Is water the only liquid threatened by plastic?

Everyone is talking about the hazards of leaving your water bottle in the car and letting it get warm. That makes the toxins in the plastic leach into the water faster. And storing your plastic water bottles too long is hazardous too.

But what about all those other drinks that come in plastic?

Almost everything comes in plastic, from milk to soft drinks to juices - even some hard liquor comes in plastic. Don't those liquids absorb the toxins from plastic just as easily as water?

It makes sense to me that they must. If I read anything about that, I'll let you know. And in the meantime, if you read about it, please share with us!

Yours for health,
Marte

Ever hear of duct tape as a medical remedy?

Neither had I, until I started trying to find a cure for those painful warts on the bottom of my son's foot.

He'd tried all kinds of over the counter remedies - chemicals, freezing, etc. and nothing worked. He was scaring me because he kept carving at them with his jack knife.

Then I read about duct tape. The instructions said to put it on and leave it for a few days, then soak the foot and scrape off the top of the wart. Let it dry out, and do it again.

And... it seems to be working. Although he's still scaring me because he's impatient and scrapes a bit deeper than I think he should.

Sometimes I'm amazed at how the simplest things can do the best job.

I always said that around the house and the barn there was practically nothing I couldn't fix with some duct tape and baling twine - but I didn't know that applied to warts as well.

Send us YOUR unusual cures - please.

Yours for health,
Marte

ACE Inhibitors could be causing your cough

If you've developed a nasty cough along with high blood pressure, your medication may be the cause.

I just read a story about a lady whose cough was so bad that she had to carry plastic bags with her in the car - because the coughing made her throw up. When she told her doctor she thought it was the medication he changed it - to another ACE inhibitor that caused the same problem. After that he said he didn't think that was the cause.

A survey of participants on the iGuard.org web site revealed that while over 1/3 of the participants suffered from a chronic cough, only 1 in 4 had been warned by their doctor that the drug could cause coughing.

Do they not bother to learn, or do they not bother to care - as long as you keep on taking drugs?

The iGuard.org site offers personalized estimates of drug risk and interaction concerns - it might be worth you checking into if you're taking prescription drugs.

Water - it's a matter of life or death

How much water do you drink? If you aren't getting at least 48 ounces of liquid every day, you're probably one of the 80% of Americans who are "sub-clinically" dehydrated.

 

That's an astounding percentage, but it makes sense. I know a lot of people who say they never drink water. The only liquids they drink are  coffee, tea, milk, juice, and soft drinks or alcohol.

 

We can get about 20% of our daily needs from food - especially fruits and vegetables that are made almost entirely of water. But we still need good, clean, water to help purify our systems and wash out the toxins we're exposed to every day - as well as to keep our bodies hydrated.

 

I've been doing some research for Robin at Renu Herbs, and learned some things I didn't know.

 

For instance, when you're dehydrated your blood volume drops, and thus your blood pressure drops. Your blood also becomes thicker, and harder for your heart to pump. Dehydration is a major cause of heart attacks!

 

Pharmaceutical companies would rather you didn't know that you can do a great deal to protect your heart health (and your overall health) merely by drinking adequate amounts of water.

 

The studies I read said that amateur athletes, and especially older athletes, often fall victim to the kind of dehydration that can put their entire systems into shock - and cause them to literally drop dead.

 

I don't know many golfers, but I know two men who suffered heart attacks on the golf course. One survived, the other did not.

 

The reason older athletes are more prone to dehydration is that some diseases and many prescription medications seem to block the body's natural thirst mechanism - so people are dying of dehydration without even feeling thirsty.

 

In addition, because most of us are going around partially dehydrated all the time, when something happens like a flu bug that causes fever, diarrhea, and/or vomiting, it can push us over the edge.

 

And when doctors prescribe diuretics and tell people to cut back on fluids - well, that's often the final straw. (Natural health practitioners, by the way, prescribe extra water with a teaspoon of Celtic sea salt every day to reduce edema.)

 

This would all be depressing if it weren't for the simple solution.

 

Drink your water!

Water used to be good for you, NOW what can you drink?

Every time we turn around there's some new hazard - now it's water. The basic, life giving substance of nature that makes up most of our body mass.

If you're drinking water from a public supply, you could be drinking recycled prescription medicines. What a horrid thought! Add that to the toxic chemicals from manufacturing plants and run-off filled with fertilizer and pesticides from farm fields that leaches into the aquifers, and your tap water could very well be "health-taking" instead of "life-giving."

And, if you're buying expensive water in plastic bottles, tap water from a public supply could very well be what you're drinking - even if the bottle says "Pure Spring Water." How dare they lie to us that way!

Because nobody is watching, that's how they dare.

Once again, the FDA has turned a blind eye to the health and safety of the American people.

To make it all worse, the plastic in the bottles can leach into the water - especially if you re-use the same bottles, and if you keep the bottles in a warm place. Never, ever drink from a plastic water bottle that's been sitting in a hot car! If you carry water with you, carry it in glass or stainless steel.

To learn more, get your hands on the February issue of Readers Digest. Then, before you choose the water you'll drink, do your research. Big Brother may be watching you, but he's not watching the people who sell you water.

Milk of Magnesia better than prescription drugs?

It sure sounds like it. This morning's Spokesman Review included the weekly doctor's column and a reader had written that after years of treatment for skin problems on her face, someone had told her about Milk of Magnesia.

She tried it, and within a week her skin was clear - something she hadn't experienced in a very long time in spite of using expensive pharmaceuticals. She rubs it on her face in the morning and lets it sit while she showers, then rinses.

The doctor included other examples of equally good results - proving that once again, home remedies are sometimes better than anything you can buy at the pharmacy counter. And better yet - they're cheaper and have no destructive side-effects.

If you have a skin rash, acne, or any other type of skin problem, why not give it a try?