Monthly Archives: June 2008

Rewind: Posts from June

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Below is a recap of posts from the month of June.  These are compliled for you just  case you missed a few posts, would care to share or are new to Best of Mother Earth.  I appreciate your readership tremendously.

I began rewind a few months ago to assist me in being more purposeful about my blog postings.  In June I vacationed a bit and truly enjoyed the gathering of guest authors who posted while I was away. Thank you again to all who participated.

Finally, in June my Blog celebrated it’s one year birthday – I can hardly believe how this past year flew by!!

Guest Authors:

Lill Hawkins
Brad Shorr
*Patricia Singleton
*Sheila Glazov
*Thea Burger
Nadine Sellers

*A very special thanks to those who additionally posted on their blogs:

Health and Wellness is Your Responsibility

Double Delight
( http://understandingpersonalitytypes.com/2008/06/12/double-delight-karen-hanrahan-susie-duboe-bryant-hinsdale-furriers-what-color-is-your-brain-workshop-book-blue-brain-west-surburban-women-entrepreneurs-shaklee-optifloria-probiotic-complex-ez-gest.aspx )

Karen Hanrahan’s Visiting Post

Men’s Health:

HealthE News: Men’s Health

Saw Palmetto for Benign Prostratic Hyperplaysia
( /2008/06/09/saw-palmetto-for-benign-prostatic-hyperplasia-quality-medicinal%20herbs-best-of-mother-earth.html )

The Andropausal Male
Why Take a High Quality Multi-Vitamin

Popsicles that Hydrate
( /2008/06/23/homemade-popsicles-that-hydrate-quality%20sports-nutrition-best-of-mother-earth.html )

Sports Nutrition

Green Advocacy:

Sun Causes Damage to Your Skin
Non-Toxic Biodegradable Germicide
Toxic Household Chemical Facts and Statistics

Recipes from the Heart:

Three Bean Salad
Cream of Asparagus Soup
Chocolate Creams
Summer Skillets
Marinades and Rubs for Grilling

Other:

Bloggy Birthday
What I learned from Dogs
Others Thoughts about Fathers
Doodles by Kate
Fluffy White Cloud Days
Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp


rewind flickr image credit

Karen Hanrahan ~ Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant/Blog Publisher
708.482.0678 ~ Websites: Nutrition, Weight Loss, and Green Clean 

HealthE News: Digestive Health

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This E – Newsletter comes to you on or around the 5th of each month because you either requested it, gave me permission to send it to you, or I thought you might find it of interest.

If for any reason you’d like to no longer receive this communication – please reply accordingly.

I have great regard for your time – thank you for allowing me to be a resource for you.

Health-E NEWS July 2008

Announcements

I am writing my July newsletter a tad early due to the 4th holiday and more pending travel. My office will be closed from July 4 – July 10th.

Topic of the Month

This month’s topic is Digestive Health which benefits greatly from nutritional supplementation. Perhaps you have the urpy burpy, too many barbecues or too much travel blues?

Your tummy ache solutions could include these medicinal herbs:

Acidopholus/ Bifidus: Travelers diarrhea is more common than one might think – This particular brand guarantees half a BILLION live beneficial bacteria directly to the small intestine. A balance of healthy bacteria has been shown to boost the body’s natural defense capabilities. ( see detailed commentary below )

Peppermint/ Ginger: Perhaps you get an upset stomach from driving, flying or boating.  Plan ahead for motion sickness. Using a blend of herbs including peppermint and ginger this product will ease motion sickness and it’s accompanying queasiness and nausea.

Senna: Constipated?  The herb Senna, which has been used for thousands of years is a natural laxative.  Senna and several other herbs provide a gentle and effective colon flush – it does not cause “emergency” trips to the bathroom – just a gentle encouragement of the muscles of the colon to get things moving again. This product is a “signature” formula for this particular company.

Plant based digestive Enzymes: Gassy? Bloated? Enzymes assist the digestion of all the foods you eat – many enzyme products are animal based – but this brand is a multi action plant based product – better digestion means better absorption of your food.

*Summer is upon us!  Some of us will be taking trips to foreign lands, and some will be hanging out in the yard around the Bar-B-Q pit. All of us will be adapting to the hot weather and the stresses of summer. Summer heat is perfect for the growth of bacteria, and some of us may succumb to digestive distress after eating.

The human body is continually protecting itself from the outside world. To shield itself from harmful environmental stimuli, the body employs our immune cells, biochemicals, organs and tissues. The complex interaction of these physiological systems produces our immunity. Some of these systems have dual roles: The digestive system, for example, not only extracts and absorbs nutrients from foods but also destroys pathogenic organisms that may be present in those foods!

Acidopholus/ Bifudus is an important addition to our diet for support of our immune function.  Lactobacillus and bifidobacteria species (probiotic organisms) have been shown to increase numbers of circulating lymphocytes, stimulate phagocytic activity of white blood cells, elevates antibody responses, and can increase production of immune-modulating chemicals such as gamma interferon. This particular probiotic product also contain the prebiotic fructooligosaccharides (FOS). FOS are carbohydrates that support the growth of probiotic organisms in the gastrointestinal tract. A recent study in Lancet showed that oligosaccharide molecules can bind to pathogenic microbes, thereby preventing their attachment to host cells.  (1)

Probiotics secrete anti-toxins that can help reduce the impact of exposure to agents that usually cause “traveler’s diarrhea”.  We tend to be resistant to the bacteria and viral agents that we have been exposed to in the past, once we have developed “antibodies” to them.  Eating strange foods, or drinking water from strange places can introduce new bacterial strains that our immune system may not have processed previously. Using a Acidopholus/ Bifudus for a few months before taking that trip, to prepare our digestive tract for potential threats.

Over the last 10 years several investigative newspapers like the Washington Post and the LA Times have gone to “health food stores” and purchased cross-sections of popular supplements like Gingko Biloba, Ginseng, and St. John’s Wort.  They tested them in independent labs and found that many of those products contained impurities, reduced, or non-existent levels of the active ingredients listed on the labels.  This finally forced the FDA to propose a new regulation to require current good manufacturing practices (CGMPs) in the supplement industry. The proposed rule would, for the first time, establish standards to ensure that dietary supplements and dietary ingredients are not adulterated with contaminants or impurities, and are labeled to accurately to reflect the active ingredients and other ingredients in the product.  (2)

Evidence of the health benefits of lactobacillus and other probiotics – also known as “friendly bacteria” – is impressive. Many studies have investigated the role of various strains of bacteria in preventing and treating such illnesses as inflammatory bowel disease, urinary tract infections, diarrhea, and even colon cancer. Last year the American Journal of Gastroenterology published an entire supplemental issue dedicated to the use of probiotics in disease treatment. (3)

Perhaps the most important function of probiotic organisms is to limit the growth of pathogenic organisms. These potentially harmful microbes naturally reside in the human intestinal tract but do not overpopulate when sufficient numbers of probiotic organisms are present. Probiotic bacteria not only compete with these pathogens for nutrients and space, they also secrete substances–lactic acid and other organic acids, hydrogen peroxide, and potent antibiotic agents known as bacteriocins–that inhibit the growth of harmful organisms. Many studies demonstrate the ability of probiotics to antagonize pathogenic microbes and treat the intestinal infections caused by these harmful organisms. (4)

The statement “the best defense is a good offence” reminds me that taking Acidopholus/ Bifudus at this time of year is the most effective way to enjoy the summer without the risk of succumbing to food toxins
.

REFERENCES:

(1)   A Nutritional Approach to Immunity
http://www.chiro.org/nutrition/FULL/Nutritional_Approach_to_Immunity.shtml

(2)   FDA Moves On Dietary Supplements
http://www.chiro.org/nutrition/FULL/FDA_Moves_On_Dietary_Supplements.html

(2)   Probiotics Effective Against Viral Infections
http://www.chiro.org/nutrition/ABSTRACTS/Probiotics_Viral.shtml

(3)   A Probiotics Primer
http://www.chiro.org/nutrition/FULL/Probiotics_Primer.html

*sourced from the former “ From the Doc “ series – thank you Dr. Frank Painter.


Flickr image credit – taken at the signapore zoo – too funny

Karen Hanrahan ~ Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant/Blog Publisher
708.482.0678 ~ Websites: Nutrition, Weight Loss, and Green Clean

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp

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Eight summers ago I drove to the Muskegan region of Michigan to take my daughter to Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.  We have not missed a summer since.

At the time, my Kate was playing the viola. To us the trip to Michigan was it’s own adventure. Arriving at camp another, leaving her there another. I remember struggling to afford it, wondering why I had to buy a uniform, and being sortof perplexed by the camp’s policy which was all about the kid vs coddling the parent.

This camp is about creativity and performing. Summer Programs include: Dance, Choral, Band, Orchestra or Art.  The place is about independance.  It’s mostly about rigor and very high quality instruction. I had never seen anything like it.  We arrived to this astounding what I like to call the 400 Acre Wood.  It’s really 1300 Acres. It is a stunning, clean and well kept camp environment. I drove 250 miles to check her in to camp only to have the counselor say …see ya, we’ll take care of your daughter from here on? Excuse me? I have to go home now?? The first time I did that I had some pretty mixed feelings.  Yet as I was driving along the winding wooded road I could hear youthful voices singing, instruments tooting, kids laughing and I thought to myself. Wow – This is one very magical place.

Parents drop their kids off, and show up 10 days later to a full day of performing in their childs area of expertise known as final sunday. The kids all perform in outdoor pavillions with a view of the 1300 acre wood or a lake in the backround. In 8 yrs I have never sat in the rain on a final sunday! The first time I came to a final sunday I was met by a sun-kissed, filthy as only a kid at camp can be, smiling ear to ear – mosquito bitten – I can’t wait to tell you everything kid! She had met a ton of other kids from states all around and best of all she really learned something while she was there.

Over the years my Kate changed majors from viola to a choral focus, she expounded her minors to try other new  things like;  piano, art or  dance. Eventually she stayed 2 sessions or a full month to immerse in musical theatre too. One summer she auditioned for the international choir and made it!! That summer she was in Germany and France for 5 weeks!!  She learned alot about fundraising that year in order to manage the trip!

Blue Lake understands the costs associated with attending a camp like this and so each year you are offered an alumni scholarship. As the years go by more monies are offered.  This year 50% of her tuition was covered. One year, we really struggled to get her there - and they helped.  We just had to ask.   None of these scholarships  would be available if there weren’t supporters of art education giving generously. 5000 youth particpate each summer and each of them recieve some form of a scholarship. Pretty Impressive

I am very very particular about where I donate dollars. I purchase as you know from companies that have ideals that match my own. I also advocate that others think carefully about their consumer spending as well as who they donate too.

Of course it goes without saying that if furthering the arts and arts education is important to you Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp would always welcome donations.

In addition to loving the camp we also have fallen in love with the area, the ritual of the trip, the antics of camp life, getting lost and finding entire fields of sunflowers. I have befriended business folks in several communities, we stay each year in a beloved bed and breakfast called A Finch Nest. The whole thing is much more that my daughter is going to camp.

Best yet, after Kate’s freshman year in college she plans to be a counselor there. Partly because it’s a blast, she’s certainly not afraid of hard work, but mostly she said she wants to be a counselor so that she can give back. Blue Lake has given so much to her. She wants to give of herself in return.   This delights me more than I can say.

When she’s away at camp I write every day. I load up my envelopes with stickers and doodles, I send recipes, random thoughts and silly poems, I send clippings from the news paper. I hide sticker and tattoo packets in her clothes and last yr I slid a polly pocket cell phone in her toiletries.  She takes a rubber duckie I once gave her as the shower mascot.  We have our traditions.

Next week I leave for her first final sunday followed by a respite with Kate before the next session. It’s a treasured time for sure.


Each year we take a picture by ” the sign”


Mr. Webb and Kate in International uniform. Mr. Webb is an amazing choral educator


So many blue lake camp antics, so little time


Bonding before a theatre performance


Early years playing viola, so very focused


Kate and I


2003

Karen Hanrahan ~ Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant/Blog Publisher
708.482.0678 ~ Websites: Nutrition,Weight Loss, and Green Clean 

Marinades and Rubs for Grilling

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Last summer someone told me that if you take a portabello mushroom and marinate it for DAYS, that it’s exceptional grilled.  So I tried it, and sure enough. It was just superb. 

I began experimenting with stovetop grilling and found that I liked that too!

An even better trick is to create salad-centric meals and apply the marinade concept to meats/veggies as a plan ahead mechanism for ease of preparing summer meals. 

( like that word salad – centric ? It’s a mother earth – ism )  

Salad – centric meals means meals centered around lots of salad and raw veggies. When it’s this hot it’s the perfect thing.  I make a plate of mixed greens, I usually include spinach, a bitter green of some sort; I am on an arugula kick right now and lots of raw veggies – I go for color, texture and variety. Fresh herbs are wonderful if you can clip them from your garden to add accordingly – dill, basil, chive, oregano, mint. parsley, cilantro – yum!

I purchased sirloin tip, cut into steaks at about 6.99 a lb, ( nice inexpensive cut – when marinated this meat is just astounding on the grill and perfect for steak salad. I also bought boneless chicken breasts for a cobb salad, and marinated extra of both to freeze once grilled for added convenience. Lastly I thickly sliced some summer squash to marinate.

I meant to buy a boneless turkey breast, rubbed with a mixture of spices and also cooked on the grill, makes for excellant slicing or cold plate meals later - but I forgot to put it on the list, I’ll give you the rub ingredients anway since I promised it in the post title !!

Why am I saying all of this?

Tonight I prepared 2 marinades, am soaking a bunch of stuff overnight to do a super duper grill off tomorrow so then I will have like 4 meals ready to rock. Or 2 meals to eat and 2 to freeze.  

Great way to stay out of the kitchen

Thai Marinade - I use this for the steak – it is applicable to anything really – it’s my favorite – the hot pepper makes if very sassy

1 T fish sauce 
juice of one fresh lime
1 T soy
1 T of water 
fresh ground black pepper
1 serrano pepper sliced – today i used a red jalepeno
fresh cilantro 
3 cloves crushed garlic 

mix together, place meat or veggies in a shallow glass dish – never marinate in metal ( why is that ? someone told me that too )   pour over and cover

Citrus Marinade – I used this for the chicken and the summer squash

Juice of an orange
1 T white wine
1 T of soy
3 cloves crushed garlic
fresh ground white pepper
lots freshly grated ginger ( martha tip – keep fresh ginger bits in the freezer in a glass jar – grate when needed – fabulous way to have that fresh grated ginger taste all the time )

Mix together. Again place meat or veggies in shallow glass, pour marinade over and cover. 
 
Spice Rub -  I use this for chicken and turkey with the skin on

2 T of sweet paprika
1 teas of chile powder
1 teas of thyme

mix

oil fingers and rub on skin of the meat, rub in dry spices, add crushed garlic and peppers and rub, doing this the night before makes for great flavor – wash hands well, the pepper and chile powder in your eye is way not fun. Making a double batch of the dry spice part of this and keeping it in a jar is a great time saving tip also.

Happy Summer Grilling! 


marinade flickr image credit


spicerub flickr image credit

Karen Hanrahan ~ Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant/Blog Publisher
708.482.0678 ~ Websites: Nutrition, Weight Loss, and Green Clean 

Toxic Household Chemical Facts and Statistics

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I recently found these alarming Toxic Chemical Facts and Statistics.

Thank you to Cynthia Latham VP of research and development, for this very compelling sourced data.

Since 1950, at least 70,000 new chemical compounds have been invented and dispersed into our environment. Only a fraction of these have been tested for human toxicity. We are, by default, conducting a massive clinical toxicology trial, and our children and their children are the experimental animals.

[Source: Herbert L. Needleman, M.D., Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., Raising Children Toxic Free]

150 chemicals found in the home are connected to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological disorders.

[Source: Consumer Protection Agency (CPA)]

3 groups of people are primarily affected by indoor chemical concentrations because they spend more time indoors and their immune systems are weaker. The 3 groups are: Infants and toddlers, Chronically ill, Elderly

[Source: 1988 EPA, 5-year study]

Liquid dish soap is the leading cause of poisonings in the home for children under the age of six (over 2.1 million accidental poisonings per year). Most brands of liquid dish soap contain Formaldehyde and ammonia.

Of the chemicals found in personal care products: 884 are toxic, 146 cause tumors, 218 cause reproductive complications, 778 cause acute toxicity, 314 cause biological mutations, 376 cause skin and eye irritations

[Source: United States House of Representatives Report, 1989]

Out of 2,435 pesticide poisonings in a one-year period, over 40% were due to exposure to disinfectants and similar cleaning products in the home.

[Source: State of California Study]

Most laundry detergent contains a form of NTA. NTA is a substance we may reasonably anticipate to be a carcinogen.

[Source: The Merck Index]

Household Chlorine bleaches which claim to disinfect are classified as pesticides under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act. Inadvertently mixing bleach with other cleaners that contain ammonia produces a toxic chloramines gas. These toxic gases can cause coughing, loss of voice, a feeling of burning or suffocation, and even death.

[Source: Guide to Hazardous Products Around the Home, Household Hazardous Waste Project, 1989]

Women who work in the home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than women who work outside of the home.

[Source: 17- year EPA study]

As more toxic chemicals have been introduced to our everyday environment in greater amounts over the last 20 to 30 years, the level of toxins stored in dipose tissues (fat cells) of our bodies have risen. Bioaccumulation studies have shown that some toxins store in our bodies for life. Greater and greater amounts are being stored at younger ages. One study showed that in the fat of 100% of the people tested was 1,4-Dichlorobenzene, a chemical found in most household deodorizers and room fresheners. Some products release contaminants into the air right away, others do so gradually over a period of time. Some stay in the air up to a year. These contaminants, found in many household and personal care products can cause dizziness, nausea, allergic reactions, eye/skin/respiratory tract irritations and some cause cancer.

[American Lung Association]

Asthma was once a very rare disease. Now the condition is extremely common, the asthma rate has tripled in the last 20 years with nearly 30 million Americans currently afflicted.

[Source: Consumer Federation of America, 1997]

In one decade, there has been a 42% increase in asthma (29% for men, 82% for women). The higher rate for women is believed to be due to women’s longer exposure times to household chemicals.

[Source: Center for Disease Control]

Childhood asthma has increased by more than 40% since 1980.

[Source: Environmental Health Perspectives, June 1997; 105 (6)]

Asthma death in children and young people increased by a dramatic 118% between 1980 and 1993.

[Source: Environmental Health Threats to Children, Environmental Protection Agency 175-F-96-001, September 1996]

The average child visits the doctor 23 times in the 1st 4 years of life, with the most common complaint being respiratory ailment.

[Source: National Center for Health Statistics, 1997]

Developing cells in children’s bodies are more susceptible to damage than adult cells that have completed development, especially for the central nervous system. During the development of a child, from conception through adolescence, there are particular windows of vulnerability to environmental hazards. Most disturbing until a child is approximately 13 months of age, they are virtually no ability to fight the biological and neurological effects of toxic chemicals.

[Source: Herbert L. Needleman, M.D., Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., Raising Children Toxic Free]

Today, children have chemical exposures from birth that their parents didn’t have until they were adults. Because children are exposed to toxins at an earlier age than adults, they have more time to develop environmentally triggered diseases, with long latency periods, such as cancer.

[Source: Environmental Policy and Children's Health, Future of Children, Summer/Fall 1995; 5(2): 34-52]

Formaldehyde is a highly toxic substance. It is a known cancer-causing agent. It damages the neurological connectors in the body. It is an irritant to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs and may cause: skin reactions, ear infections, headaches , depression, asthma, joint pain, dizziness, mental confusion, nausea, disorientation , phlebitis , fatigue, Vomiting, sleep disturbances, laryngitis

One in five people are sensitive to formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is commonly found in: drugs, mouthwash, hairspray, cosmetics, cleaning products , perfumes , waxes, hair setting lotions, shampoo, air fresheners, fungicides, fingernail polish, floor polishes, dry cleaning solvents, toothpaste, laundry spray starch, Anti-perspirants, just to name a few…

Due to the increase in toxic buildup in our bodies, including the toxic buildup of formaldehyde, dead bodies are not decomposing as fast as they used to. Bodies now start to decompose within 7 to 10 days after death. During the Vietnam War, Vietnamese bodies started to decompose within 24 to 48 hours. However, Americans didn’t start to decompose for 4 to 5 days. Twice as much formaldehyde was needed to embalm a person 20 years ago compared to today.

How many of these names would you have recognized as formaldehyde? Formalin, Methanal, Methyl Aldehyde, Methylene Oxide, Oxymethylene, Bfv*, Fannoform*, Formol*, Fyde*, Karsan*, Methaldehyde, Formalith*, Methylene Glycol, Ivalon*, Oxomethane, Formalin 40, Formalin, Formic Aldehyde, Hoch, Paraform, Lysoform*, Morbocid, Trioxane, Polyoxmethylene, * denotes trade name

Warning labels on containers refer only to toxic hazards from ingestion; however, only 10% of health problems from chemicals are caused by ingestion. 90% are caused by the inhalation of vapors and absorption of particles.

Do you still want to use products in your home that contain formaldehyde?

Phenol is an extremely caustic chemical that burns the skin. Absorption of phenol through the lungs or skin can cause: central nervous system damage, pneumonia, respiratory tract infection, heart-rate irregularities, skin irritation, kidney and liver damage, numbness, vomiting, and can be fatal

Phenol is a very common chemical and is regularly found in the following common products: air fresheners, aftershave, bronchial mists, chloroseptic throat spray, deodorants, feminine powders & sprays, hair spray, decongestants, mouthwash, aspirin, solvents, acne medications, antiseptics, calamine lotions, cleaning products, detergents, furniture polish, hair setting lotions, lice shampoo, polishes, cold capsules, all-purpose cleaners, aerosol disinfectants, anti-itching lotions , carnex , cosmetics, disinfectant cleaners, hand lotions, lip balms, sunscreen and lotions, insecticides, cough syrups, just to name a few…

Do you still want to use products in your home that contain Phenol ?

Alternative Cleaning Products

Plant Based Personal Care Products

Plant Based Skin Care

Mineral Based Cosmetics

me ….thinking green

image sourced from flickr.com – thanks ever so much

Karen Hanrahan ~ Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant/Blog Publisher
708.482.0678 ~ Websites: Nutrition, Weight Loss, and Green Clean