Super bugs from overuse of antibiotics in putrid, animal-crammed factory farms.
At first I didn't want to believe the horror until I read several books like Righteous Porkchop and saw movies like Fresh. Animal suffer and die inside these nearly human-free facilities. Nearby citizens get sick from the odorous toxic waste they produce. The rural poor become poorer from the jobs they take away. Environmental infringements largely go unenforced, according to those in the industry. You and I get food poisoning eating out. Clearly, this reality is disgusting, unsafe and unsustainable.
But the government and industry don't want you to know this, especially when your tax dollars are supporting it.
There is another way. A way where you can get better food, enjoy better health, support economically fragile rural communities and make major food epidemics like swine flu history. Barter or swap with local family farmers, shop your local farmers' market, buy fresh food from coops and stores that buy locally and support organizations like Farm Aid. They have the big Farm Aid concert with Willie Nelson, Neil Young and Dave Matthews, among many other musical heavyweights that support small farmers.
Please join me in signing this online petition so food can be safe for yourself, your family and for our country.
Due to overuse of antiseptics and antibiotics, MRSA (a.k.a. staph) infections kill more people each year in the U.S. than the AIDS virus, according to Alan R. Gaby, MD(1). Great on scrapes and for thwarting skin fungus, only one type of honey has broad-spectrum antibacterial properties from its sole ability to produce hydrogen peroxide from sugar enzymes.
Manuka honey from New Zealand is known to contain the best antibacterial qualities. Available at Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco, it doesn't come cheap - about $35 for a 17-ounce jar. But for healing skin fungus, scrapes and burns it is exemplary. As far how it tastes, I don't think it is out of the ordinary; I would still use local raw honey in my tea for the immune stimulating properties that helps the body to adapt to its environment as well as lower cost.
Worth checking out...
There is an American-made Manuka honey by Manuka Honey USA. Supposedly their manuka honey has helped folks withacid reflux, esophagus ulcer, heartburn, upset stomach, stomach ulcer, H. Pylori (helicobacter pylori), gastritis, duodenal ulcer, diverticulitis, ulcerative Colitis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), among other maladies. Suggested amounts are given on their website for each condition, but you may want to check with you physician before trying it.
(1) Townsend Letter, July 2009. Literature Review & Commentary, by Alan R. Gaby, MD p. 48. Chambers, J. Topical manuka honey for MRSA-contaminated skin ulcers. Palliat Med. 2006;20:557.
Got a scrape? Try healing it with honey.
Last weekend, after washing down a couple of scrapes with hydrogen peroxide and tea tree oil (a natural disinfectant), I applied raw honey on the wounds under some bandages. Guess what - I tried it and it noticeably started healing faster than without the honey.
In the July issue of the Townsend Letter, "honey prevents infection and speeds healing by starving existing bacteria and protecting the skin from infection by new bacteria. Researchers have shown that the higher sugar content of honey actually slows bacterial growth, while its thick, syrupy texture acts as a seal over wounds, forming a natural barrier against any potential bacterial invaders. Furthermore, in its undiluted (raw) form, contains intense concentrations of substances that can kill many types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria."
The article continues with another amazing factoid:
"In seven consecutive patients whose wounds were either infected or colonized with MRSA (a.k.a. staph infection), antiseptics and antibiotics had failed to eradicate the clinical signs of infection.A clinical team from University of Bonn (Germany) instead utilized honey to achieve full healing."(1) It didn't mention whether or not eating the honey would help; instead it focused on topical skin application.
Whether for its delicious taste or for healing, my kitchen cupboard will never go without raw honey.
Read tomorrow's blog for the best kind of honey for antimicrobial action.
Footnotes:
(1) Townsend Letter, July 2009, "Anti-Aging Medicine" p. 43. Blaser G, Santos K, Bode U, Vetter H, Simon A. Effect of medical honey on wounds colonised or infected with MRSA. J Wound Care. 2007 Sep; 16(8):325-328.
With cooler weather coming up, I recommend following it up with nose oil drops
to soothe inflamed sinus pathways (like the way hand cream soothes
chapped hands). Nasya oil is great because of the healing properties of
the oil and herbs but you can also use either cold pressed organic almond or extra virgin olive oils to
substitute.
To use nasya oil, lay down and tilt your head way back to see behind you. Close one nostril with a finger and drop 2 drops oil into the other
nostril. Breathe deeply ta few times hrough your open nostril to permeate deeply; repeat with other nostril. Sit there for a
couple minutes, breathing in through your nose and out through your
mouth. Notice breathing is easier due to the relief of soothed nasal membranes.
Nasya oil is safe enough for kids. Some parents like Dr. John Douillardheat
it gently on the stove and use a dropper into ears as a preventative
for ear infections. I've only used it to soothe my nasal membranes -
especially before bed to breathe easier when sinuses are stuffy. Let me
tell you, it works like a charm.
If you or someone you know suffers from sinus headaches or nasal allergies check out this inexpensive, ancient Ayurvedic remedy for relief. It's called the Neti Pot - which literally translates to "water cleansing" - and costs about $10 at your local health food store. You use it to literally wash out the "bad guys" (i.e., pathogenic bacteria and allergens) out of your nose.
Add filtered lukewarm water to the pot, dissolve a dash of sea salt, then tilt your head over a sink to almost 90 degrees so that one nostril faces the bottom of the sink. Pour a stream of water into the top nostril so that it comes out in a stream out through the other nostril. Presto! Your sneezy allergies are relieved. Pretty wild, huh? I tried it a few years ago and since then it has always worked like a charm whenever I have felt a cold coming on, especially during travel.
Also cool is seeingDr. Oz on Oprahtouting its benefits. They even had some brave audience volunteers demonstrating it live (and were shown weeks later raving about the great results with regular usage).
See what other inexpensive natural remedies I recommend to relieve stuffed noses and ear infections in tomorrow's blog.
We all need salt for our bodies to function. Salt helps our heart to maintain regular rhythm, it moves electrical impulses to muscles along nerve fibers and maintain homeostasis in the body. Most of us have heard that all salt is bad, but it is simply not true...with one important caveat.
The type of salt that the body consumes is crucial to health or disease. White table salt - the kind you see in restaurants and in blue boxes on the supermarket shelf - has been processed to the point that most if not all of the important trace minerals that help our body achieve homeostasis have been wiped out before they even reach the box.
Eating processed salt is like sleeping on a mattress with no frame and expecting a good night's sleep. The body goes on a scavenger hunt for the missing minerals and has to take it from your tissues and bones in order to process it. This is why, after a lifetime, one can get sick from eating lots of processed salt.
On the other hand, unrefined sea salt from a pure sea source or Himalayan salt has anywhere between 60-80 or more trace minerals, and comes in many colors - grey, pink, beige, red, black - but seldom nurse-jacket white. Even Unfortunately, Kosher salt is ultra processed and a lot of the minerals are missing from it as well.
I have several types of unrefined sea salts next to my stove at home that I buy in bulk from my local coop, Rainbow Grocery. Buying in bulk makes the salt MANY times cheaper than the small packaged boxes on specialty store shelves. Having different types of salt is fun - it's an easy way to add flavor to a dish. My arsenal includes everyday pink (small grain), lima french (white flakes), smoky red (great for fish, meat and creamy sauces), herbed rocky sea salt (excellent on top of broiled salmon), and homemade lavender esprit de sel.
“Salt is born of the purest of parents: the sun and the sea.”
Pythagoras (580 BC - 500 BC)
Eat this, don't eat that. Do this, don't do that...*Sigh*... What if we make pleasure our priority?
When it comes to pleasure, it's easy for me at least to make it conditional on situations or people. For instance, if I work harder I'll make more money and be happy... If I fit into my skinny jeans then I'll be sexier... If I he would just pay a little more attention to me then I would be in a better mood... Oy.
Why make our own pleasure come first? Well, for one, we can't give it or receive it unless we have something of ourselves to give. If we feel no pleasure or depleted then it's no wonder we sometimes feel weary.
But what about when it comes to our work? After all, we all have "a job to do" so buckle down, work harder, and remember "no pain, no gain". It's part of our culture, our m.o. Bullocks.
There are times when life or work can be intense or boring or both. You can decide to find opportunities to have a laugh and choose a perspective that makes it somehow seem easier. When we are having fun - our work seems less like "work" - and we can relate to people a lot more easily.
First, consider, what actions automatically put us into a better frame of mind so we can approach situations that give us more pleasure? Concepts like this at first may seem radical, or " easier said then done" so here are some actions I have decided to take lately:
Replacing one of my 2x/week 30-minute runs with dancing to hot music.
Letting go of people who don't respect me and my priorities.
Reading books that pique my interest and make me laugh.
As Madonna says, whatever makes you feel good - do it. Our human nature is designed to avoid pain and seek pleasure. Pain isn't going to make us healthy and happy, only pleasure will, and the benefits stretch to everyone around us. Having more pleasure in your life is something that can really build you up.
Ancient cultures relied upon different sources of food to give them strength. For hearty Eskimos, mighty Vikings and Roman soldiers, it was fermented fish liver oil. That's right fermented. And not just fish oil, fish liver oil.
Fish liver oil is arguably the best source of fat-soluble vitamins A and D, both of which many Americans are reportedly deficient. Back in the 40's and 50's Dr. Weston A. Price discovered that the diet of primitive people had 10 times the amount of these vitamins than in the modern processed food diet and that the fermentation of food produced more nutrient dense food, which gave them and their animals more energy.
Vitamins A, D and other vitamins that are naturally found in fermented cod liver oil are necessary for absorption of other vitamins, healthy hormone levels, heart health, bone health, brain and nervous system health, fertility as well as many other bodily functions that keep us happy and healthy.
To keep your energy going, your skin glowing, your bones strong and your good mood flowing you have to feed your body high nutrient foods. In addition to eating lots of fresh food, fermented cod liver oil is simply one of the best things you can do for yourself and your family. That's why I recommend taking fermented cod liver oil capsules from Green Pastures when you are not out in the sun in the summer at midday and every day in the winter.
There is more information on this subject that I highly recommend you read. Please visit the Weston A. Price website for more research and information including dosage charts for children and adults.
My big brother Bill likes beans. Black ones. This morning I showed him how to make a pot of black beans to eat with poached eggs on top or as a snack later (or myriad other meal ideas). It's so easy and cheap - yes - you can do it too. Here's what we did:
~ FIRST ~
Assemble and prepare ingredients:
2 C black beans, soaked overnight in a bowl with a couple inches of water to cover
1 C chopped onion
2 T chopped garlic
1 large carrot, sliced thinly on the bias (diagonal)
2 stalks celery, sliced thinly on the bias
2 C vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1/4 t chipotle chili powder (optional or substitute with regular chili powder)
large pinch of paprika
sea salt and pepper to taste
juice of fresh lime
2 T chopped dill (or cilantro or basil, whatever you have on hand)
1 T rendered bacon fat
1/2 cup tomato puree
Drizzle of olive oil
~ SECOND ~
Heat dutch oven (see picture*) for about a minute with medium heat. Then add enough olive oil to coat bottom of pan and warm oil hot enough so that when you add onions, carrots and celery they sizzle but don't burn. Sauté vegetables for about 4 minutes then add garlic. Continue to sauté and stir for another 1-2 minutes, until aromatic. Add beans, bay leaves and enough vegetable broth to cover beans by an inch and bring to a boil. Skim off any scum. Simmer for one hour.
~ THIRD ~
Add sea salt and pepper to taste, lime juice, dill, chili powder (optional) and paprika. It should taste yummy but not too salty (if so, just add more broth or water). Simmer another 1 - 2 hours, until beans are done. Add tomato puree, more sea salt if needed, and a dollop of rendered bacon fat to make it extra yummy and nutritious.
~ FINALLY ~
Eat it. You can drizzle olive oil on top and serve with poached eggs, chunks of avocado and tomato for a delicious meal anytime.
* If you can't see the picture on Facebook then please go to my blog to view it - www.SandraKeros.com/blog.
These chickens are nuggets for change, not dipping in BBQ sauce. Check out this new documentary on urban chicken farming, Mad City Chickens, being shown across the U.S. and Canada.
Details for the local public screening in San Francisco this Sunday, August 9, 2009 are:
Presented by: Slow Food San Francisco Time: 6:00pm Place: Delancey Street Theater,
600 Embarcadero The good word: Tapas and wine to follow with filmmaker discussion
I have several types of unrefined sea salts next to my stove at home that I buy in bulk from my local coop, Rainbow Grocery. 
My big brother Bill likes beans. Black ones. This morning I showed him how to make a pot of black beans to eat with poached eggs on top or as a snack later (or myriad other meal ideas). It's so easy and cheap - yes - you can do it too. Here's what we did:
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