Health & WellnessS


Cupcake Choco

Not surprising: Gluten intolerance could be possible cause of "unexplained infertility"

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Fertility experts said up to 25 per cent of infertile patients are classified as having "unexplained infertility", and an expert said a possible explanation could be intolerance to gluten.

Fertility experts said up to 25 per cent of infertile patients are classified as having "unexplained infertility", and an expert said a possible explanation could be intolerance to gluten.

Colleen Francisca has always had a sweet tooth. The 32-year-old decided to start a dessert parlour in 2012.

But last year, she experienced a serious allergic reaction after eating a pastry, and was forced to re-think her love of desserts.

Ms Francisca said: "I couldn't breathe. My airway closed up on me and my face started to swell."

A series of tests diagnosed Ms Francisca as gluten-intolerant.

Comment: Gluten causes much more problems that infertility. It is one of the most health damaging substances there is.
The Hidden Link Between Gluten Intolerance and PMS, Infertility and Miscarriage
Gluten Causes Nerve Damage
Gluten Sensitivity and Vertigo/Meniere's Disease
Gluten Intolerance Tied to Schizophrenia
Wheat gluten newly confirmed to promote weight gain


Pills

Fluoroquinolone neuropathy feels like acid burning and electrocution

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© Janet Murray"This is me before and after fluoroquinolone toxicity."
My name is Janet Murray, I am 57 years old. I do not even know how to put my health story into words so that the human mind can understand the pain I have lived with. I lived in Canada and had been given many courses of Cipro for various illnesses over the last 30 years. Sometime ago, I began developing a lot of strange problems that no one could diagnose. I had GI difficulties, body pain, migraines every week, severe interstitial cystitis - so severe they wanted to remove my bladder. Thankfully, they did not. I was given many diagnoses too, including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia. My cognitive abilities became so impaired. I loose words and my memory is shot. I had to leave my job with the Federal Government and work at home, at my own hours. I have been extremely fatigued for the last 25 years, but I never connected the dots between my health issues and the fluoroquinolone antibiotics like Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox and others until I blew out my forearm tendon, a classic post fluoroquinolone adverse reaction. It was only then that I began to learn more about the chronic symptoms that fluoroquinolone antibiotics evoke. I had them all and more. These symptoms didn't appear all at once, and so it was difficult to identify at first, but over time, my illnesses became readily apparent and progressive to the point that it was no longer a question of if I was poisoned by a fluoroquinolone, but how badly.

Let me back up a little though and give you some more details. For years, I was fatigued and suffering from post fluoroquinolone reactions, but I didn't know it. During that time, I had a long distance relationship with the love of my life in NJ. He waited and visited me back and forth for 10 years and I visited when I was well enough. When I was finally was well enough to immigrate to the US, I he asked me to marry him and so I stayed and had two wonderful years. We are jewelry designers and did the large shows. I functioned, at very low level and had to rest always, but I was living my dream. Even functioning at such a low level, I was happy after many years of hell.

Comment: For more information, see Beating and Treating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by Dr. Rodger Murphree and visit our diet and health forum for more clues as to how address long-standing health problems.


Hotdog

Subway says it will stop using shoe rubber chemicals in your bread

Subway Sandwich
© Subway

Subway announced this week that eventually it will stop using azodicarbonamide - a chemical used in yoga mats and shoe rubber - as an ingredient in its bread.

But representatives for Subway, which apparently does not use the chemical in its European or Australian markets, would not say when the company would actually effect the changes.

Although Subway claims the change was already underway, the announcement coincided with an online petition asking Subway to substitute healthier ingredients.

The petition, started by Vani Hari, an activist who has targeted other fast food companies over chemical ingredients, had more than 60,000 signatures by the time Subway responded.

Still, Subway's representatives refused to elaborate on the timeline.
A representative for Subway says the change was underway before the petition was launched, but did not immediately provide details on when it started or when it would be complete.

"The complete conversion to have this product out of the bread will be done soon," Subway said in a statement, without providing further details.

Arrow Down

Hilarious video exposes what 'Natural' products really mean

Natural
© Bill Hogan/Chicago Tribune
Millions have been duped by the use of corporate language within the food products industry - including myself before I became better educated about what terms like 'natural' and 'organic' really mean. In the case of 'natural', the term actually means virtually nothing.

And some individuals behind the organic movement have put together a funny yet informative video exposing this reality that I recommend you checkout below, even if you're fully aware of this tactic:


Comment: And USDA Certified Organic is an illusion as well! - The organic illusion


Attention

Mounting evidence links lead's toxic effects to criminal behavior

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When crime rates drop, politicians like to give themselves pats on the back for being "tough on crime." But a new theory explaining why violence has declined across the country since the 1990s is gaining credence, and it has nothing to do with the criminal justice system. An article in Chemical & Engineering News details the mounting data that suggests taking lead out of gas and paint has played a critical role.

Lauren K. Wolf, associate editor at C&EN, explains that violent crimes had reached an all-time high in the U.S. in the early '90s. But by the end of the decade, the homicide rate had plummeted by more than 40 percent. Multiple theories were batted around to explain the drop, from the mundane to the controversial. Was it due to an increase in police presence? Did the legalization of abortion lead to fewer unwanted babies who would grow into crime-prone adults? Recently, a new argument implicating lead exposure has gained prominence.

Eggs Fried

The organic illusion

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Slap a 'USDA Certified Organic' label on a product, and viola! It is safe, GMO-free, and healthy, right? If you are comfortable and feel safe believing that, then this article is not for you. However, if you think that somehow trusting the USDA - an agency that has proven time and time again that its sole purpose is to hand the act of producing food over to the hands of multinational agribusiness corporations such as Monsanto - with the truthful labeling of our supposedly 'organic' food is foolhardy at best, then read on.

Recently I posted "GMOs in USDA Organic Food" on Farm Wars. It is getting very little notice. Why? Because nobody wants to hear it. It tears apart the illusion of a 'safe' haven for non-GMO food. It attacks the bubble we create for ourselves, thinking that we can simply go to the store and pick up a can of 'USDA Certified Organic' food and feel safe. It makes us uncomfortable because it demands that we take responsibility for our food choices instead of relegating those choices to a government agency whose sole purpose is to subjugate and control. And we go home with our cans and jars and boxes of government-certified phony 'organic' food and feel good about ourselves that we made the right choice and have taken a stand for food safety.

Attention

Rising food allergies triggered by GMO ingredients in 80% of groceries?

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Are genetically modified foods connected to the rise of food allergies and digestive disorders?

Since genetically modified foods hit the market in the 1990s, allergies have skyrocketed. Studies compiled by Jeffrey M. Smith, head of the Institute for Responsible Technology and author of Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods show that common GM ingredients - in addition to synthetic chemical food additives - may be compromising the health of ordinary people in the United States and across the world.

Document

New research fuels Roundup weedkiller toxicity concerns

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Last year, groundbreaking research was published suggesting that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's broad-spectrum herbicide Roundup, might be "a crucially important factor in the development of multiple chronic diseases and conditions."

If you missed it, please take the time to listen to Jeff Smith's interview with one of the authors of that research, Dr. Stephanie Seneff. The lead author and researcher on this groundbreaking study was Anthony Samsel.

They spray nearly one BILLION pounds of Roundup every year for conventional crop production, but genetically engineered (GE) crops see some of the heaviest use, as so-called Roundup Ready crops are designed to withstand otherwise lethal doses of this chemical.

Tests published last year also showed that people in 18 countries across Europe have glyphosate in their bodies,1 while yet a third study revealed the chemical has estrogenic properties and drive breast cancer proliferation in the parts-per-trillion range.2

Now, research published in the International Journal of Toxicology3 in January adds even more fuel to the fire, as it reveals that glyphosate-based formulations like Roundup pose a threat to human health through cytotoxicity and oxidative effects. Such formulations were also found to be lethal to human liver cells.

You may think you are safe if you only eat organic produce but nothing could be further from the truth as most of the glyphosate contaminated crops are fed to animals. This means you also need to get organic meat and eggs. Also, beware you CANNOT wash glyphosate off your produce as it is actively integrated into every cell in the plant and impossible to wash off.

Info

Intense world: Autistic brains create 42% more information at rest

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© Khalid Al-khaterDo autistic children live in a hyper-real ‘intense world’?
A new study has found that the brains of autistic children produce, on average, 42% more information than non-autistic children when in a resting state (Velázquez & Galán, 2013).

This may explain why children with autism tend to withdraw into their own inner world and become socially detached.

One of the study's authors, Roberto Fernández Galán, explained:
"Our results suggest that autistic children are not interested in social interactions because their brains generate more information at rest, which we interpret as more introspection in line with early descriptions of the disorder."
Intense World Theory

The study supports a relatively new theory of autism called the "Intense World Theory" (Markram et al., 2007).

This theory suggests that autism is not a mental deficit, but a mental overload. Autistic children deal with this by trying to shut off the outside world.

Proponents say that autism can be described by hyper-perception, hyper-attention and hyper-memory.

Beaker

GMO 'Agent Orange crops' close to USDA approval

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© EPA
The US Department of Agricultural is seriously considering approving of different kinds of corn and soybean seed, which have been genetically engineered to be resistant to many herbicides - including the chemical known as 2,4-D.

This controversial proposal of the chemical's use has activists and researchers outraged. Different types of corn and soybean seeds genetically made to resist several herbicides could be approved by the government agency in the near future.

Dow Chemical created genetically engineered seed under the brand name Enlist to combat the increasing issue of "superweeds" that have started to resist Monsanto's Roundup herbicide. The product, Roundup, is used on an array of genetically engineered crops. These also go by the name of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Farmers will be able to use Enlist to fight off weeds, according to Dow. However, critics and researchers of the harsh chemical claim that 2,4-D is associated with severe health conditions. Creating a much stronger solution to combat against resistant weeds is not a viable answer to the hurdles that lay in the way of modern farming, as critics are quick to point out.