Tin Cans and Ice- The Quest to Keep Food Fresh

I have been reading a book by one of my favorite nonfiction authors, Bill Bryson. He has some fascinating facts about the history of food. Did you know that canning of food was invented between 1810 and 1820? The first cans were made out of wrought iron. They had to be opened with a hammer and chisel, or a bayonet, if you happened to have one handy. By 1880, machines could mass produce about 1500 cans a day. But it was still dicey and dangerous to get the food out of the can to eat it. It was not until 1925 that a modern can opener was invented.
The first ice for food preservation was cut from frozen rivers in the mid 1840’s and transported by train or ship across great distances. The U.S. was shipping ice to England, until the Norwegians stepped into the game. Sawdust was used an insulator for the humongous chunks of ice, and only about 30% melted down along the way, once custom officials figured out how to classify 300 tons of dripping cargo. Americans embraced ice on a larger scale than Europeans and Manhattan alone consumed 1 million tons a year. Soon, refrigerated rail cars were carrying Maine lobster to Chicago and transporting meat and poultry from the heartland coast to coast. Small local farms started disappearing and agriculture started to become big business.

Today you could probably buy food from abroad any day and never eat from your native land. But should you? In the 1800’s there was no way to measure the nutrients in food. While meats may travel well, vegetables and fruits have to be picked before ripe to be transported great distances. The hardy strains are bred for toughness, not flavor or nutrient value.

So, eat local as much as you can when it comes to fresh food. Talk to the growers who bring their wares to Farmer’s Markets. They can teach you the secrets to choosing the freshest and most flavorful produce. You can squeeze and sniff live food that will reward your taste buds. I don’t think it is possible to be healthy eating out all the time. If you cannot cook, take lessons, pay someone to cook for you, or eat raw. But you have to eat freshly prepared food or pay the price with your health. Restaurant food is not high enough quality these days. Too many microwave ovens and cheap substitutes. Fall is a great time for the Farmer’s Market. You can enjoy the harvest and unwind from your week listening to live music and sampling a variety of ethnic foods and rare treats. Raw milk is available at the Hollywood market. At all the markets you can dip into some amazing olive oils. Buy some and make a homemade dressing. You will never accept bottled dressing again.

My favorite recipe for salad dressing is 1/2 olive oil, 1/3 cup vinegar (balsamic, reduced balsamic, white balsamic or apple cider vinegar) 1/2 tsp of your favorite mustard, 1/4 tsp sea salt. Shake well in a jar. Add crushed garlic, rosemary, chili pepper flakes or any other seasoning you like. You can use fresh lemon juice instead of vinegar for a change. Enjoy!

How To Prevent a Broken Heart

Whenever I speak to a patient about a heart issue, I approach it very gently, because I know what a scary subject heart disease is. We have all known someone who had a “sudden” stroke or heart attack, with terrible consequences. Bur heart disease is fairly preventable, if you know how to take care of your heart. There are a few factors, so I will mention one here and address others in future blogs. This year I have seen more flu, colds and bronchial illness than ever before in many years of practice. My colleagues report similar findings. One explanation may be that we have been affected by the radiation from Japan, and that has weakened our immune systems. Regardless of the source, I am seeing a lot of immune challenges. How does this affect your heart? The lining of the arteries is a protection, but inflammation can disrupt the lining and allow virus’s or bacteria to enter and attack the wall of the artery. This weakens or further inflames the wall and it may cause a breach, or blockage. If the blockage prevents blood from reaching the heart, that is a heart attack. The answer is not to take antibiotics. In fact, overuse of antibiotics may be part of the problem. While antibiotics are sometimes life-saving, if overused, they kill off the healthy gut organisms which protect our intestines from harmful bugs, fungus and bacteria. When there is an overgrowth of unhealthy flora in the intestine, not only is our digestion affected, but the intestine is the gateway to the blood. Once in the blood, pathogens are pirates seeking plunder in the most vulnerable areas and our defenses are compromised. You need a strong army of white blood cells to attack and eliminate the invaders. The lymphocytes and phagocytes actually engulf and destroy harmful organisms found in the blood. But they have to be supported to be able to do their job effectively. There are many things you can do to promote a strong and responsive immune system. Limit sugar and wheat products, which cause inflammation, spike and then crash your blood sugar, and feed the bad bugs. Eat organically and use unscented and natural household products to lower your exposure to chemical toxins. Eat naturally fermented products like sauerkraut, kefir and kombucha, Take immune enhancing supplements such as Echinacea, whole food complex C, and calcium lactate. Apple cider vinegar helps maintain stomach ph and is an old country remedy. Iodine, liquid or as kelp supplements, is good for the immune system and vital for thyroid function, as well as cancer preventive. You can take immune supplements every day, to help your body ward off exposure to pathogens, and to enhance the protection to your heart lining. Congaplex, Immuplex, and Thymex are all good choices. These supplements activate your own immune system. Don’t wait until you are coming down with something or there is a mini-epidemic at your office before getting on immune support. And no heart attack or stroke is sudden. It takes a long time for the body’s defenses to break down. It is just the there were not enough warning signs and there is almost no true prevention in the medical model. You have to be smarter and learn for yourself how to give your heart the love it deserves. From my heart to yours.

Joint Pain Relief-Find the Source

Here is a Success Story from one of my patients who has his own handyman company and is very physically active.
My right knee was hurting for almost a week. Dr. Dunev tested the knee, did her “magic” and no more pain! Thank you! A.H.

I did not touch his knee. The “magic” I did was locate the actual source of the inflammation in the knee joint. In this case it was the gall bladder/bile duct. The bile duct is the avenue that carries toxins from the liver to the intestine. The gall bladder is a little sack that attaches to the duct and catches some of the bile and stores it. When you eat fats such as avocado, butter or oil the gall bladder releases some bile, which also acts as a detergent and emulsifies (breaks down) and disperses  fat so that it can be absorbed along with other nutrients to protect cells and help brain function. The brain is the only organ that is about 80% fat and healthy  dietary fats and a well-functioning gall bladder help keep the brain operating  well.

If the gall bladder is so important, why do surgeons remove them so often? There are two reasons. They have no other solution when stones form in the gall bladder and people can live without their gall bladder, just as they can live without an appendix.

That does not mean that the gall bladder is not important-it just means you won’t die if it is removed.

If you have gall stones, seek a holistic doctor and find out how easy it is to get the body to purge stones. Even large gall stones are made from cholesterol and are  soft enough that they usually pass easily through the bile duct and out the intestine when a gall bladder program is followed.

Many odd symptoms and pains in the body can be relieved when the gall bladder and bile duct are not congested and partially blocked.  Migraine headaches and acne are often dramatically improved, also.

One way to love your liver (vital for detoxification) is to take good care of your gall bladder.  Avoid phoney fats like margarine and corn oil and eat organic butter, virgin coconut oil and raw nut oils.  90% of the fat in steak is the same kind of fat that is in olive oil!  The gall bladder needs good fats to keep the bile flowing so stones do not form. Good fats are a friend to the body and will also help cut sugar and bread cravings.

Eat healthy fats because they taste delicious- and they happen to be healthy! Nature equals nurture.

Is Red Meat Healthy for Real Men and Women?

Red meat has taken a bashing in recent years. I cannot tell you how often patients tell me proudly that they have dropped red meat from their diet. Some of them are relieved to find out that I am not opposed to red meat consumption. I do advise that pasture-fed and organic meat be chosen instead of commercial red meat.
Our fears about red meat seem to center around two very legitimate concerns-cancer and heart disease. The question is how much of a risk is red meat to  our risk of these diseases?

What I find interesting is that we become focused on a food like red meat, which has been consumed by humans for thousands of years, long before cancer and heart disease became problems. Along with Diabetes Type II and Obesity, these are the modern diseases of the twentieth century and have only continued to increase dramatically and alarmingly despite our avoidance of red meat and our being prescribed cholesterol and blood pressure lowering drugs.

Let’s look at the studies. A meta-analysis of studies about red meat show there is no increase risk of cancer or heart disease, even for commercial red meat (from feed-lot cattle). However, there is evidence of risk from processed meats. A meta-analysis means that a large number of relevant studies were analyzed and conclusions were drawn from the analysis. Here is the link to the meta-analysis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2885952/ Scroll down to bottom for the conclusion.

What is the concern about red meat? First there is concern about carcinogens storing in the fat. But there seems to be no evidence that meat  and animal products contain more toxins than vegetarian products like plant-based oils. Some fish contains a high quantity of toxins and other fish does not. So, source may be very important.  http://www.westonaprice.org/environmental-toxins/dioxins-in-animal-foods? http://www.westonaprice.org/environmental-toxins/dioxins-in-animal-foods?

The other concern is about saturated fats. But very early cancer research demonstrated that animals fats, including butter, were actually protective of heart and cells, and cancer preventive. Margarines and corn oils were the oils to avoid. We know that cholesterol is made, by the liver, out of starches and sugars and only about 10% is derived from the cholesterol in foods. And in the case of eggs Nature has included lecithin so that the cholesterol is broken down.

So, enjoy red meat, but choose wisely. And you may need some digestive enzymes or extra hydrochloric acid to properly digest the meat. Chew it well, as digestion starts in the mouth with the saliva and signals get sent to the stomach to get ready. There is a reason why red meat smells delicious to us when roasted or barbecued. Our cells can use the nutrients and our ancestors ate meat. We are Omnivores, plant and animal eaters. We need the vital proteins from animal, fish, dairy, nuts and eggs to be strong and fit. If our suppliers would just raise animals wisely, we would not have to worry so much about the source of our food. More on that in future blogs.