current beans

My beans these days:

Ingredients:
1 lb beans (any variety from Rancho Gordo)
juice from 2 lbs carrots--about 20 oz
juice from celery
juice from herbs from the garden (parsley, basil, chives)
water as needed
1 onion
1 lb mushrooms, any kind (Dr. Fuhrman now says all mushrooms are good for you).
Rinse the dry beans. Combine everything in a big pot, and soak overnight or for several hours. Cook for 2-4 hours, until desired tenderness, adding water as needed.

Note: I tried juice from collards (my garden is loaded with them) instead of celery and didn't like it as much. But you might like it.

Glorious summer

Hi Folks,

Sorry I've been absent so long. This is going to be a busy, busy year. I've been taking pictures of various things I've been preparing, but just haven't had a chance to sit down and post! So I decided just to write a quick post here without pictures.

Well, the highlight of the last few weeks is that I went to Dr. Fuhrman's Health Getaway. That was so much fun. I was expecting to be inspired, to learn a lot, and to enjoy not cooking for a week! But it turned out even better than that. I had sooooo muuuuuch fuuuuun making new friends and gabbing at each meal and exercising with them every morning. It made an impact on me how important community is. It's hard for people to adopt this program of eating, because you feel so alone doing it. So that's a reason we need to support each other. I'll try to keep posting more and please feel free to write comments and questions.

Some highlights of the Health Getaway were: 1) great lectures, as always. I got reinforced how important it is to eat healthy to make up for the first 45 years of my life when I did not. Cancer takes about 30-40 years to show itself after exposure to all the harmful toxins in our environment and diet. Fortunately, a healthy diet works to reverse cancer, so we need to flood out bodies with phytochemicals and micronutrients to allow our cells to repair. Onions, mushrooms. garlic, and cruciferous vegetables work to reverse cancer. The lectures on osteoporosis, heart disease and diabetes were disturbing to me because of what he told us about the harmful effects of the drugs used to commonly treat these illnesses. Wow. It is shocking and upsetting to me how our medical system is set up to feed the pharmaceutical companies, rather than heal people. 2) A screening of the movie "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead"' but Joe Cross. This is a must-see and will be available to the public in about 6 months I think. 3) A lecture by John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods. They are doing and planning great things to encourage people to eat healthy. You can watch these changes happen by visiting your local Whole Foods. 4) The great food, which I didn't have to cook. and 5) best of all, hanging out with my new friends. 6) Oh yeah, and I entered the talent show. It was a blast, well, not my performance, but watching and laughing with everyone else.

Foodwise, I've been enjoying simple delicious foods from the garden and co-op. Tonight I had onions, garlic, greens, and herbs from the garden cooked up in the pressure cooker for a couple of minutes, and added my yummy beans, a Tbsp of pine nuts, and a bit of spicy pecan vinegar. It was yummy! I've got lots of greens in the garden--collards, kale and chard, so am eating them every day, cooked or in smoothies. We also have eggplant that I sometimes steam and blend up with a Tbsp seeds, making a sauce to add to the greens. Here's another yummy thing I made this weekend: cabbage salad made with cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli (optional), cherries, grapes, apple, orange, and vinegar (d'angou pear and blood orange). Just throw it all in the food processor using the grater blade. This was soooo good with the cherries and grapes, like dessert! I've also been making smoothies with greens from the garden and yummy berries from the co-op. Add a little vinegar, lime or lemon to cut the bitterness of the greens. A note on the smoothies: I mix collard greens half and half with romaine lettuce. All collards is a bit too strong. I use about 2 oz of collards, 2 oz of romaine and 1/2 lb of fruit per smoothie (though I make a double batch at a time). That's about it right now, just eating lots of greens, beans, nuts&seeds, and fruit.

Vitiligo(Leucoderma) Skin Disorder,Treatments,Cure,Symptoms

There are many types of skin disorders occurs, Leucoderma which is also one of the another type of skin disorder which refers to the whitening of the skin.This is a condition in which there is a localized loss of the skin's pigmentation.
There is another well known name of this disease is “vitiligo”.

Leucoderma manifests itself as white patches, or depigmentation, on their skin, and these patches are more commonly seen in sun-exposed areas, which includes the hands, feet, arms, face, and lips.

Other areas of the body where this is commonly seen are the armpits and groin, the area around the mouth, eyes, nostrils, navel, and genitals as well.

Leucoderma (vitiligo) Symptoms :-

This skin disorder spreads slow and progressive.

At Very First as this disease symptoms,it starts with one small white spot and after it will develops into patches.These patches are pale in the beginning but become whiter and whiter as time passes due to loss of pigment.As spots enlarge, they merge into each other and, in course of time, form a very broad patch. In some cases, most of the skin of the body may be covered with white patches. Symmetrical appearance on both the sides of the body is common. In rare cases one finds vitiligo spreading all over the body.

Herbal And Home Remedies for Leucoderma (vitiligo) :-

The patient need to be strictly kept on a salt-free diet, as the absence of salt in the diet helps to quicken the recovery period.

To eat vegetables a specially which have bitter taste.

To avoid excessive exposure to the sun and heat, as well as avoid too much mental and physical stress.

“Psoralea Seeds”, which is one of the natural ingredients is really very helpful to treat this skin disorder.

“Turmeric and Mustard Oil”, “Radish Seeds and Vinegar”,”Psoralea and Tamarind seeds” have also been found to be effective in treating this skin disorder.

Just make a habit to drink fruit or vegetable juice regularly, and later adopt a diet consisting f fresh fruits, steamed vegetables and whole meal bread, to ensure quick recovery and complete healing of the white patches.

JSPH Annual Summer Seminar

On Thursday July 22nd, the Connelly Auditorium in the Hamilton Building on our campus was overflowing with attendees to the Annual JSPH Summer Seminar.Our topic this year focused on implementing health reform in Pennsylvania.

With faculty from the region and other schools on our campus too, we were able to present a detailed review of the challenges that we face with the ACA legislation with a particular emphasis on implementing the Primary Care Medical Home model. Leading experts described IT connectivity, changing physician behavior,the lack of sufficient primary care doctors, changing incentives, and other challenges in some detail. A panel dicsussion delved deeper into these issues.

It is clear to me that the ACA legislation in general and the Primary Care Medical Home in particular will mean a sea change in how we practice. Accountability will be the key theme and population based care will be the goal. Sure sounds good from my perspective!!!

The JSPH is perfectly situated to take appropriate advantage of these challenges and to help build the class of leaders necessary for successful management of these new enterprises. The overflow crowd demonstrated to me the demand for more unbiased information about the legislation and the need for action plans for implementation too.

The first full academic year of the JSPH has come to a close and we are vigorously planning for year two. Stay tuned for more information about our national on line presence as we close out negotiations with some regional and national provider networks in the next few weeks. DAVID NASH

Ovarian Cancer Stages,Symptoms,Causes

Cancer of the ovaries is known as ovarian cancer.Ovarian cancer is a condition that develops when the ovary cells start to grow in a rapid and uncontrollable way. This then leads to the formation of a cancerous tumor which can have a number of undesirable side effects including constipation and stomach pain. It is most prevalent in women aged 50 years and older and is very rare in young women.

The main risk factors of this type of Cancer is that “a personal or family history of cancer, age over 55, older women with no history of pregnancy, and a history of prolonged estrogen treatment”.
Common symptoms include a swollen or bloated abdomen; pressure or pain in the abdomen, pelvis, back or legs; nausea, indigestion, gas, constipation or diarrhea; and feeling very tired all the time.

If we ever experience any type of the following problems then,we have to step up to cure this disease.

(1) Bloating, abdominal swelling or loss of appetite
(2) Fatigue, indigestion or heartburn
(3) A change in toilet habit or unexplained weight change
(4) Constipation or diarrhea
(5) Abdominal or back pain
(6) Irregular vaginal bleeding
(7) Pain with intercourse or poor bladder control

The Main Risk Factors of Ovarian Cancer :-

(1) Increasing age. Around 80% of cases occur in women over 50.
(2) A family history of ovarian, bowel, breast or uterine cancer.
(3) Having never been pregnant or having had few pregnancies.
(4) Having never taken the Pill.

(5) Having had endometriosis.
(6) Being overweight.
(7) Having multiple exposures to fertility drugs.
(8) Being of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.

(9) Genital contact with talc or asbestos.

Surgery and Chemotherapy, and rarely radiation therapy, are the standard line of treatment for Ovarian Cancer this condition.

Awareness for Dangerous Health Symptoms

To avoid/overcome dangerous health problems,just we have speak up when we think something is wrong.

Here is there are some medical symptoms which we shouldn’t ignore for our healthy life.

(1) Paralysis of the arms or legs, tingling, numbness, confusion, dizziness, double vision, slurred speech, trouble finding words, or weakness, especially on one side of the face or body.

These are signs of stroke-or a "brain attack"-in which arteries that supply oxygen to the brain become blocked or rupture, causing brain tissue to die.

Symptoms depend on which area of the brain is involved. If a large blood vessel is blocked, a wide area may be affected, so a person may have paralysis on one side of the body and lose other functions, such as speech and understanding. If a smaller vessel is blocked, paralysis may remain limited to an arm or leg.

Timing is urgent; fast treatment can potentially stop brain tissue death before permanent brain injury happens.

(2) Chest pain or discomfort; pain in the arm, jaw, or neck; breaking out in a cold sweat; extreme weakness; nausea; vomiting; feeling faint; or being short of breath.

These are signs of heart attack.

Not everyone who has a heart attack feels chest pain or pressure or a sense of indigestion. Some people, especially women, the elderly, and people with diabetes, get "painless" heart attacks, the doctors say. Being aware of "painless" heart attack signs is crucial: a very weak feeling, sudden dizziness, a pounding heart, shortness of breath, heavy sweating, a feeling of impending doom, nausea, and vomiting.

(3) Tenderness and pain in the back of your lower leg, chest pain, shortness of breath, or coughing up blood.

These are symptoms of a potentially dangerous blood clot in your leg, especially if they come after you've been sitting for a long time, such as on an airplane or during a long car trip. These signs can also surface if you've been bedridden after surgery.

Blood is more likely to pool in your legs when you're sitting or lying down for long periods of time, as opposed to standing and walking. If a blood clot forms in your leg as a result, your calf can feel swollen, painful, and tender to the touch; you should be evaluated. If you get sudden chest pain or shortness of breath, a piece of the blood clot may have broken off and traveled through the bloodstream to your lungs

Parkour Visions Summit and Talk

On August 13-15th, my friends Rafe Kelley and Tyson Cecka are hosting a parkour summit at their Seattle gym Parkour Visions. For those of you not familiar with the sport, here's a description from the Parkour Visions site:
"The essence of Parkour can be stated simply: it is the art of overcoming obstacles as swiftly and efficiently as possible using only your body. The fundamentals include running, jumping, and climbing, and we build on these fundamentals to improve our ability to pass over, under, around and through obstacles with more complex movements. Parkour is a system of fitness training that improves strength, speed, agility, co-ordination, stamina, endurance, and precision. It offers a full-body workout at any level of experience, and improves your ability to move, to harness your confidence, to change how you see the world. Parkour practitioners are called traceurs."
The summit will include seminars on strength training, injury prevention and rehab, and nutrition, as well as parkour jams, a roundtable and a dinner. I'll be giving a talk titled "Natural Eating for Sustainable Athletic Performance" on Saturday, August 14 from noon to 1:00 pm.

Registration is $40 for the whole summit. You can read a description of it here, and find a link to the registration system at the bottom of this page.

Guest Commentary: Celebrating JSPH's First Academic Year


Caroline Golab, PhD
Associate Dean, Academic and Student Affairs
Jefferson School of Population Health


When 12 special Thomas Jefferson University graduates walked across the Kimmel Center stage this past May 24, it not only marked the first graduating class of the Jefferson School of Population Health, but also served as the final act of a highly successful first academic year for the School.

JSPH’s first year began on the numerologically portentous date of 09/09/09, when 110 students began classes in public health, healthcare quality and safety, and health policy. By year’s end, the School had added two new degree programs, a Master of Science in Chronic Care Management (MS-CCM) and a PhD in Population Health Sciences. Both new additions are currently accepting applications for the Fall 2010 term.

Throughout 2009-2010, JSPH distinguished itself not only for its innovative academic programs, but also for the method in which they will be delivered. Three of the master’s programs – Health Policy, Healthcare Quality and Safety, and Chronic Care Management – will be offered online beginning in September 2010. We hired Juan Leon, PhD, to be the director of online learning and training; preparation for the faculty and staff began shortly thereafter. By no coincidence, JSPH hosted its first Online Open House on June 16. All is on schedule to launch the online programs this September.

Another highlight took place on May 20, when JSPH hosted its inaugural Class Night. Family and friends of graduating students spent a lovely evening on the 4th floor terrace of the Hamilton Building. Megan Morris was presented the Student Achievement Award, and a few days later received her Master of Public Health Degree as a member of the first graduating class of the Jefferson School of Population Health.

As a backdrop to our inaugural academic year, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law, a significant development establishing new challenges for the new generation of leaders being developed by the Jefferson School of Population Health.

Real Food XI: Sourdough Buckwheat Crepes

Buckwheat was domesticated in Southeast Asia roughly 6,000 years ago. Due to its unusual tolerance of cool growing conditions, poor soils and high altitudes, it spread throughout the Northern latitudes of Eurasia, becoming the staple crop in many regions. It's used to a lesser extent in countries closer to the equator. It was also a staple in the Northeastern US until it was supplanted by wheat and corn.

Buckwheat isn't a grain: it's a 'pseudograin' that comes from a broad-leaved plant. As such, it's not related to wheat and contains no allergenic gluten. Like quinoa, it has some unusual properties that make it a particularly nutritious food. It's about 16 percent protein by calories, ranking it among the highest protein grains. However, it has an advantage over grains: it contains complete protein, meaning it has a balance of essential amino acids similar to animal foods. Buckwheat is also an exceptional source of magnesium and copper, two important nutrients that may influence the risk of insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease (1, 2).

However, like all seeds (including grains and nuts), buckwheat is rich in phytic acid. Phyic acid complexes with certain minerals, preventing their absorption by the human digestive tract. This is one of the reasons why traditional cultures prepare their grains carefully (3). During soaking, and particularly fermentation of raw batters, an enzyme called phytase goes to work breaking down the phytic acid. Not all seeds are endowed with enough phytase to break down phytic acid in a short period of time. Buckwheat contains a lot of phytase, and consequently fermented buckwheat batters contain very little phytic acid (4, 5). It's also high in astringent tannins, but thorough soaking in a large volume of water removes them.

Buckwheat is fermented in a number of traditional cultures. In Bhutan, it's fermented to make flatbreads and alcoholic drinks (6). In Brittany (Bretagne; Northwestern France), sourdough buckwheat flour pancakes are traditional. Originally a poverty food, it is now considered a delicacy.

The following simple recipe is based on my own experimentation with buckwheat. It isn't traditional as far as I know, however it is based on traditional methods used to produce sourdough flatbreads in a number of cultures. I used the word 'crepe' to describe it, but I typically make something more akin to a savory pancake or uttapam. You can use it to make crepes if you wish, but this recipe is not for traditional French buckwheat crepes.

It's important that the buckwheat be raw and whole for this recipe. Raw buckwheat is light green to light brown (as in the photo above). Kasha is toasted buckwheat, and will not substitute properly. It's also important that the water be dechlorinated and the salt non-iodized, as both will interfere with fermentation.

For a fermentation starter, you can use leftover batter from a previous batch (although it doesn't keep very long), or rice soaking water from this method (7).

Ingredients and Materials


  • 2-3 cups raw buckwheat groats
  • Dechlorinated water (filtered, boiled, or rested uncovered overnight)
  • Non-iodized salt (sea salt, pickling salt or kosher salt), 2/3 tsp per cup of buckwheat
  • Fermentation starter (optional), 2 tablespoons
  • Food processor or blender
Recipe
  1. Cover buckwheat with a large amount of dechlorinated water and soak for 9-24 hours. Raw buckwheat is astringent due to water-soluble tannins. Soaking in a large volume of water and giving it a stir from time to time will minimize this. The soaking water will also get slimy. This is normal.
  2. Pour off the soaking water and rinse the buckwheat thoroughly to get rid of the slime and residual tannins.
  3. Blend the buckwheat, salt, dechlorinated water and fermentation starter in a food processor or blender. Add enough water so that it reaches the consistency of pancake batter. The smoother you get the batter, the better the final product will be.
  4. Ferment for about 12 hours, a bit longer or shorter depending on the temperature and whether or not you used a starter. The batter may rise a little bit as the microorganisms get to work. The smell will mellow out. Refrigerate it after fermentation.
  5. In a greased or non-stick skillet, cook the batter at whatever thickness and temperature you prefer. I like to cook a thick 'pancake' with the lid on, at very low heat, so that it steams gently.
Dig in! Its mild flavor goes with almost anything. Batter will keep for about four days in the fridge.

Thanks to Christaface for the CC licensed photo (Flickr).

Minger Responds to Campbell

Hot off the presses: Dr. Colin Campbell's response to Denise Minger's China Study posts, and Minger's retort:

A Challenge and Response to the China Study


The China Study: My Response to Campbell

This is required reading for anyone who wants to evaluate Dr. Campbell's claims about the China Study data. Denise points out that Dr. Campbell's claims rest mostly on uncorrected associations, which is exactly what he was accusing Minger, Chris Masterjohn and Anthony Colpo of doing. He also appears to have selectively reported data that support his philosophy, and ignored data that didn't, even when the latter were stronger. This is true both in Dr. Campbell's book, and in his peer-reviewed papers. This type of thing is actually pretty common in the diet-health literature.

I respect everyone's food choices, whether they're omnivores, carnivores, or raw vegans, as long as they're doing it in a way that's thoughtful toward other people, animals and the environment. I'm sure there are plenty of vegans out there who are doing it gracefully, not spamming non-vegan blogs with arrogant comments.

As human beings, we're blessed and cursed with an ego, which is basically a self-esteem and self-image reinforcement machine. Since being wrong hurts our self-esteem and self-image, the ego makes us think we're right about more than we actually are. That can take the form of elaborate justifications, and the more intelligent the person, the more elaborate the justifications. An economic policy that makes you richer becomes the best way to improve everyone's bottom line. A dietary philosophy that was embraced for humane reasons becomes the path to optimum health... such is the human mind. Science is basically an attempt to remove as much of this psychic distortion as possible from an investigation. Ultimately, the scientific method requires rigorous and vigilant stewardship to achieve what it was designed to do.

Advice to a New Leader

The new Prime Minister of Brittain is visiting the US this week. Peggy Noonan writes a brilliant article giving him some advice. Her conclusion:

Advice on your visit? Love America. It not only deserves it, at the moment it needs it. Our morale is low. Do you want to help preserve what has been called the Special Relationship? (Actually, I don't know: do you?) If you do, then when you speak here, speak of your love for this great nation. We don't, not in a deep way and not enough. Even our President doesn't. He tries, but he can't get it right because it's all so abstract to him. He associates patriotism with nationalism. But patriotism springs from legitimate love and gratitude, nationalism from shallow aggression and conceit. Obama confuses the two, can't get them straight in his head, and winds up saying little, badly. People don't like this, either.

Anyway, when you speak of America speak with love. People will hear you. It will break through the clutter, as your media obsessives say. It will be a new message, or one Americans haven't heard in a while done well, and truly. And don't focus-group it. Mean it.

Guest Commentary: History in the Making - A UK Physician Witnesses US Health Care Reform

Louisa Baxter, MD, MSc, MRCP
Harkness Fellow
Jefferson School of Population Health


I was glad that I had bought some beef jerky the night that the health care bill (forgettably titled the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) was passed. Using my English accent and prepared to stand in line for 12 hours, I found myself hungry at 11pm in Congress as the final votes were counted.

It had been a day of marvelous extremes; I had met Catholic nuns for the bill and family practitioners against it. At one stage, it appeared that I had found myself in the Sarah Palin inner circle, where earnest ladies from Alabama explained their admiration for her forthrightness and clarity of speech. Old veterans draped in the American flag offered me coffee from a communal flask emblazoned with GO OBAMA GO!

To an outsider (although one who now names Philly as her second home) the success of the health care reform bill seemed as momentous as the passing of Medicare many years earlier. For a doctor who practices in the UK – the home of “socialized medicine” –expanding coverage and providing subsidies for this, alongside further investment in “meaningful” IT use and propping up the nation’s beleaguered primary care doctors, these changes resonate deeply with our values in the National Health Service.

However it is clear that the newborn bill remains under fierce attack and implementation, devolved to the state level, will be a tangle of muddling through. Unlike Medicare which was a war of interest groups, this new bill has been the casualty of vicious party political wrestling. The polemics have been startling to a foreigner and the drama almost intoxicating. The patient’s voice often seems lost in the process or cruelly manipulated by both sides to meet their agenda.

What struck me, however, at 11pm on the 22nd March as I sat on plush maroon velvet seats, shoulder to shoulder with a farmer from Idaho, was the strength of feeling in the American people, many of whom had stood in line with me all day, with their children and their packed lunches and their US flags. Although we may despair at the political wrangling and deal making that characterizes the passage of any bill, it is powerful that a nation can mobilize its citizenry to come out in support of their values and possess the constitutional safeguards that allow a free and fair discussion of these.

What is Hypothyroidism Symptoms,Causes

Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone. Too little hormone slows down chemical reactions in the body. This slowdown causes mental and physical changes.
The thyroid gland is located at the lower front of the neck. This gland takes iodine from the food you eat to make hormones called thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). The hormones control your metabolism (the process of turning the food you eat into energy). The thyroid gland is critical for maintaining body temperature and controlling heart rate, appetite, and digestive tract function. Too little hormone may cause you to gain weight. Also, your heartbeat slows down and your body temperature gets lower. Food moves through your intestines more slowly and your muscles contract more slowly.

How does it occur?
Causes of hypothyroidism include:
* Hashimoto's disease (thyroiditis): This condition is an inflammation of the thyroid gland. It is a disorder of your immune system (your body's protection against infection).
* Thyroid surgery for complete or partial removal of the thyroid gland
* Viruses: They can infect the thyroid gland and cause it to produce too little hormone. These infections do not usually cause permanent hypothyroidism.
* Radiation treatment for hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid gland): Radioactive iodine is commonly used to treat an overactive thyroid gland. Radioactivity often destroys the gland and its ability to make thyroid hormone. When this happens, the body needs synthetic thyroid hormone.
People who have had X-ray treatment for cancers of the head and neck may develop hypothyroidism if their thyroid was exposed to radiation during the cancer treatment.
* Iodine deficiency (rare): A lack of iodine in the diet is rare in the US because some foods, especially salt, contain added iodine.
* Medicines used to treat hyperthyroidism, such as lithium, or a dosage of antithyroid medicine that is too high
* Problem with the pituitary gland (rare): The pituitary gland normally stimulates the thyroid gland to produce hormones. The pituitary may fail to cause the thyroid gland to make enough hormone to meet your body's needs.
* Congenital hypothyroidism (rare): Some people are born either without thyroid glands or with glands that cannot make thyroid hormone.

Anyone can have hypothyroidism, but it happens most often in women over age 40. Some thyroid problems are inherited.

Symptoms of hypothyroidism include:

* fatigue
* depression
* muscle weakness
* constipation
* weight gain
* feeling cold a lot of the time
* heavy and prolonged menstrual periods
* coarse, dry hair
* premature graying of hair in young adults
* thick, dry skin
* swollen eyelids
* deep, hoarse voice
* thick tongue
* thickened facial features
* slowed heart rate
* decreased sexual interest
* loss of hearing
* numb and tingling hands.

A condition that develops after several years of untreated hypothyroidism is called myxedema. Myxedema can cause you to become cold, slow to talk and move, and possibly drowsy. You might even fall into a coma.

How is it diagnosed?
Your healthcare provider will ask about your symptoms and examine you. If your provider thinks that you may have hypothyroidism, you will have blood tests. The tests will measure the levels of thyroid hormone and your pituitary's thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH causes your thyroid gland to make thyroid hormone.

How long will the effects last?
Usually hypothyroidism improves within a week after hormone therapy is begun. All symptoms go away within a few weeks. In most cases, however, you must continue this treatment for the rest of your life.
Mild hypothyroidism may cause no symptoms. If the disease progresses, however, it can become disabling over a long time if it is not treated. Untreated hypothyroidism may cause the following problems:

* enlargement of the heart and heart failure (rare)
* slowing of mental processes
* loss of consciousness.

If the cause of hypothyroidism is thyroiditis and it is not treated, your thyroid gland may swell. This swelling, called a goiter, may cause a big bulge in your neck.

How can I take care of myself? Many people with hypothyroidism, especially older adults, don't seek medical treatment because they don't know they have a problem. They may accept their symptoms of fatigue, muscle weakness, dry skin, depression, feeling cold, and constipation as signs of aging. If you notice some of the symptoms of hypothyroidism, see your healthcare provider.

When you have hypothyroidism, be sure to:
* Follow your provider's instructions for taking your medicine.
* Get your thyroid hormone level checked when your provider suggests.
* Keep your follow-up appointments.
* See you provider if your symptoms come back.

Hypertension Causes andSymptoms

Hypertension is the medical name for high blood pressure. he simple fact is high blood pressure, or hypertension, is a killer and needs to be treated as such.

Hypertension, or elevated blood pressure, indicates that the heart is working harder than normal, putting both the heart and the arteries under a greater strain.This may contribute to heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and atherosclerosis.

If high blood pressure isn't treated, the heart may have to work progressively harder to pump enough blood and oxygen to the body's organs and tissues to meet their needs.
Hypertension Causes :-
High blood pressure can be caused by certain events in a person's life.

True hypertension exists only when a person has high blood pressure readings on a number of different occasions.

Hypertension can also be caused by a variety of medical conditions.

Other conditions that can cause hypertension include blood vessel diseases, disorders of the thyroid or other glands, alcoholism (see alcoholism entry), pregnancy, and the use of certain prescription drugs.

Hypertension Symptoms :-
Hypertension is a major health problem, especially because it has no symptoms. Many people have hypertension without knowing it.

But there are common symptoms are,

(1) Feeling Tired

(2) Blurred Vision

(3) Nosebleed

(4) Confused

(5) Heartbeat Irregular

(6) Blood in Urine

To reduce our hypertension and have a healthier life it is important that you make some changes such as diet and exercise.When we eat healthier less fatty foods,naturally our blood pressure rate will be lower.

China Study Problems of Interpretation

The China study was an observational study that collected a massive amount of information about diet and health in 65 different rural regions of China. It's been popularized by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, who has argued that the study shows that plant foods are generally superior to animal foods for health, and even a small amount of animal food is harmful. Campbell's book has been at the center of the strict vegetarian (vegan) movement since its publication.

Richard from Free the Animal just passed on some information that many of you may find interesting. A woman named Denise Minger recently published a series of posts on the China study. She looked up the raw data and applied statistics to it. It's the most thorough review of the data I've seen so far. She raises some points about Campbell's interpretation of the data that are frankly disturbing. As I like to say, the problem is usually not in the data-- it's in the interpretation.

One of the things Minger points out is that wheat intake had a massive correlation with coronary heart disease-- one of the strongest correlations the investigators found. Is that because wheat causes CHD, or is it because wheat eating regions tend to be further North and thus have worse vitamin D status? I don't know, but it's an interesting observation nevertheless. Check out Denise Minger's posts... if you have the stamina:

The China Study: Fact or Fallacy

Also, see posts on the China study by Richard Nikoley, Chris Masterjohn and Anthony Colpo:

T. Colin Campbell's the China Study
The Truth About the China Study
The China Study: More Vegan Nonsense

And my previous post on the association between wheat intake and obesity in China:

Wheat in China

Obesity and its Causes

Obesity is more than just an excess in body fat.

Obesity is a certain condition when excessive amounts of fact accumulate in the body and start having negative influences on the person's life. There are certain stages of obesity.

Those include the earliest stages, when person's weight is 15-30% greater than the ideal weight. On the progressive stage, the person's weight is 30-50% greater than the ideal weight.

The latest stage can be characterized with 50-100% overweight. Finally, the stage of severe obesity is the condition, when the person's weight is twice or more greater than the ideal weight.

No one can deny the fact that a combination of sedentary lifestyle and bad eating habits leads to higher rates of obesity. The problem of obesity is clearly a complex condition for which there is no clear cut cause or simple remedy for. In its simplest form you tend to gain weight when you take in larger quantities of calories than your body metabolism can effectively burn off.

This condition can be treated by losing weight.We can gain back your good health if you lose weight, but lose weight in a safe and natural way.

Excessive body weight or obesity can bring various diseases which include diabetes type 2, cardiovascular diseases, osteoarthritis and sleep apnea.

Steroids tend to increase the amount of fluid in the body, and can thus lead to obesity. Migraine medications are also known to cause people to gain weight. Other medications with weight gain side effects include numerous antidepressants and mood altering drugs.

Most of Children whose parents are obese have a much greater chance of becoming obese themselves.

Obesity occurs when a person consumes more calories than he or she burns. For many people this boils down to eating too much and exercising too little. But there are other factors that also play a role in obesity like,
(1) Age
(2) Gender
(3) Genetics
(4) Environmental Factors
(5) Physical Activity
(6) Psychological Factors
(7) Illness
(8) Medication

Importance of Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and minerals are present in almost all of our food stuffs. These are essential elements to making us healthy and strong individuals. Vitamins and minerals can be supplemented by vitamin tablets and other pills but the most efficient sources of these are natural organic foods. A good combination of these organic foods can supply individuals with the right amount of vitamins and minerals needed to get through the day and maintain our health.

Vitamins are essential for the growth and health of any living organism. Without the proper amount, the body does not assimilate any of them, and can't effectively do its job.

The definition of minerals is that they are inorganic elements that our bodies need to make and repair hard and soft body tissue and other functions of our body. There are two kinds of minerals in our body, trace elements and major elements. These vitamins and minerals go together to help maintain our bodies and keep it in prime condition.

Vitamins and minerals are needed by people to enable growth and repair of our tissues and muscles.

Here I want to share some common but very helpful importance of Vitamins and Minerals for our healthy life:-

(1) Women,especially at their pre-menopausal stage, need iron supplements the most. Fortified cereals, whole grains, dried fruits, nuts and seeds are important sources of iron. Red meat is also rich in iron but it should be taken only three servings per week. Combination of these iron supplements with ingredients high in Vitamin C will help your body absorb the iron properly.

(2)Vitamin D deficiency leads to rickets in children, and osteoporosis and other diseases in Adults.Vitamin D is very necessary for Cancer prevention.One needs to supplement the body with Vitamin D rich substances like vitamin D-fortified milk and milk substitutes, fatty fish such as salmon, and vitamin D-fortified yogurt.

(3) Calcium, along with Vitamin D, is necessary for bone health. Milk, fortified soy milk, dairy products, almonds, beans, sesame seeds and broccoli are Calcium rich food.

(4) Selenium is a lesser known mineral but it is never the less important. It supports the immune system, reduces inflammation and helps protect from cancer. Sunflower seeds, fish, shellfish, red meat and one Brazil nut daily will give you enough selenium.


(5) Lithium Orotatediffers chiefly from prescription strength lithium based on the ion it is bound to. Lithium orotate has also been used with success in alleviating the pain from migraine and cluster headaches, low white blood cell counts, juvenile convulsive disease, alcoholism and liver disorders.

(6) Vitamin C is an antioxidant vitamin that is believed to protect the brain from damage caused by Alzheimer. It helps you to tackle stress better and also protects you from common cold. A glass of Orange juice, citrus fruits, bell peppers, kiwifruit, papaya, broccoli, dark leafy greens and strawberries will provide you Vitamin C.

(7) Vitamin K plays an important role to strengthen the bones, avoid blood clotting and prevent hardening of arteries. Dark, leafy vegetables are good source of Vitamin K.

(8) Poly MVA is a water and fat soluble formulation and acts as a potent anti-oxidant. It increases the metabolism rate in the body acts as a nutritional supplement generating energy.

(9) Cancer fighting B vitamin folate reduces risk of Alzheimer. It is good for pregnant women as it reduces the risk of having babies with neural tube defects. Spinach helps you get folate. Other sources are beans, peanuts, broccoli, corn, lentils and oranges.

(10) The antioxidant Vitamin E fights free radicals and reduces risk of heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer. Daily intake of nuts and seeds such as almonds and sunflower seeds will provide you Vitamin E.

(11) Intramax is a very powerful therapeutic product and exceptional for those who are ultra hypoallergenic,100% carbon-bond organic microcomplexed liquid trace mineral supplement, plus an all-in-one multivitamin.

(12) The mineral Magnesium helps build strong bones and lower risk of diabetes by enhancing the action of insulin in your body. Beans, nuts, seeds and green vegetables such as spinach are great sources of Magnesium.

(13) Potassium helps to maintain blood pressure. It also helps reduce your risk of stroke. Beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, dried fruits, winter squash, cantaloupe, kiwi, orange juice, prune juice and avocados are good sources of Potassium.

Heart Attack-Symptoms of Heart Attack-Cardiovascular Diseases

Heart attack, medically known as Myocardial Infarction, is the sudden stoppage of the heart due to death or damage to a large part of the heart muscles known as myocardium. It is widely acknowledged that heart related conditions (cardiovascular diseases) are the number one cause of death and disability.

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death. Men have a greater risk of heart attack at a younger age than women. But the risk increases for women as they near menopause and, eventually, surpasses that of men.

Followings are some early heart attack symptoms :-

(1) Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing, or painful sensation in the chest lasting more than a few minutes. Please note that the painfulness may go away temporary but will go back evenly as dreadful if not more painful.

(2) The pain often spreads to the shoulders, neck, jaw or arms.

(3) People suffering from a heart attack will feel both chest discomfort and light headedness which often lead to fainting.

(4) Sweating, nausea and vomiting are common.

(5) Shortness of breath.

(6) Apprehension, anxiousness and despondence.

(7)Discomfort in other areas of the upper body.

(8) Pain or discomfort in one or both arms.

(9) Pain or discomfort in the back

We can decrease our risk of heart attack by changing our lifestyle in the following:-

(1) Cholesterol Levels:-
Avoid saturated fat, eat fewer calories, and try to eat foods rich in fiber, such as vegetables and fruits. If your cholesterol is very high, drugs to lower it may be an option for you.

(2) Doctor Advice for Aspirin:-
We have to talk with related doctor about daily intake of aspirin which may reduce our risk of heart attack by thinning our blood and preventing clots from forming. Because aspirin is not safe for everyone.

(3) Exercise:-
Regular exercise is good for you because it helps reduce stress, cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and excess weight, and it can make your heart stronger, leading to a lower pulse rate.

(4) In our all day busy routines, we have to spend some time for relaxation to reduce heart attacks.

(5) Blood Pressure Control is also one of the very helpful factor for heart attacks reduction.

(6) Smoking is harmful to your cardiovascular health. Smoking also clogs your arteries and in the process, raises the blood pressure in those clogged arteries. This condition helps to double the heart attack risk for smokers compared with non-smokers.

Here, I want also discuss one product which is called Medtronic defibrillator that is implanted in heart disease patient’s chest for monitoring the consistency of heart rhythm.

And also its work for restoring the heart to a normal beat by delivering an electronic shock to the heart with its one or two leads and its generally implanted near our shoulder for this functionality.

The leads have been removed from the market after it was discovered that Defective Defibrillator Leads can facture which can cause unnecessary shocks to a heart, or they lead can fail to operate at all.

In 2006, Medtronic defibrillator recall is big news. It's been accompanied by hundreds of news stories, tumbling stock prices and commentaries like the one from ZDNet that likened Medtronic to a Law & Order episode.

This defect and the problems it causes are detailed below, but if you or someone you love has been injured as a result of this device, contact a Medtronic Recall lawyer immediately to schedule a free initial consultation.

Tropical Plant Fats: Palm Oil

A Fatal Case of Nutritionism

The concept of 'nutritionism' was developed by Dr. Gyorgy Scrinis and popularized by the food writer Michael Pollan. It states that the health value of a food can be guessed by the sum of the nutrients it contains. Pollan argues, I think rightfully, that nutritionism is a reductionist philosophy that assumes we know more about food composition and the human body than we actually do. You can find varying degrees of this philosophy in most mainstream discussions of diet and health*.

One conspicuous way nutritionism manifests is in the idea that saturated fat is harmful. Any fat rich in saturated fatty acids is typically assumed to be unhealthy, regardless of its other constituents. There is also apparently no need to directly test that assumption, or even to look through the literature to see if the assumption has already been tested. In this manner, 'saturated' tropical plant fats such as palm oil and coconut oil have been labeled unhealthy, despite essentially no direct evidence that they're harmful. As we'll see, there is actually quite a bit of evidence, both indirect and direct, that their unrefined forms are not harmful and perhaps even beneficial.

Palm Oil and Heart Disease

Long-time readers may recall a post I wrote a while back titled Ischemic Heart Attacks: Disease of Civilization (1). I described a study from 1964 in which investigators looked for signs of heart attacks in thousands of consecutive autopsies in the US and Africa, among other places. They found virtually none in hearts from Nigeria and Uganda (3 non-fatal among more than 4,500 hearts), while Americans of the same age had very high rates (up to 1/3 of hearts).

What do they eat in Nigeria? Typical Nigerian food involves home-processed grains, starchy root vegetables, beans, fruit, vegetables, peanuts, red palm oil, and a bit of dairy, fish and meat**. The oil palm Elaeis guineensis originated in West Africa and remains one of the main dietary fats throughout the region.

To extract the oil, palm fruit are steamed, and the oily flesh is removed and pressed. It's similar to olive oil in that it is extracted gently from an oil-rich fruit, rather than harshly from an oil-poor seed (e.g., corn or soy oil). The oil that results is deep red and is perhaps the most nutrient-rich fat on the planet. The red color comes from carotenes, but red palm oil also contains a large amount of vitamin E (mostly tocotrienols), vitamin K1, coenzyme Q10 and assorted other fat-soluble constituents. This adds up to a very high concentration of fat-soluble antioxidants, which are needed to protect the fat from rancidity in hot and sunny West Africa. Some of these make it into the body when it's ingested, where they appear to protect the body's own fats from oxidation.

Mainstream nutrition authorities state that palm oil should be avoided due to the fact that it's approximately half saturated. This is actually one of the main reasons palm oil was replaced by hydrogenated seed oils in the processed food industry. Saturated fat raises blood cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart disease. Doesn't it? Let's see what the studies have to say.

Most of the studies were done using refined palm oil, unfortunately. Besides only being relevant to processed foods, this method also introduces a new variable because palm oil can be refined and oxidized to varying degrees. However, a few studies were done with red palm oil, and one even compared it to refined palm oil. Dr. Suzanna Scholtz and colleagues put 59 volunteers on diets predominating in sunflower oil, refined palm oil or red palm oil for 4 weeks. LDL cholesterol was not different between the sunflower oil and red palm oil groups, however the red palm oil group saw a significant increase in HDL. LDL and HDL both increased in the refined palm oil group relative to the sunflower oil group (2).

Although the evidence is conflicting, most studies have not been able to replicate the finding that refined palm oil increases LDL relative to less saturated oils (3, 4). This is consistent with studies in a variety of species showing that saturated fat generally doesn't raise LDL compared to monounsaturated fat in the long term, unless a large amount of purified cholesterol is added to the diet (5).

Investigators have also explored the ability of palm oil to promote atherosclerosis, or hardening and thickening of the arteries, in animals. Not only does palm oil not promote atherosclerosis relative to monounsaturated fats (e.g., olive oil), but in its unrefined state it actually protects against atherosclerosis (6, 7). A study in humans hinted at a possible explanation: compared to a monounsaturated oil***, palm oil greatly reduced oxidized LDL (8). As a matter of fact, I've never seen a dietary intervention reduce oxLDL to that degree (69%). oxLDL is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and a much better predictor of risk than the typically measured LDL cholesterol (9). The paper didn't state whether or not the palm oil was refined. I suspect it was lightly refined, but still rich in vitamin E and CoQ10.

As I discussed in my recent interview with Jimmy Moore, atherosclerosis is only one factor in heart attack risk (10). Several other factors are also major determinants of risk: clotting tendency, plaque stability, and susceptibility to arrhythmia. Another factor that I haven't discussed is how resistant the heart muscle is to hypoxia, or loss of oxygen. If the coronary arteries are temporarily blocked-- a frequent occurrence in modern people-- the heart muscle can be damaged. Dietary factors determine the degree of damage that results. For example, in rodents, nitrites derived from green vegetables protect the heart from hypoxia damage (11). It turns out that red palm oil is also protective (12, 13). Red palm oil also protects against high blood pressure in rats, an effect attributed to its ability to reduce oxidative stress (14, 15).

Together, the evidence suggests that red palm oil does not contribute to heart disease risk, and in fact is likely to be protective. The benefits of red palm oil probably come mostly from its minor constituents, i.e. the substances besides its fatty acids. Several studies have shown that a red palm oil extract called palmvitee lowers serum lipids in humans (16, 17). The minor constituents are precisely what are removed during the refining process.

Palm Oil and the Immune System

Red palm oil also has beneficial effects on the immune system in rodents. It protects against bacterial infection when compared with soybean oil (18). It also protects against certain cancers, compared to other oils (19, 20). This may be in part due to its lower content of omega-6 linoleic acid (roughly 10%), and minor constituents.

The Verdict

Yet again, nutritionism has gotten itself into trouble by underestimating the biological complexity of a whole food. Rather than being harmful to human health, red palm oil, an ancient and delicious food, is likely to be protective. It's also one of the cheapest oils available worldwide, due to the oil palm's high productivity. It has a good shelf life and does not require refrigeration. Its strong, savory flavor goes well in stews, particularly meat stews. It isn't available in most grocery stores, but you can find it on the internet. Make sure not to confuse it with refined palm oil or palm kernel oil.


* The approach that Pollan and I favor is a simpler, more empirical one: eat foods that have successfully sustained healthy cultures.

** Some Nigerians are also pastoralists that subsist primarily on dairy.

*** High oleic sunflower oil, from a type of sunflower bred to be high in monounsaturated fat and low in linoleic acid. I think it's probably among the least harmful refined oils. I use it sometimes to make mayonnaise. It's often available in grocery stores, just check the label.

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