Humour is good for you...

My favourite quote of the day:
"Follow your dreams. Except for the one where you fly. That never ends well."

From the Georgia Straight...

An article worth reading with info from those in the know about H1N1 vaccinations and vaccinations in general...http://www.straight.com/article-270843/vancouver/whats-your-vaccine

Herbal Flu Prevention

The department of public health of Shenzen, China recently announced herbal formulas to help prevent H1N1. These are their equivalent of flu vaccines. I'm not saying that they are the same as the shots, but these herbs do help boost immune function. There are two formulations. One is for those with a strong constitution and the other is for those with a weak constitution, the elderly, and children. The herbal formulae are consumed as a tea twice a day for at least three consecutive days. All of our Chinese herbs are rigorously tested for quality and safety, and yes they do taste awful. But, you know what Buckley's cough syrup says, "It tastes bad and it works".

Just because this is amazing!

Check out this video of a National Geographic photographer and an enormous leopard seal:

http://news.ca.msn.com/canada/video.aspx?cp-documentid=c023c28f-0156-483e-8eba-98f84ae32a58,e45b0157-8e3f-45b6-b34e-92a09158b836

Junk Food to be Exempt from HST

Ontario's finance minister is expected to announce that fast food and beverages cheaper than $4 will be exempt from the new HST. BC, as far as I can see, has not yet made this exemption, but I wonder if they'll follow suit. (http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/harmonizedsalestax/article/724751--fast-food-coffee-to-escape-new-blended-tax)

Please tell me...why does the government think that we should be more heavily taxing, through the HST, healthy (or at least healthier) food bought at a restaurant, but make junk food less than $4 exempt?

I think it's crazy that unprocessed food is generally more expensive than processed junk food. Why are we encouraging people, particularly low income, to make poor food choices? Why are we encouraging people to increase their risk for diabetes and other chronic illnesses?

My idea would be to more heavily tax junk food and apply that directly to subsidize healthy, whole food to make it more affordable and attractive to all consumers. I recognize that that is unlikely to happen, but this move is the exact opposite of that and a big step in the wrong direction.

We're more heavily taxing people wanting to take care of their health using registered massage therapists and registered acupuncturists/Dr.TCM, but we're making it easier for people to slowly poison themselves with trans fats, too much sugar, and too little nutrition. Hmmm...what?!

What do you think?

Sensible advice about food choices

Copied and pasted from this site: http://lifestyle.ca.msn.com/health-fitness/diet/ee-article.aspx?cp-documentid=22549573

Healthy new grocery products

Rosie Schwartz has a sneak peek of some healthy new grocery products - and healthy imposters

Shopping for food used to be simple. A basic assortment of breads, produce, meat and dairy products were among the available options at the local store. Nowadays, supermarket shelves offer thousands upon thousands of choices. And the numbers seeming to grow every year.

Just how much is new was evident at the recent 2009 Grocery Innovations Canada, a major grocery industry trade exposition in Toronto.

According to the 2009 Tracking Nutrition Trends 20-year Report, a survey conducted by the Canadian Council of Food and Nutrition Health, nutrition continues to be a driver in consumers' grocery selections. Eighty-seven percent of Canadians are somewhat or very influenced by their desire to maintain good health. This greater desire for more wholesome fare was definitely evident at the Grocery Innovations Canada show.

To avoid being tempted (and overwhelmed!) promoters of healthy eating often suggest shopping only in the outside aisles of the grocery store, where fresh foods abound. The centre aisles have traditionally been a haven for less nutritious packaged and processed food. But as Grocery Innovations' sneak peek into new products and trends reveals, there are healthy eats to be found in the centre of the store - though it may take some scrutiny to find them.

Sometimes what is perceived to be a smart choice in terms of nutrition is not necessarily the case, as was demonstrated by my first conversation at the exhibition. For example, when I enquired as to where the healthier fare was being shown, I was told to head to a vitamin water display. Water, sugar and some added vitamins are what make up this beverage. One a day, at around 120 calories per bottle, will yield 43,800 calories per year. That's about 12.5 pounds. You may want to consider a vitamin pill and a glass of water instead.

Juices also seemed to be a hot commodity with many new products being chock full of superfruits like pomegranate and acai. But drinking lots of sugary beverages, whether made of natural or refined sugar, can send waist measures soaring as they don't satisfy hunger the way eating the whole fruit does.

Multi-grain was also a buzzword at the show. Though there were quite a few multi-grain products, closer scrutiny revealed that while they contained a variety of grains, not all were whole grain.

Reading ingredient lists is essential to separate refined from whole grain offerings. While it was a pleasant surprise to see multi-grain perogies, the ingredient list revealed that enriched wheat flour - a.k.a. white flour - was the first ingredient. Another ready-to-bake bread product was also touted as a multi-grain. But again, white flour was first on the list. As ingredients are listed in descending order by amount, from the most to the least, look for the words whole grain as the first ingredient if you're seeking whole grains. Whole grain bars and squares such as Dempster's Healthy Way Fresh Squares, though, offered fibre-packed convenience and taste along with a variety of seeds like pumpkin, sunflower and sesame.

He will be missed...

An Obituary printed in the London Times - not a joke and makes you
think!

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who
has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was,
since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the
worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more
than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in
charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but
overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy
charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended
from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for
reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the
job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly
children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental
consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could
not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an
abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses;
and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a
burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to
realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in
her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents: Truth and Trust, by
his wife: Discretion, by his daughter: Responsibility and by his son:
Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;

I Know My Rights

I Want It Now

Someone Else Is To Blame

I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and
do nothing.

More MD offering vaccine alternatives

Yes, a flu sucks. But is it killing people? Not as many as the media would have you fear. Would you like to help protect your children against a similar future viral outbreak?
http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/news/h1n1update.asp

My MD's response to the H1N1 vaccine according to a friend of mine who also sees this doc:
"Just saw Dr. K & asked her opinion about the vaccination. Her suggestion was boosting daily Vit D supplements to at least 5000 I.U.& all the other lifestyle suggestions you'd mentioned in your article instead of the shot. I'm still working on getting enuf sleep!"

H1N1 craziness!

The other day a patient of mine told me about the crazy encounter she had at her doctor's office this week. She went in to ask for some testing and when her doctor entered the examination room she looked so frazzled that my patient asked if something was wrong. The doctor asked her patient if she swore sometimes. The response being "yes" caused the doctor to sigh in relief and say "f$%#, f@#%, f*&%" through gritted teeth! Definitely not a professional thing to do in front of her patient! But she was so exasperated with the demands that were being placed on her and her staff by impatient, rude, and angry patients insisting on being next in line to receive the H1N1 vaccine.

The thing is that those patients are scared. They are being given conflicting information and promises. One moment we are told that there is plenty to go around; then we are told that vaccination clinics are being closed. We are told that this virus is the main flu (some say only flu) of the season, yet testing is not being done. That is a huge assumption. We are told that this one is more virulent than previous seasons, yet the numbers have not reflected that. In countries that have completed their flu season, their numbers are comparable, if not better than previous years. For example, Australia saw fewer deaths from the flu this year than in years past. We are told that the vaccine is safe, but the pharmaceutical companies have been waived of their responsibilities should their drugs go terribly wrong.

I have patients who have received the vaccine. I have patients who have chosen not to have the vaccine. I am not pushing anyone in either direction as that's not my way. I think it is up to each to become informed and to make his or her own decision.

But, PLEASE, if you do seek the vaccine, be considerate of those who are doing their best to provide the service and respectful of those who are put before you to receive it.

I myself am choosing to boost my own immune system with herbs, supplements, food, exercise, sufficient sleep, and acupuncture treatments.

Have you had any experiences like my patient had?

"Mother Grain" to Boost Immunity

The Incas called quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) the "mother grain" because it is so nutritionally rich. It contains all 8 essential amino acids, vitmain B2, B3, iron, calcium, magnesium, and fibre. It is also a good source of vitamin E and zinc, necessary for a healthy thymus gland which is important for immune cell production.



Quinoa Pilaf
3 3/4 cups water
3/4 lb quinoa
2/3 cup olive oil
1 tb okra, sliced finely
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Boil water in saucepan. Add quinoa, bring to boil again and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain. Heat oil in a wok, add okra and stirfry for 3 minutes. Add the other ingredients except cilantro and quinoa and stirfry for 5 minutes. Lower heat and cook for 10 more minutes. Mix in quinoa and cilantro. Serves 4.

From "The Top 100 Immunity Boosters" by Charlotte Haigh