Meat Production Adds More Greenhouse Gases than Transportation

The UN Millennium Project report points out that the population in developing countries is increasing while food prices are rising, fresh water resources are drying up, corruption and organized crime are on the rise, and climate change is accelerating. The researchers point out that we know how to solve these problems. They look hopefully to the coming biological revolution to bring answers more profound than even the industrial or information revolutions. This revolution may develop synthetic life forms for food, water, medicine and energy. Information sharing via computers and the Internet could lead to tele-education and tele-medicine to make this information available to half the world’s population that lives in poverty.

The UN report suggests that a simple step forward is eating less meat as it adds more greenhouse gases (18%) to the atmosphere than transportation. It takes 2,400 liters of water to make a hamburger: The average American eats, on average, 200 pounds of meat a year. The livestock industry produces up to 51% of greenhouse gas emissions and requires eight times more fossil fuel that what’s required to produce non-animal protein.[i]

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[i] Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang, “Livestock and Climate Change,” World Watch Magazine, July 2010.

http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6297

 

Poor Health Outcomes in the US

Money doesn’t guarantee health. Even though the US spends more on health care than other countries, they are less healthy than people in comparable countries and have a shorter life expectancy, according to a report by the US national Research Council and the Institute of Medicine.[i] The US loses more years of life to alcohol and other drugs. Many of these health problems disproportionately affect children and adolescents. US teens have the highest rate of pregnancies of affluent countries and are more likely to have sexually transmitted diseases. Deaths from injuries and homicides are higher than in comparable countries, as is obesity.

Kids in wealthy countries suffer from obesity and lack of exercise. Obesity levels doubled in every region of the world between 1980 and 2008, contributing to increased rates of diseases such as cancer and diabetes, according to the World Health Organization.[ii] The highest obesity rates are in English-speaking countries and Mexico.[iii] The health costs associated with about 12 million obese American children are huge, including the increase of diabetes. Childhood obesity rates have climbed in the US for 30 years, with the exception of cities like New York City, Philadelphia and Los Angeles that developed programs such as standards for healthy foods in school cafeterias. Overeating junk food and lack of exercise contribute to the fact that American men ranked at the bottom of life expectancy and women only one step from the bottom in a 2011 study of 17 industrialized nations. The gap has widened in the past three decades rather than improved.[iv]

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[i] “Americans Have Worse Health Than People in Other High-Income Countries,”National Academy of Sciences, January 9, 2013.

http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=13497

[ii] Simeon Barnett, “Global Obesity, Hypertension Rates Rise, WHO Says,” Bloomberg.com, May 16, 2012.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-16/global-obesity-hypertension-rates-rise-who-says.html

[iii] “Why Are 6 of Top 7 Fattest Countries English-Speaking Ones?” Medical News Today, September 24, 2010. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/202473.php

[iv] Jim Toedtman, “Face the Mortality Gap,” AARP Bulletin, March 2013.

http://pubs.aarp.org/aarpbulletin/201303_DC?pg=3#pg3

The Case for Holistic Medicine

A letter to my niece in medical school: Her reply follows.Your suggestion that some alternative medicine studies aren’t scientific implies that modern medicine is based on such studies. However, I’m sure your teachers discuss the fact that pharmaceutical companies control the research process, resulting in many unreleased “file drawer” studies that don’t back up their focus on drugs and surgery. This monetary approach results in treating drug side effects with more drugs and neglect of holistic medicine as taught by Dr. Andrew Weil at the University of Arizona and in his books and newsletter (drweil.com). Naturopathic doctors also learn less invasive remedies widely used by European physicians, such as homeopathy. It’s backed up by over a century of well-documented studies and was used in the US until overridden by Big Pharma. Ayurvedic medicine has been used successfully in India for thousands of years. A scientific medical education would include exploration of non-harmful medicine that works over the centuries, including acupuncture and herbs. “Scientists” also ignore the powerful placebo effect because no one makes money on the power of thought.

On a slightly different tact, your teachers probably also discuss the fact that the main cause of US hospital morbidity is physician error. See Gary Null, Ph.D., et. al.  “Death by Medicine.”[i] The researchers report the number of deaths caused by conventional medicine is 783,936 per year. They conclude the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the US! The US spends more on health as a percentage of gross domestic product than every other country, but in 37th place, ranks near the bottom of industrial nations in healthcare effectiveness. A recent study found that 85% of new prescription drugs are of little or no benefit to mental health patients.[ii] If we just look at the track record of women’s health care,  mothers like your paternal grandmother were routinely drugged and unconscious at the birth of their children, resulting in a forceps delivery for me, not sure about your dad. Then moms like her were told it’s more scientific to use formula rather than breast-feed their babies. Then we have DES and thalidomide babies, Dalkon Shield IUDs, over-prescribing HRT for maintaining a youthful appearance (Barbara’s sister Doris used it and died of breast cancer in her 50s), overuse of radical mastectomies, etc.      The National Institutes of Health finds alternative and complementary medical (CAM) treatments worthy of study because they treat the underlying imbalance rather than just the symptom of dis-ease. Respected university hospitals such as Harvard, Duke, Tufts, Scripts, Stanford and UCSF’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine treat the whole person in their holistic health centers.[iii] Select a doctor who is informed about CAM and study it yourself, as the health insurance system doesn’t leave MDs much time for research (nccam.nih.gov).For the sake of your future patients, my hope is that you will explore holistic medicine after you graduate and provide them with information about it. It would be interesting to look at the texts used at Bastyr that trains naturopathic doctors (http://www.bastyr.edu/continuing-education) or U of A (http://integrativemedicine.arizona.edu/). Prescription for Natural Cures is a good overview by James F. Balchand Mark Stengler (Jan 18, 2011)

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[i] http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2004/mar2004_awsi_death_01.htm

[ii] David Freedman, “The Triumph of New-Age Medicine,” The Atlantic, July 2011, pp. 96-97.

[iii] http://www.imconsortium.org/resources/home.html  (integrative health centers in universities)

http://integrativemedicine.arizona.edu/about/

CURRICULUM IN INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE: <http://www.ahc.umn.edu/img/assets/20825/CURRICULUM_final.pdf>
http://www.ahc.umn.edu/img/assets/20825/CURRICULUM_final.pdf

Reply from my niece: I do not disagree that our health care delivery system in the US has its flaws.  There are many things that I would love to change, but of course it’s not that easy.  We have many medical errors (not just doctors though) as well that cost patient lives and have made recommendations that were not actually the healthiest choice.  But, the younger generations are working on safer health care practices/quality improvement and better communication amongst the different health care providers.  AND, that is why we pride ourselves on practicing evidence-based medicine, so that our recommendations are well studied and we recognize when more research is needed (check out US preventive services task force).  Unfortunately, many providers do still practice based on personal experience.

I fully support the use of holistic medicine.  If a patient believes it works and they say it helps them, great, and why not try a non-prescription option first?  But the DEA requires drug companies to do extensive and expensive research before the drugs are available.  There are no requirements for OTC supplements/vitamins – they can put whatever they want in each bottle and each bottle does not have to be the same.  For all we know, there could be harmful materials in some of those supplements.  They are only taken off the market AFTER they are proven to be harmful.  Those companies understandably don’t typically do double blind randomized control trial studies becasue they don’t have to and they are expensive.  So, it bothers me when they make statements that are inaccurate and unsupported by good research.  I’m sure you learned during your masters and doctorate training that most studies have flaws and must be looked at very closely for quality and accuracy.  The one study that came out about MMR vaccine causing autism has been completely torn apart, de-published, and every author took their name off but one, but yet people still talk about it!

Anyway, it’s a difficult topic because either approach needs improvement.  I am going to do my best to care for my patients as a whole which is why I’m chosing primary care.  It’s my goal to help my patients prevent disease as much as possible.

************

Dear NaturalNews readers,

www.NaturalNews.com

In the name of “evidence-based science,” we are all being killed by GMOs, vaccine additives, processed food chemicals and other threats to life on Earth.

I’m not an opponent of genuine, humble science and the search for answers in our universe, but what we’re seeing today is the mass poisoning of us all under the false label of “science.”

In a special 10-part article series, I take a look at the top 10 “scientific” threats to our lives:

#1) GMOs http://www.naturalnews.com/039778_evidence-based_science_murdered_GMO.html

#2) Vaccines http://www.naturalnews.com/039777_vaccines_convulsions_death.html

#3) Fluoride http://www.naturalnews.com/039776_fluoride_hydrofluosilicic_acid_insecticide.html

#4) Pharmaceuticals http://www.naturalnews.com/039775_pharmaceuticals_side_effects_modern_medicine.html

#5) Food additives http://www.naturalnews.com/039774_food_additives_chemicals_artificial_sweeteners.html

#6) Pesticides http://www.naturalnews.com/039773_pesticides_Parkinsons_neurological_disorders.html

#7) Chemotherapy http://www.naturalnews.com/039772_chemotherapy_treatment_cancer_clinics.html

#8) Plastics http://www.naturalnews.com/039770_plastics_BPA_hormone_disruptors.html

#9) Cosmetics http://www.naturalnews.com/039769_cosmetics_skin_care_toxic_chemicals.html

#10) Radiation http://www.naturalnews.com/039768_nuclear_power_meltdown_radiation.html

 

 

Are Young Adults More Stressed?

Millennials (ages 18 to 33) are experiencing increasing stress—higher than the national norm–with work as the main source of difficulty, followed by money and relationships.[i] On a 10-point scale, the 2012 average was 4.9, while it was 5.4 for Millennials. It makes sense that stress is depressing. The online survey of over 2,000 adults found that Millennials are more likely than other age groups to be told by a health care provider that they have depression (19%) or anxiety disorder (12%). Their most popular coping mechanisms are music (59%), exercise (51%) and spending time with family and friends (46%). They were more likely than other age groups to cope with relationships (vs. an average of 39%).

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[i] Sharon Jayson, “Who’s Feeling Stressed?”, USA Today, February 7, 2013.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/02/06/stress-psychology-millennials-depression/1878295/

 

Quick Healthy Recipes Literacy Fundraiser Cookbook

Quick Healthy Recipes: Fundraiser Cookbook

10-Minute Prep Time

Healthy Recipes

Plus Health Tips

 

The Cookbook is a California fundraiser for the Open Doors Literacy Project (ODLP) in Pakistan, taught by college student Hassan Saeed. With no administrative costs, the funds go to workbooks, transportation, and Hassan’s salary, which helps with his college tuition. Some of the students are also involved with microfinance projects to raise money and use their new literacy skills. To see photos of the students and teacher go to http://opendoorsliteracyproject.weebly.com.

The cookbook was compiled by Gayle Kimball, Ph.D., US founder of ODLP, from favorite recipes shared by friends around the world and a few from Internet sites and other cookbooks

The author searched out quick healthy recipes, the tried and true favorites of her friends around the world. We’re busy, time is precious, and we value our health, but we don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen. The cookbook includes health information focusing on food and how to reduce stress, as well as recipes for every type of meal. Readers can save cooking time and do a good deed: All profits go to the Open Doors Literacy Project. Dr. Kimball is the editor or author of 12 other books. Here’s the Table of Contents:

 

 

Appetizers            page 3

 

Salads              page 10

 

Veggies             page 20

 

Soups              page 24

 

Veggie Main Dishes         page 28

 

Meat Main Dishes           page 44

 

Fish Main Dishes           page 50

 

Bread              page 54

 

Deserts             page 58

 

Drinks               page 68

 

  Other Quick Healthy Recipe Sources    page 72

 

Health Tips             page 73

 

Index              page 93

 

 

How to Talk to Your Teenager About Sex

 

Talk about your sex ed process as a teen and what you wish you’d known or talk about a case study that illustrates the point you want to make such as condoms don’t prevent contacting herpes sores on exposed parts of the body. Make a book available such as my The Teen Trip: The Complete Resource Guide based on teen’s experiences with a chapter on sexuality. Do the talk now before it gets charged by a romance. These approaches keep the focus off your teen. Ask if she or he has any questions and offer to exchange questions and answers in writing if it’s embarrassing to talk in person. I made a point of explaining to my son about how a clitoris is analogous to a penis and should not be ignored when my son started asking questions. He told his friends. Rutgers University has a sex ed website written by teens for teens. http://sexetc.org/

Dr. Mercola on how to avoid flu

• From Dr. Mercola’s email newsletter:
• Optimize Your Gut Flora. This may be the single most important strategy you can implement as the bacteria in your gut have enormous control of your immune response. The best way to improve your beneficial bacteria ratio is avoid apply avoid sugars as they will feed the pathogenic bacteria. Additionally, processed foods and most grains should be limited and replacing with healthy fats like coconut oil, avocados, olives, olive oil, butter, eggs and nuts. Once you change your diet than regular use of fermented foods can radically optimize the function of your immune response.
• Optimize your vitamin D levels. As I’ve previously reported, optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best strategies for avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and vitamin D deficiency may actually be the true culprit behind the seasonality of the flu – not the flu virus itself. This is probably the single most important and least expensive action you can take. Regularly monitor your vitamin D levels to confirm your levels are within the therapeutic range of 50-70 ng/ml.

Ideally, you’ll want to get all your vitamin D from sun exposure or a safe tanning bed, but as a last resort you can take an oral vitamin D3 supplement. According to the latest review by Carole Baggerly (Grassrootshealth.org), adults need about 8,000 IU’s a day. Be sure to take vitamin K2 if you are taking high dose oral vitamin D as it has a powerful synergy and will help prevent any D toxicity.

• Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods. Sugar impairs the quality of your immune response almost immediately, and as you likely know, a healthy immune system is one of the most important keys to fighting off viruses and other illness. It also can decimate your beneficial bacteria and feed the pathogenic yeast and viruses. Be aware that sugar (typically in the form of high fructose corn syrup) is present in foods you may not suspect, like ketchup and fruit juice. If you are healthy than sugar can be consumed but the LAST thing you should be eating when you are sick is sugar. Avoid it like poison while you are sick.
• Get Plenty of Rest. Just like it becomes harder for you to get your daily tasks done if you’re tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be harder for it to fight the flu. Be sure to check out my article Guide to a Good Night’s Sleep for some great tips to help you get quality rest.
• Have Effective Tools to Address Stress. We all face some stress every day, but if stress becomes overwhelming then your body will be less able to fight off the flu and other illness. If you feel that stress is taking a toll on your health, consider using an energy psychology tool such as the Emotional Freedom Technique, which is remarkably effective in relieving stress associated with all kinds of events, from work to family to trauma.
• Get Regular Exercise. When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads. Be sure to stay hydrated – drink plenty of fluids, especially water. However, it would be wise to radically reduce the intensity of your workouts while you are sick. No Peak Fitness exercises until you are better.
• Take a High-Quality Source of Animal-Based Omega-3 Fats. Increase your intake of healthy and essential fats like the omega-3 found in krill oil, which is crucial for maintaining health. It is also vitally important to avoid damaged omega-6 oils that are trans fats and in processed foods as it will seriously damage your immune response.
• Wash Your Hands. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be sure you don’t use antibacterial soap for this – antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good. Instead, identify a simple chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to.
• Tried and True Hygiene Measures. In addition to washing your hands regularly, cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. If possible, avoid close contact with those, who are sick and, if you are sick, avoid close contact with those who are well.
• Use Natural Antibiotics. Examples include oil of oregano and garlic. These work like broad-spectrum antibiotics against bacteria, viruses, and protozoa in your body. And unlike pharmaceutical antibiotics, they do not appear to lead to resistance.
• Avoid Hospitals. I’d recommend you stay away from hospitals unless you’re having an emergency and need expert medical care, as hospitals are prime breeding grounds for infections of all kinds. The best place to get plenty of rest and recover from illness that is not life-threatening is usually in the comfort of your own home.

 

Dr. Weil: What vitamins he takes

Dr Weil what he takes with breakfast according to Drweil.com newsletter:

A multivitamin/multimineral – one tablet
Antioxidant – one capsule
CoEnzyme Q10 – one 60mg pill
Host Defense, a mixed-mushroom supplement for immune support – one capsule
Magnesium chelate – one 250mg pill
Fish Oil – four 500mg capsules
Weil Juvenon – one tablet

In the evening, with dinner, he takes:
A multivitamin/multimineral – one tablet
CoEnzyme Q10 – one 60mg pill
Vitamin D – two 1,000mg pills
Baby aspirin – two 80mg pills
Host Defense – one capsule
Magnesium chelate – one 250mg pill
Fish Oil – four 500mg capsules
Weil Juvenon – one tablet
“And above all, I eat well, which is by far the best nutritional tactic for health,” he says.
See DrWeil.com

 

Caring for a new baby by Jacqueline Bacino

A friend is a single mother of a new baby, struggling with the crying. I asked Jacqueline Bacino to give suggestions:

Being a single parent is difficult.  The first 4-5 months of an infants life is very similar to still being in the womb because they sleep, eat, and lay a lot. Still, don’t underestimate the power of song, language and communication to them, teaching them that their needs are important and will be met by a loving caregiver.

There are at least 5 things single mothers must do to take care of themselves and therefore the baby.

1. Read your baby’s cues to avoid stress. A 3 week old infant is still too immature to calm themselves and communicate their needs on their own, so try to be prepared so you baby is not waiting too long for a bottle, getting over tired, needing a diaper, etc. Infant crying makes an adults blood pressure rise, stressing you and your infant even more. Try to stay calm and build an understanding of what they need and how it sounds when they cry for it. Your infant needs to stay as stress free as possible to grow, and you too in order to adapt to their needs. Optimal stress for an infant is not too much crying, but just a little. If your infant persists and cries more than 4 hours a day, consult a doctor because there is a chance your infant has ‘Colic’ and more steps to promote calm caregiving can be provided.

2. Promote plenty of rest for you and the baby. The rule of thumb for baby’s is they really are overtired most of the time, so every 90 minutes after they wake up they should probably go back to sleep. If you can set a sleep schedule for them then you’ll be able to rest when they rest or take care of much needed chores and personal time. There are many resources at local libraries that can help you learn about the 90-minute sleep schedule technique.

3. Try swaddling and “The Happiest Baby” technique as suggested by Dr. Harvey Karp. A swaddle promotes a calming device within the baby so they sleep longer and feel more secure in the world. A video of such can be found on You Tube searches. Make sure you ask your doctor about swaddling or ask a local mother friend or someone experienced to show you the technique.
4. Build a relationship with your infant based on their temperament.You can’t expect your infant to change, but you can promote a relationship by understanding them. Infants need security to thrive in the world so your relationship with them will be the first steps to building social relationships for life.

5. Ask for help. If you have a community, church, child care center, friendship network, etc., ask for what you need and let others help you. Single parents deserve 10 times as much praise as two-parent households, and they are challenged for support in our independent culture. 

Mind Power for Stress Reduction

Mind Power for Stress Reduction

Resources:

Gayle Kimball, Ph.D.             gkimball@csuchico.edu  (contact with questions and observations)  www.wordpress.gaylekimball.com (blog)

www.gaylekimball.info (bookstore)

 

Email me for 10-page stress reduction tools outlined below.

 

Every Wednesday, 5-7 PM drop in, free energy balancing, 1190 E. 1^st Ave, First Congregational Church.

 

One-day energy tools workshop April 22, 10-4, includes Energy Tools book.

 

Why Do the Energy Tools Work? Quantum physics found a universal information field with “quantum non-locality. See the DVD What the Bleep Do we Know?

 

Breath work: 4-8 breathing and inhale with tongue on roof on the mouth, exhale with tongue on floor of the mouth.

 

Bi-Lateral Movement: cross-crawl, figure 8s, touch forehead bumps called “Oh my God” points. Drink water. See Brain Gym exercises.

 

Meridian Balance: Trace Triple Warmer backwards, do balancing for all 12.

 

Know your Personality Type: See www.ssproduce.net to assess your Enneagram, Chinese 5 element, and Ayurvedic dosha types. Also, Enneagram http://www.9types.com.  See http://www.geocities.com/lifeexplore for explanation of the Enneagram and Myers Briggs. The Keirsey and Bates version  www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/Jtypes2.asp). More info in “Know Yourself” section in my Energy Tools book.

 

 

Visualizations: ground, center, energize, protect, achieve goals (explained in Energy Tools book, DVDS, CD).

 

 

Holistic Health sites:

http://www.drweil.com

www.ssproduce.net has links to alternative health info

http://www.ijhc.org/ Dr. Dan Benor’s International Journal of Healing and Caring

James Balsch and Phyllis Balsch. Prescription for Nutritional Healing. Includes vitamins, herbs, and other natural remedies.