Cholorinated Water--A Big No-No!!

CHLORINATED WATER.... A BIG NO-NO !!!


Most of us have some vague, fuzzy idea that city water may not be the best for us and many have turned to bottled water to use for ourselves.

Have you thought of doing the same for your pet? If not, why not? Maybe it's because you really don't understand the harm done by the multiple ingredients found in all municipal water supplies throughout the U.S.A.

Water is a God-given crucial nutrient for the body. But we have been hoodwinked into accepting a product that is of progressively more inferior composition. It is well known that the average city water today contains over 500 chemicals that do not belong in it. Part of this is due to the fact that most delivery systems in the U.S. include cement, asbestos pipes, cast iron, PVC (porous to certain solvents, herbicides and pesticides) and that lead, cadmium and other toxic metals leach out of valves and couplings of pipes between a water treatment plant and a faucet in the home.

To make matters worse, we INTENTIONALLY add chlorine !! So what?, you may ask .

Chlorine is a halogen that damages enzymes. It does not belong in our bodies as part of our water needs !!

For starters, chlorine potentiates magnesium deficiency, which can cause almost any symptom you can think of from high blood pressure, to chemical sensitivity or even sudden death. Furthermore it also decreases the absorption while increasing the excretion of calcium and phosphorus. The increased loss of calcium into the urine, promotes osteoporosis.

It is known that it not only contributes to hypertension, but also cancers of the pancreas, colon, bladder and has been linked to heart attacks, diabetes, kidney stones and much more.

All these years we've been putting people on low sodium diets for control of high blood pressure. But it turns out the sodium is not the problem as much as the chloride !!

To make matters worse for pets, some people still use plastic water bowls. Most, if not all, of these absorb and retain numerous toxic materials. Dr. Christopher Day (England) reports..."I once had an epileptic dog I had been treating unsuccessfully for eighteen months. One day its plastic feeding bowl was accidentally broken and replaced with a ceramic one. The fits stopped immediately."

Although many breeders are aware of the chlorine problem in drinking water, a common mistake is to overlook the fact that bathing in it can have the same effect !! Please remember that because of dermal absorption, anything on the skin is like drinking it !!

In some cities of the U.S., the chlorine level is so high, that taking 3 showers a day puts you over the government standard for exposure.

For 'show dogs' that exhibit skin irritations after bathing, maybe you would be advised to check the water you are using at the show site rather than blaming it on a shampoo or something else.

Also often overlooked is the water system used in motor homes. What are you loading your holding tanks with ? I know we used to be guilty of simply taking our garden hose and filling up from the tap at home. Ah, ignorance is truly bliss.

So what can we do about it ? As usual, the Europeans are ahead of us in preserving natural health. In wide spread areas of Europe the most common method of killing bugs in water systems is the use of OZONE treatment. It does a beautiful job, you have none of the free radical damage to the body that is common with chlorine, and there are multiple benefits of ozone to be derived from its interaction with the body ! Do you think we'll ever get our cities to consider this ??

There are many filtering devices available but you better do your homework when it concerns quality and effectiveness.

I have heard from one breeder in Texas, who has installed a 'reverse osmosis' system that has been very successful in eliminating most of the problems associated with our water--including chlorine. The system not only treats her drinking water but looks after all water entering her premises. This means that even water going to her refrigerator (ice cubes) has been treated.

Evidently, the system may be purchased but she found it more economical to lease it on a monthly rental basis that included regular maintenance, filter changes, etc. It certainly seems worth looking into as this type of system does require routine monitoring and replacement of the membrane periodically.

The ultimate system I have read about combines distillation and carbon filtration both before and after the distillation process.

Margarine and Fatty Acids

THE MARGARINE HOAX

Margarine, Fatty Acids and Your Health
To maintain good health it is important that we have the correct intake of omega fatty acids in our diets. Hydrogenated fats like margarine are non-foods with toxic effects and should be avoided at any cost.

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HEALTH FOOD LABELS MAY DECEIVE Have you ever spent extra money to purchase a 'higher-quality' health food or vitamin product, only to discover some time later that it wasn't all it was claimed to be? It has happened in our family more than once. Our most recent experience was with a line of vegetable oils sold in health food stores and co-ops. The attractively labelled bottles touted their special processing techniques, implying low temperatures and the superior quality of their product. We had used their canola oil for many years when I decided to write the company with some questions and request information on their oils.
We were shocked to find out that the "cold-pressed" and "lightly refined" canola oil was subjected to the same high temperatures (450°-500° Fahrenheit, or 232°-260° Celsius) and most of the chemical processing steps suffered by regular grocery store oils! The main difference was that they didn't use chemical solvents to extract the oil from the seeds or add preservatives or defoamer.
Disappointed, and determined to find a source of healthy oils for my family, I began a search for accurate information on the production of food oils to supplement my scanty knowledge. This article is the culmination of that exploration to date, and will provide you with information you need to make healthier selections of foods and oils for your family.

THE IMPORTANCE OF FATTY ACIDS Fatty acids are essential for our cells to function normally and stay alive. The cell membranes allow the passage of necessary minerals and molecules in and out of our cells. Healthy cell membranes discourage dangerous chemicals and organisms like bacteria, viruses, moulds and parasites from entering the cell. These membranes also maintain chemical receptor sites for hormones, the body's crucial messengers. Fatty acids are involved in countless chemical processes in our bodies and are used as building blocks for certain hormones.
Two types of fatty acids&emdash;omega-3 and omega-6&emdash;cannot be made by our bodies and therefore must be obtained through our diets. They are called "essential fatty acids" (EFAs), and if we have an adequate supply we can use these EFAs to manufacture the other fatty acids we need.
EFA supplementation has been helpful to many people with allergies, anaemia, arthritis, cancer, candida, depression, diabetes, dry skin, eczema, fatigue, heart disease, inflammation, multiple sclerosis, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), psoriasis, sluggish metabolism, viral infections, etc., and in easing the addiction recovery process.

TRANS- FATS AND CONFUSED CHEMISTRY Naturally-occurring fatty acids contain double bonds of a particular configuration, referred to as "cis-" by biochemists. The cis- causes the molecules to be bent so that the two hydrogen atoms are on the same side of the double bond. This means the bonds between the molecules are weaker due to their irregular shape, resulting in a lower melting point&emdash;or, in supermarket shopper lingo, they are solid at room temperature. Fats with either trans- double bonds or no bonds ("saturated") are solid at room temperature.
Margarine is made by adding hydrogen atoms to the fat molecules to make them more saturated, raising the melting point of the fat so it remains a solid at room temperature, i.e., the margarine won't run all over the table. This process, called "hydrogenation", requires the presence of a metal catalyst and temperatures of about 500°F (260°C) for the reaction to take place. It causes about half of the cis- bonds to flip over into a trans- configuration.
Hydrogenation became popular in the US because this type of oil doesn't spoil or become rancid as readily as regular oil and therefore has a longer shelf-life. You can leave a cube of margarine sitting out for years and it will not be touched by moulds, insects or rodents. Margarine is a non-food! It would appear that only humans are foolish enough to eat it! Because the fats in margarine are partially hydrogenated (i.e., not fully saturated), the manufacturers can claim it is "polyunsaturated" and market it to us as a healthy food.
Many other fatty chemicals are also created when oils are partially hydrogenated. In Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill (p. 103), Udo Erasmus stated: "So many different compounds can be made during partial hydrogenation that they stagger the imagination... Needless to say, the industry is hesitant to fund or publicize thorough and systematic studies on the kinds of chemicals produced and their effects on health."1
Erasmus also quoted a statement about hydrogenation, made by Herbert Dutton, one of the oldest and most knowledgable oil chemists in North America. It basically boils down to this: because of the known and unknown health effects of these hydrogenation by-products, government health regulations would not allow the process to be used for making edible products if it were to be introduced today.
Another 'side-effect' of hydrogenation is that a residue of toxic metals, usually nickel and aluminium, is left behind in the finished product. These metals are used as catalysts in the reaction, but they accumulate in our cells and nervous system where they poison enzyme systems and alter cellular functions, endangering health and causing a wide variety of problems. These toxic metals are difficult to eliminate without special detoxification techniques, and our 'toxic load' increases steadily with small exposures over time. Since they are increasingly found in our air, food and water, the cumulative doses can add up to dangerous levels over time.
Since trans- fats don't occur in nature, our bodies don't know how to deal with them effectively and they act as poisons to crucial cellular reactions. The body tries to use them as it would the cis- form, and they wind up in cell membranes and other places they shouldn't be.
In recent years, measurements of trans- fats in the membranes of human red blood cells have been as high as 20 per cent, when the figure should be zero. While red blood cells were used because they're easy to access, it's safe to assume that most other cell membranes in the body also contain these unnatural fats.
Trans- fatty acids in cell membranes weaken the membrane's protective structure and function. This alters normal transport of minerals and other nutrients across the membrane and allows disease microbes and toxic chemicals to get into the cell more easily. The result: sick, weakened cells, poor organ function and an exhausted immune system&emdash;in short, lowered resistance and increased risk of disease.
Trans- fats can also derail the body's normal mechanisms for eliminating cholesterol. The liver normally puts excess cholesterol in the bile and sends it to the gall bladder, which empties into the small intestine just below the stomach. Trans- fats block the normal conversion of cholesterol in the liver and contribute to elevated cholesterol levels in the blood. They also cause an increase in the amount of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs), considered to be one of the main instigators of arterial disease (hardening of the arteries). Meanwhile, trans- fats lower the amount of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) which help protect the cardiovascular system from the adverse effects of the LDLs. Trans- fats also increase the level of apolipoprotein A, a substance in the blood which is another risk factor for heart disease. Indeed, trans- fats have now been shown to cause even worse problems than saturated animal fats.
Another adverse effect of trans- fats in the diet is an enhancement of the body's pro-inflammatory hormones (prostaglandin E2) and inhibition of the anti-inflammatory types (prostaglandin E1 and E3). This undesirable influence exerted by trans- fats on prostaglandin balance may render you more vulnerable to inflammatory conditions that don't want to heal! Prostaglandins also regulate many metabolic functions. Tiny amounts can cause significant changes in allergic reaction, blood pressure, clotting, cholesterol levels, hormone activity, immune function and inflammatory response, to name just a few.
Many of these problems with trans- fats have been known or suspected for 15 to 20 years, but have been largely ignored in the US. In Europe, trans- fats are restricted in food products, and some countries allow no more than 0.1 per cent trans- fatty acid content. In contrast, margarines in the US may contain up to 30 to 50 per cent! Of course, the food industry denies there is any problem with this.
Meanwhile, scientific evidence continues to mount that trans- fats contribute to heart disease and possibly other conditions as well. Even the conservative Harvard Health Letter referred to them as "the new enemy".2

VESTED INTERESTS According to Russell Jaffe, M.D., a noted medical researcher, hog farmers will not feed trans- fats to their animals because the pigs will die if they eat them. When Dr Jaffe contacted the US Department of Agriculture, he found that it knew all about this but was not interested in the possible human effects since this area was not under its jurisdiction. The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) hasn't done anything about it, either. The fact that the food industry has succeeded in keeping a lid on public awareness of these facts is testimony to the political power it wields in governmental and scientific circles.
The food industry funds a great deal of research. People in the research community know that you can often predict the outcome of a study if you know who is funding it. In that light, it's unwise to accept blindly the press releases on 'the latest research' without considering who paid for it. There are some rather scientific-sounding foundations out there that are basically 'front' organisations for the food industry.3

FATS IN OUR DIETS Margarine isn't the only grocery store item with a significant amount of trans- fats. Any 'food' that lists "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" on the label contains trans- fats and should be avoided. You may be surprised to discover how many products in your kitchen contain trans- fats. They include most baked goods such as bread and crackers, shortenings like margarine and Crisco, refined vegetable oils and most brands of peanut butter. Most peanut butter brands contain sugar or corn syrup which stresses the pancreas and is easily converted to fat by the body.
So be sure to read the labels on packaged foods and avoid those with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil!
Also avoid products containing cottonseed oil. Cotton is not considered a food crop and is heavily sprayed with highly toxic pesticides&emdash;some of which wind up in the oil. According to Dr Jaffe, cottonseed oil also contains toxic fatty acids similar to those present in rape seed oil about 30 years ago and suspected of causing several deaths before being taken off the market. These fatty acids caused illness when fed to dogs and pigs. Cottonseed oil is commonly used to fry potato chips, and is found in numerous processed foods.
Currently, the dominant medical opinion is that fats are bad for us and should be restricted in our diets. Given the types of fats usually consumed in America, this is probably a good idea. But several studies have shown that the quantity of fat is not as important as the quality of fat and the balance of the fats in relation to each other. In fact, the essential fatty acids (mentioned earlier) help control the types of cholesterol made by the body and help prevent heart disease. So, reducing saturated fats and unnatural trans- fats in our diets, while increasing the essential fats, would be a more prudent policy. Many scientists are now advocating this shift in emphasis.
Edward Siguel, M.D., Ph.D., is an award-winning researcher who was invited to investigate fatty acids in the Framingham Cardiovascular Offspring Study. He recently authored a book, Essential Fatty Acids in Health and Disease.4 Dr Siguel has developed a sensitive test to determine the amounts of the various fatty acids found in humans, and has found a definite correlation with trans- fats and heart disease. He has also found that many people with heart disease have low levels of EFAs. In a presentation at the Second Annual Symposium on Functional Medicine in 1994, he stated that insufficiency of EFAs may underlie many of the chronic diseases prevalent in Western societies. He also cautioned that low-fat diets not based on whole foods might be hazardous: "Individuals who maintain normal or low body-weight by eating low-calorie, low-fat, processed foods, such as supermarket cereals, breads and pasta, are at high risk for EFA insufficiency...compounded by the use of hydrogenated oils, leading to elevated levels of circulating trans- fatty acids..."
The breast milk of many US mothers also shows an excess of trans- fats and low omega-3 fatty acid content. Dr Donald Rudin, in his co-authored book, The Omega-3 Phenomenon, stated: "American mothers produce milk that often has only one-fifth to one-tenth of the omega-3 content of the milk that well-nourished, nut-eating Nigerian mothers provide their infants."5
A revealing study was recently published by the Nutrition Research Division of Health Canada. The researchers analysed the milk of 198 lactating mothers across Canada and found that trans- fatty acids averaged 7.2 per cent of total fatty-acid content, with a range of 0.1 to 17.2 per cent. Further analysis of these trans- fats showed that their major source was partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (that means margarine). They also noted that elevation of these trans- fats occurred at the expense of the EFAs, thus placing the infant in double jeopardy during a crucial period of development.6
Both types of EFAs are necessary for proper development of foetal and infant tissues, especially the nervous system. According to John Finnegan, in The Facts About Fats, the omega-3s in particular affect the parts of the brain that relate to learning ability, anxiety or depression, and auditory and visual perception. They also aid in balancing the immune system.7 A 1991 Mayo Clinic study of 19 'normal' pregnant women, eating 'normal' diets, showed that all of them were deficient in the omega-3 fatty acids and, to a lesser extent, the omega-6s. These researchers recommended that the omega-3 fatty acids be supplemented in every pregnancy, and that women avoid refined and hydrogenated fats during pregnancy.8
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed a dramatic difference between the heart-disease rates of populations in northern and southern India.9 The northerners were meat-eaters and had high cholesterol levels. Their main source of dietary fat was ghee (clarified butter). The southerners were vegetarians and had much lower cholesterol levels. Present-day 'wisdom' would predict the vegetarians to have the lower rate of heart disease, but, in fact, the opposite was true. The vegetarians had 15 times the rate of heart disease when compared to their northern counterparts! What was the reason for this surprising difference? Aside from meat versus vegetables, the major dietary difference was that the southerners had replaced their traditional ghee (a real food) with margarine and refined, polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Twenty years later, the British medical journal the Lancet noted an increase in heart-attack deaths amongst the northern Indians.10 The northerners had also largely replaced the ghee in their diets with margarine and refined vegetable oils.
One hundred years ago, heart disease was virtually unknown. Today, two-thirds of US citizens develop heart disease. Something has clearly gone wrong with the way we are living, and one of the main factors could indeed be the introduction of overrefined, overprocessed, devitalised oils.

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