CLA-Rich Dairy Products Lower Colon Cancer Risk Earlier today, I told you about the benefits of eating grass-fed beef, high in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)  CLA is such a potent cancer-fighter, as little as 0.5 percent in your daily diet could reduce tumors by more than 50 percent.  Those benefits certainly hold up, based on a Swedish study that found women who ate high amounts dairy foods rich in CLA were about 30 percent less likely to develop colon cancer, the third most prevalent form of cancer worldwide. Even better, women who ate at least four servings of high-fat dairy foods reduced their colon cancer risks by 41 percent. By the numbers (adjusting for age and other factors), each increment of two servings of dairy products equaled a 13 percent reduction in a woman's colon cancer risk. I suspect those women consumed full-fat dairy products that weren't Pasteurized, a destructive process that changes the physical structure of the fragile proteins (especially casein) and converts them into proteins your body was never designed to handle -- and can harm you. I'm a firm believer in milk, as long as it comes from an authentic raw milk source. In fact, I've seen so many of my patients recover their health with raw milk that I believe it to be one of the most profoundly healthy foods you can consume. If you are unable to find a local dairy farmer in your area who sells raw milk, I encourage you to visit the real milk web site to locate a source close to you. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 82, No. 4, : 894-900

Are People Becoming More Aware of Mercury-Laden Vaccines? Despite the work of many to alert people to the dangers of the mercury-based perservative thimerosal in vaccines, the answer to the rhetorical question posed in the headline above remains a resounding No. Many remain dangerously unaware mercury taints vaccines or even realize other options exist -- thimerosal-free vaccines or better yet, in my opinion,none at all , according to this awesome piece in the Kansas City Star. So much so, manufacturers are producing far fewer mercury-free vaccines this year. And Sanofi-Pasteur, the only FDA approved drugmaker to offer a mercury-free pediatric flu vaccine, has cut back production from 8 million doses to 6 million, about half as many as the CDC estimates would be needed just to vaccinate American children between ages 6-23 months. Here's another factoid that shows you how little patients and, I suspect, conventional medicine really understands the dangers of thimerosal: A Sanofi-Pasteur spokesman points out his company had sold out its supply of thimerosal-laden vaccines consistently over the past several years while never running out of thimerosal-free product. Moreover, he had no idea why more health officials didn't buy more of it. Besides gross ignorance on the part of health officials, the lack of thimerosal-free options, as it is with many things, comes down to the almighty dollar. A single-dose vial costs the CDC about $2 more than the standard mercury-laden dose of flu vaccine. Just a reminder, most flu shots contain 12.5 micrograms of mercury, about 14 times the daily amount considered safe by the EPA for a baby weighing 20 pounds. Noted biochemist boyd haley estimates that kind of exposure to mercury would only be safe, based on EPA standards, for a baby weighing 275 pounds. The (Fort Wayne, Ind.) News-Sentinel

Processed Meats Taking Back Seat To Organics At The Grocery Store With thoughts of mad cows and disease-laden processed meats dancing in their heads, consumers are opting for natural, organic beef in growing numbers. Although the market for natural and organic beef amounts to less than 1 percent of America's overall beef production (roughly $500 million annually), it's growing by a phenomenal 20 percent a year. At the same time, overall beef production has plateaued from some 25 billion pounds a decade ago to 24.6 billion this year. Due to lax USDA regs, however, almost any beef producer can label their product as a "natural" one. But the grassroots efforts by some producers have created an informal standard in which natural beef is defined as coming from cattle raised without antibiotics or growth hormones and never fed beef byproducts. Some are also pushing the USDA to make that natural label more definitive. It's a no-brainer which kind of beef you should be eating, as grass-fed beef not only has less fat, but also has higher amounts of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), based on a study I posted here last spring.  Yahoo News

Larger Babies Become Obese Children, Adults New data from an analysis of 24 studies involving 400,000 infants (free PDF link below) has found babies who become large during their first two years stand a greater risk of becoming obese as children and adults. In fact, babies with the highest body mass index or those who gained the most weight during their first two years were more prone to be obese at every stage of their lives -- child to adult -- than those of a normal weight. Some experts, including me, believe breastfeeding is a natural and beneficial solution to protect children and their moms from the obesity epidemic, and to spur the growth and functioning of their brains (with the right amount of beneficial omega 3 fats.   Meantime, if you suspect your child may be suffering from obesity, I urge you t review this seven point checklist  I posted earlier this year. Like most problems in life, preventing childhood obesity is far easier than treating it. Prevention depends on parental involvement, and communication is the key. British Medical Journal

Does Smoking Make You Stupid? Another reason, apart from the enormous and real cost of smoking to your pocketbook and health: Years of tobacco use may dim one's ability to think and lower his or her IQ. Scientists from the University of Michigan discovered this unusual connection while studying the long-term effect of alcoholism on the brain and how it functions. Although alcoholism was, no doubt, connected to diminished thinking, smoking exacerbated the problem, particularly among those who had done so for many years. Across the board, the combination of lifetime alcohol problems severity (LAPS) and pack-years (a measure based on the number of packs of cigarettes a patient smoked each day and for how long they did) were associated with lower IQs and cognitive skills. Besides connecting alcoholism and smoking to poor neurological functioning, researchers believe the same could be true for those who don't drink alcohol at all. If you're not at all concerned about your own health, consider the effect smoking has on your kids and how it will make them more prone to pneumonia, bronchitis and other lung disease. One of the best ways to quit smoking is through complete abstinence, not gradual reduction. But that can be tough for anyone. There are many effective strategies out there for working with addictions but I find cold turkey to be the most effective. Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Getting Rid of Deep Abdominal Fat With Exercise If you need a reason to get started on an exercise program, especially if fighting a sedentary lifestyle and a bulging waistline, here's a good one: You may be accumulating deep abdominal fat that elevates your risk of diabetes and heart disease. A study compared four groups of sedentary, overweight adults divided among those who did varying amounts of exercise (riding a stationary bike and walking on a treadmill) to those who didn't. No big surprise here, the no exercise/sedentary group gained a substantial amount of visceral fat (8.6 percent) in six months. Conversely, those participating in the high dose/vigorous intensity group (equaling about 20 miles of jogging a week) lost about 7 percent of both subcutaneous and visceral fat. And the low dose exercise groups held their own as far as fat, meaning they just didn't lose any. Visceral fat is particularly troublesome because it's the kind that accumulates around organs inside the belly (and is deeper inside the body than subcutaneous fat, which lies just under the skin). Increased levels have been associated with insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease and other metabolic syndromes. What I liked about the study: They referred to exercise in terms of dosage, a concept very few patinets or linicians really appreciate or understand. In fact, I believe exercise is one of the most powerful drugs that we have to treat type 2 diabetes. Unlike typical commercial drugs, exercise can actually cause one to go into permanent remission for diabetes.  Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 99, No. 4, :1613-1618

More Bad News About Toxic Chemicals in Your Baby's Toys Perhaps, it was more than good timing that the Wall Street Journal finally wised up to the dangers of phthaletes last week. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group released a study demonstrating the prevalence of toxic phtalates and flame retardants (PBDEs) in common baby products. Some of the products listed in the report containing these harmful chemicals you'll want to keep your child away from: Disposable crib mattress pad (PBDEs) Sleep positioner (PBDEs) Bath toy books (phthalates) Teething toys (phthalates) It comes as no surprise the Toy Industry Association blasted the report as baseless, and needlessly frightening parents about a threat that doesn't exist. If industry has nothing to hide, however, they should be providing any and all health-impact information to the FDA and consumers on product labels too, according to the Public Interest Research Group. But, of course, they don't... Just another reason, if you haven't done it already, you'll want to review my tips for avoiding the 10 most common toxins. U.S. Public Interest Research Group

Chiron's Flu Vaccine Receives FDA Approval Not surprisingly, Chiron received final approval yesterday from the FDA to ship its first batch of Fluvirin, a flu vaccine that still conatins mercury. The 1.5 million doses expected to hit the United States next week represent just a fraction of the 26 million expected from Chiron by early December. However, Chiron's share of the flu vaccine stockpile makes up only a quarter of the expected 97 million vaccines to be available in this country, as Sanofi Pasteur will produce the bulk of the flu vaccines (50-60 million). So, if you've seen signs popping up at grocery stores to get a flu shot, that's just the first indication we're about to be bombarded with the same old fear campaign from medical "experts" telling us to get vaccinated. In fact, one CDC official pushed October and November as the optimal months for vaccination, although December and January aren't "too late" either. USA Today

Creating Super Weeds From GM Crops Is Much Easier Than You Think A study I posted earlier this year warned mixing genetically modified (GM) crops could also breed herbicide tolerant "super" weeds. Two Missouri farmers who misused Monsanto's Roundup Ready weed-control system made that shocking discovery on their GM soybean fields. Farmers had planted the same GM soybeans and used the same herbicide (glyphosate) -- both part of Monsanto's Roundup Ready system -- for the past nine years. Over time, weeds with a genetic resistance to glyphosate survived, eventually overwhelming crop yields. Even worse, waterhemp samples taken from those fields were found to withstand eight times the amount of Monsanto's herbicide. Expect to hear more news like this down the line, as farmers continue to ignore warnings from Monsanto and other agriculture companies to rotate their crops to prevent the spread of super weeds, at the steep cost of only $2-3 per acre... GM crops grown with Monsanto's Roundup Ready system and other glyphosate products accounted for some $1.6 billion in worldwide sales over the past nine months alone and more than 100 million acres planted in this country. Just another reason I urge you to eat organic foods as often as you can. BakingBusiness.com

Merck Clashes With Judge at Second Vioxx Trial To put it mildly, Merck attorneys got off on the wrong foot with New Jersey Superior Court Judge Carol Higbee late last week when they launched their defense in the second Vioxx trial. Higbee threw out the testimony of Merck's lead witness and perhaps its strongest, a company research executive, Friday, igniting a shouting match between a Merck attorney and the judge. Some experts believe the argument could've been a form of ''judge baiting,'' staged strategically by Merck attorneys to demonstrate a judge's bias, prompting a mistrial, although lawyers denied any sort of plan. Observers also believe the company may seek injunctive relief in the form of an emergency appeal in a higher court to overturn Higbee's ruling, but that hasn't happened yet. You can't be surprised by the tactics Merck's attorneys are taking to protect their client from financial ruin, considering the $253 million judgment in the first Vioxx trial in a southeast Texas court in late August. The truth is, no one should have to die from taking drugs so the mega-pharmaceuticals can make obscene profits. MSNBC

Depression, Suicide Linked to Epilepsy If you needed any more evidence how negative emotions can hurt your health., an interesting study links epilepsy with the incidence of depression and suicide in a startling new way. Conventional medicine assumed living with epilepsy created a higher risk for depression and suicide in patients. Based on a study of about 1,000 patients (a third of whom had epilepsy), however, a history of depression increased one's epilepsy risks. Even worse, patients suffering from epilepsy were as much as four times more likely to have attempted suicide before they ever experienced a seizure. However, the presence of other symptoms of depression didn't foreshadow a greater incidence of seizures later on, leading scientists to speculate there may be commonality between the brain mechanisms triggering suicide and epilepsy. These findings certainly make sense, especially considering the epilepsy drug, neurontin, has recently been linked to a rising incidence of suicides. Two natural weapons at your disposal, among many, for heading off depression and potentially lowering your risk of epilepsy safely and naturally: Taking a high qualtiy fish or cold liver oil, rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Annals of Neurology

Obese Baby Boomers Face Bigger Dementia Risk Last week, I warned you how the obesity epidemic may overwhelm baby boomers and gen Xers much faster and far sooner thatn anyone expected. Those extra pounds you add during your baby boomer days may also increase your risk of dementia as you get older too. Swedish researchers evaluated the health of some 1,500 patients over a 21-year period to determine any links between body mass index (BMI) in midlife and cardiovascular risks and the incidence of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Not surprisingly, dementia and Alzheimer's disease was far more prevalent among those with a higher BMI at middle age. Additionally, patients who had the highest midlife BMI had the highest incidence of diabetes and heart attack. The main risk factors for late-life dementia: Midlife obesity High systolic blood pressure High total cholesterol levels Despite what you might think, folks, Alzheimer's disease and dementia are not at all part of the normal aging process. Both are easily avoidable, if you're willing to make some lifestyle changes. Archives of Neurology, Vol. 62, No. 10, : 1556-1560

Can Eating High-Fat Foods Treat Your Inflammation? Just to show you how crazy study findings can be and why you should always pay very close attention to the message, can you imagine a doctor advising you to treat your stomach inflammation with a hot bag of high-fat foods from McDonald's? A European study found high-fat foods causes cells in the small intestine to produce cholecystokinin (CCK), a hormone that stimulates digestion, along with the motion that moves food along the digestive tract and a feeling of satiety that tells you to stop eating. The CCK produced by eating fatty foods was responsible for reducing inflammation (spurred by a lethal bacteria-induced shock) in the digestive tracts of rats. Those results completely fly in the face of a CCK study found eating high-fat foods completely erode your body's CCK mechanisms. The best way to begin to get your health on track: Modify your diet based on your body's unique metabolic type and cut out processed, high fat foods. Journal of Experimental Medicine

Chocolate: A Natural Anti-Diarrheal As you know, a growing number of studies have found the wonderful natural chemicals contained in cocoa beans can do great things for your health and heart. Recent research has confirmed the value of cocoa as a natural treatment for diarrhea, a practice that dates back to the 16th Century. Scientists tested cocoa extract and flavonoids in cell cultures similar to the lining of intestines. Cocoa flavonoids were found to bind to and inhibit an intestinal protein (CFTR) that regulates secretions in the small intestine, thus preventing fluid loss. The trick to remember about chocolate: Not just any kind will do. By far, the best choice is dark chocolate, as it has antioxidant properties that can protect the body from damaging oxidative stress. Adding milk to the process -- meaning the milk chocolate bars you find at most grocery stores -- cancels out the antioxidant benefits of chocolate. Just remember, if you want to eat chocolate safely, restrict your intake to dark, organic chocolate, consume it only in moderation and stay away from it if you're dealing with serious health issues like obesity or diabetes. Also, you can get most of the same benefits minimally processed chocolate provides by eating blueberries, grapes and most all vegetables. Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 135, No. 10, : 2320-2325

Fish Great For Your Brain Because nearly every one of us could benefit from a boost in our mental faculties, a recent study found seniors who ate one fish meal a week had a 10 percent slower annual decline in thinking. That translates to three or four years of extra protection. And, the news was even better for patients who ate fish twice a week: Their annual decline slowed by 13 percent. Scientists evaluated the performance of more than 3,700 patients (older than age 64) on simple memory tests three times over a six-year period. Participants also filled out questionnaires about their diet during that time.   Archives of Neurology

The Season For Heart Attack Deaths Just Around the Corner It's amazing how medical researchers have been able to use the calendar to predict mortality rates based on a given criteria, like, for example, being given the wrong prescription medication. Perhaps, it's shouldn't come as a surprise to you that a Duke University study found more patients who suffer from a heart attack in December are more likely to die from it that same month than any other during the year. What may disturb you: Those numbers held up even after cold weather, variances in the quality of medical care and understaffing during the year-end holidays were taken into account. Based on data collected on some 128,000 Medicare patients over two years, almost 22 percent of the patients admitted to a hospital for a heart attack died in December, compared to 20 percent during the rest of the year. Fortunately, you have plenty of free resources available on my Web site to reduce your risk of heart disease significantly. In fact, one of the most effective treatments of them all -- exercise -- costs nothing more than your time. That said, don't focus solely on exercise at the expense of eating the right foods (ideally based on your body's unique metabollic type as the two go hand in hand in helping you achieve optimal health. Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol. 143, No. 7,, 2005:481-485

Fight Obesity By Sleeping A growing number of studies have linked our 24/7 lifestyles -- chock full of work, commitments, e-mail and other distractions -- to a lack of sleep that's had a devastating effect on our nation's health. An interesting Washington Post piece (free text link below) reviews some of these recent findings, including a new study that found adults between ages 32-49 who sleep the least (less than seven hours each night) are far more prone to gain weight and become obese. Strangely, some medical experts dispute this link, including one quoted in the article who claimed Americans ''are getting healthier'' and calling those who are justifiably concerned about poor health and sleep debt ''Chicken Little people.'' Unbelievable... Apparently, those on the side of conventional medicine just don't understand or accept the contribution leptin  makes to this problem. If you want to get up to speed on leptin, I urge you to review this on diabetes and obesity and how leptin links both of those disease states. Washington Post

The Cure For Dry Eyes It's good to see conventional medicine is finally appreciating the benefits of fish oil to your health in relation to fighting depression, inflammation and alzheimer's. A recent Harvard study identified an interesting new advantage for those who consume high amounts of foods rich in omega-3 fats: Women who ate the most lowered their chances of dry eye syndrome as much as by 68 percent. Conversely, those who ate a higher ratio of omega-6 fats versus omega-3 fats doubled their odds of dry eye syndrome. Dry eye syndrome, a condition suffered by some 10 Americans, is usually caused by a problem with the quality of the tear film that lubricates the eyes. Conventional treatment options may include surgical intervention (punctal plugs inserted into tear ducts) or eye medicines. My lone concern with this study: Women got most of their omega-3s from eating fish, which would be a near-perfect food if they weren't contaminated with mercury. That's why I so strongly advocate consuming a high quality fish or cod liver oil daily. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 82, No. 4, : 887-893

Oregano + Cranberries = A Potent Natural Antibacterial Because you know how much I love natural soltuions to common health problems that have nothing to do with taking a potentially toxic drug, you may be as interested as I am about the combination of oregano and cranberry extract being used as a natural, effective antibacterial agent. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts tested different amounts of cranberry and oregano extract together on cod fillets and shrimp to determine how much of these disparate ingredients eliminated a seafood-based bacterium (Vibrio parahaemolyticus) that causes food poisoning. A 50-50 mixture of the two did the trick far better than either extract did on its own, because both compounds work on different parts of bacterial cell, scientists said. And, adding a bit of lactic acid made the cranberry-oregano concoction even more effective. Just another natural benefit of using oregano, also one of your best sources for antioxidants New Scientist.com

Flu Epidemic Scare is a Fake If you have been viewing the media you must have seen the scare the media and the president are seeking to orchestrate on you and the public. According to a draft of the government's plan to fight a worldwide epidemic this new super-flu could kill nearly TWO MILLION Americans. But I nearly fell out of my seat in the airplane as I was flying back from a conference in Ft. Lauderdale when I read that in the BEST-case scenario, about 200,000 people might die. Then they post the frightening picture from the 1918 flu epidemic to heighten the fear. It just amazes me how they can get away with this type of reporting that is so obviously manipulated by the government and drug companies to scare you into taking the flu vaccine. What might the purpose of these scare tactics be you ask? Well how about the US purchasing huge quantities of antiviral drugs and an increase in flu vaccine production along with purchasing 20 million doses of the highly questionably effective Tamiflu.  USA Today

FDA Gets Fooled Again About Toxic Asthma Drug The consumer watchdog group, public citizen, is at it again, with a letter in this week's Lancet blasting GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for presenting misleading findings about the popular and potentially deadly asthma drug, serevent to the FDA. The conflict involves GSK's failure to report that some of the study findings it had released about Serevent occurred six months after the drug trial ended. Based on the original 28-week study, Serevent increased an asthmatic patient's risk of death. Adding the extra data after the study ended, Public Citizen says, merely waters down Serevent's risks making them appear lower than they truly are. After hearing about the discrepancy, an FDA advisory committee recommended strengthening the warning for Serevent as well as Advair (another GSK product that contains both steroids and beta agonists) but no final ruling has been issued. Though some experts believe GSK played ''by the rules'' here, it's worth reminding you Serevent was one of the five drugs, in addition to Vioxx, that were named by Dr. David Graham during his Congressional testimony nearly a year ago as putting the lives of the public at great risk. Yahoo News

Soy Intake May Increase Your Risk of Breast Cancer Despite all the hugely successful efforts by the big business to market the benefits of soy --  -- all of that may change in a hurry with news of a study that found high soy consumption may be responsible for increasing a woman's risk of breast cancer. Researchers met with more than 400 women to discuss their medical histories involving breast cancer along with how often and why they ate soy-based foods. Most of the numbers won't surprise you: 43 percent ate at least one soy-based food during the past month. 32 percent called themselves soy consumers, who ate 18 servings of such products (soymilk, soy nuts, tofu). 45 percent believed soy foods reduced their risk of cancer. Here's a statistic that will: 7 percent of the women who chose not to eat soy did so because they believed these products promoted breast cancer,  In fact, some said clinicians advised them not to eat soy-based foods for that reason. Another factoid about the study that explains why the marketing of soy has been so darn effective in this country: Researchers believe the women who advocated soy consumption didn't get their information from health care professionals. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Vol. 105, No. 10, : 1552-1558