| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Past Blessings |
Posted - Oct 07 2007 : 10:31:16 PM
I have heard for years about the connection of aluminum to alzheimers. Autopsies done on alzheimer victims showed high levels of aluminum in their systems. Recently, in my quest to live a healthier, more natural lifestyle, I became convicted of the need for our family to not use aluminum that is unsafe. This means store bought antiperspirants, liquid antacids such as Mylanta, aluminum foil, aluminum cookware and aluminum pop cans. Most canned foods are okay, as the cans are coated so the aluminum is not in contact with the food. In the past toothpaste also had aluminum, but most have recently stopped. Aluminum is also being linked to Parkinson's disease. So I just ordered a large (8 lb) bucket of 92% coconut oil. The 92% is the only one that can be left at room temp without spoiling quickly. Coconut oil is a natural anti-perspirant with no side affects. I found several recipes, but think the one I try is 50% coconut oil mixed with 50% baking soda. Just makes a nice creamy paste that you can apply by hand if you just keep it in a container with a tight lid. I'll let you know how it works. My hubby gets heartburn every now and then . . . surely it couldn't be MY cooking?! Dry tablet antacids, such as Tums and Rolaids are aluminum free, so I will make sure that is all he uses, not the liquid ones. We don't drink canned pop, so no issue there. I use a baking stone for my cookies, etc. not aluminum cookie sheets and I don't have any aluminum cookware. Also, many cities have high levels of aluminum in thier water. I want to check into ours in Spokane and see what kind of filters there might be to help this. I might need to purchase more lidded baking dishes to replace foil.
If you do a search on the web, there have been countless studies done on the connection of aluminum to alzheimers as well as parkinsons. It just doesn't make sense to continue to use things that we know are causing problems. I am also hearing that fluoride treatments given by the dentist have aluminum, but want to confirm this. My kids get 2 treatments a year at the dentist and if this is true, I will discontinue that. I don't do them myself anymore as I always end up sick from it after I leave the dentist. Anyway, just thought others might want to ponder this and think about making our lives safer. I can't imagine a worse way to go, than to actually lose my memory and ability to process my thoughts. If I can do something to lessen the chances of this for not only me, but my family, it will be worth the minor inconveniences. We might all end up smelling like coconut , but at least we will have our minds intact.
Hugs & blessings,
Brenda
Past Blessings . . . Celebrating Life as it used to be . . . when people loved God, loved their families and loved their country. |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| LynnMarie |
Posted - Dec 13 2007 : 8:59:53 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Annab
Actually, cast iron is better for you!
When you cook, the iron does leech into the food, however, it's the same iron needed for healthy blood.
I agree with Anna. My homeopathic doctor says the same thing. Cast iron cookware is good for you.
Bringing the Past Back to Life
www.freewebs.com/decampsettlement |
| Past Blessings |
Posted - Dec 06 2007 : 12:17:14 PM
Thanks. I will check out Mountain Rose Herbs!
Brenda
Past Blessings . . . Celebrating Life as it used to be . . . when people loved God, loved their families and loved their country. |
| Annab |
Posted - Dec 05 2007 : 06:16:17 AM
As a quick side note, Mountain Rose Herbs ship in bulk and they have a HUGE selection! |
| Past Blessings |
Posted - Dec 04 2007 : 7:05:53 PM
That deordorant recipe looks interesting, but right now I don't want to invest in so many essential oils (just the expense for now!) so I will stick with this since it uses only one oil. Also, I am glad to hear cast iron is good, since I think there is nothing tastier than a roast done in a well seasoned cast iron dutch oven!
Hugs & blessings,
Brenda
Past Blessings . . . Celebrating Life as it used to be . . . when people loved God, loved their families and loved their country. |
| Annab |
Posted - Dec 03 2007 : 03:44:53 AM
Actually, cast iron is better for you!
When you cook, the iron does leech into the food, however, it's the same iron needed for healthy blood. Pretty cool
Keep the pan well seasoned and they perform as well as teflon. You just can't leave them to soak for long because they do rust.
And, we use the coconut oil for cooking anyway. Our local health food store also sells it by the bucket. I ought to try the recipe and as a compromise, use this formulation in the winter months at work where there's lots of far smellier critters than me. |
| Dixie_Amazon |
Posted - Dec 03 2007 : 03:05:22 AM
Here is another deodorant made with coconut oil.
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/herbal-stick-deodorant.html
I haven't made it personally.
Dennise with 2 n's
Farmgirl Sister #47 **~~** Country girl raised in the city. |
| Past Blessings |
Posted - Dec 02 2007 : 5:23:20 PM
Hi Jenbove,
Just saw your post. I have no idea about cast iron, but it would be interesting to research. I have never heard the negative things about iron like I have aluminum. Aluminum seems to leach more than other metals.
Interesting info. about the flu shot. If I ever get one (which is doubtful!) I will be sure to ask for the thimerosel free version. Thanks for the info. I love how we can help one another gleen info. via this forum!
Hugs & blessings,
Brenda
Past Blessings . . . Celebrating Life as it used to be . . . when people loved God, loved their families and loved their country. |
| Past Blessings |
Posted - Dec 02 2007 : 5:19:42 PM
Annab, so glad to hear of all the changes you are making. It really is amazing how much aluminum we use without realizing it. I have a large cake pan that does a double size cake, that I love for parties, but it is now going by the wayside. I hope to find a replacement that isn't aluminum.
As for the antiperspirant, I have solved this!! I researched and found the 92% coconut oil. (it has to be the 92% to work). You mix it 50/50 proportions with baking soda and just dab it on your armpits. It works great. I bought an 8 lb. bucket that will last forever for $11.00 plus another $11.00 shipping. It has hardly any odor to it (I was afraid of that strong coconut smell like the sun tan lotions, but not at all!) and works great. I am still working on getting my hubby to switch, but hopefully soon. I am mixing up little containers for everyone in the family. When you mix the oil and baking soda, warm the oil in a microwave and it will mix more even. Pour it in whatever containers you have and let it firm back up. It is about the consistency of peanut butter when done. I have some screw on 4 oz. spice jars that I use for my fresh ground spices, that I use. But old cold creme, noxema, vicks, etc. jars would work great too.
Hope this helps!
Hugs & Blessings,
Brenda
Past Blessings . . . Celebrating Life as it used to be . . . when people loved God, loved their families and loved their country. |
| jenbove |
Posted - Dec 01 2007 : 6:46:47 PM
Lynne,
Have you seen Klean Kanteens? They're stainless steel water bottles that come in a variety of sizes (even baby sippy cups!). I bet you could find one that fits your bike. Here's the website: http://www.kleankanteen.com/
Jen
Expedition Leader, MaryJanesOutpost
www.maryjanesoutpost.com
Farmgirl Sisterterhood Member # 9
The View From My Boots
www.bovesboots.blogspot.com |
| jenbove |
Posted - Dec 01 2007 : 6:42:01 PM
Hey, Ladies - what about cast iron? We've been using a cast iron frying pan for a few years now, and we try to keep it well cured. Does anybody know much metal is leached from these pans or if there are negative health effects associated with cast iron? I figure the iron itself is okay, but are there other not-so-good trace metals? Hmmmm.... Cooking acidic foods (like tomato sauce) causes metals to leach - back when people used to cook in pewter pots, they thought they were getting sick from tomatoes, when it was actually the lead leaching from the pots!
Glass is my favorite - inert & safe - but I can't find a glass frying pan in my local stores.
And about the flu shots - they also generally contain thimerosol, a preservative that contains mercury. According to the CDC, "Thimerosal is a very effective preservative that has been used since the 1930s to prevent contamination in some multi-dose vials of vaccines (preservatives are not required for vaccines in single dose vials). Thimerosal contains approximately 49% ethylmercury. There is no convincing evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor reactions like redness and swelling at the injection site. However, in July 1999 the Public Health Service (PHS) agencies, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and vaccine manufacturers agreed that thimerosal should be reduced or eliminated in vaccines as a precautionary measure."
Whenever corporations take "precautionary measures," you know there's some serious underlying danger there. But, "Thimerosal preservative-free influenza vaccines are available, but in limited quantities. The total amount of inactivated influenza vaccine available without thimerosal as a preservative will continue to increase as manufacturing capabilities are expanded." So, if you're going to get a flu vaccine, be sure to request thimerosol-free. The supply will not increase until the demand does.
Jen
Expedition Leader, MaryJanesOutpost
www.maryjanesoutpost.com
Farmgirl Sisterterhood Member # 9
The View From My Boots
www.bovesboots.blogspot.com |
| Annab |
Posted - Dec 01 2007 : 4:51:55 PM
YEP YEP
Although I'll continue to use the antipersperants and avoid other aluminum sources whenever possible.
My zoo job makes me sweat nearly every day, so any time I have opportunity to not stink and feel funky outside the zoo is fine for now. |
| Dixie_Amazon |
Posted - Nov 26 2007 : 03:21:15 AM
I heard on the news this month that there is a UK study linking the aluminum in antiperspirants to breast cancer plus the aluminum was found in the lymph nodes.
Dennise |
| Annab |
Posted - Nov 25 2007 : 4:45:19 PM
Brenda,
you'd be interested to know, after 10 years of using the same aluminum/teflon coated pot, I threw it out today during an all day marathon jelly making session.
I flipped the pot over and saw it was indeed aluminum. Most of the non-stick is flaking off bad enough now -and after staying with this post for awhile and thinking about it a lot, the pot went by-by and my new juicer system has a bigger capacity that handled the juice and jelly like a champ. And since its stainless steel, it should last a lifetime.
I got to really thinking about it after today's first batch was made. I usually end up wiping the lip of excess drippy jelly residue frequently during the jelly making process. And as a last cleaning step, I pour the boiled water into it for a final scald/clean. (I don't have an automatic dish washer) The whole ring around the top is nearly bald of teflon and the bottom has a ring around it from all the years of circular sturring.
So thank you and may we all have many good years clear thinking--most of the time!  |
| Annab |
Posted - Nov 03 2007 : 03:23:47 AM
So true. The other side of this coin is......
my personality type already has me desiring home life and being perfectly content to be alone most of the time. Even at this younger age, I force myself to get out socially and do stuff w/ other people. And yes, I have a spouse to talk to and do stuff with, but for him, he'd rather ride his bike and do things that are closer to home. He'll forever be a country mouse and that's fine. I grew up in the suberbs of Cincinnati and desire trappings of the big city every now and again. It's just a little hard, when the big city is 30 miles away and po-dunk Asheboro doesn't cut it. |
| Past Blessings |
Posted - Nov 01 2007 : 07:05:22 AM
Anna,
The aluminum free baking powder is on my shopping list for this week too. It just doesn't make sense not to do it. When I mentioned to my mom that aluminum is in flu shots, she stubbornly made it clear she'd rather have the shot than get the flu. Hard to grasp that way of thinking . . . You'd rather risk alzheimers or parkinsons than be sick with a passing virus for a week?! But I have found you can show people the evidence and what they choose is their choice.
Hugs and blessings,
Brenda
Past Blessings . . . Celebrating Life as it used to be . . . when people loved God, loved their families and loved their country. |
| Annab |
Posted - Nov 01 2007 : 03:29:52 AM
Thanks to this post, while shopping I bought the aluminum-free baking powder and promptly threw the other out when I got home.
Most of my recipes don't call for this, except for the occasional banana bread. We don't eat a lot of biscuits. I'm just not a huge fan of tasteless doughy blobs of flour. 'Cides, they just take up valuable space in the tummy when you can pack yourself silly w/ all the other goodies out there. I'm thinkin' T-Day already! Now put lots of seedy type things and whole wheat in it, and I'll make it disappear in a matter of days!
Point is, making a switch for the better can only be a benifit. I didn't even look for the typical price hike. I was just thrilled to see the good sitting next to the other AND made by the same company. Now isn't THAT interesting!? |
| Past Blessings |
Posted - Oct 28 2007 : 4:35:55 PM
Good luck finding the cookware through the thrift store, Anna. That is really the best way to get it! My revere ware has the copper bottoms too, which I am told makes the pan heat more evenly. I just love the look of the copper!
Brenda
Past Blessings . . . Celebrating Life as it used to be . . . when people loved God, loved their families and loved their country. |
| Annab |
Posted - Oct 26 2007 : 03:51:09 AM
Yea, and that's partly wht I'm having to make a change anyway. After over 10 years of usage for 2 pots especially, it's beyond time.
good news is, my mom volunteers at a thrift store where sometiems high end stuff come through. She said Revereware is passing through all the time and never sits for long at all.
You know, when her mother passed, I seriously missed the boat and didn't latch onto Grammy's Revereware. It had the copper bottoms too. I think mom's best friend got those as a thank you for helping Mom deal w/ the hassle of clearing house. |
| katmom |
Posted - Oct 25 2007 : 10:58:25 PM
fresh ground pepper? now why didn't I think of that!!??!! lol!
>^..^< Happiness is being a katmom.
www.katmom4.blogspot.com |
| Past Blessings |
Posted - Oct 25 2007 : 1:17:52 PM
I have had the good old Revere Ware Stainless Steel for years and it is wonderful. I believe most of the newer teflon pans are stainless based, as they are heavier than aluminum would be. But I am not a big teflon fan either . . . it eventually flakes off and eating teflon isn't my favorite . . . DH just doesn't believe me when I tell him it's fresh ground pepper! LOL!
Hugs & blessings,
Brenda
Past Blessings . . . Celebrating Life as it used to be . . . when people loved God, loved their families and loved their country. |
| Annab |
Posted - Oct 23 2007 : 12:01:24 PM
WOW Now those are staggering numbers
And like I said before, the dose is the poison. So in this case, I'd say let the facts speak for themselves.
It bothers me to know that most cookware is aluminum and I wonder if the teflon coating offers any protectant. -- I just read an article in the latest Good Housekeeping about teflon. So far as long as the pan is not super heated to above 400-500 there is minimal risk. The grade of cookware also makes a difference. But I digress
I'm a bit of a food snob, at leat when it comes to cookware and my knives, so I'm gradually making the shift to stainless steel. It's big bucks, but you can't beat a classic. |
| mikesgirl |
Posted - Oct 22 2007 : 4:06:22 PM
I'm not sure if the scientific validity of this theory either, but here is my experience with my own family. My mom is one of 12 children, four were deceased as children, and of the remaining 8, 6 are in the latter stages of Alzheimers. My mom and her family grew up very poor and ate baking powder biscuits and beans three meals a day, seven days a week. That's a lot of aluminum based baking powder to take it. She continued to make biscuits, almost every day, into her marriage and throughout my childhood. I'm scared to death and I'm not taking any chances with it. It could be a coincidence, but I'm not willing to take that risk. |
| greyghost |
Posted - Oct 22 2007 : 3:57:48 PM
I avoid flu shots not just for the aluminum, but because it is rumored that the government is playing "guniea pig" with its citizens with those shots.
MOST shots contain aluminum, some levels of formaldehyde, and a few other nasty things. Don't have my list handy. If I ever have kids, they are NOT getting those immunization shots. I won't let that happen... there are links to MMR shots and autism... kids who were normal until after they had their round of shots at 2 years old... the drug companies have the American people by the nads - and they wanted to force all our girls to have that shot to prevent cervical cancer, which you only get by being a floozie anyway, but preaching safe sex isn't going to make the drug companies any money.
Seriously, it's really sick. I keep track of what is added to our food, how it is grown, what the effects are. I do the best I can. Plastic is being banned from our home. All of it. Still have to find a non-plastic water bottle for my bicycle, something that maybe won't shatter when I drop it (encase it in cork maybe?).
Our food is wrapped up in wax paper anymore. I won't buy anything else. My hubby can't quite get used to this idea, but he understands. |
| Past Blessings |
Posted - Oct 18 2007 : 08:28:27 AM
Yes, Lynn, I agree. I think my fluoride treatment days are over. I need to talk to hubby and see if he will agree to not have the boys have any more. I think he thinks I am becoming a fanatic, but I just want to make our home/family as safe as I can.
I also found out that flu shots have a high dose of aluminum. I would rather have a week of the flu than alzheimers or parkinsons . . .
I had heard about Baking Powder having aluminum too. Is there something we can use to replace it for recipes that call for it? I know baking soda is one of it's ingredients, but not sure what else it needs?
I almost tossed out my foil, but then thought I could use it in craft projects, so it has now moved to the basement.
Hugs & blessings,
Brenda
Past Blessings . . . Celebrating Life as it used to be . . . when people loved God, loved their families and loved their country. |
| greyghost |
Posted - Oct 16 2007 : 9:31:35 PM
Brenda - I would caution the fluoride treatments. Too much of a good thing causes the opposite - in the case of my teeth, there was fluoride in the water, mom had bad teeth and wanted to be sure I got as much fluoride as I could as a kid - 2 treatments a year plus a rinse with it in there, and the toothpaste. I have no enamel on my teeth. Dentists now are linking that phenomenon with an overdose of Fluoride as a child. Oops. |
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