Immunity for Life

SARS virus (reelthing.com)


Your IMMUNE SYSTEM is a bodywide network of cells, tissues and organs that has evolved to defend you against "foreign" invasions (microbes).
The Immune System
The Immune System

BACTERIA are living things that are neither plants nor animals, but belong to a group all by themselves. They are very small - individually not more than one single cell - however there are normally millions of them together, for they can multiply really fast. What are bacteria?

There are approximately ten times as many bacterial cells as human cells in the human body, with large numbers of bacteria on the skin and in the digestive tract. Although the vast majority of these bacteria are rendered harmless by the protective effects of the immune system, and a few are beneficial, some are PATHOGENIC BACTERIA and cause INFECTIOUS DISEASES. Bacteria

BACTERIAL INFECTIONS have always existed, and all organisms that can become infected have learned to deal with them. Plants have primitive defenses against bacteria by producing toxic substances. Higher animals and humans fight a bacterial infection with a more specific immune system. Our Immune System vs Bacteria

What the Heck is a Virus?
First, let me tell you what a VIRUS is not. A virus is not a bacterium, nor an independently-living organism. A virus cannot survive in the absence of a living cell within which to synthesize copies of itself (replicate). Antibiotics do not harm a virus; it is for this reason that treatment for the "flu" for example, is mainly to help ease the symptoms of the illness rather than to kill the organism which causes the "flu".

Now, is there a simple explanation which can define what a virus IS? Hmmmm... that's actually a tough question. A virus is not strictly alive.. nor is it strictly dead... A virus has some fundamental information (genes made of DNA or RNA) which allows it to make copies of itself. However, the virus must be inside a living cell of some kind before the information can be used. In fact, the information won't be made available unless the virus enters a living cell. It is this entrance of a virus into a cell which is called a VIRAL INFECTION.

All viruses only exist to make more viruses. And with the possible exception of bacterial viruses which kill harmful bacteria, all viruses appear to be harmful because their replication leads to the death of the cell which the virus entered.

So far, there is not a living thing identified that doesn't have some sort of susceptibility to a particular virus. Plants, animals, bacteria - every living thing, whether multicellular or single-celled, can be infected with a virus specific for the organism.


FUNGI and YEASTS are multi-celled plants that are PARASITES. An everyday example of a fungus is mushrooms. However, the fungi that cause human disease are usually very small fungi. There are a few common human fungal conditions that are rarely harmful except for those with severely weakened immune system. Fungi and Yeasts


MOLDS are but one type of FUNGI that exist in nearly every location across the globe. The purpose of fungi is to break down organic material and recycle them for future use by plants and animals. The FAMILY OF FUNGI includes mildews, yeasts, large mushrooms, and mold. Fungi require organic materials in order to form and expand.

TOXIC MOLD can adversely affect the health of humans. The effect on humans will depend on the type of mold involved, the metabolic byproduct of the mold, as well as how much contact there is and the length of exposure, as well as the level of susceptibility of the human victim. This last factor is important for children and elderly who can be affected much more easily.
The ill effects of molds generally break down into 4 categories that include allergies, infections, irritations and toxicities. Toxic Mold


8 FOODS THAT BOOST IMMUNITY

1. VITAMIN C
Vitamin C increases the production of infection-fighting WHITE BLOOD CELLS and ANTIBODIES and increases levels of INTERFERON, the antibody that coats cell surfaces, preventing the entry of viruses. Vitamin C reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by raising levels of HDL (good) cholesterol while lowering blood pressure and interfering with the process by which fat is converted to plaque in the arteries. As an added perk, persons whose diets are higher in vitamin C have lower rates of colon, prostate, and breast cancer.

2. VITAMIN E
Vitamin E stimulates the production of natural KILLER CELLS, those that seek out and destroy germs and cancer cells. Vitamin E enhances the production of B-CELLS, the immune cells that produce antibodies that destroy bacteria. Vitamin E supplementation may also reverse some of the decline in immune response commonly seen in aging. Vitamin E has been implicated in lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease. In the Harvard School of Public Health study of 87,000 nurses, Vitamin E supplementation was shown to cut the risk of heart attacks by fifty percent.

3. CAROTENOIDS
BETA CAROTENE increases the number of infection-fighting cells, natural killer cells, and helper T-CELLS, as well as being a powerful ANTIOXIDANT that mops up excess FREE RADICALS that accelerate aging. Like the other "big three" antioxidants, vitamins C and E, it reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by interfering with how the fats and cholesterol in the bloodstream OXIDIZE to form arterial plaques. Studies have shown that beta carotene can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, especially strokes and heart attacks, giving scientific credence to the belief that a carrot a day can keep the heart surgeon away. Beta carotene also protects against cancer by stimulating the immune cells called MACROPHAGES to produce tumor necrosis factor, which kills cancer cells. It has also been shown that beta carotene supplements can increase the production of T-cell LYMPHOCYTES and natural killer cells and can enhance the ability of the natural killer cells to attack cancer cells.

The body converts beta carotene to VITAMIN A, which itself has anticancer properties and immune-boosting functions. But too much vitamin A can be toxic to the body, so it's better to get extra beta carotene from foods and let the body naturally regulate how much of this precursor is converted to the immune-fighting vitamin A. It's highly unlikely that a person could take in enough beta carotene to produce a toxic amount of vitamin A, because when the body has enough vitamin A, it stops making it.

4. BIOFLAVENOIDS
A group of PHYTONUTRIENTS called bioflavenoids aids the immune system by protecting the cells of the body against environmental pollutants. Bioflavenoids protect the cell membranes against the pollutants trying to attach to them. Along the membrane of each cell there are microscopic parking spaces, called RECEPTOR SITES. Pollutants, toxins, or germs can park here and gradually eat their way into the membrane of the cell, but when bioflavenoids fill up these parking spots there is no room for toxins to park. Bioflavenoids also reduce the cholesterol's ability to form plaques in arteries and lessen the formation of microscopic clots inside arteries, which can lead to heart attack and stroke. Studies have shown that people who eat the most bioflavenoids have less cardiovascular disease. A diet that contains a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, at least six servings per day, will help you get the bioflavenoids needed to help your immune system work in top form.

5. ZINC
This valuable MINERAL increases the production of white blood cells that fight infection and helps them fight more aggressively. It also increases killer cells that fight against cancer and helps white cells release more antibodies. Zinc supplements have been shown to slow the growth of cancer.
A word of caution: too much zinc in the form of supplements (more than 75 milligrams a day) can inhibit immune function. It's safest to stick to getting zinc from your diet and aim for 15 to 25 milligrams a day.

6. GARLIC
This flavorful member of the ONION FAMILY is a powerful immune booster that stimulates the multiplication of infection-fighting white cells, boosts natural killer cell activity, and increases the efficiency of antibody production. The immune-boosting properties of garlic seem to be due to its SULFUR-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS, such as ALLICIN and SULFIDES. Garlic can also act as an antioxidant that reduces the build-up of free radicals in the bloodstream. Garlic may protect against cancer, though the evidence is controversial. Cultures with a garlic-rich diet have a lower incidence of intestinal cancer. Garlic may also play a part in getting rid of potential carcinogens and other toxic substances. It is also a heart-friendly food since it keeps PLATELETS from sticking together and clogging tiny blood vessels.

7. SELENIUM
This MINERAL increases natural killer cells and mobilizes cancer-fighting cells. Best food sources of selenium are tuna, red snapper, lobster, shrimp, whole grains, vegetables (depending on the selenium content of the soil they're grown in), brown rice, egg yolks, cottage cheese, chicken (white meat), sunflower seeds, garlic, Brazil nuts, and lamb chops.

8. OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS
A study found that children taking a half teaspoon of FLAX OIL a day experienced fewer and less severe RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS and fewer days of being absent from school. The omega-3 fatty acids in flax oil and FATTY FISH (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel) act as immune boosters by increasing the activity of PHAGOCYTES, the white blood cells that eat up bacteria. (Perhaps this is why grandmothers used to insist on a daily dose of unpalatable cod liver oil.) ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS (EFAs) also protect the body against damage from over-reactions to infection. When taking essential fatty acid supplements, such as flax or fish oils, take additional VITAMIN E, which acts together with essential fatty acids to boost the immune system. One way to get more omega-3 fatty acids in your diet is to add one to three teaspoons of flax oil to a fruit and yogurt smoothie.


4 HABITS THAT WEAKEN THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

1. OVERDOSING ON SUGAR
Eating or drinking 100 grams (8 tbsp.) of sugar, the equivalent of about two cans of soda, can reduce the ability of white blood cells to kill germs by forty percent. The immune-suppressing effect of sugar starts less than thirty minutes after ingestion and may last for five hours. In contrast, the ingestion of COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES, or STARCHES, has no effect on the immune system.

2. EXCESS ALCOHOL
Excessive alcohol intake can harm the body's immune system in two ways. First, it produces an overall NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCY, depriving the body of valuable immune- boosting nutrients. Second, alcohol, like sugar, consumed in excess can reduce the ability of white cells to kill germs. High doses of alcohol suppress the ability of the white blood cells to multiply, inhibit the action of killer white cells on cancer cells, and lessen the ability of macrophages to produce tumor necrosis factors. ONE DRINK (the equivalent of 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1 ounces of hard liquor) does not appear to bother the immune system, but THREE OR MORE drinks do. Damage to the immune system increases in proportion to the quantity of alcohol consumed. Amounts of alcohol that are enough to cause intoxication are also enough to suppress immunity.

3. FOOD ALLERGENS
Due to a GENETIC quirk, some divisions of the immune army recognize an otherwise harmless substance (such as milk) as a foreign invader and attack it, causing an allergic reaction. Before the battle, the intestinal lining was like a wall impenetrable to foreign invaders. After many encounters with food allergens, the wall is damaged, enabling invaders and other potentially toxic substances in the food to get into the bloodstream and make the body feel miserable. This condition is known as the LEAKY GUT SYNDROME.

4. TOO MUCH FAT
Obesity can lead to a depressed immune system. It can affect the ability of white blood cells to multiply, produce antibodies, and rush to the site of an infection.
Feeding Your Immune System

FDA Draws Fire Over Chemicals in Baby Formula

maive by mistybliss (flickr.com)
We're talking about babies, about the most vulnerable. This really makes me angry.

washingtonpost.com

Nov.27-08

Public health groups, consumer advocates and members of Congress blasted the Food and Drug Administration yesterday for failing to act after discovering trace amounts of the industrial chemical melamine in baby formula sold in the United States.

"This FDA, this Bush administration, instead of protecting the public health, is protecting industry," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who chairs the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the FDA budget. In an interview, DeLauro said she wants the agency to disclose its findings and to develop a plan to remove melamine from formula. "We're talking about babies, about the most vulnerable. This really makes me angry."

The FDA found melamine and cyanuric acid, a related chemical, in samples of baby formula made by major U.S. manufacturers. Melamine can cause kidney and bladder stones and, in worst cases, kidney failure and death. If melamine and cyanuric acid combine, they can form round yellow crystals that can also damage kidneys and destroy renal function.

Melamine was found in Good Start Supreme Infant Formula With Iron made by Nestle, and cyanuric acid was detected in Enfamil Lipil With Iron infant formula powder made by Mead Johnson. A spokesman for Nestle did not respond to repeated calls and e-mails for comment yesterday.

Gail Wood, a spokeswoman for Mead Johnson, said the company does not think that cyanuric acid poses a health threat to infants. "Cyanuric acid is approved by the FDA to sanitize processing equipment," she said. "The risks of not sanitizing equipment are far greater than ultra trace amounts of residual cyanuric acid found in the formula."

The FDA has been testing hundreds of food products for melamine in the aftermath of a scandal this year involving Chinese infant formula tainted with melamine. Chinese manufacturers deliberately added the chemical to watered-down formula to make it appear to contain higher levels of protein. More than 50,000 Asian infants were hospitalized, and at least four died.

The FDA collected 87 samples of infant formula made by American manufacturers, tested all but 10 of them and held a conference call Monday with manufacturers to alert them to the preliminary findings, FDA spokeswoman Judy Leon said. She said she did not know when the agency was planning to inform the public.

The test results were unearthed by the Associated Press, which had filed a request for records under the Freedom of Information Act.

Leon said that the amounts discovered are safe and that parents should continue to feed formula to their children. "We know that trace levels do not pose a risk whatsoever," she said.

That contradicts the agency's recent statements about melamine, including a position paper that was on its Web site yesterday that asserted there are no safe levels of melamine for infants. "FDA is currently unable to establish any level of melamine and melamine-related compounds in infant formula that does not raise public health concerns," the document said.

Agency scientists have maintained they could not set a safe level of melamine exposure for babies because they do not understand the effects of long-term exposure on a baby's developing kidneys. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that infant formula is a baby's sole source of food for many months. Premature infants absorb an especially large dose of the chemical, compared with full-term babies.

"Just one month ago, the FDA had been very clear about how they could not set a safe level of melamine in formula for babies," said Sonya Lunder, a senior analyst at the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization. "Now they're saying trace levels are no problem. What changed?"

The FDA thinks the melamine and cyanuric acid got into the U.S. formula as a byproduct of manufacturing and not as a result of tampering, Leon said. Melamine is found in plastic food packaging and in cleaning solutions that are sometimes used in food processing equipment.
The FDA spokeswoman said no illnesses have been linked to melamine consumption in the United States.

But Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives for Consumers Union, said that may not be true. "Given that this is not a problem that American doctors are used to dealing with, we can't be sure that if a small number of these cases developed, the connection would be made," said Halloran, who wants the formulas to be recalled from store shelves. "We just don't know."

Halloran said it is also possible some babies are receiving a variety of infant formula and could be ingesting melamine in one bottle and cyanuric acid in another bottle, creating a dangerous mix.

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), who is on the House Commerce and Energy Committee, is also seeking a recall. "Until they establish a safety standard, how can they say what's safe?" he said. "They need to pull this."

Critics said the FDA's reassurances about products carry less weight after the recent controversy over bisphenol-A, a chemical found in plastic baby bottles, dinnerware and the linings of food cans. The FDA dismissed a growing body of scientific evidence that has linked BPA to health problems even as worried consumers stopped buying BPA-containing products. Instead, the FDA relied on two industry-funded studies that concluded that BPA did not pose a health risk. Last month, the agency's science advisory board said the agency should no longer maintain that BPA is safe.

"When FDA claims there isn't any reason to worry, that's exactly what the consumer should do," said Ken Cook, president of Environmental Working Group. "The once-revered public health agency has morphed into a taxpayer-funded public relations arm for the very industries it was created to oversee."


washingtonpost.com COMMENT
You're all so polite, and articulate -- my first response was to tell the corporate and Bush spokespeople to blow it out their *ss.
Often times, the corporate PR and/or government people aren't even informed or intelligent enough to understand the garbage they spew -- they just follow that corporate PR template, no matter how cliche, or mundane.
And they'll still shill for those who through laziness and malfeasance poison children, and adults, worldwide, even though they should know better.
Corporations are still accountable to the people, no matter what the CEO's tell themselves, or whom they think they own, politically.
Bad business, and they wonder WHY they go broke... -thegreatpotatospamof2003

FDA Draws Fire

Bitter Pills

(gawker.com)

>Big Pharma: Exposing the Global Healthcare Agenda by Jacky Law

More info

"What's the difference between good journalism and honey? Not a lot. Both run smooth, hit the spot when it comes to taste; and both as they have no bitter aftertaste leave you wanting for nothing but more.

Big Pharma - a revelation of a book - is written with skill and concision. With the right facts supporting the most telling of arguments that just keep on coming. Over 250 pages of paragraph after illuminating paragraph making it a honey of a read. What Jacky Law has to report could have been just an eye-opener for the inside few, but her riveting, forceful and fair-minded telling of it, makes it a true `must-read' for us all."

>Bitter Pills by Stephen Fried
More info

"Bitter Pills started as a magazine story, inspired by Stephen Fried's wife's frightening reaction to an antibiotic. After he won a National Magazine Award for that article, he expanded his investigation into this book. What he has uncovered is astounding, starting with the fact that, in the U.S. alone, between 45,000 and 200,000 people die annually of reactions to legal drugs (2 to 9 percent of the 2.3 million Americans who die each year) versus the 5,000 to 10,000 who die of illegal drug use."

>Death by Prescription: The Shocking Truth Behind an Overmedicated Nation by Ray D. Strand, M.D.

More info

"This book was recommended to me by a nurse. I was having terrible side effects to cholesterol medication, and my doctor kept urging me to stay on it, despite the side effects. This book informed me that these side effects were nothing to mess with, and could cause serious harm to my liver and kidneys. I just hope I didn't find out too late...I really believe if I hadn't stopped the zocor when I did, I'd be dead."

>Inside the FDA: The Business and Politics Behind the Drugs We Take and the Food We Eat by Fran Hawthorne
More info

"For those who have ever wondered how the FDA makes decisions and how those decisions effect companies this is a great starting point. Hawthorne takes an objective stance towards the FDA and shows their faults along with the positives. She tracks several instances of FDA oversight and gives their results. I think the part that tracks the companies progress through the FDA's is the most instructive. One of my fields of study was health and pharmaceutical economics and this was a great way to start learning about the FDA."

>Murder by Injection: The Story of the Medical Conspiracy Against America by Eustace Clarence Mullins
More info

"This is a very fine book. Eustace Mullins is an expert researcher. Previous to this book he was the FIRST person to reveal the true nature of the Federal Reserve (which has nothing to do with Federal). In this book he details the history of how control of the medicinal market has been won by the FDA and the AMA (and similar organizations in other Nations), and how the healing of citizens has been put in the hands of the Government rather than in the hands of the citizens themselves. Their choices for treatment have been downsized to that of Allopathic medicine, a way of trreatment that is relatively new, only a few hundred years old, if at that, as compared to medicine that has been practiced for thousands of years. This book details the methods used by the Rockefellers to control the medicinal market to their advantage. It also guarantees a level of population control....read on! You will be surprised!"

>On the Take: How Medicine's Complicity with Big Business Can Endanger Your Health by Jerome P. Kassirer, M.D.
More info

"I rarely write reviews, but in this case feel obligated to point out what a tremendous service Dr. Kassirer has provided. As a physician, I have always been concerned about the influence of gifts and outright payments to doctors and researchers in promoting pharmaceuticals and other healthcare. However, I had no idea how extensive and pervasive it is. Dr. Kassirer has done an outstanding job in giving us a picture of the truth. This is a very well written book. I strongly recommend that all medical students and physicians read it, and suggest that everyone interested in healthcare do so."

>Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine by Jerome Abramson, M.D.
More info

"As a community health nurse, I have been observing the increasing commercialization of medicine and medical knowledge over the past decade. Dr. Abramson has hit the nail on the head - while the cost of health care continues to rise, the quality of the care and the outcomes have not increased. It is a travesty that the elderly and patients suffering from chronic conditions are being hoodwinked into choosing between food and pills , and that we are not focusing on lifestyle changes that will enhance and prolong the quality of life."

>Over Dose: The Case Against the Drug Companies by Jay S. Cohen, M.D.
More info

"This book should be required reading for every practicing physician as well as for everyone who takes medicine. After reading this book, a major regret is that it was not available to me when I was first starting out in practice.It shames me to think how completely brainwashed I was by the drug companies. And I was not alone. All doctors in my acquaintenance seemed to share my misguided reverence for drug company marketing ploys. The essence of Doctor Cohen's message in this book is that we are all different in our reactions to drugs and the one size fits all mentality used for convenience by the drug industry inevitably results in underdosing some and overdosing others, frequently with serious or even lethal side effects. Start low, go slow is the author's message to doctors and I heartily endorse it."

> Selling Sickness: How the World's Biggest Pharmaceutical Companies Are Turning Us All Into Patients by Ray Moynihan
More info

"After oil production peaks, higher energy prices are likely to sink the world economy into a never-ending depression, so it will be important to stay healthy, because everything, and especially medical costs, are likely to be more expensive in the future. Before you incur high medical costs you can little afford, make sure you're even ill first. A great deal of fat could be cut out of the health care system right now and used instead to help people who are truly ill.

Getting healthy people to buy drugs they don't need, which won't cure what they don't have, and potentially have unpleasant to dire side effects, sounds like such a crazy premise, even Hollywood wouldn't buy it.
Yet that's just what's happened, as Moynihan and Cassels document in their book "Selling Sickness". The 500 billion dollar pharmaceutical industry has plenty of money to spend convincing us that our ordinary travails mask mental illnesses, and common aches and pains need treatment.
Americans represent five percent of the world's population, but we consume fifty percent of prescription drugs."

>The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It by Marcia Angell
More info

"I should start with a disclaimer. I'm a Vice President within one of the largest drug companies in the world and I have spent close to twenty years marketing drugs. So I guess I'm not supposed to like this book. But the truth is I thought it was fantastic.

First, for those of you who are not familiar with the healthcare industry, you should know that Ms. Angell is better capable of writing this masterpiece than any other author. She used to be Editor-in-Chief of The New England Journal of Medicine, which is considered the most prestigious medical journal in the world. Don't let her credentials scare you off, though. This is easy reading and the book captures your attention like a true business thriller, only this is real life suspense."

>The Whistleblower: Confessions of a Healthcare Hitman by Peter Rost, M.D.
More info

"This is a fascinating read, very credibly told. It is really a business thriller, especially for anyone familiar with the workings of large corporations, a sort of David and Goliath epic. I picked it up to read the first chapter and literally could not put it down for about the first 130 pages, cliché notwithstanding. It moves fast, develops characters nicely and retains suspense as the story expands. For a book about business it provide a lot of action in a way that gives you insight into the drug industry, the greed of large drug corporations and their CEOs, the behavior of people in large organizations, the role of government institutions, big legal & PR firms and the media - and it does all of this not only painlessly but also interestingly. Quite a ride!"

>What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You by Ray D. Strand, M.D.
More info

"This book is very important for modern health concerns. It offers treatment for problems that conventional medicine is unable to address.

Arguments are presented in a clear professional manner that is convincing of their truthfulness. This is no pseudo medicine full of a quacks mumbo jumbo. The case histories are very helpful to illustrate and confirm the points.
Also the availability of online consultation, presented in the book, is of unique value.
I use this book as a reference with my friends who have health questions and problems."

MORE LINKS

Cheerleader Drug Reps

Ex Drug Rep on Manipulating Doctors
"Statistics were the semantics of research."

Drug Reps vs Doctors

Scrubs & Drug Reps

Gluten-Free Recipes

Too Beautiful to Eat? by moriza (flickr.com)
Japanese tea desserts made of white bean paste & food colouring


>Country Herbs' Recipes
>Pecan & Sweet Potato Bread
>Vegetable Biryani (rice)
>Spicy Thai Almond Sauce
>Using Alternative Flours
>Flour Mixture
>Flour Mix
>Flour Blend
>Easy Rice Bread
>Pumpkin Custard with a Kick
>Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Cake
>Creamiest Rice Pudding
>Flourless Chocolate Cake
>Yellow Cake
>Chocolate Chip Meringue Drops
>Graham Crackers
>Fig Newtons
>Apple Butter Cookies
>Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
>Sweet Chestnut Pancakes
>Chickpea Flour Pancakes
>Chocolate Chip Cookies
>Ginger Cookies
>Gingerbread Cookies
>Sunflower Fruit Cookies
>Nikki's Healthy Cookie Recipe
>Purim Cookies
>Saltine Crackers
>Artisan Herbal Crackers
>Cheese Crackers
>Chickpea Crackers
>Savory Grain-Free Crackers
>Crispy Crackers
>Carob Banana Muffins
>Ginger Lemon Muffins
>Smoked Paprika Almonds
>Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
>Polenta 'Pizza'

RECIPE COLLECTIONS
>Book of Yum
>Karina's Kitchen
>Ginger Lemon Girl
>Christmas Cookies
>Fitness and Freebies Recipes
>Land O' Lakes Baking Recipes
>Elana's Pantry
>Healthy Indulgences
>Gluten-Free Girl
>Lizzy B Spicy Recipes
>Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Recipes
>Daring to Thrive

Feeling Bloated?

Gluten-free cupcakes by traceytakesphotos (flickr.com)


CELIAC DISEASE is an inherited, autoimmune disease in which the lining of the small intestine is damaged from eating gluten and other proteins found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats.

Alternative names: SPRUE , NONTROPICAL SPRUE , GLUTEN INTOLERANCE , GLUTEN-SENSITIVE ENTEROPATHY.

The exact CAUSE of celiac disease is unknown. The intestines contain projections (called villi) that absorb nutrients. In undiagnosed or untreated celiac disease , these villi become flattened, and the ability to absorb nutrients properly is altered.

The disease can develop at any point in life, from infancy to late adulthood.

Those with a family member with celiac disease are at greater risk for developing the disease. The disorder is most common in Caucasians and those of European ancestry. Women are affected more commonly than men.

There are numerous DISEASES & CONDITIONS associated with celiac disease , including:
Anemia
Autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus
Certain types of intestinal cancer
Dermatitis herpetiformis
Down syndrome
Lactose intolerance
Miscarriage or unexplained infertility
Neurological conditions
Osteoporosis or osteopenia
Thyroid disease
Type 1 diabetes

A partial listing of GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOMS:
Abdominal pain
Abdominal distention , bloating , gas, indigestion
Constipation
Decreased appetite (may also be increased or unchanged)
Diarrhea , chronic or occasional
Lactose intolerance (common upon diagnosis, usually goes away following treatment)
Nausea and vomiting
Stools that float, are foul smelling, bloody , or “fatty”
Unexplained weight loss (although people can be overweight or of normal weight upon diagnosis)

A partial listing of NON-INTESTINAL SYMPTOMS:
Anemia (low blood count)
Bone and joint pain
Bone disease (osteoporosis, kyphoscoliosis, fracture)
Breathlessness (due to anemia)
Bruising easily
Dental enamel defects and discoloration
Depression
Fatigue
Growth delay in children
Hair loss
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
Irritability and behavioral changes
Malnutrition
Mouth ulcers
Muscle cramps
Nosebleed
Seizures
Short stature, unexplained
Skin disorders (dermatitis herpetiformis)
Swelling, general or abdominal
Vitamin or mineral deficiency, single or multiple nutrient (for example, iron, folate, vitamin K)

TREATMENT
You must follow a life-long gluten-free diet. This allows the intestinal villi to heal. Foods, beverages, and medications that contain wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats should be eliminated completely. You must read food and medication labels carefully to look for hidden sources of these grains and their derivatives. Since wheat and barley grains are found abundantly in the American diet, keeping to this diet is challenging. With education and planning, you will achieve the goal of healing .

Vitamin and mineral supplements may be prescribed to correct nutritional deficiencies.

Upon diagnosis , seek consultation from a registered dietitian with a specialty in celiac disease and the gluten-free diet. A support group may also help you cope with the disease and diet.

PROGNOSIS
Removing all damaging grains from the diet is the most important measure you can take to become healthy. If you follow the diet strictly, you can expect to lead a long, healthy life -- if permanent damage did not occur before diagnosis.

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
The gluten-free diet must be carefully and continuously followed. When untreated, the disease can cause life-threatening complications. A delayed diagnosis or non-compliance with the diet places you at risk for developing associated conditions such as infertility , miscarriage , osteoporosis , fractures, certain types of intestinal cancer, or other autoimmune disorders.

PREVENTION
Because the exact cause is unknown, there is no known way to prevent the development of celiac disease . However, being aware of the risk factors (such as having a family member with the disorder) may increase your chances of early diagnosis , treatment, and a long, healthy life.

Celiac Disease

GLUTEN
Gluten is the elastic, rubbery protein present in wheat, rye, barley and to a lesser degree in oats. It binds the dough in foods such as bread and other baked goods. It contributes to spongy consistency. Rice and maize do not contain gluten.
However, gluten is only one protein found in wheat, rye and barley. These foods, like all other foods, contain a number of discreet proteins that all can result in adverse reactions, including allergies.
For example, wheat protein comprises 4 main groups of proteins: water-soluble, salt-soluble, alcohol-soluble and alcohol-insoluble. The major proteins in wheat-albumin, globulin, gliadin and glutenin (gluten)-vary in proportion according to the type of wheat.
Gluten

AVOID
Barley
Malt Vinegar
Rye
Wheat

The following terms found on FOOD LABELS may mean that there is gluten in the product:
>Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP), unless made from soy or corn
>Flour or Cereal products, unless made with pure rice flour, corn flour, potato flour, or soy flour
>Vegetable Protein unless made from soy or corn
>Malt or Malt Flavoring unless derived from corn
>Modified Starch or Modified Food Starch unless arrowroot, corn, potato, tapioca, waxy maize, or maize is used
>Vegetable Gum unless vegetable gums are carob bean gum, locust bean gum, cellulose gum, guar gum, gum arabic, gum aracia, gum tragacanth, xanthan gum, or vegetable starch
>Soy Sauce or Soy Sauce Solids unless you know they do not contain wheat

Any of the following words on FOOD LABELS usually means that a grain containing gluten has been used:
stabilizer
starch
flavoring
emulsifier
hydrolyzed plant protein

Gluten-Free Diet Chart

AVOID: When eating at a restaurant: Breaded foods / Creamed foods / Meatloaf & gravies
Gluten-Free Diet

FYI

Oats is a grain the merits special attention. Oats are believed safe in patients with celiac disease although this was not always the case. The problem with oat products is not the grain but rather the manufacturing process. When oats are processed in the same facilities as wheat, contamination can occur even with the best cleaning protocol. Oat products can now be found that are not cross contaminated. These can be tried after an initial period of 6 months to see if they can be tolerated. Most, but not all patients can tolerate pure oat products.

Foods may also contain less obvious sources of gluten as there is no requirement for manufacturers to specify the composition of ingredients that contribute less than 10% of a food. For example, it may be difficult to determine the origin of a soy sauce included as an ingredient in a commercial marinade. This means that gluten may be carried over into the marinade via the soy sauce. It is best to contact the manufacturer directly to determine the source of these ingredients.

It is essential that all food labels be rechecked regularly since the composition may change. Avoid any food that is doubtful.

Always check that medications and vitamins are gluten free.

Dairy foods may not be tolerated when someone with celiac disease has active symptoms, since lactose intolerance frequently develops. However, this is due to the lactose sugar in the dairy foods, rather than the proteins, which can cause milk allergy.

Even if there are no obvious symptoms, celiac sprue can cause serious vitamin and nutritional deficiencies, since the intestines may not be able to absorb important nutrients if gluten is being eaten.

Rates of certain cancers of the gastrointestinal tract are much higher in people with celiac sprue, and there is evidence that this risk is decreased with a gluten-free diet.

Mothers with untreated celiac disease are at increased risk for having a low birth weight baby.

Since bone loss is a common problem in people with celiac sprue (due in part to vitamin D deficiency), frequent monitoring with bone density scans is recommended.

Manufacturers are known to change ingredients without warning. This may be due to changes in the recipe, changes in the ingredients supplied to the manufacturer, or changes in the production & manufacturing methods, including cross contamination concerns.

Certain unacceptable ingredients may be hidden under the name of natural flavorings.

Modified food starch is a vague term which does not indicate the source of the starch (wheat or corn).

One way to determine if gluten is causing problems is to avoid it strictly for several weeks to see if any change occurs. Another method is to have a blood sample taken & tested for gluten antibodies. While a blood test for wheat allergy could be negative, there may be reactivity to digestive by-products of wheat.

The only treatment for celiac disease is to follow a gluten-free diet. For most people, following this diet will stop symptoms, heal existing intestinal damage, and prevent further damage. Improvements begin within days of starting the diet, and the small intestine is usually completely healed in 3 to 6 months. Healing may take up to 2 years for older adults.

If you would like to make something very high in fiber with an incredibly low glycemic index you will want to use 100% coconut flour. To do this we recommend you purchase the book Cooking With Coconut Flour by Dr. Bruce Fife. The entire book contains delicious recipes that use solely coconut fiber for the flour. These recipes use eggs for the binder or "glue" and they are very low in sugar or sweeteners. These recipes are great for diabetics, people with gluten allergies, and people with Candida and "leaky gut" issues. Coconut fiber/flour is an excellent product to use to promote healthy intestinal tract.

Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is a severe itchy, blistering skin disease caused by gluten intolerance. DH is related to celiac disease since both are autoimmune disorders caused by gluten intolerance, but they are separate diseases. The rash usually occurs on the elbows, knees, and buttocks.

1 out of 133 people in the United States is diagnosed with Celiac Disease.

Coeliac Disease is one of the commonest life-long disorders in Western countries. CD is frequently under-diagnosed, particularly in adults, who may present with subtle symptoms. In some countries the incidence is as high as 1 in 200 (Sweden) or 1 in 10,000 (Denmark).

Individuals with Celiac Disease are often mistakenly diagnosed as having Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Medication is ineffective in treating Celiac Disease. The only treatment available is the complete removal of gluten from the diet.

A variety of reactions to proteins in cereals is possible. These include allergy and Coeliac disease. Adverse reactions may be mild to life-threatening, short-term to life-long. A correct diagnosis must be made as the treatment, dietary avoidance, is often very difficult and if incorrectly applied can lead to vitamin deficiencies or malnutrition.

MORE LINKS

Celiac.com

Product Info

Gluten-Free Diet (The Analyst)

Celiac Disease & Gluten-Free Forum

Dermititis Herpetiformis

The DHOC

Wheat Allergy or Gluten Intolerance?

The Gluten-Free Guide to Eating

Gluten-Free Food

Gluten-Free Girl

Gluten Free Blog

Athlete's Self-Diagnosis

Celiac Disease on jezebel.com

Breaking the Vicious Cycle
Customer review: "And contrary to what some reviewers have written here, this diet is not about what you should eat, but about *what not to eat* in order to get well. There's plenty of choice for all types of foods, for a well balanced and healthy diet."

Cooking With Coconut Flour
Customer Review: "This book uses coconut flour and the recipes are moist and springy and as close to wheat-like as possible. Also, the baked goods stay moist for days."

How to Start Living Gluten-Free

Recipes & Blogs

Raw Meat: Yay or Neigh?

Raw Meat by Proggie (flickr.com)

OP (Original Poster):
yeah yeah you all love your raw seafood and beef, but how about raw chicken and pork? I know that in other countries like Japan and some in Southeast Asia they eat these items raw. How do they do it without getting sick? I have some chicken breast in the fridge, does that mean I can eat it straight?
I would really love to try it but I'm kind of scared. I have no problem eating raw beef (from the grocery store) like a bite or two and I also love eating raw eggs - mainly the yolk.
How do they eat raw chicken and pork in other countries? Do they dip them in particular sauces?
Also I heard both are quite delicious -bitsubeats

>There's a correlation between eating raw pork and chicken and higher death rates. Eating even cooked chicken from a less than reliable source is flirting with illness. -beevod

>In the west it is now OK to eat pork less than well done. Supposedly trichinosis hasn't appeared in the US for years now, so it's not a big health scare anymore. -PeterL

>I have heard of chicken served raw like sashimi in Japan. The only reason not to eat chicken less than well done in this country is that the mass processing of chickens is very unsanitary and the chickens are contaminated with salmonella and who knows what else. Why can you eat duck breast rare and not chicken breast? It's dependent on how they are raised and processed. If you raised your own chickens and when slaughtering made sure that the intestinal tract was removed cleanly and in a sanitary environment, I'm sure you could enjoy your chicken without a hazmat suit. -scubadoo97

>Ducks aren't affected by the same pathogens are are chickens. It doesn't matter how they're raised- the "raw chicken" that is supposedly consumed is probably irradiated or something, or the consumers are risk-taking idiots. Not to mention the fact that raw chicken is completely disgusting. -John Manzo

>I read a review recently of a Japanese place in Manhattan that serves chicken sashimi. The reviewer admitted he was too.... um.... "afraid" to try it. I really don't think I could force myself to order that. -egit

>The worst pathogens associated with chickens are not the ones of 50 years ago. Campylobacter jejuni is a danger in (large?) part because of battery production and "modern" processing and distribution. Salmonella can get into hens' ovaries and contaminate eggs--from the inside!--prior to shell formation. New more lethal strains (e.g., DT104) of Salmonella are not uncommonly found in pork--given new pig resistances to several anti-biotics. -Sam Fujisaka

>I'm with Sam: if you can get fresh local birds, you're safe. I have no desire to eat raw chicken, but I roast our local birds to a lower temp than I would industrial chickens, and they are very juicy and tender. Industrial birds are disgusting and immoral, and they are not tasty.. Militate for locally raised birds, and vendors will start producing the real deal. -pikawicca

>I'll eat any meat raw if I know that it is extremely fresh, and I trust the supplier. If I don't trust the supplier (because they practice intensive animal rearing), I wont even eat the meat if it's cooked. Haven't tried raw chicken, but I do like my poultry very rare. I have had pork sashimi before, and it was delicious. -Morton the Mousse

OP: ...eating raw eggs from the us doesn't bother me. I've been doing it for forever and I haven't gotten sick yet (cross your fingers!). I also do this with quail eggs, and I wonder if they are handled differently than chicken eggs? -bitsubeats

>Since organic doesn't mean "not slaughtered in a slaughterhouse" I would only try it if it were a chicken killed and butchered right in front of me in sanitary conditions. -LaurenTX2CA

>To me the concept sounds gross and I think the texture would be the worse part. -camp1980

>I think the point that being hammered down is don't eat commercially processed raw chicken or pork in the US, even if it's so-called organic.

The few places that serve chicken sashimi in the US are very careful with their purveyors and I understand that they inspect the chicken farms themselves to make sure it meets the sanitary conditions necessary to safely serve it.

In Japan, where it's on many menus, there are many independent chicken growers that take great pride in having developed their own breed of chickens raised to enhance the flavor of the meat, and take special care to make it available to be served as sashimi. There are many parts of Japan that are known for their chickens, though chicken sashimi is more or less associated with parts of Kyushu, where you can buy chicken for sashimi at the supermarket. -E Eto

>Ha! Bitsubeats, Colombians don't anything raw. They like their steaks thin and charred at the core of the sun for 20 minutes.

Raw beef--of course: Carpaccio. Slightly freeze beef to slice very thinly; pound out even thinner; dress with lemon or lime juice, olive oil, capers, salt, rough ground black pepper, thinly sliced green or spring onion. I take this to parties were there are more Europeans and Africans than Colombians. -Sam Fujisaka

>My primary objection to eating other raw meats is the texture- don't get me wrong, i like all sorts of squishy, slimy, firm, chewy, and crunchy things, but crispy pork fat is really, really good. I find undercooked pork unpleasantly spongy- even from heritage Berkshire and Duroc hogs. Chicken, too- I would certainly try chicken sashimi, but perfer the firmness that cooking gives to the flesh. Other meats, especially beef,bison, lamb, and venison, I enjoy from raw through medium rare- chopped or sliced.

To add- I would not try chicken sashimi in the US because I just don't believe any mass produced chickens here are wholesome enough to eat raw. -lunchbox

>I admit that I am scared, but I have to tell you that the smell and texture are probably more of a turn off. What could possibly smell worse than raw poultry? Even washed, it has a definite odor that I find off-putting.

The smell of raw pork is a turn-off to me too. Funny, but I don't find that I feel that way about the smell of beef or sashimi. Now, I eat sushi all the time, but I grimace a bit about steak tartare because I don't know where the beef comes from, nor how it was processed. Yet, I can eat rare steak because I know the outside is seared. -RGC1982

>I have no problem with the concept of raw chicken or its good execution. I've had it at a yakitori place in NYC and thought it was just so so. My friend had it in a small town in Japan that's known for special chickens raised for this purpose and thought it was delicious. Mine was served with a garlicky soy sauce. -cimui

>I've had chicken sashimi in Tokyo at a place that specialized in it. We were told that the chickens are raised in very clean environments specially for that purpose. In other words, very UNlike how chickens are raised in the U.S. While it tasted fine, it was not all that exciting. More or less how one would expect it to taste, I'd say; kind of bland without the sauce. Texture sort of similar to a piece of hamachi sashimi. It was sort of a novelty thing (we were taken there as guests of some Japanese relatives of my husband's). I would much prefer sashimi made of seafood. -2m8ohed

>i have eaten raw chicken on two occasions at one of my favorite places in Tokyo. i will admit that i was hesitant the first time, but my brother and i want to eat everything possible at least once, so we tried it. it was served sashimi style with soy and wasabi. i was expecting slimy and rubbery and gross, but it was cool and fresh, with a nice texture and nothing like my expectations. we both remarked that it was similar to eating a nice piece of raw fish. my younger brother and father both ate it while visiting too, and while my dad liked it, he was a little squeamish and probably wouldn't order it again. my little brother loved it though (but he prefers most things under cooked). I have also eaten raw pork in Japan and i didn't enjoy it because it was a fatty piece of meat and i prefer the the nice caramelization of pork fat. also, the pork was really, well, porky and tasted a little too much like the farm for my taste. -taryn

>There is no trich worm in Aisa/Europe, making the consumption of raw pork less harmful. There still are a very few reported cases of U.S. trich due to wild game, but the processing is such as to make sickness from pork very rare. -mythomane

>Raw pork in the US is no more dangerous than raw beef (neither is 100 percent safe, but then, what is?). It's just long-taught habit that prevents us from eating rare, let alone raw, pork. I'm not sure raw pork would taste as good as properly cooked pork, though, since the most delicious part of pork is the fat, which is better when it's been cooked and caramelized. -Ruth Lafler

>We also eat raw horse here as well, tastes like rare roast beef! -lost squirrel

>there are a few restaurants in toronto that serve horse though most of the time it's in steak form. some of them do a tartare.

i've found horse to actually be quite sweet in comparison to beef with subtle but more interesting flavours. -pinstripeprincess

>This is just a question of common sense, or calculating a risk. Raw chicken can, of course, harbour e.coli, which cooking kills. Raw pork can harbour trichinosis, but I understand this is far less common today than previously. -ekammin

>...another place where they eat raw pork is Germany -- called Mett, it's raw ground pork, spread on bread. I tried it once, under extreme peer pressure, and it definitely was not to my liking. -Kitchen Imp

>Good quality Mett (especially Schinkenmett, from fresh ham) is amazing! I first had it on accident -- low lighting, someone handed me a plate of appetizers, I thought it was a funny presentation of tartare de boeuf -- but at first bite, all became clear. Yummy, yummy pure pork flavor. No way I would trust the US meat supply with raw pork, but from a good source in Germany, no problem. -tmso

>...ok i'm rambling but this food scare business is far reaching. i picked up a bottle of balsamic vinegar the other day from a local whole foods, without looking at it closely. yesterday i picked it up and there was a warning label i hadn't noticed before telling me that this product contained lead. -augustiner

>If I recall correctly, fish that is sushi quality has been frozen for a number of weeks at extremely cold temperatures thus killing any harmful organisms. Maybe they do this with chicken too? -Barbecue Joe

>First, no, the freezing-for-weeks thing about sushi is not true. I'll leave it to someone else to go into that in more detail.

Second, I always wondered why you could eat rare-ish duck breast (which I love) but not rare chicken. Thanks for illuminating that issue in this discussion.
Third, I had "wild" boar (presumably farmed) loin in a Seattle restaurant, which I was encouraged to order cooked to the same degree as a similar cut of beef. I got it medium-rare and not only was it gorgeous, but I lived to tell about it, at least so far. -Barry Foy

>While it is possible that raw pork or chicken are served in some restaurants in Japan, it is extremely uncommon. The Japanese do not traditionally eat either of these raw but it seems this is a bit of a specialty in the Kyushu area (most parts of Japan have regional specialties that aren't necessarily common in other areas). When I did a bit of research, I discovered the chicken is "specially handled" to render it immune to salmonella or other types of food poisoning bacteria. My guess is it is handled in much the same way as proscuitto is. Apparently, horse meat is also served in this way (again, mainly in Kyushu).

One thing to keep in mind is that "raw ham" ("nama hamu") is the Japanese name for proscuitto so there could be some confusion about what it is. Proscuitto isn't exactly the same as "raw pork".
It's important not to give an incomplete picture of the way these sorts of things work or you advance the notion that other cultures are blithely consuming dangerous dishes out of an ignorance of the risk or a disregard of it. That's simply not the case, at least for Japan. -Orchid64

>I've seen chicken served raw in some hole in the wall Japanese places and ONE southern italian place. The Japanese raw chicken was so-so. Inoffensive but really didn't have much flavor. The Italian raw chicken was INCREDIBLE though. It was marinated in olive oil, lemon and fresh ramps and covered in black pepper and salt by our server when he presented it. It was a special so I guess they don't serve it that often (maybe when they are able to get the highest quality chickens). Apparently it's native to a few small villages on the southeast coast of Italy that are known for their fresh poultry. It was truly delicious I have to say. And they served the drumstick and wing at the italian place whereas the Japanese place served thinly sliced pieces of breast. At the italian joint the skin was served immediately after and was deep fried and sprinkled with salt, powdered sugar and lightly steamed fennel slices. Amazing! -mulewizard

>We still get significant finding reports of trichinosis in CT every year, so it still exists in pork in the US.

The Funny thing about chicken is that it isn't Salmonella and E. coli HO157 to be worried about primarily, its Campylobacter, with anywhere from 25 to 100%(depending on the various surveys of the raw meat at different times) of Grocery store chicken carrying it. It is an organism that is part of the chicken and I haven't heard of it being specific to the US ( not too different than E. coli (not HO157) being part of us). The thing about campy is that it will make you miserable for several days and although it is not associated with significant mortality - there are about 124 deaths a year in the us associated with it. Freezing does help reduce the number of organisms. -Paula T

>This is such an interesting topic that is sooo over exaggerated. I am guessing most of the posts here are from fellow Americans grown to believe the myths and wifes tales of the past couple of centuries. I grew up hating pork chops for the sole reason that my mom and every one else I new cooked the hell out of the meat and it lossed all its flavor and tenderness.

People have been eating raw chicken and pork as long as there has been chickens. The problem #1 comes from yes our processing methods and #2 that we are not used to it. As you eat more and more raw product your body naturally build an immunity to it. In my opinion there is nothing better than a thick bone in pork chop stuffed with buffalo mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto and seared to MR.

Chicken carpaccio is out of this world and yes is a little weird to us Americans, but I will only do this with a chicken that I know is fresh preferably killed and cleaned in front of me. This is extremely popular in Tokyo.

It always drive me nuts when I am cooking pork and I ask how they would like it prepared and they look at me as if I has two heads. Believe it or not there is more salmonella in the egg shell than there is in the yolk or white.

I think ducks are a fatty meat that might not be a penetrable to bacteria and such, and I heard somewhere that ducks lay eggs once a year compared to a chickens once a day. Dont know if that has something to do with it.

This conversation makes me want to call my local farmer for some fresh live chickens maybe grab a goat while Im at it.

I would like to know how Yakitori gets away with it in New York? I know the health department has to have something to say about that. -Steven Troilo

Eating Raw Chicken & Pork: chowhound.chow.com/topics/411241

Not Food

(incredimazing.com)

4 Total Cleanse

by Genesis Today
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120 capsules

From the pamphlet (excerpt):

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YouBar

ABC News feature

Manifesto

TODAY'S THE DAY
I PLEDGE TO DEFEAT
ALL BAD HABITS.
I'LL FOLLOW A HEALTHY DIET
CAUSE I'M NOT AFRAID
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