A lot has been happening in my life these days. Sometimes I wonder about the spiritual side of it all. We are facing another cross country move here very shortly.
We began this year with news of hubby's father being in the hospital with congestive heart failure. For awhile there it did not look like he was going to pull thru. Hubby spent the first 3 weeks of the year down in Florida with his dad & family. During that time, near the beginning he felt maybe we should move back to be there to help his father out in the road to recovery which at the time appeared to be a long one.
Later in his time there hubby changed his mind. He had time to let the emotions stabilize as his father began to get better & stabilize too. During the time between those two decisions, I had to find it within me to make some decisions too.
So I spent a lot of time here thinking. Talking things out every evening with my man helped. Talking with a few friends here who are not connected in any way to things, helped even more. It got me to see things from a more neutral point of view.
By the time my man finally got home, I had made peace with the thought of moving back down to a place I never thought I would go back to. I spent so much time thinking about all the different aspects of it.
This is where the spiritual stuff comes in I guess. I began to think about what I have learned here. Maybe it was time for me to take what I had learned & share it. I talked more with people. Several are in agreement that this place, this Valley here, is just a stopping point in the big plan. It is not a place to stay. It is a place to come, learn & move on. And I feel this is something you learn as you live here. We have now been here for 4 years and 7 months. We've learned.
As much as we love it here for the nature reasons, it seems it is time to move on. It is time for us to take our new selves & see what else is in store for us. I do not see us staying back in the Panhandle of Florida forever. I see us there for a few years. I see us going to the Southwest after that. I don't know when exactly, but I see it.
Just wanted to get this out there. More later.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Eye opening info about fragrance
Okay, I read this & it pretty much made me want to discard any of the Avon Goddess perfume I have left. I don't use it all day everyday, but still. I do use it. And hubby uses a few colognes too. Since it is not a normal thing for us to wear the stuff daily, perhaps it will be worth it to find natural alternatives. Read on for some good info.
A quick account of all the perfumed body care products we use is sobering: soaps, creams and body lotions, ointments, talcs and bubble baths, shampoos and sunscreens – just to name a few.
In an overcrowded market, where there is often little to differentiate the performance of one product over another, a product’s scent is its unique signature and is often given greater prominence in advertising than performance.
Our love affair with the way things smell has given manufacturers free reign to manipulate our purchasing behavior by linking the scent of a product with a desired quality such as love, sexiness, freshness, innocence and a wild, independent spirit. It’s a tactic used in the marketing of all body care products, but which is used to particularly great effect in fine perfumes – witness how many are named after emotions.
Once upon a time, perfumes were derived from natural plant and animal ingredients. But these can be expensive and subject to the variations of season and availability. As science progressed, manufacturers found ways of producing chemicals with ‘nature identical’ smells, which could be produced in high volumes without the need for worrying about the availability of natural resources. Today, nearly all fragrance chemicals are synthesized almost entirely from petrochemicals, and while they can be made more cheaply and the scent may linger longer than that of naturally derived scents, they are problematical for human health.
First and foremost, many of these chemicals are considered hazardous waste. As far back as 1986, the US National Academy of Sciences identified fragrance ingredients as one of six categories of neurotoxic chemicals that should be thoroughly investigated so that we might better understand any potential harm to human health. This placed these chemicals right up there with insecticides, heavy metals, solvents and food additives as primary causes of disease in humans. But government and industry have been slow to demand or fund such research.
The word ‘parfum’ is used to denote fragrance in a body care product. Parfum is made up of dozens of chemicals containing solvents similar to those used in adhesives, as well as benzene derivatives, aldehydes and many other known toxins capable of causing cancer, birth defects, and central nervous system disorders.
Inhaled fragrance chemicals can cause sore throat, runny nose, sinus congestion, wheezing, shortness of breath, nausea and muscle pain. They are also a major trigger for asthmatic episodes. Once in the body, they easily breach the blood brain barrier – the protective membrane designed to keep toxins away from sensitive brain cells – and produce symptoms resonant with central nervous system (CNS) disruption - headache, mental confusion, listlessness, inability to concentrate, irritability, seizures, restlessness, agitation, depression, sleepiness.
Many body care products are heavily perfumed, and at least one study has demonstrated links between heavy perfume exposure during pregnancy, and learning disabilities and behaviour disorders in children. Studies have also shown that inhaling fragrance chemicals can cause circulatory changes in the brain.
In addition to being inhaled, fragrances can be absorbed through the skin – especially through children’s skin, which is thinner than that of adults. The greater the emollient quality of the product you are using (think skin creams, roll on deodorants, etc) the greater the absorbency. While fragrance chemicals can be quick to saturate the blood, they are slow to clear from the body. When they penetrate the skin they can cause discoloration of internal organs. They can also be toxic to the liver and kidneys. Still others accumulate in fatty tissue and leech slowly back into the system, or are passed on to our children through breast milk.
Fragrances add little to the function of the product. They are unlikely to provide the ‘aromatherapy’ experience promised, especially if they are synthetic. Yet we are obsessed with them. While it’s an unhealthy obsession, it’s not an inevitable one. Each of us has the power to reduce the number of synthetic fragrances we come into contact with on a daily basis. Start by reading the label.
Labeling rules have changed in the last couple of years and manufacturers of cosmetics – and household cleaners – must list any of the 24 fragrances that the EU’s Scientific Committee on Cosmetic Products and Non-Food Products (SCCNFP) has identified as common contact allergies.
So now it’s easy enough to avoid these. But the fragrances not listed on the label are still potentially powerful enough to trigger more subtle emotional symptoms or longer-term health problems. Even some natural essences can cause allergic reactions in some individuals, though these are rare because natural essences are derived from the whole plant, and are believed to contain a variety of naturally occurring chemicals that mitigate any potential allergic reactions. If in doubt, or if you are very sensitive, you may wish to avoid scented products entirely.
This article first appeared in the Ecologist September 2006
We are enamored of fragrances, and virtually every aspect of our lives is touched by a fragranced product. But is it a touch too much? Pat Thomas reports.
A quick account of all the perfumed body care products we use is sobering: soaps, creams and body lotions, ointments, talcs and bubble baths, shampoos and sunscreens – just to name a few.
In an overcrowded market, where there is often little to differentiate the performance of one product over another, a product’s scent is its unique signature and is often given greater prominence in advertising than performance.
Our love affair with the way things smell has given manufacturers free reign to manipulate our purchasing behavior by linking the scent of a product with a desired quality such as love, sexiness, freshness, innocence and a wild, independent spirit. It’s a tactic used in the marketing of all body care products, but which is used to particularly great effect in fine perfumes – witness how many are named after emotions.
Once upon a time, perfumes were derived from natural plant and animal ingredients. But these can be expensive and subject to the variations of season and availability. As science progressed, manufacturers found ways of producing chemicals with ‘nature identical’ smells, which could be produced in high volumes without the need for worrying about the availability of natural resources. Today, nearly all fragrance chemicals are synthesized almost entirely from petrochemicals, and while they can be made more cheaply and the scent may linger longer than that of naturally derived scents, they are problematical for human health.
First and foremost, many of these chemicals are considered hazardous waste. As far back as 1986, the US National Academy of Sciences identified fragrance ingredients as one of six categories of neurotoxic chemicals that should be thoroughly investigated so that we might better understand any potential harm to human health. This placed these chemicals right up there with insecticides, heavy metals, solvents and food additives as primary causes of disease in humans. But government and industry have been slow to demand or fund such research.
The word ‘parfum’ is used to denote fragrance in a body care product. Parfum is made up of dozens of chemicals containing solvents similar to those used in adhesives, as well as benzene derivatives, aldehydes and many other known toxins capable of causing cancer, birth defects, and central nervous system disorders.
Inhaled fragrance chemicals can cause sore throat, runny nose, sinus congestion, wheezing, shortness of breath, nausea and muscle pain. They are also a major trigger for asthmatic episodes. Once in the body, they easily breach the blood brain barrier – the protective membrane designed to keep toxins away from sensitive brain cells – and produce symptoms resonant with central nervous system (CNS) disruption - headache, mental confusion, listlessness, inability to concentrate, irritability, seizures, restlessness, agitation, depression, sleepiness.
Many body care products are heavily perfumed, and at least one study has demonstrated links between heavy perfume exposure during pregnancy, and learning disabilities and behaviour disorders in children. Studies have also shown that inhaling fragrance chemicals can cause circulatory changes in the brain.
In addition to being inhaled, fragrances can be absorbed through the skin – especially through children’s skin, which is thinner than that of adults. The greater the emollient quality of the product you are using (think skin creams, roll on deodorants, etc) the greater the absorbency. While fragrance chemicals can be quick to saturate the blood, they are slow to clear from the body. When they penetrate the skin they can cause discoloration of internal organs. They can also be toxic to the liver and kidneys. Still others accumulate in fatty tissue and leech slowly back into the system, or are passed on to our children through breast milk.
Fragrances add little to the function of the product. They are unlikely to provide the ‘aromatherapy’ experience promised, especially if they are synthetic. Yet we are obsessed with them. While it’s an unhealthy obsession, it’s not an inevitable one. Each of us has the power to reduce the number of synthetic fragrances we come into contact with on a daily basis. Start by reading the label.
Labeling rules have changed in the last couple of years and manufacturers of cosmetics – and household cleaners – must list any of the 24 fragrances that the EU’s Scientific Committee on Cosmetic Products and Non-Food Products (SCCNFP) has identified as common contact allergies.
So now it’s easy enough to avoid these. But the fragrances not listed on the label are still potentially powerful enough to trigger more subtle emotional symptoms or longer-term health problems. Even some natural essences can cause allergic reactions in some individuals, though these are rare because natural essences are derived from the whole plant, and are believed to contain a variety of naturally occurring chemicals that mitigate any potential allergic reactions. If in doubt, or if you are very sensitive, you may wish to avoid scented products entirely.
This article first appeared in the Ecologist September 2006
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Throwback Mountain dew & soda thoughts
Back here I mentioned a little about the taste difference between the real sugar Dew & the HFCS Dew.
Seems Mountain dew is reviving the Throwback Dew for another limited time. nice. I know that soda is bad for you no matter if it has HFCS or real sugar but its nice to see the sugar stuff back again, even if only for a limited time. They even have a Fan Page on Facebook this go-round, which I think is cool & shows just how popular the new old version is. Heck they have almost 5800 fans!
I'm guessing my body is not happy with even the Throwback version on any kind of regular basis tho. I find I can enjoy one, once in awhile, but more often & my insides tell me that's enough.
I do enjoy soda still, just not more than one 12 ounce serving a day. Some days I dont have any. Some days, I find myself wanting a few. But I try, for my health, to stick to my one a day rule. And my beverage of choice is still the Natural Brew Outrageous Ginger Ale. Well, that & maybe the Dry Soda Lavender flavor stuff. That's a nice treat.
Seems Mountain dew is reviving the Throwback Dew for another limited time. nice. I know that soda is bad for you no matter if it has HFCS or real sugar but its nice to see the sugar stuff back again, even if only for a limited time. They even have a Fan Page on Facebook this go-round, which I think is cool & shows just how popular the new old version is. Heck they have almost 5800 fans!
I'm guessing my body is not happy with even the Throwback version on any kind of regular basis tho. I find I can enjoy one, once in awhile, but more often & my insides tell me that's enough.
I do enjoy soda still, just not more than one 12 ounce serving a day. Some days I dont have any. Some days, I find myself wanting a few. But I try, for my health, to stick to my one a day rule. And my beverage of choice is still the Natural Brew Outrageous Ginger Ale. Well, that & maybe the Dry Soda Lavender flavor stuff. That's a nice treat.
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