A Natural Environmental Health Facts Ezine

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"A NATURAL ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH FACTS Ezine" Here to Inform and Help You Become Healthier and Happier while Achieving Quality Longevity!

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928-636-9425
Wednesday April 20, 2005
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=> IN THIS ISSUE!
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==> Editors' Ranting & or Warnings
==> Something To Think About
==> Health Thought for the day!
==> Showcase Health Spotlight
==> Monthly Spotlight Ads
==> Today's Health Tip
==> Food of The Week
==> Health Today
==> Environmental Report
==> Life Changing Information

Greetings and thank you for subscribing! Here's hoping your day is a good one and you are doing everything possible to assure your good health and long happy life. Laugh, it's imperative to good health!

Growing up I was taught that March winds blew in April showers so we could enjoy the May flowers. Well, it appears that nobody around here dreamed up that little ditty. We are a bit backward... Flowers come first then we have April winds that do not blow in showers but it definitely devastates our tulip beds of beauty. That nasty old wind cuts them off at the top and leaves these stems sticking up that isn't at all nice looking. Every year we see this same wind cut them down just when I am really enjoying their beauty. Oh well, we had them for a few weeks and I guess that's life in this mountain valley... If that is the worst that can happy on our 2.5 acre hamlet I can say hallelujah, but I really hate watching beauty destroyed...

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Take charge of you and your family's health before it takes charge of you!
Lena

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Something To Think About
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Recent studies show that even single exposures to food-based excitotoxins (aspartame) can produce prolonged worsening of neurological lesions. In addition, it has been demonstrated that autoimmune reactions (as occurs with MS) greatly magnifying toxicity of aspartate and glutamate (the excitotoxins).

Liquid forms of excitotoxins are significantly more toxic because of rapid absorption and higher blood levels. In the face of this connection between excitotoxicity and the pathophysiology of MS, it would be ludicrous to allow further use of this excitotoxin containing sweetener, but they do!!!

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We accept all advertisements in good faith, but the advertisers are completely responsible for the content and accuracy of their advertisements. We do not give any warranties and accept no responsibility. The editor and publisher suggest that you exercise due diligence!
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Switch Could Be Just As Dangerous and Cost Your Life!

Study Casts More Doubt on OTC Pain Meds
Apr 19, 2005
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Smokers who regularly took certain popular pain killers cut their risk of developing oral cancer but increased their chances of dying from heart-related problems, according to a study that raises fresh questions about the long-term use of Advil, Motrin and Aleve.

The findings add to the suspicion that the heart risk extends beyond medications like Bextra, Vioxx and Celebrex to the larger family of pain relievers known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. These include brands of ibuprofen and virtually all other over-the-counter pain pills except acetaminophen or Tylenol.

Short-term use of these medications - two weeks or less - for headaches or other pain is still considered safe.

However, the study of smokers in Norway is the first evidence to support the recent federal Food and Drug Administration decision to warn about long-term use of all of these drugs except aspirin.

Results were presented Monday at an American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Anaheim.

Many doctors have switched patients to over-the-counter NSAIDs since the prescription drugs Vioxx and Bextra were pulled from the market, believing them to be safer.

Doctors in Norway wanted to see whether NSAIDs could prevent oral cancer because other work suggested they helped ward off other cancers.

They chose more than 3,000 people at high risk for oral cancer because of their smoking habits from the Norwegian Cancer Registry, a database of more than 123,000 people.

Over 20 years, 454 of them developed oral cancer, and they were compared with 454 similar people who did not develop the disease. Of these 908 people, 263 had used NSAIDs daily for at least six months. They had a two-thirds lower risk of developing oral cancer, but scientists were puzzled because deaths were not lower.

A deeper look revealed that the NSAID users were dying at twice the rate of the others from heart-related problems. There were 42 cardiovascular deaths among the 263 painkiller users and 41 deaths among the much larger group of 562 people who had never taken such drugs.

Risk was highest among ibuprofen users, who were nearly three times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than non-NSAID users. Aspirin was the only NSAID that did not seem to raise the risk, but the numbers of aspirin users in the study were small.

Scientists were astonished at the results.

"Many of these deaths could have been avoided if we'd monitored these patients for cardiovascular disease, but nobody thought of it" because the risk wasn't known, said the lead researcher, Dr. Jon Sudbo of the Norwegian Radium Hospital in Oslo.

He and some of his colleagues have been consultants for Pfizer Inc. (PFE), which makes the NSAID Celebrex.

Dr. Raymond DuBois, a Vanderbilt University cancer expert who had no role in the work, said the results should persuade others to study over-the-counter drugs in more depth.

Dr. Michael Thun, chief epidemiologist for the American Cancer Society, said he would propose a larger study on over-the-counter NSAIDs using the cancer society's huge database, which contains information on more than 1.2 million Americans.

"There are important uncertainties" about the results from just one study in people at high risk of cancer and heart disease because they smoke versus the general population, he said.

Oral cancer is a deadly and disfiguring disease that is an especially big problem in Asia. Worldwide, about 275,000 cases and 127,000 deaths occur each year. In the United States, about 29,370 new cases and 7,320 deaths are expected this year.

In other news at the conference, a large study suggested that cholesterol-lowering statin drugs might help prevent the most serious types of prostate cancer - those that kill or spread throughout the body.

Men who took statins had half the risk of advanced prostate cancer as men who did not take such drugs, reported Elizabeth Platz of Johns Hopkins University, who did the study with Harvard University researchers and the National Cancer Institute.

It involved 34,438 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which has been going on at Harvard since 1986. None of the men had prostate cancer at the start of this particular study in 1990, but 2,074 developed it over the next decade. Of those, 283 were advanced, including 206 that were fatal or had spread widely in the body.

While statins cut the chances of this, they made no difference in the risk of developing cancer that remains confined to the prostate. Although several other large studies have concluded statins may cut the risk of cancer, specialists say there is still not enough evidence yet to recommend them for that purpose.

Phaseolus vulgaris,

Legumes of all kinds are great foods and should be eaten at least twice a week for greater health. Black beans, botanically-known as Phaseolus vulgaris, are native to the Americas. One of over 500 varieties of kidney beans, black beans are also known as turtle beans, caviar criollo, black Spanish beans, Tampico beans, Venezuelan beans and frijoles negros. These beans date back at least 7,000 years when they were a staple food in the diets of Central and South Americans.

Black beans are about the size of a pea, up to 1/2-inch long, with the slightly less-pronounced boat-shape common to kidney beans.

The darker the bean the more the antioxidant content. Out of all the bean family black beans win with the most nutrients.

Black beans are an amazing food! One-half cup of cooked black beans has as many antioxidants as two glasses of red wine. Not only that but they are packed with fiber and folate, which are touted to be great at reducing the risk of heart disease. Black beans, as all dried beans, are also good sources of starches, fiber, B vitamins, iron, zinc, phosphorus, complex carbohydrates and calcium. About half of the calcium is lost during cooking. High percentages of the other nutrients remain however, even after cooking.

All legumes are high in protein, and black beans are no exception. Dried beans are important sources of protein in vegetarian diets, and in areas where animal protein is scarce or expensive. However, this protein is incomplete (does not contain all 9 amino acids), so grains (which provide the missing amino acids) must also be a significant part of the strictly vegetarian diet. In the areas where common beans originated (Central America and southern Mexico) corn and squash supplied the missing amino acids and additional source of vitamins.

Before cooking, be sure to pick through them, picking out any small pebbles, split and withered beans and any other foreign matter. (Beans from the Rockies and Pacific coast tend to have more adobe (bits of clay) and stones). It is also helpful to cover the beans with cold water, let sit for 5 minutes and remove anything that floats. Repeat to be sure all dirt and foreign matter is removed. Drain and ready to cook

Here is one great way of eating black beans.

Bean, Barley & Avocado Summer Salad

This can be refrigerated and stored for several days!

1 cup carrot juice
½ teasp. Thyme
½ teasp. Sea salt
1/8 teasp. Ground Cayenne pepper
1.2 cup quick-cooking barley
3 Tablespoons Lime or Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Virgin Olive Oil
1 can (9 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup diced tomatoes
½ cup diced avocado

Combine carrot juice, thyme, sea salt and cayenne in a saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat; add barley and reduce to a simmer. Cover with lid and simmer until barley is cooked, approx. 15 minutes.

While beans are simmering whisk lime/lemon juice and oil in a large bowl. Add barley when cooked and any liquid remaining in the barley. Toss to coat all.
Add beans, tomatoes and avocado, toss to mix well. Serve on a lettuce leaf.

Enjoy your healthy beans,
Lena

Government Issues 12 New Food Pyramids
Apr 19, 2005
By LIBBY QUAID

WASHINGTON (AP) - Concerned about steadily expanding waistlines, the government sacked its one-size-fits-all food pyramid Tuesday in favor of a dozen different guides geared to individual nutritional needs and lifestyles.

Inside the familiar pyramid shape, rainbow-colored bands representing different food groups run vertically from the tip to the base. The old single, triangle-shaped pyramid had a horizontal presentation of food categories that many found confusing.

Exercise is key to the new system. Fitness expert Denise Austin delivered a pep talk about the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity, represented on the new pyramids by the figure of a person climbing steps toward the tip. Also in store are new Internet tools to help follow the guidelines.

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns called it "a system of information to help consumers understand how to put nutrition recommendations into action."

People have steadily grown fatter since the food pyramid debuted in 1992. A report last month in The New England Journal of Medicine contended that obesity, particularly in children, was shaving four to nine months off the average life expectancy.

Johanns said the 1992 pyramid had "become quite familiar, but few Americans follow the recommendations." He said that knowledge about nutrition and food consumption patterns has grown significantly in the past dozen years and is reflected in the new food guidance symbols.

"If we don't change these trends, our children may be the first generation that cannot look forward to a longer life span than their parents," said Eric Bost, the Agriculture Department's under secretary for food, nutrition and consumer services.

Food companies announced Tuesday they will distribute posters and guides for teachers and parents next fall aimed at reaching 4 million students. Materials for students to take home will be in both English and Spanish and will include math, nutrition and science activities.

One big change is intended to help people control their portion sizes. The old pyramid explained its advice in "serving" sizes, but now, to make its advice more understandable, the government will switch to cups, ounces and other household measures.

The switch was recommended in a 70-page booklet, "Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005," that was developed by a panel of scientists and doctors and released in January. As the basis for revising the pyramid, the guidelines emphasize choosing good carbohydrates over bad ones; for example, choosing bread made from whole-grain flour instead of white flour.

They also recommend eating 3 ounces of whole-grain foods a day; eating 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables a day; and drinking 3 cups of fat-free or lowfat milk a day.

Besides the suggested 30 minutes of daily exercise to reduce the risk of chronic disease, the government also advises even more exercise to prevent weight gain or maintain weight loss.

In all, there were 23 general recommendations and 18 suggestions for older people, children and other special populations.

That's too much to cram into a symbol that is supposed to be clipped out and stuck to the refrigerator, said Eric Hentges, director of the Agriculture Department's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.

The Agriculture Department will offer Web pages that let people appraise their diet and exercise habits. Such a tool has already been available through the agency's Web site; the Interactive Healthy Eating Index has a notice on its home page that it will soon be updated.

Even if the symbol and online tools don't motivate people to change their habits, they'll still have some healthier choices. Food companies have been removing trans fats from their products and adding whole grains because of the government guidance.

"If you get the industry involved and make them feel that they're doing a good thing and that they're getting credit for doing a good thing, they'll do it. They'll change their product," said K. Dun Gifford, president of Oldways Preservation Trust, a Boston-based think tank that specializes in food issues.

Critics have raised questions about the public relations agency hired to help create the new version of the pyramid. The firm, Porter Novelli, has food companies as clients, but both Agriculture Department and Porter Novelli officials have said the firm's industry work is handled separately and there would be no conflict of interest.

Hentges said his staff of scientists, economists and nutritionists isn't equipped to promote its new approach. If it's not marketed effectively, he said, "then we're not going to be able to get this behavior change or improve anything for Americans."

Agriculture Department: http://www.usda.gov

LENA'S COMMENT: It is so sad they they still don't go back in their records and find out what is the real culprit in obesity... 1936 told them what was coming but nobody passed it on and still isn't looking at it...

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Oceans Getting Louder; Effects Unclear
Apr 16, 2005
By JAY LINDSAY

BOSTON (AP) - High-profile whale beachings have been linked to sonar blasts and sparked fierce public debate over the military's use of sound in national defense. But a broader concern for scientists is rising levels of ocean background noise, much of it generated by commercial shipping, and whether it interferes with the way the entire sea has operated for eons.

Based on volume of traffic alone, scientists know the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans, which are the busiest, are also the noisiest, said Christopher Clark, a Cornell bioacoustics scientist. The area around Indonesia is heavy too with shipping traffic.

Clark, who monitored Cape Cod Bay with underwater listening devices, found the ocean flat and the winter darkness unbroken by ship lights. But below the bay's surface, Clark found things weren't as serene as they seemed. The bay is saturated with sound.

"It's just a great, big amphitheater," said Clark.

The sound carrying through the bay that evening was part of an ever louder man-made din that's filling the world's oceans, and some say harming marine life.

Hearing is the primary sense for marine life, which uses sound for navigation and communication. Some scientists believe the spreading "acoustic smog" is essentially blinding marine life, affecting feeding, breeding and other crucial activities.

"Their world is just being collapsed," Clark said. "They rely so heavily on sound. They can't see anything."

Despite concerns, evidence is scant of the real effects of sound.

Even with new technology, ocean animals are hard to track, and drawing conclusions about how sound influences their behavior is difficult. No system exists to monitor ocean sounds worldwide, and the data that's collected is often taken from a small number of sites that measure only certain frequencies. Underwater sound also seems to affect different animals in completely different ways.

Businesses and the military are unlikely to make major changes before more is known.

Brandon Southall, an acoustics researcher at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, said better research is urgently needed.

"People are inherently tied to the ocean for food, for cures to diseases, for weather," he said. "We're figuring out things are more interconnected than we ever could have originally envisioned."

Sound, which is created when molecules collide, carries farther and five times faster in water than air because of water's density. Since molecules in water are spaced closer together, they lose less energy before colliding with other molecules and sound is transferred more quickly and efficiently.

Through the ages, marine animals have learned to take advantage of the ocean's natural sound stages. Whales, for instance, talk about basic things like where the best food or breeding is. They even seem to compete to produce the most intricate songs.

Researchers believe animals may use the ocean's natural "sound channels" to communicate over thousands of miles. The channel is created where dropping temperatures, which force sound waves downward, meet increasing water pressure, which forces sound waves upward. At a certain depth, the sound gets caught between the two opposing forces and bounds ahead with little resistance.

Researchers suspect that dumping a cacophony of new noise into this system isn't good. Southall said there's convincing evidence of a phenomenon called "masking," in which the increased ambient noise drowns out natural ocean communications.

Huge increases in commercial shipping have coincided with increased ocean noise. Between 1948 and 1998, the world shipping fleet has increased from 85 million tons worth of ship weight to 550 million tons, according to figures in a 2003 report "Ocean Noise and Marine Mammals," published by the National Academies. Scientists say the background noise in the ocean has increased roughly 15 decibels in that time.

Joel Reynolds, director of the Marine Mammal Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said there's evidence marine mammals are changing their sound patterns or rates, which could show their normal communication has been disrupted.

Kathy Metcalf, director of Maritime Affairs at the Chamber of Shipping in America, said she concedes that increasing ocean noise caused by ships will at some point interfere with marine life. Metcalf advocates pre-emptive steps, such as installing quieter propellers in new ships, which would reduce noise and likely benefit the industry by increasing the efficiency with which ships move through water.

But retrofitting current ships to reduce noise would be extremely expensive, and the benefit is uncertain, she said.

"If somebody is going to signal we need to start absorbing these costs when we're not even sure there's a negative impact, that's where we're digging in our heels," she said. "There's a huge issue surrounding the validity of the science on this issue."

Southall acknowledges the mountain of work ahead to come up with real answers about ocean noise. To illustrate the difficulties of applying the science to ocean life, he points to the beluga whale, which flees from ship sounds in the high Arctic, but moves toward certain vessels in Alaska.

He added that sound is perceived by ocean animals so differently than land animals that it's almost like a different sense, making it hard to apply what we know about the effects of certain decibel levels to ocean life.

Still, Southall said he's optimistic that the emerging interest in the topic will lead to breakthroughs.

Reynolds said regulating ocean sound doesn't mean ending all its benefits, whether it's better national defense or the robust trade that comes with heavy shipping.

"We have to treat it like any other form of pollution," Reynolds said. "We have to regulate it to protect other things we care about."

Clark said uncertainties can't be an excuse to do nothing, because the damage might be done by the time the effects of noisy oceans are known.

"It's like global warming," he said. "We're going to get one chance."