Oaktree Wellness Center Blog

Many of us know that Bisphenol A (BPA) is a toxic chemical found leaching from plastic water bottles, cans, dental cavity sealants, as well as in many other products. But did you know that it has been proven to be found leaching from 30% of the cans of baby formula? You wouldn’t know by reading the ingredients listed because the FDA feels it doesn’t pose enough risk to harm the human body. One in every 16 babies is being exposed to BPA at a much higher rate than those proven harmful in studies done on animals. This puts babies who are fed formula at a very high risk of contamination.

BPA is the target of a study by the Environmental Working Group, which lobbies for protective health policies. This independent study found that the metal cans containing baby formula are leaching at dangerously high rates in over one-third of all cans tested. In addition, this same group found that BPA has been leaching into foods at 200% the recommended levels.

Lower levels of BPA exposure can cause cancer, birth defects and neuro-toxicity, and much more. Another 2006 study showed what BPA does when it alters genes in the body. Although over 100 peer-reviewed studies have been published to the contrary, the FDA declared in 1996 that it posed no risk to humans.

BPA is widely found in many consumer products that we use daily - our water bottles, cans, water pipes, flooring, and in just about everything we come in contact with. It truly is an environmental disaster waiting to infect us.

Ways to Avoid BPA:

1) Recycling labels on plastics with labels #1, #2 and #4 are generally considered safe.

2) Powdered baby formula is much safer than canned.

3) Opt for porcelain, glass and stainless steel containers, especially when serving hot foods and liquids.

4) Although it’s best to avoid microwaves completely, do not use plastic wrap on food when heating in them.

5) Use stainless steel containers that don’t have plastic liners.

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We love to look good, and feel good. The makeup and skin care products we use on a daily basis are a part of this. Unfortunately, what we don’t see is what may harm our health. Metals, skin irritants, preservatives, formaldehydes, dyes and other carcinogenic compounds are among what lingers in what we put on our face and skin.

Our skin absorbs these chemicals which in turn get into the bloodstream via dermal contact. Prolonged exposure to these chemicals can contribute to carcinogenic poisoning, infertility, and fetal development problems.

While cosmetic laws require that all ingredients be listed, the FDA fails to adequately regulate the safety of cosmetics and personal care products.

http://www.townsendletter.com/FebMar2006/envirohealth0206.htm

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Columbia University Medical Center radiological researchers have growing concern that a large number of patients are unnecessarily radiated each year. This may contribute to increased potential for cancer in individuals due to overradiation. The researchers have indicated that carcinogenic effects from overuse of CT scans is underestimated, and, that many prescribed scan are often medically unnecessary.

Some suggestions to reduce CT exposure are to decrease the radiation dose, use ultrasound or MRI when appropriate instead of CT, and decrease the amount of prescribed CT scans to patients.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-11/cumc-crg112807.php

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Daily dry skin brushing is a great way to help your lymphatic system clear itself of toxins. The lymph system needs to be pumped in order to cleanse. The ways to pump the system are by rebounding, dry skin brushing, massage, and exercise.

The skin is one of our biggest detox organs, often referred to as the 3rd kidney. Brushing your skin helps to open the pores and allow the waste materials to escape the body. It also helps your skin feel tighter, smoother, and cleaner.

There are very soft, smaller brushes available for the head and neck. Larger brushes are available for the rest of the body. Skin brushing only takes a couple of minutes a day to produce wonderful feeling results on your body while detoxing at the same time.

http://healingtools.tripod.com/skinbrush.html

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 Not technically a blog, just some cool information from the U.S.  Department of Energy and The Green Power Network on buying green power/products in Illinois, as well as some good info regarding consumer protection and the purchasing of green power and other products.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/buying/buying_power.shtml?state=IL

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Leaky gut is just that - the gut lining gets inflamed and damaged, thus disrupting the intestinal system. Large food antigens escape through holes in the lining and get absorbed into the body.  The body is use to smaller antigens leaching through the gut wall. When larger ones escape the body interprets them as being foreign invaders and “attacks” back at itself causing allergies, chemical sensitivities, arthritis, fibromyalgia, as well as harming organs.

There are a number of stages with leaky gut syndrome as it advances, each one getting worse than the last. These stages involve inflammation and pain, inability to absorb nutrients and minerals, compromised detox exit routes in the organs, and a good chance of a full-blown autoimmune disorder such as lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and many others.

High-fiber foods, diet changes, herbal preparations, probiotics and antioxidants may help promote healing of the gut wall. Stress reduction and relaxation exercises help as well.

http://www.allergyescape.com/leaky-gut-syndrome.html

http://autoimmunedisease.suite101.com/article.cfm/leaky_gut_syndrome

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When actor Dennis Quaid’s twins recently were given a horrendous amount of heparin by mistake in the hospital, it reminded us that medication errors can indeed happen, and does, to any one of us.

The five drugs most associated with these errors are heparin, warfarin, morphine, potassium chloride and insulin. These account for 28% of medication errors that ended up in longer-than-expected stays in the hospital. This is according to a 2002 study by United States Pharmacopeia. These drugs carry a much higher increased risk of injury to the patient when incorrectly administered.

At least 1.5 million American patients every year are injured after having the wrong drug or dose administered to them, per the Institute of Medicine.

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-me-twins22nov22,0,3760991.story?coll=la-home-center

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An England organic food study has found that organic foods are more nutritious than ordinary produce. It some ways this may help people live longer. The study was done over 4 years at Newcastle University in England.

The university-funded study cost 24 million (U.S. dollars) and indicated that organic produce contains up to 40 percent more antioxidants, which many physicians feel help fight cancer and other diseases. The study also indicates that organic produce also contains more minerals like iron and zinc, the Sunday Times reported.

Part of the project consisted of growing fruits and vegetables while also raising cattle on 725 acres of organic and non-organic land. What they found was the antioxidant levels of milk from the organic-fed cattle were 90 percent more than the non-organic fed herds.

Prof. Carlo Leifert, who was the coordinator of this project, indicated the differences were obvious enough that organic produce helped increase nutrients of those people who did not eat the daily portions of fruits and vegetables that were recommended to them.

The Foods Standards Agency indicated it needed to review all evidence from the project prior to changing any current information they have on organic produce. They had previously indicated there were no big differences between organic and nonorganic produce.

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We hear about new approaches to the same old 3 conventional “cures” - surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. The problem with these one-size-fits-all approaches are that they don’t always work as expected when we as individuals have unique health histories. Our individual health histories contribute to the reasons we got cancer in the first place. The approaches to our treatment should be as unique as we are as individuals.

We must seriously look at the way cancer is being treated in the United States. The International Strategic Cancer Alliance (ISCA) is a new organization that has been formed to unite oncologists and their patients to create a personalized treatment program which will provide the best of science-based medicine to assist in eradicating cancer. The current focus of ISCA is to support breast and prostate cancer patients who have been newly diagnosed.

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/nov2007_cover_cancerpatients_01.html

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Our bodies are exposed daily to heavy metal exposure in a number of ways. We are affected by them in the air we breathe, the personal products we use, the dental materials in our mouths, to name a few.

We must keep our bodies as healthy as possible by keeping the organ detox channels open and supporting our immune systems with nutritious food, proper vitamin supplementation, keeping stress at bay, and exercise.

Sometimes our bodies cannot properly dispose of the heavy metals without the additional support of nutrient and chelation IV therapy.

Heavy metal detoxing should not be started unless you’re under the care of an educated physician. They should be experienced with proper detox protocols to safely remove the heavy metals from the body in a timely manner with minimal side effects.

http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcls-txt/t-prtcl-156.html

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