Alternative Medicine News – December 30, 2013

When Medical Tests Are Wrong

False-positive test results are more common than you might think.

Here are some examples:

• One in four women will get at least one false alarm from a mammogram.
• 3 million women per year get abnormal Pap smear results. Yet only one in 1,000 turns out to be malignant.
• Blood test results, including those for cholesterol, also can be inaccurate.

And then there is the emotional upset caused by thinking there is a problem when there isn’t.

Here is an article giving some excellent ideas about how to minimize false positives. You will find the information here.

The Food Pyramid Causes Obesity

The acronym for the Standard American Diet is SAD.

Fitting, isn’t it?

This article on Mercola points out how the USDA diet plan is a recipe for obesity. For example, they say:

• “All sugars are created equal.” The truth is they aren’t.
• “To lose weight, just expend more calories than you eat.” Nope. Not all calories are created equal.
• “Choosing diet foods will help you lose weight.” Splenda and Nutrasweet actually support weight gain.
• “Avoid saturated fat to protect your heart.” Healthful fats are essential for good health. Sources? Eggs, coconut oil, butter, grass fed beef.
• “When it comes to cholesterol levels, the lower the better.” False. Cholesterol is not the major culprit in heart disease.

Learn more about this here.

Glyphosate (Roundup) Carcinogenic In the PARTS PER TRILLION Range

Roundup is estrogenic. That means it increases estrogen. It also means that it drives breast cancer cell proliferation. And it does this in the parts per trillion range.

The irony is that this herbicide is sold as being safe. The study that found these problems points to anything but safety.

And it gets worse. If you spray roundup on an estrogenic food like soy, it compounds the problem.

You can find more information about this here.

Do Vegetarians Really Live Longer?

A recent study seems to support the idea that vegetarians live longer. But is it so?

To find out, you have to look deeper at the study. And when you do, you find there are problems.

For example, the study lasted less than six years. That’s far too short to judge longevity. A good study will last decades.

They also included 30 to 40 year olds in the study. Really? Is there some high level of mortality in this younger age group?

And they also don’t take into account the quality of the meat people ate. Organic grass fed beef is nothing like a fast-food burger.

You can read more about this study and the problems with it here.

Is Monsanto Killing Your Brain?

GMO foods affect cells differently than regular foods.

One worrisome way this is true is in your brain. GMOs can interfere with your ability to think. Not a good idea.

The reason for this effect has to do with RNA. This is the molecule that transfers information from the DNA in your cells. GMOs stop your body from processing important molecules that speed nerve messages.

But there are ways to reduce or minimize GMOs in your diet. There are some excellent suggestions about how to do this in this Al Sears article. You can find it here.