Monumental report from the President’s Cancer Panel

This is a monumental news day for the organic industry. The President’s Cancer Panel Report released today exhorts consumers to choose food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, antibiotics, and growth hormones to help decrease their exposure to environmental chemicals that can increase their risk of contracting cancer!

“Exposure to pesticides can be decreased by choosing, to the extent possible, food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers…Similarly, exposure to antibiotics, growth hormones, and toxic run-off from livestock feed lots can be minimized by eating free-range meat raised without these medications,” according to the report, “Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now,” submitted to President Obama by Dr. LaSalle Leffall, Jr., an oncologist and professor of surgery at Howard University, and Dr. Margaret L. Kripke, an immunologist at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

In a letter to President Obama, the panel stated “The American people—even before they are born—are bombarded continually with myriad combinations of these dangerous exposures. The Panel urges you most strongly to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our Nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives.”

This landmark report by the prestigious scientific panel recognizes, at the highest level, what your products provide — essentially endorsing our industry. OTA has issued a press release to tout the panel report and is exposing the organic connection through all media channels.

The full report is available online.

OTA’s press release is available on our homepage.

What Causes Asthma?

There are two main reasons why the the bronchial passages may spasm and seize up. First, airborne allergens may enter the lungs (generally through the mouth, not the nose), and cause a systematic reaction. In concert with this, a poor immune system or hypersensitivity to certain allergens increases the chances that these allergens will affect the lungs. The specific causes listed below are all variations of these two ideas:

• Exertion: Heavy breathing through the mouth due to exertion can trigger the allergic reactions the cause asthma.
• Poor Nutrition: Without proper nutrition, the immune system cannot defend the body from allergens and other antigens that enter the body—especially through the mouth.
• Cold Air: Especially when inhaled through the mouth, cold air can cause constriction of the bronchial passageways.
• Stress: Another enemy of immune system, stress causes hormone imbalances that make us more susceptible to allergens and antigens that enter our bodies.
• Food Allergies: Specific foods can trigger allergic reactions, especially in the mucus membranes of the body.

Treatments

Asthma treatments take many forms, but they all tend to work in these basic areas:

• Strengthen the immune system: Since asthma is a type of allergy, a healthy immune system helps minimize its hold on the body. Try olive leaf extract (which can be found in Boku Immune Tonic), Spirulina (one of the primary ingredients in Boku Super Food), and other nutrient­ rich foods.
• Support the adrenal glands: Depleted adrenal glands throw the entire system out of balance—from hormone imbalances to general immune system functions. Supporting the adrenals is a key step in restoring health. Add 150 mg of adrenal tissue with pantothenic acid twice daily.

Take oxygenating supplements: Herbs that stimulate the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream help minimize asthma symptoms. Aloe vera gel (non-­rind variety) is a great drink, as it contains more oxygen than any other plant. Whole foods with lots of vitamin A/beta carotene (carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin) and B vitamins (beans, bananas chili peppers) all help with circulation and opening tiny blood vessels, allowing oxygen to be carried to all parts of the body. Many have gotten relief by drinking carbon activated water (CAW).

• Avoid irritating foods: Dairy and wheat products are two common food groups that exacerbate allergies, including asthma. The long­standing mainstream medical belief is that dairy products such as cow’s milk worsen asthma by increasing the body’s production of mucus, which then congests the nasal passages.
• Get relief with natural bronchodilators: Herbs, essential oils, and other substances can be used to open up the bronchial passageways, providing relief from asthma symptoms. Herbal teas containing theophylline­-like compounds are potent bronchodilators. Other natural bronchodilators include peppermint, spearmint, and pine essential oils. Chamomile essential oil may also help to relax bronchial spasms.

Other Considerations

Many people have gotten positive results from a white powder from Africa called yamoa, which is taken in honey or in capsule form. It takes about ten days of use to take effect and thousands of sufferers have reported remarkable results with improved breathing and diminished symptoms. It is also beneficial for bronchitis and hay fever.

Other remedies can be added to a regimen already set by your doctor. The combination of foods containing vitamin C (fruits) and B15 (legumes, rice bran) is purported to increase oxygen in the bloodstream.

Many people report that concentrated breathing techniques can help with asthma. These techniques focus on deep, relaxed breaths and an increased awareness of your breathing. In other words, pay attention to your breathing and use the power of the mind to help relax and breathe easier.

Migraine headaches are particularly disruptive. They are characterized by a slow-growing throb in the head that often produces nausea and localized vision loss. Often the nausea and vision loss appear before the headache actually become acute. They can last for days.

What Causes Headaches?

Headaches have a variety of causes, including food allergies, environmental toxins, stress, eye strain, and sinus congestion. Premenstrual headaches are often related to hormonal imbalances.

Headache Treatments

Keep in mind that most non-aspirin pain relievers are immunosuppressant. That is, they weaken the immune system. Taking them once in a while may be okay, but prolonged and repeated use is definitely costly to your health. For a natural alternative, try white willow bark extract, the plant from which aspirin was originally discovered and made.

Allergy expert Dr. James Braly believes that 90% of all migraines are caused by either food allergies or allergic reactions to food additives. But it’s possible that any headache can be traced back to a food or substance allergy. Allergenic substances include food preservatives and colorings, caffeine, and chocolate. Try removing foods and drinks containing these products from your diet, one by one, for three to four weeks at a time, and notice if your migraine attacks lessen or disappear completely during that time. This process can take time, but is likely to produce results. Start with the typical offenders:

• Coffee, soda and caffeinated beverages
• Wine, beer, and alcohol products
• Cheese and dairy products
• Wheat and refined wheat products with gluten
• Other fermented products, including vinegar and any pickled products
• Sugar and high fructose corn syrup
• Food additives, dyes, and preservatives (particularly those in processed and dried meat), MSG, and sulfites
• Peanut butter and peanuts
• Soy products
• Shell fish

The other 10% of headaches are probably caused by a variety of things, but you can bet that environmental toxins are among the most likely culprit. Check your home and work environment for chemical out-gassing from carpets and wall coverings. Consider sleeping with a device that oxygenates the air in your room.

If you suffer from migraine headaches, products containing the artificial sweetener aspartame may be to blame. Aspartame triggers migraines in many sufferers.

Many headaches are caused by dehydration, and dehydration is as prevalent in winter as in summer. Drinking two large glasses of pure water will relieve the pain of these headaches almost immediately, without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional pain relievers.

Other Considerations

Massage under the two ridges on either side of the back of the skull until you can feel the contracted muscles relax. The two nerves there can be pressured by tight muscles in the region, causing headaches, including migraines. Once the headache subsides with this therapy, use your thumbs to stroke gently in opposite directions across the brow with lavender essential oil. This will put you or the person you’re massaging in a relaxed state.

Lavender has been used since the time of Cleopatra for stress reduction, headache relief, lessening of scars, and faster healing of burns. Some herbalists believe that quinine bark, feverfew, butterbur and magnesium are also an effective headache remedies. Other natural herbs that help control blood pressure and relax the vascular system include pure cocoa, olive leaf extract, mint extract, chamomile, passion fruit extract, bay leaves, chamomile, coriander, skullcap, turmeric, valerian root, and wild yam.

Finally, acupuncture and different forms of bodywork can be effective cures for headaches. Acupuncture may be able to move or change the energies in the body that are accumulating to cause headaches, and bodywork such as massage may be able to release the stress that causes some headaches.

According to Dr. Earl Mindell, almost every man experiences prostate trouble at least once in his life. In fact, a studies show that 1 out of 6 males will develop prostate cancer. That will result in almost 170,000 prostate removals and nearly 31,000 deaths from prostate cancer.

Fortunately, you can, for the most part, prevent prostate disorders if you start a program of good nutrition early. Prostate disorders range from prostate infection to enlargement to prostate cancer.

Principal symptoms of prostate disorder include:

• Difficulty urinating
• Dribbling and urgency to urinate
• Increased nighttime urination
• Dramatic reduction of ejaculate
• Weak ejaculation
• Lack of sexual desire
• Difficulty achieving full erection
• Terminal blood in urine

What Causes Prostate Disorders?

The most benign prostate disorder is infection. The prostate can become infected by viruses and bacteria from the rectal cavity (constipation and poor colon health may be a factor), or the urethra (sexually transmitted). Infection could result in painful urination or difficulty urinating (swelling of the prostate). This can be treated with a prostate cleanse and anti-inflammatory herbs.

It’s important to note that oral sex exposes the prostate to more bacteria than vaginal or even anal sex. Also, environmental toxins have been observed in patients with prostate cancer.

The most common prostate disorder is prostate enlargement, known as prostatitis. When the prostate swells, it blocks the flow of urine, making it difficult or even impossible to urinate. This normally is treated with antibiotics or surgery, but natural cures include the use of anti-inflammatories, prostate massage, and dietary changes.

Finally, there is prostate cancer, the most severe of the prostate conditions. Incidence of prostate cancer in America is on a sharp rise. Experts are still unsure as to the exact cause of prostate cancer, but suspect that genetics, nutrition, hormones, and environmental toxins all play a role. Studies suggest that diets high in saturated fat and sodium nitrate increase risk for prostate cancer, as does a sedentary lifestyle. No wonder prostate cancer is so common in the United States!

Treatments for Prostate Health

The best treatments for prostate health are preventative ones. Concerning the prostate, it’s much better to eliminate the risk of disease than to treat it after the fact. Here are some key points:

• Eliminate saturated fats and excess sugars and starches from your diet. Reduce the amount of meats and processed foods you eat—especially partially hydrogenated oils. Increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables (lightly cooked or even raw)
• Drink green tea at least once a day. Better yet, trade coffee for green tea
• Make sure to get an adequate amount of Vitamins B, C, and E and omega fatty acids in your diet. Flax and hemp seeds and oils are good sources of fatty acids, nuts and lentils are good for vitamin E, and many different fruits contain vitamin C
• Exercise frequently and engage in sexual activity (including masturbation) regularly
• Get plenty of movement. A sedentary lifestyle is the enemy of the prostate
• If your diet has been poor for a long time, consider a colon cleansing
• Combinations of phyto- (plant-based) estrogens are useful in treating prostate disorders.
• If you suffer from prostate infection or enlargement, then in addition to the practices listed here, take saw palmetto along with anti-inflammatory and circulation-stimulating herbs (lemongrass, cumin, tumeric, mistletoe extract, sage, pygeum, pumpkin seed extract and sterolins) also get plenty of zinc in your diet – beans, nuts, almonds, whole grains, pumpkin and sunflower seeds are good sources

Other Considerations

Excess alcohol and caffeine play havoc on the prostate, as do coagulated dairy products (hard cheeses, for example). Excess meat consumption is also a prostate irritation, as meat generally is not completely eliminated and remains in the bowels, infecting the prostate. For this reason, it’s a good idea to include plenty of dietary fiber from raw fruits and vegetables, salads, and nuts. Soy products are also helpful.

Avoid excess alcohol and cigarette smoke, including secondhand smoke. Avoid excess caffeine and stress, as they promote hormone imbalances that can affect the prostate.

A team of researchers at Warwick Medical School carried out a systematic literature review of studies examining vitamin D and cardiometabolic disorders. Cardiometabolic disorders include cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in some foods and is also produced when ultraviolet rays from sunlight strike the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis. Fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel are good sources of vitamin D, and it is also available as a dietary supplement.

Researchers looked at 28 studies including 99,745 participants across a variety of ethnic groups including men and women. The studies revealed a significant association between high levels of vitamin D and a decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (33% compared to low levels of vitamin D), type 2 diabetes (55% reduction) and metabolic syndrome (51% reduction).

The literature review, published in the journal Maturitas, was led by Johanna Parker and Dr Oscar Franco, Assistant Professor in Public Health at Warwick Medical School.

Dr Franco said: “We found that high levels of vitamin D among middle age and elderly populations are associated with a substantial decrease in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

“Targeting vitamin D deficiency in adult populations could potentially slow the current epidemics of cardiometabolic disorders.”

All studies included were published between 1990 and 2009 with the majority published between 2004 and 2009. Half of the studies were conducted in the United States, eight were European, two studies were from Iran, three from Australasia and one from India.

Source: http://www.physorg.com/news185446287.html

The need for vitamin can clash with the need to protect your skin from sun damage. That is why Boku Super Food contains one of the few vegan diet sources of vitamin D. Boku’s Super Tàke Mushroom blend contains 14 kinds of medicinal mushrooms that have already absorbed plenty of vitamin D2 so your skin doesn’t have to! Each scoop of Boku contains 20% of the recommended daily allowance. Your body digests and internalizes the vitamin D from ingesting the powdered mushrooms in your Boku drink!

Here’s to your health!

BōKU^® Immune Tonic is formulated by our own Dr. BJ Adrezin. The power in this glycerin-based tonic stems from its blend of potent herbs that all have many beneficial qualities. Dr. Adrezin included several different adaptogenic herbs: Rhodiola Rosea Root, Fo-ti Root, Holy Basil Leaf, Siberian Ginseng Root and Astragalus Root. Adaptogens produce the body’s ability to withstand and adapt to multiple stressors including physical, chemical, or biological agents. They also have a normalizing effect and help return the body to its natural state of homeostasis. Stress is one of the biggest enemies of a healthy immune system.  The adaptogenic herbs in BōKU^® Immune Tonic help the body manage stress and keep the immune system at its peak so you are much less likely to succumb to illness.

The other ingredients in BōKU^® Immune Tonic serve vital purposes as well.  Schisandra Berry, European Elderberry, Olive Leaf all contain extremely powerful antioxidants such as anthocyanins, lignans, oleuropein and vitamins A, C and E. Antioxidants are essential for proper immune function. They repair and protect cells from oxidative damage caused by an overabundance of free radicals. Just this sort of damage can leave the body susceptible to both minor and major illness.

BōKU^® Immune Tonic is an all natural, 100% alcohol free way to strengthen the body during cold and flu season and the rest of the year. The herbal liquid comes in a convenient 1 oz dropper bottle. Just add a few drops to a glass of water or under your tongue and give your immune system a healthy boost!

FYI: We expect BōKU^® Immune Tonic to be available for purchase after Christmas. It will cost about $10.

This is my very UN scientific, but very practical real-world review of the new BōKU^® Immune Tonic.

I was getting ready for a string of business trips which would take me to 3 different cities in 7days.  My starting point was Los Angeles, first destination was Seattle, then to Las Vegas, and finally San Francisco for their 2009 GREEN FESTIVAL.   My fear was that in the middle of the most feared flu season in decades, I was exposing myself to thousands of people and high-risk locations where epidemics usually break.  I felt pretty confident that my immune system was up to the challenge but I was happy to find a trial vial of the new BōKU^® Immune Tonic in the office.  I decided it would be a good “test” to see how well it might perform in a “real world” situation.

My first impression of the immune tonic was just how convenient it was to carry and travel with.  It’s small 1oz liquid bottle fit nicely in my carry on.  This fit my first criteria… if it can’t travel with you, it can’t help you when you need it!  I was skeptical of the “dropper”  at first but I quickly caught on to the concept… it was much easier to control the dosage than a sprayer and much cleaner to carry.  I was able to put a couple of drops in my cup of water or just squeeze a couple of drops on to my tongue and swallow.  The taste was very pleasant: slightly sweet with a licorice like after taste.

My first stop in Seattle was an eye opener.  Going from 70’s weather of LA to 50 degrees and rainy was a shock to my system.  I immediately put a couple of drops of immune boost on my tongue and swallowed!  Two days later I was back at the airport healthy, and on my way to Las Vegas.  Unfortunately I happened to sit next to a lady that was coughing violently and there was no other seat available.  I reached for the immune boost and took a couple of drops just in case!  When I landed in Las Vegas, I was overwhelmed by the crowds.  Winter is High season for Las Vegas and there was massive crowds everywhere.  After checking into my hotel, I headed for the convention center for the Supply Side West Expo where I spent two days meeting possible new vendors and shaking their hands.  The attendance was 10k plus and I was worried about my exposure to all those germs!  I really thought my goose was cooked since there were so many people milling about the crowd, coughing, sneezing, and sniffling.  I made sure I washed my hands frequently and drank lots of water with a couple of drops of the immune tonic.   When I got back to the airport, waiting for my plane to San Francisco, I pulled out my bottle of BōKU^® Immune Tonic and said a silent prayer to the immune gods: “PLEASE KEEP ME HEALTHY! I have 3 more days of this trip and I cannot afford to get sick!” When I landed in San Francisco, I had a message from a colleague I met in Las Vegas: “I’m sick as a dog, are you?”  This time, I decided to take an extra dose of BōKU^® Immune Tonic and headed immediately to bed!  Sleep is another boost for the immune system and I needed all the help I could get.  Despite my fear, I slept great and was feeling very good for the next 2 busy days at the Green Festival.  On my way back to Los Angeles, I was relieved to be healthy and flu-free.  I know it wasn’t a scientific study, but I felt good about the BōKU^® Immune Tonic.  I did all the right things to stay healthy: I made sure I got enough sleep, I ate healthy and took BOKU Super food every day, and washed my hands frequently  after being in public places.  So in conclusion to my very un scientific but “real world” test run of the BōKU^® Immune Tonic, I give it a very high “thumbs up.”