Coconut Creme Brought Such Happiness

It's the long awaited post on.....coconut creme. Coconut creme creamer is a deliciousness I first saw mentioned in a post by another blogger---and since I love some coconut flavor these days, I finally found it in our local stores. While I definitely recognize prepared creamer is oh.so.not.healthy for hub and I, it's one of our habits we picked up when we got married and it's one I'm not yet ready to shake. Before hub and I got together, I used regular soy milk and some brown sugar, but now that we've switched to espresso there's just something oh.so.delicious about legit sugared creamer. (Please do as I say, not as I do in this case, dear health students.....)

So imagine my surprise when I posted a picture similar to the one above on Facebook, only to have commentary ensue about how there were healthier, less-processed alternatives available! Oh my word----I was in heaven!!! Forget the fact that I was being schooled.....I was being schooled!!!!! :) And I loved every.single.minute of it. Comments got added about where I could find homemade alternatives and how others were integrating less-processed, more natural homemade food into their lives. Rock my world---natural living is truly going mainstream....and I couldn't be happier. The fact that these comments and resources are routinely showing up on social media (Facebook and Pinterest, etc) and are being shared frequently leaves me OH SO HAPPY.

Which leads me to discussion on one of my high school best gals (of whom I have received permission to post about on this blog---I always try to ask permission before mentioning people). My best gal D is an Oregon gal through and through, although in many regards she and I have been incredibly different individuals throughout the 15? years that we've known each other. (Good golly 15 years!) We met in high school Spanish class and learned to enjoy each other as volunteer partners at our community hospital. And we've had all sorts of moments in between since then full of unconditional love and other moments of butting heads, which is why I consider her husband and her to be more like additional surrogate siblings rather than just my friends. (Plus have I mentioned my hub and her hub share a best friend, which is how hub and I met?!)

Over the years, D has read my blog off and on and while we haven't shared the same viewpoints on many things, becoming a mama this year has most definitely made D quite a bit crunchier....and while I'm always proud of who she is, I'm even more oh so proud of the advocate she's becoming. This lady is constantly teaching me new things about natural mama-hood and providing me links to things that I might pass on to others or one day want to know for myself. And really she's developed quite the following cause in a lot of ways she's the perfect candidate to educate others AND have them listen. Cause here's the thing: most the time when I post something about toxins, chemical exposures, natural living etc on Facebook people skim over it because it's just another post coming from liberal, public healthy me.....but the most amazingly awesome thing is that when D posts something similar people ACTUALLY pay attention, read, learn, and frequently attempt change. D has the uncanny ability to breech both worlds---those that are still very much in the mainstream mind frame and those that are already in or starting down the path of natural parenting/living, etc. And while it might sound cliche, it's legitimately a beautiful thing to be watching and I'm 100% enjoying learning from D as well. This year it's been such a joy to watch her develop via her pregnancy and birth her adorable lil man, who has created such a deep love within his mama. And the addition of watching her find and share this passion has been an even greater gift.

So here's to all the ways that natural living is becoming a new norm....and I'm oh so hopeful that it will keep continuing!

Indoor Air Pollution: Nursery & Chemicals

While it's not a youtube clip so I can't directly link to the video, please take time to watch the following news clip by ABC news: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/testing-chemicals-indoor-air-15393188

The clip is a special report done on indoor air pollution, including chemical exposures by the off-gassing of our homes. During the clip, they measure the air quality inside a new nursery and discover the presence of 300 chemicals in the air. Further analysis of those chemicals, finds that several of them are indeed harmful to human health......

Take a moment to educate.....and hopefully advocate......

Why I Care So Much about Personal Care Products

Here's an approximate snap shot into hub's and my conversation as we were laying in bed last night:

Me: Feel my hand it's SO soft from using that coconut oil on my skin.
Hub: Where'd you get it?
Me: It's that jar that I bought that's been in the kitchen. I have to warm it up but it's amazing--coats well and was great for a bit of self-massage. Roxi was licking my legs like crazy cause she thought it tasted good, so I put on pants.
Hub: (laughing) I bet she loves it! That's funny though cause I thought that jar is for cooking.
Me: Well, it IS for cooking but it can be used on the body....it even says so on the back of the jar! I'd been thinking about buying some and then K sent me a link on it out-of-the-blue and D added to it and it has all sorts of health benefits. Plus some schools of thought think that since our skin is so porous that we shouldn't put anything on it that we wouldn't eat anyway.

Hub: Definitely makes sense and I'm glad you're liking it!
____________________________________________

Now I've only been using it for two days folks, but so far I am AB-SO-LUTELY smitten. I slathered it on with that self-massage in place of my daily moisturizer last night. I applied a tiny bit as my face moisturizer after washing my face this morning, and I slathered up with it after my shower tonight. So far my skin feels great. I haven't decided if I'll stick with it as my morning routine too and it does take a bit of time cause I have to warm up the jar for it to melt into oil, but my skin feels and looks great!

So folks, I'm truly thinking that the coconut oil is here to stay as part of my increasingly more natural beauty routine:

_____________________________________________
It dawned on me that as much as I've written about green living and my use of certain products, I don't know that I've ever really gone into some of the whys about it, so here ya go and get ready for a lil soapbox lecture, although some of you already know most of this.

A) I got into public health originally because my father was diagnosed with cancer due to environmental causes, which lead me to wonder what exactly in the environment could have led to his cancer development. What I didn't know was that the can of worms would so completely open and I'd learn more than I ever wanted to. Ignorance sometimes feels blissful, although the majority of the population has no clue about the harmful substances they are surrounded by...and many of us feel that there's not too much we can do about it even when the knowledge arrives....except to attempt improved personal choices.

B) What this means is that of the approximate 80,000 chemicals out on the market, only 200 of those have been tested by the government as to their health effects....and of those only a handful have been banned for negative health effects in the United States. For the most part industry determines what is "safe" and what is not, and they tend to operate on an "it's safe until its proven otherwise" rather than via the precautionary principle (until its proven to be safe then lets not have the public exposed to it). There are multiple other factors to consider about human exposure too. Some chemicals have been found to have worse effects in small amounts than large (which boggle the human mind, but the human body can also boggle the human mind). And most research that exists is based on a one-time exposure for a certain amount of time.....and does not include cross-contamination. What this means is this: if you apply your lip gloss frequently, then the estimated health effects via the original research is no longer valid. If you apply chap stick AND lip gloss there is a chemical interaction occurring that has not been researched either and any individual research done by the separate industries is no longer true.

C) This multiple exposure issue matters because how frequently are we ever exposed to just one chemical? Your carpet, furniture, car, etc are all off-gassing all the time. Your clothes are made of materials that were coated in chemicals. Your cookware has chemicals, your food is GMO and/or coated in pesticides, dishes & etc-- all are made up of various substances. And how many of you only use ONE personal care product? ALL of these exposures build up in our systems and have the capacity to negatively effect our health. Sure some of them break down quickly but others of them last in our systems and in our environment years beyond their common use. Case in point: recent body studies of individuals have found chemicals that were banned decades ago in the bodies of people born after the chemical was banned. (This can be due to exposure via the environment where the chemical has yet to break down in nature or via the following point....)

D) We're all carrying around hundreds (if not more) chemicals in our bodies that is known as our body burden. You add in the principle of bioaccumulation (think chemical gets eaten by little fish which gets eaten by bigger fish which gets eaten by even bigger fish which gets eaten by human which passes it on to its offspring, since infants are at the top of all food chains.....) and that means that each generation continues to pass its load onto the next. Scientists have measured cord blood in newborns and found that most babies born today have about 300 toxins at birth. Now just imagine the lifetime exposure to more chemicals....and welcome to the life experiment we're all in yet no one signed informed consent. (You can read more about this quickly here or via the books: Body Toxic by Nena Baker and Having Faith by Sandra Steingraber.)

E) And so because of all of THAT I have spent the last several years trying to cut down some of my exposures. There are some things that I can't do too much about---there's always going to be new carpet, new furniture, paint, etc somewhere. And there are some points where I need to do more (case in point: we have stainless steel & copper pots and a cast iron pan but we still use non-stick regularly, plus much of our food is not organic.....). However there are also other products that I use day in and day out.....and many of these are ones I have taken the time to try to find healthier options for. However the more I'm contemplating potentially having a bio baby in the next few years, the more I'm realizing I need to be even more mindful and do more to impact product choices across the board if possible.

F) The area I have probably done the best in over the years has been to reduce the harmful effects based on the ingredients in my personal care products. Generally speaking I use the Skin Deep database by EWG to check out my products. Before I knew about the database, I wrongly thought that anything in the "natural" aisle must be okay, so I used to use things like Nature's Gate shampoo, etc. Most our soap & shampoo got switched over to Burt's Bees after using the database, but in re-checking my products out for this post it appears that the sell-out of Burts to Clorox has increased their harmful health ratings one point on most my products. Now there is some controversy of course, as almost any ingredient could be argued to have potential negative health effects, but I like to check out what the actual ratings are and see what the ingredients have been tied to. Thus staying out of the cancer and reproductive toxicity categories are key for me, while I don't worry quite as much about the allergies category. Not all my products score in the low categories and after the discovery about Burts Bees I might be switching over to something else (Yes to Carrots Nourishing Shampoo & Face Cleanser scores better), but from what I can tell the majority of the other items I use score in the lower categories (minus deodorant, face moisturizer, and face scrub).

I've posted what most the low scoring items are before, but in case you're looking for safer alternatives, I'll recommend some of them again:
--Foundation, bronzer, blush, & eye shadow all come from Alima Mineral Make-up, which is also a local Portland company.
--Eye liner, mascara, & fingernail polish are from Honeybee Gardens.
--Lip gloss & balm are Burts Bees
--Listerine mouthwash scores fairly low and even my stand-by acne treatment scores low (Clean & Clear Persagel)
--Curel Ultra Healing body moisturizer (although this might get taken over by the coconut oil!)
--Basic castille soap bar (for body)

Tonight's research has made me realize I need to swap out the Burts Bees shampoo and face wash and I REALLY need to find a new facial scrub other than the St Ives (which scored 8 out of 10!! Goodness!).

And while we're STILL on this topic (sorry about the lengthy soapbox post tonight!), there was a great related blog post with suggestions for homemade options by Keeper of the Home:  5 Tips for Saving Money on Natural Skincare

What great alternatives can you share to decrease chemical exposure? Any great products or ideas?

Mow-Power

Last week when we were at the family beach house, I got a little bit antsy...

cause the dogs were getting lost in the patch of grass outside the back door ie in some sections it was up to my hip and I didn't want it to fall on my father to have to drive the three hours up to the beach house just to mow the grass. Dad's pretty much the primary caretaker of the place and while it's great that he's so willing and has been able to do so much of it, we're all pretty much capable these days. ;) (Sadly a year round resident down the road used to so kindly mow the neighborhood lawns when she did her own, but she suffered a heart attack earlier this year and passed....)

Since that day the grass was wet and rain showers were intermittent, I waited for a shower break and then went into the garage to see what the lawn cutting options were. I had a choice between an ol' electric mower (with the rain---no thank you!) or the ol' blade lawn mower (you should have seen the weed eater--it's like an ol' sickle). So I got to work using the ol' mower which happens to have a fairly dull blade at the moment---I'm pretty sure this is the original mower dad used as a kid to mow lawns! :)

Needless to say it took multiple short pushes, lots of arm muscle, and a decent amount of laughter to get one tiny section cut, but in the end it got done. The tallest pieces had just been flattened over by the mower, so I actually cut them with a pair of scissors.

Looks pretty decent, eh? ;) But the whole thing got me to thinking about how much we take simple things in life for granted....and how sometimes our health suffers because of it. Mowing with the old mower was a lot of fun, but it definitely took a lot more physical and mental work on this particular day. I started thinking about back when Dad was a kid and how so much more of the normal tasks actually took human power and muscle...and how much lower US obesity and mental disorder rates were. I started thinking about how good it felt to accomplish something basic via my own skills and wondered whether the increase in mental illness and disorder potentially has anything to do with how much of life has been broken down and sold into "ease." I could be reading too much into all this and while I don't agree with everything from the 40s-50s, a more self-sufficient life definitely seemed to have its perks for our population....and has the added bonus of being a more sustainable option for our futures.

And one final picture to leave you with....my lil' helper who laid in the truck bed the entire time just patiently letting me go about my business....although I think really she was hoping we would be going somewhere soon. ;)

We're about to spend an entire day out in the yard, getting it ready and finalized for a BBQ we're having with friends tomorrow. The sun is out today and I'm actually looking forward to pulling weeds, mowing the lawn, and a host of other outdoor activities.

Hope you all have a beautiful, sunny, outdoor, and physically based Friday wherever you are too!

National Prescription Med Take-Back on Saturday

Have a bunch of left over prescription medication in your cupboards? Well this Saturday, September 25th the Drug Enforcement Agency is coordinating a National Take-Back Initiative. Between 10am and 2pm sites across the nation will be collecting old prescription medication for incineration. To find the collection site nearest you, please visit this site with the DEA.

While incineration might not be the best disposal option (????), it will decrease the likelihood of used medications from being flushed, which recent research has found chemicals and hormones from prescription medications measurable in tap water in many municipalities across the nation. Additionally, research demonstrates that prescription medication abuse is one of the highest rates of teenage drug ab/use. When our nation is over prescribed and left over medications are prevalent in family homes, prescription drug access is highly accessible for teenagers (and many others) looking for an easy escape.

Why leave those medications laying around if you do have them in your home? Dispose of them at the site nearest you! ;)

Please help get the word out about this resource---it doesn't seem like its been heavily marketed nor advertised and it'd be great to see more individuals participating to clear out their homes of access, prevent misuse, and allow for a more proper disposal than many across the nation are used to putting into practice.

Just Call Me Negative Nancy (But w/ a Little Bit of Last Minute Hope Too)

So prepare for a word vomit as an old friend from high school would say:

Hub and I are sitting here watching the Green Zone, which is a fictional movie depicting the issue of the lack of weapons of mass destruction during the invasion to Iraq....and I have to say the movie has gotten me all fired up. Something about being reminded of the lack of intel and what may have been dubious reasons to invade Iraq. Something about the loss of so many soldiers and countless other lives just rubs me raw tonight. SO even though I just posted saying I wasn't going to say too much about my thoughts in this direction: I'm just going to say it...I whole-heartedly embrace our military personnel but I don't always embrace all the reasons why and locations where they are putting their lives on the line. And when I look into the face of soldiers every day, sometimes it gets to be a little too close to home.

Beyond that....these types of movies break my heart just in regards to all the different human rights violations that exist throughout the world. (Ie remember how I got started on all this anyway.....Blood Diamond.....)

So without holding back, I'm going to share a few more doomdayish thoughts running around in my head tonight--mainly in the form of two confessions:

Confession #1: Moving to Louisiana has made me realize just how sheltered and naive I have been about some things during my life. Moving to Louisiana also makes me realize how far the environmental and public health movements need to go for any massive change to be visible.....and I'm not so sure that it's going to be possible anytime soon (aka in the next couple hundred years) to turn the tides. Chemicals are too infiltrated into our bodies and our ecosystems. Land, water, climate, and biodiversity devastation has made it too far. But I truthfully believe in the reality, which is my father's final argument, that in one way or another the Earth will be the last thing standing and in time it will heal itself.

Living in Oregon I was surrounded by easy recycling, appreciation for the outdoors (even if not everyone actually took care of them), and individuals who were for the most part politically inclined citizens. Moving to Louisiana, I've learned that styrofoam actually does exist and gets used many times over daily, there are places in this nation where no garabage pickup happens so people burn it all, and even though there are laws mandating children attend school they aren't enforced and education does not always appear to be a top priority. Now, I realize I'm passing judgment. There are tons of things that Louisiana does have that Oregon does not, but one thing I will always appreciate about Louisiana is that its given me a sustainability comparion based on what many other areas of the nation can be like.....and it's let me see just how far people need to change in order for large-scale environmental and public health devastation to be prevented. It's also let me know that just passing regulation isn't going to fix the problems either as there seem to be plenty of regulations already in place that don't get followed. For example (again I don't mean to pick on the state) Louisiana has an anti-littering regulation yet the hub and I heard an annoucement on the radio a few months back that the state pays 4 million dollars annually just for litter pick-up from its public lands (you can find trash along almost every shore and land within the state).

Confession #2: I will also admit that being here in a less "green" state of mind, even with how much I care and know, I have slacked in many of my choices. We rarely use our tote bags anymore, there's regular shampoo alongside our hippy shampoo in our shower, almost all our produce is far from organic, our house is full of new furniture that's busy off-gassing all sorts of chemicals into our air, and the AC is always on at some level. I know we're huge steps ahead of many of our neighbors and friends here, but I still feel myself faltering more and focusing less the longer we're here.

But I guess in some way, even with all the falling down and doomsdayish thoughts....I still haven't given up hope. I don't know that individual choices are the right answer and I don't know that large regulation is the right answer. And I don't even know that I believe that the two together will be enough. While its hard to envision SO much change being accomplished, if I don't look forward then I don't know what other direction to look nor head in. So I must keep trudging ahead, trying to care enough to make a difference, but maybe not care too much to constantly let the big picture get me down. Because if I focus on the big picture sometimes......it does get me down. But here I go, plodding one foot in front of the other..sending emails to my reps, recycling what I can..and maybe, just maybe focusing on the values of my faith. While us Presbyterians are sort of an old crowd, I staunchly belive in the values of social justice, love, and stewardship which are key to our interpretation of the Christian faith. So rather than be a check-book sort of believer, then I just need to remember that my daily demonstrations of values are in fact a daily demonstration of my faith. Do what I CAN do to help others and the planet, and leave the rest up into the hands of someone greater than me......

Interesting Links & Resources for June 6

Ran out of time this weekend, so just titles this time:


Why Buy, When You Can Borrow? ---Whole Living magazine


10 Everyday Rituals for a More Meaningful Life---presented on Yahoo Shine


5 Toxic Chemicals That are Everywhere--CNN and definitely worth checking out....along with their entire Toxic America series


Real Change is Coming blog post by Rhonda at Down to Earth


Sun, Sea, and...Orphans? A Vacation with a Difference in Thailand---CNN and something I've always wanted to do.

Sent to us at work via email. Sad to see that others can so readily turn a blind eye to the grief of another and instead focus on themselves.... Washington Post's Seeing a Fallen Soldier Home 

Mississippi Looks to Iran for Rural Health Care Model---interesting given the recent health care debates and our current relationship with the Middle East.

Environmental Health New's: President's Cancer Panel: Environmentally caused cancers are "grossly underestimated" and "needlessly devastate American lives."

Community Conversations on Toxic Chemicals and Health

For the last two nights CNN has been airing a TOXIC AMERICA series. I was able to catch the last 15 minutes of the initial special on Weds and then last night I watched the one on Toxic Childhood. So amazing to see CNN covering these topics in depth and trying to raise national awareness of how the unregulated chemical industry impacts human health.

Conversations on toxic chemicals and health are happening all over the nation, including formalized events. If you're able to attend one of the following conversations in Oregon then I highly suggest it---get involved and show your support.  Join the conversation!

This was sent to me by CHE-Oregon (Center for Health and the Environment's Oregon state chapter):

Community Conversations on Toxic Chemicals and Health

The Oregon Environmental Council, Oregon Toxics Alliance, and the Oregon Chapter of the Physician’s for Social Responsibility are teaming up to hold forums throughout the state to get public input about how toxic chemicals are affecting people’s health. The forums are part of a two-year project by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to strengthen the nation’s approach to protecting the public from chemical exposures in air, water, soil, and consumer products throughout the country.

Upcoming Community Conversations:

Eugene

Monday, June 7, 6:15-7:45 pm

Eugene Public Library Tykeson Room

Contact larkin@oregontoxics.org for more information

Hood River

Thursday, June 10, 5:00 pm-7:00 pm

Hood River County Museum

300 E. Port Marina Drive

Contact maye@oregonpsr.org for more information

Gresham

Sunday, June 13, 12:30-2:30

Gresham Library

Contact reneep@oeconline.org for more information

Astoria

Sunday, June 20, 5:30 - 7:00 pm

Blue Scorcher Bakery Café

1493 Duane Street, Astoria

Contact maye@oregonpsr.org for more information

For more information about the community conversations, go to:http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/nationalconversation/community_conversations.html

Demand a strong Safe Chemicals Act

As received yesterday from Oregon Environmental Council, I encourage you to sign on...

Right now, our nation has the best opportunity in decades to ensure that you and your family are not exposed to toxic chemicals. We have a real, fighting chance to make sure that everyday products are not harming our health.

When our federal lawmakers pass the Safe Chemicals Act of 2010, we must get it right.
Your congressional representatives need to hear that Oregon voters care about this issue, we are following it closely, and we want to see common-sense protections included.

Sign our petition today to demand a strong Safe Chemicals Act.

Let your congressional representatives know that we won't settle for less than a law that makes sure chemicals are safe before they reach the shelves, that the most dangerous chemicals are phased out fast, and that safer alternatives replace cancer-causing and other dangerous chemicals.

Thanks for your support.

Resources and Links for Week April 12

EWG's Guide to Triclosan Need another concern about antibacterial products?  Triclosan was discovered in the urine of 75% of Americans.

It's Time to Look Upstream (Living Downstream Trailor Link) via Enviroblog. If you've followed my blog for any length of time or have had any sort of conversation with me about environmental health, then you know that Sandra Steingraber is an environmental researcher that I think everyone should read.  Her work is incredibly informative and inclusive.

Happiness: No Purchase Necessary, Says Study via Treehugger.

EWG's Healthy Home Tips.  Really great room by room resource of healthy home tips.

Real TSCA reform: Will you know it when you see it? via Safer Chemicals, Healthier Families blog. Great information on what reform should look like for the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Chemicals in Newborns via EWG & The Women's Conference.  Brief overview of the high number of chemicals that impact our newborns and potential legislation for it.

Pesticide Linked to Developmental Delays.  While we all know that organic is better for so many reasons, here's just another study demonstrating the negative health effects pesticides have on our young and unborn.  The evidence is pretty irrefutable. 

Most of the links this week pertain to chemical exposures, etc...

National Public Health Week

This week is National Public Health Week.  While I feel that a lot of what I blog about here corresponds to public health, I realize that it's rare that I actually pass on some of what I experienced and learned from my MPH program.  The theme for National Public Health Week this year is: A Healthier America, One Community at a Time.  For my local Army post, I actually think this theme is ironic.  We have a Army Public Health Department but I have not seen a single thing issued from their department about community and health leading up to this week.  How are you supposed to build a healthier community if you rarely speak to the greater community?

You can access and view a quick little video from the American Public Health Association by going to this website: A Healthier America.

I could go on and on about how I both loved and hated the actual program that I went through, but overall I feel that I received a wonderful education and I had to do a lot of philosophical growth as a public health student as well.  While I readily agreed with the social justice principles, it seriously was difficult for me to accept the idea that regulation of behavior is at times needed. While my public health education was varied, we all took the same foundational courses for our health promotion program.  Some of those courses included: Health Systems Organization (which really helped me to understand where many of our current health system problems exist), Health Behavior Theory, Biostatistics/Epi/Research Methods, Health Program Planning, Program Evaluation, Community Organizing, and Mass Communication & Health.  The program really let me have a multitude of hands-on experiences. The internship that I did for my public health program was with an environmental organization in Oregon.  I had the opportunity to undertake a program evaluation for one of their programs that is part of a larger national environmental health organization.  And for the Community Organizing, Program Planning, and Program Evaluation courses we actually worked with local organizations to fill whatever need that organization had in relation to the point of the course.

Before starting my second year of the MPH, I also was accepted and started the Masters of Social Work at the same university.  I ended up not completing the MSW program beyond the initial summer for a variety of reasons; one of which being that I was hired on as a graduate research assistant to work with one of my phenomenal professors who was part of a NIH grant focused on the new research method of community based participatory research.  The gist of the grant was & is looking at health outcomes based on pesticide exposures among indigenous & Latino farmworkers in Oregon while also trying to gage how effective training programs are in reducing pesticide exposures. However the main thing I wanted to focus on here is the exposure that I gleaned from the summer in the MSW program when I also did a practicum placement with a County Department of Public Health in Washington state.  While I ended up not continuing that particular experience, the information I gained from that opportunity will never be forgotten and is some I would like to pass on here.

As a practicum student with the County, I worked in the HIV Prevention Unit.  The unit included MSWs who were case managers and counselors with individual clients (helping with prevention behaviors for high risk individuals, drug management, etc etc), a program specialist who primarily worked on outreach and communication strategies, and then MSWs who worked in the needle exchange program.  What I learned through that placement was that HIV/AIDS really does touch individuals across the spectrum.  I worked with women who contracted the disease from unfaithful partners, drug users, homosexual males engaged in unprotected sex, and refugees who had contracted the illness based on their experiences in their former countries.  One of the most enlightening experiences and one that opened my eyes and my mind was that of the needle exchange program however, especially since it's such a contraversial subject.  While drug use is definitely an illegal activity and a high-risk and unhealthy behavior, research & case studies report that drug rehab primarily only works when the individual is actually ready to change his or her behavior.  When you are trying to minimize risk within a population that might not be ready to change the complete behavior, then it makes sense to do whatever you can to help that population with risk reduction.  Case in point: condoms for sex workers.  Thus the same can be said about needle exchange programs---provide clean needles in exchange for dirty needles within a population that uses.  The additional perk to creating a successful needle exchange program is that testing for disease and voluntary referrals/counseling can be completed on site.  Thus when individuals are ready, resources are readily available.  On this same topic is a wonderful TED Video, this time Elizabeth Pisani: Sex, drugs, and HIV--Let's Get Rational.  I especially love "it there's two things that make people irrational, it's erections and addictions." ;)

A bit of a different post this evening, hopefully you'll tolerate my thoughts. :)

Recent Conversations

So even though this blog is my attempt at being authentic, there are still times in my personal or professional life where I may not share 100% of my personal beliefs with those that I interact with frequently.  This is due to my being afraid of offending others, being concerned about freaking them out too much, or some fear about their reaction toward me.  However in the last week I've had a couple of different conversations in which I've felt comfortable sharing much more about my own knowledge or lifestyle choices.

Last Friday evening I spent a bit of time chatting online with a friend of mine from my public health program.  We don't talk overly frequently but she is someone that I've always enjoyed.  Fundamentally I would say that in many ways we view the world the same, however it wasn't until last weekend that I shared anything with her about my belief in voluntary simplicity.  The conversation came up due to our discussion of Moore's (absolutely wonderful!!) documentary Capitalism, and I shared that one of my favorite parts of the film was Moore's point that capitalism and Christianity do not go together.  It was at that point that I shared about voluntary simplicity and how it is much more in line with Christianity.  She had never heard of voluntary simplicity and so I directed her to The Simple Living Network, specifically to the description offered by Elgin & Mitchell entitled Voluntary Simplicity-Part 1, section II.  In that description Elgin & Mitchell offer a discussion on five of the values of simple living: material simplicity, human scale, self-determination, ecological awareness, and personal growth.  And in a weird sort of way, directing her to that resource and sharing my belief in that philosophy left me feeling much more free....

The second conversation that I've had recently was with one of my coworkers about toxic health exposures via diet, industry's lack of regulation, etc.  She's new to a lot of information on these topics but is consistently asking me questions to increase her awareness.  Sometimes expanding one's view on these topics is a tough one for me however, cause at times it can become pretty depressing to learn just how much we are all impacted by toxic exposures without much of a choice.  She's hoping to get a Klean Kanteen.  We've had the whole microwaving in plastics discussion, and I've shared with her about BPA.  We talked about the increased rates of diabetes due to an overabundance of sugar in our diets (probably attributable to both the high rates of high fructose corn syrup in our products and the conversion of an overabundance of carbs breaking down into excess glucose). We'd previously touched on the personal care product industry and the lack of testing/reported findings of the majority of all chemicals on the market.  We've talked about chemicals in every day products.  And I've discussed with her the principles of bioaccumulation.  Myself and another coworker have shared movie titles and links with her.  We've encouraged her to watch Food Inc and King Corn.  I sent her links to EWG, CHEJ, and websites for Sara Snow, Michael Pollan, and Stacy Malkan. I also loaned her The Body Toxic and offered to loan her my favorite: Having Faith by Sandra Steingraber.  Sometimes it's amazing how much a conversation can lend.

It's in moments like these that I recognize how much information I have packed into my brain, and yet how much is still left to be discovered!  And while I really try not to push my beliefs onto other people, its exciting when people ask questions or want to be connected to resources.  I know that it seems almost impossible to change the entire big picture, but its nice to watch other people select a healthier alternative, especially when that one choice might decrease the total exposure amount faced by his or her child.  I know that our daily exposures are incredible, but I always feel that if we can reduce that exposure even by 1, 2, or 15 things---every little bit helps.  And if I can attempt to open another's eyes to the principles of voluntary simplicity, then all the better.

In another conversation with a different coworker today....I just might have a local, free range, organic egg resource---YES! ;-)  Maybe it's a good thing to keep talking...... :)

Photo Project Day 23: Rant

WARNING: It's time for a public health rant.....

This is the view from my backyard every school day at about 3pm.  What you can't see in this photo are two things. 1) There is another vehicle parked hidden behind the SUV. 2) The street that these cars are parked on is approximately 2 city blocks in length and ends in a cul-de-sac.  Our street Ts into it and is approximately 1 city block in length and ends in a cul-de-sac.  Two additional points: we live on a military post where yes there are concerns about who has been let into the Army in recent years, but no one is allowed on post without having their ID scanned....so at least some sort of filtering is going on. And two, the speed limit is 20mph and is heavily enforced in the neighborhoods.

At about 3pm every school day, 2 buses come through the neighborhoods.  The bus stop you can see in the background of this picture services only our two streets as every street off the main street has its own bus stop.  Every afternoon about 3pm at least 4-5 cars park at the entrance to our streets (most of which are parents that get in their cars from their houses and drive the block to this spot) in order to wait for their kids to get off the bus and drive them home.  When our nation is in the midst of an obesity crisis, when kids don't get enough time outside, and when parents are driving a block and idling their vehicles to release exhaust fumes into the air----its seriously necessary to pick your child up a block or two from home?!  I can understand picking your child up if you live a mile out from the bus stop or even 1/4 mile if you lived in an extremely unsafe neighborhood.....but here?!  But since most the people in our neighborhood get in their vehicles to drive to the mailboxes also in the picture, only to drive home after picking up their mail....then what more should I expect!

Which leaves me with an additional gratitude toward my parents....thank you for making me walk home from school almost every day whether it was 1/2 mile down the street for elemetary school, just over a mile home from middle school in the city, or about a mile from high school!!

Morning Doctor's Appointment

So I just have to say that I had the most wonderful doctor's appointment this morning.  In fact, it was probably the best health care experience I've had in years.  The ironic thing is that I received this medical treatment from what is currently one of the most "socialized" medical experiences available in the United States--the military health system.  I have many friends that are opposed to universal health care and many that have complained about the medical treatment they've received in the military, yet after being uninsured or limitedly insured multiple times I really have no significant complaints.  Sure my first appointment didn't give me the outcome I'd expected (to be discussed below) but I still was seen and my initial concern dealt with....all at no expense to me and in a very professional manner.

I recognize that at times people have to wait longer than they'd like to in order to get in to see a doctor or maybe the physician that is available to see them isn't what they hoped for but I can guarantee you that I've had both of those same experiences in the private sector as well.  The worst medical experience I've ever had in my life was at Planned Parenthood, which serves low-income clients and is a non-profit organization.  In fact I've run the gamut of medical insurance options: military as a child, military currently, private sector through my parents and through my own employment, no insurance on two different occasions for a period totaling about a year, and 3 different student health care plans which allowed me to access the university's health center (never had a complaint here either).  However, today's medical appointment was one of the best I've had.

I was the first appointment of the day for a consult about some moles on my face and neck.  I didn't have to sit down in the waiting room, the receptionist went out of his way to update my information so that I didn't have to take time to do it later, and by the time he was done I was whisked back into the check-in site.  I waited in the actual appointment room for a max of 5 minutes (not enough time to start my newest book!) and then the doctor came in.  Within 40 minutes, I was out of the hospital with two moles removed, and I hadn't even expected to be able to have them removed today!  Through conversation with the nurse, I also discovered that the doctor I had met with today is one of the few on post here who would be willing to insert an IUD for birth control. (I discovered at my annual exam in December that the doctors on post here are more conservative w/ this birth control method for those who have yet to go through pregnancy.  While this may be a conservative mindset and this wouldn't be an issue back in Oregon, I respected the fact that they had their own professional opinions (albeit based on outdated research).  I may not have been overjoyed by the thought of having to consult every physician on the OBGYN staff to see if they would be willing to do it, but at least the military was still providing regular birth control for me and when I felt ready I knew I could tackle the issue.  Plus the professionals at my annual appointment were really wonderful to talk with....)  Today the nurse performed the information consult herself, walked me back to the doctor who agreed to attempt the procedure and wrote the referral form, and all of this was addressed in the same 40 minute appointment.  FAB-U-LOUS!  It also was great to be treated today by three women (the check-in nurse, the doctor, and then nurse who assisted with the procedure and did the consult) who obviously loved their job.

Maybe it's the fact that I have experienced a variety of insurance mechanisms that leaves me more lenient toward variations in care, but really I have to respect the diversity of the professional opinions that do exist out there.  Truthfully I feel that these variations are going to be present throughout the nation regardless of the insurance mechanism.  You'll find conservative and liberal practitioners, those who love their job and those who don't, those that are speedy and those that are slow, those that communicate better than others, and those that are better at empathy than others.  There is no one cookie cutter practitioner out there--regardless of the occupation.  But as long as the practitioner is combating the health care issue effectively then I applaud that individual.

I recognize that I do have choice (although my actual physician choice may be more limited w/ military care I can still request a physician based on name, gender, etc....as long as that physician is available).  One other thing that I guess I feel the need to comment on is that I also understand that I am my own best advocate--although there have been times when I have had a physician who I wasn't a fan of so I kept my own advocacy quiet and instead requested a different individual to treat me.  However as a patient, I always go in with my own thoughts and questions and I make sure that for the most part I get the treatment I deserve w/in reason.  I'm that annoying patient that talks health care studies and stats with my physicians, but always does insist that they share their own thoughts and opinions with me too.  I recognize that many physicians are crunched for time in the USA, but I also recognize that I have the right to continue to sit in their office until my questions feel answered and that I can request not to have a physician who does not meet my needs.  And I recognize that doctors/nurses/NPs etc are people too--we're all bound to have bad days, preconceived opinions and notions, and while professionally we should always try to keep personal issues at bay...we're still human.

And I suppose that ends my rant and rave on health care for the day.  Really I'm just so incredibly satisfied with my morning's experience....and I wish that everyone else in the nation felt the relief that I do...actually having access to care on a consistent basis.

Good Finds Tonight

So in a quick search of a couple of products that we need to replace I found the following:

--Klean Kanteen now has an insulated kanteen that can be used for coffee.....it even has a re-designed lid for sipping pleasure.  We'll probably have to pick up two of these since we've been wanting to add to our coffee containers and we love Klean Kanteen.  The new wide mouth makes it so much easier to clean by hand and the containers hold up so well when my husband has to take them into the field for work.

--Preserve Products now has a toothbrush subscription program where a new recyclable toothbrush can be mailed to you every 3 months!  They also now have a variety of colors available.  I probably will just stock up again next time I head toward a bigger town that carries them, but it's great to have this newest option.

Speak Up and Advocate

First opportunity: I don't think babies should be gulping down a rocket fuel ingredient -- do you? But I just learned from Environmental Working Group that when you mix infant formula that contains perchlorate (a rocket fuel ingredient than can interfere with infant brain development) with water that's also contaminated with perchlorate, you put rocket fuel on baby's menu. We need the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which regulates the nation's water quality, to set a permanent and stringent safe drinking water standard for perchlorate. I just sent an email to newly-appointed EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to make that a reality: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1144/t/1875/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26980

Why now?
1) New risk for babies
A new report by scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found perchlorate contamination in 15 brands of powdered infant formula.

2) It is in our drinking waterPerchlorate pollution has also been found in the drinking water of 28 states and territories. (Check out Environmental Working Group's tap water quality database to see if yours is one: http://www.ewg.org/tapwater/yourwater/index.php)

3) This is the moment.During her Senate confirmation hearing, EPA head Lisa Jackson promised to act "immediately" to reduce perchlorate contamination in drinking water to protect children and pregnant women. Please join me in calling on EPA Administrator Jackson to make good her pledge. Send her an email today asking to keep perchlorate at safe levels in our drinking water: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1144/t/1875/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26980

Second opportunity: Compact fluorescent bulbs have huge energy savings, but could be made even better if the Energy Star program would push companies to reduce mercury levels.Join me and urge Energy Star to ask for a better mercury standard for bulbs, and while you are at it check out the 7 companies identified by Environmental Working Group that make the lowest mercury, long-life bulbs. That one can be accessed at: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1144/t/1875/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26304

This is one that worries me because so many people don't know that CFLs contain mercury and even those that do know don't dispose of them appropriately. Hopefully everyone realizes that mercury is a pretty harmful substance to human health. I just wish CFLs didn't contain it and that they would reduce the levels since they can. Hence I tailored my message to say so...and as always asked that if they do respond that they do so via email and not waste paper and shipping. (Which I did get a response saying that it's voluntary for industry to choose their levels, but why not apply more pressure?)

Both of these I got in my Take Action Newsletter from Environmental Working Group this morning and wanted to pass on to you.