Filed under: Commentary | Tags: acai, antioxidant, goji, mangosteen, noni, ORAC
Tom Ballard RN, ND
Those of you ‘in the know’ have heard of ORAC value and may purchase supplements based on it. Companies have been touting ORAC for several years in an effort to ‘prove’ their product is superior to others.
What is ORAC?
ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. It is a test for determining the antioxidant potency of foods and nutritional supplements. Antioxidants are chemicals, such as vitamins and minerals, that destroy free radicals. Free radicals are molecules that make fats go rancid and cause destruction and inflammation in the body.
ORAC testing has been adopted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and has become an industry standard. Thus you will see growers of blueberries, importers of tropical fruits, and supplement manufacturers advertising the ORAC value of their product.
Examples
Generally speaking, the darker the fruit or vegetable, the higher the ORAC. Blueberries (1 cup) have an ORAC of 9019, while apples (1 cup) rate only 3903. Raspberries are 6058. And it’s not just fruits; red beans (1 cup) have an ORAC of 14,908. Cinnamon rates an astonishing 267,536 for only 100 grams. Remember, these are average ratings and not of organic produce. A particular cup of apples, for example, may be much higher or lower, depending on the variety, how they were grown, how long ago they were grown, and how they were stored before testing.
For a number of reasons it is good to have a standardized way of assessing the value of a food. For instance, I have a favorite green drink (GreensFirst). I like it for many reasons – it is organic, doesn’t contain added sugar or artificial sweeteners, is made from real fruits and vegetables not grass, and tastes good. It also has a very high ORAC value. This assures me that I’m eating a lot of antioxidants, and also that it was dehydrated under low temperatures to preserve the antioxidants and other nutrients. You could buy a product with all the same ingredients but with very low ORAC value.
The limitations
ORAC doesn’t tell you everything about a food or supplement. Your morning blueberries may have a high ORAC value, yet also be high in pesticides if they’re not organic. Those pesticides trigger free radicals. So, while blueberries have a lot antioxidant activity, that good may be nullified by the pesticides. Similarly, a supplement may have high ORAC, yet also contain sugar, allergens, and other toxins that increase free radical activity.
Manufacturers and advertisers also engage in a great deal of fact juggling. The ORAC test is a measurement of how well something in a test tube destroys free radicals. It does not test for a specific antioxidant or determine which free radicals are destroyed. There are dozens of antioxidants and free radicals, each one unique. (more…)
Filed under: Commentary | Tags: vitamin b12, deficiency, fatigue, tired, depression, pain
Tom Ballard, RN, ND
Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause fatigue, weakness, depression, brain fog, numbness, and even pain. Yet many doctors overlook this condition, instead prescribing antidepressants and other drugs that do nothing for the underlying deficiency.
Vitamin B12 levels are often low in vegetarians, the elderly, and those with digestive problems, although it can become a problem for anyone. Testing is available. If you have any of these symptoms, discuss them with your Pure Wellness Doctor during your next checkup.
Filed under: Research | Tags: cancer, children, leukemia, organic, pesticides
Tom Ballard, RN, ND
A new research study published in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring reports a 200% increase in acute leukemia associated with exposure to organophosphate pesticides (OP). Acute leukemia is the most common childhood cancer.
A few years ago the University of Washington conducted a study comparing organic and non-organic fruit juice consumption in kids. Calorie-hungry growing kids love their juice. When the juice is not organic, OP pesticide levels were shown to rise dramatically, while organic juice lowered their levels.
Nursing mothers will secrete OPs through their breast milk, so even the unborn child is not safe from pesticides.
Support your local organic farmers and protect your child’s health – buy organic.
Tom Ballard, RN, ND
Vitamin D has come a long way since it was only seen as the “bone vitamin.” In the last decade volumes of research have revealed its importance in preventing cancer, winter blues, and thyroid dysfunction, to name only a few. Now come reports that low vitamin D increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Fortunately vitamin D is easily measured with routine blood testing. Everyone should have this test, especially those living in the north, although southerners who spend most of their time indoors and use sun screen are also vulnerable to this deficiency.
What can you do? TTS = test, tan, supplement. Tanning should be done gradually, starting with pink, avoiding burning. Supplementation is based on blood levels. Keep in the pink with sunlight.
One of the biggest nutritional problems of industrial societies is consuming enough fiber. Refined foods have much of the fiber removed, along with protein, vitamins and minerals. Fiber has been shown to lower cholesterol better than prescription drugs, prevent constipation, and reduce diabetes.
My favorite fiber is stabilized rice bran. Bran is the outer layer of grains, the first thing removed by refining. Rice bran is particularly rich in nutrients such as B-complex vitamins, protein, omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, antioxidants, magnesium, manganese and potassium. It has been used for thousands of years as a source of nutrients for pregnant women and the elderly. It is a gentler fiber than psyllium, a popular ingredient in many fiber products.
“Stabilized” refers to the enzymatic process by which bran is protected from rancidity. Because bran is rich in essential fatty acids, it is prone to rancidity. Never buy rice bran that has not been protected from air and light. Once the package is open, it is best stored in the refrigerator.
Filed under: Commentary | Tags: bioimpedance, BMI, fat, muscle, scale, water weight, weight, weight loss
Tom Ballard, RN, ND
Body-mass index (BMI) has been used as a measure of health risk for decades. It is a measurement of weight relative to height. The problem is that large muscular people appear to have the same health risks as a large fat people.
While not as widely known, waist-to-hip ratio appears to be a better predictor of heart disease, diabetes and early death. To calculate your waist-to-hip ratio, measure your waist at its narrowest and your hips at their widest and divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. Healthier men have a ratio of less than 1.0 and women less than 0.8.
Even better are bio-impedance scales that differentiate percent fat, muscle, water, and belly fat as well as calculate calories and metabolic age. We use these scales at Pure Wellness Centers and find them to be excellent at monitoring health status. The recommendation is that everyone has their bio-status measured at least once a year. Those with diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, or battling weight, need quarterly assessments.
Filed under: Research | Tags: acid, acidic, acidosis, alkaline, diet, inflammation, interstitial cystitis, kidney stones, muscle, muscle wasting, osteoporosis
Candace McNaughton, N.D.
Foods can be categorized as carbohydrates, proteins and fats, but they also can be classified by how we process them. Our bodies transform nearly all foods into acids or alkaline bases, and we need a balance to be healthy.
Too many acid-producing foods cause a chronic condition called acidosis — meaning the body becomes too acidic, which can lead to osteoporosis, muscle deterioration, kidney stones, and inflammation.
Fish, meat, poultry, eggs, cheese, milk and grains generally produce acids, while fruit, vegetables, tubers and nuts generally cause blood to be more alkaline. For good health, your body should be slightly alkaline. This is easy to achieve by consuming more alkaline-producing foods and dietary supplements.
Not surprisingly, the typical Western diet, heavy with acid-producing meat and refined foods, is highly acidic.
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Read the rest of this article at the PCC Sound Consumer
Filed under: Research | Tags: brain, breakfast, diet, grains, memory, oat, oatmeal, sugar
Tom Ballard RN, ND
Breakfast eaters have better attention and memory than those who skip breakfast. This has been shown in dozens of studies dating back to the 1950s. Complex carbohydrates and protein are more effective than sweetened cereals. Oatmeal eaters outperformed Cap’n Crunch by 20%! (Tufts University) Most of these studies were done on children, but there is no reason to believe the same isn’t true for mature brains, maybe more so.
Dr. McNaughton is now contracted with the First Choice health network.
Filed under: Commentary | Tags: fish oil, pain, inflammation, aspirin, advil, nuprin, motrin, indocin, NSAID, anti-inflammatories, arthritis, turmeric, bromelain
Tom Ballard RN, ND
Inflammation is part of the body’s natural healing response. When something goes wrong – such as infection or trauma – the body sends in chemical helpers. These little micro-doctors help the body heal. Some of these helpers, like white blood cells, gobble up toxins. Others dilate blood vessels which are then better able to carry away dead cells.
Inflammation can happen anywhere. Cuts and scrapes become red and swollen. Inflamed mucous membranes swell and release mucus, as with colds and allergies. When you twist your ankle or strain your back, inflammation sets in to heal you. Digestive inflammation can cause diarrhea, mucus, and pain.
Out of Balance:
Inflammation is necessary and helpful, but when it is out of balance it interferes with healing. Our bodies make both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory substances. When you hurt yourself, pro-inflammatory activity increases until the healing is under control, then anti-inflammatory substances take over, like janitors cleaning up after an accident. If you are healthy, these processes are balanced.
However, in modern industrialized societies, where diet is deficient in nutrients and we’re toxic with industrial chemicals, pro-inflammatory substances dominate over anti-inflammatory. This result is a cascade of Free Radicals, reactive oxygen molecules that damage cells.
This imbalance leads to increasing levels of inflammatory diseases – chronic pain conditions, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, asthma, inflammatory brain diseases (Alzheimer’s) inflammatory digestive diseases, allergies, and skin problems.
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