Julia Woodford

As Vitality readers charge headlong into the fall season, our magazine will be right there with you offering more stimulating articles on creating a healthy body and mind than ever before.

This month, Julie Daniluk’s Allergy-Free Cooking feature takes a look at the role of food allergies in weight gain, and presents easy ways to remove allergenic culprits from the kitchen. The benefits of learning to prepare new allergy-free meals for yourself and family are tremendous – from losing weight to eliminating common allergy symptoms like fatigue, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, and even asthma. In fact, this article begs the question – what if getting fat doesn’t depend so much on calories, but on how many food allergens a person takes in on any given day?

This reminds me of a story my friend once told: She was vacationing in a village in the Mediterranean, eating lots of local cuisines, pouring buckets of olive oil on everything, swimming every day, and losing weight. Then one day a neighbour started bringing her loaves of beautiful homemade bread. After a few days of indulging, my friend noticed with dismay that her weight was starting to creep up. Looking back, she realized the only thing that had changed was the addition of bread to her diet, something that she was unknowingly allergic to. When she stopped eating the bread, her weight started to drop again.

Personally, there’s nothing I like better than fresh bread with organic butter slathered on. Unfortunately, I’m allergic to wheat, so eating it is the speediest way I’ve found to pack on the pounds.  Now I’m learning to live with ancient grains that don’t trigger an allergic response, but do provide that satisfying hit of carbs.  Quinoa, teff, and kamut are among my faves.
 
Speaking of food, I find it interesting that so much media coverage is being given to the Listeriosis bacteria contaminating packaged meats across Canada, but nobody is talking about a much more lethal ingredient in these products, namely sodium nitrate (and nitrite). According to the Organic Consumers Association, regular consumption of processed meat can increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 67%, due to the presence of nitrates and nitrites used in lunch meats, hot dogs, bacon, etc. to prevent botulism and give meat an attractive red colour. For more on their views, go to: www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/processedmeat050305.cfm

“Sodium nitrate is a dangerous, cancer-causing ingredient that has no place in the human food supply,” says Mike Adams, author of Grocery Warning Manual. For more information on this excellent resource for shoppers, go to: www.truthpublishing.com/grocerywarning_p/yprint-cat21246.htm

And according to the Cancer Prevention Coalition: “Peters et al. studied the relationship between the intake of certain foods and the risk of leukemia in children from birth to age 10 in Los Angeles County between 1980 and 1987. The study found that children eating more than 12 hot dogs per month have nine times the normal risk of developing childhood leukemia. A strong risk for childhood leukemia also existed for those children whose fathers’ intake of hot dogs was 12 or more per month.

This issue of Vitality has dirty knees.

From our Annual Guide to Organics, to a feature on Local Harvest in the Raw, to a report on City Slickers at the Farm – our writers have been down in the trenches digging up stories that highlight organic trends across the province. Overall it appears that local organic farms are flourishing, with demand often exceeding supply. And more farmers are transitioning every year.

Why does it matter? In the sense that we eat our environment every day, there is much to be gained from nourishing the soil and the plants that grow upon it, because sooner or later they end up on our plate. Organic farming does that, and in return we are nourished. “Organic produce actually delivers more nutritional bang for the buck,” writes Barbara Kingsolver in her wonderful book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. “Several studies ... have shown fruits and vegetables grown without pesticides and herbicides to contain 50 to 60 percent more antioxidants than their sprayed counterparts. The same antioxidants that fight diseases in the plant leaf work similar magic in the human body, protecting us ... against various diseases, cell aging, and tumour growth.” (www.animalvegetablemiracle.com)

So spending extra money on organic food buys extra disease-fighting power, with added ecological benefits for the wellbeing of future generations (the birds and bees like it too). And supporting local farmers strengthens our local economy, environment, and community.

Further on the subject of local treasures, herbalist Michael Vertolli turns the spotlight on Sumac, a tree that grows wild in parks and woodlands around Ontario. What may surprise you are the many medicinal properties of Sumac’s brilliant red fruits, and the ease with which we can harvest them. Vertolli’s recipe for Sumac Sun Tea is on the top of my list of wild things to try this year.

Helke Ferrie’s feature this month captures the latest developments behind rising global opposition to genetically modified food, and begs the question – why is Canada not getting onboard the no-GMO bandwagon? It’s an interesting view of the GMO versus Organic (read corporate profit versus human health) debate that is getting louder around the world.

And if the summer season has got you hot and bothered, check out our feature by Adina Stanescu on using Chinese herbs to turn down your internal thermostat. The crux of the matter is inflammation – and how the fires of inflammation burning within us are fanned by the heat in our environment. Fortunately, strategic use of anti-inflammatory herbs and nutrients can reduce or even eliminate the discomforts of seasonal heat and humidity.

Incidentally that’s me in a picture taken by Julie Daniluk at the recent rally against Bill C-51. It was a boisterous gathering of folks committed to preserving our access to natural health products. For an update on where things are at now, see the C-51 update.

On another note, I’d like to rant for a minute on the hazards of sunscreens. These days, everyone from the weatherman to your mother is telling you to put sunscreen on before you go outside. Unfortunately, that idea is based on old research which had us thinking that sunscreens prevent skin cancer. However, while sales of sunscreen in the U.S. have gone from $18 million in 1972, to $640 million in 2005, the incidence of skin cancer has increased threefold.

How can this be? According to the book Solar Power by Marc Sorenson, EdD, vitamin D is the essential nutrient being blocked by sunscreens. In a lengthy review of the book, writer Katherine Duff states: “The author explains that sunlight ultraviolet B contacts the skin where a particular type of cholesterol is stored. Some of the cholesterol is converted to Vitamin D and transported to the liver, then to the kidneys and other tissues, then it is converted to calcitrol as needed. Calcitrol is then able to bind to Vitamin D receptors throughout the body. Sunscreens stop 99% of this process.”

Solar Power goes on to discuss the many processes vitamin D affects to prevent cancer growth, which includes slowing of cancer cell proliferation. According to Duff, “Sorenson builds the case that our anti-sun mentality and use of sunscreens is responsible for the burgeoning number of internal cancers that face us today. Several cancers are examined in light of criteria not often found in cancer discussions, that being, of course, the role of sunlight and cancer statistics.”

As for myself, I never wear sunscreen because it fools you into thinking you can stay out in the direct sun longer than you should - it does this by turning off an important signal, burning skin. In other words, if you don’t have any sunscreen on, your skin will tell you pretty accurately when to get out of the sun.

Here in the northern hemisphere, where Canadians are chronically vitamin D deficient, I believe that sunscreens do more harm than good.

For a more natural approach, I start to build up my sun exposure in early summer gradually (10 minutes a day), and then increase it over the summer. (If you’re able to sunbathe in the nude for 10 - 15 minutes a day, so much the better. Getting sunlight on your lower back is a great battery charger for the kidneys.) If I’m going to be outdoors all day, I stick to the shade and wear a hat. If my skin occasionally gets burned, I get out the aloe vera gel (the good stuff from the health food store) and smoothe it over the affected body parts, which quickly soothes and heals the burn.

In celebration of the spring equinox coming up on March 20th, you’ll find a new picture here, showing me taking a big bite of green medicine – a big fat organic stalk of celery that’s fresh, bitter, and nourishing – just like spring. (It’s not exactly in season in spring, but it is very photogenic.)

Likewise Vitality is taking a big bite out of spring with new features on supernutrition, disease recovery, and anti-aging in this and coming issues.

Woodford Files

Good grief, 2008 is already a month old! We greatly enjoyed our break over the holiday season, due to our double issue, and now we’re back in fighting form.

In celebration of Chinese New Year (February 7), this month we bring you the Shiitake mushroom, an Asian symbol of longevity. With its antiviral, antibacterial, and cholesterol-lowering properties, not to mention its divine culinary uses, this fragrant fungus is a wonderful example of nutritional medicine from the kitchen pharmacy. With a handful of savoury recipes, culinary herbalist Pat Crocker makes this mushroom sing and dance in the pot.

And our ode to St. Valentine’s this month is a feature on Sexy Supplements by Dr. Zoltan Rona. In it, we learn of the vitamins, minerals, and herbs that can ramp up your sex life and address reproductive disorders. Mind you, there is one point in the article that’s debatable – Rona’s statement that essential fatty acids are particularly important for sexual health but: “Since virtually every fish on this planet is contaminated by mercury, it’s best to keep fish and seafood out of your diet.” I have heard good arguments both for and against eating fish for their EFAs, and I hope to initiate further debate on the topic in our Letters to Editor section. So feel free to weigh in on the subject. Send your email to: letters@vitalitymagazine.com

Helke Ferrie’s feature on Surviving Mainstream Medicine points to the precautions that any patient should take when undergoing treatment by a conventional doctor. That the pharmaceutical agenda is a significant influence in the typical doctor’s office is no secret. Add to that the now severe shortage of doctors in Ontario, which means that little time is spent with each patient, and what we end up with is a healthcare system unable to meet the needs of its aging population, particularly in the area of chronic disease. It’s a system that is underfunded, underqualified to cure chronic disease, and uninterested in supporting alternatives to drugs and surgery.

But there is a silver lining in the cloud. As patients have begun to realize they can’t rely on conventional medicine to cure their diseases, they’re taking greater interest in alternatives to conventional medicine which can genuinely help them. Indeed, natural health and alternative medicine is enjoying a surge in popularity as patients seek solutions from sources outside the medical mainstream.

Unfortunately, none of these alternatives are covered by OHIP, so only those who can afford the fees of homeopaths, naturopaths, massage therapists, nutritionists, herbalists, osteopaths, orthomolecular physicians, etc, have a shot at truly curing their health problems. In fact, I’d venture to say that a two tier health care system already exists here – one for those who can afford to pay the cost of alternative medicine out of their own pocket, and the other for those who cannot. Yet in all fairness to the patient, OHIP should be expanding their coverage to all health professions that can genuinely help people get better and stay out of the doctor’s office.

In my view, the prescription for a genuine cure to any disease is not to be found within conventional medicine but rather within the natural health and alternative medicine community where health professionals are willing to spend the time necessary to correctly diagnose each patient’s health status, and able bring more to the table than just symptom-suppressing drugs.

Since emergency rooms are now being flooded by patients without a doctor, a new OHIP strategy that diverts patients away from conventional medicine and towards preventive medicine and alternative healthcare would in turn free up emergency rooms for what they were intended to do in the first place – deal with emergencies.              

Whew, let me start by apologizing that Vitality hit the streets a bit late this month. Our involvement with Whole Life Expo threw our production cycle off by a week, and we’ve been scrambling to catch up ever since. The Expo was another spectacular success and we are mighty pleased with all the folks who participated - exhibitors, speakers, and thousands of attendees. 

When I think back to my teenage years, there is one memory that still brings a twinge and a chuckle. I was excitedly getting ready for a big date one day, and decided to shave my underarms vigorously and slather on a brand new deodorant. Then off I proudly strutted to meet up with my young man, confident in knowing that my underarms smelled like lilacs. Partway through the evening, our teenage gropings in the back seat of his Ford were rudely interrupted by my aggressive scratching of said underarms. Acutely embarassed, I rushed to the crusty bathroom at the drive-in where we were parked, and was horrified to discover an angry red rash from elbow to armpit. Alas, there ended both my love affair with that particular boy (he thought I was diseased) and my romance with lilac scented underarms.

With the election coming up on October 10, my thoughts have turned to which party will get my vote. One thing’s for sure – it won’t be the Liberals. In the past two years, the McGuinty government has declared war on small publishers in Ontario by not only hitting us with an 8% provincial sales tax on our printing costs, but also an industry-wide tax audit that claims the PST is retroactive for the past four years. This required many publishers to pay four years’ worth of back taxes on their printing bills. In Vitality’s case that amounted to $85,000. Add to that the legal and accounting fees spent fighting the tax assessment, and our own costs so far add up to over $110,000.