Healthy by Nature radio show this week: My guest is nutrition industry “rock star” Jordan Rubin. He is the author of The Maker’s Diet and the founder of the Garden of Life supplement company. After hearing him lecture and visiting with him personally, I could not help becoming a fan. Also, after researching and using some Garden of Life products, I agreed to welcome the company as a sponsor. We’ll also talk about Jordan’s new love, organic ranching (see a video) and a better breed of dairy cows. Call in during the show on 1-800-281-8255.  Click here to find podcasts, show archives and waysto listen nationwide.

 BUGS
 Bugs Bunny. This email started out to be about intestinal bacteria and I’ll get to that. But the minute I dreamed up the title, I thought of Bugs Bunny. (Maybe it’s the heat.) Now that I think about it, this character isn’t entirely inappropriate to a health letter. Like the Road Runner, he’s ever optimistic which has proven to be more healthful than pessimistic. At least in this drawing he is relaxed which is also a key to wellbeing. Bugs is always eating carrots which are a great source of the carotenes the body can make into vitamin A to benefit eyes and mucous membranes. He’s even proactive in the medical system-i.e. “Eh… What’s up, doc?”  I wondered where he got his name. According to Wikipedia, a director’s nickname accidentally got associated with him.

 BELLY BAD BUGS
No, that’s not me trying to sound like Elmer Fudd. Big problems come from having the wrong bacteria in your gut.

U.S. seeing more cases of the E. Coli bacteria now infamous in Germany. Although that particular deadly strain is rare, the US averages over 5,000 deaths each year from food-borne bacterial disease.

My 2 Cents: Why do some people who eat the same contaminated food not become ill or only have a mild tummy ache? To paraphrase Louis Pasteur (father of pasteurization) “Luck favors the prepared.”  Our first line of defense against invading food bacteria is our stomach acid. In my book I point out that increased risk of infections (even pneumonia) is one of the dangers of blocking stomach acid with antacids or drugs such as NexiumÒ The second line of defense is our collection of friendly bacteria. Besides making vitamins, helping remove toxins and crowding out bad guys, they also make substances that act as highly selective natural antibiotics. (They are just protecting themselves.) If the balance of critters is off (e.g. too many bad bacteria and yeasts in comparison to the protective bacteria) we are not prepared to take on an additional challenge.    

Harm from errors in hospitals may be 10 times greater than earlier estimates. A new method of tracking does not rely on voluntary reporting.¹

My 2 Cents: It is common sense that few staff would rat on themselves or friends. To the point of this newsletter, most of the harm to patients comes from hospital-acquired infections. Among the most devastating is C. difficile, which causes potentially fatal diarrhea. The problem is more likely to result when the patient is on antibiotics that kill off protective bacteria. There are many studies showing that probiotics (good bacteria) of various strains (families) are helpful for prevention and control. Given that we normally have hundreds of strains of bacteria in our intestines, ideally we want to create an environment where they can all thrive. One reason that I like Dr. Ohhira’s so much is that it doesn’t depend only on the 12 strains that are used in fermentation. Even though the product is remarkable in that the bacteria are active (not freeze dried) and come with their own food supply, I think the biggest benefit is that the capsules contain those naturally protective substances the bacteria make. If I ever find a better probiotic than Dr. Ohhira’s, I’ll tell you about it, but for now I recommend you use it all the time to stay prepared.
 My 2 Cents: Sorry Miami Heat fans…Congratulations, Dallas MAVS!

Great teamwork and thanks for being a class act.
 
      
Asian watermelons. The first picture above shows how some watermelons are grown in glass boxes to make them a shape that more efficiently uses refrigerator space. The second shows some of the watermelons from over 115 acres in China that must be destroyed because they blew up like landmines. A chemical growth accelerator was to blame.

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}

Copyright 2011 Martie Whittekin, CCN

 ¹ Classen, DC. ‘Global trigger tool’ shows that adverse events in hospitals may be ten times greater than previously measured. Health Aff (Millwood). 2011 Apr;30(4):581-9.