Annie Birdsong's Homepage



    To Achieve Vibrant Health    


You can be thin!
Do European Jumpstyle -- For Your Heart!

If P.E. classes in our schools could teach kids to do jumpstyle, they'll have such a good time that maybe they won't get involved in drugs, porn and heavy tv viewing.

Moreover, we could conquer obesity, which has triped among adolescents since 1980. Jumpstyle is also a wonderful, amazing form of aerobics.

 

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Imagine a trim you.
Aerobics With Fit TV

  
The body needs to move.
Learning Tai Chi


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An alternative to TV.
The Body Needs to Move

  

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Start up a walking group today!
Walking is the Best Medicine

  
schools take action to encourage jumproping
The Jump Kids Jump Movement


Click here to see Annie's jumproping page.

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Change your life -- starting today.
The Amazing Benefits of Exercise

I always knew I should exercise but I was so busy that I never got around to it. Now I have a set time that I exercise, every morning before breakfast.

Before I knew it, 50 days had passed and I had lost eight pounds!

What would that look like? Well, a pound is four sticks of margarine, so that much fat would look similar to 32 sticks of margine.

Exercise has amazing benefits:

  • Exercise increases the amount and size of tiny capillaries in the brain, which increases blood flow. "You're literally changing the structure of your brain just by moving your feet," said Dr. Carl W. Cotman, a neurobiologist a the University of California, Irving. More blood means more oxygen to the brain, helping keep the mind sharp, and an improved ability to remove waste products.


  • Exercise also prompts the creation of new blood vessels to your heart, according to research presented at the European Society of Cardiology. Something similar was said on the website of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. It said, "If you exercise, your body can create tiny new blood vessls that bypass diseased or clogged ones." A study of 37 people at Leipzig University in Germany found that people with serious heart failure who rode a bicycle 30 minutes a day for four months developed more small blood vessels in their muscles, as well as new stem cells in thier bones that help repair damaged parts and relieve stress.


  • Exercise significantly reduces harmful cholesterol in the blood while increasing good cholesterol, according to Duke University Medical Center researchers.


  • As people grow older, their hearts loose mass and elasticity, but older people who have exercised four or five times a week throughout adulthood were able to maintain a youthful heart mass and if they exercised six to seven times a week, they gained new mass, according to Dr. Paul Behella, The medical director of the Echocardiography Imaging Lab at the John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth Texas. Exercise also improves the elasticity of the heart. "If you exercised six to seven times a week throughout your adult life, your heart has the elasticity of when you were a young person," said Dr. Bhella.


  • Exercise releases brain chemicals that sooth you and improve your mood, such as seratonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, says Dr. John Ratey, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard University.


  • Exercise can reduce depression as effectively as antidepressant medications, according to Dr. James A. Blumenthal, a professor psychology and neuroscience at Duke University.


  • Exercise reduces stress. It also works on a cellular level to reverse stress' toll on our aging process, according to a study from the University of California, San Francisco.


  • Exercise helps you sleep better.


  • Exercise improves your body image and thus your self esteem.


  • Exercise increases stamina and reduces fatigue.


  • Moderate exercise activates your immune system, according to Dr. David Nieman,, a professor in the Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise at the Appalacian State University.
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Why people live so long in Okinawa
BBC: How to Live to 101

  
A Good Morning America Report
Secrets to Living Longer

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Eating more meatless meals.
Koreans Who Live to Be 100

My friend Ruth said it is not unusual for her relatives in South Korea to live to be 100 years old. She feels this is in part due to the fact that they only eat meat occassionally, such as on birthdays and holidays.

This has influenced me to embrace moderation. I tell people I am a "Korean style vegetarian." At a cookout, Christmas and when eating out, I eat meat.

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A clip from the documentary called "Processed People"
Dr. John McDougall Discusses What Makes People Sick


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Some countries have virtually no heart disease.
Eating a Heart Healthy Diet


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Keeping your heart healthy
Soy Protein and Cholesterol

A research report in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that the addition of soy protein to a low-fat or even the ordinary American diet appears to be among the most potent cholesterol lowering dietary factors yet discovered.

It comes in plastic, which leaches out a hormone disruptor, so I use a knife to skim off a thin layer of the sides that touch the plastic.



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The most vulnerable are the babies -- born and unborn.
The Lining of Cans Leaches BPA -- a Hormone Disruptor

Most cans that contain food are lined inside with an epoxy resin containing Bisophenol A (BPA), a hormone (endocrine) disruptor, which leaches into food and may be harmful even at very low doses. The chemical is also used in making plastic beverage containers and polycarbonate plastic, which is used in making baby bottles, sippy cups and much more.

When the milk is warmed, researchers say 55 times more chemicals are leached into the food.

A team of 38 scientists reviewed 700 studies on the effects of bisophenol A on human health and concluded that it has a high probability of causing harm.

"We have a large literature of animal studies that explains the molecular details," said Dr. Vom Saal.

The scientists believe the chemical may have a role to play in causing diabetes and other chronic diseases.

While anyone can be affected, the scientists are especially concerned about the affects on babies and infants, who more vulnerable because their brains are developing and their organ systems are maturing.

Wal-Mart is phasing out sales of baby bottles containing BPA from its U.S. stores next year.

We need people to call companies that process food and ask them to can food in glass jars, not metal.
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Are males being feminized?
Plastic Food Containers, Phthalates and Males

Most plastic packaging leaches a hormone disrupter into food called phthalates, a chemical used to soften plastics.

Higher phthalate levels in pregnant women is associated with lower levels of male hormones, which has the potential to alter masculine brain development and make changes in the genitals of baby boys, according to Dr. Shanna Swan, an epidemiologist at the University of Rochester in New York.

Dr. Jim Pirkle, a scientist with the Centers for Disease Control, said "The big concern of the phthalates is that they have anti-androgen activity. They get rid of things that are in the testosterone line, the things that make a man a man."
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Republicans blocked regulation.
Sen. Diane Feinstein (D) Testifies About the Dangers of Bisophenol A (BPA)

  

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Let's use the precautionary principle
Sen. Feinstein: The Public Is At Risk

"I have a deep abiding concern regarding toxins and chemicals, with no testing,in all kinds of products, and all kinds of solutions, that leach into people with no testing," said Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-California)

"There is no precautionary standard in this country when it comes to chemicals. You have to prove that a chemical is harmful before that chemical can be banned."

We need to change the law so that a chemical can not be used unless it is proven to be safe, but it won't happen unless you vote for the Democrats.
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Take action soon
Phasing Out Plastic

As you can see from Senator Feinsein's testimony before Congress in the videos above, we need to phase out the use of plastics, which are made from petroleum, to protect ourselves from hormone disruptors, which can cause serious health damage, unless they are free of Bisophenol A and Phthalates.

I recommend plastics made out of bagasses to store things in your freezer. I also recommend glass to eat out of and store things in your refridgerator.

You might purchase containers made of bagasse, a sugar cane byproduct, from Eco Green Wares for use in your freezer.
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Digging at the roots our health problems
Why Corn Should Always Be Organic

In a class on agriculture and the environment, I learned that to clean up a hazardous waste site that has contaminated soil, scientists advocate that corn be planted on the site because it is a hyper-accumulator. It draws poisons out of the soil.

One reason corn is so quick to draw pollutants out of the soil is that it has a high oil content.

Because of this characteristic of corn, you should never eat corn unless it is organic because it will draw pesticides and herbicides from the soil into the plant.

Pesticides can cause genetic degradation. Do we wish to pass degraded genes to future generations?

Research shows that pesticide intake is linked to "cancer, acute and chronic injury to the nervous system, lung damage, reproductive dysfunction, possibly dysfunction of the endocrine and immune systems," according to the National Academy of Sciences.

(Dysfunction of the endocrine system is linked to diabetes.)

Why is it that obese people are more prone to diabetes? It may be that they are consuming large quantities of pesticides from their corn chips and other corn based snacks and corn sweetners in their colas. (About one-third of U.S. adults (33.8%) are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)

Diabetes is a national epidemic -- a threat to your family! Nearly 26 million people in the United States have diabetes, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control estimate, and that number could increase to one-third of the population in the United States by 2050 if obesity and other factors continue to increase.
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Protecting children
Often, Pesticides Also Inside Food -- So Can't Be Washed Off

What many mothers do not know is that many pesticides are systemic, which means they are drawn into the crops with the water they take in because they are water soluble. You can't wash them off because they are inside every inch of the plant.

Some farmers like systemic pesticides better because they don't wash off the plant when it rains or degrade in the sun. The insects bite the plant and die.

In addition to systemic insecticides used on food crops, a National Academy of Sciences report said, "almost all newer fungicides are systemic." Furthermore, the report said 90 percent of these systemic fungicides are oncogenic, meaning they can possibly lead to the development of cancer.

Babies -- born and unborn -- are much more vulnerable to chemical injury from pesticides because their bodies are still developing. A wrong chemical signal in the early years can cause development to go awry.

DANGERS OF PESTICIDES:

Prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides, which is often used on food crops, is related to lower scores on intelligence tests at age 7, according to researchers at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health, who did a study on this.

Also significant, Dr. Bruce Lanphear, the director of the Children's environmental Health Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, said pesticide exposure can impair the development of the brain's prefrontal cortex -- actually shrinking it -- causing attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and behavoral problems, along with later-life learning and social problems -- even criminal behavior.

The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain controlling short-term memory and instant gratification responses.

Another danger of pesticide use is "genetic degradation." Do we want to pass on degraded genes to future generations?

A National Academy of Sciences report summarizing the dangers of pesticides to children and babies listed cancer, acute and chronic injury to the nervous system, lung damage, reproductive dysfunction and possibly dysfunction of the endocrine and immune systems. (Annie's note: endocrine system dysfunction can lead to diabetes.)
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How food additives cause hyperactivity
When a School in the U.K. Gave Up Food Additives

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Invest in good health.
Why We Should Avoid Artificial Colors

The British Government and the European Union have taken action to ban the use of artificial colors Yellow 5, Red 40, and six others, which are made from petroleum.

These dyes have been linked to hyperactivity in children, alergic reactions and cancer in laboratory animals.

You don't want to consume petroleum products. Petroleum has radioactive substances in it, carbon monoxide, benzene, which is linked to leukemia, xylene and toulene, which are highly carcinogenic, PAHS, which are linked to breast cancer.

Artifical dyes are easily replaced with dyes with natural ingredients. In the U.K Kellog's Nutri Grain Cereal bars are dyed with beetroot, annatto and paprika extract -- natural ingredients. But in the lax United States, Kellog's Nutri Grain Cereal Bars are dyed with Red No. 40, Yellow No. 6 and Blue No. 1.
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Food as medicine
Eat a Rainbow of Colorful Fruits and Vegetables




What you don't know can hurt you.
Amazing Article By Professor of Pathology on Free Radicals



A natural remedy
Green Tea When You Are Sick

It is the custom of many Chinese people to drink green tea when they are sick.

The antioxidants in green tea help stabilize the free radicals secreted by the germs that bombard your body when you are sick.

The Japanese say that after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, those who drank green tea for most of their lives did not suffer the affects of radiation exposure as acutely as those who did not.
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Amazing natural remedy
Kale (Antioxidants) When You Are Sick

Last night, my stomach was really hurting. Probably, germs were in there secreting free radicals, which were really doing damage.

I remembered that out of 22 fruits and vegetables, kale has the highest amount of antioxidants -- substances that neutralize the free radicals, rendering them harmless by giving them an electron (or is it a proton) -- whatever it is they need to be stable and harmless.

So I ate a bowl of raw baby kale and immediately my stomach pain went away.

I was amazed.
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Stress causes free radical damage, which is dangerous to health
Soothing a Crying Baby May Prevent Health Damage

This amazing article fails to mention that when we are under stress, the body is churning out free radicals that are doing damage to health.


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Are you pouring on pounds?
One 20oz. Bottle of Soda Can Contain 17 Teaspoons of Sugar

In an anti-obesity campaign, New York Health Officials put up billboards of a bottle of cola being poured into a glass filled with thick, yellow human fat, marbled with blood vessels.

They also created the video below:


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Researchers: Even a little bit of exercise makes a difference.
Decades of Research: Being Overweight (not obese) Increases Risk of Heart Failure by 49%


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Let's lose weigth in 2011!
How An Extra Pound of Fat Overworks Your Heart


"Being too heavy for one's skeletal size raises blood pressure, and obesity does so even more dramatically.

"Each pound of fat is filled with miles of capillaries that require pressure to move through. The more fat, the harder the heart must work," said Dr. C.D. Jenkins, an internationally known health worker, researcher and professor of preventive medicine and community health, of epidemiology, and psychiatry.

So every pound of fat you lose helps you have a healthier heart!
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Let's lose weigth in 2011!
When the Heart is Covered With Fat

The heart can get covered with fat, which endangers its function. Probably, a heavy load makes it more difficult to rise and fall as it pumps.


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Don't hide your beauty under layers of fat.
A Plan for Loosing Weight

Obesity is a national epidemic with 66 percent of Americans overweight. Sad.

In fact, America leads the world in obesity. Why do you think that is?

Let this be the year you get in shape!

If you can burn up an extra 500 calories per day by exercising and eating less, which is 3,500 per week, you can lose 1 pound per week. (Though it is possible to lose 3 or more pounds per week.)

To help you visualize how much fat one pound is, think about four sticks of margarine. Four sticks of margarine are one pound.

If you then should lose a pound per week for one year, this time next year you would be 52 pounds lighter. Fifty-eight pounds looks like 208 sticks of margarine.

Moreover, if you lost 52 pounds in one year that would be about five dress sizes. If I understand correctly, 10 pounds is one dress size.

If you are 52 pounds overweight, that's like carrying around a child in your arms all day, a load making you sluggish and can lead to low self esteem, poor body image, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, heart disease, sleep apnea, stroke, complications with pregnancy, high cholesterol, fatty liver disease and reduced life expectance.

One of my college professors told his class, "There are no fat old people."

Losing weight can be an offering to God, the giver of beauty, and a priceless gift of love to your husband.

"If we do not value beauty, then we ignore a vital ingredient in the well being of the world," said Prince Charles of Wales.

Below are some activities that will help you burn off excess calories (but keep in mind that even 30 minutes a day of exercise is helpful): Click here to see a calorie counter.

Click here to find out how many calories you should be consuming each day.

Click here to find how many calories are burned by specific activities.

Tips on losing weight:

1. Have a journal where you write down every bite you consume each day and count your calories. Keep a count of calories burned each week from exercise and diet.

2. You might have a section in your journal for planning menus.

3. Decide now what you will do when tempted to eat. For instance, you might play music and sing.

4. If you husband eats a lot of junk food that tempts you, you might need to lock his snacks in a special cabinet that only he has the key to -- or even in the trunk of his car. Ask him not to even let you see this food.

5. The Japanese say never eat to the fill.

6. My mother, who only weighs 145 pounds, eats more than three meals a day but she eats very small portions served on very small plates. She doesn't eat suger and exercises three times a week. She never bought colas or snacks in the bag etc., choosing to save her money instead. I am very proud of her.

7. If you stop seeing and consuming unhealthful snacks and substitute fresh fruit in their place, eventually you will begin to crave a different kind of food, such as grapes or oranges.

8. If icecream is a temptation for you, perhaps you can eat frozen, very ripe, fair trade, organic bananas instead. You can special order a case of these at your natural food store. (When put in a freezer, the skin turns black but the inside is still white. Put the frozen banana under hot water and you can easily skim it off with a knife. Inside the frozen fruit is chewy and wonderful -- not hard.) Or you might make your own low calory icecream without cream and sweetened with fresh fruit. You can make a batch in an icecream maker and freeze it.

9. To help your son or daughter prevent obesity, encourage him or her to ride bikes and jump rope instead of watch TV. You might take hikes together, ride bikes to the library together, play volleyball and play frisbee together.
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What we don't know can hurt us.
A Guide to Cooking Oil


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See how they are made.
Do You Really Want a Hot Dog?

  
A high fat content
Take a Good Look at Processed Meat


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Nature creates the best ingredients.
The Natural Way to Care for Skin

Dermatologists say skin has a natural moisturizer, called ceramide, that helps prevent dryness and helps keep germs out of your body.

Dermatolists say you must take care not to strip it off. Only use soap two or three times a week, except on the soles of your feet, under your arms, on your bottom and under your breasts. I don't soap at all when bathing -- except in a few places.

Dermatologist say don't use liquid soap.

When you bath, use only lukewarm water -- not hot, say the doctors.

When you wash, rub very gently. In some places, you might just want to rub with your hands rather than a washcloth, say the doctors.

When you dry with a towel, only pat dry rather than rub, say dermatologists.

Since I began doing this, the skin on my legs look silky, glossy and wonderful in the light.

If you use a moisturizer, try to find one with natural ingredients.

At a natural food store, I found a moisturizer for my hands that has no artificial fragrance, no artificial colors, no parabens and no petroluem products.

Rather than synthetic moisturizers, it uses natural substances, such as olive oil, jojoba and shea butter.
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Will we lose our antibiotics?
Are You Consuming Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria?

How our food is produced matters.

As small animal farming is replaced by large-scale factory farming, animals are in such crowded and filthy conditions that if one animal gets sick, the germs quickly spread to the others.

The animals lose weight when they are sick and the corporation makes less profit. Thus, many corporations are feeding even healthy animals antibiotics on a daily basis.

But scientists say this endangers us all by giving rise to antibiotic-resistent bacteria.

Whole Foods Market and many natural food stores and co-ops sell eggs and meat from animals that were not fed antibiotics.


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Avoiding harmful chemicals
Make Your Own Hair Dye With Natural Ingredients

Chemicals we use on our skin penetrate and enter the blood stream. Thus, I am leary of using chemicals to dye my hair. Hair dyes use very bad chemicals.

However, there are natural ways to cover grey hair. You can use ground up henna, a plant, which is available in natural food stores, to dye your hair.

Pouring boiling water into the henna and add a tablespoon or two of vinegar.

Now you must open the cuticle of your hair with heat. I sit under a hair dryer. Alternatively, you might take a wet wash cloth and iron over it to make it steam and apply it to a section of my hair. Then I dab on the hennamixture. Let it dry.

It permanently dyes the hair.

Click here to read an article about making your own hair dye with rosemary and sage.

Click here to hear a BBC has a program on the history of hair dye that might interest you. (Don't click the yellow button, click the words "listen to this item.")