Diabetic? More Benefits Linked to Eating a
Diet High in Whole Grain and Fiber

Like other studies, the results of this study published in Diabetes Care show that patients with type 2 diabetes should eat more whole grain products and follow a diet that is low in glycemic index. They found that women who ate higher amounts of whole grains, bran, and cereal fiber had lower markers of inflammation (associated with heart disease and arthritis). In addition, women who ate a ow-glycemic-index diet (or a diet rich in foods like bran, fiber, grains, fruits and vegetables, legumes, and nuts) also had lower markers of inflammation.

Women who ate a high-glycemic-index diet (processed foods like soda pop, chips, fries, corn flakes, instant potatoes, and white bread and sugar and lacking in whole grains, fiber, fruits and vegetables, etc.) had higher markers of inflammation.
Whole-grain, bran, and cereal fiber intakes and markers of systemic inflammation in diabetic women, by L. Qi [WINDOWS-1252?]and colleagues. Diabetes Care 29:207–211, 2006.

To find out more about what foods you should be eating, see my glycemic index of foods: http://www.blpublications.com/html/gycemicindex.html

National Academy of Sciences Publishes Fluoride WARNING
A panel of the National Academy of Sciences concluded that the maximum amount of fluoride currently allowed in the nation's drinking water can cause health problems and "should be lowered." The report concluded that children exposed to four milligrams of fluoride per liter, the highest allowable level, risk developing severe dental fluorosis, in which teeth become mottled, pitted and scarred. Because fluoride can weaken bones, people who consumed water containing that much fluoride over a lifetime are likely to be at increased risk for bone fractures.
http://healthy.net/scr/news.asp?Id=8293

plus...Fluoride in Europe
As awareness increases in America what a toxic chemical this is, that same tug-of-war is beginning in the UK. Currently, most of Western Europe has abandoned fluoridation over concerns about side effects and a lack of evidence for its effectiveness. All but four countries in Western Europe are free from fluoridation (about 98% of Europe).

Local UK governments are currently deciding whether or not to begin fluoridating their water supplies as a method of preventing tooth decay. They believe the lie that fluoride in the water will alleviate tooth decay among children. The cause of tooth decay is not a fluoride deficiency but poor dietary and dental hygiene habits. Problems associated with fluoride include
• Bone problems - increased risk for fractures
• Increased risk for arthritis, cancer and other illnesses
• Genetic disorders
• Lower IQs in children
• Thyroid disorders
• The formation of antibodies in blood

Green Party.org November 14, 2005 Related Articles:
The Absurdities of Water Fluoridation
Scientists Find Fluoridation Outdated & Question Its Morality

WHAT do we do?
Consumers can learn how much fluoride is in their tap water by asking their local utility. You can reduce fluoride exposure by using home water-filtration systems, which vary in their ability to remove fluoride from 13% to 99%. Reverse-osmosis systems seem to be the most effective at removing fluoride.

Worries about fluoride could increase demand for bottled water. But... that can have fluoride, too, but the limits for naturally occurring fluoride are lower. About 20 bottled-water makers add fluoride to some of their brands, including those in home and office coolers. Federal law limits fluoride in bottled water to 1.4 to 2.4 mg per liter if none is added by the bottler (as when the water comes from an already fluoridated source), and to 0.8 to 1.7 mg per liter if fluoride is added at the bottling plant. The range reflects the climate where the water is sold, with lower allowable levels in hotter regions. The label doesn't have to indicate fluoride content if the bottler doesn't add it.

Even the Army is Going Organic
The selection of organic products carried in military commissaries is growing, and according to experts in the field, it's a growing trend, not a short-term fad. "Our larger stores have more than tripled the number of organic products they have in stock. It's the fastest growing category this year," said Patrick B. Nixon, chief executive officer and acting director of the Defense Commissary Agency.

"Customers are demanding them and our mission is to listen and respond, but increasing our organic product selection also fits in with our emphasis on the commissary as the place for military families to shop for healthy food at healthy savings," he added. "Shoppers should read product labels to determine exactly what's in the food they buy at the commissary -- whether you want reduced fat, lower sodium or organic."

Organic food generally means foods grown without the aid of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers or sewage sludge, and animal products raised on organic crops without antibiotics, growth hormones, bioengineering (GMO FREE) or irradiation. Organic foods have been found to often provide DOUBLE the nutrient levels of conventionally grown food. A U.S. Department of Agriculture seal is currently the best way for customers to determine whether a product is designated organic.

Drug Problems...
Plavix taken with aspirin nearly doubled the death rate from heart disease!!
Combining Plavix, a costly "super-aspirin," with regular aspirin proved to be no more effective than aspirin alone for preventing heart disease. In fact, the combination nearly doubled the death rate from heart disease among patients who had not had heart attacks but were at risk for them. A study on the effects of Plavix divided over 15,000 patients with heart disease into two groups -- one that took Plavix and aspirin, and one that took aspirin with a placebo. The only major difference was that almost 4 percent of those who took Plavix and had not had a heart attack died over the course of the study, as opposed to just over 2 percent of those who took only aspirin. Plavix, which costs $3 to $4 a pill, has made more than $3 billion in sales since its approval in 2000. Last year alone American physicians wrote 24 million prescriptions for Plavix. They thought they were actually helping lower the risk of heart disease with this approach. Additionally, researchers should have had some sort of clue about these kinds of health-harming results, considering Plavix elevated a patient's risk of developing ulcers by a factor of 12 versus aspirin and Nexium.
New England Journal of Medicine March 12, 2006
USA Today March 13, 2006