MSG - The Brain Destroying, Cancer Causing Ingredient Hidden In Your Food

There’s a widespread and silent killer that’s hidden in most foods that is slowly destroying millions (maybe even billions) of people’s health. It’s worse for you than alcohol, nicotine and even many drugs. 

Posted by: Ty Bollinger

There’s a widespread and silent killer that’s hidden in most foods that is slowly destroying millions (maybe even billions) of people’s health. It’s worse for you than alcohol, nicotine and even many drugs.  And it’s likely lurking in your kitchen cabinets right now. What is this harmful substance that is so pervasive and unfortunately legal for food manufacturing companies to use? You’ve probably heard of it, but likely didn’t know how widespread its use was because it is allowed to be disguised under many different names. The ingredient is “monosodium glutamate” or MSG. You will learn here how MSG harms your brain and your health as well as its other “secret” names so you can avoid it and protect your health.

I used to think that MSG was just in Chinese food, but the truth is that it’s actually added to thousands of the foods you and your family regularly eat, especially if you are like most Americans and eat the majority of your food as processed packaged foods or in restaurants.

MSG is one of the most harmful additives on the market and is used in frozen dinners, crackers, canned soups, processed meats, barbeque sauce, salad dressings, and much more. It’s found in your local supermarket and restaurants, in your child’s school cafeteria and, amazingly, even in baby food and infant formula.

Why is MSG so harmful? It’s an excitotoxin — substances, usually containing amino acids that react with specialized receptors (neurons) in the brain in such a way as to lead to the destruction of certain types of brain cells. Humans lack a blood-brain barrier in the hypothalamus, which allows these excitotoxins to enter the brain and cause damage.  Simply put, as described in Dr. Russell Blaylock’s excellent book,Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, they are exactly what they sound like: toxins that excite your brain cells to death!

How does this happen?

As Dr. Blaylock explains, “MSG enters the brain past the blood-brain barrier and triggers neurons to open their calcium channel. The glutamate causes the cell to remain stuck in the open position then calcium floods into the cell in large amounts. This triggers the cell to react in emergency mode and starts its special pump that will start pumping out the excess calcium using up large amounts of energy (ATP).

The cell then swells up with excess calcium and eventually the cell is depleted of energy and dies within a few hours. The pump couldn’t pump out the excess calcium fast enough. It’s like trying to bail water out of a boat with a large hole in the bottom. You use up a ton of energy and eventually the boat is filled and sinks. The cell shrivels up and the body’s defense mechanism sweeps away the dead cell debris.”

No strain of rat or mice is naturally obese, so the scientists create them. They make these morbidly obese creatures by injecting them with MSG when they are first born. The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates, causing rats to become obese.

MSG creates a lesion in the hypothalamus that correlates with abnormal development, including obesity, short stature and sexual reproduction problems.  MSG has also been shown to kill brain cells as well as to cause nausea, vomiting, migraine headaches, depression, and heart problems.

As I mentioned earlier, MSG is often disguised under many other names and therefore, you may not be able to detect it in a list of ingredients unless you know what to look for.

According to Dr. Russell Blaylock, MD, the following are hidden MSG derivatives listed on ingredient labels that should be avoided.

• Natural Flavors/Flavoring
• Corn oil
• Glutamic Acid Yeast Extract
• Soy Protein
• Soy Isolate
• Carrageenan (often in almond and other nut milks)
• Stock
• Broth
• Natural Beef Or Chicken Flavoring
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
• TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein)
• Glutamate Textured Protein
• Gelatin Yeast Nutrient
• Autolyzed Yeast
• Caseinate
• Citric Acid

Food companies learned that MSG increased the flavor and aroma and enhance acceptability of commercial food products, so it is doubtful that they will ever quit using this brain killing additive to our food supply.  Take a quick trip to your kitchen and check your pantry and fridge. You will likely see that MSG is in almost everything processed: soups, chips, ramen noodles, gravy, sauces, salad dressings, corn oil, broth and so many other items.

If you want to avoid MSG, learn to read ingredient labels and better yet, eat foods that are whole foods – foods from nature that are unprocessed. Your health and your family’s are worth the extra effort!

Tell me in the comments section below, what is one action you can do today to either reduce or eliminate MSG from your diet. Your comments and action will help inspire others to do the same and I want to make sure we support one another in our quest for better health.
Source: Excerpt from Dr. Russell Blaylock’s book, Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills

http://thetruthaboutcancer.com/the-brain-destroying-cancer-causing-ingredient-hidden-in-your-food/

This post is on Healthwise

7 Food Swaps That Will Make You Healthier

Pre-packaged processed foods may be convenient, but cooking from scratch using fresh unprocessed ingredients is a must if you want to improve your health. Remember, if you fail to plan you are planning to fail.

Story at-a-glance

• As a general rule, organic foods are safer, and probably healthier, than conventional foods, for the simple fact that you’re ingesting fewer toxins
• If you can only afford to buy some foods organic, make it organic grass-fed meats and butter. This will cut down on your exposure to toxic pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics
• Swapping adulterated and pasteurized dairy products, such as milk and butter, for organic, raw varieties will allow you to reap the true benefits of dairy
• Soda tops the list when it comes to promoting obesity and related health problems. Swapping them out for pure filtered water and/or mineral water can be one of the most potent health changes you could possibly make
• Your best bet is to filter your tap water. About 40 percent of bottled water is regular tap water, which may or may not have received any additional treatment, and the plastic bottles only add to the health hazards

By Dr. Mercola

Pre-packaged processed foods may be convenient, but cooking from scratch using fresh unprocessed ingredients is a must if you want to improve your health. Remember, if you fail to plan you are planning to fail.

While this means that someone – you, your spouse, or someone else – needs to spend regular time in the kitchen, it typically does not require nearly as much extra time as people imagine.

One of the most important strategies is to make the appropriate food swaps. For example, does it take more time to use real butter instead of margarine? Of course it doesn’t!

The following list will give you an overview of some of the most important food swaps you can make. They can go a long way toward making you healthier.

Choose Organic Over Non-Organic

Whenever you have the option, choose organic varieties of food over non-organic. As a general rule, organic foods are safer, and probably healthier, than conventional foods, for the simple fact that you’re ingesting fewer toxins.

And, contrary to popular belief, this is actually even more important when it comes to animal products such as meat, dairy products, butter, and eggs.

While conventionally grown fruits, vegetables and berries are typically heavily sprayed with a wide assortment of pesticides, non-organic animal products tend to be among the most contaminated, as the animals are fed a steady diet of these conventionally grown, pesticide-contaminated and genetically engineered grains...

While I believe organic foods grown in healthy soils can be far more nutritious than their conventional counterparts grown in depleted soils with synthetic chemicals, a major benefit of organically grown foods really is the reduction in your toxic load.

A 2012 meta-analysis by Stanford University1 confirmed that organic foods expose you to fewer pesticides – about 30 percent on average. Organic meats also reduce your risk of antibiotic-resistant bacteria by an average of 33 percent. Conventional meats are in fact a major contributor to antibiotic resistance, which poses a grave public health threat these days.

Swap CAFO Meats for Organic, Grass-Fed Meats

If you can only afford to buy some foods organic, make it organic, grass-fed meats. This will cut down on your exposure to toxic pesticides. Factory farmed meats are also typically contaminated with hormones and antibiotics.

Most cows raised in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are fed grains (oftentimes genetically engineered grains, which make matters even worse), when their natural diet is plain grass.

This difference in the animals' diet creates vastly different end products in terms of nutrition. When left to feed on grass-only diets, levels of conjugated linoleic acid or CLA are three to five times more than those fed grain-based diets. And that’s just for starters.

A joint effort between the USDA and Clemson University researchers in 2009 found a total of 10 key areas where grass-fed beef is better than grain-fed for human health. In a side-by-side comparison, they determined that grass-fed beef was:2, 3

Lower in total fat	Higher in total omega-3s
Higher in beta-carotene	A healthier ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (1.65 vs 4.84)
Higher in vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)	Higher in CLA (cis-9 trans-11), a potential cancer fighter
Higher in the B-vitamins thiamin and riboflavin	Higher in vaccenic acid (which can be transformed into CLA)
Higher in the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium

Pass on Pasteurized Milk, and Opt for Raw Organic Milk

Several studies have demonstrated the superior safety of raw milk compared to pasteurized. For example, raw milk is:

Loaded with healthy bacteria that are good for your gastrointestinal tract	High in omega-3 and low in omega-6, which is the beneficial ratio between these two essential fats
Full of more than 60 digestive enzymes, growth factors, and immunoglobulins (antibodies). These enzymes are destroyed during pasteurization, making pasteurized milk much harder to digest	Loaded with vitamins (A, B, C, D, E, and K) in highly bioavailable forms, and a very balanced blend of minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron) whose absorption is enhanced by live Lactobacilli
Rich in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which fights cancer and boosts metabolism	Rich in healthy unoxidized cholesterol
Rich in beneficial raw fats, amino acids, and proteins in a highly bioavailable form, all 100 percent digestible	It also contains phosphatase, an enzyme that aids and assists in the absorption of calcium in your bones, and lipase enzyme, which helps to hydrolyze and absorb fats

While both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC warn that raw milk can carry disease-causing bacteria, they completely overlook the fact that these bacteria are the result of industrial farming practices that lead to diseased animals, which may then in turn produce contaminated milk.

There are basically two types of raw milk, and only one is suitable for raw consumption. Raw milk from a CAFO must be pasteurized in order to be fit to drink, whereas raw milk from cows raised on pasture does not. Cleanliness and pasture are critical parameters for producing healthy milk fit for raw consumption.

CAFO milk must be pasteurized to prevent the spread of potentially hazardous pathogens, which are the result of crowded, unsanitary living conditions and the routine administration of antibiotics that are needed to keep these cows well. In the process, all valuable enzymes are also destroyed, such as lactase for the assimilation of lactose; galactase for the assimilation of galactose; and phosphatase for the assimilation of calcium. Literally dozens of other precious enzymes are destroyed in the pasteurization process. Without them, milk is very difficult to digest, and gives rise to allergies.

The quality of grass-fed milk and other grass-fed dairy products can easily be ascertained by its color. The carotenoids in the plants cows eat on pasture gives grass-fed products a more yellow-orange cast. When cows are raised on dried grass or hay, opposed to fresh-growing grass, you end up with a whiter product, which is an indication of reduced carotenoid and antioxidant content.

Getting your raw milk from a local organic farm or co-op is one of the best ways to ensure you're getting high-quality milk. You can locate a raw milk source near you at the Campaign for Real Milk Website. California residents can find raw milk retailers by using the store locator available at www.OrganicPastures.com.

Swap Margarine for Organic Butter (Preferably Raw)

The unfortunate result of the low-fat diet craze has been the shunning of healthful fats such as butter, and public health has declined as a result of this folly. There are a myriad of unhealthy components to margarine and other butter impostors, including:

• Trans fats: These unnatural fats in margarine, shortenings, and spreads are formed during the process of hydrogenation, which turns liquid vegetable oils into a solid fat. Trans fats contribute to heart disease, cancer, bone problems, hormonal imbalance, and skin disease; infertility, difficulties in pregnancy, and problems with lactation; and low birth weight, growth problems, and learning disabilities in children. A US government panel of scientists determined that man-made trans fats are unsafe at any level.
• Free radicals: Free radicals and other toxic breakdown products are the result of high temperature industrial processing of vegetable oils. They contribute to numerous health problems, including cancer and heart disease.
• Emulsifiers and preservatives: Numerous additives of questionable safety are added to margarines and spreads. Most vegetable shortening is stabilized with preservatives like BHT.
• Hexane and other solvents: Used in the extraction process, these industrial chemicals can have toxic effects.

A far better choice is good-old-fashioned butter. When made from grass-fed cows, it’s particularly rich in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)—just like grass-fed beef. CLA is not only known to help fight cancer and diabetes, it may even help you to lose weight, which cannot be said for its trans-fat substitutes. Butter is also a rich source of easily absorbed vitamin A (needed for a wide range of functions, from maintaining good vision to keeping the endocrine system in top shape) and all the other fat-soluble vitamins (D, E, and K2).

These vitamins are often lacking in the modern industrial diet. It also contains important trace minerals, including manganese, chromium, zinc, copper, and selenium (a powerful antioxidant). RealMilk.com4 can help you locate a source of raw butter. If you want to try your hand at making it yourself, check out Positron.org.5 They have an excellent web page with step-by-step instructions6 for making your own butter from scratch, using raw, grass-fed milk.

Switch from CAFO to Organic Pastured Eggs

While proteins are found in many types of food, only foods from animal sources, such as meat and eggs, contain “complete proteins,” meaning they contain all of the essential amino acids. Eggs also contain lutein and zeaxanthin for eye health, choline for your brain, nervous and cardiovascular systems, and naturally occurring B12. Eggs are powerhouses of healthy nutrition, provided they’re harvested from organically raised, free-range, pastured chickens. True free-range eggs are from hens that range freely outdoors on a pasture where they can forage for their natural diet, which includes seeds, green plants, insects, and worms.

Conventional large-scale CAFO egg-producers raise their hens indoors and in cages. Egg-laying hens confined to cages do not have space to move or stretch, and they show more fearful behavior and become prone to skeletal problems. Large numbers of animals confined in small spaces also pollute the air, water, and soil with the vast amounts of manure they produce. CAFO eggs are also far more prone to harboring pathogens that can cause foodborne illness.

The nutritional differences between true free-ranging chicken eggs and commercially farmed eggs are again a result of the different diets eaten by the two groups of chickens. Instead of seeds and insects, the main ingredients of commercially raised hens' diets are genetically engineered (GE) soy and corn. Commercial eggs, even if they state “free-range” on their label, will typically fall into this category. You can tell the eggs are free range or pastured by the color of the egg yolk. Foraged hens produce eggs with bright orange yolks. Dull, pale yellow yolks are a sure sign you're getting eggs from caged hens that are not allowed to forage for their natural diet.

Your best source for fresh eggs is a local farmer that allows his hens to forage freely outdoors. To find free-range pasture farmers, ask your local health food store or refer to EatWild.com7 or LocalHarvest.com.8 Cornucopia.org also offers ahelpful organic egg scorecard9 that rates egg manufacturers based on 22 criteria that are important for organic consumers.

Ditch the Soda for Sparkling Water

Soda and other sweetened commercial beverages have no nutritional benefits, and are loaded with chemical additives and high amounts of refined sugar, typically in the form of high fructose corn syrup—or even worse, artificial sweeteners. The average 12-ounce can of soda contains 40 grams of sugar, at least half of which is fructose, so one can of soda alone exceeds your daily recommended allotment of fructose (15 grams/day) if you’re insulin resistant, which about 80 percent of Americans are.

Excess sugar has been unequivocally linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, Alzheimer’s, and many other serious health problems, so the less sugar you consume, the better. If you really feel the urge for a carbonated beverage, try sparkling mineral water with a squirt of lime or lemon juice, or sweetened with stevia or Luo Han, both of which are safe natural sweeteners. (Keep in mind that if you struggle with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or extra weight, then you have insulin sensitivity issues and would likely benefit from avoiding ALL sweeteners.)

Swap Bottled Water for Pure Filtered Tap Water

Nothing beats pure water when it comes to serving your body's needs for fluids, and when it comes to water, your best bet is to filter your tap water. Many are still under the mistaken impression that bottled water is more pure, but about 40 percent of bottled water is nothing but regular tap water, which may or may not have received any additional treatment. In fact, most municipal tap water must adhere to stricter purity standards than the bottled water industry. The plastic bottle itself is also extremely detrimental to the environment, and can further contaminate the water inside it by leaching hormone-disrupting plastic chemicals into it. This includes:

• Cancer-causing PFOAs
• PBDEs (flame retardant chemicals), which have been linked to reproductive problems and altered thyroid levels
• The reproductive toxins, phthalates
• BPA, which disrupts the endocrine system by mimicking the female hormone estrogen

Just remember that the caveat to drinking tap water is to make sure you filter your tap water. I've written a large number of articles on the hazards of tap water, from fluoride to dangerous chemicals and drugs, to toxic disinfection byproducts and heavy metals, so having a good filtration system in place is more of a necessity than a luxury in most areas. A whole house water filter is your best bet, as it will remove harsh chlorine disinfection byproducts from your whole house. These toxins pose a health hazard not only in your drinking water, but also in your shower and appliances.

The best option for your home's drinking water is to filter at the point of use with an NSF certified water filter. This addresses all of the chemicals found in well water or an urban water supply, along with any lead that might leach into the water if you have old plumbing. You can also optimize your drinking water by injecting physical energy into the water. The simplest way to do this is by vortexing, where you simply stir the water with a spoon or use an automated device that spins the water at high speed over high powered magnets before drinking it. This helps create “living water,” or EZ water—so named by Gerald Pollack, PhD, author of the groundbreaking book: The Fourth Phase of Water: Beyond Solid, Liquid, and Vapor.

Another option to consider is to bottle your own water from a gravity-fed spring, which provides natural living water. There's a great website called FindaSpring.com10 where you can find natural springs in your area. The best part is that most of these spring water sources are free! Remember to bring either clear polyethylene or glass containers to collect the water so no unsafe chemicals can contaminate your water on the way home. If you choose to use glass bottles, be sure to wrap them in towels to keep them from breaking in the car.

Simple Food Swaps Can Have a Great Impact on Your Health

Make no mistake about it. A few strategic food swaps can go a long way toward improving your health. Basically, what you’re doing is replacing processed food items and factory farmed foods for less contaminated—and in most cases more nutritious—options. While the list could be far longer, the food swaps covered above are, I believe, among the most important. Swapping adulterated and pasteurized dairy products, such as milk and butter, for organic, raw varieties will allow you to reap the true benefits of dairy.

Likewise, swapping factory farmed animal products like beef, chicken, and eggs for grass-fed or pastured varieties will automatically reduce your toxic burden and exposure to hormones and antibiotics. Last but not least, since soda is clearly at the top of the list when it comes to promoting obesity and related health problems, swapping them out for pure filtered water and/or mineral water can be one of the most potent health changes you could possibly make. For even more nutritional guidance, please see my free, optimized nutrition plan.

Choose Organic Over Non-Organic

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1. As a general rule, organic foods are safer, and probably healthier, than conventional foods, for the simple fact that you're ingesting fewer toxins. A major benefit of organically grown foods really is the reduction in your toxic load.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/07/28/7-healthy-food-swaps.aspx

Go to Healthwise for more articles

Having a Higher Purpose Protects Your Health

You’ve probably heard that having a positive attitude benefits your overall health, but did you know that having a higher purpose could reduce your risk of suffering a stroke by nearly 50%?

10 May 2015
Danica Collins

You’ve probably heard that having a positive attitude benefits your overall health, but did you know that having a higher purpose could reduce your risk of suffering a stroke by nearly 50%? A study published in the March 19^th 2015 edition of the scientific journal Stroke revealed that individuals with a strong sense of purpose were 44% less likely to have the type of brain tissue damage that raises the risk of age-related dementia, disability, and mobility issues.

A Sense of Purpose for Stroke Prevention

Researchers performed autopsies on 453 seniors in their 80s enrolled in the Rush Memory and Aging Project. These seniors took part in yearly physical and psychological evaluations prior to their death. Purpose in life was measured on a five-point scale. For every one-point increase in score, the odds of a macroscopic infraction—the visible evidence of stroke damage—showing up on their autopsy decreased by almost 50%.

The link between having a higher purpose and brain tissue damage/stroke held even when researchers adjusted for obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, and lack of exercise, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Lead author Lei Yu told Reuters: 

“We and others have shown that purpose in life is protective against multiple adverse health outcomes in older age… Importantly, purpose in life may be improved through changes in behaviors or participation in activities like volunteerism, among other things…Older people with a greater sense of purpose are less likely to develop adverse health outcomes, including mortality, decline in physical function, frailty, disability, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and clinical stroke.”

 Researchers suggest strengthening your sense of purpose through volunteering, building a supportive social network, and continually learning new things and exploring with new adventures. We are all driven by different causes, and we all have unique talents and skills to offer. Start believing in and sharing yours today!

This post is on Healthwise

Go to Healthwise for more articles

http://undergroundhealthreporter.com/having-a-higher-purpose-protects-your-health

These 5 common drugs sink your testosterone

Recently my colleague Craig Cooper wrote to you about how you might not need testosterone therapy, but “L” or Lifestyle Therapy in order to boost testosterone.

May 21, 2015 | Dr. Geo Espinosa

While he and I were speaking about the dangers of testosterone boosting drugs, I also wanted to write to you about a related subject …

You see it’s not always “boosting” testosterone that can help you recover your youthful levels. Sometimes you get more from less … specifically, getting rid of the common, sometimes over-the-counter drugs that can lower testosterone.

You see those who make remedies for low testosterone, commonly referred to as low T, typically urge men to explore the use of synthetic testosterone products to remedy their situation.

But they hardly ever ask the question, “What is causing your low testosterone?”

Yet one answer is pharmaceutical drugs themselves.

The testosterone level of a healthy young male generally ranges from 300 to 800 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dl), with figures of less than 300 ng/dL generally considered to be low T (also known as hypogonadism).

Symptoms of low testosterone may include a reduction in muscle mass, decline in bone density (raising osteoporosis risk), low libido, memory problems, concentration difficulties, depression, weight gain, erectile dysfunction and lack of energy. Testosterone levels naturally begin to decline gradually around age 30.

The magnitude and extent of low testosterone associated with medication use is not yet fully understood, but a new study has shed some light on at least one problematic class of drugs: the opioids.

Growing awareness

We’ve known that opioids such as hydrocodone (Vicodin) and oxycodone (Oxycontin) can lower testosterone levels. However, long-acting opioids have a huge effect.

Investigators in a Kaiser Permanente study compared use of short-acting and long-acting opioids in 81 men being treated for chronic pain for at least three months.

The important thing to note is that none of the men had low testosterone before entering treatment. Three months later, however, that had changed.

Seventy-four percent of the men who were using long-acting opioids had low testosterone, compared with 34 percent of men who used short-acting opioids. After allowing for daily dosage and body mass, the authors concluded that men using long-acting drugs were nearly five times more likely to have low testosterone.

Five that cause low testosterone

A number of other drugs and medications have been associated with low testosterone.

These include:

Statins: Men who take statins to lower cholesterol are also cutting off the main source of their androgenic hormone production. It’s that simple. The body needs cholesterol to make testosterone, and statin drugs short-circuit that process.

Ketoconazole: You may have never heard the name, but if you’ve ever had athlete’s foot, dermatitis, or dandruff then you’ve used this ingredient. And it’s been proven to block your body from making testosterone.   

Antihistamines: Ever taken a drug for acid reflux or heartburn? Cimetidine is the offending ingredient that also blocks the body from producing testosterone.

Illicit drugs: Besides opioids, other illicit drug use, including anabolic steroids, marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamines, are associated with low testosterone and other factors that affect male infertility.

Antidepressants: Use of antidepressants is supposed to help lift your spirits, but these drugs may also bring testosterone levels down. If you are being treated with antidepressants, be sure to talk to your doctor about the possibility of a negative impact on your testosterone levels.

If you are experiencing symptoms of low testosterone, the drugs or medications you are using may be a factor. Be sure to discuss your questions and concerns about low testosterone and drug use with a knowledgeable professional.

For more information on prostate health, see prostate.net.

http://easyhealthoptions.com/5-common-drugs-sink-testosterone/