176,000 Gallons+ Pipeline Leak Less than Three Hours From Standing Rock Protests

Activists in Standing Rock have been protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline for months now, claiming the pipeline will pollute the Missouri River, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s source of drinking water. The scenario that the Water Protectors are protesting is taking place less than three hours away in Billings County, ND. According to CNN:

State officials estimate 4,200 barrels of crude oil, or 176,000 gallons, have leaked from the Belle Fourche Pipeline in Billings County. Of that amount, 130,000 gallons of oil has flowed into Ash Coulee Creek, while the rest leaked onto a hillside, said Bill Suess, spill investigation program manager at the North Dakota Department of Health. Built in the 1980s, the pipeline is 6 inches in diameter and transports about 1,000 barrels of oil daily, he said. The leak happened December 5.”

The North Dakota Department of Health says the cause of the break is not known. The pipeline was immediately shut down upon the discovery of the leak. According to Belle Fourche Pipeline spokeswoman Wendy Owen, “Electronic monitoring equipment failed to detect the leak… and the pipeline may have ruptured when the hillside slumped.”

Proving the Protesters’ Point

An electronically undetected pipeline spill so close to the Standing Rock protests reinforces the protesters’ argument. With the operating company unable to detect the spill, who knows how long it might have continued and how much environmental contamination could have happened?

Supporters of the DAPL and the oil companies have claimed that this is a not indicative of the overall industry, claiming True Companies (the owner of Belle Fourche Pipeline) is unsafe, citing their record of 50 environmental incidents and over 200,000 gallons of oil leaked in the last 10 years. Ironically, throwing True Companies under the bus due to their safety record also proves the protesters’ point. If a company with 50 leaks and spills in 10 years doesn’t represent the industry’s safety standards, then where in that those standards does a company with over 200 incidents in the last six years fit? That second company is Sunoco, a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners, the company responsible for building the DAPL. Sunoco, one of the largest gasoline distribution companies in the U.S., is also the company responsible for an October leak of 55,000 gallons into a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania and is the leader in spilling crude oil in the U.S.

Just Because the Pipeline is Moved Does Not Mean It’s Safe

In a victory for the Water Protectors at Standing Rock, the U.S. Department of Army does not approve of building the pipeline underneath the Missouri river. But the pipeline is almost built. The damage will be done, and if Sunoco’s safety record is accurate, that damage will occur over and over again. Is “reducing the U.S. dependence on foreign oil” worth this certain environmental degradation? Why aren’t we working toward reducing our dependence on oil, period?

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No Makeup & Blemish Free? Healthy Gut, Healthy Skin – Here’s How

For a movie star, 1080 was bad enough; now there’s 4k resolution! Pores on the face can steal the show under high def scrutiny. The typical solution is  more makeup. Not just any makeup, high definition, movie star makeup, which is even worse for the skin than the conventional kind. It’s a vicious cycle in which many a movie or television star find themselves, while others have radiant, beautiful, blemish free skin.

Why do some stars look young and vibrant well past the age when most of us are blotchy and achy all over, even when they are caught off guard and makeup free by the paparazzi? It may seem like they know a Hollywood secret, but they don’t. There isn’t one. There’s no pill or insider trick. It’s health. Pure and simple. Health that is mainly due to diet. What you see is an actor who consistently makes the right choices, every single day.

Poor skin health is a symptom of an unhealthy microbiome. The health of the skin, eyes, and mouth are very good indicators for gut health. Anyone who wants healthy skin will have to eat a healthy diet.

Our microbiome breaks down and assimilates food, assimilates nutrients, and helps produce hormones, all while crowding out potential pathogens and keeping Candida numbers in check. The body’s gut flora primarily consists of bacteria and fungi. A healthy gut contains a ratio of about 1000 bacteria to 1 Candida yeast cell. In this ratio, Candida albicans is just a part of our beneficial gut flora. It’s no coincidence that the most beneficial gut bacteria survive and thrive on the most beneficial foods we can eat. Healthy gut flora live off of raw, organic vegetables and other healthy whole foods. Nasty, pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and other microbes live in a gut full of fast food and prescription drugs. The more fresh, raw, organic produce we consume, the healthier the gut flora will be. Candida is very opportunistic, and it will proliferate in a host who consumes a poor diet or otherwise disrupts their gut flora.

An abundance of Candida will seriously damage the intestinal walls causing an overly permeable or “leaky” gut. Most people in modern societies like ours are living with this right now. When Candida is left unchecked, it opens the door for other pathogens. More accurately, it makes holes in the gut for pathogens to invade the bloodstream. When someone has poor skin health, it is a safe bet that Candida is proliferating.

Our modern lifestyle disrupts our microbiome system:

  • Antibiotics in our food, water, drugs, soaps, and other bodycare products
  • Refined foods that feed the pathogens (healthy food feeds the good guys)
  • Vaccines, drugs (not just antibiotics, but anything toxic), heavy metals, and other toxins that kill beneficial flora
  • Pesticides, herbicides, and other toxins that kill our bacteria
  • Other toxic “foods” that disrupt our gut flora (like foods that contain heavy metals, artificial sweeteners, GMOs, etc.)

Here’s the thing that the medical community is not getting: anything that is toxic to the body will disrupt the body’s natural flora. Then Candida proliferates, and the body falls apart shortly thereafter. For better health, fix the body’s ecosystem. It will take time. Fortunately, it takes less time to get well than it does to get sick.

Natural Skin Health Via Gut Healing Protocol

Still not convinced? Try the following protocol for two weeks. Before starting, take pictures for a before and after comparison. The difference will be notable. We’re not just talking skin health. Allergies and most other ailments will dissipate, too. Fix the gut and eventually, the whole body follows.

Drink Lots of Cranberry Lemonade

Drink between a half a gallon and a gallon of cranberry lemonade each day to flush the liver and kidneys of toxins and help rejuvenate the endocrine system, which will help keep the blood clean and reduce “die-off symptoms” commonly associated with killing Candida.

Cranberry Lemonade Recipe

  • Glass gallon jar
  • Safe, clean, spring water or distilled water
  • 1 cup of unsweetened, organic cranberry juice, not from concentrate
  • 3 organic fresh lemons
  • A citrus juicer
  • Liquid stevia
  • Liquid cayenne

Fill the jar to about 85% capacity with spring water (or distilled water). Squeeze the lemons and pour the juice into the water. Add cranberry juice. Add stevia to taste and then add cayenne to taste. The amount of cayenne used is up to you, but the more the better.

If you don’t have access to a good source for spring water, use other clean drinking water that does not contain fluoride. If you don’t have access to organic lemons, use conventional. Fresh is almost always best. If there are no fresh lemons, use organic bottled lemon juice. If you can’t get cranberry juice that is not from concentrate, get the reconstituted kind (just don’t get any kind of cranberry juice that has any other ingredients like sweeteners or other juices). If you can’t stand cayenne, don’t use it. No glass jar? Use plastic.

Eat Right

Produce detoxifies. Fresh, whole, organic, raw vegetables, herbs, and fruits pull toxins from the body and repopulates healthy, beneficial gut bacteria as it give the body the nutrients it needs including enzymes and other phytonutrients that are almost non-existent in most modern diets.

Try to eat a huge salad every day with lots of greens, plenty of other colors, garlic, cilantro, ginger, and more. Check out this salad recipe.

The Salad Base

  • Spinach
  • Arugula (I prefer baby arugula, mature arugula tastes funky)
  • Collard greens (they’re very bitter; use sparingly)
  • Lettuce (mix it up, try an organic spring mix)
  • Kale
  • Beet greens (the tops of beets)
  • Red cabbage (thinly shred like a slaw or a little thicker, depending on the texture you prefer)
  • Rainbow chard

Shredded, Grated, or Spiralized

  • Carrots
  • Zucchini
  • Beetroot
  • Daikon (or other radish)

Chopped or Diced

  • Leeks
  • Red onions
  • Red and yellow bell peppers
  • Cucumbers
  • Cilantro
  • Asparagus (try cooking it in a balsamic vinegar first)

Extras

  • Pomegranate seeds
  • Olives
  • Raisins or dried cranberries
  • Sesame seeds
  • Ground papaya seeds and/or ground pepper
  • Avocado
  • Eggs (try soft boiled)
  • Beans (black, pinto, kidney, green, garbanzo, etc.)
  • Garlic
  • Turmeric
  • Chia seeds

It’s not an exact recipe, and it doesn’t have to be. Mix it up. Try new things. My salads generally have about 15 ingredients. Make them big; make them diverse. Just imagine you’re in nature, not modern society, and all you have to eat is nothing but a wide variety of the best, whole, fresh, healthy vegetables and herbs. This is what a big salad a day can do for you. It’s life changing.

I throw in chickpeas or a three-bean salad combination. If you’re not vegan, try a sheep feta cheese with this salad and throw on some eggs. It’s good with meat, too, like chicken or steak.

Don’t ruin it with a crappy salad dressing! All this salad needs is a little balsamic vinegar (apple cider is better, but I don’t like the taste as much in my salads), or some fresh lemon juice. It doesn’t take much.

What Else to Eat and What Not to Eat

Eat whole foods; avoid refined foods. Brown rice is good; white rice is out. Avoid wheat; artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or sweeteners; trans fats; and MSG. Avoid carbonated beverages. Avoid GMOs. Limit fruits, and besides stevia, avoid or limit anything else that’s sweet.

Our modern diet almost always includes too much refined sugar. We don’t have access to agave nectar, brown rice syrup, fruit juices, and other sweeteners in nature. It’s just too much sugar. You may be thinking honey is a good alternative, but this is only true when the gut is healed, the body is relatively free of infection, and the immune system functions properly. Otherwise, even with its antimicrobial properties, honey can feed infection as it goes through the digestion process.

Supplements

Candida evolves to be resistant to much of what we do to try to kill it. This is much more of an issue with conventional treatments than it is with supplements, but it’s still a possibility. A multifaceted approach is the best way to eliminate Candida quickly. They won’t have time to adapt. Lots of protocols recommend multiple supplements that essentially have the same active ingredients, leading the buyer to believe they are taking a multifaceted approach when they are not. This is one of the many reasons typical Candida protocols are not very effective, though poor diet is the number one reason for any natural protocol not working effectively. For those on a tight budget or only wanting to add one or two supplements to their routine, I listed the following supplement links in order from the most to the least important in regards to killing Candida and balancing the gut.

  • Formula SF722 is one of the most effective products (perhaps the best) for killing any kind of fungal infection. It’s been shown in labs that Candida cannot adapt to undecenoic acid (the active ingredient in SF722) like it can with almost every other way we try to kill it.
  • Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse will kill parasites, Candida, and other bad guys while it heals the gut, improves regularity, and removes nasty biofilm (little-known fact: there’s good biofilm, and there’s bad biofilm), all while setting up a hospitable environment for beneficial flora.
  • Undecyn has many different active components formulated specially to kill pathogens in the gut, urinary tract, and vaginal area, but it kills bad guys everywhere.
  • FloraMend is a probiotic that passes through the stomach acid and releases in the intestinal tract.
  • Olive Leaf Extract supports the immune system and promotes a healthy intestinal environment and provides natural protection and a healthy environment for cells, without suppressing immune system function or harming beneficial microflora.
  • Shillington’s Intestinal Detox is important for anyone who may have heavy metals in their system, and this formula heals the whole digestive tract. It’s not as necessary for more people, but if you experience digestive upset or heavy metal toxicity the intestinal detox is perfect for these issues.
  • MicroDefense – Pure Encapsulations is effective against all common parasites. With the Intestinal Cleanse and the Undecyn, this is overkill for most people, but if you’re very concerned with parasites, it’s the formula designed for that.
  • Allium Oil, made with organic olive oil, garlic, and vitamin E, encourages healthy, smooth sebum production and release and fights infection. (See this article for more on sebum.)

The SF722, Undecyn, the MicroDefense, and to a lesser extent the Intestinal Cleanse, will damage beneficial bacteria, so there are two options to get the most out of your supplements. One method is to take the FloraMend probiotic (and olive leaf) at bedtime and upon take the other microbe-killing supplements during the day with meals. Another option is to wait a week or two for symptoms to subside and then stop taking the SF722 and Undecyn and start taking the probiotic, but for those who are particularly ill, healing may take a little longer with this approach. Taking beneficial bacteria and the supplements that help support it at night makes for better B vitamin production, mineral uptake, and hormonal balance. Note that one of the great things about the olive leaf extract and the Intestinal Detox supplements is that while they do kill pathogens, neither formula will kill the good bacteria.

There are certain vitamins and minerals that have been proven to curb Candida growth, and of course, Candida depletes many of these nutrients. The right diet should suffice, but most people will do well with a nutrition formula, a mineral formula, fats and vitamin D, and a B vitamin complex. This is especially true for anyone who does not have access to high quality, nutrient dense food on a regular basis. Biotin, otherwise known as B7, helps prohibit Candida from converting to its hyphal filamentous growth structure, which is the form where tentacles drill through the gut. But there are at least a dozen other minerals and vitamins that we know are just as significant to gut balance, hence the holistic approach.

Maintenance for Clear Skin

After the gut is healthy and the body is healthy, continue to eat well, avoid processed foods, take the aforementioned supplements (nutrition formula, a mineral formula, fats and vitamin D, and a B vitamin complex), and continue to stay away from processed foods, wheat, alcohol, and vaccines. Or, stay away from them for a month and then go eat some bread and get your flu shot, watch the zits pop up. Your choice.

For those who are willing to spend considerable money to look younger than should be possible:

You can take systemic enzymes with collagen, but don’t take them at the same time. Take systemic enzymes on an empty stomach. If you take them with food, enzymes will help digest the food, which is great, but also take them on an empty stomach.

Use essential oils in place of perfumes, and make your own deodorant and sunscreen. Avoid all skin care products with chemicals, which is to say, avoid all conventional skin care, and read the “natural” labels diligently. Or, don’t use that stuff and just make everything yourself.

Conclusion

Candida is a hot topic of debate within both the naturopathic community and conventional medicine, with views ranging from Candida being the root of everything that’s wrong with the body to it being a very rare issue that is completely overblown. The reality is that a Candida infection in the gut is a process that happens when one is not well, and when left unchecked (it doesn’t take long) Candida will allow other pathogens to infiltrate the body through the gut. Candida is the key to many other diseases due to how it burrows into the intestinal walls. Once someone is chronically ill, it may or may not be Candida causing their problems, but you can bet Candida has played a big role.

Illness is never due to just one type of pathogen. If you feel ill, whether it be from a chronic illness or just a cold, it’s a little-known fact that there’s often more than just one virus, bacteria, or other pathogen affecting you.

Recommended Reading:
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Food Emulsifiers Linked to Gastrointestinal Disease

When you eat something from a box, can, or jar, chances are you’ve eaten an emulsifier. Emulsifiers like xanthan gum, any and all lecithins, and carrageenan extend the shelf life of products and improve their texture. Unfortunately, a recent study published in Cancer Research says they also promote intestinal inflammation, foster the growth of harmful bacteria, and increase the risk of tumors and colon cancer.

The Studies

This was not the first study on the emulsifiers and their impact on health. A previous study found that a group of healthy mice fed a diet including 1% of a commonly used emulsifier were unable to properly control their blood sugar levels, ate more, and gained more weight. An examination of the mice’s gut tissue revealed signs of low-level inflammation. In the same study, a group of mice predisposed to intestinal disease fed the same amount of emulsifiers saw an increase in the symptoms of conditions like inflammatory bowel disease and colitis. The emulsifiers increased the amount of harmful bacteria living deep in the protective mucous in the gut, increasing the potential for irritated and inflamed intestinal tissue.

Recommended: Fungal Infections – ow to Eliminate Yeast, Candida, and Mold Infections For Good

The results of the previous study dovetail nicely into the most recent emulsifier study. In the previous study, the emulsifiers caused inflammation and increased the mice’s risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. The study released in November 2016 found that the regular consumption of emulsifiers disrupted the balance of the gut and increased the growth of colorectal tumors and rates of colon cancer. This makes sense as cancer thrives in an inflamed environment where damaged cells provide food for it.

For both of these studies, the mice consumed emulsifiers in amounts proportional to the amount found in processed foods. Federal food regulations limit the amount of a particular emulsifier to 1 or 2 percent. The regulators don’t, however, place any kind of limit on the number of emulsifiers that can be present in any given food. The mice in these studies were only exposed to two emulsifiers, polysorbate 80 and carboxymethylcellulose. A basic, gluten-free loaf of white sandwich bread from Udi’s (probably the most well-known and easily accessible gluten-free brand of bread) has four added emulsifiers, xanthan gum, guar gum, sodium alginate, and locust bean gum. If one percent of two different emulsifiers can disrupt the intestinal microbiome in a significant way, what does one percent of four different emulsifiers do? Now imagine the filling between the bread also contains an emulsifier or two. That amount of emulsifying food additives causes serious gastrointestinal health issues in mice. Do we know what it’s doing to humans?

But We Aren’t Mice

The biggest issue with a study like this is the fact that we aren’t mice, and our diet requirements are different. A study like this on humans could be more difficult, in part due to the proliferation of these compounds. It’s also worth mentioning that only two emulsifying agents were used in this study, polysorbate 80 and carboxymethylcellulose. Both of these emulsifiers are more processed than “natural” emulsifiers like lecithins and gums, and comparing the results found in this study with a study focusing on different emulsifiers might provide more answers.

Recommended: Sugar Leads to Depression – World’s First Trial Proves Gut and Brain are Linked (Protocol Included)

But You Already Knew That, Didn’t You?

So why does it matter? It’s only a study on lab mice that doesn’t actually prove anything, right? This study doesn’t change anything, but not for the reason you may think. Emulsifiers and most importantly, the processed food where you find them, are not good for you. This isn’t a matter of “if only we knew more.” Do the details make a difference when the universally acknowledged healthy lifestyle is the lifestyle that preaches whole foods and avoids the processed?

We live in the real world though and unless you’re homesteading in a big way, a box, can, bag, or jar will eventually make its way into your kitchen. You cannot escape the emulsifiers. Carrageenan, gums, and lecithins are some of the more easily identified emulsifiers, but until writing this article, I had no idea what polysorbate 80 actually did. Reading the label is imperative. If it reads more like a science kit than a recipe, your gastrointestinal system will not thank you.

Recommended Reading:
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Stop Exfoliating, Toning, and Moisturizing – Make Your Own Bacteria Your Beautician

Cosmetic companies have created an empire that has paved the way to dermal disaster. Bright, shiny bottles. Glittering labels. Designer fragrances. Million dollar ad campaigns. It’s no wonder modern beauty products are so appealing. Unfortunately, most of the beautifying blends consumers rely on for vanity, anti-aging, and hygiene are packed full of harsh chemicals and unregulated poisons. There’s more than an even chance these products are causing serious, lasting harm.

Why Cleansing is Corrosive

Poplar cleansers are offered in the form of creams, milks, lotions, foams, and mousses. Each one claims to target a specific skin type or problem. The surfactants commonly found in these cleansing products wash away sebum and dissolve the skin’s protecting enzymes and hydro-lipid barriers, eliminating the skin’s natural acid mantle. This diverse microbiome of beneficial bacteria acts as the skin’s natural defense to keep the good bacteria in and the bad bacteria out as it maintains natural moisture levels. When the microbiome is destroyed, pollutants, toxins, and harmful pathogens gain instant access to vulnerable skin.

Surfactants are comprised of sulfate, sulfonate, and phosphate-based ingredients and can be found in both standard and so-called natural cleansers. These stripping chemicals can stay on and in the skin for as long as 4 days, allowing deep penetration that can trigger systemic reactions. This can manifest as acne, dry dull skin, melasma, and premature aging. Antibacterial products are immediately and continually disruptive to the skin and encourage microbial mutation, making the skin a breeding ground for superbugs and pathogens.

Why Exfoliating is Problematic

The uppermost dermal layer of the skin is comprised of dead skin cells. This fact has given rise to the belief that these dead cells are useless and dirty and that they should be removed through daily diligence, but these cells also act as a protective barrier. Exfoliation leaves the young, underdeveloped cells underneath stressed and vulnerable, incapable of dealing with exposure, intruder invasion, and inflammation.

Most multi-step skincare regimens include an exfoliation component that makes you believe you’re properly clean because you’ve given yourself a thorough scrubbing. Plastic microbeads are an abrasive commonly found in everything from high-end bath gels to toothpaste. When used as an exfoliant in skin scrubs, they can cause tiny fissures to form that cause redness, itchiness, irritation, and sensitivity. Microbeads are an ecological disaster contributing to the vast plastic wasteland in the sea and contamination of the food chain (more on microbeads).

Why Toning is Harmful

Toners are often touted as balancing tonics for fresh and ultra clean skin. The truth is, toners are usually alcohol based astringents that disrupt and remove your natural acid mantle. Consistent use will cause low-grade inflammation that eventually weakens the dermal layers. Eventually, your skin will be broken down to a level of vulnerability that allows destructive substances to have a direct line into the bloodstream.

While toners seem to offer some relief for sufferers of oily skin, in actuality, excessive removal of oil will stimulate the sebaceous glands into secreting even more oil to compensate. Those with dry skin will only exacerbate their condition, leading to chronic dehydration and premature aging.

The effectiveness of this practice is short lived and counterproductive, leaving those with problematic skin to believe that their issues are simply on the increase. The reality is that they are continually destroying the delicate balance of beneficial bacteria that regulate the homeostasis of healthy skin.

Why Moisturizing Can Cause Damage

From rich and creamy to light and airy, modern moisturizers would have you believe that every (expensive name-brand) product was formulated with your exact skin type in mind. With alluring botanicals and stem cell technology, products claim that everything from freckles to crow’s feet can be banished with their modern hydrating formula.

Aside from the fact that the average options are full of alcohol derivatives (very dehydrating!) and fragrant irritants, these products are teeming with laboratory synthetics and man-made ingredients. They are held together with controversial preservatives like parabens, which were recently found to be present in 99% of all cancerous breast tissue.

After removing all traces of the skin’s natural defense system through an atomic cleansing routine, slathering on moisturizing concoctions significantly increases toxic exposure. Repeated contact increases the likelihood of cell mutation and abnormal cell development. Not only is this deeply aging, it could easily lead into cancerous territory.

How to Make Bacteria Your Beautician

The outlook may seem bleak, but there are wonderfully effective methods that use safe, truly natural, and elemental organic ingredients. Healthy, beautiful, glowing skin is not the preserve of airbrushed images and clinical trials.

A Better Way to Cleanse and Moisturize

Set aside the multi-step approach! Oil cleanses, tones, and moisturizes all at the same time. Just as you need nourishment to perform, so does your skin. Though it may seem counterintuitive to put oil on your skin, especially if you have acne or oily skin, this method is truly the only way to find balance. Feed the good bacteria in your natural skin microbiome with a stabilizing beauty routine of organic oils.

Jojoba Oil

Simply place a quarter-sized amount in your hand and massage it over your face. Remove with a tissue. Repeat if necessary. To moisturize, dab on a little extra oil and away you go.

Jojoba oil gently and effectively removes dirt, excess oils, and makeup. It dissolves hardened sebum deposits that accumulate in the pores, but it doesn’t strip the acid mantle or disturb the microbial balance. While nourishing and supporting the dermal layers, it cultivates and preserves your hydro-lipid barrier and protective enzymes. Plus, jojoba oil never goes rancid, so you can buy it in economical quantities that will keep forever.

Castor Oil

For a much deeper cleanse, try adding a small amount of organic castor oil into your oil cleansing routine. It can be implemented daily for problematic skin or weekly for general maintenance.

Only a tiny amount is needed, as it can be quite drying if applied excessively. By adding 10-20% castor oil to the mix, you will purge out impurities while maintaining adequate hydration and the integrity of your skin structure.

Castor oil is excellent for congested and acne prone skin. So often, these issues are dealt with by a sledgehammer approach that is ultimately damaging and counterproductive. By gently nudging the bacterial and sebum production into balance, you can reduce the sensitive, inflammatory nature of greasy or blemish prone skin. It preserves the acid mantle and encourages healthy cell turnover for a glowing complexion.

How to Exfoliate with Ease

Exfoliation itself isn’t the enemy; over application is the real problem. It can be useful to exfoliate in moderation, but never vigorously or more frequently than once per week. This can increase circulation of blood and lymph, as well as gently assist the body’s cell turnover.

Try dry brushing with natural bristles to boost this process. Body brushing with lymph stimulating oils such as rosemary, cypress, or eucalyptus will stimulate healthy circulation and gently even out the skin’s surface.

Soft pony bristle brushes can be used on the face for circulatory and lymphatic stimulation, using small, careful, upward strokes. Baking soda may also be used as a facial exfoliator. Mixed into a paste using oil or water, it can make for a zesty ablution now and again.

Final Thoughts

When you nourish your skin with replenishing, revitalizing, and rejuvenating oils you allow your skin to thrive by strengthening its own intelligent design. If you cultivate the perfect environment for a thriving community of beneficial microbes, you will accomplish better, lasting results.

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Antibiotic Side Effects Are Contagious – C. Diff Infections Are On the Rise

The gut microbiome is getting some recognition lately. Scientists are finding increasing evidence that the delicate balance of the gut is responsible for making and keeping us healthy. The focus of the microbiome has turned attention to antibiotics and the damage we are doing by overusing them. Antibiotics disrupt the natural balance of the gut, destroying beneficial bacteria and allowing pathogens to thrive unchecked. If you’re not using prescription antibiotics there are plenty of other sources you’re likely getting it from.

A microbiota is “the ecological community of commensal, symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms that literally share our body space”- Wikipedia

The Nitty-Gritty

…a recent study found that occupying the same hospital room as someone who has been given antibiotics increases your likelihood of developing a bacterial infection…

C. diff is a bacteria that inflames the colon and is spread by spores from person to person. C. diff exists throughout organic environments (water, air, human and animal waste, earth, and food products) and for some people, the bacteria can exist in the intestine without ever making its host sick. When it does cause an infection, symptoms range from watery diarrhea and mild cramping to more severe cramping and diarrhea, kidney failure, fever, and dehydration. Potentially deadly,  C. diff is especially common in hospital settings due to the widespread use of antibiotics. Much like Candida, C. diff thrives when antibiotics wipe the good bacteria from the intestine, leaving it unable to fight off the infection. C. diff is also quite hardy, and the spores that spread it can survive outside of the body for up to 90 days.

With the Rise of Antibiotics Comes the Rise of Everyday Infections

Overprescribed to humans and animals, antibiotics have invaded our lives in multiple ways, forcing crafty bacteria, fungi, and viruses to adapt. The recommended conventional treatment for C. diff is antibiotics, which seems crazy, as antibiotics created the ideal environment for C. diff to thrive.

Rates of C. diff infections are rising in and out of hospitals and in populations not traditionally susceptible to it, like children or people without a history of antibiotic use. So why is it spreading to these populations? The reason behind the increase of C. diff infections in children can be explained by the increasing amounts of antibiotics they’re exposed to both internally and environmentally.

Even if you aren’t using antibiotics yourself, a recent study found that occupying the same hospital room as someone who has been given antibiotics increases your likelihood of developing a bacterial infection like Clostridium difficile colitis (or C. diff).

The world seems determined to impact our health through antibiotics in one way or another. The idea that someone taking antibiotics in the same room as you is enough to increase your chance of a bacterial infection is scary. Also scary; the question why does it affect you. If antibiotics have the potential to do that much damage to our vital and not even fully understood microflora, what have we been doing to ourselves and when is the bottom going to fall out of this whole thing?

Taking a Step Back

So let’s take a step back from antibiotics. If you’re reading this, on this website, you’ve probably started choosing the meat you eat very carefully, if you even eat meat at all. A diet consisting of fresh, raw, organic produce (big, beautiful salads with over twenty veggies in them) gives your body and immune system the nutrition it needs, and exercise also plays a part. In the event a bacterial or fungal infection occurs, paying attention to your body and catching it early gives you the chance to take care of yourself.

Of course, that isn’t everything, and sometimes we eat something we shouldn’t or there’s a particularly nasty little bug hanging around. Supplements like Oil of Oregano, Coptis Chinesis, or a good Detox can provide relief. Antibiotics are not your first answer.  Antibiotics were designed as a medicine of last resort, so make them that.

Related Reading:

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New FDA “Healthy” Labeling Guidelines Coming – How Would You Define It?

We all know when a food is labeled organic it is supposed to meet specifically defined criteria. But did you know that when the term “healthy” is used on a label it is supposed to meet specific FDA criteria?

The regulatory definition established by the FDA in 1993 also covered the terms health, healthful, healthfully, healthfulness, healthier, healthiest, healthily, and healthiness. Healthiness? Really? Yes, we looked it up. It is a word.

Under the 1993 rules, the two criteria attached to any derivative of the word healthy were related to fat content and specific nutrients.

The nutrient conditions for bearing a “healthy” nutrient content claim include specific criteria for nutrients to limit in the diet, such as total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, as well as requirements for nutrients to encourage in the diet, including vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, protein, and fiber.” ~ FDA

Changes to the Definition of Healthy

New scientific information is causing the FDA to rethink the definition of this label. For example, the old definition embraced the belief that a low-fat was best. Current science encourages the intake of mono and polyunsaturated fats rather than limiting fats altogether.

It seems the nutrient concerns have changed over time as well. In 1993, nutrients of concern were vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, and fiber. According to the FDA, today’s concerns include potassium, vitamin D, iron, and calcium.

On July 14, 2016, the FDA released its new strategic plan for 2016-2025. In it, they address four goals: food safety, nutrition, Animal health, and organizational excellence. (see further reading)

Nutrition Facts Labels are being updated with new Daily Value (DV) requirements and the FDA is working toward changing the “healthy” definition. In the meantime, they have advised companies that they may use the healthy label for foods that meet the following:

“(1) Are not low in total fat, but have a fat profile makeup of predominantly mono and polyunsaturated fats; or

(2) contain at least ten percent of the Daily Value (DV) per reference amount customarily consumed (RACC) of potassium or vitamin D.”

These new guidelines are non-binding recommendations for the interim while the FDA goes through the process of redefining healthy.

Public Comments

The FDA is asking for the public to take part in this process. So the question is, how do you define healthy? Since we believe the only truly healthy foods are whole, fresh, organic foods in their natural form, calling any processed food healthy is a bit of a stretch. But without question, some are healthier than others.

In addition to what the food should contain, there certainly are things it should not contain. At a minimum, no food should be called healthy if it contains artificial flavors, colors or preservatives; MSG, GMOs, high fructose corn syrup, or trans fats. Should we go further? Should we declare no food is healthy of it contains processed sugar? Gluten? Dairy?

What do you think? The FDA is asking for public input. If you would like your voice to be heard on this subject, comments are being collected through Jan 26, 2017. The contact information the FDA provides on their website is as follows:

Submit electronic comments on regulations.gov to docket folder FDA-2016-D-2335.

Submit written comments to:

Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305)
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061
Rockville, MD 20852.
All comments should be identified with the docket number FDA-2016-D-2335.

For additional information on commenting, including details on making submissions with confidential information, see:

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Considering Home Birth

Recently, a new article about hospital charges has been making the rounds on social media. A family received their bill for the birth of their child. Included in the itemized statement was a $39.35 fee for the mother to hold her baby immediately after his birth with skin-to-skin contact.

The official explanation that is given for charging a mother to hold her child is the need for an extra person to stand beside her to ensure the baby is not dropped (think C-Section cases, drugged up moms, etc.) While this may initially sound reasonable, when the high of finally meeting your little one wears off, that forty dollar charge can take on a different persona.

Skin-to-skin contact is incredibly beneficial for both the mother and baby. It helps baby regulate temperature, increases the odds for a healthy breastfeeding relationship, and reduces postpartum depression. It’s a simple act that could set up a successful mother and baby relationship, but not all hospitals are willing to offer it, even with a charge. That forty dollars is now a symbol of a standard of care that places money and legal liability before patient needs.

hospital-hold-the-baby-bill

So often we are unable to choose whether or not to go to the hospital. Hospitals provide a necessary and important service. For trauma care, there is no better place to be. But is this the case for childbirth?

Yes, hospital deliveries may be the best choice for a woman with a high-risk pregnancy, but home births are a viable option for women who are considered low-risk. Since statistics show the same or better outcomes for home births, what are the benefits from choosing a home birth? What is the downside?

The Upside

When women give birth at home with a trained midwife, they are less likely to experience birth interventions like episiotomies and fetal electronic monitoring. Mothers are less likely to suffer from postpartum hemorrhages, severe perineal tears, and infections. Comparison studies between planned home births and hospital births in countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Netherlands (the industrialized country with the highest percentage of recorded home births) have found that home births compare positively to the hospital outcomes. Fewer births result in C-sections, and the mother’s health is often better.

A home birth also gives the mother more control and comfort in her surroundings. Being in your home where you are able to play the music you want, enjoy food and water at leisure, and chose whatever position is most comfortable and makes the most sense to you during birth can have an enormous impact psychologically and hormonally. Stress hormones can stop or impede a labor. In the hospital that opens the door to increasing amounts of obstetric intervention. Pain and stress that could be gently eased with a hot bath at home can be interpreted as a need for pitocin and increased fetal monitoring, which in turn increases the chances of complications.

Know Your Risks

Yes, home birth can be amazing, but it isn’t all sunshine and roses. Anyone interested in or considering a home birth needs to do their research.

Look at the risks frequently associated with home births and plan scenarios for how you would handle them. Frank discussions with your midwife are a necessity. There is the possibility that things will go wrong, and knowing the fastest route to the hospital can make a big difference in your birth outcome.

But Then That’s Me

I’ve always heard my mother say her her hips were too small, messed up, or weird whenever we talked about her birth experience. She even claims her doctors agreed. I even remember her making a comment (looking back, a wildly inappropriate one) about how my youngest sister had good hips for having kids, but I had inherited hers.

When I told her I was looking into homebirth, she seemed all for it. But then she started making comments about how she wished she could have given birth naturally but her babies were too big. After one discussion with a nurse friend who spends her time “praying for all the dead babies”, my mother spent the rest of my pregnancy frantically trying to talk me out of having a home birth. All I heard from her was a litany of ways my home birth was going to go wrong and how irresponsible my decision was when all that mattered was a healthy baby. Though I’m sure most women experience doubts and fears about home birth, my doubts and fears had taken physical form.

Here’s the kicker. After two healthy home births, I have to admit she was right about one thing – I had inherited her hips. Both of my labors were long and included painful back labor in spite of positioning exercises and various other attempts to avoid it. I had to contort into weird positions to coax the little ones out of the tunnel. I’m left to conclude that it’s just me and my weird ass pelvis. If I were an obstetrician in the hospital, I’d C-section someone like me if only for taking so damn long and refusing to let anyone touch me.

But that’s the problem with the way we currently treat birth in a modern medical setting. We’re no longer doing everything in our power to ensure the best possible emotional and physical outcome for baby and mother. We’re seeing a beautiful moment that has the potential to leave a woman feeling better about her bond with her baby, an act that can help combat post-partum depression, and reducing it to another extra charge on the hospital bill.

I keep thinking back on my children’s births, imagining how badly things could have gone in the hospital, and how glad I am that I chose to give birth at home. My children are perfect. I’m here, happy, healthy and above all empowered. I never participated in a standard of care that would have labeled me as flawed. Unlike my mother, I will not spend the rest of my life apologizing to my kids for my weird hips. As far as I’m concerned, they worked just fine.

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