Drugs and Mental Illness

WHY SO MANY AMERICANS ARE 'MENTALLY ILL'

"When I was lying in my bed that night, I couldn't sleep because my voice in my head kept echoing through my mind telling me to kill them."

You're reading the words of 12-year-old Christopher Pittman, struggling to explain why he murdered his grandparents, who had provided the only love and stability in his turbulent life. He was angry with his grandfather, who had disciplined him earlier that day for hurting another student during a fight on the school bus. So later that night, he shot both of his grandparents in the head with a .410 shotgun as they slept and then burned down their South Carolina home, where he had lived with them.

His lawyers would later argue the boy had been a victim of "involuntary intoxication," since Pittman's doctors had him taking the antidepressants Paxil and Zoloft just prior to the murders.

Andrea Yates, in one of the most horrifying and heartbreaking crimes in modern history, drowned all five of her children -- aged 7 years down to 6 months -- in a bathtub. Insisting inner voices commanded her to kill her kids, she had become increasingly psychotic over the course of several years. At her 2006 murder re-trial, Yates' longtime friend Debbie Holmes testified: "She asked me if I thought Satan could read her mind and if I believed in demon possession." And Dr. George Ringholz, after evaluating Yates for two days, recounted an experience she had after the birth of her first child:

"What she described was feeling a presence ... Satan ... telling her to take a knife and stab her son Noah," Ringholz said, adding that Yates' delusion at the time of the bathtub murders was not only that she had to kill her children to save them, but that Satan had entered her and that she had to be executed in order to kill Satan.

Yates had been taking the antidepressant Effexor. In November 2005, more than four years after Yates drowned her children, Effexor manufacturer Wyeth Pharmaceuticals quietly added "homicidal ideation" to the drug's list of "rare adverse events." The Medical Accountability Network, a private nonprofit focused on medical ethics issues, publicly criticized Wyeth, saying Effexor's "homicidal ideation" risk wasn't well-publicized and that Wyeth failed to send letters to doctors or issue warning labels announcing the change.

Effexor is Wyeth's best-selling drug, by the way, bringing in $3.46 billion -- with a "b" -- in sales worldwide in 2005, almost one-fifth of the company's total revenues.

Columbine mass-killer Eric Harris was taking Luvox -- like Paxil and Zoloft (and trendsetter Prozac), a modern and widely prescribed type of antidepressant called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs. Harris and fellow student Dylan Klebold went on a hellish school shooting rampage in 1999 during which they killed 12 students and a teacher and wounded 24 others before turning their guns on themselves.

Luvox manufacturer Solvay Pharmaceuticals concedes that during short-term controlled clinical trials 4 percent of children and youth taking Luvox -- that's 1 in 25 -- developed mania, a dangerous and violence-prone mental derangement characterized by extreme excitement and delusion.

The inescapable truth is, perpetrators of many of the nation's most horrendous murder rampages in recent years were taking, or just coming off of, prescribed psychiatric drugs.

Read more here

Anti-Depressant Induced Suicides

Click on the Topic above to read numerous stories connected to prescription drug use in cases of school shootings, and aberrant uncharacteristic behavior in individuals that include violence and suicide.

Kombucha Tea - Is it Safe?

Kombucha Tea

Other common name(s): Manchurian tea, Kargasok tea, tea fungus
Scientific/medical name(s): none

Description

Kombucha tea is made by fermenting sweetened black tea with a flat, pancake-like culture of yeasts and bacteria known as the Kombucha mushroom. It is not actually a mushroom but is called one because of the shape and color of the sac that forms on top of the tea after it ferments. The culture used in Kombucha tea varies, but consists of several species of yeast and bacteria. It may include Saccharomycodes ludwigii, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Brettanomyces bruxellensis, Bacterium xylinum, Bacterium gluconicum, Bacterium xylinoides, Bacterium katogenum, Pichia fermentans, Candida stellata, and Torula species, among others.

Because there are several types of yeast and bacteria that can grow under these conditions, different Kombucha brews may contain different varieties. Since cultures and preparation methods vary, Kombucha tea may contain contaminants such as molds and fungi, some of which can cause illness. After the tea is made, it is usually highly acidic and contains alcohol, ethyl acetate, acetic acid, and lactate.

Overview

Available scientific evidence does not support claims that Kombucha tea is effective in treating cancer or any other disease. Available scientific data does not support claims that it helps promote good health or prevents any ailments. There have been some serious side effects and occasional deaths reported with drinking Kombucha tea.

How is it promoted for use?

Kombucha tea is promoted as a cure-all for a wide variety of conditions including baldness, insomnia, intestinal disorders, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, and cancer. Supporters assert that Kombucha tea can boost the immune system and reverse the aging process. Kombucha tea is said to contain antioxidants, compounds that block the action of activated oxygen molecules, known as free radicals,that can damage cells. (Antioxidants are also found in vegetables, fruits, tea, coffee, and other such foods.) For people with cancer, proponents claim the tea can detoxify (cleanse) the body and enhance the immune system thereby improving the body’s defenses, especially in the early stages of cancer. After the body is cleansed, the tea is said to help repair and balance the body, and fight off disease. Available scientific evidence does not support these claims.

What does it involve?

Kombucha tea is made by steeping the mushroom culture in tea and sugar for about a week. During this process, the original mushroom floats in the tea and produces a "baby mushroom” on its surface. These new mushrooms can be passed along to other people for starting their own cultures or be kept to make new batches of the tea when the original mushroom “goes bad” (turns dark brown). Proponents often recommend starting with very small daily doses of the tea (1 to 2 ounces), and slowly increasing it over a few days or weeks.

Some proponents advise people to remove all chemicals from their diets and eat only fresh fruits and vegetables in order to help with the "detox." They may also be told to avoid caffeine, soft drinks, alcohol, hormone-fed meat, fertilized or sprayed foods, preservatives, artificial coloring and flavoring, and to quit smoking.

Kombucha mushroom cultures can be obtained from commercial manufacturers in the United States; however, most people obtain Kombucha mushrooms from friends because they are easily passed along. Due to its increased demand, some companies now sell bottles of brewed Kombucha tea. Other products include capsules made from the dried tea, and Kombucha liquid extract, drops of which are put under the tongue.

What is the history behind it?

Kombucha tea originated in East Asia and was introduced into Germany at the turn of the century. Since the early 19th century, Kombucha tea has been promoted as an immunity-boosting tea, which could strengthen the body against many ailments. It has become prevalent in the United States because it can be grown and harvested at home. It is especially popular among people with HIV and the elderly due to its immunity-boosting and anti-aging claims.

What is the evidence?

We are unable to find studies done on humans in the available scientific literature that support any of the health claims made for Kombucha tea.

There have, however, been reports of some serious complications associated with the tea. In April 1995, two women who had been consuming the tea daily for two months were hospitalized with severe acidosis -- an abnormal increase of the acid levels in body fluids. Both had high levels of lactic acid upon hospitalization. One woman died of cardiac arrest two days after admission. The second woman’s heart also stopped, but she was stabilized and recovered. The mushrooms used by both women came from the same "parent" mushroom. While no direct link to Kombucha tea was proven in this case, the FDA has warned consumers to use caution when making and drinking the tea.

Are there any possible problems or complications?

Deaths have been reported from acidosis linked with the tea. Drinking excessive amounts of the tea is not recommended. Several experts warn that since home-brewing facilities vary significantly, the tea could become contaminated with harmful germs which could be especially dangerous to people with HIV, cancer, or other immune problems. Allergic reactions, possibly to molds in the tea, have been reported, as have jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes, usually due to liver damage) and anthrax of the skin.

Because the acid in the tea can cause it to absorb harmful elements from its container, it should not be brewed in ceramic, lead crystal, or painted containers. Lead poisoning has been reported in at least 2 people who brewed Kombucha tea in a ceramic pot.

Since the potential health risks of Kombucha tea are unknown, anyone with immune deficiency or other medical condition should consult a physician before drinking the tea. Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should not use this tea.

Additional Resources

More Information is available from Your American Cancer Society.

For more info on safe, healthy, high quality wellness products you can purchase at wholesale prices, please contact me.

Congress & Toxic CFL Lightbulbs

What next, now Congress wants to tell us how to light our homes! Lightbulbs containing Mercury, and made in China to boot...simply UNBELIEVABLE!!! Click on the Topic title above to hear for yourself.

Laundry Detergent Suicide

This news story is only for those people who don't believe that laundry detergents and household cleaners can cause death. Click on this Fox News story and think of your children and grandchildren. Oh Yes! How many times have I heard this excuse, "My mom used "_ _ _ e" and I will never switch." Unfortunately some people prefer to spend more money on a product that is highly caustic. It's getting pretty bad when people are committing suicide using laundry detergent. If you haven't yet switched to safer products, it's about time to switch.

Michael McCullough, DC

Fox News Story

3 Japanese Men Found Dead in Apparent Detergent Suicide

Monday, May 12, 2008
TOKYO —
Three Japanese men were found dead in a car Monday in what police suspect is the latest in a string of suicides using lethal gas made from household detergent.

The three, in their 20s and 30s, were found by a passer-by in Tomioka north of Tokyo, said police spokesman Tominori Hirata. The car was in a parking lot.

"We found bottles of bath and toilet detergent in the car," Hirata said, adding that police suspect the trio committed suicide by inhaling hydrogen sulfide gas made with the cleaning chemicals — a method that reportedly claimed more than 50 lives in Japan in April alone. Hirata declined to give further details.

Kyodo News agency said police found a warning sign outside the car reading, "Hydrogen sulfide gas being emitted."

Alarmed by a wave of similar incidents, Japanese police have launched a crackdown on popular Internet sites that give instructions on how to commit suicide by inhaling hydrogen sulfide made by mixing common household products.

Authorities also fear the deadly gas could endanger bystanders or rescuers. Earlier this month a man killed himself by mixing detergent in his house on the northern island of Hokkaido, releasing toxic fumes that drove 350 neighbors from their homes.

The government said 32,155 people killed themselves in Japan in 2006, giving the country the world's ninth highest suicide rate.

The government has earmarked $220 million for anti-suicide programs to help those with depression and other mental condition.

DO YOU BELIEVE NOW?

***For a safer alternative to store bought caustic products, click on the Topic Title above.***

The Dangers of Artificial Sweeteners

This article was taken from a News group...

In October of 2001, my sister started getting very sick. She had stomach spasms and she was having a hard time getting around. Walking was a major chore. It took everything she had just to get out of bed; she was in so much pain.

By March 2002, she had undergone several tissue and muscle biopsies and was on 24 various prescription medications. The doctors could not determine what was wrong with her. She was in so much pain, and so sick she just knew she was dying. She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance, etc., in her oldest daughter's name, and made sure that her younger children were to be taken care of.

She also wanted her last hooray, so she planned a trip to Florida (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22nd. On March 19 I called her to ask how her most recent tests went, and she said they didn't find anything on the test, but they believe she had MS. I recalled an article a friend of mine e-mailed to me and I asked my sister if she drank diet soda? She told me that she did. As a matter of fact, she was getting ready to crack one open that moment.

I told her not to open it, and to stop drinking the diet soda! I e-mailed her article my friend, a lawyer, had sent. My sister called me within 32 hours after our phone conversation and told me she had stopped drinking the diet soda AND she could walk! The muscle spasms went away. She said she didn't feel 100% but, she sure felt a lot better. She told me she was going to her doctor with this article and would call me when she got home.

Well, she called me, and said her doctor was amazed! He is going to call all of his MS patients to find out if they consumed artificial sweeteners of any kind. In a nutshell, she was being poisoned by the Aspartame in the diet soda...and literally dying a slow and miserable death.

When she got to Florida March 22, all she had to take was one pill, and that was a pill for the Aspartame poisoning! She is well on her way to a complete recovery. And she is walking! No wheelchair! This article saved her life.

If it says 'SUGAR FREE' on the label; DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on 'ASPARTAME,' marketed as 'NutraSweet,' 'Equal,' and 'Spoonful.'

In the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the United States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. It was difficult to determine exactly what toxin was causing this to be rampant. I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly that subject.

I will explain why Aspartame is so dangerous: When the temperature of this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde (USED TO EMBALM BODIES) and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants. The methanol toxicity mimics, among other conditions, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. Many people were being diagnosed in error. Although multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, Methanol toxicity is!

Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers. The victim usually does not know that the Aspartame is the culprit. He or she continues its use; irritating the lupus to such a degree that it may become a life-threatening condition. We have seen patients with systemic lupus become asymptotic, once taken off diet sodas. In cases of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, most of the symptoms disappear. We've seen many cases where vision loss returned and hearing loss improved markedly.

This also applies to cases of tinnitus and fibromyalgia. During a lecture, I said, 'If you are using ASPARTAME (Nutra Sweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting, pains, numbness in your legs, Cramps, Vertigo, Dizziness, Headaches, Tinnitus, Joint pain, Unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss you probably have ASPARTAME poisoning!'

People were jumping up during the lecture saying, 'I have some of these symptoms. Is it reversible?
Yes! Yes! Yes! STOP drinking diet sodas and be alert for Aspartame on food labels! Many products are fortified with it! This is a serious problem. Dr. Espart (one of my speakers) remarked that so many people seem to be symptomatic for MS and during his recent visit to a hospice; a nurse stated that six of her friends, who were heavy Diet Coke addicts, had all been diagnosed with MS. This is beyond coincidence!

Diet soda is NOT a diet product! It is a chemically altered, multiple SODIUM (salt) and ASPARTAME containing product that actually makes you crave carbohydrates. It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight!

WARNING! These products also contain formaldehyde, which stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs. Formaldehyde is an absolute toxin and is used primarily to preserve 'tissue specimens'(BODIES). Many products we use every day contain this chemical but we SHOULD NOT store it IN our body! Dr. H. J. Roberts stated in his lectures that once free of the 'diet products' and with no significant increase in exercise; his patients lost an average of 19 pounds over a trial period.

Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. We found that some physicians, who believed that they had a patient with retinopathy, in fact, had symptoms caused by Aspartame. The Aspartame drives the blood sugar out of control. Thus diabetics may suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are NEUROTOXIC when taken without the other amino acids necessary for a good balance.

Treating diabetes is all about BALANCE. Especially with diabetics, the Aspartame passes the blood/brain barrier and it then deteriorates the neurons of the brain; causing various levels of brain damage, Seizures, Depression, Manic Depression, Panic attacks, Uncontrollable anger and rage. Consumption of Aspartame causes these same symptoms in non-diabetics as well.

Documentation and observation also reveal that thousands of children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD have had complete turnarounds in their behavior when these chemicals have been removed from their diet. So called 'behavior modification prescription drugs' (Ritalin and others) are no longer needed. Truth be told, they were never NEEDED in the first place! Most of these children were being 'poisoned' on a daily basis with the very foods that were 'better for them than sugar.'

It is also suspected that the Aspartame in thousands of pallets of diet Coke and diet Pepsi consumed by men and women fighting in the Gulf War, may be partially to blame for the well-known Gulf War Syndrome. Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects, i.e. mental retardation, if taken at the time of conception and during early pregnancy. Children are especially at risk for neurological disorders and should NEVER be given artificial sweeteners.

There are many different case histories to relate of children suffering grand mal seizures and other neurological disturbances talking about a plague of neurological diseases directly caused by the use of this deadly poison.' Herein lies the problem: There were Congressional Hearings when Aspartame was included in 100 different products and strong objection was made concerning its use. Since this initial hearing, there have been two subsequent hearings, and still nothing has been done. The drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets.

Sadly, MONSANTO'S patent on Aspartame has EXPIRED! There are now over 5,000 products on the market that contain this deadly chemical and there will be thousands more introduced. Everybody wants a 'piece of the Aspartame pie.' I assure you that MONSANTO, the creator of Aspartame, knows how deadly it is. And isn't it ironic that MONSANTO funds, among others, the American Diabetes Association, the American Dietetic Association and the Conference of the American College of Physicians? This has been recently exposed in the New York Times.

These [organizations] cannot criticize any additives or convey their link to MONSANTO because they take money from the food industry and are required to endorse their products. Senator Howard Metzenbaum wrote and presented a bill that would require label warnings on products containing Aspartame, especially regarding pregnant women, children and infants. The bill would also institute independent studies on the known dangers and the problems existing in the general population regarding seizures, changes in brain chemistry, neurological changes and behavioral symptoms. The bill was killed!!! And that was MURDER!

It is known that the powerful drug and chemical lobbies are responsible for this, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting and uninformed public. Well, you're informed now!
YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW!

Drugs - How much do we REALLY need them?

Your Doctor Probably Has a Relationship With a Drug Rep

It is the rare physician who refuses to meet with drug sales reps. In fact, as of April 2007, the percentage was just 7% of US doctors.

Even I met with drug reps until the year 2000, at which time I just refused to see any. Before that I was actually a paid speaker for the drug companies. They would fly me to various physician education events around the country and pay me a VERY generous stipend to lecture to these groups. That was more than two decades ago, before I was able to remove myself from their very powerful brainwashing techniques -- and I was finally able to understand the truth of what they were doing.

So there is a very good chance that the doctor you see right now is being subjected to similar intense sales tactics like the ones Ahari describes. According to one study published in The New England Journal of Medicine:

• 94 percent of doctors have some type of relationship with the drug industry
• 80 percent of doctors commonly accept free food and drug samples
• One-third of doctors were reimbursed by the drug industry for going to professional meetings or continuing education classes
• 28 percent of doctors have been paid for consulting, giving lectures, or signing their patients up for clinical trials

Drug reps can be very sneaky. According to a report in PLoS Medicine co-authored by Ahari:

“Physicians who refuse to see reps are detailed by proxy; their staff is dined and flattered in hopes that they will act as emissaries for a rep's messages.”

Clearly these are no ordinary sales meetings; this is psychological warfare.

Sales Reps are Trained to Brainwash Doctors

Pharmaceutical sales reps are trained in tactics that are on par with some of the most potent brainwashing techniques used throughout the world, according to the PLoS report. Said Ahari:

“It's my job to figure out what a physician's price is. For some it's dinner at the finest restaurants, for others it's enough convincing data to let them prescribe confidently and for others it's my attention and friendship ... but at the most basic level, everything is for sale and everything is an exchange.”

Drug reps must target doctors because it is only through a physician that a consumer can purchase their product. Although in the United States they have also ramped up their direct-to-consumer ads on television and in magazines, their real “meat and potatoes” comes from their marketing directly to physicians.

This is why drug companies spend $4 billion each year on direct-to-consumer ads in the United States, but $16 Billion to influence physicians. That is $10,000 for every single doctor in the United States.

The Drug Sales Rep Ambush

Most doctors don’t even stand a chance against a seemingly innocent drug sales rep. They appear friendly, eager to please, and knowledgeable about their product, and most physicians think there is no harm in accepting a free sample here, or a free lunch there.

Well, studies have shown that those free samples and lunches DO impact doctors' prescribing habits. So you can imagine what a more lavish gift -- like a free vacation, “consulting fee” or even companionship -- can do.

What they don’t get to see is the well-oiled machine that is controlling these reps, and ultimately the physicians as well, like marionettes.

From the instant a drug rep enters your office, the ambush is underway. Says Ahari:

“A photo on a desk presents an opportunity to inquire about family members and memorize whatever tidbits are offered … these are usually typed into a database after the encounter. Reps scour a doctor's office for objects -- a tennis racquet, Russian novels, seventies rock music, fashion magazines, travel mementos, or cultural or religious symbols -- that can be used to establish a personal connection with the doctor.”

In their PLoS Medicine report, Ahari and Adriane Fugh-Berman, an associate professor in the department of physiology and biophysics at Georgetown University Medical Center, even put together this chart of the specific tactics used to manipulate physicians.

See ABC News Story

What is the Moral of the Story?

Your doctor may have the best intentions in the world, but if they are being visited by drug reps, there is a strong likelihood they have been influenced by highly skilled, multinational, self-serving corporate interests and their opinions about prescription drugs are likely highly biased as a result. This can certainly happen even at a subconscious level, and the end result is a higher tendency to prescribe the drugs that have been marketed to them. We must take ownership for our own health by leading a healthy lifestyle, and only resorting to drugs as a last option, this is the key to surviving, and thriving, in the 21st century.

(Source Dr. Mercola)

Do you KNOW what's in the products you're buying?

Here’s WHY thousands of people every month are SWITCHING STORES…

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
studies have shown that indoor air pollutants are
3 to 70 times higher than outdoors.

The following information came from a conference call with Kay Heizer, Director of "Healthy Choices" (a non-profit organization comprised of doctors, nurses, environmental scientists and educators committed to teaching the public about the hazards of chemicals in our home and how we can avoid or minimize the risks):

50% of all illness is due to poor indoor air quality [Source: 1989 State of Massachusetts Study]

Since 1950, at least 70,000 new chemical compounds have been invented and dispersed into our environment. Only a fraction of these have been tested for human toxicity. We are, by default, conducting a massive clinical toxicology trial, and our children and their children are the experimental animals. [Source: Herbert L. Needleman, M.D., Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., Raising Children Toxic Free]

150 Chemicals found in the home are connected to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological disorders. [Source: Consumer Protection Agency (CPA)]

The United States of America Federal Code of Regulations exempts manufacturers from full labeling of products if used for personal, family or household care. [Source USA FCR: Section 1910.1200C, Title 29, Section 1500.82 2Q1A]

3 groups of people are primarily affected by indoor chemical concentrations because they spend more time indoors and their immune systems are weaker. The 3 Groups are:

Infants and toddlers

Chronically ill

Elderly

[Source: 1988 EPA, 5-year study] In 1901, cancer was rare: 1 out of 8,000. Since the Industrial Revolution, the cancer rate today has risen to 1 in 3 and by the year 2002, it will be 1 in 2.
[Source: The American Cancer Society]

The top 12 cancer-causing products(called the "Dirty Dozen") in the average home include the following:

Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder w/Talc

Crest Tartar Control Toothpaste

VO5 Hair Conditioner

Clairol Nice-n-Easy Hair Color

Ajax Cleanser

Lysol Disinfectant

[Source: The National Cancer Prevention Coalition]Liquid dish soap is the leading cause of poisonings in the home for children under the age of six (over 2.1 million accidental poisonings per year). Most brands of liquid dish soap contain formaldehyde and ammonia.

Of 2,983 chemicals found in personal care products:

884 are toxic

146 cause tumors

218 cause reproductive complications

778 cause acute toxicity

314 cause biological mutations

376 cause skin and eye irritations

[Source: United States House of Representatives Report, 1989] The State of California recently passed legislation requiring a 45% reduction in the amount of toxins found in:

Hairspray aerosols

Furniture polish

Window cleaners

Air fresheners

Shaving cream

Laundry detergents

Nail polish remover

Insect repellent

Hair styling gel and mousse

[Source: Healthy Homes in a Toxic World]Out of 2,435 pesticide poisonings in a one-year period, over 40% were due to exposure to disinfectants and similar cleaning products in the home.
[Source: State of California Study]

Just by reducing (not eliminating) environmental carcinogens alone, we would save at least 50,000 lives taken by cancer annually.
[Source: Dr. Lee Davis, former advisor to the Secretary of Health]

Most laundry detergent contains a form of NTA. NTA is a substance we may reasonably anticipate to be a carcinogen. [Source: The Merck Index]

Household bleaches which claim to disinfect are classified as pesticides under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act. Inadvertently mixing bleach with other cleaners that contain ammonia produces a toxic chloramines gas. These toxic gases can cause coughing, loss of voice, a feeling of burning or suffocation, and even death. [Source: Guide to Hazardous Products Around the Home, Household Hazardous Waste Project, 1989]

Women who work in the home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than women who work outside of the home. [Source: 17- year EPA study]

150 chemicals found in the home have been connected to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological disorders. [Source: The Consumer Protection Agency)

As more toxic chemicals have been introduced to our everyday environment in greater amounts over the last 20 to 30 years, the level of toxins stored in adipose tissues (fat cells) of our bodies have risen. Bioaccumulation studies have shown that some toxins store in our bodies for life. Greater and greater amounts are being stored at younger ages. One study showed that in the fat of 100% of the people tested was 1,4-Dichlorobenzene, a chemical found in most household deodorizers and room fresheners.

Diseases that used to occur later in life are now appearing at younger ages. Diseases that used to be rare are more frequent. For example: There has been a 28% increase in childhood cancer since the addition of pesticides into household products. Cancer is now the #2 killer of children – second only to accidental poisonings. Since 1977 the rate of cancer among American children has been steadily rising at a rate of nearly 1% each year. [Source: National Cancer Institute]

There is an increased risk for leukemia in children where parents have used pesticides in the home or garden before the child’s birth.
[Source: Journal of the National Cancer Institute]

Some products release contaminants into the air right away, others do so gradually over a period of time. Some stay in the air up to a year. These contaminants, found in many household and personal care products can cause dizziness, nausea, allergic reactions, eye/skin/respiratory tract irritations and some cause cancer. [American Lung Association]

Asthma was once a very rare disease. Now the condition is extremely common the asthma rate has tripled in the last 20 years with nearly 30 million Americans currently afflicted. [Source: Consumer Federation of America , 1997]

In one decade, there has been a 42% increase in asthma (29% for men, 82% for women). The higher rate for women is believed to be due to women’s longer exposure times to household chemicals. [Source: Center for Disease Control]

Childhood asthma has increased by more than 40% since 1980.
[Source: Environmental Health Perspectives, June 1997; 105 (6)]

Asthma death in children and young people increased by a dramatic 118% between 1980 and 1993. [Source: Environmental Health Threats to Children, Environmental Protection Agency 175-F-96-001, September 1996]

The average child visits the doctor 23 times in the 1^st 4 years of life, with the most common complaint being respiratory ailment.
[Source: National Center for Health Statistics, 1997]

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) in adults and children is also rising – in 1993, 4.5 million children took the drug Ritalin so they could sit still long enough to learn. By 1998, 11.4 million children were being drugged with this powerful Class-2 narcotic. [Source: Your Children and Ritalin, The Detroit news (March 8. 1998)]

Even small doses of neurotoxins, which would be harmless to an adult, can alter a child’s nervous system development. [Source: Environmental Health Perspectives 106 Supplement 3:787-794 (June 1998)]

Developing cells in children’s bodies are more susceptible to damage than adult cells that have completed development, especially for the central nervous system. During the development of a child, from conception through adolescence, there are particular windows of vulnerability to environmental hazards. Most disturbing – until a child is approximately 13 months of age, they are virtually no ability to fight the biological and neurological effects of toxic chemicals. [Source: Herbert L. Needleman, M.D., Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., Raising Children Toxic Free]

Today, children have chemical exposures from birth that their parents didn’t have until they were adults. Because children are exposed to toxics at an earlier age than adults, they have more time to develop environmentally triggered diseases, with long latency periods, such as cancer. [Source: Environmental Policy and Children’s Health, Future of Children, Summer/Fall 1995; 5(2): 34-52]

Formaldehyde is a highly toxic substance. It is a highly suspected cancer-causing agent. It damages the neurological connectors in the body. It is an irritant to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs and may cause:

skin reactions

ear infections

headaches

depression

asthma

joint pain

dizziness

mental confusion

nausea

disorientation

phlebitis

fatigue

vomiting

sleep disturbances

laryngitis

One in five people are sensitive to formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is commonly found in:

drugs

mouthwash

hairspray

cosmetics

cleaning products

perfumes

waxes

hair setting lotions

shampoo

air fresheners

fungicides

fingernail polish

floor polishes

dry cleaning solvents

toothpaste

laundry spray starch

antiperspirants

… just to name a few

DO YOU STILL WANT TO USE PRODUCTS IN YOUR HOME THAT CONTAIN FORMALDEHYDE ?

Due to the increase in toxic buildup in our bodies, including the toxic buildup of formaldehyde, dead bodies are not decomposing as fast as they used to. Bodies now start to decompose within 7 to 10 days after death.

During the Vietnam War, Vietnamese bodies started to decompose within 24 to 48 hours. However, Americans didn’t start to decompose for 4 to 5 days.

Twice as much formaldehyde was needed to embalm a person 20 years ago compared to today.

How many of these names would you have recognized as formaldehyde?

Formalin
Methanal Methyl Aldehyde
• Methylene Oxide
• Oxymethylene
• Bfv*
• Fannoform*
• Formol*
• Fyde*
• Karsan*
• Methaldehyde
• Formalith*
• Methylene Glycol
• Ivalon*
• Oxomethane
• Formalin 40
• Formalin
• Formic Aldehyde
• Hoch
• Paraform
• Lysoform*
• Morbocid
• Trioxane
• Polyoxmethylene

* denotes trade name

The following products are just a few that are so toxic that they should be disposed of in a toxic waste dump:

• floor care products

• furniture polish

• window cleaners

• bug spray

• nail polish remover[Source: Water Pollution Control Federation]

Warning labels on containers refer only to toxic hazards from ingestion; however, only 10% of health problems from chemicals are caused by ingestion. 90% are caused by the inhalation of vapors and absorption of particles.

Government regulations require that only the most EXTREMELY toxic substances must contain a warning label. Labels that say the following should be removed from your house immediately:

• "Do not induce vomiting"

• "Corrosive – rinse from skin immediately"

• "Harmful or fatal if swallowed"

• "Call physician immediately"

• "Warning!" (may mean that as little as 1 teaspoon of product can harm or kill adult)

• "Danger!" (means that as little as 5 drops can harm or kill an adult)

Phenol is an extremely caustic chemical that burns the skin. Absorption of phenol through the lungs or skin can cause:

• central nervous system damage

• pneumonia

• respiratory tract infection

• heart-rate irregularities

• skin irritation

• kidney and liver damage

• numbness

• vomiting

• and can be fatal

Phenol is a very common chemical and is regularly found in the following common products:

• air fresheners

• aftershave

• bronchial mists

• chloroseptic throat spray

• deodorants

• feminine powders & sprays

• hair spray

• decongestants

• mouthwash

• aspirin

• solvents

• acne medications

• antiseptics

• calamine lotions

• cleaning products

• detergents

• furniture polish

• hair setting lotions

• lice shampoo

• polishes

• cold capsules

• all-purpose cleaners

• aerosol disinfectants

• anti-itching lotions

• carnex

• cosmetics

• disinfectant cleaners

• hand lotions

• lip balms

• sunscreen and lotions

• insecticides

• cough syrups

• … just to name a few

DO YOU STILL WANT TO USE PRODUCTS IN YOUR HOME THAT CONTAIN PHENOL?

There's no need to, protect yourself and your family...simply click on the Topic above and contact me for more info today!

6 Fabrics to Avoid

Everyday and night we are surrounded by fabrics. From clothing to sheets on our beds to upholstery on furniture or car seats, these are the fabrics of our lives.

Fabrics are around us nearly all the time, but did you know that your material choices could either help or harm your health?

Material World

Not that long ago, people stuck to the natural fibers: wool, cashmere, cotton, silk, linen, and hemp.

But if you take a look at your clothing labels today, you are likely to find materials like rayon, polyester, acrylic, acetate and nylon. And your shirts and slacks may be treated to be wrinkle-free or stain resistant.

These technological advances in fabrics may make our lives simpler, but at what cost?

Chemically treated natural and synthetic fabrics are a source of toxins that adversely affect your health and the health of the planet.

Here's our short list of fabrics to avoid, and the healthy ones to pick instead.

Top 6 Toxic Fabrics

1. Polyester is the worst fabric you can buy. It is made from synthetic polymers that are made from esters of dihydric alcohol and terpthalic acid.

2. Acrylic fabrics are polycrylonitriles and may cause cancer, according to the EPA.

3. Rayon is recycled wood pulp that must be treated with chemicals like caustic soda, ammonia, acetone and sulphuric acid to survive regular washing and wearing.

4. Acetate and Triacetate are made from wood fibers called cellulose and undergo extensive chemical processing to produce the finished product.

5. Nylon is made from petroleum and is often given a permanent chemical finish that can be harmful.

6. Anything static resistant, stain resistant, permanent press, wrinkle-free, stain proof or moth repellant. Many of the stain resistant and wrinkle-free fabrics are treated with perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), like Teflon.

Modern Materials

Keep in mind that many fabrics (including natural fibers) undergo significant processing that often involves:

• Detergents
  
• Petrochemical dyes
  
• Formaldehyde to prevent shrinkage
  
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
  
• Dioxin-producing bleach
  
• Chemical fabric softeners

These additives are often toxic to the human body, may contain heavy metals and can pollute our environment.

With these kinds of warnings, what can you do?

If you are chemically sensitive or just want to surround yourself with healthy fabrics, there are new options.

Doris Brunza, a fashion designer who worked in the Garment District in New York City for 20 years, knows about finding fabrics that don't cause reactions, because she is chemically sensitive.

She points out that nearly ALL fabrics, including organic fabric, are treated with chemicals at some point during their processing. Still, some choices are better than others.

In general, look for natural fibers like:

• Cotton
  
• Silk
  
• Linen
  
• Hemp
  
• Wool
  
• Cashmere

If you can, purchase and wear organic fabrics and organic clothing. While they still might be processed to some extent, they are often a better choice than synthetics.

Brunza also advises people to buy high quality European garments made with the finest fabrics. Expensive clothing may seem overpriced, but the quality of the raw materials is superior, and the fibers can be woven into beautiful fabrics that are soft and strong, requiring little chemical processing to make them suitable for you, the consumer. They also last you for years so are a wise purchase in the long run.

Remember to avoid chemical dry cleaning whenever possible and wash your clothes in a green detergent.

Organic food, pure water, and natural or organic clothing can work together to enhance your wellbeing and help you live a healthier life. Reducing your Toxic load may sometimes seem like an overwhelming task, but just like any other change, make it step by step. Over time, you'll see improvement in your own life and in the world around you. Change in the world begins with you making simple changes in your own life.

Sources:
SixWise.com

Brunza, Doris, "Finding Tolerable Clothing or Fabric, EnvironmentalHealth.ca.

The 'Work at Home United' Team

Enhancing lives, one family at a time!

Protect our precious environment. Our environment should last us a lifetime, and it will if we all do what we can! All members of our 'Work at Home United' Team are partners of a dynamic company where we all save time and money, provide a safer environment in our homes, improve our health, and add to our income by doing all of the above. I think it's a pretty awesome deal!

Did you Know?

Phosphates

Phosphates are minerals that act as water softeners. Although they are very effective cleaners, phosphates also act as fertilizers.

When cleaning products go down the drain, phosphates are discharged into rivers, lakes, estuaries, and oceans. In lakes and rivers especially, phosphates cause a rapid growth of algae, resulting in pollution of the water.

Many states have banned phosphates from household laundry detergents and some other cleaning products. Automatic dishwasher detergents are usually exempt from phosphate restrictions, and most major brands contain phosphates.

Alkyl phenols and their derivatives

Alkyl phenol Ethoxylates are found in some laundry detergents, disinfecting cleaners, all-purpose cleaners, spot removers, hair colors and other hair-care products, and spermicides.
(Source: Washington Toxics Coalition)

Alkyl phenol Ethoxylates are endocrine disruptors.
(Source: WWF Canada)

Alkyl phenols are produced in the environmental breakdown of alkyl phenol ethoxylate surfactants, are slow to bio-degrade and have been shown to disrupt the endocrine systems of fish, birds, and mammals.
(Source: Washington Toxics Coalition)

Volatile Organic Compounds

Organic chemicals are widely used as ingredients in household products. All of these products can release pollutants while you are using them, and, to some degree, when they are stored.
(Source: EPA)

Some of the hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that frequently pollute indoor air -- such as toluene, styrene, xylenes, and trichloroethylene -- may be emitted from aerosol products, dry-cleaned clothing, paints, varnishes, glues, art supplies, cleaners, spot removers, floor waxes and polishes and air fresheners.
(Source: Washington Toxics Coalition)

EPA's Total Exposure Assessment Methodology (TEAM) studies found levels of about a dozen common organic pollutants to be 2 to 5 times higher inside homes than outside, regardless of whether the homes were located in rural or highly industrial areas.
(Source: EPA)

Additional TEAM studies indicate that while people are using products containing organic chemicals, they can expose themselves and others to very high pollutant levels, and elevated concentrations can persist in the air long after the activity is completed.
(Source: EPA)

Many organic compounds are known to cause cancer in animals; some are suspected of causing, or are known to cause, cancer in humans.
(Source: EPA)

Trichloroethylene is one of the chemicals suspected of causing a cluster of childhood leukemia cases due to drinking water contamination in the town of Woburn, Massachusetts, in the early 1980s. The subsequent lawsuit against the polluting company was the subject of the 1995 book and 1998 film, A Civil Action.
(Source: Children's Health Environment Coalition)

High levels of toluene can put pregnant woman at risk of having babies with neurological problems, retarded growth, and developmental problems. Xylenes may also cause birth defects.
(Source: Washington Toxics Coalition)

Styrene is a suspected endocrine disruptor, a chemical that can interfere, block or mimic hormones in humans or animals.
(Source: Children's Health Environment Coalition)

VOCs such as xylene, ketones, and aldehydes are found in many aerosol products and air fresheners. Researchers found that babies less than six months old in homes where air fresheners are used on most days had 30 percent more ear infections than those exposed less than once a week.
(Source: Washington Toxics Coalition)

Levels of formaldehyde in air as low as 0.1 ppm (0.1 part formaldehyde per million parts of air) can cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes, nose and throat, stuffy nose, nausea, coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, skin rashes and allergic reactions.
(Source: Children's Health Environment Coalition)

Babies frequently exposed to aerosols had a 22 percent increase in diarrhea, and pregnant women frequently exposed to these products had 25 percent more headaches and a 19 percent increase in postnatal depression compared to those less frequently exposed.

Paints, cleaners, and other products with no or very low levels of VOCs and other hazardous ingredients are available.
(Source: Washington Toxics Coalition)

Fast Facts: Dioxin and EPA's
2000 Toxics Release Inventory
Last update: May 24, 2002

What is dioxin?

• Dioxin is highly toxic chemical and accumulates in our environment, our food and bodies. According to the EPA, the average adult already has enough dioxin in their bodies today to cause adverse health effects.
  
• Dioxin is highly persistent in the environment and is extremely resistant to chemical or physical breakdown.
  
• Dioxin is a family of 75 chemicals technically known as "chorinated dibenzo dioxins."

Health concerns

• The World Health Organization upgraded dioxin from a "probable" to a "known human carcinogen" in February 1997, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health followed suit in October 2000.
  
• Exposure to dioxin is linked to diabetes, attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities, weakened immune systems, infertility and endometriosis.
  
• On May 23, 2002 the EPA reported in its Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) that 99,814 grams of dioxin were released into the environment in the year 2000. One gram of dioxin is enough to exceed the acceptable daily intake for more than 40 million people for one year, according to the Stop Dioxin Exposure Campaign.

Sources and exposure

• Dioxins are never manufactured deliberately (except for laboratory research) and are unintentionally created in two major ways:
  
  1. when materials such as household garbage or toxic waste, including hospital waste, leaded gasoline, plastic, paper and dioxin-contaminated wood are burned;
     
  2. by the processes used to manufacture products such as certain pesticides, preservatives, disinfectants, and paper products.
     
• The latest TRI data reflects only a fraction of the dioxin that is being released into the environment every day, according to the Stop Dioxin Exposure Campaign. TRI data does not include a number of dioxin sources, including the biggest source, waste incinerated by cities, hospitals and rural communities.
  
• Dioxin pollution is persistent and bioaccumulative -- which essentially means that it eventually ends up in our food and bodies. According to "The American People's Dioxin Report," about 90 to 98 percent of the general population's exposure to dioxins is through contaminated food -- primarily by eating the animal fat in meat, fish, poultry and dairy products.

Some other interesting facts...

• Today more than 4 million Americans work in a home business. The U.S. Department of Labor believes that half of all Americans will be working from home by 2025.
  
• The US Census Bureau says more than 12 BILLION working hours per year are WASTED by people stuck in traffic on their way to and from work.
  
• 45% of workers in North America are deeply concerned they or their spouses will lose their jobs before they retire.
  
• 90% of all personal bankruptcies can be prevented with $300/month in extra income.
  
• A home business can put $2,000-$5,000 a year back in your bank account thanks to business deductions on your tax return.
  
• Most senior citizens are living below the poverty line.

What do you think about these sobering facts? Do you care enough about your health and the environment to make some changes? Are you wanting to supplement or replace your current income? With our Team you can not only help the environment and protect your family's health by using 'safer' products, but you can also make some good extra income doing it! Please take a look at my websites, and contact me if you have any questions at all. We are looking for motivated individuals who care about their health and the environment to join our Team, is that you? With your help we can make 2008 a happier, safer, HEALTHIER New Year for all!!! :-)

Blessings,

Judie

Allergies and Environmental Illness

By Jane Sheppard

Environmentally Sick Homes and Schools

The pollution in today’s environment is pervasive. Our air, food, water, homes, and schools are polluted with over seventy thousand chemicals. What can be surprising to many people is that the outdoor air is often less polluted than the indoor air of some of our buildings. Many schools are seriously affected by both indoor and outdoor pollution and are no longer environmentally safe for our children.

The numbers of children and teachers who do not feel well during school hours are sadly increasing. Many feel better shortly after arriving home. Parents are puzzled because their children do not seem to remember things as well as they used to, or they may not be able to learn at their natural level of ability. Mood and behavior changes are also common. According to a recent survey, 71 percent of teachers say they are now seeing more children with health problems than ever before. Up to 20 percent of American children have developed chronic illnesses. Asthma and allergic coughing are common complaints. The soaring number of children diagnosed with hyperactivity, ADD, or other behavior and learning difficulties is disturbing. Sometimes these problems are encountered only at home and not at school.

Is our environment triggering these problems? According to Doris J. Rapp, M.D., a leading specialist in Environmental Medicine, our present environment is causing a growing number of children to be sick. It is estimated that more than 40 million people now have some form of environmental illness due to allergic or toxic reactions to various substances in our environment. The intensity of a reaction can range from mild to very severe. Exposures to chemicals and natural allergens (dust, molds, pollen) can trigger serious physical, neurological, and psychological problems. Certain foods can be the cause of an allergic response, as well as many substances in water that can make a child ill. Among the most common toxins in water are chlorine, fluoride, pesticides, copper, lead, plastic and styrene (from the water containers).

We are all exposed to numerous chemicals on a regular basis. Usually, these exposures do not show any immediate adverse effects. Our bodies can handle a certain amount of toxins. Over time, though, if our food, air and water remain polluted, our bodies can become increasingly toxic until, eventually, they are in a state of overload. When a child’s body becomes overloaded, it cannot deal with any more toxins. The child may begin to have adverse reactions to certain exposures such as new carpet, paint, cleaning materials, dust or molds. A minor exposure can make a toxic overloaded child very ill.

Symptoms of Environmental Illness

Environmental illness is difficult to diagnose and most doctors do not even know what to look for. In addition to the typical allergy symptoms of asthma, congestion, intestinal and skin problems, the symptoms of environmental illness may include a long list of other perplexing problems. One or more of the following symptoms may be present: Puffiness under the eyes, sinusitis, food cravings, bad breath, facial tic, twitches, moodiness, depression, irritability, hyperactivity, aggression, withdrawal, memory or learning problems, dark eye circles, nose-rubbing, allergic eye wrinkles, red earlobes or cheeks, spacey 'out of it' look, glassy, glazed eyes, eczema or atopic dermatitis, hives or other rashes, skin scratching, wiggly legs, dramatic change in writing, change in speech, increased pulse, change in breathing, increased fatigue, headaches, asthma, throat clearing, pain in muscles, legs, or joints, abdominal pain, gas, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, bladder problems, chronic ear infections, and hearing problems.

Of course, there can be other reasons for all of the above symptoms, but many doctors do not even consider chemicals, foods or other allergens as a possible cause of a child’s problem. The child could easily be misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD, a learning disability, or any number of diseases. This could set up a child for endless medications and struggle.

Dr. Rapp, author of Is This Your Child? (a NY Times best seller) has written a fully documented, 600 page book entitled Is This Your Child’s World? How You Can Fix the Schools and Homes That Are Making Your Children Sick. This book is a wake-up call for parents, teachers, school administrators, doctors and other health practitioners, including everyone who cares about the future of our children. Is This Your Child’s World? provides detailed information that explains how to approach certain aspects of Environmental Illness, including diagnostic testing and treatment.