Enviro Mentality

A neighbor commented that her 8 year old granddaughter is ‘developing.’  I shook my head  & thought, ‘ That’s too early.’  because it doesn’t seem right that an 8 year old should be heading into puberty.  It should be  at least around 11 or 12 at minimum. Studies over the past 20 years confirm that girls are maturing at an earlier age.

African-American girls have earlier onsets of puberty than White girls do by a year or two.  Average age for the start of breast development are about 8.8 yrs. for African-Americans as compared to about 10 for Whites.A study done in 1997, Herman-Giddons was compiled from the journal, Pediatrics and confirms that the age trend is lower.  Doctors and mothers report that indeed, girls are entering puberty much earlier than they did 30 or 40 years ago.

Why is this?  Several indications are that the increased use of chemicals and pesticides over the last 40 years have played a role.  These chemicals are endocrine disruptors, which throw the hormone levels off by mimicking other hormones, fooling the body.

Increased use of plastics in food containers (phalates) and personal care as well as all aspects of modern human life have shown to impact hormone responses.  Artificial ingredients in food, personal care products all contribute to messing up one’s system.  One study even focused on the hair products that African-Americans use versus that of White girls revealing that ingredients in African-American hair products were more likely to contain estrogen or placental products, again affecting hormonal responses.

Our lives are changing and chemicals are playing a large part.  Do what you can to eliminate them whenever possible.

That organic food in your freezer or refrigerator is probably owned by Kraft, Cargill, Kellogg, Pepsi, Hershey, M&M, Coca Cola and others.  Click here fora link to research done by Phil Howard, Assistant Professor at Michigan University.

It’s obvious that ‘big food’ wants to cash in on the recent rise in demand for organics.  Private labels go from Wal-Mart, Costco, Sam’s Club, Kroger, Target and down to more ‘organic’ companies like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.

Ah, but things get dicey when the so-called ‘organics’ get caught with their pants down like Aurora Dairy did in 2007.  Co-mingling non-organic milk with organic, stepping outside the organic standards for feed and bedding,  moving cows from organic facilities to non-organic and continuing to claim milk was organic, and failure to process milk according to the National Organic Program (NOP), and along with a host of other violations. These ‘greenwashed’ products often contain pesticides, antibiotics, growth hormones from cross contamination.

Wal-Mart too, has been involved in investigations which allege ‘greenwashing‘ of its products.

What IS Organic?  Watch this short video and see if you are making a difference with your purchases.

Organic certification is under attack.Go to these sites to read more about….

Beauty and Cosmetics: http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/index.cfm

Food: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=4756

To HELP PRESERVE ORGANICS, visit the Organic Consumer’s page and use their links to fight back FOR ORGANICS!

Chemicals enter your body in a number of ways.  Hair coloring is one of the most common methods.  Most women color their hair once or twice a month.  This gives a dose of toxins which is absorbed through the scalp.  Chemical hair coloring and even some of the so called ‘natural dyes’ contain large amounts of carcinogenic compounds.  Additionally, these chemicals also damage hair and lead to many scalp problems and infections.

If you maintain a natural lifestyle, trying to limit yourself to toxins and chemicals - does it make sense to use chemical hair dyes? No…..

Henna has been used for thousands of years.  This plant-based dye, in it’s purest form, contains no chemicals. It also adds shine to the hair, bringing back the luster lost from chemical hair dyes.

So instead of heading to the beauty shop for your dose of chemicals, why not try natural henna instead? Your hair will probably thank you!

It used to be that only older women dyed their hair.  In recent years, in an attempt to ’show their individuality’, more young women under age 30 have begun to regularly color their hair.  This adds 20, 30 years - or more - to the potentially toxic exposure of chemical hair dyes. Some girls change the color of their hair once or twice a month.  Think of the dose of chemicals they are giving themselves!

As the use of hair dye increases, (3 in every 5 women)  according to published studies, there was also a link to a double risk in non-Hodgkins lymphoma for women who have used chemical hair dyes over 25 years, especially if they used dark colors.  The lighter to color you’re trying to achieve, the higher the toxic exposure. Studies have also found that hair dyes are linked to increased rates of bladder cancer.

Chemical based hair dyes have many potential cancer causing and endocrine (hormone) disrupting toxins. Some ingredients, particularly lead acetate and sulfur, react to make the color.  This combination has been found to be extremely toxic by the FDA, and is popular in many dyes, especially in a best selling men’s dye.

A known carcinogen, called 4-ABP, is found in hair dye products which are commonly sold in supermarkets and used in salons. Although not a listed ingredient in the chemical hair dyes, it is a by-product of the processing. Recently science has found that the actual chemical action  of the dye (oxidizing)  on the hair  can contribute to the formation of compounds which promote cancer.

Some popular health store brands, which claim to be natural hair dyes, reveal that most contain two or more FDA-reviewed carcinogens: 4-methoxy-m-phenylenediamine (4-MMPD) and 4-methoxy-m-phenylenediamine sulphate (4-MMPD sulphate).   Other chemicals generally believed to be harmful, including: Resorcinol, O-Aminophenol, Ethan-olamine, Propylene Glycol, Nonoxynol.   According to John Corbett, Ph.D., vice president of the CTFA’s scientific and technical affairs committee, says, “If a natural product contains words like amino, nitro or phenyl or names of colors starting with the letters HC, the product is not natural.”

The good news is that  natural henna hair dyes which contain no artificial ingredients such as ammonia, peroxide, PPD (p-phenylenediamine) are a safe alternative.

Henna, which is made from plant extracts, is a natural hair dye that  actually nourishes the hair instead of stripping it. It also alleviates the risk of scalp infections, broken, dull hair, adding to body, strength and thickness.  This natural hair dye has been used for thousands of years from Cleopatra and Neferteri, but has also been used on nails and body art.

Using henna hair dyes may take a bit longer than chemical hair dyes.  The best way is to do the application twice.  Make the paste like a cake batter, add an egg or olive oil to seal in the moisture, apply it, then wait for 30 minutes or so.  Follow with another coloring. The first application lays down the color; the second puts the color over it.

When you use a natural hair dye such as henna, you are eliminating a large chemical load - and adding to peace of mind that your hair color is natural and safe!