I have been trying to clue the people I know and love in on the severe conflict of interest the government and big pharma are involved with for a long time, but I get the feeling there is going to be more and more bell ringers exposing this kind of deceit. Just last month it came out that drugmaker AstraZeneca “buried” unfavorable studies on its antipsychotic drug Seroquel that showed it may cause diabetes and other health problems.

You and only you are responsible for you and your families health. Be very cautious toward prescription drugs, don’t always rely on your doctor or medical journals. If your gut instinct says “beware” then search for alternatives because most likely there are always a better ways lurking out there, only you won’t usually find them within mainstream medicine…

Read more below and for the entire story from Dr. Mercola

Scott S. Reuben, a prominent Massachusetts anesthesiologist, allegedly fabricated 21 medical studies that claimed to show benefits from painkillers like Vioxx and Celebrex.

Baystate Medical Center said Reuben had faked data used in the studies, which were published in several anesthesiology journals between 1996 and 2008. The hospital has asked the medical journals to retract the studies. The studies reported favorable results from the use of painkillers Bextra and Vioxx — both since withdrawn — as well as Celebrex and Lyrica. Dr. Reuben’s research work also claimed positive findings for the antidepressant Effexor XR as a pain killer.

The retractions, first reported in Anesthesiology News, have caused anesthesiologists to reconsider the use of certain practices adopted as a result of Dr. Reuben’s research. His work was considered important in encouraging doctors to combine the use of painkillers like Celebrex and Lyrica for patients undergoing common procedures such as knee and hip replacements.

Sources:

Wall Street Journal March 11, 2009

Sources:
Squidoo January 23, 2009

Fresh lemon grass fields in Israel become Mecca for cancer patients
By Allison Kaplan Sommer April 02, 2006

A drink with as little as one gram of lemon grass contains enough citral to prompt cancer cells to commit suicide in the test tube.

Israeli researchers find way to make cancer cells self-destruct
-Ben Gurion University

At first, Benny Zabidov, an Israeli agriculturalist who grows greenhouses full of lush spices on a pastoral farm in Kfar Yedidya in the Sharon region, couldn’t understand why so many cancer patients from around the country were showing up on his doorstep asking for fresh lemon grass. It turned out that their doctors had sent them. ‘They had been told to drink eight glasses of hot water with fresh lemon grass steeped in it on the days that they went for their radiation and chemotherapy treatments,’ Zabidov told ISRAEL21c. ‘And this is the place you go to in Israel for fresh lemon grass.’

It all began when researchers at Ben Gurion University of the Negev discovered last year that the lemon aroma in herbs like lemon grass kills cancer cells in vitro, while leaving healthy cells unharmed. The research team was led by Dr. Rivka Ofir and Prof. Yakov Weinstein, incumbent of the Albert Katz Chair in Cell-Differentiation and Malignant Diseases, from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at BGU.

Citral is the key component that gives the lemony aroma and taste in several herbal plants such as lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus), melissa (Melissa officinalis) and verbena (Verbena officinalis.)

According to Ofir, the study found that citral causes cancer cells to ‘commit suicide: using apoptosis, a mechanism called programmed cell death.’ A drink with as little as one gram of lemon grass contains enough citral to prompt the cancer cells to commit suicide in the test tube.

The BGU investigators checked the influence of the citral on cancerous cells by adding them to both cancerous cells and normal cells that were grown in a petri dish. The quantity added in the concentrate was equivalent to the amount contained in a cup of regular tea using one gram of lemon herbs in hot water. While the citral killed the cancerous cells, the normal cells remained unharmed.

The findings were published in the scientific journal Planta Medica, which highlights research on alternative and herbal remedies. Shortly afterwards, the discovery was featured in the popular Israeli press.

Why does it work? Nobody knows for certain, but the BGU scientists have a theory. ‘In each cell in our body, there is a genetic program which causes programmed cell death. When something goes wrong, the cells divide with no control and become cancer cells. In normal cells, when the cell discovers that the control system is not operating correctly – for example, when it recognizes that a cell contains faulty genetic material following cell division – it triggers cell death,’ explains Weinstein. ‘This research may explain the medical benefit of these herbs.’

The success of their research led them to the conclusion that herbs containing citral may be consumed as a preventative measure against certain cancerous cells. As they learned of the BGU findings in the press, many physicians in Israel began to believe that while the research certainly needed to be explored further, in the meantime it would be advisable for their patients, who were looking for any possible tool to fight their condition, to try to harness the cancer-destroying properties of citral.

That’s why Zabidov’s farm – the only major grower of fresh lemon grass in Israel – has become a pilgrimage destination for these patients. Luckily, they found themselves in sympathetic hands. Zabidov greets visitors with a large kettle of aromatic lemon grass tea, a plate of cookies, and a supportive attitude. ‘My father died of cancer, and my wife’s sister died young because of cancer,’ said Zabidov. ‘So I understand what they are dealing with. And I may not know anything about medicine, but I’m a good listener. And so they tell me about their expensive painful treatments and what they’ve been through. I would never tell them to stop being treated, but it’s great that they are exploring alternatives and drinking the lemon grass tea as well.’

Zabidov knew from a young age that agriculture was his calling. At age 14, he enrolled in the Kfar Hayarok Agricultural high school. After his army service, he joined an idealistic group which headed south, in the Arava desert region, to found a new moshav (agricultural settlement) called Tsofar. ‘We were very successful; we raised fruits and vegetables, and,’ he notes with a smile, ‘We raised some very nice children.’

On a trip to Europe in the mid-80s, he began to become interested in herbs. Israel, at the time, was nothing like the trend-conscious cuisine-oriented country it is today, and the only spices being grown commercially were basics like parsley, dill, and coriander. Wandering in the Paris market, looking at the variety of herbs and spices, Zabidov realized that there was a great export potential in this niche. He brought samples back home with him, ‘which was technically illegal,’ he says with a guilty smile, to see how they would grow in his desert greenhouses. Soon, he was growing basil, oregano, tarragon, chives, sage, marjoram and melissa, and mint just to name a few.

His business began to outgrow his desert facilities, and so he decided to move north, settling in the moshav of Kfar Yedidya, an hour and a half north of Tel Aviv. He is now selling ‘several hundred kilos’ of lemon grass per week, and has signed with a distributor to package and put it in health food stores. Zabidov has taken it upon himself to learn more about the properties of citral, and help his customers learn more, and has invited medical experts to his farm to give lectures about how the citral works and why.

He also felt a responsibility to know what to tell his customers about its use. ‘When I realized what was happening, I picked up the phone and called Dr. Weinstein at Ben-Gurion University, because these people were asking me exactly the best way to consume the citral. He said to put the loose grass in hot water, and drink about eight glasses each day.’

Zabidov is pleased by the findings, not simply because it means business for his farm, but because it might influence his own health. Even before the news of its benefits were demonstrated, he and his family had been drinking lemon grass in hot water for years, ‘just because it tastes good.’

Natural Health Solutions
6469 Frazier Road
Moravia, NY 13118

Many of you may be getting questions or comments on the consumer¹s group
submitting a petition to the EPA for a ban on nano silver products. The ban
is on nano silver being used as pesticides or topical applications.
American Biotech Labs has written an article to counter the claims being
made. Many of the points have not been fully studied or researched but we
think this is knee-jerk reactions spurned on by possible pharmica motives
since many of them have financial interests in the pesticide industry.

America Biotech Labs has actually gotten approval for use of our products by
the EPA through studies we have submitted to them showing the safety data
plus they have their own safety they have laid down.

Please take the time to read the attached article and make copies for your
customer or patient base that may be concerned.

Sincerely,

Nolan Maxfield
Sales Representative
American Biotech Labs
800-605-1541 Ext 104
=================
American Biotech Labs¹

Nano-Silver Proven Safe For Humans

By Keith Moeller

Introduction

A great deal of misinformation has been released from the media claiming
that nano-silver products have not been tested for safety, and that it is
unknown what effects the products may have on people or the environment. It
has also been stated that these silver products can cause heavy-metal
poisoning. Little, if any, of this attack on nano-silver has validity, and
more importantly it is the work of people or special interest groups that
have something else to gain by limiting an individual¹s free right to have
and use safe silver products. American Biotech Labs has spent millions of
dollars on testing the safety and efficacy of nano-silver technology
products.

EPA Registration

American Biotech Labs already has been awarded a registration for two of
their ASAP nano-silver products from the EPA, after having completed
thousands of antimicrobial tests meeting strict EPA guidelines. Those
products have 10-minute-kill-time claims for both home and hospital
disinfection against deadly pathogens such as staph, yeast, and black mold,
etc. The products have also been approved for disinfecting dental water
lines used to spray into human mouths, as well as heating and ventilation
systems for home and industrial use.

Nano-Silver Safe For The Home And The Environment

Each EPA approved product is required to have safety information, and
according to that information a toxic spill or EPA reportable spill amount
is required to be printed in the product MSDS sheet (Material Safety Data
Sheet). For example, a chlorine-type cleaning product (found for open
purchase on store shelves right now) has a toxic spill rating of about three
gallons, meaning that a spill of three gallons or more must be reported to
the EPA and handled by HAZMAT authorities. In comparison, American

Biotech Labs¹ 32 ppm nano-silver product has a toxic spill rating of
12,500,000 gallons. An oil tanker will hold about a million gallons, which
means that 12.5 oil tankers full of the ASAP nano silver disinfectant would
have to spill their entire loads of the product together to be deemed a
toxic event to the environment. The management of American Biotech Labs
believes that there is no tank or vat large enough in the entire world that
could hold and subsequently spill enough of the ASAP disinfectant product to
actually be reportable as a toxic spill to the environment. In other words,
American Biotech Labs¹ nano-silver disinfectant product is perhaps the
safest disinfectant product, for environmental reasons, ever approved to
kill bacteria, mold, yeast and other pathogens.

Nano-Silver Tested For Cyto-toxicity (Will It Harm Human Cells?)

A number of independent cyto-toxicity tests have been completed on American
Biotech Labs¹ nano-silver products. At both 10 and 22 ppm, the products were
found to do no damage at all to either human or monkey cells, meaning that
they were found completely non-cyto-toxic. ASAP nano-silver gel products
were tested for cyto-toxicity at both 24 and 32 ppm by an independent
FDA/EPA approved lab. According to FDA guidelines, the cyto-toxicity is
reported on a scale of 1-4 (4 being highly cyto-toxic and 1 being very safe
for use). Both the 24 and 32ppm ASAP nano-silver products were deemed in the
testing to be a level 1, in other words having little or no negative effect
on the skin.

Ingested Nano Silver Toxicity Studies

Numerous ingested toxicity studies have been completed on American Biotech
Labs¹ nano-silver products. Some of the studies are outlined below.
Independent LD-50 tests on animals at levels equivalent to approximately 200
times the normal internal use adult dosage were found to be non-toxic to the
animals. A 28-day bird flu study completed by a U.S. NIH virology lab also
included a toxicity study in which the animals were fed levels of the
nano-silver at 10-200 times the normal dosage daily. The ASAP nano-silver
products were found to be non-toxic to the animals in the long term study. A
separate medical college study tested the ingestion of American Biotech
Labs¹ nano-silver product in animals at levels of 0.5 ml, 1.0 ml, and 1.5 ml

daily for 28 days, and again found the product completely non-toxic to the
animals. An Indian (World Health Organization approved) lab tested the ASAP
nano-silver products for toxicity in a mouse-model study at levels of 50,
500, 5,000 mg/kg. The product was again found to be completely non-toxic to
the animals at all levels tested in the Indian study. A peer-reviewed
preliminary HIV Human study found that the oral ingestion of 2 ounces daily
for four months of the 10 ppm ASAP nano-silver product, had no negative
effect on the seven human patients. A U.S. Congressional Testimony outlines
the use of the ASAP nano-silver product at between 0.5-1.0 ounce daily use
at 10 ppm, for human use of the product against malaria and other human
ailments (120+ cases). In all cases, no negative effects were reported from
any of the four hospitals and clinics that tested the product, by either
external or internal use (mostly internal use).

Injected Nano- Silver Toxicity Studies

Two injected mouse model studies have been completed testing the ASAP
nano-silver products at a level of 50 mg/kg, at both 10 and 32 ppm levels.
Both studies found the products to be completely non-toxic to the test
animals.

Will Nano-Silver Kill Probiotic Or Friendly Digestive Bacteria?

Two independent studies have been completed by two different major labs,
testing the effect of American Biotech Labs¹ ASAP nano-silver on probiotic
or friendly and needed digestive bacteria. Both studies found that the ASAP
nano-silver products would not even inhibit the growth of probiotic bacteria
at all levels at which it is being used.

Does Silver Cause Heavy Metal Poisoning?

The claim that silver can cause toxic nephropathy or heavy metal poisoning
is being made by both pseudo-scientists and the uniformed news media. The
statement shows a complete lack of even the most basic scientific knowledge
about silver. Toxic nephropathy is defined as ³Any functional or morphologic
change in the kidney produced by an ingested, injected, inhaled, or absorbed
drug, chemical, or biologic agent.² Probably the most accurate and widely
accepted authority on the subject would be the MERCK Manual Of Diagnosis And
Treatment. The 17th edition of the manual, on page 1880, shows the complete
list of heavy metals that can cause heavy metal poisoning. The list includes
a number of metals like copper and iron that are found in everyday vitamins,
but silver is not listed in any form. It was not accidently forgotten from
the list, and it was not listed in the comprehensive list because it does
not cause the problem! Listed under ³Methemoglobin formers², the Merck does
list sodium nitrite as a cause of nephropathy. The importance of this being
that if silver is mixed with heavy salt or sodium products it could be
classified as causing nephropathy, not because of the silver, but because of
the heavy amount of salt contained in the matrix of the combined product.
The heavy use of silver nitrate in the medical industry (both past and
present) may have led people to the common, but incorrect misconception
about silver.

Has The U.S. EPA Established An RfD Or Oral Daily Silver Intake Limit?

In 1991 the EPA issued an oral intake limit for daily use on silver to be
0.005 mg/kg/day (EPA RED Document pg.2). This means that according to the
EPA guidelines for silver ingestion, an average size adult could safely
consume the equivalent of one ounce daily of a 10 ppm silver product and not
exceed the EPA established daily intake limit. On page two of the EPA RED
document it states, ³EPA does not anticipate that dietary exposure to these
low levels of silver will be associated with any significant degree of
risk².

Can Oral Silver Consumption Cause Cancer?

It has been suggested by numerous pseudo-scientists that the long term use
of silver can cause cancer in some form or another. The statement is false.
The EPA IRIS (Integrated Risk Information System) Report on Silver states
under the first paragraph listed under section 11.A.2., ³No evidence of
cancer in humans has been reported despite frequent therapeutic use of the
compound (silver) over the years². Again, under section 11.A.4. it states,
³Further support for the lack of silver¹s ability to induce or promote
cancer stems from the finding that, despite long standing and frequent
therapeutic usage in humans, there are no reports of cancer associated with
silver². Can Silver Cause Cells To Mutate?

On page 9 of the EPA IRIS Report it states, ³No evidence of the mutagenicity
of silver was shown in two available studies².

The European Commission Has Determined The Oral Supplement Use Of Silver To
Be Safe!

The European Commission, Health & Consumer Protection Directorate-General,
Opinion listed under Directorate B – Scientific Health Opinions, on the use
of silver in medical devices, beverages, and supplements, issued their
opinion on June 27th 2000 after a comprehensive study of the subject. The
opinion is stated in their conclusion on page eight. The opinion states,
³According to Annex IV of Directive 94/36, Silver (E. 174) can be used
quantum satis to color both food and beverages, and the metal can also be
ingested in the form of dietary supplements sold in ³health-food² shops². In
other words they found that silver metal was safe for oral ingestion as a
supplement!

Why Are There Some Negative Historical Reports regarding The Use Of Silver
Products

Historically, silver was used at very high levels and mixed with numerous
toxic compounds including arsenic, mercury, salt, iodine and others. It was
not the silver in these compounds that made the complex toxic, as listed in
the reports quoting some reported case studies, but the other added
products. There is a vast amount of data on the toxicity of the other
compounds like arsenic, which when added to silver could make the entire
matrix toxic. The most widely used compound that was mixed with silver was
salt in the form of sodium nitrate. Silver nitrate was used at very high
levels. Even when used at those high levels, the silver nitrate products
were found to be only mildly toxic and found to be safe enough to put into
baby¹s eyes at birth. One toxicity study on rats (EPA Office Of Drinking
Water report issued August 1988, Revised January, 1991 pg. III-18) cites an
oral toxicity study completed on rats. The rats were given drinking water
containing 1296 mg/l (equal to 1296 ppm silver ) of silver nitrate. Drinking
the very high content silver nitrate as their entire drinking water supply
daily, the animals remained healthy for 60 weeks (1year and 3 months). After
the 60 weeks the animals started to deteriorate in health. After the 76th
week the animals were returned to drinking regular water and all animals
returned to normal health. This proved that even long term ingestion of huge
levels of high-content silver nitrate, only had a mildly negative effect on
the animals, and that effect was only temporary with no lasting effect once
they were taken off the product.

Safest Means To Protect Our Homes And Families

In December of 2000, a JAMA article reported that more than 100,000 people
had died in the U.S. that year as a side effect of antibiotics used
correctly. That number did not include antibiotics that were misused. Of the
millions of people consuming silver products of all types that year, no
deaths were reported. If a child accidently consumed one bottle of vitamins
or household cleaner, or hundreds of other products in our homes, he or she
would most likely be killed or at least harmed. In comparison, if that same
child were to accidently drink an entire 16 ounce bottle of the EPA approved
ASAP hospital disinfectant, he or she would not be harmed in any way. A
major university found in its testing that this same product, which would
not hurt a child, could kill the two most deadly bacteria found in hospitals
(MRSA and VRE), even when it was diluted down to only 2.5 ppm. The point is
that silver may not be perfect, but it is by far the safest and most
effective, hospital, home, and body disinfectant we have in the world today.
It is the only safe way we currently have to fight off deadly infections and
disease.

Proven Effective Against Pathogens

American Biotech Labs currently holds more than 160 independent studies from
more than 60 different private, U.S. government, military, and also
university labs. The studies include more than an estimated 10,000
individual antimicrobial tests. The ASAP nano-silver product has proven
effective at eliminating malaria from the bloodstream in 4 different
preliminary studies, in an average of just 3.34 days, by internal human
ingestion. The product was proven, in an animal-model study at a U.S.
government NIH lab, to be able to increase the survival rate of mice by 100%
against the deadly H5-N1 Bird Flu virus, when using the product orally on a
daily basis (also released in peer review journal). The product was proven
in a preliminary, independent, peer reviewed journal article, to be able to
increase the T lymphocyte count in 7 human AIDS patients by an average of
almost 40%, in four months of oral usage at just 2 ounces daily. The product
technology is patented to be able to kill TB, MRSA, Hepatitis b., HIV,
yeast, and too many other pathogens to list here. The point is that it is a
very broad spectrum antimicrobial agent, which also has been tested and
found to be completely non-toxic to humans and animals at any level tested.

Conclusion

American Biotech Labs has already registered with the EPA as a pesticide,
with approvals as a surface disinfectant, HVAC disinfectant, and also as a
disinfectant for dental water lines. The company has been issued a toxicity
rating showing that in order for the product to be toxic to the environment,
12, 500,000 gallons of the hospital disinfectant product would have to be
spilled at one time. No tank or vat could even hold enough of the product at
one time for it to be considered toxic in the event of any spill. American
Biotech labs has completed millions of dollars of comprehensive, independent
safety and efficacy data on its nano-silver products, including but not
limited to: cyto-toxicity studies; injected and ingested studies at high and
low levels of silver content and also for both short and long periods of
time; also skin sensitivity studies. All studies have concluded that the
ASAP nano-silver products are not toxic to cells, animals, or humans.

The U.S. EPA has issued an RfD for silver showing that a normal size adult
could safely consume the equivalent of an ounce of a 10 ppm product daily
for an entire lifetime (based on 72 years). The European Commission On
Health And Consumer Protection issued an opinion after a comprehensive study
on silver that metallic silver was safe for ingestion in drinks and food,
and also could be sold in health-food stores as a supplement.

Silver is not a metal that causes heavy metal poisoning as has been reported
by numerous pseudo-scientists. The Merck Index does not list silver as a
compound that causes nephropathy.

Individuals must be allowed some way to safely protect themselves and their
families from deadly pathogens and infections that are rampant in our
hospitals, schools, and homes. Silver may not be perfect, but it is
presently by far the safest and most broad spectrum bacteria and infection
killing substance available to mankind.

Tyson Foods, the world’s largest meat processor and the second largest chicken producer in the U.S., has admitted that it injects its chickens with antibiotics before they hatch and then labels them as raised without antibiotics.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has told Tyson to stop using the antibiotic-free label, but the company has sued for the right to keep using it.

Poultry farmers regularly treat chickens and other birds with antibiotics. But scientists have become increasingly concerned that the routine use of antibiotics in animal agriculture may accelerate the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
After Tyson began labeling its chicken antibiotic-free, the USDA warned the company that such labels were not truthful, because Tyson regularly treats its birds’ feed with bacteria-killing ionophores. Tyson argued that ionophores are antimicrobials rather than antibiotics, and are not used on human patients. Tyson suggested a compromise which was eventually accepted by the USDA — they would use a label reading “raised without antibiotics that impact antibiotic resistance in humans.”

Tyson’s competitors: Perdue Farms Inc., Sanderson Farms Inc. and Foster Farms sued, and in May 2008, a federal judge ruled in their favor and told Tyson to stop using the label. Not long after, USDA inspectors discovered that in addition to using ionophores, Tyson was regularly injecting its chicken eggs with gentamicin, an antibiotic that has been used for more than 30 years.

The agency told Tyson that based on the new discovery, it would no longer consider the antibiotic-free label “truthful and accurate.” Tyson objected again, claiming that because the antibiotics are injected before the chickens hatched, the birds can truthfully be said to be “raised without antibiotics.” Tyson has filed a lawsuit against the USDA, claiming that the agency had improperly changed the definition of “raised without antibiotics” to include the treatment of eggs.

Food allergies among children have risen 18 percent from 1997 to 2007, causing more than a few raised eyebrows among researchers and health officials. The first federal study of the issue found that one in 26 children now have food allergies, compared to one in 29 in 1997.

One in 26 U.S. children have food allergies — up 18 percent in the past decade.

In all, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that about 3 million kids have food allergies, which occur when your immune system overreacts to a food it mistakenly believes is harmful. If your immune system determines, for instance, that peanuts are harmful, it will produce specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to peanuts.

The next time you eat the particular food, your immune system then releases chemicals, including histamine, that are intended to protect your body from the substance. The problem is that these chemicals trigger an array of irritating and potentially very serious symptoms that can impact your respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin and cardiovascular system.

In fact, the number of children hospitalized for food allergies has also increased, according to the CDC. Hospital discharges rose from 2,600 a year in the late 1990s to over 9,500 a year in recent years.

Yet, food allergies are not the only ones on the rise.

A national survey conducted from 1988 to 1994 by the National Institutes of Health found that more than 50 percent of Americans ages 6 to 59 are sensitive to at least one allergen. That’s two to five times the rate found in a previous 1976 to 1980 survey.

Why are Allergies Increasing so Dramatically?

One theory is that parents and doctors are now more aware of allergies and their symptoms, meaning they’re more likely to identify the problem.

“A couple of decades ago, it was not uncommon to have kids sick all the time and we just said ‘They have a weak stomach’ or ‘They’re sickly,”‘ Anne Munoz-Furlong, chief executive of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, told CNN.

Yet, the increases are steep enough to suggest that something deeper is going on. Some potential causes of the emerging allergy epidemic include:

• Over-sanitized environments and too many antibiotics (in food and as medicine). “We’ve developed a cleanlier lifestyle, and our bodies no longer need to fight germs as much as they did in the past,” said Marc McMorris, a pediatric allergist at the University of Michigan Health System, in Live Science. “As a result, the immune system has shifted away from fighting infection to developing more allergic tendencies.”
• Air pollution. Diesel fumes, ozone and other common air pollutants are known to trigger allergies and asthma. As levels of pollution rise, so do allergies. In fact, according to a study led by Joachim Heinrich, Ph.D., of the German Research Center for Environment and Health at the Institute of Epidemiology, in Munich, traffic-related air pollution can increase the risk of allergy and atopic diseases in children by more than 50 percent!
• Children are taking longer to outgrow food allergies than in the past.
• Peanut allergies in children have doubled, studies show, fueling the increase (yet no one knows exactly why peanut allergies are rising).

Source: sixwise.com

Sleep less than 5 hours a night and more than 9 hours a night for adults has been linked to brain activity similar to psychiatric disorders, and can lead to increased risk for diabetes, obesity, headaches, back pain, depression, heart disease, and possibly death.The effect are similar with teens, children, and babies.

Your age and activity level will determine your sleep needs to some extent. Children and teens, for instance, need more sleep than adults. However, your sleep needs are individual to you. You may require more or less sleep than someone of the same age, gender and activity level.

Sleep researchers have also found that it takes just a single night of sleeping only four to six hours to impact your ability to think clearly the next day. Anyone who has had children knows for a fact how that feels.

It sort of always makes me so sad when I am at the grocery store late at night and see parents dragging their crying or misbehaving children behind them and they can’t understand why they are so frustrated with them…children need their sleep  just like the rest of us to be fully functional!

When my babies were very small, I would frequently miss out on family events or other functions if they interfered with my children’s  optimal sleep schedule. Bed time was sacred at our house. It was hard, but the pay off was children who love bedtime and it is literally never a struggle. Every new babysitter always tells me what a dream my kids are to put to bed, and it’s because bedtime has always been a positive thing and I never waited until they were too tired to put them to bed.

If sleep is hard to come by at your house, or if you have little ones, you will really want to buy the book “healthy sleep habits, happy child” by Marc Weissbluth. It literally changed my life when my first baby was a couple of months old. I followed his recommendations to the tee and I never struggles with naps or bed time again. Before reading this book, I literally would be up until 10 or 11pm with my newborn until we both collapsed from exahstion.

Fall is here, and with its coolish days and back-to-school atmosphere, many of us mark
this season as a time for fresh beginnings. What better time is there to give your body
a fresh start as well? Some of these cleansing products can help you achieve that fresh start and keep you feeling great all season long.

Tried and True: CleanStart (my favorite)
CleanStart is a tried-and-true method for cleansing the whole body—eliminating waste buildup and toxins within the colon that can affect overall health—without dangerous side effects. Because it is safe and gentle, CleanStart can be used by just about anyone, and may be
repeated whenever you desire the benefits of a cleanse.  In addition to eliminating waste and toxins, this 14-day program may also provide an improved sense of energy and well-being. Take one drink mix packet and one capsule packet twice daily with plenty of water to achieve desired results.  CleanStart makes following a cleansing program simple!

Candida Clear
Candida albicans is a natural part of the body’s gut flora; however, certain factors such as
stress, weakened immune function, antibiotic overuse and a diet high in refined sugars can lead to Candida overgrowth. When this occurs, it’s time to work on maintaining balance.  Candida Clear is a 14-day cleansing program consisting of two packs: the Candida Clear Combo pack and the Candida Clear enzyme pack.

Para-Cleanse
Para-Cleanse is a 10-day program designed to support the intestinal system in its efforts
to rid the body of unwanted invaders. In addition to cleansing the intestinal tract of unhealthy
organisms, it helps to create a hospitable environment for the healthy organisms that also exist
there.  International travel, foreign foods, contaminated water, contact with pets and other sources can trigger the need to address the intestinal system.

Chinese Tiao He Cleanse
Tiao He Cleanse is a 15-day program designed to help the body achieve tiao he—balance and harmony. This simple program targets the digestive and intestinal systems, supporting proper waste elimination and encouraging colon cleansing.  This program can be used periodically as needed to cleanse the colon and keep it functioning at its best. Take the contents of one packet
15 minutes before a meal up to twice daily, along with 16 ounces of water.

Cleansing the body on a regular basis is vital to maintaining good health. Give yourself a clean start this autumn. You can call or e-mail me to order these through me. Or click on “buy quality supplements” link to the right.

STARTING THE SCHOOL YEAR STRONG

As the new school year approaches, parents everywhere are gathering the supplies their kids will need when they head out the door. This fall, arm your kids not just with backpacks but with the nutrition that will help them perform their best.

Nature’s Sunshine has a variety of products designed to help kids stay healthy, happy and ready to learn Highlighted here are a few favorites.

Set Your Child’s Sights on Success with Focus Attention
Focus Attention combines powerful nutrients that help the brain maintain a healthy, balanced level of stimulation. By supplying the brain with the vital nutrients it needs, Focus Attention may help improve your child’s concentration so he or she can thrive at school. Available in capsules and a great-tasting powder drink mix.

Start their Day the Herbasaurs® Way!
Herbasaurs products are designed specifically with kids’ nutritional needs in mind. While mass-market vitamin supplements can be loaded with sugar and other extras kids don’t need, Herbasaurs products are sweetened naturally and contain no artificial colors, flavors, sucrose or starch. So you can feel confident giving them to your kids every day.

Chewable Multiple Vitamins and Minerals
Getting your kids to eat their fruits and veggies might be a struggle, but you’ll never have to beg them to take their vitamins! This great-tasting chewable, naturally sweetened with xylitol, fructose and citrus flavors, contains 12 essential vitamins plus minerals and iron.

Liquid Multiple Vitamins Plus Iron
Recommended for children who prefer a liquid, this formula has a pleasant orange flavor. Each dose equips kids with a full day’s supply of 12 essential vitamins plus iron and zinc.

Chewable Antioxidants with Grapine®
Herbasaurs Antioxidants help young, growing bodies fight the damaging effects of free radicals caused by oxidation, pollutants, the sun and even exercise. Each lemon-lime flavored tablet offers antioxidant protection with beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, Grapine and licorice flavonoid extract.

Chewable Elderberry Plus
With a host of germs out there just waiting to be shared, it’s nice to know you can strengthen your child’s defenses before sending him or her off to school each day. Chewable Elderberry Plus contains elderberry, reishi mushroom and astragalus for immune and respiratory system support—in a great-tasting lemon-lime Dinotab®.

Great Taste Makes Vitamin C an Easy Pill for Kids to Swallow
Kids and adults alike can enjoy the protective benefits of Vitamin C. Nature’s Sunshine chewable wafers are made with vitamin C and whole orange juice, along with rose hips, orange and natural lemon-lime flavor. Each tablet delivers 410 percent of the Daily Value to keep kids’ immune systems strong.

Keep Kids’ Digestive Systems in Balance with L. Reuteri
A healthy intestinal tract is home to billions of delicate microorganisms that aid in the digestion process. Stress, environmental conditions and antibiotics can destroy them, but NSP probiotics—including L. Reuteri—help repopulate these tiny friends. This strain of friendly flora is chewable, suitable for young children and requires no refrigeration—making it a great choice both for travel and daily use at home.

Herbasaurs Homeopathic Medicines—Perfect for What Ails Your Little Ones
Nature’s Sunshine offers many products designed to keep your kids healthy. But even with a strong line of defense, there are still times when your little ones get sick. Herbasaurs Homeopathic Medicines help them recover fast.

Cold
Herbasaurs Cold offers relief of symptoms of minor colds, including runny nose, sneezing, headache and minor sore throat pain.

Cough Syrup
Herbasaurs Cough Syrup affords relief from coughs due to common colds or minor throat and bronchial irritation.

Teething
Herbasaurs Teething formula offers temporary relief of minor gum soreness due to teething in infants and children.

Bedwetting
Herbasaurs Bedwetting is a natural homeopathic medicine to assist a child’s body in overcoming nighttime bedwetting.

Calming
Herbasaurs Calming aids children experiencing restless sleep, fussiness and irritability accompanying minor illness and teething.

Stock up on the best back-to-school supplies around—quality supplements from Nature’s Sunshine. you can order at www.mynsp.com/shari

Ok, I have 2 rants on my mind this week:

One is ever present and if you have ever got me on the subject you will know how passionate I am about my disdain for one of the most evil companies in this world. I fear for our future as long as the Monsanto corp. carries the power and resources it does. The government loves them, the pharmaceutical companies love them (they are also owned by them), the pesticide companies love them (oh yea, they own those too). They are intimately involved in everything evil having to do with ruining our environment, poisoning our food and water supplies, and making it a goal to make us all die of liver failure from taking their “life saving” drugs. I could honestly go on and on, but the great Dr. Mercola has often addressed this subject and has a lot of great information on Monsanto on his website www.mercola.com so you can read more there. What I want to share with you all is a very important documentary that has been released. I want everyone in the world to see this video, I feel it is so important for everyone to at least be informed that there are companies like Monsanto lurking out there and slowly taking control of your health from every aspect. There are links to 2 videos about Monsanto, PLEASE WATCH THEM BOTH! But be prepared, they will make you furious, but share your information and eventually we will get enough aware consumers that maybe we can someday take down this Goliath!

Watch \”The future of food\”

Watch \”the world according to Monsanto\”

Ok, Now on to rant #2:

I don’t know if you noticed a tiny little article towards the bottom of yesterday’s front page in the Arizona Republic, but the title reads “cholesterol drugs being touted for some children as young as 8″. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? My blood pressure shot through the roof when I read that. Do a google search for “cholesterol drugs for children” and you will find hordes of sites talking about it. Most of them act like this is a great idea, and a wonderful way to help our obese children. One thing that really struck me was that the doctor quoted, Dr.Daniels, now serves on the nutrition committee of the American Academy of pediatrics. But before the recent research came out that declared “cholesterol drugs are generally safe for kids” he worked as a consultant for Abbott labs (hmmm, maybe he also took part in that “research”) then he also “consulted” for Merck Pharmaceuticals (hmmm, can anyone say kick backs for pushing cholesterol lowering drugs to a new population?) It makes me crazy. There is such corruption in the “health” industry, this kind of stuff happens every day…

So, bottom line, if you have or even don’t have a history of heart disease or high cholesterol in your family, FEED YOUR CHILDREN WELL! Don’t drug them because you don’t have the ability to tell your children “no, we aren’t going to eat that because it doesn’t help your body be strong and healthy”. Take the time to feed your family well, don’t resort to cheap packaged products and fast food because we are too busy doing other things in life, our children have to be more important than that! Studies have suggested that the newest generation of children will be the first to have a lifespan shorter than their parents. I choose to let that statistic not apply to my children, I hope you do to! If you need more information, read all I have posted here, sign up for my newsletter for important updates, take natural health classes, educate yourself, and then take what you have learned to help others, we have to help each other learn more about living a healthier, happier, more fulfilling life.

End of rant, thanks for reading…