Cruelty-Free

According to  PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), hundreds of thousands of animals are poisoned, blinded, and killed every year in outdated product tests for shampoos, household cleaners, cosmetics, hairspray, and other personal care and household items.Although more than 500 companies have banned all animal tests forever, some corporations still force substances into animals’ stomachs and drip caustic chemicals into rabbits’ eyes. These tests often produce inaccurate or misleading results. Even if a product has blinded an animal, it can still be marketed to you.To reduce animal suffering, refuse to buy cruel products. Anyone who cares about animals should examine their lifestyle and eliminate actions and products that cause harm. Consider also how your shopping affects animals. For example:

• fur, even small bits of trim, comes from animals caught in cruel traps or kept in small wire cages;
• Akubra hats – each Akubra hat is made from the fur of 10-12 killed rabbits;
• leather is the skin of slaughtered animals;
• feather down in doonas or sleeping bags comes from slaughtered birds;
• wool involves the cruelty of mulesing and tailing, and all sheep end up at the slaughterhouse;
• some souvenirs such as toy koalas are made out of animal parts, such as kangaroo skin;
• raw silk is boiled out of silk worms.

There are good, cruelty-free alternatives for all these products. Personal and household products can also involve cruelty. They may be tested on animals, or they may contain slaughterhouse products such as:

• tallow, animal fat boiled out of slaughterhouse waste and used for most soaps;
• gelatine, from the ligaments and feet of slaughtered animals;
• elastin and collagen, from slaughtered animals.

click here to find out the companies that DO TEST or  DO NOT TEST  on animals:

http://www.astrostar.com/NaturalProducts.htm

Wonderful winter …

The drugs in your toothpaste can affect your health

Warning: The Drugs in Your Toothpaste Can Affect Your Health

by Flora Stay, D.D.S.

One of the fastest ways to absorb anything into the body is through the mouth. Drugs such as nitroglycerine for heart conditions and natural homeopathic remedies are given under the tongue for fast absorption. Your daily routine of brushing your teeth with your favorite toothpaste may also be delivering a daily dose of antibiotics or other potentially toxic ingredients, without you realizing it.

Most people, even dentists and dental hygienists, don’t realize there is a warning on the back of most toothpastes (including many from health food stores). The warning is mandated by the FDA for active ingredients that are drug based. The most common ones are fluoride, antibiotics and other drugs used to prevent cavities, tartar or teeth sensitivity.

Even children’s toothpaste has a warning to “keep out of reach of children under the age of six. If more than used for brushing is swallowed, contact the poison control center or your physician”. If a child under the age of six swallows half a tube of the sparkly, bright colored toothpaste that tastes like bubble gum and contains fluoride, the result could virtually be deadly.

Besides fluoride and the potential for poisoning your child if large amounts are swallowed, most toothpaste contain saccharin and many other artificial additives. Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is another ingredient to stay away from. Studies have reported there’s a potential for flare-ups of canker sores with SLS. Instead of choosing one of these types of commercial toothpastes for your child or you, providing your family with nutritious meals and brushing with “common sense” toothpaste, without potentially toxic ingredients, is much safer.

In recent years we’ve been hearing about the alarming increase of superbugs such as methicillin-resistant Staphlycoccus aureas (MRSA). The CDC and other studies list one cause for the rise of these antibiotic resistant bacteria to the general overuse of antibiotics. This overuse is not always in the form of a pill. You may be absorbing a small amount of an antimicrobial drug through your personal products as well.

Many brands of toothpastes, deodorants, shampoos, and soaps contain antibiotics, antimicrobials and strong disinfecting detergents. Triclosan, acetylpyridium chloride and tea tree oil are commonly used ones. Although natural, tea tree oil is a strong anti-fungal and antibiotic better suited for conditions such as athlete’s foot than in your moisturizer.

Antibiotics should only be prescribed if you have a serious infection. Informed consumers make wise buying decisions that aren’t based on pretty packages. Read, research and choose wisely for you and
your family.

For more information, visit ( www.drstay.com) .