I've heard a number of seminar speakers comment that drinking milk can be harmful to your health. This is one of those highly contentious issues I encounter when talking about health matters with other parents. Many parents believe the extensive marketing that has surrounded milk drinking as a healthy option.
Once again Dr Mercola has provided some of the science behind the debate to remove some of the emotional reaction to the question and gives parents some real data to consider. I recommend reading his article Don't Drink Your Milk!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Childhood cancer concerns
A chilling video from one of Australia's current affairs programs can be viewed on Dr Mercola's website warning us of the danger of exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF), and electromagnetic radiation (EMR) from mobile phones and other electrical and electronic equipment and appliances.
The video interviews a family whose 7 year old daughter died from a brain tumour. Some alarming stories are mentioned by the Doctor who is interviewed - in particular that he has operated on a one day old baby born with a malignant tumour.
I did not realize brain cancer had surpassed leukaemia as the number one killer of our children. Childhood brain cancer has increased by 21% in the last decade in Australia.
I was disappointed that the article on the Mercola site didn't say more about preventative action. Prevention is my passion. Some of the things I try to be conscious of are: trying to use my mobile phone on speaker whenever I can and hold it away from my body and I never let my child play with it or hold it. I have become very conscious of the fact that my mobile phone sits in my handbag which sits snugly against my right side whenever I am carrying it and wonder if this is harmful as well. Are there other things we could be doing to help our bodies cope? For example, keeping the body alkaline rather than acidic, or the use of antioxidants to combat free radicals?
Food for thought. If useful answers crop up I will add to this post.
Meanwhile, stay happy and healthy. Strive to be informed as much as you can. If we can help you with your wellbeing please don't hesitate to contact us at the Health Highway.
The video interviews a family whose 7 year old daughter died from a brain tumour. Some alarming stories are mentioned by the Doctor who is interviewed - in particular that he has operated on a one day old baby born with a malignant tumour.
I did not realize brain cancer had surpassed leukaemia as the number one killer of our children. Childhood brain cancer has increased by 21% in the last decade in Australia.
I was disappointed that the article on the Mercola site didn't say more about preventative action. Prevention is my passion. Some of the things I try to be conscious of are: trying to use my mobile phone on speaker whenever I can and hold it away from my body and I never let my child play with it or hold it. I have become very conscious of the fact that my mobile phone sits in my handbag which sits snugly against my right side whenever I am carrying it and wonder if this is harmful as well. Are there other things we could be doing to help our bodies cope? For example, keeping the body alkaline rather than acidic, or the use of antioxidants to combat free radicals?
Food for thought. If useful answers crop up I will add to this post.
Meanwhile, stay happy and healthy. Strive to be informed as much as you can. If we can help you with your wellbeing please don't hesitate to contact us at the Health Highway.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Wonderful news!
It has been a few months since my last post but there have been a good reason. Hopefully I am now fully back in action and ready to give you more life-saving information through the Health Highway! The wonderful news is that I am unexpectedly but delightfully pregnant. Many readers know that we had nearly 4 years of infertility treatment to have our son and it was only after he was born that someone showed me information about the effect of many harmful ingredients in everyday products which have a negative impact on human fertility. This information had a powerful impact on me and I have not bought a mainstream supermarket personal care product since that day.
Two years later, at 40 years old, I have conceived a child naturally. We had thought we would only ever have one child as neither of us wanted to go back for more medical intervention. What a blessing for us!
I will be 18 weeks pregnant this week and all is going well. The only down-side to the whole experience has been morning sickness, which has put me out of action and is the reason for the lack of blogging. But the morning sickness is gradually improving. My wonderful naturopath is continuing to work with me in ensuring I have the best of health otherwise. And it is a small price to pay for such an amazing gift.
Stay tuned - the Health Highway will be chock full of great information on maximising your health and wellbeing of those you love. If we can help you with anything specific please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Two years later, at 40 years old, I have conceived a child naturally. We had thought we would only ever have one child as neither of us wanted to go back for more medical intervention. What a blessing for us!
I will be 18 weeks pregnant this week and all is going well. The only down-side to the whole experience has been morning sickness, which has put me out of action and is the reason for the lack of blogging. But the morning sickness is gradually improving. My wonderful naturopath is continuing to work with me in ensuring I have the best of health otherwise. And it is a small price to pay for such an amazing gift.
Stay tuned - the Health Highway will be chock full of great information on maximising your health and wellbeing of those you love. If we can help you with anything specific please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Why Phthalates are potentially harmful
I frequently blog on plastics and phthalates and the dangers they pose to human's reproductive health. This post will pull together my previous posts on the subject and I will update it as I add to the Health Highway blog on this particular topic.
"Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have demonstrated that most Americans have detectable levels of phthalates in their blood and urine, and preliminary findings have linked high bodily levels of phthalates to sperm damage in men and reproductive defects in newborn boys" - extract from LA Times article How safe are green cleaning products?
My posts on the subject so far:
"Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have demonstrated that most Americans have detectable levels of phthalates in their blood and urine, and preliminary findings have linked high bodily levels of phthalates to sperm damage in men and reproductive defects in newborn boys" - extract from LA Times article How safe are green cleaning products?
My posts on the subject so far:
If you want to contact us about a topic regarding potentially harmful ingredients that we haven't yet covered on the Health Highway blog, then please feel free to get in touch. Our aim is to show you simple and effective ways to dramatically improve your health and lifestyle. We'd love to help you!
How safe is "green"?
When it comes to safe cleaning products, it seems there are a lot of manufacturers jumping on the opportunity provided by the increasing consumer interest and demand for products which are safer for their families health and for the environment. Great marketing campaigns convince consumers that products labelled "green" or "eco-friendly" are safe. But how safe are they?
A great article in the LA Times on How safe are green cleaning products reveals the underlying dangers of believing the marketing hype without extra education on the issues. Consumers must remember that this is an industry which is under-regulated. Labelling laws do not require manufacturers to list all ingredients. The most frightening fact was that a recently study on consumer products which claimed to be "natural" or "non-toxic" revealed tha half of 100 products tested contained the known cancer-causing agent "1,4-dioxane", including a number of dishwashing liquids with the words "eco" and "earth friendly" in their brand names.
The label "natural" still allows manufacturers to include petroleum distillates, some of which (eg benzine) are also cancer causing. Get this!
The article also mentioned pthalates (which I have blogged on many times) and numerous other harmful ingredients.
At the Health Highway, we put you in touch with ingredients which are proven to not contain any of these harmful ingredients (no pthalates, no 1,4-dioxane, no benzine, to name just a few of the potentially harmful ingredients you will find in supermarket brands).
We have products with a solid, 20 year history that are endorsed by research scientists and chemists at the top of their game. Don't risk your family's health on a fly-by-night manufacturer who doesn't carry the highest accolades of safety. We've seen dramatic improvements in people's health and lifestyle from ridding their homes of unsafe products and would love to help you get the same results. Contact us if we can help you in any way.
A great article in the LA Times on How safe are green cleaning products reveals the underlying dangers of believing the marketing hype without extra education on the issues. Consumers must remember that this is an industry which is under-regulated. Labelling laws do not require manufacturers to list all ingredients. The most frightening fact was that a recently study on consumer products which claimed to be "natural" or "non-toxic" revealed tha half of 100 products tested contained the known cancer-causing agent "1,4-dioxane", including a number of dishwashing liquids with the words "eco" and "earth friendly" in their brand names.
The label "natural" still allows manufacturers to include petroleum distillates, some of which (eg benzine) are also cancer causing. Get this!
"labeling in the cleaning products industry is highly unregulated. The use of terms such as "green" and "natural" is monitored ...to ensure that such terms are not misleading to consumers. But neither the commission nor any other agency sets standards that products must meet before they can call themselves green. " 'Green' and 'natural' are marketing terms -- they're not terms of science," Sansoni said. Cleaning product manufacturers -- green or otherwise -- are also not required by law to disclose all of their ingredients on their labels..."
The article also mentioned pthalates (which I have blogged on many times) and numerous other harmful ingredients.
At the Health Highway, we put you in touch with ingredients which are proven to not contain any of these harmful ingredients (no pthalates, no 1,4-dioxane, no benzine, to name just a few of the potentially harmful ingredients you will find in supermarket brands).
We have products with a solid, 20 year history that are endorsed by research scientists and chemists at the top of their game. Don't risk your family's health on a fly-by-night manufacturer who doesn't carry the highest accolades of safety. We've seen dramatic improvements in people's health and lifestyle from ridding their homes of unsafe products and would love to help you get the same results. Contact us if we can help you in any way.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Drug Drought for Pregnant Women
This article from the Uni of Qld caught my eye today, its basic message being that Drug companies are avoiding developing new drugs for pregnant women because of the risk of litigation. So this sector of the population is not necesarily being looked after with new research and development - part of their research showed only 3% of the investment made into cardiovascular health has been made into maternal health over the same period. The study ranged over a 25 year period (from 1981).
Monday, May 5, 2008
10 tips for safer health care
How do you make sure any interaction you have with the medical professional are safe, professional and in your best interests? I've blogged before about the importance of keeping a medical journal and what to do when waiting for the doctor. I came across this list of 10 tips for safer health care today:
1. Be actively involved in your own health care
2. Speak up if you have any questions or concerns
3. Learn more about your condition or treatments by asking your doctor or nurse and by using other reliable sources of information
4. Keep a list of all the medicines your are taking
5. Make sure you understand the medicines you are taking
6. Make sure you get the results of any test or procedure
7. Talk to your doctor or other health care professional about your options if you need to go into hospital
8. Make sure you understand what will happen if you need surgery or a procedure
9. Make sure you, your doctor and your surgeon all agree on exactly what will be done during the operation
10. Before you leave hospital, ask your doctor or other health care professional to explain the treatment plan you will use at home
To obtain a detailed copy of the "10 tips for Safer Health Care" phone (02) 6289 4244 or go to www.safetyandquality.org
1. Be actively involved in your own health care
2. Speak up if you have any questions or concerns
3. Learn more about your condition or treatments by asking your doctor or nurse and by using other reliable sources of information
4. Keep a list of all the medicines your are taking
5. Make sure you understand the medicines you are taking
6. Make sure you get the results of any test or procedure
7. Talk to your doctor or other health care professional about your options if you need to go into hospital
8. Make sure you understand what will happen if you need surgery or a procedure
9. Make sure you, your doctor and your surgeon all agree on exactly what will be done during the operation
10. Before you leave hospital, ask your doctor or other health care professional to explain the treatment plan you will use at home
To obtain a detailed copy of the "10 tips for Safer Health Care" phone (02) 6289 4244 or go to www.safetyandquality.org
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