Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Working on a Flatter Belly? Here's 10 Simple Ways to Beat The Bloat

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I remember the days when I'd overeat and find myself slumped on the couch feeling bloated and tired. Today, I enjoy bloat-free eating and feel fantastic, and I credit much of this to eating less meat and dairy and more plant-based foods.

If you're not quite ready to give up all your steak-and-potato dinners, I am happy to share with you some key tips to avoid the bloat. Being bloated can make everything feel like a chore — zipping up your pants, sitting at your desk and even sleeping.
For many of you, feeling bloated is a daily, painful occurrence that can hinder you from living a full and happy life. The good news is there are ways to lessen (and even eliminate!) a bloated belly.
Here are 10 simple things you can do to beat the bloat:
1. Avoid starchy foods.
Avoid white bread, pasta, rice and fried foods, and especially anything made with whole-wheat flour, which is naturally hard for the stomach to digest.
2. Just say no to carbonated drinks.
Pop and energy drinks are just bad for you. The combination of sugar/artificial sweeteners paired with those fizzy bubbles is a sure-fire way to trigger bloating.
3. Be dairy-free for seven days.
Dairy is one of the most common culprits when it comes to stomach and intestinal stress, because it's one of the hardest things for our bodies to digest. If you eat dairy everyday, try a week without it and see how you feel.
4. Watch out for sodium.
Large amounts of sodium = water retention = BLOATING. Beware of high sodium levels in sauces, salad dressings, cured meats, salty snacks and fast food.
5. Drink water.
You’d be surprised how many people don’t drink enough water. Water keeps you hydrated and helps keep bowel movements regular.
6. Eat smaller meals more often.
Not only will this make digestion easier, over time, it can help speed up your metabolism.
7. Cook your vegetables.
If you get gassy when you eat raw veggies, try lightly steaming them. Cooking vegetables will reduce your vegetables nutrients BUT it's still better to have cooked veggies rather than none.
8. Get at least 30 minutes of movement a day.
If you suffer from chronic bloating try adding at least 30 minutes of exercise to your daily routine. This plus eating well will help your digestive system run smoother and keep your bowel movements regular.
9. Don’t go to bed on a full stomach.
During the week, try not to eat after 8pm. Have a cup of herbal tea or warm water instead of eating. You’ll sleep better and your stomach won't feel bloated in the morning.
10. Listen to your body.
If you feel bloated or crampy after you eat something, this is your body’s way of telling you it's not happy. Take note of which foods are leaving you feeling bloated and try to avoid them as much as possible.

SOURCE: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-15021/10-simple-ways-i-beat-the-bloat.html

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Hormones and Fetal Development Altered by Toxic Chemical Found in your Toothpaste/Soap/Detergents



By Dr. Mercola
Some of the most obvious ones include soaps and antibacterial wipes, but you can also find it in cutting boards, toys, clothing, household furnishings, pet food dispensers, and much more.
Despite the pervasive use of this chemical, troubling questions linger about its potentially harmful effects, especially for children.
Research has shown that triclosan can alter hormone regulation and may interfere with fetal development.
Animal studies have also raised concerns about its ability to affect fertility, and bacteria exposed to triclosan may also become resistant to antibiotics. Even an increased cancer risk has been suggested.
In short, while you're disinfecting your body and your home to keep your family safe from potentially harmful bacteria, you may actually be causing far more harm than good in the long run.

Triclosan Removed from Soap, But Still Found in Best-Selling Toothpaste

Three years ago, Colgate-Palmolive responded to safety concerns brought forth by consumer groups by removing triclosan from its soap products. But the company left it in its best-selling toothpaste, Colgate Total. (Colgate Total is the only triclosan-containing toothpaste sold in the US.)
But if triclosan can cause serious health problems when used topically, surely using it in your mouth is not going to be any safer, as chemicals are readily absorbed in your oral cavity.
For example, zinc-containing denture creams like Fixodent, Poligrip, Super Poligrip, and others, have been linked to zinc poisoning.1 Toxic effects include serious neurological problems, including neuropathy.
There are even class-action lawsuits underway by people who have been poisoned by their denture creams. With regards to triclosan-containing toothpaste, Bloomberg2 reports:
"Total is safe, Colgate says, citing the rigorous Food and Drug Administration process that led to the toothpaste's 1997 approval as an over-the-counter drug.
A closer look at that application process, however, reveals that some of the scientific findings Colgate put forward to establish triclosan's safety in toothpaste weren't black and white -- and weren't, until this year, available to the public."

Toxicology Studies Withheld from Public View

According to the featured Bloomberg report, 35 pages of summaries of the toxicology studies performed on triclosan were initially withheld by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
They only became available via a Freedom of Information Act request from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The toxicology summaries are now available on the FDA's website.3
A crucial point that has been noted before is that the FDA relies on company-backed science to "prove" that a drug or product is safe and effective. This despite the fact that industry-funded research is almost never impartial, thanks to obvious and massive conflicts of interest.
Many people still do not take this into consideration. They believe that "FDA approved" means that the FDA has performed some sort of independent scientific study. It hasn't.
At best, the FDA carefully reviews the research submitted, but there's plenty of room for cherry-picking and other strategies that can skew the safety profile. According to the featured report:
"The recently released pages, taken alongside new research on triclosan, raise questions about whether the agency did appropriate due diligence in approving Total 17 years ago, and whether its approval should stand in light of new research, said three scientists who reviewed the pages at Bloomberg News's request."

Triclosan Is One of the Most Prevalent Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals on the Market

For example, some animal studies showed that triclosan caused fetal bone malformations in mice and rats. Colgate claimed the findings were irrelevant. But bone deformations may hint at hormonal effects, affecting the endocrine system. There were also apparent weaknesses in Colgate's cancer studies.
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are a serious concern, as they can promote a wide variety of health problems, including: breast, ovarian, prostate, and testicular cancer, preterm and low birth weight babies, precocious puberty in girls, and undescended testicles in boys.
According to Thomas Zoeller, a biology professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who specializes in how chemicals affect the endocrine system, there are an estimated 800-1,000 endocrine-disrupting chemicals on the market.
But triclosan is one of the top 10 used on a regular basis by most people. Subsequently, removing triclosan may have a much greater impact than removing other chemicals.

Other Disinfectant Chemicals That May Cause More Harm Than Good

A recent article in Scientific American4 also discusses new research showing that other common household disinfectants produce adverse health effects too. The study, published in Reproductive Toxicology,5 assessed the reproductive toxicity of alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (ADBAC) and didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (DDAC).
These two disinfectants are commonly found in commercial and residential disinfectant products. (These quaternary chemicals are commonly referred to as "quats.") Mice exposed to these chemicals took longer to get pregnant and had smaller litters. They also had more miscarriages and more distressed fetuses. Forty percent of the exposed females died from labor difficulties. According to the authors:
"The results suggest that quaternary ammonium compounds affect both the maternal ability to achieve and sustain pregnancy and the developing fetus... Long term exposure decreased fertility and fecundity and caused dam mortality in a dose dependent manner. This study highlights the importance of testing the toxicity of mixtures over individual compounds."

Safety Problems Are Often Found by Chance...

An interesting side note here is the back story of how researchers were prompted to investigate these chemicals (ADBAC and DDAC) in the first place. According to Scientific American:
"Hunt and Hrubec came upon the finding unexpectedly. Both observed breeding problems in research mice at their separate facilities after changing to disinfectant products containing the quat combination. Hunt determined that quat residues in the caging materials contributed to breeding failures and poor pregnancy outcomes.
For Hunt, the experience was a bit of déjà vu: In 1999, she discovered what was then a little-known chemical, bisphenol A, in water bottles mimicked estrogen and disrupted hormone levels in her lab mice. The finding helped spur investigation of the health risks associated with BPA Hunt said both incidents illustrate a problem with the way that new and existing chemicals are regulated in the US. Thousands of products have entered the market in the past few decades with little information on potential health impacts, she said. 'The onus is really on consumers to determine which products are safe. That's not OK.'"
When you consider this chain of events, it really raises questions about the accuracy of any number of studies into completely unrelated fields. A researcher may be using animals to study, say, the effects of a particular drug, and depending on the soap they use to clean the lab, the health outcomes of the animals may be skewed, for better or worse! In most cases, they may never put two and two together—unless they switch cleaning products in the middle of a trial and notice sudden alterations in their research results that cannot be explained...

Triclosan May Affect Thyroid Function

As noted by Professor Caren Helbing Ph.D. at the University of Victoria in Canada, the chemical structure of triclosan is similar to thyroid hormones and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). This similarity allows it to attach to hormone receptors. Helbing's research shows that tadpoles exposed to triclosan suffered stunted development and leg deformations. The metamorphic process these frogs undergo is mediated by thyroid hormones. Her findings were published in the Journal of Aquatic Toxicology6 in 2006, which concluded that: "Exposure to low levels of triclosan disrupts thyroid hormone-associated gene expression and can alter the rate of thyroid hormone-mediated postembryonic anuran development."
While Colgate cites a Cochrane Review7 as supporting evidence for Colgate Total's safety and effectiveness, the review in question focused on the toothpaste's effectiveness in fighting bleeding gums and inflammation; not its long-term safety... The review, which covered more than 30 studies published between 1990-2012, found "moderate quality evidence" that Colgate Total is more effective than other toothpastes with respect to reducing gum bleeding and inflammation, but the authors, Philip Riley and Thomas Lamont, noted that the studies did not really allow them to assess any long-term adverse effects.8

Antibacterial Chemicals Found in Pregnant Women's Urine and Newborns' Cord Blood

In one recent study,9, 10, 11 traces of triclosan, triclocarban, and butyl paraben were found in the urine of pregnant women and their newborns' cord blood. The women in the study were all residents of Brooklyn, New York. This demonstrates that everyday, real-world exposure to these chemicals is indeed pervasive. Shockingly, triclosan was detected in 100 percent of all urine samples, and 51 percent of cord blood samples. Triclocarban was detected in 87 percent of the urine samples, and 23 percent of the cord blood samples.
And, as reported by The Atlantic:12 "In another, still-unpublished study, the researchers found that all of the cord blood samples contained 'at least one paraben,' according to Dr. Rolf Halden, director of ASU's Center for Environmental Security."Paraben esters have also been found in 99 percent of breast cancer tissue samples, suggesting a strong link between the chemical and breast cancer development.
Making matters worse is that there's very little evidence that antibacterial products will actually help you avoid disease. So you're exposing yourself to these harmful chemicals for no good reason... Most recently, a randomized trial13 investigating the effectiveness of hand sanitizers in a school setting found that they "did not prevent disease of severity sufficient to cause school absence."

Other Toothpaste Chemicals to Beware of

There are also other chemicals in toothpaste that may do more harm than good. Fluoride is one obvious one that I’ve written about quite extensively. But many toothpastes also contain surfactants like sodium laurel sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate (SLS) or sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES). Surfactants are chemicals responsible for the foaming action of the toothpaste.
But these chemicals can also interfere with the functioning of your taste buds.  As noted in a previous Lifehacker article,14 they suppress taste receptors responsible for tasting sweet notes. As noted in the article, they also “break up the phospholipids on our tongue. These fatty molecules inhibit our receptors for bitterness and keep bitter tastes from overwhelming us, but when they're broken down by the surfactants in toothpaste, bitter tastes get enhanced.
This is thought to be the reason why everything tastes so bad right after you’ve brushed your teeth. So, choosing a toothpaste that does not contain SLS or SLES will allow you to taste your food properly after brushing your teeth. This may also be part of whycoconut oil works so well for oral hygiene, as it helps maintain a more natural balance of lipids on your tongue, while still having potent antibacterial properties.

Keeping Yourself and Your Home Clean, Safely

I strongly encourage you to ditch all of your chemical disinfectants, including your antibacterial soaps, laundry detergents, and bath and kitchen cleansers, in favor of more natural alternatives. No study has shown that a vigorous program of home disinfection leads to a reduction of illness in a family. They have, however, shown that disinfectants can cause harm. It is best to use any soap minimally on your body as it removes the sebum that your body produces, which is full of beneficial fats designed to protect your skin from infection. Using soap will remove not only dirt but also these useful fats.
For those times when you need to do a bit of cleansing, one of the best non-toxic disinfectants is a mild soap and warm water. You can use this for washing your hands, your body, and for other household cleansing. Another all-purpose cleanser that works great for kitchen counters, cutting boards, and bathrooms is 3% hydrogen peroxide and vinegar. Simply put each liquid into a separate spray bottle, then spray the surface with one, followed by the other.
In tests run at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, pairing the two mists killed virtually all SalmonellaShigella, andE. coli bacteria on heavily contaminated food and surfaces when used in this fashion, making this spray combination more effective at killing these potentially lethal bacteria than chlorine bleach or any commercially available kitchen cleaner. The best results came from using one mist right after the other -- it is 10 times more effective than using either spray by itself and more effective than mixing the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in one sprayer.
Coconut oil also has potent disinfectant properties, and can be used to disinfect wooden cutting boards. Sunlight is another powerful disinfectant, and drying your laundry in the sun is one of the best ways to save energy and wind up with fresh, clean linens and clothing. Truly, there's no need to expose your family to dangerous chemical disinfectants. As an added bonus aside from the health benefits, using this type of natural homemade cleanser is much less expensive than commercial varieties.

SOURCE: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/08/27/triclosan-toothpaste.aspx?e_cid=20140827Z1_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20140827Z1&et_cid=DM54542&et_rid=636988830

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Black Millennials ~ Did You Know?????

STRICTLY FYI . . . . An Item of Interest
('cuz "I" didn't know none of this stuff)

10 Things the Media Won’t Tell You About Black Millennials

People seem to be missing out on a lot of information about us while simultaneously “borrowing” our culture. But that’s none of our business ...
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Millennials, those born between 1980 and 1999, are arguably the most misunderstood and the most multidimensional generation. Often derided as lazy, technology crazed and just downright not as successful as our elders, members of Generation Y hardly ever hear good news about ourselves. And of course, black millennials, who have made leaps in education and politics, and have set trends from social media to music, often get the worst of the criticism. But guess what? Young black people in the most talked-about generation don't need your approval. We're doing just fine.
1. Our revolution will be televised—and more:
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Title IX advocate Wagatwe Wanjuki; Phil Agnew, executive director, Dream Defenders 
COURTESY OF WAGATWE WANJUKI; COURTESY OF PHIL AGNEW
Whether it’s working with the Dream Defenders or advocating for Title IX protections, this generation has shown that it will use traditional civil rights strategies and harness all of the modern tools available to it to make change through social activism.
2. We’re making educational leaps:
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The graduation rates for this entire generation are higher than those of the ones that preceded it. Roughly 58 percent of millennials overall will receive a bachelor’s degree, and black millennials are underdiscussed standouts in this group: Those attending certain top, predominantly white colleges have higher graduation rates than their white peers.
3. We run social media:
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Name a social media platform and there’s no doubt that black Gen Yers were the ones to give it the “cool factor.” Roughly 40 percent of black millennials use Twitter, compared with 28 percent of their white peers. Without black millennials, black Twitter wouldn’t exist.
4. Organized religion isn’t our thing:
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Black millennials are leaving organized religion. Overall, roughly 29 percent of millennials are not religiously affiliated.
5. There’s strength in our numbers:
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We make up 14 percent of millennials overall, compared with black baby boomers, who made up 11 percent of their generation.
6. We’re here, and we are very queer:
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About 6 percent of millennials identify as LGBTQ. Of that number, roughly 40 percent are people of color. Black millennials are also more likely to support LGBTQ rights.
7. We don’t have time for mainstream media:
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Black Youth Project logo 
COURTESY OF BLACK YOUTH PROJECT
Millennial-based organizations like the Black Youth Project and Elixher run their own news blogs that bring to light the issues they care about most.
8. Our personal is political:
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Amara Enyia     
COURTESY OF AMARA ENYIA FOR CHICAGO
Millennials like Compton, Calif., Mayor Aja Brown; Stockton, Calif., Councilman Michael Tubbs; and Chicago mayoral candidate Amara Enyia show that members of this generation are making large political inroads.
9. We’re keeping the music industry relevant:
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Chance the Rapper performs during June 2014 Firefly Fest in Delaware. 
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Whether it’s spearheading the sound of future R&B or ditching music deals to retain artistic control, millennials are changing the music business.
10. America is trying to steal our shine:
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Image of Time magazine tweet July 23, 2014, promoting its story on the origin of the slang term “bae.” 
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Though most of the trends we set get “Columbused,” black millennials have been at the forefront of more than their share of cultural moments. For example, it seems as if we’re the source of nearly every slang term that has made its way into the mainstream lexicon. Think “ratchet,” “sips tea” and “basic.” But that’s none of our business, though.
Editor’s note: This article is part of The Root’s Young, Black, and Viral Weekend. Read more about ithere.
Diamond Sharp is an editorial fellow at The Root. Follow her on Twitter.