Same Theme, Different Venue

My apologies for lack of updates. I've been busy writing for another site.
________Photo: Homegrown.

Prostate Cancer and Low-Fat Diets: 4 Studies

Coincidentally, Tara over at the New York Times' Well Blog just posted this:
Low-Fat Diet May Cut Prostate Cancer Risk, NYTs Well Blog, May 16 2008.

It's based on this study:
Effect of Low-Fat Diet on Development of Prostate Cancer and Akt Phosphorylation in the Hi-Myc Transgenic Mouse Model, Cancer Research, April 2008

Where mice were fed:

• High-fat diet (HF: 42% of calories from fat)
  
• Low-fat diet (LF: 12% of calories from fat)

Findings:

"The number of mice that developed invasive adenocarcinoma at 7 months was 27% less in the LF diet group (12/28) compared with the HF diet group (23/33, P < 0.05)."

Fat used was corn oil. (By the way, 13% of the fat in corn oil is saturated.) The diets had the same number of calories, and the same amount of protein (19.9%). What the low-fat fed mice didn't eat in fat, they made up for with cornstarch. Thus, the mice with reduced prostate cancer growth were eating a high-carbohydrate diet (68%).

I say coincidentally because the men in the study in my post from yesterday - the ones whose prostate cancer regressed - were also eating a low-fat (11.2% of calories from fat), high-carbohydrate diet.
________
So, do low-fat, high-carb diets slow prostate cancer growth?

I sure don't know. But here's another mouse study that supports this notion:
Effect of Isocaloric Low-Fat Diet on Prostate Cancer Xenograft Progression to Androgen Independence, Cancer Research, 2004

Where mice were fed (same as above):

• High-fat diet (HF: 42% of calories from fat)
  
• Low-fat diet (LF: 12% of calories from fat)

Findings:

"Reduced dietary fat intake delayed conversion from androgen-sensitive to -insensitive prostate cancer and significantly prolonged survival."

I found the following interesting, that prostate tumors eventually become insensitive to androgen, such that androgen deprivation therapies eventually become ineffective:

"Prostate cancer growth is initially highly dependent on androgens, and androgen suppression leads to significant reduction in tumor burden in most patients. However, androgen insensitive (AI) disease inevitably develops resulting in tumor regrowth, metastasis, and eventual mortality."

________
Another:
Effect of Isocaloric Low-fat Diet on Human LAPC-4 Prostate Cancer Xenografts in Severe Combined Immunodeficient Mice and the Insulin-like Growth Factor Axis, Clinical Cancer Research, 2003

Where mice were fed (same as above):

• High-fat diet (HF: 42% of calories from fat)
  
• Low-fat diet (LF: 12% of calories from fat)

Findings:

"[After 16 weeks] Although caloric intakes and mouse weights were equal between groups, the LF mice had significantly slower tumor growth rates and lower serum prostate-specific antigen [PSA] levels compared with the HF mice."

Keep this following point in mind, and remember that the LF mice were eating a high-carb diet: "LF mice had significantly lower levels of serum insulin." I have a post coming up on it.
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One more, an older one:
Decreased Growth of Established Human Prostate LNCaP Tumors in Nude Mice Fed a Low-Fat Diet, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 1995

Where mice were fed:

• 40.5% of calories from fat
  
• 30.8% of calories from fat
  
• 21.2% of calories from fat
  
• 11.6% of calories from fat
  
• 2.3% of calories from fat

Fat used was corn oil. Calories were made up with sucrose, a carbohydrate.

Findings:

"Mice fed a high-fat diet (e.g., 40.5 kcal% fat) exhibit increased growth of LNCaP tumors when compared with mice consuming lower fat diets (2.3-21.2 kcal% fat)."

"Serum PSA levels were highest in the 40.5-kcal% fat group and lowest in the 2.3-kcal% fat group."

I like this finding:

"The slower tumor growth associated with a low-fat diet occurred even after the formation of measurable tumors when the diets were changed from 40.5-kcal% fat to 2.3-21.2 kcal% fat."

Prostate Cancer, Lifestyle Treatments

I was perusing research on hormone-related cancers - breast, endometrial, prostate - looking for therapies to complement conventional treatments (surgery, radiation, drugs).

I saw this (pdf):
Intensive Lifestyle Changes May Affect The Progression Of Prostate Cancer, The Journal of Urology, 2005

Men (n=93) with early, biopsy-proven prostate cancer were randomly assigned to one of two groups:

Control Group (n=49):

• Did not plan to undergo any conventional treatments (6 did owing to cancer progression).
  
• Employed lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, stress management) recommended by their physicians.

Treatment Group (n=44):

• Did not plan to undergo any conventional treatments (none did).
  
• Vegan diet (no meat, fish, dairy, eggs), low-fat*, minimal simple and refined carbohydrates.
  
• Soy beverage daily.
  
• Fish oil (3 grams) daily.
  
• Vitamin E (400 IU) daily.
  
• Vitamin C (2 grams) daily.
  
• Moderate aerobic exercise (30-minute walks) 6 times/week.
  
• Stress management (stretching, meditation, imagery, progressive relaxation) 1 hour daily.
  
• Support group weekly.

* Mean fat intake as a percent of total calories after 1 year: Treatment group: 11.2%, Control group: 25.3%

Findings, after 1 year:

• Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) decreased 4% in treatment group, increased 6% in the control group. (The gap between groups may have been greater since 6 control group patients opted for conventional treatment before the end of the study, owing to increasing PSAs, and their values were not included.)
  
• The growth of LNCaP cancer cells* was inhibited almost 8 times more by serum from treatment vs. control group participants.
  
• Levels of testosterone and C-reactive protein (a marker for inflammation) did not differ between groups.

* LNCaP are human prostate cancer cells (adenocarcinomas) that are androgen-sensitive.

The diagram to the right, top, shows mean changes in PSA between groups after 1 year. (P=0.016)

The diagram to the right, bottom, shows mean changes in LNCaP cancer cell growth between groups after 1 year. Something in the serum of the men in the treatment group inhibited the growth of prostate cancer cells 8 times more than serum of men in the control group. This suggests that tumor growth, as well as PSA (which is just a marker for tumor growth), can be slowed by lifestyle changes.

This study is difficult to parse because the treatment group was exposed to a number of interventions simultaneously. However, as with other lifestyle interventions I've been reading about, multiple less-intensive changes can have an equivalent or even greater impact than single, more-intensive changes. There may be an additive, complementary, or synergistic effect.

What we do know from this study is that the comprehensive impact of the independent variables had a beneficial effect on the dependent variables. The pattern as a whole slowed the progression of prostate cancer in these men. We also know that benefit from adherence to the pattern was dose dependent, i.e. "the extent to which participants made changes in diet and lifestyle was significantly related to decreases in PSA and to LNCaP cell growth."
________
The photo above is an MRI showing prostate tumor activity diminishing after a year in a man who took part in this study. It's a screen capture of a video of Dr. Dean Ornish, lead author of the study. You can watch a 3-minute video of Dr. Ornish discussing lifestyle changes, including this study, here:



Update: See my next post for 4 mouse studies that support the benefits of a low-fat diet for prostate cancer.
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The Price For High Prices III: Obesity

Some sad irony here:
Rising Food Prices Are Likely To Worsen US Obesity Rate

"... she lives on public assistance and eats junk food because it's cheap and more readily available in her Philadelphia neighborhood than carrots and apples."

"They rely on corner stores and convenience marts for groceries. ... These are great places to buy chips and soda, not so good for asparagus."

Even if you can find them, transporting a sack of potatoes or apples home is also a challenge.

"Besides, said Gaines, a mother of three, 'I don't have the money for Bally's fitness clubs. And I can't run here. They shoot you.'"

Having worked in Philadelphia for years, I can attest to much in this article. Guns and drugs are everywhere. Walk down a little-used street or use a public restroom at your own risk. Public transportation is not a safe haven. "Philadelphia [had] the highest homicide rate of any big city in the country last year, with 406 killings -- more per capita than even New York City, which has six times the population." You have your hands full, Mr. Nutter.

Back to the article ... The comments under it reveal, at least to me, that obesity and its causes are a polarizing topic. What is it about America that makes people who live here the heaviest in the developed world?


Click for larger. The US is that last blip to the right.________

• Photo of Philadelphia's Mayor Michael Nutter, who took office 4 months ago, via the New York Times, New Philadelphia Mayor’s Top Task: Fight Crime.
  
• Graph of BMIs around the world (the 30 OECD countries) via Wikipedia. The graph shows the percentage of the total population of a country (aged 15 and above) with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30. Data made available in years 1996 to 2003.

Melinda's Garden - Update

Melinda's raised-bed installation:



Click for larger.________Photos: Melinda

The Price For High Prices II: Hopless Beer

This one's for Ronald:

Craft Brewers Reformulate Beer to Cope With Hop Shortage, Wired, May 10, 2008

"Prices of the commodity [hops] are skyrocketing as hop supplies have plummeted, forcing smaller brewmasters around the United States to begin quietly tweaking their recipes, in ways that are easily discerned by serious imbibers."

"[Brewer Shaun] O'Sullivan is lucky. One of his most popular beers is Watermelon Wheat, which "has virtually no hops in it," he says."

I don't know. Watermelon and wheat?
________

The Price For High Prices I: Changes In Livestock Feed

Recall my post from a few weeks ago, Living High Off The Hog?, where livestock farmers in Pennsylvania ...

"... started giving their pigs and cows chocolate - and banana chips and cashews and yogurt-covered raisins, any of which were cheaper than run-of the-mill corn and beans. One farmer even supplied his cattle a special "party mix" of popcorn, pretzels, cheese curls and crisps. This, he told reporters, saved 10% on feed costs."

It looks like livestock farmers in Europe may add animal remains to their party mix: ¹

"The European Union is preparing plans to allow pig remains to be used to feed poultry. The practice - banned in Europe after the BSE* crisis 10 years ago - would save farmers millions of pounds as prices of cereal feed for chickens soar, say officials in Brussels."
- Outrage At European Moves To Feed Animal Remains To Chickens, The Guardian, May 4, 2008.

* BSE: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, also known as mad-cow disease. Thought to develop by feeding animal remains to cows.

"We would only support it if we were fully satisfied that appropriate and effective testing had taken place to control the use of such proteins in poultry feed."
- UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

"The by-products of slaughter are a very valuable source of protein. We should not be wasting it."
- Philip Comer, former adviser to the UK Food Standards Agency

________
Meanwhile, Europe currently has a ban on importing American chickens because ...

" the American practice of washing chickens in a chlorine solution threatens public health and the environment."
- EU, US Pledge To Fight Trade Barriers, Protectionism, The International Herald Tribune, May 13, 2008

I wonder if that's the real reason, or if the reason has more to do with reducing competition for domestic product. Speaking of protectionism, America won't buy chicken from China right now "pending equivalence re-verification." If ever there was a buzzword.

But that may change. The USDA is ...

"... working on a proposal to allow chickens raised, slaughtered, and cooked in China to be sold here, and under current regulations, store labels do not have to indicate the meat's origin."
- Chicken from China? Questionable Farming Practices Fuel Skepticism Of US Plan To Import Poultry, Boston Globe, May 9, 2007.

Okay, so whose chicken is the best? America's chlorine-cleaned one? The EU's high-protein-fed one? Or China's good value?

It would be nice if we could just let a chicken run around, peck grubs, live a full life, party hearty, and feed a local population, maybe, once in a while. But I suppose that's too idealistic when there are so many mouths to feed.
________¹ The idea for this post came from the Grumpy Vegan. His take on it:

"Of course, what it all boils down is cost. This proposal wouldn't be even considered if it were not cost effective. The irony, of course, is that meat isn't cost effective. That's why this crazy ideas surface. It's a plaster over a wound that won't stop bleeding."

Photo of Hungry Chicks by Christine Redgate, from BBC's Nature Calendar. Not chickens, but some hungry little fliers.

Type Of Fat Eaten Affects Insulin Levels

This is a follow-up to my post, Dietary Fat Raises Insulin Levels.

Warren asked:

"I am curious whether there is any detail provided in these studies regarding the types of fat, or is all fat, i.e., saturated, unsaturated, etc. lumped together?"

The type of fat matters. The more saturated the fat, the more often it's associated with reductions in insulin sensitivity. The following study is often cited:

Substituting Dietary Saturated For Monounsaturated Fat Impairs Insulin Sensitivity In Healthy Men And Women: The KANWU Study, Diabetologia, 2001

In this study, 162 people ate isocaloric diets for 3 months, containing either a high proportion of saturated fat (SFA: 17.6% of calories) or monounsaturated fat (MUFA: 21.2% of calories). SFA fared worse than MUFA. (MUFA raised lipoprotein (a) though). And fish oil had no benefit in either group, as regards insulin at least. (I'm more interested in insulin levels and insulin sensitivity at the moment.)

Findings:

• LDL increased on the SFA diet by 4.1%
  
• LDL decreased on the MUFA diet by 5.2%
  
• Lp(a) increased on the MUFA diet by 12%
  
  When total fat intake was kept to no more than 37% of calories:
  
  
• Insulin sensitivity decreased on the SFA diet by 12.5%
  
• Insulin sensitivity increased (this is good) on the MUFA diet by 8.8%

Fish Oil Findings:

There was a subassignment for fish oil (3.6 grams/day) in both groups:

"The addition of n-3 fatty acids influenced neither insulin sensitivity nor insulin secretion."
(n-3 fatty acids are omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid found abundantly in fish oil.)

A later analysis of this population¹ found:

"VLDL cholesterol and triacylglycerol were significantly reduced and LDL cholesterol significantly increased by fish oil supplementation."

________Epidemiological Evidence

The above was an intervention trial from Sweden. Below are three large epidemiological studies from the US that implicate saturated fat in diabetes development.
SFA = saturated fatty acid
PUFA = polyunsaturated fatty acid
MUFA = monounsaturated fatty acid

1. Dietary Fat and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in Older Iowa Women, Diabetes Care, 2001.

This is the Iowa Women's Health Study -- 35,988 women followed for 11 years. It found:

"Polyunsaturated fatty acid was inversely related to diabetes risk when substituted for saturated fatty acid." There was up to a 17% reduction is diabetes risk when PUFA was substituted for SFA. Consumption of vegetable fats reduced risk for diabetes by 22% for the highest consumers.

2. Dietary Fat Intake And Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes In Women, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2001.

This is the Nurses' Health Study -- 84,204 women followed for 14 years. It found:

"Replacing 5% of energy from SFA with energy from PUFA was associated with a 35% lower risk [of type 2 diabetes]."

3. Dietary Fat And Meat Intake In Relation To Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes In Men, Diabetes Care, 2002.

This is the Health Professionals Follow-up Study -- 42,504 men followed for 12 years. It found:

"Total and saturated fat intake were associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, but these associations were not independent of BMI." (RRs 1.27 and 1.34 respectively.)

________Mechanism

Fats that are less saturated have been shown to enhance the action of insulin, conversely, fats that are more saturated interfere with insulin's action. Here are some mechanisms thought to explain this:

1. "The type of fat in the diet may affect insulin sensitivity by changing the fatty acid composition of membrane lipids. A higher proportion of unsaturated fat may improve insulin signaling by increasing membrane fluidity." (From the Health Professionals Study above.)
   
   
2. PUFAs (that would include the omega-3 in fish oil) have been shown to lower triglyceride in muscle and pancreatic beta-cells, improving insulin sensitivity.
   
   
3. This one is a little involved... Fatty acids themselves can act as ligands, affecting the expression of genes. For example, they can bind to proteins in the nuclear membrane that act as transcription factors. (A group of these transnuclear proteins are known as PPARs. Some of the best known PPAR ligands are the thiazolidiediones ... a class into which the diabetes drugs Avandia and Actos fall.)
   
   So, by controlling gene expression, PUFAs direct fatty acids away from storage (lipid synthesis) and towards oxidation (lipid breakdown). (This is exactly how the diabetes drug Avandia, a PPAR-gamma agonist works). PUFAs also encourage total body glycogen storage. These actions in concert improve insulin sensitivity.

________¹ Effects Of Dietary Saturated, Monounsaturated And N-3 Fatty Acids On Fasting Lipoproteins, LDL Size And Post-Prandial Lipid Metabolism In Healthy Subjects, Atherosclerosis, 2003.

Dietary Fat Raises Insulin Levels

My previous post showed how high-protein foods can raise post-meal insulin levels higher than high-complex-carbohydrate foods (Beef Raises Insulin More Than Oatmeal).

This post shows how higher-fat diets raise post-meal insulin (and glucose) levels higher than lower-fat, higher-carb diets.

I'm finding more and more evidence for the benefits of eating a lower-fat, lower-protein, higher-complex-carbohydrate diet. This is not what I expected ... having read the rational for, and experimented with, low-carb Atkins-like diets.

Here's the study:
Effects Of Isoenergetic High-Carbohydrate Compared With High-Fat Diets On Human Cholesterol Synthesis And Expression Of Key Regulatory Genes Of Cholesterol Metabolism, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2001

It was a small randomized crossover study that compared:

• High-fat diet (40% carbohydrate, 45% fat) (HF)
  
• High-carb diet (55% carbohydrate, 30% fat) (HC)

And found:

"During the oral-glucose-tolerance test, both glucose and insulin rose to higher concentrations after the HF diet than after the HC diet, showing lower glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity with the HF diet."
(Insulin sensitivity was improved in the HC diet because it took less insulin to clear more post-meal glucose.)

Click for larger.

Above: Plasma glucose and insulin concentrations during oral-glucose-tolerance tests performed after 3 weeks of the high-fat (•) and high-carbohydrate (о) diets. * Significantly different from the high-carbohydrate diet, P < 0.05.

Improvements in Blood Lipids

The researchers also found improvements in blood lipids with the high-carb diet - although I was just looking at insulin and glucose levels. High-carb diets will sometimes show increased triglycerides. This study did not. Researchers attributed that to greater use of complex carbs and limited simple sugars.

Lipid findings:

• Concentrations of total cholesterol were significantly lower after the HC diet than after the HF diet.
  
• Both the HDL and LDL fractions were significantly lower after the HC diet than after the HF diet. The ratio of LDL to HDL was unchanged.
  
• Plasma triacylglycerol concentrations did not differ significantly between the HF and HC diets.

A curious finding of this study ...

There was, in fact, increased synthesis of cholesterol in the HC diet. That might not be surprising since eating more carbohydrate presents more of the raw material for cholesterol synthesis (acetyl CoA), as I discussed in previous posts. There was also an increase in the expression of the gene for the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. This is the enzyme that statins inhibit. And yet, even though there was more of this enzyme, and more raw material for making cholesterol, and more cholesterol made - there was a decrease in plasma cholesterol. (Perk up, statin makers.) The authors attributed this to better clearance of cholesterol (via LDL receptor) from the blood of people eating the low-fat high-carb diet.
________

Beef Raises Insulin More Than Oatmeal

And ...

• Fish raises insulin more than popcorn.
  
• Cheese raises insulin more than white pasta.

This is not news. These findings appeared 11 years ago:

An Insulin Index Of Foods: The Insulin Demand Generated By 1000-kj Portions Of Common Foods, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1997

Among the foods tested, breakfast cereals as a group (Cornflakes, Special K, Honeysmacks, Sustain, All-Bran, muesli, oatmeal porridge) produced a lower insulin score* than protein-rich foods as a group (beef, white fish, cheese, eggs, lentils, baked beans). Foods of equal caloric content were compared.

* Insulin score was calculated as the area under the 120-minute insulin response curve for 1000 kJ of test food, relative to a reference food (white bread). (1000 kJ is about 240 calories.)

A strong insulin response is not always desirable.

The Significance Of Insulin

Insulin is a hormone. It controls the movement of nutrients in the body, notably glucose but also fat and protein. It's an anabolic hormone - one that stores and builds, as opposed to a catabolic hormone - one that breaks down and releases.

Having lots of insulin around, for extended periods of time, can cause problems. Dr. Atkins outlined some of these problems in his 2002 New York Times bestseller, "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution: The Low-Carb Approach That Has Helped Millions Lose Weight And Keep It Off":

• Insulin encourages fat storage and weight gain. "Hyperinsulinism is what makes it hard for many people to lose weight."
  
• "Insulin increases salt and water retention, a recipe for high blood pressure."
  
• "Insulin is directly involved in creating atherosclerotic plaques, which, if not controlled, can lead to heart disease."
  
• "High insulin levels have been shown to correlate with high levels of triglycerides and low levels of "good" HDL cholesterol."
  
• "High insulin levels correlate with increased risk of breast cancer and polycystic ovarian syndrome. Conversely, the lower levels of insulin, the better the survival rates for breast cancer."

What Causes High Insulin Levels?

What we eat can influence insulin levels. The assumption (championed by Dr. Atkins and other low-carb proponents) was that carbohydrates caused the greatest relative rise in insulin, and that:

"Insulin secretion [was] largely assumed to be proportional to postprandial glycemia."
- An Insulin Index Of Foods (See above.)

As you can see from the beginning of this post, the study I cited above did not support those assumptions. Not entirely.

It did find a correlation between glycemic response and insulin response; that is, if blood sugar went up after eating a specific food, insulin went up proportionately. But that correlation "accounted for only 23% of the variability in insulinemia."

Nutrients other than carbohydrate were found to influence insulin levels. "Fish, beef, chicken, and eggs had larger insulin responses per gram than did many of the foods consisting predominantly of carbohydrate."

Even within food groups there was variability. White bread "consistently produced one of the highest glucose and insulin responses." However, "pasta, oatmeal porridge, and All-Bran cereal produced relatively low insulin responses, despite their high carbohydrate contents."

The authors concluded, "Macronutrient composition of foods has relatively limited power for predicting the extent of postprandial insulinemia."

This knowledge was public when Dr. Atkins revised his bestseller. You have to wonder why it wasn't incorporated.
________

Lavender Blue's Garden

Lavender Blue shared these photos of her garden. (Click for larger.)
I'm salivating here.

Below: "All you see in the two boxes were planted last fall: spinach, parsley, cilantro, swiss chard, and garlic (a first for us). The plants will go to seed this season. The cilantro I will let reseed itself. The rest is in the process of being replaced. I will probably offer the parsley on freecycle."

"Here you can see a red leaf lettuce that volunteered itself there. The beam down the middle supported old windows for a cold frame over the winter."

"The two beds in the middle have been sown with beets (in the back) and greens and lettuces. The lattice is to keep the cat and chickens out until the seeds are up. The bed in the front right is waiting to have dirt added. In the back is my daughter with her pea vines and trellises."

"A portion of the garden is dedicated to perennials. In the picture are: comfrey, bronze fennel, lavender, oregano, purple cone flower, taragon, rhubarb, yarrow, chives, strawberries, jerusalem artichoke, and horseradish."

She has a few more on Photobucket.
________Photos and text: Lavender Blue

Ruby's Garden

Ruby shared these photos of her garden. (Click for larger.):

"Here are some pictures of what I have going on this year.

[Below] is my climbing rose surrounded by herbs (chives, thai basil, sage, oregano(s), and rosemary, which is trying to take over). I keep most of the herbs in pots for better drainage. We have heavy clay soil, and I've found that some of the perennial herbs don't make it through our soggy winters in the ground."

"I put the tomatoes [below] at the end of the driveway because they get hot blazing sun there all day and seem pretty happy. (Yes, that is a pink flamingo hiding in the butterfly bush!) I have a bronze fennel behind the butterfly bush, and eastern tiger swallowtail caterpillars eat the whole thing down to little nubbins. But then I'm rewarded with swarms of butterflies on the butterfly bush all summer! I have a screen porch next to this little patch, so I get to sit there and watch them. I'm also experimenting with some watermelons in this patch this year."

"[Below] shows a jalapeno pepper plant (lower right) nestled in with some perennials."

"[Below] is a strawberry pot absolutely overflowing with thyme."

________Photos and text: Ruby

Melinda's Garden

Melinda shared these photos of her garden-in-work:

"Here are 3 pix of what I brought w/ me from the condo when we moved to the little house w/ big deck. As you see, so far they aren't in the ground, but I did just get the raised bed, so hopefully I'll get it together [soon]."

Click for larger.________Photos and text: Melinda

2008: The Year of the Personal Harvest

Sherri, where's Sherri? Sherri (the other one) this is for you. And for Melinda. And anyone else with a garden. I planted some herbs yesterday.* I know, this is a far cry from squash and tomatoes. But I'm limited by space and sun. And the deer, oh dear. (It's in the 40s here this morning, I hope they don't wilt.) This is my garden.

I'd love to experience your gardens vicariously. So if you (or others) have food-growing photos you'd like to share, I'll post them.

The white pebbly stuff in the soil is perlite. I used to think it was a plastic, like Styrofoam. I started using it to improve drainage when I found out it's a natural (well, kind of) substance ... a puffed up volcanic glass. Inert and supposedly non-toxic. Speaking of non-toxic, after reading what manufacturers make potting soil from, I opted for organic soil. Maybe it's a little better, no ground up car tires. It's certainly more expensive, 6 to 10 times more. What does everyone else use for soil?

* Clockwise from left: parsley, cilantro, basil, basil.
________
I should say ... the pot of parsley up there I didn't plant. It planted itself. To the left is what it looked like iced-up last December.

The pot held cilantro (or coriander) stalks and parsley (still green). I never emptied it last fall. What's growing now must be from seeds the plants dropped last year. In fact, last year I didn't plant the parsley either, just the cilantro. Either the seed package was contaminated with parsley seeds or the squirrels transplanted it on their hind legs. Pretty hearty that parsley, it grew all winter, right through snow and ice.
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Photos: Homegrown

"Where Does It Hurt?"

Sometimes pointing to where it hurts doesn't give the best clue as to what's wrong. It doesn't help that human anatomy can vary so much.

Below are two images of the large intestine. There are 3 sections visible ... the ascending colon on your right side (left in pictures), the transverse colon that goes across the top, and the descending colon on your left side (right in pictures).



Pay attention to the transverse colon in these images. I wanted to show that it can be located differently in different people. In the left diagram, it dips low; in the right diagram it sits high. So, for example, if there is pain or discomfort in the chest, it could involve the heart (angina), the stomach (heartburn), the lungs (pleurisy), or, as you can see here, an irritation in the transverse colon, among others.

That's just local pain. There's a field of study that addresses a phenomenon known as referred pain - pain that's felt away from the site of an injury. An example often given for referred pain is the burning or acute ache felt down the left shoulder and arm during a heart attack. One helpful aspect of referred pain is that it's consistent from one person to another.

If you have a pain in the area of your stomach, it may involve the stomach, or it may not. In the diagram of referred pain sites to the right, a pain in the center of the upper back may indicate a problem with the stomach. A pain on the right side of the neck may indicate a problem - not with the neck - but with the liver or gallbladder.

I think Brad Wright does a great job explaining referred pain on his blog, Anatomy Notes.
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