How to reduce harm from radiation exposure

I know many of you are worried about radiation exposure.  It will be important to avoid dairy products that come from areas that have been exposed to radiation, or dairy of unknown origin. Good time to be doing a detox anyway.  I've included this informative article from one of my favorite health practitioners (she helped to cure me of my food allergies and intolerances).

Stay safe!

xx Annie

Reproduced with permission from Dr Louisa Williams of Marin Naturopathic Medicine:

As you already know, dangerous levels of radiation were reported yesterday to be leaking from the damaged Fukushima Japanese nuclear power plant. This is not only dangerous for the Japanese people, but something we need to be proactive about on the West Coast. Reports estimate that nuclear fallout can travel through the jet streams to the Western United States and Canada within a week to 10 days. It is impossible to estimate at this point how strong this dose will be to us, but some experts are predicting that it could be a significant amount of radiation.
 
Protect the Thyroid:
Potassium iodide (KI) is the gold standard for protecting against radiation to the sensitive thyroid gland. A person who is contaminated with radioactive iodine may experience thyroid cancer or growths later in life. KI protects the thyroid from absorbing this radioactive iodine. The CDC recommends 130 mg KI for adults, 65 mg for children between 3 and 18 (unless they are adult size and then they should take the adult dose), 32 mg for infants and children between 1 month and 3 years old, and 16 mg for newborns to 1 month old, for acute radiation poisoning. These dosages may need to be lowered for us on the West Coast however, since the radiation will probably be reduced by the time it reaches us.
 
Unfortunately, when I called around to various Whole Foods as well as Apothecure (holistic pharmacy in Dallas) today they were all out of it, and said they couldn’t seem to get more from their suppliers.
 
Herbal Formula with Iodine:
I have ordered from Eclectic Institute a supply of an herbal tincture called Red Clover/Burdock. This combination remedy based on the original detoxifying Hoxsey formula contains almost 140 mg of iodine per teaspoon.
 
Here’s the good news about this tincture: It’s an excellent time-tested blood purifier and enhances metabolic functioning through elimination, and it tests energetically better than potassium iodide alone which can cause stomach irritation and other side effects. So even if the radiation turns out to not be significant, this formula is a nice spring detoxifier that can be taken for a week to 10 days.
 
Caution with Pregnancy and Thyroid Disorders: 
Pregnant women cannot take this formula since it also contains Cascara sagrada, and herbal laxatives are contraindicated during pregnancy. (As well as for anyone with a strong diarrhea tendency.) Additionally, iodine aggravates Hashimoto’s disease. And since 90% of people with hypothyroidism actually suffer from this autoimmune thyroid dysfunction, these individuals should also avoid potassium iodide. Further, those with hyperthyroidism, or Grave’s disease, should also avoid KI because iodine aggravates both hyper-, as well as hypo-, disorders of the thyroid. Also, those with shellfish allergies may be allergic to the iodine itself, and shouldn’t take KI or this formula. Finally, since this is classically an anti-cancer and detoxifying herbal tincture used by adults, herbalists disagree on whether this tincture is appropriate for children.
 
Sulfur Crystals/MSM Provides Glutathione:
There are other measures one can take to protect against radiation. Glutathione, the most powerful antioxidant in the body, is used by the thyroid to protect itself against free radicals. One of the best ways to receive utilizable and absorbable glutathione in the body is through the Crystal Sulfur/MSM supplement, which many of you are familiar with and have in stock at home. Vitamin C is also an important antioxidant to protect against radiation damage.
 
Medical Baths for Radiation Exposure:
Additionally, the late great Hazel Parcells always recommended for any radiation exposure (e.g., after spinal or dental x-rays, mammograms, Cat scans, etc.), a therapeutic bath of non-iodized (Kosher) salt and one pound of baking soda in a tub of water – as hot as you can stand it – and to stay in this water until it cools. Then wait at least 4 hours before showering. (Again, not recommended for pregnant women or anyone so weak that this could potentially enervate them.) An alternative bath is magnesium salts (Epsom salts, Dead Sea salts, or magnesium chloride bath flakes) and baking soda, in the same amounts (e.g., 1 to 5 pounds each). Baking soda, sodium bicarbonate, binds with uranium and helps protect the kidneys from uranium and cesium radiation exposure. Oral administration of baking soda in water can also be employed to protect against uranium damage and help alkalinize acidic inflamed tissues.
 
Diet:
Miso soup has been a time-tested radiation detoxifier. Additionally, kelp and other seaweeds provide small amounts of iodine as well as other nutrients that protect from nuclear radiation. Unfortunately, according to an adviser at Eclectic Institute, Fucus vesiculosus, (kelp or bladderwrack), has been significantly contaminated (along with much of our seafood, sadly) with arsenic and other heavy metals, so these are not recommended in supplement form at this time. Spirulina and chlorella vary in quality, so these should be tested out on a case-by-case situation, since many brands also contain heavy metals.
 
Plan: 
Iodine only stays in your body for 24 to 72 hours. So don’t begin taking KI or Red Clover/Burdock tincture now. Wait until we receive news that the radiation is imminent. Meterologists estimate that it will take about 10 days to reach the West Coast after significant radiation is released from Japan. So that gives us some time now to boost our immune systems.
 
(Very) General Suggestions Now:
Continue taking your supplements diligently daily. Perhaps increase the dosage slightly. (EG, From 2 to 3 capsules a day of Pure Radiance C, or from ½ to 1 tsp. of Crystal Sulfur/MSM, 2 times a day, etc.)
 
Radiation Imminent:
Begin Potassium iodide tablets or Red Clover/Burdock tincture (if not contraindicated for you).
Red Clover/Burdock tincture – Take a dosage of 1 tsp a day or less (EG, ½ tsp if the radiation levels are considered relatively low. I wish I could be more specific; please watch the news and keep up with the internet news. I will send out another newsletter if I have more information at some point.) This dosage should be taken for a week to 10 days, or less if the radiation exposure is of a briefer duration.
 
Increase the dosages of your supplements (EG, Take 6 capsules a day of Pure Radiance C, and move from 1 tsp. to 1 TBSP. of Crystal Sulfur/MSM, 2 times a day, etc.)
 
Baking Soda – ½ to 1 tsp. in ½ glass (4 oz) of water, or more, daily. (Don’t take larger dosages – e.g., 3 tsps or more daily for over a 2-week period.)
 
Medical Baths for Radiation Exposure – 1 x a day
 
Optimal organic diet with the addition of daily miso soup, as well as seaweed.
 
Increase the dosages of your supplements (EG, Take 6 capsules a day of Pure Radiance C, and move from 1 tsp. to 1 TBSP. of Crystal Sulfur/MSM, 2 times a day, Quinton mineral vials to 2 vials a day, etc.)
 
Conclusion and Caution:
Of course, no one really knows what’s going to happen at this point. But it’s better to be safe and proactive in case the radiation does reach us over here in significant amounts.
 
If you have any adverse reactions to the Red Clover/Burdock tincture or increasing the dosage of your nutritional supplements, please stop. The best way to protect yourself against radiation is through a healthy, strong body. So certainly don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about this general protocol or your own individual supplement protocol.
 
You can order the Red Clover/Burdock herbal tincture from Eclectic Institute or at this office: (415) 460-1968 or info@marinnaturopathicmedicine.com

These are a few of my favorite (baby) things...

We have been very blessed by our generous friends and family who have given us lots of wonderful and thoughtful gifts for our new baby.  While it has been three months already and I'm no where near organized enough to send out thank you cards yet, I wanted to do a quick post on what makes a great baby gift in my mind, such as:

-practical

-homemade

-eco-friendly

-hand-me downs

Of course just because something is practical, ethical and safe for baby and planet doesn't mean they can't be beautiful :-)  I am loving the Enchanted Woodland Mobile from cocoon couture that our friends Melinda and Gavin gave us.  It is hand-crafted from eco-friendly plantation timber and printed with non-toxic ink.  I've got it hanging above the change-table (which is in my home office!).  We also got a beautiful wooden vehicle-mobile from our friends Samantha and Paul, which is above the crib (which is in the living room, since we are still using an organic co-sleeper in our bedroom).

Another favorite is this organic cotton quilt, which was hand-made by my amazing step-mother Jan:

We also had lovely hand-made presents from my mother-in-law Eileen (a knitted [or maybe crocheted? I'm so ignorant about these crafty things] blanket), our dear friend Colleen (who took time out of her busy life as an orthopedic surgeon to knit an adorable woolen sweater and hat (aka jumper and beanie), and our lovely friend Carolyn who knitted (I'm pretty sure it's knitted!) a soft little bunny comforter thingy :-)  We're hoping the little bubba starts hanging onto Carolyn's bunny at night instead of pulling his own hair, which he does without realizing that it's attached to him and then he starts screaming because it hurts... one day he'll figure out that he has the power to stop the pain himself by letting go :-)

In addition to giving us a very sweet little organic cotton onesie from the Syracuse Cultural Workers, my mom is sewing an organic cotton duvet (aka doona) cover for us for our new organic cotton queen bed.

I'm also very grateful to my friend Simcha who gave us the organic cotton long-sleeved onesie that bubsie is wearing in the picture above, since it introduced me to Nature Baby from New Zealand, which I hadn't come across before, and is now my favorite one-stop shop for all things organic and baby-related (more on them soon).

People know me well by now and lots of friends gave us beautiful organic cotton clothing from purebaby and Pumpkin Patch (I hadn't even realized that they are doing organic now).

One of the best things people can do for you when you have babies is to not give you things you don't need.  One of my best friends knows me so well that she didn't get anything for the new baby, since really we already have everything we need and she got a small present for his big brother instead :-)

Finally, I love hand-me-downs and loans, such as this gorgeous Moses basket style bassinet that we borrowed from my friend Katie, who also has a fantastic kids book blog and online bookshop called We Heart Books, which is my favorite source for kids birthday presents :-)

We received lots of other lovely gifts and cards as well and if you're reading this, I promise the thank you cards will be coming... eventually!

The First Three Months...

I know it's a cliché but I can't believe how fast the last three months have gone.  I had three New Year's resolutions this year.  The first was that I would be more disciplined about doing the practice sessions and write-ups for the biodynamic craniosacral therapy course I'm studying.  I've been very good about this.  The second resolution was that I would floss my teeth every night.  I've been ok about this, especially since I finally found some truly organic dental floss.  My third resolution was that I would update my blog more regularly.  I don't think once every three months counts as regular, so I'm failing miserably at that one.  But I'm not going to beat myself up about it... I've had much more important things to do... like flossing my teeth, and hanging out with this guy:

But I do have some exciting things planned for the blog over the next few weeks.  I've got a review and giveaway of an organic cotton outfit from one of my favorite organic baby stores, Nature Baby, a review of a radiation shielding blanket and discount code from Belly Armor, and a review and comparison of organic cotton baby carriers from Mini Monkey and others.  If you don't want to miss out on these make sure to follow my blog through google and/or sign up to be emailed when I update.  I usually post on my facebook profile when I update the blog as well :-)

So much for writing a birth plan...

Well I never did get around to writing that birth plan, because our beautiful baby boy was born 10 days early!  Turns out I didn't need a birth plan, as everything went wonderfully :-)

When I showed up at my yoga class 38.4 weeks pregnant the teacher looked at me and said: "Is your baby going to make it through the class?"  She was joking of course, but as it turns out she wasn't that far off!  Halfway through the class I felt a little pop and then a trickle... I discretely slipped into the bathroom and confirmed that I hadn't just peed in my pants... my waters had broken!  That was about 7pm.  I calmly drove home... I hadn't had any contractions so I was sure that I had plenty of time.  My wonderful husband had just cooked a lovely dinner, so I sat down and ate with him and our 4 year old.  Little did I know that our baby would be born less than 3 hours later!

By about 8pm the contractions had started, and I tried to time them but they never really stopped, just went straight from one to another, so my husband started packing things into the car and I laid down on the bed and listed to my hypnobirthing cd, with the calm, soothing voice of our dear friend Sue who is a midwife and runs calmbirth classes in Melbourne. We had arranged for Sue to come with us for the birth to help look after our son who really wanted to be present.  Who better to explain to him what was going on in a way that respects his intelligence and desire to see his baby sibling being born?  We called our amazing midwife Robyn and asked her to let the hospital know that we were on the way and could they please fill up the tub?  We met her at the hospital just after 9pm... after a quick check of my vitals (no internal exam thank god) and a brief listen to the baby's heartbeat I hopped in the tub.  The warm water brought instant relief from the non-stop contractions.

I quickly transitioned into stage 2 (pushing) and some serious screaming, or "vocalization" as I like to call it.  Our son was just across the hall in the birthing room with Sue, and he peeked in periodically to see if I was ok but he handled the screaming very well and calmly went back to watching his Wolverine DVD.  If I hadn't know he was in earshot I would have let some pretty severe obscenities loose at top volume, (apparently I did actually, but I was trying not to).  I paused occasionally to assure my husband that I was actually fine... I just had an uncontrollable need to scream at the top of my lungs... it helps the baby come out, it really does.

Conscious of how quickly it was all happening, I wanted to make sure that I had time to stretch adequately before the baby's head popped out... so I tried to slow things down a little bit and it helped.  The midwife was keeping an eye on things via a mirror on the bottom of the tub and a flashlight.    I didn't see much since I had my eyes tightly closed most of the time, but I could feel with my hand where the baby's head was, and I was able to wait and not push too much until the head circumference matched the exit circumference...apparently I didn't tear until the shoulders came out, but by that point I didn't even notice and it was just a little tear, so no stitches :-)

I pulled our beautiful baby out of the water and held him to my chest.  The midwifes covered us in hot towels and we relaxed in the water while with my husband while our son came in to say hello to his new Baby Brother :-)

We are all doing wonderfully at home, I'll write more soon, but for now... time to cuddle up with this adorable little fellow!

'tis the season for giveaways and reviews...

I'm 37 weeks pregnant today, which means I'm all wrapped up in trying to get ready for a baby and get ready for xmas, and trying to do both in the most ecological and economical way possible... which is doing my head in!  In between researching advances in eco-diaper technology in the 5 years since I last looked at the issue, and trying to find non-toxic presents for my son, nieces and nephews, I'm trying to write a birth plan (which I will post once I've finished) and figure out who is going to look after our 4 year old when I go into labor!

I'm excited to tell you though, that I have some giveaways planned through 29 Diapers (I'm one of the 29 Days of Christmas giveaways that have already started...)  On day 19 (14 Dec)  I'm going to be giving away two of my favorite Miessence Certified Organic baby skin care products - a baby bottom cleansing gel and baby bottom mist, so check back here or at 29 Diapers for the details.  There are lots of other cool giveaways happening at 29 Diapers every day until Christmas.


I'm also planning product reviews of organic baby slings, organic diaper bags, organic eco-diapers, and much more, as I actually start using them, and I'll review some of my favorite baby books, such as Wonder Weeks, and  Ecofrugal Baby. [Can someone please tell me why I keep getting these white boxes when I link to books on Amazon?]


Better go work on that birth plan and starting packing a bag for the hospital... (or maybe I'll just watch an episode of Mad Men and feel good about myself because I'm not drinking and smoking my way through the pregnancy....)

When is stressing about toxins more toxic than the toxins you're trying to avoid?

There is a new book out called Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives by Annie Murphy Paul. Now I haven't actually gotten my hands on the book itself yet, but just reading this review, titled "Panic Womb" by Judith Woods was enough to get me thinking...

According to Woods' review, the book is all about "how babies are susceptible to stress and household chemicals, pollution that their mother breathes and the range of emotions she feels".  Now this is of course not news to me, since the whole point of me starting this blog was to share information about how eliminating toxins during the pre-conception period can help you get pregnant easier, faster and have a healthier pregnancy and child. But the interesting point that this raises for me is... if the toxins are bad, and the stress is bad, then what happens when we are stressing about toxins?

Having been mindful of my emotional environment as well as my ecological environment while pregnant, I've been trying to minimize stress through yoga and meditation, and generally just not giving a sh*t about stuff wherever possible. But sometimes I do find myself losing sleep over thoughts such as: "should I be wearing gloves while doing my taxes because there's BPA in most of my receipts?" or "how long should I let the new car seat off-gas before it's going to be safe enough?" and "I know oily fish like sardines and salmon are good for the baby's brain, but the cans are probably lined with BPA, so should I eat them or not?!".

At what point does all this stressing (especially when it's unproductive stressing) cause more harm to the fetus that the BPA, VOCs etc that I'm trying to avoid?

I'm also curious to find out more about the idea that "moderate stress accelerates the development of the baby's nervous system; women who report modest anxiety and daily stress have children with better motor and mental development scores at the age of two" (from Woods' review).

I guess I better buy the book, or maybe I shouldn't, if it's just going to give me more things to stress about... what do you think?

Why I love Miessence Organic Products - as recommended by the Good Guide

I am so excited about this Newsweek article on how to choose the greenest products listing Miessence as the best Shampoo and Toothpaste in the whole world (or at least of those brands available in the US).

The Newsweek article was actually about the Good Guide website that helps you choose products based on three criteria: health, environment and society. Not surprisingly, Miessence rated very well in every category that it has products, and was rated the #1 brand for shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, makeup, lip balm, diaper cream, air freshener, baby powder, skin care, hand dish-washing liquid, and many others too I'm sure.

Another reason to love them is that after being one of the first companies in Australia to go carbon neutral, Miessence is now carbon negative :-)

Interestingly, the Newsweek article mentioned the top brands for shampoo and toothpaste, but chose to focus on the top brands for Men's deodorant, as opposed to deodorant overall, thus cutting out all the top ranked products (which happened to be from natural/organic brands like Miessence, Burt's Bees, Aubrey Organics, Tom's, Weleda etc) in favor of the conventional brands such as Fa, AXE, Degree, Mitchum and Ban.

I can't help but wonder if any of those brands (or their parent companies, such as Henkel KGaA, Unilever, Revlon, and Kao) are regular advertisers with Newsweek... I can't get the US version of Newsweek in Australia, so perhaps some of my readers could have a look and let me know?

Help me win a year's supply of eco-friendly diapers and you can win a $100 Miessence Certified Organics Voucher

I've never done a giveaway before, but I've finally found something to inspire me...

My favorite brand of eco-disposable diapers/nappies Nature Babycare has an Ambassador's program where you can receive discounts, win prizes etc. It's a product I'm happy to stand by (I used them for four years with my son) and by referring others to sign up I can win a year's supply of diapers :-)

So, if you would like to help me along and also go in the running to win a $100 Miessence Certified Organic Skincare voucher, then it's easy, just send me a quick message via this link, letting me know that you want to enter the contest. I will then have a link sent to you which will come from "Naty Ambassadors" and say that I have: "invited you to join Naty Ambassador Program to have the chance to earn points and rewards while you help us bring to market healthier products for your baby and the environment. Please click on the link below to validate your email so that your friend can earn 2 points." All you have to do is click the link and then you will go into the draw for the $100 Miessence voucher.

Once I have at least 50 people enter the contest I will randomly pick one person to receive the voucher, which is good for online purchases of Miessence which can be delivered almost anywhere in the world with free shipping on orders over $100.

If you'd like to speed things along then please feel free to forward this post to friends who might be interested via the email icon below :-)

Thanks for your support!
xx
Annie

I'm feeling overwhelmed...

I had a bit of a breakdown the other night. You know when something little starts you off crying and you can't figure it out because it's not really such a big deal, so you know there must be something deeper going on? Well that happened and when I scratched the surface (while blubbering away to my DH) I realized that I was feeling overwhelmed by all of the decisions that I need to make about purchases for our family and how to make the safest possible choices...

Just to give you an example, since we have a 4 year old boy and a baby due in three months we need:

-new shoes and socks for the 4 year old who's feet just keep growing and growing - the problem is, I can't seem to find organic cotton socks in the 4-6 sizes... they all seem to be for babies and toddlers or bigger kids and adults... any suggestions??? Also, my osteopath just told me that you have to be careful with kids shoes because the leather often has excess chromium in it that gets released when kids sweat and then gets absorbed through their feet... Ack!

- A booster seat for the four year old and a baby capsule - I want to make sure they are safe crash-wise but also chemical-wise, ie not filled with flame retardants, formaldehyde, off-gassing foams, heavy metals etc... we would like to get a newer (ie safer, more efficient) car too, but that's a whole 'nother topic!

- I'd like to use more cloth nappies (Australian for diaper) this time around, but there are so many to choose from!

- I'm thinking about replacing all of our mattresses with organic cotton ones.

- you get the idea... each of these decisions requires careful research, to make sure that they are safe and affordable. In the US there are lots of great websites that do a lot of the background work for you, but sadly most of the recommended brands aren't available in Australia ... which leaves me with basically a full time job evaluating the safest options.

Soooo... please fill out the poll I've added in the top right corner of the blog and let me know what you want to hear about most, and please leave any suggestions for brands/websites/ideas that you love/trust.

Thanks :-)
Annie

I'm curious...

I recently came across this article from Reuters which states that the average UK woman wears 515 chemicals a day. Whilst this is scary, it does not surprise me at all. What did surprise me however, was the bit where it says that:

"More than 70 percent of the women polled said they were not concerned about the number of chemicals they put on their skin and only one in 10 opted for chemical-free toiletries when shopping."

I'm curious... if you're one of the 70% who is not concerned about the chemicals you put on your skin, and you happen to be reading my blog, can you please leave a comment and let me know why you're not concerned? Is it because you've never really thought about it? Because you've always assumed that the government wouldn't let the products be sold if they weren't safe? Because you're not eating the products the chemicals won't be absorbed into your body? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

And if you are in the sub-category of people who are concerned about the chemicals you are putting on your skin, but you are still not opting for natural or organic toiletries then I'd also love to hear from you... is it too hard? Too expensive? Don't know where to find safe products? Don't know which products are safe?

I spend so much time preaching to the converted, I'd love to engage with people who aren't necessarily looking for the certified organic logo on everything they buy. What do you care about? What's important to you? What would you like to know more about?

More stuff to watch...

I've just figured out how easy it is to embed videos in my blog... can you tell?

Anyway, this one really touched me. I knew that workers in the beauty industry, especially nail salons and hairdressers had higher rates of cancer, but I hadn't really put names and faces and stories to the statistics. When they talk about a woman who lost her baby while she was pregnant and working in a nail salon I totally lost it. This video made me cry, but also made me extraordinarily angry.

Please watch, and then if you are American please sign the petition to Congress asking them to support nail salon worker health by passing safe cosmetics legislation!

Watch This!

And then tell me what you think... what products will you stop buying so that THEY will stop making them?

Top 10 signs you are pregnant with your second child...

This pregnancy has been so different from my first - I've been much sicker, more tired and I feel like my belly popped out straight away and I couldn't wear any of my regular pants after only a few weeks. I'm not sure how much of this is because I'm also looking after a 4 year old, or because I'm almost 5 years older, or because I've actually just blocked out most of the unpleasantness from my memory, but it certainly feels different. I've also wondered whether I might be feeling different because it's a girl this time (don't know, won't find out) or because it's twins (also don't know, but haven't had a scan yet - more on that later). Anyway, I'm having such a classic "blame it on the pregnancy" day I thought I'd share some of my foibles with you.

Top 10 signs you are pregnant (and also trying to keep amused (and fed and safe) an under-5 year old):

1. You pull out your maternity clothes from 5 years ago and gag over the pink velour maternity track suit that somehow seemed like a good idea at the time, but you still wear it, and although you consider changing out of it before leaving the house you decide that it's actually pretty comfy and you don't really care who you run into at the supermarket. [Please note, this is not a picture of me, but it is a close approximation of what I am wearing right now.]

2. You go to the supermarket to buy (rice) milk and end up with a jar of dill pickles, a jar of mayonnaise and some granola bars.

3. You're craving all the comfort foods from your childhood (most of which your mother rarely let you eat) such as: tuna salad (which you shouldn't eat because of the mercury), kraft macaroni & cheese (which you shouldn't eat for so many reasons it would take a Phd thesis to cover them all), cinnamon toast crunch (which they don't sell in Australia, but you find something close enough made by Uncle Toby's until you discover it is owned by Nestle - another Phd topic) and Nature Valley Granola Bars which thankfully are pretty healthy (although not organic) and available in Australia, and they still taste exactly the same as they did 25 years ago!!

4. You forget the pin number on not one, but two of your credit cards.

5. You forget to pay not one, but three of your credit cards on time and get embarrassing phone calls while you are on the train.

6. You actually buy the crappy celebrity gossip magazine that you would not normally buy (but will always happily read at a friend's house).

7. You have a craving for Phở (vietnamese noodle soup) and decide you want it not only for lunch, but for breakfast and dinner as well.

8. You don't bother reading any pregnancy books or even looking stuff up online, you just ask a friend who is pregnant for the first time whether those shooting pains in your groin are normal.

9. You think that maybe it would be a good time to start doing those pelvic floor exercises, but then think, what's the point, I'm just going to have to do them all over again after giving birth.

10. You are so behind in your laundry that you decide that wearing mismatched socks, or even socks with big holes in the soles is ok. And certainly easier than actually doing laundry or buying new organic socks.

Help! Any suggestions?

I'm really suffered here with the 24-hour morning sickness... have tried everything, but am hoping that there's something you can suggest? Am 11 weeks now so hopefully it will get better soon...

I still feel like I'm going to throw up...

Many apologies for not posting an update sooner... I have a good excuse: I feel dreadful! I am pregnant though, so that's good :-)

could I be pregnant?

So... after seemingly endless months of detoxing - a six month stint that kept getting extended because hubby and I both had to travel overseas (and one of the things we were detoxing from is cosmic radiation) - we have finally started TTC (trying to conceive for those of you who don't regularly frequent online mommy clubs and infertility forums).

Our first time round we got preggers straight away, but I'm conscious of the fact that we are both now 5 years older and things might not happen as quickly. So we have started "trying" and while we have another week or so to wait for an official pee on a stick test, there are some early signs that may or may not mean I am pregnant... as the lovely people at the Mayo Clinic say:

"Unfortunately, these symptoms aren't unique to pregnancy. Some can indicate that you're getting sick or that your period is about to start. Likewise, you can be pregnant without experiencing any of these symptoms." But I do have almost all of the symptoms of pregnancy that they mention, so fingers crossed!

1. The first thing I noticed was that the smell/sight/thought of meat made me want to throw up. I thought I might have a stomach bug, since I was feeling poorly in other ways too, but the thought did cross my mind... could this be morning sickness? I didn't realise it could start so soon, and last time around it didn't kick in until I was about 8 weeks pregnant, so I didn't think much of it, until I started getting other signs, and googled morning sickness and found out it can start within days of conception...

2. My breasts became very sore. I was pretty sad when this happened actually, since it can also be a sign that you are getting your period, and again, I didn't get sore breasts until I was at least 4 weeks pregnant with my son... so I didn't think it was likely to be a sign of pregnancy, but a short trip down google lane and yes... you can get sore breasts within days of conception. If I am pregnant then it just goes to show how different each pregnancy can be.

3. I am really really tired. There could be many explanations for this... most of them involving chasing around a four year old jedi and three chickens, but still, it's another one of those symptoms of early pregnancy.

4. I felt like I was getting sick. This went with the feeling nauseous and being really tired, but it still seemed strange because I don't get sick very often, and no one around me was sick... but apparently when you are pregnant, especially in the early stages, your body lowers the immune response to make sure that you don't reject the new fetus. This is a good thing, but it also means you get sick more easily. I kept very good notes on my first pregnancy (back when I had a life and time for such things) and I noticed that the same thing happened then... I got sick around now. This lowered immunity has been put forward as one possible theory for morning sickness... we feel sick at the thought of any food that might contain parasites or pathogenic bacteria to make sure we only eat innocuous things like saltines and chocolate that are not going to make us sick, since our immune systems can't protect us like they usually do.

5. I started spotting. As in noticing very small amounts of blood in my (organic cotton) undies. I was pretty depressed at this one, since I thought it meant that my period was on its way (and early, to add insult to injury), but when it stopped after two days I realized that it could be implantation bleeding. This happens when a fertilized egg attaches to the lining of the uterus — about 10 to 14 days after fertilization, and the burrowing into the lining causes a very small amount of bleeding. The timing was right, based on when I thought I had ovulated... so I started feeling better. I hadn't noticed this with my first pregnancy, so it definitely doesn't always happen.

6. Raised body temperature. I have been taking my temperature for months now, using it as way to chart when I'm ovulating, and instead of going down in the second half of the cycle, my temp has stayed up. Again, this could be because I'm sick (which would also explain the nausea and fatigue) but still, it's one more sign...

7. Mood swings. I have been a bit quick to bite my hubby's head off this week...I think he'll forgive me if we discover the cause.

8. Feeling light headed and dizzy. I get this a lot anyway since I have very low blood pressure.

9. My hair is falling out. I haven't actually been able to find any conclusive evidence that hair falling out in the first few weeks after ovulation is a sign of pregnancy, but I'm pretty sure that it's a hormonal thing, so it would make sense. When I washed my hair yesterday I was left with a fistful of hair. Also, my hair has been greasier than normal the last few weeks, which is also hormonal I think... and it means I have to wash it almost every day, which is a pain, since who has time for that?!

10. Lastly, but certainly not least, I have a feeling I am pregnant. I've had this feeling since as soon as we started trying, but I had no proof... so I didn't give it much thought. We don't pay enough attention to our intuition and instincts, but they are powerful forces and when we do listen to them they make us much better mothers and people. I hope I'm right about this one :-)

why I love working from home

I'm having one of those weeks that makes me really appreciate my decision to work mostly from home. Firstly, my 4 year old has been sick for the last 5 days and counting :-( Nothing too serious, but enough that he hasn't been able to go to preschool. I love that I can keep him home with me, and let him recover in his own time, without having to pump him full of antibiotics to make sure he can get back to school and I can get back to work. Instead he is doing nicely with homeopathy and home-made (organic of course) chicken broth...

Although I must admit, I'm feeling a little funny about the chicken broth since we are now the proud owners of 3 chickens... another reason I'm glad to be working from home. It's been so nice being able to wander outside throughout the day, checking to see if the hens have laid any more eggs in their nest hidden away in the corner of our veggie garden... collecting the brown and speckled eggs while they are still warm, and eating them fresh the day they were laid. I love this life! I'm also saving about $20/week that I was spending on organic eggs.

The other half of why I love working from home is the nature of what I do... I love my "job" so much it hardly seems fair to call it a "job"... it's more of a lifestyle that happens to bring me an income. I am an Independent Representative of ONE Group, the makers of miessence certified organic products. This means I have my own website where people can choose from over 100 certified organic skin, hair, body, health, household and baby products and have them shipped directly to their door almost anywhere in the world. (And I don't have to do the shipping which is great).

The best part is that I get to train and support a team of like-minded reps around the world who have their own reasons for wanting to create an ethical and sustainable income from home and to help increase the availability of certified organic alternatives to toxic everyday products. I spend most of my "working" time talking, skyping, emailing and meeting with wonderful people who are passionate about health, the environment and making the world a better place.

Just this week my team has grown to include a Pharmacist in Ireland who ordered certified organic baby powder to sell in his Pharmacy in County Cavan, a massage therapist in West Virginia, and a raw food enthusiast in Phoenix Arizona. And all this while spending time looking after my son, making sure he is getting sunshine and rest and fresh organic food while he's home sick.

If I was still a lawyer I would have been stressed about taking time off work, stressed about clients who needed me and stressed about letting down my colleagues. Instead I am grateful that I can be there for my family when they need me and still support a team of reps who have ended up becoming dear friends while we are trying to make the world a safer and better place. I really am very lucky :-)

why I love opp shops

I've written about this before, but I'm so passionate about it that I can't help myself, so here I go again...

Opp shops (short for Opportunity Shops) as they are known in Australia, are second hand stores run by organizations such as the Salvation Army, the Brotherhood of St Laurence, and other local churches and charities. I love them because they fulfill so many useful functions at the same time:

1. They raise money for charities.
2. They provide affordable clothes, furniture, books, toys etc to families in need.
3. They make sure that stuff gets re-used instead of being thrown away.
4. They provide social interaction for the volunteers who work there, most of whom are elderly.
5. They are a super cool place to find funky retro fashion good for dress-up parties and generally being an uber-hipster. (Like this adorable t-shirt I found for my son yesterday - it was made in Australia and even has a "No Sweat Shop" label!)

But my favorite reason for frequenting opp shops is that they are the best way to get clothes that are not covered in nasty chemicals such as formaldehyde, which you find on most non-organic new clothes. The trick is to wash the clothes at least twice, until you can't detect any trace of the laundry detergent that the previous owner used. Then you have a nice, affordable, low-chemical wardrobe!

And sometimes you find some rather expensive, almost new, brand name clothes that you can sell on ebay and make some money :-)

How toxic is your bathroom? Part I

I visited a friend's house recently and I practically had to hold my breath to avoid inhaling toxic fumes from all the cleaning products. I can't help but wonder how many everyday household products might be impacting on our fertility. There are of course many many factors that influence fertility. I came across a good article on Dr Mercola's website recently: 10 Ways to Address Your Root Causes of Infertility -- Naturally by Swiss Naturopath Iva Keene. Iva's number one recommendation for treating infertility is to minimize your exposure to toxic chemicals. Bearing this in mind I started wondering how much trouble (and expense) it would be to do a "Non-Toxic Makeover" for my friends' house.

I'd start in the bathroom...

1. A clip-on toilet bowl freshener/cleaner. You only have to read this recent article from the New York Times about what to do if someone accidently swallows toilet bowl cleaning fluid to know that these are seriously nasty chemicals. If that's not enough to scare you off, how about this from A Guide to Less Toxic Products? "Many toilet bowl cleaners are often highly caustic and form toxic gases when mixed with water. They can contain ammonium chloride, a corrosive, 1,4-dichlorobenzine, a carcinogenic pesticide which can cause liver and kidney damage, hydrochloric acid, whose vapours can cause coughing and breathing difficulties, and sodium dichloroisocyanurate dihydrate which is a severe eye, skin and respiratory irritant, which can form carcinogenic chlorine gas. Sulfate-based products containing sodium sulfate or sodium bisulfate may cause asthmatic attacks." Enough said.

2. An aerosol room freshener with synthetic fragrance. I knew these were nasty, but I had no idea just how nasty until I read this (again from A Guide to Less Toxic Products) "Far from freshening air, chemical-based air fresheners and deodorizers add dangerous chemicals to the air we breathe. Air fresheners work by using a nerve-deadening chemical that interferes with our sense of smell, by coating nasal passage with an oily film, by masking an offending odour with a different odour, or by deactivating the odour." That's before they even go into all the toxic chemicals ingredients in air fresheners (formadehyde, a carcinogen and sensitizer, naphthalene, a suspected carcinogen, xylene, a neurotoxin and possible reproductive toxin, butane gas, a neurotoxin, cresol, ethanol, phenol and strong fragrances... etc).

3. The hand soap. Long gone are the days when soap was just soap. Most commercial hand soap dispensers come with an ingredient list a mile long, and you'll need to have your copy of The Chemical Maze handy to interpret them. Now with Swine Flu people are much more likely to buy anti-bacterial hand soap, but of course H1N1 is a virus, not a bacteria, so it won't help, and antibacterial soaps are an unhealthy choice for several reasons, which you can read about here.

Interestingly enough, The Guide to Less Toxic Products states that "The US Center for Disease Control says that anti-bacterial soaps are not necessary. They recommend that the simplest and most effective thing people can do to reduce the spread of infectious disease is to use effective handwashing, especially after using the bathroom and before preparing or eating food. Proper handwashing means rubbing hands under running water for 15 seconds." This sounds like great advice to me, but I couldn't find it anywhere on the CDC website. I did find evidence of a CDC site on hand washing that had been "retired". Presumably this was where the advice that "anti-bacterial soaps are not necessary" came from. In its place I found the CDC's new "Ounce of Prevention" campaign, which has been kindly brought to us by Reckitt Benckiser. Who on Earth is Reckitt Benckiser you might be wondering? I'd never heard of them, but I was pretty sure they had no business funding public health campaigns for the CDC. Jumping on Wikipedia confirmed my suspicions.

Reckitt Benckiser are the makers of Lysol, among other highly toxic household chemical brands such as Finish, Vanish, Air Wick, Dettol, Cillit Bang, Harpic, Air Wick, Mortein, Mop & Glo, Mr. Sheen (etc, etc). For a full list scroll all the way down on this page.

I'm pretty pissed off at my government right now, for taking money (even if it is an "unrestricted educational grant toward the development of materials and programs") from the makers of so many toxic household chemicals, including Lysol, which is so clearly profiteering from Swine Flu Hysteria. Check out their website, it's fear-mongering at its most blatent.

But I digress. And I'm going to digress further still. I found a lovely little tidbit on wikipedia while researching Reckitt Benckiser and Lysol. Did you know that "In the US, from around 1930 to 1960, vaginal douching with a Lysol disinfectant solution was the most popular form of birth control"? If you don't believe me check out this Lysol Douche ad from 1948. I can only imagine the litany of health problems that would have been caused by regular douching with lysol?!

Ok so back to my original topic. So what do you use to replace the toxic toilet bowl cleaners, air fresheners and hand soaps?

That depends on how much money you want to spend. Most things can be kept clean and fresh with very simple and affordable items such as baking soda, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, etc. If you don't like the smell you can make a very dilute spray with some safe, certified organic essential oils. A nice, all-purpose product is Dr Bronner's Baby Mild Liquid Soap. You can use this to wash your hands, and anything else on your body or your house.

If you prefer something a bit more conventional, but non-toxic, then I recommend the miessence certified organic, refillable foaming hand soap, the certified organic Rainforest Air Freshener, and for cleaning the toilet (and every other part of your bathroom and kitchen) BioPure Probiotic Household Cleaning Concentrate. Instead of killing all the bugs, good and bad, BioPure populates household surfaces with friendly bugs, which means that the pathogenic bugs cannot survive. This is the safest and most effective way to keep your house clean.

I'm sorry that this post was so long, it turned into a bit of a tirade. And there's more to come, watch out for Part II...

The good new is, once you have gotten pregnant, Dr Mercola has a bunch of great tips on how to have a Naturally Healthy Pregnancy and Baby.

Can you afford not to eat organic meat?

Unless you are a vegan you are probably ingesting some meat and dairy that is not certified organic or biodynamic. And maybe you'd like to eat more organic food but it's too expensive? I know that organic produce, meat and dairy can be two or three times more expensive than the pesticide, herbicide, synthetic fertilizer, hormone and antibiotic laden, factory farmed versions... but it's worth asking yourself, can you afford not to eat organic meat? The good news is that there are some tips and tricks that will help you save money without having to compromise on health, safety and the future of the planet.

1. Eat LESS meat. If organic meat is twice as expensive, then buy organic, but eat half as much. Most of us meat-eaters eat way too much per serving. Adults only need a portion of meat the size of the palm of our hand, not including our fingers. If you're eating more than that in a meal then you should be sharing it with someone else, or freezing it for later.

2. Eat meat LESS OFTEN. If you eat meat two or three times a day then substitute one or more meals with organic eggs, dairy, nuts, fish, legumes etc for protein. But beware of SOY, which needs to be fermented to be properly digested.

3. Make your meat into soups/stew with BROTH. When you eat meat that has been cooked on the bone it is more nutritious, and more easily digested, so you don't need to eat as much. Click here for more information on Why Broth is Beautiful.

4. Buy the CHEAPER cuts of meat. Lamb shanks, beef bones, chicken carcasses, etc can be bought very cheaply from most organic butchers. My favorite biodynamic butcher sells bags of organic beef bones for $2. The bags are huge, and the bones still have quite a bit of meat on them. I throw half in a stock pot (freeze the other half) and simmer for a couple of hours until the meat falls tenderly off the bone, and then I cook some diced root vegetables in the broth for 20-30 minutes, add the meat back in and I have a delicious soup that everyone in the family eats, even the toddler! The whole thing costs less than $5, including the organic vegetables! You can do the same with chicken and lamb on the bone.

5. Buy organic meat when it is on SALE and freeze it.

If you are sensitive to amines (ie prone to migraines, asthma etc) then don't cook your meat too long, trim the fat off first, and freeze what you don't eat right away. You should eat meat that is as fresh as possible, and not freeze it for more than a week. it also helps to wash the meat before you cook it as most of the amines form on the surface of the meat.

Finally, unless you want to develop diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease or cancer, do not eat processed meats or fish (even "organic" ones) that contain nitrates or nitrite preservatives. This means, bacon, ham, turkey, sausages, hotdogs, salami, pepperoni, pickled fish etc, unless it says it is nitrate and nitrite free. This is because the amines (proteins) naturally occurring in the meat combine with the nitrates and nitrates to form nitrosamines, which are known carcinogens.

Nitrosamines are also a huge problem in cosmetics and other personal care products, but that is a blog post for another day...