Triclosan, one of the most prevalent antibacterial compounds found in products, is the focus of a campaign undertaken by a coalition of health and environmental groups led by Beyond Pesticides and Food & Water Watch, aimed at removing triclosan from the market. The antimicrobial agent can be fond in many health and beauty products, and has been found as a known endocrine disruptor. Triclosan was first used in the medical industry as a surgical scrub, but was soon added to consumer products like antibacterial soaps, detergents, deodorants, toothpastes and cosmetics.

The chemical is used to kill bacteria and fungus and to eliminate odors. However, triclosan has also been found to cause endocrine disruption, impacting the thyroid by decreasing hormones, as well as building up in fatty tissues inside the body. In severe cases it has caused organ system toxicity, and in mild cases irritation and allergies. Triclosan is especially worrisome for pregnant women and breast feeding mothers.

2014 Avon, one of the world’s largest beauty product manufacturers, to remove the antibacterial chemical triclosan from its products is “the latest example of how consumer pressure can improve product safety and change the marketplace.”

“This is proof that consumer pressure does work and influences companies to do the right thing,” EWG’s Executive Director Heather White said. “We applaud Avon for putting the concerns of consumers first, and we hope other makers of beauty products will follow its example.”

Triclosan is an antimicrobial chemical most commonly used in hand soaps and body washes to inhibit bacterial growth. It is also found in some brands of toothpaste, clothing, kitchenware, furniture and toys.

Triclosan is absorbed through the skin and has been detected in human breast milk, blood and urine samples. In laboratory studies, it has been linked to hormone disruption. The chemical is also persistent in the environment and toxic to aquatic life.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, there is no evidence that triclosan in antibacterial soaps provide any benefit over washing with regular soap and water, yet many companies continue to add it to their consumer products. The FDA announced a new proposed rule in December of 2013 that would require manufacturers to provide more data about the effectiveness of antibacterial soaps.

Products Containing Triclosan

DISCLAIMER: Due to public pressure, many major manufacturers have quietly begun reformulating their products without triclosan. Product formulations may change without notice. Below is a small sampling of products formulated with, or used to be formulated with triclosan and is not to be considered a comprehensive list. Remember to always refer to product labels to determine whether triclosan is contained in your product. Some retail outlets may still carry older formulations. Look out for labels that state: “antimicrobial protection.” Some antibacterial soaps may use triclosan’s cousin, triclocarban, in place of triclosan.

“Unfortunately, the FDA has been slow to act on triclosan, forcing consumers to advocate for themselves,” EWG’s White said. In the meantime, consumers can refer to EWG’s Guide to Triclosan to help reduce their exposure to the substance. One important tip is to avoid hand soaps and body washes labeled “antimicrobial” or “antibacterial.”

Consumers can also use EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database and App to find out which products contain triclosan or other potentially hazardous chemicals.

Glyphosate has been found in the majority of our environment and food: rain, tap water, air, streams and even in our cereal, honey, breast milk and cotton products. It is almost impossible to avoid. My children struggle with multiple allergies, regulation and ADD. We changed their diet from conventional to an organic diet and discovered that it wasn’t the food that they were allergic to, it was the pesticide/herbicide ON the food.

75% of our foods are contaminated with the poison called Roundup. Even the wheat, barley, oats and beans and more than 65 other crops that are not genetically engineered get a spray of crop-killing poison to help them ‘dry out’ fast just 7 days before harvest. Applying glyphosate to non-GMO crops as a desiccant before harvest is probably one of the worst times to spray, because the glyphosate then absorbs into the food crop directly. In other words, glyphosate can’t simply be “washed off,” as it has become part of the food itself. This chemical is them ingested by those who consume the whole, unprocessed food, or via processed foods that contain glyphosate.

Dangers of Glyphosate

Did you know that if your child has multiple allergies, rashes or even just irritability and learning focus challenges, that could indicate they have leaky gut? That means small holes in your child’s small intestines are leaking unprocessed food and potentially medications into their blood stream and causing havoc in the immune system.

Did you know that Glyphosate (Roundup) weed killer sprayed on GMOs and non organic food, is allowed on 160 of our foods by the EPA at levels far above that which has shown to destroy gut bacteria? The gut bacteria is the stronghold of our immune system and is where Tryptophan is stored and made. Without Tryptophan our bodies cannot make Serotonin or Melatonin which regulate insulin, (diabetes) mental processing and illness, feeling satiated (obesity), bi polar and even acts of violence.

Did you know that glyphosate can break down the blood brain barrier, allowing toxins into the brain such as chemical off gassing from fire retardent on pajamas, sofas and toxins in vaccines?

Did you know that glyphosate destroys the tight junctions of blood vessels, hampering the flow of nutrients to bones and organs, leading to osteoporosis, arthritis and more? [1]

I have seen FIRST HAND the impact that this toxin has had on my child’s ability to regulate emotions, process thoughts. The struggle of my child to stay focused long enough to complete a simple sentence is overwhelming for a mother to watch. When exposed to glyphosate contaminated food, significant food reactions result affecting him for more than a week. Glyphosate’s toxic affects are cumulative and overwhelming my child’s natural ability to detox.

Glyphosate Detox

One of the greatest threats to our health today is the toxic Glyphyosate. Glyphosate toxicity is reaching unprecedented levels in men, women, and children across the world. And while our ultimate goal is to stop its use and remove this harmful chemical from our environment, something had to be done immediately to protect us from its dangers and eliminate it from our bodies.

If we’re not directly eating glyphosate-sprayed crops, then we’re inhaling it, or drinking it (or even bathing in it). There is quite literally no way to escape the glyphosate chemical giant Monsanto (now owned by Bayer) has created.

Here’s the steps we have taken to see drastic improvement our family’s healing:

1. Eating Cleaner Foods.

• Choosing the organic or pesticide-free label.
• Seeking out stores that sell local produce labeled pesticide free. *Shopping in-season helps to reduce the costs.
• Shopping the regular sales at THRIVE MARKET seeking out the CHOSEN brand.
• Getting meats and eggs from local farmers.
• **Eliminating refined sugar – specifically GMO beet sugar is important as well!

“Herbs such as cilantro help us to eliminate metals such as lead and mercury. Herbs like turmeric and garlic help to lower the levels of inflammation that are often the underlying causes [of chronic diseases” -Dr. Robert Zieve, an integrative medicine expert and medical director of Partners in Integrative Cancer Therapies, in Prescott, AZ

2. Sipping Ferments.

Apple Cider Vinegar , Sauerkraut juice and Kombucha contain a beneficial bacteria that neutralizes glyphosate! That is absolutely amazing!

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD, ““With every mouthful of sauerkraut you’re consuming billions of beneficial microbes which will be killing the pathogens in your gut driving them out and replenishing the beneficial flora in your digestive tract.”

Click here to learn how to make your own. Click here to learn how to make sauerkraut at home and here to learn how to make kraut juice, a more gentle on the stomach probiotic for those with leaky gut. Getting your child to take the tangy savory liquid tends to be a bit more challenging.

3. Regular Detox Baths (with filtered water).

1/4 cup of Epson salts or baking soda or apple cider vinegar on a regular schedule has helped tremendously ESPECIALLY during the weeks before harvest as the fields around us are sprayed intensively with Glyphosate. 20 minute soak – or for our kids “until they get ‘wrinkly’.

4. Restore balance. Support Natural Detox.

We have added a new element to our routine. Toxic exposure is constant and even with a clean diet, sneaking in ferments (which is really hard to do with young children) and doing regular detox baths its not enough to overcome the hurtle of these health issues. We are calling in reinforcements.

As a family we are adding Biome Medic a product specifically designed to tackle glyphosate toxicity to help flush harmful toxins, support “good” bacteria and repair your microbiome.

To receive a $50 Discount Biome Medic or Any Purium Detox Product use coupon code BeTrue at checkout. *This code applies to any of their raw food, vegan products.

Biome Medic. Studied under a randomized, product-controlled IRB approved protocol,the six-week pre-clinical trial reported a 74%reduction of the herbicide glyphosate, a 75% reduction in the inflammatory bio marker reactive protein(CRP) and a 35% increase in gut immune response as measured by reduced food sensitivities.

http://www.puriumcorporate.com/purium1/php_uploads/BiomeMedicResearchResults-PressRelease.pdf

Purim is a family owned company dedicated to providing whole, organic, GMO-free nutrients for the whole family.

[1] To read more about allowable glyphosate levels and the chemical’s effects, read “Glyphosate: Unsafe on Any Plate”.

San Rafael, CA. Local residents have launched a campaign to block cellphone companies from attempting to build 5G towers in Marin. The 5G towers could exacerbate health symptoms already suspected as a result of exposure to electromagnetic fields, Vicki Sievers, of the EMF Safety Network, told the San Rafael City Council on Monday. According to the EMF Safety Network website, those symptoms can include fatigue, headaches, sleep problems, anxiety, heart problems, learning and memory disorders, ringing in the ears and increased cancer risk.

“We’ve experienced 2G, 3G, 4G and now, on the horizon, is a fifth generation called millimeter wave technology,” Sievers said after her presentation that brought standing applause from about 20 people at the packed meeting. “Around the world, doctors and scientists are gravely alarmed about the biological and physiological effects of that technology.”

Sievers said no permits for 5G so-called “small cell” towers have been issued in Marin as of yet — though they have in other Bay Area cities — and she suspects they are being planned in San Rafael and Marin.

“(We want) amendments to the current telecommunications ordinance — which has not been reviewed since 2004 — that protect residential areas, schools and parks through setbacks and attention to power profiles,” Sievers said in an email Tuesday.

According to Sievers, San Anselmo, Fairfax and Mill Valley are working on strengthening their cell tower ordinances.

“Our effort has to do with making pre-emptive strikes before Verizon, AT&T (and others) actually make formal applications to each town and city,” Sievers said. “There are no applications in San Rafael to date, but there surely have been permits granted and installations begun in other Bay Area cities.”

In May, Verizon was forced to withdraw its application to build two “small cell” towers in Sebastopol after four months of heavy opposition by residents and attorneys for the EMF Safety Network.

“Several of us San Rafael residents went to the (San Rafael) council on Feb. 20 (when the Sebastopol issue arose), urging them to prevent such debacles here,” Sievers said.

San Rafael Mayor Gary Phillips said Tuesday he was not aware of any ongoing activity to strengthen or upgrade cell tower regulations in the city and there were no immediate plans for further discussion.

EMFs include wireless radiation emitted by cell towers, cell and cordless phones, smart meters, smart grid, Wi-Fi and computers, power lines, fluorescent lights, indoor wiring and other electronic devices, according to the EMF Safety Network.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the jury is still out on the health risks of exposure to EMFs.

“Studies have shown that some workers exposed to high magnetic fields have increased cancer rates,” the CDC reported on its website. “But such associations do not necessarily show that EMF exposures cause cancer (any more than the springtime association of robins and daffodils shows that one causes the other). Scientists have looked carefully at all the EMF evidence, but they disagree about the health effects of EMFs except to say that better information is needed.”

According to the website whatis5g.info, the 5G “small cell” tower “will include the higher millimeter wave frequencies never before used for internet and communications technology. These waves do not travel easily through buildings so 5G will require millions of new cell towers. The wireless telecom industry is aggressively seeking to outfit nearly every lamppost and utility pole around the country with a wireless ‘small cell’ antenna beaming hazardous radiation next to, or into our homes, 24/7.”

San Rafael resident Chandu Vyas said Monday he is wary of EMFs after a health challenge about five years ago. He said he developed severe and constant headaches after a smart meter was installed at his home. The headaches went away after he “opted out” and had the smart meter at his property removed.

“I don’t want to go through the same health problem again,” he told the City Council. “I ask your help.”

Kiah Bosy of Chi Home Design showed the council how her EMF meters ratcheted up to high pitch when she walked toward a TV screen in front of the council chambers.

“It’s serious,” she said. “We’re microwaving each other.”