Today's Natural Cure: Don't Eat Aspartame

This article is from  mercola.com

Aspartame: By Far the Most Dangerous Substance Added to Most Foods Today

Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. It was discovered by accident in 1965 when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company, was testing an anti-ulcer drug.

Aspartame was approved for dry goods in 1981 and for carbonated beverages in 1983. It was originally approved for dry goods on July 26, 1974, but objections filed by neuroscience researcher Dr. John W. Olney and consumer attorney James Turner in August 1974, as well as investigations of G.D. Searle's research practices caused the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put approval of aspartame on hold (December 5, 1974). In 1985, Monsanto purchased G.D. Searle and made Searle Pharmaceuticals and The NutraSweet Company separate subsidiaries.

Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious, including seizures and death. A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include:

Headaches/ migraines	Dizziness	Seizures	Nausea	Numbness
Muscle spasms	Weight gain	Rashes	Depression	Fatigue
Irritability	Tachycardia	Insomnia	Vision problems	Hearing loss
Heart palpitations	Breathing difficulties	Anxiety attacks	Slurred speech	Loss of taste
Tinnitus	Vertigo	Memory loss	Joint pain

According to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame, the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame:

Brain tumors	Multiple sclerosis	Epilepsy	Chronic fatigue syndrome	Parkinson's disease
Alzheimer's	Mental retardation	Lymphoma	Birth defects	Fibromyalgia
Diabetes

Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. The book Prescription for Nutritional Healing, by James and Phyllis Balch lists aspartame under the category of "chemical poison." As you shall see, that is exactly what it is.

What Is Aspartame Made Of?

Aspartic Acid (40 percent of Aspartame)

Dr. Russell L. Blaylock, a professor of neurosurgery at the Medical University of Mississippi, recently published a book thoroughly detailing the damage that is caused by the ingestion of excessive aspartic acid from aspartame. Blaylock makes use of almost 500 scientific references to show how excess free excitatory amino acids such as aspartic acid and glutamic acid (about 99 percent of monosodium glutamate or MSG is glutamic acid) in our food supply are causing serious chronic neurological disorders and a myriad of other acute symptoms.

How Aspartate (and Glutamate) Cause Damage

Aspartate and glutamate act as neurotransmitters in the brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron. Too much aspartate or glutamate in the brain kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells. This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals, which kill the cells. The neural cell damage that can be caused by excessive aspartate and glutamate is why they are referred to as "excitotoxins." They "excite" or stimulate the neural cells to death.

Aspartic acid is an amino acid. Taken in its free form (unbound to proteins), it significantly raises the blood plasma level of aspartate and glutamate. The excess aspartate and glutamate in the blood plasma shortly after ingesting aspartame or products with free glutamic acid (glutamate precursor) leads to a high level of those neurotransmitters in certain areas of the brain.

The blood brain barrier (BBB), which normally protects the brain from excess glutamate and aspartate as well as toxins, 1) is not fully developed during childhood, 2) does not fully protect all areas of the brain, 3) is damaged by numerous chronic and acute conditions, and 4) allows seepage of excess glutamate and aspartate into the brain even when intact.

The excess glutamate and aspartate slowly begin to destroy neurons. The large majority (75 percent or more) of neural cells in a particular area of the brain are killed before any clinical symptoms of a chronic illness are noticed. A few of the many chronic illnesses that have been shown to be contributed to by long-term exposure to excitatory amino acid damage include:

Multiple sclerosis (MS)	Parkinson's disease
ALS	Hypoglycemia
Memory loss	AIDS
Hormonal problems	Dementia
Epilepsy	Brain lesions
Alzheimer's disease	Neuroendocrine disorders

The risk to infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and persons with certain chronic health problems from excitotoxins are great. Even the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), which usually understates problems and mimics the FDA party-line, recently stated in a review that:

"It is prudent to avoid the use of dietary supplements of L-glutamic acid by pregnant women, infants, and children. The existence of evidence of potential endocrine responses, i.e., elevated cortisol and prolactin, and differential responses between males and females, would also suggest a neuroendocrine link and that supplemental L-glutamic acid should be avoided by women of childbearing age and individuals with affective disorders."

Aspartic acid from aspartame has the same deleterious effects on the body as glutamic acid.

The exact mechanism of acute reactions to excess free glutamate and aspartate is currently being debated. As reported to the FDA, those reactions include:

Headaches/migraines	Fatigue (blocks sufficient glucose entry into brain)	Anxiety attacks
Nausea	Sleep problems	Depression
Abdominal pains	Vision problems	Asthma/chest tightness

One common complaint of persons suffering from the effect of aspartame is memory loss. Ironically, in 1987, G.D. Searle, the manufacturer of aspartame, undertook a search for a drug to combat memory loss caused by excitatory amino acid damage. Blaylock is one of many scientists and physicians who are concerned about excitatory amino acid damage caused by ingestion of aspartame and MSG.

A few of the many experts who have spoken out against the damage being caused by aspartate and glutamate include Adrienne Samuels, Ph.D., an experimental psychologist specializing in research design. Another is Olney, a professor in the department of psychiatry, School of Medicine, Washington University, a neuroscientist and researcher, and one of the world's foremost authorities on excitotoxins. (He informed Searle in 1971 that aspartic acid caused holes in the brains of mice.)

Phenylalanine (50 percent of aspartame)

Phenylalanine is an amino acid normally found in the brain. Persons with the genetic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU) cannot metabolize phenylalanine. This leads to dangerously high levels of phenylalanine in the brain (sometimes lethal). It has been shown that ingesting aspartame, especially along with carbohydrates, can lead to excess levels of phenylalanine in the brain even in persons who do not have PKU.

This is not just a theory, as many people who have eaten large amounts of aspartame over a long period of time and do not have PKU have been shown to have excessive levels of phenylalanine in the blood. Excessive levels of phenylalanine in the brain can cause the levels of serotonin in the brain to decrease, leading to emotional disorders such as depression. It was shown in human testing that phenylalanine levels of the blood were increased significantly in human subjects who chronically used aspartame.

Even a single use of aspartame raised the blood phenylalanine levels. In his testimony before the U.S. Congress, Dr. Louis J. Elsas showed that high blood phenylalanine can be concentrated in parts of the brain and is especially dangerous for infants and fetuses. He also showed that phenylalanine is metabolized much more efficiently by rodents than by humans.

One account of a case of extremely high phenylalanine levels caused by aspartame was recently published by the Wednesday Journal in an article titled "An Aspartame Nightmare." John Cook began drinking six to eight diet drinks every day. His symptoms started out as memory loss and frequent headaches. He began to crave more aspartame-sweetened drinks. His condition deteriorated so much that he experienced wide mood swings and violent rages. Even though he did not suffer from PKU, a blood test revealed a phenylalanine level of 80 mg/dl. He also showed abnormal brain function and brain damage. After he kicked his aspartame habit, his symptoms improved dramatically.

As Blaylock points out in his book, early studies measuring phenylalanine buildup in the brain were flawed. Investigators who measured specific brain regions and not the average throughout the brain notice significant rises in phenylalanine levels. Specifically the hypothalamus, medulla oblongata, and corpus striatum areas of the brain had the largest increases in phenylalanine. Blaylock goes on to point out that excessive buildup of phenylalanine in the brain can cause schizophrenia or make one more susceptible to seizures.

Therefore, long-term, excessive use of aspartame may provide a boost to sales of serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as Prozac and drugs to control schizophrenia and seizures.

Methanol a.k.a wood alcohol/poison (10 percent of aspartame)

Methanol/wood alcohol is a deadly poison. Some people may remember methanol as the poison that has caused some "skid row" alcoholics to end up blind or dead. Methanol is gradually released in the small intestine when the methyl group of aspartame encounters the enzyme chymotrypsin.

The absorption of methanol into the body is sped up considerably when free methanol is ingested. Free methanol is created from aspartame when it is heated to above 86 Fahrenheit (30 Centigrade). This would occur when aspartame-containing product is improperly stored or when it is heated (e.g. as part of a "food" product such as Jello).

Methanol breaks down into formaldehyde in the body. Formaldehyde is a deadly neurotoxin. An EPA assessment of methanol states that methanol "is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. In the body, methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde." They recommend a limit of consumption of 7.8 mg/day. A one-liter (approx. 1 quart) aspartame-sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol. Heavy users of aspartame-containing products consume as much as 250 mg of methanol daily or 32 times the EPA limit.

Symptoms from methanol poisoning include headaches, ear buzzing, dizziness, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances, weakness, vertigo, chills, memory lapses, numbness and shooting pains in the extremities, behavioral disturbances, and neuritis. The most well known problems from methanol poisoning are vision problems including misty vision, progressive contraction of visual fields, blurring of vision, obscuration of vision, retinal damage, and blindness. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, causes retinal damage, interferes with DNA replication and causes birth defects.

Due to the lack of a couple of key enzymes, humans are many times more sensitive to the toxic effects of methanol than animals. Therefore, tests of aspartame or methanol on animals do not accurately reflect the danger for humans. As pointed out by Dr. Woodrow C. Monte, director of the food science and nutrition laboratory at Arizona State University: "There are no human or mammalian studies to evaluate the possible mutagenic, teratogenic or carcinogenic effects of chronic administration of methyl alcohol."

He was so concerned about the unresolved safety issues that he filed suit with the FDA requesting a hearing to address these issues. He asked the FDA to:

"...[S]low down on this soft drink issue long enough to answer some of the important questions. It's not fair that you are leaving the full burden of proof on the few of us who are concerned and have such limited resources. You must remember that you are the American public's last defense. Once you allow usage (of aspartame) there is literally nothing I or my colleagues can do to reverse the course. Aspartame will then join saccharin, the sulfiting agents, and God knows how many other questionable compounds enjoined to insult the human constitution with governmental approval."

Shortly thereafter, the Commissioner of the FDA, Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr., approved the use of aspartame in carbonated beverage. He then left for a position with G.D. Searle's public relations firm.

It has been pointed out that some fruit juices and alcoholic beverages contain small amounts of methanol. It is important to remember, however, that methanol never appears alone. In every case, ethanol is present, usually in much higher amounts. Ethanol is an antidote for methanol toxicity in humans. The troops of Desert Storm were "treated" to large amounts of aspartame-sweetened beverages, which had been heated to over 86 degrees F in the Saudi Arabian sun. Many of them returned home with numerous disorders similar to what has been seen in persons who have been chemically poisoned by formaldehyde. The free methanol in the beverages may have been a contributing factor in these illnesses. Other breakdown products of aspartame such as DKP (discussed below) may also have been a factor.

In a 1993 act that can only be described as "unconscionable," the FDA approved aspartame as an ingredient in numerous food items that would always be heated to above 86 degree F (30 degree C).

Diketopiperazine (DKP)

DKP is a byproduct of aspartame metabolism. DKP has been implicated in the occurrence of brain tumors. Olney noticed that DKP, when nitrosated in the gut, produced a compound that was similar to N-nitrosourea, a powerful brain tumor causing chemical. Some authors have said that DKP is produced after aspartame ingestion. I am not sure if that is correct. It is definitely true that DKP is formed in liquid aspartame-containing products during prolonged storage.

G.D. Searle conducted animal experiments on the safety of DKP. The FDA found numerous experimental errors occurred, including "clerical errors, mixed-up animals, animals not getting drugs they were supposed to get, pathological specimens lost because of improper handling," and many other errors. These sloppy laboratory procedures may explain why both the test and control animals had 16 times more brain tumors than would be expected in experiments of this length.

In an ironic twist, shortly after these experimental errors were discovered, the FDA used guidelines recommended by G.D. Searle to develop the industry-wide FDA standards for good laboratory practices.

DKP has also been implicated as a cause of uterine polyps and changes in blood cholesterol by FDA Toxicologist Dr. Jacqueline Verrett in her testimony before the U.S. Senate.

Today's Natural Cure: Magnesium

This article is from  naturalsociety.com

4 Benefits of Magnesium, Signs of Deficiency, and Food Sources

Magnesium is just one mineral offering numerous health benefits. But the average person likely couldn’t name two, let alone tell you which foods are good sources of the important nutrient. From reducing your risk of stroke to helping fight Type 2 diabetes, magnesium is something we should all know about and be sure we are getting enough. In addition to checking out an earlier post outlining 16 magnesium deficiency symptoms, read below to see what magnesium can do to improve your health.

1. Lower Stroke Risk

An overview of seven previously published studies recently found that for every additional 100 milligrams of magnesium consumed every day, there was a stroke risk reduction of 9 percent. In all, the research followed about 250,000 from across the globe for 11.5 years. About three percent suffered a stroke during the study period.

2. Lowered Risk of Diabetes

Researchers with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill also found a link between magnesium intake and diabetes risk. According to the study, those people who consumed the most magnesium reduced their risk of type 2 diabetes by 47 percent when compared with the lowest-consuming among the study group. In addition, magnesium is known to regulate blood sugar and combat insulin resistance.

3. Heart Health

Magnesium aids in transporting calcium and potassium across cell membranes. These nutrients help promote normal heart rhythm and muscle contraction, according to NaturalNews.

4. Decreased Cancer Risk

For every additional 100 milligrams of magnesium added to your daily diet, you could reduce your risk of developing colorectal cancer by 13 percent, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Magnesium delivers additional benefits too—largely due to its anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is blamed for such things as arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and even Alzheimer’s.

Some magnesium deficiency symptoms include:

• Tremors
• Nausea
• Respiratory issues
• High blood pressure
• Confusion
• Potassium and calcium deficiency
• Poor heart health
• Type 2 diabetes.

These are general symptoms, however, so it’s important to note that one or two of these doesn’t prove without doubt that you are deficient.

Food Sources of Magnesium

You can reap the benefits of dietary magnesium and combat deficiency and disease with several natural food sources:

• Dark, leafy greens
• Fish
• Beans and lentils
• Nuts and seeds
• Avocados
• Brown rice
• Quinoa

Today's Natural Cure: Hormone Regulation

This article excerpt is from  greenmedinfo.com

Spicing Up Your Hormones Without Hormone Replacement

One of the insurmountable problems with hormone replacement therapy is that when you replace a hormone you risk feeding the underlying glandular deficiency.  In the exuberance associated with the idea of overcoming age-associated declines in sexual, cognitive, skeletal, cardiovascular, etc. function, with both synthetic and bioidentical hormones, the hormone replacement advocates have often neglected to educate their patients to several unintended, adverse effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT): 1) the endocrine system has a negative feedback loop which guarantees that with time the body's ability to produce adequate quantities of the very hormones being targeted for replacementwill decline, resulting in the development of biological dependency on an external source of hormones -- not exactly a picture of empowerment. 2) increasing levels of the target hormones will also result in increased production and possible accumulation of hormone metabolites with potentially toxic, as well as carcinogenic effects, e.g. estradiol turns to 16-hyroxylestrone, a potential carcinogen. While these risks may be outweighed by the benefits, and many of these risks can be reduced through dietary and supplemental regimes and plenty of vigilant clinical surveillance, the point is that HRT is not without its problems and limitations. Which brings us to an entirely different approach (one, no doubt, used for thousands of years), using foods and spices as our medicine....

Cumin Is As Potent As Estrogen In Preserving Bone Health

The human fascination with spices is as old as cultural time itself. There is an obvious beauty to the various aromas and flavors these plant extracts express (have you smelled cumin lately?), and undoubtedly these qualities first drew us closer to them. But, our primordial relationship with them involves much more than aesthetic infatuation.  Spices are the original food-medicines that were worth their weight (or more) in gold because they were capable of both improving the quality, and prolonging the length of human life.

Cumin, like most spices, has a wide range of potential health benefits. Thirty of these, in fact, can be viewed on our cumin research page. But cumin's hormone-modulating properties have only recently been confirmed through scientific research. In 2008, a study was published in the journalExperimental Biology and Medicine demonstrated that cumin seeds were capable of inhibiting loss of bone density and strength as effectively as estrogen in a female rat model of age-associated osteoporosis. Moreover, they found that the cumin seeds did not have estrogen’s weight-promoting and possibly carcinogenic side effect on the uterus.[1]

Cumin seeds are actually indehiscent fruits (i.e. these fruits do not dehisce, or "burst open" at maturity) of the archene class; which means that what we think of as the cumin "seed" is actually a fruit containing a seed. It only appears like a seed because the wall of the seed-vessel hardens and encloses the seed so tightly as to appear like an outer seed coat.

Today's Natural Cure: Garlic

This article is from  naturalnews.com

Six reasons garlic is an amazing healing superfood

(NaturalNews) There's a lot of data available in Natural News article archives and studies posted on science.naturalnews.com that confirm the validity of garlic's "magic" with several health matters.

It seems very few take advantage of the small amount of raw garlic needed to preserve good health. Even when plagued with colds, flu, and other pathogenic sourced ailments, the antibiotic, antiviral virtues of garlic are mostly ignored.

Perhaps most can't fathom how such a small food item can offer so much. But probably the taste of raw garlic or the breath's odor from chewing it is the major turn-off.

Some sidestep the taste and smell of garlic by using garlic extract supplements. Kyolic is an aged garlic extract brand that is often used in clinical trials for garlic.

Small thin slices of a clove can be inserted in all types of food arrangements, making it easier to consume than just gnawing on a whole clove. But taking a clove with a spoonful of raw honey works too. Chewing parsley or cilantro minimizes garlic breath and adds another healthy component.

Whatever way one chooses, consuming two to four cloves of garlic daily offers more health benefits than most realize.

Six solid health reasons to use garlic daily

1) An active garlic compound, diallyl sulphide, is able to break through the tough membranes of bacteria better and faster than powerful antibiotics with dangerous side effects such as ciprofloxacin.

Comparative analysis was was done in two separate studies using raw garlic extracts on two types of food poisoning bacteria. So eating garlic can prevent most food poisoning bugs from sending you to the hospital. [1]

2) Animal (in vivo) testing has demonstrated garlic's ability to minimize diabetes issues. It was determined that garlic influenced insulin activity rather than directly lowering blood sugar. [2]

3) In case fighting off food poison better than pharmaceutical antibiotics without side effects didn't impress you, maybe its ability to wipe out the bacteria, yersinia pestis, which causes bubonic plague or black death, might get your attention.

Though bubonic plague is not common these days, there have been some isolated cases recently in Europe. But the point is that garlic's antibiotic, antiviral, and anti-fungal power has a curative effect for many pathogenic diseases.

By consuming garlic daily, you provide your body with prophylactic (preventative) pathogenic protection to prevent actual infection. [3]

4) Cardiovascular health is enhanced with garlic. Garlic has demonstrated the power to lower blood pressure and homocysteine counts. Homocysteine levels are considered stronger markers for heart problems than cholesterol counts.

Garlic also dampens cholesterol oxidation, which actually causes most of the problems generally blamed on cholesterol.

Cholesterol that's not oxidized is important for building nerve and brain tissue, as well as serving as the first level of converting UVB sun rays to vitamin D3. So limiting cholesterol oxidation makes more sense than limiting cholesterol.

Garlic dilates blood vessels to lower blood pressure, removes triglycerides, dissolves internal clots and arterial plaque, and prevents oxidation of important lipids that lead to cellular destruction. All without side effects, of course. [4]

Garlic also functions as a blood thinner, which some say is adaptogenic because it allows clotting when needed even while thinning. Aspirin can't do that.

5) Garlic is a powerful anti-oxidant that bolsters the immune system, and it's a cancer fighter. Several compounds other than garlic's antibiotic allicin, including sulfur, selenium, and others contribute to cancer cell apoptosis (cellular suicide) which cancer cells don't normally like to do.

Even if not diagnosed with cancer, most of us have some cancer cells floating around. It's not a bad idea to keep them from gathering together. [5]

6) In the 1970s, Robert I. Lin, president of Nutritional International in Irvine, California, used garlic to detox lead from children successfully. That's not a well know attribute of garlic, but it's another reason everyone should use garlic often in our polluted environment. [6]

Sources for this article include:

[1] http://www.naturalnews.com

[2] http://science.naturalnews.com/G/Garlic_and_diabetes.html

[3] http://www.naturalnews.com

[4] http://science.naturalnews.com/G/Garlic_and_Cardiovascular.html

[5] http://science.naturalnews.com/G/Garlic_and_cancer.html

[6] http://www.naturalnews.com/029701_garlic_superfood.html

Today's Natural Cure: Learn The Truth About Dairy

This article is from  mindbodygreen.com

The Dangers Of Dairy

All those “Got Milk?” ads from the last decade or so would have us believe that dairy is a cornerstone of a healthy diet, providing essential nutrients, fortifying our bones, and knocking out osteoporosis left and right. But... is this true? Is consuming dairy necessary or even healthy for most people?

The truth is, dairy can lead to countless health issues and, for many, can cause more harm than good, here’s why. 

It’s highly inflammatory. 

Dairy is one of the most inflammatory foods in our modern diet, second only to gluten. It causes inflammation in a large percentage of the population, resulting in digestive issues such as bloating, gas, constipation, and diarrhea, as well as other symptoms including acne, and a stronger presentation of autistic behaviors. 

What is it about dairy that causes an inflammatory response? Is everyone with a dairy sensitivity lactose intolerant? There are two components of dairy that tend to cause issues for people: (1) the sugar and (2) the proteins. 

People who are lactose intolerant don’t produce the lactase enzyme, which is required to break down lactose, a sugar found in milk, causing digestive issues whenever they consume dairy products. People who do produce the lactase enzyme but still react poorly to milk are responding to the two proteins found in milk, casein and whey. Casein is a protein with a very similar molecular structure to gluten and 50% of people who are gluten intolerant are casein intolerant as well.

It’s acid-forming. 

Our bodies like to maintain a neutral pH balance: not too much acidity, not too much alkalinity. Milk, like most animal products, is an acid forming food, meaning whenever you consume dairy, your body must compensate for the increased acidity in order to restore a neutral pH balance.

It does this by pulling from the alkaline “reserves” it keeps on hand in the form of calcium, magnesium, and potassium, that are stored in your bones. Pulling from these reserves weakens your bones, leaving them more susceptible to fractures and breaks, meaning milk might not be such a great preventative tool against osteoporosis as we’re told. In fact, research has shown that countries with the highest rate of dairy consumption also have the highest rate of osteoporosis.

It’s often full of hormones and antibiotics

Many times when people drink milk they’re consuming far more than just milk. American dairy farmers have long been injecting cows with a genetically engineered bovine growth hormone called rBGH to increase milk production. This forced increase in milk production often leads to an udder infection in cows called mastitis, which is then treated with courses of antibiotics, which can make their way into your dairy products.

All of these concerns about the health benefits and safety of dairy can lead to even more questions. Is all dairy bad, are alternative sources of dairy any better? Where will I get my calcium if not from dairy? Let’s take a look at these: 

What about goat’s milk and sheep’s milk?

Some people who choose to eliminate cow’s milk from their diet still enjoy goat's or sheep's milk, as they find it much easier to tolerate. Although these have a similar lactose content to cow’s milk (meaning if you are lactose intolerant, they will not be any easier to digest) they do have a different type of casein protein, which makes them easier for casein-sensitive people to handle.

Casein exists in two variants, A1 beta-casein and A2 beta-casein, which are differentiated only by a single amino acid in their protein chains. A2 is considered the original beta-casein because A1 only appeared a few thousand years ago after a mutation occurred in European cow herds, and people react poorly to the A1 beta-casein. Goat’s milk and sheep’s milk lack the A1 beta-casein, which is what makes them more tolerable, but because the A1 and A2 proteins are so similar, these milks can still cause problems for some.

What about organic or raw milk?

If you aren’t casein sensitive, and still want to consume cow’s milk, a healthier and less-chemical laden route to go can be organic or raw milk. These kinds of milk typically come from cows that have not been injected with rGBH and have not been treated with antibiotics, which eliminates the concern that these chemicals will find their way into your milk.

Raw milk, although contentiously debated, does have many health benefits that pasteurized milk lacks. The pasteurizing process, which is intended to kill harmful bacteria, kills many of the helpful enzymes that occur naturally in milk as well. In fact, one of the enzymes present in raw milk that is missing in pasteurized milk is the lactase enzyme, meaning people who are lactose intolerant are actually able to drink raw milk because it contains the enzyme needed to break down lactose their body is unable to produce.

What should you do if you think you're sensitive to dairy? 

Ultimately the decision of whether or not to consume dairy rests with you. Try eliminating 100% of dairy from your diet for 30 days and pay attention to how your body reacts. Then try reintroducing dairy in its different forms and sources and notice how you respond.

If you do decide to eliminate dairy, fear not, there are plenty of other natural sources of calcium you can incorporate into your diet!

10 Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium

1. Almonds
2. Kale
3. Oranges
4. Collard Greens
5. Broccoli
6. Figs
7. Spinach
8. Enriched rice, almond, hemp and coconut milks
9. Sesame seeds
10. Tofu

Today's Natural Cure: Avoid Microwaves

This article is from: wakeup-world.com

Studies Show Microwaves Drastically Reduce Nutrients In Food

I can remember the days growing up in the 1950′s and 1960′s, when we prepared foods without a microwave oven. Water was boiled on the stove. Chicken was baked in an oven. Vegetables were steamed, baked, or sautéed. Food was whole and fresh. Even a TV dinner was baked in the oven, which took about 15 minutes to warm. And then, modern science and technology brought us the microwave oven that could heat food rapidly, from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes.

The industry has claimed that microwave cooking protects the nutrient content of foods. Somehow, in tasting foods that came out of a microwave oven, the texture was changed as was the flavor. Foods cooked or reheated in microwave ovens became rubbery and lacked the savory smells and layered flavors that come from cooking foods slower and longer.

Nevertheless, people bought the convenience aspect, the speed, the simplicity of heating and eating prepared foods. The science, which has been supported by the food industry, has continued to claim the health benefits of microwave cooking. Recently, published data from reliable sources questions the health benefits of microwaved food.

Does this mean an occasional microwaved meal will be harmful? Not likely. But what about a steady diet of eating foods cooked at such a high heat? Do the sensitive compounds in food, such as amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and phytonutrients change? It appears so. Read on to follow the scientific literature surrounding the depletion of our soil, foods, and health as a result of modern farming, food processing, microwave cooking, and not eating enough fresh, natural, uncooked, organic whole foods.

• Three recent studies of historical food composition have shown 5-40% declines in some of the minerals in fresh produce, and another study found a similar decline in our protein sources (1)
• A 1999 Scandinavian study of the cooking of asparagus spears found that microwaving caused a reduction in vitamins (3)
• In a study of garlic, as little as 60 seconds of microwave heating was enough to inactivate its allinase, garlic’s principle active ingredient against cancer (5)
• A study published in the November 2003 issue of The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture found that broccoli “zapped” in the microwave with a little water lost up to 97% of its beneficial antioxidants. By comparison, steamed broccoli lost 11% or fewer of its antioxidants. There were also reductions in phenolic compounds and glucosinolates, but mineral levels remained intact (6).
• A recent Australian study showed that micro- waves cause a higher degree of “protein unfolding” than conventional heating (2)
• Microwaving can destroy the essential disease-fighting agents in breast milk that offer protection for your baby. In 1992, Quan found that microwaved breast milk lost lysozyme activity, antibodies, and fostered the growth of more potentially pathogenic bacteria (4).

Quan stated that more damage was done to the milk by microwaving than by other methods of heating, concluding: “Microwaving appears to be contraindicated at high-temperatures, and questions regarding its safety exist even at low temperatures.”

Note: Needless to say, we do not recommend cooking food in microwave ovens, though mildly heating leftovers may not pose the same problems as discussed above. Also, microwaving fatty foods in plastic containers leads to the release of dioxins (known carcinogens) and other toxins into your food. Common microwavable foods include pizzas, chips, and popcorn. Chemicals released include polyethylene terpthalate (PET), benzene, toluene, and xylene.

Additionally, microwaving creates new compounds that are not found in humans or in nature, called radiolytic compounds. We don’t yet know what these compounds are doing to your body, but they are not health-promoting.

Eating fresh, uncooked, or minimally heated fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices are the basis of an Eating for Health™ meal plan. With whole grains and legumes, cooking them on a stove top by boiling and simmering them until tender is advised.

For flesh foods, steaming, sautéing, baking, or blending into slow cooked crock pot soups and stews is advised. Dairy products, such as raw milk cheese, from goats, cows, or sheep, are most nutrient-rich when unheated. Raw, organic cheese is best added to salads or warm grains, legumes, or vegetables without heating the dish in a high heat oven, broiler, or microwave oven.

Article Sources

www.greenmedinfo.com

1. Davis D R. (February 1, 2009). Declining fruit and vegetable nutrient composition: What is the evidence? American Society of Horticultural Science.

2. George D F, Bilek M M, and McKenzie D R. Non-thermal effects in the microwave induced unfolding of proteins observed by chaperone binding. Bioelectromagnetics 2008 May;29(4). 324-330.

3. Kidmose U and Kaack K. Acta. Agriculturae Scandinavica B1999:49(2).110-117.

4. Quan R (et al). Effects of microwave radiation on anti- infective factors in human milk. Pediatrics 89(4 part I). 667-669.

5. Song K and Milner J A. The influence of heating on the anticancer properties of garlic. Journal of Nutrition 2001;131(3S).1054S-1057S.

6. Vallejo F, Tomas-Barberan F A, and Garcia-Viguera C. Phenolic compound contents in edible parts of broccoli inflorescences after domestic cooking. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (15 Oct

©2009 BAUMAN COLLEGE Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts

Today's Natural Cure: Know Your Food

This article excerpt is from  greenmedinfo.com

The Link Between Nightshades, Chronic Pain and Inflammation

Few people are familiar with the term nightshades, and many will be surprised to learn that consuming foods from this plant group may be contributing to their pain and inflammation. Nightshades belong to the Solanaceae family which includes over 2,000 species.  They also include some of the most popular foods consumed today; such as tomatoes, potatoes, all types of peppers, and eggplant.  Although not truly nightshades, blueberries, huckleberries, goji berries and ashwaganda all share the same inflammation-inducing alkaloids.

The Solanaceae family contains cholinesterase inhibiting glycoalkaloids and steroid alkaloids including, among others, solanine in potato and eggplant, tomatine in tomato, nicotine in tobacco, and capsaicin in garden peppers. The glycoalkaloids in potatoes are known to contribute to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and negatively affect intestinal permeability. (1,2)  According to Dr. Marvin Childers, "When these inhibitors accumulate in the body, alone or with other cholinesterase inhibitors such as caffeine or food impurities containing systemic cholinesterase inhibiting pesticides, the result may be a paralytic-like muscle spasm, aches, pains, tenderness, inflammation, and stiff body movements." (3) These symptoms may dissipate in a few hours or days if ingestion is stopped, based on the sensitivity of the individual, the amount of nightshades consumed on a regular basis and their level of inflammation. However for some heavy consumers of nightshades the process of inflammation and pain reduction can take up to 3 months.

After reading the symptoms associated with nightshade consumption, it is easy to understand why one of the major problems attributed to nightshade is arthritis. Arthritis is also the most common disability in the U.S. (4,5)  Statistics from a 2007-2009 study show that doctor diagnosed arthritis affects 49.9 million people in the United States alone (6).  Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis affecting more than 20 million people. More than 2 million people are affected by rheumatoid arthritis, the most disabling and painful form of arthritis. Arthritis has no boundaries to gender, race or age, it affects young and old alike. (5, 7) In fact it may be surprising to some that an estimated 294,000 children (age 18 and under), have some form of arthritis. (7) In 2003 the medical cost of arthritis alone was approximately 128 billion annually. (4) Since 1994, disability-related costs for medical care and lost productivity have exceeded an estimated $300 billion annually in the United States, this includes arthritis and other rheumatoid related illness (8) Add to these numbers the report released in 2011 by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, where an estimated 116 million adults live with chronic pain, which costs the United States $635 billion annually in health care and lost productivity. (9) So the question is how much of these problems are nightshade related? That is the question some researchers are asking, as they believe that arthritis is often misdiagnosed in people who may in fact be experiencing severe side effects of nightshade consumption.

Many  who  suffer with arthritis or an arthritis related disease such as lupus, rheumatism, and other musculoskeletal pain disorders, have found that consuming foods from the nightshade family is in fact adversely affecting their health. Norman F. Childers, PhD, founder of the Arthritis Nightshades Research Foundation stated: "Diet appears to be a factor in the etiology of arthritis based on surveys of over 1400 volunteers during a 20-year period. Plants in the drug family, Solanaceae (nightshades) are an important causative factor in arthritis in sensitive people." (3)

Three month challenge

If you want to know if nightshades negatively affect you, take the three month challenge. Avoid all nightshades for three months. (It's called a challenge for a reason).Be careful to note the  nightshade list, and become a label reader as some homeopathics, prescriptions, over the counter medications as well as numerous processed foods contain nightshades. Prescriptions and over the counter medicines may require a discussion with your pharmacist or a phone call to the manufacturer of your over the counter medicines to determine ingredients.

After three months, begin to reintroduce one nightshade at a time. Take note of any aches, pains, stiffness, and loss of energy, headaches, respiratory problems or any other symptoms. You may find as many others have, that the quality of your daily health will dramatically improve after eliminating nightshades from your diet.

Today's Natural Cure: Tomatoes

This article is from  preventdisease.com

10 Reasons To Love Your Tomatoes

Now that genetically-modified tomatoes are fairly common, the heirloom varieties have become more appealing. Lycopene in tomatoes can reduce heart disease by almost 30 percent and the phytochemical is as powerful as many classes of drugs commonly prescribed for cardiovascular disease. If you’re not already a tomato-lover, here are 10 reasons to start loving them now.

Recent evidence just two ounces of tomato paste or a pint of juice a day could be enough to help many patient avoid dangerous statins the class of drugs commonly prescribed for these conditions which can lead to heart problems.

According to Tufts and Boston University researchers, the highest average intakes of lycopene were linked to almost a 30% reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease, respectively, according to findings published in the British Journal of Nutrition. 

Earlier forms of this GM crop included the transgenic tomato (FlavrSavr) which had a "deactivated" gene. This meant that the tomato plant was no longer able to produce polygalacturonase, an enzyme involved in fruit softening. The premise was that tomatoes could be left to ripen on the vine and still have a long shelf life, thus allowing them to develop their full flavour. Normally, tomatoes are picked well before they are ripe and are then ripened artificially.

These GM tomatoes, however, did not meet their expectations. Although they were approved in the US and several other countries, tomatoes with delayed ripening have disappeared from the market after peaking in 1998.

Today, tomatoes are being genetically modified to produce a peptide that mimics the actions of HDL cholesterol that biotechnology groups are promoting to supposedly reduce heart disease. 

Similar gene modification techniques were devised in GM crops that led to tumors in a long-term widely publicized study on GM corn fed rats.

If you do love your tomatoes, stick do organic heirloom varieties and support your local farm as they may offer some of the best organic tomatoes. Here's 10 reasons to love them:

1.  Tomatoes are rich in a collection of phytonutrients called carotenoids.  You’ve probably already heard of beta-carotene and lycopene.  But there are others.  And exciting research in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute shows that higher amounts of carotenoids–including alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene, and total carotenoids–may have a reduced risk of breast cancer.

2.  According to new research in the journal Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics, scientists created diabetic conditions in animals and fed some lycopene while others were fed their typical diet free of lycopene.  The biochemistry of animals fed lycopene returned to normal while the others stayed at diabetic levels.  This study shows promise that lycopene (found in tomatoes) can help restore biochemical balance in diabetics.

3.  New research in the journal Harvard Health Letter found that diets rich in tomatoes can help prevent stroke.  The scientists chalk up the results to tomatoes’ rich lycopene content.

4.  Research shows the lycopene found in tomatoes, when eaten regularly, can reduce the risk of heart disease by 29 percent.  Fresh tomatoes and tomato extracts have been shown in research to lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. They have also been shown to prevent clumping in the blood (known as platelet aggregation) which is a risk factor for atherosclerosis.

5.  They contain an important phytonutrient called lycopene that has been proven in studies to fight aging and have anti-cancer properties.  It appears to be particularly effective against prostate and colon cancers.

6.  Lycopene found in tomatoes even protects our genetic material against damage and the resulting disease.

7.  Tomatoes stimulate the production of the amino acid carnitine which has been shown in research to speed the body’s fat-burning capacity by over 30 percent.

8.  Excellent sources of vitamin C, tomatoes can help keep your immune system strong.

9.  Lack of lycopene in a menopausal woman’s diet has been linked to osteoporosis.

10.  Because tomatoes are a rich source of the phytonutrients beta carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, they can help improve vision and protect your eyes from degeneration.

Some people claim that tomatoes should be eaten cooked for maximum nutritional value.  That’s not the full story however.  While lycopene is best absorbed from cooked tomatoes, vitamin C and the enzymes found in tomatoes are best if eaten uncooked. Just adding a dash of olive oil on your raw tomatoes significantly increases the absorption of lycopene.  Eating tomatoes in a variety of foods helps ensure the best nutrient absorption. Relish cooked tomatoes in soups, stews, and curries. Enjoy raw ones in salads, sandwiches, and salsas.

Research also shows that the form of lycopene found in yellow and orange tomatoes is better absorbed than from red tomatoes.  That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the red ones, but throw in some multi-colored heirloom tomatoes into the mix too.