Smoking plastic, pesticide, bleach and fiberglass - The four killers that Big Tobacco never mentions

(NaturalNews) Have you ever wondered why cigarettes don't go out in heavy wind and why they burn so evenly, all the way from one end to the other? Could it be that plastic particles are woven into the rolling paper to make your nicotine delivery device more efficient? Cellulose acetate is a form of plastic that's commonly used for photo film and is highly flammable. It's time to investigate what smoking plastic does to your heart, brain and central nervous system, and it's time to understand a vicious cycle that can be broken with the right behavior modification and nutrition.
(http://www.naturalnews.com)

Have you ever thought that maybe nicotine is just relief for the uneasy nervous feelings you get from smoking bug and weed killer - pesticide? Since most tobacco is treated with herbicides and pesticides, including genetically modified tobacco that contains herbicide in its genetic makeup, cigarette addicts are addicted to poison, and it gives them a "cigarette hangover" from which they look to juiced-up nicotine for immediate relief - hence, the chain smokers of the world. Big Tobacco knows this.
(http://www.naturalnews.com)

Many people eat white foods that are not naturally white but rather bleached white, like white sugar, white pasta, white flour and white bread, even most white rice. Yet, how many smokers realize that they are smoking bleach? It's true. Cigarette paper comes from trees that are naturally brown, so every puff of smoke contains a little bleach. Consuming bleach on a regular basis, whether by food or by inhaling fumes, causes cancer of the lungs, the bladder, the pancreas, the liver and other cleansing organs that are vital to life. Filter bleach from your daily intake starting right now.
(http://www.sustainablebabysteps.com)

Fiberglass insulation is what insulates most attics and keeps them warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It's made by grouping millions of tiny glass fibers, which are tiny rods of glass nearly too small to see individually, like glass wool. There is a reason why cigarette filters (butts) take up to fifteen years to disintegrate. They are made of glass wool, and that is why a smoker's fingers and/or thumb stay cool, even when they smoke the cigarette right down to the nub/filter. When these tiny "shards of glass" escape into the mouth, throat, esophagus and lungs, they rip apart the epithelial tissue, the soft tissue lining the inside of those parts of the body. This creates damage not only on the surface but on the cellular level. Then the chemicals creep into the wounds, and that leads to cancer. When viewing X-rays of people exposed to asbestos or fiberglass, and even smokers lungs, ground glass opacity (glass fibers sitting in lungs) looks as if someone breathed in glass fibers and a pile of them are just sitting at the bottom of the lungs, like ground glass in a busted light bulb. Can this be filtered out of the lungs, ever? Can a person detoxify themselves from ground glass "syndrome"?
(http://www.naturalnews.com)

More cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco smoke:
• Tar - a mixture of dangerous chemicals
• Arsenic - used in wood preservatives
• Acrolein - formerly used as a chemical weapon
• Benzene - an industrial solvent, refined from crude oil
• Cadmium - used in batteries
• Chromium - used to manufacture dye, paints and alloys
• Formaldehyde - used in mortuaries and paint manufacturing
• Nitrosamines - a group of DNA-damaging chemicals
• Polonium-210 - a highly radioactive element
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - dangerous DNA-damaging chemicals
• 1,3-Butadiene - used in rubber manufacturing
(http://www.cancerresearchuk.org)

Knowledge is Power

One thing about knowledge is that, once you have it, it's yours for life. You can't lend it out and forget to get it back. You can't 'misplace' it. Nobody can steal it from you either. Plus, once you have knowledge, you can act on it with confidence, especially when that knowledge fosters your livelihood and your good health. Shove all the negativity to one side and move forward from here. Never put known carcinogens (toxins) in your body. There is a way out, and it doesn't involve one single chemical. There is an "organic" way out of your chemical "entanglement." (http://www.14andout.com)

14AndOut!, the all natural method to quit smoking in 14 days, incorporates this chemical knowledge with behavior modification AND nutrition. Your body is ready for a change, a permanent change, over to organic living. You can detoxify yourself of the four big killers that have been hiding in cigarettes, keeping you from reaching your potential in life. Now is the time. Make the resolution for good health and prosperity.
(http://premium.naturalnews.tv)

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/043263_Big_Tobacco_cigarettes_toxic_chemicals.html#ixzz2nkauctmS

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California's New Vaccine Exemption Law- Above The Law?

(NaturalNews) California's AB 2109 was passed into law in 2012 and takes effect January 1, 2014. The new CA law (http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov) will require parents exercising an exemption to immunizations to provide a letter or affidavit to document which required immunizations have been given and which have not been given on the basis that they are contrary to the parent's beliefs; and beginning on January 1, 2014, the letter or affidavit has to be accompanied by a State Department of Public Health form signed by a health care practitioner saying that he or she provided the parent "information regarding the benefits and risks of the immunization and the health risks of specified communicable diseases," and a written statement by the parent indicating that he or she received the information from the health care practitioner. (Seriously? the doctor's signature alone is not convincing?) California's Governor Brown, when signing AB 2109 into law, directed the Department of Public Health to allow for a separate religious exemption on the form, so that people whose religious beliefs are opposed vaccinations won't be required to seek a health care practitioner's signature. The Department complied, and included a religious exemption in its form.

This article addresses the Constitutionality of: 1) the new law, 2) the Governor's authority to direct the Health Department to allow for a separate religious exemption on the form, 3) the Constitutionality of the current version of the Health Department's proposed form, and 4) what can be done about these Constitutional problems.

I.Is the new law Constitutional?

While state legislators each take an oath to uphold the state and federal Constitutions, that oath really means little to nothing, as laws are not officially unconstitutional unless and until a court says so. That is, in practice, legislators are free to ignore their oaths and any Constitutional problems in bills; they need only be concerned with getting enough votes and the governor's signature. If they get that, the bill becomes law.

The problem with California's new law concerns those with religious objections to immunizations. While what specific beliefs qualify for a religious exemption is beyond the scope of an article, the starting place is that the "free exercise" clause of the First Amendment as interpreted by federal courts provides protection for any belief that is religious in nature and sincerely held. If you meet those two criteria as the law defines them, you qualify for any exemption that includes religious objections. And since the Constitution is a higher legal authority than state law, states cannot add additional requirements.

California's new law refers only to "beliefs" - it says nothing about religion or religious objections. Does California's new exemption law include those with religious objections to vaccines? Technically, that depends on California's statutory construction rules, which explain how to interpret California's statutes. In California, like most if not all other states, statutes must be interpreted to give the intent of the legislature, and unambiguous laws are deemed to state the intent of the legislature. So, California's exemption law does, implicitly and per applicable statutory construction rules, include a religious exemption. The state Department of Public Health has acknowledged this with respect to California's current exemption law; see, e.g.,http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/immunize/Documents/imm488e.pdf.

The Constitutional problem with the new statute comes from the fact that it requires *all* persons claiming an exemption, including those with religious beliefs, to jump through additional hoops, which places an unconstitutional burden on those with religious objections, who need only have a sincerely held religious belief under the Constitution. Therefore, the new law is unconstitutional as to those parents with qualifying religious objections to immunizations.

Governor Brown seemed to be acknowledging this when he directed the Department of Public Health to provide for a separate religious exemption on the health department form, so kudos for Governor Brown. But did he have authority to do this?

II.The Governor's Authority to Direct the Health Department...

Under general principals of separation of powers, the three branches of government - executive (which at the state level is the governor's office), legislative and judiciary - provide checks and balances for one another. No branch has direct control over any other branch. So, the governor probably could not legally require the health department, which was created by the legislature and is therefore a part of the legislative branch, to do anything. However, the health department may, as a function of its discretionary authority, choose to cooperate with the governor and attempt to implement his directive, so long as the department does so within the boundaries of its statutory authority. So while the governor may have exceeded his authority to direct the health department to include a religious exemption, the health department may have authority to cooperate with the governor by adding a religious exemption to its proposed form, which it has in fact done. However, did the health department follow the law in its attempt to appease the governor?

III. The Department of Public Health's New Vaccine Exemption Form (http://eziz.org/assets/docs/CDPH-8262.pdf)

The good news is that the health department's new exemption form provides a separate religious exemption - parents with religious objections don't have to get a lecture about vaccines or a doctor's signature. The bad news is that the wording on the new form appears to require membership in an organized religion with tenets opposed to immunizations, which is unconstitutional. As stated above, the First Amendment, a higher legal authority than state law, requires only a sincerely held religious belief.

In summary, the California State Legislature passed an unconstitutional exemption law; Governor Brown probably exceeded his authority when issuing a directive to the California Department of Public Health telling it to include a religious exemption in the exemption form, and the California Department of Public Health has created an unconstitutional exemption form. Does anyone besides me see a pattern here? I'll let you decide whether this is incompetence or politics, but these errors have resulted in a bad law that will probably unlawfully discriminate against some California parents.

What Can California Parents Do?

The simplest short-term solution would be for the Department of Public Health to modify their form to bring it into compliance with the Constitution - to remove the "member" requirement and require only a sincerely held religious belief or practice opposed to immunizations. The long-term solution would be for the legislature to correct this by amending the state statute. Citizens in California should contact their representatives and the state health department to demand this. Go in numbers if possible, with a petition or group; and see your state representative in person if at all possible; letters and emails tend to get little or no real attention.

Parents adversely affected by the new law could also file a lawsuit challenging the Constitutionality of the law. However, there's a risk there. When others states' unconstitutional religious exemption laws were ruled to be unconstitutional by a court, the result, most of the time, was that the entire exemption was stricken, leaving the state with no religious exemption option at all until the state legislature enacted a new exemption law. So, this needs to be analyzed carefully by attorneys contemplating such a suit. Meanwhile, with respect to the health department form as currently drafted, parents who qualify for a religious exemption but who don't meet the Department of Public Health's form requirement of "membership" in a religion could theoretically refuse to provide a doctor's signature anyway, since that requirement is arguably unconstitutional. You may need an attorney backing you up to pull that off, but the legal argument is there. If enough parents around the state objected in this manner, perhaps the legislature would be forced to pay attention to proper legal boundaries for a change, and would amend the statute to bring it into compliance with the Constitution.

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

Alan Phillips, J.D. is a nationally recognized vaccine rights attorney. He advises clients, activists and other attorneys throughout the U.S. in over a dozen different vaccine exemption and waiver contexts, and supports activists nationally with vaccine legislative initiatives. Learn more at www.vaccinerights.com

About the author:
Alan Phillips, Vaccine Rights Attorney
attorney@vaccinerights.com, 1-828-575-2622
Vaccine Rights (www.vaccinerights.com)

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/043266_California_vaccine_exemptions_Constitutional_rights.html#ixzz2nka31pda

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Recipe of the day-Homemade Vegan Chocolate Honeycomb Candy

I used to love getting these during Christmas time, used to be one of my favorite candies. So I was super excited when I found this recipe. It doesn't seem to complicated either.
Recipe is from Forkandbeans.com she has some great recipes to check out.

Ingredients

1. 1/3 c. vegan butter
2. 1/3 c. light corn syrup
3. 2/3 c. vegan sugar (I like Zulka sugar)
4. 3 Tb. water
5. 2 1/2 tsp. baking soda (no clumps)

Instructions

1. In a 8x8 glass pan, line with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. On medium heat, combine all of the ingredients together except for the baking soda in a deep saucepan (keep in mind that when you eventually mix it in, the baking soda will make the recipe explode like lava--this is why you want a deep pot). Be sure to stir continuously.
3. Once the sugar dissolves, turn heat up to medium-high heat until the mixture begins to boil. Do not stir at this point. Allow to boil for 5-7 minutes. It will be tempting to walk away but don't! After the 5 minute mark, the candy's temp will spike and you will burn it if you do not keep an eye on it.
4. Once the mixture becomes a golden caramel color, immediately whisk in the baking soda until completely mixed in. Watch the science experiment begin!
5. Place into the parchment paper-lined pan and allow to cool down and set for 30 minutes. Do not touch! Those air pockets are imperative for the texture in this candy.
6. Break with a knife once it sets and coat with melted chocolate if you desire.

By Fork & Beans

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"Good" Gut Bacteria Carried Through Breastmilk, Benefits Baby

By: Elizabeth Renter

With the influx of research and information showing how breastfeeding is essential for a baby’s growth and well-being, it’s not a surprise to see that U.S. breastfeeding rates have been on a steady climb for the past several years. So, is another study on the benefits of breastfeeding really necessary? Well, yes. The new research comes to us from researchers in Switzerland. Scientists found that healthy bacteria, which is crucial for digestive health and immune function, can actually travel from a mother’s digestive system into her breast milk where it nurtures the digestion and immune activity of her child.

Many women, especially young and poor mothers, are misled about the benefits of formula feeding. Around the world formula is seen almost as a status symbol to the detriment of infant health. So, new research showing that mother’s milk can give babies a digestive edge is important.

“We are excited to find out that bacteria can actually travel from the mother’s gut to her breast milk,” said lead researcher Professor Christophe Lacroix. “A healthy community of bacteria in the gut of both mother and baby is really important for baby’s gut health and immune system development. “

For the study, published in Environmental Microbiology, scientists tested the DNA of mothers’ breast milk and their exclusively breast-fed one month old babies. They also tested fecal samples of both children and their mothers. The researchers discovered identical strains of the microbe Bifidobacterium breve and “several types of ‘good’ Clostridium” in both babies and the breast milk.”

“This study shows that gut-associated anaerobes may be vertically transferred from mother to neonate (infant) via breastfeeding. Our data supports the recently suggested hypothesis of a novel way of mother-neonate communication, in which maternal gut bacteria reach breast milk via an entero-mammary pathway to influence neonatal gut colonization and maturation of the immune system.”

The role of healthy gut bacteria in people of all ages has been increasingly explored in the scientific world. An unhealthy balance of gut bacteria has been linked to everything from mental illness, obesity, and even autism.

In the decade from 2000 to 2010, rates have jumped a whopping 14%—from 35% to 49% in babies six months of age. Approximately 77% of U.S. newborns are breastfed, and 27% are still being fed breast milk at 12 months of age. For breastfeeding mothers, the research means keeping your digestive system in check while nursing is of utmost important. Eat foods that encourage and even replenish gut bacteria like fermented foods. Also avoid antibiotics (which destroy all bacteria) whenever possible.

Read more: http://naturalsociety.com/mother-good-gut-bacteria-breast-milk-benefits-baby/#ixzz2nOmqq2fN 

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Recipe of the day-Vegan Banana Bread

  I made this the other day and it turned out super good! Definitely recommend this recipe!

by IsaChandra

Makes 12 slices

A simple, no frills banana bread. Perfect for, um, eating. I recently edited the amount of sugar needed, so this should be perfect now.

Ingredients
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup margarine, at room temp
3 very ripe bananas, mashed well
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup vanilla soy milk, mixed with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 8×4 bread pan with non stick cooking spray, or lightly coat with margarine.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices.

Cream together the margarine and sugars. Add bananas, soy milk and vanilla.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix well. Pour batter into pan. Bake for an hour to an hour 10 minutes.

I substituted the margarine for earth balance vegan butter. 

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Make Your Own Shampoo with Essential Oils

"Naturally Healthy Hair," from author Mary Beth Jansenn, offers readers recipes to make their own natural shampoo.

Acclaimed hair designer and educator Mary Beth Janssen aims to help readers achieve harmony in both mind and body with Naturally Healthy Hair (Storey Publishing, 1999). Jansenn has long been a voice for the integration of health and beauty, and many of her recipes call for the uses of organic ingredients and forgotten knowledge. This Pure Shampoo Recipe With Essential Oils, excerpted from Chapter 6, is a great way to make your own natural shampoo.

You can purchase this book from the MOTHER EARTH NEWS store: Naturally Healthy Hair.

Pure Shampoo Recipe With Essential Oils

The ingredients for this recipe are chosen for their desirable aromatic as well as therapeutic values. Some of my favorite formulations for specific conditions are outlined below. I encourage you to experiment with the herbs, essential oils, and other ingredients I’ve discussed so far, though, because the possible variations are tremendous.

Makes 8-10 ounces (235-295 ml)

Ingredients:

1–2 tablespoons (15–30 ml) dried herbs of your choice8 ounces (235 ml) purified water2 ounces (60 ml) liquid castile or glycerin soap1 teaspoon (5 ml) base oil of your choice (eliminate or reduce for oily conditions; increase for dry)15–60  drops essential oils of your choice, as conditions require

Instructions:

1. Create a decoction or infusion of your desired herb or combinations of herbs. Remember that a decoction is used for roots, stems, and seeds, or more fibrous, tough plants, while infusions are used for more delicate plant parts, including leaves and flowers. If you are combining herbs that need different treatments, decoct and infuse them separately, then mix the herbalized liquids.

For a decoction, place the herbs in water in a stainless-steel or glass pan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer on low for up to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, let the mixture cool, strain off the liquid, and discard the spent herbs.

For an infusion, bring the water to a boil. Place the herbs in a stainless-steel or glass pan and pour the boiling water over them. Let steep for at least 20 minutes, then let the mixture cool (if it isn’t cool already), strain off the liquid, and discard the spent herbs.

Tip: To increase the potency of the formula, let the herbs steep in the cooled liquid in an airtight container for a couple of days before straining and using.

2. Mix the herbal infusion or decoction with the soap, base oil, and desired essential oils. Shake well. Refrigerate the shampoo between uses, for up to a week, then discard.

Adding 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of vodka to this mixture will add 2 to 3 weeks to its shelf life, as will adding 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of either vitamin E or wheat germ oil.

To Use:

Shake well before each use.

Additives: You can also add ingredients with properties suitable for your particular hair condition, such as apple juice, honey, egg, aloe vera, gelatin, glycerin, or lecithin. Use 1 tablespoon (15 ml) per shampoo formula.

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/shampoo-essential-oils-ze0z1312zjhar.aspx#ixzz2mqVTsvUO

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Lavender Oil Improves Migraine Symptoms by 74%

by Elizabeth Renter

The scent of lavender is a favorite in the beauty industry—used in bath and body products and marketed as a soothing smell with a spa-like quality. But this isn’t some marketing gimmick; lavender scent truly does relax and soothe the body. Lavender essential oil has a variety of beneficial effects in addition to its relaxing qualities. One of these, recently affirmed by Iranian researchers, is in the treatment of migraines.

Migraines are intense headaches that aren’t usually relieved with traditional methods. They are usually accompanied by nausea, sensitivity to lights and sounds, vomiting, and vision anomalies. They are more common in women than men, and affect around 37 million Americans.

Researchers with Mashhad University of Medical Science Department of Neurology divided 47 participants into two groups. One group received lavender essential oil which they were instructed to inhale for about 15 minutes. The control group received paraffin to inhale for the same amount of time. Then, participants recorded their headache symptoms and severity in 30 minute intervals for a two hour period.

In the lavender group, there was a 74% improvement in the severity of symptoms. Also, there were fewer migraines over the course of the study when compared with the control group.

These results are particularly remarkable when you compare the lavender oil effectiveness rate with the rates of effectiveness for other conventional migraine treatments. The study concluded:

“The present study suggests that inhalation of lavender essential oil may be an effective and safe treatment modality in acute management of migraine headaches.”

As reported by Paul Fassa for Natural News, high doses of Tylenol (acetaminophen) only helps migraine sufferers about 50% of the time. Ibuprofen is slightly more effective, with improvement in 57% of cases, while the number one prescribed migraine medication, Imitrex, is effective 59% of the time. Lavender oil seems to rival the effectiveness rate of all of these options and without the side effects.

In addition to migraine treatment, lavender oil is antifungal, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory. It’s great to use topically on bug bites and rashes and can be inhaled for anxiety or insomnia.

Read more: http://naturalsociety.com/lavender-oil-improves-migraine-symptoms-74-percent/#ixzz2mpQqiVSM
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