Drug Infested Nation

  

      I had an interesting conversation with a lady recently.  She was telling me about her granddaughter who was suffering from acid reflux, so the doctor put her on Zantac. The thing that really troubled me was that the granddaughter was only 4 months old. The baby also had to be held upright for 1/2 hour after every bottle and could not lay on her tummy at all.   Actually, I was more than troubled,  I was floored. I knew that drugs were a problem, but I didn't know that we were now giving them to infants. Go to your local pharmacy and the place is overrun with people waiting for their "fix".  We have become a nation that is driven by our symptoms and what we can do to cover them up.  No longer do doctors seek to heal the cause of a problem, they just prescribe a drug to hide the symptoms.  We hear that something is approved by the Financially Driven Administration and the American Money Association so we hurry and go get some to see if it can help us.  These government agencies are not interested in our general well being, neither are they concerned about our health. They are driven by money.  Every day we hear about drugs (approved by those groups!)  that have been recalled because they had certain "unexpected" side effects.  We see ads from law firms wanting to defend you and help you sue for serious and often devastating side effects.

     So, I did some research on Zantac.  Very interesting study. Simply stated,  Zantac is a drug that reduces the amount of acid that your stomach produces.   Many people suffer from what is called an over abundance of stomach acid. After doing some more research, I found out why.  The stomach has a "door" on the top end called the LES (lower esophageal sphincter).  The door opens to allow food to enter the stomach and closes to keep the acid in there as it churns and "eats" the food.  When the stomach has LOW acidity, the LES opens and remains open!!! Probably because it knows that it needs some good acidic fruits and vegetables to replenish it!  So, people with acid reflux disease actually suffer from LOW acidity!  Taking a drug to reduce stomach acid only aggravates the problem.  Sad, sad, sad.  If they could only start eating raw apple or pineapple with every meal, they would probably see a great change. I believe that acid reflux is also caused by overeating...another major problem in our country.  Acid reflux in infants is most likely due to poor eating habits by mommy before baby is born, and also a result of using formula rather than breast feeding.

     There is also the problem of drug side effects.  Listed on Zantac's website are these general side effects:  increases risk of pneumonia, chest pain, fever, shortness of breath, green or yellow mucous, easily bruised, unusual weakness, fast or slow heart rate, vision problems, sore throat, headache, sever blistering peeling red skin rash, nausea, stomach pain, loss of appetite, yellowing of the skin or eyes. There were also "major" side effects listed.  They were rather scary. I think I would rather have acid reflux than the above side effects.  Oh, it also mentioned that it should not be taken more than 14 days in a row. Hmmm.  How many people have been taking it every day for years???
     I just found this today.  It was a report given on October 25, 2011. Very timely topic.

     "Stomach acid might cause a lot of people a lot of pain, but it also serves an important purpose in the body: it stops incipient infections in their tracks. Now, a new study says that medications that suppress the production of stomach acid can make people more susceptible to complications of gastrointestinal infections, including raising the risk of dying.
The study examined hospital patients infected with the drug-resistant bacteria Clostridium difficile, which is infamous for causing diarrhea in hospitalized patients and responsible for more deaths in the United States than all other intestinal infections combined.

In the study, patients who had recently taken prescription acid suppressants were almost five times more likely to die from their C. difficile infections than those who hadn't taken such drugs.
Previous studies linked the use of acid suppressants with an increased risk of becoming infected with C. difficile , but "this is the first study to have found an association between use of antacids and increase of mortality," said study author Dr. Edith R. Lederman, an infectious disease specialist at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego.
The report was published Oct. 5 in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases."
  

      Wow, that was pretty eye opening.  By the way, stomach acid also digests your food, though I bet you already knew that!   It is an extremely important part of your well being.  Reducing your stomach acid is not going to help you.  Changing your eating habits and adding more raw fruits and vegetables to your diet will greatly help.  I implore you, don't fall for the habit of going to the medicine cabinet for symptoms, find out what is causing it instead of just covering it up!  I'm sure there will be more posts on various symptoms (and their accompaning drugs!) in the future!
   

Our Daily Bread

     Here it is, the post you have been waiting for, the bread making tutorial.  You'll have to excuse some of the pictures, I only have a point and shoot camera. ( Wishing for a better one, but we'll see!)  I do recommend any first time bread baker to invest in a bread machine.  I have tried bread in my Kitchenaid mixer, only to have it turn out too dry every time.  The bread machine seems to mix it up perfectly and does such a great job of raising the dough, too!  Machines are pretty pricey, but all of mine I have bought at Goodwill for pretty cheap.  My latest model was by far the cheapest!

('Just had to add this picture. I started to remove the sticker, but left it on to remind me of how exciting cheap prices can be!!  Don't you just love finding a super bargain??) Second hand stores are great places to find machines.  Most people get them for Christmas, use it a few times and then it just ends up gathering dust and taking up a lot of room in the cupboard.  Ask around. Many people may have one that they no longer use that they will be willing to let you try out, or just have!  Be sure the machine has a "dough" cycle.  I have found that bread baked in the machine tends to be very dry with a hard crust. Plus, baking it in the oven makes people think that you are a supermom or something!!

     So, here is the recipe that I use the most.  Layer these ingredients in the bread machine in this order:
                                           1 cup plus 2 Tbsp warm water (not so hot that you couldn't drink it!)
                                           1 1/2 Tbsp  honey
                                           1 Tbsp real butter (or lard, margarine, coconut oil, olive oil)
                                           1 tsp salt (salt can interfere with the yeast, so I always add it to the liquids)
                                           1 egg (optional, I add it to give some moisture and protein)
                                           1/2 cup rolled oats (I use old fashioned, quick oats are fine, too)
                                            2  cups white whole wheat flour

     Okay, after you add these, make a "well" in the top of the flour and add 1 3/4 tsp of yeast. Just like this:

     Just a note about flour.  I use Prairie Gold brand.  It is a white wheat, very soft, and very yummy.  You hardly notice that it is whole wheat.  Very family friendly!!  The recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups of flour, I usually use less to begin with and add more later. Whole wheat flour tends to "soak up" more of the liquid, thus it can get too dry too fast.  So, watch it and add more as you go. 

     So, now select the right setting.  I have tried other cycles, and then forget about them and the bread starts to bake.  The "dough" cycle mixes it up, then lets it raise and takes about an hour and a half, then beeps at the end to let you know that it is done.  A great way to let you multi-task and get some things done while you are "making" bread! :)

As soon as you press "start", the paddle in the bottom starts to turn.  It does it intermittently at first, stopping and starting to let the ingredients "fall" and mix together.  Don't shut the lid yet, you need to keep an eye on it!



  As it begins to form a dough, it will either be too wet or too dry.  This is the time to be vigilant!  Soon the machine will begin mixing constantly.  Be ready to add more flour.

     Now it is starting to form one solid chunk of dough, but is very wet, sticky and not smooth at all. We want smooth.  

     Add approximately 1/4 cup more flour to the mix.  Let it stir for awhile and watch.

Now it is starting to form more of a ball, but still is rather wet looking and not smooth.

You may have to add flour a couple of times until the dough forms one ball and is smooth looking, not sticky.

We now have a smooth ball, not sticking very much to the sides and spinning quickly in the machine.  Now, you can shut the lid and leave it alone for about an hour!

When your machine beeps, you will hopefully come back to find it looking like this.  Find your bread pan, spray it with oil or spread with butter and take the dough out of the machine.  Put it on a well floured flat surface and roll it out with a rolling pin.  (Sorry, on the day I was doing this, I had an emergency and had to do it very quickly and didn't have time to take pictures!!) Don't roll it flat and huge, just roll it about the width of your bread pan and about a foot and and half or so tall.  You are just wanting to get the bubbles out so you don't end up with holey bread.  Roll it back up and pinch the seam, place it in your bread pan and start the oven (375 F).  Let the bread rise for a few minutes while the oven is heating up.  I usually cover it with a cloth and let it sit until it reaches just above the edges of the pan.  Then stick it in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes.  Soon you will have heavenly smells coming from your kitchen!

Remove from the oven.  Next comes my favorite part:

Slather (love that word!) on lots of butter!  It makes the crust so yummy! 

     What a beautiful shine!  Now you need to remove the bread from the pan to cool. Gently slide a knife around the edges and it should come out when you turn the pan over.  Place it on a cooling rack so it doesn't get soggy on the bottom.  I like to use an electric knife to slice it.  It is easiest to slice when it is cool, but is soooo good when it is warm! 

     Not all loaves turn out perfectly.  There will be many loaves that are ugly, flat, or full of holes, but your family will be happy to be your guinea pigs as you try and try again!  Happy baking!

Salt is good???

    

     It plainly states in Mark 9:50 that "Salt is good...." So, why are we warned about too much salt?  Why do people who have high blood pressure or have experienced a stroke go on a "no-salt" diet? Why do we have so many products on the shelf in grocery stores that boast low or no salt added?  Something does not jive here. 
     To get the real picture, we have to define what we mean by salt.  The salt sold on the store shelves has been processed and refined.  It has had iodine and other chemicals added to it to keep it shelf worthy and "FDA" worthy.  That kind of salt can cause problems. It has been harvested in salt mines as brine, which means the salt has been in water.  Chemicals are added to the brine to remove the impurities, which really are minerals which are beneficial to you.  The process in which the salt goes through ( heat and compression) molecularly changes the structure of the salt.  Then toxic chemicals are added to keep the salt from clotting.  The salt is now pure and white, but dead.  There are no  beneficial properties; no cleansing, healing ability.  The process also leaves an imbalance between the sodium and the chloride; an imbalance which many  bodies cannot deal with, often causing swelling in the hands and ankles and causing blood pressure to rise.
       The more I study and the more I learn, I am amazed at how much good can come just by keeping things balanced.  Remove one necessary item, and chaos can result.  God's original design for salt was that it included the important trace minerals that your body needs to keep things in balance.  An imbalance of minerals can result in many health related problems.  Because the earth is aging, many of the minerals in the soil have been depleted and therefore, they are no longer found in our vegetables and fruits.  So, it is important that we find alternative ways of getting those trace minerals back. 
     We all have a natural craving for salt.  Try popcorn without it and you'll see!!  We need the essential properties found in salt, but we need to find a salt that has not been so processed that is no longer salt!  Stores have started picking up on the salt craze.  You can buy real sea salt in many stores.  Even better is the salt that has minerals that you can see: for instance pink or gray or red salt.  They do have a stronger salt taste, but your body will appreciate the extra minerals.
      Another interesting fact about salt is that it can help your body absorb more water.   Just adding 1/4 tsp of salt to every quart of water you drink will help your body use the water it needs and will also add the benefit of the trace minerals.  Yes, it does taste salty, yet surprisingly still quenches your thirst. It just may take a little getting used to!
     If you have been told to go on a no-salt diet, I implore you to do more studying and read Salt your Way to Health by David Brownstein.  A no-salt diet will only bring an imbalance to your system and cause more problems.  Plus, how bland your diet would be without it!  So, remember that "Salt is good" and it is something your body needs.  Find some that is natural and unprocessed and you may see a change in how your body functions.