Human beings like to chew on things. Multiple ancient societies had chewing gum in some form, from the Mayans with chicle to the Ancient Greeks with Mastic resin. The modern candy aisle has significant shelf space dedicated to chewing gum. However, the sweet and minty treats familiar to people today bear little resemblance to the gum of old, and ingredients in this modern chewing gum should give you pause.

Conventional gums have sweeteners like corn syrup, sugar alcohols (such as xylitol), aspartame, and other ingredients like glycerine (to maintain moistness) and natural and/or artificial flavorings. Many of these ingredients have been shown to have negative effects on human health.

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Most of these ingredients are problematic, but at least they are clearly listed on labels, unlike gum base which is listed as a single ingredient even though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) categorizes 46 different chemicals as gum base. Gum base provides the structure for the gum and makes up the largest percentage of the gum, although the actual amount of gum base varies based on what kind of gum it is. Bubble gum consists of 15–20% gum base. Chewing gum consists of 20–25% gum base, and sugar-free chewing gum contains 25–30% gum base.

What it is in the gum base specifically is considered a trade secret, but typical ingredients include;

• natural coagulated or concentrated latices of vegetable origin (resins like chicle, beeswax, and natural rubbers like latex)
• synthetic coagulated or concentrated latices (paraffins; petroleum wax; and polymers like butadiene-styrene, vinyl acetate, and polyethylene)
• softeners and plasticizers (lecithins; hydrogenated vegetable oils; lanolin, glycerol, methyl, and pentaerythritol esters; sodium and potassium stearates)
• terpene resins
• antioxidants (usually BHT)

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Gum base also includes fillers like calcium carbonate or talc. Another chewing gum ingredient to watch out for is polyvinyl acetate, a plastic substance which causes tumors in rats, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Many consider chewing gum a harmless pastime but imagine the harmful effects of each of these ingredients. Now add them all together…not pleasant. Yet another reason to never swallow your gum.

Many people use cannabis for pain management, but a new study finds that people who used cannabis before surgery needed more anesthesia during surgery and experienced increased recovery pain.

There is some evidence that cannabis may be beneficial for chronic and nerve pain. However, early research suggests that this is not the case for acute pain such as for surgery of a broken leg…This study shows that it is important for patients to tell their physician anesthesiologist if they have used cannabis products prior to surgery to ensure they receive the best anesthesia and pain control possible, including the use of non-opioid alternatives…”

Dr. Ian Holmen, lead author and anesthesiology resident at the University of Colorado Hospital

Presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the study examined the painkiller needs of people who had used cannabis in some form and those who had not after surgery for a broken leg. People who reported cannabis use were given 58% more opioids per day in the hospital and reported greater levels of pain on a scale of 1 to 10. During the surgery, cannabis users needed 12.4 more milliliters of anesthesia during surgery.

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More than three million sharks are killed every year for their livers. Shark squalene, an oil derived from the shark’s liver, is commonly used as an adjuvant in vaccines. In order to supply enough squalene to vaccinate everyone against COVID-19, it’s estimated that half a million sharks would have to be killed, in order to meet the demand. Currently, five COVID-19 vaccine candidates use squalene as an adjuvant in their vaccine. Due to the already present demand for shark squalene, the increase in demand could bring some shark species to the brink of extinction. The adjuvant is also used in flu vaccines.

Adjuvants are used in vaccines to trigger your body’s immune response to the vaccine. They can often cause adverse reactions within vaccinees. Squalene has been linked to several potential health problems, like autoimmune issues, Rheumatoid arthritis, and narcolepsy.

Despite the mainstream narrative that the vaccine will save us from devastation, nothing could be further from the truth. The purpose of a vaccine is to catalyze your immune system to produce a protective response. The problem with the Warp Speed produced vaccine, with virtually all the safety stops removed, is that the risks far outweigh any benefits.

A Half-Million Sharks To Be Killed for COVID-19 Vaccine

The safety of a COVID-19 vaccine that has been produced this rapidly has been the concern of many people. Due to testing and trials, vaccines can take years, and sometimes more than a decade to develop.

Related: How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children

Six thousand health experts around the world have joined a new movement against another lockdown as we see a second wave of coronavirus all around the world. Many experts are calling for some return to normal for healthy members of the population, while the vulnerable be protected.

A pedestrian walks past closed-down shops on an empty Regent Street in London on April 2, 2020, as life in Britain continues during the nationwide lockdown to combat the coronavirus pandemic Tolga Akmen

Experts are concerned about the lower childhood vaccination rates reported since the lockdown began, worsening care for patients with cancer and heart disease, and warn that waiting for a vaccine could disproportionately affect less privileged people. Experts have also pointed out that the coronavirus is 1,000 times more dangerous for the elderly and infirm, and young children are more at risk for the flu. The more immunity we build-up, the less risk there is to the entire population.

Sixty-six GPs, including TV doctors Dr. Phil Hammond and Dr. Rosemary Leonard and a number of medics who have held senior roles at the British Medical Association, have written to the health secretary, saying there is insufficient emphasis on “non-Covid harms” in the decision-making.

Coronavirus: Health experts join global anti-lockdown movement

Experts on the other side have pushed back citing concerns that it’s currently unknown how long immunity lasts, and it likely only a few months. Additionally, a targeted approach to the lockdown may make it less effective for those who are vulnerable.

The movement, known as the Great Barrington Declaration, started in the U.S and has been signed by 50,000 members of the public as well as nearly 6,000 scientists and medical experts around the world.

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If you’ve been reading all of our coronavirus articles, I’m sure we sound like a bit of a broken record at this point, but, if you’re worried about the coronavirus, prioritizing gut health is the best thing you can do to protect yourself and those around you. Read this article to learn how to heal the gut, and check out this article to learn more about how to eat to maintain a healthy gut.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released updated safety guidelines for coronavirus vaccine makers that would make it impossible for a vaccine to be ready by election day. The FDA now says that vaccine manufacturers need to follow vaccine trial participants for two months to monitor side effects before seeking emergency approval.

Data from Phase 3 studies should include a median follow-up duration of at least two months after completion of the full vaccination regimen to help provide adequate information to assess a vaccine’s benefit-risk profile, including: adverse events; cases of severe COVID-19 disease among study subjects; and cases of COVID-19 occurring during the timeframe when adaptive (rather than innate) and memory immune responses to the vaccine would be responsible for a protective effect.

Emergency Use Authorization for Vaccines to Prevent COVID-19

President Trump has continued to insist that a vaccine will be ready before elections on November 3rd, and the administration had tried to block the FDA from formally publishing these safety guidelines. The FDA has been communicating these guidelines to the public and vaccine manufacturers informally.

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Seven former FDA commissioners released an op-ed in the Washington Post that criticized President Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 vaccine process.

But a safe and effective vaccine will not be enough; people will also have to choose to take it. This depends on widespread confidence that the vaccine approval was based on sound science and not politics. If the White House takes the unprecedented step of trying to tip the scales on how safety and benefits will be judged, the impact on public trust will render an effective vaccine much less so.”

7 former FDA commissioners: The Trump administration is undermining the credibility of the FDA

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Two of the commissioners responsible for this statement, Scott Gottlieb and Mark McClellan, are on the boards of two of the companies with a coronavirus vaccine in development, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson respectively.

Scientists have discovered that tiny air pollution particles associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s have been identified in the brain stems of young people.

It is terrifying because, even in the infants, there is neuropathology in the brain stem…We can’t prove causality so far, but how could you expect these nanoparticles containing those metal species to sit inert and harmless inside critical cells of the brain? That’s the smoking gun – it seriously looks as if those nanoparticles are firing the bullets that are causing the observed neurodegenerative damage.”

Professor Barbara Maher, Lancaster University, UK

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While researchers have not yet confirmed if these particles cause neurodegenerative disease, but it’s highly likely that air pollution does play a part in those conditions. The consequences for future generations will be huge, as over 90% of the population lives with unsafe air. These nanoparticles were found in the brainstems of 186 people between the ages of 11 months to 27 who died suddenly in Mexico City. Air pollution is a serious issue in Mexico, with 8% of the population dying from pollution-related conditions.

The CDC quietly added and removed information about how coronavirus was transmitted from person to person last week. Information on the CDCs website briefly said that Covid-19 was most commonly spread through people who were in close contact with each other,

“Through respiratory droplets or small particles, such as those in aerosols, produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, talks or breathes. There is growing evidence that droplets and airborne particles can remain suspended in the air and be breathed in by others, and travel distances beyond 6 feet”

CDC abruptly removes guidance about airborne coronavirus transmission, says update ‘was posted in error’

This language has since been removed.

Jason McDonald, a spokesman for the CDC, has said that this was posted in an error and that the CDC is currently updating its language on the transmission of the coronavirus. Many studies have shown that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can be spread through particles in the air but the CDC’s website maintains that the Coronavirus is primarily spread through close contact.

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Some studies have indicated that airborne transmission is likely the most common form of transmission, even in close contact situations. Poor ventilation can make this problem even worse. Experts recommend wearing a mask indoors, especially in situations where maintaining six feet of distance is difficult, as well as in areas with poor ventilation. It also recommended that events be moved outdoors whenever possible.

If you’re worried about Coronavirus, we recommend focusing on gut health by eating a big salad every day and avoiding processed junk food. It’s also not a bad idea to have some Root Cider on hand for preventing sinus and respiratory problems.

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