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If you have a teen, chances are about 1000% that your teen has seen others or has tried vaping. For my son, he is inundated by the sweet smelling vapors every time he goes to his high school bathroom. According to Congressman Pallone, the statistics are that 1/3 of 12th graders are e-cigarette users.

When parents think about the dangers their children face, they often first think about smoking...and educate their children on the dangers of tobacco. They typically discuss the health risks associated with smoking cigarettes and cigars or chewing tobacco. Statistics show that however, that traditional cigarette use has declined consistently for decades, nicotine use is still on the rise. This increase in nicotine consumption among teens and young adults can be linked to vaping. In 2017, 11% of high schoolers vaped, and in 2018, that number increased to 20.8% of all high school students in the United States.

We hope you have heard by now that tomorrow is a Global Call to Action Day- Climate Strike! on September 20th. 

From our friends at MADE SAFE, "These climate strikes will launch a sustained mass public mobilization, necessary to pressure world governments to take action in line with climate science and justice. This is a worldwide marathon that every living thing on our planet desperately needs us to participate in. To find a climate strike near you, click here."

At first glance it almost seems silly to have a whole month dedicated to self-care awareness. We all know how important it is to take care of ourselves - to put our own oxygen mask on first, as the saying goes. However, knowing something and actually acting in that manner - doing something - are two very different things. It is very easy to cut corners when it comes to our own well-being, our own health or peace of mind. We are usually the first people we neglect. Occasional short-cuts become habits and before you know it - we’re stressed and overwhelmed and ill. And the irony is, when we get to that point we are entirely incapable of taking care of others - the people that matter to us the most.

Shocking Monsanto Emails Reveal Violent, Misogynistic Mentality and Complete Disregard for Child Health 

Article By Zen Honeycutt, Moms Across AmericaAugust 29, 2019 Mission Viejo, CA - New emails revealed from the Monsanto Trials and placed into public record by the law firm Baum, Hedlund, Arestei and Goldman in July show a  disturbing perspective of Monsanto’s culture. Incendiary words in an email exchange by Dan Goldstein, Monsanto’s lead Medical Science and Outreach, Distinguished Science Fellow and pediatrician, Bruce Chassy, a professor at the University of Illinois, and Wayne Parrot from the University of Georgia include the words, “dumb mothers” and  “There you have it. That's your enemy. Beat the shit out of them and put them on the defensive and you won't have this problem." 

The email exchange was focused on the “Open Letter to Monsanto” from our consumer group Moms Across America sent to the chemical company before the Independence Day parades in 2013, when we joined into parades for educational outreach about GMOs. The email exchange shows clear distress over the health accusations from our consumer group...predicting an ominous outcome: “We are on our way to being corporate roadkill.” Goldstein was correct. He is no longer employed by Monsanto, and Monsanto has been purchased by Bayer.

August 20, 2019

The Western Producer reported that a farmer in Manitoba's Red River Valley has stated that General Mills, the maker of Cheerios and Nature Valley, is requiring farmers in their sustainability program to discontinue the use of glyphosate as a drying agent on crops before harvesting. 

PRESS RELEASE

Baum Hedlund Arestei Goldman, the law firm representing the plaintiff in the court case against Monsanto who was recently awarded more than $2billion in damages by an Oakland, CA jury, released de-classified documents from the trial on August 15, 2019.

Among the damning batch of Monsanto Papers de-designated on March 1 and July 22 are a series of emails between Dr. Daniel Goldstein, Wayne Parrott, and Bruce Chassy discussing Moms Across America, where Dr. Goldstein explains, "I have been arguing for a week to beat the s*** out of them and have clearly lost. We don’t want to be seen as beating up on mothers, nobody will listen to it anyway, it has to be done by third parties…" to which Dr. Chassy responds, "You can't beat up mothers, even if they are dumb mothers but you can beat up the organic industry that paid for and wrote that letter. With a little imagination you can even make it fun.”

“Although the misogynistic and violent language in Monsanto’s emails are shocking, I am not surprised. I have been experiencing online attacks, along with many others, likely from Monsanto’s “Let Nothing Go” campaign, for years. However, the truly troubling issue isn’t the disturbing behavior of a few men, but the fact that Bayer and our federal government continue to completely disregard public health by continuing to sell and allow the use of Roundup and glyphosate herbicides.” 

-Zen Honeycutt, Activist and Founding Executive Director of Moms Across America

We learned of our son’s severe food allergies when he was just six months old. Exposing him to the tiniest bite of bread induced hours of swelling and vomiting, symptoms I later learned were part of his anaphylactic response to wheat. The years that followed were a crash course into restrictive diets as we slowly learned of other food allergies and a whole list of intolerances. Our lives were further complicated when our daughter was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at just two weeks of age. CF is a genetic disease impacting the lungs and pancreas, and we suddenly found ourselves overwhelmed by the allergic demands of one child and the medical treatments of another.

In 2017, Moms Across America posted a lengthy article by Camilla Rees, Senior Policy Advisor, National Institute for Science, Law and Public Policy and Founder, ElectromagneticHealth.org and ManhattanNeighbors.org. entitled “The Wireless Elephant in the Room.” In it she urged us to wake up before the tipping point:

The day will arrive when the profound injury to our lives and future generations from wireless technologies will be known, including not just the biological and health effects, and links to disease, but the psychological effects, like poorly developed self-worth, and other effects, such as compulsive behaviors, addiction, and isolation. We are being conditioned like rats on a treadmill, increasingly addicted to technology and unable to stop taking the drug. Many children have never known the quality of life possible un-tethered to the non-stop universe. They don’t know peace, or the sense of safety and inner guidance possible in complete stillness, when one is deeply connected to the natural world, or in the community, and not connected to man-made electronics.

Reprinted with permission from culturedfoodlife.com

I love my microbes and all they do for me. Not a week goes by that I don't discover something new that my 100 trillion microbes are doing just for me. I used to think that my liver was mostly responsible for filtering and removing compounds from within my body including hundreds of toxic chemicals and extra hormones (like estrogen) that can damage cells and weaken my immune system, but this is only half of the story. Your bacteria in your gut are responsible for 50% of the detoxification that your body undergoes, but if you don't have the right microbes and a lot of them, they can't do their job. So, what do bacteria do to detoxify you?

If you are looking for a more immediate detox solution, check out Primary Detox which is Gold Standard approved! 

August is generally regarded as the last month of summer. It is hot, and often lazy, and for many of us it is the time when we make the transition from summer fun to back-to-school. However, August is also the month when Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired millions with his “I Have a Dream” speech. On August 28, 1963, Dr. King stood in front of a sea of people of all colors, ages, and backgrounds and shared his vision for freedom for all. It is a speech that is as referenced and revered today as it was the day he delivered it - and has, no doubt, inspired millions around the world to have their own dream.

"You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one"

-- John Lennon