Parabens are not your friend

I have shared my story, my journey to better health with you before.  I have not specifically talked about parabens and how they affect us.  There has been a lot of research of parabens in the last 20 years.  As the rates of breast cancer keep increasing, parabens are more and more coming under scrutiny.  There is a lot of research that suggests they play a huge role in the incidence of breast cancer.  Most tumors contain parabens.

You may be asking yourself what are parabens, and what do they have to do with me?  Parabens are used as a preservative in cosmetics, soaps, shampoos, lotions, etc.  They are in almost all products we put on our skin.  Research suggests that our bodies then store these parabens.  Some research suggests that aluminum, found in most antiperspirants, and deodorants combines with the parabens to create the toxic effect on breast tissue.

Think about this with me for a moment, almost every soap, shampoo, body/hand lotion, fabric softener, deodorant, perfume, contains parabens.  How many of these products do you use a day?  How often do you apply these products daily?  I know when I lived up north, hand and body lotions were a must everyday.  Scary!  Fabric softeners alone are in contact with our bodies 24/7. Towels, sheets, clothing-your body does not get a break from absorbing these chemicals.

There are many companies that have recognized the dangers of parabens and are working to create healthier products.  I’ll link a list at the end, but you can be on the lookout for them in your own products at home too.  There are a few different names for them-methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, and isobutylparaben.

The FDA at this point does not feel they are dangerous for humans.  I am one to err on the side of caution though, and knowing how dramatically better  my health has been since eliminating them, I can’t help but share my experience with you.

This blog had the most extensive list of paraben free products I could find.  Thanks to this blogger for compiling such a great list

One other thing I wanted to mention was because parabens have an estrogenic effect using them on our babies and young children is not a good idea. In men, parabens have been linked to low sperm counts.  Besides cancers, women can also have menstrual issues-early onset of menstruation, endometriosis, adenomyosis, infertility, etc.  Before we start to lather our little ones in baby lotion, after bathing them with paraben ladened soap and shampoo, and wrapping them in a lovely scented towel, we need to carefully read the labels.  I know I don’t want my girls to ever suffer through the issues I have had to deal with.

My goal is not to scare you but to inform you.  I wish I had known more about the dangers of parabens when my babies were little, or when I was a teen using all sorts of lotions, perfumes, and cosmetics.

Zero Water Pitcher update

So my prize arrived.  It is as cute as the picture looked.  Blue and white.  Easy to use, you just fill the top with water and in less than 5 mins it is filtered.  The pitcher has a handy pour spout but also a spigot on the bottom.  My kids are loving it!  Our oldest daughter says it tastes like Dasani, which is her favorite brand bottled water.

I especially liked the water testing meter that came with it.  I was able to test my filtered refrigerator water, which needs a new filter so it was probably not fairly tested, but it was better than the tap water.  I tested the tap water and the water filtered at the sink.  The worst was predictably the tap water, and the best the filter at the sink.  But all of them were close.  (Must need to change all the filters!)  They were about 100 ppm above the zero water pitcher’s filtered water, which interestingly was 0!

So there you go.  If you missed my original post about winning the pitcher, you can find it here.  You can also find coupons and more details about the pitcher there.

GM, not the car! Genetically modified foods :-(

 

 the lowdown on GMO foods.

From Wikipedia:

Genetically modified foods or biotech foods are foods derived from genetically modified organisms. Genetically modified organisms have had specific changes introduced into their DNA bygenetic engineering techniques. These techniques are much more precise^[1] than mutagenesis (mutation breeding) where an organism is exposed to radiation or chemicals to create a non-specific but stable change. Other techniques by which humans modify food organisms include selective breeding; plant breeding, and animal breeding, and somaclonal variation. Since genetically modified food has been introduced into supermarkets, there has been much controversy as to whether it is actually safe.

Genetically Modified foods (GM foods) were first put on the market in 1996. Typically, genetically modified foods are transgenic plant products: soybean, corn, canola, rice, and cotton seed oil. Animal products have also been developed, although as of July 2010 none are currently on the market.^[2] In 2006 a pig was^[3][4] engineered to produce omega-3 fatty acids through the expression of a roundworm gene.^[5] Researchers have also developed a genetically-modified breed of pigs that are able to absorb plant phosphorus more efficiently, and as a consequence the phosphorus content of their manure is reduced by as much as 60%.^[6]

Critics have objected to GM foods on several grounds, including safety issues,^[7] ecological concerns, and economic concerns raised by the fact these organisms are subject to intellectual property law.

How do they do it?

Method

Genetic modification involves the insertion or deletion of genes. In the process of cisgenesis, genes are artificially transferred between organisms that could be conventionally bred. In the process of transgenesis, genes from a different species are inserted, which is a form of horizontal gene transfer. In nature this can occur when exogenous DNA penetrates the cell membrane for any reason. To do this artificially may require transferring genes as part of an attenuated virus genome or physically inserting the extra DNA into the nucleus of the intended host using a microsyringe, or as a coating on gold nanoparticles fired from a gene gun. However, other methods exploit natural forms of gene transfer, such as the ability of Agrobacterium to transfer genetic material to plants, and the ability of lentiviruses to transfer genes to animal cells.

The method to introduce new genes into plants requires several important factors such as specific promoter, codon usage of the gene and how to deactivate the gene. The specific promoter must relate to area that we want the gene to express. For instance, if we want the gene to express only in the rice instead of the leaf then we would only use an endosperm specific promoter. The reason is because we only want our transgenic genes to express only in the rice and not the leaves. The codon usage of the gene must also be more optimized for the rice since there are several different codons for each of the 20 amino acid. The transgenic genes should also be able to be denatured by heat in order for human consumption.

And then there’s this, as if the above isn’t scary enough!

Goats that produce silk in their milk: A company called biosteel has genetically engineered goats to produce milk with strong spider web like silk proteins in their milk.^[36] This product is not used for consumption, but to make bulletproof vest and anti-ballistic missile systems for military contracts instead.

Should the milk from this be used to make that?

 

Who thought of goat’s milk to make silk for one of these? :-/

 

 

Did I mention my latest favorite sleep remedy?

Tart cherry juice!  My mom told me about it, she heard about it on TV, so I was skeptical.  But with a little research I realized she was on to something.  Cherries naturally contain melatonin.  Melatonin helps regulate your sleep patterns.  I have taken melatonin tablets for occasional sleeplessness but they do not compare to the cherry juice.  I’m telling you this stuff is amazing!  2 oz diluted with about 2 oz of water, unless you enjoy the tart flavor straight!

Now this is more than you ever wanted to know but I am not even getting up to go to the bathroom during the night!  And I feel completely rested and not at all sleepy when I wake up.

Here is an article I found talking about the sleep benefits.  In addition to sleeping better, cherry juice contains natural antioxidants and is an anti-inflammatory.  Can’t beat those health benefits!

Summer is coming..

My plan when our academic schoolwork is over is to work more on character and Biblical training.  We do Bible study as part of our daily schedule, but the pull of academics sometimes takes our focus off of character.  This summer we are going to spend part of our free time studying a little more about how God wants us to live.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. 

This is the verse I am basing my focus on. This is what God has called us to do, as we go about our daily life teach our children about him.  When they were little and we would walk outside in the woods it was easy to point out the order of nature; tadpoles becoming frogs, berries ripening on bushes, leaves changing color.  All evidence of a creator’s plan.  Now that they are a little older I am going to focus more intently on how God expects them to live their lives.  What does the fruit of the Spirit look like?  What should dating look like?  What ways are they serving him?

I’m looking into materials to use now.  Something focused specifically for boys for my son, and girls for my daughters.  Purity, character, service.  Those will be my topics.  If you have any suggestions of great resources, please share.

I’ll pass along a couple ideas we’ve used in the past.  When they were little we used 21 Rules of our Home, Leading Little Ones to God, Missionary Stories with the Millers, Prudence and the Millers, Wisdom and the Millers, and Remembering God’s Awesome Acts.  We use Passport to Purity from Family Life Today as a basis for our “talk”.  Do Hard Things, The BBC Manual, and Jesus Freaks are all great resources for teens.  As well as reading missionary biographies at all ages.  George Mueller, Gladys Aylward, Hudson Taylor, William Carey, Eric Liddell, Jim Elliott, etc.

I’m considering Preparing Your Daughter for Every Woman’s Battle for my girls, and Every Young Man’s Battle for my son.  (not set in stone as I have to review them first.  I’ll take opinions if you’ve read them )Then we will focus on one character trait that we want to develop this summer, and look for a way we can serve God that we have not done before.  Something that will challenge and stretch us.

So what are your summer plans?

 

Coconut Mounds:)

Coconut Mounds:)  She blogged my favorite recipe

Moms are priceless

But here is a way to calculate just how much they would earn if they were paid for their job  You can even print out a check for your mom/wife to show them how much you think they are worth!  I plugged in some hourly estimates for myself-$165,665 per year.  Not bad

Seriously though, you cannot put a value on a mother.  There is no one more dedicated to their job.  No job where a person has to be as available and ready for whatever life throws her way.  Being a mom requires a selflessness that far exceeds that of any other role in the world.  Thank you to all the wonderful mom’s who have influenced my life, from my own mom, to family and friends.  I feel very blessed to have had a myriad of women in my life who I have gleaned from and been loved by.

For those of you who are not mom’s in the dictionary sense of the word, know you are important too.  Your support, encouragement, willingness to be a friend, mentor, aunt, sister, cousin is hugely appreciated.  Thank you for investing in the lives of those who God has brought into your life.  We are grateful for your love and support.

Don’t forget to call those special people and let them know how loved they are today.

 

 

 

 

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