Fast Food Beverages Might Be Worse Than Toilet Water

- A middle school student's science project uncovered a disturbing fact -- the ice in fast food beverages in filled with bacteria, including types that come only from fecal matter.
for the complete article:

http://www.mercola.com/2006/feb/28/fast_food_beverages_might_be_worse_than_toilet_water.htm

Ban Sought on Use of Carbon Monoxide to Fix Meat Color

http://www.supermarketguru.com/page.cfm/27354

Published on: February 21, 2006

Millions of Americans may be buying beef or seafood that has been treated with carbon monoxide as a "pigment fixative" – in other words, carbon monoxide has been used to keep the product's pink or rosy color in an effort to keep it looking fresh.

The problem is that sometimes the color may be fresh-looking, but the meat or seafood may actually be spoiled. And since consumers often depend on how a product looks when deciding whether to buy it or eat it, this means that consumers are actually being deceived by a practice that, according to numerous press reports, is both rampant and undisclosed on product labels.

The good news is that numerous media outlets have focused on this practice in recent days. The Washington Post reports that "the growing use of carbon monoxide as a 'pigment fixative' is alarming consumer advocates and others who say it deceives shoppers who depend on color to help them avoid spoiled meat. Those critics are challenging the Food and Drug Administration and the nation's powerful meat industry, saying the agency violated its own rules by allowing the practice without a formal evaluation of its impact on consumer safety."

The New York Times reports that "the carbon monoxide is itself harmless at the levels being used in the treated packaging. But opponents say that the process, which is also used to keep tuna rosy, allows stores to sell meat that is no longer fresh, and that consumers would not know until they opened the package at home and smelled it. Labels do not note whether meat has been laced with carbon monoxide."

And, the Post notes, "no one knows how much carbon-monoxide treated meat is being sold; the companies involved are privately held or keep that information secret."

The use of the word "secret" is particularly annoying in cases like these, because it reflects an unwillingness on the part of companies, and an acquiescence by government, to keep consumers in the dark about the products they buy and eat. It is time for complete and utter transparency by these companies, and for the government to insist that if "pigment fixative" technologies are used, they should be disclosed in bold, clear, unambiguous language on product labels.

90 Day Habit of Health

An overview of the Habit-of-Health 90-Day Challenge; the products, the discounts, the sponsoring benefits, testimonials, etc.

Take Nature’s Sunshine’s Habit-of-Health 90-Day Challenge and take charge of your health! The challenge makes it easy to stick to a health plan and see results. Simply commit to using the Habit-of-Health product package for at least 90 days. This core package contains six of NSP’s best and most popular supplements. Together, these products help make up for what’s lacking in the typical American diet and give an extra nutritional boost to build your body systems and keep you healthy.

90-Day Challenge products are shipped to you with NSP’s AutoShip program, which makes it easy to create a habit of good health. The products are delivered automatically each month. You just have to use them!

Meet the challenge and receive your rewards. Not only will you enjoy the benefits of feeling healthier, you will also see rewards in the form of discounts and rebates.

Participant Benefits
When you complete the 90-Day Challenge, you will receive:
1. A discount on the core Habit-of-Health Product Package.
2. A 10 percent rebate on your personal purchases each month.
3. A monthly discount of 5 percent on your Habit-of-Health order (credited to your third consecutive order of 90-Day Challenge products).
4. A 5 percent discount on Habit-of-Health orders for every month you continue to receive any AutoShip order after the 90-Day Challenge.
5. A gift for completing the challenge.
6. A chance to win National Convention for two (Members and Distributors only).

Sponsoring Benefits
When you sponsor others who take and complete the 90-Day Challenge, you will receive:
1. A 30 percent commission on the purchases of group Members that join NSP with the 90-Day Challenge (on Habit-of-Health orders less than 299 QV) for all three months they are on the challenge!
2. Up to 40 percent commission on Habit-of-Health orders if you have 10 or more new people join NSP using the 90-Day Challenge in a given month.
3. Special recognition and awards.


The Habit-of-Health Product Package
The Habit-of-Health product package features NSP’s latest energy-boosting, antioxidant and immune-system-benefiting drink—Thai-Go™—along with other essential products for overall nutrition.

Food Enzymes—The case for enzymes Enzymes are specialized proteins that instigate important chemical reactions in the body. The body produces digestive enzymes that break down food into usable forms. As we age, our bodies produce fewer of these necessary enzymes, and, depending on our dietary choices, we may get little or no help from the foods we eat.

Nature’s Sunshine has isolated the enzymes that are most needed by the digestive system to digest carbohydrates, proteins and fats and put them together in Food Enzymes. Food Enzymes also contains hydrochloric acid and bile salts, which work synergistically with the enzymes. Supplementing with Food Enzymes promotes optimal digestion and may help minimize occasional digestive discomfort.
• Also available: Proactazyme Plus, a vegetable-sourced, comprehensive enzyme formula.

Nature’s Three—The facts on fiber As a society, we eat too many highly processed foods and not enough vegetables, fruits and whole grains—the best sources of dietary fiber. Fiber pushes waste through the intestines and helps keep the colon clean and functioning properly.

Nature’s Sunshine has combined three natural sources of fiber—psyllium, oat fiber and apple fiber—into Nature’s Three. This supplement provides fiber roughly equivalent to that found in one fresh apple with each serving. Adding Nature’s Three to your diet and avoiding highly refined foods can help promote and maintain cardiovascular health and wellness and may help with weight management.

Super Supplemental Multivitamins and Minerals—Your diet may be lacking An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association recently reported that the average American diet was resulting in “suboptimal levels of vitamins” and recommended that every adult take a multivitamin daily.

Super Supplemental contains all of the essential vitamins and minerals—as well as antioxidants and other nutrients such as choline, inositol and PABA. It comes in a super-nutritious base of alfalfa herb, asparagus powder, barley grass juice, broccoli powder, cabbage powder, hesperidin, lemon bioflavonoids, rutin, rose hips, wheat germ and kelp.

Super Omega 3 EPA—Replace the trans-fats with the good fats Good fats perform a variety of functions in the body. They transport certain vitamins, help create specific chemicals that the body needs, help regulate cholesterol metabolism, and are essential for healthy skin and for energy.

The body cannot function without essential fatty acids (EFAs), and we must obtain them through the diet. NSP Super Omega 3 EPA, which combines DHA and EPA, allows you to supplement your diet with these essential fatty acids. Super Omega 3 EPA contains approximately 1,000 mg fish oil with the ideal ratio of 33:16 EPA to DHA. It also contains lemon to significantly reduce the aftertaste from fish oil and to reduce gas.

Bifidophilus Flora Force®—the vital role of beneficial bugs Probiotic supplements help replace and replenish friendly microflora that are present in our digestive and intestinal systems. Taking a probiotic supplement—such as Bifidophilus—can benefit anyone. NSP Bifidophilus Flora Force combines four important strains of friendly microflora— Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium longum, L. casei and L. rhamnosus—with FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides), which support the growth of beneficial organisms. Over 200 clinical and animal studies support the use of short-chain FOS for health benefits.

Thai-Go—Taking antioxidants and energy to a whole new level! Antioxidants are the body’s natural defense against free radicals—unstable molecules that are thought to cause chain reactions and lead to cellular damage. Exercise, pollution and many other common daily occurrences create free radicals.

Thai-Go is a powerful antioxidant and immune-stimulating drink designed specifically for its amazingly high antioxidant value. NSP carefully researched ingredients high in antioxidant activity and selected only the best for Thai-Go. In a study conducted by an independent laboratory, Thai-Go clearly outperformed other leading competitors in ORAC capacity (a measure of a product’s antioxidant strength). Another study showed that Thai-Go is three times better in stimulating immune response than its closest competitor. Thai-Go is the logical and tasty choice for fighting oxidation in the body.



“I am so excited about the 90-Day Challenge. I no longer need to think about what I need to take each month. Everything my body needs for good health is included in the package. I especially love Thai-Go. Right away I noticed that I felt better and had more energy.”
—Kathleen Parker, Auburn, N.Y.

“Many of my clients are really happy about the way that the 90-Day Challenge helps their budget. They know exactly what they will spend every month for a comprehensive supplement program.”
—Jay Vanden Heuval, Oneida, Wis.

These product packs also qualify for the 90-Day Challenge.
• Two Thai-Go twin packs.
• Thai-Go twin pack and Nature’s Noni® Juice twin pack.

Take the challenge and commit yourself to good health. Join the challenge online at
http://www.betotallyhealthy.com/habitofhealth.html

Stock No. Habit-of-Health Product Pack
12379-1 Core Product Pack with Food Enzymes
12380-3 Core Product Pack with Proactazyme
12456-4 Core Pack Food Enzymes/Super Supp. no iron
12472-5 Core pack Proactazyme/Super Supp. no iron
12481-9 Core pack 2 Psyllium Hulls, Super Supp. no iron
12381-4 2 Thai-Go Twin Packs
12382-6 Thai-Go 2-Pack + Nature’s Noni 2-Pack


START NOW!

Fruit and veggies 'cut stroke risk'

Eating more than the recommended five portions of fruit and
vegetables a day can cut risk of stroke, a study says.
Friday, 27 January 2006

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4649508.stm

People who ate three to five cut the risk by 11% compared with those
eating fewer than three, The Lancet reported.

It was 26% lower for people who ate more than five servings,
University of London researchers found in the study of data on more
than 257,500 people.

The Department of Health says five or more daily portions cuts risk
of heart disease, cancer and other problems.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the most common cause
of disability in most developed countries.

The researchers pooled data from eight studies from Europe, Japan and
the US.

Lead researcher Dr Feng He said a diet including lots of fruit and
vegetables was also likely to further reduce the risk of other forms
of cardiovascular disease, and some cancers.

Professor Graham MacGregor, who also worked on the study, said: "It
is a very important finding because it really shows that the quantity
of fruit and vegetables you should be eating is more than five a
day."

Fruit and vegetables are full of nutrients such as vitamin C, beta
carotene and potassium as well as plant proteins and dietary fibre.

They are also less dense in calories, have very little fat and
contain beneficial antioxidants.

However, the researchers suspect that potassium may be the most
important factor in preventing stroke.

Professor MacGregor said: "We know that if you give people additional
potassium it lowers blood pressure.

"By increasing to five servings a day from three you would increase
your potassium intake by about 50%."

Simple changes

Joe Korner, of the Stroke Association, said: "This latest research is
very important because it shows just how significant this simple
lifestyle change can be in reducing strokes.

"Simply increasing daily intake of fruit and vegetables to five or
more a day could reduce the number of strokes by 26%. In the UK that
would mean nearly 40,000 strokes a year.

"At least a further 20,000 (14%) strokes could be prevented by better
control of high blood pressure through reducing salt intake, better
exercise and stopping smoking."

Professor Gareth Beevers, from the Blood Pressure Association, said
the study highlighted the need for health educators to provide clear,
practical information about the sorts of foods which everyone should
be eating.

- - - - -

STROKE
More than 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke each year
Strokes kill an estimated 67,000 people in the UK each year
More than 250,000 Britons live with a severe disability caused by
stroke

A SERVING
Vegetables: 77 grams (2.7 ounces)
Fruit: 80 grams (2.8 ounces)

ALWAYS THINK POSITIVE THOUGHTS

Things turn out best for those people
who can make the best out of the way things turn out.
It's not the situation, it's your reaction to the situation.

The reality in your life may result from many outside factors,
none of which you can control.
Your attitude, however,
reflects the ways in which you deal with what is happening to you.

Life at any time can become difficult.
Life at any time can become easy.
It all depends upon how you adjust yourself to life.

You cannot always control your circumstances.
But, you can control your own thoughts.
There is nothing neither good nor bad,
only your thinking makes it so.

©2006 by Max Steingart




Offering 20 personal development and spiritual growth programs at Higher Awareness!

Health Inspirations

Spiritual Health Inspirations
by Dr. Richard Anderson

Causes of Dis-ease
* Congestion
* Toxicity
* Deficiency

1. Disease is a natural result of an unnatural lifestyle.

2. A smile is a bloom of the soul.

3. Disease occurs only when our internal environment is favorable for
disease growth. We create our internal environment through our diet,
lifestyles, and thoughts.

4. As you never see flies in a clean garbage can, you also never see
disease in a completely pure being.

5. We tailor-make hormones perfectly designed by the intensity and
type of thought and feeling. In this way we virtually control every
physiological activity in our bodies.

6. The goal therefore, is to achieve unconditional love for everybody
and everything and then, to amplify it continuously.

7. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN INCURABLE DISEASE .

8. How can a truly clean person possibly become infested with
parasites or pathogenic bacteria? They can't.

9. In America far, far more people die from too much protein than not
enough.

10. Attacks by germs (parasites, fungus, virus, bad bacteria) can
only be successful when our bodies have devolved into a severely
polluted environment.

11. All dis-eases are the result of mental and physiological filth.

12. Germs can only cause infection in a susceptible host.

13. It is what we do to ourselves that governs our state of health,
not what is done to us.

14. We do not need to know the name of disease, but we do need to
know how to get rid of the internal filth which comprises the
environment that causes the disease.

15. We never need to be attacked by outside entities, commonly called
germs. We can create them within our own bodies by polluting our
bodies.

16. Whatever we have put into our bodies that interferes with its
ability to function properly must be removed.

17. Did you know that there has never been a disease that someone
hasn't conquered?

18. We also need to treat the liver by cleansing and strengthening
it, and we can never successfully accomplish this without first
cleansing the bowels.

19. The survival of every animal, bird, fish, plant, and germ
(whether it be bacteria, viruses, fungus, or protozoa), depends
entirely upon its environment. Pathogenic germs cannot overcome a
clean, healthy, and vibrant human body.

20. Disease occurs only when our internal environment is favorable
for disease growth.

Vegetarianism

21. The ability to love at higher levels is inhibited by the
brutality and cruelty of flesh-eating.

22. Studies show that vegetarians are stronger, more agile, have
twice the stamina, less disease, and recover from fatigue faster than
meat-eaters.

23. A Yale University study revealed that vegetarians have nearly
twice the stamina of meat-eaters.

Our Bodies, Minds, and Affairs Are Modified by Our Thoughts and
Feelings

24. Let us see ourselves the way we want to be. Let us, to the very
best of our ability, act as though we are now that which we want to
be.

25. When we begin to practice these exercises, all the negative
thoughts and feelings that interfere with our desired goals will
begin to surface.

26. Watch that our attention does not become fixed on the things we
do not want.

27. What we give or do to other parts of life we force into
ourselves.

28. If we want perfection, we absolutely must see perfection in
others as well as ourselves.

29. If you do not see perfection, if you see other than God's
perfection, then you contribute to the darkness of the world.

30. Judging the mistakes of others binds us to them.

31. The original sin is egotism, which is the failure to see the
Oneness of life.

32. I challenge everyone reading these words to practice gratitude,
appreciation, and non-judgment, for these bring forth love and
healing like nothing else does.

33. If we are not laughing or at least chuckling to ourselves every
few minutes, then we can be certain that we are suffering from
illusion.

34. The fulfillment of all hopes is love.

35. Joy is love in action.

36. The most important effort anyone can ever make to obtain success,
happiness and health, is to establish the habit of unconditional love
for everyone and everything. No greater aspiration exists.

37. It is consciousness - the beliefs we hold about ourselves, our
basic mental points of view, our emotional habits - which govern our
physiology.

38. Our subconscious mind doesn't function in limitation, only our
conscious mind does that.

39. Emotions such as grief, guilt, feelings of failure, resentment,
and suppressed anger produce over-secretion of the same hormones that
suppress the immune system. Can we reverse this condition by creating
emotions of love and joy?

40. Both small and large masses of tumors have disappeared virtually
overnight. Just before the cure appears, almost every patient
experiences a dramatic shift in awareness.

41. Unconscious mind doesn't care what seeds we give it, nor what it
will manifest for us. Its fruits are always the results of the seeds
we planted within it.

42. Whenever people consider themselves victims, (thinking: this is
not my fault; it was imposed upon me!), then, at the very moment they
proclaim their belief, usually unconsciously, then they do not have
the power to protect or heal themselves. This is a grave mistake, for
it blocks the healing process.

Modern Medicine

43. Modern medical science is the only organization that suggests
using treatments worse than the disease.

44. Drugs and radiation suppress the body's toxin- and
emotion-releasing activity. If we want true healing, we must allow
all toxins to surface and be released.

Electrolytes

45. Following breathing, and the heart beating, the next most
important physiological function our bodies perform is to maintain a
balanced pH.

46. When the body becomes low in its supply of an electrolyte, it
will go to other parts of the body, break down tissue, and retrieve
the needed electrolytes.

47. Eating only organically grown produce is the only way we can be
confident that we are receiving adequate supply of minerals, since
commercially grown produce is usually deficient in minerals.

48. Adequate healing cannot occur until we have replenished our
mineral supply and brought our bodies into the proper pH.

49. A lack of organic minerals anywhere in our bodies means a
decrease in cell and enzyme function.

50. Only slight changes in pH from normal levels can cause extreme
alterations in the rates of chemical reactions - inside and outside
the cells.

51. Every function of our bodies is dependent upon an adequate supply
of minerals.

Mucoid Plaque

52. Mucoid plaque seems to be the forerunner of many disease
conditions. Not just in the bowel, but diseases throughout the entire
body.

53. One of the main problems with mucoid plaque is that it can
inhibit the in- and out-flow of the gastric and intestinal fluids,
and interfere with proper digestion.

54. Mucoid plaque actually protects pathogens from what ever luminal
attack we may wish to administer. Clinical studies have shown that
pathogenic bacteria, such as E. coli, actually hide underneath the
mucoid plaque and are completely separated from luminal contents.

55. Food must make contact with the 22 or more digestive enzymes that
extrude from the epithelium and out through the glycocalyx. However,
this is not happening with the vast majority of people in the Western
World, because of the layer, or layers, of mucoid plaque.

56. Mucoid plaque is a normal by-product of unnatural acids or toxic
stimulation.

Digestive System

57. The bowel feeds every organ, every tissue, every cell in our
bodies and when the quality of feeding from the digestive system is
contaminated or of poor quality, the cells and organs in the rest of
the body will also be of poor quality. A toxic bowel means toxic
blood and lymph, toxic organs and cells, and toxic function.

58. All physiological, chemical, and anatomical processes in every
cell and organs in our bodies are completely dependent upon the
digestive system.

Steps in Overcoming Disease

59. The first step in overcoming disease is to put a stop to its
cause. This should always begin by eliminating the source of the
habits and acts of creating negative thoughts and feelings which are
the original cause of disease.

60. The second step is the most important of all, and that is to
seriously and enthusiastically practice appreciation, joy and love -
for all life unconditionally. Love, peace, harmony, gratitude, and
praise trigger positive hormonal and nerve influences - expanding the
life, energy, and light in the body, bringing vitality and happiness.
For these states of consciousness purify and strengthen the life
force within us.

61. The third step toward overcoming disease is to remove congestion
and toxins from the body, mind, and emotions. These toxic substances
have lodged deep within our bodies.

62. The fourth step toward perfect health of the body is to stop
eating "foods" that are dead, deficient, processed or toxic, for they
cause mucus, excess acid, more toxins, and congestion.

63. The fifth step toward lasting health is to supply the body with
the needed elements of organically grown foods, clean air, pure
water, alkaline minerals, and massive doses of Love and Joy.

64. The sixth step is to rebuild the body's organs and glands. This
means to rebuild the digestive function after we have cleansed it,
and to cleanse and rebuild the liver, kidneys, spleen, and the
glandular system. It means also to strengthen the heart, lungs, and
muscles.

65. The seventh step is to exercise on a regular basis.

66. "And... now we know just how far you are willing to go to purify
yourself. That! will be your greatest benefit." - Saint Germain.

67. The liver is one of the keys in getting well. We must remove as
many of the toxins as we can, the more the better, as quickly as
possible, and without over-burdening the already over-burdened liver
and - I must add - the kidneys too.

68. We attack our own bodies principally by eating the wrong foods
and generating stressful emotions which alter our internal
environment.

69. The entry of an outside entity (bacteria, virus, parasite)
usually has little effect upon our bodies unless our internal
environment has become acidic and polluted.

70. Disease is never acquired. It is always earned. Disease is a
natural result obtained from an unnatural lifestyle. Disease is not a
question of exposure. It is an internal development which can lead to
exposure susceptibility.

71. Each cell in the body has the intelligence to grow an entirely
new body, and it doesn't matter whether the body is 2 years old or
120, the cells always know what to do. Our mission, should we choose
to accept it, is to make certain our bodies have the material it and
cleanliness it needs to do its job.

72. All life on our planet depends upon a specific environment for
survival. Including germs.

73. We must alter our normal healthy internal environment before
germs can survive.

74. Our negative feelings are the kinks that produce every
undesirable experience that we have ever had or ever will have in our
lives. Indeed, we reap what we sow.

75. How is it that the slow deterioration of old age occurs with
almost everyone? For, over 90% of our bodies are completely renewed
in less than a year.

76. We do this by maintaining the positive consciousness during the
cleansing process and allowing the old negative consciousness to be
released without judgment. For it is the judgment that binds them to
the new cells.

77. Any time we cleanse, it is essential to keep our attention upon
the things we want rather than the thing we do not want - the
thoughts, feelings, and habits that move us toward perfect health,
vitality, success, and love.

78. It is through cleansing, and later, fasting, that we can quickly
remove the physical accumulation which has anchored various mental
and emotional blockages.

79. The most vital, most important part of all is to see, feel, and
act as though our goals are complete - now!

80. You see the subconscious mind has already created our life to be
the way it is now, because we programmed it to be that way.

Favorite Sayings

"As everything is impermanent, fluid and interdependent, how we act
and think inevitably changes the future. There is no situation,
however seemingly hopeless or terrible, such as a terminal disease,
which we cannot use to evolve." - Sogyal Rinpoche.

"Every tissue is fed by the blood, which is supplied by the bowel.
When the bowel is dirty, the blood is dirty, and so on to the organs
and tissues... it is the bowel that invariably has to be cared for
first before any effective healing can take place." - Doctor Bernard
Jensen, DC, ND, Ph.D.

"There is but one disease and that is deficient drainage." - Sir
Arbuthnot Lane MS, FRCS, surgeon for the King of England.

"I am exceedingly impressed by the sequence of cancer and intestinal
stasis." - Sir Arbuthnot Lane MS, FRCS, surgeon for the King of
England.

"Of the 22,000 operations that I have personally performed, I have
never found a single normal colon, and of the 100,000 that were
performed under my jurisdiction, not over 6% were normal. - Dr.
Harvey Kellogg, M.D. of the Kellogg Sanitarium, Battle Creek, Michigan.


http://www.BeTotallyHealthy.com

Got Pizza Hut? Got Silicone!

Once upon a time, it used to be a beautiful day in
the neighborhood...that no longer applies to the
world of 2006.

Good morning, boys and girls. Can you say:

Polydimethylsiloxane?

Polydimethylsiloxane is a substance that is manufactured by
Dow Chemical and is primarily used in food-manufacturing
factories as a de-foaming agent for commercial boilers.

Polydimethylsiloxane is not approved for use as a food
additive, yet, Pizza Hut is using this silicone-based
chemical as a stabilizer for cheese on its patented
pizza products. Some of those pizzas go directly to your
child's schools and are served at lunchtime.

In order to preserve their frozen pizzas, Pizza Hut
claims that their silicon emulsifier is a necessary
preservative and emulsifier.

Although the package does not list its own secret formula,
it does list "other additives" under the guise of this patent:

Patent # 4894245

A review of the United States Patent Office website confirms
this story that was first reported on page 5 of the February,
2006 issue of Pete Hardin's "Milkweed." The actual patent:

http://tinyurl.com/7d6t8

The following is included in the online patent:

"A silicone emulsifier (Dow Corning FG-10) is mixed with water
to form a 0.05% emulsifier solution. This solution is sprayed
on the frozen cheese granules at a rate of 1.75 parts of
solution per 100 parts by weight of cheese."

Our children are eating silicon in school cafeterias.
Silicon is not an approved substance for human consumption.
Neither is Polydimethylsiloxane, or formaldehyde which
results as a byproduct when frozen silicone-sprayed pizza
is subjected to heat. Polydimethylsiloxane breaks down into
formaldehyde when subjected to heat in excess of 150 degrees
centigrade. See:

http://www.itcilo.it/english/actrav/telearn/osh/ic/9016006.htm

As guardians for all children, should we continue allowing
school kids to naively ingest silicone and formaldehyde?

How dangerous is formaldehyde? The National Cancer Institute
reports:

"Formaldehyde has been classified as a human carcinogen
(cancer-causing substance) by the International Agency for
Research on Cancer and as a probable human carcinogen by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency." See:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/formaldehyde

Write a letter to your local school board. The health
of our children is in great jeopardy.

http://themilkweed.com/Current.htm

Robert Cohen
http://www.notmilk.com

You CAN Achieve ANYTHING!

There are no real barriers to your success.
You must overcome any doubts you have about your ability.
Your self image prescribes the limits for your accomplishments.
It prescribes the area of what is possible for you.

Don't be afraid of living.
Your belief that life is worth living will help you create the fact around you.
If you see yourself as prosperous, you will be.
If you see yourself as continually hard up,
that's precisely what you will be.

You can never succeed until you believe you can succeed.
Everything is possible if you believe.


*********
©2006 by Max Steingart


These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information

Peace & Calm

Bush-How much land can one 'man' destroy???

http://www.savebiogems.org/yellowstone/takeaction.asp


The Bush administration is now considering a proposal to expand a phosphate mining operation into the pristine Sage Creek and Meade Peak roadless areas of Idaho's Caribou-Targhee National Forest.

Phosphate mining has already released dangerous amounts of toxic selenium into the streams, groundwater and soils of this region, threatening local drinking water supplies and jeopardizing the survival of imperiled Yellowstone cutthroat trout, as well as elk, mule deer and other wildlife.

If approved, this latest mining scheme would increase these pollution risks and set a dangerous precedent for other harmful development in the unspoiled wild forests of Greater Yellowstone.

Sign the petition:
http://www.savebiogems.org/yellowstone/takeaction.asp


Make a difference!
Knowledge=Power!

Oppose BUSH! Don't allow Public Land Sell!!!!

http://action.wilderness.org/campaign/selloff/i6nds5k4hjnbjkm?

Tell Your Members of Congress to Oppose Public Land Sell-Off!

Bush Budget Puts Our Public Lands on Blue-Light Special

As much as 800,000 acres of Americans’ public land would be sold into private hands under one egregious provision of President Bush’s proposed budget. Astonishingly, less than two months ago, bipartisan opposition in the Congress defeated a similar scheme. This absurd proposal deserves the same reaction from all of us. Please send that message to your Members of Congress!

Go to http://action.wilderness.org/campaign/selloff/i6nds5k4hjnbjkm?
and fill out the online form, they'll send the message for you!!!

DO IT!

Vegan Apphrodisiacs ~ Happy Valentine's Day

http://www.goveg.com/f-veganAphrodisiacs.asp?int=weekly_enews

We’ve known for years that vegetarians make better lovers. Physicians
agree that eating meat clogs up the arteries that go to all organs,
not just the heart, which means that eating meat causes impotence.
Because pure vegetarians are about one-ninth as likely as meat-eaters
to be overweight and report that they need less sleep and have more
energy than meat-eaters, you will become more appealing in the
bedroom.

But there’s even more good news for veggie Valentinos: Many healthy
vegan foods are loaded with natural aphrodisiacs—nutrients and
chemicals that boost your and your partner’s sexual arousal and
performance. Research has shown that vegetarians enjoy greater
amounts of the nutrients that help boost sexual health and
performance—such as vitamins A, C, and E and potassium—than
meat-eaters do.

When it comes to a romantic dinner with your special girl or guy,
ditch the meat. Alan Hirsch, M.D., of the Smell and Taste Treatment
and Research Foundation has found that the smell of barbecued or
roasted meat reduces sexual desire in women, confirming what vegans
have known all along: There’s just nothing sexy about eating a
diseased, rotting corpse!

Try serving your lover these scrumptious vegan aphrodisiacs to help
put both of you in the mood:

* Asparagus: Asparagus is high in vitamin E, which increases
blood and oxygen flow to the genitals, and potassium, which is
important for healthy sex hormone production, making this veggie a
well-known aphrodisiac. Its suggestive phallic shape makes it as
enticing to the eye as it is to the mouth. To get the best effect,
eat this delicious and healthy vegetable at least three days in a
row.
* Bananas: A fruit with a sexy shape, bananas are said to contain
chemicals that can lift your mood and make you more confident.
Bananas are also famously high in potassium, a nutrient that aids in
sex hormone production and boosts energy.
* Berries: The perfect foods to feed your lover, strawberries,
raspberries, and blueberries are high in vitamin C, which is
important for making sex hormones and neurotransmitters.
* Carrots: Carrots are bursting with vitamin A, a nutrient needed
for producing sex hormones. For guys, vitamin A is vital for sperm
production.
* Chili Peppers: These sizzling veggies will spice up your meal
and your evening! Adding chili peppers to your dishes gets your heart
pumping and produces neurochemicals known as endorphins, which make
you happier.
* Chocolate:Nothing shows your love—or your compassion—better
than a box of vegan chocolates for your sweetheart. Chocolate
contains the chemical phenylethylamine, which is believed to
stimulate romantic feelings by making you happy and excited. Its
natural caffeine provides an added boost by giving you more energy.
* Ginger: Seasoning your meals with ginger will enhance blood
flow to all parts of your body as long as your arteries aren’t
clogged up from eating the cholesterol and saturated fat in meat,
eggs, and dairy products.
* Licorice: A fun food to hand-feed your lover, researchers have
found that the smell of licorice mixed with cucumber is the most
sexually stimulating scent for women. Licorice is widely believed to
produce feelings of love and lust—particularly in women.
* Nuts: Men should eat cashews, pecans, almonds, walnuts, and
other nuts to take in a healthy amount of zinc, which keeps men
potent and prevents prostate problems. Nuts are also high in protein,
which gives you the energy to keep you going throughout the day—and
night.
* Pumpkin: Neurological research has shown that the scent of
pumpkin pie is a sexual stimulant for both men and women, increasing
male penile blood flow by 40 percent. Pumpkin seeds are one of the
best vegan sources of zinc, which for men is crucial for potency and
in preventing prostate problems.


Here's to success, happiness & health,
Tara
http://www.TaraBurner.com

See "Red" on Valentine's Day

Alice Henneman, MS, Registered Dietitian and Extension Educator
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County

http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ciqred.htm

See "Red" on Valentine's Day and throughout the year. The Produce for
Better Health Foundation (PBH) calls red fruits and vegetables
"Red-hot and Healthy." They contain many health-promoting
phytochemicals including lycopene and anthocyanins. Some "red" fruits
and vegetables include red apples, cherries, cranberries, red grapes,
pink/red grapefruit, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon, beets,
red cabbage, red peppers, radishes, red onions, rhubarb and tomatoes.

For additional red fruits and vegetables and recipes, check the PBH
Web site at http://www.5aday.com

Some "red" ideas for Valentine's Day (or any day) include:

Pasta with tomato sauce

Tossed salad with red bell peppers

Tossed salad with cherry or grape tomatoes

Tomato soup

Cole slaw made with red cabbage

Cranberry sauce -- use that bag of cranberries in your freezer that
you bought when they were on sale

Oatmeal topped with a heart shape made of dried cranberries

Raspberry smoothie -- Put 3/4 to 1 cup plain or vanilla-flavored soy
yogurt in blender. Add a few tablespoons of frozen raspberries at a
time and blend until desired consistency. After blending, if desired,
blend in 1 or more teaspoons of sugar or artificial sweetener to
taste.


Pink/red grapefruit half topped with a sprinkle of brown sugar

Red grapes as a side dish to your sandwich for noontime nibbling
Strawberry Sauce
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, or partially thawed frozen
strawberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup confectioners sugar

In a blender, blend strawberries with lemon juice and sugar until
smooth.

Source: National Cancer Institute (NCI). For more recipes from NCI,
check www.5aday.gov

A Toast to Bowel Health

Cleansing is an integral part of optimal health. As vital nutrients are absorbed through the bowel, it’s important to make sure that they’re flowing smoothly and staying free of waste and toxins. With new cleansing options, Nature’s Sunshine is making it easier than ever for everyone to cleanse.


Although cleansing is intrinsic to good health, some people have difficulty completing a cleanse. For some, mixing powders or keeping track of pills is quite inconvenient. Others may be reluctant to swallow capsules or are sensitive to cascara sagrada. Nature’s Sunshine’s new Liquid Cleanse is perfect for anyone who has experienced these difficulties.


With aloe vera, which acts as an emollient and may help soothe the digestive tract, and senna, an efficient laxative that influences the muscles of the colon to contract, Liquid Cleanse is a simple alternative to other cleanses. Just drink one ounce once a day! Red raspberries give it a pleasant, refreshing flavor and also provide anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants that support immune function. Liquid Cleanse also contains cinnamon, fennel, trace minerals, barberry, cornsilk, ginger, dandelion and capsicum for a powerful, yet soothing cleansing blend.




“I loved the Liquid Cleanse. It worked great. I was trying to lose weight, and I felt it was instrumental in helping me reach my goal. I also made a cocktail of Liquid Cleanse with Thai-Go®.”
—Laura Jacobs, Pleasant Grove, Utah



Boost Your 90-Day Challenge with a Cleanse!

Begin your road to better health with a clean colon by adding a cleanse to your Habit-of-Health 90-Day Challenge order. Enjoy the cleansing benefits of one of our popular CleanStart cleanses, the Tiao He Cleanse or Liquid Cleanse at 10% off, and follow it up with three months of core nutrients with the 90-Day Challenge. Visit http://www.BeTotallyHealthy.com for complete details.
Available to first-time Habit-of-Health participants only.



Everybody Needs Everybody’s Fiber™

Although it’s indigestible, fiber serves many healthful purposes, particularly for digestive and intestinal system function. Fiber adds bulk to the diet and helps push waste through the intestines. It absorbs water and keeps stools soft and moist, which helps prevent occasional constipation.


Our new Everybody’s Fiber formula (a variation on Irritable Bowel Fiber) provides the body with a full 3 grams of high-quality, dietary fiber per serving. It contains apple pectin (a soluble fiber with adsorbing properties and the ability to form a gel) and short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (a soluble fiber found in fruits, grains and vegetables that serves as a food source to friendly microorganisms in the colon). Everybody’s Fiber also contains slippery elm, chamomile flowers, flax meal, marshmallow, peppermint, fennel, asparagus and cat’s claw for incredible digestive and intestinal support. Natural peach, apricot and plum flavors combined with stevia extract and malic acid make Everybody’s Fiber a tasty and effective combination.


Don’t wait for a more convenient time to cleanse. Do it now. Try our new Liquid Cleanse and Everybody’s Fiber today!


The average person should get 25–35 grams of fiber each day. But most of us get less than half that amount in our diets.


These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

Move America Beyond Oil!

Let's look beneath the fog of spin. In last week's State of the Union address,
President Bush finally owned up to America's destructive addiction to oil.

But the speech was barely over before Vice President Cheney was calling for oil
drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. And the President's newly
proposed budget does the same.

Instead of making America truly energy-efficient -- the fastest way to meet our
energy needs and lower oil prices -- the Bush Administration is still promoting
corporate raids on our natural heritage.

Five years of coddling oil companies has produced higher gas prices and left us
more vulnerable than ever to oil shortages -- not to mention oil spills, air
pollution, despoiled public lands and catastrophic global warming.

The American people want a better way. Poll after poll shows that the vast
majority now rejects the President's "drill-it-all" mentality. They're angry at
the White House and Congress for putting oil company interests ahead of the
public interest. And they're demanding energy policies that will reduce our
destructive reliance on oil.

I know you're among that majority. That's why I'm asking you to join me today
in signing the Pledge to MOVE AMERICA BEYOND OIL at
http://www.nrdcactionfund.org/beyondoil/action.asp?step=2&item=53292

The NRDC Action Fund is circulating this Pledge nationwide as part of a bold
new campaign to break Big Oil's stranglehold on America's energy policy. Your
signed Pledge will help advance legislation that would cut America's dependence
on oil by 2.5 million barrels a day within 10 years -- more than we now import
every day from the Persian Gulf!

Don't let anyone tell you it's not possible. We've already lined up key support
in Congress -- from both the progressive left and the conservative right -- for
this visionary bill that would set America on a new course toward a clean
energy future.

Best of all, we can turn this dream into reality right now -- even with George
Bush in the White House. All it will take is a powerful and sustained campaign -
- a campaign that harnesses America's anger at Big Oil and channels it into
effective political pressure for new and smart solutions to our oil addiction
problem. A campaign that puts us, the American people, in the picture of a
sustainable future.

Please sign the Pledge to MOVE AMERICA BEYOND OIL right now at
http://www.nrdcactionfund.org/beyondoil/action.asp?step=2&item=53292
While you're at our website you can find out more about the oil-busting
legislation we're advancing. And you can even spread the word about this
campaign to your friends and family.

Let's face it: unless millions of Americans demand a cleaner energy future
right now, the oil lobby will continue to dictate the Bush Administration's
policies, and we will continue to pay the price -- at the gas pump and with a
blighted environment. And this administration is not going to change its
thinking nor its ways -- just continue to hide them.

Please join me in opposing Big Oil's latest land grabs and charting a saner,
more sustainable energy path that future generations will be grateful for. Sign
the Pledge to MOVE AMERICA BEYOND OIL today.

Sincerely,

Robert Redford
NRDC Action Fund

Vegetable Protein Linked to Lower Blood Pressure

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20060111/hl_hsn/vegetableproteinlinkedtolowerbloodpressure

TUESDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- People who have a higher intake
of protein from vegetables tend to have lower blood pressure.

That finding comes from a British study published in the Jan. 9 issue
of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Imperial College London researchers collected blood pressure data
from 4,680 people, aged 40 to 59, from four countries over a period
of three to six weeks. Information about the study participants'
eating and drinking habits was also collected, along with urine
samples.

The study found that people who ate more vegetable protein were more
likely to have lower blood pressure than those who ate less vegetable
protein. In contrast to previous research, this study found no link
between total protein intake and blood pressure.

While they aren't certain exactly how vegetable proteins might
influence blood pressure, the researchers said amino acids (contained
in protein) may play a role and that other components of vegetables,
such as magnesium, may also interact with amino acids to lower blood
pressure.

"Our results are consistent with current recommendations that a diet
high in vegetable products be part of a healthy lifestyle for
prevention of high blood pressure and related chronic diseases," the
study authors wrote.

"Definitive ascertainment of a causal relationship between vegetable
protein intake and blood pressure awaits further data from randomized
controlled trials, especially regarding the effect of constituent
amino acids on blood pressure," they noted.

Ayurveda And The Raw Food Diet

By: Ciara Carruthers

The word, Ayurveda, is from the ancient Indian language, Sanskrit, and literally means "Knowledge of Life".

The Ayurvedic approach to life involves listening to and addressing the unique needs of your body, recognizing and balancing your mental and emotional states and deepening your connection with your spirit, your essential self.

The raw food diet is based around the principle that eating a diet high in raw food will normalise and alkalise your body. This, in turn, connects the mind with the body; thus, Ayurveda and the Raw Food diet are very similar.

This article will hopefully provide a brief guidance on how you could connect the two in a way that is optimal to your health.

In Ayurveda, the idea is that you eat according to your ‘dosha’; vata, pitta and kapha.

Vata is composed of the elements of air and ether

Pitta is composed of the elements of fire and water

Kapha is composed of the elements of water and earth

Vata types are generally thin and find it hard to gain weight. Vatas need to get sufficient rest and not overdo things, as they can tire easily.

Pitta types are generally medium sized and well proportioned. They also tend to be intelligent, with a sharp wit.

Kapha types tend to have sturdy, heavy frames. They are prone to gain weight easily. They often tend to have a positive outlook on life.

So, what does this mean, and how does it apply to you?

In Ayurveda, it is believed that each person is governed by one dominant dosha and you should eat according to that dosha. However, this article is concerned with Ayurveda and Raw Food, so I will only mention the foods that coincide with both these diets.

Vata

Balances: Sweet fruits, apricots, avocado, bananas, berries, grapes, melons, asparagus, beets, cucumber, garlic, radishes, zucchini.

Aggravates: Dried fruits, apples, cranberries, pears, watermelons, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, raw onions.

Pitta

Balances: Sweet fruits, avocado, coconut, figs, mango, prunes, sweet and bitter vegetables, cabbage, cucumber, okra, potatoes.

Aggravates: Sour fruits, berries, bananas, plums, oranges, lemon, pungent vegetables, garlic, onions.

Kapha

Balances: Apples, apricots, berries, cherries, cranberries, mangos, peaches, pungent and bitter vegetables, broccoli, celery, garlic, onion.

Aggravates: Sweet and sour fruits, bananas, coconut, melons, papaya, sweet and juicy vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes.

There are many suggestions in Ayurveda, which are very easily translated to a Raw Food Diet.
Such suggestions are:

Eat mainly seasonal fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains
Eat according to your constitution, or dosha
Fast for one day every two weeks
Establish a regular eating routine
Eliminate or limit caffeinated, carbonated and alcoholic beverages from your life
Drink herbal tea, fruit and vegetable juices

About the Author: Ciara Carruthers is an aspiring raw foodist. She has created a website dedicated to raw food at http://www.rawfoodhealth.co.uk, where you can find her raw food journal, related articles and raw food recipes.
Source: www.isnare.com
*~*~*~*~*~
Visit HERE for Raw Foods & Products & More!

Love What You Do ~ OR Do Something Else!

You'll never achieve real success unless you like what you're doing.
No one has ever succeeded in a line of endeavor which they did not like.

Your chances of success are directly proportional
to the degree of pleasure you derive from what you do.
If you're in a job you hate,
face the fact squarely and get out.

It's better to be a failure in something you love,
than attempting to be a success in something you don't.
Don't set compensation as a goal.
Find the work you love, and the compensation will follow.

The more you love what you are doing,
the more successful it will be for you.
~*~*~*~*~
©2006 by Max Steingart
~*~*~*~*~


Are you ready to Choose Prosperity?
... not just want it.
... not wistfully imagine it.
... not complain that you don’t have it...

Are you ready to Choose Prosperity?
... deliberately?
... sincerely?
... with every fiber of your being?

Because Prosperity is a choice... a choice
available to every one of us.
CHOOSE PROSPERITY NOW!

ewwwwwwwww New Car Smell

And to think, everyone always wonders why I get sick at the mere smell of a 'new car smell' ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
now maybe people will understand why I get sick!!!


About that 'new car smell'
...what are we breathing?



Recent study by Michigan environmental group contends drivers and passengers are breathing dangerous chemicals found in car interiors.

The Ecology Center study - Toxic at Any Speed: Chemicals in Cars & the Need for Safe Alternatives - reports that PBDEs, used as fire retardants, and phthalates, used primarily to soften PVC plastics (and partly responsible for "new car smell"), are found in dangerous amounts in dust and windshield film samples.

Drivers and passengers are exposed to these chemicals through inhalation and contact with dust, according to the report. These groups of chemicals have been linked to birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, premature births and early puberty in laboratory animals, among other serious health problems.

The study also found that the sun's heat and UV light increase toxicity inside vehicles. UV exposure from parking in the sun creates a favorable environment for chemical breakdown, causing PBDE flame retardants to become even more dangerous. According to the study, solar exposure in cars can be 5 times higher than in homes or offices.

The report suggested that car owners take these steps to reduce the release and breakdown of these chemicals:
• use solar reflectors in windshield or rear window
• ventilate car interiors, especially newer vehicles
• park outside of sunlight whenever possible

The Ecology Center collected windshield film and dust samples from 2000 to 2005 model cars made by 11 leading auto manufacturers.

The group found Volvo was found to have the lowest levels of phthalates and the second-lowest levels of PBDEs, which it said made Volvo the industry leader in terms of indoor air quality. Volvo also has the toughest policies for phasing out these chemicals.

Other auto manufacturers had more mixed records on the two types of chemicals, according to the group's survey. For example, Korean auto manufacturer Hyundai had the lowest level of PBDEs, but the highest level of phthalates.

The group said it was told by Ford officials that the auto manufacturer has eliminated PBDEs from "interior components that customers may come into contact with." Ford had among the lowest level of PBDEs in its vehicles, and General Motors and BMW vehicles also had lower-than-average levels for all chemicals tested. But Mercedes, Chrysler, Toyota and Subaru had higher-than-average levels of both PBDEs and phthalates.

In response to the study, one industry group defended the use of PBDEs as an important contributor to vehicle safety.

The Bromine Science and Environmental Forum said in a statement that PBDEs known as Deca-BDE have been extensively studied in the U.S. and Europe -- including a 10-year-long risk assessment -- and found to be safe for continued use.

"If automobile manufacturers follow the guidance in the report, it could result in lowering fire safety for the public, as well as promoting the use of unidentified alternative substances about which very little may be known," said the group's statement.

Auto manufacturers have already agreed to phase out two of the three flame-retardant chemicals cited in the report, according to Eron Shosteck, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. The remaining chemical has been studied by the European Union for 10 years and has been proven safe, Shosteck said.

In lieu of legislative action at the federal level, at least 9 U.S. states (California, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Oregon and Washington) have passed laws banning the two worst forms of PBDEs, namely penta and octa. Additional legislation is being considered in at least 6 other states, as well as revisions of existing legislation to extend PBDE phase-outs to all uses of deca form, including automotive
http://www.graphicmail.com/sendlink.asp?HitID=1139176822000&SiteID=4635&EmailID=14459772&Link=http://eartheasy.com/article_new_car_smell.htm

Steelers 21-10 Super Bowl Victory!!! 5th time!!!!

The Steelers' 21-10 victory in the Super Bowl last night was their record-tying fifth, but the first since 1980 and the first ever for Bettis and Cowher.
AWESOME job, first half was a bit 'shaky' and not up to their normal performance, but they pulled it off and WON the Super Bowl that they so deserved!

`Downer Cows' Entering Meat Supply, USDA Inspector General Says

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=ah00ElDBTLj4&refer=us#

Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. government inspectors sometimes allow
cattle that can't walk to be slaughtered, contrary to rules aimed at
preventing mad-cow disease, the Agriculture Department's Inspector
General said in a report.

The inspector general said that at two of 12 slaughter plants
reviewed in an audit, 29 non-ambulatory cattle were slaughtered over
a 10-month period, and that 20 had been identified as ``downers''
with no records of acute injury.

This violates USDA policy that excludes ``all non- ambulatory
disabled cattle from the human food supply,'' the IG said as part of
a 118-page review of how the department enforces rules meant to
prevent mad-cow disease. The report, which said the USDA must also
improve record-keeping, was released on the Inspector General's Web
site.

The report was released at a delicate time in negotiations between
the U.S. and Japan over the safety of U.S. beef. Japan, normally the
biggest overseas customer for the meat, suspended imports on Jan. 20
after banned tissue was found in a shipment of veal. The Japanese
government had only allowed imports to resume in December, following
a two-year ban because of mad-cow disease.

Japan bought $1.7 billion in U.S. beef in 2003, before banning the
meat, along with scores of other nations. Japan's purchases accounted
for almost half of total U.S. beef shipments of $3.8 billion that
year.

The USDA ordered that downer cattle be excluded from the human food
supply after the first case of mad-cow disease was found in the U.S.
in December 2003. The brain-wasting livestock illness has a fatal
human form blamed for more than 150 deaths in the U.K., where the
disease first surfaced in the 1980s. The U.S. confirmed its second
BSE case in June, in an animal born in Texas.

The U.S. slaughters about 35 million head of cattle a year.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Daniel Goldstein in Washington at at dgoldstein1@bloomberg.net

*~*~*~*~*~
NOTE: Just one more reason I'm glad I'm vegan!
Tara :)
http://wwww.NaturalHealthCounseling.com

Befriend the Earth!

© John W Travis M.D., M.P.H. Founder of first Wellness Center in the United States (1975);
author Wellness Workbook and Wellness for Health Professionals; presently developing Infant
Wellness=Planet Wellness.

--------------------

When the air in cities becomes so toxic that allergic and sensitive individuals must wear
masks and eye shields, there is trouble afoot. When major segments of a population can no
longer trust the quality of the local water and resort to using their own filtration
systems or buying bottled water, it’s time for some serious reevaluation of priorities.


In Greek mythology, the earth was seen as our mother and was called Gaia. The hypothesis
that Gaia is a living entity, a single organism, was first suggested by Johannes Kepler
hundreds of years ago. James Lovelock developed that concept further in Gaia: A New Look at
Life on Earth. Observing that our planet has systems that closely regulate temperature,
oxygen concentration, and at least twenty other variables, Lovelock reasoned that the earth
is much more than a hunk of rock with different species of plants and animals living on it.
Rather, he proposed that it is a whole system made up of many smaller systems, including
humankind.

I begin to look at this earth as my home, and myself as part of everything here.
- Susan Griffin

There is no precise point at which the mind stops and the body starts. Similarly, there is
no place where the individual stops and the environment starts, and vice versa. The nuclear
accident at Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union affected the agriculture of the entire
European continent. We are all interdependent. People no longer have the luxury of thinking
of themselves as belonging to separate nations. Just as you cannot expect to find healthy
fish in a polluted pond, you cannot expect to remain a healthy human being when you’re
breathing polluted air, eating devitalized food, and watching the earth being stripped of
her resources. Wellness is an illusion if there is no commitment to the health of the whole
planet.

Did You Know?

If everyone in the U.S. recycled one-tenth of their used newspapers, it would save
twenty-five million trees a year.

Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil.

Recycling glass instead of manufacturing new glass from sand reduces related air pollution
by 20 percent and water pollution by 50 percent.

Americans recycled over two billion pounds of aluminum cans in 2000.

If only 10 percent of the population purchased products with less plastic packaging 10
percent of the time, it would eliminate 144 million pounds of plastic from landfills and
reduce industrial pollution caused by the manufacture of plastic packaging.


Nobody made a greater mistake than he [sic] who did nothing because he could only do a
little.
- Edmund Burke


You Can Make a Difference

Contribute to a saner environment by examining your own lifestyle for waste.
Start a family recycling program.
Take the time to separate newspapers, glass, plastic, and metal items
from your trash and send them to a local recycling center.
Bring your own boxes or bags to the grocery store, buy in bulk, and buy foods and beverages in containers that can be recycled.
Save and reuse mailing envelopes, boxes, packaging of all kinds, wrapping paper,
aluminum foil, and so on.
Contribute clothing, old furniture, and household items to
charitable organizations that distribute them or prepare them for resale.



There are many other practical, everyday choices you can make that will contribute to your
own health and support the earth at the same time.

Plant trees. One million new urban trees would reduce CO2 emissions in the U.S. by eighteen
million tons and energy consumption by forty billion kilowatt-hours (worth ~$4 billion)
annually.


Eat lower on the food chain. The reliance on meat and meat products in the world’s
industrialized countries is upsetting the entire world economy, necessitating the
destruction of rain forests and farmlands to support the grazing of beef cattle.

Consider reducing your energy "footprint." Do this at home and in your workplace. Pay
attention to how much energy you waste—lights left on, hot water running down the drain,
excessive automobile use, and poor insulation with temperatures set too high in winter, too
low in summer.


Solar technology is growing in sophistication every year. You can install solar panels on your roof and reduce your draw from the power grid, sometimes even feeding power back into the grid during peak demand times and getting paid for it.


Until we start thinking in terms of reducing our consumption and using alternative sources of energy, we will continue to live out of balance with the earth’s self-regulating systems.


Reflect on the interdependence of all things.

Realize that everything you think or say or do has an effect—either for good or ill—on your state of health and ultimately on the health of Gaia.

Share what you know.

Without music life would be a mistake.
- Nietzsche
----------------------
Reprinted with permission from Simply Well by John W. Travis, MD, & Regina Sara Ryan.
Copyright 2001. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA. www.tenspeed.com
John W. Travis, M.D., M.P.H., acknowledged as a founder of the wellness movement,
established the first wellness center in the U.S. in 1975, and created the Wellness
Inventory (the first wellness assessment). He is co-author of the classic Wellness Workbook
with Sara Regina Ryan (Ten Speed Press). The online version of the Wellness Inventory may
be accessed by individuals at (www.WellPeople.com) and licensed by organizations
(www.WellnessInventory.net).

Protect the Seals! Oppose Canadian Seal Hunt!!!

Make Canada’s Fishing Industry Pay the Price

Even though most Canadians oppose the commercial seal hunt, their government and seafood industry continue to support the slaughter.

The ProtectSeals campaign believes that while Canadian officials can afford to ignore the public outcry, they will ultimately listen when money talks.

So far, nearly 140,000 individuals from around the world, and more than 400 restaurants and other businesses, have pledged to boycott some or all Canadian seafood until the hunt is ended.

http://www.protectseals.org/

Make a difference~it doesn't take much effort!

Free Chocolate!!

Free Chocolate with Order!