Just finished reading this article on yahoo.com
about how the FDA is reviewing Triclosan because it may be harmful. Ya think?

So it seems like there is some serious greenwashing going on here. After our video blog posted about a product line sold at Sephora that claims to be preservative free yet contains a preservative called Lonicera Caprifolium, we received a link to an article written at the "Organic Consumers Association", about this ingredient being chemically identical to a paraben. Holy cow. Thank you to Sue who sent this to us. We appreciate the info.
Hello hello- Sephora folks might want to research these products before including them in their natural section.

I came across this blog about "hand sanitizers", and their safety. The writer points out that they are nervous that one of the brands uses a "patented formula" which screams to her ... "we dont have to tell you what's inside!".

I felt the same way, so I requested their patent number and was shocked and disappointed with what I found. This alcohol free formula has alcohol, along with tween 80 which is also called polysorbate 80--- linked to reproductive issues among other things. The patent also says they test on animals which wasn't cool. None of these things are on their "natural product" label.

Once I heard they were teaming with Seventh Generation- I thought... OMGosh, they must not know because a company with such integrity would never team up with a product that says its something it is not. Boy was I naive! I received a short email response from Seventh Generation saying that the patent I viewed was the company's old patent and now they have a new one.

Hmmm, so... new patent but no new labeling -- so what changed aside from the "paperwork"? And, does that make it ok that they misled the public for the last year or so with a "not so" alcohol free hand sanitizer, but now they've changed it so its ok now?

If a company is going to mislead the public once, who's to say they are telling the truth now? I'm still skeptical and very disappointed because I believe we as natural companies have a responsibility to deliver products that the public can count on. I want to know what I'm putting on my babies skin and disingenuous labeling makes me coo coo crazy.

I had a home birth and thought I was up on birthing naturally, but I recently came across an article about "ultrasound concerns", and if I choose to have another baby, I will think twice about this screening device.

The article mentions that left handedness in children who are supposed to be right-handed has been linked to ultra sound. Sounds like no big deal, I happen to like lefty's, but they are saying the reason they end up left handed is because of a subtle damage to the brain and males seem to be more affected than female fetuses, probably because the male brain develops later.

Studies also show the following abnormalities have been linked to ultrasound- Early labor, premature birth, miscarriage, increased learning disabilities and delayed speech development (these are just a few listed).

I heard that my natural deodorant (the crystal roll on) that I've been using has aluminum in it - not happy about that--and I've heard that baking soda should work just fine. I must admit, I was not really sure about this and stinky is just not going to work for me, but I was willing to try it out.

Well, the verdict is in after three days-- it totally works! I leave a little water under my arms and just dust some baking soda on top of that-- not so much that it clumps up, just a dusting and I have to tell you, no smell at all. I am thrilled.

Ok, so we know that aluminum in our deodorant and antiperspirants are a much bigger problem that having stinky under arms, but now the word is out that our NATURAL deodorant has aluminum in it too?

Talk about stinky business! Apparently, my beloved Crystal deodorant has been found to have aluminum in it and that the crystal stone is made from alum- one of the official names is "potassium aluminum sulfate", (aka- aluminum--- aka, linked to Altzheimers).

So what's a gal to do? Well, this link at " Mercola.com", says to use baking soda and water. Hmmm, I'll try it out and let you know.

This totally freaked me out, but the only reason I am posting it is because I think there is some important info here, especially the part about children and teens using cell phones and wireless devices.

In 2007, "the Bioinitiative Working Group", released a 650-page report citing more than 2,000 studies (many very recent) that detail the toxic effects of EMFs from all sources. Chronic exposure to even low-level radiation (like that from cell phones), can cause a variety of cancers, impair immunity, and contribute to Alzheimer's disease and dementia, heart disease, and many other ailments. Not cool.

Additionally, every single study shows an increased risk of brain cancer if you've used the cell phone for more than ten years.

A recent study from Sweden suggests that if you started using a cell phone as a teen, you have a 5 times greater risk of brain cancer than those who started as an adult.

This is pretty scary stuff, but if it's accurate, I guess knowledge is power right?

I recently read another article- how doctors are concerned about antibacterial soaps that use antibacterials like
"Triclosan",

The head researcher Dr. Eli N. Perencevich of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, told Reuters Health that "The concern is that low levels of use of this compound, which would occur in (households), could select bacteria that are resistant to these products and possibly antibiotics."

Basically, synthetic antibacterials... not so good for humans and not so good for the planet.

In today's modern world of medicine, the FDA wont let companies make claims about their products unless they have been tested at great expense and approved as a "drug". Apparently this was not always the case.

"Dr. Mercola's blog", filled us in that in 1918 they were fighting the flu with Arm and Hammer bicarbonate of soda. We have not tried this, but it seems very interesting.

We also like using oil of oregano (not for little ones) and probiotics.

After experiencing the "horrible-ness" of cancer with my dad, I learned alot about the toxic and cancer causing chemicals that are in our products and that we thoughtlessly put on our bodies every single day. Now that I'm a mom, I'm always on the lookout for ingredients and product labels.

I thought it might be an interesting idea to share what I find every so often, to make it a little easier on the mom who's crazy busy or for someone who just doesn't know where to look.

Here are a couple ingredients that are in A LOT of products- even one's that call themselves "natural"...
PEG'S - there are many different types, but all are linked to either cancer or organ toxicity or neurotoxicity.
Phenoxyethanol - linked to organ toxicity, some studies have shown it linked to cancer and Japan has restricted this ingredient.