GREETINGS AND SALUTATIONS from Arnold’s Way!

It’s Sunday night. Eleven o’clock to be exact. I can’t sleep, thinking about this week’s newsletter on osteoporosis. Just the word reverberating in your ear is enough to keep you awake. I promised Melanie, one of our customers who has it, that I would write about it. So here it is. Eleven o’clock at night. I’ve got tons of books, well about 10 books, in front of me. And the only thing I can think of is, “I don’t get it!” Am I missing something? It’s almost like I’m living in a different world.

Believe it or not, this is “Osteoporosis Prevention Month.” The words come blasting in the newspapers. There are big advertisements taken out by Merck stating, “If you’re over 60 you should know the warning signs of osteoporosis. Unfortunately, there aren’t any.” What does that mean? Adding insult to injury, according to a May 9th Lifestyle/Nutrition article, which goes all over the country and is written by a registered dietitian, “Tackle osteoporosis with diet know-how.” She states that almost 25 million US residents, mostly women past menopause, are affected by it. Mostly women. Are there really women’s diseases that men are not affected by? Mmmmm. According to her, “A balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D are one’s best defense. The best sources for calcium are dairy products and the best source for vitamin D is milk.”

This is the same information given out in schools, in magazines, on TVs, and on the radio. If I told that to Melanie or any of the other 25 million people, I would be doing a disservice not only to them, but also to me and to the truth of what really causes osteoporosis. According to a new study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “Consuming lots of fruits and vegetables may be even more important than just consuming milk when it comes to the prevention of osteoporosis.”

I could stop there, but I won’t because that information is still not good enough. In Food for Life by Neal Barnard, M.D., he states, “In countries where dairy products are commonly consumed, there are actually more hip fractures than in other countries." Neal Barnard goes on further to explain that not only do dairy products have little effect on osteoporosis, but the same holds true with calcium intake. Isn’t that interesting? Here we have two conflicting stories. Who do we believe? If we drive our cars, watch TV, or listen to the radio, the advertisements for milk are blatantly propagandanizing us. The American woman not only has no choice of who to believe, but she doesn’t even know that there is another option. The truth is hidden. Period.

The Sun Food Diet Success System, a result and raw food oriented program, clearly states that osteoporosis is due to a high intake of acid forming foods, which robs the body of its alkaline minerals. The book further states as quoted, “Dairy products are acid forming once the body no longer has the enzymes and vital energy necessary to metabolize them. It will lead to osteoporosis."

In God’s Way, the author states that osteoporosis is a natural reaction of the body trying to neutralize internal acidity caused by eating animal fat, protein, and sugar. Melanie, if you’re reading this (hi!), you get the picture. It could be a little blurry, but “The truth is there if the quest is there.” (Arnold). God’s Way further states that the African Bantu women who average only 350 mg of calcium per day seldom break a bone, and osteoporosis is nonexistent. Eskimos have the highest calcium intake, and believe it or not they have the highest rate of osteoporosis in the world because they have the highest intake of protein.

Somewhere out there, there is plenty of misinformation given to the public and no one questions the validity of it. When Merck in their big headline states, “Here are the treatment options,” what does that mean? Think about it. Listen to your doctor. Find out what are your best options. Is there any advise beyond drugs? If not, get another doctor!

According to Dr. John McDougal, “A high protein diet will cause calcium to be leached from out bones.”

Are we discovering a common link to bone loss that Merck will mention to us was part or all of our treatment? The Journal of Clinical Nutrition stated that by the age of 65 the measurable bone loss of meat eaters was five to six times worse than in vegetarians.

We quickly refer to the Merck Manual, the doctor’s Bible. As quoted, “Treatment with diet and drug is empiric,” (that is a really good word since the cause of the disease is unknown). “At least 2 glasses of milk per day and a small daily supplement of vitamin D are helpful. Large doses of calcium are well tolerated.”

Another possibility, a more middle of the road approach, which once again seems to try to appease everyone without insulting anyone, is Alternative Medicine. This approach attacks osteoporosis in three ways emphasizing eating, “leafy greens and limiting red meat to three or fewer times per week.” This basically implies that fish and chicken are OK. NOT! As a remedy, the book then details nutritional supplements of vitamin D as a pill, not sunshine, which is the real vitamin D and necesity for the healing process. A total of 36 lines were written under treatment with three words devoted to diet. Once again, a more liberal approach by doctors who want to appease the public with a broader holistic view. But three words? Give me a break!

As quoted in the Sun Food Diet, to reverse an osteoporosis condition, introduce significantly more calcium foods in your diet, (e.g., lettuce, kale, collards, oranges, figs), “Along with weight bearing exercise. Being on this Sun Food program coupled with exercise, results showed up to a 22% increase in bone density over a two year period.”

What does all this mean? Basically, whom do you believe? The cost of treatment can range from zero to thousands of dollars, depnding on who you believe and which program you want to follow. From a medical perspective as described in the Merck Manual treatment includes sex hormones and urine calcium (what source is that – Premarin – pregnant horses urine), synthetic antibiotic sodium fluoride, and calcium. To add insult to injury, the last statement says, “Long term safety and efficacy of this form of therapy have not been determined.”

This month's advertisement for osteoporosis clearly states cause unknown, but treatment is available. Then we study treatment from a medical viewpoint, which is available at tremendous cost, but once again there are no proven results shown. We have to study other alternatives for proven results.

We at Arnold’s Way, not being doctors, strongly suggest that if osteoporosis is a fear, then change your diet. Change your lifestyle. As a word of precaution if you decide to follow standard American treatment listen to the story of MD Cynthia A Foster who wrote Stop the Medicine after being faced with a serious medical problem. She gave up on western medicine, switched to dietary changes, and began her miraculous recovery. We at Arnold's Way can't over emphasize the importance of dietary changes to be your only source of treatment. Raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. AND plenty of rest.

As for exercise, we strongly recommend rebounding (see Arnold and jump test the rebounder). It is, “A whole body cellular exercise and can be very effective in preventing the devastating effects of osteoporosis.”

Finally, to Melanie, enjoy the article. To our readers, the truth of good health has always been with us. We are the miracles of the universe who were brought into the universe to experience the joy not the pain. To run with the wind, not hobble with a cane. To share the earth's pleasures, not destroy its children. There is an innate wisdom that only our body recognizes if we just allow it to happen. Listen to our body’s intellect, and the mind will follow.

Thank you for your time. – Arnold

References: Food For Life by Neal Bernard, MD (Crown Trade paper back) Rebounding to Better Health by Linda Brooks (KE Publishing) Stop the Medicine by Cynthia A Foster, MD (Break on through press) Sun Food Diet Success System by David Wolf (Maul Brother Publishing) Merck Manual, 14th Ed. (Merck, Sharp, and Dohme Research Laboratories) Alternative Medicine presented by Barton Goldberg Group (Future Medicine Publishing) Osteoporosis by Jeff Novick (Living Nutrition) Article/Lifestyle Nutrition – Tackle Osteoporosis with Diet Know-how by Hollie W. Best Advertisement – Osteoporosis by Merck Blatant Propaganda by Joe Alexander

UPCOMING EVENTS AT ARNOLD’S WAY

Arnold gives a breakfast lecture on raw food and healing every Saturday morning at the store from 8:15 to 9:45. It’s free –and there’s free breakfast. But please pre-register.

On the last Saturday of every month, Arnold gives a free raw food preparation course from 8:15 to 9:45 at the store. Learn how to make pizza, chili, pies, soups, cookies 7 and more in 7 minutes or less.

There’s a raw food Pot Luck dinner on the last Wednesday of the month at the store. Bring a raw food dish or pay $7. No pre-registration required.

The Ann Wigmore Institute of Puerto Rico and Laura Lyons, the owner of CDI, is offering 20 men and women a subsidized trip to the Wigmore Institute in Puerto Rico. The cost to participants is $200 (plus airfare); everything else is covere. The trip is June 24-30. Stop in the store for more info. Laura is a former diabetic. A raw foods diet got her off 30 units of insulin daily. She is now disease-free and insulin-free.

Greenwood has 2 Pot Luck dinners each month, on the second and fourth Saturdays, from 2-5 p.m. Call Tom for more info at (610) 623-5656.

Loretta Uainius is sponsoring a Living Food support group. (610) 648-0241.

Dr. Shirley Dressler is offering an eight-week workshop on Weigh of Wisdom with emphasis on raw food weight-loss –with a Biblical perspective. For more info, call her at (215) 233-8969.

Eugene Fried, survivor of 6 nazi concentration camps and the death march, will be sharing his experiences at Arnold's Way Cafe on Tuesday evening, June 5th at 6:30pm. Free admission.

Take your health to another level!!! Become part of Philly Raw and Real. We are enthusiasts of living food and the natural hygiene lifestyle. Our next meeting is Saturday June 2nd at 4pm. For further details including location (Jenkintown) call 215-677-5817.