I have some first hand experience with the adverse effects of soy. I realized a couple of years ago that I was lactose intolerant. I also have to take thyroid supplements due to Graves disease, that required the removal of my thyroid. Well I had been on the same dose of thyroid medication for almost 2 years, finally had it requlated. And then at my next appointment, about 8 months after switching to soy, my levels were completly out of whack. This led my doctor to run other tests, which came back with upset blood levels. Primarily low platlettes, which function to make blood clot. This is often caused by an auto-immune disfunction, the body actually destroys the platelletes faster then you can make them. Well it just happened that we had the day before my appointment read a medical journal that published a report about soy preventing the absorbtion of thyroid hormones. So my doctor, who I am thrilled to have as she tends to not jump to conclusions and start writing prescriptions, decided to see if quiting the soy would help. In 3 months my thyroid levels regulated. However it took much longer for the autoimmune function to stabalize, almost the better part of a year, but with small improvements almost immediately. I will occasionally eat things with soy, primarily soy beans or fermented soy products (miso etc), but in very limited quantities. I think all things in moderation is generally a good rule. My problem came from drinking a couple servings of soy milk a day (one with cereal and one with coffee). I also tend to believe that each person will react differently to soy products. It is just good to be aware of possible issues, so that if something comes up medically you can look to solutions that are simpler then taking more medications that most doctors are quick to prescribe. The hardest thing for me to find an alternative to that doesn't have soy is a good mutli-vitamin. Read your labels, most multi-vitamins these days have the soy isoflavens.

At this point, most crop producers have been able to secure enough bees to provide pollination for the 2007 season. There are no anticipated shortages of any crops for now. This may not be true if CCD affects bees again this fall. Crops pollinated by bees and commonly grown on the east coast include: (curcurbits) Cantaloupe, cucumber, watermelon, squash, pumpkin, etc. (Rosacea, Ericaceae, Umbellifera, Amaryllidaceae, Cruciferae and others) Apples, Pears, peaches, plums, almonds, Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, onions, turnips, radishes, cabbages, broccolis, etc. If it has the word "berry" in its name, most likely bees are involved in production. If it is an edible fruit growing on a tree, bees are likely part of production. Feed crops that are pollinated by honeybees include alfalfa, clover, vetches, etc. These crops are fed to cattle as hay. This group includes about 40 common legumes. Major honey plants are in this group! Crops relatively unaffected by honeybee pollination include most of the solanums such as potato, tomato, pepper, etc. Poacea which is most of the true grasses such as corn, triticums such as wheat, etc is in this group. If you would refer to it as a grass, it is unlikely to be affected by bees. Most of the plants we refer to as beans are in this group including green beans, limas, cowpeas, etc, not because they don't produce nectar, rather because the flower shape prevents honeybee pollination. Fusion (Who consulted his honey plants manual to get this information)

Don't know about that particular brand, but there are certain vitamins in health food stores that will help, my daughter has used. But she also consulted with her dr. At age 4 some children are very hyper, and with one of my granddaughters it is sugar, chocolate and preservatives in the food. She needs to be very honest with her dr, and please don't start the kid on drugs without throughly testing them. It may be a mineral/vitamin deficency also. If this is your daughter, be honest and inist she talk to the DR. or YOU WILL> Where does she get these vitamins and who sells them. Just warn her that if she does not get this problem under control the school will Good luck Marie

I do not use FS & never have, not dryer sheets nor the kind for the washer. In my opinion they stink of artificial scent & when I am around machines whose owners use them, I go into sneezing fits. I also use unscented liquid detergent. My sister has severe asthma; my husband and daughter have mild asthma. I would not think of using scented products in my house because of exposing the asthmatics to triggers. Here is the thing, you FS users---if something is bad for asthmatics to breathe, it is also bad for you to breathe. Their immune systems are just hypersensitive to bad things, and they get an attack. The same stuff is bad for you; you just do not get the early-warning "siren" from your body that they do from theirs. As to fluffy towels--may I suggest buying higher quality towels? Hotels that have thick soft towels are buying really good ones. I have cheap thin towels from my college student days that are great for rubbing the cat after her bath --- and I have thick, soft, nice towels that I dry myself with. Are you shaking them & fluffing them when you pull them from the washer, not just stuffing them in the dryer?