Health in the News
Come to the dark side
Chocolate has been used for centuries for healing and pleasure. Dark, milk, caramel filled or crispy laden, there is no confusion over which is best for pleasure—they’re all great! But dark chocolates offer the highest concentration of heart-healthy flavonoids. These unsaturated fatty acids found in cocoa butter decrease LDL, or bad cholesterol, according to a study published in the February 2003 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Heal-All
What can make cats frisky but relax humans? Valerian Root. The common name is Heal-All, but two other herbs, woundwort and mistletoe, share the name “heal-all.” Dubbed the “Valium of the 19th century,” although chemically unrelated to Valium, Valerian is recognized worldwide for the relaxing effect it has on the body. Valerian can aid sleep, calm PMS, and relieve fever, but should not be used more than three weeks at a time.
Source: Medicinal Herbs Online
“Our Bodies, Our Landfills”
Through a technique called biomonitering, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has proven that beyond “you are what you eat,” we are also what we drink, breathe, and touch. The CDC tests measured some 116 harmful chemicals in the urine, including lead, mercury and other heavy metals, chlorinated solvents, insecticides and other pesticides, PCBs, and plasticizing agents called phthalates.
Some of the troubling findings include:
- Children have twice the levels of certain pesticides in their systems as adults
- Children have higher levels of cotinine from cigarettes than adults
- Children have higher levels of certain chemicals used in soft plastic toys
- Adolescents have high levels of phthalates from personal care products
- Mexican-Americans have three times the levels of the banned pesticide DDT in their systems as other Americans
Source: MSNBC 2/6/03
Compiled by Margaret Arthur, M.D.
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