GMO-The Food Fight of our Lives

5 Common Household Cleaners Hazardous to Your Health (Melissa Breyer for TreeHugger)

Though many assume that some government agency oversees the safety of the multi-billion-dollar household cleaning products industry, it is largely unregulated. All those common chemical cleaners that require gloves to use and that we lock up from the kids? They undergo minimal scrutiny; what’s a consumer to do?

Environmental Working Group (EWG) to the rescue. The watchdog organization has cast plenty of research on the toxins in everything from cosmetics to food, and are now taking household cleaners to task. The comprehensive 2012 EWG Cleaners Database project, due for publication this fall, will mark the first comprehensive independent scientific analysis of toxic chemicals in more than 2,000 cleaning products and 200 brands.

In the meantime, EWG has excerpted some of the top offenders in a prequel (of sorts) report, the EWG Cleaners Hall of Shame. The report has uncovered compelling and startling facts showing that common household cleaners, including some marketed as “safe” or “natural,” can be quite hazardous to the health of unwitting users.

“Cleaning your home can come at a high price – cancer-causing chemicals in the air, an asthma attack from fumes or serious skin burns from an accidental spill,” said Jane Houlihan, EWG senior vice president for research and co-author of the EWG Cleaners Hall of Shame. “Almost any ingredient is legal and almost none of them are labeled, leaving families at risk. Our Hall of Shame products don’t belong in the home.”

All in all, it's a nasty group of products, a real bunch of thugs, that really should be avoided. Here are the worst of the worst, worthy of a shout-out from the Cleaners Hall of Shame:

1. Mop & Glo Multi-Surface Floor Cleaner
A dose of methoxydiglycol (DEGME) with your shiny floor? DEGME is "suspected of damaging the unborn child" by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. DEGME levels in this product are up to 15 times higher than allowed in the European Union.

2. Comet Disinfectant Cleanser Powder
EWG found that this scouring powder emitted 146 di fferent chemicals, including some thought to cause cancer, asthma and reproductive disorders. The most toxic chemicals detected – formaldehyde, benzene, chloroform and
toluene – are not listed on the label. Little is known about the health risks of most of the contaminants found.

3. Simple Green Concentrated All-Purpose Cleaner
Marketing claims this to be “non-toxic,” but it contains 2-butoxyethanol, a solvent absorbed through the skin that irritates eyes and may damage red blood cells. A secret blend of alcohol ethoxylate surfactants; some members of this chemical family are banned in the European Union. This concentrated product is sold in a ready-to-use spray bottle despite instructions to dilute, even for heavy cleaning.

4. Scrubbing Bubbles Antibacterial Bathroom Cleaner & Extend-A-Clean Mega Shower Foamer
These products contain up to 10 percent DEGBE, also called brotherliness, a solvent banned in the European Union at concentrations above 3 percent in aerosol cleaners. It can irritate and inflame the lungs.

5. Dynamo and Fab Ultra liquid laundry detergents
These contain formaldehyde, also known as formalin, classified as a known human carcinogen by the U.S. government and World Health Organization. Formaldehyde can cause asthma and allergies. The company divulges the presence of formaldehyde in the product only on technical disclosures for workers.

Sadly, this is just the tip of the iceberg. See the full sneak-peak here: 2012 EWG Cleaners Database Hall of Shame, and check back for the full report in the fall.

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VIDEO: Do I Need This - A Documentary project in San Francisco, CA by Kate Schermerhorn

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Therapist says hypnosis can help people overcome fears and anxieties (Christina Shockley for NPR)

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From the article:


Dr. Alicia Tisdale, a licensed psychologist and regression therapist says hypnosis is a way for people to overcome fears, anxieties, and depression.

She spoke with me this morning about why she thinks this type of therapy is becoming more common.

You can listen to my interview with her above.

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Great Lakes Century by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

   

Startling New Research Suggests Popcorn is a Powerful Superfood (Melissa Breyer for TreeHugger)

Although popcorn has taken a beating for its tendency to end up in compromising positions -- like slathered in “golden flavor” at the movie theater or harboring offensive chemicals courtesy of microwave-popping packaging -- new research is showing that it is a super-nutrient powerhouse.

Affordable, easily-attainable popcorn! Take that, you miracle-promising superfoods with your exorbitant price tags and exuberant food miles. (Acai and goji berries, are you listening?)

Joe Vinson, Ph.D., a pioneer in nutritional analyses of common foods, explained at the 243rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, that polyphenols are much more concentrated in popcorn which averages only about 4 percent water. Most fresh produce contains around 90 percent of water which dilutes this special class of antioxidants.

The new study found that the amount of polyphenols found in popcorn was as high as 300 mg a serving compared to 114 mg for a serving of sweet corn and 160 mg for a serving of fruit. In addition, one serving of popcorns provide around 13 percent of a daily average intake of polyphenols per person in the U.S.

And aside from the remarkable polyphenol content, popcorn is a whole grain!

Said Vinson of the findings,


Popcorn may be the perfect snack food. It's the only snack that is 100 percent unprocessed whole grain. All other grains are processed and diluted with other ingredients, and although cereals are called "whole grain," this simply means that over 51 percent of the weight of the product is whole grain. One serving of popcorn will provide more than 70 percent of the daily intake of whole grain. The average person only gets about half a serving of whole grains a day, and popcorn could fill that gap in a very pleasant way.

The caveat: Beware of which kind of popcorn you eat. Movie popcorn, kettle corn, microwave popcorn, and the like can become nutritional nightmares when subjected to copious amounts of butter, fake butter, sugar, corn syrup, what-have-you. (A small popcorn at the nation's largest movie chain, Regal, has 670 calories--the same as a Pizza Hut Personal Pepperoni Pan Pizza.)

Microwave popcorn is about 43 percent fat, along with other possibly suspect ingredients. Air-popped popcorn has the lowest amount of calories, and home-popped in oil has the second lowest amount.
Pop Your OwnYou don't need an air-popper or microwave to make your own. Here's the basic procedure for stovetop popping: Pour 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or a milder cooking oil if you like a neutral taste) into a large, heavy pot and place on medium-high heat. Put two or three kernels in, and when one has popped, pour in 1/3 cup of popcorn and cover pan. When corn begins to pop, shake constantly, letting steam escape from the pot to prevent sogginess. When popping slows considerably, remove pan from heat and pour into a large bowl. Season to taste. Enjoy.

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Mushrooms for Good Health? (Ask Dr. Weil)

Question

I've been trying to include more mushrooms in my diet because I heard you say that they're really good for you. But now I've been told that certain ones are carcinogenic! Can you give me the straight scoop on this?

Answer (Published 3/27/2012)

Mushrooms are big favorites of mine, but if you're just starting to learn about their medicinal properties, I don't blame you for being confused about which ones are, or aren't, good for you. In general, I advise against eating a lot of the cultivated white or "button" mushrooms found on supermarket shelves throughout the United States (portobello and crimini mushrooms are the same species). They are among a number of foods (including celery, peanuts, peanut products, and salted, pickled, or smoked foods) that contain natural carcinogens. Just how dangerous these natural toxins are is unknown, but we do know that they are not present in other kinds of mushrooms that offer great health benefits. If you do eat these varieties, never eat them raw and cook them thoroughly over high heat; that will break down some of the toxins.

Instead of button mushrooms, I recommend seeking out the more exotic varieties, which are becoming increasingly available in the United States. Some are edible and can make a delicious addition to your diet, but some are strictly medicinal mushrooms available in dried, liquid extract or in capsule form.

Here's a brief guide to my favorites:

Shiitake: These meaty and flavorful mushrooms contain a substance called eritadenine, which encourages body tissues to absorb cholesterol and lower the amount circulating in the blood. Shiitakes also have antiviral and anticancer effects. Dried shiitakes, available at Asian grocery stores, are also effective. Fresh ones are readily available thanks to domestic cultivation. (To prepare, remove stems or slice fresh ones thinly; they are often tough.)

Cordyceps: A Chinese mushroom used as a tonic and restorative. It is also known for improving athletic performance. You can buy whole, dried cordyceps in health food stores and add them to soups and stews, or drink tea made from powdered cordyceps. You can also get cordyceps in liquid or capsule form. To treat general weakness, take cordyceps once or twice a day, following the dosage advice on the product. For health maintenance, take it once or twice a week.

Enoki: Slender white mushrooms that need only brief cooking and have a very mild taste. They are good in soups and salads. Enoki mushrooms have significant anticancer and immune-enhancing effects.

Maitake: This delicious Japanese mushroom is also called "hen of the woods" because it grows in big clusters that resemble the fluffed tail feathers of a nesting hen. You should be able to find it dried or fresh in Japanese markets, gourmet foods stores, or upscale supermarkets. Maitake has anticancer, antiviral, and immune-system enhancing effects and may also help control both high blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

Reishi: Strictly a medicinal mushroom, not a culinary one, reishi is woody, hard, and bitter. Like maitake and other related mushrooms species, reishi can improve immune function and inhibit the growth of some malignant tumors. It also shows significant anti-inflammatory effects, reduces allergic responsiveness, and protects the liver. You can buy dried, ground mushrooms and use them to make tea if you don't mind the bitterness. Otherwise, buy reishi tablets, liquid extracts or capsules, which are available in health food stores and follow the recommended dosage. Take reishi every day for at least two months to see what it can do for you.

Allergies to mushrooms are rare, but some people do find them hard to digest. To learn more about the health-promoting effects of mushrooms, check out www.fungi.com, the web site of Fungi Perfecti, an excellent source for information about medicinal and gourmet edible mushrooms, as well as dried mushrooms and extracts.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

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