We honor the victims of war and national tragedy on Memorial Day. They include birds,fish, and countless small living creatures necessary for the healthy balance of Nature for many years to come. The New York Times recently ran a story entitled “Drilling Was Allowed Despite Warning”. Since then new drilling permits were allowed despite a moratorium. This action reinforces the strong need to have effective regulations, monitoring and appropriate criminal penalties in place before beginning to extract minerals from the earth. The Times stories reported that “the federal Minerals Management Service gave permission to BP and dozens of other oil companies to drill in the Gulf of Mexico without first getting required permits from another agency.” In addition they also “routinely overruled its staff biologist and engineers who raised concerns about the safety and the environmental impact of certain drilling proposals.” That negligence amounts to manslaughter. Soon countless lawsuits by local restaurant owners and businesses, homeowners, and families of lost oil rig workers will surface. Who will represent the wildlife killed or forced to leave their home?
Continue reading ‘Memorial Day’
Brush your teeth to help prevent Heart Disease. British researchers studied nearly 12,000 adults in Scotland and found those with poor oral hygiene had a 70 percent extra risk of heart disease compared with those who brushed twice a day and who were less likely to have unhealthy gums.
People with gum disease are more likely to develop heart disease and diabetes because inflammation in the body, including in the mouth and gums, plays a role in the build up of clogged arteries, said Richard Watt from University College London, who led the study.
The 70 percent extra risk compares to a 135 percent extra risk of heart disease in those who smoke, he said. Although the overall risk was low — with a total of 555 heart attacks or other serious coronary problems among 11,869 people — the effect of regular teeth brushing was significant. “Compared to things like smoking and poor diet, which are obviously the main risk factors for heart disease, we are not claiming this is in the same league,” Watt said. “But … even after controlling for all those things there is a still a relationship between this very simple measure of tooth brushing and heart condition,” he told Reuters. Everyone should brush….
What about Tea-drinking and Heart Disease?
Tea kills mouth bacteria that may endanger the heart and reduces harmful cholesterol.
“Drinking tea on a regular basis may help protect patients with existing cardiovascular disease.” This is the finding of a study in a May, 2002 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, which finds that tea consumption is associated with an increased rate of survival following a heart attack.
Continue reading ‘Mom was Right!’
My friend, Marian Buck-Murray MA HHC, has an attractive food information/recipe newsletter and website. Here is her suggestion for a quick summer dish using your favorite cooked whole grain.
Herbal Summer Grains
2-3 cups cooled cooked grains (such as quinoa, brown rice, wild rice, barley)
1/2 cup mint, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2-3 chopped green onions
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine ingredients. Let sit for one hour before serving. (I would substitute a chopped seaweed instead of salt because seaweed provides necessary minerals.) See her website for upcoming classes and private consultations.
Continue reading ‘A Cooling Whole Grain Dish’
Actor and Activist Leonardo DiCaprio has joined forces with World Wildlife Fund to save a species on the brink of extinction. With as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild, WWF and DiCaprio today kicked off Save Tigers Now. The campaign begins with an expedition to remote tiger habitats in Asia to document the wild tigers first hand and learn what needs to be done to save them from extinction.
After DiCaprio was briefed by the WWF conservationists about the plight of these majestic animals, they decided to partner on a campaign to help raise awareness about the threats to tigers and raise funds for tiger preservation efforts. In honor of the Chinese Year of the Tiger, an ambitious goal of $20 million has been set with the vision of doubling the tiger population by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger.
DiCaprio is traveling to Asia with WWF experts to see the threats tigers face first-hand. He will participate in anti-poaching patrols, meet with park guards on the frontlines of protecting tigers from international traffickers, and explore the best ways to protect these amazing creatures. The Save Tigers Now (www.SaveTigersNow.org) website will allow supporters to follow DiCaprio’s journey and participate in the effort to save tigers.
Some people have more than a bad hair day: They have a bad hair life. Does high stress make you want to pull your hair out? Psychiatrists give the name trichotillomania to an obsessive compulsive behavior of pulling out hair, eye lashes and eye brows. It can accompany chronic anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and mental disorders. It affects an estimated 2 million Americans over age 22. The exact number is unknown because it is often kept secret. A hair-puller feels relieved after pulling hair from face and even underarms. Some eat the hair. Now, there may be help for them. An article in Archives of General Psychiatry reported in July 2009 at Time.com describes the over the counter anti-oxidant N-acetylcysteine.
Continue reading ‘Your Hair and Mental Illness’
Aloe Vera is soothing, cooling and healing for acid reflux. Add up to 1/4 cup of health food store aloe juice or gel to water, juice or green tea as needed. It also improves PMS cramps, constipation and bad breath.
CNN: Some heartburn medications could increase the risk of hip, wrist and spine fractures in high doses or with long-term use, the Food and Drug Administration warned. Such so-called proton pump inhibitors are used for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease, stomach and small intestine ulcers and inflammation of the esophagus, along with frequent heartburn. They include esomeprazole, sold under the brand name Nexium, dexlansoprazole (Dexilant). lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec, Zegerid), pantoprazole (Protonix) and rabeprazole (Aciphex). Over-the-counter versions include omeprazole (Prilosec OTC, Zegerid OTC) and lansoprazole (Prevacid 24HR). The product labeling will be changed to describe the possible increased risk, the FDA said in a statement Tuesday.
Continue reading ‘Heartburn Drugs and Bone Loss’
I love experimenting with homemade natural beauty treatments. My latest enthusiasm is a nourishing hair and complexion splash using seaweed. It smells oceanic and the sea minerals feel very strengthening. We absorb nutrients more effectively through the skin than in foods. In my book, Healthy Beauty I recommended lots of foods, supplements and natural treatments for hair and complexion beauty. Staying young and attractive is vital for basic health. Whatever we apply to skin and hair goes deep to affect the blood, liver, and mood. Acids, irritants, chemical poisons and dyes affect our nerves and brain as they pass from outside/inward. So that looking good naturally, without additives, builds wellness.
Continue reading ‘Wavy Hair, Clear Complexion’
How cute!
Researchers say amyloid-beta protein that clogs the brain in Alzheimer’s disease also accumulates in the eyes of Down syndrome patients and causes cataracts. . . “People with Down syndrome develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s-type dementia often by the age of 30,” said Dr. Lee E. Goldstein, associate professor at Boston University School of Medicine. “This is because they have an extra copy of a key Alzheimer’s gene that leads to increased amyloid-beta accumulation in the brain. We discovered that this same protein starts to accumulate very early in the lens of the eye, even in children.” Dr. David G. Hunter, ophthalmologist-in-chief at Children’s Hospital Boston and vice chairman of the department of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School said, “We have known that these cataracts are prevalent in people with Down syndrome and are sometimes seen at birth, but we never knew how they were related to the disorder. Now we know. These distinctive cataracts appear only in people with advanced Alzheimer’s disease and much earlier in Down syndrome.” Where does the mouse come in? Animal studies have shown that moderate consumption of caffeine (in coffee or tea) can help prevent production of amyloid-beta protein.
Continue reading ‘Caffeine, Cataracts, Dementia’
The New York Open center taped the Natural Approach to Depression class I taught with homeopath Christopher Phillips in April, 2010. Here is a link to a free audio download the first fifteen minutes of that class. Click “Download File 6.8 Mb” and you can hear me. The class notes for the Depression Class are here.
Curves are beautiful when supported by muscle.
Healthbeat Harvard Medical School: Muscle tissue, bone density, and strength all dwindle over the years. So, too, does muscle power. These changes open the door to accidents and injuries that can compromise your ability to lead an independent, active life. Strength training is an effective way to slow and possibly reverse much of this decline. Muscle loss affects the body in many ways. Strong muscles pluck oxygen and nutrients from the blood much more efficiently than weak ones. That means any activity requires less cardiac work and puts less strain on your heart. Strong muscles are better at sopping up sugar in the blood and helping the body stay sensitive to insulin (which helps cells remove sugar from the blood). In these ways, strong muscles can help keep blood sugar levels in check, which in turn helps prevent or control type 2 diabetes and is good for the heart. Strong muscles also enhance weight control.
Continue reading ‘The Beauty of Strong Muscles – músculos fuertes’
