Empowered Pathways Newsletter
 
               February 24, 2003

            Gen Abrams, Publisher
         Gen@empoweredpathways.com

                ...your link to better living
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Welcome!
... to your “Empowered Pathways” newsletter! 
It is my hope that through this newsletter, you will receive information
that will improve the quality of your life.  Included in each issue will be
information about health, nutrition, herbals and supplements,
simplifying life, living more frugally, fun, faith, and joy!
 
It’s all about empowerment, stuff that helps you be in
control of your life, your own pathway to better living!
 
A new feature to our website is an interactive poll!
Click here to participate:

http://empoweredpathways.com/wherepoll.shtml

Thank you for your input!

Gen (-:

In this Issue:
     ~Health, Nutrition, and Supplements
          ~Having a Chemical Cocktail Party?
     ~Frugal Tips
          ~Leftover Coffee, Ice "Cubes", and Pet Food Gravy
     ~Gen's Soapbox
          ~Just What the Doctor Ordered?
     ~Bible Verse
          ~1 Timothy 6:10-11
     ~Remarkable Quote
     ~Reader Feedback
     ~Subscription Information

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 Health, Nutrition and Supplements
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Having A Chemical Cocktail Party?    
  Two recent studies cast dramatic light on the extent to which
Americans are absorbing toxic chemicals in their bodies as part
of everyday life. They present a striking picture of Americans
riddled with low levels of chemicals, the vestiges of eating,
drinking, breathing and touching the synthetic products of the
industrial world. Given how common these chemicals are, can
personal actions and better choices reduce one’s level of
exposure in a toxic world?

Researchers say toxic chemicals make their way into our bodies every
day through a range of products from cosmetics and food additives to
pesticides and building materials.With more than 70,000 chemicals in
use in the United States and 2,000 new compounds being introduced
every year, according to government figures, the average American is
exposed to a cocktail of chemicals from various sources.  (See
http://www.msnbc.com/news/868798.asp for more information and links
regarding these studies)  The chemicals - including heavy metals, phosphate
and chlorine compounds from insecticides, dioxins and PCBs - have been
linked to cancers, nervous system malfunctions and birth defects. 
 


Calcium D-glucarate is a natural substance used to inhibit an enzyme
called beta-glucuronidase in the bacteria that reside in the gut. One of
the key ways in which the body eliminates toxic chemicals as well as
hormones like estrogen is by attaching glucuronic acid to them in the
liver and then excreting this complex in the bile. Beta-glucuronidase is
a bacterial enzyme that uncouples (breaks) the bond between the
excreted compound and glucuronic acid. When beta-glucuronidase
breaks the bond, the hormone or toxic chemical that is released is
available to be reabsorbed into the body instead of being excreted.
An elevated beta-glucuronidase activity is associated with an
increased risk for various cancers, particularly hormone-dependent
cancers like breast, prostate, and colon cancers.

D-glucarate is a nontoxic, natural substance found in both fruits and
vegetables, and many studies have shown it to be highly protective
against cancer. The health benefits of D-glucarate were discovered
by researchers at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the No. 2 cancer
center in the United States. They have developed a patented form of
glucarate for use in dietary supplements.

Flavonoids are chemicals widely distributed in plants. There are numerous
variations of them, and it is estimated we eat about a gram a day. While
many of them act as antioxidants, they have several other biological effects,
mostly related to altering enzymes of metabolism and cell growth. A recent
study from Hawaii suggests that consumption of certain flavonoids cuts the
risk of lung cancer in half.

Green tea extract is a bioflavonoid rich, potent extract used primarily for
fighting free radicals. It contains a high content of polyphenols, which are
a class of bioflavonoids. Green tea extract contains a potent antioxidant,
EGCG, which is over 200 times more powerful than vitamin E in neutralizing
the pro-oxidants and free radicals that attack lipids in the brain. This important
ingredient, Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG), protects against digestive and
respiratory infections, helps to block the cancer promoting actions of
carcinogens, protects against high total and LDL cholesterol levels,
and blocks the attachment of the bacteria associated with dental cavities
to the teeth.

On a daily basis your body is exposed to impurities in air, food,
water as well as toxic chemicals in the products you use.
Along with increased awareness of toxins in our environment,
and avoiding using toxic chemicals, there is a natural way to
reduce to the risk of being a host to a "chemical cocktail
party"!

Email me for more information...
Gen@empoweredpathways.com

*This statement has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This product
 is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure or prevent any disease. This notice is required
 by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.


Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to friends or family who
may benefit from this information, as well!

    
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 Tips for Frugal Living
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~Rather than dumping excess coffee or tea down the drain, before it gets stale
put it in a glass container with a tight lid, and refrigerate or freeze, and it will
stay fresh.  Iced coffee is a wonderful treat!  Try adding a little vanilla ice cream
or whipped cream for a delicious after dinner delight.  Or, warm it up in the
microwave with a dark chocolate candy to melt in it- Yum!

~Use plastic bottles that soft drinks, milk, or juices come in, in all sizes, to fill
the empty places in your freezer. Not only will keeping your freezer filled make
it run more efficiently, but you'll be better prepared for electrical outages, (the
extra ice will keep things frozen longer) and have safe emergency water supplies.
You can also use them to keep a cooler cool in the summer for camping trips or
picnics (or getting groceries home from the store if you have a ways to travel),
and then they can be a cold and refreshing drink as they defrost. If you wind
up with too many in the summer, toss them in the kid's (or your) swimming
pool to keep the water cool.

~Cheaper cat or dog food sometimes is nutritionally no different than expensive
kinds, but your pet may not like the taste. You can add flavorings to it from your
leftovers or pan drippings, by mixing with water and letting it set for a few minutes.
Add to the food just before giving it to your pet. Adjust so that the salts, fats and
so forth aren't overwhelming, for your pet's health.

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Gen's Soapbox
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Just What the Doctor Ordered?

In the past 20 years, I have worked within a medical model for providing assistance
to people with disabilities.  The experiences I have had have been widely varied and
many.  Through it all, I have learned many things about different diseases and
illnesses and medications.  I have also learned and observed much about
government, the medical community, and service systems. 

One of the things I have learned is that most of the general population follows the
word of the medical community and that of the government agencies that support
them as gospel.  Although "we" are beginning to open our eyes a bit as we see
the availability of quality healthcare disintegrate around us, I think it is time we
think harder about who is in charge of our own health.

Medical care of all types is "big business".  We need to fully realize that, and
the implications of that statement.  The bottom line is the bottom line, just as it is
in any other business.  And, just as in any other business, profits and margin rule. 
Not that I want to sound jaded in any way (-: , but big business simply does not
put people before profits. 

In my effort to not be a blind sheep in a flock, I found this article and thought it
was worthy of passing along.  Be sure to read "About the Author", seems like
he 'knows of what he speaks'.

What is the FDA's Mission Statement?

By: Shane Ellison
Edited by: Gill Erikson

People want to trust that their so-called elected government is doing the right
thing when it passes regulations to enhance public safety.  When the Pure Food
and Drug Act was passed in 1906 a new watchdog agency, The Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), was born. It would be many years before we as a nation
had such luxuries as refrigeration, sanitary food processing standards, and good
manufacturing processes (GMP), so in many respects, this law was necessary.
So, what exactly does the FDA do?

According to the FDA:

"The FDA's mission is to promote and protect the public health by helping safe
and effective products reach the market in a timely way, and monitoring products
for continued safety after they are in use. Our work is a blending of law and
science aimed at protecting consumers."

But times change and unfortunately, sometimes so do mission statements.
The growth in knowledge of biochemistry, natural medicine, physiology,
molecular chemistry and chemical process methods have yielded millions of
new synthetic drugs and treatment options, far more than our grandparents
would have imagined at the turn of the century. To ensure growing profits,
these new synthetic drugs are aimed at symptom management rather than
cures for diseases or chronic conditions.
This can be seen by the continued and growing reliance on synthetic medicine.
For example, from 1985-1999, there was a 35% increase in medicines used by
Americans to treat (not cure) chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular
disease, obesity, depression, and arthritis. In the year 2000, about $116.9 Billion
was spent on prescription drugs. The number of prescriptions dispensed is pro-
jected to grow to 2.07 billion by the year 2005! By way of comparison, our up and
coming war on Iraq is estimated to cost about $90 Billion. But $90 Billion for a war
somewhere in the world every 12 years is chicken feed compared to the costs of
drugs and medicines that Americans shell out each and every year. This is
approximately $26.9 Billion less than what Americans spent on drugs in the
year 2000. Let's see, $90 Billion for a war once in a while and over $1Trillion
(yes that's "T" for toy Trillion) for prescription drugs. That's a lot of pills. As
pharmaceutical business has grown, the FDA has changed from an institution
that was trying to protect public health from bad food to a rubber stamp government
organization that only takes public safety into account when it is forced to by some
form of gross public error.

In other words, blind loyalty to doctors and their "symptom hiding pills" is not
without consequence; Americans are getting fatter and sicker. Today you can
be confident that about 800 Americans will die from obesity, which averages
out to be 300,000 obese people dying every year. Interestingly, scientists have
already discovered the cure for obesity, yet the FDA and doctors are ignoring it!
Additionally, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported
that by comparing 16 "health markers" considered indicative of good health, the
U.S ranks on average 12th out of the top 13 countries in regard to the health of
it's citizens.

Few people realize the impact of these statistics. As we spend more on health
care in the form of FDA approved drugs, we becoming sicker. Wrap your brain
cells around that! Still though Americans, like cattle, are lining up at the pharma-
ceutical trough for their daily dose of "just what the doctor ordered". And they are
bringing their children with them.

Researchers writing for Pediatrics showed that between 1997 and 2000, approxi-
mately 3,750 serious injuries, birth defects and deaths occurred among children
under 2 who were secondary recipients of prescription drugs compliments of their
mothers via pregnancy, labor, or breast feeding. The study, conducted by
researchers at George Washington University and the University of Maryland,
found 769 childhood deaths and 664 cases of birth defects or disabilities that
could be directly linked to prescription drug use. The FDA has stated that these
numbers really only account for about 2% of the actual number of deaths and
negative side effects reported! In spite of the carnage committed against the
young and innocent, the FDA does not require pharmaceutical companies to
test newly released drugs for potentially hazardous effects on children. Yet,
according to the New York Times and JAMA, spending on central nervous
system (CNS) drugs for pediatric patients increased by 85% from 1985-1999!

Call it lack of sufficient funding, integrity, human nature, greed or plain old
corruption, the protective motivation that was once the driving force of the
FDA is gone! A new kind of bureaucracy has risen up in its place and very
few professionals are aware of the change, especially among media channels.
Undoubtedly, the general population is grossly ignorant of the FDA's new
mission, to approve life-threatening drugs that will profit the pharmaceutical
companies and to suppress non-toxic, inexpensive and effective natural
therapies.

Jay R. Cavanaugh, PhD, Member, California State Board of Pharmacy 1980-90,
said it best when referring to the FDA and international pharmaceutical companies:

"This collection of serial killers with reckless disregard of human life, extinguishes
the hopes and lives of over 100,000 Americans every year. In the past decade they
have been responsible for over one million innocent deaths, yet not only have they
not faced justice, they have enriched themselves with profits that would make Bill
Gates envious. These parasitic killers come not from some cave in Afghanistan,
but from plush office suites…"

That the FDA is a watchdog agency for public health interests is a fallacy. The FDA
is a lapdog for international, multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical companies and is
responsible for millions of preventable deaths.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shane holds a Master's degree in organic chemistry and has first-hand industry
experience with drug research, design and synthesis. He is committed to raising
health awareness by exposing the shocking and sometimes-frightening truth
behind FDA approved drugs, sports supplements, and natural medicine. His
unique experience allows his clients to live naturally healthy for life without the
aid of synthetic drugs! Learn more by visiting http://www.health-fx.net

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 Bible Verse
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For the love of money is the root of all evil:
      which while some coveted after,
they have erred from the faith,
       and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
But thou, O man of God, flee these things; 
       and follow after righteousness, godliness,
faith, love, patience, meekness.
                                  1 Timothy 6:10-11
          
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Remarkable Quote
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     Without love in the dream it will never come true.
                                     - Robert Hunter     
            
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Reader Feedback
If you have comments or questions, any feedback is greatly appreciated! 
Please let me know if it is okay to share your comments with other
subscribers!
You can email me anytime at: Gen@empoweredpathways.com
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 www.empoweredpathways.com

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Disclaimers:
*These statements have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure or prevent any disease.
This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
 
The purpose of this newsletter is informational only, and the publisher cannot be held
responsible for actions taken as a result of the information provided herein.

Although we believe our advertisers to be honest in their business practices,
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