Health Updates
In today's notes we are going to cover several subjects in a quick newsflash health update format.
Mistletoe
It is debatable whether mistletoe inspires passion or increases fertility, however, it may help some cancer patients. The plant has long been considered a good herbal tonic for various ailments, including epilepsy, arthritis, nervous disorders and digestive problems. But in Europe, it is common to receive injections of mistletoe along with standard cancer drugs; it is considered a common way to stimulate the immune system.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
These days most parents are putting their infants to sleep on their backs; that is a good thing because since this has become a common practice since 1992, the death rate from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome has decreased by 44%.
Dirt
And to make your day, here is an appetizing fact: most people will eat at least a pound of dirt in their lifetime! Probably more like several pounds! It is virtually impossible to get all the foreign objects out of food on its way to processing, so the FDA has settled on monitoring what it considers to be "acceptable" levels of unappetizing offenders. The good news is that the dirt probably won't hurt you.
FDA very loose Requirements
If you are already queasy, do not read this next section. In processed cornmeal, FDA guidelines allow one or more whole insects, 50 or more insect fragments, two or more rodent hairs, and one or more rodent excreta per 50 grams. In a can of peaches, 3% of the fruit can be moldy or wormy, and canned mushrooms will pass inspection if they have no more than an average 20 or more maggots per 100 grams!
Heat kills disease
Of note in many packaging products, the exposure to heat kills disease producing organisms, and makes the food much safer for us to eat.
Food
The importance of hand washing before the preparation and eating of food as well as keeping kitchen tools sanitized cannot be overemphasized!
As for food storage, presentation, and preparation, clean it, cook it thoroughly and then keep it hot, or keep it cold, or don't keep it!
Eating Fish
A reminder people in Norway and Sweden already know this, but eating deep salt water fish just once a month can make you 43% less likely to have a stroke!
Coffee
A final note to you Seattle coffee drinkers: a recent study out of the Netherlands found that drinking four or more cups of coffee a day could raise homocysteine levels in your blood to dangerous levels. High homocysteine levels are a known risk factor for heart problems. Researchers found that people who drank four or more cups of coffee a day had an 11% higher level of homocysteine in their blood.
Incidentally, switching to decaf won't help, it is a compound called chlorogenic acid that appears to trigger the increase, and it can't be filtered from the brew, unlike caffeine.
All right, Boston, see if you can't recover some of that tea you threw in the harbor a few years back, we may have some converts who could use it!
Cordially,
Helen Pensanti M.D.
Research Info Archives
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- Acne
- Age Spots
- Alzheimer's Prevention Plan
- Aloe Vera Freeze Dried Capsules and AloeVera Liquid Concentrate
- Anti-Aging Tips
- Anxiety and Stress
- Arteries Clean
- Arthritis
- Atherosclerosis
- Baby Boomers and Alzheimer’s Disease
- Bacteria and Viral Infections
- Bananas are healthy!
- Beating Breast Cancer with Nutrition
- Belly Fat
- Beta Glucan
- Beauty of Mathematics
- Bio-Identical VS Synthetic Hormones
- Bladder Infection Help - Parsley Tea
- Blood Clots
- Breast Cancer Inducing Chemicals
- Breast Cancer Profile
- Breast Cancer and Synthetic Hormones
- Buying and Preparing Fresh Fish
- Cancer Prevention Tips - Stay Cancer Proof
- Cancer Protection List - Household Items to Avoid
- Cataracts
- Chelation Therapy
- Clustered Water/Healthy Immune System
- Cold Sores
- Constipation
- Cortisol and Weight Loss
- Calories and Calore Counting
- Cystitis
- Dark Spots On Bananas - Anti Cancer
- Date Rape Drug Information - GHB
- Dental Problems
- Diabetes
- Diabetes Mellitus
- Diabetes Travel Tips
- Diseases Do Not Just Happen
- Dr Helen's 1200 Calorie Diet to lose 45 pounds in 3 months
- Eating Genetically Modified Fruits
- Eliminate "White Poison" From Your Diet
- Estrogen Found in Foods/Herbs/Drugs/Chemicals
- Estrogen Inhibiting Foods
- Fatigue
- Fatigue and Loss of Energy
- Five Keys to Restoration
- Food Toxins
- Foot Health
- General Question About Natural Hormones
- Hair growth in unwanted places
- Hair Loss
- Headache Check Lists - Headache Symptoms and Headache Causes
- Healing properties of garlic and onions
- Healing / Water Clusters
- Health Updates
- Healthly Foods Chart for Bone Health
- Healthly Foods Chart
- Healthy Food List
- Healthy Living Recipe Options
- Heart Disease - #1 Cause of Death In America
- Heart Disease and Women - Estrogen does not benefit the heart.
- High Blood Pressure - Hypertension
- Hepatitis
- Highlights from Dr Abraham's interview at the 6th Annual Anti-Aging Conference
- Holiday Meals
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) linked to Hearing Loss
- Hormone Studies
- Inflammation Reduction
- Insomnia Information
- Keeping Your Liver Healthy
- Laser Vision Correction
- LeAine Dehmer Clinical Skincare Specialist Answers Your Questions
- Long Life and Aging
- Lose 45 Pounds In 3 Months
- Mamograms - Infrared Thermography
- Managing Lactose Intolerance
- Mascular Degeneration
- Men and Progesterone
- Men's Prostate Health
- Microbes in an overweight body are more efficient at extracting calories from food.
- Mind Boosters
- Natural Cancer Treatments
- Natural Progesterone and Blood Pressure/Inflammmation
- Non Toxic Hair Dyes
- Olive Leaf Extract
- Organic Dark Unprocessed Chocolate
- Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Health
- Osteoporosis Prevention
- Osteoporosis - Softening of the Bones
- Overcoming Anxiety and Depression without Drugs!
- Parasitic Infections
- Parkinson's Desease
- Prostate Cancer & PC Spes
- Purify your Home without Poisons Chemicals
- Red Clover; Health Benefits of Isoflavones
- Phosphatidylserine (PS)
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- Preserving Your Sight
- Progesterone - Calming Effects
- Progesterone and Breast Cancer Study
- Progesterone, can we use that name?
- Progesterone, does it build up in your fat cells?
- Progestin VS Natural Progesterone
- Phyto-Progesterone is now called Diosgenin
- Recommended Supplements for Anti-Aging
- Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Seasonal Allergies
- Secret Remedies
- Shaping Children's Eating Habits
- Signs of Estrogen Deficiency
- Signs of Estrogen Excess
- Signs of Progesterone Excess
- Sinus Problems
- Six Types of Mothers
- Soy Foods May Protect the Body from Cancer
- Symptoms of Low Thyroid
- Synthetic Hormones and Breast Cancer
- Testosterone - how women can increase or decrease Testosterone Levels
- Thinning Hair
- Tinnitus
- Tips for Traveler's Health
- Top Ten Reasons to Get Off Synthetic Hormones
- Toxic Shampoos
- Type II Diabetes - Insulin Resistance
- Vaginal Dryness - High In Oxalate Foods to Avoid
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B
- Vitamin Bible and Healthy Tips
- Vitamin D - emphasizing the importance of supplementing with Vitamin D
- Vitamin E - may provide women with protection from breast cancer
- Vitamin K
- Ways to fit fiber in your diet
- Weight Loss
- Wellness Plan
- West Nile Virus
- What to look for in a Biological Dentist
- Why Natural Progesterone is better than Synthetic
- Women and Heart Disease
- Word... Water... Walk...
- Wyeth Pharmaceutical lies in study