As I got older I began eating them again in sandwiches or with pancakes while out. At home I bought eggs for mixing in cornbread, pastries, etc. but not for breakfast and certainly never for boiling. Boiled eggs were never my thing.

Strangely enough, just a few months prior to my having an assortment of afflictions back in 2004, I began having cravings for hard/soft boiled eggs. I don’t know why this was. All I know is one day I began craving boiled eggs to the point of actually leaving my home, drove to the nearest grocery store, purchased a dozen eggs and returned home to boil five of them. Never in my life have I craved boil eggs like I did then.

During this period of time I was enduring a good deal of stress. I don’t know if stress had anything to do with my cravings. What I remember is the constant cravings for boiled eggs. I remember eating a boiled egg almost daily before thinking better of it and decided to kick the boiled egg habit about three months prior to being hospitalized in 2005. I thought the health problems I was experiencing had something to do with high cholesterol and yes, my cholesterol was off the charts but was it the egg’s fault?

Since my diagnosis with lupus, I’ve found I still have egg cravings and I’m realizing my egg cravings are always preceded by stress. Is there a correlation here?

The other day I had an egg craving. On Saturday I was stressed because I really wanted to attend a foodie festival at the Rose Bowl. Unfortunately, my leg started annoying me Wednesday night and grew progressively worse by the weekend. I was upset and wanted to do any and everything I could do to rid myself of the pain. Another unfortunate matter was not seeing the entrance fee and the need to purchase tickets prior to the foodie festival. On Friday, while in pain, I tried in vain to get tickets only to find I could not. It was probably a good thing too because on Saturday, I could barely walk on the leg.

I always say everything happens for a reason, my not seeing the event required tickets and the tickets actually cost about $45. I honestly did not need to waste $45 on an event I could not attend so it all worked out for the good. However, I put myself through a good deal of stress though my insistence on having a pity party, “if only I could walk” and “why me?” I hate the “why me” question because the answer always comes back “why not me?”

By stressing out, my only successful accomplishment for the day was putting myself to bed. When I awakened later I wanted and craved a boiled egg. Why an egg? What’s with the eggs? Instead, I made a very healthy dinner of King Salmon, asparagus, baby broccoli and mac and cheese — a little comfort food goes a long way.

Sunday morning, I wanted an egg. Instead, I made pancakes and bacon. Later that day, I wanted an egg. Again, I made something else, stuffed clams, shrimp, collards, and yams.

Monday morning, I wanted an egg. Alright already, I boiled three eggs and ate one of them. Oh joy, was that ever good. It satisfied something within and for the life of me, I don’t know what.

As I am wont to do, I hit the web in search of “egg cravings” and did I find lots of folks craving eggs. Vegans, pregnant women, lots of people craving eggs and wanting to know why they’re craving eggs. There were many reasons offered, choline, iron, B-vitamins, okay, but one site got my attention because it mentioned something I see every month on my blood tests: C-Reactive Protein.

At the World’s Healthiest Foods (also known WHFoods.org), there is a little article on eggs and in it, a section about choline and C-Reactive protein. Every month I get an Anti-dsDNA Antibodies test done and one of the items shown is for C-Reactive Protein, Quant. The reference range for this test is between 0.0 – 4.9. My last test results showed me at 16.9 — mild inflammation. But wait, there’s more.

According to the article at WHFoods.org, eggs provide a nice health benefit in the form of choline. “Although our bodies can produce some choline, we cannot make enough to make up for an inadequate supply in our diets, and choline deficiency can also cause deficiency of another B vitamin critically important for health, folic acid.” The article goes on to state:

People whose diets supplied the highest average intake of choline (found in egg yolk and soybeans), and its metabolite betaine (found naturally in vegetables such as beets and spinach), have levels of inflammatory markers at least 20% lower than subjects with the lowest average intakes, report Greek researchers in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Detopoulou P, Panagiotakos DB, et al.)

Compared to those whose diets contained <250 mg/day of choline, subjects whose diets supplied >310 mg of choline daily had, on average:

* 22% lower concentrations of C-reactive protein
* 26% lower concentrations of interleukin-6
* 6% lower concentrations of tumor necrosis factor alpha

Compared to those consuming <260 mg/day of betaine, subjects whose diets provided >360 mg per day of betaine had, on average:

# 10% lower concentrations of homocysteine
# 19% lower concentrations of C-reactive protein
# 12% lower concentrations of tumor necrosis factor alpha

Each of these markers of chronic inflammation has been linked to a wide range of conditions including heart disease, osteoporosis, cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s, and type-2 diabetes.

I think my body has been trying to tell me something. B-vitamins are good for stress as well as iron which stimulates the flow of oxygen around our bodies in our bloodstream, increasing the flow of oxygen to the brain which can then battle the debilitating effects of stress. Eggs are a good source of iron.

“If the association between choline and betaine and inflammation can be confirmed in studies of other populations, an interesting new dietary approach may be available for reducing chronic diseases associated with inflammation.” — Steven Zeisel, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Perhaps, for those of us who have been craving eggs without a good explanation as to why, it’s probably because our stresses are affecting us in some way. Perhaps there’s inflammation in the body and the body is asking us to please, go out and get an egg. The little soldiers within are screaming “hey, get some choline. We need choline in here!!!”

Think about it, the next time you crave an egg ask yourself are you under stress? Have you been taking or eating foods rich in iron or Vitamin B? If not, the incredible edible egg is one large, easy to prepare, medicinal pill that may cure what might be ailing you, particularly in the way of reducing inflammation.

And as for the wee little argument between E.B. White and the English writer and humorist J.B. Priestley, as an American I do prefer brown eggs because they are, at least to me, closer to nature.

Instead, irrespective of time, I take time to prepare meals because I like knowing what’s in my food and I want to ensure I have a good day in terms of health. Admittedly, some things have slipped by me and I’ve paid dearly for the error but, diligence is key and now I make sure I have my glasses with me while shopping so I can see and read what I’m picking up.

I have friends who tell me they have no time to cook or “it’s too hot to cook”. When I ask about the alternatives I often hear they eat salads from McDonald’s as if that’s a mighty fine thing to do. Sure, a salad is great but what’s in it? When I looked at the average McD’s salad, it seems meat in the salad causes an increase in sodium. The plain salad is fine but add bacon, grilled chicken or crunchy chicken and you’ll get between 300 mg sodium to over 1000 mg of sodium. If you think the balsamic vinaigrette is better, think again. The Newman’s Own® Light Balsamic Vinaigrette contains 950 mg of sodium. So, get the crunchy chicken salad and add the balsamic vinaigrette dressing and you’ve got a sodium salad.

Some will say you need to limit your sodium intake to about 2500 mg per day while others say 1500. I try to keep my sodium intake to about 1000 to 1500. I use a lot of Mrs. Dash (without MSG) and lemon juice which usually satisfies my salt cravings. I will also set aside time during the week (typically on the weekend) to prepare my meals for the week.

With that, I’ll start with one food I try to have as often as I can, which usually translates to almost every day of the week. I love fish, always have and probably always will. What I hate about the Gulf Oil spill now is how I will miss Nawleans shrimp. Shrimp from the Gulf has a distinct taste and I love it. Red Snapper from the Gulf is also so, so delicious. Alas, and unfortunately, they are soaking up oil and fish mixed with crude oil and dispersants does not sound appetizing. No thank you.

Living in the San Gabriel Valley has taken me far from my favorite fish store, Santa Monica Seafood. Without that market, I’ve searched high and low for good fish and what a disappointment. I love Red Snapper and out here people sell something called Pacific Red Snapper that tastes nothing like Red Snapper. Actually, Pacific Red Snapper is nothing more than Red Rockfish, a big difference. Real Red Snapper should be firm with a sweet nutty taste. When cooked, it has a pleasant, nutty aroma. I purchased what was labeled Pacific Red Snapper from both Costco and Whole Foods and the fish tasted like cotton. No sweet nutty taste and it smelled like nothing when cooked. NOT the Red Snapper I was looking for.

Finally, someone turned me on to Fish King in Glendale and there I found real Red Snapper, both whole and filleted and as an aside, if you buy the whole fish you will see the red eyes, that’s Red Snapper. There I can buy the whole fish and have them clean and fillet the fish. As soon as I smelled the fish cooking I knew I found a true fish market, one I can rely on for real Red Snapper.

Red Snapper

Red Snapper, like most fish, is high in protein, low in saturated fat and a unique source of extremely beneficial compounds called omega-3 essential fatty acids. Red Snapper is an excellent source of vitamin B12 — one 4-ounce serving provided 66.2% of the daily value — and it is a good source of vitamin B6 — the same 4-ounces will supply 26.0% of the DV for B6.

Omega-3 essential fatty acids have been the subject of intensive study by researchers. The omega-3 fatty acids found in snapper have a broad array of health benefits. Omega-3s help prevent erratic heart rhythms. These fatty acids in fish also make blood less likely to clot inside arteries (which is the ultimate cause of most heart attacks and strokes). Omega-3s improve the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol. And finally, by reducing inflammation, these essential fats play a role in preventing cholesterol from clogging arteries.

I’ll add something else, eating a diet rich in Omega-3-improves mood and reduces depression.

Lake Superior Whitefish

My favorite fish in the world!!! Okay, enough of my fawning over this fish but it is sooooo good and soooo hard to find in SoCal unless you go to Santa Monica Seafood and, hooray, Fish King in Glendale. I had a field day during the month of June because Lake Superior Whitefish was on sale. Oh joy, oh rapture.

Again, Lake Superior Whitefish (LSWF), which also has a very distinctive, delicious taste, is full of Omega-3. One 3-oz. serving of LSWF contains Omega-3 fatty acids, about .35g of EPA and 1.03g of DHA, to be exact. That’s more than pink and sockeye salmon. I will also add supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Many believe only salt water fish contain significant levels of Omega-3 fatty acids. This is not true. Freshwater fish from cold northern waters, like Lake Superior, can have significant levels as well (Want et al. 1990). In fact, a study during the ’90s showed Lake Superior fish came out ahead of chinook salmon. Something to consider.

Not all white fish is created equal and for taste, Lake Superior Whitefish beats them all — in my opinion — hands down. I have it every week.

Salmon

I do not eat farm raised salmon. Actually, I do not eat Atlantic salmon. The only salmon I like is Pacific or Wild Alaskan, Chinook, Coho or King salmon (if I can get some good King which is usually expensive). Just thinking about something raised in cramped environs causes me stress.

Salmon is full of Omega-3 fatty acids and again, a great anti-inflammatory food.

Bottom line, eat fish. It’s good for you and don’t load it down with unnecessary seasonings. Saute it in ghee and add some Mrs. Dash. Taste the fish and enjoy it, you’ll be glad you did.

Before I really get into this post I want to do a disclaimer. This post could be labeled T.M.I. for Too Much Information but I have to do it order to help explain how my change in diet has helped me.

Last April I was at Hotel Huntington about to undergo my second kidney biopsy. It was not pleasant. I have difficulty with some drugs that are supposed to reduce pain and discomfort. What the nursing staff ended up doing with me was pump me full of stuff and then they carried a needle, locked and loaded, just in case I needed more. My blood pressure and heart rate jumped all over the place that day. That weekend, while recuperating, I did some soul searching and asked myself how much more of this can you stand?

In May, I was started on oral Cytoxan. At that time I had severe edema, ended up with some sort of cold or flu, and was generally just out of sorts. It was during this time, just prior to going on IV Cytoxan, that I decided it was time to be proactive. I changed my diet, along with a few other things in my life, more on that later.

The Importance of A Good Diet

When all of this began in 2005, I changed my diet then as well. I was put on a renal diet which, to be honest, put my body in check. I had a very good outcome. I was placed on oral Cytoxan which I took from April to September of that year. For the next four months, still keeping with my diet, I did well. It was not until January of the next year that I started having problems again and I believe it was due in large part to my returning to old eating habits, particularly fried fish, beef, pizzas, and fast food. At that point I was put on CellCept and throughout that time I continued to eat all of the wrong things until CellCept failed me. After CellCept, I was placed on Cyclosporine and again, I continued to eat what I wanted to eat without considering the consequences of my actions.

Quite frankly, I was obstinate. I wanted to believe this whole thing would eventually blow over. I wanted to believe this was all a mistake or a bad dream. I did not want to believe I was suffering with a serious illness thus, I acted as if nothing happened. Thoughts of that bland, tasteless diet haunted me and I did not want to believe I needed to eat like that for the rest of my life. I just did not want to accept the fact I did well while on that diet.

Okay, here comes the TMI part. I will admit, while on that diet and on those hit/miss days I decided to eat well, I had good urine output. It was actually quite surprising to me that on the days I ate well my body equally responded well. However, on the days I ate bad food my body locked up on me like a bad dream and my blood pressure was unstable. More importantly, and here’s some more TMI, because I was so obstinate about eating right, I ended up with weeping legs, meaning, my lymphatic system began leaking through the skin of my legs. Not good. That definitely woke me up and I made a quick turnaround in mindset.

The Importance of Rest

Rest is equally important. I’m a Type A personality and rest is not my forte. I have always had a problem sleeping. I think it’s in my DNA or something because sleep has always been elusive (averaging about 2-4 hours sleep a night) and I was never one for naps. I was always repairing or setting up computers at all hours of the day or night, fixing software problems, answering questions, working on databases, name it I did it and often at all hours. I would stay up late and within a couple of hours I was up again in time to catch the phone for east coast clients. I was a workaholic.

When I was diagnosed in 2005, keeping those hours got harder and harder because of prednisone. Prednisone severely interrupted my sleep pattern, which wasn’t good to begin with. At that point I had difficulty getting any sleep and often I found myself up 24-hours due to my work. I also had horrible crash days when I just couldn’t get myself out of bed.

Thankfully, those 80mg of prednisone days are over, however, the crash that comes from reducing the drug is equally devastating. It took a long time for me to recover from the reduction and what resulted was overwhelming fatigue. I could no longer keep the hours I used to work and as a result, I have had to limit the amount of work I do — particularly video editing — to a minimum. Perhaps that was a good thing because my hours were brutal but, in the interim, I realized the importance of rest and the healing that comes from getting at least 6-8 hours of sleep a night. Now, I also take naps.

Now, more TMI. With rest, I have noticed I do not retain as much fluid in my body. That’s a good thing. When I eat well and get enough rest, I don’t retain water and I don’t need diuretics. However, when I cheat my diet and put too much on myself in terms of work (i.e., stress), my body locks up. When I did not get enough rest and did not eat well for an extended period of time, I became bloated, gained excess weight and no amount of diuretics would work. It is at that point when I entered the danger zone.

When I went on IV Cytoxan last year, I changed my diet and sleeping habits. During this time I did not have many bad moments. I do keep a food journal and can point out problems directly related to the foods I ate and/or lack of sleep. I can pinpoint what or where I ate and, within a day or two, tell you what horrible outcome I had as a result.

Water, The Stuff of Gods

While I’m at it, I have to talk about water. I was never a big water drinker. I think I took on the W.C. Fields philosophy that I didn’t drink water because of what fish do in it. Well, perhaps not, but I did find I would drink anything but water including sodas — or what we called pops in Chicago. Now, I drink a lot of water and curiously, I’ve found drinking tap water causes my body to lock up as well. For whatever reason, I don’t care how much I filter it, I cannot drink tap water. I keep saying I’m going to test the water from my faucet to see what’s in it but I haven’t done it. I do plan on it because I want to know what’s in that stuff. I know this is a superfund site and a friend told me not to drink the water and don’t serve it to my dogs, but I just gotta know what’s in it.

That said, I no longer use tap water for cooking or for ice. I use bottled water now and so far I’ve had none of the problems I used to have drinking tap water. I don’t know why, I don’t know what’s in it, I just don’t trust it anymore. I do, however, drink a lot of water. Plain water is the best stuff in the world.

Bottom Line

I should have been eating right all along but, being human, I didn’t. I had to wait until I became ill to realize I am what I eat, that rest is important for the body to heal, and water is a necessary evil. Exercise is equally important as it helps to reduce stress.

In 2006, when my kidneys called in unhappy, I had been off chemo for four months. Currently, I’ve been two months off chemo and I have three months to go before knowing if diet, sleep and exercise has truly helped. To be honest, I feel better today than I did in late 2005 when I came off oral Cytoxan. Then, I had extreme fatigue and I was in lots of pain. Hopefully, the chemo helped this time and perhaps I helped with the chemo by paying attention to my body and what I put in it. During the chemo I had no infections, no thrust, no nausea or vomiting (well, I did have one occurrence of nausea), and none of the short-term side-effects I was told I might experience. I feel blessed or lucky.

Keeping a daily health journal has been beneficial. I can look at the times I cheated my diet and see, often within a day or two, how what I ate affected me. I suggest you do the same, make note of what you eat, keep tabs on how many hours of sleep you get a night and note how you feel. Check it often to see if there are relationships, i.e., I had a bad day and I ate pizza from XYZ Pizzeria two days ago. You might see some surprising details emerge from your journal.

Photo Credit: Closed Jay's Potato Chip factory via Flickr - Katherine of Chicago

I have some fond memories of Chicago, the place I once called the concrete jungle. I think one of my fondest memories is of the Jays Potato Chip company near where I lived. In the evenings you could smell potatoes being prepared and the fragrance permeated the neighborhood. It was a great selling point for their product because I believe I ate a bag of potato chips every single day.

That was then and this is now and unfortunately, Jays filed bankruptcy and closed their plant in 2007. The company was then taken over by Snyder’s of Hanover. More unfortunate is the chips I grew up eating, the chips that had the taste of potatoes, now tastes like crap.

Not long ago a friend brought back a bag of Hot Stuff potato chips. Excited, I sat down to devour that bag of chips and noticed something quite unpleasant, no potato taste. Those were not the chips I remembered eating as a child. Needless to say, I ended up throwing the chips in the garbage.

Later, I removed the bag-o-chips from the garbage and read the ingredients and to my surprise I found the words monosodium glutamate (MSG). Ahhh, that’s what happened. Instead of tasting potatoes, now all I taste is MSG, a food additive which is also a very potent excitotoxin.

When I arrived in California I discovered Lays had a similar product called Flamin’ Hot chips. I didn’t like the taste of them because they tasted nothing like a potato. Again, reading the ingredients I found the words monosodium glutamate.

MSG, which comes in many forms, overpowers food to such an extent you cannot taste the actual food like potatoes, peas, broccoli, etc. Because of this, I have always tried to avoid anything containing MSG which would include a number of popular seasoning salts and some spices. I want to taste the meat and vegetables, I don’t want my taste buds overpowered by a seasoning.

Well now, having been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, I have found myself in grocery stores with glasses in hand to check out the labels on products for their list of ingredients. Surprisingly, just about everything out there contains some form of MSG. Not only that, I have also learned many restaurants prepare foods with seasonings that also contain MSG. Makes me wonder about all of the cases of Alzheimer’s, particularly the early onset Alzheimer’s Disease.

When I went through my elimination diet a few years ago, I stayed away from processed and snack foods, breads and I only drank juices I made myself. I also reduced salt in my diet, removed margarine (what I now call plastic butter), and I stopped eating anything labeled diet — I still eat nothing labeled diet, particularly if it contains aspartame. What I discovered was not only did I experience a significant increase in mental clarity, I also felt very good. I knew then there was something in the food I was eating.

When I slowly brought back all that I had eliminated I realized processed foods, some snack foods, and some of the frozen pizzas I really liked had an affect on me. In fact, they slowed me down and caused mental fogginess. Why? They either contained MSG or some form of MSG. Today, I eat nothing containing MSG. In fact, as much as I love one particular chip that really tastes good with guacamole, sadly, I’ve given it up because it too contains MSG.

When you’re a sick puppy like I am, life is made difficult when you walk into a store looking for something that truly is natural. Those days, I fear, are coming to an end. I long for the days pre-MSG, Aspartame, etc. Back in the day, you could really taste vegetables and meats. The fragrance coming from the stove used to make your mouth water and you knew what was being cooked, peas, beans, pork, beef. Now all you smell is some form of seasoning. Ugh.

Thankfully, I’ve caught on and albeit late, I’ve learned that food is good when it’s homemade and all natural. Yesterday I made Red Snapper and what a joy it was to smell Red Snapper cooking. I didn’t smell the seasonings — though I hand ground my pepper and all of the ingredients were natural — I smelled Red Snapper. It was a beautiful thing. Even better, my blood pressure didn’t shoot into outer space and my heart didn’t go to the races. (You need to read the list of Commonly Reported Symptoms of MSG Toxicity.)

Unfortunately, there are many ingredients containing MSG and that list appears to be growing and changing every day.

If you’re like me and sensitive to MSG, give yourself two weeks away from the stuff. Check your blood pressure, your heart rate, even your blood glucose levels if you have such a device at home (I do). If you notice a significant drop and you feel better, stay away from the stuff. Some people have a high tolerance to both MSG and aspartame while others do not. If you’re not one of the lucky ones (if you want to call it that), my suggestion, stay away from the stuff. We are not all created equal. Some of us, whether we know it or not, may have underlying conditions that could be exacerbated by food additives.

So, bottom line, you truly are what you eat. When I eat foods containing MSG my heart rate elevates, my pulse goes to about 104, and my blood pressure goes above what is normally 110/70 to 155/90. That’s not good for me or my kidneys.

Sources:

In her kitchen — which is state-of-the-art — every spice, herb, season, whatever is placed in stainless steel containers and she has lots of them. Her kitchen is what inspired me to change and reorganize mine and it has been a big help. What I failed to do in all of my looking around her place was ask her about ingredients and the preparation of food. Not long ago I sat down to have that conversation with her and was I ever informed.

The conversation started with a discussion about salmon. I love salmon but I had run out of ways to prepare it. Since salmon is high in Omega 3 fatty acids, I try to eat it several times a week. She gave me a wonderful recipe that is simple and tasty, so much so I had to beat my dogs off.

The recipe starts with a marinade of pure maple syrup and Worcestershire sauce. She gave me a little history on Worcestershire sauce and said one of the main ingredients — if not the main ingredient — is tamarind. From there she discussed why she keeps tamarind around — it acts as a mild laxative. Yes indeed folks, it does work.

I used smoked sockeye salmon, marinated it in the maple syrup and Worcestershire sauce for about 4 hours in the fridge. On the stove, I prepared the baste for the salmon which consists of maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar — boiling until thick. After the marinade, I placed the salmon in the stove, broiled it while basting with the sauce, and when done, it was a most delicious treat. I will also say the tamarind in the Worcestershire sauce was very helpful.

Tamarind aside, my friend told me about other herbs and spices as well and their medicinal value for digestion, antioxidants, etc. The staples I should have are turmeric, coriander, cumin, raw sugar (not refined white), cardamon (what a beautiful spice), and more. She also cautioned I should buy my spices at a Indian grocery store because I can buy them in bulk and they are cheaper. Basically, she said “buy ‘em in a bag, package them yourself, and stop paying for those beautiful little bottles.”

She was right. After providing me with a list of places to purchase my spices, I found I did better buying them in bulk than buying at my local grocer. For instance, a 7-ounce bag of turmeric — and I could have purchased a huge tub for just as cheap — cost me $1.29. A 2-ounce bottle of turmeric at my local grocery store cost me almost $4.00, and that was a sale. Guess where I’ll be shopping from now on.

India Sweets and Spices is one store in Southern California where you can purchase all sorts of herbs and spices along with pre-made ingredients for various Indian dishes. There is one near me in Duarte.

Down the street from India Sweets & Spices is India Bazaar at 1020 Huntington Dr. It is a small, quaint little store in a shopping center and they too have large selection of spices to chose from. Actually, India Bazaar has become my favorite little store for spices because everything is so nicely laid out. Just walk in, go down the center aisle and grab bags of spices. Everything is right there and easy to see.

What I love about these stores is the ability to purchase masalas as well. Most of what I cook is made with either a pre-made masala (bulk ingredient for Punjabi Masala can be found here) or I will purchase curry powder and start with it because it usually contains most of what I need. These grocery stores also have tandoori masala as well, which is what I use for my Tandoori Chicken recipe.

The conversation I had with my friend was informative and, taking her advice, I now go to Indian grocery stores for all of my spices and I am researching recipes where I can incorporate many of these wonderful and healthy spices.

For a list of herbs and spices for use in Indian dishes see Manjula’s Kitchen. She too offers great recipes (with videos).

So, make a list and visit your local Indian grocer. Allow yourself time to walk the aisles and look, read, and fill your cart.

His is not the only horror story I’ve heard about silver/mercury amalgams, there are others. Add to this the amount of mercury in fish today. Wherever you look, both in our food and environment, you will find mercury.

One astonishing story I read recently was in the Washington Post and it is why I now avoid anything containing high fructose corn syrup. According to the article “Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury” this sweetener, that has now replaced sugar in foods and beverages, also contains a good amount of mercury.

Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.

When you consider the amount of HCFS consumed a day, the possibility exists we all may be susceptible to autoimmune diseases as a result which leads me to a recent study on mercury and autoimmunity.

According to the Environmental Health News, researchers report that mercury increased levels of key signaling and antibody markers measured in the blood of Brazilian gold miners who use the metal to extract the gold from river sediments. This study shows, for the first time, that mercury affects the immune signaling proteins that are responsible for inducing inflammation.

In the United States, most people are exposed to mercury – by eating certain species of fish – most notably large predators such as tuna, swordfish and tilefish. Federal fish advisories warn against eating too much of certain species or too much fish caught from contaminated waterways so as to limit exposure to the metal.

Equally so — and going back to the high fructose corn syrup (HCFS) article in the Washington Post — Americans consume a high amount of HCFS as well. Adults, on average, consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS. Teens, on the other hand, are high consumers and can take in 80 percent more HFCS than average. This bothers me because so many young people are being diagnosed with lupus and other autoimmune disease and others are being diagnosed after 50 — could it be from mercury build up?

The Washington Post’s article comes from a study conducted and published in Environmental Health where researchers found detectable levels of mercury in nine of 20 samples of commercial HFCS. Another study conducted by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), a non-profit watchdog group, found that nearly one in three of 55 brand-name foods contained mercury. The chemical was found most commonly in HFCS-containing dairy products, dressings and condiments.

Apparently, mercury contamination involves the use of mercury-contaminated caustic soda in the production of HFCS. The contamination occurs when mercury cells are used to produce caustic soda. Knowing which products are and are not made this way is anyone’s guess.

Personally, I’ll take clean sugar to syrupy sweet any day particularly now having discovered that foods containing HCFS cause problems for me, so much so I now take reading glasses with me to the grocery store to ensure I buy nothing containing HCFS.

For me, it all comes back to eat whole foods and reduce the amount of mercury you eat, particularly with fish and foods containing high fructose corn syrup.

During those years my diet consisted of whatever I could get my hands on and that was what could be purchased at the window of a drive-thru, fast food establishment. Not good. Adding insult to injury, most of the food I purchased at grocery stores was processed or pre-made dinners full of sodium. Sadly, my stove was retired and became more installation art in my kitchen while my microwave worked overtime. Again, not good.

In addition to the above, I went from a person who drank loads of water daily to a person who drank very little water per week. Add that to a high sodium diet, wall-to-wall stress, and any other environmental hazard and what you have is a mess. I was an absolute mess when I was diagnosed with lupus nephritis in 2005.

I have had to sit down and look at the last ten years of my life while taking a good hard look at what was going on in my life and how I was eating. I will tell you I’m not proud of what I saw. Granted, I was in such deep do-do at the time I could not see the forest for the trees. Truly, when going through life’s challenges we will typically do whatever it is we need to do to get through. Sometimes the decisions made in stressful times are not the best either.

I also took a walk down memory lane, back to my youth, and there I saw a similar problem when poor diet and health problems ran together. Heart problems, pancreatitis, and more were all a result of a high sodium, no nutrient diet. During my pancreatitis period my mother switched me to a bland diet. This helped my condition substantially and from that point on, whenever I felt I was having a health issue, I switched my diet to healthier fruits and vegetables, low or no sodium foods, and I drank plenty of water. Whenever I was in the right frame of mind, knew I was experiencing something awful, I always changed my diet and watched what I ate. I realize now this kept the wolf to a low growl.

It is unfortunate, however, when we find ourselves “balls to the wall” thrown from “pillar to post” or any other cliche you can fathom, the awareness switch goes into the off position. For many, a high sodium, low water, and very few fruits and/or vegetable diet is normal. That diet, particularly if you have lupus, will not serve you well. Actually, it manufactures the wood and nails needed for your coffin. I’ll admit that’s a blunt statement but I believe it is true.

In the early days of my diagnosis, honestly, I did not want to change my diet. I was used to my bad diet, I had spent many years with that diet and it was hard to give it up. I wanted my salty pizzas, cheeseburgers, grilled cheeses, high sodium salads, bacon, sausage, swimming buttery eggs, lots-o-mayo, high sodium soul food, et. al. Prior to my stressful period, I rarely ate this stuff. During and after my stressful period, it became comfort food. It was far easier to think about tasty — ugh!! — fast food I could buy than actually prepare a healthy meal for myself. I learned this behavior was easy, fast, and had less clean-up.

The aforementioned diet also kept me lazy. I did not have to stand around in the kitchen preparing a meal. I did not have to worry about stooping to pull anything out of the oven, or reaching over the oven to lift a pot. I did not have to exert myself by opening the refrigerator, bending, stooping or reaching for anything inside. I did not have to wash dishes, reach to put them in the rack, or extend my arms to put the dishes in the cupboard. I certainly did not have to worry about sweeping or mopping because I never spilled anything because I was not cooking. Oh yes, with very little garbage to dispose of, I did not have to lift heavy garbage bags or take heavy cans out to the curb for garbage pickup.

My greatest strain — if you could call it that — was pushing the lever for the microwave, putting the package inside, closing the door, pushing a series of buttons to get the thing started, and pulling out the package to sit and eat. Basically, all of this non-movement made me a prime candidate for disease.

Speaking of movement, I will add something else. Prior to moving into this house in 1996, out — what I used to think — in the middle of no where, I always chose apartments that had gyms and saunas. That too kept me healthy. I had access to treadmills, bikes and saunas. Exercise is always good for the body. Of course, with no gym close by and no exercise equipment in my house, I put myself in serious trouble with the aforementioned diet and no exercise. Again, not good and it is no wonder I am where I am today.

As a friend once told me, for someone else it might have been cancer; perhaps another, a heart attack; for yet another, a serious health problem; another perhaps high blood pressure or diabetes. Her thesis is an unhealthy diet, combined with no exercise and stress could lead to a really bad health problem.

So, where to begin?  Quite frankly, in our society, fast-food, processed foods, and easy bake (or microwave) meals are the norm.  After getting over my stubbornness, I realized I had to change my diet and that meant staying away from all of the “easy” foods.  This was no easy feat. I needed some serious behavior modification because I was addicted to all of that sodium rich food which, in my opinion, tasted extremely good with easy access.

First, a friend introduced me to the elimination diet. I had to eliminate dairy, bread, meats and sodas. I had to drink plenty of water — had to reacquaint myself to the bland stuff — and eat loads of veggies and fruits. I also could not eat out. After a few days (or weeks) I could slowly bring other things back into my diet to see if my body reacted. I was surprised to find my body reacted badly to certain types of breads. I also discovered, though I love sweet rolls or cinnamon rolls, they do not love me. There was more. Beef and I don’t get along and I don’t do well with milk, but I always knew that.

I always liked a certain brand of honey wheat bread but I found that brand does not agree with me. I also found I cannot do certain yogurts. I am now restricted to a certain brand of yogurt that does not upset my system. Anything containing high fructose corn syrup upsets my stomach. Now, I must shop for items — ketchup included — that contain sugar, no high fructose corn syrup. Anything containing aspartame upsets me for days. I don’t know why but it does. What it means is I cannot eat or drink anything that is labeled sugar free because I don’t know what the stuff will do to me. I also discovered anything containing a form of MSG — whether labeled that way or not — causes my blood pressure to elevate.

As for restaurants, sadly, one of my favorite places to eat is now off my list of eateries. For some reason, whenever I eat there not only does my system react badly to the food for days, my blood pressure elevates. Since I cannot see anything, anywhere that lists dietary information about their food or the ingredients — as much as I hate doing this — I can no longer eat anything from the place. There are other restaurants where I have had similar experiences. Boooo Hoooo!!!

Bottom line, it is hard work eating right and what used to come as second nature for me has become one long arduous road to good health. My stove has gotten a workout, my kitchen has been rearranged, my refrigerator is now stocked with fresh fruits and veggies and my spice rack is filled with spices and herbs that are both medicinal and tasty. This has all served me well.

I also have a gym membership and I have equipment at home. Cooking and cleaning affords me a good workout at home. Yes, I still feel the urge to go out and pickup something quick and yes, I have gotten myself into trouble. When I eat well and keep it going, I feel fabulous. Once I fall from the wagon, trust me I pay a heavy price for doing so.

With lupus, or any health condition, it is important to get on that good eating wagon and stay there. The medications alone will not save you or make life better, you need to eat to live. I cannot emphasize it enough. Eat good whole foods, fresh veggies, fruits, and if you can buy organic, do so. Trust me, within days you will feel sooooo good. The less stress you put on your body — particularly with food — the better.

Eat clean, eat well, eat to live.

Creating chaos is a practice that has been carried out throughout history. It is actually a very useful tool. That notwithstanding, while we cuss and discuss and debate whether the reform bill passed will or will not hurt us in the future, the bottom line is people die or go bankrupt in their quest for health care. It is an awful and vicious cycle.

Today the Dallas News covers a few of those folks who may benefit from the recent bill. The Dallas News asked the Commonwealth Fund, a New York-based nonprofit, nonpartisan group that promotes health care improvements, to analyze how the legislation will affect certain Dallas residents. Sara Collins, vice president of the Affordable Health Insurance program at the Commonwealth Fund, took on the task and the article highlights the benefits.

The first family highlighted is the Null Family. When their young daughter was 7-years-old, she suffered acute liver failure. “Her care, which included a liver transplant, has cost more than $1 million. The family’s insurance policy at the time had a $25,000 lifetime maximum per medical event, which was quickly maxed out. The family ended up on Medicaid.”

When the family sought insurance, they actually heard the following: “I had an agent tell me, ‘Don’t waste your time applying; we won’t even review it,’ if the application included Tatum.”

Under the new bill, lifetime maximums and banning a person due to pre-existing conditions are no longer. The father ends with “she doesn’t have to work for a large corporation … to get benefits.” Well, that’s provided they don’t do a background check which a lot of companies are doing these days.

Two entrepreneurs, Gwen and Alan Lummus who run an online book accessories store called BookMateStore.com, are in Texas’ high-risk insurance pool, paying about $750 a month each in premiums with a deductible of $7,500 each. Both believe the health care act as a step in the right direction. Alan has diabetes “so none of his insulin is covered,” said Gwen, 61. “That’s all out of our pocket.” Alan said he’ll likely be on Medicare before many of the money-saving benefits kick in.

For many who are trying to build a business and are years away from medicare, $1,500 per month plus $7,500 in deductibles is out of reach. Instead, they opt to go without insurance and will hit the emergency room if they should need care. This will cost all of us in the end.

For some, the other government program, medicare, provides relief from some of the burdens they have been carrying. For others — particularly the young — the new reforms provide relief with no lifetime maximums and no denial of coverage due to pre-existing conditions.

It’s a good article because it shows who will and will not benefit from the reform.

Source: Dallas News: Health care law becomes personal for Dallas-area families

It is shocking to know that some of the body parts harvested came from people with hepatitis, HIV/AIDS and cancer. Can you imagine a young woman across town receiving collagen injections in her lips or even periodontal surgery and the stuff used was received from someone with HIV/AIDS, Cancer or someone like myself, with lupus? As a lupus patient I cannot give blood. These folks are paying for future injury and they don’t know it.

Throughout the years I have heard frightful stories involving organ donations, particularly one story of a doctor who told a mother there was nothing they could do for her son so he asked to consider donating her son’s body for body parts. She agreed — again thinking there was nothing they could do — and off she went home while the doctor did his part to kill her son. Another story involves UCLA and their Willed Body Program.

Oh and there are more. If you read this story you will learn of strange disappearances — some near UCLA — and the even more shocking stories of children disappearing along the border between the US and Mexico.

All one needs to do is to consider the fact that, within the past few years, nine people have died as a result of receiving transplanted organs from only two donors infected with a rodent virus known as lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV).

If one body can garner you $200,000 in a cadaver “chop shop” outfit, I cannot see this dangerous and deadly greed fest ending anytime soon. Most of these bodies or body parts are for US consumption. Can you imagine the health problems we’ll see in the future? Problem is, you won’t know how you got it or where it came from.

My suggestion, when Uncle Louis hits the mortuary, check him out. Ensure his legs are really there, not pipes disguised as legs. Check his chest to ensure there are no surgical scars because someone removed his heart valves. In terms of cremation, you may never know if the ashes you receive are your loved ones or something or someone else. Unbelievable.

If you missed this documentary last night, it will air again on March 26 (at 10 PM) and March 28 (at 10 PM). This is one you need to see to believe. You can catch some of it on YouTube here.

Links:

How Much Is Your Dead Body Worth – 1/5

I will admit, prior to my diagnosis I ran from pillar to post staying busy. I would listen to my body only when I found myself in an acute situation. Prior to that there were pills (typically ibuprofen) that always quieted my pain. Now, I cannot and will not take pain meds unless it is absolutely necessary and even then I’ll question whether I should or should not. It is now imperative I listen to my body, watch what I eat, ensure I drink plenty of water and in this way I can pretty much maintain a drama free — or close to drama free — existence.

There is a little saying I live by and it is “what you don’t understand you fear and what you fear you attack.” With lupus, stress is the enemy. I now must do all I can to eliminate or manage the amount of stress in my life and to do that, practicing calm is important.

For instance, pre-lupus, if I felt put upon or was given a job I really did not want to do, I would immediately go into ruckem suckem, frickem frackem mode. Now, post-lupus, I have to watch that little destructive mode because invariably it will lead to a flare. Instead, I do what the kids call “flipping the script” and if I feel in any way that I am being put upon, I will just say NO. Yes, I have learned to say no and I love it.  The word is necessary for my survival. If I am assigned a task I really don’t want to do but need to do, I have learned to change my mind and become more proactive. Instead of ruckem suckem, frickem frackem, I now approach the job from a different perspective by looking for productive ways to accomplish the task. Not only has this thinking reduced my stress level, it has made me a better employee.

Now, how does this relate to earthquakes. Well, you see it’s like this, within a few months after arriving in Los Angeles I experienced my first earthquake. I believe it was the Sierra Madre quake I experienced while preparing for work one morning. I will tell you it was the most interesting experience of my life. At first, it was pretty funny. The Landers/Big Bear quake a few years later was less funny. The Northridge earthquake in 1994 was terrifying and since then every little shake has caused me to cling to the ceiling.

Strangely enough, in the past few weeks I have been feeling a little edgy and, long story short, I realize it may be due in part to the recent earthquakes around the world. Logically, I know if there is a big bang there and a big bang way over there, eventually there will be a big bang here. Being realistic, I do live in what is known as the Ring of Fire.

Instead of allowing myself to sink into a pit of stress because I feel something but I really don’t want to deal with it, I have decided to learn everything I can about earthquakes — keeping me out of the realm of fear — and go with my instincts in spite of the shock I may experience when I find myself doing something odd like checking for my keys every night.

Okay, let’s get to the nitty gritty of fear. Monday night/Tuesday morning I felt something was about to happen because — again going back to instinct — I checked for my keys, moved a coffee pot back from the edge of the counter and I was obsessed with the USGS earthquake map. Thankfully, when the 4.4 earthquake hit in Pico Rivera, I felt the shake and almost wanted to return to sleep. This was a good sign because in the past I would have been glued to the ceiling.

I got up and walked through the house and found my big ‘ol dogs were asleep in REM land. I was glad I moved the coffee pot because it had moved slightly on the counter. It would not have been cute if that thing had fallen on my deaf dog who was sleeping beneath it.

SoCal's Big Squeeze

I grabbed my laptop to check on the magnitude and location of the earthquake and found it was in Los Angeles, on the Whittier fault. That has since changed to what is known as the Puente Hills fault — the fault that was all the rage a few years ago as being potentially dangerous and damaging to downtown Los Angeles and surrounding areas should it erupt. I could feel the fear come over me when I read it was actually the Puente Hills fault and my fears increased more and more each day upon seeing no aftershocks. We still have not had an aftershock since the initial quake.

Noticing my stress and fear levels had elevated, I realized I had to research the thing, look at it and dispense with my fears. If the big one hits, there is nothing I can do about it. Too, instead of avoiding reality, I decided to follow my instincts in spite of the shock it caused me.

First, I felt a need to buy lots-o-batteries. Second, I felt the need to check my prescriptions. Shocking, I now have a month’s supply of oral Cytoxan, just in case. If the “big one” doesn’t happen anytime soon — and I hope it does not — I will have my kitchen cabinets fitted with earthquake locks this weekend. I now have lots-o-water and dog food too. Admittedly, some of this — particularly the Cytoxan — was acquired prior to Tuesday’s quake. Now I have everything I need to get me through one month.

Though it was a little shocking to find myself doing these things, I will admit I feel good knowing I was proactive. I might not want to deal with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake but it is better to be proactive than reactionary. The stress of reacting to an earthquake could thrust me — no pun — into a downhill spiral.

Facing my fears has become my new motto. Instead of running away, I am learning to face them head on. I don’t know if we will experience a major earthquake, I cannot predict them, but something within felt I should be prepared. Instead of ignoring these warnings, I chose to listen and heed spirit’s urgings. It made me feel uncomfortable and a bit nervous but it is better to keep my vision and not stick my head in the sand.

Personally, if an earthquake should happen, I would rather be in a position of saying “I’m glad I listened to my gut” instead of saying “something told me I should have done that.” Oh the many times I’ve found myself behind that 8-ball.

Now, will we have a major earthquake? Heck if I know. I do know I’m still a little uncomfortable with Tuesday’s event because we have not had an aftershock. Other quakes, shallower than that one, have had lots of aftershocks. This has done nothing since. Too, since it is now reported to have happened on the Puente Hills fault, it does concern me.

It is not comforting to know I live in the Ring of Fire but it is still better than shoveling a heap load of snow from your roof in the cold of winter, shoveling heaps of snow from your sidewalk, or trying to get to work in biting cold.  California is in the big squeeze which means eventually we will have a major earthquake.  Researching this has helped me deal with the inevitable.  Sticking my head in the sand would have been costly to my health.