Eco Child’s Play

Our children went back to school and brought home viruses. We have had enough sniffles, sneezes, runny noses, and earaches to fulfill our annual quota. Now Mommy has pink eye (otherwise known as conjunctivitis). Thanks kids.

Several years ago I learned that pink eye can arrive from multiple reasons. One is bacterial, which isn’t the most common, but does require antibiotics the majority of the time. A much more frequent cause is a virus. That’s right, that cold settles into your eye(s). This can easily be treated at home or just waited out. If you are like me, the discomfort requires attention. Read the rest of this entry »

As China comes out of it’s adolescence and moves toward a true free market it stumbles and rights itself. Chinese people aren’t bad or silly, two of them appear to be, and may face the death penalty. You see, two brothers have been arrested for selling contaminated milk.

My sense of justice has me delighted. My motherhood has me alarmed. The most recent number is 52,000. Fifty two thousand sick babies, 104,000 parents wondering what else they could have done. 208,000 grandparents praying over their children and their grandchildren. Communities in fear and businesses struggling to right themselves.

Two greedy men + one chemical additive = international chaos pain and death.

Read the rest of this entry »

Having an earache is a real drag.

Having a child with an earache is even more challenging. It can mean sleepless nights and irritable days for all of you.

An ear infection is one possible cause of that ache, but even if it isn’t an infection, a buildup of wax or dirt in the ear can still be extremely uncomfortable. And flying on a plane or driving to a higher altitude can bring on an earache pretty quickly.

When it happens, it doesn’t matter whether it’s an inner ear or outer ear infection, impacted ear wax, or an allergy response. You just want relief.

The doctor may see you during office hours, but it seems like earaches tend to appear in the middle of the night. What do you do at 2 AM?

Here’s a list of natural remedies that you might have in your home right now: Read the rest of this entry »

This week from our friends at ZapRoot: The FDA needs to have their heads examined. We respond to the numerous Chinese comments. Explore the world through Google Earth’s Environment section.

This week’s show links:

Eco Child’s Play - CA Fails to Pass Chemical Ban in Baby Products
Eat Drink Better - FDA Allows Producers to Irradiate Spinach & Lettuce
BPA Opinions
Corn Syrup All Natural
Google Earth Environment

In a rebuke to parents across the country who have expressed concern that the mercury used as a preservative in vaccines is connected to autism, the National Institute of Mental Health has called off a study aimed at evaluating an alternative medicine treatment .

The National Institute of Mental Health, or NIMH, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, said in a statement on Wednesday that it has canceled a study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of a treatment called chelation.

Chelation is a type of therapy in which an …amino acid, called EDTA, is added to the blood. It was developed during World War I and has been used to treat poisoning by various heavy metals including, lead, mercury and arsenic.

The controversy surrounding the mercury-autism connection has been raging for over a decade which caused removal of the mercury-based preservative thimerosal from vaccines in 2001. Many across the country though, believe that this connection has not been thoroughly refuted Read the rest of this entry »

At a scientific hearing held Tuesday, the FDA maintained the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in hard plastics is safe, but advised on ways to limit exposure.

If it is safe, why limit exposure?

As reported by the Associated Press,

“Right now, our tentative conclusion is that it’s safe, so we’re not recommending any change in habits,” said Laura Tarantino, head of the FDA’s office of food additive safety. But she acknowledged, “there are a number of things people can do to lower their exposure.”

Mainly, she said, avoid any recyclable plastic stamped with the number 7.

“The vast majority of evidence suggests that even everyday levels of exposure to BPA can be associated with a number of different health issues,” Sarah Janssen, a science fellow at NRDC who attended the hearing, wrote on her blog.

Everyday exposure is especially dangerous for babies, who, according to Sonya Lunder of the Environmental Working Group, are exposed to more than 12 times as much BPA as adults.

So what gives? Independent studies and scientists have been sounding the alarm bell on the levels of BPA found in human blood and tissue. Read the rest of this entry »

A recent paper in the National Bureau of Economic Research titled “Air Pollution and Infant Health: Lessons from New Jersey” examined a large sample size of infants and mothers.  Using information from air quality monitors near children’s residences, researchers discovered “consistently negative effects of exposure to pollution, especially carbon monoxide, both during and after birth.”  This really doesn’t come as any big surprise to me, but research like this is important in substantiating why we need stricter clean air regulations. Read the rest of this entry »

According to the AP Newswire 432 children in China have been sickened by infant formula tainted with Melamine.

There is one confirmed death.

Apparently, a Chinese dairy that sold milk powder linked to kidney stones in infants knew it contained melamine. They failed to recall the tainted milk products because, “grocers wouldn’t return it”. Uh, okay? I kinda don’t get that either.

In any event. If you or anyone you know and love shops at an ethnic market with any regularity (I do!) please pass this important information along. Although much of the tainted formula has been seized, and many executives are in custody (Yes they did this on purpose) some might have made it’s way to other countries.

Read the rest of this entry »

Do you have an emergency preparedness kit for your family?

Don’t get caught short in the event of a natural disaster! Floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, or severe winter storms can put your family at risk if you aren’t prepared. Trying to cope with having no power or water can be a stressful time, but there are steps that you can take to be prepared.

September is National Emergency Preparedness Month, and FEMA recommends having a kit ready in case of a disaster or evacuation. Going to the store and shopping during an evacuation will probably not be an option, so start putting together your family’s emergency preparedness kit, starting with the basics: Read the rest of this entry »

Most new moms don’t need an introduction to Medela. When you’re registering for your baby shower Medela is the brand that pops out at you. The breast pumps, though intimidating, are widely recommended and touted as “best” by doulas and lactation consultants.

Up until now Medela has only supplied women with plastic bottles for breastmilk storage. This week they have expanded their line to include glass bottles. The glass bottles are 8 ounces each and are designed to work with most of the Medela pumps.

Why glass bottles though?

Read the rest of this entry »