1. Gaia Health: FDA Bans Hyland’s Homeopathic Teething Tablets

The FDA’s goal of making the world safe for Big Pharma is made obvious by their attack on a product for which the possibility of harm is so far-fetched that it’s laughable: Hyland’s Homeopathic Teething Tablets. Well, it would be laughable if it weren’t for the fact that an exceptionally safe product that’s been used by thousands to ease their children’s teething pains is now gone…

In its attack on Hyland’s, the FDA clearly stated:

The FDA has not evaluated Hyland’s Teething Tablets for safety or efficacy.

So, without any proof of any sort—not even an attempt to find any proof—the FDA decided that Hyland’s Teething Tablets should be banned. They don’t even provide any estimate as to the amount of the product that would have to be ingested to cause harm. That, of course, is because they don’t care….

The FDA’s first method is intimidation. In the case of Hyland’s Teething Tablets, they simply issue a warning to the public. They claimed that the product contains a “potentially toxic” agent, implied, without evidence, that it has caused harm to children, and claimed that an inspection showed “substandard control of the manufacturing operation”, though they don’t say what was wrong.

2.  Nature Mom’s Blog: Chewing Gum – Harmless or Toxic?

For awhile now I have had a no gum rule for my kids. Thankfully it isn’t a real big issue since none of us were ever big gum chewers but when Halloween rolls around I need to be vigilant about gum. It has nothing to do with cavities or sugar though. It is instead about choosing that they NOT chew on plastic. Plastic has all kinds of chemical and toxic nasties and in true bone-head fashion we decided to take a relatively normal and natural product (gum) and plasticize it. Well, no thanks.

Native Americans chewed the sap from spruce trees and thus introduced us to “gun chewing” many, many years ago. During the first days of gum mass production, gum was made from chicle, which is a natural latex sourced from the sap of the Sapodilla tree. But after WWII, innovators decided to make a synthetic rubber for gum instead. A typical gum base will generally have ingredients like polyvinyl acetate (plastic) among many others. The problem is that we are essentially chewing big gummy balls of chemical laden rubber, dipped in sugars and sweeteners, when we chew conventional gums. Sounds delicious right?

Canada took steps at one point to get polyvinyl acetate listed as toxic after studies showed it was a likely carcinogen but the gum manufacturers played hardball and won out. A preservative called hydroxyanisol (BHA) is also often found in gum and it IS listed as a “reasonably anticipated’ carcinogen but that does not stop minute amounts of it from being allowed in chewing gum. Apparently this is just another industry where the ideals of capitalism are proven false and apparently money is all that is required to make selling poisonous products, perfectly legal. I should mention that the company behind Glee still uses chicle in their gum and they deserve big props for that. However I still won’t let my kids chew it because they do use some of these chemicals in their formulation.

3.  Change.org: Youth Punished For Loitering Because They Have Nothing Else To Do

A noisemaker called the “Mosquito” was recently installed in Washington, DC’s Chinatown neighborhood which emits an obnoxious high-pitched sound targeting the hearing range of 13-25 year-olds. The Mosquito was installed in response to local shopkeepers’ complaints that fights, theft, and drug dealings related to the loitering were deterring shoppers. Shortly after its implementation, the National Youth Rights Association filed a complaint against the cityciting youth discrimination, and the Mosquito has since been removed.

The true stupidity in this strategy isn’t just that youth who aren’t loitering would potentially be affected, or that cruel and unusual side effects of the Mosquito include headaches and nausea. It’s that the Mosquito doesn’t actually address the issue of loitering.

4.  StarTribune.com: Schools open lockers to advertising

School lockers are becoming the latest venue for bombarding kids with advertising…

Some school officials say they have found either support or a lack of concern among their parents. Others say such advertising crosses the boundaries of what schools should allow.

“I think it’s somewhat unethical to be targeting advertising to our students,” said Centennial board chair Christina Wilson, who plans to vote against the proposal. “I have problems with targeting advertising to our kids. The other thing is, I like how our schools look. To make our hallways look like billboards bothers me.”

5.  The Green Mom Review: Does YOUR Juice Have Lead In It?

The Environmental Law Foundation tested numerous juice samples earlier this year and found that 85% contained lead.

YES, LEAD—the stuff that damages the central nervous system, including the brain, and can produce anemia, behavioral problems, learning disabilities, hearing loss and permanently lower IQ’s! Children are especially susceptible to lead as their bodies absorb more of the heavy metal.