Green Field Blog

Chlorine History: Leviticus 2:13 1446 BC, Matthew 5:13, Mark 9:50

Possibly the earliest recorded use and form of chlorine is found is the scriptures cited above. Since the beginning when humans first walked the earth, chlorine has been an essential element for survival. Without sodium chloride (salt), there would be no life. Chlorine and chlorine-related compounds, used as disinfectants and pharmaceuticals have saved more lives than any other chemical in the history of the human race. The largest source of sodium chloride is obviously the ocean. There is a limitless supply.

Every generation seems to multiply the uses of chlorine. There could not be life as we know it without chlorine. Chlorine has become so essential to modern life that it is “the single material on which production of other chemicals most depend”. One might well say the chlorine is universal in its uses.

The earths crust is composed of 0.045% chlorine compounds and the earths seas are 2.9%. Chlorine always has been one of the most common elements in nature, more plentiful than carbon. In our blood, skin and teeth, chlorine compounds occur naturally.

In a small experimental laboratory in 1774, the Swedish pharmacist Karl Wilhem Scheele place a few drops of hydrochloric acid onto a piece of manganese dioxide. Immediately, a green yellowish gas arose. He did not realize that he had just discovered chlorine. The word chlorine was first classified as an element by Humphrey Davy in 1810. He named it after the Greek word chloros, which means pale green.

Chlorine was first used in 1846 as a germicide to prevent the spread of “child bed fever” in maternity wards of Vienna General Hospital in Austria. It has become the world’s most potent weapon against infectious diseases.

In 1850, John Snow used chlorine for water disinfection at the Broad Street Pump water supply in London after an outbreak of cholera. In 1897, Sims Woodhead used a bleach solution to sterilize potable water distribution mains in England following a typhoid outbreak.

Maurice Duyk the Belgian chemist developed chlorine gas in 1893 and this made possible disinfection of drinking water. That same year chlorine was first applied as a disinfectant of a plant scale basis in Hamburg, Germany. The first full scale chlorine installation disinfection plant was in 1908 in Chicago at the Bubbly Creek Filter Plant. In 1914 the Department of the Treasury enacted for drinking water.

Since 1908, America has used chlorination as its principle disinfectant for waterborne infectious diseases. Chlorine and filtration of drinking water are credited as being responsible for the 50% increase in life expectancy over the last 97 years. Filtration and chlorine has also been credited as being the most significant public health developments by many magazines and periodicals since their inception.

After successes in England, the use of chlorine began to spread rapidly and in 1908 was used in Jersey City, New Jersey. Water born diseases like cholera, typhoid, dysentery and hepatitis were literally eliminated as the use of chlorine spread rapidly. Today, 98% of community water treatment systems use chlorine and are benefiting over 220,000,000 people in North America.

Chlorine was the first deadly gas used in warfare. It was used in World War I as a weapon on April 22, 1915 at Ypres by the Germans. When the wind was blowing in just the right direction toward the American front lines, they released the chlorine gas which rapidly killed about five thousand Americans. It was more effective than the German forces estimated it would be but they were not strong enough to defend the area gained by the chlorine gas. Some compounds of chlorine like phosgene, chloropicrin and mustard gas are even more deadly.

Very few innovations or discoveries have been made in the use of chlorine after the first 70 years. Chlorine is still the most widely used method of disinfection used in the United States, but other areas of the world are beginning to use other methods of disinfection with increased frequency.

Many Valuable Uses: Since 1846 when chlorine was first used as a germicide, it has become much more than most people realize. Due to its ability to combine and react with other elements and compounds, chlorine is now a key building block of modern life. Almost every product made today benefits from chlorine chemistry. Chlorine makes water safe to drink, produces life-saving drugs and medical equipment, shields police and fire fighters, protects crops, comes to the rescue in disasters, and cleans and disinfects everything in or around the home. Hotels, nursing homes, hospitals, restaurants, schools, businesses and manufacturers all depend on chlorine.

The miracles of modern medicine are made possible by chlorine. About 85% of all medicines contain or are manufactured using chlorine. These medicines are then place in vinyl bags or bottles made with chlorine based products.

Chlorine saves lives! Aside from disinfectants and medicines, chlorine is a principle component of protective equipment such as bullet resistant vest, bullet resistant glass (actually special plastic made using chlorine chemistry), helmets, flame-resistant clothing, seat belts and air bags. Many thousands of lives have been saved using these products.

Every year, approximately 12 million tons of chlorine is produced in North America alone. The chlorine industry employs nearly 2 million Americans with an annual payroll of about $52 billion. Over 200 industries are direct users of chlorine and they represent about 40% of all employment that produce 36% of the U. S. national income. More than 3,500 naturally occurring chlorinated organic compounds have been identified. Need I say more?

What about chlorine and poultry? Imagine your poultry farm without chlorine. There would be no PVC plumbing, the medications, much of the housing, the clothes you wear, the water that both your family and the birds drink, the equipment, the vehicles, and just about everything else would be different. You would have more cost, less profit and more work. Consider the hatchery, the company’s office, your home, etc. It is mind boggling to imagine how different life would be without chlorine. This article in 5000 pages could not render even a partial understanding of all the great, the good, the bad and the ugly of chlorine.

In recent years, there have been numerous concerns about chlorine. Although chlorine disinfects drinking water, it also reacts with traces of other material of particles, such as dissolved solids, in the water and forms trace amounts of substances known as disinfection byproducts (DBPs). The most common of these are known as trihalomethanes (THMs). The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified THMs as a probable carcinogen.

Alternatives to the use of chlorine such as chloramines, chlorine dioxide, ozone and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation have received attention since concerns over DBPs have emerged. Even though these other processes provide efficient disinfection capabilities, each has its own disadvantages. Ozone and UV light do not provide residual disinfection or lasting protection. Most disinfection alternatives produce some type of byproducts.

Chlorine is said by some to be the original persistent organic pollutant (POP). POPs persist in the environment for decades and research by Columbia University suggests they may remain for centuries.

Realizing the importance to begin the chlorine sunset, the Clinton Administration announced a Water Plan that could eventually eliminate the chemical’s use in thousands of products and applications. The announcement was made February 1, 1994, by Carol Browner, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and was immediately embraced by environmental groups favoring a broad ban on chlorine. The representatives of the chemical manufacturing industry attacked the Water Plan with great vigor.

The banned substances (e.g., Agent Orange, DDT, PCBs) and many others like them all have one legal cousin, chlorine. Dr. Joe Thornton a biologist at Oregon University states in his book “Pandora’s Poison” that all of the organochlorines contaminate the environment, wildlife, our food and our bodies. They have just one antidote: “ban them all”. An organochlorine is a class of chemicals formed when chlorine gas produced by the chemical industry comes into contact with organic matter in industrial processes and in agricultural uses.

There are 11,000 organochlorines that are known to exist. They are both persistent and stable in the environment, and they accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals and humans. They have been in existent since 1940 and now blanket the entire planet. Everyone on Earth now eats, drinks, and breathes a constantly changing and poorly characterized soup of organochlorines, said Dr. Joe Thornton.

Organochlorines have been linked to immune system suppression, falling sperm counts and infertility, as well as learning disability in children.

Notable Quotes and Facts

A study by the U.S. Council of Environmental Quality showed that the cancer risk among people drinking chlorinated water is 93% higher than among those whose water does not contain chlorine. Dr. Lance Wallace of the Environmental Protection Agency states “Taking long hot showers is a health risk exposing us to a greater extent to the toxic chemicals contained in water.” Dr. Niels Skakkebaek of the University of Copenhagen made a study that demonstrated the average human sperm counts have dropped in Denmark by almost 50% due to the presence of man-made chlorine found in human tissues and breast milk. Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, found that high levels of trihalomethanes, a by-product of chlorine in drinking water, significantly increased the risk of stillbirth. Dr. Roy E. Albert, chairman of the EPS Carcinogen Assessment Group stated the record of EPA regulation is abysmal. Research is expensive and the funding we are now getting is inadequate. The sobering truth is “We are guinea pigs.” Dr. Patrick Flanagan, named at age 17 as one of the Top 10 Scientists in America by Life Magazine, recently advised in the book ELIXIR OF THE AGELESS: that Drinking tap water is a slow form of suicide, today’s tap water is yesterday’s toilet water, too thin to plow and too thick to drink. McDonalds, the hamburger giant, is phasing out their chlorine-bleached French-fry bags because dioxin is leaking into the fries. Dioxin is a highly toxic, chlorine based carcinogen, Proctor and Gamble, manufacturers of Tide and other products, now have laundry detergents on store shelves with a “bleach alternative” in it. Bleach is the same as liquid chlorine – only half as strong. Dr. J. M. Price states that the cause of arteriosclerosis and resulting heart attacks and strokes is none other than ubiquitous chlorine in our drinking water. A Professor of Water Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh claims that exposure to vaporized chemicals in the water supplies through showering, bathing, and inhalation is 100 times greater than through drinking water. The National Academy of Sciences estimate that over 1000 people die in the United States each year from cancer caused by ingesting the contaminates in water. Tens of thousands are made acutely ill. Dr. Thornton warns, that the levels of dioxin in the environment can only increase, as long as organochlorines are produced. “Once we’ve got them, we’ve got them, and there’s no safe way of disposing of them.” “Once they’re in you, there’s no way to get them out.”
Dr. Riddle suggests that since chlorine is required by health regulations to be present in all public drinking water supplies, it is up to the individual to remove the chlorine by “point of entry systems” at the home and “point of use systems” elsewhere when possible. Many farms are using chlorine to disinfect or oxidize their private wells. It is advisable that they must filter out the residual of this chlorine. It is not expensive to filter and with understanding of the many cautions mention in this article, all research states that all chlorine must be removed prior to consumption.

Our firm has just finished preparation for a grant to the United States Department of Agriculture to develop alternatives to chlorine and also methods of disinfection that will rotate best with chlorine or other disinfectants. There are living micro organisms that will develop immunity to chlorine (as with most disinfectants), rendering it less or completely ineffective as a disinfectant.

Chlorine the Great and the Good article that preceded this one should make us all very thankful for the advent of chlorine in 1904 in public water treatment. Surely many of us would not be here if chlorine had not been used to eradicate the plagues and diseases that were prevalent prior to 1904. Your parents or grandparents might have been among those who fell victim to those water borne diseases. It was chlorine that increased life expectancy from 45 years to 77 years. What we know now about chlorine has improved our health, finances and all of the many conveniences that we enjoy. Chlorine has been both great and good for us all.

It is also completely true that what we don’t know about chlorine may harm us in numerous ways. This article has only mentioned a fraction of one percent of those possibilities.

If you are a woman with at least 30 years of age you are most likely reading this article because you are suffering from uterine fibroids. In this article I will discuss the most common treatments that are available now a days and that are commonly used by doctors in the field are most likely related to surgeries. Luckily, a natural method to treat uterine fibroids is available. Let’s see…

A few of this surgeries offer average results while dramatically the most recommended surgery to get rid of fibroids could cause much damage physically and emotionally for a woman. Such surgery is called hysterectomy.

1. Hysterectomy is mostly recommended to women done with their menopause or even for women that do not plan on having any more children. This uterine fibroids surgery consists on removing the uterus from our bodies taking with it the ability to conceive, however, it is the best solution to avoid future uterine fibroid growth. Another surgery that is used to treat uterine fibroids is called myomectomy.

2. Myomectomy does not guarantee that the fibroids will not come back after the surgery is done. In most cases after the uterine fibroids are removed they come back within a few months. This surgery is done through a small incision on the woman’s abdominal area. The next surgery is called embolization.

3. The embolization process consists on stopping the flow of blood to get to feed the fibroids. This way the present uterine fibroids will start shrinking since they do not receive blood to feed from. This procedure does not involve incisions

Fibroids are much more common than most women realize and most would far prefer to use a fibroids natural treatment to eliminate fibroids naturally rather than resorting to expensive surgery or drug treatment which has very unpleasant side effects.

Doctors often recommend that fibroids are left untreated unless they are causing severe symptoms and this is because conventional treatment (with the exception of hysterectomy) are only ever temporary measures. This is because fibroids are generally caused due to lifestyle or hereditary factors and unless steps are taken to eliminate these causes from a fibroid sufferer’s life, they can, and most likely will, regrow.

Hormonal treatments for getting rid of fibroids are only ever useful as a temporary measure. This is because firstly, once the treatment is stopped, the fibroids will regrow and secondly, this type of hormonal treatment carries very real risks of osteoporosis. Plus it causes all the unpleasant symptoms of the menopause, such as hot flashes, dry facial skin and wrinkling, thinning of the vaginal skin plus a dry vagina. Hormonal treatment is only ever used as a means to shrink fibroids prior to surgery.

There are various home treatments which can be used by women who would like a fibroids natural treatment. Although doctors sometimes disagree about the exact causes of fibroids, they do agree on certain common factors. In some women who are prone to inflammatory conditions (which can be hereditary), fibroids are much more common. Ways to eliminate fibroids naturally for these women might include eating foods with anti-inflammatory properties such as hops, rosemary and the spice, curcumin. Excess estrogen in the body is also a known cause of fibroids and so anything which can be done to reduce levels in the body is very helpful. Excess estrogen can be produced by the fat cells in a woman’s body, so it makes sense to reduce body fat to a safe level as this will naturally reduce estrogen. In addition, certain pollutants can mimic the effect of estrogen in the body so some women have found a liver detox to be very helpful as this can help remove pollutants.

Although fibroids are undoubtedly a condition which most women would like to eradicate, this is a case where taking your time to use a fibroids natural treatment to eliminate fibroids naturally will not be detrimental to your health in the long term. Indeed, natural treatments will often focus on the causes of fibroids, not only the symptoms.

Fibroids natural treatment methods are rarely a “quick-fix” and although this may put some women off, it must be seen in the context of how long it can take to both wait for, and properly recover after surgery. Indeed many women have seen certain symptoms disappear within days and even large fibroids can be eliminated naturally.

Muscular dystrophy is a progressive disease that involves increasing weakness of the muscles. There are many different types of, but in most cases the skeletal muscles weaken and this often results in dramatically reduced mobility.

The first documented case was in 1830, but it is likely to have been a factor in human development much before that. This disease is inherited, and the different types of muscular dystrophy are inherited differently. It is said to be sex linked and is carried on the x chromosome. In males the existence of an altered gene will cause the disease to be present, but in women, who have 2 x chromosomes, it is necessary for both chromosomes to be altered. Women who only have 1 altered x chromosome are said to be carriers, and often suffer from much milder symptoms.

There are many different symptoms of muscular dystrophy. Some of the more common ones are poor balance, frequent falls, and walking difficulty. This makes a lift chair a good tool for those with muscular dystrophy. A lift chair is a chair that makes standing and sitting much easier for those who are mobility challenged. The base of these types of chairs rises and lowers via an electric motor. The base moves very slowly and allows you to easily stand or sit without straining the muscles or joints. Often sitting too much or bed rest can worsen the disease, so it is important to find a happy balance between sitting and movement.

There are several different types of muscular dystrophy. One generally less severe type is called Becker’s disease. A much more common type is Duchenne’s disease. In terms of childhood muscular dystrophy, it is the most common. Another common type is Congenital muscular dystrophy. This can be fatal, begins at childbirth, and consists of muscular weakness and respiratory problems. There are several other types that take affect at various stages of life.

The severity of these diseases greatly depends on the type of muscular dystrophy. Some like, Duchenne’s disease, commonly can result in death. Typically the most severe cases occur during childhood, but some do not occur until the person is over 40 years of age. While there is no known cure, physical therapy has been shown to help in some cases and is widely practiced. Most importantly perhaps is allowing the individual to be as independent as possible. This helps on a physiological and psychosocial level that is often very powerful.

Many researchers are striving to understand this disease better, in the hopes of finding a cure. There is hope that through the use of special proteins that are found naturally in the body, this disease will one day be controlled. Jerry Lewis, an Emmy award winning comedian, has supported the Muscular Dystrophy Association since its creation in the 1950′s. He helps them raise money for research and treatment of this disease.

This s a very serious disease and hopefully sometime very soon, we will have a better means of preventing and treating it. While it can be fatal, many live a full and happy life with this disease.

There is no doubt, that the profits which are made by companies and people, that are in the cancer industry, is huge. Ordinary people would not like to believe, that companies can be so greedy, that they do not care what happens to the people, who have cancer and knowing that there are natural breast cancer cures and treatments.

Natural breast cancer cure – MGN-3

The conventional treatments for cancer are extremely expensive and dangerous. It is not possible that there are has been no progress in the fight against cancer, during the last few decades. That is why so many people are interested in natural cures and alternative treatments. Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer and the treatments like surgery, chemotherapy and radiation are brutal. But there are other treatments, that are not so well known, such as MGN-3 treatment. MGN-3 is one of the most effective natural breast cancer cure. What exactly is it?

MGN-3 is an overall immune system booster and stimulant, it is especially effective in strengthening Natural Killer cells. These Natural Killer (NK) cells are on the front line, in the fight against cancer, bacterial infections and viral infections. It has also been proven that MGN-3 increases the activity level of T cells and B cells, it increases the production of many cytokines, such as interferon gamma, Interleukin-2, tumor necrotic factor-alpha (TNFA) and Interleukin-12.

The main discoverer and researcher of MGN-3 is Dr. Mamdooh Ghoneum, who is a research immunologist. Dr. Ghoneum is an expert in cancer immune therapy (CIT). CIT is a field of therapy that uses biological response modifiers to increase the activity of Natural Kill cells. Dr. Ghoneum has studied biological response modifiers made of natural compounds as well as synthetic BRM-s. But there have been many setbacks, mainly because of the high toxicity of BRM-s.

Fortunately Dr. Ghoneum discovered a BRM, that stimulates the immune system and has a very low toxicity level, and it is of course MGN-3. But should it be used as a natural breast cancer cure? Is there any supporting evidence?

These are good questions and Dr. Ghoneum has published several studies in scientific and medical journals to support his research. His studies include data from test tube and animal data, as well as 72 human patients. One of his early studies was done in 1995, were 32 cancer patients, in various stages of cancer and who all had received traditional treatments, such as radiation, chemo and surgery.

The Natural Kill cells were low in all of these patients (10.8%-49%), the oral ingestion of MGN-3 lead to an increase of Natural Kill cells in just a few weeks. It ranged from 100%-537% in multiple myeloma patients, 100%-240% in leukemia patients, 174%-385% in prostate cancer patients and 145%-332% in breast cancer patients. Most importantly the increase of Natural Kill cells, was maintained for five years, after the therapy had ended.

This was just one example of the many other natural breast cancer cure options. It is essential that people at least educate themselves about these treatments, cures and remedies. It is even better if people could find a doctor, that takes these seriously and is willing to go against the “norm.”

Breast cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases among women. It plays second fiddle only to lung cancer as the top killer of women in the United States and the rest of the world. And since the 1970s, recorded cases of the disease have continuously increased at an alarming rate. Breast cancer can also happen to men, albeit rarely; around 12,000 American men contract this disease every year.

Despite the nasty reputation of breast cancer, doctors have yet to find out the real causes of the disease. Right now, experts believe that cancer cells in the breasts develop as a result of a combination of risk factors. Nonetheless, doctors are sure that bumping or accidentally hurting your breasts can not trigger cancer.

Many studies confirm that certain elements may put a woman in an increased susceptibility to breast cancer. Women with one or all of these risk elements may be more imperiled than other women who are free from such factors. Here are the determinants of breast cancer to watch out for.

Age

Your likelihood of having this type of disease increases as you become older. Statistically speaking, most breast cancer patients are women who are at least in their 60s. In fact before the menopausal stage, this disease may be considered extraordinary even for women.

Personal And Family History

If one of your breasts has cancer or if you had breast cancer before, your risk of having cancer on your other breast is greatly increased. In fact, the likelihood of having breast cancer under these circumstances may have quadrupled.

In the same manner, if someone in your family has been afflicted with this disease, you may be more prone to getting breast cancer. If your mother, your sister or even your child has been stricken down with this disease, you have to be careful because your risk can be higher than other women. Heredity plays a significant role in the development of this type of cancer.

Habits And Lifestyle

If you do not have close relatives who suffered from breast cancer, it does not mean that you are guaranteed to be free from getting the disease. Your habits and lifestyle can also contribute to the occurrence of cancer cells in your breasts. Women who smoke and are addicted to alcohol, for instance, have increased chances of suffering the disease. Obesity and use of contraceptive pills and hormone replacement therapy can also support the growth of cancerous tissues in the breasts.

Ways To Deal With Cancer

So far, mainstream cancer therapeutic procedures like chemotherapy and hormone therapy are the best steps that women with breast cancer should take. This is not to say that there are too few anti-cancer cures available; quite on the contrary, women who suffer from the disease have more medical options today than two or three decades ago.

However, there are some alternative measures that can complement regular breast cancer medication. Foremost among these measures is detoxification. Naturopaths or people who treat diseases by using natural remedies believe that the way to a healthier and cancer-free life is by eating healthy and living right.

This philosophy is not without basis. Practitioners of alternative medicine stress that the human body is not equipped to fight foreign substances brought about by pollution, chemicals and other environmental elements. Because of this, harmful substances are stored by the body and, over time, a buildup of toxins inside cells and tissues occurs.

These toxic substances are the ones responsible for the many diseases that happen today, which includes breast cancer. Cleansing the body of these poisonous substances can greatly help in preventing the growth of cancer cells in the breasts. Nevertheless, you have to think of these methods as supportive or additional steps in the fight against the disease; breast cancer patients still need help from doctors and drug medication.

There are many ways to go about your internal cleansing. You can do it by taking only water for several days, or you can use fruit juices and raw fruits or vegetables. Another option is to use products like Colpurin. For more information about how to cleanse and revitalize your internal system, you can click on http://www.colpurin.com/.