I got my hands on 250g of SALDAC-brand powdered Maca (€14) at the Eco Altea market. It’s a whitish-grey powder with a slightly sharp taste. There’s something about it that reminds you of it’s cousin, the radish. Purported to have all sorts of health benefits - Incan superfood, prime ingredient in a raw-vegan diet - maca has been scientifically proven to improve sperm count and motility in human men. (1).
The lovely Simone won a nice prize and some well-deserved kudos for his project “Bici Blanca”, submitted to the local competition “Eco-mejorando Altea con tus ideas”. Here’s a little story with a photo and all.
Hi! I’m just back from Eco-Altea. We’ve got great weather here and loads of people have turned up. Plenty of kids and things for them to do, vegetarian food, Eco-balls for washing your clothes, moon cups for green ladies, a model eco house, incense, clothes, jewellery and of course free massages all day! Well worth a visit!
A couple of days ago, I finally got my hands on two products I’ve wanted to try for some time: coconut oil and stevia. Coconut oil (cold pressed, virgin) contains mostly saturated medium-chain fatty acids, predominantly lauric acid. It is solid at room temperature, opaque and white. It has no taste or odour. Like ghee (clarified butter), it can withstand very high temperatures and is thus very useful in cooking. The reason it is more stable at high temperatures is because of its saturated fats. I bought a brand called Cocosa. I used it this evening to make a curry and I must say, I was very impressed! I cooked the spices at a high temperature without any sign of burning and the resulting flavour was fantastic! The jar I bought cost about €10 for 500gm, so it’s not cheap. But, it is useful if you need to cook at high temperatures. Of course, you can make your own ghee from unsalted butter, but butter has a less favourable fatty acid profile than coconut; it contains 12-15% medium-chain fatty acids, while coconut contains about 45%.
These fatty acids (medium chain) also have antimicrobial, antitumor and immune-system-supporting properties, especially 12-carbon lauric acid, a medium-chain fatty acid not found in other animal fats. Highly protective lauric acid should be called a conditionally essential fatty acid because it is made only by the mammary gland and not in the liver like other saturated fats.65 We must obtain it from one of two dietary sources—small amounts in butterfat or large amounts in coconut oil. (http://www.greenpasture.org/products/butter_oil/properties)
Stevia is a plant native to Central and South America. It is known for it’s sweetening properties. I was surprised to find it on the shelf as it is supposedly banned for use in food in the EU due to concerns about the possibly carcinogenic metabolic by-products of its breakdown. I bought a small bottle of 20% concentrate, with alcohol and water. I tasted some straight and found that it does taste sweet - not sugary though - and that the concentrated product does have a funny aniseed-y aftertaste. I put two or three drops in my coffee and must say that it did sweeten it, but not in a sugary way. I dunno. I love honey, not sugar. I am not sure if stevia can replace the complex and subtle sweetening of a good honey, but it’s handy to have on hand.
Overall, it’s nice to come across an ever-increasing range of healthy products here on the Costa Blanca.
The BBC has an interesting story about a woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer after presenting with thickened palms as her only noticeable symptom. This quote struck me as relevant to MLD therapists and our clients:
…recent research had given doctors more to go on when trying to pick out ovarian cancer.
A paper published in July concluded that the disease was not actually the silent killer that was commonly believed and the key is to look more seriously at women who have persistent bloating.
This symptom was associated with a five times higher risk of ovarian cancer whereas bloating that came and went was not linked with the disease.
Peace One Day is today! Make the commitment to one peaceful day.
The BBC today ran a story concerning the use of paracetamol in babies under one year old and the later probability of developing asthma. It appears that frequency of use elevates significantly the risk of later developing this alarming respiratory condition.
This is perfectly in keeping with the Naturopathic theory of suppression, which holds that suppressing the body’s natural defenses - in this case fever - leads to dis-ease moving deeper into the system, only to be expressed in a more severe form later on. So, if the baby develops a fever it means that there is something wrong. Maybe an allergy, maybe a reaction of a vaccination, maybe just sore teeth. But by dampening down the fever with paracetamol, the baby’s body is rendered unable to rid itself of the offending matter, be it bacterial, viral, environmental or otherwise. Therefore the body becomes loaded with this material, and when it is strong enough to mount another elimination reaction - most likely a fever - it will probably again be suppressed by paracetamol.
Over the years, the child’s body is weakened by repeated, frustrated healing crises with the result that more severe symptoms begin to appear. Disease in the allopathic view is nothing more than a collection of symptoms, often without specific cause (strange, I know, but that’s how they think). So a child with repeated shortness of breath and or allergic-type reactions in the nose and mouth is said to have allergic-type asthma. Or perhaps over-reactive airways. But the root cause of the problem - whatever caused the fevers in the first place - is never examined. And so the child is set up for life to suffer the indignities of being ‘asthmatic’ and using bronchio-dilating inhalers, forking money over to Big Pharma and being out of touch with their own body’s calls for help. Ta-da.
For those of you living on the Costa Blanca, here are some great, free health ideas. Times are tough - make the most of what’s around you!
1. Eat your weeds: Verdolaga (purslane, in English) is a plant grown widely in the Mediterranean. It has recently been founnd to be the richest plant source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. So go on, get grazing in your gardens and to hell with what the neighbours think!
2. Drink free spring water: Go fill your water jugs are the Chorros in Polop de la Marina. Lovely, natural spring water, free! And you don’t need to throw away any more plastic water bottles.
3. Beat cancer: Vitamin D is proving its anti-carcinogenic properties time and again in recent research. Your lovely melanocytes can produce all the vitamin D you need just by being exposed to sunlight. So take advantage of the Costa Blanca’s wonderful light and get outside. No, not at midday with a large pint in your hand! tsk tsk…
4. Re-mineralise: The sea is full of magnesium and the negative ions at the coast are out of this world. Who needs a salt lamp when you’ve got the Mediterranean at your doorstep? Go to the beach, breath and wade. Leave the salt on for a while afterwards. Magnesium (in seawater) is absorbed transdermally (via the skin) and has proven anti-inflammatory and anti-pain properties. Iodine in the air at the beach is absorbed through the lungs and is super-important for the production of thyroid hormones.
5. Kneip: The Germans call in Kneippen. It’s really just wading in cold water. Stimulates peripheral circulation, helps tighthen slack veins and in so doing reduces edema (puffiness) in the ankles. So you can weat those lovely sandals you bought for 5euros at the market!
Here’s another article detailing the many benefits of regular consumption of flax seeds. This article comes from the perspective of mental health, so of interest to anyone suffering from depression, malaise, inability to concentrate, difficulties sleeping or lack of emotional balance. The original artricle is here: http://www.naturalnews.com/017048.html, but I shall copy it below, in case it gets moved:
What can transform someone from being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome to a state of total mental and physical wellbeing? As James Boschman discovered, omega-3 fatty acids can work those wonders and more. Within three weeks of incorporating flax seed — the highest known vegetable source of omega-3s — into his diet, he was sleeping normally and, in his words, “not crazy anymore,” as the omega-3 fatty acids leveled out the wild fluctuations in his brain.
After experiencing flaxseed’s amazing abilities for himself, Boschman spent the next 15 years researching omega-3 fatty acids and eventually began the flaxseed packaging and distribution company Randolph & James Flax Mills Ltd. During his Winter 2005 lecture on essential nutrition, he brought this unique and delicious flaxseed and his wealth of knowledge to share at the First Annual Arizona Choices Exposition in Tucson, Ariz., and all those attending the lecture learned what a little dietary flaxseed could do for this modern mental illness epidemic.
Omega-3 deficiency is a major cause of mental illness in North America, according to Boschman. Food manufacturers don’t use ingredients high in omega-3 fatty acids because they grow rancid quickly. Since money ranks ahead of good nutrition, they use hydrogenated oils, which have a long shelf life but also create trans fats in the foods as a byproduct of the hydrogenation process. Research links trans fats to cancer, heart disease and a number of other chronic diseases, making them the “number one killer in North America today,” says Boschman.
As a result of our processed-food-rich diets, we’re consuming large amounts of omega-6 fatty acids and little or zero omega-3 fatty acids, which is a recipe for feeling “stressed out,” as too many people often are. Stress, caused by events like someone cutting in front of you in traffic, turns on the production of adrenaline from omega-6 fatty acids, according to Boschman. Think of it as an “on button.” The problem is that we need omega-3 fatty acids to turn off the stress response, which is precisely why there are so many high-strung people in our omega-3-deficient society. They simply lack the “off button” required to stop their bodies’ responses to everyday stressors.
However, omega-3 deficiency is linked to much more than angry drivers yelling out their windows. Boschman believes that the lack of the essential fatty acid in pregnant women might be a cause of both postpartum depression and the development of symptoms popularly diagnosed as ADHD, Tourette’s syndrome and even mental retardation in the delivered child. During pregnancy, almost all of a woman’s omega-3 reserves are used to form the brain of the developing fetus. If she doesn’t increase her intake of the essential fatty acid accordingly, postpartum depression can occur. Additionally, if her body lacks enough omega-3 to form the fetus’ brain sufficiently, and the child is not given proper omega-3 through diet or supplements during the first two years of life, then Boschman believes one of three brain disorders will occur, depending on the severity of the deficiency:
* ADHD (relatively less deficient)
* Tourette’s syndrome
* Mental retardation (severely deficient)In this sense, these three brain disorders are part of the same continuum, all with the same root and the same necessary preventative measure.
However, all flaxseed is not created equal, says Boschman. The higher the latitude where the crop is grown, the higher the seeds’ omega-3 content. Randolph & James Flax Mills Ltd. packages and distributes organic flaxseed grown north of the fifty-third parallel, which is then milled and packaged one bag at a time so less peroxidation occurs. This way, you eat flaxseed that smells and tastes fresh. Randolph & James is also the only manufacturer that tests for E. coli and other biological contaminants, according to Boschman. These safety measures guarantee you high-quality, delicious and safe flaxseed every time.
Boschman ended his lecture by opening up a new bag of Randolph & James Flax Mills Ltd. flaxseed for his lecture attendees to sample. What a flavor! You could actually taste its fresh and wholesome nature. Randolph & James Flax Mills Ltd. doesn’t have a website, but you can order many of their products online through other companies. Just type the company’s name in any search engine.
There’s a short article in the Guardian today that deals with both omega-3’s and statins in the treatment of people with congested arteries. Read it here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/sep/01/medicalresearch.health.
And I’ll copy it in here in case it gets moved:
A single omega-3 fish oil capsule taken daily could help keep some people with heart failure out of hospital, a study released yesterday revealed.
A second trial, however, found that statins - conventional medicines prescribed for many healthy people with high cholesterol at risk of heart disease - have no effect once the arteries have narrowed to the point where heart failure occurs.
Both results were revealed yesterday in Munich at the European Society of Cardiology meeting and published online by the Lancet. Italian researchers investigated the potential of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on patients with chronic heart failure - which occurs when the heart struggles to pump blood around the body because of narrowing arteries.
Professors Luigi Tavazzi and Gianni Tognoni from the ANMCO research centre in Florence found that more patients who were given the omega-3 survived than those who received a placebo. In the omega-3 group, 955 died (27%), whereas among those given a placebo, 1,014 (29%) died. More in the placebo group were also admitted to hospital. Experts said the difference was enough to recommend omega-3 for patients with heart failure.
Statins did not prove useful in a trial where 2,285 patients were given 10mg a day of rosuvastatin while 2,289 received a placebo. The researchers found there was no significant difference between deaths and hospital admissions.