Did you know the laundry room might be one of the more toxic areas of your home? Researchers have found that dryer vents can emit more than 25 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) when scented laundry detergent and dryer sheets are used. Fortunately, you can take several steps to ensure your laundry room is healthier and more efficient.

First, avoid hazardous chemicals in laundry detergents. Few of the chemicals in laundry-care products have been thoroughly tested, and some chemicals are still widely used despite tests showing they can be harmful to human health. Although laundry detergent manufacturers aren’t required to disclose all ingredients on labels, most still list ingredients on products or online.

Instead of using chemical-laden products, choose responsible ones (from the provided below), or make your own using the Simple Washing Powder recipe:

♥Simple Washing Powder♥
This simple, homemade detergent is inexpensive to make and free of harmful chemicals.

16 cups baking soda
12 cups washing soda
8 cups grated castile soap
3 tablespoons lavender, lemon or grapefruit essential oil (optional)

Combine baking soda, washing soda and soap flakes. If using, add essential oil and mix with a wire whisk. Use 1/8 cup per load.

**Yield: This recipe makes enough powder to last a typical family of four for one year.**

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Follow some of these tips for a healthier, more efficient laundry room.

credit: Jessica Kellner of care2.com

While only two lipsticks tested contained more lead than California’s recommended limit of 5 parts-per-million and none exceed Canada’s recommendation of 10 parts-per-million, there is certainly still cause for concern.

According to the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics,“Many experts agree that there is no safe blood level of lead for children and pregnant women. Lead is a proven neurotoxin that can cause learning, language and behavioral problems such as lowered IQ, reduced school performance and increased aggression. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure, because lead easily crosses the placenta and enters the fetal brain where it can interfere with normal development.”

While health experts, including an advisory committee to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, agree that lead exposure is a serious problem, the FDA does not believe lipsticks are unsafe. The Campaign For Safe Cosmetics has cried foul to this statement, pointing out that “[the FDA] conducted a formal safety assessment of lead in lipstick” and thus can’t really safe for sure if they are safe or not.

Currently, the FDA does not regulate the the amount of lead in cosmetics. They are, however, considering implementing regulations.

Lipsticks with the Most Lead

1. Maybelline Color Sensational in Pink Petal 7.19
2. L’Oréal Colour Riche in Volcanic 7.00
3. NARS Semi-Matte in Red Lizard 4.93
4. Cover Girl Queen Collection Vibrant Hues Color in Ruby Remix 4.92
5. NARS Semi-Matte in Funny Face 4.89
6. L’Oréal Colour Riche in Tickled Pink 4.45
7. L’Oréal Intensely Moisturizing Lipcolor in Heroic 4.41
8. Cover Girl Continuous Color in Warm Brick 4.28
9. Maybelline Color Sensational in Mauve Me 4.23
10. Stargazer Lipstick in C 4.12

Lipsticks with the Least Lead

1.Wet’n’ Wild Mega Mixers Lipbalm in Bahama Mama 0.026
2. L’Oréal Colour Juice in Cherry On Top  0.026
3. Clinique Almost in Black Honey  0.026
4. Lori Anne Mood in Blue 0.03
5. M.A.C. Satin in M.A.C. Red 0.03
6. Estée Lauder Pure Color in Pink Parfait 0.04
7. Lori Anne Mood in Yellow 0.05
8. M.A.C. Matte in Lady Danger 0.05
9. Iman Cosmetics Luxury Moisturizing in Image Red 0.05
10. Fashion Fair Lipstick in Earth Red 0.05

credit: Katie Waldeck of care2.com

According to the most recent first-of-its kind study, Acupuncture was incorporated into a treatment plan and its effectiveness compared against anti-depressant drugs, which are now commonly used in therapy. The aim was to see how these two treatment programs compared in bringing relief from the side effects of breast cancer surgery including hot flashes, night sweats and excessive sweating. The results were presented in September at the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Boston, Mass.

The anti-depressant Effexor® (venlafaxine) produced by the drug company Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Inc., has become part of the normal drug therapy treatment plan for women suffering from hot flashes. Usually, hot flashes are treated with hormone therapy, however, breast cancer victims cant receive hormone therapy as it increases the chance the disease will return.

There are many good reasons, including weight gain, nausea, constipation and fatigue, not to use the powerful anti-depressant drugs. Many women prefer not to use the drug because of additional problems it is known to present such as insomnia, decreased libido and dizziness. And, some women simply don’t want to take drugs.

The study conducted at Henry Ford Hospitals Department of Radiation Oncology in Detroit, much, involved 47 breast cancer patients. Following their surgery, each was experiencing at least 14 hot flashes per week. What was discovered was that Acupuncture was equally effective in reducing the hot flashes as the anti-depressant drug, but it also provided additional health benefits.

The researchers noted that the women who received Acupuncture had an increased sense of well-being about them. They also had more energy and, in some cases, a higher sex drive than those who underwent drug treatment for their symptoms.

The researchers were forced to reduce the number of participants to 114 from the planned 480. Also, patients receiving Metoprolol rather than Acupuncture were considerably more likely to discontinue treatment, the authors stated. Thus the recruitment phase of the study was ended prematurely after 114 patients had been randomized.

The headache study was part of a larger nationwide research project to study the effectiveness of Acupuncture for headaches, chronic low back pain, and pain from osteoarthritis. The methodology called for real Acupuncture treatments, sham or minimal Acupuncture, and no treatments, as well as drug treatment in the case of the headache trials.

The results showed that, for all three conditions, Acupuncture produced a clear benefit that lasted for at least several months, and whose benefit was greatest in the osteoarthritis groups. In all three categories, Acupuncture proved extremely effective at reducing pain and inflammation compared to either traditional drug or other treatments, or no treatment at all.

The study was aimed at providing more information for the government to ascertain whether Acupuncture for these conditions should be covered by medical insurance. As a result, insurance in Germany has been extended to include osteoarthritis of the knees. Further research is planned in the other areas surveyed.

But time and time again, studies have shown that Acupuncture helps those with the pain of cancer or the sickness resulting from treatment. Acupuncture Is Making Life Easier For Those Fighting Cancer.

In 1986, two doctors in London studied whether or not patients at a Pain Clinic in a cancer hospital could benefit from Acupuncture treatment. The results were quite promising. This study found that 82 percent of the patients treated with Acupuncture received a benefit that lasted for hours or even days. Patients who were suffering from muscle spasms or unpleasant sensations such as itching, prickling or burning were among those who received the greatest help.

In 2009, a study executed by Jeanette Ezzo, a Maryland researcher, and a research group investigated the relief that might be provided to those who were receiving chemotherapy. It is very typical for those receiving chemotherapy to suffer vomiting and nausea. Needle Acupuncture, electroacupuncture and self-administered acupressure were tested together on this study.

The research group found that, Electroacupuncture has demonstrated benefit for chemotherapy-induced acute vomiting. It also determined that, Self-administered acupressure appears to have a protective effect for acute nausea and can readily be taught to patients. Further studies are needed to provide complete verification of the benefits.

Then treatments such as chemotherapy produce sickness and vomiting as a side effect, the usual medical solution is to give more drugs to combat those side effects. Rather than involve oneself in a never-ending round of drug-taking, it is always wise to see if a minimally invasive and nearly painless method of treatment such as Acupuncture can help before resorting to more drugs.

Avoiding more drugs leaves the body with a maximum amount of innate healing power with which to deal with the cancer.

The World Health Organization (WHO) published an official report on four categories of symptoms, conditions and diseases that have been shown to benefit from Acupuncture.

The WHO report also contained three additional categories of conditions for which recognized controlled trials had not been done, but for which Acupuncture nevertheless has been shown to be helpful.
The Category #2 list includes diseases, symptoms or conditions for which the therapeutic effect of Acupuncture has been demonstrated but for which further proof is needed. (Click here for more information on these conditions..)

Here is the list:

◊Abdominal pain

◊Acne vulgaris

◊Alcohol dependence

◊Bells palsy

◊Bronchial asthma

◊Cancer pain

◊Cardiac neurosis

◊Chronic cholecystitis

◊Cholelithiasis

◊Competition stress syndrome

◊Craniocerebral injury, closed

◊Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin)

◊Earache

◊Epidemic haemorrhagic fever

◊Epistaxis, simple

◊Eye pain due to injection

◊Female infertility

◊Facial spasm

◊Female urethral syndrome

◊Fibromyalgia and fasciitis

◊Gastrokinetic disturbance

◊Gouty arthritis

◊Hepatitis B virus carrier status

◊Herpes zoster (human)

◊Hyperlipaemia

◊Hypo-ovarianism

◊Insomnia

◊Labor pain

◊Lactation, deficiency

◊Male sexual dysfunction

◊Ménière disease

◊Neuralgia, post-herpetic

◊Neurodermatitis

◊Obesity

◊Opiate/opioid dependence

◊Osteoarthritis

◊Endoscopic exam pain

◊Thromboangiitis pain

◊Polycystic ovary syndrome

◊Postextubation in children

◊Postoperative convalescence

◊Premenstrual syndrome

◊Prostatitis, chronic

◊Pruritus

◊Radicular/pseudorad pain

◊Raynaud syndrome, primary

◊Recurrent urinary infection

◊Reflex sympathetic dystrophy

◊Retention of urine, traumatic

◊Schizophrenia

◊Sialism, drug-induced

◊Sjögren syndrome

◊Sore throat (and tonsillitis)

◊Acute spine pain

◊Stiff neck

◊Temporomandibular pain

◊Tietze syndrome

◊Tobacco dependence

◊Tourette syndrome

◊Ulcerative colitis, chronic

◊Urolithiasis

◊Vascular dementia

◊Whooping cough (pertussis)

If you or someone you know is having trouble with any of the above conditions, check with your acupuncturist to see if they can help!

Here are a few tips to help you to LOSE THAT BAGGAGE…FOR GOOD!

Tip #1~ THE RIGHT DIET: Eat like your great, great, great grandmothers ate:  If you didn’t pick it, or if it didn’t have a mother – DON’T EAT IT!

Tip #2 ~ AVOID PROCESSED FOOD: If It came out of a package -it’s a NO!!!

Tip #3~ PROTEIN FIRST :

♥Consume protein within one hour of awakening

♥First thing in your mouth at meals – BEFORE salads

♥Yes, that even means vegetarian proteins

Tip#4~ BEWARE SUGAR & SUGAR LOOK-ALIKES: 

• Spikes insulin levels
•  Fructose  = Triglycerides = FAT
• “Naturally Sweetened” and “Sugar-Free” is still Fructose!

Tip#5~ CARB IS NOT A CARB, IS NOT A CARB:

• Gluten causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) & Diabetes
• GAD Antibodies attack your pancreas and your brain which also causes diabetes

Tip#6~ GET UP AND MOVE YOUR BODY!

♥Exercise 30 Minutes Minimum Daily

♥Improve insulin sensitivity

♥Decreases flabby bellies

→Don’t Go Overboard!  Too much exercise increases blood sugar!!

Tip#7~ ROUGH IT UP AND LUBE IT UP

♥Increase your fiber

♥Increase your good fats

Tip#8~ YOU ARE MORE THAN WHAT YOU EAT!

Take Supplements: The Right supplements should be thought of as part of your daily “food” nutrition.  Have them “ready to go!”

• Fish Oils
• Multi-Vitamins
• Cinnamon
• Alpha Lipoic Acid
• Carnitine
• Chromium
• Biotin
• Banaba

In a paper published in http://www.nature.com/neuro/index.html Nature Neuroscience, a team at the University of Rochester Medical Center described how the molecule adenosine, a naturally-produced chemical compound found in the body, appears to be a central player in creating at least some of the beneficial results of Acupuncture.

Adenosine, is a natural compound called a nucleoside, which is known for its role in regulating sleep, its effects on the heart, and its anti-inflammatory properties. But adenosine is also a natural painkiller. It becomes active in the skin after an injury where it inhibits nerve signals and eases pain  very similar to the painkiller lidocaine, only natural.

The researchers found that adenosine is also active in the deeper tissues affected by Acupuncture. They studied the effects of Acupuncture on the peripheral nervous system  the nerves that arent part of the brain and spinal cord  complementing established work that has shown that Acupuncture creates signals in the central nervous system, causing the brain to produce natural pain-killing endorphins.

Acupuncture has been a mainstay of medical treatment in certain parts of the world for 4,000 years, but because it has not been understood completely, many people have remained skeptical, said Nedergaard, co-director of the Universitys Center for Translational Neuromedicine, where the research was conducted. In this work, we provide information about one physical mechanism through which Acupuncture reduces pain in the body.

The research included Acupuncture treatments on mice with discomfort in a paw, with each mouse receiving 30 minutes of treatment at the same, well-known Acupuncture point near the knee. Very fine needles were used and rotated gently every five minutes, similar to standard Acupuncture treatments in people.

Observations regarding adenosine included:

• In mice with normal functioning levels of adenosine, Acupuncture reduced discomfort by two-thirds.
• During and immediately after an Acupuncture treatment, the level of adenosine in the tissues near the needles was 24 times greater than before the treatment
• In special adenosine receptor knock-out mice not equipped with the adenosine receptor, Acupuncture had no effect.
• When adenosine was directly turned on in the tissues, discomfort was reduced without Acupuncture.

Scientists were able to triple the beneficial effects of Acupuncture in mice by adding a medication that delays the clearance of adenosine from tissue, further verifying the adenosine effect. This increased the effects of Acupuncture treatment dramatically, nearly tripling the accumulation of adenosine in the muscles, and more than tripling the length of time the treatment was effective.

The study involved a systematic review of 31 separate studies in which Acupuncture was used as a treatment for obesity. Researchers looked into the cases of 3,013 individuals who had been involved, to determine if Acupuncture had validity as a useful tool in the weight loss process.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it is the proper functioning of the spleen and the liver that is responsible for a healthy digestive process and blood and energy flow. The spleen is responsible for the proper functioning of the digestive system. It ensures that food is transformed into Qi. (Qi is the vital energy substance of life.) Fatigue, slow metabolism, water retention and a feeling of heaviness can all result when the spleen is not functioning properly. It is then the livers function to regulate the flow of blood and Qi to the entire body. Disharmony in the liver can be responsible for triggers that lead to food cravings and then to compulsive eating.

The review study found that in most cases Acupuncture treatments were delivered one or two times per week for 8 to 12 weeks or until a weight loss goal had been reached. Sometimes treatments were combined with additional regimens of herbs, supplements, abdominal massage, breathing exercise and lifestyle changes. The benefit of using Acupuncture as a means of weight loss is that treatments can be individualized to meet the needs of the person. Acupuncture points on the body can be chosen for overall well-being to include the increased circulation of blood and Qi as well as to have a calming effect on the nervous system.

Western medicine would have a different view of how Acupuncture affected the body and consequently resulted in the reduction of weight and obesity. From this perspective, Acupuncture would be seen to have an effect on the function of the nervous system, the endocrine system, the digestive system, on food cravings and metabolism. All of this would help to energize the body and maximize the absorption of nutrients, regulate elimination, control overeating, suppress appetite and reduce anxiety.

Regardless of whether a person attributes the results to a TCM or a Western approach, the findings of the study showed definite benefits of Acupuncture over simply trying to control a diet, drugs or a placebo. The confidence expressed by the study results were listed at 95%, meaning that positive results would be expected in at least 95 of 100 cases. The results of this study point to the positive effectiveness of Acupuncture, and researchers indicated that more long-term studies addressed to Acupuncture for the treatment of obesity and weight loss should follow.

The study was published in the International Journal of Obesity.

"A-Ha!"

I just returned from the  5-day International Detoxification Conference held this year in Arizona. I am so excited to have the latest cutting edge data and techniques on what’s happening globally to detox effectively.