Eating Pesticides - Today's Food for Nobody's Tomorrow?

The only thing necessary for the triumph of EVIL is that Good People do nothing.

This country is full of good people.  I wonder if they are listening?

As you may or may not know, Europe has been keeping GMO's (genetically modified organisms) OUT of their countries as much as possible.  That alone should make Americans wonder what THEY know that we do not know.  In one simple word - the TRUTH.  So I read something encouraging about what is going on over there currently in the farmers battles to keep GMO's out.

"Seemingly, consumers, farmers, even elected officials got their voices heard. The European anti-GMO movement has been very vocal for a very long time, and their victory is inspiring. In fact, it feels like nothing short of a sweet vindication after the disclosure one year ago, thanks to WikiLeaks, of the involvement of the American government into strong-arming the European Union to open its market to Monsanto’s GMO.  Only one other genetically modified (GM) crop, a breed of maize (corn) developed by Monsanto that produces the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insect toxin, is currently approved for cultivation in Europe. Meanwhile, the 1998 moratorium on GM crops is on.

It will be interesting to see what new twist Monsanto pulls out of its hat. The biotech giant is not short of allies in the scientific and the media circles. Beware of (misleading) messages deploring the “backward” mentality of these anti-GM ignorant crowds, who fight the best that science has to offer to overcome hunger and environmental degradation, and flaunting Monsanto’s commitment to “sustainable agriculture.” Now, you wouldn’t want to “support” hunger, now, would you?
More seriously, here’s to hoping that this turn of event energizes American consumers who are demanding, at the very least, that GMO food be labeled."

As a speaker/presenter for the Institute of Responsible Technology on the topic of GMOs I am often met with blank stares after showing the slides on this creatively dangerous process of gene manipulation.  Some of the stares are pure disbelief that something like this has been going on for decades and the person wasn't aware of it.  Some people respond with a low-grade apathetic resignation.  Some just refuse to believe they are eating pesticides even though the presentation clearly shows that the newly created GM seeds have pesticides in their DNA, meaning the plant itself is a little pesticide factory keeping bugs from eating the plant.  AND THIS IS OUR FOOD.  (Unless you eat organic.) GMOs are in every food in the grocery store unless it says organic - every food.

So if you are wondering how we are not dropping dead like flies from this, let me assure you, statistics show an increase of diseases and allergies going way up in the last decades since  GMOs have infiltrated our foods.  Think of the upswelling of infertility clinics in the last two decades.  Did you know that 2nd and 3rd generation of mice eating GMO's became sterile????  I am frankly surprised that the anti-GMO movement isn't screaming it's head off about this little detail.  What IF we are eating stuff now that makes us sterile in two or three generations - WHAT IF?

Hmmm.  Could it be?  Is there a connection?  Do you really want to mess with this?   Of course Monsanto and the clowns "protecting us" at the USDA and FDA get by with this not getting fingered as the cause because nobody can "prove it" - and no, specifically we cannot.  So they get a pass.  I don't think you need to be a rocket scientist to see a very real, very possible connection.  "They" are counting on the American people to be asleep about all this, not paying attention.  I have to ask if you are willing to ignore the protests against GMO's and continue eating the foods not marked organic?

Diseases are up, infertility is up and something is causing this!  This is NOT happening in countries without GMO's to the extent it is here. 

It took 2 months for the entire EU to ban GMOs.  Here, we are still working on it.  Here we are fighting with the big powers - Monsanto, USDA, FDA - who continue to say this is the only way to feed the world - and people believe this!    Here we are...........blank stares.  Wow.  Really???

Let's read this one more time and let it sink in.........
"All that is necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing."
Edmund Burke

I will leave you with that!

Bacteria Worth Embracing!

Oh honestly, first I write about poop, then good bacteria?  Well, yes. They are actually connected.

We all have bacteria in our gut.  This (normally) good bacteria act as microscopic bouncers for the bowels, waving in the good, desirable nutrients and slamming the door on dangerous viruses and killer bugs.  This is a good team to have working well for you.  And huge!  One hundred trillion bacteria can cram inside the average person.  If they weren't there, you couldn't digest any food.  But even more importantly they help power 60% of the body's immune system.  Yes, the immune system (most of it) is right there in that gut! 

(As an aside, which will be another blog someday, it is said that our intuition center is ALSO located in the gut - which brings up the old saying "I had a gut feeling" or "I could feel it in my gut" --- the gut instinct thing is very real!)

Ok, so we have all these wonderful bacteria that serve us well.  Balancing our intestinal microflora should be our top priority because truth is we would be dead without them!  But before you go thinking you have to clean yourself out, rest assured that poop is roughly 60% bacteria.  If ever there was a true recycling center it would be your colon.  These bacteria will see what nutrient castoffs they can claim and they break down otherwise indigestible plant fibers, forage for carbohydrates and salvage calories. 

"A healthy body will recycle every single molecule it can from the bowel", says Georgianna Donadio, PhD, nutritionist and founder of the National Institute of Whole Health.  "Essentially the gut is a huge metabolic furnace."

What can really wreck this beautiful system is antibiotics.  They pose a major threat to our microbial balance because they destroy all kinds of bacteria.  If it destroys too much of your good bacteria, this is a major opportunity for the "bad guys" to take over and start growing like crazy.   You will definitely know when this is happening!   Antibiotics have been likened to an atomic bomb going off in the intestines.  It is so critical that you give your body good bacteria (yogurt, kefir. probiotics) to replenish good bacteria and reclaim the balance.  The longer you are on antibiotics the more consistently you should keep on replenishing with probiotics. 

Antibiotics are far from the only thing that can upset this delicate balance of bacteria.  Stress can damage the gut's flora in a couple of ways.  Stress can slow the body's ability to heal tiny fissures in the intestinal lining.  Then bacteria will sneak through the openings and settle inside the gut's walls where they can cause inflammation.    Stress can also speed up or slow down contractions in the small intestine affecting the rate food moves through the system.

Stress can include excessive anger or fear.  Just know that the more stressed out you are, the more suppressed your immune systems gets, which gives all the bad bacteria a big opportunity to take over and multiply.  I am, unfortunately, a poster child for this.  The year my son went off to war in Iraq was the most stressed, fearful nightmare of my entire life.  All normalcy went out the window - I paid no attention to what I ate, didn't sleep, and was wired up beyond imagining.

Somehow or other I kept this insanity going during his entire deployment.  After he came home and I started to relax a bit, I felt lousy.  This got worse and worse and long story short 5 months after he got home I had a large section of my bowel removed.  I had developed a horrendous infection and it was so bad it permanently damaged my sigmoid colon - almost two feet of it.  Out it came.

I'm fine now but ever so aware of stress and what it can do to one's body.  Some people would be affected in other parts of their body - it seems to target whatever weak spot you have.  Inflammation is the cause of most disease, be it heart disease or colon or whatever.  Perhaps it seems from the blog The Poop on Poop and this one that I have an unusual interest in this area - you bet I do!  It's personal.  But it is also an area (or issue) most people ignore until it may be too late.  If I knew then what I know now how differently I may have gone through that awful year!  Since it cost me dearly, the lesson has been well-learned and I take every opportunity to tell people to pay attention, watch out, learn and listen to what your body tells you.  It really matters!

The human digestive system has not changed in thousands of years, but our diet sure has!  If you are not taking antibiotics, chill out regularly (not stressed) and you STILL have "issues" you might want to look at your diet.  The human bowel is designed for high-water, high-fiber, and high-nutrient-content foods found in the plant world.  Are you getting enough fruits and veggies?  How are you handling stress?  Do you exercise enough - get proper sleep - know how to relax?

Diets that have large doses of animal protein, processed foods, (especially flours and sugars which raise the numbers of harmful bacteria) can cause the body to struggle to break down these substances and the gut produces toxic byproducts that can make us sick. 

It doesn't matter if the imbalance is caused by pills, diet or stress - an unhealthy gut spells trouble for the whole body.  Scientific research is finding out more and more that there is a distinct parallel between bacterial imbalance and gastrointestinal diseases. If you have been diagnosed with a bowel disease, or suspect you may have one, probiotics are your potential savior. 

Doctors prescribing antibiotics or any drugs for intestinal distress/disease are beginning to recognize the importance of coupling this with treatment with probiotics.  Researchers are trying probiotics to treat eczema, rheumatoid arthritis and to prevent vaginal and urinary tract infections.  (In the past, whenever I took antibiotics for anything, I always had to add in the kefir or yogurt with live cultures.  Failing to do so caused not only bowel distress, but vaginal yeast infections and sometimes urinary problems as well.)

For many people, a daily quality probiotic supplement is a good idea, especially to battle chronic gastric complaints, such as diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome.  .  Some with chronic illness may need probiotics for an extended duration because the bacteria don't stay inside of us for that long. 

So there are good bacteria, and bad.   Remember, do not freak out that there is bad bacteria in your colon - it is supposed to be there!   Keep bacteria balanced and your body will thank you with a well functioning immune system and over-all good health!   And that is what we all want!  I'm sure you had a gut feeling about this all the while you were reading this blog, right?

Trust your gut.  AND take care of it!

Laundry Alert - Soft, perfumed clothes can be making you sick!

We take so much for granted.  We use so many products just because they are there.  And I will certainly admit to using fabric softeners and dryer sheets for many years.  I never thought about them - especially as having any toxins that could make me sick.  Oh there's that old song again, "Wake Up, Little Suzie" by the Everly Brothers.

Indeed.  Wake up!  According to the EPA and the industry-generated Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) there is a mind-boggling list of dangerous petrochemicals in these products, many of them used in untested combinations.  Sometimes one chemical by itself is not a serious problem, but if it is added to another chemical, it becomes very dangerous.

Who doesn't remember the volcano's we made in junior high with baking soda and vinegar?  By themselves neither of these items could ever do what the two of them paired can do.  It's like that with the petrochemical industry.  This is the ONLY reason they are even allowed in our products - get this - that singly each ingredient is tested - but the combinations are not!

Here is a list of some of the ingredients you find in your laundry products - you'll have to ask yourself is it worth potential health problems to continue using them?

Benzyl Acetate - linked to pancreatic cancer and its vapors can be irritating to the eyes and respiratory passages, causing coughing.  This can be absorbed through the skin as well.

Benzyl Alcohol  Upper respiratory irritant that can also cause central nervous system (CNS) disorders, headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and dramatic drops in blood pressure.

Ethyl Acetate - This narcotic is on the EPA's Hazardous Waste List!  Irritating to eyes and respiratory tract.  May cause headaches and narcosis, anemia with leukocytosis and damage liver and kidneys.

Limonene - A known carcinogen, as well as eye and skin irritant.

A-Terpineol - Causes CNS disorders and is highly irritating to mucous membranes.  Aspiration into the lungs can produce respiratory depression, pneumonia or even fatal edema.

Camphor - Causes CNS disorders - on EPA's list of Hazardous Waste list.  Easily absorbed through body tissues, irritates eyes, nose and throat.

Linalool - A narcotic that causes CNS disorders, respiratory disturbances and in animal testing has led to death.

Chloroform - Neurotoxic, anthestic and carcinogenic and on EPA's Hazardous Waste List.  Inhalation of vapors may cause headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, irritation of respiratory tract and loss of consciousness.  Aggravates disorders of the kidney, liver, heart and skin.  Especially a problem when subjected to heat!

Phthalates - Notorious for being used in children's plastic toys and other baby products, pthalates are also used in scented products fo help the scent last longer.  They have been implicated in breast cancer, allergies and reproductive system problems.

The effects of most of these chemicals are more acute when heated in a clothes dryer, making dryer sheets worse than liquid softeners.  Because fabric softeners are made to stay in your clothing, the chemicals are slowly released either into the air you inhale or onto your skin for you to absorb.  Not only are YOU getting all this, but your dryer vents too.  Did you know - some dryer manufacturers include a warning in their users manual NOT to use fabric softener sheets?  There is a clause in some that state the use of chemical-based dryer sheets will void the dryer's warranty.  I never knew that, did you?  (thanks to Natural Life Magazine for all this information!)

I would hope that you have looked into the chlorine bleach issue as well.  There ARE alternatives and they are safe for you.  Look for non-chlorinated bleaches and automatic dish soap as well.

If you know of anyone with babies in the house, please let them know that our precious little ones are not meant to absorb all these chemicals in their little bodies.  Put the heavily "perfumed" dryer sheets in the trash!  Babies can get awful rashes, cry more and possibly get diarrhea reacting to the chemicals.  In fact, some researchers have found a possible connection between these chemicals and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). 

You can soften clothes naturally by adding a quarter of a cup of baking soda to the wash cycle or a quarter cup of white vinegar (do NOT use bleach with this) and do NOT make a volcano in your laundry by mixing the baking soda and vinegar together - it's either or, not both!

I've found some very nice dryer sheets - natural ones - at Whole Foods.  I make my own laundry soap and add a few drops of lavender oil to it.  The clothes come out fresh and clean, not perfumed.  It has been an amazing discovery since hubs has many allergies. 

I read that a wadded up piece of aluminum foil in the dryer with your clothes will cut down on static cling.  I tried this.  It did eliminate most of the static, which sure surprised me!
This information has been given to many of my friends and family by me personally.  Some switch out to the natural alternatives, some are fighting it, hooked as they are on their "perfumed" laundry.  I hope that they will soon switch out their chemicals.  You know if we ALL do change, the message to the manufacturers will be heard.  Nothing talks to them better than sales/profits.  But of course, it is more important that we all stay away from chemically laden stuff period. 

Health and Wellness - Have LOTS of it!

Live Life 365 with and by Mike Foster!

This is such a special blog for me to write, I'm grinning ear to ear - can't ya tell?  Sometimes you meet somebody and you know they are kindred spirits.  I must have a good healthy love for mine then cuz I sure love his!

I started following a blog by Mike Foster called Live Life 365 about three years ago.  Mike does videos on his blog that are great - I learned the easy way to cut/eat avocados, for instance.  You name it, he will tell you what it is, how to cook it and eat it - many things the average person has never tried I'll bet ya!  He is ALL about healthy foods, nutrition, staying motivated, taking walks in nature, and making good choices.  Every once in a while he will write a song and sing it with his guitar.  The walks I've actually BEEN ON with him since he takes his camera right along with him. 

He videos from his lanai in Maui on his vaca there every year - so nice to see it when there is winter in the air here - he videos when he is gardening and sweating - always good to see somebody sweat, isn't it? -  and of course  many videos in his kitchen.  Writing songs, writing blogs, making videos........

So what does Mike do?  He writes a book!  A very practical, very awesome, guide book on how to eat and live well 365 days a year!  Immediately I order it.  And it's great.  It's very Mike. 

He tells his story of how his life and health were horrendous, and self-destructive, and how he turned it all around.  Today he looks great, feels great, has energy and probably added YEARS to his life!
I just love a good story of people over-coming so much and getting it together to help others to do the same.  And he DOES.  His book is like his blog, filled with wonderful information anyone can use to improve their own health and vitality adding years to their lives as well!

It is not just the foods that Mike talks about that are healthy either.  His philosophies are!  All of this comes from a person who learned it all the hard way.  In my opinion, that is the best of all teachers, those who lived it and who KNOW.  Experiencing a turn-around in your own life makes for a powerful advocate for helping others change too - and Mike does a great job of that.  From following his blog I know he has helped a lot of people live healthier lives.  (By the way, he even printed one of my comments in the back of his book - thanks Mike!  You probably thought I wouldn't notice it, haha)

He offers sage advice on motivation, goal setting and spirituality.  This is an all-around, helpful, inspiring,  full of goodness kind of book, written by a guy with those same qualities.   Check out his website and blog where you can find his book, great videos and lots of Mike!  And then you will get it.  You will definitely know why I was grinning ear to ear when I started writing this blog.  It's Mike - and Live Life 365!

www.livelife365.com    Go there - and feel the love!


p.s.  Patricia over at Patriciaswisdom.com gave me a blog award last Thursday - The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award - and I thank you, Patricia, from the bottom of my heart.  I don't do blog buttons cuz first of all I'm technically challenged with them, and also I've received a bunch in the past three years and I want to acknowledge, say thanks and treat them all the same.  It's such a honor to be singled out for these, seriously.  A very nice pat on the back for which I am grateful.