I have been in California for a week attending educational seminars and brushing up on my skills.

Because the last few times I have flown,   I have been very, very unwell on my return, I chose to drive down.  Today I am starting back - so watch out for the bright red Camaro SS scooting back to Illinois!

Just wanted to let you know why the blog had been  in stasis for a number of days.

Organic food  is definitely going to come into its own - and hopefully not only at the consumer, but also at the growing, level - when this report is widely disseminated.

Imagine having up to 35% less nutrition in your food now than 50 years ago.  Yet this is what scientists are finding.

Read a report here.

About 5 years ago, I became aware of the growing problem of drug residues in the water:  you can find my summary here.

The problem has certainly got no better in the interim, and a 2 year recent Canadian study raises the alarm again. Called There is No ‘Away’, the 94-page document is a detailed discussion and action plan for emerging environmental contaminants — trace levels of active ingredients from pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) that end up in surface and ground water. PPCPs pose hazards not only because they are persistent. Even at low levels, these substances may contribute to antibiotic resistance and play a role as hormone mimics.

>The EPA maintains a website ,an over view of environmental issues connected to personal care products, not updated since last year, 2005 - but still a source of interesting information.

Between the drugs we take personally, the ones we give to our pets, the massive amounts of drugs given to agricultural animals, and the unregulated ingredients in cosmetic products, our planet is in  trouble.

While the toxic  substances are currently detected at extremely low levels, they do not break down, which means they have the potential to bioaccumulate. For those that have been identified as endocrine disruptors, it may not take much to have an effect (www.ourstolenfuture.org).

>The feminization of wild fish has become a real concern since the 1990s.

The most troubling findings in the growing body of PPCP research is that some of these drugs are making it into fresh water systems, and are detectable at the tap. In a study by Glen Boyd at Tulane University, several PPCPs were detected in local tap water samples including the pain killer naproxen, the sex hormone estrone, and a breakdown product of anti-cholesterol drugs (Potera, 2000). Though the chemicals were found at very low levels -- they were barely detectable -- scientists consider them of concern because, by design, pharmaceuticals are intended to exert their effects at very low concentrations.

>A scientist discusses the problem rather cold-bloodedly.

Some simple things you can do immediately to help:

Don't flush left-over drugs down the toilet, or put them in the trash.  try instead returning them to the pharmacy.  Explain why you are doing it, and raise their consciousness too!

Do consider changing over to beauty products from environmentally responsible manufacturers.

Do consider exchanging the chemicals in your household for cleaners that do not harm our world.

Do begin the switch to organic lawns and gardens.

>What else you can do

I read this list of the qualities people want in their ideal Doctor with some interest.  I know there are medical professionals out there who do not qualify for this description, but I have been fortunate enough never to encounter them.  All MY Doctors have been very paragons of perfection, even to the point of coming to my home to deliver bad news rather than doing it by proxy over the phone ...

What a wonderful idea:  adjusting medical training to promote these traits.  I imagine we can look forward to definite improvement in a very few years.

Seven Behaviors Define The 'ideal' Physician, Study Finds

I have been fielding so many questions about the recent press reports of a research study that showed glucosamine and chondroitin quote "didn't work", that I have been looking around for a source that can properly interpret the trial for you.

Who better than Dr. Jason Theodosakis, whose book about Arthritis opened the doors to these effective supplements, and whose own innovative line has helped so many people? 

Jason Theodosakis, M.D., MS, MPH. FACPM is a board certified physician, best-selling author, lecturer and Fellow in Preventive Medicine. He has a second medical specialty (Sports Medicine) along with Master's degrees in both Exercise Physiology and Public Health. In addition, he is an Clincial Assistant Professor and the former Director of the Preventive Medicine Residency Training Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson.

Dr. Theo is also a member of the oversight steering committee for the NIH's Glucosamine Chondroitin study (GAIT).

Here is his analysis of the study.

Here you will find our offering of his supplements.

A nice study done with admirable German thoroughness, which show that combining two venerable herbal remedies can do as well as estrogen treatment for menopause and mild depression.

Black Cohosh has been taking some hits in recent years, so it is good to see the positive again!

Review of Research here

All you could possibly want to know about Black Cohosh