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FDA Investigates Key Ingredient of Antibacterial Soap... Finally!

2010-05-04T02:28:00Z

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.

My Personal Health and Fitness Goals for 2010

2010-01-18T17:42:00Z

    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!

Swine Flu Shots Recalled

2009-12-15T20:10:00Z

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

Every American Should Have Safe And Quality Health Care

2009-12-09T20:36:00Z

    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.

Do You Think You Had Swine Flu? CBS News Reports Why Your Doctor Is Probably Wrong

2009-11-25T18:22:00Z

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.

CBS News video and Sharyl Attkisson interview, posted at Mercola.com

Work continues toward opening our new shoppe

2009-11-20T19:04:00Z

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.

New Location for Above And Beyond Wellness

2009-10-26T06:18:00Z

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.

Web Site Updates at Above And Beyond Wellness

2009-09-24T05:32:00Z

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

A Healing With Thieves Essential Oil Blend

2008-06-21T03:18:00Z

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!

2009 Convention

2008-06-14T23:36:00Z

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.

New Young Living Essential Oils Products

2008-06-12T04:18:00Z

I am very pleased with the new Essential Oil Roll-On. The Roll-Ons were introduced in three blends, Valor, Deep Relief, and Tranquil. Valor has been a Young Living miracle blend for many years. Valor contains spruce, blue tansy, rosewood, and frankincense. Deep Relief is a muscle relaxing blend of copal, wintergreen, peppermint, helichrysum, and palo santo. Copal is a new single oil from Ecuador that Gary Young will introduce later in convention. Tranquil is a calming blend of lavender, cedarwood, and roman chamomile. I frequently use cedarwood to help me sleep. Cedarwood has a high content of sesquiterpines which are effective at crossing the Blood Brain Barrier and raise the concentration of oxygen in the brain cells.

The FEELINGS KIT has been reintroduced. The new Feelings Kit contains the essential oil blends of Valor, Harmony, Forgiveness, Present Time, Release, and Inner Child.

Gary Young presented 2 new single oils from Ecuador, False Canella and Limonella Mandarina. False Canella works as an appetite suppressant and is being used commercially in Australia as a natural preservative. Limonella Mandarina is a cross of Lime and Mandarins that is anti-bacterial and is effective on the lymphatic system.

The Thieves product line has been expanded to include Thieves Floss, dental floss coated with Thieves blend and Peppermint.

The Lavender Signature Series includes Lavender Body Lotion, Lavender Bath Gel, Lavender Rosewood Bar soap, Lavender Lip Balm, and LavaDerm skin spray. New labeling has been introduced that is yet another beautiful improvement by Mary Young in the look of our products.

Young Living Essential Oils 2008 Grand Convention

2008-06-12T01:51:00Z

Hello from Salt Lake City! Young Living Essential Oils Annual Grand Convention started today and it is an impressive gathering. Among the exciting new products rolled out today were Essential Oil Roll-Ons in 2 new and one existing blend. A new diffuser using SILENT ultrasonic technology was unveiled. This diffuser disperses oil droplets as small as 3 nanometers that will suspend in a room for hours longer than our previous conventional diffusers. A new supplement, EndoGize was introduced after years of research and development. This is a replacement and an advancement on CortiStop Men's that was discontinued several years ago. I'll update the blog later with a list of today's new products.

Essential Oils In "Mainstream Medicine"

2008-04-24T13:01:00Z

In our workshops over the years we've commented on how "mainstream" and modern medicine was stumbling upon the "alternative" medicine of aromatherapy as a new and wonderful thing. Of course, when we consider the 5,000 year history of aromatherapy, what really is the alternative?

In Wisconsin it was wonderful to see first hand the willingness of mainstream medical practitioners to embrace aromatherapy. Even the Mayo Clinic was warming to the idea. One customer showed us that the Mayo Clinic had prescribed 2 essential oils for the treatment of her chronic sinus infections. It was no surprise that she said the oils worked better than all of the prescriptions she had used over the years.

Lakeview Hospital in Stillwater Minnesota encourages the use of "integrative therapies" such as aromatherapy, massage, and acupressure in their birth center. They offered the essential oil blends Peace and Calming and PanAway as alternatives and complements to chemical and medicinal treatments.

At Above and Beyond Specialty Shoppe we were very fortunate to have a Registered Nurse on staff who routinely worked with pregnant clients. On several occasions a local obstetrician referred patients who were past their due date. With the application of essential oils it was typical to see the onset of labor within a few hours of the aromatherapy work. I was also blessed to be in delivery with a friend who used aromatherapy, applied by a Registered Nurse, to speed dilation and ease the birthing process as much as possible.

The pharmaceutical industry spends twice as much on advertising those drugs than it does on researching and developing them. We are inundated hourly with advertisements for drugs. People are becoming educated and aware of the greater harm than good posed by many prescription drugs. What people are seeking in greater and greater numbers is the 'alternative'. Aromatherapy is but one of many natural and complementary choices we have available to us. Don't hesitate to ask your doctor or other medical practitioner about aromatherapy and other natural options. Your doctor may be more open to the idea than you think.

Here's a link to a recent news report about Aromatherapy being rediscovered by modern medicine:
http://cbs11tv.com/local/essential.oils.lavender.2.690747.html

Come to Discover Brooke County this Saturday, April 26 from 5-8 PM

2008-04-21T15:26:00Z

On Saturday April 26 from 5 - 8 PM I will have a booth at the Discover Brooke County business exhibition in Wellsburg West Virginia. You can read more about Discover Brooke County by clicking HERE

The Above And Beyond Wellness table will have Young Living Essential Oils for sale and free information and brochures. I'll also be featuring some of the aromatherapy, candles, incense, and meditation items that are currently available on my website. If you'd like more information about Discover Brooke County visit www.discoverbrookecounty.com or call 304-737-1551.

Contact info for Above and Beyond Wellness

2008-04-17T00:31:00Z

To help reduce telemarketing calls and spam my phone number and e-mail address are not available on the Above and Beyond Wellness website Due to my move to West Virginia last year, I am going to eliminate my Las Vegas phone. If you have not received an e-mail or text message with my new numbers you can send a message via the e-mail link on the home page.