Oil Spill and Your Health

Oil spill may endanger human health

Listen to today's episode of herbalYODA Says! LIVE on environmental effects and your health

See also: new at Natural Notes 

Soothing Sulforaphanes

UPDATE: May 2010 -

It seems one can easily treat breast cancer with the help of a substance, a University of Michigan study found a substance found in broccoli and broccoli sprouts killed cancer stem cells and prevented new tumors from growing in mice and human cell cultures in the lab.

Researchers believe getting rid of cancer cells could be the key to treating and preventing cancer, as currently chemotherapy does not work against stem cells, leading to the cancer spreading, making it necessary for women to get mammograms.

ORIGINAL POST: May 2008

This substance has been around for some time and used widely as a supplement for people with cancer. Contact us should like like more information.

Broccoli may undo diabetes damage
Eating broccoli could reverse the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels, research suggests.

A University of Warwick team believe the key is a compound found in the vegetable, called sulforaphane.

It encourages production of enzymes which protect the blood vessels, and a reduction in high levels of molecules which cause significant cell damage.

Brassica vegetables such as broccoli have previously been linked to a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.

"Our study suggests that compounds such as sulforaphane from broccoli may help counter processes linked to the development of vascular disease in diabetes" Professor Paul Thornalley, University of Warwick

People with diabetes are up to five times more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes; both are linked to damaged blood vessels.

The Warwick team, whose work is reported in the journal Diabetes, tested the effects of sulforaphane on blood vessel cells damaged by high glucose levels (hyperglycaemia), which are associated with diabetes.

They recorded a 73% reduction of molecules in the body called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS).

Hyperglycaemia can cause levels of ROS to increase three-fold and such high levels can damage human cells.

The researchers also found that sulforaphane activated a protein in the body called nrf2, which protects cells and tissues from damage by activating protective antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes.

Countering vascular disease

Lead researcher Professor Paul Thornalley said: "Our study suggests that compounds such as sulforaphane from broccoli may help counter processes linked to the development of vascular disease in diabetes.

"In future, it will be important to test if eating a diet rich in brassica vegetables has health benefits for diabetic patients. We expect that it will."

Dr Iain Frame, director of research at the charity Diabetes UK, stressed that research carried out on cells in the lab was a long way from the real life situation.

However, he said: "It is encouraging to see that Professor Thornalley and his team have identified a potentially important substance that may protect and repair blood vessels from the damaging effects of diabetes.

"It also may help add some scientific weight to the argument that eating broccoli is good for you."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/7541639.stm
Published: 2008/08/05 23:12:52 GMT
© BBC MMVIII

New 'Dry Max' Diapers Causing Rash

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating complaints about a new version from diapers from Pampers, and that are thinner and advertised as having ‘dry max’ technology.
However, parents complain using those diapers on babies resulted in diapers with have bad diaper rashes that look like chemical burns.

Proctor & Gamble says there no evidence the diapers cause harm.

Postpartum Depression and Nutrition

While so many are off in the corner trying to see how they can profit from this troubling situation for many women, the obvious is being clearly overlooked.

The new study just being reported focuses on the use of some specific amino acids that effect thyroid function.

Skipping proper thyroid function testing so rampant in today's medical modeling its no wonder this old and well known fact still isn't getting just the exposure it needs.

Lineal thinking still haunts the hallowed halls of mainstream medicine.

It may be at least 15 years since I wrote my first blog post about the nutritional issues and hormonal needs in women who have just delivered a baby.

The pill doesn't help but nutrition surely will.

And then there is The Mood Cure, Julia Ross' well documented work that utilizes such amino acids as tryptophan and tyrosine along with a nutritionally sound food plant to help you rebalance your moods.

Now a researcher comes along an wants ot make a " new" product when the ingredients are already available.  And this product will probably cost three times what it should be.

Why not explain to women who are pregnant how important sound nutrition is and along with a well functioning thyroid gland.

If you refer to the previous post you'll be able to learn about how the pill depletes important nutrition.  Having many children also depletes nutrition and has the tendency to cause thyroid imbalance. 

I guess Brooke Shields missed this when she was arguing with Tom Cruise over nutrition and just how important it is in pregnancy and afterward to help your mood remain intact.

You can get all of these supplements now at a quality health food store, or you may order them from our organization.

This certainly beats SSRIs

The Pill Now 50

From a realistic perspective perhaps the part that has been overlooked is the serious nutritional depletion created by using the pill for a myriad of problems for which it is probably better not to be used.

Women who use hormonal contraceptives, such as birth control pills and skin patches, are more likely than others to have low sex drive, suggests a new and remarkably simple study.

A world without "the pill" is unimaginable to many young women who now use it to treat acne, skip periods, improve mood and, of course, prevent pregnancy. They might be surprised to learn that U.S. officials announcing approval of the world's first oral contraceptive were uncomfortable.

Triglycerides: The Real Fat That Can Kill You

New blood fat heart disease
I am not sure where medicine or these alleged researchers have been burying their heads in the sand but I've known about the impact of triglycerides for a hell of a long time.

I've also known that the problem with the rapid rise in cardiovascular dis-ease began rising in the mid to late 1950s when the dairy industry began homogenizing milk.

The problem with homogenization is that the fat globules become so small that they flow by osmosis through the digestive system directly into the blood stream.

Now they want to make you believe that this is a "new" blood fat. And yes it is different than cholesterol, which generally is not known to kill you.

Since I've known about this from college studies in medicine and nutrition, about 45 years has whistled by.

Things must be pretty dusty in the brains of mainstream medicine.

New blood fat heart disease link
A type of blood fat different from cholesterol may play a key role in heart disease, a study suggests.
Cambridge University researchers looked at the role of triglycerides, which is produced in the liver and derived from foods such as meat and dairy products.
The analysis of 350,000 people from 101 previous studies found those with higher levels of the blood fat were more likely to have heart disease.
But experts warned more research was needed to confirm the link.

The analysis centred on a specific gene which is known to influence the levels of triglycerides, the Lancet medical journal reported.

“ It could yet prove to be an important step towards tackling cardiovascular disease but we mustn't get ahead of ourselves ”
Mike Knapton, British Heart Foundation

Previous research has looked into the issue, but has been inconclusive.
But the latest study found those with the variation in the gene which boosted triglyceride levels had an 18% greater risk of heart disease than those that did not.
Lead researcher Dr Nadeem Sarwar said the findings suggested the blood fat could be causing heart disease in some way.
But he added further research involving the lowering of the levels of the blood fat was now needed to confirm the suspicion.
"Such trials should help establish whether lowering triglyceride levels can reduce the risk of heart disease."
Mike Knapton, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "It could yet prove to be an important step towards tackling cardiovascular disease but we mustn't get ahead of ourselves.
"There still needs to be larger trials before we can know whether lowering triglyceride levels can reduce heart disease risks.
"For now, people should continue to follow advice on diet, exercise, stopping smoking and medication which are still the best ways to tackle your heart disease risk."
Dr Sonia Anand, of Canada's McMaster University, agreed.
"The true nature of triglycerides effect on coronary risk still needs further clarification."

Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/8664917.stm
Published: 2010/05/06 © BBC MMX

Who Seeds Your Garden

11,000 of the seed patents are owned by Monsanto. They now have an estimated 85-90% of the seed market in the US.

Corporations Move in on Your Garden

Read More

Medicare Moves to More Cuts

It is announced that another 21% cut in reimbursement to health care providers will begin soon according to a report on NPR this morning. What Health Law Didn't Fix: Medicare Doctor Pay

You may wish to look for one of our informative "Healthy Options" classes.  You can book a program for your community too.  We've been teaching these community and corporate wellness programs since 1995.

Other "Healthy Options" can be found here.

A Dead Give-A-Way

ZEGERID® (omeprazole/sodium bicarbonate) is a combination of omeprazole, a proton-pump inhibitor, and sodium bicarbonate, an antacid. Omeprazole is a substituted benzimidazole,5-methoxy-2-[[(4-methoxy-3,5-dimethyl- 2-pyridinyl)methyl]sulfinyl]-1H-benzimidazole, a racemic mixture of two enantiomers that inhibits gastric acid secretion.

Omeprazole is the generic substance marketed as Prilosec.

Prilosec just as other PPI acid suppressing drugs can lead to interference with the P450 (Phase 1) liver detoxification system and may reduce protein metabolism, a ney nutrient for health.

Of course, buffering with NaHCO3 (sodium bicarbonate) makes you thing you are getting some fancy-schmancy pill that will solve your acid reflux problem.

Of course it doesn't fix reflux and it just might be covering your low stomach acid problem, making it worse, and then worser, and then worsest...

Zegerid will cost 'ya to the tune of about $70 for a two week treatment.

A box of NaHCO3 will set you back about a buck, and the box will last a long time using a teaspoon in a 8-10 ounce glass of water when you eat your biggest meal of the day.

A better approach is to first get the level of hydrochloric acid in your stomach evaluated, Next, stop at your local health store for some high quality digestive enzymes that contain Betaine HCl, then if your test results are low, get some betaine tablets as well.

You'll get better sooner and still have money in the bank.

The better thing to do would be to change what you eat, and change how you eat.

Consumer groups call for reviews of insurers' rate hikes

The move comes after errors are found in how health insurer Anthem Blue Cross calculated proposed premium increases for policyholders in California.

May 04, 2010|By Duke Helfand, Times Staff Writer

After serious errors led health insurer Anthem Blue Cross to cancel a massive increase in health insurance premiums last week, consumer advocates are calling for a review of pending rate hikes by other big insurers in California.

A prominent healthcare advocacy group urged the state's two insurance regulators Tuesday to seek independent assessments of all increases in premiums for individual policyholders and those who get insurance through small employers.
Complete article

Non-Surgical Procedure Restores Hope, Sight

By Jennifer Lawinski Apr 30th 2010

A ground-breaking, non-surgical procedure has been shown to restore sight to people with certain degenerative eye conditions.

It even restored the sight of an Olympic gold medalist.

Olympian Steve Holcomb, whose four-man bobsled team -- nicknamed "Night Train" -- broke the U.S. team's 62-year gold medal dry spell, may be the only American Olympian in history to have a medical procedure named for him.

And it was that very procedure -- used to treat a condition called keratoconus, which weakens the cornea -- which gave Holcomb the ability to compete in the first place.

Holcomb officially retired from the U.S. Bobsled Team in June 2007 when his vision deteriorated to the point of virtual blindness, and he didn't want to risk the team's safety by continuing to compete.

The team, however, wanted Holcomb back.

Cornea transplants would have been out of the question if Holcomb were to return to the team. The surgery requires too much recovery time and the transplant would have been too delicate to allow Holcomb to return to the bumpy bobsled track.

That's when the team found Beverly Hills eye surgeon Brian Boxer Wachler, M.D., of the Boxer Wachler Vision Institute.

"They wanted to do what they could and see if there were any options to help restore his vision so that he could continue driving again," Boxer Wachler told AOL Health. "His team doctor had researched alternative treatments all over the world and ... that was how they found me in December of 2007."

Boxer Wachler had developed a procedure he called C-3R, a non-invasive treatment using vitamin applications and light to strengthen the cornea. Three months after the C-3R procedure Boxer Wachler also implanted insertable contact lenses in Holcomb's eyes to correct nearsightedness and further improve his vision.

After one C-3R treatment 99 percent of patients have restored vision, Boxer Wachler said. For that 1 percent, a second procedure often does the trick.

Holcomb's story -- and the positive response from people around the world -- led Boxer Wachler to rename the procedure the Holcomb C-3R in honor of the Olympian.

"We each, during and after the Olympics, have literally received thousands of emails and cards and Facebook messages from people all over the world telling us how inspired they are, how moved they are, hearing about this. It seems like a miracle to a lot of people," Boxer Wachler said.

For example, in the days after the Olympics, an article on Holcomb and his vision posted by the Dallas Morning News drew comments from readers who were grateful to learn of the procedure.

"Thank you for this article ... it may be an answer for my sister who is trying to save her eye sight as she has the same condition," wrote Margie McKinley.

"It's been very humbling for both Steve and me to know that our story has had such an effect on people around the world. I think its not just about bobsledding, it's about people who have challenges in life and showing they can be overcome."

Related:
Vision Problems: Sidestepping Some Common Conditions
Low Vision Evaluation
ONLINE

Mosquitoes inherit DEET resistance

UPDATE: 4 June - 

DEET vs. the Nervous System

Although Vincent Corbel is quick to note that the dangers of DEET when applied as recommended are lower than the dangers of mosquito-borne diseases in the tropics, his work at the Institute of Research for Development in France might lead those of us in less hostile environments to consider a natural alternative.

In a study published last August, a group of European scientists led by Corbel exposed neural cells to DEET and found that this common insect repellent ingredient can disrupt nerve cells and enzymes in insects, mice and people.

In spite of his recognition of its effectiveness in repelling mosquitos, Corbel thinks we need to look more closely at DEET. "It's funny that after 60 years, there are still many things we don't know about this compound," he says.

ORIGINAL POST -
In terms of the malaria issue I've posted on in Natural Health News, this report is not surprising at all.
Please refer to these additional resources for more information on the issue.
DEET is a neurotoxin
DEET Troubling
Safe Repellent
DEET
Malaria and Supplements
Malaria Drug Resistant
Get Something That Works

from naturenews
By Janelle Weaver

The indifference of some mosquitoes to a common insect repellent is due to an easily inherited genetic trait that can be rapidly evolved by later generations, a new study suggests.

By selective breeding, James Logan and colleagues at Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, UK, created strains of Aedes aegyptimosquitoes in which half of the females do not respond to DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) -- a powerful insect repellent. They suggest that this rapidly evolved insensitivity is due to a single dominant gene -- one that confers resistance even if the trait is inherited from only one parent.

The researchers have not identified the gene that they propose is responsible for DEET resistance, or precise details about its workings. They did, however, find a type of odour-sensing cell that responds to DEET in most mosquitoes but is less sensitive to the repellent in the resistant ones. Their findings are reported today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"That there might actually be a gene lurking in the background in mosquitoes that causes DEET resistance is the single most surprising result," says Leslie Vosshall, who was not involved with the study and who investigates the neural and genetic basis of odour perception in mosquitoes at the Rockefeller University in New York City. "This hasn't really been reported before."

Propagating pests

Aedes aegypti is a species of mosquito that causes yellow fever, dengue fever and other viral diseases. Its blood-sucking females are not all cowed by DEET: around 13% of the laboratory populations tested by Logan's team would land on human arms covered in the repellent.

Researchers had previously found weak evidence that DEET resistance could be inherited in these mosquitoes, says John Brookfield, a coauthor of the paper and a geneticist at the University of Nottingham. But after picking out the DEET-insensitive females, the team found that in a single generation of breeding with untested males, they could create a strain where 50% of the females did not respond to DEET. That proportion remained relatively stable across subsequent generations of selective breeding.

This fast pickup and later stability suggests that a single gene, rather than an aggregation of multiple genetic traits, is key for DEET detection, Brookfield says -- at least, in the population the researchers studied. And when the nonresistant mosquitoes were later mated with the resistant population, around half of their offspring were insensitive to DEET -- suggesting that the gene is dominant. A previous study on the fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster, had found that a nondominant trait could lead to inherited DEET resistance.

Insensitive types

Trying to narrow down what the gene could be doing, the researchers focused on the odour-sensing cells found in antennae, which are known to detect DEET and other chemicals. Though some studies have suggested that DEET works by jamming neurons that sense human odours, others have picked out neurons which seem to specifically respond to DEET.

The team found that odour-sensing cells in general were less sensitive to DEET in resistant females compared with cells in nonresistant females. But they also spotted one type of neuron that showed distinctly lower responses to high DEET concentrations in the repellent-insensitive females. Any gene responsible for this effect might alter that cell so that it could not recognize DEET or it might mutate an odorant-binding protein that delivers DEET to a receptor, the team speculates.

Vosshall says that the study shows there is a genetic basis for sensing DEET but it doesn't resolve how the resistance works. "What remains to be shown is a causal link between the effects on the antenna and insensitivity to DEET," she says. The authors excluded from their analysis one set of neurons that were missing in insensitive mosquitoes, she points out, which could explain why they could not sense DEET.

Whatever the molecular mechanisms involved turn out to be, the study further affirms that repellents like DEET may lead to resistance over time if used to control mosquito-borne disease on a large scale, says Logan. He next wants to test the evolution of DEET sensitivity using wild populations of mosquitoes, including those that spread malaria. "We're not saying that repellents shouldn't be used," he says. "But we have to understand how they work before we can use them properly."

IN OTHER NEWS THE NEUROTOXICITY OF FLEA TREATMENTS ARE AT LAST REACHING MAINSTREAM MEDIA-

Are Flea Treatments Dangerous For Your Pets?
Many pet owners who use the treatments think they are applying medication to their pet, but they actually are treating them with potent pesticides.
April 14, 2010
Warning that the powerful poisons can endanger dogs and cats, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will require new instructions and labeling for on-spot flea products.

Your Gifted Child

In some ways being a gifted child is a burden.  I taught myself to read and write at about age 3.  I am a very rapid learner and I evaluate knowledge on may levels.  I also have always had some emotional connection to things in my world as well as seeing words in pictures.

One of my college professors in biology had a way to use words to paint pictures of what you were learning.

A friend from year ago with whom I recently reconnected, after his amazingly adventurous life in Asia, asked me how I remembered so many things from so long ago. I couldn't quite answer him and suggested it may be a curse.  That was until I read something Albert Einstein wrote -

I think with intuition. The basis of true thinking is intuition.
Indeed, it is not intellect, but intuition which advances humanity.
Intuition tells a man his purpose in life.
One never goes wrong following his feelings.
I don’t mean emotions, I mean feelings,
for feelings and intuition are one.
 
 "There are many lists of characteristics of gifted children, but not every gifted child displays every characteristic," she tells ParentDish. "The simplest description is that the gifted child learns faster and deeper than other children of the same age, and feels more acutely than his or her same-age peers. Some gifted children do puzzles years earlier than their peers, others read early, often by teaching themselves."
Complete article

AN URGENT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSAULT NEEDING YOUR SUPPORT

While the media focuses on the tragic losses in the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and related locations a major environmental issue is consistently ignored.  

HELP NEEDED AT BUNKER HILL SUPERFUND SITE

Please support ending the terrible conditions of the vulnerable people of the Silver Valley - including flora and fauna - and the efforts of SV Waterkeeper to bring an end to the toxic dump site where overflow runs into a wetland and the Coeur' d'Alene River and Lake, as well as downstream into the Spokane River, onward to the Pacific Ocean. 

The East Mission Flats repository is situated within yards of the oldest building in Idaho and is the National Historic site known as Cataldo Mission.

This is the epicenter of the nation's largest Superfund site, Bunker Hill.  Contamination (and re-contamination) is a daily experience and this spreads to a minimum of 500,000 people, and all wild life in the 1500 square mile site.

More information is available at www.silvervalleyaction.com, on Facebook and by following us on twitter @SilverVlyAction.  You may also sign our on-line petition which is also linked from the website.

SUPPORT THE CAUSE

DONATIONS URGENTLY NEEDED

Donate via PayPal or mail to SVCRC at PO BOX 362, Kellogg ID 83837.

Vita Breath RECALL

For safe support we recommend ATMEN by JBNI

ATMEN+ADVENTURX makes your results even better when engaging in xtreme sports

WASHINGTON, May 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers not to purchase or use Vita Breath dietary supplement due to possible contamination.
The FDA said the product, manufactured by American Herbal Lab Inc. of Rosemead, Calif., might contain hazardous levels of lead.
The product is marketed at health fairs and on the Internet.
"The FDA was notified by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene about a patient with lead poisoning who reported taking Vita Breath and two other herbal products," the federal agency said. "The department analyzed a sample of Vita Breath and reported it contained 1,100 parts per million of lead. This level is more than 10,000 times higher than FDA's maximum recommended level for lead in candy."
Officials said people with high blood levels of lead may show no symptoms, but the condition can cause damage to the nervous system and internal organs. Acute lead poisoning may cause a wide range of symptoms, including abdominal pain, muscle weakness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss and bloody or decreased urinary output. Children are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning.
The FDA said it is working with state officials in New York and California to further investigate Vita Breath.

Mold problems and flooding: Lessons to be learned from Katrina

RE-POSTED re: Tennessee Flooding   UPDATE: 5/3/10

6/21/08: One of the places I have attended college over the years of advanced education is Iowa City. I know of some of the problems of flooding but certainly not to the extent of recent days.

I also have experienced mold problems because I lived in a house that had mold and the landlady refused to acknowledge it or address it. I also worked in a hospital that had the signs of black mold growing on the walls of the room where we had report and where the kids attended school. No remedial action was ever taken by the hospital's corporate owner.

Mold allergies are a very risky problem and they are real. They also take a very long time to resolve and may actually never resolve, however they may become minimal with effective and targeted approaches. This does not mean I am referring to prescription medication.

My hope is that this kind of help is available to anyone who has a severe health issue following this devastating event.

Health warning: Risk increases during cleanup
Jun 21, 2008, IOWA CITY — The cleanup and recovery after a flood can be more dangerous than the flooding, with greater risk for injury and infection as people deal with stagnant water, mold and air and water quality problems, University of Iowa public health experts said Friday.

As a flooding disaster like that in Eastern Iowa enters the more protracted "stage two" — cleanup and recovery — displaced residents and others must protect themselves as they deal with flooded homes and businesses where bacteria and mold will be rampant, UI officials said.

"From the public health standpoint, it's going to be a much more dangerous phase," Jim Merchant, dean of the UI College of Public Health, said. "The emphasis really needs to be on protection and effective cleanup."

Many communities will be dealing with cleanup for weeks and months to come because the past week's flooding was so widespread in Iowa, Merchant said.

One concern is the potential for traumatic injury as people clean and rebuild flood-ravaged homes and businesses. And long-term exposure to the flood-affected areas could lead to allergy problems or chronic lung disease if the proper protective equipment, such as a mask, isn't used any time exposure lasts more than a few minutes, especially in an enclosed space, UI officials said.

Allergies, wound infections and mosquito-borne diseases are all reasonable concerns, Merchant said.

Flood-damaged buildings that are not fixed adequately could lead to "sick building syndrome," where people battle continuous health problems, he said.

People working on flood cleanup should wear long shirts and pants, work boots and safety glasses and have respiratory protection. People with asthma or severe allergies should avoid exposure.

A possibly larger danger that may be overlooked is mental health trauma, said Kathleen Staley, assistant director of UI Counseling Service. Those most vulnerable to stress and depression are people with histories of trauma or mental health problems, people who experienced multiple or major losses in the flood and displaced people, she said.

The University Hygienic Laboratory is testing water for public entities and for private property owners with wells. Water quality has been maintained in most communities and it remains a priority, UI officials said.

Toxic mold spreading through soggy South
Storm-ravaged homeowners face health dangers from creeping fungus
The Associated Press
updated 5:18 p.m. PT, Tues., Sept. 27, 2005
NEW ORLEANS - Wearing goggles, gloves, galoshes and a mask, Veronica Randazzo lasted only 10 minutes inside her home in St. Bernard Parish. Her eyes burned, her mouth filled with a salty taste and she felt nauseous.

Her 26-year-old daughter, Alicia, also covered in gear, came out coughing.

“That mold,” she said. “It smells like death.”

Mold now forms an interior version of kudzu in the soggy South, posing health dangers that will make many homes tear-downs and will force schools and hospitals to do expensive repairs.

It’s a problem that any homeowner who has ever had a flooded basement or a leaky roof has faced. But the magnitude of this problem leaves many storm victims prey to unscrupulous or incompetent remediators. Home test kits for mold, for example, are worthless, experts say.

Don’t expect help from insurance companies, either. Most policies were revised in the last decade to exclude mold damage because of “sick building” lawsuits alleging illnesses. Although mold’s danger to those with asthma or allergies is real, there’s little or no science behind other claims, and a lot of hype.

“We went through a period when people were really irrational about the threat posed by the mere sight of mold in their homes,” said Nicholas Money, a mold expert from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and author of “Carpet Monsters and Killer Spores,” a book about mold.

“If you give me 10 minutes in anybody’s home, I’ll find mold growth somewhere,” he said.

'Potent allergens'
Mold is everywhere. Most people have no problem living with this ubiquitous fungus. It reproduces by making spores, which travel unseen through the air and grow on any moist surface, usually destroying it as the creeping crud grows.

Mold can’t be eliminated but can be controlled by limiting moisture, which is exactly what couldn’t be done after Hurricane Katrina. Standing water created ideal growth conditions and allowed mold to penetrate so deep that experts fear that even studs of many homes are saturated and unsalvageable.


In fact, New Orleans is where mold’s health risks were first recognized.

A Louisiana State University allergist, the late Dr. John Salvaggio, described at medical meetings in the 1970s what he called “New Orleans asthma,” an illness that filled hospital emergency rooms each fall with people who couldn’t breathe. He linked it to high levels of mold spores that appeared in the humid, late summer months.

“These are potent allergens,” but only for people who have mold allergies, said Dr. Jordan Fink, a Medical College of Wisconsin professor and past president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Molds produce irritants that can provoke coughing, and some make spores that contain toxins, which further irritate airways.

“The real pariah is this thing called Stachybotrys chartarum. This organism produces a greater variety of toxins and in greater concentrations than any other mold that’s been studied,” Money said.

Doctors at Cleveland’s Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital blamed it for a cluster of cases of pulmonary hemorrhage, or bleeding into the lungs, that killed several children in the 1990s, but the link was never proved.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there is no firm evidence linking mold to the lung problem, memory loss or other alleged woes beyond asthma and allergy. However, the sheer amount of it in the South could trigger problems for some people who haven’t had them before, medical experts said.

“The child who didn’t have a significant problem before may be in a much different scenario now,” said Dr. Michael Wasserman, a pediatrician at Ochsner Clinic in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie whose office and home were flooded and are now covered in mold. He plans to tear down his house.

Anything submerged a tear-down
Even dead mold can provoke asthma in susceptible people, meaning that places open to the public — restaurants, schools, businesses — must eliminate it.

This is most true for hospitals, where mold spores can cause deadly lung diseases in people with weak immune systems or organ transplants. Such concerns already led Charity Hospital’s owners to mothball it.

Tulane University Hospital and Clinic’s cleanup is expected to take months.

“The first floor’s got pretty much mold. It’s going to be pretty much a total loss,” said Ron Chatagnier, project coordinator for C&B Services, a Texas company hired by the hospital’s owner, HCA.

“It might be difficult or impossible to reopen some of these medical centers,” said Joe Cappiello, an official with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

“It’s not just the physical destruction that you see,” but ventilation systems and ductwork full of mold, ready “to seed the rest of the hospital with spores” if the heat or air conditioning were turned on, he said.

As for houses, “anything that’s been submerged probably will be a tear-down,” said Jeffrey May, a Boston-area building inspector, chemist and book author who has investigated thousands of buildings for mold problems.

Getting professional help
Clothes can be washed or dry cleaned, but most furniture is a loss. Ditto for carpeting, insulation, wallpaper and drywall, which no longer lives up to its name. Mattresses that didn’t get wet probably have mold if they were in a room that did.

“Anything with a cushion you can forget about,” May said.

The general advice is the same as when food is suspected of being spoiled: when in doubt, throw it out.

When is professional help needed?

“It’s simply a matter of extent. If you’ve got small areas of mold, just a few square feet, it’s something a homeowner can clean with 10 percent bleach,” said Anu Dixit, a fungus expert at Saint Louis University.

She studied mold after the Mississippi River floods in 1993 and 1994, and found cleaning measures often were ineffective, mainly because people started rebuilding too soon, before the surrounding area was completely dry.

In the New Orleans suburb of Lakeview, Toby Roesler found a water line 7 feet high on his home and mold growing in large black and white colonies from every wall and ceiling on the first floor.

Wearing goggles, a mask and rubber gloves, he sprayed down the stairwell with a bleach solution. A crew will arrive soon to gut the lower floor.

“I think it’s salvageable,” he said, but admitted, “It’s going to be some gross work to get it ready.”

Others won’t try.

Dionne Thiel, who lives next door to the Randazzo family, was only 7 when Hurricane Betsy raced through her neighborhood 40 years ago. Returning on Monday, after Hurricane Katrina, something was instantly familiar.

“The mold and the water,” she said. “It’s the exact same smell.”

Mold covered her dining room walls, snaked up door frames and even found its way into the candles she sold for a living. She and her husband salvaged his golf clubs but left the rest. They’ll move to Arizona.

“I would never want to live here again,” said her husband, Don Thiel. “It’s not going to be safe.”

© 2008 AP. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9505817/

New Cancer Website Debuts Today

WINNING CANCER

FDA Looking into Triclosan?

UPDATE: 8/29/10  Triclosan and antibacterial warnings -
Updates at Natural Healing through Natural Health -

New article here from Jill Richardson, compiling much of what we have been teaching about the risk of triclosan since the late 80s.

from Natural Health News...

Natural Health News: FDA Looking into Triclosan?

Apr 09, 2010

In a claim filed Tuesday, the National Resources Defense Council says the FDA didn't regulate the levels of triclosan and triclocarban in the soap, two toxic chemicals that can cause problems with reproductive organs, sperm quality and ...

Chloroform Danger With Antimicrobial Soap

Apr 16, 2005

The main reason for my advice has been that these chemicals, such as triclosan, disturb the balance of naturally occurring staph bacteria on the skin's surface (epidermis). Now here is more convincing evidence. ...

Hand Sanitizers: UPDATE

Nov 01, 2009

If the product contains Triclosan, also be cautious: Researchers who added triclosan to water and exposed it to ultra-violet light found that a significant portion of the triclosan was converted to dioxin. Triclosan reacts with chlorine ...

Another "Green Living"© writer warns of hand sanitizers

May 26, 2008

But I did already know that certain hand purifying gels contained, among other undesirables, the hormone disrupting antibacterial/antifungal agent triclosan, which can form dioxins when it comes into contact with water and has some

Natural Health News: MRSA - Alternative Cure For 'Flesh-Eating ...

Dec 26, 2009

These contain Triclosan and will kill off naturally occurring bacteria on your skin that serves to protect you from infection. Many non-effective anti-biotics are on the market today and some of these have very serious side effects.

UPDATE: 8/21/10 - Two Dangerous Ingredients in Everyday Products That Are Threatening Our Health

Triclosan and triclocarban are widely used in antibacterial soaps, body washes, deodorants, lip glosses, dog shampoos, shave gels and even toothpastes. Read more...

UPDATE: 7/30/10 -

Health Group Sues FDA Over 'Dangerous' Antibacterial Soap

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is being sued by a nonprofit environmental group for what the members claim is dangerous “antimicrobial” soap, Reuters reports.
In a claim filed Tuesday, the National Resources Defense Council says the FDA didn’t regulate the levels of triclosan and triclocarban in the soap, two toxic chemicals that can cause problems with reproductive organs, sperm quality and the production of thyroid and sex hormones.
Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, is named as a defendant in the suit, but no specific manufacturers or retailers were mentioned, according to Reuters.
The nonprofit claims it first approached the FDA about regulating this soap and other personal care products for over-the-counter use more than 30 years ago, but no action has been taken.
According to the lawsuit, the FDA proposed a ban from interstate trading of both chemicals in 1978 but nothing changed until 1994 when some ingredients were reclassified, Reuters reports.
The FDA said in April that the ingredient triclosan has not been shown to be harmful
to humans and that further study is needed.
The plaintiffs are requesting the FDA be given a deadline to complete its study on the conditions for using these products.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
posted April 2010: It never ceases to amaze me just how slow out US government agencies are slow to act to protect the citizenry. And they won't comment until sometime in 2011. Maybe an addendum to the health bill should require that the FDA clean up its political quagmires.

I've been warning about triclosan for at least 15 years, based on the science and at least the MSDS data.

What is so bad about triclosan is that is destroys what is referred to as the protective "acid mantle" of the skin, and creates a breeding ground for infection because it destroys the healthy bacteria on your skin:the healthy bacteria that is there to protect you from infection.

This is one time it pays to read labels and another to look to the use of natural castile soaps without fragrance and using truly health promoting skin lubrication like you can get from my colleague at Kettle Care.

FDA Warns of Risk in Antibacterial Additive
By Cole Petrochko, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published: April 08, 2010


WASHINGTON -- The FDA has notified consumers that the antibacterial agent triclosan's safety data is being reviewed due to concerns raised in lab tests on animals.
Research from the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research and Development found triclosan had thyroid and estrogen effects in animals.
The agent is a common ingredient in antibacterial soaps and washes, toothpastes, and cosmetics, all of which are regulated by the FDA.
The ingredient's profile was raised in January when Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, wrote the FDA to ask about a review of triclosan's use in consumer products.
Additional investigation was deemed necessary after animal studies showed potential negative effects of the ingredient, the FDA said in a prepared statement. Though studies are ongoing, the FDA does not currently have enough evidence to suggest a change to any consumer products with triclosan.
The FDA noted that although triclosan provided a clear benefit in some consumer products, the extra health benefit it offered in others was not as apparent.
The agency advised consumers that the ingredient poses no apparent danger to humans, but that soaps and body washes with triclosan may not provide additional health benefits over soaps without the additive; consumers concerned about its potential health hazards should switch to regular soaps without triclosan.
The FDA announced it will work with other federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, to study the effects of triclosan on humans, animals, and the environment.
The agency said it planned to publish its findings in spring 2011.

Chloroform Danger With Antimicrobial Soap, a 2005 post from Natural Health News

Hand Sanitizers: UPDATE

Nov 01, 2009

If the product contains Triclosan, also be cautious: Researchers who added triclosan to water and exposed it to ultra-violet light found that a significant portion of the triclosan was converted to dioxin. Triclosan reacts with chlorine ...

Another "Green Living"© writer warns of hand sanitizers

May 26, 2008

But I did already know that certain hand purifying gels contained, among other undesirables, the hormone disrupting antibacterial/antifungal agent triclosan, which can form dioxins when it comes into contact with water and has some ...

Natural Health News: MRSA - Alternative Cure For 'Flesh-Eating ...

Dec 26, 2009

These contain Triclosan and will kill off naturally occurring bacteria on your skin that serves to protect you from infection. Many non-effective anti-biotics are on the market today and some of these have very serious side effects. ...

Bees and People

The Guardian 2.5.01
FEARS FOR CROPS AS SHOCK FIGURES FROM AMERICA SHOW SCALE OF BEE CATASTROPHE

The world may be on the brink of biological disaster after news that a third of US bee colonies did not survive the winter. Reasons given for this are exposure to 121 pesticides found in bees, honey and pollen and virus and bacterial infections.

(Edward's comments: This report does not mention that exposure to pesticides destroys the immune system and allows overwhelming infections to proliferate. See my letter from MAFF (now Defra) 17.1.1989 quoting that "all pesticides are a danger to human health and the environment".)

SOURCE: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/02/food-fear-mystery-beehives-collapse

SEE ALSO: http://www.leaflady.org/bee_benefits.htm

An Important Measure for Prevention

Years ago when I started on this journey in public health I learned that prevention was one of the most important factors in getting to good public health.

Since that time, about 40-45 years, this caveat seems to have fallen far from the path.

My father took a specialty in proctology in 1929.  He did this because one of his sisters was misdiagnosed and died from colon cancer.  One of his brother's also developed  colon cancer and he asked my father to do his surgery.  This was the time when my father developed the flat stoma where the colostomy collection pouch is placed on the body.

People as a rule don't generally like colonoscopies and don't seem to like the simple home test either.

Here's a newer option that seems to have the ability to prevent thousands of deaths for 5 minutes of your time.

Five minute test could save thousands

By AP Apr 28th 2010 12:28PM

A news study suggests a five-minute colon cancer test could reduce the number of deaths from the disease by about 40 percent.
Of the 170,000 people followed for about 11 years by the British researchers, more than 40,000 had a "flexi-scope" test, an exam that removes polyps, small growths that could become cancerous.
Researchers used the test, where a pen-sized tube is inserted into the colon, on people in their 50s. They also said patients only needed this test once in their lives. In the U.K., government-funded colon cancer screening doesn't start until age 60.
Dr. Wendy Atkin, a professor of surgery and cancer at Imperial College London led the research and said the flexi-scope test only needed to be performed once because polyps that grow in the bowel appear before the age of 60, so the possibility of cancer could be caught of the test was done on people in their fifties.
However, the test only works on the lower bowel, so other exams, like the fecal blood test, would still be necessary.
In the U.K. a fecal blood test it done bi-annually on people aged 60 to 74, and in the U.S. colonoscopies are most commonly test used to scan the entire colon.
Researchers compared those results to more than 113,000 people who were not screened. They found the flexi-scope test reduced peoples' chances of getting colon cancer by one third. It also cut their chances of dying by 43 percent. Worldwide, the disease causes 1 million cases and 600,000 deaths every year.
Some experts said they believe the findings have the potential to make some authorities reconsider their practices for finding and diagnosing colon cancer.
The American Cancer Society recommends several options for people over 50 to find polyps or to detect cancer early: a flexi-scope test, double-contrast barium enema or virtual colonoscopy every five years or a colonoscopy every 10 years.
"It's not for me to tell governments what to do," Atkin said. "But this is a very big effect, with a very quick and a very cheap test."
Dr. Durado Brooks, director of prostate and colorectal cancer at the American Cancer Society, said the study results would not change their colon cancer screening guidelines.
"We have long included (flexi-scope) tests as one of our preferred tests to prevent disease," he said. "I would hope clinicians look at this information and recognize there is some value in this test."
Dr. David Ransohoff of the departments of medicine and epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, said the claim that the test only needed to be done once in a person's lifetime was "striking" and further follow-up was necessary to see just how long this protective effect lasts.
The results of the study were published online in the medical journal, Lancet.

AG Money: Gates and Monsanto

Gates Foundation underwrites vaccine insanity and now GMO Food, Weed overgrowth -

Well, well, well. It's about time. Kind of like when Fox News gave $1 million in campaign contributions to Republicans. It wasn't exactly a secret before, but now it's official. The Gates Foundation just bought a whopping 500,000 shares of Monsanto stock.Now, there's nothing wrong with buying stock. My parents hold lots of BP stock, and they are hardly guilty of dumping the 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf. But this is one more step in a long line of actions by the Gates Foundation in which it is advocating policies and agricultural technologies that will directly benefit and profit Monsanto while screwing over the most vulnerable people on earth: hungry subsistence farmers in developing countries.
I wrote a piece recently about what happens when American industrial agriculture collides with poor, uneducated subsistence farmers in the developing world and it ain't pretty. In fact, it's tragic. It's criminal. For a corporation to prey upon such a vulnerable population for its own gain, when the result is the starvation, continued impoverishment, or loss of land and lifestyle of the poor.
Perhaps Gates thinks he is doing something good for the world with his advocacy of biotechnology and industrial agriculture. No doubt all of the executives from Monsanto and other biotech and chemical companies tell him that every day. He should instead listen to the 400 scientists who spent 3 years performing the most comprehensive study of agricultural knowledge, science, and technology in the history of the world, the IAASTD report. The report recommends agroecology - what many in the U.S. would refer to as "organics" (even though the term is more nuanced than that).
http://www.lavidalocavore.org/diary/3953/gates-foundation-puts-its-money-where-its-mouth-is

GATES FOUNDATION INVESTS IN MONSANTO 
Both will profit at expense of small-scale African farmers

Seattle, WA - Farmers and civil society organizations around the world are outraged by the recent discovery of further connections between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and agribusiness titan Monsanto. Last week, a financial website published the Gates Foundation's investment portfolio, including 500,000 shares of Monsanto stock with an estimated worth of $23.1 million purchased in the second quarter of 2010 (see the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission). This marks a substantial increase from its previous holdings, valued at just over $360,000 (see the Foundation's 2008 990 Form).

"The Foundation's direct investment in Monsanto is problematic on two primary levels," said Dr. Phil Bereano, University of Washington Professor Emeritus and recognized expert on genetic engineering. "First, Monsanto has a history of blatant disregard for the interests and well-being of small farmers around the world, as well as an appalling environmental track record. The strong connections to Monsanto cast serious doubt on the Foundation's heavy funding of agricultural development in Africa and purported goal of alleviating poverty and hunger among small-scale farmers. Second, this investment represents an enormous conflict of interests."

Monsanto has already negatively impacted agriculture in African countries. For example, in South Africa in 2009, Monsanto's genetically modified maize failed to produce kernels and hundreds of farmers were devastated. According to Mariam Mayet, environmental attorney and director of theAfrica Centre for Biosafety in Johannesburg, some farmers suffered up to an 80% crop failure. While Monsanto compensated the large-scale farmers to whom it directly sold the faulty product, it gave nothing to the small-scale farmers to whom it had handed out free sachets of seeds. "When the economic power of Gates is coupled with the irresponsibility of Monsanto, the outlook for African smallholders is not very promising," said Mayet. Monsanto's aggressive patenting practices have also monopolized control over seed in ways that deny farmers control over their own harvest, going so far as to sue-and bankrupt-farmers for "patent infringement."

News of the Foundation's recent Monsanto investment has confirmed the misgivings of many farmers and sustainable agriculture advocates in Africa, among them the Kenya Biodiversity Coalition, who commented, "We have long suspected that the founders of AGRA-the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-had a long and more intimate affair with Monsanto." Indeed, according to Travis English, researcher with AGRA Watch, "The Foundation's ownership of Monsanto stock is emblematic of a deeper, more long-standing involvement with the corporation, particularly in Africa." In 2008, AGRA Watch, a project of the Seattle-based organization Community Alliance for Global Justice, uncovered many linkages between the Foundation's grantees and Monsanto. For example, some grantees (in particular about 70% of grantees in Kenya) of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)-considered by the Foundation to be its "African face"-work directly with Monsanto on agricultural development projects. Other prominent links include high-level Foundation staff members who were once senior officials for Monsanto, such as Rob Horsch, formerly Monsanto Vice President of International Development Partnerships and current Senior Program Officer of the Gates Agricultural Development Program.

Transnational corporations like Monsanto have been key collaborators with the Foundation and AGRA's grantees in promoting the spread of industrial agriculture on the continent. This model of production relies on expensive inputs such as chemical fertilizers, genetically modified seeds, and herbicides. Though this package represents enticing market development opportunities for the private sector, many civil society organizations contend it will lead to further displacement of farmers from the land, an actual increase in hunger, and migration to already swollen cities unable to provide employment opportunities. In the words of a representative from the Kenya Biodiversity Coalition, "AGRA is poison for our farming systems and livelihoods. Under the philanthropic banner of greening agriculture, AGRA will eventually eat away what little is left of sustainable small-scale farming in Africa."

A 2008 report initiated by the World Bank and the UN, the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), promotes alternative solutions to the problems of hunger and poverty that emphasize their social and economic roots. The IAASTD concluded that small-scale agroecological farming is more suitable for the third world than the industrial agricultural model favored by Gates and Monsanto. In a summary of the key findings of IAASTD, the Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) emphasizes the report's warning that "continued reliance on simplistic technological fixes-including transgenic crops-will not reduce persistent hunger and poverty and could exacerbate environmental problems and worsen social inequity." Furthermore, PANNA explains, "The Assessment's 21 key findings suggest that small-scale agroecological farming may offer one of the best means to feed the hungry while protecting the planet."

The Gates Foundation has been challenged in the past for its questionable investments; in 2007, the L.A. Times exposed the Foundation for investing in its own grantees and for its "holdings in many companies that have failed tests of social responsibility because of environmental lapses, employment discrimination, disregard for worker rights, or unethical practices." The Times chastised the Foundation for what it called "blind-eye investing," with at least 41% of its assets invested in "companies that countered the foundation's charitable goals or socially-concerned philosophy."

Although the Foundation announced it would reassess its practices, it decided to retain them. As reported by the L.A. Times, chief executive of the Foundation Patty Stonesifer defended their investments, stating, "It would be naïve...to think that changing the foundation's investment policy could stop the human suffering blamed on the practices of companies in which it invests billions of dollars." This decision is in direct contradiction to the Foundation's official "Investment Philosophy", which, according to its website, "defined areas in which the endowment will not invest, such as companies whose profit model is centrally tied to corporate activity that [Bill and Melinda] find egregious. This is why the endowment does not invest in tobacco stocks."

More recently, the Foundation has come under fire in its own hometown. This week, 250 Seattle residents sent postcards expressing their concern that the Foundation's approach to agricultural development, rather than reducing hunger as pledged, would instead "increase farmer debt, enrich agribusiness corporations like Monsanto and Syngenta, degrade the environment, and dispossess small farmers." In addition to demanding that the Foundation instead fund "socially and ecologically appropriate practices determined locally by African farmers and scientists" and support African food sovereignty, they urged the Foundation to cut all ties to Monsanto and the biotechnology industry.

AGRA Watch, a program of Seattle-based Community Alliance for Global Justice, supports African initiatives and programs that foster farmers' self-determination and food sovereignty. AGRA Watch also supports public engagement in fighting genetic engineering and exploitative agricultural policies, and demands transparency and accountability on the part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and AGRA.