Mercury Warning!

(NaturalNews) New research published in Environmental Health and conducted in part by a scientist at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy has revealed that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is contaminated with the toxic heavy metal mercury.That means that many of the products using HFCS may also be contaminated with mercury. Carbonated sodas are sweetened with HFCS, as are candy bars, bread, salad dressings, pizza sauce, fruit drinks and thousands of other grocery items.

Mercury is so highly toxic that it causes severe neurological disorders. It can also result in the loss of hair, teeth and nails as well as muscle weakness, loss of kidney function, emotional mood swings and memory impairment…

High Fructose Corn Syrup Contaminated with Toxic Mercury, Says Research (opinion) -  Tuesday, January 27, 2009 by: Mike Adams, NaturalNews EditorHFCS is a sweetener found in many foods and beverages, including non-diet soda pop, baked goods, and condiments. It is has become the sweetener of choice for many food manufacturers because it is considered more economical, sweeter and more easy to blend into beverages than table sugar. Some researchers have suggested that high-fructose corn syrup may contribute to an increased risk of diabetes as well as obesity, a claim which the food industry disputes.  Until now, little laboratory evidence has been available on the topic.

Soda Warning? High-fructose Corn Syrup Linked To Diabetes, New Study Suggests

Tilly’s Comment:We experience so many problems with poor health, obesity and A.D.D
that it amazes me that reports like these is not on the front page of newspapers, headlines on billboards and the topic of dicussion in TV News. And I cannot help but wonder if this is just another example of cost and profit margin protection for food manufacturers. Did you know that HFCS is far cheaper  and sweeter than normal sugar?

What you must be aware of is that it is hard to find products on the shelf without this harmful ingredient.  Next time you are buying groceries, look at the label and see how many times you find HFCS in place of sugar. HFCS is providing virtually all the sugar in soft drinks, and forming a key ingredient in cakes, frozen food, condiments, baked goods, sports drinks and even some yoghurts.

The answer? Stop eating products with HFCS!

How ?  Simply start to read the nutrition labels of products that you  buy in the supermarkets.
More easily, stay away from good tasting foods and drinks. Rather concentrate on feeding the body with nutrients that is necessary to maintain life – and not  stimulate the taste buds!

Healthier Children

In South Africa, the under 5 mortality rate currently stands at 59. This means that 59 out every 1 000 children die between birth and five years. The infant mortality rate equates to 46 out of 1 000 children facing the prospect of dying between birth and one year of age. The neonatal mortality rate was last measured in 2004 and shows that of every 1 000 births, 17 newborns face the likelihood of dying within 28 days of birth. South Africa’s life expectancy at birth currently stands at 50.

Early care crucial for babies -Anso Thom

Tilly’s Comment:

What is more precious than the birth of a child – yours?

It must be absolutely soul destroying to lose a child at such a young age. My little one, almost four, is the joy of our lives. It is the highlight of our everyday  to see him grow and experiment. To hear him say “I love you” is a joy that can not be described with words. I just cannot begin to imagine the pain a mother must experience to lose a little one!

But then this report highlights the effect of a lack of knowledge that needs serious attention as the consequences are fatal. What is also needed will be to report on the lack of nutrition knowledge – how to feed our children in a more health conscious manner. This by far receives too little attention; maybe because the effects are only visible over a long period of time and can be just another opportunity for some corporate to gain financially.

Let’s face it if a vast majority of us suffer with hyperactive kids some company is going to gain by providing drug solutions. So the attitude of let’s give them more sugar has become acceptable!

It is time that we take the responsibility of having children more seriously. It is a litlle person that deserves the best and definitely worth the effort to make sure that we do know everything there is to know. And if we do why not help educate each other? Why wait for governments and institutions to get involved? I am sure they have their hands full. Let’s help each other to build stronger futures with healthier children!

No Wrinkles but STUPID?

(NaturalNews) The botulinum toxin injected into the face from the popular drug Botox can move into the brain, where it may cause damage to the central nervous system, according to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Allergan Inc.’s best-selling drug Botox, used to smooth out wrinkles by relaxing facial muscles, is actually botulinum neurotoxin type A. The toxin functions by disrupting the signals of the nervous system. Botox and a different variety of botulinum toxin, marketed as Myoblocby Solstice Neurosciences, are also used to treat muscular stiffness or
spasms caused by conditions such as cerebral palsy.

After reports surfaced of people experiencing trouble breathing or swallowing after receiving injections of the toxin, the FDA added warnings to the labels of Botox and Myobloc about these effects. While the FDA has only warned of the effects in patients with
neuromuscular disorders, it has acknowledged that a risk might also be posed in other people and has launched an investigation.

Botox Injections Can Leak Botulism Toxin Into the Brain, Warn Scientists

Tilly’s Comment:

Is this not just part of the world of convenience that we live in? Or could it really be ignorance?

Taking care of our skin takes time, effort and some knowledge. Yet how many of us do take the time to learn the how’s and why’s of our own skin and our own bodies? Or do we just hope that somehow when the damage shows somebody. somewhere, somehow will have a solution, whatever it might be.

The media schooled us whilst retail opportunists feed us whatever we want to hear. I say it is time that we take the responsibility to care for what is ours – our bodies, our skin!

http://www.bewell.co.za

Are you making your child FAT?

“New Haven, Connecticut – Overweight children are stigmatised by their peers as early as age three and even face bias from their parents and teachers, giving them a quality of life comparable to people with cancer, a new analysis concludes.

Youngsters who report teasing, rejection, bullying and other types of abuse because of their weight are two to three times more likely to report suicidal thoughts as well as to suffer from other health issues such as high blood pressure and eating disorders, researchers said.

“The stigmatisation directed at obese children by their peers, parents, educators and others is pervasive and often unrelenting,” researchers with Yale University and the University of Hawaii at Manatoa wrote in the July issue of Psychological Bulletin.

‘It is rarely challenged; it’s often ignored’

The paper was based on a review of all research on youth weight bias over the past 40 years, said lead author Rebecca M Puhl of Yale’s Rudd Centre for Food Policy and Obesity.

It comes amid a growing worldwide epidemic of child obesity. By 2010, almost 50 percent of children in North America and 38 percent of children in the European Union will be overweight, the researchers said.”

Overweight children face widespread stigma by John Christofferson

Tilly’s Comment:

So who’s responsibility is this any way? Are we as parents not suppose to teach and guide our children to become healthy, well balanced grown-ups one day?

It saddens me to see reports like this as the only solution ultimately will be some kind of ‘new found drug’ It is almost as if parents just do not care what happens to their children anymore. To me there is an attitude of ‘as long as it is convenient, quick, easy and can be bought it will be good enough for our children’ Our busy lifestyles offer no alternative after all!

So what are we busy with – Creating wealth and more convenience which result in less healthy children? What about obtaining the knowledge to know what is in the food we give our children and what foods will be more supportive of their physical and emotional well being? So they get ADD and have behavioral problems at school – is the drug solutions available today the answer or could it be that the answer is really for parents to take their responsibility with a little less focus on convenience and more on getting involved, knowing what we offer as nutrition and emotional support?

I say it is time we as parents get our priorities right again and focus on our children, their health and well being once again. It is their right, not so?