The World Health Organization (WHO), produced a study ranking health care by country. Can you guess where the US ranks?
In overall medical care, the US ranks # 37, just under Costa Rica and just above Slovenia. (France is number one)
They also ranked the total health expenditure as a per centage of each country’s GDP. The USA ranks 2nd. Only the Marshall Islands spends more on health care than Americans.
And when it comes to how many years of a person’s life expectancy will be healthy ones, the USA is 24th.
Conclusion – While we spend more on health care than almost every other country in the world, we are not receiving the kind of care that they get in the 36 countries that rank ahead of us.
And in 25 other countries, people live healthier lives.
Is it any wonder that over half a million people leave the US each year to seek medical treatment outside the country?
Thursday, July 28, 2011
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Editor of NaturalNews.com
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Ever wonder what'sreallyin the food sold at grocery stores around the world? People keep asking me, "What ingredients should I avoid?" So I put together a short list that covers all the most toxic and disease-promoting ingredients in the food supply. These are the substances causing cancer, diabetes, heart disease and leading to tens of billions of dollars in unnecessary health care costs across America (and around the world).
If you want to stay healthy and out of the hospital,read ingredients labelsand make sure you avoid all these ingredients:
Acrylamides- Toxic, cancer-causing chemicals formed in foods whencarbohydratesare exposed to high heat (baking, frying, grilling). They're present in everything from bread crusts to snack chips, and because they aren't intentional ingredients, acrylamides do NOT have to be listed on labels.
Aspartame- Chemical sweetener that causes neurological disorders, seizures, blurred vision and migraine headaches. (http://www.naturalnews.com/030918_a...)
Autolyzed Proteins- Highly processed form of protein containingfree glutamateand used to mimic the taste-enhancer chemical MSG.
BPA (Bisphenol-A)- A hormone mimicking chemical found in nearly all food packaging plastics. Active in justparts per billion, BPA promotes cancer, infertility and hormone disorders. It also "feminizes" males, promoting male breast growth and hormone disruption (http://www.naturalnews.com/032860_B...).
Casein- Milk proteins. Hilariously, this is widely used in "soy cheese" products that claim to be alternatives to cow's milk. Nearly all of them are made with cow's milk proteins.
Corn Syrup- Just another name for High Fructose Corn Syrup (see below). Frequently used ininfant formulaproducts (http://www.naturalnews.com/029863_S...).
Food Colors- FD&C Red #40, for example, is linked to behavioral disorders in children. Nearly all artificial food colors are derived frompetroleum, and many are contaminated withaluminum.
Genetically Modified Ingredients- Not currently listed on the label because the GMO industry (Monsanto and DuPont) absolutely does not want people to know which foods contain GMOs. Nearly all conventionally grown corn, soy and cotton are GMOs. They're linked to severe infertility problems and may even cause the bacteria in your body to produce and release apesticidein your own gut. If you're not eating organic corn, you're definitely eating GMO corn. (http://www.naturalnews.com/026426_G...) Learn more atwww.ResponsibleTechnology.orgor watch myGMO music video(hilarious) atwww.NaturalNews.com/NoGMO
High Fructose Corn Syrup- A highly processed liquid sugar extracted with the chemical solventglutaraldehydeand frequently contaminated with mercury (http://www.naturalnews.com/032948_h...). It's also linked to diabetes, obesity and mood disorders. Used in thousands of grocery items, including things you wouldn't suspect like pizza sauce and salad dressings.
Homogenized Milk- The fats in the milk are artificially modified to change them into smaller molecules that stayin suspensionin the milk liquid (so the milk fat doesn't separate) (http://www.naturalnews.com/022967_m...). While it makes milk look better on the shelf, it's also blamed for promoting heart disease and may contribute to milk allergies.Raw milkis healthier, which is why the government had outlawed it (http://www.naturalnews.com/029322_r...).
Hydrochloride- When you seeanythinghydrochloride, such as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride or Thiamin Hydrochloride, those arechemical forms of B vitaminsthat companies add to their products to be able to claim higher RDA values of vitamins. But these are synthetic, chemical forms of vitamins, not real vitamins from foods or plants. Nutritionally, they are near-useless and may actually be bad for you. Also watch out forniacinamideandcyanocobalamin(synthetic vitamin B-12). (http://www.naturalnews.com/032766_c...)
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein- A highly processed form of (usually) soy protein that's processed to bring out the free glutamate (MSG). Use as a taste enhancer.
Partially Hydrogenated Oils- Oils that are modified using a chemical catalyst to make them stable at room temperature. This createstrans fatty acidsand greatly increases the risk of blocked arteries (http://www.naturalnews.com/027445_f...). It also promotes what I call "sludge blood," which is thick, viscous blood that's hard to pump. This is usually diagnosed by doctors as "high blood pressure" and (stupidly) treated with blood-thinning medications that are technically the same chemicals asrat poison(warfarin) (http://www.naturalnews.com/023149_d...).
Phosphoric Acid- The acid used in sodas to dissolve the carbon dioxide and add to the overall fizzy-ness of the soda. Phosphoric acid will eat steel nails. It's also used by stone masons to etch rocks. The military uses it to clean the rust off battleships. In absolutely destroys tooth enamel (http://www.naturalnews.com/021774.html). Search Google Images for "Mountain Dew Mouth" to see photos of teeth rotted out by phosphoric acid:http://www.google.com/search?q=moun...
Propylene Glycol- A liquid used in the automotive industry to winterize RVs. It's also used to make thefake blueberriesyou see in blueberry muffins, bagels and breads. (Combined with artificial colors and corn syrup.) See shocking "Fake Blueberries" video at:http://www.naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=7...
Sodium (Salt)- The processed white salt lacking in trace minerals. In the holistic nutrition industry, we call it "death salt" because it promotes disease and death. Real salt, on the other hand, such as "dirty" sea salt or pink Himalayan salt, is loaded with the trace minerals that prevent disease, such as selenium (cancer), chromium (diabetes) and zinc (infectious disease). Much like with bread and sugar,white saltis terrible for your health. And don't be fooled by claims of "sea salt" in grocery stores. All salt came from the sea if you go far back enough in geologic time, so they can slap the "sea salt" claim on ANY salt!
Sodium Nitrite- A cancer-causing red coloring chemical added to bacon, hot dogs, sausage, beef jerky, ham, lunch meats, pepperoni and nearly all processed meats. Strongly linked to brain tumors, pancreatic cancers and colon cancers (http://www.naturalnews.com/007024.html). The USDA once tried to ban it from the food supply but was out-maneuvered by the meat industry, which now dominates USDA regulations. Sodium nitrite is a complete poison used to make meats look fresh. Countless children die of cancer each year from sodium nitrite-induced cancers.
Soy Protein- The No. 1 protein source used in "protein bars," including many bars widely consumed by bodybuilders. Soy protein is the "junk protein" of the food industry. It's made from genetically modified soybeans (often grown in China) and then subjected tohexane, a chemical solvent (http://www.naturalnews.com/026303_s...) that can literally explode.
Sucralose- An artificial chemical sweetener sold asSplenda. The sucralose molecule contains achlorineatom (http://www.naturalnews.com/027491_a...). Researchers have repeatedly found that artificial sweetenersmake people fatby actually promoting weight gain (http://www.naturalnews.com/024543_h...).
Sugar- The bleached, nutritionally-deficient byproduct of cane processing. During sugar cane processing, nearly all the minerals and vitamins end up in theblackstrap molassesthat's usually fed to farm animals. (Blackstrap molasses is actually the "good" part of sugar cane juice.) Molasses is often fed to farm animals because every rancher knows that farm animals need good nutrition to stay alive. Amazingly, conventional doctors don't yet realize this about humans, and they continue to claim that eating sugar is perfectly fine for you. Sugar promotes diabetes, obesity, mood disorders and nutritional deficiencies.
Textured Vegetable Protein- Usually made ofsoy proteinwhich is extracted from genetically modified soybeans and then processed usinghexane, an explosive chemical solvent (see Soy Protein, above). Widely used in vegetarian foods such as "veggie burgers" (most of which also contain MSG or Yeast Extract, by the way).
Yeast Extract- Hidden form of MSG that containsfree glutamateand is used in many "natural" food products to claim "No MSG!" Yeast extract contains up to 14% free glutamate. You'll find it in thousands of grocery store products, from soups to snack chips. I even once spotted it used on fresh meat!
Food label tricks
Here's a trick food companies frequently used to pack more sugar into their products without making sugar look like the first ingredient: Ingredient labels, you see, must list the most prominent ingredients first, and some consumers might freak out of they saw a box of cereal that said, "Sugar, whole grain wheat, corn" and so on. Instead, the company uses 3 or 4 different forms of sugar to distribute them farther down the label, like this: "Whole grain wheat, sugar, corn syrup, corn syrup solids..." This way, the first ingredients looks like "whole grain wheat" when, in reality, the cereal might be over fifty percent sugars!
How to buy honest food
• Shop are your local farmer's market, food co-op or CSA. • In the USA, look for the USDA Organiclabel on foods. This is a legitimate claim to being certified organic. It's one of the few programs run by the USDA that actually has integrity. • Read the ingredients labels! If you see names of chemicals you can't pronounce, don't buy it. • Buy more unprocessed food ingredients and make your own meals rather than buying ready-to-eat, processed foods, which are almost universally formulated with disease-promoting ingredients. • GROW some of your own food! The best food you can ever eat is food from your own garden.
How to learn more about what's really in your food
Read NaturalNews. I'm the editor of NaturalNews, and I cured my own borderline diabetes, high cholesterol and near-obesity using nothing but healing foods. The more you read NaturalNews, the more you'll learn about what to avoid in your foods and what to BUYthat's loaded with nutrition! We cover natural cures, superfoods nutrition, juicing, raw foods, nutritional supplements, healing herbs and much more. You can subscribe to our free email newsletter using the form below. We teach you what the mainstream food industry doesn't want you to know(and what the mainstream media won't dare report). If you want to learn the truth about food, read NaturalNews. Lots more to come...
White Dove Healing Arts
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Local: 303-828-4439 Toll Free: 1-866-989-wdha (9342)
www.whitedovehealing.com
Thank you to White Dove for permission to reprint this article
Our Guest Doctor Michael P. Heim is a nationally known Bariactric Medicine (weight loss) Specialist. His clinic, The Center for Health and Age Management, is located in Tampa, Florida, where he practices anti-aging medicine, medical weight loss and primary care medicine.
 I’ve just finished Michael Pollard’s Book, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto which I mentioned in my blog last week. Many thoughts went through my head while reading this book but the one that stands out the most was that it reminded me of why I majored in nutrition in college. Simply put, I believe in the power of food and always have. The natural next step as a physician has been to believe in the power of food and healthy living to fuel our health and well being. The author does a masterful job of explaining how the food supply in our country has become so unhealthy. It also makes me question everything I put in my mouth and, as a parent, what my children put in theirs’.
To reiterate some of the points of last week’s blog, we as a country have been duped by the food industry with cooperation from our government. The food lobby is well funded and with that funding comes the power to obtain the right (by our government) to make, quite frankly, asinine health claims about the so-called food they are selling us. Are we really to believe that Lucky Charms is now somehow good for us because a small amount of “whole grains,” have been added? The same machine has produced the commercials mentioned last week about the merits of high fructose corn syrup, in moderation of course. Does anyone else want to ask, “are you #@@?% kidding me?”
Let’s look at the facts shall we?
Table sugar or sucrose is 50% fructose and 50% glucose. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is 80% fructose and 20% glucose. Fructose is absorbed into the body much faster than sucrose which is the main issue with this highly processed sweetener. Between 1970 and 1990, the consumption of HGCS has increased by more than 1,000% and now comprises 40% of the caloric sweeteners added to our foods and beverages. During this same time frame the rate of diabetes increased greatly. There are countless studies that suggest consumption of HCFS is a causative factor in metabolic syndrome – the largely Western conglomeration of interrelated diseases which starts with obesity and typically leads to high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol and ultimately the number one killer of Americans, heart disease. HFCS in large quantities can also elevate triglycerides and lower HDL (good cholesterol). If you have high triglycerides and do not want to take medication, stop consuming food containing refined wheat and high fructose corn syrup and watch your numbers plummet. The evidence against high fructose corn syrup goes on and on yet we still consume it in record amounts to the obvious detriment of our health.
As I’ve written in prior blogs, eating healthy in our country is not convenient, nor is it cheap. As for the first point, like many challenges in our life, overcoming them is mostly about making a decision to overcome them. Taking the time on Sunday to prepare food to be consumed for the week is a great strategy to eliminate the refined foods in our diet and planning in advance for when you may not have control of what types of foods are available. If you’ve sat in my office you know that in my house we regularly prepare large containers of mixed greens and chopped vegetables for salads during the week. There is also always a pitcher of home brewed green tea in the fridge which I take to work in water bottles each day. Grilling a batch of chicken breasts on Sundays gives us a ready supply of protein to add to salads during the week. Again, not convenient but this early week preparation allows me to avoid the pitfalls of relying on restaurants and other convenient foods during the work week which are usually highly refined. Finally, as a country, we must absolutely refuse to eat the products that the food industry is trying to pass off as food. The only way to change the products that are on our supermarket shelves is by the market forces of supply and demand.
In terms of the second point of the cost of eating healthy, I would suggest thinking in terms of a trade off between the future costs of your health care vs. the current cost of food. Believe me when I tell you, you can greatly reduce the future cost of your health care by following a healthier lifestyle now. We have become a population dependent on instant gratification. 30 minute pizza deliveries, 30 second drive through meals, and microwavable meals to go. Our demand has supplied endless products and services to feed our light speed lifestyles but again, at what cost? Take some time this week to slow down and ask yourself what is really important to you and if your actions are consistent with your priorities. Many patients sit in my office expressing desires to lose weight, get off of medications, and to live a healthier lifestyle. The ones that accomplish their goals are the ones who have the will rise above the toxic environment in which we live, and taking the time to make those desires a priority.
“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Until next time, stay healthy and live well… Dr. Mike
Read more articles on nutrition on Dr. Heim's website: www.tampahealthcenter.com
Many patients, especially those going for the one week prostate program at St. George, decide to take an extra week and see the beautiful countryside in Germany. Germany is a country of castles, rolling hills, waterfalls, museums and wine festivals, medival towns and the Danube River Valley.
Here’s some tips and information we received from patients touring the country.
Germany has an excellent rail system. All personnel at the train stations speak English and are happy to give directions and make suggestions. If you stay in Frankfurt, you are in the middle of Germany, and can easily get anywhere in the country by train. If you go to the website: www.raileurope.com you can get discount train tickets. A one day pass is 185 Euros. A seven day pass in 240 Euros and will take you anywhere you want to go for an entire week.
Check the website: www.hotels.com to see how far your hotel is from the train station. Taxis are expensive, and usually the less expensive hotels are not within walking distance of the train stations.
Another website to check out is www.tompgalvin.com Click on the German flag at the bottom of the page for a wealth of information.
Interesting things to do/places to visit:
The town of Rothenburg, which has a 50’ wall around the whole town
The town of Reudeisheim – cable ride over the vineyards, big tourist attraction
Great castles: Cochen, Marsburg, Heidelberg and Neuiweinstein
The city of Ulm has the tallest cathedral spire in the world.
Europe’s largest zoo is in Wilhelmina.
Please feel free to send us info on your travels and we will post them here.
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