Often in life, our biggest problems are those we brought upon ourselves; the same could be said for medical problems. Many of our modern diseases and ailments are completely preventable and only present because we have somehow deprived our bodies of the ability to heal themselves. In that same vein, one of the biggest concerns of the health world is an infection that cannot be stopped, an issue largely due to the overuse of antibiotics. But there are many potential solutions for this issue - lavender is one of those solutions.

Summer is fast approaching. It is a time when I see fear rampant on the beach in the form of slathering chemicals on our children's skin or covering them from head to toe. We don't want them to get cancer from the sun, do we?? So we do our due diligence and cover ourselves and our children with whatever our conscience allows.

But what if the sun really doesn't cause skin cancer?

Oh, I know we've been told for years that the depletion of the ozone layer decreases our atmosphere's natural protection from the sun's supposedly "harmful" ultraviolet (UV) rays.

We've been told that these rays damage the skin's cellular DNA which then produce genetic mutations that can lead to skin cancer. And of course the US Department of Health and Human Services and the World Health Organization both have identified UV light as a proven human carcinogen. The CDC even tells us a few serious sunburns can increase your child's risk of getting skin cancer. Pretty scary stuff, huh? No wonder we cover ourselves and our children with chemicals or clothing - we'd be a fool not to!

This isn't a leak. It isn't a timid flow. It's a flood.

I'm talking about about the criticism of Monsanto's so-called science of genetically-engineered food.

For the past 20 years, independent researchers have been attacking Monsanto science in various ways, and finally the NY Times has joined the crowd.

But it's the way Mark Bittman, lead food columnist for the Times magazine, does it that really the crashes the whole GMO delusion. Writing in his April 2 column, "Why Do G.M.O.'s Need Protection?", Bittman leads with this:

"Genetic engineering in agriculture has disappointed many people who once had hopes for it."

As in: the party's over, turn out the lights.

Few people are familiar with the term nightshades, and many will be surprised to learn that consuming foods from this plant group may be contributing to their pain and inflammation. Nightshades belong to the Solanaceae family which includes over 2,000 species. They also include some of the most popular foods consumed today; such as tomatoes, potatoes, all types of peppers, and eggplant. Although not truly nightshades, blueberries, huckleberries, goji berries and ashwaganda all share the same inflammation-inducing alkaloids.

The Solanaceae family contains cholinesterase inhibiting glycoalkaloids and steroid alkaloids including, among others, solanine in potato and eggplant, tomatine in tomato, nicotine in tobacco, and capsaicin in garden peppers. The glycoalkaloids in potatoes are known to contribute to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and negatively affect intestinal permeability. (1,2)

According to Dr. Marvin Childers, "When these inhibitors accumulate in the body, alone or with other cholinesterase inhibitors such as caffeine or food impurities containing systemic cholinesterase inhibiting pesticides, the result may be a paralytic-like muscle spasm, aches, pains, tenderness, inflammation, and stiff body movements." (3)

These symptoms may dissipate in a few hours or days if ingestion is stopped, based on the sensitivity of the individual, the amount of nightshades consumed on a regular basis and their level of inflammation. However for some heavy consumers of nightshades the process of inflammation and pain reduction can take up to 3 months.

It's hard to overstate the impact that cardiovascular disease (CVD) has in the U.S.. Consider the following:

Cardiovascular disease affects 65 million Americans.

Close to one million Americans have a heart attack each year.

In the U.S., one person dies every 39 seconds of cardiovascular disease.

1 of 3 deaths that occurs in the U.S. is caused by cardiovascular disease.

1 in 3 Americans have metabolic syndrome, a cluster of major cardiovascular risk factors related to overweight/obesity and insulin resistance.

The total cost of cardiovascular disease in 2008 was estimated at $300 billion.

To put that last statistic in perspective, the World Health Organization has estimated that ending world hunger would cost approximately $195 billion. One might argue that the $300 billion we spend on treating cardiovascular disease in the U.S. is a necessary expenditure; however, a recent study which looked at the relationship between heart disease and lifestyle suggested that 90% of CVD is caused by modifiable diet and lifestyle factors. (1)

Unfortunately, cardiovascular disease is one of the most misdiagnosed and mistreated conditions in medicine. We've learned a tremendous amount about what causes heart disease over the past decade, but the medical establishment is still operating on outdated science from 40-50 years ago.

The number of confirmed H7N9 bird flu cases in China increased by four to 91 on Friday. Jiangsu province reported one new case, and Zhejiang province reported three, the state-run Shanghai Daily reported today. The number of dead was unchanged at 17.

An increasing focus among public health officials and the media is prospect that transmission of the disease is not only animal-to-animal but also human-to-human. More than half of the victims have had no contact with poultry, the newspaper said, citing agencies and its own reporting. "This is still an animal virus that occasionally infects humans," the newspaper quoted World Health Organization's China leader Michael O'Leary as saying. "With rare exceptions, we know that people are not getting sick from other people."

Beijing and major eastern Chinese cities have closed live poultry markets and are taking other precautions to limit the spread of the new virus. Chinese media this week estimated that the poultry industry has lost 17 billion yuan, or $2.7 billion. Officials are concerned about the livelihoods and future source of bird supply from chicken farmers.

In a world where creativity is deemed a "mental illness" by scientists, is it any wonder that a large portion of the population is on medications for some type of 'mental illness'? The old fashioned psychiatrist's writing pad for taking notes during talk therapy has been replaced by the prescription pad, granting the population with dangerous psychotropic drugs instead of simple talk therapy. DSM - The 'Psychiatric Bible'

Have you ever been in a situation involving a psychiatrist and a prescription pad? Oftentimes, all it takes is a single short-term visit and a reference to the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) to determine what to prescribe to individuals. Any future visits are only to adjust dosages or add other medications.

This has increased the profits of Big Pharma, attracting patients looking for magic fixes for minor problems that can be overcome with some common sense, or simply proper nutrition.

Even major psychological issues can be resolved with a competent psychologist who's ethical enough to not pamper one for the sake of a long client revenue relationship. Psychologists also used the DSM until 1980 when DSM-3 was published.

Carrie posted this wonderfully thought-provoking comment about her diabetic son:

My 13 yr old son was diagnosed over a year ago with Type 1 [diabetes]. Before his diagnosis, I was very 'green' - bought organic foods, bought meat from free-range, grass-fed local farms, cleaned my house with products I made myself from vinegar and natural products. But we did follow the low-fat, low-calorie, high-fiber, healthy whole grain diet. We were told "eat whatever you want" - just dose for it [with insulin] and be healthy (yep: low-fat, high-fiber, etc.)

I didn't think so: If he has a carb problem, then limit carbs! We immediately went low-carb, causing us to remove a lot of wheat products, but didn't know about the damages of gluten then.

His last two A1Cs [hemoglobin A1c's, a 60-90 day reflection of blood sugar fluctuations] have been 5.3% [normal range]. He was taken off his basal insulin and his bolus, continuing to less and less. Today, he is OFF insulin! YES, he is a Type 1 diabetic: They double-checked for the antibodies in case he was misdiagnosed - they are there. Even without insulin, his blood sugars are better than me or his dad, or even sister (we all check now). And all this while growing over 5 inches in one year, going through puberty and the stomach flu with no problems (scary for Type 1 diabetics).

His doctors are amazed. We all still did not know how he was this way, until someone shared with me Wheat Belly. We are all going completely gluten-free now and staying low-carb. Maybe my asthma will be gone and my daughter's horrible itchy rash all over her arms will finally leave!

Absolutely wonderful book, thank you!

As few as one diet soda daily may increase the risk for leukemia in men and women, and for multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in men, according to new results from the longest-ever running study on aspartame as a carcinogen in humans. Importantly, this is the most comprehensive, long-term study ever completed on this topic, so it holds more weight than other past studies which appeared to show no risk. And disturbingly, it may also open the door for further similar findings on other cancers in future studies.

The most thorough study yet on aspartame - Over two million person-years

For this study, researchers prospectively analyzed data from the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study for a 22-year period. A total of 77,218 women and 47,810 men were included in the analysis, for a total of 2,278,396 person-years of data. Apart from sheer size, what makes this study superior to other past studies is the thoroughness with which aspartame intake was assessed. Every two years, participants were given a detailed dietary questionnaire, and their diets were reassessed every four years. Previous studies which found no link to cancer only ever assessed participants' aspartame intake at one point in time, which could be a major weakness affecting their accuracy.

Cruelty toward babies starts at birth. It really starts before birth but that is another tale. Many parents have heard horror stories, and have serious doubts about vaccinating. Even that first injection of vitamin K is not without risk and danger. This article is for parents in the situation where they are forced into a corner for one of many reasons and feel like they have to vaccinate their children.

Often one parent is against and the other for vaccination. In the context of Humane Pediatrics it is strongly advised to avoid vaccines altogether so as to avoid the threatening edifice of medical and health complications that can stem from them. It should be obvious to the humane among us that it is also to avoid a type of suffering we should not wish on our dearest enemies - that of having to deal with a vaccine-damaged child.

This is also for adults who might have to take a vaccination to travel or for healthcare workers in hospitals and others in the military who are given little to no choice. You could find yourself someday with the army at the door and you better roll up your sleeve real quick and try to smile while you are freaking out.