Six little-known natural remedies for tinnitus

Bugged by ringing in your ears? After doctors have ruled out possible serious causes, for example the presence of a tumor, there is really very little else that they can do for you. Whether the sound in your ear is ringing, whistling, clicking or hissing; loud or soft; intermittent or incessant; mildly annoying or downright infuriating, one of the following natural remedies could be the answer you seek.

Sesame seeds

Some Chinese herbalists recommend the use of sesame seeds for treating tinnitus. You could add these seeds to the foods you consume or use tahini, the bread spread made from sesame seeds.

Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo biloba has been shown in many studies to be helpful for many health ailments related to aging, including memory loss, poor circulation and tinnitus.

As ginkgo improves blood circulation, it could help with cases of ringing in the ears which are associated with lack of circulation to the inner ear. While it may not work for every single case of the condition, James Duke, PhD, wrote that it would be the first herb he would try.

Goldenseal

In his book The Herbal Handbook, David Hoffmann, a British herbalist, wrote that goldenseal could be helpful for some cases of tinnitus.

B vitamins

Tinnitus could be linked to a deficiency in B vitamins, and some people have found relief from the ringing by taking a B complex supplement.

Dr. Michael Seidman, an ear, nose and throat specialist, recommended higher supplementation levels of three specific B vitamins -- thiamin, niacin and vitamin B12. According to him, thiamin supplements could help relieve tinnitus by "stabilizing the nervous system, especially the nerves of the inner ear." He added that niacin could help by boosting circulation to the inner ear.

Some research has linked a deficiency of vitamin B12, which plays a role in stabilizing neural activity, to tinnitus.

Dr. Siedman's recommendations on the dosages of these vitamins, taken with your doctor's approval, were:

• Thiamin -- 100 to 500 mg a day
• Niacin -- 50 mg twice daily; if no improvement is experienced after a fortnight, raise dosage by 50 mg every fortnight until 500 mg twice daily is reached
• Vitamin B12 -- 1mg daily for the first 6 months; thereafter, 0.1 mg daily

Zinc

Tinnitus is also linked to a deficiency in zinc. Zinc supplementation could thus be useful, as could the consumption of zinc-rich foods such as pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, pecans and oysters.

Magnesium

Magnesium could help relieve the symptoms of tinnitus sufferers. Dr Seidman recommended supplementing with 400 mg per day.

Conclusion

It should be noted that taking high doses of aspirin could be a contributing factor to tinnitus. Consequently, herbs with aspirin-like properties, such as willow bark, wintergreen and meadowsweet, should be avoided.

Vitamin D supplementation - how will it help me improve my health ?

Imagine a line stretching across the U.S. from Philadelphia in the East to just north of San Francisco in the West. That's about 40 degrees latitude. If you live north of that line, chances are, you're not getting enough vitamin D. And even if you live in the more southerly latitudes, if you're not getting outside to enjoy the sunshine for at least 15 minutes each day, it's pretty likely you're not getting enough D either. Likewise if you're dark-skinned, overweight or older.

That's because most of us get our D vitamins through sun exposure. When exposed to the UV rays of the sun, compounds in the skin work to convert chemicals into vitamin D. People in more northern latitudes are seasonally limited to the amount of sun they receive, and for those who have dark skin or who are older, the skin isn't as efficient at converting sunlight to vitamin D.

Vitamin D is different from other vitamins because it's available in only a few foods -- mostly fatty fish and mushrooms that have been exposed to UV rays. As a result, vitamin D supplementation is typically the best way for most people today to ensure that they get enough of the vitamin.

Until just a few decades ago, vitamin D's effects were largely believed to be solely related to healthy bones. Researchers understood that vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, which is essential for healthy bone development. But more recently, evidence has surfaced that's shown there's much more to this vitamin than originally believed.


Strengthening Bones and Muscles

Multiple studies have shown that the risk of fractures, especially among older people, is significantly higher when vitamin D levels are low. In a summary of evidence found in 12 studies, researchers determined that taking vitamin D supplements reduced hip and other non-spinal fractures by 20 percent. (1)

And another study found that, among an older population, vitamin D's muscle-strengthening powers helped decrease the risk of falls -- a common cause of disability and death -- by nearly 20 percent. (2)

Preventing Heart Disease

Just like bone and muscle cells, heart cells also have special receptors that attract and bind vitamin D. No surprise, since the heart itself is a type of muscle. Multiple studies have found that vitamin D deficiency contributes to heart disease, although the reasons why aren't clearly understood. Many researchers believe that it's because vitamin D can help prevent three of the most common diseases that contribute to heart disease -- high blood pressure, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and diabetes.

Preventing Cancer

To date, studies have shown a strong link between low levels of vitamin D and the development of colorectal cancers, but more studies are being conducted to learn how the vitamin may play a role in the development and prevention of other cancers, including breast and prostate cancers.

Preventing Kidney Disease

Studies conducted during the past decade have shown that low levels of vitamin D play a role in the development of kidney disease, but as recently as last year, researchers learned that monitoring the levels of the vitamin can actually help identify the disease in its earliest stages before significant kidney damage occurs. According to the results of that study, people with deficient levels of vitamin D were two times as likely to have protein in their urine -- a condition known as proteinuria, one of the earliest signs of kidney damage. (3)

Strengthening the Immune Function

Low levels of vitamin D have been shown to contribute to tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, flu and even the common cold. It's also been associated with type I diabetes, the type of diabetes that's related to the immune system and begins almost exclusively in childhood. Low levels of vitamin D have also been associated with type II diabetes, which usually occurs in adults over the age of 40 and is not associated with the immune system. Most researchers believe that the vitamin's ability to ward off inflammation is at the root of its immune-boosting abilities. (4)

Studies indicate that about 1 billion people worldwide are deficient in vitamin D. (5) Especially in recent years, vitamin D's role in preventing a host of diseases is becoming more clearly understood. Multiple studies are underway to explain these roles, but one thing is clear: Getting enough vitamin D is vitally important to maintaining good health. Since getting enough of the vitamin can be so difficult, taking a supplement is the best way to enjoy its benefits.

BPA makes breast cancer tumors resistant to chemotherapy

The sudden diagnosis of cancer, the realization of its presence within, sends a cold paralysis through the mind, down the spine. The presence of cancer does not always mean that the end is imminent; instead, it can serve as an important message to the entire person, signaling for a new course in life.

The diagnosis of new-found cancer cells can immediately burden one's emotions with grief and stress. At this emotional juncture, it's important to turn the pressure around and begin thanking the cancer for serving as a warning message. Cancer can be a message to a person that the body is under stress, that the cellular environment within is in a state of acidosis and has become an ideal place for fungus to thrive. The cancer is a warning bell tolling on the inside, messaging that the cells are not being properly cared for, that the immune system is weak, that nutrients aren't being properly utilized and that the cells are swelling and not producing adequate energy.

To a typical allopathic oncologist, cancer is not the body communicating its deprived state. Many doctors will put a death sentence in a patient's mind, numbering their days. To them, cancer is a sudden and overwhelming attack. They think that it's inescapable, and that it must be immediately cut out, radiated or doused in chemotherapy cocktails -- procedures that show little to no mercy for a patient. These approaches are oftentimes desperate and do not look at underlying causes and co-factors that have compromised the body's normal function and energy production of cells.


BPA exposure empowers some cancer cells, makes chemotherapy worthless

Something as overlooked as bisphenol A could be a major player in most cancers. As a hormone disrupter, BPA inhibits the proper utilization of nutrients in important glands that regulate body functions. This can stress the cells. BPA is in many plastics and can leach from plastic bottles into the liquid, delivering BPA particles into the body.

A new study from Duke University has found that bisphenol A helps some breast cancer cells grow and can even make some cancer cells resistant to modern chemotherapy.

In the Duke study, inflammatory breast cancer cells were found to be resistant to prescription chemotherapy drugs when BPA was present. The plastic chemicals rendered the drugs worthless, allowing the cancer cells to continue growing.

That's not all. The researchers found that BPA may be one of the underlying forces causing the growth of cancer cells in the first place.

At least 5 million pounds of BPA is pumped into US manufactures every year. Humanity's greatest exposure is through plastic bottles.

Co-author Scott Sauer says, "Even though it does seem like they're starting to phase out some BPA, almost everyone in developed countries has BPA circulating in their body and are constantly being exposed to it."

Chemotherapy suppresses the immune system

Instead of detoxifying the patient of cellular disrupters like BPA, typical oncologists head straight for treatments like chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a cocktail of chemical agents used to kill cells that divide rapidly. This may be effective for knocking out some cancer cells, but it also wipes out cells of the digestive tract, the bone marrow and the hair follicles. As the body's blood cells are killed off during chemotherapy treatments, the immune system becomes suppressed further, welcoming secondary cancers.

According to the Duke study, when chemotherapy is used in the presence of BPA in certain inflammatory breast cancers, it's like there's a war going on in the body -- plastic chemicals battling chemical cocktail medicines.

Like any war, neither side wins. Both opponents are made more aggressive, and the person becomes the victim as the cancer overtakes.

Speaking of war, chemotherapy is derived from chemicals similar to mustard gas. Mustard gas is a wartime chemical. Like modern-day chemotherapy drugs, mustard gas is also a potent suppressor of blood production and immune system function, stopping cellular division. In 1942, the first trials of nitrogen mustard compounds were given to lymphoma patients.

Chemotherapy is like using chemical warfare inside the body. While sometimes effective at first, the chemical warfare doesn't deal with the root causes of cancer, ultimately suppressing the immune system further.

This study shows that the problem is not the cancer. The problem may consist of plastic chemicals like BPA taking their toll on the cells.

BabySafe Project launched to inform pregnant women about the dangers of wireless and cell phone radiation

Awareness about wireless technology continues to grow every day. There are very real health threats presented by the EMFs emitted by our wireless gadgets as well as from smart meters and related technology. Enter the BabySafe Project, a new public awareness initiative developed by an international group of doctors, scientific experts and non-profit organizations to spread awareness about Wi-Fi dangers to women so they can better protect themselves and their unborn children.

The BabySafe Project aims to better inform the public about how delicate the process by which life is created is. BabySafe physicians have acknowledged that during the formative process, even minutely disruptive energies such as non-thermal wireless radiation during critical windows of development could have lasting, life-long negative effects on the fetus. Dr. Hugh Taylor of the BabySafe Project, conducted a peer-reviewed experiment on pregnant mice exposed to cell phone radiation. Prenatal exposure to cell radiation resulted in decreased memory, increased hyperactivity, and altered brain activity in the baby mice. Second and third peer-reviewed studies by Doctor's Nesrin Seyhan and Suleyman Kaplan, respectively, found DNA damage, brain cell damage and adverse behavioral effects in baby mice exposed prenatally to Wi-Fi radiation.


The BabySafe Project's 10 steps to reducing your exposure

The BabySafe Project is a joint initiative of two environmental health non-profits: Grassroots Environmental Education and Environmental Health Trust. On the BabySafe website, the initiative outlines 10 simple steps that women can take to reduce their exposure to wireless radiation emitted by cell phones, wireless devices and smart meters. These are:

1. Avoid carrying your cell phone on you body (e.g. in a pocket or bra).

2. Avoid holding any wireless device against your body when in use.

3. Use your cell phone on speaker setting or with an "air tube" headset.

4. Avoid using your wireless device in cars, trains or elevators.

5. Avoid cordless phones, especially where you sleep.

6. Whenever possible, connect to the internet with wired cables.

7. When using Wi-Fi, connect only to download, then disconnect and disable Wi-Fi.

8. Avoid prolonged or direct exposure to nearby Wi-Fi routers.

9. Unplug your home Wi-Fi router when not in use (e.g. at bedtime).

10. Sleep as far away from wireless utility meters (i.e. "smart" meters) as possible.

Generally speaking, proximity is the most important factor in determining the amount of wireless radiation to which you and your baby are exposed. Radiation levels fall off dramatically as you distance yourself from the source.

Prescription drug use now causing more driving fatalities than alcohol

According to a study published in the Public Health Reports, driving under the influence of prescription drugs is becoming a large problem in society, causing more fatal driving accidents than ever before.

Today, driving fatalities due to driving under the influence of prescription drugs, including Xanax, Cymbalta, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Lexapro, Sarafem and Abilify, are surpassing those caused by drunk drivers.

"While we've seen a decrease over the years in motor vehicle fatalities involving people under the influence [of alcohol], the nature of those crashes is changing," said study author Fernando Wilson, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

How psychotic medicine logically increases risky driving behaviors

The study shows an alarming increase in motor vehicle accidents due to prescription drugs. The mind altering medications do not allow the person's mind to cope naturally with life's stressors and periods of depression. The prescription drugs quickly change the chemical levels in the brain (with the intent of a quick fix for depression or anxiety), but confuses the normal functions of the mind. The mind naturally tries to adapt to the quick changes and can become stressed in new ways, which confuses the natural state of the person's mind, predisposing them to act out of character. In a vehicle, this change could correlate to risky driving behaviors. According to some drug labels, suicidal behavior as a side effect could translate to violent driving patterns in a vehicle.

The use of multiple drugs increases the risk dramatically

The study investigated the characteristics of U.S. drivers involved in fatal crashes between 1993 and 2010. While drug use across the board increased significantly during that time, the percentage of impaired drivers with three or more drugs in their systems nearly doubled during that time, from 11.5% to 21.5%.

Drug use by older adults

A large number of fatal crashes came from prescription drug users (39%) who were 50 years or older. This trend correlates with the increasing reliance on prescription drugs by Americans.

According to the study, 90% of individuals 65 and older have prescription drug expenses.
The authors of the study hope that medical professionals begin counseling patients about the driving impairments posed by prescription drugs.

By 2010, prescription monitoring program were in place in 42 states. These programs, designed to curb illicit drug use and prevent overdoses, also focused on the overuse and abuse of prescription drugs.

Mexican drug cartels using illegal immigration flood as cover to smuggle operatives and hard drugs into the U.S

As the flood of illegal immigrants continues across the nation's southwestern border, federal agents charged with securing our boundary with Mexico have become increasingly inundated, and some have begun to warn that the situation is becoming dire for a number of reasons.

Border Patrol agent and Laredo (Texas) Border Patrol Union spokesman Hector Garza told Breitbart News Sunday that the current chaos along the border is more than a burgeoning humanitarian crisis; it is a "big time border security crisis."

"Right now, we have a lot of drugs and criminals coming across the border undetected," Garza said. Further, he asserted that those criminals are going to start showing up soon in cities across the nation.

"New York, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, they'll be all over," he said.

'Child care and juvenile counseling'

Stephen K. Bannon, the program's host and Breitbart News executive chairman, asked the 14-year Border Patrol veteran if additional duties being asked of agents -- such as babysitting the youngest migrants -- are harming national security.

"Are you saying that because the brave men and women of the Border Patrol are being
overwhelmed and taken off their post to attend to the children and teen agers [sic], who are coming across the border, that the bad guys, the drug runners, the cartels, the criminals, are able to slip in?" Bannon asked.

"That is correct, sir," Garza responded.

Some analysts have noted that the drug cartels are sort of diversifying their criminal portfolios as U.S. marijuana laws become more relaxed; in place of smuggling pot, cartels are turning to even harder drugs, as well as human trafficking.

Judicial Watch, a legal watchdog group, noted in a June 11 report:

This is the front-line federal agency responsible for preventing terrorists and weapons of mass destruction from entering the United States. ...

Babysitting kids has never been one of its duties, but the country is in a crisis because it's been bombarded with thousands of illegal immigrant youths from Central America. ...

Now the administration is desperately searching for babysitters and has distributed a memo, obtained exclusively by JW, recruiting agents with "child care or juvenile teaching and/or counseling" experience to work at the various shelters that are housing the illegal alien minors.

Garza told Breitbart News Sunday that Border Patrol agents are some of the most highly trained federal officers and are part of one the government's most professional forces. But because they are increasingly being reassigned to processing duties and to physically provide care for the masses crossing the border, that leaves "essentially very few agents who actually do the patrolling of the border."

"That's why we suffer, that's how the criminals and drug runners can take advantage of the situation," he said, estimating that nearly three-quarters of the 21,000-person agency is not currently on border patrol duty.

Garza said that after many of the unaccompanied children are processed, they are summarily released to family members currently living in the U.S., and that many of those families are also in the country illegally.

'Administration is not covering our backs'

In addition, he added, the agency that actually sanctions handing over the illegal immigrant children to family members living in the U.S. illegally is the Department of Health and Human Services and agency officials are making no effort to find out if family members are living legally inside the country.

As Breitbart News reported:

Similar to a traffic ticket, when the illegal entrants are processed they are given a summons to appear in court within twenty days. Astoundingly, according to Garza, statistics show that more than 95% of the illegal aliens never show up in court and "they disappear into our community and our society." Garza stated that if there are no consequences for a crime that is committed, then that crime is going to be continually repeated.

The U.S.-Mexico border was supposed to have been essentially walled off by now; Congress voted in 2006 to build a fence along the entire 1,200-plus-mile border, and construction began during the Bush administration. But subsequent congresses have removed funding for the effort.

During the interview, Garza went on to say that the people of America are generally supportive of Border Patrol agents. But he said the men and women of the Border Patrol do not think that the current administration is "covering their backs on the border."

Top summer superfoods that must be eaten now

The summer months bring a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables that offer some of the best health benefits. In many areas, the summer time is the only time when these foods are available in their freshest state. By taking advantage of the bounty of goodness offered by these foods, a health-conscious individual can enjoy a fitter, leaner and healthier body.

Blueberries

The many important benefits of blueberries belie their tiny size. Rich in minerals, vitamins and antioxidants, eating blueberries helps a body fight diseases while also remaining strong and active. In addition to their disease-fighting properties thanks to an abundance of antioxidants, blueberries also have lots of research to back up their capability to boost brain power. Though a favorite when added to smoothies, pancakes, Greek yogurt, or even eaten plain by the handful, blueberries can also be enjoyed as a pinch of sweetness amid a savory salad. Choose frozen blueberries to enjoy the above health benefits when fresh ones are no longer in season.

Cherries

Colorful, sweet and the perfect size for snacking, cherries offer a range of health benefits. Anthocyanin, an antioxidant that cherries contain, can help reduce joint pain as well as inflammation. Their peak season for freshness runs from May until August, so it is best to stock up while they can be found. In those states where cherries are grown and harvested, farmers' markets are a great place to get the freshest cherries. Even when they are out of season, though, frozen cherries provide the same benefits and add a welcome kick of sweetness to many dishes.

Melons

There are few foods as synonymous with summer as melons. Whether the choice is cantaloupe, honeydew or watermelon, the same disease-fighting compounds are at work. In addition, because they boast such as high water content, melons tend to fill up the stomach with their sweet goodness without packing on the calories. Eat them fresh, straight off the rind, or string them alongside grapes before freezing for a colorful fruit kabob snack that is a big hit during the warm months.

Peaches

Fuzzy skinned and juicy sweet, peaches are the perfect summer snack. These hand-sized fruits pack a great deal of nutrition in their small size. With vitamin C that aids in skin health, fiber that helps with weight control and potassium to keep bloating at bay, peaches are a versatile addition to any summer day. Chop them up and add to yogurt or blend them smooth for a refreshing shake. Grilling peaches brings out their sweetness, making them a perfect treat alongside savory foods.

Indulge in the goodness of summer by loading up the plate with an abundance of fresh fruits. Not only a feast for the taste buds, they deliver significant health benefits too.

Sucralose vs aspartame which of these top two artificial sweeteners is the better choice ?

Junk food manufacturers are constantly developing new tactics to capture the public's dollar. The low-fat, sugar-free craze, for instance, has generated a profusion of "diet" junk foods laced with artificial sweetener chemicals like sucralose (Splenda) and aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), both of which are marketed as safe alternatives to refined sugar. So between sucralose and aspartame, which one is safer and more beneficial for health?

The answer to this question is neither, of course, as both sucralose and aspartame are neurotoxic poisons, by definition. The former is a synthetic organochlorine compound with endocrine disrupting properties, and the latter is a mash-up of isolated amino acids (the damaging kind) and wood alcohol. Both sweeteners have been shown in the laboratory setting to damage gut microbiota and harm brain cells. Sucralose and aspartame have both been linked to cancer as well.


Splenda might taste like sugar, but it is pesticide poison in disguise

Newer to the artificial sweetener scene, Splenda has long been marketed as a derivative of sugar, with the implication that it is somehow safer and more versatile than other artificial sweeteners on the market. But in reality, Splenda is an organochlorine pesticide compound similar to DDT, PCBs, and other harmful substances that nobody would ever willingly consume as food.

When heated, Splenda undergoes a thermal degradation process that results in the formation of cancer-causing dioxin and dioxin-like compounds. During the process of this breakdown, certain chlorine compounds are released that possess genotoxic, carcinogenic, and tumorigenic characteristics. When heated alongside other foods, Splenda can also degrade into other toxic compounds known as persistent organic pollutants, or POPs.

Splenda is also partially metabolized upon ingestion, contrary to what McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, its manufacturer, claims. A 2013 study published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health found that while some Splenda passes through the body undigested, some is also absorbed during digestion.

"Although early studies asserted that sucralose passes through the GIT (gastrointestinal tract) unchanged, subsequent analysis suggested that some of the ingested sweetener is metabolized in the GIT, as indicated by multiple peaks found in thin-layer radiochromatographic profiles of methanolic fecal extracts after oral sucralose administration," explains the study, which observed noticeable damage from sucralose ingestion on beneficial gut bacteria.

Splenda was also shown in the same study to raise blood sugar levels, despite it being marketed as a safe option for diabetics. The chemical alters metabolic parameters in such a way that it can actually sustain and promote diabetes. Splenda has also been shown to bioaccumulate in the body, meaning the body does not know how to process it so it simply stores it away, typically in fat tissue or even in the brain.

Aspartame alters hormones, promotes weight gain

What about aspartame? Surely it is safer than sucralose because it has been around longer, right? Not exactly. Like sucralose, aspartame triggers an unhealthy metabolic response that tells the brain it is receiving sugar when it actually is not. The body responds by secreting hormones, potentially leading to chemical imbalance, weight gain, and other symptoms.

As explained here at NaturalNews in an earlier piece, aspartame is an acid-creating substance that causes the body to store it away in fat tissue. Over time, the bioaccumulation of this compound results in weight gain and obesity. Aspartame also intensifies cravings for sweets and junk food, causing some people to overeat and put on even more weight.

"Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain," explains a scientific review published in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine (YJBM), which goes into great depth explaining how the body responds to artificial sweeteners differently than sugar-based sweeteners. "[A]rtificial sweeteners, precisely because they are sweet, encourage sugar craving and sugar dependence."

Stick with stevia, naturally-sweet foods, and unrefined sources of sweet

So what can a person do to satisfy that sweet fix without resorting to artificial sweeteners or refined sugars? One healthier option is stevia extract, an all-natural sweetener derived from the stevia plant. Like artificial sweeteners, stevia is sweet but does not contain refined sugar. And yet it does not trick the brain in the same ways as aspartame and sucralose, making it a much healthier option.

An even better approach is to address a sugar addiction head-on by gradually phasing out sweets from the diet. While small amounts of natural sugar in the form of sweet fruits can be a beneficial part of a healthy diet, excessively-sweet processed foods and desserts only fuel this psychological and physical habit. Cutting out all refined sugar products and "cheap" carbohydrates and replacing them with whole foods rich in beneficial fats and micronutrients is a good first step to stamping out sugar addiction for good.

More than two-thirds of conventional sunscreens contain harmful chemicals learn how to avoid them this summer .

It is one of the most pervasively destructive health myths circulating today -- if you don't use sunscreen, your skin will burn and you will get skin cancer! Besides the fallacious nature of this popular claim, the fact of the matter is that many sunscreen products on the market today are inherently dangerous and could cause skin cancer themselves, as well as a host of other serious health problems.

In the 2014 Guide to Sunscreens, recently released by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the data shows that more than 66 percent of conventional sunscreen products contain harmful chemicals that could cause hormone disruption, trigger allergies, and even provoke the formation of skin and other types of cancer when used over the long term.

Your sunscreen could be altering your hormones, feeding a steady stream of estrogen into your bloodstream

One of the most prominent toxic sunscreen ingredients identified by EWG is oxybenzone, a compound that absorbs ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. This common additive is associated with photoallergic reactions, and is very easily absorbed through the skin. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says oxybenzone now contaminates the bodies of up to 97 percent of Americans.

"...the chemical oxybenzone penetrates the skin, gets into the bloodstream and acts like estrogen in the body," explains EWG. "It can trigger allergic reactions. Data are preliminary, but studies have found a link between higher concentrations of oxybenzone and health harms."

Many low-quality sunscreens contain oxybenzone, as well as other damaging toxins such as retinyl palmitate, a vitamin A derivative that has been shown to speed the formation of skin tumors and lesions. Though the government classifies retinyl palmitate as an "inactive ingredient," studies show that this common additive reacts with the sun to create free radicals that damage DNA.

"...government scientists ha[ve] produced evidence that the development of skin tumors dramatically accelerated, compared to control groups, when lab animals were coated with a cream laced with vitamin A and then exposed to the equivalent of nine minutes of maximum intensity sunlight every day for a year," says EWG.

Blocking vitamin D-producing UVB rays can increase risk of disease, cancer

Another problem with many sunscreen products is that they generally block out UVB rays, which are the ones responsible for spurring the creation of vitamin D inside the body. On the flip side, many sunscreen products, and especially those sold in the U.S., fail to block out UVA rays, which are the ones responsible for causing skin damage.

Federal guidelines in the U.S. only require that a sunscreen's "sun protection factor," or SPF, be measured in terms of UVB protection. UVA protection, on the other hand, is often a mystery, which means millions of Americans are slathering themselves with creams and lotions that provide absolutely no protection against sun damage while simultaneously deflecting necessary UVB rays.

"SPF stands for 'sun protection factor,' and refers only to protection against UVB radiation, which burns the skin," explains EWG. "It has little to do with protection from the sun's UVA rays, which penetrate deep into the skin, suppress the immune system, accelerate skin aging and may cause skin cancer."

Canadian government asked to distribute radiation pills to residents living near nuclear facilities

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has recommended that the government issue potassium iodide pills to all people living within 10 km (6 miles) of nuclear power plants, to use in case of a nuclear accident, such as the one suffered by Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011.

Following the Fukushima disaster, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission was directed to draft a report to help Canada make a plan for how it should respond in the case of a similar disaster at one of its own nuclear plants.

Current measures failing

If taken immediately after a nuclear disaster, potassium iodide tablets flood the thyroid gland with iodine, preventing the gland from absorbing radioactive iodine. Those who do not immediately take the pills are likely to absorb large amounts of radioactive iodine from the air, the water and food in the days following a nuclear disaster, dramatically increasing their risk of thyroid cancer. The thyroid glands of young children are particularly vulnerable.

The new Canadian recommendations are in line with policies in many other nuclear-powered nations, which directly distribute potassium iodide tablets to people living near nuclear power plants. Residents then store the tablets in their homes to use in case of disaster.

In contrast, Canada's current policy merely makes the tablets available at local pharmacies, with additional supplies stockpiled at schools. However, according to a 2013 survey by Ontario Power Generation of residents living near the Darlington and Pickering nuclear plants, "almost no one had obtained free pills that have been advertised in regional communications or pamphlets."

The nuclear commission is recommending that, instead, tablets be directly distributed to all residents living within 10 km of a nuclear plant. The nuclear industry has pushed back against such recommendations, in part because they would include roughly a quarter of a million people in the Greater Toronto area.

The decision was welcomed by environmental and nuclear watchdog groups, however, which have noted that the aftermath of a major nuclear disaster would not be a good time to efficiently distribute any type of medication and that the current policy is clearly not getting pills into people's hands.

"Our response is that we've had 30-plus years of making the pills available ... for people to pick up at pharmacies, and there's very low awareness by people that they should do so and that it matters to their health," said Theresa McClenaghan of the Canadian Environmental Law Association.

"Instead the messaging that people have had is that the plants are safe and there's nothing to worry about."

Current U.S. policy is even weaker than Canada's policy, with individual states merely "encouraged" to maintain potassium iodide stockpiles.

Only a half-measure

In terms of protection from radioactive fallout, however, potassium iodide is only a half-measure. It protects the thyroid gland from radioactive iodine isotopes only for as long as it is being taken regularly. Since I-131 has a radioactive half-life of only eight days, potassium iodide is considered a feasible protection against this isotope.

A recent study in Geochemical Journal, however, found that the Fukushima meltdowns actually released 31.6 times as much I-129 as I-131. I-129 has a radioactive half-life of 15.7 million years.

In addition, potassium iodide would offer no protection against cesium-137, the major radioactive isotope released from the Fukushima disaster. While not nearly as long-lived as I-129, cesium-137 has a half-life of 30 years.

According to a recent study, 50% more cesium-137 was actually released from the Fukushima plant than had previously been reported by plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). The study estimates that about 15,000 terabecquerels were ejected directly into the atmosphere, with another 3,500 flowing directly into the ocean. Up to 400 terabecquerels fell to land in North America. A terabecquerel is one trillion becquerels.

Non-GMO soybean oil announced by Cargill as consumer demand for non-toxic food skyrockets

Agri-giant Cargill is responding to market pressure and will be introducing a soybean oil made from identity-preserved (IdP), conventionally bred soybeans (these are non-GMO) for customers who are considering shopping for products with a "non-GMO" sticker on their label.

"Despite the many merits of biotechnology, consumer interest in food and beverage products made from non-GM ingredients is growing, creating opportunities and challenges for food manufacturers and food service operators," said Ethan Theis, food ingredients commercial manager at Cargill, in a company press release.

For now, supplies of Cargill's new oil are limited; one food maker has already purchased a large amount of the available supply. But Theis says that producing IdP soybean oil from non-GMO soybeans is an intricate process; it requires procurement of a dedicated supply of non-GMO soybeans as well as the development of processes aimed at avoiding co-mingling with bioengineered crops during harvesting, transportation, storage, handling, processing and then refining into products.

Good news for consumers because it means they are winning the battle

"Developing industrial scale IdP products is difficult but something Cargill is well-suited for because of our knowledge of consumer trends, formulation experience, supply-chain management expertise, manufacturing infrastructure and strong relationships with farmers," Theis said.

The company release said that Cargill has a large amount of global experience in assisting food makers' source non-GMO crops and ingredients made from those crops.

"The combination of Cargill's portfolio of non-GM sweeteners, starches, texturizers, oils, cocoa and chocolate, fibers, and stabilizer systems, coupled with R&D and global supply chain capabilities, allows Cargill to help customers manage both the product development and supply chain challenges associated with reformulating to non-GMO," said the release.

But does mean that Cargill is going all non-GMO? Hardly, writes Heather Callaghan at Activist Post:

Okay, Cargill is riding the PR fence. They escaped the PR scandal of "pink slime" because their process for treating the meat filler includes citric acid instead of ammonium hydroxide gas. Citric acid sounds lovely like lemonade, but is actually made from the fermentation of crude sugars from corn - most of which is genetically modified. The hydrolyzed proteins create the release of free glutamic acid (like MSG), triggering allergies in people who can't handle MSG. So again, let's not forget that they fully support genetic modification in agriculture.

What's to hide?

She also warns that Americans who prefer non-GMO foods (and that number is growing -- more on that in a moment) should not get their food fryers ready for the new oil just yet, owing to Cargill's warning that procuring a sizable supply of non-GMO soybean seeds takes time, suppliers and a logistics chain which company execs pledge they are building. We'll see. But in any event, Callaghan notes that Western soy production, even non-GMO crops, has a dark side, "especially with its negative reproductive health effects and the proliferation of soy allergies in the U.S."

Nevertheless, Cargill's admission that consumer pressure led to the company's development of its new oil is notable in that it is a triumph of the will of the people: "It means that despite the corporate lauding of genetic modification, they can only to [sic] continue to push it as far as it is profitable - and palatable. Rising consumer awareness and demand is finally starting to tip the massive tower in its own direction."

True story; reports over the past few months have touted the rise of organic and non-GMO purchases by more and more American food shoppers, even though such foods cost more. Vermont and states like it that are passing or pursuing GMO labeling laws have gone a long way towards raising awareness, and by its stubborn resistance, the industry has left itself liable, with more Americans now asking what it is they have to hide.

Medical police state at U.S. immigration camps as doctors threatened with arrest for talking about infectious disease

The signs of America's plunge into police state insanity just keep coming one after another, and today a de facto medical police state has been declared in government-run immigration refugee camps where infectious disease is running wild.

Many people will not believe the statements contained in this article for the simple reason that they are not intellectually prepared to admit this is happening right now in America. However, this article is well-sourced, and readers are encouraged to approach its contents with an open mind, regardless of their current political beliefs, so they can learn the truth about just how quickly the United States of America is becoming a medical police state where stating a medical truth is now considered a criminal act.

"Arrest doctors and nurses if they divulge..."

"A government-contracted security force threatened to arrest doctors and nurses if they divulged any information about the contagion threat at a refugee camp housing illegal alien children at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas," reports Todd Starnes of Fox News. (1)

The truth about the infectious diseases being carried by this wave of illegal immigrants is so politically distasteful, it seems, that medical staff are being ordered at gunpoint to keep their mouths shut or face arrest.

Politics trumps medical science, in other words, when it comes to immigration. The need for certain elements within our own government to exploit this humanitarian crisis for political gain is far more important than protecting the U.S. population from exposure to AIDS, Swine Flu, scabies, influenza, measles and other diseases being carried into the country.

The federal government apparently feels so strongly that the truth about this situation should remain hidden that they have unleashed a gang of Gestapo-style enforcers to demand complete silence from medical workers in these camps: no phone texts, no photographs, no interviews with the press and no going public with any firsthand knowledge of what's really happening. This is the kind of political enforcement we might expect in a nation like North Korea, but it's now happening at government camps in the state of Texas.

And you won't believe what these enforcers call themselves...

Medical enforcers call themselves "brownshirts"

In an extremely disturbing twist to all this, security forces at the immigration camp are reportedly calling themselves "brownshirts." If that name sounds familiar, it's the same name torn right out of the history books during the rise of the Nazi party. As explained at TheHolocauseExplained.org: (2)

In 1921 Hitler set up a group within the NSDAP that would protect his political meetings from attacks by rivals. It gave a military look, feel and discipline to the party. This group was known as the "stormtroopers" (Sturm Abteilung) or "Brownshirts."

Today, in 2014, the U.S. government's "brownshirts" are silencing doctors and nurses to censor the truth about infectious diseases being carried by illegal immigrants. Clearly, they call themselves brownshirts because they feel a special camaraderie with Nazi stormtroopers from whom they borrowed their very name.

"Workers were stripped of their cell phones and other communication devices. Anyone caught with a phone was immediately fired," reports Starnes, quoting an on-site medical worker who refused to provide her real name for fear of being arrested by the brownshirts. "Everyone was paranoid," she said. "The children had more rights than the workers."

Got that? The illegal immigrants had more rights than the doctors and nurses hired to practice medicine. This is the new America: the illegals are granted amnesty, but the doctors are threatened with arrest at gunpoint if they go public with what they've witnessed.

The same report goes on to say:

Children in the camp had measles, scabies, chicken pox and strep throat as well as mental and emotional issues... "I would be talking to children and lice would just be climbing down their hair." The nurse said the lice issue was epidemic -- but everything was kept hush-hush. "You could see the bugs crawling through their hair," she said. "After we would rinse out their hair, the sink would be loaded with black bugs."

Infected migrants being transplanted to high population U.S. cities

Even though these children are not being adequately screened for infectious disease, they are deliberately loaded onto buses and airplanes to be transplanted to major U.S. cities across the country.

"Oh, my God. They're flying these kids around," the source told Starnes. "Nobody knows that these children have scabies and lice."

"I don't think they will believe what is going on in America," she also said. And when the federal authorities found out she had documented all these events in a journal, she was ordered to forfeit the journal to the government. Apparently, any evidence of what she saw needed to be destroyed. Once again, these are the kind of tactics we would expect to see in North Korea or Nazi Germany, but they are being carried out right now on U.S. soil at the command of the federal government.

U.S. medical system "overwhelmed"

This massive influx of illegal immigrants who exist in a desperate state of medical need will unquestionably overwhelm the U.S. medical system. With 1,000 more migrants and refugees crossing the border each day -- and many of them needing urgent medical care -- it's not hard to figure out that a national health care system which is already on the verge of imploding under normal circumstances is quickly going to be brought to its knees.

And that means longer wait times for LEGAL American citizens at emergency rooms. It means all those legal immigrants who followed the law, followed the rules and achieved residency or citizenship through proper channels will now be displaced by those who are entering the country illegally and bypassing all those rules. It also means that the medical system we all depend on for medical emergencies is going to be so heavily burdened that many Americans will simply die while waiting for a doctor's appointment... just like already happened with the VA hospital system.

"They're going to crush the system," the nurse told Starnes. "We can't sustain this. They are overwhelming the system and I think it's a travesty."

Yes, it's a travesty, but it's a travesty that was clearly engineered from the start. The mass mobilization of over 50,000 children to the U.S.-Mexico border can only be achieved through a coordinated transportation effort involving automobiles and trains. There's no chance this was a spontaneous surge achieved on foot. Like almost every other crisis in recent U.S. history, this crisis was manufactured for political exploitation, using human lives as pawns in their devious power games. And it is these same people who ridiculously call everyone else "racist" for even pointing out that infectious disease is a real concern in all this.

Enough with the delusional denials

It's time to stop the delusional denials about the very real public health risks associated with allowing a flood of illegal immigrants to enter this country and spread infectious disease across U.S. cities. Those who deny this is a public health problem grounded in medical science are suffering from delusional thinking and may, themselves, require mental health screening at a government facility.

Even if you support the idea that these immigrants should be welcomed into America with open arms, such a process must be conducted in an orderly, lawful manner that protects public health from infectious disease. It is nothing short of astonishing that a nation where children who fail to get vaccinated are kicked out of public school is simultaneously welcoming a mass illegal migration wave that's brimming with infectious disease and communicable parasites like scabies and lice. If the government's argument is that a schoolchild must be vaccinated to prevent the spread of measles, then how does that same government explain its total lack of willingness to enforce a border that has become a floodgate for measles, Swine Flu, scabies, lice and a long list of other communicable diseases?

Apparently, infectious disease is perfectly acceptable as long as it's being carried by those who will likely vote the right way in the next election. Homeschooled children, meanwhile, are singled out as being particularly evil and "dangerous to society" because they tend to be white and unvaccinated. That outrageous double standard is a glaring example of reverse medical racism, and it's alive and well in America today.

Infectious disease is politically correct, in other words, if it's carried by someone whose plight coincides with the manufactured crisis ambitions of the politicians currently in power. Never let a good crisis go to waste, eh?

False racism and the medical Twilight Zone

What makes this situation even more insane is that anyone who dares tell the truth about public health and medical science as it related to this immigration wave is immediately branded a "racist" by those who stand to politically profit from the crisis. Apparently, acknowledging that a Latin-American person is suffering from a diagnosed infection is now so politically incorrect that it is branded a racist act by the increasingly laughable thought police in America.

So is it also "racist" talk about a Latin American person ever having cancer? Or diabetes? Or kidney failure? Or have we now entered such a medical Twilight Zone that all hospital lab tests must be retroactively "corrected" to show perfect states of health for anyone of Latin American descent?

I can just see where this is all headed: (Conversation at the hospital...)

Mr. Lopez: So, doctor, do I have diabetes or not?
Dr. White: No, you do not have diabetes.
Mr. Lopez: But I see the blood tests show I have diabetes.
Dr. White: Yes they do, but I am not a racist, Mr. Lopez. You do not have diabetes.
Mr. Lopez: Okay, but everybody else in my family has diabetes, and I have the same symptoms.
Dr. White: I'm certain, Mr. Lopez, that your entire family does NOT have diabetes.
Mr. Lopez: How could you know that, doctor?
Dr. White: Because they are all Latino.
Mr. Lopez: What difference does that make?
Dr. White: Under Obamacare, we are not allowed to diagnose any Latino patients with any diseases.
Mr. Lopez: Huh? Why's that?
Dr. White: Because I don't want to be arrested by the brownshirts, actually.

That's how utterly insane the American political theater has become today. These are the kind of conversations that will come out of this thought police / medical dictatorship / false racism / politically correct anti-cognitive orgy of insanity if we don't say ENOUGH!

Why is it so hard to simply accept the medically-accurate truth here? Many of these migrants are carrying infectious disease! It's not an indictment of their character; it's simply a medical observation that needs to be addressed for the safety of the public at large.

But some politicians and left-leaning members of the media are so desperate to exploit this crisis for their own political gain that they will stop at nothing to silence doctors, nurses and medical experts who are trying to tell the truth. We are now living in a bona fide medical police state where a doctor who states an accurate medical diagnosis of a person with brown skin is subject to arrest and imprisonment.

Let me repeat that for those who don't yet grasp just how far false racism and the thought police have gone in this country: A doctor who states an accurate medical diagnosis of a person with brown skin is now subject to ARREST and imprisonment in the United States of America.

Real solutions

How do you solve this problem? It starts with protecting the border and stopping the open-door "flood in at will" policy that the current administration seems to have encouraged.

For starters, it's simply not fair to all the LEGAL immigrants who followed the rules to have these new immigrants simply cut in line and bypass everyone else who has been patiently waiting to immigrate.

Secondly, immigration needs to be conducted in an orderly fashion that respects human dignity on both sides of the border. This means those who stream across the border need to be directed to apply for immigration status like everyone else who followed the rules. Those who are considered for immigration status must be screened for communicable diseases, and if they are found to be carrying disease, they need to be kept out of the country or, if funding allows, treated for those conditions under quarantine so that they do not place the rest of the population at risk.

Thirdly, those who do immigrate as adults should not qualify for "entitlement benefits" until they work jobs and contribute to the economy for a period of at least five years. Personally, I welcome immigrants who wish to come to America and contribute to America's prosperity like our forefathers did (and like I do every day). But too many people now see America as a place where they can SNEAK in, CASH in, and VOTE for more benefits. That's the new revenue model for far too many people, and it's a system that's going to bankrupt our nation in the not-too-distant future, destroying prosperity for us all.

The most important part of this third point is that requiring adult-age immigrants to actually pay taxes for a few years before they can collect benefits will immediately dissuade intentional "freeloaders" from coming to America solely to collect benefits. It will send a message that says, "We WELCOME you to America, but you must CONTRIBUTE to the country you hope to join!" What could possibly be politically incorrect about that message?

Of course, I will be labeled a racist for suggesting that immigrants should actually participate in the economy, but that's only because I'm obviously an evil white person with an educated understanding of medical diagnosis and economic reality. I'm even more evil because I pay taxes, earn an honest living, provide jobs for workers as a small business owner, make substantial and repeated donations to humanitarian relief organizations and purchase groceries with cash rather than EBT cards. Clearly, such actions are irrational, racist and un-American, and I hereby ask for forgiveness for all my sins from the highest spiritual being of compassion and morality, the great and honorable Mother Pelosi.

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SOS! Inflatable Airbags to Buoy Damaged Vessels?

When a ship runs aground, or two vessels crash into each other, the damaged one may lose its stability, or worse, sink. But imagine if after a ship accident, balloons popped up like car airbags to keep the disabled vessel upright and afloat. This would help to avoid pollution of seas and beaches and gain valuable time for evacuation. Now, the EU-funded project SuSy, completed in 2013, have turned such an idea into a proof of concept. The project developed a proposal to install inflatables on ships including a system to blow them up vary rapidly.

The proof of concept culminated in 2013 with a demonstration of the idea on a model bottom of a medium-sized tanker in the port of Chalkida, in Greece. “Our challenge was to produce enormous amounts of gas from small cartridges which is quickly released into inflatables,” describes project partner Reinhard Ahlers, managing director ofBalance, a maritime consultancy in Bremen, Germany.

The technologies used by the project are not new, but the combination is. Kevlar reinforced balloons can be installed anywhere on a ship. Suitable places to install the balloons would be in between double hulls and in ballast water tanks. The gadgets needed to inflate them are taken from submarine rescue systems, based on rapid blow out devices originally developed for satellite launchers.

However, one expert voices concern at the project’s approach. “Given the location of balloons in the double hull, not only will the construction of the ship be much more difficult and costly. But inspection and maintenance will be almost impossible – hence these systems will be unreliable,” says Egbert Ypma, researcher at the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands in Wageningen, in the Netherlands.

To ensure that prompt inflation, the project devised cartridges attached to balloons holding potassium nitrate, used in gunpowder, an epoxy resin and ferric oxide commonly known as rust. When initiated, the gunpowder oxidises the epoxy resin which puffs into the balloons inflating them. What is more, rust improves the explosion process. But blasts produce heat, which may harm the plastic skin of the balloons or inflammable cargo. Therefore ambient cool air is mixed into the chemical explosion process. This comes either from a second cartridge containing compressed air. Or by using a heat exchanger device just before the gas enters the balloon.

In addition to solving the inflation problem, further fine-tuning needs to be done, according to project scientists. “For example, it would be desirable to have controls at the gas exhaust, as we do not always need the entire outflow,” Ahlers tells youris.com. The German rocket technology company Astrium in Bremen, Germany, now part of Airbus Defence and Space, continues to look for a solution. Whereas Survitec, a specialist in marine, defence and aerospace survival technology with its headquarters in Dunmurry near Belfast, UK,  who bought the original project partner Deutsche Schlauchboot in Eschershausen, Germany, will optimise the inflatable material of the balloons. Thus, there is still some way to go. “None of the partners assume that the system will be bought immediately,” says Ahlers.

One expert believes the system is worth investigating further. “I think that the idea to have a balloon in the ballast tanks in order to push out the water, or try to reduce a damage opening due to those in between a double hull, will be one step forward to enhance maritime safety,” concludes Jonas Ringsberg, professor in marine structures and head of the Division of Marine Design at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden.