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PICK YOUR PROTEINS: THE WAY FORWARD-CHILLI WITHOUT CAMESpanish onions, roughly chopped     green and red peppers, roughly chopped     tomatoes, roughly chopped, or canned tomatoes     garlic, minced or sliced     olive oil     tomato paste     cayenne pepper, paprika, cumin, oregano, pepper, or other     spices     vegetable stock or water      Soya mince (TVP, textured vegetable protein)      kidney beans, cooked from dried or canned, drained and rinsed      fresh chilli pepper, deseeded and finely chopped, or dried     Cook the fresh vegetables and даг1к in olive oil until softened, then add the spices, tomato paste, stock or water and heat up. Add the soya mince and kidney beans. Simmer for at least 30) minutes, longer if possible. Add more stock or water if the mixture shows signs of drying out.     Serve with baked potato, tortillas or brown rice. Add toppings: sliced mild onions or spring onions, sliced tomato, sliced avocado, plain yoghurt.     The way forward-A diet that maintains sufficient protein levels to nurture the individual is essential. However, it is preferable to reduce the amount of animal protein from the levels typical of a Western diet and, at least partially, replace it with vegetarian sources of protein. Dishes based on legumes (beans, chick-peas, lentils), grains, soya products (tofu, TVP-textured vegetable protein), quinoa and Quorn mycoprotein are all excellent sources of vegetable protein. Plant sources of protein have the added advantage of offering protection by offering other cancer fighters such as fibre, antioxidants and plant hormones.     Animal proteins should ideally be kept to fish sources, which offer the potent breast cancer-fighting omega-3 fats, and meats that are lowest in saturated fats and chemicals, such as skinless organic chicken and game. The importance of non-contaminated sources of meat cannot be over-emphasized in view of possible contamination by oestrogenic compounds which can be found in intensively farmed meat. Ideally, animal sources of protein – meat, fish, fowl, game, eggs and dairy produce – should be used as a condiment to flavour and enhance dishes, rather than as the main ingredient. Instead of a large slab of meat on a plate with a few vegetables, meals which reflect the cuisine of Eastern or Third World countries are best. This means, for example, bean stews, with a little meat for flavour, or stir-fries with a little seafood as one of several ingredients.     Fermented milk products, such as yoghurt and cottage cheese, should be preferred over other dairy sources such as milk and hard cheese as they are more easily digested, the milk proteins having been partially pre-digested by bacteria. Eggs in moderation – about three or four a week – are fine. Eggs, along with cottage cheese, are a valuable source of sulphur containing amino acids, which aid the liver’s detoxification process.     If you are already a vegetarian, or are planning to switch over, it is important not to become a ‘bread and cheese’ vegetarian. A high intake of cheese, milk and eggs with insufficient vegetables, fruits and pulses to redress the balance, is not much better, from the point of view of breast cancer, than being a fully fledged meat-eater.     It is probably not necessary to become vegetarian if it does not suit you, as the main protective benefits that come from a vegetarian diet are derived from the increased intake of vegetables, fruit, grains and pulses. Increasing these in the diet is more important than cutting out all sources of animal protein, though reducing the amount of animal protein, typical of a Western diet, is advisable.*75\240\2*

CORTICOSTEROIDS FOR TREATMENT OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA): CORTICOSTEROID INJECTIONSIn RA it is common for one joint to become more swollen than others or to lag behind the others in improvement. An injection of corticosteroids directly into the joint will decrease the pain, warmth, and swelling in the joint that is giving the person the most trouble. The beneficial effects generally last four to six weeks.This is a frequently performed and effective procedure that is generally safe and well tolerated. Before the injection is administered, the skin is generally numbed with a local anesthetic. (Be certain to warn your doctor if you have ever had a reaction to local anesthetics such as Novocain or Xylocaine.) A needle is then introduced through the skin and into the joint, into which the corticosteroid is injected.The side effects of the small amount of corticosteroid injected into the joint are minimal. If a given joint is injected no more frequently than every four months, adverse effects from the corticosteroid itself are unlikely.Corticosteroid injection into the same joint more frequently than every four months, however, may cause joint damage. In fewer than 5 percent of patients the injected corticosteroid can actually increase inflammation for a short period. This is known as a post-infection flare. Although uncomfortable, the inflammation will decrease within two to three days. It is impossible to tell in advance of the injection whether a particular individual will suffer this side effect.Occasionally, a dimple in the skin or a mild change in skin color will be noticed at the site of injection. These skin changes will almost always disappear with time.As with any procedure, complications related to the procedure itself can arise. Care must be taken to avoid injuring surrounding tendons or other structures. Sterile technique is required to prevent the possibility of introducing bacteria and infection into the joint. Experienced physicians, generally rheumatologists or orthopedic surgeons, take exceptional care to avoid these complications.*106/209/5*

STOP SMOKINGMore than 95 percent of former smokers quit on their own, usually at the recommendation of their physician. People who follow this popular strategy outlined by the American Lung Association have had good results:Set a future date when you will stop smoking, a d sign a contract with yourself to that effect.Make a list of:
All the reasons you continue to smoke (“It’s a crutch,” “It feels good”).All your bonds with smoking (coffee, alcohol, etc.).All your reasons for not quitting.All the reasons you should quit smoking.All the rewards for becoming a nonsmoker.Every cigarette you smoke for the two weeks before your quit date.All situations you think will be difficult without a cigarette.
Find substitutes for cigarettes, like chewing gum.Save your butts for two weeks before quitting day. Put them in a jar and then fill the jar up with water and keep it in a visible place. Every time you feel the urge to smoke, open the jar and take a whiff.Be prepared for withdrawal symptoms—cough, constipation, tiredness, headache, sore throat, trouble sleeping. There last only a week at most.Begin a daily exercise program (walking, etc.) and eat the proper foods.Tell all the people you know that you are going to quit and tell your friends how they can help.Use coping techniques to break your smoking pattern:
“I have the strength to do it.”Doodle, stretch, touch your toes.Put a rubber band on your wrist and snap it every time you have the urge.Take a deep breath and hold it for several seconds and then exhale. Repeat this several times until the urge disappears.Avoid smoking situations and places; avoid people who smoke.Move around, take a shower, go get a drink, etc.Remember: “A craving for a cigarette will go away whether or not I smoke.”Don’t dwell on your desire for a cigarette. Simply decide youhave smoked your last cigarette.Don’t have in mind an estimated time by which the discomfort should end. Change your routine to distract yourself.Sign a final nonsmoker contract with yourself.A common mistake a “quitter” makes is to think it is all right to have one or two cigarettes every once in a while. If you could have done that before, you would have.Smokers who have existing heart disease can reduce their risk of future heart attacks and death if they quit smoking. Prospective findings in a study that involved over 7,000 people who are 65 years old or older indicate that smokers who continue to smoke will have a higher rate of mortality, but those who quit will have an improved life expectancy. So it’s never too late to quit.Many people say that they do not want to stop smoking because they fear gaining weight Weight gain may occur in those who stop smoking, but it is likely to occur only in a small percentage of them. This study and others never considered the fact that people who were quitting took no measures to control their weight.Many studies indicate that if a person quits smoking for at least ten years, his risk of developing coronary heart disease is the same as a nonsmoker of the same age. On the other hand, a person must quit smoking for fifteen years before his risk of developing cancer will equal that of a nonsmoker.Federally sponsored programs support tobacco prices, benefiting allotment holders (a unique monopoly situation) and tobacco growers. In addition, other federally sponsored programs benefit the tobacco industry. The programs and their cost to the taxpayer—both smoker and nonsmoker—are the following: tobacco inspection and grading, $6.1 million; market news service, $10.5 million; research, $7.4 million; short-term credit, $69.2 million (1979). Total cost to the taxpayer: over $157 million in 1979.On the other hand, federal funds are spent to discourage smoking, to research the health effects of smoking, and to provide a great portion of the cost of medical care for people who are suffering from and dying of smoking-related diseases. Patients with self-induced smoking-related diseases and families of these patients receive Social Security benefits.The United States has adopted uncompromisingly restrictive measures concerning food additives, but only a verbal statement of caution is required on every package of cigarettes. The Delaney Clause legislation prohibits the sale of any product to the American people that has been shown to be carcinogenic to humans and animals, and thus applies to situations in which the human hazard may be minimal. Tobacco is a major risk factor for cancer, cardiovascular diseases, lung diseases, and other illnesses. If you smoke, you should stop. If you have not started, don’t! Seek professional help if you must, but stop smoking.*73\360\2*