In research published in Dec 2004 in Int'l Journal of Food Microbiology, Mundo et al tested 27 different kinds of honey for their antibacterial properties and found they were due to several factors including the high sugar content, hydrogen peroxide generation, and certain protein compounds found in honey.
They reported the ability of honey to suppress bacterial growth varied widely. Five kinds of honey were found to have high levels of antibacterial properties. They were Montana Buckwheat, tarweed, manuka, melaleuca and saw palmetto. They indicated that honey has the potential as a preservative in some minimally processed foods.
In another study titled "Honey as a natural preservative of milk" Krushna et al in Indian J Exp Biol May 2007 reported that samples of milk stored at 40 C in presence of honey were shown to inhibit opportunistic bacteria growth compared to samples stored without honey.
In a report on CNN (Jan 2008) on the FDA warning not to give over the counter cough syrup to children under 2 yrs of age, The reporter stated that Buckwheat given to children was able to stop coughs.
For a stubborn cold, try using a hairdryer. Place the hairdryer on low temp. and blow warm air up your nose and also at the back of the throat. Warm air will kill the cold virus. Do this for 10 minutes 2 or 3 times a day.
Researchers in Japan (1) studied a beverage made form red wine vinegar and grape juice and found it lowered blood pressure in Sprague-Dawley rats. They found that red wine vinegar inhibited the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and was an ACE inhibitor although other factors may have been involved. The researchers also found that the drink promotes vascular dilation that could also reduce blood pressure.
While apple cider vinegar has remarkable health benefits, red wine vinegar may actually have more benefits due to the presence of polyphenols and anti-oxidants not present in other vinegars.
Conrad LeBeau
In Dec, 2007, the American Medical Association (AMA) asked the FDA to remove salt from the GRAS list of generally recognized as safe additives and cited research demonstrating that over 115000 deaths annually can be directly attributed to over consumption of salt. Today it is nearly impossible to find a low sodium meal in any restaurant as the use of salt and the public's addiction to it is so widespread.
Salt is the leading cause of hypertension (high blood pressure) and is a major factor in heart attacks and strokes. Long-term adverse effects from sodium do not occur if the intake of sodium is restricted to 2300 mg or less daily. However, once obesity, diabetes or hypertension develop, sodium intake should be restricted to 1000 mg daily or less to help reverse the disease condition.
The following are low-sodium recipes that I have developed and are from my personal collection that I have tested and used over the past several months. I think you will also enjoy them. Finding healthy food choices that also taste good helps keep us in a positive frame of mind and makes it easier to follow a low-sodium diet. Enjoy.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add the following ingredients to a small stainless frying pan:
Stir and gently heat all ingredients until they bubble. Add about one pound (12 to 16 ozs) raw almonds to the pan and stir until all the nuts are coated with the mixture. Place coated almonds on cookie sheet and spread out evenly. Place in oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 8 minutes. Shut off oven, remove pan and let cool for 30 minutes. Remove almonds with a spatula and store in a glass jar in the refrigerator until eaten. You will love these as a snack or when chopped they can be placed on a salad.
Almonds are high in calcium, protein and monounsaturated fatty acids and amino acids to support heart hearth. They also contain arginine that supports the Thymus gland.
Combine the following:
Optional - one crushed/chopped garlic clove.
Shake all ingredients together and store in a glass jar in refrigerator until used. Spoon over salad. Refrigerate between uses.
Slice 2 medium raw red beets. Place in a brine in the refrigerator made from the following ingredients:
Mix all ingredients and placed sliced beets in to the brine. The brine may be used 2 or 3 times to pickle other raw vegetables like cauliflower, mushrooms and carrots. May be kept in refrigerator for several months. Enjoy.
This is great snack spread to use on plain rice or rice sesame-ginger crackers.
Mix ingredients and mash together with egg beater or use food processor. If too thick, thin with chick peas juice or add more lemon juice. Store in refrigerator and use within 5 days.
Loosely toss all ingredients together and top with Red Sweet-Sour Dressing.
In a blender add 8 ozs tart cherry juice, 1/2 lemon with rind, 1/2 tsp of cinnamon powder and 1/2 inch square fresh ginger root. Blend at high speed for 1 minute, strain and drink.
Combine all ingredients in a stainless steel pot and bring to a boil. Simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes and leeks are tender but not mushy. To thicken the soup, remove 1 cup of liquid from soup and place in a blender with about 1 cup of red potatoes (spooned out of the soup). Blend for 30 seconds and return to the soup. Stir and remove from heat.
Each sup of soup has about 75 mg of sodium which makes it very low in sodium as compared to Campbell's "low sodium" soup that has 480 mg of sodium per cup. Sea salt has 1/3 less sodium than regular table salt and has a full range of trace minerals which table salt does not have. Even though Sea salt is preferred over table salt, it should be used sparingly (500 to 100 mg daily) if you have cardiovascular issues, HBP, kidney problems, high blood sugar or are overweight. If you are healthy and not overweight, you should still use Sea Salt in moderation (2500 mg daily or less). Enjoy
Combine all the above ingredients in a stainless steel pot and bring to a boil, then simmer.
In a separate cast iron or stainless steel pan, brown 1 cup chopped onions and 1/2 cup carrots with sesame seed or olive oil (about 2 tbsps) with a little Kitchen Bouquet added for flavor and color. Partially cook only, then add to soup pot and continue to simmer for about 1 hour or until the peas are fully cooked. Let cool and enjoy. Serve with Low sodium crackers or Rye crisp. Add Vegit seasoning (low sodium) if you want more flavor. Enjoy. Each pint of finished pea soup has just 150 mg sodium. Refrigerate and use within 5 days or freeze some for longer storage.
To a pint jar, add one half-cup of red wine vinegar, one-half cup of Olive oil, one rounded tsp of raw cane sugar, 1/4th tsp sea salt and 1 tsp of basil. Shake ingredients together. Fill the jar with raw garlic cloves and jalapeno peppers or other hot peppers using a fork to poke the garlic and hot peppers before you added them to the brine. Other vegetables like cauliflower, mushrooms and carrot pieces may also be added. The next day you can then enjoy a jar of pickled raw garlic cloves. The longer you let it set, the better taste the brine will develop.
In a stainless steel frying pan, add 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil, 1 tsp of Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce and 1/2 pound of ground Bison (Buffalo) or lean grass-fed beef. Break into chunks about 1 inch or larger. Brown on both sides then add the following vegetables: One medium size onion - quartered,
Add one Tbsp of Angostura Worcester sauce and sprinkle black pepper over the dish and add a pinch of sea salt or Creole seasoning (about 1/4 tsp).
Cover and simmer until the meat and vegetables are cooked. Enjoy with a piece of hot organic cornbread topped with butter and honey and with a dish of cranberry sauce on the side. Serve with Green tea or lemonade.
Millions of people are milk intolerant and suffer from digestive disorders and stomach gas as a result. Pregnant women drinking cow's milk often will develop calcium lumps in the body. Senior citizens drinking milk or eating ice cream will often develop arthritis, rheumatism or deformed joints and atherosclerosis. Raw nuts made into a milk not only taste great but have none of these side effects and have many health benefits including blood lipid profiles - lower cholesterol and more normal blood pressure. Add nut milk to your daily food choices and enjoy both its flavor and health properties.
To make a quart of nut milk you need:
Place nuts and seeds in a strainer and wash for 1 minute under the hottest tap water you got to remove molds and bacteria. Then add 2 cups of room temperature water to a blender and turn on low. Add the nuts and seeds, sugar ad vanilla. Increase speed to high for one minute. Lower speed again and add the remaining water. Stop blender and pour mixture through a large strainer placed over a 2 qt pan. Use a spatula to stir the milk and press the pulp. For a very smooth milk, finish with a very fine mesh strainer and stir with a spatula until it is completely strained. Pour into a quart glass jar and refrigerate. Drink within 5 days. Serve with a hot breakfast cereal or add some original Ovaltine for a chocolate malt drink.
In making soups and stews, brown vegetables in a frying pan with Kitchen bouquet or in the oven with some olive oil and this will add a lot of flavor so you will enjoy the food with far less salt added.
Olive oil - extra virgin - best flavor comes when you purchase it in 3 liter tins (available from Greek, Indian, Mexican or Italian import stores). Pour some in a glass jar and refrigerate it between uses.
Conrad LeBeau
We live in a world increasingly bombarded with electromagnetic energy and signals. Inside our homes and offices are televisions sets, microwave ovens, florescent lights, computer screens, I-Pods and mobile phones. Outside our homes, there are cell phone relay towers, radio and television stations and from outer space, satellites are blanketing the earth with television and radio signals. How much is too much and what effect is this clutter of electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) doing to our health and immune system? A study from Italy raises some alarming questions about adverse effects on the immune system of EMF exposure in both men and women.
Di Giampaolo L, Di Donato A, et al
Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2006 Oct-Dec;19(4 Suppl):37-42.
Operative Unit of Occupational Medicine of the University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti, Pescara, Italy.
Seven women and eight men, exposed to low frequency (50 Hz) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in a museum for 20 hours a week, were investigated in the years 1999 and 2005. During the first study, the mean EMF exposure in the working place was 1.7 microT and 1.1 microT, respectively.
In the first investigation, the EMF-exposed men showed reduced blood NK lymphocytes in relation to controls, while EMF-exposed women presented reduced PHA-stimulated IFN-gamma release from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). In the year 2005, blood cytotoxic activity, state and trait anxiety (STAI I and II, respectively) and occupational stress were also investigated. The scores of STAI I and II of the control women were slightly higher than those of the control men. EMF-exposed men showed higher occupational stress but normal immune parameters.
EMF-exposed women showed, in relation to controls, lower PHA-stimulated IFN-gamma release from PBMC and reduced blood cytotoxic activity/CD45+-CD16+-56+ NK lymphocytes (but not per ml of blood). One of the women exposed to EMF, who worked a night shift, showed marked lymphopenia with very low NK lymphocytes and reduced IFN-gamma release; these immune parameters returned to normal following a change of work site. This study suggests that low frequency EMFs affect the immune functions of women more than those of men. Moreover, the determination of immune parameters seems to be a useful marker of the health effects of exposure to EMFs.
Extremely low-frequency (0-300 Hz) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) generated by power lines, wiring and home appliances are ubiquitous in our environment. All populations are now exposed to EMF, and exposure to EMF may pose health risks. Some of the adverse health effects of EMF exposure are lipid peroxidation and cell damage in various tissues. This study has investigated the effects of EMF exposure and zinc administration on lipid peroxidation in the rat brain.
Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated to three groups; they were maintained untreated for 6 months (control, n = 8), exposed to low-frequency (50 Hz) EMF for 5 minutes every other day for 6 months (n = 8), or exposed to EMF and received zinc sulfate daily (3 mg/kg/day) intraperitoneally (n = 8).
We measured plasma levels of zinc and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) in erythrocytes. TBARS and GSH levels were also determined in the brain tissues. TBARS levels in the plasma and brain tissues were higher in EMF-exposed rats with or without zinc supplementation, than those in controls
Electrical Sensitivity (ES) is an illness that is both highly controversial and little understood. The symptoms can vary a lot between sufferers, but will normally include some of the following: sleep disturbance, tiredness, depression, headaches, restlessness, irritability, concentration problems, forgetfulness, learning difficulties, frequent infections, blood pressure changes, limb and joint pains, numbness or tingling sensations, tinnitus, hearing loss, impaired balance, giddiness and eye problems. There have been reports of cardiovascular problems such as tachycardia, though these are relatively rare.
Many of the symptoms reported have a lot in common with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS). It seems quite sensible to theorize that both syndromes therefore may affect particularly susceptible members of the population. It may also be that there is a 'synergistic' effect; i.e. people develop symptoms in the presence of both (or multiple) environmental exposures, whereas only one such exposure would not provoke the symptoms.
In February 2006, at a meeting of the Dutch working group on EHS, Hugo Schooneveld, a neurobiologist, and himself a sufferer, showed how different radiation can have different effects on different people. He showed that there may be some delay before health effects are experienced. Indeed they can be perceived as positive at first and negative after a lengthy exposure. He also confirmed from his clinical experience that although EMFs may only cause small effects in biological systems, small effects on a cellular level could lead to large consequences on the organ level.
Hugo Schooneveld has developed a questionnaire that was completed by 250 electrohypersensitive (EHS) persons in the Netherlands over a 3-year period. Self declared health problems were recorded along with the sources of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) - if known - that caused the health effects. The results were quite striking, and very consistent with other grey literature on EHS.
These variations make the study of, and medical acceptance of, ES very difficult. We present below a very brief summary of some of the findings of the research into the effects that electromagnetic fields have on living systems, or in the laboratory. The biological changes found may lead directly to a health problem, without provoking or aggravating ES; it is not always easy to make this distinction. There are many references cited for you to investigate any of the areas covered in more detail, if you wish to do so.
Electric and magnetic fields are produced by power lines, substations, electricity distribution faults, electrical appliances in the home or workplace, house wiring, cables, cars, trains, etc. Many people believe that their ill-health effects arise because of proximity to these sources, or as a result of exposure to electro magnetic fields.. People exposed to EMFs may develop an illness such as childhood leukemia, adult skin cancer, breast cancer, Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) and miscarriage.
Common electrical appliances, such as televisions and computers often provoke mild to moderate symptoms in ES people. Increases in mast cells (such as found in people suffering from allergies) has been found in people watching television. Different types of lighting, especially fluorescent fixtures (including the new low-energy bulbs) are difficult for many people with ES to tolerate. This has wide implications, as fluorescent lighting is found in most offices, hospitals, shopping and leisure centers. This could make these facilities very difficult for people with ES to access.
Our belief is that there is now plenty of evidence to support the possibility that some people are very genuinely affected by electromagnetic radiation. We believe that as many as 5% of people could be affected (exhibiting typical stress symptoms such as headaches, tiredness and concentration difficulties), and a fraction of a percent affected to quite severe degrees (such as not being able to use even a mobile phone without suffering from severe symptoms).
It is unknown what exactly triggers electrical sensitivity, though a number of possibilities (such as VDUs, fluorescent lighting, mobile phones or mobile phone masts, or by chemical exposure such as a damp proof course installation, garden or farm sprays, cavity wall insulation, etc) have been suggested.
TV monitor and computer screen EMF blocking shields. One company sells these shields new for $46.95 and up depending on the size of your monitor. They block 99.9% of ELF/VLF electric field emissions. Their website is lessemf.com/computers.html or call 888-537-7363. Shielding devices are available for other sources of EMF radiation as well.
Conrad LeBeau
I have had an older and cheaper Belkin Monitor Shield for several years but the grounding wire had become disconnected over time. I found that when working in front of the computer for more than 1 hour, that both fatigue and eye strain would set in. An employee at lessemf.com told me that the shield needs to be grounded to work properly.
I took his advice and used a screw to reattach the grounding wire to the EMF Monitor shield while making sure that the other end of the wire was attached to the ground on an electrical outlet. The grounding wire feeds the EMF energy back to the earth and the shield works better. I find that I have less fatigue and eye strain since grounding the monitor shield on my computer.
Recently the Environmental Working Group raised concerns that infants were getting more Bisphenol A than was safe for consumption. Infants, children and adults consume small quantities of Bisphenol A from coated cans and some other plastic products. Coatings inside cans used for food and beverage storage contain Bisphenol A, a derivative from plastic has been reported by researchers to affect over 200 genes in the body. Bisphenol A mimics estrogen and has been shown to increase cancer cell growth, affect the development of the breast and prostate and contribute to obesity in laboratory animals. Persons can avoid Bisphenol A by using powdered food and beverage products, fresh or frozen products or those canned in glass jars.
Mark Konlee
The most widely read magazine in the HIV community, POZ, reported December 14th 2007 on their website on a study done by Joost Vermeulen MD that was published in AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses that IVIG reduced immune activation and increased CD4 counts in one study. They stated: "The new research adds further evidence to the theory that over-activation of the immune system is responsible for the loss of CD4 cell in HIV disease."
In the Journal of Immunity for the past 3 years or so, we have been saying the same thing. We reported on the findings of Dr Plechner and the controlled studies of Dr Albrecht Ulmer and his cohorts in Germany on the long term use of low dose prednisolone (an anti-inflammatory used to supplement the body's levels of cortisol) in HIV disease to stabilize and increase the CD4 helper cell counts. The effect of low dose prednisolone and/or hydrocortisone is to lower the humoral immune response while improving cell-mediated immune responses. The reduced immune activation of humoral cytokines including interleukin -6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor - alpha (TNF-a) reduces stress on the CD4 cells and their numbers increase.
The use of immunoglobulins apparently is providing an effect similar to prednisolone and hydrocortisone in stabilizing and increasing the CD4 helper cell counts. Besides using hydrocortisone, some HIV+ persons have also reported increases in CD4 counts after using Colostrum, a known source of immunoglobulins. The use of Colostrum is possibly a viable source of immunoglobulins that would provide a low cost alternative to injectible IV immunoglobulins.
Who will lead the effort to fund a study using low cost Colostrum or other low cost treatments for HIV? Certainly, IVIG will certainly cost a lot more money than either oral Colostrum or low dose cortisol. The politics of AIDS and other highly profitable diseases apparently dictates that no low cost solution will be adequately publicized, even if well researched and published in peer-reviewed medical journals. After all, this might interfere with the flow of high priced advertising dollars to magazines like POZ and other similar publications including donations to dozens of AIDS Service Organizations that have their hand out for pharmaceutical funds and are now the marketing mouthpieces for the most expensive treatments. If the funds from pharmaceutical companies should dry up it might just put a crimp in some of the six figure salaries of some of their chief executive officers.
Unless someone can patent and monopolize the marketing of a treatment, it will be ignored, as will hundreds of other low cost treatment for hundreds of other illnesses. In our "free society" medicine and credit are monopolized while the sick and the poor are exploited. Apparently, money is more important than people's health.
For several years, I have viewed high potency vitamins with skepticism as nearly all of them are made synthetically as coal tar derivatives. With natural vitamins, you just need a little to notice beneficial results while with synthetic vitamins; you usually need massive doses to see results. While I am not relegating all synthetic vitamin and mineral formulations to the scrap heap as some like methyl B12 and niacin seem to produce beneficial results, most are rejected by the body as unusable and end up being excreted in our urine. Synthetic vitamin and mineral formulations must first get absorbed in the gastro-intestinal tract where the immune cells are in constant surveillance of the byproducts of digestion. If they get past the immune cells and into the blood supply, the individual cells may or may not accept them. This is because compounds must fit in the cell membrane like a key into a lock and synthetic vitamin and mineral formulations do not fit properly. That is why a very small amount of natural vitamin and mineral formulations are so effective in promoting well being; they fit like a hand into a glove.
In the game of numbers and cost, the synthetic vitamins and mineral formulations (complexes and chelates) win out to the uninformed buying public who mistakenly think that they are helping their health by taking one a day vitamins or eating "Total" breakfast cereal. If synthetic vitamins really work, people should see their health improve and not go downhill on these synthetic dietary supplements. While it is not on the label, most of the synthetic vitamins we use today are made overseas, usually in China and you have to wonder what else is in it?
Reduced iron is an unstable compound and very reactive. It is the opposite of oxidized iron which is very stable and non reactive. Iron oxide (oxidized iron) is otherwise known as rust. It occurs naturally in well water in many areas. Iron in plants is naturally stable as it is part of plant-based compounds that have evolved over time and support life processes.
Iron tablets containing reduced iron and other unstable iron compounds that are man made have had fatal effects on small children who have eaten and died from free radical damage to their intestines caused by the iron tablets. In the following report, they cite figures that less than 6 children a year are dying from swallowing iron tablets. That any are dying at all from iron tablets should be alarming. What is lacking is published data and research on how the iron tablets have caused these fatalities. In laboratory studies, iron formulations in high concentration have been shown to cause free radical formation. While iron supplements have apparently killed over a 100 children in the last 20 years, what damage is it doing to the intestines and organs of the children who ingest iron tablets and do not die? Why is there no ongoing research in this area? Why is the FDA asleep at the switch? Do the pharmaceutical manufacturers of iron tablets and reduced iron have friends in high places that are looking the other way?
You can be certain that if some natural herb or botanical caused the death of one child they would be screaming bloody quacks and charlatans. Why then does the FDA allow pharmaceutical quacks and charlatans to sell unsafe iron tablets to the public? What damage is iron tablets and iron additives to enriched flour and cereals doing the health of not only millions of other children, but to the intestines, liver, heart and kidneys of millions of adults as well?
No one has ever reported any harmful effects from spinach, liver, brewers yeast, molasses and other natural sources of iron. Yes, there are natural and safe alternatives to reduced iron and other unstable and unsafe man-made preparations.
Iron preparations are the most frequent cause of pediatric ingestion fatalities. The purpose of this study was to quantify the impression of an increase in iron deaths in young children and to postulate on the reasons. Using the data provided by the American Association of Poison Control Centers, overall annual mortality rate from iron preparations and among children
In the general population the annual mortality rate/100 exposures to iron preparations increased from 0.05 during 1983-1990 to 0.116 in 1991
Rare cases of hemochromatosis have been reported in patients who underwent prolonged oral iron therapy for hemolytic anemia or prolonged self-treatment with iron pills. Reports of health faddists developing hemochromatosis due to excessive dietary iron intake, however, are extremely rare. This report presents clinical considerations and pathologic findings in a compulsive health faddist who consumed large numbers of vitamins containing iron. Clinical findings included the development and progression of cirrhosis of the liver, bronzing of the skin, and diabetes mellitus, all consistent with a diagnosis of hemochromatosis.
Phytosel a plant based source of selenium from hydroponically grown mustard greens has remarkable benefits and no side effects. Some other companies are feeding synthetic vitamins to live yeast cells and then process this mixture as "natural vitamins." What they actually end up with is a mixture of synthetic and natural vitamins with no way to determine what percent is natural and what percent is synthetic.
When the numbers (potency) on the label look too good to be true for a natural vitamin supplement, it probably means the vitamins inside are more synthetic than natural. A healthy skepticism is good. If a supplement manufacturer claims to be offering a natural supplement and has a label that has round even numbers for say all the B vitamins in the bottle, you know they are lying through their eyeteeth. No botanical will yield plant-based vitamins with say 50 or 100 mg of all the B vitamins in a given quantity of food product. It just does not happen this way.
Quantum Research has developed a liquid natural B vitamin complex derived from living probiotics and yeast cells. This low potency liquid extract of B vitamins promotes a feeling of well being with a small dose used sublingually and acts on the cells quickly. I have tried the product and like it but would not discount other sources of B vitamins such as brewer's yeast tablets if you can find them.
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