The Source with Dr. Theresa M. Craig (PhD)

Did you know?

DIET

A balanced diet is important. Inadequate and irregular intake of carbohydrates impairs the proper utilization of fat and protein within the body.
The consumption of fruit is the most neglected food group in western diets.
Water is the most essential nutrient. An adult human is 60% water.
With a change in lifestyle, people with impaired glucose tolerance can reduce their risk of getting Type II diabetes by 58%.
The use of herbs has become big business, with an annual global market of US $60 billion.
3 cups of milk are sufficient to meet adults’ daily calcium requirements.
36% of the population fails to eat the necessary daily vegetable servings required.
22 million children under the age of five are obese or overweight.
30% of all food borne illness occurs in industrialized countries.
Adults often eat too much meat, while 30% of children and teens do not obtain sufficient quantities of the meat group to meet their daily nutrient requirements.
To help reduce fat intake, individuals must watch for hidden fat. For example, a baked potato has 120 calories (502 kj), yet a small order of fries has 230 calories (962 kj).
The high consumption of simple sugars, such as table sugar, needs to be limited since simple sugars supplies only energy in the form of calories and no other nutrients.
Sugary foods that stick to your teeth are more liable to cause tooth decay.
When food is genetically modified for better production efficiency, the nutritional value of the crop is not altered. If the purpose of the genetic modification is to alter the nutritional value, this can be accomplished.
In general, Echinacea slightly decreases the duration of colds but not the frequency.
Alcohol also interferes with gycogen recovery² which reduces the body's ability to restore energy supplies.
Evidence supports high potassium levels as beneficial for hypertension.
Consumption of extra protein to maximize strength and endurance is generally not required because today’s western diet has protein levels that typically exceed protein needs.
Cholesterol is obtained from the diet and produced in the liver and intestines.
LDL – Cholesterol is the building block of plaque on the arterial cell walls.
The cholesterol level of food is not related to the total fat content of food.
Saturated fats occur in dairy products, pastries, meats, palm oil, and coconut oil.
Saturated fats should be replaced with unsaturated fats.
In the year 2000, WHO estimates over 300 million adults were classified as obese.
Increase your exercise to compensate for increased calories eaten. Exercise will also help to eliminate stress.
C reactive protein level may be a possible indicator for an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Currently the only treatment for a food allergy is to eliminate the food from the diet.
Factors needed to cause dental caries(cavities) are 1) susceptible tooth, 2) microorganism such as streptococcus mutan, 3) food for the microorganism, such as sugar, and 4) time.
Contrary to public belief, sugar does not induce hyperactivity.
Little evidence supports the claim that the herb Ephedra assists weight loss.
Every time a muscle in the body moves, calcium is being used.
Excessive levels of Vitamin C interfere with anticoagulants and increase uric acid excretion.

SCIENCE & RESEARCH

New research indicates that adult stem cells may only revert to unspecialized cells after combining with embryonic stem cells.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) does not reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in postmenopausal women with established coronary heart disease. HRT may increase the risk of coronary heart disease in the short term (1 – 2 years) in healthy woman.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) does not improve cognitive function.
Encouraging fitness rather than targeting a specific weight helps prevent obesity, and it eliminates the pressure of the “perfect body” that may cause eating disorders.
The WHO considers obesity such an epidemic that public health action is required now which focuses on the whole society.
Antibiotic resistance can occur naturally or through both agriculture and medical practices.
Better medical care, discovery and use of antibiotics, and greater sanitation have greatly contributed to the dramatic rise in life expectancy from 49 years in the 1900 to 76 years in 1997.
2003 marks the 50^th anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA.
In gene therapy, the damaged DNA is replaced by normal DNA.
A cloned animal will not necessary look exactly like its predecessor.

BIOTERRORISM

Bioterrorism is the use of natural agents to cause death or illness in people, animals or plants.
Bioterrorism may affect our food safety through food processing, retail stores, water supply, livestock production, and crop production.
One of the earliest recorded cases of biological warfare was in 184 BC when Hannibal’s Carthaginian soldiers were ordered to fill pots with serpents.

ILLNESS & DISEASE

Vaccine for Meningococcal disease does not cover all the strains of the disease. People should not share anything that has been in their mouth as the bacteria that causes Meningococcal is found in the nose and throat.
Assessment for the risk of heart disease should begin as early as 20.
Of children diagnosed with Type II diabetes, 85% are overweight or obese⁴.
In Leukemia, the bone marrow produces abnormal white blood cells called leukemia cells. Over time these abnormal white cells crowd out normal blood cells.
The louder the sound, the shorter the safe exposure time.
25% of young smokers start before they were 10 years old.
High blood pressure is a contributing factor in over 70% of all strokes. Fortunately, science estimates 40% of strokes could be prevented by blood pressure control.
Heat stroke is life threatening. The body’s temperature can rise to a level where brain damage and death occurs if the body is not rapidly cooled.
Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging.
Annually, 15.3 million deaths occur due to cardiovascular disease.
Parents that smoke have a higher percentage of children taking up the habit.
A small number of DES daughters may develop a rare cancer called clear cell adeonocarcinoma.
Brisk walking has a protective effect on stroke.
Campylobacter, a food borne illness in humans that causes diarrhea, has certain strains that are multi-drug resistant.
Depression treatment has a 60 – 80% success rate, but only 25% of those affected have access to effective treatment.
Migraine sufferers in young children from 5 to 15 years of age occur in 10.6% of the population.
Alcohol consumption is associated with more than 60 diseases and injuries.
Osteoporosis is called the ‘silent disease’ as people do not realize they have it until a bump or fall results in a fracture, or a severe back pain indicates a collapsed vertebra.
Early detection and removal of pre-cancerous polpys reduces deaths from colorectal cancer.
Men 65 years of age or older comprise 80% of all prostate cancers diagnosed.
SARS patients can be divided into two groups; (80 – 90%) those that recover within 6 – 7 days and a smaller group of patients where the disease develops into a more severe form.
Anxiety is a normal part of human survival. Overwhelming anxiety may require medical attention.
High blood pressure or hypertension affects 10 – 20% of the global adult population.
Chronic non-communicable diseases can no longer be thought of as diseases of affluence’ as 79% of all deaths attributed to chronic disease occur in developing countries.
In 1918 to 1919, 40 to 50 million people died worldwide due to an influenza pandemic.
Between 50 and 80% of people with diabetes are unaware of their condition.
Lactose intolerance is generally an inherited condition, but may be temporarily caused by an infection or insult to the wall of the small intestines.