absorb most of the water and turn into a gel. Add a bit of fresh-squeezed lemon or lime juice and a pinch of sugar and you will have chia fresca. (Sugar is optional; if you choose to use it, use raw organic cane sugar.) Drinking a glass of chia fresca with breakfast is an excellent way to start your day. You can also store the gel in the refrigerator (minus the sugar and lemon/lime juice) to use it later in cereal, oatmeal, or yogurt. The raw seeds can also be added to baking recipes.

Chia Oat Bars

Here's a delicious, easy to make replacement for snack bars using chia seeds.

Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
2-3 tbsp raw chia seeds
1/2 cup honey
2 tbsp unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 325 degree F. Mix oats and seeds and spread them onto baking sheets. Bake for 20 minutes, then transfer to a bowl. Add honey to a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce hat to low and allow to simmer for 5 minutes or until the honey starts to condense and thicken.

Add butter and stir, then pour the honey-butter mixture over the oats and seed mix and stir thoroughly. Spread mixture onto an 8-inch buttered baking pan, then cut into individual bars. Once bars are cut, tightly wrap each one in plastic or wax paper.

Caution: Although chia seeds do provide many potential health benefits, they should not be considered a "magic bullet" solution for health. In addition, because of their rich omega-3 content, chia seeds should not be consumed by people who are taking blood-thinning medications without the express consent of their physician. In some cases chia seeds can also cause allergic reactions, although these are rare. As with all dietary and nutritional approaches to health, speak with your doctor first to determine if adding chia seeds to your diet is right for you.

My Cold- and Flu-Busting Drink

During the recent holidays and while I was briefly in the hospital a few weeks ago to have my kidney stone surgically removed, I encountered a number of people. On one occasion—a holiday gathering of family and friends—most of the people I was with either had or were recovering from a cold or flu. Yet I didn’t “catch” anything.

I attribute the reason for my resistance to a drink concoction I decided to experiment with a few months ago. It’s very simple to make, and on the two occasions when I first felt a touch of a cold coming on, as soon as I drank a glass of it, my symptoms completely disappeared within a few minutes.

If you are interested in trying this drink for yourself, here’s how you make it.

In a glass, combine a quarter of a teaspoon of pure baking soda (make sure it does not contain aluminum; I use Arm & Hammer) with 4 grams (1 teaspoon of the brand I use). Then add 10 ounces of pure filtered water and stir. This will cause the mixture to fizz up like Alka-Seltzer. As soon as it does so, drink immediately. For best results, drink a few glasses throughout the day.

In place of water, you can also use juice. I’ve found that it tastes delicious when orange juice is substituted for water. Be careful, though, because the fizzing of the vitamin C and baking soda can cause the juice to overflow the glass, as I found out the first time I tried making it.

I believe that reason why this drink is effective for preventing colds and flu is because the baking soda helps to alkalize the body’s inner terrain (raising its pH), and alkaline environments make it difficult for bacteria, viruses, and fungi to thrive. Additionally, vitamin C is a known immune enhancer, providing a boost to the body’s immune system.

Try this drink yourself and see what you think.

No Deaths From Vitamins, Minerals, Amino Acids or Herbs: Poison Control Statistics Prove Supplements' Safety

[The next time you find a report in the media about the so-called dangers of nutritional or herbal supplements, I hope you will remember the facts reported in this article. In the last year, there has been a sharp rise in such scare stories, often with the claim that such supplements can contain steroids and other harmful substances and therefore that supplement companies need to be regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This claim is false on two fronts. First, steroids are not found in any of the thousands of nutritional and herbal supplements manufactured and sold by any of the legitimate supplement companies in the United States. Second, the FDA already has the authority to regulate supplement companies and to quickly act to remove harmful products from the marketplace. This authority was granted to the FDA by the DSHEA Act of 1994.

And then there is a third point, which is never made in the media accounts claiming supplements are harmful: The FDA also has the authority to regulate and remove harmful pharmaceutical drugs from the marketplace, yet fails miserably in this task year after year. If they did not, then over a 100,000 people each year in the US would not die from the use of such drugs when they are properly prescribed.]

(Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, January 19, 2010) There was not even one death caused by a dietary supplement in 2008, according to the most recent information collected by the U.S. National Poison Data System. The new 174-page annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers, published in the journal Clinical Toxicology, shows zero deaths from multiple vitamins; zero deaths from any of the B vitamins; zero deaths from vitamins A, C, D, or E; and zero deaths from any other vitamin.

Additionally, there were no deaths whatsoever from any amino acid or herbal product. This means no deaths at all from blue cohosh, echinacea, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, kava kava, St. John's wort , valerian, yohimbe, Asian medicines, ayurvedic medicines, or any other botanical. There were zero deaths from creatine, blue-green algae, glucosamine, chondroitin, melatonin, or any homeopathic remedies.

Furthermore, there were zero deaths in 2008 from any dietary mineral supplement. This means there were no fatalities from calcium, magnesium, chromium, zinc, colloidal silver, selenium, iron, or multimineral supplements. Two children died as a result of medical use of the antacid sodium bicarbonate. The other "Electrolyte and Mineral" category death was due to a man accidentally drinking sodium hydroxide, a highly toxic degreaser and drain-opener.

No man, woman or child died from nutritional supplements. Period.

61 poison centers provide coast-to-coast data for the U.S. National Poison Data System, which is then reviewed by 29 medical and clinical toxicologists. NPDS, the authors write, is “one of the few real-time national surveillance systems in existence, providing a model public health surveillance system for all types of exposures, public health event identification, resilience response and situational awareness tracking.”

Over half of the U.S. population takes daily nutritional supplements. Even if each of those people took only one single tablet daily, that makes 154,000,000 individual doses per day, for a total of over 56 billion doses annually. Since many persons take more than just one vitamin or mineral tablet, actual consumption is considerably higher, and the safety of nutritional supplements is all the more remarkable.

If nutritional supplements are allegedly so “dangerous,” as the FDA and news media so often claim, then where are the bodies?

Those who wonder if the media are biased against vitamins may consider this: How many television stations, newspapers, magazines, and medical journals have reported that no one dies from nutritional supplements?

Reference:
Bronstein AC, Spyker DA, Cantilena LR Jr, Green JL, Rumack BH, Giffin SL. 2008 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poison Data System (NPDS): 26th Annual Report. Clinical Toxicology (2009). 47, 911-1084.

The full text article is available for free download at http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/Portals/0/2008annualreport.pdf. Vitamins statistics are found in Table 22B, journal pages 1052-3. Minerals, herbs, amino acids and other supplements are in the same table, pages 1047-8.

For Further Reading:

Download any Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers from 1983-2008 free of charge at http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/NPDSPoisonData/AnnualReports/tabid/125/Default.aspx

Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular Medicine

Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org

The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource.

To Subscribe at no charge: http://www.orthomolecular.org/subscribe.html

Common Drugs Increase Risk Of Stroke and Death by William Campbell Douglass, MD

Reasons #47 and #48 to avoid antidepressants: They increase your risk of stroke and death.

If your immediate reaction is to toss them in the trash or dump them down the toilet, wait just a second. The researchers would like you to know that it’s a “relatively small” risk — so there’s no cause for alarm, and, of course, there’s no reason to stop taking your meds.

Of course that’s what they said. No matter how great the risk, or how small the benefit, the best line these scientists can come up with is that you need to weigh a drug’s risks against its benefits. I could be wrong here, but isn’t that what this study just did?

Out of the 136,293 women in the Women’s Health Initiative, the ones taking SSRIs like Prozac and Zoloft were 45 percent more likely to have a stroke and 32 percent more likely to die, compared to those not taking the drugs.

Those are odds I’d rather not take my chances with, especially when the drugs aren’t that effective to begin with – and when there are plenty of other safer ways to beat the blues.

In study after study, placebos routinely outperform antidepressants. In fact, these meds are consistently beaten by just about anything researchers put them up against. I wouldn’t be surprised if a study proved that you could beat depression by going fishing. After all, staying active is one of the best ways to pull yourself out of the dumps.

So if you’re battling the blues, skip the meds and take a vacation… go out to dinner with friends… take up a hobby.

Or, as one new study suggested, have some green tea. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that seniors who had four or more cups of green tea per day were 44 percent less likely to suffer from depression.

And if you STILL feel like you need to pop a pill to feel better, try some St. John’s wort. It’s cheaper, safer, and more effective than most commonly prescribed antidepressants.

(To subscribe to Dr. Douglass’ free online newsletter The Daily Dose visit http://douglassreport.com.)

What The Massachusetts Election Means To Your Health by Robert J. Rowen, MD

[I’m sharing the following article by Dr. Rowen for two reasons. One, I regard him as one of the leading figures in holistic medicine field, as well as a leader in the fight for medical freedom. Two, I completely agree with what he says below, sharing as I do his libertarian philosophy of individual freedom and responsibility.]

I tend to stay out of non-medical politics in my writings. After all, you subscribed to get and stay healthy. But the recent win in Massachusetts of the long shot Republican is a most telling story, especially for Obamacare.

Senator Ted Kennedy was a stalwart champion of socialized medicine, and Big Brother sitting in between you and your doctor. He and Richard Nixon almost passed a medical bill that included the "public option" back in the 1970s. With due respect for him as a public servant, my thoughts on his health policies, I admit, were a bit jaded. He's from a very wealthy family. And as a Senator, he was given some of the best health insurance in the country (by you and me, I might add)! So no matter what he foisted upon you, he would always have access to the best medical care available. Or at least the best conventional care available.

Sadly, Mr. Kennedy died in the arms of conventional medicine, as do millions of Americans every year. He fought for more FDA rules and regulations, the very agency that seeks to destroy competition to Pharma. And, if Obamacare were to pass, likely millions more would die. That plan will force you into a government system that would drastically limit your choices. And all of those choices would be within conventional medicine.

I believe that concerned Americans are quickly waking up, as draconian government powers accelerate. They are tired of government officials ignoring them. They're tired of the fake and false promises that government is the solution. They are at last beginning to see it as the problem. Indeed, we were promised a most transparent show of "health care" issue discussions in the 2008 elections. But House and Senate leaders attempted to iron out differences between their many hundreds of pages bills behind closed doors in secret.

Kudos to the largely "blue" Massachusetts for electing a minority candidate. To me, this was not a partisan election, Republican vs. Democrat. Those labels mean little to me. I believe that it was an awakening public speaking out and demanding that government be reined in. Brown focused on being the vote needed to filibuster Obamacare. That message resonated! I see this as a hopeful sign that people don't want the government this involved in medicine.

Except for a very few (Congressman Ron Paul — a strong defender of medical freedoms — comes to mind), most incumbents have grown fat on the government largesse. Voters should "throw the bums out" in every election until they learn that they are our servants, not our rulers. They have to learn that they cannot demand that we surrender our Freedoms for fake security. We have repeatedly seen what security the government has given us in return for surrender of freedoms. We have a bankrupt Social Security system, a bankrupt Medicare system, and a beyond bankrupt federal government. Would the Obamacare system have been any different given the Feds are batting a thousand with these other programs?

We also know Obamacare would be horrible for seniors. The Massachusetts election may have saved your access to much needed medical care. But it's not over yet. Please keep the pressure on your elected officials. They need to hear your voice more than ever.

Yours for better health and medical freedom,

Robert J. Rowen, MD

Recommendations

Websites
http://tinyurl.com/ye4jk8v - This link will take you to an article by my friend Sharry Edwards, one of the most gifted researchers and healers I’ve ever met. (Note: the article is a PDF file.)

http://emotrance.com - This site is the online homepage of a form of energy medicine that I am not familiar with. It sure sounds like fun and its underlying premise makes very good sense. I intend to experience it for myself the first chance I get.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE60E0WR.htm- Scientists have developed a fast-acting “germ killer” that is effective even against MRSA and other deadly bacterial infection. Read about it here. And note that the formula that has been developed is alkaline. It's long been known that pathogens of all sorts cannot live long in an alkaline environment. The standard American diet (SAD) is highly acidifying, creating a perfect environment inside the human body for such pathogens to thrive within, as well as chronic inf...lammation, a major factor in most degenerative disease states. In cultures around the world where degenerative diseases, including cancer, are rare, the diets are highly alkalizing. For more, read The Acid-Alkaline Food Guide, the book I co-authored with Dr. Susan Brown, one of the world’s foremost experts on this subject.

Medical Freedom

Please contact and support the following organizations dedicated to protecting our health freedoms.

Citizens for Health - http://www.citizens.org

American Association for Health Freedom – http://www.healthfreedom.net

Alliance for Natural Health – http://www.alliance-natural-health.org (The leading organization fighting to preserve health freedom in England and the EU.)

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

International Advocates for Health Freedom (IAHF) – http://www.iahf.com

And to learn how corrupt and extensive Big Pharma’s monopoly is, visit http://www.pnc.com.au/~cafmr/online/research/index.html the website for the Campaign Against Fraudulent Medical Research. In particular, read their in-depth report The Pharmaceutical Drug Racket that you will find there.

That’s all for this week.

Health and Blessings!

Larry Trivieri, Jr.

Contact Information: Due to the inordinate amount of spam my email account receives, I no longer use it to receive emails. To contact me, please visit www.1healthyworld.com/contactus

Disclaimer: The Health Plus Letter is a weekly eZine published by Larry Trivieri, Jr. and Library of Health, LLC (dba www.1healthyworld.com) 3 Greenwood Court, Utica, NY 13501. It is made available without charge for information purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical care. If you are experiencing a health problem, seek prompt medical attention.

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Legal Notice: The information in this eZine may be freely and widely disseminated so long as full attribution is made as follows: The Health Plus Letter, January 26, 2009, Vol. 8, No. 2. Copyright © 2010 by Larry Trivieri, Jr. All rights reserved.

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