2013 Dirty Dozen and Clean 15

2013 Dirty Dozen and Clean 15

About this time every year the Environmental Working Group releases their latest list of foods highest and lowest in pesticide residue. This week I want to share with you their updated lists for 2013. They have again expanded the Dirty Dozen with a Plus category to highlight two crops -- kale and collard greens. 

According to the EWG, these vegetables "did not meet traditional Dirty Dozen criteria but were commonly contaminated with highly toxic organophosphate insecticides. These insecticides are toxic to the nervous system and have been largely removed from agriculture over the past decade. But they are not banned and still show up on some food crops."

Here are EWG's updated lists for 2013:

Dirty Dozen:

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Cherry Tomatoes
4. Cucmbers
5. Hot Peppers
6. Nectarines
7. Peaches
8. Potatoes
9. Spinach
10. Strawberries
11. Bell Peppers
    Plus:
12. Kale/Collard Green
13. Summer Squash

Clean 15:

1. Asparagus
2. Avocados
3. Cabbage
4. Cantaloupe
5. Corn
6. Eggplant
7. Grapefruit
8. Kiwi
9. Mangoes
10. Mushrooms
11. Onions
12. Papayas
13. Pineapples
14. Sweet Peas - frozen
15. Sweet Potatoes

Related articles from Natural Health News

Natural Health News: 2012 Dirty Dozen +

Jun 19, 2012

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has just released the 2012 Dirty Dozen list. This year there's a + because a couple of items have been added because of pesticide concerns. EWG's new Shopper's Guide to the Dirty ...

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/

Natural Health News: The New Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 - 2011

Jun 13, 2011

EWG research has found that people who eat five fruits and vegetables a day from the Dirty Dozen list consume an average of 10 pesticides a day. Those who eat from the 15 least contaminated conventionally-grown fruits .

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/

Natural Health News: EWG publishes new food list

Apr 28, 2010

EWG research has found that people who eat five fruits and vegetables a day from the Dirty Dozen list consume an average of 10 pesticides a day. Those who eat from the 15 least contaminated conventionally-grown fruits ...

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/

Natural Health News: Industry Friendly Pros and Cons

Aug 03, 2010

From my perspective, what's most newsworthy about the news from CR is the immateriality of the supplements in question, a so-called “dirty dozen.” Colloidal silver? Kava? Coltsfoot? These are not mainstream supplement ...

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/

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Enjoy Your Holiday, GMO FREE

Originally published July 2010

As the Fourth of July holiday comes along this week end, here's wishing you a great time, and hope you BUY ORGANIC to avoid the risk of FRANKENFOOD

FRANKENFOOD: Monsanto Subsidiary Admits the Truth, Sixteen Years Ago

"If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it."

Norman Braksick, president of Asgrow Seed Co., a subsidiary of Monsanto, quoted in the Kansas City Star, March 7, 1994

Photo from Mesk125

And what about your Hot Dog on the Barbie?

Pass the Mustard, or Just Pass on the Hot Dog?

Comment by Andrew W. Saul, Editor-In-Chief, Orthomolecular Medicine News Service

(OMNS July 2, 2010) More hot dogs are eaten at the 4th of July holiday than at any other time of the year. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (yes, an all-too-real trade organization) says that "during the Independence Day weekend, 155 million will be gobbled up" and that Americans will consume more than seven billion hot dogs over the summer. "Every year," they proudly proclaim, "Americans eat an average of 60 hot dogs each." (1)
That looks to be a modest average of just over one hot dog per week per American. But there are at least 7 million vegetarians in the US, and another 20 million who would be inclined to avoid meat. (2)
This means that even if you do not eat any hot dogs at all, someone else is eating your share.
But a hot dog or two a week? Big deal!
Maybe it is. Children who eat one hot dog a week double their risk of a brain tumor; two per week triples the risk. Kids eating more than twelve hot dogs a month (three a week) have nearly ten times the risk of leukemia as children who eat none. (3)
And it is not just about kids. Of 190,000 adults studied for seven years, those eating the most processed meat such as deli meats and hot dogs had a 68 percent greater risk of pancreatic cancer than those who ate the least. (4) Pancreatic cancer is especially difficult to treat.
Think twice before you serve up your next tube steak. If your family is going to eat hot dogs, at least take your vitamins. Hot dog eating children taking supplemental vitamins were shown to have a reduced risk of cancer. (5) Vitamins C and E prevent the formation of nitrosamines. (6,7)
It is curious that, while busy theorizing many "potential" dangers of vitamins, the news media have largely ignored this clear-cut cancer-prevention benefit from supplementation.
May I also suggest that you have your kids chew their hot dogs extra thoroughly. In landfills, "Whole hot dogs have been found, some of them in strata suggesting an age upwards of several decades." (8)
Bon appétit.

References:
(1) http://www.hot-dog.org .
(2) http://www.vegetariantimes.com/features/archive_of_editorial/667 .
(3) Peters JM, Preston-Martin S, London SJ, Bowman JD, Buckley JD, Thomas DC. Processed meats and risk of childhood leukemia. Cancer Causes Control. 1994 Mar; 5(2):195-202.
(4) Nothlings U, Wilkens LR, Murphy SP, et al. 2005. Meat and fat intake as risk factors for pancreatic cancer: The Multiethnic Cohort Study. J Nat Cancer Inst 97:1458-65.
(5) Sarasua S, Savitz DA. Cured and broiled meat consumption in relation to childhood cancer: Denver, Colorado (United States). Cancer Causes Control. 1994 Mar; 5(2):141-8. Comment at http://www.ralphmoss.com/hotdog.html .
(6) Scanlan RA. Nitrosamines and cancer. http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/f-w00/nitrosamine.html
(7) Cass H; English J. User's guide to vitamin C. Basic Health Publications, 2002, p 64-67. ISBN-10: 1591200210; ISBN-13: 978-1591200215.
(8) Smithsonian, July 1992, p 5.

In response to reader request I'm adding Citrullis lanatus 

What's on your food - pesticide info
More on pesticides and watermelon


Watermelon is a great food for fiber and lycopene. Nutritionally speaking it is a great source of water for hydration plus

Powerful Antioxidants - Watermelon is high in Vitamin C and a good source of Vitamin A through its concentration of beta-carotene.

Lycopene - Watermelon is a very concentrated source of the carotenoid, Lycopene.  Lycopene has been studied for its antioxidant and cancer-preventing properties.  It has been found to be protective against many forms of cancers including prostate cancer, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancers.  Watermelon contains a higher concentration of Lycopene than any other produce.

Vitamin C - Watermelon is an excellent source of Vitamin C so necessary for the body's immune system.  One one cup of delicious watermelon provides 25% of our body's daily requirement.

Vitamin A -  Through its concentration of beta-carotene, Watermelon supplies a rich source of Vitamin A, another cancer fighting anti-oxidant along with Lycopene and Vitamin C.  A cup of Watermelon supplies your body with over 10% of its daily requirement.

Vitamin B - Vitamin B is necessary for energy production.  Watermelon is rich in Vitamin B6 and B1, as well as magnesium and potassium.  Because Watermelon has a higher water content and lower calorie content than other fruits, it delivers more nutrients per calorie.

Arginine - Because Watermelon is exceptionally high in citrulline, an amino acid our bodies use to make another amino acid, Arginine.  Arginine is used in the urea cycle to remove ammonia from the body and allowing the production of Nitric Oxide, which relaxes blood vessels and helps to reduce high blood pressure.This also contributes to help for water retention and diabetes along with the B vitamins and C.

Watermelon Seed Tea is a long known health promoting beverage.  These days it is difficult to find watermelon with seeds, or organically grown. It is most often used to stimulate and cleanse your kidneys, and is well known in Asian medicine as well as the Edgar Cayce Readings.

CAYCE QUOTE ON REMEDY 1695-2:  For kidney stones
But at least once a day, three days a week, do take watermelon seed tea as a part of the water.  This would be prepared by pouring a pint of boiling water over a tablespoonful of watermelon seed (ground or cut) and allowing it to steep.  Let it cool, then strain and drink.  This will clarify those conditions that cause reactions in the kidneys and bladder, for, the lack of eliminations and the slowing up of the circulation causes a greater quantity of drosses to be held in the system, and these need to be eliminated from the body.
More will be eliminated through using this stimuli for the kidney activity than in most any way.

This may also be useful for infection (UTI) and as a diuretic.

Pickled watermelon rind is an old favorite.

Other resources:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=31#nutritionalprofilehttp://www.watermelon.org/health.asp

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Transvaginal Mesh and Women’s Health

Please go to our new page for Transvaginal Mesh and More Updates

Rank 30 Jan, 2012 = 4/158,000

5 January, 2012  -  NEW ARTICLE

Our series on transvaginal mesh is now in PDF format, 26 pages.

If you are experiencing problems because of mesh please consider

looking  to our colleague, Linda Kilpatrick, for more information and support, 

Bladder Sling Surgery Blog

Mesh Medical Device News Desk

19 December: High Costs Associated with Urogenital Surgery

Cost of surgery for certain urogenital conditions can range from $4000 to $6000 for your doctor with additional costs related to hospital care.

--------------------------------------------

C.R. Bard (NYSE:BCR) may have beaten The Street with its third-quarter results, but Wall Street investors are beating it back today, sending shares down nearly 4 percent.

The medical device maker reported its Q3 earnings and its $250 million acquisition of Medivance after the market closed yesterday. Bard posted profits of $130.1 million, or $1.46 per diluted share, on sales of $719.2 million for the three months ended Sept. 30.

That's 2.0 percent more profit and 6.0 percent more revenues than during the same period last year, when Murray Hill, N.J.-based Bard reported profits of $127.5 million, or $1.34 diluted EPS, on sales of $678.4 million.  October 26, 2011 by MassDevice

FDA Safety Communication: UPDATE on Serious Complications Associated with

 Transvaginal Placement of Surgical Mesh for Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Boston Scientific and other transvaginal mesh makers defend their devices amid FDA probe

Boston Scientific urges the FDA to maintain a class II device status on transvaginal mesh amid calls from public advocates for product recalls and FDA warnings that the devices may do more harm than good.

Johnson & Johnson vaginal mesh lawsuits another blow to the FDA's device review process

October 20, 2011 by Arezu Sarvestani

With high profile recalls in hip implants and defibrillators in the recent past, the FDA's medical device review process takes another hit it doesn't need as health care giant Johnson & Johnson weathers a storm of transvaginal mesh complaints.

 FDA's medical device review process is again under scrutiny as lawsuits pile up against health care leviathan Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) for transvaginal mesh devices that may do more harm than good.

Lawsuits claiming negligence against mesh-makers have also implicated the FDA's review system for continuing to clear new mesh products under the 510(k) system, despite the predicate device being pulled from U.S. shelves.

Boston Scientific Corp.'s (NYSE:BSX) ProteGen mesh, cleared in 1996 and pulled from the shelves a year later, was used as a predicate device for clearing subsequent mesh products, despite more than 120 adverse event reports on the original design at the time, Bloomberg reported.

from Bloomberg By Alex Nussbaum and David Voreacos - Oct 20, 2011 J&J Vaginal Mesh Approved by FDA Based on Similar Device Recalled in 1999

More from the FDA

September 29, 2011

I am excited to report that I will be doing some follow up stories for an old friend, Eric Chaffin, of Chaffin Luhana LLP about prolapse and vaginal mesh complications. Eric is the one who originally approached me about doing the below vaginal mesh series a couple of years ago when he was with his old law firm. Eric and his now law partner, Roopal Luhana, have their own firm in NYC, Chaffin Luhana LLP. Eric and Roopal were some of the first attorneys in the country to represent women in the Bard Avaulta mesh litigation and in Gynecare mesh lawsuits. They continue to represent women in these medical device cases, as well as in other vaginal mesh litigations, including representing women in cases against Boston Scientific and American Medical Systems regarding allegedly defective vaginal mesh. You can learn more about the vaginal mesh cases Chaffin Luhana is handling through the vaginal mesh information website that Chaffin Luhana sponsors. I also hope that you will visit us soon here at Natural Health News to read the first of what I anticipate will be a multiple part follow up series regarding vaginal mesh.

Original and complete article from 2009 about TV Mesh Has Moved in order to bring you more updates on this important health issue.

UPDATE: 19 June, 2011

Several years ago I was commissioned by a consumer injury law firm to write a series of articles. One of those articles, http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/transvaginal-mesh-and-womens-health.html addressed issues with the transvaginal mesh device.  This article is also found on our other websites, simply4health.org and leaflady.org.

In the past several months I have noticed an increasing number of TV ads for this device from consumer injury law firms.  I have also noticed a viral spread of this article which has booted the reader ship of my blog, Natural Health News, by thousands of readers daily. 

This tells me that many women must be very interested in this topic, either because they have had this surgery and are facing problems, or they have been advised to have this operation.

Alternatives to the surgery are available options.  I hope to educate you about an important one that can do a great deal to prevent and correct this condition.

Should you wish a copy of this new article please email us and request it.  

Please consider a donation to help us continue this important work.

As originally written in 2009, in cooperation with Eric Chaffin, this article has created an internet storm -

Originally posted March 2009 -

Transvaginal Surgical Mesh Origins

Polypropylene was first developed in the 1950s as a thermoplastic polymer resin of propylene and is made from petroleum. Polypropylene may be molded or extruded into many forms, including fibers for suture material, specially produced mesh and nonwoven sheet applications. Nonwoven polypropylene fabric later began to be extruded from polymer melts rather than from fibers. 

New MESH page has the complete article and much more information.

Quaternary ammonium biocides are used as a disinfectant and germ killing substance because they disrupt the cell membrane and proteins. QUATS may not, however, be fully effective against Pseudomonas bacteria. Also, researchers have found in laboratory experiments that oleamide, which interacts with neurotransmitters, may leak out of polypropylene plastics.

Polypropylene Knitted Mesh (PPKM) fabrics are comprised of monofilament yarns, which are engineered for the manufacturing of textile fabrics. The polymer and manufacturing processes that are used produce fabrics with properties that are ideally suited for the manufacturing of medical device applications. Medical applications include hernia mesh patches, stress urinary incontinence (SUI) slings, and vaginal prolapse suspenders.

Nonwoven polypropylene fabric has been used for similar applications.

Problems with polypropylene fabrics have led to warnings being issued for various products made from nonwoven material and in some cases, the manufacturers have stopped marketing the products

According to adverse reports submitted to the FDA from nine different manufacturers, more than 1,000 people have suffered severe complications from surgical mesh implants. The reports include infection, pain, urinary problems and bowel, bladder or blood-vessel perforations. The repaired prolapse may have recurred or incontinence increased. Additional surgeries to remove mesh have been required because of vaginal erosion.

Transvaginal Surgical Mesh to Treat SUI

Sudden Urinary Incontinence (SUI) is estimated to affect as many as 11 million women in the United States. It is generally defined as the sudden, involuntary loss of urine when a patient is laughing, sneezing, coughing or exercising. SUI is caused by anything that may have led to serious pelvic muscle strain or weakness such as vaginal childbirth. It can be exacerbated by estrogen and other hormonal imbalance accompanying menopause.

Nearly 40% of all adult American women will experience various degrees of SUI during their lifetime. Symptoms can range from occasional leakage of a few drops of urine to complete loss of urine under certain conditions of stress. Although nonsurgical methods such as dietary changes, bladder retraining, Kegel exercises, biofeedback, pessaries, electrostimulation, and drug therapies have been used successfully to treat these women, many patients eventually require surgical repair to relieve their symptoms.

Historically, and for many decades, the Kelley plication or the Marshall-Marchetti (Krantz) procedures have been the main hospital based surgical treatments for reinforcing the bladder neck in order to prevent unintentional urine loss.

Other surgical techniques have been used to correct pelvic organ prolapse (POP), a related condition.

Transvaginal Surgical Mesh to Treat POP

The problem of incontinence for women from various causes becomes more common after pregnancy and in menopause, when surgery can be recommended after other non-intrusive treatments are not found effective.

These conditions are referred to as Pelvic Organ Prolapse(POP).

POP is the term that describes a condition when a pelvic organ drops from its normal location and pushes against the walls of the vagina. This generally occurs when muscles that hold pelvic organs in place are weakened or stretched by childbirth or surgery. POP can lead to symptoms that include pain, discomfort, loss of bladder control and constipation.

Mentor Sling

One popular product, known as the transobturator vaginal sling, was made by Mentor Corporation. This product was more commonly called “OB Tape.”

Mentor manufactured an OB Tape vaginal sling that was not recalled, but the company stopped marketing it in the spring of 2006. The product used a nonwoven material which made it different in design than most other mesh devices. The nonwoven fabric is alleged to have blocked oxygen and nutrients, substantially increasing the risk of problems such as infection. This impedance potentially can cause serious problems with the device that may not appear for months, or even years following implantation surgery.

The complication rate could very easily reach 20% of all patients who used the Mentor sling.

At least 35,000 women may have been treated with the OB Tape vaginal sling between 2003 and 2006 to treat female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The bladder sling is designed to prevent involuntary leakage that occurs when pelvic muscles supporting the bladder and urethra are stressed or weakened. A number of women have filed Mentor sling lawsuits.

A study published in the Journal of Urology in October 2006 highlighted the risk of complications associated with the OB Tape sling. More than 13% of the women who received the Mentor Sling for incontinence allegedly have suffered vaginal extrusions. Many more cases reported women who suffered chronic vaginal discharge and abscesses.

Symptoms of OB Tape Sling injury may include but are not be limited to:

· High fever

· Vaginal Pain

· Pelvic Pain

· Pain During Sex

· Chronic Infections

· Perineal Cellulitis

· Severe Pain in the Back, Hips and Legs

If you have had this surgery and are experiencing any of these or other symptoms not listed here, immediately contact your health care provider.

If you have suffered an injury or Mentor sling side effects from surgery involving the use of a Mentor sling, and would like to learn about your legal rights and pursuing a Mentor sling lawsuit, you can find information at Consumer Injury Lawyers.

Other Transvaginal Surgical Meshes

Another product, Gynecare’s Prolift Sling, created serious problems that required additional surgery that has caused permanent injury. The Avaulta Bard surgical mesh, which is used to treat POP and SUI have also been the subject of Avaulta transvaginal mesh lawsuits. It has led some consumer advocates to call for an Avaulta transvaginal mesh recall.

If you have had a prolene mesh pelvic floor repair system and have suffered complications, you may have a viable product liability claim. In October 2008 the FDA transvaginal mesh alertwas issued for at least nine manufacturers of vaginal sling products.

Overall use of these surgical mesh products has been associated with severe and debilitating injuries including vaginal extrusions, urinary tract erosions, infection and nerve pain. Other known complications include, but are not limited to, mesh erosion, mesh shrinkage, granuloma from tissue injury or dyspareunia (pain with sexual relations).

Product and procedure failure with the tape sling products have required additional surgeries to remove the mesh, along with an increased risk of more injury.

If you have suffered an injury from any surgery involving the use of the surgical meshes referred to in the above article and would like to learn about your legal rights, you can find information from Consumer Injury Lawyers, a consumer advocacy legal website that provides helpful information to consumers about various drugs and medical devices, including for example information about the recent reports of zinc poisoning caused by denture cream, including information about denture cream lawsuits such as how to file a Fixodent lawsuit orPoligrip lawsuit.

This article is part of a consumer health education series written by Gayle Eversole, DHom, PhD, MH, NP, ND, of Creating Health Institute, in collaboration with Bernstein Liebhard, LLP.

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author, Gayle Eversole.

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