There's No Place Like Home for Babies to Pick up Toxins

Crawling babies learn about the world with every step. They build their muscles as they discover the difference between smooth bathroom tiles and squishy living room rugs. To a baby's burgeoning taste buds, both taste great.

But research shows that babies pick up more than new skills as they explore their environments.

Infants may take in two to five times as much household dust as adults, even though they weigh only one-eighth as much, says Alan Greene, a pediatrician at Stanford University's Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. Because of that dust, babies are more likely to be exposed to pesticides and other potentially harmful chemicals inside the home than outside, he says.

Children younger than 2 are also more vulnerable to toxins than adults because they're still developing, Greene says. On average, children that age who are exposed to a carcinogen are 10 times more likely than an adult to develop cancer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

"It's a sound assumption that we should be 10 times more careful with children," Greene says.

Pediatrician Harvey Karp, author of The Happiest Baby on the Block, suggests parents open their windows to ventilate the air once a day, if weather permits. He notes that indoor air is often more polluted than outdoor air, partly because of solvents and other chemicals found in paint, flooring, rugs, furniture and dry cleaning. It is important to Follow a Greener Path.

Yet toxic exposures often start long before babies can crawl. Babies today are typically born "pre-polluted," exposed to potential carcinogens even before birth, a report by the President's Cancer Panel said in May.

In a study of umbilical cord blood by the Environmental Working Group, researchers found 180 carcinogens in babies and 217 chemicals that were toxic to the brain or nervous system.

The American Cancer Society estimates that about 6% of cancer deaths — nearly 34,000 a year — are caused by environmental pollutants.

Because so little research has been done on cancer and the environment, it's possible the true number of pollution-related cancer deaths is actually much higher, the President's Cancer Panel says.

GREENER CLEANING: Follow a Greener Path

SOURCE: article by Liz Szabo http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-06-03-cancerandchemicals03_st_N.htm

Cancer Causing Ingredients in Children's Products

This is exactly what we have been teaching for 6 years now.
Do not trust manufacturers to be looking out for your best interest -- they DO NOT.
This is exactly why I shop with a company that has a Mission Statement laser focused on making lives better, healthier and safer and a 25 year record of putting wellness first.

Maybe more people will take notice since this is increasingly hitting the mainstream.

But, be assured and forewarned that unscrupulous manufacturers will "jump on the bandwagon" and try to peddle their goods as safer.  In fact, it is already being done. Case in point - Clorox.

Feel free to contact me if you'd like to know what I have learned and where I shop!

No Cow's Milk

No cow's milk --- at the very least, not yet
Although you may be tempted to use regular cow's milk, DO NOT offer it until after Baby’s first birthday. Cow's milk contains extremely high amounts of protein and sodium, which can stress Baby’s developing system. It also may lead to iron-deficiency anemia. So throughout your baby's first 12 months, hold off on feeding cow's milk. Be sure not to use it when you’re mixing up your baby's cereal. Rely only on breastmilk during Baby’s first year.

There is serious concern about EVER feeding babies and children cows milk.

Don't Drink Cow's Milk!

Processing Is the Problem

The path that transforms healthy milk products into allergens and carcinogens begins with modern feeding methods that substitute high-protein, soy-based feeds for fresh green grass and breeding methods to produce cows with abnormally large pituitary glands so that they produce three times more milk than the old fashioned scrub cow. These cows need antibiotics to keep them well. Their milk is then pasteurised so that all valuable enzymes are destroyed (lactase for the assimilation of lactose; galactase for the assimilation of galactose; phosphatase for the assimilation of calcium). Literally dozens of other precious enzymes are destroyed in the pasteurisation process. Without them, milk is very difficult to digest. The human pancreas is not always able to produce these enzymes; over-stress of the pancreas can lead to diabetes and other diseases.

The butterfat of commercial milk is homogenised, subjecting it to rancidity. Even worse, butterfat may be removed altogether. Skim milk is sold as a health food, but the truth is that butter-fat is in milk for a reason. Without it the body cannot absorb and utilise the vitamins and minerals in the water fraction of the milk. Along with valuable trace minerals and short chain fatty acids, butterfat is America's best source of preformed vitamin A. Synthetic vitamin D, known to be toxic to the liver, is added to replace the natural vitamin D complex in butterfat. Butterfat also contains re-arranged acids which have strong anti-carcinogenic properties.

Non-fat dried milk is added to 1% and 2% milk. Unlike the cholesterol in fresh milk, which plays a variety of health promoting roles, the cholesterol in non-fat dried milk is oxidised and it is this rancid cholesterol that promotes heart disease. Like all spray dried products, non-fat dried milk has a high nitrite content. Non-fat dried milk and sweetened condensed milk are the principle dairy products in third world countries; use of ultra high temperature pasteurised milk is widespread in Europe.

Other Factors Regarding Milk

Milk and refined sugar make two of the largest contributions to food induced ill health in our country. That may seem like an overly harsh statement, but when one examines the evidence, this is a reasonable conclusion. The recent approval by the FDA of the use of BGH (Bovine Growth Hormone) by dairy farmers to increase their milk production only worsens the already sad picture. BGH causes an increase in an insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) in the milk of treated cows. IGF-1 survives milk pasteurisation and human intestinal digestion. It can be directly absorbed into the human bloodstream, particularly in infants.

It is highly likely that IGF-1 promotes the transformation of human breast cells to cancerous forms. IGF-1 is also a growth factor for already cancerous breast and colon cancer cells, promoting their progression and invasiveness. It is also possible for us to absorb the BGH directly from the milk. This will cause further IGF-1 production by our own cells.

BGH will also decrease the body fat of cows. Unfortunately, the body fat of cows is already contaminated with a wide range of carcinogens, pesticides, dioxin, and antibiotic residues. When the cows have less body fat, these toxic substances are then transported into the cows' milk. BGH also causes the cows to have an increase in breast infections for which they must receive additional antibiotics. Prior to BGH, 38% of milk sampled nationally was already contaminated by illegal residues of antibiotics and animal drugs. This will only increase with the use of BGH. One wonders what the long term complications will be for drinking milk that has a 50% chance it is contaminated with antibiotics.

There is also a problem with a protein enzyme called xanthine oxidase which is in cow's milk. Normally, proteins are broken down once you digest them. However, when milk is homogenised, small fat globules surround the xanthine oxidase and it is absorbed intact into your blood stream. There is some very compelling research demonstrating clear associations with this absorbed enzyme and increased risks of heart disease.

Ear specialists frequently insert tubes into the ear drums of infants to treat recurrent ear infections. It has replaced the previously popular tonsillectomy to become the number one surgery in the country. Unfortunately, most of these specialists don't realise that over 50% of these children will improve and have no further ear infections if they just stop drinking their milk. This is a real tragedy. Not only is the $3,000 spent on the surgery wasted, but there are some recent articles supporting the likelihood that most children who have this procedure will have long term hearing losses.

You probably are wondering what will happen to your bones and teeth if you stop milk. The majority of the world's population takes in less than half the calcium we are told we need and yet they have strong bones and healthy teeth. Cows' milk is rich in phosphorous which can combine with calcium - and can prevent you from absorbing the calcium in milk. The milk protein also accelerates calcium excretion from the blood through the kidneys. This is also true when you eat large amount of meat and poultry products. Vegetarians will need about 50% less calcium than meat eaters because they lose much less calcium in their urine. It is possible to obtain all your calcium from dark green vegetables (where do you think the cow gets their's from?) - the darker the better. Cooked collard greens and kale are especially good. If you or your child is unable to take in large amounts of green vegetables, you might want to supplement with calcium.

If you can swallow pills, calcium citrate has a number of other minerals which your body requires to build up maximally healthy bone. It is much better than a simple calcium tablet - you can take about 1,000 mg a day. For those who already suffer from osteoporosis, the best calcium supplement is microcrystalline hydroxyapatite.

It is also important that you take vitamin D in the winter months from November to March. Normally your skin converts sunshine to vitamin D, but the sunshine levels in the winter are very low unless you visit Florida or Mexico type areas. Most people obtain their vitamin D from milk in the winter; so if you stop it, please make sure you are taking calcium with vitamin D or a multi vitamin with vitamin D to prevent bone thinning.

Most people are not aware that the milk of most mammals varies considerably in its composition. For example, the milk of goats, elephants, cows, camels, wolves, and walruses show marked differences, in their content of fats, protein, sugar, and minerals. Each was designed to provide optimum nutrition to the young of the respective species. Each is different from human milk. In general, most animals are exclusively breast-fed until they have tripled their birth weight, which in human infants occurs around the age of one year. In no mammalian species, except for the human (and domestic cat) is milk consumption continued after the weaning period. Calves thrive on cow milk. Cow's milk is designed for calves.

Cow's milk is the number one allergic food in this country. It has been well documented as a cause in diarrhea, cramps, bloating, gas, gastrointestinal bleeding, iron-deficiency anemia, skin rashes, atherosclerosis, and acne. It is the primary cause of recurrent ear infections in children. It has also been linked to insulin dependent diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, infertility, and leukemia.

Small amounts of milk or milk products taken infrequently, will likely cause little or no problems for most people. However, the American Dairy Board has done a very effective job of marketing this product. Most people believe they need to consume large, daily quantities of milk to achieve good health. NOTHING could be further from the truth. Public health officials and the National Dairy Council have worked together in this country to make it very difficult to obtain wholesome, fresh, raw dairy products. Nevertheless, they can be found with a little effort. In some states, you can buy raw milk directly from farmers. Whole, pasteurised, non-homogenised milk from cows raised on organic feed is now available in many gourmet shops and health food stores. It can be cultured to restore enzyme content, at least partially. Cultured buttermilk is often more easily digested than regular milk; it is an excellent product to use in baking.

Many shops now carry whole cream that is merely pasteurised (not ultra pasteurised like most commercial cream); diluted with water, it is delicious on cereal and a good substitute for those allergic to milk. Traditionally made creme fraiche (European style sour cream) also has a high enzyme content.

Sources: www.mercola.com
http://www.flatrock.org.nz/topics/animals/holy_cow.htm
See also:

Diabetes, Heart Disease Linked to NZ Milk - Some cows produce A1 beta-casein and other (guersey and simmentals, for example) produce A2 beta-casein. It seems that it may only be A1 milk which is associated with an increased risk of heart disease...

Trend in Fast food Obesity

The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools reports dramatic increase in consumption of fast food by children since 1970. Presently, children get 10 percent of their total energy intake from fast foods, compared to 2 percent in the 1970s.

Since fast food adds 6 pounds per child per year and 33% of the children and teens in the US consume fast food, obesity is on the rise.

Fast food obesity

Occurrence of Fast food Obesity: According to a report published in Chicago Tribune, fast-food consumption is more in higher-income households, young boys, older children, African-Americans and children living in the south, whereas fast food consumption is found to be low in youngsters living in the West, rural areas, Hispanics, white women and those aged 4 to 8. Due to the increase in the number of fast food outlets, fast food prevails in virtually every segment of the society, including hospitals and schools, as per a study on fast food & obesity by Harvard School of Public Health.

Relation of fast food to obesity: Fast foods compromise the quality of diet by replacing more healthy foods. Fast foods are known for having high content of saturated and trans-fat, low content of fiber and massive portion sizes, leading to obesity.

Managing Fast food Obesity: The onus lies on parents to educate their children about the ill effects of fast food. Obesity can be prevented in children by allowing fast food in moderation only. Also, both, the big and small fast food players should educate people about the contents of their products.

No Smoking in Cars with Kids

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California motorists will risk fines of up to $100 next year if they are caught smoking in cars with minors, making their state the third to protect children in vehicles from secondhand smoke.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday signed a bill that will make it an infraction to smoke in a vehicle if someone under age 18 is present. But the traffic stop would have to be made for another offense, such as speeding or an illegal turn, before the driver could be cited for smoking.

The ban, which takes effect Jan. 1, joins a string of smoking prohibitions adopted in California, including a ban on smoking in enclosed workplaces and within 25 feet of a playground.

A Harvard School of Public Health report issued last year said secondhand smoke in cars can be up to 10 times more of a health risk than secondhand smoke in a home.

"Protecting the health of our children is among government's highest responsibilities," said the bill's author, state Sen. Jenny Oropeza, a Democrat. "It is clear that increasing public awareness about the dangers of secondhand smoke is the right thing to do."

At least 20 states and a number of municipalities have considered limiting smoking in cars where minors are present. Arkansas now bans smoking in cars with children age 6 and younger, while Louisiana has limited it when children 13 and younger are in the vehicle. Maine lawmakers will take up the issue in January.

By Steve Lawrence, Associated Press writer; TH 10-11-07

If You Have a Toddler, Please Read This

More toddlers under age four are admitted to hospital emergency rooms as a result of household cleaner-related injuries than for any other reason. ALSO, household cleaners and personal care products can exacerbate breathing problems and asthma. Due to out gassing this can happen even when packaging is sealed.

sources:
~~> Cancer Prevention Coalition c/o School of Public Health University of Illinois Medical Center 2121 West Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612,Tel: (312) 996-2297, Fax: (312) 996-1374 http://www.healthy-communications.com/factsoncarcinogensathome.html
~~> From the Cancer Prevention Coalition and the "Safe Shoppers Bible" by Dr. Samuel S. Epstein and Dr. David Steinman, 1995