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Don’t let Diabetes bring your Sex Life to a Halt! In answer to the repeated question of erectile dysfunction, (the medical term for impotence), it has taken me 12 years to research, develop and trial a special herbal formula - as I made it my mission to help, believing as I do there is no reason why diabetes should bring a couple’s sex life to a halt! I’m going to tell you more about my work shortly. But before I do so, I thought it might prove useful to look at Diabetes generally.’ In the United States around 5% of the population has Diabetes. In cases of Diabetes Mellitus this results from a defect in the production of insulin by the pancreas. There are two types of diabetes which are now recognized: the juvenile (Type I), seen in children and young adults, and the maturity–onset type, (Type II), seen usually in obese individuals over forty. For the purpose of this report I am concentrating on the maturity-onset type where often due to prolonged obesity, there occurs a reduction in insulin receptors in target cells (i.e., a down-regulation of the receptors), due to high and steady insulin production. Each of us has a specific number of fat cells which is fixed in infancy. As we gain weight, these cells become enlarged and the number of glucose receptor sites decreases so that ever less glucose can be received and used by the cells. Without sufficient insulin to carry it into the cells where it can be used for energy, or without available receptor sites, glucose accumulates in the blood until some of the surplus is eliminated by the kidneys and passed off in the urine. So typically when the ingestion of an over abundance of insulin inducing foods such as refined carbohydrates and convenience ‘junk’ food) occurs the pancreas can no longer produce enough insulin to restore optimal blood glucose levels. In this condition, the available insulin is ineffective, resulting in signs similar to complete insulin deficiency, hyperglycemia, (high blood sugar levels), glycosuria, (extra glucose spills over in urine), polydipsia, (great thirst leading to increased water intake), and weight loss. How do you know you have Type II Diabetes? Easy fatigue – because the body is not getting enough fuel. Drowsiness, itching, blurred vision, excessive weight, tingling or numbness in the extremities, skin infections and slow healing of cuts and scratches especially on the feet. Because of the accumulation of sugar in the blood, the kidneys are hard-pressed to get rid of it, so you will probably be excessively thirsty and passing more urine than usual. Another prominent suspicious sign is an unexplained loss of sexual desire. Always seek advise from your medical advisor who can arrange the appropriate tests. What can I do about this condition? If you are a diabetic you are probably well aware of the effects of high glycemic foods and the need to maintain blood sugar surges. So what follows are a number of additional key recommendations: •Eat a high-complex-carbohydrate, low-fat, high fiber diet including plenty of raw fruits and vegetables as well as fresh fruit juices. This Reduces the need for insulin and also lowers the level of fats in the blood. Fiber helps to reduce blood sugar surges. For snacks, eat oat or rice bran crackers with nut butter or cheese. Legumes, root vegetables, and whole grains are also good. •Avoid saturated fats and simple sugars (except when necessary to balance an insulin reaction). •Get your protein from vegetable sources, such as grains and legumes. Fish and low-fat dairy products are also acceptable sources of protein. •Supplement your diet with spirulina. Spirulina helps to stabilize blood sugar levels. Other foods that help normalize blood sugar include berries, brewer’s yeast, dairy products (especially cheese), egg yolks, fish, garlic, kelp, sauerkraut, soybeans, and vegetables. •Do not take fish oil capsules or supplements containing large amounts of para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), and avoid salt and white flour products. Consumption of these products results in an elevation of blood sugar. •Do not take supplements containing the amino acid cysteine. It has the ability to break down the bonds of the hormone insulin and interferes with absorption of insulin by the cells. •Avoid taking large amounts of vitamin B3 (Niacin). However, small amounts (50 to 100 milligrams daily), taken as a supplement may be beneficial. Circulatory effects of Diabetes – How does that effect me? For reasons not completely understood, Type II diabetes if untreated, can lead to vascular diseases that among other things, causes blindness, atherosclerosis, heart attacks, kidney disease, and gangrene. What we do know for certain is that in excess, insulin has the power to make arteries less elastic. It also acts as a growth hormone on smooth muscle cells in the walls of the arteries, causing them to increase in thickness, become stiffer and less supple, while at the same time decreasing the volume within the arteries. Let’s look closer at effects that cause erectile dysfunction…… The subject of impotence usually remains behind closed doors, however, some physicians speculate that as many as 70 percent of diabetic men are impotent. In obese men this is related to an over abundance of oestrogen (a female hormone), which in turn desensitises the skeletal muscles to the action of insulin. Diabetes can damage the nerves, (neuropathy), the erectile tissue and small blood vessels in the penis. Neuropathy may mean there is less sensation in the penis and less signalling to it from the brain, making it more difficult to get and maintain an erection. Damage to the blood vessels will also prevent erectile tissue from filling with blood. This is why diabetes and erectile dysfunction are closely linked. What other factors play a part in erectile dysfunction? It may be that medications taken for diabetes, high blood pressure or for other conditions can be the cause. Drinking too much and smoking can also cause the problem. Psychological and emotional factors such as anxiety depression and stress are also important. What you can do to overcome erectile dysfunction Talk to your doctor. Because erectile dysfunction is a common diabetes-related problem, your doctor won’t be surprised when you mention the topic. The doctor can check if there are significant problems with the arteries or the nervous system as occasionally these aspects might need special attention in their own right. Control your blood sugar. If blood glucose levels are kept in the normal range, it will help reduce the chance of this problem occurring. Avoid tobacco. If you smoke-STOP! Smoking can cause blood vessels to narrow, contributing to blockages that can lead to erectile dysfunction. Smoking can also decrease nitric oxide levels, (which controls the circulation of blood, and transmits messages between nerve cells. As a result deficiency includes the inability to achieve and sustain normal erections). Avoid excessive alcohol. As a rule of thumb men should restrict their intake to no more than two alcoholic drinks a day. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can cause erectile dysfunction by damaging blood vessels. Maintaining normal blood pressure is important. In addition to smoking, and drinking excess alcohol please note that diabetics who control their condition reduce the risk of hypertension. I have 12 more strategies: Watch your weight: In over weight people, a 10 percent reduction in total body weight will sometimes normalize blood pressure. Compute your Body Mass Index: Multiply your weight in pounds by 703; then divide by your height in inches; then again divide by your height in inches. Try to stay between 18.5 and 24.9. Regular exercise minimizes the chance of developing impotence and can restore sexual function in some men. In general, if you haven’t been exercising, try to work up to 30 minutes, 4 to 6 times a week. Please bear in mind the importance of eating more carbohydrates before exercise. Exercise produces an insulin-like effect in the body. Your doctor may make a different recommendation based on your health. If you can’t carry on a conversation while you exercise, you may be overdoing it. So in this case it is best to alternate exercise days with rest days to prevent injuries. Beware of salt: No more than 6grams per day, many processed foods are sodium rich including soy sauce and canned soups. Choose Potassium rich foods instead: Beware of Sodas, which deplete potassium. Top Potassium Foods Potassium rich foods include:- * Lentils 730mg 1 cup Banana 450mg medium * Kidney beans 700mg 1 cup Avocado 550mg half * Prune juice 700mg 8oz Carrot (raw) 232mg medium * Tomato juice 652mg 6oz Milk 381mg 8oz * Chick peas 470mg 1 cup Orange juice 474mg 8oz Check your blood for cholesterol and triglyceride levels. I recommend you obtain an excellent eBook at www.beatingcholesterol.com Eat plenty of high fiber foods which are found in many vegetables and whole grains. Reject refined foods: Natural wholefoods are the best – Not processed. Avoid fried foods, saturated/hydrogenated fats and avoid hidden fats, especially trans fats which are a greater risk than even saturated fats- check the food labels. Importance of vitamin C: Make sure you have adequate amounts of this vital vitamin as it has been shown that the less vitamin C in the blood, the higher the blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Suggested dose with bioflavonoids such as Bilberry 3,000-6,000 mg daily, in divided doses. Vitamin E: Evidence suggests that vitamin E also magnifies vitamin C’s blood pressure-lowering effects. Start with 100 IU daily and add 100 IU daily each month, until you reach 400 IU daily. As much as possible avoid stress: Always ensure some “Me Time”, a great way to achieve this is putting 5 drops each of lemon balm and lavender essential oils in warm bath water. Be sure to get sufficient sleep: High blood pressure patients deprived of sleep experience significant increases in blood pressure, especially during the evening. Consult a urologist. They can help assess your condition, determine its cause, and identify safe and effective treatments. Fortunately the treatment of erectile dysfunction in diabetes has improved considerably over the last decade. In addition to a number of devices, some men with diabetes can get relief for their sexual problems from medications such as sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), or vardenafil (Levitra). However, I have collected data, that many people who were utilising Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra reported that sometimes these drugs do not work at all. I believe that when your system is low in testosterone, (the male hormone), Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra do not seem to impart their full-proof effect. I have discovered two herbs that mimic the action of Viagra together with two traditional herbal testosterone boosters. I then completed the formula with additional herbs to increase circulation and act as an aphrodisiac. Properties of Herbs Responsible for assisting ED from my research and formulation. Maca-Increases desire, promotes mental alertness and a positive frame of mind Horny Goat Weed-The extract has now been clinically tested and found not only to increase the sexual desire but also helps in the reversal of impotency symptoms Muira Puama-Dr Jacques Wayneburg: According to a clinical study with 262 patients at the institute of sexology, Paris France. 262 patients complaining of lack of sexual desire and the inability to maintain an erection were used as subjects in a clinical trial for 4 weeks. 62% of patients claimed that the treatment with Muira Puama had a dynamic effect while 51% with ED felt great benefit. TribulusTerrestris-Studies have shown that treatment with this herb has led to a better than 50% increase in testosterone levels by increasing the luteinizing hormone. Tongkat Ali-It is now clinically tested in university Sains Malaysia, in the Department of Pharmacology and it is known to boost the testosterone levels by 400 times in men of all ages. Viagra like Action. Xanthoparmelia Scabrosa-Principal activity of this herb is to inhibit PDE5 enzyme so that you can maintain erection longer. Cnidium Monnieri-It is mainly used as a natural libido booster. The seeds are also used in the treatment of impotence, it has been shown to have an action similar to the sex hormones, prolonging and reviving the copulation period. Ginkgo Biloba-At the Seoul national university medical school in Korea, promising research is being undertaken on Ginkgo Biloba's affect on smooth muscle relaxation on the human corpus cavernosum. This is the tissue area of the penis which when relaxed blocks the flow of blood away from the penis, thus maintaining an erection. Finally, please remember that you are as unique as your fingerprint, so what works for one person may not work for another. Having said that, I really believe there is hope for anyone suffering from diabetic impotence, it is just a question of exploring the many options and taking responsibility for this condition. penis enlagement excersizes penis enargement before and after picture best penis enargement pills penile enlargement pic before and after cheap vigrx pills easy enlargement free pennis surgery way cheap penile enlargment penis enlargement stretcher

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Coldsores, also called fever blisters and oral herpes, are a global epidemic - or pandemic. Coldsores are the visible symptom of an active herpes virus infestation. More specifically, coldsores are the result of the reproduction process of the herpes virus. The World Health Organization estimates 85% to 91% of the world population currently carries the herpes simplex virus type 1 or 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2). For all practical purposes, that means just about everybody is infected with the coldsores virus. Recorded history shows that this has been true since about 500 years prior to the Roman Empire. HSV-1 is responsible for about 80% of reoccurring coldsores. The other 20% of coldsores are caused by HSV-2. Of those infected with the herpes virus, 76% will have one or several coldsores within the next 12 months. The other 24% often go a lifetime without experiencing any symptom of coldsores. The herpes virus most of the time is latent, or in hibernation, in the nerve ganglia nearest to the site of your coldsores. In the case of facial coldsores, this would be in an area behind the jawbone, near the brain stem. When the coldsores virus becomes active, they travel up the nerve fibers to the surface where they replicate and create those painful coldsores right on the end of the nerves. Coldsores normally occur on the face, appearing on the edge of the lip, called the vermilion border. The nostril is also a common site for coldsores. What most people don't know, however, is coldsores can appear anywhere from the waist up. For example: fingertip coldsores do occur. They're often a much more painful event because of the constant use of the fingers in our daily routine. Coldsores are extremely contagious. The coldsores virus spreads externally, not internally. Kissing is the primary way coldsores are transmitted to others - especially from adults to children. Most people are infected before they're a dozen years old. The lips, mouth and nose are not protected by skin and are an easy target. Coldsores can also spread to anywhere on the body where the virus can find an opening - like a cut on the finger. Although coldsores are not life threatening, coldsores can cause a lot of grief and damage if spread to the eyes with contaminated fingers. This can cause loss of sight. Also, with oral sex, the coldsores can be spread to the vagina or penis, creating the dreaded genital herpes. Coldsores are contagious from the first itching stage to the disappearance of the final red spot. They are most contagious during the open weeping and crust stages. The crust cracks frequently when you move your mouth, as in smiling. The fluid from these coldsores is absolutely teaming with the coldsores virus. Extreme caution must be taken with active coldsores. Coldsores itch and hurt a lot, so we tend to touch them frequently. Then the virus sheds to our fingers - and is easily transmitted to another location or person. Self-control is imperative. Each time you touch your coldsores, you must wash your hands. Keep little bottles of hand sterilizing soap or baby-wipes on hand. Baby-wipes have a sterilizing ingredient and are particularly handy and useful. You can dab the coldsores with them instead of your fingers. This also speeds healing of coldsores. Coldsores are brought on primarily by physical stress. Keep in mind even mental stress will manifest itself physically. Colds (thus the term coldsores), fever (thus the term fever blisters), pregnancy, injury, and nearly any physical trauma can easily bring the virus out of hibernation and cause coldsores. Fact is, upcoming weddings, according to the mail I get, are one of the biggest causes of coldsores. There are a huge variety of treatments for coldsores. These include over-the-counter medications, prescription anti-viral pills and salves, and many natural remedies. You'll find over-the-counter products are mainly comfort medications. None of them have ever proven to shorten your coldsores. One exception to this - some have antibacterial agents. This prevents secondary bacterial infections. If you do get a bacterial infection, and this is common, it will greatly lengthen the healing times and discomfort of your coldsores. Much of the benefit of over-the-counters is a numbing agent to reduce pain. Some contain oils that help keep the scab softer so it doesn't crack. Prescription medications for coldsores, up to this point, have been dismal failures. There are several brand names but the generic name for the active ingredient is acyclovir. The antiviral salve will take, maybe, one or two days off your 3-week coldsores. The antiviral pills helped reduce the number of coldsores for only 47% of the people tested. This was a very short study so it wasn't very accurate. Please note this medication is not to be taken if you're pregnant or going to be pregnant soon. Also, there is some concern for liver damage. Your best option, in fact your ONLY option for coldsores right now, is the variety of known natural remedies for coldsores. In real life studies, natural remedies have shortened the duration of coldsores by as much as 85%. Among these are honey, DMSO, tea tree oil, zinc, lysine, aloe vera, certain herbs and a few others in certain forms and combinations. Coldsores can literally be a real pain. But you can easily, like many thousands of others have, discover the right combination of remedies for yourself and enjoy a lifetime of freedom from coldsores. home pennis enlargement buy penile enlargment pills penile enlargement before and after photo do penis enargement pills really work penis enlargment forum vigrx pill best pnis enlargement pills penis enhancement surgeon penis enhancement patch

There comes a time in your efforts to market your website that you realise that it's no longer enough to tell your family and friends to visit your website - you need to get some people who will pay you in cash rather than compliments. You need to start approaching other website owners and start building an online network of contacts. This is a crucial step to achieving online success. I once read a quote that applied at the time to conventional 'bricks and mortar' businesses but it just as pertinent if not more so for online businesses: "You will not be successful by being a cave dweller." Kind of obvious but there are so many business owners that are cave dwellers. Sitting in their offices staring at the phone day after day wondering why no new prospects ever phone them up. You have to stand up, open the door and get out into the world and shout from the rooftops about your business. If you're online you need to do the same for your website. One of the best ways to do this is to establish reciprocal links with other relevant websites. But this is where Public Enemy No. 1 comes in - if you don't know how to bypass it all your efforts to contact the website owners and establish links with them will be in vain. Those nasty spam monsters that roam the web harvesting email addresses from all web pages and then bombarding them with member enlargement hormones and get rich quick schemes have made it hard for you. If you decide to try and email a website owner using the email address they make publicly available on their website you're already fighting an uphill battle. That email address is likely to be going through some form of spam filtering and if your email subject to this person has even a whiff of canned ham about it you'll be in that Trash Can quicker than you can say "$1million Ebay secrets". So, what's the answer? Well, for starters - don't be tempted to use software to do your links work for you. People like people. Not robots. Do your own dirty work. Also - try and find the name of the website owner and use that in your email to them. One of the best ways to overcome the dreaded Delete Key when you are contacting website owners though is to use their online contact form. When they receive an email via the form they have on their website they know that a real, living, actual human being has filled it in and not some spam monster - hence - they're more likely to read it. Good luck! penis enargement surgery vigrx store penis enlarement program vimax penis enlargement stretcher vimax manual penis enlargement exercise guide to pennis enlargement vimax natural penis enlargement technique penis enlagement excercises penis enhancement patch

Early pregnancy Symptom refers to the sign that indicates whether a woman is pregnant or not. Irrespective of the fact whether you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, you always wish to know the reality at the earliest. Early pregnancy symptom becomes important when one does not have the enough patience of waiting up to the menstruation period. These kinds of women find it difficult to wait after the ovulation and they wish to know whether they are having pregnancy or not. Body Is An Excellent Indicator Of The Pregnancy These impatient people may surprise to know that their body indicates early pregnancy symptom. With a careful observation of the pregnancy week by week you will find that the body is really an excellent indicator of the pregnancy. However, early pregnancy symptom begins to appear at different times in different women. According to the pregnancy journal in some women early pregnancy symptom may appear within few days after the conception. On the other hand, it may take few weeks before appearing in some other cases. Nausea Or Vomiting Nausea or vomiting is one early pregnancy symptom that appears in the very early stages of the pregnancy. This is also known more popularly as morning sickness. There are instances when this early pregnancy symptom occurred so early that the women could not realize it and thought that this is happening because of the food poisoning or cold effect. Nausea happens because the ability of sensing the smell and taste of the pregnant women gets increased and she can feel the sensation of nausea even with the smell of tea and coffee. Increases Frequency of Urination Frequent urination is another early pregnancy symptom. This symptom also appears in the early stages of the pregnancy. In most of the cases frequent urination starts within one week of getting pregnant. You may have to go to the toilet again and again even during the night. In addition, you will observe that you are getting tired much early as compared to when you were normal. Breast Enlargement And Missed Period One more early pregnancy symptom is enlargement of the size of the breast and nipples. This is very common symptom and most of the women also report tenderness of the breast when they get pregnant. This very early symptom is an indication that the body is getting ready for the breastfeeding. On most of the occasions when any woman misses her period then it works as an early pregnancy symptom for her. However, during the period of the pregnancy you may feel sudden and painful tightening of the muscles giving you the sensation that the period is about to come. Along with this cramping of the muscles you will also experience back pain during this period. compare penile enlargement pills penis enlagement program penis enlagement surgery cost permanent penis enargement pennis enlargement pump medical penis enlarement top rated pennis enlargement pills real penis enhancement penis enhancement patch

Question: Have plastic food and beverage containers been proven safe? Answer: No. During the film's graduation party in THE GRADUATE, Mr. McGuire pulls Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) aside to offer sage advice for his future. His future would be one word: "plastics." Of course, we all know Mr. McGuire's advice and prognostication was correct. Plastics can only be made by man in his infinite wisdom, hence they are patentable. The profit in the manufacture of plastics has been huge. Plastics are everywhere. Plastic manufacturing now uses 4% of the world's oil production annually. Automobiles are now 9% plastic. It is of my special concern that more foods and beverages are being put into plastic containers. Plastics are ubiquitous now. They persist and accumulate in our society as their production exceeds their chemical degradation rate. Harmful chemicals from plastics are now commonly found in groundwater, waterways, and drinking water. While standing out in the summer heat in Phoenix, Arizona in 1981, my girlfriend asked me what was causing the film to form on the inside of the windshield of her new Mazda 626. She said that she had to wipe it off every morning so she could see to drive to work. I didn't know then. I do now! It was phthalates, the chemical that was added to the plastic dash cover to soften it and prevent cracking. I'm sure by now most of the phthalate has evaporated into our atmosphere and the Mazda is in some junkyard with a cracked up dash. Phthalates are EDC's (Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals.) They are chemicals found in recycle codes #1 through #6 plastics. Another EDC (Bisphenol A) is in recycle code #7 plastics. All of these types of plastic EDC's interfere with the function of sex hormones receptors. In THE GRADUATE Benjamin was quite a stud. I wonder if he's now taking one of the popular drugs to treat erectile dysfunction, a disorder that has become one of the many epidemics in our new plastic world. In 2003 a group of Croatian scientists reported that phthalates in plastics dissolved in various solutions. They used a variety of plastic items, including plastic food containers. After 10 days of sitting in distilled water, an average of 55.4 mg/ of phthalates from each kilogram of plastic "migrated" into the water. To a lesser degree the phthalates from plastics dissolved into acetic acid 3% (44.4 mg/kg) and 10% ethyl alcohol (32.3 mg/kg). The Croatian study shows what Benjamin would suspect, if he took chemistry in college: Water is the universal solvent; and it dissolves even the primarily fat soluble phthalates. The more that you filter water to remove other toxic solutes, the more aggressive water becomes in its power to reach osmolar equilibrium by dissolving its non-inert containers. What is also obviously missing from the Croatians' controlled, static testing model are the temperature variations that the plastic bottled water product goes through to get from bottling point to the mouth of the consumer. Transport trucks probably reach a very high temperature in the non refrigerated cargo areas that carry PETE (recycle code #1 plastic) bottled water in the summer. Heat facilitates the dissolution of phthalates into the water. Then the bottles may be stored for a much longer time than 10 days prior to consumption. Furthermore, freezing the containers produces micro-fissures in the interior surface of the plastic bottle container as the water expands, exponentially exposing more solute surface area. Traumatic handling or any motion of the package will further enhance diffusion. Applying the laws of physics, all of these factors clearly by extrapolation will increase the water dissolution of the plastic containers. Fatty foods in plastic containers are even more problematic, as fats are absorbed differently and carry their phthalate solvents into our bodies more easily. Phthalates bio-accumulate because of their fat solubility. Phthalates concentrate in such fat organs in our bodies such as brains, prostates, testicles, ovaries, breasts and, unfortunately, breast milk. (The other popular food alternatives for infants are worse. Commercial baby formulas are loaded with the manmade phthalates.) I think the worst example of food containment in plastic is milk. All milk except non-fat milk contains fat. Cow milk itself represents a major source of the fats ingested by the public, especially children. Cattle concentrate these chemicals by bioaccummulation because EDC's from plastics are ubiquitous in water and most animal food sources. Meat and dairy products are therefore a major contributor to this group of human food chain derived toxins, regardless of their containment. It is now irresponsible to add more phathalates to the products by putting the milk products in plastic containers that add MORE EDC's. Cattle have intentially been "fattened up" by adding hormones AND unintentially "fattened up" more by the contamination of cattle food and water by EDC's. The combination of these chemicals passed on to the consumers in concentrated form in milk products will most likely exacerbate obesity in humans that consume them as well. Our current scientific knowledge and common sense screams for an end to consumer purchase of milk bottled in plastics. Until milk companies have their products quantatatively analysed for these EDC's by competent independant laboratories, my strong recommendation is to avoid purchase and consumption of milk and dairy products contained in plastic. Sadly, the Croatian authors' 2003 conclusions about the safety of plastics were: "These (exposure) levels would not present a hazard for human health, not even for a prolonged period of time." However, what was deemed acceptable levels of phthalates in 2003 now is recognized as "crystal clearly" too high. Selective interpretations from the ACC (American Chemistry Council) lead to this erroneously high level being "set" for past toxicity standards. The ACC is an "industry group" advisor. It's much like the wolf guarding the henhouse. Thanks to the ACC efforts, control regulations placed upon this chemical class are minimal. An ongoing perpetuation of phthalate approval for use in virtually everything, including containment of food, has resulted. In fact, the perpetuation of these mythological high safety standards has resulted in the majority of our food being wrapped or contained in plastics that leach EDC's into our foods. The ACC's Phthalate Esters Panel is made up representatives from BASF, Eastman Chemical, Exxon-Mobil Chemical, Ferro, and Teknor Apex Corporations. After graduating, Benjamin could have gone to work for any of these companies to share the wealth that plastics manufacturing have reaped, instead of hanging around and sporting Mrs. Robinson for the summer! I love one of the rationalization examples the ACC makes on their PHTHALATES INFORMATION CENTER webpage: "Thanks to phthalates, your nail polish doesn't chip." I wonder if they are aware of the "unexplained" high rate of breast cancer in manicurists. I also wonder if they are aware that most breast tissues and breast cancers have sex hormone receptors that are acted upon by the EDC's found in plastics. To further confuse the public, the ACC webpage also redefines the PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE which in its un-perverted definition simply is: A (chemical) should not be considered safe until it is proven safe. Environmentalists who are trying to unravel the cause-effect relationships of environment chemicals, to the otherwise unexplained epidemics of various diseases now affecting man as well as every species on our planet, encourage its application. The ACC's watered down version suggests that cost effective, fearless risks are worth taking. Can the ACC keep up the phthalate safety illusion forever? The American Tobacco Association almost got away with it! We now know that EDC's, like hormones themselves require very minute amounts to have physiologic impact. EDC's are active in parts per trillion! For example, the usual adult maintenance dose of levothyroxine, a drug to replace depleted natural thyroid hormone in hypothyroidism, is 1.6 micrograms/Kg/day. Why would I even think about saying that a dose in the milligrams (1000 times as much as a microgram) of a known EDC would be safe, especially for a child or developing fetus? We now know that phthalates also work in synergy with chemicals in other classes to exert "more than additive" physiologic effects. Previous experiments in rodents showed that high levels of phthalates interfer with testosterone during gestation resulting in birth defects of the genitalia, testicular cancer, and infertility in the rats. The ACC inspired acceptable level of phthalate myth should be blown out of the water with a recent study completed by the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. This study of 85 human infant boys reported in May 2005 showed that phthalate levels found normally in the general population adversely influenced sexual development. The phthalate exposure these children had correlated with smaller penis size and incomplete testicular descent, which is a condition that greatly increases the risk of testicular cancer if left untreated. Solution 1 - Choose glass containers over plastic for purchase and storage of food and beverages including milk and water. American children can consume several milligrams of phthalate each day. I wonder if THE GRADUATE's Mr. Robinson noticed that most of the teenage girls now-days have bigger breasts than his seductive wife (gynecomastia), and that they begin thelarche (breast development) and menarche (menstruation) at a significantly younger age, or that many more have an endocrine pathology called PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). The chances of a woman getting breast cancer in her lifetime has probably gone from a risk of less than 1 in 10 (10%) before THE GRADUATE was made to a 1 in about 7.5 (13.2 %) rate today. The choice to avoid food chain plastics is a "no-brainer" when you understand how these chemicals persist and accumulate in our environment, and how they function in our bodies! Solution 2 - Choose stainless steel containers over plastic for storage of food and beverages including water. Unfortunately, we are past the point of no return with phthalates. Just like cigarettes I think we'll have to live as prisoners with their impact on future generations. The only defense we have at this time is to individually choose to avoid them when we can, to mitigate their effects on our health. Phthalates clearly act upon hormone receptors in both men and women. A concern is the potential phthalate impact on breast and other hormone sensitive tissue in human females, but phthalate's demasculinizing potential on males is more of a threat to all species on the planet. Unlike Mr. McGuire, I think we can choose a better future by avoiding his "one word." We should start by trying to reduce plastics in our food chain exposures. Bottom line: I would strongly advise consumers to purchase beverages and non-solid food products packaged in glass rather than plastic if given the choice. © Life Dynamix 2005 All Rights Reserved