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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Friday November 18, 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

While out and about in Prescott Thursday I ran across of lot of sniffles, sneezing and coughing. Guess it's started but I came home and took a good swig of Ionic Silver Water just to make sure those little viruses couldn't take hold of my body... Are you prepared for the virus season? I certainly hope so...

Okay, it's almost the end of the week and time to plan a day of rest and recuperation... Do not miss it or your body may fail you...

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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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Mixed Results for Lipitor Vs. Zocor
Nov 15, 2005
By THERESA AGOVINO

NEW YORK (AP) - High doses of the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor were no better at preventing major heart problems than regular doses of rival Zocor, according to the latest study on efforts to aggressively treat the conditions released Tuesday.

The results present another challenge for Pfizer Inc. (PFE), which will have to defend Lipitor against generic versions of Merck & Co. (MRK)'s Zocor when that company loses patent protection next summer. Generic drugs are often 50 percent to 60 percent cheaper than brand name medicines, and health plans and pharmacy-benefit managers are already preparing financial incentives to make Zocor more attractive.

Lipitor outperformed Zocor on several fronts such as lowering cholesterol and preventing nonfatal heart attacks. The findings will continue to give it an advantage in the market even if generic Zocor is less expensive, some doctors said.

"The study certainly isn't ideal for Pfizer," said Jason Napodano, an analyst at Zacks Investment Research. "There were some positives for Pfizer, and they will have to go out and do some education (on them)."

But Pfizer said that the total number of prescriptions in the cholesterol-lowering market grew only 10 percent in third quarter compared with 14 percent in the first half of 2005 when it reported results last month. Uncertainty over the market was one reason the company cut its profit estimates for this year and withdrew guidance beyond that.

Lipitor is Pfizer's best-selling drug, and the company has lost patent protection on key medicines recently. Napodano lowered his Lipitor sales estimate by roughly $500 million this year to $12.01 billion and at least $500 million next year to $12.6 billion.

Pfizer funded and conducted the study, which was presented at an American Heart Association meeting in Dallas. It also appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.

The results can't be considered a direct comparison because different doses of the competing drugs were used. It was meant to be a test of aggressive treatment, not a head-to-head comparison, said Dr. Terje Pedersen, of Ulleval University Hospital in Oslo, Norway, who was lead author of the study.

Many heart specialists recommend aggressively lowering LDL cholesterol levels, the bad kind, to help heart patients avoid future cardiovascular problems. Pfizer set out to see if treating patients who had already suffered a heart attack with the highest dose of Lipitor would lead to fewer major heart problems than those treated with a more moderate dose of Zocor. The study involved 8,888 mostly male Scandinavian patients aged 61 on average who had previous heart attacks.

Researchers didn't find the main difference they sought - fewer "major coronary events" in the Lipitor group during an average follow-up of almost five years. That category lumped together cardiovascular deaths, nonfatal heart attacks and nonfatal cardiac arrest. These events totaled 463 in the Zocor patients and 411 in the Lipitor patients, a difference that was not statistically significant.

Other studies that have shown more aggressive lipid lowering results in fewer cardiovascular problems have also measured the incidence of stroke, which the most recent trial did not. The failure to measure stroke could be one reason the study failed to show a statistically significant difference, doctors said.

The study did show Lipitor reduced nonfatal heart attacks by 17 percent and angiograms and bypass surgery by 23 percent, said Dr. John Tsai, leader of Pfizer's worldwide Lipitor team. Tsai said the study's individual categories show Lipitor's ability to significantly lower cholesterol provides better results for patients.

Robert Seidman, chief pharmacy officer at health insurer Wellpoint Inc., says there will always be a place for Lipitor, but that "there will be an expanded role for generic Zocor."

Wellpoint will waive the copayment for patients on generic Zocor for four to six months. Meanwhile, pharmacy-benefits manager Express Scripts Inc. (ESRX) is recommending that clients take Lipitor off its preferred drug list to encourage use of generic Zocor.

"This study shows they are both excellent drugs, and as advocates of quality affordable medicine we will stress use of generic Zocor," Seidman said.

Some doctors said many patients will be fine using Zocor, but other aren't sure.

"I think the drug that lowers cholesterol the most is the better one," said Dr. Howard Weintraub, co-clinical director of Lipid Treatment and Research at New York University Medical Center.

Weintraub said the hospital received a steep discount on Zocor and removed all but the highest dose of Lipitor off its preferred list. He said many of the doctors prefer using the high dose of Lipitor to the lower doses of Zocor, though, and health insurers will have a tough time pushing the latter because effectiveness is more important to physicians than cost.

Pfizer shares fell 36 cents to close at $21.89 in trading on the New York Stock Exchange, while Merck shares fell 21 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $30.02.

JAMA

LENA'S COMMENT: Either one of these is life threatening in that both deplete the body of minerals and vitamins that are essential to a healthy heart and body! I like the disclaimer that is on the insert in all Cholesterol lowering drugs, "This drug has not been shown to prevent hearth disease or attack." Isn't that what they say will happen if you have elevated cholesterol? Anyway that's what my husband's doctor, who tries to force him to take those drugs, claims...

One-third of patients with health problems in the U.S. report experiencing medical, medication, or test errors, the highest rate of any nation in a new international survey. The survey found that while no one nation was best or worst overall, the U.S. stood out for high error rates, inefficient coordination of care, and high out-of-pocket costs leading to barriers to access to care.

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Holiday Deprivation May Make You Ill!
(c) By Lena Sanchez

What we do know for sure is that no/low-fat and no/low-carb foods can be detrimental to your health. Of course your grocer's labels and shelves aren't telling you that.

With the holidays coming up the problem is going to be overeating of the bad fats. Bad fats being animal and hard vegetable/animal combinations along with all the sugar your system can possibly absorb bombarding your poor pancreas. "Too much of a good thing is bad!" Still holds true?

The past few years has been pushing "no-fat, low-carb" diets fad. Yes it's a fad that's out there and helping make people ill rather than healthy as you have been led to believe. This premise has been propagated by the food industry, who has no idea what is healthy but everything about what it takes to sell you on eating more then you should, eating processed foods and certainly things that are going to make them money!

Remember this! No fat in your diet or eating the majority of no/low fat foods and no/low carb foods on the grocery shelves can make you ill sooner or later! This is not a well-known fact and the manufacturers of those products would not like you to know that. Especially since it directly impacts their livelihood!

A bad thing with the low-carb, low-fat foods on the shelves today is the overloading of sugar substitutes packed into them to compensate. That is setting the stage for making you ill. At the same time these foods do not prevent obesity but in fact creates more fat over the long haul, which is supposed to be the reason for no/low-carb no/low-fat foods.

How do I know this?

A nurse friend worked at a hospital, at the beginning the no-fat low-fat craze. The hospital thought they should lead the way in being healthy and enlisted a whole group of nurses and doctors, who worked there, to go with a "no/low fat" diet. They carefully created a so-called healthy "NO Fat" diet. Sorry to say that six months on the no/low-fat diet people began losing their hair, thyroids were going berserk, their skin began to dry out and look dehydrated, wrinkles occurred early and some began picking up the patients illnesses and the care taker became the patient with the inability of soon getting over the illness. Nerves were shot and tensions began to be a problem on each floor that had volunteered to do the no/low fat diet. It didn't take them long to realize that fat is important to our diets and a must for good health. Luckily when they corrected the no/low fat diet and added plant based fats, their health returned and hopefully with no residual bad affects to show up later. This is still to be determined.

Good fats are necessary to our health!

A study out of Australia had fantastic results on a diet that has been said to be bad fat by those who don't know! "People in the study who ate 1.5 avocados per day lowered their cholesterol levels from an average of 236 to 217."

Other studies have found that low-carb diets and sugar substitutes are creating fatter people with neurological damage and illnesses cropping up!

It is important to distinguish between "bad fats" those that typically come from four-legged animals and "good fats" - those from fish, nuts, avocados and soybeans and integrate them into your diet.

For the holidays we all will probably undergo a great "bad fat" flux with all the cookies, candy, puddings, turkey, ham, marshmallowed yams, etc. Don't later over compensate with no/low carb or no/low fats and compound the problem. Once will not kill you but an ongoing diet of that type will!

During this holiday season make lunch your biggest meal, when you're more likely to burn calories after eating. DON'T skip breakfast to "save up" for the holiday meal - that tactic usually leads to snacking on sugary & fatty stuff instead. Try nibbling some almonds, pumpkinseeds or low-fat cheese with fruit before hitting a party. By depriving yourself you are setting up for a real shocker after the holidays. Make a light supper/dinner your key to not gaining all those holiday pounds.

Eat all things in Moderation and forget the no/low fats and no/low carb foods!!!

Lena

Beat The Sugar Highs and Immune System Drain With The Ultimate Sweet Plant!

With the holidays coming on us and the sugar highs that occur from all the treats that appear on desks, in classrooms and homes that create the flu and colds season I thought this would be a good time to hit on the ultimate sugar substitute that is plant based and healthy as the food of the week! This plant can make a difference in your life. I mention it from time to time but usually don't tell you the reason it's healthier for you?

While Equal and Saccharine continue to dominate the non-caloric sweetener market, with the help of the medical world, this remarkable herb called Stevia remains relatively unknown.

Anyone who suffers from diabetic blood sugar disorder or who needs to limit their caloric intake or is addicted to sugar must be told about the remarkable health and healing properties of a great substitute that I can't say to you that it is a "sugar substitute," or the government will come down on me. Stevia can be marketed as a food supplement only.

History of Stevia

The Guarani Indians had known for centuries about the unique advantages of kaa he-he -a native term which translates as "sweet herb" - long before the invaders from the Old World were lured by the treasures of the New. These native people knew the leaves of the wild stevia shrub - a perennial indigenous to the Amambay Mountain region - to have a sweetening power unlike anything else; they commonly used the leaves to enhance the taste of bittermate (a tea-like beverage) and medicinal potions, or simply chewed them for their sweet taste. The widespread native use of stevia was chronicled by the Spaniards in historical documents preserved in the Paraguayan National Archives in Asuncion. Historians noted that indigenous peoples had been sweetening herbal teas with stevia leaves "since ancient times." By the 1800s, daily stevia consumption had become well entrenched throughout the region - not just in Paraguay - but also in neighboring Brazil and Argentina.

Like the discovery of America itself, however, credit for stevia's "discovery" to the rest of the world goes to an Italian. In this case, the explorer was a botanist whose initial unfamiliarity with the region - because of his difficulty in locating the herb - caused him to believe that he had stumbled onto a "little-known" plant.

In 1903, however Bertoni discovered the live plant, a gift from the parish priest of Villa San Pedro. The following year, as he recounted, "the appearance of the first flowers enabled me to make a complete study" that was published in December, 1905, after an interruption caused by a civil war. His findings was enough to convince him that "the sweetening power of kaa he-e is so superior to sugar and there is no need to wait for the results of analyses and cultures to affirm its economic advantage...the simplest test proves it."

An ideal alternative to other sugar or sugar substitutes, but in the U.S. we cannot say it's a sweetener. Yet this herb has proven to be safe and effective for hundreds of years without a single reported adverse reaction by anyone! No MS, or other neurological disorders as with our modern day chemical sugar substitutes or sugar derivative Splenda.

The sweetening power of Stevia is amazing as it is between 70 to 400 times sweeter than white sugar. Most amazing and remarkable about Stevia is that it is completely calorie-free, never initiates a rise in blood sugar, and does not provide an intestinal source of food for bacteria and yeasts.

The leaves of the Stevia shrub contain specific glycosides, which produce a sweet taste but have no caloric value. Stevia also contains protein, fiber, carbohydrates, phosphorus, iron, calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, rutin (flavonoid), zinc, vitamins C and A.

Stevia vs sugar? No comparison in the health department! Sugar is processed until it is more chemical than real while Stevia is natural and healthy!

Stevia is a small perennial shrub with green leaves that belongs to the aster or chrysanthemum family of plants. Over 200 species of Stevia have been found around the world. While the herb's native locale may make it appear somewhat exotic, it has proved to be quite adaptable and capable of being cultivated in climate zones as diverse as Florida and southern Canada.

Organic gardeners in particular should find stevia an ideal addition to their garden. Though nontoxic, stevia plants have been found to have insect-repelling tendencies. Their very sweetness, in fact, may be a kind of natural defense mechanism against aphids and other bugs that find it not to their taste. Perhaps the sickening sweet plant is why crop-devouring grasshoppers have been reported to bypass stevia under cultivation.

Then, too, raising stevia yourself, whether in your back yard or on your balcony, is another positive way you can personally - and legally - protest the wrongheaded government policies that have for so long deprived the American people of its benefits -- a kind of contemporary Victory Garden.

Stevia enjoyed some popularity in the U.S. during the 1980s as a natural sweetener and was found in a variety of consumer products. However, in 1986, the FDA stopped the sale as a sweetener and in 1991 said it was not suitable as a food additive. Advocates for Stevia say that this happened because the herb is a natural, inexpensive and non-patentable sweetener, and poses a threat to pharmaceutical sweeteners. As of now, Stevia has received approval by the FDA to be sold only as a dietary supplement, not as a sweetening agent. So use it as an additive. Isn't that what sugar or sugar substitutes are anyway? Cook, bake or sweeten your tea? It works for all?

Conversion rates for from sugar to Stevia are:

1 tsp. granulated sugar = 1/8 tsp. whole stevia leaf powder or slight dusting white stevia extract (powder)

1 tbsp. granulated sugar = 3/8 tsp. whole stevia leaf powder or 1/2 pinch white stevia extract (powder)

1/4 c. granulated sugar = 1 1/2 tsp. whole stevia leaf powder or 1 pinch white stevia extract (powder)

1/2 c. granulated sugar = 1 tbsp. whole stevia leaf powder or 1/8 tsp. white stevia extract (powder)

1 c. granulated sugar = 2 tbsp. whole stevia leaf powder or 1/4 tsp. white stevia extract (powder)

Enjoy your sweet healthy plant food!
Lena

Hairdressers at Risk of Respiratory Disease
by Graciela Flores
November 17, 2005

NEW YORK - Bleaching agents widely used in hair salons put hair stylists at risk of asthma and inflammation of the eyes, nose and throat, researchers report in the medical journal Chest.

"In the last years I have seen several cases of occupational asthma in hairdressers, and this observation has prompted me to start a specific study in this category of workers," Dr. Gianna Moscato, Head of the Allergy and Immunology Unit at the Scientific Institute of Pavia in Italy told Reuters Health.
Between 1996 and 2004, Moscato and her colleagues enrolled 47 hairdressers who had been exposed to bleaching agents for an average of about 7 years, and who had come to their institute with complaints of respiratory and skin problems. The researchers performed allergy tests and studied lung function in these patients.

They found that more than half of the patients (about 51 percent) had occupational asthma and that in 87.5 percent of all asthma patients the condition was due to persulfate salts, a type of chemical widely used as a bleaching agent. Of the remaining patients diagnosed with asthma, the condition was associated with exposure to permanent hair dyes in about 8 percent and to latex in about 4 percent.

In addition, more than half of the patients diagnosed with asthma (about 54 percent) were also diagnosed with occupational rhinitis -- inflammation of the eyes, nose and throat -- that was due to persulfate salts in 84.5 percent of the cases. Finally, about 36 percent of all hairdressers seen at the institute were diagnosed with occupational dermatitis.

"We have described the largest population of hairdressers with documented occupational asthma and rhinitis published to date," Moscato said. "The agents most frequently involved are persulfates salts, and that besides the well described cutaneous occupational risk, these workers are also at high risk to develop occupational asthma."

Moscato and her colleagues are now working to promote preventive programs for hairdressers that will include environmental measures and specific respiratory surveillance programs.

SOURCE: Chest, November 2005

REUTERS NEWS SERVICE

LENA'S COMMENT: For anyone who has ever been in a salon this comes as no surprise!