Contrarian Health

The Yolks On Us : 500 Million eggs recalled for salmonella contamination

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:56:47 +0000

There are dozens of carton labels that manufacturers can use. Some are meaningful, but others are just ways to confuse consumers into thinking they’re buying eggs from wholesome and happy chickens. :

cage-free, organic, free-range, free-roaming, natural, pastured, omega-3 enriched, certified humane, United Egg Producers certified

Link to glossary of different egg marketing terms and what they mean … and more importantly don’t.

Link to egg brands affected by the August 2010 recall

(Just goes to show the egg industry is not all it’s cracked up to be).

Of All The Gall — Stone Prevention

admin — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 23:22:50 +0000

The exact cause of many gallstones is not known, but we know that there are several things that contribute. These include a high fat diet and being overweight, heritage and having given birth to children. Another surprising thing that seems to cause them is rapid weight loss and a very low fat diet. The rapid weight loss contributes to gallstones because the liver pumps out cholesterol in the bile and it becomes so concentrated that it can form stones.

The gallbladder’s normal function is to collect and concentrate the bile. The bile is used to help digest fatty and oily foods. When you eat something containing fat or oil – like something fried – the gallbladder squeezes out bile. So, those that never eat anything with fat or oil do not ever have the gallbladder emptied. The bile then becomes more and more concentrated until crystals start to form.

Unfortunately, there may be no way to completely avoid gallstones if your ancestors had them. But, you may be able to decrease the chance of getting them by several methods.

First, try to maintain a reasonable weight. Being overweight or underweight increases your chances of getting gallstones.

Second, drink enough fluids. Any time you are dehydrated, you can make the bile become more concentrated and gallstones can result.

Third, keep up with your good balanced diet. Don’t eat a lot of fats. But, don’t avoid them altogether. As always, the best fats are those you get in their natural state. The best place to get corn oil is by eating corn. The best place to get olive oil is by eating olives. If you want to avoid anything it is highly refined food.

Fourth, a good exercise program will keep the blood flow through your liver and gallbladder at good levels and will help with any problems that may occur.

Finally, if you do develop pain that sounds like it may be a problem with your gallbladder, see your doctor. If you do have pain from gallstones, the best and final treatment may still be surgery.

Source : Dr. Ron McCluskey

How To Purify Water For Drinking

admin — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:19:00 +0000

How Much Clorox To Add and Other Ways to Purify Water For Drinking

The treatments described at this Washington State Public Health link are recommended only in situations where the water is unsafe because of the presence of bacteria or viruses.

If you suspect the water is unsafe because of chemicals, oils, poisonous substances, sewage or other contaminants, absolutely do not use the water for drinking.

Do not overuse Clorox/chlorine. Ingesting excess amounts and above recommended levels is bad for your health.

For more information, and also discounts on countertop or whole home water purification systems, click on the Aquasana icon to the right and down a bit on the home page.

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Summary and related notes :

Storing water safely

Store one gallon of water per person per day. Store at least a three-day supply of water per person. Collect the water from a safe supply. Thoroughly washed plastic containers such as soft drink bottles are good, but glass even better. You can also purchase food-grade plastic buckets or drums.

Seal water containers tightly, label with date, and store in a cool, dark place. Replace water every six months. Never reuse a container that contained toxic materials such as pesticides, solvents, chemicals, oil or antifreeze. Water purification

Treating water

There are two primary ways to treat water: boiling and adding bleach. If tap water is unsafe because of water contamination (from floods, streams or lakes), boiling is the best method. Cloudy water should be filtered before boiling or adding bleach.

Filter water using coffee filters, paper towels, cheese cloth or a cotton plug in a funnel.

Boiling is the safest way to purify water. Bring the water to a rolling boil for one minute. Let the water cool before drinking. If boiling is not possible, treat by adding liquid household bleach, such as Clorox or Purex. Household bleach is typically between 5 percent and 6 percent chlorine. Avoid using bleaches that contain perfumes, dyes and other additives. Be sure to read the label.

Place the water (preferably filtered) in a clean container. Add the amount of bleach according to the tables listed in the “purifying household water” fact sheet. Mix thoroughly and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes before using (60 minutes if the water is cloudy or very cold).

FDA Warns of Muscle and Kidney damage from high dosage Zocor

admin — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 09:23:24 +0000

Muscle Injury Risk With Higher Zocor Doses, Certain Other Drugs

Based on review of data from a large clinical trial and data from other sources, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a warning on March 19, 2010 about an increased risk of muscle injury in patients taking the highest approved dose of the cholesterol-lowering medication, Zocor* (simvastatin) 80 mg, compared to patients taking lower doses of simvastatin and possibly other drugs in the “statin” class.

The FDA also warned that mixing Zocor with certain other drugs also increases patients’ risk of muscle injury, including the rare but serious complication known as rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis can sometimes result in fatal kidney damage.

“Other drugs” includes incidental exposure to niacin-containing products as innocent as breakfast cereal.

The combination products Vytorin and Simcor also contain simvastatin, the active ingredient in Zocor. Zocor is a member of the class of drugs known as statins. All statin drugs carry a risk of muscle damage, but new data suggest that this risk may be particularly high for the 80 milligram dose of Zocor.

The data come from the SEARCH study, in which muscle damage was seen in nearly 1% of patients taking the 80 milligram dose of Zocor but in only 0.02% of patients taking the 20 milligram dose of Zocor.

Rhabdomyolysis was rare in the SEARCH study. It happened in only 11 of 6,031 patients (0.02%) in group taking the 80 milligram dose of Zocor, but was not seen in patients taking the 20 milligram dose.

Source : FDA

As always, consult your physician before altering your prescribed medication routine.

Organic Foods in a Nutshell

admin — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 09:02:38 +0000

From Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Nutrition Specialist :

So, if I were to give my overall recommendations to save yourself from the inherent health dangers of pesticides and herbicides, while also eating food that contains the highest levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, it is this:

1. Choose organic over conventional most of the time, when it’s available

2. Choose local foods over organic if the organic food came from very long distances away (although frozen organic fruits and vegetables can be just as nutritious as local)

3. Don’t forget that choosing organic also helps to protect the environment from chemical fertilizer and pesticide pollution that can harm ecosystems and your own drinking water supply.

4. Don’t fall for “organic junk foods” — I’ve been seeing this trend lately — Just because crackers, cookies, cakes, and corn chips may be labeled “organic”, doesn’t mean they are healthy… junk food is still junk food! And these are still overly processed foods that can make you fat!

Remember that forcing change for responsible agriculture starts with your choices as a consumer. The more we demand responsibly grown and raised foods by choosing those foods in our shopping carts, the more that producers and suppliers will respond to that demand.

When going nuts is a good thing … up to a point

admin — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 17:54:57 +0000

While peanuts can be a healthy part of your diet, it’s also important to note that an ounce of raw peanuts has 13 grams of fat and 160 calories. One ounce of peanuts is a small handful, or about 40 pieces.

Unsalted or lightly salted, dry roasted peanuts are best because they avoid cooking oils. It’s the same as baking them in an oven on a cookie sheet (roast shelled peanuts at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes). You can also control the amount of salt you put on them. Check the labels of the dry roasted peanuts for what ingredients are used along with the peanuts; it may differ from supplier to supplier.

Raw peanuts should be avoided because of the possibility of them being contaminated with a fungus that releases a cancer causing metabolic product (mycotoxin) called aflatoxin B1, which is an officially recognized carcinogen (cancer causing compound). Although peanuts grown in dry areas, tend to reduce or eliminate fungus contamination, avoid using raw peanuts for making peanut butter too.

Peanuts contain many important nutrients, including plant protein, fiber, folate, manganese, magnesium, vitamin E, copper, zinc, and iron.

Alternatives to peanuts and peanut butter: almonds and almond butter

Almond butter is the best food alternative to peanut butter and actually has higher omega 3’s. Maybe not as tastey, almond butter is at least not contaminated with the aflatoxin fungus.

On a related health subject — fiber — Virginia peanuts, for example, contain a generous 2.4 grams of fiber per ounce.

There are actually two types of fiber : soluble and insoluble.

Soluble fiber, which is found in oats, barley, rye, dried beans, carrots, apples, black eyes peas, pinto beans, brown rice and oranges, has been shown to help lower cholesterol and blood sugar.

Insoluble fiber (or roughage) doesn’t dissolve in water and therefore helps add “bulk” to our body waste, resulting in better regularity. It can be found in cereals, wheat bran and the stalks and peels of fruits and vegetables, strawberries, bananas, pears, green beans, broccoli, and peppers.

Many vegetable and fruit sources contain both soluble and insoluble fiber.

To add fiber to your diet (and reduce your intake of simple carbohydrates) chose :

whole foods over processed foods

whole wheat bread over white bread

brown rice is better than white rice

whole fruits are better than canned juices

Distilled alcohol and wine predictably don’t have any fiber although beer has .7 gram per 12 ounces and you’ll get 1.4 grams from a Bloody Mary from six ounces of tomato juice and a large stalk of celery.

As always, “everything in moderation”, peanuts included. To our collective health !

Tips to save $$$ at the grocery store

admin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:24:29 +0000

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), it is a common misconception that a healthy meal plan must be costly and consist of high-priced specialty foods.

The ADA offers these tips to save money and help cost-conscious consumers navigate the grocery store shelves:

Boneless cuts are often better buys, since you are not paying for the weight of the bone. Think of cost per edible serving rather than cost per pound. Turkey has 46% edible meat per pound, while chicken has 41%.

There is no nutritional difference between brown and white eggs. Choose white eggs since they cost less.

Vegetables frozen in butter sauce cost twice as much as plain frozen vegetables — and they have more calories.

Instead of buying small containers of yogurt, buy a quart and separate it into 1-cup servings yourself.

Avoid individually packaged snacks. Reap significant savings with a do-it-yourself approach.

Price fruits with an eye on the cost per edible serving. If you are paying by the pound, you will be paying for the inedible seeds and rinds.

If fresh fruit is too expensive, buy frozen or canned fruit packed in water. If you buy fruit canned in syrup, rinse it before eating.

Use nonfat dry milk for drinking, cooking and baking. It is inexpensive and has a long shelf life.

Make your own cooking spray by putting vegetable oil in a spray bottle.

Cook your own hot cereal to save money. Regular or quick-cooking oats are much less expensive than instant oats.

Dry beans triple in volume when they are soaked and cooked. A 1-pound bag will make six 1-cup servings.

When buying fresh greens by weight, be sure to shake off the excess water before you put them in your cart. It is amazing how much water can be hidden in between the leaves.

The costs of special “dietetic or diabetic” foods are high and not necessary.

HZ : A Natural Cure for Cachexia And Cancer

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:30:56 +0000

The real culprit behind 3 out of every 4 cancer deaths is a syndrome called cachexia (pronounced “ka-kek-see-ah”).

And if you or someone you love is battling cancer…you would do well to do further research and your own due diligence, but you can’t afford to ignore it!

And you definitely can’t afford to ignore what could very well be the only natural compound that stops this stealth killer in its tracks :

Hydrazine Sulphate a/k/a Hydrazine Sulfate a/k/a “HZ”

Studies from some of the top cancer research facilities in the world, including Petrov Research Institute of Oncology in St. Petersburg, Russia and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, showed that not only is HZ completely safe … but it may very well be the only treatment on earth that gives terminal cancer patients a second chance at life.

Not only does it wipe out cachexia, studies show that HZ:

o Takes control of cancer and keeps it from spreading
o Halts — even reverses — tumor growth. In fact, it…
o Shrinks tumors up to HALF their original size

And it doesn’t subject you to any of the toxic side effects caused by chemo and radiation.

Not not a light read, but here’s a link with a lot of comprehensive information on HZ and cachexia to get you started on your road back to health without cancer :

http://www.cancertutor.com/Cancer/Hydrazine.html

Reverse menopause symptoms with natural bioidentical hormones

admin — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 01:38:58 +0000

They’ve been around for a while, but there’s a lot of renewed interest in bioidentical hormones used in replacement therapy (BHRT) for menopause symptoms. However, the verdict is still out if these bioidentical “natural” hormones are safer or more effective than standard hormone replacement therapy, and if you believe the FDA, may just be a clever marketing concept.

Bioidentical hormones are custom-mixed formulas containing various hormones that are chemically identical to those a woman’s body makes naturally. These prescription and over-the-counter products are marketed as being tailored to a woman’s individual hormone needs, typically determined through saliva testing.

As always, do your own due diligence. More information can be found thru Google searches. You might want to visit Wiki on the subject of BHRT for starters.

Video at Dr. David Brownstein’s website

Forced flu vaccinations ? A shot in the arm for Big Pharma profits !

admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:42:54 +0000

Behind the push to vaccinate the entire population [for Flu H1N1] are the pharmaceutical makers of the vaccines, who are working in conjunction with the government to make the vaccine mandatory.

Homeland security and FEMA are pushing for forced vaccinations and the medical experts, virologists and epidemiologists are calling for calm and resorting to voluntary vaccination only. The former have links with the vaccine manufacturers via political contacts.

A great deal of money will be made by the manufacturers, should forced vaccinations be mandated.

Read more at mercola.com