One of the reasons you are reading this newsletter is that perhaps you have finally seen the truth. What is the truth? The truth is that while "they" have been brainwashing society to cut fat and increase carbohydrate we have simultaneously observed an epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The lack of fat in the diet is causing subtle deficiencies of essential fatty acids leading to a variety of complaints.

Why is there a welling up of support for Alternative Medicine and nutritional supplements? Why is traditional medicine beginning to lose respect of millions of citizens?

Traditional Medicine is not traditional at all. It is very, very modern. Alternative medicine is the truly traditional medicine. Modern medicine is a marvel of our times and its use of technological advances make the art of medicine a science. Treatment of acute illnesses make light work of what was a death sentence just a generation ago. We truly have improved our quality of life knowing that there are skilled physicians and surgeons who can treat a lot of what ails us.

Acut care medicine stole all the glamour. It got most of the funding. This left chronic care as the orphan child and that is where the dissatisfaction has its roots. Many more people suffer from chronic ailments than the acute ones. Most acute disease is self limiting. That is you will recover from a cold whether you treat the symptoms or not. Most diarrheal diseases will clear up in a few days. But conditions like asthma, obesity, arthritis, cancer and Alzheimer's disease remain a scourge on society.

It is one thing to not be able to cure the condition, its another to advocate lifestyles which contribute to the condition. The recommended lowfat, high carbohydrate diet does wonders for about one third of the US population. It is probably neutral for about one third, but it is downright harmful for the remaining third. Have you noticed that more people have severe allergies today? Certainly asthma is on the rise. Cancers of many types are also increasing. These are the diseases of a highcarb diet society. Many try to lay the blame on pesticides and food additives and preservatives. We need objective review to see the correlation between carbohydrate consumption per capita and the incidence of these diseases. OK, enough pontificating. Onto the meat and (I was going to say potatoes, but that wouldn't be politically correct for this bulletin).

Who is going to contribute?

We are all travelling down this path together. No one has all the answers. As we have seen in our mail-lists, everyone is an individual and things that work for one person may be poison to another.

The one thing I think is a fundamental truth to all dieters is that it's tough to go it alone. That is why diet clinics are so successful. Each of us needs the support and encouragement of others to help us through this dramatic lifestyle change. Old habits remain dormant until giver the right opportunity. We all have our moments of weakness when we fall to the temptation of a piece of chocolate cake at a wedding, or a fruit buffet at a cocktail party or a slice of pizza after a ball game. If we were on our own, those little transgressions would lead to others. But when we have each other as role models and talk to each other through e-mail or in person, we can overcome those weak moments and get back on the true path.

There I go pontificating again. But please think about contributing. The internet is a world wide community. Certain ethnic and racial groups have problems or solutions to problems that the rest of us would love to share. Feel free to print out this newsletter and distribute it to friends who do not have internet access.

News from the world of medicine.

Medical literature is full of supporting evidence for the validity of our low carbohydrate lifestyles. I will attempt to find interesting papers and abstract them for you and possibly try to interpret what the impact may be. Where possible, I will give you the URL (internet address) of interesting sites which deal with low carbohydrate dieting or the effects of foods and diets.

Recipe Corner

This month we start with a medicinal recipe.

Combine 1/4 lb (110g) butter with 1/4lb (110g) cream cheese and 2 oz (55g) unsweetened baking chocolateinto a bowl. Stir together over a hot water bath or microwave for about 1 - 2 minutes. Stir until combined and smooth. Add one cup (about 220 ml dry volume) of unsweetened dried grated coconut and 1/2 cup ground flaxseed (optional). Add 8 oz (half pint) of double cream. Add 12 to 16 packets of sweetener (except saccharine which tends to make the chocolate bitter). Stir until mixed. Drop teaspoon blobs onto a greased or nonstick cookie sheet and refrigerate until cool. Makes about 20 - 25 candies each containing just over 1 gram of carbohydrate. Here is the USDA table for coconut, dried desiccated, unsweetened. Effective carbohydrates is 24 .4- 16.3 = 8 g/100 g.