Cleansing Blog

A New York Times article published earlier this year raised questions about the health risks of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in hybrid or electric vehicles.

EMFs have been linked to serious health matters, including cancer and a potential risk of leukemia among children, so limiting exposure is in your best interest.

However, a safety report by Stan Hartman, an environmental health consultant in Boulder, CO, specializing in electropollution, found that hybrid vehicles are not a problem for your health.

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Moderate alcohol intake is associated with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in plasma and red blood cells. The effect could be caused compounds other than alcohol itself, representing a key to understand the mechanism lying behind the heart protection observed in moderate wine drinkers.

A study examined more than 1,600 citizens from three geographical areas. All participants underwent a comprehensive medical examination, including a one year recall food frequency questionnaire to assess their dietary intake, alcohol consumption included. It found that moderate alcohol drinking, especially of wine, acts like a ‘trigger’, boosting the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in your body.

Omega-3 fatty acids are considered as protective against coronary heart disease and sudden cardiac death, thus their high blood concentration is definitely good for health.

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While some people face life-changing events, most of what defines and redefines us as people is not the stuff of big-budget epic movies, but rather the boring, mundane stuff of everyday life.

How can we grab hold of those little things that say so much about who we are — and use them to move us closer to who we want to be? We have to go through an ongoing process that involves:

Personal change is hard, and harder still because there’s so much little stuff going on in our lives that all push and pull us in different directions. Which is precisely why it’s so important to pay attention to the little things, no matter how trivial they might seem.

Inspiration for the day

Choosing to go green in your home can be as easy as choosing to recycle a can instead of throwing it away or choosing an energy efficient appliance instead of an energy wasting one. But sometimes the greener choice is not so obvious.

Take choosing a soft cloth to use for your dusting and cleaning. Nearly every green source I’ve consulted mentions synthetic microfiber as a green cleaning product. It does such a great job cleaning that it eliminates the need for toxic cleaning products and disposable wipes. It also can hold more dirt, grime and bacteria than other rags so you can use it longer before you have to wash it.

Jack of all cleaning tasks
Dry microfiber makes a great duster because it attracts dust to it instead of scattering it. It also works well for electronics like computer monitors and televisions where using a cleaning solution or a harsher cloth can cause damage. Microfiber can scrub just enough to get rid of spots or dirt without scratching and attract and hold the dust that hides in tight spaces.

With a little water and a dab of non-toxic dish soap, microfiber can match or beat any toxic cleaning solution for tasks such as wiping counters, cleaning bathrooms, washing windows and just about anything. So why wouldn’t everyone want to clean their home with this wondercloth?

The not-so eco-friendly side of microfiber
Microfiber is made from polyester and nylon so it’s a petroleum-based, non-renewable, and non-biodegradable product. The process that produces the petrochemicals that go into making microfiber also produces polluting and globe-warming greenhouse gases. This is bad for the environment and also for the workers who transform the raw materials into cloth and consumer products.

Suddenly microfiber doesn’t look like such a green choice after all. It can be greener than, say, disposable wipes or toxic cleaning solutions, but luckily there are also greener options than microfiber.

Greener cleaning cloths
The greenest choice is to use scraps of t-shirts or other fabrics that you would normally throw away. You keep the fabric out of the landfill and avoid buying a new product. For more effective dusting, spray your rag with a mixture of ¼-cup white distilled vinegar and a few drops of olive or jojoba oil.

Another option comes from the eco-friendly sponge maker Twist in the form of a cleaning cloth made from bamboo and corn. It’s washable and reusable like microfiber, but it also comes from renewable resources and is biodegradable. It does a great job dusting, which means it doesn’t leave its own particles behind and it actually grabs the dust instead of scattering it. These cloths also work great wet to clean the kitchen counter and the bathroom (separate cloths for each of those tasks of course).

So depending on your green priorities, microfiber may really be for the birds. Luckily, Twist is most definitely for the birds — quite literally. The cardboard packaging for the bamboo cloths has instructions on the back to make it into a bird feeder (see photo). I’m not sure how long this reincarnation will keep this bit of paper out of the recycling, but it’s fun while it lasts.

going green

Experts predict that as a result of the so-called JUPITER study, which seemed to show that the statin drug Crestor lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes in those with high levels of inflammation, will lead to millions of people being put on statin drugs.

But the benefits were actually tiny – about 0.72 percent of the statin takers in the trial had a heart attack or stroke, compared with 1.5 percent of those taking placebos.

Instead of a statin drug that comes with dangerous side effects, try these six measures instead:

1. 1. Stop smoking. Smoking hardens the arteries and increase inflammation. But research shows you can reverse all the damaging effects to your arteries within 10 years of quitting.
   2. Think olive oil, fish, and nuts. People who stick with a Mediterranean-style diet based on fruits, vegetables, nuts, and olive oil can lower their levels of inflammation. It works by increasing the amount of foods you eat that are rich in omega-3 fats, which fight inflammation.
   3. Get active. Exercise a great way to lower inflammation without any of the side effects associated with medications.
   4. Shrink your waist size. If you’re a woman with a waist measurement of over 35 inches or a man with a waist of over 40 inches, you probably have high inflammation. Whittling a few inches off the waist by reducing your portions and increasing activity can go a long way toward solving that problem.
   5. Get enough sleep. A new study shows that elderly people with high blood pressure who sleep less than 7.5 hours a night have dramatically elevated chances of having a stroke or heart attack. Other research has shown that both too little and too much sleep increases inflammation. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says most adults need between seven and eight hours of sleep each night.
   6. Reduce stress. High levels of stress hormones can lead to the release of excess inflammatory chemicals.

Remedies

VeriChip is an injectable identification chip that can be inserted under the skin of a human being to provide biometric verification. VeriChip, manufactured by Applied Digital Solutions, is about the size of a grain of rice. It holds an identification number, an electromagnetic coil for transmitting data, and a tuning capacitor; the components are enclosed inside a silicon and glass container that is compatible with human tissue. The chip, which uses an RFID (wireless transmission) technology similar to the injectable ID chips used by animal shelters to tag pets, can be read by a proprietary scanner up to four feet away.

The site that I became fascinated with uses a logo similar to that of Intel’s, which states, “No Verichip Inside”. It was here that I learned about how crazy this thing has become. The site is We The People Will Not Be Chipped. Spread it! But more importantly, oppose the tracking and control of human beings. Oppose anything that violates your freedoms. This is why we live in this country. It’s about time Americans started to behave as the founding fathers intended. Show your support! Oppose The Real ID Act. March, write, sing, paint, scream, film and be free! You have the power. People have the power.

TAKE ACTION, The Truth, news RFID, verichip

How Much Is Needed for Vitamin D?

Coinciding with the first weeks of summer, a study just published underscores the importance of getting adequate amounts of sunlight for its vitamin D-boosting benefits. The research, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, shows that those with the lowest vitamin D levels have more than double the risk of dying from heart disease and other causes over an eight-year period compared with those with the highest vitamin D levels. The researchers cite “decreased outdoor activity” as one reason that people may become deficient in vitamin D. Another recent study found an increased risk of heart attacks in those with low vitamin D levels.

In the winter, it’s impossible to produce vitamin D from the sun if you live north of Atlanta because the sun never gets high enough in the sky for its ultraviolet B rays to penetrate the atmosphere. But summer is a great time to stock up on the nutrient. When the sun’s UV-B rays hit the skin, a reaction takes place that enables skin cells to manufacture vitamin D. If you’re fair skinned, experts say going outside for 10 minutes in the midday sun—in shorts and a tank top with no sunscreen—will give you enough radiation to produce about 10,000 international units of the vitamin. Dark-skinned individuals and the elderly also produce less vitamin D, and many folks don’t get enough of the nutrient from dietary sources like fatty fish and fortified milk.

The government’s dietary recommendations are 200 IUs a day up to age 50, 400 IUs to age 70, and 600 IUs over 70. But many experts believe that these recommendations are far too low to maintain healthful vitamin D levels. They advocate for supplementation in the winter a minimum of 2,000 IUs per day as well as a dose of daily sunshine in the summer.

The sunshine vitamin may protect against a host of diseases, including osteoporosis, heart disease, and cancers of the breast, prostate, and colon. What’s more, sunlight has other hidden benefits—like protecting against depression, insomnia, and an overactive immune system.

Given all the upsides of basking at least briefly in the summer sun, many experts now worry that public-health messages warning about skin cancer have gone overboard in getting people to cover up and seek the shade. U.S. News got in touch with Robyn Lucas, an epidemiologist at Australian National University who led a study published in the February issue of the International Journal of Epidemiology.

Read more…

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New research shows that to get an optimal vitamin D supplement from the sun at a minimal risk of getting cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM), the best time of sun exposure is noon.

That means that common health recommendations given by authorities in many countries — that sun exposure should be avoided for three to five hours around noon and postponed to the afternoon — could be wrong and may even promote CMM.

This is in part because the action spectrum for CMM is likely to be centered at longer wavelengths than that of vitamin D generation.

Health News

Scientists are still trying to unravel the many mysteries of the brain. But although there is still a lot to learn, several studies have indicated a few ways to help keep your thinking organ in shape, now and as you age.

1. Eat Your Brain Food

A diet of junk food can also junk up your brain. Fake “foods” like trans fats can negatively affect the brain’s synapses. But a balanced diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids can give the synapses a boost and help fight against mental disorders from depression to dementia.

2. Hit the Gym

Since exercise is a mild stressor to your body, eating up the energy needed by your brain, it triggers the release of chemicals called growth factors that make the brain’s neurons stronger and healthier. Half an hour every other day will do it, according to experts.

3. Mind Benders

Give your brain a workout, too, with brainteasers, crossword puzzles and memory games. Studies have shown that using these tools to stay mentally active can reduce the risks of developing dementia by building and maintaining a reserve of stimulation in your brain.

4. Memory Tricks

Keeping information stored in your memory banks and retaining that memory with age may also be a simple matter of mind control. Confidence in your cognitive abilities could actually affect how well your memory functions, particularly for the elderly.

5. Give it a Rest

Sleep gives your brain a chance to replay the memories of the day and consolidate them for long-term storage. One study suggested that the brain can do its reviewing much faster when you’re asleep than when you’re wide awake.

Health News

(NaturalNews) Health Minister Chaiya Sasomsap said that the government of Thailand will override the patents on three cancer drugs, after pressure from health activists and doctors calling on him to resign. Over the course of five years, the decision is expected to save the government of Thailand, and cost the pharmaceutical companies, more than 3 billion baht ($100 million).

It is not the first time that Thailand has issued compulsory licenses to override the patents on expensive drugs. In 2006, former Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla overrode the patent on the HIV/AIDS medication Efavirenz, manufactured by Merck.

Mongkol said that a poor nation such as Thailand could not afford to pay patented drug prices for the 63 million people on its national health plan - 80 percent of the country’s population. Soon after, he issued compulsory licenses for an Abbot Laboratories AIDS drug and a Sanofi-Aventis heart medicine.

Mongkol also announced patent overrides on three cancer drugs: Letrozole, a Novartis drug for breast cancer; Docetaxel, a Sanofi-Aventis drug for breast and lung cancer; and Erlotinib, a Roche drug for lung, ovarian and pancreatic cancer. But when Chaiya took over as health minister in February 2008, the three affected drug companies launched a lobbying effort to reverse Mongkol’s decision.

Chaiya, a businessman with no history in medicine, announced that he would review the decision, calling it “politically correct … but not legally correct.” He also fired the Health Ministry’s top negotiator responsible for securing lower prices for foreign drug companies. Outraged doctors and health activists immediately launched a campaign to remove Chaiya from office.

On March 10, Chaiya announced that Mongkol’s initial decision would be upheld.

“The findings have convinced me to go ahead with the compulsory licenses, since the ministry’s policy is to give patients good access to quality drugs at cheap prices,” he said.

In February, drug company Novartis averted a compulsory license on its leukemia drug Glivec by agreeing to provide it to hundreds of Thai patients for free.

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