(NaturalNews) How many times have you gone to your mailbox and found it
stuffed with useless junk mail? If you're like most Americans, you find
that happens a lot.
One of the major reasons why as much
as 60 percent of the mail we get is worthless to us - and why we tend to
get more of it after major life events - is because government agencies
at virtually all levels are selling your personal information to scores
of direct marketers.
Per CBS4 in Denver:
Eric
Meer is a small business owner who works out of his home in Denver's
Stapleton neighborhood. Meer says he was deluged by direct mail after
registering his small business with the Colorado Secretary of State. He
says many of the ads he received were deceptive asking him to pay fees
that he wasn't required to pay.
'It feels like betrayal'
Immediately
Meer says he got a hunch that the Colorado Secretary of State's office
sold his business info to marketing firms. The local CBS affiliate found
out that his hunch was correct; last year, the Secretary of State's
office raked in some $59,000 by selling business registration data.
Once again, so much for the Fourth Amendment's privacy protections. As usual, everyone except the government has to respect it.
"It
feels like a betrayal," Meer said in what we believe is an
understatement of epic proportions. "Because our government is supposed
to protect us, not to sell our information and profit from us."
Monday, September 2, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
Chinese adults hire wet nurses to provide human breast milk on demand
(NaturalNews) The South China Morning Post is now reporting that adults
in China are paying good money to breastfeed on wet nurses who are well
paid for providing their milk. The wet nurses are paid around US$2,700
per month, and clients are offered the ability to consume the beverage
directly. As in mammary consumption.
(Pause to let this sink in for a minute...)
A lot of people think this is ultra-creepy. And that was my first reaction, too. After all, the image of a 35-year-old adult man or woman feeding on the breasts of another woman somehow doesn't seem normal. Then again, in a culture where pop music celebrities parade around in slutty porn gear, nearly having sex on stage at music awards ceremonies as audiences applaud, I'm not sure anybody remembers what "normal" looks like anymore. Somehow, a 35-year-old business man feeding on the breasts of a well-paid wet nurse seems a lot less bizarre than the stage antics of Miley Cyrus, pop culture's newest deviant whose disturbing public perversions have set a new low for vulgarity.
It turns out, though, that there's more to this breastfeeding story than the mere shock factor. Some of these people who hire the wet nurses are chronically diseased and can't find sufficient nourishment in all the processed, contaminated foods that now characterize China. The Chinese people are starving for real nutrition and living in a country of unequalled chemical contamination. When real food is hard to come by, it just so happens that human breast milk is Mother Nature's smoothie. No one can deny that breast milk contains a miraculous assortment of immune-boosting, health-enhancing substances, many of which modern science can't even begin to understand but which every mom innately knows sustains and nourishes life.
(Pause to let this sink in for a minute...)
A lot of people think this is ultra-creepy. And that was my first reaction, too. After all, the image of a 35-year-old adult man or woman feeding on the breasts of another woman somehow doesn't seem normal. Then again, in a culture where pop music celebrities parade around in slutty porn gear, nearly having sex on stage at music awards ceremonies as audiences applaud, I'm not sure anybody remembers what "normal" looks like anymore. Somehow, a 35-year-old business man feeding on the breasts of a well-paid wet nurse seems a lot less bizarre than the stage antics of Miley Cyrus, pop culture's newest deviant whose disturbing public perversions have set a new low for vulgarity.
It turns out, though, that there's more to this breastfeeding story than the mere shock factor. Some of these people who hire the wet nurses are chronically diseased and can't find sufficient nourishment in all the processed, contaminated foods that now characterize China. The Chinese people are starving for real nutrition and living in a country of unequalled chemical contamination. When real food is hard to come by, it just so happens that human breast milk is Mother Nature's smoothie. No one can deny that breast milk contains a miraculous assortment of immune-boosting, health-enhancing substances, many of which modern science can't even begin to understand but which every mom innately knows sustains and nourishes life.
Friday, August 23, 2013
7 Natural Food Cures
You know that stuffing your face can often lead to a vicious cycle of
overeating, weight gain, and guilt, so in most cases it does more harm
than good. But in certain situations, noshing can actually help. When
life bites, here's how and when to bite back--in a healthy manner.
1. You're in a funk
Eat: Sweet potatoes
When you're feeling low, resist the urge to reach for chips or candy, and bake an orange tater instead. "Sweet potatoes are one of the most nutritious sources of carbohydrates, and when you consume carbs, they create an instant surge in serotonin, a feel-good chemical that lifts mood," says Lyssie Lakatos, R.D., co-author of The Secret To Skinny. And thanks to the fiber in the tubers, the carbs will enter your blood stream at a more gradual rate, helping keep your energy level stable. Read: You won't crash later and revert to being a grumpy pants, as can happen after a peanut butter cup binge.
Read more: http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/7-times-food-really-answer-140000416.html
1. You're in a funk
Eat: Sweet potatoes
When you're feeling low, resist the urge to reach for chips or candy, and bake an orange tater instead. "Sweet potatoes are one of the most nutritious sources of carbohydrates, and when you consume carbs, they create an instant surge in serotonin, a feel-good chemical that lifts mood," says Lyssie Lakatos, R.D., co-author of The Secret To Skinny. And thanks to the fiber in the tubers, the carbs will enter your blood stream at a more gradual rate, helping keep your energy level stable. Read: You won't crash later and revert to being a grumpy pants, as can happen after a peanut butter cup binge.
Read more: http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/7-times-food-really-answer-140000416.html
Thursday, August 22, 2013
CVS Pharmacy Sells Customer's Private Health Information
(NaturalNews) The CVS/pharmacy corporation recently launched a new
pharmaceutical marketing scheme that pushes customers to fill more drug
prescriptions at its stores by enticing them with cash prizes and other
rewards, an initiative that is now part of the company's "ExtraCare
Rewards Program." But a recent investigation by the Los Angeles Times (LA Times)
reveals that, in order to enroll in the new program, customers must
first surrender their medical privacy rights protected under HIPAA by
signing them away.
Known formally as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, HIPAA was originally enacted by Congress to guard individuals' private health information from being sold, shared, or otherwise exploited by the medical industry or third parties. HIPAA's Privacy Rule specifically governs how private health information can be accessed and used legally, restricting it in such a way as to allow health providers access only to what they actually need in order to provide reasonable care, while protecting the rest.
You can read a summary of how HIPAA's Privacy Rules affect you here:
http://www.hhs.gov
But CVS has apparently devised a way to bypass these protections by tricking its customers into signing away their HIPAA protections in exchange for store credits. According to the CVS ExtraCare Rewards signup page, all customers must "sign a HIPAA Authorization to join," a process that CVS fails to explain involves customers completely giving up their right to medical privacy. CVS discreetly admits this later on in the last step of the process, where customers are required to acknowledge that their "health information may potentially be re-disclosed."
"CVS takes the liberty of assuming you know that HIPAA and the 'federal Privacy Rule' are one and the same, although it has nowhere made the connection clear," writes David Lazarus for the LA Times about the final step in the signup process, which explains to customers that they are no longer protected by the federal Privacy Rule. "The company also assumes you are aware of what it means to no longer be protected by HIPAA, although, again, it hasn't spelled out the implications of giving up your HIPAA rights."
Known formally as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, HIPAA was originally enacted by Congress to guard individuals' private health information from being sold, shared, or otherwise exploited by the medical industry or third parties. HIPAA's Privacy Rule specifically governs how private health information can be accessed and used legally, restricting it in such a way as to allow health providers access only to what they actually need in order to provide reasonable care, while protecting the rest.
You can read a summary of how HIPAA's Privacy Rules affect you here:
http://www.hhs.gov
But CVS has apparently devised a way to bypass these protections by tricking its customers into signing away their HIPAA protections in exchange for store credits. According to the CVS ExtraCare Rewards signup page, all customers must "sign a HIPAA Authorization to join," a process that CVS fails to explain involves customers completely giving up their right to medical privacy. CVS discreetly admits this later on in the last step of the process, where customers are required to acknowledge that their "health information may potentially be re-disclosed."
"CVS takes the liberty of assuming you know that HIPAA and the 'federal Privacy Rule' are one and the same, although it has nowhere made the connection clear," writes David Lazarus for the LA Times about the final step in the signup process, which explains to customers that they are no longer protected by the federal Privacy Rule. "The company also assumes you are aware of what it means to no longer be protected by HIPAA, although, again, it hasn't spelled out the implications of giving up your HIPAA rights."
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
'Safety assessments' on nearly all common food additives found to be manipulated by processed food industry: Study
NaturalNews) New research published in the journal, JAMA Internal Medicine,
has verified that the vast majority of the 10,000-or-so chemical
additives currently allowed in food are backed only by industry-funded
and supported safety assessments. And a large percentage of these have
never even been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
for review, which means the general population is essentially being
used as a collective guinea pig in a giant food additive safety
experiment.
Between 1997 and 2012, the FDA reportedly received 451 voluntary notifications about new food additives, 100 percent of which came from individuals and groups connected in one way or another to the food industry. Rather than be accompanied by independent safety research, every single one of these new additives came with "safety data" conjured by the companies that produce them, a serious conflict of interest that apparently has become the standard rather than the exception.
Researchers from The Pew Charitable Trusts (PCT), a non-profit organization serving the public interest, decided to review data on the new food additive notification process after the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a federal watchdog agency, issued a report back in 2010 raising concerns about it. And what they found is astounding, particularly as it pertains to public health and safety.
Building upon a previous study they conducted of a similar nature, Thomas Neltner and his colleagues determined that roughly 43 percent of the 10,000 additives currently allowed in food are on the FDA's GRAS list, which means they are "generally recognized as safe." The other 57 percent, according to the data, were approved through other means, or never submitted or approved at all. And practically all of them lack independent analysis to verify their safety.
"Rules governing the chemicals that go into a tennis racket are more stringent than (rules for) the chemicals that go into our food," said Neltner regarding the findings. "At least when you put a new chemical on the market, you have to notify the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). But there's no requirement that you notify the FDA when you make a new food additive."
Between 1997 and 2012, the FDA reportedly received 451 voluntary notifications about new food additives, 100 percent of which came from individuals and groups connected in one way or another to the food industry. Rather than be accompanied by independent safety research, every single one of these new additives came with "safety data" conjured by the companies that produce them, a serious conflict of interest that apparently has become the standard rather than the exception.
Researchers from The Pew Charitable Trusts (PCT), a non-profit organization serving the public interest, decided to review data on the new food additive notification process after the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a federal watchdog agency, issued a report back in 2010 raising concerns about it. And what they found is astounding, particularly as it pertains to public health and safety.
Building upon a previous study they conducted of a similar nature, Thomas Neltner and his colleagues determined that roughly 43 percent of the 10,000 additives currently allowed in food are on the FDA's GRAS list, which means they are "generally recognized as safe." The other 57 percent, according to the data, were approved through other means, or never submitted or approved at all. And practically all of them lack independent analysis to verify their safety.
"Rules governing the chemicals that go into a tennis racket are more stringent than (rules for) the chemicals that go into our food," said Neltner regarding the findings. "At least when you put a new chemical on the market, you have to notify the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). But there's no requirement that you notify the FDA when you make a new food additive."
Thursday, August 8, 2013
N-acetyl cysteine for detoxification, cognitive protection and more
(NaturalNews) N-acetyl cysteine (also known by the acronym NAC and also
called N-acetyl-L-cysteine) is an amino acid and antioxidant that is
made by the body from its original form of cysteine. We obtain cysteine
from high protein foods that we consume such as yogurt, cottage cheese
and many poultry products.
It is also available in supplement form as N-acetyl cysteine for people who require more for therapeutic benefit. It helps the body produce glutathione, another amino acid which acts as a detoxifying agent to most of the organs of the body, essentially removing things like toxic heavy metals and other toxins that interfere with proper functionality.
One of the most commonly known benefits of taking the amino acid in supplement form is for the detoxification of the liver and the efficient breakdown of mucus. However, there are other numerous, lesser known benefits.
In addition to this, one study found that the amino acid may have antidepressant-like qualities. Rats that were supplemented with it exhibited more willingness to explore and remain active after a swimming lab test which indicated that it probably had an antidepressant effect on the brain.
It is often used by those concerned with liver toxicity associated with long term use of OTC anti-inflammaotories or NSAIDs, since these can damage the liver over time. It is also used as a detoxification measure for aluminum and other heavy metal exposure since it is very effective at removing these toxins from the organs and the blood stream.
Sources for this article include:
http://science.naturalnews.com
http://science.naturalnews.com
http://science.naturalnews.com
http://science.naturalnews.com
http://www.naturopathydigest.com
About the author:
Danna Norek founded AuraSensory.com. Product line includes an MSM & Vitamin C Ester Hydrating & Brightening Face Cream and all natural plumping Hyaluronic Acid Serum, Sulfate Free Natural Shine Enhancing Shampoo and Deep Hydration Conditioner, a very effective natural deodorant, and other body care. Visit to learn more about what chemicals & ingredients to avoid in your beauty and personal care products at AuraSensory.com .
It is also available in supplement form as N-acetyl cysteine for people who require more for therapeutic benefit. It helps the body produce glutathione, another amino acid which acts as a detoxifying agent to most of the organs of the body, essentially removing things like toxic heavy metals and other toxins that interfere with proper functionality.
One of the most commonly known benefits of taking the amino acid in supplement form is for the detoxification of the liver and the efficient breakdown of mucus. However, there are other numerous, lesser known benefits.
Neuroprotective effects of the administration of N-acetyl cysteine
Rats who were given doses of the antioxidant amino acid prior to being exposed to aluminum demonstrated less cognitive impairment than the rats that were not dosed with the amino acid. The conclusion of the experiment was that N-acetyl cysteine acted as a powerful prevention mechanism against aluminum toxicity and potentially against buildup in the brain. Aluminum toxicity in the brain has long been a suspected underlying cause of Alzheimer's disease.In addition to this, one study found that the amino acid may have antidepressant-like qualities. Rats that were supplemented with it exhibited more willingness to explore and remain active after a swimming lab test which indicated that it probably had an antidepressant effect on the brain.
General detoxification
N-acetyl cysteine has been identified as a major detoxification aid within the human body. When administered, it has demonstrated liver detoxification benefits, and helps to remove environmental contaminants and toxins from the blood stream. These include tobacco and other types of carbon-monoxide rich smokes, alcohol, pollution, and other types of inhaled or topically applied toxins.It is often used by those concerned with liver toxicity associated with long term use of OTC anti-inflammaotories or NSAIDs, since these can damage the liver over time. It is also used as a detoxification measure for aluminum and other heavy metal exposure since it is very effective at removing these toxins from the organs and the blood stream.
Suppression of influenza
The amino acid has also shown some significant capabilities in suppressing influenza A viruses. It accomplishes this by inhibiting the replication of the virus within the human body. Because it also acts as a mucus thinner, it may also help to decongest during a cold or flu infection. It also inhibits the replication of pro-inflammatory molecules which add to the physical pain and suffering experienced during a flu infection. For these reasons, it may significantly shorten or even prevent an influenza infection.Sources for this article include:
http://science.naturalnews.com
http://science.naturalnews.com
http://science.naturalnews.com
http://science.naturalnews.com
http://www.naturopathydigest.com
About the author:
Danna Norek founded AuraSensory.com. Product line includes an MSM & Vitamin C Ester Hydrating & Brightening Face Cream and all natural plumping Hyaluronic Acid Serum, Sulfate Free Natural Shine Enhancing Shampoo and Deep Hydration Conditioner, a very effective natural deodorant, and other body care. Visit to learn more about what chemicals & ingredients to avoid in your beauty and personal care products at AuraSensory.com .
Monday, August 5, 2013
U.S. directs agents to cover up program used to investigate Americans
By John Shiffman and Kristina Cooke
Although these cases rarely involve national security issues, documents reviewed by Reuters show that law enforcement agents have been directed to conceal how such investigations truly begin - not only from defense lawyers but also sometimes from prosecutors and judges.
The undated documents show that federal agents are trained to "recreate" the investigative trail to effectively cover up where the information originated, a practice that some experts say violates a defendant's Constitutional right to a fair trial. If defendants don't know how an investigation began, they cannot know to ask to review potential sources of exculpatory evidence - information that could reveal entrapment, mistakes or biased witnesses.
"I have never heard of anything like this at all," said Nancy Gertner, a Harvard Law School professor who served as a federal judge from 1994 to 2011. Gertner and other legal experts said the program sounds more troubling than recent disclosures that the National Security Agency has been collecting domestic phone records. The NSA effort is geared toward stopping terrorists; the DEA program targets common criminals, primarily drug dealers.
"It is one thing to create special rules for national security," Gertner said. "Ordinary crime is entirely different. It sounds like they are phonying up investigations."
Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-u-directs-agents-cover-program-used-investigate-091643729.html
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