FDA Wants Tighter Rules on Antibacterial Soaps, Body Washes

FDA Wants Tighter Rules on Antibacterial Soaps, Body Washes

Tighter Rules on Antibacterial SoapsTighter Rules on Antibacterial Soaps

Finally, the Food and Drug Administration  has taken a stance on that little squirt bottle of brightly colored hand sanitizer  in your purse. Their target doesn’t stop there they are looking hard at antibacterial soaps in convenient bottles on every sink. This includes those in schools, restaurants, and homes. The promise they kill every bug. Maybe even the good ones you need to fight off the bad ones you do not want.

For years, epidemiologist’s have had concerns that we are making bacteria’s and viruses stronger simply by over-use of these sanitizers. These neutralizers of illness were not meant to be applied liberally instead of picking up a real bar of soap and washing the dirt off the old fashioned way. This is why we do not use these in our acupuncture office. I don’t use these in my home. There is growing evidence you should not as well.

FDA Says They Don’t Work

According to Colleen Rogers, Ph.D., a leading microbiologist at Food and Drug Administration, there is no evidence that OTC antibacterial soaps work. Consumers use them to reduce the risk of colds and viruses. There is no evidence they work. Ttriclosan and triclocarban the two ingredients in these products, come with many risks especially when used daily, and long-term says Rogers.

These tiny dispenser bottles are available as impulse buys at the check out counters. You can find large refill bottles with color additives of blue, red, and yellow to make them trendy and fun in the soap isle, next to the bars of antibacterial soaps. Just think how many hands touch a public dispenser bottle?  Think about how often you wash the outside of the one you care in your purse, car, or diaper bag.  The best tool we found in my acupuncture practice in natural cleansers not, antibacterial soaps, and water and the FDA agrees.

Hand Washes For Baby Hands

FDAMany parents use these on small children or infants, their immune systems still forming. Many use antibacterial soaps without knowing. These chemicals mix with the dirt and grime still present on tiny hands, and the with finger food toddlers eagerly push into their tiny slobbery mouths down into their sensitive digestive tracts. Does this sound healthy to you?

These chemicals are in almost every detergent we use. We can find the word; antibacterial ingredient smeared across the labels of laundry detergent, dish soap, and body products. When is it enough or too much? How are babies and adults supposed to build or keep healthy immune systems?

Tighter Rules On Antibacterial Soaps Is A Good Thing

You are the key player when it comes to your health and life choices. Many parents are saying no to unnatural and yes to soaps made to clean dirt and grime made of natural ingredients.

The big issue is no one knows for sure how safe these products are for long-term use. Things like antibacterial soaps may not be safe for anyone.

Natural is safer

The FDA has called for changes and more data on the effectiveness or if these products are a waste of money. However waiting on the question of safety is not an option. We know these chemicals are unhealthy for adults and children.

The consumer can change what they purchase by looking for natural products that contain bergamot, lemon, or lavender to help fight bacteria naturally. These are the same ingredients found in your grandmother’s soaps or your great grandmother’s. They are safe for you and your family unlike antibacterial soaps.

The FDA may have this one right; let’s hope they create tighter rules on antibacterial soaps.

SOURCES: Luz Fonacier, M.D., head of the allergy section, Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, N.Y.; Leonardo Trasande, M.D., associate professor with the Departments of Population Health, Environmental Medicine and Pediatrics, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York City; Dec. 16, 2013, press conference with Sandra Kweder, M.D., deputy director, Office of New Drugs, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration

 

Our Inner Voice Of Truth

Our Inner Voice Of Truth

“There is that within me that knows the truth” ` Ernest Holmes. inner voice

Some people call it their gut, or a feeling they get. Others know the truth factor as the inner voice that speaks to them once in a blue-moon with a spark of wisdom. Whatever way you hear or experience truth it’s always there guiding us. It is our minds that we must quite long enough to be in present consciousness and guided. So we can pay attention to our inner voice.

The Inner Voice

I remember the story of “Anne”. She was looking for a way to feel more connected to her boyfriend of four years, but she always felt something was off as she put it. Many of her friends encouraged her to suspect the worst.

He had seemed to pull away from her the last few weeks and be more reserved than usual. Just when she thought the relationship would move into marriage, she was convinced he had found someone else.

She had talked inside her head about what he was doing to her, how brokenhearted, and lonely she felt.

Finally, she could not stand it any longer. Anne confronted him.

What Is The Truth?

relationships

Anne’s story and the outcome are like many of my clients who pursue Integrative Health Coaching with me. Their thinking affects their wellness and well being. Part of health is listening to that inner voice. Often it’s a process we learned at an early age when told we were too young to understand, or something didn’t matter. It mattered to us. Our developing brains; curious wanted to learn the truth.

Truth is individual, it is divine wisdom and it is different for each person. Soft is the voice of truth. Not because it will hurt or we have something to fear; it is because self-talk inside our heads is speaking loudly drowning-out the gentle whisper of the voice of this inner voice many call, God or intuition.

In Anne’s case she was listening to outside advice and letting her curiosity predict truth. It is much like a dictatorship where truth doesn’t matter.

Our Own Truth In Relationships

Many will argue truth is the facts; it is the will of the majority or what the leadership in our lives in telling us. This is not the truth. My work centers on helping people lead their lives the way they desire. Too often, we give up control to someone else in our relationships or career. The theory I and other follow in my field is that Primary foods for the body first must be our relationships and careers. If these are out of balance, the inner wisdom of who we are is diminished.

It is a spiritual thing. A God thing whether you believe there is one or not. Call it the intuition if that feels best to you. I call it the inner voice. Poets write this soft whisper is the inner voice that guides us. It is the voice outside advice usually puts down, or our heads tell us not to listen to as thoughts race by a million at a time. It is many fail at their dreams and never realize their potential or happiness.

Listening To Truth – Our Heart Voice

listening to the truth

When we constantly think in our minds, we block our ability to listen. This also blocks Truth. Practice becoming a truth seeker.

Try to stop the mind from thinking. It thinks twice as much and three times as fast. Don’t try to stop the mind, instead listen for Truth.

Truth feels different. It doesn’t tighten the flow of blood to the heart, for instance, from a health perspective. It doesn’t make the person listening feel fear, anger, or stress. It may come wrapped in excitement, vibrancy, and an inner knowing much like that gut feeling we should listen to more often.

Anne didn’t listen to her gut rather she had experience that most relationships in her life didn’t work. She brought to this romantic adventure fear and doubt. She wanted a warm, loving relationship but used a thermometer of outside gossip to support fears along with a spicy dose self-talk.

Both block that inner feeling or voice that is Truth.

Truth Feels Good

Confronting her boyfriend in a rage, he began to grin as the ‘madwoman’ in front of him and tried to calm her. Once he got her to sit down, he explained.

“I got a job offer in Florida. It’s a promotion and a big raise. But I can’t ask you to move with me. It’s not fair. So I have been looking at rings, searching out possible jobs in your field in the area, and even talked to a realtor about the cost of homes. I wanted it to be perfect when I asked you to marry me, leave your home and job here.”

When Anne told, her story, the guilt was still on her face. She had gut-feelings she had ignored. Her “Jerry” had showed her pictures of Florida homes not the beach. He had told her about the humidity asking if she minded such things. He had even asked her if she preferred white or yellow gold.

Each time he’d done these things and others that little voice had spoken to her. She heard a gentle whisper saying, “this is how love feels.” A relationship feels like this.

Connection

Where in your relationships are you not allowing the truth to deepen the connection? In business, we do it with those that would mentor us sometimes.

“Jim’s” upper level manager gave him a book on leadership. Jim knew it was the manager’s favorite author. Instead of thanking him, he turned and rushed back to his office wondering. Why was he singled out? The next day he began to look for a different job.

Had he thanked the manager and asked a question, “What chapter is most meaningful for you I would like to learn from it too.” He might have found out that this boss was thinking of mentoring him. The book, a gift was the first step to establishing a connection.

How To Practice Listening To Truthpractice listening

Jim’s manager had been friendly stopping him in the hall to talk. He even went out of his way to include him in several team meetings asking his opinion on two occasions. Afraid he would answer incorrectly he had given short replies. His mind afterward raced for ways he should have done things.

Instead, Jim could have reached out and asked how he could expand his talents. Luckily, the manager saw the potential in Jim and was ready to take him under his wing.

When Jim called, I asked him how he felt about the hallway conversations. What he felt when they happened. What his gut-said when his boss asked what he thought on the topic at hand and so forth.

Grinning he told me, “I felt great. I felt necessary and wanted.” How did this person’s face look? One word. “Pleased”

Wisdom

The next day, Jim went back and thanked the man, asking what chapter meant the most to him. Today Jim and Anne both rely more on their inner-voice or gut. They allow the ‘voice’ of truth a place in their lives. They use it to attract their highest good in life.

Before they jump to conclusions, they meditate and quite their minds regularly. This allows them to practice listening. Any thoughts that come from inside with a feeling of fear or not-good-enough they pass by and listen for their highest potential in the truth that speaks within. They follow their gut feeling. For more mindful living visit my other blog Debra Arko.

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Baked Pears with Cranberry Apple Syrup – recipe

Baked Pears with Cranberry Apple Syrup – recipe

home cooking baked pearsOne of my favorite foods is cinnamon and it goes so great with fruit. This recipes uses baked pears but you can also  make it with apples. The cranberry apple syrup is naturally sweet. The point is home cooking is better than eating out. It can help you with weight loss too. When you make it at home you can not overload a recipe with foods that aren’t good for you. Also you can use higher quality ingredients for your dishes.

If you’re looking to still enjoy dessert but cut down on sugar, this recipe is perfect. It also is simple to make; this helps you do more home cooking. Eating out is costly and many people think it takes too much time to cook at home.

Home Cooking A Key To Successful Weight Loss

In 2008 looking at the scale I realized I need to lose weight. I was tired, had  back pain, and I didn’t like the way I looked in my clothes. Of course, I knew better and decided to take my own advice when I talk about weight loss.

Start eating at home more. This meant I had to practice home cooking. My desire like many Americans, for sugar was out of control. Finding options for sugary desserts was a primary on the list of lifestyle changes I knew I needed to make.

This recipe was one of the first I started making. my husband likes it best with pears, and I love it with apples.

Baked Pears with Cranberry Apple Syruprecipes

  • 4 Bosc pears
  • 1 cup apple juice
  • 1 cup cranberry juice
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 6-8 cloves

Preheat oven to 400. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each pear to help keep them standing upright in a baking dish. Pour fruit juice into the pan. Add cinnamon sticks and cloves. Roast the pears, basting every 15 minutes, until tender, brown and puckered. Remove the pears and place on a serving plate. Pour remaining liquid into a small sauce pan, bring to high heat, and reduce by half. Drizzle that liquid on top of the pears.

 Weight Loss And Natural Food

One thing that is important when starting to do more home cooking is to shop for organic food or at the least local. Selecting fruit that is on sale means cost savings. Weight loss is not only arriving at your ideal healthy weight, it’s keeping it off. Baked pears or apples is a healthy dessert option.

Fruit contains a sugar called fructose. When we eat sugars from glucose along with fructose, we cannot digestion either and they become somewhat toxic to our bodies. This can result in inflammation, weight gain, and joint pain.

Eating fruit sugar alone is easily digestible and your body needs the nutrients and fiber. Fruit digests quickly. When eaten with meat protein, grains, or carbohydrates it’s hard to absorb the nutrients. It is best to consume foods such as pears, or apples 30 minutes before other foods or one hour after eating a meal.

Choosing to empower yourself through lifestyle such as eating well can add years of healthy living to your life.

 

 

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Cholesterol Drugs Linked to Muscle, Joint Problems

Cholesterol Drugs Linked to Muscle, Joint Problems

Secrets To Lower Cholesterol

cholesterol

I love to eat, do you? Unfortunately, many foods we eat affect our cholesterol. Many people just go with their medical recommendation to take statins and then experience muscle and joint problems. Worse yet many more note loss of memory.

One study recently published in Pubmed, Statin-Associated Memory Loss: Analysis Of 60 Case Reports And Review Of The Literature. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12885101 found that after two months, 50% of the people in the study developed memory loss. When the prescription drugs were stopped fourteen (56%) of 25 patients noted a return in memory function.

Many drugs have side-effects, this is just some found with this group of medications. Often people don’t want to take prescriptions and working with a health coach can help you enjoy foods without eating stuff you hate.

From Drugs To Natural Foods

So first if you have side-effects from the meds for high Cholesterol, talk to your doctor and let them know you’re working with a health coach.

Your physician may be able to stop your medications or decrease them. Then start discovering what foods work to help you. Also, there are many natural supplements and herbs. Finding out which ones is part of your work with your coach.

I would estimate that 50% of my clients are on statins or told they need to watch their LDL levels.

Where Food Comes In For Cholesterol Levels

We all have heard that oats, or oat bran such as fiber can help but why then doesn’t it seem to be effective? It may be the quality. A food is closer to how mother-nature made it. This is key. Eating this type of food means eating better for your health.

natural foods

There’s a myth that organic foods or natural are more expensive. Look at it this way for starters, preservatives, food dyes, and GMO’s create more health problems long term you financial pay for later.

What are some of these other foods?

Eat more healthy fats! Fish or omega -3 fatty acids are next. If you’re like me, I don’t care for fish or have allergies, using supplements. I use Flaxseed oil.

Nuts are helpful especially almonds. I have a health issue with the pasteurizing and radiation they use on almonds. If you are sensitive too, use walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, some pine nuts, or pistachio nuts.

Happy food is a must and no one has sensitively or allergies to these. They are rewarding relationships, walking or other low impact activity, and work in your life that excites you!

Things in Bottles Often Create Side-Effects

Again over-the-counter Cholesterol supplements often are not the quality needed to create change. What would I give you? I base it on your bio-individuality. One person medicine is another’s poison. Remember this is true for food too.

The unique aspect of my coaching is I am also a functional medicine practitioner so we can utilize this style of lab testing and natural yet prescriptive herbs and supplements to match your unique individuality.

So now that we’ve talked about how you can go natural in balancing your cholesterol let’s discuss why you would.

There is growing evidence that statins don’t work to lower LDL. The statistics are growing against their use still…Even with these side affects doctors are saying that the benefits that statins provide to patients outweighs the risk. What do you think?

Statins and Alzheimer’s disease. https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-2003-43058

http://www.athero.org/commentaries/comm564.pdf

Side-effects of muscle and joint painhttp://www.webmd.com

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