“Just Noticing”: Observations Of A Blogger
Posted by Michelle Moquin on November 6th, 2011
Good morning!
“Just noticing…”
…It has been awhile since I posted anything on health. How are you all feeling out there? This is for you parents with children who are susceptible to ear infections. I know as a child I was, so this may be very helpful and illuminating:
Kids Given This Have 22 Times the Rate of Ear Infections
By Dr. Mercola
In the first video above, Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) summarizes one of the most important scientific reviews on vaccines that was just published in August.
Barbara has been a pioneer for the last 30 years in vaccine safety and informed consent, and this discussion is of grave importance to everyone, including pediatricians and doctors.
What You Must Know about the Latest Vaccine Safety Review by IOM
The report was released by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), which is part of the National Academy of Sciences.
They’ve been around for over 100 years. The institute analyzes health policies and issues advice to the US government.
They’re funded not just by the government but also by pharmaceutical companies and independent philanthropic organizations and individuals.
They are considered a very prestigious scientific body in the world.
In the last three decades, the IOM has reviewed vaccine safety several times.
Their first reports came out in 1991 and 1994.
However, the latest report on this issue, released in August 2011 is very significant, and many still do not understand its true importance.
Over a period of three years, they reviewed over 1,000 studies on vaccines. Interestingly, they excluded studies funded by the pharmaceutical industry, although some of the studies were funded by government agencies independently.
The review focused on eight vaccines:
| Hepatitis A-hepatitis B | Measles, mumps and rubella vaccine | Meningococcal vaccine | Pneumococcal vaccine |
| Diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis, also known as DTaP or Tdap | Varicella zoster (chickenpox) | HPV vaccine | Influenza vaccine |
Perhaps the most important thing IOM did in this review is that they looked at two categories of science:
- Epidemiological research (large studies comparing different groups of people against each other)
- Bench science (research into the biological mechanisms at work within cells and molecules)
“This is very important because a lot of the studies that the CDC relies on as evidence that vaccines don’t cause any problems are epidemiological studies. This report is important because they looked at both kinds of science,” Barbara explains. “The most shocking conclusion of this report is that for more than a hundred bad health outcomes that have been reported after these eight vaccines have been given to people, they could not come to a conclusion as to whether or not those vaccines did or did not cause those adverse events!”
Some of those serious health problems included:
| Multiple sclerosis | Lupus | Encephalitis (brain inflammation) |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | Autism | Encephalopathy, involving permanent brain damage |
Why Couldn’t IOM Conclude Whether Vaccines are Causative Factors?
Why is it that the IOM was unable to determine whether there was a direct causative link between vaccines and the many serious health outcomes indicated in these studies? Barbara suggests four potential explanations:
- The studies were not available in the published literature
- There were too few studies showing the same link
- The available studies were methodologically unsound
- The available studies were conflicting (i.e. there was evidence both for and against)
Says Barbara:
“What I call this category is the ‘We Don’t Know’ category. When you think about it, these vaccines are mandated for children, and yet in most instances the scientific evidence [of safety] is so poor, they don’t know! When the report came out there were a lot of organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics that came forth and said, “They didn’t find causation… So vaccines are safe.” That’s NOT what that report said at all. I think people need to understand the significance of it… [T]he category of ‘We Don’t Know’ is a very important category…”
Individual Susceptibility was Discussed as a Co-Factor
The IOM report also discussed individual susceptibility; the fact that some people are more susceptible for biological reasons, including genetic reasons, to having an adverse event after a vaccination. According to the report, both epidemiologic and mechanistic research suggests that most individuals who experience an adverse reaction to vaccines have a preexisting susceptibility. However, the report also states that in most cases they don’t know what those individual susceptibilities are.
“They have taken a look and listed some that they believe are important,” Barbara says
Potential predispositions suggested in the report include:
- Genetic variation
- Age
- Coinciding illness
- Environmental factors
“Every physician who gives a vaccine should read this 600-page report,” Barbara says. “That it is their responsibility because this is the latest report on the science of vaccination; of what’s in the published literature.
They really need to take it seriously because if a patient that they vaccinate, whether it’s an adult or a child, has a deterioration in health after a vaccination… [the doctor] needs to not blow that off and say that’s just a coincidence. They need to take it seriously and make a report to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), not to the manufacturer (who we know doesn’t give the CDC and FDA the proper information for them to follow up). You need to report to the government.
And you need to not give that person another vaccination, unless you know for sure that that health problem was not caused by the vaccine. And guess what? Science says in all these categories they don’t know. So the precautionary principle of “first do no harm,” that has got to be responsibility of every physician giving a vaccine.”
Many Parents Now Buck the System
About 13 percent of parents are now using an “alternative” vaccination schedule for their young children, according to a recent survey. And two percent of parents are refusing vaccines altogether for their children.
According to Reuters:
“The Internet survey included 748 parents of kids between the ages of six months and six years. Of those, 13 percent said they used some type of vaccination schedule that differed from the CDC recommendations. That included refusing some vaccines or delaying vaccines until kids were older — mostly because parents thought that ‘seemed safer.’”
Among the parents who do follow the recommended childhood vaccination schedule, 28 percent still stated they think it would indeed be safer to delay the use of vaccines, and that the current vaccination schedule is far from ideal.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) vaccination schedule for children aged six and younger includes vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, whooping cough, chicken pox, hepatitis, seasonal flu, and others. All in all, U.S. children are expected to get 48 doses of 14 vaccines by the time they’re six years old. By age 18, federal public health officials say they should have gotten a total of 69 doses of 16 vaccines.
Is this safe and beneficial in the short- and/or long-term? No one really knows, primarily because large studies comparing the health outcomes of vaccinated versus unvaccinated children have not been a priority for vaccine researchers. Most vaccine studies are about developing more vaccines for children and adults to use.
Some claim studies comparing the health of highly vaccinated and unvaccinated children cannot be done because it would be “unethical” to leave children participating in the study unvaccinated in order to do the comparison.
But since there are numbers of American parents, who are already delaying or avoiding vaccinating their children altogether, this hardly seems like a reasonable excuse. It seems more likely that comparing the health of vaccinated and unvaccinated children in appropriately designed studies are avoided because the results might upset the proverbial apple cart.
Vaccinated vs. Unvaccinated: Survey Reveals Who’s Healthier
However, that doesn’t mean there is a total absence of evidence about the health of vaccinated versus unvaccinated children to give us an indication of whether or not the use of many more vaccines by children is contributing to their being chronically ill. In December 2010, a survey was initiated by VaccineInjury.info to compare the health of vaccinated children with unvaccinated children. To date over 7,850 surveys have been submitted, and the study is ongoing, so if you have an unvaccinated child (or are unvaccinated yourself) and would like to submit your child’s health data, you can do so here.
Though this is obviously not a double-blind controlled study, and depends on the individuals submitting the data to give accurate information, it is still revealing. So far, the results show:
| Health Condition | Prevalence in Vaccinated Children | Prevalence in Unvaccinated Children |
| Allergies | 40% report at least one allergy | Less than 10% |
| Asthma | 6% | 2.5% |
| Hayfever | 10.7% of German children | 2.5% |
| Neurodermatitis (an autoimmune disorder) | 13% of German children | 7% |
| ADHD | 8% of German children, and another nearly 6% with borderline cases | 1-2% |
| Middle ear infections | 11% of German children | Less than 0.5% |
| Sinusitis | Over 32% of German children | Less than 1% |
| Autism | Approximately 1 in 100 | Only 4 cases out of 7,800+ surveys (one child tested very high for metals, and another’s mother tested very high for mercury) |
Are the Risks All in Your Head?
CNN sounds like an advertisement for Big Pharma in this featured article, using a combination of scare-tactics and guilt-tripping trigger points, such as “parents have no knowledge of the diseases their children are being inoculated against,” and “not only do unvaccinated children run the risk of becoming ill or worse, but they also endanger others who don’t have the option to vaccinate.”
Personally, I don’t believe either of those statements reflect what’s really happening. I believe the parents, who are taking a stand against their children being given too many vaccines, are the ones, who have taken the time to become informed and have carefully analyzed and evaluated the risks and benefits for their children.
As just discussed above, the only conclusion the IOM could reach after reviewing the available (independent) research is that we don’t know if all of these vaccines, individually or together, are in fact safe.
The media would have you believe that those who refuse vaccines are ignorant but when you examine the facts, mothers with college educations and higher incomes are actually LESS likely to vaccinate their children than those with less education.
Besides, I don’t think any parent, who is coming up against doctors throwing them out of their offices for refusing to use every recommended vaccine or wanting to use an individualized vaccination schedule, in this age of Big Pharma brainwashing, would even consider bucking the system without having good solid reason for doing so. After all, the price of nonconformity runs the gamut from being vilified by other parents and health professionals to being resolutely kicked out of some pediatricians’ offices!
The fact is that delaying and/or opting out of some vaccines can indeed be a safer alternative to maintaining good health. Whether or not it’s the most appropriate course of action for a particular child or adult can only be determined on a case-by-case basis. Each person is different, and it is these individual biological and environmental exposure differences that make a mass-vaccination policy so hazardous.
For example, the health of a child’s gut flora can significantly influence the risk of suffering vaccine complications and chronic health problems. For more information about this, please see my interview with Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride.
********
Readers: I am so behind in catching up. It has been a crazy busy week, and it hasn’t ended yet…all good but little time to check in. I’ll be back tomorrow though, as always….see ya then.
Hugs & Kisses…
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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November 6th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
How to Get Exactly What You Need From Your Doctor
How many times have you left a doctor’s appointment and realized that you forgot to ask an important question or didn’t fully understand your physician’s instructions?
It happens to everyone. Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to avoid the common mistakes that keep you from getting exactly what you need at the doctor’s office…
MISTAKE 1: Making your list too long. Most people know to write down their concerns and bring the list to their appointment.
But many people make the mistake of trying to include every question they may have. The average doctor’s appointment lasts only about 15 minutes, so you’ll probably get to cover only a few issues in a single appointment.
What works best: Edit your list, and be sure that the problems that trouble you the most are the ones you bring up first.
If you can’t decide what’s most important, hand your list to your doctor and say, “I’d like you to help me figure out which of these we should discuss today.
” If you believe all the issues are crucial, consider booking a double appointment, but be aware that insurance may not cover the extra cost.
MISTAKE 2: Diagnosing, not describing. If you tell your doctor that you have “neuropathic pain,” he/she will have no idea whether you are knowledgeable enough to make that judgment.
Instead, be descriptive. Say, “I have burning pain, numbness and tingling.” What helps doctors make the best diagnosis is your data — unfiltered.
Even if another doctor has given you a diagnosis, describe your problem to your current doctor in your own words.
What works best: Think like a reporter. Interview yourself before your appointment, and write down your answers.
When did the problem start? How does it feel? Where does it hurt? What makes it better? What makes it worse?
MISTAKE 3: Being on a different page from the person who accompanies you to your visit.
As we all know, bringing a friend or family member to your appointment can help you remember crucial information and remind you of details you wanted to share with your doctor.
But if your companion’s agenda is different from yours, it can interfere with your care.
What works best: Let your companion know ahead of time what your goals are for the visit and how he can help you reach them.
Also ask about his concerns, and if he has questions for the doctor, tell that to the doctor at the beginning of the appointment.
MISTAKE 4: Letting your doctor cut you off. The widely publicized studies that showed doctors interrupt patients within 18 seconds are misleading.
The researchers counted anything the doctor said — including “uh-huh” or “go on” — as interruptions.
That said, doctors often don’t let patients finish, mostly because they are thinking ahead to what the problem might be and they jump in with questions.
What works best: Say, “What I need to tell you will take only about another 30 seconds. May I finish telling you what’s going on? Then I’ll answer your questions.”
Similarly, some doctors appear distracted — for example, he may be talking to you and taking notes on the computer at the same time.
Of course, you do want him to take good notes, but if you’re truly bothered, you can move your chair or otherwise position yourself so the doctor can see you and the screen.
Or simply say, “You know, doctor, having your full attention would really help me.”
MISTAKE 5: Thinking your doctor is “dismissing” you. Sometimes your doctor won’t agree with you. I
f you think that you have a certain condition but he doesn’t agree, don’t assume that he hasn’t considered what you said.
It probably just means that based on your symptoms and his experience, he disagrees.
What works best: Ask yourself if your theory about your ailment could be wrong and what harm there would be in trying your doctor’s advice.
If you don’t want to take the chance or still believe the doctor was dismissive of your concern, get a second opinion.
MISTAKE 6: Not being completely honest. In an ideal world, patients would be comfortable telling their doctors anything, but in reality, some things are embarrassing.
Doctors know this — that’s why many will say things like, “How are you doing with your medicines? It must be hard to remember to take them all.” This is their way of letting you know it’s OK to be honest.
What works best: Be straight with your doctor about your habits — good and bad.
If you say you’re taking your blood pressure medicine and your blood pressure is still high, the doctor may increase the dose or add another drug. That’s bad because it may expose you unnecessarily to side effects.
But if you are honest and tell your doctor that you haven’t been taking the medication as directed, you can talk to him about the reason.
Maybe you can’t afford a certain drug or it’s causing side effects. In many cases, there are alternatives that will work for you.
MISTAKE 7: Forgetting the wrap-up. At the end of every doctor’s appointment, summarize the conversation and be sure that you understand what to expect and what your next steps are.
What works best: Write down what’s new from your appointment. Are there new medicines?
How will you know if they are working? Do you need tests? How do you schedule them? And always ask, “When do you want to see me again?”
MISTAKE 8: Being afraid to “break up” with your doctor. It’s important to find a doctor who fits your personality.
But in order to do that, you must know yourself and your needs. Do you want a doctor who’s always on time and is all about the facts?
Or is it more important that your doctor be soothing and responsive to your emotional needs? Should he be someone who worries about unusual things and will order tests that other doctors normally wouldn’t?
What works best: Ask friends or family for recommendations, but realize that it often takes a visit or two to find out if you’re in sync with a particular doctor.
If not, don’t be embarrassed to move on to someone else. It’s OK to say: “I like you, but I think I need a doctor who is more like X. Can you recommend someone?” Most doctors know their colleagues well enough to give you the right referral.
Health interviewed Robert M. Arnold, MD, professor of medicine and assistant director of palliative care and medical ethics, the Leo H. Criep chair in patient care, and director, Institute for Doctor-Patient Communication, at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
His research focuses on helping doctors communicate better with patients with life-threatening illnesses. He has written numerous articles for professional journals, including The Journal of the American Medical Association and Annals of Internal Medicine.
November 7th, 2011 at 2:38 am
Hafa adai Michelle.
I know it is not your fault but finding your blog has almost become as difficult as finding a job on Guam. It used to be just difficult to post to your blog, but now days it is so hard to find your blog to post to it.
I gave up recently. Perhaps you should encourage your readers to be more diligent so as to not encourage the bastards that seek to stifle free discourse.
But as I was saying Guam”s economy is at an all time low. There are just no jobs to be had on this island. The price of gasoline has increased by 12% here. That means everything on the island will be going up because energy cost has to be figured into everything on this island.
The 1% with everything is going after more. We need to do more than march, we need to do what the french did, we need to go after some heads.
There is eight hundred million dollars of Japanese money sitting in the treasury for military projects in Guam But the republicans on the mainland are preventing any use of the money so as to keep unemployment high for the election.
They don’t care how many deaths they cause or how many people they ruin. They just want to get Obama out. If most of white america wasn’t so damn narcissistic
they would see through the republican ploy.
But they act as if it is politics as usual. Is there any wonder the entire world is fucked up?
Peter
November 7th, 2011 at 3:12 am
After 300 Days, Still No Jobs Plan, Fighting to End DOMA, Celebrating our Veterans
November 4, 2011
After 300 Days, Still No Jobs Plan
After more than 300 days in the majority, Republicans have failed to enact a jobs agenda. Instead, they have voted 17 times against Democratic proposals to create or protect American jobs.
In recent weeks, House Democrats have met with thousands of small businesses and entrepreneurs in our districts to hear what we can do to help them grow, thrive, and hire.
We understand that creating jobs through rebuilding America’s infrastructure is critical to America’s competitiveness.
Our “Make It In America” initiative, along with President Obama’s American Jobs Act will support vital investments in rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, level the playing field for American workers and small businesses, and create new good paying jobs.
It’s time for Republicans to stop ignoring the top priority of the American people – jobs – and start working to put people back to work and grow our economy.
Fighting to End DOMA
On Thursday, I was proud to join 132 of my Democratic colleagues in filing an Amicus Brief in the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) consolidated case of Massachusetts v. Dept. of Health and Human Services and Gill v. Office of Personnel Management.
This landmark case has reached the First Circuit Court of Appeals following a federal district court ruling that parts of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) are unconstitutional. Our brief provides a comprehensive explanation of how DOMA undermines Congress’s legitimate interests.
The Obama Administration’s recent decision to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act in federal courts is a victory for civil rights, fairness, and equality for the LGBT community and all Americans.
DOMA is discriminatory; it is unfair and indefensible; and it betrays our nation’s long-held – and long-cherished – value of equality for all.
My colleagues and I are committed to ending this discriminatory legislation and strongly oppose Speaker Boehner’s effort to put the House of Representatives in the position of defending DOMA, at a cost to the taxpayers of up to $1.5 million.
We will continue to fight for marriage equality and look forward to the day when all American families are treated with respect and viewed equally in the eyes of the law.
November 7th, 2011 at 3:26 am
Howie:
Maybe the aliens around the island of Farallon de Medinilla need to take your suggestions more seriously.
The reports of alien sighting in the area between Guam and Saipan is up 200%. The US has scrambled so many jets to the area that it is like a flight show here everyday.
Lea
November 7th, 2011 at 3:34 am
Hafa adai Peter.
I truly understand your points both in the job issue and the tolerance most whites have for the bigotry and callous way the republicans and the right are acting.
Here is a typical example of one of their daily insults to a black man occupying the White House. Here they think they came up with a slick way to call the President a “coon” a derogatory slur from the old days.
They didn’t feel they had to disguise it too well because as you stated most whites will look the other way. Here’s is Human Events “365 Ways to Drive a Liberal Crazy” insult.
========================
309
No. 309 of 365
Instead of POTUS prefer COOTUS:
(Community Organizer of the United States).
========================
Think the white controlled media will find fault with this obvious attempt at calling the President a coon? Don’t hold you breath.
Robert
November 7th, 2011 at 8:28 am
I finally got you blog to appear. My search engine kept telling me that you did not exist.
I stopped giving my children those vaccines back in the early 90′s because my sister a pharmacists worked selling drugs to doctors and she said they didn’t know shit about the drugs they were prescribing for their patients.
She said that they basically follow what the pharmaceutical industry tells them about the drugs.
She also said that they have no way of getting useful feedback about the side effects of those drugs.
Irene
November 7th, 2011 at 8:49 am
If one is interested in the stupidity of white women one need only take a look at this link – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/05/catholic-mass_n_1077815.html?ref=daily-brief?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=110711&utm_medium=email&utm_content=NewsEntry&utm_term=Daily%20Brief
the catholic has taken a page out of the republican book. The one where they shift the importance from jobs to putting “in god we trust on the money.”
Here the catholic shifts the importance from allowing women to be priest to switching the phrase “Lord be with you” to “And with your spirit.”
Here is a quote from the church by the article: “We’re tinkering with a very intimate and personal moment,” said the Rev. Richard Hilgartner, executive director of the worship office for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “It’s public worship, it’s the church’s official public prayer, but for the individual faithful, it’s one of the primary means of their encounter with the Lord.”
=======================
Excuse me? This piece of shit is one of the primary means of encounter with their Lord. Gosh darn it! One can tell a dumb as a box of rocks white woman anything.
How about one of the primary means of encounter with your Lord being the individual who represents that connection? They are all men for god’s sake.
Most of which are pedophiles and or rapists. But the catholic church offers up this republican dodge to the real issue. As Robert said is it any wonder the world is so fucked up. My only addition to that would be with white male generalship and white female marching behind in lockstep, NO.
Alycedale
November 7th, 2011 at 8:58 am
311
No. 311 of 365
Give them another reason why Obama has GOT to go.
NO. 14.
He doesn’t understand his people. To any liberal dumb enough to be mystified by Obama’s consistently dismal approval ratings, just look at the way the president always puts socialistic principles before the needs of the American people.
His administration’s legal war against Arizona’s attempt to enforce immigration law is a case in point. The United States has a serious illegal immigrant problem.
So what does Obama do when the state of Arizona makes the intelligent—and nationally popular—decision to allow its police to question people about their immigration status during routine stops?
Why, he seeks to have the state law overturned in the courts, so as to pander to the hurt feelings of the Mexican government (which supplies the illegals) and to his hard-left sympathizers (who see the illegal immigrants as a future left-wing voting bloc).
The American people will not forgive him for jeopardizing their security in this way.
November 7th, 2011 at 9:01 am
I left the church long ago because they changed the part where Jesus died for all to Jesus died for many.
So now we are being told that Jesus discriminated so discrimination is alright.
November 7th, 2011 at 9:11 am
The New Nordic Diet
Have you heard about the “new” Nordic diet? It turns out that Scandinavians who follow their countrymen’s traditional way of eating seem to live longer.
But, sorry to tell you, the key is not Danish pastries and Swedish meatballs… they eat a lot of whole-grain rye bread — real rye bread, not the mushy “rye” found alongside white bread in supermarkets — and cabbage.
But there’s more to the Nordic diet than that…
Live Like a Viking Anja Olsen, PhD, of the Danish Cancer Society and a team of researchers collected information about the diets and lifestyles of approximately 57,000 Danes ages 50 to 64.
Over the 12-year study period, 4,126 died. After accounting for lifestyle differences (such as exercise, weight, smoking, alcohol use and education), the researchers found a strong correlation between eating traditional Nordic foods and length of life.
For instance, men who followed the traditional Nordic diet most closely had a nearly 36% lower risk of dying during the 12 years of follow-up.
And women who ate the most Nordic staples reduced their risk for death by 25%.
Whole-grain rye bread, which most study participants ate daily (the median amount was two-and-a-half slices) appeared to have the strongest protective effect, especially in men.
Both whole-grain rye and cabbage help in the battle against obesity. And cabbage has been related to a decreased risk for both cancer and heart disease.
As in other Western countries, many Nordic folk today eat too much processed and/or fatty food, including pasta, french fries, pizza and sugary desserts, and as a result suffer from high rates of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
These results appeared in the February 23, 2011 issue of the Journal of Nutrition.Danish Modern… Not?
To encourage better health, Dr. Olsen recommends that we focus on old-style dietary habits as they’ve long existed in most traditional cultures, be they Nordic or from other countries.
They tend to emphasize natural, whole and often wild foods — in contrast to our modern approach of eating highly refined foods.
Luckily, you don’t have to be a Dane, Swede or Norwegian to eat like one. Here are some ways you can enjoy the benefits of the healthy Nordic diet…
Eat real rye bread. Whole grains such as rye, barley and oats abound in dietary fiber, minerals and antioxidants that protect against heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
In this study, whole-grain rye had the most positive impact on health — but it’s important to realize that this is not the rye bread we grew up with in the US.
Instead, in this country, you’ll most easily find this European-style rye by looking for German whole-grain rye, such as the Mestemacher brand, usually found in the deli section of grocery stores, and also in health-food stores, health-oriented markets such as Whole Foods and even online from Amazon.com.
Cut up some cabbage. Cabbage is packed with dietary heart-healthy fiber and isothiocyanates (the sulphur-containing compounds found in cruciferous vegetables).
Enjoy both red and green cabbage shredded raw in salads and slaws or lightly steamed.
Root for root vegetables. Root vegetables, especially carrots, are rich in phytochemicals such as carotenes, which neutralize free radicals that damage cells in your body and may cause cancer. Parsnips and turnips also are good choices.
Enjoy apples, pears and wild berries. Wild berries, which are easily available in Scandinavia, are especially rich sources of substances such as omega-3 fatty acids, essential to normal growth and development, as well as antioxidants and phytoestrogens like lignans, which help lower cancer risk.
But even though wild berries contain many more of these healthful components than cultivated ones, the berries you find in US grocery stores — i.e., cultivated ones — are still a good source of these important nutrients.
Anja Olsen, PhD, Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark.