How to help heal animals without drugs, surgery or treatments

by: Dr. Bernarr, D.C., D.D.

ANIMALS SELF-HEAL BY FASTING

Dr. Donald I. Ogden, D.V.M., Veterinarian, Los Angeles, California, USA, wrote “Animals, when sick, will recover, in 99% of the cases through FASTING. Fasting is the oldest means of remedy to animals. During the fast, the body cells, which are repleted with waste and are partially depolarized, will become freed of these impurities, and allow healing of tissues and the elevation of the organism in all respects. They may be may be fasted for various lengths of time; possibly the longest recorded fast in 117 carried on by Hawk on a dog; (Hawk, P. B. Fasting Studies J. Am. Chem. Soc. June 1910, p. 210). However reptiles may fast longer. The average cat and dog, when sick, may be carried 10-30 days depending on size and condition. During the fast, warmth, quiet, and water only are required. When the fast is broken, only liquids are given for two or three days. During and after there is of course loss of weight, but there is an increase of vitality and metabolic rate of great magnitude later. Fasting is not synonymous with starvation. Starving occurs many days after the fast. Fasting begins with the absence of the last meal continuing until animal realiments, and is accompanied by increased health to every body organ, tissue and cell.

Fasting has been effectively utilized by the author (Dr. Donald I. Ogden) in animals in the following specific conditions: Obesity, underweight conditions, rheumatism, arthritis, constipation, cardiac insufficiency, bronchial disease, allergies, skin disease, stones, digestive pathologies, including ulcer, kidney, dental eye and liver pathologies.”

In “Wild Health” by Cindy Engel, and in her website www.animalselfmedication.com, she writes: “Often the first indication of sickness is that an animal goes off its food – an observation that has led many traditional herbalists to conclude that fasting is a natural and beneficial response to sickness… This lack of appetite can be an effective way of speeding recovery. Bacteria need iron, and the body makes many adjustments to reduce the availability of iron during an infection. If an animal keeps eating, any iron in its food also feeds the pathogens, so force-feeding a sick animal or patient can be counterproductive. Fever reduces appetite, so if a fever is artificially suppressed with drugs and appetite returns, not only do we lower temperature but the increased iron intake can keep the infection going longer. The traditional dictum ‘Starve a fever’ is medically sound advice.”

An Associated Press release dated 28 May 1986, reported the following results of forced fasting on laboratory rats in a study on aging in America: When the diets of laboratory rats are severely restricted, they live far longer than do otherwise identical animals that are allowed to eat as much as they want. In fact, researchers say such food limits are the only way they know for significantly extending those rodents lifespans.

LAYING ON OF HANDS HELPS HEAL ANIMALS

A scientific experiment involving laying on of hands on animals was repeated 30 times in the United States and subsequently over successful trials at the University of London. “Holistic Health Promotion” writes, (Professor Bernard)

Grad, A - Biochemist at McGill University (in Canada), was one of the first to investigate healing by laying on of hands. He conducted a series of double blind experiments using the renowned healer, Oskar Estebany. These experiments divided wounded mice and damaged barley seeds into control and experimental groups. Estebany used healing touch in the “energy fields” of the experimental groups and demonstrated a significantly accelerated healing rate in comparison to the control groups.”

Grad, B. – Some biological effects of the laying on of hands: review of experiments with animals and plants. J. Am. Soc. Psychical Res. 1965; 59:95-171. In Laying On of Hands, belief is not necessary. Researchers using “skeptical” volunteers at Queens College, St. Joseph’s College and Arizona State University claim to have demonstrated a replicable healing effect from the “laying on of hands” healing method. The researchers injected mice with cancer and then treated them one hour a day by laying their hands on the animals and focusing a healing energy through their hands into the mice. The overall cure rate was 87.9% in thirty-three experimental mice.

Researchers William F. Bengston of St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue, NY, together with his colleague David Krinsley of Newport, Oregon, stated, “Belief in laying on of hands is not necessary in order to produce the effect; there is a stimulated immune response to treatment, which is reproducible and predictable; and the mice retain an immunity to the same cancer after remission. The tumors in this study were described as developing a “blackened area, then they ulcerated, imploded, and closed.” The mice then lived their normal life spans. (Krinsley 2000)

Krinsley, W. F. B. a. D. (2000). “The Effect of the “Laying on of Hands” on Transplanted Breast Cancer in Mice.” Journal of Scientific Exploration 14(Fall, 2000): 353-364.

BIBLE SAYS “LAY YOUR HANDS ON THE SICK AND THEY SHALL BE HEALED”

It states in The Bible, Mark 16:18, “Lay your hands on the sick and they shall be healed.” Many laying on of hand healers credit divine power for their instant healing talents, saying they act as mere mediators between the patient and God; they are known as faith healers, psychic healers, psychic surgeons, spirit healers, spiritual healers or spiritualist healers.

WE ALL HAVE THIS ENERGY THAT HELPS HEAL WITH LAYING ON OF HANDS

This healing energy comes from the vital “life” force flowing through all living forms, humans, animals and plants. Every cell in our bodies has “intelligence” that responds to this “life” energy and knows what to do in every situation. This healing energy is called by many, “God”, “chi” by the Chinese, “ki” by the Japanese, “prana” in India, “orgone energy” by Wilhelm Reich, “animal magnetism” by Anton Mesmer, “elan vital” by Henri Bergson, “Reiki” (Japanese word, for universal life energy), etc.

ANIMALS BODIES DO THE RIGHT THING WHEN THEY HAVE DISEASE

Animal bodies always do the right thing. They are passengers on the train of life, not the conductors. Since life began on earth, their God within, their inherent intelligence within each cell of their bodies, has learned to make the optimum adaptation and resolution, to any problem to which their bodies are subjected. Whatever stresses their bodies presently have, their ancestors have successfully learned how to successfully cope with such, previously. It is already built into their genes, their chromosomes and their DNA. Their inherent intelligence, if it chooses to produce disease, it does so to protect them. This disease, or whatever their pathology or symptomatology, helps them survive, despite their self-destructive lifestyle, thinking and spirituality. Their disease is for their protective benefit. Their disease will spontaneously heal, when the cause and need for their inherent intelligence, their God within, to produce disease, no longer exists.

WE ARE THE ONLY PRACTITIONERS IN THE WORLD WHO SUPERVISE WATER FASTING VIA INTERNET & TELEPHONE

We have helped thousands of people and animals, world-wide, heal themselves, by supervising their water fasting via the Internet and telephone. Contact us NOW and we will help you and your animals, heal yourselves, by supervising your water fasting and the water fasting of your animals, via the Internet and telephone.

ALL CAN LEARN, VIA INTERNET, LAYING ON OF HANDS

We have taught many people, world-wide, via the Internet, how to lay their hands on other humans, animals and plants, and to help heal them, completely and permanently. Contact us NOW and we will teach you, via the Internet,how to lay your hands on other humans, plants and animals, and help heal them.

Web Site: http://www.healself.org

E-mail: drbernarr@aol.com

They will teach you how to have this oneness with your inherent intelligence, your God within, how to properly water fast, how to eat properly, how to exercise properly, how to concentrate, feel and meditate properly on the cause of your health problems and your health symptoms, how to properly hand touch yourself and other living beings, humans, animals, plants and environments, so as to help heal yourself and help heal other human beings, animals, plants and environments, how to airbathe and sunbathe properly, how to properly do things with your physical lifestyle, mentality and spirituality and how to help break your bad habits, so as to successfully heal yourself, other human beings, animals, plants and environments, of any kind of health problem, immediately, completely and permanently.

The Horror Behind the Global Leather Trade

We all know that the energy vibration that we surround oursleves with has an enormous effect on our emotional and physical health. Imagine the negativity that we envelop ourselves in when we wear leather!

Every year, the global leather industry slaughters more than a billion animals. Most of the leather in the U.S. and Europe comes from India, China, and other countries that either have no animal welfare laws or have laws that go largely or completely unenforced. Six years after a PETA investigation into the Indian leather industry prompted the Indian government to promise to make improvements in the transport and slaughter conditions endured by cows and other animals killed for their skin, PETA investigators have found virtually no improvements—the animals are still grotesquely abused in ways that violate Indian law and shock the conscience of all kind people.

Blatant Crime

As India’s own animal protection laws are blatantly ignored, unsanitary slaughterhouses continue to pollute the environment; unlicensed, illegal slaughterhouses remain in operation; and the widespread abuse of animals persists. In direct violation of the Constitution of India, cows, who are supposed to be sacred in India, are marched for days without food or water. Those who collapse from exhaustion have their eyes smeared with chili peppers and tobacco and their tails broken in an effort to keep them moving. Crammed into extremely crowded illegal transport trucks for the long journey to slaughter, many are trampled or gored during the ride.

Because India’s animal transport and slaughter laws are not enforced, many of the animals used for leather are so sick and injured by the time they arrive at the slaughterhouse that they must be dragged inside. Once inside, their throats are cut open—often with dirty, blunt knives and in full view of one another—on floors that are covered with feces, blood, guts, and urine. Some animals are even skinned and dismembered while they are still conscious.

Chinese Torture

If you’re wearing leather, it most likely came from China, because China is the world’s leading exporter of leather. In addition to the cattle, sheep, and other animals who are turned into leather in China, an estimated 2 million cats and dogs in China are killed for their skins each year. Confined to wire cages in which they can barely move, these animals are routinely skinned alive and hacked apart, piece by piece, until they bleed to death. Many products made from the skins of dogs and cats are bought unknowingly by consumers, because the products are often intentionally mislabeled and do not accurately indicate their origin.

You Can Help

If you’re wearing leather, you’re wearing skin from a horribly abused animal. Even if your shoes were manufactured in Italy, the United States, or another country, the raw materials (skins) are probably from India, China, or another country with similarly non-existent animal welfare protections.

With so many stylish synthetics now available, there is no excuse to support animal abuse. The best thing that you can do to help animals is to boycott all leather products and urge everyone you know to do the same.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH LEATHER?

Leather may be made from cows, pigs, goats, and sheep; exotic animals like alligators, ostriches, and kangaroos; and even dogs and cats, who are slaughtered for their meat and skins in China, which exports their skins around the world. Since leather is normally not labeled, you never really know where (or whom) it came from.

Most of the millions of animals slaughtered for their skin endure the horrors of factory farming before being shipped to slaughter, where many are skinned alive. Buying leather directly contributes to factory farms and slaughterhouses since skin is the most economically important byproduct of the meat-packing industry. Leather is also no friend of the environment since it shares all the environmental destruction of the meat industry, in addition to the toxins used in tanning.

With every pair of leather shoes that you buy, you sentence an animal to a lifetime of suffering. Instead, you can choose from hundreds of styles of nonleather shoes, clothing, belts, bags, and wallets. Fashion should be fun, not fatal! Read more about the cruelty of the leather industry.

http://www.cowsarecool.com/default.asp

Living Foods

Article From the  Ann Wigmore Foundation

• The Living Foods Lifestyle is based on one essential principle – Life! Life comes from life.
• The life of our body is the totality of the lives of our individual cells. Lively cells make a lively body. Healthy cells make a healthy body.
• How do we cultivate healthy cells? The principle can be summarized by the “Life and Death Equation”, namely:

“Better Health” equals “Life In” plus “Death Out”

In other words: Better Health is the result of putting more Life (Living Nourishment) Into the body and taking Death (Toxic Sludge) Out of the body.

• What does it mean to put Life Into the body? This means that we provide Living Nourishment to our cells. What is Living Nourishment? Simply speaking, it is readily digestible food that hasn’t been killed (cooked). Thus we advocate good food served and eaten raw – like crisp colorful salads and fresh ripe fruits and their juices. Sound appetizing? Yumm.

Then how about raw chickens and raw pigs – complete with feathers, hair, bones, and blood? Probably not so appetizing. [Unappetizing for us, perhaps, but not for true animals of prey - true carnivores - with fangs and claws and industrial-strength digestive juices. For such predators these prey would constitute Live Nourishment!]

But what about dairy – milk: “nature’s most perfect food”? Well, if it’s pasteurized (read: cooked, dead) even a calf can’t survive on it. But even in the live, uncooked state – cow’s milk and mother’s milk are quite different – in fact – they are about as different from each other as calves are from infants! Obviously, one is ideal for baby cows and the other is ideal for baby humans.

“Yes”, you might say, “but does every food I eat have to be ideal for me?” Valid question… Straight answer: “Well, no, not really.” But, then again, remember that every choice we make has its consequences. Now, certainly it is true that most of us can eat almost anything that we like – and not experience any seriously harmful effects (at least up to age fifty or so). But, on the other hand – if we knew that making certain diet modifications could enable us to live healthy and youthful lives – free from drugs and surgery – well into our eighties, nineties, and beyond – wouldn’t it be worth considering such modifications?

The Living Foods program advocates a variety of fruits, vegetables, and sprouted seeds – processed in various specific ways – blended, fermented, dehydrated, or juiced – but not cooked. Furthermore, we recommend the use of wheatgrass juice (the juice extracted from wheat in its grass form) as one of the most potent forms of cleansing nourishment on the planet. All animals instinctively seek out the healing power of grasses – even domestic pets!

• What does it mean to get Death Out of the body? This means that we seek to make our bodies pollution-free. Any dead and/or toxic substances in the body should be detected, neutralized, and eliminated – pronto. This requires that the body’s organs of purification be operating at peak efficiency – in particular, the circulatory, lymphatic, and immune systems, the lungs, sweat glands, liver, kidneys, and… last but not least, the colon.

“Ugh, do we have to talk about the colon?” Fairly common question. Unflinching answer: “You betcha.” In fact, of all the organs in the body, perhaps the most important is the colon. Let’s face it. When the colon slows down, we get polluted and sick, and none of our other organs, especially the brain, can work very well. If the colon stops working completely – or God forbid, ruptures – we get dead – very quickly. Think of it as analogous to the sewer pipe from your house. When that clogs up – even partially – you know that you have a serious problem. Right?? Right.

So that’s why we advocate colon cleansing – enemas – colonic irrigations. Fun? No. Effective in alleviating health problems? Definitely. Now, granted, we never want to become dependent on enemas (there is no substitute for adequate dietary fiber) but when the job needs to be done, we say “Do it.”

One more thing – almost nobody thinks that his or her colon is clogged. Actually, there are various degrees of being clogged. Consider this: If my health is less than perfect, and /or I’ve been eating mostly cooked (read: clogging) food all my life, it’s a pretty good bet that my colon has seen better days and my health and quality of life might really improve if I did some internal housecleaning. Anyway, what have I got to lose? (And wouldn’t I be better off if I lost all of it?!)

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Stem Cells – The Fountain of Youth

by: John T Jones, Ph.D.

This article discusses the following topics in question format on stem cells:

• What are stem cells?
• How are stem cells obtained?
• What other potential stem cell sources are there?
• Why are we and special groups interested in stem cells?
• What are the goals of stem cell research?
• How will stem cells affect our future?

If you are deeply interested in stem cells for the first time and want to go beyond this article, go to the National Institute site and read their very comprehensive list of frequently answered questions (FAQs). The URL is  http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/faqs.asp.

If you are deeply interested in stem cell research, go to: http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/scireport/.

What are stem cells?

The question should be phrased in terms of embryonic stem cells because that is what we are talking about here.

A human embryo is obtained when a woman’s egg is fertilized by a man’s sperm. This occurs in the human body but it can also be done in a laboratory. The procedure is often used in cases of infertility.

I have three grandchildren formed in this way. Their mother donated eggs, their father donated sperm, and the technicians watched the fertilization take place under a microscope. The fertilized eggs were placed in the mother and she gave birth to triplets.

If embryos formed in this way are not placed in the mother they can be and are used for medical research. Often extra fertilized eggs are produced during this process. Scientist would like to harvest these extra eggs rather than discard them. They could then use them to obtain stem cells.

Stem cells are never obtained from fertilized eggs that reside in a woman’s body.

The embryos obtained after they are a few days old are in the form of a mass of cells called a blastocyst; the embryo of about 150 cells. The blastocyst consists of a sphere made up of an outer layer of cells (the trophectoderm), a fluid-filled cavity (the blastocoel), and a cluster of cells on the interior (the inner cell mass).

How are stem cells obtained?

Cell cultures are grown in the laboratory by transferring the inner cell mass of about 30 cells into a culture dish which has a nutrient broth. The cells quickly multiply and fill the dish. They are then transferred to other culture dishes and the process goes on for months.

Once the cells are obtained they can be frozen and shipped to other laboratories.

What other potential stem cell sources are there?

Adult stem cells are a potential source. They can be used to reproduce cell of their type. That is, while embryonic stem cells can differentiate into any type of cell, adult stem cells can only reproduce cells of their type. If they are muscle cells, they can be used to reproduce only muscle cells. However, recent work has indicated that some adult stem cells may be able to differentiate into other cell types.

Why are we and special groups interested in stem cells?

Because stem cells can differentiate, that is, can be used to reproduce other cell types, they have tremendous potential for solving many human health problems.

Some groups do not want scientist to take human embryos for research in any way whatsoever. Because of this, President Bush restricted stem cell research to existing stem cell sources. Other governments have stayed out of the research arena and stem cells are collected at the whims of the scientist.

Scientists argue that excess stem cells are produced in fertility clinics and that they should be used to benefit mankind.

What are the goals of stem cell research?

First, scientists want to understand differentiation. We all know that the human embryo creates all the cell types in the human body. Scientists want to know how and when genes turn on and off to create a particular cell type. Abnormal cell divisions cause birth defects and cancer. Scientists want to know what signals a change in the process of cell development. This could lead to cures for cancer and birth defects.

Stem cells could be used to test new drugs rather than human guinea pigs and animals. Damage to the stem cells would eliminate the drug before it could do damage in the market place, as so many drugs do now.

I would like to quote http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics6.asp directly at this point: Perhaps the most important potential application of human stem cells is the generation of cells and tissues that could be used for Cell-based therapies—treatment in which stem cells are induced to differentiate into the specific cell type required to repair damaged or depleted adult cell populations or tissues.

Today, donated organs and tissues are often used to replace ailing or destroyed tissue, but the need for transplantable tissues and organs far outweighs the available supply. Stem cells, directed to differentiate into specific cell types, offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

How will stem cells affect our future?

Have you heard of the Fountain of Youth?

John T. Jones, Ph.D.  tjbooks@hotmail.com, a retired VP of R&D for Lenox China, is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering, humor), poetry, etc. Former editor of Ceramic Industry Magazine. He is Executive Representative of IWS sellers of Tyler Hicks wealth-success books and kits. He also sells TopFlight flagpoles. He calls himself “Taylor Jones, the hack writer.”

What The World Eats

Time Magazine Online came out with an interesting photo essay called What The World Eats at http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519,00.html

You’ll see families from around the world photographed with their food for a week with a bit about what they spend and what their favorite foods are. It is fascinating to look at the amounts and kinds of food people eat related to how healthy and happy they look.

Health impact of soft drinks

The soft-drink industry has consistently portrayed its products as being positively healthful, saying they are 90% water and contain sugars found in nature. A poster that the National Soft Drink Association has provided to teachers states:

As refreshing sources of needed liquids and energy, soft drinks represent a positive addition to a well-balanced diet….These same three sugars also occur naturally, for example, in fruits….In your body it makes no difference whether the sugar is from a soft drink or a peach. M. Douglas Ivester, Coca-Cola’s chairman and CEO, defending marketing in Africa, said, “Actually, our product is quite healthy. Fluid replenishment is a key to health….Coca-Cola does a great service because it encourages people to take in more and more liquids.”

In fact, soft drinks pose health risks both because of what they contain (for example, sugar and various additives) and what they replace in the diet (beverages and foods that provide vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients).

Obesity

Obesity increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease and causes severe social and psychological problems in millions of Americans. Between 1971-1974 and 1988-1994, obesity rates in teenage boys soared from 5% to 12% and in teenage girls from 7% to 11%. Among adults, between 1976-1980 and 1988-1994, the rate of obesity jumped by one-third, from 25% to 35%.

Numerous factors – from lack of exercise to eating too many calories to genetics – contribute to obesity. Soda pop adds unnecessary, non-nutritious calories to the diet, though it has not been possible to prove that it (or any other individual food) is responsible for the excess calories that lead to obesity. However, one recent study found that soft drinks provide more calories to overweight youths than to other youths. The difference was most striking among teenage boys: Soda pop provides 10.3% of the calories consumed by overweight boys, but only 7.6% of calories consumed by other boys. There was no consistent pattern of differences with regard to intake of calories, fat, or several other factors.

Obesity rates have risen in tandem with soft-drink consumption, and heavy consumers of soda pop have higher calorie intakes. While those observations do not prove that sugary soft drinks cause obesity (heavy consumers may exercise more and need more calories), heavy consumption is likely to contribute to weight gain in many consumers.

Regardless of whether soda pop (or sugar) contributes to weight gain, nutritionists and weight-loss experts routinely advise overweight individuals to consume fewer calories – starting with empty-calorie foods such as soft drinks. The National Institutes of Health recommends that people who are trying to lose or control their weight should drink water instead of soft drinks with sugar.

Bones and Osteoporosis

People who drink soft drinks instead of milk or other dairy products likely will have lower calcium intakes. Low calcium intake contributes to osteoporosis, a disease leading to fragile and broken bones. Currently, 10 million Americans have osteoporosis. Another 18 million have low bone mass and are at increased risk of osteoporosis. Women are more frequently affected than men. Considering the low calcium intake of today’s teenage girls, osteoporosis rates may well rise.

The risk of osteoporosis depends in part on how much bone mass is built early in life. Girls build 92% of their bone mass by age 18, but if they don’t consume enough calcium in their teenage years they cannot “catch up” later. That is why experts recommend higher calcium intakes for youths 9 to 18 than for adults 19 to 50. Currently, teenage girls are consuming only 60% of the recommended amount, with soft-drink drinkers consuming almost one-fifth less than nonconsumers.

While osteoporosis takes decades to develop, preliminary research suggests that drinking soda pop instead of milk can contribute to broken bones in children. One study found that children 3 to 15 years old who had suffered broken bones had lower bone density, which can result from low calcium intake.

Tooth Decay

Refined sugar is one of several important factors that promote tooth decay (dental caries). Regular soft drinks promote decay because they bathe the teeth of frequent consumers in sugar-water for long periods of time during the day. An analysis of data from 1971-1974 found a strong correlation between the frequency of between-meal consumption of soda pop and dental caries. (Those researchers considered other sugary foods in the diet and other variables.) Soft drinks appear to cause decay in certain surfaces of certain teeth more than in others.

Tooth-decay rates have declined considerably in recent decades, thanks to such preventive factors as fluoride-containing toothpaste, fluoridated water, tooth sealants, and others. Nevertheless, caries remains a problem for some people. A large survey in California found that children (ages 6 to 15 ) of less-educated parents have 20% higher rates of decayed and filled teeth. A national study found that African-American and Mexican-American children (6 to 18 years old) are about twice as likely to have untreated caries as their white counterparts. For people in high-risk groups, prevention is particularly important.

To prevent tooth decay, even the Canadian Soft Drink Association recommends limiting between-meal snacking of sugary and starchy foods, avoiding prolonged sugar levels in the mouth, and eating sugary foods and beverages with meals. Unfortunately, many heavy drinkers of soft drinks violate each of those precepts.

Heart Disease

Heart disease is the nation’s number-one killer. Some of the most important causes are diets high in saturated and trans fat and cholesterol; cigarette smoking; and a sedentary lifestyle. In addition, in many adults a diet high in sugar may also promote heart disease.

High-sugar diets may contribute to heart disease in people who are “insulin resistant.” Those people, an estimated one-fourth of adults, frequently have high levels of triglycerides and low levels of HDL (“good cholesterol”) in their blood. When they eat a diet high in carbohydrates, their triglyceride and insulin levels rise. Sugar has a greater effect than other carbohydrates. The high triglyceride levels are associated with a higher risk of heart disease. It would make sense for insulin-resistant people, in particular, to consume low levels of regular soft drinks and other sugary foods. Research is needed on insulin resistance in adolescents.

Kidney Stones

Kidney (urinary) stones are one of the most painful disorders to afflict humans and one of the most common disorders of the urinary tract. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), a unit of the National Institutes of Health, more than 1 million cases of kidney stones were diagnosed in 1985. NIDDK estimates that 10 percent of all Americans will have a kidney stone during their lifetime. Several times more men, frequently between the ages of 20 and 40, are affected than women. Young men are also the heaviest consumers of soft drinks.

After a study suggested a link between soft drinks and kidney stones, researchers conducted an intervention trial. That trial involved 1.009 men who had suffered kidney stones and drank at least 5 1/3 ounces of soda pop per day. Half the men were asked to refrain from drinking pop, while the others were not asked. Over the next three years drinkers of Coca-Cola and other cola beverages acidified only with phosphoric acid who reduced their consumption (to less than half their customary levels) were almost one-third less likely to experience recurrence of stones. Among those who usually drank soft drinks acidified with citric acid (with or without phosphoric acid), drinking less had no effect. While more research needs to be done on the cola-stone connection, the NIDDK includes cola beverages on a list of foods that doctors may advise patients to avoid.

Additives: Psychoactive Drug, Allergens, and More

Several additives in soft drinks raise health concerns. Caffeine, a mildly addictive stimulant drug, is present in most cola and “pepper” drinks, as well as some orange sodas and other products. Caffeine’s addictiveness may be one reason why six of the seven most popular soft drinks contain caffeine. Caffeine-free colas are available, but account for only about 5% of colas made by Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola. On the other hand, Coca-Cola and other companies have begun marketing soft drinks, such as Surge, Josta, and Jolt, with 30% to 60% more caffeine than Coke and Pepsi.

In 1994-1996, the average 13- to 18-year-old boy who drank soft drinks consumed about 12/3 cans per day. Those drinking Mountain Dew would have ingested 92 mg of caffeine from that source (55 mg caffeine/12 ounces). That is equivalent to about one six-ounce cup of brewed coffee. Boys in the 90th-percentile of soft-drink consumption consume as much caffeine as is in two cups of coffee; for girls the figure is 1½ cups of coffee.

One problem with caffeine is that it increases the excretion of calcium in urine. Drinking 12 ounces of caffeine-containing soft drink causes the loss of about 20 milligrams of calcium, or two percent of the U.S. RDA (or Daily Value). That loss, compounded by the relatively low calcium intake in girls who are heavy consumers of soda pop, may increase the risk of osteoporosis.

Caffeine can cause nervousness, irritability, sleeplessness, and rapid heart beat. Caffeine causes children who normally do not consume much caffeine to be restless and fidgety, develop headaches, and have difficulty going to sleep. Also, caffeine’s addictiveness may keep people hooked on soft drinks (or other caffeine-containing beverages). One reflection of the drug’s addictiveness is that when children age six to 12 stop consuming caffeine, they suffer withdrawal symptoms that impair their attention span and performance.

Several additives used in soft drinks cause occasional allergic reactions. Yellow 5 dye causes asthma, hives, and a runny nose. A natural red coloring, cochineal (and its close relative carmine), causes life-threatening reactions. Dyes can cause hyperactivity in sensitive children.

In diet sodas, artificial sweeteners may raise concerns. Saccharin, which has been replaced by aspartame in all but a few brands, has been linked in human studies to urinary-bladder cancer and in animal studies to cancers of the bladder and other organs. Congress has required products made with saccharin to bear a warning label. The safety of acesulfame-K, which was approved in 1998 for use in soft drinks, has been questioned by several cancer experts. Also, aspartame should be better tested.

Recommendations for Action

In part because of powerful advertising, universal availability, and low price, and in part because of disinterest on the part of many nutritionists and other health professionals, Americans have come to consider soft drinks a routine snack and a standard, appropriate part of meals instead of an occasional treat, as they were treated several decades ago. Moreover, many of today’s younger parents grew up with soft drinks, see their routine consumption as normal, and so make little effort to restrict their children’s consumption of them.

It is a fact, though, that soft drinks provide enormous amounts of sugar and calories to a nation that does not meet national dietary goals and that is experiencing an epidemic of obesity. The replacement of milk by soft drinks in teenage girls’ diets portends continuing high rates of osteoporosis. Soft drinks may also contribute to dental problems, kidney stones, and heart disease. Additives may cause insomnia, behavioral problems, and allergic reactions and may increase slightly the risk of cancer.

The industry promises that it will be doing everything possible to persuade even more Americans to drink even more soda pop even more often. Parents and health officials need to recognize soft drinks for what they are – liquid candy – and do everything possible to return those beverages to their former, reasonable role as an occasional treat.

• Individuals and families should consider how much soda pop they are drinking and reduce consumption accordingly. Parents should stock their homes with healthful foods and beverages that family members enjoy.
• Physicians, nurses, and nutritionists routinely should ask their patients how much soda pop they are drinking and advise them, if appropriate, of dietary changes to make.
• Organizations concerned about women’s and children’s health, dental and bone health, and heart disease should collaborate on campaigns to reduce soft-drink consumption.
• Local, state, and federal governments should be as aggressive in providing water fountains in public buildings and spaces as the industry is in placing vending machines everywhere.
• State and local governments should considering taxing soft drinks, as Arkansas, Tennessee, Washington, and West Virginia already do. Arkansas raised $40 million in fiscal year 1998 from that tax. If all states taxed soft drinks at Arkansas’ rate (2 cents per 12-ounce can), they could raise $3 billion annually.
• Those revenues could fund campaigns to improve diets, build exercise facilities (bike paths, swimming pools, etc.), and support physical-education programs in schools.
• Local governments could require calorie listings on menu boards at fast-food outlets and on vending machines to sensitize consumers to the nutritional “cost” of sugared soft drinks and other foods.
• School systems and other organizations catering to children should stop selling soft drinks, candy, and similar foods in hallways, shops, and cafeterias.
• School systems and youth organizations should not auction themselves off to the highest bidder for exclusive soft-drink marketing rights. Those deals profit the companies and schools at the expense of the students’ health.
• The National Academy of Sciences or Surgeon General should review the impact of current and projected levels of soft-drink (and sugar) consumption on public health.
  Soft-drink companies voluntarily should not advertise to children and adolescents. Labels should advise parents that soft drinks may replace lowfat milk, fruit juice, and other healthy foods in the diets of children and adolescents.
• Scientific research should explore the role of heavy consumption of soft drinks (and sugar) in nutritional status, obesity, caries, kidney stones, osteoporosis, and heart disease.

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