September 27, 2013

Government Report Offers More Evidence Cannabis is a Wonder Drug for Cancer and Good Health

September 26, 2013 | By WakingTimes

Alex Pietrowski, Staff Writer
Waking Times
As the world’s most beloved herb, Cannabis, continues to be liberated from the persecution of the government and the pharmaceutical-industrial complex, research continues to validate the many health benefits of Cannabis. This time, The National Cancer Institute, a government-funded organization has released a report indicating that cannabis and cannabinoids are indeed powerful agents of good health and wonderful supplements in the fight against cancer.
The report begins with an important summary of the history of Cannabis:

“Cannabis use for medicinal purposes dates back at least 3,000 years.[1-5] It was introduced into Western medicine in the 1840s by W.B. O’Shaughnessy, a surgeon who learned of its medicinal properties while working in India for the British East Indies Company. Its use was promoted for reported analgesic, sedative, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and anticonvulsant effects.
In 1937, the U.S. Treasury Department introduced the Marihuana Tax Act. This Act imposed a levy of $1 per ounce for medicinal use of Cannabis and $100 per ounce for recreational use. Physicians in the United States were the principal opponents of the Act. The American Medical Association (AMA) opposed the Act because physicians were required to pay a special tax for prescribing Cannabis, use special order forms to procure it, and keep special records concerning its professional use. In addition, the AMA believed that objective evidence that Cannabis was harmful was lacking and that passage of the Act would impede further research into its medicinal worth.[6] In 1942, Cannabis was removed from the U.S. Pharmacopoeia because of persistent concerns about its potential to cause harm.[2,3]

In 1951, Congress passed the Boggs Act, which for the first time, included Cannabis with narcotic drugs. In 1970, with the passage of the Controlled Substances Act, marijuana was classified as a Schedule I drug. Drugs in this category are distinguished as having no accepted medicinal use. Other Schedule I substances include heroin, LSD, mescaline, methaqualone, and gamma-hydroxybutyrate.
Despite its designation as having no medicinal use, Cannabis was distributed to patients by the U.S. government on a case-by-case basis under the Compassionate Use Investigational New Drug program established in 1978. Distribution of Cannabis through this program was discontinued in 1992.[1-4] Although federal law prohibits the use of Cannabis, the table below lists the localities that permit its use for certain medical conditions.
The main psychoactive constituent of Cannabis was identified as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). In 1986, synthetic delta-9-THC in sesame oil was licensed and approved for the treatment of chemotherapy-associated nausea and vomiting under the generic name dronabinol. Clinical trials determined that dronabinol was as effective as or better than other antiemetic agents available at the time.[7] Dronabinol was also studied for its ability to stimulate weight gain in patients with AIDS in the late 1980s. Thus, the indications were expanded to include treatment of anorexia associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection in 1992. Clinical trial results showed no statistically significant weight gain, although patients reported an improvement in appetite.[8,9]
Within the past 20 years, the neurobiology of cannabinoids has been analyzed.[10-13] The first cannabinoid receptor, CB1, was identified in the brain in 1988. A second cannabinoid receptor, CB2, was identified in 1993. The highest concentration of CB2 receptors is located on B lymphocytes and natural killer cells, suggesting a possible role in immunity. Endogenous cannabinoids (endocannabinoids) have been identified and appear to have a role in pain modulation, control of movement, feeding behavior, and memory.[11]

The effective chemical agents in cannabis that is being isolated for research are then described in this report:

“Cannabinoids are a group of 21-carbon–containing terpenophenolic compounds produced uniquely by Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica species.[1,2] These plant-derived compounds may be referred to as phytocannabinoids. Although delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the primary psychoactive ingredient, other known compounds with biologic activity are cannabinol, cannabidiol (CBD), cannabichromene, cannabigerol, tetrahydrocannabivarin, and delta-8-THC. CBD, in particular, is thought to have significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity without the psychoactive effect (high) of delta-9-THC.”

The report then goes on to outline several key potential benefits of cannabis that should be noted in the race for a cure for cancer, and also in the debate to further legalize cannabis in the United States.

Cannabis protects against cancer:

“One study in mice and rats suggested that cannabinoids may have a protective effect against the development of certain types of tumors.” They continue; “Cannabinoids may cause antitumor effects by various mechanisms, including induction of cell death, inhibition of cell growth, and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis invasion and metastasis. One review summarizes the molecular mechanisms of action of cannabinoids as antitumor agents. Cannabinoids appear to kill tumor cells but do not affect their nontransformed counterparts and may even protect them from cell death.”

Cannabis targets and kills lung cancer and breast cancer cells:

“An in vitro study of the effect of CBD on programmed cell death in breast cancer cell lines found that CBD induced programmed cell death, independent of the CB1, CB2, or vanilloid receptors. CBD inhibited the survival of both estrogen receptor–positive and estrogen receptor–negative breast cancer cell lines, inducing apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner while having little effect on nontumorigenic, mammary cells.”

Cannabis has anti-inflammatory effects and may be beneficial for the treatment of colon cancer:

“In addition, both plant-derived and endogenous cannabinoids have been studied for anti-inflammatory effects. A mouse study demonstrated that endogenous cannabinoid system signaling is likely to provide intrinsic protection against colonic inflammation.[23] As a result, a hypothesis that phytocannabinoids and endocannabinoids may be useful in the risk reduction and treatment of colorectal cancer has been developed.[24-27]“

Cannabinoids may assist in the uptake of other cancer drugs, increasing their effectiveness:

“CBD may also enhance uptake of cytotoxic drugs into malignant cells. Activation of the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 2 (TRPV2) has been shown to inhibit proliferation of human glioblastoma multiforme cells and overcome resistance to the chemotherapy agent carmustine.[28] In an in vitro model, CBD increased TRPV2 activation and increased uptake of cytotoxic drugs, leading to apoptosis of glioma cells without affecting normal human astrocytes. This suggests that coadministration of CBD with cytotoxic agents may increase drug uptake and potentiate cell death in human glioma cells.”

Cannabis stimulates appetite:

“Many animal studies have previously demonstrated that delta-9-THC and other cannabinoids have a stimulatory effect on appetite and increase food intake. It is believed that the endogenous cannabinoid system may serve as a regulator of feeding behavior. The endogenous cannabinoid anandamide potently enhances appetite in mice.[29] Moreover, CB1 receptors in the hypothalamus may be involved in the motivational or reward aspects of eating.[30]“

Cannabis is an effective analgesic and pain medication:

“Cannabinoids may also contribute to pain modulation through an anti-inflammatory mechanism; a CB2 effect with cannabinoids acting on mast cell receptors to attenuate the release of inflammatory agents, such as histamine and serotonin, and on keratinocytes to enhance the release of analgesic opioids has been described.[34-36] One study reported that the efficacy of synthetic CB1- and CB2-receptor agonists were comparable with the efficacy of morphine in a murine model of tumor pain.[37]“

After presenting this important information the report then goes on to discuss the pharmacology of cannabis, a summary of clinical research on cannabis, and even the negative effects of it’s consumption, which do include a risk of cancer, although this is rather inconclusive.
As the report states, “cannabis has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years,” and only recently has it been targeted for prohibition. At a time when cancer is now the leading cause of death of children and cancer rates are climbing for everyone, those without safe access to medical cannabis absolutely deserve the right to add this to their medicine cabinet if they so choose.

About the Author

Alex Pietrowski is an artist and writer concerned with preserving good health and the basic freedom to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. He is a staff writer for WakingTimes.com and an avid student of Yoga and life.
Sources:
- http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cannabis/healthprofessional/page1
- http://thejointblog.com/national-cancer-institute-cannabis-antitumor-capabilities-also-appetite-stimulant-painkiller/

This article is offered under Creative Commons license. It’s okay to republish it anywhere as long as attribution bio is included and all links remain intact.

September 18, 2013

Choose Fermented Foods for Health and Flavor

Humans have used fermentation for centuries to preserve food. Today, we know that fermentation also makes some foods more nutritious.

By Sandor Katz
August/September 2013

Wine, cheese and cured sausages — all made possible by live cultures. No wonder we love fermentation so.

Photo By Fotolia/beta artworks

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Cultural Theory

DIY fermentation is a journey of experimentation and discovery. Every ferment yields unique results, influenced not only by ingredients, but also by environment, season, temperature, humidity and other factors affecting the behavior of the microorganisms — think of them as your micro-livestock — whose actions make these transformations.

Fermentation generally requires little preparation or work. Most of the time that elapses is spent waiting. Home fermentation is about as far as you can get from fast food. Many live-culture foods get better the longer you leave them. Use this time to observe and ponder the magical actions of invisible allies.

I get so excited every time my crocks start bubbling and the life forces make themselves known. Even after a decade of experience, sometimes the process doesn’t go as I’d planned: Wines sour, yeasts become exhausted, insects infest aging crocks. Sometimes it’s just too hot or too cold for the organisms whose flavors we’re after. We’re dealing with fickle life forces, in some cases over long periods of time, and though we are making an effort to create conditions favorable to desired outcomes, we do well to remember that we are not, by any measure, in complete control. And remember that the prized cultures of a San Francisco sourdough or the finest blue cheese have roots in wild fermentations in someone’s kitchen or farmhouse long ago.

“Our perfection lies in our imperfection” is one of my mantras in this life. If you’re willing to collaborate with tiny beings that have somewhat capricious habits yet possess vast transformative powers, read on.

Fermented Foods: Dairy Ferments

No cultured food is better known or acknowledged for its health benefits than yogurt. Perhaps you know some of the famous yogurt Lactobacillus organisms by name, such as acidophilus or bulgaricus. These lactobacilli, known to improve our intestinal ecology, are often marketed as probiotic supplements. It is mostly consumed sweet, though my favorite ways to enjoy yogurt are savory.

Cheesemaking involves many different variables. Milk can be transformed into a hard cheddar cheese, a runny Camembert, a moldy blue cheese or, for that matter, Velveeta. A particular cheese is the product of the particular milk of particular animals grazing in particular pastures, subjected to particular temperatures and particular microorganisms, and aged in a particular environment.

Tara is a Tibetan cousin of a ferment widely known as kefir, which originated in the Caucasus Mountains. Kefir and tara are distinguished from yogurt by the method of fermentation and the organisms that the fermentations involve. Kefir and tara are made with “grains” — colonies of yeast and bacteria that look like curds — that are strained out after fermentation, then reused.

Learn More: How to Make Your Own Yogurt, Kefir and Chèvre

Vegetable Ferments

Fermented vegetables complement any meal. Their tangy flavors accent the other food on your plate, cleanse the palate and improve digestion. I like to eat some fermented vegetable every day. A half-hour of chopping or shredding fills a crock that can ferment and then feed you for weeks. Keep crocks of different types of ferments going for variety. It’s very easy.

Cabbage and other Brassicaceae family vegetables (bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collards, cauliflower, kale, mustards, and many more) have long been recognized as foods rich in anti-carcinogenic nutrients. According to a Finnish study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, fermentation breaks down glucosinolates in cabbage into compounds called isothiocyanates, which are known to fight cancer. Other vegetables are often pickled in lactic ferments: Carrots, cucumbers, peppers and more can ferment in lactic acid brines.

Learn More: Food Preservation Techniques: Learn How to Pickle and Got Cabbage? Make Sauerkraut!

Fermented Foods: Bread

In Western culture, bread is synonymous with sustenance. This is reflected in our slang, where money can be called “dough” or “bread,” as well as in our prayers: “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Yeast is used in bread making to make dough rise. Yeast is a fungus. The predominant type used in bread making is classified as Saccharomyces cerevisia: saccharo means sugar, myces means fungus, and cerevisia might seem more familiar if you think about the Spanish word for beer, cerveza. The same yeast that makes beer makes bread. Both of these processes developed simultaneously with grain agriculture in the Fertile Crescent region of the Middle East. Beers can start breads, and breads can start beers. In both, the yeast does the primary thing yeast knows how to do: It consumes carbohydrates and transforms them into alcohol and carbon dioxide. In bread, the carbon dioxide is the more important product.

Prior to the widespread availability of commercial yeast, people used any one of a number of methods to propagate their yeasts. Propagation can be as simple as using the same vessel repeatedly without washing it between uses. Most often, bread makers reserve a bit of yeasty batter or dough as a “starter.” A starter can be maintained for a lifetime and passed on for generations.

Learn More: Sourdough Recipes: Create Delicious Sourdough Breads, Muffins and Hotcakes

Wines and Beers

Live-culture alcoholic beverages are nearly universal, though there is some confusion about this. Into the 20th century, many ethnographers propagated the idea that fermented beverages were not found among “uncivilized” peoples. This is simply not true.

Though practices varied among different tribes in different regions, many native peoples of the Americas most definitely enjoyed fermented beverages. The alcohol that they did not experience prior to the Europeans’ arrival was distilled liquor, which is many times more potent and dangerous than fermented alcohol.

The context for making and consuming traditional fermented alcoholic drinks in many cultures was, as a general rule, communal and ritualistic. Some cultures created noisy rituals to generate excited — even angry — energy they believed helped yeast work more effectively. Other cultures — having the notion that the ferment needed peace and quiet and could be startled or scared by sounds and movement — approached fermentation processes with quiet reverence. Either way, the context was ritualistic and sacred. (Read more about this in Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers by Stephen Harrod Buhner.)

Foods with sugars — fruits and fruit juices — will ferment naturally into wine in the presence of wild yeasts.

Grains, however, do not spontaneously ferment to alcohol the way honey and water or fruit juices do. Making beer is more complex than making wine. For grains to produce any significant amount of alcohol during fermentation, their starches (complex carbohydrates) must first be converted to sugars (simple carbohydrates).

The standard way to accomplish this is called “malting,” which means germinating, or sprouting, the grain. Another way is through the action of molds. Amasake, the Japanese sweet rice ferment, is made from rice incubated with the mold Aspergillus oryzae. Sake, Japanese rice wine, is made by fermenting amasake with yeast.

Grains can also be fermented into liquid forms — not only alcoholic brews such as beer, but a huge variety of acidic beverages. Where I live in Tennessee, the earlier Cherokee inhabitants of the land drank a sour corn drink called gv-no-he-nv (the “v” is pronounced like the “u” in “but”). In its first week or so of fermentation, this thick, milky drink has the sweet flavor of corn accented by mild hints of sourness. After it ages a couple of weeks, gv-no-he-nv develops a strong, almost cheesy flavor.

Learn More: How to Make Beer, Cider, Wine, Cordial, Soft Drinks and Other Beverages

Fermented Foods: Vinegars

Alcohol ferments, if left in contact with the air, inevitably become home to bacteria of the genus Acetobacter and aerobic yeasts, called Mycoderma aceti, that consume alcohol and transform it into acetic acid. Vinegar is an excellent consolation for your winemaking failures. It is a preservative in its own right, and healthful, with many delicious applications in cooking.

Different types of vinegar are generally distinguished by the source of the alcohol from which the vinegar is made. Wine vinegar is made from wine; apple cider vinegar from apple cider; rice vinegar from rice wine; and malt vinegar from malted grain beverages, such as beer. The cheapest and most common vinegar — distilled white vinegar — is made from grain, though it lacks the flavor and color characteristics of malt vinegar, and indeed its chief “virtues” are colorlessness and flavorlessness.

Learn More: How to Make Homemade Vinegar

Cultural Reincarnation

Fermentation is a lot bigger than its food-transforming aspect. Fermentation also describes the process by which microorganisms digest dead animal and plant tissue into elements that can nourish plants. As the early microbiologist Jacob Lipman eloquently stated in his 1908 book Bacteria in Relation to Country Life, microorganisms “are the connecting link between the world of the living and the world of the dead. They are the great scavengers intrusted [sic] with restoring to circulation the carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, sulphur and other elements held fast in the dead bodies of plants and animals. Without them, dead bodies would accumulate and the kingdom of the living would be replaced by the kingdom of the dead.”

Mainstream science finally admitting that gut bacteria play a role in preventing obesity

Tuesday, September 17, 2013 by: Rebecca Winters

Tags: gut bacteria, obesity prevention, mainstream science

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/042089_gut_bacteria_obesity_prevention_mainstream_science.html#ixzz2fFxbLSfe

(NaturalNews) With figures showing one in three Americans are officially considered obese, new gut health research may reveal how obesity takes hold and pave the way to natural cures.

This month's edition of the journal Science published the first study to confirm that a healthy microbial balance in the gut actually effects whether or not a person maintains a healthy weight and metabolism, not the other way around. Having the proper gastrointestinal equilibrium has been shown to play a role in whether or not someone becomes obese or falls prey to related diseases, such as heart disease or type 2 diabetes.

Study participants included four female pairs of identical twins comprised of one clinically obese twin and one lean twin each. Using a representative stool sample from each pair, researchers were able to transplant cultures of the twins' gut bacteria into the 'blank slate' intestines of test mice. Over time, each mouse began to physically resemble its human counterpart.

Even though all the mice were put on the same low-fat diet, researchers found that those with gut microbiomes transplanted from obese women began to get fat anyway, while the mice with gut flora transplanted from the lean women were able to stay lean. The lean mice were also better equipped to break down sugars more quickly without packing on pounds. When obese mice were later introduced to the flora of lean mice, they were also able to lose weight.

The study is groundbreaking in that previous research appears to have mostly focused on the idea that being obese negatively impacted gut health rather than realizing that improper gut health could actually drive obesity. As NaturalNews has previously reported, while diet can affect gut flora composition, it has been hypothesized that the gut flora itself can determine what a person decides to eat in the first place. Studies have shown that these bacteria can actually send chemical 'messages' to the brain that cause cravings for both healthy and not-so-healthy foods. Certain microbial imbalances could contribute to eating more sugar, for example. In turn, a high-fat diet has been found to increase negative gut bacteria growth as well.

Scientists have also discovered that dysfunctional gut flora in infants can predict whether or not a child will become obese later in life. A 2008 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that certain bad bacteria colonizing the gut early in life could trigger systematic inflammation that later influences many chronic inflammatory conditions, including obesity. Other studies have shown that these tiny bacteria play a pivotal role in converting a person's nutrients into energy.

The importance of digestive health and proper levels of gut-friendly bacteria cannot be overstated. A person's gastrointestinal tract is a prominent part of nutrient absorption and healthy immune system function. The LA Times reports, "Researchers increasingly suspect that preservatives and antibiotics in food and medicine, along with the widespread adoption of antibacterial cleaners, have reshaped the population of the average gut in ways that may have set off changes in the metabolism, immune system and hormone balance of large groups of people, resulting in weight gain."

Disease-fighting probiotics, those that foster the growth of good gut bacteria, are just as key to maintaining a healthy body weight as proper diet and regular exercise. Not only do probiotics enhance colon function and boost immunity, but they have also been found to relieve all manner of gut inflammations, including irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease and ulcers.

When searching for a good probiotic, be sure to choose one that has a high count of live cultures and strain diversity. Choosing an enteric coated formula will ensure the probiotics pass through the stomach's digestive juices to be properly delivered to the intestines.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.latimes.com

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://ajcn.nutrition.org

http://www.hindawi.com

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.sciencedaily.com

http://link.springer.com

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/042089_gut_bacteria_obesity_prevention_mainstream_science.html#ixzz2fFxWRUc1

Ultimate brain food - Increase memory, reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and protect against multiple sclerosis with ginger

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/042091_ginger_mental_health_brain_food.html#ixzz2fFxHs66q

(NaturalNews) Ginger root is a well-recognized health marvel, mending everything from inflammation to cancer to diabetes. But did you know that it can also improve brain function? In our demanding world, acute cognitive ability is essential. Fortunately, ginger is an outstanding ally in the quest for enhanced memory and clarity. Moreover, it plays a substantial role in guarding against brain oxidative stress and neurological disease.

Wonder remedy

As a functional food, ginger is hard to beat. Used throughout the world as a delicious culinary ingredient, it also has a long track record of healing benefits. Ginger has been shown to:

- Reduce pain

- Prevent diabetes

- Defeat cancer

- Heal bacterial and fungal infections

- Tame inflammation

- Soothe nausea

- Lessen the effect of toxic chemicals

- Treat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

- Protect against radiation

- Improve cardiovascular health

- Defend against the risk of stroke

- Curb migraine headaches

And there's more. Current research has shown ginger can help make you smarter and protect against neurological afflictions too.

Brain boosting properties

Research published in Evidence Based Complementary Medicine found that the consumption of ginger by middle-aged women improved cognitive ability. Sixty healthy participants were randomly given either a placebo or standardized ginger extract (400 and 800 mg once per day) for two months. The volunteers were then evaluated at the one and two month mark for memory and cognitive function. Those who received the extract demonstrated a considerable increase in memory, while brain oxidative stress was reduced.

Another study discovered ginger root helped minimize monosodium glutamate (MSG) neurotoxicity. After male albino rats were given a daily dose (4 mg/per kilogram) of pure MSG for thirty days, a significant decrease in the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine along with the brain neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin was observed. However, when an injection of ginger root extract (100 mg/per kilogram) was given for the same length of time, the hormones and neurotransmitters significantly increased. Researchers then found that when both were administered simultaneously, the extract mitigated the damaging effects of MSG - leading the team to conclude that ginger acts as a potent protective agent.

As an excitotoxin, MSG is linked with Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, autism and attention deficit disorder.

Whether contending with age-related cognitive decline or toxic food additives, ginger is an exceptional protective root. Including it in your daily diet is a powerful health affirming habit. Use it as a flavorful spice in cooking, freshly brewed as a tea or in extract form to help preserve brain and nerve health now and in the future.

Sources:

http://science.naturalnews.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

http://gaia-health.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

http://www.botanicchoice.com

http://www.whfoods.com

http://www.cbn.com

About the author:
Carolanne enthusiastically believes if we want to see change in the world, we need to be the change. As a nutritionist, natural foods chef and wellness coach, Carolanne has encouraged others to embrace a healthy lifestyle of organic living, gratefulness and joyful orientation for over 13 years. Through her website www.Thrive-Living.net she looks forward to connecting with other like-minded people who share a similar vision.

Find at Diaspora: thriveliving@joindiaspora.com

Follow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Thrive_Living

At Facebook, connect here: www.facebook.com/pages/Thrive-Living/4995788...

For Pinterest fans: www.pinterest.com/thriveliving/natural-news/

Read her other articles on Natural News here:

http://www.naturalnews.com/Author1183.html

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/042091_ginger_mental_health_brain_food.html#ixzz2fFxBLCIt

Homemade Probiotic Dijon Mustard Recipe

Posted Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 01:08pm EDT

Keywords: Dijon Mustard, fermentation, food, health, probiotics, recipes

With grocery prices increasing a bottle of Dijon mustard is typically $3.99-$10.00 but you can make 3 times the amount for less than $5. Not too mention the dangerous hidden additives that are usually included in store bought condiments. Plus, you can make the mustard fermented, which includes health benefits that cannot be found in commercial brands. Making your own homemade mustard is very easy and cost effective and is a great start to making your own healthy homemade products.

Ingredients:

-1/4 cup of brown mustard seeds
-1/4 cup of yellow mustard seeds
-2 cloves of garlic
-1/3 cup of filtered water
-2 tablespoons of organic apple cider vinegar
-1 teaspoon of salt
-2 tablespoons of whey
-Juice of a small lemon

First I let the seeds soak overnight and then drained them. Soaking seeds, nuts and grains before cooking allows for the production of numerous beneficial enzymes that contain many vitamins. The soaking process also breaks down difficult to digest proteins into simpler components, which are easier for the body to absorb.

Add all the ingredients into the food processor or blender and blend. Pour the mixture into a bottle. If you do not wish to ferment your mustard you can put it in the fridge now. But if you want to add some health benefits to improve digestion and boost the immune system then cover the jar with paper towel or cheesecloth and a rubber band.

Let it sit on your counter for 3 days. You will begin to see bubbles in the mixture and will see a yellowish liquid at the bottom of the mixture within 24 hours. Hooray! That is a sign of healthy fermenting. Your mustard is making beneficial probiotics to boost the immune system and balance the body! After the 3rd day you can remove the paper towel/cheesecloth and mix up the mustard, place in the fridge and -Viola! You have homemade Dijon mustard without any additives and with a healthy probiotic kick! So simple!

September 16, 2013

Healthy gut bacteria prevent obesity: Study

Monday, September 16, 2013 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: healthy gut bacteria, obesity prevention, weight loss

(NaturalNews) The key to shedding those excess pounds and achieving that lean figure you have always dreamed about could be as simple as eating more bacteria. A new study out of Washington University in St. Louis has found that maintaining healthy and balanced gut bacteria -- that is, the beneficial microbes that naturally populate your intestinal tract -- may help prevent weight gain and actually fight obesity, which now plagues more than one-third of all Americans.

Dr. Jeffrey Gordon and his colleagues made this important discovery after observing the effects of intestinal germs implanted into several groups of pathogen-free mice. WU graduate student Vanessa Ridaura, who worked alongside Dr. Gordon for the study, took gut bacteria from four pairs of twins, each of which included both an obese and a lean sibling. One pair of the twins was also identical, which was meant to rule out any possibility that weight differences might somehow be inherited.

The team transplanted gut bacteria from these eight individuals into the intestines of young mice, which were specifically bred to lack their own natural bacteria, and watched for variations in how these mice developed over time. In the end, it was noted that the mice who received gut bacteria from the obese individuals tended to not only gain more weight than the other mice but also undergo some serious metabolic changes that left them significantly more unhealthy.

What helped further prove that the bacterial source made all the difference was the fact that all the mice ate the same amount of food, and yet only those implanted with the obese bacteria experienced weight gain and health deterioration. The reason, say experts, is that obese people tend to harbor a less diverse array of beneficial bacteria in their guts, while leaner people possess the bacterial variations and balance necessary to maintain a proper and healthy weight.

Exposing obese individuals to new bacterial compositions could help them slim down

But the findings do not stop here. After performing this first set of experiments, the team decided to put mice from both the lean and obese groups into cages with one another to observe how cross-exposure to different bacterial profiles might affect the mice's health and weight. For those who are unaware, mice tend to eat feces, which contain intestinal bugs and other markers of gut composition.

Not surprisingly, this grouping of the mice and the resultant exposure to varying bacterial profiles led to a phenomenon called bacterial swapping, in which bacteria from each of the mice comingled with one another to create new bacterial profiles. But what came as a surprise was the fact that bacteria from the lean mice invaded the intestines of the obese mice, triggering positive changes in both weight and metabolism.

"It was almost as if there were potential job vacancies," explained Dr. Gordon about the apparently deficient bacterial profiles of the obese mice. At the same time, the positive changes observed in the obese mice were not reciprocal in the lean mice, meaning the introduction of bacteria from the obese mice did not result in any negative changes in the lean mice.

According to Michael Fischbach from the University of California, San Francisco, who was not involved in the study but spoke to The New York Times about it, these findings provide "the clearest evidence to date that gut bacteria can help cause obesity." Adding to this sentiment, Dr. Jeffrey S. Flier from Harvard Medical School told reporters that the findings, which were recently published in the journal Science, are "pretty striking."

Sources for this article include:

http://www.washingtonpost.com

http://www.nytimes.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/042075_healthy_gut_bacteria_obesity_prevention_weight_loss.html#ixzz2f45QBFAw

September 11, 2013

Heal food allergy inflammation by taking high doses of probiotics: Research proven

(NaturalNews) If you currently suffer from persistent food allergies, this common inflammatory intolerance does not necessarily have to be a permanent scourge on your everyday health. New research published in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research confirms that food allergies can actually be ameliorated entirely with the right nutritional protocol, mainly a dietary regimen that involves supplementing with high doses of beneficial, probiotic bacteria.

Researchers from the Istituto Superiore di Sanita in Rome, Italy, found this out after testing the effects of the VSL#3 brand of probiotics on mice with induced peanut allergies. When given high doses of VSL#3, which contains eight different strains of live and synergistic lactic acid bacteria, the peanut-sensitized mice no longer suffered anaphylaxis or Th2-mediated inflammation when exposed to peanut products.

Additionally, the probiotic blend was observed to help improve regulation of the mice's intestinal villi, which absorb nutrients, as well as their mesenteric lymph nodes, which aid the body in fighting off illness. Mesenteric lymph nodes, it turns out, can become inflamed when exposed to allergenic substances, resulting in a condition known as mesenteric lymphadenitis. But probiotics appear to help quell this inflammation.

"TGF-beta, induced in the gut by VSL#3 supplementation, is capable of reducing the Th2 inflammation associated with food anaphylaxis in a mouse model of peanut sensitization," wrote the authors in their conclusion. "Probiotics supplementation may represent an effective and safe strategy for treating food allergies in adult population."

Previous research found that probiotics can help cure a host of allergy-related inflammatory bowel diseases

Researchers from the Hospital Clinic i Provincial de Barcelona in Spain called for more of this kind of research back in 2009 when they published a study in the Swiss journal Digestive Diseases that discussed how probiotics might help alleviate the symptoms of, and perhaps even cure, inflammatory bowel disease in human patients.

Not to be confused with irritable bowel syndrome, which is often referred to by the acronym "IBS," inflammatory bowel disease, which categorically includes conditions like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is often the direct consequence of repeated exposure to allergenic substances. And the most commonly recommended treatments include taking pharmaceutical drugs and avoiding offending foods and other substances.

But researchers who are more privy to the bacterial physiology behind inflammatory bowel disease and the food allergies that often trigger it have long been curious as to how probiotics might help address the underlying cause and potentially even cure it. And the researchers involved in the Spanish study are no exception, having pointed out at the time that a growing body of research supports the notion that underlying bacterial imbalances are the true cause of inflammatory bowel disease.

According to this particular study, abnormalities in the way the innate immune system recognizes and responds to certain bacterial and microbiotic antigens is often directly responsible for causing the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. But adjusting the composition of intestinal microbiota with high-dose probiotics has the potential to help correct this serious category of disease by effectively healing the gut.

"Numerous micro-organisms have been evaluated to induce or maintain remission, or both, in ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and Pouchitis," wrote the authors. "Overall, probiotics have successfully demonstrated some efficacy in some inflammatory bowel disease scenarios."

More recently, a study out of the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh found that babies whose mothers supplemented with probiotics during pregnancy have a far lower risk than other babies of ever developing food allergies in the first place. This study, like the others, serves as yet more evidence that healthy gut microbiota are crucial in both preventing and mitigating food allergies and inflammatory bowel diseases.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.vitasearch.com

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

http://science.naturalnews.com

http://www.vsl3.com

http://www.reuters.com

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/042004_probiotics_food_allergies_inflammation.html#ixzz2ebDqv6Lb

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