Dear Group:

Thank you to those who responded to my thyroid post.  Today I went
for another comprehensive blood scan (T3, T4, TSH, Thyroid Antibody
Hormone), and I'm really stumped.  My T3, T4, and Free T4 are all
within
normal range, but my TSH is back off the charts at 8.8 - (Normal range
is .3-5.4).  Anyone out there have any ideas, before my phone rings
and
my oncologist starts breathing down my neck to begin immediate
Synthroid
or Pig Thyroid....


Now, for a totally different question -


>I recently began receiving a newsletter from a doctor and sports trainer
>named Phil Maffetone.  I even got two complimentary "Phil's Bars", which
>unfortunately weren't paleo, but were "cleaner" in ingredients than any
>meal replacement   bar I've seen. (Gave me a great marketing idea for my
>own
>"Judy's Jerky"....HAH!).   Anyway, in this month's issue, he talks about
>the
>great health benefits of small amounts of naturally derived cocoa, and
>claims that "Cocoa beans..come from pods that grow on an evergreen tree,
>were once used as currency, but cocoa also had been valued for thousands of
>years as a delicacy and for its nutrient content." He goes on to describe
>the strong antioxidant benefits linking cocoa to protection against LDL
>cholesterol damage, its ability to protect blood-vessels because of
>polyphenols (similar in nature to those in red wine), its ability to help
>gallbladder function "by maintaining proper contraction so stones do not
>accumulate", and finally, its "protective efects on the intestine with
>significant anti-ulcer benefits stronger even than that of Vitamin E."
>
>Additionally, he says, "The fats in natural cocoa also have healthy
>attributes.  More than a third of the fat in cocoa is oleic acid, the
>monounsaturated fat that gives olive oil its benefits.  An equal amount of
>fat in cocoa is in the form of stearic acid.  Though saturated, stearic
>acid
>is a good fat, as it not only does not raise LDL cholesterol, but can
>reduce
>it.  Cocoa also contains the essential fat linoleic acid.
>
>(excerpts quoted from Maffetone Report, p 3, Vol. 2, Issue 6)

Are cocoa beans edible raw?  Since they come from a tree,  are they
not
technically like a  bean which is farmed?   Are any pods from trees
(like
carob, or locust pods) edible raw?

This report makes pure cocoa sound almost as good as Milk, Natures
Most
Nearly Perfect Food!! (I don't remember the emoticon for a sarcastic
grin,
so please, don't flame me....)

Cheer!

Judy Genova, cavegirl