After trying almost everything we could to nutritionally address ADD/ADHD issues and Adrenal problems (with good improvement but not complete), we have decided to up the ante by addressing the rest of our lifestyle issues. That includes obtaining better EMF/EMR protection for our cell phones, our bodies, our entire house, and especially safeguarding our bedrooms. We are also addressing more needs in regard to water protection for our entire house and our drinking water. Both EMF and water issues contribute to digestive problems, a condition that is now affecting the majority of Americans. As a matter of fact, Americans are battling many diseases today (i.e. Autism, ADD/ADHD, Adrenal Exhaustion) that were not common at all decades ago. Many Naturopathic doctors are now realizing this and are attempting to address every possible factor that is leading us, and especially our children, down a dangerous path. Considering that not only is Autism on the rise again but also brain tumors, we can no longer turn a blind eye to any of this. As a matter of fact, there are EMF/EMR detection gadgets that you can purchase to prove this if you are at all skeptical about this reality. You can check out an EMR detector on this YouTube link of CSI: NY: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS4J-RaD6l8). One of the easiest tests you can do is to use your cell phone unprotected for about an hour and see how you feel. Then try that again with a good quality protection device on it.
Even if you do obtain protection, please do not make the mistake of thinking that you can go crazy using your cell phone or your wireless laptop! The right kind of device can get you to about 99% protection (my old devices are not even that close), but you still need to limit exposure, especially with children. I'm not letting my kids use the cell phone unless it's an emergency. I also limit their computer time and will evaluate other possibilities.
Here are is a great, short article on safeguarding your bedroom:
Creating a Sleeping Sanctuary: http://www.wehliving.org/sleeping_sanctuary.pdf
Also, check out this short YouTube video from www.abcEMF.com explaining the bare basics of protecting against EMF/EMR exposure:
http://www.viddler.com/explore/THRiiiVE/videos/117/
About Me
- Miriam
- I have a health ministry for friends, family, and health lovers world-wide. I choose natural options whenever possible and avoid chemicals, food additives, etc. even in my cosmetics. I eat mostly organic whole foods. You’ll find lots of healthy recipes and great health research on this site.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Healthy Home Tips: How to avoid fire retardants (a big problem, especially for kids)
-----Original Message-----
From: Environmental Working Group [mailto:ewg@ewg.org]
Dear Miriam,
Are you trying to reduce your family's exposure to flame retardants? It's a good idea. They are associated with long-term health effects - especially in children whose developing bodies are more sensitive to chemical exposures - and they're all over your house.
We'd like to believe our government is effectively protecting us from toxic chemicals that are increasingly linked to health problems and found in many common household items, but it's not.
We think you deserve better. So we're sending you our Healthy Home Tip Series to make it easier to safeguard your family's health from the poorly studied toxic chemicals in use today. This month's tip is: How to reduce your exposure to fire retardants at home.
Learn how to minimize your exposure to fire retardants.
Our Healthy Home Tip makes it easy for you to identify fire retardants in your home and take some simple steps to reduce your family's exposure to them. You'll learn:
Why you should minimize your family's exposure.
What household products contain fire retardants.
How you can reduce your family's in-home exposure.
Tell your friends about our Healthy Home Tips. They, too, will appreciate being informed when wondering how to minimize unnecessary exposure to fire retardants.
Talk to you in a month when we discuss our next Healthy Home Tip: How to pick plastics carefully.
Thanks for reading,
Environmental Working Group
P.S. This tip is part of our Healthy Home Tips Series. You can find our first two tips and sign up to get the rest in your inbox right here.
DONATE | TELL A FRIEND | UNSUBSCRIBE | CHANGE OPTIONS
The Environmental Working Group is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization dedicated to using the power of information to protect human health and the environment. The EWG Action Fund is a legislative advocacy organization that uses EWG research to promote healthy and sustainable policies.
HEADQUARTERS 1436 U St. NW, Suite 100 | Washington, DC 20009 | (202) 667-6982
From: Environmental Working Group [mailto:ewg@ewg.org]
Dear Miriam,
Are you trying to reduce your family's exposure to flame retardants? It's a good idea. They are associated with long-term health effects - especially in children whose developing bodies are more sensitive to chemical exposures - and they're all over your house.
We'd like to believe our government is effectively protecting us from toxic chemicals that are increasingly linked to health problems and found in many common household items, but it's not.
We think you deserve better. So we're sending you our Healthy Home Tip Series to make it easier to safeguard your family's health from the poorly studied toxic chemicals in use today. This month's tip is: How to reduce your exposure to fire retardants at home.
Learn how to minimize your exposure to fire retardants.
Our Healthy Home Tip makes it easy for you to identify fire retardants in your home and take some simple steps to reduce your family's exposure to them. You'll learn:
Why you should minimize your family's exposure.
What household products contain fire retardants.
How you can reduce your family's in-home exposure.
Tell your friends about our Healthy Home Tips. They, too, will appreciate being informed when wondering how to minimize unnecessary exposure to fire retardants.
Talk to you in a month when we discuss our next Healthy Home Tip: How to pick plastics carefully.
Thanks for reading,
Environmental Working Group
P.S. This tip is part of our Healthy Home Tips Series. You can find our first two tips and sign up to get the rest in your inbox right here.
DONATE | TELL A FRIEND | UNSUBSCRIBE | CHANGE OPTIONS
The Environmental Working Group is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization dedicated to using the power of information to protect human health and the environment. The EWG Action Fund is a legislative advocacy organization that uses EWG research to promote healthy and sustainable policies.
HEADQUARTERS 1436 U St. NW, Suite 100 | Washington, DC 20009 | (202) 667-6982
YouTube video! SWINE FLU VACCINE DANGERS - AN INTERVIEW ON RUSSIAN TV- you won't hear this in the US
Only 4 minutes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYB0nvV1vaY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYB0nvV1vaY
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Scientific Evidence showing the Dangers of Synthetic Vitamins/Supplements and What to do About It
Vitamin Article:
http://trinisol.com/company/vitamins.asp
Not only is there proof of this, but I have personally experienced the damage myself. If you think about it logically, it makes a lot of sense. God designed our bodies to take in a certain type of fuel in order to function properly: real, pure, living food and water. Anything else we consume is seen as a foreign invader and the body will attack it or itself in defense. You may notice the negative effect right away or years down the road (i.e. auto-immune diseases like mine). By the way, all those vitamin-fortified, processed foods we find at the supermarket (i.e. cereal, bread, milk and juice) are made with synthetic vitamins!
Unfortunately, due to the loss of healthy soil and toxin contamination of many of our food sources, including government intervention "in the name of our protection," we are forced to supplement with concentrated supplement sources. We can no longer depend on just our food supply because of how stripped down the nutrients have become, even in our beloved organic food. Here is a simple example. Our great-grandparents may have enjoyed a head of fresh, organic broccoli with their dinner on a typical day. For us "today" to try to obtain the same nutrient level that that they enjoyed from that head of broccoli , we would have to consume several heads of fresh, organic broccoli, never mind the non-organic kind! Who can eat that much food at one sitting? We are told to eat nine servings of fruits and veggies daily. However, most of us don't do that, and honestly, it's not enough nutrition anyway; we need a lot more than that quantity. Many health experts have come to this painful realization after many years of trying to reach optimal health with food only and have turned to supplementation out of "absolute" need. Here is one of "many" sources documenting this:
http://www.yourhealthbase.com/foodandmedicine.htm
Now, here is the good news! There are raw, organic, food-based supplements available in abundance now. Some are very expensive and others are not, it depends on your source. You know me, I always look for the best possible product at the best possible price. Bottom line, there is no longer any need for anyone to supplement with synthetic supplements that will create artificial stimulation to the body in the short-run and become dangerous now and/or later.
I highly recommend that everyone obtain a nutrition test from their doctors in order to check all vitamin, mineral, and anti-oxidant levels. This is "not" done through the typical blood tests that we all do at our annual check-ups. You must obtain a Spectracell Nutrition Blood Test or a Genova Nutrition Test via urine (both are available with Dr. Crowley of Clermont Medical Center or Dr. Kalidas in Orlando). I did the Spectracell test with Dr. Crowley a year ago and was thrilled with the results, and so was she. My overall anti-oxidant levels tested in the "ideal" category out of low, average and ideal, but Glutathione in particular was super high. It was almost off the charts! Glutathione is the body's master anti-oxidant. The amazing part is that I had been on a raw, organic, food-based supplement (eXfuze Seven+) for a little over a year when I did the test and had cut back on many of my supplements and multi-vitamins for a year prior to the test. Needless to say, I have actual nutritional documentation that organic, concentrated food-based supplements work; I also have many other blood tests, eye exams (eyeglass prescription cut in half after only a few weeks), and various other diagnostic tests that I had done before and after (including a thyroid nogel that disappeared and two nogels that stopped growing). We hear so much fluff on how great certain supplements are, but having personal, medically-documented proof is quite another story.
Here's some more valuable info. from a doctor. I just received this newsletter today after having a synthetic vitamin conversation with some ladies earlier this morning!:
Boku Newsletter: September 1, 2009 Issue 14 - Dr. B.J. Adrezin
What are the benefits of taking a super food vs. a multi-vitamin?
My patients love that I help them reach optimal health using food and food concentrates (Super foods). Typical multi-vitamin pills should be considered the last resort for a person unable or unwilling to change their diet. If you want to gorge yourself on junk food, and then find salvation in a few vitamin pills, don't come to me as a patient. The body is not designed to absorb and use synthetic vitamin pills. Many of these pills contain very low quality artificial ingredients and chemicals to hold the whole pill together!
The truth is that many potential beneficial nutrients have not even been discovered yet! That means you won't find them in a vitamin pill, not even those expensive ones sold at high-end retail stores.
A "super food" is a truly nutrient dense food. It contains many of the already discovered nutrients, and since it is generally a whole food or juice, it contains potent nutritional factors that have yet to be discovered. Science is currently doing a tremendous amount of research on "phytonutrients." These are powerful health promoting factors that are contained in a medicinal plant. Super foods generally contain significant quantities of phytonutrients, trace minerals, amino acids, enzymes, and other potent health factors that simply cannot be replicated in a man-made, synthetic pill or capsule from a factory.
http://trinisol.com/company/vitamins.asp
Not only is there proof of this, but I have personally experienced the damage myself. If you think about it logically, it makes a lot of sense. God designed our bodies to take in a certain type of fuel in order to function properly: real, pure, living food and water. Anything else we consume is seen as a foreign invader and the body will attack it or itself in defense. You may notice the negative effect right away or years down the road (i.e. auto-immune diseases like mine). By the way, all those vitamin-fortified, processed foods we find at the supermarket (i.e. cereal, bread, milk and juice) are made with synthetic vitamins!
Unfortunately, due to the loss of healthy soil and toxin contamination of many of our food sources, including government intervention "in the name of our protection," we are forced to supplement with concentrated supplement sources. We can no longer depend on just our food supply because of how stripped down the nutrients have become, even in our beloved organic food. Here is a simple example. Our great-grandparents may have enjoyed a head of fresh, organic broccoli with their dinner on a typical day. For us "today" to try to obtain the same nutrient level that that they enjoyed from that head of broccoli , we would have to consume several heads of fresh, organic broccoli, never mind the non-organic kind! Who can eat that much food at one sitting? We are told to eat nine servings of fruits and veggies daily. However, most of us don't do that, and honestly, it's not enough nutrition anyway; we need a lot more than that quantity. Many health experts have come to this painful realization after many years of trying to reach optimal health with food only and have turned to supplementation out of "absolute" need. Here is one of "many" sources documenting this:
http://www.yourhealthbase.com/foodandmedicine.htm
Now, here is the good news! There are raw, organic, food-based supplements available in abundance now. Some are very expensive and others are not, it depends on your source. You know me, I always look for the best possible product at the best possible price. Bottom line, there is no longer any need for anyone to supplement with synthetic supplements that will create artificial stimulation to the body in the short-run and become dangerous now and/or later.
I highly recommend that everyone obtain a nutrition test from their doctors in order to check all vitamin, mineral, and anti-oxidant levels. This is "not" done through the typical blood tests that we all do at our annual check-ups. You must obtain a Spectracell Nutrition Blood Test or a Genova Nutrition Test via urine (both are available with Dr. Crowley of Clermont Medical Center or Dr. Kalidas in Orlando). I did the Spectracell test with Dr. Crowley a year ago and was thrilled with the results, and so was she. My overall anti-oxidant levels tested in the "ideal" category out of low, average and ideal, but Glutathione in particular was super high. It was almost off the charts! Glutathione is the body's master anti-oxidant. The amazing part is that I had been on a raw, organic, food-based supplement (eXfuze Seven+) for a little over a year when I did the test and had cut back on many of my supplements and multi-vitamins for a year prior to the test. Needless to say, I have actual nutritional documentation that organic, concentrated food-based supplements work; I also have many other blood tests, eye exams (eyeglass prescription cut in half after only a few weeks), and various other diagnostic tests that I had done before and after (including a thyroid nogel that disappeared and two nogels that stopped growing). We hear so much fluff on how great certain supplements are, but having personal, medically-documented proof is quite another story.
Here's some more valuable info. from a doctor. I just received this newsletter today after having a synthetic vitamin conversation with some ladies earlier this morning!:
Boku Newsletter: September 1, 2009 Issue 14 - Dr. B.J. Adrezin
What are the benefits of taking a super food vs. a multi-vitamin?
My patients love that I help them reach optimal health using food and food concentrates (Super foods). Typical multi-vitamin pills should be considered the last resort for a person unable or unwilling to change their diet. If you want to gorge yourself on junk food, and then find salvation in a few vitamin pills, don't come to me as a patient. The body is not designed to absorb and use synthetic vitamin pills. Many of these pills contain very low quality artificial ingredients and chemicals to hold the whole pill together!
The truth is that many potential beneficial nutrients have not even been discovered yet! That means you won't find them in a vitamin pill, not even those expensive ones sold at high-end retail stores.
A "super food" is a truly nutrient dense food. It contains many of the already discovered nutrients, and since it is generally a whole food or juice, it contains potent nutritional factors that have yet to be discovered. Science is currently doing a tremendous amount of research on "phytonutrients." These are powerful health promoting factors that are contained in a medicinal plant. Super foods generally contain significant quantities of phytonutrients, trace minerals, amino acids, enzymes, and other potent health factors that simply cannot be replicated in a man-made, synthetic pill or capsule from a factory.
Avoid This if You Want to Keep Your THYROID Healthy (and stay thin and avoid breast cancer)
Avoid This if You Want to Keep Your THYROID Healthy (and stay thin and avoid breast cancer)
Below is a great article from Dr. Mercola on maintaining a healthy thyroid. I consume Iodine for maintaining my thyroid (I have a history of TSH imbalance and thyroid nodules) and fibrocystic breast disease. Fortunately, one of my three nodules disappeared and my cysts improved almost two years ago after I started on eXfuze Seven+ (which contains Iodine from Fucoidan: kelp). I then added Iosol Iodine to my diet on a daily basis to finish the job and try to get closer to the amount of Iodine that the Japanese consume.
They are available at:
http://www.exfuze.com/iwi (Seven+ PROformance)
www.ewater.com/miriam2020 (Iosol Iodine: listed under General Health and Nutrition / Survial paks)
You can also get Iodine in tablet form to avoid the nasty taste (very helpful when you need high doses). They are available on amazon.com and other sites:
Be blessed and be healthy,
Miriam
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avoid This if You Want to Keep Your Thyroid Healthy
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
September 05 2009
Bromides are a common endocrine disruptor. Because bromide is also a halide, it competes for the same receptors that are used in the thyroid gland (among other places) to capture iodine. This will inhibit thyroid hormone production resulting in a low thyroid state.
Iodine is essential for your body, and is detected in every organ and tissue. There is increasing evidence that low iodine is related to numerous diseases, including cancer. Various clinicians and researchers have found iodine effective with everything from goiter to constipation.
Bromide can be found in several forms. Methyl Bromide is a pesticide used mainly on strawberries, found predominantly in the California areas. Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) is added to citrus drinks to help suspend the flavoring in the liquid.
Potassium Bromate is a dough conditioner found in commercial bakery products and some flours.
Sources:
Natural Thyroid Choices: Bromide
Iodine 4 Health
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
If you are like most people, you probably haven’t spent much time thinking about how much bromine you’re absorbing from your car upholstery or your Mountain Dew. But bromine toxicity is a definite danger from some surprising sources, and it can wreak havoc on your health.
Bromines All Around You
Bromines are common endocrine disruptors, and are part of the halide family, a group of elements that includes fluorine, chlorine and iodine. What makes it so dangerous is that it competes for the same receptors that are used to capture iodine.
If you are exposed to a lot of bromine, your body will not hold on to the iodine that it needs. And iodine affects every tissue in your body -- not just your thyroid.
You are already exposed to far too much chlorine and bromine. Bromine can be found in a number of places in your everyday world, including:
Pesticides (specifically methyl bromide, used mainly on strawberries, predominantly in California)
Plastics, like those used to make computers
Bakery goods and some flours often contain a “dough conditioner” called potassium bromate
Soft drinks (including Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Sun Drop, Squirt, Fresca and other citrus-flavored sodas), in the form of brominated vegetable oils (BVOs)
Medications such as Atrovent Inhaler, Atrovent Nasal Spray, Pro-Banthine (for ulcers), and anesthesia agents
Fire retardants (common one is polybromo diphenyl ethers or PBDEs used in fabrics, carpets, upholstery, and mattresses
Bromine-based hot tub and swimming pool treatments
According to van Leeuwen, who has extensively studied the effects of sodium bromide on thyroid function:
“Although the bromide ion is widely distributed in nature, the main route of exposure in humans stems from bromide residues in food commodities as a result of the abundant use of bromide-containing pesticides, like methylbromide and ethylene dibromide, for soil fumigation in intensive horticulture and for postharvest treatment.”
One clinical consequence of overexposure to bromine is suppression of your thyroid, leading to hypothyroidism, which will be discussed shortly. Another is bromide toxicity.
Bromine -- The Bully of the Halide Group
When you ingest or absorb bromine, it displaces iodine, and this iodine deficiency leads to an increased risk for cancer of the breast , thyroid gland, ovary and prostate -- cancers that we see at alarmingly high rates today. This phenomenon is significant enough to have been given its own name -- the Bromide Dominance Theory .
Aside from its effects on your endocrine glands, bromine is toxic in and of itself. Bromide builds up in your central nervous system and results in many problems. It is a central nervous system depressant and can trigger a number of psychological symptoms such as acute paranoia and other psychotic symptoms.
In fact, in an audio interview, physician Jorge Flechas reported that, between 1920 and 1960, at least 20 percent of all hospital admissions for “acute paranoid schizophrenia” were a result of ingesting bromine-containing products.
In addition to psychiatric problems, bromine toxicity can manifest as the following:
Skin rashes and severe acne
Loss of appetite and abdominal pain
Fatigue
Metallic taste
Cardiac arrhythmias
Baby Boomers might recall a popular product from the 1950s called Bromo-Seltzer. These effervescent granules, developed by the Emerson Drug Company of Baltimore, were used to treat heartburn, upset stomach, indigestion, headaches and hangovers.
Bromo-Selzer’s original formula contained 3.2 mEq/teaspoon of sodium bromide -- hence the name. The sedative effect probably explained its popularity as a hangover remedy. Bromides were withdrawn from the American market in 1975 due to their toxicity.
Bromo-Selzer is still on the market, but no longer contains bromide.
Bromines in Your Bread Box: Potassium Bromate
The ban on bromines have not prevented them from sneaking into your foods and personal care products.
You probably are not aware of this, but nearly every time you eat bread in a restaurant or consume a hamburger or hotdog bun you are consuming bromide, as it is commonly used in flours.
The use of potassium bromate as an additive to commercial breads and baked goods has been a huge contributor to bromide overload in Western cultures.
Bromated flour is “enriched” with potassium bromate. Commercial baking companies claim it makes the dough more elastic and better able to stand up to bread hooks. However, Pepperidge Farm and other successful companies manage to use only unbromated flour without any of these so-called “structural problems.”
Potassium bromate is also found in some toothpastes and mouthwashes, where it’s added as an antiseptic and astringent. It has been found to cause bleeding and inflammation of gums in people using these products.
Sodium Bromate and BMOs
Mountain Dew , one of the worst beverages you can drink, uses brominated vegetable oil as an emulsifier. Not only that, it contains high fructose corn syrup, sodium benzoate, more than 55 mg of caffeine per 12 ounce can, and Yellow Dye #5 (tartrazine, which has been banned in Norway, Austria and Germany.)
A weapon of mass destruction -- in a can.
Even drinking water can be a source of bromide. When drinking water containing bromide is exposed to ozone, bromate ions are formed, which are powerful oxidizing agents. Such was the case in 2004 when Coca Cola Company had to recall Dasani bottled water.
Sodium bromate can also be found in personal care products such as permanent waves, hair dyes, and textile dyes. Benzalkonium is used as a preservative in some cosmetics.
Finally, bromine and chlorine were the most common toxic elements reportedly found in automobiles , according to the blog of David Brownstein, MD (March 2007). They showed up in the seats, armrests, door trim, shift knobs and other areas of the car.
Think about how much time you spend enclosed in your outgassing Chevy… windows up with no air circulation.
The United States is quite behind in putting an end to the egregious practice of allowing bromine chemicals in your foods. In 1990, the United Kingdom banned bromate in bread . In 1994, Canada did the same. Brazil recently outlawed bromide in flour products.
What’s taking us so long? Another case of our government protecting big industry -- instead of protecting you.
Iodine Levels and Cancer Risk
Iodine levels have significantly dropped due to bromine exposure; declining consumption of iodized salt, eggs, fish, and sea vegetables; and soil depletion. In the U.S. population, there was a 50 percent reduction in urinary iodine excretion between 1970 and 1990 .
What’s this doing to our country’s health?
The Japanese consume 89 times more iodine than Americans due to their daily consumption of sea vegetables, and they have reduced rates of many chronic diseases, including the lowest rates of cancer in the world. The RDA for iodine in the U.S. is a meager 150 mcg/day, which pales in comparison with the average daily intake of 13800 mcg/day for the Japanese.
There is a large body of evidence suggesting that low cancer rates in Japan are a result of their substantially higher iodine levels. Iodine has documented antioxidant and anti-proliferative properties.
A strong case can be made that your iodine RDA should be closer to what the Japanese consume daily, if breast cancer rates are any indication. Low iodine can lead to fibrocystic breast disease in women (density, lumps and bumps), hyperplasia, and atypical mammary tissue. Such fibrocystic changes in breast tissue have been shown to reverse in the presence of iodine supplementation after 3-4 months.
If you are interested in being tested for iodine deficiency, the urine iodine challenge test is the best way to assess your iodine level.
Bromine and Your Thyroid
Adding to the negative health effects of bromine, the damage to your thyroid health deserves special mention.
As stated in the first part of this article, bromine exposure depletes your body’s iodine by competing with iodine receptors. Iodine is crucial for thyroid function. Without iodine, your thyroid gland would be completely unable to produce thyroid hormone.
Even the names of the different forms of thyroid hormone reflect the number of iodine molecules attached -- T4 has four attached iodine molecules, and T3 (the biologically active form of the hormone) has three--showing what an important part iodine plays in thyroid biochemistry.
Hypothyroidism is far more prevalent than once thought in the U.S. The latest estimates are that 13 million Americans have hypothyroidism, but the actual numbers are probably higher. Some experts claim that 10 to40 percent of Americans have suboptimal thyroid function.
Many of these folks may actually have nothing wrong with their thyroid gland at all -- they may just be suffering from iodine deficiency.
Seven Tips for Avoiding Bromine and Optimizing Iodine
Trying to avoid bromine is like trying to avoid air pollution -- all you can do is minimize your exposure. That said, here are a few things you can do to minimize your risk:
Eat organic as often as possible. Wash all produce thoroughly. This will minimize your pesticide exposure.
Avoid eating or drinking from (or storing food and water in) plastic containers. Use glass and safe ceramic vessels.
Look for organic whole-grain breads and flour. Grind you own grain, if possible. Look for the “no bromine” or “bromine-free” label on commercial baked goods.
Avoid sodas. Drink natural, filtered water instead.
If you own a hot tub, look into an ozone purification system. Such systems make it possible to keep the water clean with minimal chemical treatments.
Look for personal care products that are as chemical-free as possible. Remember -- anything going on you, goes in you.
When in a car or a building, open windows as often as possible, preferably on opposing sides of the space for cross ventilation. Utilize fans to circulate the air. Chemical pollutants are much higher inside buildings (and cars) than outside.
Avoid Unfermented Soy
Another major contributor to thyroid dysfunction that I did not discuss above is unfermented soy. Soy isoflavones can wreak havoc on your thyroid.
Kaayla Daniel's groundbreaking book, The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food is a powerful exposé that reveals the truth about the soy myths that have infiltrated our culture.
It's ironic that soy has become so accepted as a health food when, as Dr. Daniel states, thousands of studies link soy to malnutrition, digestive distress, immune-system breakdown, thyroid- and hormonal dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders and infertility--even cancer and heart disease.
So if you want to keep your thyroid healthy, you’ll definitely want to avoid unfermented soy products of all kinds, including soy milk.
Below is a great article from Dr. Mercola on maintaining a healthy thyroid. I consume Iodine for maintaining my thyroid (I have a history of TSH imbalance and thyroid nodules) and fibrocystic breast disease. Fortunately, one of my three nodules disappeared and my cysts improved almost two years ago after I started on eXfuze Seven+ (which contains Iodine from Fucoidan: kelp). I then added Iosol Iodine to my diet on a daily basis to finish the job and try to get closer to the amount of Iodine that the Japanese consume.
They are available at:
http://www.exfuze.com/iwi (Seven+ PROformance)
www.ewater.com/miriam2020 (Iosol Iodine: listed under General Health and Nutrition / Survial paks)
You can also get Iodine in tablet form to avoid the nasty taste (very helpful when you need high doses). They are available on amazon.com and other sites:
Biotics Research - Iodizyme-HP
Be blessed and be healthy,
Miriam
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avoid This if You Want to Keep Your Thyroid Healthy
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
September 05 2009
Bromides are a common endocrine disruptor. Because bromide is also a halide, it competes for the same receptors that are used in the thyroid gland (among other places) to capture iodine. This will inhibit thyroid hormone production resulting in a low thyroid state.
Iodine is essential for your body, and is detected in every organ and tissue. There is increasing evidence that low iodine is related to numerous diseases, including cancer. Various clinicians and researchers have found iodine effective with everything from goiter to constipation.
Bromide can be found in several forms. Methyl Bromide is a pesticide used mainly on strawberries, found predominantly in the California areas. Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) is added to citrus drinks to help suspend the flavoring in the liquid.
Potassium Bromate is a dough conditioner found in commercial bakery products and some flours.
Sources:
Natural Thyroid Choices: Bromide
Iodine 4 Health
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
If you are like most people, you probably haven’t spent much time thinking about how much bromine you’re absorbing from your car upholstery or your Mountain Dew. But bromine toxicity is a definite danger from some surprising sources, and it can wreak havoc on your health.
Bromines All Around You
Bromines are common endocrine disruptors, and are part of the halide family, a group of elements that includes fluorine, chlorine and iodine. What makes it so dangerous is that it competes for the same receptors that are used to capture iodine.
If you are exposed to a lot of bromine, your body will not hold on to the iodine that it needs. And iodine affects every tissue in your body -- not just your thyroid.
You are already exposed to far too much chlorine and bromine. Bromine can be found in a number of places in your everyday world, including:
Pesticides (specifically methyl bromide, used mainly on strawberries, predominantly in California)
Plastics, like those used to make computers
Bakery goods and some flours often contain a “dough conditioner” called potassium bromate
Soft drinks (including Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Sun Drop, Squirt, Fresca and other citrus-flavored sodas), in the form of brominated vegetable oils (BVOs)
Medications such as Atrovent Inhaler, Atrovent Nasal Spray, Pro-Banthine (for ulcers), and anesthesia agents
Fire retardants (common one is polybromo diphenyl ethers or PBDEs used in fabrics, carpets, upholstery, and mattresses
Bromine-based hot tub and swimming pool treatments
According to van Leeuwen, who has extensively studied the effects of sodium bromide on thyroid function:
“Although the bromide ion is widely distributed in nature, the main route of exposure in humans stems from bromide residues in food commodities as a result of the abundant use of bromide-containing pesticides, like methylbromide and ethylene dibromide, for soil fumigation in intensive horticulture and for postharvest treatment.”
One clinical consequence of overexposure to bromine is suppression of your thyroid, leading to hypothyroidism, which will be discussed shortly. Another is bromide toxicity.
Bromine -- The Bully of the Halide Group
When you ingest or absorb bromine, it displaces iodine, and this iodine deficiency leads to an increased risk for cancer of the breast , thyroid gland, ovary and prostate -- cancers that we see at alarmingly high rates today. This phenomenon is significant enough to have been given its own name -- the Bromide Dominance Theory .
Aside from its effects on your endocrine glands, bromine is toxic in and of itself. Bromide builds up in your central nervous system and results in many problems. It is a central nervous system depressant and can trigger a number of psychological symptoms such as acute paranoia and other psychotic symptoms.
In fact, in an audio interview, physician Jorge Flechas reported that, between 1920 and 1960, at least 20 percent of all hospital admissions for “acute paranoid schizophrenia” were a result of ingesting bromine-containing products.
In addition to psychiatric problems, bromine toxicity can manifest as the following:
Skin rashes and severe acne
Loss of appetite and abdominal pain
Fatigue
Metallic taste
Cardiac arrhythmias
Baby Boomers might recall a popular product from the 1950s called Bromo-Seltzer. These effervescent granules, developed by the Emerson Drug Company of Baltimore, were used to treat heartburn, upset stomach, indigestion, headaches and hangovers.
Bromo-Selzer’s original formula contained 3.2 mEq/teaspoon of sodium bromide -- hence the name. The sedative effect probably explained its popularity as a hangover remedy. Bromides were withdrawn from the American market in 1975 due to their toxicity.
Bromo-Selzer is still on the market, but no longer contains bromide.
Bromines in Your Bread Box: Potassium Bromate
The ban on bromines have not prevented them from sneaking into your foods and personal care products.
You probably are not aware of this, but nearly every time you eat bread in a restaurant or consume a hamburger or hotdog bun you are consuming bromide, as it is commonly used in flours.
The use of potassium bromate as an additive to commercial breads and baked goods has been a huge contributor to bromide overload in Western cultures.
Bromated flour is “enriched” with potassium bromate. Commercial baking companies claim it makes the dough more elastic and better able to stand up to bread hooks. However, Pepperidge Farm and other successful companies manage to use only unbromated flour without any of these so-called “structural problems.”
Potassium bromate is also found in some toothpastes and mouthwashes, where it’s added as an antiseptic and astringent. It has been found to cause bleeding and inflammation of gums in people using these products.
Sodium Bromate and BMOs
Mountain Dew , one of the worst beverages you can drink, uses brominated vegetable oil as an emulsifier. Not only that, it contains high fructose corn syrup, sodium benzoate, more than 55 mg of caffeine per 12 ounce can, and Yellow Dye #5 (tartrazine, which has been banned in Norway, Austria and Germany.)
A weapon of mass destruction -- in a can.
Even drinking water can be a source of bromide. When drinking water containing bromide is exposed to ozone, bromate ions are formed, which are powerful oxidizing agents. Such was the case in 2004 when Coca Cola Company had to recall Dasani bottled water.
Sodium bromate can also be found in personal care products such as permanent waves, hair dyes, and textile dyes. Benzalkonium is used as a preservative in some cosmetics.
Finally, bromine and chlorine were the most common toxic elements reportedly found in automobiles , according to the blog of David Brownstein, MD (March 2007). They showed up in the seats, armrests, door trim, shift knobs and other areas of the car.
Think about how much time you spend enclosed in your outgassing Chevy… windows up with no air circulation.
The United States is quite behind in putting an end to the egregious practice of allowing bromine chemicals in your foods. In 1990, the United Kingdom banned bromate in bread . In 1994, Canada did the same. Brazil recently outlawed bromide in flour products.
What’s taking us so long? Another case of our government protecting big industry -- instead of protecting you.
Iodine Levels and Cancer Risk
Iodine levels have significantly dropped due to bromine exposure; declining consumption of iodized salt, eggs, fish, and sea vegetables; and soil depletion. In the U.S. population, there was a 50 percent reduction in urinary iodine excretion between 1970 and 1990 .
What’s this doing to our country’s health?
The Japanese consume 89 times more iodine than Americans due to their daily consumption of sea vegetables, and they have reduced rates of many chronic diseases, including the lowest rates of cancer in the world. The RDA for iodine in the U.S. is a meager 150 mcg/day, which pales in comparison with the average daily intake of 13800 mcg/day for the Japanese.
There is a large body of evidence suggesting that low cancer rates in Japan are a result of their substantially higher iodine levels. Iodine has documented antioxidant and anti-proliferative properties.
A strong case can be made that your iodine RDA should be closer to what the Japanese consume daily, if breast cancer rates are any indication. Low iodine can lead to fibrocystic breast disease in women (density, lumps and bumps), hyperplasia, and atypical mammary tissue. Such fibrocystic changes in breast tissue have been shown to reverse in the presence of iodine supplementation after 3-4 months.
If you are interested in being tested for iodine deficiency, the urine iodine challenge test is the best way to assess your iodine level.
Bromine and Your Thyroid
Adding to the negative health effects of bromine, the damage to your thyroid health deserves special mention.
As stated in the first part of this article, bromine exposure depletes your body’s iodine by competing with iodine receptors. Iodine is crucial for thyroid function. Without iodine, your thyroid gland would be completely unable to produce thyroid hormone.
Even the names of the different forms of thyroid hormone reflect the number of iodine molecules attached -- T4 has four attached iodine molecules, and T3 (the biologically active form of the hormone) has three--showing what an important part iodine plays in thyroid biochemistry.
Hypothyroidism is far more prevalent than once thought in the U.S. The latest estimates are that 13 million Americans have hypothyroidism, but the actual numbers are probably higher. Some experts claim that 10 to40 percent of Americans have suboptimal thyroid function.
Many of these folks may actually have nothing wrong with their thyroid gland at all -- they may just be suffering from iodine deficiency.
Seven Tips for Avoiding Bromine and Optimizing Iodine
Trying to avoid bromine is like trying to avoid air pollution -- all you can do is minimize your exposure. That said, here are a few things you can do to minimize your risk:
Eat organic as often as possible. Wash all produce thoroughly. This will minimize your pesticide exposure.
Avoid eating or drinking from (or storing food and water in) plastic containers. Use glass and safe ceramic vessels.
Look for organic whole-grain breads and flour. Grind you own grain, if possible. Look for the “no bromine” or “bromine-free” label on commercial baked goods.
Avoid sodas. Drink natural, filtered water instead.
If you own a hot tub, look into an ozone purification system. Such systems make it possible to keep the water clean with minimal chemical treatments.
Look for personal care products that are as chemical-free as possible. Remember -- anything going on you, goes in you.
When in a car or a building, open windows as often as possible, preferably on opposing sides of the space for cross ventilation. Utilize fans to circulate the air. Chemical pollutants are much higher inside buildings (and cars) than outside.
Avoid Unfermented Soy
Another major contributor to thyroid dysfunction that I did not discuss above is unfermented soy. Soy isoflavones can wreak havoc on your thyroid.
Kaayla Daniel's groundbreaking book, The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food is a powerful exposé that reveals the truth about the soy myths that have infiltrated our culture.
It's ironic that soy has become so accepted as a health food when, as Dr. Daniel states, thousands of studies link soy to malnutrition, digestive distress, immune-system breakdown, thyroid- and hormonal dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders and infertility--even cancer and heart disease.
So if you want to keep your thyroid healthy, you’ll definitely want to avoid unfermented soy products of all kinds, including soy milk.
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