Pesticides Increase Your Risk Of Parkinson’s Disease

June 4, 2013

Woman on lawnThere seems to be a consistent link between Parkinson’s Disease and pesticide exposure, although there are more factors to developing Parkinson’s than just pesticides. Generally, exposure to pesticides ups your risk by about 58%, but some pesticides could more than double your risk.

And that’s not including other potential health hazards pesticides may present.

While some people may have a lot of pesticide exposure from living in farm country, most people just get it from two places: lawns, and your grocery store.

Honestly, pesticides and herbicides should be a last ditch effort in treating your lawn. Overusing either can cause the same problems antibiotics face: resistance. Super strains. Bigger, stronger pests. There are plenty of less toxic alternatives: my (in the profession) uncle swears by a mixture of dish soap, red man chewing tobacco, and water for lawn fungus, etc. He reuses an old miracle grow hose attachment to distribute it. Tobacco will be less toxic to your skin and pets, although make sure pets don’t eat your grass after spraying it!

As for food: buying organic will significantly reduce your exposure to pesticides. It not only means the produce wasn’t grown using them, it means no GMO, so it wasn’t engineered to hold and absorb the strongest pesticides (which has the side effect of bringing them into your food—corn syrup anyone?).

If organic isn’t in your budget—be choosy. Apples, strawberries, and other thin-skinned fruit are more likely to have absorbed lots of pesticides. Bananas probably have little to none (the only concern with bananas should be whether they were artificially ripened or preserved). When buying pre-made foods, avoid ingredient lists with corn syrup, soy, and cottonseed oil—they’re big GMO offenders.

If you’re concerned about your exposure, Colloids For Life has a whole section of products dedicated to helping you cleanse your organs and whole body.

Share your concerns about pesticides in the comments:

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Natural Sunburn Prevention

June 3, 2013

Sun LadySunburn isn’t good for you—it causes free radical damage and ages your skin. It hurts. And it doesn’t look pretty.

But you might be reluctant to use sunscreen. It has a long list of chemicals in it (especially spray sunscreens, go on clear sunscreens, and some waterproof sunscreens). And we’ve traded convenience—needing to apply sunscreen less often—for more chemicals. Plus, don’t we all need a little sun in order to make sure we’re getting enough Vitamin D?

Unfortunately, sunscreens are the best way to prevent sunburn if you’re going to be getting direct sunlight—swimming, at a park, etc. If you’re willing to do some leg work, there are decent sunscreens out there (just research the ingredient list). If you’re lazy, you can buy an organic sunscreen for a high price.

There’s also an all natural option. It won’t give you the same protection as sunscreen, but for incidental exposure, it my work for you. (And if you’re dead-set against chemical sunscreens, these options are better than nothing!).

Castor oil, cod liver oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil and coconut oil are all natural sunscreens that have been used for thousands of years. Cod liver oil is by and far the best (*almost* comparable to low SPF sunscreen, blocking about 90% of UV rays).

The easiest, cheapest natural oil to use as sunscreen is coconut oil—you probably have a jar in your pantry—but it’s also one of the weakest options, blocking only about 20% of sunlight. Still, if you wear a hat, stick to the shade, and reapply often, you might be able to make it work for you (plus, it’s great for your skin anytime).

Before jumping in and using something like coconut oil for sunscreen, experiment, and adjust based on your skin type and where you live (fair skin, high altitudes and closer to the equator it is less likely to be enough). Start by applying it before getting your daily Vitamin D exposure (about 20 minutes, full body—again, adjust based on skin color and location. A Canadian will need to stay in the sun longer than a Floridian or Coloradoan to get their daily Vitamin D). See how well that worked out for you—I’m not super fair, but I can still tell pretty easily how much sun I’ve gotten in a day, and whether it was too much.

No matter what type of sunscreen you choose to use, make sure to always wear a good pair of sunglasses. Even on overcast days you can still easily burn your eyes!

And if you do get sunburned? Try our topical colloidal silver cream. Colloidal silver has traditional (and current!) uses as a burn ointment, and the cream version mixes it with skin healing ingredients like aloe.

Have you ever used coconut (or another) oil as sunscreen? Did it work for you?

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H7N9 Confirmed Drug Resistant

May 31, 2013

Medicine, DrugsTamiflu, one of the only treatments for Avian Flu, may trigger H7N9 to become drug resistant (meaning a sample in the patient became resistant after Tamiflu was administered). Early analysis had predicted the possibility, but we now have actual cases of it happening.

Not everyone with H7N9 develop drug resistance, some get a lower viral load, but those that do become very sick.

For now, avian flu seems to be contained, but it’s expected to pick up where it left off next flu season.

It’s shown itself capable of spreading quickly and silently. The question to ask ourselves now, is what will the beginning of next flu season look like? How many regions will have H7N9 have spread to in the interim months? How much will this highly adaptable strain have changed? Now that it’s got a large number of human hosts, how might that contact encourage development in the virus to target and better spread among humans? Will it’s ability to quickly become drug resistant affect the vaccine being developed?

The direction H7N9 is going is scary. It will require luck more than anything for it not to become an even bigger problem next year. The catch is if we devote everything to tracking and controlling H7N9, there are several other places and flu strains poised to be just as dangerous. Since there’s no way to predict, make sure to take care of yourself, including keeping your immune system in fighting shape!

What do you think will happen next flu season?

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Would You Spend 20 Seconds To Stop Infection?

May 30, 2013

Hospital PlugsWith new healthcare laws putting pressure on hospitals to cut costs, hospitals are targeting one of the most preventable and deadly problems: hospital acquired infections.

Just being a patient gives you a 5% risk of acquiring an infection, a .25% risk of dying. With a hundred thousand deaths and millions of dollars in costs, stopping the spread of MRSA, pneumonia, and other pathogens benefits everyone.

So, hospitals are taking two steps, and focusing them on the most at risk patients: those in ICU, where immune systems are weakest.

First, they are monitoring and incentivising doctors to wash hands. Surprisingly, rates are only as high as 30%, and sometimes much lower. Coupons, vouchers, cash… video monitoring, electronic chips that “talk” to hand washing stations, secret observers in white coats… anything that gets doctors washing protects patients and lowers costs.

Second, ICU patients are all getting preventative treatments against infection. Antibiotics in the nose, and an anti-microbial bath. It’s cheaper and more effective than testing for patients who are already carrying the diseases that can be so devastating to someone already fighting for their health.

See a theme? Hand washing is a very simple way to cut prevent illness and protect your health, and it’s something that everyone, not just doctors, can take part in.

Share your thoughts in the comments…

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WHO Declares It “Threat To The Entire World”, New SARS-Like Virus Gets A Name

May 29, 2013

If you haven’t been too concerned about the SARS-like virus that developed in the middle east and is spreading in Europe, know that WHO is. Now called MERS, the virus, a member of the Coronavirus family like SARS, has killed more than half of those who have tested positive.

What’s concerning WHO is that the virus is spreading faster than research is being done. Where it came from in nature, how it can be treated effectively… many questions remain unanswered.

What’s slowing things? WHO has been criticized for not helping to coordinate researchers, but there’s a more specific wrench in things: Danish researchers patented the virus early on, hoping to entice Big Pharma to develop a vaccine or other treatment. Although they say they’re allowing anyone working for the public good access to the virus, WHO has condemned the patent.

We know MERS spreads in close proximity, although by air or contaminated object no one has said. MERS symptoms include a cough, fever, and shortness of breath, and quickly worsen, affecting the kidney and leading to death.

We’ll continue to keep an eye on MERS developments for you.

Let us know what you think in the comments!

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