I enjoy a lifelong love affair with books. My collection had grown to a formidable size before my last three moves. Knowing each living situation would be temporary, I culled my library down to its bare bones—the best of the best. I now have another favorite to add to my smaller, more selective collection that will accompany me wherever I go.

A Wilder Life: A Season-by-Season Guide to Getting in Touch with Nature by Celestine Maddy with Abbye Churchill is a beautiful, informative, thoughtful compilation of facts, recipes, DIY instructions, and more – a book designed to put you a little more in touch with nature and a lot more in touch with yourself.

Celestine Maddy takes you on a season-by-season journey under the headings: Growing, Cooking, Home & Self-Reliance, Beauty & Healing, and Wilderness. The Growing sections include a seasonal growing checklist along with plant profiles and numerous educational articles about various aspects of gardening. Do you want to learn how to make cheese or a simple homemade tomato sauce? How about sauerkraut or the basics of canning? If so, check out the Cooking sections. The Home & Self-Reliance Sections, the Beauty & Healing Sections, and the Wilderness sections read like a cross between the Foxfire books, modern prepper guides, and Mother Earth News with a little bit of whimsy thrown in for good measure. You can choose from how to find water in the wilderness and foraging for edible plants to making a tincture, a perfume, or a healing balm. The following is a recipe from the spring Cooking section:

Make a Simple Ricotta

Ricotta is an Italian form of fresh cheese usually made with sheep’s milk. Here we’ve substituted fresh cow’s milk and used vinegar as our acid. Experiment with using lemon juice and citric acid in place of vinegar to see how that affects the flavor.

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

• 6 cups whole milk (unpasteurized if possible or not processed using ultra-high temperatures)
• 2 cups cream
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

Equipment

• Strainer
• Cheesecloth
• 4-quart pot

Directions

1. Line a strainer with damp cheesecloth and place over the sink.
2. In a 4-quart pot, combine the milk, cream, vinegar, and salt and bring the ingredients to a simmer (but do not let the mixture come to a boil , as this will burn your milk). After about 3 minutes, you should begin to see curds form and separate from the whey. Turn off the heat and remove the pot from the heat.
3. Pour the curds and the whey into the cheesecloth, allowing the whey to pass through the cloth. Let the mixture drain for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the cheesecloth from the strainer and twist the top closed to capture the curds in one ball. Gently but firmly squeeze the curds. You don’t want to remove all of the whey, just the majority of it.
5. The ricotta is now ready to eat or to incorporate into a recipe and will keep refrigerated for 1 to 2 days.

I highly recommend this book. Buy one for yourself and add it to your list of thoughtful gifts for others.

Find it on Amazon,  Barnes and Noble, and other sites.

The CDC reports a frightening birth defect, gastroschisis, is on the rise both worldwide and in the United States. Its cause is unknown.

What is Gastroschisis?

Gastroschisis is birth defect that occurs when the muscles of the abdominal wall fail to form correctly and a hole (large or small) results. The infant is born with intestines and sometimes other organs outside of the body.

In addition to the necessary corrective surgery, the infant may be challenged with damage to the intestines. Exposure to amniotic fluid in utero can cause the intestines to shorten, twist, or swell. Children with large protrusions or multiple organ exposure may require several surgeries to correct the defect. Gastroschisis increases the risk of medical complications and mortality. Long-term complications include digestive issues and difficulty absorbing nutrients.

What Is the Cause of Gastroschisis?

The cause is unknown and the reason for the rise in this defect is also unknown. The CDC reports, “A 2008 review noted that risk factors associated with gastroschisis, after adjusting for maternal age, have included lower socioeconomic status, lower body mass index and other indicators of poor nutrition (lower intake of high-quality nutrients and dietary fats), smoking, use of illicit drugs, alcohol, or analgesic medications, and genitourinary infections. Additionally, among multiparous and multigravida mothers, a change in paternity since the previous pregnancy has been associated with gastroschisis. Studies have also indicated possible age-specific associations between gastroschisis and prior pregnancy loss, as well as with certain infections.”

But these factors do not always apply. Megan Lehman shared the following on Facebook: (Quoted with permission)

I have always wondered what caused my precious baby boy to be born with this condition, and let me tell you, it was not alcohol, drugs, or poverty that they are now discovering increases the risk. What I did do, and very early on in my pregnancy before young and stupid me knew better, was ride on a tractor while my husband worked the fields on his family farm.”

…expectant mothers need to be warned of pesticides, chemicals in our foods, and maybe even in the prenatal vitamins that we take so carefully. An increase in incidence means something is causing it and likely many other issues as well.”

How Prevalent Is Gastroschisis?

The prevalence of gastroschisis has been on the rise since the 1980s and has risen in every category of race/ethnicity and maternal age group. Collected data showed the number of cases doubled during 1995–2005 compared to earlier reports. Reports comparing 1995-2005 with 2006-2012 show another 30% increase. Prevalence has risen from 3.6 per 10,000 births to 4.9 per 10,000 births. (Based on data collected from 14 states’ surveillance programs.)

Over the past 30 years, Utah has seen a ten-fold increase in gastroschisis” – IBIS

During the period 1995- 2012 the increased was:

• 68% for infants born to young white mothers less than 20 years old.
• 268% for infants born to young black mother less than 20 years old.

This alarming increase in prevalence among young black mothers does not denote higher overall numbers in this racial group. White and Hispanic young mothers report higher overall incidences.

Incidence Per 10,000 Births by State

• Arizona – 5.5 per 10,000 births (1:1818)
• Arkansas – 6.3 per 10,000 births (1:1587)
• California – 5.4 per 10,000 births (1:1852)
• Colorado – 4.4 per 10,000 births (1:2273)
• Delaware – 6.1 per 10,000 births (1:1639)
• Florida – 4.4 per 10,000 births (1:2273)
• Georgia – 4.5 per 10,000 births (1:2222)
• Illinois – 4.0 per 10,000 births (1:2500)
• Indiana – 4.5 per 10,000 births (1:2222)
• Iowa – 5.1 per 10,000 births (1:1961)
• Kansas – 5.0 per 10,000 births (1:2000)
• Kentucky – 3.6 per 10,000 births (1:2778)
• Louisiana – 5.0 per 10,000 births (1:2000)
• Maine – 6.2 per 10,000 births (1:1613)
• Maryland – 5.1 per 10,000 births (1:1961)
• Massachusetts – 3.5 per 10,000 births (1:2857)
• Michigan – 1.7 per 10,000 births (1:5882)
• Minnesota – 3.8 per 10,000 births (1:2632)
• Mississippi – 2.9 per 10,000 births (1:3448)
• Nebraska – 5.6 per 10,000 births (1:1786)
• New Hampshire – 2.2 per 10,000 births (1:4545)
• New Jersey – 2.2 per 10,000 births (1:4545)
• New York – 2.4 per 10,000 births (1:4167)
• North Carolina – 4.4 per 10,000 births (1:2273)
• North Dakota – 9.0 per 10,000 births (1:1111)
• Oklahoma – 6.5 per 10,000 births (1:1538)
• Puerto Rico – 5.1 per 10,000 births (1:1961)
• Rhode Island – 4.2 per 10,000 births (1:2381)
• South Carolina – 1.2 per 10,000 births (1:8333)
• Tennessee – 5.7 per 10,000 births (1:1754)
• Texas – 5.9 per 10,000 births (1:1695)
• Utah – 5.1 per 10,000 births (1:1961)
• Vermont – 2.5 per 10,000 births (1:4000)
• Virginia – 1.3 per 10,000 births (1:7692)

* States not listed did not report to the study or did not report gastroschisis numbers.

Statistics listed copied with permission from the Avery’s Angels Gastroschisis Foundation website. Their cited source is the National Birth Defects Prevention Network October 2013, Birth Defects Research Part A, Clinical And Molecular Teratology Vol. 97 Number 10, and the 2013 Congenital Malformation Surveillance Report.

Conclusion

We do not know what is causing this birth defect, but we do know our ever-increasing chemical exposure is wreaking havoc on our health and that chemical exposure including pesticide exposure causes birth defects.

We are now faced with chemical exposure in the air we breathe, in the water we drink, in our indoor environments in homes, schools, and offices. We use soaps, lotions, shampoos, toothpaste, and perfumes filled with chemicals. We dye our hair and our bodies. Genetically modified foods with their high levels of pesticides are found in all of our processed foods.

If we do not return to a clean, safe, organic lifestyle, common sense dictates birth defects of all kinds will continue to affect our children in rising numbers.

Recommended Reading:

• Vaccines, Retroviruses, DNA, and the Discovery That Destroyed  Judy Mikovits’ Career
• Understanding and Detoxifying Genetically Modified Foods
• Scientists Against GMOs – Hear From Those Who Have Done the Research
• Understand Hypothyroidism – Prevention and Natural Remedies
• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included

Sources:

• Increasing Prevalence of Gastroschisis — 14 States, 1995–2012 – CDC
• Facts about Gastroschisis – CDC
• Statistics – Avery’s Angels Gastroschisis Foundation

A new study from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports Lyme-carrying ticks now inhabit 45% of the nation’s counties, up from the reported 30% in 1998. Confirmed cases of the disease have more than doubled since 1995.

Climate change with warming temperatures may be to blame for much of the spread for two reasons: range is increasing due to warmer temperatures and the amount of time ticks can feed is increasing as they are becoming active earlier in the year (April instead of May).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7utX_PKtSU

Lyme disease, the most commonly reported vector-borne disease in the Unites States, more than doubled from 1995 to 2013. The count for 1995 was 11,700 confirmed cases. In 2013, that number rose to 27,203 confirmed cases plus 9,104 probable cases. And yet, in 2013, the CDC reported that they estimated the true number to be 300,000 cases of Lyme disease per year in the U.S., 10 times more than the reported number.

Prevention of the disease is twofold: build and support a strong, healthy immune system and avoid tick bites. A strong healthy immune system is created through a truly healthy diet, on-going detoxification, exercise, and adequate, restful sleep. To avoid tick bites, wear long sleeves and pants and spray clothing with a non-toxic repellent whenever walking through or working in a wooded or bushy area.

Tick spray recipe for dogs and humans:

• 1 cup of Distilled water
• 2 Drops Geranium Essential Oil
• 2 Drops Palo Santo Essential Oil
• 1 Drop Rosewood Essential Oil
• 4 Drops Grapefruit Essential Oil
• 1 Drop Peppermint Essential Oil
• 1 Drop of Castile Soap (emollient)

Place in a spray bottle and shake to mix. Spray on skin or fur when needed.

For information about symptoms, conventional treatment, and alternative treatments, read How to Cure Lyme Disease and Virtually Any Other Bacterial Infection, Naturally (see link below).

Recommended Reading:

• How to Cure Lyme Disease, and Virtually Any Other Bacterial Infection, Naturally
• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
  Salad Recipe, Cran-lemon Recipe, & Detox

Sources:

• Ticks Carrying Lyme Disease In Almost Half Of U.S. Counties – Reuters
• Global Warming May Spread Lyme Disease – Scientific American
• Reported Cases of Lyme Disease by Year, United States, 1995-2014 – CDC
• How many people get Lyme disease? – CDC

We’ve all seen the prototypical stoner teen, whether in real life or depicted in movies or on TV. Dull-witted, spaced out, these kids are the poster children for lost IQ points. The belief that marijuana causes a cognitive decline due to damaging the developing brain was reinforced by a 2012 study. Other studies have resulted in conflicting outcomes.

Two recent longitudinal twin studies negate the conclusion that marijuana causes neurocognitive damage to the developing brain.

One study followed 789 predominantly Hispanic kids from California from age 9-10 through age 19-20. During this 10-year period they were assessed 5 times.

The second study followed 2,227 predominantly non-Hispanic, Caucasian kids from Minnesota. These children were assessed at 3-year intervals

The kids were given IQ tests over the years and questioned about their marijuana usage. The results affirmed that the kids who smoked marijuana showed a greater decline in IQ over the years than the typical kid who did not. However, due to the fact that these were twin studies, the sets of twins where one smoked marijuana and the other did not revealed that marijuana was not the cause of intellectual decline.

When one twin who smoked marijuana showed a decline, so did the other, even when the other did not smoke marijuana. Since both of the twins showed a decline, lower test scores were attributed to their home environment and parental deficits such as “less parental monitoring” and “less emphasis on scholarship.”

These twin studies have once again proven that just because you can associate something (marijuana) with an outcome (cognitive decline), that doesn’t make it the cause.

Recommended Supplements:

• CBD Oil Total Body Care Preventative Maintenance • 30c – BioCBD+

Recomended Reading:

• Marijuana Laws by State
• Smoking Marijuana to Cure Cancer
• How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children

Sources:

• Marijuana Use May Not Lead to Cognitive Decline After All – Pacific Standard Magazine
• Impact of adolescent marijuana use on intelligence: Results from two longitudinal twin studies – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Whole Foods, affectionately (or not so affectionately) nicknamed “Whole Paycheck,” is opening a new chain of less expensive stores, 365 by Whole Foods Market. The company plans to open its first 3 stores in 2016; another 10 will follow in 2017.

The news has not been met with the positive response Whole Foods had hoped to receive. Amid negative business reviews wondering how the store intends to compete with itself, they are receiving backlash from their first targeted location, a Los Angeles neighborhood, Silverlake. Residents of Silverlake had been eagerly anticipating the opening of a full-service Whole Foods store. They, it seems, want the high-end, gourmet choices and specialty food items Whole Foods is know for, despite the cost.

Having once walked out of a Whole Foods after rejecting a $2.50 cucumber, I can’t help but propose the obvious. Why not cut prices at Whole Foods instead? The existing stores could retain the high-end, expensive, specialty and gourmet items while cutting the prices of produce and meat, along with essential items. It that way, Whole Foods could serve everyone without a new chain of stores.

Recommended Reading:

• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Hellmann’s Vs. Just Mayo – The Very Interesting Battle Within the Mayo Industry – OLM
• Chipotle Food Poisoning – Bad Luck, Bad Management, or Corporate Espionage? – OLM

Sources:

• Controversy over Whole Foods’ new store highlights the company’s biggest problem – Business Insider
• 365 will complement Whole Food stores: Mackey – Supermarket News
• 365 by Whole Foods Market – Whole Foods News Release

In 2013, Chipotle made the news by being the first fast food chain to tell its customers which of the foods they sold contained GMOs.

In April of 2015, Chipotle announced that they were removing GMO foods from their menu. As stated in the New York Times article dated April 26, 2015, Chipotle to Stop Using Genetically Altered Ingredients, the ban on GMO products did not include soft drinks, which are often made with genetically modified high fructose corn syrup. In addition, they revealed that their meat and dairy may come from animals fed GMO grains. This same statement was made on the Chipotle website.

Chipotle’s move toward cleaner, healthier food and the company’s transparency was not enough to avoid a class action lawsuit filed in late August of the same year. The lawsuit maintained Chipotle falsified their advertising, claiming to be GMO-free when they sold soft drinks containing high fructose corn syrup and sold meat from animals fed GMOs – exactly as they had stated. However, some ads certainly gave the impression that the entire menu was GMO-free.

Food-Borne Illness Outbreaks

In July of 2015, 5 people in Seattle were sickened by an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7. The source remains unknown.

In August of 2015, a norovirus outbreak sickened at least 234 people (including 17 employees) who ate at a Simm Valley, California Chipotle restaurant. The location had been cited for several health code violations. The company had not been compliant in addressing these violations in a timely manner, however, the source of the outbreak remains unknown.

In August and September of 2015, 64 people became ill with Salmonella Newport in Minnesota. The source was contaminated tomatoes.

In October, 2015, 3 people in Oregon and 19 people in Washington became ill from Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria (E. coli O26). A third of those identified were hospitalized. There were no deaths reported. In response to people eating at 6 restaurants becoming ill, Chipotle closed 43 locations in Oregon and Washington as the CDC investigation began.

The outbreak continued in multiple states (9 total) through December 2015. As of December 18^th, 53 people (original reports said 52, but the CDC later amended their report to 53) were reported to be infected with 20 requiring hospitalization. There were no fatalities. Of these people, the CDC determined that 88% had eaten at a Chipotle restaurant in the week before their illness started. The source remains unknown.

In December of 2015, norovirus struck again in Boston with 136 people affected. The source remains unknown.

An Internet search for previous outbreaks, before the announcement of a GMO-free menu, reveals 2 outbreaks in 2008. One was a norovirus outbreak in Kent, Ohio (at Kent State University), with 435 affected. The other was an outbreak of hepatitis A in La Mesa, California, with 5 affected. Chipotle’s communications director, Chris Arnold confirmed this history is correct.

That’s it. We hadn’t had any incidents of this kind for several years prior to this year.”

Industrial Espionage?

There has been much conjecture on social media about the possibility of industrial sabotage, that one or more biotech corporations created these outbreaks in an attempt to drive the company out of business due to their anti-GMO stance and publicity. The recent federal probe by the Justice Department again stirred the pot on this particular rumor mill, raising hope that industrial sabotage was the focus of the criminal investigation. This does not appear to be the case.

If the Justice Department were pursuing an investigation of espionage, they would be looking into all the incidents of food poisoning. Instead their investigation is focused on the Simm Valley, norovirus outbreak. This is in keeping the Justice Department’s new stance on corporate accountability.

In September 2015, criminal charges led to prison terms for Stewart Parnell, the former owner of the Peanut Corporation of America, and two co-defendants, his brother, food broker Michael Parnell, and the plant quality control manager, Mary Wilkerson due to the Salmonella outbreak that caused 9 deaths and 714 illnesses.

The trial was the first federal food-poisoning case to be tried by an American court and the first federal felony conviction of its kind. It won’t be the last. Criminal neglect that could result in death or disability will no longer be tolerated in the food industry, and this is a good thing.

Although the Justice Department does not seem to be looking into the possibility of espionage, it is hard to ignore the glaring facts. A popular company has no food poisoning incidents for many years, then suddenly, right after taking a stance against GMOs, incident after incident occurs across the country. The coincidence just seems too obvious. Chris Arnold says,

We’ve certainly seen those theories, but we haven’t seen any evidence to support them.”

What’s Next for Chipotle?

Meanwhile, the company has announced enhanced food safety and testing procedures and that every location across the nation will close for a few hours on February 8^th for a nationwide all staff meeting to address food safety issues, answer staff questions, and discuss a new marketing plan to bring customers back.

We can only hope Chipotle is successful in weathering the storm and earning back the trust of their loyal clientele.

Recommended Reading:

• Chipotle Removing More Unnatural Ingredients – Sourdough Culture to Replace Tortilla Preservatives
• Understanding and Detoxifying Genetically Modified Foods
• How to Kill Fungal Infections

Sources:

• Chipotle to Stop Using Genetically Altered Ingredients – New York Times
• Chipotle Fires Back Against Non-GMO Lawsuit – Advertising Age
• Chipotle Health Code Violations In Simi Valley – Food Poisoning News
• Amid E. Coli Outbreak, Chipotle Closes 43 Restaurants In Washington, Oregon – The Two Way
• FDA and CDC probe second wave of Chipotle E. coli outbreak – Ars Technica
• Multistate Outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O26 Infections Linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill Restaurants – CDC
• A Timeline of Chipotle’s Five Outbreaks – Food Safety News
• 435 Chipotle Customers with Norovirus, 6 Sick with Hepatitis A, but Record Profits, what Gives? – Marler Blog
• Feds probe Chipotle food outbreak cases – Times Union
• The Corporate Shield Fails – Peanut Corporation of America Defendants Convicted – Organic Lifestyle Magazine

It’s no secret that health in the United States ranks lower than that of many other industrialized nations but did you know it was this bad?

Life Expectancy

According to the World Fact Book (data compiled by the CIA) the United States ranks 43rd for life expectancy at birth.  with an expectancy of 79.68 years, nearly a full 10 years behind Monaco, the country holding the number one spot at 89.52 years. The 41 countries in between include Japan, Hong Kong, many of the European nations, Canada, and Israel.

Maternal Death Rate

There are 47 countries that had a lower maternal death rate in 2010 (the latest available data). In the United States, 21 women die from complications per 100,000 live births compared to 2 per 100,000 in Estonia, 3 in Greece, 3 in Singapore, 4 in Italy, and so on.

Infant Mortality Rate

The infant mortality rate, the number of infants who die before reaching their first birthday, is another shameful ranking – with 5.87 deaths per 1,000 live births. A terrible ranking with 57 countries ahead of us. Again, Monaco takes the top spot with 1.82 deaths per 1,000 births.

Fetal Death Rate

In 2011-2013, the fetal death rate, the rate of miscarriage after 20 weeks gestation, surpassed the infant mortality rate, though the numbers are very close. In 2013, the rate was 5.96 per 1,000 live births, giving the United States a high rate of loss before and after birth. What does this say about the health of our nation?

https://youtu.be/Cns6BCPjrss

Health Expenditures

In 2012, the United States actually rank number one in this category – health expenditures – 17.9% of the GDP. Let’s compare that to Monaco with its greatest life expectancy and lowest infant mortality. It ranked 155 on the list of 191 countries with 4.40%. Estonia, with its lowest maternal death rate, ranked 113 with 5.90%.

Conclusion

Something is very wrong with this picture. We spend the most on healthcare but our lifespan is shorter than the leading nation. What do we have an abundance of? An ever growing abundance of vaccines and processed “foods” filled with genetically modified organisms, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, and pesticides.

We can choose a healthy lifestyle. We can choose alternative health care and focus on nutrition as our primary source of healing. We can choose to live an organic lifestyle.

Further Reading:

• Doctors Against Vaccines – Hear From Those Who Have Done the Research
• Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases
• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children

Sources:

• The World Factbook : Country Comparison- Life Expectancy at Birth – Central Intelligence Agency
• The World Factbook : Country Comparison- Maternal Death Rate – Central Intelligence Agency
• The World Factbook : Country Comparison- Infant Mortality Rate – Central Intelligence Agency
• Fetal Deaths Outnumber Infant Deaths for First Time in US – Medscape