Alternative Medicine News – November 3, 2014

Sketchy Research Led to the Low Fat Myth

Fat it bad for you, right?

Well, at least that’s what we’ve been told for decades. But what is the basis for this idea? Surely it must be based on solid research. You would think that based on how prevalent the idea is.

But the truth is quite different. In fact, the idea that low-fat eating helps stop heart disease is based on a myth.

The myth started with a man named Ancel Keyes. He was a researcher at the University of Minnesota when he came up with the idea. Unfortunately, he was hell-bent on proving it’s truth, and in the process ignored piles of contrary evidence.

Here is a brief article that talks about this. It is based on the book, “The Big Fat Surprise The Big Fat Surprise,” by Nina Teicholz. You will find the article here.

Farmed Fish – Way Worse Than You Think

If you eat tilapia, sea bass, catfish, cod or salmon, you should read this.

The above 5 are the most common species of farmed fish. And that’s NOT a good thing.

Why? There are a variety of reasons. Here is the quick summary:

• Farmed tilapia causes high levels of inflammation
• Farmed salmon can have at least 10 times the amounts of organic pollutants compared to wild varieties. These pollutants cause cancer.
• Farm-bred fish have high concentrations of antibiotics and pesticides.
• Farmed fish have lower levels of healthy nutrients.
• Dioxin, plastics and other toxins are much higher in farmed fish.

In other words, eating fish for health benefits means not eating farm-bred fish.

Please note that wild-caught salmon, etc. do not have as many problems with them as the farmed versions.

Learn more here.

Strong Bones Like a Cave Man

Strong, healthy bones are crucial for health, especially with age.

But how can you get strong bones naturally? Dr. Al Sears says, do what the cave man did. By this, he means get some sun.

The connection between sunshine and healthy bones is – you guessed it – vitamin D. The epidemic of osteoporosis has come since we’ve adopted a more indoor lifestyle.

Do discover this connection, researchers scanned bones of 30 people. It was a deep kind of scan that looked at the deep structure.

What they found was a direct relation between vitamin D levels and bone health. So getting enough is important.

Of course vitamin D can be overdone if you are taking supplements. That’s why sunshine is the best way to go. Your body will automatically make the right amount it needs.

You can find out more here.

Doctor Has Doubts About Statins

I originally read this article on MedScape. That’s the WebMD professional-only website. In other words, you have to be a health-care professional to use it.

So when an article shows up there by a doctor questioning the value of statins, it gets my attention.

This doctor is especially concerned about the use of statins to “prevent” heart disease in well people. The side effect risks just aren’t worth it. Interestingly, he also questions the use of cholesterol as a marker for heart disease.

I recommend you look at this article if you or someone you love is on statins.

I also recommend the book, The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won’t Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will if you want more information.

See the article here.

Monsanto’s Herbicide Linked To Fatal Kidney Disease

A fatal kidney disease epidemic has hit Central America.

Understandably, scientists want to figure out why. This is a new form of illness, not seen before. And it is the second leading cause of mortality among men in El Salvador. Other countries have similar problems.

The problem extends to India and Sri Lanka.

Three colleagues from India have found a likely connection between this disease and its cause. That cause is the introduction of glyphosate in these countries. You know this better as Roundup.

This connection hasn’t been definitively proved. But the precautionary principle suggests that caution is called for. That means if something is suspected of causing harm to humans or the environment, it should be banned until there is proof one way or the other. Obviously, that hasn’t happened with glyphosate. And if Monsanto has its way, it never will.

Find our more here.