Archive for the ‘Health’ Category

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Antibiotics in Commercial Meats; MRSA in Organic Produce

Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

by Catherine Haug

While I think most of us have a passing awareness that livestock are routinely given feed laced with antibiotics to make them grow more meat faster, I wonder how many of us actually let this knowledge sink in, and avoid commercial meats like the plague?

I’m talking about beef, pork, and poultry from the meat counter at Harvest Foods, Costco, Walmart, Safeway, Albertsons, Rosauers, and so on. Also those served in most restaurants.

Do we truly understand the implications of consuming antibiotic-laden meat? And what can we do about it?

(more…)

Posted in Health, Livestock, Shop Local | Comments Closed

Gathering Summary: Herbs & Their Traditional Uses, July 28, 2010

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Summary by Catherine Haug

Herbs & their Traditional Uses, by Veronica Honthaas

(Photo of ripening hawthorn berries by C. Haug)

The following is a short outline of the event. For the complete gathering summary, see our pdf file:

Gathering Summary: Herbs & their Traditional Uses

Veronica is a practicing traditional herbalist and reflexologist. A traditional herbalist is one who uses herbs from the local area. Ronny believes every area has most all the herbs needed to promote health and healing for people living in that area, and that herbs are healing foods. Sharing her knowledge through teaching is an important aspect of her work.

The use of herbs is simple and free, and very empowering. During her presentation, Ronny discussed:

  • 20 specific local herbs
  • How to store what is picked
  • Basic herb teas
  • Sun teas
  • Making tinctures

For complete detail of her presentation, please see the Gathering Summary: Herbs & their Traditional Uses.

Ronny’s Recommended Books (more…)

Posted in Gathering Summaries, Health, Remedies | 1 Comment »

Nutrient content of different types of milk

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

Bottle of Milk

by Catherine Haug

Have you ever wondered which milk source has the highest nutritional value? If so, check out this webpage from Dom’s In-Site (Dom is an international expert on kefir): Nutritional Value of Different Fresh Milk-Types (see References for links), which compares the nutritional value (from USDA data) of cow, goat, water buffalo, sheep, human and soy milk; and the following measures for each milk type*:

  • Proximates: water, energy, protein, lipids (fat), ash (minerals), carbs;
  • Minerals: calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium;
  • Vitamins: A-carotene, A-retinol,C, D, E; and B vitamins: thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, folate, B6, B12;
  • Lipids (Fats): mono-unsaturated, poly-unsaturated, cholesterol, total saturated [NOTE: this category not shown for soy milk, even though it contains lipids].

*NOTE that raw milk of any type has higher nutrient content than pasteurized.
(more…)

Posted in Food-Nutrition-Health, Health | Comments Closed

The Age of Petrochemicals & Going Green

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

Offshore Oil Platform

by Catherine Haug

(Photos from Wikipedia)

Now that we are all grieving at the sight of oil-soaked pelicans in the Gulf, we call for an end to our dependence on petroleum. But have you ever thought about what all we’d have to give up? It’s not just fuel for our cars and home heating systems, or that airplane ride to our favorite vacation spot. We’d basically have to give up all that we’ve come to take for granted.

That’s what an article in June 13, 2010 Daily Interlake by Seth Borenstein, an AP Science Writer, titled Boycott Big Oil? Prepare to give up your lifestyle (1) is all about. It includes a litany of all the common, everyday things that contain substances made from crude, or depend upon crude for their maintenance or production.

It’s about what this means for our society; how far we have strayed from The Essential. “Petrochemicals are the glue of our modern lives and even in glue, too.” (1)

Here’s a partial list, from the article: (more…)

Posted in Ecology, Energy, Health | Comments Closed

The Third Generation & Health

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

by Catherine Haug

In my post The Diet of Traditional Peoples: the Work of Weston Price & Frances Pottenger (May 21, 2009), I made a point about Dr. Pottenger’s 1930s research: he found that by the third generation on the wrong kind of diet, his cats had serious problems with their health including infertility and skeletal deformities. While it can be dangerous to extrapolate from cats to humans, Dr. Pottenger’s conclusions were born out by Dr. Price’s study of humans consuming a traditional (non-modern) diet vs those on a modern diet.

Now researchers in Russia have found that GM (Genetically Modified) soy products (grown from Monsanto’s seeds) also produce health issues in third generation hamsters fed a GMO diet. These health issues include sterility and infant mortality. (more…)

Posted in Agriculture, Food-Nutrition-Health, GMO, Health | Comments Closed

Fast Food and Health Insurance

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

by Catherine Haug

There’s no denying that fast food and prepared food are an increasingly big part of the daily diet for many people. At the same time, the cost of health care is sky-rocketing, in large part because of the steep rise in obesity and chronic disease such as diabetes and heart disease. Most people acknowledge a strong connection between these trends.

But could there also be a connection to the health and life insurance industry? (more…)

Posted in Food-Nutrition-Health, Health | Comments Closed

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