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The Environmental Working Group has released the first-ever study of chemicals in the cord blood of minority newborns. The ten babies in the study were born in 2007 and 2008 in California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Wisconsin. While the Centers for Disease Control and the Environmental Working Group  have both looked at newborn exposure before, the new EWG study, in partnership with Rachel’s Network, was the first to specifically look at African-America, Hispanic and Asian babies, who may be more likely to be exposed to industrial and agricultural chemicals due to social and economic situations. For example, in many areas of the country, agricultural laborers are predominantly Hispanic, exposing Hispanic women to more pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers before and during pregnancy.

The EWG study of cord blood contaminants in minority newborns is the first reported detection of nearly two dozen chemicals in newborns of any background, including the first neonatal detection of Bisphenol-A, which was found in 9 of the 10 babies. Because of the expense of testing, only 10 babies were included in the study. Up to 232 chemicals total were found in the ten infants - certain tests looked for two or more chemicals at once, and a positive reading could mean one or more of the contaminants were present in the sample. Several chemicals were found in all ten babies: (continue reading…)

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A sunflower room provides a living outdoor playroom for kids in the summer which can be expanded and moved each summer. Plant the sunflower room as soon as the danger of frost has passed in your area (consult your local cooperative extension for safe planting dates) and the kids can enjoy their own private outdoor enclave all summer. As a bonus, the best variety of sunflowers to use for a sunflower room, Mammoth Russian, also produce some of the most delicious sunflower seeds for snacking.

You can plant a sunflower room straight in the lawn without suffocating the grass or using weed killer. You can either carefully cut the grass around and between the sunflowers with a string trimmer or weedwhacker, or just let it grow longer for the summer on that patch. If you do decide to kill off the grass inside the sunflower room, we suggest distilled white vinegar, which kills the vegetation but is safe for use around children’s and pets’ play areas. (continue reading…)

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A large-scale survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control show nearly half of children and adolescents are above a healthy weight, either overweight or obese (30% or more above a healthy weight). The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and teens has tripled in the past 20 years.

A separate study recently published the medical journal Clinical Pediatrics showed that overweight and obese children began to develop weight problems while they were still babies. The study looked at records of children whose recorded weight during at least one pediatrician visit put them as clinically overweight or obese. The researchers looked back over the weight history of these children and discovered that, when the children who were overweight at the first pediatrician visit were included, half of the children had developed overweight by the time they were 15 months old. (continue reading…)

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Just because it’s Valentines Day does not mean you have to resort to the same old gifts: chocolate, flowers, teddy bears. The standbys are great, but ladies, don’t you want something different and original for a change?

Drop some gift-giving hints to your partner with these seven great ideas to make this Valentine’s Day the best ever. (continue reading…)

If you or a family member or a  friend have been struggling with this for years, or if ADD/ADHD is new in your life, check out this article from Master Herbalist Brigitte Mars. In Natural Remedies for ADHD (Alternatives to Ritalin and Aderol), she discusses ten environmental, nutritional and herbal strategies to combat attention disorders. Among her suggestions:

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We trust the schools when our children step into the building and when they buy lunch that they will be getting a healthy and safe meal. The federally assisted meal program, The National School Lunch program (NSLP), was started in 1946 by President Harry Truman. The USDA states that they provide nutritionally balanced and low cost or free to children everyday. But like every large organization, they need us as parents and as citizens to ensure they are doing what is best for our children. Here are some difficulties the NSLP has had and what you can do to make a difference in your child’s school to ensure the best quality food and drinks. (continue reading…)