Saccharin was first discovered in 1879, then available for commercial use only in 1885 with the earliest official criticism in 1890 by the Commission of the Health Association of France. In 1898 the German government banned it completely and was followed soon after by Spain, Portugal and Hungary.

It was only with the shortage of sugar during the two world wars that governments relaxed restrictions on Saccharin.

The central issue of modern debates about toxic hazards from saccharin dates from the early 1970’s and has been focused on the issue of carcinogenicity. Some laboratory tests show that it has an affect on the bladder causing cancer in the urinary tract. At this present time saccharin is banned from use in the UK and the USA and banned entirely from all food and drink in France, Greece and Portugal where it is only sold in tablet form.

Like Aspartame it is produced by the chemical giant Monsanto.

S

The Search for health often leads people to replace sugar with alternative sweeteners, some are better and can be tolerated by the body far better than refined sugar and others such as artificial sweeteners can cause more problems than refined sucrose did in the first place.

Aspartame

Replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners could result in even more serious problems some years down the line. Aspartame is the sweetener most commonly used in diet drinks and artificial sweetening tablets or powders (marketed under various brand names such as Nutrasweet, Canderel etc), and is one that you should take great care to avoid, as there are severe health risks associated with its use.

It is found in so many products that are aimed specifically at children and those concerned with keeping their diet ‘sugar-free’ (soft drinks and diet colas, sweets and chewing gum, cough lozenges, ‘fruit’ squashes, diabetic jams and chocolates, and in many other ‘diet’ or ‘low kilojoule’ products like biscuits, dressings and mayonnaise), yet most people are blissfully unaware of its inherent dangers.

Since 1973, the controversy around aspartame has raged on. Independent scientists have claimed that aspartame causes mental retardation, brain lesions and neuro-endocrine disorders (disorders to do with the central nervous system and the endocrine or hormonal system), thus affecting the thyroid, pituitary and adrenal glands, and the ovaries and testes. It is also thought to cause birth defects. Aspartame appears to upset the brain chemistry by altering dopamine levels, and has been found to disturb brain function in a variety of ways resulting in epileptic seizures. In 1980 a special Public Board of Inquiry in the USA found that aspartame could induce brain tumours. Further research shows that chronic brain damage may be caused when aspartame is consumed in combination with monosodium glutamate (MSG) Mild epileptic seizures is a result. (MSG is a seasoning agent commonly used in a wide variety of products). One of the most comprehensive sources of information on this is from Erik Millstone and John Abraham in their book “Additives a Guide for everyone” (Penguin Books)

If you are using aspartame in any form (either in a sweetening tablet or in any food or beverage containing this product), you could be suffering from aspartame disease if you present any of the following symptoms: fibro-myalgia, spasms, shooting pains, numbness in the legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision or memory loss.

Dr H J Roberts, a diabetic specialist and world authority on aspartame says that aspartame is not a diet product, as it tends to increase the appetite. He has found that when he removes the sweetener from a patient’s diet, the average weight loss is about 8 – 9kg per person. Furthermore, he claims that aspartame upsets the blood sugar and is therefore dangerous for diabetics, also causing memory loss, confusion, and severe loss of vision.

Dr Russell Baylock says that aspartame stimulates the neurons of the brain to such an extent that they eventually die, causing brain damage of varying degrees. It has also been found that the phenylalanine in aspartame breaks down the brain’s seizure threshold and depletes serotonin, thus causing manic depression, panic attacks, rage, and violence.

Is there anyone out there still consuming this product? As much as the producers and marketers of this product may tell us that artificial sweeteners are safe, don’t forget that these are unnatural, chemically derived substances, and I for one would not use them under any circumstances.

One of the most important functional food plants of the San, was the stamina-building Sceletium Tortuosum (Kanna)

The San traditionally gathered Sceletium in October, dried and stored it in their huts and widely traded. It was also chewed.
There is outstanding research into the use of Kanna (Sceletium Tortuosum) by the San and Nama, first by South African ethnobotanist Fiona Archer (from 1984 through 1995), and then continued by Dr. Nigel Gericke, a renowned South African physician and ethnobotanist.  They conducted their field research in the rural communities in the Namaqualand region of the Northern Cape Province of South Africa.
The results of this recent research, together with written historical accounts dating back to 1685, confirmed that Sceletium tortuosum has been widely used by the San, and their relatives, the Khoikhoi, and subsequently traded with European settlers. Most local people, who were interviewed in the study, knew about the usefulness of the plant in everyday life. In addition to its common use it was chewed to increase salivation, and as a tea, the aerial parts of Sceletium tortuosum also are used for medicinal purposes, especially for gastrointestinal ailments and respiratory conditions. Dried Sceletium tortuosum leaves are used by the San to treat colic in infants, to improve bowel regularity and to treat abdominal cramps. Interestingly, Sceletium tortuosum has been used by traditional healers to combat addictions and to wean alcohol dependents  off alcohol.
It is chewed to impart endurance, clarity of thinking and enhance decision-making. While kougoed (Kanna) is not a thirst-suppressant or hunger-suppressant in its own right, it is considered invaluable for dealing with hunger pains when walking long distances in the wilderness.
Kougoed is used by indigenous people on a regular basis, often on a long-term daily basis. In interviews, some elderly Nama shepherds said they have used it daily for more than 40 years and related that kougoed has imparted a beneficial impact on their health and well being.

Dr. Gericke’s research showed that despite everyday use, kougoed does not have addictive properties.

1.We are designed for plant based, alkaline forming diet
Based on the most comprehensive research – The China study
The 5 steps and the 100 days will help you get this on track – 75- 80% alkaline forming.
2. We need a low animal protein diet
High animal protein triggers cancer (more than 5% of energy intake) Extensive research indicates clearly that when animal protein is increased to more than 5% of energy intake, that cancer cells multiply and then decrease dramatically when the animal protein is reduced to safe levels again. More than 600g of animal protein in a week will place you in line to get cancer. Cancer is closing in on the number 1 heart disease.
3.Dairy products do not protect, prevent or reverse osteoporosis in fact they appear to contribute considerably to this condition
4. Exercise affects 18 different hormones and is as essential as breathing for health.
5. Your hormonal system is very delicate and involved in every chemical reaction in you body, directly or indirectly and everything you put in your mouth affects this system either directly or indirectly.
7. The hormonal system needs stable blood sugar levels as does the immune system to work efficiently.
6. The CNS and brain cannot work efficiently without glucose and stable blood sugar levels.
8. Fresh fruit stabilizes blood sugar, refined sugar and alcohol upset blood sugar.
9. Doctors do not study diet, they are doctors of medicine; that means they study diseases and how to treat them with medicine.
10. Supplementation can be extremely harmful causing health problems. Vit C being the safest causes, gout, arthritis, kidney stones and osteoporosis
11. Cancer has increased from 1 in every 2-3 in the late 1980′s to 1 in every 6-7 in 2009 despite the Cancer Associations ‘education’ and the increase in supplementation. What does that tell us?
12. We know for sure that Omega 3 is only found in plant sources and that our body makes 5 derivatives including EPA & DHA if supplied with a daily intake of dark green leafy vegetables. Derivatives or family members EPA and DHA are found in animal flesh including human flesh, but not the actual parent Omega 3 or ALA.
13. Dark green leafy vegetables have the best calcium to phosphorus ratio for healthy bones. They are also the most alkaline of all foods. They are also needed to convert Omega 3 into EPA & DHA and 3 other derivatives (not found in fish oils)
14. Foods digest best when eaten alone or with compatible foods
15.Whatever the type of arthritis or gout, it has now been conclusively shown that a “period of fasting followed by a gluten-free vegetarian diet” (Lancet, October 1991), is the only eating programme to follow to be free of inflammation and pain. I have seen hundreds of people, relieved of debilitating pain and stiffness by adhering to this simple yet affective approach.
Written by Mary-Ann Shearer

Could Hoodia Gordonii help with overweight animals?

The effect of Hoodia Gordonii meal supplement at finisher stage on the productivity and carcass characteristics of Ross 308 broiler chickens

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of Hoodia Gordonii meal supplementation at finisher stage on productivity and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens.

The first experiment examined the effect of level of Hoodia Gordonii meal supplementation at finisher stage (30-42 days of age)  The level of Hoodia Gordonii Meal supplementation had no effect on diet intake, growth rate, feed conversion ration and live weight of chickens.  Daily supplementation with 300mg of Hoodia Gordonii reduced fat pad weights by 40% in broiler chickens.

The second experiment examined the effect of Hoodia Gordonii meal supplementation interval on the productivity and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens.  Hoodia Gordonii meal supplementation interval had no effect on feed intake, growth rate, live weight, feed conversion ratio and all carcass characteristics except fat pad of the chickens. Daily supplementation with 300mg of Hoodia Gordonii meal/bird reduced fat pad weights of the chickens by 18%.  This could not be explained in terms of differences in feed intake, digestibility or growth rate.

T. D. Mohlapo, J. W. Ng’ambi, D. Norris, M. M. Malatje

Benefits of Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum) include :

• uplifts the mood,

• gives you energy,

• decreases anxiety, stress and tension.

• Improves cognitive and mental health.

• Reduces high blood pressure.

• It can also help with post-traumatic stress disorder, social phobia, and irritability

Sceletium tortuosum has been used by hunter-gatherers and shepherds as a mood-enhancing substance for millennia, and is far more effective and rapidly acting than the well-known European plant Hypericum (St Johns Wort).

The mood-elevating action of sceletium is caused by a number of alkaloids including mesembrine, mesembrenol and tortuosamine which interact with the brain’s dopamine and serotonin receptors.

Sceletium tortuosum is a small groundcover plant.  For hundreds of years the Hottentots of Southern Africa used Sceletium tortuosum as a mood enhancer, relaxant and empathogen (It is also known as Kanna or Kougoed).

Historically, Sceletium tortuosum was eaten or chewed, or used as a snuff producing euphoria and alertness which gently fades into relaxation. If chewed in sufficient quantity Sceletium has a mild anesthetic effect in the mouth, much like kava.  A tea made from Sceletium is sometimes used to wean alcoholics off alcohol.

Although the plant has been used for thousands of years in Africa, it is only now being sought by the West for its remarkable capacities to uplift the mood, increase energy levels and concentration spans. Sceletium is also being used as a natural anti-depressant that is safer than the pharmaceutical alternatives.

Kanna (sceletium) is used to rebalance the brain and nervous system and thereby relieve symptoms of depression. This has been proven to be extremely effective and safe.

Look around you and you see either overweight people.  Even pets are overweight.  Food is marketed well.  Good food or Bad food.  So what is good food?  I call it “living food” or “dead food”.  What in our diets is causing all the health problems?  I think our diet is predominantly acid-forming, too high in animal fats and proteins, many harmful additives and too processed and refined foods. 

WATER

Depression and stress, typically not regarded as diseases, are recurrent life threatening heterogeneous disorders associated with diverse behavioral, psychological and physiolocial symtoms.  Reports have indicated that approximately 30% of patients afflicted with these conditions do not respond to conventional medical operations.  Plants that produce molecules exhibiting immune-modulation properties therefore become attractive targets for the development of new drugs for analysis of central nervous system (CNS) disorders.

Sceletium tortuosum is one of the plants which has been used and tested to help neurological disorders and neuro-degenerative diseases.

In individuals suffering from depression, the neurotransmitter serotonin (also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine) is lacking. Mesembrine slows down the re-uptake process, making it more probable there will be more serotonin in the relevant receptors, greatly increasing the possibility that there will be sufficient levels to set up the signal transfer in all neighboring neurons.

Mesembrine allows the brain to function with reduced levels of serotonin, allowing time for natural levels to build up, whereupon the mesembrine dosage can be reduced or eliminated.

WEIGHT LOSS

Scientists at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have isolated a steroidal glycosidecalled P57A53 (P57) from Hoodia Gordonii.

It is this compound that is believed to be 10 000 times more effective than glucose in getting the message to your hypothalamus that you are full. The hypothalamus is that part of your brain that controls hunger, thirst, sleep, mood, sex drive, body temperature and the release of hormones from many glands especially the pituitary gland.

If your body gets the message that you are full, you are more likely to eat less. This results in a lower calorie intake and leads, therefore, to weight loss.

STRESS

The Hypothalamus is your endocrine system’s brain because it sends out various types of chemical messengers in response to stimulation.  Stimulation can be either from a thought from deep withing you, your memories.  It can also be from an external source coming through your five senses (smell, hear, see, feel and taste) .

Another interesting thing is that the hypothalamus also directly influences another major gland within the brain, the pituitary.  The hypothalamus gland is the facilitator and originator of emotions in response to life circumstances, such as fear, anxiety, stress, tension, panic attacks, phobia, rage, anger and aggression.

Now it becomes clear to me that there is a connection of the “inner voices” and the outside “voices”.  How do I react to them?  Do I let them influence me positively or negatively.  Do I have the power to change their intention? I am sure that we are able to control the influence of negative thinking and positive thinking.