An Organic Farm Under Threat

Azure Farms is a working, Certified Organic farm located in Moro, Central Oregon, in Sherman County. It has been Certified Organic for about 18 years. The farm produces almost all the organic wheat, field peas, barley, Einkorn, and beef for Azure Standard.

Sherman County is changing the interpretation of its statutory code from controlling noxious weeds to eradicating noxious weeds. These weeds include Morning Glory, Canada Thistle, and Whitetop, all of which have been on the farm for many years, but that only toxic chemicals will eradicate.

Organic farming methods – at least as far as we know today – can only control noxious weeds—it is very difficult to eradicate them.

What’s Happening?

Sherman County may be issuing a Court Order on May 22, 2017, to quarantine Azure Farms and possibly to spray the whole farm with poisonous herbicides, contaminating them with Milestone, Escort and Roundup herbicides.

This will destroy all the efforts Azure Farms has made for years to produce the very cleanest and healthiest food humanly possible. About 2,000 organic acres would be impacted; that is about 1.5 times the size of the city center of Philadelphia that is about to be prayed with noxious, toxic, polluting herbicides.

The county would then put a lien on the farm to pay for the expense of the labor and chemicals used.

Take Action Now

If you are concerned about where your food comes from, enjoy Organic and non-GMO food grown in the United States, and support organic farmers, contact Sherman County Court before May 22, 2017 (and preferably before May 17 when the next court discussion will be held).

Contact info:

• Via email at lhernandez@co.sherman.or.usor…
• Call Lauren at 541-565-3416.

Raise your voice and speak up for you and your families and communities.

This proposed action is completely unreasonable and would destroy an organic farm and pollute a massive area. If enough voices that benefit from organic produce speak up, the county will understand that there are people that care about their food NOT containing toxic chemicals. And if the supporters of healthy food can have a louder voice than the supporters of toxic chemicals, every politician will listen. PLEASE take action today and share this message. Overwhelm the Sherman County representatives with your voice.

Take Action Today

Email or call Sherman County via email at lhernandez@co.sherman.or.us or call Lauren at 541-565-3416.

Thank you for all your support and well wishes so far.

Wake Up America – Our Toxic Environment

Is Affecting Us and Our Children!

 

The following is an excerpt from my book “Brain Power – Simple Steps To Protect Children’s Intelligence From A Toxic Environment.” I wrote this book with the hope parents and grandparents would realize what is happening to our children. I had hoped that I would stir up a desire in parents and grandparents to pay close attention to what is happening to our most important commodity – our children.

            Probably it is safe to say, a big majority of people pay more attention to what they are feeding their pets than their children! I recently got a new puppy and it is amazing the choices in “grain free, soy free, non-additive organic food” on the shelves for dogs.

            The topic of Lu’s Views today is the result of hearing that a friend of mine’s 17 year old son has cancer and does not have a very favorable prognoses. Unfortunately this is not an isolated case. I have statistics in my book showing how our children are getting diseases today that only “old” people would get.

 

“The realization that children are uniquely sensitive to toxic chemicals was catalyzed by the publication in 1993 of a National Academies report, Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children. Studies cited in the report found that children are quantitatively and qualitatively different from adults in their sensitivity to pesticides and other chemicals.

Prior to the report’s publication, virtually all environmental policy in the United States had focused on assessment of risk to the “average adult.” Risk assessment had paid scant heed to exposures that diverged from the norm. Little attention was paid to the unique risks of infants, children, or other vulnerable groups within the population.

The report produced a paradigm shift in that approach to health and environmental policy. It led to new legislative and regulatory initiatives to better protect infants and children against environmental health threats and has been especially influential in changing the regulation of pesticide and pharmaceutical chemicals.⁷

Listed below are identified four differences  between children and adults that contribute to children’s heightened susceptibility to chemicals in the environment.

First, children have greater exposures to toxic chemicals for their body weight than adults. A six-month-old infant drinks seven times more water per pound than an adult. Children take in three to four times more calories per pound than adults. The air intake per pound of an infant is twice that of an adult. These differences result in children being disproportionately exposed to toxic chemicals in air, food, and water. Children’s hand-to-mouth behavior and play on the ground further magnify their exposures.

Second, children’s metabolic pathways are immature, and a child’s ability to metabolize toxic chemicals is different from an adult’s. In some instances, infants are at lower risk than adults because they cannot convert chemicals to their toxic forms. More commonly, however, children are more vulnerable because they lack the enzymes needed to break down and remove toxic chemicals from the body.

Third, children’s early developmental processes are easily disrupted. Rapid, complex, and highly choreographed development takes place in prenatal life and in the first years after birth, continuing more slowly throughout childhood into puberty.

In the brain, for example, billions of cells must form, move to their assigned positions, and establish trillions of precise interconnections. Likewise, development of the reproductive organs is guided by a complex and precisely timed sequence of chemical messages and is shaped by maternal and fetal hormones.

Recent research in pediatrics and developmental toxicology has elaborated the concept of “windows of vulnerability.” These are critical periods in early development when exposures to even minute doses of toxic chemicals—levels that would have no adverse effect on an adult—can disrupt organ formation and cause lifelong functional impairments.

If, for example, cells in an infant’s brain are injured by lead or a pesticide, the consequences can include developmental disabilities in childhood and possibly increased risk of neurological degeneration, such as Parkinson’s disease, in adult life. If inappropriate hormonal signals are sent to the developing reproductive organs by a synthetic chemical endocrine disruptor—such as certain chemicals commonly found in household products, plastics, and cosmetics (phthalates), and on clothing (flame retardants)—lifelong reproductive impairment may ensue. These windows of vulnerability have no equivalent in adult life.

Fourth, children have more time than adults to develop chronic diseases. Many diseases triggered by toxic chemicals, such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, are now understood to evolve through multistage, multiyear processes that may be initiated by exposures in infancy. This insight has catalyzed new research to identify how early environmenal influences may affect health in childhood and across the human lifespan. Notable research includes the US National Children’s Study, the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, and the International Childhood Cancer Cohort Consortium.”

To order my book – email me at www.ahealthyyou15@gmail.com.  The book is $10 plus $2.25 postage if I mail it to you.

 

 

 

Issue #28

October 24, 2016

 

Vote No!

 

I have no intention of becoming political, except for Amendment 1 that is on our ballot here in Brevard County and probably throughout Florida.

It is referred to as “solar energy” amendment. I usually do not agree with our local Florida Today newspaper, but on this item I am happy to see they are informing the public of the misleading (lies) information that is being perpetrated by our local utility company.

Most Floridians support solar power, yet not many of us have it because of the initial expense in purchasing it. I had a solar system on our home back 15 years ago. I loved it and it worked great, especially when all four of my kids were home and spending hours in the shower. I am sure it saved me a lot of money.

Back in August Amendment 4 on that ballot allowed businesses the same tax advantage as individuals using solar power. It passed with 73% of the vote and it was truly pro-solar.

Of course Florida’s largest investor-owned utilities understand the popularity of solar and worry that it poses a threat to their bottom line.

So they decided rather than fight this threat, they were going to try a different tactic by seeming to embrace the public’s support of solar energy and energy independence.

The utilities formed a political committee – Consumers for Smart Solar – and put their money into an effort to amend the Florida Constitution to regulate their solar energy competition under the guise of granting Floridians the right to put solar power on their homes.

To get to the bottom line, this amendment would only benefit the utility companies and would actually shut down the free market aspect of our economy. It would also add to the cost and regulation and seeks to keep competition down and solar prices up.

Do not be fooled by their massive misinformation campaign – VOTE NO – on Amendment 1 and spread the word.

If you are new to Lu’s Views you can got to my Blog www.ahealthyyousite.wordpress.com and read all my back issues. I appreciate any and all feedback from my readers. Also, I encourage you to pass my newsletter to others in your email account. Don’t forget about my books. They have lots of good information.

 

 

 

October 3, 2016

 

We Lose Again!

 

Two weeks ago in Issue # 25, I wrote about the Zika virus and the fact many say that the mosquito reported to being responsible for spreading the Zika virus may not be the culprit in spreading this disease that causes abnormalities in unborn babies. But yet, without this proof our government is forging ahead with the idea of massive pesticide spraying they say will eliminate this threat.

Well, here in Florida, and particularly here in Brevard County where I live, the Senate reached a deal to spend billions of dollars to spray yet another pesticide that may have even more long term harmful effects on us! Not only to spend this money on something we are not even certain of, but also announced a deal that would give the Obama administration an additional $1.1 billion to pay for vaccine development. Now who do you think will profit from this deal? Yes, the pharmaceutical companies and Monsanto and other chemical companies that will be supplying this stuff.

Health officials claim the the chemical to be sprayed, an organophosphate neurotoxin called Naled, is “safe” to breathe and no one really needs to take any special measures while they are being sprayed like bugs (although it has been “recommended” that people with allergies stay inside).

Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides factsheet on Naled, studies have shown that exposure of pregnant animals to for just three days during brain development resulted in 15% smaller brains in their babies, and an increase in aggressiveness and memory deterioration. Naled also happens to be 20 times more toxic when exposure occurs due to inhalation of Naled-contaminated air versus ingestion. Symptoms can range from fatigue, headaches and nausea to diarrhea.

Naled has also caused pancreatic cancer and leukemia in lab tests. Naled has been found to be especially damaging to the nervous system. Naled’s inert ingredients include Napthaline, classified by the EPA as a “possible human carcinogen,” and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, a nervous system depressant. In addition, it breaks down into dichlorvos, and two independent studies have shown an increase in pediatric brain cancers when children are exposed to dichlorvos versus when they are not.

Does anyone remember the book “Silent Spring” by Rachael Carson? “Silent Spring” published in 1962, presents a view of nature compromised by synthetic pesticides, especially DDT. Once these pesticides entered the biosphere, Carson argued, they not only killed bugs but also made their way up the food chain to threaten bird and fish populations and could eventually sicken children. Much of the data and case studies that Carson drew from weren’t new; the scientific community had known of these findings for some time, but Carson was the first to put them all together for the general public and to draw stark and far-reaching conclusions. In doing so, Carson, the citizen-scientist, spawned a revolution.

Well fast forward 44 years later, and what do we have, a scenario very much like Carson described!

I like to give solutions to the problems I talk about, but all I can say about all the exposure of deadly pesticides, is to deal with what you have control over, i.e., drink good filtered water, eat organic vegetables, keep your immune system healthy, eliminate toxins where you can, especially from your home.

If you have not read my books, “7 Steps to Nutritional Balance,” and “Brain Power,” it would be wise for you to do so. It is up to you to keep yourself and your family as healthy as you can.

Please pass my newsletters on to your family and friends. And if you haven’t read my books you can order them by emailing me.

Also do not forget about my Blog – www.ahealthyyousite.wordpress.com For those of you who are new to my Lu’s Views, you can read all my past articles on my Blog.

God Bless you all and continue on to be coming a “more healthy you!”

 

 

 

 

September 26, 2016

Why Aren’t We Concerned?

 

Sometimes when I go to write my weekly Lu’s Views, I wonder, why am I doing this? Is anyone really listening or caring about the toxic environment we are living in, or the fact that our food is being poisoned, or that the water out of our facets is just about undrinkable?

Here in the area where I live, our fish are dying, the fish we catch is almost to the point of not being fit to eat. People are campaigning to do something to change the run off from our lawns! Just this week they had a major leak in a sewer system in our area and millions of gallons of this sewer is being dumped into our lagoon and into our ground water.  I am happy people are paying attention to these situations.

But where is the concern with the massive spraying of pesticides to combat the Zika mosquito. Apparently it was passed in Congress to allow this widespread spraying (see my article from last week about the Zika pandemic). What is going to happen to our organic farmers that with much expense are avoiding poisoning their crops. What will happen if they are in the areas that this spraying will take place?

It can be easy for us to make the argument that these chemicals and pesticides are OK in small doses, and it hasn’t killed us yet so it can’t be that bad. But it almost seems there is something more to it why we use this reasoning. Are we just burying our heads in the sand?  Afraid to admit we have been poisoning ourselves? Unable to accept that the FDA and health agencies have lied to us? Like to brush these truths off as conspiracies? No matter what the reason is, there comes a point where we must see what is staring us in the face and start looking at how we can begin making new choices. Returning to something that is healthier and more in line with our bodies.

I have often times been silently accused of giving “unsolicited advice.” But I do this not to criticize, but to present information that most people don’t even know where to obtain. I give it because somehow God gave me a passion to educate people how to live a healthier lifestyle. This passion has been in me as far back as I can remember.  The first incidence of this that I can remember was when I was 16 and got my first car. I would hand out brochures showing that smoking may cause lung cancer to my friends when they got in my car, because I would not let anyone smoke in my car! I think that was when I was first called a “fanatic.”  And remember, this was in 1953!

The question I want to raise here is, why is it that when information is presented about chemicals and toxic products do we get in a rage about the information and want to justify the continuation of its use in our bodies, on our bodies and on the planet? Even if something like Aspartame was only half as bad as it really is, why would we even want that? Why is the connection we have to our bodies so lost that we want to subject it to toxins, carcinogens, chemicals and other products that 1. are not remotely natural and 2. are not something that should be near our bodies to begin with.

It just seems as though the bigger issue here is that we have become very disconnected from not only our bodies but the planet as well (more people get riled up about the planet then their own bodies.) It has become about convenience, money, temporary happiness, filling emotional voids and staying stagnant. When this info is presented all of those buttons get pushed at once and next thing we know we are defending the use of something that should have never been brought into existence in the first place. To look at it further, even the amount of sugar and type of sugar we use in the products we use aspartame in as an alternative, is terrible as well. Any product that currently contains aspartame shouldn’t be consumed by humans to begin with. What is wrong with fruit? Vegetables? Nuts? Seeds? Why do we always need these artificially flavored and chemically enhanced products that are terrible for our health? Aspartame or no aspartame, the real thing to observe here is our disconnection from our bodies, life and the planet.

All we need to do is look around and see what is happening to our children, allergies, cancer, and diabetes, all sicknesses that should not be happening at such young ages. We may be living longer, but do you really want to live longer so you can spend your later years in a nursing home, or suffering with terrible diseases like cancer?

I am very pleased with those of you who have made positive changes in their life and for those of you who do encourage me and that is what spurs me on to continue to “do the research so that you can make good choices.”

Please pass my newsletters on to your family and friends. And if you haven’t read my books you can order them by emailing me.

Also do not forget about my Blog – www.ahealthyyousite.wordpress.com For those of you who are new to my Lu’s Views, you can read all my past articles on my Blog.

God Bless you all and continue on to be coming a “more healthy you!”

 

 

Issue #25

September 19, 2016

Fear Not!

            Again, the media is stirring up fear and anxiety about a pandemic spread of the Zika Virus. In the last few years, it has been Bird Flu, West Nile Disease, Mad Cow Disease and now the Zika Virus.

We may now be seeing the first wave of the horrific destruction that can be unleashed by self-replicating genetically modified organisms GMO’s. The Zika virus, now spreading with unbridled ferocity, appears to have been caused by the release of genetically engineered mosquitoes that scientists hoped would sharply reduce malaria infections.

“The Zika virus outbreak currently gripping the Americas could have been sparked by the release of genetically modified mosquitoes in 2012. The insects were engineered by biotechnology experts to combat the spread of dengue fever and other diseases and released into the general population of Brazil in 2012… The Aedes aegypti mosquito sub-species that carries both the Zika virus and dengue was the type targeted with genetically modified mosquitoes.”

But something went horribly wrong.

As pointed out in an article by AntiMedia.org, the genetic engineers running this massive open-air experiment with mosquitoes and humans failed to consider the impact of antibiotics in the environment caused by their heavy use in agricultural (animal feed) operations.

Doctors in Brazil are “quietly acknowledging” that Zika may not be responsible for causing birth defects after all.

“We suspect that something more than Zika virus is causing the high intensity and severity of cases,” Fatima Marinho, director of information and health analysis at Brazil’s Health Ministry told the journal Nature in a late July interview.

Research conducted by the New England Complex Systems Institute found extremely low occurrences of birth defects among Colombian women infected with the Zika virus, meaning there must be another cause.

What is happening with this pandemic fear is the call for more spraying of the very pesticides and insecticides that caused the problem in the first place! This increase of massive spraying is causing the dying off of our bee and bat population along with our birds and other necessary insects. By killing off the bat population you are actually killing off the very animal that is a natural enemy of mosquitos and other harmful insects. The killing off of our bees means that the very means of the necessary pollination of our crops is being destroyed.

And you ask, “who is behind all this destruction?” Shall I again remind you of who is responsible for the development of this nasty stuff, who is to profit the most, what I call the “evil giant”, Monsanto. Monsanto which has finally been coming under scrutiny concerning GMO crops (they are also responsible for agent orange, involved in the development of the atomic bomb, aspartame, etc), is trying to keep the spotlight off the fact that their chemicals are causing incredible damage to our health and the health of our children And guess what, they are to get even bigger and more influential by merging with another giant, Bayer! And not to leave out, Big Pharma who will sell billions of dollars in vaccines!

“Fear Not!” If you are concerned about being bitten by mosquitos, I have a simple and natural solution if you or your children are going to be in a situation where mosquitos are a big problem. I use a product call “Natural Insect Spray” by Melaleuca.

It is a natural, DEET free (and I will show you why this is important), dermatologist tested product that uses five essential oils. It is safe to be used around kids and dogs because it uses no harsh chemicals. Email me and I will tell you where to get this product.

The reason I mention it is DEET free, is the fact that DEET is a registered pesticide. The most serious concerns about DEET are its effects on the central nervous system. Exposure to DEET can lead to motor deficits and learning and memory dysfunction. DO NOT USE ANY PRODUCT CONTAINING DEET!

So “Fear Not.” There are ways to safely avoid the bites of those nasty mosquitos. If you do get bitten, using a Melalueka essential oil (tea tree oil) on the bit will take the itch away.

Fall will soon (hopefully) be here and those pesky mosquitos will be gone!

I appreciate any and all feedback from my readers. Also, I encourage you to pass my newsletter to others in your email account who may be interested in dealing with a toxic environment. Don’t forget about my books. They have lots of good information. You may purchase my books at http://www.lucrews.com

 

Issue #23

August 28, 2016

What Is Aging?

            We can talk about aging in many different ways. But first, what is aging?  Some researchers say aging begins even before birth, some say it begins between 40 and 50 years. I was taught years ago that age 40 is when you body has exhausted the inherited capability to combat illness and it is a crucial time to pay attention to your nutritional needs. It was a time to rethink how you treat the body you were born with. But this was based on the immune system that was passed on through our mothers.

But this was a different time in history. The food that my mother ate was not contaminated with harmful pesticides, the water and soil contained the minerals and nutrients  our bodies required. Now, a new born baby already has residue of contaminates in their system.

Just because we are a certain age, we do not have to sub come to “age related illnesses.” Dr. Jonathan Flacker, an internist in geriatrics at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, said aging is simply not the same as an illness.

“A disease is something not normal that some people get but not everybody gets,” he said. “The implication is that aging is abnormal and something nature didn’t intend.”

If aging is considered as a disease, then, in an ideal condition and in principle, this could be fully treatable, and a disease-free state could be achieved. However, if aging is understood as a phenomenon occurring progressively in each and every individual surviving beyond certain duration of life, then aging cannot be considered as a disease.

Instead, interventions in aging require a health-oriented approach and the use of a positive language such as maintaining health, achieving healthy aging, and having active aging. Of course, optimal treatment and management of every disease, irrespective of age, is a social and moral imperative. But considering aging as a disease that happens to everybody is an oxymoron. This is according to Dr. S. Rattan, Dept of Molecular Biology, Aarhus University.

Unfortunately, the pharmaceutical companies have found a gold mine in convincing people that because you are of a certain age, you must be taking drugs to remain healthy.

My point in saying all this, is that even though aging is a natural progression towards an end of life, it does matter what you do to “be the best you can be” during your life span.

That is why I do what I do, why I encourage you to choose wisely when it comes to how you live and what you eat. Long life is not the only goal we should have, but good quality of life is the most important goal we should strive for.

If you are new to Lu’s Views you can got to my Blog

www.ahealthyyousite.wordpress.com and read all my back issues. I appreciate any and all feedback from my readers. Also, I encourage you to pass my newsletter to others in your email account who may be interested in dealing with a toxic environment. Don’t forget about my books. They have lots of good information.

 

 

Issue #22

August 22, 2016

Sad Follow Up On GMO’s

            I had to follow up on my writings on GMO’s.  This is a sad commentary on how little influence the American people actually have in making their voices heard in our “for the people” government today.

You recall in my past newsletters that Vermont had voted “yes” to the mandatory labelling of any food that contained genetically modified organisms or had been genetically engineered. This bought about many of the large corporations like General Mills to start small, offering food labeled “NonGmo.”

Then the day, July 1^st, this was to become effected in Vermont, once again the United State Government, i.e. the offices of the Senate, Congress and the President, our elected officials, ignored 90% of the wishes of the people and sided with multi-billion dollar corporations. This has also taken away “states rights” by overturning the wishes of the people. See Issue # 18 of my Lu’s Views News for the story.

If you want to know what representatives stand with the multi-billion dollar corporations instead of the the people, this is how they came out either for or against GMO labeling. I have taken the following from several news sites and other resources.

“Barack Obama (“Democrat”): Against mandatory GMO labeling, despite 90% of Americans being for it.

Ted Cruz (“Republican”): Against mandatory GMO labeling, despite 90% of Americans being for it.

Hillary Clinton (“Democrat”): Against mandatory GMO labeling, despite 90% of Americans being for it.

Bernie Sanders (“Democrat”): For GMO labeling, siding with the citizens instead of the corporations.

Donald Trump (“Republican”): For GMO labeling, siding with the citizens instead of the corporations.

       Other gems of the Monsanto legislation is the fact that Monsanto is now EXEMPT from future lawsuits if GMO’s are later proven to cause ill health effects or even death in humans. (Why would they have need for asking for such a thing in legislation if GMO’s were really so harmless?)

       When the Federal Government supports multibillion-dollar corporations over the wishes of 90% of their citizens and BANS States from simply TELLING THE TRUTH about the ingredients in food that their countrymen swallow, the United States has taken a sharp turn down the sewer. It is no wonder the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), at the lobbying requests of multibillion-dollar corporations, allows dozens of ingredients in foods that are not only banned in the rest of the world, would actually put you in prison for including in food, which in corrupt America, openly allows you to do so for profit.”

Sorry if I have offended anyone, but I am very much a patriot and I love my country, but that is why I have the freedom to write this, so far.

If you are new to Lu’s Views you can go to my Blog www.ahealthyyousite.wordpress.com and read all my back issues. I appreciate any and all feedback from my readers. Also, I encourage you to pass my newsletter to others in your email account who may be interested in dealing with a toxic environment. Don’t forget about my books. They have lots of good information.

 

 

Issue #21

August 15, 2016

Salt – “The Rest of the Story”

            Just to remind you again, I am not telling you to go against what your doctor has told you about your salt intake, so please do not use this information as medical advice. This is just for your information.

I also want to state here, if you have a thyroid issue, please consult your doctor and/or have your thyroid checked to see if you are deficient in iodine. There are simple tests you can take to show if you do need an iodine supplement.

Salt is essential for life and as the body can not produce it itself, we have to ingest it. Without consumption of salt our bodies become chemically imbalanced. Sodium stops the muscles from cramping, and it invigorates the nerves and without salt our muscles and nervous system do not function properly.

All our body fluids are salty. Blood, sweat, tears, saliva. Experts agree a healthy adult needs a daily intake of approximately five or six grams of salt to maintain good health or about 2 teaspoons. But not the bleached, chemically treated stuff that comes out of a box! Salt assists the digestive system, helping to absorb nutrients by breaking down our food. It also helps the saliva glands by stimulating an enzyme which allows the taste buds to get a sense of the food we are eating.

The premise that salt leads to hypertension has never been scientifically supported. On the contrary, studies show that a reduced sodium diet leads to health issues. Some studies have shown salt aids in blood sugar control. A low salt diet may increase insulin resistance. But also beware if you are prone to high blood pressure as table salt may cause the blood to rise rapidly  as the body attempts to move this toxic substance out of the body. Also excess table salt may cause the body to retain fluids.

No doubt we are getting too much salt! But the wrong kind of salt, bleached, empty, dead salt. Like with our water, bleached salt has no minerals. Processed food contains so many salt additives. On a label the word “salt” is not the only sodium added to processed foods. Words like monosodium glutamate (MSG); baking soda; sodium alginate; sodium benzoate; sodium hydroxide; sodium propionate; sodium sulfite. All these are salt.

So the solution? DO NOT EAT PROCESSED FOOD!!! Learn to eat organic, whole foods. The salt we should be using is a natural salt. I recommend, and what I have been finding out with my research, and what I am using, is Pink Himalayan salt.

Himalayan crystal salt is far superior to traditional iodized salt. Himalayan salt is mined from ancient sea beds and is pure, untouched by many of the toxins and pollutants that pervade other forms of ocean salt.

Himalayan salt contains the minerals that are necessary for your health, and what our bodies so desperately need, including macrominerals and trace minerals. The macrominerals are needed in relative abundance and include calcium, chloride, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium.

There are also Celtic sea salts. But you still have to be aware of fake sea salts. They may be labeled “sea salt”, but have had all the minerals removed and bleached just like table salt. Just avoid “white” salt.  I have been tested and the Himalayan salt tests best on me.

Next week I will talk about what I do to stay healthy.

If you are new to Lu’s Views you can got to my Blog www.ahealthyyousite.wordpress.com and read all my back issues. I appreciate any and all feedback from my readers. Also, I encourage you to pass my newsletter to others in your email account who may be interested in dealing with a toxic environment. Don’t forget about my books. They have lots of good information.

Issue #20

August 8, 2016

Salt – Why Iodized Salt?

             In most, if not all, kitchen cabinets in this country contain salt shakers and a box of iodized salt. Most salts sold in supermarkets display on the label, “This salt supplies iodine, a necessary nutrient.” But do you know why the iodine in salt is added?

            But first, let me state again, I am not telling you to go against what your doctor has told you about your salt intake, so please do not use this information as medical advice. This is just for your information.

            Why was Iodine added to salt? It was added to salt around 1924, at the request of government initiatives, due to the growing need for regulation of iodine deficiency disorders. In the 1920’s era in the United States, the Great Lakes and Pacific Northwest region of the country experienced high incidences of goiter (a common thyroid-malfunction-based condition). This was because their soil levels were extremely low in iodine, and people were not eating iodine rich foods.

            Researchers at the University of Michigan decided to copy a Swiss practice of adding iodine to cooking salt, in order to attempt to remedy the problem. Goiter occurrences dropped drastically as a result, and the practice soon became standard.

            In fact, due to the successes seen in Michigan, iodine-enhanced salts were sold by the Morton Salt Company for the first time, on a national scale. Regulations committees saw that it would be easy to take a simple and cost-effective measure to prevent this health imbalance, and for about $0.05 per person per year, salt became iodized.

             Salt was used as the carrier for iodine because it was an easy, spoil-free method of getting iodine into the food chain. Salt is a food that almost everyone eats throughout the day, and everyday. Iodized salt was also added to animal feed, as it also offered thyroid support benefits for livestock as well.

            But what went wrong? Things have changed since the 1920’s with the manufacturing of toxic chemicals and more cost effective ways of harvesting salt. Most of the salt harvested then was natural salt from the sea or from natural salt deposits and contained the beneficial trace mineral iodine. “Iodized Salt” is not a healthy naturally occurring rock, crystal or sea salt. It is a manufactured type of sodium called sodium chloride with added iodide.

              Iodine in salt available at grocery stores, restaurants and in practically all processed foods, have synthetic chemicals added to them. These chemicals may include manufactured forms of iodide, sodium solo-co-aluminate, fluoride sodium bicarbonate, toxic amounts of potassium iodide, anti-caking agents and aluminum derivatives. Table salt has also been bleached. Unfortunately, most table salt is not only unhealthy, but is toxic to the body and should never be considered as a source of healthy iodine.

              Using iodine-fortified table salt may still put you at risk for micronutrient deficiencies. A study done at the University in Texas at Arlington, and published in the American Chemical Society journal Environmental Science and Technology, found that salt alone cannot prevent iodine deficiency.

             The research looked into iodine levels in over 80 types of commonly-sold iodized salt brands, and found that 47 of them (over half!) did not meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recommendation for healthy iodine levels. Moreover, with time, iodine levels tend to decrease in salt products that are left in humid conditions. The study concluded that only about 20% of the so-called “iodized” salt sold in stores has enough of the micronutrient to be considered enough for daily level acquisition.

             Mineral deficiencies is a national crisis. Remember I talked about why the water we drink today does not hydrate us? There are not enough minerals to properly hydrate our body’s need for electrolytes. What about our vegetable? No minerals in our soil.

              Next week I will discuss why we are getting too much of the wrong kind of salt and also what salt does our body really need.

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