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How to make your own vermicular bin.... and why
?
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What follows here is a subject brought up by Dr. Hugh Wang who tells us of the benefits of worm
bins
in
growing our own food and the lessons that worm bins teach us and our
grandchildren about cleanliness.
And in addition we also hear from our other friend to all who
come by "The York '52 Weight
Room" ---
Dr. Mal Ing with his own
personal observations on what we can do to avoid the germs that
we typically come
in contact with every day as we go
about
our business.
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeannine and Hugh Wang"
To: "H. Bruce Downey"
Sent: Monday, April 19, 2010 7:34 PM
Subject: Water
> Hi, Bruce: > > I probably won't be back on the
coconut wireless until the weekend > because I have a busy few days
ahead. Miss me? Already? > > While it's on my mind, I'm
going to discuss one more water related > item. Worms. >
> If any of the Weight Room gang grows a garden, and you should, think
> about developing a worm bin. My son told me to start one, and it
was > two years before I got over the squeamishness and actually
did. Do > it sooner than I did, please. Use red worms.
They are more prolific > and eat faster than the cousin earthworms which
are larger. Unless > you have a friend who has RW, you may
have to buy some for starters. > > Why grow a garden? You
control the quality and eliminate the use of > pesticides and
sprays. > Why a worm bin? The worms eat your green waste and kitchen
> cuttings. The castings are wonderfully full of nutrients for your
> veggies. My coffee grounds and wash water (no soap) go into the
worm > bin. If I boil eggs, the water goes into a bucket.
Vegetable and > fruit wash water as well. When I was eating rice,
the wash water and > left over coffee or tea also. > > My
wife's concession to my bucket is I must take it out to the garden >
before it gets smelly and it must not breed anything objectionable. >
> A worm bin sits on top of a drainage pan so the bin doesn't get too
> wet, drown the worms. Worms like to be damp. I started with
a few > worms, which are now thousands. I used to ignore the bin
for > weeks. It has become fun for me to open the bin every few
days, stir > the worms up, look at the clusters of worms intertwining
with each > other like miniature snakes in a ball larger than my
fist. > > My gkids (two of them) love to play w/ them. It's
like asking me to > take them to the park. When we are done, they
know the drill. Go to > the sink, scrub their hands w/ soap and a
brush, under the nails and > b/t the fingers. It's excellent
practice for before eating even if > they are not playing w/worms.
The other gkids? Echh! and Yuckkk! > > I can't believe
I'm talking about this subject w/ complete strangers, Hugh >
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> ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Jeannine and
Hugh Wang" > To: <Bruce> >
Cc: <Mal> > Sent: Monday, May 03, 2010 5:03
AM > Subject: Health matters > > >> Hi,
Bruce: >> >> I keep thinking I'm going to run out of things to
say, but I guess you >> never know when you're going to run out
until you do. >> >> Today's topic is
cleanliness. >> >> Cleanliness is next to Godliness, I've
heard it said, and you may have as >> well. You may not have
heard that it is also next to healthiness. >> I have four
grandchildren. Three of them love to play with the worms in >>
my worm bin. The third goes "yeckkkk!" The condition for worm play
is a >> thorough scrub of the hands afterward with soap, warm water,
and a brush. >> Not quite a surgical scrub, but better than a kiss and
a promise. They >> learn that there are four sides to each
finger. They learn that the >> creases in the hands harbor
things that will make them ill. They learn >> that these things
cannot be seen with the naked eye (sorry, Mal, for the >> nudity, but
the language is not foul), but if there is dirt in the >> creases, it
is really dirty. They carried these lessons into the before >>
eating ritual. The rock will skip into their gkids
lives. >> >> There is talk about using antibacterial soaps
which are popular in the >> workplace, but may cause resistance to
develop in your bacteria. Soap >> and a brush will not do
that. If it is not convenient, you won't do it. >> I would say,
"trust me", but I hate that phrase because my reaction is >>
"why?" Are you trustworthy? Trust is earned not ordered. So I
will >> say, it you don't have a brush and soap at every sink, see how
often you >> do it. >> >> You may not have been
playing in my worm bin, but your hands are not >> clean as soon as you
touch something, "trust me" (whoops!). So before >> you prepare
food, scrub. I am fortunate to have a wife who is >>
fastidious. I don't get sick from home cooked food. Veggies and
salads >> are washed with a brush twice even though the bag says,
"washed". Trust >> no one. The silicon cutting board has
one side for meat, the other for >> veggies. After washing the
board with a brush, it resides in the >> dishwasher. We left
wood and plastic years ago because cuts in the >> surface harbor
bugs. >> >> While I'm at it, I might as well talk about
habits, clean habits. At the >> hospital, I gave a lecture that
was the talk of the staff. I started by >> saying, "You don't
have to ever wash your hands except before touching a >> patient or
eating." I went on to say, the caveat is that you cannot put >>
non-food items in your mouth. No fingers, fingernails, earpieces of
>> glasses, pens, envelope flaps. Don't lick your fingers to
count money, >> turn pages, throw footballs. If you have these
habits, they may be hard >> to break, but they can be the cause of
your infections. >> >> MRSA, methicillin resistant
staphylococcus aureus, can kill you. It is >> becoming more
prevalent, and it killed my cousin, because the emergency >> physician
didn't recognize it. He was sent home twice with different >>
antibiotics. It takes intravenous triple antibiotics to kill it these
>> days. If it is on the skin and has not invaded the body, it
will not >> survive my soap and brush attack. Even viruses
cannot survive. I don't >> get seasonal flu or swine flu vaccine
or the infections. I don't catch >> colds or get strep
throats. How about you? I don't get ill from food >>
unless we eat out, so we eat out much less often, because we notice that
>> the food preparers are often from third world countries where
cleanliness >> is not understood. >> >>
Understand? >> >> Regards, Hugh
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----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeannine and Hugh Wang"
To: <Bruce> Sent: Monday, May 03,
2010 2:09 PM Subject: Health does matter
> Hi,
Crow: > > Caw! Caw! > > While running a few
errands, I thought about cooking utensils in > connection with
health. > > Some 25 years ago, I bought a glass cooktop for our
electric stove. > Induction coils required iron or steel pots and pans in
order to cook. > About that time Alzheimer's was connected with high
levels of aluminum in > the brain. I thought, good time to get rid
of our aluminum stuff and look > around for more sources of aluminum
(which there are). We switched to > stainless steel. Now Dr.
Mercola recommends ceramic cookware as even > better. > > I
don't like the idea of using Pam or Teflon for anti-stick. After a few
> years, you are eating teflon. Eating Pam is not good
either. A dash of > virgin olive oil will do on stainless if you
need it. > > It's hard to find ceramic cookware, so I'd settle for
stainless. An > entire set is rather pricey, but you can buy one
piece at a time. By the > time you complete the set, you've spent
more, so if you can do without, > two sizes of pot w/tops and a medium
size pan will do for most people. > Whatever you use the
most. > > Microwave cooking is questionable. I wrote Litton's
research department a > few years ago, and I asked them what happens to
food at the molecular > level when microwaved. They did not
know. Even now, I cannot find > information on the internet about
it. Someone more sophisticated in the > vagaries of the ether of
cyberspace has to help me. I have no idea if > anyone is looking at
the possible problem(s). I use our microwave to heat > water or to
warm left overs, but not to cook. For sure, do not cover your >
food with plastic wrap. We are finding out that even hard plastic (BP-A)
> leaches into water in water bottles. Concerned athletes are
rapidly > switching to stainless steel bottles. > > I did
wander a little afield from utensils, didn't I? That's sorta how I
> am. One thread leads to another as I do a random walk through the
park. > > To your health, Hugh
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Malcolm Ing" To:
"Jeannine and Hugh Wang" Cc:
<Bruce> Sent: Monday, May
03, 2010 1:54 PM Subject: Re: Health matters
> Hi Hugh and
Bruce,
> More of my "two cents": What Hugh has to
say about avoiding infection is > true. Since viruses, such as H1N1
,live on hard smooth surfaces longer > than on cloth etc, I advise you
to use your own pen ,whenever you can, > when signing a
credit card slip in a store. The pens that they offer you > have been
touched by many hundreds of persons during the day, many of > whom have
just wiped their noses or mouths before handling the pen. I > carry my
own pen for this activity every day.
> Also, ever since I developed a nasty bacterial
conjunctivitis following a > long reception line when I was inducted
into the honor society of > U.S.ophthalmologists in this country (The
American Ophthalmological > Society), I wipe my hands off with a
pledgett of 70% isopropyl alcohol > following going through any
reception line or party these days. It would > greatly lesson the
incidence of transmission of germs etc. in this country > if we would
adopt the Oriental mode of greeting (a slight bow with our own > two
hands touching one another, rather than the traditional handshake. We >
could also adopt the greeting, "Namaste," which translated means: "I
> salute the spirit in you that is in me."
> About the study linking dietary excessive refined carbos in
women raising > the CHD rate in women but not in men. I have not read
that study, but one > explanation would be that the rate in men
was already so high that there > was little difference in men who
indulged, and the difference showed up > in women because their
incidence is traditionally low to begin with. >
Hugh , I have a project for you: What were the overall rates of
CHD in > these groups or what was the rate in women
compared to men? Did the > women's incidence approach the men's
when they indulged in refined > carbos? Presumably, these were
post-menopausal women and how many were > taking hormones etc.?
> Aloha,Mal
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> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeannine and Hugh
Wang" To: "Malcolm Ing" Cc:
<Bruce> Sent: Monday, May 03, 2010 3:01 PM Subject:
Health matters
> Hi, Mal: > > How great it is that
your comments complement mine! I was hoping that you > would have
something to add. Your two cents is worth more. A whole lot >
more. > > At malls and other places where escalators and stairways
have handrails, > you will (should) hold on to keep from falling
(safety). Hundreds of > hands have touched these surfaces in a
day. So-ooo, you are in danger > until you clean your hands.
Hotels, motels, restaurants, and other public > places are great
collection agencies for microbes (which outnumber animals > by far on the
planet). When you move into a public place (hotel room), > wipe
down the phone(s), door knobs to the bathroom (inside & out), the >
door, the remote control, the knobs on the TV cabinet, the arms on the >
chair, and even the table (desk top) before you do anything else. If you
> want to be super compulsive ask for a clean bedspread as well. At
the > very least turn it down so it isn't near your face. Pull down
the sheets > and look for bedbugs. Occasionally, you will find a
spider. In HI, you > may find a cockroach (or two).
Yuckkkk! > > 70% is great without causing resistance, because it
weakens the cell walls > and causes the buggers to explode. You can
get these in pad form at drug > stores or at medical supply
stores. They fit nicely in your pocket or > purse. One
microbiologist recommends two spray bottles, one with 70% > isopropyl
alcohol and the other with hydrogen peroxide. Spray in that >
order. Then wipe. Forget the expensive germicides and sprays.
For > travel, airlines will let you carry small bottles of liquid.
If you empty > a small spray bottle of something, instead of tossing it,
rinse it out and > fill it with these two for travel. Put them in a
plastic bag, and double > bag it so it won't leak (ziplock) into your
clothing. > > Here's the article, Mal: Can you believe a study
with 47K subjects? > > Aloha, Hugh > > p.s. You cannot
believe how much I look forward to our exchanges,
hhw > > > > Arch Intern Med. 2010 Apr
12;170(7):640-7. > > > > Dietary glycemic load and index
and risk of coronary heart disease in a > large italian cohort: the
EPICOR study. > > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed//pubmed?term=%22Sieri%20S%22%5BAuthor%5D>Sieri
> S, > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed//pubmed?term=%22Krogh%20V%22%5BAuthor%5D>Krogh
> V, > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed//pubmed?term=%22Berrino%20F%22%5BAuthor%5D>Berrino
> F, > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed//pubmed?term=%22Evangelista%20A%22%5BAuthor%5D>Evangelista
> A, > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed//pubmed?term=%22Agnoli%20C%22%5BAuthor%5D>Agnoli
> C, > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed//pubmed?term=%22Brighenti%20F%22%5BAuthor%5D>Brighenti
> F, > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed//pubmed?term=%22Pellegrini%20N%22%5BAuthor%5D>Pellegrini
> N, > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed//pubmed?term=%22Palli%20D%22%5BAuthor%5D>Palli
> D, > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed//pubmed?term=%22Masala%20G%22%5BAuthor%5D>Masala
> G, > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed//pubmed?term=%22Sacerdote%20C%22%5BAuthor%5D>Sacerdote
> C, > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed//pubmed?term=%22Veglia%20F%22%5BAuthor%5D>Veglia
> F, > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed//pubmed?term=%22Tumino%20R%22%5BAuthor%5D>Tumino
> R, > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed//pubmed?term=%22Frasca%20G%22%5BAuthor%5D>Frasca
> G, > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed//pubmed?term=%22Grioni%20S%22%5BAuthor%5D>Grioni
> S, > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed//pubmed?term=%22Pala%20V%22%5BAuthor%5D>Pala
> V, > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed//pubmed?term=%22Mattiello%20A%22%5BAuthor%5D>Mattiello
> A, > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed//pubmed?term=%22Chiodini%20P%22%5BAuthor%5D>Chiodini
> P, > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed//pubmed?term=%22Panico%20S%22%5BAuthor%5D>Panico
> S. > > Nutritional Epidemiology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS
(Istituto di Ricovero e > Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Istituto
Nazionale Tumori, Milan, Italy. > > > >
Abstract > > BACKGROUND: Dietary glycemic load (GL) and glycemic
index (GI) in relation > to cardiovascular disease have been investigated
in a few prospective > studies with inconsistent results, particularly in
men. The present EPICOR > study investigated the association of GI and GL
with coronary heart > disease (CHD) in a large and heterogeneous cohort
of Italian men and women > originally recruited to the European
Prospective Investigation into Cancer > and Nutrition study. METHODS: We
studied 47 749 volunteers (15 171 men and > 32 578 women) who completed a
dietary questionnaire. Multivariate Cox > proportional hazards modeling
estimated adjusted relative risks (RRs) of > CHD and 95% confidence
intervals (CIs). RESULTS: During a median of 7.9 > years of follow-up,
463 CHD cases (158 women and 305 men) were identified. > Women in the
highest carbohydrate intake quartile had a significantly > greater risk
of CHD than did those in the lowest quartile (RR, 2.00; 95% > CI,
1.16-3.43), with no association found in men (P = .04 for > interaction).
Increasing carbohydrate intake from high-GI foods was also >
significantly associated with greater risk of CHD in women (RR, 1.68; 95%
> CI, 1.02-2.75), whereas increasing the intake of low-GI carbohydrates
was > not. Women in the highest GL quartile had a significantly greater
risk of > CHD than did those in the lowest quartile (RR, 2.24; 95% CI,
1.26-3.98), > with no significant association in men (P = .03 for
interaction). > CONCLUSION: In this Italian cohort, high dietary GL and
carbohydrate > intake from high-GI foods increase the overall risk of CHD
in women but > not men. > > PMID: 20386010 [PubMed - in
process >
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