Because natural isn't always possible — or easy.
Posted in Consumer Packaged Goods, Safety, Toxins on Oct 18th, 2012
Do you use detergent pods? If so, you may want to wash them out of your laundry process. Kids have been mistaking them for candy, causing many to ingest them or play with them with serious results, according to a new report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Not familiar [...]
Posted in Consumer Packaged Goods, Environment, Going Green, Health, Toxins on Jul 24th, 2012
There has been plenty of news lately about the dangers of Tricosan, but many people are still puzzled about the chemical. I interviewed Dr. Larry Weiss, chief scientist and founder of hand sanitizer and soap manufacturer CleanWell about the topic. Here are his answers. KB: What is Triclosan? Dr. Weiss: Triclosan and the closely related [...]
Posted in Consumer Packaged Goods, Eating Healthy, parenting, Safety, School and education on Apr 9th, 2012
Let me start out by saying I can’t consume caffeine. It gives me heart palpitations and makes me feel jittery. However, I understand that there are scores of people out there who depend on a caffeine fix to get them going in the morning and keep them up late at night. I get it. I [...]
Posted in Consumer Packaged Goods, Eating Healthy, Food, Going Green, Health, Organic, Siblings, Toxins on Dec 8th, 2011
A recent Consumer Reports story took a look at the safety of apple and grape juices, and the results were less-than-comforting. The organization tested a variety of juices including some organic options and found both arsenic and lead — neurotoxins that can cause a multitude of problems such as bladder, lung, and skin cancer as [...]
Big Girl has a lot of clothing. A. Lot. A LOT. I went a little crazy when she was born, buying so much that many of her outfits were only worn once or twice. (Editorial note: I have calmed down a lot as my concern about the environment has grown.) Anyway, since so much of [...]
Posted in Environment, Health, Illness on May 31st, 2011
Multitasking, I scanned the CNN headlines when one caught my eye: WHO: Cell phone use can increase possible cancer risk. To paraphrase the story, the World Health Organization says that the radiation emitted from cell phones is a “possible carcinogen.” Crap. I was an early cell phone adopter, spending hours on the phone as I [...]
A study popped into my in-box a few minutes ago from the University of Florida Health Science Center: Antibacterial Agent Could Cause Pregnancy Problems. I’ll give you the quick and dirty summary. Researchers think that triclosan interferes with estrogen sulfotransferase, an enzyme that is linked to the metabolism of estrogen. Estrogen that’s supposed to move [...]
Posted in Safety on Oct 27th, 2010
Lenore Skenazy, the author of Free Range Kids, wrote an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal today. In the story — ‘Stranger Danger’ and the Decline of Halloween — she laments parental fear. How we all worry too much. In fact, she says that Halloween has become a testing ground for new parental fears. [...]
We all make choices for our kids. We try and make the right ones. Sometimes the choices work out okay. Sometimes they suck. I am just back from the emergency room because of a few choices I made. I am sad and upset. We went away to Woodloch Pines this past weekend. We had been [...]