What you need to know about additives and preservatives

Great article and great photos! Click here:

http://www.asnatureintended.info/3/category/nutrition/1.html

Your Amazing Self-Healing Body

Your Amazing Self-Healing Body

Another reason to avoid TABLETS and CAPSULES: TOXIC INGREDIENTS found even in natural supplements

from Dr. Theresa Dale of the Wellness Center, 8/4/10:

Coating on Tablets and Capsules
This is my second newsletter on the toxic ingredients that are present in the coating of tablets and capsules. I am only going to mention two coatings here but there are others that are also toxic. Actually, in my ongoing investigation, all coatings on tablets are toxic except for one. Lets take a look at two of them now that are used on supplements sold to health providers and health food stores.

Polyvinyl alcohol; a synthetic polymer prepared by the polymerization of vinyl acetate, followed by a controlled hydrolysis of acetate moieties.

Aquateric Aqueous Enteric Coating is a water-based, reconstituted dispersion of cellulose acetate phthalate latex which functions as an enteric film coating for pharmaceuticals and solid dietary supplements.

Need I say more? Do you want your patients eating vinyl or phthalates, which contains BisPhenol A? If you want to do more research just review my enews letters and our website about BisPhenol A and phthalates.

Avoid Toxic Household Cleaners by Making Your Own for Pennies

Avoid Toxic Household Cleaners by Making Your Own for Pennies

Tuesday, October 19, 2010 by: Heidi Fagley, citizen journalist
See all articles by this author

(NaturalNews) One of the greatest exposures to toxic substances can be found in our homes. Many cleaners and solvents used on surfaces such as countertops, tubs and floors are filled with ingredients whose labels read CAUTION, POISON, WARNING, or DANGER. Thank goodness there are alternative cleaning possibilities - safe, simple products that can be used in most cleaning situations that will lessen our exposure to toxins and chemicals in our living spaces. For instance, castile soap, baking soda, and lemon juice can work wonders with even the toughest grime that may be lurking in bathrooms and kitchens. Plus, there is the added benefit of money to be saved by making your own quick and simple recipes, as well as knowing your creative efforts are toxic free for you, your family, and the environment.

Behind the shine of the bleaches, foams and sprays are often artificial fragrances and toxic chemicals that can contribute to indoor air pollution, can be harmful if inhaled or touched, or are poisonous if ingested.

About 90 percent of all accidental poisonings occur in the home. In fact, some cleaners are among the most toxic products we can buy. Sitting in a majority of our homes are cleaners that pollute the ground water or contain flammable ingredients and corrosives that can irritate eyes just by opening the containers. Many of them could send us to the hospital or even cause death if swallowed.

The potential dangers of toxic home cleaning products have many people on a "go-green" path. In 2009, sales of natural cleaning products in the United States totaled $150 Million. Some of these cleaners are labeled with big promises and a hefty price tag. However, just because the ingredients in green cleaners are plant-based or "natural" does not necessarily mean they are safe.

It may be surprising to learn that everyday products found in your home can be used to make non-toxic cleaners for many of your cleaning needs. Some of the ingredients we cook with can also be the ingredients we clean with. It is simple to mix them up: they are safe to keep around the house and children, and they are easier on your bank account.

Below you will find a few sample recipes to mix up in seconds when your home needs a little sparkle. Be creative: mix up different recipes adding essential oils and scents that fit your lifestyle.

- Basic Household Cleaner: Mix together one teaspoon liquid castile soap, a squeeze of lemon juice, and one quart of warm water. If a surface needs extra power, try saturating area with moist salt or baking soda, allow to sit for ten minutes, and scour.
- To Cut Grease: Dissolve one teaspoon castile soap in one quart of hot water and add 1/4 cup lemon juice. Let item/surface soak for ten minutes before scrubbing.
- Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Sprinkle 1/4 cup baking soda into bowl and add 1 cup lemon juice. Let sit for 1/2 hour, scrub, and flush.
- Basin, Tub and Tile Cleaner: Mix together 1/2 cup baking soda with three tablespoons liquid castile soap. Scrub as usual.
- Drain Cleaner/Deodorizer: Pour 1/2 cup baking soda down drain followed by one cup hot lemon juice. Let sit for 10 minutes and then run water for 30 seconds.
- Glass/Window Cleaner: Mix four tablespoons of lemon juice with 1/2 gallon warm water.
- For Dishes and Tough Stains: Mix lemon juice and baking soda to make a scrubbing paste.
- Use baking soda as you would any abrasive cleanser.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/art...
http://www.ecocycle.org/hazwaste/re...
http://eartheasy.com/blog/2009/01/h...
http://www.wellsphere.com/healthy-e...
http://www.chop.edu/service/poison-...
http://www.authenticparenting.info/...
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/1484
http://www.googobits.com/articles/p...

Warning: Please Avoid Feeding This to Your Child - excess Manganese in soy formula and water

Warning: Please Avoid Feeding This to Your Child
Posted By Dr. Mercola | October 18 2010 |

According to a report in Science Daily, a new Canadian study shows that children exposed to high concentrations of manganese in drinking water performed worse on tests of intellectual functioning than children with lower exposures.

The results were published in an article in Environmental Health Perspectives.

While manganese is naturally occurring in soil and groundwater around the world, some of Canada's groundwater contains an unusually high amount of it, giving the researchers an opportunity to study whether excessive manganese can adversely affect human health.

"We found significant deficits in the intelligence quotient (IQ) of children exposed to higher concentration of manganese in drinking water," said lead author Maryse Bouchard.

Yet, some areas where lower IQs were reported also registered concentrations below current guidelines. In response to the study, some of the affected municipalities have already decided to install special filtration systems.

Sources:
Science Daily September 23, 2010
Environmental Health Perspectives September 7, 2010; [Epub ahead of print]


Dr. Mercola's Comments:

You probably know that manganese is an essential nutrient, but were you aware that when consumed in excess, manganese becomes a potent neurotoxin?

Studies on miners and steelworkers, for example, have shown that excessive exposure to manganese can cause manganese poisoning, Parkinson's disease, and Wilson's disease, for example.

Manganese occurs naturally in soil and can therefore be present in groundwater to a greater or lesser degree. Hence some people who drink well water could be exposed to higher naturally-occurring levels of manganese.

But there is another source of manganese that many people are completely unaware of, which may be even more significant than groundwater, and that is soy infant formula!

Soy formula is frequently used when a baby is allergic to milk, or if the parents are somehow convinced that soy is a healthier alternative. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth, because soy formula could easily be considered one of the most DANGEROUS food products on the market…

I always recommend breast feeding, if at all possible, but if you can't, please educate yourself about the dangers of soy formula!

This is such an important issue because so many mothers end up using formula in lieu of breast feeding or after breast feeding for a short time, not realizing just how bad most formulas are for their baby's health, particularly soy formula.

I've been concerned about this for a long time, and my team has now been working on an infant formula for an entire year. We still have about another year to go, but once we're done we should be able to offer the best commercial infant formula available in the US.

Soy Infant Formula is LOADED with Manganese!

Yes, researchers have found that soybean plants absorb manganese from the soil and concentrate it, so that its use in soy-based infant formula can result in as much as 200 times the level found in natural breast milk!

Such high concentrations can wreak havoc on your baby's immature metabolic systems.

I rarely talk about absolutes but this is one instant where I will say: NEVER give your child soy formula. (I guess the only exception would be if there was a catastrophe and soy formula was the only food source temporarily available to keep your baby alive.)

Because just like this latest study confirms, high concentrations of manganese, such as those found in soy formula, can lead to brain damage in infants and altered behaviors in adolescents.

In the study reported by Science Daily, researchers discovered that higher concentrations of manganese in groundwater significantly lowered the IQ of the children who drank it, even though the levels were below current guidelines.

A total of 362 children, aged six to 13, living in homes with individual or public wells were examined to test cognition, motor skills and behavior.

Science Daily reports:

"The average IQ of children whose tap water was in the upper 20% of manganese concentration was 6 points below children whose water contained little or no manganese.

The analyses of the association between manganese in tap water and children's IQ took into account various factors such as family income, maternal intelligence, maternal education, and the presence of other metals in the water.

… For co-author Donna Mergler, "This is a very marked effect; few environmental contaminants have shown such a strong correlation with intellectual ability."

The authors state that the amount of manganese present in food showed no relationship to the children's IQ."

For Maximum Health Hazard, Just Add Fluoridated Water...

As if that wasn't bad enough, there are a number of other factors that make soy formula an even more dangerous option.

One of these factors is the fact that fluoride can increase manganese absorption, so if you mix the powdered- or concentrated soy formula with fluoridated water, you're worsening matters even further!

Fluoride and manganese interact in a number of ways through various pathways.

For example, fluorides can cause zinc deficiency which in turn can cause damage to your brain by altering your manganese levels.

This is because fluorides act as a TSH (thyroid-stimulating-hormone) analogue, and along with iodine, zinc and selenium are also controlled by TSH. And when you're deficient in zinc, the manganese levels in your brain become altered.

Other Health Dangers of Soy Formula

Another significant issue is the estrogen in soy.

A soy-fed baby receives the equivalent of five birth control pills' worth of estrogen every day! These babies' isoflavone levels are typically anywhere between 13,000 to 22,000 times higher than in non-soy fed infants.

Unfermented soy is not a healthy option for anyone, but when you're feeding soy to an infant, you're really setting the stage for a number of health problems.

Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story, points out thousands of studies linking soy to malnutrition, digestive distress, immune-system breakdown, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders and infertility—even cancer and heart disease.

For more information about the many ways soy can damage your health – and certainly your baby's, if you're feeding them soy formula – please review this recent report.

It's also worth noting that at least 91 percent of soy grown in the US is also genetically modified (GM), and this too can have serious health effects.

Not only is the soy loaded with toxic pesticide, the plants also contain genes from bacteria that produce a protein that has never been part of the human food supply. Hence, GM soy has been linked to an increase in allergies.

Disturbingly, the only published human feeding study on GM foods ever conducted verified that the gene inserted into GM soy transfers into the DNA of our gut bacteria and continues to function. This means that years after you stop eating GM soy, you may still have a potentially allergenic protein continuously being produced in your intestines.

Even more frightening is the potential for GM soy to cause infertility in future generations, which has been evidenced by recent Russian research.

Soy-based formula also typically includes cornstarch, cornstarch hydrolysate (remember, any corn derivatives are also suspect of being GM), tapioca starch, or sucrose instead of lactose.

(Did you know that many infant formulas actually have MORE sugar than a can of soda? Do you really feel comfortable giving your precious newborn a can of soda for EVERY meal? If not, then it would sure seem best to avoid them ALL like the plague.)

All these things considered, it's truly shocking that soy formula is even allowed on the market.

The Benefits of Breast Feeding, and Healthier Alternatives

One of the best gifts you can give your child is to start out their life with a sound nutritional foundation, and the best way to do this is by breastfeeding. In fact, statistics show a clear correlation between feeding infants artificial formula and increased infant mortality within the first year.

It's important to realize that there are at least 400 nutrients in breast milk that are NOT found in formula. Of course, the healthier that a new mom eats, the healthier her breast milk will be, too.

While any amount of breastfeeding is better than none at all, it is clearly to your advantage, and best for your baby's health, to breastfeed exclusively for at least the first 6 months. Then, at the age of 6 or 9 months, you can begin to supplement with solid foods (while still continuing to breastfeed as well).

What exactly does your baby stand to gain by being breastfed?

Lower risk of respiratory tract and middle ear infections
Lower risk of eczema
Lower risk of obesity
Added protection against heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and allergies
Improved brain function and immune system function
There are benefits to mom, too. The main ones are a reduced risk of chronic diseases like cancer, a faster return to your pre-pregnancy weight, and increased bonding between you and your baby.

There are certain medical conditions that can prevent a woman from breastfeeding, however the majority of women are able to breastfeed successfully. If you need help, contact a lactation consultant in your area for tips and support. You can also visit La Leche League, which is a phenomenal resource for breastfeeding moms.

If for some reason you're not able to breastfeed, or you have adopted a baby, your next best option is to make a healthy infant formula using raw milk. You can find homemade formula recipes here.

As I stated at the beginning of this article, we're also in the process of producing the finest infant formula on the market. I'm hoping to have it available in about a year.

How Can You Protect Your Child from Excessive Manganese Exposure?

First and foremost, do not give your child soy formula or other unfermented soy foods.

As for manganese in your well water, your best bet is to use a high quality filtering system using activated carbon. A well designed activated carbon filter system is the simplest, most convenient, and most user friendly option to purify your drinking water.

A good system will likely consist of multiple filter cartridges; one to protect the carbon from larger contaminants in the water, and another containing carbon designed to remove trihalomethanes – a dangerous disinfection byproduct. Some systems also contain a backup carbon filter to ensure that all contaminants have been filtered out.

For more information about filtering systems and water quality, please see this previous article.

Related Links:
Finally Infant Soy Formula Under Investigation
Experts Dispute JAMA Soy Infant Formula Study
Healthy Alternative to Conventional Infant Formula

Breast cancer awareness campaigns cause more harm than good

Friday, October 15, 2010 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer
http://www.naturalnews.com/030056_breast_cancer_awareness.html

(NaturalNews) For over 25 years, the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) organization has been conducting campaigns to "promote breast cancer awareness, share information on the disease, and provide greater access to screening services." But since such campaigns began, breast cancer mortality rates have remained virtually the same, while more women than ever needlessly undergo dangerous treatments for a disease they do not even have.

Groups like the American Cancer Society (ACS), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation all support breast cancer awareness initiatives, which include urging women to get annual mammograms and to undergo conventional treatments like surgery, radiation and chemotherapy at the first signs of a tumor. But many professors, scientists and health professionals now say that such programs and recommendations have not only failed to achieve positive results, but have actually put more women in harm's way.

"I don't think people understand the lack of progress (achieved by breast cancer awareness programs)," Fran Visco, president of the National Breast Cancer Coalition, is quoted as saying in a recent Los Angeles Times article. Visco referenced statistics showing that deaths from breast cancer have dropped maybe two percent since they started in 1990, which is likely a statistically insignificant figure.

Dr. H. Gilbert Welch from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice explained that breast cancer awareness campaigns have failed to keep up with developments in breast cancer research, including new research showing that most of the cancers identified with mammography are not even malignant. And as a result of continued screening, millions of women end up being treated with expensive, potentially life-threatening treatments for cancers that will never harm them.

A recent paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine estimates that for every one woman helped by a mammogram, up to 15 others are misdiagnosed and mistreated. But because of breast cancer awareness campaigns that continue to scare women and push them towards outmoded, unscientific methods of approaching the disease, many women are willing to participate in conventional screening and treatment programs anyway, even if such programs ultimately cause them needless harm and possible death.

A drug company founded National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

A quick look into the history of NBCAM reveals that its founding sponsor is AstraZeneca, a multi-national drug company that manufactures breast cancer drugs like Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Faslodex and Zoladex. And what was the original stated goal of NBCAM? To promote mammography as the most effective weapon in the fight against breast cancer.

Most NaturalNews readers already know that mammography is largely ineffective and dangerous to health. Mammograms do not differentiate between harmless and malignant tumors, and they pump a regular dose of radiation into women's breasts that can eventually cause tumors to form. But the one thing mammograms are good at is racking up lots of breast cancer diagnoses.

Before the days of mammography, breast lumps were not the major scare they are today. But today, otherwise healthy women are habitually screened and told that detected tumor need immediate intervention, even though the vast majority of them are harmless. Sometimes women actually develop harmful tumors from the mammograms themselves, resulting in the same interventions. Either way, at the end of the day, drug companies like AstraZeneca reap large profits from the mammogram system.

"It's a common problem with disease awareness campaigns and patient advocacy groups," said Welch. "If you look into their funding sources, you'll often find a pharmaceutical company or device maker who stands to benefit from an expansion in the number of people with the condition."

Laurie Casaday, spokeswoman for NBCAM and senior manager of corporate affairs in oncology for AstraZeneca, denies such claims, however. She insists that the program is "not about selling a breast cancer drug", but is instead about "making sure women are educated about their breast health."

If the organization was really concerned about educating women about their breast health, though, it would acknowledge the mounting scientific evidence that denies the viability of mammography and conventional cancer treatments, and would subsequently stop using fear-mongering campaigns to persuade women to take that route. But this scenario will likely never happen because, in doing so, AstraZeneca and other drug companies would experience a tremendous drop in revenue due to significantly less false diagnoses.

You can read more about the breast cancer scam by checking out the NaturalNews special report by Mike Adams called Breast Cancer Deception:
http://www.naturalnews.com/Report_B...

Prevent breast cancer naturally

Real breast cancer awareness involves taking active steps to improve your health naturally, both nutritionally and environmentally. These include maintaining optimal vitamin D levels in your blood (http://www.naturalnews.com/027204_c...), avoiding exposure to toxins that cause cancer (http://www.naturalnews.com/020760_b...) and eating plenty of cruciferous vegetables rich in anti-cancer nutrients (http://www.naturalnews.com/024536_c...).

Playing with Fire: Billboard Warns of Grilled Chicken Carcinogens

Playing with Fire: Billboard Warns of Grilled Chicken Carcinogens

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But grilled chicken causes breast cancer year-round. So last month, a billboard sponsored by PCRM’s Cancer Project warned Louisville residents of this danger, after samples bought at a local KFC tested positive for a dangerous carcinogen. The billboard shows a grill-marked pink ribbon on fire alongside the words: “Playing with Fire. Grilled Chicken Increases Breast Cancer Risk.”

An independent laboratory analysis of grilled chicken samples bought at a KFC outlet in Louisville found they contained significant amounts of PhIP, a chemical that can increase a person’s risk for breast, colon, and prostate cancers—even if consumed in small amounts. PhIP has been identified as a carcinogen by the National Institutes of Health.

“KFC is sending Louisville’s health up in smoke,” said PCRM nutrition education director Susan Levin, M.S., R.D. “Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death for women in Kentucky, but KFC has been blatantly marketing its grilled chicken to women as a “healthy” option. Instead, it ought to carry a warning about the carcinogens in the product.”

Each year, about 3,000 women in Kentucky are diagnosed with breast cancer.

PhIP is one of a group of carcinogenic compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) that are found in grilled meat. PhIP and other HCAs do not exist naturally in chicken; they form when animal muscle is cooked to high temperatures. As known mutagens, HCAs can bind directly to DNA and cause mutations, the first step in the development of cancer.

PhIP is only one of the breast-cancer risks present in grilled chicken. More than 60 percent of the calories in a single KFC grilled chicken thigh are fat calories. Studies show countries with a higher fat intake, particularly fat from animal products, have a higher rate of breast cancer.

To learn more about the dangers of grilled chicken, visit CancerProject.org.