Diabesity

The best exercise should be characterized as “vigorous though not violent.” Jogging and running are for the few. Most individuals do not maintain a high enough level of athletic training to make jogging or running a safe exercise. For these individuals, walking and useful outdoor work will avoid many physical problems that can arise from violent exercise–painful joints, ligaments and muscles; excessive menstrual bleeding; headaches; and chest pain are some of these problems.

Competitive sports are not the best forms of exercise. During youth and early adulthood, competitive sports may be a major form of exercise. At this stage, a fixed program is not essential to induce one to exercise. But, at about age 35, when one really begins to need the exercise, both because of the fixing of the attention on other matters, and because the health begins to deteriorate at that age if exercise is neglected, one begins to lose skills and interest in competitive sports, and there goes his exercise. If, however, one has learned sports that are non-competitive, especially sports that can be enjoyed if done alone, one has his exercise assured. About one hour each day should be spent in vigorous outdoor exercise; and another hour spent indoors in activities requiring considerable muscular work or energy expenditure is desirable. Most people think that they get more exercise than they actually do. In a recent article in Sportsmedicine, young adult “weekend athletes” who played tennis or golf two or three times a week were studied. Their physical condition was only slightly better than completely sedentary individuals.

In order to get cardiovascular training effect, 15-30 minutes of vigorous exercise, without stopping is required. During this exercise period, one should have a few minutes, perhaps 2-5 minutes to warm up, after which one should exercise sufficiently to increase the pulse rate to about 2/3 his maximum heart rate, and maintain the pulse at this high level for 15-30 minutes. A rule of thumb in determining the predicted maximum heart rate is to subtract your age from 220. For example, the predicted maximum heart rate for a thirty-year-old would be 190. Two-thirds of this figure would give about 127, which is the approximate exercise pulse level to aim for. After the exercise period, a “cooling down” is advisable. Most deaths that have been reported from heavy exercise have occurred immediately after stopping the exercise where the subject promptly sat down or laid down to rest. A cooling down period will prevent the sudden congestion of the heart and lungs that occurs from abruptly becoming immobile after ceasing heavy exercise.

For middle-aged and older people, there is some good news. Work done in Dr. Cooper’s laboratory in Dallas indicates that if one does moderate exercise, such as fairly brisk walking, for as little as 30 minutes a day for four days a week, the life span will be increased almost as long as someone who does very vigorous exercise.

All of one’s exercise should not be done indoors. Muscular building has been shown to be more steady and of greater degree if some exercise is done out-of-doors, particularly if the sun is shining. If one uses sports or useful labor as exercise, occasionally one should take a brisk walk to stretch out one’s legs; probably once a week would be sufficient for this type of workout. Remember the benefits, and discipline yourself to daily exercise.

Just as we have a national drink, we also have a national disease–heart disease–which will account for 53% of the deaths in America this year. Heart disease shows a stronger association with coffee drinking than with obesity according to a study done by Dr. Ogelsby Paul of Western Electric Corporation (1). Caffeinism is much more important and widespread a disorder than is generally understood. The disease related to caffeine intake involves every organ system, from the nervous system to the skin. Caffeine raises stress hormone levels in the blood, inhibits important enzyme systems having to do with house cleaning in the body, sensitizes nerve reception sites, and is associated with a sense of poor health, anxiety, and depression (2,3).

Thousands are in mental institutions today because of no greater matter than that of the use of caffeine. Psychiatrists are now publishing articles indicating that there are numerous cases of depression and anxiety in mental institutions who need no other treatment than to be taken off caffeine (4,5). It would seem that with such a simple remedy available many thousands of people could be returned to their full usefulness promptly.

However, the use of caffeine is so traditional and firmly entrenched that it is almost impossible to remove caffeinated drinks from the dietary of patients in the mental institutions. Soft drink machines, coffee dispensers, and the traditional coffee break are common past times in mental institutions, and with those who are mentally ill at home. The first thing that a physician usually mentions to a peptic ulcer patient is that he must leave off caffeinated drinks. Not only peptic ulcer but several other kinds of digestive problems arise from the use of coffee.

Many people find that caffeine drinks cause them to suffer diarrhea followed by constipation. Headaches are common among caffeine users, and often clear up after only a short period of caffeine abstinence–a week or two. Headaches may occur as a caffeine-withdrawal symptom; some people are so sensitive that they get a headache soon after drinking their last cup.

Damage to chromosomes by caffeine has been recognized for years. When LSD was reported to cause chromosomal damage, authorities did not work up much anxiety, because of the fact that LSD is not as potent in producing damage to chromosomes as is caffeine, the drug to which most of our population is addicted. One might ask, \”Is such a common habit a real threat to the population-\” It certainly is. A study done in Illinois with 550 couples showed a thirteen out of fourteen chance of having an unwanted outcome of pregnancy if as much as seven cups of coffee per day are taken by the pregnant (6). Long before seven cups had been consumed, coffee was beginning to injure the pregnancy. Those who want good babies and easy pregnancies should use absolutely no caffeine before, during or after pregnancy, since caffeine can damage the chromosomes of the ova and spermatozoa, as well as the chromosomes of the developing embryo during pregnancy.

Any substance that can damage chromosomes can also cause an increase in the rate of cancer. Bladder cancer in women is 2 1/2 times more likely to occur if a woman drinks only one cup of coffee per day (7). There are already several cancers that are known to be more common if one uses caffeine.

Since caffeine first stimulates the nerves than causes depression, presence of fatigue in those who use caffeinated drinks is common. It is a fact that the commonest complaint in physicians\’ offices today is that of fatigue. Yet, many people mistakenly believe that coffee helps them get through a difficult day. In addition to fatigue, mental confusion and depression also result from the use of caffeinated drinks. While caffeine drinks cause an immediate increase in the learning ability, the overall result is a decrease in learning; the physical fatigue resulting from pharinacologic depression of the nervous system produces emotional depression, leading to a reduction of interest in and retention of new material.

We recommend that all students leave off caffeinated drinks in order to increase learning ability. If caffeine is taken at night, it interferes with the mechanism the brain has of transferring freshly learned material from the short-term memory to the long-term memory. In summary, we can say that the overall effect of caffeine on learning is deleterious.

1. Science Digest, October, 1963

2. Greden, John F. M.D. et al. Anxiety and Depression Associated with Caffeinism Among Psychiatric Inpatients. American Journal of Psychiatry 133:8, Aug 1978.

3. Bellet, Samuel. Effects of Coffee Ingestion on Catecholamine Release.

4. Winstead, Daniel K. M.D. Coffee Consumption Among Psychiatric Inpatients. American Journal of Psychiatry 133:12, December, 1976.

5. Greden, John F. M.D. Anxiety of Caffeinism: A diagnostic dilemma. American Journal of Psychiatry 131:10, October, 1974.

6. Miscarriage and the Coffee Connection. Science News October 25, 1975 page 267.

7. The Medical Effects of Coffee. Medical World News January 26, 1976 page 63-73.

Cow’s milk is nature’s prescription for calves. Human breast milk is the ideal food for infants. Jane Brody, in her “Personal Health” column in the New York Times, proclaims the advantages of breast-fed babies. Cow’s milk has four times more protein than human breast milk. This high protein, high fat content may be a step toward “over nutrition.” As a rule, babies raised on cow’s milk will weigh more than comparable age breast-fed babies. Breast-fed babies reach their optimum growth, but at a more desirable steady pace. Dr. William Stini, an anthropologist at the University of Arizona, explains “maximization of growth should not be confused with optimization.”

Along with accelerated growth, cow’s milk can cause digestive problems. Milk protein is 80% casein, which is harder for an infant to digest than the highly digestible whey protein which accounts for 70% of the protein in breast milk. Cow’s milk protein is low in the amino acid cystine, which is essential to a newborn’s diet, yet is high in the amino acid phenylalanine, which infants are unable to properly metabolize. Important antibodies are present in breast milk to protect the infant from infectious organisms. Doctors find that breast-fed babies have only a third as many serious illnesses as formula-fed babies during their first year of life. Breast milk is the perfect food for infants and is sufficient in essential nutrients until the time teeth begin to cut. Teeth cutting and saliva development indicate the presence of enzymes that enable the infant to digest starches. This age varies between six months and a year. Many allergies are the result of babies’ immature digestive systems forced to improperly digest foods, which in turn causes flatulence, eczema, and other annoying symptoms.

The Committee on Nutrition of the American Academy of Pediatrics made the following statement: “It (cow’s milk) is not an essential component of diet for everyone whose diet is otherwise adequate.” If you don’t get your calcium from cow’s milk, what are the best sources? Calcium-rich plant foods include dark leafy greens, with 1 cup of collards higher in calcium than an equal amount of cows’ milk. Almonds, broccoli, tofu, sesame seeds, and garbanzos are all good sources of calcium.

How much calcium do we need? The Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization of the United Nations recommends 400 to 500 mg. of calcium per day for adults, while the United States daily recommendation is 800 milligrams. Canada and England give 500 mg. as an adequate daily requirement. Malnutrition in the Third World countries is a result of insufficient calories rather than a specific vitamin or mineral deficiency. In a comparative study between the low calcium Bantu diet and the high calcium diet of Caucasians, Alexander Walker, head of the Human Biochemistry Research Unit of the South African Institute for Medical Research, found no evidence showing that calcium deficiency exists in humans. Even among populations that consume 400 to 500 mg. of calcium daily there are no major deficiencies.

Calcium malabsorption is more a problem in osteoporosis (bone loss) than of insufficient calcium. Doctor Morris Natelovitz, in his book Stand Tall: the Informed Woman’s Guide to Preventing Osteoporosis, lists bone robbers and bone enhancers. Too much protein increases calcium excretion in the urine: Red meats especially promote excretion of calcium because of the acidic nature of the protein. The human body responds to acid overload by dissolving bone tissue as the body attempts to neutralize the acidic environment. The vegetarian’s diet is low acid while meat diets are high acid.

Salt is a bone robber; 200 milligrams of salt per day causes no change is calcium excreted, but use of 1t (which is 2,000 milligrams of salt) shows increased calcium in the urine. Foods high in phosphorous—like soda pop and processed foods that contain phosphorous additives, are bone robbers because, in order to absorb calcium properly, the body needs a 2 to l ratio of calcium to phosphorous. The overuse of processed foods has put the phosphorous level much too high, whereby hampering the ideal calcium absorption. High sugar intake also increases calcium excretion. Stress, smoking, alcohol, and pollution in the environment are all associated with calcium excretion.

Bone enhancers include moderate exercise using the leg bones, such as walking, hiking, biking and also water drinking, vitamin D from the sunshine, dark leafy greens, and tofu. Vegetarians have stronger and denser bones than people whose diet is predominantly meat. At the age of 70, vegetarians have greater bone density than carnivores in their 50′s.

The milk bubble has been popped. Cow’s milk is the perfect food for calves. Breast milk is the perfect food for human infants. You can fulfill your calcium requirements from plant foods. The Chinese have depended on soybean products and leafy greens for good nutrition. American cows get their calcium from the same sources. Why not use these primary sources of calcium rather then secondhand from the cow. African nationals and black Americans consume less calcium than most Caucasians; and have less osteoporosis and greater bone density.

More is not necessarily the cure for calcium malabsorption. In studies based on the average American diet, it was found that bone destruction exceeds bone formation for 2 to 5 hours each day. What you assimilate is crucial to bone formation. Pay attention to your intake of animal protein, salt, coffee, sugar, soda pop, processed foods, tobacco, and alcohol. Exercise, drinking adequate water, sunshine, and eating calcium-rich plant foods are all aids to calcium absorption!

Agatha M. Thrash, M.D.
Preventive Medicine

 For more information contact:
Uchee Pines Lifestyle Center
30 Uchee Pines Road #75
Seale, Alabama 36875
Tel. 334-855-4764
www.ucheepines.org

Formula for Successful Family Worship: (1) Scripture reading, (2) Singing, and (3) Praying.

“At family worship let the children take a part. Let all bring their Bibles and read a verse or two. Then let some familiar hymn be sung, followed by prayer.” CG 524.

The counsel quoted above refers to reading from the Bible for worship. This then is pointed out as the best source of study. Bible story books often tend to speculate. Several methods of Bible reading are suggested below to help give ideas on how to use the Scriptures in family worship so as to hold the interest of the children.

1. Select books from the Bible to read, perhaps not reading every verse, but reading a portion that teaches a single lesson. Often this is done in 5-10 verses. Reading from the Gospels is a good example of this method. After reading a section ask questions that further illustrate the lesson.

2. In the H.MS. Richards “Special Bible Subject Helps,” contained in the Collins Bible, there is a list of 149 “Interesting Bible Stories” giving the Scripture references for each one.

For your convenience some suggestions from the Old and New Testament are listed below:

Old Testament
Gen. 1, 2: Creation
Gen. 3: Fall of man
Gen. 15, 17, 22: Abraham
Gen. 6, 7, 8: Noah and flood
Gen. 24: Rebekah (Isaac)
Gen. 37, 39, 41, 45: Joseph
Ex. 2, 3, 13, 14, 16: Moses
Ex. 35: Children’s gifts for the Lord
Judges 6 , 7: Gideon chooses an army
Ruth 1-4: Ruth
I Sam. 1-4: Samuel the boy
I Sam. 16, 17, 18: David
I Sam. 18:1-4; 20: Jonathan
I Kings 8: The people offer sacrifices
II Kings 2-9; 13:4-21: Elisha and angels
Dan. 1, 5, 6: Daniel and Hebrew youth
Jonah 1-4: Jonah

New Testament
Mt. 1, 2: Jesus’ birth (also Mk., Lk.)
Mt. 6:28-33: Lilies of the field.
Mt. 13:1-9: The Sower
Mt. 13:47-52: Nets with many fish
Mt. 25: Ten virgins
Mt. 26, Mk. 14, Lk. 22, Jn. 13: Last supper
Mt. 27, Mk. 15, Lk. 23, Jn. 19: Crucifixion
Mk. 1:40-44: Leper cleansed
Mk. 2:1-12: Jesus heals the sick man
Lk. 2:49-49: Jesus’ trip to Jerusalem
Lk. 5: Jesus’ disciples catch of fish
Lk. 15:11-32: Prodigal son
Lk. 19: Zacchaeus
Jn. 4: Women at the well
Acts 12: Peter delivered from prison
Acts 27:22-24, 34, 44: Paul shipwrecked
Acts 28:16-31: Paul in Rome

“In arousing and strengthening a love for Bible study, much depends on the use of the hour of worship. The hours of the morning and evening worship should be the sweetest and most helpful in the day.” ML 30.

“How appropriate it is for parents to gather their children about them before the fast is broken and point them to the heavenly Father, who so liberally gives them the bounties of His providence. How fitting for them to thank Him for His protection during the night and to ask for His help and grace and the watch-care of His angels during the day. How fitting also, when evening comes, to gather once more before Him and praise Him for the mercies and blessings of the day that is past.” ML 31.

The immediate effects of methylxanthines begin shortly after taking the drink or medication containing them, and last about four hours. After eating chocolate or drinking cocoa you may have imperfect balance, racing of the heart, high pitched voice, insomnia, fatigue, and finger tremor. Some individuals will experience an unexplained sense of dread and anxiety. Other symptoms may be delayed for hours or several days and include sleep disturbances, headache, restlessness, palpitations, tremulousness, unsteadiness, vertigo, reflex hyperexcitability, irritability, agitation, anxiety, and general discomfort.(1)

If one is accustomed to the regular use of chocolate, one may feel less alert, less contented, more sleepy and irritable when there is a delay in drinking the cocoa or eating the candy. Many troublesome diseases are made worse by methylxanthines—heart disease, allergies, diabetes, and fluid retention. Depression may be caused by them, and they most certainly contribute to our “violent society” with its crime and child abuse. Most gastrointestinal disturbances are aggravated and some are caused by methylxanthines. All of the methylxanthines have been associated with chromosome damage and deformities in the offspring of the user. Cancer is more common in those who use methylxanthines. Disease resistance is not as strong. And this is only a partial list!

Chocolate, Breast Disease, and Prostatic Hypertrophy:
Apparently all methylxanthines step up cell growth in certain glandular tissues. Since they pose interference in the normal activity of certain enzymes, they act as poisons. True to their chemical classification as cellular toxins, methylxanthines shut off enzyme signals, in this instance the signal to stop growing. As a result certain glandular tissues under the influence of chocolate may begin developing cysts and fibrous tumors especially in the breast, the so-called fibrocystic disease. One young physician with full-blown fibrocystic disease was consuming a massive quantity of methylxanthines daily (1,300 milligrams), when she learned of this effect on the breasts. She stopped using coffee, tea, colas, and chocolate to determine if her breast disease would disappear. Within a month, the lumps in her breast started to subside. By two months the fibrocystic disease had disappeared. It was not without a struggle, as she suffered severe withdrawal headaches that could not be relieved even by her headache medications. It seems wise to advise women everywhere to cut out the use of methylxanthines in a breast cancer control measure.(2) Many physicians believe that the effect on the male prostate is similar to that on the female breast.

An evaluation of chocolate with a judgment as to its suitability as a food will result in condemning chocolate on three counts: (1) Its inherent chemical toxicity, (2) the additives required to make chocolate palatable, and (3) the harvesting and primary manufacture. Let us take a look at each of these factors individually:

(1) The inherent chemical characteristics of chocolate: Theobromine in chocolate is the principle methylxanthine, causing central nervous system stimulation, sleeplessness, general or localized itching, depression and anxiety.

All brands of cocoa contain more tannin per cup than the estimated 2 grains per average cup of tea. Tannins have been implicated in certain cancers of the digestive tract. Children who have a bedwetting problem will have more difficulty when given cocoa. Caffeine content may be as high as 112 milligrams per cup of cocoa beverage. Cocoa may interfere with calcium absorption.(3) The cocoa consumed by children in the mistaken hope that the addition of cocoa and sugar will increase their calcium intake, may actually tie up calcium they get from such excellent sources as whole grains, legumes, and greens. Chocolate contains 0.45 to 0.49% oxalic acid. The oxalic acid combines with calcium to form an insoluble compound, calcium oxalate, which passes out of the body unabsorbed.(4)

(2) Additives required to mask bitterness: A bitter taste is usually associated with harmful alkaloids, pyrolysates, and strongly alkaline substances. An unpleasant taste sensation is a warning signal that something potentially injurious is in the mouth. Masking the injurious agent with sugar does not eliminate the danger.

A large amount of sugar is necessary to make chocolate palatable. Furthermore, oils must be combined with chocolate in order to eliminate an unpleasant grainy consistency in chocolate. Generally milk, cream, or oil are added which produces an extremely rich and unhealthful food. Any reasonable quantity eaten is certain to obstruct digestion and cause fermentation.

(3) The natural contaminants in chocolate: Most cocoa beans are produced in countries where sanitation levels are far below those generally practiced in the United States.

The cocoa is a small, beautiful tree indigenous to the tropical regions of the world, where millions of pounds of chocolate, milk chocolate, and cocoa powder are produced annually. Cocoa is defined as the food prepared by heating and cracking the beans from the cocoa tree. Chocolate is the solid or semi-plastic food prepared by finely grinding cocoa. It must have a minimum of 50% fat.

The pods are cut from the tree, piled up in the yard of the farmer, and fermented, a process which takes from three to eight days. During this process people walk over the piles; insects, rodents, small animals and other living things make their nests in piles; and many types of contamination may occur during this primary part of the manufacture of chocolate. At the peak of the fermentation the temperature builds up, which promotes the growth of bacteria and molds. It has been shown that large quantities of aflatoxin, the cancer producing agent from the molds, can be produced in cocoa beans.(4)

The fermentation is essential for the development of the chocolate flavor. During the fermentation process the bean’s own enzymes and wild yeasts enhance the fermentation process. After fermentation the seeds are sun dried or kiln dried and are then ready to be shipped to the chocolate manufacturers where they are roasted and ground to make a chocolate “liquor” somewhat like soft peanut butter. In this stage bacterial contaminants multiply.(9)

Since sugar and fat both tend to exude from candy, additives are placed in candy to prevent the surfacing of these materials. Rancidity of the fats can usually be detected after storage at 86 degrees F from six to twelve weeks. The unpleasant flavor heralds the presence of the harmful change that occurs with aging of fats. Rancidity can be delayed by certain additives. Whipping agents and other additives provide lightness of texture.(5)

In a booklet published by the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare entitled The Food Defect Action Levels, a specifications listing of “current levels for natural or unavoidable defects in food” lists the natural defect levels in chocolate in the form of “insects, rodents and other natural contaminants” that are allowable by the Food and Drug Administration. Up to 120 insect fragments per cup or two rodent hairs per cup are allowed in chocolate and chocolate liquor used in the manufacture of such products as chocolate bars.

Four percent of cocoa beans may be infested with insects and still carry the blessing of the FDA. Visible or solid animal excreta must not exceed 10 milligrams per pound. For chocolate powder or pressed cakes there must not be more than 75 insect fragments in 3 tablespoons of the powder!

Many individuals who believe themselves to be allergic to chocolate are in fact allergic to the animal parts that are in chocolate. One 11 year old boy was hospitalized for abdominal pain and vomiting blood. He had suddenly developed purpura, tiny spots of hemorrhage in the skin all over the body. It was discovered while he was in the hospital that his attacks of skin hemorrhage and abdominal pain could be brought on within a few minutes of giving chocolate either by mouth or by scratch test in the skin. (6) Chocolate is also a common cause of “pruritus ani,” an uncomfortable itch around the anus, the terminal part of colon. Stopping the use of chocolate frequently results in prompt cessation of the itch.(6)

Should you like further information about this matter you may obtain materials from FDA Guidelines and Compliance Branch, Bureau of Foods, 200 C. St. S.W., Washington D.C. 20204

It seems uncanny that chocolate could ever have gotten to be considered a special food for children. The Ladies Home Journal way back in October, 1930, carried an ad from Baker’s Cocoa that read “The weekly treat became a daily delight and Jimmy’s weight went up.” What a shame that children have ever been allowed to have any product from cocoa. Even though chocolate might induce children to drink more milk and eat more empty calories from sugar and fat, in mice experiments the extra milk does not result in improvement in nutrition, but only makes their body fat greater.(8)

As for me, any one of the above features would banish chocolate from my dietary forever. Fortunately for us chocolate lovers, a good substitute is available that has a much more favorable manufacture and a greater likelihood of being processed under more sanitary conditions—carob. On all three counts it is a better product than chocolate. It contains no methylxanthines. It does not require sugar, being naturally slightly sweet. And most aesthetically, it does not require fermentation to develop its flavor. I recommend it as being superior.

Carob’s nutritional value:
     Almost 8% protein (like other legumes) compared to 2-14% protein in prepackaged, sugar-laden cereals sold in the supermarkets
     Contains a great deal of natural sugar (about 46%)
     Contains some B vitamins
     Contains the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium
     Contains some trace minerals such as iron, manganese, chromium, copper, and nickel

Compared with chocolate, carob is three times richer in calcium, but has one-third less calories and seventeen times less fat.

Carob is also a rich source of pectin, which aids in digestion and elimination. Pectin is in the group of indigestible complex carbohydrates commonly called fiber. It is the substance which makes jams and jellies set up. The pectin in carob is useful for arresting simple diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Pectin settles the stomach, and like all fiber, helps take up poisons and toxins in the intestine and eliminate them from the body. Use a 5% concentration, about 1 T of carob powder to a cup of liquid, or simply make a paste of carob powder and water. Lignin is another member of the fiber family found in the “woody” part of the carob pod. Both the pectin and lignin have a beneficial cholesterol-lowering effect.(10)

References
     Jawik, Murray E. Psychopharmacology in the Practice of Medicine. Reviewed in the Journal of Family Practice 4(6) 1180-1888, 1977.
     Medical World News, March 19, 1979.
     Chocolate, Coca Cola, Cocoa and Coffee International Nutrition Research Foundation, Riverside, California.
     Journal of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists 62(5). 1076-9, September 1979.
     Gott, Phillip P. All about Candy and Chocolate. Chicago, Ill. National Confectioners Association, 1958.
     American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 6(2), 1960.
     American Journal of Surgery, November 1951.
     Journal of the American Dietetic Association 32(12) 1171-4, December 1956.
     Applied Microbiology 20644-654, October 1970.
     Fleming, Diana. Country Life Cookbook. Sunfield, MI. Family Health Publications, 1990.

Agatha M. Thrash, M.D.
Preventive Medicine

 For more information contact:
Uchee Pines Lifestyle Center
30 Uchee Pines Road #75
Seale, Alabama 36875
Tel. 334-855-4764
www.ucheepines.org

All dairy products have become more suspect recently, from the association of the saturated fat of milk with the elevation of the blood cholesterol, to the transmission of many animal diseases to man through dairy products. Most of the diseases transmitted from animals are of a minor nature, resembling colds, flu, streptococcal sore throat, and other infections, but some diseases are life-threatening.

A battle is still going on with brucellosis, a disease contracted from milk which threatens the quality of life for many years, giving a chronic low grade fever and below par performance to the afflicted person. Between 1883 and 1947, there were 59 epidemics caused by cheese, with 117 deaths in the U. S. alone.

Now, cheese is under special attack, not because of infectious diseases which it shares with all dairy products, but because of its basic chemistry. Cheese is made by the action of waste products from molds and bacteria on milk. Most foods contaminated with molds and bacteria produce such an unpleasant flavor that few people care to eat them. Generally, an unpleasant flavor in food heralds danger, and apparently this principle holds true for cheese, since most children naturally reject their first taste of cheese and must be taught to accept it.

Changes which occur in cheese during the fermenting and “ripening” process include the production of a toxic alkaloid called roquefortine (as in Roquefort dressing), a neurotoxin which can cause mice to have convulsive seizures. All blue cheeses probably contain roquefortine. The alkaloid is produced by the mold Penicillium roqueforti. The alkaloids are all toxic and include such widely differing poisons as coniine, one of the major volatile alkaloids found in the poison hemlock plant from which Socrates met his Waterloo; to caffeine, the major alkaloid in coffee, tea, colas, and chocolate.

Another class of toxic substances includes the toxic amines. Any fermented food or beverage may contain toxic amines. They can produce changes in the nervous system which bring on headaches, palpitations, high blood pressure, migraines, and other known disorders which occur at a cellular level.

Several toxic and nontoxic amines are produced during the fermentation of milk, tyramine being among them, the amine causing migraine headaches. The only cheeses containing tyramine in insignificant amounts are creamed cheese, ricotta cheese, and cottage cheese. Some other foods containing tyramine are chocolate, herring, yeast, broad beans, chicken livers, ripened sausages (bologna, summer sausages, salami, pepperoni, etc.), meat extracts, and alcoholic beverages. If a human follows his natural taste he will avoid anything that has the faintest taint of spoilage about it.

Milk, produced by glands that are actually modified sweat glands, is naturally high in salt. Cheese shares in this high salt content. A high salt intake increases one’s likelihood of having high blood pressure.

The rennet for the curdling process in cheesemaking is commonly obtained from the stomachs of calves. A combination of rennin and pepsin is sometimes used, or plant enzymes derived from fungus. Pepsin is obtained principally from fresh hog stomachs.
Many processed cheeses have preservatives, emulsifying agents, and other chemicals added to them, that can have a harmful effect on the body. The putrefactive process through which milk goes to produce cheese reduces the vitamin content. Cheese is almost completely devoid of water soluble vitamins. Losses of both vitamins and minerals occur with the loss of whey.

Undesirable chemicals are produced by cheesemaking that involve all three major constituents of cheese: fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. The fat in cheese is hydrolyzed to irritating fatty acids, butyric, caproic, caprylic and longer carbon-chain fatty acids. The carbohydrate of milk, mainly lactose is converted to lactic acid by putrefaction. The protein is fermented to peptides, amines, indoles, skatole, and ammonia, several of these being implicated in the production of cancer. The possibility of production of nitrosamine, one of the most powerful cancer producing agents known, is particularly disturbing. Both the nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract are irritated by certain of these substances, causing the individual to be irritable and cranky.

Of course, cheese also presents the usual drawbacks of milk such as allergies, lactose intolerance, food sensitivities, and high calorie content. Cheese contains a goodly quantity of the amino acid tryptophane, which causes after-meal drowsiness and inability to concentrate.

Certain imported cheeses have been discovered as culprits in outbreaks of food-borne gastroenteritis in the United States. As many as 120 disease -producing germs have been isolated per gram of cheese; that would be 600 germs in a teaspoon of cheese! We can say from the foregoing, that some foods generally thought to be wholesome are actually injurious to the health.

Other foods that develop a specific flavor through the activity of bacteria include sauerkraut, vinegar, pickles, butter, buttermilk, and cultured milk. The holes in Swiss cheese come from the action of gas forming bacilli, similar to those which form gas in the bowel.

For those who would like a cheese substitute, two very nice ones have been added below. There are many other good and safe alternative cheese recipes. Cheeses you can slice, cheeses you can dip, cheeses you can use as a spread, cheeses you can pour as a sauce. It won’t take long before you have a whole collection of good recipes and are more than satisfied with these new, healthier alternatives.

SLICING CHEESE
1 C cool water 1/3 C Emes Unflavored Gelatin*
11/4 C boiling water 2 C raw cashews or almonds
1/2 C yeast flakes I TBL salt
2 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 C lemon juice 1/3 C pimento

SOAK gelatin in the I C cool water in blender while ASSEMBLING remaining ingredients. POUR boiling water over soaked gelatin and WHIZ briefly to dissolve. ADD cashews and LIQUEFY thoroughly. ADD remaining ingredients. BLEND until creamy and smooth. POUR into a I quart mold (bread pan works well), COOL slightly. COVER before refrigerating. REFRIGERATE overnight. After firming in refrigerator, this cheese may be frozen until needed. *Do not substitute agar flakes for gelatin.

MELTY CHEESE

11/2 C hot water 2 TBL unbleached flour
3/4 C cashews 1/4 C pimentos
3′/3 TBL sesame seeds 1/3 C Brewer’s yeast flakes (opt.)
I tsp salt I TBL lemon juice
2 tsp onion powder 1/8 tsp garlic powder

BLEND all but lemon juice. BRING to boil while stirring constantly; BOIL for 2-3 minutes. REMOVE from heat and ADD lemon juice.

For more information contact:
Uchee Pines Lifestyle Center
30 Uchee Pines Road #75
Seale, Alabama 36875
Tel. 334-855-4764
www.ucheepines.org

The following covenant is based upon the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous and is useful in correcting any unwanted obsessive, compulsive, or habitual behavior.

MY COVENANT WITH GOD
In order to receive God’s help I must realize my weakness and deficiency and apply my mind to the great change to be done in me. I must arouse to earnest and persevering prayer and effort. Wrong habits and customs must be shaken off. It is only by determined endeavor to correct these errors and to conform to right principles that the victory can be gained.

1. I recognize my helpless and hopeless condition, and that my life is out of control in regard to (sex, temper, gossip, food, alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, drugs, etc.).
2. If there is help for me it can come only through You who can give me a balanced Christian life.
3. Therefore, I throw myself on Your mercy to take my will and my life. Take my will for I am willing to be made willing to change.
4. Help me, Loving Father, to search my mind for any sin that will separate me from You. Help me to have the revelation by Your Holy Spirit of all my hidden sins and defects.
5. Help me to call my sins fearlessly by their exact names.
6. Make me entirely ready to have You remove all these defects of character and my sins and compulsions which I do from habit.
7. Help me, Father, to work tirelessly with You to remove my shortcomings and mold my life over again.
8. I cannot remember everyone I have harmed, and I am asking You to make me remember and be willing to make amends to them all.
9. I shall, with Your help, courageously go to meet such people wherever possible and confess my wrong dealing with them and repair that damage, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. I am continuing to take personal inventory, and when I am wrong, promptly to admit it.
11. I am seeking through prayer, Bible study, and meditation to improve my conscious contact with You. I am praying only for knowledge of Your will and for my ability to take hold of His grace to carry it out.
12. I am praying for a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps. I am trying to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all my situations and relationships.

For more information contact:
Uchee Pines Lifestyle Center
30 Uchee Pines Road #75
Seale, Alabama 36875
Tel. 334-855-4764
www.ucheepines.org

Headaches are certainly among the most frequent and perplexing of problems seen by physicians. Headache is the ninth most common cause of physician visits. Migraine affects about 20% of the adult population, with more women affected than men. One hundred and twenty children with migraines had an average onset of 5 to 15 years with about equal sex ratio under the age of nine. Family history was positive in 79%. Eye symptoms occurred in 43%. People with migraine often have a family history of �sick headaches,� or a history of digestive upsets, travel sickness, asthma, eczema, or hay fever.

Symptoms

The symptoms of migraine include headaches that last from three hours to three days, with an average of about 12-18 hours. They usually occur no more often than one per week, and one or two per month is a about average. The onset of pain is usually gradual and on one side, but may switch sides or involve the entire head. The pain is throbbing and moderate to severe. There are often symptoms which precede the attack by several hours or days manifested generally by emotional or mental disturbances, digestive upsets, and fluid imbalances. Neurologic manifestations may occur of a visual nature such as rainbows around lights, streaks or pings of light, but may also include loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, and other neurologic features.

What Causes the Pain?

Migraine can be most easily explained as an allergy, the pain being caused by the release of chemical substances in the brain and other tissues following an allergic reaction. Foods responsible for the antigen:antibody reactions account for the presence in the tissues of the body of chemicals that cause the headache � noradrenaline, histamine, and other substances capable of irritating blood vessels.

Triggering Agents

A migraine headache may be caused by foods to whichone is allergic, but then precipitated by different triggering agents. As an example: the cause of a migraine may be cheese or perfume allergy, whereas the trigger may be an emotional upset. Other triggers may be various foods in addition to the cause (see below) such as chocolate or apples. Tyramine-containing foods such as cheese and wine may either cause or act as triggers for recurrent headaches.   Sometimes a food will trigger a migraine within a few hours, but the next time the food is taken a headache is not developed at all. The person then wrongly thinks that food is not involved after all. It takes most people about two months to learn how to get the maximum benefit from a migraine-preventive diet.

Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), tension, depression, alcohol, tobacco, birth control pills, vasodilator drugs, salt, food additives, water retention, menstruation, wind exposure, and sun exposure are other triggering agents. There may also be multiple aggravating factors which may neither cause nor trigger an attack but make it worse once it occurs. The aggravating factors include poor air, constipation, chilling, noise, etc.

Of 263 patients, 30% of the patients with migraines reported an exposure to the sun as an trigger, whereas only 17% of patients with non-migraine headaches and 7% of patients with muscle contraction headaches observed this relationship. Probably these persons dilate their blood vessels too much in response to the sunshine. Sun exposure is a more frequent triggering factor in migraine than diet. Pain-sensitive structures outside the head that may be involved with migraines include the skin, scalp, fascia, muscles and arteries. Also, the lining of the sinuses, mouth, pharynx, and nose are all pain sensitive. Headache of any type is derived from one or more stretched blood vessels. In migraine, an artery, most commonly the superficial temporal artery, becomes constricted at first, then the same segment of the artery becomes widely dilated, and overstretched. The pressure of the blood carried in the artery increases the pain, whereas compression of the artery with the hands on the side of the head over the dilated segment will cause relief of pain. The control of blood vessel tone is through the autonomic nervous system. Thus many natural treatments are directed at the nervous system and blood vessels.

Foods

Foods implicated as causes of migraines in one survey were dairy products (especially cheese), citrus fruits, avocados, alcoholic drinks, plums, raspberries, fatty or fried foods, onions, tea and coffee, meat (especially pork), and sea food. In another survey the commonest foods causing migraines were wheat (78%), oranges (65%), eggs (45%), tea and coffee (40% each), chocolate and milk (37%), beef (35%), and corn, cane sugar, and yeast (33% each). When an average of 10 common foods were avoided there was a dramatic fall in the number of headaches per month, 85% of patients becoming headache free. The 25% of migraine patients also having high blood pressure became normal in blood pressure.

Eating too many varieties of foods at one meal is a common cause of headache. The many chemicals from the various foods, even though naturally produced, still make war inside the system. For people with headaches it is wise to take two dishes at a meal of very simple foods such as baked potatoes and string beans along with bread and spread and a raw dish such as sliced tomatoes, lettuce wedges, simple coleslaw, etc., instead of a complex salad.

The Rebound Effect of Medications for Migraines

Migraine headaches can actually be caused by medication given for migraines. Persons who take pain medication on a regular basis can have what is called the rebound effect that happens after the medication for the acute headache begins to wear off. Medications that cause vasoconstriction such as Midrin eventually cause blood vessels to swell out bigger when the drug wears off, requiring higher doses to get the same effect. Caffeine may do the same thing.

Objectives of Treatments

The objectives of natural treatment are twofold: to reduce the number of headaches or to stop them entirely, and to treat the acute attack without the injurious medications usually used. The medications that migraine patients sometimes take often become as troublesome as the symptoms themselves. The patient can learn that he can exert some control over the pain by things done himself, and can therefore gradually reduce or omit medications.

Treatments

- When the headache is first coming on, take advantage of the blood vessel reflexes to break the constriction-dilation cycle by making changes in the temperature of the body. It is known that a hot shower or bath followed by a cold shower at the onset of pain can bring relief. The exposure to the hot water needs to be long enough to cause reddening of the skin, and the cold should be long enough to bring shivering. Cracked ice in the mouth or throat can sometimes bring tightening up of the overstretched blood vessels and relief of the headache.

- Just at the start of a migraine, put five to ten drops of a cayenne extract in the nostril on the side of the headache. Hold the medicine in the nostril. The headache is usually gone in about 10 minutes. Even after headaches are well established the cayenne extract will work fairly well. In these cases it may need to be used on both sides. Interestingly enough, the pain in the nostrils is not as intense as one would think it could be. The way to make the tincture is a quarter of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper in one cup of pure grain alcohol from a liquor store at 80 – 95% concentration, the best solvent range for cayenne. Let is set for a day or two and it is then ready for use. It can be filtered to get rid of the solid portion, or merely allowed to settle and the top portion poured off.

- A quart of ice water poured for one minute on the scalp at the nape of the neck and allowed to flow under the hair to the forehead to drip off the bowed head into a pan or bucket is helpful. Follow this by a second quart of ice water poured for one minute over the soles of the feet. Dry both the scalp and the feet briefly and return to bed.

- Hot foot baths may sometimes be helpful. Make the water so hot it is painful (Do not use for insulin dependant diabetics). Put both feet in the water for 1-2 minutes only. Dry the feet quickly and return to bed.

- A sock wet in one spot with vinegar, the spot positioned over the painful area and the sock pinned around the head has been used as an old-fashioned remedy. It often helps.

- A cold compress to the head with small chips of ice still in the cold towel, or an actual ice pack to the forehead can bring great relief.

- A hot foot bath with a cold compress or ice pack over the painful area can also be helpful.

- Aromatherapy using essential oils of lavendar, sage, peppermint or catnip can also be curative or greatly relieving for many types of headaches including migraines.

- Rebreathing into a paper bag for as many breaths as can be tolerated can stop migraines in many individuals. May be repeated in five minutes as needed.

- A quickly done enema lasting one or two minutes can sometimes be quite helpful. Plain water at about 112 to 114 degrees and quickly expelled can be curative for some persons a few minutes or an hour or so after the enema. The hot water should not be held longer than three minutes as it could make the headache worse. An enema can be given at body temperature also and repeated until the water comes back clear.

- Wrapping a band about two inches wide, such as from that made folding a towel, around the head quite tightly, and putting a dowel in the tied knot and twisting it to increase the pressure from the tight bandage, can give almost immediate relief to some people.

- Pressure on both temples by the heels of the hands can bring immediate relief, sometimes temporary, and sometimes long-lasting. Apply the pressure with about as much force as you can give, and maintain it as long as you can continue holding it, slowly releasing when the pressure can no longer be maintained.

Exercise

Exercise has been found to reduce the frequency of migraine headaches.

Eat a good breakfast.
Eliminate between-meal snacks.
Remove empty and refined calories from the diet as much as possible.
Eliminate or cut down drastically on all visible fats (Crisco, Mazola oil, margarine, usual salad dressings).
Eliminate or reduce use of free sugar: Usual desserts (ice cream, candy, cake, pie), jams, or jellies. Common sweetened cereals or sugar on breakfast cereals (substitute raisins). Soft drinks or fruit drinks (may use fruit juices). Use cooked cereals for breakfast in preference to dry cereals.
Use unrefined cereals. Use brown rice rather than white rice, whole wheat bread rather than white bread even though enriched. Use cooked cereals for breakfast in preference to dry cereals.
Don’t use any alcoholic beverages.
Reduce drastically the intake of animal fats.
Eliminate meats (fish may be an exception).
Eliminate dairy fat (use skim milk or buttermilk in place of whole milk: use no cheese except skim milk cottage cheese; use no butter).
Select proper spreads for bread and use these in small quantities only. Use some avocado, special margarine, or peanut butter in place of butter or regular margarine.
Beware of all baking goods—most are high in fat and/or sugar.
Eat only 2 eggs per week or none.
Eat a light fruit supper or none at all.
Get regular and moderate exercise.
Get adequate rest, fresh air, sunshine, pure water.
Have regular medical check-ups.
Let the Lord do the worrying.

For more information contact:
Uchee Pines Lifestyle Center
30 Uchee Pines Road #75
Seale, Alabama 36875
Tel. 334-855-4764
www.ucheepines.org