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Update: Valid October 27 – November 7, 2010, 30% off all insulated jackets.
GoLite is celebrating National Trails Day by discounting all GoLite products by 30%: tents, packs, rain gear, running gear, and all the other hiking, camping and outdoors products in their collection. This site-wide sale is taking place from June 1 to June 10.
Use the coupon code “NTD2010″ at checkout on GoLite.com.
Maybe you visited your doctor after taking up running, and the doctor told you that your feet hurt because your arches fell. In other words, you have flat feet. Well the chances are that it’s your shoes, not your flat arches, that are causing the pain. The arch supports hurt your feet: You do not want humongous arch supports. You want shoes that are built with very mild (low) arch supports.
Both New Balance and Vasque make athletic shoes that fit flat feet and wide feet. Vasque even says that their Perpetuum last is “comfortable for people with flatter feet.”
So don’t quit running, walking, and hiking. Just buy the right shoes!
In his book The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That’s Destroying Our Health
Dr. Sears says to consume cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, preferably relatively expensive brands that have a naturally peppery flavor: President’s Choice Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Tuscany has a peppery finish and seems reasonably priced. Still, you might prefer Dr. Sears’ oils. He sells his own select brand. Google it.
My general doctor says that patients suffering from autoimmune diseases should not take herbs and supplements that boost immunity (since autoimmunity results from overactive immune responses that attack and harm various parts of the patients’ bodies). In other words, when your immune system is already overactive, you are foolish to boost its activity even further. And that is why I am surprised when I see health practitioners (including naturopaths) advise victims of colitis or Crohn’s disease to take alfalfa and Lactobacillus acidophilus.
Alfalfa boosts the immune system and can therefore interfere with immune-suppressive medications, such as mercaptopurine (6-MP) and azathioprine (the Mayo Clinic says flat out that patients should not use azathioprine with alfalfa). And the labels on bottles of Kyo-Dophilus (a probiotic containing Lactobacillus acidophilus) say, “Take KyoDophilus . . . every day to boost immunity.”
In fact a University of California clinical trial using Kyo-Dophilus (”a commercially available dietary supplement often used by individuals with inflammatory bowel disease”) was terminated in 2008 due to low recruitment. In other words, the doctors could not find enough volunteers.
I suspect that colitis patients sometimes find that Kyo-Dophilus provides some relief from the symptoms associated with lactose intolerance. Yet they would do better to stay away from milk products and Kyo-Dophilus, since Kyo-Dophilus will not cure their colitis-induced lactose intolerance, and since it will boost their immune response (possibly causing their colitis to flare).
Patients suffering from autoimmune diseases should not take Kyo-Dophilus, alfalfa, zinc, echinacea, ginseng, and shiitake supplements, and they should stay away from COLD-fx, too.
Also see, Ulcerative Colitis Advice
This week the media told us all that a new study shows that eating lots of vegetables does not “significantly” lower cancer risk. (The study indicates that vegetables might provide a very small reduction in cancer risk, but that statistic may have resulted from reporting error and bias — see Eating Vegetables Doesn’t Stop Cancer: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/08/eating-vegetables-doesnt-stop-cancer/.)
The cancer researchers had 142,605 men and 335,873 women report on their eating habits and lifestyles during 1992 to 2000. They then assessed the association between cancer risk and diets high in fruits and vegetables.
But it looks to me that investigating the question “Does eating five or more fruits and vegetables stop cancer?” is like asking “Does taking five or more prescription pills stop cancer?” Obviously, I would not eat a random assortment of pills as a cancer-prevention strategy (nor would I take the over-the-counter pills that happen to be on sale each week).
I drink green tea and eat lots of garlic, tomatoes, apples, berries, greens, and cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Broccolive
Research on the cancer-prevention properties of fruits and vegetables continues: On January 11, 2010, Texas AgriLife Research food scientists reported that mango prevents or stops colon and breast cancer cells in the laboratory. And at least one researcher at the Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson says a “vegetable-rich diet may avert some cancers,” especially a diet full of cruciferous vegetables: cauliflower, cabbage, kohlrabi, radishes, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.
On my earlier post Best of the Web: Ulcerative Colitis, I listed a few websites recommended by health professionals. Now I would like to say that I also like the University of Maryland writeup.
Here are the main lifestyle suggestions I found on these websites:
1) Exercise. And note that endurance exercise, such as long-distance running and hiking, can help suppress your overactive immune system.
2) Avoid stress.
3) Avoid milk products, including whey protein. (But make sure to supplement your diet with calcium and vitamin D. Take 1000 mg to 1250 mg of calcium each day, plus vitamin D.)
Egg white protein powder is usually OK (but make sure that it does not contain powdered egg yolks).
4) Don’t eat foods that bother you, period.
5) Stay on a low fat diet.
6) Eat lots of vegetables and fruits.
7) If vegetables and fruits bother you, cook them.
And I would add a few additional pointers:
1) Stay away from most fresh vegetables and fruits. Eat frozen produce. Those fresh, unfrozen vegetables you see in the produce section of your local supermarket/grocery have had plenty of time to grow molds and bacteria, both while on the shelf and while in route to the store. And all those germs and fungi will provoke your immune system. (See A Fish and Vegetable Diet.)
Try to buy products grown in the United States, Europe, and Canada.
2) Avoid all grains. (But you might want to try Quinoa.) Do not eat granola!
3) Do not eat red meat. Eat fish and egg whites. (Do not eat egg yolks!)
4) Do not eat at restaurants.
5) Do not eat processed food (meals, meats, snacks, frozen dinners, cereals, etc.).
6) Fix your own meals. Don’t trust other people to make your meals for you.
7) Take tumeric every day, that is, take it at your own risk. (See Frontier Turmeric Root Ground
8 ) Take a good, pharmaceutical-grade fish oil every day, that is, take it at your own risk. (I only recommend Nordic Naturals – Ultimate Omega
9) Get out for a hike or walk every day, or use the treadmill.
10) Do not eat whole nuts and seeds. Eat nut butters and seed butters.
11) Do not take alfalfa or zinc (or supplements that contain alfalfa or zinc). They boost your immune system. You want to stay away from immune-boosting herbs, such as echinacea.
13) Read Dr. Sears’ The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That’s Destroying Our Health
14) Get plenty of rest. Do not overwork yourself. Take time off. Relax.
Also see Ulcerative Colitis and Diet, Colitis, Fish Oil, Chocolate, Tea and Spices, Autoimmunity, KyoDophilus, Alfalfa, and Zinc, and Related Posts.
Last month I looked up information about in-home ozone generators. A friend of mine was thinking of buying a house in Arizona (she bought it), and the sellers were using indoor ozone generators. The ozone gave my friend a severe headache and caused her blood pressure to rise to dangerous levels. (She takes blood-pressure medication and had to increase the dosage after inspecting the house.)
I rushed to my computer and found quite a few useful websites, and, yes, ozone causes headaches, high blood pressure, sore throats and coughs (see Effects of Ozone Pollution on Seniors and Ozone Generators May Be Dangerous to Your Health). Ozone irritates the lungs, exacerbates lung disease, accelerates aging, and damages home electronics and wiring. In combination with air fresheners or household disinfectants, ozone will produce formaldehyde, a chemical that can cause cancer (see Study Warns of Cleaning Product Risks). The California Department of Health Services began warning consumers about indoor ozone generators back in the 1990s. And Health Canada says, “If you have an ozone generator in your home, stop using it.”
Take a look at these web pages, too:
California Indoor Quality Program
Hazardous Ozone-Generating ‘Air Purifiers’
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Air Cleaners
National Institutes of Health: Ozone.
I just bought a new Toshiba laptop containing the Windows 7 operating system and the Intel i7 Quad processor, plus 4GB of memory and a 500GB hard disk. . . . Wow!
Since this machine comes with Windows Live Writer already installed, I am using Live Writer to write this blog post from my “desktop.”
We will see how it looks.
Update: Nice . . . I edited this post in Windows Live Writer and published it again. And I did not end up with two nearly identical posts. Live Writer was smart and just updated what it had already posted.
Arizona’s politicians are set to close thirteen state parks. Here is a link to a petition to save Arizona’s state parks. You may sign this petition.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-arizona-state-parks
The organizers will send the petition to Governor Brewer and the state legislators on February 1st, 2010.
You will find a slide show of Arizona hiking destinations on our Flash Gallery, our Arizona Gallery, and our Grand Canyon Trails Page.
Also see the post The Grand Canyon State: Arizona Set to Close and Sell State Parks?
The world flies in and takes a long look at Arizona, the Grand Canyon State (see our Photo Gallery, our Arizona Gallery, and our Grand Canyon Trails Page). And soon after arriving in Phoenix, they fall in love with all the other gems Arizona has to offer: preserved yet accessible desert wilderness areas and wildlife refuges, such as the Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction.
But now Arizona’s lawmakers are preparing to vote on budget cuts that could shut down the entire state parks system by July 1. And that vote in January 2010 might result in the sale of state parks to the highest bidders. That’s right: I’m hearing that once an Arizona state park is closed, it must be sold: Land speculators and developers will mutilate our public gems, our community wilderness. They will restrict access, and Lost Dutchman State Park will become a gated community or a private suburb, with lot and house prices starting at $700,000 or more.
Here’s a group of hikers who will show you how to protest the closure of Arizona’s state parks: visit the Take a Hike message board and web site.
Also see Petition to Save Arizona’s State Parks
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