If you're in the Sonoma, California area, don't miss our local Farmer's Market on Tuesday evenings, from 5:00 p.m. to dusk.  It's located on the original Sonoma Plaza in the heart of downtown Sonoma, just steps away from the historic Sonoma Mission.  In addition to wonderful farm-fresh fruits and veggies, you'll find local color, artistry, and charm, including live music, picnic areas, and play areas for the children.  It's a fun and healthy outing.

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DEBUNKING MUSHROOM MYTHS
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Some of our favorite farmer's market finds have been the fresh organic mushrooms we've purchased from Occidental Mushrooms.  If you are in the Sonoma area, please drop by their Farmer's Market stand to meet these friendly people and discover some "new" and tasty mushroom varieties.  We purchase shiitake, oyster, and lion's mane mushrooms, and have been enjoying them immensely.  They also offer mushroom growing kits for sale.  If you are interested in purchasing a mushroom growing kit, or if you would like more information about organic edible/medicinal mushrooms, you may contact Occidental Mushrooms at P.O. Box 101, Occidental, CA  95465 - phone: 707-874-1704 or email: dlareau@inreach.com.

Occidental Mushrooms also provides educational material, including classroom projects for teachers and students.  The following information is taken from an Occidental Mushrooms brochure:

Mushroom Myths

Mushrooms have no nutritional value.
FACT - Mushrooms actually have a lot of nutritional value to add to your diet.  By dry weight, they contain only 1 - 2 percent  fat, and have about 50 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein, and 5 - 10 percent mineral content.  These surprisingly high levels of proteins and minerals make mushrooms an incredible nutrient source.  The minerals in particular that mushrooms offer are most important since mushrooms absorb essential minerals that are not found in plants or animals.  Other nutrients are vitamins, such as vitamin C, which occur in high amounts in some species.  Mushrooms also are being used medicinally to treat cancer and to strengthen weakened immune systems.  Studies indicate that different organs and body systems are supported and healed from particular species of mushrooms.

Mushrooms grow only on compost.
FACT - Higher fungi (the ones we eat) grow mostly on decaying or freshly dead wood.  Only the button/Portobello, and a handful of other edible mushrooms grow on compost.  Most of the medicinally important species such as Shiitake, Lion's Mane, Maitake, Reishi, and many others grow on hardwood trees.  They are the first species to grow on fallen or dying trees in the forest.  At Occidental Mushrooms, we grow these wood eating mushrooms on sawdust and wood chips that are sterilized, and only water is added to make the mushrooms fruit.  It is an incredibly clean process which leaves the mushroom clean enough to need no washing before cooking.  The same cannot be said of the compost-grown mushroom.

Mushrooms are good for you raw.
FACT - Mushrooms are different from plants in this regard.  Since mushroom cells are made out of chitin, a hard protein also found in the exoskeleton of bugs and shellfish, they are difficult to break down.  If you eat a mushroom raw it serves your body only as fiber.  The nutritional value will be kept inside the cell and pass through your system.  If you cook mushrooms these cell walls are broken down and the nutritional value is released for your body to absorb.  It is the opposite from plants whose cell walls are broken down in our bodies, and if plants are cooked some of the nutritional and vitamin content are broken down.  Mushrooms need to be cooked to make the proteins, minerals, vitamins and other important carbohydrates digestible.
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We found that last fact particularly interesting.  As you know, we promote eating lots of raw fruits and vegetables (and their juices) for their rich enzyme and nutrient content.  This is key to keeping our bodies in prime condition.  Mushrooms are apparently an exception to this health rule; their nutrients being more available to our bodies when cooked.

And while we're on that subject, there are many ways to prepare fresh mushrooms.  We enjoy them simply sautéed in a little extra virgin olive oil and seasoned with Braggs Liquid Aminos(tm) or sea salt.  In the March 2000 "Your Healthy Perspective" we included an easy to prepare recipe for Mushroom Sauce (a variation of "Kimberly's Basic Vegan Sauce").  If you would like to see that recipe again, go to http://www.healthyperspective.com/yhparchivevol5.html.

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HEALTHY PERSPECTIVE FOR WOMEN - IN THE NEWS
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The evidence continues to show that a healthy vegetarian diet leads to improved health.  The following news pieces are taken from the August 2000 issue of Partners magazine.

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Think About It
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Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat daily compared to women who eat meat less than once a week:  4 times higher.

Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat eggs daily compared to women who eat eggs less than once a week:  3 times higher.

Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat butter and cheese 3 or more times a week compared to women who eat these foods less than once a week:  3 times higher.

Increased risk of fatal ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week compared to women who eat eggs less than once a week:  3 times higher.

http://www.eatveg.com/vegstuff/realities.htm

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Soy Helps With Hot Flashes
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In a study looking at menopausal hot flashes, 177 women who had an average of five or more hot flashes a day were given either a tablet of the soy isoflavones genistein and daidzein, or a placebo.  Both groups showed a decline in hot flash frequency and severity; however, the soy isoflavones had a greater impact on hot flash severity.  The frequency of night sweats declined 60 percent in the women taking the soy, compared to 30 percent in the placebo group.
10th Annual Meeting of the North American Menopause Society

(For information on RevitaFem, a great supplement containing soy and beneficial herbs, go to http://www.aimmembers.com/Agents.asp?SiteID=213.  Click on the green "Products" button.  Select the "Women's Health" category.  To order, go to http://www.healthyperspective.com/order.html.)

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Diet and Women
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A new study reconfirms that diet is important.  This time, the study focused on women.  Women who eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat meat and dairy products reduce their risk of dying from such diseases as cancer, heart disease, and stroke by up to 30 percent compared to women with the most unhealthy eating habits.
Journal of the American Medical Association 283, no. 16 (April 26, 2000): 2109-2115

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PERSONAL HEALTH EVALUATION
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While men and women share many common health concerns, there are, of course, some very different concerns.  These little quizzes might help you think through specific concerns you may have, and give you a starting point for improving your health.
(The following evaluations are taken from the August 2000 issue of Partners magazine.)

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Women's Health Quiz
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Get your pencil ready.  Answer all questions on a scale of 0 (never) to 4 (frequently).

-Do you experience irregular cycles?
-Do you experience excessive flow?
-Do you experience abnormal vaginal discharge?
-Do you experience bleeding between cycles?
-Do you experience PMS?
-Do you experience cramps?
-Do you experience pain during intercourse?
-Do you experience sexual difficulties?
-Do you experience difficulty conceiving?
-Do you experience menopausal symptoms?
-Do you experience hot flashes?
-Do you experience abnormal Pap tests?
-Do you have urinary tract infections?
-Do you have trouble with incontinence?
-Do you have fibrocystic breasts?
-Do you have painful or tender breasts?
-Do you have nipple discharge?

Scoring:
0 - 17 points:  You have fair to good health as it relates to women's concerns.  Continue to use the AIM Whole Body Health products (http://www.healthyperspective.com/whole_body.html) to maintain your good health!

18 - 34 points:  There are areas of concern.  Continue to use the AIM Whole Body Health products (http://www.healthyperspective.com/whole_body.html) and consider using the appropriate AIM Women's Health products (http://www.healthyperspective.com/women.html).

35 - 68 points:  You have poor health as it relates to women's concerns.  Target your needs and use the appropriate AIM Women's Health products (http://www.healthyperspective.com/women.html).  Begin making relevant lifestyle changes.

ALSO, if you scored any 3s or 4s on any particular question(s), look for a specific way to support this system, taking into consideration how to best "lower" this number (http://www.healthyperspective.com/women.html).

If you have questions about this quiz or your score, contact kimberly@healthyperspective.com.

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Men's Health Quiz
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Get your pencil ready.  Answer all questions on a scale of 0 (never) to 4 (frequently).

-Do you have hernias?
-Do you have testicular pain?
-Do you have prostate problems?
-Do you have an abnormal discharge?
-Do you have difficulty starting or stopping urine flow?
-Do you have sexual difficulties?
-Do you have trouble with incontinence?
-Do you have pain during urination?
-Do you have to urinate often?
-Do you get up at night to urinate?

Scoring:
0 - 10 points:  You have fair to good health as it relates to men's concerns.  Continue to use the AIM Whole Body Health products (http://www.healthyperspective.com/whole_body.html) to maintain your good health!

11 - 20 points:  There are areas of concern.  Continue to use the AIM Whole Body Health products (http://www.healthyperspective.com/whole_body.html) and consider using the appropriate AIM Men's Health products (http://www.healthyperspective.com/men.html).

21 - 40 points:  You have poor health as it relates to men's concerns.  Target your needs and use the appropriate AIM Men's Health products (http://www.healthyperspective.com/men.html).  Begin making relevant lifestyle changes.

ALSO, if you scored any 3s or 4s on any particular question(s), look for a specific way to support this system, taking into consideration how to best "lower" this number (http://www.healthyperspective.com/men.html).

If you have questions about this quiz or your score, contact clarence@healthyperspective.com.

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HEALTHY SUMMERTIME RECIPE
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Frozen Banana Pops
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Here's a simple trick.

Ingredients:  fresh bananas

Peel and mash bananas with fork.  Spoon mashed bananas into popsicle molds.  Freeze.  Yum.

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Fresh juices make good popsicles too.  We particularly like fresh-squeezed orange juice pops.  Also, try mixing mashed bananas with orange juice and freezing into pops.  Yum again.
 

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NICOLE'S QUICK BYTES
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The Whole Truth.  I often hear people say that truth is relative; that truth changes over time; that we each have our own truth.  This is simply NOT TRUE.  :-)  It is a fact that circumstances and opinions change with time, and that we each have our own ideas and perceptions,  but these are not the same things as truths, nor should we call them truths.

If we want a word that characterizes the variable nature of our views of reality, we should come up with a new term, because the word "truth" is already taken.  By its very definition, truth is undeniable and independent of our perceptions. Webster's 1999 dictionary defines "truth" as "a verified or indisputable fact" and "ideal or fundamental reality apart from and transcending perceived experience."

The concept that truth is relative is not only mistaken, it is dangerous.  It undermines our senses of reality, it knocks stability out from under us, and it teaches us not to even try to recognize lies.

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Until next time!
God bless you,
-Rev. Clarence Russell, Kimberly and Nicole
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The material in this file is provided for informational purposes only. We do not prescribe nor diagnose. If you use the information in this file without the approval of a health professional, you prescribe for yourself, which remains your constitutional right, but the author(s) assume no responsibility.
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Copyright (c) 2000 by Clarence Russell . All rights reserved. As long as this file is left intact, permission is granted for use on web sites or in newsgroups or mailing lists.