Our articles this month are:
Practice What You Preach;
Choo-Choo-Chew;
Pass The Butter; and
Big Pharma Side Effects.

Our recipes this month are Thai Chicken Croquettes with Mango Couscous - fancy enough for guests, but not hard to prepare; and a delicious Caesar Potato Salad with Sugar Snap Peas - great for a picnic in the park, or to pack in your lunch during the week.

Here at the Hullistic Network, we spend a lot of time keeping up to date with all of the sweetener information and ways to share great, healthy ways to benefit our friends and readers. With that in mind, we found Twitter.
Have you seen this Internet phenomenon? It's pretty amazing! So we jumped in feet first and created a Hullistic Market Twitter account! We post Did You Knows and are working on how to post a recipe in 140 characters or less!

We are going to have coupon codes, too. Join up and become our Twitter friends and stay in touch with your favorite Healthy Hullistic information.

Visit us at Hullistic Market on Twitter

- Dr. Hull

Cartoon created by Mimi's Memos. Copyright 2009 Mimi's Memos All Rights Reserved http://www.MimisMemos.com/

Afterwards, I thought: as much as possible, I'm going to stop adding chemicals to my body. About a week before the test, I had stopped drinking Diet Coke (at the rate of 2-3 colas a day). After the test, I began drinking lots of water and eating mostly fruit and raw veggies. Unknown to me at the time, this is part of your detox.

Let me tell you... it's been a month since I have had a diet drink! I FEEL BETTER THAN I HAVE IN YEARS!!!!! I am practically off ALL pain medication, and my Fibromyalgia symptoms have all but disappeared!!!!!!!

Until I read your information this evening, I did not realize what a good thing I had done. I just knew I felt better. Now I know the truth.

I have become a advocate against aspartame and all other diet sweeteners. I am so excited, and so thankful to be feeling GOOD!

I was considering writing an article for a magazine, but that was before I found out about your book, Sweet Poison. I am going to get it tomorrow. I am also sleeping better, am happier psychologically, and feel like I have been given a new lease on life at 64!

Thank you for listening.

Butter got a bad rap in the United States after WWI when margarine came on the market like gang-busters. Like so many products today (the chemical sweeteners, as a prime example), crafty marketing popularized this sub-standard product, and margarine pushed good-ole-natural-butter off American tabletops.

Many products were born from wartime, and margarine was one of them. Margarine was discovered in 1869 by Hippolyte Mege Mouries, a French food research chemist, in response to Napoleon III's request for a wholesome butter alternative. The primary aim was to supply food to the French army that would not spoil. In his laboratory, Mouries solidified purified fat and pressed it in a thin cloth, which discharged oil. This oil formed the basis of the butter substitute.

For his new product, Mouries used margarine acid, a fatty acid component isolated in 1813 by the Frenchman Michel Eugene Chevreuil. Analyzing the fatty acids that are the building blocks of fats, he singled out one and named it margaric acid, because of the lustrous pearly drops that reminded him of the Greek word for pearls, margarites.

In the early days, margarine contained two types of fat - a large proportion of animal fat and a small proportion of vegetable fat. Time passing, the small vegetable element increased. There were two stages in that process. First, by improving the process of refining vegetable oils, manufacturers could use a greater variety of liquid oils and a higher proportion of solid vegetable fats. Secondly, through the increasing development of processes for turning liquid oils into solid fats on a commercial scale, manufacturers could use larger quantities of liquid vegetable oils.

This new discovery rapidly spread throughout Europe, especially during wartimes.

After WWI, manufacturers introduced this "new" margarine wonder to the American public, using heart disease as its main endorsement.

Heart disease was rare in America at the turn of the century. Between 1920 and 1960, the incidence of heart disease escalated to become America's number one killer. At this time, butter consumption plummeted from eighteen pounds per person per year to four. Today, heart disease is still a pending health threat, so I think it's safe to conclude that butter is not the cause. Trans fats found in margarine cause heart disease, nonetheless.

So, back to butter...

The word butter comes from bou-tyron, which means "cow cheese" in Greek. Recorded use of butter dates to 2,000 years before the time of Jesus of Nazareth. In very early centuries, butter was shipped from India to ports on the Red Sea. In the 12th century, Scandinavian butter was used for overseas commerce; the Germans would send ships to Bergen, Norway, to exchange cargoes of wine for butter and dried fish.

Archaeologists in Ireland found barrels of ancient garlic butter buried in peat bogs in small, wooden casks. The longer it was left, the more delicious it became. Casks have been found dating to the 11th century, some of which weighed over 100 pounds.

In Europe, dairying was a household task done by women: most every household kept cows to supply the needs of the family for milk and butter. The word "dairy" comes from Middle English dey, a female servant.

As nations grew and communities evolved, many families didn't have cows anymore, so they obtained their milk and butter from local farmers. Commercial farm production of butter began as early as 1791. "Dairy butter" was collected as "pats," "balls," "rolls," and "prints." Butter stamps and molds, carved in various styles and patterns, were used in dairies to decorate blocks or rounds of butter.

The transition from butter made by farmers to creameries producing butter on a larger scale using machinery, began about 1860. The factory system of butter-making made rapid strides and gained tremendous momentum with the introduction of the centrifugal cream separator and the invention of a simple method by which the exact butter fat content of milk and cream could be determined by the creamery operator. Tightly-made oak barrels kept the butter fresh up to four months without refrigeration, and permitted shipment to distant markets.

In comparison to margarine, butter contains many nutrients that protect human beings from heart disease. Vitamin A found in butter is a critical nutrient for the health of the thyroid and adrenal glands, which both play a role in heart and cardiovascular health. Butter is America's best and most easily absorbed source of vitamin A.

Butter contains lecithin, a substance that assists in the proper assimilation and metabolism of cholesterol and other fat components.

Butter also contains a number of anti-oxidants that protect against free radical damage that weakens the arteries. Vitamin A and vitamin E found in butter both play a strong anti-oxidant role. Butter is a very rich source of selenium, a vital anti-oxidant, containing more selenium per gram than herring or wheat germ.

Butter is also a good dietary source of healthy cholesterol, which serves as a potent anti-oxidant in the blood. A Medical Research Council survey showed that men eating butter ran half the risk of developing heart disease as those using margarine.

Your immune system loves butter. Vitamin A found in butter is essential to a healthy immune system. Hydrogenated fats found in polyunsaturated oils, margarines, and many butter substitutes have a toxic effect on the immune system.

So, pass the butter. But remember, as with anything that you eat or drink, consume smaller portions. Anything can be harmful to your health if you overdo! So just one hot, homemade biscuit with butter sliding down the side is OK.

Chewing your food is an art, really. Chew slowly, take smaller bites, and chew your food into mush before you swallow. And don't drink liquids while you chew. If you wait until after your meal to drink, you will notice that your mouth produces more saliva as you chew. Sipping on a dark, red wine is an exception. The darker, quality wines contain digestive enzymes, which aid digestion in the mouth and throat, and people typically do not chug wine when they eat.

Your saliva contains the first round of digestive enzymes, and those enzymes prepare what you have eaten for the slide down the esophagus into the stomach. Once in the stomach, the food (now mush) begins its second round of digestion - the stomach acids. If you have swallowed large solid pieces of food, these acids can come back up the esophagus as acid reflux. Sometimes, the food doesn't even get past the esophagus.

Amylase and lysozyme are the enzymes in your saliva. As part of the initial process of food digestion in the mouth, amylase initiates the breakdown of starch into smaller carbohydrates and begins breaking down fats at the molecular level. Lysozyme inhibits bacterial growth in your mouth, and breaks down food caught in your teeth, protecting them from bacteria that can cause tooth decay. So, not only does saliva contain digestive enzymes, saliva also lubricates and protects your teeth, the tongue, and the tender tissues inside your mouth - in other words, aiding cavity prevention and gum health.

Saliva is produced and secreted from the salivary glands. Human saliva is composed mostly of water with electrolytes, mucus, antibacterial compounds, and enzymes.

In your tummy's defense, your stomach doesn't chew your food for you. If it did, we would start babies off with solid foods instead of mushy baby food! If you take a big bite of food and swallow it whole, your stomach is left having to break it down into mush. Your teeth are designed to do that before the food gets into your stomach, and if you have left your tummy to chew for you, you will get a stomachache. Acid reflux typically occurs, and eating is no longer healthy or pleasurable.

If you take a big swallow of water, tea, a soft drink, or alcohol while you are swallowing your food whole, you have washed away the enzymes in your saliva, and your body has missed out on the first steps of digestion.

Does anyone have a Tums^®???

Chewing has many healthy benefits. Chewing actually exercises your jaw, and this keeps your gums and teeth in fit condition. Now, I am NOT referring to chewing gum. Chewing tough foods is what exercises the jaw, and this builds healthy teeth and can actually result in less cavities. Dogs chew bones to keep their teeth strong and clean. They chew on toys, sticks, and rope - lots of "chewy things." What do you chew on?

Nuts, lean meats, whole grains, apples; even corn on the cob works your mouth and jaw. Chewing foods with high mineral and vitamin content also helps restore nutrients to your teeth. The more you chew, the more saliva is released, and this allows more nutrients in food to be released within your mouth.

Think about the difference between chewing a fresh strawberry and chewing a French fry. How does it feel to eat a fresh-cracked nut, chomping it into tiny pieces, as opposed to chewing a bowl of ice cream - whoops, unless chucks of candy are in the ice cream, there IS NO chewing involved. Get my point?

I spend a long time in the mornings enjoying my breakfast bowl of Kashi^® Heart To Heart naturally toasted, oat cereal with fresh almonds and berries. I cannot eat it quickly because it is a quality food product that requires me to choo-choo-chew it, and that takes time. By the time I have finished my breakfast bowl, I have exercised my jaw and mouth, and believe me, I can feel it. It's like a morning "work-out" for my jaw, teeth and gums.

What we eat and how we eat shapes our bodies. Begin with your mouth. Learn to take your time when you eat. Take smaller bites, choose foods that require you to chew, and allow your saliva to begin breaking down your food before you swallow. You might find that you enjoy the taste of your food more, that you eat less, and that you no longer have acid reflux.

Choo-chew to you, too!

Absolutely!

My mother was an excellent cook, and she made homemade meals (everything was from scratch), packed my lunch everyday for school (even when in high school when bringing your lunch was not cool), she limited my snacks, we never had junk food around the house, and we only had deserts and sweets available at holiday time. We ate on a strict schedule; we NEVER had soft drinks around except on very special occasions, and mom raised my sister and me on a very balanced diet. Even after I sat at the table alone, long after the dishes had been done, staring at the peas I refused to eat, mom never stopped putting vegetables on my plate no matter how much I protested. Mimi, you must be smiling down at me now because, 50 years later, I LOVE PEAS.

Even though I started out my life a picky eater, I have always eaten well. I am one of the lucky ones; I do not crave sweets. A candy bar offers me NO satisfaction, but a quality piece of chocolate cake, on occasion, is a real treat. Ice cream - nope. Chocolates - not interested. Offer me a piece of fresh fruit or a sweet pepper; well, now you have my attention.

When I almost died from aspartame in 1991, I was puzzled by my near-fatal illness because I had been healthy all my life. This is one reason I suspected foul play - something was amiss, and I wanted to find out what caused me to be so astonishingly ill. It was easy to isolate the aspartame because the only thing I had changed was I had begun using diet products one year prior to my hospitalization. When I healed myself, I did it by detoxing and restoring the depleted nutrients the aspartame had robbed from my body and from my immune system. I stopped using all food chemicals, returned to eating whole foods again, and I began taking vitamins on a regular basis.

I never stopped.

Since 1991, I still detox regularly, and I take my vitamins and minerals five times a week. Facing death will change your life, no doubt, but 18 years later, I feel great. I sleep at least eight hours every night (and in a deep sleep), I exercise every day, stay very active, I work long days, but I take time to relax, I enjoy my family and friends, and I love my life. But, I still detox regularly, and I take my vitamins and minerals five times a week.

I am constantly detoxing throughout the year. I alternate my detox programs, but at least twice a year I cleanse my colon with the Fiber Cleanse, feed my liver with the LiverTone, I take the French Green Clay (one bottle every three months), and twice a year, I do the parasite cleanse.

Five times every week after breakfast, I take:

1. Four (4) Super Fuel capsules
2. 150 mg B-Complex
3. 150 mg Niacin
4. Two (2) Antioxidant capsules
5. Three (3) Detox C
6. One (1) Hyaluronic Acid capsule
7. 100 mg Alpha Lipoic Acid capsule
8. 500 mg silica complex tablet
9. A swig of George's^® distilled aloe Vera juice

After dinner five times every week, I take:

1. Four (4) Perfect Calcium capsules
2. Two (2) Antioxidant capsules
3. Two (2) more Detox C
4. A swig of Trace Mineral Complex

If I feel a cold coming on, I increase my Detox C, and I typically chase it off. I also drink a gallon of water everyday, and I flavor it with World Organics ^® peppermint flavored liquid chlorophyll.

So, I practice what I preach. Vitamin and mineral supplements are a wonderful addition to my lifestyle. They are my lifetime maintenance program to secure health and wellness. They will be a part of my daily routine forever.

Plus peas.

Q: I think I'm experiencing some health problems from aspartame. I've been drinking a ton of it for a while, and I now have things like eye twitching, tremors, odd neurological issues, tingling sensations, etc. I have been to many doctors without much luck, and tonight it dawned on me that the problem might be aspartame. I'd like to get a hair test to confirm it. Do your hair tests confirm such a thing?

A: The hair analysis does not specifically show aspartame because the breakdown products from aspartame do not deposit in the hair - they deposit inside the body in your inner organs and in your brain.

Formaldehyde, just one of aspartame's by-products, is famous for its ability to deposit inside your body, which is why they use it to embalm the dead! And, aspartame DOES break down into formic acid and formaldehyde.

I can tell from the hair analysis if you have toxins inside you, other than aspartame, that may be depleting your nutrients. If they are present, they should be considered, too, because they combine with aspartame's toxins to create even more health symptoms and disease syndromes. If you use aspartame, the toxic by-products are there, even if they do not make it to the hair. And knowing what other toxins are present in you, gives me a very clear idea of all the toxic stress your body is under, and what nutrients need to be restored to rebalance your health. It also shows me what specific toxins you are currently exposed to, so you can remove their sources.

If toxic metals are not present, then I can see (by default) that the toxic source causing your health symptoms is aspartame. Aspartame is a primary toxin contributing to strong health reactions - enough to make you ill and take a trip to the doctor.

I have had so much experience with toxins, and with aspartame; I can read between the lines when aspartame is used.

Does this help?

Phenylalanine and Kids

Q: I was just curious about the effects of phenylalanine in kids who drink diet sodas. I've heard it's dangerous to give kids any aspartame at all. What is your take on it?

A: Well, this is the basis for my life work - informing the public about the dangers of aspartame. Yes, phenylalanine is toxic when in an isolated form, for any age. Children should never be given aspartame; I compare it to handing them a cigarette and a rum and cola.

A child may be PKU, or they may only have the PKU recessive gene and still react adversely to aspartame and isolated forms of phenylalanine.

Amino acids (and aspartame contains two, isolated amino acids) should be eaten in their natural forms, and that means they are in a combination of at least 8 amino acids together. Isolated forms are unnatural and harmful to the body; nature combines them - man splits them apart. Many researchers have proven the dangers of consuming amino acids when they are isolated, and I agree with their research conclusions.

Keep kids away from ALL food chemicals. They are not nutritious and will accumulate in their organs to harm them in their later years.

What If I Don't Have Enough Hair for a Hair Analysis

Q: I sent you my hair for a follow-up hair analysis, but I did not have enough hair. Now what do I do? I have a few questions and concerns as follows:

1. Is there an additional cost to send an additional sample in the future?
2. Sending an additional sample will not reflect the accuracy from the earlier sample, will it?

I really need to know if the Detox program is working for me. That is my biggest concern.

A: There is NO additional cost for anything we do. We will keep submitting your hair to the lab to add to the batch if it takes us 3 more tries - it is frustrating, I know, but there is no additional cost to you. The lab just adds the hair to the original sample!

I would continue to detox until you KNOW you are feeling the improvement you have set as your goal. Toxins can hide in dark, damp places, and sometimes, it takes time to dig them out. Where your health symptoms are focused is where the toxins most probably are. Can you locate those places more specifically now that you have been detoxing?

I say to never curse the darkness (well, actually, in Texas we say "never punch a skunk") - because all things happen for a good reason. Adding to your sample may give us a better profile over these next few months. It will give us some of your more recent readings, and this will be good to know.

Here are some ways to know if my Detox program is working for you: pay close attention to the subtle things - are you less sore? Are you sleeping better? Do you have extended periods of energy that were not there a year ago? These may seem insignificant, but they are huge leaps in the right direction. At least right now, we have you heading in the right direction!

And if the Detox process does not relieve your health symptoms, I guarantee it has removed phony symptoms that have masked the core issue. This will make it easier for a medical doctor to diagnose any issue that detoxing cannot remediate. So, in the long haul, you are in a win-win situation.

Remember, it takes 1/2 the time to reverse illness from the effects of toxins inside your body. So, if you have been accumulating toxins for 3 years, expect 18 months to restore your health.

Kindly,

Janet Hull

Butter is slightly higher in saturated fat with 8 grams compared to 5 grams saturated fat in margarine.

In the 1940s, margarine was used to fatten turkeys.

According to a recent Harvard Medical Study, eating margarine increased heart disease in 53% of women studied, compared to eating the same amount of butter.

Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in fresh foods.

Margarine is very high in Trans fatty acids.

Butter has many nutritional benefits.

Margarine lowers the quality of breast milk.

Butter enhances the flavor of food.

Margarine has been around for less than 100 years; butter has been used for centuries.

Margarine decreases insulin response, and lowers immunity.

The definition of, and standards for, butter in the U.S. were first set by Congress in 1886.

Thai Chicken Croquettes with Mango Couscous

Ingredients for the couscous:

1 tbs. of olive oil, organic canola, or cold-pressed oil of choice
1 mango diced
2 cups of couscous

Ingredients for the Sauce:

1 tbs. natural peanut butter
1/2 tsp. raw brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbs. fresh lime juice
6 oz. coconut milk

Ingredients for chicken croquettes:

3 tbs. cold-pressed oil of choice for frying
1 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs, divided
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tbs. fresh lime juice
3/4 cup of finely chopped cilantro
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 small onion, finely diced
2 chicken breasts

1. Combine together all of the ingredients for the sauce. Simmer for ten minutes. Set the sauce aside until the chicken and couscous are done cooking.
2. Heat 2 cups of water to a boil in a small pot with a lid. Once the water has started to boil, turn off the burner and pour in the couscous. Cover and let stand for 6-10 minutes (then uncover to prevent couscous from getting "mushy") and begin working on the chicken croquettes.
3. In a food processor or a blender, grind the chicken breasts, add the diced onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and half of the breadcrumbs and blend. When the ingredients are well mixed, heat the frying pan to medium and add oil. Fry the croquettes until both sides are golden brown.
4. Heat the sauce on low for 2 minutes. Fluff up the couscous with a fork. Pour 1 tbs. of oil on the couscous. Next, add the diced mango to the couscous. Place the mango couscous on four plates. Put the chicken croquettes on top of the couscous. Lastly, pour the sauce on top of the croquettes.

Source: Family Oven

Caesar Potato Salad with Sugar Snap Peas

1 -1/2 pounds unpeeled, assorted fingerling potatoes or baby potatoes (such as white-skinned, red-skinned, or purple), sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
8 ounces trimmed sugar snap peas
1-bunch radishes, trimmed, sliced
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsps. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. garlic clove, pressed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Steam potatoes on steamer rack set in large pot over boiling water until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Add sugar snap peas and steam until peas are crisp-tender and potatoes are just tender, approx 1 minute longer. Transfer vegetables to large bowl. Cool slightly. Add radishes and onion.
2. Whisk next 4 ingredients in small bowl to blend. Whisk-in Parmesan cheese. Season dressing with salt and a generous amount of pepper.
3. Add dressing to potato mixture; toss to coat. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: Epicurious

PEPCID AC (Famotidine)

Indications: Relief and prevention of heartburn, acid indigestion, and sour stomach.

Interactions: Avoid with other acid reducers.

PEPCID COMPLETE (Calcium Carbonate-Magnesium Hydroxide- Famotidine)

Indications: To relieve heartburn associated with acid indigestion and sour stomach.

Warnings/Precautions: Not for use in those with trouble swallowing. Avoid use if allergic to other acid reducers.

Pregnancy: Safety in pregnancy and nursing not known.

PRILOSEC OTC (Omeprazole Magnesium)

Indications: Treatment of frequent heartburn (>2 days per week).

Contraindications: Trouble or pain swallowing food, vomiting with blood, or bloody or black stools.

Interactions: Caution with warfarin, diazepam, digoxin, antifungals, tacrolimus, and atazanavir.

ZANTAC (Ranitidine HCL)

Indications: Short-term treatment of active duodenal and benign gastric ulcers. Treatment and maintenance of erosive esophagus.

Warnings/Precautions: Do not exceed recommended infusion rates; bradycardia reported with rapid infusion. Caution with liver and renal dysfunction. Avoid use with history of acute porphyria. May cause false (+) urine protein tests. Granules and effervescent tablets contain phenylalanine.

Interactions: Increases plasma levels of triazolam. Monitor anticoagulants.

Reference: PDR, Monthly Prescribing Guide, November 2008. http://www.PDR.net

Client/Reader Feedback;
Q & A with Dr. Hull;
Did You Know? ; and our new feature
Big Pharma Side Effects - Fever Relievers.

Our articles this month are:

Caustic Soda - Your Diet Cola;
Sweet Stevia; and
How to Prevent the Swine Flu.

This month we have tasty recipes using stevia - delicious Blueberry Muffins and Sour Cream-Vanilla Pancakes, the lightest, fluffiest pancakes imaginable.

May has brought an unexpected surprise - the swine flu. I have written an article in May's Healthy Newsletter on how you can prevent getting this flu, and if you feel like you may be getting sick, I have nutritional tips for helping you get well, faster.

I have another monthly Mimi's Memos cartoon with me, my sister and our Mimi, some great healthy recipes, and more articles on the diet sweeteners.

- Dr. Hull

Cartoon created by Mimi's Memos. Copyright 2009 Mimi's Memos All Rights Reserved http://www.MimisMemos.com/

I LOVE receiving your newsletter! I am taking a moment, once again, to say thank you so much for all you do every day! Thank you!

I always learn so much. I have spent most of this year assisting my brother with the sale of our parent's house here in Virginia, as our father passed away from heart failure, and our mother has had a number of minor strokes. She never exercised, has been a compulsive overeater, loves her aspartame/NutraSweet, and has full-stage diabetes. Hence, I have a tremendous amount of motivation to follow my heart's desire.

Your newsletter is a tremendous resource to refer people to! Again, thank you so much!

Stevia is extracted from a plant grown in South America and is also a complex sugar extract. In its original/natural form, stevia is simply a complex plant carbohydrate, and this means that it does not pass into the bloodstream, yet it still delivers natural sweetness.

Many people complain that it is bitter, but that is an easy problem to fix. Don't use too much. It's the same as seasoning a tomato with too much salt or pepper, or using too much garlic or oregano on lasagna. Start off slowly and add more, as you "taste test."

Modern consumers are in the habit of using huge amounts of sugar and even larger amounts of diet sweeteners. Just look around any restaurant or coffee shop, and you will see people unconsciously "pouring on" packets of the chemical stuff. Do not do that with stevia - a little dab will do ya'.

It is habit for diet sweetener users to use the equivalent amount of stevia, but, if you simply use one-quarter the amount of stevia for one full serving of sugar or one packet of artificial sweetener, then the taste is pleasant and not bitter.

So, "is stevia really safe?" Absolutely. Not only is it safe, it is healthy for you.

Stevia is 250 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. It is isolated and purified from the leaves of the stevia plant. Stevia has been used as a traditional remedy for diabetes and gum disease among the indigenous people of Paraguay and other South American countries for over 1,500-recorded years. (Who knows how many years prior to the records?)

Preliminary scientific evidence (performed by independent researchers, of course) shows stevia may indeed improve the function of the cells required for insulin production in the pancreas, and may also improve glucose tolerance in people with diabetes. According to the generations of people who have used stevia as a part of their daily diet, stevia has been proven to regulate blood sugar.

Unlike other sweeteners, stevia has been reported to possess anti-viral capabilities. Preliminary evidence suggests that stevia possesses blood pressure lowering properties and may be a useful treatment for hypertension.

THE NEED TO TEST: Prior to the onslaught of chemical sugar substitutes, the need to "test" stevia for negative health effects had never been necessary after 1,500 years of use, just as we find little need to test the herbs basil or thyme. Now that stevia is challenging the mega-profits made from aspartame and Splenda in the USA, further research will be demanded for stevia safety, I am sure, because as stevia becomes more competitive on the modern sweetener market, it will become more of a threat to the blue and yellow chemical sweetener companies.

After years of political scrutiny and stonewalling in Europe, October 2004, the European Commission approved stevia use as a sweetener. For decades, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration required any product made with stevia to be labeled only as a dietary supplement. But on December 17, 2008, the USA decided to follow the global crowd, and the FDA finally approved purified stevia as a food additive.

No other country in the world uses the huge amounts of sugar and sugar substitutes that American consumers use. People who have used stevia for generations in South America, Japan, China and Indonesian countries do not use stevia as often nor in the same quantities as modern Americans use artificial sweeteners. We pour it on!

I feel stevia is a much safer sweetener alternative compared to the artificial chemicals created in corporate laboratories, especially for use during pregnancy, for children and for diabetics who stand to benefit from its soothing glucose effects. Of course, the key to eating or drinking anything, whether chemical food replacements or one hundred percent natural foods, is to be moderate in your use.

TIPS TO AVOID BITTERNESS:

• Try different brands of stevia before giving up on it, as some are milder tasting than others;
  
• Stevia is much sweeter than Equal^®, Splenda^®, and the other chemical sweeteners, so use significantly less than you might think is necessary;
  
• Start with using one-quarter the amount of stevia as you'd use of the other chemicals and increase as needed. It comes in both liquid and powdered form.

Stevia may appear to be more expensive at first glance, but when you use less, you buy less. You can actually save money by using a higher quality, all-natural sweetener like stevia. I don't know if you have price compared the diet sweeteners lately, but the blue and yellow packets are expensive, and the pink pack a little less expensive.

There are many great new products on the market today using stevia. All of my lab's liquid vitamins and protein powders are sweetened with stevia, such as our Liquid Trace Mineral Complex and Super Fuel.

I highly recommend the stevia line, NuStevia^® by NuNaturals - they offer an excellent stevia product, and people using NuStevia report that they are noticing an improvement in their blood glucose levels, less dramatic blood sugar swings, and decreases in their insulin intake demands when using this stevia line.

This month, Whole Foods is rolling out a new soft drink sweetened with stevia called Zevia^®. According to their website, Zevia is an all-natural, zero calorie soda invasion: Zevia Natural Black Cherry and Zevia Natural Ginger Ale are coming to town. The troops all have a new uniform: all six Zevia flavors have a brand new look and even more delicious, all-natural healthy flavor. It works great as the perfect mixer and, by itself, is a diet soda delight.

Remember: every drop of every flavor of Zevia is made with 100% natural sweeteners, colors, and flavors - nothing artificial. Ever.

Yum - sounds good to me! So, why are these stevia products such a big deal?

After 20 years of toxic diet sodas with aspartame causing devastating illness and epidemic disease, products like NuStevia and Zevia have succeeded in breaking through the sweetener monopoly! Finally, a truly healthy choice.

I am often asked if I recommend the corporate, laboratory forms of stevia or the new stevia product, Truvia^®.

Well, my Rule Of Thumb: I recommend using only all-natural forms of anything, and natural stevia versus a form that has been tweaked in a lab and combined with other sweeteners is not my recommendation for all - natural.

Buy stevia that is as close to the plant as possible. The less humans have "messed with it" before you put it in your mouth - the better!

Hat's Off, Stevia! Sweeeet!!

When created by nature, sodium chloride is a natural combination of both sodium and chlorine, found in many salts in geologic deposits. It forms from the slow evaporation of ancient seawater, and has health qualities that cleanse the liver, assist the nervous system, and stimulate brain function. And don't forget that human beings are salt water creatures.

Now, humans can create sodium chloride in a laboratory when electricity is applied to a salt-water solution of sodium and chlorine. Unlike in nature, this type of sodium chloride produces chlorine gas (Cl2), caustic soda (NaOH) and hydrogen gas (H2). Laboratory chlorine gas cannot be made without producing caustic soda, so chlorine and caustic soda are known as "co-products." But, chlorine in your diet soda?

Chlorine is one of the most useful chemical elements used in manufacturing because chlorine is a very reactive element - so reactive, in fact, it is commonly found compounded with other elements in many forms. Hospitals to swimming pools use chlorine-based compounds (such as bleach) for disinfectants. About 85 percent of the top-selling medicines are manufactured using chlorine chemistry. Chlorine is used to manufacture flexible plastics such as vinyl (polyvinyl chloride). It's in bleach and many cleaning compounds, found in pesticides and herbicides, and in chemical weapons, such as "mustard gas." Chlorine helps ensure that products like disposable diapers and paper towels are strong and absorbent. And don't forget, chlorine is now found in hundreds of sugar-free food products, including children's foods.

Chlorine in your diet soda? In your child's diet soda?

When you eat or drink sodium chloride, make sure you are consuming nature's compound, like sea salt - NOT a man-made form of chlorine. And when you eat or drink man-made chlorine, make sure to note the difference between sodium chloride and chlorine without the sodium, like in Splenda^®. Sucralose is NOT sodium chloride - it is just chlorine. Three atoms of chlorine, to be more exact, combined with one atom of sucrose (sugar); and this forms sucrose chloride, something nature has never seen. Most people assume sodium chloride is the chlorine form in Splenda, but it is not.

Chlorine is commonly found in nature, but it is always in combination with other natural building block elements. Chlorine's structure makes it very reactive because its atomic outer shell is missing one electron, which makes it attractive to other atoms and molecules - very attractive. Because it is so reactive, it is very useful to chemists, engineers and manufacturers making things we use every day. Chlorine by volume is the ninth most copious chemical produced in the United States. It has been exploited, though, and is now used in thousands of products; diverse items such as cars, computers, pharmaceuticals, and military flak jackets.

And now, humans have put chlorine in diet sugar substitutes called sucralose. Again, I am not talking about sodium chloride; I am referring to just chlorine.

When combined with other chemical building blocks, chlorine can change the nature of a substance, and build or improve a product. This is one reason why chlorine was selected to be the substitute "atom" for the sucrose molecule in which to make Splenda, 1,6-dichloro-1, 6-dideoxy-BETA-D-fructofuranosyl-4-chloro-4-deoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranoside.

Do you see sodium anywhere in here? Nope, just chlorine.

The FDA has said small amounts of Splenda are safe, but numerous concerns have been raised since its laboratory inception. And typically when people use these chemical sweeteners, they don't use "just small amounts" throughout the day; small amounts accumulate into TOO MUCH overuse by the end of the day.

Should humans EAT and DRINK chlorine or simply use it for manufactured goods, such as weapons, pesticides and bleach? To answer this question, I recommend learning about the properties of chlorine. Put on your lab coat, and let's have some fun with chlorine chemistry.

Chlorine Chemistry: Every time you drink a glass of water, read a newspaper, put on a vinyl raincoat, brush your teeth, drive your car, or drink a diet cola with sucralose, you are using chlorine in some form. When combined with other chemicals, chlorine can change the nature of a substance, creating a new product.

The most common industrial use of chlorine is in the manufacture of a versatile plastic known as polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. PVC is a polymer, meaning that on a microscopic level, many small units of the same types of atoms are bound together to form long chains, similar to the linking of multiple paper clips. PVC pipes resist the pitting and corrosion common in metal pipes that can also develop a slimy build-up of disease-causing microbes known as "biofilm." Elevated levels of chlorine disinfectant can destroy biofilms. And we are all familiar with common household bleach.

To be used in manufacturing, chlorine must first be separated from the other elements with which it is combined. Manufacturers use a process known as "electrolysis", which breaks down salt water into basic components, including chlorine. Since opposite charges attract, the negative chloride ions collect at the positive poles and form chlorine gas. The gas is dried, chilled and pressurized, or converted to liquid for storage and shipping. There's your chlorine!

Health Hazards: Chlorine vapors can irritate your lungs and pose a serious risk to people who suffer from asthma and other lung problems. Breathing the fumes of cleaners containing a high concentration of chlorine can irritate the lungs and burn the eyes. This is especially true for people suffering from heart conditions or chronic respiratory problems such as asthma or emphysema. The risks are compounded when cleaners are used in small, poorly ventilated rooms. Cancer causing, chlorine chemicals found in many household products can be readily absorbed through the skin, so wear rubber gloves.

Chlorine is also a highly corrosive substance capable of damaging the skin, eyes, and other delicate membranes. Remember how your eyes burn after swimming in a highly chlorinated pool of water? Well, now you understand why.

Research shows that pregnant women in their first trimester who drink five or more glasses of chlorinated tap water a day may be at a much higher risk of miscarriage than women who drink non-chlorinated water.

See why learning about chlorine is so important to your health? Knowledge is power. As an educated consumer, you have the awareness to choose what chemicals you and your family will ingest. Unnatural artificial sweeteners containing chlorine may affect your health. Why take the chance?

While cleaning your bathroom, you wouldn't even consider adding some sugar to the bleach and drinking it. So why reach for a diet cola with caustic soda? Good question! Maybe you can use that diet cola to scrub your shower...

First, you don't panic and second, you activate some serious good sense and some nutritional ER!

Prevention is what all human beings must practice daily to avoid any threat to their safety. You change the oil in your car to prevent your engine from burning and cracking, don't you? You rotate your tires regularly to prevent wear and tear on your tires to prevent an unexpected flat, don't you? You balance your bank checking account to prevent bouncing checks, I assume.

So, to prevent catching the flu, take extra supplements to boost your immune system when the threat of a flu outbreak is eminent. Here are some tips that we all should do daily to prevent exposing our bodies to any disease, and don't just practice these health tips in the eleventh hour when a outbreak of a virus or bacteria or pollutant looms near; practice these daily, for the rest of your life to prevent exposure to ALL those nasty bugs that threaten your immune strength!

• Avoid chemicals in your diet. Not only have most food chemicals been proven to cause disease, but also, they offer your body NO NUTRITION. They are NOT nutrient sources, and they wear the body down because your body cannot process them nor use them in any healthy way. THIS breaks down your immune system, and opens the barn door to disease and viruses like the swine flu.
• Eat healthy foods at every meal and snack. This offers your body the tools it needs to stay strong, so when you are exposed to a virus, your body can excrete that toxin before it takes hold of you.
• Maintain a healthy vitamin supplement program, regularly. Back in the 1960s when the quality of food was more natural and processed foods were not as predominant as today, doctors used to say that taking vitamins was a waste of time and money. That belief has gone out of style along with the VW van and big bubble-cut, hair bobs. With the depletion of healthy soils, plus the chemicals added to both farmland and the plants and animals grown on those grasslands, and with the number of fake food chemicals saturating our food supply, human beings need to add natural nutrients into their daily lives through high-quality vitamins and minerals. And this need begins at a very young age. For those that maintain a healthy vitamin and mineral protocol, their immune systems stay strong, and they suffer less colds and flu, and they typically do not fall victim to degenerative diseases, osteoporosis, cancer, or flu epidemics. Do you ever wonder why your neighbor is always sick, but you are not?
• Take an extra antioxidant supplement when pandemic disease is a threat. An extra antioxidant is good to take when your immune system is compromised, at any time. If you smoke, if you have been diagnosed with a degenerative disease, if you have chronic allergies, if you have Candida or any chronic fungal or bacterial issues, or if you want to prevent catching the swine flu, taking an extra antioxidant supplement is a very wise thing to do.
• Increase you vitamin C to bowel tolerance. I have repeatedly written about the critical need of using vitamin C daily for health! Humans do not make their own vitamin C in their liver, like all other animals do. When THEY are exposed to toxins, viruses, and other elements that weaken their immune systems, all other animals produce as much vitamin C as needed to combat the unhealthy invader. So if your cat or dog is exposed to the swine flu, it will kick in its immune system, produce more vitamin C needed to destroy a virulent disease, it will sleep more, eat less, and drink more water to allow its body to win over the toxin. Humans must do the same, but if you are not eating and drinking whole foods to supply you extra vitamin C to prevent catching the flu or a cold, then you MUST supply that through a quality vitamin C supplement from pure ascorbic acid.

How do you know how much extra vitamin C to take? Well, here is your first clue that you need it, especially if you are getting sick: your stools will begin to dry up, and you may become constipated or have difficulty having a complete bowel movement. At this first clue, increase your ascorbic acid by 1,000 mg a day, and you can do this three times a day if needed. When you have a loose stool for 2-3 days in a row, then begin backing down by 1,000 mg daily until you return to your normal bowel routine. This provides your immune system the extra defense mechanism needed to resist and excrete any viruses or other causes of disease.

• Sniff a solution of warm salt-water up your nostrils every night before bed. I was raised in Florida, and a dunk in the ocean can prevent many illnesses from getting into your body through your nose and mouth. When you keep nasty bugs and viruses from entering your body, and keep a pH balance in these cavities, you can prevent many colds and flu. Mix a solution of one-teaspoon sea salt with one-cup warm water. Cup your hand and sniff into one nostril at a time. Then bath your eyes with the salt-water solution, and gargle with the leftovers. You will have to blow your nose shortly afterwards because the solution will come right back out into your handkerchief, but the contagious elements will come out with it. You are blowing OUT of your body what would have GONE IN.
• Keep Lysol^® on hand. Spraying Lysol on door handles, your telephone, on TV remotes, on your computer keyboard and mouse, and on anything that you "touch" is a good way to prevent spreading disease from a contact point into your body.
• Carry baby-wipes with you. Keep a travel pack of baby wipes in your car, briefcase, backpack or purse, and wipe off shopping cart handles, all kind of things in public restrooms, use at school, work, or in public activity centers.

If you do catch the swine flu, immediately activate all the recommendations above to help boost your immune system. Nutritional ER always compliments any medical efforts to remove the virus and restore your heath.

Wishing you healthy swine flu prevention. Now, go take a nap with your cat.

Q: This question is actually for my daughter who is now 13. Since I have always used products with aspartame and Splenda, my children have grown up using them as well. My daughter began experiencing psychiatric symptoms when she first started school. We sought the help of a psychiatrist when she was in 2nd grade when she began showing OCD symptoms and severe anxieties. She took Zoloft for over 6 years, which seemed to help some, but not 100%. By age 11, she had stopped growing/developing and was diagnosed anorexic a year later.

At the advice of a friend, we went to a chiropractor who also treats his patients with vitamins and other natural supplements. She came off the Zoloft and started taking vitamins and other supplements because he indicated that she had a damaged thyroid and a "plugged" pineal gland. She did okay at first, but things got progressively worse. She started suffering from panic attacks and missed 2-3 days of school every week. She didn't sleep and didn't want to eat, and her anxiety levels were higher than ever. We were both frustrated and desperate.

She begged to go back on the Zoloft, but I knew that wasn't the answer, and I didn't want her to take it. One day while talking to the chiropractor about what to try next, he mentioned something about drinking pop. I said she always drinks diet pop. He said she shouldn't have it - "she has thyroid problems and it is bad for her."

After that I started doing my own research on the web and discovered your website and purchased your book right away. After reading it, I was absolutely convinced this was my daughter's problem. We immediately eliminated all food and beverages with Splenda and NutraSweet from her diet (and the house) and her psychiatric symptoms have completely disappeared.

The panic attacks stopped immediately (and she was having them almost daily). Her anxieties are now at a much lower level and do not inhibit her daily life. I suspect they will also disappear as she has now started growing/developing again. She has also been sleeping soundly every night, and has an increased appetite - with no anorexic behaviors.

I cannot thank you enough for getting this information out there and I have told every one I know; including the doctors that have treated my daughter for the anorexia and anxieties.

The only challenges we have now are finding foods that DON'T contain the poison!

I would like to file an official complaint with the FDA but am not sure how to accomplish it. Can you help?

A: Thank you for your email. You have saved your daughter's life! Aspartame is a known toxin, as you are discovering, but those who own the media manipulate the truth, and they are the ones who own these patents and the drugs that result in the side effects these toxins cause. It's a vicious circle of political greed for profit. Strong words, but it's reality. This issue is spinning out of control, and now that so many have been hurt by the diet sweeteners, something may finally be done about it.

We have to help one another in a grassroots movement for now, so continue to do what you can to enlighten others.

I suggest writing President Obama - this may get through the channels with some positive action, as all our attempts to inform the past administrations have failed. My letters were simply sent to the FDA; I even personally delivered my book, Sweet Poison: How The World's Most Popular Artificial Sweetener Is Killing Us - My Story to senior President Bush and wife, Barbara. Sweet Poison probably went into their trash. I never heard back from them.

You can call the FDA or look up their website and inquire about how to register a complaint. Sadly, it will go unnoticed, but you can still document your contact. For now, start locally because this is how we will keep the movement going. Go to the consumers; speak at your child's school, at your church, at your book club and library. This will save lives.

The best in health.

Crystal Lite^® and Soft Contact Lens Solution

Q: I started using aspartame via Crystal Lite. I had never heard of it before and typically, I only drink fresh juices. I wanted something a little sweeter than water one day, and a friend turned me on to it. I have been drinking it for about 2 months now. I started noticing something different going on with my body; we know our bodies better than anyone. My eyes started aching, I wear contacts, and they became gooey and blurry. I haven't had natural tears in almost 2 months, since I started the Crystal Lite. My throat has been aching, I feel so tired, and I have no energy. I feel dizzy and just, all around, blah.

My focus is just not there, anymore, and I have been coughing a lot - a dry cough with phlegm. Not to mention that I have been retaining water, and I am super duper thirsty all the time.

Oh, and I also notice that my body feels hot, hotter than normal, and I've been sweating a lot. Now I thought it might be allergies but I've never had allergies in my life, and I'm 38. This made me remember how awful I felt when I used to eat Ramen Noodles, when I was younger. Back then, I talked to people about how I felt sick a lot, and they said it's probably the MSG. Sure enough I stopped eating Top Ramen, and never had the problem again.

I went online and typed in aspartame and couldn't believe everything that popped up. Now, I stopped drinking Crystal Lite 2 days ago, and I have noticed, so far, that I am not as thirsty with a constant dry mouth, and I am feeling a little more like I used to feel.

Thank you for helping me see the dangers of this awful substance. I will warn everyone that I know.

Best Regards.

A: Thank you for sharing your experience. It is sad, isn't it, that the truth about the dangers of aspartame is being kept away from consumers - proven dangers that the FDA and the corporations have known about since the 1960s.

But you figured this out, and you will now no longer have these health problems. Use saline solution in your eyes to restore the hydration. Pretend you have been swimming in the ocean, and soak your eyes with this healing salt water. It will restore your tears. You can also use the bottled saline solution for soft contacts (even if you do not wear soft contacts, it is perfectly safe to use) or bath your eyes in a warm water flush of 1-teaspoon sea salt to 1-cup warm water.

For now, all any of us can do is spread the word about aspartame to help one another, because it is more than obvious that both our government and the corporations who have made these products, are aware of the dangers of aspartame. With full intent, they have chosen to keep away from the public, the dangerous side of aspartame, and they purposefully lead consumers to believe that aspartame is safe. THIS IS CRIMINAL.

One day, this truth will be exposed; I hope after 20 years of deception that the time draws near.

The best in health.

MS From Too Much Aspartame

Q: Aspartame Consumption: over 10 years;

Health symptoms started after consuming aspartame: Yes;

Diet Products Used: I drink approx six Diet Mtn Dews a day, and have ever since I can remember. The bad thing is that I don't drink anything else except for one cup of coffee in the AM.

Comments: I am 32 yrs old. A neurologist told me approximately two months ago that I had MS. I then went to see a neurologist that specializes in MS. He told me that I have 12-15 lesions on my brain, but that I did not have MS. He told me that there are a lot of things that cause lesions, like smoking, trauma, etc. However, I have read several articles about aspartame, and I am not so sure that this is not what it is. I get dizzy, nauseated, headaches, extreme fatigue, memory issues, etc.

A: When Dr. John Olney from Washington School of Medicine experimented on aspartame in the 1960s, his lab rats developed lesions on their brains from the chemical. His research was published, of course, and his findings taken to the FDA. All that resulted was that the NutraSweet Company (Monsanto Chemical Company, aka GD Searle Pharma) simply paid their own researchers to go into their corporate labs to redo and redo and redo their aspartame research experiments until they had enough rats selected that did not develop lesions. They then presented these results to the FDA, claiming they tested aspartame's safety more than "any other chemical has been tested", and they did not get results of any lesions.

There you have it!

Lesions on any animal's brain are not normal, and something man-made has created this. Let me restate - man-made chemicals cause this because this is just NOW showing up in humans after 20 years of aspartame being introduced into our food supply. Aspartame has been proven to cause brain lesions. If you used the product, and you develop lesions - aspartame either is the sole cause, or one of the causes. BUT IT IS INVOLVED IN YOUR SITUATION, and you have the right to make this statement!

The corps that make this sweet poison are afraid of lawsuits after people find this information out, as they very well should be concerned!

You may or may not be able to restore this damage, but you certainly can prevent any more lesions from forming, and you can stop the ones you have developed from getting worse, simply by removing all aspartame from your diet and getting on a good detox program and nutritional supplement program.

Distilled Water

Q: Hi there. I would just like your opinion on the effects of drinking distilled water on the human body. There are many stories posted on the web these days on both sides of this issue. I was just wondering what your views are?

Thank you for your time and consideration.

A: Good question and one I get now and again. I believe in drinking natural spring water because it has dissolved organic minerals in it, such as natural lithium, sodium, and even organic metals, like aluminum, that we are not getting from most modern foods grown in depleted soils. The body needs these.

Distilled water is stripped of all these minerals, so it is not a source of any vitamin or minerals. For this reason, I suggest using it in your coffee or teapot, cooking with it, and those types of uses. But for drinking, I recommend searching for a quality spring water company and drinking from glass bottles, if possible. I have glass bottles in 5-gallon and smaller drinking bottles from my spring water company, and I wash the smaller bottles and reuse them to save some money.

The best in health,
Janet Hull

Like basil and oregano, stevia is merely an herb.

A small amount of stevia goes a long way; too much is bitter, while a small amount is sweet.

Stevia has been used in South American countries as a sweet tasting herb for over 1,500 years.

Most every country around the world has used stevia as a sweetener for decades.

Stevia is used in other countries to treat gum disease and as a treatment for diabetes.

The Japanese make aspartame, but they have used stevia as their sweetener of choice for over 40 years.

Stevia is 250-300 times sweeter than sugar.

Stevia may improve the function of cells required for insulin production.

Stevia has been proven to regulate blood sugar.

Stevia has been reported to possess anti-viral qualities.

Stevia may actually help prevent dental cavities. Two tests conducted by Purdue University's Dental Science Research Group have concluded that Stevioside (the glycoside in stevia leaves) is both fluoride compatible and "significantly" inhibits the development of plaque.

Stevia has never been shown to cause brain tumors, seizures, blindness, or any of the other 92 adverse reactions associated with aspartame use.

Unlike aspartame, stevia reduces the craving for sweets, making it the ideal sweetener for a society desperate to lose weight.

Stevia contains antiseptic properties, which have proven beneficial in accelerating the healing process of skin wounds.

Blueberry Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

6 oz. pineapple juice
1/4 cup cold-pressed oil of choice
1 egg
1 1/2 tbsps. stevia
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 oz. milk
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 c. rolled oats
1 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Oil muffin pans.
• Soak the oats in the pineapple juice for 10-15 minutes in a small bowl.
• Beat together the oil, egg, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
• Thin the yogurt with the milk and add to the other liquid ingredients. Beat.
• Mix in the soaked oats.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring as little as possible.
• Fold in the blueberries just before the flour is completely blended.
• Spoon the batter into the muffin pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Source: Stevia.com, Wisdom Natural Brands^©

Sour Cream-Vanilla Pancakes

Yield: 4 servings

These are the lightest, fluffiest pancakes imaginable - like eating clouds for breakfast! Ideally, you should separate the eggs ahead of time so that they come to room temperature, but if you forget and want to make this spontaneously with cold, separated eggs, it will work just fine.

4 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour (or whole-wheat flour of choice)
2 packets stevia
1 1/2 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2/3 cup organic sour cream
6 tbsps. organic milk
Nonstick olive oil spray or natural, unsalted butter for the griddle
Toppings of your choice

1. Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in a small bowl and the whites in a large one.
2. Preheat griddle.
3. Combine the flour, stevia, baking powder, vanilla, and salt in a medium-large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat together the sour cream, milk, and egg yolks until smooth. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir until thoroughly combined.
4. Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks, and then slide the beaten whites into the batter. Use a rubber spatula in a circular motion from the bottom of the bowl to fold everything together. The mixture should be fairly - but not perfectly uniform.
5. Spray the hot griddle, and if desired, melt in a little butter. Scoop up large spoonfuls of the fluffy batter and place on the hot griddle. Fry the pancakes on each side for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until light golden brown. (Turn only once or they could become tough.)
6. Serve hot, with topping(s) of your choice.

Source: Stevia.com, Molly Katzen^©

Bayer Aspirin (aspirin)

Contraindications: NSAID allergy, viral infections in children and teenagers, syndrome of asthma, rhinitis, and nasal polyps.

Warnings/Precautions: Increased risk of bleeding with heavy alcohol use (>3 drinks/day). May inhibit platelet function; can adversely affect inherited (hemophilia) or acquired (hepatic disease, vitamin K deficiency) bleeding disorders. Monitor for bleeding and ulceration. Avoid in history of active peptic ulcer, severe renal failure, severe hepatic insufficiency, and sodium restricted diets. Associated with elevated LFTs, BUN, and serum creatine, hyperkalemia, and prolonged bleeding time. Avoid 1 week before and during labor.

Adverse Reactions: Fever, hypothermia, dysrhythmias, hypotension, agitation, cerebral edema, dehydration, dyspepsia, hyperkalemia, GI bleeding, hearing loss, tinnitus, problems in pregnancy.

Tylenol (acetaminophen)

Warnings/Precautions: May cause liver damage.

Interactions: Increased risk of hepatotoxicity with excessive alcohol use (>3 drinks/day).

Pregnancy: Safety in pregnancy or nursing not known.

Advil Migraine (ibuprofen)

Warnings/Precautions: May cause severe allergic reaction (e.g.. facial swelling, hives, asthma, shock).

Interactions: Risk of stomach bleeding with alcohol.

Pregnancy: Safety in pregnancy and nursing not known.

Excedrin Migraine (acetaminophen-caffeine -aspirin)

Warnings/Precautions: Children and teenagers should not use for viral illnesses. APAP and ASA may cause liver damage and GI bleeding.

Interactions: Limit caffeine containing medications, foods, or beverages. Caution with alcohol.

Pregnancy: Safety in pregnancy and nursing not known.

Reference: PDR, Monthly Prescribing Guide, October 2008. http://www.PDR.net

Our articles this month are:
Bad To The Bone;
100+ Years;
Mimi's Memos; and
Big Pharma Side Effects.

We have some tasty recipes that are not only healthy for you, but are quick and easy:
Broccoli-Spaghetti Au Gratin and Orange Date Bread.

This month's newsletter is a special edition in memory of our Mimi, who passed away this time last year. I have articles, recipes, and a neat idea to share that my sister created to keep all of our memories "alive." It's possible to age with grace and health, you know, and good nutrition can prevent unnecessary disease and illness. There are numerous people around the world living healthy and happy lives in their 100s.

This month will will make our 1,000th sale for this year, and to thank everyone for all your support, we will give the 1,000th sale away FREE - that could be a hair analysis, a Splenda book, a pH Test Kit, or vitamins... who knows, but we'll soon find out...