One Moms Adventure with Shea Butter & a Canker Sore
04 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment
in Baby & Child Health, Beauty and Skin Care, God's Green Herbs, Green Living, organic food, Preggo Mama Tags: adventure, canker sore, healing sores naturally, health, herbal store, Inflammation, la chica organica, mom, natural, Organic Shea Butter, Organic Unrefined Shea Butter, Shea Butter, stretch marks, tea, teeth, toxic, wrinkles
There isnt anything more painful and pestering than a canker sore in your mouth. Depending on where the sore is located in can be extremely painful to the touch and eating is almost impossible.
Recently while I was brushing my teeth with baby in arm (he is my little cling on), he smacked the tooth-brush sending it into a downward motion and jamming it into the bottom inside part of my mouth below the incisors. Right where we have that little piece of skin that is attached to our lower gums.
It really felt sore and hurt. I slapped some ice on the outside of my chin and called it a day. Oh but was I in for a nasty surprise. The next day I woke up and my entire lower gum hurt. It was swollen and oh yes a huge gash-like sore started appearing. The following day a had a huge crater inside my mouth and it was no doubt a canker sore. It had formed because of the trauma to the area courtesy of my toothbrush.
I could not eat, drink or even move my tongue across the area. I was a mess. To think that something so small could hurt so much behooved me.
When I got home from work I ran into my little lab and started working on some mixes for my little problem. I made a large tea bag with custom herbs to sooth and reduce the inflammation. This is really fun to do. Just buy empty tea bags and fill with your own mixes. La Chica Organica has these available in various sizes in the Herbal/Green Store
So after I had this tea bag stuck in my mouth for 20 minutes I wanted to be able to apply something to the sore that would give me some relief and allow me to eat without cringing.
I reached for my Organic Unrefined Shea Butter. Took a little dab and applied it (cringe, cringe) to the affected area. In about 1 hour I was able to enjoy a hot cup of tea and some dinner. What a fabulous relief. Before bed I did another tea bag with inflammation reducing herbs and applied more Shea Butter.
To my surprise the next morning I was able to run my tongue past the area and pull my lip open to look at it without cringing. This was a fast, effective, non toxic and inexpensive solution I will be sure to use with my family if and when they have a canker sore.
Shea butter is an amazing and safe alternative to treating many ailments in babies, older children an adults. It’s so amazing I have written up a little booklet explaining all its benefits and uses for those that are interested.
La Chica Organica makes a fabulous blend called Bare to Butter that you can read about in my Herbal/Green Store, it has Vitamin E and some essential oils. This is a fantastic blend for stretch marks, wrinkles and more. I also have Organic Unrefined Shea Butter by itself for those who just want the Shea Butter. Please email me at LaChicaOrganica@gmail.com with any questions.
Blessings
LCO
Health News: What Dangerous Food Ingredient is Changing Names?
01 Oct 2010 2 Comments
in food inc., genetically modified, Health News, organic food, Toxic Food Ingredients/Additives Tags: corn, Diabetes mellitus, Food and Drug Administration, GM crops, GMO, health, high fructose corn syrup, obesity, sugar, The Corn Refiners Association, toxic
The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) has petitioned the U.S. FDA to allow manufacturers the option of using the term “corn sugar” instead of “high fructose corn syrup”. In their press release on the subject, they claim that “independent research demonstrates that the current labeling is confusing to American consumers.” They blame “inexact scientific reports and inaccurate media accounts” for the current stigma associated with high fructose corn syrup.
In reality, as opposed to the CRA’s dream world, if you need to lose weight, or if you want to avoid diabetes and heart disease, high-fructose corn syrup is one type of sugar you’ll want to avoid.Part of what makes HFCS such an unhealthy product is that it is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar not to mention that its made using GM (Genetically Modified) crops.
Stay away from it regardless of what they call it.
You can read The Corn Refiners Association cramppy, untrue, unfounded press release here.
Sources: PR Newswire September 14, 2010
Health News: What Fish is Safe to Eat? – Updates
19 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Baby & Child Health, Health News Tags: avoid fish, caviar, cod, halibut, pescatorian, safe fish, salmon, toxic, tuna
Hi,
About two months ago I posted an article entitled What Fish is Safe to Eat?.
It’s an extremely informative article that lists all the types of fish and what is safe vs not safe to eat. You can read it by clicking above. Today I wanted to share some updated information provided by www.seafoodwatch.org
Updated Seafood Watch Recommendations
Effective July 2010
New Recommendations
Squid, Market (wild-caught, from California) Good Alternative
Squid play an important role in marine food webs as predator and prey, and are an important food source for marine mammals. It is also becoming a staple on many restaurant menus, where it’s called calamari. While squid grow quickly and reproduce at a young age, their survival depends on ocean temperature and prey availability. This means squid abundance varies widely, or may be unknown in many areas.
Market squid, California’s most valuable fishery, is primarily caught with purse seines. Normally
purse seines cause limited habitat damage, but in the market squid fishery they often make contact with and damage the seafloor. Bycatch is another concern with this fishery as the squids’ own egg cases are caught in the nets.
For all these reasons, California market squid is considered a “Good Alternative.”
Recommendation Changes
Salmon (wild-caught, from California) Avoid
Salmon (wild-caught, from south of Cape Falcon, Oregon) Avoid
Salmon (wild-caught, from north of Cape Falcon, Oregon) Good Alternative
Salmon populations in California, Oregon and Washington have declined dramatically as a result of habitat loss, climatic shifts, historic overfishing and other factors. Salmon are born in freshwater then migrate to the ocean where they grow and mature before being caught. When freshwater rivers and streams are damaged or destroyed through dam construction, water diversions, deforestation and urban development, salmon populations are impacted.
In California, Oregon and Washington, nearly 30 populations of salmon and steelhead are on the
Endangered Species List. These endangered fish are unintentionally caught by fishermen who are targeting other salmon species. Fisheries management has not prevented the long-term decline of
many species of salmon in California, Oregon and Washington.
Seafood Watch recommends that consumers “Avoid” wild-caught salmon from California and
Oregon, south of Cape Falcon. This recommendation is based on the Sacramento River fall Chinook stock, which represents the vast majority of the fish in California’s commercial landings and a large percentage of Oregon’s. Recent history shows ever-declining Sacramento River Chinook.
In contrast, salmon caught in the ocean fisheries north of Cape Falcon, Oregon, including the
Columbia River in-river fisheries, are considered a “Good Alternative.” Most of the salmon caught north of Cape Falcon, Oregon, are from the Columbia River. These fisheries have generally met management goals in recent years and the fish stock is considered moderately healthy.
Tuna, Canned (except troll/pole) Avoid
Tuna, Canned Light Skipjack (troll/pole) Best Choice
Tuna, Canned White/Albacore (troll/pole from U.S. and British Columbia) Best Choice
Tuna, Canned White/Albacore (troll/pole except U.S. and British Columbia) Good Alternative
Tuna are fast-growing fish that reproduce at an early age and produce plentiful offspring – traits that can help them withstand high levels of fishing. However, as one of the top three seafoods in the
U.S., tuna is in very high demand and many populations are in decline.
Tuna fisheries use a number of different gears and the amount of bycatch varies widely between
different gear types. Troll or pole-and-line gear catches little to no bycatch while longline and purse seine fisheries are associated with potentially large quantities of bycatch – including threatened or endangered species such as sea turtles, sharks and seabirds.
Consumers should “Avoid” all canned tuna not labeled as troll or pole-caught. Like other premium products, if the label doesn’t say troll or pole-caught then it’s safe to assume an environmentally
damaging gear was used.
Seafood Watch has three recommendations for troll/pole canned tuna. Two for albacore/white tuna based, on where the fish is caught, and one for skipjack. Since canned light tuna can contain a number of tuna species, be sure to look for canned skipjack. Ask for these products where you shop.
New Consumption Alerts
Contaminant warnings were added for several species:
California Halibut
Lane Snapper
Salmon (wild-caught from Oregon)
Yellow Perch
Source: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx
Are you exposing your children to endocrine-disrupting chemicals like BPA?
01 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in Baby & Child Health, cancer, Health News Tags: baby, birth defects, Bisphenol-A, BPA, chemicals, endocrine, estrogen, phthalates, plastic, Polycarbonate, toxic, Toxicology
BPA is used in baby bottles, water bottles, plates, toys you name it. And we all know its not safe for us since its been classified as an endocrine-disrupting chemical. An endocrine disruptor is a synthetic chemical that when absorbed into the body either mimics or blocks hormones and disrupts the body’s normal functions. This disruption can happen through altering normal hormone levels, halting or stimulating the production of hormones, or changing the way hormones travel through the body, thus affecting the functions that these hormones control.
So what do you need to know about BPA? Below I have listed various quotes on this troubling topic. Please read through and steer clear away from this stuff.
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You should be drinking a lot of water, but please beware of plastic water bottles. Plastics made from polycarbonate resin can leach Bisphenol-A (BPA), a potent hormone disruptor. BPA may impair the reproductive organs and have adverse effects on tumors, breast tissue development, and prostate development by reducing sperm count. BPA can leach into water bottles through normal wear and tear and exposure to heat and cleaning agents.
- C. W. Randolph, M.D., From Belly Fat to Belly FLAT: How Your Hormones Are Adding Inches to Your Waistline and Subtracting Years from Your Life
Bisphenol-A [is a] a chemical that mimics the female sex hormone estrogen and is used to make consumer products ranging from plastic baby bottles to the linings of tin cans.
- Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith, The Detox Strategy: Vibrant Health in 5 Easy Steps
Dental sealants can contain Bisphenol-A, a suspected endocrine disruptor, while traditional silver-colored fillings can contain as much as 50 percent mercury.
- Deirdre Imus, Growing Up Green: Baby and Child Care: Volume 2 in the Bestselling Green This! Series (Green This!)
There are two solvents commonly used in cosmetics and personal care products: phthalates, and Bisphenol-A. These ingredients are often hidden, remaining undisclosed on product labels.
- Samuel S. Epstein, Randall Fitzgerald, Toxic Beauty: How Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Endanger Your Health . . . And What You Can Do about It
A 2007 review of 700 studies involving BPA, published in the journal Reproductive Toxicology, found that infants and fetuses were the most vulnerable to adverse effects from this toxic substance.
Bisphenol-A is a toxin associated with birth defects of the male and female reproductive systems. BPA is commonplace — found in copious brands of fruit, vegetables, soda, and other frequently eaten canned goods. It migrates from the can or plastic into the contents, which are then ingested.
- Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith, The Detox Strategy: Vibrant Health in 5 Easy Steps
- Samuel S. Epstein, Randall Fitzgerald, Toxic Beauty: How Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Endanger Your Health . . . And What You Can Do about It
Toxins are everywhere — from household cleaning products to plastics in our kitchen-ware, phthalates and Bisphenol-A in our plastic water bottles, and even in our tap water and air supply. We live in a sea of toxins, and a large body of growing evidence shows that these toxins are, in part, responsible for the epidemic of disease we see in the twenty-first century. Toxic exposures affect the health of all brains, young and old. We must also deal with all the by-products and toxic metabolic wastes created by our own bodies.
- Mark Hyman MD, The UltraMind Solution: Fix Your Broken Brain by Healing Your Body First
Polycarbonate can release its primary building block, Bisphenol-A, another suspected hormone disruptor, into liquids and foods. In 1998, the Japanese government ordered manufacturers there to recall and destroy polycarbonate tableware meant for use by children because it contained excessive amounts of Bisphenol-A.”
- KC Craichy, Super Health 7 Golden Keys to Unlock Lifelong Vitality
BPA has been linked to the development of prostate and breast cancer in adults.
- Mark Schapiro, Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What’s at Stake for American Power
Bisphenol-A was invented in the 1930s during the search for synthetic estrogens.
- KC Craichy, Super Health 7 Golden Keys to Unlock Lifelong Vitality
The compound BPA is one of the most-produced chemicals in the world, and almost everyone has traces of it — or more — in their bodies. The statement, published online by the journal Reproductive Toxicology, was accompanied by a new study by researchers from the National Institutes of Health finding uterine damage in newborn animals exposed to BPA. The researchers indicated that such damage is a possible predictor of reproductive diseases in women, including fibroids, endometriosis, cystic ovaries and cancers.
- Andreas Moritz, Timeless Secrets of Health & Rejuvenation: Unleash The Natural Healing Power That Lies Dormant Within You
An estrogen-mimicking chemical, Bisphenol-A, causes early puberty in female rats and reduces fertility in rats. In males it appears to cause enlargement in the male rat prostate glands. We do not know if this chemical might be related to prostate cancer in humans.
- Doris J. Rapp, M.D., Our Toxic World: A Wake Up Call
An expert panel found credible evidence that Bisphenol-A and the insecticide methoxyclor can cause reproductive damage at very low levels of exposure that are well below the so called “no effect” levels. In one report infertility had risen from 0.5 percent to 25 percent in one cross-section study of college males. In another report in April 2001, the infertility rate in Chinese university students was reported to be as high as 85 percent. Infertility, sexual dysfunction and impotence was stated to affect 20 to 30 percent of Chinese males in one study.
- Doris J. Rapp, M.D., Our Toxic World: A Wake Up Call
At 20 ng/g dose of Bisphenol-A, the daily sperm production went down 20 percent. This work needs to be reproduced, but unless refuted it adds fuel to the need for precautionary measures. Try not to get any fillings, especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. Regular fillings contain mercury (a known hormone disruptor) and composite fillings contain Bisphenol-A (another hormone disruptor). If you have to have a filling, ask for a temporary made out of other materials.
- D. Lindsey Berkson, Hormone Deception
Over the past two decades, BPA has meanwhile become an integral chemical in the packaging of millions of food products and other plastic goods; more than six billion pounds of BPA are used each year in resins lining metal cans, food packaging, hot beverage cups, and in blends with other types of plastic products. Lab research shows that the bond that secures BPA molecules to food and beverage packages changes over time, resulting in the release of free BPA into the food we eat and the beverages we consume, as well as into the environment.
- Donna Jackson Nakazawa, The Autoimmune Epidemic
PCBs, like plastic additives such as Bisphenol-A and common pesticides, are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that have been shown in numerous lab studies to stimulate increased production of autoantibodies — antibodies against self — which are the hallmark of autoimmunity in action. Indeed, as we have seen in the previous chapter, the science demonstrating the way in which estrogen disruptors such as PCBs promote autoimmune disease is emerging with profoundly disturbing conclusions.
- Donna Jackson Nakazawa, The Autoimmune Epidemic
The plastic industry will tell you that small amounts of BPA are nothing to worry about. A study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, however, suggests that when mice are exposed to low levels of BPA for several days, they develop insulin resistance. What is so alarming about this discovery is that the levels of BPA used in the experiment would be considered safe for humans by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
- Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D., Best Choices From the People’s Pharmacy
Don’t microwave your food or drinks in plastic containers; avoid using plastic wrap to cover food in the microwave.
- C. W. Randolph, M.D., From Belly Fat to Belly FLAT: How Your Hormones Are Adding Inches to Your Waistline and Subtracting Years from Your Life
The estrogenic properties of Bisphenol-A (BPA) was known as early as 1936, yet children now have their teeth coated with plastic containing BPA. The ADA denies any problem and goes on coating teeth. Food and drink cans are lined with it. Some plastic baby bottles contain it and other plasticizers.
- Michael Friedman, ND, Fundamentals of Naturopathic Endocrinology
In addition to testing positive for high levels of Bisphenol-A, a chemical that mimics the female sex hormone estrogen and is used to make consumer products ranging from plastic baby bottles to the linings of tin cans, the politicians were also tested for polychlorinated biphenyls, chemicals 185 used in electrical transformers that were banned decades ago. Despite no longer being in use, PCBs are so persistent that all the politicians tested positive for them.
- Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith, The Detox Strategy: Vibrant Health in 5 Easy Steps
In the News: Cosmetics & Cancer
20 Apr 2010 Leave a Comment
in Beauty and Skin Care, cancer Tags: cancer, Chemical Cosmetics, formaldehyde, makeup, parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, toxic
Chemical Cosmetics Linked To Increased Risk Of Breast Cancer
Source: Alliance of Natural Health
According to Canadian scientists writing in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, women exposed to synthetic fibers and petroleum products in the course of their work appear to be most at risk of breast cancer. Exposure to certain chemicals and pollutants before she reaches her mid-30s could triple a woman’s risk after menopause.
Now comes news from ChemicalSafeSkincare.co.uk that women unknowingly apply up to 175 different chemicals to their bodies daily in the form of mainstream cosmetics. As a result, manufacturers of natural “personal care” products are calling on makers of mainstream cosmetics to provide more information on their products’ ingredients and side effects.
ChemicalSafeSkincare says three ingredients are especially hazardous. Parabens (preservatives used in many moisturizers and body creams) have been linked to both cancer and to skin irritation. Sodium lauryl sulfate (a foaming agent used in shampoos) can irritate the skin, as can formaldehyde (used in hand soap and shampoo). “Media reports about the possible dangers of certain chemicals such as parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, phthalates and formaldehyde have made consumers more aware of what they are buying, and potentially more demanding of chemical safe alternatives,” says Julia Mitchell, spokeswoman for ChemicalSafeSkincare.co.uk.
Who's saying what