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Alternative Medicine in the News
March 2009 edition 14
published weekly
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Whole Grains Give Health
http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org
What is white flour? It is from the same wheat plant as whole wheat, but the grain has been bleached and the outer hull, or shell of the grain has been removed. The outer shell is hard and protects the soft inner layer that we eat. However it contains most of the nutrients and the food value in the grain.
In early civilizations, everyone ate "whole" wheat. But now, refined wheat is thought to be a sign of the advancement of our civilization and whole wheat is considered crude or primitive. The outer hull of wheat is filled with life-giving nutrients and most of the fiber. It contains B vitamins, fiber, and many minerals, such as calcium. The interior portion of the wheat, the white part, contains simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates spike your blood sugar and can contribute to diabetes. They contribute empty calories that fill your stomach and do not add nutrients.
Some mass-market brands are made of white, bleached wheat with molasses and other browning agents added. It is important to read labels to find out if the flour used in these products has been processed or not. Processed wheat, with its added coloring and vitamins, does not add up to the nutritional values found in wheat`s germ and bran. The germ of the wheat is especially nutritious. It is an excellent source of B vitamins and the bran is a source of dietary fiber.
Nature has designed foods that are complete in themselves. The human body was designed to eat whole foods and is built to take the nutrients out of whole grains.
Many other grains can be used for bread and pastry and pasta, but wheat is the most common because it contains glutens that cause bread to rise. Some people are allergic to wheat or have a reaction to the glutens in grain. Celiac disease is a disease of the intestines caused by a reaction to gluten. Avoiding wheat for a period of time and rotating exposure to the irritating foods can sometimes eliminate or reduce the reaction to a food allergen.
Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) and Amaranth are two grains that were part of the diet of older civilizations, but were lost. Recently farmers have been raising these grains, and products containing these and other whole grains now grace grocery store shelves.
Eating whole grains is an important part of good nutrition. Use whole flour and whole grains to take in your nutrients the natural way, stored in their original packaging of wheat germ and bran.
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Fresh Vegetable Salads Provide Maximum Nutrition for Each Food Dollar [& KShillings] Spent
(NaturalNews)
It looks like food prices will continue to creep steadily higher throughout 2009, even in the face of an economic crisis that has reduced the purchasing power of most Americans [& Kenyans]. This makes it more important that ever to get the best nutritional value for every food dollar spent. When it is time for lunch, one of the best overall values is a salad, whether it comes from a salad bar or is made at home. But not all salads offer good nutritional value. The ingredients chosen will determine whether the salad is an energy booster full of excellent nutrition to help you sail through the afternoon, or one that deadens cellular energy and provides very little nutritional value for the money spent.
Salads that offer the most nutrition for the money are made with fresh, unprocessed vegetables. Color is the key. Those veggies with the bright, vibrant colors are trying to tell you something. The more colors added to the bowl, the more the salad can keep you looking and feeling young, and put a bounce in your step for the rest of the day. That's because vibrant colored veggies are loaded with antioxidants, plant compounds that slow the aging process and ward off disease.
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Add Raw Foods to Your Diet
Pierce, Kim. in The Dallas Morning News. 2008. The case for a raw food diet. Apr 7.
A raw food diet is made up of uncooked and chemically unprocessed foods. By virtue of its definition, most items on a raw food diet are fruits and vegetables. Purified water, beans, grains and nuts are also included. Concerns about taste and texture can be easily put to rest if you try a variety of different foods.
A diet rich in raw foods may still use cooked items. Special cooking techniques will preserve all nutrients while increasing digestibility. Drying and blanching are two cooking methods that preserve nutrients. Investing in a food dehydrator may be just the ticket. Dried strawberries, pineapple, apricots and cherries just can't be beat. Dried yams, chick peas and carrots are also tasty. It may take a little time to get accustomed to eating this type of diet, but the improvement in your overall sense of well-being will surely please you. There are other benefits to a raw food diet. Healthy weight loss, better sleep quality, easier digestion, more energy and fewer heart problems have all been documented. Additional pluses include intake of less sodium and more natural vitamins and minerals. Raw food meals give the immune system a natural boost, also.
If you experience cravings, headaches or transient nausea after you begin eating a majority of raw foods, do not despair. Your body is simply experiencing withdrawal from your previous diet of meats and sweets.
Increasing your liquid intake will help flush your kidneys and clean your system faster. Be sure you drink at least 64 ounces of non-chemical liquids daily. Water is an excellent choice. When water seems boring, add non-caloric flavorings such as instant tea.
Study a food list to learn which raw foods contain the most vitamins and minerals. Concentrate on adding those to your diet every day. Remember that B vitamins are not stored by the body. They need to be taken every day, either in the form of a commercial preparation or in specific foods such as bran and wheat germ. These are easy to get in cereals.
A raw food diet may put you at risk for certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies. You will want to eat foods that include calcium, iron and Vitamin B 12 to prevent these deficiencies. Drinking fat-free milk will provide calcium. It is treated, that's true, but osteoporosis is more dangerous. The standard raw food diet fosters at least 75% raw or living foods, so milk won't make you a traitor. Almonds, dried fruits and pumpkin seeds are high in iron. The only truly reliable sources of natural B 12 are dairy, eggs and meat. Look for cereal and vegetable sources that have been fortified with B 12. Nearly all dry cereals fill the bill.
Raw foods are not only healthy but also flavorful and varied. The addition of raw fruits and vegetables will be healthy, no matter what kind of eating plan you choose for your daily intake. Try many different foods to learn what you find tasty and attractive. You may be surprised at what you decide to eat regularly.
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How to Slash World Cancer Rates By 90 Percent: Healthy Foods, Exercise and Vitamin D
(NaturalNews)
Although you won't hear this from the cancer industry or the drug companies that profit from cancer, there's an easy, low-cost and remarkably safe way to slash cancer rates around the world by about one-third, says the World Cancer Research Fund: Promote healthy foods and exercise! (http://www.wcrf-uk.org)
According to research just released by the WCRF, simple changes in diet and exercise can prevent nearly 40 percent of breast and pancreatic cancers, 36 percent of lung cancers, over 60 percent of mouth cancers, a quarter of kidney cancers and 45 percent of bowel cancers.
Remarkably, these results were achieved without any mention of vitamin D! By adding vitamin D to the mix, which by itself has been demonstrated to prevent an astonishing 77 percent of all cancers (http://www.naturalnews.com/021892.html), cancer prevention rates approaching 90 percent overall can be easily achieved.
This report also did not mention eliminating dangerous cancer-causing chemicals from the diet, such as sodium nitrite found in processed meats (hot dogs, sausage, bacon, etc.) and artificial chemical sweeteners. It also did not take into account the health benefits of avoiding cancer-causing chemicals in personal care products such as shampoo, antibacterial soap, common fragrance products, hand lotions and so on (choose 100% natural, USDA-certified organic versions of these products to avoid the toxic chemicals).
Avoiding mammograms, which harm ten women for every one that it helps (http://www.naturalnews.com/020829.html), also greatly reduces the risk of breast cancer. A much safer alternative is to use breast thermograms, which offer far more accurate detection without the dangerous radiation.
If you take all lifestyle changes into account, achieving a 90 percent reduction in overall cancer rates is quite readily achievable.
Low cancer rates means low profits for the cancer industry
This is terrible news for the cancer industry, which preys on cancer patients and exploits them for profit. As of today, the cancer industry still refuses to teach women about vitamin D. This includes all the pink ribbon cancer non-profit groups, by the way, who simultaneously claim to be searching for "the cure" even while insisting there is no such thing as a cure. Prevention of cancer isn't even on their radar. After all, if 9 out of 10 women never even got breast cancer, these groups would lose their power (and their jobs).
The success of the cancer industry depends entirely on the population remaining ignorant about cancer prevention strategies that are cheap, safe and remarkably effective.
Mammogram and chemotherapy pushers want women to believe cancer is inevitable -- a genetic defect they have no control over. What they refuse to admit (publicly, at least) is that the expression of so-called "cancer genes" is almost entirely controlled by lifestyle choices. Thus, even a woman whose mother and grandmother had breast cancer can reduce her risk of breast cancer to near zero by simply changing her lifestyle choices, starting with dietary choices and healthy sunlight exposure (for vitamin D).
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Yoga Benefits Women with Breast Cancer
(NaturalNews)
In a study just published in the journal Psycho-Oncology, researchers conclude they've found a treatment that resulted in a 50% reduction in depression and a 12% increase in feelings of peace and meaning in women with breast cancer. The successful treatment isn't a new type of anti-depressant or anti-anxiety drug. In fact, it isn't a drug at all -- it's the ancient healing and exercise system known as yoga.
Wake Forest University School of Medicine scientists conducted a randomized study of 44 women, all with breast cancer; 34% were actively undergoing cancer treatment such as chemotherapy while the rest of the majority had already completed therapy. Half took a ten week program of 75 minute Restorative Yoga (RY) classes and half were in the waitlist control group. RY is a gentle type of yoga similar to other forms of yoga classes that gently moves the spine in all directions. Blankets, cushions, bolsters, and any other needed props provide support that results in deep relaxation with minimal physical exertion, allowing people at virtually any level of health to practice yoga more easily.
The women in both groups completed a questionnaire to assess the quality of their lives at the beginning and end of the ten week program. According to the Wake Forest research team, the results showed that the women who had been given the RY classes experienced significantly more benefits than the control group (who were later all invited to participate in identical RY classes).
Specifically, the yoga group was found to have improvements in mental health including depression, positive emotions, and spirituality (defined as feeling calm and peaceful) compared to the control group. In fact, the scientists found that women who started the yoga classes with higher negative emotions and lower emotional well-being experienced the most benefits from the gentle yoga exercises compared to the control group. In addition, while women in the control group did not report a change in their fatigue levels, the women taking yoga classes demonstrated a significant improvement in fatigue symptoms.
"Evidence from systematic reviews of randomized trials is quite strong that mind-body therapies improve mood, quality of life, and treatment-related symptoms in people with cancer. Yoga is one mind-body therapy that is widely available and involves relatively reasonable costs," Suzanne Danhauer, Ph.D., who headed the Wake Forest University School of Medicine research team, said in a statement to the media. "Given the high levels of stress and distress that many women with breast cancer experience, the opportunity to experience feeling more peaceful and calm in the midst of breast cancer is a significant benefit."
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Merck's Psoriasis Drug Raptiva Too Dangerous
Say European Health Authorities
www.NaturalNews.comAfter careful review, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has declared that Merck's psoriasis drug Raptiva
(which actually sounds like a sports car or a dinosaur, not a drug) is
too dangerous to use on humans. Sales of the drug will now be suspended
in Europe following revelations that three patients suffered bizarre
brain infections called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Two
of the three patients died. In the United States, the FDA continues to
allow its sale, possibly because a large number of mass-medicated
American medical patients have no remaining brains to infect. -+-+-+-+-+
From "The Healing Power of Rainforest Herbs: A Guide to Understanding and Using Herbal Medicinals"
by Leslie Taylor, ND
Clinical research has validated the traditional use of sarsaparilla for skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, acne, and leprosy. In 1942, it was reported in the New England Journal of Medicine to improve the condition of psoriasis dramatically. The results of a clinical study with ninety-two patients was detailed, which reported that it improved psoriasis
lesions in 62 percent of cases and completely cleared lesions in 18
percent of cases. One of the possible mechanisms of action in psoriasis is sarsaparilla's blood cleansing properties.
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Spain Withdraws Gardasil After Illnesses
Spanish health authorities have withdrawn tens of thousands of doses of Gardasil, a vaccine against the human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV), after two teenagers who received the shots were hospitalized.
The two girls were vaccinated last week as part of a vast government program targeting adolescents. A batch of nearly 76,000 doses of the vaccine has been withdrawn from the market.
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Garlic Remedy for a Yeast Infection
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/garlic-remedy-for-a-yeast-infection.html
By Vivian Waterman
There are many garlic home remedies for yeast infections. Garlic naturally fights the causes of the infection and does it safely.
If you have ever looked up a remedy for a yeast infection I'm sure that you have heard that garlic can be used as a treatment. Garlic makes a great home remedy for a yeast infection because it has natural anti fungal properties. Not only is garlic a great home remedy for a yeast infection but it can be used to make several remedies.
The first garlic remedy for a yeast infection is the easiest. All you will need for this remedy is a peeled garlic clove. All you will need to do is insert the peeled clove into your vagina. This should be repeated every few hours until the infection clears up.
You can also use this remedy with cheesecloth. This method has you wrap the garlic clove in the cheesecloth and then insert into the vagina. This method allows you to leave some of the cheesecloth hanging out like that of a tampon string. Obviously this allows for easier removal and reduces the risk of losing the garlic all together.
Another really simply method of using garlic as a remedy for a yeast infections is to use garlic capsules. These can be found at most health food stores and are often found at your local grocery store. To use, all you need to do is insert into your vagina. Make sure that you buy dissolvable capsules.
Another way that you can use garlic as a remedy for a yeast infection is to blend peeled garlic cloves in a food processor and add water. This will make a paste that can then be inserted into the vagina. The benefit to this garlic remedy for a yeast infection is that you can also use it as an external remedy for a yeast infection. To do this all you need to do is apply some of the paste to the infected area surrounding your vagina.
If you combine garlic oil with diluted apple cider vinegar you will have yet another remedy for a yeast infection. This treatment is usually used as a bath soak. Just add it to your warm bath water and soak for about twenty minutes. Make sure to fully dry your vagina to prevent the growth of yeast. You can also use this as a douche.
Using garlic as a remedy for a yeast infection is a safe and effective method to treat yeast infections. There are many ways to use it for treatment and you won't have to worry about harmful side effects because the ingredients are all natural.
If you are interested in other home remedies that treat yeast infections then try kill your Yeast Infection Its full of home remedies that treat your yeast infections naturally and effectively.
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Medical Disclaimer:
The information contained within does not take the place of medical diagnosis or
prescription. See your health care provider in case of sickness.
Editorial Disclaimer: Publication of these articles are to promote food for thought. The opinions expressed in these articles may not be the opinion of editors.
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