The Danger of Early Detection for Cancer:The Pinking and PSA'ing of America

For the last month America has been draped in pink as the breast cancer awareness movement has colored everything (NASCAR, pro sports teams, the White House) in its trademark hue. (Who's going to refuse to be part of breast cancer awareness month?)

The movement's efforts hit the news big time this week when a Washington, D.C., TV station aired a segment of a 28-year-old woman doing a self-exam on her breasts. Because the TV station waited until the last two days of the breast awareness month-long campaign to air the segment, and because it was aired during the first two days of the TV sweeps/ratings period, MSNBC's "Dr. Nancy" Snyderman asked on her (barely watched) TV show whether the segment was a ratings ploy (would be interesting to know how many males viewed the segment on female breast self-exam, right?) or a legitimate breast awareness piece. She had two medical "experts" respond, both of whom agreed it was probably a ratings ploy and should have been done on a 50-plus-year-old woman instead of a 28-year-old since the older demographic is much more vulnerable. (You decide why the segment used a 28-year-old rather than a 50-year-old—no offense, ladies.) The segment is on YouTube, but I'm not posting it here because it does require an 18-or-older sign-in since it shows nudity. The "exam" is very brief and non-offensive, and the majority of the piece is taken up with the interview between Snyderman and her two guests -- yada yada yada. Here is the YouTube link if you want to watch the segment and hear the interview.

Understand that the following question was NEVER at issue in the interview: Is there real value in mammographies (for women) and PSA tests for men when it comes to early detection of cancer? The prevailing opinion is YES -- women should get a mammography and men should have PSA tests regularly. Those tests have created a $20 billion industry in America -- for the tests ALONE -- not counting the additional billions spent on surgeries to "remove the early-detected cancers before they spread."

That was the prevailing public opinion until October 21, 2009—a little over a week ago—when Dr. Otis Brawley (who has never had a PSA test), chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, told The New York Times (reprinted in the San Francisco Chronicle), "We don't want people to panic, but I'm admitting that American medicine has overpromised when it comes to screening. The advantages to screening have been exaggerated."

As usual, Dr. John McDougall is on the case. He has written a thorough piece on the fallacy that early detection tests have reduced the rates of cancer, and why—especially the fact that many doctors now make lots of money from the screening industry. Dr. McDougall explains cancer cell growth (multiplication) rates and why cancers have always metastasized (spread to other body parts) long before they are detectable by current screening methods. Because the pre-screening gospel has been spread so thoroughly in our lifetimes, every man and woman who has considered having a mammography or PSA test should read his article so as to have a realistic understanding of what these tests can and can't accomplish.

I find it amazing that the chief medical officer of the ACS has never had a PSA and "doesn't desire one," and yet most of the doctors who support his organization have pushed for these tests for years. Dr. McDougall also asks and answers the questions, "How should the American medical establishment say 'I'm sorry' to the huge number of women who have lost breasts and men who have lost physical intimacy due to unnecessary surgeries? And how could the $20 billion currently spent on screening be better spent?"

Here are the last three paragraphs of Dr. McDougall's article, the whole of which can be found on his newsletter website here:

Human traits of greed and dishonesty have prevailed. Righteousness and giving are also human traits and now is the time for these two to triumph. $20 billion (the same amount that is currently spent on annual screening for breast and prostate cancer) should now be spent annually doing the right things for saving people from cancer, the unreliable tests, and the harmful treatments. Physicians, screening clinics, hospitals, medical associations, and medical societies must be forced, under the penalty of law if necessary, to tell the truth: Their testing does more harm than good.

Furthermore, they should be made to spread the good news about diet and cancer. Presently the American Cancer Society’s dietary messages for cancer prevention are, for women to “…stay at a healthy weight throughout your life and avoid gaining too much weight,” and “men who eat a lot of red meat or high-fat dairy products appear to have a slightly higher chance of getting prostate cancer. These men also tend to eat fewer fruits and vegetables. Doctors are not sure which of these factors is responsible for raising the risk.” These are downright timid messages about the importance of a healthy diet.

The truth is breast and prostate cancer are caused by the rich Western diet full of beef, chicken, cheese, milk, and oils, and contaminated with powerful environmental cancer-causing chemicals. A sizable share of that $20 billion must be spent on advertising, education, and subsidy programs to bring about monumental changes in our eating. The American Cancer Society needs to put meaning behind their apology by enthusiastically spreading the message that a starch-based diet with fruits and vegetables is fundamental for cancer prevention and good health.

P.S. To get Dr. McDougall's monthly newsletter, you can subscribe using the "Signup" link on the newsletter homepage. Mary McDougall's monthly vegan recipes make the newsletter doubly worthwhile—like these from the current newsletter. (All the recipes from previous newsletters are archived and easily printed.)

Beauty and the Beast

These dramatic images belong to photographer Mitchell Feinberg who took them for The New York Times as illustrations for an article titled "Against Meat—The Fruit of Family Trees" by novelist (Everything Is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) Jonathan Safran Foer. The article is adapted from his forthcoming non-fiction book, Eating Animals, due out in November. The book is a chronicle of Foer's family's transition to a vegan lifestyle vis-a-vis a fresh look at the factory farming industry in America. If I get yelled at for using the pics without permission, I'll take them down. They are such a stark illustration of the contrast between the best and worst of food that I was compelled to post them.

When I consumed meat I rarely (never?) thought of the meat on my plate as being a slaughtered animal; never thought of leg of lamb as being the leg of a lamb. But it is. A chicken breast is the breast of a chicken. And so on. Sometimes the pictures, which we tend to shy away from, are worth a thousand words.

Ron Paul: "Prepare for the Worst"

Congressman Ron Paul (R, Texas), one of the few voices for fiscal sanity in Washington, says in a new Forbes.com article that we are likely to see a return to the days of the Great Depression of the 1930's. Read why here.

Robert Schuller's New Book Available

I'm happy to see that Amazon is now shipping Robert Schuller's new book. Publisher's Weekly gives it a nice review:

Leaning into God When Life Is Pushing You Away Robert A. Schuller with William Kruidenier. FaithWords, $22.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-446-58098-4

Inspirational author Schuller offers readers who want to respond to adversity with, and through, faith a fine primer on pressing toward God despite pain and problems. Schuller, whose newest ministry is the television and Internet outlet ComStar Media, shares with readers the circumstances of his painful departure from leadership at the Crystal Cathedral founded by his father, Robert H. Schuller, and explains how this life-altering detour caused him to re-examine the foundations of his faith. Stronger from the experience, the author encourages fellow Christians to seek out God especially when life is darkest and confusion greatest. Readers will find solid resources: practical suggestions as well as numerous inspirational stories of real men and women who successfully faced down the giants in their lives. Schuller specifically addresses such issues as guilt, shame, regret, anxiety, disappointment and fear. In each chapter he offers fresh perspective, renewed hope and fresh faith tools for those going through hardship, as well as strong reminders that God is always present and never fails. (Nov.)

"Hey—way to go!"

A Christian ministry I've worked with for years (writing and editing) made public this letter from one of their supporters—a sad story of the loss of a newborn. But I was encouraged to know that the man and his wife were strengthened each day during their loss by reading the daily devotionals that arrive via email from this ministry. I'm one of three writers who produce the devotionals, so I like to think that I played a small part in encouraging this couple spiritually at a time when they needed it.

Here's the letter the father wrote to the ministry. (I've deleted identifying information):

On November 8, our beautiful boys Eli and Evan were born, 10 weeks early. Eli was healthy, but very fragile, and remained at the Baptist Hospital where he was born. Even on the other hand, was very ill... On December 10, Eli came home (he is healthy and growing fast!). The next day, we were faced with a difficult decision and with Evan’s best interest at heart, we decided to cease care. He was quickly going downhill. And we had tried everything we could to save him. The world-renowned doctors and surgeons even treaded uncharted waters of care to save our precious boy.

On December 13, Evan saw our Jesus... While I held him as he passed, the biggest, sweetest smile came over his face. My wife and I will always believe that is the moment he was welcomed into Heaven.

I write all this to say that during this trying time in our lives, the (ministry name) devotions I receive in my email were exactly what I needed for each day. Soon, my wife and I began eagerly checking email daily to see what the devotion said before we would call the hospitals or travel to them. Without fail, every day we received from God’s Word exactly what we needed for that day. It was as if the devotions were written only for us ...

Thank you for your ministry, and may God continue to bless you. To Him be the glory!

(name/location)

Writing is an isolated occupation; one never knows who reads what has been written or how it might have helped (or not) the reader. So it's nice for me—for any of us—to be affirmed occasionally, even anonymously, so we know our time is being well spent.

The above letter also reminds me that I need to be like that father—taking a moment to thank those whose work or talents make a positive impact on my life. Everyone does something each day that is worthy of affirmation. We just need to watch for it and say, "Hey—way to go. Thanks!"

(On my third call to tech support this afternoon a guy helped me tweak my email program so that it now works. I thanked him profusely and told him he had my permission to take the rest of the day off. He laughed.)

Cancers that Go Away

Thanks to Daniel for the heads-up on this interesting NYT article: "Cancers Can Vanish Without Treatment, but How?"

A recent JAMA article reported on the phenomenon of cancers going into remission, disappearing, or not growing—without intervention. The question is, "Why?" Cancer is no longer a death sentence in the world of the AMA. Many in the alternative medicine world have always thought that but it seems the scientists are becoming more aware of the variables that can impact cancer and its progress or remission.

But here is an important warning from the article: "Cancer cells and precancerous cells are so common that nearly everyone by middle age or old age is riddled with them, said Thea Tisty, a professor of pathology at the University of California, San Francisco." Reminds me of a statement a doctor friend made to me many years ago: "The fact is, if we lived long enough we would all die of some sort of cancer." I don't believe that now, but the idea that our bodies are full of actual and potential cancer cells is an agreed-upon thesis. All the more reason to maintain an "inner terrain" that is inhospitable to cancer growth: an alkaline pH, reduced stress, detoxing, etc.

What this article says to me is that some conventional doctors are agreeing that there are more variables in the cancer equation than previously thought. Hopefully they'll make their way to Dr. Colin Campbell's The China Study to learn more about the nutritional variables that can turn cancer on and off.

You Knew It Was Going to Happen

A cushy New England prep/boarding school has turned its library into a coffee bar and replaced the books with Kindles. The headmaster said that the idea behind the switch was to create "a new commons, a new agora, where people in a convivial setting exchange ideas and socially interact around ideas with culture and literature at their fingertips." Right. The three large-screen flat-panel TVs are going to help that process. One observer noted that it is the first time "a school has placed its students' intellectual lives so fully into the hands of a few online publishers and makers of electronic devices."

Oh well. At least they replaced the hard copy books with e-books instead of with Wii's.

It's a good article -- good points on both sides -- available here.

(On such changes, I'm reminded of what the late Charlton Heston said at an NRA meeting concerning efforts to limit the private ownership of firearms in America. Substitute "books" for "guns:" "They'll get my guns when they pry them from my cold, dead hands!" (Massive applause from his audience.) Those of us who love books sort of feel the same way. And probably the Sumerian clay tablet lovers felt the same way when the first vellum and papyrus scrolls were invented; and the scroll lovers when "pages" were invented; and hand-letterers when Gutenberg came along; and now tome-toters in the era of Kindle. Such is the nature of change.)

Kathy Freston: Interview #3 with Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn

Kathy Freston, vegan health/nutrition blogger at the Huffington Post, has published her third in a series of interviews with the crème de la crème of M.D.'s who advocate a plant-based (vegan) diet. The first interview was with Dr. Colin Campbell on the subject of cancer; the second was with Dr. Neal Barnard on diabetes.

This third interview is with Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn of the Cleveland Clinic on heart disease. I love this guy! For a taste of where he's coming from here's a snippet from the interview:

KF: Why do you think this information on diet and heart disease is not more widely known? Is someone or something blocking your message?

CE: The government, drug industry, and some of my own profession. The USDA every five years produces a food triangle which promotes the very foods which guarantee that millions of Americans will perish.The drug industry has a $21 billion dollar income from statin drugs alone. The stent manufacturers make billions more. Neither of these industries would want this epidemic resolved. Physicians who perform stents and bypass surgery earn millions and are hardly clamoring for fewer patients.

H1N1 Flu Update: Numbers of Cases Vastly Overstated?

Dr. Mercola and Barbara Loe Fisher discuss news just released by CBS that the actual cases of H1N1 flu are FAR FEWER than are being reported by the CDC. Results from four states show that the actual number of cases of H1N1, determined after examining the blood of those showing symptoms, was significantly less than reported cases -- based on symptoms alone. The audio discussion and graphs from CBS News are at mercola.com here.

When the President Starts Droppin' His g's

Regardless of Peggy Noonan's politics, she is one of the best political writers we have. (She worked for President Reagan and wrote speeches for George H. W. Bush.) Her current WSJ column on President Obama's failure to own his presidency's problems is (imho) insightful.

Swine Flu Vaccine Update

Following the 60 Minutes segment on the H1N1 Swine Flu this past Sunday night, Dr. Mercola did a long video interview with Barb Loe Fisher, founder of the National Vaccine Information Center. This is the most current information on the status of the national vaccine program. This video, along with further commentary by Dr. Mercola, is on his web site here. One of the most important things Fisher brings out is how the "paternalistic approach of government" is being challenged by people. Because of the Internet, the access of information, the movement toward alternative medical/health protocols -- people are standing up to government dictates in all areas of life and refusing to be browbeaten into submission on things that involve their privacy, health, and personal choices and preferences -- i.e., their freedom (remember that word?).

It's important to note that, while Fisher is branded as an anti-vaccine proponent (as in an article in the current edition of Wired magazine), she is not -- by her own admission. She is an advocate for accurate science and the maintenance of the democratization of health issues, which she believes has been lost by the government's heavy-handed approach to the H1N1 Swine Flu situation. The information on this video is, I'm sure, unknown to the vast majority of the American population regarding how government and the pharmaceutical industry drive (or have driven in the past) the agendas for health. There is a groundswell of people who are resisting the attempts to squash debate on these issues and who are demanding better science and proof of the safety of government/AMA sponsored programs.

(Note: this video is in several parts. To make sure you see all the parts you might want to click in the middle of the screen below and be taken to the youtube.com site so you'll get the menu that shows all six parts.) (NOTE: a day later, I realized that the video segment I posted was not the first in the six-part series. So if you watched the video I originally posted you started well into the interview, not at the beginning. I have fixed the mistake -- the video below is number 1 in the series. Operator error -- my bad.)

A further reflection on this whole issue: The 60 Minutes piece on the H1N1 situation cited data that indicate those born before 1950, such as myself, probably don't need to take the vaccine or worry about the flu. Why? Because their bodies have built up natural immunities. The H1Ni is a "relative" virus of the disastrous 1918 pandemic that killed millions of people, so that virus has been in circulation a long time. As is pointed out in the video (below), natural immunities are permanent -- good for a lifetime -- whereas flu vaccines are not. It seems to me that if the government and Big Pharma wanted to do the best thing for the public they would focus on (1) strengthening the body's natural immune system so as to avoid the flu if possible, and (2) teaching people how to "get through" the flu if they do contract it -- the goal being to let the body "have" the flu and do its natural work of defending itself for a lifetime by creating natural antibodies (passed from mother to child via breastfeeding -- remember breastfeeding?) in response to having a mild case of flu. (And most cases will be mild if the body is in good health and the immune system is strong.) Instead of doing the natural thing -- encouraging the body to produce natural antibodies for its own defense -- we do the unnatural: creating artificial and temporary immunities using foreign-to-the-body properties with potentially harmful side effects.

(There is more to this vaccine issue. Many scourges (polio, smallpox, etc.) have been practically eliminated with vaccines. I'm talking here only about the flu vaccine and the proposed government solutions.)

Way to Go, Mrs. Oz!

Dr. Oz, probably America's most well-known doctor, has said that he is getting the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines—but that his four children aren't. His wife (a reiki practitioner) is against the vaccines and Dr. Oz says he's letting his wife make the decision for their children. Truth be told, I wonder if Dr. Oz would get the vaccines if so much of his professional wealth and credibility weren't tied to his decision. He is required by the hospital with which he is affiliated to get the vaccines, and I wonder if that's a good "excuse" to go with the party line.

Dr. Mercola has another good discussion of the vaccines and two recent videos of Dr. Oz in which he mentions that his children won't be getting the vaccines. (This was posted yesterday on Mercola.com but so many people accessed the post that it crashed their servers!)

Three cheers for Mrs. Oz!

So When Do the Children Learn?

J. I. Rodale is best-known for being the father of the organic gardening/farming movement in the U.S. vis-a-vis his relationship with Sir Albert Howard in Britain and the magazine (Organic Gardening) he started, farm and research center he founded in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, and the many books he wrote (as well as the large publishing company that bears the Rodale family name today).

One of his books (now out of print) was The Healthy Hunzas (Rodale Press, 1949). It was an overview of the research that had been done up to that point on the Hunzas (officially, the Hunzakuts), an isolated (at that time) people in the mountainous regions of northern Pakistan who enjoyed incredible longevity (100+ year life-spans) and freedom from disease. Rodale did not visit the Hunzas personally but wrote his book drawing on the research of others. (Some of which, in the opinion of modern health researcher John Robbins, was perhaps overstated, or romanticized—Robbins included a chapter on the Hunzas in his book Healthy at 100 [Random House, 2006]. His chapter is titled "Hunza: A People Who Dance in Their Nineties: Where cancer, diabetes, and asthma are unknown" which suggest that not all the research was overstated, as Robbins himself says.)

All that by way of introduction to this passage from Rodale's book on the education of Hunza children in antiquity. (My understanding is that, unfortunately, the Hunzas have become infected with Westernization in the modern era; this quote refers to what was true in the early 20th century and previously.)

In Hunza, people are not as educated as we [Westerners] are. About 99 percent of the Hunzas are illiterate in our sense of the word. Only the children and grandchildren of the Mir and the Wazir [Hunza rulers] and a handful of others attend the Government school. In the summer the children, from tiny tothood on, are with their parents in the fields. Some of them mind the baby or perform simple easy tasks. They learn to do weeding and gathering of manure at an early age. They are brought up with kindness; they play games while they are working, when time permits. They are well-behaved; they rarely interrupt their elders in speech. The learn the facts of life from infancy. They do not have book-learning because they have no books, but from listening to the conversation of their parents and grandparents they absorb an education of their own.

In the wintertime, while the mothers and fathers are busy around the house, the grandfather or grandmother will keep the young ones busy by telling fairy tales and stories and by describing events that occurred in preceding generations. Thus every child learns his genealogy for eight or nine generations back. In this fashion he is taught religion, morals and ethics. There is no sending children away to boarding schools. The parents want them by their side. They become friends.

I was greatly amused when I read Mrs. Lorimer's account of the time when she was describing the costly English school system to a Hunza woman and related how the child has to be in school from the age of five to fourteen.

"So when do the children learn?" asked the woman. Naturally, she was concerned with the fact that the children must learn how to till the earth.

"So when do the children learn?" Amazing question.

Learning about family, history, religion, morals, ethics, fantasy and imagination, kindness, deportment in conversation, and how to produce food that keeps one healthy for a century or longer—sounds like the Hunza children were pretty well educated without the benefit of institutional schooling.

Let's hear it for homeschooling.

Apologize to Your Heart

Check out this sandwich that KFC is test-marketing in a couple of states. The two traditional slices of bread (or bun) are replaced by two fried chicken filets which bookend an interior of bacon, cheese, and a special (absolutely healthful, I'm sure) sauce. Michael Pollan called it "shameless"—I'd call it "shameful."

Food Rules

Earlier this year Michael Pollan asked readers to send in their favorite "food rule"—and from the 2,500 he received he posted his favorite 20 here. I liked almost all of them.

Screw 'Em! (Pardon my hockey-speak)

Two reasons for this post:

First, to recommend what may be my all-time favorite movie, Miracle, the story of the USA ice hockey team's victory over the Soviets in the semi-final match at the Lake Placid winter Olympics in 1980. (The USA went on to win gold.) Kurt Russell played the role of the USA coach, Herb Brooks, and this clip is of Brooks' speech to his players just before the game where they defeated the Soviet team who had DOMINATED ice hockey for years—undeniably the best in the world. The USA team was a bunch of college hockey players who defeated the Soviet professionals. I get tears and chills every time I watch Miracle, and especially this clip. (And by the way, if you haven't watched Miracle, or watched it lately, make it your next movie to see!)

Second, to show a little five-year-old guy who has memorized the speech from Miracle and who delivered it on the "Ellen" show this past week. You'll love the key line from Kurt Russell's speech delivered with five-year-old naiveté!

From the movie—Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks. Watch this first since a couple of words in the child's version are hard to understand:

The little guy delivering the speech at home:

The little guy on "Ellen:"

The Kool-Aid Flows in Sweden

President Obama had been president for 12 days when the Nobel Peace Prize nominations were concluded. Here's a run-down of his first 12 days in office which, apparently, qualified him to win the prize. (If not the activities of his first 12 days, what then? Running a presidential campaign?)

This short video opinion from The Times of London gets it right.

Cure for Diabetes?

Kathy Freston, author, health researcher, and blogger at HuffingtonPost.com is writing a series of articles on nutrition and disease based on interviews with leading doctors and researchers who advocate a plant-based diet. I commented on her first article regarding cancer a couple weeks ago, and her second interview is now online which deals with diabetes and a plant-based diet. In her second article she interviews Dr. Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and adjunct associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine. Bottom line: the epidemics of obesity and Type II (adult onset) diabetes go hand and hand. Diabetes can be significantly helped if not completely reversed by eating a plant-based diet of whole foods.

You can read Freston's first interview on cancer here and the second (today's) interview on diabetes here.

Swine Flu

I hope no one who reads this is planning to take the swine flu vaccine. I have resisted posting the huge amount of information available concerning the potential dangers of this vaccine, but since the government began making the vaccine available yesterday, millions of people are going to begin lining up to inhale the vaccine or receive a shot.

Rev. George Malkmus of Hallelujah Acres has written extensively about the dangers of the vaccine, but in this article addresses the question of mandatory vaccinations—what is the possibility of the government mandating vaccinations and how should we respond? I encourage you to read his article. (Fair warning: Rev. Malkmus is a very conservative Christian minister and health researcher. If you don't like the news-source affiliations he mentions in the article, fine. Don't shoot the messenger—focus on the message.)

Many younger folks don't know or remember that there was a "swine flu epidemic" fear and vaccination program in 1976, very much like the present program. 60 Minutes (how I miss Mike Wallace!) did a show exposing the shoddy job done by the CDC with that vaccine and documenting the thousands of people who were injured by it. That 60 Minutes broadcast aired one time and, as I understand it, has never been aired again. (Hmmmm . . . .)

I encourage you to watch it -- it may give you second thoughts about this current vaccination campaign:

Swine Flu 1976 & Propaganda
by Dianequiose-4

Spraying BT

In a previous post I talked about spraying the bacteria BT (bacillus thuringiensis) onto brassica plants to deter the caterpillars that attack them (attacks usually come in the summer, which is why brassicas are usually grown in early spring and fall/winter to miss the caterpillar cycles). Daniel had asked about the mister I use to apply the BT, and which I have also used to apply foliar feeds (fertilizers) to other plants.

The mister is a Flowtron Bio-Mister. The liquid BT is diluted into the bottom container, then a powerful fan in the housing on the rear of the mister pulls the mix out of the container and atomizes it, creating a mist that clings to plant leaves.

There is a control on the front of the mister that increases or decreases the density of the mist:

Here are two short movies of the mister in action. The mist stream is strong -- you can see it shaking the plant leaves. When plants are this small there is obviously a lot of overspray and waste. The larger the brassicas get with their huge leaves, the more suitable as an application tool the Bio-Mister becomes. (The mist is more visible in the second video due to a darker background.)

As the water evaporates out of the droplets it leaves behind the BT which is what the caterpillars consume as they feed on the leaves. Spraying the underside of leaves as well as the tops is optimum, but when a caterpillar feeds on either side of a leaf (creating a hole in the leaf) it is eating the top-side and bottom-side of the leaf, consuming the BT regardless of which side of the leaf the BT is on. You can see the moisture collected on the leaves of this plant:

Best Blender Is the Cheapest

Popular Mechanics magazine did a test of five blenders and ranked them best to worst. The five they tested included the long-time favorite of chefs, the VitaMix, as well as the newcomer BlendTec (the one that blends iPhones, golf balls, etc. on TV), both of which cost around $500. Surprisingly, their top-rated blender was the cheapest—a Kitchen Aid that sells for $150 ($100 street price). (The VitaMix, which I've been using for 6-7 years, came in second and won the "smoothest" blend award, which is why I love it for making smoothies. Some of the reviewers didn't like the "plunger" used with the VitaMix, which is many users' favorite feature.)

You can see some video and read the reviews here.

Compost Tea

It's been a couple years since I made compost tea, but since I created a compost bin a couple months ago and now have some viable compost, I made a batch of tea yesterday. Instead of the 30-gallon brewers (plastic trash cans) I used previously, I used two 5-gallon buckets. Into the water went about a gallon of compost, a few tablespoons of blackstrap molasses (to feed the bacteria), and some ground kelp. (Daniel and I debated the addition of kelp and took the "couldn't hurt" approach and added it in—he to his tea in Columbia and I to mine in Charlotte. Credit where credit is due: Daniel and I both watched a video online of John Evans, a renowned Guinness record holder for giant vegetables in Alaska, who uses compost tea a lot. So it stimulated a resurgence of interest in brewing teas again.)

After brewing for 24 hours, and scooping the largest debris (un-composted bits of organic "stuff") off the surface of the tea, it's ready to be filtered:

I use a large plastic funnel stuffed with tule to act as a filter. Simply pouring the tea into the funnel catches the debris in the tule making the tea clean enough to go in a watering can:

I then poured the tea into a large watering can, diluted with water from the rain barrels:

Compost tea can serve three purposes: One, poured directly over the plants it provides a microbial coating on leaves that provides a defense against airborne disease spores; two, it serves as a foliar feeding source for plants to absorb nutrients through the leaf pours (stomata); and three, as a soil drench, tea adds microbial life and nutrients to the soil to aid in nutrient uptake through the roots. These pictures are of drenching young transplants:

For soil drenching, I used a different watering can, filling it first with rain water from the rain barrels. I love having access to this water from the barrels!

I then added tea to this water making a diluted mix to soak the roots of the cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and collards:

A few other pictures:

Daniel and I were agreeing the other day on what troopers the Swiss chard plants are. We both have plants that have been producing since last spring, going through the summer without bolting (going to seed). They are truly prolific staples of the home garden: (I tucked a couple cauliflower plants in around this chard)

My Russian kale plants, after surviving two severe attacks by the cabbage butterfly caterpillars, are re-sprouting for a third try this fall. The standard (organically approved) defense against these and other caterpillars on brassica plants is a bacteria called bacillus thuringiensis. When it is sprayed on the leaves of plants, caterpillars ingest the bacteria and it causes their demise in 1-2 days. The bacteria is harmless to humans or pets. I didn't have any BT on hand earlier this summer to protect the brassicas, but have some for the fall season in case the caterpillars show up again:

Finally, I don't think I've shown pics of my pineapple plants. I was at a grocery store back in the spring and saw a deli guy slicing the tops off some pineapples before chopping the fruit up for sale in the deli. I asked him if I could have the tops—brought them home and planted the two nicest ones. They were about a fourth this size when I planted them. Don't know what the outcome will be, but I'll probably try to keep them indoors through the winter. They have become beautiful plants:

More Research on Cell Phones and Cancer

Researchers at the Australian National University undertook a review of all the research done so far on the epidemiological evidence for "an association between long-term cell phone usage and the risk of developing a brain tumor."

There conclusion: Yes, there is evidence of a connection.

In order to be included in their review they only examined previous studies that met the following criteria:

1. Publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

2. Subjects studied had used cell phones for more than 10 years.

3. Brain tumors which corresponded to the side of the head where the cell phone was normally used.

Eleven prior studies met those criteria. The result of their review of prior studies based on the above three criteria: "The results indicate that using a cell phone for 10 or more years approximately doubles the risk of being diagnosed with a brain tumor on the same (ipsilateral) side of the head as that preferred for cell phone use." (Surgical Neurology 2009 Sep; 72(3): 205-14)

On the flip side, the research accompanying the release of these findings says that there have been no conclusive studies showing that cell phones DON'T cause brain tumors or other problems.

Most of the people writing about this issue are using tobacco-related diseases as a paradigm for warnings. It took decades for the health effects of tobacco to show up -- remember that a half-century ago many/most doctors smoked, many participated in cigarette ads, and many doctors recommended smoking to their patients. (I remember as a child a physician friend of my parents, Dr. Leo Harris in Decatur, Alabama, being in our home on social occasions and smoking. He was a kind man but was like most doctors of that era, simply didn't know the deleterious effects of tobacco -- nor did most people. My own parents both smoked until I was around 6-7 years old when my mother somehow knew they needed to quit. She did but my father was never able to break the habit, smoking under cover for most of his adult life. His addiction probably accounts for my own Draconian views on the subject.)

Many researchers today fear that the effects of cell phones, and other devices that produce similar "radiation," may have results that don't show up for many years -- especially among the many children who are now using cell phones since their skull bones are much thinner than adult skulls.

As I said in previous posts on this topic, I'm taking a "where there's smoke there's fire approach," and trying to err on the side of caution. And trying to remember Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 10:23: "You say, “I am allowed to do anything” —but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything” —but not everything is beneficial" (NLT-SE). (See Dr. Mercola's site for his comments on the new study mentioned above.)

Odd Couple

I know these odd animal couple videos are all over the web, but this one from National Geographic is very nice: an orangutan and a beautiful hound (a Bluetick hound? not sure):

Hopeful Signs

The following two-minute video highlights a program hosted by Ohio State University in which OSU students and Metro High School students are getting hands-on experience in growing vegetables organically. Produce from the farm is sold to campus dining facilities, at a local farmers market, and at a farmers market started by the students at Metro High School. It's amazing that such ventures qualify as "news." But in an era when a few large agri-corps produce most of the chemical-laden food the nation consumes, this venture (and others like it) are indeed good news. This venture is one of thousands of small, hopeful signs about how seriously people are beginning to think directly about the quality of food in America -- and indirectly about the quality of food and its impact on the quality of life. It's one thing for old folks to do these things but quite another for students -- especially high school students. It bodes well for the future. (Note: in the age of uber-videos, this small slide show will rate low on the Wow! scale. Look past the simplicity of the production to the hopeful hearts and hands of the students and those mentoring them.)

One Take

It's all over CNN and YouTube this weekend -- this music video shot by a group of students at the University of Quebec in Montreal. It involves 172 students -- two rehearsals, two takes -- and the second take was a wrap with NO EDITS. The students who produced it spent a month planning it, but the idea of a 4.5" music video in one take is amazing. Check it out -- set to the Black Eyed Peas "I Got a Feeling:"

A Cure for Cancer?

Kathy Freston is a blogger at The Huffington Post, not one of my regular reads. But I read Kathy Freston's blog because she writes well about the connection between health and a vegan lifestyle. She comes from a "New-Agey" perspective (my opinion) that shows up in her books on wellness and lifestyle, but she definitely does her research when it comes to veganism and health.

She is beginning a new series of interviews with well-known doctors and researchers on the health benefits of a plant-based diet. The first was published today and she has started at the top of the mountain, interviewing Dr. T. Colin Campbell, author of The China Study, a book based on the largest study ever undertaken on the connection between diet and health. (Dr. Campbell became a vegan as a result of his own research. 'Ya 'gotta love scientists who have an objective commitment to evidence when it leads them away from where they've been all their lives.)

In the interview, Dr. Campbell affirms what he wrote in his book—that casein, which makes up 87% of beef protein and milk/dairy products, is the number one dietary cause of cancer. And the case isn't a lot better for other non-beef meat protein. Here's a snippet from the interview:

KF: This is sounding like it's a cure for cancer; is that the case?

TCC: Yes. The problem in this area of medicine is that traditional doctors are so focused on the use of targeted therapies (chemo, surgery, radiation) that they refuse to even acknowledge the use of therapies like nutrition and are loathe to even want to do proper research in this area. So, in spite of the considerable evidence--theoretical and practical--to support a beneficial nutritional effect, every effort will be made to discredit it. It's a self-serving motive.

Did you see that? A cure for cancer! You would think this would make the headlines of every news outlet in the world. Dr. Campbell has never been afraid to implicate government and medical establishments for their unwillingness to follow the trail of evidence or participate in research that would support nutritional protocols.

No one is trying harder than Lance Armstrong to find a cure for cancer vis-a-vis his Livestrong Foundation. I noticed yesterday that Lance wrote a strong back-cover recommendation for Rip Esselstyn's book, The Engine 2 Diet—a vegan diet book. Esselstyn is the son of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn who wrote Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease (based on a vegan, plant-based diet). Rip was a professional tri-athlete for 10 years before becoming a firefighter in Austin, Texas. (His firehouse in Austin—Engine 2—has become almost completely plant-based with tremendous reductions in weight and cholesterol counts among his fellow firefighters, and has garnered national media attention.) He knew Lance Armstrong through professional athletics and their Austin connection, so Lance was happy to write a rec for Rip's book. So here you have one of the world's leading cancer fighters writing a recommendation for a plant-based diet book in spite of the fact that he doesn't follow a plant-based diet himself nor does he use his bully pulpit to press for more scientific research into the power of plant-based foods to cure cancer. All this in the face of T. Colin Campbell, one of the world's smartest scientists (in this area) saying, "Yes, diet represents a cure for cancer."

It's all very puzzling.

Anyway, I hope you'll read Kathy Feston's short interview with Dr. Campbell. It's very encouraging to read the hopeful words of one who has done so much research on why we get cancer and how it can be prevented and cured. The interview is here.

A Bleak Future?

Marc Faber is a 63-year-old Swiss-born economist and financial analyst who has spent a lifetime living internationally and studying the economies of the world. He's smart (magna cum laude Ph.D in economics at age 24) and highly respected, living in the U.S. now. His financial newsletter is read by all major investment houses and wealthy individual investors. I've seen him quoted for years, though have not subscribed to his newsletter.

A short video interview with Faber, posted yesterday at Yahoo Finance, has him predicting the fall of capitalism in the U.S. and the radical fall of standards of living in the West in the coming years -- in other words, an economic revolution due to the U.S. government's inability to manage its debt load and resulting inflation. Given that the U.S. dollar has lost 95% of its value since the inception of the Federal Reserve in 1913 -- a century, in other words -- he doesn't feel it will take but a few years for it to lose the remaining 5% of its value, meaning it will become worthless and devaluation will occur -- and an economic tsunami (revolution) of some sort -- the institution of some new form of currency by the government. (These kinds of devaluations have occurred frequently in other countries throughout history, most notably Argentina in recent years, but never in the U.S.)

Here is what he wrote in his September newsletter which he expounds on in the interview:

"The future will be a total disaster, with a collapse of our capitalistic system as we know it today, wars, massive government debt defaults and the impoverishment of large segments of Western society."

I would place more weight on Marc Faber's opinion than I would those in Washington today who continue to promise a bright future while implementing policies that cannot but produce the opposite.

It is not too soon for people to be aware of these possibilities and start creating the defenses they think best for surviving what may be a rocky future -- and the younger you are, the more likely you will live to see this scenario unfold. As for me, my hope is not in the policies or intelligence of men. But that doesn't mean that godly people won't suffer along with the rest, so I am concerned about these issues as well. I think self-sufficiency (food, water, shelter) is the first place to begin thinking about from a long-term perspective.

The interview with Faber is only 5-6 minutes long, and worth watching more than once to grasp the import of his words as they are filtered through his Swiss accent. You have to go here to watch the video.

The Obese Elephant in the Room

A couple of weeks ago I posted some thoughts on President Obama's speech to Congress on his healthcare proposals. My chief observation was that his efforts are focused on fixing a "system" that is oriented around disease management instead of disease prevention. Health and food writer, and national spokesperson on all things related, Michael Pollan, addressed the same issue in his usual thorough and eloquent style.

The heart of his article (and complaint about the president's "plan") is this:

No one disputes that the $2.3 trillion we devote to the health care industry is often spent unwisely, but the fact that the United States spends twice as much per person as most European countries on health care can be substantially explained, as a study released last month says, by our being fatter. Even the most efficient health care system that the administration could hope to devise would still confront a rising tide of chronic disease linked to diet.

That’s why our success in bringing health care costs under control ultimately depends on whether Washington can summon the political will to take on and reform a second, even more powerful industry: the food industry.

He concludes his article this way (with my addition in brackets drawn from his article):

All of which suggests that passing a health care reform bill, no matter how ambitious, is only the first step in solving our health care crisis. To keep from bankrupting ourselves, we will then have to get to work on improving our health — which means going to work on the American way of eating.

But even if we get a health care bill that does little more than require insurers to cover everyone on the same basis, it could put us on that course.

For it will force the industry, and the government, to take a good hard look at the elephant in the room [i.e., obesity based on a broken industrial food system] and galvanize a movement to slim it down.

You can read his whole New York Times op-ed piece here.