NYT Opinion Column About the Egg Industry

Nicholas Kristof - who write on many topics for the New York Times, just wrote an opinion column about eggs and the egg industry - in the light of an upcoming expose to be revealed by the Humane Society.

In that, he describes the observations of an undercover worker at a large commercial egg farm and processing facility, which describes the unsanitary and unsafe conditions at the factory farm.

One thing we do an "modern human beings" is that a lot of us eat eggs, meat and dairy on a daily basis (in fact on multiple occasions in the same day). This is vastly different from the ancient humans who had to literally hunt for food. They got more exercise and their diet was more regulated. Now, we sit around more (like I am doing right now) and we eat more! wow....

No wonder health care  is a huge problem - when prevention is not practiced much but pills and knives (and lasers) are seen as panacea.


Good diet (ie reducing meat/animal product intake to twice a week and increasing plant based food to a higher frequency, coupled with exercise should improve over all health fast enough. If you are asking me for scientific proof - I will just say this - please join the study group - not as a control, but as the study subject! And we'll find out for ourselves soon :)

List of Helpful Yoga Poses for Common Illnesses

Sinusitis
Yoga Poses
One website that carries a list of useful yoga poses and other natural techniques that help in preventing common illnesses is the Health and Yoga site. Note that this site lists many techniques that may sound completely new to you. In such a case, locate a trained yoga practitioner in your neighborhood and consult with them accordingly, before proceeding into any self directed program.

Another book that is titled "Yogic Cure for Common (sic) Diseases" also provides information relevant to diet and health. [In "indian english", the author means illnesses, not really 'diseases'.] The interesting part is that this book actually links abdominal disorders to sinus problems and recommends the same diet for both (no fried foods, avoid milk, less spice in food, etc.) This book carries a recommended meal plan (bkfst, lunch, snack time, dinner) with detailed list of items to eat and to avoid. It is a short book divided into multiple illness-related chapters, so it is a quick read.

A link to the book on Amazon.com's website can be found on the left hand side of this post.

Nasal hygiene
The other important tip towards avoiding sinus problems is nasal hygiene. Since the nose is the filter for all the air we breathe, excess mucus needs to be removed from the nose. (Some amount of mucus is normal and needed for keeping the nasal air passage moist and well lubricated.) This book as well as my yoga teachers from India have recommended a procedure called Jalneti Kriya, which is basically saline irrigation of the nose. For the past few years I have been (irregularly) rinsing my nose with either a neti pot or the Neilmed bottle. Penn state's UHS pharmacy as well as the local CVS pharmacies carry this item.

Neti pot video.

Herb Supplements & Other remedies

Quercetin, Bromelaine. Usually avaiable as a combination at Whole Foods, Nature's Pantry (penn state area).

Wellness.com's review on bromelaine

Acupuncture: This is out of my league, but I should give credit to the acupuncturist (Daniel Greenberg) of my friend who told me about quercetin and bromelaine.

Naturopathy: Black pepper smoke inhalation, munching a few kernels of raw black pepper first thing in the morning help clear sinuses. Extremely risky, do not attempt unless you love black pepper.