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Natural Health News has been bringing you factual information for 7 years based on our medical and scientific background, coupled with one of the most in depth knowledge of natural health found today (50+ years of study, research, and use)

Be very selective about what you learn through the media and what you begin to believe.

Take the skeptic view first so it will help lead you to facts, not claims.

Today facts are in short supply.

Make a donation today, which in turn helps us continue to bring you good information that helps you understand fact, and improve your health.

The importance of sun for your health

December is full of celebrations revolving around the triumphal return of the sun after its long journey towards the darkness of winter.  Not centered on one culture, religion or ethnicity, celebrating the sun's return (above the horizion) is universal, is found from Japan to North America!

Home Product Chemicals Contaminating Water

For decades I have been advising people about this very issue, learn more here and here

Household Detergents, Shampoos May Form Harmful Substance in Wastewater
ScienceDaily (May 27, 2010) — Scientists are reporting evidence that certain ingredients in shampoo, detergents and other household cleaning agents may be a source of precursor materials for formation of a suspected cancer-causing contaminant in water supplies that receive water from sewage treatment plants. The study sheds new light on possible environmental sources of this poorly understood water contaminant, called NDMA, which is of ongoing concern to health officials.

Contact us to learn how to do your laundry without commercial products, dishwasher, hand washing too...

Procter & Gamble to Reduce Toxic Contaminant in Herbal Essences Shampoo New Product Tests reveal 1,4-dioxane in Major Laundry Detergent Brands, Too

Laundry Detergent Test Results Tide (P&G) – 55 ppm Ivory Snow Gentle (P&G) – 31 ppm Tide Free (P&G) – 29 ppm Purex (Dial Corp) – 25 ppm Gain 2X Ultra (P&G) – 21 ppm Cheer BrightClean Detergent (P&G) – 20 ppm Era 2X Ultra (P&G) – 14 ppm Arm & Hammer (Church & Dwight Co.) – 5.0 ppm Wisk 2X Ultra (Sun Products Corp) – 3.9 ppm Woolite complete detergent (Reckitt Benckiser) – 1.3 ppm All Laundry Detergent (Unilever) – 0.6 ppm Dreft powdered detergent (P&G) - ND Sun Burst  (Sun Products Corp.) – ND “Natural” Brands: Planet Ultra Liquid Laundry detergent – 6.1 ppm Mrs. Meyers Laundry detergent – 1.5 ppm Clorox Green Works Natural Laundry detergent- ND ECOS Laundry Detergent (Earth Friendly Products) – ND Life Tree Laundry Liquid – ND Method Squeaky Green Laundry Detergent - ND Seventh Generation Free & Clear laundry detergent– ND (ppm = parts per million; ND=not detected) The independent third-party laboratory, Exova, known for rigorous testing and chain-of-custody protocols, performed all testing. The press conference was held in cooperation with The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC), a national coalition of health and environmental groups. ABOUT 1,4-DIOXANE - 1,4-dioxane is generated as a byproduct of ethoxylation, a process used by some companies to provide mildness to harsh cleaning ingredients, which requires use of the cancer-causing petrochemical ethylene oxide. 1,4-dioxane is considered a chemical “known to the State of California to cause cancer” under Proposition 65, and is also suspected as a kidney toxicant, neurotoxicant and respiratory toxicant, among others, according to the California EPA.

Women's Health Loses Again

Time and time again we see harm to women with Big PhRMA's chemical concoctions.

Personally I would suggest that a 45% risk is significant, as is 32%, but then I gues it is what the PR wants to make it whether it is based on fact.

Did anyone ever stop to think that it might be nutrient depletion or a thyroid disorder that is behind the so-called "depression"?

Anti-depressants 'up stroke risk'
Post menopausal women who take anti-depressants face a small - but statistically significant - increased risk of a stroke, research suggests.


The US study was based on 136,293 women aged 50 to 79, who were followed for an average of six years.


Anti-depressant users were 45% more likely to have a stroke than women not taking the drugs.


The data, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, is taken from the Women's Health Initiative Study.


When overall death rates were examined, those on anti-depressants were found to have a 32% higher risk of death from all causes during the study than non-users.

The researchers stressed that the overall risk of a stroke was relatively small. Even for women on anti-depressants, it was less than one in 200 chance in any given year.

“ You have to weigh the benefits that you get from these anti-depressants against the small increase in risk that we found in this study ”
Dr Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller Albert Einstein College of Medicine
However, they said that because so many women were taking anti-depressants the effect would be significant across the entire population.

It is not clear whether taking anti-depressants is solely responsible for the increased risk of a stroke.

Depression itself is known to be a risk factor for cardiovascular problems.

The researchers tried to take this into account in their analysis of the data - but could not rule out the possibility that it influenced the final results.

The study found no difference in stroke risk between the two major classes of anti-depressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or tricyclic anti-depressants (TCAs).

However, the SSRIs did appear to convey a higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke caused by a bleed in the brain.

Lead researcher Dr Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, stressed that treatment for depression was important, and that women should not stop taking prescribed medication without first consulting their doctor.

She said: "You have to weigh the benefits that you get from these antidepressants against the small increase in risk that we found in this study."

Known links

The researchers said follow-up studies were needed before any firm conclusions could be drawn.

Dr Jordan Smoller, of Harvard Medical School, who also worked on the study, said: "We need to study this association more to determine exactly what it signifies."

Joanne Murphy, for The Stroke Association stressed the study showed that overall risk for women taking anti-depressants was relatively small.

She said "We are already aware of links between depression and the risk of stroke and we are currently funding further studies to look into this.

"Everyone can help reduce their risk of stroke by making lifestyle changes, such as reducing their blood pressure, giving up smoking, reducing alcohol intake, improving their diet and getting plenty of exercise."

Ellen Mason, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "Severe depression can be debilitating and even fatal, so it is important to weigh up any small increase in the risk of stroke with the benefits of treating depression."

Bridget O'Connell, from the mental health charity Mind, said antidepressants produced a range of side effects that affected people in different ways.

She said: "Many people can experience huge benefits from taking antidepressants and it's important they work with their GP to identify both the plus points and the drawbacks, and weigh up what treatment is best for them."

Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/8408783.stm
Published: 2009/12/15 © BBC MMIX

Vaccine Recall: Not Effective Against Flu

With all of the issues surrounding this flu vaccine madness, perhaps the question that hasn't been asked is why do we need it in the first place.  The germ theory is invalid; it is analogous to saying that fluoride prevents cavities.

When it comes to health it is - purely and simply - good, natural nutrition that supports your health.

800,000 Doses Of Kids' Flu Vaccine Recalled
Health officials are recalling hundreds of thousands of doses of swine flu vaccine after tests indicated they may not be potent enough to protect against the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified doctors about the recall Tuesday. The recall involves about 800,000 doses made by Sanofi Pasteur. The doses are pre-filled syringes intended for young children, ages 6 months to almost three years.  Complete article

New Statin Drug Warnings

UPDATE: 4 June -  
Cholesterol is unlikely killer
---------------------------------

Some statins have unintended effects and warrant closer monitoring, study finds

ScienceDaily (2010-05-27) -- The type and dosage of statin drugs given to patients to treat heart disease should be proactively monitored as they can have unintended adverse effects, concludes a new study. ... > read full article

Energy Independence Revisited

What happened to railroad energy independence by 2000 as Carter pledged in '74?

Just more corrupt politics and greed...

The Gulf Oil Spill
Jerald L. Schnoor

At the time of this writing, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has continued unabated for one month. On April 20, 2010, the Mississippi Canyon 252 Deepwater Horizon oil well exploded, killing 11 people. The rig sank on April 22. Since then, we have witnessed a series of failed efforts to stop the oil discharge followed by a flurry of accusations and recriminations by BP, Transoceanic (the operator of the rig), Halliburton (the contractor employed to expedite the drilling operation), and the U.S. government. But none of these parties are fully responsible—our addiction to oil is really to blame.
When you are addicted, you will do anything necessary to satisfy your habit, even drilling in 5000 ft (1.5 km) of water to a depth of 5 mi (8 km) under the sea, jeopardizing the entire Gulf ecosystem. And when you are addicted to oil, it is difficult to imagine any other alternative. Somehow, we need a 12-step recovery program from the Obama administration.
This isn’t the first time I’ve written about an oil spill for ES&T. As a young Associate Editor, I invited research articles following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, by visiting the cleanup operation and meeting with researchers on-site. We published some of the first technical papers explaining the fate, transport, and eco-effects of the oil, and the bioremediation of Alaskan beaches. By means of this editorial, I’m similarly issuing a call to Gulf researchers to consider submitting your scientific articles about the oil spill here. We pledge to peer-review them rapidly (and thoroughly) and publish them with high quality and high impact.
Every oil spill is different, and that’s what makes emergency preparedness so difficult. In the case of the Exxon Valdez spill, emergency response was handicapped by jurisdictional quandaries, and that has proven to be the case again. In Prince William Sound, 2000 mi (3200 km) of shoreline were contaminated, and the plume traveled up to 500 miles (800 km). The high energy tides (15 ft [4.6 m]) caused skimming and burning the oil spill to be difficult, and it drove oil deep into some beaches. Cold water in Alaska caused oil to biodegrade more slowly and caused fisheries to have lower rates of reproduction and slow recovery times.
The BP Gulf of Mexico spill is the first to emanate from 5000 ft beneath the sea. It is the first to make major use of dispersants at the source of the leak, and it is the first to result in a major submerged plume. The vast area potentially impacted by the spill is also unprecedented. Already it is 16,000 sq. mi. (41,400 km2) of sea surface covered by oil slick and 46,000 sq. mi. (119,000 km2) of area closed to fishing (roughly the size of Pennsylvania). Obviously, it’s imperative that the oil discharge be stopped and stopped soon before the spill contaminates the entire Gulf. But no one knows what the final economic and environmental burden will be. Larry Schweiger, President of the National Wildlife Federation, was quoted in an AP story, “The Gulf of Mexico is a crime scene, and the perpetrator cannot be left in charge of assessing the damage.”
Assessing the damages is tricky and highly site-specific. If the Gulf oil spill continues to stay mostly at sea, it will affect more open-water fisheries and less shoreline habitats and spawning than previous massive spills. The use of dispersants could prove to be a brilliant decision that broke-up the spill and allowed biodegradation of billions of tiny droplets more easily. Or it could be a disaster that served to submerge the plume, spread it into the Loop Current, and transport it to the ecologically rich Florida Keys. When the plume is submerged, it is no longer subject to volatilization and photodegradation, important processes in the weathering of the oil, which could further delay recovery. When millions of gallons of dispersants are used, it is yet another toxicological stressor on ecosystems.
No energy source comes without risks and environmental impacts, but our addiction to oil is particularly vexing because of the energy insecurity it fosters. Our addiction is largely one of liquid transportation fuels for driving more and more miles each year. If we could solve our overdependence on cars and trucks, we would solve our addiction to oil.
Imagine a world without oil—and with efficient plug-in hybrid electric cars running on solar, wind, and geothermal power. We’d have less dependence on foreign oil, less greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, a better balance of payments, lower debt burden, a stronger dollar, a more resilient energy infrastructure, cleaner air, and less emphysema and asthma.
Years ago, I said, “The oil spill at Prince William Sound was caused by human error and was largely preventable. We hope to learn from these disasters so we do not have to relive them” (Environ. Sci. Technol. DOI 10.1021/es00013a600 [1991, 25 (1), 14]).
Just repeat the refrain. But add a real plan to end our oil addiction.
Environ. Sci. Technol., Publication Date (Web): May 27, 2010
Copyright © 2010 American Chemical Society