Thursday, May 29, 2008

A Beautiful Video

Here's a link to a beautiful video of one family's journey through the births of their children--from natural hospital births to homebirths to unassisted homebirth:

http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=4ac8e7d36cef07fba37a44&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

What a wonderful, inspiring video! Enjoy!

www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

Saturday, May 24, 2008

The Green Bag Lady--Get Your FREE Bag!

Today I discovered the self-dubbed "Green Bag Lady ". This "bag" lady makes cloth shopping bags for people - for FREE - in an effort to cut down on the ridiculous number of plastic bags our society consumes. It’s really as good as it sounds. You just ask for a free bag, she ships you one, and you promise to use it!

Go, get your free Green Bag Lady bag at http://www.greenbaglady.blogspot.com/!

P.S. Do you have unused fabric just sitting in your closets? Send it to the Green Bag Lady! She makes her bags only from donated fabrics. I'll be searching my house to find any scraps of unused fabric to send to her.

www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

Friday, May 23, 2008

The Gratitude Campaign

I thought it was definitely worth passing on.



Have you ever seen one of our military walking past you and wanted to convey to them your thanks, but weren't sure how or it felt awkward? Recently, a gentleman from Seattle created a gesture which could be used and has started a massive movement to get the word out. Please everybody take just a moment to watch....



The Gratitude Campaign;...and then forward it to your friends!



http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/shortmovie.php



http://www.awelllivedlife.net/

www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

More proof that vaccines are dangerous

Primates Given Vaccines Develop Symptoms of Autism(http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/)
Please note: This study was presented at a scientific meeting. All authors and organizations associated with this study are withholding comment until publication. All quotes in this release have been taken from the study abstracts presented at IMFAR.

National Autism Association Statement

A new landmark study from Dr. Laura Hewittson of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine further substantiates a vaccine link to the autism epidemic. Dr. Hewitson reported at IMFAR that monkeys given the same vaccine schedule of US children developed symptoms of autism. “Dr. Hewitson and a respected team of scientists have filled in a missing piece of the vaccine injury – autism puzzle,” Scott Bono, Chairman of the Board of the National Autism Association (NAA) stated when discussing the findings. “This study is exactly the type of study that families of vaccine injured individuals living with autism have long requested – a primate study that actually evaluates the shot schedule linked to the autism epidemic.”

Laura C. Hewitson, PhD presented findings at the prestigious International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) in London that included ‘measurable evidence of developmental delays, behavior problems and brain changes that mimic certain neurological abnormalities of autism in the vaccinated monkeys.’ Conducting the study on macaque monkey infants, scientists found evidence of both behavioral and biological changes after the exposed monkeys were administered proportional doses, adjusted for age, of the vaccines recommended between 1994 and 1999. Using standardized tests the team looked at primate development, cognition and social behavior. They also conducted MRI and PET scans to look for brain changes.
Collaborating on this research study is a member of NAA's Scientific Advisory Board, Dr. Andrew Wakefield. “Dr. Wakefield has come under attack because he dared evaluate and treat the biomedical needs of autistic children and then report his findings to his peers. He remains a hero in our community and should be knighted not attacked by the British government,” Mr. Bono concluded.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Amazing video of baby born in caul

Here is a link to an absolutely amazing video of a baby being born with the amniotic sac still intact: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3npxGfBHWbk

Baby Born at Baby Love Birth Center in Cape Coral, FL.
The "bag of waters" stays intact until the baby is born and baby is born "in caul", which is said to confer special sight to a baby. Due to the impatience of modern obstetrics, most babies have their sacs"broken" during labor [routinely,] in the theory [repeat: theory] that birth will occur faster. We prefer to leave moms and babies undisturbed. I would like for people to see what is possible when you leave things as nature intended. Baby was born healthy, 7 pounds 5 ounces.

Being born in the caul -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childbirth#Being_born_in_the_caul

www.AWellLivedLife.Net
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Saturday, May 10, 2008

Happy Mother's Day

For All My Favorite Moms by Anna Quindlen, Newsweek Columnist and Author

All my babies are gone now. I say this not in sorrow but in disbelief. I take great satisfaction in what I have today: three almost-adults, two taller than I am, one closing in fast. Three people who read the same books I do and have learned not to be afraid of disagreeing with me in their opinion of them, who sometimes tell vulgar jokes that make me laugh until I choke and cry, who need razor blades and shower gel and privacy, who want to keep their doors closed more than I like. Who, miraculously, go to the bathroom, zip up their jackets and move food from plate to mouth all by themselves. Like the trick soap I bought for the bathroom with a rubber ducky at its center, the baby is buried deep within each, barely discernible except through the unreliable haze of the past.

Everything in all the books I once poured over is finished for me now. Penelope Leach., T. Berry Brazelton, Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early-childhood education, all grown obsolete. Along with Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things Are, they are battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the pages dust would rise like memories. What those books taught me, finally, and what the women on the playground taught me, and the well-meaning relations --what they taught me, was that they couldn't really teach me very much at all.

Raising children is presented at first as a true-false test, then becomes multiple choice, until finally, far along, you realize that it is an endless essay. No one knows anything. One child responds well to positive reinforcement, another can be managed only with a stern voice and a timeout. One child is toilet trained at 3, his sibling at 2. When my first child was born, parents were told to put baby to bed on his belly so that he would not choke on his own spit-up. By the time my last arrived, babies were put down on their backs because of research on sudden infant death syndrome. To a new parent this ever-shifting certainty is terrifying, and then soothing.

Eventually you must learn to trust yourself. Eventually the research will follow. I remember 15 years ago poring over one of Dr. Brazelton's wonderful books on child development, in which he describes three different sorts of infants: average, quiet, and active. I was looking for a sub-quiet codicil for an 18-month old who did not walk. Was there something wrong with his fat little legs? Was there something wrong with his tiny little mind? Was he developmentally delayed, physically challenged? Was I insane? Last year he went to China. Next year he goes to college. He can talk just fine. He can walk, too.

Every part of raising children is humbling, too. Believe me, mistakes were made. They have all been enshrined in the "Remember-When-Mom-Did" Hall of Fame. The outbursts, the temper tantrums, the bad language, mine, not theirs. The times the baby fell off the bed. The times I arrived late for preschool pickup. The nightmare sleepover. The horrible summer camp. The day when the youngest came barreling out of the classroom with a 98 on her geography test, and I responded, "What did you get wrong?" (She insisted I include that.) The time I ordered food at the McDonald's drive-through speaker and then drove away without picking it up from the window. (They all insisted I include that.) I did not allow them to watch the Simpsons for the first two seasons. What was I thinking?

But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of them, sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4 and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less. Even today I'm not sure what worked and what didn't, what was me and what was simply life.

When they were very small, I suppose I thought someday they would become who they were because of what I'd done. Now I suspect they simply grew into their true selves because they demanded in a thousand ways that I back off and let them be. The books said to be relaxed and I was often tense, matter-of-fact and I was sometimes over the top. And look how it all turned out. I wound up with the three people I like best in the world who have done more than anyone to excavate my essential humanity. That's what the books never told me. I was bound and determined to learn from the experts. It just took me a while to figure out who the experts were.

Happy Mother's Day!

www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

It's Mosquito season...Go DEET-free

So, why should you go DEET-Free???



The answer will startle you...

Duke University Medical Center has sponsored numerous studies on the harmful effects of DEET. Below is an excerpt from their most recent study on the long-term exposure of DEET-based products. Every year, approximately one-third of the U.S. population uses insect repellants containing DEET to ward off mosquitoes and other pests. At present, DEET is used in more than 230 products with concentrations up to100 percent. However, DEET should be used with caution due to its possible damaging effects on brain cells. Studies have shown that DEET causes brain cell death and behavioral changes in rats after frequent and prolonged use. This exposure causes neurons to die in regions of the brain that control muscle movement, learning, memory, and concentration. Rats treated with an average human dose of DEET (40 mg/kg body weight) performed far worse when challenged with physical tasks requiring muscle control, strength and coordination. These findings are consistent with reported human symptoms following DEET's use by the military in the Persian Gulf War. With heavy exposure to DEET and other insecticides, humans may experience memory loss, headache, weakness, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, tremors and shortness of breath. These symptoms may not be evident until months or even years after exposure. The most severe damage occurs when DEET is used concurrently with other insecticides, such as permethrin, for prolonged and frequent periods of time. Duke University Medical Center Pharmacologist Dr. Mohamed Abou-Donia has spent 30 years researching the effects of pesticides such as DEET. He has found that prolonged exposure to DEET can impair functioning in parts of the brain."Damage to these areas could result in problems with muscle coordination,muscle weakness, walking or even memory and cognition."Abou-Donia says rats given even small doses of DEET for 60 days had a harder time accomplishing even the easiest tasks. Abou-Donia says short-term exposure to DEET does not appear to be harmful, but warns against using any product with more than a 30 percent concentration. Use as little of the product as you can, and don't use a product containing DEET if you're taking any medication. "We found that the combined exposure to DEET and other chemicals is more dangerous than just DEET alone."Abou-Donia also warns to never put a product containing DEET on an infant's or child's skin.



So what is a concerned holistic mama supposed to do to keep her family mosquito bite-free?



Here's my recommendation:



Miessence's Buzz Free Zone Personal Spray
Size : 125 ml/4.2 fl.oz
Price ex-tax : $14.50

Description:
Make your outdoor experience more pleasant with Mother Nature’s help. We use a potent combination of pure essential oils and organic herbal extracts, with absolutely no chemical nasties!
How: Spray freely over exposed skin.
Ingredients:
Organic Aloe Vera leaf juice,
Purified Water,
Proprietry Blend of Essential Oils,
Organic Tea Tree Essential Oil,
Organic Blue Mallee Eucalyptus Essential Oil,
Organic Citronella Essential Oil,
Organic Catnip Essential Oil,
Pennyroyal Essential Oil ,
Organic lemon-scented tea tree essential oil,
Natural Gum,
Neem Extract,
Thyme Essential Oil,
Pine Essential Oil,
Organic Peppermint Essential Oil,
Organic Lemon Myrtle Essential Oil,
Organic Lavender Essential Oil



Go to this link to learn more or place an order: https://garneryeh.mionegroup.com/product/16101



http://www.awelllivedlife.net/

http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/

Friday, May 2, 2008

Here's some great information...thanks to the Green Mama Team from Holistic Mom Network's national group.

Tip of The Week: 8 Chemicals to Avoid in Personal Care Products

Weekly Tip From The Green Mama Team
8 Chemicals to Avoid in Personal Care Products
1. Sodium Laurel Sulphate (sls) - Acts as a penetration enhancer. This chemical alters the structure of the skin and allows chemicals to penetrate deep into the skin, increasing the amount of chemicals reaching the blood stream.
2. Parabens - Used as a preservative. This chemical may impair fertility; alter hormone levels; increase risks for certain types of cancers; alter reproductive development, cause skin irritation, rashes, and allergic reactions; and some studies have found parabens in breast tumors.
3. Propylene Glycol - This chemical acts as a penetration enhancer and keeps products from melting in high heat or freezing when it is cold. This chemical alters the structure of the skin by allowing chemicals to penetrate deep beneath it while increasing their ability to reach the blood stream. It can also be a skin irritant and cause allergic reactions.
4. Phthalates - Industrial chemicals used as solvents and plasticizers in cosmetics. Phthalates can damage the liver, kidneys, and lungs and acts as a reproductive toxin in males.
5. Oxybenzone - most often found in sunscreen. Linked to allergies, hormone disruption and cell damage.
6. Cocamide DEA/Lauramide DEA - An emulsifying agent in cosmetics and as a foaming and cleansing agent to improve how one's mouth feels. May contain impurities connected with certain types of cancers. After absorption through the skin, it can create carcinogenic compounds called nitrosamines. Insufficient toxicity data is available to determine the safety of the product when inhaled.
7. Petrolatum - This is a petrochemical that forms a barrier on skin, making lipstick shine and creams smoother and skin softer. This chemical may contain harmful impurities that may break down into chemicals linked to cancer. It also may cause allergic reactions and other significant health problems. It is banned by the European Union.
8. Coal Tar Colors - So-called coal-tar chemicals are found in many "FD&C" or "D&C" colorsused in makeup and hair dye. FD&C Blue 1 and FD &C Green 3 are carcinogenic, and impurities in other colors -- D&C Red 33, FD&C Yellow 5 and FD&C Yellow 6 -- have been shown to cause cancer when applied to the skin.

Tips compiled by Holistic Moms Network Green Mama Team, April 2008.

Sources: Chemicals to Avoid in Everyday Personal Care Products - Healthy U, Northwestern Health Sciences University, www.nwhealth.edu
The Green Guide, Dirty Dozen SSC, Jan.04, www.thegreenguide.com
For further information:“An Organic Guide to Healthy Skin: It's All in the Ingredients”: http://www.nwhealth.edu/healthyU/stayHealthy/cos3.html
(Provides examples of chemicals and organic alternatives to look for)http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1 (Searchable database of millions of cosmetic products, gives detailed information about the content and any ingredients that are potentially harmful)
“Organic Body Care Recipes: 175 Homemade Herbal Formulas for Glowing Skin & a Vibrant Self” by Stephanie Tourles
“A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients: Complete Information About the Harmful and Desirable Ingredients Found in Cosmetics and Cosmeceuticals” by Ruth Winter

To join Holistic Moms Network, go to www.holisticmoms.org

www.AWellLivedLife.net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

To learn more about completely natural, safe products for your family that are certified organic to food grade levels, please go to my website & click on Miessence.