Pharmaceuticals lurking in U.S. drinking water
AP probe found traces of meds in water supplies of 41 million Americans

By Jeff Donn, Martha Mendoza and Justin Pritchard
Associated Press Writers
updated 10:06 a.m. CT, Mon., March. 10, 2008

A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.

To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe.

But the presence of so many prescription drugs — and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health.

From California to New Jersey
In the course of a five-month inquiry, the AP discovered that drugs have been detected in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas — from Southern California to Northern New Jersey, from Detroit to Louisville, Ky.

Water providers rarely disclose results of pharmaceutical screenings, unless pressed, the AP found. For example, the head of a group representing major California suppliers said the public “doesn’t know how to interpret the information” and might be unduly alarmed.

How do the drugs get into the water?

People take pills. Their bodies absorb some of the medication, but the rest of it passes through and is flushed down the toilet. The wastewater is treated before it is discharged into reservoirs, rivers or lakes. Then, some of the water is cleansed again at drinking water treatment plants and piped to consumers. But most treatments do not remove all drug residue.

And while researchers do not yet understand the exact risks from decades of persistent exposure to random combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals, recent studies — which have gone virtually unnoticed by the general public — have found alarming effects on human cells and wildlife.

“We recognize it is a growing concern and we’re taking it very seriously,” said Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Members of the AP National Investigative Team reviewed hundreds of scientific reports, analyzed federal drinking water databases, visited environmental study sites and treatment plants and interviewed more than 230 officials, academics and scientists. They also surveyed the nation’s 50 largest cities and a dozen other major water providers, as well as smaller community water providers in all 50 states.

Key findings
Here are some of the key test results obtained by the AP:

* Officials in Philadelphia said testing there discovered 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water, including medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness and heart problems. Sixty-three pharmaceuticals or byproducts were found in the city’s watersheds.
* Anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety medications were detected in a portion of the treated drinking water for 18.5 million people in Southern California.
* Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey analyzed a Passaic Valley Water Commission drinking water treatment plant, which serves 850,000 people in Northern New Jersey, and found a metabolized angina medicine and the mood-stabilizing carbamazepine in drinking water.
* A sex hormone was detected in San Francisco’s drinking water.
* The drinking water for Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas tested positive for six pharmaceuticals.
* Three medications, including an antibiotic, were found in drinking water supplied to Tucson, Ariz.

The situation is undoubtedly worse than suggested by the positive test results in the major population centers documented by the AP.

The federal government doesn’t require any testing and hasn’t set safety limits for drugs in water. Of the 62 major water providers contacted, the drinking water for only 28 was tested. Among the 34 that haven’t: Houston, Chicago, Miami, Baltimore, Phoenix, Boston and New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection, which delivers water to 9 million people.

Some providers screen only for one or two pharmaceuticals, leaving open the possibility that others are present.

If you are still having periods:
Count the first day of your period as Day 1. Then, count forward 12-days. The 12th day is when you would start using the Balanced Woman.
Continue to use Balanced Woman for 14-days. After the 14-days, stop using Balanced Woman. You should start your period in 2-3 days after discontinuing the product. Once you begin to menstruate, continue the process as above.

If you are not having periods
You will use Balanced Woman 3 continual weeks (21-Days). You’ll take 7-days off. We recommend not using the Balanced Woman the first 7-days of the month as we’ve found it’s much easier for women to stay on track by following a schedule.

Application of Balanced Woman
The best place to apply Balanced Woman is on the thin skin of your body:

• On the arm between your elbow and wrist with palms up
• Under the breast
• Inner Thigh
• If you cramp during your period, apply to bikini line during your 14-days of use.

WARNING: Do not rub Balance Woman on your face it enters your system too quickly when applied there.

Balance Woman stays in your system for 12-hours. If you are suffering from hot flashes and night sweats use a half pump of Balanced Woman in the morning and half a pump at night. This will keep the formula in your system for 24-hours and can help with severe hormonal issues.

read more about this campaign here.

To be considered for 4 free months of Balanced Woman, you must first fill out this form. Upon acceptance, you will agree to track your progress on the Balanced Woman formula on the blog http://balancedwoman.blogspot.com. This will be done twice a week by you. You can remain anonymous by using a nickname. Please fill in the complete form. Make sure you fill in the correct information as this is where your product will be shipped. Upon acceptance, Pure Health Trends Network will call the telephone number you leave on this form to make sure we are shipping to the correct person.
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Balanced Woman Form

YES! Please Consider Me For The Balanced Woman Awareness Campaign

For Immediate Release
PHTN
December 30, 2007. Indianapolis, Indiana-Pure Health Trends Network today announced their plans to drive marketing and awareness towards their Balanced Woman formulation.

PHTN
Balanced Woman is a natural progesterone cream that was developed to Dr. John Lee’s specifications.

PHTN

“Our hope is to reach out to as many women as possible to let them know they don’t have to suffer with pre-menstrual syndrome, the symptoms associated with Menopause and many other issues associated with being a woman.” Said Jackie Marlin, Media Specialist for Pure Health Trends Network. “So many women just shrug off the symptoms and think, tomorrow will be a better day. Unless the body’s hormonal balance is restored though, there’s not going to be a better day. And once women start using the Balanced Woman they will see how different life really can be. We’ve had women using our formulation for 12 years. They’d never be without it!”

Pure Health Trends Network

Missy Massey said…
“OH MY, I don’t know what I would do without Balanced Woman. I had suffered with cramps all my life and after I had my tubes tied they became much worse. I mean so bad I couldn’t function for two days. My sister introduced me to Balanced Woman and my very first period after starting Balanced Woman, NO CRAMPS!!! That was almost two years a go STILL NO CRAMPS!”

Pure Health Trends Network

Shirley said…
I have been using your company’s progesterone cream for 8 years. I have tried 2 creams and both times I have gone back to Balanced Woman. It just works much better. Plus my husband makes sure I never forget to use it, my sex drive is as strong today as it was in my 30’s and we attribute it to Balanced Woman. Oh by the way I will be 60 next month.

These testimonials and more can be read on one of the Pure Health Trends Network blogs found at http://balancedwoman.blogspot.com

HTN
The Balanced Woman Awareness Campaign will be in full force on Wednesday, January 3, 2008.

PHTN
They are seeking 5 women from each of the following 3 categories: Women with PMS, Women in Pre Menopause, and women who have been diagnosed in the last year with non-malignant fibrocystic tumors.

PHTN
This study group of 15 women will receive a free tube of Balanced Woman each month for 4 months. Each of the 15 women will track their own progress twice a week. Their true names will not be given out unless they so desire. They can, instead use nicknames.

PHTN
Jackie Marlin added. “In the nutritional industry you see many fads come and go. The 7-Day Diet, The 1-Day Diet, The 1-Minute Diet, and then there’s the “Diet Cookie”. Then, there are those miracle juices that fix “everything”. They are here today, but where are they tomorrow? This doesn’t happen with the Balanced Woman progesterone formula. We still have the same faithful and loyal customers buying from us for over a decade. Why? It works.”

PHTN

To be considered to receive a 4 month supply of Balanced Woman, click here

I had the biggest health scare of my life. I certainly feel it is a story I want to share with women all over the world. It is a story that could be life saving. I was 53 and NEVER had a mammogram. In November of 2006 I had my first mammogram. I left the office happy and care free totally expecting to receive a letter from the doctor’s office in a few days saying the test was normal and to be retested in 2007.
breast cancer
Then later in that same day after I had the mammogram my phone ring and it was the doctor’s office asking if I could be in their office @ 8:30 AM the next morning for a diagnostic mammogram and an ultra sound. They had found THREE tumors in my breast. I was SHOCKED and VERY AFRAID. The rest of the day was filled with lots of praying and wondering what IF.
tumer
I had lost my mother in law to cancer in 2002 and the memory was so fresh in my mind. My husband was also shaken by the news and insisted on going to the doctor with me. The doctor examined and examined the tumors through the ultra sound and it seems like I was on the table for an eternity. As she showed me the tumors on the screen and the longer I was on the table the more afraid I became, every negative thought I could think of was racing through my mind.

In conclusion the doctor said there was less than a 1% chance the tumors were malignant…. but she wanted to see me every 90 days. NOW … my friends I say to you today … IF I had NOT been using the natural progesterone Balanced Woman formula for the last 10 years … would those tumors have been malignant? Well … all I can say is my doctor said she would not say one way or the other BUT she went on to say “Do not ever stop using it”! That was enough for me.
fibrocystic breasts
During the last year I have rubbed Balanced Woman directly on the areas of the tumors and with each test through out the year the tumors were smaller at each visit. Last month I finished my series of having a diagnostic mammogram and ultra sound every 90 days in 2007. My last test gave me a clean bill of health and the tumors were TOTALLY GONE!!!
cancer
NO woman should take chances with their health. If you are one of those women that say “I don’t have any hormonal issues”, then you should use Balanced Woman as a preventative for future health problems. You NEVER know what the future will bring.

Hi Ladies,My name is Jackie Marlin. I am Media Specialist Pure Health Trends Network. I’ve also had a lot of hands on experience with product formulations. This particular product, Pure Health Trends Balanced Women is dear to my heart and I wanted to share my experiences with you.

pure health trends network

I was first introduced to nutritional supplements over a decade ago through network marketing. At first I had a very negative opinion of the industry. I felt that the only reason I was hearing so many fabulous testimonials was for one simple reason … MONEY. In other words the person telling the story about how great the product worked was only motivated by money and not really by results.

Jackie Marlin

You have all heard the stories….. I had arthritis so bad … I couldn’t walk and after drinking the miracle juice for just 3 days … I could run…. I was blind but now I can see. These kind of stories went on and on. This was very offensive to me. I wanted to help others, not fill them full of false hope all for the sake of making a dollar.

Jackie Marlin

Then in 1996 things begin to change. I was given an audio tape by the chief of surgery at one of the largest hospitals in Indianapolis Indiana. The audio tape was of a live seminar given by Dr. John R. Lee. The information on this tape was short of a miracle for women. The chief of surgery said, “Jackie, IF you can find this formula, I will endorse it.” Our product development team went to work and within one month we had found the source to private label the progesterone formula made to the specifications of Dr. John R. Lee. Introducing Balanced Woman.

Jackie Marlin

I was only 42 at the time … and I suffered with severe cramps so bad I had to take prescription pain medication. Then I would be in bed for two days. Not only that I had severe PMS and horrible mood swings. After using the Balanced Woman formula for one month…. I NEVER took another prescription pain pill and the PMS and mood swings were totally GONE!!! Can you believe that? Now I had the type of testimonial that used to be offensive to me! But there is still more.

Jackie Marlin

I was so impressed with the results I was receiving I wanted to share it with women all over America. From 1996-1998 we hosted live health seminars on Balanced Woman throughout the state of California with Dr. John R. Lee as our guest speaker. Later we produced Balanced Woman TV Infomercials so we could reach women everywhere. The information and knowledge Dr. Lee shared with our audience was unbelievable. Dr. Lee died several years go but still, to this day, women depend on his books and information to help them balance their hormones and their struggles with menopause.

I am 54 now and have been using the Balanced Woman formula for 12 years … I have gone through menopause without ONE…. hot flash … night sweat or mood swing all thanks to the Pure Health Trends Network Balanced Woman. Plus ladies your husband’s will LOVE it … Balanced Woman saves your libido…. no loss of sex drive.

Jackie Marlin

We have many faithful Pure Health Trends Network customers using the Balanced Woman formula for over 12 years … for me that says it all .. IT WORKS!

Are you or is anyone you know suffering from female infertility? Natural Progesterone Cream just may be the answer to your prayers. One of the amazing results some women have experienced with Natural Progesterone cream is the ability to get pregnant when nothing else seemed to help!

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In a phone interview with Jackie Marlin today, I was personally amazed to learn that natural progesterone is being used as an alternative to prescription drugs and surgery for infertility issues. I’ve been using natural progesterone myself for years just for the benefits I receive for PMS and hopefully I’ll age a lot more gracefully. But I had no idea it could possibly help with fertility.

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Jackie Marlin is a Media Specialist for Pure Health Trends Network. I have broken our telephone conversation down to a story that she tells, which you can read below. My hope for you is this: IF you are reading this because you or someone you know is trying to conceive but has been unsuccessful, please read this with an open mind.

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Jackie Marlin’s Story with Progesterone Cream

I’ve always felt sadness as I hear stories about otherwise happy couples that could not conceive a child. The harder they tried the more frustration they experienced.

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It was not until my own daughter-in-law had trouble getting pregnant that it really hit home. At the time they were living out of state, so every month around the same time the phone lines would get hot. Not only was I phoning her, so was my daughter, my sisters, her sister and Mom.

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Month after month the answer was, “No, not this month”. After several months, our deep compassion turned to worry.

I made a vow, when both my children got married I would not be a meddling mother in law. But, the time had come that I was going to step forward and offer a safe, effective and natural solution. Would it work? I was certain it would but one thing for sure IF it didn’t it wasn’t going to hurt anything.

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I felt certain the Balanced Woman would work because we had already received several testimonials from customers that had trouble getting pregnant. The Balanced Woman was their miracle!

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To make a long story short, my daughter-in-law agreed to give it a try. I sent her a tube right away. After using Balanced Woman for just two months, we received the news we had all been so anxiously awaiting. I was going to be grandma again for the 5th time! My daughter already has 4 angels (well really monsters on occasion).

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I now have a beautiful new 5-month-old granddaughter thanks to the help of Pure Health Trends Balanced Woman. [end of Jackie’s story]

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The idea behind this gave me cold chills as I remember the sadness I felt when my cousin and her hubby tried for years to conceive. Thousands and thousands and THOUSANDS of dollars later she did finally have a beautiful baby boy.

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Now I’m sort of a research buff. I am in no way cynical to what I hear, but I like to see supporting documentation on things. I’m a nutrition fanatic at heart so this really hit home with me. Here’s just a little of my findings:

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Jerome Check, M.D., an infertility specialist and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Thomas Jefferson University and Hahnemann University, says that “too often physicians will treat the infertility problem with strong medication or even surgery without checking progesterone levels first…But for many women, progesterone therapy has been very effective in helping them to become pregnant and to carry the child to term. Only after this treatment is tried should more drastic procedures be considered.”

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An adequate amount of progesterone is crucial to a woman who is trying to become pregnant. It actually prepares the uterine wall for implantation of the fertilized egg. Without sufficient progesterone, the egg will be expelled. Progesterone treatment can also be used to induce fertility when there appears to be ovulatory dysfunction. A study was performed involving fifty women who had lived with infertility for a minimum of one-and-a-half years. Seventy percent of the women conceived within six months while exclusively using progesterone therapy, reports Dr. Check. The Efficacy of Progesterone in Achieving Successful Pregnancy describes this group.