Our first guest is a cancer survivor who took the alternative path. Then Deanna Naylor and I will discuss the benefits of super fruits, minerals and an easy way to get them. Steve Hickey, Ph. D is a world class expert on vitamin C. There is incredible science on this basic nutrient but it is so often overlooked. Call the live show with questions at 1-800-281-8255. Click here to find podcasts, show archives and how to listen nationwide.

Good and bad uses for Halloween candy
Halloween kicks off a virtual sugarfest that seems to last straight through until after Easter. Kids with pillow cases full of sweet loot are the most obvious victims, but they aren’t alone. Parents often help their children dispose of the bounty. I also know kidless households that overbuy supplies and think they must eat the leftovers when too few goblins come knocking. (Ahem, Bill?) There is no hiding because so many businesses (and even doctor’s offices) tempt us with bowls of seasonal sweets. The flood of treats over the holidays helps keep the average US sugar intake at something like 150 pounds per year—almost a cup a day. Human systems are not designed to handle that overload any more than they were 10,000 years ago when isolated sugar was non-existent.

A short-term load of sugar may stimulate heartburn or kick off a sweet binge. Worse yet, immune function is almost paralyzed for 5 hours. What if during that time you are exposed to the flu? Longer term implications of a diet high in sugar (or starch which quickly becomes sugar) include of course the obvious weight gain and tooth decay, but also diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Author Nancy Appleton lists over 140 ways sugar is hard on your health.

Parents often schedule parties instead of begging door to door and others trade toys for the loot. But what are the rest of us supposed to do? Turn off your porch light and hope the kids don’t know we are home? Hand out toothbrushes and risk having our front door pelted with eggs? Fruit and homemade treats are no longer considered a safe alternative. (We get so few we could probably hand out dollar bills…but then word would spread and we’d have a rush of teenagers in their non-costumes.)
 
Milky Way minis (smaller than “fun size” bars) have more than a teaspoon of sugar in each little cube. I like the idea of gold foil-wrapped chocolate coins as a fanciful choice—there is at least a little health benefit from the chocolate and only about ½ teaspoon of sugar each.
But, one way or another, most folks will end up with candy to spare. I don’t advise taking it to a nursing home because those folks often are eating too much junk already. Not so our armed forces–they don’t have access to convenience stores in Afghanistan and work off the sugar quickly. Sometimes they even use little treats to make friends with native children.

Several groups collect candy and other items to create care packages for service members. Some dentists have even organized to buy Halloween candy back from kids as a conduit to the armed forces, giving in payment items donated by local businesses. How sweet it is to cut down on the consumption of candy at the same time we get kids involved in helping others. I’m sure there are others, but here are a few example links: Operation Gratitude, Operation Shoebox, Do Something and Halloween Candy Buy Back.

Last Week Followup
LINK to that show in the archives. Dr. Parris Kidd formulated a great multiple vitamin after extensive research. The B vitamins in it are in the active form the body uses. It also includes all essential minerals. Dr. Kidd pointed out that the minerals enzymes that do the body’s work require minerals and that for example, selenium is a part of 25 different proteins and molybdenum a part of 5 proteins. Magnesium is essential to make energy. The product also contains actual vitamin A (not just beta carotene), 4 types of vitamin E and a meaningful amount of lutein. This product may not be available in stores because the initial production sold out. Perhaps check our sponsor store every few days to see when it is in.

Also, Dr. Bopanna Ballachanda explained the annoying hearing condition tinnitus which is persistent ringing or buzzing in the ears. This site has information on Tinnitus as does the Premier Hearing site. This list contains the issues associated with the condition: anemia, bad diet, coffee, diabetes, drugs (including medicines), ear wax excess, hardening of the arteries, head injury, high blood pressure, loud noise exposure, Ménière’s disease, migraine headaches, smoking, sodium (salt) excess, stress, thyroid malfunction and tumors. Hearing is apparently a pretty sensitive apparatus, so I’m guessing that food sensitivities and having spinal vertebrae out of alignment might also aggravate the condition.

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My first book : Natural Alternatives to Nexium, Maalox, Tagamet, Prilosec & Other Acid Blockers. Subtitle: What to Use to Relieve Acid Reflux, Heartburn, and Gastric Ailments.

My latest book: Aloe Vera-Modern Science Sheds Light on an Ancient Herbal Remedy

The information contained in this newsletter has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The contents are for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.

Copyright 2013 Martie Whittekin, CCN