Probably no cancer is more difficult to treat than asbestosis-induced mesothelioma, but not everyone who is exposed to asbestos develops cancer.

Could differences in diet explain why some people who have heavy exposure to asbestos do not develop mesothelioma, but other people who have minimal exposure to asbestos get the cancer? Could identifying the foods and nutrients that lower the risk of mesothelioma lead to a safe and effective treatment for the disease?

These are questions a group of investigators at the National Cancer Institute and Louisiana State University in the USA set out to answer nearly 20 years ago. Their answers have lain in the research literature for almost two decades, important but largely ignored.

In Louisiana, refinery workers, sugar plantation workers, pipefitters, boilermakers, and shipbuilders were for many years regularly exposed to asbestos. Since there was some evidence that fruit and vegetables might prevent lung cancer, the Diet and Mesothelioma task force located 58 people who had mesothelioma and 58 people who had similar asbestos exposure, income, and use of tobacco but who had escaped the disease. The researchers tried to find a connection between mesothelioma and eating three popular snacks, two kinds of sweets, three dairy products, seven kinds of fruit, seven sea foods, eleven kinds of meat, and sixteen kinds of vegetables.

Their findings?

• People exposed to asbestos who stayed cancer-free ate, on average, twice as many servings of home-grown or locally grown fruits and vegetables per week as those who developed mesothelioma.

• People who remained free of mesothelioma ate about twice as many servings of cruciferous vegetables (turnip greens, mustard greens, collards, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and broccoli) as those who did not, about three servings a week, compared to zero to two.

• People who developed mesothelioma ate more cake, candy, and pie than those who stayed cancer-free.

Like a later study in New York, the Louisiana researchers found that getting enough beta-carotene from orange vegetables (primarily carrots, acorn squash, and pumpkin) reduced risk of mesothelioma, but getting a whole lot of beta-carotene had no added benefit. About 4 servings a week, preferably with some kind of oil to enhance absorption of the beta-carotene, was optimal.

But the one dietary element that increased risk of cancer more than any other was sugar. Study participants who developed mesothelioma were eight times as likely to have eaten dessert every day as those who did not. Sugar seems somehow to accelerate the development of the cancer.

Those who stayed cancer-free also ate some desserts, occasionally, but an average of one serving once or twice a week.

This preliminary evidence tells us that the best bet for preventing mesothelioma by diet is to eat the right foods, and your favorite foods, in moderation. Eating regular servings of locally grown fruits and vegetables, at least a few of them yellow or orange, along with eating sugary desserts as occasional treat, may greatly enhance long-term health. And should you develop mesothelioma, there are a few kinds of supplements that may help.

Robert Rister is the author or co-author of nine books on natural health including the critically acclaimed Complete German Commission E Monographs and Healing without Medication. Visit his growing collection of evidence-based articles on natural self-healing at http://www.homeremedycompanion.com

Music is an important part of Native American culture. Many researchers feel that Native American music is some of the most complex music ever performed, due to its tensing and releasing of the vocals and the varying drum beats.

Their traditional music is essentially religious and is their main means of communicating with supernatural powers. In general, it is passionate, and mostly vocal. This passion has greatly influenced modern folk music. Their music is entirely melodic with no harmony, and has unusual, irregular rhythms. The main instruments they use are drums and rattles, and flutes and whistles. Men and women typically sing separate songs and have their own dances to reflect the eternal balance and harmony.

The music of each of the hundreds of Native American tribes is distinct but their musical traditions do have some common elements. The tribal groups can be grouped into six zones (the Eastern Woodlands, South West, Great Basin, Plains, Northwest Coast, and Artic) based on their musical traditions.

The Eastern Woodlands region includes tribes such as the Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw, Iroquois, and Shawnee. Their music is antiphonal (answering responsively), and includes frequent metric changes, rhythmic complexities, a close relation with ritual dance, and the use of flutes, drums, rattles etc.

The Great Basin is a sparsely populated region that includes tribes such as the Shoshoni, Ute, Modoc, and Klamath. Their music is extremely simple, discrete, and ornate. It has short melodies with a less than an octave range, relaxed and open vocals, paired-phrase structure, and moderately blended monophony (has a single vocal part).

The Great Plains includes tribes such as the Blackfoot, Crow, Comanche, and Cheyenne. Their music has nasal tone, high pitches, and frequent falsettos. It uses instruments such as the bass drum and solo end blown flutes.

The South West region includes tribes such as the Pueblo (including Hopi, Zuni, Pueblo tribes among others) and Athabaskan (including the Navaho and Apache). Athabaskan music has swift, plain style nasal vocals and unblended monophony, and uses instruments like drums or rattles and the Apache fiddle. Pueblo music is quite complex, and includes slow tempo, a variety of forms, the use of several percussion instruments, and a low range and highly blended monophony.

The Northwest Coast includes tribes such as the Nootka, Tsimshian, and Salish. Their music is one of the most complex in North America. It has open vocals with monophony, complex and declamatory (dramatic or rhetorical) rhythms, and long melodies accompanied by chromatic intervals. It uses a wide variety of whistles, flutes, horns, and percussion instruments.

The Artic region includes the Inuit, who are known for their throat singing. Their music is simple and has narrow ranged melodies, declamatory effects, and the use of box drums.

Like other musical styles, Native American music is evolving. In addition to pan tribal (synergic adoption of music from foreign communities) styles of music such as powwows, and peyote songs, Native musicians have developed distinct rock, blues, hip- hop and reggae styles. Martha Redbone, the leading Native American Indian musician of this century, successfully combined traditional music with soul, funk, rock, and jazz.

Tribal music is very popular today, especially recordings of the haunting Native American flute. R. Carlos Nakai, who is the perhaps most prominent native flute player of our generation, in the early 1990’s, influenced countless people to start playing the flute. Native American drums are also popular instruments now, even among non-Native Americans.

Unfortunately, attempts to assimilate Native Americans into our culture started in the early 1900’s and forbid many cultural traditions, including music. It was only in the late 1940’s that assimilation rules began to disappear. It is lucky for us that Native American music resurfaced so that we can enjoy it today.

Tracy Crowe is interested both in music and in indigenous cultures, especially Native American. If you are interested in making Native American music, visit http://www.i-found-it-here.com for Native American flutes and drums. We also have a variety of other instruments, both indigenous and European.

He loves me, he loves me not. She loves me, she loves me not. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could know for sure? Well, while there’s not one single way to tell if you hold his or her interest, or better yet his or her heart, there are many subtle and not so subtle clues offered through a person’s body language that speak much louder than words.

So, what should you look for in regard to a person’s body language to let you know that love has arrived? If you want to play “love detective,” here are your first clues:

Eye Contact

It’s true that when it comes to love the “eyes have it.” In a face-to-face encounter, the first indicator of mutual attraction is eye contact. In fact, communication experts agree that if eye contact exceeds 70% during an interaction, the two people talking are probably more interested in each other than in the actual conversation. Similarly, if a person is not interested, a decrease in eye contact will be seen.

Pupils Will Dilate

When looking at an object of interest, our pupils will dilate or become larger. This makes it easier to see the desired object.

Postural Mirroring

Two people who are interested in each other and are getting along, will perform a phenomena called postural mirroring, or postural echoing. Just as it sounds, postural mirroring occurs when a couple assumes the same body position of their beloved. For instance, if one person sits with their legs crossed and their hand to their chin, the other person will also sit with their legs crossed and their hand to their chin. Or, when one person lifts their glass to take a drink, almost as on cue, the other person will do the same.

Gestural Mirroring

Akin to postural echo is gestural echo. Again, when two people are interested in each other, they will often echo each other’s gestures. For instance, if one individual uses the “thumbs up” gesture sometime during the evening, it is common for this gesture to be repeated by the other person sometime later in the evening.

Vocal Mirroring

Not only do people who are romantically interested in each other echo each other’s posture and gestures, but they will also frequently echo each other’s voice. For instance, if at the beginning of a conversation one individual is speaking slow and the other is speaking fast, by the end of the conversation it is common for the couple to both have altered their rate of speech to a comfortable medium. Additionally, if one person speaks in a soft voice, the other will typically speak in a soft voice as well.

Pet Names

A good indicator that a romance is intensifying occurs when a couple begins to call each other by pet names. Common pet names include: “honey,” “darling,” “sweetie,” “sugar,” “baby” and yes, even “sweet thang.”

Baby Talk

As attraction for each other grows, a couple will often engage in baby talk. Much like one would talk to an infant, baby talk is done with a syrupy sweet voice. “How’s my little darlin’ doin’ today. “Did you miss me?” or “What’s my sweet baby doing?”

Touch

How much touch and who initiates touch in a relationship are very important clues as to how the relationship is doing. By reaching out and touching another person we indicate our interest in them. When people are getting along, they spend a lot of time touching each other. Whether sitting next to each other, holding hands, or locked in a warm embrace, you will often find lovers just can’t keep their hands off one another.

Feet

One of the clearest indicators of whether or not someone is interested in you is to look at their feet. If a person’s feet are pointed in your direction, you can be assured that you are where their interest lies.

Susanne Gaddis, PhD, known as the Communications Doctor, is an acknowledged communications expert who has been speaking and teaching the art of effective and positive communication through workshops, seminars, and keynote presentations across the United States since 1989. Past clients include: NASA, Oracle, Schlumberger, and the American Nurses Association. For free articles written by Dr. Gaddis, or to purchase her book Communication Booster Shots: Prescriptions for Effective Communication, visit http://www.CommunicationDoctor.com or call 919-933-3237.