The China Study

The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health by T. Colin Campbell

My review

This was an interesting book. I enjoyed reading about the author's personal research, but the sections where he started citing other people's studies as further evidence of his conclusions felt like propaganda. He later details how and why this information hasn't gotten more public attention. That's where I stopped reading.



On the one hand, I understand his position: he feels like there are a whole slew of corporations and advertisers presenting food propaganda that supports the typical American diet and probably is contributing to the American health crisis. However, I'm not sure that the best way to react is with counter-propaganda.



Anyway, the basic conclusions of Dr. Campbell's research is that a whole-foods, plant-based diet is the healthiest way to eat. He asserts (and uses his own research to back the assertion) that nutrition affects cancer; specifically higher amounts of animal protein correlate to higher rates of cancer.



It definitely got me thinking...


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Sinus update

Since I last wrote about my sinus woes, I had two more infections. I took a course of antibiotics (15 day), then three days after I finished, I got another infections. I had an appointment already scheduled with a naturepath, and I was very interested in what he thought. He said he thought my infections were fungal, not bacterial, since the antibiotics would have still been in my system. He gave me an antifungal nasal spray, and I haven't had any troubles since then, knock on wood!

Immunity-boosting help, please

Okay, so one of my main motivations for starting this blog in the first place was that I get sick a lot. Nothing too terrible, just obnoxious sinus infections and their side effects (it moves to my lungs and gives me a bad sore throat on the way).

Since September (I'm going back to there, since the move created a marker by which to gage time better) I've had to take antibiotics twice (once for sinus infection, once for ear infection), and I've been sick more days than not. Each month has brought its own onset of sinus fun, and each bout takes me about 10-15 days to get over. October and December delivered twice the fun.

So, HELP! What can I do to stay healthy?!?!? I've been taking pro-biotics (though not religiously), and used cranberry pills once I get an infection (plus neti pot, musinex, decongestant, etc.), but does anyone know how I can avoid the problem in the first place? A few years back (pre-kids) I had some extensive allergy testing, plus a visit to the ENT (complete with CAT scan), and all they told me was that I have "non-allergic rhinitis." Yea, thanks for that. In plain English--an infection in the nose that is not produced by a histamine response to a known allergen. I've pretty much given up on traditional medicine helping me prevent the problem (that's not really their specialty), though I'm not opposed to trying meds.

Any suggestions?

Sincerely,

Desperately Congested

Ice Cream Therapy

I knew my goal of eating less refined sugar would be the hardest for me; I just didn't realize the scope of my sugar addiction. I use sugar for many things: yesterday I used the cookies for a little energy boost to help me make it through bedtime routines, etc. Today I used ice cream as an anti-depressant. I have a long history of choosing Rocky Road instead of Prozac. I first remember being aware of using ice cream to alter my mood in college. I would get stressed out and ready to collapse, so I would go running and eat a pint of Phish Food (not all in one sitting, but pretty close) and feel like I could handle anything.

Today I ended up stuck in the house most of the day--I didn't have access to a car today, and the weather was way too hot to walk anywhere after 8:00 a.m. In fact, I went on a short walk with the kids at 9:30 and returned home drenched in sweat. My husband came home from work and started working on wiring something for his car. Suddenly, I felt stir crazy and depressed. I had the urge to sprint out of the house and run, but it was still too hot, and my jog stroller has a fast leak in one tire. So, I left my husband in charge of the baby and headed to Baskin Robbins with my daughter. I felt sanity return to me after the first chocolatey lick.

So, I think in order to successfully meet my sugar goal I'm going to have to get regular exercise. Our lives are pretty packed with obligations, but I'm going to have to find something that works. Just walking around the neighborhood isn't cutting it. I need those endorphins, baby! Any ideas?