Prof. Keith Scott-Mumby's Total Health Newsletter #56. Week ending July 11th, 2010
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• This week's Quote

1. Communication Etiquette
2. Coca-Cola Trying To Get In On Health Products?
3. The FDA Isn't All Bad?
4. Women Are Not Small Men - Peak Heart Rate Differences
5. What Is Chia? Does It Work For Weight Loss?
6. What's In A Word? Unusually long and informative this week!

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This Week's Quote:

"I feel there are two people inside me--me and my intuition. If I go against her, she'll screw me every time, and if I follow her, we get along quite nicely."

--Kim Basinger, movie actress

1. Communication Etiquette

Communication is very powerful and it can blow up in our face if we mis-handle it. Communication is what we are, if you think about it. We might be what we'd like to be inside our own head. But what comes out to the outside world is that by which we are identified and measured.

I think more of us should spend more time evolving and sharing communication etiquette. It's something I've been thinking about for years. Here are a few thoughts:

Allow the other person to speak in equal share and LISTEN to what they have to say. Listen sufficiently before you try to talk. Being in any kind of relationship with people (business, family, love etc…) affords them the right to reasonable communication.

Don't tell people to "shut up" and other abusive remarks. You may politely end off communication, if it is not convenient and especially if the other person is out of order. But you have no divine right to cut off communications with those you have chosen to interact with, once there is mutual involvement [my first wife's friends blocking my letters and calls, when she ran off, said she had a perfect right NOT to communicate with me, if she chose. But I don't think that's true. After being married to someone for 30 years, you owe them the right of some communication. There may be children mixed up in the formula, finances, unfinished projects, etc. Besides, it's just plain cruel to do that. For me there was no chance of healing or even a decent burial of the relationship]

However, I do think it's true that everyone has a right to refuse to listen to bad communication loaded with unpleasant emotions. Recognize when your communication is painful to another person and STOP! Say something else. If you must talk about unpleasant things, like criticizing the other person's behaviour, do so in a polite and business like tone, not yelling and cussing.

It seems to me there is a widely accepted belief that we have the right to "express" ourselves when we are pissy and upset. I dispute this vigorously. I don't think anybody has a right to splash around anger, hurt, misery and complaints. When things are not going our way, we may feel hurt, abused or otherwise upset. That's cause for discussion: fine. But not cause for lousy and irrational communication; the sort you see people hurl at each other when they are quarreling.

There are two problems with this I see: it's always irrational when we are emotionally reacting. Therefore no worthwile communication is possible. We are fundamentally creatures of reason, however irrationally we like to behave at times. So, since you are essentially wasting your time, why bother? Don't do it.

Secondly, we cannot blame others for our hurt and emotion. They may be responsible for actions that they carried out, or things they said which they shouldn't have. But we alone are responsible for our emotional response. Nobody "makes us angry" or "makes us sad" (how often do you hear those dumb expressions?) We make ourselves angry, sad and fearful and nobody else can do it TO us.

If you have to break off communication, lead into an end-off, don’t just walk off or cut it. Let the person know they will be interrupted for a brief time but that you will come back to them. Best is get their agreement for you to take a pause if something has come up. Otherwise you leave people hanging in uncertainty.

I have more of this sort of thing in my "Guide To Good Behaviour" which I will make available for download some day soon.

2. Coca-Cola Trying To Get In On Health Products!?

Somebody alerted me to this rather amusing story of Coca-Cola, the sugar and aspartame filth giant, trying to get in on true healthy issues (to make themselves look good, of course, not because they care in any way about their consumers).

The results of this study were even published as "from Coca-Cola", but were in fact from the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. Coca-Cola may have greased the wheels with their slippery money but that doesn't suddenly give them the right to be the origin of scientific data!

The research concerned polyphenols, a word that soon young kids will be able to pronounce from their vocabulary flash cards. Polyphenols are the rich highly colored red, yellow, green and blue compounds found in foods. Flavonoids, the yellow colors, are an example; anthocyanins, the blue-black in some berries, another. The basic structure is like phenol (carbolic acid) but don't panic -- not all are drain cleaners! Most molecule variants are quite safe and friendly. Polyphenols are powerful antioxidants, which is why they are a buzz-word today.

Polyphenols are receiving extensive research, due to their potent ability to mop-up harmful free radicals, and the associated health benefits. Many have also been implicated in possible protection against diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, while some have been reported to potentially offer protection from Alzheimer's. Epicatechin from tea is an example; Norman Hollenberg, Professor of Medicine at Harvard University, suggested, quite solemnly that epicatechins should be given vitamin status. A vitamin (vital amine) is something that is essential for health and survival.

"The new study, a collaboration between Coca-Cola and the University of Glasgow in Scotland, works towards the successful development of polyphenol-rich products to boost human health" [can't you just hear the publicist's voice in this press release speak!]

Ten human volunteers were recruited and asked to consume a diet low in flavonoids for 2 days prior to drinking a 350 mL portion of the polyphenol-rich beverage. The researchers found no differences in the levels of urinary metabolites when subjects consumed the polyphenol-rich juice compared with data from other studies where subjects consumed green tea, orange juice, apple cider or coffee.

“This indicates that the combination of polyphenolic compounds in the polyphenol-rich beverage are absorbed and excreted to a similar extent whether fed individually or together in a single beverage,” stated the researchers.

Dr Alan Crozier, leader of the study, and his team also note that absorption of the compounds was split between the small and large intestine, indicating that “metabolites may be circulating in the body for a more sustained period of time than would occur after ingestion of a beverage containing a more restricted spectrum of polyphenolic components”.

So that's what this hoo-hah is all about? If you take lots of anti-oxidants at once, it's better than taking them singly?

Well done Coca-Cola. You're massive. It brings tears to my eyes to see what major contributions to science you're making...

Source: Molecular Nutrition & Food Research Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1002/mnfr.200900611 “Bioavailability of multiple components following acute ingestion of a polyphenol-rich juice drink” Authors: G. Borges , W. Mullen, A. Mullan, M.E.J. Lean, S.A. Roberts, A. Crozier

To read this story in full, go here: Coca-Cola scientific joke!

3. FDA Isn't All Bad?

Nobody in their right mind would turn to the FDA for true science or any policies concerning general public health. However, when they've all collected their bribes, they do eventually get the wheels moving and ban killer drugs like Vioxx.

Once in a while, they make progress, almost as if by accident. It leaves you wondering whether they put bribes up for auction first and go with the story of the most corrupt bidder (Lord, I'm in a vicious mood this morining, ain't I?)

In this case, the agriculture industry didn't pay enough, it seems. Just this week the FDA has sternly criticized farmer's for using so much antibiotics in raising livestock. FDA Deputy Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein, MD, said at a news conference. "FDA believes overall weight of evidence supports the conclusion that using medically important antimicrobial drugs for production purposes is not appropriate."

As I revealed in my book "How To Survive In A World Without Antibiotics", more than 70% of all consumption of antibiotics is used for farm animals. Bad enough; but if I tell you these are fed to healthy animals, you'll rightly be puzzled or just plain angry.

It's because animals fed prophylactic antibiotics grow larger and so there is more profit.

But the problem is this creates resistant strains of bacteria which then threaten us and our kids. Meat, already contaminated with resistant bacteria, is being sent into the food chain every day. It's really dangerous and stupid.

The scale of multiple drug resistance (MDR) bacteria is now scary. There are killer strains of MRSA, enterococcus, pneumococcus, syphilis and TB on the loose, some of which no drug can kill. People are dying in unprecedented numbers andthis resistance problem is not just bad prescribing by doctors. In fact the majority of these deaths can be laid firmly at the door of an agribusiness culture that puts profits before human lives.

I'm talking about cynical greed there: the beef industry that sued Oprah for criticizing their products; an industry that openly sued Europe for banning hormone-tainted meat because (they claimed in court) it was "unfair practice".

The FDA, unfortunately, stopped short of banning antibiotics in meat, though it has the power to do so.

Instead, it's starting by issuing "draft guidance" in hopes the food industry will make voluntary changes. After a 60-day public comment period, the guidance will become FDA policy.

The guidance is based on two principles:

* Antibiotics should be given to food animals only to protect their health.
* All animal use of antibiotics should be overseen by veterinarians.

Hands up those who believe these guidelines will be followed by farmers? What, nobody? No hands! Ah, you're all as cynical as me...

4. Women Are Not Small Men - Peak Heart Rate Differences

Just a quick note to update you on what’s been decided. A recent study has revised the recommended “peak heart rate” formula for women.

Peak heart rate is the fastest you should let your heart go, while exercising or working out. Traditionally, it’s been simple: 220 minus your age. So if you are 60 years old, don’t let your heart beat faster than 140, it’s dangerous.

But somebody finally questioned whether men and women are the same. Apparently not. Women are not small men. There is a physiologic response in women that is different from men.

The new formula developed for women is 206 minus 88% of age.

It’s not so easy to do in your head, unfortunately. But if you have a simple calculator, just do the simple math (you only need to do it once and then remember it!). If you are 66 years old, 88% of that is 58. Subtract that from 206 and you get 148.

The new formula is based on an analysis of 5,437 healthy women aged 35 and older (average age 52) who took part in the St. James Women Take Heart Project, launched in the Chicago area in 1992.

Using the new formula and adjusting for factors such as heart risk, researchers found that women who scored less than 0.8 on a measure known as the chronotropic index -- which measures the relationship between heart rate and oxygen uptake during exercise -- were 30% more likely to die prematurely of any cause.

The study appeared in the June 28 2010 issue of Circulation online.

5. What Is Chia? Does It Work For Weight Loss?

I'd never heard of chia till I got an advisory from WebMD. Apparently, it's being sold as a weight loss aid. Probably the reason I have never heard of it is that it doesn't work!

Chia is an edible seed that comes from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, grown in Mexico dating back to Mayan and Aztec cultures. "Chia" means strength, and folklore has it that these cultures used the tiny black and white seeds as an energy booster. Chia seeds are a concentrated food containing healthy omega-3 fatty acids, carbohydrates, protein, fiber, antioxidants, and calcium. 

Chia seeds are an unprocessed, whole-grain food that can be absorbed by the body as seeds (unlike flaxseeds, which have to be ground to be digestible). One ounce (about 2 tablespoons) contains 139 calories, 4 grams of protein, 9 grams fat, 12 grams carbohydrates and 11 grams of fiber, plus vitamins and minerals.

The mild, nutty flavor of chia seeds makes them easy to add to foods and beverages. They are most often sprinkled on cereal, sauces, vegetables, rice dishes, or yogurt or mixed into drinks and baked goods. They can also be mixed with water and made into a gel.

So far, so good.

But does chia work for weight loss? Nah... 

David Nieman, a professor at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, found no reduction in body weight, body fat and no improvement in traditional cardiovascular markers from 50 grams of chia per day, despite the claims.

It's the Hoodia and hydroxycort story all over again.

For weight loss then, a resounding NO.

Try the Fat Release System if you want to lose weight and have found it hard: videos here

And let me remind you, lots of people have been losing weight eating my tasty product "The Doctor's Chocolate".You can order some here: The Doctor's Chocolate and they are doing a summer special offer.

6. What's In A Word?

Fey and Fell

JRR Tolkein (The Lord Of The Rings) invented two whole languages: elvish and dwarvish. Quenya was based on Finnish and Sindarin based on Welsh. He also built smatterings of several other languages: the tongues of Mordor, the Numenorians and the Noldor.

The predictably one-dimensional, violence-based movie by Peter Jackson missed all this. He went just for the killing and war. But there is so much more to the world of Tolkein which this director ignored or was unaware of, perhaps.

Language is a major pleasure in the trilogy. Tolkein was able to draw on his fantastic firepower as professor of English, which gave him access to Old German, Norse (the Vikings), Celtic, French, Italian, Latin, Greek and the whole host of other tongues which make up the fabulously rich English language. Most of his invented words sound right because the ARE right, basically!

There's a whole website devoted to Elvish, if you care to learn it!! (http://www.elvish.org/) I spoke a little Elvish back in 1967 but have forgotten 98% of it since.

But this keen appreciation of Tolkein's invented languages overlooks his brilliance with natural English. He had a tremendous vocabulary. The text of Lord Of The Rings is spattered with arcane and delicious words; the sort of thing I delight in!

I've chosen just 2 old-fashioned words. He didn't invent them; he just used them wisely.

Fey means:

Doomed; knowing you are going to die; appearing to be under a spell; marked by an apprehnsion of death. Tolkein uses it, if I remember, of Theoden, as the old king rides into his last battle on the Fields of Pelennor.

Then there is Fell, from quite close by in the dictionary!

Fell would be spoken of a powerful warrior too: it means fierce; cruel; destructive; deadly. Surprisingly, it is related to the word felon, from the Old French. Felon is a very familiar word in modern USA (we don't use it in Europe much).

If you are still interested:

Reflections of "Real" Languages in Tolkien's Tongues

Many character and place names in The Lord of the Rings are related to words from old and modern languages. In his book Hobbits, Elves, and Wizards, Michael N. Stanton provides examples of the historical links for some of Tolkien's characters and settings. A few examples follow:

• Saruman's name derives from the Anglo-Saxon, or Old English, root "searu-" for "treachery" or "cunning."
• "Sauron" is linked to the Old Norse or Icelandic stem meaning "filth" or "dung" or "uncleanness."
• "Mordor" derives from the Old English word "morthor," which means "murder."
• "Middle-earth" is related to the name "middan-geard," which was the name for the Earth itself in Old English poetry and was considered to be the battleground between the forces of good and evil.***

Tolkien's High Elvish language, Quenya, was inspired by Finnish. Tolkien taught himself Finnish in order to read the Kalevala, a 19th-century compilation of old Finnish songs and stories arranged by Elias Lönnrot into a linear epic poem and completed in 1835 and revised in the mid-1800s.

So, that's all for this week!

Be well; find the sacred in all you do, otherwise don't do it!

Prof.

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