Why You Should Avoid Touching Receipts
This article is copyrighted by GreenMedInfo LLC, 2019
Keeping your receipts may make good financial sense, but
handling them involves significant health risks you should know about and how
to mitigate.
If you are like me, you hesitate at the checkout counter
whenever the cashier asks you "would you like your receipt"? If your
inner accountant is alive and well, you will find yourself wanting to keep it,
which means touch it. But on the other hand, if you are already aware of the
information in this article, the idea of handling a bisphenol A saturated
thermal printer receipt without gloves makes as much sense as handling gasoline
or paint thinner without protection.
And if you are really "neurotic" like me, you may
find yourself thinking about the health of the cashier, who undoubtedly has
been handling receipts all shift long, and will continue to be exposed -- often
unwittingly -- to a significant dose of bisphenol A throughout the course of
their employment. This is why I cringe doubly when I refuse a receipt, because
I realize that the cashier has no idea why I would do so, nor that they have
suffered a harmful chemical exposure in the very act of offering the receipt to
me.
All this might sound overly cautious if it had not already
been proven that exposure to thermal printer receipts is one of the primary
routes through which our bodies become contaminated with the toxic synthetic
chemical known as bisphenol A (BPA), a potent endocrine disruptor, carcinogen,
and neurotoxic and cardiotoxic chemical, linked to over 50 adverse health
effects. BPA is also found in airline tickets, gas and ATM receipts, and paper
currency absorbs the BPA contained within these receipts, making daily exposure
even more likely.
There are other important variables that play into how much
of this chemical we absorb. For instance, bisphenol absorption is exponentially
enhanced with the use of mass market skin care products, which are themselves
mainly comprised of petrochemically-derived ingredients whose toxicities are
also a major concern. For instance, back in 2014, a highly concerning study
published in PLoS titled, "Holding thermal receipt paper and eating food
after using hand sanitizer results in high serum bioactive and urine total
levels of bisphenol A (BPA)," found that hand sanitizers, as well as other
skin care products, contain mixtures of chemicals that can increase the
absorption of fat-soluble compounds such as BPA by as much as 100 fold.
There is also the disturbing fact that 93% of healthy
infants aged 3-15 months were found to be contaminated with BPA without any
known cause of environmental exposure, revealing how truly widespread
contamination is, regardless of direct exposure to thermal printer receipts.1
A provocative study published in Environmental Health
Perspectives titled, "Bisphenol A, Bisphenol S, and 4-Hydroxyphenyl
4-Isoprooxyphenylsulfone (BPSIP) in Urine and Blood of Cashiers", reveals
that the problem of chemical exposure through paper receipts is not simply
associated with bisphenol A exposure, but with other bisphenol analogs as well.
As we have seen with the recent increase in products explicitly labeled as
"bisphenol A free", the industries that have become reliant on the
chemical are now substituting bisphenol S (and perhaps other bisphenols) in
these products, despite the fact that it possesses similar toxicity. This is all the more disturbing considering
recent research revealing that bisphenol S may be 100x more potent an endocrine
disruptor than bisphenol A.
The chemical class known as bisphenols actually includes
over a dozen different forms, including bisphenols A, B, C, F, P. The new study
found that the printer receipts contained between 1-2% BPA, BPS, or BPSIP (a
bisphenol S variation), by weight. The blood and urine samples of cashiers were
evaluated for bisphenol levels in post-shift samples compared with pre-shift
samples, finding that the receipts contained between 1-2% BPA, PBS, or BPSIP,
by weight, and that their levels of BPS were significantly higher than
non-cashiers. Based on the cashier's toxicological profile, the study
concluded, "Thermal receipt paper is a potential source of occupational
exposure to BPA, BPS, and BPSIP."
So, what do you do if you shouldn't touch or keep your
receipts?
One easy 'no touch' way to track receipts is to take a photo
of it and email it to yourself or a special email account you create to account
for them. You could also use one of many phone apps that help you photo and
track your receipts. Here is an article on IGeeksBlog.com on the "Best
iPhone Receipt Tracking Apps: Never Miss An Expense Again."
Also, consider that there is research on natural ways to
mitigate bisphenol toxicity. We have a list of over 20 natural substances,
including kimchi, royal jelly, genistein and black tea, that have been shown to
protect against this ubiquitous toxicant.
Men Who Can Do 40 Pushups Have a Lower Risk for Heart
Disease
Written by Dr. Joseph Mercola
The Science Behind Exercise Recovery The Science Behind
Exercise Recovery
pushup benefits
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- Men who were able to complete more than 40 pushups had a 96 percent reduced risk of cardiovascular events compared to those who could do less than 10
- Men who could complete between 21 and 30 pushups had only 25 percent of the heart problems compared to the 10 and under group
- The number of pushups you can complete appears to be an accurate way to gauge your heart health and fitness level
- By building your muscular strength, pushups help you ward off cardiometabolic risks, and a higher level of muscular strength is linked to a lower risk of cancer mortality, metabolic syndrome and age-related weight and fat gain
- It’s possible to modify pushups to suit any workout level, from beginner to advanced
Drop and give me 20! Actually, make that 40. A study from
Harvard's School of Public Health revealed that middle-aged men who can
complete more than 40 pushups have a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular
disease compared with men who can do less than 10.
Considering heart disease is the leading cause of death
worldwide, and pushups are a simple, free activity that anyone can learn to do,
this is information well worth acting on. Pushups themselves, despite their
seeming simplicity, are incredibly beneficial. However, it's likely not that
pushups are a panacea for your heart but, rather, serve as an indicator of your
overall fitness level.
While more extensive exercise tolerance tests such as
treadmill tests, are available, and these have also been linked to
cardiovascular disease risk, they can be expensive and time consuming and typically
require you to visit a professional to administer the test.
The featured study is encouraging because this simple test
you can do anywhere suggests the number of pushups you can complete may be a
comparable and accurate way to gauge your heart's health, with the researchers
concluding, "Although larger studies in more diverse cohorts are needed,
pushup capacity may be a simple, no-cost measure to estimate functional
status."
Ability to Complete 40-Plus Pushups Linked to Lower Heart
Disease Risk
The study involved more than 1,100 male firefighters with a
mean age of 40 years, who completed both pushup capacity and submaximal
treadmill exercise tolerance tests. During 10 years of follow-up, the men had
annual physical exams and completed health questionnaires.
Those who were able to complete more than 40 pushups at the
start of the study had a 96 percent reduced risk of cardiovascular events
compared to those who could do less than 10. Those who could do 11 or more
pushups (but less than 40) also benefited, experiencing a reduced risk of heart
health problems such as coronary artery disease, heart failure and sudden
cardiac death compared to men who could do fewer.
Men who could complete between 21 and 30 pushups had only 25
percent of the heart problems compared to the 10 and under group, and, the
researchers noted, "Participants able to perform 11 or more pushups at
baseline had significantly reduced risk of subsequent cardiovascular disease
events."
An important note: The pushups were completed at one time,
as opposed to broken up over the course of a day, in time with a metronome set
at 80 beats per minute. The pushups were tallied until 80 were reached, the
participant missed three or more beats of the metronome or stopped due to
exhaustion or other symptoms such as dizziness, lightheadedness, chest pain or
shortness of breath.
"Surprisingly," study author Dr. Justin Yang,
occupational medicine resident in the department of environmental health at
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a news release, "Pushup
capacity was more strongly associated with cardiovascular disease risk than the
results of submaximal treadmill tests."
4 Sugar Alternatives That Won't Poison You
You may think that staying slim and eating healthfully means
NO sweets, but guess what? There are natural and delicious sweeteners that
won’t wreck your diet, and are even GOOD for you!
No arena of health and wellness is more debatable than what
we should be eating. Looking back through time, the foods that constitute a
healthy diet have changed so dramatically, you can literally mark the passage
of time by the coming and going of dietary fads.
- Cabbage soup and liquid diets in the ‘80s
- The Zone and blood-type diets (along with lawsuits related to diet pills!) in the ‘90s
- In the 2000’s, Atkins and gluten-free
- In the 2010’s, it’s Paleo, raw, and local
Despite this obsessive focus on what to eat, Americans are
fatter and in many ways, unhealthier than ever before. In 2016, two-thirds of
the adult population were considered overweight or obese, according to a U.S.
Dept. of Health and Human Services study. This health epidemic spans ethnic and
cultural boundaries, and is affecting more adults and children every year.
One factor that is contributing to America’s growing problem
with weight is our obsession with sugar. You probably don’t need to see the
results of a clinical study to believe that the more sugary calories you
consume, the greater your risks of obesity. What you may not know, is that what
passes for sugar these days is actually a hyper-sweetened extract of one of the
cheapest, most heavily-sprayed, GMO-pervasive crops on the planet.
Why Sugar Isn’t Sugar Anymore
Despite a marked decrease in consumption of refined cane and
beet sugars over the last generation, we are taking in more dietary sugar
overall, thanks to the prevalence of corn-based sweeteners like high-fructose
corn syrup, in nearly everything on grocery store shelves.
Switching to corn-based sweeteners is a case of jumping from
the frying pan into the fire! Corn syrup has become the go-to sweetening agent
for processed foods due to its low cost and high concentration (at least 1.5
times that of cane sugar). Thanks to government subsidies, corn is alluringly
cheap for food and beverage companies that need a steady supply of sweetness.
Corn is also a top GMO crop with at least 92% of the nation’s
corn supply being genetically modified to withstand large doses of herbicides.
Setting aside the shocking effects of GMO consumption, this intense
concentration of simple sugar is wreaking havoc on the collective metabolism.
Studies abound correlating intake of high-fructose sweeteners to increased
risks of obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, fatty liver disease,
diabetes, and more.
What About Zero-Calorie Sweeteners?
Aspartame, Equal, sucralose, Splenda, saccharin: they go by
many names but do any of them sound truly sweet? Not when you read the nearly
100 scientific abstracts Greenmedinfo has collected on the perils of artificial
sweeteners. Chemical facsimiles of sugar, these unnatural compounds can be far
worse than the real thing.
Linked to increased risks of kidney disease, metabolic
dysfunction, diabetes, and obesity, these calorie-free sugar substitutes trick
consumers into thinking that previously unhealthy foods can get “a sugar-free
pass.” But fake sugars are far from harmless. Studies show consuming synthetic
sweeteners generates excessive cravings for the sweet taste, leading to weight
gain and other negative effects linked to excessive sugar consumption.
While it might be tempting to think that these sugar
imposters can help you bypass the weight and still eat the treats, if you value
your health, steer clear of these dietary destroyers!
Nature Has the Solutions
Wondering what options this leaves you when only something
sweet will do? Fortunately, nature has got you covered. Here are four solutions
for satisfying your sweet tooth that won’t rot your teeth, create blood sugar
imbalance, or cause weight gain. In fact, these natural wonders pack some
amazing health benefits!
Xylitol (my favorite)
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol derived from xylose - a crystalline
sugar found in birch bark. Sweet like sugar but with only 40% of the calories,
xylitol is fast becoming the preferred sweetener of health-conscious consumers.
Low-carb dieters will find xylitol appealing, with less than
a quarter of the carbohydrates found in cane sugar. It also stands apart from
synthetic sweeteners thanks to its natural origins. Besides birch trees,
xylitol is found in the cellular structure of fruits like raspberries, and in
vegetables like the corn-cob. Even our bodies produce xylitol (between 5-15
grams per day) during normal metabolic processes.
With a glycemic rating of 13, xylitol is metabolized around
eight times slower than regular sugar, making it a safer choice for diabetics.
Unlike sugar, which provokes the release of insulin in response to its
consumption, xylitol is metabolized independently of insulin in the gut. It
metabolizes slower and steadier than sugar, making it a much safer sweetener
for hypoglycemics and the sugar-sensitive.
And there’s good news for sufferers of cavities or Candida:
Xylitol actually discourages the bacterial growth that feeds these conditions.
The bacteria that cause candida, dental caries, and even Streptococcus mutans,
thrive in acid-based environments, with sugar as their food of choice. Xylitol
is non-fermentable, creating an alkaline reaction in the body that bacteria
find inhospitable. Xylitol consumption has been shown to dramatically decrease
cavities and ear and throat infections, among other infectious organisms.
The dental health community is one of the biggest supporters
of Xylitol. Studies have shown that plaque build-up and dental caries can be
reduced by 80% with the introduction of moderate amounts of xylitol (up to half an ounce per day). Research also indicates
that consuming xylitol may increase bone strength and bone density.
*Important Notes: Xylitol can have a laxative effect, so
start slowly. It is best to obtain Xylitol from a manufacturer who uses birch
rather than corn. Finally, Xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs, so please keep
it away from Fido! Xylitol is sometimes made from corn, which includes GMO
corn. Look for the higher quality, non-GMO certified, and best of all: birch
tree derived form.
Stevia
300 times sweeter than sugar and without caloric content,
the Stevia plant has been used by native people to sweeten food and drink for
centuries. Stevia’s popularity as a modern sugar substitute grew in the 1990’s,
and new research confirms what tribal cultures knew: this plant provides a safe,
affordable and tasty alternative to expensive and potentially dangerous
sweeteners.
The study, published in August 2017, calls Stevia “a
suitable calorie-free sweetener,” with both “pharmacological and therapeutic
properties, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, antihypertensive,
antidiabetic, and anticancer.” Researchers further heralded Stevia’s positive
effects on those metabolic conditions aggravated by excess sugar consumption,
namely obesity, hypertension, and diabetes.
Stevia reduces blood sugar, reduces blood pressure, combats
infections, and reduces risks of diabetes. One study even found that consuming
stevia was as effective as a popular oral antidiabetic drug, but with fewer
side effects.
If you haven’t tried Stevia in a while, you will be
pleasantly surprised by new formulations. What began as a strong-tasting plant
extract only available in health food stores, is now widely available in
crystallized-sugar form, as a finely distilled concentrate, and in formulations
that approximate the less-sweet taste of cane sugar, but without the negative
effects!
Raw Honey
Identified as containing more than 181 health-promoting
substances[, honey converts the vital, healing energy of plants into a medium
that is perfect for human consumption. Rich in phytonutrients (nutrients
absorbed from plants), raw honey is renowned worldwide for having powerful
anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties[.
Raw, unfiltered honey is very different from the pasteurized
product you find on most grocery store shelves. Nearly all
commercially-produced honey is heated to kill potentially harmful bacteria,
reduce crystallization, and improve product flow. Unfortunately, this process
also kills the vital, living enzymes and good bacteria which make raw honey one
of the world’s oldest-known superfoods.
The bacteria in raw honey serves as a prebiotic: a substance
containing helpful microorganisms that aid in the process of digestion. When
consumed raw, honey’s natural enzymes aid in the breakdown and assimilation of
the many nutrients it contains.
Raw honey is also rich in powerful antioxidants called
phenolic compounds, known to play an important role in cancer prevention[. These compounds found in honey have also
shown promise in reducing arterial blockages and lowering overall risks
associated with cardiovascular disease.
Perhaps most profound of all is that raw honey contains
probiotic strains that are so ancient that one form of Lactobacillus present
with certain varieties is believed to be of a lineage 80 million years old.
Molasses
Blackstrap molasses, known to sugar-refiners as “final
molasses,” refers to the thick, brown syrup that is the end result of boiling
sugar cane during the production of table sugar. What sets molasses apart from
cane sugar, besides the obvious appearance, is its high nutritional value.
Unlike its nutritionally bankrupt cousin, a 3.5 oz serving of blackstrap
molasses contains more than a quarter of your daily supply of vital minerals
such as iron, magnesium, potassium, manganese, and B vitamins. Molasses
delivers this nutritional punch with much less sugar, thanks to being at the
end of the line of the crystalline-sugar extraction process.
Molasses has long been a popular folk remedy, treating
everything from menstrual cramps to constipation. An old wives’ tale credits an
elixir of molasses and milk with having the power to maintain endless youth and
beauty. There may be some truth to this, thanks to molasses’ high antioxidant
content. Polyphenols, the plant compounds that imbue antioxidant properties,
are abundant in molasses, and have been recognized for having anti-cancer
properties in clinical studies.
A 2011 study showed that adding molasses to a high-fat diet
had the effect of reducing body weight and body fat percentages, thanks to
decreased calorie absorption. Researchers concluded that “supplementing food
with molasses extract might be a way to address the escalating rates of overweight
and obesity."
Rich in copper, iron, and calcium, molasses can play a vital
role in maintaining healthy blood and bones. This makes molasses a great
alternative to non-nutritive sweeteners for pregnant or nursing women, or women
who are trying to become pregnant. It also makes a great dietary supplement for
women at risk of developing osteoporosis.
These four, healthful alternatives to sugar prove that
craving a taste of sweetness doesn’t have to cause cavities, promote weight
gain, or lead to blood sugar imbalances. On the contrary, when we look to
nature, we find natural foods which actually sweeten our health, as well as our
palates.
Until next time, stay healthy and happy
JD Roma
The information on this blog is provided for educational
purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical care, and
medical advice and services are not being offered. If you have, or suspect you
have, a health problem you should consult your physician (preferably a
Naturopath).
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