Check labels carefully and avoid using pesticides containing pyrethrin or pyrethroids (including permethrin, bifenthrin and deltamethrin).  Popular brands that may include these pesticides are: Raid, Hotshot, Garden Safe, Fert-i-Lome, Bio Spot, Duocide, Happy Jack, Hartz, and K9 Advantix.

Less toxic pest control products and methods can be found here and here.

Your educated choices help keep our environment healthy.  Thank you.

©2012 In Good Health Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Pesticides and the Brain

Repeated exposure to pesticides is associated with an increase in the risk for Alzheimer’s disease in later life, according to an observational study published in Neurology.

According to the study, commonly used pesticides (organophosphate and organochlorine) inhibit acetylcholinesterase—needed for learning, memory and concentration—at synapses in the somatic, autonomic and central nervous systems. There may be lasting effects on the nervous system.  In the study, the most common route of exposure was farming. Here’s yet another reason to purchase organic foods. The more we eat organic, the fewer people will be forced to work in agricultural jobs that expose them to pesticides.

Highest in Pesticides (buy organic or unsprayed):

• Apples
• Bell peppers
• Blueberries (domestic)
• Carrots
• Celery
• Cherries
• Collards
• Grapes (imported)
• Green Beans
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Potatoes
• Red raspberries
• Spinach
• Strawberries

Lowest in Pesticides (less crucial to buy organically):

• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Cabbage
• Cantaloupe
• Cranberries
• Eggplant
• Grapefruit
• Kiwi
• Mangos
• Melons (Honeydew, Watermelon)
• Onions
• Papaya
• Pineapples
• Plums
• Peas (sweet)
• Sweet Potatoes

©2012 In Good Health Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Candles with lead-core wicks pose air quality hazard in the home, especially during winter months when windows and doors are kept closed. Here’s an easy test: rub the tip of an un-burnt wick on a plain piece of white paper. If the wick leaves a light gray pencil-like mark, it has a lead core.  If there is no mark left on the paper, the candle is lead-free.

Good quality wax is important too.  It appears that petroleum-based candles (which includes paraffin) and scented or aromatic candles are the worst offenders and can trigger allergic reactions or certain lung conditions.  Paraffin is derived from petroleum which produces carcinogens in the air when burned.  Beeswax, soy and carnauba wax based candles are three types of non-petroleum based wax candles to look for.

Here’s a link for more information: Environmental Health & Safety – Candles & Indoor Air Quality

©2012 In Good Health Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Acupuncture is one of the fastest growing fields in medicine right now as it provides real solutions to health issues, without the side effects of pharmaceuticals.

Here’s a link to an interesting article and video by The Wall Street Journal about acupuncture and Chinese Medicine.  It’s pretty well done and gives some good information.

New research published in Nature Neuroscience in July of 2010 shows that acupuncture can increase the body’s levels of adenosine, which has the ability to reduce pain.  Here’s a link to a BBC Health News article about that study.  And, here’s the link to the study in Nature Neuroscience.

According to the University of Chicago Medical Center, attention has been focused on the following theories to further explain how acupuncture affects the body:

• Conduction of electromagnetic signals
  Evidence suggests that acupuncture points are strategic conductors of electromagnetic signals. Stimulating these points enables electromagnetic signals to be relayed at greater-than-normal rates. These signals may start the flow of pain-killing biochemicals, such as endorphins, or release immune system cells to specific body sites.
• Activation of the body’s natural opioid system
  Considerable research supports the claim that acupuncture releases opioids, synthetic or naturally-occurring chemicals in the brain that may reduce pain or induce sleep. These chemicals may explain acupuncture’s pain-relieving effects.
• Stimulation of the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland
  Joined at the base of the brain, the hypothalamus and pituitary glands are responsible for many body functions. The hypothalamus activates and controls part of the nervous system, the endocrine processes, and many bodily functions, such as sleep, regulation of temperature, and appetite. The pituitary gland supplies some of the body’s needed hormones. Stimulation of these glands can result in a broad spectrum of effects on various body systems.
• Change in the secretion of neurotransmitters and neurohormones
  Studies suggest that acupuncture may alter brain chemistry in a positive way. This is accomplished by changing the release of neurotransmitters (biochemical substances that stimulate or inhibit nerve impulses) and neurohormones (naturally-occurring chemical substances that can change the structure or function, or impact the activity of, a body organ).

©2012 In Good Health Blog. All Rights Reserved.

More than 40 different ingredients contain the chemical in monosodium glutamate (processed free glutamic acid).   Many of the hidden names listed below will surprise you.

Ingredients that ALWAYS contain processed free glutamic acid:

Glutamic acid (E 620),

Glutamate (E 620)

Monosodium glutamate (E 621)

Monopotassium glutamate (E 622)

Calcium glutamate (E 623)

Monoammonium glutamate (E 624)

Magnesium glutamate (E 625)

Natrium glutamate

Yeast extract

Anything “hydrolyzed’

Any “hydrolyzed protein”

Calcium caseinate

Sodium caseinate

Yeast food

Yeast nutrient

Autolyzed yeast

Gelatin

Textured protein

Vetsin

Ajinomoto

Ingredients that OFTEN contain or produce processed free glutamic acid

(may or may not be a problem) :

Carrageenan (E 407)

Bouillon and broth stock

Whey protein concentrate

Whey protein isolate

Any “flavors” or “flavoring”

Maltodextrin

Citric acid (E 330)

Anything “ultra-pasteurized”

Barley malt

Pectin (E 440)

Protease

Anything “enzyme modified”

Anything containing”enzymes”

Malt extract

Soy sauce

Soy sauce extract

Soy protein

Soy protein concentrate

Soy protein isolate

Anything “protein fortified”

Anything “fermented”

Seasonings

Ingredients that  work  synergistically  with  MSG  to  enhance  flavor.    If  they  are  present  for  flavoring   purposes,  so  is  MSG.

Disodium 5-­guanylate  (E  627)

Disodium 5-­inosinate  (E-­‐631)

Disodium  5′-­ribonucleotides  (E  635)

Ingredients  that are suspected  of  containing  or  creating sufficient  processed  free  glutamic  acid  to  serve   as  MSG-­reaction triggers, only in  HIGHLY  SENSITIVE  people:

Corn  starch

Corn  syrup

Modified  food  starch

Lipolyzed  butter  fat

Dextrose

Rice  syrup

brown  rice  syrup

Milk  powder

Reduced  fat  milk  (e.g..,  skim  milk;  1%  milk;  2%  milk)

most  things  low  fat  or  no  fat

anything  Enriched  or  Vitamin  enriched

Last updated June, 2010 from Truth in Labeling Campaign (www.truthinlabeling.org.)

©2012 In Good Health Blog. All Rights Reserved.

You can make some delicious milks by whirling soaked nuts with water in a blender.  You can make the mixture delicate and thin or thick and creamy.  Soak raw almonds or raw cashews to make almond or cashew milk.  Nut milks are healing and are a great alternative for folks who have allergies to other types of milk.  You can either strain the blended mixture (in a nut bag or with many layers of cheesecloth) or drink it as is.  If you choose to strain the mixture, you can save the almond meal to use as flour for baking or for making a facial mask.  Thanks to Marie for sharing her “chai-spiced” version with me and my Herbal Medicine class at AIMC.  Really delicious!

Basic recipe

1 cups raw nuts (can use a little more for a really creamy drink)

4 cups water

1 TBS Honey

1/4 cup medjool dates

Optional spices to make a ‘chai-spiced’ milk

1/4 tsp clove

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 TBS cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

1 tsp ginger powder (or to taste)

1/4 tsp sea salt

Make the basic recipe first.  Soak 1 cup nuts, preferably over night, and try to change the water when possible so that the nuts are soaking in fresh water every 3-12 hours.  At the very least, you should soak the nuts several hours.  When soaking is complete, you have the option to either leave the skin on or to remove it which is easy to do in water when the soaking has been long enough and the nuts are soft.  Next, put soaked nuts in blender and cover with about an inch of water over the top.  Blend until the mixture is smooth (may need to add a little more water to thin it out).  Strain through layered cheesecloth or a nut milk bag.  Put liquid back in blender and add the rest of the ingredients and enough water to bring the mixture up to 4 cups of liquid.  You can blend with heated water for a warmer drink.

Why soak nuts?

Soaking makes nuts easier to digest, since this process neutralizes the part of the nut that is problematic (the enzyme inhibitor).  When you pour off the water, you remove the enzyme inhibitor.

Fruit and Nut Milk Shake:

When the almond milk is prepared, try whizzing up a peeled banana or other fresh fruits (raspberries, strawberries, etc) along with the nutmilk.  This is a great way to get a protein filled dessert that contains only natural sugars.  It’s the new smoothie!

©2012 In Good Health Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Having a computer near the torso (organs and glands) for long periods of time, has various negative effects.   This is true for males, females and even animals who might lounge near computer equipment often in search of extra warmth.

Solutions:
Keep the computer on a desk or table when using it.
Avoid working on couches, beds or chairs where having the computer on your lap is necessary.

Question:
Do portable computer laptop desks (used while working in bed) reduce the problem?  Are the materials in these portable desks able to reduce the transfer of heat, or do some of them contain metals that would actually intensify it?

©2012 In Good Health Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Top rated sunscreens contain zinc or titanium.

The ‘Environmental Working Group‘ website has ratings and sunscreen information.

©2012 In Good Health Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Seaweed, salty and cold, has the following medicinal functions:

1. Clears heat, transforms phlegm nodules
2. Promotes urination
3. Modern Research: lowers cholesterol
4. Modern Research: binds heavy metals to cleanse them from the body

Here is a recipe for seaweed salad using hijiki seaweed, given to me by my friend Junko.  It is possible to substitute another type of seaweed.

Ingredients:

• Dry hijiki – 1 package
• Fresh lotus root  – 3 smaller ones
• Carrots
• Green beans
• Inari nomoto – 1 can (soybean)
• Oil
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• mirin sake
• miso paste
• bonito flakes

Soak dried hijiki in water for 20 minutes.  Strain and set aside.

Prepare the veggies: peel the skin off the lotus roots, cut carrots, green beans, and inari nomoto into medium pieces.

Add oil to frying pan or wok.  Stir-fry lotus root, add a little water to steam cook .  Add carrots and cover.  Then, add green beans at the end.

Add 1 tablespoon sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon mirin sake.  Add bonito flakes. Once everything is stir-fried, add hijiki and a little oil.  Continue to cook on medium heat.  Then add salt, and possibly more sugar and mirin to taste.  Also, you can add soy sauce to taste.

Link to inari nomoto: http://www.mountfuji.co.uk/acatalog/Mount_Fuji_Sushi_Seasoning___Sprinkles_44.html

©2012 In Good Health Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Mimosa Tree Flower Tea ‘He Huan Hua Cha’

6 grams Mimosa Flower ‘He Huan Hua’ (Albizzia julibrissinis)

honey (to taste)

Place mimosa flower in a cup and soak in boiling water.   Strain.  Add honey to taste and drink when cool.

Functions:

Nourish heart and fortifies the spleen

Resolves depression and moves liver qi

Clears the mind and encourages a cheerful spirit

Indications:

Upset emotions and troubled mood

Nervous exhaustion

Fatigue and listlessness associated with unsmooth mood

Chest oppression and discomfort

Sighing

Mental sluggishness

Eye diseases

I also like to mix mimosa flower with various types of green tea.  It gives the tea a sweet flavor and has nice benefits for the health.

©2012 In Good Health Blog. All Rights Reserved.