Raw Chef Dan

Enzymes, diet and health, how do they work?

Superfoods Co Brings US Super Mushrooms

Cordyceps Benefits Nowadays Cordyceps Mushroom is something new, special, and hardly familiar to the Western world. Scientists have not managed to study it properly for the time being. The greatest source of information about Cordyceps is its motherland – China, where researchers have already been working for some time on the unclosing the secrets and mysteries of the fungus. The further statements about health benefits of the mushroom are the results of the numerous Chinese trials of Cordyceps; therefore, they are at first hand.	Buy Now
Enhancing and strengthening of the immune system. Cordyceps is supposed to increase the number of the Natural Killer Cells, which are responsible for the body defense against viruses and bacteria. Some trials show that the fungus works effectively in the leukemia stricken individuals. Improving sexual function in men and increasing libido by stimulating the production of sex hormones. Cordyceps may also be a means for fighting female infertility. Building muscles and improving physical performance. Those Chinese athletes, who use Cordyceps, tend to show better results than the other sportsmen. Providing anti-aging and fatigue reducing effects. The fungus works as an antioxidant and increases cellular formation, especially in the elderly patients. It also promotes more restful sleep, soothes the nervous system, and reduces anxiety, thus working as a sedative. Improving the respiratory function. Cordyceps shows good results in fighting against cough, chronic bronchitis and asthma, since it relaxes bronchial walls and has anti-inflammatory properties. Enhancing cellular oxygen uptake. This benefits all the body systems, giving them more energy and vitality. Benefiting vascular system by improving circulation, regulating blood pressure, and strengthening the heart muscle. Protecting liver and kidneys. Cordyceps improves blood flow to these organs (as well as to the others), which results in their better activity and ability to fight the diseases, including Hepatitis and chronic kidney disease. Some people may think of the fungi as of something disgusting and ugly. However, the mushrooms do not look so when in a tablet or a capsule. Moreover, Cordyceps will definitely become even attractive to those, who have no trust in the pharmaceutical drugs any more. 2-4 grams (some people consume even up to 9 grams) of the mushrooms per day – it is nor an exorbitant price for the health improvement, which may become obvious as soon as in 1-2 months. Cordyceps is said to be safe and has no side effects. However, pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as children are not recommended to use it, since no studies have been conducted in such persons. Luckily, time, progress, and the growing demands of the modern society make the scientists keep on working on the unsolved problems and open questions of today. That gives us hopes that soon Cordyceps will become an open book easy to read and understand for all the people.
Buy Now

Ear Candling -- Playing With Fire

By Dr. Mercola

Many readers of my newsletter have written to ask why I don’t recommend ear candling.

The answer is simple. From all of my research it appears that ear candling doesn’t work as its proponents claim, and it actually has the potential to be quite dangerous.

There’s no scientific evidence that candling has any real benefits, but there are a significant number of reports of burn injuries caused by the procedure.

A Mysterious History

Although ear candling is thought to be an ancient practice, its origin is unclear.

Places and cultures as diverse as China, Egypt, the pre-Columbian Americas, Tibet, the mythical city of Atlantis, and even the Hopi Indian tribe have been mentioned as having originated the practice. No one seems to know for certain, The Hopi Tribal Council has publicly stated that the Hopi people do not and have never practiced ear candling.

How Candling is Performed

The ear candling procedure itself involves putting a hollow cone-shaped device or “candle,” typically made of linen or cotton soaked in wax or paraffin, in the ear canal, and lighting it on fire.

The person undergoing the procedure lies on his or her side. A paper plate or other collection device is placed above the ear, and the candle is inserted through a hole in the plate into the ear canal. The candle is lit, and trimmed as it burns down.

After the candle burns down and is removed from the ear, a cotton swab is used to clean visible wax from the ear, and oil is sometimes applied as a finishing touch.

Is Infant Formula Safe?

An OCA Web Forum User Posted the Following Comment:
The reporting of the melamine contamination of infant formula in the US has not been accurate and neither has the FDA been very informative about the situation... If the problem is the processing of powdered milk (ultrafiltration) of various components in baby milks, then what brand you get is a moot point. The fact is that infant formula has always been a risk but now the risks are getting higher... The truly safest system of feeding infants is breastfeeding. Yet, our society continues to perceive the solution to infant feeding as creating a safe infant formula. The infant formula industry has been working on creating a safer infant formula, more like human milk (in fact now they are genetically engineering human milk components) for decades. Efforts would be better placed in encouraging, supporting and protecting breastfeeding.
 

Read more and join the conversation in OCA's Web Forum

Rule Intended to Curb Mad Cow May Have Unexpected Consequences

• Mad cow rule may put farmers in dumps
  By Leslie Reed
  Omaha World-Herald, January 2, 2009
  Straight to the Source
  
  

LINCOLN - Nebraska's state veterinarian is among those worried that dead cattle could be left to rot in windbreaks or ditches because of a federal regulation intended to prevent mad cow disease. The new rule, which takes effect April 27, says cattle over 30 months of age can't be rendered for animal feed unless their brains and spinal cords are removed first.

The Food and Drug Administration regulation is intended to prevent the prions that cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, from slipping into livestock feed and causing an outbreak in cattle. Prions are found in the brain and spinal cord.

The rendering truck is a popular method for disposing of cattle that die before going to market. But some fear that rendering companies may stop picking up dead cattle or that higher fees will discourage farmers from calling a rendering company when an animal dies. The result could be dead cattle that are illegally dumped.

"It's going to be a major problem, " said State Veterinarian Dennis Hughes, who works for the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. "We fear farmers are going to be hauling them into shelterbelts or ditches, to make good coyote food."

Although the rule will cause disposal challenges, the FDA maintains that the rule is needed to control the spread of mad cow disease.

FDA press officer Michael Herndon said more than 200 people have died worldwide from the human form of mad cow disease, including three cases in the United States that probably resulted from exposure outside the country.

"The FDA has an obligation to put control measures in place that will prevent the threats to public and animal health," Herndon said.

The regulation will have the most impact on the dairy industry - which accounts for about 300 farms and 60,000 cattle in Nebraska.

Milk cows, which are more likely to reach old age, are most productive after 3 years of age and can continue to produce until they're 15 or older. Beef cattle, in contrast, often go to slaughter before they're 2 years old.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 4.2 million cattle and calves died before slaughter during 2007, roughly 4 percent of that year's Jan. 1 cattle inventory. Nebraska saw about a 3 percent death loss, or about 200,000 head. Iowa experienced about a 4.6 percent death loss, or about 185,000 cattle and calves.

Full Story: http://www.omaha.com/index.phpu_page=2798&u_sid=10527808

Sunlight and Your Health