It's Coming!!!!!!

My book is printed and sitting in the warehouse ready to ship! Wahoo. I am so excited.
Here it is:

It can be preordered at a discount from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Blog #31 The Flu Cometh

Recently, I was congratulating myself on not getting sick for 3 or 4 years. Yes, nutrition and lifestyle really works, I told myself smugly. So when clients brought their sick children to my office, I did not think much about it. Half the people I have run into over the last month had one contagious illness or another. Many had the flu, despite the fact that they had gotten a flu shot. Funny how 40% of Americans get the flu shot, yet the number of people getting the flu does not seem to go down.

This was a particularly tough year for those who “believe” in the flu shot as the one offered did not actually contain the virus responsible for this year’s stomach flu. Personally, I would sooner believe in the Easter Bunny- there is more supporting evidence plus the chance of getting chocolate. But, it is just this type of bold, maybe even obnoxious statement that may make people wonder if I would reconsider my position if I actually got the flu.

Someone asked me a related question at a recent workshop. “What if you had immune deficiency, wouldn’t you get the shot then?” she wanted to know. Viewed logically, having immune deficiency does not make an ineffective shot work better, it only makes the recipient more desperate and willing to consider unproven technology. An understandable case of fear overriding logic.

I responded that I would be even less likely to get the shot because it can contain aluminum and mercury, both of which are immune suppressants. Plus, there are several viruses in the shot which elicit an immune response. Why use up immune resources mounting a response to viruses you are not going to run into that year anyway? Easy words to say when one is healthy. What a scary minefield life is when you pick up everything.

A few busy weeks passed. I took several trips involving cancelled planes, broken down trains and taxicabs with an inch of water on the floor. I was once again feeling thankful for handling it all when I woke up one day feeling extremely tired and crabby. Such is life, I told myself. Though I am fairly even tempered, everyone gets cranky and being tired makes sense given my schedule, so no big deal. As the day wore on and I found myself muttering and cursing over very minor issues, like a stuck drawer, I started to get suspicious.

There is a messenger molecule in the body called IL10. It is in a class of compounds called cytokines. Cytokines deliver all sorts of messages that modulate immune function and IL10’s message makes people feel tired and depressed. It is basically a shut down message telling your body to slow down and rest because the immune system is trying to fight off something. In other words, man the hatches, a storm is acomin’.

By early afternoon, I started thinking that I hated my life and work and need to find something else to do. While anyone can have a similar passing thought, the ferocity of my discontent finally registered. I am getting sick, I realized. As soon as I recognized the early signs provided by IL10 and probably a number of other cytokines, I took action. My acute prevention cocktail is 20,000IUs of vitamin D3, 1000mg of vitamin C, a probiotics, 30mg of zinc, 2 My Community (Host Defense) and 2 Transfer Factor Plus (4 Life). This group of nutrients has warded off any number of illnesses but the key is catching the virus before it has invaded the system too far.

Viruses cannot replicate themselves so they take over your cells and use them as incubators. They are little pieces of DNA or RNA (depending on the virus) and they inject themselves into the nucleus of a cell. Now their DNA or RNA is telling the cell what to do, not yours. Just like the movie, “Alien” but at a teeny tiny cellular level.

Once a virus has taken over a cell, the cell stops being useful to you and does nothing but churn out viruses. The immune system’s job is to identify rogue cells, destroy and discard them. The cold or flu symptoms are the result of the immune system coming in to clean up and heave ho the dead cells. (Think runny nose or diarrhea.) If enough cells have been infected, the symptoms are pretty ugly. The virus is trying to stay ahead of the immune system by infecting as many cells as fast as it can while the immune system is targeting and blowing up viral replicating factories as fast as IT can. The battle is on. No wonder you feel terrible.

The reason a cure for the common cold is evasive is that the cold itself partially reflects necessary clean up. The immune system has identified the interloper and is in the process of tossing it out. At that point you can only reduce the severity and length of the symptoms. By strengthening the immune system response, the viruses can tossed out before they invade more cells and cause more of a mess. The big opportunity is prevention. Was I too late?

By late afternoon, I was desperate for a nap but still had 2 more clients to see. Finally, the work day ended. I stood up feeling a little dizzy and crankier than ever. My stomach cramped and rumbled. It was not happy. I suspected I was fighting the stomach flu which appears to be this year’s flu. After an uncomfortable interlude in the bathroom, I was sure. I felt off but not terrible yet. Time to rethink immune support.

The best strategy for fighting stomach bugs is good bugs. I had three different probiotics in the refrigerator and took an aggressive 200 billion bugs. This was two capsules as I had VSL3 on hand (www.VSL3.com). Before bed I took another probiotics and 2 more Transfer Factor.

The next few days I felt a little wobbly and tired. But all and all, I would say nutrition helps.

Here are my flu statistics:

Number of hours feeling crabby and depressed 36
Number of nights of restless sleep 1
Days feeling shaky and tired 2
Extra trips to the bathroom 3
Weight lost Half pound (It's back)
Percent of regular vitamins taken during flu period 50%
Extra Vitamin D3 (taken as a single dose) 20,000 IUs
Number of good bugs taken per day for 3 days 200 billion
Amount of Transfer Factor taken per day for 3 days 4
Amount of My Community taken per day for 3 days 4
Diet changes Bananas In Green Juice Out
Missed days of work 0
Cost of avoiding possible neurological and immune damage by skipping the flu shot Priceless

Blog #30 The Trouble with Traveling

Having a detective mindset means having an inquisitive nature and asking a lot of questions. “Why should I care if the IRS clarifies the sub part F regulations?” I asked my husband the tax attorney recently. Or, “why does it cost $1,400 to join a sorority?” this to my daughter, the college sophomore.

So, it is not surprising that when I was at the airport this week-end on my way to teach a course in New York, I found myself asking, why, oh why, oh why? I watched with utter perplexity as a line of people allowed themselves to be lead into a milliwave machine and radiated.

According to Dr. Russell Blaylock, a physician and writer, TSA naked body scanners can cause sperm mutations and increase the risk of breast cancer. The Pilot’s Association has reportedly sent a letter to its members urging them to opt out of the Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT). Other sources report that the ionizing radiation by the machines concentrate on the skin increasing the risk of skin cancer.

This all sounds ominous to me and I figure I should at least wait for some good long term safety data before getting ready for my milliwave close up. So, I was dismayed to watch one person after another dutifully and passively walk in to the mystery machine and get zapped. Not a single person opted out.

I was bracing for a body cavity search or whatever other indignity I was going to be subject to for opting out when I noticed there were two lanes and you could just avoid the X-ray machine. So, I did.

Why are people not objecting? The acceptance by so many of the invasive and unsafe is distressing to me. Ask questions. Object when things don’t make sense. Get patted down but do not add to your chances of getting cancer which are already 1 in 3 over a lifetime.

Depressed by this full scale display of submissiveness, I trudged to my gate. On the way, I saw a man drinking a tall beer at one of the many generic bars. The scene would not have been notable except for the fact that it was 11:00 in the morning. Yes, traveling has gotten to the point that a beer with breakfast is about what you need to get through a typical airport experience.

I realized I was hungry and went searching for food. The places I can most reliably depend on finding edible food at airports is Cibo and Starbucks. Cibo has small salads, mini chicken Cesear chicken wraps, tiny hummus containers, veggies with dip and Be Kind bars. They have reasonable portions. Most of the other places that have single salads that could feed a family of four or lunchmeat sandwiches. What can I say? Lunchmeat is gross. Sadly, this terminal did not have a Cibo, which meant looking for a Starbucks.

Of the chains usually represented at the airport, I have been surprised to find myself sometimes looking for Starbucks, even though I do not drink coffee. This morning, I stood in a long line to order their very tasty oatmeal. I threw away the brown sugar packet but added the nuts and dried fruit. It was made with water and was delicious.

I walked back to my gate and enjoyed every bite. But, I still needed something. Maybe a beer.

Blog #29 Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick: The Bonus Material

After writing a book there is a big hunk of empty time while waiting for it to be printed and released. That time for me is happening right now. The down time should be welcomed because of the exhaustive push of deadlines along with my regular work schedule. But, of course, I am too excited to be sitting around waiting so I had to come up with a productive way to fill the time.

My kids are all in college so I can only call and annoy them so much. I took a few baths, trimmed back the liriope (a fast spreading ornamental grass used in landscaping) and sold stuff of my husbands that he almost never uses on Ebay. That took a week and I still have four months left until the June 6th release.

My publisher (Workman) puts out some interesting books and while I had read some before signing with them, I had not had a chance to read any since. I decided to look at books that were in the same health genre as mine. The title, “Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick,” by Gene Stone caught my attention immediately. At least half of the people I have talked to over the last few weeks have been sick so I decided to see what he had to say on the subject.

Most of the hardly-ever-get-sick people I know do what you would expect, they exercise, think bright and happy thoughts, eat a diet full of whole foods (some vegans, others animal eaters) and take a handful of supplements everyday. Stone chose to reveal the secrets of 25 people who concentrated on one main area to maintain their health and avoided those with complex regimens.

I am not going to be a book spoiler though if you are the health conscious type you can probably guess ½ of them. (That could be a fun game to play at your next party if charades is not going well.) Reading it made me think about my own personal keep healthy tricks. Consequently, I am adding my very own bonus secret: mushrooms.

Naturopaths and herbalists have long recommended certain mushrooms for immune enhancement but the exact reason they worked was not discovered until recently. Dr. Ikekawa, arguably the father of mushroom science, discovered that the cancer rates of families of Enoki mushroom growers had remarkably low cancer rates compared to the rest of the population. The cancer rate in the men from mushroom growing families was 1/3 (or 2/3rds less) than other men in the same area. Women had ½ the predicted cancer incidence. If there was a drug that could claim this near miraculous cancer reducing capability, it would be the best selling medicine in the country. Ikekawa isolated the chemical responsible for the immune protecting properties of this little fungi and the science mushroomed from there.

We now know different mushrooms have different immune enhancing compounds. Some prevent cancer, others fight tumors, still others increase first line defense against illness or decrease inflammation. There are species that produce antibiotic compounds and one even helps nerve regeneration. This last one is called Lion’s Mane and it is a white mushroom that grows on trees and logs.

In Blog # 18- What to do to prevent the flu, I mention three great immune enhancers. One, Immpower (American BioSciences) is extracted from specially cultivated mushrooms and has been studied in cancer and AIDS treatment as a natural killer cell enhancer. Natural killer cells are part of the immune system that respond first when an illness threatens. I have used this product for years and it is very effective as a first line defense against colds and flus. I take two twice per day for a few days if I feel run down or am being exposed to a particularly high amount of germs in a stressful environment such as traveling. Whenever I fly, inevitably I am sitting right next to someone who is copiously sneezing and snorting. Then I think about the one cubic feet of air being filtered for the 280 people on the plane and I take out a bottle of mushroom extract and pop a few for peace of mind.

Last year, I discovered Paul Stamets and his company Host Defense. Stamets is a mushroom nerd. There is probably a more technical term for his avocation like fungologist. All I know is if you ever read anything he has written it makes you want to go out and eat mushrooms by the handfuls. After reading one of his treatises last week, I ran out and bought a half pound of shitake mushrooms to sauté. He talks about mushrooms like they are the most luminous and magical plants in the world.

His classic mushroom mixture product for general immune enhancement is called My Community. Host Defense has a line of mushrooms but My Community is the place to start for beginners. If you are having a hard winter, immune-wise, consider taking two per day. If you are having an awful winter, double that dose. If you are still having trouble, you might have to take a deeper look at your sleep, eating and exercise habits and brush up on those happy thoughts.

Blog #28 What the Dog Ate

“I am so disappointed in Best Foods,” my daughter Isabel fumed throwing down her gloves on the kitchen table.

“How so?” I asked neutrally.

“Their brand of dog food contains animal BY PRODUCTS as its first ingredient. Can you believe it?” she ranted. “Do you know how bad animal by-products are?” she continued. I did. Animal by-products can range from 4-D meat (animals that are dead, dying, diseased or disabled) to road kill to just about anything associated with any type of animal. (Try not to think too carefully about that last one.)

“How can they call themselves Best Foods and sell such crappy dog food?” she asked rhetorically. (Full disclosure statement: Best Foods is a pseudonym because I still want to be able to shop there despite its lamentable dog food.)

“They probably have not taken on dog food yet, honey, “ I soothed. “They may still be dealing with the ruckus from labeling untested food from China ‘organic’.”
Though a smarty pants remark designed to lighten her mood, it may not be far from the truth. Creating a healthy dog food is not only a commitment; it is a whole specialty onto itself. Interestingly, some of the issues about doggy eating are the same as they are for people.

The most important concern is that dogs are increasingly suffering from the same chronic illnesses as people. Could this be related to their diets having some of the same pitfalls as people's diets? Dogs, like people, do best eating a balanced diet of fresh meat, whole vegetables, fruits and grains. For dogs, the heaviest emphasis should be on meat as this is the basis of their natural diet while people arguably should concentrate on vegetables, fruits and grains.

Some of us (I am guilty here) actually make their dogs a diet of whole foods. My dogs eat better than most of the people I know and it requires extra work. My efforts in this regard are a source of laughter and conversation in my neighborhood. A conversation that usually starts with, “What in the world are you making for those dogs?” Yes, steaming up vegetables may seem a little over the top but I had three dogs with touchy stomachs and skin problems so I had to figure out what they could eat, just like I did for the people in my practice. When I took them all off chicken, all of their stomach and skin conditions completely cleared up. Just like removing food irritants can help people symptoms.

Isabel watched this growing up so when she got her own dog she expected to be making her food. But, unlike some children who outgrow a total absorption with animals, she did not. Through college she worked at pet stores ending up at a serious holistic establishment that does not sell any dog food that contains animal by-products, soy or corn. Now she educates me on dog nutrition. Last year, she told me the grains had to go and I should stick to vegetables, fruits and meat. One of our dogs had a bad breathe problem and it made sense to me that getting rid of grains might help as getting rid of gluten sometimes helps people with sour stomachs.

“What else do you tell people?” I asked her, curious.

“Many dogs are overweight,” she explained, “because they eat bagged kibble that contains grains. The best way for them to lose weight is to get off of dry food and starch and eat meat, fruit and vegetables.” Just like people!

Most dogs eat dry dog food out of a bag that contains low quality meat by-products, grains and sweeteners. The sweeteners are added to entice the dogs to eat food that is mainly cheap starch vs. more healthy animal protein. That sounds familiar. This is exactly what fast food restaurants like McDonald's and Taco Bell have been accused of doing with meat entrees. Allegedly Taco Bell taco “beef” filling and McDonald Chicken nuggets contain far less than 50% meat. Instead cheap starch fillers, taste enhancing chemicals and sweeteners are used to entice people to choose an inferior food. (See: http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/new-economy/2011/0126/Taco-Bell-meat-Beef-says-firm.-Filling-says-suit concerning the lawsuit against Taco Bell for low meat content in their “beef” taco filling or Michael Pollan’s excellent discussion on McNuggets in The Omnivore’s Dilemma.)

The first veterinarian I ever saw informed me he had extra training in dog nutrition because he knew I was a nutritionist and this would be impress me. He then went on to say that the most balanced way to feed a dog was to use only prepared, expertly fortified dry dog food. “Very funny,” I said thinking he was making a joke at my expense. “And you should only feed your kids fortified dry cereal,” I cracked. He was not joking and I never went back. I had to assume his nutrition “education” was provided courtesy of the Fido Dog Chow company.

“What do you tell people who say their vets only recommend prescription diet food that they sell?” I asked Isabel knowing this situation had to come up frequently.

“Most of those prescription kibbles are the same old junky dog food at premium prices,” she opines. “ but you have to be very careful. People think their vets are experts on dog feeding when they mostly know what the dog food companies want them to know. I try to explain without being offensive that most veterinarians are not properly trained in nutrition and that they have to be informed consumers.”

Just like people.

For more information on how to choose a healthy dog food, see, “Choices, Choices: On what criteria do you base your dog’s food selection?” The Whole Dog Journal, Feb. 2011. (www.whole-dog-journal.com).

#27 The Clues in the Conversation

“No, that is not right,” Rudy said in response to my third attempt to ascertain his reason for coming to see me.

I am in trouble now I thought glancing at the clock. Twenty minutes had passed and I still had not even pinpointed the problem. What I did have was fifty pages of medical reports and test results with symptoms and complaints that Rudy insisted were not accurate.

“How can I help?” I had asked directly fifteen minutes before. Leaning across my desk he passionately described a number of vague aches and pains that appeared to come and go. I listened intently and finally at one point repeated back to him word for word his latest description starting with, “So you are concerned about……”

“No, no,” Rudy shook his head rigorously. He was not concerned about that symptom. In addition, he was upset that his doctor, who had ordered many of the tests whose results were piled up in front of me, did not seem to understand him.

As easy as it is to criticize doctors given the present state of the health care system, I could find not a single fault with the thorough way his physician had analyzed the situation. If Rudy had not been understood, it was not from lack of trying on his doctor’s part. I empathized with the maligned internist.

I had been trying to listen so hard that my eyes were watering and I still was not getting it. Talking with Rudy was not improving my understanding so I reviewed in my mind what I did know. Rudy was prosperous and productive. This I knew because I recognized his name and Daisy, the woman who referred him to me called him “a business genius”. His medical records indicated he was in his early forties and his lean and toned physique were a testament to many hours at the gym. According to the extensive test and procedure results in front of me, there was nothing notably wrong with him.

Could he just be anxious? I wondered. I hated going down this road as so many patients are dismissed as anxious when practitioners cannot figure out what is really wrong. I flipped through the paperwork again and spied his diet diary. It was a mass of scribbles squished chaotically on to the page. I had seen papers written by 3rd graders that were neater. Then, I remembered a conversation I had with my attention-to-details assistant, Tania. She had mentioned that she was having a tough time scheduling Rudy because he was hard to reach by phone and did not use e-mail. I remember wondering how such a successful business owner could function without e-mail and as I was recalling that conversation I suddenly an idea occurred to me.

Rudy was still talking and leaning against the front of my desk when I looked up and interrupted him. “Ah ha, I’ve got it,” I said pulling his papers together and talking with more authority and confidence than I felt.

He looked at me wearily. After all, I was not impressing him up to this point with my stellar detective skills.

“You obviously would like to feel better,” I stated without waiting for agreement. “And I have identified three things that you are going to have to do that will help.” I glanced up to gauge his reaction. He took a breathe, stopped talking and slumped back into the chair. We were in agreement at last. Coming up with three healthy interventions for an overly busy person was not going to be difficult.

Rudy was a fit 40 some year old guy who was experiencing some of the annoying symptoms of middle age. He needed to make a few life style adjustments to optimize his energy. He was not 23 any more but he still had some long standing bad habits that he could get away with then but were not working so well now. This is what I think he had come for but in my view, this was not the most pressing problem. The more interesting issue was what appeared to be a significant learning disability in an otherwise wildly successful person. I wondered how much of his life had been spent covering up or compensating for his learning quirks.

I was having trouble communicating with him because he could not prioritize or organize his thinking. This is why when I repeated exactly what he said he did not agree with himself. It is also why he had thousands of dollars worth of tests looking for the cause of symptoms he claimed he really did not have. The thoughts he said out loud were not necessarily the most relevant ones. His communication was a jumble of important and insignificant information all mixed together. He needed help sorting his chaotic thoughts and a plan with a clear structure.

If organizing his thoughts was this difficult, no wonder he avoided e-mail. Writing must be a nightmare for him. Yet, there were significant areas of his life around his business where he was organized and brilliant. I would bet good money that getting through high school had been pure hell. Luckily, a horrible high school experience is not necessarily a harbinger of future failure because learning differences do not have to be crippling. If a person plays to their strengths and works with or hires people to handle their weak areas, they can succeed spectacularly as Rudy had.

But heavy compensation exacts a toll, especially when people do not understand the nature of their learning differences. Every activity that requires skills in their weak area will be more stressful. They may feel overwhelmed more easily and can get frequently frustrated. To avoid failure some procrastinate while others bully those around them to divert attention from themselves, depending on their nature. The behaviors that result from poor compensation could fill a psychology textbook. I have seen people unwittingly destroy marriages and relationships, lose jobs, fall into depression, suffer from chronic anxiety and become violent.

Rudy had an intense personality and I could not help but wonder how much of that was due to the stress of working around cognitive obstacles. Did he realize how tiring it could be to communicate with him in some areas? Was it equally exhausting for him? I wondered what he knew and how open he would be to discussing his cognitive quirks Exploring and perhaps coming up with some strategies to improve some of the ways his brain worked was how I wanted to help but decided he might not see that as help.

I decided I would have to build some trust and a connection before broaching this potentially touchy subject. And my analysis could be dead wrong leaving him to wonder about what kind of learning disability I had. Consequently, I decided to address what he wanted first and then see if there is an opening next time. Assuming that is, there is a next time.

#26 The Case of the Dirty Dishes

I reached for a clean glass to hold my freshly pureed green sludge and there it was. Trailing along the lip were the unmistakable remnants of yesterday’s drink.

“EEEEow,” I squeaked.

“Stinkbug?” my husband called out from the other room.

Like many households in our area we had a mild stinkbug infestation. Occasionally one would fall on our heads from the ceiling or show up unexpectedly looking gross. Hilarity or screaming would ensue depending on the situation.

“No,” I called back. “Just dirty dishes. I think something is wrong with the dishwasher.”

He agreed that he was seeing too much of yesterday’s food on the silverware and suggested calling Mr. Kenny. Mr. Kenny is our personal version of the Maytag repairman that was a TV icon about a decade ago. He is pleasant, efficient and reliable. We love him.

The next day the dishwasher was dismantled with various parts strewn on the kitchen floor. Mr. Kenny looked up and commented conversationally, “that’s what I thought.” There on the floor of the machine was either a million dollars worth of cocaine or all the soap crystals I had poured into the noisy contraption over the last 6 weeks. Mr. Kenny was going with the soap crystal theory.

“A few weeks ago new Maryland EPA regulations regarding the composition of dishwasher detergent took effect, “ he explained.

I stared at him blankly.

“The manufacturers are not allowed to use phosphates any more and that is the chemical that allows the soap to dissolve and get your dishes clean,” he clarified.
It is also the chemical, I thought to myself, responsible for the death of untold numbers of innocent fish.

High levels of phosphates from domestic and municipal wastewater end up in local streams, lakes and rivers. Phosphorus is a growth enhancing nutrient for plants. A little is good but too much and you are looking at Little Shop of Horrors, the water version. As the phosphorus levels go up and up, the algae grow to cancerous proportions literally sucking the streams and rivers dry. Some regulators have recognized the utter destruction of lakes as a bad thing and sixteen states, apparently including Maryland where I live, have enacted laws restricting or removing phosphates from dish washing detergent.

Mr. Kenny informed me that the dishwasher manufactures recommended Cascade Complete with the addition of a water softening product called Lemi Fresh. He admitted the soap manufacturers had not perfected the new formulations yet and they did not work very well. I hate it when choices are reduced down to clean dishes or destroying the environment. As the dishes were getting increasingly dirtier, I had tried Cascade among several other products and was unimpressed. Now I was feeling guilty for inadvertently contributing to massive fish kill all these years when I was not paying attention to which dish washing detergent I was using.

I try to be as ecological conscious as possible by buying organically raised food in part to reduce pesticide run off that also ruins waterways. Except for dish washing detergent, most of the cleaning products in my house are practically edible. For laundry, I stopped using detergent altogether and bought Super Washer Balls (www.superwashball.com). They are plastic balls filled with ionically charged beads that clean your clothes without soap. I have no idea why messing with ionic particles gets clothes clean but my friend, Bill highly recommended them. I even wash and reuse plastic bags, much to the horror of my husband and children. Yet I never thought twice about the dishwasher. It was a dishwashing detergent blind spot.

I wondered if my clever virtual assistant, Tania, was having similar problems.

“Nope,” she insisted. “I don’t like my dishwasher so the last time I bought detergent was 1996. It was full of phosphates then, so I am good. Do you want me to send it to you?” Some people are ordering dishwashing detergent from non-phosphate restricting states to get around the dirty dish situation.

“And destroy rivers!” I countered. “Absolutely, not. I just have to figure out what will work that is environmentally friendly.” Treehugger.com claimed 7th Generation detergent worked best while another site suggested adding a cup of vinegar to the wash cycle. I cannot figure out how or where to add vinegar so it doesn’t just rinse down the drain. There is not a “Vinegar” dispenser on my model. Besides that could get expensive. Seventh Generation has only ever made phosphate free detergent and so that is what I am using now.

“It is even cheaper and more environmentally friendly if you just wash your dishes by hand, like me,” Tania observed smugly. As much as I hate to admit it, she might have a point though I might end up using more water than my dishwasher. I can’t help but think of Kermit the Frog when he lamented, “It is hard to be green”.