Aspartame is sold under the brand names Nutra-Sweet and Equal and is found in such popular products as Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Diet Snapple and Sugar Free Kool-Aid. Hundreds of millions of people consume it worldwide.
Dr. Soffritti's seven-year study on aspartame concluded that aspartame may cause the dreaded "c" word: cancer.
The research found that the sweetener was associated with unusually high rates of lymphomas, leukemias and other cancers in rats that had been given doses of it starting at what would be equivalent to four to five 20-ounce bottles of diet soda a day for a 150-pound person. The study, which involved 1,900 laboratory rats and cost $1 million, was conducted at the European Ramazzini Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences, a nonprofit organization that studies cancer-causing substances; Dr. Soffritti is its scientific director.
"For a chemical that is used by hundreds of millions of people around the world, it should be absolutely safe," said Mr. Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nutrition advocacy group. "There shouldn't be a cloud of doubt."
-----------------------------
I agree with that.
Personally, I stay far from aspartame for years.
I remember a time when I put aspartame in my coffee in order to avoid calorie. I am not calorie-oriented anymore.
My new philosophy is the closest to nature, the better.
New York Times Article - February 12, 2006
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
What's in Your Organic Milk?
The USDA is supposed to require that all cows have access to pasture if their milk is labeled "organic."
But this rule is largely undefined, and as a result, major factory farmers have been selling their milk as organic when really their cows are kept in cramped feedlots - only let out to pasture when they're not producing milk.
What's worse, according to the Organic Consumers Association: “a routine practice on these giant dairy feedlots, many with thousands of cows, is to continuously import calves from conventional farms where animals have been weaned on blood, fed slaughterhouse waste and genetically engineered grains, and injected or dosed with antibiotics.”
If this is the standard which constitutes organic, why are we paying double for tainted milk?
Agribusiness is pushing to make this labeling loophole into law. Think about the precedent this would set: if milk coming from cows raised in feedlots and fed genetically modified grains can be called “organic,” what are acceptable standards for organic meat, cheese, eggs, and produce?
Sign the petition demanding higher standards for organic farming.
TAKE ACTION!
Thanks for your action today.
But this rule is largely undefined, and as a result, major factory farmers have been selling their milk as organic when really their cows are kept in cramped feedlots - only let out to pasture when they're not producing milk.
What's worse, according to the Organic Consumers Association: “a routine practice on these giant dairy feedlots, many with thousands of cows, is to continuously import calves from conventional farms where animals have been weaned on blood, fed slaughterhouse waste and genetically engineered grains, and injected or dosed with antibiotics.”
If this is the standard which constitutes organic, why are we paying double for tainted milk?
Agribusiness is pushing to make this labeling loophole into law. Think about the precedent this would set: if milk coming from cows raised in feedlots and fed genetically modified grains can be called “organic,” what are acceptable standards for organic meat, cheese, eggs, and produce?
Sign the petition demanding higher standards for organic farming.
TAKE ACTION!
Thanks for your action today.
Monday, May 15, 2006
What’s Missing in Your Life?
I loved the Oprah Show last Thursday.
The show asked women around the US: “What’s Missing in Your Life?” and the number #1 answer was “Love for Myself.”
Smoking, overeating, drinking too much, using drugs, overspending, working too much are all signs of self-hatred
They are ways to get numb.
They are distractions.
They come from a lie you told yourself as a child (or that you’ve been told).
A lie that lives in yourself.
It is time to re-write the old script. You don’t need to feel unworthy or not good enough anymore.
As a Health Counselor, I encourage you to look at those questions:
1- Are your relationships healthy and nourishing?
2- Are you creating a work that you love and are excited about?
3- Are you enjoying regular physical activity?
4- Do you have a spiritual practice that fills you, quiets your mind, relaxes your body and/or brings you a sense of peace?
What is the first step in loving yourself?
The Oprah Show said it: “It is time to re-write the old script.”
The show asked women around the US: “What’s Missing in Your Life?” and the number #1 answer was “Love for Myself.”
Smoking, overeating, drinking too much, using drugs, overspending, working too much are all signs of self-hatred
They are ways to get numb.
They are distractions.
They come from a lie you told yourself as a child (or that you’ve been told).
A lie that lives in yourself.
It is time to re-write the old script. You don’t need to feel unworthy or not good enough anymore.
As a Health Counselor, I encourage you to look at those questions:
1- Are your relationships healthy and nourishing?
2- Are you creating a work that you love and are excited about?
3- Are you enjoying regular physical activity?
4- Do you have a spiritual practice that fills you, quiets your mind, relaxes your body and/or brings you a sense of peace?
What is the first step in loving yourself?
The Oprah Show said it: “It is time to re-write the old script.”
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Prescription Drugs Under Attack
While Merck is still dealing with roughly 11,500 lawsuits over the painkiller Vioxx, other companies are bracing for lawsuits over a number of other widely used medications.
The drugs now under attack include Seroquel, an antipsychotic medicine from AstraZeneca; Ortho-Evra, a birth-control patch from Johnson & Johnson; Prempro, a hormone therapy for women from Wyeth; and Fosamax, an osteoporosis medicine made by Merck.
The drugs have combined annual sales of almost $7 billion and are used by millions of patients.
To know more on "How to end addiction and properly medicate your body without the use of Rx Drugs!", submit your name and email here.
New York Times Article - April 22, 2006
The drugs now under attack include Seroquel, an antipsychotic medicine from AstraZeneca; Ortho-Evra, a birth-control patch from Johnson & Johnson; Prempro, a hormone therapy for women from Wyeth; and Fosamax, an osteoporosis medicine made by Merck.
The drugs have combined annual sales of almost $7 billion and are used by millions of patients.
To know more on "How to end addiction and properly medicate your body without the use of Rx Drugs!", submit your name and email here.
New York Times Article - April 22, 2006
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Ginger Can Kill Ovarian Cancer
Ginger can kill ovarian cancer cells while the compound that makes peppers hot can shrink pancreatic tumors, researchers told a conference.
Their studies add to a growing body of evidence that at least some popular spices might slow or prevent the growth of cancer.
Dr. Rebecca Liu, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, and colleagues tested ginger powder dissolved in solution by putting it on ovarian cancer cell cultures. It killed the ovarian cancer cells in two different ways. First, through a self-destruction process called apoptosis and second, through the process of autophagy in which cancer cells digest themselves, the researchers told a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Ovarian cancer kills 16,000 out of the 22,000 U.S. women who are diagnosed with it every year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Ginger has been shown to help control inflammation, which can contribute to the development of ovarian cancer cells.
“In multiple ovarian cancer cell lines, we found that ginger-induced cell death at a similar or better rate than the platinum-based chemotherapy drugs typically used to treat ovarian cancer,” said Dr. Jennifer Rhode, who helped work on the study.
Ginger Mint Dressing is a great way to add ginger to your daily meal plan.
Ginger Mint Dressing:
½ cup freshly grated ginger
1 ½ cups Heart of Gold
1 ½ cups fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 cup finely chopped fresh mint
Combine ingredients and blend for 30 seconds in a blender. Add more mint or your favorite spices to taste.
Great on salads, great for tossing with steamed veggies or drizzling over fresh veggies!
Their studies add to a growing body of evidence that at least some popular spices might slow or prevent the growth of cancer.
Dr. Rebecca Liu, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, and colleagues tested ginger powder dissolved in solution by putting it on ovarian cancer cell cultures. It killed the ovarian cancer cells in two different ways. First, through a self-destruction process called apoptosis and second, through the process of autophagy in which cancer cells digest themselves, the researchers told a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Ovarian cancer kills 16,000 out of the 22,000 U.S. women who are diagnosed with it every year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Ginger has been shown to help control inflammation, which can contribute to the development of ovarian cancer cells.
“In multiple ovarian cancer cell lines, we found that ginger-induced cell death at a similar or better rate than the platinum-based chemotherapy drugs typically used to treat ovarian cancer,” said Dr. Jennifer Rhode, who helped work on the study.
Ginger Mint Dressing is a great way to add ginger to your daily meal plan.
Ginger Mint Dressing:
½ cup freshly grated ginger
1 ½ cups Heart of Gold
1 ½ cups fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 cup finely chopped fresh mint
Combine ingredients and blend for 30 seconds in a blender. Add more mint or your favorite spices to taste.
Great on salads, great for tossing with steamed veggies or drizzling over fresh veggies!
Friday, May 05, 2006
Healthy Traveling
Last week, I was on the bus in direction of Montreal from New York where I live.
The bus usually stops at Albany station where I can eat the greasiest food for my 45-minutes lunch.
It just doesn’t serve me to eat that way anymore.
I feel bloated and tired after a meal like that and it often results in constipation (to tell you the truth!).
I did this New York–Montreal bus ride so many time the last 10 years.
I now know better.
So I bought some grapes and bananas that I packed with me. I also took one bag of raw healthy snack from Wholefood Farmacy. They have the most amazing selection of raw and organic snacks.
One of my favorites (and the one I bought) is Phi Plus. It contains raw and organic ingredients including nuts, seeds, grains, fruits, vegetables, berries, herbs, oils, & spices and it tastes so good.
I also packed two big bottles of water. I couldn't move much for 8 hours, a situation that brings too much Yang – tightness, stress and tension.
Increased intake of water increases Yin – making my body light and keeping my energy expanding, re-balancing myself.
When I arrived to Montreal I was ready for a fun evening out with my girlfriends.
Even after getting up at 5:30am and traveling 8 hours by bus.
It just makes sense to me to travel light and healthy.
The bus usually stops at Albany station where I can eat the greasiest food for my 45-minutes lunch.
It just doesn’t serve me to eat that way anymore.
I feel bloated and tired after a meal like that and it often results in constipation (to tell you the truth!).
I did this New York–Montreal bus ride so many time the last 10 years.
I now know better.
So I bought some grapes and bananas that I packed with me. I also took one bag of raw healthy snack from Wholefood Farmacy. They have the most amazing selection of raw and organic snacks.
One of my favorites (and the one I bought) is Phi Plus. It contains raw and organic ingredients including nuts, seeds, grains, fruits, vegetables, berries, herbs, oils, & spices and it tastes so good.
I also packed two big bottles of water. I couldn't move much for 8 hours, a situation that brings too much Yang – tightness, stress and tension.
Increased intake of water increases Yin – making my body light and keeping my energy expanding, re-balancing myself.
When I arrived to Montreal I was ready for a fun evening out with my girlfriends.
Even after getting up at 5:30am and traveling 8 hours by bus.
It just makes sense to me to travel light and healthy.
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