Would you like some chicken pox?

Collecting honey

Would you like some chicken pox?

A friend of mine sent me message, 'Having chicken pox at the moment. Would you like some for your girl?' I admit, it sounded ridiculous, but I politely replied, 'No, thank you, we are doing just fine without it.' A few weeks later chicken pox hit us anyway. It was only then that I understood that my friend had good intentions at heart. As I discovered,  it's much beneficial for a child to get it in the childhood, rather than later in life when the potential side effects could be morbidly serious for the organism.

I was truly scared of my girl having chicken pox and the days of unbearable itchiness, and the nights of little or no sleep, but I shouldn't have at all!! We had only one sleepless night, and only itchy day, after which we were itch-free again! All to the natural home remedies which I used to zap the chicken pox virus withing literally 2-3 days. Does it sound impossible? Well! That's what I thought at first too.

To begin with, it's important to keep the child occupied as it will keep their mind off the unpleasantness of the itch. It meant over-indulgence in what my child really liked doing for a day or two to keep them as blissfully happy as possible. In a nutshell, we had lots of Peppa Pigs!

Bentonite Clay

So here are a few simple natural effective home remedies to get rid of chicken pox quickly and efficiently:

1) Oatmeal Bath
Boil two cups of oatmeal in a pot and then put it in a cotton/linen bag and tie it up.  (I used a man-size handkerchief). Soak the bag in the bathtub with lukewarm water and swirl it around so that the water can take the elements from the oatmeal. Make sure to soak the entire body in the bathtub for at least 10 minutes. This will help relieve itchiness and speed up recovery. I bathed my child 2-3 times a day during the critical period.

2) Honey
Use natural honey to treat the spots. Make sure the honey is of best quality, preferably organic and from a good source. Yeah, it's sticky and not necessarily pleasant. I applied tiny little cotton tissue squares on the spots after applying honey to prevent the clothes from sticking to the body.

3) Bentonite Clay
Apply food/cosmetic grade clay mixed with water on the spots. It will dry them up very quickly and will help prevent scar formation.

4) Apple Cider Vinegar
Add some vinegar to the bath.

5) GAIA Baby Organic Skin Soothing Lotion (Australian product)
I used this lotion on the my girl's skin after the worst was over. It contains Wheat Germ Oil,Chamomile, Lavender, Calendula, Zinc, Castor Oil and Beeswax. It's a great soothing lotion for any skin irritation available from health stores and online sellers.

GAIA products

Fooling big people or tempting little people?

How food manufacturers fool parents and tempt children.

Yesterday my daughter was bought Robinsons FruitShoot Juice Drink by a relative. When I saw her proudly holding on the the purple bottle, I froze for a second. I knew that my child likes water, so what on earth was this thing doing in her hand? Apparently, she chose it herself, most likely attracted by the lively-coloured bottle.

Irresistible rainbow colours

I wasn't happy at all, but I didn't want to make too much fuss about it in front of my child. After arriving home I hid the remaining three bottles of this questionable drink and decided to have a closer look at it later. I noticed in the past few months a growing number of kids in the school and elsewhere drinking this juice drink, so my curiosity level was high. When I looked at the ingredients list, I was petrified. The first question that sprang to my head was WHY ON EARTH WOULD ANYONE GIVE SUCH A DRINK TO THEIR CHILD?

The ingredients list goes like this: Water, Fruit Juices from Concentrate (Apple 8%, Blackcurrant 2%), Citric Acid, Acidic Regulator (Sodium Citrate), Natural Colour (Anthocyanins), Natural Flavouring, Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate, Dimethyl Dicarbonate), Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K), Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid).

Well, I won't go into much detail about all the ingredients of the FruitShoot Juice Drink, but even a perfunctory look at the list would raise some suspicion in many diligent parents. While both preservatives used in the juice drink - Potassium Sorbate and Dimethyl Dicarbonate - are not considered to be very toxic, yet they are artificially added to the product to prolong its shelf life, not to add any value to the product itself. As for the two sweeteners used instead of sugar, the only motivation behind them was to create a juice drink which is low in sugar. Most parents know already that too much sugar is not good at all. Therefore, to make a product more attractive to parents, two sweeteners were used so that the product can proudly state that it is low in sugar.

A quick look at the label will gives us a hint of how dishonest manufacturers of convenience food for kids are. It says:

• Best Ever Taste! ---- Well, this is subjective so I won't comment on that.

• NO ARTIFICIAL COLOURS OR FLAVOURS ---- Ha! This statement is malicious once we realize that the so-called juice drink contains two preservatives and two sweeteners.

• Apple & Blackcurrant Juice Drink LOW IN SUGAR ---- How much of a juice drink it's I wonder. It contains only 8% Apple juice and 2% Blackcurrant juice after all. 

A final thought on the convenience product for children. Whether we realize it or not, many convenience foods are designed to appeal to a child's mind. They are made to look attractive and appetizing to a young child who likes all those cute colourful things. It is not so because food manufacturers worry about your child eating a healthy and balanced diet or because they are worried your child will starve to death as a result of (such an often food) fussiness. Let's be very clear on that one: they do it for their very own financial gain to sell more of their own product. After all, there is nothing healthy about FruitShoot Juice Drink and dozen of other products on the shop shelves.

Making it all look, taste and sound fun, while the label isn't so much fun at all.

Radiation

The article below is an interesting take on radiation and the current exposure guidelines.

The question of radiation explained in more detail.

A word on Monsanto

Another perspective on Monsanto found and shared below:

http://naturalsociety.com/monsanto-declared-worst-company-of-2011/

A farmer's fight with Monsanto

Monsanto, once an elegant family name, is nowadays a synonym of aggressive business strategies, malicious lobbying practices, seed commercialization, forceful litigation and questionable licensing agreements. All of the above made Monsanto a target of alter-globalization movement and environment activists.  

Based on my observations, Monsanto remains relatively unknown to an average urban dweller in Europe. Hence, I will try to introduce the main facts and controversies concerning this leading multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation.

Briefly about Monsanto

Main products

1) GE (genetically engineered) seeds which are specifically genetically modified to make them resistant to Monsanto produced agricultural chemicals, such as "Round Up" herbicide.

2) Plant biotechnology traits

3) Crop protection chemicals - including globally used herbicide RoundUp

rBGH (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone) - synthetic hormone injected into cows to increase milk production.

Globally Monsanto employs 21,035 staff in 66 countries.

Legal issues

Monsanto is notable for its involvement in high profile lawsuits, as both plaintiff and defendant. It has been involved in a number of suits, where fines and damages have run into the hundreds of millions of dollars, usually over health issues related to its products. Monsanto has received media coverage for its alleged unfair suing of farmers, highlighted in the documentary The World According to Monsanto.

Environmental record

Monsanto has been identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as being a "potentially responsible party" for 56 contaminated sites in the United States. Monsanto has been sued, and has settled, multiple times for damaging the health of its employees or residents near its those sites through pollution and poisoning.

Lobbying

The company spent $8,831,120 for lobbying in 2008.

Public officials formerly employed by Monsanto

• Justice Clarence Thomas worked as an attorney for Monsanto in the 1970s. Thomas wrote the majority opinion in the 2001 Supreme Court decision J. E. M. AG SUPPLY, INC. V. PIONEER HI-BRED INTERNATIONAL, INC. which found that "newly developed plant breeds are patentable under the general utility patent laws of the United States." This case benefited all companies which profit from genetically modified crops, of which Monsanto is the largest.

• Michael R. Taylor was an assistant to the Food and Drug Administration(FDA) commissioner before he left to work for a law firm on gaining FDA approval of Monsanto’s artificial growth hormone in the 1980s. Taylor then became deputy commissioner of the FDA from 1991 to 1994. Taylor was later re-appointed to the FDA in August 2009 by President Barack Obama.

• Dr. Michael A. Friedman was a deputy commissioner of the FDA before he was hired as a senior vice president of Monsanto.

• Linda J. Fisher was an assistant administrator at the US Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) before she was a vice president at Monsanto from 1995 to 2000. In 2001, Fisher became the deputy administrator of the EPA.

Intimidation

Since the mid-1990s, Monsanto has sued approx.150 individual US farmers for patent infringement in connection with its genetically engineered seed. The usual claim involves violation of a technology agreement that prohibits farmers from saving seed from one season's crop to plant the next, a common farming practice. The common practice employed by Monsanto is intimidation of farmers who often out of fear rather than anything else succumb to Monsanto's pressure in making a settlement.

However, there are success stories of farmers who had sufficient strength and resilience to confront Monsanto. One of them is Percy Schmeiser, a Canadian farmer who was accused by Monsanto of patent infringement. He eventually won the lawsuit against Monsanto.

The film based on Percy Schmeiser story by Bertram Verhaag 'DAVID VERSUS MONSANTO'.

Percy Schmeiser's website

Safer alternatives

Safer Alternatives

One thing I've noticed about human nature is that extremism can quietly sneak in through the back door once we make up our minds to follow certain ideas. Since I am a person who can certainly become slightly too extreme in my opinions I have recently taken time to re-evaluate some of my postulates regarding health and safety issues of cosmetic products. While my core beliefs haven't changed much, I realized that well-balanced compromise is almost always the most reasonable way out.

Hence, instead of campaigning for radical reduction of daily use of cosmetics, I am more likely to say: Women like to use make-ups and perfumes, and creams, and hair dyes and all sorts of other cosmetics, because among other things, it is fun to use them! And even in following a healthy lifestyle fun is as important as other things.

So I came across a few safer alternatives to beauty products which definitely make the whole business of looking after appearance more fun.

I.    I am UNE.

UNE is a Parisian cosmetics house launched last year which prides itself for its green credentials, an extensive colour range and a manifesto that calls for enhancing, not concealing women’s inner beauty. Doesn't it sound great already? Well, they go even a step further.

Backed by Bourjois Paris’ centuries-long experience in makeup formulation, UNE offers products made from 98-100% natural, and if available, organic ingredients free of petrochemical mineral oils, paraben, silicon, and GMOs. The packaging is also designed for minimum impact on the environment.

UNE Brand Director, Sophie Dugue, explains the vision of UNE products: 'UNE is proposing the first “intuitive makeup”, as it offers essential colours, inspired by the natural colours of the skin, the hair, the eye’s iris and the lips. Therefore, whatever colour you mix, you will always have a harmony; it becomes impossible to fail with your make up!'

The best news is that UNE is available in some of the larger Boots stores. The colour range is truly amazing and mixing the colours is foolproof (tested on my own face :).

Apart from ethical and safety aspects of UNE, the products are attractive, affordable and not giving them a try would be comparable to loosing an interesting opportunity! So, why don't you give it a go?

II.    Welcome to Urtekram

Body products CAN be organic, safe(r), ecofriendly, and free from synthetic preservatives and at the same time FUN and affordable. Urtekram, a company with eco credentials from Denmark, is a living proof :)

Since the 1970s, Urtekram has been producing pure and natural body and hair care products, and from the very beginning t has been aware that the body absorbs whatever we apply to it just like it absorbs whatever we feed it. Therefore, all Urtekram body and hair care products are:

* Free from hormonally active parabens and synthetic preserving agents.

* Made of vegetable ingredients (however, lip balm does contain beeswax).

* Free from petrochemical ingredients.

* A large selection of fragrance-free Urtekram products for children and adults are declared in cooperation with the Danish Asthma and Allergy Association.

*All raw materials must be free from pollution stemming from heavy metals, hydrocarbons, pesticides, dioxin, GMO (genetically modified organisms) and nitrate, and they must be processed by means of the simplest procedures possible.

 

And yet using Urtekram products is highly enjoyable. The Rose and Camomile shampoos smell wonderful and do their job very well. So do the soaps and toothpaste, though I still prefer Jason's SEA FRESH an all natural toothpaste for its much stronger minty taste.

III.    Clay

I'm not an expert in Dr. Hauschka products, but I do like clay in many forms and used for many purposes. I came across Cleansing Clay Mask by Dr. Hauschka and use it as a natural way of cleansing my face. It's suitable for all skin types, it's especially beneficial for  oily or blemished skin.

In this product finely ground clay is blended with extracts of nasturtium and witch hazel to form purifying and gently exfoliating mask. Impurities and skin secretions are drawn out and blemishes and blackheads are visibly reduced.  The product lasts for ages so it's well-worth its price of 20euro or so :)

IV.    Hair dyes can be safer too

I resisted dying my hair for a long time despite the growing pressure from folks to do something about my grey hair. I don't necessarily see anything wrong with grey hair, but I do acknowledge that it made me look older than I really am. In other words, I gave in to the pressure and decided to test Daniel Field's organic and mineral haircare products. I wanted a product that will cover my grey hair and will be easy to apply. In the past I had been using SANTE hair henna (available in Dublin!), but the main problem was a very messy application of the henna, long time for the active ingredients to colour the hair and very poor coverage of grey hair. I still think this is a great product range if you don't need to cover any greys like in my case. SANTE henna actually strenghthened my hair and gave it a nice shine.

Coming back to Daniel Field, her products are formulated with the finest ingredients including high performance organic essential oils and non-genetically modified cereal oils and proteins. They offer gentler, safer alternatives which deliver hair in superb condition without compromise to style or colour. The ebony colour I chose looks natural and fresh on my hair.

V.    Oils

By far the most popular oil on the market is so-called baby oil. Baby oil is nothing else than mineral oil which is a liquid by-product of the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline and other petroleum-based products from crude oil.

Instead, there is a plethora of oils obtained from vegetable sources which can be safely applied to skin and hair. There are many wonderful oils available on the market, but I have two favourite ones which I have successfully popularized among friends.  

Argan Oil and I - inseparable tandem

Argan oil is made from the nuts of the argan tree, which grows almost exclusively in Morocco. The oil is said to have restorative and age-defying effects. It is high in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, it is believed to help all sorts of skin conditions: dry skin, acne, psoriasis, eczema, wrinkles. Interestingly, argan oil remains one of the rarest oils in the world due to the small and very specific growing areas of the argan tree. I have been using it successfully on my oily skin instead of a cream and it does everything what I need: it keeps my skin well-nourished, soft, younger looking and it does not block pores.

Coconut oil - too simple to be true

Coconut oil is rich in fatty acids, which nourish and moisturize the skin and hair. Polynesian cultures historically have and still do use coconut oil as a beauty oil. A few studies  found that coconut oil applied to the hair reduced hair breakage and damage. You can replace expensive deep conditioning salon treatments, by using coconut oil as a hair conditioner at home. Coconut oil can also be used as a very effective non-poreblocking face and body moisturizer. It keeps my previously troubled hands almost completely eczema-free.  

Finale

This isn't an exhaustive list of safer alternatives to beauty products, but my subjective guide to some of them. I hope you find this article useful and encouraging to look for safer products which don't need to deprive women of the whole FUN of looking after their bodies and... souls!   

Safer alternatives are available, but are usually not as strongly advertised as the mainstream products for obvious (financial!) reasons. Often humble looking beauty products can be far more beneficial than fancy looking popular cosmetics. Happy looking behind the labels!

Argan Oil Production in small Co-op's

Why choose an organic fabric?

I have been following this blog for a while and thought the authors provide very interesting and exhaustive information on textiles. Today's subject: why choose an organic fabric? I hope you will enjoy reading it.

http://oecotextiles.wordpress.com/2011/09/16/why-choose-an-organic-fabric/