Are You Wasting Money on Annual Physical Exams?

Don't feel too bad if you missed having your annual physical exam with your doctor last year. In fact, no major North American clinical organization actually recommends doing an annual checkup. US News and World Report says that annual physicals might very well be a waste of your money and time, in the minds of many doctors.

The good thing about doing an annual checkup is that the doctor might find something that can be looked into further before it progresses. However, the bad aspects of the annual physical seem to outweigh the good: a) it costs money and time that are usually a waste, b) there is an excellent chance that there will be false positives for conditions you don't have, causing stress and more money and c) most diseases are caught when patients come in for other minor ailments anyway.

It's up to you. I haven't done annual physical exams with Western medical doctors for many years. I use a naturopathic physician and she has a more natural protocol that I prefer. To me, the false positives issue with Western medical tests is enough of a deterrent to keep me away from doing annual physicals.

Please Take a Moment to Question the Safety of Your Vaccines

When vaccines were first invented, we hailed them as a modern medicinal miracle. But in the last few years, people have been questioning a) whether they really still work and b) whether they may be harmful to children.

This article, posted on NewsTarget.com, brings some good discussion topics to the fore. Please give it a read and form your own opinions.

My Workout Promise...is Working!

Hi.  Just wanted to let you know that my promise to myself to start working out is really happening!  I have consistently worked out five to six times a week since that original blog post. 

I'm seeing the benefits too!  My waist has gone from 46" down to 40.25".  My goal is a long ways away, but I don't mind.  I have a great workout partner who holds my feet to the fire and I'm happy to be going on the right path again after soooooo long.

Is Globalization Working?

John Ralston Saul, a novelist from Canada, wrote an aggressive takedown of globalization in Harper's magazine several years ago that I've just gotten around to reading.

I've always been firmly behind globalization, but his article has caused me to rethink some of my most valued suppositions about it. Here is an interesting paragraph in his article:

This determinist approach toward agriculture as an industry rather than as a food source--toward the implications of everything from fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides to genetics, hormones, antibiotics, labeling, and sourcing--became the flash point for a far broader concern among citizens. This was the context in which a growing percentage of people judged the handling of key issues as different as mad cow disease, the availability of pharmaceuticals in the developing world, and global warming. They were beginning to feel that what was presented as an argument of Globalism versus protectionism was often just a confused opposition of personal choice and abstract corporate interests. So Globalization, put forward as a metaphor for choice, was organizing itself around not consumers but corporate structures, structures that sought profits by limiting personal choice.

I've always known firsthand that corporations are more efficient than government departments.  As a computer consultant, I've seen the belly of both, and, while neither is pretty, corporations have the ability to get things done by at least a factor of twenty-to-one compared to government departments.

However, if a corporation takes over a function that a government department was once responsible for, and the corporation has a different (and wrong) goal, will it still be more efficient?  This is a point that Ralston Saul brings up that I stupidly hadn't considered before.

Ralston Saul says that in our efforts to globalize, we've paid attention (and measured) only the commercial aspects of things, ignoring the human and social aspects. This has caused us to be quite helpless when events that are economically insignificant but socially important occur, like the genocide in Rwanda.

Good God!  Will I turn into just another liberal big-government stooge?  I hope not.  This stuff is always more complex that I want to admit. But thanks anyway, John Ralston Saul, for making me think about my positions once again.

You can read much more from Ralston Saul, as well as see his collection of fiction and non-fiction writings, at his Website. I was first drawn to his work after hearing his lecture on the excellent podcast from TV Ontario called Big Ideas.

Sticking Your Kids With Your Debt

I typically have two big issues which I judge political candidates on: the environment and the national debt.

Almost every year, both issues have been completely overlooked in the election process by both parties. However, this year, the environment actually is being talked about and the Democrats seem to have some plans to improve things.

The national debt has had no discussion whatsoever. Have we forgotten that the yearly budget deficit, brought to zero under President Clinton, is now higher than it's ever been? President Bush and the Republican Congress ran up a massive amount of debt that we are going to have to pay back.

Correction - our children will be paying it. Which brings me to a point, brought up eloquently by Oliver "Buzz" Thomas, a minister, lawyer and author of the book "10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You (But Can't Because He Needs the Job)."

Thomas wrote a blog post for USA Today earlier this month about our penchant for debt. He feels that we are violating fundamental religious principles by running up this debt and putting in no effort to pay it back. Essentially, it is like building up a $30,000 credit card bill and then leaving it to your children.

Would you do that? Probably not. But, as Thomas points out, it is just easier when it is a distant, shapeless blob like the national debt. And our politicians, especially the spendy Republican President we have, don't help. Can't blame it on the war either. This administration has increased the national debt every year without even counting war expenses.

As Thomas puts it, "Whether you're Christian, Muslim, Jewish or Zoroastrian, your tradition has taught you at least this: a) Pay your bills and b) Provide for your children. Right now, we are doing neither.

So why aren't our politicians talking about it? Probably because it will be uncomfortable to pay back the debt. Services will have to be cut. Taxes will have to be raised (sorry W - your way ain't-a workin').

We have to re-insert this into our national discussion again. Do we need to resurrect Ross Perot to bring back the topic of paying the debt? I hope not.

How to Be a Glam-Granola Girl

What do you get when you cross a glamour queen with a granola girl? Wendy Roy, author of the new book "You Know You're a Glam-Granola Girl If..." says that is exactly what she is - A Glam-Granola Girl.

Wendy also feels that there are many others like herself. Women who delight in being beautiful, feeling sexy, and also have a deep respect for nature and the environment.

Wendy recently read my article on natural cosmetics, and we've had a number of chats through e-mail. She seems like a chronic overachiever - singer, composer, author, entrepreneur, instructor, you name it. She's even sung at Boston's Fenway Park regularly and composed a song that was sung on Idol, South Africa. Amazing woman!

But you might be most interested in her book. Published just in time for Christmas, her book "celebrates the glamourously earthy ladies of the world."

The book costs $14.95 and is available from Wendy's Website. Click here to order.

Here's a quote from Wendy on what a Glam-Granola Girl really is:

We are ultra-stylish in appearance, yet comfortable in our shoes, and our skin. We encourage ecological responsibility, and promote inner peace, as we understand that this is from where external peace grows. We are the ladies who break all molds, and feel elated by, and proud of it.

We are intelligent, we are women of substance, and we are quite extraordinary, actually.

We are Glam-Granola girls.

I've Started Exercising - For Real!

I've finally started working out on a regular basis. My wife and I have always gone for walks pretty much a couple of times a week, but it is never fast enough to be a "workout" for me and I've been getting fatter and fatter.

Right now I weigh 240lb and I have a 46" waistline. I don't have a weight goal, but I'd like my waistline to be a lot smaller. That means burning fat and building muscle.

And thank God I found a great workout partner. My buddy at work, Walt, is working out with me at 5:30am every weekday morning.

Maybe I'll take some before and after shots of myself and post them here (and maybe I won't - LOL).

We are following Walt's workout plan, which means lots of free weights, 30 minutes of cardio and working opposing body parts each day.

I'm looking forward to it. We've done one week so far and I haven't quit nor have I caught a cold (which is a usual thing for me starting workouts).

I'll keep you up-to-date on what happens.

My goal is to look good before I go home to Canada for Christmas, because the rest of my family is all totally fit and I'm not. Hey, vanity is an excellent motivator.

Who "Should" Be in the Atlas Shrugged Movie

After hearing that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had bought the rights to the Atlas Shrugged movie, and that they were planning to star in it themselves, I couldn't help but think of who the actors for each character really --should-- be.

Erin Daniels as Dagny Taggart. I think Erin would have the perfect look and that she could play Dagny's personality most effectively. Her thin body, beautiful face and quiet but assertive nature would be a great fit for the role. I think Angelina, as beautiful as she is, seems a little too ethnic and too showy for the Dagny role. But maybe she will be able to pull it off (we hope).



Tate Donovan as Jim Taggart. Tate has the right look of youth even though he's in his forties and also can play the panicked executive very well. Plus, the guy's ex-girlfriends are Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Aniston - he must have something going for him!



My choice for Lillian Rearden is truly inspired. Joely Richardson has the cold eyes and elegant thin body to play the ultimate bitch of the story.



Mark Humphrey as Hank Rearden. Mark is a journeyman actor who would look good as a blonde and has the right face for the stoney responses Hank is always giving to people.



John Galt is actually pretty easy. All you need is a really good looking guy and put green contact lenses into his eyes. Brad Pitt is planning to play John Galt - he could be okay. My choice would actually be Christian Bale.



The rest of the people are pretty easy too. Oren Boyle can be any old fat guy. Wesley Mooch is a simpering fool. It goes on. If they can get those top roles right, the movie could be worth watching. I'm asking you, Brangelina, please reconsider acting in the movie yourselves. You might do Ayn Rand better justice if you stay behind the cameras on this one (as pretty as you both are).

The Four Boneheaded Biases of Stupid Voters (And We're All Stupid Voters)

Reason magazine is fast becoming one of my favorite news/opinion sources. They have a nice RSS feed and excellent articles.

I was especially taken by this article on the biases we all have about voting, and hopefully this explains how we end up with free-spending, policy-deficient politicians like George W. Bush.

Anti-Market Bias

I first learned about farm price supports in the produce section of the grocery store. I was in kindergarten. My mother explained that price supports seemed to make fruits and vegetables more expensive but assured me that this conclusion was simplistic. If the supports went away, so many farms would go out of business that prices would soon be higher than ever. I accepted what she told me and felt a lingering sense that price competition is bad for buyer and seller alike.

This was one of my first memorable encounters with anti-market bias, a tendency to underestimate the economic benefits of the market mechanism. The public has severe doubts about how much it can count on profit-seeking business to produce socially beneficial outcomes. People focus on the motives of business and neglect the discipline imposed by competition. While economists admit that profit maximization plus market imperfections can yield bad results, noneconomists tend to view successful greed as socially harmful per se.

A Speech on the So-Called Evil of Money from "Atlas Shrugged"

"So you think that money is the root of all evil?" said Francisco d'Anconia. "Have you ever asked what is the root of money? Money is a tool of exchange, which can't exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce them. Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value. Money is not the tool of the moochers, who claim your product by tears, or of the looters, who take it from you by force. Money is made possible only by the men who produce. Is this what you consider evil?

"When you accept money in payment for your effort, you do so only on the conviction that you will exchange it for the product of the effort of others. It is not the moochers or the looters who give value to money. Not an ocean of tears not all the guns in the world can transform those pieces of paper in your wallet into the bread you will need to survive tomorrow. Those pieces of paper, which should have been gold, are a token of honor--your claim upon the energy of the men who produce. Your wallet is your statement of hope that somewhere in the world around you there are men who will not default on that moral principle which is the root of money, Is this what you consider evil?

"Have you ever looked for the root of production? Take a look at an electric generator and dare tell yourself that it was created by the muscular effort of unthinking brutes. Try to grow a seed of wheat without the knowledge left to you by men who had to discover it for the first time. Try to obtain your food by means of nothing but physical motions--and you'll learn that man's mind is the root of all the goods produced and of all the wealth that has ever existed on earth."

For the rest of the speech (it is very long, philosophical and extremely well-put) go to Capitalist Magazine online. Wikipedia has a good article on the book "Atlas Shrugged" and a list of the characters in the book for background to this quote.

Should I Be Buying Railroad Stock?

I've been hearing a lot lately about the resurgence of rail. With gasoline prices rising now and almost certainly skyrocketing in the near future, railroads look like a fantastically efficient way to move goods around the country again. They can haul triple the amount of freight for the same amount of fuel as a truck.

St. Petersburg Times writes about it here.

Warren Buffet and Carl Icahn are investing in railroad stocks according to the Daily Reckoning Website.

Forbes talks about railroad companies reinvesting here.

All this while I'm re-listening to book mp3 of Atlas Shrugged, a 1950s era novel which centers on the railroad industry of the time. I love to listen to it everytime I need a shove in my level of productivity. This book makes me want to work harder.

Bandidas Movie - How Did I Miss This?

Two women whom I love dearly starred in the same movie in 2006 and, somehow, I missed it. Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek came together in a turn-of-the-century Western played out in Mexico called Bandidas.

I haven't even seen the whole movie but I know I'm going to love it. We recorded it on TiVo and it's waiting for me...patiently. My heart is still beating fast...

UPDATE (Sep 10) - I've now watched it twice all the way through. Friggin' loved it. Honestly, these are two of my favorite women in the world.

New Study on Dairy Badly Flawed

"Drinking Milk Cuts Diabetes Risk" blare the headlines. The University of Cardiff in England just completed a study that showed that the more people drank milk the lower their incidence of metabolic syndrome, which is essentially a grab bag of symptoms that can lead to diabetes and heart disease: insulin resistance, obesity, high blood pressure, etc.

One problem. The study did not specify what the control group drank. Think about it. If there was one group drinking more milk, what would the other group likely be drinking? Water with stevia? Doubt it. They were probably drinking more soda and sugared energy drinks.

So, perhaps the headlines should have read "Milk Better Than Soda." Yeah, well, what isn't?

Further, the study reports that the number of people in the control group versus the milk-drinkers was virtually the same as far as who was actually diagnosed with diabetes during the study. The metabolic syndrome rate was lower in the milk-drinking group, but the rate of diabetes was the same, even given the twenty-year span of the study.

A better-conducted study from 2000 showed that cow's milk actually increases the incidence of diabetes by a factor of three. The results of that study are here.

Taking Drugs for Your Disease Can Cause...Another Disease

Public Citizen's excellent Website WorstPills.org features an article this week on the various "side effects" caused by today's most popular pharmaceutical drugs. As if that's not enough, they also have written anecdotal stories of people harmed by drugs, including people who developed additional diseases caused by the drugs.

Larry, an otherwise healthy 58-year-old man with diarrhea believed to be due to “irritable bowel syndrome,” was given Stelazine, a powerful antipsychotic tranquilizer to “calm down” his intestinal tract. Stelazine is not even approved for treating such medical problems. Six months after starting Stelazine, Larry developed severe parkinsonism and was started on L-dopa, a drug for treating Parkinson’s disease. Presumably, the doctor did not realize the parkinsonism was drug-induced, and the Stelazine was continued. For seven years, Larry took both drugs. Then a neurologist specializing in Parkinson’s disease saw Larry, recognized the real cause of his problem, stopped the Stelazine, and slowly withdrew the L-dopa over a six-month period. Larry’s severe, disabling parkinsonism cleared completely.

Read WorstPills.org entire article here.

Review of Side Effects Movie

I finally bought the DVD for the movie "Side Effects." I have been wanting to see this movie for a long time. Dr. Pam Popper at the Wellness Forum introduced me to it, but I haven't had a chance to see it until now.

Side Effects is a movie about the drug industry. It is based on a true story, the budding career of a pharmaceutical sales rep named Kathleen Slattery, who also happens to be the director of this movie.

The story begins with Karly Hert's (Kathleen's character) start in the pharma business. The initial pay and perqs get her excited, but she isn't really good at the job for a while. Finally, she decides to tell the doctors the unvarnished truth about the drugs she's selling, being upfront about all the side effects. It works, and Karly becomes the top sales rep, earning top dollars selling their marque drug, named Vivexx (named suspiciously like Vioxx, the arthritis drug that killed tens of thousands).

Karly finds out that the drug company withheld important side effect information, and does some digging to find out the real facts. She does some great detective work and at the end, makes a difference in a big way (trying to avoid spoilers here).

The movie itself is quite entertaining. That is for one reason and one reason only. Karly is played by Katherine Heigl, who is from Grey's Anatomy on TV and recently starred in Knocked Up. Katherine is an amazing actress. She holds the entire film together. I can sympathize that Kathleen Slattery is a first-time director, and as such, she does an okay job. But the movie has many problems, which can all be traced back to the director. Awkward ten-second scenes that mean nothing, strange interviews with doctors interspersed throughout, and awful performances by almost everyone except Katherine Heigl. The actors who play Karly's boyfriend and her two bosses are especially painful to watch. Again, it's understandable that, with a budget of less than $200,000, you're not going to get great actors to surround a star, but it doesn't make it any easier to watch.

I have one more bone to pick. As a red-blooded guy, it pains me to complain about this, but why does Katherine Heigl have to get undressed on-screen a half-dozen times or more with no connection whatsoever to the plot? It seems like a very cheap way to get our attention. Yes, Katherine has a beautiful body, but even a sex-crazed guy like myself can tell when he's being manipulated.

Having said all that, my wife and I still watched the whole thing and we still liked it. We both thought it was a tribute to one of the best new actresses of the twenty-first century, Katherine Heigl.

And, setting my inner movie critic aside, the story is good and the message is incredibly important. I suggest that, if you want to buy the DVD, you consider getting a combo-pack with Kathleen's companion movie called "Money Talks," which is a documentary on the same issue of pharmaceutical companies' undue influence on doctors.

Both movies are worth watching. We all need to learn more about this issue and find out what we can do to mitigate the risks.

Aspartame Linked to Cancer Again

In a study conducted by the Ramazzini Institute in Italy, aspartame was found to be linked to malignant tumors and leukemia in rats.

The link is a PDF, so you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is a free download.

Vinegar for Weeds

Well, I'm putting my money where my blog is. I tried using this vinegar, soap and water solution (see recipe under "Vinegar and Dish Soap" heading) on my weeds today, mostly thistles and dandelions. I'll let you know how well it works.

Oh, it was great to get out in the sun for a few minutes. I used to hate yard work with our house, because there is so much of it. But now I actually like it because it gets me out of the house and into the sun.

And, no, I do not wear sunblock. A lot of the news reports about sun and skin cancer are wrong, wrong, wrong. As the Journal of the National Cancer Institute at Oxford states, sunscreen appears to be linked to skin cancer more closely than sun exposure to skin cancer.

Whoa. Where the hell did that rant come from?

50 Uses for Vinegar

This blog entry has fifty uses for vinegar. It cleans. It softens. It kills weeds. It freshens. Let me know what works for you.

There's also a book that has tons of uses for apple cider vinegar, specifically. It is supposed to be good for your health. Strange how something as acidic as vinegar would help your body alkalize. The book is in its Fifty-Fifth edition.

I'm Deleting My Post about Sicko

I made a post on this blog about Michael Moore's new movie "Sicko" and I am now deleting that post from my blog. I have not seen the movie yet and I need to do that before I make my comments.

I read some very thought-provoking comments on Moore's Website that made me realize I may be speaking out of turn.

This deletion is a result of my own research. I have not been contacted by Michael Moore's organization or anyone else, this is my own decision.

Thank you.

I Found a Salsa Without Cilantro

UPDATE:  Frontera has stopped selling this product, as far as I can tell.  They switched the shape of the bottle, stopped selling this salsa flavor, and now EVERYTHING has cilantro and/or "spices" in it.   Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.

I finally found a salsa that contains no cilantro!

Why am I so excited? Especially considering that I love cilantro?

Well, the reason is that my wife is allergic to cilantro. This sad fact took the two of us several months to determine, but it became quite obvious when I purchased a bunch of fresh cilantro and she put it into a chili that she ate for several meals in a row. She broke out in a red, itchy rash on her neck and chest, and this happens now to a lesser degree whenever she eats something with the fragrant, tasty herb in it.

I say "sad fact" because both of us enjoy the taste of cilantro. There are apparently many people who don't like the taste of it, but for us, it is just because of my wife's allergy that we stay away from it.

And staying away is not easy. Cilantro has become the herb of the decade in restaurant food and any type of prepared grocery store food. Indian food almost always contains cilantro. The Chinese call cilantro "Chinese parsley" and use it liberally.

And Mexican food has cilantro in everything. Especially salsa.

So, for those who don't like the taste of it, or, God forbid, are allergic, take heart. Frontera Kitchen's Red Pepper and Garlic Salsa has no cilantro listed on the ingredients (available at Whole Foods Market). I'll report back later if Tamara starts having reactions to this too.

By the way, cilantro and coriander are from the same plant. Cilantro is the leaves and coriander is the ground-up seeds. My wife is allergic to both.

Group of Presidential Scholars Give President a Letter Asking to Cease Torture

(Mari Oye second from right)

The Presidential Scholars of 2007 visited the President this summer like they do every summer. But this time, several of them (almost a third) signed a letter asking the President to stop torturing prisoners and enemy combatants.

Mari Oye (second from right in photo) was the one to hand the letter to him. To his credit, the President read the letter right there in front of her. His only response was "America doesn't torture people. America doesn't torture people."

This has to be the most underreported story of the summer. Why are the networks all Paris Hilton's butt and totally missing this story? I heard it originally on the Democracy Now! podcast but also found an article on the Boston Globe Website that is pretty good.

Democracy Now! has the entire transcript of Amy Goodman's interview with Mari Oye and one other scholar who was involved.

Democracy Now! is my new favorite podcast. Here is some background on the Presidential Scholars program.

Rare Earth Magnets Act as Possible Shark Repellant

Since 2001, SharkDefense has been working on a chemical shark repellent. The co-founder of this small company was playing around with powerful rare-earth magnets in 2005, when he dropped one next to their shark research tank in Oak Ridge, New Jersey. The lemon and nurse sharks inside instantly darted to the opposite wall.

Bewildered, the two scientists began to investigate. The results of their studies are at a site called Ocean Magnetics (their spinoff company).

They've found that sharks dramatically avoid magnets made from neodymium, iron and boron. They think the magnets overload a shark's ampullae of Lorenzini, small vesicles and pores around the head that form part of a subcutaneous sensory network.

Nice alternative to chemical shark repellants. Better for everyone.

Link.

Socks for your Sandals

So, it's too cold to go barefooted but you still want to wear your flip flops? You need Flip Flop Socks!

I can see that these could be useful for those in-between weather days. Or if you want to hide your ugly feet from view, but still want to be comfortable?

Insulation Made from Mushrooms

Discovery Channel gives us a view into what could potential replace our current types of "pink" home insulation: mushrooms.

Mushroom spores, actually.

Although excellent insulators, traditional polystyrene and polyurethane foam blends are made from petroleum, are expensive to produce, and are not biodegradable.

The patented Greensulate formula is an organic, fire-retardant board made of water, flour, minerals and mushroom spores. It not only hinders heat flow but could also be modified to produce sustainable, "growable" homes.

It's been developed by a couple of kids from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. They claim that these spores grow very quickly, couple of weeks, and that the end product will be quite cheap to produce. They're creating the company to market this...as we speak.

Another article on the topic here.

Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way - Ahh, We'll Follow, Thanks

Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan and Renault automakers, has said that he wants to pursue a "wait and see" strategy on hybrid cars. He says that consumers are still deciding whether they want a hybrid gasoline-electric car, like the Lexus RX400h (which I personally love), or a "clean diesel" (assumably biodiesel) car. Ghosn says "When the market will shift, we will follow."

As the clever Dvorak Uncensored article put it, Nissan is hoping to "outperform GM at falling behind." This decision just might do that.

Toyota, meanwhile, has sold over one million hybrid cars now. And when Toyota looks in their rearview mirror, if they really look hard, they'll see Carlos Ghosn trying to decide whether to wear the red socks or the green socks today.

Help for an Embarrassing Problem

Hi. I'm Daryl. And I have an embarrassing problem known as Hemorrhoids. (It pisses me off that I've dealt with it long enough to even know how to spell it.)

I've had it for years, and tried various treatments, conventional and alternative, but everything seemed to make it worse. Each option was more painful, embarrassing and unproductive than the last. (Actually, it does help to use baby wipes instead of toilet paper, though. Just make sure to get the flushable kind.)

When I read the testimonials for Healing Natural Oils product "Heal Hemorrhoids," I sent in my order. Forget the fact that the damn tiny little bottle costs $70 (33ml). Forget the fact that nothing else had worked.

Well, I wish I could say that the oil totally eliminated the problem. It didn't. However, it did several very positive things. First, no more bleeding. That stopped almost immediately. And the pain also stopped very soon afterward. But the hemorrhoids themselves have not gotten smaller or disappeared, as discussed in the testimonials for the product.

That said, I wouldn't go without this oil. When I ran out of it recently, the bleeding and pain started up again quickly. For me, this is not a cure, but it is relief. The $70 bottle lasts about a year, so it isn't a huge price to pay for relief from pain and embarrassment.

My understanding is that the oils use aromatherapeutical and homeopathic principles to help heal the problems. With my excellent results from a homeopathic remedy for motion sickness, I'm happy to continue trying these various homeopathic products.

If it's so embarrassing, why the hell am I blogging about it??

NOTE: At this moment, Healing Natural Oils is offering 25% off their ridiculous prices, which makes the whole experience a big less ridiculous. Shop for your items, then enter "save25" as your customer code when you get to the order page.

I make no money from the links in this post. I am not an affiliate of Healing Natural Oils.

1,637 Adverse Reactions to New "Miracle" HPV Vaccine

This was just a matter of time. Certain U.S. States and the country of Australia have instituted legislation forcing young girls to take a vaccine produced by Merck against the human papillomavirus (HPV).

The deaths and bad reactions are starting to roll in. Three girls died shortly after the vaccine was administered to them, and over a thousand have had "adverse reactions" according to the FDA.

These sad facts were reported in the British Medical Journal as well as on Dr. Joseph Mercola's blog.

For a detailed look at the problems with vaccines, check out Dr. Sherry Tenpenny's Website.

Curry vs. Cancer

The ingredient in curry that gives it its bright yellow color is called curcumin. This ingredient has long been known in naturopathic medicine to offer help in avoiding or reversing cancer.

Now scientists have come up with a way to embed curcumin into nanospheres, ultra small particles, so they can be injected into the bloodstream, hoping to help cancer patients.

Or, umm, you could just eat curry. Or a quarter teaspoon of turmeric in a smoothie for breakfast, which is what I do. The studies quoted in the article vastly overstate the amount of curcumin needed for health, similarly to the way studies often state a much higher amount of green tea intake than necessary.

Turmeric, the plant that contains all the curcumin, can be a bit expensive to buy. However, my trick is to go into the imports aisle of your grocery store (Giant Eagle has it) and buy a huge bag of it for a few dollars. It is a lot cheaper than buying the little spice bottles.

Why I Had to Cut Down Four Trees So My Wife Could See the Sopranos Finale

Our neighbor has lots of mature trees. In fact, that was one of the reasons for us moving here. But once in a while, a tree (or four) has to be sacrificed for a higher purpose. In this case, my wife's Sopranos addiction.

Our satellite TV reception (through DirecTV) had been getting worse and worse for the past month or two. I knew what it was. I called the DirecTV support line just in case, but we both quickly came to the same conclusion - our trees were getting in the way of our satellite minidish's view of the southern sky.

It got worse and worse until our satellite system completely shut down. We were getting no programming whatsoever. In a way, it was nice not having a TV to turn to for entertainment. But I could not foresee an imminent disaster that was about to overtake our little household.

The Series Finale of the Sopranos was coming up on Sunday, and my wife dearly loved the series. I had watched some episodes of previous seasons, but had missed every episode of this current, and known to be final, season.


My wife missed the previous week, but when she found out that the Season Finale was coming up, she demanded that we get our satellite system fixed, come hell or high water.

I ditched whatever weekend plans I had had and set to work on figuring out what to do. We could call a tree service and probably get it all cleaned up, but that would probably cost a few hundred dollars. Besides, I had a handy electric chainsaw (that I enjoyed using), so why not try it myself?

The trees were no more than 6 inches wide at the base, so I cut each one down with the chainsaw. It worked pretty well. The trees were thin but pretty tall - 25-30 feet (which was the whole problem).

I didn't damage anything with trees falling all over the place, and then proceeded to cut them up into small pieces.


I got the job done in about 4-5 hours, then went into the house and gingerly turned on the TV and satellite receiver. It worked! We had almost flawless reception.

I say "almost" because the Sopranos came in perfectly (imagine our panic when the screen blanked out in the diner as Meadow was walking in!!) but this past week we've had one or two digital "blips" that indicate there's more cuttin' to do.

It will be constant battle now. Hopefully we can just cut the tops off the trees as they get bigger. With the four trees I cut down, they were actually "volunteers" in our neighbor's yard that they wanted to get rid of anyway. But the next time, it might not be so simple.

Damning Studies on Splenda

A good friend recently asked me why I avoid Splenda. I've actually never tasted it! (I hear it tastes good.) The reason is that although there have been only a few studies done on this manmade chemical sweetener, the studies I've read have not been kind.

So, for my loyal blog readers, I'll give you the links that I shared with her. Splenda studies, with a nice little aspartame study thrown in for good measure!


Journal of Head and Face Pain (Sep 2006)
- This is just the abstract of an article done by Mercer University School of Medicine showing that sucralose (i.e. Splenda) triggers migraines.


Journal of Food Chemical Toxicology (Jun 1990)
Journal of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (Oct 1994)
- This is a very comprehensive article, written by an MD, summarizing the research done before 2000. Look towards the bottom of the article for the journal references. There are also some interesting, but clinically inconclusive, personal stories listed at the end of the article.


Journal of Food Chemical Toxicology (2000)
- A detailed abstract of a study where sucralose was tested on pregnant rats and rabbits. Gastrointestinal damage caused two mothers and four fetuses to die. This study was actually paid for by McNeil Specialty Products, the makers of Splenda.


Journal of Mutation Research (Aug 2002)
- Concludes that sucralose caused DNA damage in mice.


International Journal of Obesity (Jun 2004)
- Interesting study that says that artificial sweeteners actually make us want more sweets


Environmental Health Perspectives (March 2006)
- Aspartame found to cause cancer in rats at very low levels of ingestion (PDF version)

A Network of Holistic Moms

Here is a neat new organization that is a support group for parents who want to use holistic methods in their parenting.

It's called Holistic Moms. It was founded in 2002 and has 85 local membership chapters in the U.S. and Canada, including chapters right here in Ohio. They provide support and information on natural living, health and wellness, informed and mindful parenting, sustainable environment and balance in life.

Membership costs $35.00/year, but you can't pay online, you have to download their form, print it out and mail in your membership check.