Natural Family News

Another news article has been written that claims that rising breastfeeding rates are to blame for an increase in cases of rickets, and that all breastfed babies should be supplemented with vitamin D. I find this problematic for a number of reasons. First, it makes no biological sense. Breastmilk is the perfectly designed food for babies – it shouldn’t need to be supplemented. Second, while breastfeeding rates are improving, they are still pretty pitiful. Third, rickets is primarily a problem in darker-skinned individuals living in northern latitudes, so recommending supplementation across the board is unnecessary. So, if breastfeeding isn’t to blame, what is the cause? Largely it is due to individuals not receiving enough sunlight. Our society has become so sun-phobic that we cover up and slather on SPF 50 sunscreen every time we head outdoors. For fair skinned people, it really doesn’t take much time outside; a little over 15 minutes a day, without a hat or sunscreen, is sufficient. Dark skinned people need to spend more time outdoors to get the same effect; the problem is nobody has ever studied how much more time is needed. The other potential problem is an inadequate supply of vitamin D in the mother. Normally, babies are born with a store of vitamin D in their liver. But if mom is deficient, then baby may start off deficient as well.

If you’d like to read some more accurate information on vitamin D supplementation, breastfeeding and rickets, I suggest you check out the information on Kellymom’s website. There is an excellent discussion of the subject there, as well as links to a number of helpful resources.

Expert Panel Urges EPA to Strengthen Safety Review of Teflon Chemical
Majority Calls Widespread Pollutant “Likely Human Carcinogen”

(WASHINGTON, Jan. 30) — Today, a panel of outside experts gave draft comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) saying that an indestructible, toxic chemical that pollutes nearly every American’s blood is a “likely human carcinogen.” The panel urged the agency to adopt stricter guidelines to protect human health, according to a majority of its members. This announcement follows news just last week that the EPA signed a voluntary agreement with the chemical’s maker, DuPont, and seven other companies to reduce the chemical’s use in products by 95 percent over the next five years and aim for total elimination of its use by 2015.

“This indestructible nonstick chemical meets the government’s criteria of a ‘likely human carcinogen,’” said Tim Kropp, senior scientist at Environmental Working Group (EWG). “We are pleased that the Science Advisory Board (SAB) concurred with many of the concerns we have raised about the hazards of PFOA. There is growing consensus that health officials should err on the side of precaution with any industrial chemical that ends up in human blood, but especially chemicals like PFOA that are toxic and indestructible. We applaud the EPA for reaching an agreement with industry to dramatically lower the amount of this chemical in popular consumer products, and we urge the agency to adopt a similarly strong stance to protect the public from possible health risks associated with this chemical.”

Specifically, the EPA’s outside expert panel told the agency to:

Consider immune and nervous system effects on animals in its study of possible human health risks; and
Use a more health-protective and scientifically valid approach to studying human health risks from the chemical.
Most of the experts on the panel called PFOA a “likely human carcinogen,” not a “suggested human carcinogen,” as the EPA had proposed.

Richard Wiles, EWG’s senior vice president, called on the EPA to bar from any future relationship with any EPA advisory panel two SAB panel members who are scientific advisors to the chemical industry front group the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH). The two panel members, Michael Kamrin and Ernest Abel, have consistently downplayed the toxicity of PFOA, in stark contrast to the concerns expressed by the majority of panel members.

Gilbert Ross, ACSH’s medical director, was recently exposed as a convicted felon who served jail time for Medicaid fraud and perjury in the 1990s and lost his medical license in New York.

Teflon and other nonstick cookware; clothing and carpeting that have stain-repellent coatings; fast food packaging that repels grease and oil; cleaning products; cosmetics and many other consumer products are made with chemicals that break down into PFOA in our bodies.

This chemical pollutes over 95 percent of Americans’ blood, including all 10 newborns surveyed in a study EWG commissioned last summer. PFOA never breaks down in the environment, so every molecule of it produced since the 1950s or earlier will forever be in our air, water and bodies. In animals, PFOA causes cancer, birth defects and other health problems.

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EWG is a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, D.C., that uses the power of information to protect human health and the environment. The group’s five years’ worth of research on PFOA and related chemicals is available at http://www.ewg.org/issues/siteindex/issues.php?issueid=5014/.

There’s a new study that says that slow physical growth may also mean slow mental growth. Hmmm. My oldest is short, but if being taller was going to make him smarter, I’m kind of glad he’s short. He’s already too smart for his own good sometime. I can see that if the height (or lack thereof) was a result of malnutrition there might be a correlation, but my son just got the short stick of the gene pool. His Dad is 5’8″, and I’m only 5’5″. Did we really expect him to be 6’4″?

A new study says that a single 30 minute walk can help lift serious depression. Of course, when you’re depressed even a 30 minute walk can require a Herculean effort. But I thought this had some decent prospects for post-partum depression, as well. I, myself, have suffered from depression off and on, and I know I always feel better after a little exercise. Knowing that it’s not all in my head might be just the incentive I need to get myself off the couch the next time I’m feeling low.

Okay, Americans, you know you’re drinking too much coffee when it’s your main source of antioxidants. And when the number two source is black tea, it’s a sure sign that people are spending too much time at Starbuck’s and not nearly enough at the salad bar.

Want to know what hot drinks are best for you this winter? Check out this story.

While web surfing today, I came across an interesting website. It seems that someone in Australia has come up with a diaper you can flush, and they’re calling it a gDiaper. It’s sort of a cloth/disposable combination; there’s an outer waterproof cover, and then a flushable snap-in liner. The idea is that you avoid adding to the landfills (supposedly you can even compost the things) but don’t have to deal with washing diapers either. It’s intriguing, but I’m not sure that I’m a fan of the super absorbent stuffing, which is the same stuff they put in disposable diapers. You can check them out here.

Scottish parents are choosing to feed their children organic foods, even when cost prohibits the parents, themselves, from eating an organic diet. Four out of five parents weaning their children would choose to feed their babies organic foods. Avoiding pesticides was the number one reason. I wonder what those percentages are here in the United States.

Take our very non-scientific poll to let us know whether you try to feed your children organic food.

Here at Natural Family News, we’re always on the lookout for opportunities to share with our readers. One of our partners, The Green Guide, has started a free newsletter with daily living tips for more eco-friendly living. Called the Ideal Bite, it is filled with tips on how to choose a more environmentally friendly coffee, hybrid cars, recycling your cell phone, getting rid of junk mail, and much, much more. Delivered to your inbox Monday-Friday for free, the Ideal Bite is a must have for those interested in taking steps, small or big, towards a friendlier planet. To sign up or to read more about what they have to offer, visit the Ideal Bite by clicking on this link.

I saw these in the store the other day, and I knew I had never seen them before, but it wasn’t until I saw an article online that I knew for sure that they were new.

Traditional Medicinals Organic “Just for Kids” line has four products. Organic Cold Care Winter Season Tea has a chamomile and peppermint taste. Organic Throat Coat supports throat health with a slightly sweet and spicy flavor. Organic Nighty Night Calming and Relaxing Tea has the soothing taste of chamomile and hibiscus. Organic Tummy Comfort Tummy Ache Tea has the gentle taste of chamomile, lemon balm, and peppermint.

We haven’t tried them yet, so I don’t know whether my kids will actually drink them, but I think it’s worth a try. If any of you have used them, be sure to leave a comment and let us know how your kids liked them.

Well, this should come as no big surprise. People who consume processed meats have an increased chance of developing colon cancer. There was no increase with red meat and those who consumed the most chicken had the least chance of developing cancerous polyps.

What is meant by processed meats? The articles about the study didn’t specify. But generally that would mean products like sausage, hotdogs, luncheon meat, etc.

A new study has found that there is a clear link between Vitamin D intake and breast, ovarian, and colon cancers. Researchers are urging people to increase their intake of the vitamin to up to 1000 IU.

I have heard natural health people say for years that more indoor living combined with use of sunblocks all the time was decreasing the amount of Vitamin D that people were receiving through the most easily achieved method– sunlight exposure. 10-15 minutes of sunlight several times per week is supposed to be sufficient for the amount of Vitamin D a person needs. Other good sources of naturally occurring Vitamin D are cod liver oil, salmon, and other fatty fishes.

So, do your health a favor. Kill two birds with one stone. Get your kids out and take a walk around the block. You’ll help your heart. You’ll increase your Vitamin D supplies. And you and the kids will enjoy it.

A recent study in the American Journal of Epidemiology showed that exposure to trihalomethanes, a chemical used to disinfect drinking water, during the second trimester of pregnancy may be associated with low birth weight. The risk seems to be highest for minority women, who had a 60% increase in risk of low birth weight when exposed to high levels of trihalomethanes; for Caucasians the increased risk was 37%. You can read the journal abstract here.