Health & WellnessS


Beaker

The latest pesticide on trial: Atrazine

Elizabeth Grossman
Civil Eats
Tue, 22 Dec 2015 18:33 UTC
Atrazine
© Crop DusterShutterstock/Brown
With California working to list atrazine as toxic to the reproductive system, three of the United States' most-widely used pesticides are under fire for adverse health effects.

The state of California has been working to list atrazine—the United States' second most-widely used herbicide—as toxic to the reproductive system under the state's Proposition 65, which requires public warnings to be posted when and where such chemicals are used. Now, a court decision coming as soon as January will determine how the state will move forward with the listing.

This is a big deal. And it comes at a time when several top herbicides are under fire. In March, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate—the active ingredient in the pesticide Roundup—as a probable human carcinogen. In August, IARC declared that 2,4-D, is probably carcinogenic to humans. And earlier this month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdrew its approval of a new herbicide called Enlist Duo, which combines glyphosate and 2,4-D.

Comment: More Stark Evidence of the Hazards of Atrazine
  • EPA Fails To Inform Public About Weed-Killer In Drinking Water
  • Debating How Much Weed Killer Is Safe in Your Water Glass
  • Herbicide Spurs Reproductive Problems In Many Animals
  • Atrazine in Water Tied to Menstrual Irregularities, Low Hormones
  • Atrazine Threat to Male Sexual Development Revealed
  • Atrazine Pesticide Causes Birth Defects
  • Common weed-killer chemically castrates frogs: study


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    Candle

    The wise men knew about the benefits of healing oils

    Erin Elizabeth
    Health Nut News
    Tue, 22 Dec 2015 17:46 UTC
    3 wise men
    In the last two years the essential oils market has exploded. While many have been quietly using them for years, and scientists have been studying their many uses, people seem to have only begun to understand their remarkable benefits, both for themselves and their families.

    Whether you're religious or have no religion at all; essential oils deserve a second look. These oils have been used for two thousand years and their benefits are well documented.
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    Megaphone

    Erin Brockovich seeks justice for the victims of the Porter Ranch gas leak

    Erin Brockovich
    msnbc.com
    Tue, 22 Dec 2015 17:28 UTC
    gas leak
    © ecowatchAn infrared, time-lapse video of the natural gas leak in Porter Ranch
    Since October, residents of Porter Ranch California have been exposed to dangerous contaminants from a massive natural gas leak that continues to seep into the air, causing a catastrophe the scale of which has not been seen since the 2010 BP oil spill.

    After only a week of visiting families in Porter Ranch, I am already experiencing the headaches, nausea and congestion that have plagued this community living at the center of one of the most significant environmental disasters in recent history.

    Southern California Gas Co., or SoCalGas, has essentially ignored the impact to victims and its actions have instead added to their suffering. The company has refused to release air quality data that could be used to protect its residents, it has made relocation very difficult, and it has forged ahead with plans to expand its facility before the leak has even been contained.

    Comment: Two months in, Porter Ranch gas leak compared to BP Gulf oil spill

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    Arrow Down

    The horrific truth about factory farmed chickens

    Yelena Sukhoterina
    AltHealth Works
    Mon, 21 Dec 2015 00:00 UTC
    chicken farming
    Today about 9 billion chickens are raised for food in the U.S. annually, a staggering 1400% increase from 50 years ago. Back then, the chicken were raised by more than 1.6 million independent farmers, while today less than 30,000 farms — many of them concentrated factory farms — raise billions of chickens.

    As you may have guessed, this increase has brought a ton of unintended consequences. Most people don't realize it, but a "simple" chicken dinner from the grocery store could have any of these 6 horrifying backstories attached to it:

    200 Million Baby Chicks Are Killed As Soon As Hatched

    Annually it has been estimated that 200 million baby chicks are killed, many ground up alive, as soon as they hatch. The only reason? They're male and therefore useless for egg production.

    In the past they were killed by asphyxiation with carbon dioxide, but the American Veterinary Medical Association recently added grinding to the list of acceptable ways to kill them. The chicks are not anesthetized before going through a grinder alive, according to this post from Discovery.

    Comment: CAFO's: The facts about factory farms

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    Apple Red

    New GMO apple is a health hazard, but the USDA approved it anyway

    Center for Food Safety
    Alternet
    Fri, 18 Dec 2015 19:47 UTC
    GMO apple
    Even the apple industry is opposed to what detractors have dubbed the "botox apple."

    After decades of promises from the biotech industry that genetically engineered (GE) food would feed the world, cure the sick, reduce agricultural dependence on toxic chemicals, and save countless crops from imminent collapse, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved a product they think will solve a problem humans have struggled with for centuries... an apple that doesn't brown when you slice it... Seriously; we couldn't make this stuff up.

    Comment: As the debate over the health and safety of GMO foods continues and concerned consumers continue the push for GMO labeling, this new revelation by the USDA to push yet another mad science experiment on the American public isn't really surprising!

    It is becoming more and more obvious that American consumers are being bombarded with more products they don't want or need!
    Laboratory modification turns off the enzyme that produces browning. This trait is created with tiny pieces of apple leaves, a medium containing the antibiotic kanamycin, and Agrobacterium tumefaciens - an important plant pathogen in bioengineering due to its ability to transfer a defined segment of DNA into a plant to generate a desired effect.

    "All of these elements are found in nature, and carefully put together by scientists with lots of initials after their names," states the Arctic Apple website.

    Grown in Washington state and New York field trials for over a decade, Arctic is probably the most researched apple in history, but the new fruit already has critics. The Cornucopia Institute warns that because Arctic tree cells are resistant to a common antibiotic, it could contribute to antibiotic resistance beyond the orchard.


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    Bulb

    Light therapy is more effective than Prozac in treating depression

    Dr. Michael Murray
    Greenmedinfo.com
    Sun, 20 Dec 2015 17:55 UTC
    Light

    Feeling SAD? New data shows that light therapy is more effective than Prozac on patients with significant depression.

    Bright light therapy has a proven track record of success in the treatment of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), commonly referred to as the winter blues. A new study from the University of British Columbia shows that this simple and safe therapy is effective for non-seasonal major depression. In fact, researchers showed light therapy was much more effective than fluoxetine (Prozac).

    Comment: Tips to beat the winter blues

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    Bulb

    Memory styles: Not everybody remembers their life the same way

    Kate Baggaley
    Brain Decoder
    Fri, 18 Dec 2015 17:20 UTC
    Memory
    When you rifle through your memories, what details stick out to you? If you could travel to Paris, would you be more likely afterwards to vividly recollect biting into soft, warm baguettes, or reflect on the knowledge that you enjoyed the bread without reliving it?

    Not everybody remembers their life the same way. In fact, just like personality traits, people have different memory styles. Some tend to rely more on detailed sensory information when forming their memories, while others incorporate a lot of factual knowledge instead.

    Comment: See more:
    • High cholesterol reduces risk of Alzheimer's & Dementia
    • Brain's GPS system works differently in virtual reality than in real-world environments


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    Holly

    Allspice: A mysterious fruit

    James Cave
    Huffington Post
    Sun, 20 Dec 2015 16:50 UTC
    Allspice
    © Dave King/ Getty images
    Here's more than you ever thought you wanted to know about it.

    Allspice is one of those ubiquitous things you probably know of but don't really know about.

    Most kitchens have it in the spice rack, and if you take the top off, it'll smell a little like cloves mixed with cinnamon, nutmeg, juniper berries and pepper. The thing is, it's none of those things, and it's definitely not a mixture of any of them - allspice is a fruit picked before it's ripe from a tree (the flowering tropical evergreen Pimenta dioica), dried and either sold as whole "berries" or ground up. It takes about 5,700 berries to make a pound of ground allspice.
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    Evil Rays

    Not so smart: How Smart Meters affect your blood and overall health

    Catherine Frompovich
    Activist Post
    Mon, 21 Dec 2015 00:00 UTC
    smart meter
    For those who wonder if there are any health issues or problems from exposure to Smart Meters and the electromagnetic frequencies they emit, here is a short video which shows three samples of blood examined using a Darkfield Microscope.

    The video is self-explanatory, as the samples clearly show morphological responses or reactions. That kind of constant exposure with apparent human cellular morphological reactions—as will happen when a Smart Meter is placed on a dwelling—undoubtedly occurs, as EMFs/RFs are emitted 24/7/365. Consequently, it will be only a matter of time, depending upon each individual's electromagnetic sensitivities threshold, before adverse health consequences materialize.

    Comment:

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    Attention

    Anthrax sickens dozens in Umzingwane, Zimbabwe

    Robert Herriman
    Outbreak News Today
    Sun, 20 Dec 2015 16:52 UTC
    Cutaneous anthrax lesion
    © CDCCutaneous anthrax lesion
    At least 36 people in Zimbabwe's Umzingwane district have sought treatment in local clinics for anthrax, according to Zimbabwe media last week. Nearly all the cases were classified as cutaneous anthrax. There are no reports of fatalities.

    In addition, some 25 cattle have died from the bacterial disease, prompting fears of tainted meat being sold to butchers in Bulawayo, the country's second most populous city.

    According to Provincial veterinary officer Enat Mdlongwa, "We've received reports of 25 cattle that have died of anthrax in Umzingwane district and we've since put the area under quarantine. No cattle movement is allowed in and out of the area."

    Anthrax vaccines for the rest of the animals have been requested.

    Anthrax is a bacterial pathogen in livestock and wild animals. Some of the more common herbivores are cattle, sheep,goats, horses, camels and deers. Anthrax is a very serious disease of livestock because it can potentially cause the rapid loss of a large number of animals in a very short time. Affected animals are often found dead with no illness detected.
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