Water fluoridation has always been a contentious issue, but it is becoming more common to hearmention of fluoride as a toxic substance in our everyday lives, and that it should be eliminated.The practice of fluoridating drinking water in North America began in 1945 ostensibly for thepurpose of reducing tooth decay, but it was initiated before proper studies had been performed to ensure the safety of ingesting fluoride over a lifetime. 

Fluoride is added to water to bring it to an arbitrary level deemed necessary for healthy teeth. But fluoride is a toxin, not a nutrient. The proof is the massive increase in irreversible dental fluorosis (white or brown spots on the teeth) in children who drank fluoridated water as babies. Fluoride is an accumulative environmental and food chain pollutant. While less than 1% of fluoridated tap water is used for drinking, we are all exposed to a fluoride in various forms from many sources,including foods and drinks cooked or processed with it, pesticide residue on non-organic produce,air pollution, dental products, and pharmaceuticals, to name a few. Fluoride accumulates in our bodies, potentially harming the unborn, growing children, the medically compromised, and seniors the most. In spite of claims by the dental industry, fluoride does not prevent tooth decay - oral health is tied to income level and nutrition, not fluoride intake. The fluoridation chemicals in the unused water go back into the environment, accumulating in land and aquatic life. 

Most health authorities suggest drinking at least eight glasses of water per day for good health. How much fluoride are you getting when you drink a glass of artificially fluoridated water? About the same as if you swallowed a pea-sized blob of toothpaste - which the label clearly tells you not to do. If it is not safe to swallow eight blobs of toothpaste with FDA-approved fluoride per day for life, or take eight pills containing this amount of fluoride, why are we told it’s OK to drink this amount of the diluted industrial waste that has never been FDA-approved for human consumption? 

Yes, we are drinking diluted industrial waste. The product used for water fluoridation is a highlyt oxic waste recovered from the air pollution scrubbing systems of the phosphate fertilizer industry,as well as from other sources of industrial waste, including that from China. Wherever it issourced from, it is contaminated with lead, arsenic, and radioactive particles, among other very hazardous, accumulative contaminants. 

Increasingly in the last few decades, citizens in North America and around the world have been learning the truth about water fluoridation and many are becoming active and vocal to protect themselves and their communities. In recent years, more and more communities have been removing fluoride from their drinking water, reversing a 60 year trend. Over 2600 professionalsso far have signed a statement requesting the end of water fluoridation. This information and more facts about water fluoridation can be found on the website of the Fluoride Action Network(FAN), at www.fluoridealert.org. While there are many good fluoride opposition websites, this website is the most comprehensive non-dental and non-governmental source of scientific information on fluoride and its health effects. It has thousands of supporters, including professionals in medicine, dentistry, environmental science as well as the US EPA Union of professional workers. 

Canadian citizens can find further information about water fluoridation on the Canadian websites of http://www.waterloowatch.comand http://www.fluoridation.com. 

Another organization, the national, educational non-profit Second Look, with its program the Fluoride Toxicity Research Collaborative (FTRC) has been addressing the issue of fluoride poisoning in individuals, and is the only organization developing a system to work with people who are ill from the effects of fluoride toxicity, a still unrecognized epidemic. See:http://www.SLweb.org. People usually decide against fluoridation when they are well informed with the facts. Get the facts - protect yourself and your community.

Sincerlely,

Suzanne Somers

For more information, please visit www.SuzanneSomers.com.

This article is finally saying what I have been saying for the last two years.  Avastin, the drug of choice for breast cancer, is ineffective in 92% of all women who used it.  8% of women who get breast cancer get an especially virulent type called Her 2 Nu.  The drug Herceptin has shown some results with Her 2 Nu.  Avastin also works "a little" for those same 8%, but not as well as Herceptin.  Therefore, Avastin is really totally ineffective,  yet they keep prescribing it even though it does NOTHING and has such devastating side effects.  Most of the women with the bald heads have gotten nothing out of their treatments, except misery.  So that means that Avastin is totally ineffective , but is as we speak, it's a $2 billion dollar per  year drug. Women lose their hair, their health, their bones turn to powder, they lose their soul, yet they still give it to them.  Follow the money.  Just terrible.

Click here to read the full article.  

Sincerely, 

Suzanne Somers 

For more information, please visit www.SuzanneSomers.com 

What!?!  Lipitor for kids?  See link below to read the full article.  I have written about the dangers of cholesterol lowering statins in my interview with Dr. Russell Blaylock (Breakthrough, Chapter 14), and wanted to get his opinion on this new development.  Here is the response he sent to me.

Dear Suzanne,

This is an attempt by the pharmaceutical companies to extend their profits. This is the most absurd and dangerous idea I could ever imagine. For one, it would lower cholesterol to dangerously low levels during a critical period of brain development. People's brains continue to develop until age 27. Cholesterol is essential for brain function (it makes up a critical part of neuron synapses called lipid rafts). Studies have shown that Lipitor, and the other statin drugs, can significantly interfere with this critical brain component. There are a great number of ways to reduce atherosclerosis that are much safer and cheaper than this dangerous drug. One should also consider that statins dramatically reduce immune function and lowering kids' immune function for a lifetime would greatly increase their risk of a number of infectious diseases as well as cancer.

http://www.channel3000.com/health/24156140/detail.html

 Regards,  

Suzanne Somers 

For more information please visit www.SuzanneSomers.com.

But should a great tan kill you?  

Who doesn't feel great with a bit of a healthy glow? But what you don't know can kill you.  Literally.

As you've probably noticed, there's a lot of mixed messages out there about sun tanning, self-tanning, and tanning beds. The facts are clear.  There is no...I repeat NO...safe form of tanning when ultraviolet (UV) rays are involved.  That's because UV rays from the sun and tanning beds damage your skin, making you a lot more susceptible to squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, and the most dangerous forms of skin cancer...melanoma. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 65% to 90% of melanomas are caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. And what's even more shocking? Even though it's preventable, nearly 9,000 Americans die from melanomas each year. Who wants that?! I know I don't!  And neither does Congress.  As part of Health Reform Act, Congress introduced a 10% tax on indoor tanning to offset the costs associated with health risks of tanning beds and tanning salon services.  And did you know that both the American Medical Association (ADA) and the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) want to ban the non-medical use of tanning equipment? And don't get me started on how old-fashioned tanning is the best way to age your skin and look like a shriveled prune!  I could write a whole series of blogs on that.

So enough with the bad news.  The good news is that there's a better AND natural way to get that great summertime glow without compromising your health and beauty.  I’m launching SUZANNE ORGANICS Golden Tanning Serum in mid July as a way to get a completely chemical-free tan with a 100% natural product. Yes, I said "no chemicals"!  Our Tanning Serum incorporates nature’s most remarkable ingredients to activate a tan from the inside out! Just like all my new products, I’ve made sure they are made from organic and Certifed ToxicFree® ingredients to protect your health.

SUZANNE ORGANICS Golden Tanning Serum's Key Ingredients include:
 
Monk’s Pepper Berry - a natural tanning activator from French Polynesia, that stimulates melanin production with sunlight
Acetyl Tyrosine – this natural amino acid acts as a suntan booster by enhancing skin’s pigmentation  
Sugar Peptides – supports a healthy bronze colored tan, with or without sunlight

And if you've used self-tanning products before and been disappointed by the results, join the club.  That's another reason why I created this product.  Those spray-on tans stink! This serum has a lovely natural scent from coconut and mango.  It's really easy to apply. It won't leave a streaky mess like many products out there.  Plus, it lasts 3 times as long as DHA-only products.  And worried about that fake orangy look?  SUZANNE ORGANICS Golden Tanning Serum works with your own pigmentaion to give you a natural glow. And it's loaded with nurturing botanicals like aloe, green tea, coconut oil, and argan oil for optimum hydration.  It’s actually good for your skin, and did I mention, "NO CHEMICALS"?!

I'm really proud of this product.  Finally, we have a gorgeous, safe, and natural alternative that will make us feel like a California girl all year round.

Sincerely,

Suzanne Somers

For more information, visit www.SuzanneSomers.com

The fabulous four sit around a table at the latest hotspot in Manhattan. They wear the latest fashion. They wear the latest shoes. They share the latest news.  They are the queens of pop culture and we watch their every move with baited breath. Then, wait for it… Samantha, the sexy one, pulls out a copy of BREAKTHROUGH and announces her new health regime to Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda: bioidentical hormones of estrogen, progesterone, and a touch of testosterone; plus a variety of supplements; melatonin sleep patches, and more.  In fact, her entire storyline weaves around her reliance on this women’s health program found in BREAKTHROUGH to keep her young, vital, and sexy as she finds a way to bypass menopause.  With Kim Cattrall playing Samantha, I couldn’t ask for a better, albeit fictitious, publicist to let women know they have options when it comes to their health and tackling menopause.
 
So how much did I have to pay for this incredible product placement?  It was a gift – a gift from a remarkable man who read the book and felt the information in BREAKTHROUGH was compelling.  It all began about a year ago with a call from Michael Patrick King, the creator/writer/director of the series and film, Sex and the City. He asked for permission to use my book, BREAKTHROUGH, in the film’s sequel as part of Samantha’s storyline. Permission? Are you kidding me! I was beyond honored. I explained the importance of my natural hormones and that when my house burned down the first call I made was to my office to order my bioidentical hormones right away. I like to think my recounting of that story may have inspired King to have Samantha’s hormones confiscated in Abu Dhabi.  
 
I kept this information a secret for a year; and kept my fingers crossed it would actually become a reality.  I was invited to attend the premiere and what a night!  A reporter on the way in said, “Wait til you see it. You’re like the 5th character!” You can watch my red carpet adventure on my Facebook page.  Yes, BREAKTHROUGH made it into the film in a manner way beyond my wildest dreams… and my greatest source of pride is knowing this important information about bioidentical hormones and women’s health has pierced into pop culture.  It means the message about the power of natural hormones is mainstream.  Thank you, Michael Patrick King, Kim Cattrall, and the very sexy Samantha! You made this author extremely proud.      

Sincerely,

Suzanne Somers

For more information, visit www.SuzanneSomers.com

A major soft drink manufacturer announced it will help kids to lead healthier lives by offering “low-calorie nutritious beverage choices” in school vending machines.  Sugar soft-drinks will be removed and replaced with a variety of beverages, including juice, plus artificially sweetened sodas, sports drinks and iced teas.  While I applaud the notion of getting rid of sugary soft drinks filled with high fructose corn syrup, the idea of replacing them with artificially sweetened drinks – especially for children – should not be called a “healthy” alternative, but rather a dangerous exposure to chemicals.   

Is over-consumption of sugar a problem in our country?  You bet.  Sugar consumption has reached astonishingly unhealthy levels, with the average American eating 160 pounds of sugar yearly (Knockout, p. 98). Not all sugar is as obvious as the amount we get in a soft drink - it is often disguised in ingredient lists or hidden in seemingly innocent food items such as crackers, condiments, and salad dressings. Our insatiable appetite for sugar has far-reaching toxic implications for our health. There is an especially alarming link between sugar consumption and the cancer epidemic.

According to Dr. Russell Blaylock, an oncologist, brain surgeon, and neuroscientist, sugar directly fuels cancer cell growth (Knockout, p. 155-156). Dr. Michael Galitzer expands on this point by explaining that while healthy cells utilize oxygen to create energy, cancer cells create energy and thrive by fermenting sugar (Knockout, p. 215). Cristiana Paul, M.S., a certified nutritionist, explains that high blood sugar is taken in by precancerous cells causing them to multiply faster than they would if less sugar was available. Sugar also causes a damaging spike in the hormone insulin. The excess insulin stimulates cell growth, cell division, and the proliferation of cancerous cells (Knockout, p. 236). While these experts agree it is imperative for cancer patients to completely remove sugar from their diet, it is also imperative for healthy individuals to do the same in order to reduce the risk of cancer.

Reduce the sugar and provide healthier alternatives... yes, I agree.  But diet sodas, teas and sports drinks?  Really? Chemically produced artificial sweeteners are not a healthy alternative for sugar!  Dr. Blaylock cites a recent study from one of the biggest cancer research institutes in the world, The Ramazzini Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences in Italy. They tested aspartame on the largest number of rats ever and found it increases cancer incidence from doses equivalent to drinking diet sodas.  It also showed an increase specifically in lymphoma, leukemia, breast cancer, and brain cancer.  And from previous studies, Dr. Blaylock cites neurological brain damage from aspartame (Breakthrough, p.192).   Research by Dr. Richard Wurtman, a physician-researcher at MIT, demonstrated that aspartame is not only a neurological toxin, but it also increases appetite. So artificial sweeteners derived from chemicals can actually contribute to weight gain (Knockout, p. 98).

Why should we choose between two types of poison; sugar or artificial sweeteners?  And why would anyone even consider placing either of these poisons into a vending machine for our children to consume?  Choose water!  Milk!  Unsweetened juice!  Or if you want something sweet, choose stevia, agave, or an All Natural Sweetener.    

Regards, 

Suzanne Somers

For more information, please visit www.SuzanneSomers.com.

I had the pleasure to interview Dr. Jonathan Wright for my last two books, BREAKTHROUGH and KNOCKOUT.  Subsequently he has agreed to do a series of interviews on my blog to provide vital information for many of the issues women face today.  The first was on Vit K and its benefits to help menstrual clotting.  Today we will tackle the issue of thinning hair and weak nails.   

SUZANNE:  Hi, Dr. Wright.  Thank you for continuing this important series for my readers.  I meet so many women who are complaining they are losing their hair or have weak nails.  What causes this? 

DR. WRIGHT:There are several conditions which cause women to lose their hair.  First we have the relatively rare condition called “alopecia areata”, in which an entire “patch” or even multiple “patches” of hair fall out, surrounded by entirely healthy scalp with lots of hair.  Secondly, we have even more rare “alopecia totalis” in which all the hair—everywhere on the scalp—drops out.  But the much more common condition I want to discuss today commonly begins at peri-menopause (and sometimes even before then!) and is just  “thinning out all over”, when we find too much hair in the shower or bathtub drain type of hair loss. A typical observation about this kind of hair loss is “Gee, when I put my hair in a ponytail, the ponytail is getting skinnier and skinnier!” 

SUZANNE:This is a big problem for women.  I remember when I was young there was a certain age where women just didn’t wear their hair long anymore because it got too thin.  Everyone got those “mom” cuts by age 40.  And also I hear a lot of complaints about nails getting weaker and weaker. 

DR. WRIGHT:  Some women will tell me their nails have been in poor condition for years, while others will say they are gradually getting worse and worse.  Even adding gelatin or calcium – the nails chronically chip, peel, crack, “layer back”, are too thin and break way too easily. 

SUZANNE:Do thinning hair and weak nails have same cause? 

DR. WRIGHT:Yes, they do have the same cause, but surprisingly, even though both problems have the same underlying cause, I’ve very rarely heard, in 37 years of natural medicine practice, from one woman who has both problems at the same time.  

SUZANNE: So what is the cause? 

DR. WRIGHT:Recent research has established a link between low levels of iron and relatively uniformly distributed female scalp hair loss.  

SUZANNE:So if we supplement with iron will it help our hair and nails? 

DR. WRIGHT:It goes deeper than that.  Finding the connection to “thinning all over” hair loss and low iron levels is progress, but surprisingly, low iron levels, hair loss, and poor quality nails all have the same underlying cause for women of all ages:  it’s “gastric hypochlorhydria”, translated into English: low stomach acid. 

SUZANNE:Most people would never link low stomach acid to these other issues.  How does low stomach acid cause iron deficiency, hair loss, and nail weakening?   

DR. WRIGHT:If stomach acid is low, protein isn’t efficiently digested – and hair and nails are made up of… protein!  If we are deficient in protein, our bodies know that we can live without hair or nail proteins, but we can’t survive without heart muscle proteins or other important body proteins.  So if we are short in supply of protein, the hair or nails are the first to go. Optimal stomach function—which includes optimal stomach acid—is also key to optimal digestion and absorption of iron, many other minerals, and at least two key B vitamins. It’s no wonder hair or nails “go bad”!  If a woman in her twenties or thirties is losing a lot of hair, we now know it’s from too little stomach acid and pepsin.  This can be replenished with Hydrochloric Acid with Pepsin capsules.  (HCL-pepsin).  With women in their forties who are losing their hair, often it’s a combination of low stomach acid, low thyroid, and sex hormone loss – mainly estrogen and progesterone.  In this case we replace missing hormones with bioidentical estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid.  Then we also replace the missing or low hydrochloric acid.  But there is one more key element on the outside track – DHEA.  Sometimes DHEA is the key missing element.   

SUZANNE:That’s your cocktail for hair loss, I love it.  How great to have a natural remedy to replace what’s missing rather than a drug to put a Band-Aid on things.  So in women losing their hair, you would look for a doctor who specializes in anti-aging medicine and ask for a gastric analysis?  

DR. WRIGHT:And from my experience, I would say it will probably reveal low stomach acid for sure, and/or low thyroid, and/or a lack of DHEA and/or natural sex hormones.  Once those are replenished, the hair and nails get thicker and stronger.  

SUZANNE:I have a friend who was very upset that she was losing her hair.  She started taking 3-4 Hydrochloric Acid with Pepsin (HCL-pepsin) capsules  (available at health food stores) with each meal and her hair is coming back and her bloating is subsiding.  She’s thrilled!  I’ve been taking HCL-pepsin for several years, and I’m happy to say, my nails and hair are both in great shape.    I’ve covered many of these topics in my book, BREAKTHROUGH.  If my readers want more extensive information on low stomach acid, hair loss and nail weakening, where should they look? 

Dr. WRIGHT:For a brief review of low stomach acid and related problems, you might see my recently published book Stomach (Praktikos Books, Mt. Vernon, Virginia, 2009) or the older book Why Stomach Acid is Good for You (M. Evans & Company, New York, 2001) written by Lane Lenard, Ph.D., and me.     

SUZANNE:

Thank you, Dr. Wright. 

Sincerely,

Senator McCain Files New Bill That Attacks Your Access to Supplements and Repeals Key Sections of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act

TAKE ACTION - TELL YOUR SENATOR NOT TO CO-SPONSOR THIS BILL

Senator McCain’s bill is called The Dietary Supplement Safety Act (DSSA). It would repeal key sections of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). DSHEA protects supplements if 1) they are food products that have been in the food supply and not chemically altered or 2) if they were sold as supplements prior to 1994, the year that DSHEA was passed. If a supplement fits one of these two descriptions, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cannot arbitrarily ban it or reclassify it as a drug.

These protections are far from perfect. They discourage companies from developing new forms of supplements. New supplements may be arbitrarily banned by the FDA or adopted by drug companies in a way that precludes their further sale as supplements.

McCain’s bill would wipe out even the minimal protections contained in DSHEA. It would give the FDA full discretion and power to compile a discreet list of supplements allowed to remain on the market while banning all others.

The FDA will like this because it believes that it can more easily control a few industry giants. But isn’t it more likely that the industry giants will eventually gain control over the FDA?

The FDA is already misusing the adverse event reporting process that exists. Drugs rack up thousands of adverse event reports without any action. Just recently, the FDA yanked from the market a supplement product based on just a couple of alleged adverse event reports without even allowing the company (an old and respected firm) to provide any counter-evidence or counter-argument.

The bill also allows the FDA to yank a product (at the company’s expense) if there is a “reasonable probability” that it is “adulterated” or “misbranded”. Let’s remember that “adulterated” could mean there is a minor record keeping error on the producer’s part and “misbranded” can mean that the producer simply tells the truth about the product. An “adulterated” and “misbranded” supplement in Orwellian FDA speak may actually be both completely safe and effective.

TAKE ACTION

McCain’s Dietary Supplement Safety Act (DSSA) appears to be supported by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) which is funded by major league sports teams including baseball, football and others. The recent suspensions of NFL and other professional sports figures is much in the news, and the goal of the sports industry appears to be to shift the spotlight from their players to the supplements industry. In his comments, Senator McCain cited six NFL players recently suspended for testing positive for banned substances and purportedly exposed to these substances through dietary supplements.

The problem here of course is one of illegal sale and use of steroids. So why dismantle the supplement industry in order to control already illegal substances?

The FDA currently has complete and total authority to stop illegal steroids and, more broadly, to regulate dietary supplements. If the agency were doing its job, it could and would have prevented the sale of illegal steroids. The answer to this problem is not to give FDA more power. The Agency simply needs to do its job.

TAKE ACTION

Why would a bill be offered to solve an illegal steroid problem that does not really address the steroid problem but instead gives the FDA complete and arbitrary control over all supplements? The answer is simple.

Why not simply require that supplements be brought through the FDA’s drug approval process? Wouldn’t that create a level playing field?

That is probably the argument that Senator McCain has been sold. But it is a completely false argument. The FDA drug approval process costs as much as a billion dollars. It is not economically feasible to spend such vast sums on substances that are not protected by patent, and natural substances cannot legally be patented.

Senator McCain has no doubt offered this bill in good faith. But he has been sold a bill of goods by special interests. And he has been naïve enough not to know that he is being used.

TAKE ACTION

If McCain’s bill passes, we can look to Europe for a snapshot of what we may be in for: EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority, has sharply reduced the list of available supplements and is in process of reducing potencies to ridiculous levels, such as less beta carotene than can be found in half of a large carrot. Europeans already look to the US to obtain their dietary supplements. If this bill passes, where will we obtain ours?

Gretchen DuBeau
Legal Director, Alliance for Natural Health Int.
Executive Director, ANH-USA

Sincerely,

Suzanne Somers

For more information, please visit www.SuzanneSomers.com.