BVO

View Part 2 of The Dangerous Chemicals You Don't Know You're Eating- BVO
By Dr. Mercola

If you live in the U.S. and drink Mountain Dew and some other citrus-flavored sodas, then you are also getting a dose of a synthetic chemical called brominated vegetable oil (BVO).  
BVO was first patented by chemical companies as a flame retardant.
The chemical is banned in food throughout Europe and Japan.
But BVO has been added to about 10 percent of sodas in North America for decades, even though it has resulted in soda-drinkers needing medical attention for skin lesions, memory loss and nerve disorders -- all symptoms of overexposure to bromine.
Studies suggest that BVO can build up in human tissues, and animal studies have found it causes reproductive and behavioral problems in large doses.
According to Scientific American:

"Reports from an industry group helped the U.S. Food and Drug Administration establish in 1977 what it considers a safe limit for BVO in sodas.
But some scientists say that limit is based on data that is thin and several decades old, and they insist that the chemical deserves a fresh look ...
With natural alternatives already in use in other countries, why not switch in North America too?"

What is Brominated Vegetable Oil, and Why is it Used in Soda?

Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) is vegetable oil, derived from corn or soy, bonded with the element bromine.  It's added as an emulsifier, to prevent the flavoring from separating and floating to the surface. The FDA limits the amount of BVO allowed in fruit-flavored beverages to 15 parts per million.
Bromines are common endocrine disruptors, and are part of the halide family, a group of elements that includes fluorine, chlorine and iodine. What makes it so dangerous is that it competes for the same receptors that are used to capture iodine. If you are exposed to a lot of bromine, your body will not hold on to the iodine that it needs. And iodine affects every tissue in your body, not just your thyroid.

Are You Consuming Sodas Laced with BVO?

According to the featured article, Coca-Cola and Pepsi do not contain brominated vegetable oil (BVO), but the following citrus-flavored sodas and energy drinks, sold in the US, do:

Mountain Dew	Squirt	Fanta Orange
Sunkist Pineapple	Gatorade Thirst Quencher Orange, and Powerade Strawberry Lemonade	Fresca Original Citrus

This is not a complete list however. All in all, about 10 percent of all sodas sold in the U.S. contain BVO, so it pays to read the list of ingredients. Better yet, make a concerted effort to eliminate soda from your diet altogether. With or without BVO, sodas contain so many ingredients harmful to your health—high fructose corn syrup being one of the foremost culprits—that they really have no redeeming value whatsoever.
And please do not make the mistake of switching from regular soda to diet, as artificial sweetened drinks may be the worse of two evils. Also beware of drinks containing sodium benzoate, and Yellow Dye #5. The latter is also known as tartrazine, and has been banned in Norway, Austria and Germany due to its ill health effects.
Unfortunately, according to a 2010 study by the National Cancer Institute, sodas are still the number one source of calories for teenagers between the ages of 14 to 18. Among adults, sodas and other sugary drinks are the fourth largest source of calories, according to the latest dietary statistics from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
There's no doubt that this kind of excessive soda consumption ravages your body and robs you of good health... I believe one of the fastest ways to make a profound change in your health- and weight status is to dramatically reduce or eliminate soda from your diet, regardless of which type or brand you drink.

Other Common Sources of Bromine

Bromine can also be found in a number of products, including

Pesticides (specifically methyl bromide, used mainly on strawberries, predominantly in California)	Bakery goods and some flours often contain a "dough conditioner" called potassium bromate	Medications such as Atrovent Inhaler, Atrovent Nasal Spray, Pro-Banthine (for ulcers), and anesthesia agents
Plastics, like those used to make computers	Fire retardants (common one is polybromo diphenyl ethers or PBDEs) used in fabrics, carpets, upholstery, and mattresses	Bromine-based hot tub and swimming pool treatments

Health Risks of Bromine

As mentioned, when you ingest or absorb bromine, it displaces iodine. The resulting iodine deficiency can in turn lead to an increased risk for cancer of the breast, thyroid gland, ovary and prostate -- cancers that we see at alarmingly high rates today. This phenomenon is significant enough to have been given its own name: the Bromide Dominance Theory.
Bromine is also toxic in and of itself. It can accumulate in your tissues, central nervous system, and breast milk, resulting in a number of health problems. One 1971 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition concluded that:

"These findings, in conjunction with previous animal studies and with the geographical differences in the use of brominated vegetable oils as food additives, suggest that the high bromine levels found in the fat of tissues from UK children are due to the use of these compounds."

One 1983 animal study also found that rats receiving one percent BVO in their feed suffered impaired fertility, and at two percent, they became completely infertile.
Bromine is known to act as a central nervous system depressant, and can trigger a number of psychological symptoms such as acute paranoia and other psychotic symptoms. In fact, in an audio interview, physician Jorge Flechas reported that, between 1920 and 1960, at least 20 percent of all hospital admissions for "acute paranoid schizophrenia" were a result of ingesting bromine-containing products. In addition to psychiatric problems, bromine toxicity can manifest as:

• Skin rashes and severe acne
• Loss of appetite and abdominal pain
• Fatigue
• Metallic taste
• Cardiac arrhythmias

Scientific American cites two case studies of bromine toxicity in humans:

"In 1997, emergency room doctors at University of California, Davis reported a patient with severe bromine intoxication from drinking two to four liters of orange soda every day. He developed headaches, fatigue, ataxia (loss of muscle coordination) and memory loss. In a 2003 case reported in Ohio, a 63-year-old man developed ulcers on his swollen hands after drinking eight liters of Red Rudy Squirt every day for several months. The man was diagnosed with bromoderma, a rare skin hypersensitivity to bromine exposure. The patient quit drinking the brominated soft drink and months later recovered."

Bromine's Effect on Your Thyroid

Iodine is crucial for proper thyroid function. Without iodine, your thyroid gland would be completely unable to produce thyroid hormone. Even the names of the different forms of thyroid hormone reflect the number of iodine molecules attached -- T4 has four attached iodine molecules, and T3 (the biologically active form of the hormone) has three--showing what an important part iodine plays in thyroid biochemistry. Hypothyroidism is far more prevalent than once thought in the U.S.
The latest estimates are that 13 million Americans have hypothyroidism, but the actual numbers are probably higher. Some experts claim that 10 to 40 percent of Americans have suboptimal thyroid function.
But many of these folks may actually have nothing wrong with their thyroid gland at all. They may just be suffering from iodine deficiency, brought on by too little iodine-containing foods and/or too much exposure to bromine—whether in the form of bromine-laced foods and drinks, or from some other source—which end up blocking iodine uptake…
For more in-depth information about bromine's impact on your thyroid health, please see this previous article.

Ditch the Soda to Dramatically Improve Your Health

In the featured article, Walter Vetter, a food chemist at Germany's University of Hohenheim, suggests American soda makers could easily replace BVO with something far safer, such as hydrocolloids, which are used in many sodas sold in Europe.

"They are almost exclusively natural products," Vetter says.

The reason for soda makers' unwillingness to swap out the offending ingredient for their American customers is unclear, but considering the fact that many of these sodas are already sold overseas without BVO in them, one can only surmise that their unwillingness to change has to do with cost…
Personally, I strongly recommend ditching all sodas, regardless of where you live or what particular additives are included, as the primary health hazard of soda consumption is tied to the excessive amounts of fructose you're ingesting. Quite simply, it's a leading contributor to the rising rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases facing Americans. Just one can of soda per day can add as much as 15 pounds to your weight over the course of a single year, not to mention increase your risk of diabetes by 85 percent!
There's really no shortage of research showing the profound impact of soda consumption on your health. For example:

• Dr. David Ludwig of Boston Children's Hospital did a study of the effects of sugar-sweetened drinks on obesity in children. He found that for each additional serving of a sugar-sweetened drink, both body mass index and odds of obesity increased.
• The Fizzy Drink Study in Christchurch, England explored the effects on obesity when soda machines were removed from schools for one year. In the schools where the machines were removed, obesity stayed constant. In the schools where soda machines remained, obesity rates continued to rise.
• In a 2009 study, 16 volunteers were fed a controlled diet including high levels of fructose. Ten weeks later, the volunteers had produced new fat cells around their hearts, livers and other digestive organs. They also showed signs of food-processing abnormalities linked to diabetes and heart disease. A second group of volunteers who were fed a similar diet, but with glucose replacing fructose, did not have these problems.

Weaning yourself and your kids off the sweet stuff, and replacing it with clean, pure water can be one of the most profoundly beneficial changes you'll ever make.

Acrylamide

The Dangerous Chemicals You Don't Know You're Eating - Acrylamide

Ten years after a Swedish study found worryingly high levels of acrylamide in baked and fried foods, a new report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has found that little has changed and levels are still too high.

Acrylamide is a known neurotoxin and carcinogen in rats. While the majority of studies have failed to find a link between acrylamide consumption and most human cancers, high levels of consumption have been shown to increase the risk of developing uterine and ovarian cancer.

Concerns around acrylamide’s safety led to the EFSA collating data annually on the levels of acrylamide in foodstuffs, and the latest report covers these measurements from 2007 to 2010. However, the findings are mixed.

Very few changes were observed over the whole monitoring period, although acrylamide in processed cereal-based foods for children showed a drop of 49% and both coffee and crispbreads showed increases of over 40%. In total, the proportion of samples exceeding the ‘indicative values of concern’ set out by the EU in 2011 ranged from 6–17% over the monitoring period.

Acrylamide is formed by the very cooking techniques that make food so tasty. The Maillard reaction that adds flavour and colour when starches are baked or fried turns the amino acid asparagine into acrylamide and the food industry has been working on various ways to reduce levels, says Bruno De Meulenaer from the department of food safety and food quality at Ghent University, Belgium.

One way to reduce acrylamide formation is by using different strains of potatoes, or changing the cooking conditions. For wheat-based foods, Thomas Amrein from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich has shown that adding the enzyme asparaginase to the wheat before cooking can digest the asparagine before it can be turned into acrylamide. This enzyme is now beginning to be allowed in food uses as the problem of acrylamide is starting to receive greater recognition. Other techniques, such as switching the raising agent used, can also make a difference.

The EFSA acknowledge in their report that assessing the improvements made by the food industry will take time and will hopefully be improved by better monitoring. From 2010, all EU countries have been required to monitor acrylamide levels, something that is not routine anywhere else in the world.

1. What is acrylamide? 

   Acrylamide is a chemical used primarily as a building block in making polyacrylamide and acrylamide copolymers. Polyacrylamide and acrylamide copolymers are used in many industrial processes, such as the production of paper, dyes, and plastics, and in the treatment of drinking water and wastewater, including sewage. They are also found in consumer products, such as caulking, food packaging, and some adhesives. Trace amounts of acrylamide generally remain in these products.

2. Is there acrylamide in food? 

   Researchers in Europe and the United States have found acrylamide in certain foods that were heated to a temperature above 120 degrees Celsius (248 degrees Fahrenheit), but not in foods prepared below this temperature (1). Potato chips and French fries were found to contain higher levels of acrylamide compared with other foods (2). The World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations stated that the levels of acrylamide in foods pose a “major concern” and that more research is needed to determine the risk of dietary acrylamide exposure (2).

3. How does cooking produce acrylamide? 

   Asparagine is an amino acid (a building block of proteins) that is found in many vegetables, with higher concentrations in some varieties of potatoes. When heated to high temperatures in the presence of certain sugars, asparagine can form acrylamide. High-temperature cooking methods, such as frying, baking, or broiling, have been found to produce acrylamide (3), while boiling and microwaving appear less likely to do so. Longer cooking times can also increase acrylamide production when the cooking temperature is above 120 degrees Celsius (4, 5).

4. Is there anything in the cooking process that can be changed to lower dietary acrylamide exposure?

   Decreasing cooking time, blanching potatoes before frying, and postdrying (drying in a hot air oven after frying) have been shown to decrease the acrylamide content of some foods (6, 7).

5. Should I change my diet? 

   Acrylamide levels in food vary widely depending on the manufacturer, the cooking time, and the method and temperature of the cooking process (8, 9). The best advice at this time is to follow established dietary guidelines and eat a healthy, balanced diet that is low in fat and rich in high-fiber grains, fruits, and vegetables.

6. Are there other ways humans are exposed to acrylamide? 

   Food and cigarette smoke are the major sources of acrylamide exposure (10). Exposure to acrylamide from other sources is likely to be significantly less than that from food or smoking, but scientists do not yet have a complete understanding of all sources of exposure. Acrylamide and polyacrylamide are used in some industrial and agricultural procedures, and regulations are in place to limit exposure in those settings.

7. Does acrylamide increase the risk of cancer?

   Studies in rodent models have found that acrylamide exposure poses a risk for several types of cancer (11, 12, 13). However, the evidence from human studies is still incomplete. The National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer consider acrylamide to be a “probable human carcinogen,” based on studies in laboratory animals given acrylamide in drinking water. However, toxicology studies have shown differences in acrylamide absorption rates between humans and rodents (14).
   A series of case-control studies have investigated the relationship between dietary intake of acrylamide and the risk of developing cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, larynx, large bowel, kidney, breast, and ovary. These studies generally found no excess of tumors associated with acrylamide intake (15, 16, 17, 18, 19). In the studies, however, not all acrylamide-containing foods were included in estimating exposures. In addition, information in case-control studies about exposures is often based on interviews (personal or through questionnaires) with the case and control subjects, and these groups may differ in the accuracy of their recall about exposures. One factor that might influence recall accuracy in cancer-related dietary studies is that diets are often altered after receiving a diagnosis of cancer.
   To avoid such limitations in accurately determining acrylamide exposure, biomarkers of exposure were recently used in a Danish cohort study designed to evaluate the subsequent risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women (20). Among women with higher levels of acrylamide bound to the hemoglobin in their blood, there was a statistically significant increase in risk of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. This finding suggests an endocrine hormone-related effect, which would be consistent with the results of a questionnaire-based cohort study in the Netherlands that found an excess of endometrial and ovarian cancer—but not of postmenopausal breast cancer—associated with higher levels of acrylamide exposure (21). Another cohort study from the Netherlands suggested a positive association between dietary acrylamide and the risk of renal cell cancer, but not of prostate or bladder cancer (22).

8. What are other health effects of acrylamide?

   High levels of acrylamide in the workplace have been shown to cause neurological damage, e.g., among workers using acrylamide polymers to clarify water in coal preparation plants (23).

9. Are acrylamide levels regulated? 

   The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates acrylamide in drinking water. The EPA established an acceptable level of acrylamide exposure, set low enough to account for any uncertainty in the data relating acrylamide to cancer and neurotoxic effects. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates the amount of residual acrylamide in a variety of materials that come in contact with food, but there are currently no guidelines governing the presence of acrylamide in food itself.

10. What research is needed? 

    Although studies in rodent models suggest that acrylamide is a potential carcinogen, additional epidemiological cohort studies are needed to help determine any effects of dietary acrylamide intake on human cancer risk. It is also important to determine how acrylamide is formed during the cooking process and whether acrylamide is present in foods other than those already tested. This information will enable more accurate and comprehensive estimates of dietary exposure. Biospecimen collections in cohort studies will provide an opportunity to avoid the limitations of interview-based dietary assessments by examining biomarkers of exposure to acrylamide and its metabolites in relation to the subsequent risk of cancer.
    For information about acrylamide from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, please visit WHO's Food Safety: Acrylamide page.
    For information about acrylamide from the National Toxicology Program (NTP), please visit NTP's Report on Carcinogens.

Mercury in CFL bulbs

Essential Oils

FLUORIDEGATE An American Tragedy - video

FLUORIDEGATE An American Tragedy - 

A David Kennedy film

FLUORIDEGATE AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY (1:05:05)
A DOCUMENTARY FILM. By Dr. David Kennedy

WWW.FLUORIDEGATE.ORG

FLUORIDEGATE the movie is a new documentary film that reveals the tragedy of how the United States government, industry, and trade associations protect and promote a policy known to cause harm to our country and especially small children, who suffer more than any other segment of the population. While the basis of their motivation remains uncertain, the outcome is crystal clear: it is destroying our nation.

David Kennedy DSS  "I can think of no better way to destroy a nation that to spread toxins far and wide.  In the 70s we learned just how bad lead is for us after being exposed for more than 50 years.  Now we’re adding silica fluoride to the drinking water, and that sucks lead into the bodies of the children. We have babies that are dying. 17,900 more babies die early in life than they should…or otherwise if we had protected the water supply…” Very powerful last statement; watch the ending for the full statement.  I highly recommend watching the entire film, which is one hr.  Nothing is more important than your health and well being, and your responsibility for your children’s health who rely on you to get informed to make healthy choices!

 

Brain Boosting Supplements

 Supplements that give your brain the boost it needs

The brain depends upon specific nutrients in order to function with peak capacity. There are certain nutrients that are challenging to get from our diet and lifestyles. These nutrients can be supplemented through whole food based sources. These are some the most specific nutritional supplements for healthy brain function.

Vitamin D3

This is extremely critical for brain development and maturity throughout life. Lowered vitamin D3 levels are associated with autism, dyslexia and ADHD in children and neurodegenerative diseases like dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's in adults.

The optimal source of vitamin D3 is through the sun. Most of our ancestors were able to derive optimal vitamin D3 levels through regular sun exposure. In the Northern climates, they would get a lot in the summer and then their diet of fatty fish, organ meat and raw milk that naturally contain little bits to keep them going in the winter.

Researchers have found that the optimal vitamin D3 levels are between 70-100ng/ml. Over 95 percent of society is well under these levels. Taking 10,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily is a great way to ensure your levels are optimized and your brain development is at its peak.

Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements and astaxanthin reduce inflammation. Omega-3s help provide better cell membrane receptor activity while astaxanthin has the unique ability to cross the blood brain barrier as well as the blood-retinal barrier while most carotenoids do not. This helps protect the brain and eyes from inflammatory damage and reduces the risk for blindness, cataracts, macular degeneration, dementia, Alzheimer's Disease and other neurological disorders.

Astaxanthin works particularly well against peroxyl radicals that damage cell membranes. This is particularly important because all essential fats, in-particular, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA are very fragile and susceptible to free radical damage. Astaxanthin is the most powerful antioxidant at inhibiting the oxidation of these essential fats. Take one to two grams of EPA/DHA daily with four to eight milligrams of astaxanthin.

Probiotics

Gut health is extremely critical to brain health. Children with neurodevelopmental problems like Autism, dyslexia and ADHD are known to have leaky gut syndromes and often have very profound food allergies. When the gut is damaged, it allows food particles to cross into the blood stream where the immune system creates an inflammatory attack. This inflammation passes into the brain and screws up neurological processing.

Many individuals have dysbiosis or bad bacterial balance in their gut and parasites like Candida. The parasites and opportunistic bacteria release toxins into the blood stream that get into the brain and cause inflammation leading to poor memory, brain fog and advanced states of brain degeneration.

Supplement with a high quality probiotic that has diverse strains (at least 20 different strains) and over 50 billion colony forming units. This is the probiotic that will deliver results and you will feel the difference after a week.

B-complex vitamins

Methylation is a key biochemical process that happens billions of times every second to repair the DNA in the body. B vitamins are the key components to healthy methylation processes. Take a whole food-based multivitamin and/or B complex supplement and improve your gut health to absorb these nutrients more effectively. It is also key to eat lots of dark, green leafy vegetables and organic animal products to get these nutrients.

The key methylators include vitamin B6, folate and B12. Research has shown that lowered levels of these nutrients all result in a significantly increased risk of dementia, mood and anxiety disorders and neurodegenerative processes. Niacin which is B3 also has been shown to be important for cognitive function.