Psst…. It’s Dr. Jim Carey’s Birthday today. The Big 6-0.

Send him a greeting at drjim@chidiet.com.

Susan

Everybody says that the best way to learn about the Raw Living Foods Diet and Lifestyle is with the Dr. Ann Wigmore Raw Living Foods Home Study Program.

They also say it’s big and expensive.

That’s why I jumped at the chance to do a TV series about the Dr. Ann Wigmore program. We called it Grassy Roots – Back to the Roots of Health Eating.

In 14 episodes I covered all of the basics of Dr. Ann’s teachings. Also, in each show, we did a quick-and-simple recipe or two, and discussed things like sprouting in the kitchen, composting and organic gardening.

Now it’s available on DVD, along with The 13 Step Guide to Raw Foods and my 180 page Transitional Raw Recipe book, all in a special package deal.

This is a special arrangement, and when they’re sold out, that’s it.

Learn more and get your copy today at http://GrassyRoots.com.

I’m sure you’ll love it – but if you don’t, I’ll be happy to take it back, no questions asked.

Jim Carey

PS: When family and friends want to debate your lifestyle choice, don’t! It’s a lot easier to share what you’re doing, and why, by sitting down and watching these videos together, then having an informed discussion.

Again, that link is http://GrassyRoots.com

Feedback from the eggs…

Sent to me via email; original source unknown. If you know where these pix came from, please let me know.

Antidepressant drugs increase the risk of type 2 diabetes among those at high risk of the disease, a re-analysis of part of the large-scale Diabetes Prevention Program study found: http://www.mercola.com/2006/jun/29/dangerous_antidepressants_elevate_type_2_diabetes_risk.htm.

A scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure, presented in the book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, based on the findings of a 20 year study first published in the American Journal of Cardiology.

Heart Disease remains the leading cause of death in this country for men and women. While we spend millions of dollars each year developing treatments, traditional procedures fail patients by focusing only on the symptoms of disease, and not the underlying causes.

In Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, a former surgeon, researcher and clinician at the Cleveland Clinic, challenges conventional cardiology by posing a compelling revolutionary idea-that we can, in fact, abort the heart disease epidemic by changing our diet.

The proof is in the incredible results of our patients who have followed Dr. Esselstyn’s ground breaking program. The men and women in this twenty-year nutritional study-the most comprehensive study of its kind-came to him with advanced coronary disease.

Despite the aggressive traditional treatment they received-including bypasses and angioplasties-a number had been told by their cardiologists that they had less than a year to live.

Within months of following a plant-based, oil-free diet, their angina symptoms eased, their cholesterol levels dropped significantly, and they experienced a marked improvement in blood flow to the heart. Twenty years later, they remain free of symptoms.

Drawing on the results of this revolutionary study and his ongoing work with patients all over the country, oil-free nutrition can not only prevent and stop the progression of heart disease, but also reverse its effects.

Furthermore, it can eliminate the need for expensive and invasive surgical intervention except in acute emergencies, no matter how far the disease has progressed.

A nutrition-based program, backed by powerful evidence from the longest study ever conducted, that will cure heart disease led Dr. T.Colin Campbell, who authored The China Study, 2005, professor emeritus of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University to write,

“One morning in the summer of 1991, I received an interesting phone call from a surgeon at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. He had read a recent New York Times story about our study on diet, lifestyle, and health in China and was interested in our preliminary findings.

“He invited me to speak at a conference that fall in Tucson, Arizona. his ambitious title for the meeting: ‘The First National Conference on the Elimination of Coronary Artery Disease.’”

That, in itself, was intriguing enough to convince me to accept. But I also was impressed by the fact that this Dr. Esselstyn had secured the participation of many well-known heart specialists, including the participation of many well-known heart specialists, including Framingham Heart Study Director William Castelli and Dr. Dean Ornish, who had recently gained considerable recognition for his work showing his ability to reverse heart disease through changes in diet and lifestyle.

This conference would be challenging, to say the least. In my own academic environment, it was startling enough at the time even to mention a tenuous association of diet and heart disease. But the elimination of coronary artery disease? This was a paradigm shift..

The conference was highly successful-and provocative. So was a subsequent meeting in Orlando Florida, which Dr. Esselstyn organized in association with Michael Eisner, then chief executive officer of the Walt Disney Company.

Since those early days, my wife, Karen and I have come to know well both Dr.Esselstyn and his energetic wife and colleague, Ann. I have often lectured with him on the same stage. And I have come to know his remarkable research and its findings, as well as it major implications.

Dr. Esselstyn’s studies are among the most carefully conducted and relevant medical investigations undertaken the past century. His goal, eliminating coronary disease entirely, maybe achievable during our lifetimes, and he has told us that it can be done and how it can be done.

His determination to pursue this research and to teach the rest of us what he has learned, against formidable opposition in the medical establishment, is a testament to his personal and professional courage and integrity.

The book is a must read, both for ordinary people interested in health and for the dons of clinical and medical research institutions.. People who ignore its message will do so at their own peril. There is no pharmaceutical wonder or medical trickery, either now or in the future, that can match these findings.

On this program people lost their fat craving in 90 days. They explained that we have receptors for cocaine, heroin, nicotine, sugar and fat. In 12 weeks, the receptor for fat will be down regulated, that is.they no longer have that craving and they are in good shape. This was done without required exercise.

Peace and Love be with You,

Flora

Here’s a link to Amazon.com: Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease

- if you buy the book through the above link, we may get a commission. Thank you!

RawDoctors.com has put together a two CD set about the body-mind connection and healing, material created with Dr. Bruce Lipton. Over the last few days I’ve been listening to the CDs again while driving. I want to let you know that I REALLY think they’re great.

It’s good to be reminded of these things on a regular basis.

Over at chiDietVideos.com we’re running the CD set at a special price, but there’s only a few days left to get your set!

Here’s the link – The Secret Ingredient of Optimal Health:
http://chidietvideos.com/the-secret-ingredient.html

Jim Carey

From a speech by Dr. John McDougall to a group of MDs. These are Dr. Flora’s notes…

Why is diet and lifestyle medicine so unpopular?

The main problem is its low profit. If we could change the profitability of lifestyle ‘medicine’, it would change overnight. But there is also the excuse that it takes some patient ‘compliance’/effort. But, of course, that’s taught to us, isn’t it?

We are taught that patients aren’t very smart, right? And, they’re not going to do this. That’s what I was taught when I was in medical school.. that patients were barely smart enough to sign the check at the end of the office visit and take our drugs. They’re stupid and disinterested, and that’s part of the education that goes on still today.

I believe that patients are very willing, if we give them half a chance, to make these changes. I see it every day in my practice, and they are very grateful. It’s not high-tech.

I had an experience one time. I read an article by Dr. Pannish about how to cure rheumatoid arthritis in the Annals of Internal Medicine. I was doing a radio show at that time and I wanted him as a guest on my radio show. So I tracked him down at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Originally, that’s where I looked for him, but he wasn’t there anymore – he was at a big university of the East Coast and had become the Department of Internal Medicine head.

I called him up to invite him to be a guest, “Oh, Dr. Pannish, I’m so excited to talk to you. here you are, a man who’s really stood up and said you can cure rheumatoid arthritis with diet.”

And he said “Wait a minute, I don’t want to talk about that.”

I said, “What do you mean?”

“I don’t do that anymore,” he said.

“Well, what do you do?” I asked him.

He said, “I’m at this big university. Real doctors don’t talk about diet and disease.”

“So, what do real doctors talk about?”

“Well, you know, things like genetics and viruses and biochemistry and things like that. You see, it’s not sexy. The person you saw at the front desk can teach you about diet and lifestyle. You don’t have to be a doctor or a dietitian. I mean, anyone can teach you. It’s not really sexy, is it? So, it’s not very popular. And then, when you give patient control, then you as a doctor lose control and this is an ego-centered business, isn’t it?”

Yeah, it is an ego-centered business. That’s why we have operating theaters.

Then Dr. McDougall showed a pie chart of chronic illnesses.

“OK, let’s get down to the treatment of disease. I’d give us medical doctors a report card. I’d give us an A for treating acute illnesses and I’d give us, at best, a D- for treating chronic illnesses. So, we’ve made great contributions in terms of people’s health in several areas such as sanitation… Antibiotics, of course, are really wonderful; trauma care, and immunizations. They have made a huge difference in the welfare of people throughout the world. But, these are acute illnesses that we are dealing with primarily.

When it comes to chronic illness, seven of the leading causes of death are due to chronic illness. They are the diseases you see up there like heart disease, cancer, strokes, lung disease, diabetes, liver disease and atherosclerosis. And it represents 3/4ths of the health care dollars spent in this country – chronic diseases. The treatment of chronic illness with drugs, with medication, can’t possibly work. Just the fact that it’s called chronic, and continues to be called chronic, is an admission of failure.

Americans are sick, they’re sicker than ever, and most Americans over the age of 55 have at least one risk factor for diseases. For example, 1/3rd have elevated cholesterol, most are inactive, 1/3rd have high blood pressure, 30% are obese, more than 65% are overweight, and 10% are diabetic. I mean, those are the facts and we treat those patients primarily with drugs. What we treat, of course, is not the patient or the disease, but we treat the risk factors, the signs and symptoms of the disease.”

He introduced us to a term called ‘disease mongering.’ A monger is a derogatory term for a dealer, like a used-car dealer. Dr. Ray Moynihan defines disease mongering:

“It’s the selling of sickness that widens the boundaries of illness and grows the market for those who sell and deliver treatments. It’s exemplified most explicitly by the many pharmaceutical industry funded disease-awareness campaigns. Disease mongering turns healthy people into patients.”

The most common way in which we disease monger is to treat risk factors and not diseases. In fact, it’s not just risk factors we are treating anymore – it’s risk factors for risk factors: pre hypertension, pre-diabetes, pre-osteoporosis (osteopenia), etc.

So that’s what we treat as risk factors: symptoms. I’ve been in practice for 40 years and I’ve never seen a patient die of high cholesterol! I’ve never seen a patient die of high blood pressure and I have never seen a patient die of high blood sugar, ever. These people who have these risk factors die of real diseases, don’t they? I mean, they really are sick.

Unfortunately, we don’t treat the underlying sickness that kills them, and we see tragedies in people’s lives. 1.2 million people have heart attacks every year. 700,000 have strokes.

What would happen if instead of dealing with the risk factors, which we treat very effectively with drugs, we instead dealt with the underlying diseases? We might have to do something drastic, like change people’s diets! Or, make them exercise! Or, cause them to quit smoking! But the problem is, how do we charge for that? How do you make a living doing that?

OK, lifestyle is what it’s all about, correcting the cause through a change in lifestyle. Most of you understand that it’s a plant-based diet, it’s modern exercise and it’s clean habits that work. Let me give you an example of disease mongering just so you all get up to speed on this and see how it works:

Treatment of hypertension. The end points for treating high blood pressure, how do we succeed? Do blood pressure lowering medications lower blood pressure. Definitely, no question about it. In fact, when you read the scientific studies on high blood pressure, what do you find?

Yes, Drug A lowers blood pressure as well as Drug B.

Do they reduce the risk of dying of heart disease? No.

Do they reduce the risk of stroke? A little bit.

Do they have side effects and complications? A LOT!

We are taught by the provocatively dressed drug representatives and by the drug companies that high blood pressure medicine is very effective, it cuts the risk of stroke in half. And you think that there’s a practitioner who thinks, “I would be foolish if I didn’t treat my patients with high blood pressure pills,” because they cut the risk of stroke nearly in half… Well, if you look at scientific research, this is what you find:

The risk of stroke for 5 years: People who have mild hypertension between 90 and 110 mm of mercury, if you don’t treat them they have 15 chances of having a stroke out of every 1,000 people untreated. But, if you treat them, their risk is now 9 chances out of every 1,000 patients. So, what do we have here? We have a risk reduction over five years. That’s 15 minus 9, which is 6, divided by 15 we have a relative risk reduction of 40%. That’s a relative risk reduction, but that’s not the way we should look at things, is it?

The risk of stroke for five years, in terms of absolute reduction is six strokes per 1,000 people. That’s one less stroke per year by treating 1,000 people with medication. It looks a little bit different now. So what we do is talk in terms of relative and absolute risk reduction which means no sense at all. It makes a profitable sense but no sense in the terms of the welfare of our patients.

Disease mongering expands the definition of sickness. When Walter Kempner was taking care of high blood pressure patients, his blood pressure patients came in with blood pressures of 200/140. He got 60% of them down to normal blood pressures. When I started in medicine, it was called mild high blood pressure when it was 160/100. Soon, it became 140/90. Then there was a report, the first came out about 18 years ago, but another one came out a couple of years ago that said that if your blood pressure was 120/80 or greater, that you had twice the risk of dying of heart disease. It made national headlines. I’m sure the PR people, the spin doctors, at the drug stores. It made national headlines.

I’m sure the PR spin doctors, at the drug companies made sure that everybody learned about that. Now that is true, if your blood pressure is elevated, it is an indication that you have higher risk of having diseases associated with a western diet. It’s a sign that says you’re sick. But does treating signs necessarily solve the problem? Well, the drug companies think we should do that even though the results of those treatments don’t show those benefits. So we have doctors out there treating people with blood pressures of 120/80 or higher or maybe 110/70 or higher. Remember, that’s pre-hypertension. So, you expand the market greatly by expanding the definition of sickness.

Now, this is the guideline that I use and the one I would encourage you to use, from the British literature. It’s the most current guideline on treating high blood pressure. And that is why I don’t feel uncomfortable at all taking patients off blood pressure lowering medications. That is why I don’t feel uncomfortable having my patients blood pressures at 140/90 or 150/95 without medication, because of the British guidelines, which have looked carefully at the scientific literature and have made some profound statements that should dictate our practice.

In these guidelines, there are summary points that all people with high blood pressure, borderline or high normal blood pressure should be advised on lifestyle modifications.

Now how many doctors do you think do that? I mean do you think a patient goes ionto a doctor’s office and when the blood pressure is detected, the first thing the doctor does is say, “You’re going to take a 10-week diet and lifestyle course before I put you on drugs.”

You think that ever happens? Or do you think maybe, more likely what happens is, when the patient comes into the doctor’s office, the first reading of elevated blood pressure dictates a life-long treatment for high blood pressure. Do you think that’s possible? I think so.

Then they go on and say that you should initiate drug therapy if there is a sustained, as in not 15 minutes, but months, 160 systolic and 100 or greater diastolic. That’s what the British guidelines say. Now, if you feel uncomfortable about not initiating high blood pressure therapy, for what you know is less than mild hypertension, or if you feel uncomfortable about taking people off high blood pressure medication, just use the British guidelines. It’s the most current recommendations out there, and I believe much less biased because I believe the British literature is much less influenced than the U.S. literature.

More on disease mongering. Here’s another way to do it. You exaggerate the goals of treatment. The goal, I can’t think of a patient who has come in with anything but the goal of making the blood pressure normal with drugs. 110-78 or less, that’s the goal.

Well, using medication, reaching that goal results in more death and disability, more heart attacks. What happens is when the diastolic is high and you treat, say it’s 120 , the blood pressure, the risk of heart attacks and death decreases until you hit a level of about 95 mm of mercury in diastolic. Certainly, no lower than 85 mm of mercury. Then, the risk of death increases. It’s called the “J” or “U” phenomenon of mortality. It’s been written about for over 30 years. It makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?

Here you have a patient whose blood vessel system is all clogged up, it’s full of sludge from what they ate, their arteries are in spasm.

The heart and the body perceive these problems: “We are not delivering the nutrients to the tissues because of all this peripheral resistance. So, what do we need to do?”

The body says to itself. “Well, we need to increase the pressure in the system,” so the pressure goes up. So, what do we do as agents of medical care, agents of the pharmaceutical industry? We poison the system at various levels. We poison the heart with beta blockers, we poison the arteries with calcium channel blockers, we poison the kidneys with diuretics. And the blood pressure comes down, as expected.

But what happens to all that effort the body is making to deliver nutrients to the tissues? What happens is, that effort is stopped.

The consequence is you decrease pressure to the tissues and the patient dies. But, at least he died with a normal blood pressure, right?

[Emphasis added by Jim Carey.]

Peace and Love Be With You,

Dr. Flora van Orden
PhD, Nutrition

[Please post your questions as Comments]

My email service “upgraded” and all the links stopped working this week. I think we have it fixed for future newsletters; we’ll see tomorrow.

You can still read the articles you missed here:

http://chidiet.com/blog/

Jim Carey

Moods and Foods – How They Affect Your Body

There are times when I have wondered if there was a direct link between my brain and my stomach, because my moods seem to affect the foods I eat and vice versa. It’s true for most of us, because:

•    Most people find themselves binging on food of the feel-good kind, like ice creams, chocolates, pastries and other junk food, when they feel really low and depressed.
•    When you’re down and in need of a good cry or a shoulder to do it on, you find that no matter what you eat, you seem to have no appetite and even the most delicious food tastes like dry sawdust.

Why is it that some depressing moods cause us to become gluttons while others make us hate the very sight of food? The answer probably lies in the degree of depression that we’re going through at the particular moment.

For example, if you’ve just gotten bad news, you’re probably not going to be able to eat even a tiny morsel of food, even though it’s your favorite kind. This mood stays with you for some time, a few days or so. And it’s when you start looking for ways to beat the mood and make yourself feel good that you begin to turn to food for comfort. The good taste acts as a substitute for the soothing balm your heart needs, and when you eat what you really like, you may think you feel better.

BUT, and that’s a really big but there – you are in danger of slipping back to the depths of depression if you overdose on junk food because, for one, your stomach feels bloated and you feel really uncomfortable with all the burps and other bodily noises you’re creating, and for another, you tend to put on weight if you keep making a habit of this. So eating to beat your blue is definitely not the sanest of solutions.

If we are to stay healthy in both body and mind, we must look at food as something that provides nutrition to our body and not as goodies to be eaten when the mood strikes. Good eating habits must be made the rule rather than the exception, because only when you condition your body to follow the right diet can you take the road to good health in the long term.

————————————-

This article is written by Kat Sanders, who regularly blogs on the topic of x ray technician salary at her blog The X-Ray Vision-aries Blog. She welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: katsanders25@gmail.com.

[Don't miss the note at the end! - Jim Carey]

Flawed studies on breast cancer and dietary fat
What the mainstream media doesn’t want you to know.
by T. Colin Campbell, PhD

The recent study that low fat diets don’t prevent breast cancer in a large cohort of women now confirms similar results of another large study, the Nurses’ Health Study at Harvard. But this interpretation for these hugely expensive studies is seriously misleading and is more about the way we investigate and publicize the dietary fat and breast cancer relationship than it is about the results obtained.

Both studies were prompted by a major 1982 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report that was the first major document to recommend cutting fat consumption from 40% of calories to 30% to prevent cancer risk, a report that I co-authored. But the researchers who subsequently organized these two very large studies misinterpreted our report’s findings, then designed studies that were seriously flawed, despite recommendations to the contrary.

Aside from their recommendation on fat, the committee also advocated increased consumption of “fruits, vegetables, and whole grain cereal products” but cautioned that this did not apply to the effects of individual nutrients. They made clear that the 30% fat recommendation was arbitrary and was only meant as a “practical target” to monitor dietary change, adding that the evidence on fat even suggested, “the[sic] data could be used to justify an even greater reduction”. Together, these recommendations emphasized the effect of whole foods on cancer risk, not the effects of individual nutrients.

Unfortunately, the investigators of these two large studies failed to comprehend these recommendations on two accounts. Both groups initially sought my views — in seminars and discussions — but I was disappointed to learn that their very narrow hypothesis was inconsistent with the NAS report and was not likely to provide useful information. They preferred investigating the singular effects of fat on breast cancer while mostly ignoring the much more promising effects of a diet replete with fruits, vegetables and whole grain products that was naturally low in fat. It was my view that this was too narrow and not likely to be useful.

This narrow focus on fat reflected a sense of simplicity that was inconsistent with the underlying biology. At about the same time these studies were being organized, a similar approach to control cancer was being vigorously pursued by others who hoped to develop and market supplements of individual nutrients, a market that ultimately became exceptionally lucrative. Both of these strategies have now been proven to be ineffective.

These were hypotheses of gimmickry that reflected huge market forces at play. Modestly decreasing fat from certain well-entrenched foods allowed their continued marketing. Popping a few nutrient pills or adding dietary fiber to foods created new market opportunities.

This gimmickry primarily arose from an intense aversion to the evidence showing that it was the imbalanced consumption of animal and plant based foods that mattered most. There was a strong tendency to ignore this evidence, both within our NAS committee and by the investigators who were organizing these large human studies on breast cancer. Our committee, for example, decided on the arbitrary and practical target of 30% fat because a lower level, which was supported by the evidence, would have implied decreased consumption of meat, milk and eggs that might cause public rebuke of the entire report.

The available evidence for our NAS committee showed that the association of dietary fat with breast and other cancers was attributed to the consumption of animal protein, reflecting excessive consumption of animal based foods, perhaps also inadequate consumption of plant based foods. Laboratory evidence, including our own, also was showing that consuming animal protein had multiple adverse health effects. It could markedly increase cancer development, elevate blood cholesterol and atherosclerotic plaque and induce loss of calcium needed for strong bones. But all of this evidence was minimized and ignored, and continues even today. This also was a personal challenge for me. I was raised on a dairy farm milking cows, then started my research career at Cornell University attempting to promote more not less animal protein consumption.

This negation of the evidence has had serious consequences. For example, the vast majority of subjects in both of these recently reported studies used diets rich in animal protein, total fat and animal based foods, leaving virtually no opportunity to experimentally investigate the effects of a diet of whole plant based foods naturally low in fat. Women who consumed less fat, actually consumed more animal protein. Indeed, they were urged and coached to do this. At best, these women only made minor changes in fat consumption, leaving intact their imbalanced consumption of foods likely to make the most difference.

Now, using meager findings to make sweeping generalizations to dismiss the effect of diet on serious diseases like cancer only compounds the problem. Indeed it is deeply irresponsible for it denigrates some recent work from clinicians that, in fact, we are what we eat. Nothing in my 50 years in research is more promising than the brilliant work of Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., MD, of the Cleveland Clinic showing that a truly low fat, plant based diet is able to CURE heart disease, an effect that also is beginning to appear for other diseases as well.

Researchers need to be more attentive to the American taxpayer who foots the bill for their work, regardless where this research may proceed. Unfortunately, in the current climate, doing such research seems to be more about creating wealth for the few at the expense of the health of the many.

• T. Colin Campbell, PhD, is Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry, and Author, with T. Campbell, of “The China Study” (2005)
• Learn more about Dr. Campbell and his book at www.TheChinaStudy.com

Editorial note: The above article is from the co-author of the NAS Report which prompted these dietary fat/cancer studies which have been so widely covered in the US media. Of interest is that this article was submitted to almost every major newspaper in the United States, and all rejected it. Outlets such as The New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and many others were uncomfortable printing this article which provides evidence that the real (and ignored) health story is that a plant-based diet is being shown to be the key to preventing or reversing serious disease, including cancer. Instead, each of these publications ran paid advertisements from the Dairy Council and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in the same time frame. When government research is owned by corporate interests, and the mainstream media is as well, it’s hard to get much accurate information, be it information about political issues, about issues of war, or about issues of health.

[Full disclosure - some links on this website may generate a commission for me, which goes to supporting the hosting bills. Thanks - Jim Carey]

The raw food corner of the Internet is buzzing with the news that San Francisco has outlawed putting toys in Happy Meals, and other gimmicky tricks to sell food to kids.

Personally, I think it’s a pity that we pass these forms of legislation. If we’d give more attention – and funding – to educating people about their health we wouldn’t need laws like this. Because, in the end, people vote with their wallets.

Ah… but if health and diet education were done with public funding, who do you think would control the public service announcements and other “education?” Right… Big Agra, Big Pharma, the Cattlemen’s Association, the Dairy Council and their ilk.

So that’s not going to work, either.

Legislating health and diet is like legislating morality – you’ll never win.

Good health comes through personal education, not legislation. In the end, it’s up to you to take control of your diet and health. Like Dr. Ann Wigmore said in her famous book, you need to “Be Your Own Doctor.”

Everything you put in your mouth reflects this, whether you realize it or not.

Jim Carey

Looking for raw and living food recipes? Visit http://rawlivingfoods.typepad.com/1/recipes/ – I try to post a new recipe every day.

If you have a recipe you’d like to share, please email it to me – drjim@chidiet.com

Thanks!

Jim Carey

The Main Goals of Meditation

Meditation is a way in which you can get acquainted with virtue in your mind so that you can have a calmer and more peaceful feeling. Having a peaceful mind is beneficial in helping you become free of your worries.

This is not to say that you won’t worry about things, but you develop a more effective way of dealing with stressful situations in your daily life. You will be able to understand them in a different light and be able to see them for what they really are. When your mind is not at peace, it is hard to be happy even under pleasant circumstances.In some forms of meditation, you can analyze the thought processes that pass through your mind. When you concentrate deeply on the thoughts and situations of your life, you can reach the point at which you find your own answers to your problems.

Today many types of meditation are recommended by health care professionals as a way of cleansing the mind and emotions of negative thoughts. By meditating, you can benefit from improved concentration and memory. It also helps to help you develop a greater understanding of stressful situations in your daily life so that you can have a greater understanding of the real cause of the problem. This helps you approach your problems with less stress because you do not impulsively become angry. This, in turn, helps you get along with others much better.

Your body also benefits from meditation. When your mind is clear, you are better able to bring healing to the parts of your body that are ill. Meditating helps to improve the overall functioning of your immune system so that your body can fight off disease.  As your body becomes more relaxed, your blood pressure lowers and your heart can pump the blood to the organs of the body.

The aim of meditation is to give you a sense of inner peace that you will use throughout your day in all your dealings. This is why it is recommended that you meditate in the morning as soon as you awake. The positive feelings that you bring into your mind and body will then help you cope with your day.

Best Regards,
Wild Divine Team
WildDivine.com

Dear Dr. Jim,

I just wanted to take a moment to put in writing my appreciation and admiration for the work you do. I have learned a great deal from working with you to produce the first season of Grassy Roots and truly look forward to the next season of “eye-opening” information.

As you know, I am currently re-editing each episode and as I review and “re-listen” I become more convinced that what you teach and promote has a truth deeper than many may see. We, as a species, have gotten so off path when it comes to taking care of the holy temple of our body, failing to “hear” what comes natural to other creatures, due partially, I suppose, to the gift of free-will and that nagging self-god, the ego, who can be so easily deceived.

But I am no theologian, so will stick to the facts.

When we first began production of Grassy Roots, I had never even heard of the term, “raw vegan,” but quickly became “raw curious” as I began background research, both from your websites, and others.

At that time I had tendonitis in my right elbow and left wrist, from carrying camera equipment and such. I was also plagued with severe intestinal pains frequently, had been for years, so thought it normal. Now, five months later, having done nothing but increase my intake of raw veggies and fruits significantly and all but eliminated meat and dairy, (I may have chicken or fish once a week), there is not even a memory of the pain I once felt in my joints.

If my intestines do revolt and give pain, I usually can link it to ingestion of something cooked that I ate only hours before, making me think back to the episode in which we discussed the 12 Steps to Raw Food and the challenges anyone would face in changing to a more natural diet in this day and age.

As a side effect of these dietary changes, something unexpected has also happened. A new Passion has grown! Not just for my life and how I approach living it, but also a strong desire to help others see what is so important about all this. We ARE what we eat and NO other person or corporation controls what we eat unless we ALLOW it. Ultimately, what we put in our bodies, in our minds, in our hearts, is determined by our OWN choices, choices that should be made with only one goal… to live a life fully open to and appreciative of the abundance available to us with the gift of life itself!

I could go on and on, but will stop here. Again thank you so much for your efforts to share this information with the world.

Beth Overgaauw
Capricorn Projects, LLC
GrassyRoots.com

The following article is by a guest author, Abigail Eva.  It’s a very good overview of the various raw food diets. As proponents of Dr. Ann Wigmore, I follow and promote a form called the Raw Living Foods Diet and Lifestyle. Please note that over-consumption of protein is the leading cause of osteoporosis.

All you need to know about Eating Raw Foods

Page description: Find out how you can get the best out of eating your foods in raw form. Improve your overall heath by doing yoga and leg exercises while eating the right amount of protein in your diet.

Here comes one of the most talked about form of diet – eating raw food, and proponents of this diet swear on its benefits. The raw food enthusiasts claim that it is actually the only way of eating. But if you’re used to eating a traditional diet where you eat mostly cooked you’re probably wondering what’s so bad about that?

Well, let’s find out exactly what a raw food diet is? And if one can really benefit from it?

Raw foodism is based on the fundamental principle that plant foods in their natural state, which is uncooked and unprocessed, are the most wholesome for the body. Unlike weight loss diets, this is a lifestyle choice. Devotees of this lifestyle insist on a diet consisting mainly of uncooked and unprocessed plant foods. It is believed to give us body that is leaner, skin that is clearer skin and energy that is higher. It is also believed to reduce the risk of deadly diseases. The raw zealots believe that any food, when cooked changes its molecular structure in its nutrient components such that the body cannot use it easily as when the food is raw. In addition to this belief, enzymes, which are catalysts that help the body to absorb nutrients in the foods, are also believed to be killed when the food is cooked under high temperature.

This is the reason why raw food enthusiasts do not cook with the traditional stove or oven. Instead, they use food dehydrators that give vegetables and cookies a crunch. Food dehydrators are also used to dry out fruits and other raw food products. The dehydrator is based on the principle of working with heat where temperatures cannot go beyond 115 to 118 degrees Fahrenheit due to the belief that high heat destroys vitamins and enzymes that are critical for digestion.

The diet can include any food that is primarily unheated, or cooled to less than a temperature range of 40 °C (104 °F) to 46 °C (115 °F). There are many variants of this lifestyle. Out of these, vegan diet is the most popular, but there are other forms which may include animal products and/or meat. Even among raw foodists there are those that advocate raw vegetarianism or veganism, and those who advocate an omnivorous diet. There are also enthusiasts that advocate a 100% animal food diet.

A vegan diet would consist of raw plant foods that are unprocessed and that have not been heated above 46 °C (115 °F). Typical foods in this category would include vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and sprouted legumes and grains. The vegans can sometimes be subdivided into juicearians, fruitarians, or sproutarians, where they primarily process all their raw foods into juice, eat fruits exclusively or adhere to a diet consisting of sprouted seeds respectively.

On the other hand raw vegetarianism is a diet that allows diary and eggs but excludes any form of meat, poultry and fish. The most popular foods here include vegetables, fruits, honey, nuts, seeds, sprouts, grains, legumes, dairy and eggs.

It is interesting to note that eating cruciferous vegetables in raw form like brussel sprouts, cabbage and kale reduces the risk of cancer of the bladder. It is noted that cooking these cruciferous vegetables robs them of their isothiocyanates, which are the agents that alter the proteins in cancer cells. It is found that eating even a few helpings each month of these raw crucifers lower the risk. Not only that, it is also found that eating raw vegetables reduces the risk of gastric, pharyngeal, laryngeal, esophageal and oral cancers. There are also many conditions like hypertension which can be effectively controlled as the high fiber content in this kind of diet is known to help unclog the arteries. There are also many herbs used to control blood pressure such as licorice, ephedra, gingko biloba, hawthorn berry, maitake, ginger, turmeric, turnip, celery and olive. These blood pressure herbs are proven to effectively reduce artery hardening and strengthen the heart muscle thereby making delivery of blood to the body more effective.

The other category is the raw animal food enthusiasts who follow a diet that includes uncooked and unprocessed meats and eggs or fermented meats and fish, raw dairy, as well as the foods that vegans and vegetarians eat. Raw animal food zealots usually obtain their meats from grass-fed and free-range sources which greatly reduces the risk of bacteria that may be harmful. Studies have backed up this belief as grass-fed animals have far fewer bacteria like E. coli as against their grain fed counterparts (about 1/300th). The bacteria are also much less likely to survive our gastric juices which are the primary first line defense against any infection. To top it off, grass fed meat contains far more nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids, than grain-fed meat.

Hence, contrary to popular belief, a raw food diet can be rich in nutrients. Not only that, the advantage of a high fiber diet with low fat and sugars can give you a whole lot of advantage over a diet that is void of it. It is a fact that a diet rich in calcium, iron, vitamin and omega-3 fatty acids, are found naturally in raw food products.

However, there are certain practical issues. And the movement itself is split into many factions. Like everything else, no one seems to be in total agreement with anyone else. But the truth of the matter is that following this kind of diet can be a path for you to attain perfect health or to undergo serious undernourishment. There are raw food dieters who claim that cooked food produces many harmful chemical toxins. While some of these claims are accepted by science, many are speculative.

Therefore as the raw food consumption gains popularity, understanding what you eat is crucial as there are some potentially unsafe foods such as buckwheat greens, and some beans and legumes that are toxic in the raw form. The toxins from these raw foods can cause a wide range of symptoms such as photosensitivity and other dermatological complaints. Sometimes tiny amounts of goitrogens present in raw food like rutabaga, canola oil, pine nuts, cassava, millet, mustard, peanuts and soybeans can interfere with metabolism of iodine thereby worsening hypothyroidism. And there are also foods like eggs and tomatoes, which when cooked make the nutrients absorbed by the body more easily.

Thus the overall well being of our health depends a great deal upon diet and lifestyle. Whatever form of lifestyle we choose, it goes without saying that balancing it with a healthy exercise regime is a must. And when you think of physical activity, you don’t have to rack your brains. Take that first step – with your leg. Whether it be walking, jogging, running, dancing or swimming. Leg exercises are the simplest, safest and the most effective when it comes to physical activity. And if you are focusing on weight loss, make certain that you do regular exercise and eat right. A high protein diet is an absolute must if you want to lose fat. But be sure to balance it with the right amount of fruits and vegetables. Another great form of exercise you can indulge in is yoga.  Yoga is known to have innumerable benefits that promote not only your physical being, but also your mental and spiritual being. There are many remarkable instances which have proved that practicing yoga coupled with a right combination of diet can alter and reverse many serious cardiac diseases.   The practice of yoga for weight loss as a key component with diet alterations is now gaining rapid popularity even in the medical field due to its unconventional way. It is used as an adjunct treatment for many specific medical conditions, from depression to heart disease and is widely integrated in cardiac rehabilitation programs

So keeping our overall health gain in perspective, let us not forget that we can actually reap all the benefits given the right attitude and approach. Even though there may be very little medical literature available on the raw food diet, it is steadily gaining momentum. Research has outlined certain health benefits of a plant-based diet. And if one can be pragmatic as well as a realist without being a stubborn idealist – raw food can actually transform your life!

Abigail Eva

Dr. Wigmore only sold one book in Boston that was not hers: The Essene Gospel of Peace from the Dead Sea Scrolls. This little book that sells for $1 is very controversial, but at the time, it was the only book she could find that discussed the way she felt about what God had told her in her prayers.

Many people don’t know about the ancient sect of Essenes. Most of them, according to Josephus, lived to be over a hundred, they studied medicinal plants and roots, did not engage in commerce, the did not use oils on their bodies, always dressed in white, took enemas (using dried gourds with trailing vines as tubes, no less!), did not believe in elevating themselves one over the other, but in equality; they cultivated the earth or devoted themselves to peaceful arts according to the ancient Philo.

They were (and are to this day) farmers, shepherds, cowherds, goatherds, bee-keepers, artisans and craftsmen. They did not and will not make instruments of war. They did not covet. They believe that the soul is eternal. They cherished silence. They do not swear oaths, saying that “one who is not believed without an appeal to God or a higher power stands condemned already.” They do not store up treasures of silver and gold nor acquire vast sections of the earth out of a desire for ample revenues. They share what they have with others. If they have two coats and one is coatless, they will give one of theirs.

They did not come together on the basis of race, but because of their zeal for virtue and by the passion of their love for mankind (Pluto).

Dr. Wigmore’s Living Food Program was more than food, it was a manual of discipline for her students to get to a point in their life that they would feel nothing but love for everyone and everything. More on that later. She did not want to speak of any particular religion; she felt that spirituality encompasses all religions, and didn’t want anyone to think that she favored one over the other.

Peace and love be with you,
Flora

[Dr. Flora van Orden, ND, PhD (Nutrition) was Dr. Ann Wigmore's assistant for over 22 years, and has been a raw fooder for over 40.]

Author: Reuben Chow

Here’s a really interesting article from Natural News about bowel cancer. This would provide excellent content for your next for Newsletter.

(NaturalNews) Why do people get cancer? Perhaps more significantly, why have cancer rates soared so drastically over the past century? Is it because of genes? Is it because of what we are eating today? Or are stressful lifestyles to blame? Others put forth that factors such as environmental toxins and electromagnetic radiation are the main culprits. The fact is, cancer is a multi-causal disease and probably a result of a combination of the abovementioned factors. Recent statistics released by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has estimated the role of diet and lifestyle, suggesting that about one-third of the 12 most common types of cancer in richer countries could be prevented merely through a healthy diet, physical activity and the maintenance of healthy weight. In poorer, developing nations, the proportion of cancers preventable through these steps was estimated to be about one-in-four.

Details and Findings of Study

The cancers in question included those of the bowel, breast, gallbladder, kidney, liver, lung, mouth / pharynx / larynx, esophagus, pancreas, prostate, stomach and womb. For these cancers, it was estimated that 34% of cases in the US and 39% of UK cases were preventable through the said steps. This implied that there was more room for improvement in these countries.

Zooming in, it was also estimated that more than 40% of breast and bowel cancer cases in developed nations could have been prevented in the same way.

And the abovementioned figures had not even taken into account the detrimental effects of smoking, which on its own is believed to be the main cause of about one-third of all cancers.

The report had been put together by a panel of 23 experts. Their study had been based on 10 recommendations released by the WCRF in 2007 on preventing cancer; those included daily exercise, avoiding processed meats, eating less salt, and keeping healthy weight. To arrive at the estimates, the team had looked at the biggest and most reliable research studies available which covered the 10 factors.

“This report shows that by making relatively straightforward changes, we could significantly reduce the number of cancer cases around the world,” said Michael Marmot, the chair of the panel.

Importance of Dietary and Lifestyle Factors in Cancer Prevention

The possible causes of cancer were discussed earlier. What is clear about cancer is that it is certainly not an alien-like ailment which descended from the sky and invaded our bodies, against which we can do nothing for protection or recovery. “People think that somehow cancer comes from heaven, or Darwin, or from their parent’s genes, but that’s not always the case. A third are caused by smoking, and approximately a third are related to diet and physical activity,” Marmot also said.

And scientific backing seems to be increasing. “The evidence linking diet, physical activity, obesity and cancer has become stronger over the last decade and this report can play a part in people adopting healthier lifestyles. After not smoking, it is clear that diet, physical activity and weight are the most important things people can do to reduce their cancer risk,” said Mike Richards, the National Clinical Director for Cancer.

Holistic Action is Needed

The experts have called for urgent action, especially in view of the escalating sedentary and obesity epidemics, graying populations as well as worsening food choices. “We are expecting a substantial increase in cancer rates with the ageing population, obesity rates soaring, and with people becoming less active and increasingly consuming highly processed and energy dense foods and drinks. The good news is that this is not inevitable,” said Martin Wiseman, the project director.

But it is also quite clear that a holistic solution involving many parties will be needed if society is to stem the cancer epidemic. “There is no magic bullet, no one single fix to the problem. If we are to tackle the situation we need individuals, business and government to work together to encourage healthy lifestyles by promoting things like cycle lanes and food labeling,” said Richard Davidson from Cancer Research UK.

The panel’s report had put forth some 48 suggestions for improvement. Some include:

* Eating more fruits in place of unhealthy fatty foods.
* Consumers to check labels to ensure foods being bought are healthy.
* Lowering costs of healthy foods.
* Schools and workplaces to stop providing unhealthy foods and to encourage exercise.
* Cycling to work.
* Governments to require widespread walking and cycling routes to be put in place; this will facilitate physical activity.
* Improving access to sporting facilities.

Beyond Merely Prevention – Cancer Recovery

How about those who have already been diagnosed with cancer? Are such lifestyle and dietary changes too little, too late for them? Not according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridgeshire, which found that about 36% of men with aggressive prostate cancer could give planned surgery or radiotherapy a miss after making some basic dietary and lifestyle changes.

The changes, which included lowering salt intake, reducing alcohol consumption, eating larger amounts of oily fish, losing weight and undertaking moderate exercise, were able to inhibit or even totally stop their cancers’ progression.

As we search for complicated answers to the cancer riddle, we should not underestimate the powerful role of factors which have been with us throughout human history – dietary and lifestyle habits.

Learn more at chiDiet.com

* There are more than 200 types of cancer, each with different causes, symptoms and treatments.
* There are around 289,000 new cases of cancer diagnosed each year in the UK.
* Every two minutes someone is diagnosed with cancer in the UK.
* More than 1 in 3 people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime.
* Breast, lung, bowel and prostate cancers together account for over half of all new cancers each year.
* Cancer can develop at any age, but is most common in older people. Around three-quarters of cases occur in people aged 60 and over. Around one per cent of cancers occur in children, teenagers and young adults.
* Overall cancer incidence rates have increased by one quarter since 1975 but have remained fairly stable over the past decade.
* There have been increases in the incidence of potentially avoidable cancers such as malignant melanoma (skin), uterine (womb) and kidney cancers.
* Over the last decade the incidence rate of stomach cancer has decreased for both sexes. Cervical cancer in women and male lung cancer incidence rates both decreased by a fifth.
* Worldwide there were around 11 million new cases of cancer in 2002 and a quarter of these were in Europe.
* Cancer is the number one fear for the British public, topping the list over Alzheimer’s, heart attack and terrorism.

The ‘Food Matters Cancer Learning Program’ is an extension of the documentary film ‘Food Matters’ featuring never before seen footage focusing specifically on Cancer issues. In a collection of interviews with leading Nutritionists, Naturopaths, Scientists, M.D.’s and Medical Journalists you’ll discover the secrets to treating cancer naturally without chemotherapy, surgery or radiation. Click here to learn more about the Cancer Learing Program.

By popular demand, I’ve put the $7 eBooks back up. Now you can get The 13 Step Raw Living Foods Success Guide for just $7 again, in PDF format (305 pages).

I’ve also put up the The Raw Food Diet Recipe Book, 180 pages of yummy transitional recipes for those just learning to go raw.

Get either or both at http://WigmoreDiet.com

Thanks for your support,

Jim Carey

Version 5.0 of the Dr. Ann Wigmore Raw Living Foods Home Study Program is now available. I’ve finished cleaning out the warehouse in Louisville, KY, and have everything in one place again, back on the farm in Georgia.

I’ve included not only archival footage from Dr. Ann Wigmore, but also my TV series, “Back to the Roots of Healthy Eating,” and videos by Victoria Boutenko, Paul Nison, Hiawatha Cromer and other prominent raw fooders.

I’ve put together as many Home Study Programs as possible, and have clearance-priced them at http://chiDiet.com.

The online  version of the Home Study Program has been updated and prices reduced, too:
http://rawlife.org/wigmore/dr-ann-wigmore-home-study-program-online.htm

Thanks for your support,

Jim Carey