Audio Chemicals in Body Care

Confused about what products are safe and which ones are not. Listen to my talk on Chemicals in Body Care http://neshha.org/MP3/MonMetAud/CherylRounds.mp3

Help - Olympic's Dirty Secret

Imagine you are an elite athlete. You have spent your entire life training and dreaming of the Olympics. You work hard to keep your body healthy and in superb physical shape so that you will have a competitive edge. You are hopeful that when you make the Olympics you will be able to break the records of those that have come before you. Then it happens - the dream finally comes true, you are accepted to the Olympic team . However, because the Olympics are being held in Beijing, China this year it soon becomes apparent that the dream is really a nightmare. If you decide to accept the challenge of competing, you will be forced to run the marathon in some of the dirtiest air on the planet. This may adversely affect not only your current health but also your future health for many years to come. And because the conditions will be so harsh, it is doubtful that you will be able to break nay records. As a natter of fact some countries like Australia will not even let their athletes run. Read Stephen Fox'(of the Santa Fe Sun News) full expose of this Olympic outrage here http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=52987&ret=AccountDtl.aspx

Then take action and tell Jacques Rogge in Lausanne Switzerland and the Olympic Committee that if we want to expect the best from our Olympic athletes then we need to provide our athletes with the best conditions possible. This means moving the marathon out of the city far away from the city smog!

The Body Care - Chemical Shuffle

California recently filed a lawsuit Against Whole Foods, Avalon, and others whose products tested positive for the carcinogen 1,4-Dioxane in a study done by the
Organic Consumers Association (OCA) Under California Proposition 65 any substance that contains a known carcinogen must carry a warning label or face prosecution.

Most people are under the assumption that body care products are regulated by the FDA or some other federal agency that assures safety and purity. In fact in 1938, the Cosmetic Act made manufacturers of body care responsible for regulating the products they produced. At the time it was assumed the skin was impervious to any of the chemicals they may have used in their beauty formulas. Today with the introduction and effectiveness of skin patches for drug delivery, we are more aware that chemicals placed on the skin’s surface will be absorbed into the body. Even worse every chemical our body is exposed to may not be totally eliminated and may be stored in the body’s fat and tissues. The storage of chemicals in the body is called “body burden” and there is not a person alive today that does not have some sort of body burden. Additionally each child born today will inherit some of their mother’s body burden and then will add to this burden throughout their lifetime.

There are over 30,000 different chemicals used in body care products today. At least one third are known to be carcinogenic, estrogenic, teratogenic or to cause various problems in human beings. The strategy of the chemical companies who produce these substances is to deny and/or minimize the problems they may cause. One of their key arguments is that these chemicals are in such minute quantities in their products that they couldn’t possibly cause harm. This argument negates the fact that these chemicals are in multiple products that are used daily along with multiple other chemicals that could cause synergistic effects.

The chemical named in the lawsuit is 1.4-Dioxane. 1,4-Dioxane is not added directly to body care products but rather it is a by product of the chemical process that turns Sodium (or Ammonium) Laurel Sulfate (SLS) to Sodium (or Ammonium) Laureth Sulfate. Sodium Laurel Sulfate.is a very harsh and powerful sudsing agent and degreaser. Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a slightly larger molecule that is little less harsh on the skin. To make the Lauteth version Ethylene Oxide (a petroleum product and known carcinogen) is added to the SLS .in a process called ethoxolation. Chemical companies like to confuse us and claim that one chemical is safer than the other but in truth the safety of neither has been proven. And while only certain manufactures were named in the current lawsuit any body care product or cleanser that has Sodium or Ammonium Laureth Sulfate as an ingredient will also contain 1,4-Dioxane.

There are other unintentional ingredients such as nitrosamines and formaldehyde that also show up in body care products. However, aside from these chemicals we also need to look more closely at the chemicals that manufacturers intentionally put into our personal care, . Many such as phthalates and parabens have been associated with cancers and have been outlawed in Europe. Our manufacturers continue to use these chemicals because they are cheap and effective for the uses they want and manufacturers value profit above safety.. They also choose to confuse us, often by noting the natural source of the chemical in parenthesis as (coconut oil) and by noting the words natural or organic somewhere on the label. But be aware that unless accompanied by a third party certification seal such as USDA organic, these words are just marketing terms designed to have us think these products are greener than they really are. This is a marketing technique called “greenwashing” .

The bottom line is most commercially sold body care products contain chemicals that can harm our health and that of the planet. There are good products available but we have to educate ourselves as to how to read labels and what to look for. As long as our laws allow manufactures to use questionable chemicals in the products they sell us, buying these products in a store such as Whole Foods or a high end department store, .is no assurance of quality. The quickest way to get good products to the market place is to vote with your purse and stop buying products with chemical ingredients. You can also go to www.safecosmetics.org and sign the petition to urge our legislatures to take action

For organic and chemical free body care products, check out www.blissfullyorganic.com , and also http://www.theoilsolution.com/bliss Also for chemical free mineral make up www.itvsmiles.com

BTW: Whole Foods shame on you. Many people trusted you to do better.

Cheryl Rounds

An Organic Oxymoron

Today I was in the grocery store and was surprised to find fish labeled certified organic farmed salmon. I remarked to the fish monger that this seemed to be a contradiction in terms. He said no - "The only way that you could have certified organic fish was to have it farmed so that you could certify that the fish were eating only certified organic foods". The true meaning and intent of organics is to provide food as only mother nature can provide. As fish live in the ocean their natural diet is algae and other fish, not certified organic soy and corn. So while the fish may be eating certified organic foods in my dictionary these fish are hardly organic. And besides are there really farmers out in the wild ocean adding herbicides and pesticides to the salmons natural food supply?

Damage Control

This morning, as I frequently do, I watched a portion of "Good Morning America" I was particularly enticed to watch the segment on cancer myths. Not being an expert on everything but having done a good amount of research on cancer and its causes, I can only say that this segment of Good Morning America was nothing more than damage control for corporate America. The two myths that I instantly recognized as "cover thy ass for our advertisers" were:

1) that chemicals in body care have absolutely no relationship to breast or other cancers. I suggest they take a look at the Organic Consumers Organization's study on parabens and breast cancer. Now while one could argue that the study does not prove beyond a doubt - keep in mind that the tobacco industry is still trying to say that smoking does not cause cancer. And why take a chance and play with fire when there are many chemical free products on the market. My favorite is the MiEssence line form Australia. You can check them out at http://www.blissfullyorganic.com/ While you are there make sure to download the free ebook "Chemical Cocktails" for more information about chemicals in body care.

2) the 2CD myth I would like to dispute with "Good Morning America" is that the sun causes cancer. As humans we developed in a word full or sunshine not sunscreens. Our body needs the sun to make Vitamin D. There is more and more evidence coming out that the lack of sun not the addition of sun is creating a rise in the cancer rate. Also most people don't realize that the chemicals in typical sunscreens are carcinogenic (they work by absorbing the sun and in the process breakdown to free radicals which cause cancer) In fact 3 of the 4 chemicals now used in sunscreens in the US are already banned in Europe and they are looking into banning the 4Th. For an in depth article on this topic see http://www.skinbiology.com/toxicsunscreens.html While sunblocks such as zinc oxide can be safer than sunscreens, they still prevent us from getting the Vitamin D we need and should not be used on a daily basis. By the way ONE Group just came out with an organic sunblock which you can check out at http://www.blissfullyorganic.com/

There were other myths covered on "Good Morning America" such as cell phones. For me knowing that the truth was not told on at least 2 portions of the story, the whole story becomes questionable. It seems the whole gist of this report was "Don't worry- be happy" But you know the old saying "Liar. liar pants on fire" this statement appears to apply more in this instance.

Poisons In Our Food

What's really in your food and what are the long term effects of eating chemically laden foods day after day. Listen to Jeff Rense interview Dr Russel Blaylock about msg, aspartame, and fluoride among other things. http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-4170168714960373154

Cold, Refreshing and Delicious - Ice Cream Alternatives

It's summer and its hot. For many of us our first thought is to go out and get ice cream. Some of us consider ice cream one of the basic four food groups even though we know it is not a health food. Here are some refreshing alternatives and a way to get more healthy fruits into your diet.



STRAWBERRY FRUIT FREEZE (my personal favorite)
1- 1# bag frozen strawberries
2 previously frozen bananas w/o skins
1 sm can crushed pineapple
Blend in a VitaMix or food processor until smooth

ORANGE JUICE ICE (or any juice flavor)
1-12 oz can frozen juice concentrate (use 100% juice for healthiest ices)
1 Qt rice milk or other nondairy milk. partially frozen
Blend in a VitaMix or food processor until smooth You may have to poor the mexture into a shallow container and freexe until almost frozen and then blend

CHERRY VANILLA ICE
1 qt box vanilla soymilk or other vanilla nondairy milk
2 cups frozen cherries
Freeze nondairy milk until almost frozen. Blend in a VitaMix or food processor until smooth. Add in cherries and blend briefly so that their are cherry chunks dispersed throughout the ice

Melon Ices
Frozen Cut up pieces of fresh melon
Fresh squeezed orange, lemon or lime juice if desired
Blend in a VitaMix or food processor until smooth
note: I usually do watermelon solo, cantaloupe with orange juice and honeydew with lime

Juice Pops
Go to the health food section of your store. Pick out a 100% juice blend that suits your fancy. Freeze in pop molds. This is a great summertime diet helper. The pops are only about 60 calories each and will satisfy both your appetite and your thirst.

If you are in the mood for a sundae, try the Strawberry Fruit Freeze along with chocolate or strawberry sauce and coconut milk. For a really refreshing treat try putting the orange juice ice in a tall glass of pineapple juice. This is a great refresher after a long bike ride on a hot day.

Note that because these treats do not contain emulsufiers and chemical antifreezes, that it you put them away in the freezer they will freeze solid. You will have to let them soften a bit outside the freezer before serving.