Red, White and True

Bag the guesswork of grocery shopping and let the American Heart Association (AHA) Heart-Check mark help identify healthy foods. The red-and-white icon, created in 1995 and now found on product packaging, is a solid first step in building a heart-friendly diet.
The AHA is now beginning to include foods with high levels of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats—the “good” fats—in the Heart-Check program. Updated requirements also covering sodium, sugar

and fiber will take effect in 2014 to allow food manufacturers time to reformulate their products.

Looking to help a charity in the community? Read this...

Four month old Baby Justice arrived in Denver today on transport from Gallup, New Mexico to Misha May Foundation Dog Training and Rescue. Attached are 2 of his photos from when he was with his New Mexico Angels receiving treatment for his horrible neck wound, and love for his broken spirit.

Justice is the sole survivor of his family group which included mom and 5 siblings. He was dehydrated, starving and injured when he was finally caught. He had been abused by humans and attacked by dogs.

I met the transport and was surprised at how small he and his crate were. So quiet and still. I took him, crate and all, so as not to threaten him with unfamiliar touch.

At my house, I had his apartment ready - a huge Great Dane sized crate. I simply put him, small crate and all, into the large crate. I opened his small crate door to give him access to additional blankets, food, water (with Rescue Remedy) and an elimination area. He is cuddled with his familiar toys given to him by his NM angels.

I covered his crate completely with a sheet to allow him to rest and recuperate. My intention is to allow him to experience my care of him, but to realize I have no expectations of him. I want him to know I can be with him wherever he is in his recovery. It can take as long as it takes.

I visit him often for short periods, letting him know I'll be raising the sheet to sit with him. I don't try to touch him or get him to go outside. I don't try to get him to look at me or respond. I just want him to know that I am there and he can absolutely trust that he is in control of much of his life now - something those with (PTSD) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder need to recover.

He doesn't shake or whimper, but his eyes are wary and alert. He makes eye contact briefly, then looks away, but he doesn't cower in the corner or growl in defense. He is eating and drinking and relieving himself. Yeah! This is a boy finally beginning to believe he is loved and safe. Thank you NM angels!

More story and pictures to come!

Lorraine

Misha May won 1st Place for Denver's Best Dog Training in 2012! Thanks for voting! http://denveralist.cityvoter.com/best/training/pets/denver/slideshow

Lorraine May, M.A.
Executive Director and Head Trainer
The Misha May Foundation
mutts in safe homes always
a 501(c)(3) non-profit dog (and cat) rescue

http://www.meetup.com/Denver-Dog-Behavior-with-Misha-May-Foundation/

www.MishaMayFoundation.org
303-239-0382
P.O. Box 151166
Lakewood, CO 80215-1166

The Saltshaker Thief

Before reaching for the saltshaker, consider that excessive dietary salt not only burdens the kidneys and increases the risk of hypertension; it may also deplete vital calcium.
Research by Canadian medical researchers at the University of Alberta recently discovered an important link between sodium and calcium, which appear to be regulated by the same molecule in the body. When sodium intake becomes too high, the body excretes it via urine, taking calcium with it and creating a risk for developing kidney stones and osteoporosis. So, pass the pepper instead.

Dirty Pool: Great Lakes Under Siege by Global Warming

Don Scavia, director of the University of Michigan Graham Sustainability Institute, stated in a regional leaders’ conference that climate change is aggravating the effects of devastating algae blooms in the Great Lakes by increasing the intensity of spring rains that wash phosphorus into the water.

Rampant algae levels degrade water quality because as algae decompose, oxygen levels can drop low enough to kill fish. After the United States and Canada signed the initial Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1972, many local governments banned detergents containing phosphorus and the algae
problem faded, but it has returned in the past decade.

Analysts note that while the practice of planting crops without plowing the ground may help prevent erosion, it leaves high concentrations of fertilizer phosphorus in the upper layers of soil, where it easily runs off into waterways. A task force of academic and government experts has recommended more than 50 helpful practices, including providing funding and technical assistance for phosphorus
reduction projects; authorizing state regulators to require pollution reduction measures in stressed watersheds; and working with farmers and equipment manufacturers to develop fertilizer application methods that avoid runoff.

Source: EarthKnowledge.net

Keep Tabs on Radiation Exposure

The cumulative exposure to ionizing radiation used in medical diagnostic tests from dental and chest X-rays, mammograms, heart health exams and other procedures adds up, often reaching or surpassing the recommended lifetime limit of 100 milliSieverts (mSv) set by the American College of Radiology, according to a recent Harvard Medical School advisory.

Among the tests that emit ionizing radiation are computerized tomography (CT scans), cardiac catheterizations, coronary CT angiograms, cardiac calcium scoring and some types of stress tests. Heart tests that pose no radiation risk include electrocardiography (ECG), echocardiography, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Dr. Warren Manning, chief of noninvasive cardiac imaging and testing at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in Boston, and a Harvard Medical School professor, advises, “One or two CT scans over a lifetime is appropriate. But if you have a condition that requires repeated monitoring, a test that does not expose you to ionizing radiation may be preferred.” Many radiologists take precautions to minimize clients’ radiation exposure, such as performing cardiac CT scans with one-sixth the conventional radiation dose.

Supplementation Cuts Colon Cancer Risk

A diet enhanced with multivitamin and mineral supplements may dramatically lower the risk of developing precancerous colon cancer lesions, according to research published in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology.

Nearly 150,000 men and women in the United States are diagnosed with this second-most common form of cancer each year. In the study, rats were fed a high-fat (20 percent) diet for 32 weeks. Those fed a high-fat, low-fiber diet and also exposed to a carcinogen, developed precancerous lesions of the colon. The animals that underwent a similar diet and treatment, but also received daily vitamin and mineral supplements, showed an 84 percent reduction in the formation of precancerous lesions and did not develop tumors.

Red Meat Raises a Red Flag

Steak is still one of America’s favorite meals, but regular consumption of red meat products comes at a high cost for health.

In a recent large study, Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found red meat to be causally associated with mortality, including from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Senior author Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at HSPH, and his team observed 37,698 men from the HSPH Health Professionals Follow- Up Study for up to 22 years and 83,644 women from the National Institutes of Health Nurses’ Health Study for up to 28 years, all of whom were free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer at the beginning of the study.

The researchers assessed diets via questionnaires every four years and documented a combined 23,926 deaths in the two studies, of which 5,910 were from CVD and 9,464 from cancer. Their evaluation revealed that one daily serving of unprocessed red meat (about the size of a deck of cards) was associated with a 13 percent increased risk of earlier mortality, and one daily serving of processed red meat (one hot dog or two slices of bacon) with a 20 percent increased risk. Red meat and related products contain heme (meat-based) iron, saturated fat, sodium and nitrites, as well as carcinogens formed during cooking. The researchers recommend turning to healthier protein sources instead, like fish, poultry, nuts, legumes and whole grains.