December 11, 2007

Don’t Drink From That Hotel Glass!

A recent undercover investigative report showed how national chain hotel housekeeping staff clean, or rather don’t clean, the drinking glasses. You have to watch this video below and be prepared to cringe.

This practice isn’t limited to just glasses More on Don’t Drink From That Hotel Glass!

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December 10, 2007

Children Exposed To Dangerous Chemicals Daily

A new report from the Environmental Working Group has found that children are exposed to a variety of chemicals in the daily personal care routines.

The study noted that on average, children are exposed to 27 chemicals that have not been assessed for safety by the government or industry. More specifically More on Children Exposed To Dangerous Chemicals Daily

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December 5, 2007

Are Your Child’s Toys Safe? HealthyToys.org Report High Toxic Levels

HealthyToys.orgDid you know that holiday favorite toys and children’s gifts including the Hannah Montana Pop Star Card Game, the Tyrell Katz vinyl backpack, Squeeze Fish and My Little Sunshine Mirror were found to have high toxic chemical levels?

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. HealthyToys.org reports that a large number of toys have high levels of lead, arsenic and other toxic chemicals and known carcinogens.

But aren’t there regulations against this to protect our children?

Apparently not.

No government agency is adequately assuring that children’s products do not contain harmful chemicals. Nor does any agency require labeling or disclosure to inform consumers about the chemical components of children’s products. HealthyToys.org was launched to address the failures of our current system to regulate chemicals in products.

HealthyToys.org tested over 1,200 children’s products and more than 3,000 components of those products. Currently, the U.S. government and U.S. toy manufacturers are not providing this data to consumers. The testing is not necessarily representative of all of the toys on the market. In addition, the presence of a chemical in a product does not necessarily mean there is exposure.

HealthyToys.org the found the following:

Lead in products is widespread. Lead is used in a significant percentage of children’s toys: Lead was detected in 35% of the 1,268 products tested.

Other dangerous chemicals were found in toys. Of those toys tested for other chemicals, cadmium was found at levels greater than 100 ppm in 2.9% of products or 22 of 764 total products tested for cadmium . Arsenic was detected at levels greater than 100 ppm in 2.2% of products or 17 of 764 total products tested for arsenic. Mercury was found above 100 ppm in .7% of products or five toys of 764 tested.

More toys, research and finding can be found at the web site. Check it out and keep your children safe.

Source: HealthyToys.org

To Your Healthy and Happy Holidays!

Mark Idzik

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November 17, 2007

It’s Official: Organic Is Better

The largest study on the differences between conventional and organically grown produce has reported that organically grown fruits and vegetables are more nutritious and can extend a person’s lifetime.

The findings also showed that fruits and vegetables grown organically have up to 40% more antioxidants which they believe can reduce the risk of disease and increase lifespan. They also found they had higher mineral content, including iron and zinc.

The $25 million study conducted in England also found that milk produced organically had up to 90% more antioxidants than conventional. The differences were so dramatic in all cases they studied the researchers indicated that even if some didn’t meet the required daily ‘five a day’, referring to 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, if they ate organic, they would satisfy the requirement with just 4 servings a day due to the increased nutritional content.

Read more about the study at the Times of London.

Of course, common sense will tell us that if you grow food in mineral depleted soil and spray it with chemicals it will have lower nutritional value. This is the first large study that confirms the difference.

However, be careful where you buy your organic produce. Because of the dramatic growth in the organic business, retailers like Walmart are sourcing many organic foods overseas from countries like China and Brazil and carrying organic milk from farms that have been criticized for not keeping the the established organic standards. Organic may not always be organic as the demand for products has tested the organic standards as conventional producers want to get into the business.

In addition to looking for fresh produce grown mainly in the states, look for locally grown produce. Most local farms today practice more natural farming methods, and don’t hesitate to ask how they grow. It’s you’re health! You can find a list of farmers markets at LocalHarvest.org

And finally, in my opinion, organic produce just plain tastes better. After you switch to organic over conventional, within a short period of time the natural tastes will come alive and you’ll notice the difference.

To your best health!

Learn more about the natural, delicious and organic convenient foods available. Great way to switch to organic for lunch, snacks (kids love them), soups and more including natural and organic personal care products. My family and I use and highly recommend them.

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November 3, 2007

Autism Cases in Children on the Rise?

It appears that autism, found in only 1 out of 1000 children just a few years ago, is now found in 1 out of 150 children. The video indicates that this may be due to what doctors call autism, indicating that a broader range of symptoms are now included in the autism diagnosis.

This may be the case, although it appears that symptoms are increasing with the sharp increase in processed foods, exposure to toxins and chemicals and the high amount of sugar and junk in our children’s diets. Studies have related diet and the diagnosis of ADHD and lets be practical, autism just doesn’t appear out of nowhere. Links between vaccinations and diet are starting to be uncovered as they seem to correlate with autism in many ways.

To your best health!
Mark

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August 23, 2007

Are You Showering With Chlorine?

Did you know that showering ‘naked’ without a filter is allowing chlorine (along with other toxins and impurities found in tap water), a dangerous chemical, to be absorbed into your bloodstream and wreak havoc in your system?

Here is a description of what chlorine can do from Dr. Z Rona MD MSc, a best selling Canadian Author and holistic doctor:

“Chlorinated water contains chemical compounds called trihalomethanes which are carcinogens resulting from the combination of chlorine with compounds in water. These chemicals, also known as organochlorides, do not degrade very well and are generally stored in the fatty tissues of the body (breast, other fatty areas, mother’s milk, blood and semen). Organochlorides can cause mutations by altering DNA, suppress immune system function and interfere with the natural controls of cell growth.

Chlorine has been documented to aggravate asthma, especially in those children who make use of chlorinated swimming pools. Several studies also link chlorine and chlorinated by-products to a greater incidence of bladder, breast and bowel cancer as well as malignant melanoma. One study even links the use of chlorinated tap water to congenital cardiac anomalies.

Anything you can do to filter tap and shower water that eliminates or even minimizes chlorine would certainly be helpful and possibly curative for some immune system problems. The use of at source water filtration devices is increasingly popular and affordable. Discuss their use with your health care practitioner”.

Watch this video from Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, to see the dangers of these chemicals and impurities and how you can minimize the effects.

Learn more about how to filter your water and your water filter, shower filter and whole house filter options at Aquasana.com.

To your best health!

Mark

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April 7, 2007

5 Steps To Reducing Your Environmental Footprint

Watch this short video to learn how to reduce the impact of your living choices on the environment and your health.


To your best health!

Mark

Your Health and Weight Loss Coach
Natural Living Advocate
Diets Don’t Work
http://www.HealthyLivingTalk.com

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