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Greetings!
This month I want to share with you interesting research on the derivation of monogamy, the possible effects of water pollution on food allergies, and the question of whether to get that annual check-up! Above is Mount Shasta, second highest peak in California. It rises out of the plains by itself, and it harbors the only glacier in North America which is actually growing. Please enjoy and pass on to those you care about anything you find of value! |
| Why Monogamy? |  Computers can figure things out that would take just too much effort and time for a regular human, even a statistician, or stadium full of statisticians, to do. This is especially true in retrospective studies of evolution. A team at Oxford, University College of London, gathered data on 230 primate species and used computer analysis to trace their evolutionary relationships and then compare their behavioral traits to see what characteristics likely preceded others. They wanted to trace retrospectively the emergence of monogamy in primates. That's our tendency to choose mates for life, or at least, today, to want to do so. So what did they find? Several theories about the usefulness of paternal child care and about the difficulty of guarding several women living far apart fell by the wayside. The sequence which jumped out as the clear winner in the study was this: That monogamy developed to prevent other males from killing the father's infants. Because primate babies develop slowly because of their large brains and complex adult social systems, the babies are dependent on their mothers far longer than their earlier ancestors. The mother primate tends to remain infertile while breastfeeding and caring for a baby, so if a rival male kills the baby, he can get her to bear his own baby sooner, because she can become fertile again sooner. So any male who stuck by his mate was more likely to have his offspring survive and the behavior would have been favored as future generations developed. They found that paternal involvement in child-rearing followed and did not precede monogamy. And apparently the paternal involvement allowed the development of even more complex brains in primates, because the mother could have more children while the father watched over, helped find food, and helped care for the other ones. The headlines about the study pointed out that the results imply that, contrary to what is sometimes touted in popular culture today, monogamy is not some dream of the woman. Rather, it was developed through evolution to the advantage of the male. There were even species found in which the mother would mate with all the males so that none of them would be inclined to wipe out her offspring. It's nice to bust a myth which foments gender misunderstandings! There is a great deal of modern research showing that couples in long-term monogamous relationships live longer and report a greater sense of happiness and well-being. And the increase in paternal involvement in child-rearing today appears to be continuing this long-standing evolutionary trend. |
| Food Allergies from Polluted Water | |
 A new study from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, found a possible missing link in the exploding incidence of food allergies. Using government-collected data, the research found that people with higher amounts of agricultural pesticides in their urine were also more likely to have food allergies.
With the recent increase in awareness of the importance of the micro-organisms we host in our gut not only for good digestion and assimilation but also for our immune systems, this finding can explain a lot.
By tending to kill off our friendly bacteria, the pesticides cause trouble for our immune systems, and we can become more reactive to potential allergens in our food. Most common allergen foods are those we eat the most: eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat. Wouldn't it be nice to rebuild one's digestive health so as not to react to these common and otherwise healthful foods?
But where are people getting these pesticides?
The pesticides, specifically the dichlorophenols, which we consume are known to come mostly from our tap water, from agricultural run-off. But they are also found on and in many foods, including conventionally grown fruits, fruit juices, chocolate, and other foods. The researchers were surprised that urine levels didn't differ between urban and rural dwellers. Pollution travels everywhere now, to our glasses and our plates.
Unless we filter our drinking and cooking water and buy organic foods, this pollution will damage our health. The higher price of organic foods is worth it - it gets you a safer food. Food allergies cost more and take a lot o time and trouble, not to mention the suffering.
Between 1997 and 2007, allergies in children under 18 has increased by 18 percent and touches over 3 million kids today. Purifying the water the family uses and purchasing or growing pesticide-free produce is a small price to pay to minimize the likelihood of food allergies in your child.
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| Annual Check-Up? | |
 For decades we have heard that annual check-ups with a medical doctor are part of a good health program. Yet for over twenty years, studies have shown that there is no evidence of any benefit for a person who has no symptoms.
Most recently, The Cochrane Collaboration, a group of international scientists which reviews research, concluded, reviewed the results of 14 randomized studies comparing outcomes for almost 200,000 people, some who had regular check-ups and some who did not. The study concluded that there was no benefit for longevity, for successful treatment of cardiovascular problems or cancer, or for positive outcomes for other signs of morbidity.
Evidence-based medicine is a popular concept today, based on the idea that even long-standing practices should be re-examined to establish their true value according to modern standards. The evidence from this research review suggested that too many procedures, both time and expense-consuming, were included in the typical check-up. It was also concluded that there was very little, besides perhaps hypertension or high cholesterol, which could be useful as far as "catching something early."
Yet doctors and insurance companies insist that their patients and policy holders feel better with a check-up and insist on one.
Some of the studies suggested that unnecessary and expensive follow-up tests were done after a routine check-up because of some small anomaly. Our technologies are so advanced now that many small aberrations which would never have been noticed in the past can be detected, but in fact have no impact on health.
Some feel that an okay from their doctor is reassuring, and doctors feel that maintaining some rapport is good on the personal level in case some symptoms do later develop. The patient knows his or her doctor. Indeed, doctors are now being told that a health history and good advice about lifestyle, diet, not smoking, moderate alcohol, seat belts and smoke alarms are more helpful than poking, prodding, and charging for fancy lab work. But some doctors say the checkup gives them the chance to do those important things while giving the patient what she or he thinks he needs.
Like any other health choices, whether to get an annual check-up when you have no complaints and are taking healthful preventive measures to keep it that way, is your decision.
I had a counseling client who was very healthy and wasn't excited about going for her annual check-up, but she thought she "should at my age," which was about 60. The doctor found something "questionable." She had two follow-up visits to "rule out" various things. Meanwhile, she had six weeks of stress waiting for results. I tried to reassure her that they would come back negative because she already knew she was healthy, but she still worried. The lab results finally came and all was well.
I have often wondered by how many days had she shortened her life instead of lengthening it with the stress of that check-up.
You will know more about your health, if you pay attention, than any doctor will. You control your health. Doctors are experts in certain areas in which they are trained and/or experienced, at your service for consultation when you decide you need them. But they can't make you healthy. Your body and mind are the daily healers. The responsibility remains with us to guard our health.
That's one of the basic reasons I have embraced the "wellness home" concept of the Nikken Company and celebrate what it has done for me, my husband, and my family for the past 16 years. To find out what preventive health products we use and recommend and how you can get them for your home, please visit:
www.nikken.com/randyrolfe.
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| Enjoy a lovely summer and thank you for sharing in our work to promote happy healthy families around the world!
Sincerely,
Randy Randy Colton Rolfe, JD, MA, World Ambassador for Family President, Institute for Creative Solutions (founded 1985) www.randyrolfe.com
Independent Nikken Wellness Consultant
www.nikken.com/randyrolfe
Phone 484-401-7725
BOOKS: www.randyrolfe.com; www.amazon.com
"You Can Postpone Anything But Love" TM
"Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be."
Abraham Lincoln
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