• WHAT MINERALS CAN DO FOR YOU? CHROMIUM AND COPPER

    No Comments
    21 Apr 2009 /  General health

    CHROMIUM

    Functions: part of the glucose tolerance factor (GTF) and, as such, helps maintain a normal blood sugar level • helps regulate cholesterol and triglyceride (fat) levels.

    Deficiency signs and symptoms: abnormalities in the body’s handling of glucose, which can lead to diabetes • arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.

    Chromium’s enemies: excessive boiling of food • refining of foods.

    COPPER

    Functions: vital for a healthy immune system • necessary for normal development of bone, connective tissue and the central nervous system • vital for production of RNA • assists in absorption of iron • works with vitamin C in forming elastin (part of the elastic muscle fibers) • plays a role in the manufacture of myelin (the fatty sheath that surrounds and protects nerve fibers)

    • involved with the birth of red blood cells and hemoglobin • necessary for cardiovascular integrity.

    Deficiency signs and symptoms: an anemia and its associated symptoms (fagitue, weakness, shortness of breath). Copper’s enemies: excess dietary zinc.

    *168\80\8*

    Tags:

  • IMMUNE FOR LIFE: THOUGHTS CAN RAISE ENDORPHINS

    No Comments
    21 Apr 2009 /  General health

    Love, of course, isn’t the only good feeling that will increase endorphins. Let me tell you about a study conducted at the University of Tennessee a few years ago. The endorphin levels in the spinal fluid of 32 chronic-pain sufferers were measured; then the participants were given a placebo.

    Placebos aren’t medicine; they’re “sugar pills.” Surprisingly, they work just like real medicine for about one third of patients who suffer from chronic pain. In this study, the 14 patients who responded to the placebo were retested: their endorphin levels had increased!

    It wasn’t the placebo that made their endorphin levels rise; it was their belief. They thought the placebo was real medicine, so they believed it would relieve their pain. They felt so good about it that their bodies started producing extra endorphins, which blocked the pain. From belief to relief: it’s a magical, but very real, process you can learn to use yourself.

    Unfortunately, most of us mass-produce unhappy, unhealthy messages, flooding our bodies with chemical doomsayers. The tens of millions of Americans who are unhappy, depressed, angry, bitter, frustrated, feel inadequate, unloved, helpless and hopeless turn negative feelings into negative hormones into disease. That’s the other side of the coin, the one we want to avoid.

    Where Do Our Thoughts Come From?

    “I’d like to think nice thoughts and have lots of endorphins, Dr. Fox,” some of my patients say, “but everyone keeps making me mad. It’s not my fault. It’s my boss, my kids, the traffic, the economy. It’s all those things that make me mad.”

    We’ve been taught that our thoughts come from outside of us: someone or something imposes them on us. For example, we say: “He makes me so mad!” as if “I” have nothing to do with it; “I” am an innocent bystander.

    “He” doesn’t make you angry, calm, happy, or sad. “He” does nothing but provide a stimulus, some data for your brain. You make yourself angry, or calm, or happy, or sad by reacting to the stimulus.

    *126\80\8*

    Tags:

  • SUPER FOODS FOR IMMUNE: SPAGHETTI SAUCE AND YOGURT DISHES

    No Comments
    21 Apr 2009 /  General health

    MAMA FOX’S SPAGHETTI SAUCE

    1 onion 6-8 mushrooms

    2 zucchini 3 cloves garlic, crushed

    1 tsp. olive oil 1-15 oz. can peeled tomatoes (no salt or sugar added) 1/3 cup red wine

    oregano to taste

    Wash and chop onion, mushrooms and zucchini. Saute garlic, onion and zucchini in olive oil. When zucchini is almost soft, add mushrooms. Saute 2 to 3 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked to taste. Add tomatoes, wine and oregano. Use a spoon to gently break up tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until thick. Add water as necessary. Serve over wholewheat pasta or whole grains.

    Makes approximately 3 cups.

    YOGURT DISHES

    Here are a few recipes I devised after buying some nonfat yogurt at the market. These are my favorite kinds of recipes: no cooking and no measurements. Nonfat (skim milk) yogurt is preferred because of its low fat content.

    HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY YOGURT

    1 handful plus 6-8 strawberries, fresh 1 6-oz. container yogurt, plain, nonfat

    Crush a handful of strawberries to get the juice, or juice them lightly in a blender. Strain juice from pulp and reserve. Slice 6 to 8 strawberries into thin slices. Mix the sliced strawberries and yogurt in a dish. Pour the strawberry juice over the mixture. Eat chilled.

    If you prefer, use apples, bananas, oranges or any other fruit. Serves 1.

    RODEO AND WILSHIRE YOGURT

    The combination of ingredients is unusual, but I really like it. 1 tomato

    1 peach, peeled

    1 handful uncooked oatmeal

    1 6-oz. container yogurt, plain, nonfat

    Wash and dice the tomato and peach; mix with yogurt and oatmeal. Eat chilled. Unconventional, but nutritious and tasty. This also works well with a pear, a peach or with a dash of vanilla extract. Why is it called “Rodeo and Wilshire”? Because that’s one of my favorite corners in Beverly Hills.

    Serves 1.

    DR. FOX’S FAVORITE

    1/2 cucumber 1 6-oz. container yogurt, plain, low-fat or nonfat cumin, to taste white pepper

    Dice half of a chilled cucumber and mix into a bowl with yogurt. Sprinkle cumin and a pinch of white pepper over the top. Eat chilled.

    Serves 1.

    TOMATO-TUNA COTTAGE CHEESE

    2 tomatoes

    3 slices onion

    4 tsps. tuna

    3 tbls. cottage cheese, low-fat

    3 tsps. Mama Fox’s Spaghetti Sauce

    cumin (optional)

    curry powder (optional)

    Dice onions and tomatoes, break tuna into flakes and combine with cottage cheese and spaghetti sauce. Try adding a pinch of cumin and curry powder.

    Serves 1.

    *82\80\8*

    Tags:

  • SUPER FOODS FOR IMMUNE/PARSLEY: NOT JUST A CONDIMENT

    No Comments
    21 Apr 2009 /  General health

    Parsley is a food that gets very little respect. The sprig that’s set on your plate for decoration is often tossed aside. That’s too bad, because parsley is surprisingly nutritious. Parsley contains a large amount of beta carotene, enough to rank it with carrots as a cancer-fighting Super Food. It also contains plenty of calcium, potassium and vitamin C. You need calcium, of course, for strong bones and for many other biochemical functions. Potassium is important for a healthy heart and for energy. When patients tell me they’re tired and “don’t feel well,” I check their potassium level. I’m not surprised to find low levels of blood potassium in many of these patients. As for vitamin C, well, a healthy “doctor within” depends on plenty of this vitamin.

    Nutrient
    Parsley
    (per 3 1\2 oz)
    (raw)
    Beta Carotene
    8,500.0 IU
    Vitamin C
    172.0 mg
    Calcium
    203.0 mg
    Phosphorus
    63.0 mg
    Iron
    6.2 mg
    Sodium
    45.0 mg
    Potassium
    727.0 mg
    Vitamin Bl
    .12 mg
    Vitamin B2
    .26 mg
    Vitamin B3
    1.2 mg

    So eat lots of parsley, the overlooked and undervalued Super Food. The little bit you occasionally find as a garnish isn’t nearly enough. My wife buys it by the bunch, washes it and refrigerates it. I munch on it whole or chop it up and toss it in my salad. I urge you to do the same.

    *39\80\8*

    Tags:

Related Posts: