July 13th, 2007
Detoxification
Dr. David Brownstein, M.D., author of Salt Your Way To Health and numerous other natural health care titles, recently blogged on the importance of detoxification.
From his post:
“Our bodies are being exposed to an ever-increasing amount of chemicals that we have not had time to adapt to. There is a class of chemicals called ‘persistent organic pollutants’.”
and
“A recent study (Diabetes Care. 30:622-28. 2007) showed a greater than 750% increase risk of adult insulin resistance (the most common reason for the elevated diabetes rate) in the patients studied who had the highest levels of the ‘persistent organic pollutants’. In fact, as the levels of pollutants increased, the risk of diabetes also increased. “
http://www.drbrownstein.com/blog.asp
The Perfect Cleanse Kit from Garden of Life and the Renew Life product line developed by Brenda Watson are effective tools for assisting the process of detoxifying environmental toxins.
July 5th, 2007
Vitamin D Reduces Risk of Cancer
Supplementing with vitamin D & calcium can reduce your risk of cancer by up to 60%, according to a study at Creighton University Medical School in Nebraska.
Most Americans and others are not taking enough vitamin D, a fact that may put them at significant risk for developing cancer, according to a landmark study conducted by Creighton University School of Medicine.
The four-year, randomized study followed 1,179 healthy, postmenopausal women from rural eastern Nebraska.* Participants taking calcium, as well as a quantity of vitamin D3 nearly three times the U.S. government’s Recommended Daily Amount (RDA) for middle-age adults, showed a dramatic 60 percent or greater reduction in cancer risk than women who did not get the vitamin.
This is yet more proof of the significant role vitamin D play in maintaining good health. And the best source of vitamin D is sunlight, so get outside and get your vitamins for free.
July 3rd, 2007
Cinnamon & Blood Sugar Levels
A study by Swedish researchers demonstrated that cinnamon is helpful in controlling blood sugar levels, according to a report recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The intake of 6 g cinnamon with rice pudding reduces postprandial blood glucose and delays gastric emptying without affecting satiety. Inclusion of cinnamon in the diet lowers the postprandial glucose response, a change that is at least partially explained by a delayed GER (gastric emptying rate).
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/6/1552
Although this study looked at subjects with healthy blood sugar levels, other studies have shown that cinnamon can reduce blood sugar levels in individuals with type 2 diabetes.
For more information on cinnamon, click here.
June 29th, 2007
Stone Age Diet Beneficial For Diabetics
Researchers at Lund University in Sweden recently found that eating a “Stone Age” Diet for three months resulted in an improved capacity to handle carbohydrates, according to a report from ScienceDaily.
“In a clinical study in Sweden, the research group has now compared 14 patients who were advised to consume an ‘ancient’ (Paleolithic, ‘Old stone Age’) diet for three months with 15 patients who were recommended to follow a Mediterranean-like prudent diet with whole-grain cereals, low-fat dairy products, fruit, vegetables and refined fats generally considered healthy. All patients had increased blood sugar after carbohydrate intake (glucose intolerance), and most of them had overt diabetes type 2. In addition, all had been diagnosed with coronary heart disease. Patients in the Paleolithic group were recommended to eat lean meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, root vegetables and nuts, and to avoid grains, dairy foods and salt.
The main result was that the blood sugar rise in response to carbohydrate intake was markedly lower after 12 weeks in the Paleolithic group (–26%), while it barely changed in the Mediterranean group (–7%). At the end of the study, all patients in the Paleolithic group had normal blood glucose.”
Researchers believe the improved glucose tolerance was unrelated to changes in weight, although the Paleolithic group did experience a slight decrease in waist size. The primary difference between the Paleo and Mediterranean groups was a much lower intake of grains and dairy products and a higher fruit intake in the Paleolithic group.
“If you want to prevent or treat diabetes type 2, it may be more efficient to avoid some of our modern foods than to count calories or carbohydrate,” says lead researcher Staffan Lindeberg.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070627225459.htm
June 26th, 2007
Yoga May Elevate GABA Levels
“Boston, MA–Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and McLean Hospital have found that practicing yoga may elevate brain gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels, the brain’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. The findings, which appear in the May issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, suggest that the practice of yoga be explored as a possible treatment for depression and anxiety, disorders associated with low GABA levels.”
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-05/bu-yae052107.php
Imagine that… using exercise rather than pills to treat depression.
February 1st, 2007
Celtic Sea Salt® Featured on San Franciso News
Grain & Salt Society® Chief Operating Officer Dennis Duffy was in San Francisco recently for the annual Winter Fancy Food Show. While there, Dennis (and Celtic Sea Salt®) were included in a news clip for KGO-TV/DT, an ABC affiliate in the San Francisco Bay area. To watch the video, click on the video display on the lower right.
Sponsored by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT), the three annual Fancy Food shows are considered to be the premier showcase for the specialty food industry.
January 16th, 2007
Charles Poliquin on Sea Salt
Charles Poliquin is a Canadian strength training coach who has trained world class athletes such as Olympic Gold medal sprinter Donovan Bailey, NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver David Boston, and NHL All Star Chris Pronger, among others.
Hailed as perhaps the most successful strength coach in the world, Poliquin has trained medalist in 12 different Olympic sports as well as numerous world champions and professional athletes. He has also authored five books and over 500 articles for various web sites, magazines and journals. In a recent article on his website, Poliquin shared his thoughts regarding the importance of unrefined natural salt in a healthy diet and recommends Celtic Sea Salt® by name.
Poliquin’s books and other resources are great tools for anyone wanting to learn about elite performance or just improve their all-around fitness.
December 13th, 2006
Michael Eades on Saturated Fats
Dr. Michael Eades recently had a great blog post on saturated fat. He summarizes the results from several papers presented at the recent American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) meeting. Eades summed up the results of these studies by saying:
These results show what we’ve all known for a long time. As long as one keeps the carbs under control, it doesn’t seem to matter much how much saturated fat is consumed. It all gets dealt with by the body in harmless ways. I guess that’s how I eat all that steak and keep my lipids normal.
Dr. Eades and his wife, Dr. Mary Dan Eades, are the authors of the Protein Power diet books. You read other blog posts by them here.
December 11th, 2006
Resveratrol & Athletic Performance
Recently, there has been a great deal of buzz surrounding resveratrol, a compound found naturally in red grape skins and red wine. Also available as a nutritional supplement, resveratrol’s antioxidant, neuroprotective and anti-aging benefits have been widely reported and researchers are exploring its anti-cancer properties.
Recently an article on newscientist.com reported that researchers have found that resveratrol can boost can athletic endurance in mice, while helping keep them slim. Researchers believe that resveratrol boosts endurance by increasing the energy-producing elements within muscles. The researchers added that relatively high doses of the substance are needed to achieve this effect. In other words, don’t toss back a glass of Pinot Noir before your next mountain bike as a performance enhancer.
June 29th, 2006
The Health Implications of Social Isolation
A comprehensive new study of social ties in the United States indicates that Americans are becoming far more socially isolated, according to a recent article in The Washington Post.
The study, funded by the National Science Foundation, shows that a quarter of American say they have no one to discuss personal troubles with, more than double the number from a similar study in 1985. The same study showed a sharply growing number of people who say they have no one to confide in. While many social commentators have editorialized on the larger societal ramifications of this isolation, often overlooked are the health implications for the individual. There have been numerous studies correlating a strong social network with longevity and overall health.
According to Carl Charnetski, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and co-author of Feeling Good Is Good for You: How Pleasure Can Boost Your Immune System and Lengthen Your Life, the quality and number of relationships we develop have a direct bearing on our well-being. “Chronic loneliness, experienced by millions, can actually be a health risk,” says Charnetski. “The absence of friends is associated with higher instances of illness and a great likelihood for death. However, loving and living within a social network of friends and family improves your health and your chances of recovering from illness.”
This assertion was confirmed by a study recently published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology. Researchers at Ohio State University discovered that social interactions resulted in wounds healing faster, according to an article on Newstarget.com This study demonstrated that wounds heal twice as fast in hamsters that had social interaction compared to those that were isolated. The socially isolated hamsters produced more of the stress hormone cortisol, which is thought to be responsible for the slower rate of healing. The study seems to indicate that stress is not only a determining factor in healing rates for hamsters, but engaging in social interaction seems to be a fantastic way to reduce stress and facilitate healing.
Like humans, hamsters are highly social and produce cortisol in response to being isolated. Because of these similarities, researchers believe that healing in humans responds positively to social interaction.