Fraudulent Claims for Organic Food Reported In The UK

-- Posted by kmyers001 on Thursday, August 25 2005

A report on Sunday, August 21-2005, in the UK's "The Observer" newspaper claims that there are disturbing levels of fraud within the food industry, referring to fraudulent claims for organic food.

According to the paper's investigation, following what is believed to have been the UK's first concerted investigation into organic food fraud by trading standards officers, farmers, retailers and food inspectors have disclosed a raft of malpractice.

Reported fraudulent moves included food labelling offences and using organic certification without the right accreditation.

Rules that govern the labelling of organic foods come from Regulation EC2092/91, and are, as for all labels, designed to ensure that consumers are not misled.

For a product to be termed ‘organic' it must meet the standards of an approved independent control body, which has inspected all aspects of its production.

Labels must indicate the organic certification body with which the processor or packer is registered. The rules are the same for manufactured foods with one or more organic ingredients.

The EU regulation recognises that it is not yet possible to make products entirely from organic ingredients.

As a result the manufacturer can use up to 5 per cent of certain non-organic food ingredients and still label the product as organic. However, genetically-modified ingredients and artificial food additives are never allowed in organic foods.

For foods which contain 70 to 95 per cent organic ingredients the word organic appears only in the ingredients list and as a description on the front of label to show the percentage of ingredients which are organic.

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Author: K. Myers (aka kmyers001)
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California Dairy Research Foundation to Hold 2nd Symposium on Milk Genomics and Human Health

-- Posted by kmyers001 on Thursday, August 25 2005

International experts in nutrition and genomics will meet in California to discuss the progress of research into links between the genetic make-up of milk and human health.

The two-day event, to take place on 10 and 11 November, will be the second "Symposium on Milk Genomics and Human Health" to have been held by the California Dairy Research Foundation (CDRF).

A number of high-profile researchers are expected to attend, including Martin Grigorov of the Nestlé Research Centre in Switzerland, highlighting the dairy industry's growing interest in the potential benefits of genome research.

A University of California project has spent the last year building up a databank containing the different genes making up milk. Researchers from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the Netherlands and Switzerland have all taken part.

From this, the team aims to discover more about how certain genes contribute to the make-up of milk and what their role is; for example, which molecules are linked to certain health benefits and how.

"The study of genomics allows us to go beyond simply understanding that milk is beneficial and challenges us to discover precisely how and why," said Prof. J. Bruce German of the University of California.

Source: FoodNavigator

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Author: K. Myers (aka kmyers001)
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Fun Facts - What Is Lactic Acid?

-- Posted by kmyers001 on Thursday, August 25 2005

Lactic acid, CH₃CHOHCO₂H, is a colorless liquid organic acid. It is miscible with water or ethanol. Lactic acid is a fermentation product of lactose (milk sugar); it is present in sour milk, koumiss, leban, yogurt, and cottage cheese. The protein in milk is coagulated (curdled) by lactic acid.

The expression "lactic acid" is commonly used by athletes to describe the intense pain felt during exhaustive exercise, especially in events like the 400 metres and 800 metres. (See Lactic Acid And The Body below for details.)

Lactic Acid In Food

Lactic acid is used extensively by the food industry as a flavour agent, preservative, and acidity adjuster in foods.

Sodium lactate, a humectant, is used in cakes to produce a tender crumb and to reduce staling. This non-meat ingredient is also absorbed into meat formulations for specific flavour, shelf-life and safety aspects.

Lactic acid fermentation performed by lactic acid bacteria is responsible for the sour taste of old milk and is used in the production of dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, and kefir. Lactic acid fermentation also gives the sour taste to fermented vegetables such as traditionally cultured sauerkraut and pickles and many fermented starches such as poi.

Lactic acid can be used as a food additive where it acts as an acidity regulator. In the food industry it is produced by heating and fermenting carbohydrates in milk whey, potatoes, cornstarch, or molasses. It is used in sweets, dressings, soft drinks (sometimes beer), infant formulas, and confectionary. It is denoted by E number E270.

Lactic acid is also the result of malolactic fermentation, a process used in winemaking to convert sharp-tasting malic acid into the gentler lactic acid.

Dutch food ingredient manufacturer, Purac, one of the leading producers of lactic acid for the food industry, requires 170,000 tonnes of sugar per year to produce 15,000 tonnes of sodium lactate and 140,000 tonnes of lactic acid.

Lactic Acid And The Body

Lactic acid can accumulate in skeletal muscles during extensive anaerobic exercise, causing temporary muscle pain. Lactic acid is quickly removed from muscles when they resume aerobic metabolism.

Lactic acid starts to accumulate in the muscles once you start operating above your anaerobic threshold. This is normally somewhere between 80% and 90% of your maximum heart rate (MHR) in trained athletes.

Delayed onset muscle soreness usually becomes apparent more than 24 hours after exercising and is not caused by lactic acid buildup.

During one form of anerobic glycolysis or fermentation, L-lactate is produced from pyruvate via the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase. This conversion also oxidizes one molecule of NADH to NAD+, and this is the reason for the conversion: NAD+ has to be regenerated so that glycolysis can continue.

This lactic acid fermentation occurs in red blood cells since they don't have mitochondria, and in skeletal muscle during intense exertion when sufficient amounts of oxygen cannot be supplied fast enough. This lactate is released into the bloodstream. The typical lactate concentration in the blood is 1-2 mmol/L.

The liver takes up about 60% of the lactate and reoxidizes it to pyruvate, which is then reconverted to glucose in a process known as gluconeogenesis. The glucose enters the bloodstream and can be used by the tissues. This glucose → lactate → glucose cycle, originally described by Carl and Gerty Cori, is known as the Cori cycle.

About 40% of the lactate is taken up by well oxygenated muscle cells and oxidized to pyruvate, which is then directly used to fuel the citric acid cycle.

Lactic Acid And Tooth Decay

Lactic acid fermentation is also performed by lactic acid bacteria. These bacteria can operate in the mouth; the acid they produce is responsible for the tooth decay known as caries.




Sources/Related Resources:

Wikipedia - Chemistry of Lactic Acid

Encyclopedia.com - lactic acid

Lactic acid and running: myths, legends and reality - the ABC

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Author: K. Myers (aka kmyers001)
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Secrets of Salmonella Food Poisoning Exposed

-- Posted by kmyers001 on Thursday, August 25 2005

Researchers at the UK's Institute of Food Research (IFR) claim to have unlocked the key secrets of success for the salmonella pathogen responsible for a raft of food poisoning outbreaks.

Carried in eggs, poultry, raw milk and chocolate the salmonella bacteria can cause bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps and in extreme cases kidney failure. Incidents are a major problem in most countries across the globe, leading to hefty costs for the public and private sector.

In industrialised countries, the percentage of people suffering from foodborne diseases each year has been reported to be up by 30 per cent.

One hundred million years ago Salmonella evolved from E. coli bacteria that lived freely in the environment. Salmonella developed the ability to parasitise animals by losing many genes and gaining new ones from other bacteria, explains the IFR.

Using DNA microarrays to analyse the results of "experimental evolution", the scientists tracked Salmonella in real time over 6,750 generations to make the first estimation of the rate of gene loss for any bacterium.

"Nearly one quarter of the bacteria's genes could be lost in only 50,000 years. This was a surprise to us as it had been thought this process would take many millions of years," says project leader Professor Dan Andersson.

In separate research, Professor Hinton of IFR and Professor John Ladbury of UCL (University College London) tread new ground by investigating the response of Salmonella to body temperature.

They found that "at low temperatures Salmonella switches off genes required for infection and switches them on once inside a warm animal body," reports Professor Hinton.

It does not want to expend energy needlessly when waiting to be eaten on a lettuce leaf, adds the professor.

According to IFR, the team discovered the thermal switch, a protein called H-NS, and found that it allows 532 genes to be activated within minutes. These genes code for functions essential for infection such as the ability to swim and to infect gut cells.

Professor Ladbury believes that as the temperature rises, the protein structure which compacts Salmonella DNA changes shape, allowing gene expression to start.

"These findings help to explain the success of this pathogen in infecting so many different species of animals and reptiles, as well as man," says Professor Hinton.

Last year the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the Health Protection Agency (HPA) announced plans to clamp down on salmonella. Their investigations revealed that since 2002 the country had experienced more than 80 outbreaks of Salmonella enteritidis, with 2000 confirmed and an estimated 6000 potential cases: many of which were linked to Spanish eggs used in the catering trade.

The UK is still recovering from wide outbreaks of this foodborne pathogen in the 1980s that knocked the local egg industry. Figures now show that the number of cases in England and Wales have nearly halved since this time, dropping from 16,047 cases in 1998 to 9757 cases in 2003; mainly due to industry control programmes, including the vaccination of chicken flocks.

Recent estimates from the US put total annual costs (medical care and lost productivity combined) of the pathogen at a massive $2.3 billion (€1.85bn). And salmonella food poisoning costs the British economy a considerable £1 billion a year.

Sweden is the country with the lowest occurrence of salmonella in the world; the food industry's methods have aroused considerable interest from US and European food producers.

The Swedish method attempts to make ‘a polluted product clean', the control points are moved backwards in the production chain, including the egg production site, as well as a strong focus on hygiene related matters.

The studies, Bacterial genome size reduction by experimental evolution and H-NS is a part of a thermally controlled mechanism for bacterial gene regulation are published by IFR and Sweden's Uppsala University in the 23 August edition of PNAS and the 1 October 2005 of Biochemical Journal respectively.

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Author: K. Myers (aka kmyers001)
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Fun Facts - Science And Foods In Space

-- Posted by kmyers001 on Wednesday, August 24 2005

At zero gravity (space conditions) the body demineralises, resulting in bone and muscle loss. For astronauts this happens fast, as much as 1 per cent a month, compared to on Earth where bone loss occurs when we grow old. Between 50 and 60 years of age we experience 10 per cent of bone loss.

A few innovative food manufacturers have come up with unique formulations for food products that can stand up to harsh conditions in space, yet still taste at least marginally good. Here are just a few of the latest.

Nissin Food Products announced that its newly developed instant noodle product Space Ram was loaded on the space shuttle Discovery and went into space last month. Space Ram – available in soy sauce, miso, curry and pork bones - was co-developed with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The soup powder has been made with increased viscosity and can be cooked in water at 70 degrees Celsius.

Danish food firm Arla Food Ingredients, working with US food technologists at the Johnson Space Centre, recently developed a new yoghurt for consumption by NASA's astronauts. When the expedition 11 crew took off to the International Space Station in mid-April, Arla's fruit flavoured yoghurts were on board.

Arla Food Ingredients has also come up with ‘milk bites' for astronauts which are essentially a chewy, bite-size protein bar that gives the space travellers a dose of calcium and protein.

A NASA space food competition held in spring of 2004 resulted in a vegetable spread called Veg@eez, a red, white and green mix of tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes and radishes, as the winning entry. It was created by U.S. students from Penn State University who won the year's NASA Food Technology Commercial Space Center competition.

Astronauts' tastes in food changes when they are in space. In space the zero gravity means that bodily fluids move up towards the head. It's like having a stuffed nose. People's perception of food changes, and most astronauts tend to go for spicy foods in space.

In July 2001 it was reported that the European Space Agency started building a recycling system that will convert astronauts' waste into food, oxygen and water.

The Micro-Ecological Life Support Alternative (MELISSA) system could enable future astronauts to travel to Mars and back, an epic voyage that would take three years to complete. It could also be a vital feature of space bases on other planets.

The miniature ecosystem will be divided into five interconnected compartments. The first three are being constructed at universities across Europe and are designed to break down waste through a number of fermentation processes.

The fourth, being built at the University of Guelph, will contain plants and algae that grow to produce oxygen, water and food, fed by the decomposed waste. The fifth compartment will contain the astronauts themselves and will be constructed at the project headquarters in Barcelona, Spain.

During the development of the system, rats will be used in place of astronauts to test the system. ESA says that the complete facility will be assembled in Barcelona by 2005.

Recycling is already an important part of space travel. Systems used aboard Mir and the International Space Station allow astronauts to breath air converted from carbon dioxide and drink water purified from waste. The new system performs the more complicated task of recycling food.

The next step in food science? It may be "Micro-M.R.E.'s," meal tablets with enough calories to sustain a soldier in the battlefield for 24 hours. According to Air Force 2025, a study of future military concepts conducted by the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, M.R.E.'s are being developed.

Also in the works: transdermal patches that will allow soldiers to feed themselves through their skin. The "transdermal nutrient delivery system" is currently being studied by the Department of Defense Combat Feeding Program.


Sources:
NewScientist - Space toilet key to conquering final frontier
ABC News/Australia - New food for happy little astronauts
FoodQualityNews - Soup rockets to space on new formulation
RetroFuture - Spacefood

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Author: K. Myers (aka kmyers001)
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A Quick Test - Do You Trust The Food You Buy?

-- Posted by kmyers001 on Tuesday, August 23 2005

The test is simple: would you rate a product as healthy if you were given all the facts?

For example, it's ridiculous to claim a cereal is healthy if you later discover it is super high in salt and sugar content. Similarly, I don't want to be misled into believing a yoghurt is made with organic ingredients because it is branded as ‘Bio', or discover that a fruit drink contains very little fruit juice.

Remember the article I wrote about how PepsiCo is changing the labeling on two of its fruit-flavored Tropicana beverages to reflect the fact that they actually contain little or no fruit juice?

Well, what you might not be aware of is the fact that in July of this year the FDA urged the soft drink industry to review the ingredient statements on their soft drink labels following the withdrawal of a proposed “and/or” ruling on sweeteners. Beverage makers now have to ensure that the sweetening ingredients used in products are listed accurately. Up to that point, there had been continuous demand from the soft drinks industry for “and/or” sweetener labeling for over two decades.

Why not just be honest and label their products with what is REALLY inside?

Go back to an article I wrote in April of this year regarding the new reduced sugar cereals, most of which carry BIG BOLD LABELS about LESS SUGAR blazing across the box, as though to imply they are now so much healthier for you. The Associated Press asked nutrition experts at five universities to review the new reduced-sugar cereals to see how they stacked up with the regular versions. The nutrition scientists found that while the new cereals do have less sugar, the calories, carbohydrates, fat, fiber and other nutrients are almost identical to the full-sugar cereals.

In other news, food makers in the USA are scrambling to meet the January 1 2006 deadline for the new trans fats labeling requirements, and the debate over Country of Origin (COOL) labeling - whether it should be voluntary or mandatory - rumbles on.

Meanwhile, Nestle UK has found a way to refer to the calcium content in its cheesecake without it being considered a health claim, according to Dominique Patton, reporting for FoodQualityNews. The company used a cartoon of a woman to advertise its Little Notions Cheesecake, superimposing on her hair the following text: "Lemon Cheesecake's made with cheese. Cheese is full of calcium. Calcium makes bones strong. If I don't eat cheesecake I'll fall over." Now that's a pretty sad use of subliminal advertising, in my humble opinion.

If a tasty food can't really be healthy, and a healthy food is not tasty, manufacturers would do better to concentrate on being real about which category it honestly falls into rather than disappoint us on both.

I sincerely believe companies that take the high road, with fair labeling, will do better than those who create a wake of suspicion by deliberately writing around products' vices.

Whether its aspartame, soya, GM foods or high fructose corn syrup, in today's information-driven world, pressure groups quickly move to raise public awareness of missing, or conflicting, scientific evidence. Wouldn't it be nice if manufacturers took a more proactive role in replacing foods where the doubts cannot be laid to rest?

Even more important, ingredients should be of the highest possible quality.

Let's face it... health risks are as worrying to producers as consumers, and only where ingredients are the finest available, will food manufacturers be deserving of our trust.

Sure, our Himalayan Goji Juice is more expensive than some of the kool-aid-type knock-offs appearing lately (ever since this remarkable berry started popping up in the media) --- and for good reason. We ONLY USE goji berries that are GUARANTEED SCREENED using our proprietary spectral signature process to be the most potent containing ALL the health benefits in perfect balance with the most important 4 master molecules not found in any other food on our planet.

The truth is, we reject more goji berries than we accept in order to produce a premium product that will deliver consistent results that compound over time the longer you drink.

There is no other goji juice on the market --- and there never will be one --- that can deliver the powers of the original bloodline for lycium barbarum quoted in ancient Asian medical texts. Our spectral signature seal is our guarantee that you are getting the highest quality with the best of the best goji berries in every single bottle.

In a perfect world, other manufacturers would bend over backwards to ensure their products also meet such exacting standards in production, formulation and delivery.

Sidenote: And if you knew what we know about drinking Himalayan Goji Juice everyday, my husband says we would be crazy not to add it to our daily diet.

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Author: K. Myers (aka kmyers001)
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Sad Statistics Regarding Hysterectomy In The USA

-- Posted by kmyers001 on Saturday, August 20 2005

Did you know that more hysterectomies are performed in the USA than anywhere else in the developed world, and many are totally unnecessary?

Hysterectomy is the second most common major surgery among women in the United States. (The most common major surgery that women have is cesarean section delivery). Each year, more than 600,000 hysterectomies are done. About one-third of women in the United States have had a hysterectomy by age 60. The average age of a women undergoing hysterectomy is 42, according to the American College of Surgeons.

One of the leading reasons for historectomies is uterine fibroids.

Almost all uterine fibroids are benign and their growth is most likely promoted by an imbalance of good and bad estrogens. Since fibroids tend to shrink and disappear after menopause, the idea behind performing hysterectomy is essentially to bring on menopause.

Many doctors prescribe estrogen for their historectomy patients but claim the women "don't need" progesterone. Loss of progesterone is part of the reason tissues breakdown when women stop ovulating, according to Elizabeth Plourde, author of the book, "A comprehensive look at hysterectomy: The Ultimate Rape." It carries out several functions that help maintain our cardiovascular health.

Studies also prove that it helps build new bone. Bones contain receptors for the 3 primary ovarian hormones: estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, which reveals that all 3 are involved in maintaining a strong skeletal structure.

For all women, whether they have their uterus and/or ovaries or not, it is crucial to maintain a balance of these 3 hormones. Ever heard about women having bone density problems after menopause (or historectomy)? My best guess is that you probably have.

Doesn't it make more sense to try to balance estrogen levels first before considering such drastic surgery?

The good news is there are many natural ways to gain estrogen balance.

But the very first step if you are a woman is to have your estrogen and progesterone levels checked and then find a physician to help you who is familiar with nutritional and natural healing. In most cases uterine fibroids are uncomfortable, but not life-threatening. Take some time to try some alternatives before resorting to surgery.

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Author: K. Myers (aka kmyers001)
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August Is Psoriasis Awareness Month In The USA

-- Posted by kmyers001 on Friday, August 19 2005

On July 28/2005, the USA senate passed a resolution to make August "Psoriasis Awareness Month" in the USA.

As the National Psoriasis Foundation launched its first-ever Local Lobby Week, Aug. 15-19, Sens. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., and Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., introduced the resolution in the U.S. Senate recognizing August 2005 as Psoriasis Awareness Month.

In another recent win for the psoriasis community --- and some say a positive step toward more research funding --- a key Senate subcommittee recently included language submitted by the Psoriasis Foundation in the report accompanying the appropriations bill that funds the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

"The report language from the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education encourages NIH to increase and expand the studies it funds related to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. It also encourages the CDC to work with a national psoriasis organization to develop a program to monitor psoriasis prevalence."

What is psoriasis?

"This disease is common, chronic, and costly, both in monetary terms and in quality of life," says Jonathan Wilkin, M.D., director of the Food and Drug Administration's Division of Dermatologic and Dental Drug Products.

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated, genetic disease manifesting in the skin and/or the joints. T cells circulate throughout the body, orchestrating the immune system's response to foreign invaders like bacteria or viruses. In people with psoriasis, the defective T cells are overactive and migrate to the skin as if to heal a wound or ward off an infection. This process leads to the rapid growth of skin cells, triggering inflammation and the development of lesions.

In fact, new skin cells are produced about eight times faster than normal --- over several days instead of a month --- but the rate at which old cells slough off is unchanged. This causes cells to build up on the skin's surface, forming thick patches, or plaques, of red sores (lesions) covered with flaky, silvery-white dead skin cells (scales).



The psoriatic lesions may not look good, but they are not infections or open wounds. People with psoriasis pose no threat to the health or safety of others.

It affects more than 4.5 million people in the United States. Between 150,000 and 260,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, including 20,000 in children younger than 10.

There Are Five Types Of Psoriasis

There are five types of psoriasis, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) website.

- Plaque: the most common form of the disease, appears as raised, red patches or lesions covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells, called scale.

- Guttate: Appears as small red spots on the skin, usually on the trunk and limbs. These spots are not normally as thick or as crusty as lesions of plaque psoriasis and often starts in childhood or young adulthood.

Guttate psoriasis often comes on quite suddenly. A variety of conditions have been known to bring on an attack of guttate psoriasis, including upper respiratory infections, streptoccocal infections, tonsillitis, stress, injury to the skin and the administration of certain drugs (including antimalarials and beta-blockers). A streptococcal infection of the throat (strep throat) is a common guttate psoriasis trigger. Strep throat can be present without symptoms and can still cause a flare of guttate psoriasis.

- Inverse: found in the armpits, groin, under the breasts, and in other skin folds around the genitals and the buttocks. This type of psoriasis first shows up as lesions that are very red and usually lack the scale associated with plaque psoriasis. It may appear smooth and shiny. Inverse psoriasis is particularly subject to irritation from rubbing and sweating because of its location in skin folds and tender areas. It is more common and troublesome in overweight people and people with deep skin folds.

- Pustular: Several different types of pustular psoriasis exist. It's characterized by white pustules (blisters of noninfectious pus) surrounded by red skin. The pus consists of white blood cells. It is not an infection, nor is it contagious. This relatively unusual form of psoriasis affects fewer than 5 percent of all people with psoriasis. It may be localized to certain areas of the body --- for example, the hands and feet. Pustular psoriasis also can be generalized, covering most of the body. It tends to go in a cycle–reddening of the skin followed by formation of pustules and scaling.

Pustular psoriasis can appear suddenly as the first sign of psoriasis, or plaque psoriasis can turn into pustular psoriasis. Pustular psoriasis reportedly has been triggered by internal medications, irritating topical agents, overexposure to UV light, pregnancy, systemic (oral or injectable) steroids, infections, emotional stress and sudden withdrawal of systemic medications or potent topical steroids.

- Erythrodermic: a particularly inflammatory form of psoriasis that often affects most of the body surface. It may occur in association with von Zumbusch pustular psoriasis. It generally appears on people who have unstable plaque psoriasis, where lesions are not clearly defined. It is characterized by periodic, widespread, fiery redness of the skin. The erythema (reddening) and exfoliation (shedding) of the skin are often accompanied by severe itching and pain.

Patients having an erythrodermic psoriasis flare should make an appointment to see a doctor immediately.

Erythrodermic psoriasis "throws off" the body chemistry, causing protein and fluid loss that can lead to severe illness. Edema (swelling from fluid retention), especially around the ankles, may also develop along with infection. The body's temperature regulation is often disrupted, producing shivering episodes. Infection, pneumonia and congestive heart failure brought on by erythrodermic psoriasis can be life threatening. People with severe cases of this condition are often hospitalized.

Erythrodermic psoriasis can occur abruptly as the initial sign of psoriasis, or come on more gradually in people with plaque psoriasis. The reason erythrodermic psoriasis appears is not understood, although there are some known triggers. These include abrupt withdrawal of systemic treatment; the use of systemic steroids (cortisone); an allergic, drug-induced rash that brings on the Koebner response (a tendency for psoriasis to appear on the site of skin injuries); and severe sunburns.

According to NPF, no special blood tests or diagnostic tools exist to diagnose psoriasis. The physician or other health care provider usually examines the affected skin and decides if it is from psoriasis. Less often, the physician examines a piece of skin (biopsy) under the microscope.

The unpredictable nature of psoriasis makes treatment challenging for many people. A wide range of treatments is available. No single psoriasis treatment works for everyone, but something will work for most people.

Some of our visitors and customers have had great success controlling outbreaks of psoriasis through dietary changes and a few all-natural products we have access too. (Contact us for details if you would like a list.)

FDA-approved treatments range from creams rubbed into the skin, to lasers that aim ultraviolet rays at the skin, to the newest treatments--injectable drugs made from living cells.

It is hard to predict what will work for a particular individual; however, it is important to be open-minded and willing to work with your doctor to find a treatment that will work for you.


Sources/Resources:

National Psoriasis Foundation
MedLine Plus - Psoriasis
FDA - Psoriasis: More Than Cosmetic
The Psoriasis Association - UK

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Author: K. Myers (aka kmyers001)
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Shingles - Where Did The Chickenpox Cross The Road?

-- Posted by kmyers001 on Saturday, August 13 2005

When my father called me from Canada to tell me he had a painful fight with shingles ...then not long after, an old high school friend (also from Canada) told me she had also gone through a bout with shingles, I wanted to know more and my search began. Here's what I found out.

Shingles generally affects the elderly, but occasionally occurs in children who have had chickenpox within the first year of their lives and in people with an immune deficiency.

What is the relationship to chickenpox?

Shingles is a painful rash caused by the Varicella-zoster virus (Herpes varicellae), which is the virus that causes chickenpox.

"For reasons that are not clear, after a chickenpox infection, the varicella virus remains in our bodies forever." states Dr. Paul on the Children's Health And Wellness website.

After the chickenpox virus has been contracted, it travels from the skin along the nerve paths to the roots of the nerves where it becomes inactive. The chickenpox virus then "hibernates".

Shingles occurs in people who have had chickenpox. It is a reactivation of the dormant virus and often occurs many years after the initial chicken pox infection.

When the virus is reactivated, it travels via the nerve paths to the skin. It is not known what factors trigger a reactivation of the virus. Some health websites indicate the virus can be triggered by immune-suppressing medicines, emotional stress, with another illness (such as cancer), or after major surgery. One site mentions that advancing age and chronic use of cortisone-type drugs may trigger shingles. Also, shingles can be a sign of immunodeficiency, caused by HIV or chemotherapy, for example.

"In most cases, however, a cause for the reactivation of the virus is never found. The herpes virus that causes shingles and chicken pox is not the same as the herpes virus that causes genital herpes (which can be sexually transmitted) and herpes mouth sores. Shingles is medically termed Herpes zoster," according to MedicineNet.

What are the signs for shingles?

The first sign of shingles is often burning, sharp pain, tingling, or numbness in or under your skin on one side of your body or face. The most common site is the back or upper abdomen. You may have severe itching or aching. You also may feel tired and ill with fever, chills, headache, and upset stomach.

Before a rash is visible, you may notice several days to a week of burning pain and sensitive skin. Shingles start as small blisters on a red base, with new blisters continuing to form for 3-5 days. The blisters follow the path of individual nerves that comes out of the spinal cord (called dermatomal pattern). The entire path of the nerve may be involved or there may be areas with blisters and areas without blisters. Generally, only one nerve level is involved. In a rare case, more than one nerve will be involved. Eventually, the blisters pop and the area starts to ooze. The area will then crust over and heal. The whole process may take 3-4 weeks from start to finish. On occasion, the pain will be present but the blisters may never appear.

Shingles is contagious and may itself cause chickenpox in people who have never had it, as long as there are new blisters forming and old blisters healing. However, contact with a person with shingles or chickenpox cannot cause shingles. Shingles is not an airborne virus. It is passed by touch or via contact with fluid from the infected area.

If you think you have shingles, see your health care professional and avoid contact with infants, children, pregnant women, and adults who have never had chickenpox or the chickenpox shot until your blisters are completely dry.

Generally, shingles heal well and problems are few. However, on occasion, the blisters can become infected with a bacteria causing cellulitis, a bacterial infection of the skin. If this occurs, the area will become reddened, warm, firm, and tender. You might notice red streaks forming around the wound. If you notice any of these symptoms, contact your health care professional.

A more worrisome complication occurs when shingles affect the face, specifically the forehead and nose. In these cases, it is possible, although not likely, that shingles can affect the eye leading to loss of vision. If you have shingles on your forehead or nose, your eyes should be evaluated by a health care professional.

The most common complication of shingles is postherpetic neuralgia. This occurs when the pain associated with shingles persists beyond one month, even after the rash is gone. It is a result of irritation of the nerves of sensation by the virus. The pain can be severe and debilitating and occurs primarily in persons over the age of 50.

I've heard some therapeutic grade essential oils are quite effective for dealing with the pain and discomfort of shingles (contact me for info and a high quality scource) and of course, your health care professional will be able to provide you with medications should you require them.


Sources:

University of Michigan Health System - Shingles (Herpes Zoster)
Children's Health And Wellness - Zoster(Shingles) And Chicken Pox
MedicineNet - Shingles (Herpes Zoster)
Yahoo! Health - Varicella virus (Chickenpox) vaccine

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Author: K. Myers (aka kmyers001)
Click Here To Visit Website

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What Is Fibromyalgia?

-- Posted by kmyers001 on Friday, August 12 2005

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a term given to musculoskeletal pain experienced in the body’s soft, fibrous tissues. Its cause is unknown, and the pain is often accompanied by other symptoms including fatigue, sleep disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches and others.

It is the second most common rheumatologic disorder in industrialized countries behind osteoarthritis, affecting more than 1.3 percent of Americans (3.7 million people).

Yes, there are things you should be adding to your diet and some things you should be avoiding if you have been diagnosed with FM.

And no, we don't offer medical advice on this website.

But yes, we do want to help.

Your first step, talk to your doctor or licensed health care professional. If he or she is not well versed in FM to provide you with dietary advice in addition to medical advice, find one who can.

Also, if you would like to know what some of our customers who suffer with FM have written to us regarding positive results they have received using some of our products, contact us. We'll be happy to share what information we have available on the subject.

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Author: K. Myers (aka kmyers001)
Click Here To Visit Website

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Pepsi Is A Good Example Of BAD Marketing TASTE

-- Posted by kmyers001 on Friday, August 12 2005

PepsiCo is changing the labeling on two of its fruit-flavored Tropicana beverages to reflect the fact that they actually contain little or no fruit juice.

Despite being labeled as "made with real fruit juice", Tropicana Peach Papaya actually contains no peach or papaya juice, and only a small amount of pear juice from concentrate. Similarly, Tropicana Strawberry Melon contains no strawberry juice or melon juice.

From now forward, both drinks will carry the statement: "flavored juice drink/from concentrate with other natural flavors".... still not very clear to the consumer in my humble opinion.

Existing stock carrying the old labels will not be withdrawn from sale, but the new wording is being implemented immediately and should appear on all products for sale from January 2006.

What really disturbs me is that they will still feature pictures of the fruits on their packaging.

The decision to change the labeling comes as part of a settlement in a lawsuit filed by attorneys on behalf of a consumer in New Jersey. Food industry watchdog the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) joined the case this year.

"There are important differences between real fruit juice on the one hand, and sodas and fruit-flavored drinks on the other," said Stephen Gardner, litigation director for CSPI. "Tropicana Peach Papaya and Tropicana Strawberry Melon simply are not 100 percent juice, and this settlement will help make that more clear."

Pepsi-Cola North America's director of juice and juice drinks, Danielle Vona, said: "We're open to listening to legitimate concerns and this seemed like a reasonable concern. We want to take every opportunity we can to provide consumers with nutrition information about our products."

Then, my question is... why did it take a lawsuit before this change was acted upon?

They're not the only food or beverage GIANT out there misleading the public with their labels, implying things that just aren't true. Stay tuned to BLV Health Watch and you will see what I mean. (and that's a super strong hint of things to come at Best Liquid Vitamins)

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Author: K. Myers (aka kmyers001)
Click Here To Visit Website

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Lung Infections And Popcorn Flavorings

-- Posted by kmyers001 on Friday, August 12 2005

I just read this article. Thought it should be passed on to our readers here at BLV Health Watch:



Popcorn flavorings linked to lung infections

8/10/2005 - Staff exposed to flavoring agents in microwave popcorn plants are more likely to develop airway inflammation, according to a new US government study.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which began studying the phenomenon in 2000 when workers at a microwave popcorn packaging plant began complaining of bronchiolitis obliterans, provide further evidence to support the contention that exposure to flavoring agents in popcorn production presents an occupational hazard.
"Results of the health hazard evaluations to date suggest that adverse effects may result from occupational inhalation exposures to high, airborne concentrations of some flavourings or their ingredients in the form of vapours, dusts, or sprays," NIOSH said in a statement.

And after completing their study of conditions at the Missouri plant, investigators have concluded that workers exposed to chemicals given off by flavor additives being mixed into the popcorn had a higher chance of falling ill.

Experts diagnosed severe lung illnesses in eight workers. These people had no other risk factors for lung disease, but became severely ill with respiratory illness.

The findings have worrying implications for flavor businesses. Last year for example, jurors decided that IFF and its subsidiary, Bush Boake Allen, should pay $20 million in damages after a US popcorn factory worker sustained harm to his lungs from mixing flavouring oils.

The company then narrowly avoided a hefty payout later in the year after a jury ruled against four popcorn factory employees who claimed a butter flavoring caused harmful lung injuries.

IFF, the second largest flavor firm in the world, faced potentially massive charges following a string of charges from 30 plaintiffs claiming they had contracted the lung disease bronchiolitis obliterans, the widespread obstruction of the small airways, from mixing flavoring oils.

Butter flavoring oils are also big business in the US. The market is tipped to hit $4.4 billion (€3.4bn) by 2007, with products used in biscuit and confectionery manufacturing as well as margarines and soft spreads.

But in January this year, NIOSH recommended that employers should take measures to limit employees ‘occupational respiratory exposures to food flavorings and flavoring ingredients in workplaces where flavorings are made or used’. And the recent NIOSH study on the Missouri factory goes even further.

Reporting in the journal Chest, the team concluded that the Missouri factory workers exposed to flavoring agents were nearly four times more likely to develop airway inflammation, a sign people were breathing in harmful agents.

Source: FoodNavigatorUSA

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Author: K. Myers (aka kmyers001)
Click Here To Visit Website

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UK Catches The Functional Beverages Wave

-- Posted by kmyers001 on Friday, August 12 2005

Fruit juice sales are currently soaring in the UK, and over the past two years alone, sales of chilled, high quality and natural juice have increased by a staggering 60 per cent to some £768 million (€1.1bn), according to Mintel.

We just returned from the FreeLife Convention held last week in Irvine, California with the great news that we will soon be able to bring Himalayan Goji Juice to all our European friends.

This will appeal to the increasingly health-conscious British consumer, who views fruit juice as a healthier alternative to coffee and fizzy drinks.

When you learn about the power of the tiny goji berry (aka lycium barbarum), you will definitely see why this juice is a category creator all its own. Its remarkable "adaptogen" abilities appear to come from the 4 unique polysaccharides not found in any other fruit or vegetable on our planet (LBP1, LBP2, LBP3 and LBP4). The longer you drink Goji Juice, the more positive health changes you will notice... and the compounding effects over time have been absolutely stunning for thousands of people around the world.

In fact, Dr. Mindell, who just returned from the annual Goji Berry Festival held in China, was extremely excited about the latest clinical studies that have been completed. He calls this berry his most powerful discovery in health and nutrition ever, and time is proving him right once again. After 40+ years working in natural health sciences and with more than 50 published books to his credit on the subject of health and wellness, he knows the value this tiny berry brings to us better than anyone else.

We've been drinking Dr. Mindell's Goji Juice everyday for more than 14 months now, and I can tell you we've seen some phenomenal results in our own health. Contact us at Best Liquid Vitamins and as us to "Share The Secret" of what Goji Juice has changed in our health over time. It will surprise you!

The main secret is --- KEEP DRINKING IT --- just 2 to 3 ounces a day, everyday, could DRAMATICALLY change your health, and your future looks, health and mood! I'm speaking from personal experience here!

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Author: K. Myers (aka kmyers001)
Click Here To Visit Website

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Vitamin Enriched, Fortified With..., Do They Really Work?

-- Posted by kmyers001 on Friday, August 12 2005

Coca-Cola could face a legal challenge from arch-rival Pepsi if it succeeds in launching a new vitamin-enriched soft drink on the UK market, or at least that's the word I heard from NutraIngredients. Fortifying foods and drinks has become highly fashionable throughout the food industry in recent months... with many more products on the way.

My question is: if it isn't naturally found in a whole food, does it really work?

The answer: in some cases, yes ...in some cases no.

Not the best answer, I know. But then again, there really is no perfect answer to the confusing array of enriched and fortified products out there all "claiming" to help boost your health, or lose weight, or get more energy, or...

Well, I'm sure you get the picture.

The bottom line in my humble opinion is this: if you have the choice between a synthetic (read man-made) additive, or the whole food natural alternative ...choose the whole food option. Here's why.

For one thing, science is still playing "catch-up" analyzing all the different polysaccharides found in fruits, vegetables and the juices from each. There are way too many not yet identified and categorized, many of which could be incredibly important to the effectiveness of the known polysaccharides in each, make sense?

Example - Calcium was thought to be a major benefit to healthy bones and teeth, but only recently was it found that certain types of Vitamin D makes calcium supplements (read Calcium fortified or enriched products, too) more effective, and depending on what the calcium supplement is being taken for and what type of calcium supplement is used, magnesium may be a major benefit as well (such as for bone density).

Some additives may be totally useless when added to some products --- so you pay the higher price and receive little or no benefit.

I'll be bringing you more on this subject in future. Stay tuned!

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Author: K. Myers (aka kmyers001)
Click Here To Visit Website

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When Science and Business Clash, Ethics Must Rule

-- Posted by kmyers001 on Wednesday, August 3 2005

Former Metabolife chief executive Richard Ellis now awaits sentencing following his conviction for fraud in his safety claims for herbal extract ephedra. Vitamin E producers are reporting sales dives as great as 40 per cent on the back of consumers’ safety concerns about high doses of the supplement. And just last week, lutein makers, too, began grappling with the findings of one unexpectedly unwelcome study, according to a recent article at BeverageDaily.

If people consuming a lot of beta-carotene suffer fewer heart attacks, is it actually the beta-carotene that are delivering the heart bonus? Or something else, that is often present alongside beta-carotene?

Do you really get the same results for a synthetic Vitamin C as you would from say... eating an orange, or from drinking the whole unpasteurized juice from the extremely high Vitamin C goji berry?

In nutrition we rarely yet have insight into the precise mechanism through which a nutrient delivers a health benefit. In some cases, isolating one single nutrient from a whole fruit or vegetable may not be as beneficial as originally thought. So our chief way forwards is by testing over and over for correlations, with different populations, in different circumstances, to build a body of evidence.

Those with strong scientific understanding appreciate that science is not the body of perfect knowledge that it is often viewed as by outsiders. It hypothesizes, tests, and re-hypothesizes, in an endless circling in on the fullest picture.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... one single clinical study doesn't necessarily mean "absolute proof" exists.

In fact, if one were to see the results of many studies completed, one might find the following recommendation popping up quite a bit: "further study recommended."

Even the tiny goji berry is still under very serious study --- an entire research center in China is actively studying every little bit they can learn about this powerful fruit. With 63 astonishing health benefits already confirmed thus far, there are still many many more studies underway.

What's interesting to note is how many studies confirm findings from earlier less intense studies.

This is not always the case in other nutrition scientific studies.

Sadly, consumers often choose the nutrients they purchase basing their decisions on normally grossly simplified science, brought to them as commercial marketing, or by a media with an eye on word-count, accessibility and drama.

The latest ORAC rating system is one example of some pretty lousy science, in my humble opinion. Many manufacturers are racing to get their latest and greatest product the highest ORAC rating they can. The misguided public gets fed the rating, often believing this makes the product/s powerful in the antioxidant realm. Sadly, owing to lack of information and education about this poor measure of antioxidants in a substance, these ratings will most likely cause a great many consumers to be innocently fleeced.

Even worse, the way many manufacturers and distributors report their ORAC rating in many cases without even mentioning the unit of measure their score relates to ...well, that's positively unethical, in my humble opinion.

For manufacturers, here are the advantages of the ORAC assay:

-- the test score will reflect the antioxidant activity of any and all antioxidants in the liquid, whether they are known or unknown, named or unnamed.
-- the ORAC assay does not bother to try to measure presence or absence of individual antioxidants (a task which is difficult and very expensive), but rather, it measures total antioxidant reactivity (against only one type of oxidative radical known as the peroxyl radical) of any and all substances present in the liquid, whether known or unknown, and even those as yet unknown to, and unnamed by, modern science.
-- the ORAC assay is not particularly expensive, and often costs well under $400.
-- the test is quick and simple
-- the assay is offered by a number of commercial independent testing laboratories in the USA and around the world
-- the turnaround time on a test is quick, on the order of a week or less
-- as with any "single-score" "total antioxidant" measure, the score is seductive, because it allows a vendor to offer a single score on their label (or on their website) which purports to state the minimum antioxidant-power value per gram (or per 100 grams or per liter) of a food or nutritonal supplement product. This is obviously simple, clean, clear and neat, or at least it appears so at first glance.....

However, there are some marked drawbacks to the ORAC score.

The disadvantages of using the ORAC score, or at least in relying too much upon it, are several, beginning with the #1 reason, as follows...

The #1 Disadvantage of Using the ORAC Score

Despite the fact that it is sometimes touted as a "Total Antioxidatve Power" score, the ORAC assay can only measure one particular type of antioxidative activity, namely the ability of antioxidants to quench or neutralize only one specific type of oxidizing free radical (aka “reactive oxygen species”, or ROS) known as the peroxy (e.g., as found in peroxide) radical. Thus, the ORAC score offers only a partial picture of the true antioxidant power of an antioxidant or mixture of antioxidants, since some will have little or no activity against peroxides but great quenching activity against other oxidizing free radical species commonly found in the body such as superoxides, triplet oxygen, singlet oxygen, the hydroxyl or nitroxy radicals, and others. Indeed, some highly powerful and effective antioxidants show no activity at all against peroxide radicals (in other words, they are not peroxide-specific), but show great activity against other types of oxidant free radicals, and such antioxidants would score extremely poorly on an ORAC assay.

Two excellent examples of such antioxidants (and in reality there are plenty more) are:

1) The carotenoid family of antioxidants, which includes beta carotene, lycopene, canthaxanthxin and zeaxanthin, among others, and which are found extensively in strongly-colored fruits and vegetables, and in some shellfish. Most carotenoids show little activity against the peroxy radical.

2) The simple hydride family of antioxidants, also known as the negative hydrogen ion, or hydride ion, and also known as active hydrogen, which is a primitive and primeval hydrogen antioxidant which existed on earth even before life evolved, and which may be found in fresh raw fruits and vegetables, raw meats, and in some natural and unprocessed sources of water (such as some deep wells, some high-altitude mountain wells, and glacial runoff water.) The hydride antioxidant may also be found in so-called “alkaline ionized water” (more accurately described as “electrolyzed reduced water” or ERW) produced by commercial countertop devices known as water ionizers, and also in some nutritional supplements, which give only a very modest score on the ORAC assay.

Most of the members of the two antioxidant families cited above show little or no antioxidant activity against peroxide radicals, but show strong antioxidant activity against other oxidizing free radicals, including singlet oxygen and the superoxide radical.

Sidenote: some later off-shoots of the ORAC Assay (such as ORACHO) also look at one additional oxidant radical, the hydroxyl radical, as well, but this hardly solves the deficiency which has been briefly addressed here.

Have you noticed... we're one of the few companies NOT playing the ORAC marketing game? For good reason. When a scientific test that is this high for being potentially misleading, it would not be ethical (in my humble opinion) to wave the ORAC banner... at least, not until a considerable amount of scientific advances are made to render it more useful, make sense?

I hope so. Because there are many many more reasons you should NOT rely on the ORAC score ...and I'll be bringing those reasons to you here at Best Liquid Vitamins in a very special feature article coming at the end of August.

Stay tuned. Stay healthy... and whenever possible, stay informed.

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Author: K. Myers (aka kmyers001)
Click Here To Visit Website

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Better Nutrition In Schools On The Way?

-- Posted by kmyers001 on Wednesday, August 3 2005

It appears pro-nutrition lobbyists are having some affect on the USA school system...

Here is a copy of a recent article from BeverageDaily.com:

Coca-Cola, Pepsi and the rest of the soft drinks industry are considering a voluntary ban on carbonated soft drinks in elementary and middle schools following heavy lobbying from health campaigners.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Coca Cola is giving the proposal “serious consideration.”

This perceived change of heart comes after intense lobbying from health groups to kick out soft drinks and junk food from schools in America as a means of fighting the obesity epidemic.

The issue has become front page news: 38 states considered school nutrition bills last year, most of which included a vending machine component. At least 14 laws have now been enacted.

In Louisiana, for instance, the governor supported a bill that would ban carbonated soft drinks in all schools, but lobbyists representing Coke and Pepsi successfully negotiated a compromise.

And in Connecticut, the governor recently vetoed a nutrition bill that would have outlawed soft drinks and junk food in schools. Governor Jodi Rell, who had the final say, decided to throw the bill out.

State Senate president Pro Tem Donald Williams, who sponsored the legislation, estimated that soft drink and vending companies spent more than $250,000 lobbying against the bill out of concern that it would set a national precedent.

Such decisions have angered nutritionalists, who argue that banning soft drinks from schools is a vital measure to improve the diet of American adolescents.

"Hardly any kids are getting enough calcium, vitamins, fiber, vegetables, or fruit,” said Lucy Nolan, executive director of pressure group End Hunger Connecticut!. “The more soda you drink, the less of those you get.

“If school systems spent half as much time trying to get more fruits and vegetables into schools as they did trying to keep soda contracts, our kids would be much better off."

The latest state to attempt to ban soft drinks from schools is California. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is pushing ahead with legislation that would extend the ban on soft drinks in elementary schools to high schools.

“California's children are facing an obesity epidemic,” he said.

“ We need to get parents, teachers, children, schools and our state on the same page to meet this challenge head on. The Healthy Schools Now Act will improve school nutrition by removing junk food and sodas from our public schools.”

He has urged lawmakers to pass SB395, which would only allow high schools to sell soda 30 minutes before and after the school day. During the day, schools would could sell water, milk, drinks that are at least 50 percent fruit juice with no added sweeteners, and sport drinks designed to replace electrolytes.

As with other states, California is facing an epidemic. Californians have gained 360 million pounds in the last 10 years. More than half of the state's adults are overweight or obese and more than a quarter of California's students are overweight, placing California's rate of childhood obesity higher than the national average.

It is against this background that the soft drinks industry is considering passing the voluntary ban. Such a measure would avoid states legislatures passing stricter comprehensive bans, and shows that the industry is taking the obesity issue seriously.

It would also come one year after Canada's beverage industry put in place a ban on carbonated soft drinks in elementary and middle schools.

In any case, this is a principled position that the industry can afford to take. The industry already has a general practice of not selling carbonated soft drinks to students in elementary schools.

In addition, school sales don't represent significant revenue for beverage companies. For Coke, schools make up less than 1 percent of sales in North America.

Stay tuned... I'm sure this subject is not over yet.

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Author: K. Myers (aka kmyers001)
Click Here To Visit Website

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