If you are interested, please look at this explanation from the Shaklee website. Read especially the part titled, "UNSURPASSED PRODUCT STANDARDS; TESTING THE LIMITS OF TESTING..." You can find the whole article HERE.
Scientific Testing done by Shaklee
I recently was in dialogue with someone who pushed me to prove why Shaklee products are worthwhile. How do we know for sure they are "naturally safe and proven effective"? What makes them different from any other company?
"Babies are born pre-polluted..." Once again, are you kidding me?
According to the Environmental Working Group, babies can enter the world with as many as 300 chemicals in their bodies. WHAT?! This must be a joke, I thought. A very bad joke. But, in reading and listening to what they had to say, things started adding up. While before the placenta was thought to act as a kind of Super-Guard against toxins getting into the baby's system, that is now known to be only partially true. Yes, the placenta is a great barrier, but certain things get past it, and into the baby's system. Which means the baby is exposed to whatever we, as the mom, is exposed to.
This video is about 22 minutes long. They explain their study and how and why they did it. And their results are very interesting. Please watch this when you get a chance. It's VERY worth watching. It will open your eyes to a LOT.
A condensed version of their results from their website:
"The nation’s toxic chemical regulatory law, the Toxic Substances Control Act, is in drastic need of reform. Passed in 1976 and never amended since, TSCA is widely regarded as the weakest of all major environmental laws on the books today.When passed, the Act declared safe some 62,000 chemicals already on the market, even though there were little or no data to support this policy. Since that time another 20,000 chemicals have been put into commerce in the United States, also with little or no data to support their safety.Testing by Environmental Working Group has identified 455 chemicals in people, and again, no one has any idea if these exposures are safe.We are at a tipping point, where the pollution in people is increasingly associated with a range of serious diseases and conditions from childhood cancer, to autism, ADHD, learning deficits, infertility, and birth defects. Yet even as our knowledge about the link between chemical exposure and human disease grows, the government has almost no authority to protect people from even the most hazardous chemicals on the market."For the whole article, go HERE.So what can we do? If this inspires you to change your lifestyle at all - I'm with you. We can start with cleaning products, food, water, take a look at your cosmetics... contact me if you have questions. Once again, I HIGHLY recommend taking a look HERE, and see what you find.
Organic Lifestyle - Are You Kidding Me?
www.Enviroblog.org is proving to be a GREAT resource for the healthy lifestyle, and give timely "heads-up" information on what is out there, and what you should try to avoid. They post articles on all sorts of issues, and seem to have a good base for their research and for what they say. One such article I just found is on the importance of eating healthy during pregnancy. But they go farther and assert that organic are not just a nice option, but really an important lifestyle choice.
Now, let me say, when I first heard all this, a few things went through my mind:
-Organic? Where am I gonna find that? Why would I bother?
-Pay what? Are you kidding me? I'm doing fine with what I've already been doing.
-This is more of a 'healthy fanatic' viewpoint. I'm gonna stay 'middle-of-the-road' and not freak out about it.
Well, I've got to admit, the more I read and researched, the more interested I became. And slowly I started understanding the whys and hows, as well as the HUGE benefits of changing certain routines I had. And that's the hardest part, believe it or not. We are each used to a certain way, and to change that is to admit that somehow we were wrong or not well-informed in the first place. That's hard. I didn't like it. But... to be able to let go of habits simply because they are habits and change things up a little for the sake of our health and the health of those around us - doesn't turn out to be that hard...
Cloth or disposable diapers: Results!
Thank you so much for all the great responses to the cloth vs. disposable diaper post. It was interesting to see the varied answers I got via this blog, email, and Facebook. Let me summarize:
Disposable Advantages:
-Easy
-Convenient
-Fast
-Cheap
Disposable disadvantages:
-Child's exposure to chemicals and toxins
-Bad on the environment
Cloth Advantage:
-Little to no toxic/chemical exposure for baby.
-Less expensive in the long run.
-Great for the environment
-With new options over the past few years, less rashes for babies
-Really cute! ;-D
Cloth Disadvantage:
-Learning curve
-Need to launder them with natural detergent (which may not actually be a bad switch!) This takes a little more time.
-Money investment at the beginning, though less and less as time goes on. (And even less than that with more babies)
Here are some comments I received. I will keep them all anonymous.
"disposable....they grow up WAY too fast to spend your short time they are in diapers cleaning them.""In the long run, cloth are less expensive (I believe) and probably better for the environment -- disposable diapers never seem to decompose.""Cloth is amazing :) No rashes, amazing for the environment, healthy for baby, not any messier than disposables (and a lot fewer diaper blowouts) and really really cute. :)""I looked into cloth and they were really interesting to me. But I never got the funds to buy them up front. If I could I would use cloth. Disposable is less work, but cloth seems worth the extra work...""both - cloth for home & disposable for travel (& during early weeks)."
And the following was one of the best explanations. She knows and believes in all the reasons for cloth :
"Cloth is better for the environment -- less trash, less crude oil used, which is needed in the making of a disposable. The average disposable contains dyes, fragrance, xylene, ethylbenzene, and sodium polyacrylate which can trigger allergic reactions. Some studies show these diapers release VOC's. When you feel you must use disposables try non chemical disposables carried online in bulk, at certain stores, and Target has a new brand of chemical free disposable. Cloth can be purchsed from Dy-Dee Diaper Service and you launder every 3 days. Dy-dee can wash them for you, you can purchase all-in-one diapers like Fuzzibunz and Bum Genius, Nickis Diapers (there are so many on the market).
We experienced far less diaper rash with cloth and cloth is more breathable. You can check out the gdiaper and even try a cloth diaper inside the gdiaper cover. Babies wear diapers for 2 years on average and don't need to sit in chemicals 24/7. Do a cost comparison sometime and compare the savings of re-using some sort of cloth diaper vs the cost of disposables. And if you are not sure what you want to do, try Dy-Dee Service for one month while you are in postpartum and then experiment to figure out which path is best for you. There are resources where bundles of diapers can be put together and there are websites such as --"
www.kellyscloset.com
www.nickisdiapers.com
www.gdiapers.com
www.dy-dee.com
All I've ever known is disposable, and that's all I've ever used - when baby-sitting, helping other moms, etc. So I know their convenience and ease. But, as I look more and more into the alternatives, and the reasons for the alternatives, I'm intrigued by what is out there. One note stated above is really sticking with me: "Babies wear diapers for 2 years on average and don't need to sit in chemicals 24/7..." That's something to think about.
So... have at it! Take a look at what there is, and decide from there. I've still got a few months, but it's better to find out now than later. The websites above seem to be really good. And check out this one, too, whenever you've got time.
PS: Here's an experienced Mom who gave me some real pointers. I really appreciated her time to share with me. Here's what she had to say:
"And you had asked about the ick factor. It's really not bad at all. Either way you'll have to deal with the poop :-).
Here's my routine and set-up. I have a cheap $5 garbage pail from walmart with a flip-top lid. I have 2 pail linershttp://www.facebook.com/l/;swaddlebees.com/products/Diaper-Accessories/bagprints) that I put in the pail and rotate during washes. I just throw the diapers in the pail (remove the solids if you need to, don't worry about it if you're breastfeeding). I do laundry every 2 days, but you can wait 3. Just throw all the diapers in the wash, the bag included. I do a cold rinse (to rinse out any extra poop), a hot wash, and a cold rinse (this extra rinse makes sure to get out all detergent since detergent can equal rashes and stink).
Line dry the diapers in the sun to get out any stains (the sun will stain out any organic stains on diapers or clothing! Add lemon juice for tougher stains. It's amazing!) Or just run them through the dryer! It's really simple once you get in the routine."
Thank you to all you Moms who shared your experiences with me! Please keep the wisdom coming!
Cloth or disposable diapers?
Dear Moms and Dads, Grandmas and Grandpas, Big sisters and brothers,
I am looking into cloth vs. disposable diapers. I want to know what you think and what your experience has been. Please comment!
Your skin!
I just read this, and I had to pass it on...
"Most people underestimate the ability of the skin to absorb all with which it comes in contact. There is a reason pharmacologists created a birth control patch that adheres to your skin and releases chemicals that alter the hormonal functions of your internal system: Your skin is like a sponge."
The skin is the largest organ of the body - and it absorbs what is around and on it.
That's why we get poison ivy from brushing up against it.
I'm sure this has something to do with tattoos.
That's why lotions and soaps, etc., get under our skin and into our bodies.
That's why laundry detergent is a big deal.
In fact, I heard about one lady who had some tests done, and they found BLUE DYE in her system, because she had been using Tide as her laundry detergent for so many years.
Our skin sucks up the qualities of what surrounds it - which most of the time is clothing and bedsheets - filled with the fragrances and chemicals and toxins we clean them with. Which means, our skin is absorbing all the chemicals, toxins and fragrances we use to keep ourselves clean. And it causes adverse effects and reactions in our bodies. Does this sound crazy to anyone else? Cause it sure sounded crazy to me when I first heard it.
Consider what you are using, what your spouse is using, what you are lathering on your baby. What you are sleeping in. What you wear all day long. The toxin world just got a whole lot closer...
Want some options? Look here.
Losing weight and feeling great!
Think back... way back. To the time when you first decided to lose some weight and go on a diet. What you decided to do, what to eat, what not to eat, how much to work-out, and how much you lost. And remember... how long that lasted. Then think back to how many times you've done the same thing over again.
For me? Resolutions hit all the time. I get a wave of motivation and I commit myself to the Plan. But then a few days goes by and I slip. And I slip again. And I get so frustrated I no longer want to stick with it. That's me. Well-intentioned, but not a 'long-term committer' when it comes to the diet arena.
Then there are those who try everything in the book, and it works for awhile, but inevitably the pounds find them again.
There are, of course, the amazing ones who work-out, stay fit, eat healthy, and don't need to lose another pound! Hey, whoever you are, wherever you are, you've got my admiration, for sure.
Well, if you want an alternative approach to the "yo-yo" method of dieting, this might be something for you to consider. It definitely worked for me, 'til I it was time to give in to the 'baby' weight. But I'm looking forward to doing the program after the baby arrives. Here's what the experts on it have to say... (and I don't mean expert doctors and nurses and physical trainers. I mean the people who struggled with weight gain, tried this after everything else, and it worked! So... back to the experts...)
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