H20 can equate to amoeba, pesticides, birth control pills, and rocket fuel.
I couldn't help but notice August's Reader's Digest cover article and exposé on America's drinking water. I wasn't totally surprised that there may be more than 60,000 different chemicals in our water—like thyroid-impairing chlorine, fluoride, brominated byproducts, perchlorate (an ingredient found in rocket fuel), and heavy metals like iron, lead, mercury, cadmium, copper, and aluminum. But the EPA only protects us from about 100 of these contaminants!
According to the National Resource Defense Council, approximately 2/3 of all the bottled water on the market is sourced from contaminated water. So, bottled… Continue reading Categories
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How Safe is Your Drinking Water?
August 25th, 2011H20 can equate to amoeba, pesticides, birth control pills, and rocket fuel.
I couldn't help but notice August's Reader's Digest cover article and exposé on America's drinking water. I wasn't totally surprised that there may be more than 60,000 different chemicals in our water—like thyroid-impairing chlorine, fluoride, brominated byproducts, perchlorate (an ingredient found in rocket fuel), and heavy metals like iron, lead, mercury, cadmium, copper, and aluminum. But the EPA only protects us from about 100 of these contaminants!
According to the National Resource Defense Council, approximately 2/3 of all the bottled water on the market is sourced from contaminated water. So, bottled… Continue reading The Flax of Life
August 18th, 2011
Are flaxseeds the next breast cancer cure?
What makes flaxseeds so special can be spelled out in one word and that’s L-I-G-N-A-N-S.
Lignans—which are 800 times more concentrated in flaxseeds than in any other plant—are well recognized as mini miracle workers. They not only kill viruses but they also help to knock out type 2 diabetes, lower LDL cholesterol, and help to reverse atherosclerosis. But their real claim to fame is in the arena of cancer where recent studies featured in the Health Sciences Institute Newsletter ( August, 2011, volume 16, number 2) have shown that flax… Continue reading Toxic Travel
July 12th, 2011
How to avoid bringing home surprising souvenirs.
Getting away for a much needed vacation is the highlight of many people’s summer, but unwittingly being exposed to toxic invaders can leave you with a ruined trip and a problem that follows you home. You’re not a party pooper if you take precautions—you’re a smart traveler. Check out some of these ways to safeguard your long-term health by avoiding pathogens away from home.
Don’t share your phone. A microbiologist at the University of Arizona in Tucson found that 50 percent of the cell phones he examined… Continue reading Radiation At Home
March 17th, 2011
Are you living close to a nuclear plant?
The whole world is watching the tragic aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Headlines of the resulting nuclear crisis leave us with images of workers in protective suits, smoke rising, and feelings of uncertainty and fear. Last Tuesday, I blogged about what you can do to help eliminate and protect against radiation. But is the Japanese tragedy our only radiation worry? What about nuclear exposure right here in our own country?
There are over 100 operating nuclear plants in the USA. Millions of Americans live within 100 miles of a nuclear… Continue reading Radiation Coming Our Way
March 15th, 2011
What you can eat to beat nuclear plant fallout.
Last Friday, Japan was hit with an 8.9-magnitude earthquake—the largest since the country began keeping records in the 19th century. It was followed by a tsunami that ripped through the country’s coastline, destroying virtually everything in sight. The quake damaged several nuclear reactors, leading to threats of harmful radioactive leaks and meltdowns. Because radioactivity is airborne, it can be transported for hundreds of miles beyond its origin.
This air-borne radiation may take weeks or even months to reach our coasts, but reach us, it will.
Radiation damages… Continue reading Winter Wellness Fat Flushing Alert
January 21st, 2011
Drink your greens to fight off germs and detox.
Like many of you, I must admit that during this time of the year I simply don’t eat enough green veggies. Maybe it’s because during the winter months fresh produce spends days—if not weeks—in shipping or simply sitting at the grocery store losing nutrients. What I have seen in the supermarket just doesn’t look all that appealing.
So, to help get those greens and ward off wintertime chills, colds, and flu at the same time, I try to drink my greens!
I can't think of a… Continue reading How Much Vitamin D Do You Need?
December 3rd, 2010
Most people are deficient, though the government claims otherwise!
New recommended daily allowances (RDAs) for vitamin D, released Wednesday by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), claim that few Americans are low in the "sunshine vitamin," although scientific studies show just the opposite. (A few of the most recent are listed in "Sources" below.)
The government's first official recommendation since 1997 did, however, raise the intake level for vitamin D—but it remains well below the levels used in most clinical research.
"Studies have been published on diabetes and vitamin D," for example, that were not… Continue reading 10 Ways to Fight Food Poisoning
July 30th, 2010
Nasty "superbugs" and other pathogens can pop up in the strangest places.
Those recyclable grocery bags may be green—but they're not clean, finds University of Arizona microbiologist Charles Gerba, PhD, who recently tested reusable bags from shoppers in his state and California. More than half the bags tested contained coliform bacteria, including E. coli.
Public Enemy #1 for nearly 20 years, E. coli is increasingly found in meat and produce, as well as the water supply. This is a scary superbug, causing bloody diarrhea and potentially fatal kidney failure.
While public health officials and… Continue reading More Common Than Flu: A Deadly New Super Bug
May 10th, 2010
As antibiotic resistance grows, C. difficile is becoming more virulent.
A gram-positive bacteria, Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is the leading cause of diarrhea in hospitals, daycare centers, and nursing facilities—moving aggressively into the larger community much the way MRSA infections have. And many experts consider this new super bug even more deadly.
Between 1993 and 2001 C. difficile infections increased 74%. By 2005, the incidence had doubled!
Responsible today for 30% of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and 70% of antibiotic-associated colitis, C. difficile is more than simply unpleasant—it has increased mortality as well as healthcare costs in… Continue reading Take the Acid Test
April 26th, 2010
The right pH—especially in the stomach—goes a long way toward promoting wellness.
You can't turn on the TV without hearing about the dangers of too much stomach acid. But research reports that a little acidity helps protect humans from numerous diseases and unwanted conditions.
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)—like those purple pills you hear so much about on television—have been associated with pneumonia in a number of studies. That's because stomach acid kills numerous pathogens including those that lead to pneumonia.
And that's not the only problem with these highly touted PPIs. Scientists at Wake Forest… Continue reading 
Visionary, health guru, diet/detox expert, author, spokesperson, role model, and natural foods icon, Ann Louise Gittleman has always been a trendsetter. 
