Happy Eearth Day!

Today is Earth Day. A day we set aside to consciously consider the things we do every day that may impact our future and our children's future. This week we also participated in "No TV Week" which really means "no screens", no TV or video games. It is a great exercise we do every year. I look forward to the opportunity to "detox" my children from their DS, XBox and occasional movie. We have had some interesting weather this week and one morning I had the news on to find out the weather forecast and my youngest son was worried that he was "cheating" by having it on in the background at breakfast. I assured him it was OK to check the weather. I think we connected more as a family, my children pulled toys out that they had almost forgot about and played with friends... really played using their imaginations. It is a great way to reconnect with simple things and realize what is important. I think Earth Day is an important reminder to recycle, reduce chemicals in our homes by choosing safe non-toxic options and enjoy nature; however, I also think it is an opportunity to appreciate simple fun things we can do as a family.

If you are looking for something to do tomorrow. Please come visit me at Earth Day Indiana in Indianapolis. It is the annual festival at White River State Park and runs from 11 am to 4 pm. There will be over 130 environmental and conservation exhibits, a children's area, music and food. We have covered tents so don't let a few raindrops get in the way. Come out and share a fun day and please make sure you stop by and say hello!

Harbour Walk for Hunger - Saturday, April 16th

HARBOUR WALK - This SATURDAY, APRIL 16th
Walk for Hunger!!

5K & 10K through South Harbour Subdivision in Noblesville, Indiana
Go to www.getmeregistered.com/harbourwalk to register NOW!!
This is the FIRST ANNUAL walk with all proceeds to benefit Meals on Wheels of Hamilton County and Food Rescue. Pre-register at the link above. All entry fees are donations to these local organizations!!

Location: Noblesville Athletic Club, 411 South Harbour Drive, Noblesville, IN 46062
At the entrance of South Harbour Neighborhood. NAC Phone: 317-776-0222
Parking: Parking will be provided next door to NAC
Entry Fees: $20.00/person or $40.00/family
Packet Pick-up: Pick up your packets at check-in between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m.
REGISTER ONLINE AT: www.getmeregistered.com/harbourwalk

Come out and support local non-profit organizations and give back to our local community. Don't forget to find me and say hello...I will be handing out Shaklee Performance for all the participants.

Bad news about Statins

I want to share an email I received from Dr. Chaney, a respected professer and researcher.

As we begin Heart Health month it is perhaps fitting to turn our attention to the latest news about every cardiologist's favorite heart drug - statins.

And the latest news about statins isn't good.

A recent Cochrane Systemic Review of statins, released January 19th, 2011, stated that there was not enough scientific evidence to recommend the use of statins in people with no previous history of heart disease.

They concluded by saying: "Caution should be taken in prescribing statins for primary prevention among people at low cardiovascular risk".

To help you understand the significance of that conclusion, let me give you a bit of background.

First you need to understand that the Cochrane Collaboration is an independent, non-profit organization that carefully reviews the scientific evidence behind medical treatments and proposed medical treatments.

Cochrane Reviews are considered the "Holy Grail" of evidence-based medicine (ie. medicine based on the best scientific evidence rather than what the pharmaceutical companies would have you believe).

So when a Cochrane Review concludes that there isn't enough evidence to recommend use of statins in patients with no prior history of heart disease that is pretty big news in the medical world.

And it is big news because it goes against current practice. As I have mentioned in the past, many of my cardiologist colleagues are so convinced of the value of statin drugs in preventing heart disease that they have, only half jokingly, said that statins should just be put in the water supply.

In today's world statin drugs are almost always prescribed for people with elevated cholesterol - and for many people who don't even have elevated cholesterol.

It will be very interesting to see the extent to which this pattern changes in the years to come.

However, I should make two important points in closing.

1) The evidence is quite strong that statin drugs do save lives when used by people who already have heart disease.

2) The Cochrane Review also stated that there are a number of factors that need to be considered in evaluating individual patients for statin use.

Simply put, that means that it is not as simple as saying that everyone with no previous history of heart disease should not be on statin drugs.

So if you are currently taking statin drugs and you have no previous history of heart disease, you may want to discuss with your physician whether the Cochrane Review of statin drugs changes their opinion of whether use of those drugs is still warranted for you.

But you do need to understand that only your physician is trained to take into account all of the factors that increase your risk of heart disease, and the best therapeutic approach for reducing your risk of heart attack.

To Your Health!
Dr. Stephen G Chaney

February - Heart Health Month

Celebrate Heart Health Month

American Heart Month is our nation’s annual reminder to take care of the most important and perhaps most neglected organ in the human body. A heart-healthy diet and lifestyle should be a year-round, life-long effort, this month, next month and always. And it's not too late to start taking better care of our hearts, or helping someone else do the same.

Although we can’t change some risk factors, such as age and heredity, many factors—including cholesterol, blood pressure, obesity, and inactivity—can be modified, thus significantly lowering the risk of heart disease. And because lifestyle habits (e.g. diet, exercise, and appropriate supplementation) can strongly influence these modifiable risk factors, here are 10 lifestyle strategies you can implement to promote a healthy heart.

Ten Lifestyle Strategies for Promoting a Healthy Heart:

1. Make more healthful food choices.

2. Lose the belly fat and keep it off.

3. Get more of the “sunshine” vitamin.

4. Go fishing with omega-3 fatty acids.

5. Protect your body against free radicals and oxidative stress.

6. Boost your phytonutrient intake.

7. Fill up on fiber.

8. Find a friend in Coenzyme Q10.

10. Take time to De-stress.

Demand Obama Stop Monsanto's GE Alfalfa!

Many of us are gravely concerned about the completely irresponsible and inevitably disastrous decision on the part of the USDA to approve Monsanto's Roundup-Ready alfalfa. This would effectively mean the end of organic alfalfa in the US, as genetic pollution from the GMO crop inevitably spreads to all alfalfa. Organic alfalfa is not only used for alfalfa supplements but is also necessary for organic dairy farmers. There are many ways to make our voice heard, including sending email petitions like the one being organized by Food & Water Watch and other responsible organizations. Perhaps the best way is to pass on comments directly via email to the White House at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact. Also contacting our Senators and Congress Members is helpful as well.

As disappointing and incredible as it is that the USDA decided to approve RR alfalfa in the face of overwhelming evidence of harm. That's why our voices directly to the administration and our Representatives need to be heard, and LOUDLY! Please share this with your circle of influence and stand together for food safety.

USDA Green Lights Monsanto GE Alfalfa

The Center for Food Safety criticized the announcement today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that it will once again allow unlimited, nation-wide commercial planting of Monsanto’s genetically-engineered (GE) Roundup Ready alfalfa, despite the many risks to organic and conventional farmers USDA acknowledged in its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). The Agency’s decision still places the entire burden for preventing contamination on non-GE farmers, with no protections for food producers, consumers and exporters.

“We’re disappointed with USDA’s decision and we will be back in court representing the interest of farmers, preservation of the environment, and consumer choice” said Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director for the Center for Food Safety. “USDA has become a rogue agency in its regulation of biotech crops and its decision to appease the few companies who seek to benefit from this technology comes despite increasing evidence that GE alfalfa will threaten the rights of farmers and consumers, as well as damage the environment.”


In a precedent-setting final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the planting of Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) acknowledges for the first time that GE contamination of organic and conventionally grown crops presents a huge problem in the U.S. Yet, the document falls woefully short of proving that GE alfalfa is safe for the environment or that it will afford all farmers their fair share of the US agricultural economy. In fact, the EIS sorely lacks the type of rigorous scientific data and analysis that the public expects from the Agency to justify going forward with any type of deregulation of GE alfalfa.

The modified alfalfa seed at the heart of the dispute has been engineered to be resistant to Monsanto’s flagship herbicide, Roundup. Alfalfa is the fourth most widely grown crop in the U.S. and a key source of dairy hay forage. As the first perennial crop proposed to be genetically engineered, alfalfa is open-pollinated by bees, which can cross-pollinate at distances of several miles, spreading the patented, foreign DNA to conventional and organic crops. Such biological contamination threatens the livelihood of organic farmers and dairies, since U.S. Organic standards prohibit genetic engineering, and threaten conventional alfalfa exports, since most overseas governments and alfalfa importers reject GE-contaminated crops.

Toxins Found in Pregnant Women

Multiple chemicals, including some banned since the 1970s and others used in items such as nonstick cookware, furniture, processed foods and beauty products, were found in the blood and urine of pregnant U.S. women, according to a UCSF study being released today.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, marks the first time that the number of chemicals to which pregnant women are exposed has been counted, the authors said.

Of the 163 chemicals studied, 43 of them were found in virtually all 268 pregnant women in the study. They included polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, a prohibited chemical linked to cancer and other health problems; organochlorine pesticides; polybrominated diphenyl ethers, banned compounds used as flame retardants; and phthalates, which are shown to cause hormone disruption.... Read full article by clicking here.

We can't eliminate toxins but we can reduce them by making smart choices. Here are just a few smart choices we can make for our family. Choose organic when possible, limit plastic (and never cook with plastic), use non-toxic cleaning products, cosmetics/skin care and filtered water.