Green Product Reviews

Children living near major roads at greater risk for ADHD from air pollution

by Jennifer Lance on June 5, 2013

Looking at about 575 children, researchers from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center compared the proximity of an infant's home to busy roads with the occurrence of ADHD and related hyperactivity symptoms by the time the child turned 7. They found that children living within an area roughly 3½ football fields away from a major road ran a significantly higher risk of ADHD compared to children who lived at least a mile away from major roadways.Our youth are being diagnosed with illnesses at greater and greater numbers. Causes are not definitive.  From autism to attention problems, our environment is a logical place to look. Although these illnesses are very different in symptoms and treatment, artificial food additives, chemicals in our homes, pesticides, etc. have all been linked to increased health problems in children.

New research has found that children living near major roads at greater risk for ADHD from air pollution.

[click to continue…]

{ 0 comments }

How long should we breastfeed? Neanderthals breastfed for 7-15 months

by Jennifer Lance on June 3, 2013

He could take a tooth and tell when that tooth's owner stopped nursing. His colleague Tanya Smith, who studies human evolution at Harvard, knew just the tooth to test first. "It's a first molar tooth from a Neanderthal from a site in Belgium called Scladina," Smith says. The tooth is 100,000 years old and perfectly preserved. Analyzing the tooth's barium distribution, the researchers determined that this Neanderthal started weaning after about 7 months, and then transitioned to a mixed diet. At 15 months, the barium signal dropped abruptly, as if mother and child had been separated.How long should we breastfeed?  It’s a question that is debated, especially as breastfeeding advocacy has gained momentum.   Mainstream media calls breastfeeding extreme when it reaches into toddler years.  Shakira makes news when she says she will breastfeed her child until college.  Last year, Time magazine featured a mother breastfeeding a three-year-0ld with the title “Are you mom enough?”

[click to continue…]

{ 5 comments }

Out of the mouths of babes: “So when we eat animals they die?” [video]

June 2, 2013
Read the full article →

GMO soya causing birth defects in Argentina thanks to glyphosate

June 2, 2013

Soya was once considered a superfood. As with any trendy food from afar, deforestation and use of herbicides increases as poor farmers grow more high priced food. I am guilty of jumping on the superfood bandwagon, especially with chia seeds lately. Soya, which is the same as soy, was one of the original superfoods thought [...]

Read the full article →

Is the childhood obesity epidemic linked to c-sections?

May 27, 2013

New research has confirmed older studies about the benefit of probiotics in the birth canal.  There is an interesting connection between method of birth and children’s weight.  Bacteria found in the birth canal helps regulate metabolism, thus it seems likely there is a link between the childhood obesity epidemic and increased rates of c-section deliveries. [...]

Read the full article →

Hygiene hypothesis linked to heart disease prevention

May 23, 2013

The Hygiene Hypothesis contradicts what many people think…extreme cleanliness may actually lead to more diseases, such as asthma and allergies.  Now research has linked this idea that germs and viruses are good for us to the prevention of heart disease. NBC News explains: Early childhood viral infections might reduce the risk of developing heart disease [...]

Read the full article →

Psychology Today on ADHD: French children don’t need medications to control their behavior

May 21, 2013

Fortunately neither of my children suffer from attention difficulties, but as a teacher I have worked with many students that do.   What typically happens in an American classroom where a child has trouble fitting into existing routines, the problem is seen as with the child and not the environment.  Typically these children receive a [...]

Read the full article →

Environmental Education: Google Earth Engine

May 18, 2013

As a teacher, it can be challenging to have children really grasp the effects of humans on the planet.   Thankfully, there is a powerful tool by Google that makes it really easy to visualize and show how in just thirty years the planet has been altered dramatically.

Read the full article →

5 simple steps to make homemade fruit leather from leftover juice pulp

May 18, 2013

I am trying to juice more. It’s a great way to use up fruit and vegetables in the refrigerator that have passed their prime for fresh eating.  This week I made a delicious blend of apple, kiwi, raspberry, strawberry, and orange juice.   It was so yummy! One thing that has always bothered me about [...]

Read the full article →

A Green 4th of July

May 17, 2013

Independence Day is a holiday that celebrates our existence as a country. This is an important day for any of us proud to be American. It is also a fun summer holiday that includes the best of the outdoors including the wonderful display of lights in the sky followed by large booms. But when it [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries