Fast Food

Fast Food

Hamburgers and French fries could be as addictive as heroin, scientists have claimed. Researchers in the United States have found evidence to suggest people can become overly dependent on the sugar and fat in fast food. The controversial findings add weight to claims that over-eating is simply down to a lack of self-control. It may also explain soaring rates of obesity in the western world.

Dr John Hoebel and colleagues at Princeton University in New Jersey based their theory on a study of rats.
'Cold turkey'

They found that rats fed a diet containing 25% sugar are thrown into a state of anxiety when the sugar is removed. Their symptoms included chattering teeth and the shakes - similar to those seen in people withdrawing from nicotine or morphine, according to researchers. Dr Hoebel said he believed high-fat foods stimulate opioids or 'pleasure chemicals' in the brain. "The implication is that some animals - and by extension some people - can become overly dependent on sweet food," he said.

Further studies published in New Scientist magazine back up this theory.

Ann Kelley, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin Medical School, studied the behaviour of rats after the were given sweet, salty and fatty foods. She found a link between the brain's pleasure chemicals and a craving for this type of food. She stimulated the rats' brains with a synthetic version of the natural opioid enkephalin. This caused rats to eat up to six times their normal intake of fat. In addition, Dr Kelley identified long-lasting changes in rats' brain chemistry - similar to those caused by extended use of morphine or heroin. Dr Kelley said: "This says that mere exposure to pleasurable tasty foods is enough to change gene expression and that suggests that you could be addicted to food."

However, other experts expressed doubts over whether people can become addicted to food.

Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nutrition lobby group in Washington DC, said there was a lack of evidence. "I think the burden is on advocates of the addiction argument to provide evidence of addiction," he said.

Dr Jeane Randolph, from the University of Toronto, dismissed the theory. She said fast food causes blood sugar to peak and then plunge, creating a natural desire for another snack. "It's a set-up for a late-afternoon binge rather than addiction," she said.

Health vs Medicine

A Classic Battle Between Good and Evil...

The biggest battle mankind faces on planet earth in the 21st century is the one between the forces of "Health," and the forces of "Medicine".
"Health" is winning. North American consumer spending habits clearly show that our society wants to be healthy, not medicated.
The forces of "Medicine," tout the dubious benefits of a drugged society. To them, everything is a new ailment, a new disease, a new disorder, one for which an expensive new drug is available - and which, in their minds, the population should be "required" to embrace. Look how easily our brighter children are being forced into a Ritalin world. Look how our seniors are convinced that they need to spend their life savings in the prescription line at the local pharmacy.
"Medicine" has failed North Americans, for medicine's goals are not our goals, their wants and needs are not our wants and needs, their solutions are not our solutions, and their motivation is not our motivation.
Hence the "Health" movement. Intelligent people look at the North American medical paradigm and say, "there's got to be a better way than this..."
And, of course, there is...
"Health" proponents promote the simple idea of determining what, exactly, is the "cause" of a person's poor health - and removing that cause. For example, if a person is suffering pain and general ill health, with depression, "Medicine" proponents who "diagnose and treat" would load him/her up with pain-killers, antibiotics, and anti-depressants - and a WHOPPING, never-ending, bill down at the pharmacy.. "Health" proponents would first examine the whole body to determine if there is a specific cause for this problem, find it, and solve the problem by returning the body to it's natural operating system.
It is a lot more profitable to continuously "medicate" than it is to simply restore "health."
Probably the biggest problems facing our society, in the new millennium, is our inability to deal with DISEASE. We, with our current "medicine" paradigm, are losing the battles - period. And, as our world population increases, so do our health problems.
When it comes to DISEASE, conventional "Medicine" has NOTHING to offer. The "War on Cancer" only benefits those involved in the money-receiving end of it. The war on AIDS is following the same path.
Yet, all around us we see successes against those problems - successes that are, most likely, the beginning of the answer to the problems. Unfortunately, we find out about those successes by reading the newspaper about how the successful "health" practitioner was "arrested, jailed, sued" on some pretext... In those cases, inevitably, the thousands of Americans who testify to the benefits of the program they used to restore their health are IGNORED.
Somehow, in our society, we've allowed the power structure WE OWN, and put in place, to act completely stupid over this issue. We've allowed them to use the guiding concept that "proven, or approved, by a bureaucracy" supersedes the reality of "results." That's definitely wrong - and it's time to correct that, right now.
"Medicine" has entwined itself into our regulatory bureaucratic structure. It has, for now, managed to convince certain employees of our agencies, that the "testing" rules we, as a society, impose on DANGEROus NEW DRUGS, should apply to natural products, and common-sense solutions to health issues..
What happens now, is that when some leading-edge health practitioner finds some natural product, or simple device, that really does affect cancer, or AIDS, or what-have-you, they GET STOPPED. And, when they get stopped, people, who now had a chance to live, or restore their health, DIE...
WHAT? They get stopped? What the hell is going on? Just when we're on the edge of an answer?
Enter, "The Quackbuster Conspiracy"...
North Americans are raised, primarily, to embrace the Judeo-Christian sense of right and wrong. Most of us are taught early what is GOOD, and what is not - what rules we are to live by...
Throughout history we've seen EVIL rear it's ugly head. Man's ruthlessness and cruelty to other men knows no limits. Examples abound in our pages of history. Every race has it's predators, and its victims.
In my opinion, the worst thing happening to humankind in our lifetime, is the activity of a small, but HEINOus group of people who call themselves "the quackbusters."
The suffering and death of tens of millions of humans is of no concern to them. They exist ONLY to stop advancement in health sciences that competes with the expensive, and nearly useless allopathic (MD) drug/surgery offering.
In some ways, the war between "Health" and "Medicine" is working itself out. Massive drug conglomerates are diversifying their product lines with "natural" products - seeing the change in society's needs. That "war" is not the problem I'm talking about, although the change is taking far too long....
The "war" I'm referring to, is the one being run by a delicensed MD (and some others) out of a basement in Allentown, Pa.
Doctor Julian Whitaker's views on the NCAHF written to the President of Loma Linda University are a good explanation of the problem. It is believed that Dr. Whittaker's letter, and the actions of the California Health Freedom Movement team, were responsible for the REMOVAL of the NCAHF from the Loma Linda University campus.
For years the NCAHF had used Loma Linda University's address in a manner designed to make it appear that the University endorsed their bizarre health positions.
GOOD is winning against EVIL in this battle, but is a never ending grind.

The Toxins In Our Drinking Water

Water is the miracle elixir that can sustain us if we never drink anything else. The human body is composed of mostly water and it requires more water for nearly all of its functions. To digest and eliminate, the body requires water. Anything else doesn’t do what water can do. In fact most of the time people drink sodas, coffee, alcohol and these all cause dehydration in the body.

The Importance of Water

If you don't drink enough water, you can't properly flush your kidneys or liver, the colon can't properly move your bowels, and this allows your body to retain the unhealthy toxins it takes in. As the waste remains too long in your body, you give your body more time to reabsorb the toxins back into your bloodstream and thus circulate these harmful chemicals to every organ in your body. Water is required for digesting and expelling everything, including the alternative beverages you choose to drink.

Is Your Water Safe?

Some people actually do drink enough water. However, they may not be drinking the right water. Tap water is safe because the government is watching it, right? No. There are more than 80 "regulated" contaminants and more unregulated toxins, like the rocket fuel component perchlorate which are present in most tap water.
Some people feel safe because they drink bottled water. It's not that simple though. You still have to read the fine print. Deceptive labeling goes on even in the bottled water industry. If you're going to drink the bottled water, then you have to do the research. Review the label closely, and check out the manufacturer as well. Do your best to find out if they have satisfactory standards.

What's So Bad about Our Drinking Water?

Most water contains arsenic, fluoride, chlorine and a host of other unhealthy toxins. So when we drink it we are actually imbibing water that contains a mixture of toxic, poisonous chemicals that spells danger and at the very least overburdening work for our colons.

Arsenic

Arsenic is a very toxic heavy metal classified by the International Academy for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a Category I carcinogen, which means it is definitely a cancer causing agent. Arsenic occurs naturally in the environment but humans have a hand in its presence as well. The EPA set the acceptable standard for arsenic at 10 parts per billion in tap water. Several US states in the Midwest, New England and western area exceed this standard from time to time.

Fluoride

One of the most toxic substances we know of is fluoride and yet it is found in almost all brands of toothpaste. It's added even though there is no data to support its effectiveness in the fight against tooth decay. Today you can find fluoride in bottled water, and even baby formula. Tap water is actually fluoridated, meaning it's added to water deliberately, notwithstanding it's almost as poisonous as arsenic is, and more toxic than lead. This substance is so toxic until the fluoridation process has been banned in several countries. Even some U.S. cities have caught on and started rejecting the process of fluoridation since 1990.

Chlorine

Chlorine is added to water to kill certain bacteria. This chemical can be inhaled in gas form and absorbed through the skin and therefore presents a danger even if you're present in the room with it, to say nothing of drinking it. Once in the human body, it bonds with other compounds to form Trihalomethanes (THMs). These byproducts trigger the production of free radicals in the body and cause serious cell damage. In one research study, chlorine and chloramine was added to rats' water supply and as a result the rats developed tumors in the liver kidneys and intestines. Even after this study which shows some of the dangers possible, the government continues to provide chlorinated drinking water to the public.

- What Other Toxic Chemicals in Water Affect My Health?

What Other Toxic Chemicals in Water Affect My Health?: "What Other Toxic Chemicals in Water Affect My Health?
The Importance of Water

We all know that water is the magic elixir of life. Every living organism needs water in order to function properly. And, you don't need any other liquid to survive. After all, it's the liquid that makes up 70% of our body mass-pure water. Your body relies on water to digest food and to expel waste.

The amount of water is important: Dr. Group recommends that you drink eight 8-ounce glasses daily. And the quality of water you drink matters too. With all the toxic chemicals that can be present in public water supplies, as well as bottled water, it's best if you drink purified water.

Water contains many of the nutrients that make us health and keep us alive. Unfortunately, some chemicals in water are also dangerous. Most of these excess chemicals in water are 'runoffs', or leftover human materials.
Toxic Chemicals That Have Been Found in Water
Fluoride
While this compound has many positive traits, such as the ability to clean our teeth, is can also be quite toxic. It is used in the extremely toxic nerve agent sarin gas.1 Chlorine
Chlorine is a chemical element that is essential to human life. However, in anything other than trace amounts, it becomes a toxic gas that irritates the respiratory system.2
Mercury
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