Chatbug Karen

I am so thankful for sporting events that have kept me going this winter. Each weekend I have had something to look forward to and that keeps my mind off of my inability to get in the car and do what I want. What I want to do is visit some fabric stores and replenish my stash!

I have been so sick ever since Tuesday. It isn’t as if I am having diet pill side effects. No need to even diet when I am so dizzy. I give up on taking anything to alleviate the pain from neuralgia in my jaw. I think I’ll put up with the pain rather than feel dizzy and unable to function.

I was surprised, while watching Dr. Oz’s new television program, to hear him recommend organic milk. I agreed with his thoughts on the benefits of using organic leafy, hard to wash items, such as Romain lettuce and other items but have to disagree with his thoughts on buying organic milk.

The following article written by By Karen Collins, R.D. for MSNBC explains what I have always held to be true about milk.

Demand for organic milk, which can sell for up to double the cost of other milk, is booming. Deciding whether to spend the extra money is not as clear-cut a decision as some suggest.

People may turn to organic milk for health benefits, or environmental and animal rights’ issues. But when evaluating the health claims, so far, research does not support a health advantage of organic over conventional milk for any segment of the population.

That’s because the U.S. Department of Agriculture has four requirements to define milk as organic, and confusion abounds about each.

Milk that is labeled “USDA Organic” must come from cows that have not been treated with bovine growth hormone (BGH) to increase milk production. People who focus on this goal express concern that hormones in milk could raise the risk of hormone-related cancers, or lead to higher levels of an insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) linked with cancer.

But BGH is a protein hormone, which means that if any does appear in milk, enzymes and acid in our digestive tract destroy it. Dale Bauman, a professor of animal science at Cornell University, emphasizes that if IGF-1 is slightly higher in milk from BGH-treated cows, it represents a tiny fraction of the IGF we all produce each day. Bauman reports that we would have to drink 95 quarts of milk to equal the IGF-1 we make daily in our saliva and other digestive tract secretions.

We need to differentiate between levels of IGF in our blood, which some studies link to a possible increase in cancer risk, and levels of IGF in our food. Several organic-related Web sites refer to a study in which vegans (who eat no animal products) showed 13 percent lower IGF than non-vegans. But, a closer look at that study shows that milk consumption was not related to blood levels of IGF. Research shows high blood levels of IGF are linked with overweight, lack of exercise, and diets too high in saturated fat, refined carbohydrates or total calories.

No antibiotics
A second characteristic of organic milk is that these cows are not treated with antibiotics. If a cow in an organic herd does need to be treated with antibiotics, she is not returned to the herd for a period of 12 months. Yet in conventional herds, milk from cows that receive antibiotics is not used until tests show it is antibiotic-free. Tanks of milk are routinely tested to ensure no antibiotic content.

A third requirement of organic milk is that cows’ feed is grown without pesticides, whether the feed is grass or grain. Recent USDA reports show that nonorganic milk may contain low levels of certain pesticides, but these are far below established tolerance levels. Using organic feed may support sustainable farming practices, yet research has not found it affects the nutritional value of the cows’ milk.

Grazing time?
The final requirement for organic milk is that cows must have “access to pasture.” Many consumers assume this means cows graze in fields most of the year. But, the current standard does not require a specific length of time in pasture. A cow can graze in pasture only a limited time and still produce milk that is certified organic.

On the question of grain- versus grass-fed cows, some suggest that pasture-fed cows may produce milk that contains more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a special type of fat that may protect against cancer and other health problems. But Michael Pariza, professor of food microbiology and toxicology at the University of Wisconsin, and a leading expert on CLA in dairy products, says grass feeding by itself does not assure increased CLA. He and Bauman both note that cows fed mixed grains with soybeans or other additions can produce milk that has higher CLA levels than milk from grass-fed cows. This may lead you to spend less on milk and more on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and other healthful foods.

Nutrition Notes is provided by the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C.

Sorry, Dr. Oz. I have to disagree with you on this one.

This morning, I read an article that shows how some push themselves to beat the odds. A couple in Falls Church, VA always knew that something was not right with their daughter. She didn’t have cerebral palsy nor did she have downs syndrome. They could not figure out why their daughter, Mack, fell behind when doing things their other children did at certain mile stones. No amount of probing, or DNA testing was able to give them answers.

Nearly ten years ago, Dr. Jordan Grafman, chief of the Cognitive Neuroscience Section at the National Institutes of Health, finally diagnosed the problem.

An MRI scan revealed she was missing nearly half of the left side of her brain. While it was clear Mack has some problems, Grafman said he and the family were shocked by the extent of the damage.

How did Mack cope? It seems, her brain rewired itself.

Mack has fairly normal language abilities, certainly basic language abilities, she can construct a sentence, she can understand instructions, she can find words when she’s talking, but actually she has some trouble in some aspects of visual-spatial processing,” said Grafman. The human brain is the center of the human nervous system and is a highly complex organ.

Have you heard the news that Dr. Oz will soon have his own television show? I am excited. I have seen him on Oprah a few times. Whether he discusses the shape of your poop or weight loss supplements, he is interesting. He is truly interested in helping people with their health issues. He also cares about where our young people are headed. Oz is the founder and chairman of HealthCorps, a non-profit organization that pays a small stipend to recent college graduates to spend two years in high schools mentoring students about health, nutrition, and fitness.

Dr. Mehmet Oz is married to author and Reiki master Lisa Oz and they have four children, Daphne, Arabella, Zoe, and Oliver.

What is the secret to a long and healthy life? It is in the food that we eat. As you well know, all foods are not created equal. Choosing and eating the right foods may help increase your life expectancy as well as the quality of your life. I am trying to pay more attention to these things!

Here are ten of the top power packed foods designed to give you energy, vitality and all around good health!

1. Beans – If they give you gas, take precautions before you eat them. (Wish I had stock in Beano). Soaking them first can help. Beans of all kinds (kidney, navy, lentils, chickpeas, Northern) are high in protein. This is plant protein so it contains very little fat, carbs and calories. If fiber is a problem in your diet, eating a healthy portion of beans each day can keep your digestive system healthy.

2. Oatmeal – Oatmeal is coming into popularity as a food that lowers blood cholesterol. You can make it yourself with rolled oats or eat the instant kind if you are in a hurry. Oatmeal is a filling grain that also provides much needed fiber to keep hunger at bay and your blood sugar constant.

3. Fruits – Fruits are filled with antioxidants such as Vitamin C and A. Antioxidants fight free radical damage in the body and reduce the risk of cancer. Berries such as blueberries and grapes have the highest amount of antioxidants. But choose an array of fruits in a wide variety of colors for maximum health. The antioxidants in fruit boost the immune system to fight the effects of aging in the body.

4. Allium foods – This class of foods includes garlic, onions, leeks and shallots. Garlic is known for lowering cholesterol. Allium vegetables help guard the body against the risk of cancer and many other ailments. They also help lower blood pressure and prevent blood clots. Eating these power packed vegetables in their natural state especially garlic increases their health benefits.

5. Salmon – Eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids reduces the risk of heart disease and other conditions like atherosclerosis. Wild salmon is a fatty fish but it contains good fats that has been proven to improve health in children and adults. Salmon is rich in protein which is of great use after an exercise session to build muscle tissue.

6. Flax seed – Like salmon it contains omega-3 fatty acids. These seeds also contain omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids. You get a lot of power to fight high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes with this seed. Ground flax seed can be added to fruit smoothies, sprinkled in yogurt, eaten with cereal or added to pancake mix to name a few.

7. Peppers – Peppers are colorful. They contain antioxidants like beta-carotene and Vitamin C. Peppers range from mild and sweet to so hot you’ll be calling the fire department. All peppers contain a substance called capsaicin. Capsaicin has the properties of an anti-inflammatory, a pain reliever, lowers cancer risk and heart disease. They are good in salads, salsa and all sorts of dishes. I love all the colors and when they are on sale, I stock up and freeze them.

8. Nuts and seeds – Nuts are high in fat but those fats are the good kind. Peanuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts and pistachios are all providers of good fats and protein. Crush them into a fine powder and use as a coating instead of higher carb bread crumbs. Nuts help to lower cholesterol. Eat them right out of the shell with no additives. Almonds are great to fight headaches.

9. Açai – This berry has been in the news lately. It is rich in antioxidants and increases energy. You can get more done and look better while doing it. You can get Acai juice and supplements in your health food store.

10. Yogurt – The fat free variety is good for you. Yogurt contains calcium, Vitamin B, and protein. If you don’t drink milk, yogurt is an alternative to get your calcium in to build strong bones and teeth. Live yogurt also contains friendly bacteria to help promote a healthy digestive system.

Building a better healthier body begins with what you eat. Try these super foods to get started on the right foot and stop feeling like a slug.

My friend Val over at Mom Knows It All (You can ask her husband if this is true) is spotlighting Shoprite and their efforts to fight hunger. General Mills and ShopRite will donate one box of cereal to a food bank in ShopRite’s trading area for the first 30 comments she receives on her post.

ShopRite has been trying to fight hunger for more than twenty years, first as part of the Feeding America network (formerly America’s Second Harvest) and the Checkout Hunger program. In 1999 ShopRite took their desire to fight hunger in the areas they serve to another level by creating ShopRite Partners In Caring (SRPIC). General Mills has been one of the program’s most supportive vendors. The ShopRite Partners In Caring program has donated more than $20 million to the 23 regional food banks and more than 1,400 charitable agencies it. The donations go to emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, child care centers, battered women’s shelters, senior programs, programs for the mentally and physically disabled, drug rehab centers and after school programs.

Please read Val’s post to see other ways you can help fight hunger. Do you realize how much even one dollar helps fight this widespread tragedy? A $1 donation can purchase 10 pounds of food from a food bank. a little bit truly can go a long way.

Have you ever been in a situation that brought on sweats, rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath? It doesn’t take much for me to have these symptoms. It only takes a certain person walking in the door to get my heart racing and not in a good way. If you find yourself feeling these symptoms, you probably weren’t having a heart attack but an anxiety attack. If you suffer from anxiety disorders, learning to manage it is the first step to overcoming it.

Anxiety is characterized as extreme reactions to fearful situations. When someone follows you into a dark alley, those anxious feelings of a racing heartbeat and sweaty palms gives way to heightened senses and a rush of adrenalin that can save your life. This is the fight or flight syndrome. I remember these feelings as a teen when I had to take out the trash. The lack of lighting made our alley a fearful place at night. Fear of the dark can be maddening.

In the case of frequent anxiety, the fearful feelings are dread of a particular situation and not the situation itself. Getting caught in traffic can cause an anxiety attack over what might happen when you get to work late. Starting a new job can bring on anxiety attacks. You don’t know anyone and fear of that unknown can send you into a panic. I am sure my headaches have often times been caused by anxiety.

Everyone experiences panic or anxiety in small ways. Like the fight or flight example, it can save your life. In new situations, we get panicky but when the outcome we fear fails to materialize, the anxiety stops. For someone with chronic anxiety, this is not the case.

Every situation that brings anxiety is not life-threatening. More than likely it is an extremely stressful situation that has brought on the anxiety as a way of dealing with it. Unchecked anxiety of this type can lead to depression.

If you suffer from anxiety attacks on occasion or a more frequent anxiety disorder, there are steps you can take to keep your anxiety under control.

1. See a professional. This is always a good first step. Self-diagnosis of any type of physical or mental condition is unwise and can be dangerous. A professional psychologist can help you understand your anxiety and prescribe medication or other effective techniques.

2. Get a good night’s sleep. During the sleep cycle, your body repairs itself. You feel more rested after several hours of restorative sleep, reaching the REM stage. Most people need eight hours a night which varies within an hour or two each way. (My anxiety brought on insomnia!)

3. Exercise on a consistent basis. Exercise helps you to use oxygen more efficiently. It helps to get more oxygen to the brain. It also increases focus which may help you see solutions to problems rather than simply worrying about them.

4. Meditate. Meditation is more than chanting mantras. Yoga is an exercise that involves quieting the mind and controlling your breathing. Simple mediation such as taking 5 minutes to clear your mind everyday can work wonders in the fight against anxiety.

5. Manage the worry. When you feel your pulse start to quicken, count backwards from ten. As you count, focus on the situation. What has actually happened? Resist the urge to read anything more into the situation.

6. Don’t use alcohol. You might think that the glass of wine is relaxing your tension but alcohol is a depressant. In anxious situations you could rely too heavily on it and gain another problem in the process.

7. Find some relaxing activities. Stress can rob you of your energy. On a regular basis, do something you like such as gardening, painting, reading or listening to music.

Anxiety can come into your life at any time. It’s normal. When the anxiety becomes frequent you could be at risk for more serious conditions. If you feel your anxiety is starting to take over your life or increasingly causing you problems, seek professional help immediately. There is no need to suffer this terrible condition in silence.

We all want to do our part to protect the environment, but without a large paycheck, that can be seem difficult, if not impossible. But doing your part doesn’t have to be hard. Small steps add up to a big difference, you just have to know which ones to take.

Use less water.

Saving water is all about small steps, here are a few that will help save big.

- Shut off the water while you brush your teeth
- Take showers that are a minute or two shorter
- Only flush the toilet when you need to
- Only run full loads of laundry and dishes
- Buy from sustainable producers. These are farmers, ranchers, and other producers that use techniques that pollute less and use less water. You can do some research online or ask at your local organic market to find these products.

Use less energy.

If you don’t have the money to buy a hybrid car or convert your house to solar power, you can make a big difference with small changes.

- Buy energy efficient appliances. They may be more expensive, but make up for the increased cost in lower energy bills.
- Unplug chargers when you’re not using them. Cell phone and other chargers use up powers even if there’s nothing attached to them.
- Put devices with remotes, like T.V.s, VCRs, and stereos, on a power strip and turn it off when you’re not using them. These devices use a lot of power to run the remote receiver even when the device is off.
- Walk or ride your bike for short trips.
- Buy local products. It takes energy to transport food and other products across the country. Buying local not only supports your local economy, it helps them use less energy.

When it comes to saving energy and water, it’s a great idea to get the kids involved. You can even make it a game. Have them track how much water and electricity everyone is using. You can compete to see who uses the least water. You can often count on your kids to help keep you on track when given the task.

Reuse.

Most of us know the three R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle, but when we work on conserving, we often leave reuse out of the picture. While you can often find tips on how to reuse common products from other people, what you need most is creativity. With a little thought there are many items around your home that can be reused – toilet paper holders can be used to sow seeds for the vegetable patch. And old yogurt containers can be cut into strip to make plant labels. Old food jars can be refilled with homemade foods or can make great impromptu vases.

Use environmentally friendly products. When you go to the grocery store, you probably see more and more “natural” or “eco friendly” products every time. There are generally two big problems with these products: 1. Just because they’re more natural than regular products, doesn’t mean they’re entirely natural. 2, They’re often expensive.

If you want inexpensive, natural, safe products, why not just make them yourself. Vinegar is a great way to clean and disinfect glass and other surfaces. Need to remove stubborn stains? Just add some baking soda to your vinegar cleaner. Some quick searching online will lead you to hundreds of other natural safe home-made cleaning products.

We all knowing that going green means better for the environment, but it’s also better for you. Conserving resources also helps save you money, which is something most of us are happy to live with.

Are you going to watch the television show that airs on Friday night? On Friday evening American TV channel NBC will show a two hour long documentary about Fawcett’s fight against the deadly illness, cancer. A two-hour documentary, Farrah’s Story, shot by Fawcett and her friend Alana Stewart about her battle with the disease, will air on NBC on May 15, 2009.

It is not that I don’t care what happens to someone who is struggling to live, whether they are famous or not. I am easily depressed.

I have not allowed myself to watch Slumdog Millionaire and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas either.

So, I am curious, are you going to watch Farrah’s documentary?

I have an issue with our school system that bugs me. They are pulling programs that are beneficial to our kids and at the same time are spending more money to enhance sports programs. Why is so much attention placed on sports programs in our schools? Do they think our schools will produce a star athlete?

I am not against school sports. I know that so many of our kids are obese and need activity. Sports teach our kids how to follow rules and to work as a team. They learn a lot from sports. It is when other programs are cut, too easily in my opinion, to afford bigger and better stadiums and weight rooms, that I take issue.

The programs that are being cut are what our school calls consumer classes. These are the classes that teach our kids how to balance a check book and why credit cards should be handled with care. Our kids learn the basic homemaking skills like how to cook and how to plan a grocery budget. After reading our local paper, I was surprised to learn all the things that are taught in the consumer classes. It is sad to see them cut from our schools.

Thank goodness we have the Internet. We can get information from websites to inform our youth, if we take the initiative. There is an excellent website that deals with women’s health. It is called Women’s Health Base. It is full of information that covers things like smoking and lung cancer. Other articles include new discoveries concerning breast cancer and heart disease.

The website also has interesting articles concerning beauty, diet & fitness and relationships. Although the website is geared towards women’s health, this website is very informative for those of you looking for information to share with your children not matter their gender. Young adults may find answers to questions dealing with skin problems and healthy dating practices.

We need to pick up the pace on educating our kids, especially if they aren’t being taught these things in school. It all boils down to our responsibility as parents.