Nutrition and Wellness Information, Resources and Education

Archive for the ‘disease prevention’ Category

Here is another addition to the topic of breastfeeding vs. formula for feeding your baby. This is from an email newsletter I subscribe to “News You Can Use” and recommend all my readers subscribe to it. Though I provide a link to it and subscription on the right column of this page, here it is again.  Subscribe to “News You Can Use” here’s a link to this article , which is one of several for this particular issue. http://www.wellnessforum.com/NewsStand/ March 29, 2010, Volume 8 Issue 13.

Dear Dr. Pam: If a woman just can’t or won’t breast feed, is soy or dairy formula better?

For the record, breastfeeding is so far superior to formula feeding of any type that other options should be considered only in rare circumstances, such as when a child is adopted or when the mother cannot produce enough milk. In fact, Dr. John McDougall has said that he thinks breastfeeding is so important that if he were appointed Surgeon General, he would allow baby formula to be available only by prescription.

I have serious concerns about cow’s milk formulas for many reasons. The nutritional makeup of cow’s milk is different than mothers’ milk. For example, the protein content of cow’s milk formula is higher, close to 17%, while mothers’ milk is approximately 6%. The risk of a child fed cow’s milk developing type 1 diabetes is higher than the risk of a smoker developing lung cancer. It is common for babies fed cow’s milk to develop chronic ear infections, gas and intestinal discomfort, vomiting, colic, diarrhea or constipation, and skin conditions like eczema.

Both cow’s milk and soy formulas contain added sugars, and many pediatricians are legitimately concerned that these added sugars set the stage for craving sweet foods, which can lead to overeating and obesity in children. Another issue for formula-fed babies, regardless of the type of formula used, is overeating. Breastfed babies nurse until they are full; the milk is not measured, but portion control is not an issue. Bottle-fed babies are encouraged to drink milk until the bottle is emptied and in many cases this is the beginning of learning how to overeat.

Keep in mind that there are no good options if an infant cannot be breastfed; parents must pick from less than optimal ones. All things considered, I am more comfortable with organic soy formulas than cow’s milk formulas, since my research has shown the risks associated with soy to be considerably less than the risks associated with cow’s milk.

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I fortunately learned of the hazards of formula for babies vs. breastfeeding before either of my children was born. However once my first, my son was born and his mom, upon returning to work after maternity leavenoticed the stress of work was causing her breast milk supply to reduce and let me know to find a good formula to start using. Well in doing so, I of course checked out all the formula in the grocery store and was appalled at the ingredients. So I checked at the health food store and although the ingredients were far better the price was very prohibitive. So after talking with others and doing a bit of research I found a book that had a recipe for a “porage” that had been used for feeding infants when there were breastfeeding issues. It was from a book on Macrobiotics which was made mostly from grains. This provided a good carbohydrate and protein blend and at the time also provided a multivitamin which at the time I believed in them not yet being aware of the “whole food” concept I know of now. At the time in fact Juice Plus+ did not yet exist which would havebeen great to use. Although both my kids did quite well with what I gave them. If you would like more information about this recipie let me know. I’ve contemplated making it available to others. The biggest drawback is the time it takes to prepare as at the time, I was a stay at home dad. I think it was worth it though:) As I said in a previous post “Breastfeeding your baby is a total no-brainer” and as Dr. Pam Popper points out here, there are rare circumstances that your baby should not or can not be breastfed.

In maintaining a healthy diet for the best health requiring less need for doctor visits, getting nutrition from lots of raw fruits and vegetables on a daily basis that MOST people do not get, Juice Plus+ is an easy and affordable solution. To help your children aged 5-16, we have a program where school aged children and teens can receive Juice Plus for free. Please contact me for more information on this. Contact me rick@rickfigley.com or 954-649-5896 to learn more or visit my Juice Plus+ website www.rickshowsjuiceplus.com

Milk is promoted as being an important food for daily consumption, for getting vitamin D, Calcium, and protein. Many American children consume it as it is promoted as being good for growing bones and teeth.

 In reality however, none of this is really true. Does it have calcium? Yes, but can we absorb it and if we do, why is it a problem? Does it have Vitamin D? Yes, because it is added, but what is the quality and usability of that vitamin D? Does it have protein? Yes, in abundance but does the human body require that much, and what is the problem with the excess?

I’ve added links to provide much more detail about what I’m saying here and the articles go much further into the additional problems with milk from the production to the processing once harvested from the cow. However in essence, here is the short answer to the questions posed above that contrasts the promotional hype. 

Milk does have calcium however it’s absorbabilityby the human body is minimal and the high level of protein in milk flushes out minerals including calcium from the body. The net result of getting calcium form milk therefore is in the negative value. 

As stated above milk certainly has protein, however there is a belief that our bodies need a lot of protein, when in fact we only need a little protein. At least for most people, as there are exceptions. However also as stated above, excessive protein, particularly in high concentration as in milk can cause problems flushing out other minerals and necessary nutrients. 

Vitamin D is another concern and has been added to milk. Vitamin D is actually produced by the body when exposed to sunlight. In northern areas where exposure to sunlight is reduced Vitamin D supplementation is suggested by some. 

That is some of the nutritional (or lack there of) information with regard to milk. The links below provide more details on some of these in addition to, as I said, more info the the problems with production and processing posed to our health that is in milk.

Mystery In Your Milk – genetically engineered hormones in the milk.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/05/26/mystery-milk.aspx

Does Milk Really Look Good On You? Don’t Drink It! – Affects of Cow’s milk in humans.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2000/02/27/no-milk.aspx

Why You Don’t Want to Drink Pasteurized Milk
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/03/26/pasteurized-milk-part-one.aspx

Problems with Yogurt and Dairy in general.
http://www.wellnessforum.com/NewsStand/  
Vol. 8 Issue 12 March 22, 2010

The aspects of nutrition relating to getting calcium and other minerals needed for calcium to do it’s job are not found in milk, but in fresh produce, especially broccoli and green leafy vegetables on a regular basis. With milk often being used to give children proper nutrition daily, but in fact it does not really provide that, Juice Plus+ is an easy and affordable solution. We have a program where school aged children and teens can receive  Juice Plus for free. Please contact me for more information on this. Contact me rick@rickfigley.com or 954-649-5896 to learn more or visit my Juice Plus+ website www.rickshowsjuiceplus.com

This posting is mostly content from an Interview by Joseph Cooper, host of the show, Tropical Currents on WLRN radio in Miami Florida. I recommend you listen to the interview yourself at http://204.13.1.19:81/and select the podcast from Monday, March 15th. In this partial transcript I add some of my own comments. Though mostly I agree with and applaud what Dr. Servan-Schriberis doing to promote prevention of cancer and disease in general with Oncologists, some of his statements are in contrast to what I’ve learned from other reputable sources of which I will do follow-ups once I inquire with those sources for their feedback. I comment accordingly to those statements in this posting. Dr. David Servan-Schreiber wrote the book Anti Cancer- A New Way of life. Go to the website http://anticancerbook.com to read more about him. He is a clinical professor of neuropsychiatryat University of Pittsburgh. At 31, while doing an experiment in brain scans and a test subject did not show, he did the test on himself, to discover he had a brain tumor. He went through the conventional treatment of surgery and chemo and went into remission. However a few years later, he got it again. After repeating the round of treatments, he asked his doctors if there was anything he could do to prevent it again. They said not really, just keep getting checked, if it happens again, we’ll get it sooner for better treatment results.  He was not satisfied with that answer so began doing his own research and learned what changes in his lifestyle; diet and exercise he could make to prevent a recurrence again. In his research he found the reality is you can help your body resist disease. What you eat can either slow down or prevent any disease, cancer or otherwise. In doing research, he learned that brain tumors are more common in young people. Part of the problem is that modern Oncologists do not see it as part of their job to see what patients can do to prevent of slow down recurrence. The reason we don?t all die of cancer is that although we all have cancer cells in the body, the immune system keeps it from being a problem. The point is to find the right diet that will strengthen your natural defenses.

The approach is to create a “Tumor Micro environment”  to make the biological environment unpleasant for the growth/development of those cells. He says with brain cancer, you can never cancer free. Just a matter of keeping under control. He pointed out that Cancer for almost all cases is not genetic. There have been Cases of foster children getting cancer as per their foster parents. Children have the risk of adoptive parents, showing it’s lifestyle, not genetics.

The question was posed, why the increase of cancer over the last 40 years. Part the population is older, since people are living longer. Also screening for more than had been in the past. But cancer has been growing 1.5% per year in children. Other cancers like prostate and others have been increasing as well. Lifestyle changes, diet- avoid the obvious bad choices. Foods that slow down cancer growth (some are listed below), more activity, move on bike or walk instead of using a car. Stress management, pursue work that is most satisfying, or has most meaning to you. It’s been learned that stress does not cause cancer, but can help cancer grow. If you need help with your needs, call on friends or family to help out. Staying isolated is problematic.

How does one avoid quacks? Dr. Servan-Schreiber is much in favor of helping body as much as possible, however his opinion is that conventional treatment is the only proven treatment. He feels other treatments have not been proven. I will do a follow-up on this in a later blog posting but I’ve learned otherwise. He warns against anyone that tells you that conventional treatment is not proven. If they say that, beware. Those who say that if you don’t get better from their non-conventional treatment, you did not want it enough.

Make sure your diet moves away from refined sugar. Most problem sugar is from sodas, the corn syrup.

Cell phones can also be a problem. This cell phone comment relates to my previous post, we should all be conscious of this. Dr. Servan-Schreiber points out that the current research literature says there is no relationship between cell phone use and brain tumor. The problem here is the results of any studies had not taken place over a long enough period of time. Studies must be over 10 years or more. He points out that withcigarette smoking, it takes 10-20 years for any evidence of cancer to show up. He proposes the same is probably true with cell phones and that they are the “Cigarette” of the 21st century. He also proproses that 1 hour or more per day of cell phone use is considered a problem.

Here is some of his suggestions for disease prevention:

Drinking 3 cups or more a day of Green Tea for 50% reduction. Their Polyphenols kills cancer cells and prevents blood vessel growth, preventing tumor growth. Will lower blood pressure. Best to drink it outside of meals for better absorption.
Consuming Stone fruits daily.
Mind body links- don’t live long in helplessness. Use breathing techniques to reduce stress. Any Yoga breathing technique will do. Make sure to reach out to friends, do things with people you like, it’s better for your health than television.
Less cancer in Eastern than Western diet. Mushrooms are great for immune systems, especially Japanese mushrooms, consuming 2-3 times a week.

So the some of the diet biggies, Stone fruit, mushrooms and green tea.

With relation to Organic, vs. Non-organic? Recommendations are for more fruits and vegetables. No distinction of such is made. It’s less of a problem to get a little pesticides in your daily fruit and vegetable consumption than no fruits and vegetables at all. 80% vegetable is best diet. Cooking vs raw. Cooking won’t destroy most cancer fighting chemicals. Hope you find this useful.

Would love to get your comments.

A key part of leading a healthy lifestyle is to get lots of fresh raw fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. The problem is, most people do not and with children it’s worse. Cell phones and their wireless accessories expose us daily to more radiation than ever before. One way to protect is by using a wired earpiece. The best way to protect from the damage done is with fruits and vegetables. For an easy way to accomplish that go here: Contact me rick@rickfigley.com or 954-649-5896 to learn more or visit my Juice Plus+ website www.rickshowsjuiceplus.com

I really hate posting this because our daily lives have become very attached to our cell phones. They provide on the go communications better than ever in history. However this could also be an argument for my friends out there who absolutely refuse to use text messaging. I am attached (dare I say hooked….na) to my cell phone as I treat it like an American Express card; I don’t leave home without it. One thing that I use my phone for which has prevented me many times form leaving it behind is texting my current location and mileage to my email. It’s a habit for me to do so as I’m leaving where I’m at. This habit is also good for having recorded when you left somewhere. I do the same when I stop for gas, creating a sort of auto-log for gas and mileage. Buy I digress from the real topic here.

Here is an article outlining the health problems that have already been reported, and I’m sure more will come along about the dangers of the radiation emitted from cell phones. http://superconducstors.blogspot.com/2009/12/cell-phone-hazards-evidence-is-in.html

And this one that focuses more on use by children. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-345465/Parents-ignoring-mobile-phone-risks.html

As many surmised long before the dangers of smoking were officially announced in the early 60’s, that smoking was not a healthy thing to be doing. That in mind, I am sure others have considered the likely health hazards related to cell phone use radiation. It mostly came to me in seeing teens outside, especailly at night, using their cell phones. It brought back memories of decades ago seeing the glow of teens cigarettes. Initially my thought was better the phones, than cigarettes. But then the thought that is was really a matter of one bad habit being replaced with a higher tech, possibly even more dangerous habit? As mentioned earlier, the habit of texting, versus talking on the phone is probably a much safer use of it? Have not seen any indications of dangers from texting, it in fact is suggested as a means to keep it from the ear, which is considered the stronger exposure to the radiation.

Here is a link to  avoiding exposure.
http://www.cellphones.ca/news/post003607/
Note however I do not agree with using a bluetooth device being an effective means of limiting radiation. As this article also states. http://www.emfblues.com/Bluetooth-EMF-Safety-Health-Effects-Dangers-Bluetooth-Headsets-Dangerous-Radiation.html
Having studied electronics technology and the fact that the effects of radiation are cummlative, as the previous article states; no, or insufficient research has been conducted on it’s safety. Given that many keep the bluetooth device in their ear all or most of the day, my guess would be that it’s actaully worse since the signal is being transmitted as long as the bluetooth device is turned on and worn, not just when talking on the phone.

Here are a couple more reference links.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Are-Cell-Phones-and-Bluetooth-Headsets-Safe?&id=2237979
http://clarkhoward.com/liveweb/shownotes/2009/09/11/16632/

A key part of leading a healthy lifestyle is to get lots of fresh raw fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. The problem is, most people do not and wiht children it’s worse. Cell phones and their wireless accessories expose us daily to more radiation than ever before. The best way to protect from the damage done is with fruits and vegetables. For an easy way to accomplish that go here: Contact me rick@rickfigley.com or 954-649-5896 to learn more or visit my Juice Plus+ website www.rickshowsjuiceplus.com

This article explans how Thermography is the best approach to preventing Breast Cancer, versus the Mammography approach of diagnostics of a malignancy.

This article really covers all cancers in general. But focuses on one woman’s experience with repeated unnecessary Mammograms. ”If I had known then what I know now, I would have asked her why doctors place so little effort or educational emphasis on real food and healthy diets, and about Thermography. By the year 2007, I was learning even more about diet and lifestyle as it related to cancer and health. I also learned about an exciting procedure -FDA approved and has been used in Europe for decades – thermography. It is less expensive than mammograms, and can detect cancer up to 10 years before a mammogram.”

This artice explains the advantages of a Thermography rather than a Mammogram for “Preventing” breast cancer.

Skip Your Next Mammogram?