Cheap Dollar Store Products Shown To Have Very High Levels Of Toxic Chemicals

Everyone wants to get more than they paid for. Who doesn’t like a bargain? Unfortunately, recent testing of 164 dollar store products found that the little extras they’re offering are toxic chemicals like toxic metals, phthalates, BPAs, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic.

Healthystuff, an organization that researches toxic chemicals in everyday products, teamed with the Campaign for Healthier Solutions to release this report, which found over 81% of the products tested from retailers like Dollar Tree and Dollar General had a troubling level of at least one hazardous chemical.

With the majority of dollar store customers unable to afford to shop elsewhere, will these findings change the way the dollar stores do business? Or will they continue to take advantage of people who feel they don’t have a choice?

Recommended: How To Heal Your Gut

Can You Trust Big Business?

Walmart is the first corporation you think of when you think of big business that caters to lower-income people and families. That dollar store hidden in a strip mall doesn’t even seem to be on the same level. Don’t be fooled – dollar stores are big business and they’re getting bigger. Dollar Tree has 4,900 stores and with their tentative acquisition of Family Dollar has potentially added 8000 more stores. In contrast, Walmart had only 4,399 locations in the United States at the end of last year.

The four stores that had products tested in this study (Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and 99 Cents Only) have combined sales of over 36 million. This is big business, and it seems like dollar stores are more concerned with profiting from cheaply made, toxic items than providing consumers with safe products.

Related: Many Hand-me-down Plastic Toys Are Toxic for Kids

Healthystuff found widespread causes for alarm in their tests of dollar store products. In addition to the 81% of items that were found to contain concerning levels of one hazardous chemical, a little less than half (49%) of the items tested had two or more hazardous toxins at concerning levels.

PVC was found in 38% of items tested and 32% had high levels of pthalates, a group of chemicals found to cause birth defects, diabetes, and cancer as well as other health issues. Forty percent of sales at these dollar stores are food products. Too often, lower income people choose these items due to their affordability, not knowing about the presence of cancer-causing BPAs or other chemicals.

Recommended: Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections

Who Does This Effect?

So who’s shopping at here? Who are the dollar stores hurting with their lack of regulations on toxic chemicals? Thanks to the recent recession, the pool of customers who do their shopping at the dollar store has increased. The number of Americans living below the poverty level increased by 40%, and as more people find themselves living paycheck to paycheck, these cheap, just-for-right now products have more appeal. Dollar stores also rely on their widespread store locations. Convenience is a big deal to consumers, and that’s another thing that attracts people to dollar stores.

Recommended: Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones

The Results and What You Can Do

Now that these tests are out there, the onus is on the dollar stores to do something. Removing the chemicals from their products would, of course, be the best-case scenario.

The Campaign for Healthier Solutions is calling on dollar stores nationwide to remove children’s products with lead and phthalates and adopting chemical management policies that will identify, share, and remove chemicals. You can also check your state and local policies requiring discount stores to disclose hazardous materials and make efforts to switch to less toxic, safer alternatives.

If you’re using toxic cleaning products, see Clean Your Home Cheaply and Easily Without Toxic Chemicals – DIY. Also, check outHow to Detox From Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:
Sources:


Some Antibiotics May Blind, Cripple, or Kill You

Pharmaceutical drugs come with risks, risks most users choose to ignore. We block out the risks when we hear about a drug on television or the radio. We either skim over the words in print or ignore them altogether. Due to trust that the federal government will protect us and a belief that pharmaceutical companies have our best interest at heart, we play Russian roulette, believing we would never be so unlucky as to suffer a serious side-effect. After all, they are so rare!

We are all aware that antibiotics can cause allergic reactions, even fatal ones. It is not so common knowledge to find an antibiotic can cripple or kill in other ways.

Chris Dannelly was in the prime of his life at age 41. His physical (two months prior to his death) showed he was in excellent health. He was an athlete who stayed in shape. When he came down with the flu and pneumonia, he was prescribed levofloxacin (brand name Levaquin) an antibiotic manufactured by Johnson and Johnson, Jansen Pharmaceutical. This antibiotic was the best selling antibiotic in the United States in 2010.

Chris took two pills. Those two pills killed him.

Chris did not have an allergic reaction. He died an excruciatingly painful death from rhabdomyolysis, a syndrome caused by the death of muscle fibers and the release of myoglobin into the bloodstream. Death occurs due to toxic overload with resultant kidney failure, heart attack, liver damage, or compartment syndrome (which inhibits blood flow).

Chris died 48 hours after taking the second pill. The diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis was made through autopsy.

Death and Injury Caused by Levaquin

Rhabdomyolysis is not the only serious reaction patients have had to Levaquin. Many have experienced Achilles ruptures; severe on-going joint, muscle, or tendon pain; rupture of the retina; or neurological damage that may well be irreversible. Two other possible fatal outcomes are related to skin reactions: Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrosis (TEN). Stevens-Johnson syndrome results in blistering of the mucous membranes, while TEN causes widespread necrosis of the skin. It can literally fall off the body in sheets.

The circular for the drug includes a current stand statement for prescription drugs:

Remember that your doctor has prescribed this medication because he or she has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects.

This statement is one that supports the mindset that these things happen to other people, not us. Seriously, would any of us risk our health with pharmaceuticals if we really paid attention to and understood the warnings? Not if we understood that foods, herbs, and natural supplements would cure that pneumonia, sinus infection, or strep throat. Not if we all understood that natural treatment strengthens the immune system and that over time through the use of natural remedies we would catch fewer infections and when we did, they would be less severe.

The Beneficial Risk Profile

Pharmaceutical companies are quick to talk about the benefit risk profile – the fact that a particular drug has helped so many people as opposed to how few it damaged or killed. And though this drug has 20,000 or more lawsuits filed against it, claims can be made that it has helped many more. (And yet, many other medicines with less risk could have been used instead.)

This is a very expensive medication. It makes a great deal of money for its company. It is one of the drugs in the class called fluoroquinolones. Another well-known drug in this class is Cipro.

Do you think Johnson and Johnson bases their risk-benefit calculations on anything other than profit compared to losses through lawsuits? If you do, you drank the Kool-Aid.

If you’ve recently taken antibiotics, this is what you need to do to restore healthy intestinal flora, and check out Make Your Immune System Bulletproof with These Natural Remedies for real immunity from bacterial infections and other pathogens. See Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases to learn more about the gut and how to repair antibiotic damage.

Recommended Supplements:

Further Reading:
Sources:


GMO Labeling Legislation Introduced In Minnesota

In the dead of winter, the Minnesota State Legislature isn’t letting the snow keep them from reintroducing legislation to label GMOs. At the end of January, HF 351 and SF 335 were proposed in both the House and the Senate. While the state has proposed legislation that would disclose the presence of GMO ingredients to consumers by January of 2017, support for GMO labeling in the state has grown at a fantastic rate. After seeing the Oregon initiative to label GMOs defeated by a mere 812 votes, activists across Minnesota are pushing even more to make sure they get the support they need to pass these bills and let GMO companies know that we want to know what is in our food.

No More GMOs!

Natural News has reported before on the initiatives Minnesotans have been taking to protect themselves from Monsanto toxins. Last December, Minnesota educators started a plan to phase GMOs out of school lunches instead using things like organic squash and hot dogs made from grass fed beef. A month earlier, they had GMO awareness day, distributing information on the lack of proper testing for GMOs and their links to allergies, cancer, autoimmune disorders, and other diseases. Educators took the initiative to distribute flyers to parents detailing the negative effects of GMOs on developing children. The Minnesota state legislature has also proposed bills from both the Senate and the House supporting informed purchasing in the past.

Massive Public Support

Even though bills to labels GMOs have been proposed and defeated before, the local support for these two bills is strong in Minnesota. Polls across the nation have found that the majority of Americans want to know about genetically engineered ingredients in their food. Minnesota is no different. Activists from Minnesota’s Right to Know organization have expanded the number of co-authors on both bills and met with over 45 legislators in their quest to get these bills passed. Local news outlets in St. Paul are reporting on the large number of people who showed up to the first Capitol hearing of this bill. Local businesses are also receiving requests from customers asking that they label their products, and that they support bills like this that will allow for informed purchasing.

Big Business Poses a Threat

While the Minnesota’s Farmer’s Union have also voiced support for these bills, there is always the possibility of Monsanto and others throwing a monkey wrench in these plans. Large agricultural corporations like Hormel, Land o’ Lakes, and General Mills are based in Minnesota. Collectively they spent millions of dollars opposing the labeling of GMOs in California. With plenty of time between now and the informational hearing on these bills in April, Monsanto and these other corporations have plenty of time to spread misinformation and lies to Minnesota voters in an attempt to protect their profits.

Show Your Support

If you or any of your loved ones are in Minnesota, let them know that they can make a difference in the campaign to know what’s in our food. Here are some things that you can do to support these bills. Email or call members of the Minnesota congress. Even if you don’t live in Minnesota, they need to know that this bill could be an important first step in labeling GMOs and boosting the health of our nation. Passing these bills will defiantly affect the rest of the United States, and they need to know that they could be part of history.

You can also support the Minnesota Right to Know campaign on Facebook or Twitter. They have up to date notifications on the bills, are organizing opportunities to speak with members of congress, and have volunteer information available for those who want to get involved. They also have a list of local businesses who support labeling genetically engineered products. By supporting these retailers, you vote with your dollars. Let companies in Minnesota know that the more likely they are to let you make informed shopping decisions, the more likely you are to support them.

Recommended Supplements (These supplements help detoxify GMOs):

Further Reading:
Sources:


The DARK Act – Deny Americans the Right to Know – GMO Labeling

An apathy has descended upon the American people, a combination of, “I don’t care,” and, “What difference would it make, anyway?” We have stood back and allowed so many of our rights to be taken away in the last 15 years. We cannot – we must not – lose the right to know what is in the food we eat.

H.R.4432, also known as The DARK Act (Deny Americans the Right to Know) is a bill that will stop efforts to label GMO foods. It will deny individual states the right to pass laws requiring GMO labeling and will make any previously passed state laws null and void. And the ultimate joke is the full title of the bill: H.R. 4432 – Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2014.

Of course, the bill is written in such a way that its application is unclear. Yes, it would make sense to have a federal regulation regarding the labeling of GMO foods. Yes, it would be a burden on the manufacturers if each state required a different label. But the truth is, this bill’s ultimate purpose has nothing to do with food safety; it has everything to do with the companies who have spent an estimated 100 million to get it passed – those who benefit from keeping the word GMO off their labels.

So which companies are lobbying for this bill? Well, you’re right if you guessed Monsanto is near the top of the list. They are number three. The first is PepsiCo, followed by the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

There are two things we can do. One is to tell our represented leaders that we demand the right to choose what we eat. We want GMOs labeled. Every time.

The second thing we can do is start boycotting the businesses that are spending millions of dollars to take away our right to know what we are eating. The following is a short list of those lobbying for the bill to pass.

  • PepsiCo Inc
  • Grocery Manufacturers Assn
  • Monsanto Co
  • Land O’Lakes
  • Kellogg Co
  • International Dairy Foods Assn
  • Abbott Laboratories
  • Kraft Foods Group
  • American Farm Bureau
  • American Seed Trade Assn
  • Bayer AG
  • Biotechnology Industry Organization
  • Coca-Cola Co
  • Ohio Farm Bureau
  • Nestle SA
  • ConAgra Foods
  • American Sugarbeet Growers Assn
  • General Mills
  • Dean Foods
  • DuPont Co
  • Hillshire Brands Co
  • Intl Assn of Refrigerated Warehouses
  • Corn Refiners Assn
  • Syngenta AG

The following organizations are lobbying for labeling of GMO’s and are against passing H.R. 4432.

  • Center for Food Safety
  • Consumers Union of the U.S.
  • Environmental Working Group
  • EWG Action Fund
  • National Farmers Union
  • Natural Products Assn

To find your representatives in Congress and learn how to contact them click on this link. Please ask them to vote against this bill!

To find your senators and learn how to contact them click on this link. Let them know you want them to support the labeling of GMO foods.

Remember the greatest power we have is how we choose to spend our money. If we refuse to buy products from companies that use GMOs, promote GMOs, or oppose labeling of GMOs, and we buy only organic foods, they will lose.

Note from the Editor:

When this story was first published, lobbyists that opposed the bill were listed with those that supported it. We apologize for this error.



FDA Investigation: Four Major Retailers Sell Supplements Consisting of Cheap Fillers and Allergenic Compounds

On Monday, the New York State Attorney General announced that testing found four major retailers sell supplements consisting of cheap fillers and allergenic compounds instead of the herbs they claim to contain. Walmart, Walgreens, Target, and GNC are taking full advantage of the lack of regulation in regards to herbals products and selling the public supplements that do not contain the herbs on the label. Instead they are made up of cheap fillers like powdered rice, asparagus and houseplants. Who is supposed to make sure that we’re not ingesting cheap pills that have no medicinal value whatsoever? More importantly, why would these retailers take advantage of their customers like this? It’s dangerous, irresponsible, and ethically wrong. Who does that?

Are you surprised?

Big Business Does Its Thing

If you’ve been paying attention to any alternative news, you’re aware of Big Business’s shocking lack of concern for the public in ways large and small. Subway puts a chemical used to construct yoga mats and other rubber products in its bread. Walmart blithely continues to cheat workers of overtime hours, when it already pays the lowest possible wages. When you look at the lack of ethics repeatedly displayed by corporations, is there any doubt that they would take every advantage to maximize profits?

What’s the next step here? The NY state attorney general has issued a cease and desist letters for all. Walmart has stated it will remove these products. A spokesperson for GNC has promised “appropriate” action in response to the letter, but claims it stands behind the quality of its supplement overall. This seems to be the corporate equivalent of a sorry-not sorry. There is a lack of transparency and communication here that should make us all think twice you about doing business with these companies.

So What Can You Do?

Full Disclosure: I like knowing the FDA has minimal involvement in my supplements. The FDA sits comfortably in Monsanto’s back pocket, choosing to intervene for money rather than morals. Their track record is littered with approved Big Pharma drugs that they were then forced to turn around and ban. I whole-heartedly believe that no one is perfect, but it feels like our government’s food and drug administration isn’t even trying.

Do your own research and take control of your health. Supplements can make a difference in your health, but you need to be careful about where you choose to purchase them. Look for small companies that use quality herbs and are transparent in their practices and products. There are resources available to you like the Natural News Food Lab, which definitively tests food and supplement products. Support with your dollars the businesses that want to take care of you. Taking the easy way out leads to picking up a bottle of rice powder and house plants from your nearest big box corporation. Don’t ever buy supplements from stores like Walmart or Walgreens. Even Whole Foods carries a lot of questionable supplements. If you’re looking for the best multivitamin, try making it at home. Check out Make Your Own Homemade Multivitamin And Mineral Formula.

Sources:



Yes, Cold Weather Can Make You Sick – Scientists Finally Confirm What We All Knew

We’ve all been told, “Get a coat on or you’ll catch a cold!” Many of us have ignored this advice. We’ve been told by educators and those “in the know” that cold weather doesn’t make us sick, viruses do. New research shows Mom was right, and the so-called “experts” didn’t know what they were talking about.

Research has now shown that viruses spread more effectively in guinea pigs kept in cooler conditions than those kept in warmer conditions. Epithelial mice cells kept in cooler conditions were more prone to viral infection than those cells kept four degrees (Celsius) warmer. Yale researchers found that in epithelial mice cells, colder conditions helped viruses to thrive. In a human study, the participants who soaked their feet in ice water developed cold symptoms in greater numbers than the control group of participants whose feet were kept warm.

Beyond the Cold Conditions Lie the Answer

Typically, there is more than one cause for anything and “catching a cold” is no exception. It is true that without some exposure to pathogens (like a virus) cold weather alone will not make us sick. For years, researchers forced cold conditions upon research participants in a sterile environment, and sometimes they even exposed them to viruses. Afterward, they declared that cold weather has nothing to do with infection rates and cold can’t give you a cold. In reality, it is far more complicated than that.

Several studies are showing new evidence as to how cold weather effects the cold and flu season. A variety of factors are at play here, including our exposure to pathogens like viruses, temperature’s effect on a virus, the temperature’s effect on our immune system, stress and its effect on our immune system, and our tendency for greater exposure to infected people in the fall and winter.

Without a doubt, cold weather alone will not give someone the cold or the flu. No matter how cold you get, getting cold in and of itself will not cause a viral infection. If you get cold enough, it is possible, even probable, that you can get hypothermia, and that can kill you. You must be exposed to a virus or another pathogen in order to get sick. (Exposure is frequent; some experts say fairly constant.) Cold weather does play an important role in the annual flu season during which 5-20% of Americans catch a cold or flu.

Cold Weather Makes Viruses More Durable

In cold weather, viruses enjoy extra protection from the elements. The outer membrane of many viruses (including the influenza virus) is primarily made up of fatty-like substances known as lipids. At temperatures around freezing and below, this outer membrane hardens and solidifies into a robust gel. This gives viruses extra protection during cold weather. As the temperature rises above freezing, the outer membrane of a virus becomes less solid – more of a gelatinous liquid. At temperatures of 105 degrees and higher, the viruses’ outer covering is liquid with no real solid form. This diminished protection can leave the virus damaged or destroyed by the elements.

Lowered Immune Response Due To Cold Weather

When human beings become cold, one of the unfortunate side effects is constriction of the blood vessels. Our white T-cells are transported via our blood vessels, so getting cold can inhibit your immune response. Also, the stress associated with being really chilled causes the body to release the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol does facilitate some necessary functions, but too much is a bad thing. Too much cortisol also inhibits the immune system.

A Tendency To Go Kamikaze (Apoptosis)

Cells have the ability to self-destruct. It is not something commonly done, except in the most dire circumstances. If the cell’s survival is impeding the survival of the larger organism, cells have been known to off themselves as a form of altruistic sacrifice. (The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one). Cells infected with a virus are sometimes able to do this in order to slow the viruses’ spread. Warm cells are more eager to self-destruct than cold cells, which…well… sometimes get cold feet.

Every year as winter approaches, the earth receives less direct sunlight for either the northern or the southern hemisphere. (When it’s summer in the northern hemisphere, it’s winter in the southern hemisphere, and vice-versa). Obviously, this is a gradual process. During the winter, there are fewer hours of daylight in the day and less direct sunlight. Most of us also spend more time indoors. This has a tendency to depress some people. That general feeling of malaise is not caused by our preference for warm weather, alone. The more likely culprit for that blah feeling is a lack of vitamin D. Our bodies require sunlight to synthesize vitamin D. Vitamin D plays an important role in our immune defense and in maintaining our mood. In the winter months, we are likely to be running low on this crucial vitamin.

Conclusion

As previously mentioned, when it comes to catching a cold or the flu, exposure is key. Even before the weather gets cold in early fall, many people come back from vacation, students start college or school, kids are brought back to daycare, and people tend be around each other in enclosed areas more than in the summer months. This combined with other factors tends to make for good conditions for viruses and bad conditions for us.

Does this mean you or your kids should always bundle up before venturing out into cold weather? Nah. A little virus battle is good for us. Try making your immune system strong enough that viruses don’t stand a chance and take some risks. Check out Bullet Proof Your Immune System.

Recommended Products:
Further Reading:
Sources:


Crazy Pills: Over-the-Counter and Prescription Meds Linked To Dementia

A new study clearly shows common over-the-counter medications widely used for asthma, allergies, and insomnia increase the risk for dementia. The study also found that the risk may not be reversible, even after several years off of these medications.

The drugs studied are anticholinergic drugs, which block a neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, in the central and the peripheral nervous system. These drugs are available over-the-counter and through prescriptions. Many are used on a regular, long-term basis to treat a variety of medical complaints including:

  • allergies and allergic reactions
  • motion sickness
  • irritable bowel syndrome
  • insomnia
  • colds
  • ulcers
  • asthma
  • excessive sweating
  • COPD
  • urinary incontinence
  • depression
  • smoking cessation
  • cough suppressant
  • muscle relaxer
  • Parkinson’s disease

These drugs include:

  • Zyban
  • Wellbutrin
  • Dramamine
  • Cogentin
  • Chlor-Trimeton
  • Benadryl
  • Sominex
  • Advil PM
  • Unisom
  • Robinul
  • Atarax
  • Atrovent
  • Oxivent

The study showed the risk of dementia rises when these anticholinergic medications are used at higher doses or for longer periods. It is not unusual to find these drugs used in combination, especially with the elderly population. For instance, one individual may be using a sleep aid, an allergy medication, and a medication for depression. If all of these drugs are anticholinergic drugs, the accumulative effect increases exponentially, raising the risk of dementia.

Earlier studies had shown these medications increased the risk of dementia; however, these studies also concluded cognitive decline decreased when these drugs were discontinued. The new study, a more longitudinal study, suggests that years after continuation, the risk of dementia remains higher for people who have used more of these drugs or used them for a longer period of time, suggesting a cause and effect even when the drugs were discontinued years prior to the development of dementia.

The study showed that even low amounts over long periods of time increased the risk of dementia. While the study focused on older adults, what about children and young adults? How many children and younger adults are regularly taking anticholinergic over-the-counter or prescription medications for allergies or asthma? How many adults of all ages are taking anticholinergic over-the-counter or prescription sleep aids?

This should be a wake-up call for all of us to remember that medications treat symptoms, not the cause of disease. To get well, to be truly well, we must give the body the nutrients it needs to heal. We must detox. We must live lives that are as clean as possible: clean food, clean water, clean environment. It has been made clear over and over that we cannot trust pharmaceutical companies! If you have been taking any pharmaceuticals, it’s time to detox. Start with this Cheap and Easy Detox Plan and consider following the 80% Raw Food Diet.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:
Sources: