Insecticides No Longer Effective Against Mutant Lice – Coconut Oil a Better Option

Only one thing sends more shivers down the spines of school-aged children’s parents than head lice, and that is mutant head lice. Research from 2014 of lice samples from the US and Canada showed almost all of the insects (99.6 percent) had developed gene mutations making them resistant to common over-the-counter lice shampoos.1 Such shampoos often contain the toxic pesticide permethrin, which should not be placed anywhere near a child’s scalp due to the health risks alone. But now it appears the chemicals will no longer be very effective either. While medicated shampoos are touted as the best way to get rid of head lice, you have to decide whether you really want to slather your child’s hair up with pesticides, especially when they may not kill the lice and there are other effective alternatives. Coconut oil appears to be a useful option, as it’s been found to lead to 80 percent mortality in head lice after four hours.

FDA Approves Potentially Disastrous Cholesterol-Lowering Drug

One in three Americans aged 40 and over take a cholesterol-lowering statin drug, and nearly half of people over age 75 are on them, despite their risks, and the fact that “high” cholesterol is not always the enemy it’s made out to be. Statins have a long list of side effects, and may even lead to the very problem you’re trying to avoid — heart disease — as the drug inhibits both Coenzyme Q10 and vitamin K2. Statins also reduce squalene, which can raise your risk of immune system dysfunction. Now, the drug industry is rolling out yet another cholesterol-lowering medication that may turn out to be even worse than statins.

Saturated Fat Helps Avoid Diabetes

About one in three Americans now has diabetes or pre-diabetes. That's nearly 80 million people, the majority of whom suffer from type 2 diabetes – a preventable and, often, reversible condition. The problem is that many Americans are unaware that the foods they're eating could be setting them up for a dietary disaster, and this isn't their fault. Public health guidelines condemn healthy fats from foods like butter and full-fat dairy and recommend whole grains and cereals – the opposite of what a person with diabetes, or any person really, needs to stay healthy. For the last 50 years, Americans have been told to eat a high complex carbohydrate, low saturated fat diet. Even diabetics have been told to eat 50 to 60 percent of their daily calories in the form of processed carbs! Research, including a new study involving dolphins, again suggests that this movement away from traditional full-fat foods is contributing to the rising rates of diabetes and metabolic syndrome across the globe.

The Major Role Soybean Oil Plays in Obesity and Diabetes

Mice fed soybean oil had significant increases in weight gain, body fat, diabetes, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance compared to those fed coconut oil. The soybean-oil diet was also found to upregulate genes involved in obesity, diabetes, inflammation, mitochondrial function, and cancer. In one study when heart-disease patients replaced saturated animal fats with omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean oil it led to an increased risk of death.

Will New 2015 Dietary Guidelines Reverse Four Decades of Foolish Fat Phobia?

Every five years, the US Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) convene a 15-member panel to update the nation’s dietary guidelines. The panel’s mission is to identify foods and beverages that help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight, promote health, and prevent disease. In addition to guiding the public at large, the guidelines significantly influence nutrition policies such as school lunch programs and feeding programs for the elderly. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) scientific report is an integral part of this process, as it serves as the foundation for the development of the dietary guidelines. The DGAC submitted its 2015 Scientific Report to the HHS and USDA in February 2015, which, to many people’s surprise, included the elimination of warnings about dietary cholesterol. Another remarkable turnaround is the Advisory Committee’s revised stance on fats. As noted in a recent Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)paper, the latest advisory report reverses nearly four decades of nutrition policy.

Make Your Own Coffee and Coconut Oil Exfoliating Scrubs

Coffee beans aren’t only invigorating as a beverage, they’re also revitalizing when used as a body scrub! Repurposed coffee grounds could become the best part of your morning routine. Trust me, once you try this you’ll have no trouble at all rousing yourself out of bed in the morning. Imagine stepping into a steaming hot shower, and literally scrubbing away the sleep and slumber with fragrant ground coffee, silky coconut oil, and pure essential oils! You’ll leave the shower feeling so energized, and with that lovely, natural glow – people will ask where you’re hiding the fountain of youth! Consider the benefits of improved circulation, smooth + hydrated skin, and positively looking like you woke up ready to take on the world with that fresh, bright face of yours.

How Cholesterol-lowering Statin Drugs Can Interfere with Your Heart Health

Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may stimulate atherosclerosis and heart failure. Statins inhibit the synthesis of vitamin K2 in your body; vitamin K2 protects your arteries from calcification. Statins may also damage your heart by interfering with CoQ10 production, causing mitochondria damage, and interfering with selenium-containing proteins.