Weekly Health Quiz: Sunscreens, Mattresses and Cellphones

1 The following is not a healthy source of dietary fat and should be avoided:

• Olive oil
• Canola oil

  Not all fats have the same effects on your body, and that the fats most commonly found in processed foods, such as corn oil and canola oil, are among the very worst. Healthy dietary fats are natural and unprocessed. Examples include seeds, nuts, butter, olives, avocado and coconut oil. Learn more.

• Butter
• Coconut oil

2 Recent research reveals children who receive the diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTaP) vaccine are more susceptible to this disease, and this elevated susceptibility persists throughout their life.

• Diphtheria
• Lockjaw
• Whooping cough

  According to a study published in the February 2019 issue of the Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, children who receive the DTaP vaccine are more susceptible to whooping cough. This elevated susceptibility persists throughout their life, and nothing can be done about it. Learn more.

• Cancer

3 The following sunscreen ingredients are the only ones having been scientifically verified to be safe for human use:

• Nanosized zinc oxide and titanium dioxide
• Oxybenzone and oxtinoxate
• Vitamin A derivatives retinol and retinyl palmitate
• Non-nano-sized zinc oxide and titanium dioxide

  Of the 16 active sunscreen ingredients used in products on the U.S. market, only two — non-nano-sized zinc oxide and titanium dioxide — have been deemed safe for human use by the FDA. Learn more.

4 The following substance is not used in mattresses as a fire-retardant additive:

• Thimerosal (mercury)

  Harmful flame retardant substances you might find in mattresses include PBDE, Deca, boric acid, antimony, melamine, vinylidene chloride, bromine and formaldehyde, all of which are associated with serious health effects. Learn more.

• Formaldehyde
• Antimony
• Boric acid

5 The following technique removes pain and dysfunctional physiological conditions by restoring the structural integrity of the body, and can be helpful in instances of low back pain that is unrelated to direct impact injury:

• Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
• Neurostructural Integration Technique (NST)

  Neurostructural Integration Technique (NST) is a powerful technique that can ease muscle aches and pain — including low back pain — by stimulating the central and peripheral autonomic nervous systems. Barring instances when the low back pain is caused by direct impact injury, the pain and its location are typically a manifestation resulting from systematic imbalances that have been in place far longer than the low back pain. Learn more.

• Dynamic Neural Retraining System (DNRS)
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

6 The specific absorption rate (SAR) for your cellphone tells you:

• How safe your phone is overall
• How long you can safely use your phone without incurring damage
• How much radiofrequency energy your body will absorb from the device when held at a specific distance from your body

  SAR is a measure of how much RF energy your body will absorb from the device when held at a specific distance from your body (ranging from 5 to 15 mm, depending on the manufacturer). The SAR value is not an indication of how safe your phone is. Learn more.

• How much radiofrequency energy your body will absorb from the device when held in direct contact with your body

7 The following appears to be a foundational core of the dysfunction and challenges associated with multiple chemical sensitivity, electromagnetic hypersensitivity, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and a number of other conditions:

• Brain atrophy (brain shrinkage)
• Hormonal disturbances
• Dysfunction of the neuromotor in your muscles
• Limbic hyperactivity or dysfunction (being stuck in the fight-flight-or-freeze response)

  Limbic hyperactivity or dysfunction appears to be a foundational core of the dysfunction and challenges associated with multiple chemical sensitivity, electromagnetic hypersensitivity, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and a number of other conditions. Learn more.