SB 277 signed into law by CA Governor to deny vaccine exemptions for school children

The vaccine discussion just got more complicated as California governor Jerry Brown signed SB 277. Just one day after lawmakers sent him the bill, Brown signed it into law, eliminating all personal and religious exemptions for vaccines for California’s schoolchildren.

It defies common sense. It negates basic human rights. But Governor Brown has chosen to take away the right to exempt children from vaccinations for religious and personal (philosophical ) reasons for anyone who wants their child to attend school.

Even though California is only the third state to eliminate these vaccine exemptions, they are the largest and most public. Since the initial proposal of the bill by Democratic state senator Richard Pan, protests and petitions against it have been rampant, and opponents say that they are planning to use every avenue available to them to have the law repealed.

This new bill is a change from Governor Brown’s previous stand on the issue when he left religious exemptions intact but required parents to speak to a health professional before obtaining an exemption. With 67% of California’s adults in favor of the bill and increased pressure from the vaccine and pharmaceutical lobbyists, this bill is not a measured and thoughtful response. It is a frantic scramble after a very public, but very overblown, health scare. Unfortunately, many lawmakers have not fully considered the consequences of their decision.

Opponents of the legislation claim it restricts parents’ rights to chose their children’s care. Opponents vowed to challenge the law immediately.

“We need to wait until someone actually gets thrown out of school until we can challenge it,” an action that will not occur until after the bill takes effect in 2016, said Christina Hildebrand, founder of the group A Voice For Choice. “But we will likely have a referendum on it.” – Sacramento Bee

California is not the only state that denies exemptions. Currently Mississippi and West Virginia also deny exemptions.

SB 277 Questions

When does the law take effect?

On January of 2016 schools will “…ensure kids entering kindergarten and seventh grade are vaccinated in July 2016, ahead of the 2016-17 school year.” – Sacramento Bee
Required Vaccines

  • Diphtheria
  • Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib meningitis),
  • Measles, mumps
  • Pertussis (whooping cough)
  • Poliomyelitis
  • Rubella (German measles)
  • Tetanus
  • Hepatitis B
  • Chickenpox

Can children keep personal belief exemptions they already have?

If a child is currently exempted (or gains an exemption before the law goes into effect in 2016), that exemption remains in effect until the child enters the seventh grade. No child can enter kindergarten or the seventh grade without vaccinations unless they obtain a medical exemption. Any unvaccinated child with an exemption who enters the seventh grade before the law goes into effect will not have to be vaccinated.

Are medical exceptions allowed?

Medical exemptions are allowed at a doctors discretion. The doctor can take earlier responses to a vaccine into account as well as family history, including reactions of siblings.

Conclusion

Parents are forced to vaccinate their children if they want their child to attend school. The mounting evidence of corruption and careless abandonment of all ethical and moral standards of the pharmaceutical companies who make vaccines is appalling. They recommend an outrageous number of vaccines for our children in the name of preventative medicine while lying about the risks involved. Children are dying all over the world and other countries are refusing our vaccines due to death and injury, but here in America we keep hearing the mantra, “Vaccines are safe and effective.”

Big Pharma is running the show, honing the message, and pulling the strings. They own the media. Mainstream news is afraid to speak out due to the real threat of loss of revenue. Government is just a puppet, pulled along and pushed around by propaganda and our representatives are shamefully bought off with dirty money. How many more children will be neurologically damaged or killed while their parents feel they have no choice but to comply?

Wake up America. Something is very, very wrong when corporations rule the nation, not the people.
We must learn more about the very real dangers of vaccinations and why they are so much more dangerous now for the current generation. To learn more about the flu shot and the MMR, check out the sources below.

Detoxification is essential after vaccination. Learn more with how to detoxify from vaccinations. To learn more about states’ vaccine exemptions, click here.

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States That Allow Religious and Philosophical Exemptions for School Vaccinations (Map)

California is the third state to remove all personal exemptions for vaccinations in schools with the passing and signing of SB 277. At the time of this writing, California and the other two states that you see below in black also have no personal exemption choices for public schools. States in the gray color have religious vaccine exemption legislation at the time of this article’s last update. Lavender colored states allow for both personal and religious exemptions.

Be sure to check out How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children, and also learn more about the MMR Vaccine and the Flu Shot. 

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Controversial Autism Research Doctor Found Dead, Deputies Say Suicide by Gunshot to Chest

Dr. Jeff Bradstreet’s body was found floating in the Rocky Broad River in Chimney Creek North Carolina. A handgun was found in the river. Deputies say the gunshot to his chest appeared to be self-inflicted.

When suicide occurs, there are always questions. The reason why is, of course, the first. Was the person facing prison? Divorce? Public humiliation? Even if the reasons are never found, we are rarely left questioning the means.

The means are a combination of availability, seriousness of intent, and knowledge of anatomy. For men, the most likely means is a firearm – 56% in fact. Most have the sense to shoot themselves in the head. Self-inflicted shots to the chest are often survived.

So why would a doctor, a medical doctor, with full access to any drug of choice and a full knowledge of anatomy commit suicide by shooting himself in the chest and falling in a river? He, who could have mixed himself a cocktail of drugs or injected himself with a dose of pharmaceuticals and simply gone to sleep?

Jeff Bradstreet was not a typical doctor. He was a former pastor. He was the father of a child who developed autism after a vaccination who went on to specialize in helping autistic children. His thriving practice, which focused on treating children with autism and related disorders, was located in Buford, Georgia. He was a well-known vaccine opponent and a prominent researcher. Many parents of children he treated have come forward with online testimonials about Bradstreet saving their child.

Little is known at this time as the investigation is ongoing and the autopsy results have not yet been revealed. And authorities are not forthcoming with the reason for the FDA and the Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency to raid Bradstreet’s offices shortly before his death.

Hopefully we will learn the answers to these questions in the coming days and weeks. In the meantime, we wish to express our sympathy to his Dr. Bradstreet’s family, friends, and patients.

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France Bans Private Sale of Glyphosate

France is the latest country to ban the private sale of Monsanto’s favorite carcinogen – glyphosate. France has been in the alternative news quite a bit lately, asking the makers of Nutella to stop using palm oil, insisting all new rooftops be covered in solar panels or plants, and mandating the donation of all supermarket food waste. This new move by their Ecology Minister is the latest result of their forward thinking.

The French aren’t the only people around the world waking up to the effects of Roundup. Governments are now more likely to look for independent research to explain the uptick in the rates of diseases like cancer. Monsanto continues to bleat about the safety of glyphosates and their inability to harm humans, claiming that “the dose makes the poison.” With the levels of glyphosates on the rise in our food, our soil, our air, and water, at what magic point does the saturation of our environment turn from harmful to poison? Are we willing to wait until that switch has been flipped with no hope of going back?

The List of Governments Waking Up Keeps Growing

The fight against GMOs and Monsanto has made waves the world over, and as the United States deals with a food system where 80 percent of products now likely contain GMOs, Europe continues their crackdown against the damage caused by Monsanto and all of their products. While most of the focus has been on Monsanto crops, the tremendously influential study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer has caused many to consider banning all of their products. The Netherlands, Bermuda, and Sri Lanka preceded France in banning over the counter sales of Roundup. It is worth noting that Bermuda and Sri Lanka have prohibited the use of glyphosates in all applications, including commercial ones, unlike the Dutch and the French.

Monsanto Maintains the Same Response as Always

It’s business as usual for the PR department of Monsanto, as they continue to refine their denial skills. Glyphosate was introduced as Roundup in the 1970s, and in that time it has expanded to become the most produced weed killer is the world. As Monsanto is a company willing to throw their financial weight around, it’s been easy for government institutions to look the other way, and it was easy to keep the public in the dark before the Internet. In 1985, the Environmental Protection Agency listed glyphosate as a possible carcinogen. Six years later the memo had been changed, despite several scientists supporting the original classification. With it officially listed as a 2A carcinogen, it’s become more difficult to accept Monsanto’s manipulation in the face of growing public outrage.

Monsanto’s variations on the theme that “glyphosate is non-toxic” are endless. They frequently argue that studies that find any fault with their products ignore important information. Some statements have referred to Roundup as low risk to human health, but that has been the extent of any admission of guilt.

It’s time to acknowledge that Monsanto is an irresponsible corporation with enough money, power, and manipulation to sway government agencies. Nothing will change until the public steps up and says, “Enough!” The tipping point is near – that point at which our planet is too saturated with environmental disruptors. Groups like Occupy Monsanto and March Against Monsanto are great place to start if we are ready to step up and heal our environment.

Further Reading:
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Chipotle Removing More Unnatural Ingredients – Sourdough Culture to Replace Tortilla Preservatives

Chipotle made waves earlier this year when they announced that they would be eliminating GMOs from their menu. After eliminating GMO cornstarch from its tortillas, the company is now further streamlining its tortilla recipe in an attempt to offer its customers a product as close to a homemade tortilla as possible. From an admittedly short list of eleven ingredients, Chipotle’s downsizing its ingredient list even further to a mere four: whole-wheat flour, oil, salt, and water.

Mass-producing this tortilla presents a number of problems, chief among them taste, shelf life, and logistics. Early test runs have created tortillas with the elasticity needed for burritos and a nutty taste most likely be attributed to Chipotle’s decision to use more health-conscious whole-wheat flour. But when a company is serving upwards of 800,000 tortillas a day, taste and texture are not the only concerns. It needs to produce a product that is consistent and always available. The typical means to increase shelf life would be the addition of preservatives to the product. Being health conscious, Chipotle said no to preservatives and found a solution both simple and elegant: sourdough.

The Oldest Leavened Bread

Fermentation is one of the earliest forms of food preservation. Sourdough has rich history as the first leavened bread, and its use of naturally occurring yeast has made it accessible to anyone since it was recognized. Using this time-tested method for insuring its bread would last longer, Chipotle is able to keep the shelf life its tortillas without lab derived chemicals and provide a healthier product that appeals to the informed consumer.

Lactobacilli bacteria is responsible for the unique sourdough flavor as it ferments the bread, breaking down gluten and other proteins. The bacteria also acts as a probiotic. This breakdown makes sourdough easier to digest than breads made with conventional yeast, making sourdough bread a potential option for those who are unable to easily digest modern bread products.

Of course there are logistical issues, as sourdough requires a consistent temperature, a quiet place to develop, and the time to properly ferment. Starting and maintaining a sourdough culture can be a daunting task. A tortilla factory is accustomed to expanding commercial dough balls with yeast and then immediately pressing, baking, and packaging tortillas for sale. So far Don Pancho Authentic Mexican Foods in Salem, Oregon, which is serving as the test factory, is dealing with the logistics needed for fermentation by designating a separate room where the sourdough cultures can ferment before being shaped and baked. Chipotle plans on perfecting the process then expanding it throughout the entire chain, region by region.

Our Food Conversation

Chipotle’s commitment to serve “Food with Integrity” is the culinary equivalent of the canary in the coalmine – can fast food be both healthy and profitable?

Though the average diner may not have entered the conversation about what’s in our food, where it’s coming from, and what our planet can actually sustain, there is a growing number of people who want quality, healthy dining options.

This conversation needs to continue on an increasingly larger scale. Though Chipotle has always been a part of this conversation due to their transparency, they entered it in a big way when they banned GMOs. It’s up to us to reward this business for its courage and integrity. Remember, as always, we vote with our dollars.

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Powassan Virus, a Deadly Tick Disease

Lyme disease is not the only disease spread by ticks. Powassan is scarier and deadlier than it’s predecessor. And it’s spreading.

Unlike Lyme disease, a bacterial infection, Powassan is a virus, one that can cause encephalitis, a brain infection that is often fatal.

History of Powassan

The Powassan virus was discovered in 1958 in Powassan, Ontario. Since that time, two types of the virus have been found in North America, with fewer than 60 cases attributed to the virus from 1958-2010, though it is possible that cases of viral encephalitis or meningitis were not identified as Powassan and this numbers somewhat underreported. The concern, however, comes from the fact that 22 cases of Powassan were reported between 2008-2013 in Minnesota alone. A new variant of the virus has spread to deer ticks and cases are showing up in New Hampshire, New York, and Massachusetts. These numbers suggest a definite spread of this disease in the wild.

Powassan Infection and Symptoms

Powassan is spread by tick bites; it is not spread from person to person. When a person is bitten by a tick that transmits Lyme disease, the tick transfers the bacteria over a 24-hour period. When a person is bitten by a tick with Powassan virus, transmitting the virus takes no more than an hour.

The incubation period varies from one week to one month. There are people who are infected with this virus who never exhibit symptoms. For those who do, symptoms include difficulty with speech and loss of coordination, fever, vomiting, confusion, weakness, headache, hallucinations, and seizures. The virus can result in encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the membranes that surround the spinal cord and the brain).

There is no cure or specific treatment for the virus. For severe cases, hospitalization and supportive treatment (IV, respiratory support, medications to reduce brain swelling) are given.

According to the CDC, 10% of encephalitis cases caused by Powassan are fatal and half of the survivors suffer from permanent neurological symptoms such as memory problems, muscle wasting, and headaches.

Prevention of Tick Bites

The CDC suggests staying on paths in the woods and avoiding the bushy, overgrown areas with high grass. Their most prudent advice is to thoroughly inspect your body (everywhere, including the belly button and your hair) after being in woodsy areas. Inspect pets and gear as well. Run clothes through a drying cycle to kill ticks that may be attached.

The conventional suggestion is to wear long sleeves and long pants tucked into socks and to spray clothing and gear with toxic repellents; however, natural alternatives are available.

Natural Tick Repellents

Several essential oils repel ticks. A few drops of rose geranium, one behind each knee, on each ankle, and behind the neck will convince ticks you are not a good meal.

There are a number of essential oils that repel ticks and mosquitoes as well. Nan Martin of Experience Essential Oils recommends this recipe for dogs and humans:

Tick Spritz Recipe

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

Place in a spray bottle and shake. Spritz when needed

(Don’t use essential oils on cats!)

Anti-Virus Protocol

If you have been bitten by a tick, this is the time to follow the healthiest and cleanest diet. Remember that sugar feeds viruses and bacteria. There are several natural means to boost your immune system. Check out How Viruses Work and How to Prevent Them Naturally and Make Your Immune System Bulletproof With These Natural Remedies.

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We Like Seeing More Non-GMO and Gluten-Free Labeling – Extra Labels Are a Good Thing!

In the last few days I have read two articles with snide comments about labeling. One was an article slamming a popcorn company for their non-GMO label, the other criticized companies for putting gluten-free labels on foods that never had gluten in them.

The assumption from both of these writers is that the companies are doing something wrong, that by labeling their products with these “trendy” labels, they are somehow duping their customers.

Let’s look at this from the consumer’s perspective.

GMO-Free Label

Consumer A has learned enough about GMOs to know she doesn’t want to eat them or feed them to her family. While the battle rages on in the media with biotech claiming their genetically modified foods are safe, she has learned that study after study has indicated the long-term, third generational effects of genetically modified foods raise serious concerns – among them, disruption of reproduction.

Biotech firms are so powerful they have blocked every attempt to label GM foods. The only way to avoid GMOs in processed foods is to know that every single ingredient in a food is not GMO. Any non-organic food is likely to have GM ingredients, especially if it contains corn syrup. Since an organic or certified organic label means that 95%-99% of the ingredients are organic, there is still a risk of GM ingredients though admittedly small. Only a 100% organic label protects you from GMOs. So, with no mandatory labels stating that GMOs are included, what is wrong with stating a product is GMO-free?

In the case of popcorn, we are told that 90% of the corn grown in the United States is GMO. This is common knowledge. At this time, popcorn is not a genetically modified food, but this fact is not common knowledge. And with the way things are going, popcorn could easily become genetically modified in the future. So let’s applaud a popcorn company that tells its consumers that its products are not genetically modified, even if all popcorn is still non-GMO.

Gluten Free Label

Consumer B cannot eat foods with gluten. Every time he does, he experiences joint pain, muscle pain, painful weeping rashes, and gastrointestinal problems. He has learned through experience that gluten is hidden in many processed foods. He would have to memorize a long list of ingredients to always avoid it. He truly appreciates finding foods with a gluten-free label and the stores that post a gluten free sign on the shelf. Whether a food has ever been gluten free or not does not concern him. He does not feel it is a manipulation to have a gluten free label on a food, he feels it is a welcome consideration.

Are these companies jumping on the bandwagon with these labels? Yes, of course, they are. But what’s wrong with that?

If every non-GMO food producer put a non-GMO label on their packages, we would quickly defeat the biotech industry’s attempt to keep us in the dark about what we are eating.

Other Labels

A few products found in the health food aisles or health food stores use every label that applies to their product and it makes shopping so much easier for those with food restrictions. What about the person who has a life-threatening reaction to nuts? Or the child who gets a nosebleed whenever a trace of a dairy product is eaten? Wouldn’t it be nice to see all of these labels used whenever they apply?

  • 100% organic
  • Gluten free
  • Dairy free
  • Nut-free
  • Vegan

And for meat and dairy:

  • Organic
  • Grass-fed
  • Antibiotic-free
  • Free-range

Conclusion

In the meantime, it is good to remember that processed foods should be limited if not excluded from a healthy diet. A truly healthy diet consists of 80% or more fresh, raw, organic produce – more vegetables than fruits. Check out the 80% Raw Food Diet for more information.

If you suffer from any chronic illness, learn more about gluten and why it may be in your best interest to exclude it from your diet. Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases will address the basic issues and how to heal your gut.

We should commend any food company that provides additional labels to make our purchasing choices easier. And we should encourage all companies who sell GMO-free foods to advertise that choice with a GMO-free label.

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