Natural Family News

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.

A new study from UT Southwestern shows that someone standing in your face counting to ten and screaming “push” is not really beneficial after all. No, really? What a surprise. The study found that directed pushing did not significantly shorten the pushing stage, and may lead to issues with incontinence later in life. You can read more here.

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.

An article I read today describes a recent ruling that will prevent raw milk from being sold in Oregon— even for pets. This is how they were able to get around selling raw milk in Whole Foods stores there.

In a seemingly unrelated, but clearly meant to be related, section of the article, a lawsuit against a farm with a cow-share program is mentioned. Apparently, several people became sick with e. coli. How many people become sick from e. coli from more “accepted” foods? Salad bars, bagged salads, restaurants?

I think the point being made in this article is that raw milk is dangerous. How do you know? The government says so. And 13 people got sick and are suing, despite the fact that I’m sure they signed a form that says that they know the risks of consuming raw milk.

For more on raw milk, I recommend visiting www.realmilk.com or www.rawmilk.org or the Weston Price Foundation.

Massachusetts moms who give birth in hospitals will no longer leave carrying diaper bags provided by formula companies. While hospitals can still hand out free formula, they can no longer hand out gift bags that imply hospital promotion of formula.

“There’s no free lunch and there’s no free gift,” said Beth Sargent, an independent lactation consultant from Needham. “A gift is something given freely without the anticipation of a return. There is absolutely an anticipation of return.”

Not surprisingly, a spokesperson for the company that makes Enfamil called the decision “over the top”.

You can read the entire article here.

In a recent EU draft, lawmakers are considering allowing genetically modified foods into organic food. WHAT? WHY? Whose bright idea was that, anyway?

I have often bought foods from Europe, organic or otherwise, when an organic alternative didn’t exist precisely because they shunned chemistry set (or would that be biology set) agriculture. Now, it looks like I won’t even be able to trust organic food if it comes from Europe.

The Reuters article contains the following quote:

“Genetic contamination of organic food is completely unacceptable to consumers throughout the EU,” said Helen Holder, GMO campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe.

Yeah, what she said.

When Lori Rueger was declined a Victoria’s Secret dressing room to nurse her daughter, she became one of many breastfeeding moms who have become politically active. Her intent was simply to nurse her baby privately and discreetly, but when she was informed that Victoria’s Secret has a policy against allowing women to nurse in their stores, her story became one of the many examples South Carolina “lactivists” cite to support the state’s need for legislation to support breastfeeding moms. You can read more about breastfeeding activism here.

**Victoria’s Secret maintains that their company policy allows breastfeeding and that this was simply a misunderstanding.

Beantrees coffee made the list of 12 things Oprah’s chef can’t live without. In an article in the Chicago Tribune, Art Smith raved about the organic coffee company. Unlike Starbucks, Beantrees does not have any retail stores. You can, however, get the coffee delivered to your home by ordering online. Beantrees is certified organic, fair trade, and even bird friendly.

I just read a nice human interest story about Bode Miller’s family. In case you don’t recognize the name, Bode Miller is a championship downhill skier. A foundation he started recently bought a 630-acre farm, which it plans to use to promote organic farming. The foundation is called Turtle Ridge Farm LLC and is operated by members of his family.

LAFARGE, Wis., Dec. 19 /PRNewswire/—“Generation Organic,” a campaign to
save the family farmer from extinction by bringing new farmers into organic
agriculture, was announced today by Organic Valley Family of Farms, America’s
largest cooperative of organic farmers and one of the country’s leading
national organic brands.
“Generation Organic is the ‘Endangered Species Protection Act’ for the
American family farmer. U.S. farmers have disappeared from the land at the
rate of 195 per day for 70 years. We have worked to protect the bald eagle and
the grizzly bear. Now it’s time to save the family farmer. The health of our
food, our environment and our future generations is at stake,” said Travis
Forgues, 32, the Organic Valley dairy farmer from Alburg, Vermont whose
concern for the future of family farming gave rise to Generation Organic, or
“Gen-O.”
Forgues noted that the average age of the remaining family farmers is
getting older, even in the organic community where the percentage of younger
farmers is high. The majority of U.S. farmers today are 55 years and older.
Said Forgues, “Gen-O will work to reverse the trend and keep family farmers on
the land!”
Forgues announced a five point “Gen-O Agenda” for developing the next
generation of organic farmers:

1. Save the family farmer, an endangered species—Five million family
farmers have been lost since 1935 and most of those remaining are 55
years or older. Gen-O will bring new farmers into the fold and plant
the seed for future generations of organic farmers.
2. Keep diversity in agriculture—Do we want all our food from factory
farms? Gen-O will educate about the risks of allowing our food to be
sourced from chemically-intensive factory farms where profit is the
goal, and work to promote a sustainable and diverse organic
agriculture that works in harmony with nature to produce healthy food.
3. Preserve farmer wisdom and knowledge—Farming is a time-honored
craft whose technical and intuitive knowledge is passed down from
generation to generation. The Gen-O movement will not let this vital
treasure become extinct.
4. Unify rural and urban communities—Fostering the connection between
city and country dwellers will increase our appreciation for the
people who grow our food as well as the people who eat it. Gen-O will
tell the story of America’s family farmers.
5. Offer hope for a safe and healthy future—By supporting farming
methods that work in harmony with nature, Generation Organic promises
to deliver food that is safe and healthy, protects the environment and
nurtures a sustainable way of life.

Forgues, who chose to become an organic farmer despite earning college
degrees in psychology and computer science, speaks on campuses and community
gatherings throughout the country to urge new farmers to enter the field:
“Nothing is more satisfying than the organic farmer’s life work. We produce
safe, healthy food, protect the environment, enjoy a rich family and community
life, and protect time-honored knowledge that is vital to the survival of our
species: how to grow the food we eat.”

Organic Valley: Farming for Future Generations
Organic Valley has spearheaded a full program of Gen-O initiatives to
nurture the next generation of organic farmers and will be adding more in the
year to come. Offerings include a nationwide program of “barn meetings” and
organic educational workshops, a farmers speakers bureau, web resources,
educational literature, a farmers hotline, financial and technical support for
farmers transitioning to organic, partnerships with university-based farmer
training programs, organic school curriculum, a farmer ambassador program to
heighten public awareness of organic farmers and, starting in 2006, an organic
farmer mentoring and internship program.
“Organic Valley’s job is to help create balance between skyrocketing
consumer demand for organic products and the number of farmers available to
produce them,” said George Siemon, CEO and a founding farmer of the co-op.
“Fortunately, the resiliency of the Organic Valley cooperative business model
enables us to provide our farmers with a stable, sustainable pay price and
invest in future farmer education and support.”
Siemon noted the following highlights of the cooperative’s success in
2005:
—Sales rose 17% to $245 million in 2005 and will climb to $285 million
in 2006.—The number of farmers in the co-op doubled over the last three years
from 361 farmers in 15 states in 2002 to 723 farmers in 22 states in
2005.—The estimated average national organic price paid by the co-op to its
farmers ($21.80 per hundredweight) was more than 40 percent higher
than its conventional counterpart ($15.35 per hundredweight).

For further information about Gen-O and the Organic Valley cooperative,
prospective farmers are invited to call the Organic Valley Farmer Hotline at
1-888-809-9297, or visit the Organic Valley Farmers website at
http://www.farmers.coop .

Organic Valley Family of Farms is America’s largest cooperative of organic
farmers and is one of the nation’s leading organic brands. Organized in 1988,
it represents 723 farmers in 22 states and realized a record $245 million in
2005 sales. Focused on its founding mission of keeping small and mid-sized
farmers farming, Organic Valley produces 200 organic foods, including organic
milk, soy, cheese, butter, spreads, creams, eggs, produce, juice and meats
which are sold in supermarkets, natural foods stores and food cooperatives
nationwide. For more information, call 1-888-444-MILK or visit
http://www.organicvalley.coop .