Don't let dangerous radiation "cook" growing brains.
A startling new Swedish study shows that young people are 5 times more likely to get brain tumors if they use a cell phone before they're 20. And cordless phones also emit dangerous radiation.
Research finds that children's brains absorb twice as much radiation from these phones as adult brains. Not only do youngsters have thinner skulls and smaller heads than adults, but their brains also continue developing during childhood and adolescence—only increasing their risk.
With kids spending "significant time on mobile phones," warns David Carpenter, MD, dean… Continue reading Edge on Health Blog
Archive for the ‘Environmental Health’ Category
Think Twice About Mobile Phones for Kids
March 10th, 2010
Don't let dangerous radiation "cook" growing brains.
A startling new Swedish study shows that young people are 5 times more likely to get brain tumors if they use a cell phone before they're 20. And cordless phones also emit dangerous radiation.
Research finds that children's brains absorb twice as much radiation from these phones as adult brains. Not only do youngsters have thinner skulls and smaller heads than adults, but their brains also continue developing during childhood and adolescence—only increasing their risk.
With kids spending "significant time on mobile phones," warns David Carpenter, MD, dean… Continue reading Zapped by Your Own Cell Phone?
January 6th, 2010
EMFs are the newest and may be the most dangerous pollutants.
Odorless, colorless, and invisible, electropollution is probably enveloping you right now as you read these words. “It cannot be seen, felt or heard. It is tasteless and odorless. It is in our food and in the air; it is in our blood and in our bones and can remain in our ashes to go on to contaminate someone else,” Sara Shannon writes in Technology’s Cure: Diet for a Toxic Planet about low level radiation from electromagnetic fields (EMFs).
EMFs are a form of… Continue reading Let’s Talk Turkey Safety
November 18th, 2009
It's Easy to Plan a Healthy Thanksgiving.
We're talking about more than the Norman Rockwell image of the traditional holiday feast. Turkey, if it's raised sustainably and carefully prepared, can be a good source of lean protein, packed full of cancer-fighting selenium and stress-busting B vitamins—just in case Thanksgiving get-togethers make you a little tense.
Also turkey has all that relaxing tryptophan (the amino acid your brain uses to make serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps calm you down). The amount of tryptophan in a Thanksgiving turkey dinner isn't enough to make you sleepy. But… Continue reading
We're talking about more than the Norman Rockwell image of the traditional holiday feast. Turkey, if it's raised sustainably and carefully prepared, can be a good source of lean protein, packed full of cancer-fighting selenium and stress-busting B vitamins—just in case Thanksgiving get-togethers make you a little tense.
Also turkey has all that relaxing tryptophan (the amino acid your brain uses to make serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps calm you down). The amount of tryptophan in a Thanksgiving turkey dinner isn't enough to make you sleepy. But… Continue reading Sweep Environmental Poisons Out of Your Body
October 28th, 2009
Fiber Fights Cancer, Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Obesity.
Registered nurse and licensed acupuncturist Roxanne Chan reads labels, uses glass rather than plastic, and doesn't own a microwave. She also lives in our last wilderness, Alaska—a place that should still be clean.
Imagine her surprise when she recently discovered that she has high levels of at least 24 different toxic chemicals in her body. Whether found in furniture and clothing or beauty aids and water bottles, hormone-disrupting chemicals and heavy metals surround her—and all the rest of us.
Part of a new project sponsored by Physicians… Continue reading
Registered nurse and licensed acupuncturist Roxanne Chan reads labels, uses glass rather than plastic, and doesn't own a microwave. She also lives in our last wilderness, Alaska—a place that should still be clean.
Imagine her surprise when she recently discovered that she has high levels of at least 24 different toxic chemicals in her body. Whether found in furniture and clothing or beauty aids and water bottles, hormone-disrupting chemicals and heavy metals surround her—and all the rest of us.
Part of a new project sponsored by Physicians… Continue reading Could Your Home Be Polluted?
October 21st, 2009
Indoor Air Pollution and Radiation can Damage Your Health.
Most of us spend 90% of our time indoors. But even in the safety of our own homes, pollution — colorless, odorless, invisible—is detrimental to health.
For starters, ozone—that toxic form of air pollution that clouds our cities—may be 100 times more dangerous indoors than out, the Environmental Protection Agency says.
This kind of pollution reacts with oil found naturally on human skin, which traps toxins, only to spit them out in chemicals that can irritate skin and lungs. Over time, ozone can increase the risk… Continue reading
Most of us spend 90% of our time indoors. But even in the safety of our own homes, pollution — colorless, odorless, invisible—is detrimental to health.
For starters, ozone—that toxic form of air pollution that clouds our cities—may be 100 times more dangerous indoors than out, the Environmental Protection Agency says.
This kind of pollution reacts with oil found naturally on human skin, which traps toxins, only to spit them out in chemicals that can irritate skin and lungs. Over time, ozone can increase the risk… Continue reading











Sweep bacteria, chemicals, dust, mold, and other toxins out of your home, sweet home.
The kitchen sink—alone—can harbor more than 500,000 bacteria per square inch! From your cutting board to the sponge you use to clean counters, germs abound right where you're preparing food.
If that isn't scary enough, a recent study in Environmental Science & Technology shows a host of dangerous toxins ranging from arsenic and lead to DDT (banned in this country since 1972) in common household dust. While the exact toxins range from region to region, "dust is a hodgepodge" of…
Regular seasonal detox helps protect your heart and so much more.
Widely used in packaging, bisophenol A (also known as BPA) has been consistently associated with cardiovascular disease in American adults. More than 2.2 million metric tons of BPA are produced annually—in drink containers, food packaging, and the lining of canned goods.
Americans get additional exposure through dental sealants, drinking water, and inhalation of household dust. No wonder exposure to this toxic chemical is so pervasive!
Based on a new large-scale study of over 2,600 people with known BPA levels, researchers suggest that men in…
Drugs, parasites, pesticides, and sewage can pollute water supplies.
Millions of Americans drink dirty water, reveals a recent analysis of government data. In the past three years alone, over 9,400 sewer systems—many in major U.S. cities—have dumped untreated or partly treated wastes, chemicals, and other toxins into lakes, rivers, and other water sources that can make their way into your home.
A recent study in the journal Pediatrics shows that the number of children suffering from diarrhea rises whenever sewers overflow. And as many as four million Californians get sick every year from swimming…
Dirty showers may be more frightening than Alfred Hitchcock's classic scene in “Psycho.” New research finds that 30 percent of the “gunk” collecting in showerheads throughout the country has high levels of Mycobacterium avium, which can cause lung infections.
This bacteria forms a microfilm that clings to the inside of the showerhead. As it builds up inside, levels of M. avium in the shower can be 100 times higher than that found in typical home water supplies, probably explaining why the incidence of lung infections are increasing.
"If you are getting a face…
A heavy metal that targets the brain, immune system, liver, and pituitary gland, mercury in women has jumped significantly in the past 10 years—from 2 percent to 30 percent among women 19 to 49 years old. "My findings also suggest a rise in risks for diseases associated with mercury over time," reports Dan R. Laks, M.S., a neuroscientist at UCLA.
This research comes close on the heels of a U.S. Geological Survey report showing that 25 percent of fish in U.S. rivers and streams had unsafe levels…
Visionary, health guru, diet/detox expert, author, spokesperson, role model, and natural foods icon, Ann Louise Gittleman has always been a trendsetter.


