The Public Restroom Solution

One of the things that bothers me most is using public restrooms. While it's something we all have to do occasionally, it doesn't mean that we to expose ourselves to the 'stuff' on the lids. Armed with essential oils that historically have proven to be anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, you won't have to cringe every time you have to make a visit to a toilet away from home. Just spray the lid and wipe off and your good to 'go'.

This multi-use spray can also be anywhere - door knobs, baby changing tables or any area that you touch that is subject to microorganisms (bottom of your purse). A side benefit of this spray is that as a bathroom odor spray and natural air freshener / deodorizer, the scent of the essential oils linger in the area eliminating any embarrassing scents you may have left behind.

The beautiful part of this natural multi-use spray is that doesn't contain any harmful chemicals. During flu seasons, this will be an important weapon to carry with you!

Raw Milk Response..reprint from Kimberly Hartke

Having dairy goats, we believe in the benefits of drinking raw milk. It's a shame that the government doesn't allow folks to purchase it from farms like in the 'good old days'. They restrict real food and force GMO foods on us. Go figure.

Inspired by an Unpleasant Encounter at the NIH Lactose Intolerance Consensus Conference

This is my written response to a lady who was most upset that I would publicly advocate raw milk in Maryland, a state where it was illegal. She grew up on a dairy farm and said “my father would never sell unpasteurized milk” and she cited the many deaths from undulant fever that occurred in his day and age. She considers raw milk a life and death issue. Fortunately, the NIH staffers supported my freedom of speech and declined to throw me out of the building. Saddened to have so enraged this woman, I am attempting to get this letter to her via the conference organizers.

Dear Angry Lady:
We met at the NIH Lactose Intolerance conference. You were quite angry about my exhibit booth there for the nutrition education group, Weston A. Price Foundation. Because of the high emotion, I was not able to really share with you why we were there, and what we advocate.

To try to bring some understanding between us, I feel compelled to write you.

We are a 12,000 member organization of farmers, health conscious consumers and health professionals. We promote whole foods, home cooking and support for local agriculture. We are educating the public and health professionals about the pioneering research done by Dr. Weston A. Price on primitive people groups around the world back in the 1930’s.

He found that indigenous people who ate their traditional foods had perfect teeth, an absence of degenerative disease and strong moral character. Once they were exposed to modern, processed foods, their health deteriorated. He wrote a nutrition classic, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, which is highly regarded by university nutrition and anthropology departments.

I know, based on your experience and knowledge it seems wrong for anyone to promote raw milk. But may I tell you why I do?

My ancestors were dairy farmers, too. My great-grandmother was a cheesemaker’s wife in the 1920’s. Her husband’s brother was a dairy farmer. She contracted tuberculosis of the bowel. A raw milk and raw egg diet prescribed by her doctor healed her of the disease. She lived in a tent in the front yard of her brother-in law’s dairy farm in Oregon, while she took “the milk cure.”

Five years ago, I was diagnosed with a painful knee condition, chondromalacia patella (runners knee). I have discovered that raw dairy products have helped to greatly improve the quality of my life. I own a cowshare at a certified grade A dairy, and my dairy farmer’s program was established with the approval of our state agricultural officials. This same dairy has saved the life of a baby failing to thrive, a story which was documented in a Washington Post article several years ago, called The Raw Deal.

So, for those of us on the other side of this issue, raw milk is about life and death, too.

It is important for you to know that there are two ways to insure that fresh milk is safe for consumption, one is pasteurization. The other, more conservative way, is with traditional animal husbandry. I mean by this, keeping cows on pasture, allowing them exercise and sunshine and feeding them only grass and hay. The farms that have strayed from traditional animal husbandry have led to the current state of affairs where we are forced to pasteurize much of our nation’s milk supply.

Today, with our ability to test for pathogens and bovine diseases (which modern raw dairy farmers do) it is entirely possible to ensure fresh milk’s safety. According to the Associated Press, raw milk is available in 35 states either through direct farm sales, cowshare programs, and in the case of California and 8 other states, even retail stores. So, Maryland is in the minority of 16 states that frustrate consumer access.

Nowhere in North America is it illegal to consume raw milk. What we are really talking about is that in some states, consumer freedom of choice is being denied. You might be surprised to hear the farm fresh milk is widely available in the United Kingdom, Italy, Slovenia and other European countries.

I wish you knew how many people with chronic health issues, like myself, are experiencing better health with carefully sourced farm fresh milk. The reason our non-profit exhibited at the NIH Lactose Intolerance Consensus Conference was to tell the attendees that 80% of those who are lactose intolerant, are able to consume unprocessed milk with absolutely no problem. Pasteurization is the root cause of much of the dairy intolerance people experience, today. When we sterilize milk, it destroys the enzyme lactase, naturally found in milk, which helps to digest lactose.

A young mother in Maryland who has led the effort to re-establish access to raw dairy in her state, is doing so because her children can’t tolerated processed milk. They are growing up healthy and strong on raw milk from Pennsylvania farms where it is legal for the farms to sell it (over 100 farms have raw milk permits issued from the state). Can you imagine the hardship of having to go to another state to provide food for your family—while watching as Maryland dairy farmers suffer great financial losses in this economy?

We also want the NIH attendees to know that many lactose intolerant people find relief by consuming fermented dairy products such as kefir, yogurt and cheeses. The fermentation process pre-digests the lactose, which means it is more easily tolerated.

I understand the thrust of the conference was to encourage dairy consumption in some form, and in that way, the Weston A. Price Foundation is at the forefront of promoting safe, healthy dairy foods.

But, we stand for much more than safe raw milk, we encourage a comprehensive dietary protocol which stresses whole and natural foods prepared using traditional methods. These foods include grassfed meats, bone broths, fermented vegetables and sourdough grains. We are helping thousands regain their health with our therapeutic diet. And we are encouraging America to learn, once again, how to cook at home and sit down for nutritious family meals—something our children and families will truly benefit from doing.

Please visit our westonaprice.org website and you’ll realize that there are many things that we promote that you probably can see value in, and just know that our experience of fresh, unprocessed milk is one of a life saving, health restoring foodstuff that under the right conditions can be safer and more nutritious, even, than pasteurized milk.

I do appreciate hearing of your concerns, and I hope this letter finds you well and will be received as the olive branch it is intended to be. I am very grateful for the opportunity to exhibit at this prestigious conference to share our story with you and others. I hope you will look at some of the new evidence and that someday you will agree that consumers need the right to choose healthy food, and the farmers need to have the freedom (and the support of state government officials) to meet the needs of the citizens they seek to serve.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Hartke
Publicist
Westonaprice.org and realmilk.com

Made in the USA - food for thought

From Pride in America.... http://news.prideinamericanow.com/

When America was founded, the people supported each other; they sacrificed “in order to form a more perfect union”. They understood the power of their dollar. For instance, even though they enjoyed English tea, they boycotted the tea and fought for their freedom. They sacrificed a pleasure, which they once enjoyed. They kept their eye on the big picture. They knew that each individual action they took, when combined with the actions of others, would form a great country. Out of their commitment and dedication, they were able to form, America, the greatest country in the world.

Our generation has lost sight of the big picture. Too many people are only thinking of “what is in it for me”. Not enough people are thinking all the way through to the end. What happens when we purchase items from overseas? Where does our dollar go? What are we truly supporting? What is the environmental impact of shipping an item from half way around the world compared to purchasing the same item which is available right here?

It is in our power to secure American jobs and strengthen small businesses. These small businesses are the foundation of our economic condition. Every time we spend our dollar, we have the power to contribute to job security and to strengthen America. Pride in America ~ Our Economy and What YOU Can Do to Help, was written to make this process simple. So many people say, “We don’t make anything anymore”. Yes, WE do and Pride in America categorizes and lists the items to make supporting small businesses easy. When you glance through the many companies in this book, you can’t help but feel Pride to be an American!

George Washington said, “I use no porter or cheese in my family, but such as is made in America”!

We can, once again, form “a more perfect union”, step by step, day by day, as we take actions towards strengthening small businesses (America).

It’s up to US!!!

What to do when your bored......

These were way to funny not to share - you may find yourself laughing out loud!!

THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH ABSOLUTELY NOTHING

Blink wildly and then close your eyes really tight for an interesting light show
(Amusement Potential: 1-5 minutes)
See a variety of blobs, stars and flashes. Try to make out shapes and see if your subconscious is trying to send you a message (perhaps that funny shape is saying, 'send all your money to urban75.com'?)

See how long you can hold a note
(Amusement Potential: 4-20 minutes)
Not that much fun, but it sure passes the time. Play with a friend, or try to beat your own personal best. Inhale deeply and then try and make a noise for as long as you can. Earn extra points for making your partner laugh or ending on an amusing note.

Try to not think about penguins
(Amusement Potential: 1-5 minutes)
This is especially hard, because by trying too much, you remember what you were trying to avoid thinking of. If you try too little, you end up thinking about penguins anyway.

Use your secret mind power
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes)
Pick a passing by and try to use your mind power to command them do something, like drop their bag or knock into someone. The law of averages dictates that sooner or later one of your mind commands will come true, so you can convince yourself that you really have super human powers and waste even more time trying them out.

Pretend you're a robot
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes)
Walk down the street with mechanical movements, adding 'zzzzzt' sounds with each motion. Pretending to have a motor broken in, say, your left hand can add at least 30 seconds more entertainment.

Scratch yourself
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes)
Go ahead, scratch yourself now. Even if nothing itches, go ahead. Doesn't that feel pretty good?

Repeat the same word over and over until it loses its meaning
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes)
Pick a random word out of a magazine and say it aloud to yourself until it becomes a meaningless set of noises.

Pinch yourself
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes)
What is pain? Why is it unpleasant? There's nothing physical about it - it's all in your mind. Plus, after pinching yourself for awhile, boredom will seem nice next to being in pain.

Try to swallow your tongue
(Amusement Potential: 1-2 minutes)
There's not much to say about this one. It is possible, but really stupid.

Pretend to be a car
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes)
Make appropriate revving noises in your head as you walk along and add a racing commentary as you pass strangers in the street. Use blinking eyes as indicators for extra authenticity.

Make Star Trek door noises
(Amusement Potential: 1-2 minutes)
Stand by an electric door to a bank or something and make that silly "Scccccccchwop" sound heard whenever people popped on to the bridge to hang with Captain Kirk.

Look at something for awhile, shut eyes, study after image
(Amusement Potential: 2-5 minutes)
Another great time waster. It takes about 30 seconds of staring to create an after image, and the image is then viewable for about the same length of time. Fun to combine this one with pushing on your eyes.

Get yourself as nauseated as possible
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes)
Best achieved by looking straight up and spinning around. Try to be so dizzy you can't even stand up. This is also entertaining due to the "makes boredom seem a lot better" effect (see "Hurt Yourself").

Invent a weird twitch
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes)
Adopt a bizarre twitch (e.g. flicking your head irregularly, twitching with eye or busting out sporadic cough noises) and try it out when you go shopping.

Make a low buzzing noise
(Amusement Potential: 15-30 minutes)
Hours of fun in libraries! Keeping a totally straight face and looking nonchalant, make a low pitch humming/buzzing noise and see who reacts.

God's bountiful harvest

I am constantly amazed at the wonder of nature...When we came to this property 10 years ago, we began planting fruit trees - a couple every year. We follow the Torah's instructions in planting trees so we didn't eat the fruit until the fifth year...

Lev 19:23 And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of.

Lev 19:24 But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the LORD.

Lev 19:25 And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I [am] the LORD your God.

Earlier in the season, Dennis sprayed the tree with neem oil to run off any pests or fungas that might be coming our way. The result is a beautiful, bug free, fungus free harvest of large plums. This year the tree is so full I'm wondering how to steward all the fruit!!

Today we are making jam but tomorrow I'll probably make this wonderful recipe I found at All Recipes.com. Not only can we use our plums, but wonderful ricotta we made using our goat milk!

Maple Ricotta Parfait with Almonds and Plums


INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup maple syrup, divided
6 black plums, pitted and sliced
1 1/4 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sliced California Almonds, roasted*


DIRECTIONS
Heat butter in a saute pan. Add 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and gently stir in plum slices. Cook on medium heat just until plums are soft and giving out some juice, but still holding their shape.
Meanwhile, stir together the remaining maple syrup and ricotta. Set aside.
Divide 1/2 cup prepared plum slices among 4 clear bowls or brandy glasses. Follow with a layer of ricotta mixture, then remaining plum slices, and then the remaining ricotta mixture. Drizzle with remaining maple syrup, and sprinkle with roasted almonds.
FOOTNOTE
*To roast almonds, place a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 10 minutes, stirring at least once to ensure even roasting. Almonds will continue to brown after being removed from the oven.

Swine Flu - From Dr Gitterle

This comes from a friend of mine whose grandchildren are in Comal County, TX schools. The schools have been closed for the next two weeks.

Subject: FLU INFO FROM DR. GITTERLE

Friends, this is from an ER doctor in New Braunfels, TX

It is more comprehensive than other things I've seen.


Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:55:31 -0500

Subject: Flu Update from Dr. Marcus Gitterle


After I returned from a public health meeting yesterday with community
leaders and school officials in Comal County , Heather suggested I send an
update to everyone, because what we are hearing privately from the CDC and
Health Department is so different from what you are hearing in the media.
Some of you know some or maybe all of this, but I will just list what facts
I know.


- The virus is infectious for about 2 days prior to symptom onset

- Virus sheds more than 7 days after symptom onset (possibly as long as 9
days) (this is unusual)

- Since it is such a=2 0novel (new) virus, there is no "herd immunity," so
the "attack rate" is very high. This is the percentage of people who come
down with a virus if exposed. Almost everyone who is exposed to this virus
will become infected, though not all will be symptomatc. That is much higher
than seasonal flu, which averages 10-15%. The "clinical attack rate" may be
around 40-50%. This is the number of people who show symptoms. This is a
huge number. It is hard to convey the seriousness of this.

- The virulence (deadliness) of this virus is as bad here as in Mexico , and
there are folks on ventilators here in the US , right now. This has not been
in the media, but a 23 month old near here is fighting for his life, and a
pregnant woman just south of San Antonio is fighting for her life. In
Mexico , these folks might have died already, but here in the US , folks are
getting Tamiflu or Relenza quickly, and we have ready access to ventilators.
What this means is that within a couple of weeks, regional hospitals will
likely become overwhelmed.

- Some of the kids with positive cases in Comal County had more than 70
contacts before diagnosis.

- There are 10-25 times more actual cases (not "possible" cases -- actual),
than what is being reported in the media. The way they fudge on reporting
this is that it takes 3 days to get the confirmatory nod from the CDC on a
given viral culture, but based on epidemiological grounds, we know that
there are more than 10 cases for each20"confirmed" case right now.

- During the night, we crossed the threshold for the definition of a WHO,
Phase 6 global pandemic. This has not happened in any of our lifetimes so
far. We are in uncharted territory.

- I expect President Obama will declare an emergency sometime in the next
72-96 hours. This may not happen, but if it doesn't, I will be surprised.
When this happens, all public gathering will be cancelled for 10 days.

- I suggest all of us avoid public gatherings. Outdoor activities are not as
likely to lead to infection. It is contained areas and close contact that
are the biggest risk.

- Tamiflu is running out. There is a national stockpile, but it will have to
be carefully managed, as it is not enough to treat the likely number of
infections when this is full-blown. I don't think there is a big supply of
Relenza, but I do not know those numbers. If I had to choose, I would take
Relenza, as I think it gets more drug to the affected tissue than Tamiflu.

- You should avoid going to the ER if you think you have been exposed or are
symptomatic. ER's south of here are becoming overwhelmed -- and I mean
that -- already. It is coming in waves, but the waves are getting bigger.

- It appears that this flu produces a distinctive "hoarseness" in many
victims. The symptoms, in general, match other flu's; namely, sore throat,
body aches, headache, cough, and fever. Some have all these symptoms, while
others may have only one or=2 0two.

- N-Acetyl-Cysteine -- a nutritional supplement available at the health food
store or Wimberley Pharmacy, has been shown to prevent or lessen the
severity of influenza. I suggest 1200mg, twice a day for adults, and 600mg
twice a day in kids over 12. It would be hard to get kids under 12 to take
it, but you could try opening the capsules and putting it on yogurt. For 40
pounds and up, 300-600 mg twice a day, for less than 40 pounds, half that.

- Oscillococinum, a homeopathic remedy, has been vindicated as quite
effective in a large clinical trial in Europe , with an H1N1 variant. You
can buy this at Hill Country Natural Foods, or the Wimberley Pharmacy.

I will try to keep everyone posted if I have any new information. Meanwhile,
don't be afraid just avoid infection. The fewer people infected the easier
it will be for our public officials to manage it.

I know by now you all are probably getting tired of hearing me pound the point of the National Animal Identification System. It is serious for all of us. Just like Joseph and Pharoah of old, where the people of the land lost their livestock, this is an attempt to remove small family producers from the landscape making way for huge producers that have deep pockets. It will open Americans up to having to consume what THEY tell us to - stuff filled with hormones, anti-biotics, and God knows what else. It will also move control of our food supply to the government who will use it to control us. Please forward this notice to everyone you know and get them to stampeed their congressmen and senators and tell them NO to NAIS!

A House Subcommittee will be considering the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) on March 11. Please read this alert and take appropriate action now. This program will put every farmer, rancher and livestock owner under the direct control of the USDA. It will increase the cost of food for everyone. This is another government-control program that must be stopped. Please follow the advise offered in the alert.