New "Discovery" -- Gene Theory Flawed

What a surprise!  The interaction of genes is more complex than we thought.  Once again the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
--pws


from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/07/10/new-quot-discovery-quot-gene-theory-flawed.aspx

New "Discovery" -- Gene Theory Flawed

The human genome may not be a collection of independent genes with each sequence of DNA linked to a single function. Instead, new findings indicate that genes operate in a complex network, and interact with each other in ways that are not yet fully understood.

The idea that genes operate independently is the basis for much of the thought, as well as the economic and regulatory structure, that governs the biotech industry. When recombinant DNA was invented in 1973, scientists believed that genes were associated with specific functions, and that therefore a gene from any organism could fit predictably into a larger design. In the United States, the Patent and Trademark Office allows genes to be patented on the basis of this idea.

These new discoveries raise questions not just about patent law, but also safety issues. Risk assessment of commercial biotech products such as genetically engineered crops to pharmaceuticals is also based on the "one gene, one function" theory. A network of interacting genes can produce unknown, and unpredictable, effects.

New York Times July 1, 2007 (Registration Required)

 

Dr Mercola's Comments:

It's long been presumed that genes in the human body operate independently of one another. The first biotech company was founded on this premise, and the entire $73.5-billion biotechnology industry as we know it today still adheres to this basic principle.

But anyone who is aware of the biotech industry's tendency to put profits ahead of safety will not be surprised to learn that the principle is completely wrong.

In fact, it's been known for years that genes in other organisms operate as part of a network. Despite this, researchers only translated this knowledge to humans in June, when they reported being "surprised" to learn that the human genome is not a "tidy collection of independent genes", but a complex interacting network instead.

However, safety studies for biotech products, including genetically modified (GM) foods, pharmaceuticals and more, have all been based on the flawed independent gene theory. Now that gene "network effects" have been acknowledged, it's clear that biotech products could produce any number of unknown effects.

Jack Heinemann, a professor of molecular biology at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand put it quite well when he said, "The real worry for us has always been that the commercial agenda for biotech may be premature, based on what we have long known was an incomplete understanding of genetics."

This is likely to be just the beginning of the dangerous revelations that will come surrounding GM foods, prescription drugs and other biotech products, and their vastly unknown impacts on your health.

This brings home what many people have known for some time: the effects of genetic modification on the environment and on your health are unexplored territory. GM foods in particular are a massive experiment on a scale never before seen in the history of the human race.

You are an involuntary guinea pig in this risky experiment. More than 75 percent of the processed foods you eat contain GM foods, without labeling and without warning. All the more reason for you to stay away from processed foods as often as you can, and seek out local sources for healthier whole foods.

 

Related Articles:

  The Unethical Biopharming of America

  The False Promise of GM Crops Never Realized

  How Monsanto Poisons Science at the Cost of Your Health

 

from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/07/10/how-high-fructose-corn-syrup-damages-your-body.aspx

How High Fructose Corn Syrup Damages Your Body

Drinking high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), the main ingredient in most soft drinks throughout the world, increases your triglyceride levels and your LDL (bad) cholesterol. These effects only occurred in the study participants who drank fructose -- not glucose.

Consumption of beverages containing fructose rose 135 percent between 1977 and 2001. Food and beverage manufacturers began switching their sweeteners from sucrose (table sugar) to corn syrup in the 1970s when they discovered that HFCS was not only cheaper to make, it was also much sweeter (processed fructose is nearly 20 times sweeter than table sugar), a switch that has drastically altered the American diet.

In 1966, sucrose made up 86 percent of sweeteners. Today, 55 percent of sweeteners used are made from corn.

Medscape July 5, 2007 (Registration Required)

Dr Mercola Comments:

In case you forgot, or never knew in the first place, the number one source of calories in the US is high fructose corn syrup.  Let me say that in different words so you more fully appreciate the impact of this fact.  Remember that fat has 250% more calories than sugar, but even with this major disadvantage, the food that most people get MOST of their calories from is sugar from corn, primarily in the form of soft drinks.

Even though I have known this for years, it is still shocking to me every time I reflect on the enormity of this truth.  But, like W. Clement Stone, I believe that there is a nugget of good in this horrible fact. The good is that stopping this pernicious habit is one of the easiest things to do. Since this is such a pervasive problem in the US, we could make radically outrageous improvements in our health as a culture if we just simply stopped everyone from drinking soda.

I am HIGHLY confident that the health improvement would be FAR more profound than if everyone stopped smoking because elevated insulin levels are the foundation of nearly every chronic disease known to man, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, aging, arthritis, osteoporosis, you name it, and you will find elevated insulin levels as a primary factor.

This evidence of an increase in triglyceride levels and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels is just the latest among countless findings pointing to the dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).

Part of what makes HFCS such an unhealthy product is that it is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar, and, because most fructose is consumed in liquid form, its negative metabolic effects are significantly magnified.

HFCS has also been linked to:

• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Metabolic Syndrome

The delusion that fructose is an acceptable form of sugar is quite prevalent in many nutritional circles. In fact, nearly all simple sugars are metabolized quickly and disrupt insulin levels, which contributes to most chronic illness. Eating small amounts of whole fruit will not provide tremendous amounts of fructose and should not be a problem for most people, unless diabetes or obesity is an issue but fruit juices, sodas and other beverages sweetened with fructose should be avoided.

To add insult to injury, the corn that the high fructose corn syrup is metabolized from nearly all comes from genetically modified corn which is fraught with its own well documented side effects and health concerns.

High fructose corn syrup is is not something that should be in your diet at all. But HFCS is the primary caloric sweetener in U.S. soft drinks. Researchers estimate that most Americans eat 132 calories of HFCS per day, while the top 20 percent of sweetener consumers eat over 300. And some, they say, eat as much as 700 calories per day of HFCS.

Sodas, of course, are not the only source of HFCS (though they represent one of the main ones). This dangerous sweetener is also in many processed foods and fruit juices, so to avoid it you need to focus your diet on whole foods and, if you do purchase packaged foods, become an avid label reader.

 

Related Articles:

  Six Reasons Why Corn is Making You Fat

  Why Americans Keep Getting Fatter

  The Plague of High Fructose Corn Syrup in Processed Foods

 

Sicko

from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/07/11/michael-moore-responds-to-cnn-quot-fact-fudging-quot-accusations.aspx

Dr. Mercola's comments:

If you haven't yet seen Sicko , I highly recommend it. Even though I don't agree with his solution, Moore has put together an excellent portrayal of what is wrong with health care in the United States. Sicko is one of the BEST films I have ever seen, and I'm thrilled that he's not taking the mainstream press' criticisms sitting down.

A 2001 U.S. study showed that about half of all bankruptcies in that year were the result of medical problems -- and most of those who went bankrupt for this reason (more than three-quarters) were covered by health insurance at the start of the illness. Medical bankruptcies affect more than 2 million annually. Sicko offers a well-researched, and often heart-breaking, examination of the causes and effects of this problem.

However, although Moore assessment of the problem is spot-on, he would have the U.S. government pay for all the care for the uninsured. While the movie makes some compelling arguments and it might make sense for acute traumas, the bulk of the disease in this country are chronic degenerative diseases. With the government NOT paying for these expenses, the U.S. is already paying more than two trillion dollars a year for "health care" and headed to three trillion per year by the end of the decade. If the government assumes these costs it will bankrupt the country even faster.

What is the solution to the current health care disaster? Going back to natural healing that treats the cause of disease, not the symptoms -- and, of course, taking responsibility for your own health.

You can also watch the Michael Moore's actual interview on the site.

Why you shouldn't buy bottled water

Why you shouldn't buy bottled water.
--pws

from http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/07/22/pure_water_right_on_tap/

Pure water, right on tap

By Yvonne Abraham , Globe Columnist  |  July 22, 2007

Do you know where the water in that bottle of Aquafina comes from?

Pristine, snowy mountains like the ones on the label, perhaps?

A virgin aquifer protected for centuries by layers of rock and ice in Norway, perchance?

An underground lake on the edge of a primitive rainforest on a Pacific island, possibly?

Ayer, actually.

As in Ayer, Massachusetts. Best known for mills, railroads, and a former military base. And the water comes not from some gently burbling spring in a picturesque valley, either, but from the municipal water supply. Which pumps a slightly less-filtered but equally safe version of that same water into residents' homes for a quarter of one cent per gallon.

Still, we chug down buckets of the pricier stuff.

Nationally, we'll drop $16 billion on bottled water this year. That's 27.6 gallons for each of us. Since most of the bottles it comes in never get recycled, we're helping to clog landfills with 4 billion pounds of plastic annually. And when you consider the energy it takes to make and move those bottles into and around the United States, you might as well fill a quarter of every single one of them with oil.

Meanwhile, Boston is one of just five cities in the country with tap water so pure that it's exempt from Environmental Protection Agency filtration requirements. And even after the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority's recent rate hike, it costs less than a half-cent a gallon.

Which all adds up to a waste of money and space that rivals Paris Hilton.

All of this bad press is churned out by Corporate Accountability International, a national group based in the South End that is trying to get Americans to kick the bottled water habit.

One sunny afternoon last week, the group's volunteers were in Copley Square, challenging passersby to take a blind taste test to see if they could tell the difference between bottled and municipal water. Hardly anybody could, even when the choice was between tap water and Poland Spring, which comes directly from underground aquifers.

Ryan Jones, a Poland Spring man, was outraged after he flunked the test.

"What the hell?" said the 30-year-old. "I'll keep my dollar and buy some cookies. Those guys are making a fortune off of nothing!"

Jones has more and more company in city halls across America. In San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom just nixed bottled water for City Hall employees, which was costing $500,000 a year. He is spending some of the money on a campaign to promote the city's tap water (also given the EPA honor). City officials in Salt Lake City and Ann Arbor, Mich., are moving in the same direction. A few fancy restaurants in San Francisco and New York City have stopped offering bottled water altogether.

So what about Boston?

Mayor Thomas M. Menino is a big fan of the city's water. He calls it "Boston Ale," and he'd like everybody else to drink more of it too.

But last year, his employees bypassed City Hall bubblers and drank $100,000 worth of water supplied by Nestle.

He should cancel the boutique water orders.

But if you're going to encourage people to cut down on something as convenient as bottled water, you have to give them an alternative. So how about putting that hundred grand into more public drinking fountains, which seem to have gone the way of the pay phone? Or maybe fix the ones that long ago stopped dispensing water and now seem to function primarily as public art? Or how about using that famously strong mayoral arm to pressure restaurants to stop pushing the fancy stuff?

After all, if Boston were one of five top cities in the country in practically any other realm, wouldn't Menino be shouting it from mountaintops like the ones on the Aquafina bottle?

The answer is as clear as his Boston Ale.

Red Sox are Guitar Hero fans

excerpt from http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2007/07/20/virtually_perfect/

When catcher Doug Mirabelli rejoined the Red Sox last year in a trade with the San Diego Padres, he got the rock star treatment as he was whisked to Fenway with a police escort, but Mirabelli enjoys playing the rock star role on his own, along with pitchers Tim Wakefield and Javier Lopez.

The three jam vicariously as virtual rock stars in the video games "Guitar Hero" and "Guitar Hero II," interactive titles that allow players to play popular songs using a guitar-like controller that has color-coded buttons, which correspond to images on the screen.

Mirabelli said he was introduced to the "Guitar Hero" games, which were developed by a Cambridge-based company called Harmonix, last season in Baltimore. The game was in the clubhouse. Now, thanks to Lopez, who brought in both PlayStation 2 versions of the games, the Sox can rock out in their players' lounge at Fenway.

That's not enough for Mirabelli and Wakefield, who bring it on road trips. Mirabelli said that on the road, he'll spend as much as 2 1/2 hours a night playing songs from Nirvana, Guns N' Roses, and '80s rockers Warrant.

"I wouldn't call myself a video game junkie," said the 36-year-old Mirabelli. "I just got stuck on this game. It has songs that I know and now I can go back and play them, which makes me feel like a rock star."

Wakefield is the only one of the three who actually plays the guitar, although Lopez is the reigning virtual rock star. The knuckleballer said such games serve a purpose for the players.

"It fills a void," said Wakefield. "We have a lot of time on our hands on the road. It's kind of an escape. You don't have to think about the pressures of our sport and our business. It's nice to be able to relax and just play a video game and not have to think about anything. [It's] kind of like turning on the TV and watching a rerun that you've seen a thousand times."

While such video games seem like harmless fun, they can become addictive and problematic. Detroit Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya missed three games in the American League Championship Series last season with inflammation in his right wrist and forearm. The Tigers, after examining Zumaya, determined his injuries were more consistent with those of a guitar player than a pitcher. The culprit, according to the team, was "Guitar Hero," which Zumaya was playing excessively.

That should have been game over for the flamethrower, but in an interview with the Detroit News prior to this season, Zumaya denied the game was the source of his injury and told the paper he still plays it. Zumaya is hurt again this season. He has been on the disabled list since May with a ruptured tendon in his right middle finger. That injury is unrelated to "Guitar Hero."

Lopez said video games are more helpful as a stress reliever than harmful as a potential source of injury.

"Some people might think it's a bit childish, which when you step back it probably is a little bit, but it keeps your mind fresh," said Lopez. "It just helps you get through the monotony of the day, playing some video games with some guys."

tax dollars at work

from http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/07/18/leftover_ice_from_katrina_relief_is_headed_for_a_thaw/

Leftover ice from Katrina relief is headed for a thaw

By Anna Badkhen, Globe Staff  |  July 18, 2007

Millions of dollars worth of ice purchased by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for its Hurricane Katrina relief efforts is being melted across the nation, including up to 336,000 pounds that was stored in Gloucester, agency officials said.

FEMA, which came under criticism for its poor handling of relief efforts after Katrina slammed ashore Aug. 29, 2005, had miscalculated how much ice it would need for the hurricane-stricken Gulf Coast and bought too much, said Alexandra Kirin , an agency spokeswoman.

The agency then kept the leftover ice for almost two years, paying a contractor $12.5 million to store it at 22 facilities across the nation, including one in Gloucester, Kirin said.

Kirin said that when Katrina hit, FEMA purchased 224.3 million pounds of ice from the US Army Corps of Engineers for 28 cents a pound, a total cost of $62.8 million. But the agency used only 139.4 million pounds during the 2005 hurricane season, and hired AmeriCold Logistics, an Atlanta-based contractor, to store the 84.9 million pounds of excess ice, worth about $23.8 million.

"We decided that we would keep that, and put it in storage, and have it to be able to respond" to the 2006 hurricane season, Kirin said.

Some of the ice was stored at the AmeriCold Logistics facility in Gloucester, said Marty Bahamonde , a FEMA spokesman in Massachusetts.

Bahamonde said he did not know how much ice was stored at the facility; the Gloucester Daily Times reported the storage held four truckloads of ice, or between 160,000 and 336,000 pounds.

Andrew Pendergrass , general manager of the Gloucester facility, declined to comment.

But 2006 came and went and FEMA did not need the ice. Kirin said FEMA tried, and failed, to donate the ice to charitable organizations.

"Any ice we purchase, once we have no need for it, we'd try to give away to someone who'd take it," said Marty Bahamonde, a FEMA spokesman in Massachusetts. "We look for nonprofit groups that have need for ice. There aren't a lot of takers."

"They wasted millions of taxpayers' dollars; it's a disgrace," said Mary Tysver , who works at the Gloucester Fire Department.

Concerned that the ice was no longer safe for human consumption, the agency decided to get rid of it. Although ice does not have an official shelf life, "we didn't want to take any chances, having kept the ice two years," said Kirin.

Melting the ice, the agency decided, was "most cost-effective," she said. Kirin said AmeriCold has agreed to do it for free.

 

I thought these were interesting grocery shopping tips.  Details below.

• Buy the Freshest Items
  
• Pick the Leanest Cut of Beef, or Request Bison
  
• If the Chicken is From a Factory Farm, Don't Eat the Skin
  
• Fresh Food is Always Better Than Frozen, but Frozen is Better Than Canned
  
• Avoid Processed Foods
  
• Check Prices on Organic Food--It's Not Always More Expensive
  
• Ocean-Caught Fish is Better Than Farm-Raised Fish (ed.: Unless its from Finger Lakes Aquaculture)
  

--pws


from http://www.mercola.com/2004/jan/31/healthy_groceries.htm

How to Shop for the Right Food in Your Regular Grocery Store in 10 Easy Steps

By Dr. Joseph Mercola with Rachael Droege

Your health is the most important thing you own, so investing in it through the right foods is the best investment you can make. However, I realize that finding the "right" foods can be challenging for some. If you:

·          Can't always order the healthy products recommended online

·          Don't have access to a natural health food store

·          Have a very tight budget and are restricted to a regular supermarket

... then the following steps will help you to find the best possible foods no matter where you are or what your budget. It will help if you take a new approach to the way you look at buying food. According to Jim Marlowe, a nutrition counselor here at the Optimal Wellness Center, American consumers make their food choices based on the following five food criteria: taste, price, convenience, appearance and shelf life. Notice that these have nothing to do with health. He says:

"If you are making all your food choices based on these [criteria] you may be indulging your taste buds, staying within your budget and minimizing your trips to the grocery store but your cells may all be starving for nutrients that they aren't getting because they are not in those foods. I am not saying to ignore taste, price, convenience, appearance and shelf life. Go ahead and consider those, but consider those after you consider the nutritional value because nutritional value is the real reason we need to eat--the body needs nutrients and it is important to wake up to that and the sooner you wake up to that the better."

So where do you go once you commit yourself to focusing on a food item's nutritional value? Whether you live in a rural area with no access to a health food store or are simply on a very tight budget, there are ways to weed through the offerings in any grocery store to come out with the most nutritious food available, and the following principles should help to guide you along your way.

Learn Your Metabolic Type

This is the first step you should take, and it's an important one. Learning your metabolic type will allow you to choose the proper foods for your type, and this can vary drastically from a focus on meat to a focus on vegetables or healthy fats. My Total Health Program--the culmination of my last 20 years of work--is designed around metabolic typing, and will give you everything you need to assess your general metabolic type and gives you a full plan to start eating the right macronutrient (proteins, fats and carbs) ratio for your type. It will also teach you how to "listen to your body," that is, it will teach you how to subtly adjust and fine-tune your macronutrient ratios so that you feel your best. Take our quick and easy test to find out your metabolic type.

Learn How to Shop Smart

Now that you've determined your metabolic type, be sure to tailor all of your groceries to your individual type, whether it's protein, carb or mixed.

Buy the Freshest Items

The fresher the food, the more nutritious it will be. Only buy produce that is fresh and firm, otherwise you are wasting your money on food that has passed its prime, in terms of both nutrition and taste. This also applies to meat, poultry and fish. If it's not fresh, don't buy it.

Pick the Leanest Cut of Beef, or Request Bison

Free-range meats and poultry are always the best choice, but there are other options if these are not available to you. In terms of beef, choose the leanest cuts as most of the toxins from hormones and antibiotics will settle in fattier tissue, so the fatter cuts tend to have more toxins. Lean cuts of beef include flank steak and round steak.

Another option is to ask the butcher to order some bison. In general, bison are raised much more naturally than other livestock, which means they're not given antibiotics or hormones and the meat is very lean. If you haven't ever tried it I suggest you give it a try, as in my opinion it's one of the best tasting of all meats. Its flavor is similar to prime beef, but sweeter and more tender.

If the Chicken is From a Factory Farm, Don't Eat the Skin

Most chicken sold in typical grocery stores is raised in factory farms. Each full-grown chicken in a factory farm has as little as six-tenths of a square foot of space. These extremely overcrowded conditions pave the way for disease. Many are also genetically modified, and due to genetic manipulation, 90 percent of broiler chickens have trouble walking. If you don't have access to free-range, organic or cage-free chicken, be sure to remove the skin before eating. Also be sure to follow the white meat/dark meat guidelines based on your metabolic type.

Fresh Food is Always Better Than Frozen, but Frozen is Better Than Canned

There is some confusion over whether frozen vegetables are as healthy as fresh vegetables, but you can rest assured that fresh vegetables are always preferable to frozen ones. The freezing process causes damage to the cells in the food, which compromises its nutritional value. Eating pre-frozen food is acceptable, however, but be careful to not overload your diet with pre-frozen foods. If you have no choice and must choose between frozen or canned, frozen would be the better option.

Avoid Processed Foods

Processed foods, including canned goods, are among the most nutritionally devoid foods. Plus, they tend to be expensive, especially when you get into all of the packaged, name-brand junk foods. Save the money that you'd normally spend on pricey and unhealthy items like potato chips, cookies, ice cream and frozen pizzas, and spend it on some fresh vegetables or meat instead.

Check Prices on Organic Food--It's Not Always More Expensive

If you have access to organic food, don't just pass it up because you assume it's too expensive. Sometimes organic food is actually less expensive than traditionally grown food, especially when it's on sale. It may also be only slightly more expensive than a comparable regular item, and in that case the increased nutritional value (and lack of pesticides, etc.) would be well worth the extra price. So be sure to compare prices and choose the best value, which may in fact be organic.

Ocean-Caught Fish is Better Than Farm-Raised Fish

I don't recommend that you eat any fish unless you can be certain that it does not contain toxins like mercury and PCBs. The only fish I have discovered, via independent lab testing, to be free of harmful mercury and other toxins is the Vital Choice brand of salmon.

If you do choose to eat fish from your grocery store, don't eat farm-raised fish, as numerous studies have found it may be harmful to your health. Instead, your best choices would be fresh, ocean-caught Alaskan salmon, arctic Char (similar to salmon), fresh sardines and anchovies. Remember that these may still contain toxins, though probably a lesser amount than the other options. Sardines and anchovies are likely fine to eat, as they are small enough to have minimal contamination. As fish is not typically labeled thoroughly, you may have to ask the fishmonger where the fish came from (farm, lake or ocean) to be sure.

Adjust to Your New Way of Eating, and Enjoy the Feeling

Once you become accustomed to eating the best-quality foods for your metabolic type and start to experience the increased energy, weight normalization and other health benefits, you may find that you're inspired to seek out even more of the healthiest foods. You may want to ask your grocer to start carrying some of the healthier foods mentioned in this article or be inspired to try some of the products recommended online.

The habit can become quite addictive and I suspect you'll discover that healthy foods are available in places you hadn't thought of before. Local farmers, farmers' markets, and health-food coops represent some great potential places to find healthy, and likely inexpensive, food.

---

Related Articles:

Don't Be Fooled By New Snack Food Deceptions

Eating Our Way In And Out of Our Symptoms

Six Foods That Will Give You the Most Health "Bang" for Your Buck

Resistant Bacteria Common in Grocery Store Chicken

U.S. Food Industry Comes Under Scrutiny

Why do You Need Organic Food?

Four Ways Junk Food Marketing Targets Your Kids

How is Agribusiness Adding Inches to Your Waist and Taking Years From Your Life?

 

Fwd: The Best Way to Get Enough Calcium

Another reason to eat whole foods, rather than popping pills or eating processed foods.
--pws

from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/07/17/the-best-way-to-get-enough-calcium.aspx

The Best Way to Get Enough Calcium

A new study suggests that calcium from food sources may be more effective than calcium from supplements. It found that women who get most of their daily calcium from food sources have healthier bones and greater bone density, even though those who took more supplements tended to have higher average levels of calcium.

Researchers asked 183 postmenopausal women to document their diet over the course of a week, after which their bone mineral density and estrogen were tested. Women who got at least 70 percent of their daily calcium from food sources instead of supplements took in the least calcium (830 milligrams per day, on average), but higher spine and hip bone density than women consuming 1,030 milligrams of calcium per day primarily from supplement sources.

Women who got calcium in relatively even amounts from both food and supplemental sources had both the highest bone mineral density and the highest calcium intake (1,620 milligrams per day).

Calcium from dietary sources is usually more completely absorbed than calcium from supplements, which could explain the difference. Women who got getting calcium from foods also had higher estrogen levels; estrogen is needed to maintain bone mineral density. The connection between dietary calcium and estrogen is as yet unknown, although it could be the result of eating plant sources containing the hormone.

Those who got calcium from food sources might have also taken in more vitamin D, which would aid in calcium absorption .

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition May 2007, Vol. 85, No. 5, 1428-1433

Yahoo News June 27, 2007

This study bears out what common sense would tell you: getting calcium from food is far better than getting it from a pill. But for many of us common sense is not very common and we seek to maximize our convenience and swallow our vitamins and minerals conveniently rather than focus on receiving them from high quality supplements. Ah, if life were just that easy that simply swallowing a few pills would solve our nutritional needs. While supplements of course can be useful, they should be viewed just as that, supplements to a high quality diet that is used in addition to not in place of a high quality diet. As often happens when it comes to food, quality is more important than quantity; even though the women taking supplements had higher average levels of calcium, the women who got their calcium from food had stronger bones. Calcium from food is simply better absorbed and utilized by your body than synthetic calcium from a pill. The best food source of calcium out there is that from raw milk (NOT conventional, pasteurized milk) and other raw dairy products. Dark green, leafy vegetables  is another great source of calcium. Of course, it's not just calcium that you're better off getting from whole foods, it's all nutrients. Your best choice is always to favor getting nutrients the way nature intended . Vitamin D is also important for calcium absorption, so along with your raw milk and vegetables, make sure that you are getting plenty of safe sun exposure this summer. Because of this, adequate vitamin D levels help to prevent osteoporosis and hip fractures. You should also remember that, just as exercise and diet work in tandem to beat obesity, the same can be said for osteoporosis. Strengthening bone mass, especially during puberty, can build a good foundation that can last a lifetime. In fact, there is a stronger connection between exercise and improved bone density among teens than taking calcium.Finally, make sure your diet contains healthy levels of omega-3 fats, which are the stealth dietary weapon in preserving your bone density. Even many nutritionists are not aware of the important relationship between healthy bones and optimal fat intake.

Related Articles:

  Calcium May Help Those Trying To Lose Weight

  Low-Fat, High-Fiber Diet May Lower Calcium Absorption

  Calcium Supplements Not Equally Effective

Plastic Shopping Bags Being Banned

Paper or Plastic?
Neither, thanks, I have a canvas bag for my groceries.
--pws

from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/07/17/plastic-shopping-bags-being-banned.aspx

Plastic Shopping Bags Being Banned

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, over 380 billion plastic shopping bags are used in the U.S. annually. Only a tiny fraction (0.6 percent) of the plastic bags are recycled. As many as 1 trillion plastic bags may be used globally each year, or about one million bags per minute.

It takes 1,000 years for plastic bags to degrade. In addition, plastic bags contain harmful chemical such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and diethylhexyl phthalate, which is a carcinogen. About 100,000 birds, marine mammals, whales, and sea turtles each year either choke to death on plastic bags, or die of an intestinal blockage after eating one.

Steps are being taken in many countries to curb plastic bag use. The Republic of Ireland has enacted a 15 cent tax on plastic shopping bags, which has curbed their use by 90 percent in that country. Bangladesh banned plastic shopping bag after finding that they were blocking drainage systems and causing floods. Taiwan, Singapore, South Africa, and several East African countries have also banned plastic shopping bags. The housewares chain IKEA is now charging five cents per plastic bag, and estimates the move will reduce plastic bag use in their U.S. stores by 50 percent.

San Francisco will soon become the first city in North America to ban plastic bags from supermarkets and pharmacies.

The Intelligence Daily June 27, 2007

I'm glad to see that many regions are taking action to curtail the excessive use and waste of plastic bags. More measures like these are needed to protect future generations and the environment, but you can act now simply by using cloth grocery bags in lieu of plastic ones. Yes this may seem like a hassle but if we all started to do this and pitch in then we could limit the use of this onslaught of absoluetely unnecessary plastic that is such a waste and drain on the environment. Pollution from plastic bags exposes your body to all sorts of toxins and is actually turning our oceans into plastic. In addition to the wildlife deaths they cause and the chemical additives from plastics that are now showing up in our environment, plastic bags use up huge quantities of oil (it takes 430,000 gallons of oil to produce 100 million plastic bags). Plastics can make you sick by mimicking or blocking sex hormones, causing disruption of your endocrine system. Perhaps the most dangerous chemicals used in plastics are phthalates, which can affect everything from development and behavior to reproduction and immunity. They have been shown to hasten puberty in children, and cause many other problems. Plastics may indeed have been the "wave of the future" for industry some 40 years ago, but we're paying for that dearly with our health today. Your body must constantly endure exposures to petroleum-based industrial chemicals contained in things most people take for granted, like plastic bags, bottled water and cosmetics. Particularly vulnerable are your children, who are exposed to plastics in the hospital and through baby bottles and toys. You can start avoiding environmental toxins today by reading my common-sense, easy-to-follow tips .

Related Articles:

  Store Your Food in Glass Not Plastic

  Commonly Used Plastics Chemicals May Harm Children

  Wrap Your Gift in Green

from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/17/health/nutrition/17essa.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=science&adxnnlx=1184685585-p+AOLNAH9lODtDRVrsPI/Q

The Bicycling Paradox: Fit Doesn't Have to Mean Thin

By GINA KOLATA

Published: July 17, 2007

Andy Hampsten, the former pro cyclist, the only American ever to win the Tour of Italy, the first American ever to win the grueling Alpe d'Huez stage of the Tour de France, does his best to discourage casual riders from signing up for the cycling trips he leads in Tuscany.

NO TYPECASTING Unlike running, a sport usually dominated by young, rail-thin athletes, cycling is more forgiving of body type and age because of different aerodynamics. The best cyclists going up hills are those with the best weight-to-strength ratio, which generally means being thin and strong, but heavier cyclists go faster downhill.

"All of our trips are designed to satisfy experienced riders," Mr. Hampsten writes on his Web site. To train, he suggests, "you should ride at least 100 miles a week for at least 6 to 10 weeks" on routes with "as many hills as you can find."

So I had an image of what our fellow cyclists would look like when my husband, son and I arrived in Castagneto Carducci for a cycling vacation. They would look like Mr. Hampsten, who at age 45 remains boyishly thin and agile, bouncing with energy.

I was wrong. For the most part, our group consisted of ordinary-looking, mostly middle-age men and a few middle-age women.

These were serious cyclists. One of them was Bob Eastaugh, a 63-year-old justice on the Alaska Supreme Court who said he rode mostly to stay in shape for his true passion, downhill ski racing.

And our trip was challenging. The longest hill was 15 miles, the steepest had a 15 percent grade, the longest one-day ride was 90 miles, and the terrain was never, ever flat. It is hard to imagine that a group of middle-age adults could have handled an equivalently difficult 10 days of running. What, I wondered, made bicycling different?

It turns out that others, too, have been struck by the paradox of bicycling fitness.

"When I first got into cycling, I would see cyclists and say, 'O.K., that's not what I perceive a cyclist to be,' " said Michael Berry, an exercise physiologist at Wake Forest University . Dr. Berry had been a competitive runner, and he thought good cyclists would look like good runners — rail-thin and young.

But, Dr. Berry added, "I quickly learned that when I was riding with someone with a 36-inch waist, I could be looking at the back of their waist when they rode away from me."

He came to realize, he said, that cycling is a lot more forgiving of body type and age than running. The best cyclists going up hills are those with the best weight-to-strength ratio, which generally means being thin and strong. But heavier cyclists go faster downhill. And being light does not help much on flat roads.

James Hagberg, a kinesiology professor at the University of Maryland, explains that the difference between running on a flat road and cycling on a flat road has to do with the movement of the athlete's center of gravity.

"In running, when you see someone who is obviously overweight, they will be in trouble," Dr. Hagberg said. "The more you weigh, the more the center of gravity moves and the more energy it costs. But in cycling, there are different aerodynamics — your center of gravity is not moving up and down."

The difference between cycling and running is like the difference between moving forward on a pogo stick and rolling along on wheels. And that is why Robert Fitts, an exercise physiologist at Marquette University who was a competitive runner, once said good runners run so smoothly they can almost balance an apple on their heads.

Even Mr. Hampsten has been surprised by the cycling paradox. He recalls a woman from San Diego who went on one of his trips. "She was quite overweight," he said, and even though she claimed to be an experienced cyclist, he worried that she would have trouble keeping up with the group. He was wrong.

"She rode so well," Mr. Hampsten said. "Her cadence was very efficient. I was just amazed and delighted."

As for the effects of aging, serious recreational cyclists do slow down, but they are not penalized as much as runners by the passing of years, Dr. Hagberg said. It's because cycling, while grueling, is not as demanding as running.

"The best example of that, in a bizarre way, is the Tour de France," Dr. Hagberg said. "What runner could go out six hours a day for three weeks and not be totally trashed after a day or two? That's a microcosm of the aging issue."

Still, even the best serious recreational cyclist is almost a different species from a professional rider. How much faster, our touring group asked Mr. Hampsten, would a professional rider go up that 15 percent grade during a race? About twice as fast as the fastest in our group, he replied.

And how about recovery after racing? Mr. Hampsten used to compete in 100 races a year, including the Tour de France, and he would recover by going for a long, relaxed ride. It sometimes took him three hours of cycling to warm up after a hard race. Then he'd continue for another two hours.

But recovery does become a limiting factor for professional cyclists, Mr. Hampsten said. It's why most professional riders can no longer win long, multiday races after age 32.

"It's almost eerie that at 32 years, you stop winning," Mr. Hampsten said. "The endurance seems to stay, but recuperation doesn't come around."

When Mr. Hampsten retired, he was 34, "and I hadn't won a race in two years."

Now, he estimates, he is 80 percent as fit as he used to be.

But 80 percent for Andy Hampsten is still impressive. As soon as our cycling tour ended, he headed out on a fast ride that included a long hill to the town of Suvereto, taking a road with 187 switchback turns.

"It is my favorite road to ride," he said.

Why Americans Keep Getting Fatter

from http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/Why-Americans-Keep-Getting-Fatter-22958.aspx

Why Americans Keep Getting Fatter

The average American eats 142 pounds of sugar a year, or about 2.5 pounds each week.

That's a 23 percent increase over the last 25 years, and it is a major cause of the currently soaring rates of obesity and diabetes.

Dr. David Ludwig, who treats childhood obesity at Boston Children's Hospital, says that one of the problems is the fact that the average convenience store is a nutritional disaster area.

Ludwig says that highly processed carbohydrates and refined sugars are causing hormonal changes that "drive hunger, cause overeating, and increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease."

Sugar in some form is present in nearly every packaged product in a grocery store, including spaghetti sauce, salad dressing, peanut butter, mayonnaise and ketchup. CBS News June 17, 2007

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

If you haven't read my recent article, Finally Science Confirms the Secret Key to Weight Loss , I would encourage you to do so, as it documents recent studies that support the insulin connection to weight loss and maintaining optimal weight. Due to deceptive nutritional labels and general lack of knowledge of where the hidden sugars are, Americans are eating far more sugar than they know. When searching for sugar, you must also keep a vigilant eye out for high fructose corn syrup and those dangerous artificial sweeteners. These are included in a wide variety of foods that you might not normally suspect. When consumed in the massive quantities, sugars cause hormonal changes that lead to overeating. And don't forget, carbohydrates found in processed foods , such as white bread and rice , break down to glucose and affect your body in the same way as refined sugar does. Any meal or snack high in carbohydrates or sugars generates a rapid rise in blood glucose. To adjust for this rise, your pancreas secretes the hormone insulin into your bloodstream, which lowers your glucose (sugar) level. Insulin is, though, essentially a storage hormone, which is used to store the excess calories from carbohydrates in the form of fat. Insulin, stimulated by the excess carbohydrates in overabundant consumption of grains, starches and sweets, is responsible for all those bulging stomachs and fat rolls in thighs and chins. Even worse, high insulin levels suppress two other important hormones -- glucagons and growth hormones -- that are responsible for burning fat and sugar and promoting muscle development, respectively. So insulin from excess carbohydrates promotes fat, and then wards off the body's ability to lose that fat. Excess weight and obesity lead to heart disease and a wide variety of other diseases. But the ill effects of grains and sugars does not end there. They suppress the immune system, contributing to allergies, and they are responsible for a host of digestive disorders. They contribute to depression, and their excess consumption is, in fact, associated with many of the chronic diseases in our nation, such as cancer and diabetes. If you're still not convinced that life can be twice as sweet without sugar, take a look at these 76 ways sugar can ruin your health .

Related Articles:

The Scientific Definition of Obesity and its Dangers

Is Obesity in Your Future?

How Children Can Beat Obesity

Whole Foods: The Whole Truth

Whole Foods: The Whole Truth

from http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/Whole-Foods--The-Whole-Truth-23883.aspx

Whole Foods, the fast-growing chain of upscale "healthy" supermarkets, may not be quite as wholesome as they would like you to believe.

It's important to remember, though, that not everything at Whole Foods is automatically healthy and good for the environment.

Money Magazine has highlighted some of the key issues to be aware of when shopping at Whole Foods so you don't end up spending your whole paycheck on not-so-great foods. Among them:

• Whole Foods offers only a limited supply of local produce, meaning the environmental damage it causes in transportation is just as high as most other supermarkets.
• Although Whole Foods doesn't carry products with trans fats or artificial coloring, everything else is fair game.
• The in-store prepared foods do list ingredients, but there's no nutritional information provided.

Money Magazine June 24, 2007

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

Whole Foods Market has certainly helped to bring organic foods to the mainstream market, and is now the most popular and fastest-growing health food chain in the United States. But, like most large corporations, it does not have a perfect track record. And while Whole Foods does offer a wide variety of organic foods, they tend to sell foods at a higher price. They have been roundly criticized in books such as Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. For many in urban areas Trader Joe's seems to provide similar healthy but less expensive options. It's important to remember that buying local is often even better than buying organic , because you get fresher foods that didn't use up excess fuel to be transported a long way. Studies have determined that the long-distance transportation of organic produce causes an environmental impact large enough to cancel out any benefits. Whether you choose to buy your food at Whole Foods or another store, make sure you are buying foods that are fresh and, ideally, grown nearby. Farmer's markets and community-supported agriculture programs make great alternatives to markets like Whole Foods, and they tend to be much more affordable, too. For more tips on eating healthy on a budget, check out Your Family Could be Eating Organic Food for the Same Price as Processed Foods -- or Less .

Related Articles:

Supermarket Secrets Revealed

Organic Foods Continue to Grow

Finally -- Consumers Turning to Local Farmers Instead of Supermarkets

The Natural Way to Rid Yourself of a Migraine Headache

The Natural Way to Rid Yourself of a Migraine Headache
from http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/The-Natural-Way-to-Rid-Yourself-of-a-Migraine-Headache--22685.aspx

It is possible to stop headaches by stimulating your body's natural painkilling ability.

By putting pressure on a nerve just under your eyebrow, you can cause your pituitary gland to release painkilling endorphins immediately.

You can learn more about the details of the method by clicking at Squidoo Health & Medicine.

Another method for releasing endorphins is to take 10 teaspoons of cayenne pepper in a glass of water. Endorphins are released by the brain when the cayenne hits your stomach lining.

Other useful techniques include:

• Putting a cold compress on your forehead or behind the neck
• Massaging the ears and ear lobes
• Massaging the "crown" of your head -- the ring of muscles that circle the head where a crown would sit
  

Squidoo Health & Medicine June 18, 2007

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

Headaches can be basically divided into two types, tension and migraine. Americans spend more than $1 billion every year to get relief from migraines. The pain associated with migraines can be incredibly debilitating.  I have seen a number of patients who were seriously contemplating suicide because the pain was so bad. Many of the drugs used to treat migraines are effective in relieving this severe pain and are a welcome relief. Unfortunately they do absolutely nothing to treat the cause and in fact actually contribute to the problem as after a short while they actually cause rebound headaches themselves. This is very similar to drinking large amounts of coffee or soda for awhile and then trying to go off. If you go cold turkey off of caffeine you will most likely have a severe withdrawl headache. Fortunately, there are many natural treatment options that exist to treat migraines. These should always be considered first, as drugs to treat migraines can actually make the problem worse. In addition to the massage and endorphin-release techniques linked above, I have been incredibly impressed with the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), a type of psychological acupressure, is also a remarkably effective tool to relieve the pain of migraines. Most migraines also seem to include a food-based reaction relating to wheat, dairy, sugar, or artificial preservatives or chemicals. Eliminating these foods and incorporating the principles of my nutrition plan frequently improves migraines. One final, simple tip to free yourself from migraine pain -- start an exercise program. This will help to improve your response to stress along with the underlying inflammatory conditions that can trigger migraines.

Related Articles:

Many Migraine Sufferers Undertreated -- What Can You Do For Migraines?

Most Doctor Visits for Headache Due to Migraine

The Dangerous Link Between Migraines and Heart Attacks

Four Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure Without Drugs

Four Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure Without Drugs
from http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/Four-Ways-to-Lower-Your-Blood-Pressure-Without-Drugs-22684.aspx

Up to 90 percent of high blood pressure cases are thought to be caused by lifestyle habits that constrict blood vessels.

When your blood vessels are constricted tightly, your heart must work much harder to keep your blood flowing, hence the higher blood pressure.

Increasing a compound in your blood known as nitric monoxide can help to open constricted blood vessels and lower your blood pressure. Four ways to increase nitric monoxide in your blood are:

• Aerobic exercise
• Taking a warm bath
• Breathing in and out through one nostril (by closing the other nostril and your mouth)
• Eating bitter melon, which is rich in amino acids and vitamin C

Indigo World 2007

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

Successfully treating high blood pressure without medications is really very simple. It is actually one of the easiest things that our staff does in the office, and we are able to help nearly all of the patients that see us discontinue their blood pressure medications. While high blood pressure is a serious condition, it's also one that can easily be treated by: Following a healthy nutrition plan Exercising Getting emotionally balanced Insulin is a major reason that high blood pressure persists. Most hypertensive patients have insulin receptors that are blunted; they don't work very well anymore. Therefore, the body needs to generate more insulin to get them to work. This can lead to devastating consequences, as excessive insulin will cause serious complications -- far more so than blood sugar -- and is one of the prime causes of complications from high blood pressure and diabetes. So the first step is to eliminate most grains and all sweets from your diet until your blood pressure and weight normalize; sugars and grains only tend to make your insulin levels remain elevated. Another way to lower your insulin levels would be to use exercise wisely. Most overweight hypertensive patients require a very comprehensive set of aerobic and anaerobic relatively intense exercise. It is my experience that changing one's diet and exercise will normalize blood pressure in over 85 percent of people. However, there are clearly some individuals where unresolved current or past stresses are the primary culprit in high blood pressure. Additionally, many individuals are unable to make the lifestyle changes necessary to normalizing their blood pressure because of emotional self-sabotaging behavior. This is where energy psychology tools are absolutely invaluable. We use the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) in our office -- it's a simple tool that can help you in this area. Many people initially are skeptical about EFT because it is so different than other treatments, but it is clearly one of the most helpful tools that I have ever used in taking care of patients. I've compiled a comprehensive page that includes all the details you need to treat high blood pressure without drugs.

Related Articles:

90% of Americans Headed for High Blood Pressure

Even Mild Stress Can Raise Blood Pressure

Aerobic Exercise Better to Reduce Blood Pressure

Laughter Makes Breast Milk Healthier

Laughter Makes Breast Milk Healthier
from http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/Laughter-Makes-Breast-Milk-Healthier-21328.aspx

According to a new study, breastfed babies with eczema experienced milder symptoms if their mothers laughed hours before feeding them.

Breastfeeding mothers were shown either a Charlie Chaplin movie or weather information, and samples of their breast milk were taken at regular intervals afterwards.

Their babies' allergic reactions to dust mites and latex was also measured two milk feeds afterwards.

Infants whose mothers laughed had markedly reduced allergic reactions. There were also significantly higher levels of melatonin in the laughing mothers' milk.

Melatonin, which is associated with relaxation, tends to have reduced levels in people with eczema.

Journal of Psychosomatic Research June 2007;62(6):699-702

NewScientist.com June 16, 2007


Dr. Mercola's Comment:

Laughter is one of those simple joys in life that just feels good. And it's good for you body, too -- in more ways than many may have realized as now you can add improving the quality of breast milk to its list of benefits. So if you're a breastfeeding mom, or a mom-to-be, keep in mind that laughter is not only good for you, but your baby too! Babies with eczema especially benefited in the study, but any baby will benefit from reduced allergic reactions. We could all actually benefit from more laughter in our days. There is a mountain of research that demonstrates the beneficial effects that positive emotions can have on your health: A sunnier disposition can lengthen your life, regardless of your age, weight or smoking habits Positive emotions can help you see life's bigger picture Laughter helps type 2 diabetics process sugar better Laughter is good for your heart If you open your mind to it, I suspect you'll find plenty of reasons to laugh and smile today, even if you're just going about your daily routine.

Related Articles:

The Sound of Laughter is no Simple Matter

Seven Reasons to Breastfeed Your Child That You Need to Know

Laughter: The Healthy Contagion

Even Dental Association Agrees Fluoride is Bad

Maybe we should invest in a water filter to remove the flouride (and chlorine) from our water.
--pws

Finally - Even Dental Association Agrees Fluoride is Bad

from http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/Finally---Even-Dental-Association-Agrees-Fluoride-is-Bad-20528.aspx

The American Dental Association, which has for many years been one of fluoride's biggest advocates, alerted its members late last year that parents of infants younger than a year old "should consider using water that has no or low levels of fluoride" when mixing baby formula.

However, while public health agencies in some states, such as Vermont and New Hampshire, immediately issued warnings in the media based on the ADA alert, other states took months to relay the message.

Florida's Department of Health put the message on its website four months after it was issued along with a note that read: "Mixing formula with fluoridated water poses no known health risks."

The ADA was concerned about fluorosis, a condition caused by too much fluoride that damages the enamel of teeth. Some scientists believe that even mild to moderate cases of fluorosis can lead to more significant problems. Studies have associated fluorosis with lower IQ, endocrine system problems, and skeletal damage.

St. Petersburg Times June 4, 2007

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

After more than half a century of denial, the American Dental Association has finally capitulated to the facts and issued warnings on the dangers of fluoride.

Adding fluoride to drinking water (to prevent tooth decay) has been standard practice in many countries for 60 years. But the practice has come under scrutiny, as fluoride has been banned by more and more European countries.

Unfortunately, too much fluoride can lead to fluorosis, a discoloring of the teeth and breakdown of enamel -- itself a result diametrically opposed to the dental health it supposedly is meant to prevent -- and more serious developmental problems such as lower IQ. Excessive use of fluoride also increases the risk of osteoporosis and can damage the nervous system.

Children enrolled in the Women, Infant and Children's Nutrition program (WIC) are particularly at risk, since the WIC program only subsidizes powdered and condensed baby formulas that have to be mixed with water.

If you are unable to breastfeed, please educate yourself on the dangers of fluoride (an industrial waste product from the phosphate fertilizer industry) as well as the health risks of using infant formulas. Instead of mixing already unhealthy formulas with fluoridated water, take the advice from my series, Healthy Alternative to Conventional Infant Formula, which includes recipes for healthy homemade baby formulas.

Recently I posted a video with award-winning author Christopher Bryson, in which he reveals the dangerous deception at the heart of the unnecessary use of this toxic chemical. If you didn't see before, here's your second chance.

Related Articles:

The Toxic Toothpaste

Canadian Dental Association Advises AGAINST Fluoride Supplements in Young Children

Media Reports on Dangers of Fluoride in Your Water

 

famous alums of DCDS

I already knew about Chris Webber--On November 2, Detroit Country Day School retired NBA star and DCDS alum Chris Webber's basketball number, 44-- but just today learned that Shane Battier is a fellow alum.  Robin Williams and Courtney Vance, of movie and TV fame, were also DCDS students.
I wonder if these guys brag to their friends that Phillip Class of '79 went to their high school?
--pws

Shane Battier '97 Runner-Up for Sportsman

of the Year

NBA Houston Rockets play Shane Battier '97 was the runner-up for the NBA's 2007 Sportsmanship Award. Chicago Bull's forward Luol Deng received the award with only 22 more votes than Battier.

The NBA's annual Sportsmanship Award honors the player who best exemplifies ethical behavior, fair play and integrity on the court.

As the runner-up, the NBA donated $10,000 on Battier's behalf to his chosen charity, the Boy's and Girl's Club of Houston.

This sounds like a blast.  Unfortunately, we can't go to Fenway that day as we will be starting a week's vacation in the Finger Lakes Region of New York.
--pws

Life is Good at Fenway

Website: Life is Good at Fenway Location: 4 Yawkey Way, Boston, MA, 02215 map Date: Saturday, July 7, 2007 Hours: 11:00am-6:00pm Ages: Toddlers, Kids, Teens In/Outdoor: Outdoor check weather Cost: $10 for children, $20 for adults

Life is good® will take to the field at "America's Most Beloved Ballpark" as their annual festival will move to Fenway Park in 2007. The event will be held on Saturday, July 7 as Life is Good ® at Fenway steps up to bat for children facing unfair challenges.

Reserve your Tickets Online or in person at Life is good® retail stores, participating Dick's Sporting Goods stores, and Bob's Stores and REI stores.

The annual celebration of summer fun and good old-fashioned Americana will feature a spirited athletic competition, classic ballpark food, great live music, and a colorful mix of good-time activities for all ages.

Life is good® is hoping for a grand slam in fundraising as they aim to raise more than $1 million to support The Red Sox Foundation and Project Joy, a grassroots non-profit organization that utilizes the healing power of play to foster the social and emotional development of Boston's poorest children.

Event Highlights
Attendees will have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience Fenway Park like never before at this family-friendly event. The festival will feature a host of activities including:

•Contests throughout the day. Compete in bubble gum blowing, peanut tossing, and seed spitting contests for all ages.
•Red Sox legends. Watch for guest appearances from Red Sox immortals and Wally the Green Monster .
•Dunk-a-Yank. This is your opportunity to sink one of the Boston's arch rivals in the Dunk-a-Yank tank set up on the concourse.
•Dugout pictures. Don't miss the opportunity for you and your friends to have a once-in-lifetime picture taken as you sit in the third base dugout.
•Pitching and batting cages in the Big Concourse. Think your fastball is blazing? Have your pitch clocked by radar and swing in the batting cage.
•Participate in the world's biggest game of catch in the stands.
•Beach balls and tee shirts. See more flying tee shirts and beach balls than you've ever seen in one park before.

Live Musical Entertainment
In addition to activities taking place throughout the park, musical performances and award ceremonies will take place on the stage located atop the first base dugout. Family favorite SteveSongs, Neil Diamond tribute band SuperDiamond, and The Gin Blossoms will entertain the crowds throughout the day.

Sponsors
Sponsors for Life is good at Fenway include Dick's Sporting Goods, SAP, UPS, Four Points by Sheraton, Harvard Pilgrim Health Plan, Splenda, DS Graphics, Silvertech, Juniper Graphics, REI, Braver P.C., Upper Crust, Island Oasis and REI. Media sponsors include 93.7 MIKE FM, Boston.com, The Improper Bostonian, Comcast, Bostoncentral.com, and Bay State Parent.

Gates
Gates for the event will open at 11 a.m. Tickets for Life is good® at Fenway are $20 for adults and $10 for children. For complete information on the festival, visit www.lifeisgood.com

Compete for the title of World's Greatest Backyard Athlete
Once again, the title of World's Greatest Backyard Athlete is up for grabs, this time with a baseball twist. More than 100 "athletes" are expected to take to the Fenway field to compete in athletic endeavors such as the Wiffle Ball homerun derby, the Green Monster Frisbee Toss, Peanut Pitching and the Warning Track Dash.

To compete for the title, athletes must display a mastery of odd skills and backyard savvy. More importantly, athletes commit to raising $5,000 for children who face unfair challenges. One hundred percent of funds raised from the 2007 World's Greatest Back Yard Athlete competition will benefit Project Joy and The Red Sox Foundation. To register for the competition, visit www.fenwayathletes.kintera.org

Super Fan Contest
Not sure if you can compete for the title of World's Greatest Backyard Athlete? Every team needs its fans – and you could be named the Sox Super Fan Contest Winner. To enter the contest, fans can visit Boston.com and upload a picture and description demonstrating their fanatic desire to be named this year's Super Fan. Boston.com will select ten finalists who will compete onsite for the judges, hoping to be named the 2007 Super Fan atop the dugout at Fenway Park.

More Life is good® Festivals
While life may be good at Fenway, there are a host of Life is good® festivals taking place beyond Boston. Life is good Watermelon Festivals will be held in four other states this year including North Carolina, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. A full list of festivals and dates can be found on the Life is Good website at www.lifeisgood.com

About Project Joy
Project Joy is a community-based, non-profit that uses play to strengthen and heal the lives of children who have been deeply impacted by trauma. The loss of a child's playfulness and optimism is amongst the greatest of all human tragedies. Children who have been wounded by trauma often stop playing. When children stop playing, they stop living and growing. Project Joy's mission is to ensure that nothing stand in the way of healthy play for all children.

Project Joy provides teachers and childcare providers, especially those working with poor and/or traumatized children, with the training and resources to strengthen and heal their children through play. More information can be found at www.projectjoy.org

About the Red Sox Foundation
The Red Sox Foundation is the official team charity of the Boston Red Sox. The Foundation's primary focus is in serving the health, education, recreation, and social service needs of children and families in need across New England. The goal of the Foundation is to harness the passion fans have for the Red Sox and transform into a vehicle for positive change in the community.

A registered 501(c)3 charity, the Foundation was founded in 2002. The Red Sox Foundation is the largest professional sports charity in New England and one of the largest in Major League Baseball.

About Life is good, Inc.®
Life is good®, based in Boston, MA, spreads good vibes through its colorful collection of apparel and accessories, and the contagious grin of Jake, its optimistic cultural hero. For more information on Life is good®, please visit www.lifeisgood.com

Re: Finally Science Confirms the Secret Key to Weight Loss

To see photos of families from different countries posing with a typical week's groceries, go to http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/What-the-World-Eats-21099.aspx

This is a fascinating look at what's on people's dinner tables across the globe.