Dragonfly News

The Official Monthly Newsletter of Song of Health
October, 2008

Click here to download a printable
version of this newsletter.

November 08 Newsletter
September 08 Newsletter

NATIONAL BREAST CANCER
AWARENESS MONTH

Welcome Subscribers, to Dragonfly News. We are excited about the opportunity to share interesting and helpful information with you in our monthly newsletter, which is available to subscribers only. We first email the newsletter and food resource updates to you directly in .pdf form. Then, in a few days you will be able to access the newsletter on the website. The food resource updates will be incorporated into the existing Food Resource List and can be found by clicking the icon on the left side of most pages.

If you did not receive this issue at your email address and would like to, please notify us immediately at manager@songofhealth.com.

We may need you to remove a pop-up blocker on your computer or to update your current email address with us.

WEBSITE CHANGES!

1) The original button “Carroll Food Lab Test” is now called “Send Samples For Evaluation.”
2) In The Forum, the category “Carroll Food Lab Test” is now called “Food Questions.”

For our Gluten Intolerant brothers and sisters: At the bottom of this issue is a list of common, name-brand gluten-free products. This list will soon be available to you on the website. There is also a website to check out, which is dedicated to gluten-free recipes: www.glutenfreeclub.com.

GIVE THE GIFT OF HEALTH:
honor your friends and family with A subscription to SONG OF HEALTH.

WHAT INFORMATION WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER?
Our goal is to serve you. Please help us by sharing what you would like to see in the Dragonfly News. We also invite you to share your favorite recipes with us.

You may contact us at: newsletter@songofhealth.com

SUBSCRIBERS SPOTLIGHT
STORIES, COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS
Share your story with others.

SUBSCRIBERS, please. . . help others by sharing your story with us and allow us to publish it in the next issue of Dragonfly News and Subscribers’ Testimonials, now on the Song of Health website. We have this opportunity to help those who still suffer but are not confident that our dietary lifestyle will work for them. By hearing and reading about how our lives were dramatically changed we can help them to step through the door toward wellness. WE WOULD BE HONORED TO INCLUDE YOUR STORY about how you came to follow the Dr. Carroll Food Intolerance way of life. We reserve the right to edit for grammar and spelling correctness, however we will not change your story content.

IF YOU PREFER US TO HELP YOU WRITE YOUR STORY, WE WILL BE HAPPY TO. JUST ASK!

Please email your contribution to manager@songofhealth.com Thank you for helping us to achieve our goal of reaching out to as many people as possible in order to offer them hope.

A note of encouragement: A subscriber was concerned that her story was uninteresting. There is no such thing as a boring, uninteresting story! We are here to support each other and every contribution helps, no matter how small or large the content. Please don't let that stop you!

QUESTIONS ASKED AND ANSWERED:

IMPORTANT! It has been brought to our attention an important issue that we believe needs to be addressed: On occasion, a subscriber will ask our doctors a question regarding a food intolerance and their responses will slightly differ. This has sometimes caused confusion and has been expressed directly to one of our doctors by several patients.

Per Dr. Zeff: “…most likely, we are not evaluating foods for, e.g., potato content. We are evaluating a food against a blood sample of a person with a known potato intolerance…” Test results for one patient to a food can vary from another patient, even though they are intolerant to the same food category. So, Dr. Watrous may determine a different result than Dr. Zeff, or any of the other doctors who competently perform this testing, because they are testing a patient’s specific blood sample to a specific food sample. As Dr. Zeff puts it, “It is one of the peculiarities of the methodology.”

For this reason, we constantly emphasize throughout the Song of Health website that the information found on the website is a guide only. If you have any personal issues with a product, in other words, a test evaluation shows a food should be o.k. for you to eat, yet you have a reaction to it anyway, we suggest you refrain from consuming it until you have it tested for you personally.

Always, always, always consult your physician with any medical issues you may be experiencing, any drugs you have questions about or your medical care. Our purpose is to help you to determine what foods are included in food intolerance categories. All other information, including articles, are for educational purposes, and is not meant to replace your doctor’s care for you. We are set up as a support team for doctor, patient and subscriber. There are many questions Song of Health can answer for you, and we encourage you to ask us first, in regards to food and food intolerances. What we are not qualified to answer directly, we refer to our doctors and they, in return email their responses to us. You may consider Song of Health as your information center.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact us. We are here to support you and your efforts to claim and maintain great health by refraining from your food intolerances and learning about other natural health issues.
In Health,
Sandra Strom

The following questions/comments were emailed to us since the August newsletter. THEY WILL ALSO BE POSTED IN THE FORUM. Be sure to check The Forum daily for new entries.

From Kathy G., 9/2/08. Hello! I was wondering if you had received any testing for Barbara's Snack Animal Chocolate Chip All Natural animal crackers. I am specifically looking for fruit and potato/cereal combination. Thank you for your time! Sincerely, Kathy

From Sandra Strom, 9/2/08. Hi Kathy, when you specify potato/cereal combination, I'm assuming you mean potato/grain? We have not received any new updates since the latest one, which was emailed with the newsletter yesterday. I can almost guarantee that this product would test for potato, just an educated guess, because most all of the other Barbara's "flour" products do. And it would obviously test for grain. My guess is the potato results can be contributed to the baking powder used. I would highly recommend sending a sample in to be tested and not eat it yourself until the results are determined. Personally, I stay away from all of Barbara's products with baking powder because I am potato intolerant.
Hope this helps. In Health, Sandra

From Deb C., 8/18/08. Hello I joined your website to learn about whether the following chemicals are considered dairy. Could you please give me any info you have on them?

Dicalcium Phosphate
Calcium Phosphate
Calcium Silicate

Thank you. Deb, Boulder, CO.

Reply from Dr. Watrous, Dear Deb, As far as we can tell, via hundreds of products tested and ingredients scrutinized, the following seems true:

Calcium phosphate, calcium diphosphate, dicalcium phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, and calcium proprionate all contain dairy derivatives. They are included on our list of "dairy" products. Calcium Silicate does not contain dairy, from what I have found. I hope this is helpful to you. Dr. Watrous

From Deb C., 9/17/08. I'm wondering if your listing for Grains is the same as the listing for Gluten. Thanks, Deb.

Reply from Sandra Strom. I am assuming you are referring to the "Gluten Free List" that will be available on the website soon when you state "listing for Gluten?" The listing for Grains is not the same. Some foods that, for our Carroll Food Intolerance purposes, test as grain do not always cause a reaction to some of our gluten-intolerant friends. Have you been tested for grain intolerance or are you gluten intolerant, and what grain are you specifically concerned about? In Health, Sandra

From Deb, Thanks Sandra for your reply - I am "gluten intolerant" and am happy to hear that there'll be a gluten free list soon.  Deb

MAKE YOURSELF HEARD!

Please post your replies to our other subscribers at THE FORUM.
Thank you.

HEALTH HUMOR

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine.
That means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even
more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain.
Bottoms up!

BREAST THERMOGRAPHY
By Dr. Letitia Dick, ND

This month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Being October, and this is in the media and constantly on the minds of women across the nation, I want to share with women the option of breast health screening and true preventive care with the technology of breast thermal imaging, or breast thermography.

Thermal imaging uses a highly resolute infrared camera to detect heat from the body. The image is captured and recorded for processing with sophisticated computer software. This is a passive technique that involves no form of x-ray exposure. A change in breast temperature as little as 0.5 degrees indicates abnormal breast tissue activity. This abnormal heat reading can be detected 8 to 10 years prior to a cancer mass even being formed. This is truly early detection.

There have been further advances in breast cancer “prevention” by screening women for DNA mutations that cause a genetic predisposition to developing breast cancer. If you are determined to be “positive” for the breast cancer gene, there is an 80% chance that you will develop breast cancer in your lifetime. This is driving women to have radical mastectomies at the early age of 20 or 30 to “prevent cancer”. It is clear that mutations in DNA can lead to diseases, but not everyone with this DNA gets cancer. A DNA mutation does not have to be expressed. Simply because you have the gene, does not mean your metabolism has to express that gene. You may carry the gene for blue eyes, yet your eyes are brown. You may have the gene for red hair, yet your hair may be blond. Not all DNA is activated. Some DNA may become activated or expressed with certain toxins present, or stress, or injury. Some DNA may become damaged, or mutated. This occurs 100% of the time with herbicide, pesticide, and x-ray radiation exposure.

It defies common sense to expose bioactive sensitive glandular tissue (breasts) to damaging x-ray radiation. It has been found that with every mammogram x-ray radiation exposure, women increase their risk of cancer by 5%. This radiation exposure is cumulative…meaning, it adds up. The mutations to cell DNA do not reverse. Therefore, with each exposure (recommended yearly for women over the age of 35), breast cancer mutations increase by 5%. After 10 years of this “preventive care” women now have increased their breast cancer risk by 50%!! Their mutation rates in the DNA of the breast cells are beyond repair by the body and one half of these women screened in this manner will develop breast cancer because of the screening test they take. Why is this even allowed in our country? I can only assume it is because cancer is a billion dollar industry.

Other forms of diagnosis and evaluation do not expose the sensitive glands to gamma x-ray radiation waves. Ultrasound provides non-detrimental sound images, as does Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and thermal imaging with heat detection. Each of these methods has their strengths and weaknesses and none of them, including x-ray mammograms are 100% accurate. That is why often several forms of imaging are utilized in breast evaluation along with the good ol’ standby of manual self-breast exams in the shower once a month.

So, in thinking about the common sense approach to the new knowledge of the human genome project and the findings that many women carry the “gene for breast cancer,” how do we change this for further generations to come? I wondered, “How does the gene mutation BRCA1 and BRCA2 occur?”

“Current advice to women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations is to combine annual mammograms with bi-annual clinical breast exams, beginning at the age of 25.” www.medicalnewstoday.com/?newsid=13423, 14/September2004, from Nemiroff@hvaccess, July 29, 2005.)

Yet, radiologists in Germany, at the University of Gottingen, suggest that women with higher risks of breast cancer (such as women with several family members diagnosed with breast cancer), should avoid early and frequent mammogram screening. Researchers, there at the university, are determining that the low dose x-ray radiation exposures are nearly three times more effective in mutating genes in human cells than conventional x-rays. [Edwards, R, “Risk of mammograms for certain women,” (New Scientist News Service), Times Herald-Record, Middletown, NY, Nov 12 2002.] These renowned researchers are being ignored, yet they are advising high-risk women to insist on other screening tests besides radiation…and they are radiologists! Let us listen… let us have common sense.

Thermal imaging is non-invasive. There is no radiation exposure. Nothing penetrates the breast tissue and there is neither compression nor trauma. Simply, natural body heat is detected and viewed.

I invested in a breast thermal imaging unit out of my own pocket many years ago. I didn’t get funding or grants for it. I still haven’t paid off the debt of the loan. Yet, the women I have helped with it and the benefits of this tool make me richer in my soul…for I know I have truly helped. I invested in thermography as not only a safe and sane early detection of risk factors for women’s breast health, but my main motive was that I never wanted my daughters or my granddaughter to have their breast tissues exposed to damaging x-ray radiation. Mammography just doesn’t evoke trust or common sense.

Thermography is an effective and healthy way to detect changes in breast tissue, along with MRI, ultrasound, and manual breast exams. Please read the following article for further information: www.windroseclinic.com/Thermography.pdf

Other sites of interest:
www.thermascreen.com/thermograms.html
www.thinkbeforeyoupink.org
www.breastcanceroptions.org
www.babylonbreastcancer.org

In Health,
Dr. Letitia Dick-Watrous

SHARING EXPERIENCES
By Sandra Strom, CEO

“The Reality of Chemical Sensitivity ”

I was at a meeting recently and noticed a woman who was sitting off by herself, away from everyone else, which immediately dredged up in my mind all the possibilities of what possessed this person to isolate herself. At some point during the meeting she spoke up and expressed the need for a ride to Astoria, Oregon the next day. I just happened to be going through Astoria to Seaside for a business meeting the next morning, so I piped up and offered her a lift.

After the meeting “Betty” explained, ad infinitum, that she was chemically sensitive and not able to stay in one place for more than a few days or her body would become saturated with the local environmental chemicals and her kidneys would proceed to shut down. She wasn’t sure where she was staying that night, most likely in a cubby hole alongside a local church, but her next immediate pursuit was to find some cardboard. She had been allowed to stay at the local inn for a couple days, but when she approached the local police for help in finding another place to lay her head, they were of no help. I was feeling somewhat guilty for not asking her to stay at my place for the night, but something was stopping me. I discussed with a friend, at length, the dilemma I was having as we watched this woman, who appeared to be a down-and-out transient, walk down the street to search for her shelter needs for the night. Fortunately, it is September in the Pacific Northwest and the weather is still temperate, so I wasn’t worried about her freezing to death. Both of us realized that this woman wasn’t new to this apparent lifestyle and, if it were us, we probably would have been more prepared for the night. How arrogant of us!

The next morning I drove to our designated meeting place, wondering if she would really be there, almost secretly hoping she wouldn’t, as she was quite the talker. She was there - suitcase, bedroll, cardboard and all. Before getting into my admittedly dirty truck, still filthy from barn hay, camping from days before and stinking of camp smoke (only perfume or Roundup could top this), “Betty” donned a bandana over her hair, a mask over her mouth and nose and plastic gloves for her hands. Upon climbing into the truck, she immediately began chatting, detailing her story of the morning, which I was systematically drowning out with the radio, but after a minute I decided to turn the radio off and listen to her. After all, aren’t we all in a boat of one health intolerance or another? I reminded myself that my purpose in life is to be a servant of the people, to step out of self and be the hollow bone so that a Higher Power may work through me, no matter how put out or irritated I feel about it. When I asked her how she became so chemically sensitive and to what degree, her story brought me to my knees.

“Betty”, who is in her 50’s, was born and raised in Niagara Falls, and she named off three or four toxic-producing industries, all located within blocks of where she was raised, including a paint-producing company. The ground and air were saturated with toxins. Her father worked in a lead-based factory there; he only lived into his forties. In her youth she exhibited allergy symptoms, but it wasn’t until adulthood that her body crossed the line of no resiliency.

Today Betty has an issue with everything in her environment, including plastics, paper and minerals in water. I suggested she use a Brita filter and water container and she retorted that wasn’t possible because the container is plastic, which leaches dioxins into the water. I wanted to give her my business card with my phone number but she couldn’t accept it because of the dioxins in the paper. Instead, she carried around a cardboard piece as her address book. We discussed possibilities of church members helping to build her a permanent shelter, and I suggested a simple stick framed house. That was not an option as the wood could pick up minerals and toxins in the ground. The only solution would be a very simple steel pole shed. I have personally been ill from toxic poisoning and I have known other very chemically sensitive people, but I have never met anyone as drastic as Betty.

I asked her where she was headed next. Her sites were set on a place in Colorado (via California), where the air is considered clean and the cold weather helps to keep allergen count down. She was probably going to hitchhike there, unless a church was able to give her money for the train. She said taking the bus was not an option, due to the fumes, etc. The only drawback with the area in Colorado is the ground is purported to contain lead, so she would probably not being staying there for long. Forced to live a nomadic life for the rest of her days, Betty has learned to accept this life of adventure as her only means of survival. I suggested that while in California she may want to contact the Glide Organization in San Francisco, who is renowned for its incredible work in helping the destitute.

During our conversation Betty asked me what kind of meeting I was going to and I shared that I was meeting with my business advisor and described Song of Health to her. She became excited over the thought of having just met a kindred spirit, who could understand her personal plight. I shared with her our belief that refraining from food intolerances can have a dramatic effect of reducing allergic reactions to even environmental toxins. I also described my experience of having been toxically poisoned and how my doctor, Dr. Zeff, advised and treated me:

It was about eight years ago that a couple friends and I were standing in a field on the farm and watched a plane overhead emit “chem.-trails” over the area. We never did hear what their mission was, but several days later I came down with a fever that lasted eleven days. During that period I developed a rash on my legs, going from both knees to the ankles only. I was so weak that I could only stand ten minutes at a time before getting so dizzy that I would pass out. One night during that period my temperature soared to 103 degrees and we immediately called Dr. Zeff at home for advice. He told me to drink a cup of cinnamon tea, take my temperature and call him back. It began to work immediately, bringing the temperature down a couple degrees. He instructed me to drink another cup, go to sleep and call him back in the morning. When I was finally strong enough to drive to his clinic, a week and a half later, Dr. Zeff took one look at me and asked what toxic dump I’d been walking through. He treated me with homeopathics, acupuncture and some other naturopathic tricks. The rash quickly disappeared and I was soon back to normal. Hydrotherapy was one of the home treatments applied, which helped to hasten the flushing of toxins. Although, to this day, I am sensitive to chemical smells and stay conscious of immediate environmental influences, I am grateful that I can live a basically normal life.

Of the many lessons I learned from my encounter with Betty is to set aside all initial personal judgments of people and situations, give them the respect, compassion and honor due them, allow them those few fleeting moments to share their story and be willing to step out of my own comfort zone to offer hope and help. This experience offered several teachings that I will continue to carry with me.

Betty suggested I refer to the website of a doctor who has been working extensively with chemically sensitive people, especially children. Dr. Doris Rapp is an M.D. and also a homeopath. I consider her website an informative resource on chemical sensitivities.
Reference source: www.drrapp.com.

To All My Relations,
Sandra

NEW RECIPES

REMINDER: ALWAYS USE ORGANIC
PRODUCTS WHENEVER POSSIBLE.

Cakes and Candies

HONEY CAKE
(Contributed by Sandy Strom, CEO of Song of Health)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups honey
1 cup fresh made warm coffee
2 Tbsp. salad oil
3-1/2 cups sifted whole wheat pastry flour (measured after sifting)
2 tsp. baking powder (or 1 Tbsp. corn starch and ¼ tsp. baking soda as substitute)
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. fresh ground ginger (or powdered if fresh is not available)
¼ tsp. finely grated nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground allspice
Pinch of ground cloves
½ cup finely chopped almonds or walnuts
½ cup finely chopped raisins
Topping:
1 pint whipping cream
2 Tbsp. honey
½ tsp. vanilla

Beat eggs until frothy. Beat honey, coffee and oil until smooth. In a separate bowl sift all dry ingredients together. (Sifting twice is even better.) Stir in the eggs, alternately with the honey/oil/coffee mixture, into the dry ingredients until smooth. Stir in the nuts and raisins.

Turn into either 2 cake pans or a rectangular glass baking dish that has been well-greased and floured. Bake 45 minutes. Open oven door and carefully check to see if cake is done by sticking a toothpick down. If the toothpick comes out clean the cake is done. If not, carefully return to the oven for 5 more minutes. Check again.

Topping: In mixing bowl put whipping cream, honey and vanilla. Beat until cream is stiff enough to form soft peaks. (Do not overbeat or cream will turn to butter!)

FOOD RESOURCE LIST UPDATES

THE FOOD RESOURCE LIST ON THE WEBSITE IS NOW AVAILABLE IN PRINTABLE VERSION. JUST GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE AND CLICK ON "SOH RESOURCE LIST PART 1 OR PART 2 FOR THE VERSION IN .PDF FORM.

Use the codes below to translate the Results Column

HOW TO READ THE FOOD RESOURCE LIST AND USE THE KEY:

As items are submitted and tested by Doctors Watrous and Zeff, they are then added to the Food Resource List on the Song of Health website. We compile the updated lists to email to our subscribers as well.

The items are listed per category. By listing the date tested, you can be assured of the most recent updates. Under the “Tested For” column, “All” signifies that the product has been tested for all food categories included in the Carroll Food Intolerance Testing method. In some cases, you will see ingredients listed in the “Results” column that are not included in “Tested For.” This is because the ingredient has been listed on the packaging, or it is obviously in the stated category. We will furnish where to purchase a product when the person submitting it has stated from where they purchased.

If you have any questions, please contact us at: manager@songofhealth.com

Dedicated to Heilping You Achieve. . .
GREAT HEALTH - GREAT LIFE!

FOOD RESOURCE LIST UPDATES
September, 2008

Together, we strive for. . .
GREAT HEALTH - GREAT LIFE!

THE FOLLOWING LIST OF GLUTEN-FREE PRODUCTS
IS FURNISHED BY DR. ZEFF, N.D.

GLUTEN-FREE LIST

SNACKS, CANDY AND SCHOOL PRODUCTS LIST

Song of Health Webmaster