Functional Medicine - 21st Century Health Care

Beef not tested for chemicals, audit says

2010-04-15T15:13:00.001-07:00

I am constantly reviewing with my clients, friends and family why we need to look towards organic meat!

Here is another reason:

Beef not tested for chemicals, audit says

22 commentsby Peter Eisler - Apr. 13, 2010 12:00 AM
USA TODAY

WASHINGTON - Beef containing harmful pesticides, veterinary antibiotics and heavy metals is being sold to the public because federal agencies have failed to set limits for the contaminants or adequately test for them, a federal audit finds.

A program set up to test beef for chemical residues "is not accomplishing its mission of monitoring the food supply for ... dangerous substances, which has resulted in meat with these substances being distributed in commerce," says the audit by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General.

The health effects on people who eat such meat are a "growing concern," the audit adds.

The testing program for cattle is run by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, which also tests meat for such pathogens as salmonella and certain dangerous strains of E. coli.

But the residue program relies on assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency, which sets tolerance levels for human exposure to pesticides and other pollutants, and the Food and Drug Administration, which does the same for antibiotics and other medicines.

Limits have not been set by the EPA and FDA "for many potentially harmful substances, which can impair FSIS' enforcement activities," the audit found.

The inspection service said in a written statement that the agency has agreed with the inspector general on "corrective actions" and will work with the FDA and EPA "to prevent residues or contaminants from entering into commerce."

Even when the inspection service does identify a lot of beef with high levels of pesticides or antibiotics, it often is powerless to stop the distribution of that meat because there is no legal limit for those contaminants.

In 2008, for example, Mexican authorities rejected a U.S. beef shipment because its copper levels exceeded Mexican standards, the audit says. But because there is no U.S. limit, the inspection service had no grounds for blocking the beef's producer from reselling the rejected meat in the United States.

"It's unacceptable. These are substances that can have a real impact on public health," says Tony Corbo, a lobbyist for Food and Water Watch, a public-interest group. "This administration is making a big deal about promoting exports, and you have Mexico rejecting our beef because of excessive residue levels. It's pretty embarrassing."

Some contamination is inadvertent, such as pesticide residues in cows that drink water fouled by crop runoff. Other contaminants, such as antibiotics, often are linked to the use of those chemicals in farming. For example, the audit says, veal calves often have higher levels of antibiotic residue because ranchers feed them milk from cows treated with the drugs. Overuse of the antibiotics helps create antibiotic-resistant strains of diseases.

The audit "shows clearly the need for quick action by Congress to place some reasonable limits on the use of antibiotics in farm animals," says Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., who has more than 100 co-sponsors on her bill to ban seven types of antibiotics from being used indiscriminately in animal feed.

________________________
Karen Langston, Chief Body Reorganizer
Shape shifting your body and mind environment

Karen@iamworthit2.com
http://www.IamWorthit2.com
http://21stcenturyhealthcare.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlangstoniamworthit2‏
http://twitter.com/KarenLangston‏

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2010-04-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

West Valley Cancer Connections and host

Glendale Foothills Recreation and Aquatics Center

5600 W. Union Hills Dr. Glendale, Az 85308

Invites You to a

Celebration of Hope With and Beyond Cancer

Saturday April 24 8:00 am - 1:00 pm

City of Glendale Foothills Recreation & Aquatics Center

On Your phone? Watch video here

WVCC (West Valley Cancer Connections) is a volunteer organization connecting people impacted by cancer with providers of complementary therapies and integrated medical services.

Meet Mr, Kwamie Lassiter, Retired Cardinal

Join in the ceremonies with Glendale's

Mayor Scruggs

FREE health, healing and wellness demos from

10 am – 1 pm

Come feel good and remain healthier through specialized programs and therapies that make sense for you.

Walk a mile from 9 to 10 am. Registration opens at 8 am.

Winners must be present for prize

Stay for the door prize, silent auction and many prize drawings.

Join the festivities, bring friends and family and celebrate with us.

Donate $5 and Register to walk online (click here)

Scroll to Celebration of Hope

Karen Langston, Chief Body Reorganizer
Shape shifting your body and mind environment

Karen@iamworthit2.com
http://www.IamWorthit2.com
http://21stcenturyhealthcare.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlangstoniamworthit2‏
http://twitter.com/KarenLangston‏

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This Week's Vital vibration: Heart health

2010-02-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to The Karen And Joey Show

This week's Vital Vibration is Heart Health

Find out what you can do to strengthen your heart and prevent cardiovascular disease.

Strengthen your heart

and prevent cardiovascular disease.

Get your free copy; The benefits of Magnesium and Essential Fatty Acids

Get a special peek at what Joey and Karen do when they are 'off camera'. Should they get an agent?

We hope you enjoy our show and you can show your appreciation by forwarding to ten people that you care about!

Until next week; stay healthy, live healthy, be healthy and heal thy Vital Vibration

Joey Sampaga and Karen Langston

If you love our show; forward to ten people that you care about!
.

________________________
Karen Langston, Chief Body Reorganizer
Shape shifting your body and mind environment

Karen@iamworthit2.com
http://www.IamWorthit2.com
http://21stcenturyhealthcare.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlangstoniamworthit2‏
http://twitter.com/KarenLangston‏

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Twitter Fans Wanna Know!

2010-02-24T23:16:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to

The Karen and Joey Show

We turned to Twitter and asked “What is one burning question you would love to ask a nutritionist?”

And our fans tweeted back!

Find out the one thing Karen can’t give up but can indulge because she uses the 80/20 rule. You too can live by the 80/20

Watch this week's HealThy Vital Vibration

On your mobile or cell phone? Not a problem

Click here to watch.

Until Next week,

Live Healthy, Be Healthy, Stay health and

HealThy Vital Vibration!

Joey Sampaga and Karen Langston

________________________
Karen Langston, Chief Body Reorganizer
Shape shifting your body and mind environment

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Have You Ever Wondered what a Kangaroo Feels Like Hopping Through Life?

2009-11-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Karen and Joey Show

This week's HealThy Vital Vibration is something so innovative we just had to get involved!

Have you ever wonder what a Kangaroo feels like hopping through life?

You must check out Kyna's Kanga Jumps!

This week finds Karen hoping around on some amazing shoes and Joey could not.

Find out how you can take advantage of learning a fun way to exercise. If you are looking for a new fun invigorating way to work off the Thanksgiving Buldge or looking for the perfect club scene accessorry.

More importantly, if you have encountered illness, dis-ease, or cancer you must check out this week's show! (click here)

We wish all of our American viewers a very HealThy Happy thanksgiving!

Until then,

Live Healthy Be Healthy, HealThy Vital Vibration

Drop us a line, let us know; we want to know how you are making a difference and incorporating healthy foods into your healthy lifestyle.

For more information, questions, comments or to find out how you can become a sponsor or have your product showcased on our show email: Joey Sampaga and Karen today.

If you are ready to Shape shift your Mind and Body environment contact Karen Langston Today.

To Unsubscribe, please click here

If you have received this indirectly and would like to be on our mailing list please click here

Before starting any physical exercise or a new diet regime, please consult your physician. This video is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or cure or to take the place of consultation with a Doctor. If you are having symptoms of any kind, please consult your physician.

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Welcome To The Karen And Joey Show

2009-11-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all of you for your creative and fun suggestions for naming our show.

It took a while to sift through all of the entries; but we did it!

It was actually a collaboration of two entries!

Watch this week's show (click here) to see who won and

Karen's special bonus to you!

Congratulations to you both and to all of our viewers

To our American Viewers,

Happy Thanksgiving

Stay Healthy, Be Healthy, Live healthy!

For more information, questions, comments or to find out how you can become a sponsor or have your product showcased on our show email: Joey Sampaga and Karen today.

If you are ready to Shape shift your Mind and Body environment contact Karen Langston Today.

To Unsubscribe, please click here

If you have received this indirectly and would like to be on our mailing list please click here

2009-11-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to our three part series

Peeking in on

Joey's Food Journal

Breakfast & Lunch are behind us

This week is part three; Dinner

Joey had a great dinner

But one missing component
sent Joey screaming for ice cream

Learn what you need to stay on a healthy track so that you can stave off the hunger monster.

Want to eat pasta without it going to your waist?
Want to learn how lemons and limes can healthify your water?
Want to learn why Joey went screaming for ice cream?

Watch This week's show

Find out which foods are 'Karen Approved'

Drop us a line, let us know; we want to know how you are making a difference and incorporating healthy foods into your healthy lifestyle.

Stay tuned next week for the revealing of our Show name! We are so excited to share this with you!

Until then Stay Healthy, Be Healthy, Live healthy!

For more information, questions, comments or to find out how you can become a sponsor or have your product showcased on our show email: Joey Sampaga and Karen today.

If you are ready to Shape shift your Mind and Body environment contact Karen Langston Today.

To Unsubscribe, please click here

If you have received this indirectly and would like to be on our mailing list please click here

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shake what your Mama gave you!

2009-10-20T22:37:00.001-07:00

shake what your Mama gave you!

Our show is growing strong and we are back to bring you more benefits to getting healthy.

We are so happy that our video on Flu Prevention was so helpful. Karen received many emails, texts and phone calls thanking her and Joey for the O thingy! We are grateful to be of service.

This is what this show is all about;

providing you with a useful resource.

This week’s focus; Exercise.

Part of being healthy is getting fit. There are so many positive benefits to exercising that it outweighs the couch potato effect.

Watch this week's Video

Make exercise fun, you don’t have to join a gym to get fit. Get a bike and hit the trails. Go for a walk, a run or a hike. Check out your local Parks and Recreation for a series of classes you can take. YWCA and YMCA also have classes to offer. Meetup.com has an array of activities local to your area. The possibilities are endless.

Our Northern viewers will soon turn their fitness focus to winter activities such as snowboarding, skiing, snow shoe, ice skating and hockey. These are all great ways to stay active throughout the winter season.

when was the last time you went tobogganing? Remember how much fun that was? I challenge you to get a sled or a toboggan, gather up friends and family and hit the biggest hills you can find (make sure you have a clear path with no rocks, trees ect.) Climbing the hills is a great cardiovascular and all-over- body- work out, but more importantly you will spend time with people you care about and engage your mind body spirit-how cool is that?

Your Local Library has a shelf full of videos you can rent free of charge on everything from aerobics to Yoga to dancing. Try taking Latino, Salsa, Meringue, or Swing dance classes. There is also ballet, jazz, modern and tap dance; now is your chance to have fun.

Of course you can always hire a personal trainer to give you that extra accountability.
Whatever you decide to do NOW is the time to get active, get fit and get off the couch and shake what your Mama gave you!

Be sure to add your comments by clicking on the Discuss button and leave us a comment or a suggestion-We LOVE to hear from you.

Until next week,
Stay healthy, Live Healthy, Be Healthy

If you are ready to do something about your health contact Karen Langston TODAY for a thirty minute FREE Consultation!

Karen Langston

Chief Body Reorganizer

623 252-HEAL (4325)

http://www.IamWorthit2.com

Ten Easy Steps to Eating Healthy Which One Will You Pick?

2009-07-07T17:41:00.000-07:00

Now is the time to get healthy!

With Cardiovascular and Diabetes as the number one health issues effecting North America we need to change our approach to health and that starts with Nutrition.

I dont't expect you to pick all 10; although that would be BRILLIANT! choose one and work on that for a month.

It is the little changes you make today that will have the biggest optimal impact on your lifestyle!

Email me, send me a video or tweet me on what you are choosing to get healthy!

Ten Tips to Eating Healthy:

1. Eat protein at every meal: Protein breaks down into Amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks for every function in the body. One of the most important ways to keep your blood sugar balanced and energy levels high are to include protein at every meal, especially breakfast. The highest quality protein sources are wild caught fish, organic bison, ostridge, venison, deer, elk, chicken, eggs, organic, raw nuts and avocado. In a hurry? No time for breakfast? A quick smoothie will do the trick. In a blender pour 8 oz of your favorite milk, (goat, almond, hazel nut, rice milk) add in 2 tablespoons of your favorite nut butter (organic peanut butter only), walnut butter, pecan butter, or almond butter), add ½ a banana, and perhaps a handful of berries, whiz and go! To make this process even quicker, get the ingredients, except for the liquid ready the night before, store in the cup you will use in the morning. Or for an even speedier approach, purchase the Magic Bullet as it is a built in cup with lids perfect for travelling.

2. Get the junk outta your trunk! Processed refined, packaged foods are junk! They have no nutrient value; they cause constipation, hormone imbalances, fatigue, moodiness, lethargy sluggishness and contribute to a whole slew of illness and diseases. Foods such as white bread, rice, pasta, frozen dinners, cakes, cookies, pies, doughnuts, candies, pop/soda, bakery items-do you get the picture? These fake foods actually zap your energy! Replace these meals with fresh raw fruits, vegetables, salads, fresh fruit juices, fresh vegetable juices, tofu, nuts and seeds. Live raw energy will create live raw energy within you!

3. Limit sugar and caffeine intake: Don’t go into panic mode on me. Sugar and caffeine may give you an instant energy bolt, but within a few hours, you will be crashing as quickly as your initial buzz making you tired and grumpy. Processed foods, white bread, white pasta, white rice, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and caffeine weaken your adrenal glands, which are responsible for your energy levels and contribute to weight gain and indirectly with diabetes. So, by consuming sugar and caffeine, you are weakening your body’s natural energy system and providing no nutrients for growth and repair of your immune system. Try brown rice, whole wheat, or brown rice pasta. Instead of pastries, muffins and doughnuts, try apple pieces with nut butter, Instead of coffee, colas and tea, which tax your liver and adrenals, try vegetable juice, fruit juice, hot water with lemon juice or herbal teas. One of my favorite is Tao Passion tea. It has a great smell and a terrific color that will lift anyone’s spirit.

4. Water Water, Water! I can’t say enough about water! It is right there and yet we don’t drink it. We live in the desert, therefore we need more water than any other state in this great country, and yet we are dehydrated! Water is the primary energizer of all functions in the body. Water lubricates joints, flushes out toxins, and provides substance for fiber in the colon. Transports nutrients and absorbs shock to joints and organs. When we don’t drink enough water the body actually goes into survival mode.

Early signs of dehydration Mature signs of dehydration Emergency signs of dehydration

Fatigue Heartburn Asthma and allergies

Anxiety Joint and back pain Diabetes

Irritability Fibromyalgia Migraine headaches

Depression Constipation/IBS Hypertension/High blood pressure/Cholesterol

Cravings Anginal pains Autoimmune disease, lupus

Cramps Psoriasis

Headache

For daily maintenance hydration is dependent upon your weight. Take your weight in pounds, divide in 1/2, equals the number of ounces per day, every day. Then divide the number of ounces by 8, equals the number of 8 oz glasses of water you need to consume. As you lose weight, your volume changes, thus the amount you require. If you drink caffeine, for every eight ounces consumed, you will need to drink an additional 16 ounces of water. Drink an extra 8 ounces of water before, during, and post exercise. If you are hiking in Arizona, bring plenty of water, when the temperature is soaring to 120f you need to constantly drink water to stay hydrated.

5. Take nutritional supplements. There is no such thing as the perfect diet. Even if you did eat perfectly, the soil is so nutrient depleted from over cropping, pollution pesticides and herbicides, that we cannot get all the key nutrients, such as Carnitine, CoQ10, magnesium, B-complex, and Omega 3s, for optimal energy levels. Taking supplements are necessary to ensure adequate amounts in your system and to restore balance. Look for a complete Multi/Mineral Complex that has no added ingredients or preservatives, so let me tell you plain and clear “Centrum is not the right choice!” If you truly want a high quality multi/mineral vitamin, I have several options available if not, Solgar is a reputable retail level multivitamin. If you are truly stressed, and who isn’t watching the news, add in a vitamin B50 complex. B vitamins are water soluble vitamins that are excreted within 4 hours. Stress and dietary factors can actually deplete the vitamins quicker, and cause a deficiency. For women, add in a sublingual B12, B6 for the first month until your reserves are normal. Fish oil is a natural anti-inflammatory and loaded with EPA/DHA. It is a true anti-inflammatory wonder. It will help lubricate your joints, make you look younger, and actually make you feel more alert. A word of caution, if you are on blood thinners, please check with your doctor as fish oil thins your blood. Your urine will turn bright yellow. Don’t panic, this is normal; it is letting you know your body is assimilating the B vitamins.

6. Exercise. You do not have to become a gym junkie to get fit! We have the most amazing trails right here in the valley. All it takes are a good pair of quality supportative walking shoes and thirty minutes a day. Walking, especially outdoors is not only friendly to the pocket book, it is a whole mind, body, spiritual adventure. Walking is one of the best ways to lower stress, blood pressure and cholesterol. Walking clears the mind, lifts the spirit and increases energy. A body in motion stays in motion long after the exercise, increasing metabolism and helping you to lose weight and keep your energy going all day.

7. Get a good night’s rest. Sleep is restorative and is a time when the body is assimilating the day’s nutrients for repair and growth. Aim for 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night. Keep your room dark, free of ambient lighting from night lights, cell phones and bright alarm clocks. Your body needs to go into REM cycle to process your daily events. Darkness also triggers the release of the hormone melatonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates sleep and many other functions in your body. A good night’s sleep leaves you feeling energized and can lower stress.

8. Don’t worry, be happy! This is important to avoid sleepless nights, which stresses the body. Our emotional health is important in order to avoid the stress and worry that often leads to reduced sleep quality, and affect our energy each day. How we look at life can affect our energy levels. If we have a negative attitude, and do not like what we are doing, this will have a direct impact on your energy levels and health. Don’t look at the glass as half empty, it really is half full! Look for the bright side of all your challenges. Soon you will be able to follow a positive mindset without thinking about it. This lifts the spirit, which increases energy physically and mentally. Surround yourself with like-minded people and soon you will have more energy than you know what to do with. The best piece of advice, go on a media fast. Try a week without watching, listening, reading the news. It is all doom and gloom and super negative. Pay attention to how your body feels without that constant reinforcement of negativity. If you are struggling to find the positive side of the tracks, I can teach you unique techniques to not only lower your stress triggers, but how to release old perceptions that are keeping you back from experiencing and enjoying the positive side of life.

9. Have a night out with friends or family. Reconnect with those you enjoy spending time with. Laughing and enjoying are two key components to health and longevity. Laughing decreases stress raises “feel good” endorphins which give you more energy. Incorporate a dinner night, at home or a favorite restaurant. Have a movie night, a game night or whatever it is that you need to do to reconnect. Want to meet new people try MeetUp.com. No it is not a dating service, it is a place where you can find social groups free of charge (some have fees) getting together for a specific function, such as cooking, art, books, brunch, dinners, you name it.

10. Get a health check. If you have not had a physical in a while, now is the time. Sometimes lethargy or lack of energy can be from an undetected health issue. If you are taking medications, have the doctor check your medications, maybe you need less or more, or a different brand. Perhaps your medications are no longer needed. And sometimes, it is the medication itself that may be causing your lack of energy. Plan a physical every year on your birthday. The day you were born was a special day, and so are you. Get a physical on your special day!

Karen Langston
Chief body reorganizer
Karen@IamWorthit2.com 623 252.4325 http://www.iamworthit2.com/ Twitter.com/KarenLangston

Just a List...: Foods to Help Fight Arthritic Pain

2009-05-25T11:19:00.000-07:00

Just a List...: Foods to Help Fight Arthritic Pain

________________________
Karen Langston, Chief Body Reorganizer
Shape shifting your body and mind environment

Karen@iamworthit2.com
http://www.IamWorthit2.com
http://21stcenturyhealthcare.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlangstoniamworthit2‏
http://twitter.com/KarenLangston‏

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Are you Proactive or Reactive?

2009-05-10T21:54:00.048-07:00

Are you Proactive or Reactive?

Sunday's are my favorite part of the week as I love to get up early, make my Teeccino, and indulge in the complexities of the aromas and flavors while indulging in my weekly reads. My husband’s travelling regime brings me local and national papers and magazines, a treasure really, for me to sift through. OK, so maybe I am not up on day-to-day current events. However, I don’t really need to be as the same events seem to be reported repeatedly throughout a given week. I find it intriguing to read local papers and get a feel for one’s city and cultural likes and differences. Reading also gives me a feel for how we as a nation react to national news and events around the world.

Swine Flu is in every publication from newspapers, to magazines, to tiny 3-page newsletters. The theme is always the same; panic, but don’t really panic, count the number of fatalities and predict just how far this will go. Offer a couple of suggestions such as hand washing and oh, eat well, and wear a mask and hoard prescriptions of certain drugs, just in case.

The same applies for the economy. It’s only down… down… down. You hear everywhere “you know nothing is good in ‘this econmy,’ ‘I can’t in this economy’ and ‘the State of the economy, you just never know.’” Know what? What…What? Tell me!

I see a different approach to both issues and everything else that becomes pandemically oozing as headline news. I think of myself as a proactive band aid to all that ails. I choose not to be a part of the hype.

Whether it is Swine Flu, the economy or failing portfolios I just don’t buy into the hype of the situation. Do you realize that news coverage is 24-hours per day? In Arizona, one channel begins broadcasting the news at 4:30 am and ends at 10:00 pm. Let me break that down for you; 4:30-9:00 am, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, 4:00 – 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm – 11:00 pm. That is 10.5 hours of news, plus highlights during commercials, roughly adding another hour. So, that is now 11.5 hours of the same infectious headlines integrating our psyche. The same held true in Alabama and Texas. And, that is only one local station! How much of that is actual new news? A very small percent. You are literally hearing the same news over and over and over again. What does this do to our psyche? It makes you cranky. Crankiness leads to fear, fear leads to anxiety and anxiety breeds a reactive state.

When I arrived in Arizona last year, the so called economy was a wasteland of fear, shut downs, unemployment and yet I passed by several active construction sites in my brand new car. I felt an instant bond when I passed by other new car owners, evident buy their temporary paper license permits, as they too were taking advantage of the new economy. It seemed to me that the gripping fearful newspaper headlines were boasting a reality that I was not seeing. I engaged in networking groups and found that there was a pocket of sole business owners that were also experiencing a different reality, and I liked it. There was no fear, anxiety or stress. Why? Because we are proactive. We found a way to be creative in this new economy and turn our dreams and passions into our own reality.

“Proactive” as defined by Dictionary.com is

“serving to prepare for, intervene in, or control an expected occurrence or situation, esp. a negative or difficult one; anticipatory: proactive measures against crime”.

To be proactive, in my mind, is to take preventative steps, such as protecting yourself from Swine Flu and other illness, before a pandemic, and to surround ourselves with proactive, positive, like-minded people who will support one another.

Swine Flu is not that much different than any other flu. Some people die from the flu. According to wrongdiagnosis.com

Deaths from Flu: An estimated 100,000 hospitalizations and about 20,000 deaths occur each year from the flu or its complications. (Source: excerpt from Focus On The Flu: NIAID) ... average of 20,000 to 40,000 deaths per year. (Source: excerpt from Microbes in Sickness and in Health - Publications, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: NIAID) ... in the United States more than 100,000 people are hospitalized and more than 20,000 people die from the flu and its complications every year. (Source: excerpt from The Flu, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID) ... In an average year, flu leads to about 20,000 deaths nationwide and many more hospitalizations. (Source: excerpt from What to Do About the Flu - Age Page - Health Information: NIA)

To date, According to The Center For Disease Control, U.S. Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection (As of May 10, 2009, 11:00 AM ET) States* Laboratory confirmed cases Deaths TOTAL 44, 2532 cases 3 deaths including the District of Columbia. International Human Cases of Swine Flu Infection, see World Health Organization

Hopefully, this provides some perspective on not only the flu, but the fear-driven laden news headlines.

So, on that note, naturally, when we are not in hysterics over Swine Flu, we turn to the pandemonium of the economy. After all, we must have something to worry about. Historically, there are economic valleys, peaks, turn-around and rebounds. Likely, this will not change. Recessions and depressions have been occurring and affecting the USA, and the World, since 1764 with the recession over England’s currency act, to the great Depression of 1929, due to the stock market crash, to the Dot com crash of 2001. The point; we are still here!

I just don’t buy into the hype and choose to stay positive. We are in a new, creative economy, or at least that is how I see it, and others do as well. I’m not an activist or part of an underground coalition out to rebel against the norm. I merely choose to be proactive and create a new approach and take advantage of the situation to grow personally and professionally.

What I do like about this new economy is the recycling of old things. We are embracing family and human contact once again. We are realizing that gathering in our back yards over a barbecue is not such a bad thing. We don’t need to keep up with the Jones’ and going to Goodwill or having a clothing swap party is a fun evening adventure. I am enjoying the positive effects to giving to others through freecycle.org and meeting new people. I love this new economy because we are engaging in friendships and finding outdoor activities that engage in real social networking. Planting a garden to raise your own food, what a novel concept! Sharing the benefits of a harvest with friends and family, I think the Pilgrims did something like this too. Sitting down face-to-face and listening to one another is not only engaging but actually has positive health benefits. This is what I call proactive!

Proactivity holds true for Swine Flu as well. I recently gave a webinar lecture on preventive measures by boosting the immune system. I had a few interested, which was great, but I was surprised by the number of people who were not interested. It further engaged my thoughts and hypothesis of reactive as opposed to proactive. Most would rather sit around in actual hysteria, wear masks, bathe in Purell and sit back in fear waiting for the first symptom to strike us down rather than take a proactive approach of prevention. The actual proactive approach would not cost anything and would actually put you in a preventive state so that you would not have to buy into the mass hysteria.

So how do we become proactive? Take a media fast for a week. A what? Yes, a media fast. Avoid all news media in print, audio and visual and see how you feel? Pay attention to your gut, your heart beat and your general mood. You may find that it is easier to relax. Near the end of the week, pay attention to your colleagues, friends and family. Listen to how they talk about headline news and how they are reacting. You may find that you can actually pick up on their emotions. Before beginning your media fast, journal how you feel. Document your emotions, how your body feels and your emotional take on any situation in the news. Near the end of the week, again journal, as mentioned above, and add in the reactions of others. Study your conclusions and hopefully you will have a different approach to what your reality truly is and make some new creative proactive decisions. Become a proactive thinker.

If you are in a reactive state as you read this, I’m sure there are some anger issues toward what I am suggesting. That’s good, get it out. It shows you are in a reactive state. How do you turn that around? You say you lost your job? Well, my friend, my reaction is congratulations; you are now one step closer to the path you are supposed to be on. Meditate on that for a while and your answer will come.

As a nation, we either react or act proactively. Which do you prefer? Make it so! There is no one stopping you but YOU. There are numerous opportunities out there to learn and grow. Whether it is Swine Flu or the new creative economy, there are opportunities to learn. Take preventive measures, like attending a lecture on preventive tips to keep you healthy from the flu, learn a new skill, make a business out of your passion, and look for the positive influences instead of the negative.

It is up to you. President Obama has not said “I” once when he refers to putting this great Nation back on its feet. Rather, he insists, this is an “Us” thing. And, we need to start taking proactive steps to make this work!
Sources

http://www.mediabistro.com/mediajobsdaily/original/newspapers.jpg

I am extremely disappointed with Blogspot as there seems to be a technical issue with uploading pictures. So please excuse the picture-less article. Thanks.

________________________
Karen Langston, Chief Body Reorganizer
Shape shifting your body and mind environment

Karen@iamworthit2.com
http://www.IamWorthit2.com
http://21stcenturyhealthcare.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlangstoniamworthit2‏
http://twitter.com/KarenLangston‏

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Swine Flu: Don't Panic, Take Action!

2009-05-05T13:35:00.000-07:00

IAMWORTHIT2.COM

21ST CENTURY HEALTH CARE

SWINE FLU H1N1

Presented by:

Karen Langston RNCP, LM, SIT

DON’T PANIC

TAKE ACTION

Join us live for the 7 flu buster prevention

tips you need to help reduce risk.

Fear will not protect you and your family

from this deadly disease. Neither will ignorance.

Arming yourself with information is the best

method to implement practices which can prevent infection.

FRIDAY MAY 8, 2009

1 HOUR LIVE WEBINAR PRESENTATION

9:30 AM MT / 12:30 PM ET

1:30 PM MT / 4:30 PM ET

5:00 PM MT / 8 PM ET

SPACE IS LIMITED

Contact Karen Langston for meeting access information

__________________________________________

Karen Langston, Chief Body Reorganizer

Shape shifting your body and mind environment

Karen@iamworthit2.com

http://www.IamWorthit2.com

http://21stcenturyhealthcare.blogspot.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlangstoniamworthit2‏
http://twitter.com/KarenLangston‏

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April 27th Free KFC Grilled Chicken Day Unthink the Unthink KFC Wants You to Unthink!

2009-04-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

April 27th Free KFC Grilled Chicken Day

Unthink the Unthink KFC Wants You to Unthink!

April 27th is Free Grilled Chicken Day at KFC. Kentucky Fried Chicken is trying to shake off its saturated high fat image and asking everyone to unthink what they have thought about KFC with their new invention of unfried - grilled chicken. I suspect Kentucky Fried Chicken is finally understanding we are a fat saturated nation that needs to lighten up and hopes that grilled chicken will lure back health conscious consumers who dropped KFC like a bad coronary habit.

I am constantly asked by my clients to recommend healthy foods from fast food chains so they can grab a healthy choice in a pinch. Of course, I had to investigate KFC’s announcement.

KFC may claim to have closely guarded herbs and spices secret ingredients, and perhaps there is not enough legislation to demand to know what lies in that closely guarded vault. However, we do have the right to know what the main ingredients are for their new grilled chicken which can be found at KFC’s nutrition guide: http://www.kfc.com/nutrition/pdf/kfc_ingredients_april09.pdf It is no secret, you may be in for a shock!

KFC Grilled chicken contains the following:
Fresh Chicken Marinated with: Salt, Sodium Phosphate, and Monosodium Glutamate Seasoned with: Maltodextrin, Salt, Bleached Wheat Flour, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oil, Monosodium Glutamate, Spices, Palm Oil, Natural Flavor, Garlic Powder, Soy Sauce (Soybean, Wheat, Salt), Chicken Fat, Chicken Broth, Autolyzed Yeast, Beef Powder, Rendered Beef Fat, Extractives of Turmeric, Dehydrated Carrot, Onion Powder, and Not More Than 2% Each of Calcium Silicate and Silicon Dioxide Added as Anticaking Agents. Contains Wheat and Soy.

I don’t care how many turkey's are dancing their chicken dance on their new website. With an ingredient list like this, I can’t possibly "unthink" the unthink KFC wants me to unthink!

Now, I will admit the Grilled Chicken with 70 to 180 calories with four to nine grams of fat and 160 to 440 mg of sodium is a far better choice health-wise than the original recipe at 110 to 370 calories with seven to 21 grams of fat, 290 to 1,050 mg of sodium. But, at what cost? Does it truly take a list of obnoxious anti-health ingredients to do so?

Wheat, soy sauce and beef powder to most, means nothing, but to those who are wheat sensitive, gluten intolerant, or suffer celiac disease, or Sprue are already clutching their sensitive stomach’s in disbelief.

When you think of grilled chicken the last thing one might think of is a coating of flour. And, why do we need flour on grilled chicken anyway? KFC is reinventing it’s advertising and I wonder if there will be a disclosure statement for such individuals. In fact, KFC is thinking about changing their name, to incorporate grilled, perhaps to give the illusion of healthy food. Maybe it should read Kentucky (fried for some) GRILLED, Gluten laden Chicken. I think that covers every one, Right? So please, if you are intolerable to wheat and gluten, please pass this on to all who need to be aware.

And now for the health conscious individuals that KFC is hoping to capture, let’s get up close and personal with the ingredient list. Ingredients are listed in descending order of quantity. Notice the first three ingredient are salt, sodium phosphate and monosodium glutamate. These are, in essence, three types of salt. And, the chicken is marinated in this bath of unwanted concoction.

Now, this is interesting, Monosodium glutamate known as MSG is actually listed twice. What this mean to you is there is an abundance of MSG in this product. MSG (Monosodium glutamate) is a potent excitotoxin whose only purpose is to enhance the flavor of food. The American Medical Association's Council on Scientific Affairs, the National Academy of Sciences, as well as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have all determined that MSG, at current consumption levels, is safe."

So, what exactly are "current levels"? Does "current levels" apply to batches or individual pieces? If you consume 3-6 pieces are you getting too much? If you find you suddenly have symptoms like rapid pulse, confusion, a burning sensation, facial pressure or chest pains, not to worry, this is a temporary condition and is not harmful. MSG has a degenerative effect on the brain and nervous system and over stimulates cells to the point of exhaustion and death. It tricks the brain into thinking it’s getting something tasty and triggers insulin production which results in a craving response, triggering one to eat more often which leads to excess stored fat. For more information click here.

Ask yourself this, "Why would I want to consume anything that will affect your body negatively?" Suddenly KFC’s grilled chicken is not looking so revolutionary.

Now that I have brought your attention to the fact that the first three ingredients are essentially salt, there are in fact 3 forms of sodium, some repeating, never-the-less, if it is listed, it’s in there. Can you find the 7 times sodium are listed?

I am curious as to why KFC chicken requires rendered beef fat and chicken fat. Essentially, another word for rendered fat is lard. Rendering is the process of converting animal fatty tissue waste and bi-product and turn it into a stable product such as lard or tallow The question raised in my mind is just how much saturated fat is involved in making a healthier version of chicken?

Here is a brief breakdown of some of the more questionable ingredients.

Partially hydrogenated Soybean oil: A transmogrified industrial process laden with lethal trans fat. Most soybean oils are from genetically modified soybeans, unless otherwise marked on the product (and it is not listed above, and I am sure that KFC would promote the use of non-GMO’ if they were using). Top nutritionists at Harvard have concluded that trans fat could be responsible for as many as 30,000 premature coronary deaths per year.

Hydrogenated Cotton Seed Oil: The oil is extracted from the seeds of the highly genetically modified cotton plant after harvesting. Cotton oil in its unrefined state contains a serious toxin, gossypol, and is used as an effective pesticide. Natural occurring gossypol protects the plant from insect damage and is one of the most heavily used pesticides on crops in North America. Hydrogenated cotton seed oil was originally intended for candle production and soon became a cheap way of producing oil suitable for food consumption. Peanut allergy? BEWARE: Cotton seed oils are extremely similar in its protein structure to peanuts and may cause a serious allergic reaction. As mentioned above cottonseed oil is also a transmogrified industrial process laden with lethal trans fat. For more information click here.

Palm Oil: Palm Oil is derived from the pulp of palm tree fruit. It is high in saturated fat and can promote heart disease and is contributing to the destruction of the rainforest and wildlife of Southeast Asia.

So far there are 5 types of fat in this product and none of them are heart healthy omega 3 anti inflammatory oils. I am still trying to figure out how the new grilled chicken could possibly be healthier than their original chicken.

Natural Flavoring is another ingredient that seems to be on every label. What is it? According to the US Code of Federal RegulationsUS Code of Federal Regulation Code of Federal Regulations (CFR):

...the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.

So, what this says to me is that natural flavoring can be almost anything and it does not have to be precisely disclosed. Again, if you have certain food allergies, not knowing exactly what is being used, leaves one guessing. Eating a piece of grilled chicken should not be a crap shoot!

I think I will not "unthink" my health conscious mind to run out and try their new interpretation of a healthy meal. And, I most definitely will educate my clients on the detriments of KFC’s grilled chicken! Think about it, when you are grilling chicken at home do you plaster it with 3 types of salt, 5 different types of saturated fats and questionable other ingredients? KFC wants to bring people back to their restaurants by creating the perception of health value in their grilled chicken. Why not honestly slow grill a piece of chicken with some herbs and oil and feel good that you are providing a healthy meal. Why must we trick consumers with potent flavor enhancers to get them hooked and coming back for more? Would it be so much of a risk to honestly cook naturally and expect people to come back because of the quality?

On March 13, 2009, President Obama stated, in part, that the nation’s decades-old food safety system is a “hazard to public health”. While nominating Margaret Hamburg, M.D., the former New York Health Commissioner, for the position of FDA commissioner, he also indicated that he would be creating a Food Safety Working Group to coordinate food safety laws throughout government and to advise him on how to update them.

The Obama initiative provides a unique opportunity to have a voice and get involved with what proper labeling should be. Think about it, KFC claims they serve nearly eight million customers around the world daily. Eight million people getting involved in the legislation of organic, natural (and even that word is loaded) ingredients and abolish hidden and useless harmful ingredients would help us reduce our waistlines and reduce health issues (anybody for more affordable health care for all? - Sorry, that's another conversation). For more information click here.

Kentucky Fried Chicken is hoping that their grilled chicken along with their patented new oven that grills a batch of chicken in just over 20 minutes will lure health conscious consumers back to their establishments because there are significantly fewer calories, sodium and fat than their signature fried chicken. KFC wants you to unthink what you think about KFC. Personally analyzing the ingredients I know one thing for sure, KFC’s grilled chicken has let this health-savvy consumer down and, as a nutritionist, unimpressed!

KFC goes to the grill http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/2008-03-23-kfc_N.htm
KFC allergy & Sensitivity Guide http://www.kfc.com/nutrition/pdf/kfc_allergens_april09.pdf

_____________________
Karen Langston, Chief Body Reorganizer
Shape shifting your body and mind environment

Karen@iamworthit2.com
http://www.IamWorthit2.com
http://21stcenturyhealthcare.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlangstoniamworthit2‏
http://twitter.com/KarenLangston‏

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Earth Day Poem

2009-04-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

HOIST THE SAILS!

Four billion years ago
Our lonely Earth
Set sail on cosmic seas
Guided by an unseen hand
Of nature, God or chance.

As life evolved

Through endles eco-cycles

Man was born, destined

To destroy or enrich

The Precious Ship.

And now his hand

Has seized the tiller

But his ear has not

Yet caught the Captain's

Quiet command.

The sails are down, the ship becalmed,
Its fragil life at stake.
No longer do we ride the gentle swells of
Silent seas and breathe
The fragrant air.

Broken are the rhythms
Of our cyclic plants
And other living things.

But now the Captain speaks again

Our quiet thoughts at last reveal his voice.

"Hoist the sails, Earth Man.
Set them for celestial winds.
Hold the tiler firm,
The course ahead is clear."

Be He nature, God or chance
His voice is heard
And we shall heed the Captain's quiet command.

By John McConnell

Tomorrow is Earth Day how will you celebrate?

2009-04-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Earth Day
How will you celebrate?

Wednesday April 22, 2009 is Earth Day. How will you celebrate?
Earth day can be celebrated any way you see fit. The biggest celebration is in a long-term lifestyle change.

Here are some little changes that will have a big impact on our planet earth and can quite easily become a part of our every day routines.

Most of us drive to and from work without giving much thought as to how fossil fuels release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and affect our health and the planet’s health. Not all of us can ditch our cadmium polluting cars for a greener version, so we must find more sensible ways around the pollution problem. Car pooling cuts down on the number of cars on the road. Some states such as Arizona, California and Houston have H.O.V. (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes for this purpose. Car pooling is also a great way to start new friendships and to really get to know your co-workers.

Cities such as Phoenix, Scottsdale and Toronto have specific bike lanes to allow you to safely ride your bike on the road. Try riding your bike to work or to run small errands. This is a fantastic way to get into shape and feel great on a physical and emotional level while connecting with the outdoors. When I was in Toronto I had special bags on either side of my rear tire that I would fill with groceries. It was a wonderful experience to be able to connect with the outdoors, shop at the local markets and save one pound of carbon for every mile I traveled.

Walking is the next best thing to biking and is less expensive. All you require are a good pair of walking shoes. Instead of getting in your car for a two minute drive to the store, grab a reusable bag and walk. Try googlemaps and plan your route off major roads to cut down on the amount of noise pollution or charge up your MP3 player and plug into your favourite tunes. Googlemaps can provide you with directions along with estimated time of arrival by walking. Googlemaps.com

Biking, walking and other day-to-day activities require hydration. We have become a nation of monstrous water bottle consumers. We are now realizing the environmental impact from the millions of water bottles we discard yearly. Water bottles are the single largest growth among all beverages and that spells disaster! Empty water bottles produce up to 1.5 million tons of plastic a year and require 47 million gallons of oil per year to produce. Although you may think you are doing your part to recycle your water bottle, sadly 80 percent of empty water bottles never make it to a recycling facility. It takes aproximatley 700 years for one discarded water bottle to begin decomposing; think of the environmental toxins entering our atmosphere and water ways.

There are plenty of new reusable water bottles on the market but, buyer beware! Some of these bottles leach toxins such as Bisphenol-A and xenoestrogens, chemicals that have been linked to serious health and hormonal issues and cancer. Stainless steel water bottles are popping up everywhere and that concerns me. Stainless steel, yes, will not leach toxins, however, I am a concerned about what has been used to seal the bottle together. I have not seen a stainless steel water bottle yet that mentions the sealing material as non toxic.

One company that I do trust is Sigg Sigg . A Switzerland based company; Sigg sells environmentally- and eco-friendly water bottles and accessories. I have owned a SIGG water bottle for 9 years and can vouch for their quality. Produced from a single component that is seamless and has no distinguishable weak points, the SIGG water bottle is nearly indestructible. The composition of the liner also reduces the chances of bacteria build-up. And, because the liner is virtually baked into the inner walls of the bottle, it will not flake or chip even if dented on the outside. My water bottle has acquired many dents over the years and is still going strong. There are many forms and sizes to choose from. This Earth Day, give up on plastic water bottles and go SIGG!

In honor of Earth Day SIGG has teamed up with their good friends at 1% For The Planet. In addition to their ongoing annual pledge to contribute 1% of global sales to environmental causes, This Earth Day they will donate an additional $1 for every bottle sold on their site using a special discount code.

Just enter the code: SIGGEARTH at checkout and get an extra $5 off of your order. That's $1 extra for the planet and $5 off for you. An added bonus, SIGG is still offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $50. Visit mysigg.com

Let’s get the gardening and lawn care maintenance under control. Michelle Obama is already organic gardening and so should the rest of the United States. Toronto is already pesticide and herbicide free and it was easy! I can’t believe the amount of pesticides sprayed in one month in Phoenix and Scottsdale. It is disgusting! This Earth Day, take the time to find out what these chemicals are really doing to our environment and us. Then join CREDO’s action and sign this petition today today to tell the board members of MACA (virtually all of them big chemical executives) that we don't appreciate their telling Michelle Obama (or any of us) to use pesticides in our gardens. We support Michelle Obama's organic garden, and we'll thank them to keep their propaganda out of it.

One person’s trash, is another person’s treasure. If you are not already a member, become one at Freecycle.org What’s it all about? I can’t say this any better The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,726 groups with 6,620,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. I have been a member for a while and I have given tons of stuff away to those that wanted it. The selfish part of this is how it makes me feel; AMAZING! Every time I give I swear my heart gets lighter. Sign up today, clean out your closets and garage and give back to yourself, to others and more importantly Mother Earth.

These are just a few tips to get you in the mood for celebrating our Earth. We have only one planet earth. We need to make changes today for a clean, sustainable earth for our future and the future of our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Check out your carbon footprint here carbon footprint. http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator

Happy Earth Day!

Photos

Bicycle Freephoto.com

Michelle Obama http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/wh_garden/?rc=tm

Freecycle logo Freecycle.org
SIGG waterbottles mysigg.com
Woman drinking water http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1076887

_______________________

Karen Langston, Chief Body Reorganizer

Shape shifting your body and mind environment

Karen@iamworthit2.com

http://www.IamWorthit2.com

http://21stcenturyhealthcare.blogspot.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlangstoniamworthit2‏

http://twitter.com/KarenLangston‏

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Move over coffee Teeccino is taking over

2009-04-20T07:28:00.001-07:00

I’m sitting in my favorite nook with the sun shining and writing today’s blog. Normally this nook is reserved for a morning ritual of a great cup of coffee, the welcomed sunshine and the newspaper; it is how I love to start my day.

For a while now my ritual has been torn apart with the final spastic bowel I had that lasted three days from drinking coffee. I have a love/hate relationship with coffee. I love… no….worship coffee. I don’t drink coffee to wake me up or to get me through a day I consume for the taste, the color and the feel-good vibes – like my favorite morning nook.

The dark side of my relationship with the black gold is the adverse side effects that I suffer relentlessly at the hands of tiny ground beans. Coffee, cream and sugar turn this alkaline herb into an acidic environment that turns the gut into a bacterial playground. Other problems with this ubiquitous drug come with the processing and growing of the beans which results in mild to serious side effects including aggitation, heartburn,bed wetting, irregular heartbeat and nutritional deficiencies.

Today not only am I writing my blog from my sun kissed nook, I am enjoying a great cup of Teeccino. Recently, the company sent me some samples of their coffee alternative to try out. To be quite honest I had thoughts of goop brewing in my coffee pot and pounds of sugar in my cup remotely make it palatable. I followed the instructions to the letter for my first brew to give it an honest go and it was too weak for me.

The following morning I made it like I was making coffee for myself –thick enough for a spoon to stand up in it. I had a dark, rich full-bodied brew and I must say not only was a pleasantly surprised, I was hooked! A spot of soy creamer and I had the perfect golden eye candy. As I savored the color and slight chicory aroma I witness my nook shining brighter than it ever had. The sirens of the morning ritual were lulling me back.

If you are an avid coffee-holic, listen up: Your Teeccino siren is calling. Teeccino contains no caffeine, so there are no adverse side-effects like high blood pressure, spastic colon, adrenal exhaustion, altered mood and behavior, headaches and insomnia. In addition, pregnant women, diabetics and people with GERD can all get some relief from wanting coffee by drinking Teeccino instead!

Teeccino gives you the daily coffee brewing ritual without the side effects. Teeccino has been around for 15 years and, has evolved into this fabulous product. Basically, Teeccino is BRILLIANT!

So what is Teeccino?

You can take a look online and see everything you need about Teeccino. Their web site http://www.teeccino.com/has explanations for all of their ingredients, the way to brew, reasons not to drink coffee and why caffeine isn’t great for you.

Teeccino is a caffeine-free organic, (some 75% organic) substitute made from carob, barley, chicory, Ramón nuts and organic coffee flavour. I have an issue with natural flavours and received this from Caroline MacDougall creator of Teeccino:

Natural flavors are made from flavoring constituents that are extracted from

natural ingredients like fruits, spices, herbs and even coffee. Teeccino

flavors do not contain any constituents from meat, seafood, poultry, eggs,

or edible yeast. Teeccino does not allow any monosodium glutamate, propylene glycol, or preservatives in its flavors.

Ladies and gentlemen- I’m hooked and you should be, too! If you are tired of the excess nervousness, irritability, restless legs, dizziness and subsequent fatigue, get hooked on Teeccino.

You are not substituting coffee with Teeccino, you are a making the choice for a healthy lifestyle change. And here’s why; Teeccino is an herbal coffee blend of herbs, nuts, fruits and grains.

There are two Teeccino lines to choose from: The Mediterranean line and the Maya line. The seven Mediterranean flavors are made from chicory, barley, figs, dates and nuts with flavors that include Hazelnut, Java, Mocha, Chocolate Mint and Vanilla Nut.

The Maya flavors have a main in ingredient of the Ramon nut, found in Peten region of Guatemala. The Ramon nut is high in potassium, fiber and tryptophan and naturally detoxifies the liver, un-like coffee that actually congests the liver. The three flavors of this line are Chai, Chocolaté and Caffé.

All flavors contain Potassium, a heart-healthy and blood pressure electrolyte (along with other electrolytes) that can actually relieve restless leg syndrome, and calm nervousness and anxiety and is GREAT for pregnant women. In addition, Teeccino’s herb blends actually restore alkalinity and improve gut flora thus improving digestion and immunity.

The chicory root in Teeccino may relieve constipation and increase digestion which aids in the absorption of calcium and other minerals.

Inulin a natural fiber extracted from chicory root has a long list of health benefits such as increasing bone strength, controls blood sugar levels and may even reduce cholesterol. Compared to the highly acidic mineral thief Coffee Teeccino just makes sense.

For those of you who are gluten intolerant and tuned into the barley and chicory ingredients; no worries. The people at Teeccino have assured that this product is gluten free once brewed with a coffee filter (a natural, non-bleached filter of course). I have been drinking Teeccino for three weeks now and I have only used a reusable gold screen filter with no digestive issues. I am gluten intolerant and highly sensitive to even trace amounts of gluten. Teeccino has not affected my digestion at all.

On that note, everyone is different and I would recommend using the paper coffee filter to ensure no grounds make it in to your cup. If you do have a gluten intolerance or diagnosed Celiac Disease, discuss with your Doctor first before trying Teeccino.

Take the Teeccino challenge!

To get started Teeccino is offering a free sample or you may wish to purchase their variety Teeccino Sampler Pack.

Whatever you do don’t quit cold turkey; there are too many withdrawal side effects. You want Teeccino to be a pleasant ritual. Substitute a teaspoon or tablespoon of coffee grounds with Teeccino every 2 days until you are completely enjoying Teeccino. If this sounds too fast, then take longer, work at your own pace. Once you are completely weaned off pay attention to how you feel over the next week. You may find that you have increased clarity, more energy, and your thoughts are more positive. I would love to hear from you about your experiences and success stories.

If you are still not convinced, check out this review from Phil Lempert, the Supermarket Guru: http://bit.ly/Pzaax

The sun has moved on, my Teeccino Chocolate Mint Herbal Coffee has gone and I must start my day. My focused day will be full of energy and clarity; how about yours?

For more information please visit Teecino’s website Teecino’s website for your free sample and to learn about the story behind Teecino.

________________________

Karen Langston, Chief Body Reorganizer
Shape shifting your body and mind environment
Karen@iamworthit2.com

http://www.iamworthit2.com
http://21stcenturyhealthcare.blogspot.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlangstoniamworthit2‏
http://twitter.com/KarenLangston‏

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5 Little things you can do to have a big Impact on the Earth

2009-04-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

5 Little things you can do to have a big Impact on the Earth

Going green is getting easier every day and the little changes you make have the biggest impact on protecting our Earth.

Here are 5 simple tips you can implement starting today.

Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs. A programmable thermostat is the greenest way to go. A programmable thermostat allows you to go a few more degrees up or down when the house is empty. Purchase one that allows you to set individuals times for each day of the week. You can come home to a perfect temperature without burning useless energy all day and will save you money on your energy bills.

Save energy by unplugging appliances, computers and lamps when you're not using them. Purchase a programmable timer that allows you to control the times for each day and program timer for the individual appliance or unit. If there are several electronics in the same area plug into a strip bar, then into a timer to automatically go off at night and turn on in the morning. If you don’t want to mess around with a timer and power strips, the all-in-one Smart Strip smart power strip is the answer. It has the ability to sense when appliances are off and cuts phantom loads and it is intelligent enough to know when to turn back on.

Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to wash clothes goes to heating the water. Washing in cold water will decrease your electrical and gas bill. Wash only full loads to cut down on wasted energy and money.

Use a drying rack or clothesline to cut down dryer time. If you must use a dryer hang up items in your laundry room that will dry quickly, and dry the rest to slight dampness. Get rid of those toxic dryer sheets and opt for Dryer Ball; they actually work! I have been using them for 8 months and I don’t dry without them. The trick is to not over dry your clothes as this will lead to static.

Clean your home with environmentally green products. Get rid of all cleaning products including dishwasher soap that involve ingredients you can’t pronounce and understand. Unhealthy toxins not only linger in your home for months causing respiratory problems they have the ability to cause illness and change the molecular structure of your DNA! Opt for simple cleaning solutions with ingredients you can pronounce and are familiar with such as vinegar, lemon oil, oil of oregano and vegetable oil. According to Seventh Generation if every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of 100 oz 2x ultra petroleum-based liquid laundry detergent with our 100 oz 2x ultra vegetable-based product, we could save 460,000 barrels of oil, enough to heat and cool 27,000 U.S. homes for a year! You can make an environmental difference.

If you are watching your pennies (and who isn't) make your own kitchen and bathroom cleaner. Purchase some water bottles with a spray nozzle fill half with water add strained lemon juice, vinegar and grapefruit seed extract. Use your cleaner in the kitchen, laundry room and bathroom. To clean toilets add a bit of baking soda and vinegar in the bowel, allow to fizz, wait 5 minutes and then clean. Baking soda can be used to polish stainless steel, sinks, toilets and bathtubs. You will love the smell of a naturally cleaned home.

Earth day is April 22, 2009. Don’t miss BIG GREEN LIES, from Fine Living Network and Seventh Generation. Wednesday, April 22, at 9 p.m. Eastern on Fine Living Network (check local listings)
Check out Big Green Lies Teaser on Seventh Generation's website.
Coupons are also available for green products.

How will you celebrate Earth Day? Please email me with your ideas on how you are giving back to Mother Earth!

For more Earth friendly and cost saving ideas visit Build Your Own Earth Aid Kit https://earthaidkit.com/

Seventh Generation Free and Clear Glass-Cleaner
Tree photo courtsey of adigitaldreamer.com

Karen Langston Nutrition and Functional Medicine and Wellness Specialist
www.IAmWorthIt2.com* Karen@iamworthit2.com
Be environmentally conscious; pass this on electronically. Think before you print.

From my family to yours, Happy Easter

2009-04-12T06:00:00.003-07:00

That cute little bunny has hopped all day,

delivering baskets for the holiday.

His paws are so tired and his nose how it itches,

He left you something special to fulfill all your wishes-

Lots of cute little Easter bunny hugs and kisses

Happy Easter

Photo courtsey of www.freefoto.com

Here is a picture for your little ones to colour:

Courtesy of theholidayspot.com

Deviled Egg Recipe

6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise

¼ cup Light Mayonnaise or Salad Dressing
½ teaspoon dry ground mustard
½ teaspoon white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Paprika for garnish

Pop out (remove) the egg yolks to a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add mayonnaise, mustard powder, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Fill the empty egg white shells with the mixture and sprinkle lightly with paprika.
Cover lightly and refrigerate for up to one day before serving.
Recipe from http://www.deviledeggs.com/

Happy Easter,

Karen Langston
________________________________________________________

Karen Langston Nutrition and Functional Medicine and Wellness Specialist

www.IAmWorthIt2.com* Karen@iamworthit2.com

SnagFilms Film Widget

2009-04-08T14:16:00.001-07:00

Don't Be A Slave To Taxes-QUIT!

2009-04-03T07:28:00.000-07:00

Don't Be A Slave To Taxes-QUIT!

As of Wednesday April 01, taxes on a pack of cigarettes are now $1.01 up from .39cents and from 19.5 cents to 50 cents per pound for chewing tobacco. Hopefully this will be the kick-in-the-initiative for those seventy percent of smokers who have reportedly wanted to quit.

What I find ironic is the proceeds from the tobacco tax will fund children’s health care. I am not opposed however if tobacco use was banned all together, healthcare costs in general would plummet and perhaps some kind of universal health care, at least for children would be more affordable for the government to implement.

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cigarette smoking costs more than $193 billion in health care expenditures a year, with $10 billion associated with second hand smoke. Children, with no voice of their own are the most likely to succumb to illnesses related to second hand smoke. How wonderful it would have been if along with the new tobacco tax, Obama could have followed Ontario’s revolutionary lead to ban smoking in cars when children are present. Now that would have been a true healthcare savings.

I am sure you have heard many times that smoking is not good for you. And I am sure you are aware that there are over 4000 toxic chemical compounds that are created when you light up. Forty – three of the 4000 are well documented carcinogens that are not only consumed by the smoker, but the persons breathing in the secondary smoke. It is incredible that tobacco is the single greatest preventable cause of disease, cancer and premature death in North America and yet we allow this barbaric torture to continuously drain an already non-existent health care system in the United States and an overwhelmed Canadian health care system.

Worldwide a shocking 2.5 million people die each year of a tobacco related disease. In the U.S. cigarette smoking contributes to a thousand deaths daily, and contributes to approximately 25% of cancer deaths, and 40% percent of coronary heart disease deaths.

Quitting is not that hard if you have the right tools in place such as a good grip on diet, stress, lifestyle and emotional health. Address each of these and you are on your way to successfully kicking the habit.

Support yourself with good quality foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. This may sound crazy, but whole foods are chocked full of the vitamins and minerals that have been robbed by the detriments of the toxins in tobacco products. Antioxidants such as Vitamins A, C, E, Selenium, Zinc and Coenzyme Q-10 are antioxidants. Antioxidants fight free radical damage, which comes from toxins such as those found in tobacco products. Even if you are taking antioxidants the amount is probably not enough to properly fight the daily abuse. Replenish your body with a good supplement containing all vitamins and minerals, but especially these key nutrients to replenish and rebuild as you quit smoking. This will also help to reduce cravings and detoxify the toxins from your body. Drink plenty of water to rehydrate yourself. Water will also aid in the removal of toxins and decrease your cravings.

De-stress! Stress management is the key to kicking the habit for good. Stress causes many hormonal changes in the body and this will trigger your craving for a cigarette or a chew. Take a class, purchase a CD, DVD or book on stress and be proactive.

Create new habits that do not involve reaching for a butt. Go for a walk, get involved in a sport, and sign up for local events. Meet new friends, or better yet, start a support group. Do whatever it takes to quit.

According to the American Cancer Society Nicotine is a drug found naturally in tobacco. It is highly addictive -- as addictive as heroin or cocaine. Over time, a person becomes physically and emotionally addicted to (dependent on) nicotine. Studies have shown that smokers must deal with both the physical and psychological (mental) dependence to quit and stay quit. Look into the reasons why you smoke. Have you ever asked yourself why you smoke? How long have you been smoking or chewing tobacco? What was going on in your life that led to you lighting up? Emotionally, tobacco relates to not speaking up for oneself, and clouding your future and vision because you feel you can obtain it anyway. Emotionally speaking you are not following your hearts desires, and are not spending the time to nurture yourself. Perhaps it may be time to truly figure out what started this addiction and how to quit for good.

Don’t become a slave to tobacco and certainly not to taxes! If you are motivated to quit here’s a great tip. Take the money you would have spent on tobacco and put it towards a goal, want or dream. After one year celebrate and fulfill your goal want or dream. You can do this!

Start now and celebrate World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) May 31 TOBACCO FREE!

For more information visit
Health Canada Go Smoke Free
American Cancer Society Guide To Quitting Smoking
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
I Quit! What To Do When You're Sick of Smoking, Chewing, or Dipping

Smoke photo courtsey of Kave Wall Media
Fruit & vegetable photo PD Photo.org
Beach Surfer courtesy of PD Photo.org

__________________________________________________________
Karen Langston Nutrition and Functional Medicine and Wellness Specialist

http://www.iamworthit2.com/* Karen@iamworthit2.com
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Show Mother Earth You care; Plant a tree

2009-04-02T05:00:00.003-07:00

Show Mother Earth You care; PLANT A TREE

April is Earth Month. Mother Nature provides us with the means of sustaining ourselves through the biodiversity of plants. We survive on this planet partly due to Photosynthesis:

6H2O + 6CO2 ----------> C6H12O6+ 6O2

I will forever remember this from Chemistry class. To this day I can still recite the above chemical equation of Photosynthesis. For the rest of us who don’t speak chemicalese, the numbers and letters translate to six molecules of water plus six molecules of carbon dioxide produce one molecule of sugar plus six molecules of oxygen. Why is this important? Without this process we could not sustain life on this planet!

Photosynthesis is the conversion of the sun’s energy into chemical energy by living organisms using carbon dioxide, water and sunlight. The raw materials are utilized by the plant to create carbohydrate, hydrogen dioxide and oxygen which sustains the plant. This is how plants feed themselves. We live in unison with plants; we provide the carbon dioxide from our exhaled breath and plants provide us with oxygen.

A single tropical tree can be home for more than a thousand

different insects, animals, reptiles, and birds.

Plants provide shelter for animals and humans. Birds build nests, other animals create habitats and some sleep in the shelter of the leaves. Trees are used to construct our homes, provide shade to keep them cool, and smaller plants clean the air inside.

Herbs, spices, seeds, nuts and oil come from plants. Some plants are harvested for their medicinal properties and most prescription drugs and medications are derived from plants. Plants are our primary source of food and contain essential vitamins and minerals. Humans and animals eat and utilize plants on land, lakes, streams oceans and seas. Coal and fossil fuel comes from preserved plants from over 350 million years ago. Plants such as hemp and cotton provide us with raw materials for clothing and other textiles.

Essentially there is no life without plants

When you stop to think about it, most of us utilize some part of a plant on a daily basis. We can give back to our planet by planting a tree, shrub or plant. The more we plant, the greater the filtration contribution to the world. Plants act as filtration systems and can help to clean up our lakes, rivers, and oceans as well as clean up the atmosphere and the quality of air in our homes.

I was impressed with a recent article in the Greater Tulsa Reporter Newspaper about a wildflower campaign called Color Oklahoma. Essentially they are looking for donations of local wild seeds to sow in the spring and fall to fill public parks, roadsides and other highly visible public areas with beautiful greenery and colourful blooms. How brilliant is that? What I am really pleased about is the fact that this will be a natural venture that will eliminate the need for the spraying of pesticides and herbicides that cloud our atmosphere with deadly toxins and poisons. Now if only Arizona could catch on to this. For more information go to http://www.coloroklahoma.org

Here are some simple plant rules to follow to give back to our planet:

1. When landscaping, plant native trees and plants that are local to your area. Native plants are already adaptive to the area and can tolerate the weather in your zone and will require less watering and fertilizer and will attract beneficial insects and birds.

2. Avoid pesticides and herbicides. I am thrilled that in Ontario it is illegal to spray pesticides and herbicides on lawns and public areas. All Canadian Home Depot no longer carry any offensive poisons. If we could only get Arizona to follow suit! In the mean time, look for natural remedies or learn how to group plantings for a natural pest control.

3. Pull weeds instead of spraying. If you have a landscaping company or gardener, have them pull weeds instead of spraying.

4. Create a composting area to add natural, nutrient rich native compost to your garden. This will reduce waste, reducing landfill and keep chemical fertilizer off of your yard.

5. Leave grass clippings on your lawn or add to your compost. This is a natural wonderful way to add nitrogen to your lawn and garden.

6. Inside your home, add plants to clean and improve inside air quality. Here are the top indoor plants (according to NASA) that are the most effective in counteracting and absorbing off gassed chemicals such as benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethyleneand . These beneficial plants will also contribute to balanced internal humidity and optimal air quality.

English Ivy (Hedera helix)

Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
Golden pothos or Devil's ivy (Scindapsus aures or Epipremnum aureum)
Peace lily (Spathiphyllum 'Mauna Loa')
Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)
Bamboo palm or reed palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii)
Snake plant or mother-in-law's tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurentii')
Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron oxycardium, syn. Philodendron cordatum)
Selloum philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum, syn. Philodendron selloum)
Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)
Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata)
Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragans 'Massangeana')
Janet Craig dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Janet Craig')
Warneck dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Warneckii')
Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)
Gerbera Daisy or Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
Pot Mum or Florist's Chrysanthemum (Chrysantheium morifolium)
Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica)

Earth Day is April 22, 2009. What are you doing to celebrate?

Karen Langston Nutrition and Functional Medicine and Wellness Specialist
www.IAmWorthIt2.com* Karen@iamworthit2.com

April is Earth Month. This is no April fool’s

2009-04-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

April is Earth Month. This is no April fool’s

Earth Day was founded by activist John McConnell in 1969 in celebration the March equinox. U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin founded a second Earth Day as an environmental education day on April 22, 1970 which marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement, which approximately twenty million Americans participated in. The goal was to bring awareness to living a healthy, sustainable environment. For the complete story please see History of the April 22 Earth Day

Earth day expanded first to Earth week, then to Earth Month and thirty nine years later, it has expanded to a worldwide celebration this April 22, 2009.

Why would we want to get involved in the integrity of our Earth?

North Americans are increasingly exposed daily to toxins that come from external and internal sources. We are inundated with toxins through industrial and agricultural pollutants, pesticides, herbicides that end up in our food and water supply as well as the air we breathe. Our homes are no safe haven either. We pollute our indoor air with chemicals from our cleaning products, dry cleaning, plastics, furniture, carpets and personal hygiene products, all of which impact our earth. How? Think about what goes in to making these products, from synthetic resources, to animal cruelty, to transportation.

There are over five million registered chemicals in the world (more are added daily), twenty thousand of those are known carcinogens. This constant battle undermines your health, changing the body’s normal physiology which may lead to sickness, unexplained symptoms, syndromes, conditions, and permanent changes in state of wellness. The effects for our planet is much the same; rising temperatures, diseases, insect infestations, polluted soil, air, rivers, streams, lakes and oceans. This is what our planet faces on a daily basis with no time for rest and repair. These chemicals become trapped in our atmosphere, altering our genetic DNA and directly aiding to global warming.

Global Warming

Global warming refers to the speed and rise of the Earth’s temperature. So what? Rising temperature, even a little, results in increased storms, intense hurricanes, flooding, and forest fires; which we have all witnessed over the last several years. Scientists concur global warming is not a natural occurrence and is due to what manufactures, companies, and the average persons are putting into the air.

The Green House effect

The earth is surrounded by a layer of gas. The outer layer of this ring allows for us to live on the planet. Let me explain; our energy comes from the sun. Two thirds of the sun’s rays are absorbed by the Earth warming our planet and provides light and the conversion of chlorophyll in our plants, providing oxygen for us to breathe. About one third of the sun’s energy is solar that is reflected back to the universe by our lakes, oceans and glaciers. This heat radiates back towards us and is stored in our atmosphere providing us with enough heat to sustain life. Think of a glass green house: the sun’s solar rays pass through the glass walls, warming the soil, thus warming the air. The glass walls trap the heat inside and the temperature continues to increase. Open the windows and one can maintain an average temperature allowing the plants warmth, sun, circulating air for growth. Our atmosphere acts like the glass walls of the green house. Synthetic, man-made chemicals pollutants and off-gasses, are affecting our atmosphere trapping the heat and essentially painting the atmosphere’s glass windows shut. What this means to us; global warming. The arctic sea is losing ice quickly. As I stated earlier, glaciers reflect much of the sun’s radiation back into the universe. If the ice is melting, this reduces the amount of reflection, thus allowing for more absorption of the sun’s solar energy, heating the planet even more.

Why Do I need to care?

Increased temperatures cause increased intense tropical storms, hurricanes and tsunami. This increases mortalities infectious diseases, and respiratory illnesses. Farming and crops may change or become obsolete from drought or flooding.

Deforestation impacts the rise of carbon dioxide. Plants take our carbon dioxide and convert it to oxygen for us to breath. Increased Carbon dioxide from global warming, less trees, more people equals disaster. The biggest impact to our environment is the loss of habitat for mammals, animals and insects. Every insect on this earth has a purpose; as a food chain. Larger mammals and animals eat smaller animals, insects and plants. Wipe out one species and it can affect populations.

What can we do about it?

You do not have to become an activist for Green Peace to make a difference. It is the small things you can do right in your own town or city that can have a huge environmental impact.

The New Jersey Department of Enviromental Protection has great ideas that you can do to support Mother Earth.

Over the next couple of weeks look for ways you can make a difference without spending a lot of money. Wander on to http://www.earthday.net for some great ideas for every age.

What will you be doing?

However small or big, let me know what you are doing to celebrate Earth Month and Earth Day and a change for the good; leave comments HERE

Start the celebration with a used copy of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, educate yourself and get involved to make a change!

For more information on environmental issues look into

How Climate Change Will Change the World

Global Warming: The Artic Meltdown

For more information download the complete PDF brochure “Climate”:Fundamentals, History and Projections http://knowledge.allianz.com/nopi_downloads/downloads/Allianz_Climate%20Change_Brochure.pdf

Happy Earth Month!

Karen Langston Nutrition and Functional Medicine and Wellness Specialist
www.IAmWorthIt2.com*
Karen@iamworthit2.com

Taraxacum Officinale, Spring and an "AHA" Moment!

2009-03-19T22:21:00.001-07:00

What if I told you there was a simple answer to health ailments such as liver disease, kidney stones, high blood pressure, high cholesterol , diabetes, anemia, acne, gout, and arthritis? Would you believe me? What if a doctor was to tell you he had the answer, would you believe her/him over me?What if I told you that this simple remedy is in the U.S. National Formulatory, and in the Pharmacopeias of Hungary, Poland, Switzerland, and the Soviet Union.

What if I told you Pharmacist learn about this remedy in school? Would you pay attention then? What is it you may ask? Are you ready?

It is called Taraxacum officinale, translated it means “altering or stirring up, according the Greeks. You have paid big money at a debt to your pocket and health to get rid of Taraxacum Officinale, without knowing it.

Taraxacum Officinale looks like this

Yes you are seeing right! It is indeed the common dandelion. An herb growing up to a height of 12 – 14 inches. Dandelion seeds are transported by kids making a wish, or with the help of Mother Nature’s wind. Dandelions are photosensitive, meaning they bloom under the morning’s sun and close in the evening and an overcast day. The fleshy roots are brown in colour and filled with white bitter tasting sap. Spring is around the corner, we learned about the lemon and now you need to learn about the pesky yellow invader. We spend thousands of dollars in the United States to eliminate the unsightly yellow flower. But why? Did someone somewhere decide these unsightly flowers are not worthy of a flower box?

The dandelion has incredible healing properties and more nutrients than the greens in your salad. In Toronto, I could go to any market and pick up long savory leaves during spring to include in my salads and juice. What I miss the most, being able to go into my backyard and pick the delectable spicy leaves. Ontario has banned all pesticides and herbicides, making it safe to eat any herb found growing on a lawn. Come to think about it, pesticides have been linked to liver cancers and who would of thought the one herb that we are forever trying to rid ourselves of can actually heal the liver!

We recently hired a gardener here in Phoenix and of course I went through many because of my list of demands (If you knew I what I know, you’d follow suit). I saw some peculiar leaves in my back yard, they sort of looked like the precious passage of spring, but I was not sure. The gardener, said dandelions do not grow here very often, well that makes sense, with the amount of spraying I have seen in the past two weeks! I decided to play wait-and-see.

Sitting in my favourite morning nook about 5 days ago drinking my morning hot water and lemon brew, I saw something yellow. I did not want to get too excited, and there they were; DANDELIONS. I grabbed a bunch and juiced them right away! My beautiful front lawn has run amuck with more dandelion leaves, unsightly to most, but a treasure trove for me! In the wild animals readily eat the super powered plant for a natural detoxification process, remember animals only eat what is good for them.

History of the Dandelion

The dandelion plant has been used for thousands of years to treat common conditions like cancer, diabetes and fungal infections. It has also been used to treat digestive disorders, liver conditions, skin infections, insect and snake bites. Many cultures have and used the plant to treat an array of health issues. Ancient Indian medical system of Ayurveda used the plant to treat various liver disorders such as jaundice, enlargement and cirrhosis of the liver. Native Americans used dandelion for treating heartburn, renal disease. Both Pillager-Ojibwa and Cherokee used the root of the dandelion to make a therapeutic tea to treat constipation, water retention, aches and pain. Europeans would treat fever, boils, eye problems, diabetes and diarrhea. The Spanish introduced the dandelion to the Untied States in 1820 as a therapeutic plant that could treat just about any ailment.

What can the Dandelion do for you?

The Dandelion contains a slew of nutrients, and we now know that we need good quality nutrients for healing, growth and repair. Although I have listed many ailments that the dandelion can help with, what is at the root of all illness is digestion. If your digestion is not working properly, you cannot assimilate nutrients for healing and repairing. If you are not healing and repairing, your body is in a constant state of crisis and continues to destruct its own immune system. Dandelion helps build immunity and strengthens the liver and gallbladder. It helps to stimulate bile production and cleans out the bile duct. This is why you see dandelions in the Spring- here’s the AHA moment- Spring is a time to detoxify toxins from the winter, and look, the dandelion is right there to assist you! If the liver is running optimally, it cleanz out toxins, and builds a healthy immune system that will continuously detoxify potential toxins effectively without having to store them and that meanz wealth of health.

What Nutritional properties are found in a dandelion? Take a look

So what do I do now?

If you are lucky enough to live somewhere that is not heavily polluted with pesticides, pick away. Avoid picking dandelions close to roads, the toxins from the cars exhaust will be mingled in the plant externally and internally. It is better to pick in the morning before the sun is directly on the plant, try to pick young leaves that have not flowered yet. Wash them before use. If you are making tea, pick the flowers and root. No worries about damaging the roots. Dandelions have a tap root, one break and it will send up shoots elsewhere. Some super markets and health food stores will carry dandelion leaves if you are not fortunate enough to pick off of your lawn. Health food stores will sell tinctures and teas as well. But truly, there is nothing more satisfying than picking a plant and reaping its immediate enzyme and nutrient gold. Our body synthesizes all plants nutrients and uses them to for our greatest potential.

Contraindications-Should I worry about eating weeds?

We eat weeds, herbs and plants every day. Some are toxic, and some feel like they are toxic because they are moving stuff out of your fat cells, into your blood stream and into the colon for illumination.

The following is a list of contraindications from All All 4 Natural health

”Some people have reported allergic reactions from merely touching dandelion and hence one needs to be careful about using dandelion. This, though, is rare.
Try not to use dandelion flowers, leaves, stem or dandelion roots if they are sprayed with chemicals and pesticides. In other words, try to get organic dandelion.
Some dandelion side effects may occur from using the juice of the plant. Dandelion juice extracted from the stem or roots can induce nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea and increased urination. This is mainly due its diuretic properties.
People with gallbladder conditions and gallstones must exercise caution before starting on dandelion remedies, as the dandelion herb can contribute to cleansing and detox reactions for these conditions, which would come across as side effects. Ideally, a qualified professional who has expertise in herbal remedies should be consulted.
People who are on pharmaceutical diuretics or drugs that have a diuretic action should not take dandelion root or other dandelion variations. In this case, one of the possible side effects of dandelion root is that it could lower the effect of the synthetic drug. Of course, this is not really a dandelion root side effect, per se, but rather a potential interaction with diuretic drugs. Personally, I use herbal and natural remedies ahead of any chemical drug medications, anytime.
People on diabetes medications should also be aware that dandelion or any dandelion supplement might increase the blood sugar lowering effects of those pharmaceutical drugs. In this scenario, this could be a potentially dangerous dandelion side effect. Ideally, the primary care physician should be consulted. Do note, however, that most medical doctors have zero or close-to-zero knowledge on herbs and herbal remedies.”

Always consult a medical professional before starting any diet or detoxification regime. It is also important to seek a qualified health care practioner versed in natural detoxifications. I am well qualified and verse in this area.

Here are a few recipes for you to incorporate into your healthy diet.

Dandelion Flower Tea Recipe

Unfortunately, you will not find fresh flowers in your grocer or health food store. If they are growing in your back yard, or somewhere that has not been sprayed with chemicals pick away or check with your health food store to see if they have dried flowers:

Chop a handful of flower tops of the dandelion herb; remember not to include the green parts

Steep in a cup of water for about 15-20 minutes.

Add a little honey, molasses or maple syrup (no sugar, or artificial sweeteners) to taste and enjoy!

Dandelion Root Coffee Recipe

With the help of a weed popper, take out dandelion roots. Wash them well and take about 25 tap roots to prepare one cup of dandelion roasted root coffee.
Pat the wet roots dry and spread them on a cookie sheet. Roast them for about 2 hours and 30 minutes at 200 degree F. Once they look dark brown and dry, stop roasting them. Now grind them in a grinder.
Use the ground roasted roots of dandelion to prepare the coffee. For one cup of roasted dandelion root coffee you might need to use two tablespoons of ground dandelion root.
Dandelion root coffee makes for wonderful beverage dandelion recipes. It is caffeine free and is a great herbal remedy for bowel function, detox, and weight reduction! Recipe from All 4 Natural Health

Add Dandelion leaves to your next salad for a spicy, bite. For more recipes http://www.all4naturalhealth.com/dandelion-recipes.html For step-by-step to make tea; http://www.steaptv.com/2008/05/06/how-to-dandelion-tea-sassafras-tea , photos credit is also from this site.

Have a super fabulous green day-Happy Spring!

Karen Langston Nutrition and Functional Medicine and Wellness Specialist
www.IAmWorthIt2.com*
Karen@iamworthit2.com

The Mellow Yellow Lemon

2009-03-19T08:33:00.000-07:00

Driving to and fro I marvel at all the citrus trees that I see growing freely in the valley. I wonder what people do with their lemons; do they pick them and eat them? Curse them for making a mess on the ground, make lemonade? But most of all I wonder, do these people know the true power of the lemon?

There seems to be a bit of mystery when it comes to the exact origin of the lemon tree, regardless, lemons have been used throughout the centuries in many parts of the world. As I am writing this, I am enjoying a glass of good quality water, lemon juice and touch of maple syrup; the lemons came from one of my best friends, enriching the energy of my drink.

It seems the lemon has been quite the traveler. Some experts believe that the lemon originated in India, Burma and China. Not sure how, but the lemon was introduced to Persia, Iraq and Egypt around AD 700. By 1150, the lemon had found its way across the Mediterranean region. Historians have recorded ancient Rome as having the lemon, and cultivation began in Genoa during the fifteenth century. Cultivation too a long time to catch on as it was once believed the colour of a lemon was associated with condemnation. The lemon was excommunicated claiming the devil had deformed the fruit as it was not a perfect shape, like an orange.

Christopher Columbus encountered the lemon in 1493 and brought the seeds back with him introducing then to Hispaniola and the Americas. By the late 1800’s Florida and California were planting lemon seeds to reap the benefits of the fruit. Somewhere during this time Arizona began planting and developed small scale lemon orchards, unlike California who by 1957 was producing 11 million gallons/42 million litres of frozen lemon concentrate. Although Florida is thought to be the meca of crops, problems with freezing temperatures, and scab put Arizona and California as the leading source of lemons in the United States. Currently, foreign markets; Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, South Africa and Australia, and Mexico import their lemon wares making them more in demand than our own. This I do not understand. Why would you want to pay for a lemony heavy carbon foot print that ripened on a truck? And why should we pay crazy prices for lemons when they are right here in the valley with no carbon foot and freshly ripened on the tree.

I seem to be highly emotional about lemons and rightly so. Do you have any idea what a lemon can do for you? Are you aware of the health benefits? There is more to a lemon than you might think. According to Casanova, the unshapely lemon was considered an aphrodisiac. Well ok, I am not sure about that; I’ll have to think about that one! What I do know is there is a wealth of health in one lemon

Therapeutic Benefits of Lemons

Lemons, along with other citrus fruits, are famous for preventing scurvy, which was common among sailors, pirates and others, spending months aboard ships. Miners used lemons to avoid scurvy during the California Gold Rush. It was not the lemons but what they contained-Vitamin C. Unlike animals, humans cannot synthesize their own vitamin C, thus, must be obtained by the diet. Hipocrates recorded the connection between citrus fruit and scurvy between 460 BC-380 BC. Around the world lemons are used for medicinal use such as diuretic, antiscorbutic, astringent, and febrifuge. All parts of the lemon has medicinal properties from the white pith, to the expressing of its oil and seeds. Even the root is medicinal; Cuban use it for the treatment of fever, gonorrhea in West Africa and the peel and bark used to relieve colic.

So what’s in it?

Besides vitamin C lemons contain water soluble plant pigments called flavonoids which help to strengthen capillaries and other connective tissue. Flavonoids contain anti-inflammatory, antihistamine, antiviral and antioxidant compounds. In animal studies and laboratory tests with human cells, compounds in citrus fruits, called limonoids have been shown to help fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon. Now, scientists from the US Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have shown that our bodies can readily absorb and utilize a very long-acting limonoid called limonin that is present in lemons which is approximately the same amount as vitamin C.

I can spend all day talking to a lemon, I mean about lemons. Spring is around the corner and Mother Nature naturally and conveniently provides the perfect fruit for detoxification. I am not talking about the Master Cleanse; I am talking about incorporating lemon juice into your daily routine. Start your mornings with a cup of hot water with a half to one full juiced lemon, this will kick start your digestion acting as a blood purifier improving your body’s ability to cleanse itself of toxins, preventing constipation and diarrhea. As a powerful antiseptic lemon juice can keep our insides free from harmful bacteria.

Drinking water during the day with a squeeze of lemon juice will help to alkalize your body We think of lemons as acidic and tart, however once digested the acidity turns to an alkalinizing ash thus helping to balance our delicate Ph balance. Ph balance is important for keeping illness and disease at bay.

The high potassium content may actually help with cardiovascular disease. Lemon juice mixed with olive oil makes for a great salad dressing, and helps to keep your liver and gallbladder in tip top shape, and may actually dissolve kidney and gallbladder stones. If you suffer from gout, this is a perfect remedy as it clears excess uric acid from the blood and liquefies bile while strengthening liver enzymes.

Selecting and Storing Lemons

The best way to pick a lemon is right off the tree. A fresh picked lemon has higher levels of nutrients and live enzymes. There is nothing like a fresh lemon, or any other fruit fresh picked. If you do not have a lemon tree, choose fully ripened lemons that are completely yellow for higher antioxidant levels. Organic is truly superior over conventional lemons and has 35% higher nutrient value. Choose lemons that are heavy for their size, thinned skinned and has a visible finely grained texture. Avoid over-matured fruit displaying wrinkling, soft or hard spots and dull colouring. If there is any white on it, consider it rotten.

Lemons will keep fresh at room temperature away from sun exposure for about a week. If they will not be used within a week, store in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

Although lemon juice can be stored in jar in the refrigerator, or frozen, there is no therapeutic value. once a lemon has been juiced, it begins to oxidize and lose its nutrients and enzymes. Lemon zest needs to be stored in a cool dry place in a glass container. Choose only organic lemon peels for zest to avoid unwanted wax, pesticides and herbicides.

Before cutting into a conventional lemon, wash the skin thoroughly with a food grade detergent, or grapefruit seed extract. Run under warm water to melt the wax coating.

So what to do With a Lemon

A quick simple healthy lemonade: to one glass of water add 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, ½ - 1 tsp maple syrup. It is what I drink and I hope you will enjoy it too. Oh and by the way, if you have way too many lemons, I openly accept all donations! A toast to Mother nature-Cheers!

Here is a lovely Spring Recipe I hope you will enjoy.

Real Lemon Chicken with an Awesome Ginger Sauce

Ingredients:

4 organic boneless chicken breast halves
2 Tb each fresh basil and thyme, finely chopped
1 Tb olive oil
2 Tb organic grain mustard
1 lemon, juiced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 pinch each sea salt, ground black pepper

Ginger Sauce

1 2 inch long piece of peeled fresh gingerroot
5 cloves garlic
1 whole orange, peeled, seeds removed
1/2 -whole lemon, juiced
1 Tb Fish sauce, or pinch sea salt

In a glass or stainless steel bowl, combine chicken, basil, thyme, olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, sliced lemons, salt and pepper; stir to thoroughly coat chicken. Seal and refrigerate for 2-4 hours, or overnight.

Remove chicken, discard marinade.

Sauce
Before cooking chicken; in a blender, mini food processor, or Magic Bullet; place ginger and garlic. Whiz until minced. Add the remaining ingredients and whiz until blended. If too thick add a little water to thin.
Grill or broil for about 5-7 minutes on each side, depending on thickness, or until cooked through. Remove to serving platter, drizzle sauce over top of chicken.

Serve with brown rice basmati, and fresh steamed broccoli for a complete meal. Ginger sauce is great over rice and vegetables as well. Serves 4. Sauce will keep refrigerated for up 4 days.

If life gives you lemons, make lemonade, you never know where it might lead you.

Karen Langston 1-877-215-6824 karen@iamworthit2.com* www.IAmWorthIt2.com

New Food labels Appearing On A Shelf Near You!

2009-03-16T22:53:00.002-07:00

Starting today, you will notice signs labeling where your food originated and how many stops it may have made. The United States Department of Agriculture's mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) program becomes effective on March 16th, 2009.

This new rule covers ground beef, lamb, chicken, goat, pork; wild and farm raised fish and shellfish; perishable agriculture commodities, such as fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. It also included macadamia nuts, pecans, ginseng and peanuts.

What does this mean for the average consumer? Under the new COOL program labels must contain country of origin and country of production, as well as method in that particular country. For instance, fish must now be labeled wild or farm raised, and meat must show origin of growth, and origin of processing. In other words, some meat labels must now list where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered. Nuts and seeds, will now list where the food originated, and where it was processed.

As usual, there are always the "and if's and butt’s!" For example excluded from labeling are items derived from a covered commodity that has undergone a physical change, such as cooking, smoking or curing, or that has been combined with other covered commodities or other substantive food components such as chocolate, breading and tomato paste. Quite frankly, if everyone avoided processed refined foods, nitrates, nitrites and sulphates and sulphites, we would not have to worry about such exemptions.

Exemptions from this law, which makes no sense at all, are food service establishments such as restaurants, lunchrooms, cafeterias, food stands, bars and lounges. How can these be exempt? What does this truly mean, that these establishments are not to trusted because they can somehow purchase items not regulated by the new COOL law? I would love to understand how these establishments are exempt from this rule. It makes me wonder where exactly are they purchasing their food from. I may have to come to the awful decision not to eat out! Or at the very least have a parade of ingredients, before I order. It should be my right, to eat in an establishment that has at least purchased food according to the new COOL act.

What makes restaurants and similar food establishment exempt from the COOL act. What makes them different?

The entire label list can be seen by clicking here . To understand the entire Country of Orgin labeling (COOL) of January 12, 2009

I Don't think that this a fool proof way of truly knowing where your food is coming from, for instance, Meat sold in butcher shops, labeling is only required in stores that purchase a certain minimum amount, such as $230,000 of fresh or frozen produce a year. What is this? What crap is this? Why is is a rule that cannot be a rule? Why must we make certain exceptions to an easy straight forward rule? How stupid do they think we are? What is wrong with simply saying, if you purchase meat, nuts or produce, you need to disclose where it was grown, processed, manufactured? Why is it necessary to HIDE certain information based on what a company purchases? I just don't get it! This is a joke! For the complete list of exemptions, Click here to see the complete list of Fooled and COOLED.

Ok so being of a positive mindset, somewhat, this law can help make informed choices and this is a huge relief, especially if you are well versed in the differences between countries' policies, as well as people who wish to truly consume products locally, are better informed choices who truly believe in and live their lives by carbon foot print. Having the whole picture helps to make informed discussions (or so we think!)
For me, as a Canadian, I personally would prefer to consume meat products raised in Canada, because I know there is no added hormones, however, I would prefer the animal slaughtered in the United States, because there is a law against downed cattle, unlike Canada. In some respects Canada is far superior to food laws than the United States, and yet, so far behind. I also know that New Zealand lamb is far superior to any other country. Lamb raised in New Zealand is naturally, and honestly, raised naturally and does not have the problems of USA raised lamb. Turkey for the most part does not have the same synthetic hormones that chicken has.

Downed cattle is a term used by the meat and dairy industries to refer to animals to sick, diseased and disabled that they cannot stand on their own and are dragged to the slaughter house. It was not until mad Cow disease became mainstream that the USDA took modest measures to discontinue the slaughter of downed cattle for human consumption. For more information click here
I spend a better part of my day seeking out food stores that import dairy products from Canada, again because I personally know that unlike the United States, there will not be added hormones in milk and dairy products. For some reason, the United States allows the injection of growth hormones into the udder of the cattle at the time of milking. We do not need artificial growth hormones in our milk and dairy products. Growth hormones are for the boosting of milk production that's it! No other reason than that. I commend WalMart, and Starbuck's for understanding the detriment to health and have banned all milk and cream, due to public awareness! Hurray for that!

So what is wrong with hormone laden milk? Although some experts confer that the extra hormones are destroyed during pasteurization, others agree and have tested that traces of the reproductive hormones estradiol, testosterone, and IGF-1 have passed through pastrization. These hormones are similar to human hormones acting similarly in our bodies, thus causing the potential to unbalanced hormones in our own bodies, and raising chances of certain cancers.

Moving on to Fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds; something that most consumers are not aware of is the pesticides and hebacides used on conventional produce. There are many banned pesticied and herbacides in the Untied States because of their direct correlation to Cancers and Illnesses. Did you know that these banned substances are sold to third world countries? Methyl bromide banned in the Northern hemisphere becasue of health effects on humans and the enviroment is sold to developing countries, and you guessed it, their produce is then sold back to the United States and Canada, and we consume hungrily. having at least the orgin of produce will help us make informed decisions.

Before you decide to write off all third world produce, look at your own country's produce. There are still pesticides and herbicides that are destroying our water, land and changing our DNA structure. Why? PROFITS, PROFITS PROFITS! The only reason! If you can get your hands on a CD or a VHS tape titled "No More Grapes" Please watch. It is an eye opener as to what is going on in our own back yard!

Although reports from the US Food And Drug Administration state that pesticides used on fruits and vegetables have been reduced by 57% over the past several years, please, I implore you, educate yourself on this topic, what organic is, and what conventional produce to avoid.

Here are the top 10 conventional Fruits and Vegetables to avoid because they have the highest pesticide residue:

Strawberries, Bell Peppers, Spinach, Cherries, Mexican Cantaloupe, Celery, Apples, Apricots, Green Beans

This does not mean that you need to avoid these foods, what it means is to choose organic over conventional to ensure you are not consuming poisons.

Here are the Top ustainable fish to eat;
Artic Char, farmed
Catfish, US farmed
Clams, Muscles, Oysters, farmed
Halibut: Pacific
Lobster: Spiny, US
Polloc, Wild Alaskan
Slamon, Wild Alaska
Scallops, Bay, farmed
Sturgeon, cavia, farmed
Tilapia, US, farmed
Trout, Rainbow, farmed
Tuna, Albacore, US, Skipjack, troll/pole

Top 10 fish to AVOID:
Chilean Sea bass, Grouper, Monkfish, Orange Roughy, Salmon, Shark, Swordfish (imoprted), Tilefish (Gulf of Mexico/South Atlantic), Tuna (Bigeye/Yellowfin, imported/longline), Tuna, Bluefin (US Albacore and Yellowfin)

Eat organic, conscious, free grazing animal meat such as Bison, Cattle, Ostridge, Deer, Elk, ect.
Avoid conventional veal at all costs. I will not go into it here, but if you have no idea the cruelty these calves endure, please click here. I can not truly get into this fate as it makes me sick to my stomach, and I have not eaten veal since I learned about the cruel fate. Choose organic, or at the very least, cage free, free roaming chickens instead of conventional eggs. Chickens have their beaks cut off, and spend their entire life in cages so small that they can not stretch or stand errect.

I may have gotten off topic, but knowledge is power! Although the USDA has passed some useful laws, as usual, it only involves a portion of the food industry.

Educate yourself to make informed choices, after all you are worth it too!

References
New Food Labeling My Foxy.com
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5074846
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5074845
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5074845
http://www.consumersunion.org/pdf/CU-Cool-Tool.pdf
http://www.nodowners.org/
http://www.albionmonitor.com/9611a/bannedpesticides.html
http://foodluvin.com/2008/08/top-ten-sustainable-fish-choices-and-ten-to-avoid-eating
http://www.noveal.org/get_involved.htm
http://www.downbound.com/Veal_s/467.htm

Karen Langston 1-877-215-6824 Karen@iamworthit2.com http://www.iamworthit2.com/

Spring Into Action on those Bloom’n Seasonal Allergies

2009-03-16T00:16:00.001-07:00

This is my first year in Arizona and I am very much enjoying the warm winter. I have to admit that I am out of sorts trying to keep up with the climate changes in relationship to our health. For instance, this time of year I would be shoveling snow and writing articles on how to ward off the flu or colds. Here it is March, and the endless sneezes from my husband, alerts me we have leaped into Spring with out so much as a flitter of snow!
I am grateful that I have not been one to suffer the perils of seasonal allergies. I had an allergy test once and the doctor could not believe that I had never been treated, or showed symptoms of seasonal allergies. I was allergic, according to the test, to all pollens, molds, dust, trees and grass. ‘Never?’ he said, ‘No, Never!’ I said. I take every day probiotics to continuously reinnoculate my immune system, I eat an abundance of fruit and vegetables and I get adequate sleep and joy in my life. From the research I have done, and the numerous clients I have coached, there is definitely something to what I am doing!

The flowers are blooming and my husband’s raw nose is as colorful as the blanket of Chuparosa cloaking the desert slopes of Superstition Mountains. Spring is a couple of months earlier than I am used to, and is amongst us here in the valley, evident by the bare shelves for over-the-counter relief and tissues.

An allergen is a substance that the body detects to be foreign and attacks it thus causing an allergic response. Typical allergic reactions people have to dust pollen and other substances is the body’s way of fending off the intrusions of toxins that disrupts the body’s equilibrium. The immune system releases specific antibodies to deactivate the foreign invader setting in motion a complex serious of biochemical events. These types of allergic reactions are typically IgE immunoglobulin or antibody proteins involved in the immune system’s response, triggering the mast cells to release histamine and other chemicals. Environmental allergies are caused by the pollen of trees, weeds, grass and flowers. Yes this is a rite of passage of Spring; yet what matters is how well our system is equipped to handle the adverse reactions of seasonal allergies:

Inflamed, blood shot, , scratchy watery, tearing, burning, itching eyes

Sneezing, runny, stuffed nose

Itching nose, mouth, throat, skin

Puffy face, flushed cheeks,swelling

Coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing

Hives, skin rashes

Vomiting, diarrhea, headache

Our bodies are invaded every day by foreign substances through the skin, nasal membranes throat and eyes. Sometimes we are aware, by physically reacting to, or if our body is working optimally, our white blood cells-neutraphils will take care of the foreign invader without us knowing or reacting to.

Seasonal allergies account for nearly 16.7 million office visits to healthcare professionals each year. The underlying factor to environmental allergies is dietary and lifestyle factors. A poor diet and lifestyle causes buildup of toxins that burden our immune system. So what, you say? Well, if our immune system is constantly under attack, and our liver is not detoxifying properly, any foreign invader, however small, is too much for the body to handle and leads to the further breakdown leaving one vulnerable to a negative body response.

Here is what can you do to help you through the bloom’s of Spring.

1. A good quality multi/mineral complex is key. An allergy response requires all parts of the body to work syngerstically to get the foreign invader under control. In order for that to happen, the body requires sufficient nutrients to allow for these actions to occur. The mineral magnesium for instance, is utilized by every cell in the body and 350 enzymatic processes depend on magnesium status for activation. As magnesium levels decline, the incidence of allergies goes up. Magnesium directly depresses smooth muscle activity, which may help relieve the broncho constriction seen in asthma (Langsjoen P et al 1994; Hijazi N et al 2000).

2. Probiotics, such as acidophilus and bifidus strengthen your body’s own supply of friendly flora. Researchers in Britain reported consumption of a daily probiotic drink can alter the immune system response to common allergies. The study involved using subjects with an allergy to grass pollen. Half were given a probiotic drink, the other a placebo. The study revealed that those with the allergy, who received the probiotic drink, had lower levels IgE and had higher levels of the protective antibody IgG which plays a protective role against allergic reactions.

3. A diet high in fruits and vegetables increases antioxidants such as vitamin K,E,A,D, C, Coenzyme Q10, flavonoids and catechins which may increase the function of many immune cells, including T-Cells that destroy invading antigens and can protect the cells from damage. Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine that can help relieve allergy symptoms.

4. Fish oil contains omega 3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA that are natural anti-inflammatory that reduce the production of cytokins which are involved in the allergic response. Research shows that DHEA levels have an impact on immune-cell function (Bauer ME 2005; Tabata N et al 1997; Kos-Kudla B et al 2001).

5. To flush toxins out, drink good quality water such as reverse osmosis, or spring water. Water helps to protect and hydrate sensitive membranes and flush out irritants quickly. You should consume at least 8-10 8 oz glasses of water daily.

6. Detox! Spring is the perfect time for a good cleanse. Detoxification is a fantastic way to get those winter toxins out, and allows the body to heal and restore. A gentle detoxification is as easy as omitting refined foods, processed, packaged fried foods, caffeine, coffee, soadas and increasing fresh organic fruits and vegetables, juicing fresh fruits and vegetables, taking fresh ground flaxseeds with water first thing in the morning, and last thing at night. Consume good quality water with the juice of half a lemon to kick start your liver first thing in the morning and detoxify the blood. For a more involved detoxification, please consult a quaified healthcare professional versed in detoxification protocols.

7. Stinging Nettle is an herb used for the sneezing, itching, and swelling associated with allergies. The plant contains quercetin, a substance that has been shown to inhibit the release of histamine. In one study of allergy sufferers, more than half of those who took Stinging Nnettle reported that the herb was at least moderately effective in reducing allergy symptoms compared with a placebo. Stinging Nettle, along with other herbs such as Ginkgo Biloba, Licorice, Chinese Skul cap, and feverfew are effective and are considered to be very safe.

Whenever possible, the environment should be kept free of potential allergens. You may not be able to control external allergens, but you do have control over allergens in your home. Here are ten tips to help you control allergens in and around your home:

1. Allergy-proof and mite-proof covers should be used on all pillows, mattresses, and box springs in the sleeping area, and all bedding should be washed weekly in very hot (135°F) water. Change feather pillows, woolen blankets and clothing to cotton or synthetic materials.

2. Removal of carpet and other dust collectors in your home, especially in the sleeping area may help cut down exposure to insect droppings and tiny pieces of insects. Vacuum floors regularly with a HEPA (high efficiency particle air) vacuum. HEPA vacuums suck up smaller particles than do traditional vacuum cleaners, leaving you with fewer allergens left behind.

3. Avoid conventional house hold cleaners. They are full of chemicals that can induce an allergic response and asthma attacks. The chemicals can linger for days polluting your indoor air quality. Switch to natural, non toxic cleaners, laundry detergents and dishwashing soap for cleaner inside air.

4. Pets should be kept out of the sleeping area, and cats and dogs should be bathed frequently to reduce the amount of surface allergens on their bodies.

5. Shoes are for outside not inside! Remove your shoes at the door. Your shoes and boots walk over toxins, dirt, and debris everyday. You then carry those into your home. I think you get the point! Besides, when you walk around in your bare feet, your skin absorbs those toxins burdening your already over-worked immune system.

6. When you come home, take a quick shower to get excess pollution and pollen out of your hair and off your body. Put your clothes in a hamper with a lid, if it is not possible to wash your clothes right away.

7. Maintain home filtration systems. Change air filters regularly in heat pumps and air conditioners. Invest in HEPA air filters for your home, or at the very least have one in your bedroom. There are small HEPA filters for your work area as well. HEPA filters remove 99% of airborne allergens and irritants.

8. Clean and service air conditioning units and have al ducts professionally cleaned to remove pollen and other trapped allergens.

9. Stay indoors on windy days or when pollen counts are high, close windows, use air conditioning, and refraining from hanging clothes out to dry during the pollen season. For pollen and mold-spore counts in your area, The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, website has information on the different types of allergy and you can sign up for email alerts www.aaaai.org.

10. Hire someone to take care of your lawn and garden. If this is not possible, wear a pollen mask when mowing the grass and tending to your garden. Pollen counts are usually highest in late morning and early afternoon.

Taking these measures will help you enjoy Spring and all that blooms.

Karen Langston 1-877-215-6824 karen@iamworthit2.com

Hard times can encourage a wealthy emotional life

2009-03-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

Psychiatrist Judith Orloff has a new book, Emotional Freedom (Harmony Books, $24.95), in stores TODAY!

Judith gives practical "action steps" to build healthy emotional habits,which is just what we need today in our new economy. It is refreshing to know that I am not the only one out there looking at the bright side of our new economy.

Please see the entire article and interview By Bob Riha Jr., USA TODAY

Also, take the tests to find out what is your Emotional Type. I took the tests and surprisingly; I am a Rock!

WHAT'S YOUR EMOTIONAL TYPE?

Are You An Empath? If a friend is distraught, do you feel it too?

Are You An Intellectual?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-03-01-emotion-quiz-intellect_N.htm

Are You A Gusher? http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-03-01-emotion-quiz-gush_N.htm

Are You A Rock? http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-03-01-emotion-quiz-rock_N.htm

Karen Langston 1-877-215-6824 karen@iamworthit2.com IAmWorthIt2.com

More Fast Food Joints in Neighborhoods Mean More Strokes

2009-02-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

I used to get excited and felt a deep satisfaction when I would see a franchise fast food establishment close permanently. To me it meant that people were becoming more conscious about what they were eating. The closing of a fast food establishment was my proof that there is a slow progression towards healthier alternatives to fast foods.

I had not thought about the ramifications on neighborhoods that have fast food establishments on just about every corner. When I stop to think about it, it is good, (although sick) marketing to have easy access to unhealthy foods within walking distance while squeezing out the convenience of a grocery store. Here is a recent eye-opening study about the correlation of fast food establishments, and health.

A new study that comes from the University Of Michigan reveals a direct association between fast food restaurants and stroke. The study was conducted in Nueces County Texas. It showed that individuals residing in areas where fast food restaurants are abundant appear to have an increased chance of suffering from a stroke than those that live in an area where those eateries are not as wide spread. Previously, fast food consumption has been linked to higher incidences of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and liver damage. The research also showed a one percent increased risk of stroke for each individual fast food eatery in the area. The results of the data were posted on a white board and shown during the International Stroke conference 2009 which took place on Thursday.

Dr. Morgenstern has commented on the results of the study. “What we don’t know is whether fast food actually increased the risk because of its contents or whether fast-food restaurants are a marker of unhealthy neighborhoods.” Morgenstern also wants to find out whether there is something completely unique in these counties that is has caused the poor health. He says that areas with lots of fast food joints should be targeted for programs on stroke prevention.

Researchers guided by Dr. Lewis Morgenstein, Director of the stroke program at the University Of MMichigan, have been tracking the incidence of strokes occurring in Nueces County, Texas. For the current data, they looked at 1,247 ischemic strokes reported in the communities from January 2000 until June 2003. They also identified 262 restaurants identified as fast food eateries in the county.The neighborhoods with the least amount of fast food establishments also had the least incidence of stroke, even after socioeconomic factors and demographics were looked at more closely.

The researchers have concluded that the study has revealed “a significant association between fast food restaurants and stroke risk” but they are quick to add that more studies need to be conducted to fully understand the link. Further studies will be done to examine the link between fast food and stroke.

Fast food is often associated with excessive calories, high fat including trans fats, high sodium and lacks nutrition. While these establishments still offer many of these types of choices many of these places are offering healthier options since studies have started to reveal the health risks of fast food.

Source and for more information or to comment on go to eFitness Now

Although there seems to be a link between stroke and fast foods, this article does not elaborate on type of stroke. See below for more information on the physiology of stroke.

What Is A Stroke

A stroke is a sudden interruption in the blood supply of the brain. Most strokes are caused by an abrupt blockage of arteries leading to the brain (ischemic stroke). Other strokes are caused by bleeding into brain tissue when a blood vessel bursts (hemorrhagic stroke). Because stroke occurs rapidly and requires immediate treatment, stroke is also called a brain attack. When the symptoms of a stroke last only a short time (less than an hour), this is called a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or mini-stroke. Stroke has many consequences. Click here to learn how stroke affects people.

The effects of a stroke depend on which part of the brain is injured, and how severely it is injured. Strokes may cause sudden weakness, loss of sensation, or difficulty with speaking, seeing, or walking. Since different parts of the brain control different areas and functions, it is usually the area immediately surrounding the stroke that is affected. Sometimes people with stroke have a headache, but stroke can also be completely painless. It is very important to recognize the warning signs of stroke and to get immediate medical attention if they occur.
There are three types of stroke Ischemic, Intrracerebral hemmorrhage and Subarachnoid hemorrhage.
For more information and explaination of the types of stroke please click on the following link:
Types of strokes

Warning Signs of Stroke

The most common sign of stroke is sudden weakness of the face, arm or leg, most often on one side of the body.

Other warning signs can include:
Sudden numbness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden severe headache with no known cause

The signs of a stroke depend on the side of the brain that's affected, the part of the brain, and how severely the brain is injured. Therefore, each person may have different stroke warning signs. Stroke may be associated with a headache, or may be completely painless.

If you or someone you know is having these signs, call 911 and seek medical help immediately. Stroke is a medical emergency. Treatment is available, but only if a stroke is recognized in time. DO NOT try to diagnose the problem by yourself, and DO NOT wait to see if the symptoms go away on their own.

Even if the symptoms pass quickly, they could be an important warning that requires prompt medical attention.

For more information please go to The Internet Stroke Center

Sources: Medline Plus Illustration of Stroke-Adam

Karen Langston 1-877-215-6824 karen@iamworthit2.com http://www.iamworthit2.com/

Nothing to sneeze at decoding the common cold

2009-02-15T21:31:00.001-07:00

What will the pharmecutical comany think of next? Scientists have unraveled the genetic code for the common code. Although there is time before there is a cure, we can do certain things to prevent thecommon cold from taking hold.

Eating a diet rich in antioxidants, viatmins and minerals from fresh fruit and fibre allows for a healthy immune system. We are inodated every day with viruses and bacteria from many different sources. If our immune systems are healthy, our white blood cells-nuetraphils, will attack before we begin to sniffle. Having vitamin-C, every day actually activates nutraphils and allows them to take action upon viruses and bacteria. It is when the immune system is already compromised, we will react symptomatically to an invading virus.

Bottom line, good quality water to flush out toxins, plenty of rest and excercise, to rebuild and rejuvinate, stress management, and whole foods are the key to prevention of the common cold. Oh, and of course, Chicken soup!

By Lauran Neergaard, AP Medical Writer USA Today

WASHINGTON — Scientists have unraveled the genetic code of the common cold — all 99 known strains of it, to be exact. But don't expect the feat to lead to a cure for the sniffling any time soon. It turns out that rhinoviruses are even more complicated than researchers originally thought. In fact, the genetic blueprints showed that you can catch two separate strains of cold at the same time — and those strains then can swap their genetic material inside your body to make a whole new strain. It's why we'll never have a vaccine for the common cold, said biochemist Ann Palmenberg of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who led the three teams that assembled the family tree of the world's rhinoviruses.

"No vaccine, but maybe a drug," she said.

Why? The outside of these viruses — the part your body's immune system must recognize — are hugely variable, making it hard to envision a vaccine that would work against very many strains. But the inside components, what Palmenberg calls the guts of the virus, are remarkably similar from strain to strain, offering targets for therapy.

Adults typically get two to four colds a year, while schoolchildren may get as many as 10. But they do more than cause a runny nose. Rhinoviruses can trigger asthma attacks and play a role in sinusitis, certain ear infections and pneumonia.

Yet these viruses are remarkably mysterious for such a common bug. It was only in the past two years that scientists discovered there aren't two main groups of the viruses but three_ and this new "Group C" collection is nasty, tending to lodge deep in the lungs, Palmenberg said.

Wisconsin researchers paired with teams at the University of Maryland and J. Craig Venter Institute to decipher the genetic sequences of all known Group A and B rhinovirus strains and see how they're related to the newer Group C strains.

The resulting cold family tree, reported online Thursday by the journal Science, organizes human rhinoviruses into 15 distinct branches that evolved over time. Now the hunt is on to define the viral commonalities on each branch, in the quest for anti-cold drugs.

Karen Langston 1-877-215-6824 mailto:karen@iamworthit2.com

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T16:08:00.000-07:00

I am not one to celebrate Valentine's Day, because every day should be Valnetine's Day! Now with that said, I did find myself looking for some good antioxidant strength, heart healthy, oragnic chocolate to indulge in with the love-of-my-life!

Here are some interesting facts on Chocolate! Indulge and Enjoy and how ever you celebrate Cupid's potent arrow, Happy Valentine's Day to you!

Researchers have some news for chocolate lovers: it may be good for you. Scientists reported preliminary evidence recently that cocoa and other chocolates may keep high blood pressure down, your blood flowing and your heart healthy.

The research, the latest which correlates eating flavonoid-rich foods with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease(1), was presented in February at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's (AAAS) annual meeting in Boston.

One study found that a substance in cocoa helps the body process nitric oxide (NO), a compound critical for healthy blood flow and blood pressure. Another study showed that flavonols in cocoa prevent fat-like substances in the bloodstream from oxidizing and clogging the arteries, and make blood platelets less likely to stick together and cause clots. Flavonoids are plant compounds with potent antioxidant properties; so far, scientists have found more than 4,000 kinds. Cocoa beans contain large quantities of flavonoids, and so do red wine, tea, cranberries, peanuts, strawberries, apples and many other fruits and vegetables.(2) The flavonoids in chocolate are called flavonols.

Generally, science has found that dark chocolate is higher in flavonoids than milk chocolate.(3) The way that cocoa powder and chocolate syrups are manufactured removes most flavonoids.

Patti Schmidt

Antioxidants in Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate -- but not milk chocolate or dark chocolate eaten with milk -- is a potent antioxidant, report Mauro Serafini, PhD, of Italy's National Institute for Food and Nutrition Research in Rome, and colleagues. Their report appears in the Aug. 28 issue of Nature. Antioxidants gobble up free radicals, destructive molecules that are implicated in heart disease and other ailments.

"Our findings indicate that milk may interfere with the absorption of antioxidants from chocolate ... and may therefore negate the potential health benefits that can be derived from eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate."

Translation: Say "Dark, please," when ordering at the chocolate counter. Don't even think of washing it down with milk. And if health is your excuse for eating chocolate, remember the word "moderate" as you nibble.

The Studies

Taubert's team signed up six men and seven women aged 55-64. All had just been diagnosed with mild high blood pressure -- on average, systolic blood pressure (the top number) of 153 and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) of 84.

Every day for two weeks, they ate a 100-gram candy bar and were asked to balance its 480 calories by not eating other foods similar in nutrients and calories. Half the patients got dark chocolate and half got white chocolate.

Those who ate dark chocolate had a significant drop in blood pressure (by an average of 5 points for systolic and an average of 2 points for diastolic blood pressure). Those who ate white chocolate did not.

In the second study, Serafini's team signed up seven healthy women and five healthy men aged 25-35. On different days they each ate 100 grams of dark chocolate by itself, 100 grams of dark chocolate with a small glass of whole milk, or 200 grams of milk chocolate.

An hour later, those who ate dark chocolate alone had the most total antioxidants in their blood. And they had higher levels of epicatechin, a particularly healthy compound found in chocolate. The milk chocolate eaters had the lowest epicatechin levels of all.

Daniel J. DeNoon WebMD Health News

Chocolate and Your Teeth

Eating chocolate after every meal is comparatively better than brushing your teeth," he said at a forum organized by Centuries International, a non-governmental organization that aims at creating awareness about the usefulness and health benefits of chocolate. The forum, which would formally end on Saturday, celebrated globally as St. Valentine's Day, and in Ghana as National Chocolate Day, is a prelude to a chocolate festival to be held in the country in September.

Prof. Addai said he discovered that chocolate actually protected the teeth when he conducted an experiment with the Golden Tree chocolate produced in Ghana where three volunteers were made to eat chocolate. After some minutes when their saliva was taken for test it was realized that the alkaline level was high while the acidity level was low which meant that there was something in the chocolate that actually protected the teeth.

Prof. Addai, said cocoa in its raw form was healthier than the processed form where sugar and milk had been added since sugar had very serious health effects that reduced the nutritional benefits of cocoa. "When you want to take chocolate take it in moderation, since sugar has damaging effects on health."

Prof. Addai, who said he was convinced about the health benefits of cocoa in its raw form and could give a lot of testimony about how it had helped a lot of people regain their health, said cocoa was the largest natural source of magnesium and was very helpful to diabetic patients, explaining that people with diabetes had low magnesium. Heart disease, stroke, malaria, cough and common cold, asthma, high blood pressure, arthritis and eye problems resulting from cataracts were some diseases that taking raw cocoa powder could help cure or reduce.

"This is not hearsay or guess work. It is a scientific fact," Prof. Addai pointed out and added that cocoa also improved stamina. Mr Stephen Dzilah, President of the Ghana Chefs Association, who is also an executive member of Centuries International, said the organization together with chefs in Ghana would soon introduce various recipes made with cocoa. "We will have chocolate coated peanuts, plantain chips, chocolate wedding cakes," he said, and noted that the Chefs Association was liaising with hotels in the country to help introduce more cocoa-based foods in their restaurants.

http://www.peacefmonline.com/

Karen Langston Karen Langston 1-877-215-6824 karen@iamworthit2.com

Americans may eat healthier during recession. By Elena Conis

2009-02-11T10:03:00.055-07:00

Here is a fantastic article that states my predictions of the SLOW FOOD MOVEMENT! It is back to basics, and comfort foods that most of us grew up with.

Whole foods, cooked at home, where we have control over what goes into our dishes is the new trend.

Getting back to the basics-sometimes, from bad times, comes great things. This is why I am putting together a 14 week Wellness program to teach people how to live and eat healthy in our toxic world. I am so excited to be in this profession! Stay tuned for more details.

If you would like more information on this exciting new program, please contact me at
Karen@IAmWorthIt 2.com

Happy Living!

From the Los Angeles Times NUTRITION LAB

Americans may eat healthier during recession. Going back to the basics of cost-saving, basic foods that are cooked at home would improve the country's diet, experts say.

By Elena Conis
January 19, 2009

Nutrition experts predict that most Americans may be slightly more concerned with the economy than, say, their antioxidant consumption in the months ahead.

If that's the case, the quest for a healthful and cost-conscious diet suggests Americans will be eating more meals cooked at home, upping their produce and whole-grain intake and eschewing sodium. "It's the back-to-basics bailout diet," says Shelley McGuire, professor of nutrition at Washington State University in Pullman.

Benefits of grains

More and more people are realizing the health benefits of whole grains, says Joan Salge Blake, clinical assistant professor of nutrition at Boston University, who predicts that the year ahead could be a good one for popcorn (which is, in fact, a whole grain). Studies have shown that a diet rich in whole grains -- barley, oats, brown rice and newly trendy quinoa are other examples -- can help reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

The high-fiber content of whole grains, which confers many of their health benefits, also means that "they fill you up but don't fill you out," Blake adds. Whole grains also lend themselves to hearty, home-cooked meals, Blake says. When people eat at home, they're often likely to eat more healthfully, she adds, citing a number of recent food industry innovations -- pre-cooked rice in a bag, clean and chopped fresh vegetables and fruits, including the microwave-in-bag varieties -- that are facilitating the consumption of quick but nutritious meals at home. Of course, eating in has an additional benefit, says McGuire, who is also a spokeswoman for the American Society for Nutrition. "You can eat for cheap if you do it at home," she says.

Eating out vs. in

But many Americans will still eat out, recession or no, and with good reason: "Our culinary skills have vastly declined over several generations," says Greg Drescher, executive director of strategic initiatives for the Culinary Institute of America in Greystone, Calif. Fortunately, from a nutrition standpoint, he says, restaurant chefs are showing an increased interest in adding innovative items featuring whole grains and a variety of produce to their menus.

The trend has arisen in response to a growing consumer interest in so-called "stealth health," Drescher says. "People want to eat healthy but don't want to be reminded about it," he explains. Americans have a much more sophisticated approach to healthful eating than they did five or 10 years ago, Drescher adds. More and more, they're realizing that there are no "magic bullet" foods (i.e. oats) or food types (i.e. low-fat versions of foods) and are instead embracing a more holistic approach to healthful eating, one that emphasizes variety and whole, less-processed foods. "An interest in a broad spectrum of flavors is spreading throughout the country," Drescher says. McGuire agrees, and predicts that -- combined with economic constraints -- such an interest could alter the choices consumers make in their pursuit of a healthful diet. "People are going to give up really expensive functional foods and vitamin drinks," she says. "We have an incredible agricultural system that produces inexpensive food," she adds, "but we have been so frivolous with our food dollar."

Cutting back on salt

Americans have also been frivolous, arguably, with a seemingly innocuous condiment: salt. "Salt is by far the cheapest thing around. It's an easy fix" for any food item, says Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington, D.C.-based nutrition advocacy group. Studies have shown that high sodium intake can raise blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. As a result, salt ranks high on the list of things Americans are trying to avoid, says Barbara Katz, president of HealthFocus International, a market research firm in St. Petersburg, Fla. This coming year, consumers may get some help from Uncle Sam. Several government agencies are investigating ways to reduce sodium in the American diet -- particularly in restaurant and packaged foods -- as a way to prevent heart disease, Jacobson says. "The British government has made sodium reduction a top priority," Jacobson says. "Food companies are worried that the U.S. government may follow suit."

Safer foods

The number of reduced-sodium food items (such as Campbell's sea-salt seasoned soup) is already growing, but Jacobson predicts that consumers may soon see more manufacturers not just reducing salt, but replacing it with blends of herbs and spices and so-called "bitter blockers," chemicals that block unpleasant tastes (thereby reducing the need to mask them with salt). Bitter blockers, however, may not be the best bet for food manufacturers in 2009. Chemical additives and preservatives also rank high on the list of items consumers are avoiding in their quest for better health, Katz says. "There's an interest in purity," she says. "People want to know what's in their food." That interest, she says, is also driving people to shop local and cook at home more -- as are the recent chemical-contamination scares related to food products produced in China. An American population that cooks more, consumes less salt and eats more whole grains and produce may turn out to be a reality in the year ahead -- or just wishful thinking. But if one thing seems certain, it's this, says Linda Smithson, co-president of Food Watch, an Edina, Minn.-based research firm that tracks food trends: Until the economy shows sure signs of recovery, most Americans, health-conscious or not, won't be eating caviar and truffles.

health@latimes.com

Karen Langston 1-877-215-6824 Karen@IAmWorthIt2.com

New Study of Splenda Reveals Shocking Information About Potential Harmful Effects

2009-02-10T09:55:00.171-07:00

Powerful advertising and thousands of dollars are spent brainwashing us into thinking that Splenda is made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar. Not so! Since aspartame got a bad rap, focus was direscted to Splenda. According to James Bowden M.D. biochemist and survivor of aspartame poisoning explains that Splenda is a form of sucraolse, which is simply chlorinated sugar, or a chlorocarbon.

Sounds good right? Wrong!

Natural sugar is a hydrocarbon built around 12 carbon atoms.

What is happening here is that sucraolose is a molecule of sugar that has been chemically manipulated to surrender three hydroxyl groups (hydrogen + oxygen) and replaced with three chlorine atoms. Stay with me here; common chlorocarbon include tetrachloride, trichlorethelene and methylene chloride, according to Bowen are deadly. In fact chlorine is used in bleach, disinfectants and insecticides. The chemical reaction through manipulation of molecules becomes Splenda, or sucralose which is now familied with Chlorodane, Lindane and DDT.

Still not convinced that this scientific misfit should be left out to melt?

Sucralose was discovered in 1976 by accident while trying to make an insecticide. It tasted sweet, and without further studies, marketed as a sweetner made from Sugar.

What does this mean for you?

As far as I am concerned, molecules that are manipulated, are molecules that our body can not assimilate and utilize. Therefore, they are stored in our cells, altering our own genetic makeup. Sucralose is toxic and hard on the liver. There are also studies suggesting that this molecule misfit can pass through the blood brain barrior and negatively influence our amino acids and store itself in the brain tissue. I have noticed in my practice that most of my diabetic clients usually are on some kind of depression medication. When I investigate their diet, I find a large portion of their foods come from sucraolose and test results show an imbalance of amino acids, that help with brain function and our thought process.

I coach my clients on Nutrition and teach them to eat whole foods that have come from Mother Earth. Manipulation of any kind sold as a food source is a debt that our gentic makeup can not afford.

Here is the latest information on Sucralose

James Turner, the chairman of the national consumer education group Citizens for Health, has expressed shock and outrage after reading a new report from scientists outlining the dangers of the artificial sweetener Splenda (sucralose).

In animals examined for the study, Splenda reduced the amount of good bacteria in the intestines by 50 percent, increased the pH level in the intestines, contributed to increases in body weight and affected P-glycoprotein (P-gp) levels in such a way that crucial health-related drugs could be rejected.

The P-gp effect could result in medications used in chemotherapy, AIDS treatment and treatments for heart conditions being shunted back into the intestines, rather than being absorbed by the body.

According to Turner, "The report makes it clear that the artificial sweetener Splenda and its key component sucralose pose a threat to the people who consume the product. Hundreds of consumers have complained to us about side effects from using Splenda and this study ... confirms that the chemicals in the little yellow package should carry a big red warning label."

Dr Mercola of Mercola.com has this to add to the debate on the safety of Splenda:

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

It’s very important to realize that Splenda (sucralose) is actually NOT sugar, despite its marketing slogan “Made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar”. Rather it’s a chlorinated artificial sweetener in line with aspartame and saccharin, and with detrimental health effects to match.

Splenda was approved by the FDA in 1998 as a tabletop sweetener and for use in products such as baked goods, nonalcoholic beverages, chewing gum, frozen dairy desserts, fruit juices, and gelatins. Sucralose is also permitted as a general-purpose sweetener for all processed foods.

The approval was given after the FDA supposedly reviewed more than 110 animal and human safety studies, but as you’ll soon find out, out of these 110 studies, only two were human studies, and the longest one was conducted for four days!

There’s overwhelming evidence that consuming artificial sweeteners will likely wreak havoc on your body. Previous news has centered mainly around artificial sweeteners’ ability to impair your appetite regulation and leading to weight gain. For example, it’s been discovered that diet soda increases your risk of metabolic syndrome and, ultimately, heart disease. However, the study mentioned above, published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, found even further disturbing news besides weight gain. Splenda:reduces the amount of good bacteria in your intestines by 50 percent increases the pH level in your intestines, and affects a glycoprotein in your body that can have crucial health effects, particularly if you’re on certain medications

They also found unmistakable evidence that Splenda is absorbed by fat, contrary to previous claims.
It’s truly disturbing that Splenda can destroy up to 50 percent of your healthy intestinal bacteria, as these bacteria help maintain your body's overall balance of friendly versus unfriendly micro-organisms, and support your general health. Many people are already deficient in healthy bacteria due to choosing highly processed foods. This is why a high quality probiotic is one of the very few supplements I highly recommend for nearly everyone.

The Diet Fallacy

The belief that consuming artificially sweetened foods and drinks will help you to lose or maintain weight is a carefully orchestrated deception. So if you are still opting for diet choices for this reason, please understand that you have been sorely misled.

In reality, these diet foods and drinks can cause serious distortions in your biochemistry and ruin your body's ability to control calories. As a matter of fact, it’s been shown that diet soft drinks can double your risk of obesity!

Nearly a decade ago, studies were already revealing that artificial sweeteners can:
Stimulate your appetite
Increase carbohydrate cravings
Stimulate fat storage and weight gain

Unfortunately, most public health agencies and nutritionists in the United States still recommend these toxic artificial sweeteners as an acceptable alternative to sugar.

Now, I am definitely not a fan of sugar, but if I had to choose between sugar and any artificial sweetener, I would choose sugar, hands down, without question. I strongly believe artificial sweeteners are even more dangerous to your health than an excess of sugar.

The Health Dangers of Splenda

According to James Turner, the chairman of the national consumer education group Citizens for Health:

"This report followed accepted policies and procedures and the results make clear the potential for disturbing side effects from the ingestion of Splenda.

It is like putting a pesticide in your body. And this is at levels of intake erroneously approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

A person eating two slices of cake and drinking two cups of coffee containing Splenda would ingest enough sucralose to affect the P-glycoprotein, while consuming just seven little Splenda packages reduces good bacteria."

The web site www.truthaboutsplenda.com lists a variety of consumer complaints from Splenda consumption, such as:
Gastrointestinal problems
Migraines
Seizures
Dizziness
Blurred vision
Allergic reactions
Blood sugar increases
Weight gain

My site also contains a long list of personal testimonials from readers who have suffered side effects from Splenda. In fact, we have more people on our site that have reported adverse reactions to Splenda than were formally studied in the research submitted for FDA approval!

The symptoms are so numerous I can’t include them all here, but the following are common symptoms, usually noticed within a 24-hour period following consumption of Splenda products:

Skin -- Redness, itching, swelling, blistering, weeping, crusting, rash, eruptions, or hives (itchy bumps or welts). These are the most common allergic symptoms that people have.
Lungs -- Wheezing, tightness, cough, or shortness of breath.
Head -- Swelling of the face, eyelids, lips, tongue, or throat; headaches and migraines (severe headaches).
Nose -- Stuffy nose, runny nose (clear, thin discharge), sneezing.
Eyes -- Red (bloodshot), itchy, swollen, or watery.
Stomach -- Bloating, gas, pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or bloody diarrhea.
Heart -- Palpitations or fluttering.
Joints -- Joint pains or aches.
Neurological -- Anxiety, dizziness, spaced-out sensation, depression.

Beware – You Could be Consuming Splenda Without Your Knowledge

You also need to be aware of the fact that although the bulk of Splenda is sold to processed food manufacturers and soft drink bottlers, it could turn up in your medicine as well, as nearly 10 percent of all sucralose is sold to drug companies.

Many times sucralose (Splenda) will not be listed in the drug information, so there simply is no way you would know you are consuming a potentially dangerous artificial sweetener. However, if you experience any of the symptoms above even though you’re avoiding Splenda and other artificial sweeteners, then it may be worth investigating the ingredients of any medications you’re taking as well.

Splenda Has NEVER Been Proven Safe for Human Consumption

As of 2006, only six human trials have been published on Splenda. Of these six trials, only two of the trials were completed and published before the FDA approved sucralose for human consumption, and the two published trials had a grand total of 36 total human subjects.

36 people sure doesn't sound like many, but wait, it gets worse: only 23 total were actually given sucralose for testing, and here is the real kicker -- The longest trial at this time had lasted only four days, and looked at sucralose in relation to tooth decay, not human tolerance.

Even more shocking, the absorption of Splenda into the human body was studied on a grand total of six men! Based on that one human study, the FDA allowed the findings to be generalized as being representative of the entire human population. Including women, children, the elderly, and those with any chronic illness -- none of whom were ever examined.

The FDA claims they reviewed over 100 studies conducted on Splenda. What they don't tell you is that most of the studies were on animals. And, those animal studies reveal plenty of problems, such as:
Decreased red blood cells -- sign of anemia -- at levels above 1,500 mg/kg/day
Increased male infertility by interfering with sperm production and vitality, as well as brain lesions at higher doses
Enlarged and calcified kidneys (McNeil stated this is often seen with poorly absorbed substances and was of no toxicological significance. The FDA Final Rule agreed that these are findings that are common in aged female rats and are not significant.)
Spontaneous abortions in nearly half the rabbit population given sucralose, compared to zero aborted pregnancies in the control group

A 23 percent death rate in rabbits, compared to a 6 percent death rate in the control group

Chemically, Splenda is More Similar to DDT Than Sugar

Yes. Splenda bears more chemical similarity to DDT than it does to sugar.

Sucralose is in fact a synthetic chemical that was originally cooked up in a laboratory. It does start off as a sugar molecule. Then, in a five-step patented process of making sucralose, three chlorine molecules are added to a sucrose (sugar) molecule. The chemical process to make sucralose alters the chemical composition of the sugar so much that it is somehow converted to a fructo-galactose molecule.

This type of sugar molecule does not occur in nature, and therefore your body does not possess the ability to properly metabolize it. As a result of this "unique" biochemical make-up, McNeil Nutritionals makes its claim that Splenda is not digested or metabolized by the body, hence it has zero calories.

But, if you look at the research (which is primarily extrapolated form animal studies) you will see that in fact an average of 15 percent of sucralose IS absorbed into your digestive system, and according to this latest study, it is also absorbed into your fat cells.

Unfortunately, if you are healthy and your digestive system works well, you may be at HIGHER risk for breaking down this product in your stomach and intestines!

Your Healthiest Alternatives

If you have a craving for sweets, rather than trying to find "healthier" ways to continue indulging in them, it is in your best interest to learn ways to relieve your cravings.

The obvious one would be to stop eating any of the products to begin with. But sweets are powerfully addictive – sugar has even been shown to be more addictive than cocaine. Stevia is a preferable natural substitute, which can be used in making most dishes and drinks.

However, complete avoidance of sweets is often necessary to break your addictive cycle, as your hormones insulin and leptin likely play an important role in your cravings.

If you are unable to achieve abstinence from sweets, your emotional connection to cravings might be an important factor for you. One of the most profound methods I know of for diminishing the effects of food cravings is the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). EFT is the psychological acupressure technique routinely used in my practice to help people reduce their cravings.

There is enough evidence showing the dangers of consuming artificial sweeteners to fill an entire book -- which is exactly why I wrote Sweet Deception. If you or your loved ones drink diet beverages or eat diet foods, this book will explain how you've been deceived about the truth behind artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose -- for greed, for profits ... and at the expense of your own health.

Related Links:
The Potential Dangers of Sucralose (Splenda)?
Artificial Sweeteners Once Again Linked To Weight Gain
New Study of Splenda Reveals Shocking Information About Potential Harmful Effects

Sources:
Globe Newswire September 28, 2008
Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part A 2008;71(21):1415-29
The Lethal Science of Splenda, A Poisonous Chlorocarbon, James Bowen Md, May 08, 2005
Dr. Mercola, Mercola.com
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Karen Langston 877. 215. 6824 IAmWorthIt2.com

Eco Friendly, Creative Gift Wrapping

2008-12-16T16:04:00.001-07:00

The holidays are a wonderful time of the year full of family gatherings, good times and gift giving. ‘Tis the season to be consciously creative and eco friendly. Think of all the cards, gift wrap, presents, tags and mailed gifts that will travel across the country and internationally. According to the National Retail Federation Gift giving is the largest component of a shopper’s budget. The average consumer will spend $466.13 on gifts for family, $94.52 on friends, $26.70 on co-workers and $43.50 on other gifts. This doesn’t include gift warp, ribbons and bows.

Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s holiday festivities, Americans throw out 25 million tons of extra garbage. To keep this season environmentally friendly lets think of conscious creative ways of keeping with traditions we have come to love, with less waste, and save some money along the way.

The best part of the holidays for most, is the giving and receiving of gifts. Gift giving originated with ancient pagan celebrations. The Roman festivals of Satumalia and Kalends celebrated the harvest and winter solstice and gifts of small figurines, food, jewelry, and candles were a part of this celebration. The tradition of gift giving at Christmas time is associated with the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh delivered to the Christ child by the Three Wise Men.

Nineteenth century gift wrapping was simple thin tissue-like paper, evolving to sturdier brown paper. It was not until the 1890’s with the invention of the color-inked printing press did wrapping paper become decorative. In 1903 Hy-Sill Manufacturing Inc., founded by Eli Hyman and Morris Silverman, became the first American gift wrap company. Gift wrap was still secured with wax seals and twine until scotch tape was invented in 1932.

Newspapers, magazines and merchant's paper shopping bags can substitute for wrapping paper. If every family wrapped 3 presents in reused materials, (or avoided wrapping paper altogether) enough paper would be saved to cover 45,000 football fields.

Save your magazines or parts of the magazines that may make colourful wrapping paper. Save the comics, they are colorful and fun to read. The sports section is great for sports fans, Sudoku, Scrabble, or word games, makes for a unique one of a kind wrapping paper. aper bags from merchants can be used in two ways. Either open up the package and wrap the gift, and decorate or leave blank, or use the bag as is, logo and all. This idea is recycled from the Victorian era when brown paper bags were used as gift wrap.

There are many alternatives to wrapping paper. Articles of clothing, towels, tins, baskets, and chests, are all substitutes. Tea towels, or beach towels are bright and cheerful. A couple of safety pins, skirt pins or diaper secures an excellent gift wrap, and will be used all year long. The possibilities are endless.

Think of ways to wrap a gift that doesn’t involve using paper at all. For the ladies in the house, wrap your gift in a woman’s tote, purse, or a cloth bag that can be used over and over. For the seamstress, wrap a gift in an old pattern and a bow from a fabric measuring tape. Both of these items may be found at Goodwill, and other second-hand or consignment stores. Preschoolers and young children would benefit from a gift from the heart. A big trunk, (the best trunk would be from someone in the family) and fill it with adult clothes from other members in the family for a trunk full of dress up clothes for days of entertainment. If you do not have any suitable old clothes, Goodwill, Salvation Army and other Thrift Shops are perfect for this. Think of the savings to landfills.

There are so many ways to avoid the red tape of paper, ribbons and bows; all it takes is a little imagination and a lot of heart! If every family re-used just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet.

As you open your gifts this year, set a box a side, and fill it with reusable gift wrap, ribbons and bows. Save magazines, newspapers, and all those that might make great gift paper for all occasions.

Happy Eco Friendly Wrapping!

Karen Langston 1-877-215-6824 karen@iamworthit2.com

www.iamworthit2.com

Tis The Season To Remember The Law of Abundance

2008-12-01T18:12:00.000-07:00

The following is from Healthy Wealthy n Wise:

The U.S. have just celebrated Thanksgiving and the holiday season is upon us, it's a time of year when we can enjoy families and friends, celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of the next, and fill up on great food. But not everyone can do that... . One out of every 8 children under the age of 12 in theU.S. goes to bed hungry every night.. Every 3.6 seconds, someone dies of hunger. 35.5 million people - including 12.6 children - live inhouseholds that experience hunger. That's one in tenhouseholds in the U.S. If you're shaking your head in disbelief that in a nationlike ours even one person goes hungry, you can make adifference ... As you know, Healthy Wealthy nWise works with and supports great causes around the world. This time, we're bringing it home to the U.S. We're teaming up with some powerful organizations to be a part of the largest cooperative holiday food distributionin our nation's history... And we can't do it without you. Feed333, Feed The Children, and Humanity Unites Brilliance(HUB) along with the Salvation Army are teaming up tocreate: "Miracle on Main Street USA" It's a multiple city event in economically hard hit areas.Each of the events will host three to five semi-trucksfeeding 2,000 deserving families of four. Families willreceive a 26 pound non-perishable food box and 18 poundsof personal care and hygiene items. Deserving familieswill be identified in partnership with local charities. What you can do to help... We want to work with you to raise $12,500 - enough toprovide 400 families of four enough food and personal careitems (and more) to last over a week! But BEFORE you make your donation and help make history, we want you to understand what's in it for you... You see, like you, we believe in abundance. We believethat good acts get rewarded. And we also like instant gratification. So in exchange for your 100% tax deductible donation,Healthy Wealthy nWise will give YOU some gifts in return... If you donate $31 - enough to feed one family... We'll give you 3 of our most powerful and popular audiosessions with some of the top thought leaders and teachersin the world today. Normally we sell these at $24.97 apiece - for you that's $74.91 worth of instant rewards. If you donate $93 - enough for 3 families... We'll jump that to 10 audio sessions (worth $249.70) -that's like getting plugged directly into the thoughts,knowledge and insights of ten of the world's mostinfluential entrepreneurs and thought leaders instantly! If you donate $310 or more - enough for 10 families... You'll get the 10 interviews, direct access to The PassionTest Interactive program (a $197 value) and The Science ofCreating Your Dreams program - we've sold hundreds of themfor $147 but it's all yours for your donation. That's a whopping $593.70 in gifts to you for your donation! 100% of your gift goes straight to the organizations involved in Miracle on Main Street USA - not a dime goes to us. Here's what you need to do right now... Go to: http://www.healthywealthynwise.com/feed333 after you donate, collect your gifts by going to: http://www.healthywealthynwise.com/feed333/miracle.htm Now, I know that you aren't donating just to get the gifts, but we want to give them to you anyway, that's simply our way to keeping the abundance flowing around and rewarding you for helping others out. We look forward to working with you to make history, and aholiday season a great one for 400 families. Warmly, Ric & Liz ThompsonJanet Attwood and Chris Attwood PS Again, the goal is to raise $12,500 to help feed 400 needy families as a part of a massive historic event.You can play your part by going to: http://www.healthywealthynwise.com/feed333 Healthy Wealthy nWise PO Box 7361 - 101934San Francisco, CA94120-7361US

Karen Langston 1-877-215-6824 karen@iamworthit2.com

More children have allergies, CDC reports

2008-10-22T17:31:00.000-07:00

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- The number of American kids with food allergies has soared 18 percent in the last decade, with an estimated 4 percent of children and teens now affected with the condition, a new federal report says.

In 2007, approximately 3 million children under the age of 18 were reported to have had a food or digestive allergy in the previous 12 months, compared to slightly more than 2.3 million children (3.3 percent) in 1997, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Eight types of foods account for 90 percent of all food allergies -- milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat. Allergic reactions to these foods can range from a tingling sensation around the mouth and lips, to hives and even death, depending on the severity of the reaction, the report's authors said.

The report also said that children with food allergies are two to four times more likely to have asthma or other allergies, compared to children without food allergies.

It's not really known how a person develops a food allergy. They are more common in children than adults, and the majority of children with food allergies will "outgrow" them as they get older. But for some, a food allergy can become a lifelong concern, the report said.

Other highlights in the report:
Rates of food allergy were similar for boys and girls -- 3.8 percent for boys and 4.1 percent for girls.Approximately 4.7 percent of children younger than 5 years of age had a reported food allergy, compared to 3.7 percent of children and teens aged 5 to 17 years. Hispanic children had lower rates of reported food allergy (3.1 percent) than non-Hispanic white (4.1 percent) or non-Hispanic black children (4 percent.) In 2007, 29 percent of children with food allergies also had reported asthma, compared to 12 percent of children without food allergy. And an estimated 27 percent of children with food allergies had reported eczema or skin allergy, compared to 8 percent of children without food allergies.Slightly more than 30 percent of children with a food allergy also had reported respiratory allergy, compared with 9 percent of children with no food allergy. From 2004 to 2006, there were approximately 9,537 hospital discharges annually for children from birth to 17 years of age who were diagnosed with a food allergy. Hospital discharges with a diagnosed food allergy increased significantly from the period 1998-2000 to 2004-2006. This finding could owe to increased awareness, reporting, and use of specific medical diagnostic codes for food allergies. Or it could represent a real increase in children who are experiencing food-allergic reactions.

The findings in the report, titled Food Allergy Among U.S. Children: Trends in Prevalence and Hospitalizations, were derived from statistics from the National Health Interview Survey and the National Hospital Discharge Survey, both conducted by CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.

More information

To read the full report, visit the CDC.
SOURCE: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, news release, Oct. 22, 2008
Karen Langston 1-877-215-6824 karen@iamworthit2.com

A Call To Action Canada

2008-09-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

September 10 2008

step up for Canada

The coast to coast rally that will

change the core of Canada's Health Care

Keep the right to access safe and effective supplements and food.

Protect the right to make personal health decisions.

Safeguard your right to choose who and what you use to maintain or regain your health.

It's your body. It's your life. It's your choice.

Be a truly free Canadian today and always.

Will you step up for Canada?

A Ground Breaking Health Care Solution

Since it's introduction there have been staunch anti Bill C-51 campaigns. While much has been said about the downfalls of this Bill, there has been no solution offered until now... Read it for yourself. A revolutionary document that will set a new order for Health Freedom in Canada and Globally. This new construction of law for Health Freedom will be available for download September 10 2008 on www.charterofhealthfreedom.org.

One Day. One Nation. One Rally.

September 10 2008. Rain or shine. In every city and town, large and small across Canada. 6:00pm in your local time zone. Rally locations will be at your MP's office. In select cities there will be a centralized rally. Stay tuned for info in your area. Your MP works for you. By gathering at their office we keep the pressure on. Go to www.stopbillc51.com/rally to find your riding and MP. We need an activated group of concerned citizens to represent the voice of the Natural Health community in each riding. There are 308 ridings across Canada. Make each riding active and join us in the Nation's natural health crusade. Be responsible in your area to lead or join a group.

Say YES To The Charter of Health Freedom and NO to Bill C-51.

Educate yourself

www.stopbillc51.com

www.charterofhealthfreedom.org

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View this message online

Karen Langston 1-877-215-6824 karen@iamworthit2.com

2008-07-11T07:33:00.002-07:00

July 11, 2008
This is very important, please read, pass on, sign up, subscribe and above all, make a difference!

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Could Big Oil Overthrow Our Efforts to Ban ToxicPhthalates from Kids' Toys?

Take action for safe toys and healthy kids »We need your help to urge House members to support a critical children's health measure—and to prove that our kids are more important than oil profits.Right now, a bipartisan Congressional conference committee is deciding whether to include a ban on phthalates in toys in the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act.Last month, we asked you to write to the three undecided House Democratic members of the committee. Your letters and calls helped convince a key member, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), to lend her support to this amendment. And with good reason: phthalates make plastic toys soft and flexible, but when kids put them in their mouths, phthalates can leach from toy to child. Phthalates have been linked to birth defects, early puberty (a risk factor for breast cancer) and testicular cancer.Ironically, it's not the toy industry or the retailers that are lobbying hardest against the phthalate ban. It's Exxon Mobil—one of the largest manufacturers of DINP (the primary phthalate used in toys)—and its trade association, the American Chemistry Council. Exxon Mobil has spent millions this year and millions more last year lobbying against this and other measures.Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) is still wavering while he tries to secure bipartisan support for the provision. The Republican conferees—notably Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) and Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL)—are lined up in opposition, but we're hoping to change that before they finish their discussions within the next two weeks.We want our elected officials to know that they're being watched by moms, nurses, breast cancer prevention advocates, the faith community and others that support a ban on phthalates in kids' toys. We won't take strong-arming by Exxon Mobil and the American Chemistry Council and neither should our representatives.Please write to the four members of the committee who are currently undecided or blocking the inclusion of the ban on phthalates in the CPSC Reform Act, and urge them to protect the health of America's kids by voting yes on this amendment.
Take action today! »Ask friends and family to take action »
Learn more about the amendment and phthalates »

© Breast Cancer Fund, All Rights ReservedBreast Cancer Fund1388 Sutter Street, Suite 400San Francisco, CA 94109-5400www.breastcancerfund.org

Our Mission: In response to the public health crisis of breast cancer,the Breast Cancer Fund identifies — and advocates for elimination of —the environmental and other preventable causes of the disease.

Bill C-51 PAY ATTENTION CANADA This is bigger than dollar parity!

2008-07-02T10:37:00.005-07:00

Although I am a health care practioner, I try not get caught up in media frenzies about a certain product or governement issues, well, because the media blows it out of proportion. I had read an article in the Vitality Magazine about Bill C-51 and I did not realize how important this bill is. And come to think of it, there is no media frenzia about it, which made me think, hey this must be pretty important!

IT IS!

The official website is http://www.stopc51.com/ Here you can learn what it is all about and what you can do about this bill.

The following is a DRAFT DISCUSSION PAPER ON Bill C-51
Prepared by Shawn Buckley, president of the NHPPA on April 9, 2008.

Purpose of the Paper

Yesterday the Minister of Health introduced Bill C-51 into the House of Commons. The Bill passed first reading. The following is a link to a version of the Bill:
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=3398126&

Although this only occurred yesterday, upon our reading of the Bill it became apparent that it may have wide ranging negative implications for the Natural Health Product industry. We are of the opinion that it would be prudent to draft an initial discussion paper to be circulated to stakeholders and more importantly to other stakeholder groups to begin discussion on the issues raised in this Bill.

Need for a Broad Consensus

We feel that Bill C-51 has such broad implications for the Natural Health Product Industry that it would be prudent for all of the various stakeholder groups to collaborate to see if an industry consensus can be reached in how to approach Bill C-51. If Bill C-51 poses a threat to the industry, unless there is consensus, efforts to protect the industry will fail.

Discussion Paper Only

This is a discussion paper only and does not reflect the position of the NHPPA or of the NHPPA advisory board. The thoughts and comments are those of the author, Mr. Shawn Buckley and are intended to foster discussion.

The NHPPA will formulate its position after industry feedback.

Invitation to Other Stakeholder Groups

We will be forwarding this discussion paper to other stakeholder groups such as the CHFA and consumer groups.

We would like the other stakeholder groups to analyze the Bill. We would then like to get representatives of the various groups together to see if a consensus can be reached concerning Bill C-51. We believe that it is important for the various stakeholder groups to take a leading role with their members on this issue in the event that their leadership is required to protect the industry.

Initial Points of Discussion

Scope of Discussion Points

Because we feel it is necessary to get this Discussion Paper out immediately to stimulate examination and discussion on Bill C-51, I will only focus on what I consider to be major points. I fully expect that as others examine this Bill and take part in the discussion that they will identify other significant issues.

Preamble to the Act

The preamble to the Act is not part of the Act and does not become law if the Bill is passed. What the preamble does is explain why the Bill is necessary.

The second last paragraph of the preamble reads:

“Whereas the Parliament of Canada recognizes that it is the responsibility of regulated persons to ensure that only products that meet legislative requirements are available to the public;”

My initial thoughts is that this is a classic case of what George Orwell calls doublespeak. That is, a case of saying the opposite of what you are doing.

What is communicated:

that it is the responsibility of “regulated persons” to ensure that only products that meet the legislative requirements are available to the public.

What the Act does:

the Act gives broad power and responsibility to Health Canada inspectors to force “regulated persons” to take whatever measures the inspectors deem necessary to ensure safety. For example, see section 23.8 of the Bill.

I am troubled by this due to the following scenario developing:

1) currently roughly 60% of natural health product license applications are failing. The majority of these license applications are for single ingredient products which are easier to licence then multi-ingredient products. The percentage of failed license applications is expected to increase as more multi-ingredient product license applications are considered. My estimate is an overall failure rate of 70%. This means that over 60% of the natural health products on the market will fail the licensing process and will become illegal. At that point the manufacturer can wilfully withdraw them from the market or Health Canada can take enforcement action;

2) the NHPD has been given more resources to process license applications which means that the majority of the products will become illegal sooner rather than later;

3) Health Canada is currently going to universities to recruit university graduates as inspectors because Health Canada anticipates an increased need for enforcement, and

4) Bill C-51 gives inspectors new powers to force products off of the market.

I am not aware of Health Canada having enforcement problems with chemical drug pharmaceutical companies. My belief is that when Health Canada asks a pharmaceutical company to take a product off of the market, the pharmaceutical company does. I expect that this occurs because pharmaceutical companies would face huge liability issues if they failed to comply with a Health Canada request and then someone was injured. If I am incorrect in this I am inviting correction as it is important for us to determine “who” the new enforcement powers are directed to.

If Health Canada is not having compliance problems with pharmaceutical companies, then should we interpret the new powers in Bill C-51 as necessary to force the natural health product industry into compliance? I do not know the answer to this. I would ask you to analyse this as you work through the Bill.

The Move to the term “Therapeutic Products”

Bill C-51 moves away from the use of the term “drug” and introduces the term “therapeutic products”. Indeed even the name of the “Food and Drugs Act” will be changed to “An Act respecting foods, therapeutic products and cosmetics.”

The definition of “drug” remains unchanged but a new definition of “therapeutic product” is added which includes drugs, medical devices and cells, tissues or organs. However, the term “drug” is replaced throughout the old Food and Drugs Act with the term “therapeutic products”.

Natural Health Products remain “drugs” under the Act. The only change is that now all drugs are referred to as “therapeutic products” in the Act instead of as drugs.

I have found this to be a very interesting change, and perhaps the most significant of all of the changes. I think this is perhaps the most significant of all changes as I asked myself the following questions:

1) why is a language change away from the word “drug” and to the term “therapeutic product” important to Health Canada, and

2) what part of the industry is this change for?

We think and communicate in language. The terms we use to define and refer to things affect how we think about them. That is why advertising firms exist.

The term “drug” in the Food and Drugs Act is not substance specific in that any substance is considered a “drug” if sold or manufactured for a therapeutic purpose. However, many people think of the word “drug” as referring to chemical drugs as opposed to plants sold for therapeutic purposes.

There is no confusion in the public’s mind concerning pharmaceutical drugs. When the public thinks of pharmaceutical drugs they are comfortable with the word “drug”.

There is confusion when the word “drug” is applied to natural health products.

Because there was no confusion concerning pharmaceutical drugs and the word “drug”, is the change of terminology directed at the Natural Health Product industry or are there other reasons?

The change certainly affects the dynamics of the debate over regulating NHPs as foods or as a third category separate from drugs. Let’s use the NHPPA’s position on regulatory change as an example. The NHPPA Advisory Board has given the NHPPA the goal of obtaining a regulatory environment where:

(1) NHPs are presumed to be safe. A NHP cannot be taken off of the market unless the Government can prove that it is unsafe;

(2) there are different claims structures so that:

a) manufacturers do not have to make claims;
b) manufacturers can make limited claims, such as structure function claims with a low evidence threshold, and
c) manufacturers can make specific health claims if they can meet a higher evidence threshold;

(3) NHPs are not regulated as drugs. They are either regulated as food or as a third category separate from drugs and food;

(4) there are Good Manufacturing Processes that are appropriate for the low risk profile of NHPs, and

(5) there is a conflict resolution mechanism to settle disputes between the Government and industry members.

The last time consumers and the industry rebelled against Health Canada enforcement actions against NHPs, the rallying cry was “don’t treat our foods as drugs”. That rallying cry created the most successful petition drive in Canadian history. It was a large factor leading then Minister of Health Allan Rock to refer the issue to the Standing Committee on Health. The result was the 53 Recommendations which the industry would still like to see implemented.

Would the rallying cry have been successful with the new term: “don’t treat our foods as therapeutic products”? Or to be more accurate: “don’t treat or natural health products as therapeutic products”?

My point in all of this is simply to communicate that terms and language are important as they determine the parameters of how we think and can affect debate. The change in terms is being introduced deliberately by Health Canada and we need to consider what the implications for the industry are.

Expanded Definition of “Sell”

The old definition of “sell” is:

“’sell’ includes offer for sale, expose for sale, have in possession for sale and distribute, whether or not the distribution is made for consideration.”

The new definition of “sell” is”

“’sell’ includes offer for sale, expose for sale or have in possession for sale or distribute to one or more persons, whether or not the distribution is made for consideration and in relation to a device, includes lease, offer for lease, expose for lease or have in possession for lease.”

(emphasis added).

The lease provision is not going to affect the NHP industry.

The change that is interesting is the new if you distribute to “one or more persons” you can be prosecuted for selling under the Act. Under the old definition, although you did not have to get paid if you gave product away, it is fair to say that the definition of “sell”, especially when considered in the context of the Act as a whole, would be considered to be referring to a commercial venture. So for example a manufacturer giving out free samples would be selling.

Now the term “selling” will apply to a single isolated giving of a therapeutic product. So if I give my child a natural health product I am now selling under the Act and can be prosecuted. I doubt that the intention is to prosecute parents for giving their children NHPs, although that could happen under the new definition. Rather, as a lawyer who defends people and companies charged with violating the Act and Regulations, I see this as an open door to prosecute natural health practitioners, including naturopathic and homeopathic doctors.

Changes to legislation are supposed to solve a problem. When we analyse this change to the definition of “sell” we need to ask, what is the problem that Health Canada feels needs to be addressed by significantly widening the scope of selling under the Act?

It is going to be vital to obtain the input of natural health practitioners concerning this change.

Introduction of the term “Controlled Activity”

The Bill creates the following term:

“’controlled activity’ means

(a) in relation to a therapeutic product manufacturing, collecting, processing, preserving, labelling, packaging, importing for sale, distributing, wholesaling or testing, and
(b) in relation to a designated therapeutic product manufacturing collecting, processing, preserving, labelling, packaging, importing, distributing or testing.

My initial thoughts on the introduction of this term is that it is again directed at natural health practitioners such as naturopathic and homeopathic doctors.

The Bill introduces the following section:

“13. No person shall conduct a controlled activity unless they are authorized by an establishment license to do so.”

The change from our current regulatory scheme is the expansion of the site licence requirements. Section 27 of the Natural Health Products Regulations does not include: collecting, processing, preserving. Section 27 already includes manufacturing. By adding processing and preserving Health Canada is targeting something other than manufacturing.

Allowing Trade Agreements to become law without Parliamentary Approval – and the Sharing of Confidential Information with Foreign Governments and Agencies.

The following term is added to the Act:

“’government’ means any of the following or their institutions, as applicable:
(a) the federal government;
(b) a corporation named in Schedule III to 10 of the Financial Administration Act,
(c) a provincial government or a public body established under an Act of the legislature of a province,
(d) an aboriginal government as defined in subsection 13(3) of the Access to Information Act,
(e) a government of a foreign state or of a subdivision of a foreign state, or
(f) an international organization of states.

(emphasis added).

Defining “government” to include foreign states or international organizations of states such as the United Nations, is important because of a change to section 30 of the Act. Bill C-51 adds the following to the regulation making power of the federal government:

“30(7) A regulation may incorporate by reference documents produced by a person or body other than the Minister of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency including
(a) an organization established for the purpose of writing standards, including an organization accredited by the Standards Council of Canada;
(b) an industrial or trade organization; or
(c) a government.”

This addition allows the federal government to make documents prepared by foreign governments or bodies law in Canada by simply passing a regulation incorporating the document. So for example, the CODEX treaty could become law without Parliamentary approval by simply passing a regulation saying it is now part of our regulations.

Just so that everyone understands what this means I will explain the difference between Acts and Regulations. Acts are documents introduced into either the House of Commons or the Senate. They must pass three readings in both before they can become law. This process ensures that Canadians and their representatives become aware of proposed changes, have them debated in Parliament, and have time to contest them.

Regulations on the other hand are simply published in the Canada Gazette twice and then can be signed into law. Parliament does not vote on regulations.

This change to allow the federal cabinet to incorporate documents from foreign governments or organizations as law by referring to them in regulations will remove Parliamentary scrutiny on issues that could fundamentally change the ground rules for our industry.

Because these changes were not made by accident, the questions are raised:

what purpose is served by removing Parliamentary scrutiny to the adoption of documents from foreign governments and institutions into Canadian Law, and

does the federal cabinet already have specific foreign documents in mind?

There are also significant confidentiality issues associated with the new term of “government” in the Act. Bill C-51 also gives the Minister authority to disclose personal and business information without consent to a person or “government” that carries out functions relating to the protection or promotion of human health (see sections 20.9, 21 and 21.1). There are some safeguards, but at the same time the Minister has new power to share personal and confidential business information with a wide range of bodies, both Canadian and foreign, without consent.

Product Monographs are “Deemed” to be part of your Label

Bill C-51 adds:

2.1 For the purposes of this Act,
a) a product monograph of a therapeutic product is deemed to be a label even if it is not attached or included in or does not accompany the therapeutic product;

Approaching this from a defence counsel perspective, my immediate concern is that this will subject companies to misrepresentation and fraud charges.

I will need input from industry stakeholders concerning the implications when manufacturers disagree with the Health Canada monographs.

It would also be helpful to get feed-back as to why Health Canada wants this change. Put another way, what is broken that this is intended to fix?

A New Purpose of The Act

The Food and Drugs Act (i.e. the Food and Therapeutic Products Act) is given a new purpose which is:

2.3 The purpose of this Act is to protect and promote the health and safety of the public and encourage accurate and consistent product representation by prohibiting and regulating certain activities in relation to foods, therapeutic products and cosmetics.

(emphasis added).

Section 3 Prohibiting Schedule A Claims is Removed

Section 3 of the Act which prohibited Schedule A claims is removed. I expect that this is in response to the CanWest lawsuit to have s. 3 declared unconstitutional.

New Restrictions on the Importation and Transportation of Food

Section 4 of the Act is amended to include restrictions on the “import for sale” of foods that are poisonous, unfit, injurious or adulterated. I do not see a difficulty with this.

This is part of a general change in the Act towards prohibiting importation and shipping.

Sections 5.1 to 5.4 are added which place restrictions on “prescribed food”. A prescribed food will be a food put on a list by the federal cabinet. These sections prevent the importation from another country and the shipping across provincial borders of a prescribed food unless they have a “registration or a license”. These foods can only be sent to registered establishments.

It is not clear to me at this point what danger or purpose these new provisions are directed to addressing. What foods currently need these types of restrictions?

Bill C-51 represents a tightening of restrictions and the increasing of Health Canada powers in all areas covered by the Act.

Importing is added to prohibitions in the former sections 8 and 9.

The new sections 8 and 9 are similar in nature to the old ones except that the prohibitions are expanded to include importing and conveying for sale.

Is Health Canada Approval now required for clinical trials involving food?

Prior to the creation of the NHPD universities did not get Health Canada approval to do nutrition research. So for example, if a university wanted to run a clinical trial to better understand the effect limes have on scurvy, they did not get Health Canada approval. Even with the creation of the NHPD, it is not clear to me that Health Canada approval would be necessary to study the effect of limes on scurvy.

It has also been the case that some clinical trial businesses did not feel they needed Health Canada approval for natural health products that had been in the food chain for a long period of time.

The new Act adds a definition of “clinical trial” as well as a prohibition on conducting a clinical trial for a therapeutic product without Health Canada authorization.

As I read the new provisions, I think that a study of limes for scurvy would now require Health Canada approval.

I would like input as to whether the current regime needs to be widened?

The need for pre-market approval becomes part of the Act as opposed to part of the Regulations – And the Criteria Changes.

The new section 12 provides:

12(1) No person shall advertise, sell or import for sale a therapeutic product that does not have a market authorization or is not a designated therapeutic product.

The Act does not currently require Health Canada pre-approval for the sale of drugs. For there to be a pre-approval requirement, it has to be added in the Regulations. So for example, the NHP Regulations require pre-approval.

This change will mean that there is a blanket need for pre-approval and any exception needs to be added to the Regulations.

What has changed is that the Act will now presume that all “therapeutic products” are dangerous and need pre-approval unless specifically exempted.

Again part of the general tightening in Bill C-51.

Concerning the criteria change: section 18.7 will only enable Health Canada to issue market authorization if satisfied “that the benefits that are associated with the therapeutic product outweigh the risks.” Risks are not defined and so it is unclear if Health Canada will continue to use risk factors such the risk people will not seek “proper” (i.e. read mainstream medical) treatment if they take an NHP.

This criteria change is legislating an efficacy requirement. The NHPD will have to have evidence of efficacy before they can determine that the benefits outweigh any risks.

This balancing is appropriate for chemical drugs that carry a high risk profile. The industry will have to discuss whether it is appropriate for the NHP industry which has never caused a single death in Canadian history. In any event, if Bill C-51 passes, the goal posts for the NHP industry will change which should require re-licensing of NHPs.

After the Act is changed to require NHPs to demonstrate their benefits outweigh their risks, NHPs can only be exempted from this requirement if the federal cabinet is satisfied that their nature is such that a risk assessment is not necessary

I have just discussed how the Act will now require proof of efficacy before a product can be licensed unless it is specifically exempted. It needs to be appreciated, however, that there are limits on exempting products from this requirement. The new subsection 30(1.1) contains this limit as follows:

30 (1.1) a regulation may be made under paragraph (1)(d) [the section governing the designation of therapeutic products] only if the Governor in Council is satisfied that the therapeutic product is one that by its nature does not need to be the subject of an assessment of its benefits and risks.

This means that the federal cabinet could only exempt NHPs or a class of NHPs from the new proof of efficacy requirement “if” they are satisfied that “by its nature” it does not need to be subject to a benefit and risk analysis. This is very vague and there is no mechanism in place for making submissions to the cabinet.

If Bill C-51 passes, those in the industry such as our advisory board who would like to see NHPs to be presumed safe until proven to be dangerous will be disappointed. It would require a change to the new Act as opposed to a change to the regulations.

“Import for sale” is added to the old drug provisions.

The old drug provisions of the Act which are now the “therapeutic product” provisions now include a prohibition for importing for sale although this addition is not highlighted in the proposed Bill as other changes are.

A Prohibition against selling prescription “therapeutic products” without a prescription is added to the Act.

The Regulations currently provide that prescription drugs (that is those listed in Schedule F of the Regulations) are only available by those authorized to write prescriptions. This is now being put as part of the Act as opposed to the Regulations.

There are other changes and it is not clear to me yet whether or not it will now be Health Canada as opposed to the provinces who will be determining who is eligible to write prescriptions, although I view that as an area of provincial jurisdiction.

Why the prescription drug issue is important to the NHP industry is that Health Canada currently has a policy that if you can extract a prescription drug substance from a plant or animal, then that plant or animal can only be sold by prescription. So for example, green and black tea contain a prescription substance but Health Canada has not yet started attacking NHPs with tea as an ingredient.

Again part of the general tightening in Bill C-51.

Inspection and Seizure Powers are Increased

The inspection and seizure powers found in s. 23 of the Act are increased to:

· give inspectors authority to enter private property to prevent non-compliance with the Act or Regulations;

· enter conveyances for the purposes of inspections;

· enter places where even a document relating to the Act and Regulations may be located. Currently inspectors are restricted to places where articles to which the Act or regulations apply are manufactured, prepared, preserved, packaged or stored. Note that document is defined in Bill C-51 to include information that can be read by a computer or device so if your blackberry is in your car the car can be searched;

· take samples free of charge. This is interesting for two reasons. First, there is no limit to the value of the samples. Second, although the current wording of the section does not state that Health Canada should pay for samples they take, it was clearly the intention of the government that they do pay for them. Prior to the current wording the Act specifically set out that Health Canada had to pay fair value for samples they took. When the new wording was introduced the Minister made it clear that although the wording changed that the samples were to be paid for. This can be found in the Hansard for April 21, 1953 where the Minister is asked:

Q. In the matter of taking samples, the section says that the inspector may take samples and examine them. No provision is made in section 21 for leaving the sample. Later on in the bill we are going to come to the point of a court case on the analysis of a sample.
A. When an inspector takes the sample he pays for it, of course.

There is a general principle that the government cannot take property without compensating the owner. Is it necessary to abandon that principle in this case?

· seize and detain for any time anything connected to the Act and Regulations, such as your products and equipment. This is a significant change. Currently, an inspector can only seize if he/she “believes on reasonable grounds” the article is connected to a violation of the Act or Regulations. Now an inspector can seize all of your property without the pre-condition that he/she believes it is connected to a violation of the Act.

The addition of “for any time” is also a change. Previously articles could only be held for such time “as may be necessary” and in connection with a violation. So for example, if your property was seized for a labelling problem and you printed correct labels, the property should be released. Now the property can be held for any time and for any reason. This raises a question as to why such new broad and sweeping seizure powers are necessary?

Keep in mind that Health Canada always has access to the search warrant provisions found in the Criminal Code. These provisions have been used by Health Canada and seem to work adequately for other federal regulatory bodies. What is going to occur that requires seizure without a warrant, without any reason, without reporting back to a Court or Justice, and without any time constraints?

· enter on and pass through or over private property without any liability and without the owner of the property having the right to object;

· charge the owner for storage of seized property. Now not only can Health Canada seize property for any length of time, but the new s. 23.3 gives them the right to charge you for the moving and storage. I am aware of one company that has had product seized for 5 years. Under this new provision they would be liable for ongoing storage costs. This is unprecedented. Usually the government can only seize private property for violations and it is very unusual for their to be fees for the storage of what is then considered to be evidence;

· if inspectors believe on reasonable grounds the seized property could be injurious to human health they can dispose of it at the expense of the owner or direct the owner to dispose of it. Currently inspectors have to either obtain the owner’s consent or apply to a Court to have product destroyed. This protects the property owner by ensuring that an impartial Judge will make the decision. It is difficult to understand why it is in anyone’s interest to take away the current safeguards;

· property is immediately forfeited after 60 days unless an owner is identified. No application to a Court is necessary. I find this interesting as I was involved in a case in which product was seized but for prosecution purposes Health Canada was going to have difficulty proving ownership. Now if in doubt Health Canada can simply seize enough of your property that you will go bankrupt if you do not claim it and hence solve the proof of ownership issue. It is highly unusual for their to be forfeiture without a Court order. The costs of destruction can be charged to the owner or person entitled to possession.

Inspectors are given apparently unlimited powers to direct your actions and do “anything” for even the slightest suspected violation of the Act or Regulations

The new section 23.8 gives inspectors extremely broad powers. If the inspector believes on reasonable grounds there is a contravention of the Act or Regulations they can direct you to:

a) stop doing something that is in contravention of the Act or the regulations or cause it to be stopped; or

b) take a measure that is necessary to identify or respond to a risk of injury to health that is related to the activity that is the subject of the contravention.

This means that if an inspector who does not understand the NHP industry, and who is not qualified to make health decisions tells a manufacturer to stop selling an essential product, or tells a natural health practitioner not to provide a product their patients rely upon, that the manufacturer or natural health practitioner is committing an offence if they do not comply.

The new section 24 also gives Health Canada the authority to require a product recall. Currently Health Canada cannot require a recall.

I am of the opinion that the recall provision is directed at the NHP industry. As discussed above, I do not think there is a problem with the chemical pharmaceutical industry recalling when Health Canada asks them to recall.

There are problems in the NHP industry with companies refusing to recall. This is because often it is dangerous for a NHP company to issue a recall. The most obvious example is that of Truehope Nutritional Support. The Alberta Court found that Truehope would have caused suicides and hospitalizations if they had listened to Health Canada’s demand to take the product off of the market. The decision can be found at: http://www2.albertacourts.ab.ca/jdb/2003-/pc/criminal/2006/2006abpc0196.pdf

When a NHP manufacturer asks me whether they should follow a Health Canada demand for a recall, I have to first get information from them as to whether or not any Canadians rely upon the product for their health. If they do then I have to advise them about the Criminal Code criminal negligence provisions which would make them liable to criminal prosecution if they removed a product from the market that people relied upon, and for which there were not obvious alternatives.

When Health Canada inspectors demand that NHPs be recalled or removed, they are in effect making decisions that affect people’s health. In determining whether these inspectors should be given blanket power to recall and seize products, we need to consider whether we want untrained persons making health decisions. Currently to force a recall Health Canada would need to seek an injunction in Court. Under this procedure the Court would consider the risk of removing the NHP before making an order. In assessing these new powers, we need to consider whether we want to remove the Court’s oversight which is currently required.

Bill C-51 adds the right to apply to a Court for an injunction. This right already exists under the Federal Court Act and so this is not a significant change except that it may enable provincial superior courts to consider injunction applications.

You are now told where to keep your documents, which includes computer records

The new section 25 and 26 require you to keep your documents “in Canada at a prescribed place”. Remember documents is defined to include electronic documents and would also cover your web-sites.

Again part of the general tightening in Bill C-51.

Expanded powers to make regulations

For the purpose of this discussion paper I am not going to go into the specifics of the expanded powers except to comment that the Minister’s powers to make regulations is expanded.

The new offence of not listening to an inspector

Section 31 is amended to make it an offence not to do something that the Minister or an inspector directs you to do. Similarly it is an offence to do something the Minister or an inspector tells you not to do.

As discussed above, this is particularly problematic for natural health practitioners who would be violating the new Act if they failed to take health decision advice from an inspector.

An incredible increase in penalties for violating the Act or Regulations along with New Offences.

There are two types of offences under the Act: indictable offences and summary conviction offences. Indictable offences are considered more serious than summary conviction offences.

The current penalties are:

· for summary conviction offences a fine of up to $500 and/or imprisonment of up to 3 months for a first offence, and a fine of up to $1,000 and/or up to 6 months incarceration for subsequent offences, and

· for indictable offences a fine of up to $5,000 and/or imprisonment for up to 3 years.

The new penalties are:

· for summary conviction offences a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 6 months for a first offence, and a fine of up to $500,000 and/or up to 18 months of incarceration for subsequent offences, and

· For indictable offences a fine of up to $5,000,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 2 years.

This is not a doubling or tripling of fines. In the case of indictable offences the fine is increased by a multiple of 1000 times. In the case of summary conviction offences the fine is increased by a multiple of 500 times.

This raises the question as to why it is necessary to raise the primary penalty by multiples of 500 and 1000. This is probably unprecedented in Canadian history.

Again, we need to ask who the changes are directed towards and whether they will be beneficial for the industry.

There are also new offences for wilfully or recklessly violating the Act or Regulations or not listening to the Minister or an inspector. The penalties for these new wilful or reckless offences are higher. They are:

· For summary conviction offences a fine of up to $500,000 and/or imprisonment for up to 18 months for a first offence, and a fine of up to $1,000,000 and/or imprisonment of up to two years for subsequent offences, and

· for indictable offences “a fine the amount of which is at the discretion of the court or to imprisonment for a term of not more than five years or to both”.

Please note that in all of my years defending companies in Court, I have never seen Health Canada charge only one offence. In one case there were 73 charges. Under ten would be an exception. So when considering whether a company could survive sentencing, do not calculate a single fine for a single offence. Rather assume multiple fines for multiple offences.

These are penalties that few manufacturers or natural health practitioners could survive. Small and medium manufacturers along with natural health practitioners now face bankruptcy for violations of the Act or Regulations.

Directors and officers of corporations are now also personally responsible for violations of the Act and Regulations and so are also facing personal bankruptcy if there is any violation of the Act or Regulations.

Need for input

This draft document is admittedly only a cursory consideration of Bill C-51. However, because the Bill presents significant changes that may be extremely damaging to the NHP industry, we felt that it was necessary to prepare an initial discussion document to get the various stakeholders aware of the issues presented by the Bill.

It is essential that stakeholders and stakeholder groups take the time to examine Bill C-51 and to draw their own conclusions.

We will be inviting the various stakeholder groups to discuss the issues to see if there is consensus on how the industry should proceed and how they can take a leadership role in protecting the industry.

I anticipate that my very quick analysis will contain errors and that some of you will correct them. I thank you in advance for your input. I am also looking forward to issues that I missed or avoided being brought forward.

For those of you who would like to send their comments by email, probably the best email address to use is shawn@buckleyandcompany.net. Please restrict your use of this email address to your comments on this Discussion Paper.

Shawn Buckley

Please read, understand, and act now. Sign a petition, let the governement know how you feel!

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/169/petition-to-stop-bill-c51

Find out what you can do to stop Bill C-51

http://www.stopc51.com/c51/what_you_can_do.asp

Karen Langston 1-877-215-6824 karen@iamworthit2.com

New Tests find BPA in Kid's Food Containers

2008-05-28T20:10:00.006-07:00

Many people are unaware that some canned goods may contain questionable doses of the controversial chemical BPA.

A controversial chemical that Health Canada is moving to ban in baby bottles has turned up in tests conducted on cans for foods commonly served to Canadian children.
Tests conducted on the food cans for CTV News and The Globe and Mail shows similar or higher levels of bisphenol A than in baby bottles.
While baby bottles leach about 6 parts per billion of bisphenol A (BPA), the exclusive tests of food cans show:
A can of children's ravioli leached 6 parts per billion.
A can of peas and carrots leached 7 parts per billion.
A can of tomato juice leached 14 parts per billion.
In this study, the first of its kind in Canada, the method of testing used most closely mimics the canning process. Fourteen cans of popular Canadian foods were sent to XenoAnalytical LLC, a laboratory in Columbia, Mo . The cans were emptied of food and rinsed five times before being filled with water and heated for 24 hours at 95 C.
(The food itself from each can could not be accurately tested because other chemicals in the food could interfere with measuring the BPA.)
Studies have shown when cans are heated in the manufacturing process, BPA leaches out of the linings. Foods are first sealed in cans and heated to kill bacteria in the food. Cans are heated to temperatures between 116 C and 121 C, and the length of time varies according to the type of food.
"The tests we did in the cans are fairly conservative," said Julia Taylor, the lab technician that conducted the tests.
"We used water, which is less likely to pull out BPA in a can."
Because these findings show that BPA leached out of the cans and into water, it can be assumed that the chemical is leaching into the food itself when the cans are heated during the pasteurization process, Taylor said.
Environmental Defence, an advocacy group that has long called for a ban on BPA, conducted its own study into BPA levels in plastic baby bottles. It found that many of the bottles, manufactured by popular name brand companies, leached from five to eight parts of BPA per billion when heated.

Rick Smith, the executive director of Environmental Defence, finds these new results troubling.
"They should be concerning for every Canadian, not just because of the implications for their kids but also what it means for adult Canadians," Smith said. "It turns out that we are marinating in this chemical."
Researchers say the effects of BPA are cumulative in children.
"You can get an exposure from a canned food, also from a drink and from another product," Taylor said. "Little by little these exposures add up to a bigger hit."
Last month, Health Canada announced plans to ban plastic baby bottles that contain BPA and would be moving to restrict the use of BPA in the linings of cans of baby formula. Its own studies on cans of baby formula found BPA levels ranging from 2.3 parts per billion to 10.2 parts per billion.
However, these new findings suggest that the government should be restricting the chemical's use in other canned foods that are popular with children, such as soup and juice, Smith said.
"If Health Canada is really interested in protecting kids, it is time to take that next step and to get this chemical out of tin cans," Smith said.
Health Canada said that by its own assessment, the levels of BPA found in cans pose no risk to adults. However, the government body has started to measure levels of BPA that accumulate in people's bodies.
Industry says results below levels of concern
Research indicates that BPA mimics the effects of the hormone estrogen in the body. In laboratory rats, exposure to the chemical has been associated with decreased sperm production. In developing animals, BPA exposure has been linked to a predisposition to prostate and breast cancer, as well as reproductive problems.
"I don't think we should expose children to chemicals like this unnecessarily," Taylor said.
BPA is used to manufacture many household items, and can be found in hard plastic baby bottles, home electronics, car interiors and the linings of food and beverage cans.
However, the canning industry maintains that the levels of BPA most Canadians are exposed to are safe.
John Rost, chairman of the North American Metal Packing Alliance (NAMPA), responded to these new findings in a statement released to CTV. Rost said that the results are not surprising and represent safe levels of the chemical.
"Based on our review of the testing results provided by CTV, it appears that the BPA levels found in the sample foods and beverages are entirely consistent with the trace levels of BPA we would expect to find in these products," Rost said.
"The trace BPA levels detected are hundreds of times below levels of concern established by Health Canada, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the European Food Safety Authority."
But scientists that study BPA say that even just 25 parts per trillion of the chemical, or a fraction of what was found in the can tests, is enough to adversely affect the health of laboratory animals.
Dr. Ana Soto, an endocrinologist at Tufts University in Massachusetts, said no one really knows for sure what constitutes a safe level of BPA.
"Governments cannot say that they know that there is a dose that is safe," said Soto.
"They cannot say that today because we don't know that as scientists, so they don't know that either."
One American company has already started putting its products in BPA-free cans.
Eden Foods, a natural food company, switched to BPA-free cans in 1999. Before then, Eden Foods President Michael Potter had asked can manufacturers about chemicals in the linings, but his queries were rebuffed. He was also assured that BPA wasn't harmful, despite hearing rumblings out of Europe that questioned the safety of the chemical.
"I have children and grandchildren, and I would like to feel proud about giving them the foods Eden Foods puts together," Potter said.
Note: This testing also included two beer cans and found they leached between 8 and 9 parts per billion of BPA. As well, a can of apple juice leached 18 parts per billion.
However, because beer and apple juice are not heated to as high a temperature as other foods during the pasteurization process, they are usually tested at lower temperatures.
In fact, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario's Quality Assurance division conducted its own tests on beer cans and wine bottles and found only negligible amounts of BPA.
See the links at right for the full study, as well as the responses from companies cited in the findings.
Based on a report by CTV's medical specialist Avis Favaro and producer Elizabeth St. Philip
Procedural information for testing
Cans were analyzed for leaching of bisphenol A (BP A) into hot water by HPLC with CoulArray detection. The standard curve in our assay ranges from 0.05 - 4 nanograms per HPLC run. For analysis of BPA in 1 liter of water after solid phase extraction, this results in a limit of quantitation of 2.5 parts per trillion (2.5 pg/ml). Values below and above the range of the standard curve are outside the limit of quantitation of the assay. Samples labeled as "non detectable (ND)" indicates that there was no evidence for the presence of BPA in the sample.
In more detail, cans were rinsed five times with chlorine-free water, and then filled with water and incubated for 24 hours at 95oC. Water in glass bottles, either untreated or spiked with BPA, were run as negative and positive controls, respectively. After the 24-hour incubation, the samples were concentrated using C18 Sep-pak vac cartridges. The eluted bisphenol A was passed through an NH2 cartridge and then quantified using HPLC with CoulArray detection.

Karen Langston 1-877-215-6824 karen@iamworthit2.com

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