The Health Plus Letter
March 3, 2009, Vol. 7, No. 7
By Larry Trivieri, Jr. – founder & publisher
http://www.1healthyworld.com
Special Steve Lazarek Issue
Table Of Contents
New This Issue
Quote of the Day
Fast Fact
Your Weekly Health Tip: Reduce Your Risk of Cancer
Are You Pre-Diabetic?
The Pulse Test: An Easy Way To Detect Food Allergies
Breathe Your Way To Better Health
Vitamin D Can Help Lead To A Longer Life
A Health Plus Treat: Cucumber Raita
Recommendations
Medical Freedom
New This Issue
Welcome to the special Steve Lazarek issue of The Health Plus Letter. Who is Steve Lazarek? He’s one of my best friends. He’s also someone who doesn’t like to read long articles. Which means that every time I include one in this newsletter, he gives me grief, telling me it’s “too long.” So this week I’m catering to his whims and, instead of my usual longer articles, I’m sharing a variety of shorter pieces. And since Steve likes to eat, I’m even including a healthy recipe. Let me know if you like this format.
As always, please continue to send me your comments and suggestions. And please spread the word “about The Health Plus Letter by passing it along to your friends and inviting them to subscribe.
Quote of the Day
“A good catchword can obscure analysis for fifty years.”
-- Oliver Wendall Holmes
Fast Fact
Each cell in your body has an estimated 6 to 8 feet of DNA.
Your Weekly Health Tip: Reduce Your Risk of Cancer
Want to improve your odds of not getting cancer? Then make sure you do what it takes to achieve and maintain your optimum weight level. That's because recent research published in the prestigious medical journal Lancet shows that being overweight can increase the risk of a dozen types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon, kidney, and thyroid gland. This finding is based on data compiled from 141 studies that tracked nearly 300,000 people on four continents for up to 15 years. The studies clearly show that overweight people have a higher risk of developing these 12 types of cancer. The researchers who evaluated the studies believe that extra fat cells associated with being overweight or obese cause hormone levels to change, thus triggering the formation of cancer cells.
Unabashed Plug
Protect Yourself From Energy Pollution With the BioElectric ShieldTM. Energy pollution is all around us in the form of harmful electromagnetic frequencies and radiation (EMFs and EMR) emitted by power lines, cells phones, computers, and many other so-called modern conveniences. By wearing the BioElectric Shield pendant, you can protect yourself from the harmful effects of EMFs and EMR. To obtain a BioElectricShield, visit http://www.mcssl.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=408491. To learn more about how and why the BioElectric Shield works, see my article about it at http://www.1healthyworld.com/ezine/vol4no9.cfm.
Are You Pre-Diabetic?
It's no secret that adult-onset diabetes (also known as type 2 diabetes) is one of the fastest growing disease conditions in the United States. What's not so well known is that approximately 40 percent of all adults in the US are already pre-diabetic, meaning that unless they make positive and lasting changes in their lives they will almost certainly develop diabetes as they age. Even worse, a significant number of people who are pre-diabetic have no idea that they are suffering from pre-diabetes. (Pre-diabetes is defined as a condition in which blood sugar levels are consistently higher than normal blood sugar levels.) Are you one of them?
Risk Factors For Pre-Diabetes
The number one risk factor for both pre- and type 2 diabetes is obesity, which is defined as being 20 or more pounds over your ideal body weight. Research has shown that people who are obese have an 8,000 percent greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes than people who are within their normal body weight range. But obesity is far from the only risk factor for pre- and type 2 diabetes. Other risk factors include:
Having parents or siblings who are diabetic
A waist measurement greater than 35 inches (women) or greater than 40 inches (men)
Chronically elevated blood sugar levels
Chronically elevated insulin levels
Chronic high blood pressure
Elevated levels of cholesterol and/or triglycerides
Craving for sweets and/or starchy carbohydrate foods
Lack of energy
Tendency to feel tired after eating (especially after lunch)
Tendency to skip breakfast
Frequent sensations of thirst
Frequent urination
Low thyroid function (hypothyroidism)
Inactive lifestyle
Erectile dysfunction (ED)
Difficulty sleeping at night
Feeling tired when getting up in the morning
Low libido
If any of the above risk factors apply to you, even if you are not overweight or obese, it's important that you have your doctor determine if you are in fact pre-diabetic.
Tests For Pre- and Type 2 Diabetes
To most accurately determine your risk of pre- and type 2 diabetes, you will need to have your doctor test you for it. This can be achieved with a few simple tests. However, not all of them are routine, so you may have to ask that your doctor include them at the time of testing. Your tests should include all of the following:
Fasting Glucose Test: This test is fairly standard and is usually part of a routine physical exam. To have it performed, you will need to abstain from eating all foods for at least eight, and ideally 12, hours, at which time your doctor will draw blood to measure your blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. Most physicians regard any blood glucose measure of between 65 to 99 milligrams per deciliter (65-99 mg/dL) to be within the normal range. However, research has shown that men with a fasting blood glucose level of 97 mg/dL had nearly a 100 percent greater risk of developing diabetes compared to men who levels were 81 mg/dL or less. Therefore, your aim should be to achieve a fasting blood glucose level of 81 mg/dL or less. Levels higher than that may be a sign of trouble.
Note: Should you decide to have your physician measure your fasting blood glucose level, also ask him or her to measure your insulin levels at the same time. (Both measurements can be obtained after your blood is drawn.) While such an insulin test is not used by most physicians as a basis to determine the risk of diabetes, many doctors still regard it as a useful indication of whether their patients are at risk for pre-diabetes. Ideally, you should aim for a reading of 7 micro-international units per milliliter (7 mcU/mL) or less. Levels of 11 mcU/mL to 25 mcU/mL are typically signs that pre-diabetes is already present. Anything above 25 mcU/mL is dangerous.
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test For Glucose and Insulin: This test is a more efficient way to accurately determine your blood glucose and insulin levels. Like the fasting glucose test, it involves fasting - this time for 12 hours. After your blood is drawn, you will be asked to drink a glucose solution and then have your blood drawn again after one, two, and possibly three hours. Normal levels for this test are blood glucose below 140 mg/dL and insulin levels at or below 55 mcU/ml.
Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c): This last test can help your doctor to determine whether or not damage is being caused to the proteins in your blood as a result of free radicals caused by glucose binding to oxygen-carrying hemoglobin in red blood cells. The results for this test are expressed as a percentage, with normal levels ranging from 4.5 to 4.9 percent. This test can accurately predict your risk of developing a variety of health problems, including heart attacks. Research has shown that every one percent increase in HbA1c increases the risk of heart attacks by an average of 20 percent. Additional research indicates that a measurement of HbA1c between 5.7 and 6.9 percent is an indication of pre-diabetes, with readings of 7.0 percent or greater being a sign of diabetes.
Unabashed Plug
Learn the Truth about Heart Disease, Stroke and Hypertension. Most of what conventional medicine has to offer for treating these conditions is based on faulty and potentially dangerous assumptions. Discover the real causes behind these diseases and learn what you can do today to prevent and reverse them using safe and natural alternatives that have been scientifically proven to be effective. Read the critically-acclaimed eBook Burton Goldberg’s Definitive Guide to Heart Disease, featuring the contributions of Dr. Garry Gordon, Dr. Stephen Sinatra, and many other leading heart specialists. To order or to find out more about this potentially lifesaving guide, visit http://www.1healthyworld.com/ebooks/Heart-Book-Info.cfm.
The Pulse Test: An Easy Way To Detect Food Allergies
This is a relatively simple test developed by Arthur Coca, M.D., a pioneer in the field of environmental medicine. Dr. Coca based his test on many years of clinical observations of patients, during which he noticed that a common symptom of many food allergies is increased heart rate. Although the pulse test can help identify food allergies, you should not conclude you are allergy-free if the foods you test do not affect your pulse rate. The problem is that not all food allergens will increase heart rate. The pulse test is easy to self-administer and involves simply recording your pulse rate before and after meals. To take the test, follow these simple instructions:
Find the pulse point on your wrist by placing the second finger of the opposite hand on the inside of your wrist.
Count the beats (pulses) for six seconds and multiply the number by ten; this is your resting pulse.
Record your resting pulse first thing in the morning before getting out of bed.
Record your pulse 30 minutes before each meal, then 30 minutes and 60 minutes after each meal.
If the difference between the morning pulse and either of the two after-meal rates is more than 12 to 16 beats, chances are you have a food allergy. Once you have identified a meal that triggers a rise in your pulse rate, you can begin testing individual foods eaten during that meal. However, in some cases, you may find that your resting pulse is higher than your after-meal pulse or that your before-meal pulse is higher than your after-meal pulse. If you observe such a pattern, it is possible that dust or some other airborne allergen is interfering with your test.
Breathe Your Way To Better Health
We can live for weeks without food, and days without water, but if we stop breathing for more than few minutes, we die. Yet most people breathe inefficiently and unconsciously, breathing shallowly through the chest and depriving themselves of the many benefits proper breathing can provide, including a greater oxygen supply to your body’s cells and tissues. The benefits of proper breathing are not only physical, however. Breathing fully and deeply also relieves stress, enhances feelings of well-being, and promotes clearer thinking. Learning to breathe fully and consciously can also heal the parts of us that are wounded, rejected, or disowned, restoring them to wholeness.
Modern breath techniques focus on breathing in a manner that moves energy through the body and connects you with suppressed emotions and limiting beliefs in order to heal them. These types of breathing exercises involve connected breathing, meaning that each inhalation and exhalation is connected and occurs without pausing, unlike unconscious breathing, in which there is typically a gap between the inhale and the exhale. The rate of respiration varies; sometimes it is rapid; sometimes it is deep, slow, and full. Because of the emotional release that can result from such techniques, it is advisable to learn them under the direction of a skilled breath therapist. The following exercise, however, can be safely performed by anyone to relieve stress and increase energy.
Sit straight and in a relaxed manner, placing your palms on your chest and belly. Now breathe as you normally do. Most likely when you inhaled your hand covering your chest moved, while your other hand did not. In this exercise, you are going to reverse this pattern by breathing in through your stomach area. Keeping your hands in the same position, once more inhale, this time directing your breath in and out through your belly. Don't strain and remember to breathe fully, without pausing between the inhalation and exhalation. At first, this exercise may feel odd and even difficult, but with practice it will become easier. The goal is to breathe freely deeply only through the belly, so that your chest does not rise. (Keeping your hands in position will help you monitor your progress.)
Breathing in this way on a regular basis is a very effective way to relieve stress, improve energy, curtail anxiety and depression, and enhance digestion. Try to breathe like this for at least twenty minutes each day, and whenever you feel tired, tense, or irritable.
Unabashed Plug
Discover and Gain Control of Your Human Energy Field. Read Dr. Valerie Hunt’s Mind Mastery Meditations: A Workbook for the “Infinite Mind,” the empowering guide created by one of the world's foremost researchers into the human energy field, energy medicine, and the relationship between consciousness and health. Each of the meditations this eBook contains is designed to give you mastery of your mind and to empower you to discover the answers to why you are the way you are, your soul's needs, your unique talents and capacities, and your self-designed destiny. By practicing and mastering these meditations, you will become able to live your life with greater ease and success, speed your self-healing, and dramatically increase your ability to manifest your deepest goals. To order this life-changing guide, visit
http://www.1healthyworld.com/ebooks/Mind-Mastery-Book-Info.cfm.
Vitamin D Can Help Lead To A Longer Life
Researchers have found that vitamin D decreases the risk of death, in addition to the other health benefits it provides. The researchers came to this conclusion after analyzing 18 previous studies on vitamin D, none of which specifically examined the relationship between vitamin D and longevity. The researchers examined data on over 57,000 men and women, the majority of whom were middle-aged or elderly and in generally good health. They found that those who took vitamin D supplements of between 400 and 833 IU per day “had up to a five times greater blood level of vitamin D and a significantly reduced risk of death.” This news follows other recent research on vitamin D, which showed that, in additional to its ability to promoting healthy bones and teeth because of how its enhances the body’s ability to absorb and use calcium, it also reduces the risk of certain types of cancer and boost immune function. Other studies also indicate that vitamin D may reduce the risk of other diseases, including diabetes and heart disease.
Source: Archives of Internal Medicine, Sept. 10, 2007.
A Health Plus Treat: Cucumber Raita
This traditional Indian side dish or sauce is cool and delightful especially with spicy curries.
2 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups plain, nonfat yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Black pepper to taste
1. Mix the cucumbers, onion, and salt in a bowl. Let stand for 1/2 hour.
2. Drain off liquid, rinse well with cold water, and drain; then soak in cold water to remove as much salt as desired. Drain well.
3. Add the yogurt, cumin, and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Serves 4
Recommendations
Book
Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto. Gatto was a public school teacher for 30 years, during which time we was named Teacher of The Year for both New York City and New York State. This book is one of the best exposes of the government-controlled public school system that I’ve ever read and confirms by longstanding belief (formed very early on in my life, when I dropped out of nursery school) that schooling as we know it today provides the antithesis of true education.
Websites
http://help.senate.gov/Hearings/2009_02_26/2009_02_26.html -
This link will take you to Senate testimony by Drs. Mehmet Oz, Mark Myman, Dean Ornish and Andrew Weil before a committe chaired by Senator Tom Harkin. The testimony took place last week and it ranks as one of the most hopeful presentations I've ever seen occur in Washington DC. The video at this link is very long and I recommend you watch it in its entirety.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/025578.html - How did we get into the current financial crisis. Congressman Ron Paul supplies much of the answer here.
http://www.tommullen.net/index.html - Tom Mullen is a singer/songwriter and an astute essayist on issues of freedom. I recently discovered him and really enjoy his articles. If you support individual freedom, you may too.
That’s all for this week.
Health and Blessings!
Larry Trivieri, Jr. (larry@1healthyworld.com)
Disclaimer: The Health Plus Letter is a weekly eZine published by Larry Trivieri, Jr. and Library of Health, LLC (dba www.1healthyworld.com) 3 Greenwood Court, Utica, NY 13501. It is made available without charge for information purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical care. If you are experiencing a health problem, seek prompt medical attention.
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Legal Notice: The information in this eZine may be freely and widely disseminated so long as full attribution is made as follows: The Health Plus Letter, March 3, 2009, Vol. 7, No. 7. Copyright © 2009 by Larry Trivieri, Jr. All rights reserved.
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