Current Issue

March 2010

Dear Readers,

I’m making it just under the wire to get in a March newsletter. It’s been a hectic March but with lots of forward movement.

Earlier this month, I spent some time at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim. I’ll be blogging and sending newsletter articles on some of the exciting new developments in the natural products world.

The big buzz this year is on gluten-free products since so many people have gluten intolerances that can cause painful gut problems ranging from irritable bowel to Crohn’s disease to celiac disease. I plan to write on this extensively in future articles since the problems seems to have become very widespread or at least more people are talking about what was once the biggest in-the-closet health problem around.

I also met a wonderful lady with a brilliant idea about portion control for weight control. I’ll be sharing more about her and her easy idea next month.

I wish you the blessings of spring,
Kathleen

Throw Away Your Teflon Cookware!

If you haven’t yet relegated your nonstick cookware to the dustbin, you now have even more reasons to do so now.

Even though Teflon™ (technical name: PTFE or polytetrafluoroethylene polymer) has been on the market for more than 50 years, numerous studies show that it can offgas toxic chemicals at high heats. The Environmental Protection Agency says it is “likely” that Teflon™ causes cancer.

Thyroid risk

Now a recent study implicates Teflon™ in thyroid disease. A British study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives (affiliated with the National Institutes of Health) shows that people with high levels of perfluorooctanic acid (PFOA), a compound found in Teflon™, are more likely to develop thyroid malfunction as well as to have various types of cancers.

Teflon™ is used in cookware, but also found in stain resistant carpet and fabric coatings.

Dupont, the manufacturer of Teflon™, says the non-stick coating is safe and adds that it has had no adverse health effects in humans. It adds that there is conflicting evidence on the thyroid issue.

Trace amounts of PFOA have shown up in blood samples taken from people across the country. When rats and mice were exposed to PFOA in far greater amounts, they developed brain tumors.

Now, an EPA advisory panel reports, “PFOA is a likely carcinogen in humans.”

Carcinogenic fumes

In terms of toxic fumes, Dupont says its cookware doesn’t decompose, possibly releasing toxic gases, until the pan reaches 680 degree Farenheit.

However, those high heats are easy to achieve. Studies show that an empty pan left on a burner for as little as three minutes can reach temperatures of 700 degrees.

PTFE fumes certainly effect birds and other small animals and there is evidence they effect humans. Studies report flu-like symptoms experienced by people who are near fumes from nonstick pans. The Environmental Protection Agency has even given the syndrome a name: polymer fume fever.

Other studies show that even higher temperatures cause the release of several other types of toxic gases.

All cookware with nonstick coatings can have the same problems, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG). More information on the Teflon™ studies is available from the EWG.

Coming soon: How to choose safe cookware.

McCain Backs Away From His Own Supplement Bill

If you’ve ever thought that your voice isn’t heard, it’s just not true. I am a strong proponent of letting my elected officials know what I think. I do so often and as politely as possible.

Now I can salute Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) for withdrawing support for his own legislation – a bill that would severely curtail Americans’ ability to choose the vitamin supplements we want to take. It’s rare to hear a politician admitting an error and it’s refreshing.

The power of grass roots pressure

On Feb. 4, McCain introduced the Dietary Supplement Safety Act, legislation that would give the pharmaceutical industry-controlled and funded corrupt Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority over vitamin supplements. After a massive grass roots campaign against the measure, McCain withdrew his support for the bill in early March.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) also played a pivotal role in persuading McCain that increased government regulation of dietary supplements is misguided. Sen. Hatch was a major sponsor of the supplement-industry friendly 1994 DSHEA (Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act) and received major campaign contributions from the supplement industry.

McCain’s apparent intention was to regulate the use of steroids by professional athletes with his bill, but he seemed to be unaware that the bill had more far-reaching ramifications.

The bill would have made most dietary supplements available by prescription only.

I’m very aware that the supplement industry occasionally runs riot and that unquestionably there are unscrupulous supplement manufacturers.

Who is making money here?

At the same time, when I look at an issue like the McCain bill, I like to look at the bottom line: Who will benefit the most from the legislation?

The answer is obvious: The pharmaceutical industry.

There is no end to the greed of this industry, which already makes billions on drugs, some of which have been proven unsafe. Now the industry gets a windfall from the 32 million more people who will have health insurance and become consumers of pharmaceuticals. But still, they want a big piece of the action from the millions of Americans who choose preventive care and natural treatment through dietary supplements. This is one if the few times the smaller supplement manufacturers who donate to Sen. Hatch’s campaigns have come out on the upside.

However, I’ve never known the pharmaceutical industry to stay down for long. We all need to stay on the lookout for another bill or an end run around this one.

Did anyone else notice that drug company and hospital stocks soared the day after the health care reform bill was passed?

Getting a Tax Refund? That’s Bad News!

If you’re getting a tax refund this year, you’ve made an interest-free loan to the government. You’ve let Uncle Sam have your money free of charge for as long as a year.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m most definitely not in the loan business, and I’m especially not interested in loaning money to the government.

Yes, I know that many people use their tax refunds as some sort of enforced savings account, but there are far better ways you can do that which will actually earn you interest.

Here’s how you can do better than giving your money to Uncle Sam:

Say you’re getting a $1,000 refund. That’s free money, right? No! It ’s your money and it has been in the hands of the government, not your hands for months now.

That’s $19.23 a week that could have been working for you.

If you’re getting a refund, I strongly advise you to visit your human resources rdepartment and ask for your withholding to be adjusted to reflect that amount.

With your $1,000 overpayment, that means you’d reduce your withholding by $19.23 a week, if you’re paid weekly. If you’re paid every two weeks, reduce your withholding by $38.46 per pay period and if you’re paid twice a month, reduce it by $41.67 a month.

But, you say, you don’t trust yourself to actually save that extra money in your paycheck. Don’t use Uncle Sam as a savings bank that pays no interest.

Instead set up an automatic deduction that puts that amount straight from your payroll deposit into a savings account or a brokerage account for a Roth IRA. I’ll be writing more about Roth IRAs next week, but, in a nutshell, these are excellent ways to save money and to see your money grow tax-free over the years and serving you well when you retire.

Right now, online banks are paying just under 2% on savings accounts, although that figure has been much higher in the past and will be again.

If that seems paltry, consider this: That $1,000 a year you’ve been loaning the government could turn into more than $41,000 if you’ve got 30 years until retirement at just 2% interest. I know you can do even better than that.

So, this April 15, celebrate the fact that you’ve given Uncle Sam exactly what he’s due and not a penny more!

Archives

October 2007

What is natural living?
De-mystifying Multi-vitamins
Garlic: As Important as a Multi
Precocious Puberty: Growing up too fast from The Secret of Health: Breast Wisdom by Dr. Ben Johnson and Kathleen Barnes (Morgan James 2008)

November 2007

Healthy Holiday Food
Prevent Colds and Flu This Winter
Re-Think Your Bra from The Secret of Health: Breast Wisdom by Dr. Ben Johnson and Kathleen Barnes (Morgan James 2008)

December 2007

Fit and Fat
10 Ways to Green Your Winter

January 2008

Beat Winter Blues with Vitamin D
Sweet News for Chocolate Lovers–and Lovers!
Your Mind Does Matter to Your Health from The Secret of Health: Breast Wisdom by Dr. Ben Johnson and Kathleen Barnes (Morgan James, 2008)

March 2008

Natural Remedies for Allergies
Spicy Foods for Fat Burning
The Difficult Road to Diagnosis of Hypothyroidism from Basic Health User’s Guide to Thyroid Disorders by Kathleen Barnes (Basic Health, 2005)

April 2008

Safe and Natural Hormone Replacement is In Jeopardy
The Best Multi-Vitamin Formula
Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement from User’s Guide to Natural Hormone Replacement by Kathleen Barnes (Basic Health 2006)

December 2008

The Calcium Lie: What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know Could Kill You (inTruth Press, 2008): My new book written with Dr. Robert Thompson.

8 Weeks to Vibrant Health: A Take Charge Plan for Women (Take Charge Books, 2008): second edition and much more user-friendly version of the book originally published in 2005.

10 ways to address the stresses of the times

January 2009

If You’re Fat, You May Be Starving
Quit Smoking: This Time You Really Can!
Quit Smoking: Start Counting Health Benefits from Day 1
Teens Need More Sleep

February 2009

Sugar is Killing Us–And Our Kids, Too
Fund Your Retirement Before Paying For Kids’ College
Olive Leaf Extract Fights Colds, Flu, Infections
Scary Stuff in Your Tap Water

March 2009

Credit Cards: The Next Banking Crisis
Fight Wrinkles Naturally
Getting a Tax Refund? That’s Bad News!
Sneaky Sugars by Dr. Scott Olson

April 2009

Taming the Stress Monster
Antidepressants Linked to Sudden Cardiac Death
Spring House Cleaning: Safe, Natural, Effective and Cheap!

May 2009

Better Health: The UPside of recession
Most Pesticide Laden Fruits and Vegetables
Solve the Energy Crisis: Sex Hormone Imbalances: PMS, Menopause, Adrenal fatigue and Hypothyroidism

June 2009

Dangers of Genetically Modified Foods
Your Cotton T-shirt Could be Poisoning You
The Myth of Organic Food

July 2009

Do Plastics Cause Early Puberty?
Fountain of Youth: Acetyl L-Carnitine and Alpha Lipoic Acid
Dangers of Fish Farms

August 2009

Smoking Killed My Dad
Obesity Increase May Not Be Entirely Due to Couch Potato Society
Vitamin D Benefits Old, Young, Everyone

September 2009

Natural Thyroid Medication Shortage
Vitamin Supplements and Longevity
Chocolate Prevents Heart Disease

October 2009

An Apple a Day Does Keep the Doctor Away
Credit Card Companies’ Newest Draconian Tricks

November 2009

Steps to a Strong Immune System
Update on New Credit Card Laws

December 2009

Mammograms Are Dangerous; Avoid them at All Costs
Thermograms: Safe Alternative to Mammograms
What To Expect When You Have A Thermogram

February 2010

McCain Seeks to Curtail Consumer Access to Supplements
New Credit Card Law Takes Effect Feb.22

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Contents of these pages are copyrighted, and may be used freely, if unedited and with attribution as follows:
Source: Kathleen Barnes, www.kathleenbarnes.com

The content provided by this site is for informational purposes only and has not been approved by the U.S. FDA. This site is not intended to provide personal medical advice, which should be obtained from a medical professional.