Reading Room

Putting on the Irish

by Tammera J. Karr, PhD, BCIH, BCHN

Family traditions are strange and sometimes wonderful things. As a kid the night of St. Patrick ’s Day meant putting out a saucer of milk for the little people, so we would have good luck and no mischief through the spring and summer months. Now this was not a tradition outside of our household, my grandparents would have been appalled being of a different denomination than us. This tradition which I have carried on in our family was something my mother learned from the Irish sheep herders’ fresh over from the old country. It is hard to say if she was gullible and easily swallowed blarney from real Irish mischief makers or if it was a true tradition in some counties in Ireland. Any way you look at it a cat is smiling on the porch.

This year as we planned out our traditional St. Patrick’s day feed –my husband and I decided to do real Irish foods instead of the standard corn beef and cabbage, which is an American invention. Many have the misconception that food in Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland is bland, tasteless and boring; all fish and chips, potatoes, cabbage and grease mutton. There is a certain amount of truth to this, but all of these countries also have a rich culinary history loaded with flavor and tradition.

The humble blackberry is found in early archeological evidence dating back to 150_BC.,  crabapples, Elderberries, Sloe (a tart fruit that resembles tiny plums) where the name for sloe gin comes from, rhubarb, gooseberry, blackcurrant, strawberry’s, damson plums are all native foods found in Ireland. Cabbage and many forms of the braccus family grow wild as does asparagus and watercress legend says, is why St. Brendan the Mariner lived to be 180.

The potato is a new comer to Ireland, after Sir Walter Raleigh almost poisoned Queen Elizabeth and her court with potato tops; potatoes were fed to livestock or forgotten until the 1800’s. Before and during this time the turnip and carrot root crops made up the staple of Ireland and most of northern Europe’s root cellers.

Other traditional foods include eggs, pheasant introduced in Elizabethan times, venison, boar or pork, lamb, beef, sheep and goat dairy and later cow dairy, salmon, trout, shellfish, sea vegetables, wild mushrooms, herbs, buckwheat, millet, oat, and wheat, rye and barley after the Romans introduced them. Every manor house and cottage had an herb garden- herbs were the medicine cabinet, preservatives and used by the skilled to flavor foods.

The herb garden was home to shallots, leeks, rosemary, lavender, basil, parsley, fennel, caraway, thyme, edible flowers, chives, onions, and many more.

Most of these foods are loaded with anti-oxidants, vitamin C, essential fatty acids and minerals. The herbs also aid in digestion and helped the immune system. Cooking methods were simple; many dishes are prepared on the stove top, as cottages in antiquity did not have ovens. I have found simple well prepared foods are rich in flavor and nutrition. We will be in the kitchen for hours preparing these dishes for friends and family, not because they are hard, only new to us – reading directions required on first tries.

So what does a traditional Irish menu look like? Here is what we came up with after looking through old and new cookbooks: Irish Old Fashion Salad with Shannagary Cream Dressing, Creamy Watercress Soup, Poached Salmon with Irish Butter Sauce, Roasted Pheasant with chips, Butter Cabbage, Asparagus, Scones with Honey Butter, Baked Apples with Cream and it wouldn’t be St Patties Day without Irish Coffee made with Jameson’s Irish Whiskey.  Hardly bland and boring is it.  Oh and a saucer of cream, just in case.

For more traditional Irish foods check out “Irish Traditional Cooking”  by Darina Allen

May you be poor in misfortune, Rich in blessings, Slow to make enemies and Quick to make friends.  And may you know nothing but happiness from this day forward. Irish Blessing

Bacon Not What It Used To Be

By Tammera J. Karr, PhD, BCHN, BCIH ©2012

The pig dates back 40 million years to fossils which indicate wild pig-like animals roamed forests and swamps in Europe and Asia. By 4900 B.C. pigs were domesticated in China, and were being raised in Europe by 1500 B.C. On the insistence of Queen Isabella, Christopher Columbus took eight pigs on his voyage to Cuba in 1493.

It is suggested that as man traveled he domesticated wild boar as he found them, rather than bringing pigs along for the journey. Food historians believe human consumption of pork is ancient. So is cured (smoked, salted, dried) pork, aka ham. Pigs were first commercially slaughtered in Cincinnati, Ohio, which became known as Porkopolis. More pork was packed there than any other place in the mid-west.  Now I admit it, I love smoked ham and lean bacon, especially like what I grew up with, made from apple wood smoke in an old smokehouse – there wasn’t a high Tec robotized system injecting gallons of smoke concentrate, salts, sugars and preservatives into the fat and flesh like today.

My dad would carve off slices of jowl or cheek bacon to fry up on Saturday, he also sliced the rind to make cracklings, and I especially liked the hard chewy smoky goodness. Ok I just described one of Sadie’s rawhide chew bones… hum I wonder, was I a taste tester for pup treats?

Back to Bacon… The side of a pig cured with salt in a single piece. The word originally meant pork of any type, fresh or cured, but this older usage had died out by the 17th century. Bacon, in the modern sense, is a product from the British Isles, or is produced abroad to British methods. Preserved pork, including sides salted to make bacon, held a place of primary importance in the British diet in past centuries. The first large-scale bacon curing business was set up in the 1770s by John Harris in Wiltshire, England.  Wiltshire remains the main bacon-producing area of Britain.

For years Bacon, pork and sometimes any meat that isn’t turkey or chicken has been deemed bad for your health. Many will argue it isn’t the meat that is bad it is the processing, and commercial feed lots that are the problem. Interestingly Bacon is considered the food tipping point for vegetarians.  It seems that bacon has a way of awakening carnivorous desires within even some of the preachiest of vegetarians.  Because bacon is one- to two-thirds fat and also has lots of protein, it speaks to our evolutionary quest for calories.  And since 90 percent of what we taste is really odor, bacon’s aggressive smell delivers a powerful hit to our sense of how good it will taste.

A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine finds daily consumption of red meat — particularly processed meat — may be riskier than carnivores realize.

“The statistics are staggering,” study author Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public health said. “The increased risk is really substantial.”

He found people who consumed about one serving of red meat (beef, pork or lamb) per day had a 13 percent increased risk of mortality, compared with those who were eating very little meat. And processed meats raised the risk higher, to about a 20 percent increased risk of death from diseases including cancer and heart disease.

Once again I think back to family members who ate piles of bacon, sausages, and chops for breakfast before heading out for a day of building fence, moving cows, falling timber or working in the fields. Many of these individuals worked up till their 70’s and 80’s, doing what they loved. But the pork foods they enjoyed had never seen a stock yard, GMO corn, wheat and antibiotic baths.

The FDA has stated that salt is not a food preservative – they do however recognize sodium nitrates and nitrites as acceptable meat preservers. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t salt curing one of the oldest forms of preserving meat? Today our food contains so many chemicals it is almost imposable to read the label on a food so simple as bacon.

So where does that leave meat lovers like me, the key to all things is moderation. I may not eat as many vegetables as I should or could, but I can be discerning about my meat, no longer do I even consider purchasing commercial meats or preserved meat products like lunch meats.  For me I am fortunate to have family still ranching in eastern Oregon, a husband and son who hunt and fish and for those times the freezer is running low; locally owned meat markets like Nicabobs who only carry antibiotic, hormone free meats.

You see I think it is the chemicals and government regulations that lead to many of our health problems – not the meat we consume.  If we return to natural foods both plant and flesh, get off the couch and push away from the computers, we will lower our stress levels, and that has been proven to be more indicative of good health than living off bean curd.

There is more to good health than the Status Quo.

Absurdity in the News

by Tammera J. Karr, PhD, BCHN, BCIH

Even though I have been enjoying the freedom of a dog’s life of late, I am still stunned by the absurdity of what is going on with government over-stepping, ineptness and corruption.

The recent story of a preschoolers lunch being confiscated by a state agent who was inspecting lunch boxes— which consisted of a turkey and cheese sandwich, a banana, apple juice and potato chips — “the agent stated it did not meet U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines.” The preferred food choice placed in front of the child by the state agent was chicken nuggets. So in the state workers mind, highly processes GMO wheat flour, antibiotic laden ground chicken parts, injected with chemical flavorings and sodium, GMO trans fats and sugar – is a healthier food choice over real food? I’d love to see a lab report on this person, I’m sure it would reflect the benefits of such impressive USDA food guidelines… (and yes I’m being sarcastic.)

Have the Pediatricians Lost Their Minds?

HPV  vaccinations for boys – The American Academy of Pediatrics, now says all boys between the ages of 11 and 12 should receive the HPV vaccine—the same one that has harmed so many girls.  No other vaccine lists and acknowledges the serious side effects that the HPV vaccine does. One particularly alarming side effect, listed by the manufacturer Merck even in advertisements, is seizure. Of the twelve other vaccines recommended by the CDC for children, only two—the controversial MMR combination vaccine and the HiB vaccine—list “seizure” as a safety concern.

There are 71 deaths reported through September 15 of 2011, associated to the HPV vaccine. The official party line is the adverse events are not peer-reviewed research and therefore may be ignored.

Prevention is so much better

The standard for cervical cancer screening, regular Pap smears, carries no side effects and when performed regularly can easily catch cervical cancer in time without complication. Women who have been vaccinated against HPV must still have regular Pap smears since the vaccine does not protect against all causes of cervical cancer.

Another powerful prevention strategy is to eat cruciferous vegetables or take the supplement DIM (diindolylmethane, a plant compound found in cruciferous vegetables), DIM may also be used therapeutically for those with cervical, breast and prostate cancer or pre-cancer.

The most effective combination prevention strategy both for viruses and for cancer (and certainly for cancer-linked viruses) is to maintain optimal levels of vitamin D. Most Americans are deficient in the vitamin. (Information – action alert from the www.anh-usa.org)

FDA thumbs nose at Senators

The FDA has flatly refused the Senate, rejecting the call of Sens. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) to withdraw its disastrous New Dietary Ingredient draft guidance and start over. Harkin and Hatch are the original drafters of DSHEA, the law that requires supplement manufacturers to submit notifications whenever an NDI is introduced into the marketplace. The FDA’s job was to articulate how those notifications are to be submitted, but they ignored the original intent of Congress and created a de facto approval system for any supplement or ingredient created or changed over the past eighteen years.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) in a letter to the FDA expressed regret over FDA’s dismissal of Senators Hatch and Harkin’s request and reiterating Congress did not intend to give the FDA pre-market review of new dietary ingredients, nor did it intend to permit the agency to treat dietary ingredients in the same manner as food additives.

The letter goes on to articulate the legal problems with FDA’s proposal, and strongly urges FDA to withdraw its guidance and instead design a fair and workable NDI notification system. It also requests that FDA refrain from taking any enforcement action that is based solely on positions articulated in the draft guidance that are not unequivocally grounded in the law.

Fox in Charge of hen house

In 2009, President Obama appointed Michael Taylor as a senior adviser for the FDA. Consumer groups protested the appointment because Taylor had formerly served as a vice president for Monsanto, the controversial agricultural multinational at the forefront of genetically modified food.

Taylor is the same person who was Food Safety Czar at the FDA when genetically modified organisms were allowed into the U.S. food supply without undergoing a single test to determine their safety or risks.

Taylor’s position, which is currently deputy commissioner for foods at the FDA, includes ensuring that food labels contain clear and accurate information, overseeing strategy for food safety and planning new food safety legislation. He is the first individual to hold the position.

Take Note: In January, Monsanto announced it was giving up plans to sell its insect-resistant maize in France. The move was seen as another major blow for genetically modified food in Europe, where resistance has been fierce, with six EU countries banning the cultivation of genetically modified maize.

There is more to good health than the Status Quo.

Here Piggy Piggy

by Tammera J. Karr, PhD, BCHN, BCIH

As I have scanned through the health headlines, once again the fears of bird flu and the role of antibiotic resistant super bugs resulting from over-use of antibiotics in swine top the list.

For openers let me say up front – yes I had vaccines growing up, so did my son – and we also had mumps and chicken pox, colds, sore throats and I can count on one hand how many times we have been on antibiotics during our lives. Today we opt-out of all the flue, pneumonia, shingles and HPV vaccines, but find it a good idea to have a tetanus shot. Everything does not have to be an “all or nothing” process. I am far more likely to get tetanus with my activities than I am HPV – I weigh the odds, as each of us should do.

A study conducted in Canada showed a marked increase in hospitalizations for pneumonia and flu following vaccination – the results were the same across the county and Health Canada stopped the administering of flu shots. Bottom line they saved money by not giving the shots and in hospital bills.  There are as many of us who object to vaccines as those who insist they are a necessary to overall health.

So what is in these vaccines? A lot of stuff from heavy metals to placental tissue – if you have a problem with abortion take a look at what is in your syringe.

Now back to the piggys:

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is a particularly vicious staph infection that plagues hospitals, it may have gotten its obstinate resistance to antibiotics from the routine of giving of antibiotics to farm animals, according to a new study by researchers at Northern Arizona University. MRSA has become a major epidemic and more drug-resistant as it has spread. While most people normally have a bit of Staphylococcus bacteria on their skin, certain MRSA strains are lethal and difficult to treat when they get into the bloodstream.

According to the study, published by the American Society for Microbiology, the vicious new strains of MRSA did not develop in hospitals as previously thought; it appears the superbug started as a somewhat mild-mannered staph bacterium that jumped into the pig population. Later, when it eventually passed back to humans, it returned with a bad attitude and resistance to the major antibiotics generally used to treat staph infections. Researchers compared the genomes of humans, barnyard fowl and pigs from 19 countries to trace MRSA’s emergence, and the habit of giving livestock antibiotics as a matter of course has been credited with the development of this tenacious killer.

The big issue is that the common use of antibiotics in meat animals has killed off weaker versions of bacteria, while allowing stronger, antibiotic resistant strains to survive and reproduce additional difficult-to-kill offspring.

The CC398 strain of MRSA is in almost half of all the US food supply meat, according to the American Society for Microbiology. Most of the time the staph bacteria are killed when people cook their food well, but thoroughly washing counters and cutting boards after meat has touched them is a priority. According to the CDC, about 19,000 people died of MRSA infections in 2005. And 94,000 persons contracted their first serious MRSA infection that same year, 86 percent of which in healthcare facilities.

A 2010 CDC study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed health care facilities have been more successful in fighting MRSA since 2005. The number of invasive (life-threatening) MRSA infections declined 28 percent between 2005 and 2008, and rates of MRSA bloodstream infections fell almost 50 percent during the 10 years from 1997 to 2007.

At the same time, MRSA continues to be spread outside of health care facilities. Childcare workers and students who participate in wrestling are susceptible; locker rooms, shared yoga or workout mats have been tagged as spreading grounds for bacteria.

Re-enter Silver Nitrate (ionic silver protein)

I had the great opportunity to work with Larry Bogart, MD, several years ago; one of Dr. Bogart’s many life experiences was working in missionary hospitals in Africa. One day Dr. Bogart grumped in his quiet way about perpetual sinus issues – I suggested he use liquid silver, at first he resisted, then the light went on and he recounted how they used silver nitrate all the time in Africa for infections. It was effective, safe and affordable. Dr. Bogart left us in 2011 after beating all the odds with an incurable lung disease; he continued to use silver and Chinese herbs till almost the end.

By 1939, as penicillin and other antibiotic drugs began to replace silver colloids, the American Medical Association recognized at least 96 different proprietary silver-based products in clinical use at the time. Even today, silver sulfadiazine is considered by most medical experts to be the topical antiseptic of choice in patients undergoing radiation therapy or with extensive burns. Silver is known to inhibit the growth of nearly all pathogenic bacteria, fungi and viruses including those resistant to antibiotics.

The best source of liquid silver is NOT what you brew up in your kitchen with electrodes you buy from mail order or the internet. There are countless impurities in the rods and in your local water supply. If you are fighting MRSA, chronic sinus and lung infections, or countless other things please use products like VRP Silver Protein (vrp.com) or a compounding pharmacist as directed. Use antibiotics when necessary, wash your hands and by all means stay away from the pig pens.

There is more to good health than the Status Quo.

Salt Vindicated-a personal case study

by Tammera J. Karr, PhD, BCHN, BCIH

In 2005, I thought I was developing hypothyroidism; I was tired, overweight, with high triglycerides, and muscle pain, all symptoms. I was eating real food, but I was under a lot of stress. Remember I have said several times over the last three years that stress is the number one cause of illnesses, and can kill you.

I saw a doctor I had confidence in, had her run a battery of tests and found out – nothing. So I cut back on salt, red meat, grains, and cut all sugar out of my diet. By 2006, I was running very high heart rates, triglycerides as well as my LDL’s were still elevated, I felt like crap, and my stress had doubled. Now my thyroid test began showing elevations in my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), my free T4 and free T3 numbers changed also.

This scenario would have continued to escalate and in fact did – my TSH levels reached 8, my doctor told me I was too difficult of a patient and I needed a specialist, I couldn’t tolerate thyroid medication due to my elevated heart rate, and refused to take medications to slow my heart rate for the rest of my life.

I kept looking till I found the answers that made sense to me, and am very pleased to say today my thyroid numbers are all perfect without medication. My current nurse practitioner, when reviewing my labs from the last 7 years, admitted she had never seen anyone turn their thyroid around. Oh and my heart rate is normal again!

Dr. James Wilson told me in 2006, “If you don’t treat the Adrenal Glands before the thyroid, the client will never get better.” I went back to eating Celtic sea salt, lean red meat, and took supplements for thyroid support and stress. The hardest part was acknowledging what the major stress triggers were, and over time cleaning house so to speak.

Salt

In 2011, the medical communities called on food manufactures to cut sodium in commercial foods. GOOD, why, because the forms of salt used in commercial foods are nitrates and nitrites, not natural salt with all the trace minerals for health.

A study released October 2011, in the American Journal of Hypertension, brought into question the time honored belief salt is bad for you. When I first viewed this article on Medscape the opening sentence was, “critics don’t believe study findings”, and of course after reading the conclusion of the study I can see why – it is throwing salt in their eyes. The study titled – Effects of Low-Sodium Diet vs. High-Sodium Diet on Blood Pressure, Renin, Aldosterone, Catecholamines, Cholesterol, and Triglycerides.

At this point I need to tell you several of the aforementioned named in the study title are either manufactured in the adrenal glands or in the liver –salt, is a detoxification agent for several glands and organs. Cholesterol and triglycerides are also elevated by poor thyroid function. Beginning to see the connection here? This is what the study found to my hearts delight.

“sodium reduction resulted in a significant increase in plasma cholesterol (2.5%) and plasma triglyceride (7%), which expressed in percentage, was numerically larger than the decrease in blood pressure of 1%. These results do not support that sodium reduction may have net beneficial effects in a population of Caucasians.”

Aldosterone is a steroid hormone produced by the outer-section of the adrenal gland, and acts on the functioning unit of the kidney, to cause the conservation of sodium, secretion of potassium, increased water retention, and increased blood pressure. The overall effect of aldosterone is to increase reabsorption of ions and water in the kidney — increasing blood volume and, therefore, increasing blood pressure. So if this hormone goes up, so does your water retention and BP, salt prevents this from happening according to the study.

Renin is an enzyme released by the kidneys that breaks down proteins and helps regulate blood pressure. This enzyme is the key to activating a complex process in which it increases the secretion of aldosterone, and stimulates the hypothalamus to activate the thirst reflex, each leading to an increase in blood pressure.

Catecholamine is a compound that acts as a neurotransmitter or hormone; neurotransmitters are used in the brain. They include dopamine, as well as the “fight-or-flight” hormones adrenaline. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter lacking in Parkinson’s patients, and when under stress our fight or flight hormones increase. That’s why Dr. Wilson and Dr. Brownstein believe salt to be critical for adrenal health, when under constant stress the adrenal glands dump salt through the kidneys, creating an imbalance in electrolytes. When potassium levels elevate, tachycardia can result. (an excessively rapid heartbeat, typically regarded as a heart rate exceeding 100 beats per minute in a resting adult)

Cholesterol, is painted as the evil one, in fact it is far from it. Without cholesterol we would not be able to think or make hormones. All forms of cholesterol are important to the body as a constituent of cell membranes, and involved in the formation of bile acid.  Cholesterol is necessary for the synthesis of vitamin D and the steroid hormones, including the adrenal gland hormones cortisol and aldosterone.

Now this doesn’t mean you can eat all the salt you can stuff in, but the reasonable use of high quality salts from Selina Naturally and Redmond, are indeed a recommendation for everyone living with stress. It won’t fix all of your health challenges; you will have to take back control of your health just as I did with the right supplements and dietary changes.

There is more to good health than the Status Quo.

Brain Food!

by Tammera J. Karr, PhD, BCHN, BCIH

Brain food is a terrific example of what we can do every day and with every meal to change not only how smart we are but how likely we are to develop age related brain dysfunction. Cultures throughout the world incorporate food into their “health care plan”, since most of these countries have socialized medicine it is in the governments best interest to encourage “wellness care” verses “disease management”. After all it is the tax payer footing the bill, and these counties are bankrupt, so they require efficacy over subsidy.

We are currently programed to disregard the thousands of medicinals in our kitchens, gardens, rivers and woods. If it isn’t made by a drug company it has no efficacy, right?  Brain food is every ware, and it is available at affordable prices or free if you’re willing to work for it.

1.    Blueberries—Blueberries serve a wide range of functions for improving mental function. Research has found blueberries can reverse age related declines in motor function, balance, and coordination. What blueberries do is strengthen the brain by taking advantages of the brain’s tremendous redundancy, “old neurons are like old married couples — they don’t talk to one another very well anymore. Old neurons are like old married couples — they don’t talk to one another very well anymore.” Blueberries have compounds that boost neuron signals and help turn back on systems in the brain that can lead to using other proteins to help with memory or other cognitive skills. In contrast, people with Alzheimer’s disease have weaker neuron signals.

2.    Salmon— December 2011, researchers reported people who eat baked or broiled fish at least once a week may be protecting their brains from Alzheimer’s and other brain problems and were likely, a decade later, to have more gray matter in several key parts of the brain, including the hippocampus, the posterior cingulate and the orbital frontal cortex.

Gene Bowman of the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland and colleagues tested blood samples from 104 elderly volunteers for a variety of nutrients; they also gave them a battery of tests to measure their memory and thinking abilities. And 42 of the subjects underwent MRI scans to measure the overall size of their brains. Those who tested high in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D, which are commonly found in fish, and in vitamins C, E and B, which are often found in vegetables, were less likely to have their brains shrink, and were more likely to score higher on the memory and thinking tests (Dec. 28 issue of the Journal Neurology).

In contrast, those who ate a lot of food containing trans fats — found in margarine, packaged food, fast food and baked goods — tended to experience more brain shrinkage and score poorly on the thinking and memory tests.  (Now do you believe me when I talk about the dumbing down of America through Fast Food!)

An article published online on April 26, 2011 in the Journal Translational Psychiatry reports the discovery of the beneficial role for the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in mood, bipolar disease and alcohol abuse.

Associate professor of psychiatry Alexander B. Niculescu, MD, PhD and associates gave diets containing low or high amounts of DHA to a group of mice bred to develop bipolar disease symptoms; “The mice given DHA normalized their behavior, they are not depressed and when subjected to stress, they do not become manic.” “When we looked into their brains, using comprehensive gene expression studies, we were surprised to see genes that are known targets of psychiatric medications were modulated and normalized by DHA.” Dr. Niculescu reported.[1] (think of the money saved by eating fish and taking great fish oil for those with bipolar disease!)

3.    Coffee—Regular coffee drinking has been shown to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and other mental disorders.  In 2011, scientists concluded that coffee may be the best source of the caffeine shown to protect against cognitive decline. Another unknown component in coffee appears to synergize with the caffeine to increase blood levels of a factor associated with improved cognitive function in Alzheimer’s.

Caffeinated coffee has also been associated with protection against Parkinson’s disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s.  A study of 29,000 individuals found one to four cups daily decreased the risk of Parkinson’s by 47% and 5 or more cups decreased the risk by 60%.

4.    Nuts— walnuts, almonds, cashews and pecans, contain properties that help with everything from fighting insomnia to promoting mental clarity and strong memory. Walnuts are rich in fatty acids while almonds contain natural mood-enhancing neurotransmitters. But wait – the FDA has listed walnuts as an unregulated drug… What ever shall we do?

5.    Avocados—Don’t let the avocado’s fat content fool you. It’s a healthy fat that promotes blood flow, keeping your mind functioning at its peak. Avocados have been shown to reduce blood pressure as well.

6.    Eggs—Egg yolks are rich in choline, an essential nutrient to improving memory function. B vitamins are a must for brain health, if you can’t eat eggs or don’t have a good free range source for them, take a whole food B-complex.

7.    Chocolate—Dark chocolate is magnesium and antioxidant-rich, it also improves focus and concentration. Milk chocolate, on the other hand, improves memory and reaction time. (for you Marilyn, you can say ha to you know who now…)

8.    Broccoli—Broccoli has been shown to improve memory function as well as slow the aging process. Broccoli is one of the most protective foods known to researchers today, it has been shown to activate more cell receptor sites – protecting your health, than any other single food next to pomegranates, and turmeric.

“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people

under the pretense of taking care of them.” — Thomas Jefferson

To Your Good Health.

Adventures with Sadie

by Tammera J. Karr, PhD, BCHN, BCIH

Health is affected by many things – one of those is pets. Not everyone is well suited to having a pet; some may have severe allergies that prevent them from having the standard dog or cat. There is no denying the importance of pets for not only our physical health but also for our mental. This has especially been made apparent to me over the last few weeks with the addition of Sadie a red Tri-Color Australian Shepard to our family.

Our dogs like many of yours are part of the family; they hold war game events with the cats, fiercely protect our home, office and vehicles, supervise gardening and act as drill instructors to get us exercising. But I truly think the most important job they have is to make us laugh, smile and remember to enjoy the simple things.

When patients come to the office to see my colleague who is a pain specialist, it is easy to pick out those who have pets… Some of them bring their pets with them as they are designated therapy animals. More and more hospitals are allowing or encouraging therapy dog and even cat visitations to patients. I have seen Spaniel, Labs and Aussies with their little vests on at St. Charles Hospital in Bend, most everyone, especially the staff stop to say hi to these valuable medical assistants.

Professionally trained helper animals—such as guide dogs for the blind—offer obvious benefits to human folk. However, the average domestic pet, can also provide us with many therapeutic benefits. Pets can ease our loneliness, reduce our stress, promote social interaction, encourage exercise and playfulness, and provide us with unconditional love and affection.

While most pet owners are clear about the immediate joys that come with sharing their lives with companion animals, many remain unaware of the physical and mental health benefits that also accompany the pleasure of playing with or snuggling up to a furry friend. It’s only recently that studies have begun to scientifically explore the benefits of the human-animal bond. Studies have found that:

ü  Pet owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets.

ü  People with pets have lower blood pressure in stressful situations than those without pets.

ü  Playing with a pet can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax.

ü  Pet owners have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels (indicators of heart disease) than those without pets.

ü  Heart attack patients with pets survive longer than those without.

ü  Pet owners over age 65 make 30 percent fewer visits to their doctors than those without pets.

ü  A pet doesn’t have to be a dog or a cat. Even watching fish in an aquarium can help reduce muscle tension and pulse rate.

One of the reasons for these therapeutic effects is most pets fulfill the basic human need to touch. Even hardened criminals in prison have shown long-term changes in their behavior after interacting with pets, many of them experiencing mutual affection for the first time. Stroking, holding, cuddling, or otherwise touching a loving animal can rapidly calm and soothe us when we’re stressed. [1]

When Chad, a yellow Labrador retriever, moved in with Claire Vaccaro’s family in 2009, he already had an important role. As an autism service dog, he was joining the family to help protect Ms. Vaccaro’s 11-year-old son, Milo — especially in public, where he often had tantrums or tried to run away. Like many companion animals, Chad had an immediate effect.  Dr. Melissa A. Nishawala, clinical director of the autism-spectrum service at the Child Study Center at New York University, said she saw “a prominent and noticeable change” in Milo, even though the dog just sat quietly in the room. “He started to give me narratives in a way he never did,” adding that most of them were about the dog.[2]

The need to take care of your pet is motivation to get out of bed or move around, fixing your attention on something besides how bad you feel. This in turn releases endorphins, natural pain suppressors and increases serotonin and dopamine brain chemicals that make us feel good.

So as a proud parent let me share a little about our wild red head – in the weeks we have had Sadie, we are walking 2 to 3 miles daily, she has learned to use the pet door, been indoctrinated on electric fence safety, found she couldn’t dig quite all the way to China at the beach, turkeys are scary and ugly, cats are great fun to play war games with, everything is for chewing on, you can open a gate if you pretend your paws are hands and it’s important to be gentle with elderly family members and clients at the office. No wonder we are exhausted…. And one of her most impressive feet’s has been to steel the son’s cell phone out from under his nose, and run off to her bed with it to hide in wait – without him realizing it! Now that was funny…

So if you live someplace that doesn’t allow pets and you need one for your health, find out if your care provider will write you a statement of need for a therapy animal, dog, cat, fish, reptile or bird – they all provide individuals with connection to another living thing, purpose and motivation.

There is more to good health than the Status Quo.

Top 10 Immunity-Boosting Foods

by Erin McKinney, FNP

Guest Contributor

When it comes to fighting the common cold and flu with natural ingredients, there are a few vitamins and minerals that many doctors recommend including in your diet. Rather than taking lots of supplements each day, certain foods provide you with these immunity-boosting nutrients. If you want to avoid the cold and flu bugs this winter, perhaps you should think about adding these foods to your diet.

1. Citrus Fruits – Fruits such as oranges and tangerines contain lots of Vitamin C, which helps your body produce white blood cells and antibodies to fight cold and flu viruses. They also contain bioflavonoids, which keep your body from oxidizing the vitamin C and allowing you to gain more of its benefits. While orange juice can give you some of the same benefits, it contains more sugar.

2. Whole Grains - Grains such as oats, barley, whole wheat, and millet contain beta-glucan, which activates the immune system and help it work more effectively. They also have Vitamin E, and antioxidant that produces cells designed to kill germs and bacteria in the body.

3. Carrots – Carrots are known for their benefits that come from beta carotene, which increase the amount of infection-fighting cells in the body.  It has also been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.

4. Garlic – Garlic has allicin, which is a natural antibiotic that stimulates the immune system. It also contains selenium, which is a powerful antioxidant that fights infection.

5. Legumes – Beans, lentils, and other legumes contain zinc, which helps white blood cell production. While many people take zinc supplements to fight colds, too much can actually inhibit our immune systems. It’s best to get zinc from a healthy diet.

6. Berries – Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries all contain lots of antioxidants that will help fight free radicals in the body. They also contain lots of Vitamin C, which is another immunity booster.

7. Kale – Raw kale is another food that’s rich in Vitamin C, which protects cells against damage during infection. However, cooking it will break down the nutrients. It’s also low in sugar and high in fiber, which makes it a healthy part of any diet.

8. Yogurt – Yogurt that contains live active cultures adds good bacteria to your system, which stimulate the body’s production of white blood cells and T-cells. This bacteria also helps the body absorb nutrients from other foods.

9. Nuts –Nuts contain a number of immunity-boosting ingredients, such as zinc, selenium, and Vitamin C. Certain nuts such as almonds, Brazil nuts, and pistachios have been particularly noted in different studies for their health benefits.

10. Mushrooms – Mushrooms have long been a cold and flu remedy in many Asian countries. They contain beta-glucan, which stimulates the immune system. Reishi, Shitake, and Maitake mushrooms are said to contain the most beta-glucan of the mushroom family.

This article was written by Erin McKinney, who is a licensed nurse practitioner.  Erin also owns the site <a href=http://www.mastersofnursing.org>Masters of Nursing</a> for students interested in getting an advanced degree in the nursing field.

Winter Solstice

by Tammera J. Karr, PhD

As December 21^st approaches we see the years shortest day pass, for those with SAD-seasonal affective disorder it means every day following the winter solstice will be a little longer and that spring is only weeks away. Yes I’m an optimist, ignoring the long days of fog, rain and gray. Gardeners are expecting their seed catalogs to start appearing in the mail, with the same anticipation of children waiting for the Sears Christmas catalog from a few years ago. Christmas is very much about hope, whether viewed from ancient pagan eyes or those of today. Hope that 2012 will be better than 2011, hope for our country, families and businesses.

Among the pagan traditions that have become part of Christmas is burning the yule log. This custom springs from many different cultures, but in all of them its significance seems to lie in the iul or “wheel” of the year. The Druids would bless a log and keep it burning for 12 days during the winter solstice – hence the 12 days of christmas; part of the log was kept for the following year, when it would be used to light the new yule log. For the Vikings, the yule log was an integral part of their celebration of the solstice, the julfest; on the log they would carve runes representing unwanted traits (such as ill fortune or poor honor) that they wanted the gods to take from them.

So the shortest day gained importance, and fires were lit, and light was used to encourage the year to turn, the village Elders would watch, to see if the fire had turned the tide of darkness. This would be visible by the 25th, and a huge feast would be eaten to celebrate the success. So well before Christianity, this time of year was celebrated by feasting. And the early Christian church adopted the existing Festival (in AD300s) to assist in converting people to Christianity. The original recyclers.

The ever-present threat of hunger was triumphantly overcome with a feast, all manner of food would be served at Christmas. The most popular main course was goose, but many other meats were also served. Turkey was first brought to Europe from the Americas around 1520, its earliest known consumption in England is 1541, and because it was inexpensive and quick to fatten, it rose in popularity as a Christmas feast food.

Humble pie was made from the “humbles” of a deer — the heart, liver, brains and so forth. While the lords and ladies ate the choice cuts, the servants baked the humbles into a pie, which of course made the meat go further. This appears to be the origin of the phrase, “to eat humble pie.” By the seventeenth century Humble Pie had become a trademark Christmas food, as evidenced when it was outlawed along with other Christmas traditions by Oliver Cromwell and the Puritan government.

But prior to that, a favorite Christmas dish was brawn. Brawn was considered to be a tasty delicacy and made with more than just the brains of animals like sheep and pig. We aren’t used to eating offal nowadays, but it was commonplace in the past, partly because it was cheap, and also because it tasted good. So brawn is essentially the head of the animal boiled until the meat falls from the bone, than mixed with the poached brain, onions and other vegetables, preserved in jelly or aspic, or even broth. Brawn was a usual part of the Christmas feast right up until Victorian times.

The Christmas pudding of Victorian and modern times evolved from the medieval dish of frumenty — a spicy, wheat-based dessert. Many other desserts were made as welcome treats for children and adults alike.

Because Christmas became such an important feast, every luxury item was saved for it, and seasonal food used as well. Luxuries such as sugar cones, and imported dried fruits, were carefully save, and seasonal items such as nuts available during the Autumn were also harvested and stored for the feast. The finest drinks, such as wine and brandy, were kept aside for Christmas.

Many of these items were used for the pudding and the cake. The pudding was stuffed with dried fruit and the peel or citrus fruits – the latter of which was made when citrus fruits became available. Both pudding and cake traditionally include the addition of brandy, a very expensive item. To make the pudding more spectacular as it arrived at the table, brandy would be poured over it and set alight. The brandy would evaporate off fairly quickly, but it was also a way of demonstrating that no expense had been spared.

It is also traditional that there is a sprig of holly in the top of the pudding as it is served. This idea pre-dates the pudding itself. Evergreen plants were brought into the house to remind everyone of the spring to come and showed that there was still life, even in the depths of winter.

Many of these traditions hark back to the days when the whole festival was about encouraging the light to return. The flaming brandy on the cake, the tinsel, the lights in the tree. One delightful story about the origin of tinsel regards the Holy Family, who, fleeing from Herod, hid in a cave. A spider worked through the night, spinning a web across the entrance of the cave, so that Herod’s soldiers assumed that no one could be in there, and left the cave alone. That holy spider web was turned into silver, and our modern tinsel represents it.

May peace and plenty be the first to lift the latch on your door, and happiness be guided to your home by the light of Christmas.

Building Pressure

by Tammera J. Karr, PhD

This last week I had one client come in and share how their blood pressure was way too high after getting upset over a work issue – Another client who thrives on stress or so they think, has on several occasions been taken to the ER for heart attack symptoms; if these symptoms are ignored serious trouble results, i.e. death.  By the way when reading through the side effects of medications note to self, death is NOT a side effect, its game over. The next client was out hunting, ignored the symptoms and hours later found themselves being air flighted and prepped for quadruple bypass.

A new report from the centers for disease control states that two-thirds of the adults in America who have high cholesterol, almost half of them have high blood pressure, and are not being treated effectively.  Heart attacks, strokes and related vascular diseases kill more than 800,000 Americans annually, easily more than any other cause. Of those 150,000 are younger than the age of 65 like the clients I mentioned at the start of this column. [i]

As the heart pumps blood through the arteries, it pushes the blood against the arterial walls with a force that is measured as “blood pressure.” High blood pressure is defined as a reading above 140/90 mm Hg. Research now suggests “high-normal” blood pressure (130 to 139 over 85 to 89) also raise risk of cardiovascular disease. Normal blood pressure is 120 to 129 over 80 to 84, and optimal blood pressure is less than 120 over 80. The elderly have increased risk for hypertension, and high blood pressure as the arterial walls lose their elasticity with age and cause the pressure of the blood moving through the arteries to rise.

Hypertension is often called a “silent killer” because even severe, uncontrolled high blood pressure usually has no obvious symptoms. Excessive pressure makes the heart work harder, increasing its oxygen demands and contributing to angina, and eventually leads to an enlarged heart, and damage to blood vessels in the kidneys and brain. Hypertension, therefore, increases the risk of heart attacks, stroke and kidney disease.[ii]

It is common for menopausal women to develop high blood pressure as a result of estrogen dominance. Estrogen thickens the blood, and it doesn’t just apply to the female of the species but also the male. As a man advances into andropause after the age of forty, he too has an increase in estrogens, causing his blood to become thicker, cholesterol to elevate and the balance between insulin and glucose to change increasing inflammation of the vascular system – Arteriosclerosis.

An August 2011 study in the journal of clinical hypertension concluded that lifestyle intervention such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet (visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf for more information), as well as nutritional supplements like CoQ10 and Potassium are valuable alternatives to drugs for lowering blood pressure. Additional supplements found to be beneficial for hypertension are calcium in doses no higher than 500mg, vitamin C 1000mg-4000mg from sources other than ascorbic acid, vitamin D3 5000iu, folate, flavonoids, fish oil 3000mg mercury free, and garlic.

Herbal supplements include forskoline, mistletoe and the traditional hawthorn.  All this and after careful review it is still CoQ10 and vitamin C that have the best clinical study performances for hypertension. Serrapeptase (an enzyme made from silk worms), and Nattoveta+ (natto an enzyme made from fermented soy) are my pick also as they help to reduce fibrogen and inflammation both associated with hypertension.

A diet high in fruits, especially apples and vegetables like broccoli was also found to be highly beneficial for not only hypertension control but also for diabetes management, and weight loss. [iii]

• Insulin resistance can increase blood pressure by causing the kidneys to retain sodium.
• Medications. Some prescription drugs, including steroids, birth control pills, decongestants, NSAIDS and diet pills can raise blood pressure. Some over-the-counter medicines, such as those containing licorice root, ephedra, guarana, kola nut, yerba mate, ginseng and yohimbe, may also raise blood pressure.
• Limit your caffeine intake. The caffeine in coffee, tea, diet drinks and sodas acts as a cardiovascular stimulant and raises blood pressure.
• Increase your pure water intake!
• Avoid processed foods. These are the biggest sources of sodium and bad fats in today’s diet.
• Relax. Stress causes hypertension by activating the sympathetic nervous system, causing the arteries to maintain a more rigid tone. Meditation, yoga, breathing exercises and biofeedback are all relaxation techniques that can lower blood pressure.
• Exercise. As little as 30 minutes of a day walking, is the most effective natural remedies for high blood pressure.

 

What to eat?

• Eat 8 to 10 servings of organic fruits and vegetables per day.
• Limit animal protein to 8 oz per day, emphasizing lean sources.
• Use garlic, which helps lower blood pressure and relaxs blood vessels.
• Consume 4 to 5 servings of nuts, seeds and dry beans per week (2 Tbsp nuts or seeds, or 1/2 cup cooked dried beans).
• Eat plenty of wild Alaskan salmon. At least three servings a week,

Real Red Wine (4-6oz only) contains OPC’s (Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins) and tannins in red wine inhibiting the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and inhibiting the activation of Nuclear Factor-Kappa B.

Blueberry/Bilberry may help to prevent Atherosclerosis (due to Anthocyanosides and Proanthocyanidins in Bilberry improving Blood Circulation and increasing the strength of Blood Vessels). Grapefruit (especially Red Grapefruit, Olives, Pineapple, Pomegranates, Prunes, Rice Bran, Reishi and Shiitake Mushrooms may help too.

High consumption of Walnuts, Lentils, Yerbamate, Turmeric, Saffron, Rosemary.

Unlike many other Dietary Oils, Coconut Oil may NOT contribute to the development of Atherosclerosis and may indirectly reduce the risk of Atherosclerosis (due to the absence of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Coconut Oil).  Olive Oil (only Extra Virgin Olive Oil), Sesame Seed Oil, Chocolate (dark Chocolate), Grape Seeds (extract), Globe Artichoke, Onions. [iv]

Doing these things may not correct years of damage right away, but there is no better time to make a change than now. Please don’t wait till you have had surgery or a funeral to make these changes their side effect may be your life.