15 Things to Avoid Where Possible

Fifteen Things to Avoid Where Possible (In Alphabetical Order)

1-AIDS and AZT
2-Aluminium
3-Artificial Sweeteners
4-Anti-Bacterial and Disinfectant Products
5-Breast Milk Substitute
6-Chemotherapy
7-Fluoride
8-GMO Crops
9-Manufactured Chemicals
10-Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
11-Perscription and Over the Counter (OTC) Drugs
12-Pesticides
13-Plastics 14-Sunscreens
15-Vaccines

All of these topics are ones I have commented on over the years, but I have never put all this information in one post. So I gathered all my old posts, added a few new links, and compiled a list of ‘Fifteen Things to Avoid Where Possible’.

As a Yogini and Ayurvedic practitioner I am keenly aware of health and wellbeing. However, it’s as a human being that I say, “Without good health, we have nothing.” With the Internet, there is a wealth of information at our fingertips; even so, just finding it can be overwhelming.

At all times, my first line of defense is personal health, which means my immediate family and I. Secondly, as a Yogini and Ayurvedic practitioner I am very interested in forwarding this information to my friends and clients. Both are why I have researched and compiled this information over the years; so that now, I am able to centralize it, making it easier to access for those who are sincerely interested yet limited in their time.

According to the philosophy and science of Yoga and Ayurveda, discomfort, pain, illness and disease, sickness, depression, stress and soreness are not supposed to interfere with our daily life and living, regardless of our age. What many consider to be ‘part of life’ or ‘aging’ is mostly unnecessary and should not dictate the way we live.

There are many choices in life, so when it comes to health we must choose to be informed or not, equally as to our level of involvement in that choice. In all I do, I choose education. I choose to educate myself, and to educate my family and friends. So with that said, I will state a list of possibilities if you choose to continue reading. If you decide to read this list and/or follow the links, you may experience the following:
-Improved health,
-Increased Memory,
-Attain a healthy weight,
-Reduce pain and discomfort,
-Reduce or lessen the chance of cancer,
-Reduce or lessen the chance of illness,
-Create a clear mind,
-Prolong your life-span,
-Feel good about yourself and your environment.

So, in alphabetical order.

1-AIDS and AZT
To begin, ‘HIV Does Not Cause AIDS’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW-gp41Q_PM

“What we have been told about AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is that its caused by a tiny retrovirus named HIV, which interesting enough has been around for many, many decades prior to it ever having any link to causing the sudden AIDS epidemic. We are told that any one of us could be at risk with unsafe sex, and that once diagnosed with HIV, we will eventually die from any one of over thirty debilitating diseases as a result. Oddly enough, unlike every other retrovirus that attacks it's victim’s immune system within days, weeks or perhaps a month or two of infection, HIV/AIDS can take up to and even exceed 10 years. Over 100,000 studies have been conducted and yet there are still no solid links that HIV actually is the cause of AIDS to begin with. Perhaps the industry is barking up the wrong tree, and that's why it has still never delivered a cure almost 30 years later, and after utilizing more resources than it took man to make it to the moon. // How did it go so wrong? Well, if AIDS has not been caused by HIV then millions of people have been given a diagnosis of death. Additionally, hundreds of thousands have been given drugs that could potentially cause AIDS themselves.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzx6wMFlBZQ

AZT, ‘The Deadly Cure’
“Zidovudine (INN) or azidothymidine (AZT) (also called ZDV) is a nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), a type of antiretroviral drug. It was the first approved treatment for HIV. It is also sold under the names Retrovir and Retrovis, and as an ingredient in Combivir and Trizivir. It is an analog of thymidine.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zidovudine

“Can the antiviral drug AZT, given to HIV-positive mothers in pregnancy and to their newborn babies, protect against mother-to-baby transmission of AIDS? The claim that it does so is entirely speculative. Yet the harm done by the drug is extensively documented. AZT treatment strategy is based on a number of beliefs. One is that certain biological signals, such as elevated "viral load" and "HIV" antibodies, signify HIV infection. Another is that HIV infection is the cause of AIDS. If either or both of those suppositions are untrue, as some scientists argue [see adjoining article "Molecular Miscarriage: Is the HIV Theory a Tragic Mistake?"], then all mothers and babies treated in this way are being uselessly exposed to an unquestionably dangerous chemical.
AZT's proven toxicities include severe muscle pain, weakness, and atrophy; heart muscle changes and malfunctions; bone marrow suppression, with consequent anemia and loss of all types of blood cells; liver failure; and broad-ranging and sometimes irreversible loss and poisoning of mitochondria, the energy "factories" within our cells. The drug also leads to permanent DNA damage, and studies in mice and monkeys have raised concerns that babies exposed to AZT in the womb will face an increased risk of cancer when they grow up.”
http://www.whatisaids.com/mothering/aztpoisoningbabies.htm

2-Aluminum
Some ‘Health Concerns’:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium#Health_concerns

“Though not classified as a heavy metal such as lead, it can be dangerous in high levels. Especially since it can accumulate in ones body, the brain being the worst place it can find itself. Higher aluminum levels have also been linked to Alzheimer’s”.
http://alzheimers.org.uk/factsheet/406
and
http://www.doulton.ca/alzheimers.html

How is aluminum introduced into the body?
“It's used in the manufacturing of cookware, flatware, foil, cans used for soda. It's also used commonly in the following health products [alpha-order by editor]:
Antacids,
Anti-Diarrhea Medications,
Astringents,
Baby Powder,
Buffered Aspirin,
Dentures,
Hemorrhoid Medications,
Lipsticks,
Nasal Sprays,
Talcum Powder,
Vaccines, and
Vaginal Douches.
It's used commonly in the following cooking ingredients:
Baking Powder,
Cake Mix,
Pickling Salt,
Processed Cheese,
Self-Rising Flour, and
Table Salt.
http://www.ghchealth.com/dangers-of-aluminum.html

Aluminum Toxicity:
”Many of the symptoms of aluminum toxicity mimic those of Alzheimer’s disease and osteoporosis. Colic, rickets, gastrointestinal problems, interference with the metabolism of calcium, extreme nervousness, anemia, headaches, decreased liver and kidney function, memory loss, speech problems, softening of the bones, and aching muscles can all be caused by aluminum toxicity.”
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art7739.asp

3-Artificial Sweeteners
Aspartame, Equal, Splenda, NutraSweet, Sugar Twin, are all artificial sweeteners.

“Look for the ingredient aspartame. This artificial sweetener was approved by the FDA in 1981. It is packaged under the brand names NutraSweet, Equal and Sugar Twin. It is used in over six thousand products and is usually listed as ‘aspartame’ in the ingredients list in products like diet soda.”
http://www.ehow.com/how_4483377_identify-artificial-sweeteners.html

“There are ‘92 Known Side Effects of Aspartame’. Again, this leads to falsely diagnosed “conditions” and leads to an over medicated society.”
http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-side-effects.html

“Ironically enough, many studies have actually found that those who consume diet soft drinks are over 30% more likely to gain weight. Which seems to defeat the purpose to begin with, and then of course you get 92 other potential reasons why it was a bad choice.”
http://www.healthcastle.com/diet_pop_health.shtml

A video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yezDGwmGqdM

4-Anti-Bacterial and Disinfectant Products
Personal use items, such as gels, wipes, liquids, or aerosols, sponges, toothbrushes, cutting boards, socks, facial tissues, and the like, are all toxic. Likewise, the measures used to ‘disinfect’ public water supplies.

Home products:
http://www.watoxics.org/homes-and-gardens/factsheets/antimicrobials
and
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/index.htm

Drinking water:
http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20090301025425data_trunc_sys.shtml

5-Breast Milk Substitute
tudies confirm that breast fed children have fewer links to childhood disorders and behavioral problems.”
Reference: J Hum Lact. 1997 Jun; 13 (2): 93-7. Published by School of Nursing, Wichita State University, Kansas, USA.

“Breastfeeding, a valuable natural resource, promotes health, helps prevent infant and childhood disease, and saves health care costs. Additional annual national health care costs, incurred for treatment of four medical conditions in infant who were not breastfed were estimated. Infant diarrhea in non-breastfed infants costs $291.3 million; respiratory syncytial virus, $225 million; insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, from $9.6 to $124.8 million; and otitis media, $660 million. Thus, these four medical diagnoses alone create just over $1 billion of extra health care costs each year. Breastfeeding may also enhance intellectual development of children according to at least one medical research study. The potential societal benefits of more intelligent children is incalculable even though it cannot be directly measured in terms of dollars.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9233193

“An additional $2,665,715 in federal funds is needed yearly in order for WIC to provide infant formula to non-breastfeeding mothers. For the average family, the cost of purchasing formula is twice the cost of supplemental food for the breastfeeding mother. Breastfeeding education and support should be an integral part of health care, especially under managed care which rewards the prevention of health problems and reduced use of health services. http://www.ehponline.org/members/2008/116-10/focus.html

“The mother supports the host defense of the infant in two ways," says Lars Hanson, a clinical immunologist at Göteborg University in Sweden. "One is via antibodies from her blood that are actively transported over the placenta to the infant's circulation during fetal life, and are ready for use from birth on. The other is due to the numerous and complex defense factors provided via the mother's milk, available directly after delivery. Not only is it harming the child by setting them up for a myriad of possible problems in their future. But studies have also found that the lack of a close relationship between mother and child can lead to a whole host of it's own problems later on in life.”
http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep95/attach.html

Finally, there have been several news articles recently regarding breastfeeding woman. Each of these has centered on the ‘decency’ of showing a woman’s breast, even for educational purposes. One such article:
http://mashable.com/2009/05/31/facebook-breasts/

6-Chemotherapy
Remember this recent news story?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,521732,00.html?test=latestnews

“Chemotherapy, in its most general sense, refers to treatment of disease by chemicals that kill cells, both good and bad, but specifically those of micro-organisms or cancer.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemotherapy

‘The Shocking Truth’:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Cancer:-The-Shocking-Truth-About-the-Effectiveness-of-Chemotherapy&id=347096

A Good Question: “Why – after trillions of dollars of funding and research – is the only effective means of treating cancer have to be a chemical poison that destroys the body along with its immunity system?”

This study debunks chemotherapy as an effective treatment:
“The Contribution of Cytotoxic Chemotherapy to 5-Year Survival in Adult Malignancies”:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15630849?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

This paper was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Volume 16, Issue 8, December 2004, pages 549-560. This peer-review medical journal has been studied, revised and published – and so scrutinized by other doctors, all of whom view such research for credibility and validity. To date, there has been no rebuttal of the findings.

The Findings:
“The overall contribution of curative and adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy to 5-year survival in adults was estimated to be 2.3% in Australia and 2.1% in the USA.”

This means that chemotherapy’s assistance in the treatment of cancer is no more than 3%. Or, as this article relates: “Wherever data were uncertain, the authors deliberately erred on the side of over-estimating the benefit of chemotherapy. Even so, the study concluded that overall, chemotherapy contributes just over 2 percent to improved survival in cancer patients.”
http://cancerfighter.wordpress.com/2008/10/10/how-effective-is-chemotherapy/

7-Fluoride
This is a poison that most of us encounter daily. To begin, we must find out: What is Fluoride?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flouride

“The 1984 issue of Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products lists fluoride as more poisonous than lead and just slightly less poisonous than arsenic. It has been used as a pesticide for mice, rats and other small pests. A 10lb infant could be killed by 1/100 of an ounce and a 100lb adult could be killed by 1/10 of an ounce of fluoride. So Fluoride is just slightly less lethal than lead, and not quite as poisonous as the infamous arsenic? If so, why is it put in products that we use daily? For those who feel that fluoride poses little to no threat, based on the amounts used, I have a question: “If it is so toxic, so poisonous, even in small doses – why ingest it at all?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yezDGwmGqdM

“The fluoride used in our water supplies is industrial grade fluoride called Hydrofluosilicic Acid which contains harmful contaminants such as arsenic, barium, cadmium, lead and mercury. It is a byproduct from the phosphate fertilizer industry. Water fluoridation is a cheap way for industry to get rid of their waste and consumers pay the price. // We then drink the water, cook with the water, and bathe in the water. The compounding effect ramps up the levels in our body quickly. Water is essential to a human’s survival, so it makes sense that ingesting clean water will improve overall health. If you haven't already, you should seriously invest in a water filtration system.”
http://www.cleanwateraction.org/feature/clean-water-campaign-why-water-fluoridation-bad-new-jersey

And for your teeth, there is a condition called ‘Dental fluorosis’. It is the result of fluoridation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_fluorosis

Does this look familiar?:
http://www.fluoridealert.org/dental-fluorosis.htm

“In a number of small villages in Sicily, Turkey and India there is naturally occurring fluoride in the water ranging from 0.7 to 5.4 ppm. Here the villagers and their livestock are chronically ill, while neighboring villages with no fluoride have no such illnesses. Premature aging is the overall effect. Children have brown decaying teeth; young adults often have none. Young men are bent over and crippled with pain in their joints and hips. Their skin is wrinkled and they look 60 at age 30 to 40. There is premature hardening of the arteries, loss of appetite and sex drive by age 30. The rate of stillborn miscarriages by 4 months is extremely high.”
http://www.wholywater.com/fluoride.html

8-GMO Foods (Genetically Modified Organism)
The ‘Controversy’:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GMO#Controversy

The World According to Monsanto:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_OJcPKEYDE

The Genetic Conspiracy – Monsanto:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joweZ6uM5iY
”There are a variety of detrimental health effects directly related to the use of GMO crops. I could write an entire thread on this topic alone. Some problems of GMO Crops include the tens of thousands of deaths and debilitating disabilities as well as near deaths, Direct Cancer and Degenerative disease links, Super Viruses, Antibiotic threats via milk, Antibiotic and pesticide threats via plants, Birth defects and shorter life spans;.. // ..The experience of actual GM-fed experimental animals is scary. When GM soy was fed to female rats, most of their babies died within three weeks – compared to a 10% death rate among the control group fed natural soy. The GM-fed babies were also smaller, and later had problems getting pregnant. // Other problems include, soil toxicity, extinction of seed variety, super weeds, plant invasion, terminator trees, super pests, poisonous to mammals, destruction of self sufficient family farming, terminator technology, dependency issues etc.”

50 Harmful Effects of Genetically Modified (GM) Foods:
http://www.raw-wisdom.com/genetically-modified-food

Did you know that some GMOs contain NO DNA?

SAY NO TO GMO!

9-Manufactured Chemicals
Personal care and cleaning products, the ‘Top Ten to Avoid’:
-Methyl, Propyl, Butyl and Ethyl Paraben,
-Diethanolamine (DEA), Triethanolamine (TEA),
-Diazolidinyl Urea, Imidazolidinyl Urea,
-Sodium Lauryl / Laureth Sulfate (SLS / SLES),
-Petrolatum,
-Propylene Glycol,
-PVP / VA Copolymer
-Stearalkonium Chloride
-Synthetic Color(s),
-Synthetic Fragrance(s).

You will probably find these in all your DAILY products. They are used to ‘extend shelf life’, as foaming agents and emulsifiers, as preservatives, shampoos and conditioners, soaps, shaving cream, petroleum jelly (mineral oil), cosmetics, hairspray and other styling aids, fabric softener, mouthwash and toothpaste, bubble bath, hair dyes, sunscreen (another category altogether), and nail polish.Be sure to read the labels on even ‘eco-friendly’ products, because the FDA likes to change the meaning of words. For example, some products listed as ‘organic’ or ‘eco’ / ‘environmentally friendly’ contain Sodium Laureth Sulfate and other toxins.

All 10 of these products have been linked to cancer, allergic reactions and skin rashes, estrogen absorbed via the skin, eye irritants, dry skin and damage hair follicles, contact dermatitis, scalp scurf and dandruff, chapping, asthma when inhaled, headaches and dizziness, coughing, vomiting, and the like.

Many of these are also neurotoxins, which damage the central nervous system, or are Teratogens, which affect the growth of an embryo. This latter includes: ether, propylene glycol, lanolin, acetone and methylene chloride. Nor are all of these personal use products, for some are found in tire sealant, rubber cleaner, de-icer, stain removers, fabric softener, degreaser, paint, adhesive and wallpaper stripper.

For further information:
http://www.proactivehealth.net.au/index.php?mpid=17

10-Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
Monosodium Glutamate is added to what you eat and hidden as a “flavor enhancer”, “spice”, “food additive” or “natural flavoring”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate

It is in virtually all processed food, fast food, condiments and prepackaged food; in short, it’s a staple of the ‘junk food’ industry. Safeway, Wal-Mart and Costco use it routinely in their products. It’s considered a ‘miracle food’ to these manufacturers because it can make old, stall, burnt, or simply bad food taste good.

“As already stated, the addictive quality is bad news for a society that has grown to contain epidemic levels of obesity. The relation of the introduction of MSG and the growing percentage of Obese Americans, is quite obvious. // MSG Sensitivity is a problem that some may not even be aware they are suffering from. Instead attributing the problems to different issues. Check out the list of Symptoms. It's estimated that potentially 30-40% of our society is suffering from MSG sensitivity without even knowing it; leading to more prescriptions, and poor health. It's also worth mentioning, that although it is listed as a safe additive, society as a whole actually ingests more daily than even they regard as safe.”
http://www.msgmyth.com/know.htm

11-Prescription and Over The Counter (OTC) Medication
“It is no mere coincidence that the drug industry is a billion dollar industry, and that the US just happens to be the most medicated population on earth. In the U.S. , prescriptions have increased over the past decade to 3.4 billion annually, a 61 percent increase. Retail sales of prescription drugs jumped 250 percent, from $72 billion to $250 billion, while the average price of prescriptions has more than doubled from $30 to $68.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceutical_companies

“Drug researchers not directly employed by pharmaceutical companies often look to companies for grants, and companies often look to researchers for studies that will make their products look favorable. Sponsored researchers are rewarded by drug companies,..”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceutical_companies#Controversy_about_drug_development_and_testing

“The top twenty pharmaceutical companies and their two trade groups, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and Biotechnology Industry Organization, lobbied on at least 1,600 pieces of legislation between 1998 and 2004. According to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, pharmaceutical companies spent $900 million on lobbying between 1998 and 2005, more than any other industry. During the same period, they donated $89.9 million to federal candidates and political parties, giving approximately three times as much to Republicans as to Democrats. According to the Center for Public Integrity, from January 2005 through June 2006 alone, the pharmaceutical industry spent approximately $182 million on Federal lobbying. The industry has 1,274 registered lobbyists in Washington D.C.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceutical_lobby

If you watch television then you are bombarded with drug advertisements that dictate you “ask your doctor”. One side of these commercials is upbeat and flashy, while the other is solely committed to warning you. If you listen carefully, sometimes these side effects are what the drug is meant to actually ‘cure’.

“In 2004 it was stated that on average, each month 40 new side effects or adverse reactions were added to drug warning labels after they had already been approved and were being consumed by customers. In one of the longest delays in changes, widely used Demerol a common pain reliever got a new warning in 2003, 70 years after its introduction. The change? Demerol was passing straight into mothers milk, being passed on directly to suckling babies. A powerful pain reliever being consumed by a baby is terrifying, who knows the full extent of the health consequences of that problem.”
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/Safety-RelatedDrugLabelingChanges/default.htm

”Pletal, approved by the FDA in February of 2004, lists the following adverse effects, reported worldwide: pain, chest pain, hot flashes, cerebral hemorrhage, angina pectoris, hypo-tension, hepatic dysfunction/abnormal liver function, jaundice, vomiting, thromboctopenia, leukopenia, bleeding tendency, paresthesia, hyperglycemia, pulmonary hemorrhage, interstitial pneumonia, pruritus, skin eruptions including Stevens-Johnson syndrome, rash, increase BUN, and hematuria.

The following adverse events occurred OUTSIDE the US prior to marketing of Pletal in the US: Pulmonary Hemorrhage and Stevens-Johnsons syndrome. To be clear, this condition is described as, “Massive bleeding of the heart, and excruciating, disfiguring skin reaction that sometimes kills you”; showed up before the drug was offered in the US. But it was sold to American anyway.”
From the book: ’50 Things Your Not Supposed to Know’ (page 35)
http://books.google.com/books?id=M3VYMwvDKwAC&pg=PA35&lpg=PA35&ots=9P9VobC5TN&dq=pletal+%22Massive+bleeding+of+the+heart%22&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html

Adverse Reactions:
“Modern medicine kills 750,000 people each year, that's a 16,400% increase over terrorism. The equivalent to crashing 6 fully loaded jumbo jets daily.” // Adverse reactions alone claimed approx. 32,000 people in 2000.”
http://www.naturalnews.com/009278.html

War on Drugs:
“Non-Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Aspirin claimed 7,600 people in 2000. In contrast, all illicit drug use both directly and indirectly claimed only 17,000 people in 2000.”
http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/30

NOTE: I am NO doctor. However, after doing the research and reading the warnings, it sure seems to me that, unless it’s a matter of life or death, prescription drugs do more harm than good.

12-Pesticides
On Humans:
“More and more studies are defining the link between pesticides and the growing cancer rates that our society experiences. As if it weren't bad enough that companies like Monsanto were genetically engineering crops to create more of their own pesticides that leads to toxicity in humans, studies now find links between the amounts of pesticide pollution and the growing levels of PCB's in humans, to higher levels of Cancer.”
http://www.pmac.net/pesticide_pollution.html

On the Soil that Grows our Food:
“Pesticides decrease biodiversity in the soil because they do not just kill the intended pest; they often kill many of the other small organisms present. When life in the soil is killed off, the soil quality deteriorates and this has a knock-on effect upon the retention of water. This is a problem for farmers particularly in times of drought. At such times, organic farms have been found to have yields 20-40% higher than conventional farms. Soil fertility is affected in other ways, too. When pesticides kill off most of the active soil organisms, the complex interactions which result in good fertility break down. // Plants depend on millions of bacteria and fungi to bring nutrients to their rootlets. When these cycles are disrupted plants become more dependent upon exact doses of chemical fertilizers at regular intervals. Even so, the fantastically rich interactions in healthy soil cannot be fully replicated by the farmer with chemicals”

Pesticide Pollution:
“A recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, discovered a 70% increase in the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease for people exposed to even low levels of pesticides. // Pesticides can also endanger workers during production, transportation, or during and after use. Bystanders may also be affected at times, for example walkers using public rights of way on adjacent land or families whose homes are close by crop spraying activities. One of the main hazards of pesticide use is to farm workers and gardeners.”

Pesticides and Children:
“Children are particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects of pesticides. Studies have found higher rates of brain cancer, leukemia and birth defects in children who suffered early exposure to pesticides. (National Resources Defense Council study).”

Pesticides and the Human Diet:
“The main source of exposure to pesticides for most people is through diet. // A study in 2006 measured organophosphorus levels in 23 school children before and after changing their diet to organic food. The levels of organophosphorus exposure dropped immediately and dramatically when the children began the organic diet. Residues, set by governments, are limited to tolerance levels that are considered safe, based on average daily consumption of these foods by adults and children. But, as we all know, some people do not behave as average!”

All references:
http://www.greenfootsteps.com/pesticides-and-pollution.html
http://www.pesticide.org/hhg/OPSpyrethroids.html
http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/pesticides.htm
http://www.nrdc.org/documents.asp?topicid=6&tag=pesticides

What to do:
Read the label! Then follow the instructions exactly!

Aside from political action, wherever possible, eat organic!

13-Plastics
We are surrounded by plastic.

“..pure plastics generally have low toxicity in their finished state, and will pass through the digestive system with no ill effect (other than mechanical damage or obstruction). However, plastics often contain a variety of toxic additives. For example, plasticizers like adipates and phthalates are often added to brittle plastics like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to make them pliable enough for use in food packaging, children's toys and teethers, tubing, shower curtains and other items. Traces of these chemicals can leach out of the plastic when it comes into contact with food. Out of these concerns, the European Union has banned the use of DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate), the most widely used plasticizer in PVC. Some compounds leaching from polystyrene food containers have been found to interfere with hormone functions and are suspected human carcinogens. // The primary building block of polycarbonates, bisphenol A (BPA), is an estrogen-like hormone disrupter that may leach into food. // A more recent animal study suggests that even low-level exposure to BPA results in insulin resistance, which can lead to inflammation and heart disease.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastics#Toxicity

“In addition to creating safety problems during production, many chemical additives that give plastic products desirable performance properties also have negative environmental and human health effects. These effects include:
-Direct toxicity, as in the cases of lead, cadmium, and mercury,
-Carcinogens, as in the case of diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP),
-Endocrine disruption, which can lead to cancers, birth defects, immune system suppression and developmental problems in children.”
http://www.ecologycenter.org/factsheets/plastichealtheffects.html

Further Exposure:
“People are exposed to these chemicals not only during manufacturing, but also by using plastic packages, because some chemicals migrate from the plastic packaging to the foods they contain. Examples of plastics contaminating food have been reported with most plastic types, including Styrene from polystyrene, plasticizers from PVC, antioxidants from polyethylene, and Acetaldehyde from PET.”
http://www.ecologycenter.org/factsheets/plastichealtheffects.html

What To Do:
-Buy food in glass or metal containers.
-Keep glass jars for storage.
-Do not buy drinking bottles with Bisphenol A.
-Do not microwave plastic containers.
-Do not store fatty foods in plastic containers.
-Do not give children plastic teething rings or toys.
-Check for plastics in your clothing and bedding.
-Avoid PVC and Styrene.

14-Sunscreens
“Most sunscreens only block UVB rays, leaving UVA rays to do damage. Because people believe they are protected, it causes people to stay in the sun too long. And interestingly enough, it's UVB rays that make us burn. So our natural warning signal is slowed, and instead of us beginning to burn and realizing it's time to go inside, we stay in the sun far too long. Furthermore, UVB is how we get Vitamin D naturally. Vitamin D, interestingly enough, is known to help prevent some cancers, most notably, breast and colon. If all this weren't bad enough, keep in mind that when you are lathering yourself up with lotion, you're smearing chemicals all over your skin. Some of those chemicals are toxic, and your pours drink them up and shuttle them all over your body.”
Reference:
-Cedric F. Garland. “More on Preventing Skin Cancer”. British Medical Journal, 2003:327:128 (22, November).
-Thompson, Larry. “Sunscreen, Skin Cancer and UVA”. Healthlink (Medical College of Wisconson), 26 July, 2000. Mercola.com website of Dr. Joseph Mercola
Additional references:
http://dermatology.jwatch.org/cgi/content/full/2007/112/1

Most companies:
“Don’t screen UVA rays at all.”
“Do not pass health and environmental muster.”
“Contain potentially harmful chemicals.”
“Make questionable product claims.”
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=are-sunscreens-safe

15-Vaccines
“A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains a small amount of an agent that resembles a microorganism. The agent stimulates the body's immune system to recognize the agent as foreign, destroy it, and "remember" it, so that the immune system can more easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it later encounters.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccines

Some recent headlines:
-1300 Girls Harmed by HPV Vaccines
http://www.naturalnews.com/026293.html

-Measles vs the Right to School
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/columnists/2009/06/09/measles-v-right-to-school-91466-23819703/

-Mandatory Vaccinations for Americans?
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=13925

-Mom Seeks Immunization Exemption
http://www.wsaz.com/home/headlines/44873567.html

What the National Vaccine Information Center has to say:
http://www.nvic.org//

And the Vaccine Truth.Org:
http://www.vaccinetruth.org/

Many studies suggest that vaccines are not safe, may contribute to childhood autism, contain high levels of mercury, and contain dead cancer cells:
http://www.mercuryautismlink.com/mercury/
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=49094
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0317-05.htm

Regarding the Mercury / Autism link:
‘Study "Disproving" Mercury-Autism Link Published in Journal with Financial Ties to Vaccine Manufacturers’
http://www.naturalnews.com/022479.html

In 1984, Dr. Mendelsohn wrote, “My suspicion, which is shared by others in my profession, is that the nearly 10,000 SIDS deaths that occur in the United States each year are related to one or more of the vaccines that are routinely given children. The pertussis vaccine is the most likely villain, but it could also be one or more of the others.”
http://www.whale.to/vaccines/mendelsohn.html
NOTE: SIDS / “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome”.

“The statistics alone are shady enough, but one also needs to realize that statistics collected by the manufacturers are often skewed and deaths are listed as coincidental, or under other terms such as cot death, MSbP & SBS. In all, Smallpox vaccine infant deaths (UK) were estimated at 25,000 in 1880, and 6,000 in 1921. 780,000 people die from Allopathic (vaccinator) iatrogenic disease in the USA every year, 106,000 from adverse drug reactions. The bottom line: Allopathy has always killed more children than the diseases with vaccination and the suppression of effective non-Allopathic medicine such as Vitamin C which would prevent all cot-deaths and most other child deaths, (known since 1949).”
http://www.whale.to/v/meningitis5.html
http://www.whale.to/a/vaers.html
http://www.whale.to/m/smallpox/deaths.html
http://www.whale.to/vaccine/mmr2.html

Are Vaccines Worth The Risk? Here is a list of ‘Severe Adverse Reactions’:
http://www.hrsa.gov/Vaccinecompensation/statistics_report.htm