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Fabric Softener Is The #1 Cause Of Indoor Pollution. Here Is How To Make Your Own Natural Fabric Softener

by February 18, 2016

Fabric Softener is the #1 cause of indoor pollution. Whenever you smell that”laundry smell,” you are inhaling toxic VOC”S. Here is how to make your own natural fabric softener

Conventional fabric softeners are full of toxic chemicals. Making your own fabric softener is very easy and cost effective . Additionally, using   homemade cleaning products helps keep harmful chemicals away. Vinegar is cheap and nontoxic. It naturally removes soap residue, and helps with static reduction during drying. Vinegar contains small amounts of sodium and  potassium, which help soften hard water. Homemade fabric softener ingredients are combined with water to make a solution you can store in a container and use each time you do the wash.

Natural  Homemade Fabric Softener

Ingredients

Mix ingredients together and pour into a storage container.

To use:

Dilute the vinegar mixture  with water before being used in your laundry.  For regular sizes loads, mix 1/4 cup of vinegar mixture with 3/4 cups of water. Pour the fabric softener into your washer during the final rinse cycle.

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By Anya V via Living Traditionally

Purina’s Beneful Brand Has Poisoned and Killed Thousands of Dogs According to Lawsuit

by February 17, 2016

We love our pets. Our dogs are members of the family. To many of us, they are one of the kids – the furry one. But are we as careful with what we feed our pets as what we feed our children? Frequently, ads for pet food claim that they have “real” food, but the ingredients end up being things like wheat gluten meal, animal by-products, and corn by-products. Nestle’s Purina Beneful brand, one of the most popular brands of dog food, is currently facing a class action lawsuit claiming their food caused serious health issues or even death in over 3,000 dogs. A little digging into consumer reviews of Beneful comes back with story after story of dogs suffering from massive internal health issues. Maybe it’s time to start looking more closely at the food you’re feeding your dog and start replacing the chicken by-product meal with actual chicken.

 

What’s the Deal with Conventional Dog Food?

There are many dog owners waiting for the decision in the class action lawsuit against Beneful. Reviews from dog owners who have fed their dogs Beneful have similar distressing symptoms. These dogs develop incontinence, internal bleeding, liver malfunction, and seizures. There are two ingredients that are potentially causing the most damage. The first is propylene glycol, a chemical used in antifreeze that nevertheless has been approved by the FDA for dog food and other products like salad dressings and cake mixes. Propylene glycol has caused products to be banned in Europe. It is considered less toxic than the ethylene glycol usually used in antifreeze, but it’s still a chemical you don’t need your dog ingesting.

Another possible cause of these dog poisonings is mycotoxins from improperly stored grains. With the widespread incidences of liver failure cited in the lawsuit, it makes sense that this is being caused by toxins. Dog foods contain large quantities of grain from multiple sources, so the testing for contaminated ingredients is inconsistent and ineffective. Lax testing and regulation coupled with the tendency of large corporations to meet the bare minimum standards for quality makes it more than possible that Purina Beneful and many other dogs foods contain mycotoxins. Several consumers report that their Beneful products had maggots. Many of the symptoms reported by pet owners are consistent with mycotoxin poisoning. Because conventional dog food relies so heavily on grains, without extensive regulating, the threat of mycotoxins will always be there.

 

Is Homemade Dog Food the Answer?

It’s interesting to note the ways in which food for dogs mirrors our food. Conventional dog food brings to mind fast food – cheap and easy. What would happen if we put as much care into our pet’s food as we do into ours? It sounds like a lot of work and a lot of money. Even so, reading the stories from Beneful customers who have had to rush their dog to the vet, watched them suffer, or found them dead is sobering. Does the time and money balance out in the end?

Check the ingredients in your dog food. Avoid animal by-products, excessive grains, sugar, and preservatives. Making your dog’s food at home allows you to feed them a balanced diet of whole foods with any chemicals or preservatives. Mix raw, organic vegetables and organic, grass fed ground meat like beef or bison in a food processor. You can use a variety of vegetables (no onions, though!) and also add extras like eggs or avocado. If your dog is having health issues, homemade food can make all the difference in the world. Check out Cancer cure (for dogs only). We also give all of our dogs (and humans) in the family, Total Nutrition Formula. Your pets are important members of your family. Why not show them a little extra love with a better quality of food?
Kristina works at Green Lifestyle Market. A few years ago Kristina was no stranger to illness, but she decided to pursue health and vitality through natural means when she became pregnant. She quickly learned that she could prevent morning sickness and other common ailments other pregnant woman experienced with the right diet. After a healthy home birth, and a beautiful child, she never looked back. Kristina has not had so much as a cold since, and at two years old and unvaccinated, neither has her child. She’s passionate about natural health, environmental conservation, and raising her healthy baby without pharmaceuticals.

Sources:
http://www.nydailynews.com
http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com
http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com
http://www.consumeraffairs.com
http://www.thedailybeast.com
Image: YouTube

Study Shows Marijuana 114 Times Safer Than Drinking Alcohol

by February 16, 2016

Marco Torres, Prevent Disease

We have been led to believe that marijuana is a dangerous and addictive drug that destroys lives and is a far greater risk than other recreational drugs such as alcohol. Governments have tried diligently to to convince the public that people who use pot are more at risk to themselves and the public than those who use alcohol. As the debate over marijuana legalization continues, a new study now shows that smoking the controversial plant is about 114 times safer than drinking alcohol.

In fact, alcohol was found to be the deadliest drug on an individual level, at least when it comes to the likelihood of a person dying due to consuming a lethal dose. Heroin and cocaine were the next most deadly substances, followed by tobacco, ecstasy, and meth. Trailing up the rear was marijuana.

According to the team of international researchers behind the study, published in the journal ‘Scientific Reports,’ the findings suggest that marijuana risks — at least those related to mortality — are trumped when compared to substances like alcohol.

“The results confirm that the risk of cannabis may have been overestimated in the past,” the report reads. “At least for the endpoint of mortality, the [margin of exposure] for THC/cannabis in both individual and population-based assessments would be above safety thresholds (e.g. 100 for data based on animal experiments). In contrast, the risk of alcohol may have been commonly underestimated.”

Both alcohol and cannabis can be considered a narcotic or hallucinogen, that affects the central nervous system, causing changes in behavior and often addiction. But there are major differences in how each reacts with the human body.

As reported by the Washington Post, the study’s results aren’t exactly new, though they do confirm similar findings first reported a decade ago. In a separate story last year, the Post noted that Wayne Hall of the World Health Organization said it’s nearly impossible for even those who smoke large amounts of cannabis to overdose on the drug.

“The estimated fatal dose [of THC, the primary active compound in marijuana] in humans derived from animal studies is between 15 and 70 grams. This is a far greater amount of cannabis that even a very heavy cannabis user could use in a day,” Hall wrote last year.

Even alcohol’s unsafe margin of exposure (MOE) ratio isn’t all that surprising since, unlike heroin and cocaine, it is legal and much more readily available and accepted.

Alcohol, regardless of its type (i.e. beer, wine, liquor, etc) is a class A1 carcinogen which are confirmed human carcinogens. Alcohol consumption has been causally related with breast cancer for some time. Increasing evidence indicates a stronger association with neoplasms, though the risk is elevated for other types of breast cancers too. Regardless of how much alcohol is consumed, it will always be a class A1 carcinogen. That doesn’t mean you will get cancer from drinking a beer or a glass wine, but the classification for the substance is clear.

Marijuana legalization advocates are welcoming the new study, using it to suggest that America’s current ban on the drug is wrong and misguided, considering the mortality rates associated with alcohol and tobacco — both of which are legal and easily accessible to those of age. Marijuana, meanwhile, is still illegal on the federal level and largely illegal on the state level — except in Colorado, Oregon, Alaska, and the District of Columbia.

Even the researchers noted that compared to other drugs, their findings support regulating pot as a legal substance instead of a banned one.

“Currently, the MOE results point to risk management prioritization towards alcohol and tobacco rather than illicit drugs,” the report reads.“The high MOE values of cannabis, which are in a low-risk range, suggest a strict legal regulatory approach rather than the current prohibition approach.”

10 REASONS CANNABIS IS SAFER THAN ALCOHOL

1. Many people die from alcohol use. Nobody dies from cannabis use. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 37,000 annual U.S. deaths, including more than 1,400 in Colorado, are attributed to alcohol use alone (i.e. this figure does not include accidental deaths). On the other hand, the CDC does not even have a category for deaths caused by the use of cannabis.

2. People die from alcohol overdoses. There has never been a fatal cannabis overdose. The official publication of the Scientific Research Society, American Scientistreported that alcohol is one of the most toxic drugs and using just 10 times what one would use to get the desired effect could lead to death. Cannabis is one of — if not the — least toxic drugs, requiring thousands of times the dose one would use to get the desired effect to lead to death. This “thousands of times” is actually theoretical, since there has never been a case of an individual dying from a cannabis overdose. Meanwhile, according to the CDC, hundreds of alcohol overdose deaths occur in the United States each year.

3. The health-related costs associated with alcohol use far exceed those for cannabis use. Health-related costs for alcohol consumers are eight times greater than those for cannabis consumers, according to an assessment recently published in the British Columbia Mental Health and Addictions Journal. More specifically, the annual cost of alcohol consumption is $165 per user, compared to just $20 per user for cannabis. This should not come as a surprise given the vast amount of research that shows alcohol poses far more — and more significant — health problems than cannabis.

4. Alcohol use damages the brain. Cannabis use does not. Despite the myths we’ve heard throughout our lives about cannabis killing brain cells, it turns out that a growing number of studies seem to indicate that cannabis actually has neuroprotective properties. This means that it works to protect brain cells from harm. Research published in the journalsBehavioural Brain Research and Experimental Brain Researchdemonstrated that even extremely low doses of THC (cannabis’s psychoactive component) — around 1,000 to 10,000 times less than that in a conventional cannabis cigarette — can jumpstart biochemical processes which protect brain cells and preserve cognitive function say researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU). Another example is one recent study which found that teens who used cannabis as well as alcohol suffered significantly less damage to the white matter in their brains. Of course, what is beyond question is that alcohol damages brain cells. Scripps scientists discovered that eleven months of alcohol consumption that produced a blood alcohol level sufficient to be considered intoxicated decreased neurogenesis by more than fifty percent! Furthermore, the decrease in neurogenesis lasted for many weeks of abstinence. In contrast to the effects of alcohol, a series of publications during the past few years suggest that stimulating the brain’s cannabis neurotransmitter system appears to have the exact opposite effects upon neurogenesis in the hippocampus of both young and old laboratory animals and humans, i.e. neurogenesis is increased by stimulation of our brain’s cannabis receptors. When we are elderly, our brain displays a dramatic decline in neurogenesis within the hippocampus. This decline may underlie age-associated memory impairments as well as depression. Research has demonstrated that stimulating the brain’s cannabis receptors restores neurogenesis. Thus, later in life, cannabis might actually help your brain, rather than harm it.

5. Alcohol use is linked to cancer. Cannabis use is not. Alcohol use is associated with a wide variety of cancers, including cancers of the esophagus, stomach, colon, lungs, pancreas, liver and prostate. Cannabis use has not been conclusively associated with any form of cancer. In fact, one study recently contradicted the long-time government claim that cannabis use is associated with head and neck cancers. It found that cannabis use actually reduced the likelihood of head and neck cancers. If you are concerned about cannabis being associated with lung cancer, you may be interested in the results of the largest case-controlled study ever conducted to investigate the respiratory effects of cannabis smoking and cigarette smoking. Released in 2006, the study, conducted by Dr. Donald Tashkin at the University of California at Los Angeles, found that cannabis smoking was notassociated with an increased risk of developing lung cancer. Surprisingly, the researchers found that people who smoked cannabis actually hadlower incidences of cancer compared to non-users of the drug. THC that targets cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 is similar in function to endocannabinoids, which are cannabinoids that are naturally produced in the body and activate these receptors. Researchers suggest that THC or other designer agents that activate these receptors might be used in a targeted fashion to actually treat lung cancer.

6. Alcohol is more addictive than cannabis. Addiction researchers have consistently reported that cannabis is far less addictive than alcohol based on a number of factors. In particular, alcohol use can result in significant and potentially fatal physical withdrawal, whereas cannabis has not been found to produce any symptoms of physical withdrawal. Those who use alcohol are also much more likely to develop dependence and build tolerance. Also when cannabis is more available, studies show that the use of hard drugs like heroin and cocaine actually decreases.

7. Alcohol use increases the risk of injury to the consumer. Cannabis use does not. Many people who have consumed alcohol or know others who have consumed alcohol would not be surprised to hear that it greatly increases the risk of serious injury. Research published this year in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, found that 36 percent of hospitalized assaults and 21 percent of all injuries are attributable to alcohol use by the injured person. Meanwhile, theAmerican Journal of Emergency Medicine reported that lifetime use of cannabis is rarely associated with emergency room visits. According to the British Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, this is because: “Cannabis differs from alcohol … in one major respect. It does not seem to increase risk-taking behavior. This means that cannabis rarely contributes to violence either to others or to oneself, whereas alcohol use is a major factor in deliberate self-harm, domestic accidents and violence.” Interestingly enough, some research has even shown that cannabis use has been associated with a decreased risk of injury.

8. Alcohol use contributes to aggressive and violent behavior. Cannabis use does not. Studies have repeatedly shown that alcohol, unlike cannabis, contributes to the likelihood of aggressive and violent behavior.An article published in the Journal of Addictive Behaviors reported that “alcohol is clearly the drug with the most evidence to support a direct intoxication-violence relationship,” whereas “cannabis reduces the likelihood of violence during intoxication.”

9. Alcohol use is a major factor in violent crimes. Cannabis use is not. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that 25-30% of violent crimes in the United States are linked to the use of alcohol. According to a report from the U.S. Dept. of Justice, that translates to about 5,000,000 alcohol-related violent crimes per year. By contrast, the government does not even track violent acts specifically related to cannabis use, as the use of cannabis has not been associated with violence. (Of course, we should note that cannabis prohibition, by creating a widespread criminal market, is associated with acts of violence.)

10 Alcohol use contributes to the likelihood of domestic abuse and sexual assault. Cannabis use does not. Alcohol is a major contributing factor in the prevalence of domestic violence and sexual assault. This is not to say that alcohol causes these problems; rather, its use makes it more likely that an individual prone to such behavior will act on it. For example, a study conducted by the Research Institute on Addictions found that among individuals who were chronic partner abusers, the use of alcohol was associated with significant increases in the daily likelihood of male-to-female physical aggression, but the use of cannabis was not. Specifically, the odds of abuse were eight times higher on days when men were drinking; the odds of severe abuse were 11 times higher. According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN)website highlights alcohol as the “most commonly used chemical in crimes of sexual assault” and provides information on an array of other drugs that have been linked to sexual violence. Given the fact that cannabis is so accessible and widely used, it is quite telling that the word “cannabis” does not appear anywhere on the page.

Sources:
columbia.edu
rt.com
saferchoice.org
psychologytoday.com
nih.gov

About the Author

Marco Torres is a research specialist, writer and consumer advocate for healthy lifestyles. He holds degrees in Public Health and Environmental Science and is a professional speaker on topics such as disease prevention, environmental toxins and health policy.

After Chemo Failed Him, this Dad ‘Illegally” Cured Himself of Terminal Cancer Using Cannabis Oil

by February 16, 2016

Staffordshire, U.K. – In July 2012, David Hibbitt was diagnosed with bowel cancer and told by doctors that had 18 months to live. Today he is cancer free and credits cannabis oil with curing his cancer.

After being diagnosed with cancer, the 33-year-old father of one underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery to remove his large bowel, according to The Daily Mail.

After all standard treatment options had proved ineffective, Hibbitt turned to cannabis oil as a last resort, and to date has been cancer free since January.

Hibbitt told The Daily Mail:

“Friends had told me about cannabis oil and I dismissed it at first. I’ve never been into drugs. But in February last year I was told I only had 18 months to five years to live, and I felt I had to try everything I could. I felt like the chemo was killing me and I had nothing to lose. I couldn’t accept I was going to die.”

Although he has had to break the law to treat his cancer, Hibbitt credits the illegal substance for his miracle recovery. After researching cannabis oil online, he decided to try the alternative therapy.

“I pay around £50 for a gram from a bloke I know who makes it,’ Hibbitt told the Daily Mail. ‘That lasts me about a month usually. It gets you pretty high and knocks you for six, but it’s nowhere near as bad as chemotherapy. The pain just seemed to disappear and it seems to have done the job. I just want to make other people aware that there are other options out there.”

After being told he was cancer free prior to Christmas 2013, cancer was found the next month in his lymph nodes. This recurrence came after having been successfully treated initially, only to have the cancer return and be treated with another surgery and round of chemo.

Feeling like all traditional options were exhausted, Hibbitt decided to go a less traditional route in treating his bowel cancer.

“This time they told me there wasn’t a lot they could do. In July, after doing a lot of research, I got some cannabis oil. I was having chemo, and I was getting to a point where I couldn’t really do much, I had no energy. In August I decided I’d had enough and I was going to stop the chemotherapy.”

Hibbitt underwent surgery to remove the cancerous lymph nodes in October, choosing to continue with cannabis oil treatment, but forgoing any further rounds of chemotherapy.

In January, he was told that his scan showed no signs of cancer.

While cannabis oil and extracts have not been approved for medical use in many places, patients have chosen to risk breaking the law for an opportunity to cure their cancer.

Dr. Kat Arney of Cancer Research UK, a charity in support of clinical trials into use of cannabis to treat disease, weighed in, stating:

“We know that cannabinoids – the active chemicals found in cannabis – can have a range of different effects on cancer cells grown in the lab and animal tumors. But at the moment there isn’t good evidence from clinical trials to prove that they can safely and effectively treat cancer in patients. Despite this, some cancer patients do choose to treat themselves with cannabis extracts…

“Researchers are collecting patients’ experiences to build a picture of whether these treatments are helping or not, although this is weak evidence compared to properly-run clinical trials. Cancer Research UK is supporting clinical trials for treating cancer with cannabinoid-based drugs in order to gather solid data on whether they benefit people with cancer.”

While experts argue over whether the data supports using cannabis extracts to cure cancer, patients such as David Hibbitt have their life on the line. They don’t have the luxury of waiting for researchers to decide whether the treatment has scientific, medical efficacy.

If you support research into cannabis cures for disease and believe that governments must allow research into this potential miracle drug, please share this article to help awaken more people to the amazing medical potential of cannabis oil.

https://youtu.be/qticZp-0mEc?t=24

Jay Syrmopoulos is an investigative journalist, free thinker, researcher, and ardent opponent of authoritarianism. He is currently a graduate student at University of Denver pursuing a masters in Global Affairs. Jay’s work has been published on BenSwann’s Truth in Media, Chris Hedges’s Truth-Out, AlterNet, InfoWars, MintPressNews and many other sites. You can follow him on Twitter @sirmetropolis, on Facebook at Sir Metropolis and now on tsu.

Doctors Name Monsanto’s Larvicide As Cause of Brazilian Microcephaly Outbreak

by February 13, 2016

A report from the Argentine doctors’ organisation, Physicians in the Crop-Sprayed Towns, challenges the theory that the Zika virus epidemic in Brazil is the cause of the increase in the birth defect microcephaly among newborns.

The increase in this birth defect, in which the baby is born with an abnormally small head and often has brain damage, was quickly linked to the Zika virus by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. However, according to the Physicians in the Crop-Sprayed Towns, the Ministry failed to recognise that in the area where most sick people live, a chemical larvicide that produces malformations in mosquitoes was introduced into the drinking water supply in 2014. This poison, Pyriproxyfen, is used in a State-controlled programme aimed at eradicating disease-carrying mosquitoes.

The Physicians added that the Pyriproxyfen is manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical, a Japanese “strategic partner” of Monsanto. Pyriproxyfen is a growth inhibitor of mosquito larvae, which alters the development process from larva to pupa to adult, thus generating malformations in developing mosquitoes and killing or disabling them. It acts as an insect juvenile hormone or juvenoid, and has the effect of inhibiting the development of adult insect characteristics (for example, wings and mature external genitalia) and reproductive development. It is an endocrine disruptor and is teratogenic (causes birth defects), according to the Physicians.

The Physicians commented: “Malformations detected in thousands of children from pregnant women living in areas where the Brazilian state added Pyriproxyfen to drinking water are not a coincidence, even though the Ministry of Health places a direct blame on the Zika virus for this damage.”

They also noted that Zika has traditionally been held to be a relatively benign disease that has never before been associated with birth defects, even in areas where it infects 75% of the population.

Larvicide the most likely culprit in birth defects

Pyriproxyfen is a relatively new introduction to the Brazilian environment; the microcephaly increase is a relatively new phenomenon. So the larvicide seems a plausible causative factor in microcephaly – far more so than GM mosquitoes, which some have blamed for the Zika epidemic and thus for the birth defects. There is no sound evidence to support the notion promoted by some sources that GM mosquitoes can cause Zika, which in turn can cause microcephaly. In fact, out of 404 confirmed microcephaly cases in Brazil, only 17 (4.2%) tested positive for the Zika virus.

Brazilian health experts agree Pyriproxyfen is chief suspect

The Argentine Physicians’ report, which also addresses the Dengue fever epidemic in Brazil, concurs with the findings of a separate report on the Zika outbreak by the Brazilian doctors’ and public health researchers’ organisation, Abrasco.

Abrasco also names Pyriproxyfen as a likely cause of the microcephaly. It condemns the strategy of chemical control of Zika-carrying mosquitoes, which it says is contaminating the environment as well as people and is not decreasing the numbers of mosquitoes. Abrasco suggests that this strategy is in fact driven by the commercial interests of the chemical industry, which it says is deeply integrated into the Latin American ministries of health, as well as the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organisation.

Abrasco names the British GM insect company Oxitec as part of the corporate lobby that is distorting the facts about Zika to suit its own profit-making agenda. Oxitec sells GM mosquitoes engineered for sterility and markets them as a disease-combatting product – a strategy condemned by the Argentine Physicians as “a total failure, except for the company supplying mosquitoes”.

Aldi bans neonicotinoids, goes organic, rivals Whole Foods as healthiest grocery store

by February 13, 2016

German owned Aldi announced, on January 1, that they will be removing eight pesticides from all US stores as soon as possible.

The pesticides are

  • Thiamethoxam
  • Chlorpyrifos
  • Clothianidin
  • Cypermethrin
  • Deltamethrin
  • Fipronil
  • Imidacloprid
  • Sulfoxaflor

It is the first major grocery store in Europe to ban the pesticides found to be dangerous to bees, but it is going much further.

  • They are expanding their organic food brands, removing some artificial ingredients from products and adding more gluten-free items.
  • They have removed certified synthetic colors, partially hydrogenated oils, and MSG from their private-label products (which make up 90% of sales).
  • They have expanded their sales of fresh and organic meat and produce, including the “Never Any!” brand of meats that contain no added antibiotics, hormones, animal by-products or other additives.
  • The chain will also expand the SimplyNature line (which is free of more than 125 artificial ingredients) and their gluten-free liveGfree brand.
  • Their milk was free of artificial growth hormones, but now its yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, and other dairy products will be as well.
  • Lastly, they have begun to offer more high-end foods like artisanal cheeses, smoked salmon, quinoa, and coconut oil.

 

Aldi currently has 1,500 stores in the US and plans to open 500 more by 2018.  Because of the focus on health the company is poised to take over as the largest, healthiest grocery store chain in the world.

Business Insider, “The grocery chain is expanding organic-food brands, removing some aritificial ingredients from its products, and adding more gluten-free items in hopes of attracting more health-conscious shoppers.”

Neonicotinoids are a relatively new type of insecticide, used in the last 20 years to control a variety of pests, especially sap-feeding insects, such as aphids on cereals, and root-feeding grubs. Neonics are systemic pesticides.

Image cred

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