I stumbled upon this video while pondering gifts to give to friends and family this Christmas. It is December after all, and with the calendar page turning, so plans for end of year holidays commence. My extended family started a tradition a few years ago where we don't buy each other material goods, rather we donate to causes that we think our "gift recipients" will appreciate. I think it's a great tradition because 1) it helps people who actually need things we take for granted, and 2) it's a lot easier to mail my grandma a card than a package. What can I say? I'm super lazy.
In all honesty, though, I think it brings out the true spirit of Christmas - helping those less fortunate than yourself. Regardless of what you think of Christianity and Christmas, in the Bible Jesus was always on about loving your neighbors and giving up worldly goods. Seems like the right sort of idea, if you'll be celebrating Christmas, to celebrate it as the guy you're celebrating would. So it's weird for me to think of Christmas as "that time of year when I finally get that gadget I've had my eye on" as Best Buy or Walmart would have me to believe. And as tempting as that shiny new Nintendo game system is, that's maybe not the entire point of the holiday. At least, not for me and my family.
Anyway, this particular project caught my eye because it's an inexpensive and energy efficient solution to a problem that plagues many people who live in dense, windowless housing: indoor lighting (during the day in this case). I'll let the video speak for itself; really, it's three minutes long. I know you have three minutes to spare.
See? How cool is that! Using the simple but profound principle of light refraction to provide indoor lighting for crowded, windowless homes in the dense urban jungle of Manila, Phillipines? I can't believe I didn't think of this for my own house, so much cheaper than installing a skylight...
This project (check out their website at aliteroflight.org) and many other projects out there are SO easy to support. I'll definitely be sending out some virtual checks to this organization in honor of my family members for Christmas this year. As far as other end of year holiday traditions go, such as Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, or even winter solstice rituals for the Pagan crowd, I'm afraid I'm not well versed. In fact, if you do celebrate Pagan rituals, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or other end of year festiveness..let me know about your traditions! I love learning! In the meantime, however, for this post please pardon my Christian mindset, and consider home-made presents, sustainable gifts, or contributions to (reputable) charitable organizations in lieu of (or addition to!) gadgetry, big-box-store toys, etc. etc. The greatest gifts are the ones that improve lives, in my opinion.
If this project doesn't float your boat, there are lots of other cool organizations working to better the planet. If you're at a loss for ideas on what to look for, altgifts.org is a great resource for connecting you to worthy charities for all sorts of causes all over the world.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
The Role of Diet on Cancer
When I was about 18, one of my parents' best friends, Marge*, contracted breast cancer. Marge and her family had moved away when I was 10, but they stayed in touch with us and we visited each other about once a year or so. Because no one so close to me had ever had cancer, and cancer kills people, it was a Very Big Deal. She underwent a mastectomy and when the biopsy of her lymph nodes turned out clean, she opted out of chemotherapy in favor of a lifestyle based treatment. My father thought it was stupid, and that she was taking crazy risks with her health considering that she had a family who depended on her, but when he was down visiting Marge and her family he learned that she had chosen a vegan diet over chemotherapy after reading The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell. Keep in mind that Marge and her husband Boris are both PhD's in agricultural engineering - with a strong emphasis in science, particularly agricultural science.
For them to go vegan was also a Very. Big. Deal.
The China Study is a book compiling both global epidemiological studies linking diet with certain cancers (Breast, colorectal, and prostate especially) and mechanistic-type animal model studies comparing the effect on cancer that diets based on the milk protein casein have to diets based on plant-derived foods and proteins. Marge and Boris talked my father (who has a PhD in genetics) into reading it while he was there. He did indeed read the book, and came back home a vegetarian - not quite a vegan, but avoiding milk products nonetheless. My mother was devastated (and to this day refuses to forgo meat), but I was thrilled. Now I had some solidarity in my carnivorous household, as I had been vegetarian for two years at the time.
The book describes a compelling link between animal protein, particularly dairy protein, and many diseases. Cancer, diabetes, heart disease...they are all very strongly -and globally- correlated to meat-based diets. Keep in mind that correlation never equals causation, but these correlations backed up with the animal studies and the sheer volume of epidemiological data truly paints a stark picture. Countries that eat the largest amount of meat and drink the most milk have the highest rates of a slew of different cancers.
However, one can be a vegetarian and still eat a very unhealthy diet. After all, mac-n-cheese is vegetarian. So are potato chips and Oreo cookies. The clincher for me to actually really think about the food I eat, and check for nutritive value beyond "well there are no animals in the ingredient list" has been the toxicology course I'm taking this semester. My professor has put a large emphasis on carcinogenesis - all heavily drawn from the most recent research from top labs, including his own lab's research projects. Lots of foods are full of carcinogens, including many vegetables and grains and herbs, but cooked meats are particularly "bad." Cooked meats are hosts to a smorgasbord of carcinogenic compounds. These compounds are often taken care of by the body's defense system, however the occasional DNA mutations that arise from the onslaught of carcinogenic chemicals accumulate over time...and they may be mutating DNA in key locations that control cellular laws. These particular DNA mutations can lead to altered cellular activity, and ultimately cancer.
Honestly, I know that few people can give up meat cold-turkey (pardon the pun). In fact, it would be silly to expect that, because to most people meat is tasty. I just wonder if it truly would be so difficult for most people now to simply eat meat in moderation. Eat meat a few times a week instead of a few times a day. Or enjoy smaller portions of meat and larger portions of vegetables and fruits - not just grains and starches like corn and potatoes (fries are not vegetables, regardless of whether school cafeterias would like them to be). I know the dairy, beef, pork, egg, poultry, etc. industries are not happy with these ideas and stand to lose a lot of money if Americans reduce their meat consumption even by a third. But the quality of life to be gained is worth it, and I would urge everyone to at least give it a try. Broccoli is not your enemy - it is full of fiber (preventing cancers of the gut) as well as chemicals that actively help your body fight carcinogenic compounds. So not only would you ingest fewer major carcinogens, but you would consume a greater volume of anti-carcinogens. It's a one-two punch K.O.!
Speaking of one-two punches, I found a video on Youtube that has little to do with cancer, but could lower your blood pressure and release feel-good chemicals into your brain...especially if you like kittens:
For them to go vegan was also a Very. Big. Deal.
The China Study is a book compiling both global epidemiological studies linking diet with certain cancers (Breast, colorectal, and prostate especially) and mechanistic-type animal model studies comparing the effect on cancer that diets based on the milk protein casein have to diets based on plant-derived foods and proteins. Marge and Boris talked my father (who has a PhD in genetics) into reading it while he was there. He did indeed read the book, and came back home a vegetarian - not quite a vegan, but avoiding milk products nonetheless. My mother was devastated (and to this day refuses to forgo meat), but I was thrilled. Now I had some solidarity in my carnivorous household, as I had been vegetarian for two years at the time.
The book describes a compelling link between animal protein, particularly dairy protein, and many diseases. Cancer, diabetes, heart disease...they are all very strongly -and globally- correlated to meat-based diets. Keep in mind that correlation never equals causation, but these correlations backed up with the animal studies and the sheer volume of epidemiological data truly paints a stark picture. Countries that eat the largest amount of meat and drink the most milk have the highest rates of a slew of different cancers.
However, one can be a vegetarian and still eat a very unhealthy diet. After all, mac-n-cheese is vegetarian. So are potato chips and Oreo cookies. The clincher for me to actually really think about the food I eat, and check for nutritive value beyond "well there are no animals in the ingredient list" has been the toxicology course I'm taking this semester. My professor has put a large emphasis on carcinogenesis - all heavily drawn from the most recent research from top labs, including his own lab's research projects. Lots of foods are full of carcinogens, including many vegetables and grains and herbs, but cooked meats are particularly "bad." Cooked meats are hosts to a smorgasbord of carcinogenic compounds. These compounds are often taken care of by the body's defense system, however the occasional DNA mutations that arise from the onslaught of carcinogenic chemicals accumulate over time...and they may be mutating DNA in key locations that control cellular laws. These particular DNA mutations can lead to altered cellular activity, and ultimately cancer.
Honestly, I know that few people can give up meat cold-turkey (pardon the pun). In fact, it would be silly to expect that, because to most people meat is tasty. I just wonder if it truly would be so difficult for most people now to simply eat meat in moderation. Eat meat a few times a week instead of a few times a day. Or enjoy smaller portions of meat and larger portions of vegetables and fruits - not just grains and starches like corn and potatoes (fries are not vegetables, regardless of whether school cafeterias would like them to be). I know the dairy, beef, pork, egg, poultry, etc. industries are not happy with these ideas and stand to lose a lot of money if Americans reduce their meat consumption even by a third. But the quality of life to be gained is worth it, and I would urge everyone to at least give it a try. Broccoli is not your enemy - it is full of fiber (preventing cancers of the gut) as well as chemicals that actively help your body fight carcinogenic compounds. So not only would you ingest fewer major carcinogens, but you would consume a greater volume of anti-carcinogens. It's a one-two punch K.O.!
Speaking of one-two punches, I found a video on Youtube that has little to do with cancer, but could lower your blood pressure and release feel-good chemicals into your brain...especially if you like kittens:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)