Skip to content

Category: Things You Should Know

Published on Leave a comment on Cancer-Causing Chemical Found In Some Hand Sanitizers Made During The Pandemic

By Divina Ramirez

Some hand sanitizers made to meet the surge in demand amid the coronavirus pandemic contain high levels of a cancer-causing chemical known as benzene, according to a study conducted by the online pharmacy, Valisure.

Valisure analyzed 260 bottles of hand sanitizer across 168 brands in its laboratory in New Haven, Connecticut. The analysis showed that 44 bottles had detectable levels of benzene, while 21 bottles contained levels of benzene above the approved limit of two parts per million (ppm).

Valisure also detected “unacceptably high levels” of methanol and acetaldehyde. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies acetaldehyde as a Group 2B carcinogen, meaning it is possibly carcinogenic to humans. Methanol is a highly toxic alcohol that can cause death if ingested.

On March 24, the pharmacy filed a citizen petition with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking the agency to recall the products identified in the analysis. Valisure also asked the FDA to conduct its own analysis of hand sanitizers and to develop documents defining the limit of benzene for all hand sanitizers.

Valisure’s analysis was verified by the Chemical and Biophysical Instrumentation Center at Yale University and Boston Analytics.…

1

Published on 1 Comment on Preservative In Thousands Of Children’s Food Products Found To Damage Immune System

By Ethan Huff - Health Reporter

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) published a paper recently that exposes a common food preservative for damaging the immune system.

Tertiary butylhydroquinone, or TBHQ, is added to more than 1,250 food products, many of them marketed for children. The latest data shows that it suppresses immunity, which is especially concerning during a global “pandemic.”
Grandparents may like to make these for Grandkids with "busy parents"

Try Safer Treats For Kids - They're Only Young Once! Clean Food Crush Website HERE

Published on March 24 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the study used data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Toxicity Forecaster, also known as ToxCast.

Based on this data, EWG concluded that TBHQ damages immunity both in humans and animals.

“The pandemic has focused public and scientific attention on environmental factors that can impact the immune system,” says Olga Naidenko, PhD, EWG’s vice president for science investigations and lead author of the paper.

“Before the pandemic, chemicals that may harm the immune system’s defense against infection or cancer did not receive sufficient attention from public health agencies. To protect public health, this must change.”

As it turns out, TBHQ has been used in processed foods for decades.…

Published on Leave a comment on Less Stress With Internet And Computers – Some Protective Measures

By Janet Vargas - Owner Of This Website

IN THE INTEREST OF HAVING A BETTER INTERNET EXPERIENCE AND PASSING ON WHAT I'VE LEARNED, I HAVE WRITTEN THIS ARTICLE TO HELP MY READERS. THERE'S SO MUCH TO AVOID THESE DAYS, IT'S GOOD TO KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO THAT'S OK.

Safer PC Experience, Less Stress On The Net, Do Be Protected, Watch For Scams!

THE ADVICE IN THIS POST IS TO HELP YOU TOWARDS LESS STRESSFUL INTERNET AND COMPUTING. THESE DAYS WE NEED TO TAKE STEPS TOWARDS THE SMOOTH RUNNING OF OUR LAPTOPS AND PCs SO THIS POST IS IN THE INTEREST OF HAPPIER COMPUTING and NERVOUS SYSTEM…..MAYBE EVEN YOUR POCKET.

Computers can be stressful with so many unscrupulous vandals out there these days who have nothing better to do than stress us out by upsetting the running of our PC.

Sometimes they put spyware on it to track our activities on the Net – this could be with theft in mind.  Other times, they just like to make our PC crash or run haywire for the sake of it – just some sense of warped satisfaction they get out of it.

I have often said that they could put their talents to better use and get a lot of praise for coming up with some good things that everyone’s happy about.…

Published on Leave a comment on Children’s Sleep And Insomnia – Some Ideas For You To Try

PEOPLE OFTEN HAVE INSOMNIA HEY? IT'S SOMETIMES NOT WHAT WE EXPECT A CHILD COULD HAVE. THERE ARE SOME PRACTICAL IDEAS IN 2 ARTICLES HERE THAT COULD BE A CONSIDERABLE HELP FOR YOU AND YOUR CHILD - SOME GOOD OPTIONS TO MEDICAL. YOU DON'T WANT A YOUNG CHILD OR EVEN A TEENAGER ON OTC MEDS - THAT DOESN'T GIVE THEM A GOOD START IN LIFE. IT'S BEST TO TRY NATURAL OPTIONS WHERE POSSIBLE, TO PROVIDE A HEALTHY NIGHT'S SLEEP.

Insomnia In Children: Causes, Treatment, And Natural Remedies

By Sagari Gongala (BSc)

Insomnia complaints in children are usually associated with lack of restorative sleep (deep sleep and REM sleep). A child is said to have insomnia if they (1):

  • Have difficulty falling asleep at night
  • Have trouble staying asleep at night
  • Wakes up very early, at around three in the morning and have difficulty going back to sleep.

This can lead to a significant impairment in the child’s body functions during the day. Insomnia can be long-term, wherein the child has trouble sleeping for at least three weeks or more, or short-term, lasting for just a few days. MomJunction will tell you everything you need to know about insomnia, what causes it, and how to help your child deal with it.…

Published on Leave a comment on Anxious, Depressed, Distracted — What If The Cure Is Just Outside?

Author Florence Williams talks trees, cities, and creativity in her new book "The Nature Fix."

You Spend 5 Percent Of Your Day Outside. Try Making It More. At a time when more than half of all people live in cities, the influence of the natural world is at a low ebb, while our understanding of it keeps growing.

Try Spending Some Time Outdoors - It Lifts Your Mood Level

For two decades, Florence Williams could sit on her porch at night and watch the alpenglow on the Rocky Mountains. Then she moved from remote Colorado to Washington, DC, and started noticing the changes.

“I felt disoriented, overwhelmed, depressed,” she writes in her recent book, The Nature Fix. “My mind had trouble focusing. I couldn’t finish thoughts … and I wasn’t keen to get out of bed.”

Williams was suffering, she says, from nature withdrawal. She spent the next three years digging into the science of how nature works on our brain. In short, it makes us more relaxed, more creative, and more socially connected. She traveled to Japan and Finland, the deserts of Utah and the urban forests of Singapore, to study just how much we stand to gain by bring nature back into our lives.…

Published on Leave a comment on Positive Psychology: Ways We Can Help Ourselves And Others

POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY WAS INTRODUCED EARLY THIS CENTUARY (2000 and 2005) AND SOME OF IT'S PRINCIPLES CAN BE PRACTICED PERSONALLY - YOU WOULD NOT NEED A PSYCHOLOGIST. IN SOME RESPECTS, THIS KIND OF PRACTICE IS HEALTHIER THAN OTHERS, IF YOU DON'T OVER-DO IT (like most things). IT CERTAINLY HAS IT'S MERITS, YOU WILL SEE IN THIS POST. THESE DAYS, YOU CAN EVEN PRACTICE SOME BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION TECHNIQUES WITHOUT THE NEED FOR A THERAPIST. SOME PSYCHOLOGISTS WRITE BOOKS AND VIDEOS SHOWING YOU HOW TO APPLY THE TECHNIQUES FOR YOURSELVES. THEY'RE GOOD FOR MAKING AND BREAKING HABITS. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY IS INTERESTING TOO. FOR NOW, LET'S SEE WHAT POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY HAS TO OFFER, HEY?

WHAT IS POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

Traditionally in psychology, the focus has been on identifying and treating mental health problems such as depression. This is critically important for those facing mental illness however, it provides an incomplete picture of mental health. Positive psychology is a relatively new branch of psychology that shifts the focus from what is clinically wrong, to the promotion of wellbeing and the creation of a satisfying life filled with meaning, pleasure, engagement, positive relationships and accomplishment.

Positive psychology is not about putting on a happy face all the time.…

Published on Leave a comment on The Foods We Eat Have An Impact On Our Mental Health Often – Especially Over Time

THIS LAST YEAR HAS BROUGHT MANY OF US INTO MORE CONTACT WITH NATURE WHEN HAVING TO DISTANCE OURSELVES SOCIALLY. I'VE ALWAYS LOVED TO HEAR THE BIRDS WHEN THEY VISIT NEARBY, WAKE UP EARLY IN THE MORNINGS, SEE THEM IN THE PARKS, AT THE BEACHES, FLYING IN FORMATIONS ON OCCASSIONS ABOVE THE HOUSES IN MY LOCALITY WHEN I STEP OUTSIDE. I'VE JUST PURCHASED A SECOND BIRDBATH RECENTLY, SO I HAVE A DEEPER ONE OUT THE FRONT FOR THE MAGGIES WHO LOVE TO SPLASH IN IT, AND A SHALLOW ONE FOR THE BACK, SO THE SPARROWS CAN REFRESH THEMSELVES TOO. I CAME HOME THE OTHER DAY TO SEE A PIGEON RESTING PEACEFULLY IN THAT ONE FOR QUITE SOME TIME - NOT SO QUICK TO FLY AWAY, AYE? WITH A LITTLE PATIENCE, YOU CAN BEFRIEND SOME BIRDS A LITTLE - ATLEAST WE CAN MAKE OUR YARDS INVITING AND EXPERIENCE PRECIOUS MOMENTS HERE AND THERE ON DIFFERENT DAYS.

Being Around Birds Makes Us Much Happier Says New Science

By Andy Corbley

We see them nearly everywhere we go, we hear them every day, they live in every environment, and now, two new studies have shown their mere presence makes us happier.…

Published on Leave a comment on Truth Is Out Re FDA And Food Plastics – Some Protective Measures You Can Take

THIS POST WILL ADDRESS PLASTIC FOOD CONTAINERS AND OTHER PLASTICS, STYROFOAM/POLYSTYRENE, BPA BISPHENOLS AND SIMILAR. I KNOW THE CONCERNS AND ALERTS ABOUT OUR EXPOSURE TO CHEMICALS ETC GETS A BIT MUCH, TO THE POINT WHERE IT IS SOMEWHAT TAXING OR EVEN EXHAUSTING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT ALL, YET WE NEED TO BE KIND TO OURELVES AND FAMILY. WITH THE WORLD BEING LIKE IT IS, IGNORANCE IS NOT BLISS. WE CAN ONLY BE THANKFUL THERE ARE STILL GOOD MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE BEACONS OF TRUTH AND TIRELESS IN THEIR EFFORTS TO REACH US WITH THE VITAL KNOWLEGE WE NEED. SOME OF THESE PEOPLE ARE FLAWLESS IN THEIR JUDGEMENTS AND THEIR INTEGRITY IS IMPECKABLE. WE NEED TO HEAR FROM DEDICATED SCIENTISTS AND RESEARCHERS WHO ARE NOT BOUGHT OUT BY CERTAIN FOOD INDUSTRIES AND PLASTIC INDUSTRIES TO LIE FOR THEM. I HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THESE THINGS FOR MANY YEARS.

Are Plastic Containers Safe For Our food?

From TheGuardian.Com

The industry says its containers are safe but some experts point to a lack of data and warn that plastic and heat are not a good mix.

Many of us have an overflowing kitchen cupboard of plastic containers to store our leftovers.…

Published on Leave a comment on What’s This About Dopamine And Tech? Some Things Will Surprise You!

By Simon Parkin – The Observer Technology

The Capacity For ‘Persuasive Technology’ To Influence Behaviour Is Only Just Becoming Understood. 

Silicon Valley is keen to exploit the brain chemical credited with keeping us tapping on apps and social media.

In an unprecedented attack of candour, Sean Parker, the 38-year-old founding president of Facebook, recently admitted that the social network was founded not to unite us, but to distract us. “The thought process was: ‘How do we consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible?’” he said at an event in Philadelphia in November. To achieve this goal, Facebook’s architects exploited a “vulnerability in human psychology”, explained Parker, who resigned from the company in 2005. Whenever someone likes or comments on a post or photograph, he said, “we… give you a little dopamine hit”. Facebook is an empire of empires, then, built upon a molecule.

Dopamine, discovered in 1957, is one of 20 or so major neurotransmitters, a fleet of chemicals that, like bicycle couriers weaving through traffic, carry urgent messages between neurons, nerves and other cells in the body. These neurotransmitters ensure our hearts keep beating, our lungs keep breathing and, in dopamine’s case, that we know to get a glass of water when we feel thirsty, or attempt to procreate so that our genes may survive our death.…

Published on Leave a comment on Go With Nature Instead Of Pesticides – Beneficial Plants/Insects Will Help Your Gardening Efforts

CHEMICALS ARE BAD NEWS, NATURE IS GOOD - IT WILL HELP YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR GARDEN IF YOU WORK WITH IT'S PRINCIPLES, SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS THE LAWS OF NATURE. JOIN THE MANY FOLK WHO ARE GOING CHEMICAL FREE. IF IT WASN'T FOR THE USE OF NASTY CHEMICALS, MEDICAL WAITING ROOMS WOULD BE HALF EMPTY. YES THAT'S TRUE, SO LETS LOOK AFTER OUR FAMILIES, HEY? AND SPREAD THE NEWS FROM THIS POST TO NEIGHBOURS AND FRIENDS, SO THEY CAN BENEFIT TOO. MANY ARE TURNING TO THE DIGGERS CLUB OR YOUTUBE AND VARIOUS WEBSITES FOR BETTER SOLUTIONS, SO HERE'S SOME OF MY EFFORTS TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR SEARCH, INCLUDING 2 SAFE ORGANIC SPRAYS.

You Will See 5 Beneficial Insects To Encourage.

EXCERPTS FROM DIFFERENT WEBSITES

To Help Insects, Make Them Welcome In Your Garden – Here’s How

By Brian Lovett - Postdoctoral Researcher in Mycology, West Virginia University

Lawns Are Insect Food Deserts

Some gardeners choose native plants to attract and support helpful insects. Often, however, those native plants are surrounded by vast expanses of lawn. If you’re a gardener looking for a new challenge this year, consider revamping all or part of your yard to support beneficial insects.…