Also, women who have mercury fillings in their teeth may jeopardize the health of their unborn or nursing child. Mercury poisoning is very easily passed through the blood to the child either through the uterus or breast milk.

Beverly Hills dentist, Dr. Kourosh Maddahi, a biocompatible dentist, warns his patients of this risk and never uses silver (mercury) amalgam for fillings. He is especially concerned for the young babies of women who have old mercury fillings existing in their mouth. I want women to understand how at risk an unborn or nursing child is, if the destructive mercury is released from amalgam (silver) fillings. If you are thinking of pregnancy, I urge you to replace your mercury with a biocompatible material. If planned properly, your dentist can remove and replace numerous fillings in one or two appointments. But no, pregnant and lactating women should not have amalgam fillings removed.

He continues, Mercury vapor is continuously emitted from dental fillings and accumulates in the body over time. The damaging effects of this exposure may not manifest for years or even decades. Studies repeatedly demonstrate that even low levels of mercury cause measurable adverse health effects. Mercury in the tissues of a fetus or infant correlates significantly with the number of dental amalgam fillings in the mother. Newborns may be at risk for learning disabilities because of mercury their mothers absorbed during pregnancy. Many physicians are testing their patients for mercury toxicity and referring them to biocompatible dentists. Across scientific disciplines, health professionals are realizing that mercury may adversely impact patient health.

MAMA is a national organization Moms Against Mercury Amalgams, that is enlightening mothers and mothers-to-be about the hazardous use of mercury in dental care. The website mercuryfreenow.com offers great insight for women and their families.

Dr. Maddahi continues, There are very safe, and thorough methods to remove mercury fillings that are used by a knowledgeable office such as ours. To prevent additional mercury exposure, find a biocompatible dentist properly trained in mercury filling removal. We ensure that an efficient suction system in the oral cavity is used with a special tip or its equivalent to contain amalgam particles and mercury vapor and that it is operating a vacuum system at maximum efficiency. We always apply copious amounts of water to the filling during removal while we remove the amalgam in large segments to minimize the generation of mercury vapor and amalgam particulate. We have also made sure that the patient and dental staff are provided with a mercury-free source of air.

Dr. Kourosh Maddahi, has been specializing in creating beautiful, natural smiles for 20 years and is located in Beverly Hills at 436 N. Roxbury Drive, Suite 202 and can be reached at 310-888-7797.

What is even more worrisome is that the harmful effects frequently extend beyond the skin. The chemical toxins can be absorbed into the body through the skin and mucous membranes. Widespread adverse effects may be seen in the gastrointestinal system, liver and the nervous system.

Synthetic chemicals in acne treatments should be avoided as they can actually exacerbate existing skin conditions. Consumers should also be aware that some of these ingredients have been found to be carcinogenic in animal studies. A quick look at the ingredients and knowledge of common toxins (listed below) will help consumers identify noxious products.

The safety panel of the cosmetic industry periodically reviews ingredients in skin care products. These chemicals are then classified into three categories: safe, safe with qualifications, and unsafe for use. Some ingredients like Disodium dimethicone copolyol sulfosuccinate, (Glyceryl distearate) have not even been assessed for safety by the panel. Products containing unevaluated substances are best avoided.

Apart from this, consumers can also refer to some excellent resources on the Internet such as the Environmental Working Group (EWG) website. The EWG has reviewed scientific studies and performed their own independent laboratory tests to expose health threats from skin care products sold in the United States.

Potentially harmful chemicals found in acne treatments

Propylene glycol: This petroleum derivative is used in variou

s cosmetics as a delivery vehicle and solvent. It acts as a penetration enhancer and allows other chemicals to penetrate deeply into the skin and can be toxic to the brain, liver and kidney. Propylene glycol may cause skin irritation, including contact dermatitis, and is also blamed for premature aging of the skin. Imidazolidinyl Urea and Diazolidinyl Urea: Both of these agents are used as a preservative in various cosmetics and can cause allergic dermatitis. They are toxic to the gastrointestinal system and release formaldehyde, a potentially toxic chemical and carcinogen. In addition, diazolidinyl urea may also cause toxicity to the central nervous system. The cosmetic industry safety panel has found it safe for use when the concentration is below 0.5%.

Benzophenone-4: This ingredient is declared safe for cosmetics use, according to the industry safety panel. However, it can cause immune reactions, in the form of itching, burning, scaling, hives, and blistering of skin, or severe respiratory reaction.

Sorbitol: Sorbitol requires a special enzyme (sorbital dehydrogenase) for its digestion. Systemically absorbed sorbitol can be rather troublesome in people without that enzyme. It may cause flatulence, diarrhea, and cramps in such individuals.

So serious are the negative impacts of chemical-intensive agricultural production, that momentum for change has grown considerably in recent years. The trend toward more environmentally friendly production methods is mainly due to enlightened companies under pressure of increased environmental regulation and competition, and informed consumers calling for greater social and environmental accountability.

In many African countries with lax environmental controls, farmers can apply nearly one-third of a pound of chemical fertilizers and pesticides for every pound of cotton harvested. Some of these chemicals are classified as the most toxic around and the negative impacts can be severe. The simple act of growing and harvesting the amount of cotton fibre needed to make a T-shirt takes an enormous toll on the earths air, water, and soil, and has significant impacts on the health of people in cotton growing areas. These carcinogenic chemicals can leave residues on the skin, and it is now argued that these are associated with allergies. Organic cotton is therefore kinder to the skin. For more information visit the Pesticide Action Network site at http://www.pan-uk.org/

Organic cotton begins with living soil. This means the soil has not had any chemicals used in it for at least three years and it has been enriched with compost and other organic matter. These replace synthetic fertilizers that are harmful to the health.

Organic cotton production has increased 5-fold in the past 4 years. The UK is among the worlds fastest growing markets. Each year, thanks to organic cotton, more cotton farmers around the world are able to minimise their effect on their health from pesticide exposure.

There are also signs that organic cotton is moving out of its niche market into the mainstream with increased interest on the part of supermarkets and large companies. Marks and Spencers and the Top Shop have recently launched organic and fairtrade clothing ranges to meet the growing market that started with organic food and then moving into non food areas such as cotton and paints.

For those of you that are parents, Clean Slate Clothing has introduced accountability to the clothes which children wear everyday by selling the worlds first Fairtrade and Organic School Uniforms.

Ethical companies also need to move beyond selling organic cotton clothes to ensuring that they are using environmentally friendly dyes and recycled materials with the minimum of packaging and literature.

Find ethical retailers selling organic and fair trade clothes here

After the widespread salmonella poisoning this year, the Food and Drug Administration is saying that it has a way to stop this kind of problem from ever happening again. But theres a problem.

The FDAs solution will only create more problems. Instead, we need a solution that really works and doesnt cause any harm. Last year, the FDA, to allegedly protect you from dangerous bacteria like salmonella, approved widespread food irradiation.

The goal, of course, was to expose some of your favorite veggies, such as lettuce and spinach, to irradiation to make sure they arent contaminated with deadly bacteria. And the FDA insists that there is no serious damage to irradiated foods.

Whoa, wait a minute. Isnt this the same corrupt agency that told us that Bisphenol-A is safe? Recently we learned that this common chemical in plastics leaches out and is carcinogenic.

And isnt this the agency that told us Vioxx was safe? So is irradiation safe? Its true that radiation will kill potentially toxic microorganisms on food. However, consider the process.

It kills these microorganisms by destroying biochemical molecules in them. Heres the problem: The living cells of the vegetables and other produce have biochemical molecules that irradiation will destroy and alter as well.

Do you want to be eating broken molecules that have been created in a nuclear facility? I just dont get the thinking behind those in charge of the FDA. They say its fine to expose the entire population to molecules that weve never seen before. And its supposed to be safe?

Whats worse, the irradiation may not protect you from the real problem bugs. The Centers for Science in the Public Interest conducted an analysis on salad-related illness outbreaks. Their research found that these illnesses are often caused by viruses.

Viruses are not affected by the doses of radiation approved by the FDA. So what do we do about the problem of contaminated food? The FDA would rather take the easy route to nuke your food than encourage sanitary practices.

Radiation will make a modest problem worse. It will make it easier for growers who would like to skimp on sanitary practices to do so in the interest of profit. The FDA decision will hide unsanitary practices.

Fortunately, theres an outstanding alternative. Its our old friend oxidation ozone, to be more specific. Ozone is the earths most powerful naturally occurring oxidant.

You can smell its sweetness after a cleansing thunderstorm. It is an incredible purifier. Not only does it kill bacteria in seconds, but its also lethal to viruses. It leaves no toxic residue.

Not only does it kill microorganisms, it oxidizes and breaks down toxic chemicals. It reacts only with the outermost surface of the exposed object. By comparison, radiation penetrates through the entire food and affects every molecule in its path.

This is overkill, as its only the surface thats contaminated. When theres a perfect remedy that purifies only that surface, with no toxic residue, and no alteration of the cells, why taint the whole product? Why doesnt the FDA consider ozone purification?

(And why is the FDA so ruthless in its persecution of ozone as a medical therapy?) Ozone is dirt cheap and its extremely easy to install and use. I invite you to connect the dots.

As Ive said repeatedly, follow the money trail! Its time to take action against the FDA. Contact your elected officials. Tell them that you are horrified that the FDA plans to allow nuking your food without your knowledge.

Encourage them to push for treating food with non-toxic ozone rather than radiation. In the meantime, if you are concerned about your risk of microbe food contamination, theres something simple you can do at home.

Decontaminate your food at home with oxidation! At home, you can add one teaspoon of Clorox Bleach (no other brand) to two gallons of water. Soak your produce for 15 minutes, drain and rinse.

The bleach will kill any surface contaminants, and it will wash away with tap water. As an alternative, use one-quarter cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide for a sink full of water instead of the Clorox.

No matter what the FDA tells you, we just dont know if theres any safe level of radiation. And I dont want to wait 20 years for the government to belatedly come clean on this issue, as it has on so many other issues. I dont think that your immune system and body organs want that either.

Ref: New York Times, August 22, 2008.

Show tub soap scum mold and mildew, the organism that never goes away. To be honest, mold, mildew and soap scum never seem to go away and are everywhere you look. So much that when you try to begin removing mildew stains and removing shower soap scum that it does not ever leave or possibly come right back.
Removing mildew stains

So why does these mildew stains appear and why is removing mildew stains and the ever so popular work of removing shower soap scum so hard. Well, the problem is when these black mold spores attach themselves to a shower, tub, or even the tile and grout the begin to eat the surface. The real question is how do these organisms create the staining and create a problem for you This is an critical issue with mold removal crawl space scenarios.
Mildew and mold becomes full just as we do

Soap scum, mildew and mold are all pretty much the same and are living organisms. After eating they get full like we do. Once these annoying organisms become full they will create excrement just like any one of us. If left long enough and if placed on an unprotected surface the mold will stain the area. That is another important factor in using a natural cleaner for mold, one that protects the surfaces and removes mold in one solution. If the surface does not contain a protectant or encapsulate for mildew and mold stains then it is definitely going to leaves excrement stains. Be certain to comprehend black toxic mold symptoms to identify different molds and health effects of mildew and mold.

This is the same for removing mildew stains. Removing mildew stains on carpeting and any other surface is simalar. One major difference is carpeting is a fabric. So black mold and mildew will consider fabric to be a steak dinner compared to cementt. Find out how these buggers get there and what you can do to prevent mildew from growing on your carpets….
Killing mold and mildew on carpeting

Fisrt to prevent your carpets from getting black mold and mildew and to save time removing mildew stains is keep carpeting dry!!! And if it wasn’t obvious Black Mold is a huge problem and want to prevent from growing inside your home. This means don’t allow shoes and wet things to get close to the carpeting.
Truth be told, when coming inside the house and tracking through the grass mold spores flow right in. How does one find this out- Mold testing gave us the answer, our machines would skyrocket when we tested around the grass or someone mowing the lawn…. Thank goodness these tests were for outside and not in the residence. The next reason to proving this is using booties when taking clearance and inspection testing.

Trust me, through the many years of mold inspecting and home inspecting this i am sure of, mold and mildew can be carried in from outside. Don’t worry, if these spores come into the house, that is fine because most likely the levels are balanced. If the problem become bigger, always look into a certified professionals for mold inspection and testing. These professionals will offer the correct protocols to a black mold removal company to get things do.

In 1733, English physician George Cheyne first described the English Malady also known as the Vapours. A mysterious illness was striking many people. Dr. Cheyne wrote of highly intelligent people suffering from rapidly changing sensory symptoms.

These included extremity coldness, flushing, and burning. It also caused headaches, either behind or over the eyes, noises in the ears, lethargy, and sometimes abdominal swelling. He found it worse in winter and in the cities.

In the U.S., strangely enough, it was first described not by physicians, but in the tales of Edgar Allan Poe. In reporting psychiatric misdiagnoses, Poe wrote: Have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over acuteness of the senses?

(The Tell-Tale Heart, 1843). Widely accused of being insane, Poe died, as he predicted, of Congestion of the Brain in 1849. Through the years, the name of Poes illness has changed. Names have included: neurasthenia (1869), autointoxication (1894), allergic toxemia (1930), allergic fatigue and weakness (1945), nervous system allergy (1952), minimal brain dysfunction (1965), and others.

In modern times, the disorder has taken on a new title, one youre likely familiar with, and one that might have great relevance to you or a loved one: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). Frenchman Charles Baudelaire said that Poes problem was nothing more than a perpetual effort to escape the influence of this unfriendly atmosphere.

He was more accurate than he knew, as our atmosphere is filled with toxic chemicals, especially our modern atmosphere. And more and more people are growing sensitive to it. Several U.S. studies have found a rather high prevalence of this problem. Five U.S. studies find 28-37% claim that they are especially sensitive to common chemicals.

Four studies say 15-17% claim that they are unusually sensitive. Over 6% in California claim that they have been diagnosed by a medical professional with MCS or environmental illness. But I suspect the number is much, much higher than that. Thats because MCS is difficult to diagnose.

There are so many symptoms. Researchers have described at least 203. Symptoms most commonly strike the nervous system, followed by the digestive, musculoskeletal, and reproductive systems.

It also hits the senses, greatly increasing your sensitivity to odors, lights, sounds, tastes, and touch. Some in medicine consider MCS a psychiatric disorder. But it has discovered many objective findings that prove it is indeed a physical disorder.

There is impaired circulation and toxicity, nutritional deficiencies, measurable sensory alterations, GI disturbances, neurocognitive deficiencies, skin tone abnormalities, ear and balance problems, and many others.

Interestingly, Poe wasnt the only famous person who may have succumbed to the malady. We suspect George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde did. And more than likely, so did Vincent Van Gogh.

He even left us a clue as to what caused it in one of his paintings. In the background of his painting of Gaughins Chair, finished one month before he cut off his ear, there is a gas light. Before electricity, indoor lights burned coal gas to produce light. Coal gas is 5% carbon monoxide (among other toxins).

Carbon monoxide (CO) is among the deadliest of poisons. Exposure limits today are from 0.0009% indoors to 0.005% occupational. Theres just no way that those using these gas lights indoors would not be at terrible risk.

Youre probably very familiar with carbon monoxide poisoning. Every now and then we hear about people dying from over exposure from a faulty furnace or other gas appliance. The reason these people die is because the carbon monoxide displaces oxygen from the hemoglobin in their blood cells.

Hemoglobin binds CO far more tightly than oxygen, and turns it a bright red, even more so than oxygen. Too much CO suffocates the person even though their blood looks like its full of oxygen.

However you can get severe CO poisoning even from exposure to low levels, especially if the exposure is chronic or repeated (e.g., from an unvented gas oven or space heater). Even when CO poisoning is not severe enough to lower the oxygen level in your blood, it can still alter the function of your brain and nervous system.

In fact, it can severely compromise your brain function. What most people dont realize is that CO poisoning can cause or worsen a whole host of illnesses. These include anemia, angina, asthma, deranged sense of smell, blindness and deafness, depression, diabetes, hallucinations, psychoses, Parkinsons, mental retardation, and more. Since it is an odorless, colorless, and tasteless gas, we dont think of it as a possible cause of illness.

But it is. My mentor on the subject, Al Donnay, MHS, a consulting toxicologist, was the first to connect CO with multiple chemical sensitivity and with the illnesses of some of these great historical people. He shocked me with a huge revelation that most doctors have never heard. Your body actually produces CO! In your body, theres an enzyme called Heme Oxygenase (HO). This enzyme also goes by the name Universal Stress Enzyme.

Whenever your body becomes stressed, this enzyme starts a process that increases CO production. This stress can come from just about anything: heat, bright light, noise, odors, drugs, alcohol and chemicals, trauma, infection, electro-magnetic fields, etc. But heres the real shocker in all of this: Not only is CO a poison, but its also a neurotransmitter.

As you may know, neurotransmitters are essential for normal brain function. I asked Donnay why God would place such a deadly poison in the role of an essential neurotransmitter.

His answer was simple. CO is a sensory neurotransmitter. It controls how you perceive the world around you. Its like a volume control.

It controls how loud or soft a stimulus is to your perception. What could be a better sensory neurotransmitter than one thats impervious to your senses? This is where Donnay believes CO connects to MCS and similar diseases.

Heres how: You just learned that stress of any kind increases the HO enzyme, which makes more CO. Youre not aware of this increase. If the stress is short term, the CO sensitizes you for a short period of time.

But if your exposure is chronic, like in smoking, it can permanently affect you. You get habituated to higher levels. Then, when you quit smoking, your CO levels fall and it messes up your sensory gain control. You need stress to perk up the CO. Donnay believes that if your body is sensitized to CO by any means, you will be subject to increased sensory awareness provoked by any stressor.

The results might be hypersensitivity to odors, lights, sounds, foods. This is a clear distinction from MCS, which is a hypersensitivity only to chemicals. For this reason, Donnay proposed the name Multi-Sensory Sensitivity (aka MUSES Syndrome) to distinguish between CO poisoning and pure MCS. So how can you tell if youre afflicted with MUSES Syndrome?

Unfortunately, you cant have a lab do a simple CO test of your blood or breath. These will find only acute CO poisoning in the last 24 hours. But there is another easy and readily available way to test for it. If you have any of the symptoms Ive mentioned, ask your doctor to order a test of your tissue oxygen consumption such as arterial and venous blood gas tests (taken from the same arm without a tourniquet).

These two tests will tell you how well your tissues are absorbing oxygen. Your doctor also can order blood gas tests of your arterial and venous oxygen pressure. But you may have to go to a hospital pulmonary lab for this test.

If the difference in dissolved oxygen (PO2) between your artery and vein is less than 55 mmHg, this suggests that your tissues are not absorbing enough oxygen. We call this tissue hypoxia. Pulmonary labs can also measure tissue oxygen consumption non-invasively (without drawing blood) using a test called VO2 max.

With this test, you breathe into a mask while exercising on a stationary bike or treadmill. However, Im not sure you need to spend the money on these tests. If you have a serious case of CO poisoning, your face will give it away.

Donnay says muses cases commonly develop a facial asymmetry, with a drooping eye and mouth. This marks what he calls The Tell Tale Face of CO Poisoning. You can see this vividly in a photograph of Edgar Allan Poe at Donnays website (www.mcsrr.org). If your case isnt this severe, but you have other symptoms, theres an incredibly easy way to treat the problem.

In fact, Edgar Allan Poe told us how to treat it: I took vigorous exercise. I breathed the free air of heaven. Free air of heaven? Why thats none other than oxygen, the gas of heavenly healing.

Donnay recommends breathing oxygen through an oxygen concentrator (which you can order with a prescription on his website) at five liters per minute for two hours per day. Most MUSES patients begin to notice an improvement within a few days.

But they will likely need three-to-four months of daily oxygen before they can quit without their symptoms regressing. Poe took vigorous exercise and suggested air of heaven. Generations before our time, Poe was unknowingly suggesting multi-step therapy or exercise with oxygen (EWOT).

Had he had access to oxygen in his day, and avoided the gas lighting indoors, he might have cured himself of the disease. And today, while we dont have gas lights to contend with, we do have fireplaces, furnaces, and gas ovens and ranges.

These can easily release CO. So if you have any abnormal sensory symptoms, dont waste your money on the tests. Just start doing multi-step therapy it can do wonders for you. But this isnt all you should do. Try meditation or prayer or any means to lower your stress.

Less stress means lower activity of the CO generating enzyme heme oxygenase, and a healthier, less wired, you! One final note: Whether you have CO poisoning or not, you should monitor the CO levels in your home.

This is extremely easy to do. Simply buy a $5 passive CO test kit from your local hardware store. The kit is actually just a detector badge that will change color if it detects any CO. I suggest you buy several of these and place them in different parts of your home.

Put them near your fireplace, the garage, your furnace, and in your bedrooms. Make sure you place them away from direct sunlight, ammonia, and other solvents or cleaners. These will give a false reading.

Most CO experts dont recommend these spot detectors because theyre not very accurate. And they wont tell you if the CO has been present for a long time or if its new. However, they will tell you if CO is present, even in small amounts.

So I think they serve a purpose. If the badge darkens or changes color at all, there is a problem. Immediately call a repairman to fix the problem. If they dont change color, you can leave these badges in place for 60-90 days.

Write the date on each of them when you put them in place. Check them regularly. And replace them after the allotted time. I also suggest you buy an electronic CO detector with a digital display and place it where you spend the most time in your home.

Keep in mind that the Consumer Product Safety Commission prohibits these from displaying CO levels below 30 ppm and from alarming below 70 ppm. So they wont protect your health from chronic low-level exposure.

But they may save your life in the event of a very high exposure. You dont have to end up with the Vapours, chronic illness, or like Edgar Allan Poe. It just takes a little vigilance and some miraculous oxygen.