Protect Yourself from Toxins in Your Home

Protect Yourself from Toxins in Your Home

Five chemicals, that are literally everywhere in the modern home, are being linked to cancer, behavioral problems and sexual abnormalities.

CNN | A growing body of research is linking five chemicals -- among the most common in the world -- to a host of ailments, including cancer, sexual problems and behavioral issues.

We encounter them every day -- in plastic bottles, storage containers, food wrap, cans, cookware, appliances, carpets, shower curtains, clothes, personal care products, furniture, television sets, electronics, bedding, cushions and mattresses. In short, every room in almost every house in the United States is likely to contain at least one of these chemicals, many of which did not exist a century ago.

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Reckless Indifference and the Narrow Self-interest of the American Cancer Society

Reckless Indifference and the Narrow Self-interest of the American Cancer Society

The ACS's indifference to cancer prevention reflects major industry funding.

Environmental News Service | The May 6 report by the President's Cancer Panel is well-documented. It warns of scientific evidence on avoidable causes of cancer from exposure to carcinogens in air, water, consumer products, and the workplace. It also warns of hormonal risks from exposure to Bisphenol-A (BPA) and other toxic plastic contaminants, says Samuel S. Epstein, M.D., Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition (CPC).

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Big Risks with Big Agriculture

Big Risks with Big Agriculture

Six Foods we could lose in a plant disease outbreak.

MNN | Shea Gunther | Weak foods leave empty plates - The modern food industry likes consistency. Modern food and agricultural corporations operate on a huge scale, and that's where consistency matters. When it comes to the crops and animals that we eat, consistency means the variety gets the short straw — instead of growing multiple varieties of potatoes, for example, the industry relies on one or two primary strains. The few strains that are grown are susceptible to certain kinds of disease, and the results can be disastrous.

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Watch Three Wombats animated video on aniboom

Watch Three Wombats animated video on aniboom

Children's Medications Recalled

Children's Medications Recalled

Johnson & Johnson announced a recall of more than 40 medicines for children, including certain Tylenol and Benadryl varieties. Here are some natural alternatives.

CNN | Elizabeth Landau | This weekend a division of Johnson & Johnson announced a recall of more than 40 medicines for children, including certain Tylenol and Benadryl varieties. Here is a full list of drugs that consumers should stop using. This is a voluntary recall because of concerns over quality standards, not adverse medical effects, the company said.

If they can't give their kids common medicines, how can parents help their kids feel better? Empowered Patient columnist Elizabeth Cohen found several good alternative treatments for children last year. For instance, probiotics work well for diarrhea, and fish oil and treat eczema, doctors say. Fish oil can also help asthma sufferers. You can read the full story below.

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Shopper's Guide to Pesticides Updated for 2010

Shopper's Guide to Pesticides Updated for 2010

The dirty dozen - the top tweleve foods most contaminated with pesticides - and the cleanest 15.

EWG | We always recommend eating more fruits and veggies and buying them organic if you can, but we know that sometimes they're too expensive or flat-out unavailable.

That's why we are publishing Shopper's Guide to Pesticides from the Environmental Working Group -- so you know which fruits and vegetables have the lowest pesticide residues and which you should try to always buy organic.

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Big Pharma Fraud

Big Pharma Fraud

The more fraud a drug company commits, the profits always outdo the criminal fines and lawsuits by factors of 20, 30, 100… It’s as simple as that.

The following is an excerpt from an article by Mark Ames originally published on AlterNet.

2). Big Pharma Fraud.

Remember that scene early in Fight Club, when Edward Norton explained his job, when it was more profitable to let a car defect go and pay whatever lawsuit settlements come from the deaths, and when it’s better to recall the cars because the number of deaths will result in too many lawsuits? This is humanitarian do-gooder stuff compared to the savage real-world fraud-for-profit model that drives America’s drug companies.

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Statin Drugs Alternative - Red Yeast Rice for Lowering Cholesterol

Statin Drugs Alternative - Red Yeast Rice for Lowering Cholesterol

Red yeast rice has been used medicinally in China for centuries, made from the fermentation of a red yeast over rice.

Nutrition for Optimal Wellness | Marcia J. Egles, M.D. | Statins, otherwise known as HMG co-enzyme A reductase inhibitors, are a class of medications used to treat high cholesterol. High cholesterol in the blood is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Although statins are generally well tolerated, at least five per cent of millions who take them must discontinue statins because of muscle problems¹. An observational study of patients intolerant to statins, who were later treated with “over-the-counter” red yeast rice dietary supplements, has shown an acceptable lowering of cholesterol as reported recently in the American Journal of Cardiology².

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Trying to Outlaw Atrazine

Trying to Outlaw Atrazine

For the second time in three years, legislation is being proposed to make the selling and use of Atrazine against the law.

Huffington Post | Danielle Ivory | A member of Congress is seeking to ban one of the nation's most widely-used herbicides, which has turned up in drinking water in some states. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) is for the second time proposing legislation that would outlaw any use or trade of atrazine.

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Good Housekeeping Works Better Than Insecticides

Good Housekeeping Works Better Than Insecticides

Research shows pesticide-free homes can be bug-free, too; 'Good housekeeping' is more effective than insecticides

Environmental Health News | Erik Ortlip | When a building supervisor notified tenants in Brooklyn that one of the apartments had a bedbug infestation, Eddie Rosenthal feared that it was only a matter of time until they spread to his home. But it wasn't just the bugs that gave Rosenthal the creeps. So did the prospect of using pesticides. So Rosenthal decided to try a few tricks that might keep his home bug-free without spraying chemicals. He raised his bed off the ground, filled some cracks and applied some nontoxic powder to spaces between walls. Now new research shows that such good housekeeping techniques not only minimize chemical use, but they are even more effective at controlling pests than hiring an exterminator to spray powerful, toxic pesticides. A single use of such techniques in 13 New York City apartment buildings eliminated substantially more cockroaches and mice than repeated professional applications of pesticides, according to a new study.

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Fat Loss Can Yeild Amazing Effects on the Immune System

Fat Loss Can Yeild Amazing Effects on the Immune System

Scientists have shown for the first time that even modest weight loss reverses many of the damaging changes often seen in the immune cells of obese people.

Science Daily | The immune system is made up of many different kinds of cells that protect the body from germs, viruses and other invaders. These cells need to co-exist in a certain balance for good health to be maintained. Many factors, including diet and excess body fat, can tip this balance, creating immune cells that can attack, rather than protect, our bodies.

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From Laboratory to Dinner Table - Nanotechnology in Food and Farming

From Laboratory to Dinner Table - Nanotechnology in Food and Farming

Nanotechnology in Food and Farming - New consumer products with hidden nanotech ingredients hit the U.S. market in a nearly unregulated fashion each week, including baby toys, personal care products, clothes, food and countless other products.

OCC | What is NanoTechnology? - Nanotechnology is the experimental process of manipulating matter at a scale of 1/100th the width of human hair, in order to create new products and materials.

New consumer products with hidden nanotech ingredients hit the U.S. market in a nearly unregulated fashion each week, including baby toys, personal care products, clothes, and countless other products.

The nanoparticles in these products are so small, they leach through the skin and spread through the environment in unpredictable ways.

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Anti-Depression and Anti-Seizure Drugs Linked to Suicide and Violent Death

Anti-Depression and Anti-Seizure Drugs Linked to Suicide and Violent Death

Drugs used to treat epilepsy as well as depression, chronic pain, migraine, bipolar disorder, and other conditions have been linked to a higher risk of suicide and violent death

Health.com | Anne Harding | Some antiseizure drugs used to treat epilepsy as well as depression, chronic pain, migraine, bipolar disorder, and other conditions are associated with a higher risk of suicide and violent death than other drugs in the same class, according to a new study.

Experts caution that patients should not stop taking the drugs -- gabapentin (Neurontin), lamotrigine (Lamictal), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), tiagabine (Gabitril), and valproate (Depakote) -- without their doctor's permission.

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Elderly in Need of Vitamin D

Elderly in Need of Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency is now considered to be “a major public health concern in elderly populations”.

Nutrition for Optimal Wellness | Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS | Vitamin D deficiency is now considered to be “a major public health concern in elderly populations”. Vitamin D deficiency carries a large number health risks that include possible pregnancy problems¹, being a risk factor for stroke² and cardiovascular disease³, and may even contribute to chronic pain⁴. Vitamin D deficiency has even been found to increase overall mortality in women⁵.

Although vitamin D deficiency is common in U.S. children⁶, it is just as much of a problem in the elderly. While there is no consensus on optimal vitamin D blood levels for the elderly, the suggested minimum blood level is 75 nanomoles/Liter. This blood level has been associated with optimal bone density, reduced fracture risk, and lower extremity muscle strength⁷. Now a new study⁸ has found that supplementation may be the best way to achieve this suggested minimum level.

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Death by Farming

Death by Farming

Cancer, Parkinson's, Breast Cancer and a slew of other diseases linked to Atrazine

Civil Eats | Paula Crossfield | The Ecologist reported recently that three French farmers have successfully sued chemical companies for cancer and Parkinson’s disease that resulted from their occupational use of pesticides–an issue as widespread as it is under-reported. A cereal farmer with 100,000 hectares of land in in the Vosges region, Dominque Marchal was the first farmer to have his leukemia associated with his daily pesticide use. His wife was determined to get to the bottom of the issue. From the Ecologist:

She employed a lawyer to help her gather the scientific evidence and herself set about gathering invoices and receipts to list which pesticides her husband had been using in previous years. Then, from their own pesticide stocks and with the help of neighbouring farms, she was able to gather samples of each of the potential cancer-causing substances. Her lawyer helped her find a laboratory willing to analyse the contents, and when the results came back they showed that 40 per cent contained benzene, a substance not marked on any of the contents labels but that is known to increase the risk of leukaemia.

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Gluten Free Brown Rice Angel Hair Pasta with Flaxseed Now Available

Gluten Free Brown Rice Angel Hair Pasta with Flaxseed Now Available
A premium quality Gluten Free Brown Rice Pasta with Golden Milled Flax Seed begins with all natural, gluten free ingredients that are blended together.

Each Batch is tested using the ELISA Gluten Assay test to ensure that a quality product is delivered to you.

As well as being Gluten Free, it is also Wheat free, Dairy free, and contains no eggs.

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Big Pharma Turns Vitamin B into a Controlled Drug

Big Pharma Turns Vitamin B into a Controlled Drug

A natural form of the vitamin was recently yanked off the market by the FDA because a pharmaceutical company, BioStratum, wanted it's sole use in a drug.

Human beings cannot live without vitamin B-6. It is also important for the prevention of cancer and the prevention and treatment of seizures, anemia, mental disorders including schizophrenia, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other conditions. Its effect on carpal tunnel can seem almost miraculous.

A natural form of the vitamin, Pyridoxamine, was recently yanked off the market by the FDA. Why? Because a pharmaceutical company, BioStratum, wanted sole use of pyridoxamine in a drug, a drug which may or may not ever appear. The company filed a so-called citizens petition and the FDA agreed, notwithstanding protests from ANH-USA, other organizations, and thousands of citizens. You might ask: how can Pharma take a supplement off the market and claim exclusive use of it as a prescription drug? The FDA does not presently feel obligated to answer this question.

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An Overview of the Feingold Diet

An Overview of the Feingold Diet

A dietary approach to helping children with learning and behavior problems like ADD and ADHD.

The Feingold Diet derives from the program suggested in the book “Why Your Child is Hyperactive“, first published in the 1970s by Dr. Benjamin Feingold, a pediatrician and allergist. He went on to develop and promote his dietary approach to helping children with learning and behavior problems, since categorized as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

The Feingold Diet is based on the premise that allergic reactions or sensitivities to certain types of foods cause or contribute to ADD/ADHD symptoms, such as problems with:

• Behavior (marked hyperactivity, impulsive and compulsive actions, emotional concerns)

• Learning (short attention span, neuro-muscular difficulties, cognitive and perceptual disturbances)

• Health (physical complaints and/or sleep problems)

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GMO Primer

GMO Primer

Some Basic information about Genetically Modified Organisims.

Salt Lake Tribune | MaryJane Butters | Living out here at the end of my dirt road, I welcome spring with simple rituals around my small farm. One of my favorites involves turning rows of earth into a new garden and sowing heirloom seeds I've saved from last season's harvest. These are things I know to be good.

Every detail, from the perfume of enlivened soil to the sight of tiny green leaves sprouting toward the sun, appeals to my senses and are perfect little gifts. It's all part of a cycle that has been circling throughout the eons, assuring the fruition of nature's many gifts and making this planet a veritable paradise. I don't need to know the science behind every little miracle; it's enough that I can count on them happening, each in their own sweet time.

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Autism, ADHD and Food Allergies

Autism, ADHD and Food Allergies

While food suppliers push unhealthy food items, the public naively believes that government regulators protect them.

Huffington Post | Alison Rose Levy | There's an experiment going on right now--but it isn't being conducted by scientists. It's being conducted by parents. In 30 million kitchens across the U.S. that experiment is called "What Can My Child Eat?" In families with children with autism and allergies, the result of that experiment can either be a day of relative calm and comfort, or it can produce anything from brain fog, digestive discomfort, and mood swings, to pain, seizures, skin outbreaks, and severe digestive distress.

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Lowering Cholesterol: Niacin Works, Mercks Zetia Does Not

Lowering Cholesterol: Niacin Works, Mercks Zetia Does Not

A new study confirms Niacin's cholesterol lowering ability and the uselessness of Mercks drug Zetia.

BioScienceTechnology | Marilynn Marchione | A new study raises fresh concerns about Zetia and its cousin, Vytorin — drugs that are still taken by millions of people to lower cholesterol, despite questions raised last year about how well they work.

In the study, Zetia, the brand name for ezetimibe, failed to shrink buildups in artery walls while a rival drug, Niaspan, generically known as niacin, did so significantly. Zetia users also suffered more heart attacks and other problems although the numbers of these events are too small to draw firm conclusions.

Vytorin is a pill that combines Zetia with a statin, simvastatin.

Zetia "has been on the market for about seven years and we still haven't proven that it improves clinical outcomes," said Dr. Roger Blumenthal, preventive cardiology chief at Johns Hopkins University. The new results will be "very influential" in getting more doctors to turn to Niaspan, he said.

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Natural or Organic - Know How to Read the Labels

Natural or Organic - Know How to Read the Labels

Don't be fooled by tricky advertising and headlines plastered on food packaging.

OCA | NBC Today Show | Organic Food and Sewage Sludge on the NBC Today Show. The Today Show recently aired a segment on how to read food labels in the grocery store. It's important to know what you are actually buying and feeding to your family and yourself. Yes, it does take a bit of extra work and time to examine each and every label, but it is worth it. Michael Pollan, in his recent book "Food Rules", points out a couple of things that can make it much easier.

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Grass Fed Cows Actually Help the Planet

Grass Fed Cows Actually Help the Planet

Cows raised not on feedlots but in pastures, helps keep carbon dioxide in the ground.

Time | Lisa Abend | On a farm in coastal Maine, a barn is going up. Right now it's little more than a concrete slab and some wooden beams, but when it's finished, the barn will provide winter shelter for up to six cows and a few head of sheep. None of this would be remarkable if it weren't for the fact that the people building the barn are two of the most highly regarded organic-vegetable farmers in the country: Eliot Coleman wrote the bible of organic farming, The New Organic Grower, and Barbara Damrosch is the Washington Post's gardening columnist. At a time when a growing number of environmental activists are calling for an end to eating meat, this veggie-centric power couple is beginning to raise it. "Why?" asks Coleman, tromping through the mud on his way toward a greenhouse bursting with December turnips. "Because I care about the fate of the planet."

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Stuff, More Stuff and Even Extra More Stuff

Stuff, More Stuff and Even Extra More Stuff

We spend more on shoes and jewelry than higher education; more on ocean cruises than providing drinking water for all - A new book questioning our consumerism lays out the facts.

AlterNet | Annie Leonard | This following is an excerpt from The Story Of Stuff: How Our Obsession With Stuff Is Trashing The Planet, Our Communities, And Our Health – And A Vision For Change by Annie Leonard. Excerpted with permission by Free Press, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Copyright © 2010 by Annie Leonard.

Consumption

So here we are. All sorts of stuff is lining the real or virtual shelves of stores, ready to slip into our shopping carts or be assembled and shipped according to our desires. Enter the consumer. Stage left, stage right, storming stores and online shopping portals, armed with credit cards and freshly cashed paychecks. This stage of the game is What It's All For -- at least that's what we're told. For a moment, as the almighty consumer makes her selection from a long menu of choices, the entire world revolves around her. She experiences a surge of power as she trades her hard-earned money for a piece of stuff and becomes its owner, either meeting a need, indulging a whim, shifting a bad mood -- or maybe all three at once. "When things get tough, the tough go shopping," as the bumper stickers used to say.

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Massive Five Year Vitamin D Study Underway

Massive Five Year Vitamin D Study Underway

There's overwhelming evidence…that increasing your vitamin D intake can make substantial improvement in your overall health and welfare.

NPR | Richard Knox | Dr. Cliff Rosen of Portland, Maine, knows a lot about vitamin D. It's necessary for strong bones, and Rosen is a leading bone specialist. So he was surprised recently when his wife's new physician thought she might be deficient in vitamin D.

"She's a runner. She's in great shape," Rosen says. "She drinks dairy. She gets a lot of sun exposure." Sun exposure is key for Vitamin D, known as the sunshine vitamin. When skin is exposed to sun, it makes vitamin D.

Still, the doctor wanted to run a blood test to see if Rebecca Rosen had adequate vitamin D.

"So my wife said, 'Well, why do I need to have a vitamin D (test)?' And the physician said, 'Well, that's part of our measurement for wellness.' "

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Heroin, Junk Food Both Clinically Addictive

Heroin, Junk Food Both Clinically Addictive

Scientists have found that junk food is as addictive as heroin.

Telegraph | A diet of burgers, chips, sausages and cake will programme your brain into craving even more foods that are high in sugar, salt and fat, according to new research.

Over the years these junk foods can become a substitute for happiness and will lead bingers to become addicted.

Dr Paul Kenny, a neuroscientist, carried out the research which shows how dangerous high fat and high sugar foods can be to our health .

“You lose control. It’s the hallmark of addiction,” he said.

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Mystery Substance and Flouride

Mystery Substance and Flouride

Amesbury Water Department pulled fluoride from its system amid concerns about its supply from China.

The “investigative” team at WCVB TV in Boston ran a story yesterday about an unknown substance in fluoride imported from China. “Team 5 Investigates found the Amesbury Water Department pulled fluoride from its system amid concerns about its supply from China,” the news station reported. “Department of Public Works Director Rob Desmarais said after he mixes the white powder with water, 40 percent of it will not dissolve.” Desmarais said the residue clogs his machines and makes it difficult to get a consistent level of fluoride in the town’s water.

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Top Five Sleep Supplements

Top Five Sleep Supplements

A ranking of the five most popular supplements taken to aid sleep, based on sales volume and popularity.

1. VALERIAN
Most experts recommended this herb to reduce the amount of time it takes to nod off. According to the NIH, no single compound in valerian has been identified as the active agent. However, the NIH reports that valerian seems to have sedative properties, and it may increase the amount of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), a compound in the brain that prevents the transmission of nerve impulses. Valerian seems to be especially effective when combined with hops, according to a 2007 study. Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council, recommends using Enzymatic Therapy’s Alluna product. (View all Valerian products.)

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Livestock drug, banned in 160 nations, still legal and widely used in USA

Livestock drug, banned in 160 nations, still legal and widely used in USA

You are most likely ingesting a livestock drug Not Safe for Human Consumption if you eat beef or pork or poultry.

AlterNet | Martha Rosenberg | While researchers and scientists investigate the cause of our diabetes, obesity, asthma and ADHD epidemics, they should ask why the FDA approved a livestock drug banned in 160 nations and responsible for hyperactivity, muscle breakdown and 10 percent mortality in pigs, according to angry farmers who phoned the manufacturer.

The beta agonist ractopamine, a repartitioning agent that increases protein synthesis, was recruited for livestock use when researchers found the drug, used in asthma, made mice more muscular says Beef magazine.

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Decreased Strengh and Fat in Young People Linked to Low Vitamin D

Decreased Strengh and Fat in Young People Linked to Low Vitamin D

An astonishing 59 per cent of study subjects had too little Vitamin D in their blood. Nearly a quarter of the group had serious deficiencies (less than 20 ng/ml) of this important vitamin.

ScienceDaily | A ground-breaking study published in the March 2010 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found an astonishing 59 per cent of study subjects had too little Vitamin D in their blood. Nearly a quarter of the group had serious deficiencies (less than 20 ng/ml) of this important vitamin. Since Vitamin D insufficiency is linked to increased body fat, decreased muscle strength and a range of disorders, this is a serious health issue.

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Weed Killer Atrazine Chemically Castrates

Weed Killer Atrazine Chemically Castrates

New research suggests the herbicide may be a cause of amphibian declines around the globe.

CNN | Azadeh Ansari | Atrazine, a weed killer widely used in the Midwestern United States and other agricultural areas of the world, can chemically "castrate" male frogs and turn some into females, according to a new study.

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Urban Gardening

Urban Gardening

A front-yard veg-ornamental garden that neighbors actually like.

Sustainable Garden Blog | Susan Harris's | Ever feel like you were playing checkers and the other guy was playing chess?

Simone Fary lives just 3 blocks from the newly-bustling downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, with its shops, night life and subway station to greater DC. So, a great location. Plus plenty of sun, y'all! But like every other front yard in the neighborhood, hers was devoted to the care and feeding of turfgrass and some foundation shrubs. That bit of conformity ended when Simone got the urge to grow some food, dammit, but to grow it in a gorgeous, gardeny way. No need to go whole-farm and get the neighbors all nervous about property values. No need to deny herself a beautiful garden. The gardener with sun can have everything!

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Pig Business is Big Business

Pig Business is Big Business

You are what you eat... and who owns your food, owns you.

Grist | Kurt Michael Friese | Ever feel like you were playing checkers and the other guy was playing chess?

That’s the impression I get when watching many of the recent spate of food documentaries. Activists announce that this or that is wrong with the food system; on the rare occasion when something appears to be getting done about it, the folks who are doing things badly simply change their tactics, not their strategy.

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Bayer Banned

Bayer Banned

A federal judge banned the sale of a Bayer CropScience pesticide that environmental groups and commercial beekeepers say is potentially toxic to the nation's threatened honeybee population.

Both Bayer CropScience, a North Carolina subsidiary of Bayer AG, and the Environmental Protection Agency have 60 days to appeal the decision of Manhattan U.S. District Judge Denise Cote.

The ban would make the sale of spirotetramat, known by the trade names Movento and Ultor, illegal in the United States after Jan. 15.

Cote's decision does not explicitly address the inconclusive impact the pesticide might have on honeybees. Instead, she faulted the EPA for ignoring steps required in any pesticide approval process, including failing to take public comment and failing to publish Bayer's application and the agency's approval in the Federal Register.

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Mainstream Media Plays Catch-Up on Chemicals

Mainstream Media Plays Catch-Up on Chemicals

CNN finally pays a little attention to the massive amounts of untested, unregulated chemical compounds being dumped daily into our waterways, our soil and our bodies.

It has taken mainstream media quite a while to finally getting around to paying a little attention to chemicals. Untested chemicals that have been rushed to the marketplace and have found their way into our ecosystem.

The past fifty years has seen an unbridled amount of chemical use and chemical pollution. Sadly, we really have no idea what these synthetic chemicals might do to our health, or the health of the planet. It appears that we have created an experiment of historical proprotions and now we are beginning to see the results.

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What is Natural?

What is Natural?

As more products hit the shelves and call themselves 'natural', an industry group is trying to clarify what the term means.

AlterNet | Anjali Athavaley | A growing number of home-cleaning products that call their ingredients "natural" are hitting store shelves. Now, an industry group is trying to clarify what the term means and whether manufacturers are using it appropriately.

The Natural Products Association, a Washington-based group representing manufacturers and retailers including Clorox Co. and Whole Foods Market, plans to release new standards Thursday for natural home care products. The group is issuing the guidelines out of concern that products like household cleaners and detergents say on labels that they are natural when they are made mostly of synthetic ingredients, says Daniel Fabricant, the association's vice president for scientific and regulatory affairs. Products that meet those standards will be able to display the association's seal.

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Moods and the Immune System

Moods and the Immune System

Every doctor who's working with patients has a frame of reference that he or she uses to understand the manifestations of a person's illness. For the vast majority today, the frame of reference is one of materialistic science.

Weston Price Foundation | Thomas Cowan, MD | I remember a poignant and pivotal moment when I was in medical school back in the early 1980s. I was doing gastroenterology with a proctologist, a doctor who treats diseases of the anus and rectum. The patient was a farmer who had a frank way of talking. He told the proctologist that he had an itchy butt.

The doctor then explained that there would be a number of causes of his condition. It could be parasites, it could be ulcerative proctitis, it could be cancer of the rectum or anal region, and that he would have to order some tests. So he ordered a stool test, he ordered a blood test, and he did a sigmoidoscopy and a colonoscopy of the lower GI, which is a barium X-ray of his lower bowel. And all this cost about ten thousand dollars and took a couple weeks.

Then the farmer came back to his office and the doctor said, "I've found out what's the matter with you. You have pruritus ani." Pruritus ani in Latin means "itchy anus." I started to laugh, which probably wasn't a good thing for my grade. I knew a little bit of Latin at the time and I said, "But he told you that."

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Tumors and Death by Cell Phone

Tumors and Death by Cell Phone

A new debate is raging over whether prolonged cell phone use poses serious health side effects.

AlterNet | Daniela Perdomo | In the debate over cell phones, there doesn't appear to be any consensus on what, exactly, the harmful health effects on cell phone users may be. Unfortunately, the scary truth is that no one knows the full extent of problems caused by these must-have consumer electronics, because they've only become ubiquitous in recent years.

Nevertheless, at least one group of people who has been using cell phones longer than the rest of us has started to draw some connections.

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Top Ten Natural Heart Health Supplements

Top Ten Natural Heart Health Supplements

Here are the top ten, natural Heart Health Supplements based on popularity.

1. FISH OIL - OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS
Fish Oil contains the highest amount of Omega-3 Fatty Acids... and Omega-3 fatty acids benefit the heart of healthy people, and those at high risk of — or who have — cardiovascular disease. Research has shown that omega-3 fatty acids decrease risk of arrhythmias (abnormal heartbeats), which can lead to sudden death. Omega-3 fatty acids also decrease triglyceride levels, slow growth rate of atherosclerotic plaque, and lower blood pressure.
View all Fish Oil - Omega-3 products.)

2. CoEnzyme Q-10 (COQ10)
The beneficial effect of CoQ10 in the prevention and treatment of heart disease is due to its ability to improve energy production in cells, inhibit blood clot formation, and act as an antioxidant. Multiple studies have found that people who received daily CoQ10 supplements within 3 days of a heart attack were significantly less likely to experience subsequent heart attacks and chest pain. In addition, these same patients were less likely to die of heart disease than those who did not receive the supplements.
(Read more about CoEnzyme Q-10. -- View all CoEnzyme Q-10 products.)

3. GARLIC
Scientists have studied garlic fairly extensively as it relates to the treatment of hypertension and hyperlipidemia and it seems to be effective in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol in individuals

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Liver and Kidney Damage from GMO Crops

Liver and Kidney Damage from GMO Crops

According to the research, animals fed on three strains of genetically modified maize created by the U.S. biotech firm Monsanto suffered signs of organ damage after just three months.

Daily Mail | David Derbyshire | Fresh fears were raised over GM crops yesterday after a study showed they can cause liver and kidney damage.

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Vitamin D Levels during the Winter

Vitamin D Levels during the Winter

Current recommended intake for vitamin D during winter months needs to be increased by five, says a new study.

Nutra | Stephen Daniells | "Recommended intakes for people with darker skins should be increased to a whopping 2100 to 3100 International Units per day all year-round, up from the current adequate intakes set at 5 micrograms per day (200 International Units).

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The Value of Nothing

The Value of Nothing

Raj Patel shows how our faith in prices as a way of valuing the world is misplaced.

OCA | Raj Patel | "Opening with Oscar Wilde's observation that "nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing," Patel shows how our faith in prices as a way of valuing the world is misplaced. He reveals the hidden ecological and social costs of a hamburger (as much as $200), and asks how we came to have markets in the first place. Both the corporate capture of government and our current financial crisis, Patel argues, are a result of our democratically bankrupt political system."

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Top Five Anti Depression Supplements

Top Five Anti Depression Supplements

Sales of many natural ingredients for anxiety and depression posted upswings over the past year, even as consumers pinched pennies

BHNC | The worst recession in 70 years has meant soaring unemployment rates and plummeting moods. "Anxiety and depression seem to be a little more common in terms of what I've seen in the past six to 12 months," says Michael Smith, ND, a naturopathic physician at Carolinas Natural Health Center in Matthews, N.C. "It's easy enough to equate it with what's happening in the economy."

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Slow Death by Rubber Duck

Slow Death by Rubber Duck

To what extent are we poisoned from Bisphenol-A in household products to the toxins in our urine that are created by run-of-the-mill shampoos and toothpaste.

BHN | Bisphenol-A (BPA) builds up in the body faster than you'd think. The interesting thing that authors Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie did in the coure of writing their book, was to use themselves as human guinia pigs. Over a two week period, they microwaved food in plastic containers, drank from plastic cups made for children and ate a lot of canned food. The result? BPA levels in their blood had increased over seven times what it had been before they started!

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FDA says infants' use of Bisphenol-A products should be limited

FDA says infants' use of Bisphenol-A products should be limited

Industry says FDA goes to far in warning; consumer groups say BPA should be banned

CNN | Caleb Hellerman | Parents should take precautions to minimize infants' exposure to the chemical Bisphenol-A, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday in an announcement that stopped short of saying there is a definite health risk from the chemical.

In guidelines published on its Web site, the FDA said it has "some concern" about the safety of BPA, and supports efforts by industry to remove BPA from infant bottles and feeding cups.

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Care for a Glass of Fat?

Care for a Glass of Fat?

A New York City public health service announcement warns that soda's excess calories can quickly lead to extra pounds.

YouTube | M.E. Pegs | A new public service announcement is raising some eyebrows in New York these days. On the cusp of creating a "soda-tax", this video spot is airing, and is creating some controversy... mainly because of it's fairly digusting visuals.

New York City Health Commisionner believes that its the only way to grab people's attention in an ever jaded population, and he's pleased with the results.

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Nutritional Drink shows good results with Alzheimers

Nutritional Drink shows good results with Alzheimers

The drink has three components -- uridine, choline, and the omega-3 fatty acid DHA -- that, working together, help restore synapses.

CNN | Elizabeth Landau | Doctors are already good at diagnosing Alzheimer's disease in a patient with obvious symptoms, which include memory loss, vision problems and confusion. But the cutting-edge research is looking for the brain mechanisms of the condition at its earliest stages, maximizing the potential for intervention.

Two studies published this week that may help pave the way for better treatments for people with Alzheimer's, which affects as many as 5.3 million Americans, according to the Alzheimer's Association. One is a drink that you may one day be able to pick up at the pharmacy; the other is a detection method.

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Helping Austistic Children Sleep with Melatonin

Helping Austistic Children Sleep with Melatonin

Low doses of melatonin may help children with autism get a better night’s rest, researchers report.

The Autism News | Charlene Laino | Low doses of melatonin may help children with autism get a better night’s rest, researchers report.

Eleven youngsters with autism ages 4 to 10 fell asleep more quickly and slept longer when given low-dose supplements of melatonin, says Beth Malow, MD, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

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Cleaning Chemicals Injected into Fast Food and School Lunch Hamburgers

Cleaning Chemicals Injected into Fast Food and School Lunch Hamburgers
Beef sold to McDonald's, Burger King, school lunches and other fast food restaurants is injected with ammonia, a chemical commonly used in glass cleaning and window cleaning products.

If you're in the beef business, what do you do with all the extra cow parts and trimmings that have traditionally been sold off for use in pet food? You scrape them together into a pink mass, inject them with a chemical to kill the e.coli, and sell them to fast food restaurants to make into hamburgers.

That's what's been happening all across the USA with beef sold to McDonald's, Burger King, school lunches and other fast food restaurants, according to a New York Times article. The beef is injected with ammonia, a chemical commonly used in glass cleaning and window cleaning products.

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Diabetic Eye Health and Pycnogenol

Diabetic Eye Health and Pycnogenol

A new study has found that Pycnogenol, an extract from French Maritime Bark, may help with vision health in diabetics.

Nutrition for Optimal Wellness | Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS | According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 24 million Americans have diabetes and it now costs our healthcare system more than $174 billion per year ⁽¹⁾. Of the many health complications, such as nerve damage in the hands and feet (called diabetic neuropathy) and heart disease, that face diabetics, one of the most debilitating is diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy occurs when high blood sugar levels cause a breakdown of blood vessels in the eye that result in swelling (macula edema) and a loss of vision.

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Approved GMOs Linked to Organ Damage

Approved GMOs Linked to Organ Damage
Researchers have linked organ damage with consumption of Monsanto’s GM maize in the most comprehensive study ever done to date.

In what is being described as the first ever and most comprehensive study of the effects of genetically modified foods on mammalian health, researchers have linked organ damage with consumption of Monsanto’s GM maize.

All three varieties of GM corn, Mon 810, Mon 863 and NK 603, were approved for consumption by US, European and several other national food safety authorities. Made public by European authorities in 2005, Monsanto’s confidential raw data of its 2002 feeding trials on rats that these researchers analyzed is the same data, ironically, that was used to approve them in different parts of the world.

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Corporate Food Control

Corporate Food Control

How corporate consolidation affects many areas of our food supply, what that means for us.

Common Dreams | Jill Richardson | Have you ever played Monopoly? You know how it goes. It’s pretty fun for a while, until one player puts hotels and Boardwalk and Park Place and then amasses crazy amounts of money while the other play goes broke. Often in our house this would end with one player walking away from the game (or worse, turning the game board upside down in anger). This is no coincidence.

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