jenny cares 

SIX FOODS THAT WEAKEN BONES
Adapted from an article by By Melanie Haiken, Caring.com

Some ingredients actually leach the minerals right out of the bone, or they block the bone’s ability to regrow. Learn about Salt, Soft Drinks, Caffeine, Hydrogenated Oils, Vitamin D, and Alcohol.


1. Salt
Salt saps calcium from the bones, weakening them over time.
One study compared postmenopausal women who ate a high-salt diet with those who didn’t, and the ones who ate a lot of salt lost more bone minerals. Most people on a western diet ingest double what they should have daily... Key foods to avoid: processed and deli meats, frozen meals, canned soup, pizza, burgers and fries and canned vegetables.
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2. Soft Drinks
Soft drinks pose a double-danger to bones. The fizziness in carbonated drinks often comes from phosphoric acid, which ups the rate at which calcium is excreted in the urine. Meanwhile, soft drinks fill you up and satisfy your thirst without providing any of the nutrients you might get from milk or juice.
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3. Caffeine
Caffeine’s action is similar to salt (but not as bad), leaching calcium from bones. For every 100 milligrams of caffeine (the amount in a small to medium-sized cup of coffee), you lose 6 milligrams of calcium. ... can become a problem if you tend to substitute drinks like iced tea and coffee for beverages that are healthy for bones, like milk and fortified juice.
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4. Vitamin A
...Found in eggs, full-fat dairy, liver, and vitamin-fortified foods, vitamin A is important for vision and the immune system. ...it’s possible to get much more than the recommended allotment... Postmenopausal women, in particular, seem to be susceptible to vitamin A overload. Studies show that women whose intake was higher...had more than double the fracture rate of women whose intake was more sensible.
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5. Alcohol
..a calcium-blocker; it prevents the bone-building minerals you eat from being absorbed. And heavy drinking disrupts the bone remodeling process by preventing osteoblasts, the bone-building cells, from doing their job. ...not only do bones become weaker, but when you do suffer a fracture, alcohol can interfere with healing.
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6. Hydrogenated oils
...the process of hydrogenation, which turns liquid vegetable oil into the solid oils used in commercial baking, destroys the vitamin K found in the oils.
Vitamin K is essential for strong bones. Sources are green leafy vegetables, and a little from canola and olive oil. If you’re eating your greens, you don’t need to worry about this too much.
Avoid baked goods like muffins and cookies, and read labels to avoid hydrogenated oils.
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http://www.care2.com/greenliving/6-foods-that-weaken-bones.html?page=1

From Spring Cleanse Your Liver: 6 Foods, Nutrients, and Herbs | Care2 Healthy & Green Living:

THE LIVER: this overworked organ is responsible for over 500 different functions, including: detoxifying environmental chemicals, storing certain vitamins, controlling cholesterol levels, metabolizing fat, and even regulating hormones.  
 Your liver may need cleansing to help it detoxify alcohol, tobacco smoke, environmental pollutants, food additives, pesticides, and hidden chemicals in your personal care products.

1. WATER with LEMON JUICE (fresh juice of one-half to one LEMON) 
 Your body needs water to flush out toxins in your bowel movements and urine. The addition of fresh lemon juice helps to stimulate your liver to produce bile that helps flush out toxins.
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2. GARLIC and ONIONS
 Garlic and Onions contain important phytonutrients that break down fatty deposits in the body. Also, they kill viruses, bacteria, and fungi and protect against heart disease too.
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3. MILK THISTLE EXTRACT
 Milk thistle contains a potent substance called silymarin that protects the liver by inhibiting damaging substances that can cause liver cell damage. Silymarin also prevents the depletion of the nutrient glutathione–one of the most critical nutrients for liver detoxification. Both alcohol consumption and exposure to various types of synthetic chemicals can deplete glutathione in the liver. A typical dose for liver cleansing is about 140 mg of silymarin.
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4. VITAMIN C (1000 mg)
 While glutathione supplements are available, the best way to boost this important nutrient is to supplement with vitamin C. Give your liver an extra boost of glutathione by supplementing with vitamin C.
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5. DANDELION EXTRACT
 The Australian Journal of Medical Herbalism cites research supporting the liver-regenerating properties of dandelion. Due to pesticides and pollutants I don’t recommend picking dandelion root from your lawn.
 Take 1-2 teaspoons of dandelion root extract or supplement with 500-2000 mg daily in capsules for two weeks to help cleanse your liver.
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6. EAT INDIAN CURRIES for TURMERIC
 Turmeric, one of the main spices used in Indian cuisine, adds a yellow-orange colour to curry dishes along with a potent healing boost.
 Turmeric decreases cholesterol levels, lowers inflammation in the body, and protects the liver from free radical damage. 
 Add turmeric powder to soups, stews, and curries or supplement with 50 mg of curcumin (turmeric’s active ingredient) to bolster your liver’s cleansing abilities.
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Always consult a qualified health professional before taking any herbs or nutrients.
Michelle Schoffro Cook, RNCP, ROHP, DAc, DNM, doctor of natural medicine, author of: The Life Force Diet, The Ultimate pH Solution, and The 4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan.
Learn more at: www.TheLifeForceDiet.com. 

From Alcohol-induced Flushing Is Risk Factor For Esophageal Cancer From Alcohol Consumption:

There is growing evidence that people who experience facial flushing after drinking alcohol are at much higher risk of esophageal cancer from alcohol consumption than those who do not.

About a third of East Asians (Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans) show a characteristic physiological response to drinking alcohol that includes facial flushing, nausea, and an increased heart rate. This so-called "alcohol flushing response" is predominantly due to an inherited deficiency in an enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2). Although clinicians and the East Asian public generally know about the alcohol flushing response, few are aware of the accumulating evidence that ALDH2-deficient individuals are at much higher risk of esophageal cancer (specifically squamous cell carcinoma) from alcohol consumption than individuals with fully active ALDH2.

Esophageal cancer is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide, with five-year survival rates of 15.6% in the United States, 12.3% in Europe, and 31.6% in Japan.

Researchers said: "Our goal in writing this article is to inform doctors firstly that their ALDH2- deficient patients have an increased risk for esophageal cancer if they drink moderate amounts of alcohol, and secondly that the alcohol flushing response is a biomarker for ALDH2 deficiency."

In view of the approximately 540 million ALDH2-deficient individuals in the world, many of whom now live in Western societies, even a small percent reduction in esophageal cancers due to a reduction in alcohol drinking would translate into a substantial number of lives saved.

Humphrey Bogart had Esophageal Cancer

Humphrey Bogart was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 1956. He was notorious for his heavy drinking and smoking, two things known to contribute to esophageal cancer. The cancer had spread to his lymph nodes. His treatment included a nine hour surgery to remove the tumor, two lymph nodes, and a rib. The surgery was followed by a course of chemotherapy. At first, Bogart seemed to respond to the treatments but after 6 months the cancer recurred and he underwent radiation therapy. Unfortunately, Bogart could not fight the cancer and he fell into a coma and died at home on January 14, 1957 at the age of 57.

His last words: "I never should have switched from scotch to martinis.”
http://celebrities.healthdiaries.com/2007/03/