Category: Natural Health

Organic Fashion: Should We Worry About Toxins in Our Clothes?

(DrFrankLipman – Mia James) If you eat a mostly organic diet and increasingly use organic skincare and cleaning products, it probably feels like a logical next step to buy organic clothing. But because of the higher prices and limited availability of organic garments, you may wonder if it’s worth it—what’s the real risk of clothing produced the conventional way? Let’s take a look at what “organic” means when it comes to fashion.

Are There Chemicals In Your Shirt?

If you pull on an article of clothing, let’s say a 100% cotton, blue T-shirt with some kind of print on it, are there chemicals lurking in the fabric? Unfortunately, yes, although they might not be what you’d think. Rather than coming from the cotton itself, most of the toxins in the T-shirt come from what happens long after the pesticides have been sprayed on the crops. Ever wonder what the “new” smell is on clothing, a smell that sometimes even sticks around after a washing? Your favorite shirt might contain one or more of the following chemicals:

  • Azo dyes. These synthetic colorants may release carcinogenic amines (ammonia derivatives), and have been recognized as human bladder carcinogens. Azo dyes are also environmental pollutants.
  • Formaldehyde. This known carcinogen is used prevent clothing from wrinkling. Many popular brands of baby clothes are shown to contain formaldehyde in concentrations as high as 18,000 ppm (parts per million). Supposedly, exposure up to 20 ppm is safe for babies, but I’d rather have zero, thank you!
  • Nonylphenol ethoxylates. These cheap, hormone-disrupting surfactants are sometimes used by the textile industry, and wind up in our water supply when we launder clothing that contains them.
  • Perfluorochemicals. PFCs work beautifully to repel water and stains, but they also break down into a toxic blood contaminant that’s linked with tumor growth and reproductive problems. PFCs are found in wrinkle-, stain-, and water-resistant clothing items, including those with Scotchgard and Gore-Tex tags.
  • Phthalates. Yes, these notorious hormone-disruptors are even in our clothing, often found in either in the dyes or in plastisol prints.

What About Pesticides?

Organic growing methods mean a lot to the environment, as well as to all the hands that actually work among the plants. Cotton that is not grown organically is treated with pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers. Harvesting organic cotton is much safer for the workers who pick it, and those living near cotton crops won’t have pesticides in their water sources.

But in terms of the person wearing the clothing? The toxins used to farm the fiber are almost certainly washed out in the processing of the fiber, so you’re unlikely to get much pesticide exposure by wearing those clothes. I still tell my clients to wash clothing before their kids wear it, because young children are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of pesticides.

What the “Organic” Label on Clothing Means

Frankly, seeing an “organic” tag on clothing used to be all but meaningless, since manufacturers could take organically grown cotton and treat it with all of the chemicals listed above before selling it. Starting in 2011, however, clothing labeled as organic must be certified by the National Organic Program. In particular, you should look for clothing that is certified by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)–this means that the fibers are organic, and also that the garment contains no toxic finishes, dyes, chlorine, or formaldehyde, among other restrictions. The GOTS certification also ensures that the clothing you’re purchasing didn’t employ child labor, and all workers were paid a living wage.

The Bottom Line on Organic Clothes

Although pesticide exposure from your T-shirt is probably negligible, there are a host of other noxious chemicals used in the clothing manufacturing process, many of which remain even after repeated washings. Look for GOTS-certified clothing to ensure your purchases are safe for the environment, the workers who made the garment, and the person wearing it. For recommended brands of organic baby clothes, check out this Safe Baby Clothing Guide.

Natural Childbirth is Key to Beginning Life With a Strong Immune System

(NaturalNews – David Gutierrez) Children delivered by cesarean section (C-section) may end up with hampered immune systems, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Copenhagen and published in the Journal of Immunology on July 10.

“The study shows that [mice] delivered by Caesarean section had developed a lower number of cells that strengthen the immune system,” researcher Camilla Hartmann Friis Hansen said.

C-sections linked to hampered immune function

A C-section consists of surgically removing a child from a mother’s abdomen, rather than allowing the child to emerge naturally through the birth canal. Although C-sections are medically recommended only in cases where a vaginal delivery would threaten the mother or child’s life, U.S. C-section rates have now reached record highs.

This trend has been widely attributed to the fact that C-sections offer increased profit and convenience for doctors. But studies have shown that C-section deliveries carry health costs.

“Babies born via C-sections have an increased chance of having to be administered into the NICU [neonatal intensive care unit] and suffer from breathing problems,” said Maureen Corry, Executive Director of Childbirth Connection. “Mothers are more likely to have a major infection, they are at higher risk for embolisms, for bleeding, and for long term consequences… some of which can be life threatening.”

Studies have also shown that children delivered by C-section have a different composition of microorganisms (flora) in their guts from children delivered vaginally. Given the role that intestinal flora play in regulating many of the body’s systems, this difference may account for some of the long-term health effects observed in C-section children, including higher rates of allergies and asthma and a 20 percent higher risk of diabetes.

Body less able to recognize harmless bacteria

In the new study, researchers compared the immune development of mouse pups delivered via C-section with pups delivered vaginally. They found that the C-section mice had significantly lower levels of a type of immune cell that plays a key role in preventing the immune system from attacking harmless bacteria or the body’s own cells.

These findings are particularly important because autoimmune disorders such as allergies, type 1 diabetes and Crohn’s disease are characterized by improper immune reactions that target harmless substances or the body’s organs. The researchers now hope to study whether mice delivered via C-section are predisposed to autoimmune diseases.

“The experiments on mice may give us an idea of what would be interesting to study in more detail in clinical trials, so that in the long term, we may be able to develop methods for strengthening the immune system in newborns who are predisposed to autoimmune diseases,” Professor Axel Kornerup Hansen said.

The study also appears to support the hygiene hypothesis, which posits that exposure to harmless substances and microorganisms from the environment (such as the natural flora of the mother’s birth canal) plays a key role in developing the immune system of newborns and children. According to this hypothesis, an overly sterile environment can actually harm the immune system.

A study conducted by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital and presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in 2013 also suggests that C-sections may interfere with healthy immune development. In that study, researchers found that, by age two, children delivered via C-section were more likely to demonstrate an elevated immune response when exposed to common allergens. This “sensitization” is considered the first step in developing allergies.

“This further advances the hygiene hypothesis that early childhood exposure to microorganisms affects the immune system’s development and onset of allergies,” lead author Christine Cole Johnson said. “We believe a baby’s exposure to bacteria in the birth canal is a major influencer on their immune system.”

Sources for this article include: 
http://healthsciences.ku.dk
http://www.naturalnews.com
http://www.naturalnews.com
http://www.naturalnews.com
http://science.naturalnews.com

The Negative Effects of Electronics on Human Health

Ours is a time when there is no denying the positive impacts of technology. But that is just one side of the coin. When you check the dark underbelly of technology, you will discover how your electronic gadgets can pose possible risks and hazards to your health.

Physical Strains

In some cases, excessive texting and swiping using your smartphones and tablet can lead to inflamed tendons, thumb joints, and index fingers. Modern computing technology tends to involve overuse of our thumbs and index fingers. Although we do the pressing, tapping, and swiping very lightly, the physical strains of these long and repetitive actions can lead to stress injuries. Think about texting thumb and articular degeneration. A person can suffer from pain of the wrist, weakness of the grip, and popping sounds when moving one’s fingers.

It’s rather reassuring that most of the text apps today use predictive entries or auto-correct functions to make input easier without spelling out every character of a word, but if you consider users’ very frequent interactions with their phones, those features barely help.

Use both thumbs when texting: Some of us use just one finger from our dominant hand to manipulate our devices. We use that one thumb with fewer breaks, thereby putting stress on it.

Poor Posture

Poor posture is, more often than not, a product of bad childhood habits. If a child gets used to poor postures like forward head, hunched back, or rounded shoulders, he is likely to carry them over to adulthood – all because of too much use of handheld devices like cell phones, tablets or even gaming consoles. If you’re a parent, it is your duty to teach your kids proper posture. A growing child needs to maintain excellent posture for the healthy development of their bones and joints.

Dr. Ewa Gustafsson, a researcher and ergonomist at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, conducted a study about the mobile phone habits of 56 young adults who send text messages every day. Half of the respondents say they suffer from arm, wrist, neck, and back pain due to prolonged use of their cell phones.

There are ways to avoid these problems, though. If you can prevent it, don’t sit in the same position for a long time. Avoid hunching your back, as well, when texting.

Disrupted Sleeping Patterns

Refrain from using handheld electronics at least 2 hours before you jump into bed. The artificial light from your mobile phone or tablet hinders your pineal gland from producing melatonin – a hormone that stabilizes the human body’s circadian rhythm, widely known as our 24-hour biological clock. Because your brain associates light with complete wakefulness, it may disrupt your bio clock and tell you to stay awake even if it is already time to sleep.

This is why heavy electronics use is linked to an increase in stress, sleep disorders, and depression in both men and women. These sleep-related problems affect those people in the ICT industry, where work requires them to use computers intensively and to always communicate through their phones.

Also, at nighttime, don’t watch TV shows or movies that cause adrenaline rush, like horror, suspense or action-packed movies. These movies keep your mind awake even hours after they had ended. You will be hard-pressed to catch some restorative sleep afterwards. Think about how you will fare the next day – whether at school or at work – if you lack sleep the night before.

Ariana Huffington was right when she said, “Let’s sleep our way to the top!”

Obesity

Any handheld gizmo today can morph into an entertainment tool if you think about the hundreds of thousands of available game and leisure apps that one can download in a few clicks. Your smartphone or tablet can be an instant gaming console! But the bad news is when you hit the point where you become addicted to video games. Apart from the repetitive strain injuries we mentioned, prolonged use promotes a sedentary lifestyle. And you know what the result? Obesity!

So fear, fear, fear!

Risk of Cancer

If you’re asking if our electronic gadgets emit radiation, the answer is yes. However if you run a quick search on Google, the views of the experts about whether or not this radiation heightens the risk of cancer are divided. For some, radiation causes cancer, kills neurons, and weakens our immune system. Others say that the radiation from our devices is only of small amount and low doses of it actually help our health and our thinking abilities. Take it to be true though, modern tech users tend to own a couple or more gadgets, and the cumulative amount of radiation they emit can have an adverse effect on our health.

Considering the indispensable role of electronics in our lives (and I’m sure not many would be willing to let go of their mobile companions), the scientists are looking at a way to neutralize the radiation that humans absorb from it. Their goal is to balance out the amount of radiation to zero. Although the research for has just begun, this certainly spells hope for people whose jobs require them to use electronics like cell phones and tablets all the time.

Here are some tips you can do to avoid too much exposure on radiation:

  • Don’t use your phone for calls when it shows low battery. It uses more power and emits more radiation. It’s always better to place the phone farther away from your body so text if your phone hits low bat.
  • In the same way, if signal quality is poor, don’t force the device to send SMS or call because it emits radiation that is twice as strong.
  • Set up your wireless router in a little-used area. As much as possible, shield yourself away from radiation, so don’t install it near the bedroom or in the living room or anywhere the family spends most of their time.
  • Turn off your phone’s Bluetooth and your PCs wireless connectivity function. It invites a meet up with other electronic devices and exposes you to electromagnetic fields.
  • Whenever possible, use a cord to connect to the internet instead of enabling your device’s wireless connection.

Worse, recent studies show that our mobile phones, for example, contain perfluorooctanic acid (PFOA), a carcinogen usually found in non-stick cookware and fabric treatments. This toxic chemical is found to be in the bloodstream of 95% of Americans and is accounted to contribute to heart diseases, cancers, and reproductive illnesses.

Let me cite a health platitude that bears a thousand repetitions: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So with all those caveats about our electronics, whether true or not, it’s always better to ensure your family’s and your safety. Yes, even from something as innocuous as the tiny gizmos we find very helpful in our lives.

The Benefits of Astragalus

Astragalus is an essential herb for cold and flu season and is well known to help fight viral & bacteria infections, inflammation, and even cancer. It quickly and effectively strengthens the immune system and increases white blood count which makes it highly beneficial for warding off and reducing the effects of colds, flu, respiratory ailments, herpes, shingles, and immune system disorders.

Astragalus is also excellent at promoting circulation and helping to reduce chest pains, lower high blood pressure, and prevent cardiovascular problems such as arrhythmia and heart disease. Astragalus is great for managing diabetes and helping to lower blood sugar. It is highly beneficial for the liver and kidneys and has been shown to help those suffering from hepatitis, chronic nephritis, jaundice, and renal disease. It can also help to lower stomach acidity which helps those suffering from ulcers and indigestion. It helps to prevent fats from being absorbed from the intestines which promotes healthy waste elimination.

Astragalus has also been found to help boost metabolism and increase energy and endurance levels which ultimately can lead to substantial weight loss. Astragalus works well with conventional treatments and has even shown to be an effective complement to those undergoing chemotherapy and HIV/AIDS treatments. It has long been used as an anti-aging and longevity tonic that enhances all the systems of the body and promotes overall health and balance.

Astragalus is commonly found online or at your local health food store in tincture, extract, capsule, or tea form. The highest quality astragalus extract powder that can be added to tea, smoothies, and soups can also be found online at http://vimergy.com/categories/all-products/astragalus-extract-powder-50g.html

 

The Health Benefits of Asparagus

Asparagus is a fantastic healing vegetable that is high in essential minerals such as selenium, zinc, and manganese which are vital for a strong and healthy immune system. It is also high in vitamins A, K, and B-complex including folate which is a building block for a healthy cardiovascular system and for woman who are trying to conceive.

Asparagus contains aspartic acid which is an amino acid that neutralizes excess amounts of ammonia in the body that is often the cause of exhaustion, headaches, and poor digestion. Asparagus contains significant amounts of healthy fiber and protein which helps to maintain blood sugar levels, prevent constipation, stabilize digestion, and stop the urge to overeat. It also contains a compound called asparagine which is a natural diuretic that breaks up oxalic and uric acid crystals stored in muscles and in the kidneys and eliminates them through the urine. This natural diuretic is helpful in reducing water retention, bloating, and swelling in the body.

Asparagus is also high in glutathione which is an antioxidant powerhouse and particularly beneficial for those suffering with autoimmune conditions, liver disease, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Asparagus is known to help strengthen the liver, kidneys, skin, ligaments, and bones and it’s chlorophyll content makes it a great blood builder. Asparagus also contains inulin which encourages good bacteria in the gut that boosts nutrient absorption and helps to keep the immune system functioning properly.

Asparagus is a nutrient-packed, delicious vegetable that can be eaten raw or steamed and added to soup, salads, stews, rice, and/or veggie dishes.