Green Living Now News, Edition
Four
#1. Rocket
Fuel In Our Drinking Water,
Vegetables, and Milk? Oh, my...
This just in…it's official, the Federal
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have confirmed that perchlorate,
a component of rocket fuel, was found in almost every sample of
lettuce and milk taken in a nationwide investigation. In 217 out
of 232 samples. Most disturbing to me, a devoted organic shopper,
a few of the lettuce
and milk samples were organic! And all of the levels detected were
well above the level considered safe in drinking water by the U.S.
EPA Oh, my gosh!
Where's it coming from? It's leaking from military
bases and defense contractor's facilities. People across the entire
United States are exposed, and perchlorate is finding it's way into
the food supply in ways that officials never expected. "It
means that perchlorate exposure is not just a problem in areas where
the drinking water is contaminated, but a concern for everyone,
every time we visit the grocery store", said Bill Walker, West
Coast vice president of the Environmental
Working Group.
What are the health effects of perchlorate exposure?
Impaired thyroid function, tumors, cancer, and decreased learning
capacity and developmental problems, such as loss of hearing and
speech, in children.
According to Bushgreenwatch,
the Bush Administration and the Defense Department have been stalling
regarding a national standard for safe drinking water. The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA)'s preliminary study found
that perchlorate should not exceed 1 part per billion in drinking
water to protect developing fetuses. Industry and Defense Department
scientists claim that 200 parts per billion is safe for human consumption.
Quite a discrepancy, don't you think? Not surprising though considering
that the cost for clean up would be the responsibility of the Defense
Department. I'm going with the EPA on this one.
If you don't have a good water filter for your
drinking water, this would be a good time to get one. Make sure
they provide you with independent lab results on which contaminants
are removed, at what percentage, and for how many gallons using
their filter. Check out the
filter that I used for years (before buying a house in Vermont
with excellent well water).
As for the milk and lettuce, I'm at a
bit of a loss. I'm still going to buy certified organic because
I know it's safer and more nutritious overall, but eek…Maybe
I'll get some grow lights and start growing lettuce all year round
in my house. And I
already buy organic raw milk (yup, I did say "raw"-it's
the best) from a friend nearby. That's Vermont for ya.
2. Improve Your
Health and Your Happiness-
Get A Dog.
I needed a "feel good" story after
that perchlorate one… But seriously, while I recognize that
not everyone can have a dog, (due to allergies, lack of time at
home, fear of dogs, etc.) there are studies that indicate the physical
and emotional health benefits of having a dog. As a dog owner myself,
I agree.
For example, studies revealed that people on
Medicaid who own a pet make fewer visits to the doctor. Other studies,
like the one at SUNY Buffalo of 24 stockbrokers taking medication
for high blood pressure, showed that the calming and soothing presence
of dogs helped keep blood pressure levels in the healthy range.
Dogs are also used as a form of therapy at hospices, nursing homes,
and
as companions to disabled people. Our dog, Diamond, is not only
a dear friend, companion, and exercise partner, but he is a source
of constant joy. His bark when someone arrives, especially at the
unexpected visitors, can be a great source of protection for us
(much to the chagrin of the electric meter reader, the UPS delivery
person, and the occasional political candidate and missionary.)
Some of the benefits of having a dog, especially
for the Elderly, are: (1) bringing joy and laughter to daily life;
(2) giving the person something to do, talk and think about, other
than themselves; (3) providing a source of touch and affiliation;
(4) boosting self confidence and self esteem; (4) promoting communication
between
residents and neighbors (hopefully not because your dog has pooped
on their lawn or chased their cats); (5) encouraging exercise and
activity; (6) reducing stress and anxiety levels to help with more
serious stress related diseases, like heart attacks; (7) and helping
people cope with illness, loss and depression. In fact, according
to Dr. Mercola, two studies show that owning a dog plays a significant
role on survival rates in heart attack victims. Patients who were
alive one year following their heart attack were more likely to
own a dog.
We've had our lab mix dog, Diamond, since he
was 6 weeks. Now he's 7 years old. There have been many moments
of joy and laughter. For instance, when our daughter was a toddler,
she was sitting in her stroller at an outdoor event, eating a delicious
looking piece of wood oven baked pizza. Diamond was on his leash,
seated right next to her. She looked away from the pizza she was
holding for just an instant, and then it was gone. It was gulped
down by Diamond in a matter of seconds, much to our daughter's tearful
dismay. And, this was not the only pizza stealing incident. We used
to go for walks on the beach when we lived in Massachusetts. It
was lunch time, and a woman was sitting on a bench eating one piece
of pizza, while another piece cooled leisurely in the take-out box.
Like lighting, Diamond struck. He swooped past the seated woman,
and pilfered her pizza right out of the box, much to my embarrassment.
We've had many giggles over Diamond's begging to come up on our
bed, wearing Halloween costumes, keeping our cats in line, and many
more incidents. I truly believe that dogs are humans' best friends.
So, what do you say? Will there be a new jingling dog collar in
your holiday celebration this year?
3.
Are Natural Vitamin Supplements Under Siege?
You bet!
Do you take dietary supplements, like natural
vitamin C, E, or B? As soon as August 2005, you may not be
able to get them individually or affordably. These supplements will
only be available in over-the-counter multi-vitamin form at levels
that the government has determined are at the "recommended
dietary allowance" (RDA). In other words, low and virtually
useless. These supplements will be
more expensive than what we're used to paying, and some will only
be available in the synthetic forms (great for pharmaceutical companies,
not for us).
Vitamins and supplements will be reclassified
as "medical drugs" subject to government regulation in
terms of dosage and availability. What's worse is that many nutrients
known to be vital to optimal health that are not on the overnment's
RDA list, such as: chromium picolinate, lysine, and selenium, will
be BANNED from over-the-counter sale. In other words, illegal to
buy without a prescription.
What's going on? There's something called the
"European Union Directive on Dietary Supplements", which
is part of a larger form of legislation called "Codex Alimentarius".
But that's in Europe, why should we be concerned here in the United
States? Unfortunately, as a member of the World Trade Organization,
the U.S. would be bound by any finalized standards in the Directive.
As I understand it, this "Directive" can actually over-ride
U.S. law if it isn't stopped in Europe. If the U.S. were to ignore
the regulations, we could face severe trade sanctions with other
WTO countries, which could cripple our economy.
This legislation, if it passes, would severely
restrict access to natural health products in Europe, and then in
the U.S. 5,000 vitamins and minerals would disappear. The directive
only allows supplements to be made from a list of 15 minerals and
13 vitamins, which leaves out 40 minerals important to human metabolism
and forbids the use of the most bio-available forms of vitamin complexes.
Why is the E.U. trying to pass this legislation?
It's all under the guise of protecting the public from "incorrect
use". The World Health Organization claims that some people
have died from the "incorrect use" of natural supplements.
They don't seem to be concerned about all of the people that die
from American Medical Association sanctioned medical procedures,
or the FDA approved drugs. According to Andrew Saul, PhD, 130,000
people die each year from drugs administered in hospitals. Ralph
Nader's group, Public Citizen, says it's closer to 300,000 per year.
A medical report in 1998 estimated that adverse reactions to
prescription drugs are killing about 106,000 Americans each year.
In contrast, 0 people per year die from vitamin supplements.
But, wait…before you pull your hair out,
there's still time to take action. Here's what we can do:
(1) Write, call, fax, or email your state's
Senators and tell them to oppose S.722, the Dietary Supplement Safety
Act, and tell your Congressmen to oppose H.R. 3377, the Dietary
Supplement Access and Awareness Act. These two extremely dangerous
and misnamed proposals would allow the FDA to roll back most of
the few health care freedoms we regained with the 1994 DSHEA law
we all fought so hard to pass.
(2) This may be the most
important action!
Tell your state Senators and Congressmen to support U.S. Representative
Ron Paul's H.R. 1146, the American Sovereignty Restoration Act.
This legislation would make the U.S. Constitution the supreme law
of the land again and restore law-making and judging power to our
elected representatives and American courts.
(3) Support the case brought by the British
Alliance for Natural Health to overturn the European Food Supplements
Directive. Please Visit the Alliance's website, www.alliance-natural-health.org,
read About their case, and if you can, please make a donation.
For more information on this issue, go to: www.ahha.org
and www.iahf.com
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