The Biome & and Heart Disease

If I ever come into a large sum of money I’d like to put my friend Mike through medical school. He’s very smart, patient, and observant and he would do well in the research world.

He recently sent this article my way:

https://english.elpais.com/health/2025-07-17/revolution-in-medicine-a-molecule-produced-by-gut-bacteria-causes-atherosclerosis-responsible-for-millions-of-deaths.html

Here are the takeaways:

  • Researchers have discovered that gut bacteria produce a molecule (called imidazole propionate) that causes atherosclerosis, the accumulation of fat and cholesterol in the arteries, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
  • 63% of the study participants showed signs of the disease.
  • Imidazole propionate enters the blood, interacts with immature white blood cells, and triggers an inflammatory reaction in the arteries, which promotes the buildup of fatty plaques.
  • These results are unexpected, linking microbes and cardiovascular disease — the leading cause of death in humanity.
  • One of the study’s authors had already discovered in 2018 that imidazole propionate levels were higher in people with type 2 diabetes.
  • Blood levels of imidazole propionate are lower in people with diets rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, tea, and low-fat dairy products.

What I want to know is how could a person know if they have this gut bacteria?

Are there foods you can eat to kill it off?

Not, sure I’ve ever mentioned it here, but did you know that most medical schools in the US don’t require nutrition training?

Maybe that will change soon.🤞 Here’s hoping.

The article ends with this tidbit:

Cases of colorectal cancer are skyrocketing in people under the age of 50, due to unknown causes, doubling in many countries in the last two decades. Another study, led by computational biologist Marcos Díaz Gay, suggested just three months ago that behind this colorectal cancer epidemic is the Escherichia coli toxin. “In young patients, up to 39 years of age, we see that colibactin pattern in one out of every three cases,” stressed Díaz Gay, of the National Cancer Research Center.

Walking the Dogs

I’ve been getting a lot of steps this month as we have our granddog for the month. He’s young and full of energy, and when I walk him, it’s kind of like waterskiing. I’m holding on, and he’s pulling, standing on 2 legs sometimes, darting after every squirrel or rabbit.

My old dog is more of a slow meanderer. He just wants to go slow and smell everything. He’s about 15 years old and getting to be a little hard of hearing.

So, I walk them separately.

Today I gave the old guy a treat. We went in the car (very exciting) to the park (really really exciting) which is across the street from a farm with lots of interesting cow and sheep smells. Dog heaven!

We started on the path and I noticed that the grass was a little dead along the edges. After a while I realized that it was probably just sprayed with herbicide… the line between dead and living grass was just too severe…

What do you think?

It’s a bummer 😕 because, of course, my dog would rather walk on the grass than the paved path. But I don’t want those chemicals on his paws!

Got home and saw this on Instagram.

Cold Plates

It’s really hot this week.

I lived most of my life in Florida, where it’s like this all the time: WAY too hot to use the oven for at least 10 months of the year.

There was a cute little diner at the Tahitian Inn on Dale Mabry where we used to meet friends on groggy Sunday mornings. They had an amazing cold plate there… salad greens and three hollowed bell peppers filled with your choice of chicken, tuna, egg, ham, or potato salad.

We made it part of our routine. Summer dinners (and by that, I mean March thru November) were often homemade cold plates, starting with a green salad and adding a bunch of cold sides.

For example:

  • Chicken salad/cold chicken
  • Potato salad
  • Tuna salad
  • Egg salad
  • Pasta salad
  • Carrot & celery sticks with hummus
  • Pickles
  • Sweet peppers
  • Olives
  • Sliced cheese
  • Good bread or crackers
  • Fruits
  • Cole slaw / quick slaw

Last weekend, I made a batch of my yummy purple yams with coconut. Yes, I had the oven on for an hour, but I make enough to snack on all week. It makes a great cold lunch or side dish.

I made lentils, too, which is also great served cold.

My husband made a potato salad and an egg salad, and chopped another pineapple into bite sized pieces.

Anyway, if you’re looking for healthy dishes to throw together for hot summer nights, I suggest you try a cold plate night.

Quick Slaw

Another quick, cold, plant-based recipe for you. I’m sorry, I don’t have a more exacting recipe. You’re gonna have to use the force on this one.

Enjoy!

  • Red cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Sunflower seeds or pistachios
  • Raisins or another similar-sized dried fruit
  • Honey
  • Salt
  • Red wine vinegar

Find a bowl you’d like to serve this dish in.

Slice the cabbage very thin. You want enough to fill the bowl approximately 60% full of the shredded cabbage.

Wash the carrots and then either use a hand peeler OR a cheese grater to shred them. Add them to the bowl. These 2 ingredients will take up most of the space in the bowl, so keep adding until it is about 90% full.

Add at least a cup each of sunflower seeds and raisins. Mix well. Salt liberally, unless the sunflower seeds have already done that for you.

Add honey and red wine vinegar in equal amounts to coat the ingredients. Mix well.

It’s crunchy, sweet, salty, and healthy. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated, which makes it perfect for summer, camping, etc.

Once you get the hang of it, swap out white cabbage for red, different nuts or seeds, different dried fruit, fancy vinegars… just make sure you include something crunchy, something sweet, something salty, and something vinegarrey. 😋

Use the force!

Lentils

Not gonna lie, I cut this recipe off the back of the lentil bag. It’s delicious.

  • 1 cup organic green lentils
  • 3 cups chicken broth or water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 large or 2 small carrots, finely chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 ounces Feta or goat cheese

Combine lentils, chicken broth (or water), and bay leaf in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until lentils are tender.

Remove bay leaf and strain. Let cool.

In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients except the cheese.

When lentils are cooled (pop them in the freezer for a few minutes), add lentils to the mixture and stir it all together.

Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Crumble goat cheese on top when serving.

Magpie

I named this blog The Cancer Canary, but lately I feel more like a magpie, collecting little bits of info and trying to piece together a bigger picture.

Check out this article in the June issue of Scientific American. It’s about the immune system and UV exposure. Mostly, it is about how plain old 🌞 sunshine can help those who suffer from muscular sclerosis and other auto-immune disorders. However, there are implications for cancer patients as well, as many cancers begin with inflammation.

Surprising Ways That Sunlight Might Heal Autoimmune Diseases | Scientific American

https://share.google/pBPdI6tGG2qqelzym

I came across another article recently about lidocaine being used to induce apoptosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Apoptosis is the programmed cell death that should kill off old and damaged cells. Somehow, it switches off when a person develops cancer, and cells that should die off stop dying off.

This research is drawing a link between this simple topical numbing agent and the ability to trigger cell death. Amazing!

“Lidocaine’s distinct bitter taste arises from its activation of a taste receptor known as T2R14, a receptor found in high concentrations in various cancer cells, particularly those in the head and neck. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania postulated that lidocaine may interact with cancer cells through this receptor.”

Researchers Find the Mechanism Behind Potential Anticancer Properties in Lidocaine

And here’s one from Consumer Reports on how to avoid microplastics:

https://www.consumerreports.org/health/health-wellness/how-to-eat-less-plastic-microplastics-in-food-water-a8899165110/

30 for 30

I used to struggle to get 30 different types of plant foods in my diet each week. As I’ve been doing this for a while now — and enjoying the benefits of a much healthier tummy — I thought I’d share a few secrets.

Coffee Klatch ☕️

Every morning, I begin with coffee and add to it about 1 tablespoon of chaga, which is a mushroom product.

Two down, 28 to go!

Tea for Two 🫖

Teas count! I usually have a cup of herbal tea after my morning coffee. My favorite is ginger turmeric, but of course, I mix it up… each day is different. 

I’m going to estimate that you’ll get at least 3 plant foods and their wonderful micronutrients in one cup of tea.

Add a lemon, lime, or orange slice? You’ve got 4.

What’s the tally now? Six plant foods! 24 to go!

Nuts to You 🌰🥜🐿

We like to keep a couple of jars of nuts in the den… easy access to healthy snacks when movie time rolls around. We keep a big one just for cashews, a small one for pistachios, and a medium-sized one for mixed nuts from Aldi, which includes peanuts, pecans, almonds and hazelnuts.

Ok, so a handful here and there throughout the week equals 6 of your 30 plant-based foods. And just having them around will help curb your desire for the unhealthy stuff.

Ok, add 6 to the tally. 18 to go!

Shoot Some Salad, Salad Shooter 🥗🔫

I’m making a big salad for tonight, and marinating some chicken for Jimmy to grill.

Here’s the salad ingredients in tonight’s mix: romaine lettuce, baby spinach, baby chard, baby kale, broccoli sprouts, tomatoes, cucumber slices, celery, sweet pepper slices, avocado, olives, and green onion. 

There’s enough for 4 of us to eat, and I’m pretty sure there will be leftovers for tomorrow. I’m not too proud to eat yesterday’s dressed salad. It takes on a giardiniera vibe.

Ok, that’s 12 more plant foods to add to the tally.

If you count the red wine vinegar I use in the dressing, it makes 13! I’m not going to count the dried herbs, though…

18 – 13 = 5 more to go!

Fruit Salad, Yummy Yummy 🍉🍒🫐🍓🍍

It’s summer, and there’s a ton of ripe fruit available, so take advantage while you can.

This morning, we finished a pineapple at breakfast.

My lunch was apple chunks with peanut butter drizzle.

On the dinner table, I set out blueberries, watermelon, and cherries. So there’s 5 more plant foods for today!

5 – 5 = 0! I got 30 in one day! Now, any new veggie to cross my path is just a bonus!

Easy, healthy, and delicious!

Manganese

A journal article I came across recently.

Who here supplements for manganese? Even if you don’t have one of these diseases, know that commercial agriculture is producing nutritionally poor foods.

https://surgicalneurologyint.com/surgicalint-articles/glyphosate-pathways-to-modern-diseases-iii-manganese-neurological-diseases-and-associated-pathologies

Detoxing

My mother has been struggling with muscle aches and recently figured out that they were actually side-effects of a prescription drug she had been taking for over a year. 😳😵‍💫😵

I remember my grandmother taking a similar statin drug, maybe 10 years ago, and having similar pain. She had been a pharmacist assistant for most of her life and knew a lot about drugs, so she got out a magnifying glass and her Merck manual and took a look at the little “indications” paper that comes with every prescription.

Well, she found a lot of undesirable side effects, such as muscle pain and weakness, liver damage, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline, and memory issues.

The worst one, if we are ranking them, might be rhabomyolysis, the severe breakdown of muscle. This basically means that muscle tissue is broken down rapidly, which is painful, then the broken-down proteins (myoglobin) wreak havoc on the liver, which must clean it out of the blood.

Anyway, the task at hand for my mom, and for so many of us who are trying to reverse the damage from products, foods, medicines, etc., is to DETOX.

My first advice to her was to take Epsom salt baths, maybe use a charcoal supplement for a while, drink more, sweat more…. but what else is there, when a person wants to detox?

I came across this book recently… just starting to read it.

Have any of you read it?

Do any of you have detoxing wisdom to share?