Plastic versus Paper – A Change in My Opinion
By Mark Schauss | October 2, 2008
In my book, Acheiving Victory Over a Toxic World, I wrote about the difference in the resources used by a plastic and a paper grocery bag was minimal. Plastic may actually use a wee bit less than paper in terms of energy and other limited resources. Since then one thing keeps coming to my attention that has caused me to change my mind and that is the enormous continent of plastic that sits in the Pacific Ocean with lesser masses being found in all oceans around the world.
While using Stumble, I came across this website/presentation that everyone should see. After looking at it, there is no choice between paper or plastic. It has to be neither, I bought my own reusable bag. If you forgot yours, go for paper as a last resort. The world’s animals and fish will thank you.
Topics: Environment, Opinion, Our World, Toxicity, Websites | No Comments »
My Podcasts Live
By Mark Schauss | September 19, 2008
In case you haven’t heard about my podcasts, you can scoot over to www.labinterpretation.podhoster.com and either download to a podcatcher like iTunes or just listen to it online.
I have already covered subjects like CODEX and DSHEA, cholesterol myths and truths, catecholamines, arabinose versus D-arabinitol as a yeast marker, and a few book, website and journal reviews.
Enjoy them and sign up to hear more of them. You can also find the link at my new company website, Lab Interpretation LLC. It has lots of other great info as well.
Topics: Health, Laboratory Tests, Opinion, Our World, Podcast, Research, Toxicity, Websites | No Comments »
I’m Podcasting!!! (Finally)
By Mark Schauss | September 9, 2008
Well, I finally did it. I started podcasting. The podcast name is – Let’s Talk Real Health and while it isn’t perfect (yet), it is something I hope you will download to your iPod or mp3 player, or just listen to it online. This weeks segment includes a discussion on PSA testing, styrene markers in urine, uric acid as a natural antioxidant and a book review.
Each week, any maybe more often, I’ll be putting new podcasts up whenever new research is released, I get a wild idea about something exciting, or I hear from a colleague or listener asking me to discuss something. I hope you find the podcasts interesting and helpful and definitely not boring.
Topics: Health, Laboratory Tests, Opinion, Podcast, Solvents | 1 Comment »
Laughter as Medicine
By Mark Schauss | September 8, 2008
We all know that laughter is the best medicine but a recent study done shows that it can help regulate blood sugar! The Bio-Laboratory, Foundation for Advancement of International Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan published a paper entitled “Laughter up-regulates the genes related to NK cell activity in diabetes” by Hayashi T, Tsujii S, et al. The study published in the journal Biomedical Research states that in patients with type 2 diabetes, laughter was found to upregulate genes related to immunity (natural killer cell activity) and suppress postprandial blood glucose levels.Having heard that, I think I’m going to pull out one of my Marx Brothers DVDs and get a couple of laughs in today.
Topics: Health, Life | No Comments »
BPA is Safe! Just Believe the FDA and You’ll be OK. Yeah, Right.
By Mark Schauss | August 21, 2008
If you believe the FDA, you can continue to use bisphenol A laden products without any concerns. If you are a rational individual who realizes that the ones who decided the safety of this toxin is so beholden to the BPA industry that they couldn’t make an unbiased decision to save their lives. Sorry to say, but when you use only industry sponsored studies to make your decision, you are being disingenuous and you have stopped being the servant of the people and become slaves to the industry.
There are numerous reports and well designed studies out there on the health problems that can come from exposure to BPA, especially from places like the Environmental Working Group or the prestigous journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Go there, type in bisphenol A and see why scientists worldwide are condemming the FDA’s latest sham.
Topics: Environment, Health, Opinion, Petrochemicals, Politics, Research, Solvents, Toxicity | No Comments »
A Must Have Book
By Mark Schauss | August 20, 2008
While at Boulderfest 2008 in July, I had the pleasure of meeting Debra Lynn Dadd, who was one of the speakers. We swapped signed copies of our latest books and I have to say, her’s was very impressive. Home Safe Home, is a must have book. At over 400 pages, it is full of useful information on how to make your home a safe and non-toxic place to live. Not only that, many of the suggestions are big-time money savers.
As you know, I am constantly reviewing my own home, doing an inventory of toxins, trying to find alternatives at every turn. In her book, Debra has done all the work for you. If you want a safer environment in your home, buy the book today. It will pay you back for years to come.
Topics: Environment, Health, Opinion, Our World, Solvents, Toxicity | 1 Comment »
Is the Car You’re About to Buy Toxic?
By Mark Schauss | July 31, 2008
Healthycar.org just published its second annual consumers guide to car toxicity. They tested over 200 of the most popular cars and more than 60 child car seats. Not only are they ranking the cars on how toxic they are, they are also including fuel efficiency ratings to help you get both a low-toxin car and one with good gas mileage.
It has always been my belief that the only way to get the corporate world to clean up its act the consumer needs to vote with their wallets and purses. No amount of legislation will effectively tell big business to change its polluting ways. They simply are out for the maximum profit possible. If they see that they will not be getting paid for their toxic services, you can bet they will change in a hurry.
Better education about the perils of toxicity and the products that contain them, the better for our world and the better choices we can make. Go to healthycar.org today and find out which companies and cars are doing the best to lower their ecological footprint.
Topics: Environment | 1 Comment »
Doing Things the Right Way – Corporate Care
By Mark Schauss | July 27, 2008
A company out of Lincoln, Nebraska, is doing things the right way according to this article from CNN. They try to create a corporate culture that cares about promoting healthy habits for their employees. Not only is it good for the people who work for them, it saves them a substantial amount of money.
Promoting health and helping your company be green, is not just good for our world, it’s good for your business.
Topics: Health, Opinion, Our World | No Comments »
Boulderfest 2008 Presentation
By Mark Schauss | July 20, 2008
If you go over to my other blog site, MarkSchauss.com, you can download a copy of the PowerPoint presentation I gave at the Boulderfest 2008 in Broomfield, Colorado this past weekend. It gave an overview of the different lab tests that give clinical relevance to a number of disorders from autism to asthma, from infertility and pregnancy to type II diabetes.
If anyone wants to use the presentation or any of the slides, please feel free to do so but do give me some recognition.
Topics: Environment, Health, Laboratory Tests, Neurological Disorders, Opinion, Research | No Comments »
Cholesterol Drugs for Children? You Must Be Kidding!
By Mark Schauss | July 9, 2008
When I first read the article at MSNBC, I checked my calendar to see if somehow it was April Fools Day and some one was playing a very bad joke on me. If there was ever a sign that personal responsibilty, parental control, and medical idiocy all joined forces at the same time, this is it. To advocate the use of stain drugs whose efficacy is already under suspicion in adults, for children, is the highest level of malpractice I have seen to date.
In an earlier series of posts on this blog site, I attack the whole notion of cholesterol and heart disease. Here, the American Academy of Pediatrics in their concern about obesity, decide that instead of pounding on people to stop feeding their kids like pigs on the slop line and to cut back of high-fructose corn syrup, they should give the precious snowflakes a drug instead. This is horrible theory. Aside from the obvious issues of side-effects, long-term issues, this solves nothing. What they should be screaming about is how people who are the parents of waddling kids shop at Costco and Wall-Mart, stuffing their shopping carts with donuts, huge boxes of sugar laden cereals, cases of sodas and all sorts of junk food. This is what they should be focusing on but I guess there is no money in it for them.
Without lifestyle changes, these children will not be any healthier in the future, they will be at a greater risk to need more drugs to counteract the effects of the statins and they will be told the message that drugs, not personal choice is the way to deal with life’s issues.
Does anyone ever wonder any more that illicit drug use is so high in this country? The pharmaceutical industry has made it a mantra that drug intake is the way to a happier and healthier life, not eating right and exercising.
This nonsense is about pediatricians removing themselves from the difficult task of telling the parents to take control of their kids diets and making it clear that being obese is their fault. It’s a cop-out. The American Academy of Pediatrics should be ashamed of themselves especially since Dr. Stephen Davis of the Academy has worked as a consultant to Abbott Laboratories and Merck & Co., but not on matters involving their cholesterol drugs but so what, they are the biggest drug pushers in the world.
Topics: Drugs, Food, Health, Healthcare, Life, Opinion, pharmaceuticals, Research | 1 Comment »