Healthy Home Tips | Environmental Working Group

Most people use around 10 personal care products every day with an average of 126 unique ingredients. We'd like to believe that the government is policing the safety of all of these mixtures we're putting on our bodies, but they're not.

Healthy Home Tips | Environmental Working Group:

Choose better body care products

Better products meet their claims and are free of ingredients that could harm our health or the environment. Labels might claim that a product is “gentle” or “natural,” but with no required safety testing, companies that make personal care products can use almost any chemical they want, regardless of risks. So, always read product labels – especially the ingredient list - before you buy.

How to read a label
Every personal care product on the market must list the ingredients on the label. Label reading can be confusing - here are some tips to help you wade through the chemical names. You can approach ingredient lists in 3 parts:

1. Start at the end where preservatives are listed. Try to avoid:
   
• Words ending in “paraben”
• DMDM hydantoin
• Imidsazolidinyl urea
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone
• Methylisothiazolinone
• Triclosan
• Triclocarban
• Triethanolamine (or “TEA”)
  
2. Next, check the beginning of the ingredients list. Here you’ll find the soap, surfactant, or lubricant that has been added to make the product work. Try to avoid ingredients that start with “PEG” or have an “-eth” in the middle (e.g., sodium laureth sulfate).
   
3. Finally, read the middle ingredients. Here you’ll look for some common – but not essential - additives that may bring excess hazard: fragrance and dyes. On the label look for “FRAGRANCE,” “FD&C,” or “D&C.”

Natural Triad - Holistic Health Magazine Greensboro - High Point - Winston-Salem - North Carolina - NC - Natural Health - Cultural Creatives

Natural Triad - Holistic Health Magazine Greensboro - High Point - Winston-Salem - North Carolina - NC - Natural Health - Cultural Creatives: "Article dated January 31, 2006

Scientific Studies Shed New Light on Fibromyalgia Cause and Treatment

A new study out of the Department of Internal Medicine, Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena, shows that Fibromyalgia patients have much higher levels of advanced glycation end products (AGE), in their muscle tissue and serum than due 'normal patients'. AGE represents highly oxidized amino acids & other proteins that then become electrophillic (electron-loving), and damage normal body functioning.

When the AGE level builds up to a certain point, it triggers an Inflammatory Pathway called NF-kappaB. This protein, which activates the inflammation, was also elevated in Fibromyalgia patients.

We are now working with new therapies that inhibit the Inflammatory Pathway NF-kappaB as well as being able to reduce AGE in muscle tissue. These are having good success with Fibromyalgia patients. We now have a good understanding of the disease from a biochemical viewpoint. For more information on Fibromyalgia contact The National Library of Congress Scientific Studies from around the world, on the web at www.ncbi.nih.gov/

Neil Cooper, DOM is a Nationally Certified Practitioner of Oriental Medicine. He may be reached at the East West Health Clinic in Kernersville, NC"

Facts About Fluoridation You Did Not Know

Facts About Fluoridation You Did Not Know: "Fluoride Is Not An Essential Nutrient, which means that no human disease (including dental decay) has ever been linked to a fluoride deficiency. (1)

The fluoride used to fluoridate water is an industrial waste product from the phosphate fertilizer industry. It is an unprocessed hazardous waste, contaminated with a number of toxins, particularly arsenic.

Fluoridation adds between 0.1 and 1.6 parts per billion (ppb) Arsenic to drinking water, and therefore violates the EPA's Maximum Contaminant Level Goal for arsenic - which is 0 ppb. (2)

Hydrofluosilicic acid & sodium silicofluoride, which are the chemicals used to fluoridate 91% of fluoridated water in the US, have Never Been Tested for safety and effectiveness."

THE BODY CODE

THE BODY CODE: "Upon the surface of the physical body exists distinct points, that when used aloe or in unique combinations, form a code that has the potential to promote all forms of healing in the body. This code unlocks the quantum healing potential of our body, energetically corresponding to all that we experience and feel within our physical universe. The body always is attempting to move towards balance….this is the imperative of all systems in the body. What gets in the way of healing? Most of the time, we do. We are not trained in how to take care of our body to maximize its longevity and capacity to perform. We are also not taught how to heal our body when it becomes sick or out of balance.

Many healing technologies now exist that are based in ancient knowledge, allowing us to not only care for our body but to also miraculously accelerate healing. By understanding the interconnectedness of body, emotions and thoughts and how we create ourselves in this reality, we can then influence where energy flows in our body and thus influence its ability to heal."

TakePart Social Action Network: Controversial Issues, Activism, Environmental, Human Rights, Political News |

TakePart Social Action Network: Controversial Issues, Activism, Environmental, Human Rights, Political News |: "Your part in changing the world starts here"

• A Flap Over Foie Gras

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  From Newsweek -- Foie gras has been a delicacy for centuries, but its production method now has some surprising critics. Production and sale in the U.S. ...
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  • Factory Farming

  A Flap Over Foie Gras

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  From Newsweek --Foie gras has been a delicacy for centuries, but its production method now has some surprising critics. Production and sale in the U.S. may soon be illegal.
  

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• The Prison Overcrowding Fix

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  The Prison Overcrowding Fix

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  From New York Times -- In February, 2009, it was decided by a federal court in San Francisco that the California prison system will reduce the number of its prisoners by one-third. This decision will bring the state's prisoner level down to approximately 101,000 inmates, improving the health care in California prisons.
  

  “ Federal judges tentatively ruled Monday that packed facilities were the chief impediment to adequate health care in prisons — a system so flawed it was tantamount to a violation of the Eighth Amendment. ”Full Article
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  • Genetically Modified Food

  Secrets in Your Food

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  From ABC News --Although there is little agreement over the safety of geneticaly modified foods, chances are it's already in your meal.
  

  “ Here are the facts: The majority of corn and soy products we eat are genetically modified. There is also some biotech papaya. ”Full Article
• Encountering Peace: The Sun Will Come Out ...

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  • Israel-Gaza Conflict

  Encountering Peace: The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow - or Maybe Not

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  From The Jerusalem Post --Israel has no systematic long-term strategy for dealing with Palestine, seeming to operate only in crisis mode. Equally as important as cultivating an exit strategy is the need to have a plan for Gaza after the conflict is over. As it stands, there is no leading school of thought for either.
  

  “ This may have really been a "war of no choice," however I am completely convinced that the policies implemented over the past years have led us directly to the point where we perhaps had no choice. ”Full Article

  
  
• Egg Farm Video

  Submitted 1 month ago By Kylee Liegl
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  • Factory Farming

  Egg Farm Video

  Submitted 1 month ago by Kylee Liegl

  Wegmans Egg farm proudly marks its egg cartons with the Animal Care Certified logo. Yet undercover footage at a Wegman's egg farm reveals extreme overcrowding, trampled birds, overly trimmed beaks, and excrement falling on birds from the cages above them.
• California Sues Navy Over Sonar, Whale Deaths

  Submitted 2 months ago By Toby Shuster
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  • Sonar Testing

  California Sues Navy Over Sonar, Whale Deaths

  Submitted 2 months ago by Toby Shuster

  From MSNBC -- The U.S. Navy was sued in 2007 because of its decision to continue sonar training exercises off the coast of California, despite regulations and protests from environmental groups. The Navy broke an agreement with the California Coastal Commission to perform the exercises while avoiding coastal waters with a large whale and dolphin population and reducing sonar levels when it's difficult for ship personnel to spot sea life.
  

  “ Critics contend sonar has harmful effects on whales, possibly by damaging their hearing, and other marine mammals worldwide. A congressional report last year found the Navy's sonar exercises have been blamed for at least six cases of mass death and stranding among whales in the past decade. ”Full Article
• Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm ...

  Submitted 2 months ago By Kylee Liegl
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  • Factory Farming

  Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America

  Submitted 2 months ago by Kylee Liegl

  

  From the Pew National Commission on Industrial Farm Production-- Though it has reduced costs and increased the speed of production, the industrialization of food animal production has created a number of problems that must be addressed for the sake of public health, animal welfare, the environment, and the social structure and economy of rural communities.
  

  “ Despite the dramatic decline in family farms over the past 50 years, many Americans, until very recently, continued to think that their food still came from these small farms. ”Full Article

  
  
• Prescription for Trouble: Using Antibiotics to ...

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  Prescription for Trouble: Using Antibiotics to Fatten Livestock

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  From the Union of Concerned Scientists-- The use of antibiotics and other antimicrobials to promote weight gain in chickens, cows, and pigs is a standard practice at most large factory farms. Health experts now link this practice to drug-resistant strains of bacteria and a recent rise in the reported incidence of foodborne illness.
  

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• Facts: Factory Farming

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  • Factory Farming

  Facts: Factory Farming

  Sponsored Content

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  From the In Defense of Animals website-- A brief history of factory farming, and little-known facts about the living conditions and common practices in the overcrowded livestock facilities that give factory farming its name.
  

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• Mabale Growers' Tea Factory Ltd.

  Submitted 2 months ago By Brooke Minters
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  • Trade

  Mabale Growers' Tea Factory Ltd.

  Submitted 2 months ago by Brooke Minters

  From Fairtrade Foundation -- Here is profile of a fair trade producer working with the FairTrade Foundation. Located in the Western hilly slopes of the Kyenjojo District of Western Uganda, exist the Mabale Grower's Tea Factory. The factory was initially abandoned during the Amin regime.
  

  “ ‘Thanks to Fairtrade, we have changed our agricultural techniques which have improved the quality and quantity of our teas. We have opened new access roads to benefit all in the community, assisted in providing primary health care through construction of health units and added a new block to a local secondary school. Fairtrade is significantly contributing towards the social improvement of our community and providing a better future for our youngsters.’ ”

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Bi Pharma Scams

How Drug Companies Fooled Me and Most Doctors

As little as ten years ago, conventional medicine touted HRT as THE answer to women’s post-menopausal health.

Interestingly, shortly after I completed my residency training program in 1985, I was actually a paid lecturer for the drug company that sold Premarin, the horse-based estrogen that was sold to women in menopause.

I promoted it because after carefully reviewing the “scientific” literature for over a year, it certainly seemed that it had far more benefits than downsides. However, this was my introduction in the mind-bending manipulation that the drug companies had been using for many decades.

They had meticulously bought off the leading physicians in this area of research with huge speaking engagements and grants, and were able to facilitate their articles being published in the most respected medical journals.

By using this strategy, they were able to completely pervert the scientific process and as a result, convince nearly the entire medical community, generating billions of dollars in profits from the sale of these unnatural hormones for humans.

It took me several years to recognize how these companies manipulated the system but eventually I learned the truth and stopped prescribing and recommending HRT as conventionally recommended.

In fact the leading proponent of using estrogen in the 1960’s, Dr. Robert A. Wilson, established a sham research foundation and wrote his seminal book, “Feminine Forever”, all with secret pharmaceutical company funds. His research institute and treatment recommendations were later found to be fraudulent, but by the time this was discovered the theory of using estrogen had been well established and carried on with it’s own momentum even in the face of research to the contrary. Every medical doctor in the United States fell into this trap of misinformation and mistruth and these dangerous prescribing practices continued for almost forty years

Big Pharma and the FDA: Suppress the Science and Ban the Natural

Big Pharma and the FDA: Suppress the Science and Ban the Natural:

In 2005, the pharmaceutical company Biostratum, Inc. made a mistake -- they invested millions of dollars into developing a drug, only to discover that the active ingredient, pyridoxamine, was a common, naturally occurring substance that has been sold for decades at low cost.

Biostratum responded by asking the U.S. FDA to declare supplements containing pyridoxamine “adulterated,” and effectively ban anyone but Biostratum from selling pyridoxamine. Earlier this year the FDA agreed to ban companies from selling pyridoxamine as a dietary supplement.

The FDA’s comment on the decision specifically says, “To allow such an article to be marketed as a dietary supplement would not be fair to the pharmaceutical company that brought, or intends to bring, the drug to market.”

Apparently, they were not as concerned about fairness to consumers.

This is hardly the first time the FDA has attacked naturally occurring substances. The FDA has banned information about scientifically proven health benefits of cherries from appearing on Web sites. And for years, the FDA barred health claims about the benefits of omega-3 fats for heart, cancer, depression, body pain, and various other conditions until a drug company paid a great deal of money to go through the approval process.

In the case of pyridoxamine, the FDA did not act out of concern for public safety. This is about a profit-seeking corporation taking advantage of corruption in what is supposed to be a public health organization.

Sources:

American Association for Health Freedom

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Pyridoxamine is one form of the vitamin B6. It is an important nutrient for helping your body process carbohydrates, support your nervous system activity and prevent homocysteine, which has been linked to increased risk of heart disease, from building up in your blood.

This substance has long been sold over-the-counter as a dietary supplement, but the FDA abruptly put a stop to that in January 2009. Their reasoning has nothing to do with safety, but rather is firmly based on protecting a drug company’s investment.

As stated above, the FDA actually said:

“To allow such an article to be marketed as a dietary supplement would not be fair to the pharmaceutical company that brought, or intends to bring, the drug to market.”

What is happening here is a blatant example of the FDA protecting the hand that feeds it. It is now essentially banning vitamin B6 in the form of pyridoxamine, and reserving it to be exclusively distributed by the drugmaker Biostratum, Inc.

If the FDA really wants to speak about being fair, why are they not worried about being fair to the supplement makers who already distribute this product … or the people who will have their inexpensive supply of this vitamin taken away?

Why?

Because the FDA and U.S. government are loaded with people trying to eliminate all competition for the drug companies, who financially support the FDA in the form of user fees for drug approval.

This Type of Injustice Has Happened Many Times Before

To get a feeling of who the FDA is really looking out for, you need look no further than the recent estriol debacle.

Estriol is a bioidentical hormone that is sometimes used in hormone replacement therapy drugs, available through compounding pharmacies. However, estriol is not an FDA-approved drug, and according to the FDA estriol “has not been shown to be safe and effective for the uses for which it is being prescribed.”

Therefore, the FDA has proposed to allow estriol-containing prescriptions to be filled only if accompanied by an Investigational New Drug (IND) application, stating that the use of INDs is “routine,” and therefore shouldn’t cause any major inconvenience or limitation on estriol’s use, if and when a physician believes it’s in his patient’s best interest.

However, the IND places a significant financial burden on physicians, most notably by requiring them to submit applications to an Institutional Review Board (IRB). Submitting necessary documentation and contracting for a private IRB can easily cost between $10,000 and $25,000 and can take months.

So the process will effectively ban most physicians from prescribing estriol, which is a much safer, natural alternative to synthetic hormones.

This news is frustrating in and of itself, and certainly highlights the need for less government involvement in health care. But what happened next is nothing short of infuriating.

Pipex Therapeutics is now seeking approval for Trimesta, a knock-off of natural estriol, and the FDA is in the process of considering the approval!

Clearly, the FDA was never concerned with estriol being used in an unsafe manner -- they were concerned that their drug-company buddies were not getting their fair share of the profits.

Is The FDA Your Protector -- or a Threat to Your Health Freedom?

Examples like this one and the latest pyridoxamine scandal are red flags that the U.S. FDA is not there to protect you, or your health freedom.

You may not be aware, but in June 2007 the FDA announced new standards for dietary supplements that were intended to improve consumer safety.

In reality, the 800-page rule surrounds the dietary supplement industry with regulations and requirements in excess of those imposed on the drug industry, and up to 50 percent of small companies will simply not be able to afford to comply.

Even before this ruling, supplement makers were (and still are) limited from making health claims (this is reserved only for drugs).

Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?

But consider that it’s still illegal even in cases where the claims have been clearly proven -- so cherry growers cannot legally say that tart cherries may do more good than aspirin or other anti-inflammatory drugs when it comes to pain relief, even though studies back them up.

This is why the American Association for Health Freedom (AAHF) states that the FDA “ignores first amendment protections and censors the communication of valid scientific information.” They continue:

“The agency seems to have lost sight of its mandate to protect the public and has instead come to see itself as the guardian of corporate interests.”

The FDA is clearly censoring your right to know about, and purchase, foods and supplements that can help you stay healthy and prevent disease. At the same time, they are allowing dangerous drugs and consumer products to remain on the market and be sold and aggressively advertised as safe.

Even the FDA has admitted to its shortcomings and in a report said:

• “The FDA cannot fulfill its mission because its scientific base... is weak...."
• "The FDA cannot fulfill its mission because its scientific workforce does not have sufficient capacity and capability."
• "FDA does not have the capacity to ensure the safety of food for the nation."
• “The development of medical products based on 'new science' cannot adequately be regulated by the FDA.”

You Can Sign a Petition to Help

The AAHF is leading a campaign to reform the FDA, and your help is urgently needed, as a large number of signatures are required to compel Congressional Action.

So if you believe reforming the FDA is a worthy cause, please sign the petition now, and encourage your friends and family to do so also.

Congress already knows the FDA represents a serious problem. This petition will help move them to take the urgent action required to invoke much-needed positive change.

Related Links:

Beware: Natural Substance Knock-Offs in FDA Pipeline are Dangerous

Here’s Your Chance to Change the FDA -- I Need Your Help on This One

The FDA is Running an Extortion Racket