Prof. Keith Scott-Mumby's Total Health Newsletter #54. Week ending June 27th, 2010 Please feel free to forward this to friends who might be interested in reading it.
“An educated man is not, necessarily, one who has an abundance of general or specialized knowledge. An educated man is one who has so developed the faculties of his mind that he may acquire anything he wants, or its equivalent, without violating the rights of others."
-- Napoleon Hill, Think And Grow Rich
1. Genetic Modifications: Way To Go?
How's that for a controversial title? Tee-hee!
But I'm serious. New work on how to stop viruses could have fabulous benefits for us in the future. It's vital we don't crowd our mental spaces with prejudice and ignorance, reacting with the gut instead of the forebrain! In years to come, think back to this article and be glad you didn't join the mob mentality against all genetic mods.
Genetic modification of organisms could save BILLIONS of lives down the road and bring immortality light years closer (remember, as I'll be teaching you in the new anti-aging eBook and program, we don't die of age, we die of diseases. Only diseases).
A team at Stony Brook University in New York has come up with one of those ideas that could change the whole course of medicine. They have genetically modified a 'flu virus to make it a wimp and used it as a vaccine. The new vaccine virus contains exactly the same proteins as the flu strain it targets, with one major difference: its genome has been re-written in a way that makes it reproduce so slowly and ineffectively that it replicates too slowly to cause any trouble.
This is virus is not like anything in Nature. They have altered little gene sequences called "codons", so that only the less efficient production of proteins takes effect. Not just one codon, but lots of them. The researchers joked this was virus "death by a thousand cuts", or death by a thousand tweaks, I suppose.
The result? An organism that does not replicate well. They injected mice with what would have been 100% lethal dose of virus and 3 days later 80% of the mice had no identifiable traces of the virus in them! Unless you are science trained, it might be hard to grasp just what a big step this is.
I can sum it up by saying these "re-written" viruses, as we'll be calling them, help boost immunity but have no real capability of causing a disease.
Of course, the creators of such "re-written" organisms will have to take care and do it right. But then that's true for aeroplane manufacturers, those who erect tall buildings and brain surgeons!
2. I've Been Saying "We're All Different" Since 1979
Why should anyone continue to argue the merits of set diets, like the Atkins', the Pritikin, the South Beach Diet, Perricone Promise etc? Why, for that matter, should anyone even want a set diet when the chances are it will make you sick, even if it works for others?
I've been pointing out since the late 1970s that we are all different: foods which suit one won't suit another. As Lucretius famously said: "One man's meat is another man's poison". We called it food allergy but there were clearly many different mechanisms by which people were made ill. Most of it is probably determined by minor variations in genes called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Why not just learn which diet is right for you? As I said in the book Diet Wise, we need to eat right for our genes and for $149 you get the answers.
A simple swab is all it takes. You can take the test in the comfort of your home - it's quick and easy, just a swab of your cheek. Then simply drop your swab in the mail to a 100% confidential CLIA-certified lab. You'll receive a personalized, easy to understand Test Report and Results Booklet recommending the most effective diet and exercise plan for your unique genes.
What's the right percentage of carbs, fat and protein for your diet? Should you exercise at high intensity, or can you get by with a moderate workout? Your test results will tell you. Thanks to a breakthrough in genetic science, get the personalized answers you need to achieve your weight loss goals.
Finally - the answers you need to get results faster, stay confident and motivated, and take control of your weight. Order today! (I get no financial commissions for telling you this)
Research (you can download a clinical study paper on the site) does seem to support the fact that following your genetically predisposed diet will help you lose the most weight and feel good.
I've been saying it for over 30 years. Now you can prove it for yourself.
My book "Diet Wise" is all about figuring out your own correct diet program. Gene testing won't tell you as much about exactly what to eat and not to eat as my book. But it will shorten the process of discovery for many.
Notes from the new book: "Anti-Aging Outisde The Box"
We all know what this is. It’s a toxin (Botulinum toxin). It works by paralyzing the nerves to the face, those which cause expression and wrinkles.
There are several problems with this treatment:
• It can go wrong and produce deformity, even in skilled hands.
• After a while it stops working. By this stage most of the facial muscles are paralyzed anyway. It is very limited.
• You will have a mask like face. You’ll wish you hadn’t done it by this time but it’s irreversible.
People still do it but this pathway to block aging is silly and does nothing to increase your health or extend life. It’s just papering over the cracks, not rejuvenating or restorative.
What more, a recent study has suggested that Botox may do more than paralyze facial expression: it may actually deaden emotions. Facial expressions themselves may influence emotional experiences through a kind of feedback loop. In other words if your face can’t show it, you can’t feel it properly.
The study was published in the June 2010 issue of the journal Emotion.
Homeopathic Botox (Better!)
This is not a homeopathic preparation of Botulinum toxin but a completely different formula. A preparation called MADE was developed by Massimo Debelli of Italy (hence it’s name) and it is quite logical. It contains all kinds of good tissue energizing and nourishing substances, all homeopathic and effective but harmless.
MADE is intended to be injected, at select acupuncture sites around the face, rather like mesotherapy.
I learned it a few years ago from Debelli himself, in Milan, Italy (managed to grab a look at Da Vinci's "Last Supper" while I was there).
It is normally done weekly or bi-weekly and can be continued and/or repeated as often as you like.
Homeopathic Botox does not produce the rapid and disastrous destruction of normal facial tissue. Rather, it gently encourages regeneration and restoration of skin tissues.
You can have it as often as you like and while ever you feel it works for you. Botox, of course, has a strict limit. When every muscle in your face is paralyzed, there is no point in going further!
Watch out for the launch video for the anti-aging book any day now!
4.
The Things I Do For You!
Wired up myself to an electrical device. I hate electrical stuff in my body... This is in pursuit of science!
A major international study has found that 10 risk factors account for 90% of all the risk of stroke, with high blood pressure playing the most potent role. There were only 3,000 participants but the results seem clear: high blood pressure, smoking, abdominal obesity, diet and physical activity (exertion) -- are responsible for a full 80% of all stroke risk, according to the research.
The study presented at the 2010 World Congress on Cardiology in Beijing -- reported that the 10 factors significantly associated with stroke risk are:
high blood pressure
smoking
physical activity (overdoing it)
waist-to-hip ratio (abdominal obesity)
diet
blood lipid (fat) levels
diabetes
alcohol intake
stress and depression
heart disorders.
Across the board, high blood pressure was the most important factor, accounting for one-third of all stroke risk. Blood pressure affects both forms of stroke: ischemic, the most common form (caused by blockage of a brain blood vessel), and hemorrhagic or bleeding stroke, in which a blood vessel in the brain bursts and does damage.
In contrast, levels of blood lipids such as cholesterol were important in the risk of ischemic stroke, but not hemorrhagic stroke.
Almost all these factors are easily modifiable. On the positive side, high intake of fish and fruits, were associated with a lower risk of stroke.
The countries joining in the study were Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Germany, India, Iran, Malaysia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Sudan and Uganda.
SOURCE: June 18, 2010, The Lancet, online
6. What's In A Word?
Sepulchral
I used this the other night as a rather poetic metaphor and Viv asked me what the word meant. It means "like a supulchre" or in that vein of thinking.
So the really interesting word is sepulchre. It means a tomb, as anyone who read the Bible would know ("the "Holy Sepulchre", the rock cave where Christ was buried). As usual, Americans spell it wrong (sepulcher, which is logical but just wrong!) It comes from Old French via the Latin sepulcre, sepulcrum and notsepulcer or sepulcurm!!
Tombs of the Hebrews were generally excavated in the solid rock or were natural caves. Mention is made of such tombs in Judges 8:32; 2 Samuel 2:32; and 2 Kings 9:28; 23:30. They were sometimes made in gardens (2 Kings 21:26; 23:16; Matthew 27:60). They are found in great numbers in and around Jerusalem and all over the land.
So, that's all for this week!
Be well; find the sacred in all you do, otherwise don't do it!
Prof.
Sign up here if you want to receive "Letter From Serendipity" on a regular basis
I do not spam and do not sell or lend email addresses. Unsubscribing is easy.
All content within this information letter is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech laws in all the civilized world. The information herein is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind.
In no event shall Professor Scott-Mumby be liable for any consequential damages arising out of any use of, or reliance on any content or materials contained herein, neither shall Professor Scott-Mumby be liable for any content of any external internet sites listed and services listed.
Always consult your own licensed medical practitioner if you are in any way concerned about your health. You must satisfy yourself of the validity of the professional qualifications of any health care provider you contact as a result of this newsletter.
