The Real Dirt on Clean Water

Your Tap Water may look clean, but in a study conducted by the Enviromental Working Group (EWG), more than 300 pollutants were found in the drinking water in 45 states.  What can you do to help protect yourself and your family against potentially harmful contaminants?

According to the US, Environmental Protection Agency, public water untilities have violated the Safe Drinking Water Act - which has not been updated since 1996 - more than 700,000 times in the past seven years!

What's in Your Water?


Your tap water may not be as safe to drink as you think it is. It may contain lead from corroded pipes, atrazine (a common pesticide), discharge from industrial activity, and other contaminants you can’t necessarily see, taste, or smell. Over time, some contaminants may negatively impact your health. So which contaminants should you be on the lookout for?

• Disinfection by-products can form when chemicals used by local water utilities to kill water-borne microorganisms react with elements that sometimes may be present in the water.

• Heavy metals, including lead, are commonly present in pipes and can easily end up in your drinking glass. Even "lead-free" pipes are no exception; they can actually contain up to 8% lead.

• Agricultural pollutants not only threaten fish and wildlife, they can affect your health. One common pesticide to watch out for is atrazine. Although banned in Europe, over 70 million pounds of atrazine are currently used on farms across the United States.

• Industrial pollutants are prevalent in urban areas. One example of an industrial pollutant is benzene; up to 6 million pounds of this toxic chemical are released in the U.S. every year.

Long-term exposure to these contaminants may cause serious health problems—such as compromised kidney and liver function. And for young children, the risk is even greater. For example, long-term exposure to lead can cause reduced IQ, learning disabilities, and impaired growth.

Who's Responsible for Regulating Your Water?

So who's paying attention to the levels of all the pollutants in your water? Good question. More than half of the pollutants found in drinking water by the EWG are not held to any safety standards. And according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, public water utilities have violated the Safe Drinking Water Act—which has not been updated since 1996—more than 700,000 times in the past seven years.

Who's Responsible for Regulating Your Water?

There are steps you can take to help safeguard yourself and your family against contaminants.1. Do your homework: Research how your water gets from your municipality to your home.

2. Take action: Purchase a water filtration system that’s independently certified to reduce contaminants in your water that may be hazardous to your health. Look for ones with the Water Quality Association (WQA) or National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) seal.

3. Take action: Purchase a water filtration system that’s independently certified to reduce contaminants in your water that may be hazardous to your health. Look for ones with the Water Quality Association (WQA) or National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) seal.



This is reposted from a Shaklee Wellness Update.  If you are concerned about your water, check out our special offer solution, providing you with 365 Days of Clean Water.
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To Your Health,
Lisa

A Teaspoon of Sugar!

Do you know sugar also depletes your immune system? Added sugar causes a myriad of problems. Get your sweet from fresh fruits. Artificial sweetners come with their own set of controversy - stay away from them.

Here are some comments regarding sugar usage from Dr. Stephen Chaney.

To Your Health,
Lisa


Who can forget that Mary Poppins song "A teaspoon of sugar makes the medicine go down".

Well that teaspoon has become a tablespoon - and then some!

A recent study has shown that 84% of our teens are consuming a extra 356 calories a day from sweetened beverages such as sodas, fruit punches & sports drinks compared to teens just 16 years ago (Pediatrics, 121:
1604-1614, 2008).

And it isn't just teens. Children ages six to 11 consumed 20 percent more calories from sugar-sweetened beverages in 1999-2004 compared with the 1988 to 1994 period.

A 2006 Pediatrics study published by the same authors indicates that the obesity epidemic in children is caused by an energy gap of just 110-165 excess calories per day.

The causes of the obesity epidemic in our children are multifactorial - but it is clear that sugar-laden drinks are part of the problem.

Now you may have heard that the soft drink manufacturers are coming to our rescue.

They have pledged to replace all of the sugar-laden sodas, fruit punches & sports drinks in our children's schools with the sugar-free versions.

Problem solved you might say...but it's not so simple.

As I told you in an earlier "Health Tips From The Professor" a recent study has shown that sugar free sodas are just as likely to lead to weight gain as the sugar-containing varieties.

We don't fully understand why, but the sugar-free sodas appear too increase our appetite for all of the other junk foods that are out there.

The best drink is - as it always was - water!


To Your Health!
Dr. Stephen G Chaney

TOP TEN TIPS FOR RAISING HEALTHY CHILDREN

 Make protein a part of every breakfast (use Energizing Soy Protein, Cinch or Meal Shakes).

 Reduce refined sugars.

 Change to natural peanut butter (this will help decrease the amount of hydrogenated oil your child consumes and eliminate extra sugar).

 Offer fresh fruits and vegetables every day – buy organic whenever possible.

 Offer only High Quality Proven Food Supplements – ex. Vita Lea or Incredivites, Chewable Vita C, and Chewable CalMag to start.

 Change to non-toxic, biodegradable home cleaning products. Shaklee Get Clean has been used by Oprah, the White House & the Vice-President's residense.

 Utilize a water filtration system that will remove chlorine, pesticides and other harmful substances and give your family delicious tasting water. Buy a Filter or BE a Filter.

 Utilize an air purification system that will purify the air in your home, effectively reducing dust, odors, molds, bacteria, gases and other submicron particulates that could be hazardous to your family’s health.

 Exercise daily.

 Get enough sleep.


“Mankind owes to the child the best it has to give.” – U.N. Declaration

Are You Drinking Clean Water?

We have been pondering this in our family. Are any of us drinking clean water? We recently had a large number of prescription drugs that could not be utilized - the question arose how to dispose of them. The recommendations we received from medical staff, pharmacists, and police were to flush them! What????? Not in my water supply.

There has been a lot in the news lately regarding clean water. First they told us drink tap water, then along came bottled water. Those bottles are bbuilding up in our landfill, so the recommendation was to fill your own re-fillable bottle from your tap. So confusing!

There are some great points raised in this article.

To Your Health,
Lisa

From LOSING IT! With Jillian Michaels
Tuesday, December 22, 2009


Are You Drinking Clean H20?
Want an easy way to be good to your body? Stay hydrated by guzzling down more water throughout the day. Water has zero calories, so it doesn't add to your waistline. Plus, it aids in just about every bodily function, including fat burning and energy production.

Unfortunately, the water that comes out of your tap may not be free of flaws. Water authorities do not yet regulate many endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and conventional water-treatment methods weren't designed to remove them. Studies have found trace amounts of pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and other substances in municipal water supplies.

Don't be worried thirsty, though. You can get clean water by using water filters religiously. First, go to EPA's Web site to learn about your local water quality and the substances you're dealing with. Then, consider the following three types of filters. Each has its pros and cons, but combining two kinds of filters should get good results.

Reverse-osmosis unit: Using a semipermeable membrane (which allows some molecules to pass through but not others), this type of filter removes particles and molecules of dissolved contaminants. Reverse osmosis can remove heavy metals, bacteria, and viruses, and it may remove some pharmaceuticals. However, it isn't effective for removing pesticides.

Distillation unit: This type of filtration system brings water to a boil, then collects the steam and condenses it back into water, leaving impurities (which need higher temperatures to boil) behind. Distillers can remove heavy metals, bacteria, and viruses, but they can't remove pesticides or pharmaceuticals.

Activated carbon filter: This type is the easiest to find and use. It's available in faucet-mounted models, under-the-sink units, and pitchers. Water flows through a carbon filter that attracts and traps many impurities. The types of contaminants filtered vary by brand, but all activated carbon filters remove chlorine, improve taste, and reduce sediment. Most remove heavy metals and disinfection by-products, and some remove parasites, pesticides, radon, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).