Category Archives: environment

The shootings in Santa Barbara

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(Side note~Migraine is gone…weird.  I felt like I was getting one Tuesday, and then it went away.  Probably due to the new stress of job and getting away from all grains and chocolate….it’s going to be interesting to see how my body re-adjusts, if my migraines are any clue.)

I got the rare chance of watching Melissa Harris-Perry this morning.  I don’t always agree with her conclusions, but do enjoy the stimulating program.  She talked about the Santa Barbara shootings and the gender bias of the shooter, Elliott Rodger.  She mentioned a video by him, but refused to play it, so I went looking for it on youtube:

 

Wow. Just Wow.  Two minutes into this video, and you can see why women rejected this guy.  Narcissistic. Self-absorbed. Playing the victim. Shallow. Entitled.

Over and over again, he claims rejection by women and doesn’t understand why.  Over and over again he says “these beautiful blonde women” are out with “douchebags”….when they should be out with “wonderful” him.  Women have great intuition (which they don’t always listen to) and probably could see this guy’s warped view of himself and the world and his negative energy towards them…as is now known by his murdering people.

MHP’s guest stated that this guy had a sense of entitlement.  I can see that in the video.  By his view, he was such a “terrific” guy, and was entitled to the beautiful women, but couldn’t get them….so he killed them.

There are so many things tied to Elliott Rodger’s view –one of which is the society’s rape/violence culture against women.

Rodger focuses on rejection by beautiful women.  I would lay bets that there were women who liked Elliott…but they weren’t “beautiful” on the outside.  He probably treated them badly…as he claims he was treated.  It’s okay, you see, to treat women who are “ugly” by society’s standards in a disrespectful and dismissive tone.  This makes me so angry I could spit nails right now.

They brought up that Elliott was autistic.  Okay, you all know what I’m going to say next…he was a high functioning autistic, with apparent aggression and rage — both tied to mercury poisoning.  Will anyone explore that possibility while investigating this case?  Probably not.  And another chance at recognizing mercury/heavy metal poisoning/toxicity’s influence in crime is ignored.

From the first link:

Studies involving a large sample of autistic and schizophrenic patients found that over 90 % of those tested had high levels of the milk protein beta-casomorphine-7 in their blood and urine and defective enzymatic processes for digesting milk protein(92,93,83), and similarly for the corresponding enzyme needed to digest wheat gluten(92,94)

Due to the large number of vaccinations that are now containing mercury thimerosal, most children have been documented to receive mercury exposure far above the government health guideline for mercury, and the number of causes of autism has increased over 600% in the last decade[81,A,43b].

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[…]

A group of violent criminals had signif. higher levels of hair lead and cadmium levels than non violent controls(62b)

[…]

Studies at the Argonne National Laboratory found that the majority of delinquents and criminals had high metals levels such as cadmium and lead, and to fall into 2 categories. One group with high copper and low zinc, sodium potassium tended to have extreme tempers, while another group with low zinc and copper, but high sodium and potassium tended to be sociopathic(115). But it was found that treatment of delinquent or violent prone individuals for metals related problems including nutritional therapy usually produced significant improvements in mood, violent behavior, and functionality- with complete cure in the majority of cases (115,119,120).

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A note here about hair analysis–Dr. Cutler is of the belief that hair levels are helpful, but not 100% indicators of toxicity.  Time and again, mercury poisoned folks have tested low mercury on hair tests — NOT because they are not poisoned, but rather, because their bodies are not secreting mercury.  They lack the ability to efficiently rid the body of mercury.  Once they began to chelate, and their poor bodies were able to function half-way decently, their hair tests have changed to high mercury levels.

It is almost a rule that on the mercury support group, that we are gluten and dairy intolerant–lack of enzymes since mercury interferes with it.

It will be interesting to see the developing story.  God Bless the parents and loved ones who lost someone.

The pharmacy in your yard… **edited

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(I want to preface this with:  I am not a health professional.  Please consult with your health care provider before breathing, er I mean, before trying anything outside of Big Pharma, er I mean, before trying anything I suggest here.  You are responsible for your own health decisions. Which is why you should run, not walk, away from American medicine.)

I wanted to explore the link between dandelions and cancer, and found this. 

It supports my own intuition that this plant that we categorized as a bothersome weed could be our lifeline.

It’s just amazing that we’re pouring toxic chemicals–those same chemicals linked to cancer –on a plant that could very well cure that cancer.  (I’m not pointing fingers, mind you, because I am guilty of doing this in my past life, before becoming informed and aware.)

Breast cancer is especially of interest to me because my grandmother died from breast cancer…at least we think it was breast cancer–by the time it was discovered, it had metastasized all over her body, but the concentration was in her breasts.

I still have my two breast lumps, discovered nearly two years ago, but they shrunk after upping my iodine.  And in the last couple of years–drinking dandelion tea every day. Part of the reason for the lumps is the messed up hormones from mercury poisoning…so I am hopeful that they will disappear once I get this horrible poison gone from my system.

I also drink rose hip tea every day–loaded with natural Vitamin C….after reading that synthesized vitamins, such as “C”, are not really that good for us.  The body doesn’t recognize the synthetic version as it does the natural version–which makes sense to me.

Dr. Horner’s list begins with what I’ve been saying all along–eating organic food is the best medicine for your body to do its miracle work of healing itself. Unfortunately, she also recommends grains–which I now see as poison, as well.

A minor quibble with the good fats suggestion–butter from cows allowed to eat naturally–grass, without hormones and antibiotics–is good for us, too.

**edited to add:  she recommends flaxseeds every day — you should be aware that those of us of Irish heritage lack the necessary enzyme to digest flaxseeds.  I was taking flaxseed oil every day thinking it was a good thing, but I started having such nausea with it that I stopped.  It was only later that I found out about the lacking enzymes.

Teas are okay, but Dr. Campbell-McBride (GAPS), allows only loose leaf tea–not processed.   Tea  is high in salicylates, which can cause some severe issues, such as bladder pain and urgency, even blood in the urine. I guess it’s what you call too much of a good thing.

I’ve tried turmeric, too, but didn’t have results with it.  I guess that is one of the individual aspects of “food medicine.”  One size does not fit all.  Listen to your body, and learn to recognize when it is telling you to “stop”.

I wouldn’t recommend stevia, either, as I’ve read of issues with it.  Honey or maple syrup are preferred sweeteners–naturally offering benefits. I might note that royal jelly–from bees–has been touted as energizing–but if you’re allergic, it can have the opposite effect.  I began taking it before I knew I was mercury toxic, and I felt pretty good the first couple of weeks I took it.  Then, I began to feel more tired and developed a sore throat.  When I discontinued the royal jelly, I felt better.  In the interest of science, I took the royal jelly again, and again felt worse with a sore throat after just a few days.  I don’t know if this is a result of the mercury, because it does cause one to be allergic to everything, or whether it was just too high a concentration for my body.

I also disagree with soy–it is a known to impact the thyroid negatively.

So, yeah, nature has provided for us…we just need to value it.

 

 

 

Diet and Health, via Weston Price **edited

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A member of the mercury support group posted this link to the Spring Caustic Commentary on the Weston Price Foundation website.

It’s pretty informative for those who are unfamiliar with Weston Price’s work.  He was a dentist who traveled the world, observing the indigenous tribes.  He discovered that they had perfect teeth–no dental decay.  When they became industrialized, and ate a more Western diet, their dental health began to suffer.  Price also observed the changes in mouth structure–before the Western diet, the parents had bright, wide smiles….but the generations afterward had more narrow smiles and misshapened teeth by overcrowding the mouth.  And yet, Western doctors refuse to see the connection between diet and overall health and wellbeing.

**edited to add the link. Geesh.

Kochs: Getting Taxpayers to pay for their lobbyists…

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This just in…the utmost in hubris–the $$ Kochs $$ don’t even want to pay for their own lobbying efforts against public education, pollution control, unions, poor people, elderly, dogs and cats…(okay, I added the dogs and cats.)

August 28, 2013
CONTACT: Nikolina Lazic, nikolina@prwatch.org

WISCONSIN PREPARES TO HAND HALF-MILLION IN TAXPAYER FUNDS TO KOCH-TIED GOP LOBBY SHOP

A small GOP lobby shop tied to the Tea Party and David Koch’s Americans for Prosperity, and which was active in the state’s recent recall elections, was awarded $500,000 in taxpayer dollars in what some are calling a backdoor, sweetheart deal cooked up by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) State Chair, outgoing Assembly Majority Leader Scott Suder.

Send an email to the commission which will review the sweetheart deal tomorrow:
http://org.salsalabs.com/o/632/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14195

The United Sportsmen of Wisconsin Foundation was the only applicant for a newly-created grant to promote hunting, fishing, and trapping in the state, despite the organization having no record in outdoors training. The grant was slipped into the budget bill by Suder and barely advertised, and other outdoors groups with more experience in the area were largely excluded. Suder has ties to United Sportsmen, and announced last week he would be leaving the Assembly for a higher-paying job in the Walker administration.

The organization’s record, thus far, appears to be that of a lobbying organization for an array of Republican priorities, from mining to the “Castle Doctrine” — neither of which has anything to do with hunting or fishing — and working with Americans for Prosperity to organize events and support Republicans in the 2011 recall elections. The Foundation wing of the group, which has received the grant, only incorporated in January.Although United Sportsmen describes itself as a membership organization, there is little indication it has a wide membership list; its Facebook page, for example, only has 290 followers, many of whom are politicians or right-wing leaders.

The grant, if approved by a panel reviewing the application on Thursday, will go almost entirely towards paying the salaries of United Sportsmen’s staff and consultants.

“This last minute, half million dollar raid on the public treasury ought to be rescinded immediately,” says Jay Heck of Common Cause Wisconsin. “To award this huge chunk of scarce, taxpayer money to a new group with no track record or experience in hunting, trapping and fishing and with obvious partisan, special-interest ties appears, at the very least to be a quid pro quo conflict of interest.”

Taxpayer Dollars Funding the Tea Party?

United Sportsmen was incorporated in June 2011, just weeks before the hotly-contested Senate recall elections when, apparently in coordination with Koch’s Americans for Prosperity, it sent misleading absentee ballot applications with the incorrect date for the elections.

At the time, minimal information was available about the organization, but readers of the Brad Blog uncovered how United Sportsmen’s website was purchased by John W. Connors, an Americans for Prosperity staffer and former Walker campaign volunteer.

This was not Connors’ first foray into the dark money arts. Earlier in 2011, the Center for Media and Democracy uncovered how Connors had also purchased the domain name for a mysterious group called “Citizens for a Strong America,” which subsequently spent hundreds of thousands on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. (That election, between Supreme Court Justice David Prosser and challenger Joanne Kloppenburg, was being treated as a referendum on Governor Scott Walker’s controversial anti-union legislation). The street address for the domain name registry was the same as that of AFP.

United Sportsmen of Wisconsin received $235,000 from Citizens for a Strong America in 2011, according to the latter group’s tax filings. That same year, Citizens for a Strong America funnelled a stunning $916,045 to a pro-life organization called Wisconsin Family Action, which also appeared to have been involved in Americans for Prosperity’s absentee mailing scheme: its address was the same as the “Absentee Ballot Application Processing Center” listed as the destination for AFP’s absentee ballot submissions.

Unlike Citizens for a Strong America, United Sportsmen continued its political activities after the recall elections. It aso maintained its AFP ties. In October of 2012, for example, the group worked with AFP and the National Rifle Association to sponsor “Freedom Fest,” a party at the Kalahari Resort featuring politicians like U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, right-wing talk show host Vicki McKenna, and Brian Fraley of the MacIver Institute, as well as the head of Governor Walker’s Department of Natural Resources. Activities included a “Freedom Phone Bank” and presentations titled “Rules for Radicals” and “Grassroots Lobbying.”

United Sportsmen presents itself as an organization focused on hunting and fishing, but its lobbying efforts suggest a broader agenda. The main legislative priority for the group this session in terms of lobbying hours was the promotion of a bill to ease the way for a controversial open-pit iron mine that environmentalists and tribal groups fear will contaminate groundwater. That bill was a top priority for Governor Walker and legislative Republicans (as well as Americans for Prosperity), who promoted it as a jobs measure.

“Conservation only happens when people have jobs,” United Wisconsin said in a statement at the time.

Narrowly-Tailored Sweetheart Deal Involves Suder’s Former Chief of Staff

The sportsmen’s grant was slipped into the Wisconsin budget with minimal debate by then-Assembly Majority Leader Scott Suder, who has close ties to many of those involved with United Sportsmen.

For example, one of the educators listed in the United Sportsmen grant is Luke Hilgemann, Suder’s former Chief of Staff and now Chief Operating Officer of the national Americans for Prosperity in Washington DC After leaving Suder’s office in 2011, Hilgemann led the Wisconsin chapter of AFP; he was promoted to the national group earlier this month. (AFP-Wisconsin is now led by David Fladeboe, who was also a Suder staffer.) Other educators include Darren LaSorte, a longtime Washington DC lobbyist for the NRA. United Sportsmen board members and their families gave Suder $2,500 last year.

Send an email to the commission which will review the sweetheart deal tomorrow: http://org.salsalabs.com/o/632/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14195

And, the grant requirements were narrowly drawn to make few organizations eligible besides United Sportsmen, and was opened for bidding with essentially no public notice. According to Jason Stein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

The motion said the grant can be given only to groups that are “not an affiliate of a national federation or organization.” That meant conservation groups such as the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation and state chapters of Pheasants Forever, National Wild Turkey Federation and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation were prevented from applying for the grant.

And due to the lack of public notice, several eligible groups weren’t aware of the grant until after application deadline. Reached last week, Don Kirby, executive director of the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association, said he had no knowledge of the grant.

“Our organization would have been interested to pursue this,” Kirby said. “I’m more than a little disappointed to find out now.” The Wisconsin Waterfowl Association has a long history of running Learn To Hunt and other training events.

George Meyer, executive director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, praised the purpose of the grant but questioned the narrowly-drawn criteria. “We aren’t criticizing the purpose of this at all,” said Meyer. “We think its purpose is important. But clearly it looks like it was put together for one group.”

In contrast with United Sportsmen, the Wisconsin Wildlife Foundation lobbied against the mining bill, expressing concern about mining’s impact on lakes, wetlands, and groundwater.

Rep. Cory Mason (D-Racine), who was part of the budget committee, told the Journal-Sentinel he hadn’t realized how uncompetitive the grant really was. “In hindsight, it seems like a sweetheart deal for one group that has ties to Scott Suder,” Mason said. “That was not how it was described.”

Led by Right-Wing Apparatchicks

United Sportsmen’s Tea Party and right-wing ties are well established. For example, United Sportsmen boardmember John Meegan is president of the Sauk County Tea Party, and worked with the political training group American Majority to train Tea Party activists and organize pro-Walker rallies at the height of anti-Walker protests. In addition to training Tea Party activists and grooming candidates, American Majority sponsors the Media Trackers website. Meegan is also on the board of the Wisconsin Coalition of Virtual School Families, which promotes for-profit virtual schools like those operated by ALEC member K12 Inc.

Also working with the group is Annette Olson, who makes the vast majority of posts on the group’s Facebook page and has testified on behalf of United Sportsmen. Olson leads the Tea Party groups Women United for Liberty (which appears to have an association with Freedomworks) and the pro-gun Tea Party group Uninfringed Liberty. Uninfringed Liberty describes itself as having “a strong emphasis on the second amendment because it protects all liberties and freedom,” and says it works to “participate in vetting and promoting conservative candidates that best exemplify the basic principles of liberty.” The group boasts of its lifetime membership in the NRA and Gun Owners of America, and supports “open carry.” Both Uninfringed Liberty and Women United for Liberty have also held activist trainings with American Majority.

At the state Republican Party convention in 2012, Olson was peeved that the convention hall didn’t allow concealed carry, and sponsored a motion urging the party to only hold its events on properties that do.

Those extreme views on guns are reflected in United Sportsmen’s lobbying efforts. It was one of just a handful of groups to lobby in favor of Wisconsin’s “Castle Doctrine Act,” which mimics the infamous ALEC “Stand Your Ground” law implicated in the Trayvon Martin case. No other group purporting to focus on hunting, fishing, and conservation is listed as lobbying on the bill.

Olson and two other United Sportsmen representatives stood behind Governor Walker as he signed the “Castle Doctrine Act.”

Will Wisconsin Fund Tea Partier Salaries, in Perpetuity?

The grant will pay United Sportsmen $200,000 this year and $300,000 in 2014. According to the group’s grant application, $370,000 will be spent on staff salaries and $20,000 on staff benefits, plus $56,000 on consultants, the Journal-Sentinel reports.

A five-member committee dominated by Republicans will review the grant on Thursday, and then disband. The committee will include Scott Gunderson, DNR executive assistant and a former Republican legislator; Sen. Neal Kedzie (R-Elkhorn), chairman of the Senate Natural Resources Committee; Rep. Al Ott (R-Forest Junction), chairman of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee; and two both appointed to the committee by the DNR.

If the grant is approved, United Sportsmen will receive $450,000 in every two-year budget for perpetuity.

Many have noticed how odd it is for a Tea Party-connected group opposed to government spending to turn around and use their political connections to ask for a handout.
[bolds mine]
“How ironic that this phony front group, with such close ties to Americans for Prosperity — which professes to be in favor of cutting government spending — would burden Wisconsin taxpayers in this manner,” says Common Cause Wisconsin’s Heck. “They should have asked the Koch Brothers — who finance AFP — for the handout instead.”

TAKE ACTION! SEND AN EMAIL TODAY AT: http://org.salsalabs.com/o/632/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14195

———-

CONTACT:

The Progressive
409 East Main Street, Suite 100
Madison, Wisconsin 53703-4929
Phone: (608) 257-4626

Getting started potting plants

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Farmer’s Almanac has a blog up on getting plants starting in pots.  If you’re living in the city, where you can’t have a traditional garden, potted plants may be the way to go.   I have heard of folks using their balconies…but if you don’t have even that, perhaps the owner will allow you to put the pots in a sunny location.  The only drawback is that potted plants require more water than those in the ground, as the ground can supply moisture and protect roots from drying out.

Related to this–one of my Sedum Autumn Joy plants died.  It was in a pot (because I wanted to take it with me to Fort Wayne) and this winter was just too harsh for it.  Fortunately, I had also planted one here, so I still had one of the plants I brought with me from my house.  It has a huge sentimental value because I had first planted it when my son was young.

I also planted some of my tiger lilies from my house, and they apparently are doing well.   It’s bittersweet…because then I think about my house and what I would be doing at this time of year.

Hope you all get out and go play in the dirt. 🙂

(A side note~I probably won’t be blogging as much.  I’m starting to feel like I did before when I worked full time–I’m just pooped after working.  I’m hoping that it’s just a temporary thing until I get acclimated…and not the stupid mercury.  I know that I’m less toxic now than I was before, but perhaps not as far along as I had hoped.  Time will tell.)

Selling out the Earth via Keystone Pipeline

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Well, this is news I didn’t need to wake up to today.

Methinks the writer is an oil industry proponent…by the slanted view of this piece.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said last Thursday that he was prepared to bring a measure approving the pipeline to the Senate floor despite the administration’s continued reluctance to determine the project’s fate.

Reid is no fan of the pipeline, but he is feeling heat from his own members to bring the issue up for a vote – possibly this week – provided Republicans agree to support a separate energy efficiency bill drafted by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH).

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Ever heard of “just say no”, Harry?  Tell me, what price is a soul going for nowadays? $10,000?  $100,000? $1,000,000?  Because the Keystone XL is the end of us.  The Earth cannot take any more–we are at the point of no return–that point where if we stopped destroying the environment, the Earth just might have a chance to recover.

People are overwhelming against the Keystone XL—yet Reid, Landrieu, et al, try to say that they are feeling the heat from their constituents.  I find that hard to believe….because they’re not hearing from people made ill by petroleum refineries, as in the folks in Texas.  And what about Louisiana, which has had its own battle with fierce nature…the more we destroy the environment and increase climate change, the more fierce the weather will become.  I don’t think Louisiana can afford Katrina times ten. And they’re not listening to the environmentalists.

So…who are they listening to…?

On gue$$.  They’re promoting Keystone XL, while investing in it…

The Clintons connection to XL. This is probably the biggest reason that they are pushing Hillary Clinton’s bid for the Presidency.  God help us if she gets elected.

ALEC and the dirty nine.

BP and the Tar Sands connection.

Keystone Pipeline Exposed.

All is not lost, folks…there are some decent people in Congress after all…who care about the truth and the lies of the Hillary Clinton State Dept.’s hoax.   I do hope Elizabeth Warren runs for President.  Like I said before, I’ll knock on doors and do whatever it takes to help get her elected.

And, just to quash the naysayers who claim environmentalists are phonies (while doing nothing for the environment themselves…here is my own journey:

…my advocating for the environment has been a slow evolving process that includes my experience with mercury poisoning, growing awareness of what we’re doing to the atmosphere, and a spiritual component of realizing everything is connected.

Here are some of the things I do:

–use cloth bags when going to the grocery.  I might use plastic for meat, but I re-use those bags, too, bringing them to the grocery along with the cloth bags.  If you use the cloth bags for meat, be sure to launder them before using again, to avoid contamination.

–avoid plastic packaging. …well, plastic *everything*.   This has been much easier following the GAPS diet because you don’t eat the processed food in packaging, but real food.  If I am given an option, I will buy something in glass packaging before plastic.

—re-use the glass containers for drinking glasses, food storage, plants, etc. I try to avoid ziploc bags when possible.

—don’t purchase synthetic materials like nylon and other materials requiring petroleum.  The list I think is a catch-all, because I think some of the things listed are made with petroleum if plastic or manufactured cloth such as nylon, so some of the products listed could be okay if not using those materials.  Here’s a website on organic cotton, fyi.

–When I had my home, I made a conscious decision not to pave the driveway–it was gravel.  I didn’t spray for weeds, either.  I let my grass grow to 3 inches so that the roots could grow deeply enough to avoid having to water the lawn, especially during the dry time in July–this also helped keep the weeds down. Meanwhile, my neighbors practically shaved the grass off and…wait for it…had to waste precious water to keep the grass from dying in July.    I let a patch of ground that was the former owner’s garden, grow its natural way, without my interference.  Yeah, I was the neighborhood hippie…

—use baking soda, borax, and vinegar for cleaning.  A formula I found in a natural health mag goes like this:  Bathroom cleaner:  6 T vinegar, 2 T borax mixed with a cup– of warm water.  Put this in a 1 qt. spray bottle and fill the rest with water.  Works great, especially if used every day.

—I use non-toxic natural cleaners for laundry, dish washing, etc.,  when I am able to afford them.  Oh, and fyi, avoid dishwashers–the detergent used in them is highly toxic.

—ride a bike or walk when going somewhere.  This was easier for me when I lived in Fort Wayne, where everything was within walking distance.  I could get to the downtown in 45 minutes to an hour.  There is something to be said for walking or riding–you are much more connected to what is going on around you.  You hear the birds sing.  Feel the breeze.  Hear the ripple of water along the river…driving a vehicle cuts you off from so much, besides polluting.

—use flannel cloths instead of toilet paper and re-wash them.  I know, I know, some of you are going “ick” right now.  No. 1 is fine…No. 2 still requires paper. So there.

—cloth pads instead of chemically manufactured pads.

—use less.  I just use less.  This was part of the learning process of being poor–you just learn how to manage on less.  Not easy, for sure.  I became much more adept at planning meals and using food up before it went to waste.  I didn’t buy as much at the grocery until I needed it.  This is easier if the grocery is within walking distance….which is becoming harder as the independents are being forced out while big box stores are situated out in no-man’s-land, forcing people to drive there.

—garden organically, using compost from kitchen waste, and if you’re really adventurous, pee and poo.   This is not for sissies…so come with your brain in active mode and your determination to get away from petroleum and chemicals.  You will succeed, but you can’t give up when challenged.  Nature does challenge you, but also gives such splendid rewards. 😉

This is an ongoing process, for sure.  I didn’t just wake up one day and start doing all of this.  It was a gradual endeavor with every new discovery of my own contribution to pollution.

So…there you have it…my efforts towards helping instead of hurting the environment.

I think if we all took those first steps, and built on that, we would greatly reduce our dependency on petroleum.  Everything helps and every bit matters.

Homemade Coconut oil deodorant

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Back by popular demand…well, okay, only one person asked about this, but I thought perhaps it was time to repost about the homemade coconut oil deodorant I made previously.  And I can’t recall if I came back to give an update on how it worked or not—but yeah, it does work.  And it’s economical, too, as this recipe lasted months.  No chemicals, no preservatives (other than the salt in the baking soda)…and you’re not adding to the trash pile because you’re not throwing away another stupid plastic container…and you’re not exposing yourself to aluminum….so a win-win.

Here it is:

5-6 TBSP Coconut Oil (more in winter, less in summer)
1/4 cup cornstarch OR arrowroot powder (if you have very sensitive skin)
1/4 cup baking soda
4-6 drops essential oil (optional-tea tree or lavender would be my pick)

What you’ll do:

1. Mix the cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) and baking soda together in a small bowl with a spoon.

2. Melt or soften the coconut oil in a double boiler (glass bowl over a boiling pot of water) or set the coconut oil outside for a few minutes (it melts at 76 degrees). The original recipe does not say to melt the coconut oil but I find it makes mixing and pouring so much easier.

3. Add the dry ingredients to the coconut oil and mix with a spoon until well combined.

4. Add essential oils, if you are using them, and mix well.

5. You can pour or scoop this into your old deodorant container once it’s all combined. Let it sit until firm again. If you are very impatient (like me) you can stick it in the refrigerator for a few minutes to speed up the cooling process.

Note: If you use an old deodorant tube you will most likely need to store it in the refrigerator because coconut oil melts at 76 degrees. Also, ONLY roll up as much as you need. If you roll up too much it will fall out onto the floor (ahem-I know this to be true). My PREFERRED method for using THIS deodorant is to just keep it in a glass container with a lid in my bathroom and apply it with my fingers. Yes, my fingers. It’s really not as strange as it sounds once you try it. 🙂 – See more at: http://blog.lexienaturals.com/2012/08/simple-homemade-deodorant.html#sthash.9wx8BoIC.dpuf

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Okay, my own recipe differs from this in that I don’t use cornstarch or arrowroot–two things I can’t have because of the gluten intolerance.   I also use Bob’s Red Mill baking soda because it is mined without using chemicals.

I mix the coconut oil and baking soda in equal parts–so I would mix 1/4 c. of oil + 1/4 c. of baking soda.

I don’t add the essential oil for two reasons– One is that it is expensive, and two – I still can’t tolerate fragrances.  And I don’t think it is a necessity….the coconut has a nice aroma to it, anyway, so it’s more overkill, to me.  It’s really just a personal choice in what you prefer.

I use a glass container to melt the coconut oil (I put the oil in the jar, and then put it on the coffee maker’s hotplate and let it melt that way).  Then I add the baking soda.  Put it in the refrigerator to solidify…and voila!  Deodorant that you can eat!  Ha.

 

It’s Not Safe to Breathe in New York…

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…or anywhere else, for that matter.

Although the small town I’m in has beautiful blue skies, when chemtrails are sprayed, I can’t go outside for any length of time–as turning pale and getting a swollen face and getting a migraine were the result of jogging outside when chemtrails were heavily sprayed.

Same with Fort Wayne–when I jogged on days of ozone warnings, I thought I could jog early in the morning…nope.  I was wheezing by the time I got back to my apartment.

Nature.org has this up on the costs of pollution to all living things…

Here is a paper on thyroid cancer and nuclear energy…

 

More adventures in gluten free foods

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(I meant to post this a few days ago. Oops.  Too much going on…geesh.)

A member of the mercury support group posted about foods that might create problems for folks who are gluten sensitive.   She had taken an expensive ($225) test for foods that the body reacted to as if they were gluten.  A lot of the foods she reacted to are on the “safe” list for gluten sensitive folk.

And then another member of the group posted this link.  Of course, coffee, chocolate and eggs are on the list.

As you can imagine, I was depressed that chocolate was once again mentioned as a problem for us.  But coming off of a five day migraine means that something is wrong and I need to start looking at what I am eating.

Worse than that was the eggs and coffee.  If you can’t eat grains, the usual stuff you would eat for breakfast is out the window…so eggs were an easy option for me.

So, I went searching for others’ views on this, and found a helpful links here .  This makes more sense to me, because Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride (GAPS), had eggs on her list for recommended foods.  She even recommended raw eggs beaten with honey for their nutrient value.

I have been trying to get free range eggs, but that is hard to come by in my area.  I came across someone who has eggs for sale independently of stores, and I plan on asking about the feed they use.  As a side note~when I first saw the notice, my first thought was “I wonder if they take food stamps?”  And the next happy thought was…”I don’t have to choose my food according to who will take food stamps anymore! Woot!”

On another site, coffee is debated (in the comments section) on whether it or the dairy creamer might be responsible.  Dr. McBride states that we should not drink instant coffee, but that freshly made coffee that is somewhat weak can be in our diet.

Okay, I feel a little less constricted.

And I realize that chocolate IS a problem, but I seriously don’t know how I’m going to give it up.  It’s an addiction, for sure.  I think I’m going to have to approach it like an addiction and focus on one day at a time.  It would be sooo much easier if it didn’t taste so good.  And be comfort food.

Same with rice.  I had purchased rice flour and made biscuits and gravy as comfort food…and now it looks like I’ll have to give that up, too.  And the rice flour pizza, too.  Arrgh.

One of the comments linked to this page.  He explains gluten reactions a little more in-depth than most.

Another mentioned the gluten free society.

 

Creepy Ads and total cluelessness

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The Dish posted a piece on UNICEF’s creepy ad campaign to persuade people in India to use the loo instead of defecating in the streets (I can’t comment on the video…couldn’t make past the first minute).

Hello? They don’t seem to *get* that they are not doing it from ignorance, but because, like the author says, they are poor–therefore their struggle for each day is to find food, clean water, and not die.  Having a loo in the vicinity is a luxury they cannot afford.

Why didn’t UNICEF use whatever overpaid money they put into this ad campaign and purchase some composting toilets for these folks? Or construct public restrooms near the poor?  Or, better yet, put on an ad campaign for jobs with livable wages so they could take care of themselves??