Fortunately, it no longer takes any convincing that trans fatty acids are bad for your health. These fats are created by a manufacturing process call hydrogenation. In the process, the liquid oils are made solid by adding hydrogen ions which increases their shelf life and allows them to be used in a variety of products from baked goods to margarines and fast food. Once believed to be the solution to the problem of saturated fats such as lard and dairy fat, studies have now shown that trans fats not only elevate bad cholesterol (LDL), but also decrease good cholesterol (HDL). The research has supported that it can be a contributing factor in the developement of heart disease and several types of cancer. Research that was published in The Journal of American of Epidemiology in 2008, reported that of 20,000 women studied, those with the highest blood levels of trans fats had twice the risk of developing breast cancer than women with the lowest blood levels.
So, do you know how to keep these contrived fats out of your pantry and out of your body? Of course, the safest way is to eat tons of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains starting from scratch. Mother nature's version of trans fat, which is found in dairy and meat, is a different classification and is only found in trace amounts. Go sparingely when selecting processed foods and be aware that there are marketing techniques that will keep you in the dark unless you take a closer look. When a product says "0 grams of trans fat per serving", buyer beware. FDA regulations allow a product to use this claim when the quantity of trans fat is less than 0.5 grams per serving. This leaves a large window for use of this unhealthy ingredient and the cumulative consumption of this fat can still be highly problematic. Look at your incredients label for the wording "partially hydrogenated oil". If those words appear, find another product that doesn't. And once again, the best way to avoid this inflammatory ingredient is to make fresh fruits and veggies your staple!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Nitrosamines - Where Are They In Your World?
Nitrosamines have been on the radar of health professionals for decades now. Since the 1950's, there has been knowledge that this class of chemical compounds has been implicated as a strong risk for cancer. Two British scientists, John Barnes and Peter Magee, reported that dimethylnitrosamine produced liver tumors in rats. This discovery triggered a large number of scientific investigations on the various compounds of which 90% were determined to be carcinogenic in lab animals. According to Richard Scanlan, Ph.d food scientist at The Linus Pauling Institute, "Since nitrosamines are metabolized the same in human and animal tissues, it seems highly likely that humans are susceptible to the carcinogenic properties of nitrosamines."
So then where do we find these chemicals and how do we eliminate these from our environment? Exposure to nitrosamines or N-nitroso agents, as scientists call them, increased dramatically since the 1950's through food consumption and agricultural practices. Use of nitrogen-containing fertilizers doubled between the years of 1955 and 2005. Additional nitrosamines can be found in pesticides and up until the 1970's virtually all processed meat products added nitrites or nitrates for food preservation. Those that have continued to use nitrosamines added ascorbic acid to prevent these compounds from forming in the meat, but as we shall see shortly this did not solve the problem. Even though the threat of these products have been brought to the awareness of the public, another source that is rarely discussed flies under the radar. It does not contain these compounds, but triggers the synthesis in our digestive tract. Unprocessed red meat, specifially beef and pork, have been found to trigger a reaction in the gut that causes the formation of nitrosamines. Recent studies have indicated that the problem with red meat lies in the heme iron content which is the binded iron compound found in these meats. There can be small amounts of nitrates even in certain vegetables and when it is available in the gut and consumed with heme iron, it creates a problem. According to animal studies conducted at the National Cancer Institute, heme iron produced N-nitroso compounds in the gut, while non-heme sources showed no increase in N-nitroso compounds in the gut at all.
The body of evidence to justify avoiding these compounds flies in the face of the industry that is determined to keep them mainstream. To limit nitrosamine exposure for your body and that of your loved ones, eliminate the use of any processed meats or severly restict their use to once or twice a month and limit intake of red meat to no more than 1 serving a week. If you must have cold cuts, pick poultry that is manufactured without the use of nitrates and nitrites. And lastly, going organic will once again cut your potential risk of exposure. Your health is certainly worth the change.
So then where do we find these chemicals and how do we eliminate these from our environment? Exposure to nitrosamines or N-nitroso agents, as scientists call them, increased dramatically since the 1950's through food consumption and agricultural practices. Use of nitrogen-containing fertilizers doubled between the years of 1955 and 2005. Additional nitrosamines can be found in pesticides and up until the 1970's virtually all processed meat products added nitrites or nitrates for food preservation. Those that have continued to use nitrosamines added ascorbic acid to prevent these compounds from forming in the meat, but as we shall see shortly this did not solve the problem. Even though the threat of these products have been brought to the awareness of the public, another source that is rarely discussed flies under the radar. It does not contain these compounds, but triggers the synthesis in our digestive tract. Unprocessed red meat, specifially beef and pork, have been found to trigger a reaction in the gut that causes the formation of nitrosamines. Recent studies have indicated that the problem with red meat lies in the heme iron content which is the binded iron compound found in these meats. There can be small amounts of nitrates even in certain vegetables and when it is available in the gut and consumed with heme iron, it creates a problem. According to animal studies conducted at the National Cancer Institute, heme iron produced N-nitroso compounds in the gut, while non-heme sources showed no increase in N-nitroso compounds in the gut at all.
The body of evidence to justify avoiding these compounds flies in the face of the industry that is determined to keep them mainstream. To limit nitrosamine exposure for your body and that of your loved ones, eliminate the use of any processed meats or severly restict their use to once or twice a month and limit intake of red meat to no more than 1 serving a week. If you must have cold cuts, pick poultry that is manufactured without the use of nitrates and nitrites. And lastly, going organic will once again cut your potential risk of exposure. Your health is certainly worth the change.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Healthlinks Lifestyle Network - Nutrition and Cooking Series - Recipe from Cooking Class "Carnivores Guide to Eating"
Research has shown that a diet free of animal products significantly decreases the risk of developing cancer. The foods that prevent and deter cancer growth are generally the same. A whole plant-based food diet contains numerous cancer-fighting phytochemicals (plant chemicals) that strengthen immune function and destroy cancer causing compounds. Transitioning from a meat and potatoes diet can be challenging. Most people grew up on this diet and now we are told not to eat them anymore. Is it possible to feel full without consuming a steak the size of Texas and a potato as big as football? We think so.
11 Tips for Changing Your Carnivore Ways
1. Preplan your menu - this saves on eating last minute junk food or take out. Write it where everyone can see it and just cross meals off the list as you make them. Get the family involved. Give them a cookbook and tell them to pick something, just be sure it is a healthy cookbook. They can also help prepare the meal they chose.
2. Stock your pantry - with everything you’ll need for your weekly meals except fruits and veggies. To keep things fresh only buy 3 days at a time. Things always taste better when they are fresh and not shriveled, dry and fuzzy. See the “Stock your Pantry” article.
3. Meat is no longer the main course - veggies are. Treat all meat is if it were a side dish not the main dish.
4. Buy smaller portions of meat - when buying meat, buy a cut half the size of what you normally would. If you usually eat an 8 oz steak each, buy one and split it.
5. Make more veggies - make twice as much as you think you would eat. Now you have twice as many veggies than meat making the veggies more appealing than the meat.
6. Serve the meat from a serving plate – by serving it off a plate, you will not be forced to feel like you have to clean your plate. You can cut a small portion of meat from the serving plate and then after you have finished your vegetables, you won’t feel like eating anymore. Remember your mother always told you to eat all of your vegetables.
7. Leave leftovers – always leave something behind on your plate and on the serving platters. This applies especially when going to restaurants. We all know throwing food away is wasteful, so box it up, put it in the fridge and enjoy the fact that you didn’t over indulge.
8. Buy local, organic, grass fed meat – many articles and books have linked grain fed animals to higher risks of disease outbreaks and chronic illness. That included eggs too. The farther your meat has to travel, the more chance there is for contamination and disease. Support our local farmers.
10. Make one vegetarian dinner per week - After a month, add 2 meals that are vegetarian, until you are only eating one meat meal a week. You won’t even miss it. Eventually you will decide it will be once a month and then maybe never again.
11. Make substitutions - look at recipes with a new eye. If the recipe calls for meat, substitute, legume, nuts or more veggies or just leave out the meat altogether.
Enjoy the following tasty recipe and find out what you won't be missing.
Portabella Mushroom Fajitas
Marinade
2 T. white wine vinegar
2 T. olive oil
2 T. cilantro
1 T minced garlic
2 T. lime juice
1 tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. chipotle powder (or more depending on tolerance to spice)
Filling
4 large portabella mushrooms, cut into thin strips
1 onion, cut into strips
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 green or orange pepper, cut into strips
Sprouted corn tortillas
Cowboy caviar
Greek yogurt
- Mix all ingredients for marinade.
- Put all filling items into bowl with marinade for 30 minutes.
- Place veggies in cast iron pan coated heated over med – high heat.
- Cook until slightly crisp.
- Drain liquid from vegetables.
- Serve in tortillas with salsa (see cowboy caviar) and yogurt.
Cowboy Caviar
Recipe from Forbes Nutritional Consulting, LLC
1 can of corn,
1 can black-eyed peas
1 avocado, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2/3c chopped cilantro
2/3c green onion, chopped
Dressing
1/4c olive oil
1/4c red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp cumin
Instructions
For dressing, whisk all ingredients in a bowl. Set aside until ready to serve.
Rinse canned corn and peas. Place in a bowl. Add the rest of ingredients.
Just before serving, add the dressing.
11 Tips for Changing Your Carnivore Ways
1. Preplan your menu - this saves on eating last minute junk food or take out. Write it where everyone can see it and just cross meals off the list as you make them. Get the family involved. Give them a cookbook and tell them to pick something, just be sure it is a healthy cookbook. They can also help prepare the meal they chose.
2. Stock your pantry - with everything you’ll need for your weekly meals except fruits and veggies. To keep things fresh only buy 3 days at a time. Things always taste better when they are fresh and not shriveled, dry and fuzzy. See the “Stock your Pantry” article.
3. Meat is no longer the main course - veggies are. Treat all meat is if it were a side dish not the main dish.
4. Buy smaller portions of meat - when buying meat, buy a cut half the size of what you normally would. If you usually eat an 8 oz steak each, buy one and split it.
5. Make more veggies - make twice as much as you think you would eat. Now you have twice as many veggies than meat making the veggies more appealing than the meat.
6. Serve the meat from a serving plate – by serving it off a plate, you will not be forced to feel like you have to clean your plate. You can cut a small portion of meat from the serving plate and then after you have finished your vegetables, you won’t feel like eating anymore. Remember your mother always told you to eat all of your vegetables.
7. Leave leftovers – always leave something behind on your plate and on the serving platters. This applies especially when going to restaurants. We all know throwing food away is wasteful, so box it up, put it in the fridge and enjoy the fact that you didn’t over indulge.
8. Buy local, organic, grass fed meat – many articles and books have linked grain fed animals to higher risks of disease outbreaks and chronic illness. That included eggs too. The farther your meat has to travel, the more chance there is for contamination and disease. Support our local farmers.
10. Make one vegetarian dinner per week - After a month, add 2 meals that are vegetarian, until you are only eating one meat meal a week. You won’t even miss it. Eventually you will decide it will be once a month and then maybe never again.
11. Make substitutions - look at recipes with a new eye. If the recipe calls for meat, substitute, legume, nuts or more veggies or just leave out the meat altogether.
Enjoy the following tasty recipe and find out what you won't be missing.
Portabella Mushroom Fajitas
Marinade
2 T. white wine vinegar
2 T. olive oil
2 T. cilantro
1 T minced garlic
2 T. lime juice
1 tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. chipotle powder (or more depending on tolerance to spice)
Filling
4 large portabella mushrooms, cut into thin strips
1 onion, cut into strips
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 green or orange pepper, cut into strips
Sprouted corn tortillas
Cowboy caviar
Greek yogurt
- Mix all ingredients for marinade.
- Put all filling items into bowl with marinade for 30 minutes.
- Place veggies in cast iron pan coated heated over med – high heat.
- Cook until slightly crisp.
- Drain liquid from vegetables.
- Serve in tortillas with salsa (see cowboy caviar) and yogurt.
Cowboy Caviar
Recipe from Forbes Nutritional Consulting, LLC
1 can of corn,
1 can black-eyed peas
1 avocado, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2/3c chopped cilantro
2/3c green onion, chopped
Dressing
1/4c olive oil
1/4c red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp cumin
Instructions
For dressing, whisk all ingredients in a bowl. Set aside until ready to serve.
Rinse canned corn and peas. Place in a bowl. Add the rest of ingredients.
Just before serving, add the dressing.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Psychological Stress - Is It The Bane of Your Health?
Psychological stress is the collective emotional and physiological reactions experienced when an individual confronts a situation in which the demands go beyond their coping resources. The body responds by releasing stress hormones such as norepinephrine, epinephrine and cortisol. These stress hormones cause an increase in blood sugar levels, heart rate and blood pressure to help the individual increase strength and speed of reaction to an impending danger...perceived or real. In small doses, this sympathetic nervous system reaction in considered healthy. When this response is chronic, as in the case of someone in a demanding job or someone going through a divorce, it takes a toll on the body's health. Scientists know that psychological stress can affect the immune system, the body’s defense against infection and disease (including cancer). However, it is not yet known whether stress increases a person’s susceptibility to disease. One study was conducted over a 10-year period by psychologist Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, PhD, and immunologist Ronald Glaser, PhD, of the Ohio State University College of Medicine. From 1982 through 1992, these pioneer researchers studied medical students. Among other things, they found that the students' immunity went down every year under the simple stress of the three-day exam period. Test takers had fewer natural killer cells, which fight tumors and viral infections. They almost stopped producing immunity-boosting gamma interferon and infection-fighting T-cells responded only weakly to test-tube stimulation. Studies done over the past 30 years that have examined the relationship between psychological factors, including stress, and cancer risk have produced conflicting results. Although the results of some studies have indicated a link between various psychological factors and an increased risk of developing cancer, a direct cause-and-effect relationship has not been proven.
So then what is the take home from this information? Stress management techniques are important...for everyone. The exposure to toxicity in our environment and the way people opt, for better or for worse, to interact with you can only be controlled to an extent. The psychological stage you set for health and healing is a choice you make, however difficult it may be. The benefits of choosing a stress management practice are inumerable and may be one of many avenues for you to find growth and enlightenment during this period of challenge. As with any exercise, the technique that works best is the one you practice with due diligence. It may take some trial and error to discover the one that suits you. Among the list are yoga, tai chi, guided imagery, autogenic training, biofeedback therapy, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation and qigong.
The following is a simple yet affective way to start using the basics of the chinese practice of qigong. Starting here will be easy if you are not accustomed to this kind of internally focused exercise. Try it on for size and see how your body responds. Enlist the help of professionals who can guide you through the techniques or invest in books or audio recordings to take it to the next level. Remember this is a gift to yourself that you deserve with all the benefits and blessings it brings.
Qigong (pronounced "chee gung" or "chee koong") centers on slow meditative poses that involve stretching and breathing. It has been practiced for centuries in China to treat chronic diseases, including cancer. The standing pose, which entails standing in one spot and doing nothing, is simple but effective.
The complete list of postural requirements for the pose is extensive, but beginners can feel the effects of the pose if they practice its basic elements.
To practice a simple standing posture:
Stand with feet apart evenly weighting the balls and the heel
Bend the knees slightly
Pull in the stomach
Relax the shoulders
Relax arms at sides
Tuck the chin
Close the eyes
Close the mouth
Turn your hearing inward
Touch the tongue lightly to the upper palate
Breath slowly with expansion of the rib cage
Hold position for 15 minutes
So then what is the take home from this information? Stress management techniques are important...for everyone. The exposure to toxicity in our environment and the way people opt, for better or for worse, to interact with you can only be controlled to an extent. The psychological stage you set for health and healing is a choice you make, however difficult it may be. The benefits of choosing a stress management practice are inumerable and may be one of many avenues for you to find growth and enlightenment during this period of challenge. As with any exercise, the technique that works best is the one you practice with due diligence. It may take some trial and error to discover the one that suits you. Among the list are yoga, tai chi, guided imagery, autogenic training, biofeedback therapy, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation and qigong.
The following is a simple yet affective way to start using the basics of the chinese practice of qigong. Starting here will be easy if you are not accustomed to this kind of internally focused exercise. Try it on for size and see how your body responds. Enlist the help of professionals who can guide you through the techniques or invest in books or audio recordings to take it to the next level. Remember this is a gift to yourself that you deserve with all the benefits and blessings it brings.
Qigong (pronounced "chee gung" or "chee koong") centers on slow meditative poses that involve stretching and breathing. It has been practiced for centuries in China to treat chronic diseases, including cancer. The standing pose, which entails standing in one spot and doing nothing, is simple but effective.
The complete list of postural requirements for the pose is extensive, but beginners can feel the effects of the pose if they practice its basic elements.
To practice a simple standing posture:
Stand with feet apart evenly weighting the balls and the heel
Bend the knees slightly
Pull in the stomach
Relax the shoulders
Relax arms at sides
Tuck the chin
Close the eyes
Close the mouth
Turn your hearing inward
Touch the tongue lightly to the upper palate
Breath slowly with expansion of the rib cage
Hold position for 15 minutes
Monday, August 17, 2009
Beautiful Lips - The Safe Way
In a time when the use of beauty care products is hitting a younger and younger age, we are seeing evidence of more exposure to chemicals found in these products. According to the Breast Cancer Fund, higher accumulations of several toxic substances as well as certain heavy metals are found in cancerous breast biopsies as compared to biopsies taken from women without breast cancer. One of a number of beauty culprits are lip products. Many lipsticks on the market today are made with lead and lip balms can contain a list of toxic compounds from parabens to oxybenzone which is used as a sunscreen. For a beautiful lip conditioner, use the following recipes to add softness and color to your lips without the risk to your health. Even better, pass this info on to a friend and make a girls gathering out of it!
Beet Red Lip Gloss
Ingredients:
¼ cup beeswax
¼ cup castor oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
beet juice
Instructions: Melt beeswax, remove from heat and add oils. Add as much beet juice as desired for color. Store in jar.
Lip Balm Ingredients:
3 tablespoons grated unbleached beeswax
5 teaspoons carrier oil (sunflower, castor or jojoba)
6 or 7 drops essential oil (such as lime, lemon, tangerine, grapefruit or peppermint)
1 teaspoon honey, for flavor
Instructions: Melt the beeswax and carrier oil together in the top of a double boiler, stirring to combine. Remove from heat; add honey and essential oil. Mix thoroughly so the honey does not clump. Pour the mixture into containers; let sit 20 minutes before covering or moving. For glossier lip balm, use 2 teaspoons wax and 8 teaspoons carrier oil.
Recipes complements of "The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics"
Beet Red Lip Gloss
Ingredients:
¼ cup beeswax
¼ cup castor oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
beet juice
Instructions: Melt beeswax, remove from heat and add oils. Add as much beet juice as desired for color. Store in jar.
Lip Balm Ingredients:
3 tablespoons grated unbleached beeswax
5 teaspoons carrier oil (sunflower, castor or jojoba)
6 or 7 drops essential oil (such as lime, lemon, tangerine, grapefruit or peppermint)
1 teaspoon honey, for flavor
Instructions: Melt the beeswax and carrier oil together in the top of a double boiler, stirring to combine. Remove from heat; add honey and essential oil. Mix thoroughly so the honey does not clump. Pour the mixture into containers; let sit 20 minutes before covering or moving. For glossier lip balm, use 2 teaspoons wax and 8 teaspoons carrier oil.
Recipes complements of "The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics"
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Healthlinks Lifestyle Network - Nutrition and Cooking Series - Recipe from Cooking Class "Maintaining A Healthy Body Weight"
The pace of life today seems to preclude a diet filled with nourishing whole foods. At a time when we need it most we have over scheduled our days and placed the cultivation of a healthy body and mind at the bottom of the list. This act of self-care only occurs when all other ticks are checked on our to-do list. Perhaps care for ones' self should actually have a place on the to-do list somewhere near the top. Starting with a whole food meal rich in phytochemicals (beneficial plant compounds) that aid the body's systems is a great place to start.
It is important to have meals that are rich in high-fiber plant foods that contain protein and healthy fats. The balance of fiber, protein and fat are key to helping the body balance blood sugar levels which is one component to maintaining optimal nervous, immune and endocrine function. The other key to balancing meals is the selection of carbohydrates that are whole grain with high fiber and portion controlled. The following recipe was developed with this in mind, as well as being tantalizing to the taste buds!
The first ingredient, buckwheat was selected for it's high fiber content and the absence of gluten. Gluten is a plant protein found in wheat and several other grains that is being linked to adverse digestion and is responsible for Celiac Disease. Black beans are rich in protein and both soluble and insoluble fiber. The vegetables and cilantro contain a number of phytochemicals such as quercetin in onions which is being studies for it's anticarcinogenic properties. Curry contains the spice turmeric for which it's compound curcumin is being heavily researched for it's potent anti-inflammatory effects. Finally, ume plum vinegar has been used in traditional chinese medicine as it is believed to be anti-parasitic and effective at promoting a strong digestive system and heart. So, enjoy this meal and savor the flavor and nourishment that your body will thank you for.
Buckwheat Salad with Black Beans
Recipe from Forbes Nutritional Consulting, LLC
1 cup buckwheat
2 cups filtered water
1 red pepper , chopped finely
1 can black beans, drained
1 bunch of cilantro
Juice from ½ a lemon
1 red onion, chopped finely
1 tsp. curry
¼ cup Ume plum vinegar
¼ cup Olive oil
- Put water in pan and begin to boil.
- Once boiling, add buckwheat.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Once done cooking, DO NOT stir. (buckwheat will get mushy if stirred when hot)
- Put pan into refrigerator for about 15 minutes to cool.
- Chop the red pepper, onion, and cilantro. Set aside.
- Mix olive oil, curry seasoning, lemon juice and ume plum vinegar in a bowl and whisk together.
- Put the beans, vegetables, cilantro and sauce into bowl with buckwheat.
- Mix well. Serve.
Serves 4
Leftovers can be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator.
It is important to have meals that are rich in high-fiber plant foods that contain protein and healthy fats. The balance of fiber, protein and fat are key to helping the body balance blood sugar levels which is one component to maintaining optimal nervous, immune and endocrine function. The other key to balancing meals is the selection of carbohydrates that are whole grain with high fiber and portion controlled. The following recipe was developed with this in mind, as well as being tantalizing to the taste buds!
The first ingredient, buckwheat was selected for it's high fiber content and the absence of gluten. Gluten is a plant protein found in wheat and several other grains that is being linked to adverse digestion and is responsible for Celiac Disease. Black beans are rich in protein and both soluble and insoluble fiber. The vegetables and cilantro contain a number of phytochemicals such as quercetin in onions which is being studies for it's anticarcinogenic properties. Curry contains the spice turmeric for which it's compound curcumin is being heavily researched for it's potent anti-inflammatory effects. Finally, ume plum vinegar has been used in traditional chinese medicine as it is believed to be anti-parasitic and effective at promoting a strong digestive system and heart. So, enjoy this meal and savor the flavor and nourishment that your body will thank you for.
Buckwheat Salad with Black Beans
Recipe from Forbes Nutritional Consulting, LLC
1 cup buckwheat
2 cups filtered water
1 red pepper , chopped finely
1 can black beans, drained
1 bunch of cilantro
Juice from ½ a lemon
1 red onion, chopped finely
1 tsp. curry
¼ cup Ume plum vinegar
¼ cup Olive oil
- Put water in pan and begin to boil.
- Once boiling, add buckwheat.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Once done cooking, DO NOT stir. (buckwheat will get mushy if stirred when hot)
- Put pan into refrigerator for about 15 minutes to cool.
- Chop the red pepper, onion, and cilantro. Set aside.
- Mix olive oil, curry seasoning, lemon juice and ume plum vinegar in a bowl and whisk together.
- Put the beans, vegetables, cilantro and sauce into bowl with buckwheat.
- Mix well. Serve.
Serves 4
Leftovers can be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
What's In Your Sunscreen?
Education about the use of sunscreen has been successfully imposed for decades now and yet more than a million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. every year. The incidence of malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of the disease, is escalating. Many sunscreens on the market are not effective at broad-spectrum protection which is crucial to public health. In addition, certain chemical additives have been linked to endocrine disruption contributing to a cascade of other health problems. Some of the chemicals which are used as the active ingredient are avobenzone, benzophenone, ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnimate, 2-ethylhexyl salicylate, homosalate, octyl methoxycinnamate, oxybenzone (benzophenone-3) and PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid). However, PABA is no longer used as widely as it once was. A better option would be to choose sunblocks containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, both inert, opaque compounds that block almost the entire spectrum of the sun's damaging rays without causing other health problems. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide act as mechanical, rather than chemical, sun barriers. Check your sunscreen to see if it passes the test. Check the ingredients labels to avoid the above chemicals that not only don't do the job, but hinder your health in other ways. To find a list of safe sunscreen products, visit the following link...
http://www.goodguide.com/
http://www.goodguide.com/
Monday, August 3, 2009
Balance - Staying Functional Through Chemotherapy
The side effects of chemotherapy treatment can be debilitating for cancer patients. If you are undergoing chemo, you may experience a number of changes that will shift the way you move through daily life...literally. Among the list of possible challenges are the loss of static and dynamic balance in the body. If you notice a change in steadiness, whether it's standing or walking, this may be due to the impact of chemotherapy drugs on the nervous system. The ability to find balance or equilibrium in an upright posture, is achieved by three mechanisms: vestibular or inner ear function, vision, and proprioception or musculoskeletal feedback. The effect on the nervous system may be evident by the change in our proprioceptive function. The proprioceptors are a network of small sensory organs that are found in our joint cartilage, muscles, tendons and connective tissue that give us input about where our limbs are in space. When the central nervous system receives this input it responds by sending the appropriate motor output to keep us upright. Chemotherapy effects the chemical reception of the nerves leading to the proprioceptors which then compromises balance.
So then, how can you keep your balance and maintain function through treatment? The key is maintenance which is achieved by doing. The nervous system orchestrates the movement of the body and when we don't place appropriate demands on the conductor the body will not be fluid and maintain dynamic balance, much like a symphony out of tune. As tuning and practice make for a better symphony, so does frequency and specificity of training create a nervous system that keeps you balanced. Exercises for balance are specific to this function and because the nervous system is inclined to activate patterns that are initiated with regularity, balance exercises performed every day provide the greatest benefit.
A good place to start is single-leg balance with progression to complex arm movements. Start at a countertop that is high enough to allow you to be in an erect posture. Draw the muscles below the navel towards the spine and keep the hips level from side to side. Stand on one leg for 15 seconds and then switch to the other leg. If this feels steady, attempt this without holding on to the countertop, but stay close by until you feel strong. Progress the time to 1 minute. Increase the difficulty by bringing the arms overhead or making figure 8's with the arms. A more advanced exercise would be ball tossing while on one leg. Progress only as you feel safe to do so. And again, performing these exercises everyday is the communication the nervous system needs to minimize the effects of chemo and keep you moving!
So then, how can you keep your balance and maintain function through treatment? The key is maintenance which is achieved by doing. The nervous system orchestrates the movement of the body and when we don't place appropriate demands on the conductor the body will not be fluid and maintain dynamic balance, much like a symphony out of tune. As tuning and practice make for a better symphony, so does frequency and specificity of training create a nervous system that keeps you balanced. Exercises for balance are specific to this function and because the nervous system is inclined to activate patterns that are initiated with regularity, balance exercises performed every day provide the greatest benefit.
A good place to start is single-leg balance with progression to complex arm movements. Start at a countertop that is high enough to allow you to be in an erect posture. Draw the muscles below the navel towards the spine and keep the hips level from side to side. Stand on one leg for 15 seconds and then switch to the other leg. If this feels steady, attempt this without holding on to the countertop, but stay close by until you feel strong. Progress the time to 1 minute. Increase the difficulty by bringing the arms overhead or making figure 8's with the arms. A more advanced exercise would be ball tossing while on one leg. Progress only as you feel safe to do so. And again, performing these exercises everyday is the communication the nervous system needs to minimize the effects of chemo and keep you moving!
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