What's the Real Cost?

if you have any energy around health care, check this AMAZING site.

A Christmas message

I've been searching for a 'sign' (if you want to think of it that way) as Christmas came closer. A message, some indication of where I go from here. It happens every Christmas for me.. and many others I know.

With the lack of measurable success at Copenhagen I was feeling quite despondent and wondering about the whole effort I try to make to create a better world. Then I saw that Jamie Oliver had won this year's TED.COM prize. I went to investigate, and found this video. I have to share that tears came to my eyes as I watched the video. At last, a sign, a message, a way forward that can affect every day and everyone. And when you've watched the video you may like to learn more about this excellent initiative here.

Dr Simoncini by Dr Ralph Moss

So many requests have come to me regarding more info about Dr Tullio Simoncini that I felt that Dr Ralph Moss' (pic left) article about his therapy was worth sharing.

Dr Moss runs what I consider to be the best website in the world on balancing alternative and traditional cancer treatment philosophies and I think anyone faced with the spectre of cancer would do well to read his many free articles.
Here's the Simoncini download.

Follow Me

If you're tired of searching for my blog every time you want to see what I've been up to, you can now follow me with automatic notifications when I add a new post. just go to the bottom of this page and you'll see the Google "Follow" button. You'll need a Google account.

If you're still fooling around with Hotmail, let me tell you, you NEED a Google - account! SO much better!

A Nice end of Year Contemplation

Living as we do within a seagull's cry of Byron Bay, we get to see dolphins almost every day we walk. During the season, we are also privileged to see Humpback whales.

Now someone has interpreted dolphin and whale calls into a visual 'artform'. Take a look. The images are so good I'd like to print them out and hang them on my wall!
See them here

Why your Epigenome is worth learning about.

Be Nice To Your Epigenome

New data points more and more to the genetic effect on obesity, even asthma. That is, as they say, in your DNA. You are born with whatever you inherited genetically. That we all know and accept. Today’s big debate in genetic circles is about what we can or can’t do about it, and this is where the term ‘epigenome’ enters the scene.

As we said we are born with genes we can’t change. This ‘batch’ of genes is your genome. However all around your genome is a variety of substances once called ‘junk DNA’. This is your epigenome, and last years’ junk may be this year’s treasure. It includes all the processes and substances that are inter-related to your DNA, and what we have now learned is that they act as switches that actually turn genes in our DNA on and off, where and when the body in its infinite wisdom, sees as necessary for our greater good and survival.

Hence we can se our genes as workmen, skilled in one job, always ready and willing. Our epigenome tells these genes what to do and where. The ‘job’ your gene has to perform may vary from one cell to another, even though all genes appear to do the same job.

So what? What has this to do with me? Well, according to latest research, the epigenome is not a fixed state of cells or substances. It is constantly subject to modification by all sorts of factors, which in turn, affects how our genes are employed.

The most researched and understood epigenome modification is a process known as methylation. Groups of methyls, which are tiny biochemicals composed of just carbon and oxygen, are actually added to our DNA via our epigenome. Interestingly, this process seems only to affect genes that are hardly ever used. Further, special molecular ‘glue’ proteins, called histones, whose sole role is to glue our DNA together, are also affected my methylation.
The big breakthrough is that scientists now understand that this previously mysterious process is actually affected by our environment.. in particular, by our diet and our air supply.

What has Epigenetics got to do with Cancer?

Like so many fields of research in cancer, things remain less than clear. We do know that cancer cells have a very low level of methylation, which, based on what we already discussed, means cancer cells may have the ability to ‘turn off’ tumour suppression genes.
What is clear is that there are many biochemicals that affect methylation. But a trail has been found, starting at breathing and eating, which in turn affects methylation levels which in turn affects the ability of our DNA or genes to get on with their appointed tasks.

Anyone who read ‘The China Study’ will understand that an accurate summation and correlation of diet studies is very difficult. It’s not hard to understand that the effects of sugar on blood glucose, but other ‘cause and effects’ are less simple to unravel, and scientists are of the opinion that many dietary and atmospheric effects may indeed be epigenome modification phenomena.
One large study that has been running for decades (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)) will certainly clarify this relationship.

The study is still underway, but it is expected to point to the fact that if you are adequately fed and have a recognized healthy diet, you will develop less cancer or other chronic illnesses so common to Westerners. So staying with a healthy diet can no longer be seen as a fad or mad supplement adventure.

Eating to Support Epigenome Methylation

Guess what? The foods that support healthy methylation are our old favourites.. almost all with a known antioxidant or alkalizing power. Green tea, cruciferous vegetables, foods laden with folic acid (leafy vegetables, beans, peas, sunflower seeds and liver), fortified whole grain breads, and non-sugar supplemented breakfast cereals.

Methionine stands out. This essential aminio acid is not synthesized by our bodies and we must get it from foods containing it. These include spinach, garlic, brazil nuts, kidney beans , tofu, chicken, beef and fish. Obviously as an Alkalarian, I prefer chicken and fish to red meat.

Choline, an essential nutrient in the B Vitamin complex, is another great source for methylation processes. You’ll get it from eggs, lettuce, peanuts and liver.

Zinc also assists the methylation process, so careful supplementation or the occasional dozen oysters may be worthwhile.

Methylation and Vino

When over-imbibed, the alcohol in wine interferes with folate metabolism and down the track, with methylation. A glass per day, however, yields health benefits in the form of resveratrol (a powerful antioxidant from red grape skin), including cancer prevention. Scientists are agreed about its benefit, but are still arguing about how it achieves the benefit. It seems partly related to switching on specific DNA-repair genes, which are part of the epigenome. Even flagon wine is high in betaine, which may explain why some notable octogenarians who have their daily tipple of cheap wine are still breathing.

In Summary

We are blitzed with obscure medical 'breakthroughs' all the time, usually on the least discriminating source of all - the evening TV news. But surely if we can understand that we can support long term functional genetic health, then we could be more confident of a disease-free future by empowering our resident DNA to do what it's meant to do; support our ongoing life force. And the knowledge that every piece of good alkaline food we eat or drink does support our Epigenome's support for our DNA surely empowers us to make the right dialy choice about diet and environment.

I do not believe in reactive medicine. Sure, if I am already sick, I will resort to it. But proactive health - well - that's another thing entirely. I am blessed with almost perfect health and age 63. A lazy prostate is all I can really say is wrong with me. And believe me, I'm not the sort of guy people would pick as a sperm donor because of my superior DNA. So I do thank God daily for the opportunity I was given to eat well and live well in support of my epigenome's daily management task. And because I'm 'old' I also thank God for the ability to see the oppoerunity i have had and be grateful for it. good food isn't a choice; it's a life insurance policy with the lowest premiums on the market.

New results in today for the AlkaPod Portable ionizer

In a laboratory test we just received on a new Alkapod using tap water, here are the quite amazing pH and ORP (negative ions) results for 20 consecutive laboratory tests.They are still available: we are very close to running out but we expect more in before Christmas. Here's the link to order yours. Yes, we deliver worldwide.

Just How stylish is the delphi faucet?

The world renowned and very expensive Hans Grohe range of kitchen and bathware have what may be judged as the best design taps and showers available. For instance, look at this kitchen mixer.

If I was able to improve on its design, by removing the lever and installing intuitive touch controls, I guess it might look like this: (Which just happens to be a picture of the faucet on our Delphi water ionizer)

World's Most Dangerous Bottled water Source

CAMP RED CLOUD, SOUTH KOREA — Many water bottlers draw their raw water from pristine places, but only one has a very hazardous source — the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating North Korea and South Korea, according to a December 1 article in Stars and Stripes.

Lotte Chilsung Co., a bottler in South Korea, is now drawing water from beneath the DMZ for its operation, after having obtained special permission from the South Korea Ministry of Defense to set up a pumping operation, reported Stars and Stripes, a newspaper circulated to the USmilitary.

Because the DMZ has been in a totally natural state since the end of the Korean War in 1953, its ecosystem “is the best in the world,” claims Chun Woo-chul, a spokesman for the company. Sprinkled with land mines, heavily fortified and considered one of the most dangerous places on Earth, the DMZ is a strip of land 2.5 miles wide and 155 miles long, the article says.

For the past three months, the company has been producing and selling its “DMZ” brand of bottled water, sales of which have been good throughout Korea, Chun was quoted saying in the article. He said the company is thinking about exporting the brand.

Naturalists have previously noted the abundance and variety of wildlife and plant species that thrive in the DMZ. Chun said company officials at first were concerned that a “DMZ” brand might have negative connotations due to the continuing tensions between the two Koreas, but apparently many bottled water consumers also know the zone is untouched by human hands.

How You will Die.. Statistically Speaking

This site specialises in making complex data simple... including how US people die.
See it here
And while you're at it, see this site that shows who owns the organic foods you purchase. Hmmmm.

Italian Doctor's Cure for MS

An Italian doctor has been getting dramatic results with a new type of treatment for Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, which affects up to 2.5 million people worldwide.

In an initial study, Dr. Paolo Zamboni took 65 patients with relapsing-remitting MS, performed a simple operation to unblock restricted bloodflow out of the brain - and two years after the surgery, 73% of the patients had no symptoms.

Dr. Zamboni's thinking could turn the current understanding of MS on its head, and offer many sufferers a complete cure. Multiple sclerosis, or MS, has long been regarded as a life sentence of debilitating nerve degeneration. More common in females, the disease affects an estimated 2.5 million people around the world, causing physical and mental disabilities that can gradually destroy a patient's quality of life.

It's generally accepted that there's no cure for MS, only treatments that mitigate the symptoms - but a new way of looking at the disease has opened the door to a simple treatment that is causing radical improvements in a small sample of sufferers. Italian Dr. Paolo Zamboni has put forward the idea that many types of MS are actually caused by a blockage of the pathways that remove excess iron from the brain - and by simply clearing out a couple of major veins to reopen the blood flow, the root cause of the disease can be eliminated.

Dr. Zamboni's revelations came as part of a very personal mission - to cure his wife as she began a downward spiral after diagnosis. Reading everything he could on the subject, Dr. Zamboni found a number of century-old sources citing excess iron as a possible cause of MS. It happened to dovetail with some research he had been doing previously on how a buildup of iron can damage blood vessels in the legs - could it be that a buildup of iron was somehow damaging blood vessels in the brain?He immediately took to the ultrasound machine to see if the idea had any merit - and made a staggering discovery. More than 90% of people with MS have some sort of malformation or blockage in the veins that drain blood from the brain. Including, as it turned out, his wife.

He formed a hypothesis on how this could lead to MS: iron builds up in the brain, blocking and damaging these crucial blood vessels. As the vessels rupture, they allow both the iron itself, and immune cells from the bloodstream, to cross the blood-brain barrier into the cerebro-spinal fluid. Once the immune cells have direct access to the immune system, they begin to attack the myelin sheathing of the cerebral nerves - Multiple Sclerosis develops.

He named the problem Chronic Cerebro-Spinal Venous Insufficiency, or CCSVI.

Zamboni immediately scheduled his wife for a simple operation to unblock the veins - a catheter was threaded up through blood vessels in the groin area, all the way up to the effected area, and then a small balloon was inflated to clear out the blockage. It's a standard and relatively risk-free operation - and the results were immediate. In the three years since the surgery, Dr. Zamboni's wife has not had an attack.Widening out his study, Dr. Zamboni then tried the same operation on a group of 65 MS-sufferers, identifying blood drainage blockages in the brain and unblocking them - and more than 73% of the patients are completely free of the symptoms of MS, two years after the operation.In some cases, a balloon is not enough to fully open the vein channel, which collapses either as soon as the balloon is removed, or sometime later. In these cases, a metal stent can easily be used, which remains in place holding the vein open permanently.

Dr. Zamboni's lucky find is yet to be accepted by the medical community, which is traditionally slow to accept revolutionary ideas. Still, most agree that while further study needs to be undertaken before this is looked upon as a cure for MS, the results thus far have been very positive.Naturally, support groups for MS sufferers are buzzing with the news that a simple operation could free patients from what they have always been told would be a lifelong affliction, and further studies are being undertaken by researchers around the world hoping to confirm the link between CCSVI and MS, and open the door for the treatment to become available for sufferers worldwide.

It's certainly a very exciting find for MS sufferers, as it represents a possible complete cure, as opposed to an ongoing treatment of symptoms. We wish Dr. Zamboni and the various teams looking further into this issue the best of luck.
More sources: 1 2 3

Via The Globe and Mail.
From Gizmag

Thick and fast; alkaline diet for older people

Boy, the data is really coming in thick and fast, as more and more scientists concur on the need for a more alkaline diet. Here's another study that concludes in part that "increasing the alkali content of the diet may attenuate bone loss in healthy older adults."

And while you are in a browsing mood, remember that great book I recommended, Building Bone Vitality" by Dr Amy Lou Lanou? Take a look at what the New York Times had to say about it here.

Sometimes I Hate the Internet

The ability to amass seemingly impossible numbers of statistics into one simple and coherent form may seem a wonderful advance now available on the net. But sometimes.. well.. take a look yourself and see how you feel!

Thanks to Jenny

A Paradox of Plenty; Hunger in America

Here is, in my view, is an excellent discussion by Bernd Debusmann on USA today. He discusses the obscene distribution of wealth that has created a true third world dichotomy within USA. Well worth a read.

But equally w ell worth the read is a comment by one of his readers which really got to me. Wondering what you think;

"I live in one of the poorest major cities in America, Cleveland Ohio. Admittedly, I’m a middle-class American with no fear of hunger (unless I get down-sized, which is always a scary possibility in America) at the moment. However, I think the notion that 1 in 6 Americans is “hungry” is exaggerated. Hunger is a serious issue for many of the poorest Americans, true. However, many of the Americans claiming difficult with their food supply have little problem paying their cell phone bill, high-speed internet, cable TV subscription (with movie channels), iTunes charges, and other personal media monthly payments that account for as much as 20% of the average American’s budget. Like another person said, most of the people I see in lower-income sections of the city I live in are overweight, chatting on their cell phones, buying cigarettes and alcohol (both of which are extremely expensive here), and driving new cars (complete with GPS). The problem is America is not lack of food…it is lack of education, rampant consumerism, our fear-mongering news media, and a government more interested in “right vs. left” politics that actual solving our countries ills. Americans consider food and basic necessities to be “extras” in their budget. My own sister needs to borrow money from my parents to buy groceries, after she has already paid her expensive rent, SUV payment, and assortment of extra monthly expenses. The newest flat-screen TV, cell phone model, and MP3 players are the American “bread and butter” today. All of which require ridiculously high monthly payments. I won’t even get into the American obsession with credit card debt, which takes up another giant slice of the average American’s food budget! Until the bread-and-circus culture of America ceases to dazzle the uneducated masses, our country will continue to appear to be a “paradox of plenty”.

Oxidative Stress = rust=Inflammation = acidification = ageing =

This article in Science Today suggests a new precursor cause for Alzheimers'. It's a term that's becoming very common on this blog because as the heading suggests, it's once again related to a healthy acid/alkaline balance. Oxidation is what happens when we are too acidic, and oxidative stress is the effect of oxidation.

These scientists have pinpointed the idea that oxidative stress, which occurs in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, may modify molecules in the brain, resulting in loss or alteration of their function.

Now.. I'm not in the least bit qualified to relate an alkaline lifestyle to reduced Alzheimers' risk, but seeing acidification pop up again and gain as the culprit in so many deteriorative 'Boomer' health conditions does assure me that I'm on the right track personally in my Alkalarian lifestyle.

Coke: How Big is it.. Really?

If you have any doubt that CocaCola has the ability to alter an entire nation's health, just take a look at the size of it here

Serious Stuff

I attempt to steer clear of the alternative therapy/allopathy differences, as enforced by our own Therapeutic Goods Administration. But when I read this link I was, frankly, deeply shocked us I know - perhaps more than most because of my international connections - the effect this sort of 'legislative creep' has had on the ability of ordinary Europeans to manage their own health with foods they know to be pure, organic and health supporting.

I do understand that there are a few people who seek to exploit the legislation already in place to sell a product 'under the radar' but as I see it these people are already subjected to sufficient safeguards so that their products harm no-one.

However this sort of new 'big brother' 'we choose what you eat' style of legislation has proven a total disaster in Europe.. and news in my daily OS links is only bad.

If you care about the future of natural foods in Australia, take a look at this link, and if you want to do something, here is the petition. But please. Do take action now.

Can You assist?

For some weird reason I need to be 'approved' by my readers to link Facebook with my blog.

If you go here you can help me by 'approving me' as author of this blog. Crazy? Yep but that's the web for ya!

If You Can't afford drugs for your cancer, become a mascot.

Get this. In this report, a guy has a rare form of cancer, requiring specialist drugs. The report LOOKS good, with him giving reasonable basic advice for anyone with cancer.. but what is the sub-plot? Why is he bothering?
BECAUSE HE'S BEING PAID BY THE DRUG COMPANY!!!

So let me get my head around this.. when you are a football star, you get paid by companies because you are a football star. when you are a tennis star you get paid to wear or drink or promote products. So.. if I get cancer can I ask companies for sponsorship because... what? I have cancer - and I'm good at having cancer???!!!

Is this weird to you or am I alone on this one?

HOW BIG??

How big is a water molecule? A bacterium? An Aids Virus? Take a look at this amazing presentation to understand 'BIG'.

A Sweet Story from Carolyn I received today

"I have just come back from being in Sydney for the weekend for a wedding, without my water! It’s funny, because I definitely felt the difference. This morning, I had no energy to exercise or do anything for the first half of the day. It took me until the afternoon, after drinking 2ltrs of alkalised water before I started feeling normal again. Amazing!"

if you are a British Woman here's your daily 'Chemo'.

It seems, according to this report, that the average British woman has FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY separate chemicals in her body!

Here's the report.

"Low-grade Metabolic Alkalosis May be the Optimal Acid-base State for Humans"

I've been talking about Dr Lindsa Frasettos's work on acid/alkaline balance for some time but I'm sure many of my readers have never seen the abstract of her now-famous paper. Here it is.

"

Diet, evolution and aging--the pathophysiologic effects of the post-agricultural inversion of the potassium-to-sodium and base-to-chloride ratios in the human diet.

Frassetto L, Morris RC Jr, Sellmeyer DE, Todd K, Sebastian A.

University of California, San Francisco 94143, USA.

Theoretically, we humans should be better adapted physiologically to the diet our ancestors were exposed to during millions of years of hominid evolution than to the diet we have been eating since the agricultural revolution a mere 10,000 years ago, and since industrialization only 200 years ago. Among the many health problems resulting from this mismatch between our genetically determined nutritional requirements and our current diet, some might be a consequence in part of the deficiency of potassium alkali salts (K-base), which are amply present in the plant foods that our ancestors ate in abundance, and the exchange of those salts for sodium chloride (NaCl), which has been incorporated copiously into the contemporary diet, which at the same time is meager in K-base-rich plant foods. Deficiency of K-base in the diet increases the net systemic acid load imposed by the diet. We know that clinically-recognized chronic metabolic acidosis has deleterious effects on the body, including growth retardation in children, decreased muscle and bone mass in adults, and kidney stone formation, and that correction of acidosis can ameliorate those conditions. Is it possible that a lifetime of eating diets that deliver evolutionarily superphysiologic loads of acid to the body contribute to the decrease in bone and muscle mass, and growth hormone secretion, which occur normally with age? That is, are contemporary humans suffering from the consequences of chronic, diet-induced low-grade systemic metabolic acidosis? Our group has shown that contemporary net acid-producing diets do indeed characteristically produce a low-grade systemic metabolic acidosis in otherwise healthy adult subjects, and that the degree of acidosis increases with age, in relation to the normally occurring age-related decline in renal functional capacity. We also found that neutralization of the diet net acid load with dietary supplements of potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3) improved calcium and phosphorus balances, reduced bone resorption rates, improved nitrogen balance, and mitigated the normally occurring age-related decline in growth hormone secretion--all without restricting dietary NaCl. Moreover, we found that co-administration of an alkalinizing salt of potassium (potassium citrate) with NaCl prevented NaCl from increasing urinary calcium excretion and bone resorption, as occurred with NaCl administration alone. Earlier studies estimated dietary acid load from the amount of animal protein in the diet, inasmuch as protein metabolism yields sulfuric acid as an end-product. In cross-cultural epidemiologic studies, Abelow found that hip fracture incidence in older women correlated with animal protein intake, and they suggested a causal relation to the acid load from protein. Those studies did not consider the effect of potential sources of base in the diet. We considered that estimating the net acid load of the diet (i. e., acid minus base) would require considering also the intake of plant foods, many of which are rich sources of K-base, or more precisely base precursors, substances like organic anions that the body metabolizes to bicarbonate. In following up the findings of Abelow et al., we found that plant food intake tended to be protective against hip fracture, and that hip fracture incidence among countries correlated inversely with the ratio of plant-to-animal food intake. These findings were confirmed in a more homogeneous population of white elderly women residents of the U.S. These findings support affirmative answers to the questions we asked above. Can we provide dietary guidelines for controlling dietary net acid loads to minimize or eliminate diet-induced and age-amplified chronic low-grade metabolic acidosis and its pathophysiological sequelae. We discuss the use of algorithms to predict the diet net acid and provide nutritionists and clinicians with relatively simple and reliable methods for determining and controlling the net acid load of the diet. A more difficult question is what level of acidosis is acceptable. We argue that any level of acidosis may be unacceptable from an evolutionarily perspective, and indeed, that a low-grade metabolic alkalosis may be the optimal acid-base state for humans."

Is the Internet BIG Enough Yet?

Take a look at this

Now THIS is a good day!

A good day at AlkaWay is when we get stories like this... Karen our resident alkaline specialist received this email today.

"Karen,

Just wanted to touch base and thank you for your time and info. I am so grateful you suggested the Alphion, it was a breeze to set up and now I have clean water at the press of a button! I have only been drinking alkaline water for 2 ½ weeks, but am already so happy with the results.

I have not felt so full of energy in years. I checked my pH levels before starting the water and I was at a level of 4!!! And guess what pH the water I had been drinking up to that point was……yep, 4!!! I was drinking acid!! No wonder my poor body has been holding on to the fat and not releasing anything even with some serious training.

I have not been able to lose anything in over 3yrs since I started piling on the weight, which oddly enough, is when I started drinking my acid water! And I won’t even get into the inflammation markers going through the roof in recent months, I am no longer surprised. I have had so many tests done and so many frustrations because Dr’s can’t find anything wrong, and yet I know that something is not right.

And all along, not one practitioner checked pH levels. This will be the first thing I will be checking as a Naturopath (when I graduate!). Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I am doing great. I am exercising again, and have even added a pm session and I still feel fantastic. No pain or fatigue.

The next morning I wake up, feel great and actually look forward to my workout. My pH levels at present are around the 5.25 to 6, not very good, but I am heading in the right direction now as opposed to heading towards a degradation of my beautiful little hardworking cells lol. So, a big thank you again to you and the team for all that you do. "

Sincerely,
Carolyn

"As Good as a Dyson!

Had a talk with Allan stone in Tasmania this morning. At 71 he's full of beans and after talking about his chocolate cravings disappearing after alkalizing, he told me his Melody water alkalizer was in the same design league as his Dyson vacuum Cleaner. 'It's so well designed, so easy to use. I had a top-fill water filter before this and it was such a nuisance!"

Allan also gave me his secret heartburn remedy; a teaspoon of Chia seeds soaked for hf an hour in warm water. Although.. he also said that he didn't need it any more now he has become an Alkalarian.

Dr lark Comments on New Breast screening Guidelines

Dr Susan Lark, Alkalarian and author of the book 'Chemistry Of Success' is one of my role models. Here's an email I received from her about Breast cancer Screening.

"I'm sure you heard the news that came out yesterday about the new mammography guidelines proposed by the U.S Preventive Services Task Force. Essentially, the recommendations now state that women between the ages of 40 to 49 should not get annual mammograms unless they are high-risk (i.e., strong family history and/or positive for the breast cancer genes BRCA-1 or -2) because the risks of the screening outweigh the benefits. The new guidelines also state that women over the age of 50 should get mammograms, but every two years instead of yearly. Finally, they state that self-breast exams are no longer necessary.

There are aspects of these new guidelines with which I wholeheartedly agree, and others that, quite frankly, anger me.

First and foremost, I believe there is a better alternative to mammograms and I have been speaking out against them for decades because I believe the risks outweigh the benefits. As I stated in my February 2008 issue of Women's Wellness Today:

"A routine mammogram's sensitivity (how good it is at detecting suspicious tissue) varies. If a woman is still menstruating, her breast tissue is denser, which drops the sensitivity of routine mammograms to below 70 percent. That means that as many as 30 percent of existing breast cancers are missed, which is troubling because cancers in younger women tend to grow faster. After menopause, a mammogram's sensitivity is better, but still not great. Routine mammograms are hamstrung by the fact that any tumor smaller than about four-tenths of an inch across is less likely to show up, so a tumor might be just small enough to escape detection, and then have lots of time to grow and spread before the next mammogram. On top of all this, human error in reading the films is also a very real possibility.

Here's another problem with mammography. Five out of six "suspicious" routine mammograms turn out not to be cancer. Those five women are undoubtedly relieved, but they also got the scare of their lives, underwent more tests, maybe got biopsies, and possibly even had surgery they didn't need.

The latest studies show that for every 2,000 women who get a routine mammogram, one life is prolonged. If that seems mediocre, you should know that protecting any individual woman against breast cancer was never the goal of routine mammograms-it's well known that they miss too many cancers in the early, most treatable stage. As a routine screening tool, their purpose is simply to reduce the percentage of women who die from breast cancer."

For these exact reasons, I recommend a breast imaging test called thermography over mammography for all women 40 and over. A normal breast thermogram for each woman is like her fingerprint: It's uniquely hers, and it doesn't change much over time. And, in most cases, a woman's left breast is pretty close to a mirror image of her right breast. Because an adult woman's breasts are finished growing, they're normally cool, thermographically speaking. Most tumors, on the other hand, like to grow. That's an energetic enterprise that requires more blood supply and usually generates extra heat-not enough for a woman to notice, but enough to show up on a thermogram well before a tumor is large enough to show up on a mammogram. On a thermogram, tumors not only show up as "hot," but they either stay that way or get hotter over time. Noncancerous structures such as cysts and abscesses cool down, but a mammogram can't "see" that like a thermogram can. And, because thermography doesn't involve radiation, a new spot can be reevaluated as often as necessary to monitor its behavior.

By comparing the left and right breasts on a one-time thermogram, differences between the two can indicate suspicious tissue. But the key to getting the most out of this test is to get it done regularly-at least every couple of years, depending on your age and breast cancer risk factors. That way, the latest thermogram of each breast can be compared not only to the opposite breast but also to previous thermograms. A spot on one breast but not the other might be a normal part of your "fingerprint" that's been there for years, or it might be entirely new-and clinically significant. Some breast tumors are slow-growing and don't generate much of a heat signature, and therefore wouldn't show up on a thermogram. Because they're slow-growing, they're generally less dangerous, and eventually they become large enough to appear on a mammogram. In short, mammography looks at the structure of a woman's breast tissue, while thermography looks at its behavior.

So, I encourage you to choose thermography over mammography, unless they have a high risk of developing breast cancer. High-risk women should consider getting mammography and thermography done.

Keep Up with Those Self-Exams!

With that said, the Task Force's belief that self-exams are no longer important really frustrates me. I strongly believe that becoming familiar with your breasts, and how they look and feel, can help you determine if any scars, dents, lumps, or bumps are normal for you. Plus, it helps you develop your own intuition about the health of your breasts because you'll become more sensitive to any little changes that might indicate the need for further testing.

In a nutshell, I recommend that you look into getting breast thermography done, and I strongly encourage you to keep up with your breast exams. To learn more about thermography, visit the International Academy of Clinical Thermology or Infrared Sciences Corp."

Do You Live In Melbourne? Want to Lower Your Biological Age?

Performance Coach Peter Stone is a pretty amazing guy. Not just because he guarantees to reduce your biological age by 15 years, but because he really is a committed 'Alkalarian'.

Even before Peter found AlkaWay, he was seeing first-hand the results of his advice to people about regaining their alkaline balance. As a pro ski instructor, Peter would teach stressed out business people to go away and change their lives towards alkaline. He was such an inspiration to them that they actually took his advice - so when they arrived back next season he had the satisfaction of seeing the results of his advice in slimmer, more vital, less stressed individuals.

Peter is going to hold a free seminar in Melbourne on his two key life strategies;

When: December 9^th

Time: 7:00 pm - 8:30pm

Where: Sports House - MSAC Institute Of Training - 375 Albert Road, Albert Park, Victoria,

1. How to run your body to balance acid / alkaline

2. How to run your mind to balance acid / alkaline

If you'd like to reserve a FREE seat, check in on his website here

In Peter's inspiring words...

"My mission is to help 1,000 people discover true wealth in life by taking 15 years off their biological age by December 25th 2010. So this free seminar may be the most important thing you experience all year as I’ll invite you to join in the fun and take 15 years of your biological age and discover true wealth in life! After all… If a tired, grumpy, hung-over, broken down, overweight with high cholesterol 32 year old ski coach with limited resources can do it and find a way to enjoy the process!! Then quite possibly YOU CAN TOO!"

The Price of Progress

THAR JATH, SUDAN — German aid agency Sign of Hope has reported that tests of water sources serving at least 300,000 people in Unity state, a main oil-producing region in southern Sudan, have revealed “alarming pollution levels,” the AFP news service reported November 16.

The group said its survey found that an oil consortium in southern Sudan has caused heavy-metals contamination of water supplies. The survey indicated that contamination has affected the health of people and livestock, and threatens what is considered the world’s largest inland wetlands, the 11,500-square-mile Sudd tropical wetlands.

Klaus Stieglitz, the agency’s vice-chairman, said in a November 16 BBC News report that the agency was startled by its own findings. “The chemical composition of water samples we have taken from oil well drilling pits is nearly the same as we found in the contaminated water boreholes the people are using for drinking water supply,” he told BBC News.

The German aid agency has called on the operators of the oil-producing facility to step up water treatment processes, and is petitioning the state’s government to improve the safety of drinking water.

Ray Kurzweil Answers his critics about alkaline water

Here's a very interesting interview of genius inventor, Ray Kurzweil all about his views on alkaline ionized water.

Cancer Story and a Call for help

The problem with most blogs is that unless a respondent puts a contact point on their comment, I can't reach them. I received this comment today, and encourage anyone who reads it to contact the lady involved. I hope that she conatacts me as a result of this post so i'll have an email to pass on.

"Hi, my Mum had primary cancers in her thyroid gland and in her bronchial passage/lung. They operated and took out her thyroid and did radio therapy on her neck and lung but the cancer was incredibly aggressive and it spread with secondaries in her neck, many in her lungs and a large secondary in the adrenal gland.

My Dad was a doctor for 50 years (retired now) and he has embraced the bicarb treatment and has been using it on my mum orally and via a drip into her veins. She has also been inhaling it using some sort of nebuliser (don't know spelling sorry) and also as a vaginal suppository.

Unfortunately she is also having chemo although I think it is either in mild doses or the alternate procedures she is following at the same time are reducing the side effects of chemo for her for now. Since starting the bicarb treatments, the cancer in her neck has disappeared, as have some of the secondaries in the lungs.

The other secondaries in her lungs have reduced in size but the one in her adrenal gland has gained in size. I know Simoncini advocates an arterial catheter close to the site of the cancer. I presume this is because the body converts the bicarb quickly in the blood so putting it in the veins (as my dad has been doing) may help with generally alkalizing her body (it is now alkaline all the time where before it was highly acidic) but it is probably broken down before it can get to specific sites like the bronchia and adrenal gland.

So after this long winded explanation I guess I'm trying to find out if there are any anaesthetists in Australia who are open to inserting arterial catheters so this treatment might be given a chance to be effective. Like EricaJ, I am looking for the Simoncini method in Australia. Does anyone know or is there somewhere you might suggest I look? ps my mum's name is Erica too :-)

Thank you so much for your help and good luck to all of you that are looking for help for themselves or people they love. Anything has to be better than a belligerent and unsympathetic doctor who instead of saying, "Look, I can't do any more through traditional methods but go out and try whatever you can to get well", tells people to "go home and die".

It makes me so mad! Anyway, that is why there are blogs like these. Thanks again and sorry for the rant."

Ian: anyone?? and.. much more info and thread here

The Raw Food Kids

How Sergei beat Diabetes;

“I was nine years old when I was diagnosed with Diabetes. Doctors told my parents and me that I had to go on insulin immediately. My parents refused and instead began searching for alternative treatments. After trying numerous diets that did not work, in 1994 I tried raw food as well as vigorous exercising. I noticed a difference almost immediately. Within a few months of changing my diet and sticking to my exercise, my blood sugar was consistently lower and my symptoms were slowly but surely growing more faint. A few months after that, I sold my glucose monitor machine to my math teacher for $5.00 because I was tired of pricking my finger and having a normal reading each time. I feel extremely lucky to have been given another chance at being healthy. I know that the active lifestyle that I live today would not have been possible to live had I had diabetes. I am very grateful to my parents for not being afraid to try something out of the ordinary and for not being afraid of what others will think of them. It is because of them that I have my health today.”

Now take a look at his video. It's a hoot!

if you'd like to send the message to a friend with Diabetes, I heartily recommend the Raw For 30 Days video. It's a life-changer! Here it is.

Homoeopathy and Autism

Meryl Dorey's AVN is running a free webinar on the use of homoeopathy for Autism. Here's the link. It's on Wednesday, December 2nd.

PreLoved Alphion for sale

2 year old Alphion in excellent unmarked condition at $1200 ONO. The contact is Merryn Thomas and her phone number is 0409 091 319. Merryn is upgrading to the mighty Delphi. Download a brochure here
(Australia only)

If you keep rats that drink booze...

If you keep rats that drink booze... then you'll be interested in this study of ethanol induced hangovers in rats and the effect alkaline ionized water has on them.

It reminds me of a big night many many years ago when Cassie myself and two friends (chosen for their liking for a drink or three) set out to prove Alkaline ionized water was a hangover cure.

Wait a minute. I can't remember it. Hmm...

The AlkaPod is going Ballistic!

I recently published a short video on the AlkaPod. Here's a link to it. Since that time we've had orders from across the globe. This is a seriously good portable water alkalizer and energizer, and a quantum leap in taking the whole alkaline concept to the people in a more affordable form. I take mine with me every morning as I walk Cape Byron!

It's also one of our Christmas specials at the moment so it's a great time to get in early and surprise someone you love with a gift that may well change the way they think and act on personal future health.

Nano NoNo

I just read quite a disturbing abstract on the ability of nanoparticles to affect our DNA without even entering it.
Nanotechnology is a bit like GM crops; looks great, but has anyone done the real testing, or, like GM, are we the crash test dummies?

Nanotechnology is even being employed in water filtration. One new technology uses nanoparticles of aluminium to create an electrically charged medium to filter sediment from water.

One has to wonder:

(a) why aluminium of all things, given its chequered history and association with Alzheimers' disease
(b) given that nanoparticles are extraordinarily small, well below standard water detection system capability, how can any supplier gurantee that even a small knock to the filter won't release a shower of aluminium that will end up in our glass of supposedly pure water.

Another VERY interesting aspect of nanotechnology can be found here. It's the story of nanostructures dug up in Russia, suggesting technology capable of creating tiny coils as small as 1/10,000th of an inch... THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND YEARS AGO!
Again, the question must be asked.. what happened to the civilisation that created these tiny and technologically advanced artifacts and why is there no firther trace of their life?

Serious about Organic..

The Organic Center's "Core Truths"

Coke Cranked

Coke was the victim of a 'Yes Men" prank in the US that would make Australia's 'Chasers' proud.
“This is a classic case of deception,” said Mike Bonanno (a/k/a Igor Vamos), in town that day with main cohort Andy Bichlbaum (né Jacques Servin) for the opening of The Yes Men Fix the World at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. “They don’t want people to know that they’re drinking tap water because it’s pure profit. Basically, they’ve figured out such a great scam that they don’t want it to end.”

Here's the details.

Kidney Stones and Alkaline balance

If you’ve been actively researching the Web, you’d agree that there's a lot of evidence to support the notion that if your body is acidic, then kidney stones are more likely to develop. You would have seen that kidney stones grow from the ‘seed’ of acid crystals. These crystals form from saturated acids in the body.

So it makes sense that your ultimate strategy for a pain - and stone-free - future is staying fully hydrated and alkaline.

Metabolic acids and acids that you ingest in daily life can accumulate in your fluids and tissues. In the process of neutralising these acids, "salts" are made - a mix of an alkaline element and an acid element. When your pH falls below 6.0 the
risk that these tiny salts may turn into larger stones increases exponentially.

When urine is saturated with acids (as a result of an acidic inner terrain combined with continued dehydration) these tiny salts can collect into larger salts - these are what we call stones.

There are many different types of urinary stones. Kidney stones can be made of calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate, magnesium phosphate, uric acid, or cystine. No matter what form you want to prevent, a suggested prevention plan may include the following:

1. Hydrate!. Drink at least 2 - 3 litres of water a day to flush acids and help to dilute your urine to prevent stones from forming in the first place.

2. Support your pH. Drink alkaline water, plan for more alkaline foods, and reduce the amount of acid forming foods that you eat. High protein diets turn to 20 amino acids in your bloostream - the seeds to stones forming.

3. Reduce your intake of sodium. This will reduce your body's loss of calcium.

4. Increase your intake of citrus fruits - like lemons. The citric acid in citrus fruits is not a problematic acid like uric acid or phosphoric acid is. It can help to break up the formation of stones that have already formed. You can even squeeze some lemon into the alkaline water that you drink.

5. Test Your pH every day. Try to keep it above 6.5.

More Info;
The Role Of Acidic Urine In Kidney Stone Formation

Comments from Eva

"Dear Ian,
I just read a few articles in your health blog spot. First the info on asparagus, great stuff. But then I read just above that canned goods contain Bisphenol A, a toxic chemical in the lining in cans and bottle lids. The guy who talks up the asparagus cure is saying that canned asparagus is o.k. to use. That is a bit contradicting to the 'don't use cans' article."

Yes, Eva, we live in fast moving times. Who would have thought that we would ever have the need to put all of our fruit and vegetables through a sterilizer before we eat them? But that's exactly what Cassie and I do here in beautiful 'organic' Byron Bay, learning in the process the tricks producers play to get their fruit or vegetable off their paddock and into our homes. Take strawberries; our Lotus Sanitizer takes far longer to cleanse strawberries late in their growing season. Why? Because (as an ex-strawberry grower) I know that pests tend to get worse in strawberries the longer the strawberries are fruiting, so growers use more pesticides miticides and fungicides later in the season. Grapes imported from the US give the Lotus such a hard time that I have given up. I will never buy another imported grape! Yes, Eve, it's difficult and I understand why people write things today that may be unacceptable tomorrow as our knowledge of toxins in our food chain expands."

"Also in the alkaline water article it says that tap water is good because of Fluoride being good for your teeth. Calcium fluoride is what one needs for good teeth, not Sodium Fluoride. I have read nothing good about Sodium Fluoride. It's also outlawed in Europe and causes Kidney Disease amongst other things.
Regards, Eva"

Eva, the evidence is clear that some form of fluoride helps the problems kids have with their teeth. However the 'side effects' are many and support your claim that fluoride, in balance, is a terrible decision.
Take a look at this site for a good summary