Natural Health Education and Home Business Facts Free Online Ezine

A free online Ezine aka newsletter Here to Inform and Help You Become Healthier and Happier while Achieving Quality with Longevity! The sometimes controversial healthy alternatives versus traditional medicine also pro's and con's of both. Covering all health topics.
If you received the publish notice forwarded by a friend or family member you can get your own notice for each edition simply Click To Subscribe by email

This Ezine is available by subscription only and subscriber requests are kept on file!

============================
=> IN THIS ISSUE!
============================

==> Editors' Ranting & or Warnings
==> Something To Think About
==> Thought for the day!
==> Showcase Health Spotlight
==> Monthly Spotlight Ads
==> Today's Health Tip
==> Health Today
==> Environmental Report
==> Life Changing Information

Around our household it is very busy these days. Grandkids coming for vacation, preparing our 2.5 acres for downsizing and gardening, all making it harder to get out the ezine.

So many studies have come out in the last few months linking Vitamin D insufficiency to so many illnesses I thought you would like to know as many as possible! I like the fact that taking Vitamin D will prevent flu, doing away with the need for a flu shot!

An interesting but healthy food this week! Turtle beans, you will have to check it out to find out what kind of beans!

If you have a Question or comment (good or not so good) Click Here
Lena

Health Facts 2009 and past, archives Click Here
Ask Lena Health Q & A Archives Click Here
Home Business Informational Archives Click Here

==================================
Something To Think About
============================

In a study published in Gut, a British Medical Journal title, Austrian scientists found that feeding the compound curcumin to mice reduced the types of inflammation that can cause liver cell damage, blockage and scarring.

Previous research has suggested that curcumin, which gives turmeric its bright yellow color, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which may be helpful in fighting disease.

Some studies have indicated it can suppress cancer tumors and that people who eat lots of curry may be less prone to the disease, although curcumin loses its anti-cancer attributes quickly when it is ingested with a healthy digestive system the benefits are there. To get quality organic Curcumin go to Herbal Pharmacy Link by clicking here!

Proven Fact Of Marketing!
Takes a minimum of seven times readings an ad before the normal buyer will take advantage of your offer... GET THAT ADVANTAGE HERE! Spotlight your product or service here! Ad Information Click Here

Is there anything that Vitamin D-3 can't do???
I am urging everyone I know to load up on vitamin D-3.

In this latest study, just published in Nutrition Research, blockbuster confirmation of the benefits of adding it to your daily regimen.

"Low levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of dying from all causes by 150 percent, suggests a study with over 700 elderly women."

Women with blood levels of the vitamin lower than 15.3 nanograms per millilitre were more likely to die from causes such as heart disease and cancer, than women with higher levels (above 27 ng/ml), according to findings published in Nutrition Research.

“The present findings from this population-based cohort of ageing are consistent with the association between low serum 25(OH)D and mortality that has been described in the general population," wrote the researchers, led by Richard Semba from the Johns Hopkins University.

“In addition, a recent meta-analysis suggested that vitamin D supplementation was associated with decreased mortality,” they added.
Source: Nutrition Research
Volume 29, 525-530 Click here to read the full report.

Get your HIGH POTENCY VITAMIN D-3 Supplement online and save money while lengthening your life! CLICK HERE
Or Call toll free number within the U.S.A. 9am to 9pm MST 866-605-0420<>

If you are cooking, bathing/showering, drinking unfiltered city water you can expect to become Ill sooner or later!
WATER SHOULD BE HEALTHY BUT IS IT? Read about it Click Here

Get Clean Purified Water In Your Home/Apartment/RV at pennies a gallon!
If you're tired of lugging cases of expensive bottled water home, and you want to save money, here is a link to do that for you.

You'll also learn about the Water Filter and fill your own bottles, the handiest and safest way to have clean water no matter where you go. It's the best solution I've found, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.
(7/28/2010)

Popular anticonvulsant drugs raise suicide risks
By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO, April 13 (Reuters) - Widely used anticonvulsant drugs, including Pfizer's (PFE.N) Neurontin and Novartis' (NOVN.VX) Trileptal, may increase the risk of suicide, attempted suicide and violent death in patients taking them for the first time, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

Compared with Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N) generic epilepsy drug topiramate or Topamax, the team found an increased risk for suicide in new users of Neurontin, sold generically as gabapentin, GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK.L) Lamictal or lamotrigine, Novartis' Trileptal or oxcarbazepine and Cephalon's (CEPH.O) Gabitril or tiagabine.

In one analysis, the team also found an increased risk of suicide with the drug valproate sold by Sanofi-Aventis (SASY.PA) as Epilim and as Depakine in the United States by Abbott Laboratories Inc (ABT.N).

In 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration required that all drugs in the anticonvulsant class carry a warning that they double the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, based on a so-called meta-analysis of nearly 200 clinical trials.

But the analysis was not large enough to show which drugs in the class were risky. And they are prescribed for a range of conditions.

"We all know the range of uses of these medications is very, very wide," said Dr. Elisabetta Patorno of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, whose study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Anticonvulsant drugs are chiefly used for patients with epilepsy, but the drugs have been aggressively promoted, in some cases for conditions they are not approved to treat, such as bipolar disorder, pain and migraine headaches.

While doctors are free to prescribe medicines as they see fit, drugmakers are only allowed to promote them for uses approved by the FDA.

RISK PRECEDES BENEFIT

Last month, a Boston jury found Pfizer guilty of improperly marketing Neurontin. And in January, Novartis (NOVN.VX) said it would plead guilty to violating U.S. laws relating to potential off-label marketing and promotion of Trileptal.

To study the risks of suicidal thoughts and acts, Patorno and colleagues analyzed prescription and clinical data on nearly 300,000 patients 15 and older who had been given an anticonvulsant drug for the first time between July 2001 and December 2006.

"We found increased risk for suicidal acts beginning within the first 14 days after treatment initiation, opening the possibility that anticonvulsant medications could induce behavioral effects prior to the achievement of their full therapeutic effectiveness," Patorno and colleagues wrote.

The study identified 827 suicidal acts, including 801 attempted suicides and 26 completed suicides. They also found an additional 41 violent deaths.

They said compared with topiramate, the risk of suicidal acts was higher in those who took gabapentin, lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, tiagabine and valproate.

Among these, the risks were "pretty much even," Patorno said in a telephone interview. "It's not easy to draw conclusions about which one is the most risky," she said.

Patorno said patients should continue taking their medications, but the findings do suggest that patients need to be watched carefully, and doctors need to consider whether the benefits of the drug outweigh the risks, particularly when given for an unapproved use.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^
FOOD OF THE WEEK
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^

Turtle beans, black turtle beans, black Spanish beans, Tampico beans, and Venezuelan beans AKA lack Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)!

Legumes of all kinds are great foods and should be eaten at least twice a week for greater health.

We like Cajun black beans and rice but there are so many ways of eating them and getting nutrients necessary for health! Since I am making today's recipe I thought it would be good to give you the information on black beans.

The darker the bean the more the antioxidant content. Out of all the bean family black beans win in the most nutrients department.

Black beans are an amazing healthy food! One-half cup of cooked black beans has as many antioxidants as two glasses of red wine. Not only that but they are packed with fiber and folate, which are touted to be great at reducing the risk of heart disease. Black beans, as all dried beans, are also good sources of starches, fiber, B vitamins, iron, zinc, phosphorus, complex carbohydrates and calcium. About half of the calcium is lost during cooking. High percentages of the other nutrients remain however, even after cooking.

All legumes are high in protein, and black beans are no exception. Dried beans are important sources of protein in vegetarian diets, and in areas where animal protein is scarce or expensive. However, this protein is incomplete (does not contain all 9 amino acids), so grains (which provide the missing amino acids) must also be a significant part of the strictly vegetarian diet. In the areas where common beans originated (Central America and southern Mexico) corn supplied the missing amino acids, and squash was an additional source of vitamins but most commonly eaten with black beans in our family is brown rice!

Before cooking, be sure to carefully pick through beans, picking out any small pebbles, split and withered beans and any other foreign matter. (Beans from the Rockies and Pacific coast tend to have more adobe, bits of clay, and stones). It is also helpful to cover the beans with cold water, let sit for 5 minutes and remove anything that floats. Repeat to be sure all dirt and foreign matter is removed. Drain and ready to cook

Here is one summer dish and a great way of eating black beans.

Black Bean, Quinoa & Avocado Summer Salad
This can be refrigerated and stored for several days!

1 cup carrot juice
1 cup water
1/2 teasp. Thyme
1/2 teasp. Sea salt
1/8 teasp. Ground Cayenne pepper
1/2 cup Quinoa
3 Tablespoons Lime or Lemon Juice (I prefer lime)
1 Tablespoon Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 cup cooked black beans or a 9 oz can, rinsed and drained
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced avocado

Combine carrot juice, thyme, sea salt and cayenne in a saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat; add quinoa and reduce to a slow simmer. Cover with lid and simmer until cooked, approx. 12 to 15 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

While Quinoa is cooling whisk lime/lemon juice and oil in a large bowl. Add quinoa when cooked and any remaining liquid. Toss to coat all.
Add beans, tomatoes and avocado, toss to mix well. Serve on a lettuce leaf as a side salad or main course. I like to add two or three sliced Mandarin Oranges per person, for a change now and then.

Black beans should be cooked ahead of time or if you want to save time use canned. I prefer fresh so I cook them the day before and save 1/2 cup for salad! We like black beans and rice so it works for me.

Enjoy your great food,
Lena

NOTE: Sadly food alone cannot yield all the necessary healthy nutrients - especially balance of minerals - as they did in centuries past. Because of the lack of nutrients in our soils and the pollutants added in the form of air pollution, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers in regular farming and raising of fruits and vegetable, important nutrients are almost nonexistent (organic foods grown without the chemicals have 40% to 90% more nutrients) and we know the body is not capable of producing minerals with even the healthiest of diets, as it can vitamins, and must be obtained from our foods or daily supplemented... Click Here to understand why minerals are so important to your body's health!

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^
HEALTH TODAY
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Study Shows Elderly People With Higher Vitamin D Levels Performed Better on Mental Tests
By Charlene Laino

April 16, 2010 (Toronto) -- Two new studies add to evidence that older people with low levels of vitamin D may be more likely to suffer from cognitive impairment.

The hope is that vitamin D supplements may be able to slow mental decline -- an intervention that one research team plans to put to the test this summer.

Vitamin D is best known for helping the body absorb calcium, which restores and strengthens bone, protecting against fracture.

But vitamin D also seems to have anti-inflammatory effects that may help keep blood vessels healthy, ensuring nutrient- and oxygen-rich blood flow to brain cells, says Amie Peterson, MD, of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.

In addition, the presence of vitamin D receptors throughout the brain suggests that it may directly affect brain tissue, she tells WebMD.

Can Supplements Help You Reach Your Health Goals?

Testing Cognitive Impairment

Still, whether vitamin D has a role in memory and cognition is unclear at this point, Peterson says, and studies have had conflicting results.

To help answer the question, Peterson and colleagues studied about 150 people aged 70 and older living on their own. Their average age was 85, and about three-fourths were women.

Participants' vitamin D levels ranged from 9 to 90 nanograms per milliliter of blood. Levels of 30 or higher are considered normal, according to Peterson.

All participants were given a standard 30-point test that is used to screen for cognitive impairment.

Results showed that the lower their score on the test, the lower their vitamin D levels.

The average vitamin D level was 42.8 for the 42 participants with a perfect score of 30 on the test; 36.7 for the 89 participants who scored between 27 and 29 ("still normal but lower," says Peterson), and 34.8 for the 21 people with scores of 22 to 26 ("mild cognitive impairment").

The study also showed that lower vitamin D levels were associated with a greater risk of falling.

This summer, Peterson and colleagues plan to embark on a study of people with Parkinson's disease to look at the effect of vitamin D supplementation on cognition, balance, and gait. Still to be tested is whether the intervention will help older people who are otherwise healthy.

Vitamin D Deficiency Common in Elderly

The second study involved 752 women, aged 75 and older, in France.

A total of 129 of the women had vitamin D levels that were below 10 nanograms per milliliter, suggesting vitamin D deficiency, which is common among older women, says C?ric Annweiler, MD, of Angers University Hospital.

Compared to women with higher vitamin D levels, those with levels below 10 were about twice as likely to have cognitive impairment, as measured by a standard test of cognitive skills, he tells WebMD.

The researchers plan to follow the women for seven years to see whether those with low vitamin D levels are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease or other dementia, Annweiler says.

Studies like that are needed to answer the question of which comes first: vitamin D deficiency or cognitive impairment, says David Knopman, MD, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., who was not involved with the new work.

"People with dementia or cognitive impairment tend to become socially isolated and less physically active, so they're less likely to get outside" to get the benefits of the sun's vitamin-D-producing ultraviolet light, he tells WebMD.

The studies were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

To read more about how Vitamin D is linked to obesity, hypertension, heart disease, depression diabetes, organ transplant failure among other illness and disease go to D The Surprise Link

German Magazine Reveals Drug Companies' Influence to Engineer Swine Flu Fake Pandemic

When the swine flu first emerged, World Health Organization officials estimated that between 2 and 7.4 million could die. The panic that ensued mounted worldwide vaccination programs while government agencies prepared for disaster.

But as the world now knows, swine flu was actually relatively harmless - and the deadly "pandemic" never emerged. As it turns out, those who suspected a greed - and money-driven conspiracy was at play may have been right all along.

As the German magazine Der Spiegel reports, the swine flu pandemic of 2009 may have been engineered by the drug companies:

In mid-May, about three weeks before the swine flu was declared a pandemic, 30 senior representatives of pharmaceutical companies met with WHO Director-General Chan and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon at WHO headquarters.

The vaccine industry was mainly interested in one question: the decision to declare phase 6.

Phase 6 acted as a switch that would allow bells on the industry's cash registers to ring, risk-free, because many pandemic vaccine contracts had already been signed. Germany, for example, signed an agreement with the British firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in 2007 to buy its pandemic vaccine -- as soon as phase 6 was declared.?

Many jumped on the pandemic bandwagon, but not everyone was fooled. As Spiegel Online reported, Polish health minister, physician Ewa Kopacz, saw through the scam and declined to buy swine flu vaccines for the country. She asked:

?Is it my duty to sign agreements that are in the interest of Poles, or in the interest of the pharmaceutical companies?"

How Did a Mild Flu Virus H1N1 Get the Highest Warning Level Available?

The highest warning level - Phase 6 - that indicates a pandemic capable of widespread human infection.

However, in reality, the word 'pandemic' only means that a new virus is spreading across the world. It says nothing about its level of physical danger, but that was not always the case.

WHO actually changed their definition of a pandemic just one month before raising the swine flu alert level.

As Spiegel Online reported:

On the WHO Web site, the answer to the question "What is a pandemic?" included mention of "an enormous number of deaths and cases of the disease" -- until May 4, 2009. That was when a CNN reporter pointed out the discrepancy between this description and the generally mild course of the swine flu. The language was promptly removed.

So the swine flu only became a "pandemic" because the WHO decided to change the definition in May last year to make it no longer necessary for an enormous amount of people to have contracted an illness or died before a pandemic could be called.

Instead, under the new definition, it doesn't matter how many, or how few, people are affected. All a disease has to do to be labeled a pandemic is move beyond a few countries' borders.

So in mid-May 2009, just weeks before the swine flu was declared a pandemic, what do you think the 30 senior pharmaceutical company representatives wanted to discuss when they met with WHO Director-General Chan and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon at WHO headquarters?

By changing the definition, nations were compelled to implement pandemic plans and to purchase H1N1 flu vaccines - some already had existing contracts in place to do so! In the blink of an eye, this enabled drug companies to pocket billions of dollars on fast-tracked, untested vaccines.

The scare phenomenon - the scare machine - the fear mongering that took hold of much of the world last year as government officials spread panic in the form of inaccurate swine flu statistics and worst-case scenarios turned out to be a major scam.

It started to come out in late 2009 when British and French media began saying the H1N1 pandemic had been "hyped" by medical researchers to further their own cause, boost research grants and line the pockets of drug companies.

Ontario health officials also declared H1N1 a "dud" pandemic, stating the huge government investment made so far may have been unjustified. And a study by researchers at Harvard University and the Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit in the U.K. also found that the ?pandemic? was never a cause for alarm.

After analyzing H1N1 deaths in the United States in the spring, then projecting outcomes for this past fall, they found the fu season should have been no different than a typical flu season -- and possibly even milder than average!

A Faked Pandemic!

On January 4, 2010 14 members from 10 countries in the Council of Europe stunned the world by calling H1N1 a FAKED pandemic!

In a motion asking the council to investigate the declaration of H1N1 as a pandemic, these members accused pharmaceutical companies of faking the pandemic and farming it out to the world, so they could fill their pockets with the proceeds:

"In order to promote their patented drugs and vaccines against flu, pharmaceutical companies have influenced scientists and official agencies, responsible for public health standards, to alarm governments worldwide.

They have made them squander tight health care resources for inefficient vaccine strategies and needlessly exposed millions of healthy people to the risk of unknown side-effects of insufficiently tested vaccines."

The motion, spear-headed by Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg, chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), goes on to say:

"The "bird-flu"-campaign (2005/06) combined with the "swine-flu" -campaign seem to have caused a great deal of damage not only to some vaccinated patients and to public health budgets, but also to the credibility and accountability of important international health agencies. The definition of an alarming pandemic must not be under the influence of drug-sellers.

The member states of the Council of Europe should ask for immediate investigations on the consequences at national as well as European level."

In the United States, we should be doing the same thing, by demanding a call to action for complete, detailed accountings from the CDC, the FDA, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and all health agencies and academic researchers and scientists who have stakes in any drug that is mass-marketed.

At the very least, this swine flu fiasco will likely make many Americans think twice before standing in line for an experimental vaccine against a very mild disease.

As for how it will impact the workings of the public health agencies - well, that remains to be seen. As it stands, as of April 9, 2010 the U.S. CDC is STILL recommending Americans get vaccinated for 2009 H1N1.

Outrageous, yes, but true nonetheless.

LENA'S COMMENT: I've seen the news and read many newspapers and they have started the same scare tactics for the 2010 season. Probably because they got stuck with millions of doses left over from most of us not buying into their tactics. Are they to be believed this year? I don't think so but it's up to you to decide what you believe!

=======================================
Antibiotic Alternatives Naturals has not asked the FDA to evaluate statements made here nor do we ask that you use our judgment for yours when it comes to treating your illness or disease we are here to give you information and alternatives!
======================================

* FREE Health, Business & Motivational Articles for Your Ezine -
CLICK HERE
======================================
We have accepted all advertisements in good faith, but the advertisers are completely responsible for the content and accuracy of their advertisements. We do not give any warranties and accept no responsibility. The editor and publisher suggest that you exercise due diligence and check out all claims!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Remember! We stand behind all our Health Products with a 30 day Money-Back Satisfaction Guarantee! Some conditions apply! Check with company before returning product!