Orthomolecular Nutrition

Yup that's the course I'm currently working on - Orthomolecular Nutrition.  As a wise friend of mine (who is also a veterinary medicine student, so she ain't no dummy) said... "is that is a super fancy way to say eat the right food?"  And, well... she's basically right!  The concept is pretty simple - use optimal nutrition to combat, heal, and prevent physical and mental illness (according to the authors of Putting it All Together - Abram Hoffer and Morton Walker).  Yeah I totally just grabbed that snippet from the back of the book.  LOL  That doesn't mean I believe it any less - it means I am lazy.  :)

This concept really falls in line with what I have lived and learned over the last 5 years and what I hope to eventually teach others.  Which is why I finally enrolled in school again to work on my Doctor of Naturopathy degree.  A few gems directly from the book I wanted to share with you that may or may not surprise you...

• The authors have cured (yes CURED) individuals diagnosed with Schizophrenia with B vitamins (and other nutrition).  That's all I have to say about that.
• Vitamin B3 is instrumental in lowering cholesterol levels and is the only compound tested in the long term that produces a real decrease in cardiovascular disease.  
•  Vitamin E protects cell surfaces and is nature's best antioxident.  One molecule of Vitamin E will be used over and over in the body and quench 100 free radical molecules (free radicals - a discussion for another day.  Just trust me when I saw quenching them is a good thing!)
• Concerning the safety of high doses of vitamins (hypervitaminosis)... there has never been a recorded suicide by vitamin.  Due to sheer bulk, it would be very difficult to take large enough quantities of a vitamin to bring about death.  Can the same be said for prescription medications?
• Modern obesity is more often caused by over-consumption of processed carbohydrates than by too much protein/fat.   

Just a few points to get you thinking.  This book is really great and I would recommend it to anyone.  We know and readily accept that vitamin deficiencies cause scurvy (Vitamin C), birth defects (Folic Acid), and beriberi (Thiamine).  WHY is it so difficult for us to grasp that other vitamin deficiencies could cause additional mental/physical problems?  Sigh.  I know it took, what... 50 years for society to accept that scurvy was caused by vitamin C deficiency?  I can only hope we become a more accepting society to learn how other deficiencies are killing us.   
Be well...
 

what's all this about eggs??

Eggs have gotten a bad reputation in years past for being "unhealthy."  I was reading some great info on the flight home Sunday that has come up about three times this week since.  As I look over the info and options of a local CSA, I thought eggs would be a good topic for today.

I'll go ahead and tell you I found ALL the info I wanted to share on one site, so please forgive the copy/paste.  But, I'm lazy, so there ya go.  This all comes from Mother Earth News:

LATEST RESULTS: New test results show that pastured egg producers are kicking the commercial industry's derriere when it comes to vitamin D! Eggs from hens raised on pasture show 4 to 6 times as much vitamin D as typical supermarket eggs.

RESULTS FROM OUR PREVIOUS STUDY: Eggs from hens allowed to peck on pasture are a heck of a lot better than those from chickens raised in cages! Most of the eggs currently sold in supermarkets are nutritionally inferior to eggs produced by hens raised on pasture. That’s the conclusion we have reached following completion of the 2007 Mother Earth News egg testing project. Our testing has found that, compared to official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:

• 1⁄3 less cholesterol• 1⁄4 less saturated fat• 2⁄3 more vitamin A• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids• 3 times more vitamin E• 7 times more beta carotene 

These amazing results come from 14 flocks around the country that range freely on pasture or are housed in moveable pens that are rotated frequently to maximize access to fresh pasture and protect the birds from predators. We had six eggs from each of the 14 pastured flocks tested by an accredited laboratory in Portland, Ore. The chart in Meet the Real Free-range Eggs (October/November 2007) shows the average nutrient content of the samples, compared with the official egg nutrient data from the USDA for “conventional” (i.e. from confined hens) eggs. The chart lists the individual results from each flock.

Now, you also have to make sure you are an informed consumer to know what all these terms like "free range" and "cage-free" mean on your egg package!  Again, props go out to Mother Earth News for this one, too.  Click here to find out exactly what all those labels mean.  (Make sure you check out all the pages of that article!)

So... what's the verdict?  Hopefully this has given you some "food for thought."  Heh heh - shameless, I know.  

Be well, all - and EAT REAL FOOD!!

North Carolina SB 31

Over the years, I've become skeptical of the government's approach to healthcare and increasingly suspicious of Big Pharma's grip on the American society.  SB 31 in North Carolina is one of those bills that adds fuel to that fire.

Senator Mansfield (who sponsored the bill) insists that the legislation is intended to punish those who come into the state of North Carolina and attempt to practice medicine without a license.  Noble enough, especially considering the guy who was caught posing as a doctor in a NC emergency room last year.  The problem arises with the wording of the bill.  If you tend to be a little suspicious of the medical community as I am, you have to stop and think about what this could mean for other practitioners.

Mike Adams of Natural News reports that this questionable wording of SB 31 could actually open a door to charging certain practitioners as felons.  I don't want to be an alarmist here, so you can tell me how you interpret this:

Any person who practices medicine or surgery without being duly licensed and registered... shall be guilty of a Class I felony.  (Source)


Now, keep in mind... like many other states (mine included) NC does not license holistic practitioners to practice medicine at all.  So, you're beginning to see the predicament here.  We're confronting a situation in which naturopaths, homeopaths, herbalists, midwives, and aromatherapists could potentially be charged with a Class I felony... the same class for those who burn crosses or sexually exploit children.  Think of the precedent this could set across our great country.

I'm not asking that everyone participate in holistic healing opportunities - all I'm asking for is freedom of choice for my own healthcare and that of my family.  Freedom - isn't that what our country was founded on?  Extremist groups have the freedom to practice their hate-filled lifestyles here on our soil.  But, if an herbalist promises to heal a headache with Feverfew, they are a felon.  Unbelievable.

I've just recently enrolled in school again to pursue my ND (Doctor of Naturopathy).  My state's laws will not permit me to call myself a "Naturopath" or to "heal" or "cure" anyone.  I will, however, be able to practice as an "alternative healthcare consultant" and offer recommendations to people for general health.  It's silly to me, as I have seen many conditions of my OWN "healed" or "cured" through these same approaches, so there's no doubt in my mind.  But, I'll pay along if that means I have a way to offer people choices in their care.  But a felony?  Really??  As long as we live in a country that robs us of choices in our healthcare, we will always be the sickest society in the world.  And as long as sickness is BIG business - you can bet Big Pharma will choose to keep making $$$ over the health of our people.

In the wise words of the Beastie Boys, you gotta fight... for your right... ok so maybe they weren't talking about protecting their health freedoms, but I think they would even agree.  :)

Be well...