In 1998 CNN reported on mounting scientific evidence that triclosan, the active ingredient in antibacterial soap, was more dangerous than manufacturers and the FDA were leading us to believe.  Numerous studies were reaching the conclusion that triclosan was creating super strains of antibiotic resistant bacteria.  More studies over the years showed that triclosan was potentially causing problems with our hormones.  Finally, in 2010, after scientific research has been published and publicized, after numerous countries have restricted or outright banned the use of triclosan,  the FDA has had an epiphany.  The FDA must focus its mighty FDA powers and study the possibility that triclosan might not be safe after all. 

In my aromatherapy workshops I spend some time talking about the dangers of antibacterial soaps and their active ingredient, triclosan.  One morning an elderly gentleman came into my store with a clearly unhappy disposition.  When I asked him how I could help him (standing just out of his grasp) he told me that he wanted his soap back.  He went on to explain that his wife had attended my workshop the night before and promptly went home, threw his liquid antibacterial soap in the garbage, and replaced with a bar of ordinary NON-antibacterial soap.  Today he made a special trip to my store to see me and get my story.  He asked me if I had indeed maligned his favorite soap, and he demanded that I prove it. 

I had him come back in about an hour which gave me time to print some of the research.  There was an abundance of it.  There were articles citing bans on triclosan in the European Union and in Japan.  The World Health organization cited triclosan as a leading suspect in the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.  There was a CDC report about the overuse of antibiotics citing antibacterial products as a potential contributor to the new resistant strains.  Multiple studies reported that the difference between antibacterials and regular bar soap was about 1% in the percentage of bacteria killed during hand washing.  I discussed each of these reports as he listened with great interest. The future of his happy hand washing was at stake.  When I finished, he thanked me and said he wouldn't need his orange soap anymore.  Another American home had been saved from the health hazards of triclosan!



You can view the original 1998 CNN article here.

    I'm beginning 2010 at 180 pounds, the heaviest I've ever been.  I weighed this much 10 years ago and through a healthy diet, stairmaster, and inline skating I dropped to 122 in just about a year.  Over 10 years my weight has crept back up to 180 and my waist has gone from 28 to 34.  I'm 10 years older, turning 44 this year, but the goal is the same: 130 pounds and a 30 inch waist in less than a year. 
    I'm going to start with the same exercise routines: stairmaster, inline skating, light weights throughout the day, and ab work to strengthen my core.
    10 years ago my diet followed a mostly Atkins style.  I ate Grape Nuts for breakfast and had bacon, eggs, or steak for lunch and dinner.  I drank only four liters of water everyday and took in no caffeine.  This time I will eat a vegetarian diet making sure that I get adequate protein.  My blood type is A and I have found that if I don't get enough protein everyday I am prone to headaches.
    I remember 10 years ago when I had to buy my first pair of 34 waist pants.  That was the tipping point for me.  Buying those 34's and looking at a closet full of clothes I can't wear has motivated me again. 

    50 pounds in 12 months: Do It Again In 2010!



              

Vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur announced the voluntary recall of 800,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine intended for use in children.

Read the article at KCBS.COM:

KCBS - Swine Flu Shots Recalled

    When you cut through all of the political rhetoric, which is especially difficult to do in our current health care debate, there is still a wide range of shocking medical facts that should not be ignored.  During the recent health care reform debates on the floor of the Senate it was pointed out that if you are a Medicaid patient you have a 5 times greater chance of dying during open heart surgery than a Medicare patient receiving the same procedure.  Even more disappointing to hear was the result of a study by Johns Hopkins University published October 29 in the Journal of Public Health.  According to that study, seriously ill children without health insurance are 60% more likely to die than children with health insurance.  (You can read the article on the Johns Hopkins Children's Center website by clicking here.)  This equates to roughly 1000 children dying every year simply because they do not have health insurance.
    I believe that every American should have access to the same level of health care as that of a U.S. Senator and their family.  As a nation, we can afford it.  Beyond matters of money, to deny quality health care to any American, and especially to a single child, makes America a poorer nation that lacks compassion.  The current model of American health care that derives profit from the denial of care is unacceptable.  The skyrocketing price of health care against the declining incomes of Americans is unsustainable.  In our current economic situation, if health care in America is not reformed fewer Americans will have it and more children will die without it.  Protecting the interests of insurance companies by sacrificing the health and lives of American children and families is inhuman.  We have the technology and knowledge of an advanced medical system at our disposal.  Every American, especially the children, must share those advances and benefits equally.


         

This CBS News video by Sharyl Attkisson reveals truths about H1N1 Swine Flu and the information our health officials don't have or don't want us to know.  People I have spoken to in my community have said they or someone in their family had Swine Flu.  When I asked them what tests were done they usually said an oral swab or that they were diagnosed by symptoms alone.  This report by CBS News explains why that diagnosis is usually wrong.

All of the necessary paperwork is done and Above And Beyond Wellness, Inc. is official in West Virginia as of November 17.  We'll be open in early December.

Above And Beyond Wellness will be opening in a new location in November or December.  The work is underway to open a new store in Wellsburg West Virginia.  I've been ordering Burt's Bees, Kama Sutra, Caldrea and other lines that we carried in Wisconsin.

Our new location will be the old Custom Painting By Shell store at 73 27th Street in Wellsburg.  Michelle has moved to a beautiful new hilltop location and we are purchasing her building.  We'll get the window repainted in the next few weeks but here's a look at the shoppe now.

Pardon Our Dust.  In the past few weeks I've made a number of changes to the Above And Beyond Wellness website.  In short, the domains www.aboveandbeyond.org and www.young-living.com are pointing to one new site hosted on www.keithbartlett.com.  This new site also includes a photo gallery, social space, this blog, and a chat room. 

The popular page 101 Uses for the Essential 7 Kit is hosted at the following new address: http://site.keithbartlett.com/7.html

On Tuesday evening my 17 year old son came home with symptoms of tonsilitis.  His tonsils were visibly enlarged and  coated with white patches indicating a likely infection.  His throat was sore to the point he could not chew or swallow without great pain. 

We began with 3 drops of Thieves Essential Oil Blend and 3 drops of Clove essential oil on his tongue.  He said this numbed the pain significantly.  (If you've taken these oils orally and especially together you know that's what you get)  We followed up every 4 hours with 3 drops of Thieves.  After 24 hours the white patches on the tonsils were barely noticeable, the swelling of the tonsils had subsided by over 50%, and his pain was much less.  By 36 hours there were no visible white patches, the swelling and redness of the tonsils was gone, and he had no pain.

I have been very accustomed to this type of result in many adults and children over the past 7 years of my essential oils work.  I am so blessed that in the past year I have become a full time Dad to my two sons and am able to have these kinds of results in my own home.  Life is good!

At the closing of convention less than 1 hour ago it was announced that Minneapolis Minnesota will host the 2009 Young Living Essential Oils Grand Convention.  The dates for the convention are September 15 through 18, 2009.  I am thrilled by this news as that is less than an hour away from the site of Above And Beyond Wellness' first retail store in Saint Croix Falls Wisconsin.  It will be a thrill to be back in the city where I have been a part of many Young Living events since 2003.