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Friday, December 28, 2012

Coconut and Cholesterol

I’ve been wondering just how many readers remember Carmen Miranda and Jerry Collona. I’ve wondered too how many readers might remember the Swedish film (best in Swedish with English subtitles) “My Life As A Dog”.
These may be two confusing questions and I know you’d ask what does either one have to do with health.
The answer is coconut.
You see at one time loNg ago Carmen and Jerry did a song together that Jerry was quite famous for singing solo. That song was one I liked a lot as a child, “I’ve Got A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts”. It is one I have fond memories of singing hundreds of times as a child.
I am a forever fan of the Swedish film, “My Life As A Dog”. In the movie, Ingemar, played by the young star, Anton Glanzelius, enjoys the coconut song too.
What the song has to do with health, of course, is the lovely coconut.
In this day and age of proselytizing the cholesterol myth, thousands of healthy and ill people are told they must take these drugs.
Some fantasy I’d say because for the most part these drugs that have gouged your pocketbook and your health for some twenty plus years still haven’t shown any real benefit.
Now don’t get me wrong, there are some good things that cholesterol can do for you if you can get past the marketing hype.
Your body depends on cholesterol to help you make hormones, communicate between cells, and repair damage to your cardiovascular system.
Cholesterol is an important substance that circulates with the help of the lipoproteins you know as LDL and HDL.
LDL, or the one you most likely have heard called ‘bad’ cholesterol helps carry cholesterol to your cells for healthy cell wall membranes (the thing that keeps cellular contents wrapped up where they belong). LDL helps with other cellular functions too.
HDL, or the one you know as the ‘good’ type acts like a mop to sweep up extra circulating cholesterol from your blood, transports it to your liver, where it is on its way to being excreted from your body.
In reality, keeping this all in balance to the key.
There are quite a few things you can do to keep members of this cholesterol family in balance. Mostly though mainstream medicine hasn’t given you a clue.
Most in the know will tell you that eating with the Mediterranean foodplan and more fiber will do wonders for your cholesterol balance. That Mediterranean diet has been around and recommended as far back as the 1960s to keep a healthy heart.
Rice bran oil is another helpful substance because it contains the nutrient gamma oryzanol that helps keep cholesterol from being absorbed from your gut.
Then there’s that lovely bunch of coconuts.
Coconut oil as many are now learning is one of the healthiest of all natural oils, especially for any high temperature cooking you do. Another constituent of coconut that contains coconut oil but also a lot of fiber as well is what is called ‘coconut crème’.
From time to time I get product samples to test and review. Not too long ago I received some organic coconut crème and got to thinking about just exactly what I was going to do to try it out.
One good thing is that this is organic coconut crème.
After some thinking it dawned on my that I should try it made up as coconut milk. I don’t use much in the way of dairy products and sometimes you need some ‘milk’. I hadn’t been too happy with some brands I found in the stores, these just tasted thin and watery for the most part. These also all contained carrageenan which is a toxic thickener manufactured from seaweed.
After eating a spoonful each day for a few days I decided to test this crème blended up as milk.
It was great! And it solved my sourcing problem. Now I just make up a quart at a time using distilled water and one heaping tablespoon of the crème. Even though the label says one teaspoon, what works best in flavor and texture for me is the tablespoon.
The with the festive season underway and my love of fresh cranberries I just fell in to a recipe that ended up being really tasty and enjoyable. Can’t beat the antioxidant combination and enzyme help from the little red berry this time of year.
For the raw foodists you will like this I’m sure but I think its great for any one and filling too. You can make this as a pie, roll into snack size balls, or come up with your own way of making it special.
Start with 12 ounces of fresh, room temperature cranberries, washed and sorted to remove any spoiled ones. Put them in a high speed blender or food processor along with 1 cup of filtered water, 1 cup of coconut crème (my favorite choice is below, at the end of this article), ½ cup of liquid coconut oil, a pinch of pure sea salt, and vanilla to taste. Blend until well processed.
I added about a half of a cup of raw pecans but you could choose flaked coconut for a more intense flavor.
When this mixture is smooth and creamy pour into a pie pan and refrigerate for a few hours or over night. Cut into portions and enjoy.
While this isn’t too sweet, you can add some dates to the mix or pour some pure maple syrup or nicely whipped cream on top.
The good part is that it is really good, and it isn’t even my recipe. The other good part is that it is made up of things that naturally benefit your health and help keep your cholesterol level in balance.
Coconut oil and coconut crème both benefit your heart and your health. These natural substances do protect your body from depositing unhealthy fats in your arteries. Quite the contrary, using soy, corn, canola, or other vegetables oils lead to the production of trans fats and this is what does the damage.
If you already have balanced, high, or low cholesterol, using natural coconut products you may benefit with your LDL/HDL ratio moving in the most favorable direction.
Keep this in mind, because now that food has been declared off limits for improving health by the CODEX authorities, it may come to pass that I won’t be able to say any of this again in the future.

NB: I use this to make delicious GMO free coconut milk, and in the recipe included in the above article.










SELECTIONS FROM NATURAL HEALTH NEWS

Sep 12, 2011
A couple of weeks ago I received a large glass jar of coconut oil to review. Our organization frequently tests and reviews books and product and we've done so for about a dozen or more years. I guess its because of the trust ...
Jul 23, 2011
Certain foods such as cilantro, wheat bran, and coconut have detoxifying effects that can absorb or neutralize environmental chemicals that collect in our bodies. Simply adding these detoxifying foods into the diet can help ...
Mar 04, 2009
MARY ENIG Ph.D. ON NATURAL COCONUT OIL FOR AIDS and OTHER VIRAL INFECTIONS On July 19, 1995, Enig was quoted in an article published in The HINDU, India's National Newspaper as stating that coconut oil is ...
Aug 12, 2009
Researchers followed 40 subjects between the ages of 20 and 40—half receiving 30 mL of coconut oil per day and half receiving 30 mL of soybean oil—over the course of 12-weeks.1. The study participants were instructed to ...

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

STATINS CAUSE MAJOR ARTERY DAMAGE

For a very long time I have, on my web sites and in this blog as well as in other articles I write for different publications, been alerting people to the extreme risks associated with statin drugs. 

I recently wrote an article for my column with Sinclair News on this topic. 

What is so alarming is the fact the the Big PhRMA firms that have been manufacturing these drugs for more than 20 years knew the risks.  What's worse in my mind is that they also probably knew the effects on health would be serious and there was really no long term benefit other than their own bank account and shareholder dividends.

Is it worth it to you to trade in your health?  After reading this new report you might begin to wonder if you already haven't.
Statin drugs can accelerate cardiovascular problems, a new report has discovered. The drugs harden the major arteries, they are a main cause of type 2 diabetes in healthy people  and accelerate the major health problems in those who already have diabetes, say researchers from the Phoenix Veterans Affairs' Healthcare System in Arizona. 
Researchers monitored the health of 197 patients with type 2 diabetes and their use of stains. Coronary artery rigidity, or calcification, was far more accelerated in the patients who were regular statin users. Patients who weren't initially taking a statin soon developed hardening of the coronary arteries once they started using the drug regularly. The researchers fear their latest discoveries are just he tip of the iceberg of statin-associated adverse effects. Their database lists 300 different adverse side-effects, including weakening of the heart muscle and increases in the risk of type 2 diabetes by 48% especially in post-menopausal women.

(Diabetes Care, 2012 Aug 8; Epub ahead of print: PMID: 22875226.)

SELECTIONS FROM OVER 30 POSTS @ NATURAL HEALTH NEWS 

May 28, 2010
ScienceDaily (2010-05-27) -- The type and dosage of statin drugs given to patients to treat heart disease should be proactively monitored as they can have unintended adverse effects, concludes a new study. ... > read full ...
Jan 10, 2012
For years, more than a dozen at least, I have been covering the statin drug issue. My focus has been to educate people about the serious risks of this drug class and to help them realize that what they are being told is not ...
Nov 09, 2008
All the statin drugs can cause rhabdomyolysis and kidney failure. In most cases the kidney failure is secondary to blocking of the tiny kidney tubules by the breakdown fragments of muscle cells. The mechanism of action here ...
Mar 05, 2011
I can remember over a decade ago when I first started alerting people to the severe risk of statin drugs. Even so Big PhRMA has continued to blur your vision in more ways than one. In their effort to boost profit over health, ...

Saturday, December 15, 2012

What You Don't Know About Energy Drinks

Energy drinks are at it again, and in the news.  The 5 Hour Energy CEO has played the "I don't know" game along with "I'll have to get back to you with that information" and more prattle while avoiding the real issues. While 5 Hour Energy is not the only member of this product category, one thing for sure is that it does contain sucralose. And if you don't know about sucralose (marketed as Splenda) by now you can go here for more information. Another of my trusted sources, that today re-issued one of their older articles, has this to say:
Energy drinks are labeled wrong. They don’t energize you – they stimulate you. Research shows that beyond a brief caffeine high, there are actually no health benefits to energy drinks. In fact, the combination of different chemicals is likely to do more harm than good, especially for children. People need to stop over-reaching for that buzz that will not carry through the day. Drinking 3, 4 or even 5 Five Hour Energy shots in one sitting will not help you stay energized throughout the day. The circumstances suggest that, for some, it could be deadly.



Here's why: 5 Hour Energy Shots contain synthesized versions of Citicoline, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Taurine, Malic Acid, Glucuronolactone, and phenylalanine.

Besides the same amount of caffeine as 12 ounces of the leading cup of premium coffee, 5 Hour Energy does not contain carbohydrates, yet they claim it provides energy. 5 Hour Energy contains 2000% daily value of B6 and the 8333% of B12. All other ingredients including amino acids are in amounts considered to be healthy, but what about the amount of B Vitamins? The company states that the B Vitamins in their supplement; B6, B12, B3, and B9 are water soluble, any amount that is not absorbed is “expelled with no toxic effects.”  

What they fail to explain is that water, an essential ingredient that is needed to expel unused B Vitamins, should be mega-dosed to offset the mega-dose of B Vitamins in a 5 Hour Energy shot. Contrary to belief, it is possible to overdose on Vitamin B. Overdosing on Vitamin B happens when intolerable amounts are taken over a long period of time which can result in headache, dizziness, fainting, yellowing of skin, and temporary nerve/brain damage that can last 3 months to 3 years.

One case for toxicity reported 5,500mg for one dose, while another reported 500mg over a period of time (3 months or so), which happens to be the equivalent of B12 in one bottle of 5 hour energy. The recommended daily dose for B3 is 6mg, .8 for B6, and 30mg for B12. The amount of B3 in a 5 Hour Energy drink is 30mg, 40mg of B6, and 500mcg of B12. The amount of B Vitamins could potentially lead to an overdose. In the most extreme case, if taken daily and over a period of time 5 Hour Energy shots could very well cause temporary nerve/brain damage (in the most extreme cases). Symptoms such as numb hands and feet are signs of toxic levels. This is also the type of toxicity that can be expected from synthesized B vitamins.
If you are interested in a really unique, safe, and health promoting energy shot please be open to using our reliable and effective EVB Concentrate, you'll be glad you did!


SELECTIONS FROM NATURAL HEALTH NEWS
and there are about 30 more...
May 02, 2012
More today on the dangers of commercailly available sports and energy drinks from Health Day. In the midst of this just remember this is the reason I created herbalYODA's sportZtea many years ago. This is an all natural and ...
Jan 17, 2012
Energy Drinks. UPDATE:15 January 2012. Once again energy drinks are in the news and it appears that it isn't good (no surprise!). Agence France-Presse reports that "Australia experts call for energy drink warnings".
Oct 13, 2009
For some time we have been writing about energy drinks, and out most recent update gives you information along with the several other articles we have posted about energy drinks here on Natural Health News. Safe Energy ...
Aug 20, 2010
Study authors Stephanie Ballard of Nova Southeastern University and colleagues Jennifer Wellborn-Kim and Kevin Clauson say energy drinks typically feature caffeine and a combination of other ingredients -- including ...

CODEX: Yes to Malnutrition

Our thanks go to the National Health Federation and Scott Tips for his shattering report on the recent CODEX deliberations in Germany.  You should too.

As these government directed pundits go you see for the most part that not only do they have no understanding of nutrients and nutrition, they seem stubbornly to hold on to old thinking not based on current science.  This thinking too is not in the best interest of your health and well being, only the corporate mantras.

This excerpt clues you in to what is on the way to your food, well beyond the interest in labeling GMO (genetically modified organisms) ingredients in food.
[3] The proposed Codex NRVs are: Vitamin A (dropped from 800 mcg to 550 mcg); Vitamin D (5 mcg or 200 IUs); Vitamin E (8.8 mg); Vitamin K (60 mcg); Vitamin C (dropped from 60 mg to 45 mg); Thiamin (dropped from 1.4 to 1.2 mg); Riboflavin (dropped from 1.6 mg to 1.2 mg); Niacin (dropped from 18 mg to 15 mg); Vitamin B6 (dropped from 2 mg to 1.3 mg); Folate (raised to 400 mcg); Vitamin B12 (2.4 mcg); Pantothenate (5 mg); Biotin (30 mcg); Calcium (raised from 800 mg to 1000 mg); Magnesium (dropped from 300 mg to 240 mg); Iodine (150 mcg); Iron (14.3-43.1 mg depending upon bioavailability); Zinc (dropped from 15 mg to 3.6-11.9, depending upon bioavailability); Selenium (30 mcg); Phosphorus (700 mg); Chloride (2.3 grams); Copper (900 mcg); Fluoride (3.5 mg); Manganese (2.1 mg); Chromium (30 mcg); and Molybdenum (45 mcg).
To read the complete article and learn more about why these nutrient values are non supportive of health please go here.

SELECTIONS FROM NATURAL HEALTH NEWS
May 17, 2010
UPDATE: 17 May, 2010 - International Advocates for Health Freedom was the first to call the Codex international threat to health freedom in 1996 via an article by John C. Hammell in Life Extension Magazine. More about ...
Sep 13, 2010
In regard to herbs and CODEX. NB: While I do not accept the move to standardization of herbs, because it moves them more into the category of drugs as they become fractionated and may offer more in the form of side effects ...
Jul 06, 2008
The National Health Federation is the only sanctioned Codex-accredited health-freedom organization with the right to attend Codex committee meetings such as the one reprted here. In fact, NHF has for years been attending ...
Jul 13, 2005
By explaining to those vitamin-popping seniors that CODEX's bottom-line purpose is not to make Big Pharma and doctors and pharmacists rich, but to reduce socialist nations' elderly populations, and to the reduce the life ...
 
May 03, 2006
In recent years the Codex process has been criticized by the international agency's parent organizations, the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization for failing to contribute to better health.
Aug 24, 2007
Additionally, we work closely on Codex issues with the National Health Federation, which is the only health freedom organisation to have official observer status— and thus enabling it to speak—at Codex meetings. However ...
Apr 13, 2010
Supplements Are Exempted From Codex Language in Food Safety Bill The FDA Food Modernization Act (S. 510), also referred to as the “Food Safety” bill, has been modified to exempt dietary supplements from language that ...
Apr 16, 2010
ALLOWABLE VITAMIN POTENCY UNDER CODEX: Vitamin C (225 mg - up from the original 60 mg); Vitamin E (15 mg - up from the original 7)(Gamma Tocopherol); Magnesium (400 mg); Vitamin B-12 (9 mcg when normal ...