What makes a healthy home?

I was doing some research for my website, Eve's Best, when it suddenly occurred to me that many people may not know what a "healthy home" really is. Of course we all have our own opinions, but I feel a healthy home encompasses these qualities:

1. The air is clean. Unless we have a sick child, we may not realize how poor our air quality is. We often hear of sick buildings or sick schools, and we neglect to realize the danger occurs in our own homes. Whether we have abundant off-gassing, mold or mildew, or allergens floating around in the air, most homes do have poor air quality. We solve this by using Airwise air purifiers in our home.

2. Safe cleaning products are used. The majority of products on the market are NOT safe. You can find safer alternatives at your local health food store, or make your own non-toxic cleaning products. Both alternatives will help you avoid volatile organic compounds (VOC's) which are given off, even by closed cleaning containers.

3. Fresh fruits and vegetables (preferably organic) are on hand for snacks. People who say their kids won't eat these are usually providing their children more junk than fruit. Of course children will choose a twinkie over a banana! So leave the twinkies at the store and you avoid the battle completely. My kids get fruit out of the refrigerator bin without me knowing it because they know that when they're hungry that's what they should eat. They are 4 and 5, and we have sweet teeth just like everyone else. But we also have brains that we try to use daily, and most parents out there just don't feel the same way, apparently.

4. Safe personal care products are provided. Everything you put on your body or use to clean your body has an affect on your body. Just like cleaning products, personal care products have not been created with your health in mind. Cost has been the most important factor, and many mainstream products

Triclosan Concerns

Antibacterial Compounds In Everyday Products May Affect Fetuses' Lengths

By Shweta Lyer, Aug 10, 2014

From hand sanitizers and body washes to detergents and dish soaps, we love everything that comes with the antibacterial label. But is the overuse of antibacterial products doing more harm than good? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) certainly thinks so, as it's considering a ban on common antibacterial compounds that are also known to harm the environment. What’s more, scientists have found that the chemical compounds in antibacterial products have found their way into fetuses in pregnant mothers.

Researchers reported their findings at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

"We looked at the exposure of pregnant women and their fetuses to triclosan and triclocarban, two of the most commonly used germ-killers in soaps and other everyday products," said Dr. Benny Pycke, a research scientists at Arizona State University, in a press release. "We found triclosan in all of the urine samples from the pregnant women that we screened. We also detected it in about half of the umbilical cord blood samples.”

Triclosan was first registered as a pesticide back in the 1960s. But with a potential to be used as an antimicrobial ingredient, it began being manufactured into antibacterial products. Recent studies have shown the serious health implications that triclosan and triclocarban present in animals, and possibly in humans, too. In the lab, these compounds were shown to disrupt hormones essential for neural and reproductive development and produce drug resistance in bacteria.

While its true that the human body can flush out these compounds, constant exposure may still leave traces inside the body. "If you cut off the source of exposure, eventually triclosan and triclocarban would quickly be diluted out, but the truth is that we have universal use of these chemicals, and therefore also universal exposure," lead investigator Dr. Rolf Halden said in the release.

While scientists have not been able to replicate lab results showing the effects of these compounds on people, State University of New York's Dr. Laura Geer found another interesting outcome during the study. The study showed that women with high levels of the antimicrobial compound butyl paraben, found in cosmetic products, gave birth to shorter newborns. It's yet to be seen how these compounds will affect people in the long-term. But if their findings are confirmed in larger studies, it could mean that widespread exposure to these compounds may cause subtle, but large-scale effects on birth size.

Currently there are more than 2,000 over-the-counter products that contain these compounds, including toothpastes, soaps, detergents, carpets, paints, school supplies, and toys, the researchers said. Besides harming the human body, these dangerous compounds are no good for the environment either. Our ecosystem, especially lakes, accumulate large amounts of triclosan due to the release of sewage water. In turn, marine life is harmed.

Because of these implications, several governments have considered banning products that use these compounds. Minnesota became the first state to pass a ban on the use of antimicrobials in certain products. The ban is expected to take effect in January 2017. The Canadian Environmental Law Association has also urged the Canadian government to ban these two compounds. Meanwhile, companies like Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble have also announced the discontinuation of these compounds from some of their products. At the federal level, the FDA and Environmental Protection Agency have recommended a scientific review of these compounds, and with sufficient evidence may consider banning them.

Source: Geer L, Halden R, Pycke B, et al. Human biomonitoring of prenatal exposure to triclosan and triclocarban in a multiethnic urban population from Brooklyn, New York. At The 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society. 2014.

Lead Poisoning in United States

Nearly 3,000 US Communities Have Higher Rate Of Lead Poisoning Than Flint, MI 

By Whitney Webb

Last year, the community of Flint, Michigan was thrust into the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Children were being diagnosed with lead poisoning at previously unheard of levels and the town’s water supply was later found to be the culprit. City officials, not long before, had switched the city’s water supply from the Detroit water system to a polluted and corrosive nearby river in order to save money. Though several of the city officials responsible have now been criminally charged for their role in the disaster, nearly two years have passed while residents of Flint remain without clean drinking water.

Though Flint is the most recent example of lead poisoning in the United States, a new analysis by Reuters has found that it is just the tip of the iceberg. The study found that nearly 3,000 communities throughout the country recorded incredibly high rates of lead poisoning, over a third of which were quadruple that of Flint at the height of the water crisis. Pockets of major urban centers like Baltimore and Philadelphia were the locales found to suffer the most from lead poisoning. In many of these communities lead poisoning has been a problem for generations. There, the rate of elevated lead tests has hovered between 40 to 50% for at least the past ten years. Other communities are more rural, like Warren, Pennsylvania. 36% of children living in Warren, a town of under 10,000 along the endangered Allegheny river, had elevated levels of lead in their blood.

The study used previously undisclosed data from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health departments to arrive at its conclusions as both groups track poisoning rates among children in a variety of locations nationwide. Reuters reporters found that lead poisoning was so widespread it spanned across economic class and race, though poverty was often predicted a higher likelihood of lead exposure. Though the CDC officially estimated that 2.5% of children nationwide in the US suffer from lead poisoning, some say the number is likely far higher. Ultimately, the report strongly highlights the failure of government attempts to eliminate such high exposure to such a dangerous toxin. Dr. Helen Egger, chair of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Longone Medical Center’s Child Study Center, told Reuters that “Where lead poisoning remains common, many children will have developmental delays and start out behind all the rest.” For that reason, any child whose lead blood level is above 5 micrograms per deciliter warrant a “public health response” as the slightest elevation can result in a reduced IQ and stunted development.

This study raises the possibility that lead poisoning could be to blame, in part, for the rise in autism. Lead poisoning has already been pinned as a cause of autism as a 2014 study in Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology found that lead and mercury can lead to autistic disorders. That same year, one in 68 children in the US were diagnosed with autism, a 30 percent increase in just two years. However, mainstream health news, such as WebMD, claim that the causes of autism remain “a mystery.” Children throughout the country have now been proven to have high levels of a heavy metal known to cause autism in their blood. The real explanation for the dramatic jump in autism cases is right in front of us, if only we would see it.

Toxic Carpet Solution for Babies

If you've never heard about the numerous problems that carpet can cause, please Google it! I don't want to re-hash old news here, as there are numerous excellent articles on-line about the dangers already. In a nutshell, new carpet is bad because of the off-gassing of chemicals, and old carpet is bad because it contains decades of everything that came off of shoes, as well as layers of dust, dust mites, and any other bug carcasses that died under fibers hidden from the vacuum cleaner's suction.

Cleaning your carpets is good, but has mold started growing due to the wetness from being "shampooed"? There is ALWAYS SOMETHING with carpet. I'm so glad we only have carpet on stairs (which we are removing) because my son was recently diagnosed with allergies to numerous things, including dust mites!

But what do you do when you have a baby you want to lie down on your floor? Or what if you take your baby to a friend's house and the only option is a carpeted floor? (And you know it's not clean...)

This solution is a no-brainer and it's so simple, it's crazy that others haven't already thought about it. It's the No-Chem Tummy Time Mat, a piece of food-grade plastic that is put between the baby and floor.

Now you can put your baby down, literally anywhere, because the plastic keeps any fumes, toxins, dirt, and dust mites away from your baby, keeping her healthy and free from harmful chemicals.

I also suggest using this mat on top of foam pieces, even if they are made for children. Some children's padding/ foam flooring is chemically unhealthy for babies and should be avoided as well.

This product would make a great gift for new moms who aren't aware of the dangers in carpet.

Wrapping a Mattress That's Making You Sick

I just spent quite a bit of time reading about people discussing online how sick they are from their mattresses. And I feel guilty, because instead of yelling from the rooftops how I can help, I've been busy raising my kids and trying to also get enough sleep to survive. I might be currently dozing off from time to time, but I will try to get my point across.

New mattresses contain more chemicals than ever before. It doesn't matter what they are called or why they are in there if you are getting sick from your mattress (you aren't the only one!) You are probably here to figure out how to fix that, while skipping the education that gets you nowhere...

If your mattress is making you sick, here is the easiest, most affordable, and most sensible solution available:

Purchase a No-Chem Bed Solutions Mattress Wrap, a "pillowcase style" cover made from food grade polyethylene.

Yes, it feels like plastic, and yes, you can do something about it. First, I would see how much it really bothers you. Then, try different solutions. The more padding between you and the plastic, the less the plastic is noticeable (duh, right?) A down or poly-fill comforter that fits under the fitted sheet might make a big difference. (Do not lay a baby on this!)

If you are still bothered by the plastic, you might need to move onto another solution. You could purchase a non-toxic foam pad to go under the fitted sheet (and under a mattress pad if you choose). My son's entire bed is made of non-toxic foam pads and his bed is absolutely heavenly. That is the more expensive route to take, but if you are watching pennies like most Americans, one thinner pad would probably do the trick.

I would also want to wrap an older mattress, because let's be honest, we don't know what's in there. You can find that info on other sites, but I'm going to do you a favor just in case you're on your lunch break and say, "Trust me..."

I do want to say in closing, that if you seem to be getting more sensitive to chemicals, do some liver-friendly things like adding some good veggies to your diet and taking herbal supplements for liver health and de-toxing. Because Your Health Matters!

Sharp Stabbing Pain in the Head

We had just finished dinner at a restaurant I won't mention, when my son suddenly scrunched up his face, rubbing the front right part of his head (near the temple). I immediately thought he had an ice cream headache, but this was different. It lasted about 10 seconds, and he told me that he had been having these kind of headaches for about a month. They were growing in frequency, and I could tell they were starting to concern him.

I did the first thing I could think of, which of course was to Google this type of pain to see what I could learn on the internet. I quickly learned that he was having "ice pick headaches" which could be caused by something serious, or something completely "normal." At our next chiropractor's visit, we were advised to make a visit to the doctor for further investigation. We were able to get an appointment the next day.

After asking some questions, a urinalysis (which I later found out was a drug screen!) was done and blood was drawn. A few days later, a CT scan was taken of his head.

It didn't take long to find out that the CT scan was normal, he wasn't on drugs or alcohol (which I already knew), and his blood showed a low Vitamin D level (AGAIN). But it also showed that he had markers for allergies, so they wanted to take more blood to run a panel to find out what he's allergic to. There were many allergies, both food and environmental. The doctor said that this could certainly be the cause of the headaches, and while we wait to see the allergist, he should take Claritin daily.

I had already done some reading about ice pick headaches, and wasn't convinced that allergies were the likely cause. I got online again to find an article written about Mayo Clinic and how they had used melatonin in a study for these headaches. A couple of parents of teen boys had followed the same study and tried the melatonin with success. Because he had been having trouble sleeping for over a year, I decided that adding it to our regimen couldn't hurt.

His headaches stopped completely. A week after having none, he suddenly had one for no apparent reason. But after having five a day, one per week was an amazing improvement. The only problem is, we don't know if it was the (generic) Claritin or the melatonin that did it. And frankly, I don't care! I'm not a fan of medication, but I also started taking the (generic) Claritin and it's made the scratchiness in my throat go away as well.

If you (or your child) has ice pick headaches out of the blue, try melatonin first. We used 1 mg and it made an immediate difference in my son's ability to sleep at night, and was enough to work for his headaches (presumably). I know these are common for people who have migraines or cluster headaches, and I would suggest to search for the cause of these as well. Pain is the body's way of communicating something, and we just need to figure out what that is.

History of Cancer Cures

This is an amazing documentary outlining the cancer industry and how messed up it really is. I love the beginning, as it speaks about technology in other areas and how far we have come, yet we still use the same old unsuccessful cancer treatments (and think they work!) I am still surprised to come across comments in forums or in reply to articles that scream about how chemotherapy works and "alternative" therapies do not. I mean, everyone has the same internet and all the information at their fingertips, but we have been so brainwashed that we don't see what's right in front of us. In this documentary, you will see cases of men who fiercely fought against doctors with "natural cures" until they needed the treatment themselves...

CDC Hiding Statistics Related to Autism

What's going on at the CDC?! Not that I ever trusted them, but... here you go:

Waterwise 8800 SALE

Now through September 2, save $50 on the purchase of a Waterwise 8800 distiller! I don't know when the prices will ever be this low again, so now is the time to act if you have considered making the smartest purchase EVER. We have been drinking home distilled water for almost a decade and feel very satisfied with our choice in truly pure water. For more, visit http://www.waterwise-distillers.com .

Do Inversion Tables Really Work?

I started having back problems at the age of 11. I was a competitive swimmer, and couldn't stand to hold my kick board out in front of me during kicking sets because of the pain I felt in my back. But nobody really listened, because I was so young. When I was in my mid-20s I received free chiropractor visits from a new office opening up, and found out that I already had degenerating discs in my lower back.

I got married, had babies, and even though my back problems were really bad before I had kids, for some reason they went away for years after having them. Then out of the blue, they were back. Now I am 43 and it's something I have to stay on top of, or stay in bed. Here is what I have learned...

First, the more I sit still, the worse my back hurts. I discovered this while under chiropractic care, when I moved to a new house. We took a month to move, since it was just a few miles away. I couldn't believe my back was causing me no trouble with all the lifting and moving, and I reported to my chiropractor what was going on. He was not surprised, as he knew that sitting, or not  moving much, is what leads to most people's problems.

Another thing that I've learned is that chiropractic care does work. Almost every time I've gone in, I've come out with almost complete relief. I remember suffering for three weeks before I finally went in with a "crick" in my neck, where the chiropractor fixed it immediately. I felt so stupid for waiting!

Another thing I've learned is that I can't afford chiropractic care like what I need. I had to find a way to stay out of the chiropractor's office as much as possible. I couldn't afford to move every month so I had to find another way! At some point, the inversion table came across my path. It made sense to invest in it without ever trying it, because if it could help me avoid chiropractor visits, it would pay for itself in a couple of months.

So I got a Teeter Hang Ups Inversion Therapy Table and put it together. Yes, it worked. Not only did it feel really good while on it, it also felt good afterward. Sometimes I can feel little "pops" in my lower back, which are less painful than the "pops" experienced at the chiropractor. Sometimes, just the expanding and opening up of the spine is enough to provide relief. I've also had problems with my neck, which have been relieved while using the inversion table as well.

During the past couple of days, I've been walking on a concrete floor, which always promotes leg, foot, and back pain for me. After five hours of this, I went home with horrible back pains, believing for sure I would have to make a chiropractor appointment. I got on my inversion table, and the pain was gone ten minutes later!

Now, I'm not going to pretend that the inversion table is all fun and games. Some days, I can hardly do it because it's so uncomfortable to my head and eyes. There is a danger of popping blood vessels in the eyes of some people. Most days, it is fine, but other days are just not good. I'm not sure what controls this. On the difficult days, I go back less, or work up to more and more as my body adjusts. But on other days, I can go right back and completely vertical with no problem.

If you are in the same boat as me, I would give the inversion table a try. Or better yet, see if you have a friend that has one so you can try it out before you buy your own. My goal is to live pain-free as well as avoid surgery. And thankfully, it looks like it's saving me money. I still go to the chiropractor from time to time, but I'm hoping one day it won't be necessary at all. As long as I avoid surgery, I'll be happy!

P.S. I can't believe I forgot to mention this! If you are having back or neck pain, try this: Get a sandwich bag, put in 8 pieces of ice (I'm not sure why, but it does specify EIGHT). Apply to the painful area, directly on skin, for 20 minutes EXACTLY. Repeat every hour as needed. It works, better than Advil!

Benefits of a High Fat Diet

This video is free to watch through July 4, and I highly recommend it!

If you have diabetes or love someone who does, if you can't seem to lose weight, if you have any inflammatory disease/heart disease/high cholesterol, or have an athlete in your family, you MUST watch this video. It literally could save your life. 

Cereal Killers - The Movie

Vinyl and Febreze on a Mattress??

Holy cow, did I really just read this? A mom asks a question about solving a mattress wrapping problem, and two responses tell her to:

1. Why don't you just get a vinyl mattress cover that is the correct size for your mattress? Walmart has them in a range of standard sizes. 
2. Just leave all the sheets and plastic off your mattress and let it air out naturally. You can also get some fabric spray I.E febreze to make it smell nice...

I've got to step away from the computer before my head explodes. What makes matters worse, the mom was co-sleeping with her baby and they thought vinyl and Febreze were still a good idea. (HINT: They're never a good idea, especially around babies!)

Read for yourself

What's in YOUR Water?

At least once a month, I get the rude awakening that friends of mine are still drinking water straight from the tap. It literally makes me want to vomit when I see it, not only because I know the kinds of things that are in there, but also because I know it tastes absolutely horrible! I've been selling Water Distillers for almost a decade, but most friends don't realize this. I decided I'm just not in their faces enough asking, "What in the WORLD are you thinking?!" when I realize what they are drinking. I'm a really crappy sales person!

So to all my friends who are drinking tap water, STOP. Just stop. Did you know that you have been drinking trihalomethanes (cancer-causing compounds resulting when chemical disinfectants react with organic matter in the water), fluoride (a toxin), pharmaceutical wastes, arsenic, lead, bacteria, pesticides...and this is the SHORT list!

Did you know that many municipal treatment plants cannot effectively treat giardia and cryptosporidia? Water experts estimate that 63% of waterborne illnesses are directly caused by these chlorine resistant cysts which can be fatal to the immune suppressed.

I bet you thought fluoride was good, but did you know that it's actually toxic and banned in China, India, Israel, Japan, and effectively banned in the European Union?

The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 initially regulated only 22 contaminants. Today there are 85,000 chemicals on the Federal Registry and about 1,000 new chemicals are added each year, though "safe" standards have been set for only 91 contaminants. The EPA is looking at 10,000 emerging pharmaceutical, industrial and agricultural contaminants already known to be in tap water, though only 104 of these common contaminants are currently under consideration by the EPA for regulation.

If you are wondering why the government doesn't ensure a safe water supply, consider that each household only drinks about a half gallon of water for every 100 gallons used per person each day. So it would be crazy for "authorities" to spend money on treating water going right down the drain.

Be your own authority. Realize now what has made sense to me for close to a decade. Water from the tap is NOT fit for consumption. Before you start patting yourself on the backs, bottled water drinkers,  the Environmental Working Group found that bottled water is not necessarily any safer than ordinary tap water. The lab tests of 10 popular brands identified 38 pollutants ranging from fertilizer residue to industrial solvents. (Not to mention, some bottled water costs more than gasoline, ALL those stupid plastic bottles, and lugging them home every week?! Yuck!)

Now, I'd like to say here that any old filtering system will do, but I know too much. You can purify your own water at home (the same yucky water that comes out of your tap!) but there are so many ways to do it. I'm going to jump right to the point, the BEST purification method is distillation.

The word "distillation" probably leads to visions of huge metal contraptions with tubes in your basement, banging and chugging as it spits out water into a huge vat. But what if I told you that a home water distiller resembled a coffee maker? See for yourself...

Nice, huh? That is just one distiller, and there are other styles to choose from. But no matter what it looks like, the point is... it purifies your water, EVERY single time. It doesn't lose effectiveness over time like all filters do, and you know your water is purified because you are doing it yourself rather than trusting someone else to do it. I'm sorry, but isn't this a no brainer?!

I know you are thinking now...what about cost? While the initial investment is a few hundred dollars up front, you will save about 70% compared to bottled water (which remember, isn't even near as safe as your own purified water!)When you distill your own water, you get ALL the bad stuff out, not just what a filter is rated for (usually just the chlorine/taste). Then, you can add back in only what you want. Whether apple cider vinegar, lemon, vitamins, or just plain water, it is DELICIOUS. Recently I gave a gallon to a friend of mine, and he made his morning coffee with it. He RAVED about how much better the coffee tasted when made with pure water.

Distilled water is also useful around the house, and you will always have some on hand.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, but you can learn more at Waterwise Distillers. I hope I have convinced you to take a look at this problem more closely. Seriously, we aren't getting any younger and your choice of drinking water can have an impact on your health. Make a positive impact on it today!

Burzynski: Cancer Is Serious Business, Part I

Burzynski: Cancer Is Serious Business, Part I 

This is a MUST watch!

Jenny McCarthy on The View

According to facebook rants, Jenny McCarthy will soon be a host on The View. Yay!

I know not many share that sentiment, but who cares? LOL I don't watch The View anymore. I can't remember if I stopped watching because I got tired of the misinformed liberals spewing garbage, or if Elizabeth Hasselbeck's ignorance bothered me too much. Perhaps it was the mainstream medical advice they pushed on viewers and the way they handled any alternative medical peeps so horribly... I don't know. It's been so long....

Anyway, I like Jenny McCarthy. Like all of us, she has faults, but she is definitely one to be blunt with her thoughts and that's something appreciated by people like me who are tired of the B.S.! I recently picked up her book, Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism , at Goodwill and couldn't put it down. If you are wondering about all the griping about her stance on vaccines and autism, I suggest you get a copy of her book so you can see for yourself the journey she and her son have taken. One thing I have learned is that there are MANY misinformed people out there when it comes to vaccines. If nothing else, perhaps she will open a dialogue that has been non-existent in many circles. Admittedly, I was pro-vaccine and thought anti-vaxers were nuts. And then, I researched both sides. Enough said.

Go Jenny McCarthy, GO!

Keeping up with the Kardashians Cancer Episode

It takes a lot to admit I watch this show, so you can imagine how moved I am to admit it so I can address what I just saw tonight on Keeping up with the Kardashians. Tonight, Scott Dissick visited "Josie," a cancer patient, who wanted to meet Scott to fulfill her bucket list. Why she would want this is beyond me, but in any case the woman was awesome! Sadly, she mentioned having gone through an aggressive form of chemotherapy and radiation for lung cancer, which she said, "Worked." But a couple of years later, the cancer returned in five places. I guess it depends on your definition of "worked," but if it had, she would not be dealing with cancer again, especially not so soon after treatment. Unfortunately, this is how it usually works.

Chemotherapy has a VERY low success rate. Of course it depends on many factors, including type of cancer, but it is unsuccessful in 96-98% of cancers.

I found THIS GREAT ARTICLE YOU MUST READ.

I felt sad for Josie. Here is this vibrant, bubbly woman with loving friends and family who does not know better than to listen to these doctors who are (literally) going to kill her. I know that sounds cold, but I don't know how to put it any other way. And then I got angry.

At the end of the show, this was put on the screen:

Perhaps you don't know Mary Ellis-Bunim or Bonnie Bogard. If you grew up watching The Real World like I did, you have seen Ellis-Bunim's name numerous times. Bogard was an employee of Ellis-Bunim, and ironically, the two died within two days of each other, both from cancer.

I'm all for remembering those who have died. But here's the irony, and what prompts me to write this. Mary Ellis-Bunim and Bonnie Bogard died in 2004. Here, nine years later, after trillions of dollars have been funneled into the cancer industry, Josie sits and laments the return of her cancer. NOTHING has changed. But we are supposed to donate to cancer research? For WHAT?!

I want to know WHERE it has gotten us to give scientists our money? And why is this show just feeding the monster? Am I the only one watching this show who connected the current victim of this system (Josie) and the failure of the system in regards to Ellis-Bunim or Bogard? When will we have enough?

All of us have been touched by cancer in some way. With the access to information we have online today, there is no excuse for being ill-informed about this subject. If you simply search "chemotherapy success rates" you will find just about everything you need.

Instead of sending your money off to some organization who WILL waste it, spend it on taking care of yourself. Or help a friend take better care of him/herself. There are SO many things you can do to slash your chances of getting cancer, but I bet you have written them off as "too expensive." You can always earn that money back, but you can't earn anything when you're dead! Please, do the research until this is common sense to you, and then pass it on. The lives of your friends and family may depend on you.

Burzynski: Cancer Is Serious Business, Part I

Why get a flu vaccine?

Once again, the CDC has provided misleading statistics to keep unsuspecting customers coming back for yet ANOTHER flu vaccine. This is old news, but they continue to do it. Which means people are still falling for their game, still getting their flu shots because they don't want to be one of the tens of thousands of people who die every year from influenza.

Do NOT get a flu shot. Seriously, just don't. I'm saying this in the middle of June, when my son is at the end of a week of fevers, aches and chills, probably the flu. After this week, he will be fine, and he won't get this strain of the flu (or whatever it is) again. If you are afraid of influenza, you shouldn't be.

Here's why:

The CDC is lying to you again: flu fiction vs. flu reality

What's wrong with Flintstone vitamins?

I actually can't believe these things are still being sold. I had them as a kid. Didn't everyone? But in the age we are in, there is no excuse for the ingredients and lack of knowledge about them.

"One would assume that because it is a "multivitamin," and one marketed specifically to children, that it contains only nutritious ingredients in the most appropriate doses and nothing more. To the contrary, the Flintstones Vitamins brand, which is manufactured by global drug giant Bayer, contains a host of synthetic additives that are actually banned in many countries due to their toxicity not only in humans but also in the environment."

Learn more

For a better alternative, try the vitamin that my children started taking in 2004. Or the vitamin they take now. I personally recommend these due to our successes on them. My son's asthma and allergy symptoms went away. My very severe seasonal allergies went away immediately. We are healthy. Honestly, I don't know where we would be without them.

Folic acid supplementation linked to reduced risk of colorectal cancer

At a Glance
In a new study published in Cancer Prevention Research, folic acid supplementation of 1 mg/day resulted in a 50% reduction in the risk of colorectal adenomas (polyps) in a large group of Chinese adults.

More...

Colorectal adenomas (polyps) are often a precursor to colorectal cancer. Most research has focused on preventing recurrence of colorectal adenomas, but less is known about primary prevention. In a new article published online in Cancer Prevention Research, researchers report a significant reduction in the risk of colorectal adenomas in adults receiving supplemental folic acid. 

The study included Chinese adults over the age of 50 who were free of any polyps at the beginning of the study. The participants were randomized to receive either a folic acid supplement of 1,000 mcg (1 mg) per day or a multivitamin supplement without folic acid.  Plasma folate levels were measured at the beginning and conclusion of the 3 year treatment period.  Colonoscopies were used to determine the location and size of all polyps, and were examined by a pathologist.

Of the 791 adults that completed the study, colorectal adenomas were seen in 64 (14.88%) of the folic acid supplemented group compared to 132 (30.70%) in the control group. Subjects in either group with the lowest plasma folate levels at the beginning of the study were at greater risk of developing adenomas. Those taking folic acid supplements were also less likely to develop advanced adenomas than the control group.  

Contrary to some research that has suggested that high-dose folic acid might increase the recurrence and progression of colorectal cancer, only two individuals in the folic acid group developed colorectal cancer during the three year follow up and there was no significant difference with the control group.

The researchers conclude that people with low plasma folate should be encouraged to take supplemental folate to raise plasma folate to a more beneficial level, potentially reducing the risk of developing pre-cancerous adenomas. They also suggest that a dosage of 1 mg/day appeared safe and without any significant side effects.

Jing-Yuan Fang et al. Folic acid prevents the initial occurrence of sporadic colorectal adenoma in Chinese over 50 years of age: a randomized clinical trial.  Published Online First May 16, 2013; doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-13-0013

The Best Way to Avoid the Flu

Well, nothing is fool-proof, but there are things you can do to build your body up against an attack of  influenza and other viruses or bacteria. I came across a great article from Dr. Mercola that includes these steps as well as information regarding the flu vaccine. This is a current article, and given almost all my friends on facebook have had a bout of something so far this winter, it's important to read because it explains what's going on and why this season is so much worse for everyone.

I can attest to the diet connection. We do almost everything Dr. Mercola suggests, and myself and two kids have been very healthy (with the exception of my son, who ate all his Halloween candy in a week like a big doofus and got a cold!) I really, really, really want people to understand that their diet 100% affects whether they will get sick or not. I was very sick as a child, and my kids are similarly "weak" on their own. If we ate like I did as a kid, they would be sick all the time as well. Of course stress management, exercise, and washing hands is important as well, but follow Dr. Mercola's advice on the diet part and you will be far ahead of the game. Here is the article:

During One of the Worst Flu Seasons, is the Flu Vaccine the Answer?