Stink!

I just discovered, Stink!, a 2015 film on the toxic chemicals in our every day products. The preview is outstanding. The film is produced by Netflix. This interview with the director is very informative:

OH MY GOD, that movie was frightening! The methods in which the chemical companies and their lobbyists double-talk around regulation is absolutely shocking. The fact that Europe and China have better regulations than the United States is disgusting. The movie makes a point that the USA is now a chemical dumping ground for manufacturers because of our lack of oversight so companies create cheaper products with more toxic chemicals because they can. We are their market. Asthma, autism, cancer, diabetes, obesity, reproductive issues, and cardiovascular disease are all linked to toxic chemicals.

BUYER BEWARE! No US agency or official is looking out for consumers. The manufacturers, retail outlets, or trade agencies are just out to make profits and don't give a rip about the health issues caused by toxic chemicals. We are on our own. If it's on the shelve, there is every guarantee the ingredients are not regulated, controlled or even researched for safety and the labels are not to be believed. I already knew this, but it was still frightening and depressing.

There was a woman featured who is a "Green Living Expert." She goes into people's houses and identifies the toxic products they are using. Heck, I could do that! I'd be good at it!

Scary movie. Everyone needs to see it. If they did and stopped buying these toxic products, we'd start to see real change.

Cancer-Causing Toxins

Cancer research might actually be heading in the right direction...finally!!

The Truth about Cancer

October and Breast Cancer Awareness Month came and went. Once again my community was painting the town in toxic pink, celebrating how wonderfully capitalistic cancer is, and donating money to NOTHING. I've learned to block it out. Here's a great article on the sleazy businesses of cancer charities, particularly the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, from the website The Truth about Cancer.

The most enlightening quote from the article:

Despite what Komen and others would have you believe, breast cancer mortality rates are nearly the same today as they were 25 years ago. 

Yes, all that donating and all that walking do absolutely NOTHING to control cancer. The article exposes the sleazy financial gain of these companies including the annual salary of Komen's president of $425,000 (whoa!) not to mention the obvious agenda of doctors. No surprise there.

Prevention campaigns are ignored because virtually all of this money goes towards programs and endeavors that have nothing to do with finding a cure for breast cancer, and everything to do with signing more women up for breast cancer treatment and management. 

This, of course, supports Dr. Glidden's statistics that chemotherapy cures very few cancer patients. He also believes the only value of treatments is to line the pockets of money hungry quacks who get commissions and kick-backs for prescribing cancer drugs.

There is no magic "cure" for cancer that allows everyone to continue their bad diets and poisonous habits. I wish people would figure that out and then finally recognize the dangers of chemicals.

Vitamin Supplements Cause Cancer!

Research was started years ago when it was discovered that fresh fruits and vegetables could reduce one's risk of cancer so someone got the bright idea and wondered if supplements would be just as beneficial.

The rationality is incredibly ignorant, but that's how people think. If you can put it in a pill and call it a nutrient then it must be just as good as eating real, live, healthy foods. Nope. In fact the study results indicate supplements increase one's risk of cancer, especially Vitamin E, folic acid, and beta-carotene. Folic acid causes colon polyps. Maybe that's why colonoscopies have become so popular? Poisoned with pills.

You can read the article HERE

I read a funny the other day entitled, "Important Facts to Remember as You Grow Older" and one of them gave me a chuckle and has been stuck in my head for days:

 Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in the hospital, dying of nothing.

I guess not. Now we know. They'll all be dying from cancer....

Cell Phones Cause Cancer

Has anyone out there NOT heard that cell phones cause cancer? It has been suggested that famous attorney Johnnie Cochran who used his cell phone non-stop died from cell phone-induced brain cancer. Does anyone care? How many people are out there still using cell phones? And the rest of us who don't use them, how are we being affected? Or infected?

 

WAKE UP PEOPLE!

 

This is the best information I've heard on the cancer-causing toxicity of cell phones. This is attorney Jimmy Gonzalez who makes a REALLY good case. And he's articulate and cute...

 

 

 

Well, he WAS articulate and cute. November 27, 2014 he died. He was 42 years old with a wife and two small baby girls.

What an atrocity. It absolutely breaks my heart.

CELL PHONES ARE EVIL.

But it got me thinking, if my work depended on the use of a cell phone, would I be willing to give it up for my health?  Like Mr. Gonzalez I am a left-hand talker and oddly enough if I'm on the phone too long, or more than ten minutes, the left side of my head feels like it's going to explode. I see this as NOT a good sign so I gave up using phones a few years ago. I have one, cheap cell phone that I have for emergencies. It's inconvenient for sure, especially since they are required so often for any kind of professional communication, but I don't feel like I have a choice.

But...what would I do if my computer was giving me cancer? How would I live without a computer? How would I work and make money without a computer? The world is dependent on cell phones. How would people give them up? Jeez, how would teenagers function? Could we ever go back to just having landlines?

Wouldn't that be spectacular? I would be very happy never again to hear people screaming on their cell phones while standing in line at the grocery, or while sitting in a library, or hiking in the woods, or while picking berries in a berry field. When someone invented the cell phone they should have required etiquette classes and developed laws forbidding people to be rude cell phone users.

Until then I think this will be survival of the most informed and we will see an increase in cancer in the coming decades.

Dental Dangers

Dentist offices can be hazardous to the health of a chemically-sensitive person. Prior to making the appointment, call and interview the receptionist to find out office protocol and safety. Be very clear about your fragrance-free and chemical-free needs. Don't take anything for granted and assume the receptionist and staff are clueless until they prove otherwise. Here are some potential office toxins and questions to ask before you make your first appointment:

Do staff members wear perfumes, colognes, scented hand lotions or other toxic products? Some dental offices have fragrance-free standards because being scent-free is a medical protocol, but some are managed as if it's still the 1960s. If they indicate they don't have a clue, don't waste your time trying to educate them.

Does the office use air fresheners in any capacity? Plug-in type or aerosol? I knew of one dental hygienist who sprayed her chair after each patient because she didn't want a patient's body odor offending others. It's a high stress area so people sweat!

Appointments: What day is the slowest with the least amount of patients? What time of day is the slowest? They can't help it if their patients stink so it's best to avoid them if possible. I have found a mid-week, first appointment of the day to be the best, however, be aware of commuter traffic issues and automobile exhaust air pollution.

How do they sterilize their equipment? Do they use chemicals, steam under pressure (autoclaving), or dry heat? What about disinfectants? At what time during the day do they do this? Most often this is done at the end of the day so make your appointment accordingly.

Are scented, latex gloves used? Do they have unscented and/or non-latex options available? Any other secretly scented supplies?

What is required: examination, cleaning, and/or x-rays? Most offices will require an exam and x-ray with every annual appointment. Do you want to be radiated that often? Thyroid cancer is on the rise and the causation theory is dental x-rays. Chemicals can zap our thyroids anyway - no need to help it along. The justification for requiring x-rays is liability, but enlightened dentists will allow their patients to sign waivers stating as the patient you have opted not to get x-rays unless there are obvious symptoms or problems that need a more a in-depth check. These offices will want copies of past x-rays so they have some information on your tooth structure and anatomy. If the office doesn't give you the option of a radiation-free visit, don't settle. Keep looking. In my opinion, it has less to do with liability than profits. There is a lot of money to be made requiring unnecessary x-rays and if insurance is willing to pay, why not make it a requirement?

After each patient use, do they wash off the lead protective coverings that shield your thyroid from x-ray radiation? Be aware of perfume residue left from the previous patient.

With cleaning comes scented and flavored polish. Is polish required? This may be included in the cleaning cost or an added expense so by opting out, you could save some money. In addition, some offices have the option of flavorless and scent-free pumice. I've never had a dental office require polish, but they usually argue with me when I refuse it as if it's the best part of the whole appointment. Not sure why.

Do they use mercury for amalgam material? Do they remove mercury amalgams? What are their safety protocols? If you opt to have amalgams removed, ask about the replacement material. Some composites made with plastics can be just as problematic.

 

Make sure your questions are answered and your needs are clear BEFORE your appointment so you are not liable if something goes wrong. If you go in, have a reaction and have to leave, a lot of offices will charge you for the last minute cancellation.

These are the basics, but other poisonous substances may be lurking anywhere unbeknown to the MCSer until it's too late. For instance, magazines in the waiting room will often have perfume-scented inserts. Bring your own reading material and sit in the far corner.

 

I didn't go to a dentist for eight years and finally found one that was fragrance-free. It was a long, hard search for one so enlightened. They were fine with no polish, but they required x-rays every other visit. So I continued my search and found one who was fragrance-free AND didn't require x-rays! Health-minded dentists are rare, but do exist. Someday they will be the norm rather than the exception.

What are your experiences? Did I miss anything?

Caffeine AND Cancer in ONE!

I'd be disappointed if the corporate world didn't take advantage of cancer awareness month to market yet another toxic product:

 

 

PINK LEMONADE 5-HOUR ENERGY!!!



 

 

PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT CANCER!!!

You can eat this toxic caffeine additive AND support cancer at the same time! Caffeine and cancer, my two favorite subjects. How timely. How predictable. How hypocritical.

Cancer! Let's Celebrate!

October is here! To celebrate, the streets are littered with toxic pink plastic to make us aware it is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Awareness Month organizers who are responsible for the decorations are so totally UNAWARE of the toxicity and health risks of polluting the environment with plastics. What a contradiction, but appropriately symbolic of this month-long fundraising event.

Since the 1940s the American government has been supporting cancer research in an effort to find a cure for the disease. What have they accomplished? Not much. It would be inconvenient to find a cure for something that supports so many special interest groups. Capitalism would fail without cancer.

We know what the cure is for cancer because we are constantly being informed what causes cancer. Read the newspaper, listen to the radio, watch television. Being informed isn't hard. Let's see. What have I read, listened to, and watched in the last ten years? Cell phones cause brain cancer. Deodorants cause breast cancer. Feminine hygiene products cause ovarian cancer. Teeth whitening products cause mouth cancer. Black hair dye causes prostate cancer. Shampoo ingredients cause any kind of cancer. Fresh produce laced with pesticides and chemical fertilizers causes all kinds of cancer. Birth control pills cause lots of cancer. Toluene causes cancer. Toluene? You know that ingredient found in explosives, auto supplies, fragrances and perfumes? Heck, smoking causes cancer. Is anyone not aware of that?  Do we care? Are shampoos and cigarettes still on the shelf at our grocery stores? Has sales gone down even a tiny bit for cell phones?

And what about the cancer-causing toxins in our environment that we take for granted: car exhaust, factory pollution, chemically-treated water supplies.

The government goes out of its way to assure the public that everything is safe. The FDA does all kinds of studies, tests, and trials and claims everything is safe. It's all fine. No worries. Spend your money freely.  Which special interest group is paying for the studies? How do they sway the results so their partnerships benefit by making more money? Even with all the promotion and advertising used to cover up the warnings, the truth leaks out. People really don't know what causes cancer? Is everyone blind, deaf, and dumb? And I mean dumb in the most humbling way. But no one seems to care.
 

It's not hard to find out what causes cancer. What is hard is for people to get off their asses and do something to help themselves and those around them live healthier lives. But it's too inconvenient. It's too hard. It's much easier to give money and keep their heads buried in the sand.

I've asked a few of the donation-begging sponsors of this month-long cancer guilt trip where does the money they collect go?  Those who even have an answer say with unfounded excitement, "Oh, research for a cancer cure!" But where does the money go? No one knows. I would assume someone might say the American Cancer Society, but even if this was the script they read and memorized, they would be hard pressed to know WHERE THE MONEY GOES. Who really benefits from this money? Where is this cure that was promised more than seventy years ago? That's a lot of money that's done very little.

BUT, BUT, it's to find a CURE! This has to be the most preposterous idea I could ever imagine, and people really buy into this through guilt, fear and manipulation. They haven't found a CURE in sixty years. People are dying, we know what causes cancer, and yet people only whine. It's very American to do nothing except wait for that miracle cure, that quick fix, the easy out. Maybe a pill one can take that will make everything better? Instead of making an effort by adjusting lifestyles and bad habits to save themselves and the people around them, they want it easy and giving money to a blind cause helps lessen the guilt of apathy and laziness. Let someone else find a CURE while they smoke their cigarettes, use their cell phones, and dye their hair. Then when they do get the dreaded death sentence, they and their loved ones can plead how unfair life is. Too bad there isn't a CURE. Let's have a few more spaghetti feeds to earn more money to find that CURE. Only make sure that spaghetti is freeze dried with a whole lot of unpronounceable chemical preservatives, artificial flavors, dyes and colors listed on the label.

I'm so sick of the hypocrisy. Instead of getting volunteers to run around asking for money for a worthless cause, why not challenge each other not to smoke? Why not put all that money back into the development of an electric car? Why not demand only organic food be sold in stores? Why not boycott chemically-scented products? Why not stop patronizing McDonalds and Starbucks and eat real food? Why don't people challenge themselves and others to be the healthiest they can be? Why not stop supporting cancer with their bad habits?

Nothing doing. We're capitalists. It's all about the almighty dollar. It's so much easier to lay back and give money to find a "cure" than to take responsibility. And of course, it's so much easier to hang toxic pink plastic all over the town so everyone thinks we are doing something productive when in fact,after the celebration is over, no one even bothers to take it down. It floats through the streets for months as a reminder of the wasted energy.

Happy National Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Let's Celebrate!

It's so hypocritical.