Archive for November, 2008

An article in the San Fransisco Chronicle caught by beady eye recently; predictably, my interest was not for the right reasons. The piece – A Salvia divinorum horror story – was as biased and uninformed as most of these pieces usually are. There’s no surprise there, then, and this wasn’t the reason that the piece got my heckles way up. This piece, ladies and gentlemen, is a badly disguised piece of scare mongering.

The author writes about how dosing – the practice of administering recreational drugs on an unsuspecting user – is becoming a problem, with Salvia being the cause of this problem. This is absolutely not true. As the author says earlier in the article, dosing was being carried out by proponents of LSD who were desperate to get their ’straight’ friends to trip out, man. That had absolutely nothing to do with Salvia Divinorum then, and I’m not entirely sure how it is related now.

The article sites one example of a woman who was a victim of ‘dosing’ when someone slipped some Salvia in her Marijuana joint. This sent her a bit trippy and, understandably, she was a little upset. This upset was life threatening, says the reporter, and all of this points to the fact that Salvia is evil and should be banned.

How about the person who performed the dosing? Isn’t the evil link in this particular chain? What about the Marijuana? Could that have been bad? How about the possibility that this lady just wasn’t feeling very well on this particular occasion? It seems to me that Salvia isn’t necessarily the bad guy here. If there’s any concrete proof that Salvia Divinorum is dangerous, I would absolutely love a reporter to report on it. Then I would listen.

But hey, if worthless hacks, ahem, I mean reporters like this weren’t so eager to jump on the ‘ban Salvia’ bandwagon, they wouldn’t have anything to write about, would they?

Brett Chidester’s case is a tragic one. In January 2006 the 17 year old student from Delaware committed suicide though inhalation of Carbon Monoxide. That his untimely death was a tragedy is without question. The controversy surrounding Chidester’s death is entered around Brett’s Law, as it is called: the move by his parents and concerned well wishers to blame his death on heavy Salvia use

That Brett used Salvia is not a new revelation, and in fact his mother had challenged him about this some months before; Brett claimed to have halted his experimentation with the drug and was, he said, clean. His mother does not believe this to be the case.

After their son’s tragic death the Chidesters blamed Salvia for his state of mind and, consequently, for his death. Brett’s mother started a campaign in which some success was gleaned: Delaware classified Salvia as a Schedule 1 controlled substance.

Mrs. Chidester’s focus then turned to Ethnosupply, a Canadian Internet company that sold the Salvia with which Brett was experimenting. Salvia is completely legal in the US – though now it is not in some selected states – and the practice of buying over the Internet is a common one.

One can easily empathise with Mr and Mrs Chidester who have lost their son in terrible circumstances, and that they want to blame someone – or something – is completely understandable. Their claim that Salvia killed their son is a difficult one to prove, though.

In fact there is no evidence at all that Salvia is dangerous to the body or the mind, and Brett’s death was not shown to have resulted from his earlier use of Salvia. No deaths have been reported since. To aim to ban the drug – presumably to get closure over what Brett’s parents feel is an injustice – is to blame the wrong culprit. Surely the things that caused Brett to be in this state of mind should be addressed, and not a harmless drug that he happened to be using a few months before?

Dr. Nicholas Perricone — author of The Perricone Promise — called acai berries “nature’s perfect energy fruit”. This is high praise for a fruit that has enjoyed increased exposure over the last few years. From month to month, scientists and nutritionists are finding more and more reasons why everyone should be eating or drinking acai, as well as why they should seriously consider an acai diet.

Foods that have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties are great for fighting the effects of serious illnesses like cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease and even Alzheimer’s. Acai contains high levels of antioxidants (1o times the amount found in red grapes) and anti-inflammatory ingredients. This is why an acai diet is widely regarded as a good thing for pretty much everyone.

Another thing about acai and an acai diet is that it can actually reduce and slow the onset of ageing: both physical and mental effects of ageing will be combated with the help of the antioxidants and the anti-inflammatory ingredients.

Along with stopping serious disease and slowing the ageing process (and tasting really nice, too!) an acai diet can help with cholesterol management and improvement of the digestive system. An impressive array of talents for such a small fruit! A small fruit with big ideas.

Weight loss with the acai diet

Weight loss can be greatly aided by the acai diet thanks to the high levels of fiber, phytosterols, amino acids and fatty acids that acai berries contain. These aid a person’s body to burn fat.

Antioxidants

Acai berries are absolutely chock full of antioxidants, which, as you may know, are your body’s best defense against free radicals. The free radicals that naturally occur in your body attack cells and organs, causing degeneration, which we know as aging. A higher level of antioxidants slows this process, making a person look and feel younger. Fans of the acai diet will tell you about higher levels of vitality and energy.

There are many benefits to adding acai berries to your diet. Acai berries are an extremely powerful antioxidant, they have high levels of fiber and they contain several important minerals. Acai berries also help:

• Boost energy levels
• Improve digestive function
• Provide many important vitamins
• Minimize inflammation
• Cleanse and detoxifies the body
• Strengthen the immune system
• Fight cancerous cells
• Maintain healthy heart function
• Prevent atherosclerosis
• Promote healthier and younger-looking skin
• Help alleviate diabetes
• Slow down the aging process
• Improve circulation
• Improve mental clarity/focus
• Enhance sexual desire and performance
• Normalize and regulates cholesterol levels
• Promote sound sleep
• Enhance visual acuity

Fatty acids

Acai berries are actually the only fruit to contain appreciable levels of fatty acids. While you may not like the sound of “fatty acids”, it’s important to remember that not all fats are bad. We need fatty acids in our diets in order to stay healthy. Without food our bodies are unable to produce Omega-3 and Omega-6, both of which help increase metabolism, as well as limiting hunger. These factors combined help weight loss and make shedding extra pounds a breeze.

Fiber

Because acai berries contain high levels of fiber you don’t have to worry about food passing through your system. A high level of fiber means that the digestive tract can function more efficiently, with a decreased amount of food being absorbed into the body and turned into fat cells.

Amino acids

You may be wondering what amino acids are and how they can help you. Amino acids are basically the building blocks of protein. Muscles have to have amino acids to function properly and to regenerate after vigorous exercise. Amino acids help your body to build muscle mass, which, combined with burning fat better, is a key reason to look at the acai diet. Acai berries contain high levels of amino acids, all of which helps weight loss.

Phytosterols

Cell membranes are made up of phytosterols, which are found in high levels in acai berries. These phytosterols make the digestive tract more efficient by removing waste materials and absorbing nutrients, all of which makes a person more healthy.

Disease-fighting qualities

A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showed that acai-berry extracts killed off 86% of leukaemia in a test:

“Acai berries are already considered one of the richest fruit sources of antioxidants,” said Stephen Talcott, an assistant professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “This study was an important step toward learning what people may gain from using beverages, dietary supplements or other products made with the berries.”

Why go for acai berries?

Acai berries contain high levels of antioxidants, which have never been more essential. We live in an age of phytoestrogens, chemicals, pesticides, and other harmful environmental toxins. Lots of people are acai converts because the berries aid weight loss, while other people are just happy for the increased energy levels. The disease-fighting qualities of acai berries are also an important factor to consider. There are lots of reasons why you might become a fan of the acai diet. Outside of Brazil, the two most common forms of acai-berry products are:

The easiest and most convenient way to get your hands on acai berries is by taking acai supplements. Some dodgy dealers push bad products, however. It’s best to stay away from anyone offering free trials that ask you to just pay for shipping, only to charge the buyer an extortionate amount of money. They do these by no disclosing the fact that the buyer signed up for a subscription. The sellers then conveniently make themselves impossible to contact.

However, not everything offering acai supplement is out to steal your money. The best supplement on the market at the moment is Acai Pure, a 100% acai-berry product that contains only the good stuff – and nothing else. Acai Pure is made form high-grade acai powder and is America’s best selling antioxidant cleansing formula. Polls consistently put Acai Pure in the top three acai-berry products on the market.

Acai juice and drinks

Acai-juice products are available in many places. You can probably find them in your local health-food store. However, while this may be convenient, it’s important to know that acai-juice products are often not all they’re cracked up to be. They usually contain high levels of sugar or are diluted with the juice of another fuit. The health benefits are therefore greatly reduced. One of the only products that isn’t diluted is Amazon Thunder.

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You can tell Amazon Thunder isn’t diluted because when you pour it out of the bottle, it’s thick like ketchup – more of a paste thank a juice. Amazon Thunder contains nothing but mashed acai berries. This is the best way to get the full benefit of acai berries in the form of a drink. No other product comes close.

Give it a try

Acai berries are the world’s newest superfood and the benefits of an acai diet are many. Don’t believe the hype – try acai berry products for yourself and you’ll be an addict in no time.

I recently added the acai berry to my regular diet. I managed to get some acai juice from a local distributor and have taken the acai juice to work with me everyday since. It’s tasty and nutritious and apparently it’s going to make me fit and healthy.

I started looking for ways to get acai juice after I saw some interesting reports about it on Oprah. I love Oprah and I figured that she wouldn’t be featuring it on her show if it weren’t the real deal. The acai juice that I have been buying is delicious and nutritious. It actually feels as if it’s doing me a world of good. Apparently this is because of the antioxidants in the acai juice, but there is lots of other juicy goodness in there as well.

Some of the residents in the areas that harvest the acai fruit rely on the berry in a big way. I’m talking about it making up almost half of their diet and providing all of their income. If I’m feeling this much better just from drinking acai juice, imagine what it must be doing to them. Amazing! Here is some more information about acai berries:

Using the acai diet to aid with weight loss

The acai diet is a great way for a person to lose weight and keep that weight off. The reason acai berries are so good at keeping people slim is because they contain unbelievably high levels of amino acids, fiber, fatty acids and phytosterols.

Antioxidants

What makes acai berries so special is the unusually high level of antioxidants they contain. These antioxidant go after cell-damaging free radicals, which means that a person will look and feel younger if the acai diet is used in tandem with a healthy lifestyle. Acai berries contain more antioxidants than any other fruit.

Acai berries are crammed full of fiber, antioxidants and other beneficial minerals. What this means to you and me is that an acai diet is a fast route to looking and feeling healthy. Furthermore, the range of acai products out there also help:

• Boost energy levels
• Improve digestive function
• Provide many important vitamins
• Minimize inflammation
• Cleanse and detoxifies the body
• Strengthen the immune system
• Fight cancerous cells
• Maintain healthy heart function
• Prevent atherosclerosis
• Promote healthier and younger-looking skin
• Help alleviate diabetes
• Slow down the aging process
• Improve circulation
• Improve mental clarity/focus
• Enhance sexual desire and performance
• Normalize and regulates cholesterol levels
• Promote sound sleep
• Enhance visual acuity

Fatty acids

While you may think that all fats are bad for you, they aren’t. Our bodies need some fats to keep us healthy. Fatty acids such Omega-3 and Omega-6 are essential to improve metabolism and also to stop us feeling hungry. Acai berries contain large amounts of fatty acids, which can go a long way towards helping a person to lose weight. Our bodies cannot produce Omega-3 and Omega-6 without food, so acai berries are doing a vital job.

Fiber

The high level of fiber in acai berries helps the digestive track to move food through the body. This is how excess food is eliminated, which is good because it means it isn’t absorbed into the body only to become fat. Like fatty acids, fiber also helps suppress hunger.

Amino acids

Another reason why acai berries aid weight loss is because they contain high levels of the building blocks of protein: amino acids. These amino acids are essential for the body’s muscles to function and also to regenerate after exercise. Amino acids target the muscles and help to build muscle mass, making a person stronger and fitter.

Phytosterols

Phytosterols are the building blocks of cell membranes. They aid your digestive tract by moving out waste materials and more efficiently absorbing essential nutrients. Acai berries are, of course, high in phytosterols.

Disease-fighting qualities

A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showed that acai berry extracts killed off 86% of leukaemia in a test:

“Acai berries are already considered one of the richest fruit sources of antioxidants,” said Stephen Talcott, an assistant professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “This study was an important step toward learning what people may gain from using beverages, dietary supplements or other products made with the berries.”

Why the acai berry?

Every day we find ourselves bombarded by pollutants in our environment, from pesticides and chemicals to phytoestrogens and a variety of other harmful toxins. Acai berries are a great addition to any diet because they contain such high levels of antioxidants. There are a few key reasons why people choose to add acai berry products to their diet. One of the most common is that acai berries can help increase a person’s energy levels. The berries can also aid with weight loss. Furthermore, acai berries have disease-fighting qualities. There has never been a better time to capitalize on the positive attributes of an acai diet. Whether you shop online or would prefer to buy from your local health-food store, the two main forms of acai berry products are:

Acai supplements

The easiest and most convenient way to get your hands on acai berries is by taking acai supplements. Some dodgy dealers push bad products, however. It’s best to stay away from anyone offering free trials that ask you to just pay for shipping, only to charge the buyer an extortionate amount of money. They do these by no disclosing the fact that the buyer signed up for a subscription. The sellers then conveniently make themselves impossible to contact.

However, not everything offering acai supplement is out to steal your money. The best supplement on the market at the moment is Acai Pure, a 100% acai berry product that contains only the good stuff – and nothing else. Acai Pure is made form high-grade acai powder and is America’s best selling antioxidant cleansing formula. Polls consistently put Acai Pure in the top three acai berry products on the market.

Acai juice and drinks

You may have seen acai juice and drinks available in grocery stores and health-food outlets. You might even have bought a couple for yourself and enjoyed drinking them. But while these products are convenient, they usually fall short of expectations for a number of reasons. The first is that these drinks often contain absurdly high levels of sugar – so much for health food. Also, the products you can buy over the counter tend to be diluted with the juice of other fruits.

Not all products are like this, however. If you want acai juice, the way to go is with a product such as Amazon Thunder, which contains nothing but acai berries. It is literally 100% mashed acai berries, which means that when you pour it from the bottle, it looks more like ketchup than a regular juice drink.

Try acai berries

This article can only begin to tell you about the health benefits of acai berries. An acai diet isn’t just a fad diet that’s likely to lose its shine in a couple of years. Acai berry products are here to stay.

Yet another US State is considering banning Salvia Divinorum. Salvia is a hallucinogenic herb that, although barely known just a few years ago, has suddenly shot into the limelight. This limelight has given politicians, reporters and writers everywhere a good reason – so they think – to demand the banning of this naturally occurring drug. Salvia is currently legal – with good reason, some would say, since there is absolutely no indication that it is at all dangerous.

The Cincinnati news site news.cincinnati.com presents a typically biased view of the situation, describing Salvia users as experiencing paranoia and panic. What it doesn’t tell us is the potential for positive benefits of Salvia. Not only does Salvia promise a trip like nothing else you’ve ever experienced, but it might also leave you with a feeling of inner peace, it might give you extra drive and motivation, and it might even concentrate your mind and body on whatever task is at hand. People use drugs like Salvia for a whole host of reasons, only one of which is getting high.

Even if people are using Salvia to ‘just’ get high, they can feel safe in the knowledge that there are virtually no toxins put into the body when using Salvia, and there are no known side effects. Mazatec Mexican shamans have been using Salvia to get in touch with their spiritual side for centuries; they do not appear to believe that there is anything wrong with it.

If Cincinnati does decide to ban Salvia then it will be in fairly good company: the number of States now banning Salvia — or at least controlling its use in some way — has gone into triple figures in recent months.

You should ask yourself this: is it worth sacrificing my civil liberties for the sake of an easy vote, an easy house bill, or an easy story for the journalist? Of course it isn’t. Banning Salvia is the first step on a slippery slope that can only end in disappointment.

It is testament to the tenacity and drive of Sarah Palin that she managed to lead her high school basketball team to victory in a small-school basketball championship in 1982. Sarah hit a critical free throw in the last seconds of the game. She did all this whilst suffering from a painful stress fracture in her ankle.

Born in 1964, Sarah Palin is a pretty hockey mom with 5 beautiful children; her eldest boy is serving in Iraq. She is a self confessed bible believing Christian, and this helped to polarize opinion about her across the US Sandpoint, Idaho was the place of Sarah Palin’s birth, but her family moved out to Alaska while she was still very young. Sarah returned to Idaho to complete her University education, graduating with a degree in communications-journalism in 1987.

Sarah Palin’s father used to take her moose hunting before she went to school and the family generally loved the outdoors. Competing together in long distance runs was not an uncommon phenomenon. But Sarah Palin is no plain tom boy: she won the Miss Wasilla pageant and came third in the Miss Alaska pageant. This latter near-victory ensured that she had a college scholarship.

I was trawling through some insane videos on YouTube recently when, to my shock and complete and utter horror, I spotted my daughter high on Salvia in one of them. I recognised a couple of her friends before I recognised her, but there she was, giggling like a maniac and making a fool of herself in front of the world.

Naturally I had to confront her about this.

Yes, she said, she regretted that the video had made its way onto YouTube; she did not, however, regret using Salvia to get high. Again, I was shocked as this simply wasn’t something that I expected from my daughter.

I told her that I’d seen all the bad press about Salvia and that, in my opinion, there was no smoke without fire (so to speak). In her opinion there was, and she had looked into the matter herself once her friends started smoking Salvia to check how safe it was. She told me that it was actually statistically safer than either alcohol or nicotine (and safer by quite some way) and that this research was the basis of her deciding to take the drug.

I respect my daughter as much as I hope she respects me, and I’m not one to dismiss her opinion on this outright, as much as I thought it to be rubbish. I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and to go and do some of my own research into Salvia.

Well, what can I say? I always knew that my beautiful daughter was clever and resourceful, and she’s also quite often right. She was in this case.

I’m no longer worried about her smoking Salvia for the health reasons: any doom saying on behalf of the media is just there to improve their potential for a good story. Salvia seems to be completely safe and there have been no deaths reported where Salvia has been the major contributing factor.
I still don’t like the fact that she was on YouTube, but at least I can rest safe knowing she’s not going to kill herself.