The Dangers of Hydraulic Fracturing aka "Fracking" and natural Methods to Rebalance the Body

            It was discovered over 150 years ago that natural gas was an unwanted product that flowed from “oil sands” being tapped for their oil supply.  Soon after this discovery, natural gas was used to fuel gas lights and then also as heat source.

Today natural gas is a fuel that has widespread use including heating homes and fuel for electric generating plants as an alternative to coal and nuclear sources. 

Drilling for natural gas is not a new phenomenon.  What is new is the combination of horizontal drilling technology for natural gas combined with hydraulic fracturing also known as “fracking” from subsurface sandstone and deep from shale rock.

Natural gas flows freely from oil sandstone, but shale rock must be broken or fractured to provide pathway for the gas to migrate to the well.  During the process of fracking, high pressure is used to pump water, sandand or ceramic pellets, and chemicals down a bored hole into the gas bearing shale rock.  The sand or ceramic pellets prop open the fractures in the rock.   Oil, gas and the pumped water flows to the well and is recovered on the surface.

The bored hole used for fracking goes down 6-10,000 feet ( 1-2 miles) to the oil and gas bearing reservoir.  Naturally occurring toxicants that are from deep in the earth, ie. heavy metals, volatile organics and radioactive compounds are also mobilized during gas extraction and return to the surface. 

Some of the naturally occurring toxins and radioactive compounds include- arsenic, lead, strontium, barium, benzene, chromium, radium-226, radon-222, uranium-238 amongst others.

Even though these materials are all toxic, the current standards state, “drilling fluids, produced wastes and other wastes associated with the exploration, development and production of natural gas…. are considered solid wastes which are not hazardous wastes.”

This allows the water waste solutions to be spread on roads as deicing solutions and as solutions to minimize dust.  The wastewater is often stored in open well pads which can readily spill into nearby well water, soil and animal grazing pastures.  Volatile compounds like benzene arsine become airborne and effect air quality and health of adjacent communities.  

The fracking process takes place over 2-5 days, but one well may be used multiple times over the 25-40 year lifespan of a well.

There are almost 1,000 products used in natural gas production.  Of these, about 650 are chemicals.  About 90% of these chemicals have at least one known potential health effect on the body.  Almost half are known to disrupt the endocrine system, affecting development and reproduction.

The endocrine system is the bodily system of glands and hormones that regulate body growth, response to stress, sexual development and behavior, production and use of insulin, rate of metabolism, intelligence and behavior and ability to reproduce.  The endocrine system operates at very low concentration of hormones, making it very susceptible to damage at very low exposure to harmful chemicals.

 

Affects of exposure on the endocrine system include reduced sperm production, infertility, hormone imbalances and other effects on the glands (pineal, pituitary, thyroid, thymus, pancreas, adrenals, ovaries, testes).  These affects may not show up for years after exposure.

Immediate symptoms seen are: 

• burning eyes, rashes, coughs, sore throats, asthma-like effects, nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, tremors and convulsions. 
• Cancer, organ damage, and harm to the endocrine system may not appear for months or years.

Many chemicals affect more than one system of the body.

•  Over 75% are associated with skin, eye or sensory organ effects, respiratory effects, gastrointestinal or liver effects
•  Half effects the brain and nervous system
• About 40% effect the immune system and kidneys
• Half effect the cardiovascular system and blood
•  25% are linked to various types of cancer 
• 30% are linked to genetic  mutations
• Approximately 210 chemicals are water soluble
• 131 are volatile (are easily airborne)
• The volatile chemicals produce higher percentage of affects on the organ systems of the body because they can be inhaled, swallowed and also reach the skin

Knowledge is power and we have natural remedies and health regimens to help protect yourself if exposed to the chemicals released during fracking.

The following Herbal Teas are available to offset the effects of fracking on the body:

• Seven Seeds
•  Men’s Formulas
• Women’s Formula
• Lung Builder  
• Heart Care 
• Liver Care
• Kidney Care
• Good Digestion
• Anti-Tumor Formula
• Man Power

Below are lists of other herbs, foods and essential oils to include in your health regimen:

Endocrine Restoring Herbs

• Astragulus
• Ashwanganda
• White ginseng
• Red ginseng
• Siberian ginseng
• Rhodiola
• Gynostemma

Liver Herbs

• Burdock root- cleanse the liver and lymph 
• Dandelion root- detoxifies and nourishes
• Nettle leaf- liver and blood tonic, especially for women
• Seaweed
• Wild Yam- important hormone precursors
• Yellowdock- tonic herb for the liver and cleanser, blood and overall health

Liquid minerals- cellular function, enzyme production

To Encourage Proper Hormone health

• Keep the liver clean
• Consume enzyme rich foods- raw foods
• High fiber diet
•  Avoid processed foods, foods grown with chemicals, body and hair products with chemicals and use of any synthetic chemicals.

Essential Oils for Endocrine Health

• Tea Tree
• Cardamom
• Melissa
• Myrtle
• Niaouli
• Orange

Juicing

• Alfalfa- high in minerals
• Asparagus- kidney health
• Beet juice- anti-cancer
• Brussel sprouts- pancreas health
• Celery juice- for the skin- eczema and psoriasis
• Cucumber- skin health
• Potato juice- heavy metal detoxification
• Radish juice- thyroid balancing
• Tomato juice- liver health
• Wheatgrass, Barley grass- High in chlorophyll, blood building and cleaning

The (Video) Game of Life

     The video games that I like to play are word games, "brain teasers", and puzzles.  I am not into action video games.  They can take a long time to master and I get frustrated with them quickly.  Also, once I start playing, i want to beat the game.  This ends up being way too time consuming for me and I always seem to have a bunch of other stuff that I "should" be doing. 

     Saying all of the above,  i find that video games are a form of meditation for some people.  Have you noticed how focused a person is when they are playing video games?  They are in a whole other world and the present one around them disappears into oblivion. You can walk into the room where they are and go unnoticed!  It is them and the game. 

     Each person should create their own hi-def video "game of life", and play it until they figure out how to win.  The same focus that one has on a game is able to be used at any task at hand when one figures out how to redirect and apply that energy. 

     Think of how proud parents would be if their children (or the parents themselves!) were as focused on their studies and work as they were on "farm heroes saga".  How satisfying would it be if you walked into the room and your children were so deep into a math problem that they didn't even see you.

     What if you were as passionate about your life goals as you were about beating your buddies in "words with friends"? (smh at those that who used cheat apps) 

     How about being as set on reaching that next level for yourself as you were on the next level of "candy crush"?

     No judgement, just something to think about. 

     Take a sec and notice the "zone" that you are in when you are playing games while passing time on train home and see how you are able to take that same zone to other parts of life.

     Next, take a minute to think about what you would do as "work" all day even if you weren't getting paid for it (just like we don't get paid for playing games).  What you would do without getting paid is your "passion".  Figure out how you can get paid for your passion and make this your "game of life" and "game for life". 

     Play to win and win the game. 

Always Do Your Best...

   In a world where we are bombarded with images of who to be and what we should look like, it can be difficult at times to always do your best and feel great about yourself.  Every where you turn there are advertisements, billboards and other propaganda about what is the ideal person. 

     If you judge yourself according to these images, life will be a confusion of whimsical trends that change seasonally.  These images would have you believe that, "you have to have "x" amount of money", "you have to wear "x" shoes, "your hair has to look like"x", "you have to buy "x" jeans", etc. to be cool.

     Most, if not all of these ideas are to socialize you on capitalistic ideas of consumerism.  These companies that promote these images just want you to buy something.  If you.base yourself on these outside influenced standards, you will never be satisfied.  This is because these companies always have to develop new ways for you to stay interested and buy their product.

     What we all have to understand is that you are your own product.  You get to decide what makes you look and feel "cool".  If you like trends, that is fine.  As long as it is your decision to like it and not the trend dictating you.

     When we are able to really think about what we want for ourselves, we learn to have confidence in ourselves and also trust our own thinking.  As we begin to see results from our original thought process, we then continue to follow our thoughts to continue getting results.  We then work to do our best as we realize that our thoughts create our own reality.

What Is the Meaning of Life?

When I was younger, and even still today, I sit in amazement at the miracle of life.  I often wonder why and how we see, hear, feel, or have any of sense that helps us to perceive the world.  Scientifically, I know how the body works, but that still does not explain why there is even a body to work.  We are surrounded by life.  From microorganisms that we cannot see with the naked eye, to animals in the air, land, and oceans, the miracle of living creation abounds everywhere.

     As humans, we have another spark that allows us to escape the innate program of instinct.  This spark is called free will.  Free will is the ability to do what we want t do according to our wants and desires.  We can mold and shape our world to fit our needs.

     This is the meaning of life for humans.  We have to understand that there are infinite possibilities of how we can experience life and the world.  From these infinite possibilities, we choose to act on a possibility.  But, the secret is that we have to choose something.  If we jump from possibility to possibility, nothing is ever done because there is not any momentum gained in any one direction.  Choosing a direction and cultivating it to grow gives life meaning.

     Because each person can choose their own direction, "the meaning of life" is different for each individual.  We experience problems when we think that someone elses "meaning of life" our own.  It is each of our own responsibility to find our own uniqueness in order to give life meaning.

Open House for New York Sports Acupuncture & Back to the Middle

 

New York Sports Acupuncture website

How to Reduce the Effects of Ionizing Radiation after Fukushima Nuclear Reactor Meltdown

Approximately two years ago an earthquake and tsunami caused a series of equipment failures and nuclear reactor breakdowns at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant in Fukushima, Japan.

 

The earthquake caused the effected nuclear reactors to shut down and the emergency generators to turn on to supply power to the electric coolant systems that continuously pump water to cool the nuclear reactors.

  A tsunami followed the earthquake and flooded the rooms that housed the emergency generators causing them to malfunction and fail.  The nuclear reactors quickly overheated due to high levels of heat produced from radioactive decay.  Subsequently, radioactive waste leaked into the surrounding land and water. 

One hundred tons of water has to be pumped into the nuclear reactors daily to cool the nuclear reactors.  This water is immediately contaminated from exposure to the radioactive material and then has to be stored in containers.  Since the nuclear meltdown, there has been over 340,000 tons of contaminated radioactive water that is now being stored in over 260 tanks at the site of the nuclear plant in Fukushima.  These storage containers are hastily built and the TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY aka TEPCO does not have a viable solution to safely store or dispose of the contaminated radioactive water.

It has also been discovered that the radioactive waste has melted through the floor of the effected nuclear reactors and is now contaminating the groundwater and soil.

The past standard of radioactive material that can be discharged into the ocean in 200 billion becquerals  (bcq) yearly.  In the first two months after the nuclear meltdown, TEPCO estimated that 950 trillion bcq leaked into the ocean.  Since those first two months to the present, another 30 trillion bcq of radioactive material has leaked into the ocean.  This approximately 1 quadrillion bcq of radioactive waste that has been discharged into the ocean accumulates in the seabed and is consumed by fish and other sea creatures and plants.  

The ocean does not effectively dilute radiation.  There are possibly pockets and streams of highly concentrated radiation in the  (Pacific) ocean.  The radioactive isotope cesium-137 has been found in fish caught in California.

For the past 2 and a half Earth-years this nuclear reactor has been leaking radioactive waste.  These include cesium-137, strontium and tritium.  Cesium is the most abundant and effects the muscular system.  It mimics potassium as a micronutrient and is absorbed in the body as potassium is absorbed.  Exposure to cesium causes cancer, leukemia, genetic defects and birth defects.  It only takes 1/3 gram of cesium as microparticles to contaminate 1 square kilometer of land and make it uninhabitable. 

Strontium effects the bones and the bone marrow.  Tritium causes cancer and genetic defects.

Children are most effected by exposure to radioactive waste.  It increases the risk of thyroid cancer, other cancers, leukemia, breast cancer.  The risk of cancer for radiation exposure is higher in female children.  In Japan, an increase in childhood thyroid cancer since the nuclear meltdown has already been documented.  

Low levels of radiation exposure also known as Radiation Sickness can cause digestive imbalances, alteration in the blood structure, destruction of many cellular structures in the body’s key organ and tissue systems.

Signs and Symptoms of Radiation Sickness include headache, nausea, vomiting and fever.  With passing of time other symptoms may appear including weakness, dizziness, mental confusion, mood changes, reduced motor abilities, hair loss, skin lesions, bloody vomit and stools, low blood pressure and slow healing wounds.

Large amount of exposure to radiation include bloody vomit, hair loss, nerve damage, blood vessel destruction, seizures and even death.  Effects on the circulatory system include weakened lymphocytes. 

 

It is necessary to treat folks who are exposed to radiation quickly and over the long term.  Chemical compounds that have been developed to treat the effects of radiation exposure have been shown to be extremely toxic in dosages that are effective for effective treatment.  The non-toxic option is to have natural compounds extracts from plants and minerals.

The following plant and mineral based substances have been shown to protect and reduce the effects of radiation poisoning on the body:

Activated Charcoal

• Removes heavy metals from the body
• Removes toxins and poisons from the body
• Helps lower cholesterol

Baking Soda and Sea Salt

• Bath in half cup of baking soda and half a cup of sea salt for at least 20-30 minutes daily for three weeks or every other day for six weeks.
• Sea salt draws radiation from the body

Bee Pollen

• Strengthen red and white blood cells
• Lowers effects of radiation
• Helps neutralize radiation

Beets

• Reduces levels of Cesium-137 in the body
• Boosts blood production by increasing and rebuilding blood hemoglobin

Bentonite Clay/ Red Clay/ Green Clay/ Fuller’s Earth-

• Removes heavy metals from the body
• Can absorb twenty-five times it’s weight

Bladderwrack

• Sea vegetable that contains iodine and other naturally occurring minerals that remove heavy metals

Blue-green Algae

• Contains Oxygen, chlorophyll, vitamins and minerals
• Detoxifies the liver and helps remove heavy metals from the body

Burdock Root

• Purifies the blood
• Removes heavy metals
• Cleans the liver

Cilantro

• Removes heavy metals
• High in essential oil compounds
• Anti-inflammatory

Field Mint

• Helps protect against and recover from radiation sickness

Garlic and Onions

• Cleans the Liver
• Blood thinner
• Decreases blood pressure and lowers cholesterol

Ginger

• Protects from radiation sickness
• Strengthens and protects the digestive system
• Scavenges for free radical throughout the body

Ginseng

• Boost production of Red and white blood cells
• Protects reproductive organs from effects of radiation

Gotu Kola

• Reduces effects of radiation exposure
• Protects against radiation induced weight loss

Holy Basil

• Strengthens red and white blood cells
• Helps repair DNA

Long Pepper

• Protects body from radiation-induced decline in white blood cells and bone marrow cells

Papain

• Digestive enzyme from papaya
• Scientific studies show that rats who consumed papain were able to withstand higher levels of radiation than those who did not consume papain.

Rosemary

• Protects against radiation

Sea Buckthorn

• Protects against radiation poisoning
• Normalizes body function after exposure to radiation

Selenium

• Removes heavy metals from the body
• Anti-Cancer

Zeolites

• Made from volcanic ash
• Has honeycomb structure that traps heavy metals inside it
• Benefits in Cancer treatment

Why I Don't Like Health Food...

I have a problem with health food. I don't have a problem with healthy food, but with the term "health food".  It is ridiculous that there has to even be a term called "health food".  If food isn't healthy then it has to be unhealthy by default.

All food is supposed to be healthy.  This means that after you put food into your body, you should feel energetic and strong.  If a meal causes you to get tired and lazy, that meal is robbing nutrients from your body's resources.  This then weakens your immune system, leaving you open and susceptible to all sorts of illnesses and diseases.

In fact, the opposite of health food is junk food.  Junk foods are often thought of as cookies, cakes, candies, sweets, chips and greasy, salty foods.  These are some of the obvious junk foods.  It may surprise you, but many of everyday foods like bread, juice drinks, and even fresh fruits and vegetables are almost devoid of nutrients.  This is why many foods are "enriched" with vitamins and minerals.  The chemical fertilizers, pesticides and processing of natural products causes otherwise nutrient dense foods to become a shell of what they naturally should be.   Poor farming practices and the commercialization of food to increase corporate profits has devitalized food and made it into something that is almost foreign to the body.

A few suggestions to increase the likelihood that you are getting the best food are:

1.  Decide to Be Healthy- Once you make a conscious decision to be healthy, you will begin to attract you those things that hep to make that healthy lifestyle possible.  You will start to notice health tips and articles on websites, healthy restaurants, health food stores, classes, tv and radio programs etc. that all support your choice to be healthy.

2.  Eat Organic Foods- Organic foods are grown and processed without the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers.  They are also higher in nutrient content than their non-organic counterparts.  Yes, organic foods do cost more, but it is an investment in your health.

3.  Eat Fresh Fruits and Vegetables- Fresh fruits and vegetables have the vitamins and minerals, enzymes, other nutrients and vitality that is necessary for your optimal body function.  They are packed with  disease fighting immune boosters, antioxidants and age reversing natural substances that are perfectly balanced inside each fruit or vegetable.

4.  Prepare you Own Meals-  The only way to really know what is in your food is to prepare it yourself "from scratch".  You can regulate levels of salt, sweeteners and oil to suit your taste buds.  You are also able to put your own energy and intention in the food.

5.  Have Fun- A healthy lifestyle is one full of self discovery.  Health looks and feels great.  Abundant energy, flawless skin, a fit body and peace of mind are some of the benefits received from having a healthy lifestyle.

Remember that the road to fantastic health is a journey, not a destination.