EASY as 1 - 2 - 3 Whole Food Farmacy and Eating Healthy !

Nature's Prescription   HONEY
 

Many parents are concerned about the recent FDA recommendation that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines not be given to children under 6 years of age because of a lack of effectiveness and potential for side effects.

With this recent news in mind, a team of researchers from the Penn State College of Medicine decided to put nature to the test.   They tested the effectiveness of three different approaches for children who were having trouble sleeping due to a cough.

The children in the study were given either no treatment at all, a little bit of buckwheat honey or dextromethorphan (DM), the chemical cough suppressant found in many over-the-counter cold medicines. The children receiving the honey or DM took it about 30 minutes before bedtime.

The research team found that honey was more effective in reducing the severity and frequency of nighttime cough compared with DM or no treatment at all. Honey also allowed the children to sleep better.  The findings are published in the December, 2007, issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

According to the study's lead researcher, Dr. Ian Paul, Penn State's director of pediatric clinical research: "Honey provided the greatest relief of symptoms compared with the other treatments.  With honey, parents now have a safe and effective alternative to use for children over age 1 that have cough and cold symptoms".  Some of the children were hyperactive for a short time after being given the honey, Dr. Paul said. However, children who received honey slept better and so did their parents, he noted.

Paul cautioned that honey should never be given to children younger than 1, because of the rare risk of infantile botulism. In addition, he noted, cough medicines that mention "honey" on the label actually contain artificial honey flavor not real honey.

Honey has been used for centuries to treat upper respiratory infection symptoms such as cough. In addition, honey has antioxidant and antimicrobial effects, and also soothes the back of the throat.

Once again, science has proven that food really can be your medicine.    

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 - A Woman's Heart
 

Amazing new research was published in the October 2007 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. This new study shows that women who eat a healthy diet, drink moderate amounts of alcohol, are physically active, maintain a healthy weight and do not smoke have a significantly reduced risk of heart attack - a reduced risk of up to 92 percent!

Dr. Agneta Akesson, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, and colleagues identified dietary patterns in 24,444 postmenopausal women by analyzing food frequency questionnaires, on which the women supplied information about how often they ate 96 common foods.

The low-risk lifestyle, characterized by a high intake of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, fish and legumes, in combination with moderate alcohol consumption, not smoking, maintaining the proper weight and being physically active was associated with 92 percent decreased risk compared with findings in women without any low-risk diet and lifestyle factors.

Several components of fruits, vegetables and whole grains  such as fiber, antioxidant vitamins and minerals, have been associated with a reduced risk for coronary heart disease, the researchers note. In addition, previous studies have found beneficial effects of small amounts of alcohol in preventing the buildup of plaque in the arteries, which could help prevent heart attacks. "The combined benefit of diet, lifestyle, and healthy body weight may prevent more than three of four cases of heart attack in our study population," Dr. Akesson and colleagues report.

Wholefood Farmacy foods make it easy and convenient for you to enjoy the benefits of a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and dietary fiber.  How many servings of fruits and veggies have you, your family and your children had today?

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The Benefits Of Daily Exercise
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, studies that have followed large groups of people for many years are all drawing the same conclusion:  A sedentary (inactive) lifestyle increases the chances of becoming overweight and developing a number of chronic diseases.

Exercise or regular physical activity helps many of the body's systems function better and keeps a host of diseases at bay. According to the US Surgeon General's report, regular physical activity:

    * Improves your chances of living longer and living healthier
    * Protects against heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol
    * Helps protects against certain cancers, including colon and breast cancer
    * Helps prevent or control type 2 diabetes  
    * Helps prevent arthritis and may help relieve pain and stiffness in people with this condition
    * Helps prevent the insidious loss of bone known as osteoporosis
    * Reduces the risk of falling among older adults
    * Relieves symptoms of depression and anxiety and improves mood

If you already exercise on a daily basis - keep it up!  If not, please consider taking a walk each day. Start off easy if you need to with a short 10 minute walk.  From there, gradually increase your walking to 30 minutes a day - the results will amaze you! Your mood will improve, your energy levels will increase and you'll enjoy all of the health benefits listed above.

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The Power of Purple

Scientists in Arkansas are reporting new evidence that natural pigments responsible for the beautiful blue/purple/reddish color of certain fruits and vegetables may help prevent obesity. The study, #ccwebmailmsgbody found in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, however, reports that eating the whole fruit containing these pigments seems to be less effective than eating an extract of the berry. The pigments -- called anthocyanins -- prevent obesity in laboratory mice fed a high-fat diet. Anthocyanins are found in grape skins, blueberries, blackberries, purple corn and other foods.'