Health Editorial

Frankenstein's Monster Has Secretly Been Unleashed Among Us
Victoria Secret's Supermodel Fights Mainstream Medicine
If America's Healthcare System Is So Successful, Why Are There So Many Drug Stores Dotting the Landscape?
The Alarming Protein Deficiency Among Seniors
Become An Informed American
Exercise Caution With Any Exercise Program
Old MacDonald Had A Farm

Frankenstein's Monster Has Secretly Been Unleashed Among Us
In the book called Frankenstein, author Mary Shelley described an artificial man created by Victor Frankenstein who eventually goes on a destructive path of murder. Sadly, the population at large didn't know that a killer had been unleashed among them.

Frankenstein was fiction created by an imaginative and fertile mind. But something has been unleashed upon an unsuspecting humanity that is potentially more destructive than the fictional Frankenstein monster. That "something" is known as genetically modified organisms or GMOs.

Unfortunately, genetic modification is not a work of fiction. It is a cold, hard, and scientific fact. GMOs are silently and invisibly tearing their way through the majority of Americans. Scientists can only speculate what medical horrors are being created and, for now, lying dormant.

In the 20th century, Frankenstein's monster has been replaced by GMOs and Victor Frankenstein is the Monsanto Corporation. Monsanto is the creator of the artificial sweetener aspartame, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and dioxin, more popularly known as Agent Orange, the defoliaging chemical used in Vietnam.

All of Monsanto's chemicals have proven deadly and extremely harmful to human life. PCBs are toxic and can cause sexual, skeletal, and mental developmental issues. Americans who served in Vietnam reported Agent Orange as causing skin rashes, breathing difficulties, various cancers, and birth defects in kids. Aspartame has been implicated in causing cancer and obesity.

In Mary Shelley's novel, Victor Frankenstein wasn't evil. He didn't create the monster to kill. However the monster itself turned out to be evil. Likewise I wouldn't go so far as to say that Monsanto is evil although it has evil intentions. But its various creations are definitely evil.

Once upon a time, prior to 1980, the United States Patent and Trademark Office did not grant patents on seeds; the reason is that they viewed seeds as life forms with too many variables to be patented.

But in 1980 the United States allowed for seeds to be patented.

Since the 1980s, Monsanto has globally dominated the genetic modification of seeds. Farmers who buy Monsanto's Roundup Ready seeds have to sign an agreement in which they promise not to save seed produced after each harvest for replanting, or sell it to other farmers. They are forced to buy seed annually from Monsanto.

Roundup is an herbicide used to kill weeds. The active ingredient in Roundup is glyphosate which was developed and patented in the 1970s by Monsanto. Monsanto makes seeds genetically engineered to be resistant to glyphosate.

Just as Frankenstein's monster roamed unchecked among the people, likewise genetically modified (GM) crops. Up to 90 percent of all major U.S. grown crops are GM. They can be used in human and animal food without any safety testing whatsoever or labeling of any kind.

Because genetically engineered crops are patentable, Monsanto can legally discourage third party testing and research. As a matter of fact, they have severely restricted independent research and have adamantly refused to give seeds to independent researchers.

All of this falls under U.S. law which protects a company's "proprietary" formulations and processes.

The Los Angeles Times has this to say:

"Agricultural companies defend their stonewalling by saying that unrestricted research could make them vulnerable to lawsuits if an experiment somehow leads to harm, or that it could give competitors unfair insight into their products. But it's likely that the companies fear something else as well: An experiment could reveal that a genetically engineered product is hazardous or doesn't perform as promised."

GM crops include corn, soybeans, canola, cottonseed, alfalfa (as of 2011), and sugar beets. These food items are currently found in approximately 80 percent of all U.S. grocery store items.

But what is the concept of genetic engineering? Simply put it is taking DNA from one organism and placing it into another organism to produce a desired effect or outcome.

Monsanto defines GMOs thusly: "Plants or animals that have had their genetic makeup altered to exhibit traits that are not naturally theirs."

Here's an example. The Arctic flounder can withstand freezing temperatures - tomatoes can't. Freezing temperatures can devastate a tomato crop.

In order to prevent farmers from losing money from ruined crops, scientists can take DNA from the Arctic flounder and put it into tomato crops to give them the ability to survive frigid temperatures. What, you may ask yourself, is the harm in that?

GM has been given "carte blanche" status; they have been declared as GRAS (generally recognized as safe.) This is despite the fact NO studies have been undertaken to prove their safety. But there exists plenty of studies showing the dangers they pose to laboratory animals.

Here is a listing of some of the results of GM foods in laboratory animals, and what some farmers have noticed in the field:

• GM peas caused lung damage in mice
• GM potatoes may cause cancer in rats
• Bacteria in your gut can assimilate DNA from GM food
• GM foods lead to significant organ disruptions in rats and mice, specifically the kidney, liver, heart and spleen
• Bt corn caused a wide variety of immune responses in mice, commonly associated with diseases such as arthritis, Lou Gehrig's disease, osteoporosis, and inflammatory bowel disease
• Offspring of rats fed GM soy showed a five-fold increase in mortality, lower birth weights, and the inability to reproduce
• Male mice fed GM soy had damaged young sperm cells
• The embryo offspring of GM soy-fed mice had altered DNA functioning
• Several U.S. farmers reported sterility or fertility problems among pigs and cows fed on GM corn varieties
• Investigators in India have documented fertility problems, abortions, premature births, and other serious health issues, including deaths, among buffaloes fed GM cottonseed products

The alarming side effects of GM doesn't end here. It has been found to create environmental problems too.

Weeds are developing a toleration for Roundup; Roundup-resistant weeds are forcing farmers to use ever-increasing amounts of the deadly chemical. There has been cross pollination between GM and non-GM crops. This situation could spell the end of the organic industry.

An example of cross pollination and contamination occurred in Hawaii. In 2004 widespread contamination of papaya crops by GM varieties was reported. Even seed stocks sold as conventional were discovered to be contaminated, and which threatened the existence of organic papaya.

There is the contamination of waterways by Cry1AB, a specific type of Bt toxin from GM crops. GM also is responsible for the creation of never seen before pest problems.

In China, cotton that was genetically modified to poison an insect pest (the bollworm) has been found to cause a dramatic increase in the number of other pests. Mirid bugs which had been a minor nuisance in northern China have multiplied 12-fold since 1997.

The United States has not escaped Roundup side effects. It has created a plethora of what has been called superweeds. At present there are 10 different species of superweeds resistant to Roundup, and spread over 22 states and millions of crop acres.

I associate GMOs with the skull and crossbones. As a symbol of danger or something very harmful, it effectively communicates that genetically modified foods and products should be avoided at all costs.

Did you know that GMOs are banned in Europe, and have been for over ten years? Its true. And the way it is done is simple. It was just a matter of educating the consumer.

The likelihood of the American government sponsoring consumer education regarding GMOs is about as likely as me winning the lottery. Unfortunately there is a mass conflict of interest between corporations like Monsanto and the FDA.

Products which contain GMOs are not even required to be labeled. The only way for you as a consumer to avoid them is to buy strictly organic. The overwhelming majority of processed food are made from soy or corn - or maybe even both. Over 90 percent of both crops are genetically modified.

Unfortunately, GMOs are not limited to processed foods. You will inevitably ingest them from dairy products and conventionally raised meat. All products from dairy cows which are treated with the genetically modified growth hormone rBGH need to be avoided.

Factory farmed meat which is the conventional meat you will find in your local supermarket should be avoided too. The animals are fed GM grain. Aspartame is derived from GM microorganisms.

The genetic engineering of plants and animals began in the mid '70s. Back then scientists thought that characteristics of organisms are hardwired in their genome. However, geneticists soon discovered that the genome is dynamic and fluid. It was utterly impossible to predict what might happen, and completely beyond the geneticist's ability to engineer a desired result.

Scientists who had hoped that genetic engineering would be the solution to food shortages and global hunger were in for a rude awakening. What is known is that:

• There is no increase in crop yields. GM soy decreased yields by up to 20 percent compared with non-GM soy, and up to 100 percent failures of GM cotton have been recorded in India.
• There is no reduction in pesticide use. USDA data showed that GM crops increased pesticide use by 50 million pounds from 1996 to 2003 in the United States.
• Roundup herbicide is harmful to animal and human life. This product is lethal to frogs and toxic to human placental and embryonic cells. It is used on more than 80 percent of all GM crops planted in the world.
• GM crops harm wildlife. Wastes from GM corn impairs the growth of aquatic insects.
• GM foods and feed have been linked to sickness and death.

When all is said and done, there are some things which should be left in the hands of God. Cloning is one and genetic modification is another. Scientists who "mess" around in God's province are playing God.

I don't consider GM or cloning to be science. It is a blatant attempt to usurp God's authority which is what Victor Frankenstein did in Mary Shelley's novel.

Nothing good will ever come about when man reaches into God's province.

There was a line used by the character played by Jeff Goldblum in the 1994 movie Jurassic Park which is appropriate to genetic engineering. When genetic engineers cloned dinosaurs, they proceeded full speed ahead because they were technically able.

Jeff Goldblum said something to the effect that, "...just because they could, they didn't stop to ask if they should."

Since the government isn't doing anything to protect its citizens, we have to take matters into our own hands. Become educated as to the truth about genetic modification. And never forget, companies like Monsanto are profit driven. Their only concern is the bottom line - not you or your family's well being.

This link will take you to a website where you can download a guide which lists what foods to avoid. It is located in the left column right above the Toothsoap ad. You can also view this video explaining GMOs.

Victoria Secret's Supermodel Fights Mainstream Medicine
While a few women in the modeling profession may resort to street drugs or diet pills to maintain their weight and figure, Victoria's Secret supermodel Miranda Kerr, 28, does not. A healthy lifestyle aficionado, she does yoga, light jogging, and eats steamed vegetables, fresh fruit, and fish. And, oh yes, she consumes four tablespoons of coconut oil daily.

Miranda says that the coconut oil is the key to her clear skin, shiny hair, and trim figure. She uses the oil on salads, in cooking, and in green tea.

The Dailymail website (UK) says that health food chain Holland and Barrett reported sales of coconut oil up by 50 percent. Much of that demand was recent.

Mainstream medicine however is aghast at this practice. The WHO (World Health Organization) and many doctors warn of the high intake of saturated fat and calories that this much coconut oil represents.

Keith Ayoob, director of the nutrition clinic at Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine says:

"I cant say I'd want people consuming lots of coconut oil. You should use it sparingly."

Professor Mike Gordon, food chemist at Reading University says:

"Coconut is 50 per cent made up of a fatty acid called lauric acid which if consumed to excess can contribute to increased risk of coronary artery disease...I would be very cautious about advising people to consume large amounts of coconut oil".

There is a lot more to saturated fat than meets the eye. For instance, did you know that it can be broken down into short-chain, medium-chain, and long-chain fatty acids?

Short and medium-chain fatty acids or triglycerides are not processed in the same manner as long-chain triglycerides. Short and medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are burned for energy instead of being stored in your body as are long-chain triglycerides. Coconut oil is primarily composed of MCTs.

Cattle ranchers in the 1940s wanted to fatten their cattle; to that end, they fed them inexpensive coconut oil. But, much to their surprise and consternation, the more coconut oil the cattle consumed, the leaner they became.

Mainstream medicine and nutrition have always trailed the alternative medicine and nutrition movement in terms of what it teaches to achieve total health. One major reason, at least in the United States, is that outdated nutritional concepts die hard.

Traditional or mainstream nutrition still believes saturated fat is the major cause of coronary heart disease. Those in the alternative and natural health field know however that trans fats and vegetable oils are the culprits.

But even though mainstream nutrition realizes that trans fats are bad, and has taken action to eliminate its presence in food, saturated fat is yet vilified. The fact that trans fats are entirely to blame for the high rate of heart disease is not accepted by mainstream medicine.

Website WebMD.com says the following:

"Diets rich in saturated fat and trans fat (both "bad" fats) raise blood cholesterol concentrations, contributing to clogged arteries that block the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart and brain".

Obviously WebMD.com is a part of mainstream medicine and nutrition.

When studies upon which these beliefs are based were undertaken, researchers failed to separate saturated fat from trans fatty acids. So they naturally assumed that both were bad. Or at least that saturated fat was bad though not quite as bad as trans fats.

Alternative health advocate Dr. Joseph Mercola states unequivocally:

"The demonization of saturated fat began in 1953, when Dr. Ancel Keys published a paper comparing saturated fat intake and heart disease mortality. His theory turned out to be flimsy, to say the least, but the misguided ousting of saturated fat has continued unabated ever since".

"Fortunately, the truth is finally starting to come out, as medical scientists have begun to seriously question Keys' findings," (Mercola.com.)

Dr. Al Sears, another alternative health practitioner, says:

"Saturated fats have been on the media hit list for over 50 years. Butter is just one example. Red meat is another. But one of the worst victims of this low-fat propaganda is coconut oil (Emphasis mine.) Like butter, it's been vilified for decades."

"But a new study shows that coconut oil can lower your total cholesterol, boost your HDL "good" cholesterol, lower your LDL "bad" cholesterol, and shrink your waist size," (Dr. Al Sears website.)

In regards to coconut oil, we can't ignore native populations around the world who eat a saturated fat based diet. Those who live in tropical regions like the south Pacific eat tons of coconuts and have much lower rates of heart disease than Americans. The traditional diet of the Masai of Kenya and northern Tanzania is meat, milk, and blood from cattle.

And let's not forget that in the early 20th century, Americans ate high amounts of saturated fat in the form of butter, red meat, cheese, and milk. The rate of heart disease then was much lower than it is today. As a matter of fact, heart disease began to rise sharply when American's reduced their consumption of saturated fat and ate a lot of vegetable oils (Read this article.)

Miranda Kerr is definitely onto something as her experience indicates. Though attacked by mainstream doctors as engaging in a dangerous practice, she is ensuring her continued health and slim figure by consuming the coconut oil.

Though not a nutritionist or doctor, Miranda's lifestyle will not result in her suffering from coronary artery disease or an abbreviated life.

I daresay that her critics who are probably consuming polyunsaturated vegetable oils in abundance and avoiding coconut oil like the plague will age quicker and find themselves victims of heart disease. As a staunch proponent of coconut oil, I predict that Miranda will have the last laugh.

As a caveat I hasten to add that if you want to derive the same benefits from coconut oil that Miranda enjoys, limit your purchases to organic, extra-virgin coconut oil.

If America's Healthcare System Is So Successful, Why Are There So Many Drug Stores Dotting the Landscape?
As I lay in bed last night (0ctober 12, 2011), a sudden thought entered my mind. I remembered the corner drugstore I grew up with in Jersey City, New Jersey.

That neighborhood drug store stood on the corner of Harrison Avenue and Monticello Avenue throughout the '50s and '60s.

And now - 50 years later - there are several drug stores in the same neighborhood!

But, they are not limited to that neighborhood. The very same pattern has repeated itself in neighborhood after neighborhood - city after city - all across our nation.

Folks, we have been bamboozled, duped, tricked, hoodwinked, deceived, tricked, had the wool pulled over our eyes, flimflammed, misled, fooled - Okay, you get the point.

If the healthcare system has made great strides in the fight against chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes, and these diseases are effectively being eliminated, why have American drug stores multiplied like rabbits on steroids?

And not only has there been an exponential increase in drug stores, but they are ALL doing very well profit-wise. Something is wrong - something is VERY WRONG with this picture!

And this isn't even the BIG picture. Not only do we have the drug store chains like Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS, and Eckerds, but supermarkets like Pathmark and ShopRite have their very own drug departments!

You'd expect that a transition from the 20th century to the 21st century would bring along cures for the diseases that these drug stores are supplying medications for. In theory, we should require less drug stores, not more.

Look what technological advances have done for the cellphone. It has been so miniaturized that it can literally fit in one ear.

And my laptop is so powerful that the largest room-sized computer of the '70s - or several of them strung together - couldn't dream of even partially matching it for speed and memory.

But the most important advance of all - that of health care - needs an extraordinary increase of drug stores in order to sell the pharmaceuticals needed to "treat" afflictions plaguing modern society?

That does not compute! And not only does it not compute, but the powerful and global pharmaceutical cartels orchestrated the status quo, and unbeknownst to us - the duped public - are behind the scenes pulling the strings.

To make certain that the media-fed public knows about every pharmaceutical drug that is on the market, or soon coming down the pike, the industry spends millions upon millions of advertising dollars so that they can be shown on 24/7 cable and satellite television.

Back in the day all I saw on television was an occasional Bayer aspirin commercial, or Anacin for headache relief, or who could forget ole Speedy for Alka Seltzer?

But now you have "hard-core" pharmaceuticals for depression, restless leg syndrome, high cholesterol, insomnia, ad infinitum!

Because of the pharmaceutical industry, many people have bought into the "pill-for-an-ill" mentality. Instead of locating and curing the cause of an illness or other medical event, we eagerly seek for a "band-aid."

The band aid approach merely treats the symptom or symptoms while leaving the cause to continue to dominate.

Of course this is how Big Pharma wants it; they are guaranteed a lifelong customer who will not only continue with that medication, but due to side effects, be placed on several other medications to counteract the side effects of the first one.

So! Is America's healthcare system a rousing success? Well that depends on who you ask. Like beauty, success is in the eye of the beholder.

For the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare in general, it is a success story with a Cinderella ending. But for Joe and Jane Average citizen, it is a dismal failure.

We who are victims of this shameless hoax are paying a severe price. And that price is a never-ending descent into ever-worsening health.

You can break this cycle of theft of health and wealth. Stop being a drug dependent source of revenue for Big Pharma, and take control of your health.

Learn all you can about the by and large man-made causes of disease by eating only whole foods, organic produce, and green-fed meat and dairy.

Naturally that means you AVOID factory-farmed sourced meat and dairy (conventionally-raised.) Eliminate most if not all calorically-dense but nutritionally-sparse processed foods.

Undertake an exercise program that includes interval training (other names it is known by are high intensity interval training, Peak 8 training, or PACE.)

Keep stress under control and get plenty of sleep; this is necessary to avoid sleep deprivation which is characteristic of so many Americans.

The Alarming Protein Deficiency Among Seniors
(Image right: the flexed bicep of a 50-year old senior - me!) Do you realize that every cell in your body requires protein? And since the body doesn't store it, protein needs to be replenished every day.

Muscles, hair, skin, and connective tissue are made of protein.

Adequate protein isn't just necessary for athletes such as bodybuilders and powerlifters, but senior citizens need it too. With increasing years comes decreasing muscle mass.

Between 16 and 27 percent of older Americans consume less than the standard recommended daily allowance of protein. The USDA's guideline recommends 56 grams of protein; the standard recommended protein intake is 50 to 60 grams for men and women.

MedlinePlus estimates that as much as 50 percent of the elderly don't get enough dietary protein.

PEM (protein energy malnutrition), also known as protein-calorie malnutrition, is the term used to describe insufficient protein consumption.

As you age, your appetite naturally begins to lessen. PEM is often seen in nursing home residents. (It is also seen in young children living at home with financially strapped parents.)

Fifty percent of all surgical and 48 percent of all hospital patients are affected by PEM.

Your body naturally begins to lose lean body weight (muscle) at about the fourth decade of age, and this process accelerates at age 75. An average of 5 percent muscle mass is lost every 10 years after the age of 35.

Age related muscle loss is known as sarcopenia. It has serious long-term health consequences.

Insufficient protein intake leads to a weakened immune system, delayed wound healing, and weak and thin bones. As a matter of fact, most hip fractures are the direct result of atrophied muscles. (Read this article too.)

PEM is the reason so many American seniors suffer quality of life issues. They are dependent on assisted living arrangements. Or, worst case scenario, they have to be placed in a nursing facility.

PEM or sarcopenia can be turned around with eating more protein. Americans, including its seniors, consume too many calories from grains (whole grains included.)

Grain intake whether from rice (brown as well as white), breads (even stone-ground whole wheat), pasta, and cereal should be drastically reduced. Replace most of your grains with quality sources of protein.

Good sources of protein are beef from organic, grass-fed cows and organic, free-ranged poultry (chicken and turkey.) Eggs are a good protein source too.

Dairy products such as raw cheese and milk are good. Avoid pasteurized milk at all costs; if available, drink raw milk only.

I recommend you buy your beef and raw cheese from Beyond Organic. Unlike meat and cheese from your typical supermarket, the animals are not only humanely treated, but they are biblically slaughtered. They are 100 percent organic and free-ranged.

How much protein should seniors get daily? Strive for 1 gram of protein for every pound of lean body weight (lean body weight= your total weight minus your body fat weight.)

There are scales on the market that measure fat weight as well as total body weight.

Become An Informed American

As time marches on, life seems to become a lot more complicated. Technology seems to be overwhelming us with information overload and disastrous side effects.

For instance, wireless technology has brought along an unforeseen downside - negative health consequences from devices such as cell phones and other wireless wonders. The danger is linked to the electromagnetic field (EMF) these gadgets generate.

Many studies show that EMFs can cause such biological harm as cancer, behavioral changes, genetic abnormalities, sleeping disorders, and more.

Severe health problems are not just caused by electronics technology either. Chronic disease has also been associated with food technology such as cloning, genetically modified organisms, and artificial sweeteners and colors.

These "technological" innovations have been responsible for escalating rates of cancer, obesity, heart disease, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, diabetes, hypertension, and more.

Type 2 diabetes was once known as adult onset diabetes (in people aged 40 and over.) Not any more. Now it is increasingly being discovered in children.

Cancer and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rates are rising among America's children too.

When I was in grammar and high school, most of my classmates were slender and of normal weight. But many of today's school children are overweight and obese. (Sadly, many toddlers are overweight too.)

(My grammar class photo (left) was taken sometime during the early '60s. The only student who could remotely be considered overweight is the one I circled in red. But in today's social climate, she would be considered "small!")

Casual observation by the average citizen will signal that something is not quite right on the health scene. More and more dialysis centers and pharmacies like Rite Aid and Walgreens are opening.

Medical authorities tell us that if present trends continue, there will many more cancer, obesity, diabetes, ADHD, and many other chronic disease diagnoses in the future.

Chances are high that you or someone very close to you will be diagnosed with a chronic disease in the near future. The only way to prevent that from happening, or to lower the risk considerably, is to live a healthy lifestyle.

Conventional health care is squarely seated in "treatment." This is what is taught in medical schools, and what is practiced by hospitals and health care centers across the country.

America's medical paradigm is wholly supported by the powerful pharmaceutical industry. They not only influence medical schools, but employ sales reps to "teach" doctors about the latest medications.

The pharmaceutical industry have strong lobbyists in Washington. They don't mind spending millions of dollars in their never-ending efforts to maintain the status quo.

But did you know that America's medical treatment paradigm does not work in your favor?

You know the old saying, "there are two sides to every story." This truism applies to health care too.

But unfortunately forces are at work to keep you focused on just one side - that of treatment. Standard treatment for cancer is either chemotherapy (poison), radiation (burn), or surgery (cut); standard treatment for heart disease, diabetes, or Alzheimer's disease is prescription medication.

These standard methods are focused on treatment, not cure. If you cure a patient, you forever lose that patient. But if you merely treat disease symptoms, you have a patient for life.

You can see that treatment makes perfect financial sense. No business or profession, including the medical profession, wants to go out of business.

You and your family don't have to fall prey to conventional medical treatment. There is another product of our technical revolution that will open your eyes to the other side of the coin.

This product is known as the internet - the world-wide web. It is not subject to the control or whims of either the government or the pharmaceutical industry.

The flip side of conventional or traditional medicine is alternative medicine.

Alternative medicine uses protocols such as natural nutrients, hydrotherapy, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM,) and many others instead of pharmaceutical drugs or the cut, burn, and poison treatment of cancer.

Many of the doctors who use alternative protocols believe in holistic treatment. They recognize that the body is not just a collection of separate physical parts but rather a cohesive whole comprising the mental, emotional, and spiritual too.

Formerly practitioners of conventional treatment, many doctors who embrace alternative medicine are open-minded. They have escaped the one-sided medical education they received in medical school.

They don't rely on what they have been taught and the continual "brainwashing" techniques of pharmaceutical company sales reps. The word "cure" is in their vocabulary, and not "treatment" only.

I think back to my baby sister who succumbed to lung cancer two years ago. Her doctor was a typical medical school grad who only knew and practiced what he was taught.

His only goal was to keep my sister alive for as long as possible. The possibility of her being cured did not enter his mind.

My sister's doctor prescribed an endless round of chemotherapy, and then chemo coupled with radiation. I am not criticizing or ridiculing this doctor. I merely point out that alternative protocols may have saved her life (there is no guarantee of course.)

You owe it to yourself to not limit medical care to "treatment." Use the unshackled internet to explore alternative solutions.

Become an informed patient. It is your life and wellbeing - not your doctor's.

There are cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and heart disease cures out there. Of course the pharmaceutical companies and traditional healthcare would rather have you remain ignorant to them.

My pastor recently died from pancreatic cancer. At first he received conventional treatment in a local hospital.

His wife became disillusioned with the treatment and decided to remove him from that setting, and the conventional care he was receiving.

My sister had told her about her doctor who practiced alternative, holistic medicine. My pastor's wife put him under this doctor's care.

Unfortunately it was too late. But the point is that my pastor's wife opened her mind to an alternative to conventional medicine.

You too can become equally open minded. Be informed through the internet.

Keep in mind that doctors are not demi-gods. They are human just like you and have limited, not unlimited, knowledge.

You want to have every available tool at your disposal that can possibly cure your medical issue and not just "treat" its symptom(s). This almost always means going beyond your average doctor's myopic view.

The only way America's dismal healthcare system can be improved is for Americans to demand the treatment of their choice, and not settle for what the powers that be dictate. The only way for that to happen is for you, Joe or Jane average citizen, to become informed.

Exercise Caution With Any Exercise Program

Today (January 23, 2012) CNN ran a story entitled, How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body, which recently appeared in the New York Times. The article focused on a side of yoga that many people rarely hear of - injuries.

According to the article, many people have suffered yoga-related injuries. The author of the New York Times article frequently cites and gives the real life experience of Glenn Black, a yoga instructor who has 40 years teaching experience.

"Yoga is for people in good physical condition. Or it can be used therapeutically. It's controversial to say, but it really shouldn't be used for a general class," says Glenn Black (How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body; New York Times article.)

The New York Times article gives a few actual cases of people suffering sometimes debilitating injuries originating from the practice of yoga. The injuries ranged from nerve damage to strokes.

As always, current experts are interviewed by CNN for their take on a particular story. The general consensus by the yoga instructors interviewed was that the story was unduly biased toward the negative aspects of yoga.

I, however, found the story to be balanced and not at all alarmist. It merely pointed out the consequences that could happen to anyone in any sport or exercise routine.

As the article stated, any preexisting injury can be aggravated by attempting to perform certain yoga poses. And anyone could injure himself by not exercising (pun intended) caution in any type of exercise - whether it be yoga, cardio, weightlifting, or even walking at a brisk pace.

I have over 30 years of bodybuilding experience; and I would be the first to tell you that you can seriously injure yourself if certain precautions are not taken.

I permanently injured my lower back by lifting weights. But I can't blame bodybuilding or weightlifting for my injury. It was due to my use of improper technique.

My lower back injury resulted specifically from doing squats. It is very easy to hurt yourself doing squats if you are not very careful with form and technique.

Your abdominals (core) should be tight, and your lower back straight. Your natural spine curvature should not be exaggerated. And your descent into the squatting position should be controlled and in a straight line.

No one should be doing squats with a preexisting lower back injury. The very nature of the squat will place stress on it.

And as with any exercise, care should be taken to warm up thoroughly. Initially your muscles and joints are cold and stiff. You need to get blood circulating in them before they are placed under any kind of stress.

I also would strongly advise that any beginner in any sport or exercise seek counsel from a knowledgeable person. As with bodybuilding or weightlifting, there are many certified trainers to show the correct way to perform any exercise.

And even with a qualified teacher, not everyone will be able to perform every yoga exercise or bodybuilding exercise. Know your limitations and work around them. But regardless of what any trainer or teacher tells you, if you are unable to perform a certain movement - don't try to do it!

As with anything else, exercise or a sport program can be taken to the extreme. The yoga article pointed out that some practitioners took certain poses to extreme levels. This was done by bending or twisting their necks or backs to the point where blood flow was restricted or cut off, or nerve damage occurred.

Be cautious in any exercise program! Be certain to warm up thoroughly and know your body. The older you get, the less your body is able to do. A 60 year old like myself cannot do what a 20-year old can do.

In closing, let me drive home the point that there is nothing inherently wrong with yoga. Doing it slowly and cautiously and right will certainly eliminate any chance of injury.

Use wisdom, and don't let your ego get the best of you.

Old MacDonald Had A Farm

Remember the nursery rhyme which says old MacDonald had a farm, EE-I, EE-I, O? This kiddie favorite was published in 1917. Unfortunately, growing numbers of MacDonalds are losing their farms to giant corporate interests.

America is losing more and more of the MacDonald type farms. These were the once plentiful family farms which provided fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as dairy products and meat, to family tables across the land.

According to Sustainabletable.org, there were about 7 million family farms dotting the American landscape in the 1930s. That number has shrunk to approximately 2 million today. Of that number, only about 565,000 are family businesses.

In 1965 Look magazine quoted experts saying that by 1980 there may only be one million farms left.

Yes - old MacDonald had a farm!

I think ever-growing numbers of Americans are looking for a return to the farming practices of yesteryear. Realizing the dangers posed by conventional farming practices, people want a return to the simple life.

The simple life of the small family farm offers fresh vegetables grown without pesticides and genetically-modified organisms. The produce is locally-grown and the methods used are sustainable.

Farm-fresh food quality can be found in today's farmers' markets and CSA (community supported agriculture.) The produce is locally grown which makes all the difference in the world.

In addition to pesticide-free produce, the old time family farms of MacDonald raised healthy chickens, pigs, and cows that enjoyed rich pastureland and plenty of sunshine and fresh air. Yes - back then Elsie the cow was indeed contented!

Not today. Not with the factory-style practices of the Agribusiness comglomerates. Cows and other animals are treated like inanimate, metal pieces on a conveyor belt.

These animals which are bound for your dinner table are fed everything from road kill, sawdust, and genetically modified corn and soy to shredded newspaper and processed sewage. To combat the disease caused by being crammed in pens like sardines in tin cans, they are given antibiotics.

According to 2002 census figures from the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), corporate owned farms grew by over 46 percent between the years 1974 and 2002.

America needs to return to the MacDonald farms of bygone days. In order to stop the seemingly endless outbreak of food poisoning, Agribusiness needs to be either reformed, or driven out of business.

You can be instumental in accomplishing one or the other. Support your local farm by buying produce from farmer's markets or CSA.