Free Your Allergies

It’s the time of year again for pollen, dust, molds.

Achoo. Stock up on tissues, homeopathic and other natural remedies, maybe even antihistamines and consider lightening the load for your body by  clearing the environmental toxins that cause your seasonal allergies: How about an Air Filter – I have been using the Nikken Air Wellness Power 5 Pro for years – I have several filters running around the house, and one right next to my bed. They are small, unobtrusive, whisper-quiet yet powerful machines. Fresh-air-ist that I am, these filters are useful- it’s dusty, even in the country.

Ask me for details or take a look here.

Gesundheit.

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The Seaweed Man

Living at the edge of the continent. This is how Larch Hanson, a seaweed harvester for forty years, describes himself. He has some powerful advice about including seaweed regularly in our diet. Here is his latest article as well as a link to William Spear’s article about protective diet in Huffington Post.:

Considering the nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, Japan, it is important that you understand this article:Iodine in Seaweed Protects the Thyroid from Radiation Once upon a time, about a gazillion years ago, the animals in the sea with spinal cords decided to base their regulatory hormones upon stable Iodine 127. A bazillion years later, some of those animals decided to leave the sea and live on the land where Iodine 127 was not abundant. Land plants don’t contain much iodine at all. So they developed thyroid glands and blood compounds that would conserve scarce Iodine 127. All went well, until some near-sighted nuclear scientists started splitting uranium atoms and creating radioactive Iodine 131 which concentrates through the food chain (from grass to cows to milk to humans, for instance) and can end up in the thyroid, burning it out, leaving people unable to self-regulate their lives. You see, Iodine 131 has a very short half-life of 8 days. That means that within a period of two months, it emits most of its radiation. And if that iodine 131 happens to be situated in the thyroid while it is emitting its radiation, it will do great damage to the thyroid gland. 25% of the women in this country, for instance, now have clinical symptoms of thyroid imbalance. Why is this happening? Iodine is a member of the halide group of elements that includes bromine, chlorine, and fluorine. Compounds that contain these elements tend to displace iodine from the body. Modern people are exposed to bromated dough conditioners in commercially-produced bread, and bromine used in disinfectants (in hot tubs, for instance). Bleach in the laundry and at the swimming pool contains chlorine. Dentists use fluorides, and fluoride is used in toothpaste and drinking water. All of these sources of chemicals, and more, are exposing us to halides that displace iodine from our bodies. In the Southwest, the Colorado River system that irrigates the fields that produce 30% of the vegetables consumed in our country is contaminated by a lagoon of spent rocket fuel in Nevada that is leaching perchlorate into the water. Perchlorate is taken up by broad leaf veggies  like lettuce, and it gets into the body and blocks transport of iodine to the thyroid. If an air bag goes off in your car, your air is immediately contaminated with perchlorate released by the explosive air bag. There really aren’t very good iodine supplements available to the public. If you read a material safety data sheet for potassium iodide, you will understand the negative side effects of long term use. The best long term strategy is to integrate seaweed into one’s daily diet. Then your thyroid will always have adequate levels of stable Iodine 127 and will not take in radioactive Iodine 131. Digitata kelp has the highest iodine content, followed by kelp. Alaria has moderate levels of iodine. All of these are good sources of iodine, provided you don’t roast them, releasing the iodine to the air. Learn a water-based method that will work for you. Make soup and drink the broth at the same time you eat the seaweed. Then your body will receive the iodine. If you are a raw foodist, make a smoothie that includes kelp. Nori and dulse don’t contain much iodine, compared to kelp and alaria. Any commercial seaweed that is promoted as “tender” or “convenient” or “ready to eat” probably has been subjected to a heat process (parboiling, roasting) and thus the iodine content is lowered. Recipes for proper preparation of seaweed are available at LarchHanson.com and seaweed can be ordered direct from the harvester and his apprentices who use low temperature methods of drying at TheSeaweedMan.com.

Rest in the Light, abide in the Heart.Larch Hanson Maine Seaweed LLC Ph/fax: 207 546 2875

Turning Blue Jeans Green, Happy Earth Day

Levi’s WaterLess Jeans are one of the five companies featured in Jill Baron’s article  in lifestyle.msn.com.
These  jeans are made with eco-friendly denim, using organic cotton and natural indigo dyes. The new line reduces water use by an average of 28% per pair (up to 96% for some of the 12 available styles) and represents the brand’s commitment to turning blue jeans green.

Baron writes of these  5 new mainstream fashion lines:  “progressive thinkers with a true flair for style have worked not only to use sustainable fibers, like organic cotton, into their creations – but also to work with major brands and retailers so those fashions are available to mainstream U.S. consumers.”
Happy Earth Day.

Tip from: Greta

Boohoo to Moo, 10 Alternatives

There are many reasons I did not like to drink milk when I was growing up-  childhood allergies, bad memories from my parents making me finish my milk at every meal because there were children starving somewhere else, hating the taste and texture. I was being fed milk mechanically, sentimentally- it’s what you gave to children.

There are many very different reasons why I don’t drink milk now and don’t give it to my children – intellectual, social, ideological- these reasons include the inappropriateness of cow’s milk for humans, the carbon footprint from the meat and dairy industry, the hype from the milk industry, and now perhaps saddest reason of all- radiation is being detected in milk- be it organic or not.

For those of you who still like a creamy substance in your coffee, tea or on your corn flakes there are many alternatives. Here is a helpful article in the Ecologist, listing the 10 top alternatives to cows milk.

Hat Tip to the beautiful Mak!

Photo by theowl84

Richie Havens Singing the Truth

Where does he get that amazing energy. Richie Havens was a powerful voice when I was in high school in the late ’60’s.  His song, What You Gonna Do About Me, speaks to all the same issues now as it did then. We have come so far but there is so much more to do!

Will we speak loud enough for all the things we believe in for the future of our fragile planet? I believe that it is possible to create an eco-logically (make-sense for the planet) sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on this earth. Do you? Who are you going to tell and what will you do?

The Recording Studio Experience

What are the many things to keep in mind when recording a music CD? I am happy to say that BMI has taken care of answering this question in great detail so I don’t have to tell you about the mistakes I’ve made over the years. Check out Cliff Goldmacher’s BMI post here.

24 Hours of World Aircraft Traffic

Where IS everyone going? This is an amazing video of air traffic crossing our earth! You can even see night and day traveling east to west over the 24 hour satellite compilation/simulation:

 

Hat Tip: Bill Tara