"This is a human study that really calls into question FDA's assertion that BPA is safe," said Dr. Anila Jacob of the activist Environmental Working Group.
New information from studies reveal that not only do those poor rats in laboratories have horrible side-effects from exposure to BPA, but - get ready, here it comes: Surprise! - so do human beings. In an excerpt from the article, they note that the FDA was reliant on studies that pointed towards 'no serious adverse side effects' in rats.
Note the use of the terminology, because the FDA is famous for their parsing of words (how do I know? I watched my mother go through a Class-Action lawsuit against Dow over breast implants in the 80's.). It begs the need to request some kind of reference book we can refer to that makes clear what exactly they mean when they say "serious" and "adverse" in the same sentence. Like, say, um, cancer-causing?, or just systemic inflammation? (I'm hoping that some will note here that there is rising belief that inflammation can be cancer-causing.)
Even more disconcerting, note at the end of this quote that they have not done studies on humans because it was deemed inappropriate. Are you kidding me?! So we don't directly test a chemical out on those who will actually be using them, and therefore the most exposed. Especially our newborns, who have bodies that are still developing in crucial ways. I'm over the soft-handed approach towards not testing chemicals on our own kind - yes, I understand that this is an ethically challenged position to take. But what this really means is that WE TEST THEM OUT ON OUR CHILDREN. That is so much more ethically sound, yes? The logic of my own species leaves me in awe:
"BPA was first synthesized in 1891 and came into wide use in the 1940s and 1950s because of the durability and light weight of polycarbonates.
Some BPA remains intact in the plastic and leaches out over time, particularly when it comes in contact with hot liquids or acidic foods.
The chemical industry and the FDA have long relied on two large animal studies showing that high concentrations of the chemical fed to rodents produced no serious adverse effects.
There had been no previous large studies of the chemical in humans because researchers considered such testing inappropriate."
Read the full article and watch the video: Here
Looking for BPA free items?
Even better - don't use plastic at all! This is my choice for bottles: glass. I have found them at Target as well. So far I've only found Evenflo with glass.
And for stainless steel sippy cups, all the rage: Klean Kanteen uses Avent sippy tops.
Or you find that you need plastic (say, you've got a Slugger in your house who likes to chuck things against the wall? I do), here you can get BPA free baby bottles: Born Free
We used these for roadtrips, though I still prefer the stainless steel. I've found that the nipples don't last as long, and their sippies tend to leak - but, yes, I still feel it's worth it. I also see on their website that they have all kinds of new products out, so now there's no excuse. They also have glass bottles.
And here, Avent has now offering BPA free as well (they have some great sippy cups):
Avent
Press on!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Kindling For The Fire: Rising Appalachia
I've been meaning to get to this for such a while now... sometimes you hear a chord struck, or a voice released and you can't go back.
Back to thoughts that have no meaning, no purpose. Back to anger and frustration. Back to small and little thoughts that cause hurt and division to grow and fester. Back to the ping-ping of cheap music called Pop in today's shallow struggle.
Rising Appalachia creates the kind of music that makes my heart sing - makes me want to open and expand. Makes me want to throw all the mundane tasks of the day aside, get up off my seat and dance a jig. I hear the fiddle of my ancestors, the hum of my heritage in their efforts. And damn, I am thankful!
I was turned on to these two at Plant Journeys blog (the lovely Ananda), so drop on by there and give her a holler' of thanks. In the meantime, if you like good ol' fashioned harmonies and a vibe that embraces today while it glories in the times of old, check out these two sistahs at their myspace page.
Go, now!
Rise up and dance!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Shoppe News: Breast Balm Batch Gone Awry
I'm frustrated and sad to say that I am currently putting the production of Breast Balm on hold.
Our most recent batch did not cure well, even though we followed our rather precise recipe. As anyone who makes natural products such as salves and balms or lotions knows, sometimes you simply cannot entirely control the outcome. While the ingredients are all the same and from excellent sources or harvests, the consistency is not the usual; and therefore we do not feel this batch represents our usual high-quality product. We want you, our vendors and customers, to have only our best. So until we decide how to proceed, we are setting aside production of the balm.
We'll keep you posted as to when it may - if at all - return. Thanks for your support and encouragement, always good medicine!
Our most recent batch did not cure well, even though we followed our rather precise recipe. As anyone who makes natural products such as salves and balms or lotions knows, sometimes you simply cannot entirely control the outcome. While the ingredients are all the same and from excellent sources or harvests, the consistency is not the usual; and therefore we do not feel this batch represents our usual high-quality product. We want you, our vendors and customers, to have only our best. So until we decide how to proceed, we are setting aside production of the balm.
We'll keep you posted as to when it may - if at all - return. Thanks for your support and encouragement, always good medicine!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Shoppe News: Seasonal Teas, wherefore art thou?
Someone out there, we are sure, is wondering what happened to the Seasonal tea line. We hope in the coming year to pick this up again, but for now that line of teas will be put on hold.
With rising gas prices quickly causing a rise in cost to produce, as well as a lag in sales everywhere, we found that it was difficult to be introducing limited run tea blends. We are a small, 'mom and pop' type business, which basically means we are not able to absorb costs for such a crazy market right now.
The upside of this is that Lilith's Spring Equinox Passion Tea was a huge hit! We've decided that Passion needs to stick around for awhile, so this tea has been moved into a regular blend. That means you can get your delicious Passion Tea even now, as we watch the summertime wane into Autumn. Drink deep and enjoy!
With rising gas prices quickly causing a rise in cost to produce, as well as a lag in sales everywhere, we found that it was difficult to be introducing limited run tea blends. We are a small, 'mom and pop' type business, which basically means we are not able to absorb costs for such a crazy market right now.
The upside of this is that Lilith's Spring Equinox Passion Tea was a huge hit! We've decided that Passion needs to stick around for awhile, so this tea has been moved into a regular blend. That means you can get your delicious Passion Tea even now, as we watch the summertime wane into Autumn. Drink deep and enjoy!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Shoppe News: Breast Balm
Excuses, excuses... we have many. But let's just move on to the important stuff, shall we?
We've been having a lot of hiccups with the production of Breast Balm recently, as some of our customers know. (Apparently, we've also been having a lot of hiccups with blog updates, obviously!)
I'm pretty picky about the ingredients that I use for all our items. And this season I ran into delay after delay trying to get a hold of some good, fresh Dandelion Blossom oil. I prefer to make my oils myself, which means that you need to seek out the flowers at the right time, harvest and process them. For various reasons (you can take your pick - teething baby who decided not to sleep for a month, or not being able to find true Dandelion blossoms in a good, healthy environment far enough off any road areas, or needing to travel to visit ill family during a bumper crop of blossoms, I could go on...), I missed the window a bit ago, so I was sent searching for a good source of fresh oil. When I did think I had found some, it was not very good quality. More delays.
I now believe that I have found it! And so I am hoping to have a fresh new batch out for the pleasure of all this coming week. So, if you have been patiently waiting for your back-ordered Breast Balm (say that five times fast), then you are about to be rewarded! And as always, we thank you for your patronage and your support while we have worked through this.
Be Well - and Spread the Love!
We've been having a lot of hiccups with the production of Breast Balm recently, as some of our customers know. (Apparently, we've also been having a lot of hiccups with blog updates, obviously!)
I'm pretty picky about the ingredients that I use for all our items. And this season I ran into delay after delay trying to get a hold of some good, fresh Dandelion Blossom oil. I prefer to make my oils myself, which means that you need to seek out the flowers at the right time, harvest and process them. For various reasons (you can take your pick - teething baby who decided not to sleep for a month, or not being able to find true Dandelion blossoms in a good, healthy environment far enough off any road areas, or needing to travel to visit ill family during a bumper crop of blossoms, I could go on...), I missed the window a bit ago, so I was sent searching for a good source of fresh oil. When I did think I had found some, it was not very good quality. More delays.
I now believe that I have found it! And so I am hoping to have a fresh new batch out for the pleasure of all this coming week. So, if you have been patiently waiting for your back-ordered Breast Balm (say that five times fast), then you are about to be rewarded! And as always, we thank you for your patronage and your support while we have worked through this.
Be Well - and Spread the Love!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
What's Goin' On: Screwy, indeed...
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Unbelievable... oh, wait...if you are a parent, you need to know this
Well, getting right to it (more on where I have been later) an amazing, incredulous agenda floated out there the other day that all parents should be warned about. Drugs that are peddled to adults are just as dandy for children! Here
There are a lot of things wrong with this. The first thing being that often the issues at hand that they claim these drugs (oh, and lowfat milk) could address can in most cases be handled with diet and exercise (or would that just be, I don't know, too easy?). We are indeed in a crazy world when we consistently look to drugs for the cures of things we create due to our own personal negligence. And before people start to claim that all the onslaught of obesity in this country is due to genes (yes, it is, sometimes), please take the time to read about the information that has been building explaining why the lowfat craze, even the trusty 'food guide pyramid' has been so bad for us. That, and the fashionable habit nowadays of sitting around in front of our computers all the time.
Luckily, some medical professionals are willing to talk some sense about it.
Read about here
The anecdote? Get outside. Run, walk, breath deep and maybe play hopscotch. Laugh until your sides bust as you ride with your kids down the slide. Eat in moderation, and consider that maybe you don't need the super-sizes, or the Red Bulls, or even (gasp!) grain. Educate yourself about the history of diet -- what our ancestors ate, what we are designed to eat, and why. And the revolution of agriculture, the industrial era, and how these things have effected our diets, our way of life. Seems like a lot, I know. There are a lot of books out there if you are curious. I'll make a list of some that are worth reading.
More info/comments to come...
There are a lot of things wrong with this. The first thing being that often the issues at hand that they claim these drugs (oh, and lowfat milk) could address can in most cases be handled with diet and exercise (or would that just be, I don't know, too easy?). We are indeed in a crazy world when we consistently look to drugs for the cures of things we create due to our own personal negligence. And before people start to claim that all the onslaught of obesity in this country is due to genes (yes, it is, sometimes), please take the time to read about the information that has been building explaining why the lowfat craze, even the trusty 'food guide pyramid' has been so bad for us. That, and the fashionable habit nowadays of sitting around in front of our computers all the time.
Luckily, some medical professionals are willing to talk some sense about it.
Read about here
The anecdote? Get outside. Run, walk, breath deep and maybe play hopscotch. Laugh until your sides bust as you ride with your kids down the slide. Eat in moderation, and consider that maybe you don't need the super-sizes, or the Red Bulls, or even (gasp!) grain. Educate yourself about the history of diet -- what our ancestors ate, what we are designed to eat, and why. And the revolution of agriculture, the industrial era, and how these things have effected our diets, our way of life. Seems like a lot, I know. There are a lot of books out there if you are curious. I'll make a list of some that are worth reading.
More info/comments to come...
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