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Breast cancer kills women. In fact, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Lung cancer is number one.

It is estimated that 211,240 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. 40,410 have since died from the disease. These deaths should not have occurred. There is a potentially fatal flaw in our medical profession?s diagnostic procedure.

Could mammograms cause cancer?

The standard method for early cancer detection is mammography. A mammogram is a procedure during which an X-ray picture of the breast is taken that can reveal tumor growths that may be otherwise undetectable. Like all x-rays, mammograms utilize doses of ionizing radiation to create this image. The image is then analyzed for any abnormal growths. Mammography is now receiving sizable opposition because of high error rates and high radiation levels involved in the procedure.

The rate of false positives and false negatives is alarming. 70 to 80 percent of all positive mammograms do not show any presence of cancer upon biopsy. Additionally, mammograms have a high rate of missed tumors (false negatives). In the book The Politics of Cancer, Dr. Samuel S. Epstein claims that in women ages 40 to 49, 25% have their cancer missed by mammography.

Many women depend on an annual mammogram to diagnose breast cancer. Recent studies show, however, that an annual mammogram may actually increase your risk of developing breast cancer from 1 to 3 percent. This is because the breast is one of the parts of the body most sensitive to radiation exposure. It is second only to fetal tissue.

In addition, by the age of 50 approximately 45 percent of women will have cancer cells present in their breasts. These cells remain dormant in most women. However, if you are in this group of women, you are at an increased risk of these cells becoming active.

Research has uncovered a gene, called oncogene AC that is highly sensitive to even small doses of radiation. A significant percentage of women have this gene and this could increase their risk of mammography-induced cancer.

Since mammograms were introduced, the occurrence of a form of breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has increased by over 300 percent. Two hundred percent of this increase is thought to be due to mammography.

Mammography may also contribute to the spread of existing cancer cells due to the enormous pressure placed on the woman’s breast during the procedure. According to some physicians, this compression may even cause existing cancer cells to metastasize from the affected breast tissue.

Russell L. Blaylock, MD, estimates that annual radiological breast exams increase the risk of breast cancer by two percent a year. Over a 10 year period the risk will have increased by 20 percent.
Another estimation is that one rad increases the breast cancer risk by one percent and is the equivalent of one year’s natural aging. Hence, if a woman has yearly mammograms from age 55 to age 75, she will receive at least 20 rads of radiation.

The mainstream medical establishment is largely ignoring safe and effective alternatives to mammography.

One such option is digital mammography. This is a mammogram in which x-ray film is replaced by solid-state detectors that convert x-rays into electric signals. Though radiation is still used, this kind of digital mammography requires a much smaller amount. The electrical signals are used to create images that can be electronically manipulated. A physician can enhance, magnify and optimize different parts of the breast tissue digital image without having to take an additional image.

Mammography will extend at the most 2 lives for every 10,000 women put at risk. All to the benefit of physicians, the American Cancer Society, various bureaucrats, and other parties who continue to profit off the huge, highly efficient mammography deceit ? while safe alternatives exist!

Look Of The Year is looking for people to send in their best pictures! Don’t miss this chance to be the next model working in cities like Paris, New York or Milan. Join Look of the Year today and start an exciting new life with other beautiful people from all over the world.

Go to http://www.lookoftheyear.com for more information.

Making money with your blog…cool idea, eh? There are lots of sites on the internet these days that will provide you with business for your blog. A new one that I am trying out is Bloggerwave. Getting my blog approved was quick - actually a matter of hours between signing up and now writing my first post. That’s a fast turn-around. I’m looking forward to writing lots more for Bloggerwave!

Additional Tips for Natural Make-over

1. Something that can have a dramatic improvement on your appearance in only a matter of days is fasting. When you fast your body redirects its energies from digestion to detoxification. If fasting isn’t for you, maybe you could opt for a cleanse that is either milder or stronger.

There are several kinds of fasting: water fast, lemonade fast (or the master cleanse), mono-meal fast, juice fast, and the juice feast. The difference between the juice fast and the juice feast is the amount of juices you consume. Whichever fasting program you choose has to be 100% raw.

2. Accelerate your body’s make-over by detoxifying your mind. True beauty comes from the inside out. It emerges from proper thinking, as well as proper nutrition, and exercise. Negative thoughts and emotions poison your system.

3. Choose a low-sugar and low-sodium diet. Pass on the highly-processed foods and refined sugars. Foods with high glycemic indices promote insulin secretion. High levels of insulin lead to premature aging. A high-sodium diet causes weight gain, cellulite, dark eye circles, and water retention.

4. Improve your circulation by exercising daily. You might also include massage and/or acupressure. These will improve both blood flow and lymphatic drainage. Stimulating the lymphatic system will encourage metabolic wastes and toxins trapped in the lymphatic fluid to more easily move to the bloodstream thus allowing them to be eliminated.

5. Work up a sweat by exercising or by going to a sauna for a pampering treatment.

6. Avoid deep-fried food. Plant oils subjected to high temperature get oxidized. Oxidized fats in your body cause free radicals to multiply. Barbecued, charred, and broiled food will also increase the free radical activity in the body.

7. Minimize your consumption of meat. Raw or cooked, animal flesh is acidifying and this leads to accelerated aging. Raw animal flesh contains parasites, and cooked meat encourages the growth of worms in the intestines. Don’t smoke. Smoking will give you dark lips, wrinkles, a sallow complexion, and dark eye circles.

9 Learn to relax. Physical stress and lack of sleep force the body to work much harder and disrupt hormonal activities. Weight gain, hair loss, wrinkles, gray hair, oily skin, dark eye circles, dandruff, acne, dry skin, eye bags, and a haggard appearance are all symptoms of being stressed out. Fight stress by exercising, deep breathing, and a healthy diet.

10. Control your alcohol intake. Liquor is hard on the liver. Red wine may be considered raw and may have a lot of antioxidants, but is still alcohol and still has to pass through the liver.

11. Drink plenty of water. Water not only helps flush out toxins and helps promote weigh loss but it is also necessary for all the nutrients to do what they’re supposed to.? Water hydrates tissue and cells. It fights off cellulite, dry skin, constipation, and edema.

12. Get an aloe vera plant. Aloe vera is a wonder plant that can heal wounds, burns, infections, and lacerations. It contains approximately 200 phytonutrients as well as vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, and essential fats.

13. Coffee reportedly causes wrinkles in spite of all its publicity as a high-antioxidant drink. Coffee beans are roasted even before you brew them in your cup with hot water. This means that coffee has a greatly-reduced antioxidant capacity.

14. Go natural as often as you can. Toxins from creams, lotions, make-up, perfume, shampoo, and soap will convert into free radicals once they have entered the bloodstream. Anything carcinogenic will lead to free radical damage.

Beauty is everyone’s birthright. The raw food philosophy teaches that beauty is everyone’s privilege. Anyone can attain outstanding health by eating more raw food and by instituting positive lifestyle changes. If you really think about it, health, happiness, and beauty are inseparable.

Enjoy the journey!

If you are at all acquainted with promoting a website, then you know the importance of text links. In fact, you might say that quality text links are imperative to the success of a website. How to get them, though? Ah…therein lies the rub.

Well, as you seek to promote your website through Search Engine Optimization (SEO), the bottom line is that you must find text links, and the general consensus is that edu links are the highest quality links for a link-building campaign.

There are lots of places out there that will promise you great things and have confusing packages that you need to spend a great deal of time researching. Be sure to place edutextlink.com at the top of your list, though, because doing so could very well shorten your research phase by quite a bit.

They place incoming text links as organically and naturally as possible. This allows strategically written pages with keywords links and they are placed on trusted authority.edu sites over a period of time. Using this company will give you SEO experts who will handle the whole process from start to finish. All you need to do is give them your URL and keywords and they do the rest.

They use core domain PRs of mostly 8s. They guarantee that your pages will be professionally written with the text links you choose and fully indexed by the search engines. They even go so far as to guarantee that your pages will remain listed for at least one year.

If I had the money to throw at this, I would definitely do it. This looks to be a really great package for website promotion.

One of the worst enemies to our human body is something called free radicals. These are produced in the body because environmental toxins, additives, pesticides, and foods cooked at high temperatures. Free radical damage is systemic and it works its way from the inside out. It will accelerate aging resulting in wrinkles.

Antioxidants are compounds that can arrest and reverse the damage free radicals wreak in the body. In addition to faster aging, serious diseases like cancer are a very common result. Free radicals get inactivated through the large amounts of antioxidants contained in raw fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants combat free radicals that deteriorate collagen and elastin, the fibrous materials that support skin structure. This makes skin firmer, smoother, and softer.

Phytochemicals are natural compounds found in plant foods. They work with other nutrients and fibers found in fruits and vegetables to fight deadly diseases and slow down aging. More than 900 phytochemicals have been identified. Generally, the brighter the color of the fruit or vegetable, the more phytochemicals and nutrients it contains. Phytochemicals have been associated with antioxidants and so they also protect us from disease.

Amino acids (the building blocks of protein) are necessary for repair and formation of new cells, tissue, skin, hair, teeth, and bones.

This is a list of nutrients needed to build a healthier, better-looking body:

Glutathione is absolutely the most powerful antioxidant that can be produced by the human body. It detoxifies harmful substances so that they can be eliminated through the bile. This antioxidant has gotten its popularity from its scientifically-proven properties for reversing aging. Animal flesh contains the highest concentration of Glutathione but the problem is that you’d have to consume it raw since glutathione is an antioxidant enzyme. There are other natural raw sources of this amino acid. Spinach, broccoli, walnuts, tomatoes, carrots, grapefruit, asparagus, garlic, avocado, purslane, squash, okra, walnuts, potatoes, and apples are good sources. Glutamine, cystine, glutamic acid, and glycine are also needed by the liver to make satisfactory levels of glutathione. You could also take glutathione supplements.

Superoxide dismutase is an anti-aging enzyme that scours the body looking for free radicals. SOD can be found in broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and most green vegetables, as well as in superfoods such as barley grass and wheat grass.

Catalase is another antioxidant enzyme that is needed by the body to control radical activities. Leeks, onion, broccoli, bananas, parsnip, zucchini, spinach, carrots, radish, cucumbers, cherries, red cabbage, apricot, and cherries are good sources of catalase.

Coenzyme Q10 is a potent anti-aging nutrient which plays an important role in tissue oxygenation. Eat spinach, peanuts, and fish to give your body lots of this nutrient.

Vitamin A is an antioxidant vitamin that regulates oil balance in the skin and also helps prevent and treat acne, psoriasis, and eczema. It is necessary for new cell growth and helps lessen wrinkles. It is found in carrots, egg yolks, dark leafy greens, parsley, arugula, mangoes, watermelon, nettle leaves, watercress, and sweet potatoes.

Vitamin B7 (biotin) is the foundation of healthy skin, hair, and nail cells. Biotin is found in nuts, soybeans, egg yolks, swiss chard, fish, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, cabbage, onion, almonds, cucumber, cauliflower, and carrots.

Vitamin C is needed by the body to maintain healthy skin, bones, teeth, and gums. This vitamin is necessary for replacement and generation of tissue. The best food sources of this antioxidant are citrus fruits, acerola berries, strawberries, rosehips, broccoli, and parsley.

Vitamin D provides for the assimilation of calcium and magnesium for healthy bones and teeth. Very few foods contain adequate amounts of this vitamin so exposure to sunlight is necessary to help the body create its own vitamin D. Mushrooms, salmon, and cod are some food sources of this vitamin.

Vitamin E has been known to smooth fine lines on the face, repair connective tissue, and increase your skin’s protection against sun damage. Food sources of this antioxidant are goji berries, nuts, berries, green leafy vegetables, egg yolks, wheat germ, soy, and oils like olive oil.

Calcium is necessary to maintain healthy bones and teeth. Spinach, broccoli, kale, lima beans, apples, bananas, oranges, blackberries, kiwifruit, tomatoes, sardines, dairy, peas, soy products, salmon, seaweed, artichoke, kale, avocado, peanuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, cashew, pistachio, sunflower seeds, strawberries, lemons, and grapes all have good amounts of calcium.

Copper works with zinc and vitamin C to produce elastin. Kiwifruit, apples, lima beans, artichoke, avocado, broccoli, bananas, carrots, cauliflower, cantaloupe, grapes, and cucumber all contain copper.

Magnesium is necessary for producing new cells and for healthy bones and teeth. Sources of this mineral are raw cacao, kelp, kiwi, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, avocado, summer squash, artichoke, spinach, broccoli, sweet potato, Brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, almonds, corn, potatoes, peas, kale, and cashews.

Phosphorous promotes healthy teeth and bones and is also necessary for the acid-alkaline balance in the body. Kiwi, tomatoes, blackberries, asparagus, mushrooms, lima beans, bananas, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, peanuts, walnuts, potatoes, kale, avocado, artichoke, lime, cantaloupe, strawberries, and oranges all contain phosphorus.

Silicon increases bone, skin, hair, and nail strength. It improves wrinkles, skin thickness, skeletal health, and teeth formation. Foods high in silicon are bell pepper, cucumber (with skin), spinach, tomatoes, apples, strawberries, oranges, beets, carrots, radish, romaine lettuce, burdock root, and marjoram.

Sulfur is required by the body for collagen production and maintenance of healthy skin, hair, and nails. Sulfur can be found in broccoli, kale, pumpkin seeds, asparagus, garlic, onion, watercress, and red peppers.

Selenium enables the body to efficiently use oxygen. Brazil nuts, mushrooms, onion, garlic, asparagus, tomatoes, broccoli, whole grains, parsley, blackstrap molasses, wheat germ, sesame seeds, poultry, fish and eggs are very high in selenium.

Zinc maintains and builds healthy collagen, assists in wound healing, and prevents the formation of stretch marks. Zinc sources are pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, nuts, parsley, wheat germ, oatmeal, and eggs.

Essential fatty acids prevent skin dryness and inflammation and the formation of white heads and black heads. The body needs EFAs but can’t manufacture it so it is important to get your omega fatty acids from food. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in flaxseed, flax oil, safflower oil, evening primrose oil, and cold-water fish such as mackerel, sardines, and salmon. Omega 6 fats can be found in sunflower seeds and oil, olives and olive oil, safflower and soybean oil. If you have dry, flaky skin that is a sign of EFA deficiency.

Chlorophyll is blood builder and purifier. This phytochemical produces an unfavorable environment for bad bacteria. It draws out toxins stored in cells and tissue and dumps them into the bloodstream for elimination. Chlorophyll is also very alkalinizing. Eating green leafy vegetables and seaweeds to make sure you have enough Chlorophyll.
Carotenoids such as beta-carotene are pigments responsible for the colors of many orange, yellow, red, and green fruits and vegetables. Carotenoids slow down the aging process. Get your beta-carotene from orange and golden-colored fruits and vegetables such as mangoes, papaya, apricots, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and the superfood goji berry. Green vegetables such as spinach, kale, and broccoli are also good sources of beta-carotene.

Alpha-lipoic acid increases the power of other antioxidants such as vitamins C and E. This antioxidant is present in peas, swiss chard, collards, broccoli, spinach, and tomatoes.

Alanine is an amino acid that aids in the development of skin, hair, and scalp. Alanine speeds up wound healing. Alanine is found in apples, avocado, almonds, olives, and cucumber.

Arginine aids in the healing and repair of skin and connective tissue. It facilitates weight loss by helping your body increase muscle mass. Sources of this amino acid are cacao, carob, hemp seeds, celery, coconut, peanuts, wheat germ, soy, dairy, walnuts, almonds, cucumber, sunflower seeds, beets, and oats.

Aspartic acid helps build healthy bones and teeth. It is found in almonds, grapefruit, hemp seeds, lemon, sprouts, cucumber, and apples.

Cystine contains sulfur, a mineral that helps build strong nails, healthy skin and hair. It promotes skin elasticity and assists in the production of collagen. This amino acid destroys free radicals and binds to heavy metals so that they can be safely eliminated from the body. Poultry, egg yolks, red peppers, apples, yogurt, alfalfa, garlic, onion, hazel nuts, broccoli, brussels sprouts, oats, wheat germ, and cucumber all contain cystine.

Glutamine plays the biggest role in the body’s metabolic processes among all the other amino acids. It is no coincidence that glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body. Glutamine prevents muscle loss. Glutamine food sources include spinach, beans, parsley, dairy products, and fish.

Glycine is needed by the body to build proteins and other amino acids, repair damaged tissue, and accelerate healing processes. Glycine is in fish, dairy, almonds, okra, figs, raspberries, lemon, oranges, and beans.

Lysine aids in building muscle mass, tissue repair, and collagen formation. Symptoms of lysine deficiency include hair loss, bloodshot eyes, and retarded growth. Eat lima beans, dairy products, fish, potatoes, yeast, soy products, and eggs to increase your lysine levels.

Methionine is an essential amino acid that contains a high amount of sulfur. This amino acid is vital in collagen formation and in building strong hair. Methionine is also a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals and detoxifies the body from heavy metals. Get methionine by eating more garlic, dairy, onions, fish, soybeans, lentils, and other seeds.

Proline helps in the breakdown of fats. Coconut, avocado, almonds, olives, and cucumber are sources of proline.

Phenylalanine helps the body get rid of waste matter. Cacao, tomatoes, pineapple, cucumber, apples, carrots, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy, nuts, millet, sweet potatoes, avocado, spinach, corn, millet, green peas, chards, and potatoes are phenylalanine-rich foods.

Serine is needed for muscle growth. Eat pineapple, papaya, apples, cucumber, and radishes for serine.

Tryptophan helps the body generate new cells and tissue. Get more tryptophan from peanuts, soy, dairy, celery, beets, fennel, carrots, spring beans, fish, eggs, and oats.

Threonine is also an essential amino acid that plays an important part in the formation of collagen, muscle tissue, and elastin. Soy, chickpeas, lentils, wheat germ, fish, egg yolks, flaxseed, and peanuts are high in threonine.

Tyrosine affects hair color, tissue, and cell growth. Apricots, cucumbers, bananas, lima beans, pumpkin seeds, almonds, green pepper, strawberries, fish, oats, avocado, and sesame seeds contain tyrosine.

Valine is an essential amino acid that is needed by the body for proper muscle metabolism and tissue repair. Valine is found in mushrooms, dairy, peanuts, soy, and grains.

Tomorrow: We conclude with some tips for a successful natural make over!

Have you heard about Vitamin B12? It is gaining a lot of popularity as a safe, effective way to boost your energy level and your general sense of well being. There are many high profile people out there right now singing the praises of Vitamin B12. It is currently gaining a lot of popularity.

A low B12 level can contribute to various blood and metabolic problems, as well as other maladies. This is particularly true for breastfeeding mothers and diabetics, as well as folks who have undergone gastric bypass surgery. Many vegetarians may not be getting adequate amounts of B12 either. Low B12 can also lead to sleeping problems, and it can impair mental functioning in the elderly.

B12 can be utilized to treat a low sperm count, tinnitus (ringing in ears), AIDS, asthma, and multiple sclerosis.

Those are the good things about B12. The drawback up to now, is that it must be administered by injection. How about a painless alternative?

Get your sublingual B12 here.

Sublingual B12 is a safe, affordable and painless B12 alternative. Trivita has sold over 10 million boxes of Sublingual B12 because this effective form of B12 works.

Advances in research are revealing natural solutions that could help one look better without drugs and artificial procedures. One can tremendously improve their appearance by becoming healthy by way of a powerful cleansing diet. If a radical change without surgery is your goal, then this diet is for you. The health benefits of this diet will make you feel great and you’ll start looking it too.

Beauty is relative because it’s in the eye of the beholder. There are certain outward manifestations of it, however. Regardless of heredity, sex, age, or ethnicity, you can have rosy cheeks and lips, clear, sparkling eyes, strong, healthy hair, fresh, glowing skin, strong bones and teeth, and a well-developed physique. New research has revealed that one kind of diet can help you attain the best of health and the best of appearances.

The raw food diet

In addition to achieving excellent health you can also enhance your physical features through the raw diet. Some even claim that this diet changed their eye color and helped them lose stubborn fat, warts, and cellulite. Some eliminated acne, others found their hair growing back and gray hair disappearing. All have been told that they look younger than their actual age.

Current belief is that cooking causes a big drop in a food’s nutritional content. Heating food beyond 118 degrees Fahrenheit kills off all the enzymes and decreases the amount of vitamins and minerals originally present. The goal needs to be to get the maximum amount of nutrients you could possibly get from any kind of food. Eating raw food is the obvious solution to this.

Another option is to take an all-natural intestinal cleanse that would kill off the free-loading parasites in your gut. Increasing the good bacteria through probiotic supplementation and consumption of unpasteurized fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, fermented seed and nut cheeses, miso, and natto is another good thing. Eating foods such as cayenne, ginger, garlic, onion, pineapple, cold-pressed coconut oil, pumpkin seeds, fresh aloe vera gel, and sesame seeds will also help eliminate parasites, bacteria, and viruses.

Weight loss takes place when your body starts getting rid of old wastes. The digestive tract alone could be carrying around nine pounds of retained toxic matter! A lot of obese and overweight people have finally found success controlling their weight without starvation through raw food. People struggling to lose weight are often very happy on the raw food diet because it helps them lose weight quickly. It also helps people overcome food cravings and addictions because of the detox process.

Tomorrow Part 2 - Necessary Nutrients for the New You

Having a couple of high schoolers who are eager to do some traveling makes for some interesting conversations around the dinner table. One of my sons is interested in finding out about Canada student travel. The other wants to go to Europe and Australia.

Hemisphere Travel is one travel agency that has been recommended to us as a leading student travel tour agency that has a great selection of both international and US tour packages.

An educational student tour would be a really great way to see the world and have a safe, secure experience. We’ll definitely be looking into this more over the next several months.

Banana Plantations are one of the worst crops for our environment’s health.

Massive amounts of rain forest are cut down to create plantations and workers spray tons of herbicides and pesticides to keep weeds, fungi, and pests away from the fragile banana plants.

In 1989 Costa Rica’s EARTH University acquired lands that included a large banana plantation and the school’s consultants told officials to ditch the farm.

So, the innovative agricultural school decided to grow a banana that’s better for the planet.

Today EARTH’s 600-acre farm is the oldest working banana plantation in Costa Rica and sells its wares exclusively to the Whole Foods Market chain.

Banana sales provide 7 percent of the university’s revenue and helps to pay tuition for the students who come from poor backgrounds.

The green practices implemented at the school are now reshaping the global banana industry.

EARTH has introduced a more environmentally friendly way of producing bananas.

Most of the world’s bananas are grown in Central and South America. Now sales from Costa Rica are also rising steadily.

Last year the Central American country exported more than 113 million boxes of bananas. EARTH grows a fraction of that total and ships about half a million boxes of bananas to Whole Foods each year. The green measures engineered at the school are now being adopted by other growers.

Standard banana plantations tie plastic bags around developing bunches to protect the fruit from scarring and to keep out pests.

Discarded, pesticide-covered bags often wind up clogging rivers and watersheds. EARTH began a plastic-bag recycling program.

Today almost all banana growers in Costa Rica have adopted bag-recycling programs. The Dole Food Company, one of the largest banana producers in the country, recycles about 1,900 tons of plastic each year. Dole recently signed an agreement with the Costa Rican government to produce a carbon-neutral supply chain for bananas and pineapples.

The school is also now working on producing completely organic bananas .

A major challenge is black sigatoka which is an airborne fungus that shrinks the fruit and will eventually kill the plant. At this time only powerful fungicides can fully control the disease. Radopholus similes is another serious threat for banana growers. The organism attacks the roots of banana plants.

EARTH’s organic farmers developed fertilizers that include benign bacteria, yeasts, and fungi that crowd out nematodes and minimize disease. Approximately 40 percent of banana-growing areas in Central and South America and even Asia are now using the techniques developed by Earth.

Not only are there serious environmental consequences, but using pesticides and herbicides is a danger to plantation laborers who are suffering from sterility, cancers, and other conditions after years of exposure.

The overall goal for the banana-producing business should be achieving sustainability. This means not just reducing chemical use but also having good wages and working conditions for the employees.