Contested Consumption

In the United States, the 3 top causes of death among men are heart disease, cancer and stroke. Along with those, men also face frequent sexual problems involving low libidos and the prostate. Other issues for men’s health are lack of energy and digestive problems (more of a problem for those over 40).

At the base of these health issues are a mix of problems such as poor diet, toxins in the environment, smoking, drinking and other pollutants. By adopting a more healthy lifestyle, men can improve their chances when it comes to these life-threatening diseases.

Heart Disease
High cholesterol is often blamed for heart disease in men, but that isn’t the case. According to Dr. Ben Ansell, director of the UCLA Center for Primary Care-Based Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, “There are many patients that develop coronary heart disease despite having normal cholesterol levels and no other risk factors.”

Another possible cause for heart disease that is getting attention from many health experts is acute acidosis, where the acidic state of your body can damage your heart and arteries, creating holes in the artery walls. These holes are repaired by the body with cholesterol, which is why cholesterol is so often found in conjunction with heart disease damage. But it is not the cause.

Unless the acid state of the body is fixed, these cholesterol-based repairs will continue until the arteries are too clogged to function properly. When blood flow to the heart is reduced, you are at risk of heart failure, angina or full-blown heart attack.

You can check your own pH levels with simple test strips purchased at the drug store. Your urine is tested first thing in the morning, and you should have a pH level between 6.4 and 7.0. Lower than 6.4 indicated acidity.

Stroke
A stroke can be caused by similar blockages as heart disease, but they occur when blood to the brain is reduced. If arteries to the brain become blocked, portions of brain tissue can die.

Cancer
Cancer is another disease that is linked to a high level of acidity in the body. Cancer cells are more likely to grow out of control in an oxygen-reduced environment. That is exactly what is caused when your body is too acidic. With a balanced pH, you can improve your cellular oxygen levels by 10 to 20 times.

Low Libido
The causes for a low sexual drive can include mental stresses such as anger, fear, anxiety and depression. There are also physical causes like anemia, arthritis, alcohol abuse, cardiovascular disorder and diabetes. A healthy diet and moderate level of physical fitness can help keep your libido strong.

Prostate
There are 3 types of prostate diseases: prostatitis, BPH or benign prostatic hyperplasia, and prostate cancer. The first one is a bacterial infection, and BPH is an enlarged prostate. Prostate health can be improved with nutrients lycopene and apigenin. Tomatoes are a good source of lycopene, and you can get apigenin in onions, celery, cherries, apples and broccoli.

While Congress and the rest of the nation turn the battle over healthcare reform into a pro-wrestling-style steel cage death match with enough rhetoric to choke an English professor, at least one expert is looking beyond the bills on the table for a different solution.

According to a lengthy report by legal expert Terence Mix, author of The American Healthcare Dilemma (www.terencemix.com), reorganizing the FDA and its activities could save Americans a trillion dollars over the next decade, essentially paying for healthcare reform through a combination of saving consumers money, saving insurance companies money and saving the government money.

“Congress can deliver a pain-free healthcare plan – and the solution is right in its own back yard,” Mix said. “In Rockville, Maryland, actually, at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) of the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the division responsible for the approval and monitoring of prescription and nonprescription drugs. And it won’t require raising taxes on the wealthy, penalizing individuals and employers who don’t purchase health insurance or reducing Medicare payments to medical providers. It will only require fixing the archaic and inefficient methods and practices of the CDER branch of the FDA.”

Mix believes that cleaning up FDA miscues can save consumers serious money in unnecessary healthcare costs, as well as free up some much-needed federal dollars. His chief complaints include:

• More than 50 percent of all drugs have serious adverse reactions that are discovered only after the drugs have entered the market (e.g., they are not detected during premarket testing) – making us all unwitting guinea pigs.

• About 2,270,000 patients per year incur hospital costs as a result of adverse drug reactions.

• Another 4,300,000 visit other healthcare providers (physicians, hospital outpatient departments and emergency rooms) as a result of adverse drug reactions.

• Approximately 230,000 die each year as a result of an adverse drug reaction (105,000 using drugs as directed and 125,000 as a result of mistakes) – the third leading cause of death in the United States.

• The total annual healthcare cost as a consequence of adverse drug reactions exceeds a staggering $200 billion – an amount equal to what is spent on Medicaid every year and almost half of what is spent on Medicare.

“These costs can be cut in half by fixing everything that is wrong with the FDA and the system of testing drugs,” he added. “This would amount to healthcare savings of at least $100 billion per year – one trillion dollars over ten years – not to mention saving one million lives over the same period of time. If the need for medical services decreases, insurance company payouts also decrease, with a corresponding fall in premium costs. Consumers also aren’t paying as much for their out-of-pocket costs as a result. Finally, the government is spending far less and accomplishing far more, reducing its burden and freeing up tax dollars to pay for those healthcare customers who are truly needy.”

Showers can often be seen as a mandatory daily exercise to get you a fresh burst of water for the day ahead, whether it is working, going to school enjoying a leisurely day at the shops. Whilst a shower can be quite invigorating there are a number of benefits in addition to getting clean.

Improving Circulation
A sluggish circulation system can result in cold hands and feet during the winter months which can be quite uncomfortable. This problem can be alleviated to some extent in alternating the temperature of your shower between hot and cold and despite the extremities it is beneficial. To get started you need to turn your shower to cold so shut your eyes and brace yourself, splashing your face with water in order to get used to it. The temperature can be increased while you wash but when you are finished turn the temperature down again to finish off. Not only will this routine improve your circulation but it will also make your hair shiny, a fantastic 2 in 1.

Easing Aching Muscles
Whilst relaxing in a bath can sometimes be extremely tempting after spending time in the gym or after a long day at the office a shower can work just as well in revitalising you, providing you have the right shower. A power shower or a shower attached to a high pressure central heating system is perfect with the strong jet of water hitting your aching parts. The hot water is a perfect source of relaxation leaving you ready for another workout at the gym or another day in the office.

Continued use of this ritual can ensure that your aches and pains are easily and effortlessly washed away.

Helping to Lift Depression
When showers are used in conjunction with aromatherapy oils, showers can help lift your mood, or even ease depression. You can add a few drops of bergamot or orange essential oils to the shower tray, and let the steam lift it up to your face. Inhale deeply as you shower to reap the maximum benefits. There are a variety of scents available from those that wake you up in the morning to those that send you to sleep and even those that get you in the mood.

Increasing your Libido
Contrary to popular belief, a cold shower can actually boost a man’s production of testosterone, making him more likely to want sex, not less. If you feel your love life needs a bit more sparkle, get your man into a cold shower every morning – even if you have to push him!

Strengthening your Immune System
Cold showers can actually stimulate your immune defences and protect you against colds and flu, surprisingly enough. The coldness helps release toxins from your body tissue, stimulates your circulation and cleanses the circulatory system, sending oxygen to your organs and blood.

Since the popularity of the soybean rose in the 1930s and 40s it has become known as “The Miracle Bean,” because it has a wide variety of uses and could be grown cheaply and abundantly. Its high protein content made it a super charger for animal feed and the fact that it was practically tasteless and colorless made it ideal for processed food.

And of course, it’s good for you, right?
Not so, according to Dianne Gregg, author of The Hidden Dangers of Soy from Outskirts Press (www.hiddensoy.com). Her research has shown that too much soy in your diet can cause symptoms such as nausea, bloating, gastric disorders, unusual weight gain, thyroid disease, palpitations, shortness of breath and lack of energy.

“The image of soy is that it’s this protein-packed guardian of health, but there is more and more evidence to show it’s anything but that,” she said. “Soy can cause thyroid damage, infertility, low testosterone in men, hair loss, digestive problems, early puberty in girls, and the development of breasts in boys. There are claims that soy lowers cholesterol, but in 2005 the American Heart Association retracted their endorsement because their studies showed that there was only a three percent decline in cholesterol levels and it wasn’t significant enough to make that claim. In fact, it’s been documented that prisoners in Illinois are getting sick because meat products have been replaced with soy-based products.”

Soy beans are used in a wide array of food products, oils, soap, cosmetics, resins, plastics, inks, crayons, solvents, and clothing. Soybean oil is the primary source of biodiesel in the United States, accounting for 80 percent of domestic biodiesel production. Soybeans have also been used since 2001 as fermenting stock in the manufacture of a brand of vodka. It’s a great commercial crop for American farmers, and is now grown on more acres than even corn.

“In today’s market it’s challenging to escape the reach of soy, because more than 60 percent of the food commercially available contains some form of soy,” she said. “Even the fast food industry is getting into the game by claiming zero trans fats on many of their menu items, when in fact they are using soybean oil for frying and adding soy flour as filler to hamburger meat to increase their profits.”

Gregg said there are three key tips for reducing your soy intake:

• Stop feeding infants soy formula that has been shown to disrupt reproduction development and increase allergy risks.
• More than 60% of the foods on the grocery store shelves contain some form of soy. It’s important to know what to look for when it’s not listed on the label. Most sauces, broths, canned soups and salad dressings contain soy, although it is not always listed as an ingredient on the label because the product is used in processing the foods, as opposed to as a direct ingredient.
• Stop drinking soy milk and eating soy products, except for unfermented soy which consists of miso, natto, and tempeh. Eat more grains, vegetables, fruits and wild fish as an alternative source for protein.

“The FDA is the culprit for the proliferation of soy, because it has allowed big agri-businesses who have been funding political campaigns for years to cut corners in their food production by using cheap fillers like soy, pesticides, herbicides and now, genetically modified foods,” Gregg said. “Many of these are the same agents the Environmental Protection Agency claims cause cancer. In fact, the EPA considers 60 percent of all herbicides, 90 percent of all fungicides and 30 percent of all insecticides carcinogenic. So why is the FDA allowing farmers to use them in our food? It’s time to safeguard our homes from these foods, and at the same time, demand the government stop giving big corporate farmers a free ride at the expense of our health.”