A family finally proved that vaccines damaged their once active boy. Just one dose of the MMR & now their son is permanently damaged. Maybe more people will learn about this case & educate themselves regarding the fact that vaccinations don't really keep their children safe from contracting illnesses & can potentially harm their children.
Here is the link to the video: http://tinyurl.com/8qwxbj
For more information about vaccines & their potential dangers, Dr. Sherry Tenpenny's site has a lot of great information: http://www.nmaseminars.com/
I think it's important that parents educate themselves about vaccines & make their choices based upon the information they learn. That way, if they decide to vaccinate their children, they are doing it with full informed consent rather than trusting that the government & CDC are really looking out for the health & well-being of our children. Look at what has already happened with thimerosol/mercury, not to mention, more recently, lead & melamine. Do your research & decide for yourself...
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
Friday, December 26, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Great natural birth articles
Here are some great links to articles about pregnancy issues, how chiropractic can help during pregnancy & why home births are on the rise...
From the ICPA (International Chiropractic Pediatric Association) Family Wellness Newsletter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pregnancy Matters
Induction is Risky:
From Sydney, AU comes a recent study based on 50,000 births concluding that induction of labor leads to risks for both mother and baby.
Read the entire article here: www.newkerala.com
Pre-term births:
The rise in pre-term births a growing concern--mothers should be more informed of risks.
www.story.japanherald.com
Home Births on the Rise and in the News Again:
A great article showing the benefits of home birth, the support for home birth in UK Obstetrics and the bias of ACOG and the AMA in the US.
www.nytimes.com
Home Births Recommended in Scotland:
www.news.scotsman.com
Chiropractic and Pregnancy:
View a great interview with ICPA member, Dr. Caroline Von Fluegge on Fox TV. www.myfoxatlanta.com
Read more about chiropractic care for safer, easier births here: www.icpa4kids.org/research/pregnancy/chiro.htm
Read more about natural birthing here:www.icpa4kids.org/research/pregnancy/natural.htm
Pregnant women should avoid statins: www.redorbit.com
Six ways to reduce inflammation without statins: www.articles.mercola.com
Women who do too much: www.chealth.canoe.ca
To find a doctor of chiropractic in your area who supports your right to choose health care for your families, visit: http://www.icpa4kids.org/locator/index.php
To find a holistic practitioner in your area, visit: www.hpakids.org
Sign up for Family Wellness First here: www.icpa4kids.org/e-news.htm
Visit Family Wellness First archives here: www.icpa4kids.org/wellness/archive.htm
Family Wellness First comes to you as a courtesy of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association in collaboration with the Holistic Pediatric Association.
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
From the ICPA (International Chiropractic Pediatric Association) Family Wellness Newsletter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pregnancy Matters
Induction is Risky:
From Sydney, AU comes a recent study based on 50,000 births concluding that induction of labor leads to risks for both mother and baby.
Read the entire article here: www.newkerala.com
Pre-term births:
The rise in pre-term births a growing concern--mothers should be more informed of risks.
www.story.japanherald.com
Home Births on the Rise and in the News Again:
A great article showing the benefits of home birth, the support for home birth in UK Obstetrics and the bias of ACOG and the AMA in the US.
www.nytimes.com
Home Births Recommended in Scotland:
www.news.scotsman.com
Chiropractic and Pregnancy:
View a great interview with ICPA member, Dr. Caroline Von Fluegge on Fox TV. www.myfoxatlanta.com
Read more about chiropractic care for safer, easier births here: www.icpa4kids.org/research/pregnancy/chiro.htm
Read more about natural birthing here:www.icpa4kids.org/research/pregnancy/natural.htm
Pregnant women should avoid statins: www.redorbit.com
Six ways to reduce inflammation without statins: www.articles.mercola.com
Women who do too much: www.chealth.canoe.ca
To find a doctor of chiropractic in your area who supports your right to choose health care for your families, visit: http://www.icpa4kids.org/locator/index.php
To find a holistic practitioner in your area, visit: www.hpakids.org
Sign up for Family Wellness First here: www.icpa4kids.org/e-news.htm
Visit Family Wellness First archives here: www.icpa4kids.org/wellness/archive.htm
Family Wellness First comes to you as a courtesy of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association in collaboration with the Holistic Pediatric Association.
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
A beautiful HypnoBirthing story
Here's a wonderful HypnoBirthing story that another HypnoBirthing practitioner shared...enjoy & be inspired!
Mason’s Birth Story 2008
My pregnancy was wonderful and enjoyable from the start: no morning sickness, absent was unbearable fatigue and crazy cravings never found me! All of the things I had been told by many to expect. Throughout my pregnancy, in addition to the congratulatory excitement from family, friends and strangers also came the ‘doom and gloom’ birth stories. I would politely listen but would never let them get the better of my positive outlook.
Positive attitude is what I believe created my pregnancy and birth outcome! That is how I knew HypnoBirthing was the right choice for my husband, my baby and me. Growing up, I was always fascinated by pregnancy and birth. From a young age, I would ask my mom what labor was like for her and what it felt like to be pregnant. I have never forgotten her responses. She shared with me that she never felt more beautiful or amazed by her body then when she was pregnant. She also told me that the pain you feel in childbirth can’t be described because it is the only discomfort where there is a joyous outcome!
My midwife thought that I would go earlier than my guess date (a Thursday). At my appointment a week beforehand, she said the baby’s head was at a zero station and I was dilated 1 cm. My parents rushed in from out of state a few days earlier than planned but the baby did not! My husband and I enjoyed the next week + with my parents; walking, watching movies, walking some more, eating great meals outside in the backyard and enjoying each other’s company!
My husband decided to take the few days around my guess date off from work in case anything should happen. It ended up being a great time to prepare for the baby and relax! He decided over the weekend that he would return to work on Monday. On Monday morning, around 5:30 AM, I woke up for my third or fourth usual bathroom trip of the night. When I returned to bed and tried to fall back asleep, I felt a small ‘gush’ of fluid and thought, "Oh great, I AM going to experience that part of pregnancy when you can’t hold your bladder from acting on its own!" It happened a second time and this made me return to the bathroom where I stayed for the next 20 min or so trying to decide if this was indeed my water breaking. Still not 100% sure (my mom never had her water break with the three of us and since I had replicated her wonderful pregnancies, I was not expecting this to happen!), I returned to the bedroom and woke up my husband saying; "I think my water broke". He told me he thought something was going on when I did not return to bed right away. As I stood there, a more noticeable gush of fluid happened and we were both sure at that point this was indeed my water breaking!
I told him that he wasn’t going to work that day! He told me he had a feeling that this would be the case! My first thought was, "what do we do now?!" I suggested to my husband that we try to get some sleep since my surges didn’t seem to have started a regular pattern yet and we were up for a long day ahead of us. Of course, that didn’t happen! We were too excited to sleep! I thought maybe we should wait to wake my parents but my husband reminded me that this was what they were here for and he went downstairs to tell them they would be grandparents that day! When he let them know what had happened, my mom said "Thank god!" and gave my husband a high five! My dad was still half-asleep but was still able to say, "Cool!" in an excited voice! I started to have some surges shortly after my water broke and Mark timed them, although still inconsistent, at about 10 minutes apart.
It now made sense why I was hungry before going to bed. My body must have been preparing for the big event! I told Mark we should eat breakfast before I might not want to eat anymore and he left to go and get bagels. My dad made breakfast while my mom continued to time my surges. They were happening about 8-10 min apart at this point but they were tolerable and not bothering me. We enjoyed a wonderful and relaxing breakfast outside in the backyard and I noticed my surges start to gain some intensity and get closer together. Something in my mind told me I should take a shower. This is when my mind/body connection started to take over!
My surges continued to get closer and at about 10:15 AM, Mark asked me if we should call our midwife. I spoke to her and she asked me how I was feeling now that the surges were getting stronger and closer together. I told her I was doing well and that the surges were still inconsistent but some were coming as close as 6 min apart. She said to call back when they were under 5 minutes apart or if the intensity went to the next level, whichever came first. I then decided I wanted to lie down in my bed and listen to my affirmations and Rainbow Relaxation. The surges started to become more and more intense and I needed to focus inward to get through each one. This still wasn’t really difficult to do though! During the time when I was listening to my HypnoBirthing exercises, I relied more and more on my labor support team (Mark and my mom!). Mark was applying counter pressure on my hips and my mom held my hand or helped with the counter pressure.
At this point, I was listening to a CD my sister made for me to relax (I asked her to do this so I could save it for ‘birth day’!). My surges quickly became 2-4 minutes apart and Mark said he thought we should call the midwife back. Time distortion was beginning to happen at this point for me; things seemed to be happening quickly but I still didn’t feel like it was time to go to the hospital. My biggest fear was getting to the hospital too quickly. Especially knowing that my water had already broken, I knew in the back of my mind that induction could become a reality if I was admitted too soon. Mark spoke to our midwife and she said she would meet us at the hospital. I started to cry because I said it was too soon and it didn’t seem "bad enough yet" (although I wasn’t sure what I meant by that)! My mom reassured me that it wasn’t too soon, my surges were coming so close together. I decided it was time to go.
We had a 25-minute ride to the hospital. Mark drove my car with me in the front seat and my mom behind me pressing on my shoulders every time I signaled, "OK!" with another surge. It was a bit more difficult to stay focused in the car but I tuned into my sister’s CD and we all began singing the closer we got to the hospital. We arrived and were checked into the room at about 2:00 PM. Donna, our midwife, was there and right away I was at ease with her calming spirit. I told the nurse I wanted to keep my own clothes on and she looked at me as if she didn’t know what to do with that answer. Donna let her know it was okay for me to wear my own clothes, as long as I knew my pants had to come off eventually!
They monitored me for the required 15-20 minutes and Donna watched me as I relaxed through my surges. We talked about her checking me but she didn’t want to do the one exam she would probably end up doing too soon because it would "start another clock" now that I was in the hospital with my water broken. She said by observing me, she would guess I was still in early labor but then decided we would see where I was at. After checking me, she said I was open about 2 cm. (and then ‘stretched’ me a bit closer to 3 cm). Thinking back to this, I wonder why I wasn’t extremely upset upon hearing this news. I was in early labor, I could be possibly facing induction- the awful pitocin and then EPIDURAL?!?! Donna had me try the chest down, butt up position to encourage the baby to move into the best position. This was the most uncomfortable part of my birthing and when I do remember feeling pain. When Donna said, I only had to try it for three surges, that made all the difference for me. I was out of that position immediately after those three surges passed and my body told me I wanted to go into the shower.
My body was telling me exactly what I needed. At times, it was almost as if I was hearing a voice in my head commenting on what was happening to me and around me but it never took my focus away from my body or my baby. It is something that is difficult to explain but it was truly amazing. Mark sat on the bench in the shower with me and provided counter pressure and support the entire time. The water felt so good. All of a sudden though, I said I have to get out now. I just knew I was done with the water but I didn’t know why, the thought came up pretty abruptly! I got out and wanted to lie on my side in the bed. I thought I had been in the shower for about 20 minutes but I was in there for almost an hour!! After getting out, I remember having a wavering moment when I told Mark I wasn’t sure if I could do it. When he told me I could, I said adamantly- "No! You have to say, I AM doing it!!". I realize now that I was telling this to myself, it was the first, and last time I had a slightly negative thought cross my mind.
Lying in the bed, I told my mom to turn on "Rainbow Relaxation". The powerful surges rushed through my entire body and forced a low grunting sound that ‘pushed’ my energy downward. This feeling really embodied the word ‘surge". At that point, I had no control of my body but I felt so IN control of what was happening and what my baby was doing at the same time. Donna came into the room and I remember hearing her say to my mom, "Is she pushing?!" My mom told her I had been responding to the last several surges this way. Donna asked me if I felt like I wanted to push and I told her I didn’t know! I just knew that my body was doing what it needed to do. She decided to check me again- it was only 4:00 PM at this point but when she checked me, I was completely open and ready to have the baby!
I pushed for just under two hours. It was extremely tiring but so empowering at the same time. I lost all sense of time and place at that point but I was still tuned in to "Rainbow Relaxation". It had played a couple times already but as focused inward as I was, I always became aware of when it was about to end. I would say, "Again!" to my mom and she quickly realized I needed the CD re-set to make "Rainbow" play again. I focused on the ritual of it playing. Every time Jessica Porter’s voice (from the older HypnoBirthing CD) was ending the relaxation, it was only then that I consciously heard her voice and knew to tell my mom to press play again. I remember opening my eyes at one point and seeing a few nurses just standing at the foot of the bed watching. I didn’t know when they got there or that they WERE there! Every single person who came into the room whispered and never disrupted me. I still have no idea when or for how long the nurses came into the room! The lights were kept low the entire time. They ASKED for my birth preferences, which pleasantly surprised me. They read them and followed my requests from beginning to end. These were all things I really noticed afterwards but I KNOW they made a huge difference in the success of my birthing experience.
It was wonderful to touch my baby’s head as it was emerging. I decided in the moment to not use a mirror as I thought I would want to but it didn’t matter. I could hear and listen to each word Donna said to me in her low and calming voice. Near the end, I remember feeling tense and telling my body to relax and noticing how much easier it felt after that. Donna told me to give her my hands so I could bring my baby to me. This was something I wrote in my birth preferences and I am so glad that I did. It was unbelievable to feel my baby under the arms and bring him onto my chest. Another preference and a memory I wouldn’t trade for the world was when Mark leaned over and said to me, "It’s a boy! We have a son!"
Mason came into the world at 6:07 PM on Monday. His birth was the most wonderful, powerful and incredible experience I have ever had. It still is hard for me to believe sometimes that my birthing experience was what I dreamed it would be. However, I know this is what made it a reality.
I believed in my body, and myself,
I trusted my baby and knew he had an active part in his birth,
I remained positive from the start of my pregnancy through the birth,
I relished in the amazing support of my husband and my mom,
I was comforted by my midwife’s presence and
I used all the lessons learned in Hypnobirthing to maintain all of these feelings during this most wonderful time.
It was so wonderful to enjoy Mason after his birth- he was fully alert for over 4 1/2hours!!!
Shared by Kathryn Beck, CH, HBCE, HBFS, RMT www.imaginehealthandwellness.com
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
Mason’s Birth Story 2008
My pregnancy was wonderful and enjoyable from the start: no morning sickness, absent was unbearable fatigue and crazy cravings never found me! All of the things I had been told by many to expect. Throughout my pregnancy, in addition to the congratulatory excitement from family, friends and strangers also came the ‘doom and gloom’ birth stories. I would politely listen but would never let them get the better of my positive outlook.
Positive attitude is what I believe created my pregnancy and birth outcome! That is how I knew HypnoBirthing was the right choice for my husband, my baby and me. Growing up, I was always fascinated by pregnancy and birth. From a young age, I would ask my mom what labor was like for her and what it felt like to be pregnant. I have never forgotten her responses. She shared with me that she never felt more beautiful or amazed by her body then when she was pregnant. She also told me that the pain you feel in childbirth can’t be described because it is the only discomfort where there is a joyous outcome!
My midwife thought that I would go earlier than my guess date (a Thursday). At my appointment a week beforehand, she said the baby’s head was at a zero station and I was dilated 1 cm. My parents rushed in from out of state a few days earlier than planned but the baby did not! My husband and I enjoyed the next week + with my parents; walking, watching movies, walking some more, eating great meals outside in the backyard and enjoying each other’s company!
My husband decided to take the few days around my guess date off from work in case anything should happen. It ended up being a great time to prepare for the baby and relax! He decided over the weekend that he would return to work on Monday. On Monday morning, around 5:30 AM, I woke up for my third or fourth usual bathroom trip of the night. When I returned to bed and tried to fall back asleep, I felt a small ‘gush’ of fluid and thought, "Oh great, I AM going to experience that part of pregnancy when you can’t hold your bladder from acting on its own!" It happened a second time and this made me return to the bathroom where I stayed for the next 20 min or so trying to decide if this was indeed my water breaking. Still not 100% sure (my mom never had her water break with the three of us and since I had replicated her wonderful pregnancies, I was not expecting this to happen!), I returned to the bedroom and woke up my husband saying; "I think my water broke". He told me he thought something was going on when I did not return to bed right away. As I stood there, a more noticeable gush of fluid happened and we were both sure at that point this was indeed my water breaking!
I told him that he wasn’t going to work that day! He told me he had a feeling that this would be the case! My first thought was, "what do we do now?!" I suggested to my husband that we try to get some sleep since my surges didn’t seem to have started a regular pattern yet and we were up for a long day ahead of us. Of course, that didn’t happen! We were too excited to sleep! I thought maybe we should wait to wake my parents but my husband reminded me that this was what they were here for and he went downstairs to tell them they would be grandparents that day! When he let them know what had happened, my mom said "Thank god!" and gave my husband a high five! My dad was still half-asleep but was still able to say, "Cool!" in an excited voice! I started to have some surges shortly after my water broke and Mark timed them, although still inconsistent, at about 10 minutes apart.
It now made sense why I was hungry before going to bed. My body must have been preparing for the big event! I told Mark we should eat breakfast before I might not want to eat anymore and he left to go and get bagels. My dad made breakfast while my mom continued to time my surges. They were happening about 8-10 min apart at this point but they were tolerable and not bothering me. We enjoyed a wonderful and relaxing breakfast outside in the backyard and I noticed my surges start to gain some intensity and get closer together. Something in my mind told me I should take a shower. This is when my mind/body connection started to take over!
My surges continued to get closer and at about 10:15 AM, Mark asked me if we should call our midwife. I spoke to her and she asked me how I was feeling now that the surges were getting stronger and closer together. I told her I was doing well and that the surges were still inconsistent but some were coming as close as 6 min apart. She said to call back when they were under 5 minutes apart or if the intensity went to the next level, whichever came first. I then decided I wanted to lie down in my bed and listen to my affirmations and Rainbow Relaxation. The surges started to become more and more intense and I needed to focus inward to get through each one. This still wasn’t really difficult to do though! During the time when I was listening to my HypnoBirthing exercises, I relied more and more on my labor support team (Mark and my mom!). Mark was applying counter pressure on my hips and my mom held my hand or helped with the counter pressure.
At this point, I was listening to a CD my sister made for me to relax (I asked her to do this so I could save it for ‘birth day’!). My surges quickly became 2-4 minutes apart and Mark said he thought we should call the midwife back. Time distortion was beginning to happen at this point for me; things seemed to be happening quickly but I still didn’t feel like it was time to go to the hospital. My biggest fear was getting to the hospital too quickly. Especially knowing that my water had already broken, I knew in the back of my mind that induction could become a reality if I was admitted too soon. Mark spoke to our midwife and she said she would meet us at the hospital. I started to cry because I said it was too soon and it didn’t seem "bad enough yet" (although I wasn’t sure what I meant by that)! My mom reassured me that it wasn’t too soon, my surges were coming so close together. I decided it was time to go.
We had a 25-minute ride to the hospital. Mark drove my car with me in the front seat and my mom behind me pressing on my shoulders every time I signaled, "OK!" with another surge. It was a bit more difficult to stay focused in the car but I tuned into my sister’s CD and we all began singing the closer we got to the hospital. We arrived and were checked into the room at about 2:00 PM. Donna, our midwife, was there and right away I was at ease with her calming spirit. I told the nurse I wanted to keep my own clothes on and she looked at me as if she didn’t know what to do with that answer. Donna let her know it was okay for me to wear my own clothes, as long as I knew my pants had to come off eventually!
They monitored me for the required 15-20 minutes and Donna watched me as I relaxed through my surges. We talked about her checking me but she didn’t want to do the one exam she would probably end up doing too soon because it would "start another clock" now that I was in the hospital with my water broken. She said by observing me, she would guess I was still in early labor but then decided we would see where I was at. After checking me, she said I was open about 2 cm. (and then ‘stretched’ me a bit closer to 3 cm). Thinking back to this, I wonder why I wasn’t extremely upset upon hearing this news. I was in early labor, I could be possibly facing induction- the awful pitocin and then EPIDURAL?!?! Donna had me try the chest down, butt up position to encourage the baby to move into the best position. This was the most uncomfortable part of my birthing and when I do remember feeling pain. When Donna said, I only had to try it for three surges, that made all the difference for me. I was out of that position immediately after those three surges passed and my body told me I wanted to go into the shower.
My body was telling me exactly what I needed. At times, it was almost as if I was hearing a voice in my head commenting on what was happening to me and around me but it never took my focus away from my body or my baby. It is something that is difficult to explain but it was truly amazing. Mark sat on the bench in the shower with me and provided counter pressure and support the entire time. The water felt so good. All of a sudden though, I said I have to get out now. I just knew I was done with the water but I didn’t know why, the thought came up pretty abruptly! I got out and wanted to lie on my side in the bed. I thought I had been in the shower for about 20 minutes but I was in there for almost an hour!! After getting out, I remember having a wavering moment when I told Mark I wasn’t sure if I could do it. When he told me I could, I said adamantly- "No! You have to say, I AM doing it!!". I realize now that I was telling this to myself, it was the first, and last time I had a slightly negative thought cross my mind.
Lying in the bed, I told my mom to turn on "Rainbow Relaxation". The powerful surges rushed through my entire body and forced a low grunting sound that ‘pushed’ my energy downward. This feeling really embodied the word ‘surge". At that point, I had no control of my body but I felt so IN control of what was happening and what my baby was doing at the same time. Donna came into the room and I remember hearing her say to my mom, "Is she pushing?!" My mom told her I had been responding to the last several surges this way. Donna asked me if I felt like I wanted to push and I told her I didn’t know! I just knew that my body was doing what it needed to do. She decided to check me again- it was only 4:00 PM at this point but when she checked me, I was completely open and ready to have the baby!
I pushed for just under two hours. It was extremely tiring but so empowering at the same time. I lost all sense of time and place at that point but I was still tuned in to "Rainbow Relaxation". It had played a couple times already but as focused inward as I was, I always became aware of when it was about to end. I would say, "Again!" to my mom and she quickly realized I needed the CD re-set to make "Rainbow" play again. I focused on the ritual of it playing. Every time Jessica Porter’s voice (from the older HypnoBirthing CD) was ending the relaxation, it was only then that I consciously heard her voice and knew to tell my mom to press play again. I remember opening my eyes at one point and seeing a few nurses just standing at the foot of the bed watching. I didn’t know when they got there or that they WERE there! Every single person who came into the room whispered and never disrupted me. I still have no idea when or for how long the nurses came into the room! The lights were kept low the entire time. They ASKED for my birth preferences, which pleasantly surprised me. They read them and followed my requests from beginning to end. These were all things I really noticed afterwards but I KNOW they made a huge difference in the success of my birthing experience.
It was wonderful to touch my baby’s head as it was emerging. I decided in the moment to not use a mirror as I thought I would want to but it didn’t matter. I could hear and listen to each word Donna said to me in her low and calming voice. Near the end, I remember feeling tense and telling my body to relax and noticing how much easier it felt after that. Donna told me to give her my hands so I could bring my baby to me. This was something I wrote in my birth preferences and I am so glad that I did. It was unbelievable to feel my baby under the arms and bring him onto my chest. Another preference and a memory I wouldn’t trade for the world was when Mark leaned over and said to me, "It’s a boy! We have a son!"
Mason came into the world at 6:07 PM on Monday. His birth was the most wonderful, powerful and incredible experience I have ever had. It still is hard for me to believe sometimes that my birthing experience was what I dreamed it would be. However, I know this is what made it a reality.
I believed in my body, and myself,
I trusted my baby and knew he had an active part in his birth,
I remained positive from the start of my pregnancy through the birth,
I relished in the amazing support of my husband and my mom,
I was comforted by my midwife’s presence and
I used all the lessons learned in Hypnobirthing to maintain all of these feelings during this most wonderful time.
It was so wonderful to enjoy Mason after his birth- he was fully alert for over 4 1/2hours!!!
Shared by Kathryn Beck, CH, HBCE, HBFS, RMT www.imaginehealthandwellness.com
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
Saturday, December 6, 2008
What you think if what you get
What you think is what you get...
From the Midwifery Today newsletter:
A 2002 Taiwan study investigating the association between demographic-obstetric factors and perceived labor pain in 90 primiparas (1st time mothers) having normal births found that their perceived level of pain was related to their expected level of pain. The researchers found no significant association between the pain and newborn birth weight, maternal age, body mass index, confidence in labor or duration of labor. They concluded that the "findings suggest that primiparas' perceived labor pain is correlated with psychogenic rather than physical factors."— Kaohsiung J Med Sci, 18(12):604–09, 2002
So, be mindful of the language you are using. In HypnoBirthing, we teach our class members to eliminate the word "pain" from their language & use the word "sensation". I even have my class members play a little game: Whenever you bump your elbow or knee or stub your toe, instead of instantly saying "Ow! That's painful!", I want you to say, "Oh! What's that sensation!" If you do this exercise, you will find that the sensation is throbbing, stinging, numbness, etc. AND that the sensation will go away much faster than concentrating on the "pain". I encourage my class members to do this exercise often so that their brain begins to be conditioned to look for the sensation rather than an automatic response of pain. That way, when the time comes & labor starts, the body/mind will be trained to go to an automatic "sensation" response as well.
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
From the Midwifery Today newsletter:
A 2002 Taiwan study investigating the association between demographic-obstetric factors and perceived labor pain in 90 primiparas (1st time mothers) having normal births found that their perceived level of pain was related to their expected level of pain. The researchers found no significant association between the pain and newborn birth weight, maternal age, body mass index, confidence in labor or duration of labor. They concluded that the "findings suggest that primiparas' perceived labor pain is correlated with psychogenic rather than physical factors."— Kaohsiung J Med Sci, 18(12):604–09, 2002
So, be mindful of the language you are using. In HypnoBirthing, we teach our class members to eliminate the word "pain" from their language & use the word "sensation". I even have my class members play a little game: Whenever you bump your elbow or knee or stub your toe, instead of instantly saying "Ow! That's painful!", I want you to say, "Oh! What's that sensation!" If you do this exercise, you will find that the sensation is throbbing, stinging, numbness, etc. AND that the sensation will go away much faster than concentrating on the "pain". I encourage my class members to do this exercise often so that their brain begins to be conditioned to look for the sensation rather than an automatic response of pain. That way, when the time comes & labor starts, the body/mind will be trained to go to an automatic "sensation" response as well.
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
A beautiful birth
Here is a beautiful video of one couple's home waterbirth experience...enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niJ6F2p9Ql8
"Pregnancy and homebirth/water birth experience of our daughter olive. Music by ben harper. Birth should be an empowering experience - this is just one small snippet of what her birth was like for me. I felt powerful, present, connected to all women before me, truly doing what God made my body to do. Special thanks and praise for our midwife Kathy Mitchell who rocks!!"
For more information about the benefits of a homebirth please go to gentlebirth.org or mothering.com
For more information about the benefits of a waterbirth visit waterbirth.org.
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niJ6F2p9Ql8
"Pregnancy and homebirth/water birth experience of our daughter olive. Music by ben harper. Birth should be an empowering experience - this is just one small snippet of what her birth was like for me. I felt powerful, present, connected to all women before me, truly doing what God made my body to do. Special thanks and praise for our midwife Kathy Mitchell who rocks!!"
For more information about the benefits of a homebirth please go to gentlebirth.org or mothering.com
For more information about the benefits of a waterbirth visit waterbirth.org.
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Important info about cell phone use
Important Precautionary Advice Regarding Cell Phone Use...here are 2 articles:
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, 8/12/2008
An international expert panel of pathologists, oncologists and public health specialists recently declared that electromagnetic fields emitted by cell phones should be considered a potential human health risk (see The Case for Precaution in Cell Phone Use, attached). To date, a number of countries including France, Germany and India have issued recommendations that exposure to electromagnetic fields should be limited. In addition, Toronto's Department of Public Health is advising teenagers and young children to limit their use of cell phones, to avoid potential health risks.
More definitive data that cover the health effects from prolonged cell phone use have been compiled by the World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer. However, publication has been delayed for two years. In anticipation of release of the WHO report, the attached prudent and simple precautions, intended to promote precautionary efforts to reduce exposures to cell phone electromagnetic radiation, have been reviewed by UPCI experts in neuro-oncology, epidemiology, neurosurgery and the Center for Environmental Oncology.
Practical Advice to Limit Exposure to Electromagnetic Radiation Emitted from Cell Phones
1. Do not allow children to use a cell phone, except for emergencies. The developing organs of a fetus or child are the most likely to be sensitive to any possible effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields.
2. While communicating using your cell phone, try to keep the cell phone away from the body as much as possible. The amplitude of the electromagnetic field is one fourth the strength at a distance of two inches and fifty times lower at three feet. Whenever possible, use the speaker-phone mode or a wireless Bluetooth headset, which has less than 1/100th of the electromagnetic emission of a normal cell phone. Use of a hands-free ear piece attachment may also reduce exposures.
3. Avoid using your cell phone in places, like a bus, where you can passively expose others to your phone's electromagnetic fields.
4. Avoid carrying your cell phone on your body at all times. Do not keep it near your body at night such as under the pillow or on a bedside table, particularly if pregnant. You can also put it on "flight" or "off-line" mode, which stops electromagnetic emissions.
5. If you must carry your cell phone on you, make sure that the keypad is positioned toward your body and the back is positioned toward the outside so that the transmitted electromagnetic fields move away from your rather than through you.
6. Only use your cell phone to establish contact or for conversations lasting a few minutes, as the biological effects are directly related to the duration of exposure. For longer conversations, use a land line with a corded phone, not a cordless phone, which uses electromagnetic emitting technology similar to that of cell phones.
7. Switch sides regularly while communicating on your cell phone to spread out your exposure. Before putting your cell phone to the ear, wait until your correspondent has picked up. This limits the power of the electromagnetic field emitted near your ear and the duration of your exposure.
8. Avoid using your cell phone when the signal is weak or when moving at high speed, such as in a car or train, as this automatically increases power to a maximum as the phone repeatedly attempts to connect to a new relay antenna.
9. When possible, communicate via text messaging rather than making a call, limiting the duration of exposure and the proximity to the body.
10. Choose a device with the lowest SAR possible (SAR = Specific Absorption Rate, which is a measure of the strength of the magnetic field absorbed by the body). SAR ratings of contemporary phones by different manufacturers are available by searching for "sar ratings cell phones" on the internet.
Scientists revive debate on cellphones and cancer
(Following is an article published in the International Herald Tribune which is the global edition of the New York Times)
Scientists revive the debate on cellphones and cancer
By Tara Parker-Pope
Published: June 3, 2008
What do brain surgeons know about cellphone safety that the rest of us don't?
Last week, three prominent neurosurgeons told the CNN interviewer Larry King that they did not hold cellphones next to their ears. "I think the safe practice," said Dr. Keith Black, a surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, "is to use an earpiece so you keep the microwave antenna away from your brain."
Dr. Vini Khurana, an associate professor of neurosurgery at the Australian National University who is an outspoken critic of cellphones, said: "I use it on the speaker-phone mode. I do not hold it to my ear."
And CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon at Emory University Hospital, said that like Black he used an earpiece.
Along with Senator Edward Kennedy's recent diagnosis of a glioma, a type of tumor that critics have long associated with cellphone use, the doctors' remarks have helped reignite a long-simmering debate about cellphones and cancer. That supposed link has been largely dismissed by many experts, including the American Cancer Society. The theory that cellphones cause brain tumors "defies credulity," said Dr. Eugene Flamm, chairman of neurosurgery at Montefiore Medical Center.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, three large epidemiology studies since 2000 have shown no harmful effects. CTIA (the Wireless Association), the leading industry trade group, said in a statement, "The overwhelming majority of studies that have been published in scientific journals around the globe show that wireless phones do not pose a health risk."The FDA notes, however, that the average period of phone use in the studies it cites was about three years, so the research doesn't answer questions about long-term exposures.
Cellphones emit non-ionizing radiation, waves of energy that are too weak to break chemical bonds or to set off the DNA damage known to cause cancer. There is no known biological mechanism to explain how non-ionizing radiation might lead to cancer. But researchers who have raised concerns say that just because science can't explain the mechanism doesn't mean one does not exist. Concerns have focused on the heat generated by cellphones and the fact that the radio frequencies are absorbed mostly by the head and neck. In recent studies that suggest a risk, the tumors tend to occur on the same side of the head where the patient typically holds the phone. Like most research on the subject, the studies are observational, showing only an association between cellphone use and cancer, not a causal relationship.
The most important of these studies is called Interphone, a vast research effort in 13 countries, including Canada, Israel and several in Europe. Some of the research suggests a link between cellphone use and three types of tumors: glioma; cancer of the parotid, a salivary gland near the ear; and acoustic neuroma, a tumor that essentially occurs where the ear meets the brain. All these cancers are rare.
Last year, The American Journal of Epidemiology published data from Israel finding a 58 percent higher risk of parotid gland tumors among heavy cellphone users. Also last year, a Swedish analysis of 16 studies in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine showed a doubling of risk for acoustic neuroma and glioma after 10 years of heavy cellphone use. Some doctors say the real concern is not older cellphone users, who began using phones as adults, but children who are beginning to use phones today and face a lifetime of exposure. The fear is that even if the individual risk of using a cellphone is low, with three billion users worldwide, even a minuscule risk would translate into a major public health concern.
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, 8/12/2008
An international expert panel of pathologists, oncologists and public health specialists recently declared that electromagnetic fields emitted by cell phones should be considered a potential human health risk (see The Case for Precaution in Cell Phone Use, attached). To date, a number of countries including France, Germany and India have issued recommendations that exposure to electromagnetic fields should be limited. In addition, Toronto's Department of Public Health is advising teenagers and young children to limit their use of cell phones, to avoid potential health risks.
More definitive data that cover the health effects from prolonged cell phone use have been compiled by the World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer. However, publication has been delayed for two years. In anticipation of release of the WHO report, the attached prudent and simple precautions, intended to promote precautionary efforts to reduce exposures to cell phone electromagnetic radiation, have been reviewed by UPCI experts in neuro-oncology, epidemiology, neurosurgery and the Center for Environmental Oncology.
Practical Advice to Limit Exposure to Electromagnetic Radiation Emitted from Cell Phones
1. Do not allow children to use a cell phone, except for emergencies. The developing organs of a fetus or child are the most likely to be sensitive to any possible effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields.
2. While communicating using your cell phone, try to keep the cell phone away from the body as much as possible. The amplitude of the electromagnetic field is one fourth the strength at a distance of two inches and fifty times lower at three feet. Whenever possible, use the speaker-phone mode or a wireless Bluetooth headset, which has less than 1/100th of the electromagnetic emission of a normal cell phone. Use of a hands-free ear piece attachment may also reduce exposures.
3. Avoid using your cell phone in places, like a bus, where you can passively expose others to your phone's electromagnetic fields.
4. Avoid carrying your cell phone on your body at all times. Do not keep it near your body at night such as under the pillow or on a bedside table, particularly if pregnant. You can also put it on "flight" or "off-line" mode, which stops electromagnetic emissions.
5. If you must carry your cell phone on you, make sure that the keypad is positioned toward your body and the back is positioned toward the outside so that the transmitted electromagnetic fields move away from your rather than through you.
6. Only use your cell phone to establish contact or for conversations lasting a few minutes, as the biological effects are directly related to the duration of exposure. For longer conversations, use a land line with a corded phone, not a cordless phone, which uses electromagnetic emitting technology similar to that of cell phones.
7. Switch sides regularly while communicating on your cell phone to spread out your exposure. Before putting your cell phone to the ear, wait until your correspondent has picked up. This limits the power of the electromagnetic field emitted near your ear and the duration of your exposure.
8. Avoid using your cell phone when the signal is weak or when moving at high speed, such as in a car or train, as this automatically increases power to a maximum as the phone repeatedly attempts to connect to a new relay antenna.
9. When possible, communicate via text messaging rather than making a call, limiting the duration of exposure and the proximity to the body.
10. Choose a device with the lowest SAR possible (SAR = Specific Absorption Rate, which is a measure of the strength of the magnetic field absorbed by the body). SAR ratings of contemporary phones by different manufacturers are available by searching for "sar ratings cell phones" on the internet.
Scientists revive debate on cellphones and cancer
(Following is an article published in the International Herald Tribune which is the global edition of the New York Times)
Scientists revive the debate on cellphones and cancer
By Tara Parker-Pope
Published: June 3, 2008
What do brain surgeons know about cellphone safety that the rest of us don't?
Last week, three prominent neurosurgeons told the CNN interviewer Larry King that they did not hold cellphones next to their ears. "I think the safe practice," said Dr. Keith Black, a surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, "is to use an earpiece so you keep the microwave antenna away from your brain."
Dr. Vini Khurana, an associate professor of neurosurgery at the Australian National University who is an outspoken critic of cellphones, said: "I use it on the speaker-phone mode. I do not hold it to my ear."
And CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon at Emory University Hospital, said that like Black he used an earpiece.
Along with Senator Edward Kennedy's recent diagnosis of a glioma, a type of tumor that critics have long associated with cellphone use, the doctors' remarks have helped reignite a long-simmering debate about cellphones and cancer. That supposed link has been largely dismissed by many experts, including the American Cancer Society. The theory that cellphones cause brain tumors "defies credulity," said Dr. Eugene Flamm, chairman of neurosurgery at Montefiore Medical Center.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, three large epidemiology studies since 2000 have shown no harmful effects. CTIA (the Wireless Association), the leading industry trade group, said in a statement, "The overwhelming majority of studies that have been published in scientific journals around the globe show that wireless phones do not pose a health risk."The FDA notes, however, that the average period of phone use in the studies it cites was about three years, so the research doesn't answer questions about long-term exposures.
Cellphones emit non-ionizing radiation, waves of energy that are too weak to break chemical bonds or to set off the DNA damage known to cause cancer. There is no known biological mechanism to explain how non-ionizing radiation might lead to cancer. But researchers who have raised concerns say that just because science can't explain the mechanism doesn't mean one does not exist. Concerns have focused on the heat generated by cellphones and the fact that the radio frequencies are absorbed mostly by the head and neck. In recent studies that suggest a risk, the tumors tend to occur on the same side of the head where the patient typically holds the phone. Like most research on the subject, the studies are observational, showing only an association between cellphone use and cancer, not a causal relationship.
The most important of these studies is called Interphone, a vast research effort in 13 countries, including Canada, Israel and several in Europe. Some of the research suggests a link between cellphone use and three types of tumors: glioma; cancer of the parotid, a salivary gland near the ear; and acoustic neuroma, a tumor that essentially occurs where the ear meets the brain. All these cancers are rare.
Last year, The American Journal of Epidemiology published data from Israel finding a 58 percent higher risk of parotid gland tumors among heavy cellphone users. Also last year, a Swedish analysis of 16 studies in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine showed a doubling of risk for acoustic neuroma and glioma after 10 years of heavy cellphone use. Some doctors say the real concern is not older cellphone users, who began using phones as adults, but children who are beginning to use phones today and face a lifetime of exposure. The fear is that even if the individual risk of using a cellphone is low, with three billion users worldwide, even a minuscule risk would translate into a major public health concern.
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
Monday, November 24, 2008
Ten Americans Studied for Toxic Chemicals
This is SOOOOO worth watching! You'll be shocked...
http://www.ewg.org/kidsafe
Once you're done watching, if you're interested in certified organic (to food grade levels) bodycare products for you & your family, learn more about Miessence by going to my website. Find out why this product line is truly one of the safest products out on the market. The products cost a little more than mainstream ones, but they are worth having the piece of mind that comes with using the safest products out on the market. Compare your bodycare products with the ingredients in Miessence products to see what your skin is absorbing every day.
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
http://www.ewg.org/kidsafe
Once you're done watching, if you're interested in certified organic (to food grade levels) bodycare products for you & your family, learn more about Miessence by going to my website. Find out why this product line is truly one of the safest products out on the market. The products cost a little more than mainstream ones, but they are worth having the piece of mind that comes with using the safest products out on the market. Compare your bodycare products with the ingredients in Miessence products to see what your skin is absorbing every day.
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Want a FREE book?
FREE Book! Get Journey into Motherhood by Sheri Menelli for free! This book is a wonderful book for any woman that is pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant because it is full of beautiful natural birth stories. It is truly inspiring to read these birth stories...hospital births, homebirths, waterbirths...that are all natural without the interference of medical interventions.
Sheri is now offering the book as a free download. Go to smenelli.wordpress.com for more information!
Please share this with your friends & family.
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
Sheri is now offering the book as a free download. Go to smenelli.wordpress.com for more information!
Please share this with your friends & family.
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
Monday, November 17, 2008
The benefits of water during birth
Here is an extract from The Yoga Journal about water therapy.
Bathe In It*
When you add a bit of art, science, and ritual, taking a bath is much more than getting clean—it's balneotherapy. A form of therapeutic bathing, balneotherapy has been practiced since the days of the ancient Greeks and Romans to preserve health and treat a range of ailments from injuries to eczema. Like yoga, it's also a great way to melt away stress and bring the body back into a more balanced state. "Submersion in warm water calms the physiological part of the fight-or-flight response," says Jonathan P. DeVierville, vice president of the International Society of Medical Hydrology and Climatology and director of the Alamo Plaza Spa in San Antonio, Texas. In other words, as you soak in the tub, your blood vessels dilate, your circulation increases, your muscles relax, and your nervous system chills out.
IN THIS ISSUE
Soak Away Stress http://www.yogajournal.com/health/1450
Sore Muscle Soothers http://www.yogajournal.com/health/1231
So, you can see why being in water, preferably in a bathtub, but also in a shower, positively affects a birthing mother...the fight-or-flight response is calmed, which means mom & baby are relaxed & have endorphins running throughout their bodies. Ahhhhh....
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
Bathe In It*
When you add a bit of art, science, and ritual, taking a bath is much more than getting clean—it's balneotherapy. A form of therapeutic bathing, balneotherapy has been practiced since the days of the ancient Greeks and Romans to preserve health and treat a range of ailments from injuries to eczema. Like yoga, it's also a great way to melt away stress and bring the body back into a more balanced state. "Submersion in warm water calms the physiological part of the fight-or-flight response," says Jonathan P. DeVierville, vice president of the International Society of Medical Hydrology and Climatology and director of the Alamo Plaza Spa in San Antonio, Texas. In other words, as you soak in the tub, your blood vessels dilate, your circulation increases, your muscles relax, and your nervous system chills out.
IN THIS ISSUE
Soak Away Stress http://www.yogajournal.com/health/1450
Sore Muscle Soothers http://www.yogajournal.com/health/1231
So, you can see why being in water, preferably in a bathtub, but also in a shower, positively affects a birthing mother...the fight-or-flight response is calmed, which means mom & baby are relaxed & have endorphins running throughout their bodies. Ahhhhh....
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
A message about breast cancer
Breast Cancer is a topic that is close to my heart. My mother & several of my aunts have battled against it. All but one has won. I'm doing what I can to improve my chances of being cancer-free by taking Juice Plus whole food supplements to increase the phytonutrients in my body, eliminating toxins in my bodycare products by using Miessence certified organic products, getting rid of plastic containers in my home & drinking reverse osmosis water. I encourage you to do what you can to make your environment the safest it can be for you & your family...
A politically-charged message from Dr. Fuhrman (www.diseaseproof.com) about breast cancer
Christina Applegate's diagnosis of breast cancer at age 36, brings to our awareness the question, why now, after so many millions spent on cancer research, do so many women still get and die of breast cancer? This diagnosis in such a young celebrity will incite a new media frenzy for more donations for cancer research. Cancer research means more testing for new drugs. I doubt any significant reduction in cancer deaths will result as long as we ignore causation and still expect to discover new poisons to defeat cancer. Deaths from breast cancer have increased throughout the last century and modern medical care has done little to halt this trend.
Imagine if that money was instead spent on educating the public about the environmental and nutritional causes of cancer. We could slash breast cancer rates by 70 to 90 percent if the money that went to cancer research (almost exclusively drug research) instead went to fund a huge publicity campaign to beat cancer at its roots.
How many people know, childhood diets are the main cause of adult cancers? I have studied this subject for years, read thousands of studies and wrote a book about it (Disease-Proof Your Child). However, I learned not many people care about this subject. Knowledge about real cancer prevention is not politically correct and the spread of this message is unlikely to happen as the social, economic and political climate in the modern world revolves around promotion of processed foods and dairy products as the center of childhood nutritional practices.
It is blasphemy to produce scientific studies that expose our present day feeding practices as cancer-causing. This message is not what people want to hear, they want a magic pill. Information about cancer causation does not fly in the media. Flip around the dial, listen to the discussions about cancer in the media and read the articles. Do any of them bring up diet as the cause of cancer? Do the television personalities discuss that over 60 percent of food consumed in America is junk food? That's right, we have crossed over the 60 percent line, white flour, (pasta, bagels, crackers) sweeteners, oils, chips, processed cereals, soft drinks and other junk foods are the vast majority of what we eat. Add cheese and other dairy foods, full of hormones and saturated fat, and you have a simple formula to create the cancer explosion we have seen in the modern world over the last 75 years.
Put low micronutrient, high glycemic carbohydrates together with lots of cheese in your child's mouth and boom, watch the cancer-creating experiment unfold (it usually takes about 40 years). Now, while articles tussle with the argument of whether breast MRI's or mammograms are more appropriate as an early detection tool, those in the know realize that there is no such thing as early detection and all cancers diagnosed with radiographic techniques must be large enough to be visualized with the human eye, so they have been there more than 10 years already.
When Christina Applegate's publicist reports "it was not serious and caught in the early stage" we know that is not factual. Present medical science has no way of determining whether cells have spread outside the breast. A stage zero cancer means that it less than 2 centimeters, and no cancer were found in the lymph nodes. However that still does not tell us that it was caught before cancer cells have spread. Most invasive breast cancers have seeded the body with cells by the time a mammogram or MRI can detect it. Negative lymph nodes on a biopsy does not tell us the cancer is still localized to the breast because a small number of cells are for practical purposes invisible.
There are both aggressive and non-aggressive breast cancers. It was not announced which type Ms. Applegate has, but the more aggressive breast cancers are more common in young women. They spread out from the breast at an earlier stage. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a non-invasive breast cancer that spreads locally and there is no significant advantage to early detection because these cancers are not generally life threatening and can be detected later when they are larger with a good prognosis. Hopefully Christina has this type. Infiltrating ductal carcinoma is an example of breast cancer that is more aggressive.
Genetics plays a minor role, not the major role. Dietary practices have been identified by scientific studies as the primary cause of breast cancers. The countries with the highest incidence of cancers of the breast are in North America, Western Europe and Australia, while in contrast, the occurrence is lowest in Southeast Asia1. For example, when compared to the United States, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand have only one-twentieth the amount of breast cancer in the 50-75 age bracket. Breast and Prostate cancer are the most prevalent cancers in America.
Diets lower in animal products (especially cheese) and higher in unrefined plant foods account for these dramatic differences. When people from a low risk country migrate to the United States, their cancer rate increases considerably and the cancer rate in their offspring jumps up to match other Americans. This demonstrates that the lower incidence of these cancers is not due to a lower genetic susceptibility in Asians, but rather due to the exposure to Western dietary practices2.
Plant-derived micronutrients reduce toxic stress and arm the body's defenses against cancer. The growing body, with its dividing cells, is at greater risk when exposed to all types of negative and toxic influences. In adults, our valuable genetic material (DNA) is wound up in a tight ball, like the rubber bands on the inside of a golf ball. When we are young and cells are replicating and growing, the DNA unwinds, exposing more of its surface. This makes it more susceptible to damage from toxic exposure. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, infants and toddlers have a ten times greater cancer risk than adults when exposed to gene-damaging chemicals3.
In a similar manner, an unhealthy diet can do substantially more damage to a young body than an adult one. The fact is, the earlier in life, the greater the potential for damage. The idea that eating an anti-cancer diet in our childhood is more important in determining cancer risk than waiting to eat healthy as an adult, has been tested in animals by Dr. Jerald Silverman of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Ohio State with a grant from the American Institute for Cancer Research. He chose to study a strain of mice very susceptible to breast cancer. He put one group on a diet low in fat their entire lives and with the other group he switched them from a high fat diet to a healthier low fat one at different times; some before puberty, some at puberty and some after puberty. The study showed the same thing we see in human studies; those mice fed the high fat diet early in life had more cancer and more of the cancer spread to the lung, and the earlier the change to the healthier lower fat diet the better the mice fared.
The things we are exposed to earlier in life are crucial to our later health. If a nuclear power plant exploded nearby, dousing us all in heavy radiation, it would not cause a significant increase in cancer occurrence for at least 30 years. For example, the excess risk for breast, prostate and colon cancer among atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki continues to be observed today, and persists throughout the lifetime of the survivors. The largest grouping of the radiation-related cancer deaths for these common cancers occurred in the period from 1986 to 1990, forty to forty five years after exposure4.
Recent studies have also found fruit eating during childhood had powerful effects to protect against cancer in later life. A 60-year study of 4,999 participants found those who consumed more fruit in their childhood (highest quartile) were 38 percent less likely to develop cancer of all types as adults5.
There is much more here and the science is fascinating. I could go on and on with hundreds of more studies, telling this story, of food and other factors initiating cancer, but the point is--we already know enough about how to beat breast cancer. We can implement good science to win the war on cancer. We can do it now. We must eat right America.
For adults at risk or who already have cancer, nutritional excellence is a critical intervention one can use to reduce risk and significantly increase the chance of survival. Eat a high-nutrient, vegetable-based diet as described in my books, Eat To Live and Eat For Health. Green vegetables are the most powerful anti-breast cancer food. Take note that a vegetarian diet does not show protection against breast cancer as much as a diet rich in green vegetables, berries, and seeds. It is the phytochemical nutrient density and diversity of the diet that offers the most dramatic protection against cancer, not merely the avoidance of meat or fat.
Learn more about the best ways to prevent breast cancer and the debate over mammograms in Dr. Fuhrman's Healthy Times Newsletter #13, May 2004.
Dr. Fuhrman is a board certified family physician and specialist in nutritional medicine. Visit him at DrFuhrman.com
To comment on this article, check out Dr. Fuhrman's blog DiseaseProof.com.
1. Doll R, Muir C, Waterhouse J. International Union Against Cancer (UICC) Cancer Incidence in five continents. Vol VI, Lyon 1997.
2. Ziegler RG, Hoover RN, Pike MC et al. Migration patterns and breast cancer risk in Asian-American women. J Natl Cancer Inst 1993;85(22):1819-1827.
3. Dourson M, Charnley G, Scheuplein R. Differential sensitivity of children and adults to chemical toxicity. II. Risk and regulation. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2002;35(3):448-467. Miller MD, Marty MA, Arcus A, et al. Differences between children and adults: implications for risk assessment at California EPA. Int J Toxicol 2002;21(5):403-418.
4. McPherson K, Steel CM, Dixon JM. ABC of Breast Diseases, Breast cancer--epidemiology, risk factors, and genetics. BMJ 2000;321:624-628. Pierce DA, Shimizu Y, Preston DL, et al. Studies of the mortality of atomic bomb survivors. Report 12, Part I. Cancer: 1950-1990 RERF Report No. 11-95 Radiat Res 1996;146:1-27.
5. Maynard M, Gunnell D, Emmett P, et al. Fruit, vegetable and antioxidants in childhood and risk of adult cancer: the Boyd Orr cohort. J Epidemiol Community Health 2003;57:218-225.
DrFuhrman.com
4 Walter E. Foran Blvd
Suite 408
Flemington, NJ 08822
US
That said, I'd like to share that Juice Plus whole food supplements give you the phytonutrient equivalent of 15 fruits & vegetables per day. If you're interested in learning more, please visit my website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net. You can also qualify for free supplements for your children if they are between the ages of 6-13.
A politically-charged message from Dr. Fuhrman (www.diseaseproof.com) about breast cancer
Christina Applegate's diagnosis of breast cancer at age 36, brings to our awareness the question, why now, after so many millions spent on cancer research, do so many women still get and die of breast cancer? This diagnosis in such a young celebrity will incite a new media frenzy for more donations for cancer research. Cancer research means more testing for new drugs. I doubt any significant reduction in cancer deaths will result as long as we ignore causation and still expect to discover new poisons to defeat cancer. Deaths from breast cancer have increased throughout the last century and modern medical care has done little to halt this trend.
Imagine if that money was instead spent on educating the public about the environmental and nutritional causes of cancer. We could slash breast cancer rates by 70 to 90 percent if the money that went to cancer research (almost exclusively drug research) instead went to fund a huge publicity campaign to beat cancer at its roots.
How many people know, childhood diets are the main cause of adult cancers? I have studied this subject for years, read thousands of studies and wrote a book about it (Disease-Proof Your Child). However, I learned not many people care about this subject. Knowledge about real cancer prevention is not politically correct and the spread of this message is unlikely to happen as the social, economic and political climate in the modern world revolves around promotion of processed foods and dairy products as the center of childhood nutritional practices.
It is blasphemy to produce scientific studies that expose our present day feeding practices as cancer-causing. This message is not what people want to hear, they want a magic pill. Information about cancer causation does not fly in the media. Flip around the dial, listen to the discussions about cancer in the media and read the articles. Do any of them bring up diet as the cause of cancer? Do the television personalities discuss that over 60 percent of food consumed in America is junk food? That's right, we have crossed over the 60 percent line, white flour, (pasta, bagels, crackers) sweeteners, oils, chips, processed cereals, soft drinks and other junk foods are the vast majority of what we eat. Add cheese and other dairy foods, full of hormones and saturated fat, and you have a simple formula to create the cancer explosion we have seen in the modern world over the last 75 years.
Put low micronutrient, high glycemic carbohydrates together with lots of cheese in your child's mouth and boom, watch the cancer-creating experiment unfold (it usually takes about 40 years). Now, while articles tussle with the argument of whether breast MRI's or mammograms are more appropriate as an early detection tool, those in the know realize that there is no such thing as early detection and all cancers diagnosed with radiographic techniques must be large enough to be visualized with the human eye, so they have been there more than 10 years already.
When Christina Applegate's publicist reports "it was not serious and caught in the early stage" we know that is not factual. Present medical science has no way of determining whether cells have spread outside the breast. A stage zero cancer means that it less than 2 centimeters, and no cancer were found in the lymph nodes. However that still does not tell us that it was caught before cancer cells have spread. Most invasive breast cancers have seeded the body with cells by the time a mammogram or MRI can detect it. Negative lymph nodes on a biopsy does not tell us the cancer is still localized to the breast because a small number of cells are for practical purposes invisible.
There are both aggressive and non-aggressive breast cancers. It was not announced which type Ms. Applegate has, but the more aggressive breast cancers are more common in young women. They spread out from the breast at an earlier stage. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a non-invasive breast cancer that spreads locally and there is no significant advantage to early detection because these cancers are not generally life threatening and can be detected later when they are larger with a good prognosis. Hopefully Christina has this type. Infiltrating ductal carcinoma is an example of breast cancer that is more aggressive.
Genetics plays a minor role, not the major role. Dietary practices have been identified by scientific studies as the primary cause of breast cancers. The countries with the highest incidence of cancers of the breast are in North America, Western Europe and Australia, while in contrast, the occurrence is lowest in Southeast Asia1. For example, when compared to the United States, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand have only one-twentieth the amount of breast cancer in the 50-75 age bracket. Breast and Prostate cancer are the most prevalent cancers in America.
Diets lower in animal products (especially cheese) and higher in unrefined plant foods account for these dramatic differences. When people from a low risk country migrate to the United States, their cancer rate increases considerably and the cancer rate in their offspring jumps up to match other Americans. This demonstrates that the lower incidence of these cancers is not due to a lower genetic susceptibility in Asians, but rather due to the exposure to Western dietary practices2.
Plant-derived micronutrients reduce toxic stress and arm the body's defenses against cancer. The growing body, with its dividing cells, is at greater risk when exposed to all types of negative and toxic influences. In adults, our valuable genetic material (DNA) is wound up in a tight ball, like the rubber bands on the inside of a golf ball. When we are young and cells are replicating and growing, the DNA unwinds, exposing more of its surface. This makes it more susceptible to damage from toxic exposure. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, infants and toddlers have a ten times greater cancer risk than adults when exposed to gene-damaging chemicals3.
In a similar manner, an unhealthy diet can do substantially more damage to a young body than an adult one. The fact is, the earlier in life, the greater the potential for damage. The idea that eating an anti-cancer diet in our childhood is more important in determining cancer risk than waiting to eat healthy as an adult, has been tested in animals by Dr. Jerald Silverman of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Ohio State with a grant from the American Institute for Cancer Research. He chose to study a strain of mice very susceptible to breast cancer. He put one group on a diet low in fat their entire lives and with the other group he switched them from a high fat diet to a healthier low fat one at different times; some before puberty, some at puberty and some after puberty. The study showed the same thing we see in human studies; those mice fed the high fat diet early in life had more cancer and more of the cancer spread to the lung, and the earlier the change to the healthier lower fat diet the better the mice fared.
The things we are exposed to earlier in life are crucial to our later health. If a nuclear power plant exploded nearby, dousing us all in heavy radiation, it would not cause a significant increase in cancer occurrence for at least 30 years. For example, the excess risk for breast, prostate and colon cancer among atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki continues to be observed today, and persists throughout the lifetime of the survivors. The largest grouping of the radiation-related cancer deaths for these common cancers occurred in the period from 1986 to 1990, forty to forty five years after exposure4.
Recent studies have also found fruit eating during childhood had powerful effects to protect against cancer in later life. A 60-year study of 4,999 participants found those who consumed more fruit in their childhood (highest quartile) were 38 percent less likely to develop cancer of all types as adults5.
There is much more here and the science is fascinating. I could go on and on with hundreds of more studies, telling this story, of food and other factors initiating cancer, but the point is--we already know enough about how to beat breast cancer. We can implement good science to win the war on cancer. We can do it now. We must eat right America.
For adults at risk or who already have cancer, nutritional excellence is a critical intervention one can use to reduce risk and significantly increase the chance of survival. Eat a high-nutrient, vegetable-based diet as described in my books, Eat To Live and Eat For Health. Green vegetables are the most powerful anti-breast cancer food. Take note that a vegetarian diet does not show protection against breast cancer as much as a diet rich in green vegetables, berries, and seeds. It is the phytochemical nutrient density and diversity of the diet that offers the most dramatic protection against cancer, not merely the avoidance of meat or fat.
Learn more about the best ways to prevent breast cancer and the debate over mammograms in Dr. Fuhrman's Healthy Times Newsletter #13, May 2004.
Dr. Fuhrman is a board certified family physician and specialist in nutritional medicine. Visit him at DrFuhrman.com
To comment on this article, check out Dr. Fuhrman's blog DiseaseProof.com.
1. Doll R, Muir C, Waterhouse J. International Union Against Cancer (UICC) Cancer Incidence in five continents. Vol VI, Lyon 1997.
2. Ziegler RG, Hoover RN, Pike MC et al. Migration patterns and breast cancer risk in Asian-American women. J Natl Cancer Inst 1993;85(22):1819-1827.
3. Dourson M, Charnley G, Scheuplein R. Differential sensitivity of children and adults to chemical toxicity. II. Risk and regulation. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2002;35(3):448-467. Miller MD, Marty MA, Arcus A, et al. Differences between children and adults: implications for risk assessment at California EPA. Int J Toxicol 2002;21(5):403-418.
4. McPherson K, Steel CM, Dixon JM. ABC of Breast Diseases, Breast cancer--epidemiology, risk factors, and genetics. BMJ 2000;321:624-628. Pierce DA, Shimizu Y, Preston DL, et al. Studies of the mortality of atomic bomb survivors. Report 12, Part I. Cancer: 1950-1990 RERF Report No. 11-95 Radiat Res 1996;146:1-27.
5. Maynard M, Gunnell D, Emmett P, et al. Fruit, vegetable and antioxidants in childhood and risk of adult cancer: the Boyd Orr cohort. J Epidemiol Community Health 2003;57:218-225.
DrFuhrman.com
4 Walter E. Foran Blvd
Suite 408
Flemington, NJ 08822
US
That said, I'd like to share that Juice Plus whole food supplements give you the phytonutrient equivalent of 15 fruits & vegetables per day. If you're interested in learning more, please visit my website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net. You can also qualify for free supplements for your children if they are between the ages of 6-13.
Now to something more positive regarding the fight against breast cancer...
I just joined the Love/Avon Army of Women — and you should, too!
The amazing Dr. Susan Love has a call to action for women withOUT breast cancer, whether cured, never had and no risk factors. She has said she is striving for prevention, not just the cure. In order to become one in the Army of Women who would be willing to share their blood, saliva, breast tissue, etc. with scientists, go to ArmyofWomen.org and sign up. Signing up does not necessarily mean you will be chosen, just that you are willing to be. Dr. Love said they are piling the women into regions and will divy them/us out to the scientists in the area. It could be many months before we learn if we have been chosen.
Please, please consider becoming one of the volunteers if you do not have breast cancer! Our sisters (and brothers, because men get breast cancer, too!) need us to help. The Love/Avon Army of Women offers women the opportunity to partner with the scientists who are conducting research that will end this disease--once and for all. Breast cancer has been around for decades, but it does not have to be our future. We can be the generation that stops breast cancer once and for all by figuring out what causes this disease and how to prevent it!
Sign up for your sister, mother, daughter, granddaughter, best friend, and the woman you met last week. This is YOUR chance to be part of the research that will end breast cancer. It takes a just a minute to join. But the impact we will have will last a lifetime.
Please Join Me in Being One in a Million!
Friday, November 7, 2008
A HypnoBirthing story
Here's a HypnoBirthing story from one of my past class members. She took the classes very close to her "guess" date. Enjoy!
Hi Carol,
I hope you and your family are doing well. James and I are doing great and are enjoying every second of parenthood. Blake is the sweetest boy and we are absolutely in love with him.
I have been meaning to call you and tell you my birth story but it seems something always comes up so I decided to write you. I first want to thank you so much for all of your help in getting us prepared for Blakes' arrival by giving me the confidence and important information that I used during his birth. I truly believe if it wasn't for you my birthing experience wouldn't have been so wonderful. Here is my story:
I just hit my 38th week of pregnancy and I started having some surges on April 3rd at around 1:15 A.M. I first thought they were the braxton hicks contractions I had been having for weeks so I didn't think much of them. I stayed in bed for a little over an hour until I noticed that they were becoming regular and were 8 minutes apart. I decided to get out of bed and walk around to see how I was feeling. I noticed that I was having some lower back pressure so I decided to start getting everything ready in case this was it. About a half hour later the surges started becoming more frequent and more intense so I began to get myself ready and I jumped in the shower. I thought that I would have still several hours at home before I needed to go to the hospital but I was wrong. While in the shower the surges became so intense that I could no longer stand. I finished my shower and tried to go downstairs to let James know that we had to get going to the hospital but I only made it to the master bedroom. I yelled for James several times but he couldn't hear me because he was finishing up all the things that needed to be done before we left. By the time he got upstairs it was about 3:00 A.M. and my surges were about 2 minutes apart, he then called Dr. Zaid and got the car packed up. In the car I started to listen to the rainbow relaxation on the hypnobirthing CD (If I would have known my labor was going to progress so quickly I would have started earlier). On the way to the hospital my surges were 1 minute apart and I could feel myself starting to get panicked because my labor was progressing so fast. I calmed myself down by using the relaxation and visualization techniques you taught me. I could feel myself relax and gain control over my emotions. Once we got to the off ramp where the hospital was I felt the urge to push!
Once we got to the hospital we checked in and a nurse checked me to see how far I had progressed. I was fully dilated and Blake had already started to descend. Unfortunately we forgot to bring the mp3 player and our camera with us when leaving the car and the nurses wouldn't let James go to the car and get them because as they put it 'this baby is coming!' So I was unable to listen to the hypnobirthing CD during the rest of my labor. But because of all your information and relaxation techniques I learned during the classes I was still able to stay calm and mostly relaxed. When the nurses would tell me to hold my breath and push or open my eyes and focus on a spot in the room I didn't. I went inside myself and listened to my body and did what felt right for me and because of this I had a great birthing experience and that is all thanks to you. Throughout the birthing experience I was totally present and didn't let other people take control of my sons' birth.
Blake was born at 5:12 A.M, which makes my entire labor only 4 hours and I probably only pushed for 20 minutes! I think that is pretty amazing for a first time birth. I didn't have any tearing and I account that to staying relaxed and listening to my body, which included getting in different positions. Now I wouldn't say that I had a pain free birth but it was definitely manageable.
I had such a great experience because of you and if you ever need a reference I would be more than happy to recommend you and tell to other woman interested in hypnobirthing my birth story.
Thanks again,
Erica H
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
Hi Carol,
I hope you and your family are doing well. James and I are doing great and are enjoying every second of parenthood. Blake is the sweetest boy and we are absolutely in love with him.
I have been meaning to call you and tell you my birth story but it seems something always comes up so I decided to write you. I first want to thank you so much for all of your help in getting us prepared for Blakes' arrival by giving me the confidence and important information that I used during his birth. I truly believe if it wasn't for you my birthing experience wouldn't have been so wonderful. Here is my story:
I just hit my 38th week of pregnancy and I started having some surges on April 3rd at around 1:15 A.M. I first thought they were the braxton hicks contractions I had been having for weeks so I didn't think much of them. I stayed in bed for a little over an hour until I noticed that they were becoming regular and were 8 minutes apart. I decided to get out of bed and walk around to see how I was feeling. I noticed that I was having some lower back pressure so I decided to start getting everything ready in case this was it. About a half hour later the surges started becoming more frequent and more intense so I began to get myself ready and I jumped in the shower. I thought that I would have still several hours at home before I needed to go to the hospital but I was wrong. While in the shower the surges became so intense that I could no longer stand. I finished my shower and tried to go downstairs to let James know that we had to get going to the hospital but I only made it to the master bedroom. I yelled for James several times but he couldn't hear me because he was finishing up all the things that needed to be done before we left. By the time he got upstairs it was about 3:00 A.M. and my surges were about 2 minutes apart, he then called Dr. Zaid and got the car packed up. In the car I started to listen to the rainbow relaxation on the hypnobirthing CD (If I would have known my labor was going to progress so quickly I would have started earlier). On the way to the hospital my surges were 1 minute apart and I could feel myself starting to get panicked because my labor was progressing so fast. I calmed myself down by using the relaxation and visualization techniques you taught me. I could feel myself relax and gain control over my emotions. Once we got to the off ramp where the hospital was I felt the urge to push!
Once we got to the hospital we checked in and a nurse checked me to see how far I had progressed. I was fully dilated and Blake had already started to descend. Unfortunately we forgot to bring the mp3 player and our camera with us when leaving the car and the nurses wouldn't let James go to the car and get them because as they put it 'this baby is coming!' So I was unable to listen to the hypnobirthing CD during the rest of my labor. But because of all your information and relaxation techniques I learned during the classes I was still able to stay calm and mostly relaxed. When the nurses would tell me to hold my breath and push or open my eyes and focus on a spot in the room I didn't. I went inside myself and listened to my body and did what felt right for me and because of this I had a great birthing experience and that is all thanks to you. Throughout the birthing experience I was totally present and didn't let other people take control of my sons' birth.
Blake was born at 5:12 A.M, which makes my entire labor only 4 hours and I probably only pushed for 20 minutes! I think that is pretty amazing for a first time birth. I didn't have any tearing and I account that to staying relaxed and listening to my body, which included getting in different positions. Now I wouldn't say that I had a pain free birth but it was definitely manageable.
I had such a great experience because of you and if you ever need a reference I would be more than happy to recommend you and tell to other woman interested in hypnobirthing my birth story.
Thanks again,
Erica H
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
More proof that "organic" in bodycare products doesn't mean that much
Round One Legal Victory for Organic Consumers and Dr. Bronner's against "Organic Cheater" Personal Care Brands and Certifiers
Organic Consumers Association, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, 10/13/08
After hearing oral arguments earlier this month, the San Francisco County Superior Court on Thursday Oct. 8th ruled that Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps can proceed with its lawsuit seeking to compel organic cheater companies & certifiers to drop, or stop certifying, deceptive organic label and brand claims. Culprit brands include:
Avalon "Organics"
Jason "Pure, Natural & Organic"
Nature's Gate "Organics"
Kiss My Face "Obsessively Organic"
Giovanni "Organic Cosmetics"
Head "Organics"
Desert Essence "Organics"
Stella McCartney's CARE "100% Organic".
The culprit certifiers are OASIS and Ecocert; Estee Lauder is also a defendant due to its expressed intent to enter the market under its Aveda brand with misleading OASIS certified "organic" products.
The 800,000 supporter strong Organic Consumers Association has played a leading role in exposing and educating consumers about deceptive organic branding, and is a party in the litigation with Ecocert. The Court turned aside the defendants' arguments that Dr. Bronner's, in its complaint filed with the Court, hadn't sufficiently spelled out how actual consumers, the company and competition in the organic personal care industry have been hurt by the defendants' deceptive practices. The Court also rejected a claim by OASIS that its deceptive certification could be protected as free speech. In so ruling, the Court moved the case closer to full consideration of the merits of Dr. Bronner's claims.
Organic consumers expect that the main cleansing and moisturizing ingredients in soaps, shampoos and body washes that are labeled "Organic", "Organics" or "Made with Organic" will be made from organic as distinct from conventional agricultural material, produced without synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides, and be free of petrochemical compounds.
Dr. Bronner's products, in contrast to defendants' products, contain cleansing and moisturizing ingredients made only from certified organic oils, made without any use of petrochemicals, and contain no petrochemical preservatives. The misleading organic noise created by culprit companies' branding and labeling practices, interferes with organic consumers ability to distinguish personal care whose main ingredients are in fact made with certified organic, not conventional or petrochemical, material, free of synthetic preservatives.
Posted at www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare and www.drbronner.com/usda_organic_bodycare.html for the media and public to review, is: one, the Case Management Conference document filed jointly by Dr. Bronner's and Defendants that frames the case from either position; two, the Court's recent Oct. 8th rulings; and three, a detailed comparison of U.S. and European natural and organic personal care standards, ranked by rigor and integrity, including: USDA Organic (US); NSF (US); Soil Association (UK); BDIH (Germany); Natural Products Association (US); Whole Foods Premium (US); OASIS (US); NaTrue (Germany); and Ecocert (France).
Over the summer, Dr. Bronner's was pleased to settle with former defendants Ikove and Juice Beauty. Ikove has committed to reformulate problematic products to exclude any ingredients containing petrochemical compounds and label their products appropriately. Dr. Bronner's and Juice Beauty have entered into a Settlement Agreement, in which Juice Beauty agrees to accept the Court's decision; but in any event, even should the Court not so mandate, Juice Beauty has committed that no ingredients including petrochemical compounds shall be in any Juice Beauty product whatsoever, as of February, 2010. Says Dr. Bronner's president David Bronner: "We're optimistic as the case progresses, that other companies that have further to go will nonetheless see the light and agree to settle rather than dragging this out." Adds Ronnie Cummins, OCA Executive Director: "The writing is on the wall for companies who misbrand conventional personal care as organic to mislead consumers."
So...if you really want truly safe bodycare products such as toothpaste, lotion, shampoo, skin care, sunscreen, probiotics, baby care & even household cleaner, use Miessence, which is certified organic to food grade levels by the USDA & IFOAM. Go to my website to learn more...www.AWellLivedLife.Net & click on Miessence.
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
Organic Consumers Association, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, 10/13/08
After hearing oral arguments earlier this month, the San Francisco County Superior Court on Thursday Oct. 8th ruled that Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps can proceed with its lawsuit seeking to compel organic cheater companies & certifiers to drop, or stop certifying, deceptive organic label and brand claims. Culprit brands include:
Avalon "Organics"
Jason "Pure, Natural & Organic"
Nature's Gate "Organics"
Kiss My Face "Obsessively Organic"
Giovanni "Organic Cosmetics"
Head "Organics"
Desert Essence "Organics"
Stella McCartney's CARE "100% Organic".
The culprit certifiers are OASIS and Ecocert; Estee Lauder is also a defendant due to its expressed intent to enter the market under its Aveda brand with misleading OASIS certified "organic" products.
The 800,000 supporter strong Organic Consumers Association has played a leading role in exposing and educating consumers about deceptive organic branding, and is a party in the litigation with Ecocert. The Court turned aside the defendants' arguments that Dr. Bronner's, in its complaint filed with the Court, hadn't sufficiently spelled out how actual consumers, the company and competition in the organic personal care industry have been hurt by the defendants' deceptive practices. The Court also rejected a claim by OASIS that its deceptive certification could be protected as free speech. In so ruling, the Court moved the case closer to full consideration of the merits of Dr. Bronner's claims.
Organic consumers expect that the main cleansing and moisturizing ingredients in soaps, shampoos and body washes that are labeled "Organic", "Organics" or "Made with Organic" will be made from organic as distinct from conventional agricultural material, produced without synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides, and be free of petrochemical compounds.
Dr. Bronner's products, in contrast to defendants' products, contain cleansing and moisturizing ingredients made only from certified organic oils, made without any use of petrochemicals, and contain no petrochemical preservatives. The misleading organic noise created by culprit companies' branding and labeling practices, interferes with organic consumers ability to distinguish personal care whose main ingredients are in fact made with certified organic, not conventional or petrochemical, material, free of synthetic preservatives.
Posted at www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare and www.drbronner.com/usda_organic_bodycare.html for the media and public to review, is: one, the Case Management Conference document filed jointly by Dr. Bronner's and Defendants that frames the case from either position; two, the Court's recent Oct. 8th rulings; and three, a detailed comparison of U.S. and European natural and organic personal care standards, ranked by rigor and integrity, including: USDA Organic (US); NSF (US); Soil Association (UK); BDIH (Germany); Natural Products Association (US); Whole Foods Premium (US); OASIS (US); NaTrue (Germany); and Ecocert (France).
Over the summer, Dr. Bronner's was pleased to settle with former defendants Ikove and Juice Beauty. Ikove has committed to reformulate problematic products to exclude any ingredients containing petrochemical compounds and label their products appropriately. Dr. Bronner's and Juice Beauty have entered into a Settlement Agreement, in which Juice Beauty agrees to accept the Court's decision; but in any event, even should the Court not so mandate, Juice Beauty has committed that no ingredients including petrochemical compounds shall be in any Juice Beauty product whatsoever, as of February, 2010. Says Dr. Bronner's president David Bronner: "We're optimistic as the case progresses, that other companies that have further to go will nonetheless see the light and agree to settle rather than dragging this out." Adds Ronnie Cummins, OCA Executive Director: "The writing is on the wall for companies who misbrand conventional personal care as organic to mislead consumers."
So...if you really want truly safe bodycare products such as toothpaste, lotion, shampoo, skin care, sunscreen, probiotics, baby care & even household cleaner, use Miessence, which is certified organic to food grade levels by the USDA & IFOAM. Go to my website to learn more...www.AWellLivedLife.Net & click on Miessence.
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Breathing Down vs Pushing
There was a recent discussion on the HypnoBirthing practitioners webgroup about "pushing" & why some medical care providers don't think HypnoBirthing works during the "pushing" phase since we use Birth Breathing to "gently breathe the baby down". Jennifer Elliott, a HypnoBirthing practitioner, has written the following letter to midwifery groups to explain Birth Breathing & has given me permission to share it on my blog. Thank you, Jennifer! It's a great explanation. Here is her post:
I sent the following letter to some midwifery groups here and received a very open minded response and now have more support than ever. I am privileged to have attended a birth of a most committed first time mother, fully supported by nurse and doctor, who had a perfect HB birth and brilliantly breathed her baby down. So I not only believe but also see.
Here's my letter:
PUSHING VS BREATHING DOWN
An Explanation of the HypnoBirthing Approach
There has been confusion surrounding the approach of HypnoBirthing toward second stage. Some of your clients may have told you that they will not be "pushing" their babies out. HypnoBirthing does have a particular approach to second stage. First, HypnoBirthing, the book, advises against "forced pushing,´ purple pushing and the valsalva manouever. It uses the term `pushing´ to refer to all of these that are generally caregiver coached and directed and often against a woman´s natural instincts and desires. In addition to reducing oxygen to the baby, valsalva pushing, associated with a tense jaw, tends to cause women to tighten their vaginas, like a pelvic floor exercise, causing the baby´s head to meet more resistance as it is pushed down.
In an article contrasting Active Management of Labour with physiologic birth, Marie Mongan, author of HypnoBirthing and developer of the program, says, "When using forced pushing, she is closing the sphincters of the vaginal outlet ahead of the baby. This kind of pushing reduces the flow of oxygen to the baby, and his heart rate may decline. If this happens, there will be talk of the need to get "that" baby out."
Midwife Ina May Gaskin believes a relaxed mouth and jaw are directly correlated with the ability of the cervix and vagina to open fully (The Sphincter Law).
HypnoBirthing replaces the word `pushing´ that refers to more spontaneous bearing down with `birth breathing´, `breathing down´ and `nudging the baby down´. It may be only the language that is different from how a midwife might encourage her client. One difference is that the HypnoBirthing woman has learned to relax her body completely and is working to maintain that relaxation in most of her body, even in second stage. (She may be in a more upright position in second stage, requiring more of her muscles). By relaxing her vagina it unfolds more easily and the baby moves more gently into the world. Practice for breathing down is done on the toilet during a bowel movement. Women are encouraged to notice how their vagina and anus open and how they bear down on the exhale, sending the energy down their body.
When birth breathing is working well, women may appreciate only quiet, gentle encouragement. They take several breaths with each surge (contraction) , usually in and out through their nose. HypnoBirthing encourages women to begin breathing their baby down when they feel the urge, which may be some time after they are fully dilated. Mongan argues that we wait for women with epidurals to allow their bodies to bring their babies down and we should be prepared to do the same for all women.
Jennifer Elliott, BEd, HBCE, CH, CD(DONA)
HYPNOBIRTHING, PRENATAL CLASSES
www.lifesjourney. ca
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
I sent the following letter to some midwifery groups here and received a very open minded response and now have more support than ever. I am privileged to have attended a birth of a most committed first time mother, fully supported by nurse and doctor, who had a perfect HB birth and brilliantly breathed her baby down. So I not only believe but also see.
Here's my letter:
PUSHING VS BREATHING DOWN
An Explanation of the HypnoBirthing Approach
There has been confusion surrounding the approach of HypnoBirthing toward second stage. Some of your clients may have told you that they will not be "pushing" their babies out. HypnoBirthing does have a particular approach to second stage. First, HypnoBirthing, the book, advises against "forced pushing,´ purple pushing and the valsalva manouever. It uses the term `pushing´ to refer to all of these that are generally caregiver coached and directed and often against a woman´s natural instincts and desires. In addition to reducing oxygen to the baby, valsalva pushing, associated with a tense jaw, tends to cause women to tighten their vaginas, like a pelvic floor exercise, causing the baby´s head to meet more resistance as it is pushed down.
In an article contrasting Active Management of Labour with physiologic birth, Marie Mongan, author of HypnoBirthing and developer of the program, says, "When using forced pushing, she is closing the sphincters of the vaginal outlet ahead of the baby. This kind of pushing reduces the flow of oxygen to the baby, and his heart rate may decline. If this happens, there will be talk of the need to get "that" baby out."
Midwife Ina May Gaskin believes a relaxed mouth and jaw are directly correlated with the ability of the cervix and vagina to open fully (The Sphincter Law).
HypnoBirthing replaces the word `pushing´ that refers to more spontaneous bearing down with `birth breathing´, `breathing down´ and `nudging the baby down´. It may be only the language that is different from how a midwife might encourage her client. One difference is that the HypnoBirthing woman has learned to relax her body completely and is working to maintain that relaxation in most of her body, even in second stage. (She may be in a more upright position in second stage, requiring more of her muscles). By relaxing her vagina it unfolds more easily and the baby moves more gently into the world. Practice for breathing down is done on the toilet during a bowel movement. Women are encouraged to notice how their vagina and anus open and how they bear down on the exhale, sending the energy down their body.
When birth breathing is working well, women may appreciate only quiet, gentle encouragement. They take several breaths with each surge (contraction) , usually in and out through their nose. HypnoBirthing encourages women to begin breathing their baby down when they feel the urge, which may be some time after they are fully dilated. Mongan argues that we wait for women with epidurals to allow their bodies to bring their babies down and we should be prepared to do the same for all women.
Jennifer Elliott, BEd, HBCE, CH, CD(DONA)
HYPNOBIRTHING, PRENATAL CLASSES
www.lifesjourney. ca
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
Thursday, October 30, 2008
A HypnoBirthing testimonial
This is a testimonial/birth announcement from one of my past class members...
Hello Carol!
Well Chloe decided to show up on the 10/17 around 6 pm..after 16 hours of labor! I would like to share our birthing story with other HypnoBirthing parents so they are reassured that no matter what happens during their birthing experience as long as they keep an open-mind it will be a wonderful experience!
I had been getting regular surges for the last 2 weeks before the big day, even though they seem strong my cervix stayed at 1 cm for over 2 weeks! On 10/16 my doctor told me that she wanted to induce me in 4 days!! ( I was at 41 weeks)..I remember crying that night thinking about all the bad side effects of inducing a baby!!! My wonderful husband was very reassuring and took me out for dinner to distract me ...... the same night my water broke...I could not believe it!!! So many worries and tears for NOTHING!
I had GBS...so we knew that the doctor wanted us in the hospital right away to start the Penicillin IV.... Jerry and I decided to stay at home and labor peacefully until 6 am... we arrived at Mary Birch Hospital around 6:20, went thru triage...got our room after 1 hour... within 30 minutes I was hooked both on Penicillin and regular IV...the hospital policy was to keep the baby heart monitor on at all time...and the blood pressure monitoring was on my arm.... with all those cables on me I felt that I was a lab monkey!!...( and this feeling was only going to get worst since they later added the epidural IV and bladder catheter)
Around 10 am I was checked at 3 cm... with very strong surges lasting up to 55 seconds and only one minute apart...... I was very tired and was not able to rest enough between the surge...the amniotic liquid was getting low and putting the life of the baby at risk... after declining all pain medication ( the nurse keep asking every 45 minutes or so if I wanted any medication to take the edge off) and Pitocin for the last 10 hours...Jerry and I decided to get the epidural and the pitocin ... at this point I had been in labor for over 11 hours.... the pain was pretty intense and it seems that all strength was drained out of my body.... Within 5 hours of the pitocin and epiridural ... I gave birth! A beautiful birth!!!
I used HypnoBirthing techniques during the 16 hours of labor....The balloon breathing and the blue ribbon picture worked wonderfully for me...going deep inside and picturing the baby coming and my cervix opening like a flower were very helpful as well.
I am very proud of how Jerry and I worked as a team, everything went peacefully and smoothly! Chloe is such a very calm and content baby.
I wish all Carol's couples a beautiful and easy birth experience!! A big thank you from the bottom of my heart to Carol for the HypnoBirthing lessons and continuous and caring support even after the classes were over!
Emma
Thanks for sharing your story, Emma, & congratulations on the birth of your baby!
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
Hello Carol!
Well Chloe decided to show up on the 10/17 around 6 pm..after 16 hours of labor! I would like to share our birthing story with other HypnoBirthing parents so they are reassured that no matter what happens during their birthing experience as long as they keep an open-mind it will be a wonderful experience!
I had been getting regular surges for the last 2 weeks before the big day, even though they seem strong my cervix stayed at 1 cm for over 2 weeks! On 10/16 my doctor told me that she wanted to induce me in 4 days!! ( I was at 41 weeks)..I remember crying that night thinking about all the bad side effects of inducing a baby!!! My wonderful husband was very reassuring and took me out for dinner to distract me ...... the same night my water broke...I could not believe it!!! So many worries and tears for NOTHING!
I had GBS...so we knew that the doctor wanted us in the hospital right away to start the Penicillin IV.... Jerry and I decided to stay at home and labor peacefully until 6 am... we arrived at Mary Birch Hospital around 6:20, went thru triage...got our room after 1 hour... within 30 minutes I was hooked both on Penicillin and regular IV...the hospital policy was to keep the baby heart monitor on at all time...and the blood pressure monitoring was on my arm.... with all those cables on me I felt that I was a lab monkey!!...( and this feeling was only going to get worst since they later added the epidural IV and bladder catheter)
Around 10 am I was checked at 3 cm... with very strong surges lasting up to 55 seconds and only one minute apart...... I was very tired and was not able to rest enough between the surge...the amniotic liquid was getting low and putting the life of the baby at risk... after declining all pain medication ( the nurse keep asking every 45 minutes or so if I wanted any medication to take the edge off) and Pitocin for the last 10 hours...Jerry and I decided to get the epidural and the pitocin ... at this point I had been in labor for over 11 hours.... the pain was pretty intense and it seems that all strength was drained out of my body.... Within 5 hours of the pitocin and epiridural ... I gave birth! A beautiful birth!!!
I used HypnoBirthing techniques during the 16 hours of labor....The balloon breathing and the blue ribbon picture worked wonderfully for me...going deep inside and picturing the baby coming and my cervix opening like a flower were very helpful as well.
I am very proud of how Jerry and I worked as a team, everything went peacefully and smoothly! Chloe is such a very calm and content baby.
I wish all Carol's couples a beautiful and easy birth experience!! A big thank you from the bottom of my heart to Carol for the HypnoBirthing lessons and continuous and caring support even after the classes were over!
Emma
Thanks for sharing your story, Emma, & congratulations on the birth of your baby!
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Moisturizers Linked to Skin Cancer?
Moisturizers Linked To Skin Cancer?
Studies: 4 Commonly Used Moisturizing Creams Promote Tumors In UV-Exposed Mice
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/14/health/webmd/main4351459.shtml?source=search_story
(WebMD) Four commonly used moisturizers promoted skin cancers in mouse studies.
Mice are not men. But the unexpected finding suggests that these -- and perhaps other products -- may not be as safe as they're thought to be.
The moisturizers tested in the study were Dermabase, Dermovan (a wholesale only product discontinued in 2006), Eucerin Original Moisturizing Cream, and Vanicream.
In a mouse model of sun-related skin cancer , frequent application of each product resulted in more skin tumors and faster tumor growth, says study leader Allan H. Conney, PhD, director of the Susan Lehman Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research and professor in the school of pharmacy at Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J. "This was unexpected. We really did not expect to see the tumor-promoting activity of these creams," Conney tells WebMD.
In fact, Conney and colleagues were getting ready to use one of these moisturizers -- Dermabase -- in human clinical trials of topical caffeine, which prevents skin cancer in animal studies.
"We thought it would be prudent to test Dermabase by itself to see if it had tumor-promoting activity," Conney says. "We did not think it would. But lo and behold, to our surprise we got an increased rate of skin cancer."
This led to new tests of Dermabase and the three other moisturizers, which the Conney team hoped to use in their human study. For these new animal studies, the researchers used hairless mice irradiated with ultraviolet light twice a week for 20 weeks. With no further irradiation, such mice eventually develop skin cancer -- very much like humans overexposed to sunlight early in life.
Five days a week, for 17 weeks, the researchers rubbed moisturizer into the animals' skin. The result:
Dermabase increased the total number of tumors by 69%.
Dermovan increased the total number of tumors by 95%.
Eucerin increased the total number of tumors by 24%.
Vanicream increased the total number of tumors by 58%.
"The multimillion-dollar question is, what about humans?" Conney asks. "The answer is, we don't know. Our study raises a red flag and points out the need for epidemiologists to take a look at people who use moisturizing creams. And the companies that market these products should take a look at animal models and see if their products promote tumors."
Testing Moisturizers for Safety
Dermatologist Keyvan Nouri, MD, director of dermatologic surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and author of the best-selling book Skin Cancer, agrees that companies that make moisturizers should test their products.
"This study could definitely be a warning to alert these companies to consider testing moisturizing creams with some sort of assay," Nouri tells WebMD. "These creams need to be tested first before they come to market."
Moisturizers are classified as cosmetics by the FDA, which does not require that they undergo the same safety and efficacy tests required for drugs.
The moisturizers did not cause cancer in the mice. That came from their early-life radiation exposure. But the creams did make skin cancers grow faster and more readily.
Nouri notes that the radiation damaged the skin of the mice before the moisturizing creams were applied. That, he says, might account for the moisturizers' unusual tumor-promoting effect.
However, he notes that the skin cancers are becoming much more common in humans.
"There are over a million cases a year," he says. "It is by far the most common cancer we deal with. Skin cancers account for more than half of all cancers combined. But most skin cancers are totally curable."
What is it about the moisturizers that might promote cancer?
The Conney team asked Johnson & Johnson to make them a "custom blend" moisturizer without two ingredients previously linked to skin iritation (sodium lauryl sulfate) and tumor promotion (mineral oil). The custom blend (on which Rutgers University and Johnson & Johnson hold a patent) did not promote skin cancer.
But not all of the products tested use these ingredients, so exactly what -- if anything -- might be linked to cancer isn't known. And it's certainly clear that mouse and human skin are very different.
Moisturizers Still Necessary
Nouri warns consumers not to stop using moisturizers.
"As we get older, our skin gets drier," he says. "We need to moisturize, otherwise our skin gets dry and we get eczema , dermatitis , rashes , and so on. It is too soon to say from this study people should stop moisturizing."
Eucerin is made by Beiersdorf Inc.
"We have just learned about this study and are currently reviewing it to understand the findings," Beiersdorf says in a statement to WebMD. "Eucerin Original Creme has been on the market for more than 100 years and is a highly respected, dermatologist-recommended brand. It has been widely used by both individuals with normal skin and those with diseased skin under the care of physicians, and no incidents of this nature have ever been reported."
Vanicream is made by Pharmaceutical Specialties Inc. In a statement to WebMD, PSI President Conrad O. Thompson, RPh, says there is nothing in the Conney study to indicate any need for change in current recommendations for use of Vanicream.
"Treatment with Vanicream Skin Cream clearly did not increase the proportion of animals that developed tumors," Thompson notes.
Dermovan, a wholesale-only product used as a base to which other ingredients are added by compounding pharmacists, was made by Healthpoint Ltd. until the product was discontinued in 2006.
"The product has been around for 50 years, and has no safety issues related to it," Healthpoint spokesman Mark Mitchell tells WebMD.
Dermabase maker Paddock Laboratories Inc. did not respond to WebMD's request for comment.
The Conney study appears in the Aug. 14 advance online issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
**If you want a moisturizer made from Certified Organic (to food grade levels) ingredients that are cold-pressed & cold-extracted, choose Miessence products. Go to my website at http://www.awelllivedlife.net/ & click on the Miessence tab to learn more.
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
Studies: 4 Commonly Used Moisturizing Creams Promote Tumors In UV-Exposed Mice
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/14/health/webmd/main4351459.shtml?source=search_story
(WebMD) Four commonly used moisturizers promoted skin cancers in mouse studies.
Mice are not men. But the unexpected finding suggests that these -- and perhaps other products -- may not be as safe as they're thought to be.
The moisturizers tested in the study were Dermabase, Dermovan (a wholesale only product discontinued in 2006), Eucerin Original Moisturizing Cream, and Vanicream.
In a mouse model of sun-related skin cancer , frequent application of each product resulted in more skin tumors and faster tumor growth, says study leader Allan H. Conney, PhD, director of the Susan Lehman Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research and professor in the school of pharmacy at Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J. "This was unexpected. We really did not expect to see the tumor-promoting activity of these creams," Conney tells WebMD.
In fact, Conney and colleagues were getting ready to use one of these moisturizers -- Dermabase -- in human clinical trials of topical caffeine, which prevents skin cancer in animal studies.
"We thought it would be prudent to test Dermabase by itself to see if it had tumor-promoting activity," Conney says. "We did not think it would. But lo and behold, to our surprise we got an increased rate of skin cancer."
This led to new tests of Dermabase and the three other moisturizers, which the Conney team hoped to use in their human study. For these new animal studies, the researchers used hairless mice irradiated with ultraviolet light twice a week for 20 weeks. With no further irradiation, such mice eventually develop skin cancer -- very much like humans overexposed to sunlight early in life.
Five days a week, for 17 weeks, the researchers rubbed moisturizer into the animals' skin. The result:
Dermabase increased the total number of tumors by 69%.
Dermovan increased the total number of tumors by 95%.
Eucerin increased the total number of tumors by 24%.
Vanicream increased the total number of tumors by 58%.
"The multimillion-dollar question is, what about humans?" Conney asks. "The answer is, we don't know. Our study raises a red flag and points out the need for epidemiologists to take a look at people who use moisturizing creams. And the companies that market these products should take a look at animal models and see if their products promote tumors."
Testing Moisturizers for Safety
Dermatologist Keyvan Nouri, MD, director of dermatologic surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and author of the best-selling book Skin Cancer, agrees that companies that make moisturizers should test their products.
"This study could definitely be a warning to alert these companies to consider testing moisturizing creams with some sort of assay," Nouri tells WebMD. "These creams need to be tested first before they come to market."
Moisturizers are classified as cosmetics by the FDA, which does not require that they undergo the same safety and efficacy tests required for drugs.
The moisturizers did not cause cancer in the mice. That came from their early-life radiation exposure. But the creams did make skin cancers grow faster and more readily.
Nouri notes that the radiation damaged the skin of the mice before the moisturizing creams were applied. That, he says, might account for the moisturizers' unusual tumor-promoting effect.
However, he notes that the skin cancers are becoming much more common in humans.
"There are over a million cases a year," he says. "It is by far the most common cancer we deal with. Skin cancers account for more than half of all cancers combined. But most skin cancers are totally curable."
What is it about the moisturizers that might promote cancer?
The Conney team asked Johnson & Johnson to make them a "custom blend" moisturizer without two ingredients previously linked to skin iritation (sodium lauryl sulfate) and tumor promotion (mineral oil). The custom blend (on which Rutgers University and Johnson & Johnson hold a patent) did not promote skin cancer.
But not all of the products tested use these ingredients, so exactly what -- if anything -- might be linked to cancer isn't known. And it's certainly clear that mouse and human skin are very different.
Moisturizers Still Necessary
Nouri warns consumers not to stop using moisturizers.
"As we get older, our skin gets drier," he says. "We need to moisturize, otherwise our skin gets dry and we get eczema , dermatitis , rashes , and so on. It is too soon to say from this study people should stop moisturizing."
Eucerin is made by Beiersdorf Inc.
"We have just learned about this study and are currently reviewing it to understand the findings," Beiersdorf says in a statement to WebMD. "Eucerin Original Creme has been on the market for more than 100 years and is a highly respected, dermatologist-recommended brand. It has been widely used by both individuals with normal skin and those with diseased skin under the care of physicians, and no incidents of this nature have ever been reported."
Vanicream is made by Pharmaceutical Specialties Inc. In a statement to WebMD, PSI President Conrad O. Thompson, RPh, says there is nothing in the Conney study to indicate any need for change in current recommendations for use of Vanicream.
"Treatment with Vanicream Skin Cream clearly did not increase the proportion of animals that developed tumors," Thompson notes.
Dermovan, a wholesale-only product used as a base to which other ingredients are added by compounding pharmacists, was made by Healthpoint Ltd. until the product was discontinued in 2006.
"The product has been around for 50 years, and has no safety issues related to it," Healthpoint spokesman Mark Mitchell tells WebMD.
Dermabase maker Paddock Laboratories Inc. did not respond to WebMD's request for comment.
The Conney study appears in the Aug. 14 advance online issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
**If you want a moisturizer made from Certified Organic (to food grade levels) ingredients that are cold-pressed & cold-extracted, choose Miessence products. Go to my website at http://www.awelllivedlife.net/ & click on the Miessence tab to learn more.
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The Unnecesarean
The Unnecesarean (www.unnecesarean.com)
Have you heard? The c-section rate in the United States is at an all time high. One in three babies is brought into the world by surgery.
Do you care? Maybe not. Maybe not until you, your partner, your mom, your friend or your sister is told that her baby is too big for vaginal birth and is wheeled off to the operation room for a major abdominal surgery that she doesn’t need.
The World Health Organization recommends no higher than a 10-15% for all nations, which is based on its 2004 study in which higher rates of morbidity were found in countries with rates below 10% and higher than 15%. This ideal rate is sometimes dismissed as arbitrary at best, yet even if the “ideal rate” was 20%, it would still amount to approximately 421,000 unnecessary surgical deliveries in the United States.
The Cesarean section is an essential, life-saving surgery for both mother and child when performed with medical indication. However, too many women and their partners are unnecessarily coerced into the surgery by doctors and hospital nurse-midwives under the argument that it's what's best for their baby or babies and for their body.
Doctors have been pressured to lower their rates for decades and yet the rate climbs. The onus of lowering this rate does not rest solely on the shoulders of the medical hierarchy.
The current cultural trend in the United States is for women to check themselves into hospitals in labor with a savvy consumer mentality that they are going to receive a series of safe technologically and scientifically based management services from doctors and nurses which will result in the following:
*Pain alleviation
*Information about their numbed body’s progress
*Delivery of a perfect baby
If the consumer is not happy with the end result of the services that they feel the hospital was responsible for providing them, they will do what any American consumer will do when they are not happy with a product or a service—demand reparations.
Hospitals now create a paper trail and preemptively counter the unrealistic expectation that their medical training and expensive technology will guarantee a safe birth experience for mother and baby by over-managing pregnancy and labor—unnecessary tests and drugs, induction drugs of questionable safety and, frequently, prophylactic vaginal bypass surgery—the unnecesarean.
Read more by going to the website (www.unnecesarean.com) , the blog & make sure you read the page about how to avoid an unnecesarean! (For you HypnoBirthing moms, make sure you "cancel, cancel" anything negative & focus on what you want rather than don't want after you visit this site.)
Please share with your friends...more people need to know that they have options!
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
Have you heard? The c-section rate in the United States is at an all time high. One in three babies is brought into the world by surgery.
Do you care? Maybe not. Maybe not until you, your partner, your mom, your friend or your sister is told that her baby is too big for vaginal birth and is wheeled off to the operation room for a major abdominal surgery that she doesn’t need.
The World Health Organization recommends no higher than a 10-15% for all nations, which is based on its 2004 study in which higher rates of morbidity were found in countries with rates below 10% and higher than 15%. This ideal rate is sometimes dismissed as arbitrary at best, yet even if the “ideal rate” was 20%, it would still amount to approximately 421,000 unnecessary surgical deliveries in the United States.
The Cesarean section is an essential, life-saving surgery for both mother and child when performed with medical indication. However, too many women and their partners are unnecessarily coerced into the surgery by doctors and hospital nurse-midwives under the argument that it's what's best for their baby or babies and for their body.
Doctors have been pressured to lower their rates for decades and yet the rate climbs. The onus of lowering this rate does not rest solely on the shoulders of the medical hierarchy.
The current cultural trend in the United States is for women to check themselves into hospitals in labor with a savvy consumer mentality that they are going to receive a series of safe technologically and scientifically based management services from doctors and nurses which will result in the following:
*Pain alleviation
*Information about their numbed body’s progress
*Delivery of a perfect baby
If the consumer is not happy with the end result of the services that they feel the hospital was responsible for providing them, they will do what any American consumer will do when they are not happy with a product or a service—demand reparations.
Hospitals now create a paper trail and preemptively counter the unrealistic expectation that their medical training and expensive technology will guarantee a safe birth experience for mother and baby by over-managing pregnancy and labor—unnecessary tests and drugs, induction drugs of questionable safety and, frequently, prophylactic vaginal bypass surgery—the unnecesarean.
Read more by going to the website (www.unnecesarean.com) , the blog & make sure you read the page about how to avoid an unnecesarean! (For you HypnoBirthing moms, make sure you "cancel, cancel" anything negative & focus on what you want rather than don't want after you visit this site.)
Please share with your friends...more people need to know that they have options!
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
Sunday, October 19, 2008
What the founder of HypnoBirthing says about Juice Plus
What Mickey Mongan, the founder of HypnoBirthing, says about prematurity, nutrition & Juice Plus:
Prematurity:
The Number 1 Cause of Newborn Deaths in America
And what about the other late-term complications?
Let's talk about Phytonutrients
Do you know that more than 17% of newborns die because they were born too early. The shocking and little known fact is that one in every eight babies is born too soon, many so small and frail that they are not able to fight the good fight for survival. The last two decades has seen an increase in pre-term births to a startling figure as high as 31%. We're talking about almost one third of our babies; and, yet, the main stream public and the medical people who serve it have very little knowledgeable about how pregnant women can possible avert having this tragic event occur in their birthing experiences. Other undesirable, and sometime times critical late-term conditions, include toxicity, pregnancy-induced hypertension, suspected pre-eclampsia, early release of membranes, low-birth weight and intrauterine growth restriction--conditions that strike a woman only when she is pregnant. Conditions that the obstetrical world should be able to anticipate and prevent in many cases, but it's not happening. Instead, the recommendation is to see that the baby is born as soon as is practicable. Because the treatment of choice among health care providers is often bed rest and medication, these conditions can be debilitating for the pregnant woman, and usually the treatments are stop-gap measures rather than cures. As soon a the baby is believed to be developed enough to be born, inducement, often leading to other interventions, is recommended. The good news is that there are many who believe that this loss of infant lives and the hazards of pre-term complications can be avoided.
The late Dr. Thomas Brewer, noted author, was one of these people, and he devoted a large portion of his life to forwarding the theory that food is the best prescription in treating late term complications, but his theory on the absolute importance of food in pregnancy health care was largely brushed aside by the medical world until early 2000. In that year, an obstetrician in Mississippi, recognized that a few of his patients were consuming three portions of fruits and four portions of vegetables. He recommended a fruit/vegetable powder product (FVJP), and it soon became apparent that he was seeing something very encouraging within his obstetric practice. Many of his patients were not experiencing these late-term complications.
Recognizing that the parents of Doug Odom who reported taking a specific fruit and vegetable powdered product (FVJP) capsules, were experiencing fewer obstetric complications as compared to other women served by the same practice, a study at the Mississippi Baptist Medical Center at Mississippi University in Jackson was conducted. The study identified 178 women within the practice who reported taking the product between January 2000 and December 2002 as Group I. Group II was made up of 178 women, who had not taken the product. They were selected from the next consecutive birthing women, matching Group I women by age, parity, ethnicity, and prior preterm birth history. Hospital records were reviewed by a technician and verified by a hospital physician. The results showed that gestational age for Group I women was one week longer than Group II women. No Group I women birthed before 37 weeks, as compared to 35 in Group II. No instances of preeclampsia were noted in Group I, as compared to 38, in Group II. No babies of Group I moms were admitted to the NICU, while 17 with neonatal respiratory distress were admitted from Group II. No moms in Group I gave birth to low-birth-weight babies. The average weight for babies in Group I was 7 lbs 11.7 oz. Oxidated stress has been linked to the development of pre-term labor, as well as low-birth weight, premature release of membranes, and preeclampsia. In a separate study, not restricted to pregnant women, it was found that FVJP capsules taken regularly showed a reduction in oxidative stress in the body. It can be inferred from this study that pregnant women would benefit from a reduction of undesirable obstetric outcomes.
Based on these results, the medical world is taking note of the importance of food for pregnant women. A major randomized, prospective study is currently being conducted on FVJP. The information on the University of Mississippi study was reported in the JANA Research Report and presented at the 70th Annual Meeting of the Central Assn. of Obstetrician and Gynecologists in San Diego in October of 2003 by a group of seven doctors who had participated in the study.
How does this relate to HypnoBirthing?
I think that is obvious. It was this study and a presentation by Dr. William Sears that drew me to Juice Plus (FVJP) initially when I knew nothing about this food product. If these findings show that we can help our moms toward healthier eating and a healthier pregnancy, I want to be there when the rest of the world catches up with this. Why am I personally excited about FVJP, or Juice Plus? Because, like Dr Sears, I feel that it helped me maintain my level of strength and energy two years ago, when a medical condition caused me to be unable to hold little, sometimes nothing, down for a period of over a year. I lost weight, but was never unable to maintain my same level of productivity or travel and teaching. Most people never even knew I was experiencing this.
Now, I see an opportunity to help you while you help HypnoBirthing. As you know we are launching a documentary of major proportion. It takes a lot of funds to do this. Our goal is to raise nearly $90,000. The title of the film is, "Taking the Birthing World by Calm." The purpose of the film is not to expose everything that is bad out in the birthing world, but rather to showcase all that is good. We are making heroes and champions out of the doctors who do line up on our side. Their testimonies are wonderful. We intend to show families what they can aspire to in birthing, and to help bring about an awareness on the part of those in the medical field who do not suffer from psychosclerosis but who just have never realized that doctors are making a difference in the shift toward gentle, calm birthing.
We are asking you to help yourself and your family (gummies for kids) and the parents you serve by coming on board with the Juice Plus HypnoBirthing Team. (all moneys currently derived are being directed to the documentary fund--I receive nothing.) The Institute Documentary Fund will receive, bonuses from all of your activity, even if you subscribe only for yourself and your children. This is a great way to help fund this project and at the same time save you money on doctor bills, as you realize the health benefits of this great food product. Please think abut all the good you can do by affiliating with the HypnoBirthing Team of Juice Plus. Think of the babies you can help come into the world who may not have to suffer with the effects of these late term complications. Some will ask, "Is it ethical to be telling our parents about this study?" I ask, "Is it unethical to have this knowledge and not do what you can to help make it work for families (yours included) and birthing parents?" I believe it is.
Make it a point to contact Carol Yeh-Garner (www.AWellLivedLife.Net) and find out more about how you can become a wholesale member of the HypnoBirthing Team. You'll be helping your family, the HypnoBirthing Documentary Fund, and, at the same time, help the birthing mothers of the world.
Prematurity:
The Number 1 Cause of Newborn Deaths in America
And what about the other late-term complications?
Let's talk about Phytonutrients
Do you know that more than 17% of newborns die because they were born too early. The shocking and little known fact is that one in every eight babies is born too soon, many so small and frail that they are not able to fight the good fight for survival. The last two decades has seen an increase in pre-term births to a startling figure as high as 31%. We're talking about almost one third of our babies; and, yet, the main stream public and the medical people who serve it have very little knowledgeable about how pregnant women can possible avert having this tragic event occur in their birthing experiences. Other undesirable, and sometime times critical late-term conditions, include toxicity, pregnancy-induced hypertension, suspected pre-eclampsia, early release of membranes, low-birth weight and intrauterine growth restriction--conditions that strike a woman only when she is pregnant. Conditions that the obstetrical world should be able to anticipate and prevent in many cases, but it's not happening. Instead, the recommendation is to see that the baby is born as soon as is practicable. Because the treatment of choice among health care providers is often bed rest and medication, these conditions can be debilitating for the pregnant woman, and usually the treatments are stop-gap measures rather than cures. As soon a the baby is believed to be developed enough to be born, inducement, often leading to other interventions, is recommended. The good news is that there are many who believe that this loss of infant lives and the hazards of pre-term complications can be avoided.
The late Dr. Thomas Brewer, noted author, was one of these people, and he devoted a large portion of his life to forwarding the theory that food is the best prescription in treating late term complications, but his theory on the absolute importance of food in pregnancy health care was largely brushed aside by the medical world until early 2000. In that year, an obstetrician in Mississippi, recognized that a few of his patients were consuming three portions of fruits and four portions of vegetables. He recommended a fruit/vegetable powder product (FVJP), and it soon became apparent that he was seeing something very encouraging within his obstetric practice. Many of his patients were not experiencing these late-term complications.
Recognizing that the parents of Doug Odom who reported taking a specific fruit and vegetable powdered product (FVJP) capsules, were experiencing fewer obstetric complications as compared to other women served by the same practice, a study at the Mississippi Baptist Medical Center at Mississippi University in Jackson was conducted. The study identified 178 women within the practice who reported taking the product between January 2000 and December 2002 as Group I. Group II was made up of 178 women, who had not taken the product. They were selected from the next consecutive birthing women, matching Group I women by age, parity, ethnicity, and prior preterm birth history. Hospital records were reviewed by a technician and verified by a hospital physician. The results showed that gestational age for Group I women was one week longer than Group II women. No Group I women birthed before 37 weeks, as compared to 35 in Group II. No instances of preeclampsia were noted in Group I, as compared to 38, in Group II. No babies of Group I moms were admitted to the NICU, while 17 with neonatal respiratory distress were admitted from Group II. No moms in Group I gave birth to low-birth-weight babies. The average weight for babies in Group I was 7 lbs 11.7 oz. Oxidated stress has been linked to the development of pre-term labor, as well as low-birth weight, premature release of membranes, and preeclampsia. In a separate study, not restricted to pregnant women, it was found that FVJP capsules taken regularly showed a reduction in oxidative stress in the body. It can be inferred from this study that pregnant women would benefit from a reduction of undesirable obstetric outcomes.
Based on these results, the medical world is taking note of the importance of food for pregnant women. A major randomized, prospective study is currently being conducted on FVJP. The information on the University of Mississippi study was reported in the JANA Research Report and presented at the 70th Annual Meeting of the Central Assn. of Obstetrician and Gynecologists in San Diego in October of 2003 by a group of seven doctors who had participated in the study.
How does this relate to HypnoBirthing?
I think that is obvious. It was this study and a presentation by Dr. William Sears that drew me to Juice Plus (FVJP) initially when I knew nothing about this food product. If these findings show that we can help our moms toward healthier eating and a healthier pregnancy, I want to be there when the rest of the world catches up with this. Why am I personally excited about FVJP, or Juice Plus? Because, like Dr Sears, I feel that it helped me maintain my level of strength and energy two years ago, when a medical condition caused me to be unable to hold little, sometimes nothing, down for a period of over a year. I lost weight, but was never unable to maintain my same level of productivity or travel and teaching. Most people never even knew I was experiencing this.
Now, I see an opportunity to help you while you help HypnoBirthing. As you know we are launching a documentary of major proportion. It takes a lot of funds to do this. Our goal is to raise nearly $90,000. The title of the film is, "Taking the Birthing World by Calm." The purpose of the film is not to expose everything that is bad out in the birthing world, but rather to showcase all that is good. We are making heroes and champions out of the doctors who do line up on our side. Their testimonies are wonderful. We intend to show families what they can aspire to in birthing, and to help bring about an awareness on the part of those in the medical field who do not suffer from psychosclerosis but who just have never realized that doctors are making a difference in the shift toward gentle, calm birthing.
We are asking you to help yourself and your family (gummies for kids) and the parents you serve by coming on board with the Juice Plus HypnoBirthing Team. (all moneys currently derived are being directed to the documentary fund--I receive nothing.) The Institute Documentary Fund will receive, bonuses from all of your activity, even if you subscribe only for yourself and your children. This is a great way to help fund this project and at the same time save you money on doctor bills, as you realize the health benefits of this great food product. Please think abut all the good you can do by affiliating with the HypnoBirthing Team of Juice Plus. Think of the babies you can help come into the world who may not have to suffer with the effects of these late term complications. Some will ask, "Is it ethical to be telling our parents about this study?" I ask, "Is it unethical to have this knowledge and not do what you can to help make it work for families (yours included) and birthing parents?" I believe it is.
Make it a point to contact Carol Yeh-Garner (www.AWellLivedLife.Net) and find out more about how you can become a wholesale member of the HypnoBirthing Team. You'll be helping your family, the HypnoBirthing Documentary Fund, and, at the same time, help the birthing mothers of the world.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
A TV show that might be worth watching
This is a show that was originally aired in the UK as Outlaw Births. I believe it highlights unassisted births. Laura Shanley, the guru of unassisted births, spoke at the Hypnobirthing convention I was recently at. Her belief is that birth is natural, normal & healthy & that is what led her to have her own unassisted births. She showed a few videos of unassisted birth & it was really wonderful...one of the moms spoke to her baby as she was coming out & telling her baby, "You're doing great...keep going...oh! I love you!"
Laura did warn that while the video of the parents & the births are great, the portions of the OBs were not because all they talked about was how dangerous unassisted birth was.
Now, I'm not advocating unassisted births although I do support anyone who decides to go that route. I would encourage you to tape or watch the show & be ready to "cancel, cancel" anything negative that is said or anything regarding "pain". The reason I am encouraging people to watch this is because it is going to be a really great visualization tool for moms/dads-to-be because these parents truly embrace birth being a normal, natural event...so it goes along well with the HypnoBirthing philosophy.
Freebirthing
Premieres Tuesday, October 21 at 9 pm
Tune In: Freebirthing
A growing movement of women in the US and in the UK are defying medical advice and choosing to give birth with no drugs, no midwife and absolutely no medical support. Supporters claim it's how having a baby was always meant to be. Doctors say this new 'freebirthing' craze carries great risks. In this program, we chart the stories of three pregnant women who have decided to go against the advice of their doctors and go it alone. With intimate access, we follow the challenges they have to overcome from negative family opinions and medics, to their own fears and through to the eventual and extraordinary births.
Watch the premiere, Tuesday, October 21 at 9 pm on Discovery Health!
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
Laura did warn that while the video of the parents & the births are great, the portions of the OBs were not because all they talked about was how dangerous unassisted birth was.
Now, I'm not advocating unassisted births although I do support anyone who decides to go that route. I would encourage you to tape or watch the show & be ready to "cancel, cancel" anything negative that is said or anything regarding "pain". The reason I am encouraging people to watch this is because it is going to be a really great visualization tool for moms/dads-to-be because these parents truly embrace birth being a normal, natural event...so it goes along well with the HypnoBirthing philosophy.
Freebirthing
Premieres Tuesday, October 21 at 9 pm
Tune In: Freebirthing
A growing movement of women in the US and in the UK are defying medical advice and choosing to give birth with no drugs, no midwife and absolutely no medical support. Supporters claim it's how having a baby was always meant to be. Doctors say this new 'freebirthing' craze carries great risks. In this program, we chart the stories of three pregnant women who have decided to go against the advice of their doctors and go it alone. With intimate access, we follow the challenges they have to overcome from negative family opinions and medics, to their own fears and through to the eventual and extraordinary births.
Watch the premiere, Tuesday, October 21 at 9 pm on Discovery Health!
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Some great links to inspire you for your natural birth
Here's a link to one woman's story of her unassisted home water HypnoBirth:
http://www.indiebirth.com/2008/10/08/unassisted-homebirth-story-an-amazing-normal-day/#more-218
Here's a link to a video of a mom who homebirthed twins. Scroll down & read the birth story & then watch the video...amazing!
http://www.homebirth.net.au/2008/07/twins-homebirth.html
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
http://www.indiebirth.com/2008/10/08/unassisted-homebirth-story-an-amazing-normal-day/#more-218
Here's a link to a video of a mom who homebirthed twins. Scroll down & read the birth story & then watch the video...amazing!
http://www.homebirth.net.au/2008/07/twins-homebirth.html
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Toxic car seats
Can you believe it?
A recent study conducted by the watchdog group, Friends of the Earth, found that 56% of infant carriers, 44% of car seats, and 40% of the strollers they tested had dangerous levels of toxic fire retardant chemicals.[1]
This is downright scary--and is yet another toxic exposure on a long list of children?s products with toxic chemicals to come out lately.
We have to turn this tide.
The good news: Graco, the giant manufacturer of children's products, responded to the Friends of the Earth report the day it was published. Graco says they want to do the right thing, but they haven't yet committed to removing these chemicals. If Graco gets rid of these chemicals, other baby product manufacturers will be under enormous pressure to follow suit.
*Ask Graco, and other manufacturers of children's products, to not use any more halogenated fire retardants ? period!
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1230
Haloge-what?
Halogenated flame retardants have been shown to cause serious health disorders including endocrine disruption, cancer, birth defects and a host of reproductive and neurological disorders in developing fetuses and offspring in animals.
Forward this note to your family, friends, and community so we can all let Graco, and other manufacturers, know that nobody wants toxins near their kids. When consumers speak, companies listen. Moms' voices are turning the tide on toxins: After our petition with your signatures was delivered several weeks ago on getting the toxic bisphenol A (BPA) out of baby bottles, Toys"R"Us, Babies"R"Us, and CVS announced they'll stop selling baby bottles which contain BPA, and Playtex committed to stop using BPA in all of their baby bottles by the year's end.
So please forward this blog far and wide to get as many signatures as possible--we know your signatures will have an impact. We want Graco, and other manufacturers of children's products, to know that making safe products includes keeping toxic chemicals out of them. Together, we can make help keep dangerous chemicals away from our children.
Thank you to Friends of the Earth and Make Our Milk Safe for their tremendous work on this issue.
[1] Friends of the Earth report, entitled Killer Cribs, http://action.foe.org/t/3882/content.jsp?content_KEY=4205
p.s. To see the CBS story on flame retardants: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/19/eveningnews/main4109418.shtml
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
A recent study conducted by the watchdog group, Friends of the Earth, found that 56% of infant carriers, 44% of car seats, and 40% of the strollers they tested had dangerous levels of toxic fire retardant chemicals.[1]
This is downright scary--and is yet another toxic exposure on a long list of children?s products with toxic chemicals to come out lately.
We have to turn this tide.
The good news: Graco, the giant manufacturer of children's products, responded to the Friends of the Earth report the day it was published. Graco says they want to do the right thing, but they haven't yet committed to removing these chemicals. If Graco gets rid of these chemicals, other baby product manufacturers will be under enormous pressure to follow suit.
*Ask Graco, and other manufacturers of children's products, to not use any more halogenated fire retardants ? period!
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1230
Haloge-what?
Halogenated flame retardants have been shown to cause serious health disorders including endocrine disruption, cancer, birth defects and a host of reproductive and neurological disorders in developing fetuses and offspring in animals.
Forward this note to your family, friends, and community so we can all let Graco, and other manufacturers, know that nobody wants toxins near their kids. When consumers speak, companies listen. Moms' voices are turning the tide on toxins: After our petition with your signatures was delivered several weeks ago on getting the toxic bisphenol A (BPA) out of baby bottles, Toys"R"Us, Babies"R"Us, and CVS announced they'll stop selling baby bottles which contain BPA, and Playtex committed to stop using BPA in all of their baby bottles by the year's end.
So please forward this blog far and wide to get as many signatures as possible--we know your signatures will have an impact. We want Graco, and other manufacturers of children's products, to know that making safe products includes keeping toxic chemicals out of them. Together, we can make help keep dangerous chemicals away from our children.
Thank you to Friends of the Earth and Make Our Milk Safe for their tremendous work on this issue.
[1] Friends of the Earth report, entitled Killer Cribs, http://action.foe.org/t/3882/content.jsp?content_KEY=4205
p.s. To see the CBS story on flame retardants: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/19/eveningnews/main4109418.shtml
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Fight Breast Cancer
Hi everyone-
I just joined the Love/Avon Army of Women — and you should, too!
The amazing Dr. Susan Love has a call to action for women withOUT breast cancer, whether cured, never had and no risk factors. She has said she is striving for prevention, not just the cure.
In order to become one in the Army of Women who would be willing to share their blood, saliva, breast tissue, etc. with scientists, go to ArmyofWomen.org and sign up. Signing up does not necessarily mean you will be chosen, just that you are willing to be. Dr. Love said they are piling the women into regions and will divy them/us out to the scientists in the area. It could be many months before we learn if we have been chosen.
Please, please consider becoming one of the volunteers if you do not have breast cancer! Our sisters (and brothers, because men get breast cancer, too!) need us to help.
The Love/Avon Army of Women offers women the opportunity to partner with the scientists who are conducting research that will end this disease--once and for all. Breast cancer has been around for decades, but it does not have to be our future. We can be the generation that stops breast cancer once and for all by figuring out what causes this disease and how to prevent it!
Sign up for your sister, mother, daughter, granddaughter, best friend, and the woman you met last week. This is YOUR chance to be part of the research that will end breast cancer. It takes a just a minute to join. But the impact we will have will last a lifetime.
Please Join Me in Being One in a Million!
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
I just joined the Love/Avon Army of Women — and you should, too!
The amazing Dr. Susan Love has a call to action for women withOUT breast cancer, whether cured, never had and no risk factors. She has said she is striving for prevention, not just the cure.
In order to become one in the Army of Women who would be willing to share their blood, saliva, breast tissue, etc. with scientists, go to ArmyofWomen.org and sign up. Signing up does not necessarily mean you will be chosen, just that you are willing to be. Dr. Love said they are piling the women into regions and will divy them/us out to the scientists in the area. It could be many months before we learn if we have been chosen.
Please, please consider becoming one of the volunteers if you do not have breast cancer! Our sisters (and brothers, because men get breast cancer, too!) need us to help.
The Love/Avon Army of Women offers women the opportunity to partner with the scientists who are conducting research that will end this disease--once and for all. Breast cancer has been around for decades, but it does not have to be our future. We can be the generation that stops breast cancer once and for all by figuring out what causes this disease and how to prevent it!
Sign up for your sister, mother, daughter, granddaughter, best friend, and the woman you met last week. This is YOUR chance to be part of the research that will end breast cancer. It takes a just a minute to join. But the impact we will have will last a lifetime.
Please Join Me in Being One in a Million!
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
Monday, October 6, 2008
Green Your Halloween
I just found out about the following Halloween campaign (Reverse Trick-or-Treating) and have ordered the free kit (the only cost is S/H $4.95). It involves raising awareness about Fair Trade by distributing Fair Trade chocolate to neighbors while Trick-or-Treating. There is so much to be gained from letting people know how mainstream chocolate companies exploit children in cocoa-producing countries in West Africa and beyond. If you are interested in participating, please visit: http://store.gxonlinestore.org/rtot.html and be sure to read more from the link http://www.reversetrickortreating.org/. The deadline for the free kit is Oct. 13th.
There is also a great mother-founded organization which is spreading nationwide called Green Halloween (http://www.greenhalloween.org/). Its purpose is to encourage healthier and more eco-friendly holidays, starting with Halloween. There are lots of great ideas for alternative Halloween treats. And if you're motivated to get your school involved (for Halloween and/or other holidays), check this out...
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/cocoa/fairtradeintheclassroom.html
Happy Hallo-Green!
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
There is also a great mother-founded organization which is spreading nationwide called Green Halloween (http://www.greenhalloween.org/). Its purpose is to encourage healthier and more eco-friendly holidays, starting with Halloween. There are lots of great ideas for alternative Halloween treats. And if you're motivated to get your school involved (for Halloween and/or other holidays), check this out...
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/cocoa/fairtradeintheclassroom.html
Happy Hallo-Green!
http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/
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