The Dangers of MSG

          You have a killer in your kitchen cabinets that is worse for your health than alcohol, nicotine, and many other drugs - MSG or monosodium glutamate.  This food additive tricks your taste buds into thinking that the food has more protein and tastes better. Therefore, you eat much more.  Remember the saying, "Bet ya can't eat just one."  This takes on a completely new meaning when you realize you are being sabotaged.  Chemically, MSG is 78% free glutamic acid, 21% sodium and 1% contaminates. 

            MSG is an excitotoxin, which means that it overexcites your cells to the point of damage or death and can cause brain damage or trigger diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or Lou Gehrig's disease. 

            MSG causes the levels of glutamate in your blood to rise as much as 20 times.  These high levels of glutamate stimulate all of the glutamate receptors, which can cause explosive reactions.  Most of the people who have glutamate reactions are deficient in magnesium.  Whenever magnesium levels are low, the glutamate receptors become hypersensitive and can cause cardiac arrhythmias and even death. 

            Other adverse effects of MSG are migraines, obesity, fatigue, depression, rapid heartbeat, diarrhea, drowsiness, and weakness.  It is estimated that MSG sensitivity may impact up to 40% of the population.  Rats, which normally do not become obese, were fed a diet containing MSG and guess what - fat rats!  When ingesting MSG, you don't realize when you are full and you eat much more than you normally would.  

            Read the food labels! Also watch for hydrolyzed protein, caseinate, and any soy products, all of these have a significant amount of glutamate.  

            Some of the supplements that can help with MSG reactions are an amino acid, taurine.  This works in our system exactly opposite to MSG and can help with the reaction when you accidentally ingest it.  Magnesium is very important to help counteract the effects.  Read the label carefully to be sure it is pure magnesium.  B6 is also helpful.  This vitamin is used by the body to help convert amino acids into other amino acids.  People who are sensitive to MSG are usually low in this vitamin.  CoQ10 helps the body take fuel in the form of glucose (blood sugar) and turn it into energy.  If you consume the glutamate, which can over stimulate the nerve cells until they die, this energy is crucial.  With enough energy, the nerve cells will recover from the over stimulation, but without this energy the cell will die.  Anti-histamines, such as Benadryl can help, MSG will increase histamine reactions, therefore anything that can reduce histamine can help.  Vitamin C in large doses, also works as an anti-histamine.

            Plan A - avoid all MSG, hydrolyzed protein, caseinate, and soy products.

Plan B- take magnesium, B6, taurine, and CoQ10 on a regular basis and if you accidentally consume MSG, be ready with an anti-histamine such as Benadryl.

Stay Strong!      

Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syryp

       We are being poisoned on a daily basis by a common food additive - high fructose corn syrup.  It is present in a wide variety of processed foods, soft drinks, salad dressings, cereals, bread, commercially made cakes and cookies, just to name a few.  This additive increases our risk of obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and hypertension. 

            Regular table sugar is 50% fructose and 50% glucose.  High fructose corn syrup can contain up to 80% fructose and 20% glucose, about twice the fructose of table sugar.  Each contain about the same number of calories, but the difference is in the metabolism.  Not to mention that the high fructose corn syrup is made from genetically modified corn.  Between 1970 and 1990 the intake of HFCS increased by more than 1,000% and is now the primarily sweetener added to soft drinks in the US and comprises more than 40% of sweeteners added to foods and beverages. 

            Fructose, the main component of HFCS is metabolized in the liver and can cause increased triglycerides and fat storage in this organ.  This increased fat storage can lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.  This disease now affects 20-30% of the population.  The rise in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease paralleled the rise in consumption of dietary fructose. 

            Other potential consequences of excess fructose include weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, high triglyceride levels, abnormally high uric acid levels (can result in the development of gout), kidney stones, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome.  HFCS has also been found to have very high levels of mercury.  Mercury is very damaging to the body, especially young children.  

            You can minimize the dangers of HFCS by avoiding all sweetened soft drinks, switch to an alternative such as water or home brewed teas, read the product labels carefully, use stevia as your main sweetener, this will allow you to cut down on your consumption of sugar.

            Some supplements to consider to help protect yourself include the B vitamins, particularly B1 and B6, alpha-lipoic acid, omega 3 fatty acids, acetyl-L-carnitine, and vitamin C.    

            PLEASE avoid this poison at all costs, read labels, and take supplements. 

Stay Strong!

Agent Orange in my Lysol!!!!!

          Do you ever wonder what is in our household cleaners?  Lets take a look at a three of the very common ones.

          Lysol contains dioxin, also called agent orange.  This was developed for chemical warfare in Vietnam.  Lysol is also a registered pesticide.  Agent Orange is well known for causing cancer.  Do you really want to spray this in your home and around your children?  How many times have you sprayed this in the air to clear a smell or kill germs?  You could be killing your children or yourself, along with the germs.  

          Pledge - This famous furniture polish contains silicones, butane gas and propane.  I don't think I have to list the ill effects this product can cause in your home.  Whenever you clean your furniture and hold the rag in your hand this stuff is absorbed into your skin and on to your bloodstream. 

          Clorox Disinfecting Wipes contain Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride and Alkyl Dimethyl Ethylbenzyl Ammonium Chloride.  These chemicals are both pesticides.  They are known immunotoxicants, neurotoxicants, respiratory toxicants, and skin and sense organ toxicants.   We wipe our babies toys with these and them the child puts the toy in its mouth.  Think about what can happen to their health. 

          Household cleaners fall under the Hazardous Products Act.  This Act dates back to the 1960s.  It is a requirement to provide hazard symbols like "poison" and "flammable" and to give first aid treatment for those ingredients.  There is NO requirement to list chemicals that could cause long-term health effects.  You won't find a statement like "may cause respiratory problems".  Don't just assume that if it is on the shelf it has been tested and is safe. 

          Thousands of chemicals are capable of causing cancer and we use them in our homes every day.  Cancer usually develops after prolonged exposure and may take many years to establish. 

          You can make a difference by saying NO to all toxic chemicals in any form.  You and your children deserve to live in a toxin free home - don't poison them on a daily basis. 

          There are companies out there that sell non-toxic cleaners and products.  You can contact me for more information. 

          Stay Strong!