Research Updates Year in Review

Here are some of the studies that have come out in the past year...

Babies Recently Treated With Lotion, Shampoo, And Powder More Likely To Have Phthalates Chemicals In Urine
February 8, 2008 — Babies recently treated with infant personal care products such as lotion, shampoo, and powder, were more likely to have manmade chemicals called phthalates in their urine than other babies. ... > full story

Six Environmental Research Studies Reveal Critical Health Risks From Plastic
October 3, 2008 — Exposure to Bisphenol A, phthalates and flame retardants are strongly associated with adverse health effects on humans and laboratory animals. A special section in the October 2008 issue of ... > full story

Traffic Exhaust Can Cause Asthma, Allergies And Impaired Respiratory Function In Children
April 10, 2008 — Children exposed to high levels of air pollution during their first year of life run a greater risk of developing asthma, pollen allergies, and impaired respiratory function. However, genetic factors ... > full story

Infections, Bacteria 'Critical For Healthy Life'
November 7, 2007 — Mothers around the world are armed with anti-bacterial gels, sprays and baby blankets, diligently protecting their children from nasty forms of bacteria. But recent research shows that society's ... > full story

Is Diabetes Linked To Environmental Pollution?
January 28, 2008 — Scientists are advocating additional research into the little understood links between environmental pollution and type 2 diabetes. Some recent research has demonstrated a very strong relationship ... > full story

Road Pollution Blamed For Higher Allergy Risk In Kids
June 13, 2008 — New evidence blames traffic-related pollution for increasing the risk of allergy and atopic diseases among children by more than fifty percent. What's more, the closer children live to roads, the ... > full story

Chemical Exposure May Increase Risk Of ALS, Study Shows
April 17, 2008 — Preliminary results show that a common environmental chemical may increase the risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, according to new ... > full story

Environmental Toxins Linked To Early Onset Puberty In Girls, Study Suggests
February 7, 2008 — Certain environmental toxins, such as the mycoestrogen zearalenone produced by the Fusarium fungus species, can be found naturally in the environment, have properties similar to the female ... > full story

Maternal Exposure To Persistent Organic Pollutants Linked To Urologic Conditions In Boys
May 17, 2008 — Higher incidences of congenital anomalies, including cryptorchidism (undescended testicles) and hypospadias, were found in boys whose mothers had higher serum levels of certain organochlorine ... > full story

Potentially Harmful Pesticides Found In All Human Subjects Tested
January 6, 2008 — All subjects analyzed in a recent study carried at least one kind of persistent organic compound, substances internationally classified as potentially harmful to one's health. More pesticides, ... > full story

Coastal Waters Show Decline In Contaminants Over 20-Year Period
May 12, 2008 — NOAA scientists have just released a 20-year study showing that environmental laws enacted in the 1970s are having a positive effect on reducing overall contaminant levels in coastal waters of the ... > full story

Cranberries Help Combat Urinary Tract Infections In Women, Researcher Finds
January 14, 2008 — Cranberry juice, long dissed as a mere folk remedy for relieving urinary tract infections in women, is finally getting some respect. Thanks to Prof. Itzhak Ofek, a researcher at Tel Aviv University's ... > full story

Honey Effective In Killing Bacteria That Cause Chronic Sinusitis
October 1, 2008 — Honey is very effective in killing bacteria in all its forms, especially the drug-resistant biofilms that make treating chronic rhinosinusitis difficult, according to new ... > full story

Honey Helps To Heal Wounds, Review Suggests
October 9, 2008 — Honey may reduce healing times in patients suffering mild to moderate burn wounds. A systematic review concluded that honey might be useful as an alternative to traditional wound dressings in ... > full story

Honey A Better Option For Childhood Cough Than Over The Counter Medications
December 4, 2007 — Honey may offer parents an effective and safe alternative than over the counter children's cough medicines. A single dose of buckwheat honey before bedtime provided the greatest relief from cough and ... > full story

Consuming Extra Virgin Olive Oil Helps To Combat Degenerative Diseases Such As Cancer, Study Suggests
January 21, 2008 — Researchers have for the first time analyzed the antioxidant properties of olive oil, a product rich in polyphenols (natural antioxidants). They believe these antioxidants improve the lives of people ... > full story

Advice From A Germ Expert: Don't Overdo Spring Cleaning
February 11, 2008 — Advice from a germ expert is music to the ears of those who dread the annual tradition of spring cleaning. Don't go overboard, cautions one health sciences expert. Considering "green" cleaners that ... > full story

A Little Rosemary Can Go A Long Way In Reducing Acrylamide In Food
March 4, 2008 — Several animal tests have shown acrylamide to be a carcinogen, and a recent study has shown a positive association between acrylamide and breast cancer in humans. "Acrylamide is formed during the ... > full story

Sugary Beverages May Increase Alzheimer's Risk
December 10, 2007 — Excess drinking of sugary beverages like soda may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease, suggests new research in mice. Although the exact mechanisms aren't known, obesity and diabetes are both ... > full story

Toward A New Generation Of 'Greener' Consumer Products
November 19, 2007 — Consumers will have access to medicines, cosmetics, and other products that are "greener," less expensive, and more environmentally friendly than ever before, thanks to new manufacturing processes ... > full story

Disturbances In Brain Circuitry Linked To Chronic Exposure To Solvents, Study Shows
April 16, 2008 — Chronic occupational exposure to organic solvents, found in materials such as paints, printing and dry cleaning agents, is widespread all over the world, and is thought to damage the central nervous ... > full story

Male Painters And Decorators Exposed To Fertility Damaging Chemicals, Study Shows
May 25, 2008 — Men working as painters and decorators who are exposed to glycol ethers are more likely to have poor semen quality, according to new research. Men who work with solvents such as glycol ether have a ... > full story

1 Year Later...

It has been just over 1 year since I went green. The peppers died, the parrots mutilated the zuccini, tomato, and cucumber plants. I use Crest toothpaste. BUT I thought I'd do a year in review follow-up!

I have no regrets about going green. I still incorporate green living into many, many aspects of my life.

• I still wash my clothing with vinegar and salt in super hot water. (I cheat occasionally and use Mrs. Myers (organic) Clean Day--the Lemon Verbana scent is the best!!!)

• I still use baking soda for deodorant. (It's better than anything else!)

• I only clean the house with organic, essential-oil scented cleaners. (Mrs. Myers Clean Day!!)

• We only shower with organic soaps. (Exception: shampoo & conditioner--my hair is damaged from hair dye and apparently required deep conditioning...) Our favorite soap is the dead sea mud we get from Greenwise or the South of France collection!

I buy mostly organic groceries, with a few exceptions. We buy organic:
meat
milk
strawberries
lettuce
tomatoes

I do not buy organic:
bread
apples
potatoes
olives

And we eat mostly Lean Cuisine microwave meals during the week. :-\

Funnily enough, my husband, once the skeptic, is now almost more gung-ho organic than I am! He makes his own preshave lotion using purely organic oils and essential oils! Now he's trying his hand at home-made organic shaving cream and organic home-made soap!

He's also saving to get a steam vapor cleaner, as he believes that chemical-free cleaning is far better than anything else!

I guess in sum I would say that Going Green has been one of the best changes in our lives. Although I've given up some of the home recipes (James swore if he smelled vinegar again he'd leave, one day), I've replaced many of them with organic, essential-oil scented cleaners that are easily available at local organic grocery stores. The home-recipes for personal care have been great--and I still love the baking soda deodorant, but on the whole it is easier and less time-consuming to just buy the organic version at the store. :)

Healthwise, going green has helped enormously with my asthma, and James's face breakouts. Sophia rarely plucks or mutilates any of her feathers. When we started, she'd chewed all of her back and chest feathers, and had plucked her leg feathers up to the hip. Now she only keeps the shaved-leg look to her mid-thigh, and doesn't chew any of the other feathers. (woohoo!)

Hope this inspires you to take the plunge yourself!!