Melamine in Baby Formulas

Nothing seems to shock me anymore, however, I find a lot of things being outrageous. While I was driving to work this morning I heard that US goverment found traces of Melamine in baby formulas... You might not believe me, so here is what is posted all over the net (this specific piece is from Yahoo News).

(emphasis and comments added by me)

"Traces of the industrial chemical melamine have been detected in samples of top-selling U.S. infant formula, but federal regulators insist the products are safe. (of course they do... otherwise they would loose millions, if not billions of $$$)

The Food and Drug Administration said last month it was unable to identify any melamine exposure level as safe for infants, but a top official said it would be a "dangerous overreaction" for parents to stop feeding infant formula to babies who depend on it. (oh sure, we would rather poison the babies knowingly rather than take the time and find healthier alternative, mother's breast milk being one of them)

"The levels that we are detecting are extremely low," said Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. "They should not be changing the diet. If they've been feeding a particular product, they should continue to feed that product. That's in the best interest of the baby." (or the company that sells is and the goverment that collects taxes off of it)

Melamine is the chemical found in Chinese infant formula — in far larger concentrations — that has been blamed for killing at least three babies and making at least 50,000 others ill. (so, how much of poison is too much, folks?)

Previously undisclosed tests, obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act, show that the FDA has detected melamine in a sample of one popular formula and the presence of cyanuric acid, a chemical relative of melamine, in the formula of a second manufacturer.

Separately, a third major formula maker told AP that in-house tests had detected trace levels of melamine in its infant formula.

The three firms — Abbott Laboratories, Nestle and Mead Johnson — manufacture more than 90 percent of all infant formula produced in the United States.

The FDA and other experts said the melamine contamination in U.S.-made formula had occurred during the manufacturing process, rather than intentionally. (oh, sure... otherwise they would have to be responsible...)

The U.S. government quietly began testing domestically produced infant formula in September, soon after problems with melamine-spiked formula surfaced in China.

Sundlof said there have been no reports of human illness in the United States from melamine, which can bind with other chemicals in urine, potentially causing damaging stones in the kidney or bladder and, in extreme cases, kidney failure. (hey, but if the FDA says we are OK, then we should trust them... and potentially kill our own babies...)

Melamine is used in some U.S. plastic food packaging and can rub off onto what we eat; it's also contained in a cleaning solution used on some food processing equipment and can leach into the products being prepared. (I will say it again: STAY AWAY FROM PLASTICS as much as you can)

Sundlof told the AP the positive test results "so far are in the trace range, and from a public health or infant health perspective, we consider those to be perfectly fine." (but I am sure they would no longer feed their kids this poison... the only things they would stand to lose, if they did, would only be a kidney failure, death... etc... which does not seem to be a huge convern to the money driven FDA)

FDA scientists said then that they couldn't set an acceptable level of melamine exposure in infant formula because science hadn't had enough time to understand the chemical's effects on infants' underdeveloped kidneys. Plus, there is the complicating factor that infant formula often constitutes a newborn's entire diet. (hogwash...)"

Well, I don't know about you, folks, but I am sick and tired of a goverment and companies that would do anything in the name of the almighty dollar. Do you think that they really care about your kids being fed? Think again! They only care about how much they stand to lose if they told the truth. That is why it is so important to get educated and live a life-style of whole food excellence. Think about it--most of these trouble are preventable. More people should vote with their $$$ and put these misarable, selfish companies out of business!

Until next time, STAY WELL! THINK CLEARLY!!!

Pasta Salad

I have been trying to hold out to post recipes until I can take a photo of the dish I want to post about, but since I have been pretty busy lately and barely have time to do that, I thought that you would forgive me if I post a recipe without an image.

This is a variation of Pasta Salad (and there are as many as you would like to be).

PASTA SALAD III

-16 oz. organic whole wheat pasta, cooked and drained*
-1/2 red onion, diced
-1-2 bell peppers (any color, but I like a combination), diced
-2-3 cups broccoli florets, cut into small pieces (you can use the stem as well, just make sure to chop into small chunks)
-2 tablespoons of Veganaise (vegan mayo)
-salt to taste
-1-2 apples, chopped into squares
-anything else you want to add :)

-Mix all ingredients and let your salad sit for a few minutes, so that the veggies have enough time to let out their juices.
*When I drain pasta for the salad, I leave a bit of water in to keep it a bit moist.

ENJOY!!!

More about Vaccines...

I wanted to piggy back on my own recent post on Flu Vaccine Ingredients and start a conversation about vaccinations.

My husband and I already made a decision not to vaccinate our children, when we have them. I am now wanting to become more educated on the topic of vaccinations, so I can more helpful in providing quality information to my family and friends, so I am ordering a copy of a revised and updated edition of Vaccination Deception (Teddy H. Spence, DDS, ND). The book talks about many topics, some of which cover these points:
1. Did you know that vaccines come from blood products?
2. Did you know that some vaccines are made with diseased monkey kidneys, mice brains, or baby hamster kidneys?
3. Did you know that these things get in your system and change your DNA?
4. Did you know that vaccines can actually cause the very disease they are intended to prevent?
5. Did you know that the vaccines that appeared to stop an outbreak were actually given after the disease was mostly through its cycle?
6. Did you know that vaccines often contain mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde?
7. Did you know that vaccines are probably the culprit behind autism, brain damage, and low IQ?
8. Did you know that when vaccinations were stopped in Japan for children up to 2 years old, the SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) incidents “dropped dramatically to zero”?
9. Did you know that feeding children quality food (real food), plus getting lots of sunshine, fresh air, and exercise, and living in sanitary conditions will do more to raise your child’s immunity to ward off disease than simply vaccinating?
Once I receive the book and read through it, I am planning to post a quick review on the blog, so, stay tuned.

Meanwhile I was doing on-line searching for statistics on vaccines, and came across a great article that made me want to shout “Amen” all the way through it. I was going to take certain information out of it to post here, but then decided that sharing the entire article will be more beneficial. So, here it is ladies and gentlemen…

Vandervalk: Vaccines - shots in the dark?
http://www.northjersey.com/opinion/moreviews/20005449.html

“The lack of safety studies has been at the core of what has been terrifying many parents who have been researching the issue of compulsory vaccinations for children.

AHMED SOLIMAN'S column ("Don't let parents opt out of children's inoculations," Other Views, June 12) decries the parents who oppose compulsory vaccinations.
He laments the suffering of a family whose child did not have the benefit of a particular vaccine. Does he also lament the suffering of the more than 4,800 families who are now in the process of suing in a special federal court because they believe their children were seriously damaged by a vaccine?

Does he lament the many deaths caused by vaccines? Does he know that the compensation for a dead child in such instances has been established at $250,000?
Does he know that in New Jersey there are 60 doses of vaccines mandated by the state Department of Health by the time a child is 6 years old?

It must be pointed out that appropriate safety studies have not been done — no double-blind studies and no studies about the safety of combining several vaccines into a multiple dose.

The lack of safety studies has been at the core of what has been terrifying many parents who have been researching this issue.

Unfortunately, it is the extent to which children have been damaged that is driving this concern.

The public and the media are rightly concerned about pollutants in our waterways, on our recreation fields and in the environment in general. Some of these same pollutants are being injected directly into the bloodstreams of our babies by way of vaccines, in quantities larger than permitted by federal law for our environment.
If you check the package inserts of vaccines, which are written by the vaccine manufacturers, you will find aluminum, mercury, formaldehyde, latex rubber and a variety of potentially cancer-causing chemicals.

These package inserts also warn of serious side affects, such as encephalitis, myelitis, seizure, Guillain-Barre syndrome, multiple sclerosis, even sudden death.

Unvaccinated and risk
Do unvaccinated people cause a risk to the rest of society? No. Just look at the older generation of Americans who grew up prior to vaccine proliferation. We are not spreading epidemics.

On the contrary, some vaccines are made from live viruses, and they can spread the disease to those in close contact with the vaccinated person. There are 19 states that allow a type of philosophical exemption, and their residents have not had epidemics.

There has been a recent report of eight cases of measles in California, to which a mother responded in the press, "I'll take measles any day over autism."

Look at the Amish people in Pennsylvania. They do not vaccinate, and they do not have any outbreak of autism. Most European countries as well as Canada, Australia and Japan have rescinded their vaccination requirements.

In 1975, Japan stopped vaccinating babies under 2 years old, and it went to the top of the charts worldwide for low infant mortality. It had previously ranked somewhere in the middle.

Manufacturers have been exempted from liability in producing vaccines. Therefore, when a court decides a child has been seriously damaged by a vaccine, it is the taxpayers who will foot the bill.

New Jersey allows both a religious exemption and a medical exemption; however, the medical exemption is worthless. I have seen firsthand how a doctor's letter explaining the medical risk to a particular child was overruled by officials. That family is moving to Pennsylvania.

The American Association of Physicians and Surgeons has called for a halt to mandated vaccines until appropriate safety studies are done. In the meantime, parents should have the right to decide about vaccines for their children.”

Have a great day, everyone, and STAY WELL!!!

The Power of Nutrition and Faith

I read an amazing story today that is worth sharing with everyone. Here is a portion of it. You can find the entire article at Wellness Forum News Stand for today's date.

An Inspiring Story
The Power of Nutrition

The people who attended The Wellness Forum's Fall Continuing Education Conference had the privilege of hearing Antonia Demas, Ph.D., speak about her program, which has helped tens of thousands of children to learn to appreciate and want to eat plant foods, and resulted in major changes in school lunch programs throughout the U.S. Dr. Demas' work is extraordinary and everyone became excited about getting involved in improving children's health through better nutrition.

At the end of her talk, Dr. Demas related a story about the power of nutrition that was incredible and definitely worth sharing with everyone. Some time ago, Dr. Demas was contacted by a woman whose son had been involved in an accident that resulted in his being in a comatose state. While hospitalized, he was tube-fed, and his diet basically consisted of corn syrup and water, standard fare for those who are comatose.

In spite of what the doctors told her, the woman was convinced that her son had the potential to wake up and wanted to place liquefied healthy foods into his feeding tube. The doctors refused to let her do it. They explained that he would never wake up and that even if he did, he would be severely damaged and have no quality of life.

Eventually the doctors suggested that they certify to a court that this young man was beyond help so he could be transferred to a hospice-type facility, at which tube feeding would be discontinued, resulting in death. The woman agreed to this because she had an ulterior motive - to begin tube feeding healthy foods once he was removed from the hospital.

Dr. Demas prepared a densely nutritious vegetable soup, liquefied it, and began placing it into the feeding tube, and within only a few days, the young man woke up and began talking. He is now fully functional and he and his mother were presenters at Dr. Demas' Baltimore conference just a few days before ours. He stated that during the time he was in the coma, he could hear the doctors talking about his being a vegetable, that there was no hope for him and that they did not know why anyone was wasting their time on him. Thank God his mother had faith that he could be restored and was tenacious enough to find a solution.

This story has a happy ending, but unfortunately, most similar stories do not. Although people in hospitals are sick and should be getting the best nutrition possible, most of them get the worst food imaginable. How many comatose patients would come out of their comas if they were given something other than corn syrup for food? And why would doctors object to trying improved food at the request of a parent or guardian, even if the hospitals continue to serve only the worst possible fare? It is criminal, in my opinion, that people do not have the authority to make decisions about their own healthcare and the health of their children and insist on things like nutritional excellence in a hospital!

Have a great day, everyone! And remember: Eat Healthy!!! Live Happy!!!

Flu Vaccine Ingredients

Have you ever wondered about what is in the flu shot, since our government and our doctors are desperately trying to convince us that more and more of us need it, although statistically there is no proof that it works? Well, I have, so I went looking. Interestingly enough, there is not much information on it out there, not even on the CDC (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention) web-site. But, luckily enough for me, there are concerned citizens out there who are willing to look for such information and make it public. So, here is what I found:

FLU Vaccine Ingredients depend upon the manufacturer: FluVirin, FluShield, FluZone, FluMist, Etc, Etc.

All are made using egg or chicken protein
Influenza viruses (most! are inactivated)
Neomycin, polymyxin, gentamycin - antibiotics
Thimerosal [mercury] - a harmful preservative
Betapropiolactone - a disinfectant
Nonoxynol - used to kill or stop growth of STDs
Octoxinol 9 - a vaginal spermicide
Formaldehyde - embalming fluid used to kill viruses

Ingredients: (sources are manufacturers statements.)
FluMist®: (MedImmune) Live attenuated cold adapted virus*, allantoic fluid (egg white), sucrose, potassium phosphate, and monosodium glutamate. Source http://www.drugs.com/PDR/Flumist_Vaccine.html.

FLUARIXTM: (GlaxoSmithKline) Chicken embryos, virus*, sucrose, sodium deoxycholate, formaldehyde, sodium phosphate, sodium chloride, octoxynol-10, Alpha-tocopheryl hydrogen succinate, and polysorbate 80, trace thimerosal (<1.25>Chick Embryo - this can be problematic for those allergic to eggs or egg products

Formaldehyde - (Embalming Fluid) Formaldehyde has been classified as a human carcinogen (cancer-causing substance) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and as a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). Research studies of workers exposed to formaldehyde have suggested an association between formaldehyde exposure and cancers of the nasal sinuses, nasopharynx, and brain, and possibly leukemia

Octoxinol-9 - This is a spermacide (kills sperm) Chills; confusion; dizziness; fever; lightheadedness; muscle aches; sunburn-like skin rash that is followed by peeling of the skin

Triton X-100 - Harmful if swallowed. Causes severe eye irritation. May be harmful if inhaled or in contact with skin. Toxicology not fully investigated. The product may contain traces of ethylene oxide or dioxane, which are probable human carcinogens.

Gelatin- Made from the boiled bones, skins and tendons of animals.

Thimerisol (mercury derivative) - Several cases of acute mercury poisoning from thimerosal-containing products were found in the medical literature with total doses of thimerosal ranging from approximately 3 mg/kg (Your vaccine contains 25 ug per 5mL dose) to several hundred mg/kg. These studies reported local necrosis, acute hemolysis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, acute renal tubular necrosis, and central nervous system injury including obtundation, coma, and death.

Sodium Phosphate - Phosphates are slowly and incompletely absorbed when ingested, and seldom result in systemic effects. Such effects, however, have occurred Symptoms may include vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea, blood chemistry effects, heart disturbances and central nervous system effects. The toxicity of phosphates is because of their ability to sequester calcium. Irritant due to its acidic nature. May cause inflammation and pain on prolonged contact, especially with moist skin. May sequester calcium and cause calcium phosphate deposits in the kidneys.

Sodium Chloride (Salt) - Very large doses can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and prostration. Dehydration and congestion occur in most internal organs. Hypertonic salt solutions can produce violent inflammatory reactions in the gastrointestinal tract. May irritate damaged skin; absorption can occur with effects similar to those via ingestion.

So, next time your doctor tells you that you or your family should get flu shots, ask them for a list of ingredients and then, if they manage to find one, question them on every single one of them.

Stay Educated! Stay Well!!!

If you get sick, or want to stay well, read the post I recently wrote on how to stay well during the flu season here.

"Tropical Thunder"

After not posting for such a long time I know I will have to redeem myself. I am ready for it.

My life has been a bit crazy with moving, remodeling and starting a new job that I barely have enough time to capture what I am cooking. I had to start reminding myself to pick up my camera again and now have a small collection of different dishes. I will be posting them in the next few days.

Let me start with a quick and easy smoothie recipe. In honor of my nephew, who visited me, I called it "Tropical Thunder" (actually it was his idea, since I was making this recipe for him and his brothers). He also was more than happy to be my model for the shoot, to show my readers that it is as good as it looks. So, here it is...

TROPICAL THUNDER

Ingredients

● Mango
● Blueberries
● Raspberries
● Strawberries
● Water
● Couple of tablespoons of honey for sweetness (or you can use dates)

And here is Sasha, trying out "Tropical Thunder"... Wait for it... Wait for it...

It is THAT GOOD, folks! I had his official approval.
Looks like he was a satisfied customer.

Enjoy life! Stay Healthy! Be Happy!

Painfully True...

I came across this cartoon on NaturalNews site and thought it is worth sharing on my blog.

Happy Veteran's day to all!! And thanks goes out to all the men and women that live to protect our freedoms... even redicilous ones--but that is what makes this country great!

Product Review: Deodorant

I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I was trying out a new deodorant: Herbal Magic Roll-On. I can tell you that so far I have nothing but good things to say about it. Let me start with the list of Ingredients: Algae Extract, Aloe Vera Gel, Deionized Water, Witch Hazel, Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda), Herbal Extracts of (fennel, hops, chamomile, balm mint, mistletoe and yarrow), Grapefruit Seed Extract . The rule that I try to follow in everything that I purchase is not to buy an item, unless I can read, understand and pronounce every ingredient of the item’s list. The beauty of this deodorant is that there are no hieroglyphs to decipher. I can understand every single ingredient and its origin.

The deodorant holds up through my regular day with no problems, as well as through a rigorous workout. I am not sure what it is going to be like during hot summer months, but if now is any indication then I will be OK with using it any time of the year, even if I had to freshen up a couple of times a day—anything is better than using chemically loaded store products.

So, dear reader, if you want an honest opinion, you got it—you can feel safe to buy and use this product for yourself and your family!

Until next time: Live Healthy!!! Be Happy!