Being an herbalist, someone is always telling me about a new juice I should try and why. There is Noni, Pomegranate, blueberry, Gac, Mangosteen and I have tried them all. Don’t get me wrong, they all have their health benefits, and I try and rotate the juices, so that my family is either drinking one or the other.
Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-EE) is one of the latest, hot new health food findings from the Amazon rainforest and asserts that it possesses remarkable qualifications as a source of omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, vitamin A, C, and E. It additionally boasts 50 other antioxidants, in particular anthocyanin—the powerhouse pigment located in blueberries and wine.
Acai is, in point of fact, the purplish fruit of Euterpe oleracea, which is a short palm located in great quantities in Brazil. Supporters of the fruit state that this healthful food lowers bad cholesterol and boosts the good, enhances the immune system, combats infections, safeguards the heart, and may control prostate enlargement.
In one particular study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, they are looking to add battling cancer to the list of attributes for the acai fruit. The study, which was performed at the University of Florida, used the pure juice—minus any lipids (EFA’s) and the cellulose material and was utilized on HL-60 human leukemia cells in vitro. They also tested five other extracts or “parts” of the fruit, which have different mixtures of antioxidants, for their effect on leukemia cells. What they discovered was that the extracts “reduce cell proliferation from 56-86 percent”. This was probably accomplished by damaging the cells to the point where it instigated their self-destruction (apoptosis).
I wish I could tell you that you can run right down to the grocery store and purchase the fruit, but unfortunately, it is too delicate to export. The good news is that the juice is available—if not at your local health food store, then on the internet. I have tried two different kinds, which I will share with you. The first is manufactured by a company called Bossa Nova Beverage and my favorite flavor is passion fruit. And for all of us that are environmentally conscious, Bossa Nova Beverage and the Rain Forest Alliance promise that for every bottle you drink, a rainforest tree will be saved. The second I purchased from a company called Amazon Thunder and the acai was pure, so I simply used one ounce a day for the benefits. I like them both; however, Bossa Nova was more of a beverage.
What is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women and the second most commonly diagnosed gynecologic cancer? If you said ovarian cancer, you were absolutely correct.
Herbal remedies, for example gingko biloba, have generated attention for their possible preventative effects. Unfortunately, there had been a “lack of scientific evidence” to confirm their application for this purpose.
The good news is that Doctor Bin Ye and his colleagues from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston have discovered that gingko biloba was one herbal supplement that had a tangible effect on ovarian cancer. It was also found that the preventative effect was more evident in women with non-mucinous ovarian cancers.
Based on the data, the consensus is that women who took gingko supplements had a 60 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer. Doctor Bin Ye stated that, “4.2 percent of ovarian cancer-free women reported taking gingko regularly for at least six months before diagnosis, but only 1.6 percent of women with ovarian cancer reported taking ginkgo. This suggests that women who are using gingko may be less likely to develop ovarian cancer.”
Doctor Bin and his team procured their evidence and proceeded to take it to the lab. They wanted to see whether or not gingko, when introduced to ovarian cancer cells, would interfere with cell growth. During the (in vitro) experiments, it was confirmed that a low dosage of gingkolide caused ovarian cells to stop growing. The researchers witnessed an 80 percent growth reduction in non-mucinous ovarian cancer cells. Unfortunately, gingkolides seemed to be less effective against the mucinous type of ovarian cancer cells, which correspond to the findings seen in the epidemiological study.
Doctor Daniel Cramer, MD, ScD and director of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Epidemiology Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital said, “Ovarian cancer is a fatal disease, often only detected in the most advanced stages, so there is an enormous effort to look at new methods of prevention, treatment and early detection. This is an exciting finding that we will pursue further to better understand what clinical recommendations can be made to women regarding gingko use as a means of ovarian cancer prevention.”
It is also advised that women who run the risk of ovarian cancer and want to try using gingko biloba as a preventative should first check with their physician to make sure that it does not interact with other medications they may be taking.
Source: Brigham & Womens Hospital, October 31, 2005
Well, right now—it is under attack! Sadly, following an outbreak in the state of Washington, the Federal Drug Administration has issued a warning to the public against drinking raw milk, as it may contain harmful bacteria that can cause life-threatening illnesses. The outbreak included ten people—three of which were children.
I would like to expound on each of the topics discussed by the FDA one at a time:
- Is it possible for raw milk to be contaminated? The answer to that is yes, but it is seldom that it happens. The majority of raw milk dairies are inclined to operate exceptionally clean facilities because of the liability issues. The most recent incident consisted of ten people compared to the hundreds of E.coli contaminated by meat. In addition, we frequently witness contamination of pasteurized dairy as well, but the FDA never appears to suggest that we stop eating meat and pasteurized dairy. It would seem that raw milk just does not possess a large enough lobby to support it.
"E. coli O157:H7 is one of hundreds of strains of the bacterium Escherichia coli. Although most strains are harmless and live in the intestines of healthy humans and animals, this particular strain can make us sick. E. coli O157:H7 was first recognized as a cause of illness in 1982 during an outbreak of severe bloody diarrhea; the outbreak was traced to contaminated hamburgers. Since then, most infections have come from eating undercooked ground beef. According to the CDC (Center For Disease Control), an estimated 73,000 cases of E. coli infection and 61 deaths occur in the United States each year and most of the cases have been associated with eating undercooked, contaminated ground beef."
- What are the health benefits of drinking raw milk? From a nutritional perspective, raw cow’s milk is superior to pasteurized milk in terms of its beneficial enzymes, but must be free of harmful microorganisms. It is also important to know the quality of the milk. Modern animal milk generally has 400% more pesticides than an equivalent sample of grains or vegetables. In addition to pesticides that animals ingest on sprayed plants and fed, livestock raised for meat, eggs, or dairy frequently receive rations of hormones to stimulate growth and production, along with antibiotics to protect against disease. It is therefore important to make sure that your raw milk is organic. Now, if you ask the FDA what the health benefits are, they will tell you none. If all you are interested in is the protein, fat content and added vitamin D, then I guess the FDA has a point, but there are other things to consider. Let’s bring to light the fact that pasteurization involves heating milk to approximately 145 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes or longer and thus kills all enzymes and beneficial bacteria in the process. Add to that the factor that pasteurization makes calcium insoluble and unavailable to the body, and that will explain why countries with the highest pasteurized dairy consumption have the highest rates of osteoporosis in the world. Ok, add that all up and I don’t know about you, but I am right back at raw milk again!
- How about homogenization? Well, homogenization produces fat particles so small that they are pulled irresistibly into your cardiovascular system, which in turn releases xanthine oxidase to wreak havoc on your arteries. Oh, by the way, xanthine oxidase is excreted if you drink non-homogenized milk.
So, should you run right out and purchase some raw milk? Well, I still have a few concerns that don’t make drinking raw milk good for everyone. There are, for instance, proteins in dairy (pasteurized or not) that are inclined to generate allergic reactions. I switch off between almond milk and organic whey, but that is simply dictated by my taste buds. If you are going to drink milk, I still think organic raw milk is a healthier option.
Related Links:
Dairy Operators Question Whether Raw Milk Was the Source of E. Coli
The Safety of Raw Milk
