Perspective and Real Threats To Life and Limb

Every day, thousands of families are devastated by tragedy, by the loss of a child. Most of these deaths are from injuries that occurred in preventable accidents. It is believed by many experts that simply making a concerted effort to take some precautions could cut this number in half.

Young children are more worried about bad guys coming to get them or monsters in the closet than they are about realistic dangers. They leave their toys on the stairs, climb up bookcases, and blindly run into traffic.

In all frankness, the world is filled with naïve adults as well. Most parents are more terrified of germs than exposure to toxic chemicals, more terrified of the measles than the MMR vaccine’s side effects. The active ingredients in antibacterial soaps (chemicals such as triclosan) are far more dangerous than germs on your hands. The risk of vaccine injury is much higher than the risk of contracting measles. Americans are far more likely to die from prescribed pharmaceuticals than by terrorists. The worst terror attack in American history resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths. Every year, more 100,000 Americans die from prescribed pharmaceuticals.

Danger is everywhere, but many of us are scared of the wrong things. Our fears are often fueled by the media, which is driven by corporate greed. We need to separate fact from fiction to understand the greatest threats to our children.

Dying by Accidents

According to the CDC, fatal injuries are the leading cause of death for children 0-19 years of age in the U.S. According to the World Health Organization, the global trend is similar, with accidental injuries being the leading cause of death for children over five years of age.

It doesn’t benefit us as parents to become paranoid about childhood injury, but the opposite attitude of “Oh well, accidents happen,” attitude doesn’t serve us well, either. In the reports, some efforts were noted to have made a difference. Innovations such as car seats, helmets, child resistant containers for medications, and fencing around pools have helped prevent accidental injuries and death.

Facing Facts

Most of the time, accidents don’t just happen. They are the result of unsafe acts, poor habits, or carelessness. That means that many of these injuries are preventable. Each year, more than 12,000 children die from accidental injuries, and more than 9 million children receive emergency medical care for non-fatal, but serious injuries.

Boys are also more likely to be injured than girls and boys account for twice the fatalities. Most of the fatal injuries to children were transportation related. Most of the children killed from transportation-related accidents were occupants in vehicles, but many children were pedestrians or cyclists.

Many of these deaths can be prevented by wearing seat belts, wearing helmets, and practicing defensive driving. It is widely known that driving while intoxicated is unsafe, but distracted driving and drowsy driving (driving while sleepy) are also high risk.

Injuries due to falls were the most common injury for children 14 and under. The next most common causes of injury were being struck by an object, bitten by animals, or stung by insects.

Better Not to Over Do It

Many kids ages 10-14 landed in the emergency room due to overexertion. That’s right, kids in the U.S. are so out of shape that exercising too hard can put them in the hospital.

The CDC listed suffocation, drowning, burns, and poisoning as other common injuries. The risk for these types of injuries varied somewhat by age and location. Common sense precautions like childproofing your house, wearing safety gear (like helmets), and closely supervising your kids are known to be some of the best preventative measures.

The next time someone accuses you of putting your children at risk by refusing vaccines, ask them if they know what is most likely to kill their children. It isn’t germs.

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Seven Ways To Avoid Gaining Too Much Pregnancy Weight

Discovering that you and your partner will soon have your first baby is probably one of the most euphoric moments in your life, especially if you’ve been trying to conceive for a long time. Earlier, you made all your life decisions keeping only yourself and your partner in focus. Now with the much-anticipated arrival of your little one, there’s almost nothing you do without thinking about how it will impact the angel growing in your womb.

As you accustom yourself to these changes, there’s one huge (pun intended) change that worries you the most – your weight gain. Though it is normal for women to gain weight during their pregnancy, you surely don’t want to end up looking like a human version of Godzilla. Well, here are seven ways to avoid gaining too much pregnancy weight:

Drink A Lot Of Water

When everybody, from your doctor to your fitness trainer and nutritionist harps about the importance of drinking plenty of water, you have to believe that there’s some truth to it. Apart from keeping you well-hydrated and energetic all day long, drinking water also curbs your cravings at odd times of the day that may have you pile on free calories. Since, during pregnancy, your digestive system slows down, drinking enough water can also contribute to healthy bowel movements and therefore prevent bloating. Water is also important for the formation of the amniotic fluid that surrounds your fetus.

Stay Active

Staying active throughout your pregnancy is also a great way to prevent excessive pregnancy weight gain. It also makes the process of postpartum weight loss a lot faster and simpler. Practice low to moderate intensity exercises like walking, swimming, kegels, yoga, etc. for an hour every day. Apart from helping you maintain a healthy weight during pregnancy, exercise can also help elevate your mood and ease pregnancy-related discomforts according to a study conducted by Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise reports. Avoid exercises that can make you susceptible to falling, and do consult your doctor before adopting an exercise regimen.

Eat Often (But Eat Healthy)

As counter-intuitive as it may sound, eating frequently can also contribute to the maintenance of healthy weight during pregnancy. The key is to watch what you eat. Include generous portions of fiber-rich foods like fruits and vegetables in your diet that will do a wonderful job of providing you and your little one with wholesome nutrition while keeping you full for long periods. Opt for lean meats, fish (choose varieties low in mercury) and low-fat dairy foods to meet your protein, omega-3, and calcium requirements, respectively. Eat a lot of leafy greens rich in folic acid, vitamin C, calcium and vitamin K. For snacks, stick to healthy options like nuts, pomegranates, Greek yogurt, sprouts, etc. Of course, you are allowed to give in to your cravings once in a while, but keep a check on the portion sizes.

Avoid Eating Out

Love eating out? Unfortunately, during pregnancy, you may have to cut down on your restaurant indulgences, especially fast foods. Unless you’re opting for soups or salads, food available in restaurants can be pretty high in calories and low on nutrition. If not cooked properly, it can also make you susceptible to food poisoning that can be harmful to both you and your little one. As far as possible, minimize your intake of outside food. If you are planning to eat out, do a prior check on the ingredients, calories and possible allergic reactions caused by the dish you’re planning to order.

Team Up

It always helps if you team up with someone sailing the same boat as you. Instead of joining a regular gym or yoga class, join one dedicated solely to expectant mothers so there’s greater motivation for you. Join a pregnant women support group to share ideas on nutrition and fitness for better results.

Get Enough Sleep

Not sleeping enough can also get in your way of maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy. A study conducted by The Journal of Women’s Health reports that inadequate sleep can contribute to excessive weight gain during pregnancy. Though sleep troubles are common during pregnancy, certain measures like regular physical activity, a routine sleep pattern, dietary improvements, and the right sleeping postures can help you get a good night’s sleep.

Cut Out Stress

Stress is another crucial factor that can contribute to increased pregnancy weight gain. It can negatively impact your dietary choices, making you crave for foods high in fats and sugar. Practice calming exercises like deep breathing, meditation, and yoga to keep your stress levels in check.

Though these tips will help you sustain your recommended body weight during pregnancy, always remember that you should not compromise on your required nutritional intake to lose weight as it could hamper your baby’s development. The key is to adopt a healthy balance in your lifestyle and eating habits. Congratulations on the great news.

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Gluten Sensitivity – Fact or Fiction?

Gluten, found in many staple foods, is a substance that gives elasticity to dough. Until recently, a strict gluten-free diet was only of interest to people with celiac disease, an autoimmune disease in which proteins from grains (such as wheat, rye and barley) damage the small intestine. However, more people are now finding that they feel better on a gluten-free diet. So, is this a psychological “placebo effect”, or do people actually benefit physically from a gluten-free diet?

Research has now confirmed that gluten sensitivity does exist. Some experts say that gluten sensitivity is much more common than celiac disease. In celiac disease, the intestine is damaged, but in gluten sensitivity, it is not. Symptoms for both can be similar (including stomach aches and pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, IBS) so it is important to get tested. Symptoms of gluten sensitivity can affect any organ or tissue in your body, and can include muscular and joint pain, fatigue, anaemia, and tingling in hands and feet.

Why are more people now reacting to gluten when we have been eating grains for 10,000 years? First of all, to make those lovely fluffy white breads, modern grain has been cultivated so that it contains much more gluten than it did in the past. Secondly, our diets have changed significantly in the past few decades. We now eat gluten in most meals, unlike in the past. Wheat flour is used in a vast range of modern, mass-produced “ready-made” meals and sauces. (Even your mustard can have it). So we are consuming far greater quantities of gluten, more frequently, than our ancestors.

When our bodies digest gluten, the lining of the intestine is temporarily damaged. This makes it permeable to gluten proteins (hence ‘leaky gut’), which is the mechanism behind both gluten sensitivity and celiac disease. For most people this inflammation is healed relatively quickly after eating but for some it takes much longer. Other aggravating factors include modern additions from the food chain, including pesticides and GMO foods, which have been linked to ‘leaky gut’. To ensure there are no pesticide residues or genetically modified substances, which may affect your gut health, choose organic food.

If you feel that you suffer from symptoms that may be caused by gluten, get tested for celiac disease. Then you can try going gluten free for a minimum of 4 weeks, then reintroduce gluten to see the difference in how you feel. Take good care of your general gut health, as the gut is the basis for your overall health. Feed the good bacteria in your intestine by eating plenty of organic vegetables and fruit every day. Also, introduce fermented foods, such as sauerkraut and probiotic yogurts. Avoid damaging your intestinal lining with unnecessary antibiotics, drugs or alcohol.

Author: Marika Walker graduated in Nutritional Therapy from CNM (College of Naturopathic Medicine) the UK’s largest training provider in natural therapies.

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Crab Cakes – They’re Not What You Think

Maryland is facing controversy over mislabeled blue crab cakes. Because of its crucial role in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, the blue crab is considered a keystone species. Without it, the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem would suffer serious disruption. The blue crab is also a staple of the local economy in Maryland, with 50% of the blue crab harvested each year in the United States coming from the Chesapeake Bay. The high demand and economic value of blue crab has led to overharvesting and resulting regulations.

Places in Maryland that sell crab cakes have started using other types of crab while falsely marketing their product as blue crab. A recent study by Oceana has shown that as much as 38% of crab cakes sold in Maryland as blue crab are, in fact, other types of crab. In addition to the deception, the crab used in these crab cakes is imported from areas around the world where the crab is harvested using unsustainable methods.

Researchers found eight other species besides blue crab with 48% of the crab cakes using crab species originating from the Pacific coast of Mexico and the Indo-Pacific region. In addition, almost 50% of the species used are ones that seafood guides warn people to avoid.

The only way that the problems of mislabeled seafood are going to be solved is through strengthening the tracking process for seafood from the place it’s caught to the place it’s served. Oceana is a leader in the movement to shore up food safety by improving the monitoring process of seafood production and cracking down harder on seafood fraud. They have urged the government to have the Task Force on Combatting Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing and Seafood Fraud implement traceability requirements on all seafood sold in America so that consumers can be confident that they get what they pay for and not something else.

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Seven Easy Ways to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

Wasteful energy consumption can cost homeowners thousands of dollars per year. Fortunately, there are many high-scale and budget-friendly approaches to amending this issue and making your home more energy efficient.

The tips below may seem surprisingly simple, at least in terms of how much you can save each year. It’s amazing how far some new light bulbs or a filter change can go toward reducing the cost of your energy bill — especially during particularly hot or cold months.

Here are seven ways to save money on energy costs:

Make Nighttime “Lights Off” Time

A device left on overnight here and there won’t make much of a dent in your electric bill, but consistently leaving your computer on standby or your TV blaring throughout the night can add up significantly. Make a list of devices in your home that consume energy and identify whether they are on during the night. In the instance of a computer, check for energy-saving settings that automatically shut your computer off if it idles for a certain period of time.

Change All Filters

From your air conditioning to your furnace, ensure all systems that use a filter are cleaned regularly. A blocked filter for any of these machines can result in it working harder, consequently using more energy. This is a very simple action, but it can save you money and help your system work much more efficiently.

Landscape With Energy in Mind

During the summer, homeowners can increase energy efficiency by planting trees and plants to serve as shading. If you place them in close proximity to your home’s windows, they can help keep out the heat, so you won’t have to spend nearly as much on air conditiong.

Use Energy-Minded Products

Fluorescent light bulbs use about one-third the energy of standard bulbs. Replacing all your home’s bulbs with energy-saving ones could result in substantial savings.

Update Old Electrical Appliances

Although your budget may not allow for an immediate upgrade, the tips above can help save on electrical costs. Those savings could be used to update old electrical appliances, replacing them with energy efficient upgrades. The impact of a new appliance can be massive. For example, 2001’s top-rated refrigerator uses 40% more energy than today’s top-tier refrigerators.

Insulate Wherever Possible

One of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to save on energy consumption is to ensure windows and other locations in your house are correctly insulated. If any unnecessary heat or cold is seeping through cracks or gaps, it’s wasting your AC or heat.

Also, be sure to caulk any doors, windows, holes, and cracks that may be letting cold or hot air seep through. This includes electrical outlets, which are prone to holes since they may lead to outside walls.

Also, if you have a fireplace, it’s advised to install glass doors. That way, chilly gusts don’t enter your living space through the chimney.

Use Ceiling Fans Wisely

Ceiling fans have more power than you may imagine. They spread hot or cold air around considerably, aiding heating or cooling systems to the point where significantly less energy is used.

Run ceiling fans counterclockwise to help circulate cold air back into a room and clockwise for warm air. This is a simple yet effective trick that can significantly increase a heating or cooling system’s energy efficiency.

These seven tips can help you make your residence a more energy-efficient one, in both the cold winter and hot summer months. You’ll start saving money, and you’ll be helping conserve important resources, too.

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Healthy Fats the Healthy Way

Fats are always a hot topic in diet and health, but they are not all bad. Your body needs fats for many essential functions. However, the amount of fats you consume, which fats you choose, and the balance of one type of fat to another determine whether your fat intake aids your health or causes damage. 

Too much of a good thing can quickly become bad. When it comes to fat, this is a motto you should adopt. Although you want to add healthy fats to your diet because they boost your health and are better for you than saturated fats, you should aim for no more than 20% to 35% of fat in your daily calories.

What are Healthy Fats?

Omega-3s and Omega-6s are the two healthy fats that make the news a lot because of their health benefits. Otherwise known as polyunsaturated fats, these offer various benefits to your body and have to be consumed through diet as the body can’t produce them on its own.  

Omega-3s

Omega-3s fight inflammation in the body, while lowering blood pressure. This makes them heart-healthy, too. In fact, studies(1) have found that when 1-gram capsules of omega-3 were given to heart attack survivors every day for three years, their risk of sudden cardiac death decreased by approximately 50 percent. They also were found less likely to suffer another heart attack than people who took placebos.

There are two types of omega-3s you need to know about:

  • Icosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA): these are mostly found in fatty fish. You should aim to eat two servings of fatty fish every week to reap the health benefits.
  • Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA): these are found in nuts, such as macadamia (which also has a good balance between omega 3 and omega 6); flaxseed; leafy vegetables; and vegetable oils. ALA is required in the body for energy. It is not easily transformed into EPA and DHA, so you need to ensure you get enough fatty fish in your diet to give you enough of them. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, opt for fish oil supplements.

Omega-6s

These fatty acids are also needed by the body and they have various functions, such as improving brain function, hair growth, and bone health as well as aiding your metabolism. You can find most omega-6 fatty acids in vegetable oils. These fatty acids are known as linoleic acid (LA).

One type of omega-6, known as gamma linolenic acid (GLA), fights various health conditions. These include skin issues such as dermatitis and eczema; arthritis; diabetes; and obesity. Unlike other omega-6s, GLA reduces inflammation. Although inflammation is sometimes required by the body, such as the body’s response to an injury, you want to keep it in check when you are healthy. You can find GLA in sources such as black currant seed oil and spirulina.

The Risk of Inflammation

Many illnesses are caused by inflammation in the body, such as asthma, arthritis, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, kidney failure and more. If you’re wondering why such illnesses seem to have become more common, it’s because people tend to eat too many omega-6 fatty acids that contribute to inflammation. There needs to be a balance between omega-6 and omega-3 so the body isn’t getting too much omega-6 and it can benefit from the anti-inflammatory properties of omega-3. 

Shockingly, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 (2) in the Western diet is between 10:1 and 25:1! You want to reach a ratio of between 2:1 and 4:1 to ensure that your body is receiving a healthy balance of fatty acids.

Get the Right Omega Balance

It’s fine and well to hear that you have to have a balance between omega-3 and omega-6 but how should you do this?

  • For starters, it’s a good thing to try to eat more omega-3. Try adding fish to your regular diet or supplement with oils rich in omega 3s.  
  • Then, try to decrease your omega-6 consumption. You can start by getting rid of spreads, such as margarine, and replacing them with olive oil. Stay away from vegetable oils like canola, corn, and soybean.
  • Interestingly, you can also find omega-6 in whole-grains and animal products, so you want to decrease how much of these foods you consume.
  • Follow the Mediterranean diet as it is high in fruits and vegetables, while including fish and healthy olive oil.

If you’re still worried about your ratio, it’s a good idea to get your omega fatty acids tested. This will enable you to see exactly what you’re dealing with and how to make adequate changes to your diet to reach a healthier ratio.

When you hear that healthy fats are good for you, you might want to add lots of them to your diet but make sure you take a balanced approach. This will help you stay healthy while enjoying delicious meals.

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Genetically Modified Salmon Is On Its Way To Your Store

If you enjoy salmon, eat your fill now. The Food and Drug Administration has announced approval for the first genetically modified animal for consumption, and it’s the Atlantic salmon…and the Pacific-Chinook salmon…and the ocean pout, a creature also known for inspiring a synthetic contribution to less-fattening ice cream, all rolled up into one sentient creation.

The possibility of a genetically engineered salmon is not an unfamiliar one, as biotech company AquaBounty has been attempting to bring the Frankenfish to the public for twenty years. The fish is said to be advantageous because it grows at twice the rate of a regular salmon and requires 75% less food. The company is not planning on letting consumers know that the fish is genetically modified, claiming that as “…the first and only, labeling is a dangerous decision. We’d like to label it as a premium product, but we’ll probably introduce it as Atlantic salmon.” It’s ironic that they use the word dangers in conjunction with actual labeling, as the health and environmental dangers of this fish don;t seem to concern  AquaBounty or the FDA.

Safety Concerns Over the Next Step in GMOs

The debate over the GM salmon from AquaBounty (officially referred to as the AquaAdvantage) has been going on for quite some time, although the approval from the FDA has shifted abstract concepts into something very real and potentially scary. Food and Water Watch and the Consumer’s Union have both expressed concerns about the fish and its impact on health and the environmental threat of a possible escape. Like all GMOs, the salmon has been labeled safe to eat by the FDA. That alone is suspect when you consider the amount of countries worldwide who are banning GMOs, but there are also concerns regarding allergies and how the mix of different fish genetics combined into one fish will affect people. Consumer’s Union has been claiming that the research used to make the decision to approve the salmon suffers from inadequate analysis and a sample size that is too small.

But What if Gets Loose?

Meanwhile, Food and Water Watch is viewing the AquaAvantage from a different angle, and seeing a different problem – escape. The salmon are grown in land-based, contained tanks in Canada and Panama that are sealed completely off and all fish grown for food, as opposed to breeding, are sterile. Or at least they are sterile by FDA standards, which require 95% sterility. Setting aside the questions of what and where exactly the fish for breeding are kept (or if there is even a need for breeding fish when they’re potentially raised in a lab), the FDA maintains that even if the fish were to escape, they would be unable to thrive and establish themselves. Even if the fish aren’t able to sustain a population out in the natural environment, isn’t it naive to assume there won’t be other consequences? Wild salmon that come in contact with farmed salmon have registered a population drop of more than half due to parasites and disease. At what point does the desire for cheap salmon outweigh the increasing delicate needs of the actual wild salmon providing the genes for the Frankenfish? Despite claims that the potential of escape is highly unlikely, Food and Water Watch remains committed to making sure that GMO salmon does not reach the marketplace.

More Care is Needed in Introducing GM Meats

The marketplace at the moment has a slightly different view from the FDA. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have been critical of the AquaAdvantage and have publicly pledged not to sell the salmon. Other retailers like Safeway and Kroger also have no plans to stock the product. The criticism from consumer and environmental groups, as well as the lack of support from stores, have the potential to stop the forward march (swim, really) of the GMO salmon. Anything can happen within the two-year period from approval to market. If you oppose GM salmon, now is the time for your voice to be heard.

Extensive research occurs when new varieties of conventional foods like fruits and vegetables are introduced. A newly developed type of apple, for instance, takes an average of 15 years. A salmon spliced together from three different fish and altered at the base genetic level is a huge step in the food system and should not have any room for groups to claim inadequate analysis. The consequences of unleashing the Frankenfish could permanently damage the oceanic ecosystem or even play out like a science fiction movie. Do we want to be the at the mercy of our own ill-advised creation because the population is looking for cheaper salmon? At the very least we should be able to know what we’re being sold.

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