Over the course of 25 years, Lois fractured C-5 and T-12 vertebras, her wrist twice, right shoulder, 3 ribs, pelvic bone twice and have two severed (not frayed) shoulder tendons and torn rotator cuff (all inoperable). Diagnoses of fibromyalgia, and arthritis came later. Finally, in 1999, an MRI was so alarming, listening came easily, according to Lois, “when he [doctor] made one statement that shook my world - if you don’t stop everything now, you are two steps away from a wheelchair. That did it.”
She continues, “So, you would have thought giving all that up would have made things a bit better. No more back-breaking, hip-busting, saddle-swinging days with countless inventory boxes that needed unpacking daily but it didn’t. It was the beginning of the worst six years of my life traipsing from neurosurgeons to orthopedists, acupuncture to therapy to spinal injections exhausting every imaginable possibility.”
Soon after, the omega 3 book, began to develop. Lois states, “In 2005, Dr. Nicholas Perricone’s Anti-Inflammatory Salmon diet caught my eye and for two weeks, ate two servings of salmon every day and felt the first bit of relief in years. All that pent up passion that had no horsey outlet came rushing through and a quest began to understand the connection. Imagine my surprise, the overwhelming sense of wonder after years of medications and injections something I ate had this kind of power. That was the beginning of a long journey to understand the science behind EPA and DHA. Many products were tried and then one day quite by accident one fell into my lap and the pain was mercifully, incredibly – gone very quickly.”
While the food industry has been taken to task for years for confusing labeling, this book focuses on the Omega-3 aspect of labeling with a special significance to the lack of health benefits those products bring – benefits consumers have come to associate with Omega-3 with the dizzying downside being, the Omega-6 connection to inflammation.
Much has been written over the past decade about our need for Omega-3 with just as much misleading about the best sources to add to our diets. The Food Industry’s Greed shows how food has been falsely marketed to consumers and teaches them to be wise by reading labels for the Omega-6 content. Her work is based upon the current scientific literature but is an easy, page-turning read for consumers of any age and educational level.
Having personally experienced the ying-yang relationship of Omega-3 and Omega-6 connection to inflammation, the author uses research to share with consumers what she personally experienced. Clearly, she substantiates how products labeled “a good source of omega-3s” and “omega-3 fatty acids added” are far from it.
Lois removes the “stamp of approval” from these labels by taking a close look at the ingredients in those products through an engrossing, comprehensive look through their evolution. A fascinating expose into the health food buzzword Omega-3 appearing on more products every week.
The omega 3 book, The Food Industry's Greed: How Misleading Labeling of Omega-3 Foods Undermines American Health, can be found at http://www.omega3labels.com
About Lois Smithers
Lois Smithers, a life-long equestrian, had several competition injuries including two fractured vertebrae. When injuries appeared to resurface in 1999, unanimous diagnoses were “aging” until 2005 when adding Omega-3 brought six disabling years to a close, quickly. Grateful yet intrigued by why, she spent the next 3 years immersed in researching Omega-3, 6 and the inflammation link to foods. Uncovering the truth about Omega fatty acids and the link between inflammation and America's health crisis.
