Today’s blog is republished from my friends at TropicalHealth, a leading publisher of daily alternative health tips that I personally read every day…

Almost exactly one year ago, it showed up like a tsunami…and a wave of disease, death, and destruction swept over all of us. According to Statista, as of February 19, 2021, confirmed and presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 disease surpassed 28 million in America, with over 505 thousand deaths reported.

There is not one corner of the globe that this pandemic’s immensity and darkness have not impacted. It might be hard to imagine any good news coming out of such a real-life horror story – but, there is a glimmer of hope and light.

As life seemed to be spinning out of control, something was happening backstage. The best and brightest researchers in the world were pouring everything they knew into developing a vaccine that would protect us from the enemy novel virus. Now, it is here!

However, as with anything new – especially vaccines – there are always lots of questions and plenty of considerations. Today, February 19, 2021 – this is what we know about the available vaccines in America.

About COVID-19 vaccines

As of February 19th, there have been over 57 million COVID-19 vaccinations administered in the United States. The basic premise behind COVID vaccinations is to teach your body how to recognize and fight off the virus.

The CDC is recommending that the following groups of people be offered the vaccine first.

• Health care personnel
• Adult residents of long-term care facilities
• Essential persons like first responders and teachers
• People 75 years of age or older
• People ages 65-74
• People ages 16-64 who have underlying medical conditions
• Other essential persons who work in industries such as foodservice and construction

Note: Keep in mind that guidelines may vary by state.

There are presently two vaccines that are authorized for use in America:

• Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine – With an efficacy rate of 95%, this vaccine is suitable for persons 16 years or older. Recipients receive two injections 21 days apart.

• Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine – With an efficacy rate of 94.1%, this vaccine is suitable for 18 years or older persons. Recipients received two injections 28 days apart.

Both vaccines use messenger RNA technology

Both of the above vaccines use messenger RNA ( mRNA). These vaccines do not use the live virus that causes COVID-19. Contrary to what you may have heard about these vaccines, mRNA does not enter the cells’ nucleus, which means it can’t alter DNA. Cells receive instruction on how to make a harmless protein unique to the virus. Once copies of the protein are made, the genetic material from the vaccine is destroyed. In response to the protein, the body makes T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes that fight off the COVID-19 virus if an infection happens.

According to Dr. Joshua Levitt, there are two pieces of welcome news about mRNA vaccines:

1. Adjuvants: Chemical adjuvants are ingredients that are added to traditional vaccines to stimulate a stronger immune response. Because mRNA vaccines work differently than traditional vaccines, they do not require the same adjuvants, so the ingredient list is actually “cleaner” than many traditional vaccines.
2. Preservatives: mRNA is an unstable molecule that requires extremely cold temperatures to maintain its integrity. Those cold temperatures reduce the need for extra preservatives which are required in traditional vaccines.

According to The Centers for Disease Control ( CDC), persons with the following should not be vaccinated an mRNA vaccine

• If you have had a serious allergic reaction or immediate reaction to any vaccine ingredient, you should not get the vaccine. This includes a reaction to polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polysorbate. Although polysorbate is not in either of the vaccines mentioned above, it is closely related to PEG, which is in the vaccines.

• If you have a severe allergic reaction or an immediate allergic reaction after the first dose, you should not get another injection even if the reaction was not severe. Examples of an immediate reaction include hives, swelling, or wheezing occurring within four hours of vaccination.

Note: If you have had a severe allergic reaction to injectables in the past, you can still get the vaccine, but you need to be monitored for 30 minutes after getting the vaccine.

What if I have an underlying condition?

If you have an underlying medical condition, the CDC states that you can get the vaccine as long as you have not had a reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine or any of its ingredients. There is, however, very little information about the safety of the vaccine in people who have autoimmune disorders or a weakened immune system.

What if I am pregnant or breastfeeding?

Because there is no data on the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant or breastfeeding women, it is best to speak with your healthcare provider before considering the vaccine.

Those that have already had COVID-19

If you have already had COVID-19, a vaccine may help prevent re-infection in the future. Because it is unknown how long immunity after getting COVID-19 lasts, the CDC is recommending vaccination 90 days after an initial diagnosis.

Possible reactions to COVID-19 vaccines

The following reactions are possible after the first or second vaccine injection.

• Swelling, pain, or redness at the injection site
• Fatigue
• Fever (remember, this is a sign that your immune system is working)
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Joint pain
• Chills
• Swollen lymph nodes
• General unwell feeling
• Nausea and vomiting

* An important note for women: It is common for axillary (armpit) lymph nodes to become enlarged on the side where the COVID vaccine was administered. The enlargement can persist for several weeks after the vaccine. Because axillary lymph node enlargement can also occur in breast cancer, this otherwise minor side effect can strike fear in many women after the vaccine. As a result, many experts are now recommending that women avoid unnecessary testing and delay mammograms and for one month after getting a COVID vaccine to allow time for enlarged lymph nodes to subside.

It is important to note that getting the COVID-19 vaccine may cause some side effects similar to symptoms of the virus. If you have been exposed to COVID-19 and you develop symptoms more than three days after being vaccinated – or if your symptoms persist for two or more days – quarantine and get tested.

What about long term side effects?

Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines trials started in the summer of 2020. Because of this, it is impossible to know what long-term side effects, if any, may occur. To stay current with all of the safety data surrounding vaccines, you can visit the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. This site provides data available to the public.

Do I need to prepare for a COVID-19 vaccine?

There is a lot of information circling out there about what to do before a COVID-19 vaccination – it is imperative to sort through what is credible and just talk. Are you wondering about how best to prepare for a COVID-19 vaccination? Here is what the experts are saying.

• According to Aaron E. Glatt, MD and hospital epidemiologist and chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, NY, there is nothing specific a person needs to do before taking the vaccine apart from reporting any previous serious allergic reactions.

• Blanka Kaplan, MD, is a specialist in adult and pediatric allergy and immunology at Northwell Health in Great Neck, NY. According to Kaplan, if you take allergy medicine, you should not stop taking it before being vaccinated.

• Kaplan also advises against taking any kind of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or aspirin before and 2 hours after vaccination – unless instructed otherwise by your physician. These may cause an allergic reaction in some people.

• Kaplan’s additional advice includes avoiding alcohol 24 hours after vaccination and avoiding strenuous exercise 2 hours before and 2 hours after vaccination. Also, skip the hot shower 2 hours before and 2 hours after vaccination as it can cause allergic reactions in some people.

What you should do to support a healthy immune system

According to the experts, there are a few things that you can do to support your immune system doing its job.

Stay hydrated – The first one is to stay well-hydrated. Hydration is fundamental to keeping your immune system healthy. It is recommended to drink a minimum of half their body weight in ounces of water. If you are a coffee drinker, drink one cup of water extra for every cup of coffee you drink. Choose purified water and herbal tea.

Eat right – Eating a whole food diet is a great way to stay healthy and keep your immune system in top shape. Skip the sugar-laden drinks, refined vegetable oil snacks, and munch on some carrots and hummus instead. The more colorful your diet, the better – include delicious fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and healthy fat.

Sleep well – For your immune system to do what it needs to do, you need to adopt a healthy sleeping routine. Studies show that people who do not get enough sleep are more likely to get sick when exposed to a common cold virus. Additionally, a lack of sleep can also impact how fast you recover if you do get sick. Try to go to bed early and get at least 7-9 hours of quality sleep. Put away the electronics an hour before bed and sleep in a dark and cool room.

Stay active – Regular exercise is vital to overall health and wellbeing and a robust immune system. Exercise helps increase circulation, allowing cells and substances of the immune system to circulate through the body and do their job.

Manage stress – Being in a constant state of stress can take its toll on your mental and physical health and impede proper immune function. Although small bouts of stress may induce immune function, chronic stress does the opposite by increasing inflammation and lowering lymphocytes, which are white blood cells that help keep infection at bay. If you battle with chronic stress, try to adopt some health stress-beating habits like journaling, exercising, deep breathing, yoga, and spending time in nature.

What the future holds

As more vaccines are approved, and data flows in from the current vaccines being administered, new information will follow. Just as COVID-19 is unique, so are the approaches underway to protect us against the virus. Continue to practice good hygiene, social distancing, and wear a mask in public. And always get your information from credible, expert sources. If you have questions or concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine, speak with your healthcare provider.

(The original article source is here)
By Susan Patterson

The post COVID 19 Vaccine Update (9+ Things You Should Know Before Getting Vaccinated) appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

by Catherine Ebeling & Mike Geary
co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging &

Surrounded by a sea of plastic and hormone-disrupting chemicals that includes plastic water bottles, plastic soda bottles, plastic bags, plastic food containers, soaps, shampoos, food packaging and pans treated with nonstick coatings, studies are showing definite connections between plastic compounds and serious diseases like diabetes and obesity. Not only that, but more and more evidence is also pointing to other serious health issues such as infertility, hormone-related reproductive cancers, neurological issues and other disorders.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC’s) also referred to as “Xenoestrogens” or synthetic estrogens, cause serious health problems because they mimic estrogen among other hormones. By hijacking important chemical messengers in the body, EDC’s actually can change the way cells develop and grow. These chemicals are showing up in men, women, breastfeeding mothers and babies.

Xenoestrogens actually amplify the effect of estrogen in the body. These toxic hormones actually can build up over time, creating an overload of estrogen. Individuals with any kind of estrogen dominance health condition (such as breast or ovarian cancer) should be especially careful to avoid xenoestrogens. And this is especially harmful to men.

Xenoestrogens have been linked to feminization in men (man boobs, loss of testosterone, low sperm counts, etc.), infertility, and unnaturally early puberty in girls. This buildup of synthetic female hormones increases the risk of reproductive cancer as well.

Exposure of lab species and wild animals to xenoestrogens has been found to cause abnormalities in the reproductive systems of these animals. Xenoestrogens bind to estrogen receptors in both animals and humans including: reproductive tissue, body fat, the hypothalamus, and pituitary glands. And, studies in mice show that xenoestrogens can cause progressive degeneration of testicular tissue and sexual dysfunction in both sexes.

According to Andrea C. Gore, Professor of Pharmacology at University of Texas, and chair of a task force on hormone disrupting chemicals, “The evidence is more definitive than ever—EDC’s disrupt hormones in a manner that harms human health. Hundreds of studies are pointing to the same conclusion…You may have a healthy meal, but if it’s in a plastic container [or cooked in a nonstick pan], it’s leaching chemicals.”

Based on information from over 1,300 studies, there is strong evidence to show a link between common hormone disrupting chemicals and serious health issues such as:

• Type 2 Diabetes
• Obesity
• Heart disease
• Infertility/Impotence
• Hormone-sensitive cancers in women (breast, endometrial, ovarian)
• Prostate cancer
• Thyroid problems
• Poor brain development and brain function in young children
• Feminization in men: low sperm count, breast development

While there are about 85,000 chemicals known to be in use, it is not known for sure how many of these chemicals actually disrupt hormones, but at least 1,000 are known human toxins.

Some of the known EDCs include bisphenol A (BPA) found in food can linings, cash register receipts; phthalates found in plastics and cosmetics; flame retardant chemicals and various pesticides. The chemicals are so common that nearly every person on Earth has been exposed to at least one or more of these.

And a mother’s exposure to even tiny amounts of EDCs during her pregnancy can trigger obesity in her child. These EDCs can target cells in the pancreas, the liver and the fat cells in the body, leading the way for insulin resistance, and high insulin levels which are direct risk factors for the development of Type 2 diabetes.

When looking at just one of these endocrine disrupting chemicals, it was found that having higher BPA levels was associated with a diabetes rate 50% higher than having lower levels of this harmful chemical!

Two other chemicals, di-isononyl phthalate (DINP) and di-isodecyl phthalate (DIDP), both known as ‘phthalates’, used in plastic food wrap, soaps, cosmetics and food containers have been directly linked to insulin resistance and diabetes in children and adolescents, as well as high blood pressure.

• These chemicals are not the only offenders. Endocrine disrupting chemicals and xenoestrogens also include:
• Bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S, which are used in some plastics, metal food cans, and cash register receipts
• Phthalates, a class of chemicals that are used to soften plastic and also used in some perfumes, soaps, shampoos, and cosmetics
• Some pesticides, like DDT
• Triclosan, an antibacterial chemical

These chemicals can act at very low doses.

EDC’s, which include xenoestrogens, can be found in pesticides, plastics, fuels, personal care products preservatives and drugs. Below is a partial list of some of the EDC’s we come into contact with on a daily basis:

• alkylphenols (chemicals used in the manufacture of other chemicals)
• atrazine (a common household weed killer)
• 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor (sunscreen lotions)
• 4-hexylresorcinol (color preservative for shrimp and shellfish).
• butylated hydroxyanisole / BHA (a very common food preservative)
• bisphenol A (used in plastics including food containers and water bottles)
• DDT (insecticide)
• erythrosine / FD&C Red No. 3 (food coloring)
• ethinylestradiol (oral contraceptive pill)
• heptachlor (insecticide)
• nonylphenol and derivatives (surfactants, cleansers, emulsifiers for detergents; pesticides)
• pentachlorophenol (wood preservative)
• polychlorinated biphenyls / PCBs (oils, lubricants, adhesives, paints)
• parabens (skin lotions)
• phenosulfothiazine (red dye)
• phthalates (plasticizers)
• DEHP (plasticizer for PVC/polyvinyl chloride used in pipes and many other applications)
• Propyl gallate (used to protect oils and fats in foods from oxidation)

Many of the EDC’s listed above are contained in processed, packaged foods and in conventionally-grown, non-organic produce as either preservatives and/or pesticides.

Another group of xenoestrogens is found in commercially-raised dairy, meat and eggs. Commercial dairy and egg farmers often feed estrogenic chemicals to milk cows and chickens because it will increase production of milk and eggs. Commercially-raised meat and dairy get a double dose of xenoestrogens from the pesticides they ingest in their feed source as well. This alone makes commercial dairy, eggs and meat major sources of xenoestrogens.

Yes, this list can be mind-boggling and overwhelming. So what are the TOP TEN endocrine disrupting items to avoid? Let’s take a look at this list Dr. Joseph Mercola recently published:

1. Pthlatates in personal care products
2. Tap water AND individual plastic water bottles
3. Canned foods
4. Conventionally grown produce
5. Conventionally raised meat, poultry and dairy
6. Fish containing mercury
7. Kitchen products—nonstick cookware, plastic storage containers
8. Cleaning products
9. Office products—printer’s ink and toner
10. Cash register receipts

Yes, we are surrounded by these chemicals in every aspect of our lives, and they are hard to avoid. Here are some ways to minimize your exposure EDC’s and xenoestrogens:

• Avoid all synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides by eating organic whenever possible, especially the “dirty dozen*” of the highest sprayed produce.
• Avoid using pesticides and herbicides outdoors, especially on your lawn.
• Avoid all plastic containers, especially individual sized water bottles, and plastic food containers. Do not store hot food in plastic. Use glass whenever possible.
• Avoid microwaving in plastic and avoid using plastic wrap.
• Avoid using nail polish, avoid acrylic nails and nail polish remover
• Avoid lotions, hair products and cosmetics that are not “all-natural”. Especially avoid products containing parabens. Unfortunately, the more inexpensive brands usually have the most toxic ingredients.

• Eat only organic, grass fed meats and wild caught fatty fish as much as possible. Consume only organic dairy products.
• Use organic, natural soaps and toothpastes.
• Use natural household cleaners.
• Use only naturally based perfume or essential oils. Most commercial perfumes are full of petrochemicals and preservatives containing xenoestrogens.
• Use naturally based, non-petroleum based laundry detergents and dish detergents.

A healthy diet rich in certain foods is also a key way to avoid and combat these estrogenic compounds in our environment. Specific components of these foods help to block uptake and absorption of xenoestrogens as well and cleanse the body of any excess that may be stored. Eating a whole foods based diet, high in plant-based organic foods will help to keep your system clean. Follow a Paleo-style, unprocessed foods diet, like the Fat Burning Kitchen diet will also help you avoid these dangerous chemicals.

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale, cauliflower, radishes, turnips, and cabbage are estrogen inhibiting and prevent these artificial hormones from being absorbed into our system. Onions and garlic contain quercetin that is also anti-estrogenic, immune enhancing and detoxifying.

Omega 3 fats such as those in grass fed meats and wild caught fatty fish are also essential as a safeguard against xenoestrogens. Omega 3 fats have been found to be highly beneficial in estrogen balance and metabolism.

Other helpful foods included green tea, citrus fruits, organic (full fat) dairy such as grass fed butter and raw grass fed cheeses, raw nuts and seeds, avocados and organic virgin olive oil. Eating organic greens, herbs and organic fruit also adds to the antioxidant potential in the body further protecting and enhancing the body’s natural balance.

Protecting your body from these harmful chemicals is of the upmost importance, we cannot forget the importance of hydration for the body.

While science has proven drinking water regularly can help you lose weight…

You’ll need to drink at least 2 liters of water everyday for 3-6 months to see a difference.

Talk about endless trips to the toilet!

Not to mention, you’ll also need to follow a restrictive diet.

Thankfully, that’s all about to change.

Researchers at the University College of London discovered that when you add two tablespoons of this fat-burning “soda powder” to a glass of water…

Your body can flush out fat up to 720% faster!

Without having to wait 3-6 months to see any changes…

Thousands of people are losing up to 20 lbs of fat within just 2 weeks without following any

particular diet or exercise program.

You may find it hard to believe, but you can click the link below to see the shocking proof:

Add two tablespoons of this “soda powder” with water to shed up to 20 lbs of stubborn fat in weeks.

*The Environmental Working Group publishes yearly a “Dirty Dozen “list of top endocrine disrupters, and a “Dirty Dozen” list of the produce with the highest pesticides and preservatives. The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database lists brands that are free of most must-avoid ingredients and Care2 has compiled a list of non-toxic nail polishes. PETA also features a comprehensive index of beauty brands that do not test on animals.

Sources:

The Endocrine Society. “Chemical exposure linked to rising diabetes, obesity risk: Endocrine Society releases scientific statement on endocrine-disrupting chemicals.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 September 2015. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150928124400.htm.

Ori Hofmekler, “The Anti-Estrogenic Diet, How Estrogenic Foods and Chemicals Are Making You Fat And Sick”, North Atlantic Books, 2007.

Joseph Mercola, “10 Common Sources of Endocrine Disrupters and How to Avoid Them”, July 2015. Mercola.com

Joseph Mercola, “12 Food Additives to Remove From Your Diet’,
July 2009. Mercola.com

Quinn Phillips, Diabetes from Plastic?, November 8, 2011. Diabetes Self Management. Diabetesselfmanagement.com.

Chemical Exposure linked to Rising Diabetes Risk, Science Daily, September 2015.

Elizabeth Smith, MD, “Xenoestrogens interfere with Normal Hormones.” Endo101.com

News-Medical.net, Chemicals used in plastics linked to increased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes in children and adolescents. July 9, 2015.

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