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January 2003 Vol. 8 No. 1
“Talk about it only enough to do it. Dream about it only enough to feel it. Think about it only long enough to understand it. Contemplate it only enough to be it.”
Jean Toomer-Poet
“The fruit of love is service. The fruit of service is peace. And peace begins with a smile.
Mother Teresa
Table of Contents:
Omega-3 Fatty Acid’s Anti-inflammatory Properties
Genetically Modified Foods, Inc
One-Quarter of All Births Done by Caesarean Section
Public Does Not Understand Smallpox Threat
The Absurdities of Water Fluoridation
Doctors Rate Best-Selling Diet Books
Keep Fish Farming Safe for the Environment and Human Health!
Book Reviews
Omega-3 Fatty Acid’s Anti-inflammatory Properties
While all omega-3 fats possess immune-boosting qualities, omega-3 fats from fish oil, EPA and DHA, are more biologically potent than omega-3 fat ALA, found in plant sources such as flax seeds. These fats have also been found, by many animal and clinical studies, to have anti-inflammatory properties, indicating that they might be beneficial to managing diseases such as coronary heart disease, depression and cancer. Omega-3 fats many also help with aging.
Clinical trials have also assessed the benefits of supplementing the diet with fish oils and results showed a decrease in diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis and migraine headaches.
Journal American College Nutrition December 2002;21(6):495-505
Genetically Modified Foods, Inc.
Many are not aware that genetically modified food is funded by drug companies like Pharmacia and large, well-known corporations such as tobacco giant Phillip Morris, which owns Kraft Foods. Concern over the use of these altered foods has grown among many well-respected scientists, as the effects of such foods are virtually unknown. http://www.mercola.com/2001/aug/8/gmo_crops.htm
New York Times, August 2, 2001
Further troubling is the fact that Kraft Foods is not telling you that genetically modified foods have made their way into many of the company’s products — Post cereals, Boca burgers, Lunchables and hundreds of others — and may be putting your family’s health and the environment at risk. Little testing has been done to gauge what consequences these altered foods will have on our world. You can view an entertaining animation that illustrates the controversy behind Kraft’s use of genetically modified foods and offers an easy way for you to speak out against this experimental practice.http://www.krafty.org/flash/
One-Quarter of All Births Done by Caesarean Section
New government statistics show that close to one-quarter of babies are delivered by Caesarean section, a seven percent increase from 2001, and the highest rate recorded since the data was first collected in 1989. This surgical procedure accounts for some 24 percent of all live births, and now the issue of whether Caesarean births, or C-sections, are beneficial to women and their babies is creating controversy among the medical community.
Many women are opting for the procedure for fear of long, painful vaginal births and its effects on the body. Natural childbirth can result in pelvic floor disorders — damage to muscles, ligaments and tissues that result from childbirth and labor. This damage can result in urinary and fecal incontinence — some 20 percent to 30 percent of women become incontinent after one vaginal birth — as well as a lessening of sexual sensation.
However, C-sections come at a cost, and some say that doctors favor surgical deliveries because they can be conveniently scheduled and create more income than natural births. But, as with any surgery, there are risks and recovery time to take into account, and supporters of natural birth say that the risks of surgery outweigh the risks of pelvic floor dysfunction. Further, some say that the link between vaginal delivery and risk of pelvic floor disorders has not been established. In the 1980s and 1990s an effort was made to reduce the number of C-sections performed, particularly those routinely done because a woman had had one in the past, as it was thought that performing repeat Caesareans was often unnecessary. However, after the reduction, reports of birthing problems increased and in 1996 the Caesarean rate began to rise once again.
In 2001, the number of women who had a vaginal delivery after having had a Caesarean decreased by 20 percent, reaching 16.5 percent, the lowest percentage yet. Some say that the rising costs of malpractice insurance may be playing a role in making doctors reluctant about natural birth. Often, doctors and hospitals refuse to let women have a vaginal birth after a previous C-section because of possible risks.
At the heart of the debate are women who want a Caesarean for their first baby — such cases increased five percent in 2001, to 16.9 percent of all live births. Some say the increase is due to the population’s obesity problem — overweight mothers tend to have bigger babies, who are harder to deliver — and the increasing number of women having babies at older ages, which can increase the risk of complications. Women are also choosing to have C-sections when no danger to their, or their baby’s, health exists. While this is relatively unusual, there is a general consensus that this practice is increasing.
Washington Post December 16, 2002; Page 01
Public Does Not Understand Smallpox Threat
Possible bioterrorist attacks involving smallpox are the impetus behind the nation’s smallpox debate. If the United States were to be attacked, or if the United States takes military action against Iraq, which is thought to have biologic weapons, would nationwide smallpox vaccinations prove beneficial? Three issues remain at the center of the controversy: whether front-line health care workers be vaccinated now, whether smallpox vaccinations should be made available to the general public, and whether states should be given emergency powers to respond to bioterrorist attacks.
As public opinion can influence policy decisions, a national survey was conducted to gauge the public’s opinions regarding the above-mentioned issues. Over 1,000 adult Americans completed the survey between October and December 2002. Results showed the public’s knowledge of smallpox is limited and often misguided. Of those who responded, 61 percent said they would want the vaccine as a precaution if offered to the public, 30 percent believed that there had been a case of smallpox in the United States in the past five years, and 63 percent thought there had been a case somewhere in the world in the past five years. In fact, smallpox was last reported in the United States in 1949 and was wiped out worldwide in 1977.
Some 78 percent believed that there was a medical treatment for smallpox that would prevent death or serious effects after symptoms of the disease developed. Further, 67 percent thought, incorrectly, that it is likely they would contract the disease if they came within a few feet of someone who had the disease, 26 percent thought it very likely and 41 percent somewhat likely.
New England Journal Medicine 348;5 January 30, 2003
The Absurdities of Water Fluoridation
The practice of fluoridating water is unethical, unnecessary, ineffective, unsafe and inequitable. Anyone who thinks otherwise is invited to an open public debate on the issue of water fluoridation.
http://www.mercola.com/2002/dec/18/water_fluoridation.htm
Doctors Rate Best-Selling Diet Books
Heart-Healthy, Low-Fat Approach Gets Five Stars; High-Protein, Fatty Diets Earn “Unsafe” Rating
Washington, D.C.-For Americans resolving to slim down in 2003, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has completed an analysis of the 15 most popular weight-loss books. PCRM rated each book’s daily diet recommendations on five criteria critical to good nutrition and safe, healthy weight loss: a minimum of 25 grams of fiber, five servings of fruits and vegetables, no more than 50 milligrams of cholesterol, no more than 30 percent of total calories from fat, and no more than 10 percent saturated fat.
Only one book, Dr. Dean Ornish’s Eat More, Weigh Less, satisfied all the criteria for long-term healthfulness and earned PCRM’s top rating of five stars. Lowest rating of “no stars” went to Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution by Robert Atkins and Protein Power by Michael and Mary Eades, both of which espouse a high-protein diet that is also high in cholesterol and saturated fat. “If you’re looking for a healthy weight-loss book, stick with ha fad-free vegetarian approach,” says PCRM’s clinical research coordinator Brie Turner-McGrievy, M.S., R.D. “You can also find healthy options outside the list of top 15 bestsellers, such as Dr. John McDougall’s The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss.”
“With all the current hype about high-protein diets, what gets lost is the fact that there have been no long-term studies on safety. We know from the scientific literature that diets heavy on meat, eggs, and cheese, such as the ones we rated ‘unsafe,’ have been linked to a higher risk of colorectal cancer, heart disease, impaired renal function, and osteoporosis,” says Ms. Turner-McGrievy. A study released in August in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases shows that high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets, such as the Atkins Diet, cause a rapid and pronounced loss of calcium in the urine, while studies of vegetarian diets have shown safe, effective weight loss.
Diet Book Ratings-Based on the Rating from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine www.pcrm.org
FIVE STARS-Outstanding
Eat More, Weigh Less by Dean Ornish, M.D.
FOUR STARS-Good
Get with the Program! by Bob Greene
The pH Miracle by Robert O. Young, Ph.D., and Shelley Redford Young
THREE STARS-Marginal
Eat Right for Your Type (Type A) by Dr. Peter D’Adamo
8 Minutes in the Morning by Jorge Cruise
The Peanut Butter Diet by Holly McCord, M.A., R.D.
The Zone by Barry Sears
TWO STARS-Unsatisfactory
Body for Life by Bill Phillips
Eat Right for Your Type (Type O) by Dr. Peter D’Adamo
The Fat Flush Plan by Ann Louise Gittleman, M.S.,C.N.S.
The Insulin Resistance Diet by Cheryle Hart, M.D., and Mary Kay Grossman, R.D.
The Omega Diet by Artemis P. Simopoulos, M.D., and Jo Robinson
Sugar Busters! by H. Leighton Steward; Sam S. Andrews, M.D.; Morrison C. Bethea, M.D.; Luis A. Balart, M.D.
ONE STAR-Poor
Eat Right for Your Type (Type AB) by Dr. Peter D’Adamo
Eat Right for Your Type (Type B) by Dr. Peter D’Adamo
The Schwarzbein Principle II by Diana Schwarzbein, M.D.
NO STARS-Unsafe
Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution by Robert Atkins, M.D.
Protein Power by Michael Eades, M.D. and Mary Eades, M.D.
Keep Fish Farming Safe for the Environment and Human Health!
THE EPA IS ACCEPTING PUBLIC COMMENTS UNTIL JANUARY 27, 2003 REGARDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL EFFLUENT STANDARDS FOR AQUACULTURE.
Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food production sectors in the United States, yet there is currently no national regulatory framework to oversee the industry. If left unregulated, aquaculture poses a serious threat to the environment and human health. http://www.foodsafetynow.org/send.asp?cam_id=104
Book Review from Author
“Fatal Harvest is a book that will forever change the way we think about food. This book will inform and influence the growing public movement of activists, farmers, policymakers, and consumers who are fighting to make our food safer for ourselves and for the planet. It features essays from more than 30 authors including Wendell Berry, Wes Jackson, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Vandana Shiva, Michael Ableman, Jim Hightower, and Alice Waters.” - www.fatalharvest.org
“Ship of Miracles” By Bill Gilbert. A Korean War Rescue; 14,000 Lives and one miraculous voyage.
A heart warming book about the valor and unselfishness of American merchant marine sailors and their effort to rescue North Korean’s fleeing the tierney of communism in 1950. ISBN 1-57243-366-3
“I Feel Great and You Will Too!: An Inspiring Journey of Success With Practical Tips on How to Score Big in Life” By Pat Croce. I have followed the work and success of Pat Croce during the past 20 years. His life is the classic American rags to riches story. He is in your face with challenges, no excuses given or taken. His books [also 110 Percent] are inspirational, thought provoking, a good dose of smelling salts in the conformity of America’s lackadaisical attitude of today regarding conducting oneself in day to day activities. There are many excellent reminders throughout his book borrowed from other writers/poets. I especially enjoy his breakdown of G.R.E.A.T. I have employed many of his points that I have learned over the years in business-and they WORK!