Here’s the first of the Health Newsletters we will be putting out. Consider this merely an introduction to the “Path to Health.” This one contains a bit of science stuff, but just cruise through it and don’t worry about whether or not you understand it. OK?

So my first rant here is “What the Hell do they mean by that?”

I suspect there is only one of you who has never heard of David Horowitz. For that one, he was a consumer advocate that was constantly telling us to “READ THOSE LABELS!” No, I am not ranting against him. I am focused on the labels. Let me transcribe what is on the can of “Lime Coke” next to my computer.

VERY LOW SODIUM 35mg or less per 240 mL (8 oz).

Ingredients: water, high fructose corn syrup and/or sucrose, citric acid, caramel color, phosphoric acid, natural flavors.

OK, what does that label say? First, define “very low sodium.” Is 35 mg low? Lower than what? And why do they give me the stats for 8 ounces when this drink comes in a 12 ounce can? This is Lime Coke. Nowhere does it tell me there is any fruit juice in this can. Oh no? What is “natural flavor”? It does not say that this natural flavor comes from a lime. It might be the natural flavor of cat shit for all I know. Ah, but you have noticed it has “citric acid” in it and we all know that comes from tropical fruit (oranges, limes, lemons), don’t we? Wrong!!! Here’s a science bit from part of my research.

Abstract

Conidia of Aspergillus niger TMB 2022 were immobilized in calcium alginate for the production of citric acid. A 1-mL conidia suspension containing ca. 2.32 × 10⁸ conidia were entrapped into sodium alginate solution in order to prepare 3% Ca-alginate (w/v) gel bead. Immobilized conidia were inoculated into productive medium containing 14% sucrose, 0.25% (NH₄)₂CO₃, 0.25% KH₂PO₄, and 0.025% MgSO₄·7H₂O with addition of 0.06 mg/L CuSO₄·5H₂O, 0.25 mg/L ZnCl₂, 1.3 mg/L FeCl₃·6H₂O, pH 3.8, and incubated at 35°C for 13 days by surface culture to produce 61.53 g/L anhydrous citric acid. Under the same conditions with a batchwise culture, it was found that immobilized conidia could maintain a longer period for citric acid production (31 days): over 70 g/L anhydrous citric acid from runs No. 2-4, with the maximum yield for anhydrous citric acid reaching 77.02 g/L for run No. 2. In contrast, free conidia maintained a shorter acid-producing phase, ca. 17 days; the maximum yield for anhydrous citric acid was 71.07 g/L for run No. 2 but dropped quickly as the run number increased.

Uh, if citric acid is not from citrus fruit, what is it really? Citric Acid is a colorless translucent crystalline acid, C₆H₈O₇, principally derived by fermentation of carbohydrates or from lemon, lime, and pineapple juices and is used in preparing citrates and in flavorings and metal polishes. But then again, there’s this thing used in cooking called “sour salt,” which is also crystals of citric acid. So is this stuff from limes or is it salty? Wait, there’s more. There’s also a thing called the Kreb’s Cycle, which is a series of enzymatic reactions in aerobic organisms involving oxidative metabolism of acetyl units and producing high-energy phosphate compounds, which serve as the main source of cellular energy. So just what the hell is in my soda pop? There is no part of a citrus fruit in this can! There is a bunch of chemicals, and the water (first ingredient, remember?) is carbonated (funny, that label does not tell me there is any carbon dioxide in this can) and it gives you a gas issue in your stomach that many a doctor will confuse with acid indigestion, label it as GERD (gastro-intestinal reflux disease) if you drink this pop right before your doctor visit, and then you’ll get a prescription for acid inhibitors, which will in fact reduce the stomach’s production of acid, which in turn allows the yeast that really cause stomach gas to run wild in your system and cause you dozens of other problems. But hey, that’s not the big problem in this can. A little research shows that the killer is that corn syrup. We will look closer at that stuff in a later issue of this newsletter.

Did I just tell you folks not to drink pop? Nope. I just told you that what you think is in there is not, in fact, what is really in there. Even though we have a law that forces manufacturers to tell you what is in their product, they are not required to tell you so in a language that you will understand unless you have a Masters degree is Chemistry and thoroughly understand the psychology of Marketing lingo. And you likely will not be able to figure out what those chemicals are doing to your body unless you have a Masters in Biochemistry and at least a BS in anatomy and physiology.

That, folks is where I plan to play the intermediary between you and this bullshit pack of lies we are all being told with regularity in our daily lives. I can’t stop their lies (all intended to get deeper in your wallet without you having any clue about what you’re really eating or drinking), but perhaps I can help you understand some of this. This is a good place to put in a question one of you has already asked me about this research.

Why are you doing this?

Anger. I am mad about being lied to all the time (I define a lie as not just being told a direct falsehood, but a deliberate omission of telling the real truth). I recently told a doctor that I am not stupid and the answers he was giving weren’t fit for a child because they didn’t answer anything. I don’t merely want my F&#%ing symptoms relieved! The side effects of that pill (almost any pill) will cause me to take half a dozen more pills to fix those symptoms. I want the cause of the pain fixed. He said “the cause of this problem is unknown” and I said that was just plain bullshit! Everything in this universe has a specific cause, a specific effect (or cure), even if he doesn’t know what that is at this point in time. A little open-minded research instead of going golfing with his favorite drug rep might find that cause and if the AMA and the pharmaceutical companies would stop padding their wallets and seriously consider helping people find cures, maybe the human race could move forward another evolutionary step. Now that Lannie and I are doing our own research, we have become enlightened about the actual causes of many illnesses that doctors claim are still unknown. But I am not going to hold this information ransom for the highest bidder (a best-selling expose’ book?); I’m giving it away so my ailing friends can find relief before it is too late for them.

OK, so this is the end of the first newsletter. You’re being screwed. You knew that, even if you didn’t know the specifics. I would like to educate you. The next newsletter is going to tell you, briefly and without any science jargon, math, or chemical formulae, how your body works and what your organs do. I trust most of you think you know what your organs are for, but if you got that info from a medical reference (i.e., the AMA again) or maybe even your high school biology teacher, then you might be misinformed – again. Once you have a good idea of what organ in your body performs which function and how, then all the data that follows regarding your disease/malfunction and those beasties that caused it will (hopefully) make more sense to you.