The Spread of Superbugs

 

New York Times March 7, 2010

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

Op-Ed Columnist 

 

Until three months ago, Thomas M. Dukes was a vigorous, healthy executive at a California plastics company. Then, over the course of a few days in December as he was planning his Christmas shopping, E. coli bacteria ravaged his body and tore his life apart.  Mr. Dukes is a reminder that as long as we’re examining our health care system, we need to scrutinize more than insurance companies. We also need to curb the way modern agribusiness madly overuses antibiotics, leaving them ineffective for sick humans.

Antibacterial drugs were revolutionary when they were introduced in the United States in 1936, virtually eliminating diseases like tuberculosis here and making surgery and childbirth far safer. But now we’re seeing increasing numbers of superbugs that survive antibiotics. One of the best-known — MRSA, a kind of staph infection — kills about 18,000 Americans annually. That’s more than die of AIDS.

Mr. Dukes, 52, picked up a kind of bacteria called ESBL-producing E. coli. While it’s conceivable that he touched a contaminated surface, a likely scenario is that he ate tainted meat, said Dr. Brad Spellberg, an infectious-diseases specialist and the author of “Rising Plague,” a book about antibiotic resistance.

Vegetarians are also vulnerable to antibiotic resistance nurtured in hog barns. Microbes swap genes, so antibiotic resistance developed in pigs can jump to microbes that infect humans in hospitals, locker rooms, schools or homes. Routine use of antibiotics to raise livestock is widely seen as a major reason for the rise of superbugs. But Congress and the Obama administration have refused to curb agriculture’s addiction to antibiotics, apparently because of the power of the agribusiness lobby.

The ESBL E. coli initially remained in Mr. Dukes’s colon, causing no particular damage. But then he suffered an inflammation that perforated his colon — and the bacteria escaped. Mr. Dukes began suffering stomach pains and saw his doctor, who gave him Cipro, a strong antibiotic that had previously worked against the infection. This time, the pain grew worse. The next evening, he was in surgery to remove eight inches of his colon.  A culture attributed the infection partly to ESBL E. coli. Doctors inserted a tube to administer an intravenous antibiotic in an effort to save his life.

If ESBL E. coli is frightening, there are even more potent superbugs emerging, like Acinetobacter.
“We are seeing infections caused by Acinetobacter and special bacteria called KPC Klebsiella that are literally resistant to every antibiotic that is F.D.A. approved,” Dr. Spellberg said. “These are untreatable infections. This is the first time since 1936, the year that sulfa hit the market in the U.S., that we have had this problem.”

The Infectious Diseases Society of America, an organization of doctors and scientists, has been bellowing alarms. It fears that we could slip back to a world in which we’re defenseless against bacterial diseases. There’s broad agreement that doctors themselves overprescribe antibiotics — but also that a big part of the problem is factory farms. They feed low doses of antibiotics to hogs, cattle and poultry to make them grow faster.

A study by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that in the United States, 70 percent of antibiotics are used to feed healthy livestock, with 14 percent more used to treat sick livestock. Only about 16 percent are used to treat humans and their pets, the study found.  More antibiotics are fed to livestock in North Carolina alone than are given to humans in the entire United States, according to the peer-reviewed Medical Clinics of North America. It concluded that antibiotics in livestock feed were “a major component” in the rise of antibiotic resistance Legislation introduced by Louise Slaughter, a New Yorker who is the only microbiologist in the House of Representatives, would curb the routine use of antibiotics in farming. The bill has 104 co-sponsors, but agribusiness interests have blocked it in committee — and the Obama administration and the Senate have dodged the issue.

After weeks of receiving intravenous antibiotics, Mr. Dukes is now recovering at home in Lomita, Calif. He must use a colostomy bag, but he hopes to be patched up and ready to return to work next month. Still, he knows that the ESBL E. coli remains in his gut. “As long as it’s contained in my colon, I’m a happy camper,” he said. “But if it gets out again, I’m in trouble.”

Dr. Martin J. Blaser, chairman of the department of medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center, and a former president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, agrees that agricultural use of antibiotics produces cheaper meat. But he says the price may be an enormous toll in human health.  “You could have very lethal pandemics,” he said. “We’re brewing some perfect storms.”

•

Sugar May Be Bad But This Sweetener Is Far More Deadly

by Dr. Joe Mercola

Posted: February 17, 2010 08:32 AM

Study after study are taking their place in a growing lineup of scientific research demonstrating that consuming high-fructose corn syrup is the fastest way to trash your health. It is now known without a doubt that sugar in your food, in all it's myriad of forms, is taking a devastating toll.
And fructose in any form -- including high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and crystalline fructose -- is the worst of the worst!
Fructose is a major contributor to:
• Insulin resistance and obesity
• Elevated blood pressure
• Elevated triglycerides and elevated LDL
• Depletion of vitamins and minerals
• Cardiovascular disease, liver disease, cancer, arthritis and even gout
A Calorie is Not a Calorie
Glucose is the form of energy you were designed to run on. Every cell in your body, every bacterium -- and in fact, every living thing on the Earth--uses glucose for energy.
If you received your fructose only from vegetables and fruits (where it originates) as most people did a century ago, you'd consume about 15 grams per day -- a far cry from the 73 grams per day the typical adolescent gets from sweetened drinks. In vegetables and fruits, it's mixed in with fiber, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and beneficial phytonutrients, all which moderate any negative metabolic effects.
It isn't that fructose itself is bad -- it is the MASSIVE DOSES you're exposed to that make it dangerous.
There are two reasons fructose is so damaging:
1. Your body metabolizes fructose in a much different way than glucose. The entire burden of metabolizing fructose falls on your liver.
2. People are consuming fructose in enormous quantities, which has made the negative effects much more profound.
Today, 55 percent of sweeteners used in food and beverage manufacturing are made from corn, and the number one source of calories in America is soda, in the form of HFCS.
Food and beverage manufacturers began switching their sweeteners from sucrose (table sugar) to corn syrup in the 1970s when they discovered that HFCS was not only far cheaper to make, it's about 20 percent sweeter than table sugar.
HFCS is either 42 percent or 55 percent fructose, and sucrose is 50 percent fructose, so it's really a wash in terms of sweetness.
Still, this switch drastically altered the average American diet.
By USDA estimates, about one-quarter of the calories consumed by the average American is in the form of added sugars, and most of that is HFCS. The average Westerner consumes a staggering 142 pounds a year of sugar! And the very products most people rely on to lose weight -- the low-fat diet foods -- are often the ones highest in fructose.
Making matters worse, all of the fiber has been removed from these processed foods, so there is essentially no nutritive value at all.
Fructose Metabolism Basics
Without getting into the very complex biochemistry of carbohydrate metabolism, it is important to understand some differences about how your body handles glucose versus fructose. I will be publishing a major article about this in the next couple of months, which will get much more into the details, but for our purpose here, I will just summarize the main points.
Dr. Robert Lustig[i] Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco, has been a pioneer in decoding sugar metabolism. His work has highlighted some major differences in how different sugars are broken down and used:
• After eating fructose, 100 percent of the metabolic burden rests on your liver. But with glucose, your liver has to break down only 20 percent.
• Every cell in your body, including your brain, utilizes glucose. Therefore, much of it is "burned up" immediately after you consume it. By contrast, fructose is turned into free fatty acids (FFAs), VLDL (the damaging form of cholesterol), and triglycerides, which get stored as fat.
• The fatty acids created during fructose metabolism accumulate as fat droplets in your liver and skeletal muscle tissues, causing insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Insulin resistance progresses to metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes.
• Fructose is the most lipophilic carbohydrate. In other words, fructose converts to activated glycerol (g-3-p), which is directly used to turn FFAs into triglycerides. The more g-3-p you have, the more fat you store. Glucose does not do this.
• When you eat 120 calories of glucose, less than one calorie is stored as fat. 120 calories of fructose results in 40 calories being stored as fat. Consuming fructose is essentially consuming fat!
• The metabolism of fructose by your liver creates a long list of waste products and toxins, including a large amount of uric acid, which drives up blood pressure and causes gout.
• Glucose suppresses the hunger hormone ghrelin and stimulates leptin, which suppresses your appetite. Fructose has no effect on ghrelin and interferes with your brain's communication with leptin, resulting in overeating.
If anyone tries to tell you "sugar is sugar," they are way behind the times. As you can see, there are major differences in how your body processes each one.
The bottom line is: fructose leads to increased belly fat, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome -- not to mention the long list of chronic diseases that directly result.
Panic in the Corn Fields
As the truth comes out about HFCS, the Corn Refiners Association is scrambling to convince you that their product is equal to table sugar, that it is "natural" and safe.
Of course, many things are "natural" -- cocaine is natural, but you wouldn't want to use 142 pounds of it each year.
The food and beverage industry doesn't want you to realize how truly pervasive HFCS is in your diet -- not just from soft drinks and juices, but also in salad dressings and condiments and virtually every processed food. The introduction of HFCS into the Western diet in 1975 has been a multi-billion dollar boon for the corn industry.
The FDA classifies fructose as GRAS: Generally Regarded As Safe. Which pretty much means nothing and is based on nothing.
There is plenty of data showing that fructose is not safe -- but the effects on the nation's health have not been immediate. That is why we are just now realizing the effects of the last three decades of nutritional misinformation.
As if the negative metabolic effects are not enough, there are other issues with fructose that disprove its safety:
• More than one study has detected unsafe mercury levels in HFCS[ii].
• Crystalline fructose (a super-potent form of fructose the food and beverage industry is now using) may contain arsenic, lead, chloride and heavy metals.
• Nearly all corn syrup is made from genetically modified corn, which comes with its own set of risks.
The FDA isn't going to touch sugar, so it's up to you to be proactive about your own dietary choices.
What's a Sugarholic to Do?
Ideally, I recommend that you avoid as much sugar as possible. This is especially important if you are overweight or have diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure.
I also realize we don't live in a perfect world, and following rigid dietary guidelines is not always practical or even possible.
If you want to use a sweetener occasionally, this is what I recommend:
1. Use the herb stevia.
2. Use organic cane sugar in moderation.
3. Use organic raw honey in moderation.
4. Avoid ALL artificial sweeteners, which can damage your health even more quickly than fructose.
5. Avoid agave syrup since it is a highly processed sap that is almost all fructose. Your blood sugar will spike just as it would if you were consuming regular sugar or HFCS. Agave's meteoric rise in popularity is due to a great marketing campaign, but any health benefits present in the original agave plant are processed out.
6. Avoid so-called energy drinks and sports drinks because they are loaded with sugar, sodium and chemical additives. Rehydrating with pure, fresh water is a better choice.
If you or your child is involved in athletics, I recommend you read my article Energy Rules for some great tips on how to optimize your child's energy levels and physical performance through good nutrition.
[i] Robert H. Lustig, MD: UCSF Faculty Bio Page, and YouTube presentation "Sugar: The bitter truth" and "The fructose epidemic" The Bariatrician, 2009, Volume 24, No. 1, page 10)
[ii] "Why is the FDA unwilling to study evidence of mercury in high-fructose corn syrup?" 20 Feb 2009, Grist
Dr. Joseph Mercola is the founder and director of Mercola.com. Become a fan of Dr. Mercola on Facebook, on Twitter and check out Dr. Mercola's report on sun exposure!

Pre and Post Workout Nutrition Shake

This from Greg Peterson at Nutrition Dynamics.  These are are very high quality products which we carry in the store.  I have been using them and the results have been great!

 The pre and post workout shake is the same as the nutrients needed to get a strenuous workout in are the same as for recovery. With good nutritional loading before your workout, your body can be in a simultaneous catabolic/anabolic state, meaning it can begin immediate rebuilding as it's broken down, if it has an abundance of recovery nutrients:

* Two scoops of Ultimate Protein. A blend of concentrated whey protein, whey protein isolate, and hydrolyzed whey protein. A blend of the types of whey protein is your best for muscle repair, as well as glutathione enhancement as a antioxidant, for detoxification, and immune enhancement. Approximately 30-40 grams of protein at a time seems to be about as much as the body can use.
* Two scoops of Kre-Alkalyn (alkaline form of creatine-scooper in bottle) mixed in your drink. Regular creatine starts with a low PH, then when creatine gets into the acidic PH of the stomach, it becomes even more acidic. This is problematic because at a low PH, creatine converts to the waste product creatinine, which doesn't work as creatine, but also slightly stresses the kidneys. Creatine has been shown to increase ATP during exercise, as well as reduce inflammation, stimulate satellite cell formation (important for muscle growth), and increase gene activity that boosts protein synthesis and cell repair.
* One tablespoon of Glutamine (P330) added to drink. This pharmaceutical grade glutamine promotes a positive nitrogen balance needed for muscle repair, as well as reducing the catabolic hormone cortisol, while increasing natural secretion of reparative growth hormone.
* One scoop of Dynamic Greens (concentrated plant nutrients) added to drink. A great tasting combination of vegetables and fruits that provide a powerful supply of antioxidants and phytonutrients. Exercising intensely breaks down tissue, increases free radicals, and increased oxidation. This dramatically increases the need for antioxidants to repair cells, reduce oxidation and aging of tissue, reduce chronic inflammation, speed recovery and detoxification. Dynamic Greens aids in all these areas.
* One Teaspoon of EPA-DHA Balanced Liquid added to the drink. These omega 3 oils are essential for fluidity of cells, meaning the cell is able to uptake nutrients, as well as eliminate toxic waste materials. EPA-DHA is also incredible effective in reducing chronic inflammation, cellulite, damage to cartilage, as well as reduced risk to heart disease.

  Add the above to 4 ounces of a 100% juice (organic preferable), 4 ounces of quality water, and ice cubes 30 minutes before your workout as well as soon after your workout as possible (at least within the hour).  OR I use yogurt, organic frozen fruits (blueberry, strawberry, black cherry) and a banana for sweetner.

For men in at least their mid twenties or older, consider using our Tribestan (tribulus terrestris) for a natural increase in testosterone levels. Tribestan is the brand name tribulus that the medical research has been done on. They have a proprietary method of extracting the plant sterols that naturally increase LH to direct the testes to produce optimal levels of testosterone. Testosterone is the grandaddy of all hormones for recovery from workouts and muscle repair. Take Tribestan at 1 tablet per 50 Ibs. of body weight per day (including days you are not working out).

After especially intense workouts, take Protrypsin or Inflamase (proteolytic enzymes) @ 3-4 capsules (empty stomach) to reduce muscle soreness, reduce muscle strength losses, and speed recovery. It does this by increasing leukocyte activity (leukocytes are white blood cells used in the healing process) that breakdown injured tissues so that the muscle can be repaired.

Finally, consider using Chondro Joint Aide packets for joint repair and joint pain relief at 2 packets per day. These daily packets contain nutrients/herbs to prevent joint damage, repair cartilage and connective tissues, and reduce pain/inflammation such as glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, hyaluronic acid, ginger, curcumin, and 5-loxin from boswellia.

Eye Health

A common concern among CNF customers is vision health.  The macula is the center of the retina & is responsible for central vision. It is also the most sensitive part of the retina, prone to deterioration as we age. Nutrition plays a very important role in eye health. Our retinas are partly composed of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA (rich in fish oils) & Lutein & Zeaxanthin. These latter two are carotenoids, stored in high amounts around the macula, which provide potent antioxidant protection & help stop harmful oxidation from diminishing our macular pigment density, thus our vision. Our bodies cannot make these nutrients which are found in colorful fruits & vegetables or supplements.  At least 10 mg of Lutein, 400 mg of zeaxanthin & 600 mg of DHA are recommended daily.  Ocu-Support by NOW, a comprehensive eye-nutrient formula, is on sale this month at CNF.  Take as recommended w/ two Carlsons Fish Oil capsules (or the equivalent) for the required DHA.  Another related common customer question at CNF is what to do about dry eyes. It is very important to support eye moisture “from within” w/ fish oil (600 mg EPA/DHA), 200 mg GLA (found in evening primrose oil or borage oil), a good quality multivitamin w/ at least 5000 IU of Beta Carotene & other Carotenoids (or a product like Ocu-Support) and Vitamin D.  Symptomatic relief can be obtained w/ homeopathic drops such as Dry Eye Relief by Similasan.

Divine Daisy A Transpersonal Tale

Creating Divine Daisy

Eighteen months ago I began working on a children's book about a special dog. The story itself came to me in a series of early morning images that appeared over a period of months. No matter how hard I tried to ignore them they continued to re-appear with a vividness that compelled me to act. I outlined the story and then began looking for an illustrator who could bring the story to life.

After a futile two-month search I wandered into a student exhibit at the Tweed Museum in Duluth and was immediately captivated by the artwork of Ginny Maki. I contacted her and briefly described the story to her and without a moment’s hesitation she joined the project. Her initial drawings had an uncanny, even eerie resemblance to those first images that had haunted me months earlier. The writing process that followed was joyful as the story flowed through me almost verbatim as it appears in the book today.

Story Summary

Divine Daisy is the magical story of a dog whose special gift is awakened when she is kissed by a rabbit. It’s the story of a lonely boy who takes her home, the rabbits who she befriends and who share their secrets with her. It is a story of love, hope and truth told with heartbreaking honesty that does not gloss over the more difficult emotions of sadness and grief. The story is about our cosmic connection to something greater than ourselves – a world beyond logic and reason that resonates with how children see the world. Divine Daisy is an affirmation of the mystery of life and a book that will enchant children each time they read it.

The book is for people of all ages, big and small. It is a book that parents will want to read and discuss with younger children. It is a book that adults will find joy in reading themselves. Most of all it is a book to be shared with someone special. The watercolor illustrations are heartfelt and bring the story to life in a way that engages the imagination. In each image the artist has captured the essence of Divine Daisy. Like a holograph each illustration contains the whole story. Taken together story and image carry us into a transpersonal realm of universal harmony.

Books can be purchased at BUMBLEBEE HOLLOW PRESS

Foods You Can Trust

by: Asinus Asinum Fricat

Two days ago I posted my 08 Food Awards Hall of Shame and since every coin has two sides here's the flip: the best foods you can eat and why. Though it doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell us that fruits & vegetables win hands down on the health scale but there are still quite a few surprises in the nutrient quiver! There are basically two groups of foods that you can eat ad nauseam without piling on the dreaded calories: vegetables and fruits. Eat your fruits and vegs with fiber and you get nutrients. Another super-nutrient is protein. It's becoming more scientifically accepted that protein helps to control appetite. Protein also offers greater staying power, and can boost your metabolism. Come check my list (not in alphabetical or preference)

Most doctors and nutritionists agree that fiber is good for us, and for this reason we should eat fruit, which contains fiber. But both fruit and vegetable also contain a lot of carbohydrate. One apple, for example, contains about 3 grams of fiber and 16 grams of carbohydrate. A banana has approximately 3 grams of fiber and 22.84 gr of carbohydrates per 100gr. A note for folks afflicted with either type 1 and type 2 diabetes: as you know, as little as one gram of carbohydrate can raise blood sugars so keep this in mind as eating too much carbohydrate at one time from any source can raise your blood sugar so spacing those carbohydrates throughout the day will help control your blood sugar and blood glucose levels. A good friend of mine has type 2 and she has discovered years ago that eating several small meals a day not only kept her BG to acceptable levels but also kept her weight down. For instance she would eat a single baked potato and two hours later she would make herself a large tomato salad with a few bits of avocado thrown into it. Three hours after that she would make a "milkshake" with red berries, 1 passion fruit and use butter milk instead of regular (good for the skin, she'd say). My number 1 on the all time scale of greatness: the humble sweet potato! Or yam as it's known in some countries. It packs a wallop! Simply cut lengthways in four or six, drop a little olive oil and a pinch of rock salt and bake till tender. They're loaded with carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium, and ot course a ton of fiber (highest fiber vegetables: avocado (though some see this as a fruit), beans, broccoli, eggplant (aubergine), lima beans, Brussel sprouts & cabbage (both green and red), carrot, chick peas - garbanzo to you) Quinoa. This grain may well save us from famine if it were given the attention it deserves, grows in poor soil (like amaranth, the other wonder grain), and demands little water. A half cup of cooked quinoa has 5 grams of protein, more than any other grain, plus iron, riboflavin and magnesium. A half-cup has 320 calories, 5 grams of fat and 5 grams of fiber. Great also in stir-fries and soups, and it is reasonably priced! Kale: the truly amazing greens! These leafy greens are jampacked with vitamins A, C, and K, folate, potassium, magnesium, iron, and lutein among other goodies. Great in stews, soups or baked with potatoes, or simply steamed by itself and served with a dash of olive oil and crusty bread. Praise the Gods: Garlic, the magic bullet! I can talk and write endlessly on garlic and its powers. The sulfur compounds that give garlic its pungent flavor can also lower bad cholesterol, lower blood pressure and even reduce your risk of stomach and colon cancer. A clove has 4 or 5 calories, 0 fat and 0 fiber. Make a puree by baking a few heads (skin on) into a medium oven and use it a spread on bread, vegetables, anything that you like. Never mind the smells and the breath, it's more important to be healthy. Also use liberally in stews, soups and stir-fries. Can't talk about garlic without mentioning onions! Quercetin is one of the most powerful flavonoids (natural plant antioxidants) and the humble onion is blessed with large amounts of it. Studies show it helps protect against cancer. 1 single cup has 60 calories, 0 fat and 3 grams of fiber. Onion soup, onion tart laced with anchovy, onion marmalade, the options are endless. And since onions are a conductor of oxygen, let me give you this hangover tip: juice 1 onion, 1 tomato, half a lemon, half a chili and drink asap. You will feel discombobulated for a moment but the headache will go. The wonders of the tomato: lycopene, one of the strongest carotenoids, acts as an antioxidant. Research shows that tomatoes may cut the risk of bladder, stomach, prostrate and colon cancers in half if eaten daily (both my grandfather & great grandfather died of prostate so I'm eating tomatoes like there's no tomorrow). 1 tomato has 28 calories, 0 fat and 1 gram of fiber. You can be liberal the use of olive oil, because lycopene is best absorbed when eaten with a little fat. King Broccoli: broccoli has heaps of vitamin C and beta-carotene, indole-3-carbinol and sulforaphane, which help protect against breast cancer. 1 cup has 25 calories, 0 fat and 3 grams of fiber. You can eat it raw in salads, cook it in soups and stir-fries and every time you munch on it think of Bush 1 who hated it with passion. I bet he could do with some now as his face is a little past The power of Apricots: filled with beta-carotene, which helps prevent free-radical damage. One apricot has 17 calories, 0 fat, 1 gram of fiber. Eat them fresh or dried (make sure they're free of sulphites), my favorite way of eating apricots is to combine them with some berries and cherries and make a cold summer soup using either molasses or acacia honey to sweeten it. Which brings me to berries, in this case raspberries. These berries are packed with vitamin C and are, oddly, high in fiber. 1 cup has only 60 calories, 1 gram of fat and 8 grams of fiber. Eat them fresh in season, try some with muesli and yogurt, in tartlets and smoothies, and frozen the rest of the year (great for ice-cream, sorbets, smoothies and cakes/muffins). Lentils & protein: lentils pack a punch! 1 cup of cooked lentils will deliver an astonishing 18 grams of protein and 0 fat (120 calories, 8 grams of fiber) Filled with isoflavones (which inhibit estrogen-promoted breast cancers) they even hold up through processing. Use in soups, stews and my favorite, a warm lentil and chicken breast salad laced with a tomato & onion salsa. A drop of Balsamic vinegar and olive oil complete the deal. Green Tea: researchers suppose that the catechins in the tea may trigger weight loss by stimulating your metabolism. The body will burn calories so drink copiously as tea or as iced-tea, with a little fresh mint thrown into it. Figs & fig bars: a great source of potassium and fiber, figs also contain vitamin B6, which is responsible for producing mood-boosting serotonin, lowering cholesterol and preventing water retention. One fig has 37 to 48 calories, 0 fat and 2 grams of fiber. A healthy fig bar would have around 60 calories, 1 gram of fat and 1 gram of fiber. I love dried figs as well as use them with lamb, and as a snack. Citrus, lovely citrus: lemons, limes and grapefruit all have limonene, furocoumarins and vitamin C, all of which help prevent cancer. A wedge has 2 calories, 0 fat and 0 fiber. I don't have to tell you how to deal with citrus, everyone has an idea on how to eat or drink it. It's all good. Spices: ginger is known to ward off migraines and arthritis pain by blocking inflammation-causing prostaglandins. I use it in tea, stir-fries, soups, stews, you name it, ginger will be in it. I use other spices and one that is prevalent is the chili, fresh or flaked. I could write an entire book on chili and still not cover everything it does. Spinach & Bok Choy: though quite different they both pack major vitamins. Spinach is rich in lutein, zeaxanthin and carotenoids that help fend off macular degeneration, a major cause of blindness in older peopleb (Popeye was not wrong!) 1 cup has 7 calories, 0 fat and 1 gram of fiber. 1 cup of Bok Choy will give you 160mg of calcium (16 percent of your daily recommended requirement) to help beat osteoporosis. 1 cup has 20 calories, 0 fat and 3 grams of fiber. Bok Choy is not understood properly and should be on the menu quite frequently, in soups and stir-fries. Wild salmon, if you can get it: it is a superior food, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce the risk of cardiac disease. A 150 gram portion (cooked) has 130 calories, 4 grams of fat, 0 fiber. It's great baked with a little olive oil, a few sliced tomatoes and 1 sliced lemon or lime, moderate oven, add a dash of white wine and you're in heaven. Other super foods I also like: watercress, arugula (I'm an elitist, duh!), squash, roasted pumpkin seeds, almonds, bananas, celery, and more...and here's a last entry: wheat germ. 1 tablespoon gives you about 8 percent of your daily magnesium, which helps prevent muscle cramps. It's also a good source of vitamin E. One tablespoon has 28 calories, 1 gram of fat and 1 gram of fiber. I stick some on my muesli, along with a tablespoon of powdered lecithin....for the memory, you know! The star juices: cranberry, pineapple, mango and pomegranate: 1 glass has 144 calories, 0 grams of fat and 0 fiber. A note on skim milk: drink in moderation, riboflavin is important for good vision and along with vitamin A might help improve eczema and allergies. Plus, you get calcium and vitamin D, too. 1 glass has 90 calories, 0 fat and 0 fiber. And finally we arrive at water (unbottled, please) Water is your body's lifeblood and it has zero calories. What more can I say on this? Oh, yes: water is life. Posted from http://www.lavidalocavore.org/frontPage.do 1-12-09

Why Cancer's Gaining on Us

Published on Monday, October 27, 2008 by The Boston Globe
by Rita Arditti

For all the pink ribbons, breast-cancer awareness events, fund-raisers, and celebrations of "survivorship," the facts remain grim. In this country, a woman's lifetime risk of breast cancer is one in eight. In 1975, the risk was about one in 11.

Outside of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. It is estimated that in 2008 there will be 250,230 new cases of breast cancer among women. An estimated 41,000 women will die of metastatic breast cancer in 2008. Because we still do not know what the causes of breast cancer are, primary prevention remains an elusive goal while mammography and early detection are the focus of attention.

Since World War II, the proliferation of synthetic chemicals has gone hand-in-hand with the increased incidence of breast cancer. About 80,000 synthetic chemicals are used today in the United States, and their number increases by about 1,000 each year. Only about 7 percent of them have been screened for their health effects. These chemicals can persist in the environment and accumulate in our bodies. According to a recent review by the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, 216 chemicals and radiation sources cause breast cancer in animals.

Nearly all of the chemicals cause mutations, and most cause tumors in multiple organs and animal species, findings that are generally believed to indicate they likely cause cancer in humans. Yet few have been closely studied by regulatory bodies. There is concern about benzene, which is in gasoline; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are in air pollution from vehicle exhaust, tobacco smoke, and charred foods; ethylene oxide, which is widely used in medical settings; and methylene chloride, a common solvent in paint strippers and glues.

There is also broad agreement that exposure over time to natural estrogens in the body increases the risk of breast cancer, so it is important to consider the role of synthetic estrogens in breast cancer development. Many other chemicals, especially endocrine-disrupting compounds -- chemicals that affect hormones, such as the ubiquitous bisphenol A, which is found in plastic bottles and cans -- are also thought to raise breast cancer risk. Endocrine-disrupting compounds are present in many pesticides, fuels, plastics, air pollution, detergents, industrial solvents, tobacco smoke, prescription drugs, food additives, metals, and personal-care products including sunscreens.

Is there definitive evidence that these substances cause breast cancer? Have they been sufficiently studied? Well, no. We need to know more about the timing, duration, and patterns of exposure, which may be as important as dosage. But shouldn't we do everything possible to reduce exposure to the suspected chemicals? Shouldn't we take precautionary measures, as we continue and deepen the research? In Massachusetts, the leading cause of death in 2006 was cancer. It is time for action.

In our state, the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, a coalition of more than 160 organizations, has worked for the passage of the Safer Alternatives Bill, which would create a program to replace toxic chemicals with safer alternatives when feasible. The bill would establish a pragmatic, gradual approach to reducing health impacts from many of the toxic chemicals that we are exposed to in everyday life. The bill passed the Senate unanimously this year, but was not voted on by the House. The alliance will introduce it again in the 2009 legislative session.

Yes, we need early detection but also primary prevention, and, of course, effective treatments for those of us with extended disease. Rachel Carson, who herself died of breast cancer in 1964, said it best: "For those in whom [cancer] is already a hidden or a visible presence, efforts to find cures must of course continue. But for those not yet touched by the disease and certainly for the generations as yet unborn, prevention is the imperative need."

© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company

Rita Arditti is one of the founders of the Cambridge-based Women's Community Cancer Project, a grassroots organization committed to cancer prevention. She has been living with metastatic breast cancer since 1979.