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!

http://www.antibiotic-alternatives.com
Email Lena
928-636-9425
Sunday July 24, 2005
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Watch for Monday's "Ask Lena Health Q & A edition.
Get Your Health Question Answered Email Click Here
&
Tuesday's & Thursday's "Your Home Business Coach"

This Ezine is available by subscription only and subscriber requests are kept on file!

I strive to bring you only the most timely, pro's & con's information for the betterment of your health without clogging the issue or your email box with a lot of advertising and other such junk! If I am not succeeding mailto:health@antibiotic-alternatives.com and let me know!!

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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

Just a reminder that your body needs a rest to repair and function properly and give you a lifetime of health. SO take one day a week for rest and relaxation and you'll be amazed at how much more you get accomplished next week!!!

The moisture coming in from the hurricane in the Gulf Of Mexico continues to keep the smoke down from the fires around Arizona, for which we are thankful!

If you have a question or comment (good or bad) send it to me... Click Here
Remember ANEH Facts archives now exist Click Here
Ask Lena Health Q & A Archives Click Here
Take charge of you and your family's health before it takes charge of you!
Lena

==> Find An Alternative Health Professional
==>Latest Product Recalls - I'm appalled at the number of things, particularly medications, recalled weekly/daily neither your doctor nor your news stations are telling you about, so how are you going to know? Look here for DAILY Product Recall Site
===> Help The World Without Spending!
http://www.unicefusa.org/emergencies/
===>Help Feed The Hungry Doesn't Cost You A Penny
http://www.thehungersite.com Share your LOVE here!

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Something To Think About
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"Bear in mind that the MDR (minimum daily requirement), MDV (minimum daily value), DV (daily value), or whatever, is calculated to be the dose that keeps you from overtly DYING of a nutrient deficiency. And they seem to be trying to lower those doses all the time by using new letters on labels (it makes our commercial foods appear to have more in them on a percentage basis). "

~ Allan Spreen, M.D

Proven Fact Of Marketing!
Takes a minimum of seven times readings an ad
before the normal buyer will take advantage of your offer...
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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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New Blood Pressure Info...

Until now, most doctors have always thought that a high diastolic number -- 90 or above -- was most dangerous, but now we know differently. Samuel J. Mann, MD, a blood pressure specialist and
associate professor of clinical medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Medical College of Cornell University, explains that after looking at numerous studies that have followed patients for
many years, the findings clearly show that a high systolic pressure correlates more closely with strokes and heart attacks than high diastolic pressure.

When systolic pressure is high but the diastolic is normal, the pulse pressure is also high, and that is a sign of arterial stiffness, or atherosclerosis. In someone with a blood pressure reading of 160/70 for instance, the pulse pressure of 90 (160 minus 70) doesn't mean this person will get stiffened arteries -- it means the condition already exists. When arteries harden, they narrow or get blocked and there is insufficient blood flow to the heart and brain, leading to heart attack and stroke.

One problem in treating hypertension in elderly people is that if blood pressure is lowered too much, it can affect cognition and balance, and he doesn't want to risk injury from falling. Low blood pressure (hypotension) is blood pressure low enough to cause dizziness and fainting. It will vary from person to person.

Exercise is critical, but first should come a change in diet, "low in saturated fat, cholesterol and total fat, and that emphasizes fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy foods. This eating plan... also includes whole grain products, fish, poultry and nuts. It is reduced in red meat, sweets and sugar-containing beverages. It is rich in magnesium, potassium and calcium, as well as protein and fiber."

LENA'S NOTE: He says "if blood pressure is lowered too much, it can affect cognition and balance, and he doesn't want to risk injury from falling." Sure it will!!!! It will do more than that... High blood pressure in the doctor's office is not unusual and if treated can be life threatening as my sister-in-law found out. She was almost dead when rushed to the ER after an unexplained fall and hurting her wrist. She had appeared ill for weeks and her weight was down to skin covering bones and her attitude was that she was dying and had been disposing of her possessions to prepare for the inevitable. I was unaware she had been given blood pressure mediation at the same time she became ill so I didn't catch it. The ER doc found her blood pressure at 70/40 and the heart cannot function with it that low and will stop in mot instances, making death a sure thing... They immediately boosted my sister-in-laws blood pressure and took her off the BP med her doctor had erroneously given her and she has been well ever since but continues with high blood pressure when seeing her doctor...

You either love it or you hate it!

"Abelmoschus esculentus" and also "Hibiscus esculentus".

There aren't usually too many in between like or dislike it... I personally love it pickled, steamed or sauteed...

Heart healthy, long pointy ended fuzzy, vegetable that can make you itch when picking fresh! Known in various parts of the world as Okra, Ochro, Okoro, Quimgombo, Quingumbo, Ladies Fingers, Gombo, Kopi Arab, Kacang Bendi, Bhindi (S. Asia), Bendi (Malaysia), Bamia, Bamya or Bamieh (middle east). Apparently Gumbo is Swahili for okra. In Portugal and Angola, okra is known as Quiabo (plural: Quiabos). In Japan it is known as okura. Patrick Taylor adds: "Okra has found its way to Taiwan, where it's called "qiu kui" (pronounced cheeoh kway). Check out the potassium and calcium content below, making them great heart and bone builders.

"Okra is found in its wild state on the alluvial banks of the Nile and the Egyptians were the first to cultivate it in the basin of the Nile (12'th century BC). It was then introduced into North Africa to the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and India. It arrived then in the Americas at Brazil (1658), Dutch Guinea and at New Orleans before extending in the United States and going up to Philadelphia in 1781." Or so some say.

In the 1800's slaves from Africa used ground okra as a part of their diet, and this apparently led to the use of ground okra seeds as a coffee substitute by other southerners during the American Civil War blockades of the 1860's. Even today, ground okra is used in West Africa to make a "...local soup made from dried and ground okra, baobab leaves or rosselle. Fish sometimes is added into it . I wasn't there so I don't know that for sure?

Best and most tender when picked at approx. 3 inches in length. Picking the pods while wet may darken the skin, but the taste is not affected. We usually pick ours at mid day so they retain that bright green color. Picking every other day means less that the goats get from getting tough on us. Yes, my husbands pet goats get the tough ones and love them.

I grew up eating southern fried okra and I thought that was the only way you should eat it. Then my husband came along with his garden, which includes okra and one day, while he was giving me his weekly tour of his pride, he pulled off a couple of pods of okra and handed one to me to eat. Now I was sure that was a really dumb thing to do but he finally convinced me and I have been a raw okra fan ever since. Try it; you'll like it even if you've never liked okra before. I've seen it happen over and over with visitors to his garden as he repeats what he did with me to them. Our next favorite way of eating okra is steamed or boiled, both are equally tasty. I sometimes add a little rice vinegar just for a change in flavor. I also pickle several jars of okra every year. I make them spicy as my grandchildren will then eat them. (Recipe at end of article) If you cook okra in brass, iron or copper the pan will darken almost black.

Nutrition Facts (1/2 cup cooked okra) 4 or 5 pods.

Calories 25
Dietary Fiber 2 grams
Protein 1.52 grams
Carbohydrates 5.76 grams
Vitamin A 460 IU
Vitamin C 13.04 mg
Folic acid 36.5 micrograms
Calcium 50.4 mg
Iron 0.4 mg
Potassium 256.6 mg
Magnesium 46 mg

Raw will contain much more nutrients as they have not leached out!

The super fiber found in okra helps to stabilize blood sugar as it curbs the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract. Okra not only binds cholesterol but bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver. But it doesn't stop there... The okra fiber, absorbing water and ensuring bulk in stools, helps prevent and improve constipation. Fiber in general is helpful for this but okra is one of the best, along with ground flax seed and psyllium. Unlike harsh wheat bran, which can irritate or injure the intestinal tract, okra's mucilage soothes, and okra facilitates elimination more comfortably by its slippery characteristic many people abhor. Making it great for those with IBS?

This incredibly valuable vegetable not only binds excess cholesterol and toxins (in bile acids) which cause numerous health problems if not evacuated, but then assures easy passage out of the body of same. Unlike some prescription and over-the-counter drugs for this, the veggie is completely healthy, non-toxic, non-habit forming (except for the many who greatly enjoy eating it), has no adverse side effects, is full of nutrients, and is economical.

Okra can be frozen or pickled for storing.
Frozen: Start with freshly picked okra. Wash, cut the stems off, being careful not to cut into seed chamber, otherwise the seeds may spill out. Blanch by putting into rapidly boiling water for about 3 minutes. Remove and cool immediately by placing under cool running water. Pat dry, pack in plastic bags, seal tightly and place in the freezer. Unblanched okra will quickly lose its nutrient content, flavor and turn dark. Should keep well up to a year.

Canned: Making spicy canned okra is simple and easy!

Lena's Pickled Spicy Okra:

Step 1:
Wash wide mouth pickling jars in dishwasher for maximum germ killing, or in hot soapy dish water and rinse in boiling water.
Fill canning pot with water and begin heating on stove. (Any pot that will hold pint size jars and can be covered with water, such as a spaghetti cooker will work. You will need to put a rack of some sort in the bottom so jars will not be in direct contact with bottom of pot.)

Step 2
Wash okra and trip stem. Do not cut into pod as seeds will fall out and you will have nothing but slime...

Step 3
Pickling liquid:
2 cups white vinegar
4 cups purified/filtered water
1/3 cup sea salt

Put on stove and bring to boil. Stir until salt is dissolved. Keep hot until ready to pour into jars.

Step 4
Put lids and seals in a pan of boiling water for 5 minutes immediately before putting on jars.

Step 5
Fill hot jars with cleaned and dry okra.
Add 2 cloves fresh garlic, 1 jalapeno pepper sliced, more if you like really hot. Or put 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper? ? teaspoon dill seed or 1 teaspoon fresh dill. 1 small or medium bay leaf. Pour boiling pickling liquid over okra and spices, leaving about ½ inch of top. Wipe rim with moist paper towel or cloth. (Anything on the rim will prevent sealing of jars, hence spoiled okra. ) Put hot lid and seal on jar.

Step 6
Put jars into canner, making sure water covers the tops and about ? inch above. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars from water to a clean cloth covered surface to cool. You may hear popping sounds coming from the jars as they cool and sealing takes place.

Enjoy!
Lena

A little bit of history proves that medication has always been dangerous to some...

King George's Madness Linked to Arsenic
Jul 22, 2005
By EMMA ROSS

LONDON (AP) - Scientists have found high levels of arsenic in the hair of King George III and say the deadly poison may be to blame for the bouts of apparent madness he suffered.

In 1969, researchers proposed the strange behavior of the monarch who reigned during the American Revolution resulted from a rare hereditary blood disorder called porphyria.

However, a study this week in The Lancet medical journal found high concentrations of arsenic in the king's hair and contends the severity and duration of his episodes of illness may have been caused by the toxic substance.

The 18th-century king, under whose reign Britain mastered the oceans, defeated Napoleon and expanded its empire to superpower dimensions, was best remembered for the humiliating loss of the American colonies and for the periods when he lost his mind.

While on the throne, George had five episodes of prolonged and profound mental derangement. At the time, his malady was thought to be a psychiatric disorder.

But in 1969, psychiatrists investigating his documented symptoms such as lameness, acute abdominal pain, red urine and temporary mental disturbance, proposed he suffered from porphyria. Subsequent studies that examined records of his ancestors, descendants and other relatives refined the diagnosis to a certain type of porphyria.

However, the research did not explain the unusual persistence, severity and late onset of attacks.

"People can have the faulty gene which makes them susceptible to attacks, but in about 80 percent of cases they never have any symptoms," said Martin Warren, a professor of biosciences at the University of Kent in England who led the latest study.

"If you are unfortunate enough to get them, porphyric attacks can be deadly and some patients die from their first one, but in many cases the attacks tend to be much less severe, and certainly not for the same duration that George III had," he said.

Warren and his team set out to examine a sample of the king's hair on display at London's Science Museum for traces of mercury or lead, metals known to make porphyria worse.

"What surprised us was there were very high levels of arsenic. Arsenic is also known to push porphyric patients into a worse state," Warren said. The semi-metallic element was found to be at 17 parts per million in the hair. Levels are normally found at less than one part per million.

Arsenic interferes with the production of heme, a key element of blood and the central problem of porphyria. The blood then gets toxic, which can cause mental disturbance and severe pain.

However, John Henry, a toxicologist at Imperial College in London, said he was cautious about interpreting the findings.

"He may have accumulated significant amounts in the last few months of his life, but that doesn't prove it caused his illness all his life," Henry said. "It's a nice theory, but it's just that - a theory."

Museums sometimes spray artifacts with arsenic to preserve them, but the arsenic was evenly distributed along the whole length of the hair, which is consistent with the toxin being within the hair rather than dusted on it.

Wig powder and skin ointment were other possibilities, but the levels were too high for that to be a plausible explanation, Warren said.

The king's medical records revealed he had been consistently given a medicine containing antimony, a mineral often found in the ground with arsenic.

"The way antimony was extracted 200 years ago means that it was often quite contaminated with arsenic," Warren said. "The king was given large doses of antimony for his abdominal pains and that was probably the source of the arsenic."

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Smog Fight Aided by Self-Cleaning Elements
Jul 22, 2005
By KARL RITTER

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - From catalytic converters to alternative fuels, the fight against big-city smog has for years been fought inside combustion engines and exhaust pipes. Now, scientists are taking the fight to the streets by developing "smart" building materials designed to clean the air with a little help from the elements.

Using technology already available for self-cleaning windows and bathroom tiles, scientists hope to paint up cities with materials that dissolve and wash away pollutants when exposed to sun and rain.

"Among other things, we want to construct concrete walls that break down vehicle exhausts in road tunnels," said Karin Pettersson, a spokeswoman for Swedish construction giant Skanska. "It is also possible to make pavings that clean the air in cities."

The Stockholm-based company is part of a $1.7 million Swedish-Finnish project to develop catalytic cement and concrete products coated with titanium dioxide, a compound often used in white paint and toothpaste that can become highly reactive when exposed to ultraviolet light.

This is the idea: UV rays hitting the titanium dioxide trigger a catalytic reaction that destroys the molecules of pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, which are emitted in the burning of fossil fuels and create smog when combined with volatile organic compounds.

Exposure to high levels of nitrogen oxides can trigger serious respiratory problems, including lung damage.

The catalytic reaction also prevents bacteria and dirt from sticking to a surface, making them easily removed by a splash of water or rain.

Bo-Erik Eriksson, head of research at Cementa, another company participating in the Swedish-Finnish project, said the byproducts of the reaction, called photocatalysis, are benign, though it depends on what substances are involved: Organic compounds are broken down into carbon dioxide and water, while the nitrogen oxides yield nitrate salts.

Research in the field has been made possible by the revolution in nanotechnology - science dedicated to building materials from the molecular level. The catalytic properties of titanium dioxide become active when it is applied in a very thin layer, or in microscopic particles.

A range of self-cleaning products coated with titanium dioxide, including windows and ceramic tiles, are already on the market but the focus has mostly been on their practical value rather than the environmental impact.

In Rome, the Dives in Misericordia church, designed by U.S.-based architect Richard Meier, is made of self-cleaning concrete that helps keep the surface shiny white. In Japan, several modern buildings including the Marunouchi Building in downtown Tokyo, are covered with photocatalytic tiles to reduce discoloring from pollution.

"Now we have to change and think of the product not just for architectural purposes, but also for environmental purposes," said Francesco Galimberti, spokesman for Italcementi, maker of the concrete for the church in Rome.

In a test in 2003, the company coated 75,000 square feet of road surface on the outskirts of Milan with photocatalytic cement. It found nitrogen oxide levels were reduced by up to 60 percent, depending on weather conditions.

A similar experiment in France found nitrogen oxide levels were 20 percent to 80 percent lower in a wall plastered with photocatalytic cement than one with regular cement.

Encouraged by such results, the European Union last year earmarked $2.27 billion for a project to develop "smart" construction materials that would break down nitrogen oxides and other toxic substances, such as benzene.

However, researchers admit they're still not sure how much of an impact the technology could have on air pollution outside of controlled test environments.

"Now we want to find out if it works optimally and economically and make sure it has a long-lived effect that does not disappear after a couple of years," said Eriksson of Cementa.

Cost is another issue. Galimberti said Italcementi's products are 30 percent to 40 percent more expensive than regular concrete, and using the external air quality as a selling point doesn't necessarily appeal to builders with tight budgets. The company's sales pitch is that self-cleaning materials will save money in the long run.

However, some scientists caution it's too soon to declare a titanium dioxide-fueled war on pollution.

"Trying to clean up air pollution seems to me to be a stretch," said Reynaldo Barreto, a chemistry professor at Purdue University in Indiana. "It doesn't mean it can't be done. But there's an awful lot of air and not a whole lot of surface."

*Associated Press Writer Tommy Grandell contributed to this report.

http://www.italcementi.it

http://www.skanska.com