Lady-Comp increases awareness of OC cancer risks

Lady-Comp, the developers of the world’s most advanced natural fertility device, are concerned that women may have become blase about the possible risks of oral contraceptives due to their longevity in the health system. Lady-Comp wants to increase awareness of these risks and promote natural contraception as a means for optimal health.

Oral contraceptives have been at the centre of concerns about the risks of related cancer development and, as such, have been under the microscope for the past 18 years. Over this time, considerable research and studies have been undertaken but results have remained inconclusive.

"This means that oral contraceptives cannot be deemed conclusively safe, especially in the long-term," said Tracey Vale, spokesperson for Lady-Comp. "Questions concerning cancer-risk continue to be raised and investigated."

"We are concerned that women do not know the potential risks of the pill, simply because it has been around for so long and is deemed safe and acceptable in the mainstream.”

"Women should be made more aware of these risks and choose natural birth control for their long-term health and well being,” Vale said.

The National Cancer Institute (U.S.) says "Because medical research suggests that cancers of the female reproductive organs sometimes depend on naturally occurring sex hormones for their development and growth, scientists have been investigating a possible link between OC use and cancer risk." The pill suppresses oestrogen and progesterone production, while the lesser effective mini pill suppresses progesterone.

"A correlation between oestrogen and increased risk of breast cancer has sparked continuing controversy about a possible link between OCs and cancer.”

The Institute says "This scrutiny has produced a wealth of data on OC use and the development of certain cancers, although results have not always been consistent."

The National Cancer Institute’s Fact Sheet cites the following concerns based on past, current and ongoing studies and research:

• ·        Oral Contraceptives increase the risk of certain cancers.

• ·        For recent users of oral contraceptives under the age of 35, there is a risk of breast cancer.

• ·        There is evidence that long-term OC use increases the risk of cervical cancer.

• ·        There is some evidence that certain liver tumours may be related to OC use.

Lady-Comp was developed to offer women a healthy, natural alternative to oral contraceptives and other forms of contraception. OCs are considered to be a burden on the body due to their chemical nature and the fact that they alter the natural status quo of the hormonal system.

“There is no logical reason for a woman to burden her health, or her sex life, with contraceptive measures for a full 28 days, when in fact it is only possible for her to become pregnant on six of these days,” said Vale.

Sources:

LadyComp http://ladycomp.com.au

National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, cited at http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/thepill/a/oralcontrcncrri.htm

National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet http://www.cancer.gov/PDF/FactSheet/fs3_13.pdf 

An entertaining 45 minutes at kindy, By Tracey Vale

I spent some time with my son at kindergarten this morning. I'm always struck by the glaring differences between boys and girls at this age. The 'in' colour for girls is pink, purple or both, while the boys wear a much broader range of green, blue, red and orange.

Their play is also a glaring point of difference. The boys generally travel in packs and are more boisterous and active than the girls. The girls are more studious and spend longer on painting or at the making table. They will also choose the 'home corner', crafts or dress-ups over the boys prevalence for construction activities. Of course, there are always exceptions--my son, for example, prefers to play quietly rather than travel in a pack as he wants to choose rather than follow--I'm just painting a picture of what is obvious in a quick glance-around in any kindy.

This morning, I spent some time with him at the making table. He now has two cork guys with wool hair in a little box, plus a cellophane/biscuit tray/patty pan creation to bring home, as do a couple of other kids at that table. I'm sure their parents will be thrilled....

Once outside, he produced an impressionist painting of splats and splodges, as if his life depended on it and he was way behind schedule for that planned exhibition. At the same time, the girl next to him painted a large pink flower, with neatly swirled petals and a long, pink stem.  The girl opposite, painted a pink, happy face with long, purple hair, with the obligatory flick-up at the ends.

At this point, a girl came up to me with a piece of wood. "Look! I wrote my name on this!" I said "Wow!" and studied it for what was becoming an uncomfortable time and, unfortunately, had to ask her what her name was. She said "Jemma" and I said "Oh yes--with a 'J'", pointing to her letter 'J', to reassure her that it was indeed legible. She had written the whole name back to front and with backwards letters! Mirror image!

A pretend bus was set up outside on the lawn and the bus driver, a boy (what else?), said to another boy as he got on, "Hello, Mr. Connor. Where would you like to go?" Another boy called out from the window of a nearby cubby house "Bus tickets for sale! Bus tickets for sale!"

A short distance into their imaginary bus trip, the bus driver stopped the bus and stated to his almost full load of passengers "I feel sad. I need coffee." At which point, he disembarked and purchased his coffee, leaving a bewildered bunch of passengers wondering if they could step up to the driver's seat. Soon after the bus driver's somewhat unprofessional behaviour, the bus ticket office was transformed into a McDonald's franchise, with the new owner proclaiming "McDonald's is open!"

Four Ingredient Classic Desserts from 1958, By Tracey Vale

The following classic desserts have remained family favourites through the decades. The recipes have been adapted to suit today's measurements, ingredients and modern appliances from Good Housekeeping's Cookery Compendium, 1958 edition, as described in the previous post.

Blackberry Fool

450g blackberries

75g sugar

300ml thick custard

150ml cream, whipped

Gently stew fruit and sugar. This can be done in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave, until fruit is tender. Puree until smooth. Beat in custard and fold in cream. Pour into wine glasses and top with nuts and whole berries, to decorate.

Strawberry Blancmange

40g cornflour

600ml milk

25g sugar

Strawberry flavouring and pink food colour, if desired

In a saucepan, blend cornflour with a little milk. Heat remaining milk in a microwave-safe jug in the microwave on HIGH, until hot but not boiling. Pour over the cornflour paste and bring to the boil on the stove, stirring continuously. Cook 4-5 minutes, sweeten, flavour and colour. Pour into a wet mould and leave to set. To turn out, loosen the edges carefully with your fingers. Serve with stewed fruit.

Vanilla Ice Cream

300ml cream or evaporated milk

300ml store-bought vanilla custard

Whisk ingredients together and pour into an ice cream maker to churn until ready. Alternatively, pour into a lamington tray and freeze until just firm. Remove and churn with a spoon or fork and return to the freezer. Continue until satisfied with the consistency.

Rice Pudding

40g, or 4 level d/sp, uncooked rice

2 Tbsp sugar

600ml milk

butter

Sprinkle rice and sugar onto the base of a pie dish. Pour milk over and dot with small dobs of butter. Bake in a slow oven, 150'C, for 2 hours.

Chocolate Rice Pudding

As above, but dissolve 50g grated chocolate into the milk before pouring over rice. Omit butter and add a few drops of vanilla essence (optional).

Baked Egg Custard

1 egg, lightly beaten

300ml milk

1 d/sp sugar

Nutmeg

Heat milk without boiling. Add sugar to the beaten egg and pour heated milk over. Stir and pour into a pie dish. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Stand the dish in a deep baking tin and pour cold water into the tin to prevent the custard from over-heating during cooking. Bake in a slow oven, 150'C, for 40 minutes, or until set and lightly coloured.

Fruit Mince Pies

Frozen, ready-made puff pastry, or shortcrust

Jar fruit mince

Egg, to glaze

Icing sugar

Cut pastry into rounds to fit small muffin tins. Oil-spray tins and place rounds, gently pushing down. Spoon a heaped teaspoonful of mince meat into each case and brush pastry edges with water. Cut smaller rounds of pastry and place on top of each case, crimping edges gently with a fork. Snip a 'v' into the top of each pie and glaze with beaten egg. Bake in a preheated, hot oven at 450'F for 25 minutes. Sift a little icing sugar over the tops, to serve. Serve hot.

Syrup Tart

150g shortcrust pastry

3-4 Tbsp golden syrup

50g breadcrumbs

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Oil-spray a shallow pie dish and line with pastry,  trim and set remainder of pastry aside for lattice top. Crimp pastry edges. Mix remaining ingredients together (lightly warm syrup to enable easier mixing if required). Spread mixture onto pastry, keeping edges free. Lattice the top with  thin, criss-crossing strips of pastry. Bake in a hot oven at 230'C for 20-30 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked and the filling is golden-brown.

Musings over a vintage cookbook, By Tracey Vale

I love old books. I love that they have a history--the odd scribble or remark on a page, an old envelope used as a bookmark and offering a clue as to it's previous owner, a popular page that has been read and re-read, a gift inscription on the first page--and the following find was no exception. It was bookmarked with a portion of an envelope addressed to a Mrs. Winter of Adelaide and it's pages offer the occasional advice on favourite recipes in that typical 1950's cursive.

I came across the book while fossicking through a secondhand bookstore. I noticed a black, leatherette-bound book with an embossed insignia on the front cover. As it was sitting face-up on the counter, I couldn't see the spine and was curious as to what this book was and how old. Upon opening the cover, I discovered it was an old cookbook--published in 1958 after several reprints since the original had come out in 1952.

Good Housekeeping's Cookery Compendium, published in the U.K. by Waverley, is a true gem and an essential reference book for all cookery buffs. It is 640 pages of cooking from sauces, soups, roasts, curries and stews to baking, catering, three-tiered wedding cakes and desserts. It was published as a kitchen reference for all that the 1950's housewife would require and included photographs and even some appliance reviews. 

It's aim was also for mother's to teach their daughters the basics (very stereotypical and definitely not politically correct by today's standards!), as stated in the Introduction:

"It is produced with an eye to the needs of every member of the family and presented in attractive pictorial form, so that young daughters can be shown all the basic processes of cookery, and their elders can embark on ambitious recipes in the certain knowledge of success."

The book sold millions of copies in each edition and dog-eared versions are kept and held on to today, as I discovered after doing a little internet and forum research. The book continued to be revised and republished and there is a current version available today, although some have commented that they still hold on to their mother's/grandmother's edition as this still remains the true reference.

As so many were sold, there are many old editions available for sale on such sites as Amazon and Ebay, ranging in price from around $20 to $60 and up. Some even come in their original delivery box--perhaps a post-war sign of the times where items were valued and remnants of all kinds were kept, just in case.

Cut up your credit cards to cut debt

With the latest Reserve Bank figures revealing that Australians owe almost $49 billion in credit card debt, Diana Mathew, from The Money Tree, reminds us to eliminate this debt in order to budget and save for the future.

“I have yet to see a system that allows you to budget properly and use credit cards,” she said. “Travelling overseas is the only valid argument for credit cards.” But, she stresses, you will need to deposit your holiday savings into this account before embarking on your holiday and cut up your credit card immediately upon your return to avoid negative spending habits.

“My personal experience is that it is almost impossible to get out of debt forever if you do not get rid of the temptations NOW,” said Mathew.

Her argument is that there is no emotion attached to credit-card spending. It feels as though you are not spending your hard-earned cash.

Also, a credit card enables you to talk yourself into a purchase you may not be able to afford, simply because you have the option of paying later. Therefore, you are not concerned about the expense until it is too late.

“It feels good to carry cash,” she said. “Spending your cash-on-hand budget is an emotive action.” She said that you are more likely to consider your purchase; whether or not your need is valid and whether or not your budget can allow for it.

“The next time you go to purchase an expensive item which you’d normally use a card for, hand over the cash instead and feel the difference,” said Mathew.

“If you are a credit card addict and can’t cut them up, make them very difficult to get at. Put them in a plastic container with water and put the container in the freezer,” she advises. This will enable you a few hours to decide if your desired purchase is truly necessary.

Recent research by Euromonitor, reveals that credit card usage in Australia has risen since 2009 due to increased consumer confidence. A projected increase of 3% is expected for numbers of Australian credit cards in circulation, while credit card transactions are also expected to increase by 3%.

Reserve Bank statistics also reveal that credit card and personal loan debt in Australia, is now at $1.2 trillion, a rise of 71% on figures from just 7 years ago. This equates to $56000 of debt for every man, woman and child in our population.

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For more information on The Money Tree System or to purchase, follow this link: http://www.mymoneytree.com.au/

A letter of gratitude from Japan--A rose among the debris

This letter was written by Anne, a Japanese citizen directly effected by the recent earthquakes and tsunami, and was copied onto the Facebook page of Arcadia Love.

Anne's letter is beautiful--I love that she sees the positives in a devastating situation. We see all the destruction, hear of the terrible losses, the people crammed into evacuation centres and we imagine their suffering, their sense of desolation, grief and loss. I hadn't considered just how uplifted and restored they must feel when the hand of strangers is extended. It renews faith in the human spirit that there is love, hope, generosity and empathy out there. 

The other thing I love about this is that she, and the people around her, appreciate the simple things and that going back to basics is not a bad thing but reminds them of what is important--not capitalist wants but spiritual connections and basic human needs.

Her letter is as follows:

Hello My Lovely Friends,   

First I want to thank you so very much for your concern for me. I am very touched. I also wish to apologize for a generic message to you all. But it seems the best way at the moment to get my message to you.   

Things here in Sendai have been rather surreal. But I am very blessed to have wonderful friends who are helping me a lot. Since my shack is even more worthy of that name, I am now staying at a friend's home. We share supplies like water, food and a kerosene heater. We sleep lined up in one room, eat by candlelight, share stories. It is warm, friendly, and beautiful.   

During the day we help each other clean up the mess in our homes. People sit in their cars, looking at news on their navigation screens, or line up to get drinking water when a source is open. If someone has water running in their home, they put out sign so people can come to fill up their jugs and buckets.   

Utterly amazingly where I am there has been no looting, no pushing in lines. People leave their front door open, as it is safer when an earthquake strikes. People keep saying, "Oh, this is how it used to be in the old days when everyone helped one another."   

Quakes keep coming. Last night they struck about every 15 minutes. Sirens are constant and helicopters pass overhead often.   We got water for a few hours in our homes last night, and now it is for half a day. Electricity came on this afternoon. Gas has not yet come on. But all of this is by area. Some people have these things, others do not. 

No one has washed for several days. We feel grubby, but there are so much more important concerns than that for us now. I love this peeling away of non-essentials. Living fully on the level of instinct, of intuition, of caring, of what is needed for survival, not just of me, but of the entire group.  

There are strange parallel universes happening. Houses a mess in some places, yet then a house with futons or laundry out drying in the sun. People lining up for water and food, and yet a few people out walking their dogs. All happening at the same time.   

Other unexpected touches of beauty are first, the silence at night. No cars. No one out on the streets. And the heavens at night are scattered with stars. I usually can see about two, but now the whole sky is filled. The mountains are Sendai are solid and with the crisp air we can see them silhouetted against the sky magnificently.   

And the Japanese themselves are so wonderful. I come back to my shack to check on it each day, now to send this e-mail since the electricity is on, and I find food and water left in my entranceway. I have no idea from whom, but it is there. Old men in green hats go from door to door checking to see if everyone is OK. People talk to complete strangers asking if they need help. I see no signs of fear. Resignation, yes, but fear or panic, no.  

They tell us we can expect aftershocks, and even other major quakes, for another month or more. And we are getting constant tremors, rolls, shaking, rumbling. I am blessed in that I live in a part of Sendai that is a bit elevated, a bit more solid than other parts. So, so far this area is better off than others.  

Last night my friend's husband came in from the country, bringing food and water. Blessed again.  

Somehow at this time I realize from direct experience that there is indeed an enormous Cosmic evolutionary step that is occurring all over the world right at this moment. And somehow as I experience the events happening now in Japan, I can feel my heart opening very wide. My brother asked me if I felt so small because of all that is happening. I don't. Rather, I feel as part of something happening that much larger than myself. This wave of birthing (worldwide) is hard, and yet magnificent.   Thank you again for your care and Love of me,   

With Love in return, to you all, Anne. 

Something to think about....

The Dalai Lama, in answer to the question 'What surprises you most about humanity?', answered:

"Man.. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."