3 Crazy Myths About Soy

3 Crazy Myths About Soy

Soy, one of America’s favorite “health” foods, is not as benevolent as it is made out to be. One of the most successful maneuvers by the food and agricultural businesses in North America was marketing soy as a natural, health-promoting food. Even today, soy continues to retain a popular following among many individuals in the natural health community.



The stark reality, however, is that soy is more of a poison than a nutritious food, with fermented soy being the exception. As it turns out, nearly everything we’ve been told about soy is untrue, including that it’s a staple of Asian diets. Today’s soy has never been a staple in any diet except the diet that has been developed by modern agribusiness. As a common ingredient in many foods today, unfermented and non-organic soy is a disaster waiting to happen.

The History of Soy

How did soy become the darling of health foods? In North America, soy was a major product of the industrial revolution. Soy oil was used to provide lubrication to machinery; soyhttp://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=33766 was a base ingredient for paint. After petroleum became the primary source of oil in the early 20th century, agribusiness farmers faced a major problem. In order to use the abundance of soy they had been growing for decades, they set about creating a massive public relations effort to convince the public, governmental agencies, nutritionists, and even scientists—that soy is not only food, but also a health food!

The Top 

Let’s take a look at some of the health myths surrounding this popular, albeit potentially damaging, food.

1. Soy Prevents Osteoporosis

The myth surrounding soy and bone health is derived from correlation studies showing that Asians have a low incidence of osteoporosishttp://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=33765. Soy intake is assumed to be the reason behind the correlation, but when we delve a bit further into the facts we see that soy actually comprises a low percentage of the Asian diet. When soy is consumed in Asia, it is mostly in its fermented or minimally processed form. Asians tend to drink more green tea http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=33274, consume more fermented and calcium-rich vegetables, and may even have a shorter hip axis length than Caucasians. [1] All of these factors are far more likely to contribute to Asia’s lower osteoporosis rates than the pseudo-miracle food that is soy.



2. Soy Formula is Good for Infants

Absolutely false! Soy contains trypsin, a compound that interferes with digestion http://dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=32748 and pancreatic function. [2] It is absent of cholesterol, which is critical for brain development and many other functions. [3] Research has shown that infants fed soy formula may experience a greater incidence of autoimmune disorders compared with infants that are breastfed. [4] If you need to feed formula to your baby, do not use one made from soy. The Israeli Ministry of Health, the German Institute of Risk Assessment, and the British Dietetic Association have all warned that infant formula made from soy puts both brain and body development at risk. [5]

3. Soy Is Good for the Environment

There is some truth to the claim that soy is good for the environment since farmers have long used soybeans to balance nitrogen levels in the soil. Unfortunately, nearly all of the soy grown today is genetically modified http://dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=33160. Personally, I do not believe that playing with nature can be beneficial for the environment. Super weeds, anybody?

What’s Harmful About Soy?

Goitrogens are substances that interfere with the thyroid’s ability to utilize iodine, and soy is a prime source for these compounds. A reduced uptake of iodine results in thyroid impairment and that can affect your metabolism, mood, and energy levels. Soy also contains phytoestrogens http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=122&t=33763, which mimic estrogen in the body and can disrupt your endocrine system and affect your hormones. The only time that phytoestrogens may be considered beneficial is during menopause.

How to Avoid Soy

Soy, like corn, is a building block in many, many processed foods — foods you wouldn’t even think to contain soy. Unfortunately, you cannot simply rely on labels to clearly state if soy is present. Many ingredients contain soy in a variety of forms, often hidden underneath technical terminology. Common terms used to hide soy include:

- Mono- and diglycerides
- MSG (monosodium glutamate) http://dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=33635
- Teriyaki sauce
- Textured vegetable protein



Other unsuspecting ingredients include:

- Bulking agents
- Hydrolyzed plant protein
- Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
- Gum arabic
- Guar gum
- Lecithin
- Mixed tocopherols (artificial vitamin E)
- Natural flavoring
- Stabilizer
- Thickener

The best way to avoid soy, even organic soy, is to make sure your diet is as whole and raw as possible. Avoid processed foods, as these are a main source of soy. If dining out at a restaurant, ask if any of the food is made with soy.

Why is Fermented Soy the Exception?

Well, if it’s GMO soy, it’s not, but fermentation removes many of the harmful compounds of soy, including various nutritive inhibitors. The carbohydrates in tempeh that are responsible for gas and indigestion become easier to digest upon fermentation. [6] Phytic acid, a type of acid that aids in the absorption of valuable nutrients, is also produced during the soy fermentation process. These products include soy sauce, tempeh, natto (as in miso soup), and some soybean pastes. Natto, another fermented soy product, contains abundant amounts of vitamin K2, a nutrient responsible for calcium regulation and bone health. [7]

What are your thoughts on soy? Do you consume soy, including fermented soy? Leave a comment and let us know!

by Dr. Edward Group DC, NP, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM

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References:

1. E. M. C. Lau. The Epidemiology of Hip Fracture in Asia: An Update http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF01623759. Osteoporosis Int (1996) Suppl. 3:S19-S23.

2. Yuan S, Chang SK, Liu Z, Xu B. Elimination of trypsin inhibitor activity and beany flavor in soy milk by consectuive blanching and ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) processinghttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18690682. J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Sep 10;56(17):7957-63. doi: 10.1021/jf801039h.

3. Laura A Woollett. Maternal cholesterol in fetal development: transport of cholesterol from the maternal to the fetal circulationhttp://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/82/6/1155.long. Am J Clin Nutr. December 2005, vol. 82 no. 6, 1155-1161.

4. Tuohy PG. Soy infant formula and phytoestrogens http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12919490. J Paediatr Child Health. 2003 Aug;39(6):401-5.

5. British Dietetic Association. Paediatric group position statement on the use of soya protein for infants http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14528647. J Fam Health Care. 2003;13(4):93.

6. M Egounlety. Effect of soaking, dehulling, cooking and fermentation with Rhizopus oligosporus on the oligosaccharides, trypsin inhibitor, phytic acid and tannins of soybean (Glycine max Merr.), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) and groundbean (Macrotyloma geocarpa Harms) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0260877402002625. Journal of Food Engineering.Volume 56, Issues 2-3, February 2003, Pages 249-254.

7. Fujita Y, Iki M, Tamaki J, Kouda K, Yura A, Kadowaki E, Sato Y, Moon JS, Tomioka K, Okamoto N, Kurumatani N. Association between vitamin K intake from fermented soybeans, natto, and bone mineral density in elderly Japanese men: the Fujiwara-kyo Osteoporosis Risk in Men (FORMEN) study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21394493. Osteoporos Int. 2012 Feb;23(2):705-14. doi: 10.1007/s00198-011-1594-1.

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Unbelievable scam of cancer industry blown wide open: $100 b

Unbelievable scam of cancer industry blown wide open: $100 b




With $100 billion a year now being spent on toxic chemotherapy treatments that damage patients and cause "chemo brain" side effects, a panel of cancer experts commissioned by the National Cancer Institute publicly admitted two years ago that tens of millions of "cancer cases" aren't cancer at all.

Tens of millions of people who have been diagnosed with "cancer" by crooked oncologists -- and scared into medically unjustified but extremely profitable chemotherapy treatments -- never had any sort of life-threatening condition to begin with, scientists have confirmed.

"The word 'cancer' often invokes the specter of an inexorably lethal process; however, cancers are heterogeneous and can follow multiple paths, not all of which progress to metastases and death, and include indolent disease that causes no harm during the patient's lifetime," says the abstract of the published study entitled Overdiagnosis and Overtreatment in Cancer An Opportunity for Improvement http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1722196# (JAMA. 2013;310(8):797-798. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.108415)

The article goes on to explain that many tissue lesions in human biology are being diagnosed with the scary-sounding term "cancer" even though they would not lead to any real harm in the body even if left untreated.

$100 billion a year generated by the cancer industry to treat many patients who never had "real" cancer in the first place

Oncologists and the breast cancer http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/cc/breastcancer.php industry prey on systematic over-diagnosis of cancer in order to scare patients into unnecessary treatments. These treatments are helping generate $100 billion a year in chemotherapy revenues, often for so-called "cancers" that shouldn't even count as cancer in the first place.

"Physicians, patients and the general public must recognize that overdiagnosis is common and occurs more frequently with cancer screening," warns the NCI-commissioned science article in JAMA.

A 2002 editorial in the Annals of Internal Medicine maintained that the efficacy of mammograms for younger women is an open question. "The debate is worth following closely," concluded the editor of the journal, "because women are deciding about breast cancer screening, and it's our role to keep them informed as best we can." Yet it is worth remembering that "mammography screening may lead to an overdiagnosis of breast cancer, that is, the detection of a tumor that would not have become clinically detectable in the patient's lifetime." - from the book "What If Medicine Disappeared" by Gerald E Markle.

Cancer industry runs on scientific quackery and sleazy fear-based sales tactics to recruit patients

This all confirms what I've said over and over again as a consumer health advocate: The cancer industry uses scare tactics that smack of "medical terrorism" to recruit frightened women and men into unnecessary -- but highly profitable -- cancer "treatments" that benefit no one other than the cancer industry quacks (oncologists)http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=33526.

The report drops a few major bombshells on the way that many cancers are diagnosed. Breast cancer, for instance, is sometimes not breast cancer at all but rather a benign condition such as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). However, untold millions of women with DCIS have been misdiagnosed as having breast cancer, and subsequently treated for a condition that likely never would have caused them any health problems. And similarly in men, high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN), a type of premalignant precursor to cancer, is commonly mistreated as if it was actual cancer.

"The practice of oncology in the United States is in need of a host of reforms and initiatives to mitigate the problem of overdiagnosis and overtreatment of cancer, according to a working group sanctioned by the National Cancer Institute," explains Medscape.com about the study. "Perhaps most dramatically, the group says that a number of premalignant conditions, including ductal carcinoma in situ and high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, should no longer be called 'cancer.'"

Bill Sardi, author of "You Don't Have to Be Afraid of Cancer Anymore" also adds this:

Overdiagnosis refers to the detection by screening (mammograms, PSA tests) of cancers that would not have become apparent to a doctor or produce symptoms detectable to the patient before an individual died of other causes. Cancer is prevalent, far beyond the number diagnosed in human populations, and most adults will die with, but not of, their cancer. Treatment and invasive or toxic screening methods (radiation from x-rays, mammograms, needle biopsies) for tumors that may never progress to cause symptoms or death in an individual's lifetime would represent overdiagnosis and needless treatment.

The truth about cancer is slowly emerging as cancer industry quackery gets exposed

The good news in all this is that if you've just been diagnosed with cancer, you may be a victim of medical quackery and not really have life-threatening cancer at all.

The first and most important step in any cancer diagnosis is to be skeptical of your oncologist and get informed rather than frightened. Don't get suckered into a toxic chemotherapy treatment by the cancer quacks who hilariously call themselves doctors. Instead, get educated, get a second opinion and get yourself a holistic or naturopathic physician to learn about a vast array of treatment options, lifestyle changes and other interventions that can prevent, treat or even reverse cancer.

You can start by taking this cancer risk quiz http://www.naturalnews.com/2015-Cancer-Quiz.html which helps you determine whether you might be at risk for cancer right now.

You'll also want to watch this "Truth About Cancer" documentary trailer http://www.naturalnews.com/2015-global-quest-cancer-documentary.html and register for the free upcoming summit that features the most advanced medicine pioneers from around the world revealing little-known secrets about cancer prevention, cancer diagnosis and cancer treatment options.

Think about it: Even the National Cancer Institute's own scientists publicly admit that many cancer diagnoses are FAKE and shouldn't be called "cancer" at all. But the quack cancer doctors keep calling them cancer because that's what earns them more patients and revenues. They aren't interested in a truthful diagnosis; they're interested in scaring you into unnecessary chemotherapy!

That's how the cancer industry has exploded to $100 billion a year in treatment revenues http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=33542. 

In America today, more money is spent to treat cancer than to treat any other disease by far. In fact, according to NBC News, 100 BILLION dollars was spent on cancer drugs just last year alone...

If you are diagnosed with cancer in America today and you choose to trust the medical system with your treatment, you can say goodbye to your financial future. Even if you have health insurance, you will probably end up flat broke one way or the other. Either you will survive and be flat broke, or you will die flat broke.

The following is how one woman described her experience with chemo...

This highly toxic fluid was being injected into my veins. The nurse administering it was wearing protective gloves because it would burn her skin if just a tiny drip came into contact with it. I couldn't help asking myself "If such precautions are needed to be taken on the outside, what is it doing to me on the inside?" From 7 pm that evening, I vomited solidly for two and a half days. During my treatment, I lost my hair by the handful, I lost my appetite http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=33828, my skin colour, my zest for life. I was death on legs.

Don't become a victim of the FAKE cancer industry

Don't let yourself be victimized by a fake medical diagnosis from a cancer industry doctors. Learn the truth about cancer and take back your health from the cancer quacks (oncologists) who profit from ignorance and fear.

Click here to watch the trailer from The Truth About Cancer documentary http://www.naturalnews.com/2015-global-quest-cancer-documentary.html. It might literally save your life. Read more

Herbs for effective blood pressure management

Herbs for effective blood pressure management

One in three adults in the United States today has high blood pressure, medically referred to as hypertension. However, lots of people are not even aware they have this condition, simply because it has no warning signs and symptoms. It is typically caused by improper diet, smoking and alcohol abuse. When high blood pressure occurs along with increased levels of blood sugar and cholesterol, it could cause severe damage to the vital organs of the body. Nevertheless, this is now easy to detect and manage clinically and naturally.

Studies have indicated that smoking a cigarette can elevate one's blood pressure for half an hour. Diet comprised mostly of fat and no exercise can result in high levels of cholesterol, which can lead to blood vessels becoming narrow due to fatty deposits. When this occurs, the heart will have more difficulty in pumping and circulating blood to the rest of the body. Chronic hypertension that is not properly managed can eventually lead to different outcomes such as stroke, heart attack and other heart ailments.

Conventional medicines for hypertension

Like other medicines today, medications used to manage hypertension may have certain side effects that need to be carefully monitored or treated as well when they occur. This means more drugs to take and more side effects that will need to be properly managed.

Natural remedies for hypertension

These treatments work efficiently as conventional medications. A lot of individuals were able to manage their blood pressure problems well by simply adapting a healthier lifestyle - cutting down on vices, eating healthy foods and engaging in a regular exercise routine.

Herbs for hypertension

Herbs are also beneficial in treating hypertension. They actually help in the prevention of high blood pressurehttp://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/hh/highbloodpressure.php and lowering or maintaining its levels. If you are clinically diagnosed with this condition, you will likely be given a prescription. However, there are other natural means to manage high blood pressure. These include:

Gotu kola (Hydrocotyle asiatica)
Garlic (Allium sativum)
Cayenne pepper http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=34115
Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna)
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=33639
Mistletoe
Ginseng
Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)
Hawthorn (Crataegus oxycantha)
Coleus
Rauwolfia (Rauwolfia serpentina)
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
Kelp (Fucus vesiculosus)
Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum)
Stinging nettle
Black cohosh
Hyssop
Bayberry

An excellent example of an herb that has helped numerous people manage their high blood pressure is garlic. Like other herbs, it contains a number of compounds that can provide health benefits. Garlic helps in reducing fat in the body, can break up the accumulation of cholesterol on the arteries and clears out plaque that developed in the blood vessels. At the same time, it also lowers blood pressure and helps to improve the body's defense against pathogens.

Magnesium is another natural substance that facilitates the regulation of vital mineral components, including sodium and potassium, in the blood.

Other benefits of herbs

A lot of herbs used to manage blood pressure facilitate regulated flow of blood in the entire body system.

Others can lower blood pressure by eliminating mucoid substance from arteries in the bronchus.

They can calm down the nervous system, eradicating tension and anxiousness, which have been proven to be major causes of the onset of hypertensionhttp://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/hh/highbloodpressure.php.

They are rich in calcium and minerals which assist in the maintenance of the heart and blood vessels.

Herbs are proven effective alternative therapies. However, hypertension can be a severe condition if not treated properly. If it continues beyond the hazardous marks despite natural remedies, self-treatment needs to be stopped, and you should immediately have a medical practitioner perform an evaluation.

Sources for this article include:

http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/herbsvitaminsek/a/Hypertension.htm

http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/herbs-lower-high-blood-pressure

http://www.healthcentral.com/high-blood-pressure/c/35150/32980/allies/

http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/hh/highbloodpressure.php

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Is Laxative Abuse Dangerous?

Is Laxative Abuse Dangerous?

Weight loss has become a primary concern for many people in today’s increasingly health-conscious world. Thanks to a barrage of promises from the weight loss industry, many people believe that body fat can be removed simply by taking a simple pill or laxative. Rather than adopting effective, long-term lifestyle changes, some people erroneously believe laxatives (along with other weight loss products) will solve their health issues. Unfortunately, these products can often be a dangerous way to go about accomplishing health goals, especially if used excessively over a long period of time. 



Laxatives, for example, can lead to long-term health complications through extended use. [1] Not only does the body become dependent on laxatives and is unable to perform its natural evacuation function, damage to the colon and other internal organs can also occur through extended use.

Increases Constipation Risk

Taking a laxative for occasional constipation relief is one thing; however, continued laxative use can actually increase constipation risk, promoting the exact same problem the product is supposed to remedy. [2] Laxative abuse can cause the walls of the intestine to become weak and unable to stimulate the movement of wastes out of the body. In other words, the colon becomes dependent on laxatives as a means of initiating the body’s evacuation and elimination process.



Anatomical Abnormalities

A 1998 study involving patients who had used stimulant laxatives more than three times per week for a year or more found distinct anatomical changes to the colon versus patients who had not been taking laxatives. [3] It appears that long-term laxative use damages the musculature of the colon, an action that hinders its overall function. For this reason, it is always best to keep the colon healthy at all times, even with occasional laxative use.

Diarrhea and Electrolyte Imbalance

The excessive use of laxatives can also cause chronic diarrhea, contributing to the elimination of much-needed electrolytes like potassium and sodium. [4] Not only can chronic diarrhea cause an electrolyte imbalance, it can also increase one’s chances of developing dehydration. Symptoms of electrolyte imbalance include cramping, mental fatigue, and, in some severe cases, coma and death.

Does Not Promote True Weight Loss

Fat loss can only occur through exercise and nutritional intervention, whereas laxative use results in nothing more than the loss of water weight. Many people believe that laxatives allow the body to remove ingested calories, yet this myth has been consistently debunked. By the time the stool reaches the large intestine, fat and calories have already been absorbed by the body. Read more

What are Polyphenols?

What are Polyphenols?

Polyphenol is a generic term for the several thousand plant-based molecules that have antioxidant properties. The health benefits of antioxidants are well known and polyphenols are also helpful for regulating enzyme function and stimulating cell receptors. [1] Polyphenols are divided into four primary groups: phenolic acids, lignans, stilbenes, and flavonoids. [2] Plants with polyphenol activity have played a major role in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. With an anti-inflammatory action, support for the liver, and promoting normal circulatory health, their benefits are plentiful.



6 Benefits of Polyphenol Consumption

Polyphenols are available in a wide variety of unprocessed raw vegetables and fruits. With the explosion of polyphenol research and the extensive discussion in scientific journals, potential therapeutic applications for these compounds have been discovered. Here are just a few of the benefits related to polyphenols.



1. Skin Protection

The consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, and antioxidant-rich beverages may protect the skin from UV radiation. Resveratrol, a compound in red wine, has active polyphenic qualities that aid in protecting the skin. Other compounds, like silymarin, genistein, delphinidin, pomegranate fruit extract, grape seed, proanthocyanidins, and green tea polyphenols, may also ward off UV damage. [3]

2. Brain Health

The antioxidant effect of polyphenols offers holistic support for the aging neurological system, possibly combating the early onset of dementia-like symptoms. Polyphenols have been linked with lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. Researchers also note that polyphenols offer a holistic approach to neurological health by addressing the complex physiology involved with certain brain disorders. [4]

3. Supports Normal Blood Sugar

Glucose management is an issue for many people in the United States, with about 1 out of every 10 people having type II diabetes or prediabetes. Flavonoids, a group of polyphenols, has displayed beneficial effects for supporting normal blood sugar levels. These flavonoids, typically found in foods like tea and cocoa, appear to enhance insulin secretion, reduce cell death, regulate glucose metabolism, improve insulin sensitivity, reduce oxidative stress, and increase glucose uptake by cells. [5]

4. Nutritional Support for Cancer?

While polyphenols won’t cure cancer, research has explored their potential therapeutic role. Some polyphenols appear to offer protection against carcinogens — cancer-causing substances present in food and the environment. [6] [7] Although coffee raises an eyebrow among some health-conscious consumers, research suggests that the polyphenols in coffee may help to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. [8]

5. Blood Pressure

Studies indicate flavonoids, like catechins, anthocyanins, and phenolic acids, are important dietary compounds that support normal blood pressure by inhibiting the physiological mechanisms which trigger hypertension. [9]



6. Cardiovascular Health

Polyphenols found in cocoa have been shown to reduce cardiovascular stress through the inhibition of LDL cholesterol, or “bad” cholesterol, oxidation. These compounds also increase the vasodilation of blood vessels to promote circulation. [10] Keep in mind that organic dark chocolate, 72% cacao and above, is where the benefits have been found. In other words, cheap candy is not good for your health.

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