The Alternative Health Guides Columns and Articles

The nuclear industry, gleeful over the discontent with coal and other technologies contributing to global warming, and the issues of foreign oil dependency, is trying to resurrect nuclear power as a popular and viable energy source. Letters to newspapers and aggressive ad campaign are prevalent now. But the reality is that nuclear energy, once marketed as “too cheap to meter,” as well as a safe and limitless energy for the future, has not lived up to its claims. The issues that have plagued nuclear power plants have never been solved and still exist today: lack of safe radioactive waste disposal systems, enormous costs, plants used as possible terrorist targets, accidents and health consequences, and lack of sustainability.

Nuclear Power has proven to be neither safe, affordable, sustainable or even attractive. It is a has-been, been-there-done-that, option that needs to once and for all be crossed off the list so that healthy and sustainable possibilities can be fully explored. Attention and resources should be focused on truly renewable energy technologies including wind, sun, geothermal, energy conservation and others, which are not science fiction distant possibilities but real, growing industries in the world today.

According to the Worldwatch Institute and their new report, American Energy: the Renewable Path to Energy Security, global wind turbine installations increased more than 900% in ten years. In the five years between 2000 and 2005, solar electricity grew 29.2 % and bio-fuels grew 17.1 %, with oil and coal only growing between 1.6% and 4.4% respectively during the same time period. The costs of manufacturing wind and solar technologies are decreasing while demand for them is increasing – a perfect combination for emerging technologies.

Wind power is being increasingly used around the globe, growing by 30% a year, making it one of the fastest growing industries and energy sources. Denmark, Germany, Spain, and the United States are leaders in the field with India and China rapidly expanding into the market.

Denmark has been a leader in the global wind power industry, currently generating over 20% of Denmark’s electrical needs and rivaling their natural gas and fishing industries for gross annual sales. Germany's wind industry now provides 6 % of its electricity, and that is increasing every year. It has superseded the German coal industry as a major employer in the country. In some parts of Spain, upwards of 23% of the electricity is derived from wind energy. Additional benefits include expanded job markets as local and regional manufacturing facilities continue to grow to meet demand. Wind power installations are also growing rapidly in the United States. Currently 36 states have wind energy installations.

Solar systems for heating and electricity are also increasing worldwide. Innovative initiatives like the 100,000 roof program in Germany, and the one million roof program in California are providing incentives for growth in this field. In the United States, the largest solar “farm” in the world is being built in the southwestern desert. It will be about the size of a conventional coal burning plant, with zero emissions. The Southern California Edison utility has signed a contract to buy all the power the plant can generate for the next 20 years. The technology is based on an engine designed by a Scottish minister, Robert Stirling in 1816. The engine needs heat to run which will be generated by solar collecting dishes, so no external fuel will be necessary.

Conservation, while not a glamorous component, is critical in overall global energy strategy. Japan, highly developed and technological, is recognized as the most energy efficient developed country in the world, using less than half the energy in an average Japanese home than an American home. The Japanese manufacture and use highly efficient appliances, cars and heating systems, as well as employing wide ranging recycling and re-use strategies. Energy conservation is a cultural ambition - using less and being efficient is admired and respected.

The United States could learn a lot from Japan. In the United States, we waste so much energy because we “have” it to waste. The simple act of unplugging your television and other remote control appliances when they are not in use, if done throughout the United States, would save the energy of about five nuclear reactors. That is hardly insignificant.

Human beings are brilliant. We can probably do or create anything we set our minds to do. Shifting our collective ambitions towards energy efficiency and conservation is imperative. And clean, sustainable, renewable energy sources – and yes affordable –are within our reach. That is where the future lies –with technologies that harness the bounty of the natural world, not destroy it.

Resources:

Rocky Mountain Institute and Amory Lovins

www.rmi.org/HomeEnergy

Home Energy Briefs #7 Electronics https://www.rmi.org/images/other/HEBs/E04-17_HEB7_Electronics.pdf

Worldwatch Institute - www.worldwatch.org

Danish Wind Industry http://www.windpower.org/composite-224.htm

Earth Policy Institute www.earth-policy.org/Indicators/Wind/2006.htm

Business Week Magazine on line - http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_37/b3950067_mz018.htm - article about the Stirling Solar project

www.renewableenergyaccess.com

World Health organization (WHO)Fact sheet N° 303April 2006

Health effects of the Chernobyl accident: an overview - http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs303/en/index.html

www.chernobyl.info

Recent articles:

The Land of Rising Conservation: Japan Offers a Lesson in Using Technology to Reduce Energy Consumption; New York Times, 1/6/07

Mr. Green: Environmentalist’s Most Optimistic Guru; The New Yorker Magazine, 1/22/07

LOCAL Solar Business: Gro Solar, White River Jct, VT – solar electricity, hot water, hot air, pool heating – www.grosolar.com

Dorian Yates, The Guide editor, is a licensed health care practitioner in the Upper Valley and writes on environmental and health issues

Your nervous system is the central control system of your body. If the nervous system is out of balance, then imbalance in the rest of the body is sure to follow.

Many wonderful approaches to balancing the nervous system are available to us now. Chiropractic, massage, various kinds of body and energy work, and homeopathy are a few examples of complementary therapies that are intended to balance the nervous system.

But what is nervous system balance, and how do you know when you have it? Certainly, feeling good and whole and happy and having plenty of energy is a good indicator of balance – maybe the best one! But it can also be really helpful to have some objective way of measuring and adjusting nervous system balance. A way is now available to us in the form of neurotransmitter testing and targeted amino acid therapy.

What are Neurotransmitters?

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that make the brain work. Neurotransmitters relay signals between nerve cells (neurons). With the help of neurotransmitters, brain cells communicate with one another as well as with organs throughout your body.

Neurotransmitters are made in your body from amino acids. Without a sufficient supply of the right amino acids, certain neurotransmitter levels can become depleted, and others can become excessive.

Neurotransmitter imbalances are common. They appear to be caused by stress, aging and sub-optimal diet.

Neurotransmitter Imbalance - Some of the more important neurotransmitters are:

• Epinephrine • Norepinephrine • Dopamine • Serotonin • PEA (phenylethylamine) • Histamine • GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) • Glutamate

Symptoms of neurotransmitter include:

• Anxiety • Depession • ADD/ADH • Mood Disorder • Chronic Fatigue • Fibromyalgi • Insomnia • Chronic Pain • Memory Problems

• Trouble Concentrating • Compulsive Behavior

If you have one or more of these problems, and especially if other approaches to correcting them have not worked, you may have a neurotransmitter imbalance.

The way to find out is to get tested! Home test kits are available that allow for measuring urinary and salivary levels of 13 different neurotransmitters and 11 different hormones. The samples are analyzed by an independent laboratory in order to help determine whether or not your condition is neurotransmitter-related. The testing is covered under most health insurance plans.

Treatment Options - Neurotransmitter imbalance cannot be corrected through dietary modification alone. Correcting an imbalance requires very specific supplementation that takes into account how nutrients are absorbed by the brain.

If you have a neurotransmitter imbalance, the conventional medical approach to treatment is to prescribe one or more medications such as Prozac or Wellbutrin. Normally these medications are prescribed on a trial basis, without doing any laboratory testing. Conventional medications are actually incapable of correcting neurotransmitter imbalances – they only change the way in which the nervous system makes use of the neurotransmitters that are already available. Antidepressant medications can be effective, but undesirable side effects are quite common.

We recommend the use of natural non-prescription nutritional agents for correcting neurotransmitter imbalance. Targeted Amino Acid Therapy (TAAT) is proving to be an effective means of normalizing the brain's chemistry. Amino acids are the building blocks of neurotransmitters. For example, 5-HTP (a form of the amino acid tryptophan) is needed by the brain to make serotonin, and tyrosine is required to make norepinephrine. Taken in the right amounts and proportions, we have found that TAAT is both safe and effective for treatment of neurotransmitter balance and restoring quality of life.

Jim Whedon, Doctor of Chiropractic

Nancy Rugo, Independent Nurse Practitioner, Board Certified in Women’s Health, Grantham, NH - nancyandjim@clearandcalm.com


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		COLUMNS/ARTICLES Healthy Energy The nuclear industry, gleeful over the discontent with coal and other technologies contributing to global warming, and the issues of foreign oil dependency, is trying to resurrect nuclear power as a popular and viable energy source. Letters to newspapers and aggressive ad campaign are prevalent now. But the reality is that nuclear energy, once marketed as “too cheap to meter,” as well as a safe and limitless energy for the future, has not lived up to its claims. The issues that have plagued nuclear power plants have never been solved and still exist today: lack of safe radioactive waste disposal systems, enormous costs, plants used as possible terrorist targets, accidents and health consequences, and lack of sustainability. Nuclear Power has proven to be neither safe, affordable, sustainable or even attractive. It is a has-been, been-there-done-that, option that needs to once and for all be crossed off the list so that healthy and sustainable possibilities can be fully explored. Attention and resources should be focused on truly renewable energy technologies including wind, sun, geothermal, energy conservation and others, which are not science fiction distant possibilities but real, growing industries in the world today. According to the Worldwatch Institute and their new report, American Energy: the Renewable Path to Energy Security, global wind turbine installations increased more than 900% in ten years. In the five years between 2000 and 2005, solar electricity grew 29.2 % and bio-fuels grew 17.1 %, with oil and coal only growing between 1.6% and 4.4% respectively during the same time period. The costs of manufacturing wind and solar technologies are decreasing while demand for them is increasing – a perfect combination for emerging technologies. Wind power is being increasingly used around the globe, growing by 30% a year, making it one of the fastest growing industries and energy sources. Denmark, Germany, Spain, and the United States are leaders in the field with India and China rapidly expanding into the market. Denmark has been a leader in the global wind power industry, currently generating over 20% of Denmark’s electrical needs and rivaling their natural gas and fishing industries for gross annual sales. Germany's wind industry now provides 6 % of its electricity, and that is increasing every year. It has superseded the German coal industry as a major employer in the country. In some parts of Spain, upwards of 23% of the electricity is derived from wind energy. Additional benefits include expanded job markets as local and regional manufacturing facilities continue to grow to meet demand. Wind power installations are also growing rapidly in the United States. Currently 36 states have wind energy installations. Solar systems for heating and electricity are also increasing worldwide. Innovative initiatives like the 100,000 roof program in Germany, and the one million roof program in California are providing incentives for growth in this field. In the United States, the largest solar “farm” in the world is being built in the southwestern desert. It will be about the size of a conventional coal burning plant, with zero emissions. The Southern California Edison utility has signed a contract to buy all the power the plant can generate for the next 20 years. The technology is based on an engine designed by a Scottish minister, Robert Stirling in 1816. The engine needs heat to run which will be generated by solar collecting dishes, so no external fuel will be necessary. Conservation, while not a glamorous component, is critical in overall global energy strategy. Japan, highly developed and technological, is recognized as the most energy efficient developed country in the world, using less than half the energy in an average Japanese home than an American home. The Japanese manufacture and use highly efficient appliances, cars and heating systems, as well as employing wide ranging recycling and re-use strategies. Energy conservation is a cultural ambition - using less and being efficient is admired and respected. The United States could learn a lot from Japan. In the United States, we waste so much energy because we “have” it to waste. The simple act of unplugging your television and other remote control appliances when they are not in use, if done throughout the United States, would save the energy of about five nuclear reactors. That is hardly insignificant. Human beings are brilliant. We can probably do or create anything we set our minds to do. Shifting our collective ambitions towards energy efficiency and conservation is imperative. And clean, sustainable, renewable energy sources – and yes affordable –are within our reach. That is where the future lies –with technologies that harness the bounty of the natural world, not destroy it. Resources: Rocky Mountain Institute and Amory Lovins www.rmi.org/HomeEnergy Home Energy Briefs #7 Electronics https://www.rmi.org/images/other/HEBs/E04-17_HEB7_Electronics.pdf Worldwatch Institute - www.worldwatch.org Danish Wind Industry http://www.windpower.org/composite-224.htm Earth Policy Institute www.earth-policy.org/Indicators/Wind/2006.htm Business Week Magazine on line - http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_37/b3950067_mz018.htm - article about the Stirling Solar project www.renewableenergyaccess.com World Health organization (WHO)Fact sheet N° 303April 2006 Health effects of the Chernobyl accident: an overview - http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs303/en/index.html www.chernobyl.info Recent articles: The Land of Rising Conservation: Japan Offers a Lesson in Using Technology to Reduce Energy Consumption; New York Times, 1/6/07 Mr. Green: Environmentalist’s Most Optimistic Guru; The New Yorker Magazine, 1/22/07 LOCAL Solar Business: Gro Solar, White River Jct, VT – solar electricity, hot water, hot air, pool heating – www.grosolar.com Dorian Yates, The Guide editor, is a licensed health care practitioner in the Upper Valley and writes on environmental and health issues A Balanced Nervous System is Essential for Good Health and Well Being! Neurotransmitter Balance ©2006 Jim Whedon, DC and Nancy Rugo, NP Your nervous system is the central control system of your body. If the nervous system is out of balance, then imbalance in the rest of the body is sure to follow. Many wonderful approaches to balancing the nervous system are available to us now. Chiropractic, massage, various kinds of body and energy work, and homeopathy are a few examples of complementary therapies that are intended to balance the nervous system. But what is nervous system balance, and how do you know when you have it? Certainly, feeling good and whole and happy and having plenty of energy is a good indicator of balance – maybe the best one! But it can also be really helpful to have some objective way of measuring and adjusting nervous system balance. A way is now available to us in the form of neurotransmitter testing and targeted amino acid therapy. What are Neurotransmitters? Neurotransmitters are chemicals that make the brain work. Neurotransmitters relay signals between nerve cells (neurons). With the help of neurotransmitters, brain cells communicate with one another as well as with organs throughout your body. Neurotransmitters are made in your body from amino acids. Without a sufficient supply of the right amino acids, certain neurotransmitter levels can become depleted, and others can become excessive. Neurotransmitter imbalances are common. They appear to be caused by stress, aging and sub-optimal diet. Neurotransmitter Imbalance - Some of the more important neurotransmitters are: • Epinephrine • Norepinephrine • Dopamine • Serotonin • PEA (phenylethylamine) • Histamine • GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) • Glutamate Symptoms of neurotransmitter include: • Anxiety • Depession • ADD/ADH • Mood Disorder • Chronic Fatigue • Fibromyalgi • Insomnia • Chronic Pain • Memory Problems • Trouble Concentrating • Compulsive Behavior If you have one or more of these problems, and especially if other approaches to correcting them have not worked, you may have a neurotransmitter imbalance. The way to find out is to get tested! Home test kits are available that allow for measuring urinary and salivary levels of 13 different neurotransmitters and 11 different hormones. The samples are analyzed by an independent laboratory in order to help determine whether or not your condition is neurotransmitter-related. The testing is covered under most health insurance plans. Treatment Options - Neurotransmitter imbalance cannot be corrected through dietary modification alone. Correcting an imbalance requires very specific supplementation that takes into account how nutrients are absorbed by the brain. If you have a neurotransmitter imbalance, the conventional medical approach to treatment is to prescribe one or more medications such as Prozac or Wellbutrin. Normally these medications are prescribed on a trial basis, without doing any laboratory testing. Conventional medications are actually incapable of correcting neurotransmitter imbalances – they only change the way in which the nervous system makes use of the neurotransmitters that are already available. Antidepressant medications can be effective, but undesirable side effects are quite common. We recommend the use of natural non-prescription nutritional agents for correcting neurotransmitter imbalance. Targeted Amino Acid Therapy (TAAT) is proving to be an effective means of normalizing the brain's chemistry. Amino acids are the building blocks of neurotransmitters. For example, 5-HTP (a form of the amino acid tryptophan) is needed by the brain to make serotonin, and tyrosine is required to make norepinephrine. Taken in the right amounts and proportions, we have found that TAAT is both safe and effective for treatment of neurotransmitter balance and restoring quality of life. Jim Whedon, Doctor of Chiropractic Nancy Rugo, Independent Nurse Practitioner, Board Certified in Women’s Health, Grantham, NH - nancyandjim@clearandcalm.com