800 Scientists Demand Global GMO “Experiment” End Did you hear about the 800 esteemed scientists who came together and demanded the production of genetically modified crops and products be stopped ? Scientists who called on world powers to re-evaluate the future of agriculture and seek sustainability rather than corporate profits ? Don’t be surprised if you haven’t, as the mainstream media won’t touch this one. Eight-hundred scientists did make such a demand. The Institute of Science in Society is a non-profit group of scientists from around the world, dedicated to bringing an end to what they refer to as the “dangerous GMO “experiment. The Open Letter from World Scientists to All Governments calls for “the immediate suspension of all environmental releases of GM crops and products , both commercially and in open field trials, for at least 5 years.” They also want patents on organisms, cell lines, and living things revoked and banned. In the beginning, after its first draft in 1999, the letter had just over 300 signatures. Source:
Lavender Detox Bath | Red Silk Essentials Setting aside alone time to de-stress and unwind can be challenging. But allowing our bodies (and minds!) time to rest and rid themselves of toxins is essential to staying healthy. One of the easiest and most relaxing ways is through a detox bath. For this recipe you will need baking soda, Epson salt and Lavender essential oil. Directions: Combine 1 cup of Epson salt, 1 cup of baking soda and 10 drops of Lavender essential oil.
Homemade Whipped Coconut Oil Body Butter Recipe Does your moisturizer make you nervous? Let me guess: it’s either filled with questionable ingredients or wildly expensive. Or both. Whip It: The Secret to Moisturizing with Coconut Oil I’ve been having an on again, off again love affair with coconut oil as a moisturizer for a few years now. Heating the jar to melt the oil never worked for me, either, because I chronically forgot to do it! One day I ran across a recipe for whipped shea butter, and this got me thinking: can you whip coconut oil? The result was a superbly light and fluffy moisturizer that far exceeded my expectations. Want to try it out? Whipped Coconut Oil Body Butter Recipe I love that this coconut oil recipe only requires one (yes, one!) What to do: 1. 2. 3. Tip: An electric hand mixer will work, but my KitchenAid stand mixer did an amazing job and I was able to get other work done while it was mixing away. Note: Your whipped coconut oil should stay relatively soft, even at colder temperatures. Do you love coconut oil?
United States Accused of Planting Avian Flu in Recent H7N9 Outbreak Janet C. PhelanActivist Post Amidst allegations by a highly placed Colonel in the Chinese army that the U.S. has released a bioweapon in Mainland China, concerns are ramping up that this year's version of the avian flu, H7N9, may turn into a major pandemic. The last few years have seen several false alarms on the pandemic front. Neither the bird flu of 2004 nor the swine flu of 2009-2010 ended up being of much concern, although agencies from the WHO on down certainly created quite a flurry around both of these flu bugs. H7N9 has already shown itself to have a high mortality rate, higher in fact than the Spanish flu of 1918, which caused 50 million deaths worldwide. According to Keiji Fukuda, WHO's assistant director-general for health, security and the environment, "This is definitely one of the most lethal influenza viruses that we have seen so far." Already, there are questions as to whether H7N9 has mutated and is now transmissible from human to human.
21 Things You Should Know About Using Essential Oils Lord help me, people. I’ve spent the last two days trying to write a concise, easy guide to essential oils and their safety, and it ended up being just an enormous dump of information that no would want to ingest in a single blog post. Therefore, you’re getting the quickest, easiest 21 facts you need to keep in mind. These things include safety measures, essential oil facts, therapeutic uses, and more. However, at the end of this post, I am going to give extensive references to those of you who would like to learn more about the fascinating world of essential oils, as well as a list of my top 7 recommended essential oils for any household to have. Essential oils are not really oils. Most essential oils should never be used undiluted on the skin. Not all essential oils are created equally, nor does more expensive necessarily mean “better.” “What essential oils do you recommend I buy?” It’s a tough one to answer, because what EOs you buy depends on what you’re going to use them for.
Homemade Summer Deodorant (That Won’t Melt in Your Cupboard) Last year, I shared some of my favourite homemade body care recipes, including deodorant. I’ve been using my own homemade deodorant for about three years now, to my complete satisfaction. It’s a very basic recipe, and you’re sure to find a bunch of similar ones online — it uses only baking soda, corn starch, coconut oil, and essential oils (especially tea tree). This recipe is great because it’s effective, super-frugal, non-toxic, and much less wasteful than conventional deodorant, where you chuck out a plastic container every couple of months. I’m trying to reduce the amount of waste — especially plastic — I send to the landfill, so that’s a big deal to me. About this deodorant, from the original post: You guys: this stuff works. There’s just one problem with my regular recipe. See, coconut oil melts at about 72 degrees F — the temperature of a moderately warm summer day. Some people remedy this problem by keeping their deodorant in the fridge. Add beeswax. Where to get beeswax?
Pandemic Watch: Another insider announces that a global pandemic is imminent Janet C. Phelan Dr. J. Joseph Kim, founder and director of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, has recently declared that a global pandemic is “inevitable” in the next couple of years. Quoted in an article in US News onDecember 24, Dr. Through his declaration of the imminent nature of a pandemic, Kim adds his name to a growing list of insiders who are stating that we are shortly facing a disease event of a global magnitude. At the very time that our attention is focused on the possibility of losing our rights to defend ourselves via our potential loss of our second amendment rights, the insidious possibility of a global pandemic is lurking....well, right under our pavement. The possibility for utilization of the water system as a delivery system for a pandemic-type agent remains salient. Truthfully, I prefer the word “genocide” to “population reduction.” Dr. Merck has been under scrutiny for a number of years for problems with its products, including drugs such as Temodar, PegIntron, and Intron A.
Reduce Depression & Inflammation with Patchouli Oil - Dr. Axe Patchouli oil comes from a species of plant with the genus Pogostemon. From the labiatae family, it includes lavender, mint and sage. This bushy herb has rigid stems, reaching two or three feet in height, and produces small, pale pink flowers. The plant is native to tropical regions of Asia, and is now extensively cultivated in China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mauritius, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The components of patchouli oil include alpha patchoulene, beta patchoulene, alpha guaiene, alpha bulnesene, caryophyllene, norpatchoulenol, patchouli alcohol, seychellene and pogostol. Extraction of patchouli essential oil is by steam distillation of the leaves; the cell walls must be broken with steam scalding, light fermentation or drying the leaves. The strong scent of patchouli oil has been used for centuries in perfumes; more recently it’s been used in incense, insect repellents and alternative medicines. Patchouli Oil Benefits 12 Patchouli Oil Uses 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
DIY: Nourish yourself from head to toe with aloe & coconut moisturizer Summer is here and the sun is hot! Well for us in Singapore the sun is always hot, which is why we need to protect our skin that much more. This recipe is for an all-over, head-to-toe Aloe & Coconut moisturizer that leaves your skin feeling gorgeous. You’ll need: An aloe vera leaf2-3 Tablespoons of virgin raw coconut oil (add more or less oil depending on whether you want a more light or intense moisturizer) Aloe vera is a skin superfood! For the second ingredient, I chose to use coconut oil, because I love the instant results that I feel as my skin soaks up this nourishing oil. There is a trick to getting the gel from the aloe vera… Between the inner gel and the rind, is a layer of a yellow sap called aloin that has an obnoxious smell and can be irritating. After a quick rinse, you can then squeeze and scrape off the gel – it’s messy fun and what you’ll have is a lovely thick gel. I hope that you enjoy this summer and spent time outdoors, barefoot on the grass and under the sun.
How to Build an Outdoor Mud Oven for Use Now and When the SHTF As part of a recent giveaway, one of the questions I asked was “What DIY project would you like to see featured on Backdoor Survival?” There were some amazing responses and over time, I hope to work through the list. Interestingly enough, two readers requested a similar topic and when more than one reader makes a request, I sit up and pay attention. 1. As luck would have it, this is a familiar topic since awhile back, I featured an article on DIY mud ovens. For those of you that are new to the concept, outdoor Mud Ovens are common in third world countries where indoor cooking facilities are nominal and where cooking fuel consists of wood and biomass. here is the full article: How to Build an Outdoor Mud Oven Rocket stoves and outdoor grills are great for cooking in a pot or skillet when the power is down or non-existent following a disaster or a worst case SHTF situation where fuel is either flat-out unavailable or intolerably expensive. What is a Mud Oven and How Does it Work? : Ditto.
What is Frankincense Good For? 8 Surprising Uses Essential oils have been used for thousands of years for their therapeutic and healing properties as part of the practice of aromatherapy. They’re sourced from leaves, stems or roots of plants that are known for their health properties. So then, what is frankincense essential oil? Frankincense, sometimes referred to as olibanum, is a common type of essential oil used in aromatherapy that can offer a variety of health benefits, including helping relieve chronic stress and anxiety, reducing pain and inflammation, and boosting immunity. What Is Frankincense Essential Oil? Frankincense oil is from the genus Boswellia and sourced from the resin of the Boswellia carterii, Boswellia ferreana or Boswellia serrata trees that’s commonly grown in Somalia and regions of Pakistan. The word frankincense comes from the term “franc encens,” which means quality incense in old French. 10 Benefits of Frankincense Oil 1. When inhaled, frankincense oil been shown to reduce heart rate and high blood pressure.
Cleaning, Disinfection, and Sterilization of medical instruments and supplies in survival situations In survival situations, medical emergencies will arise. One of the main concerns with any medical procedures is clean, sterilized equipment so as to not pass on infection and compound or completely compromise any medical procedures that must be done.. Here is a basic primer on disinfection and sterilization in survival situations Q. What is the difference between disinfection and sterilization? A. Sterility is only a temporary state – once sterile packaging is open or the product has been removed from an autoclave colonization begins almost immediately just from exposure to air and bacteria present in the environment. Q. A. Infection rates are no greater if a superficial wound has been irrigated and cleaned with tap water vs. being cleaned and irrigated with sterile saline. Expendable vs. Expendable supplies are used once and discarded. Sterilisation of specific items: Syringes: There are two types of syringes: disposable and reusable. Sharpening permanent needles: Surgical instruments:
Little Luxuries: How to Make the Perfect Bath Bomb What’s hotter than a bath? A bath with bombs! To soak away a stressful day, all you have to do is toss a bath bomb into your tub. It will set off a fizzy reaction that releases super-relaxing essential oils. 1. 8 oz. of baking soda 4 oz. of citric acid 4 oz. of corn starch 4 oz. of Epsom salts (make sure these are fine grained) ¾ tsp. of water 2 tsp. essential oil 1 tsp oil (we like almond or coconut oil) A few drops of food coloring Round, plastic, snap together dome molds Whisk Bowl and cup for mixing Fluffy towel Note: One of the best parts of making your own bath bombs is getting to choose the essential oils! 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. If you don't have time to DIY, you can purchase lucious bath bombs directly from Amazon. Check out some of our all-time favorite bath bombs from Etsy: Photo: BahariBlossom | Etsy Photo: STINKBathBombs | Etsy Photo: LongLeafSoaps | Etsy Photo: ScentsofSerendipity | Etsy Photo: theblacksheepsoapco | Etsy Photo: WhippedUpWonderful | Etsy Photo: SerisSoaps | Etsy
Lead Paint Trial: Did Industry Promote Product Knowing Of Its Toxic Dangers? Despite an internal company memo in 1900 that read, "any paint is poisonous in proportion to the percentage of lead contained in it," Sherwin-Williams Co. went on to become a leading lead-based paint manufacturer and to promote with other members of the industry the use of paint with large percentages of lead -- "the higher, the better." "White lead should be the basic ingredient of all white paint and light tints," read a Sherwin-Williams magazine advertisement in the 1920s. "It is to these paints exactly what flour is to bread." Sherwin-Williams is now one of five corporations that went on trial in California this week, facing claims they knowingly poisoned generations of children with the neurotoxic heavy metal and continue to do so today, with lead-based paint lingering and deteriorating on the walls of homes. A representative for the companies, Bonnie J. Not everyone agrees, and the trial may set an important precedent for other states and the federal government, experts say.