Natural Family News

I thought this article was a good article on births attended by midwives. It seemed positive and portrayed midwifery as a normal option.

I know. I sound like a broken record. Evil Wal-Mart. Blah. Blah. Blah. But really some social scientists did a study, and it appears Wal-Mart really does make people more poor. “After controlling for other factors determining changes in the poverty rate over time, we find that both counties with more initial Wal-Mart stores and with more additions of stores between 1987 and 1998 experienced greater increases (or smaller decreases) in family poverty rates during the 1990’s economic boom period,” Stephan Goetz a Professor of Agricultural and Regional Economics at The Pennsylvania State University states.

Go back and read that again. Do you get what it’s saying. If a Wal-Mart moves in near you it is highly likely that poverty rates in your area will actually increase. Best case scenario, they will decrease at a lower rate than in other areas near you (but farther away from Wal-Mart).

See? You’re not really saving money. You THINK you’re saving money, but somehow Wal-Mart manages to suck the money right out of a town by selling stuff that people THINK they can afford. The net result? Fewer Mom and Pop stores and more people who can only afford to shop at Wal-Mart.

The California town of Hercules gets it. They’re the latest town to ban Wal-Mart.

Then you need to read the Cornucopia Institute’s complaint against Horizon dairies. In their grievance filed with the USDA, they allege that Horizon is essentially not pasturing their animals and, in essence, is raising them in a factory setting.

The main difference between Horizon and any other non-organic dairy, they claim, is that they are fed organic feed. Feed is only one small part of the healthy cattle picture, and I don’t think it’s what most organic consumers think they’re getting when they pay twice as much for organic milk. Is this what you picture when you think of the happy cows from which you obtain your organic milk?

You can read more on the Cornucopia Institute’s website (February article– just scroll down).

As you may know, the USDA has proposed changes to their National Organic Program. The Organic Consumers Association is asking you to send a message to the USDA that organic consumers expect organic dairy cattle to be pasture raised, not raised in feedlots. To find out more and to send a message to Mark A. Bradley, Associate Deputy Administer of Transportation and Marketing Programs for the National Organic Program, visit the Organic Consumers Association website. You can also find out more information at the Cornucopia Institute.

A recent article in Journal of Reproductive Medicine found that women who consume milk are five times more likely than vegans to conceive twins. The suspected culprit is insulin-like growth factor (IGF), which is released from animals’ livers in response to growth hormone and finds its way into their milk. Levels of the hormone are about 13 percent lower in vegan women than in women who eat dairy, the team suggests.

Theoretically, hormone-free milk should contain a lower amount of IGF, as well. So, if you’re not interested in multiplying your family at a rapid rate, especially if twins run in your family, you might want to check out organic milk. Or even better, find a local source for raw milk.

In a soon-to-be-published book by Margot Sunderland, director of education at the Centre for Child Mental Health in London, cosleeping is recommended for children up to age 5. In an article published in the Times Online she cites various physiological and neurodevelopmental benefits for the practice and encourages parents to abandon the idea of putting their children to bed in separate rooms, especially when left to cry. At least science is finally catching up with what some of us knew all along.

Amarillo, TX (PRWEB) May 8, 2006 -– Since blogs first surfaced in the late 1990s, more than 36 million have been created. Many businesses are discovering that blogs are a good way to establish expertise, educate and expose readers to new ideas, and keep customers informed. Alternative Phyto-Med Formulators (APMF) is a family business dedicated to doing all three.

APMF (http://apmformulators.com) offers a unique, organic, non-toxic salve for skin, but the business blog covers such topics as medical education for homeschool students, naturopathy, homebirth, midwifery, organic products, and domestic family care from a biblical worldview.

“Because it is not possible for a medical education to take place without reference to God, we look to the Scriptures as our axiom,” said Pete Hernandez, co-founder of AMPF.

APMF is one of many companies that use blogs to reach potential clients and readers. A blog, short for “weblog,” is a frequently updated web site. Most blogs are personal online journals, but businesses are learning that such web sites are also powerful and effective marketing tools.

“When consumers buy medicine, what they really want is a cure. When consumers buy a blanket, they buy warmth. When we write medical information, we want to arm readers with medical ammunition they can use. We decided to start a business blog to reach online users looking for organic products and to educate readers. We read blogs and know how important they are when it comes to sharing information.”

Through blogging, well-researched articles, products, and services, APMF supports individuals, families, medical students, and churches as they seek to implement a biblical worldview. At the APMF blog, you’ll learn how family medicine, the Bible, logic, and medical botany intersect through the time-honored approach to learning known as the TRIVIUM.

In 1994, Pete and Maribel Hernandez began studying a variety of medical courses because of a family medical crises. While researching hepatic encephalopathy, prostrate cancer, and variety of common aliments frequently suffered by family and friends, they found that clinical applications were highly toxic. They set out to learn more about alternative health care therapies.

For more information, visit the site.

Citing concerns over fetal health, California lawmakers are moving forward with a statute that would ban the personal use of ultrasound equipment. The sale of ultrasound equipment would be limited to professionals. Some studies have shown that diagnostic levels of ultrasound can harm human tissue.

You might want to check this out if you’re going to be in the D.C. area. It’s a bit far for me to go on a last minute trip, but if anyone does go, let us know what it was like.

Green Technology: Use Less Resources and Increase Profits

Imagine a world where houses are built from plant materials instead of cement and bricks. Drinking water is disinfected by solar energy, not chemicals. And homes are designed to harvest rainwater to supply hot and cold water. It’s not a far away dream – you can see it next week at the first National Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., May 9-10 which showcases the best new designs for sustainable products and technologies, also called “green technology.”

A highlight of the Expo is EPA’s second annual People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) Awards, a national competition involving 41 teams of college and university students who will exhibit their novel design projects. Sustainable designs prove that providing a higher quality of life and protecting the planet are compatible with economic prosperity. Businesses are taking notice – - last year, four P3 design projects became new commercial ventures. Projects included designs for green buildings, alternative fuel technologies, plans for safe drinking water in developing countries and even greening the apparel industry.

“Businesses are discovering green technology not only helps green the planet, but puts more green in their wallets. Scientific innovation has long driven the U.S. economy,” said Dr. George Gray, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “Now innovation is driving the movement toward environmental sustainability in the United States and making it profitable. At the Expo, you will see designs for how we will heat our homes, clean our drinking water, and design our transportation systems in the near future.”

The P3 Award was launched in 2004 to respond to the needs of the developed and developing world in moving toward sustainability. This national competition enables college students to research, develop and design scientific, technical and policy solutions to sustainability challenges.

Support for the P3 competition includes more than 45 partners in the federal government, industry and scientific and professional societies. The expo will include exhibits by companies, government and nonprofit organizations, demonstrating successful sustainable technologies and products. The expo is co-sponsored by the National Council for Science and the Environment; Environmental and Energy Study Institute and Green Chemistry Institute.

The National Sustainable Design Expo is open to the general public without charge and will take place on May 9, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and May 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the National Mall between 3rd and 4th streets.

Information on the expo and the P3 Award

Expo agenda

EPA’s sustainability research program

Children between the ages of 1 and 6 who are in daycare are up to 56% more likely to exhibit symptoms of allergies. They also are 2.5 times more likely to have more colds. The cold part I can understand, but I must say I’m a bit perplexed why daycare would make a difference in allergies.

I know my oldest son, who is the only one of mine who was in daycare, was also my sickest child. Of course, I attribute that to other factors, in addition to being in daycare.

Filipino mothers are hoping to set a Guiness World Record on May 4th when they gather at a stadium for a group nurse. The current record is held by a group of Berkley, California moms and was set in 2001. The organizers hope to encourage more mother to breastfeed.

New Interactive Web Site is Totally Rad

(Washington, D.C. – May 1, 2006) From seeing a stadium laser light show to receiving an x-ray, radiation is part of our lives. That’s why EPA is launching RadTown USA, a new web site that uses an animated town to provide basic information on radiation in the environment. RadTown USA is a virtual community showing the wide variety of radiation sources commonly encountered in everyday life. The RadTown site features houses, a school, stadium, construction site, flying plane, moving train and much more to highlight and explain the many common sources of radiation.

The information is organized in a series of easy-to-understand fact sheets, with links to additional information resources. Every fact sheet includes the types of radiation sources at the location, the important roles that federal, state and local governments play in protection and control, and normal steps that individuals can take to protect themselves, such as applying sun block or installing radon detectors in homes.

Discover RadTown USA