Here is a great webpage I just found on cookware...
http://www.eartheasy.com/article_healthy_cookware.htm
Monday, November 17, 2008
Friday, January 11, 2008
Dangerous Soy...
Here is the result of some research I have done when my holistic doctors told me how bad soy is for you (at the least the Americanized way of consuming it). My doctors do not want me eating it and once I read the information below, I highly concurred with their opinions. Here are a few websites to look at:
http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/ploy.html
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/soy.htm
http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/
http://www.frot.co.nz/dietnet/basics/soy.htm
http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/ploy.html
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/soy.htm
http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/
http://www.frot.co.nz/dietnet/basics/soy.htm
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Simply Organic...
I can highly recommend these products - they are wonderful. Check out the website at www.simplyorganicbeauty.com
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Feminine Protection...
If you are a guy, you can just stop reading now! Ladies, this is for you...I just recently realized that I need to take a closer look at the panty liners, pads, and tampons I have been using. You all will want to read about dioxins and the ill effects of chorline on women and a lot of this comes from feminine hygiene products. I am in the process of trying out seventh heaven and natracare products and will update as to how I like them...
http://www.mysusenpad.blogspot.com/
http://www.daisyboxonline.com/acatalog/Natracare_Range.html
http://www.mysusenpad.blogspot.com/
http://www.daisyboxonline.com/acatalog/Natracare_Range.html
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Deodorant...
I've been doing some research on cosmetics and also looking for a safe deoderant. In terms of a perfect deodorant that is also safe - I have yet to find one. There is one by Nature's Gate called Organics Fruit Blend (I bought the persimmon rose geranium) that works well. It does need to be reapplied 2 times some days, but it has no aluminum and no parabens (these are known to mess up normal hormone function). Here is some information that I found helpful that I am going to start to use for cosmetics, too.
Somehow, putting something on our skin seems less invasive than what goes into our mouths. But the chemicals used in the beauty industry have health and environmental consequences equally as staggering as the pesticides we abhor in our food. Some of the stuff in your typical shower gel, for example, takes 200 to 300 years to biodegrade once it washes down the drain.By now, you've probably heard about the dangers of parabens-studies suggest they alter hormone function, increasing the risk of breast cancer and reproductive defects-but scads of other beauty ingredients may also pose health risks. We've named 10 of the worst offenders normally found in hair and skincare products, but they may be just the tip of the iceberg, because only 11 percent of the 10,500 ingredients the FDA has documented in products have been assessed for safety. "We're up against an unregulated industry," says Shannon Schroter, who started the Berkeley-based skincare company GratefulBody years ago as an alternative to the "topical junk food" produced by other companies. The following list, adapted from Aubrey Organics, will help you navigate the labels on your dressing table. 1. Sodium Laurel/Laureth Sulfate Perhaps one of the most common chemical groups used in cosmetics, this sudsing agent gives liquid soaps and shampoos their foam-ability. Regardless of whether it's derived from petroleum or coconut-"Just because you start with a botanical, doesn't mean that it maintains its biological integrity," says Schroter-this harsh skin irritant may also cause the skin to dry out as well as a host of other allergic reactions like rashes, eye irritation, and dandruff. These sudsers can be damaging to the immune system, and their residue can show up in the heart, liver, and lungs.2. Propylene Glycol "It's strong enough to dissolve the barnacles off a boat," is how Linda Chae describes this solvent, which is also used in antifreeze and brake fluid. Chae, founder of Chae Organics, Inc points out that factory workers who handle propylene glycol must wear protective gear to prevent skin contact. That's because exposure can cause eye and skin irritation, headaches, nausea, and vomiting. 3. Diethanolamine (DEA) + Triethanolamine (TEA) Long used in industrial strength lubricants and as surfactants (wetting agents that help products spread) in cosmetics, DEA and TEA are known eye, skin, nose, and throat irritants and can cause liver cancer in rats. "They can form nitrosamines, a carcinogen, when combined with other ingredients," says John Masters, founder and owner of John Masters Organics. "Alternatives-such as PEG-40 (pentaerythirtyl tetrastearate), a naturally derived thickener (from palm oil) that increases viscosity in many bodycare treatments-are more effective than conventional thickeners." 4. PVP/VA CopolymerWhile much of the haircare industry continues to use polyvinylpyrrolidone, a petroleum-derived chemical, some studies suggest its toxicity. It's particularly harmful when inhaled, which is a problem because of its use as an anti-static agent and a binder for styling products such as hair sprays. 5. Stearalkonium ChlorideFirst used by the fabric and paper industries as a softener and an anti-static agent, stearalkonium chloride is now commonly found in the cream rinses and conditioners used to soften our tresses. Yet the hard facts on this cationic surfactant show that it is a toxin known to set off allergic reactions. "Although it's a proven irritant, many companies use it in hair conditioning products because it's cheaper and easier to incorporate than proteins or herbals," says Masters. 6. Petroleum + Mineral OilBoth of these petrolatum-derived products are prized by the cosmetic mainstream for their emollient properties. But Danielle Fleming, of Danielle and Company vegetable-based soaps, puts it plainly: "Basically, when you have mineral oil on your skin, nothing goes in and nothing can get out." Fleming goes on to explain that mineral oil in lotions forms a barrier when applied, so that skin can't eliminate toxins. With repeated use, moisturizers that include either petroleum or mineral oil can clog pores, setting off skin conditions such as acne and dermatitis. "I have chosen not to use mineral oil because it is simply non-beneficial and possibly harmful to the skin." Indeed, this petroleum by-product may contain cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). 7. ParabensIf you've noticed "paraben-free" stickers popping up on bottles of lotions and soaps, it might be linked to the Environmental Protection Agency's classifying these antimicrobial preservatives as having hormone-disrupting effects. However, Joshua Onysko, founder of Pangea Organics, points out that "paraben-free" can be misleading. "My biggest problem with cosmetic ingredients is when the press picks up on one toxic ingredient, companies rush to replace it and often replace it with worse ones," says Onysko, singling out nasty replacements such as sodium hydroxymethyl glycinate and benzyl alcohol. 8. Diazolidinyl/Imidazolidinyl UreaSecond in use only to parabens, ureas appear as preservatives in a wide range of products. "They don't benefit the skin, first of all," says Melissa Jochim, chemist and director of product development for Juice Beauty, as she ticks off reasons for her aversion to urea: They trigger contact dermatitis, headaches, fatigue, and depression.9. Synthetic ColorsSure, they make your favorite products look inviting, but synthetic tints can contain a host of unnamed, and unsafe, ingredients. If you don't tolerate mystery ingredients in your food, why trust them in your cosmetics? "Why would anyone want blue lotion?" asks Kathleen Lewis, who runs her self-named line of skincare products in Brooklyn, New York, and believes products needn't be "unnecessarily decorative." "What's worse than blue," says Pangea's Onysko, "is white. Why does any lotion need to be white?" Many milk-hued "natural" products are made with refined, bleached oils, so just looking for FD&C Blue No. 1 or D&C Red No. 4 may not be enough. 10. Synthetic FragrancesThe catchall terms "fragrance," "parfum," and "perfume" can conceal thousands of synthetic ingredients. Nicole Maust, owner of Talulah Natural Skin Care, says that numerous reports have linked fragrance oils to such conditions as birth defects, cancer, brain damage, respiratory disorders, chronic skin reactions, and environmental damage through waste water. "Many constituents of synthetic fragrances, including phthalates, can be absorbed into the body through the skin, inhaled as fumes, and ingested when they're in products like lipstick," she says. But some companies, like Max Green Alchemy (MGA), use the term "parfum" for innocuous essential oils that have no other therapeutic effects. Wil Baker, the vice president of MGA, explains that the FDA allows "fragrance" to include natural as well as synthetic aromas. It might help, he says, to ask manufacturers if they use fragrance "from a plant or a plant in New Jersey." Ultimately, cleaning up ourselves and cleaning up the beauty industry are not mutually exclusive. As Buddha Nose founder Amy Galper points out, weaning ourselves off synthetics can cause a beneficial ripple effect on the environment, which she hopes will help people feel a little more connected to the earth. Visit http://www.safecosmetics.org/ or http://www.organicconsumers.org/ to learn more about cosmetic standards and what's in your skincare products.Excerpted with permission from "Beauty or Bust" by Einav Keet, published by Alternative Medicine, January 2007. Available in stores or subscribe at http://www.alternativemedicine.com/.
Somehow, putting something on our skin seems less invasive than what goes into our mouths. But the chemicals used in the beauty industry have health and environmental consequences equally as staggering as the pesticides we abhor in our food. Some of the stuff in your typical shower gel, for example, takes 200 to 300 years to biodegrade once it washes down the drain.By now, you've probably heard about the dangers of parabens-studies suggest they alter hormone function, increasing the risk of breast cancer and reproductive defects-but scads of other beauty ingredients may also pose health risks. We've named 10 of the worst offenders normally found in hair and skincare products, but they may be just the tip of the iceberg, because only 11 percent of the 10,500 ingredients the FDA has documented in products have been assessed for safety. "We're up against an unregulated industry," says Shannon Schroter, who started the Berkeley-based skincare company GratefulBody years ago as an alternative to the "topical junk food" produced by other companies. The following list, adapted from Aubrey Organics, will help you navigate the labels on your dressing table. 1. Sodium Laurel/Laureth Sulfate Perhaps one of the most common chemical groups used in cosmetics, this sudsing agent gives liquid soaps and shampoos their foam-ability. Regardless of whether it's derived from petroleum or coconut-"Just because you start with a botanical, doesn't mean that it maintains its biological integrity," says Schroter-this harsh skin irritant may also cause the skin to dry out as well as a host of other allergic reactions like rashes, eye irritation, and dandruff. These sudsers can be damaging to the immune system, and their residue can show up in the heart, liver, and lungs.2. Propylene Glycol "It's strong enough to dissolve the barnacles off a boat," is how Linda Chae describes this solvent, which is also used in antifreeze and brake fluid. Chae, founder of Chae Organics, Inc points out that factory workers who handle propylene glycol must wear protective gear to prevent skin contact. That's because exposure can cause eye and skin irritation, headaches, nausea, and vomiting. 3. Diethanolamine (DEA) + Triethanolamine (TEA) Long used in industrial strength lubricants and as surfactants (wetting agents that help products spread) in cosmetics, DEA and TEA are known eye, skin, nose, and throat irritants and can cause liver cancer in rats. "They can form nitrosamines, a carcinogen, when combined with other ingredients," says John Masters, founder and owner of John Masters Organics. "Alternatives-such as PEG-40 (pentaerythirtyl tetrastearate), a naturally derived thickener (from palm oil) that increases viscosity in many bodycare treatments-are more effective than conventional thickeners." 4. PVP/VA CopolymerWhile much of the haircare industry continues to use polyvinylpyrrolidone, a petroleum-derived chemical, some studies suggest its toxicity. It's particularly harmful when inhaled, which is a problem because of its use as an anti-static agent and a binder for styling products such as hair sprays. 5. Stearalkonium ChlorideFirst used by the fabric and paper industries as a softener and an anti-static agent, stearalkonium chloride is now commonly found in the cream rinses and conditioners used to soften our tresses. Yet the hard facts on this cationic surfactant show that it is a toxin known to set off allergic reactions. "Although it's a proven irritant, many companies use it in hair conditioning products because it's cheaper and easier to incorporate than proteins or herbals," says Masters. 6. Petroleum + Mineral OilBoth of these petrolatum-derived products are prized by the cosmetic mainstream for their emollient properties. But Danielle Fleming, of Danielle and Company vegetable-based soaps, puts it plainly: "Basically, when you have mineral oil on your skin, nothing goes in and nothing can get out." Fleming goes on to explain that mineral oil in lotions forms a barrier when applied, so that skin can't eliminate toxins. With repeated use, moisturizers that include either petroleum or mineral oil can clog pores, setting off skin conditions such as acne and dermatitis. "I have chosen not to use mineral oil because it is simply non-beneficial and possibly harmful to the skin." Indeed, this petroleum by-product may contain cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). 7. ParabensIf you've noticed "paraben-free" stickers popping up on bottles of lotions and soaps, it might be linked to the Environmental Protection Agency's classifying these antimicrobial preservatives as having hormone-disrupting effects. However, Joshua Onysko, founder of Pangea Organics, points out that "paraben-free" can be misleading. "My biggest problem with cosmetic ingredients is when the press picks up on one toxic ingredient, companies rush to replace it and often replace it with worse ones," says Onysko, singling out nasty replacements such as sodium hydroxymethyl glycinate and benzyl alcohol. 8. Diazolidinyl/Imidazolidinyl UreaSecond in use only to parabens, ureas appear as preservatives in a wide range of products. "They don't benefit the skin, first of all," says Melissa Jochim, chemist and director of product development for Juice Beauty, as she ticks off reasons for her aversion to urea: They trigger contact dermatitis, headaches, fatigue, and depression.9. Synthetic ColorsSure, they make your favorite products look inviting, but synthetic tints can contain a host of unnamed, and unsafe, ingredients. If you don't tolerate mystery ingredients in your food, why trust them in your cosmetics? "Why would anyone want blue lotion?" asks Kathleen Lewis, who runs her self-named line of skincare products in Brooklyn, New York, and believes products needn't be "unnecessarily decorative." "What's worse than blue," says Pangea's Onysko, "is white. Why does any lotion need to be white?" Many milk-hued "natural" products are made with refined, bleached oils, so just looking for FD&C Blue No. 1 or D&C Red No. 4 may not be enough. 10. Synthetic FragrancesThe catchall terms "fragrance," "parfum," and "perfume" can conceal thousands of synthetic ingredients. Nicole Maust, owner of Talulah Natural Skin Care, says that numerous reports have linked fragrance oils to such conditions as birth defects, cancer, brain damage, respiratory disorders, chronic skin reactions, and environmental damage through waste water. "Many constituents of synthetic fragrances, including phthalates, can be absorbed into the body through the skin, inhaled as fumes, and ingested when they're in products like lipstick," she says. But some companies, like Max Green Alchemy (MGA), use the term "parfum" for innocuous essential oils that have no other therapeutic effects. Wil Baker, the vice president of MGA, explains that the FDA allows "fragrance" to include natural as well as synthetic aromas. It might help, he says, to ask manufacturers if they use fragrance "from a plant or a plant in New Jersey." Ultimately, cleaning up ourselves and cleaning up the beauty industry are not mutually exclusive. As Buddha Nose founder Amy Galper points out, weaning ourselves off synthetics can cause a beneficial ripple effect on the environment, which she hopes will help people feel a little more connected to the earth. Visit http://www.safecosmetics.org/ or http://www.organicconsumers.org/ to learn more about cosmetic standards and what's in your skincare products.Excerpted with permission from "Beauty or Bust" by Einav Keet, published by Alternative Medicine, January 2007. Available in stores or subscribe at http://www.alternativemedicine.com/.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Interstitial Cystitis...
Well, after a few weeks of on and off UTI symptoms (my urine sample showed no infection) and some research and thoughts from my GYN, I have narrowed my issue down to interstitial cystitis. A brief explaination of this would be an inflammation of the bladder lining - there is no known cause and no "cure". But, there is a lot of alternative things one can do to treat this. Here is a great website if anyone out there is suffering from this or knows someone who is:
http://www.urologychannel.com/interstitialcystitis/index.shtml
This site goes over alternative treatments. I definately think that one of my big triggers is stress and diet. The Lord has really used this health issue to grab my attention regarding the issue of anxiety in my life. I am working on learning more about giving all my cares over to the Lord. I always feel much better physically when I am trusting God.
Some other things I am trying are my bladder and kidney supplements from Dr. Marshall, along with his castor oil packs, and they decided today to start me on something called allocidin in case this is also being triggered by an internal candida infection. I am also taking my trusty Threelac, which I have blogged about before, along with a supplement I got at Jimbo's today (like a Whole Foods), called Gotu Kola. The lady working at the supplement counter there also recommended boiling a chicken and drinking the broth. She said all the nutrients will come out of the bone and help to soothe the inflammation. So, tonight I start a chicken boiling in the crock pot for the next 24 hours.
I am learning with all my health issues the importance of first praying to the Lord for wisdom, then talking to others who are nutrient minded and then doing some of my own research. It's a slow process, but I hope to post an update soon of a much improved me.
http://www.urologychannel.com/interstitialcystitis/index.shtml
This site goes over alternative treatments. I definately think that one of my big triggers is stress and diet. The Lord has really used this health issue to grab my attention regarding the issue of anxiety in my life. I am working on learning more about giving all my cares over to the Lord. I always feel much better physically when I am trusting God.
Some other things I am trying are my bladder and kidney supplements from Dr. Marshall, along with his castor oil packs, and they decided today to start me on something called allocidin in case this is also being triggered by an internal candida infection. I am also taking my trusty Threelac, which I have blogged about before, along with a supplement I got at Jimbo's today (like a Whole Foods), called Gotu Kola. The lady working at the supplement counter there also recommended boiling a chicken and drinking the broth. She said all the nutrients will come out of the bone and help to soothe the inflammation. So, tonight I start a chicken boiling in the crock pot for the next 24 hours.
I am learning with all my health issues the importance of first praying to the Lord for wisdom, then talking to others who are nutrient minded and then doing some of my own research. It's a slow process, but I hope to post an update soon of a much improved me.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Bad Effects of Sugar...
Try googling "bad side effects of sugar". You will come up with a massive amount of information. I am just starting to learn how bad sugar is for you and how much of it is in our foods. My diet is now going back to basics...vegies, fruits, meats, whole grains, and a little bit of honey or maple syrup. I am also starting to make my own bread and crackers. No more mixes or store bought "processed foods", even the organic ones. It's amazing how eating this way has cured my chocolate addiction. I really can't remember the last time I have had some, and I don't miss it. Not to say that I'll never eat it again! =)
Anyway, back to sugar. Here is an excerpt from a website called Organic Nutrition. I hope you find this helpful...
Is sugar bad for you?
The white crystalline substance we know of as sugar is an unnatural substance produced by industrial processes (mostly from sugar cane or sugar beets) by refining it down to pure sucrose, after stripping away all the vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes and other beneficial nutrients.
What is left is a concentrated unnatural substance which the human body is not able to handle, at least not in anywhere near the quantities that is now ingested in today's accepted lifestyle. Sugar is addictive. The average American now consumes approximately 115 lbs. of sugar per year. This is per man, woman and child.
The biggest reason sugar does more damage than any other poison, drug or narcotic is twofold:
(a) It is considered a "food" and ingested in such massive quantities, and
(b) The damaging effects begin early, from the day a baby is born and is fed sugar in its formula. Even mothers milk is contaminated with it if the mother eats sugar, and
(c) Practically 95% of people are addicted to it to some degree or other.
Sugar is eaten to excess
It has been said that the criteria as to whether a substance (any substance) is harmful or medically beneficial is the quantity in which it is used in the human body. To point to a dramatic illustration: we all know that the venom of a rattlesnake, a cobra, water moccasin, coral, and other venomous snakes is deadly to the human system. There are some snakes whose bite is so deadly it can cause death within a matter of seconds. Nevertheless, even snake venom, deadly as it is, has been used for therapeutic, medical purposes when used in minute quantities.
History of sugar
Whereas sugar had been around in minute quantities for several thousand years, it was practically unknown and formed an insignificant part of the average diet in the Classical civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome. The Greeks (who had a word for nearly everything!) did not even have a word for it. Even in medieval Europe it was practically unknown and then only a rare delicacy in the royal courts.
During the last major Crusade that ended in 1204 some of the Christian Crusaders were introduced to sugar freely used by the Saracens. The Moors when invading and colonizing the southern part of Spain grew sugar cane on Spanish soil and refined sugar. When Spain drove out the Moors, it inherited some of the cane plantations. It was during this time that Christendom took its first big bite of the forbidden fruit and liked it.
Sugar is an unnatural chemical
Why is sugar so devastating to our health? One reason is it is pure chemical and (like heroin) through refining has been stripped of all the natural food nutrition that it originally had in the plant itself.
Heroin and sugar are arrived at by very similar processes of refinement. In producing heroin, the opium is first extracted from the poppy: The opium is then refined into morphine. The chemists then went to work on morphine and further refined it into heroin, proclaiming they had "discovered" a wonderful new pain-killer that was non-addictive. So they said.
Similarly, sugar is first pressed as a juice from the cane (or beet) and refined into molasses. Then it is refined into brown sugar, and finally into strange white crystals C12H22O, that are an alien chemical to the human system.
Sugar is addictive
A second reason that sugar is so harmful is that like heroin it is addictive, and being delectable and seductive to the taste, it is also habit forming. Starting with sugar in the baby's formula, people not only develop a strong taste for sugar but an insatiable craving for it so that they never seem to get enough of this poison.
Slow but insidious
A third reason is that the damage sugar does is slow and insidious. It takes years before it ruins your pancreas, your adrenal glands, throws your whole endocrine system out of kilter and produces a huge list of damage.
Foods are loaded with sugar
A fourth reason is the outrageous amounts of sugar civilized nations consume. Americans in particular are told how they are the best fed and best nourished people on the face of the earth. If we are talking about processed junk food - this is true.
If you examine the "foods" in any supermarket more closely and start reading labels, you will find just about everything contains sugar. Most of the foods are loaded with it - from cereals, to soups, to ketchup, to hotdogs. Even flue-cured tobacco can contain as much as 20% sugar by weight. Some cereals are as much as 50% sugar.
List of Damages
We have stated that sugar is deleterious to your health: that it is more damaging than all other narcotics combined; that it is a long term chemical poison. Just what damage does sugar do to the human body? The list is endless.
When we talk about sugar, we are including bad nutrition as a whole, since anyone who indulges in sugar has bad dietary habits per se.
Sugar is by far the leading cause of dental deterioration - cavities in teeth, bleeding gums, failure of bone structure, and loss of teeth.
Sugar is the main cause of diabetes, hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.
It is either a significant or contributory cause of heart disease, arteriosclerosis, mental illness, depression, senility, hypertension, cancer.
It has an extremely harmful effect in unbalancing the endocrine system and injuring its component glands such as the adrenal glands, pancreas and liver, causing the blood sugar level to fluctuate widely. It has a number of other extremely damaging effects on the human body.
Some of the other effects of sugar on the body are:
Increases overgrowth of candida yeast organism
Increases chronic fatigue
Can trigger binge eating in those with bulima
Increases PMS symptoms
Increases hyperactivity in about 50% of children
Increases tooth decay
Increases anxiety and irritability
Can increase or intensify symptoms of anxiety and panic in susceptible women
Can make it difficult to lose weight because of constantly high insulin levels, which causes the body to store excess carbs as fat.
There are a number of books available on the subject, but perhaps one of the most interesting ones is "Sugar Blues" by William Dufty. It is available in most Health Food stores.
Health Topics
Allergies
Arthritis
Asthma
Bruises
Circulation
Colds
Constipation
Diabetes
Diet
Energy
Eyes
Exercise
Flu
Heart
Immune system
Impotence
Intestines
Kidneys
Liver
Menopause
Obesity
Parasites
Prostate
Sleeping
Sugar
Water
Weight loss
Anyway, back to sugar. Here is an excerpt from a website called Organic Nutrition. I hope you find this helpful...
Is sugar bad for you?
The white crystalline substance we know of as sugar is an unnatural substance produced by industrial processes (mostly from sugar cane or sugar beets) by refining it down to pure sucrose, after stripping away all the vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes and other beneficial nutrients.
What is left is a concentrated unnatural substance which the human body is not able to handle, at least not in anywhere near the quantities that is now ingested in today's accepted lifestyle. Sugar is addictive. The average American now consumes approximately 115 lbs. of sugar per year. This is per man, woman and child.
The biggest reason sugar does more damage than any other poison, drug or narcotic is twofold:
(a) It is considered a "food" and ingested in such massive quantities, and
(b) The damaging effects begin early, from the day a baby is born and is fed sugar in its formula. Even mothers milk is contaminated with it if the mother eats sugar, and
(c) Practically 95% of people are addicted to it to some degree or other.
Sugar is eaten to excess
It has been said that the criteria as to whether a substance (any substance) is harmful or medically beneficial is the quantity in which it is used in the human body. To point to a dramatic illustration: we all know that the venom of a rattlesnake, a cobra, water moccasin, coral, and other venomous snakes is deadly to the human system. There are some snakes whose bite is so deadly it can cause death within a matter of seconds. Nevertheless, even snake venom, deadly as it is, has been used for therapeutic, medical purposes when used in minute quantities.
History of sugar
Whereas sugar had been around in minute quantities for several thousand years, it was practically unknown and formed an insignificant part of the average diet in the Classical civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome. The Greeks (who had a word for nearly everything!) did not even have a word for it. Even in medieval Europe it was practically unknown and then only a rare delicacy in the royal courts.
During the last major Crusade that ended in 1204 some of the Christian Crusaders were introduced to sugar freely used by the Saracens. The Moors when invading and colonizing the southern part of Spain grew sugar cane on Spanish soil and refined sugar. When Spain drove out the Moors, it inherited some of the cane plantations. It was during this time that Christendom took its first big bite of the forbidden fruit and liked it.
Sugar is an unnatural chemical
Why is sugar so devastating to our health? One reason is it is pure chemical and (like heroin) through refining has been stripped of all the natural food nutrition that it originally had in the plant itself.
Heroin and sugar are arrived at by very similar processes of refinement. In producing heroin, the opium is first extracted from the poppy: The opium is then refined into morphine. The chemists then went to work on morphine and further refined it into heroin, proclaiming they had "discovered" a wonderful new pain-killer that was non-addictive. So they said.
Similarly, sugar is first pressed as a juice from the cane (or beet) and refined into molasses. Then it is refined into brown sugar, and finally into strange white crystals C12H22O, that are an alien chemical to the human system.
Sugar is addictive
A second reason that sugar is so harmful is that like heroin it is addictive, and being delectable and seductive to the taste, it is also habit forming. Starting with sugar in the baby's formula, people not only develop a strong taste for sugar but an insatiable craving for it so that they never seem to get enough of this poison.
Slow but insidious
A third reason is that the damage sugar does is slow and insidious. It takes years before it ruins your pancreas, your adrenal glands, throws your whole endocrine system out of kilter and produces a huge list of damage.
Foods are loaded with sugar
A fourth reason is the outrageous amounts of sugar civilized nations consume. Americans in particular are told how they are the best fed and best nourished people on the face of the earth. If we are talking about processed junk food - this is true.
If you examine the "foods" in any supermarket more closely and start reading labels, you will find just about everything contains sugar. Most of the foods are loaded with it - from cereals, to soups, to ketchup, to hotdogs. Even flue-cured tobacco can contain as much as 20% sugar by weight. Some cereals are as much as 50% sugar.
List of Damages
We have stated that sugar is deleterious to your health: that it is more damaging than all other narcotics combined; that it is a long term chemical poison. Just what damage does sugar do to the human body? The list is endless.
When we talk about sugar, we are including bad nutrition as a whole, since anyone who indulges in sugar has bad dietary habits per se.
Sugar is by far the leading cause of dental deterioration - cavities in teeth, bleeding gums, failure of bone structure, and loss of teeth.
Sugar is the main cause of diabetes, hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.
It is either a significant or contributory cause of heart disease, arteriosclerosis, mental illness, depression, senility, hypertension, cancer.
It has an extremely harmful effect in unbalancing the endocrine system and injuring its component glands such as the adrenal glands, pancreas and liver, causing the blood sugar level to fluctuate widely. It has a number of other extremely damaging effects on the human body.
Some of the other effects of sugar on the body are:
Increases overgrowth of candida yeast organism
Increases chronic fatigue
Can trigger binge eating in those with bulima
Increases PMS symptoms
Increases hyperactivity in about 50% of children
Increases tooth decay
Increases anxiety and irritability
Can increase or intensify symptoms of anxiety and panic in susceptible women
Can make it difficult to lose weight because of constantly high insulin levels, which causes the body to store excess carbs as fat.
There are a number of books available on the subject, but perhaps one of the most interesting ones is "Sugar Blues" by William Dufty. It is available in most Health Food stores.
Health Topics
Allergies
Arthritis
Asthma
Bruises
Circulation
Colds
Constipation
Diabetes
Diet
Energy
Eyes
Exercise
Flu
Heart
Immune system
Impotence
Intestines
Kidneys
Liver
Menopause
Obesity
Parasites
Prostate
Sleeping
Sugar
Water
Weight loss
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