Naturalpath

The New York Times recently reported that tests found excessive levels of mercury in tuna sushi from 20 Manhattan stores and restaurants. Sushi from 5 of the 20 places, including well known Nobu Next Door, had mercury levels high enough for the Food and Drug Administration to take legal action to remove sushi from the market. These samples were gathered in New York City, but experts believe similar results may be found elsewhere.

In 2004 the Food and Drug Administration joined with the Environmental Protection Agency to warn women who might become pregnant and children to limit their consumption of canned tuna because the mercury it contained might damage the developing nervous system. Fresh tuna was not included in the advisory.

Read the Full Story from the NY Times Here

Read the NRDC Guide to Mercury Contamination in Fish Here

Organic Consumers Association Report on Mercury in Sushi

Did you know the average woman who wears lipstick on a regular basis will end up swallowing about 10 pounds of petroleum by-product (in the form of common lipstick ingredients mineral oil and petroleum jelly) during her lifetime?

That’s because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate what goes into our beauty products. So it’s up to you, as an informed consumer, to read the labels on EVERY skin care and cosmetic product that you purchase – just as you do with food labels.

Oh, the woes of Teflon. Dangerously bad for the environment (and potentially humans), but so much easier to clean than stainless steel. Now, the best of both worlds is up for grabs thanks to the Home Shopping Network.

Once you make the switch to natural laundry soaps and cold water washing, the need for chlorine bleach may creep into your laundry habits. Yet chlorine bleach is harmful to humans and the environment; the good news is alternatives exist. These alternatives are nontoxic or less toxic and will allow you to keep your whites white with a clear, green conscious.

Although bleach manufacturer Clorox claims bleach does not enter groundwater, the addition of bleach to water can free chlorine that can result in the formation of chloroform. Bleach can also combine with ammonia in septic and drainage systems, thus resulting in monochloramine, which is dangerous to wildlife. Furthermore, bleach is harmful to humans. Bleach off gasses for a period of time. Bleach fumes from sodium hypochlorite (chlorine bleach) can cause pulmonary embolisms in susceptible people. In addition, 25,000 children a year in the United States experience an accident involving bleach, such as ingestion, and it is the most common household chemical involved in poisonings. Despite these risks, many groups find household bleach use to be safe, as paper bleaching, pesticides, and plastics manufactures pose greater threats; however, alternatives do exist.

Q: I have heard mixed reviews about juice cleansing as a form of detoxification, and I am thinking about trying a cleanse. What do you think about this?

A: I am a big fan of detoxification. Even if we stop polluting our world right now, we will be dealing with the past damage for decades to come. I believe that the healthiest people in this millennium will be those who are the best detoxifiers. This is why I am totally against juice fasting and fasting in general for detoxification. The body detoxifies in two phases. In the first phase the body releases the toxins from the tissues where they are stored. In the second phase the body eliminates these toxins through the sweat, feces and urine.

What would a trip to France be without that symbol of national identity, that beacon of cultural pride, that epitome of paradox, the very quintessence of French – what would your visit be without wine?

Healthnotes Newswire (June 7, 2007)—Choosing the correct cooking method can contribute to healthy aging. New research suggests that cooking at high temperatures—as when broiling, roasting, frying, or grilling—results in toxic compounds in food that promote inflammation and increase the amount of tissue damage from free radicals (oxidative stress). These compounds, which increase risk of heart disease and other chronic illnesses, are less likely to form under gentler cooking methods such as boiling, steaming, or poaching.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are created when proteins or fats react with certain sugars during high-temperature cooking. These compounds are absorbed into the body’s tissues, where they can have a number of damaging effects. In mice, for example, reducing AGEs in the diet by altering the food preparation method reduced oxidative stress, improved insulin sensitivity, and prolonged the animals’ lives.

All the chemicals that go into the plastics of toys, babybibs, and lunch boxes create toxic risk to manufacturers as well as the consumer. In the past year, investors have woken up to this issues: why invest in something if the growth of products and profits (exactly what investors want) threatens to decrease the consumer base(what investors dread). The sustainability (health) of the consumer base is threatened when they come in contact with the product (nasty chemicals). 

Alternative health guru Dr. Andrew Weil M.D. is spreading his message of integrative health to the environment. Using vegetable oil from a Tucson restraunt, Weil brews his own biodiesel fuel in his garage. Appropriately referred to as the "Bio-Depot," Weil runs several vehicles and is so impressed by the efficiency, he wants to spread the biodiesel world in a co-op format to Tucson residents.

Founder of one of the leading integrative medicine progams at the University of Arizona, Weil reported the following to the Arizona Daily Star:

Healthnotes Newswire (May 10, 2007)—Coronary heart disease can be added to the list of health problems linked to trans fats, according to a study in the journal Circulation.

Not too long ago, the dangers of trans fatty acids were known only to researchers and some forward-looking healthcare practitioners. Now the term has entered the public vocabulary, and public health policy is changing as a result. The Canadian government is under pressure from the Heart and Stroke Foundation to remove this toxin from the food supply altogether. Stateside, New York’s mayor recently signed into law a bill that would restrict the use of artificial trans fats in New York’s restaurants. This is just the beginning.