C-reaction protein: Produced by the liver, this protein is an indicator as to how much inflammation is going on in your body–a risk factor for heart disease.
Archive for November, 2007
Mercury and Tuna
Dr. Victor Marchione ask the question, when you eat tuna are you playing a game of Russian Roulette?
A result of our living in an industralized society is small amounts of mercury in all of our systems; eating large predator fish can cause mercury in our bodies to rise well above safe levels. Tuna happens to be a large predator fish, so does this mean no more tuna fish sandwiches? No, with a couple of precautions you can eat your tuna fish and live to tell about it.
Do not use Albacore tuna, mercury levels are high in this type of tuna.
Use light tuna; generally there are several types of tuna mixed such as yellowfin, tongol, and skipjack. These types are lower in mercury because they are younger and smaller.
Relax and enjoy your tuna fish sandwich, even better try a variety of fish such as salmon, herring, or mackerel. Just besure to have fish a couple of times a week.
Source: Dr. Victor Marchione–Food Doctor with Doctors Health Press
Poison Ivy
Have you strained your back from maybe over doing a certain exercise or from lifting something too heavy, poison ivy may be your answer.
Rhus Toxicodendron a homeopathic remedy made from the leaves of the poison ivy plant is beneficial for many different conditions and back pain is one of them. How often you take this and the potency depends on the severity of your pain.
Please remember this is used for minor back strain; if you are suffering from a serious or re-occuring back pain please see your physician.
Buying Organic Beef
Grass versus Grain
It used to be that cattle were only fed on grass this meant that it could take four years to fatten them enough to take to market. Today they are still grass fed but sent to industrial feedlots where corn and other grains are added to there feed.This is great for the beef producers because slaughter time is cut almost in half, lower beef prices and higher profits.
Although corn-fed cattle may sound healthy, grain can make cattle sick; to counter act this they are routinely given antibotics as a preventive.
The FDA requires that the antibiotics are stopped in time to clear out their system before slaughter. As good as that sounds there is still a major problem here; over use of antibiotics can still lead to drug-resistant strains of bacteria.
USDA Certified Organic
USDA Certified Organic is a guarantee that the cattle has been fed on 100% organic feed; grass or grain their feed does not contain animal by-products, antibiotics, or growth harmones.
The cattle must have access to a pasture and opportunity to exercise, although it is not clear what that means.
Animal Welfare Approved
From the nonprofit Animal Wellfare Institute; this seal tells you that the strictest standards have been set.
- Cattle have been raised on family farms
- Seasonal access to pasture
- Shelter in inclement wheather
- Proper diet without routine antibiotics or harmones
Both the American Humane Association and Humane Farm Animal Care regularly check farms for compliance.
Grass-fed or Pasture Finished
The American Grass-fed Association states that grass-fed cattle are raised only on grass or hay after weaning and not grain finished. There is not a leagal definition or certification so grass-fed can mean different things to different beef producers.
USDA Proposed Standards: The cattle should be fed a 99% grass and forage diet. Here again this sounds good but the issues of raised on pasture, confined to feedlots, or if the cattle can be given hormones or antibiotics has not been addressed.
No Hormones/No Antibiotics
The terms “hormone free and antibiotic free” have not been approved by the USDA so there is no way to verify if-in-fact the beef is harmone or antibiotic free.
Natural
The USDA defines natural to mean”minimally processed” with no artificial ingredients, technically all beef is natural. There are no restrictions on what happens to the cattle before slaughter.
Free Range
Although the term implies the cattle were raised outdoors the USDA only defines this term for poultry not cattle. Even with poultry it only means that the poultry has access to the outside. No one checks to make sure they take their daily walks.
Hi there. I'm Patricia Setzer, and I show you how to prepare your favorite foods in a way that can help boost your energy, maintain a healthy weight and improve your overall health ...