Am I an Emotional Overeater?

I saw Dr. Daniel Amen on PBS and went to his website and found the free questionnaire. The results are based on my stating that I have frequent fatigue and feel worse in the winter.

Automated suggestions were provided for me including taking vitamin D and these:

The following behavioral changes may boost mood to help SAD or emotional overeaters:

1. Exercise to increase blood flow and multiple neurotransmitters in the brain.


2. Kill the ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) that steal your happiness.


3. Write down five things you are grateful for everyday (this has been shown to increase your level of happiness in just three weeks).


4. Volunteer to help others, which helps to get you outside of yourself and less focused on your own internal problems.


5. Surround yourself with great smells, such as lavender.


6. Try melatonin to help you sleep.


7. Work to improve your relationships.

See Type 4: SAD or Emotional Overeaters Plan – Amen Clinics

Study Links Heptachlor, PCBs and Form of Vitamin E to Diabetes

"An analysis of 266 potential environmental contributors to type 2 diabetes published May 20, 2010 in the online edition of the journal PLoS ONE, links the disease to individuals who have higher levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the pesticide heptachlor, as well a form of vitamin E found at high levels in soybean and corn oil, in their bodies compared to the general population. PCB was banned in 1979 and most uses of heptachlor were canceled between 1978 and 1989 (except for limited control of fire ants, which continues), but the compounds persist in the environment, especially near former industrial sites or contaminated soil. Environmentalists point to the fact that chemicals banned decades ago are still increasing people’s risk of disease, as a reason to take a precautionary approach when evaluating and registering chemicals.

The analysis, led by Atul Butte, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medical informatics and pediatrics at the Stanford University School of Medicine, drew on data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to examine a wide range of environmental influences on type 2 diabetes."

Read Study Links Heptachlor, PCBs and Form of Vitamin E to Diabetes

Cancer Prevention - Exposing the Nonprofits

A recent article in the New York Times mentioned some of the shocking points you'll find on the Cancer Prevention Coalition's website. Some of the big "not-for-profit" organizations that are supposedly fighting cancer are actually in bed with the industries that contribute to the increase in cancer!

Be sure to browse the site to learn more about cancer and how the ACS has actually opposed measures to reduce the risk of cancer.

Diatomaceous Earth

I've used diatomaceous earth as a barrier against bugs, but when I found out some folks I know are taking a special grade of it as a supplement, I was surprised. The only information I can find on it is from companies that sell it (like EarthworksHealth) plus one scientific study that says it can lower high blood pressure. My holistically-inclined physician found the information and says it cannot recommend it at this time.

The active ingredient appears to be silica. A traditional supplement for silica is the herb horsetail, but silica is also found in many vegetables.

On the other hand, food grade diatomaceous earth has been used in animal feed for a long time. It sounds like it is safe to put in pet food to control parasites. Just be sure to use "food grade" instead of the kind you put on your lawn.

See Silica/Silicon on Diagnose-Me or Silicon on WebMD