Organic Foods are Safer and Healthier than Conventional... True or False?

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By Dr. Mercola
September 17 2012

In the UK, organic food sales have been falling since 2008. The featured commentary¹ discusses whether organic is going "out of style," or if people's tastes and reasoning for going organic are simply changing.

"Sales of organic products have been falling since the credit crunch first bit in late 2008. But thrift alone does not seem to be enough to explain what is now a medium-term trend, since Fairtrade, another ethical certification with a price premium, has not suffered the same reverse, with sales rising by an estimated 12 percent last year.
What seems to be the case is that customers who used to use the organic label as a kind of proxy for good, sustainable produce now look to the specific virtues that most concern them: seasonality, locality, fair trade or animal welfare. Indeed, sometimes their other ethical concerns trump the desire for organics, such as when they choose home-grown peas over air-freighted organic alternatives..." The Guardian states.²

There are probably a number of reasons for this change, and it's not necessarily a bad thing. For the past few years now, I've argued that buying locally grown foods may actually be an overall better choice than the strict focus on organic.
In part because organic produce from overseas may or may not have been grown according to strict organic standards, so you could potentially be overpaying for something that isn't really organic (not to mention the environmental damage caused by shipping food across the globe), and in part because many small farmers actually grow their food according to sustainable, organic principles even though they may not have received organic certification, which is a very costly process.

Are Organic Foods Safer or Healthier Than Conventional Alternatives?

Confounding the conversation are recent reports that organic foods are not nutritionally different from non-organic. A recent meta-analysis by Stanford University³ has received widespread media coverage, and with few exceptions, conventional media outlets have used it to cast doubt on the value of an organic diet. The New York Times⁴, for example, declared "Stanford Scientists Cast Doubt on Advantages of Organic Meat and Produce," and Fox News' headline claimed "organic food may not be worth the money."⁵
An editorial in The Los Angeles Times⁶ bravely bucked the trend, stating "Stanford's research showing that organic produce probably isn't any more nutritious than the conventional variety is mostly remarkable for what it omitted." Still, you've had to be a reader of alternative media to get the real scoop on this study...
In a nutshell, the meta-analysis, which looked at 240 reports comparing organically and conventionally grown food (including 17 human studies), DID find that organic foods ARE safer, and probably healthier than conventional foods—if you are of the conviction that ingesting fewer toxins is healthier and safer for you. While I believe organic foods grown in healthy soils can be more nutritious than their conventional counterparts grown in depleted soils with synthetic chemicals, a major benefit of organically grown foods really is the reduction in your toxic load.
According to the authors:⁷

"...Two studies reported significantly lower urinary pesticide levels among children consuming organic versus conventional diets, but studies of biomarker and nutrient levels in serum, urine, breast milk, and semen in adults did not identify clinically meaningful differences. All estimates of differences in nutrient and contaminant levels in foods were highly heterogeneous except for the estimate for phosphorus; phosphorus levels were significantly higher than in conventional produce, although this difference is not clinically significant.
The risk for contamination with detectable pesticide residues was lower among organic than conventional produce (risk difference, 30% [CI, -37% to -23%]), but differences in risk for exceeding maximum allowed limits were small.
...the risk for isolating bacteria resistant to 3 or more antibiotics was higher in conventional than in organic chicken and pork (risk difference, 33% [CI, 21% to 45%])...

Many Studies Show Organic Foods are More Nutritious

So, will reducing your intake of pesticides have a beneficial impact on your health? Most likely, yes. Unfortunately, creative interpretation and linguistic gymnastics turned Stanford's incriminating findings into an attack on organics... On the upside, health-conscious people everywhere are seeing right through it, and a number of independent news sources have issued thought-provoking rebuttals. For example, NewHope360 writes:⁸

"...Stanford researchers failed to review reports not written in English... and if the study consists of just comparing notes across a series of studies then the researchers did not meet their due diligence... My colleagues at newhope360 compiled their own review in a matter of minutes of articles that were easy to find and also written in English. But our findings were considerably different from Stanford's.

• The Organic Center, reliant on donations and industry funding, is in the midst of conducting an actual study on organic vs. conventional vs. natural grain. Not yet complete, they have already determined organic grains are more nutritious.⁹ And by 'nutritious' they do mean 'more nutrient-rich.'
• A 2010 study conducted by PloS ONE¹⁰, and partially funded by the USDA, found organic strawberries to be more nutrient-rich than non-organic strawberries.
• In 2009, the American Association for the Advancement of Science featured a presentation on soil health and its impact on food quality.^11,12 Conclusion: Healthy soil leads to higher levels of nutrients in crops.
• Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted their own behavioral study that found higher risk of ADHD in children with higher levels of organophospates (pesticides)."¹³

Many of the Health Benefits of Organic are Due to What's NOT in Your Food...

Suppversity ¹⁴ also recently blogged about this Stanford study, rightfully pointing out that the health benefits are not necessarily related to getting more nutrients from your food, but rather about getting less toxins. In this regard, the Stanford study clearly concurred that organic foods expose you to fewer pesticides – about 30 percent on average. Organic meats also reduce your risk of antibiotic-resistant bacteria by an average of 33 percent.
Other studies comparing organics and conventional foods have shown the reduction in toxic exposure may be even greater than that. Suppversity writes:

"...[R]esearchers... at the University of Stuttgart set out with a whole different research question than most of their colleagues. Rather than trying to answer loosely defined questions such as 'What's better: conventional or organic?', they wanted to know whether or not it would even be possible to 'produce organic' in an environment that is already profoundly polluted; and... after 10 years and ten-thousands of samples of organic and conventional fruits, vegetables and animal products being analyzed the answer is 'Yes it is!'
'Organic fruits and vegetables had on average 180 times lower pesticide content than conventional products; and only 5 percent of the samples from organic produce were objectionable.' That's the conclusion the researchers in the 10-years special report that has been published in July 2012 (MLR. 2012b)."

Organic Food Debunker was Tobacco Institute Researcher

So, why the sudden concerted effort to "debunk" organics? Could it be that the health benefits of an organic diet threaten the profits of one or more big industries, and that these benefits are considered "inconvenient truths" that need to be quenched? An OpEdNews piece¹⁵ revealed one of the co-authors is a former researcher with the Tobacco Institute. Michael Collins writes:

"The study relied on a statistical technique called meta-analysis... The article co-author with recognized expertise in meta-analysis, Ingram Olkin, applied for a grant from Council of Tobacco Research (CTR) in 1976. CTR was part of the infamous Tobacco Institute, an industry group of cigarette manufacturers. Ingram was on the faculty of Stanford University at the time."

He goes on to state that Olkin's work for the Tobacco Institute is discussed in Robert N. Proctor's 2012 Google eBook, Golden Holocaust: Origins of the Cigarette Catastrophe and the Case for Abolition.¹⁶ It's quite telling, if you understand the implications:

"...The most notorious were the so-called Special Projects – typically projects that had been turned down by the CTR's Scientific Advisory Board, or were not expected to qualify for such funding, or were simply hatchet jobs commissioned by the lawyers to deconstruct inconvenient science. The Special Projects helped provide a platform for the industry's obfuscatory propaganda...
Special Project (SP) 109, for example, begun in 1965. Involved a 'collection of cases of emphysema among nonsmokers and among young people.' SP-12 investigated the possibility of 'additional statistical studies... which showed no association between smoking and lung cancer.' ...Dozens of such projects had been launched by the mid-1960s, all shielded from ordinary scrutiny, peer review, or disclosure – and often dealing with 'hot topics' the industry didn't want to see publicized...
Many of these were deliberate hatchet jobs. The statistician George L. Saiger from Columbia University received CTR Special Project funds 'to seek to reduce the correlation of smoking and disease by introduction of additional variables...' The goal of SP-100... was to assemble a panel of experts to repudiate the statistics relied on by the Surgeon General in his recent report; panelists included Saiger but also Leo Katz, K. Alexander Brownlee, and Theodor D. Sterling, all of whom were expected to show that the conclusions in the Surgeon General's report were 'not justified.'
Ingram Olkin, chairman of Stanford's Department of Statistics, received $12,000 to do a similar job (SP-82) on the Framingham Heart Study... Loriallard's chief of research okayed Olkin's contract, commenting that he was to be funded using 'considerations other than practical scientific merit.' Many of these Special Projects were essentially lawyerly assignments, with the biases – or foregone conclusions – expressed in their titles..." [Emphasis mine]

In Order to Protect Genetically Engineered Food Market, Popularity of Organics Must Be Subdued

The Stanford analysis reportedly did not receive outside funding. However, that doesn't mean it was not influenced by potential conflicts of interest, and/or is designed to serve a valuable role in the shaping of public opinion and/or further some industry interests... Another of its co-authors, Dena Bravata, M.D., M.S, has several potential conflicts, although indirectly, as they tie in to her many other studies relating to agricultural biosecurity, which she does receive funding for...
While the connections are not immediately obvious, consider the following:

1. Dr. Bravata is involved with Stanford in bioterrorism preparedness relating to foodborne & zoonotic illnesses.
2. Stanford has HUGE stakes in bioterrorism preparedness that includes homeland security funding, as well as having a seat on the National Institutes of Health's Office of Biotechnology Activities. Stanford also has an entire department that concentrates on agricultural biosecurity. An important goal of the network – which is funded by the Homeland Security Act – is to coordinate diagnostic and scientific expertise in agricultural production and security in regard to agricultural pests and pathogens that could be used in bio-terrorism.
To that end, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has taken the position that organic farming, such as free-ranging chickens and cows and non-GM seeds that you can't "control" are potential biosecurity threats. USDA has even begun putting, in writing, directives on how they want organic farming "contained" – which resembles turning organic farms into nothing more than factory farms.¹⁷

3. So while, technically, Dr. Bravata didn't receive any DIRECT funding for this meta-analysis, given that she's already done studies showing that organic farming could be a biosecurity risk, and given that California-based Stanford has such a huge stake in agricultural biosecurity, which IS funded by an outside source, and given that the controversy over genetically engineered foods is growing, it makes sense that this review would come out at this time and receive such widespread attention.
Later, it could be used to "calm the natives" with assurances that we're not really missing out on anything if organic farming ends up on the chopping block altogether, under the guise of being too great a biosecurity risk.

Organic Farming – A Potential Biosecurity Risk?

The bottom line is that Homeland Security has determined, with Bravata's and Stanford's help, that organic farming is a potential biosecurity hazard. Also with Bravata's and Stanford's help, the USDA/Homeland Security has decided that contained animal/livestock farming and "controllable" genetically engineered seeds are the best way to secure the "safety" of our food. The ultimate goal for global biosecurity is to have seeds and plants that theoretically can't be attacked because they've been bio-engineered to resist pathogens that would be used to destroy crops. This is discussed in a 2002 biosecurity whitepaper by the American Phytopathological Society:¹⁸

"Investments in basic research are needed to open new directions for applied research, including greater use of plant biotechnology and plant and microbial genomics for detection, forensics, prevention, or recovery from a bioterrrorist attack on a U.S. crop or food produced from crops.
...NSF, DOE, and USDA: Expand research on genomics and plant biotechnology as the foundation for more rapid and effective development of crop plants with resistance to pathogens that are potential threat agents... As with vaccines for preemptive control of animal and human diseases, having varieties and hybrids of crop plants with resistance is both a deterrence and the best means for recovery from a plant disease used as a threat agent."

The problem is that a lot of people believe organic foods are healthier and safer. And, what to do about all the people who don't like genetically engineered foods, and who want GE foods labeled so they can avoid them?
The answer to all of these questions is to simply convince you that the cost of eating organic is a waste of money because there's no health benefit to it... and if people don't see any health benefit, then they're less likely to support a bill to label GM foods, especially when you have this major chemical Monsanto/DuPont lobby threatening that proper food labeling will result in higher food prices – which of course is a complete lie. (Scores of ingredients must be listed on food labels, and not once has a new labeling requirement led to a massive hike in food prices.)
So, in a nutshell, what better time to come out with a "study" like this than just before the public is about to vote on labeling for genetically engineered foods?

Even Without Stated Funding, You Can Follow the Money Trail...

So what do we have here? We have at least one co-author who appears to have a background in "deconstructing inconvenient science," and another connected to agricultural biosecurity, which is none too keen on organic agriculture... And there are several other co-authors that have yet to be investigated to evaluate their individual industry ties. However, the Cornucopia Institute¹⁹ recently pointed out that:

"Cargill, the world’s largest agricultural business enterprise, and foundations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which have deep ties to agricultural chemical and biotechnology corporations like Monsanto, have donated millions to Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute, where some of the scientists who published this study are affiliates and fellows. Stanford researchers had touted their independence by stating they had not received outside financial support for their study, but failed to delineate the close ties between their internal funding sources and industrialized agriculture and biotechnology interests."

There are also ties between Stanford University in general and Monsanto – the leader in genetically engineered seeds, and the driving force behind the opposition to GE food labeling. This could be of interest, considering the fact that the authors claim no primary source of funding whatsoever...
The link between Monsanto and Stanford is discussed by Nicholas Tomasi²⁰, who raises questions about the influence of George H. Poste, a Monsanto board member and a Distinguished Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution (a public policy think-tank). Poste is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and in the wake of 9/11 he became the chairman of the task force on bioterrorism for the U.S. Department of Defense; a position he retained until May 2004.
He's currently a member of the Threat Reduction Advisory Committee for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, as well as a member of the National Academy of Sciences Working Group on Biological Weapons, the Forum on Microbial Threats of the Institute of Medicine Board on Global Health.
All of that is a mouthful, but again, it demonstrates the many diverse ties between Stanford University, biosecurity, Monsanto, and the shaping of public policy...
Of course, I have nothing to tie Poste to this study. But it's interesting to note nonetheless how Monsanto typically ends up being in the periphery whenever organics come under fire. To me, it seems quite clear that this is part of a much larger, concerted effort to discredit organics, in order to clear a path for more controlled agricultural methods, with genetically engineered foods as the ultimate goal. But first, they have to make you think you're not getting anything "extra" by purchasing organics; that you're essentially just wasting your money.
The FBAE²¹, a European biotechnology awareness and education organization, argues that as GE opposition picks up, it can be countered by pointing out the rising costs of organic foods – which is basically what the Stanford study accomplishes. A quote from the site states:

"When the price of a loaf of bread doubles, as it is on the way to doing, the public's pickiness about production methods will weaken."

Health and Safety Advantages of Organic Food

Mark Kastel with the Cornucopia Institute also sent out an email with his personal take on the Stanford analysis and subsequent media attention. He brings up a few additional points that are well worth considering, such as the decline in nutritional content of fresh produce due to the destruction of soils. Organic agricultural practices promote ideal soil conditions, while conventional farming methods threaten to completely deplete our soils worldwide, which will only worsen nutrition as time goes on. This is vital, since the continued destruction of our soils will ultimately lead to the demise of the entire food system...
Kastel writes, in part:

"In terms of the extra cost and value of eating organically, I have always subscribed to the adage 'pay now or pay later.' While my personal experience does not provide much in terms of a scientifically legitimate sample size, in the last 30 years, after suffering from pesticide poisoning prompted my shift to an organic diet, I have exceeded my insurance deductible only once, due to an orthopedic injury. And my doctor keeps telling me how remarkable it is that I, at age 57, have no chronic health problems and take no pharmaceuticals.
Unfortunately, the analysis done by Stanford University physicians... discounted many of the studies, including by the USDA, that show our conventional food supply's nutritional content has dropped precipitously over the last 50 years. This has been attributed to the declining health of our farms' soil, and healthy soil leads to healthy food. Organic farming's core value is building soil fertility.
...Additionally, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have become ubiquitous in processed food with an estimated 80-90 percent contaminated with patented genes... The use of GMOs is prohibited in organics. Interestingly, there have been virtually no long-term studies on human health impacts of ingesting GMOs, although many laboratory animal and livestock studies have led to disturbing conclusions. The best way to operate using the 'precautionary principle,' as European regulators mandate, is to eat a certified organic diet.
...The researchers might trust the FDA to set 'safe' levels of toxic and carcinogenic chemicals in the food we serve our families, but many parents have decided to set a lower threshold – as close to zero as possible... In supporting this cautious approach, there is a growing body of scientific literature that suggests it's not just the gross level of toxic contamination that pesticides present but rather minute amounts of these toxins can act as endocrine disruptors, or mimickers, sometimes triggering catastrophic and lifelong abnormalities in fetuses and developing children.
Is it worth experimenting with the health of future generations when we know that there is a demonstrated safe alternative – organic food?"

Please Continue Supporting the California GE Labeling Battle

In November, California voters will decide the fate of the ballot initiative to label genetically engineered foods, and needless to say, the stakes are higher than ever. If we want any chance of protecting our food supply from dangerous genetically engineered ingredients, we must help California pass this labeling law.
We need your help, as the biotech industry will surely outspend us by 100 to 1, if not more, for their propaganda. Please remember, the failure or success of this ballot initiative is wholly dependent on your support and funding! There are no major industry pockets funding this endeavor, which was created by a California grandmother. In order to have a chance against the deep pockets of Big Biotech, it needs donations from average citizens. So please, if you have the ability, I strongly encourage you to make a donation to this cause.
It's important to realize that getting this law passed in California would have the same overall effect as a national law, as large companies are not likely going to label their products as genetically engineered when sold in California (the 8th largest economy in the world), but not when sold in other states. Doing so would be a costly PR disaster.
The initiative also needs more volunteers, as they need to reach every single California community – large and small. I urge you to get involved and help in any way you can. Be assured that what happens in California will affect the remainder of the U.S. states, so please support this important state initiative, even if you do not live there!

• If you live in California and want to get involved, please contact LabelGMOs.org. They will go through all volunteer requests to put you into a position that is suitable for you, based on your stated interests and location.
• No matter where you live, please help spread the word in your personal networks, on Facebook, and Twitter. For help with the messaging, please see LabelGMOs.org's "Spread the Word!" page.
• Whether you live in California or not, please donate money to this historic effort through the Organic Consumers Fund.
• Talk to organic producers and stores and ask them to actively support the California Ballot. It may be the only chance we have to label genetically engineered foods.
• For timely updates, please join the Organic Consumers Association on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter.
  

5 Back-to-School Tips Every Parent Must Know

  By John Douillard DC | August 28, 2012 

 As we prepare our kids for going back to school, many moms and dads are dreading the upcoming cold and flu season. More and more parents are asking the question, “How can I prevent this and keep my kids healthy this year?”

On average, school-age kids in America experience eight to ten colds a year, according to The Children’s Hospital Guide to Your Child’s Health and Development.
With six kids in our family, we have no choice but to keep our kids cold- and flu-free. If my kids each got just six colds a year—well under the national average—and each cold lasted ten days, that would be 360 days a year with at least one sick kid in the house. Assuming mom and dad never get sick, we would enjoy a whopping 5 days of good family health a year.


Over the years, I have streamlined five basic lifestyle tips based on a 5000-year-old, time-tested medical system called Ayurveda. They are all outlined in my book, Perfect Health for Kids, and I have summarized them here. These tips are designed to help kids stay healthy in the first place.  If they do get sick, it will be only for a day or two, rather than a week or two.
Read on to learn five essential tips to keep your kids healthy this year!


The remedy for avoiding colds and flus is actually very simple. It starts weeks, months, and even a season or two before the dreaded cold and flu season hits. Let’s start with a look at what makes our kids susceptible to an infection in the first place.
There are always two factors in this cold-causing process:

• The first is the exposure to the bacteria or virus. For all practical purposes, there is nothing we can really do to prevent our kids from being exposed. In a classroom or school cafeteria, every child will be exposed to every bug, but only a small percentage will typically get sick.
• Why?  This has to do with the second factor in the cold-causing process: susceptibility. Keeping your child’s immunity strong enough so they do not succumb to ever-present infectious bugs in the first place is the goal. It is here that parents can keep their children healthy, in school, and out of the doctor’s office. Enjoy these five immune boosting tips!

Tip One: Moisturize the Sinuses

During these first weeks of school, the exposure to cold-causing bugs is certainly higher. What is also happening in early fall is that the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder. Cold autumn nights bring hints of winter with dry and cool air. Night heaters may dry the air even more and soon, the mucous membranes in the sinuses dry out. When this happens, the respiratory mucous membranes produce large amounts of reactive mucus due to the dryness. Seasonal pollens and pollutants can also act as irritants to the sinuses, which can cause excess mucus production. As excess mucus is produced, this provides the perfect breeding ground for a viral or bacterial infection. Most cold remedies, like Sudafed or antihistamines, will attempt to dry out the reactive mucus in the sinuses, thus making the original cause of infection worse.

Solutions: Keep sinuses moist with cool mist humidifiers at night during those early back-to-school days, and keep them running right through the winter. Sinuses generally begin to dry out in mid-August, so the end of summer is not too early to break out the humidifiers.

Ear oil is another cold remedy that antidotes the end-of-summer and fall dryness. It is an absolute must in my house. Preventively, from September to March, I will drop warm ear oil in my kids’ ears while they sleep, twice a month. If they catch a cold, I will use garlic-based ear oil twice a day until they are well, usually a day or two. Ear oil lubricates the Eustachian tubes, which helps support better lymph flow through the cervical lymph, which governs upper respiratory immunity. Your local natural foods store likely carries a variety of ear oil products.

Tip Two:  Early To Bed

One of the most difficult parenting tools for moms and dads is to get their kids to bed early. When one of my children gets sick, I can usually track it to lots of staying up late, sleepovers, school stress, and excessive after-school activities that just wear them out. Pre-high school kids should be in bed by eight o’clock. For high school kids, lights should be out by ten.

This may sound difficult, but if a child is up past these hours on a regular basis, they will wake up fatigued and soon, when the stress mounts, their immunity will suffer.

If you like botanical remedies, I use an herb called Ashwagandha  (sometimes spelled “ashwaganda”) which means, “the strength of ten horses” – I use the whole herb, not the extract. It is a great and very safe adaptogen for kids. It can give them energy during the day and at the same time, if taken before bed, it can support a deep and restful night’s sleep. It is not a stimulant, nor a sedative – it is a true rejuvenative that can help a child weather a stressful time.

Solution: Get those kids to bed early!

Tip Three:  Stay Hydrated

In 1850, the average American drank one can of soda per year. Today, kids drink two to three cans of pop per day. A report in The Lancet said that these sugary drinks increase the risk of obesity by 60%.
Soda, as well as any caffeinated beverage, will dehydrate the body. So to avoid dehydration, a kid must drink one 12 ounce glass of water for each 12 ounce caffeinated pop.

Dehydration in kids can cause stomach aches, bone loss, hormonal problems, obesity, fatigue, mood swings, poor focus ability, skin conditions, and much more.

An average person can lose two to three quarts of water a day through non-exertion. With exercise, a child can lose twice that amount. For kids doing sports, a 2% loss in body weight due to perspiration creates a 25% loss of their athletic ability.

Solution: Put water bottles in your kid’s lunch – not high fructose corn syrup juice boxes. At least, have them drink a large 8-12 ounce glass of plain water every morning and evening and give them water with lunch. A good rule of thumb for active kids is to drink one half of his or her ideal body weight in pounds in ounces of water per day to avoid dehydration.

Tip Four:  Colds Start in the Digestive System

I often ask my kid patients how often they move their bowels. I usually get a blank stare. They have no idea—their parents have no idea. When I tell them it is normal to go at least once a day, first thing in the morning, they often tell me they go 1-2 times a week. Parents have to help their kids track their elimination and know what is normal. If they know what is normal, they can be educated to tell their parents if their elimination is off.



Sluggish bowel function causes the villi of the gut to congest. The villi feed both nutrition and waste into the lymphatic system on the outside of the gut wall. It is here that experts believe 80% of the body’s immune system lies. So, regular bowel movements are key to optimal health and immunity.

Solutions:
1. Veggies are critical for optimal elimination. Remember, the cellulose in veggies literally attaches to toxins and escorts them into the toilet. Kids innately mimic mom and dad, so if your kids see mom and dad eating a ridiculous amount of veggies at each meal, just watch those once-disgusting vegetables get gobbled down by your kids. It’s a monkey see, monkey do thing!

2. If sluggish bowels are a chronic concern, try an herb called Triphala (sometimes spelled “trifala”). This bowel muscle tonifier helps the intestinal wall function efficiently without the use of habit-forming laxatives.

3. Avoid late heavy dinners. They are tough to digest and a fast pass to constipation. Of course, sometimes you cannot avoid a late meal. In my house, if we splurge and have a late pizza delivered and watch a movie, I give my kids an herb called Trikatu before we eat. Trikatu supports upper digestive strength so the heavy meal will not sit there and cause one to miss their morning bowel movement.

Tip Five:  Controlling Mood and Focus with Food

According to Ayurveda, the middle of the day represents the best time to eat the largest meal of the day, as this is the time when the body can digest a meal most efficiently. This can be tough for school kids.
In the afternoon, when America is craving chocolate and coffee, the brain is demanding the lion’s share of the available blood sugar. If all they had for lunch was a cookie or

a snack (a common lunchtime meal), then the blood sugar may crash in the afternoon. This is why kids are ravenous when they come home from school. If possible, leave a good healthy meal on the stove for them when they get home from school. Try not to just give them a sugary snack at this time. If they are craving sweets in the afternoon, it may be due to low blood sugar. A sweet snack here will only start the high/low rollercoaster of unstable moods and blood sugar.

When blood sugar is low in the afternoon, the body and mind must strain to muster the energy needed for afternoon activities. This low afternoon energy may lead to ups and downs in mood, low energy, lack of focus, and eventual weight gain. When a child is then asked to do homework with crashing blood sugar, this is an impossible task.

Solution: Plan on feeding them well shortly after they come home from school! No sugary snacks at this time!

Also, if possible, pack your kid(s) a big, healthy lunch to provide the energy necessary for afternoon activities.

For More Information on:

•   >>>  Ashwagandha
•   >>> Triphala
•   >>> Warm Digest (Trikatu)

 

To find out more please visit John Douillards Life Spa here. 

The Power of Touch

A Sister's Helping Hand
Who can measure the special bond of twins?
by Nancy Sheehan
Reader's Digest - May 1996
Pages 155-156

Condensed from Worcester Telegram & Gazette
November 18, 1995
Heidi and Paul Jackson's twin girls, Brielle and Kyrie, were born October 17, 1995, 12 weeks ahead of their due date. Standard hospital practice is to place preemie twins in separate incubators to reduce the risk of infection, which was done for the Jackson girls in the neonatal intensive care unit at The Medical Center of Central Massachusetts in Worcester.
Kyrie, the larger sister at two pounds, three ounces, quickly began gaining weight and calmly sleeping her newborn days away. But Brielle, who weighed only two pounds at birth, couldn't keep up with her. She had breathing and heart-rate problems. The oxygen level in her blood was low, and her weight gain was slow.
Suddenly, on November 12, Brielle went into critical condition. She began gasping for breath, and her face and stick-thin arms and legs turned bluish-gray. Her heart rate was way up, and she got hiccups, a dangerous sign that her body was under stress. Her parents watched, terrified that she might die.
Nurse Gayle Kasparian tried everything she could think of to stabilize Brielle. She suctioned her breathing passages and turned up the oxygen flow to the incubator. Still Brielle squirmed and fussed as her oxygen intake plummeted and her heart rate soared.
Then Kasparian remembered something she had heard from a colleague. It was a procedure, common in parts of Europe but almost unheard of in this country, that called for double-bedding multiple-birth babies, especially preemies.
Kasparian's nurse manager, Susan Fitzback, was away at a conference, and the arrangement was unorthodox. But Kasparian decided to take the risk.
"Let me just try putting Brielle in with her sister to see if that helps," she said to the alarmed parents. "I don't know what else to do."
The Jacksons quickly gave the go-ahead, and Kasparian slipped the squirming baby into the incubator holding the sister she hadn't seen since birth. Then Kasparian and the Jacksons watched.
No sooner had the door of the incubator closed then Brielle snuggled up to Kyrie - and calmed right down. Within minutes Brielle's blood-oxygen readings were the best they had been since she was born. As she dozed, Kyrie wrapped her tiny arm around her smaller sibling.
By coincidence, the conference Fitzback was attending included a presentation on double-bedding. This is something I want to see happen at The Medical Center, she thought. But it might be hard making the change. On her return she was doing rounds when the nurse caring for the twins that morning said, "Sue, take a look in that isolette over there."

"I can't believe this," Fitzback said. "This is so beautiful."

"You mean, we can do it?" asked the nurse.

"Of course we can," Fitzback replied.

Today a handful of institutions around the country are adopting double-bedding, which seems to reduce 

the number of hospital days. The practice is growing quickly, even though the first scientific studies on it didn't begin until this past January. But Heidi and Paul Jackson don't need any studies to know that double-bedding helped Brielle. She is thriving. In fact, now that the two girls are home, they still steep together - and still snuggle.

A Mother's Touch

A couple were told by doctors they should say goodbye to their severely ill newly born baby but were astounded when a hug from his mother brought him out of a coma.

  Adam Cheshire was just a day old when he stopped breathing and started suffering violent seizures due to a brain infection.

He slipped into a coma and was placed on a life support machine while doctors battled to save him.

Parents Charlotte and Chris Cheshire from Telford, Shropshire, were told to say their goodbyes and to take a final photograph of their son.

Yet, Adam astounded medics when he started showing signs of life after a cuddle from his mother.

The 16-month-old boy's recovery has been described as a 'miracle' and now Adam has taken his first steps.

Mrs Cheshire, 34, said: "They were convinced he was going to die.
"His entire body started to shut down. He was blue and shaking with convulsions.
"For a number of days, I was only allowed to gently stroke Adam's leg or arm before they encouraged me to hold and cuddle him.
"They told me skin-to-skin contact is very important. Your baby needs to know you are there.
"Adam is our miracle. He just refused to give up."
Adam was born at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in Shropshire, weighing a healthy 7lb 3oz.
But the next day, Mrs Cheshire, noticed he was making a strange grunting noise and wouldn't feed.
Midwives immediately realized something was wrong and took Adam away for tests.
Mrs Cheshire, who is training to be a vicar, said: "Shortly after, I tried to get out of bed and was suddenly in agonizing pain.
"After helping me back into bed, doctors diagnosed me with a full pelvic split, which meant all the bones in my pelvis had separated from each other.
"I couldn't even walk.
"Chris had left the hospital about an hour earlier to get some rest after the long night of helping me through labour.
"He had only just got home when I rang him in tears to say that Adam had been taken away because he was sick."
Mr Cheshire, 47, a systems engineer, raced back to the hospital to find Adam was in neonatal intensive care, where he had collapsed and had stopped breathing.
His organs began to shut down and he was having constant seizures.
Doctors put Adam on a ventilator to breathe for him and kept him an induced coma.
The couple's health visitor was also put on stand-by to deal with bereaved parents.
Mrs Cheshire said: "When Chris came back to my room, he explained what little he knew. We sat holding hands and cried together."
Three days later, Adam was diagnosed with Group B Strep Meningitis.
Pregnant women can transmit the disease to their newborns at birth.
Babies who survive can be left with speech, hearing, and vision problems as well as being permanently disabled.
Mrs Cheshire said: "A doctor came to see me to explain that while Adam was still alive and that they would do their best to treat him, that his life was very much in danger.
"By then, I was determined to go and see him.
"It took two hours to get me into a wheelchair lined with pillows, but despite my tears, I refused to give up.
"I'll never forget how I felt looking into that incubator for the first time. He had more wires attached to his tiny body than I have ever seen.
"The midwife told us to take a photo and we feared it would be the only one we ever had of our son."
Over the next week, his parents could only watch while their son fought for life.
They were warned that even if Adam lived, he could be brain damaged, epileptic, suffer cerebral palsy and a range of other disabilities.
But he refused to give up.
His breathing slowly improved and a few days later, doctors were able to take him off the ventilator.
On Mothering Sunday, Mrs Cheshire was finally able to hold her son for the first time since he had been ill and Adam opened his eyes for the first time.
Over the next few days, she spent up to twelve hours a day sitting in a rocking chair while Adam slept in her arms.
After being fed tiny amounts of milk through a tube for the first few weeks of his life, Adam began to breastfeed.
Skin-to-skin contact, also known as the 'kangaroo care' technique after the way kangaroos hold their young in a pouch next to their bodies, means the mother acts as a human incubator to keep babies warm, stimulated and fed.
Mrs Cheshire said: "It was incredibly traumatic to be separated from Adam. It felt fabulous to hold him in my arms.
"The moment he opened his eyes was incredible. I knew that if he was waking up, he would survive.
"In tiny, baby steps, Adam began to grow stronger.
"His seizures reduced and then stopped. His first MRI came back with some small spots of brightness which appeared to indicate brain damage, but it was too early to tell."
However, after three weeks in hospital, Adam, who has a hearing impairment, was well enough to go home to be with his parents and step-brother, George, ten.
A more recent MRI scan showed most of the brightness that indicated brain injury had disappeared.
Mrs Cheshire said: "It's been a continuing journey. We are so proud of him.
"Adam recently took his first steps unaided. It's another tick of the check list. Everything he does is incredibly amazing.
Read full coverage here.

What's your primary food?

IIN Primary Food

Food is more than what you find on your plate.  Healthy relationships, regular physical activity, a fulfilling career and a spiritual practice can fill your soul and satisfy your hunger for life. When primary food is balanced and satiated, your life feeds you, making what you eat secondary.
Remember when, as a child, you were playing outside, having fun? Suddenly your mother announced dinner was ready, but you were not hungry at all. The passion of play took all your attention. Or think back to a time when you were passionately in love. Everything was exciting. Colors were vibrant. Intimacy was magical. Your feelings of exhilaration sustained you. You forgot about food and were high on life.

Sometimes we are fed not by food but by the energy in our lives. Modern nutrition – carbs, proteins, fruits, and vegetables – is really just one source of nourishment, which Integrative Nutrition considers secondary food. Secondary foods nourish our bodies, but are not able to give us the joy, meaning, or fulfillment that primary food provides. We hunger for play, fun, touch, romance, intimacy, love, achievement, success, art, music, self-expression, leadership, excitement, adventure, and spirituality. All these elements are essential forms of nourishment, and the extent to which we are able to incorporate them determines how enjoyable and worthwhile our lives feel.

When we use secondary food as a way to alleviate or suppress our hunger for primary food, the body and mind suffer. Weight gain is just one of the consequences. Diet-related disorders such as heart disease, cancer, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes are national epidemics, and one of the main reasons is because we are stuffing ourselves with secondary foods when we are really starving for primary food. If you’re not getting the primary food you need, eating all the food in the world won’t satisfy your hunger.
Interested to learn more? Find out first hand from IIN founder Joshua Rosenthal about nutrition theories like primary food that are unique to IIN.

By  Joshua Rosenthal
Find out more here.

Kill candida overgrowth with these nine powerful herbs

(NaturalNews) Whether you are battling full-blown candida overgrowth or simply want to prevent future infections from occurring, herbs are a powerful tool for naturally keeping candida at bay. Here`s a list of nine highly effective herbal remedies for candida:

#1 Oregano Oil

The phenols in oregano oil are highly concentrated and extremely effective in fighting bacterial infections, fungal infections and candida overgrowth. Wild organic oregano oil is known to be especially effective in fighting conditions like candida.

#2 Olive Leaf Extract

The oleuropein in olive leaf extract is used by the body to fight fungal infections caused by candida overgrowth. A high-potency standardized olive leaf extract can obliterate candida quite effectively.

#3 Pau D`Arco

Another popular anti-candida herb, Pau D`Arco is often brewed into a tea. Drinking one cup per day is an easy way to harness its antifungal properties.

#4 Garlic

Garlic is a powerful antibacterial and antifungal agent. Candida cannot survive when garlic is present, so consistency is the key. Garlic can simply be added to your normal meals, but most find it more convenient (and less odorous) to take standardized garlic capsules three times per day.

#5 Neem

Used extensively in Ayurvedic medicine, neem is known for stimulating the immune system and fighting infections and fungal overgrowth. It is also a potent detoxifier. Neem oil can also be applied topically as needed.

#6 Apple Cider Vinegar

Not quite an herb (but too effective to leave off this list), apple cider vinegar balances the pH level of your body and can prevent harmful pathogens like candida from growing out of control. A teaspoon to a tablespoon taken before each meal can aid digestion and prevent undigested food particles from feeding candida in the gut.

#7 Echinacea

Although echinacea is best known for stopping a cold in its tracks, this herb also provides anti-candida benefits. It supports your immune system in the fight against candida as well as other infections.

#8 Black Walnut

Black walnut is a natural herb which contains tannins that not only kill fungal overgrowth like candida, but also kill parasites. It may be especially useful for those who suffer from both candida overgrowth and a parasitical infection.

#9 Coconut Oil

Also not an herb, but coconut oil`s anti-candida properties are too powerful to ignore. The medium chain fatty acids that make coconut oil such a great energy source are also what fuel its ability to fight candida. Fatty acids like caprylic acid and lauric acid are potent antifungal agents. Work up to taking three tablespoons of coconut oil per day to harness its anti-candida power.

Note: Avoid jumping into any anti-candida regimen too quickly. Killing off candida too fast can produce a die-off reaction that includes symptoms like foggy thinking, headaches and chills. For some this can be quite uncomfortable. If you notice these symptoms, cut back on your dose and start again more slowly when symptoms subside.

For more information:

http://www.sheilashea.com/candida.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/025452.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/025478_garlic_candida_supplement.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/025199.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/027567_candida_olive_leaf.html


Tuesday, August 30, 2011 by: Elizabeth Walling

About the author

Elizabeth Walling is a freelance writer specializing in health and family nutrition. She is a strong believer in natural living as a way to improve health and prevent modern disease. She enjoys thinking outside of the box and challenging common myths about health and wellness. You can visit her blog to learn more:
www.livingthenourishedlife.com/2009/10/welcome.html

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033459_candida_natural_remedies.html#ixzz23J3W657u

The Mutant Fungi Wreaking Havoc in Your Body

By Jonny Bowden

Right now, deep inside your digestive track, you have bugs crawling about…LOTS of bugs. In fact, each of us is lugging around about 70 trillion of these, weighing in at about 3-4 pounds.

Some of these are good bugs...some of these are NOT so good bugs.

The "bad bugs" I am talking about include all sorts of things from bacteria to yeast to parasites and other germs...sounds rather disgusting, but most of us walk around without knowing they are even there.

But, for the most part, your body's immune system is able to keep the bad bugs in check.

HOWEVER, under certain, and surprisingly common conditions, one of those bugs, a particular type of yeast called Candida albicans, can go through a dangerous mutation that makes it wildly aggressive, destructive and hell bent on wreaking havoc throughout your entire body.

This Fungus is Far More Common -
and Dangerous - Than You've Been
Led to Believe...

Sound like a freakish incident that only happens in rare medical circumstances?

Well, think again as nearly 3 in 4 women suffer (and many men) from some type of yeast overgrowth in one way or another.

Some suffer with minor symptoms such as:

• rashes
• increased PMS symptoms
• bad breath

Some suffer with much more serious conditions such as:

• irritable bowel syndrome
• depression
• joint pain
• even chronic fatigue syndrome

In fact the calling card for a yeast overgrowth problem is a whole bucket full of seemingly unexplained chronic symptoms that just won't seem to go away no matter what you try.

The worst part is that most mainstream health practitioners haven't a clue how to treat this potentially serious problem...

And those who do treat it, use dangerous drugs that frequently make the situation even worse.

Those naughty little yeast critters are a crafty bunch:

• Part animal / part plant / part bacteria
• Able to reproduce sexually (with a mate) or asexually (by itself)
• Can shift its shape and take 7 different forms
• While rearranging it's chromosomes as an adaptive strategy to insure survival.

Wow - that's an amazing set of attributes...no wonder it's so hard to get rid of a yeast infection!

How this Little Devil Does it's
Handy-Work...

Candida, found in its normal, simple and relatively harmless yeast-form looks like a small white egg, with a relatively consistent, smooth shape, living happily in your gut, essentially keeping to itself, feeding off of the food you eat.

However, under the proper conditions, this innocent yeast can mutate and transform into a monstrous super-fungus that rapidly multiplies in its unrelenting quest to colonize as many parts of your body as possible. In fact, in certain areas of your body, if it finds a good food source - it absolutely LOVES sugar - it can double the size of its colony in less than an hour.

This mutated fungus-form of Candida (technically called the mycelial-form) grows elongated, finger-like tentacle structures called rhizoids that then tunnel, burrow and bore their way through the walls of your gut, enters your blood stream, and blooms into a systemic infection that can appear in virtually every part of your body including your heart, eyes, kidneys, liver, lungs and even your brain.

So next time you hear that you someone you know has a yeast infection, I hope you understand that this is really just a canary in the coal mine and that something much more dangerous and insidious is going on deep inside their tissues.

A Broken Sidewalk in Your Belly?

Have you ever seen a tree that's growing in or around the sidewalk where the roots of the tree have grown so thick, deep and wide that they have cracked the sidewalk, exposing everything underneath?

Well, that's exactly what Candida does once it mutates into its more dangerous super-fungus form.

Not only does it slip into your blood stream through these cracks in your gut, but the holes it opens up also allows all sorts of other things into your blood stream that are supposed to be restricted to your gut...things like undigested food, bacteria and other toxins...this is why a Candida overgrowth can make you feel so incredibly lousy and sick.

It Can Literally Make You Drunk from the Inside Out...

One of the most dangerous aspects of Candida is the by products it releases as part of its own life cycle.

In fact, Candida has been found to produce 79 distinct toxins.

When the yeast dies in its natural cycle, it releases the toxin acetaldehyde, which is converted into ethanol by the liver.

This is the same chemical that leads to hangovers after drinking alcohol!

As the Candida infestation continues to grow and more acetaldehyde is produced, your blood alcohol level actually rises, just as if you were drinking alcohol, resulting in symptoms like:

• brain fog
• impaired thinking
• lack of concentration
• irritability
• depression
• slowed reflexes
• fatigue
• and more

Additionally, red blood cells find it difficult to flow into small capillaries, which can result in fatigue, migraines and muscle aches.

In turn, white blood cells have difficulty in fighting infection, which can result in allergies, rashes, acne and slowing of the healing process.

Moreover, just as bread rises from yeast due to carbon dioxide production from fermentation of carbohydrates, Candida also produces carbon dioxide in the intestine. The result is persistent gas and bloating.

Mainstream Medicine Has it All Wrong...

Unfortunately, the treatments that mainstream conventional medicine offer do absolutely nothing to get rid of this insidious yeast overgrowth and in fact can make things work.

Topical treatments, creams, oils, lotions and rinses are only marginally effective wherever they are used and don't come close to addressing the systemic, body-wide nature of the infestation.

Likewise, the "nuke it" approach of using powerful antifungals, while addressing the system-wide nature of the infestation, again only works temporarily as the remarkably flexible and intelligent yeast eventually develops a resistance to whatever anti-fungal treatment is used.

How to Get At the Root Cause...

But all is not lost as there is a proven, effective way of getting rid of out-of-control yeast overgrowth problems...one that that fixes the problem for good, once and for all.

The REASON the yeast infection develops in the first place is because your body is out of balance in some way, shape or form. Somehow your immune system has been compromised allowing the yeast to flourish unchecked.

Well, if that's the reason that the Candida overgrowth developed in the first place, then common sense says that the only way to rid yourself of those nasty little burrowing toxic critters is to re-balance whatever is out of balance and to restore your body's innate immune capacity.
If you are plagued by...

• brain fog
• bad breath
• rashes, fatigue
• trouble concentrating
• weird allergies
• strange aches and pains
• or anything else you can't explain...

it's a strong sign that something with your body's terrain has made it far too hospitable for Candida to flourish.

To permanently cure yourself of a system-wide or even localized yeast infection, you must create an environment that's both hostile to the yeast and nourishing to your body's own natural healing powers.

A Tried-and-True, Tested and
Effective Program...

Frustrated and at wits end, suffering from constant fatigue, heartburn, stomach cramps and brain fog, a certified nutrition specialist embarked on a 12 year mission to find way to beat Candida for good.

After 35,000 hours of research, testing and trying, experimenting to find what works and discarding what didn't, this remarkable woman finally stumbled upon a holistic, multi-dimensional, all-natural approach that ended her yeast overgrowth in less than 2 months.

She's decided to share her Candida killing blueprint with others and has compiled an A-to-Z blueprint for exactly what to do and when without resorting to drugs, without creams or lotions and regardless of the severity of the infection.

You can read much more about her remarkable solution here as well as her 5 key facts about Candida/yeast infections that EVERYONE must know about before it's too late!

I hope you enjoy - remember, do your own homework, use common sense and decide on what's best for you.

Warmly,

Dr. Jonny Bowden

P.S. Since 2004, over 138,000 people have successfully gone through this program with many of the remarkable and inspiring case studies available for you to read here. Many of these women (and some men), experienced the following benefits:

• Their external yeast infections were gone within days and often within hours...
• They became completely free from vaginal, male or oral yeast infections...
• Thrush, athlete's foot, and other types of skin yeast infections had vanished...
• Food allergies and digestive disorders like bloating, acid reflux, IBS and LGS had disappeared...
• They had no more joint pain, muscle aches, migraines, brain fog or blurred vision...
• They felt lighter, healthier and energetic...
• Their general health and quality of life had improved...

Read much more about these remarkable results here »