PROFIT FROM PEACE – THE PEACE INDUSTRY TV SHOW (ISSUE 134)

By Diane Gold

Profit From Peace is an ideal that has fallen through the cracks in discussions at the university level, in primary and secondary schools, across diplomatic and corporate tables. It’s not really in the back of our minds, yet, either.

Peaceful coexistence is talked about a lot. Personal peace of mind is a popular topic. Yet making profit in a peace environment is not considered.

Well, why not? As I see it, people know what currently works for profit and don’t want to do the exact opposite of that, infrastructurally. But, brilliant entrepreneurs can create a new industry of peace that can transition us into an entirely new method for profit: The Peace Machine. Let’s think outside the box as to what a TV show like this could accomplish.

Let’s consider the peace industry show, Profit From Peace, in development. Just as Donald Trump’s The Apprentice, runs a competition-like job interview show whose prize is running one of his corporations; the British The Apprentice: UK’s prize has evolved to become an investment in a business of the winning candidate’s creation. The British version is more the concept we have for Profit From Peace, discussed here.

Each candidate would pitch the business plan of her/his created company, including how to finance and manage it. The show would include role playing a board meeting run by the prospective director of the company.

To qualify, the business being pitched would have to profit from peace and peaceful coexistence similar to the way we now profit from war: only the peace economy would include green transportation instead of petroleum or diesel spewing vehicles and energy efficient lighting on all our roadways including photoluminescent paint that depicts roadway lanes and current weather conditions.

It would also have to be funded, in part, by a multinational company whose products typically are used in wartime, business investors and/or celebrity investors, all of whom are TV judges of the ideas being presented before them.

The challenge of the show is to come up with a lucrative enterprise that can, eventually, replace the current war economy enterprises so that profit motive is removed from influencing whether or not we go to war. If we remove the profit temptation, we look through different eyes.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

I want to make it very clear that I support our military’s being strong. But, as with martial arts, just because we have the training and the equipment doesn’t mean we use it to solve a conflict.

I also stress the importance of creating a new infrastructure that can stand on its own, inclusion of the business of war, so that the powerful business concerns that currently fund war products would be motivated to support peace profits for profit purposes.

THE CONCEPT OF MAKING MONEY THROUGH PEACE, NOT WAR

We already know how to make money from war. Military equipment, location and protection technology and gear, air, land and sea vehicles need manufacturing, technological assembly, fuel for transport, human personnel, financing up front to pay for the above, medical costs during and after war. We have mastered this art. Let’s explore another.

What if we focused our attention on making money from peace? That would be a game changer. By doing so, we would be taking away the demand for extra war products by not creating wars, which would entail developing other industries than those making money from the projectile products of war. Plus, we who would like to develop this profit from peace set of industries would be motivated to examine the ways to seduce multinational companies to begin coming on board.

INTERNET SEARCH FOR PROFIT FROM PEACE

When I looked on the almighty internet for the phrase “profit from peace,” there was one entry. In 2011, on a ted.com site, one person questions “what if we had peace industries.” Not surprisingly, the discussion was closed with only 2 comments. I found lots of links showing discussions of people making peace with money but none specifically targeting making money from peace. Furthermore, when I searched for peace products, I found flags, clothing, mugs with a peace sign, jewelry; but no infrastructure for profit from peace.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Although there are big bucks to be had from war; people die, families get fractured, cultures get lost. So, as with every strong habit, if we can replace it; it will go dormant. That is to say that if we start showing strategy that will work, we can turn companies who profit from war into companies who profit from peace and support us.

BUSINESS INVESTORS

There are some business investors who tend to favor projects that involve human rights. There are also those financiers who are looking for the next best start up. Finally, multinationals donate money to worthy projects, as this one might be viewed. So there are many possibilities for funding.

CELEBRITY PEACENIKS

There  are many lists out there of celebrity peaceniks. They are mostly written by non-peaceniks and may include people with a broad range of charitable interests. So, even if I called Woody Harrelson, Jane Fonda, Diahann Carroll, Harry Belafonte, Jeremy Gilley of Peace One Day, together; each might have a very different agenda. But, together, we can do it, meaning get celebs on board!

CONCLUSION

Profit For Peace, The TV Show, is such a huge idea that, I think, any celebrities who actively pursue upgrading human rights would jump on board. I’d like to think so, and only time will tell.

ACTION STEPS

Below are several action steps we can take that can contribute to the TV show to further the infrastructure of industries making profit from peace.

1)   Create 1 business idea that can take the expertise of a company that currently makes profits from war and use it and its already built manufacturing plants for the purpose of peace. An example might be  having an airplane manufacturer shift their emphasis from military planes to human rights ambassador planes for protection of human rights throughout the world.

2)   Make a list of 3 industries that can be used for profiting from peace.

3)   Write down what you think would happen if we kept looking at new ways to profit from peace.

Hopefully, the profit from peace concept is now embedded in our minds. It can only grow as we talk and refine it. If we are consistent, don’t disrespect the profit position of war manufacturers and give them an alternative; we might have embarked upon something that will work.

4)   Last, but not least, if you would like to be involved in this project; please connect.

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DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition and habit change.

She believes there is a way that is within our grasp to profit from peace. She says,

“Before there was an auto industry, or a computer industry; someone had to have the concept. Once there, focused, systematic attention had to be paid to each task devoted to success. The conceptualizers of our time figured out the next step. This meant many, many failures, each of which, as we know, brings us one step closer to success.

“Let’s focus our attention on the idea that the peace industry is active and that it is worth creating products and services, funding and supplying and distributing products. Let’s make more money, which would have nothing to do with war, from peace concerns now. We can put our minds together and work toward profit from peace and can help in the development of Profit From Peace – The Peace Industry TV Show.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

OUR RIGHT TO FREEDOM: WHAT IF BIG BIZ SUES TO REPEAL VERMONT’S GMO LABELING LAW? (ISSUE 133) JUNE 17, 2014

By Diane Gold

Our right to freedom is the biggest opportunity we have in our lives: the right to create, collaborate, recreate, befriend, congregate, speak out, choose, share, cooperate and vote. The United States was founded on these principles. So, it goes to say that when we the people use our precious system of justice to pass a law, this law is the expression of our voice and is a mirror into our use of our right to freedom.

BIG BUSINESS VS. THE STATE OF VERMONT

What happens when big corporate dogs (Grocery Manufacturers Association, Snack Food Association, International Dairy Foods Association, National Association Of Manufacturers) go after a small innovative state that has voted to make labeling GMOs mandatory? Can the people be knocked down by lobbyists who will not go away because the companies who back them have deep pockets?

This is where the joining of our single voices, our fortitude, our vision and our commitment turns us into a swarm of warriors for any cause that can be heard and gain momentum. It is the way to combat even the most powerful organizations.

As is common knowledge, the corporate giants including Monsanto, BASF, Dow, Dupont and Bayer, are the largest producers of GMO seeds, Monsanto-trait seeds being used in 80-90% of farming worldwide. Most on this list are connected with each of the food associations lobbying to stop the already passed legislation for GMO labeling. We have to ask,

“If GMOs are so good for us or not bad for us, why is it so bad to have to label foods that contain them?”

Here’s what Attorney General William Sorrell said on June 12, 2014 when speaking to his lawmakers about a possible lawsuit,

“and it would be a heck of a fight, but we would zealously defend the law.”

By now, many of us have read The New York Times’ quote by Monsanto head Phil Angell about his company’s responsibility for testing the safety of GMOs,

“Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food. Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is not our job.”

Of course, this doesn’t mean Angell wants unsafe food. It does mean his company is not going out of its way to investigate all the research against GMOs. Much testing has been done by other companies and universities, but, there is not yet a strong conclusion for GMOs to be outlawed. There have been studies pointing to the dangers of GMOs. There are also reports disproving danger.

Whichever research we believe, shouldn’t we, the people, have the right to a properly labeled food item by our government so that we can decide using our right to freedom? I, for one, am not interested in using GMOs when I have the chance to decline them.

ACTION STEPS AGAINST A GROUP OF CORPORATE GIANTS

Since the job of businesses is to increase revenue, it may not make sense to speak to the corporate giants, since their views remain to expand dollars and cents, with the possibility of health taking a back seat.

Since our job is to care for ourselves, our families and our communities by exercising our right to freedom and making good decisions, we must speak loudly about the things in which we believe. This would include our freedom to have our governments regulate labeling any food items with transparency,  no matter the relationship the government has with the food company.

ORGANIZING THE ACTION

1)   We know that working as a group gets more done than working alone. So join a group that represents your belief in this instance. I’m not being pushy, but one small action matters. Here’s a link to a petition if you’d like to help the existing State Of Vermont:
action.sumofus.org/a/monsanto-sues-vermonts/6/?sub=mtl

2)   Draw something. Have you noticed the main search engine and owner of Android’s logos/doodles ( the big G) have been animated and more creative on a daily basis? This kind of art is motivating, inspirational and makes me move. So, whichever side of this issue you believe in, what about making a drawing and sending online to, at least, one social network?

3)   Write or sing a song about our right to freedom including lyrics that say what you believe. This is a very old and effective way to get your message across.

4)   Commission an elementary school teacher to do a creative project on the subject of right to freedom and the right to know movement (knowing what’s in and on our food).

5)   Write a book or an article on the subject, and speak about it.

CONCLUSION

Whatever the method honoring the right to freedom with respect for the results of a vote,  majority or any other democratic process; it is important to be aware of the process and its effect on the public, big business and other future projects. Let’s congratulate Vermont for being the first state with a GMO labeling law that does not depend upon laws passed by other states. If we believe it is the right way, let’s mention it on social networks. If we disagree with the disclosure (I can’t see what sense it would make not to label the food we eat, but…),  we can do the research as to why so many people want to remove GMOs, starting with labeling them.

Strive to be proactive, rather than passively hanging on. Each small incremental movement helps the whole to thrive.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

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Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition and habit change.

She believes in full disclosure when it comes to food. She says,

“For many years, I have experienced non-disclosure of the source of ingredients in foods. Does the ingredient come from a cow, a pig, a tree, a microbe? Although the labeling system in every nation in the world is inferior to what I would like, there has been a tiny change for the better in the 40 years of my research.

“The fact that GMOs are not labeled is only a result of the influence of the companies who manufacture them. This makes me sad but reminds me that I have to take responsibility to educate myself and the community about this situation. The fact that Vermont passed a GMO labeling law means there are others who agree with me.

“Let’s speak, write, draw, educate as many people as we can on whatever our belief is. Our action makes the difference, so let our voices be heard, whichever no matter which way we feel. Let’s exercise our right to freedom in a big way.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

WEIGHT LOSS SECRET WEAPON (ISSUE 131) JUNE 3, 2014

By Diane Gold

Accidentally, a weight loss secret weapon came to my attention. I was minding my own business, looking for the next best thing to eat – for taste, not for substantial weight loss – I am lucky enough that my Buddha belly is only a pound or two. But, I always eat what I recommend, and I always taste new foods.

I happened upon this weight loss enigma when one of my suppliers endorsed its superior taste and confirmed its being a super food.

SUPER FOOD AND CREDIBILITY

Just to define, the term “super food,” as so many dietary expressions, does not have any specific clinical trial evidence in science. The food that is referenced by the term usually has some such research behind it. But it always refers to food that has tremendous nutritional effects, so much so that its benefits may prevent disease.

“Super food” has more credibility than the word “natural” whose label means absolutely nothing and could mean anything from pig juice from non-hormonally treated adorable baby pigs to apple juice from genetically modified seeds whose crop is minimally sprayed. It also far surpasses the label that shows nutritional facts being none of our business by ingredient omission due to some legislative exemption or by the manufacturer’s not knowing the source of an ingredient.

THE SECRET WEAPON

So, let’s talk about the dreamy and subtly nutritious food that has such a marvelous effect. It is not luxurious and is somewhat flexible in growth locations. It is tasty and has different tastes based on how ripe it is and its variety. And it is a  super antioxidant.

What is it? It’s the Olive.

ANTIOXIDANTS AND DISEASE

What’s so great about antioxidants is that they inhibit a cell from interacting with oxygen. Think of the browning of cut apples or the healing of a cut on your skin. Some cells die, like rotting fruit. But, in the case of the body, we make new cells that replace the old cells which results in a healed cut.
Sometimes, during the oxidation process; as per Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD at Tufts U.,

“1% or 2% of cells will get damaged in the process and turn into free radicals.”

These are scavenging molecules looking to pair.

“Free radicals often injure the cell, damaging the DNA, which creates the seed for disease.”

Antioxidants protect the body from this process by slowing it down or eliminating it. That’s the big deal about antioxidants under which category olives fall.

Sometimes, cholesterol oxidizes. This causes heart disease. Olives reduce this. John Summerly, nutritionist and homeopath, refers to research studies where the fat from olives can reduce blood pressure as well.

Finally, antioxidants are known to prevent cancer, and olives are both antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory properties.

REGULARITY

Completely to my surprise, after beginning to eat olives, my elimination became more slippery, meaning the walls of my intestines seemed to be coated with the a substance that eased out the waste. This leads me to mention that the fat content from olives may have a positive effect on constipation, although this phenomenon may not occur in anyone else.

WEIGHT LOSS

Since the time I began eating olives, I have lost several of the stubborn pounds that did not please me. I had gained 5 pounds for no reason, and it was not coming off. Now it is off. One of the only additions to my eating regimen is olives. I have researched that scientists believe that mono-saturated fats, the kind found in olives, can help with weight loss by breaking down fat inside of fat cells.

The great thing about eating olives is that they are high in fat – the good kind – the mono-saturated kind. To eat some every day does not require a lot of effort and does not require any preparation. They smell  and taste good, but their full and robust flavor does not lead to over-eating.

The fact that they create a good condition in the intestines may also lead to weight loss since good elimination is part of healthy living and healthy weight. The fact that they are antioxidants may keep the system healthy which improves the mind’s will power for weight loss.

THERE ARE OLIVES, AND THEN THERE ARE HIGH QUALITY NON-LYE-SOAKED OLIVES

Recently,I have been eating olives: both with salt and without, black only. They taste nothing like any olives I have ever tasted before.

I do not believe in calorie counting but will mention that the blacks have 40% more calories because they are older, riper and have more fat. They are all low in calories. They are organic and packed in olive brine only for shipping before being sun-dried. Commercial olives can be soaked in lye before they are put in brine with ingredients we never hear about, which is why I am careful about the quality of my olives, the supplier from which they come and the supplier’s knowledge of the process from tree to me.

Although I rarely eat anything that has added salt, I have researched that the sea salt in the olives I am eating will not harm me, and I value it for my health.

Here is an opportunity for you to get them. Here are my two kinds:

BOTIJA PERUVIAN OLIVES WITH SEA SALT (the only ingredients),
8  oz., PITTED, RAW, ORGANIC, VEGAN:

CLICK HERE

BOTIJA PERUVIAN OLIVES, (the only ingredient),
8 oz., UNSALTED, PITS IN, RAW, ORGANIC, VEGAN

CLICK HERE

Just so you know, I do business with Sunfood. Therefore, if you go ahead and purchase these lovely olives from the above links, I may be entitled to a stipend. I’m telling you about them for your health and not for my financial gain, though.

CONCLUSION

Anything that works for us can become a weight loss secret weapon. Sometimes we can come across healthful and goal-achieving eating habits by accident. Although I knew olives were part of the reason that people living close to the Mediterranean (and Latin Americans whose ancestors came from there) show lower coronary heart disease per 100,000 as per worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/coronary-heart-disease/by-country (using WHO’s and other credible sources’ data). We can also see complete variations within this chart.

Here are several action steps that may be of interest toward the goal of bettering health. Be well.

ACTION STEPS

1)   Set a goal to add 1 weight managing food this week. This can also include removing a food that is negatively impactful.

2)   Drink a 12 oz. glass of water 15 minutes before every meal, snack, drink you are going to have. If you are at the bar, be it in your home or out on the town, count each drink as a meal whereby you will drink a 12 oz. glass of water 15 minutes before it. This technique may help reduce the amount of your sugar intake (in alcohol and fruit drinks).

3)  Give my new raw, vegan, organic, weight loss OLIVE DISCOVERY a whirl.

Organic Olives with sea salt and no pits HERE.

Organic Olives with no salt and pits in, HERE.

4)   Know you have inner beauty, or you wouldn’t be part of the race (the human race).

5)   Know that you have value, or you wouldn’t be here (part of our family).

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave  a comment below.

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You can also follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition and habit change.

She is always interested in alleviating pain in others. She makes an effort to investigate claims about health and weight loss. She says,

“Most weight loss techniques are hype. We don’t yet have the full picture about what makes some of us huge and others of us big eaters who never gain an overweight pound. (Similar to the paradox of France,  a country eating highly saturated fat, having the lowest coronary heart disease of any nation, except a tiny island in the Pacific.)

“I do know that if a method is simple and requires no preparation; it’s a great weight loss strategy: like drinking water instantly or pressing both sides of the ear lobe to suppress appetite.

“Now we can add the olive secret weapon to viable ways for weight loss. This is a breakthrough since it is a tiny food, easy to tote around and one not likely to over-eaten.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

CITIZENS FOR CHANGE: NO MORE STATUS QUO GMOS (ISSUE 130) May 27, 2014

By Diane Gold

More people are becoming citizens for change, rather than accepting the status quo, GMOs, genetically modified organisms. This means more of us are educating ourselves, more of us care about more than “what’s in it for me?” and more of us are ready, willing and able to stand up and act.

If we look at the predominant age group of people who know about GMOs and who just marched against the biggest seed and pesticide company that genetically modifies our food, we see lots of people between 10 and 40. This is great. It means that the more current generations are educated about food or are more savvy at realizing the mis-education they have gotten from food company’s who trade human health for profit. And the families who stand up against GMOs have children whom they have taught or who have been taught in school.

Baby boomers and older have been hearing food propaganda for so many years, they may have been hard pressed to believe there is harm being done to them by their government’s food agencies and industry giants on whose food they grew up. Of course, if they are ill now and they find a food correlation; they are motivated to act, whether they are set in their ways or not. There are also those of us who have been investigating the bastardization of food since the (19)70s, either watching with dismay as packaged goods in supermarkets took over and were called food while some of us have been standing with our lone flag so that people would take notice.

No matter what age, the time is now to stand together, jump together, march together, dance together, and educate together that genetic modification of food is not the way, while we still have other options. We can look at the great example of marchers against the big seed company, that took place the last Saturday in May, 2014, and be inspired – over 50 countries, over 400 coordinated marches.

THE GMO STORY

For those who are not familiar, back in the (19)80s, the company whose initial is M was one of the big creators of genetically modified seeds that would be resistant to pesticides and herbicides so that their produce would grow even while sprayed. By the way, the M company was one of the main contractors with the US Military to manufacture Agent Orange during the Vietnam War (an herbicide whose purpose was to kill off enemy food supply that has been found to cause cancer and other physical anomalies).

These GM seeds were marketed to save world hunger, by allowing developing countries’ crops not to die from pestilence and producing better food. With this marketing, we might believe the company would give away its seeds. No, they are expensive.

1) Catastrophically, these genetically modified (GM) seeds were made sterile so farmers who paid their precious money for these new type of seeds cannot use them the next year, or they were forbidden to reuse non-sterile varieties. Not only did they pay a high price for the seeds in year number one, this meant the M company was creating farmer dependence.

(This story parallels the philanthrocapitalisms who donate money with profit in mind but the donations cause the populations to become dependent financially.)

Many of us are dependent upon systems that own us. And that is why it’s hard for us to take action, because we don’t want to be in worse shape than we already are.

2) Pesticide/herbicide that is sprayed over GM seeds leeches onto farms of other farmers who use non-GMO seeds. The result is the pesticide/herbicide kills their crop.

3) The herbicides/pesticides used in this method of farming have been found to horizontally contaminate us. This means that animals who eat GM feed have been found to possess the herbicides in high quantity and people who eat the animals or the crops of this process have been found to have these chemicals passed on to them in high doses.

4) It is no longer a maybe that GMOs cause disease. There is a truly important paper that details GM science well:
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Ban_GMOs_Now.php.

5) GM seeds cost double, triple, quadruple their counterparts. This is justified by the fact that crop is supposed to reduce famine. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee for crops that do not produce or survive, and farmers are left holding the seed.

CONCLUSION

Luckily, we are citizens for change; and we see the need to label GMOs and ban them. Kudos to the State of Vermont for passing a bill that will require labeling of genetically modified anything by 2016. Hopefully, this action will not be politically undone.

IN BED WITH

Something else to think about. Why was the March Against the big M company not covered in the Sunday New York Times on the day following the action? Do big corporations stick together and not allow negative press due to in-bed-with relationships? Other large media outlets did not carry the story either. Smaller media outlets that are not affiliated with the big advertisers (who are affiliated with the big M company and the likes) ran stories.

Which leads me to mention that there is another in-bed-with angle to look at. Many ex-officers of the big M company left their company for the US FDA. One of these, wrote a paper for her company supporting the safety of genetic modication. She left her company job in time to get a job with the FDA and, ludicrously, to be the reviewer of the same paper that she wrote. Check here for some interesting cross-pollination “of people:” http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/

We are all citizens for change. We can uplift ourselves and move away from the status quo. We all need more knowledge of our food supply and what is best for our bodies and minds. Let not one day go by where we are not on the lookout for good information given with for humanitarian concern only. Let us also be aware of commercial information that may be manipulated to benefit its supplier, manufacturer, distributor or other profiteer. Our lives depend upon our proactivity, so, to follow, are some ways we can take action.

ACTION STEPS

It’s great once a year to march. The sheer numbers are very helpful. However, on a regular basis, we can take action. Here are some easy ways.

1) Know that if produce or products made with corn, soy (yes, that’s also textured vegetable protein in veggie burgers), canola, sugar beets, payapa do not say they are organic, they are genetically modified, and tell one person. Also note, there are a few companies that will not use GMOs sometimes, but cannot list this fact because sometimes they do.

2) Declare that you will not use one of the following: corn, soy, canola, sugar beets, papaya unless it is certified organic for one week. That means you have to read box/package labels and look at the produce signs. If you pick corn, remember to include high fructose corn syrup products (which sometimes say only the words corn syrup)which are found in many cereals, colas and other soft drinks, fruit drinks, salad dressings, condiments, granola bars, other snacks and more.

3) If you have lasted a week eliminating any non-organic of a certain food on the list, keep this up for another 2 weeks. When you get to the end of the third week, choose whether it’s a good idea to continue. If yes, ask a friend to do it with you, but remember to start the friend with one type of food for 1 week only. It’s a big commitment to make a change for more than that. If that works, ask the friend to continue for 2 more weeks. If that works, ask the friend to ask a friend. And keep it going.

4) Keep an eye out for the latest research on GMOs.

5) Keep reading labels to become aware of the purity of our food.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

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Please leave a comment below.

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Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition and habit change.

She has been watching the way the food industry works for many years. Starting inquiries in the (19)70s to procure information about the source of certain ingredients (as in meat, chicken or fish, etc.), she says,

“The corporate yield kept growing and growing. Corporate entrepreneurs saw the profit in consumerism. That’s how the idea of tempering agriculture by tampering with seeds was born.

“There are 64 countries that require GM labeling. That’s a start. Here’s hoping we can act in ways to prod our lawmakers in every state to label, stop and ban GM food or seed. For the sake of our health.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

INCOMPLETE MEDICINE VS. INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE: OUR HABIT OF ACCEPTING LESS (ISSUE 129) MAY 20, 2014

By Diane Gold

Integrative Medicine is the new buzz phrase that refers to medical doctors’ looking at biology, psychology, exercise, social adjustment, spiritual balance and nutrition to conclude the best way to work together with a patient on her health.

This is not a new concept; it focuses on a stronger doctor-patient relationship, the way it used to be back when patients weren’t rushed out after 5 minutes of appointment time. It focuses on prevention and upon uniting all the factors that affect health, also not new concepts. The rise in popularity of integrative medicine comes from the movement of patients managing their own health care due to lack of one medical professional to do it, which includes not trusting over-prescription of pharmaceuticals and not accepting ludicrously minimal face time with the actual doctor.

OLD VS. NEW

When I was in my teens, we went to a psychiatrist to talk. Now, people go to a psychiatrist to get drugs. It’s not that shrinks don’t like talk therapy. It’s that the “Western health care system” pays next to nothing for talk and lots for the prescribing of pharmaceuticals. In my mother’s day, people would go to the doctor and have long conversations about what felt bad, what was going on at home, at work, at school, in the town.

Today, traditional medical doctors are always looking at the clock and rarely taking the time to get to know a patient. The initial visit is usually the last time any real conversation takes place. Furthermore, general doctors or family medical doctors are typically underpaid and overbooked because specialty pay is higher so there is a shortage of plain old generalists.

Thus, the growth of integrative medicine, the way Western medicine used to be and Chinese medicine still is.

SELF-EXPRESSION AS HEALING

Because part of healing has to do with self-expression, integrative medicine includes counseling and discussing what is going on in the life of the patient or how the patient feels. Yes, we pay for the time since we may be billed at the highest tier should we touch upon 5 subjects that ail us instead of 1; but we have the ability to have a full and complete session with an expert. Hallelujah.

And when was the last time anyone got to see a nutritionist and a exerciser as part of standard treatment? Not all doctors bill by time and number of subjects discussed, but more time means fewer patients so compensation deserves to be higher.

THE INTEGRATIVE MEDICAL DOCTOR I SAW

The integrative medical doctor I saw was one of the best doctors I have ever seen. Here’s why.

Since I study nutrition, I know the importance of proper food for the body, mind and spirit. Almost all medical schools require an inferior amount of courses in nutrition as a requirement. How pathetic is that? The outcome is that each doctor who understands the importance of nutrition has to make some time and study it on her own. Pretty shabby when nutrition is a daily factor  for every patient.

After $250,000 worth of debt (from med school), not all doctors are motivated to do more studying even though all know that nutrition matters.  The doctor I saw had learned about food and was able to converse about it while being an expert in internal functions of the body. This was the first time I had been to a doctor who had any professional knowledge of nutrition. Being vegan, which is the minority, I always look for someone who understands the no meat and no dairy way. I lucked out. The doctor whom I saw had been exposed to my kind of eating through his family’s vegetarian Indian roots and his own due diligence.

As part of the general appointment, this doctor had an exercise physiologist and a nutritionist on staff as well as assistants to help with the regular vital signs. Each of his patients was asked to see each of these other professionals so that the doctor could get a fuller picture of the health systems of the patient. Unfortunately for me, but not to my surprise, the nutritionist had no idea how to discuss a vegan diet or even a vegetarian diet. This failure motivates me to study plant-based nutrition with more zeal.

INCOMPLETE  MEDICINE VS. INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE

Having been aware that the health care system compartmentalizes each area, many of us have known that the infrastructure of medicine as it has been displayed and taught to us is out of balance and incomplete medicine. We who know what mind/body disciplines can do for health are thrilled to see the continued popularity of integrative medicine.

Imagine if integrative medicine were the standard. It will be. It will take time, but, if we talk about it, we can spread the word and get the secret out. It’s not really a secret that medicine includes the entire life of the patient, that whole medicine consists of Western medicine, Chinese medicine, the tai chi mentor, the herbalist, the masseuse, the personal trainer, the nutritionist, the meditation mentor, even the music therapist. We know that lots of factors affect our health. So how can we believe that isolating one piece of the body for study would be the most accurate way to diagnose, treat, heal, mentor? We know it’s not. Let’s talk about it.

CONCLUSION

Those of us who have been brought up remembering we can always go and talk to our doctor who is our friend are coming full circle. With integrative medicine coming out in full force, we may have that opportunity again. Those of us who were born in or after the 1990s may have been brought up with some of the integration that balanced medicine deserves. Talking, trusting, getting comfort are all things the doctor provides. Are we getting these at every visit?

This nurturing from medicine will happen again with the mainstreaming of integrative medicine. Not all at once because things take time to change. But change is coming, and it is long overdue.

ACTION STEPS

Here are several steps that may help with the understanding of true health care and integration.

1) Talk about integrative medicine with friends, family, colleagues. Have actual discussions about what each of you would do to further our medicine from a disease management system to a true health care way.

2) Attend TheWorldsStage.com’s Virtual Conference. More info at http://theworldsstage.com/#!the-story/c1wgz
which will including presentations by change makers including integrative medicine. There is no charge for this amazing virtual experience.

3) Consider the way you are treated when you go to the doctor. Question all your health care providers about integrative medicine. They will be happy to talk about it, even if they only know about Western medicine. It will be an informative conversation. Either you will inform your medical provider or she will inform you.

4)  Join our virtual discussion about how to spread the word so that doctors include other disciplines for the benefit of our healing. Click HERE!

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DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition and habit change.

She has been talking about how medicine involves the whole person since she received her Masters in Music Therapy in 1976. She says,

“The name Integrative Medicine is fabulous. It attempts to bring medicine full circle, combining all that we know from the West and the East and cultivating those with many other disciplines that study various parts of a patient’s life.

“Each patient is different and responds to different approaches uniquely. The philosophy of Integrative Medicine desegregates knowledge for the benefit of the patient, intermixing mind/body work with herbs, drugs, chiropractic, music, nutrition, exercise and anything else that is or that will be available. Its job is to expand medicine rather than coop it up in little cubby holes, labeled by specialty.

“The concept is great. Let’s get the word out so it gets more popular!”

THE HABIT OF AN EYE FOR AN EYE: CHANGING THE PENAL SYSTEM FOR NON-VIOLENT CRIMES (ISSUE 128) MAY 13, 2014

By Diane Gold

We are raised to believe an eye for an eye is a civilized technique for cooperation and balance in our society. Social proof teaches us that many live by it, and social proof is the phenomenon that lets us feel comfortable about doing what we see others doing. So, we do it. When someone wrongs us, scorns us, steals from us, murders us; our egos are burned. We sit in humiliation because we didn’t see it coming. that Our ego tells us that if we don’t act, we will look weak. We wonder why we weren’t the first to scorn. Is this the way of civil, educated people?

LICKING MY WOUNDED EGO

Recently, I learned a big lesson, or, rather, I was reminded of an old lesson that I believe is as inherent as our survival instincts which lead us to an eye for an eye. I was asked to help a friend use the punishment system on her child. I did not look at the end results of this situation that was spinning out of control. But, I said I’d lend a hand. Not until the punishment I helped to deliver was hijacked by intervention from the other parent did I realize I was acting out of my belief system and into a system which lacks cooperation and respect.

My ego started to jump around and think I had to show the punishee that no one gets away with circumventing my mighty rule. I was watching my ego be out of control And then, I was able to break the cycle of thought and realize that this ego stroking, not only doesn’t help the situation but had nothing to do with the original issue I was working to help. I had relegated myself to licking my wounded ego. With this realization, I stopped and started writing this article.

THE HABIT OF PUNISHMENT

 We’ve spoken before about habits that are internal, such as addiction to cocaine, and external, such as the habit of punishment and feeling powerful from this technique. In this case, I agreed to use the deprivation method of behavior to restore order, that is, the taking away of a freedom to maintain discipline. There is a better way.

The synonyms for civilization – that means being civilized – are advancement, enlightenment, development. How can we call barbaric, vindictive behavior for the sake of ego soothing any of these? It is preposterous.

We, humans, are a funny bunch. We cling to our basest behaviors even though we go all out in the personal development department. What’s the use of meditating or doing our tai chi if we don’t take the knowledge and apply it to world situations?

HOW WE ACT IN ADVERSE CONDITIONS

In martial arts or other mind/body training, we say that the only way to evaluate how far we have progressed is to look at how we behave in adverse situations. Here’s what I mean:

When we are kind to someone we like, this act does not require us to utilize the patience, love and understanding we have cultivated through any cultivation of mind/body aka personal development training. When we are civil to someone we do not like, this shows our discipline and personal power, our “civilized” mind and is the only time we can know our true nature.

WHEN THE WRONG-DOER DOES OR DOES NOT FEEL REMORSE

I regularly get to see the punishment system in action in almost every fiction film and television show I watch. She murders him, so she has to give up her life to prison. An eye for an eye. One way it works may be familiar to us:

When someone commits a crime and shows no remorse; we tend to have no sympathy, no mercy, have no inclination to show understanding, wish for a large consequence to be handed down and label the person a sociopath.

When someone commits a crime and shows remorse; we are often eager to lend an ear, show mercy, wish for a small consequence with special privileges for this person and label the person a regular one who made a mistake.

Judges and juries, who determine what consequence a wrong-doer will get, are supposed to be impartial to the influence that knowing the subject’s position on remorse yields and are supposed to evaluate facts. Since whether or not someone shows remorse is a fact, it may come into play with either the most experienced judge or the first time juror. From where this vengeful feeling for the non-remorseful labeled sociopathic comes is a matter for further study.

CONCLUSION

All through history, there are stories of an eye for an eye, stories of how the person who does a wrong pays with a consequence of time in prison or beatings or sacrifice of life. What benefit comes from imprisonment? If someone is on a killing spree and is removed from being able kill, obviously society is being protected. When people commit crimes of non-violence, what’s the point? Couldn’t another method of consequence work?

What if we had a different set of protocols for non-violent crime where the consequence was based on earning back the reputation? What if people became used to seeing this new method through social proof? Would we evolve to a society without need for the penal system as we know it? Truly, I am confident this answer is yes.

ALTERNATIVES TO AN EYE FOR AN EYE ACTION STEPS

1) The wrong-doer would wear a consequence badge on the right breast pocket at all times, which would signify having done a social wrong and would be warn based on the giver of consequences’ decision. A digital readout would display total time of consequence and total time served.

The philosophy behind this is that we care what others see in us and would avoid doing wrong so as to avoid such a badge. Another possibility would be to wear a bright orange ID tag around the neck that was required to be seen from the back of the wrong-doer.

2) When someone committed a non-violent crime; part of the protocol would be to use that person’s skills to build or maintain an already built organic fruit/vegetable or solar or wind farm that those who had no skill would learn to work. This would not be a reward for committing a crime; it would be a way to fortify our society. A large percentage of the wage salaries made would be donated to fund an education program for the unskilled in our society to become skilled. Win, win.

3) The wrong-doer would punch into a website at various intervals throughout the day, similar to head count in a prison. Since the wrong-doer would be responsible to keep her GPS device on for tracking, any failure to comply could be corrected without much trouble.

I am reminded of the hierarchy in a drug rehab in Delray Beach. The structure was based upon patients’ gaining status for tattling on the other patients to the staff. If we tattled, we would get closer to being the head patient with more responsibility. This worked famously because everyone wanted to be the head patient since it looked good to the probation officer. Everyone was telling on everyone. Well, not everyone, but it was a system of training people to rat on each other to get ahead, for the ease of the staff under the guise of being therapeutic since it is true that secrets don’t work when we hide things from ourselves.

What I am thinking is that there could be a group of wrong-doers who have completed more than half of their consequence. They could be responsible for the physical tracking of wrong-doers who were in their first half of serving their consequence. That way, if the first halfers went off grid and tossed their GPS trackers, some of them would be in the purview of the second halfers who were, so to speak, confidential informants for the new method of penal system. The idea would be to develop honor in wrong-doers which elevates the essence of a society.

The benefits of not putting non-violent wrong-doers in prison is huge. We’d save loads of money, although private prison boards might frown. We’d use wrong-doers’ skills to create sustainable farms and to teach the unskilled a trade. Both the working and the training would put the wrong-doer in productivity mode which would lead the wrong-doer to be a productive society member at the completion of the consequence. (Check out some recidivism – re-offending – rates from the Bureau Of Justice Statistics, halfway down the page at http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=4986. These show how an eye for an eye system does not work in two-thirds of the cases and how changing the penal system for non-violent crimes is a good idea.

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Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition and habit change.

She has been researching why we are addictive, aggressive, selfish, vengeful, arrogant, egocentric. She says,

“It’s important for us to elevate ourselves. If we are lucky enough to have access to schools/ knowledge, to civilization; we certainly might want to use these for the good of humankind. This means learning to temper ourselves.

“If we continue along acting out our habit of an eye for an eye, we know nothing will change and we will be hitting each other over the head like cave people in the Stone Age.

“Let’s take the opportunity to grow so that we can leave our archaic ways behind and advance as a people.

“And, finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

MACA: SUPERFOOD FOR ENERGY & IMMUNE SYSTEM (ISSUE 127) MAY 6, 2014

By Diane Gold

Maca: Superfood For Energy & Immune System

So invigorating. Its essence creates motivation and focus.

Let me start by saying that I wouldn’t have thought a nice little tan powder made from a root of the mustard family (broccoli’s cousin) would smell so good and cause the feeling of exuberance. Wonder if it’s because I know maca stimulates body systems and enhances the immune system, and I have associated the smell of maca with what it does.

WHAT MACA IS

Many call it an ancient Peruvian superfood, which it is! It’s definitely a superfood-food-herb that increases energy, endurance, healing and strength.

It’s not all that surprising that maca has traditionally been a staple superfood-herb in the harsh, cold climates of the high Andes in Peru for thousands of years. It grows at an elevation of 11,000-14,000 feet, making it possibly the highest altitude food-herb crop in the world. The character and properties of maca have been developed by the extreme conditions under which it grows. This makes it excellent for individuals living in cold climates and/or at high altitudes and/or with extreme lifestyles. Its benefits translate well to all altitudes and lifestyles, though.

Maca is a member of the cruciferous family of plants. It is a distant relative of the common radish. The maca plant produces leaves that grow close to the ground and the plant produces a small, off-white flower typical to the cruciferous family. The part of this plant that is most valuable, however, is the radish-like tuberous root.

HISTORICAL AND TRADITIONAL USE OF MACA

Archeological evidence has been found that shows maca domestication over 2,000 years ago by the predecessors of the Incan people. Even today, for many indigenous inhabitants of the Andes, maca is still one of the most vital and valuable of all commodities.

The maca root has been used over the ages for its nutritional and herbal qualities. Once harvested, this root was traditionally dried, then powdered. Once powdered, it was either eaten or put into sacs and traded for other commodities.

Oftentimes cacao nibs and beans (raw chocolate) would come up the Andes from the jungle; and, in exchange, maca would go down from the Andes into the jungle. These two foods (maca and cacao) have a unique affinity and history which is evident when one tries eating them together. Both cacao and maca were used as money by ancient indigenous peoples.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

These two foods are new daily additions to my breakfast smoothie. They are definitely making me feel good.

MACA’S REMARKABLE REPUTATION

Maca’s reputation as a powerful strength and stamina enhancer as well as libido-enhancing food-herb stretches back into prehistory. Maca, like goji berries and ginseng, is a powerful adaptogen, which means it has the ability to balance and stabilize any of the body’s systems (cardiovascular system, nervous system, musculature, lymphatic system, etc.). As an adaptogen, maca can provide more energy to any of the systems, if it is needed. When extra energy is not required, it will not overstimulate.

Adaptogens also boost immunity and increase the body’s overall vitality by 10-15% according to most studies. Rather than addressing a specific symptom, adaptogens are used to improve the overall adaptability of the whole body to diverse and challenging situations and stress.

During the height of the
Incan Empire, legend has it
that Incan warriors would
consume maca before
entering into battle.

Here’s an overview of what maca does:

PHYSIOLOGICAL USES

1)   improves memory
2)   oxygenates the blood
3)   improves neurotransmitter function  and general brain function
4)   increases sex drive (libido)
5)   helps reproductive health
6)   increases stamina
7)   helps anti-aging
8)   balances hormones
9)   builds muscles
10) strengthens bones
11) decreases inflammation
12) enhances energy

ACTION STEP

GET MACA NOW!

It is a wonderful superfood/herb that can make a difference in so many things. And all you do is put it in drinks or on the food you regularly eat.**

COMPOSITION BREAKDOWN

60% carbohydrates, 9% fiber,  10% protein, high lipid content (including linoleic, palmitic and oleic acids), mineral rich with calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, iron and contains trace minerals zinc, copper, selenium, manganese, silica.

Has 20 different amino acids, including 7 essential aminos.

FOOD AND DRINK USES

in tea, smoothies, nut milks, coffee, broth
as a topping on desserts
added to salads and jams

RECOMMENDED AMOUNT

It is recommended to use 1, 2 or 3 teaspoons daily. The manufacturer, Sunfood, suggests taking off 1 week a month.

CAUTION BEFORE USE

As with any new addition taken into the body, it’s important to do your own research and/or check with a medical professional if you do and even if you don’t have any known diagnoses, take any drugs or alcohol or wish to be as safe as possible, knowing that all herbs and roots affect each of us differently. *Always start with the smallest amount to make sure it agrees with your system.

INGREDIENT

Certified Organic Maca Root Powder

SPECIFICATIONS

Vegan, Raw, Pesticide-Free, Sustainably-grown, Sulfur-free, Organic, Non-GMO

STORAGE

Store in a cool, dry place. Refrigeration is OK in a container.

ACTION STEP

GET MACA NOW!

It’s worth getting maca** one time to see if it naturally gives you a gentle but firm boost of energy the way it does me. So aromatic, too.

**WarriorsofWeight.com has a business relationship with the manufacturer, Sunfood, and may receive commission from the sale of maca through this link. Any commissions do not raise the price for you, the consumer, and have not in any way prompted our positive discussion about maca, which is all from personal experience and research. It is our pleasure to be transparent about our endorsement of this product, and we are pleased to bring it to you.

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Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition and habit change.

She has been doing dedicated research on plant-based nutrition.. She says,

“The first thing to remember is that each body and mind are different. So, what works for you may not work for me, and what I think is mah-velous may not be so for you. I like using maca. I love the way it smells, and, since I began putting maca in my food, I have had an increase in clean, focused energy. I can’t swear it’s the maca, but, I’m pretty sure it is.”

“It has a reputation for giving energy and improving the immune system, and it has been instrumental in sustaining populations that live where the air is thin and the climate is harsh, 10 + thousand feet above see level.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

MOVE OVER BOTOX, HELLO EXERCISE TO REJUVENATE THE SKIN (ISSUE 126) APR. 22, 2014

By Diane Gold

So many people are concerned with how to rejuvenate skin that they inject various fillers into themselves, like Botox, mostly into their faces, in order to reduce the age they look. As is common with so many things, they look outside themselves, outside of what their bodies naturally can produce rather than inside at the marvels  of the body.

A new study conducted in Ontario at McMaster University by Mark Tarnopolsky (MD, PhD) and his team came up with something astounding: that exercise can rejuvenate the skin.

Many of us know that, usually in our twenties, collagen production reduces, we exfolate less and our fat cells shrink. The outer layer of skin gets thicker and drier. The next layer under gets less elastic and thinner by losing cells, making it look saggier.

So researchers in 2010 started wondering whether exercise could stop or reverse this aging process and looked at mice bred to age prematurely. The ones who stayed sedentary became frail, demented, ill, gray and bald. But the ones who exercised with a running wheel stayed healthy, alert, furry and didn’t turn gray.

So Tarnopolsky and team did testing on a group of 29 men and women, ages 20 to 84. About half were active, doing three hours of workout per week. The other half did less than one hour a week. So the team examined skin on the butt, since that area would have less sun damage.

The scientists biopsied the skin and did microscopic examination.  When compared strictly by age, older volunteers had thicker outer layers of skin and thinner inner layers.
But when researchers divided them by exercise habits, they found that those who exercised frequently had skin closer in composition to that of 20- and 30-year-olds, even if they were over 65.

To factor in whether lifestyles and diet made the difference, they took another sample of individuals for study. They put a group of previously sedentary people, 65 years and older, to exercise after first sampling their skin, which looked average for their age. They did a routine of jogging or cycling for 30 minutes two times a week for three months. At the end of this period, their skin measured that of 20- to 40-year-olds.

Tarnopolsky marvelled,

“I don’t want to over-hype the results, but, really, it was pretty remarkable to see.”
He said that under a microscope, the skin of these formerly sedentary volunteers
“looked like that of a much younger person, and all that they had done differently was exercise.”

The researchers are not totally clear as to how this works. They did do portion of the study to find that substances released into the blood stream called myokines increase from exercise. And the myokine IL-15 was found to be 50% more prevalent with exercise.

The researchers also said that taking a pill or applying an oral application of IL-15 would not have the same effect as exercise. They also did not conclude that sun damage could be restored with exercise.

Tarnopolsky did say,

“It is astonishing to consider all of the intricate ways in which exercise changes our bodies.”

Which leads me to talk about people’s habit of changing from the outside what they could more efficiently change from the inside.

I stepped out the other night because I promised a friend I’d meet her at a bar for people over 60 with music from the 1950s and 60s. Since I don’t drink because I don’t drink just two, I was able to observe the crowd. What I was not prepared for was the amount of people, both men and women, who had had injection procedures to make the face look less wrinkly.

Botox, an FDA approved substance that uses botulin toxin A, a neurotoxin from the bacterium clostridium botulinum was the first one of these injectables to get popular. The toxin inhibits the release of acetylcholine in the nerve endings which inhibits the contraction of muscles; so it comes down to no moving, no wrinkling. That’s why we have all seen frozen faces on some people. The muscles are prevented from moving naturally. Side affects like paralysis seem to take a back seat to the possibility of looking younger for a few months.

There’s not only one company with one patent for this kind of thing. There’s also Juvederm which uses synthetic hyaluronic acid made with bacteria (genetically modified prior to January 13, 2013).  But, wait. It is one company. Allergan (in the news for possible restructuring today) owns both Botox and Juvederm (and if its proposed buyers merge it with Bausch and Lomb, the resulting conglomerate will be the number one seller of lots more).

Wouldn’t it be simpler to jump rope, swim, bike, run, dance, or other work out?

CONCLUSION

We want to rejuvenate the skin because we like the look and how others look. Or some of us think about it, and that’s great. However, we look outside ourselves so often when the answer is within. It would be greatly advantageous if we saw our own inner tools and power. When we get injections, massage, chiropractic adjustments; someone is doing something to us. When we use our own body and mind to further our lives, we are doing for ourselves.

It’s always best to heal from within because it lasts. That’s why doing exercise to rejuvenate the skin is a win-win activity. Whatever we choose, we all have beauty for the world to see, and it’s good to take care of it as we choose.

ACTION STEPS

1)   This set of action steps is simple:

a)   Do an extra 5-15 minutes of workout this week, depending upon your usual routine. Write about that time. Then repeat for 3 more weeks in a row, writing down the specific experience each time.

b)   If that works, do an extra 5-15 minutes twice a week for 4 weeks. And write about it.

c)   Finally, if that works, add another 5-15 minutes making it 3 times a week for 4 weeks. And write about it.

This will get you moving and creating your own health through exercise. From your inner self out to the world.

2)   Drink many 12 ounce glasses of water a day.

The skin study at McMaster University was presented in April, 2014, at the American Medical Society For Sports Medicine’s annual meeting in New Orleans.

Tarnopolsky’s quotes were taken from Gretchen Reynolds’ New York Times article on April 16, 2014.

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FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave  a comment.

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You can also follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition and habit change.

She is a believer in doing the work from the inside out but has great respect for everyone who makes decisions with independent thinking. She says,

“Although I, personally, am not interested in injecting my face, I like it when I look vibrant and when my wrinkles soften. This happens when my body likes the food I give it and from exercise, rest, love, creativity, good mental state and sharing.

“For all those who add chemicals to themselves for cosmetic reasons, be careful. For those who think one product is safer than others, remember the marketing you hear was created by the manufacturer.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

LOW VITAMIN D LINKED TO DISEASE IN TWO BIG STUDIES (ISSUE 124)

by Diane Gold

NOTE FROM PUBLISHER

A version of this article appeared in The New York Times. Asterisks mark changes from original article.

___

By Anahad O’Connor

New research has found that lower vitamin D levels were associated with illness, but didn’t show whether they were a cause.

People with low vitamin D levels are more likely to die from cancer and heart disease and to suffer from other illnesses, scientists reported in two large studies published on Tuesday.
The new research suggests strongly that blood levels of vitamin D are a good barometer of overall health. But it does not resolve the question of whether low levels are a cause of disease or simply an indicator of behaviors that contribute to poor health, like a sedentary lifestyle, smoking and a diet heavy in processed and unhealthful foods.

Nicknamed the sunshine nutrient, vitamin D is produced in the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight….* And blood levels of it can be lowered by smoking, obesity and inflammation.

Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and is an important part of the immune system. Receptors for the vitamin and related enzymes are found throughout cells and tissues of the body, suggesting it may be vital to many physiological functions, said Dr. Oscar H. Franco, a professor of preventive medicine at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands and an author of one of the new studies, which appeared in the journal BMJ [April 1, 2014.]*

“It has effects at the genetic level, and it affects cardiovascular health and bone health,” he said. “There are different hypotheses for the factors that vitamin D regulates, from genes to inflammation. That’s the reason vitamin D seems so promising.”

The two studies were meta-analyses that included data on more than a million people. They included observational findings on the relationship between disease and blood levels of vitamin D. The researchers also reviewed evidence from randomized controlled trials — the gold standard in scientific research — that assessed whether taking vitamin D daily was beneficial.

Dr. Franco and his co-authors — a team of scientists at Harvard, Oxford and other universities — found persuasive evidence that vitamin D protects against major diseases. Adults with lower levels of the vitamin in their systems had a 35 percent increased risk of death from heart disease, 14 percent greater likelihood of death from cancer, and a greater mortality risk overall.

When the researchers looked at supplement use, they found no benefit to taking vitamin D2. But middle-aged and older adults who took another form, vitamin D3 …* produced in response to sunlight — had an 11 percent reduction in mortality from all causes, compared to adults who did not. In the United States and Europe, it is estimated that more than two-thirds of the population is deficient in vitamin D. In their paper, Dr. Franco and his colleagues calculated that roughly 13 percent of all deaths in the United States, and 9 percent in Europe, could be attributed to low vitamin D levels.

“We are talking about a large part of the population being affected by this,” he said. “Vitamin D could be a good route to prevent mortality from cardiovascular disease and other causes of mortality.”

In the second study, also published in BMJ, a team of researchers at Stanford and several universities in Europe presented a more nuanced view of vitamin D.

They concluded there was “suggestive evidence” that high vitamin D levels protect against diabetes, stroke, hypertension and a host of other illnesses. But they also said there was no “highly convincing” evidence that vitamin D pills affected any of the outcomes they examined.

“Based on what we found, we cannot recommend widespread supplementation,” said Evropi Theodoratou, an author of the study and research fellow at the Center for Population Health Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. The second study also looked at bone health. While Vitamin D had long been believed to help prevent osteoporosis fractures from falls, clinical trials in recent years have challenged the idea. The study also found no evidence to support that assumption.

“Vitamin D might not be as essential as previously thought in maintaining bone mineral density,” Dr. Theodoratou and her colleagues wrote.

Dr. Theodoratou was not alone in suggesting people hold off on taking vitamin D supplements for now. Even though Dr. Franco found them to be beneficial, he said that more research was needed to show what levels are best. Instead of taking pills, people could improve their vitamin D levels with an adequate diet and 30 minutes of sunlight twice a week, he said.

“The most important factors in obtaining vitamin D are going out and doing some exercise and following a healthy diet,” he added.

And in an editorial that accompanied the studies in BMJ, Paul Welsh and Dr. Naveed Sattar of the British Heart Foundation’s Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Center pointed out that previous research “extolled the virtues of antioxidant vitamins only for major trials of vitamins E and C and beta carotene to show null, or even some harmful, effects of supplementation.”

They said vitamin D pills should not be recommended widely until clinical trials that are underway shed more light on the benefits and potential side effects.

But Duffy MacKay, a spokesman for the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a supplement industry trade group, said that vitamin D is not easily obtained through food alone, and noted that exposure to sunlight has its dangers.

He said he agreed with Dr. Franco that more research was needed to identify “an optimal dose and duration” of vitamin D.

“But there is enough positive research currently to indicate that people should be supplementing with vitamin D for a variety of positive health outcomes,” he added.

CONCLUSION FROM PUBLISHER

Although there are many studies with conflicting opinions about vitamin D levels and disease or supplementation and absorption, we must be open enough to change our minds when we get new information. This goes for all topics.

We can hear the debate and decide for ourselves whether the studies we hear about were stringent enough, had enough participants, were controlled by pharmaceutical industry purpose and measured what they set out to measure. This will lead us to better understanding of vitamin D and how it affects our health.

ACTION STEP

Spend some active time outside where it is bright. If you’re not used to the sun, take it slowly. 10 minutes several times a week is a great beginning amount of time. Sunscreen is known to block vitamin D absorption, so 5 minutes at a time works if you are very fair skinned.

This article has been edited. You can see the original at The New York Times Wellness Blog, Anahad O’Connor, April 1, 2014.

Anahad O’Connor is a staff writer for The New York Times as well as an author and avid investigative journalist. See more about him on our Experts page.

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DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition and habit change.

She always enjoys new information about science and the science of nutrition. She says,

“Be diligent in your search for eating well. How we treat our bodies matters. Read a lot so that the mind stays open to varying opinions. Believe many, rather than following the first thing you hear. Discuss what you read and share the knowledge you have. Enjoy it when the information changes.”

IGNORING CONFLICTS OF INTEREST IN HEALTH CARE: THE HABIT (ISSUE 123)

By Diane Gold

Health Care means taking care of our bodies, minds and spirits. We do it in many ways: through eating food that nourishes us, doing great exercise, connecting with friends and family, being creative and productive, giving ourselves daily relaxation and getting good rest.

In all sectors that touch upon health care, there are conflicts of interest. We have the habit of ignoring them. In order to do research, we need money, so we sell products. These products may be less than perfect to save money and to make more. In order to live well, some of us may create partnerships and agree to job restrictions we never would have if we didn’t need the money. These are compromises. We all have made one. These are not unethical moves, in themselves. Ignoring the huge conflicts of interest that develop because of them is. Not making this disharmony common knowledge is!

HERE ARE SOME OF THE LARGE ACTORS OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST IN HEALTH CARE!

PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES

Pharmaceutical companies are in the business of selling drugs. They are so strong that their global marketing messages lead people to become dependent upon drugs rather than interdependent upon a health care system that includes drugs as medicine. Since non-pharmaceutical cures for illnesses can reduce the profit to big pharma, the pomp and circumstance of big pharma overshadows preventive or non-drug therapies that treat or remove illnesses.

Drug companies don’t publish all their negative results so that they will have higher marks with the FDA; this event endangers health.

Drug companies pay for a great deal of research in medical schools. The results of these studies are privy to the drug company. Not that drug companies set out to change data, but the access they have may urge them to present the result in their favor.

Drug companies pay for doctor’s continuing education. Although doctors are not required to use the sponsoring company’s products, studies have shown that even the most ethical doctors are swayed by the sponsoring drug company.

HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES

 Health insurance companies are another sector that creates conflicts of interest. The cost of insurance-reimbursable health care is so high that these companies foster the habit that they are the only way and that they are required. True, I would not want to be without health care as an almost 65-year-old citizen, but I do want to honor these comments from Jon Raymond, founder of Out In The Streets Films, from his article The Sadism Of American Health Care,

•    Insurance is not healthcare.
•    Insurance is premiums and co-pays
•    Insurance companies are known to deny claims for expensive catastrophic conditions, such as cancer treatment.
•    61% of bankruptcies are due to medical debt.
•    Many people in debt had insurance when they first got sick, but claims were denied.
•    There are no regulations to require insurance companies to honor claims, or to regulate premiums.
•    Cancer is a multi-trillion dollar annual industry
•    Most all processed food outlets and chain restaurants sell carcinogenic foods.
•    Good food, such as organic food, is more expensive than bad food.
•    Health care costs are multiple times higher for the insured than the uninsured.

Because many government healthcare providers require that we have no assets or less than $2000 per month in assets, many middle class-ers are not willing to sell everything we have and go with no insurance so that, when we have a catastrophic illness, we can use government funding. Which is a great reason why the Affordable Care Act asks that we all have insurance of some kind.

There are multiple conflicts when it comes to insurance. When we go to doctors of our choice, they may cost more or not be part of our insurance carrier’s group. In order for doctors to be part of an insurance network, they have to reduce the amount they are willing to be paid. If they stay off the network, they don’t get all that free advertising that comes as part of a network.

DOCTORS

Our doctors may be promoting a drug or treatment protocol so that they receive a bonus or good connection from a drug company or an insurance company. Most doctors will not promote what they don’t believe in; however their discussion of drugs from a company that favors them they give their patients urges other doctors to do the same, benefiting the original prescriber and the drug company. If the drug could have been replaced with exercise or good food, this non-drug strategy gets lost in the shadows.

HOSPITALS

Hospitals may charge extra amounts of money for insured patients because they know they will get reimbursed by insurance companies and not have to go to collection companies to collect their accounts receivable. Over-prescription of procedures has been found in hospital studies just to receive the insurance reimbursement. These factors increase health care costs.

MAJOR CORPORATIONS AND MIND/BODY SCIENCE

Most major corporations don’t get paid if they don’t have a product. So their research and development scientists rarely work on proving how mind/body workouts improve health. Corporations do make significant donations to companies for the greater good, but hardly ever in the sector that could reduce their own profit by our learning health care that didn’t involve a purchase. Therefore, we can’t depend upon scientists to do research to prove how exercise and mind techniques enhance and fix health, unless they are independently wealthy or want to do it on the side.

The fact that there is no scientific method study of mind/body work only means no one did the study, because there was no monetization from its positive outcome on the other end. Since marketing is everything, even when massive breakthroughs in medicine are realized; if there’s no product for capitalization or delicious marketing budget to publicize it, the public doesn’t get the information en masse; so research on the technologies of tai chi, meditation, yoga get neglected as to how they affect disease.

LUDICROUS TANGENT

The other day, I saw a headline in The New York Times that mentioned how science had just proven the effectiveness of some mind/body technique. I burst out laughing because it seemed odd to me that a sophisticated newspaper in the year 2014 would headline a strategy that has been in glorious use for 5000 years as if it had just been discovered. Ludicrous!

MEAT AND DAIRY INDUSTRIES

The meat and dairy industries sell meat and dairy. So, naturally, they would not want to do studies proving that animal-based nutrition is bad for our health. Further, they would want to word their product descriptions in ways that the layperson would understand as,

“This product is good for your health.”

The perils of animal product in heart disease are becoming a more popular fad. We know that social proof(seeing lots of other people do the same thing) drives us to make that same decision. Therefore, plant-based nutrition is becoming more popular, in part because more voices are speaking out about it, including doctors and scientists, and, in part, because those voices who have been speaking out for years are being heard. Plus, the very youngest children are learning about the perils of meat and dairy at very early ages.

But, the more people learn about the benefits of plant-based nutrition, the more lobbyists the meat and dairy industries hire; and the more Congressional deals are there for the taking.

We might also consider the ethics of raising animals for slaughter, or, in the case of dairy cows, shortening their lives by 80% as long as cows who do not get milked by machine on a dairy farm or traumatizing pigs in tiny cages.

OTHER FOOD INDUSTRY COMPANIES

The food industry is out to sell its products. Companies that make all the products in the middle of the supermarket – those in boxes or packages – test their food to be safe. The safety requirement measures how a food affects a living animal or human on a short term basis.

QUESTION

Why would government regulators allow possible carcinogenic ingredients in our foods?

ANSWER

Many ingredients are questionably carcinogenic, meaning there is inconclusive evidence about these ingredients. It took 50 years for us to realize the perils of certain pesticides.

FDA

FDA regulators are friends with food manufacturers as well as big pharma. If they allow certain ingredients or substances to be approved for production, they are racking up points with these companies to become consultants at a later date. Kind of like, I’ll scratch your back now, so will you give me a consulting job in 5 years?

My solution is that one stipulation for every FDA and government regulator be that each is not permitted to consult or CEO for any company that has to do with food or drugs.

PESTICIDE AND GENETIC MODIFICATION COMPANIES

As with meat and dairy, the agribusiness companies that assist farm food to market make huge profits from the produce that is sold. This means that the production and promotion of pesticides and genetic modification have an opportunity for big profits, which is great, if we need the pesticides and if genetic modification is safe, since capitalism is good. However, powerful groups control this sector and may promote the use of pesticides that are not needed and genetically modify seeds/foods that have not been proven safe. Don’t we want our food proven safe beyond a reasonable doubt, rather than not yet proven harmful by all testing?

The conflict comes when we are harming our health for the sake of profit.

MEDIA

Finally, although there are conflicts in finance and natural resource manufacturing, too, we will close with media conflicts. Journalists have to omit some news. They report what their corporate heads allow, which often coincides with the voices of their advertisers.

FACT

Did you know there are only a few (6 or 7, depending upon whom you ask) major news companies? This means that the voice of media is controlled by a few men (yes, each CEO of these companies is a man).

CONCLUSION

For many industries, there are opportunities for conflicts with health care. The fact that they exist does not mean that we are doomed. It means we would do well to take it upon ourselves to be aware that they exist. The above categories are the major sectors that can conflict with our health care. There are more. Greed can make us lose our way. Power can do the same.

It is our responsibility as ethical humans to understand that we all form habits, habits of greed, power, consumption. It is not the fault of an industry to want to make money. Profit is healthy. It drives human productivity and discovery. It is not the fault of good human beings to be paralyzed by what these situations bring.

Instead, these conflicts of interest in health care are huge opportunities for us methodically to recognize them, discuss how they can compromise our well-being and sprout new solutions that will complement and balance out the wrongs. If we see what some people call greed mechanisms and others call capitalism, we can decide to devote our time to educate others. For some of us, this is a duty. For others, we can pass this article on just to one person.

Knowledge and awareness are power. Let’s no longer ignore the conflicts of interest in health care. They are real and are part of the human network.

ACTION STEP ONE

Know the conflicts of interest in health care, and eat well. Consider how funding drives decisions for all of us. Know that all our industries, factory farmers, health insurers, medical personnel and facilities, our research companies, government regulators are run by profit. And all the sectors fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

Think about it. If I do you a favor, according to scientific studies, you will unconsciously be more amenable to doing me a favor. If we all do each other favors, our impartiality has a strong chance of being compromised, no matter how objective and unbiased we say we are.

So, we must trust that the news is written so that advertisers are happy. Drugs are regulated so that drug companies who donate doctor education, academic research funding, and money to all who promote them, are happy. Academia likes companies who give. Doctors and hospitals are bound by insurance companies. The world of marketing creates stories about food and health for profit so that we buy more pharmaceuticals, meat, dairy, GMO seeds, pesticides and addictive sugar products.

ACTION STEP TWO

Now that we know, we can pass it on by having a discussion about it with, at least, 1 person.
___

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.
___

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.
Please leave  a comment.

Please LIKE us on the website and

at WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

Please follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition and habit change.

She loves to facilitate learning. She says,

“As long as we are breathing, doomsday is not here. If we see conflicts running through the fabric of our societies, this is a great discovery and a wonderful chance for change. Aside from educating others, it is motivating for me to create some different infrastructure. By ignoring the conflicts of interest among all the different sectors, we put aside our great gift to help fix society.

“And that’s OK, except we might be really good at it. So, let’s take the opportunity to create new pathways around these conflicts and excel. The relationships that cause the conflicts of interest will not be changing slowly. Therefore, let’s get started by walking around them.”