creatingwealthandhealth.info

I do not intend to instill fear in anyone. Fear is counterproductive. However, it is necessary to state with clarity and vision the wanton destruction that is occurring on this beautiful planet. It is absolutely imperative that the following information be assimilated and acted upon NOW or life as we know it will not survive another 60 to 70 years. This is a fact, not an opinion. I don’t sugar-coat distasteful subjects, nor do  I tread lightly when the future of our children and our planet are at stake.

Petro refers to oil, the kind that is non-renewable and drilled from the earth, a destructive process in itself.

Chemicals are man-made, the product of atomic and molecular changes. Petrochemicals are chemicals made from oil, natural gas or other fossilized hydrocarbons. When we think of an “oil crisis”, how many of us take into consideration the enormous amount of petrochemicals we produce and then dispose of every day?

Oil was formed from the remains of animals and plants that lived millions of years ago This is the reason it is considered “non-renewable”. Exploring and drilling for oil disturbs land and ocean habitats After crude oil is removed from the ground, it is sent to a refinery by pipeline, ship or barge. At a refinery, different parts of the crude oil are separated into usable petroleum products. Crude oil and natural gas are then refined into ethane, propane, and hundreds of other petrochemical products including fuel for your car. Refining means that the molecular structure is altered so that the oil no longer resembles anything found in nature. It is now a totally foreign toxic material that can never be changed back into its original form. It does not bio-degrade or photo-degrade. It cannot be removed from the environment, and it damages everything it comes into contact with. The following is a simplistic overview of the process of molecular change:

Atoms extracted from petrochemicals are formed into molecules known as monomers. There are many different types of monomers, which are then used to create polymers, large molecules consisting of repeating monomers. The polymers are often made into plastic pellets called nurdles. The nurdles are melted and dyed to form various plastic products. In the case of plastic bags, the repeating units (monomers) are ethylene, or ethane.

There are thousands of petrochemicals in ink, crayons, bubble gum, dishwashing liquids, deodorant, eyeglasses, records, tires, foods, toothpaste, ammonia, heart valves, the list goes on and on. The problem is that these chemicals are polluting our environment and we CAN”T GET RID OF THEM.

SInce the media almost invariably admonishes us that these petrochemical laden products are “healthy”, “necessary”, and just an everyday part of life that no one should think about or question, what is the problem? WHAT ARE THEY NOT TELLING YOU? There is the simple fact that we can NEVER get rid of them. But there’s more. A LOT more.

The manufacture and incineration of plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC, commonly used in consumer product packaging and medical devices) is a major source of dioxin. Dioxins are also formed as byproducts of chemical processes involving chlorine, such as the manufacture of pesticides and the bleaching of paper.

Two of the most serious health effects of dioxin exposure are cancer and endocrine disruption. The petrochemicals that are so pervasive in our environment have especially adverse effects on rapidly growing fetuses and infants. Laboratory animals exposed before birth to one form of dioxin displayed physical deformities, retarded growth, and changes in physiology. Adverse effects on learning and behavior were also evident.

Many of the most studied plastics and other petroleum products are synthetic hormone disruptors known as xenoestrogens. They mimic the effects of estrogen in the body and disrupt normal hormone function and balance. “Xenoestrogen,” means it’s like the female hormone estrogen, except for two things: 1) it’s foreign to the body, which is what “xeno” means, and 2) it is way more harmful than our natural estrogen for everyone, male and female. Breast cancers are much more of a risk in women who carry a high burden of xenoestrogens, and both sexes are subject to a huge range of other harmful health effects.

Xenoestrogens come from factories, not food. But they wind up in food because they get into the environment, where toxic organic pollutants like DDT can persist for more than 50 years. Even pesticides banned in the US can make their way back to our homes by way of imported fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Xenoestrogens are found in most plastic products, most commonly in bottled water. If you’ve ever wondered why so many women (and often men) nowadays have huge breasts, little girls are developing at younger and younger ages, PMS is rampant, and breast cancer rates are soaring, look at the incredible amounts of petrochemicals we are pouring into our environment every day, and pay attention.

Hormonal compounds disrupt the endocrine system of both animals and humans. Exposure to these molecules, even at low concentrations, can have severely damaging effects on the environment, to organisms, and to humans. The cumulative effect of these compounds is difficult to estimate. They are an immense danger to the environment and to the human population

Over the last 20 years, breast cancer alone has claimed more American lives than the Vietnam war , the Korean war, World War I, and World War II combined. Cancer mortality has risen from 5% of American deaths a hundred years ago to 25% today. Overall lifetime cancer rates for Americans have risen from one in four people in 1960 to 1 in 2 for men and more than 1 in 3 for women. When so many petroleum products and derivatives are known carcinogens, it’s hard not to see a connection.

Every hour Americans use and discard 2.5 million plastic bottles, totaling 22 billion a year. The polycarbonate that these bottles are made from releases a chemical known as bisphenol A, also know as BPA. A full 90% of government studies found harmful health effects especially to children and expecting moms, and also for male sexuality and reproduction.

Men exposed to pesticides (also made from petrochemicals which disrupt hormones) are far more likely to have defective sperm and low sperm counts than men who are not exposed. This is even true for men who do not work on or live next to farms but are likely exposed to pesticides in drinking water. The male sperm count worldwide has diminished an astonishing 50% in the last 60 years. This is unheard of in the entire history of humankind. What will happen in the next 60 years if we continue on this destructive path?

The most far-reaching effects of hormone disrupters from petrochemicals are birth defects and miscarriages. Another effect is a disruption of beta cell function in the pancreas, which creates a pre-diabetes type condition of high blood insulin and insulin resistance.

If breast milk from American women were bottled and sold commercially, it would be banned by the US Food and Drug Administration because it is contaminated with more than 100 industrial chemicals, including dioxins and pesticides. This is still less toxic than baby formula laced with refined sugar and chemicals stored in a can with a plastic coating.

Petrochemicals tend to accumulate in body fat. The most notorious petrochemical in body fat is polystyrene; studies have shown that virtually all people in the United States carry polystyrene in their body fat. The International Agency for the Research on Cancer has classified styrene as possibly carcinogenic to humans. Possibly?

In a study in Mexico, pesticide-exposed children were less proficient at catching a ball, had lower stamina levels, more trouble remembering things, and were less able to draw accurate drawings of people. This study is one of many documenting the negative effects of petroleum products on the brain. However the overall effects of exposure to pesticides, plastics, and air pollution remain largely unstudied. Most of these chemicals have never been tested at all.

Every year over 5,500 people in the US die from asthma.. This rise can be traced to increased environmental pollution, from both household sources, industrial, and motor vehicle pollution. Also implicated are the plastics and other petroleum products used in homes and buildings, such as carpeting and insulation. The “outgassing” of plastics used in building products creates serious indoor air quality issues which are known to cause increases in asthma and other serious allergic reactions.

Common sense dictates that the human body was not designed to consume petrochemicals. So why are we putting petrochemicals in our foods? Why are we slathering them all over our bodies so they can be absorbed through the skin? Why are we breathing them in and giving them to our precious babies to chew on? Why are we pouring petrochemicals by the ton on our crops, yards and water supplies? Why are we mindlessly destroying our environment, our health and our futures?

It is time we became aware of the toxins, endocrine disruptors and carcinogens that we are producing by the ton every day. What do you see for the future of this beautiful Earth if we continue with this mindless destruction?

Resources:

Our Stolen Future: Are We Threatening Our Fertility, Intelligence and Survival? A Scientific Detective Story.

Lives Per Gallon: The True Cost of Our Oil Addiction

The Carbon War: Global Warming and the End of the Oil Era

The End of Nature

FREE DOWNLOAD HealthBookSummaries:Appetite For Profit:How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health

Actually since I was a little kid and I  played “tag”.  So when I got “tagged” by Mike Foster over at LiveLife365 I wasn’t quite sure what was going on, especially since I’m relatively new to this blogging thing.

Even though this isn’t  quite as invigorating as the original game of tag, it’s quite fun and so from here I will explain the rules:

1. List these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.

3. Tell 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.

4. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

5. Link the person who tagged you.
6. Leave a comment for each blogger.

OK, I’ve got 1and 5 down, now the part about 7 facts, hmmm, let’s see:

I wear kids clothes ’cause I’m too little to fit into regular size clothing

my oldest child is 26

I graduated from Windsor High in CT

I changed my first name from Linda to Rebecca

I was ill for 28 years (crohn’s)

I love cats

I’m an artistic roller skating coach.

Six unspectacular quirks…me? quirks?  Oh this will take some thinking.  Let’s see:

I have a problem with electrical stuff, I’ve had four appliances short out as I touched them, and been “shocked” five times, not counting the time I touched the electric fence…duh…

I am definitely addicted to skating

I like quiet..no TV, radio, idle chitchat, etc

I can’t seem to “act my age” (don’t wanna)

I find rocks quite interesting.  Really

I’m an ex-perfectionist.  I think

And here are the 7 blogs

My Very First Blog

Black Woman Thinks

Simply Cats

Read My Mind

Maria Michelle’s Furkids and animal rescue

Lofty Matters

Look what I got from the folks over at Positive Thinking!

Go on over and check out this blog, it’s full of good stuff, food for your mind is the tagline.  Since we are the creators of our reality through the power of our thoughts and beliefs, it’s a pretty good idea to have positive thoughts, so they’ve got the right idea!

For those of you who haven’t been to China for a quick lunch lately, here’s a lovely view of the Chinese version of fast food to entice you.  It may be somewhat more nutritious (??) than a Big Mac but there’s the emotional factor involved, especially when it comes to eating a pet.  That alone would would give me heart failure.

Pictures by: G. Pollak

Feel like having a snack?

I have been most graciously awarded this blog award by Dr. Susan Gregg of Toltec Insights, a truly remarkable blog written by a truly amazing person.  You might just want to meander on over to her blog and explore for awhile!

Not only was I surprised at receiving an award  designated for  “interesting, happy and with sparkling style blogs” (that’s mine!!) but I received it on my birthday, of all days.  Well I only have one birthday a year so it was rather cool to say the least.

Here are the rules for the next recipients of the Brillante Weblog Premio 2008 Award, established in 2005:

l. The award may be displayed on a winner’s blog.
2. Add a link to the person who you received the award from.
3. Nominate up to seven other blogs.
4. Then add their links to your blog.
5. Add a message to each person that you have passed the award on to in the comments section of their blog.

And now it’s my turn to pick up to seven nominees:

Live Life 365

Valley of the Subconscious

Grow Your Own Vegetables

Psychedelic Adventures

Voice of the Angels Blog

Hamida the Herbalist

Ayurveda is a system of medicine that originated in India several thousand years ago.

It is based on ways to prevent, manage, or treat health problems by keeping the body in balance. This is accomplished by cleansing the body of substances which cause disease, strengthening the constitution and immune system, eliminating the mental causes of disease, and keeping the life-essence and energy systems flowing smoothly.

Ayurveda aims to integrate and balance the body, mind, and spirit (it can be viewed as “holistic”).

Although Ayurveda has been the main system of health care in India for thousands of years, conventional (Western) medicine is becoming more widespread there, especially in urban areas. About 70 percent of India’s population lives in rural areas; about two-thirds of rural people still use Ayurveda and medicinal plants to meet their primary health care needs. In addition, most major cities have an Ayurvedic college and hospital. Ayurveda and variations of it have also been practiced for centuries in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Tibet.

The term Ayurveda combines two Sanskrit words–ayur, which means life, and veda, which means science or knowledge. Ayurveda means “the science of life.”

The history of Indian medicine is probably as old as the Indus Valley Civilization dating back to 3000 BC. It was between 1200 and 700 BC, that the four sacred Vedas were composed. References to diseases, herbs and herbal cures can be seen in all the four Vedas especially in the Rig Veda. Ayurvedic practice was flourishing during the time of Buddha (around 520 BC),

Many Ayurvedic practices were handed down by word of mouth and were used before there were written records. Two ancient books, written in Sanskrit on palm leaves more than 2,000 years ago, are thought to be the first texts on Ayurveda

It is important to take note of the differences in the philosophy of the Western lifestyle and medicine, and that of the ancient teachings of Ayurveda:

Western medicine accepts the idea of continually ingesting hundreds of man-made chemicals, drugs, and highly processed and artificial foods with no nutritional value. When the body can no longer handle this onslaught of poisons and artificial food, Western Medicine advises the use of yet more chemicals in the form of drugs which are then used to cover up the symptoms of disease. When these drugs exhibit toxic side-effects, generally more drugs are administered to mask the body’s efforts to eliminate the offending substances. Pain, muscle weakness, rashes, and other problems are seen as acceptable and inevitable. The body is considered to be a faulty, ineffective machine in need of drugs to “fix” it by poisoning it into submission.

Ayurveda, as well as Chinese Medicine, Homeopathy and all holistic practices, to some degree, believe that disease is due to physical and mental imbalances within a person, and those imbalances are treated by restoring the natural balance mentally and physically. In Ayurveda your whole life and lifestyle must be in harmony before you can enjoy true well being. Lifestyle interventions are a major Ayurvedic preventive and therapeutic approach.

The main goal of Ayurveda is nothing less than a state of perfect health, for the individual and for society and the environment as well, in which every man and woman is inwardly in balance and outwardly in harmony with the environment and the laws of nature

Every day our systems are exposed to literally millions of bacteria, viruses, allergens, and carcinogens, and yet our immune system has the intelligence and skill to deal with all those invaders and keep us healthy. However, when stress, inadequate nutrition, toxins or fatigue weaken the immune system, those same invaders may produce disease. Every second the body is adjusting to countless thousands of changes, keeping us in balance. Disruptions can be physical, emotional, spiritual, or a combination thereof. Imbalances weaken the body and make the person susceptible to disease. Whatever comes along to upset the balance, the body knows its own nature, knows what ideal temperature it should be and the correct chemistry it needs to maintain health, and attempts to keep referring back to that blueprint to maintain proper balance.

Also, there can be no mental health without physical health, and vice versa. In Ayurveda, symptoms and diseases that could be considered as mental thoughts or feelings are just as important as symptoms and diseases of the physical body.

Nature has set us up with all the equipment we need to be perfectly healthy. Health is our natural state, and ill health is unnatural.

Perhaps the most important lesson Ayurveda has to teach is that our health is up to us. We decide to keep it poisoned, malnourished and sickly, or vibrant, well-nourished and healthy. Every day of our lives, every hour of every day, we can and do choose either health or illness. When we choose wisely, our body rewards us with health and happiness. When we persistently choose unwisely, our bodies, in infinite wisdom, eventually set us straight: We get sick and get a chance to rest and rethink our choices.

Click the following links to learn more about Ayurveda

Why write about love on a blog dedicated to “creating wealth and health”?

We usually think of wealth as having lots of money, and money is great, it certainly can provide the freedom to enjoy a healthy and fulfilled life. True wealth however, would be in having an abundance of all that makes life joyful including friendship, support, laughter, fun and love.

On the other hand it is impossible to enjoy vibrant health if one is feeling unloved and unwanted. What is love anyway? Is it a person to take care of you? A feeling? An emotion? A magical, mystical power that is here, there or everywhere depending on your point of view? Why does it often elude us?

According to a United Nations report more than half of humanity will be living with water shortages within 50 years because of a worldwide water crisis. Severe water shortages affecting at least 400 million people today will affect 4 billion people by 2050. Upstate New York’s reservoirs have dropped to record lows. Southwestern states such as Arizona will face other severe freshwater shortages by 2025. The government projects that at least 36 states will face water shortages within five years because of a combination of rising temperatures, drought, population growth, urban sprawl, waste and excess. The Great Lakes are shrinking and an epic drought in Georgia threatens the water supply for millions. Yet here in America, 6.8 billion gallons of water is flushed down toilets every day. Every time you flush the toilet you’re wasting 2 to 7 gallons of fresh water. This just doesn’t make sense, especially when there is a superior, inexpensive, efficient and logical alternative: the Envirolet dry composting toilet.

Obviously, being a dry toilet, it saves water and that is clearly important. However, there is far more at stake here and it’s about time we become educated in FLUSH FACTS.

Wealthy people have been using flush toilets for about 150 years. The flush toilet appears attractive because it removes the “waste” and its accompanying odor and pathogens quickly in an apparently sanitary manner. We have a tendency to soon forget about those unpleasantries which we can no longer see. Do we imagine that these bacteria, viruses, microbes and other nasties in our poop just disappear into a watery vacuum, never to be seen again? Do they dissolve into harmless particles of dust? Do they simply fade away? The fact is, they are displaced, creating a very serious problem for the folks at the other end of the pipe.

Once excrement is combined with water it is impossible to completely purify it, although we try, at tremendous costs. The treated water still contains heavy metals, pharmaceutical residues, hormones, and toxic chemicals as well as those microbes we conveniently flushed. Rather than being a sanitation system, it is a waste system which contributes to the most serious problems which confront society, mainly water pollution and waste, soil loss and destruction, and food insecurity,

This antiquated and absurd system has not and never will be able to solve the sanitation needs of the world.

The Envirolet dry composting toilet on the other hand breaks down waste to 10 to 30 percent of its original volume. It contains, immobilizes and destroys the microbes that make us sick, transforming potentially harmful human excrement into a stable substance that is no longer dangerous to our health or that of others. Numerous laboratory studies and many thousands of experiences all over the world have demonstrated that the compost produced by the DCT poses no threat to our health or to the environment.

And yes, it’s odorless. The toilet has a screened exhaust system (often fan-forced) to remove odors, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and the by-products of aerobic decomposition.

The resulting end-product is a stable soil-like material called “humus,” a fully oxidized, plant-available nutrient that can be used as a soil conditioner for plants and trees. It can also be used as a soil conditioner on edible crops.

Will you continue to flush and forget, without noticing that we are all connected to a network of pollution that ends up harming others? More than one billion people in the world lack access to potable water, while we continue polluting and wasting this vital liquid in order to deal with our excrement.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE ENVIROLET

The Envirolet has the longest warranty in the industry. There is a Lifetime Warranty on the body of the composting system and a 5-Year Warranty on all internal components. It also meets, complies with or exceeds any and all standards required for composting toilet systems in both Canada and the United States.

Humans have been living on this Earth for at least four million years. The sun has been shining for about 4.6 billion years and it has been shining on our Earth for most of that time. Strangely, no animal ever contracted skin cancer from being out in the sun and humans rarely did until about 50 years ago.

We have been told that this increase in skin cancer is due to a “hole” in the ozone layer. Actually there is no “hole”. However, the ozone layer is thinning in some areas, predominately at the South Pole in the fall and winter seasons. The ozone layer, approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) above the earth, acts as a shield to prevent dangerous radiation from reaching the biosphere. There is also a minor amount of thinning in the northern hemisphere and little or none in the tropics.

The incidence of all forms of skin cancer are highest in the tropics, where there is virtually no thinning of the ozone layer.

In 1991 Professor Johan Moan of the Norwegian Cancer Institute found that the yearly incidence of melanoma in Norway had increased by 350% for men and by 440% for women between 1957 and 1984. He also determined that there had been no change in the ozone layer over this period of time. He concludes his report in the British Journal of Cancer by stating: “Ozone depletion is not the cause of the increase in skin cancers”. Unless these folks spent a fair amount of time hanging out in the Antarctic wearing bikinis, he is probably correct.

Skin cancer has increased all over the world, about 90% in the USA during 1974-1990. This skin cancer increase is too large (90%) compared with the expected value (40%) from ozone depletion. Also, cancer does not develop immediately after exposure to the sun. The sunburns may occur within hours; but cancer development and detection may take years or decades. If the depletion of the ozone layer over Antarctica is not causing the huge increase in skin cancer, what is?
It is interesting to note that chemical sunscreen was introduced in the late 1920’s and by 1936 the first commercially available sunscreen product was being sold by L’Oreal. Also, Monsanto began producing artificial chemicals in 1901. Why is this bit of information important?

First, let’s take a look at our skin, and the damage we do to it before we even go out into the sun.

There are an estimated 250 species of bacteria that reside on your skin. They are there for a reason. Sebum, secreted by the sebaceous glands in the skin, is an oily substance composed of wax monoesters, triglycerides, free fatty acids and squalene, and again, it is there for a reason. These bacteria and oily substances PROTECT the skin. We seem to have invented endless ways to destroy this protective barrier; starting with the water we bathe, shower and swim in. A survey by the Environmental Working Group found 141 unregulated chemicals and an additional 119 for which the Environmental Protection Agency has set health-based limits. Most common among the chemicals found were disinfection byproducts, nitrates, chloroform, barium, arsenic and copper, and of course chlorine, fluoride and PCBs , THMs and heavy metals. These chemicals not only strip the skin of its natural protection, they are absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream where they continue to cause damage.

We also have a tendency to destroy this protective barrier with various chemicals and soaps. We slather our skin with every toxic chemical imaginable, most of which gets absorbed into our bloodstream. There are over 150 cancer-causing chemicals currently used in cosmetics. Although federal law requires products containing these ingredients to carry a written warning label, the FDA does not enforce this law. The FDA claims that these products are safe because they are not consumed orally. Can it be possible that the folks at the FDA are not aware of the many drugs that are administered through the skin because the skin is porous and allows most drugs and chemicals to be absorbed?

You would be amazed to find what the FDA allows to be sold as long as it says, “for external use only.” The assumption is that it will stay external and not be absorbed into the body, so its toxicity is irrelevant. Hello!! Who are we kidding? Sunscreen ingredients absorb into the blood, and most are linked to toxic effects. Some release skin-damaging free radicals in sunlight, some disrupt hormone systems, several are strongly linked to allergic reactions, and others build up in the body or the environment. According to the Environmental Working Group only 15% of 952 products analyzed actually block UVA and UVB radiation, remain stable in sunlight, and contain few toxic chemicals.

Here is a short list of some of the stuff we regularly put on our skin without a second thought. The toxic effects recognized by the FDA are included:

OXYBENZONE (BENZOPHENONE-)
(Active Ingredient)858%Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Violations, Restrictions & Warnings, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Enhanced skin absorption, Biochemical or cellular level changes

PEG-100 STEARATE 479%Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Contamination concerns

(ETHYLENE OXIDE 1,4DIOXANETRIETHANOLAMINE767%Cancer, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Contamination concerns

(NITROSAMINES) MICRONIZED ZINC OXIDE
(Active Ingredient)276%Violations, Restrictions & Warnings, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Occupational hazards

TITANIUM DIOXIDE 173%Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Occupational hazards, Biochemical or cellular level changes

(HYDROQUINONE)OCTINOXATE (OCTYLMETHOXYCINNAMATE)
OCTINOXATE (ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE)
(Active Ingredient)478%Allergies/immunotoxicity, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Enhanced skin absorption, Biochemical or cellular level changes

BUTYLPARABEN 477%Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Biochemical or cellular level changes.

There are HUNDREDS more but I don’t want to bore you here, just WAKE you up!! Is it logical to cover yourself with this stuff, then go out into the sun and let it bake in? Geez, you can cause untold damage to your largest external organ AND your internal organs simultaneously!

The sun is NOT your enemy! Sure, in some areas at some times you will have to spend less time in the sun to avoid getting burned, but sunlight is VITAL Sunlight allows your body to produce natural vitamin D and increased melatonin, both of which are essential.

Vitamin D levels are linked to survival rates for cancer patients. Those people who live in sunnier southern latitudes and have higher vitamin D levels are less likely to die from cancer than people in northern latitudes.
Rates of major cancers such as colon, lung, breast and prostate increased from north to south, while survival rates decreased from north to south.

Vitamin D may protect against cancer by discouraging out-of-control cell reproduction and hindering the formation of new blood vessels for tumors. Receptors that respond to vitamin D have been found in almost every cell in your body, from your brain to your bones. Optimizing your vitamin D levels, (through safe sun exposure) could help you to prevent as many as 16 different types of cancer including pancreatic, lung, breast, ovarian, prostate, and colon cancers. Vitamin D does not just impact your cancer risk slightly; it can cut your risk by as much as 60 %.

The foods you eat have a tremendous influence over your skin’s sensitivity to sunlight. For example a B vitamin deficiency causes a heightened susceptibility to sunburn. In cultures that rely heavily on corn, such as our culture’s Standard American Diet which is corn-based, vitamin B deficiency is quite common. One of the first signs of niacin deficiency is skin sensitivity to sunlight and eventually the skin becomes rough, thick and dry with some darkly pigmented areas. Although some B vitamins are added to processed foods, they are chemicals, not food, and as such are not absorbed by the body.

The first stage of Pellagra (niacin deficiency) is extreme redness of skin exposed to the sun, this is where the term “redneck” came from, 18^th and 19^th century fieldworkers who were niacin deficient due to eating corn that was improperly processed, like the corn we eat today, except ours is often GENETICALLY MODIFIED also. Just one more reason to eat organic, whole foods.

This is not to say that you should not be cautious. A severe burn is obviously damaging. However, a mild sunburn is not dangerous as long as the skin has been allowed to retain its natural protective barrier and is not marinated in a chemical cocktail. A slight sunburn is your body’s natural way of letting you know that it’s time to get out of the sun, it also helps to remove the outermost layer of dead skin with fresh new skin, thus reducing wrinkles! People pay money for this, it’s called “dermabrasion” and “chemical peels”, you can have it done naturally at no charge by getting a mild sunburn.

Sunlight is vital to almost every living organism, and is our greatest ally in sustaining good health.

If you feel that you really need to use protection, of all brands the highest rated non-toxic sunscreen  is: KEYS SOAP SOLAR RT THERAPEAUTIC SUNBLOCK, SPF 30

Buy the best organic products here:

Most of us want to improve our lives in one way or another. Usually, we want to improve our financial situation so we can have the “good things in life”, however we define that. And of course most folks do desire to be healthy and fit despite the fact that it seems impossible at times.

So, we start a new business, get a new job, start a new diet, make resolutions, and in general try to DO things differently. And what happens? Sure things change for awhile, but usually it doesn’t last long and we are back to “same old, same old”. DOING things differently is good, but what, on a deeper level, causes us to do what we do, and go back to doing the things the same old way and staying in the same old rut?

It’s no secret that if we are BEING angry, we can DO some rather hurtful things to others. And if we are BEING kind, caring and compassionate we can DO some amazingly wonderful feats. If we are BEING fearful, resentful or critical we might just DO something hurtful. If we are BEING supportive, loving and helpful, it’s obvious that we are going to DO something good in our world. But what, on a deeper level, causes us to BE the way we are?

If we believe we are helpless victims with no control over what happens to us, it’s bound to make us BE angry. If we believe that we are all worthwhile and deserving, we will BE kind and caring to those in need. If we believe that others are out to get us or are “not good enough” it is easier to lash out in a misguided attempt to protect ourselves or prove we’re bigger/better/stronger. Bur what, on a deeper level, creates our beliefs?

Unfortunately, we usually believe what we are told to believe, often without question. We are told what to believe by our parents, teachers, doctors, religious leaders, and other “authority” figures and the media. The problem here is that most of these beliefs are just that, beliefs. Not truths. The solution is to recognize that your beliefs are not necessarily true (especially if there is anything less than joy, abundance and harmony in your life) identify those beliefs, and then change them! But, on a deeper level, there is a little more to it.

Thoughts create beliefs, and beliefs create thoughts. Why is this important? We’re going to learn a little about quantum physics here first.

Your body is made up of cells. These cells are in turn made up of molecules, which are made up of atoms, which are in turn made up of sub-atomic particles such as electrons. Everything is made up of large groups of sub-atomic particles which are rapidly flashing packets of energy. Because they are rapidly flashing, they can exist at various points in time and space.

They are not “objects”. They are ‘probabilities of existence’ and at the same time ‘multiple existences’. They are also wave-like and particle-like at the same time. They are the ENERGY which everything, including our thoughts, is made of. It has been proven scientifically that these particles react the way the experimenter EXPECTS them to react. In other words, we are in control. Our thoughts and beliefs create our reality.

Therefore, it is necessary to change our thoughts and beliefs before we can create any kind of permanent change in our lives. After having spent a good amount of time trying to figure out how to do this, I’ve come up with two solutions that are easy and effective. One is EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and the other is hypnosis, both of which tap into the subconscious, but in different ways.

EFT is a way of stimulating energy meridian points on the body by tapping with the fingertips. It clears negative emotions, which in turn clears physical ailments, long-term negativity and blocks of any kind. Carol Look has a wonderful site that is loaded with information on using EFT to attract abundance by clearing negativity surrounding money issues. You can go to her site Attracting Abundance and sign up for the free newsletter. Here is a 7 minute introductory video on EFT, it’s quite impressive

Hypnosis plants positive suggestions right into the subconscious mind, thus changing the belief system without any conscious effort. Since ideally you should listen to the hypnosis session every day for 21 days it makes sense to just buy hypnosis CDs. Don’t bother with trying various different hypnosis recording, I’ve already done that for you. Some hypnosis CDs are OK, some are BORING, some have annoying background music, some have negative suggestions and some are just awful. The very best are from Steve G. Jones, you can go to his site Hypnosis to Change Your Life and sign up for the free newsletter and free gifts too. Here’s his 3 minute video which explains how hypnosis works

Once the limiting beliefs are identified and the associated thoughts and beliefs are changed to ones which are more beneficial, you’ll begin to see real changes in your life!

Quick, picture a cow in your mind…what do you see? If you’re like most people, you’ll picture a cow contentedly grazing in an endless expanse of green grass.

Cows have eaten grass ever since the first cows walked the face of the Earth. This is because they are ruminants. Ruminants eat GRASS. Their digestive systems are designed specifically to digest GRASS.

What happens when you feed a ruminant grains? They gain weight really fast. That’s also what happens when you eat a lot of grains. The problem with a ruminant eating grains is that it makes them sick and quite bloated. So bloated in fact that a hose must be put down their esophagus to relieve the pressure or the cow will die. Of course this causes some amount of stress on the poor cow. The cow also becomes much more prone to disease. Stress and incorrect diet have a tendency to do that. So now we have a fat, miserable, sickly cow who is then given massive amounts of antibiotics just to keep it alive until it can get to the slaughterhouse. Millions of pounds of antibiotics are added to animal feed in the US every year. Animals get more antibiotics than people, and people get a LOT.

An interesting thing about these antibiotics is that they a) screw up the animals intestinal flora, and b) cause antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria to flourish. Even more interesting is that they do the same thing to YOU.

This here picture is of a typical feedlot. These animals are crowded together, fed corn and other far grosser stuff like chicken litter (feces, feathers and bedding) blood, ground up pigs and chickens and of course “downed” animals (just guess), supplemented with antibiotics, and possibly artificial growth hormones.

Corn also causes the rumen to become unnaturally acidic which causes all kinds of problems including diarrhea, bloat, ulcers, liver disease, and weakening of the immune system that leaves the cow vulnerable to other diseases. As the acids cause deterioration of the rumen wall, bacteria enter the bloodstream and collect in the liver causing abcesses.

A corn-fed cow also has a new, acidic environment in its digestive track, unlike the alkaline environment of the grass-fed cow (its natural diet, remember?) Guess what grows well in this acidic environment?
If you guessed:
Escherichia coli 0157 (thats the one that can make people really sick or even dead)
and who wouldn’t …. ? You guessed correctly!!! Oh and there are a few more problems with corn-fed cows::

Measurable amounts of estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, zeranol, trenbolone acetate and melengesterol acetate, all hormones, are found in meat!
These chemicals do not biodegrade, they simply stay around forever causing proven sexual abnormalities in animals and humans.
OK while we’re on a roll here let’s a look at fat. Specifically the fat from a corn-fed versus a grass-fed cow.

Grass-fed cows produce 300 to 400% more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a natural and very beneficial fatty acid which your body requires for many purposes, one of which is to fight inflammation. Corn-fed cows on the other hand have insignificant levels of CLA but high levels of omega-3 fat, which promotes heart disease.

Another consideration is the source of the corn, which is quite often GENETICALLY MODIFIED. I will be writing a post on this lovely worldwide experiment/disaster in the near future. It will be my adventure into the ‘horror” genre of writing and it won’t even be fiction! You might just want to switch over to organic and grass-fed now…

Do you know how much of your supermarket meat is treated with carbon monoxide? Probably not, they don’t exactly display this information prominently. Or at all. I think they forget to tell you about the irradiation too. This is to keep filthy meat from sickly cows nice and sort of sterile. Did I mention growth hormones?

All of this pertains to pigs, chickens, turkeys etc, and you can watch the following video (if you can stomach it) to give you some idea of not only the filth and poisons you are ingesting with your meat, but the cruelty involved in the promotion of feedlot animals.

OK, I am not trying to discourage anyone from eating meat, although most of us could cut down. Everybody must make their own personal choices here. I do eat some meat, lots of farm fresh eggs, and I drink only raw milk from grass-fed cows. The thing is, you want to get your meat, eggs, and dairy (milk, ice cream, cheese, etc) from FREE ROAMING GRASS-FED animals. Well in the case of poultry they do eat bugs and some seeds and grain. LETS BOYCOTT THE FILTH, CRUELTY AND TOXINS FROM FEEDLOT ANIMALS. Here are some good books to read:

Pasture Perfect

Fish, Meat and Poultry: Dangers in our Food Supply

Here is where you can get meats from grass-fed animals: Bon Apetit!

It’s an Award!! I love cyberspace!! Is this amazing or what…

This here “Arte y Pico Award” is from Spicy Bug who is definitely not your everyday blogger…I predict she’ll be a famous author someday when the little bugz are grown up enough to give her a moment’s peace!

And, you may well ask ” What is an Arte y Pico Award?” Uh, well I’m not entirely sure but heck I won it and I’m thrilled!! Actually it was designed by the “Arte y Pico Blog” as part of a tag initiative where you pass along the compliment to other bloggers. And, like all awards, (?) there are some rules and regulations here which must be followed:

1) Pick five (5) blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4) Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of “Arte y Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award which is here

OK now I get to choose five blogs, and here they are:

Zork Planet

Living within Samsara

Buddy’s Fitness News

Toltec Insights

Healthy home Blog

OK I think I’ve done this all correctly despite the numerous interruptions from furry and non-furry kids alike. The furry ones do tend to prance on the keyboard though, whilst the non-furry ones actually speak in English with their requests/complaints.

Thanks again Spicy Bug!