Wow, big name! It even sounds scary, doesn't it? I can envision scientists bent over their beakers breaking frankenchemicals to life...
Well, that's not to far off: (From Wikipedia)
The principal use of azodicarbonamide is in the production of foamed plastics as an additive. The thermal decomposition of azodicarbonamide results in the evolution of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and ammonia gases, which are trapped in the polymer as bubbles to form a foamed article. Common examples of this application are window and door gaskets, padded floor mats, gym/exercise mats, shoe soles, etc.
Azodicarbonamide as used in plastics, synthetic leather and other uses can be pure or modified. This is important because modification affects the reaction temperatures. Pure azodicarbonamide generally reacts around 200 °C, but there are some products that the reaction temperature must be lower, depending on the application. In the plastic, leather and other industries, modified azodicarbonamide (average decomposition temperature 170 °C) contains additives that accelerate the reaction or react at lower temperatures.
Did you know it's also in food, as an "additive"? Read above again, it's used in the making of plastics....and yet it's in food. It's used in foods as a flour bleacher (love that white bread!), and an "improving agent." I'm still not even sure what that means.
It's also banned for use in plastics throughout Europe and in foods in the U.K. Why? Because it leads to asthma symptoms, especially in repeated contact or exposure. So, why is it in our foods? We love our soft white flour. Even the big chains (Subway?) use it in their loaves. How do you avoid it? Read your labels! It's not something that I think I'll want in my next sandwich.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
What is Sodium Benzoate?
You see it a lot, listed on the ingredient lists and probably don't give it much thought. Just another one of those many preservatives that are in foods these days. Surely safe because well...the government doesn't let anything unsafe get into our foods now do they?
But, what is it really? Why is it in there? What purpose does it serve and is it really safe? REALLY?
According to Wikipedia: Sodium benzoate is a preservative. It is bacteriostatic and fungistatic under acidic conditions. It is most widely used in acidic foods such as salad dressings (vinegar), carbonated drinks (carbonic acid), jams and fruit juices (citric acid), pickles (vinegar), and condiments. It is also used as a preservative in medicines and cosmetics.[1][2] As a food additive, sodium benzoate has the E number E211.
So, we were right. It's one of those many preservatives used. It's a cheap and available mold inhibitor. Okay. So, what about it? Well, it turns out when added with ascorbic acid (vitamin C) it forms a known carcinogen, as it forms benzene. And, you can find the combination of the two of them in MANY foods. Let's look at one of the biggest offenders: Soda. Most brands use both, the sodium benzoate as a preservative and the ascorbic acid as a flavoring agent. Wow, so despite all the sugar and/or artifial sweetners in sodas, there's something else to worry about? Yep, it would seem so. But you're also exposed to Benzene in other forms (every time you pump your gas?) So, you shouldn't be worried right? Well..the effects of most carcinogens are accumulative so, consider the risk vs. benefit of that fizzy fix.
There's also been some debate on the safety of sodium benzoate on it's own. It's thought to be a cause of hyperactivity, especially when paired with food colorings.
It's also found to mess with your mitochondrial DNA. Mitochondrial DNA is vital to moving oxygen and supplying energy to each cell. Not something you want to be without.
Sodium Benzoate has also been linked strongly to Parkinsons disease, neuro degenerative diseases and premature aging.
And it's not just found in soda. Here are just a few of the items it's added to: pickles, peppers, salad dressings, jams, most condiments, vinegar, fruit juices, salsa, dips, shredded cheese, ketchup, mouthwash, toothpaste, cough syrup, cream, lotion, and hundreds of cosmetic products.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033726_sodium_benzoate_cancer.html#ixzz21ae7AdeZ
Consider also Potassium Benzoate: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_benzoate
But, what is it really? Why is it in there? What purpose does it serve and is it really safe? REALLY?
According to Wikipedia: Sodium benzoate is a preservative. It is bacteriostatic and fungistatic under acidic conditions. It is most widely used in acidic foods such as salad dressings (vinegar), carbonated drinks (carbonic acid), jams and fruit juices (citric acid), pickles (vinegar), and condiments. It is also used as a preservative in medicines and cosmetics.[1][2] As a food additive, sodium benzoate has the E number E211.
So, we were right. It's one of those many preservatives used. It's a cheap and available mold inhibitor. Okay. So, what about it? Well, it turns out when added with ascorbic acid (vitamin C) it forms a known carcinogen, as it forms benzene. And, you can find the combination of the two of them in MANY foods. Let's look at one of the biggest offenders: Soda. Most brands use both, the sodium benzoate as a preservative and the ascorbic acid as a flavoring agent. Wow, so despite all the sugar and/or artifial sweetners in sodas, there's something else to worry about? Yep, it would seem so. But you're also exposed to Benzene in other forms (every time you pump your gas?) So, you shouldn't be worried right? Well..the effects of most carcinogens are accumulative so, consider the risk vs. benefit of that fizzy fix.
There's also been some debate on the safety of sodium benzoate on it's own. It's thought to be a cause of hyperactivity, especially when paired with food colorings.
It's also found to mess with your mitochondrial DNA. Mitochondrial DNA is vital to moving oxygen and supplying energy to each cell. Not something you want to be without.
Sodium Benzoate has also been linked strongly to Parkinsons disease, neuro degenerative diseases and premature aging.
And it's not just found in soda. Here are just a few of the items it's added to: pickles, peppers, salad dressings, jams, most condiments, vinegar, fruit juices, salsa, dips, shredded cheese, ketchup, mouthwash, toothpaste, cough syrup, cream, lotion, and hundreds of cosmetic products.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033726_sodium_benzoate_cancer.html#ixzz21ae7AdeZ
Consider also Potassium Benzoate: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_benzoate
Saturday, July 28, 2012
39 Uses for Zucchini
39 uses for Zucchini! To awesome not to share!
http://itbeganincamp4.blogspot.com/2012/06/39-uses-for-zucchini.html
http://itbeganincamp4.blogspot.com/2012/06/39-uses-for-zucchini.html
Friday, July 27, 2012
15 things to do indoors when it's HOT
Summer is all about the great outdoors! But for some kids, for instance those who are medically fragile or prone to serious asthma, staying out of the extreme heat is a MUST. These kids may do better inside with air conditioning that will filter the air and dehumidify. But this isn't exactly the most fun way to spend a glorious summer. So, what can you do to help combat it? Here are som ideas for some indoor fun to help with the summertime blues.
15. Let your kids help you make a "mixed tape" of fun summer songs. Use only what you have already downloaded or have on CDs around the house!
14. Visit the local pet shop. Make a game out of it by counting how many different kinds of fish, birds and rodents they have. (The tricky part of this is NOT coming home with a new pet....)
13. Play the story game. One person starts a story and stops after two sentences. The next family member picks up there and so on and so on. The las time we played this, the hero of our story ended up driving a car made of a corn cob that used butter for gasoline....it's also a GREAT car game for long trips!
12. Print off several free coloring pages. http://www.free-coloring-pages.com/ encourage your kids to tell you a story about each page they complete.
11. Pop a big bowl of air popcorn and sit around in the dark with flashlights, telling eachother ghost stories.
10. Let your kid teach you how to play chess. You'll be surprised what rules he suddenly comes up with!
9. Make popsicles: http://dandysugar.com/recipes/homemade-popsicles
8. Set up an indoor picnic down in the basement. Make sure to make a BIG pitcher of lemonade with fresh lemons slices inside!
7. Make microwave smores: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Smores-in-a-Microwave
6. Get the kids into the bath tub and let them each have a bottle of bubbles. Spray them down with the shower with cool (but not cold water) for some "sprinkler" fun.
5. Join a local library book club and make a contest out of trying to read more books that is each childs goal. Celebrate at the end with build your own ice cream sundaes!
4. Go cloud watching INSIDE. Sit with you kids and study the clouds out the window. Encourage your kids to draw the clouds they see and make them into animals, even wild monsters!
3. Sign up for indoor activities at the YMCA. Many have open gym for playing basketball, indoor swimming pools and karate classes that are all held indoors.
2. Go on a scavenger hunt at your local mall. Make a list of items for kids to find and break into teams (include an adult in each team!) Treat the winners (and loosers) to a treat at the food court.
1. Make a weekly baking date with your kids. Teach them to bake using simple recipes and uses their creations for desert that night, or for snacks for the next few days.
15. Let your kids help you make a "mixed tape" of fun summer songs. Use only what you have already downloaded or have on CDs around the house!
14. Visit the local pet shop. Make a game out of it by counting how many different kinds of fish, birds and rodents they have. (The tricky part of this is NOT coming home with a new pet....)
13. Play the story game. One person starts a story and stops after two sentences. The next family member picks up there and so on and so on. The las time we played this, the hero of our story ended up driving a car made of a corn cob that used butter for gasoline....it's also a GREAT car game for long trips!
12. Print off several free coloring pages. http://www.free-coloring-pages.com/ encourage your kids to tell you a story about each page they complete.
11. Pop a big bowl of air popcorn and sit around in the dark with flashlights, telling eachother ghost stories.
10. Let your kid teach you how to play chess. You'll be surprised what rules he suddenly comes up with!
9. Make popsicles: http://dandysugar.com/recipes/homemade-popsicles
8. Set up an indoor picnic down in the basement. Make sure to make a BIG pitcher of lemonade with fresh lemons slices inside!
7. Make microwave smores: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Smores-in-a-Microwave
6. Get the kids into the bath tub and let them each have a bottle of bubbles. Spray them down with the shower with cool (but not cold water) for some "sprinkler" fun.
5. Join a local library book club and make a contest out of trying to read more books that is each childs goal. Celebrate at the end with build your own ice cream sundaes!
4. Go cloud watching INSIDE. Sit with you kids and study the clouds out the window. Encourage your kids to draw the clouds they see and make them into animals, even wild monsters!
3. Sign up for indoor activities at the YMCA. Many have open gym for playing basketball, indoor swimming pools and karate classes that are all held indoors.
2. Go on a scavenger hunt at your local mall. Make a list of items for kids to find and break into teams (include an adult in each team!) Treat the winners (and loosers) to a treat at the food court.
1. Make a weekly baking date with your kids. Teach them to bake using simple recipes and uses their creations for desert that night, or for snacks for the next few days.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Crunching at depression: Can natural cures work?
I have been a LONG TIME sufferer of moderate to severe "medication resistant" depression. This means, that for the past 16 years I've tried every medication out there for depression. (Okay, not all of them, but it sure feels like it!) In the interest of disclosure...I've tired prozac, zoloft, lexapro, welbutrin, Paxil, ritalin (not an anti-depressant but they thought maybe it would help?) and finally effexor XR. I'm still on the Effexor, at a whopping 300mg a day. And I'm not ready to give it up just yet...but it does come with some wicked side effects and I know it's ADDICTING and causes terrible withdrawal symptoms. But, it's the first thing that has ever worked for me.
That being said...there are also natural options out there, and yes, I've tried some of them them as well. Now, depression is NOTHING to sneeze at. It comes with some serious problems that I'm only to familiar with, including anxiety, apathy towards life, serious suicidal and homicidal thoughts. It shouldn't be taken lightly and if you choose to go the a natural route, it's best still to do so under the guidance of a doctor, preferably a psychiatrist who knows how these things work in the body/brain. Not all physicians have a lot of training in psychology and while they are usually willing and able to start you off down anti-depressant lane, they can't manage you for the long haul. So, that's my disclaimer for this post, what are the natural options? Do they work? Keep in mind, this is all informational and not intended to be medical advice, for that please go to your doctor!
St. John's Wort: This is probably the most well known and popular of the over the counter/herbal depression remedies. It's derived from a plant (the flower of the St. John's Wort plant, actually) and has been studied with some decent results in improving mood. But it needs to be taken with caution, especially if you're using it in conjunction with other medications. It's been found recently to allegedly act as more of an MAOI type medication rather than an SSRI. Which, if you don't know, MAOIs are an older class of anti-depressants that come with a HUGE list of interactions with other drugs, and foods. There is no stable dosing currently in the U.S. on herbal formulations, so traditionally it's best to stick to brands that are well known for quality and purity to ensure you're going to get an accurate dose.
SAM-e: Another popular over the counter remedy, SAM-e is a complicated byproduct of breaking down other chemicals in the body. I won't go into great scientific details, wikipedia can do that for you, but basically it occurs naturally in the liver. What sparked interest in it at first, was that people suffering from alzheimers were found to have lower levels of SAM-e than the average population. Still, this is not understood why. In the USA it's sold as a supplement and boasts treating several ailments including depression. Now, this one I have tried and I can honestly say from personal experience...it didn't help or hurt me one way or another.
GABA: This is an ammino acid that is part of the seratonin cycle or "chain" that occurs in your body. I tried this one on the reccomendation of my psychologist (Note...NOT my psychiatrist) for anxiety/panic attacks. But reading further I've found that this in it's current, OTC form does not cross the blood/brain barrier readily to acutally do what you need it to do, so it's use is iffy. I took a sub-lingual form and I did notice a certain amount of sleepiness after taking it....so it did have a calming effect. You need to be careful taking this or anything on the seratonin cylce (5-htp or L-tryptophan) if you are taking an SSRI because there is such a thing as TO MUCH seratonin, and it could actually be life threatening. Again, always check in with your doctor on what supplements you take.
5-htp: Another amino acid along the seratonin cycle. Usually you'll find this marketed for insomnia, but my psychologist suggested it might help with calming my overly anxious self down. I took some, and I found it helpful. I took it for about 6 months and I had a marked reduction in anxiety attacks, but maybe it was just from sleeping a bit better, since I did notice I tossed and turned less at night while on this. I stopped taking it when the anxiety lessened and haven't taken it since. Please see above about using it cautiously if you're already taking an SSRI.
L-Tryptophan: Tryptophan is a buzz word you may have heard, especially around thanksgiving! What? Why is that you say? Well...tryptophan is the amino acid that is found naturally in abundance in turkey that everybody swears makes them sleepy. And it does make you sleepy, but it's also a part of the seratonin cycle. Now, there was a scare awhile back as a bunch of tainted L-tryptophan reached the US markets, so it's harder to find these days as a supplement. I found mine at the vitamin shoppe. I took this, along with 5-htp for about 6 months then backed off it. I had good results using both of those together, but again...it's something to do with caution! Tryptophan does occur naturally in many other foods besides turkey, mostly in protein rich foods.
Omega-3 fatty acids: (and 6...and 9...). In the US today, following a Standard American Diet (SAD diet) we are deeply deficient in omega 3 fatty acids. More and more research is coming out on this and it turns out, these acids are vital to our bodies for everything from cholesterol synthesis to mood support and so on. You've probably all heard about fish oil being good for your heart. Well, now you know it can also be good for your mood! In fact, it's on our regimen for ADHD/Autism care for my son because it's so vital for brain function. If you add this as a supplement, don't just go getting any brand though, look to make sure that the brand of fatty acids you are buying is 1. PURE and 2. balanced. You probably get a boat load of omega 9s from rancid oils (corn, safflower, canola...) but you still want to get it from a good source in good balance along with omegas 3 and 6. The brand I personally use is Nordic Naturals, who does quality checks on their fish to ensure they are free of heavy metals (like mercury). They're not the only brand out there that does this, I'm sure, but they're easily accessible to me from amazon.com.
B Vitamins: They have been linked to mental health for a long time now, but research continues to show that people who suffer depression are low in b-vitamins, particularly vitamin B-12. It's unclear why this is, but a good B-complex will help with this, along with a diet full of plenty of fish, meat, fresh fruits and vegetables. I've had bad personal experience with B-vitamins (the taste makes me feel queasy). I've started taking them in a gummy form though and this seems to help. I can't speak from personal experience though on this one since I've not taken it long enough. Just be sure, as with any vitamins, to watch dosing if you're also taking other vitamins/supplements that might have the same ingredients (like a multi-vitamin).
Glutathione: This is a set of amino acids that have been recently studied and shown to have some effect in treating severe depression. They are synthesized naturally in the liver, however, people with depression are found to be low. To get this in over the counter form, you would buy the amino acid N-acetyl cysteine, or NAC as it's commonly marketed. This is the precursor for natural Glutathione production. This is another one, I have personal experience with. I started NAC about two years ago, and continue to take it today. I do think it's been helpful to me and I've had no side effects one way or another while taking it. I found it at the vitamin shoppe and have also ordered it OL from amazon.com (along with my fish oil supplements).
Diet AND yes, EXERCISE: Diet plays a HUGE role in our health, mental health included. Think of it this way...pretty much everything you intake into you body is a drug of sorts, causing a chain of reactions to go through your system. Adding in a bunch of junk (processed foods, preservatives, garbage carbs like white flour..) only gums up these reactions, making them either over exaggerated or non-existent. Our bodies simply weren't designed for the types of food now available to us. Not on a routine basis anyway. So opt for shopping the perimeter of the store only, where all the fresh meats, veggies, fruits and dairy are kept. Stay away from the interior regions at all cost, except for maybe some frozen veggies and dried beans/rice (if you're eating grains. I'm not at this time). Shoot for organic meats IF you can. Right now....alas...we can't. Our budget and the need to feed 6 individuals doesn't allow for this. We do what we can, when we can.
And yes, I said exercise. Routine exercise is important, but it's especially important if you suffer from depression. Moving gets the blood flowing and creates a better level of hormones in your system, which can greatly affect your mood for the better. Added bonus if you do your exercising outside, you get a does of sunshine which helps your body in the natural production of vitamin D, another vitamin whose deficiency has been linked to depression (and most women in the US are deficient in vitamin D, thanks to our avoidance of the sun.) Get out and try to walk at least 30 mins a day. This can be in short spurts, or all at once, it doesn't matter.
Good old fashioned therapy is also something that I want to included on this list. Therapy allows for a safe environment to express your fears, concerns, frustrations, pains...all to somebody who will listen, help you to problem solve and who is hopefully compassionate to what you are going through. This is very helpful in helping you to process what is at the root of the depression. But in order for it to work, you have to approach it from the angle that you are READY to change what is broken, ready to work and ready for the feed back. This has to be true of any approach to tackling a mental health issue, holistic or conventional. It will NOT work if you're not ready for it to work. Nothing can take root and make changes in your mind and body if you aren't open to allowing it. As somebody who has worked in a mental health setting, I'd say being READY for healing/changing and working on your illness is the number one step to truly recovering.
I hope you found this helpful. Obviously this is just the tip of the holistic depression iceberg. As always, do some research and let me know if you have any other holistic therapies up your sleeves. I'm always reading up myself, trying to figure out what is helpful for me and what isn't and I'd love to hear what else is out there!
That being said...there are also natural options out there, and yes, I've tried some of them them as well. Now, depression is NOTHING to sneeze at. It comes with some serious problems that I'm only to familiar with, including anxiety, apathy towards life, serious suicidal and homicidal thoughts. It shouldn't be taken lightly and if you choose to go the a natural route, it's best still to do so under the guidance of a doctor, preferably a psychiatrist who knows how these things work in the body/brain. Not all physicians have a lot of training in psychology and while they are usually willing and able to start you off down anti-depressant lane, they can't manage you for the long haul. So, that's my disclaimer for this post, what are the natural options? Do they work? Keep in mind, this is all informational and not intended to be medical advice, for that please go to your doctor!
St. John's Wort: This is probably the most well known and popular of the over the counter/herbal depression remedies. It's derived from a plant (the flower of the St. John's Wort plant, actually) and has been studied with some decent results in improving mood. But it needs to be taken with caution, especially if you're using it in conjunction with other medications. It's been found recently to allegedly act as more of an MAOI type medication rather than an SSRI. Which, if you don't know, MAOIs are an older class of anti-depressants that come with a HUGE list of interactions with other drugs, and foods. There is no stable dosing currently in the U.S. on herbal formulations, so traditionally it's best to stick to brands that are well known for quality and purity to ensure you're going to get an accurate dose.
SAM-e: Another popular over the counter remedy, SAM-e is a complicated byproduct of breaking down other chemicals in the body. I won't go into great scientific details, wikipedia can do that for you, but basically it occurs naturally in the liver. What sparked interest in it at first, was that people suffering from alzheimers were found to have lower levels of SAM-e than the average population. Still, this is not understood why. In the USA it's sold as a supplement and boasts treating several ailments including depression. Now, this one I have tried and I can honestly say from personal experience...it didn't help or hurt me one way or another.
GABA: This is an ammino acid that is part of the seratonin cycle or "chain" that occurs in your body. I tried this one on the reccomendation of my psychologist (Note...NOT my psychiatrist) for anxiety/panic attacks. But reading further I've found that this in it's current, OTC form does not cross the blood/brain barrier readily to acutally do what you need it to do, so it's use is iffy. I took a sub-lingual form and I did notice a certain amount of sleepiness after taking it....so it did have a calming effect. You need to be careful taking this or anything on the seratonin cylce (5-htp or L-tryptophan) if you are taking an SSRI because there is such a thing as TO MUCH seratonin, and it could actually be life threatening. Again, always check in with your doctor on what supplements you take.
5-htp: Another amino acid along the seratonin cycle. Usually you'll find this marketed for insomnia, but my psychologist suggested it might help with calming my overly anxious self down. I took some, and I found it helpful. I took it for about 6 months and I had a marked reduction in anxiety attacks, but maybe it was just from sleeping a bit better, since I did notice I tossed and turned less at night while on this. I stopped taking it when the anxiety lessened and haven't taken it since. Please see above about using it cautiously if you're already taking an SSRI.
L-Tryptophan: Tryptophan is a buzz word you may have heard, especially around thanksgiving! What? Why is that you say? Well...tryptophan is the amino acid that is found naturally in abundance in turkey that everybody swears makes them sleepy. And it does make you sleepy, but it's also a part of the seratonin cycle. Now, there was a scare awhile back as a bunch of tainted L-tryptophan reached the US markets, so it's harder to find these days as a supplement. I found mine at the vitamin shoppe. I took this, along with 5-htp for about 6 months then backed off it. I had good results using both of those together, but again...it's something to do with caution! Tryptophan does occur naturally in many other foods besides turkey, mostly in protein rich foods.
Omega-3 fatty acids: (and 6...and 9...). In the US today, following a Standard American Diet (SAD diet) we are deeply deficient in omega 3 fatty acids. More and more research is coming out on this and it turns out, these acids are vital to our bodies for everything from cholesterol synthesis to mood support and so on. You've probably all heard about fish oil being good for your heart. Well, now you know it can also be good for your mood! In fact, it's on our regimen for ADHD/Autism care for my son because it's so vital for brain function. If you add this as a supplement, don't just go getting any brand though, look to make sure that the brand of fatty acids you are buying is 1. PURE and 2. balanced. You probably get a boat load of omega 9s from rancid oils (corn, safflower, canola...) but you still want to get it from a good source in good balance along with omegas 3 and 6. The brand I personally use is Nordic Naturals, who does quality checks on their fish to ensure they are free of heavy metals (like mercury). They're not the only brand out there that does this, I'm sure, but they're easily accessible to me from amazon.com.
B Vitamins: They have been linked to mental health for a long time now, but research continues to show that people who suffer depression are low in b-vitamins, particularly vitamin B-12. It's unclear why this is, but a good B-complex will help with this, along with a diet full of plenty of fish, meat, fresh fruits and vegetables. I've had bad personal experience with B-vitamins (the taste makes me feel queasy). I've started taking them in a gummy form though and this seems to help. I can't speak from personal experience though on this one since I've not taken it long enough. Just be sure, as with any vitamins, to watch dosing if you're also taking other vitamins/supplements that might have the same ingredients (like a multi-vitamin).
Glutathione: This is a set of amino acids that have been recently studied and shown to have some effect in treating severe depression. They are synthesized naturally in the liver, however, people with depression are found to be low. To get this in over the counter form, you would buy the amino acid N-acetyl cysteine, or NAC as it's commonly marketed. This is the precursor for natural Glutathione production. This is another one, I have personal experience with. I started NAC about two years ago, and continue to take it today. I do think it's been helpful to me and I've had no side effects one way or another while taking it. I found it at the vitamin shoppe and have also ordered it OL from amazon.com (along with my fish oil supplements).
Diet AND yes, EXERCISE: Diet plays a HUGE role in our health, mental health included. Think of it this way...pretty much everything you intake into you body is a drug of sorts, causing a chain of reactions to go through your system. Adding in a bunch of junk (processed foods, preservatives, garbage carbs like white flour..) only gums up these reactions, making them either over exaggerated or non-existent. Our bodies simply weren't designed for the types of food now available to us. Not on a routine basis anyway. So opt for shopping the perimeter of the store only, where all the fresh meats, veggies, fruits and dairy are kept. Stay away from the interior regions at all cost, except for maybe some frozen veggies and dried beans/rice (if you're eating grains. I'm not at this time). Shoot for organic meats IF you can. Right now....alas...we can't. Our budget and the need to feed 6 individuals doesn't allow for this. We do what we can, when we can.
And yes, I said exercise. Routine exercise is important, but it's especially important if you suffer from depression. Moving gets the blood flowing and creates a better level of hormones in your system, which can greatly affect your mood for the better. Added bonus if you do your exercising outside, you get a does of sunshine which helps your body in the natural production of vitamin D, another vitamin whose deficiency has been linked to depression (and most women in the US are deficient in vitamin D, thanks to our avoidance of the sun.) Get out and try to walk at least 30 mins a day. This can be in short spurts, or all at once, it doesn't matter.
Good old fashioned therapy is also something that I want to included on this list. Therapy allows for a safe environment to express your fears, concerns, frustrations, pains...all to somebody who will listen, help you to problem solve and who is hopefully compassionate to what you are going through. This is very helpful in helping you to process what is at the root of the depression. But in order for it to work, you have to approach it from the angle that you are READY to change what is broken, ready to work and ready for the feed back. This has to be true of any approach to tackling a mental health issue, holistic or conventional. It will NOT work if you're not ready for it to work. Nothing can take root and make changes in your mind and body if you aren't open to allowing it. As somebody who has worked in a mental health setting, I'd say being READY for healing/changing and working on your illness is the number one step to truly recovering.
I hope you found this helpful. Obviously this is just the tip of the holistic depression iceberg. As always, do some research and let me know if you have any other holistic therapies up your sleeves. I'm always reading up myself, trying to figure out what is helpful for me and what isn't and I'd love to hear what else is out there!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Twenty Five Uses For Baking Soda
Now that we have so much of it after our 7 days of beauty...I thought I'd sit back and ponder some other ways we can incorporate baking soda into our lives.
1. Make a cleaning paste out of it: using Dr. Dronner's magic castille soap. Just add enough of the liquid soap until you get a good paste and scrub away! Works for tubs, sinks, counters you can't scratch...
2. Use it in the fridge to deodorize: Everybody knows about keeping a box of it in the fridge, but did you know you can clean the funk out of a fridge by scrubbing the fridge out with it? Add some to water and wash away. Keep it paste like thick to make a "scrub" or just dilute it to wash.
3. Clean your brushes and combs: mix up 2 tbsp baking soda and 2 cups of warm water, soak your brushes/combs in this mixture (poured into a basin). Rinse and allow to dry.
4. Clean Tea/Coffee Pots: Remove coffee and tea stains and eliminate bitter off-tastes by washing mugs and coffee makers in a solution of 1/4 cup baking soda in 1 quart of warm water. For stubborn stains, soak overnight in the baking soda solution and detergent or scrubbing with a baking soda paste on a clean damp sponge.
5. Clean the microwave: Sprinkle baking soda on a clean damp sponge and wipe gently around the inside. Rinse away with fresh clean water. Works well on the outside too!
6. Freshen up smelly sponges: soak used sponges in a mixture of baking soda and water. (4 tablespoons to one quart water). Finish by disinfecting in the microwave.
7. Hand washing dishes: Add 2 tablespoons baking soda a along with regular detergent to a sink full of warm water. This will help cut the grease and food left on. For cooked-on foods, let them soak in the baking soda and detergent with water first, then use dry baking soda on a clean damp sponge or cloth as a scratch less scouring powder.
8. Clean golf irons with a baking soda paste: (It won't scratch). Sprinkle baking soda into a gym or golf bag to deodorize.
9. Clean a vinyl shower curtain: Sprinkle soda directly onto a sponge or brush. Scrub the curtains down and rinse to with clean water.
10. Clean out your cars: Use a solution of 1/4 cup baking soda to 1 quart warm water to wipe down your seats, dashboard, steering wheel, car lights, chrome...all without scratching! Sprinkle some down on fabric seats and floors, leave for 15 minutes then vacuum up to remove odors.
11. Clean out and deodorize the dishwasher: Scrub down the inside of the dishwasher with baking soda sprinkled on a wet sponge then add baking soda to the detergent cup and run the machine on a quick wash cycle.
12. Wipe out a lunch box: Sprinkle baking soda inside the and then wipe out with fresh water to remove odors.
13. Stop smelly sneakers: Sprinkle baking soda into sneakers when not in use, then dump out before wearing to stop outrageous food odors.
14. Keep Teddy fresh: Sprinkle dry baking soda onto a smelly stuffed animal and let sit for 15 minutes, then brush off.
15. Keep Fido's bedding fresh: Sprinkle pet bedding liberally with baking soda. Wait 15 minutes then vacuum clean.
16. Clean dirt off of fruits and veggies: Sprinkle a little soda onto a damp sponge then scrub away at the vegetable/fruit. Rinse clean with warm water.
17. Take the sting out of a bee sting: make a paste of baking soda and water. Rub over bee sting and let sit for 15 -20 minutes
18. Help heart burn: traditionally you can take 1 teaspoon baking soda in 1/2 glass water for heart burn relief.
19. Keep flowers longer: Keep cut flowers fresh longer by adding a teaspoon to the water in the vase.
20. Gardening: Scatter baking soda around flowerbeds to prevent rabbits from eating your veggies.
21. Toilet Cleaning: add a cup to the toilet, leave it for an hour, and then flush. It will clean the toilet and absorb the odor.
22. BBQ: Sprinkle it on barbecue grills, then rinse it off.
23. Clean up grease stains: Scatter it on your greasy garage floor, scrub the floor, and rinse.
24. Use it to get rid of stale odors from cooling containers and thermos bottles: Sprinkle some onto a sponge and wipe out, then rinse with clean water.
25. Bugs: Put it under sinks and along basement windows to repel cockroaches and ants.
1. Make a cleaning paste out of it: using Dr. Dronner's magic castille soap. Just add enough of the liquid soap until you get a good paste and scrub away! Works for tubs, sinks, counters you can't scratch...
2. Use it in the fridge to deodorize: Everybody knows about keeping a box of it in the fridge, but did you know you can clean the funk out of a fridge by scrubbing the fridge out with it? Add some to water and wash away. Keep it paste like thick to make a "scrub" or just dilute it to wash.
3. Clean your brushes and combs: mix up 2 tbsp baking soda and 2 cups of warm water, soak your brushes/combs in this mixture (poured into a basin). Rinse and allow to dry.
4. Clean Tea/Coffee Pots: Remove coffee and tea stains and eliminate bitter off-tastes by washing mugs and coffee makers in a solution of 1/4 cup baking soda in 1 quart of warm water. For stubborn stains, soak overnight in the baking soda solution and detergent or scrubbing with a baking soda paste on a clean damp sponge.
5. Clean the microwave: Sprinkle baking soda on a clean damp sponge and wipe gently around the inside. Rinse away with fresh clean water. Works well on the outside too!
6. Freshen up smelly sponges: soak used sponges in a mixture of baking soda and water. (4 tablespoons to one quart water). Finish by disinfecting in the microwave.
7. Hand washing dishes: Add 2 tablespoons baking soda a along with regular detergent to a sink full of warm water. This will help cut the grease and food left on. For cooked-on foods, let them soak in the baking soda and detergent with water first, then use dry baking soda on a clean damp sponge or cloth as a scratch less scouring powder.
8. Clean golf irons with a baking soda paste: (It won't scratch). Sprinkle baking soda into a gym or golf bag to deodorize.
9. Clean a vinyl shower curtain: Sprinkle soda directly onto a sponge or brush. Scrub the curtains down and rinse to with clean water.
10. Clean out your cars: Use a solution of 1/4 cup baking soda to 1 quart warm water to wipe down your seats, dashboard, steering wheel, car lights, chrome...all without scratching! Sprinkle some down on fabric seats and floors, leave for 15 minutes then vacuum up to remove odors.
11. Clean out and deodorize the dishwasher: Scrub down the inside of the dishwasher with baking soda sprinkled on a wet sponge then add baking soda to the detergent cup and run the machine on a quick wash cycle.
12. Wipe out a lunch box: Sprinkle baking soda inside the and then wipe out with fresh water to remove odors.
13. Stop smelly sneakers: Sprinkle baking soda into sneakers when not in use, then dump out before wearing to stop outrageous food odors.
14. Keep Teddy fresh: Sprinkle dry baking soda onto a smelly stuffed animal and let sit for 15 minutes, then brush off.
15. Keep Fido's bedding fresh: Sprinkle pet bedding liberally with baking soda. Wait 15 minutes then vacuum clean.
16. Clean dirt off of fruits and veggies: Sprinkle a little soda onto a damp sponge then scrub away at the vegetable/fruit. Rinse clean with warm water.
17. Take the sting out of a bee sting: make a paste of baking soda and water. Rub over bee sting and let sit for 15 -20 minutes
18. Help heart burn: traditionally you can take 1 teaspoon baking soda in 1/2 glass water for heart burn relief.
19. Keep flowers longer: Keep cut flowers fresh longer by adding a teaspoon to the water in the vase.
20. Gardening: Scatter baking soda around flowerbeds to prevent rabbits from eating your veggies.
21. Toilet Cleaning: add a cup to the toilet, leave it for an hour, and then flush. It will clean the toilet and absorb the odor.
22. BBQ: Sprinkle it on barbecue grills, then rinse it off.
23. Clean up grease stains: Scatter it on your greasy garage floor, scrub the floor, and rinse.
24. Use it to get rid of stale odors from cooling containers and thermos bottles: Sprinkle some onto a sponge and wipe out, then rinse with clean water.
25. Bugs: Put it under sinks and along basement windows to repel cockroaches and ants.
Monday, July 23, 2012
A Summer PSA (public service announcement): Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke
Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
NOTE: Symptoms take time to develop - sometimes several hours after dehydration occurs.
Treatments for heat exhaustion:
Be aware that heat stroke can come after heat exhaustion, but it can also develop quickly and independently if one's core body temperature rises too high.
Symptoms of heat stroke include:
NOTE: Symptoms can come on quickly.
Heat stroke can occur within 10 - 15 minutes of the first symptoms. If treatment is not given immediately, permanent damage can occur to internal organs.
HEAT STROKE IS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. CALL 9-1-1 OR TRANSPORT VICTIM TO A HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELY.
mmediate care for a heat stroke victim includes:
- Body temperature usually normal or only slightly elevated.
- Dry mouth.
- Fatigue, weakness.
- Dizziness.
- Headache.
- Nausea, sometimes vomiting.
- Weak and rapid pulse.
- Sweating.
- Cool, clammy, pale skin.
NOTE: Symptoms take time to develop - sometimes several hours after dehydration occurs.
Treatments for heat exhaustion:
- Get out of the sun and into a cool place.
- Drink more fluids (electrolyte sports drinks may help), but don't drink too fast or you could become nauseous.
- Eat salty snacks.
- Rest.
- Loosen clothing.
Be aware that heat stroke can come after heat exhaustion, but it can also develop quickly and independently if one's core body temperature rises too high.
Symptoms of heat stroke include:
- Very high body temperature (103 degrees or higher).
- Hot, dry, red skin.
- No sweating.
- Disorientation, hallucinations, delirium
- Rapid breathing and fast pulse, then slow breathing and weak pulse.
- Convulsions.
- Loss of consciousness.
NOTE: Symptoms can come on quickly.
Heat stroke can occur within 10 - 15 minutes of the first symptoms. If treatment is not given immediately, permanent damage can occur to internal organs.
HEAT STROKE IS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. CALL 9-1-1 OR TRANSPORT VICTIM TO A HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELY.
mmediate care for a heat stroke victim includes:
- Move person to cool place indoors or in the shade outdoors.
- Lower body temperature as soon as possible.
- Remove clothing and wrap person in a wet sheet, or wet their cotton clothing.
- Fan person with electric fan or manually (do not place wet items too close to electric fan).
- Place ice packs or cold compresses on the neck, under armpits, and in the groin area.
- If child is unconscious, carefully place them in cool water up to their neck.
- If child is conscious, try to get them to drink cool water, slowly.
- Person may not be able to drink if delirious (do not force them).
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Day SEVEN: Under there.
Okay, this is a delicate topic...one that I've looked around and around and haven't seen approached much in the world of blogging. I've decided to take it on. What am I talking about? Moisture and odor that forms under...delicate folds of skin. Now, this may not affect everybody, but I'm willing to bet with the number of women today who struggle with their weight, we all have encountered once or twice a problem area in a "skin fold". (Think, under your belly if it hangs, in the folds between thigh and pelvis, under your breasts in the summer heat.....boys, you have places too...)
EWWWWWW, right? Right. I'm right there with you. Ew.
So...what can be done about this? Well, we could all loose weight and tone up! Wait what? Oh right..that won't work in the immediate will it. I'm sure it's something we are all striving to do anyway, but what about RIGHT NOW when it's hot outside, sticky and you're stuck in a crowded office with bad air circulation wearing tight panty hose and wishing for death? Okay, take a deep breath.
The first step is keeping the area dry. Easy right? No..probably not. It's a problem area for a reason: that's a problem. We sweat. We get nervous or drink to much coffee and voila, problem. So now what?
Deodorant helps (not the over the counter kind though, which has aliminum and other things you don't want on delicate skin). Consider the kind we made earlier this week...with a little tea tree oil (anti-fungal). It puts some cornstarch or arrowroot powder to the area which will absorb some of the moisture. After rubbing it in well, make sure the area is DRY (don't rub with a towel though, we're talking about delicate skin). A fan works, or a blow dry set to cool. Not the sexiest thing in the world but...you know. We do what we have to do. Wear loose clothing if you can to help keep the area dry and aerated. Skip the pantyhose.
I've also found using a bit of baking soda on my fingers mixed with water to gently wash the area is very helpful. Do this while bathing and rinse well afterwards! The baking soda helps to make the area a bit more alkaline, which will help ward off bacterial growth. Following this up with deodorant seems to do pretty good. Again, this is all personal experience, not medical advice.
If you have continued odor, irritation or any sort of rash...you need to see a doctor. Yeast can grow in those areas, as can bacteria and you may have a skin infection (intertrigo) especially if you've been struggling with this for a while.
If you have yeast problems in other delicate areas (ladies) and they are reccurent, do consider looking into a diet for Candida. http://www.thecandidadiet.com/ or http://www.gapsdiet.com/ (both address this issue). Sometimes you have to work from the outside in.
I hope you've enjoyed my 7 day spree into the world of beauty. I'm trying to learn to love my lumpy/bumpy, CURVY, lush body and I'm certainly enjoying learning what it is trying to tell me.
EWWWWWW, right? Right. I'm right there with you. Ew.
So...what can be done about this? Well, we could all loose weight and tone up! Wait what? Oh right..that won't work in the immediate will it. I'm sure it's something we are all striving to do anyway, but what about RIGHT NOW when it's hot outside, sticky and you're stuck in a crowded office with bad air circulation wearing tight panty hose and wishing for death? Okay, take a deep breath.
The first step is keeping the area dry. Easy right? No..probably not. It's a problem area for a reason: that's a problem. We sweat. We get nervous or drink to much coffee and voila, problem. So now what?
Deodorant helps (not the over the counter kind though, which has aliminum and other things you don't want on delicate skin). Consider the kind we made earlier this week...with a little tea tree oil (anti-fungal). It puts some cornstarch or arrowroot powder to the area which will absorb some of the moisture. After rubbing it in well, make sure the area is DRY (don't rub with a towel though, we're talking about delicate skin). A fan works, or a blow dry set to cool. Not the sexiest thing in the world but...you know. We do what we have to do. Wear loose clothing if you can to help keep the area dry and aerated. Skip the pantyhose.
I've also found using a bit of baking soda on my fingers mixed with water to gently wash the area is very helpful. Do this while bathing and rinse well afterwards! The baking soda helps to make the area a bit more alkaline, which will help ward off bacterial growth. Following this up with deodorant seems to do pretty good. Again, this is all personal experience, not medical advice.
If you have continued odor, irritation or any sort of rash...you need to see a doctor. Yeast can grow in those areas, as can bacteria and you may have a skin infection (intertrigo) especially if you've been struggling with this for a while.
If you have yeast problems in other delicate areas (ladies) and they are reccurent, do consider looking into a diet for Candida. http://www.thecandidadiet.com/ or http://www.gapsdiet.com/ (both address this issue). Sometimes you have to work from the outside in.
I hope you've enjoyed my 7 day spree into the world of beauty. I'm trying to learn to love my lumpy/bumpy, CURVY, lush body and I'm certainly enjoying learning what it is trying to tell me.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Day Six: My toes are shamefully naked! Foot and nail care
I don't do pedicures. I don't do manicures for that matter. I've said it before...my style is "tomboyish" at best. Earthy nutty crunchy at worst? But this has a more practical side to it...I wasn't allowed to wear nail polish for many years because bacteria can grow under nails and good clean short nails are a nurses best friend in stopping the spread of infectious diseases. Now that I've taken up a desk job, I still haven't embraced the world of polishes and paints. Personal style I guess, it's never been my "thing". I have read recently though that nail polishes are laden with horrific ingredients so I don't plan on jumping on that bandwagon any time soon.
However, I am trying to be more "polished" in general about my overall appearance so I have started to try to take care of my nails and feet. That means, no more going out with raggedy hangnails and huge nasty foot callouses. Umm...er....most of the time.
So, let's look at some simple natural steps to nail care and foot care. Keep in mind, I'm a newbie at this.
Nail care:
Step one: Gently file the nail using and emery board from corner to center, rounding the shape out as desired.
Step two: Soak hands in warm (soapy) water to soften cuticles and get rid of excess dirt. (Ew...good plan.) Clean under the nail carefully.
Step three: Push the cuticle gently back. Do not cut or trim, just push it back and leave it intact.
Step Four: Apply a moisturizing cream to the hands to prevent nail breaking.
(Hmm...moisturizing cream. Look, we can make that ourselves! http://naturalnailcarerecipes.homestead.com/handcream.html)
That's it. Whew. Not to painful. I can do that.
Okay, now how about our aching tired, stand up all day nurse feet?
Start with a basic foot soak of on gallon or so of hot water (whatever you can tolerate. I like mine fairly hot) and 1 cup of epsom salts. (If you have diabetes or another condition that causes poor circulation please be cautious with the temperature of your water.) Soak your feet until the water starts to cool then pat your feet dry on a dry towel you have standing by. (Option, adding 1-2 tablespoons of baking soda to the water will help to moisturize dry feet and absorb foot odors)
Another option, a callous conquering foot scrub:
1 cup of sea salt (or epsom salts, which are super cheap and found in the pharmacy section)
3 tablespoons of moisturizing oil (Jojoba, almond, apricot, even olive oil will work here.)
Mix ingredients into a thick paste. You can add essential oils to the mix if you'd like. Take a bit and sit on the edge of the tub, and scrub scrub away gently at your feet, heels and ankles, using your hands to work in the oils while the salts slough off the dead skin and draw out the toxins.
Final thoughts for today, if you still want some sparkle and bling to your nails, look for nail polish options that are rated as "Toxin free" but be warned, those have STILL be found to contain toxic ingrediants.
However, I am trying to be more "polished" in general about my overall appearance so I have started to try to take care of my nails and feet. That means, no more going out with raggedy hangnails and huge nasty foot callouses. Umm...er....most of the time.
So, let's look at some simple natural steps to nail care and foot care. Keep in mind, I'm a newbie at this.
Nail care:
Step one: Gently file the nail using and emery board from corner to center, rounding the shape out as desired.
Step two: Soak hands in warm (soapy) water to soften cuticles and get rid of excess dirt. (Ew...good plan.) Clean under the nail carefully.
Step three: Push the cuticle gently back. Do not cut or trim, just push it back and leave it intact.
Step Four: Apply a moisturizing cream to the hands to prevent nail breaking.
(Hmm...moisturizing cream. Look, we can make that ourselves! http://naturalnailcarerecipes.homestead.com/handcream.html)
That's it. Whew. Not to painful. I can do that.
Okay, now how about our aching tired, stand up all day nurse feet?
Start with a basic foot soak of on gallon or so of hot water (whatever you can tolerate. I like mine fairly hot) and 1 cup of epsom salts. (If you have diabetes or another condition that causes poor circulation please be cautious with the temperature of your water.) Soak your feet until the water starts to cool then pat your feet dry on a dry towel you have standing by. (Option, adding 1-2 tablespoons of baking soda to the water will help to moisturize dry feet and absorb foot odors)
Another option, a callous conquering foot scrub:
1 cup of sea salt (or epsom salts, which are super cheap and found in the pharmacy section)
3 tablespoons of moisturizing oil (Jojoba, almond, apricot, even olive oil will work here.)
Mix ingredients into a thick paste. You can add essential oils to the mix if you'd like. Take a bit and sit on the edge of the tub, and scrub scrub away gently at your feet, heels and ankles, using your hands to work in the oils while the salts slough off the dead skin and draw out the toxins.
Final thoughts for today, if you still want some sparkle and bling to your nails, look for nail polish options that are rated as "Toxin free" but be warned, those have STILL be found to contain toxic ingrediants.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Day Five: It's getting funky in here! Underarm deodorizing
Shewwwy! Something smells funny around here and it's not the dog! Has that line came up around you lately? Probably not, because you probably wear a good quality commerical deodorant plucked off the shelf from your favorite store. Or, not...maybe you're already cruncy and have an alternative already but seek something new?
I've only recently broken my bondage to commercial deodorants! This was hard to do. I'd tried natural brands with no luck (stinky by noon? NO THANK YOU!) and even made a powder concotion that left me feeling galded and unhappy. Finally I hit upon gold. A natural, home made deodorante recipe that actually...WORKS! It works for me and I'm a heavy sweaty betty! I can lift my arms without fear! I can bake down in my hot basement bedroom all day at work and emerge smelling like....well not a rose...tea tree! I can go out in public with confidence that when I hand my change to the cashier she won't faint. I'm free free free!
Now, this recipe I'm about to share with you, is not an antiperspirant. Perspiration...is not a bad thing. It's how your body gets toxins out. If you really want an anti-perspirant I'll look around for something but for now, deodorizing is where it's at! Let the sweat pour and know at least you won't be stinky.
So, here's what you do:
5 tbsp of coconut oil (I used refined...I know it's more processed but I'm okay with that. It was cheaper and it lacks that coconut smell that may be off putting.) Coconut oil is naturally antibacterial.
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder (or cornstarch if you don't have any and aren't worried about GMOS)
10-15 drops of tea tree essential oil (You can use other oils or mix and match a few, but I really like the tea tree for it's fresh, clean scent AND it's anti-bacterial properties!)
Mash all the ingrediants together until you have a thick paste (You may need to add more baking soda and/or arrowroot powder to get the consistency you want). Voila. That's it. You can be fancy and try to store it any number of ways. I'm finding that our house is warm enough now (summer) that the oil is melted at room temperature, so we're keeping ours in the fridge, wrapped up in a plastic baggie. The deodorant hardens this way so that when you use it, you take it out, holding the lump by the baggie and just press it to your body. The heat will melt it and you can rub it in then. A little bit is all it takes so if you don't mind the melted version, leave it out and just keep mixing it well! Take a little on your finger and just rub it on/in. You're good to go. Really, not hard at all.
There are many variations on this out there. I've seen other types of oils use, or just sprinkle on the powders only. I didn't like that though, it didn't seem to work well for me, the coconut oil was the lynch-pin in my deodorizing success I believe, so I'm sticking with it!
I found the original recipe here: http://www.survivingthestores.com/homemade-coconut-oil-deodorant.html Neat trick, putting it into a used deodorant container! To messy for me though, my baggie lump works just fine!
I've only recently broken my bondage to commercial deodorants! This was hard to do. I'd tried natural brands with no luck (stinky by noon? NO THANK YOU!) and even made a powder concotion that left me feeling galded and unhappy. Finally I hit upon gold. A natural, home made deodorante recipe that actually...WORKS! It works for me and I'm a heavy sweaty betty! I can lift my arms without fear! I can bake down in my hot basement bedroom all day at work and emerge smelling like....well not a rose...tea tree! I can go out in public with confidence that when I hand my change to the cashier she won't faint. I'm free free free!
Now, this recipe I'm about to share with you, is not an antiperspirant. Perspiration...is not a bad thing. It's how your body gets toxins out. If you really want an anti-perspirant I'll look around for something but for now, deodorizing is where it's at! Let the sweat pour and know at least you won't be stinky.
So, here's what you do:
5 tbsp of coconut oil (I used refined...I know it's more processed but I'm okay with that. It was cheaper and it lacks that coconut smell that may be off putting.) Coconut oil is naturally antibacterial.
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder (or cornstarch if you don't have any and aren't worried about GMOS)
10-15 drops of tea tree essential oil (You can use other oils or mix and match a few, but I really like the tea tree for it's fresh, clean scent AND it's anti-bacterial properties!)
Mash all the ingrediants together until you have a thick paste (You may need to add more baking soda and/or arrowroot powder to get the consistency you want). Voila. That's it. You can be fancy and try to store it any number of ways. I'm finding that our house is warm enough now (summer) that the oil is melted at room temperature, so we're keeping ours in the fridge, wrapped up in a plastic baggie. The deodorant hardens this way so that when you use it, you take it out, holding the lump by the baggie and just press it to your body. The heat will melt it and you can rub it in then. A little bit is all it takes so if you don't mind the melted version, leave it out and just keep mixing it well! Take a little on your finger and just rub it on/in. You're good to go. Really, not hard at all.
There are many variations on this out there. I've seen other types of oils use, or just sprinkle on the powders only. I didn't like that though, it didn't seem to work well for me, the coconut oil was the lynch-pin in my deodorizing success I believe, so I'm sticking with it!
I found the original recipe here: http://www.survivingthestores.com/homemade-coconut-oil-deodorant.html Neat trick, putting it into a used deodorant container! To messy for me though, my baggie lump works just fine!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Day Four: Get your bod clean!
Soap soap soap...how do I love thee...a soap by anyother name would still smell like...lye...You had me at lather...
Okay folks, so there are a LOT of soaps out there in this world. I mean, walmart has an entire aisle here located to body washes, soaps, scrubs, scours and other skin stripping products. And then there's the world of hand made soaps...beautiful little bars of goodness made from all kinds on sunkissed and honey drenched ingrediants of sudsy love. I tend to gravitate towards the hand made soaps, the kinds you find at craft shows, fancy pants boutique stores and on Etsy.com. But even here it can be tricky to navigate your purchases. Some of the bars I've purchased have left my skin feeling pretty darn scaly dry..and I'm not given to dry skin! They also tend to leave a horrible ring around the old tub...but that's another problem.
Now, I'm not adventurous enough to go diving into my own soap making. Not yet. And that's okay, since there are about a million and two good soap makers out there that I adore. (I'll list my favorites later!) But...I have wanted to try making my own "every once in a while" salt scrub. Something to slough off all the grimy dead skin that collects.
So, here is a very simple recipe to get us started!
1/2 cup jojoba oil (or sweet almond, or grapeseed, it needs to be a light "massage" type oil)
1 cup fine sea salt
5-15 drops essential oil (Let's try...tea tree and lavender shall we? Lavender is one of my favorite all time scents and tea tree is getting to be! Other good ones would be rosemary, rose, lemongrass, patchouli...)
Put the salt in a small bowl.
Add the oil, mixing well with a spoon or wooden stick. The texture should be moist enough to hold together, but not overly oily. You can adjust the amount of oil to achieve that texture. Gently add in your drops of essential oils and mix in as well.
Ta Da! This will last you for maybe 3 showers? This doesn't (and shouldn't) need to be done daily, once a week or so is all to get that all over scrubbed off tingly skin!
Alternately...you can also use sugar to make a sugar scrub. Doesn't this Mocha Spice sugar scrub look over the top yummy?
So, where is my favorite places to buy soap?
Real Simple Soap: http://realsimplesoap.com/ Just like it sounds. Real and Simple.
The Bee Folks: www.beefolks.com Not only is this a great place to buy soap, but their honey is fabulous! I buy bars of soap from them every year at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. This year I also got some to die for hand cream...but that's another region of the body...
Chargin Valley Soaps and Salves: http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandsalve.com/ This is a newer find to me. I ordered some shampoo bars from them in my "no-'poo" quest and found they have some amazing soaps!
Blue Ridge Soap Shed: http://www.soapshed.com/Handmade-Soap/ I can't remember, but I got a bar from them as a gift and I loved it! Nice and creamy, lots of lather...
Look on Etsy.com also, there are hundreds and hundreds of soap makers out there. You can get vegan soaps, glycerin, every variety of oil under the sun....The suds the limit!
Okay folks, so there are a LOT of soaps out there in this world. I mean, walmart has an entire aisle here located to body washes, soaps, scrubs, scours and other skin stripping products. And then there's the world of hand made soaps...beautiful little bars of goodness made from all kinds on sunkissed and honey drenched ingrediants of sudsy love. I tend to gravitate towards the hand made soaps, the kinds you find at craft shows, fancy pants boutique stores and on Etsy.com. But even here it can be tricky to navigate your purchases. Some of the bars I've purchased have left my skin feeling pretty darn scaly dry..and I'm not given to dry skin! They also tend to leave a horrible ring around the old tub...but that's another problem.
Now, I'm not adventurous enough to go diving into my own soap making. Not yet. And that's okay, since there are about a million and two good soap makers out there that I adore. (I'll list my favorites later!) But...I have wanted to try making my own "every once in a while" salt scrub. Something to slough off all the grimy dead skin that collects.
So, here is a very simple recipe to get us started!
1/2 cup jojoba oil (or sweet almond, or grapeseed, it needs to be a light "massage" type oil)
1 cup fine sea salt
5-15 drops essential oil (Let's try...tea tree and lavender shall we? Lavender is one of my favorite all time scents and tea tree is getting to be! Other good ones would be rosemary, rose, lemongrass, patchouli...)
Put the salt in a small bowl.
Add the oil, mixing well with a spoon or wooden stick. The texture should be moist enough to hold together, but not overly oily. You can adjust the amount of oil to achieve that texture. Gently add in your drops of essential oils and mix in as well.
Ta Da! This will last you for maybe 3 showers? This doesn't (and shouldn't) need to be done daily, once a week or so is all to get that all over scrubbed off tingly skin!
Alternately...you can also use sugar to make a sugar scrub. Doesn't this Mocha Spice sugar scrub look over the top yummy?
So, where is my favorite places to buy soap?
Real Simple Soap: http://realsimplesoap.com/ Just like it sounds. Real and Simple.
The Bee Folks: www.beefolks.com Not only is this a great place to buy soap, but their honey is fabulous! I buy bars of soap from them every year at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. This year I also got some to die for hand cream...but that's another region of the body...
Chargin Valley Soaps and Salves: http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandsalve.com/ This is a newer find to me. I ordered some shampoo bars from them in my "no-'poo" quest and found they have some amazing soaps!
Blue Ridge Soap Shed: http://www.soapshed.com/Handmade-Soap/ I can't remember, but I got a bar from them as a gift and I loved it! Nice and creamy, lots of lather...
Look on Etsy.com also, there are hundreds and hundreds of soap makers out there. You can get vegan soaps, glycerin, every variety of oil under the sun....The suds the limit!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Day Three: You've got CHOPS! Oral care
Okay, now you want me to give up my toothpaste? I know that's what you're thinking and YES. I do. "But why...." you might whine "It whitens my teeth and freshens my breath!"
Yes...it does that. But I found that the toothpaste I had in my bathroom also contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. Whoa...what? Yep. That's that nasty stuff I talked about here. If it makes my hair fall out and is potentially dangerous, do I want it in my mouth? NO, I think not!
So, I looked around for some alternatives and came up with this recipe for a tooth powder:
3 parts baking soda mixed with 1 part salt. (I used 3/4 cup soda to 1/4 cup salt, but this will last me a LONG TIME I think so you may want to cut back a bit.) Add to this 5 drops of tea tree essential oil (anti-bacterial) and 5 drops of spearamint or peppermint esssential oil. Now, I found this mixture to be....salty. Not terrible but not terribly pleasant either. Futher reading showed that I could add a tablespoon of xylitol to the mix. Xylitol is a sweetner and has been used by the dental community for some time in gum products to help with teeth. (it is POISON to dogs though, so be careful). Ah...much better! I store my powder in a small container and just dip my damp brush in. You could also scoop a little out so you don't contaminate your jar with your mouth germs.
Now that we've brushed, shall we rinse? My dental hygeniest reccomended a mixture of 1/2 listerine and 1/2 hydrogen peroxide (the stuff you put on wounds to help disinfect, that you can find SUPER cheap in the pharmacy.) This mixture is gentle on your gums and helps combat gum disease (which most of us have, even if we don't have symptoms.) Now, I've found other recipes using just peroxide mixed with a bit of essential oils (again, tea tree and/or mint) but I think I'll stick to the listerine.
Rinsed and brushed? Now what. Well, I was going to try oil pulling. However, somebody on facebook pointed out to me that it's not a good idea if you have fillings, since the pulling can loosen up those fillings. I....sadly....have a lot of fillings. Years of neglect to my teeth (not getting them cleaned)....I'm telling you, depression is hard core stuff. So I'm opting out of this, (though I did try it once and it's not bad! My mouth felt nice afterwards!)
So floss and now you're squeaky clean!
(Alternate recipe to make your tooth powder into a paste? 6 parts baking soda : 1 part vegetable based glycerin : 1 part hydrogen peroxide : essential oils to flavor to taste)
Wait! Wait!! What about flouride? Ah....the flouride. Read this: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/toxicchemicalsan/a/flouride.htm
and this:
http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/fluoride.htm
and this:
http://www.fluoridedebate.com/
and if you really have a lot of time look at this book:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1425144845/ref=nosim/?tag=shirleyswel02-20
You guys decide for yourselves. I'm not saying one way or another. (It's in the water we drink already, sometimes naturally occuring). However...not saying one way or another...I'm opting out of it. I'll take my chances..my teeth are already full of filling as it is.
Yes...it does that. But I found that the toothpaste I had in my bathroom also contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. Whoa...what? Yep. That's that nasty stuff I talked about here. If it makes my hair fall out and is potentially dangerous, do I want it in my mouth? NO, I think not!
So, I looked around for some alternatives and came up with this recipe for a tooth powder:
3 parts baking soda mixed with 1 part salt. (I used 3/4 cup soda to 1/4 cup salt, but this will last me a LONG TIME I think so you may want to cut back a bit.) Add to this 5 drops of tea tree essential oil (anti-bacterial) and 5 drops of spearamint or peppermint esssential oil. Now, I found this mixture to be....salty. Not terrible but not terribly pleasant either. Futher reading showed that I could add a tablespoon of xylitol to the mix. Xylitol is a sweetner and has been used by the dental community for some time in gum products to help with teeth. (it is POISON to dogs though, so be careful). Ah...much better! I store my powder in a small container and just dip my damp brush in. You could also scoop a little out so you don't contaminate your jar with your mouth germs.
Now that we've brushed, shall we rinse? My dental hygeniest reccomended a mixture of 1/2 listerine and 1/2 hydrogen peroxide (the stuff you put on wounds to help disinfect, that you can find SUPER cheap in the pharmacy.) This mixture is gentle on your gums and helps combat gum disease (which most of us have, even if we don't have symptoms.) Now, I've found other recipes using just peroxide mixed with a bit of essential oils (again, tea tree and/or mint) but I think I'll stick to the listerine.
Rinsed and brushed? Now what. Well, I was going to try oil pulling. However, somebody on facebook pointed out to me that it's not a good idea if you have fillings, since the pulling can loosen up those fillings. I....sadly....have a lot of fillings. Years of neglect to my teeth (not getting them cleaned)....I'm telling you, depression is hard core stuff. So I'm opting out of this, (though I did try it once and it's not bad! My mouth felt nice afterwards!)
So floss and now you're squeaky clean!
(Alternate recipe to make your tooth powder into a paste? 6 parts baking soda : 1 part vegetable based glycerin : 1 part hydrogen peroxide : essential oils to flavor to taste)
Wait! Wait!! What about flouride? Ah....the flouride. Read this: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/toxicchemicalsan/a/flouride.htm
and this:
http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/fluoride.htm
and this:
http://www.fluoridedebate.com/
and if you really have a lot of time look at this book:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1425144845/ref=nosim/?tag=shirleyswel02-20
You guys decide for yourselves. I'm not saying one way or another. (It's in the water we drink already, sometimes naturally occuring). However...not saying one way or another...I'm opting out of it. I'll take my chances..my teeth are already full of filling as it is.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Day two: Putting your best face forward: Face washing
Okay okay...I'll fess up. I am NOT a good one at taking care of myself. I've never been in the habit of washing my face daily. No...seriously. Call it years of major depression? I was lucky to be dressed in clean clothes. Luckily for me, my genes are fairly decent and I've never suffered from major breakouts. I'm new to basic skin care routine, so I'm thrilled to find a fairly natural way to go thanks to Crunch Betty, because yes, I'm now 32 years of age and I'm noticing my face...needs a bit of attention.
So, my problem areas? My nose! It's covered with blackheads. Ewwww...I've done my steady best to ignore the problem in the past. I've picked at them or just pretended they don't exist, but I'm tired of this! I too...suffer a little bit of vanity. I'd like for the first thing people see about me NOT to be pores big enough to drive a mac truck into.
So, following Betty's advice, I'm doing a daily wash with honey. Nothing else, jut 1 tsp or so of plain raw honey into my palm, mixed with a tiny bit of water then washed all over my face. I let it sit a bit then rinse off with cool water. Not bad? I'm surprised by how it feels. It's not sticky like you'd think, and my face afterwards feels...nice! Soft and a bit glowy.
So, let's take this routine a bit further shall we? Betty has a wonderful post on doing an exfoliating wash with baking soda. http://www.crunchybetty.com/3-step-spring-cleaning-for-your-face. Now, do I want to exfoliate? Yes...apparently I do. It would seem after doing some research that in my quest to get rid of blackheads, this is an important step! It removes the top layer of (dead) skin cells off your face, so that they can't later migrate inoto those truck sized pores and aide in clogging them up.
Daily toner: 1/2 cup water and 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar. Use a cotton swab to apply daily to help keep your pores tight and the oil down.
After than we'll follow with a steam. I'm opting for a basic steam I found that uses salted water, and nothing else. Take the sea salt you bought, add 2 tablespoons to a pot full of hot water and let it come to a boil. When it's boiling away, remove the pot from the heat and set it where you can sit by it for several minutes. Drape your head and the pot with a large bath towel and....steam way. Stay like this until the water cools. This opens the pores so that more of that gunk can get out.
Alternative: Steep a couple of chammomile tea bags in the water instead of the honey and use this as your steam instead.
Finally...once a week or so a mask! So, I re-read the post up above and like the idea of Betty's mask. I have honey, lemons and eggs, so I'd like to give that a try. (1 egg white and yolk , 2 tsp lemon juice and 1 tsp honey: all beaten together then smeared onto you face).
Other options are just plain honey left to sit on your face for 15-20 minutes or just plain whipped egg whites.
Alternative: You can use french green clay, made into a paste with water then smeared all over your face for a more costly, but super effective mask. (I've heard the clay is especially usefull for blackhead removal so I'll be trying it out.)
Any thoughts or suggestions? I'm trying this out as you do and I'll post later how I thought it came out!
So, my problem areas? My nose! It's covered with blackheads. Ewwww...I've done my steady best to ignore the problem in the past. I've picked at them or just pretended they don't exist, but I'm tired of this! I too...suffer a little bit of vanity. I'd like for the first thing people see about me NOT to be pores big enough to drive a mac truck into.
So, following Betty's advice, I'm doing a daily wash with honey. Nothing else, jut 1 tsp or so of plain raw honey into my palm, mixed with a tiny bit of water then washed all over my face. I let it sit a bit then rinse off with cool water. Not bad? I'm surprised by how it feels. It's not sticky like you'd think, and my face afterwards feels...nice! Soft and a bit glowy.
So, let's take this routine a bit further shall we? Betty has a wonderful post on doing an exfoliating wash with baking soda. http://www.crunchybetty.com/3-step-spring-cleaning-for-your-face. Now, do I want to exfoliate? Yes...apparently I do. It would seem after doing some research that in my quest to get rid of blackheads, this is an important step! It removes the top layer of (dead) skin cells off your face, so that they can't later migrate inoto those truck sized pores and aide in clogging them up.
Daily toner: 1/2 cup water and 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar. Use a cotton swab to apply daily to help keep your pores tight and the oil down.
After than we'll follow with a steam. I'm opting for a basic steam I found that uses salted water, and nothing else. Take the sea salt you bought, add 2 tablespoons to a pot full of hot water and let it come to a boil. When it's boiling away, remove the pot from the heat and set it where you can sit by it for several minutes. Drape your head and the pot with a large bath towel and....steam way. Stay like this until the water cools. This opens the pores so that more of that gunk can get out.
Alternative: Steep a couple of chammomile tea bags in the water instead of the honey and use this as your steam instead.
Finally...once a week or so a mask! So, I re-read the post up above and like the idea of Betty's mask. I have honey, lemons and eggs, so I'd like to give that a try. (1 egg white and yolk , 2 tsp lemon juice and 1 tsp honey: all beaten together then smeared onto you face).
Other options are just plain honey left to sit on your face for 15-20 minutes or just plain whipped egg whites.
Alternative: You can use french green clay, made into a paste with water then smeared all over your face for a more costly, but super effective mask. (I've heard the clay is especially usefull for blackhead removal so I'll be trying it out.)
Any thoughts or suggestions? I'm trying this out as you do and I'll post later how I thought it came out!
Monday, July 16, 2012
Day one: Gimme a head with HAIR...long beautiful HAIR!
I did a post already about going no 'poo. I've made a few changes to my routine, so I will keep updating as I go along and experiment.
The vinegar rinse using distilled vinegar seems to be working fairly well. I've upped the amount from 1 tbsp to about 1/4 of a cup in 1 cup of water and I LEAVE IT IN instead of rinsing it away. This has cut down on the greasiness dramatically. I've also added 1 tsp of raw honey to this. Put it in the cup, add warm water and then the vinegar and let the honey dissolve and the water cool while you're doing the rest of your shower routine. The honey is a natural humectant and it's helped cut down a bit of itchiness I've found in my scalp. My hair isn't sticky at all and it's shiny, clean scented (if you can tolerate the vinegar, it really doesn't bother me) and CLEAN! I can go two days between washes now with out much trouble. A little greasiness at the end of the second day perhaps, but nothing I'd be ashamed to wear out of the house.
Alternatives? Use lemon juice instead of vinegar. This is also supposed to be helpful for oily hair! Also you can brew a "tea" with dried rosemary sprigs and/or chamomile tea use this as the water/base for your vinegar rinse. Rosemary helps hair to grow and chamomile adds highlights.
Also, I order a BUNCH of sample sized shampoo bars from Chargin Valley Soaps. I've tried only one so far and I loved it! I think I'll wash once a week with this...and do the BS/Vinegar treatment for the other days. Or who knows, I may switch entirely to this?
The vinegar rinse using distilled vinegar seems to be working fairly well. I've upped the amount from 1 tbsp to about 1/4 of a cup in 1 cup of water and I LEAVE IT IN instead of rinsing it away. This has cut down on the greasiness dramatically. I've also added 1 tsp of raw honey to this. Put it in the cup, add warm water and then the vinegar and let the honey dissolve and the water cool while you're doing the rest of your shower routine. The honey is a natural humectant and it's helped cut down a bit of itchiness I've found in my scalp. My hair isn't sticky at all and it's shiny, clean scented (if you can tolerate the vinegar, it really doesn't bother me) and CLEAN! I can go two days between washes now with out much trouble. A little greasiness at the end of the second day perhaps, but nothing I'd be ashamed to wear out of the house.
Alternatives? Use lemon juice instead of vinegar. This is also supposed to be helpful for oily hair! Also you can brew a "tea" with dried rosemary sprigs and/or chamomile tea use this as the water/base for your vinegar rinse. Rosemary helps hair to grow and chamomile adds highlights.
Also, I order a BUNCH of sample sized shampoo bars from Chargin Valley Soaps. I've tried only one so far and I loved it! I think I'll wash once a week with this...and do the BS/Vinegar treatment for the other days. Or who knows, I may switch entirely to this?
Thursday, July 12, 2012
SEVEN DAYS OF BEAUTY!! Has she gone mad?
Hey guys and dolls! I'm going to be doing a 7 day "beauty" course, here on my blog. Yes yes...beauty isn't something that comes naturally to me. I'd say my fashion style is..."Tomboy chique". Jeans, teeshirts...the occaisional skirt..you get the idea. I own exactly three pairs of shoes. Work shoes, sneakers, sandals of the athletic "outdoor" variety. My hairstyle? Straight down or up in a ponytail. I'm a NO NONSENE girl.
So, why am *I* qualified to do a beauty course? Haha...because I know not a damned thing about it! All I know is that I need to wash my face, brush my teeth, get my hair clean and not stink when I leave the house, that's my basic approach to a daily beauty regimen.
So, that being said...I'd like to do all this naturally. I've been reading Crunchy Betty and have been inspired to put food on my face! then I got inspired to go beyond the face....I've also been not using shampoo, store bought tooth paste or commercial deodorant for some time now and I'll share all of that with you in this experience!
So, here is a quick run down of what you'll need to follow along with me. None of it should be terribly expensive per use:
Baking Soda: Several boxes (2-3 or a BIG BAG of it like I found at Sam's club). I use Arm'N Hammer though a lot of people use Bob's Red Mill because it's A) naturally mined and B) Aluminum free. Well, as far as I can tell Arm'N Hammer is also aluminum free, but it is created, not mined. Decide which is best for your pocketbook/conscience. Mine says...go cheap.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Distilled White Vinegar: (this is an optional alternative to Apple Cider Vinegar if like you, you have extra greasy hair and want to use this instead for no-'poo)
JoJoba Oil: This will likely be the most expensive item on your list. I ordered it from here: Mountain Rose Herbs.
Coconut Oil: This is also pricey...relatively speaking when you compare it to oh...everyday cooking oil. But it's worth the price as it can be used later in OH SO MANY things! Go ahead and get a couple of jars if you can.
Raw Honey: it needs to be raw. This is also pricey depending on your location but a little bit goes a LONG WAY.
Arrowroot Powder: Bob's Red Mill has a good product of this. Usually it's found with the non-traditional/gluten free flours. If you can't find it, get cornstarch. But corn starch is suspect as far as being a GMO...so it's up to you!
Tea Tree essential oil: I found it at one of our local grocery stores for relatively cheap. You can also order from Mountain Rose Herbs if you'd like. Also: Lavender Essential oil and Peppermint or Spearmint essential oil
Hydrogen peroxide: Super cheap, look in the pharmacy section, it's usually under a dollar.
Sea Salt and/or epsom salts
Cotton balls/swabs, basic towels and wash cloths, nail care kit, a bin for soaking feet.....
Extras and fun stuff:
Any other skin friendly essential oil you like/like the smell of. I don't know which ones are skin friendly, you'll have to look for yourself but do be careful, some can really hurt you if you're not sure what you're doing! Essential oils are strong stuff!
Glycerine (Vegetable)
Chammomile tea
Dried Rosemary
Lemons
French Green Clay (Found at Mt. Rose Herbs)
Xylitol (it's found with alternative sweetners but I had to find ours in a specialty store)
Any other oils that you'd use for a massage instead of jojoba (apricot, almond...)
What will we be making with this stuff?
Deodorant, face wash, skin toner, moisturizer, shampoo, tooth powder/paste, mouth wash, body scrub, foot scrub and soak and lastly we'll be looking at the delicate issue of...ahem...skin folds! Oh yes, I am going THERE!
Join along in the fun! Leave comments below if you plan on joining in, I'd love to know whose in this adventure with me! The fun will start July 16th!
So, why am *I* qualified to do a beauty course? Haha...because I know not a damned thing about it! All I know is that I need to wash my face, brush my teeth, get my hair clean and not stink when I leave the house, that's my basic approach to a daily beauty regimen.
So, that being said...I'd like to do all this naturally. I've been reading Crunchy Betty and have been inspired to put food on my face! then I got inspired to go beyond the face....I've also been not using shampoo, store bought tooth paste or commercial deodorant for some time now and I'll share all of that with you in this experience!
So, here is a quick run down of what you'll need to follow along with me. None of it should be terribly expensive per use:
Baking Soda: Several boxes (2-3 or a BIG BAG of it like I found at Sam's club). I use Arm'N Hammer though a lot of people use Bob's Red Mill because it's A) naturally mined and B) Aluminum free. Well, as far as I can tell Arm'N Hammer is also aluminum free, but it is created, not mined. Decide which is best for your pocketbook/conscience. Mine says...go cheap.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Distilled White Vinegar: (this is an optional alternative to Apple Cider Vinegar if like you, you have extra greasy hair and want to use this instead for no-'poo)
JoJoba Oil: This will likely be the most expensive item on your list. I ordered it from here: Mountain Rose Herbs.
Coconut Oil: This is also pricey...relatively speaking when you compare it to oh...everyday cooking oil. But it's worth the price as it can be used later in OH SO MANY things! Go ahead and get a couple of jars if you can.
Raw Honey: it needs to be raw. This is also pricey depending on your location but a little bit goes a LONG WAY.
Arrowroot Powder: Bob's Red Mill has a good product of this. Usually it's found with the non-traditional/gluten free flours. If you can't find it, get cornstarch. But corn starch is suspect as far as being a GMO...so it's up to you!
Tea Tree essential oil: I found it at one of our local grocery stores for relatively cheap. You can also order from Mountain Rose Herbs if you'd like. Also: Lavender Essential oil and Peppermint or Spearmint essential oil
Hydrogen peroxide: Super cheap, look in the pharmacy section, it's usually under a dollar.
Sea Salt and/or epsom salts
Cotton balls/swabs, basic towels and wash cloths, nail care kit, a bin for soaking feet.....
Extras and fun stuff:
Any other skin friendly essential oil you like/like the smell of. I don't know which ones are skin friendly, you'll have to look for yourself but do be careful, some can really hurt you if you're not sure what you're doing! Essential oils are strong stuff!
Glycerine (Vegetable)
Chammomile tea
Dried Rosemary
Lemons
French Green Clay (Found at Mt. Rose Herbs)
Xylitol (it's found with alternative sweetners but I had to find ours in a specialty store)
Any other oils that you'd use for a massage instead of jojoba (apricot, almond...)
What will we be making with this stuff?
Deodorant, face wash, skin toner, moisturizer, shampoo, tooth powder/paste, mouth wash, body scrub, foot scrub and soak and lastly we'll be looking at the delicate issue of...ahem...skin folds! Oh yes, I am going THERE!
Join along in the fun! Leave comments below if you plan on joining in, I'd love to know whose in this adventure with me! The fun will start July 16th!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Green Puppy toys!
Okay, just a quickie today. I've been doing more reading on how to make our dogs "greener' along with the rest of us, and I found this site: Happy Dogs Play. How cool is this? Pricey yes...but cool! Green and eco friendly puppy toys!
But..our baby is just as happy to chew on an old sock with a knot tied into it so...this makes me happy, maybe not her. :-)
But..our baby is just as happy to chew on an old sock with a knot tied into it so...this makes me happy, maybe not her. :-)
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
PUPPY LOVE
We here at the G house hold have adopted a new puppy! She's a 7 week old..mutt. Her mom was booted out of a truck near a friend of ours house and she gave birth to six babies three days later. We're not sure what our new baby is exactly as far as breed goes, but she appears to be part cattle dog and part pitt bull. Yes...pitt bull. I'd guess that the mom was about half pitt bull but not fully, based on the shape of her head. Momma is incredibly sweet and made her way into a home with five other female dogs, no problems.
So, the new baby came home 4 days ago. We are in HIGH ALERT for house breaking and trying to keep a very active, very curious baby girl busy! Today I went to the nearest big box pet store and brought home THREE bags of treats, toys and squeaky objects.
So, this was maybe not the crunchiest way to do things.....so let's explore some crunchy (holistic) dog and puppy care.
Deworming: Okay, we took our baby to the vet and had it done the traditional way. I'm new to this crunchy stuff and I have to say..sometimes leery of what in available. But I'm curious so maybe I'll look into things further? Anyway...there are natural ways to deworm a puppy. Puppies are almost always born having worms, as worms make their way into the momma dog or come in later during nursing. The most common type of worms, round worms, is contagious to humans and other pets and it's important to rid your baby of these pests. Here is an article on some natural deworming steps: http://www.ehow.com/way_5208422_natural-dewormers-dogs.html
Looking this over, it's still reccomended that you have your dog looked over by a vet, and I agree! We see a vet that is open to holistic pet care and I may ask her more about this at a later date, since our baby definately had worms and will need to be treated again...
Fleas! The bane of every dog owners existance! I know, it seems at times we fight a constant battle with our older dog against these brown bothers. And of course, our new baby came home with a batch of her own. So, are there any natural ways to rid your canine of fleas? Well, apparently there are. Many of the treatments available out on the market now are powerful neurotoxins, meant to poison the fleas into submission, but they can also be poisonous to dogs. ESPECIALLY little baby dogs who are under 8 weeks old. According to mother earth news there are three natural ingrediants used to combat fleas that are available on the market today. The first is d-Limonene, which is a bi-product of the citrus industry. The second, varieties of pyrithins that come from chrysanthemums. The third options seems the most promising:
There's only one pesticide, natural or otherwise, that's a specific for insects and completely safe. Diatomaceousearth is a type of fossilized algae that resembles chalk dust. The fine, sharp-edged particles attach themselves to and penetrate the waxy coating on a flea's shell-like exoskeleton, causing the little bloodsucker to dehydrate and die.
Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1985-05-01/Natural-Flea-Control.aspx?page=3#ixzz1zyxQYgi5
Okay, cool! So where can I find this stuff? Well, not in the most popularly used brands like Frontline and K9 advantix....nope. Those brands use harsh pesticides. Look online or at your big box pet shop, which will likely carry some of the more holistic brands since they cater to extremely spoiled pooches (and kitties, and hamsters and gerbils and fish....)
The other MUST have method of flea control is frequent cleaning/vacuuming of the pets area and washing the bedding. This, along with combing out the flea bits with a flea comb will help reduce the reproduction of the nasty critters. Not to bad right? common sense? So no more flea bombs for us!
One last thing on having a green puppy....FOOD/TREATS! Oh boy are there every so many treats and food brands out there now for dogs! The dog I grew up with ate Kibbles and Bits exclusively so it's a bit mind boggling now to see how far the dog companies have gone to win over our canine loving hearts! We chose Iams for our food. Yes..it's not a good "natural" brand, but it's readily available in our local stores, where the more "natural" ones aren't. Remember, we live in RURAL Pa, so while a trip over the mountain to look at the big pet store might be fun on occaision, it's not practical! I just know we'll run out some day when the mountain road is closed due to snow and we'll have a dog food crisis....
That being said, I'm all for natural dog foods! Last I checked, dogs aren't supposed to eat corn, rice or other grains exclusively and corn is what makes up the bulk of most basic food brands on the market. Not only that but...GENETICALLY MODIFIED CORN. (we discused this already, right?) Now, I looked on Amazon.com and found there are a lot of "natural" brands available there, and I'm a frequent amazon user, so maybe I should check them out more closely? But basically, buying dog food is much the same as buying people food, you get what you pay for as far as quality and you have to READ THE LABELS to ensure that you're not feeding Fido something gruesome.
So, the new baby came home 4 days ago. We are in HIGH ALERT for house breaking and trying to keep a very active, very curious baby girl busy! Today I went to the nearest big box pet store and brought home THREE bags of treats, toys and squeaky objects.
So, this was maybe not the crunchiest way to do things.....so let's explore some crunchy (holistic) dog and puppy care.
Deworming: Okay, we took our baby to the vet and had it done the traditional way. I'm new to this crunchy stuff and I have to say..sometimes leery of what in available. But I'm curious so maybe I'll look into things further? Anyway...there are natural ways to deworm a puppy. Puppies are almost always born having worms, as worms make their way into the momma dog or come in later during nursing. The most common type of worms, round worms, is contagious to humans and other pets and it's important to rid your baby of these pests. Here is an article on some natural deworming steps: http://www.ehow.com/way_5208422_natural-dewormers-dogs.html
Looking this over, it's still reccomended that you have your dog looked over by a vet, and I agree! We see a vet that is open to holistic pet care and I may ask her more about this at a later date, since our baby definately had worms and will need to be treated again...
Fleas! The bane of every dog owners existance! I know, it seems at times we fight a constant battle with our older dog against these brown bothers. And of course, our new baby came home with a batch of her own. So, are there any natural ways to rid your canine of fleas? Well, apparently there are. Many of the treatments available out on the market now are powerful neurotoxins, meant to poison the fleas into submission, but they can also be poisonous to dogs. ESPECIALLY little baby dogs who are under 8 weeks old. According to mother earth news there are three natural ingrediants used to combat fleas that are available on the market today. The first is d-Limonene, which is a bi-product of the citrus industry. The second, varieties of pyrithins that come from chrysanthemums. The third options seems the most promising:
There's only one pesticide, natural or otherwise, that's a specific for insects and completely safe. Diatomaceousearth is a type of fossilized algae that resembles chalk dust. The fine, sharp-edged particles attach themselves to and penetrate the waxy coating on a flea's shell-like exoskeleton, causing the little bloodsucker to dehydrate and die.
Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1985-05-01/Natural-Flea-Control.aspx?page=3#ixzz1zyxQYgi5
Okay, cool! So where can I find this stuff? Well, not in the most popularly used brands like Frontline and K9 advantix....nope. Those brands use harsh pesticides. Look online or at your big box pet shop, which will likely carry some of the more holistic brands since they cater to extremely spoiled pooches (and kitties, and hamsters and gerbils and fish....)
The other MUST have method of flea control is frequent cleaning/vacuuming of the pets area and washing the bedding. This, along with combing out the flea bits with a flea comb will help reduce the reproduction of the nasty critters. Not to bad right? common sense? So no more flea bombs for us!
One last thing on having a green puppy....FOOD/TREATS! Oh boy are there every so many treats and food brands out there now for dogs! The dog I grew up with ate Kibbles and Bits exclusively so it's a bit mind boggling now to see how far the dog companies have gone to win over our canine loving hearts! We chose Iams for our food. Yes..it's not a good "natural" brand, but it's readily available in our local stores, where the more "natural" ones aren't. Remember, we live in RURAL Pa, so while a trip over the mountain to look at the big pet store might be fun on occaision, it's not practical! I just know we'll run out some day when the mountain road is closed due to snow and we'll have a dog food crisis....
That being said, I'm all for natural dog foods! Last I checked, dogs aren't supposed to eat corn, rice or other grains exclusively and corn is what makes up the bulk of most basic food brands on the market. Not only that but...GENETICALLY MODIFIED CORN. (we discused this already, right?) Now, I looked on Amazon.com and found there are a lot of "natural" brands available there, and I'm a frequent amazon user, so maybe I should check them out more closely? But basically, buying dog food is much the same as buying people food, you get what you pay for as far as quality and you have to READ THE LABELS to ensure that you're not feeding Fido something gruesome.
Monday, July 9, 2012
How does your garden grow?
We're not avid gardeners, just recreational gardners, but this year has giving us a surprising overabundance. So far we've been run over with swiss chard and now with zucchini. Any tips on using up a ton of zukes when nobody else in the family seems to like them but you and your mother? I'm thinking of trying this recipe: Zucchini Relish. Yum!
Friday, July 6, 2012
Dealing with pain
So, I've been having some pretty nasty shoulder pain lately. Well...it starts in my neck, shoots down to my shoulder then spasms down the back of my arm, across my elbow and down into my hand, also making sure to spasm the muscles around my rib cage on that side as well.
Sounds like fun, no? NO!
After about two months of this, with it only getting worse, I finally went to the doctor this week. I've tried everything before hand from Yoga to Chiropractic care to swimming to "gently stretch" those muscles. The doctor (PA actually.....I didn't warrant a full MD visit) gave me a once over and said it could be any number of things from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome to a strained rotator cuff to Tennis Elbow. Really? Okay...that doesn't help me much. He sent me home with a prescription for a mild muscle relaxer (flexaril) and a mild non-narcotic (but close) pain bill (ultram).
So, what are some crunchy ways to deal with ongoing chronic pain? So far, ice has been sort of helpful, applied to my neck and shoulder for about 20 mins at a time. I got an ice pack that "stays soft" even when frozen so it's moldable, but this is totally doable with a bag of frozen veggies straight from the freezer.
Heat to the area is good, but only recommended 72 hours after the initial injury, to let the swelling go down a bit first. For heat I have a buckwheat heat pack. The buckwheat when heated in the microwave provides moist heat, which is ideal for muscle aches and pains.
Here is a good instructional site to make your own: http://tipnut.com/make-your-own-microwave-heating-pad/
Hot baths/showers. I LOVE a hot bath. I mean LOVE. It's not exactly "green" of me since a bath uses up a lot more water than a shower but there's something terribly comforting to me about soaking in a hot tub. Even though my shoulder isn't under the water, I still find a bath helps. Maybe it soothes my hand/wrist since this might be carpel tunnel? I don't know. I know when I had kidney stones earlier this year I used the hot bath a lot to try to cope. It helps the rest of my muscles relax I guess. We've considered looking into a hot tub for my mother, who has bad arthritis in her back and hips. Moist heat is best for arthritis pain.
White willow bark. Okay, this is where things get controversial. It's not advisable to just go willy nilly taking over the counter herbals without letting your doctor know, because herbals ARE MEDICINE and can have reactions/interactions with the medications you are already on. White Willow bark, for instance, is chemically related to aspirin in that it contains salacin. Aspirin, if you don't know, can cause the blood to thin which may be BAD if you're already on blood thinning medications. Aspirin can also cause bleeding ulcers in your stomach if you're not careful. Treat white willow bark the same as aspirin and take the same precautions when using it. However, it has been used for centuries for the treatment of pain related to inflammation (arthritis, bursitis, headaches...) with decent results. You can buy it over the counter.
Yoga for pain relief? Well, I tried it and it wasn't a cure all...but it did seem to help for a while. I did a video called "yoga for inflexible people", because that's me, inflexible! Here is a good video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaTd4Cv9TGY from good ol' YouTube. I've also seen yoga exercises for back pain, shoulder pain, asthma, belly troubles....yoga seems to be a good all around practice. If nothing else, flexibility is improved!
Capsaicin to affected joints. You've seen it in the stores sold in the pain relief section of pharmacies as creams. What capsaicin is, is basically the "hot" from hot chile peppers like jalapenos. This property deadens pain receptors in the skin when applied directly. Nearly 40 percent of arthritis patients reduced their pain by half after using a topical capsaicin cream for a month, and 60 percent of neuropathy patients achieved the same after 2 months, according to a University of Oxford study. But be careful when using it! I'd recommend putting some disposable gloves on when you apply it and DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYES, NOSE OR MOUTH since the mucous in these membranes will activate the heat! Also be mindful that when you go to shower off later, the heat will be reactivated and it might be a bit uncomfortable, so you might want to wipe off the cream with a dry towel before getting wet. Don't use the creams any other way but topically.
Fish oil? Well..yes. It's been shown to break down to hormone like chemicals called prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation. In one study, about 40 percent of rheumatoid arthritis patients who took cod-liver oil every day were able to cut their NSAID use by more than a third,. People with neck and back pain have fared even better: After about 10 weeks, nearly two-thirds were able to stop taking NSAIDs altogether in a University of Pittsburgh study. I'm willing to try this, since I already have fish oil on hand, but not cod liver oil. I'll look for some to add into my regimen.
Anyway, there are lots and LOTS of articles out there about the topic of pain, these are just a few ideas I've run across while in a desperate search of my own to try to relieve the constant to sharp and acute aches of my own. Any tips? Suggestion? I'm all ears!
Sounds like fun, no? NO!
After about two months of this, with it only getting worse, I finally went to the doctor this week. I've tried everything before hand from Yoga to Chiropractic care to swimming to "gently stretch" those muscles. The doctor (PA actually.....I didn't warrant a full MD visit) gave me a once over and said it could be any number of things from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome to a strained rotator cuff to Tennis Elbow. Really? Okay...that doesn't help me much. He sent me home with a prescription for a mild muscle relaxer (flexaril) and a mild non-narcotic (but close) pain bill (ultram).
So, what are some crunchy ways to deal with ongoing chronic pain? So far, ice has been sort of helpful, applied to my neck and shoulder for about 20 mins at a time. I got an ice pack that "stays soft" even when frozen so it's moldable, but this is totally doable with a bag of frozen veggies straight from the freezer.
Heat to the area is good, but only recommended 72 hours after the initial injury, to let the swelling go down a bit first. For heat I have a buckwheat heat pack. The buckwheat when heated in the microwave provides moist heat, which is ideal for muscle aches and pains.
Here is a good instructional site to make your own: http://tipnut.com/make-your-own-microwave-heating-pad/
Hot baths/showers. I LOVE a hot bath. I mean LOVE. It's not exactly "green" of me since a bath uses up a lot more water than a shower but there's something terribly comforting to me about soaking in a hot tub. Even though my shoulder isn't under the water, I still find a bath helps. Maybe it soothes my hand/wrist since this might be carpel tunnel? I don't know. I know when I had kidney stones earlier this year I used the hot bath a lot to try to cope. It helps the rest of my muscles relax I guess. We've considered looking into a hot tub for my mother, who has bad arthritis in her back and hips. Moist heat is best for arthritis pain.
White willow bark. Okay, this is where things get controversial. It's not advisable to just go willy nilly taking over the counter herbals without letting your doctor know, because herbals ARE MEDICINE and can have reactions/interactions with the medications you are already on. White Willow bark, for instance, is chemically related to aspirin in that it contains salacin. Aspirin, if you don't know, can cause the blood to thin which may be BAD if you're already on blood thinning medications. Aspirin can also cause bleeding ulcers in your stomach if you're not careful. Treat white willow bark the same as aspirin and take the same precautions when using it. However, it has been used for centuries for the treatment of pain related to inflammation (arthritis, bursitis, headaches...) with decent results. You can buy it over the counter.
Yoga for pain relief? Well, I tried it and it wasn't a cure all...but it did seem to help for a while. I did a video called "yoga for inflexible people", because that's me, inflexible! Here is a good video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaTd4Cv9TGY from good ol' YouTube. I've also seen yoga exercises for back pain, shoulder pain, asthma, belly troubles....yoga seems to be a good all around practice. If nothing else, flexibility is improved!
Capsaicin to affected joints. You've seen it in the stores sold in the pain relief section of pharmacies as creams. What capsaicin is, is basically the "hot" from hot chile peppers like jalapenos. This property deadens pain receptors in the skin when applied directly. Nearly 40 percent of arthritis patients reduced their pain by half after using a topical capsaicin cream for a month, and 60 percent of neuropathy patients achieved the same after 2 months, according to a University of Oxford study. But be careful when using it! I'd recommend putting some disposable gloves on when you apply it and DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYES, NOSE OR MOUTH since the mucous in these membranes will activate the heat! Also be mindful that when you go to shower off later, the heat will be reactivated and it might be a bit uncomfortable, so you might want to wipe off the cream with a dry towel before getting wet. Don't use the creams any other way but topically.
Fish oil? Well..yes. It's been shown to break down to hormone like chemicals called prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation. In one study, about 40 percent of rheumatoid arthritis patients who took cod-liver oil every day were able to cut their NSAID use by more than a third,. People with neck and back pain have fared even better: After about 10 weeks, nearly two-thirds were able to stop taking NSAIDs altogether in a University of Pittsburgh study. I'm willing to try this, since I already have fish oil on hand, but not cod liver oil. I'll look for some to add into my regimen.
Anyway, there are lots and LOTS of articles out there about the topic of pain, these are just a few ideas I've run across while in a desperate search of my own to try to relieve the constant to sharp and acute aches of my own. Any tips? Suggestion? I'm all ears!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Pteradactyl stir fry
"Cavemen didn't eat chicken..." my son pipes in, as I sit down to the table with a steaming hot pan of stir fry, ready for the nights meal. See, I've been attempting to follow Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint along with the The Paleo Diet. My kids (my son and my youngest sister) have lovingly dubbed this "The caveman diet" and feel it is their civic duty to let me know what cavemen really DID and didn't eat. So my reply to this latest statement?
"No honey, they didn't, but this isn't chicken. It's pterodactyl. Now eat up!"
Pterodactyl Stir Fry:
Serves three ungrateful children who highly resent being forced to eat greens.
1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks (Unless you are lucky enough to actually have a fresh pterodactyl on hand!)
1 tbsp toasted sesame seed oil
2 tbsp olive or coconut oil
1 cup snow peas, ends trimmed
1 large zucchini cut in half, then half rounds
2 cups swiss chard, picked from your over abundant garden or...purchased. Chopped into 1 inch pieces, stalk and all.
1-2 cup cabbage or about 1/2 a small head.
2 green onions chopped
2 garlic scapes cut into small pieces
Ginger, grated to taste (about 1 tbsp is what we use)
Red pepper flakes to taste
2 coconut aminos or soy sauce (Soy sauce is NOT PALEO but as I live in a super rural area..I haven't gotten any coconut aminos yet. They supposedly work as a replacement for the soy sauce)
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
salt and pepper to taste
Cook the chicken in the oils until cooked through and browned. Remove from the pan. Add in all the vegetables and remaining ingredients and fry on hot until the zucchini and cabbage soften up. Add the chicken back in and add more soy sauce/aminos to taste. Serve it up. You could serve it over rice if you're not eating paleo. We eat it as is.
The kids gobbled this up, even though they aren't "fond" of greens. To their credit, I HAVE been forcing them to eat an unusual amount of swiss chard lately, since our garden is spitting it out in abundance. They seem to like it best this way though, highly seasoned and stir fried into bliss. Anything that gets them eating is good for me!
On a side note: This recipe will work with ANY veggies you enjoy and have on hand. Kale? Onions? Broccoli? Cauliflower? Carrots? YUM! they all work, just cook them until they are softened then add back in the chicken! You could add a bit of chicken broth to help with the softening process. This is what I had and I happened to love the mixture, as it was. We got most of the ingredients from our CSA food box from Village Acres Farms. I love how impromptu and FAST this recipe is! We started with mostly frozen chicken and had dinner on the table in under 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
"No honey, they didn't, but this isn't chicken. It's pterodactyl. Now eat up!"
Pterodactyl Stir Fry:
Serves three ungrateful children who highly resent being forced to eat greens.
1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks (Unless you are lucky enough to actually have a fresh pterodactyl on hand!)
1 tbsp toasted sesame seed oil
2 tbsp olive or coconut oil
1 cup snow peas, ends trimmed
1 large zucchini cut in half, then half rounds
2 cups swiss chard, picked from your over abundant garden or...purchased. Chopped into 1 inch pieces, stalk and all.
1-2 cup cabbage or about 1/2 a small head.
2 green onions chopped
2 garlic scapes cut into small pieces
Ginger, grated to taste (about 1 tbsp is what we use)
Red pepper flakes to taste
2 coconut aminos or soy sauce (Soy sauce is NOT PALEO but as I live in a super rural area..I haven't gotten any coconut aminos yet. They supposedly work as a replacement for the soy sauce)
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
salt and pepper to taste
Cook the chicken in the oils until cooked through and browned. Remove from the pan. Add in all the vegetables and remaining ingredients and fry on hot until the zucchini and cabbage soften up. Add the chicken back in and add more soy sauce/aminos to taste. Serve it up. You could serve it over rice if you're not eating paleo. We eat it as is.
The kids gobbled this up, even though they aren't "fond" of greens. To their credit, I HAVE been forcing them to eat an unusual amount of swiss chard lately, since our garden is spitting it out in abundance. They seem to like it best this way though, highly seasoned and stir fried into bliss. Anything that gets them eating is good for me!
On a side note: This recipe will work with ANY veggies you enjoy and have on hand. Kale? Onions? Broccoli? Cauliflower? Carrots? YUM! they all work, just cook them until they are softened then add back in the chicken! You could add a bit of chicken broth to help with the softening process. This is what I had and I happened to love the mixture, as it was. We got most of the ingredients from our CSA food box from Village Acres Farms. I love how impromptu and FAST this recipe is! We started with mostly frozen chicken and had dinner on the table in under 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Raw Milk: Am I willing to go there?
I've been TRYING to follow a "Paleo" or "Primal" or "Cavemanish" type diet. Really, I have. I'll write more about it at a later date, but something keeps coming up in my diet research. Raw Milk is healthy.
What? This startled me the first time I came across this claim? Really? Didn't pasteur make his whole reptation on the fact that pasteurizing liquids made it finally safe for consumption and longer term storage? Doesn't it taking away the risk for diseases that carried over from the udder to the human? That's what I thought anyway, and Pasteur is basically a demi-god in the health care world. I mean, we pasteurize EVERYTHING from apple juice to butter. It can't be a bad thing can it?
I don't know...maybe it can be. That's what I'm finding cropping up more and more in my reading. But for today's argument, let's stick to milk. So for those of you who don't know, Pasteurization is the process of gently heating up a liquid to kill off the bacteria present. It's done a low heat (below boiling) for a predetermined length of time. This will also slow the spoilage of the food by inhibiting the bacterial growth. Milk is widely pasteurized today.
Raw milk is milk that is unpasteurized, leaving all the glorious and potentially dangerous bacteria in place for consumption. So..why do this?
Supporters of raw milk consumption, including the large Amish population around where I live, claim that milk in it's raw form is far superior for strong bones and teeth, as well as being beneficial for treating ailments such as asthma and allergies by stimulating the immune system with bacteria in the gut. I can see that being possible.
So what are the risks? Well...those same bacteria. E. Coli being one of them, since cows are pretty well known to be carriers. (Especially cows who are NOT grass fed, but fed corn and other feed products) This is a pretty big risk, in my opinion as E. Coli can be some pretty serious stuff, especially for the young, the aged and those with poor immune systems to start with. It's a big enough risk that most states carry laws against the distribution and selling of raw dairy products.
But it turns out, I don't live in one of those states. In PA, it's legal to buy raw dairy just about anywhere. Thanks to the Amish, I'm sure, since that's pretty much all they'll take.
Now, because of the paleo/primal/caveman inspired diet I'm on, I'm not taking in a whole lot of dairy products to begin with. A little grass fed butter, small amounts of cheese, a little heavy cream and that's about it. So....I've decided to CAUTIOUSLY try taking these in a raw form. I purchased a small container at a local farmers marker from a very nice Mennonite farmer who had brought with him brochures on his farm, his herd and information on his products. I liked that his herd was all grass fed and antibiotic free...so I feel comfortable with starting there. But for myself only, not for the kiddo, not yet at least. I've also bought some raw milk cheeses and I must say...OMG are they GOOD. The flavor is out of this world better than pasteurized cheese..much more complex and sharper. Almost like a "blue" cheese in some ways, in how salty/sharp it is (I've tried both garlic and chive and cheddar at this time). My family doesn't like it as much as I do. That's okay, more for me.
If I die of E.Coli..I'll be sure to let you know that it's not safe. Read more and decide for yourself: http://www.realrawmilkfacts.com/
What? This startled me the first time I came across this claim? Really? Didn't pasteur make his whole reptation on the fact that pasteurizing liquids made it finally safe for consumption and longer term storage? Doesn't it taking away the risk for diseases that carried over from the udder to the human? That's what I thought anyway, and Pasteur is basically a demi-god in the health care world. I mean, we pasteurize EVERYTHING from apple juice to butter. It can't be a bad thing can it?
I don't know...maybe it can be. That's what I'm finding cropping up more and more in my reading. But for today's argument, let's stick to milk. So for those of you who don't know, Pasteurization is the process of gently heating up a liquid to kill off the bacteria present. It's done a low heat (below boiling) for a predetermined length of time. This will also slow the spoilage of the food by inhibiting the bacterial growth. Milk is widely pasteurized today.
Raw milk is milk that is unpasteurized, leaving all the glorious and potentially dangerous bacteria in place for consumption. So..why do this?
Supporters of raw milk consumption, including the large Amish population around where I live, claim that milk in it's raw form is far superior for strong bones and teeth, as well as being beneficial for treating ailments such as asthma and allergies by stimulating the immune system with bacteria in the gut. I can see that being possible.
So what are the risks? Well...those same bacteria. E. Coli being one of them, since cows are pretty well known to be carriers. (Especially cows who are NOT grass fed, but fed corn and other feed products) This is a pretty big risk, in my opinion as E. Coli can be some pretty serious stuff, especially for the young, the aged and those with poor immune systems to start with. It's a big enough risk that most states carry laws against the distribution and selling of raw dairy products.
But it turns out, I don't live in one of those states. In PA, it's legal to buy raw dairy just about anywhere. Thanks to the Amish, I'm sure, since that's pretty much all they'll take.
Now, because of the paleo/primal/caveman inspired diet I'm on, I'm not taking in a whole lot of dairy products to begin with. A little grass fed butter, small amounts of cheese, a little heavy cream and that's about it. So....I've decided to CAUTIOUSLY try taking these in a raw form. I purchased a small container at a local farmers marker from a very nice Mennonite farmer who had brought with him brochures on his farm, his herd and information on his products. I liked that his herd was all grass fed and antibiotic free...so I feel comfortable with starting there. But for myself only, not for the kiddo, not yet at least. I've also bought some raw milk cheeses and I must say...OMG are they GOOD. The flavor is out of this world better than pasteurized cheese..much more complex and sharper. Almost like a "blue" cheese in some ways, in how salty/sharp it is (I've tried both garlic and chive and cheddar at this time). My family doesn't like it as much as I do. That's okay, more for me.
If I die of E.Coli..I'll be sure to let you know that it's not safe. Read more and decide for yourself: http://www.realrawmilkfacts.com/
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