Mineral Fusion Lipstick - gluten free!

People have been making fun of gluten-free cosmetics as being overly precious, but I, for one, have had contact gluten problems, so having cosmetic makers pay attention to it is a boon.

Lipsticks are known to contain a lot of toxins, including heavy metals like lead, which is particularly bad because you're always eating your lipstick. Mother Jones has a list of some of the worst offenders: http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/05/study-lead-metals-lipstick-top-20

Mineral Fusion has a nice color, lasts long, and rates low in toxins on the Environmental Working Groups data base : http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/search.php?query=mineral+fusion+lip&search_group=everything&ptype2=

Although it should be noted this recommendation is based on "limited data." But if you're looking for a lipstick that's "natural," Mineral Fusion is a good choice, using natural moisturizing ingredients like castor oil and skipping the waxes and chemicals. Learn more here: http://www.mineralfusion.com/collections/cosmetics

My organic farmer friend grows these and we harvested about 10 pounds worth. Immune-enhancing syrup will be on the way. Last year, I used this and never got sick !

These are all #organic elderberries from my friend's farm -

A photo posted by Marie Lee (@mariemyungoklee) on Aug 12, 2015 at 6:05am PDT

Breaking: NSAIDS like Naproxen-ALEVE etc. May STOP ovulation

"a woman is not going to get pregnant if she continues to take NSAIDs, and doctors need to advise women to stop taking these drugs if they want to be fertile," he told Medscape Medical News.

This is pretty scary that a common drug can halt fertility, especially since so many young women take anti-inflammatories for conditions that may already impede pregnancy. From MEDSCAPE:

ROME — Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been shown to inhibit ovulation and reduce progesterone levels in young women, which could seriously undermine fertility, new research suggests.

"I'm actually a very late whistleblower because many others have tried to say the same thing: that NSAIDs — which are widely used and can be bought without a prescription — prevent the ovarian follicle from rupturing so women who are taking NSAIDs cannot release an ovum to be fertilized," said Sami Salman, MD, from the University of Baghdad.

read more here

Check out this kickstarter for a water bottle that also filters water

A revolutionary water filtration bottle is changing the way we stay healthy and hydrated.  Aquasana, the leader in water filtration, is offering on-the-go hydration with the best bottle filter on the market.

The Aquasana Filter Bottle pairs smart design with high performance filtration never before available in a bottle. The Aquasana Filter Bottle outperforms the competition delivering professional grade water filtration right at your fingertips.  It reduces lead and chlorine, plus over 99% of bacteria, virus and cysts from drinking water.

Designed to be the longest lasting on the market, the filter inside the bottle will last for 80 gallons. It’s also eco-friendly: just one Aquasana filter bottle will keep 640 disposable plastic bottles out of our landfills.  The Aquasana Filter Bottle is ergonomically designed to fit comfortably in your hand, and is available in shatter-resistant borosilicate glass or BPA-Free Tritan™ plastic.  It also comes with a premium silicone sleeve to provide protection against breakage and a nonslip grip.

Aquasana is launching a Kickstarter to fund this project. Learn more here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aquasana/aquasana-filter-bottle-you-deserve-better-water

Funds raised will contribute to the development, production and marketing of the Aquasana Filter Bottle. The product is scheduled to be shipped in August 2015.

Doctors' White Coats symbolize cleanliness--they are anything but

Because of my brief association with a university medical school, I still get access to lots of interesting information. Like this: "How often do you think doctors' white coats are washed?"  and (2) are "industrial" washers better than home washers? The answers to both will surprise you:

08 of 14

Laundering 
This is the variable that separates bacteria-laden scrubs or white coats from clean ones. How often are these items laundered?

According to a recent survey^[10] of physicians, white coats are washed every 12.4 ± 1.1 days (P < .001). 

Is a plant virus making us dumber?

Wow, has a plant virus jumped species and slowing our cognitive abilities? They found this virus in 40% of the people they tested--eep!


Six weeks later, the group of mice with ATCV-1 took about 10% longer to navigate a maze, and they also spent about 20% less time exploring new environments.

The infected mice also showed more than 1,000 gene changes in the parts of the brain that are usually considered essential for memory and learning. The researchers could observe these gene changes in mice because they analyzed the mice before and after they were infected with the virus. This shows some of the effects the virus could have on people, but we don't know that humans would show the same changes — and it would be unethical to conduct the same experiment on people.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/algae-virus-may-be-changing-cognitive-ability-2014-10#ixzz3HkjU2YkK

Can't help wondering if CLIMATE CHANGE has something to do with this.




read more here.

ALERT: Baby Wipes Recalled for Dangerous Bacteria:

Baby wipes are being recalled. Some packages may contain a bacteria that's often resistant to common antibiotics.

Read more here. 

World's Easiest Non-Toxic Organic BPA-free Leftover-Using Sugar-free Spaghetti Sauce EVER

So I found some lovely spaghetti squash (organic, por supuesto) at the farmer's market, and all I needed was some spaghetti sauce. I went to our local market, which, this being Manhattan's Upper West Side, they had a nice organic selection. But reading every single label, I saw they all had SUGAR.

You may or may not have been following the news that sugar may cause cancer. According the The New York Times, "Is Sugar Toxic?":

If it’s sugar that causes insulin resistance, they say, then the conclusion is hard to avoid that sugar causes cancer — some cancers, at least — radical as this may seem and despite the fact that this suggestion has rarely if ever been voiced before publicly. For just this reason, neither of these men will eat sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, if they can avoid it.

Our son has had a cancerous growth when he was an infant, so we skip the pesticides and the sugar (perhaps you should, too)

So what's a busy but non-toxic mom to do?

I went to make it from scratch, only to find the organic tomatoes all come in cans, which either have the endocrine-disrupting BPA. Or, the BPA-free just have ANOTHER chemical, what's depressingly known as a "regrettable substitution," which means it's free of BPA but not something else that's harmful. (read more here).

But, happily I found this:

Organic, glassed strained tomatoes (you can get $10 off your order using code PIX328 here.)

I ended up throwing together a sauce that was not only fast and easy, it was SO DELICIOUS that we were kind of dipping into it plain. BONUS: we used leftovers, including "leftover wine"--yes my husband has some health issues so he can't drink, and it's not my usual policy to drink a whole bottle of wine.

TRY THIS RECIPE and THROW IN YOUR OWN LEFTOVERS:

1 bottle Organic, glassed strained tomatoes 

2 tsp or more organic dried oregano

2 good shakes organic black pepper

sea salt to taste (I use a home made nettle salt)

1 small white onion, diced

2 cloves organic garlic, diced

1/4-1/2 cup leftover organic red wine, something full-bodied like a cabernet works well (optional but delicious - also, the alcohol part burns off when you cook)

2 tblsp organic olive oil - I used a high antioxidant, one of the few "non adulterated" olive oils like California Olive Ranch (yes, not to freak you out, but much olive oil on the market is rancid and or fake/adulterated).

If you want a touch of sweetness, try some organic coconut (1 tsp-1 tblsp) sugar or honey. If you want to go all natural Italian momma, then add a carrot and cook it long enough for the sweetness to come out (then compost the carrot, or mash it into the sauce)

**Use a good quality enameled iron pan--I used Le Creuset. 

Couldn't be easier: 

Sauté the onion at medium heat in the olive oil until translucent and just starting to brown. Pour in the rest of the ingredients except the garlic. Pour yourself a glass of wine. Heat until it starts to bubble gently. At this point you can also add in leftover vegetables, etc.  Stir occasionally while you drink the wine. It can be done in a few minutes if you're in a hurry. Cook for about 15-20 minutes for something thicker, appropriate for pizza.  Add the garlic in for the last 5 minutes of cooking both to get a more garlicky flavor and to preserve the antioxidant properties.  

Sorry, this picture looks a bit anti-gravity, but you get the idea. PRO-TIP: if you leave it out overnight, the flavors mingle even more nicely. Buon Appetito! 

Alert! European Health Authorities Issue Warning on use of Valproate (Depakote) in pregnancy: Autism

If you are of childbearing age and especially considering becoming pregnant, a common epilepsy/ migraine drug, brand names include Depakene, Depakote, Depacon, has been linked to neural tube defects, autism, cognitive impairment in children when their mothers take it when pregnant. The European Medicine Agency is alarmed enough that it is telling doctors to use a different drug unless the person is on contraceptives.

And remember that pharma companies have less sway over medical opinion in Europe.

The European Medicine Agency (EMA)'s Pharmacovigilance and Risk Assessment Committee has recommended strengthening the restrictions on the use of valproate in women of childbearing age.
This is because of the risk for malformations and developmental problems in children exposed to valproate during pregnancy.
The committee recommends that valproate not be used to treat epilepsy or bipolar disorder in girls and women who are pregnant or who can become pregnant unless other treatments are ineffective or not tolerated.
It adds that women for whom valproate is the only option should use effective contraception and that a doctor experienced in treating these conditions should start and supervise treatment.
The advice also applies to the use of valproate for the prevention of migraine.

Read more here: http://www.medscape.chereom/viewarticle/833193?src=wnl_edit_newsal&uac=98206PV: 

Electromagnetic warfare in the Beautiful Washington State Coast--RADIATION--pumped into public park?

Should the US government have electromagnetic war games here? They SAY it won't hurt animals or humans. Probably not a great idea.

he assessment also states that extended exposure to this level of radiation can pose a serious health hazard. The Peninsula Daily News reports,

“The Navy’s environmental assessment, which includes plans for protecting people and large animals, found no significant impact from the $11.5 million warfare training project, planned to be operational on the West End by September 2015.”

If this bothers you, COMMENT IS OPEN. Let the government know how you feel.


Thanks  to a public outcry on the issue, the Navy, working through the National Forest Service has extended a public comment period through October 25th, 2014. Comments, as well as a plethora of information on the issue can be found HERE.

Weird microbeads in toothpaste may be ruining your teeth and gums

Ugh, this hygienist kept finding terrible weird stuff in people's mouths and teeth:

Trish Walraven has seen lots of things as a dental hygienist, but until a few years ago, she had never seen anything like this.

“We thought it was a cleaning product or something that people were chewing,” Walraven said.

They were little blue dots trapped in the tiny spaces between people’s teeth and gums.

“Some weeks I’ll see five or six patients,” Walraven told KNXV.

Walvaren started asking around and other hygienists were seeing the blue dots, too.

It took awhile, but they finally figured out what it was — polyethylene.

read more here

Okay, so it's time to resurrect a very old post,  about my easy, extremely cheap "toothpaste" regimen that also WHITENS, i.e., baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Still no cavities and my teeth look nice and white even with my coffee and red wine habit... click here.

Barbara's Cereals are now non-GMO; Annie's "Naturals" pro-GMO

I do love Barbara's jalapeno cheese doodles things but don't buy them because they may have GMOs.
However, I was happy to hear that the company is trying to switch to all non-GMO. They have started with their cereals. Check it out here;

On the other hand, Annie's "Naturals," which is so cutesy with the bunnies, is selling out to General Mills, which, according to RealFarmacy

“General Mills was one of the most generous donators toward the campaign to prevent GMO labeling initiative prop 37 in California. They put $1,135,300 (as of 2012) into anti-GMO-labeling propaganda in Califonia alone.”

Read more here. Vote with your consumer dollars!

Eat Weeds!

Weeds are survivors, which makes them extra tasty. This weekend I made huevos con verdolagas, a delicious Mexican omelet that uses purslane, which I bet you have in your garden. Do you know purslane has a ton of omega-3s and vitamin A? My eggs turned out great, green, with the juicy and slight citrus flavor of purslane.

Read more about the surprising health benefits of purslane here:

Isabelle Allende on how to live passionately no matter your age

Yesterday was 9-11. Also on 9-11, a U.S. -backed coup toppled Chile's DEMOCRATICALLY elected government. Henry Kissinger was one of the people behind it. President Salvador Allende was her father's first cousin. You can read more about US involvement in the coup here.

http://www.ted.com/talks/isabelle_allende_how_to_live_passionately_no_matter_your_age?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2014-09-13&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_content=top_right_button

Is your Puffer Coat or Comforter CRUEL?

Your down coat or bedding may be the result LIVE PLUCKING of geese.

I did an investigative report for Salon. Check it out here 

Flame Retardants in all your furniture, the scandal:

After my son was born more than a decade ago, we got a new couch and carpeted the sun-room to make things more baby-friendly. For some reason I became freaked out about flame retardants + the petrochemical crap in carpets. I am grateful that my husband and his dad spent a whole afternoon laboriously removing the carpet and sofa and NOT A WORD or a grumble. Now, there's hard evidence, and the scandal is worse than you can believe:

RESEARCHERS this summer purchased 42 children’s chairs, sofas and other furniture from major retailers and tested them for toxic flame retardants that have been linked to cancer, birth defects, diminished I.Q.’s and other problems.

In a study released a few days ago, the Center for Environmental Health reported the results: the toxins were found in all but four of the products tested.

“Most parents would never suspect that their children could be exposed to toxic flame-retardant chemicals when they sit on a Mickey Mouse couch, but our report shows that children’s foam furniture can carry hidden health hazards,” a co-author of the study, Carolyn Cox, said in releasing the report.

These flame retardants represent a dizzying corporate scandal. It’s a story of corporate greed, deceit and skulduggery, powerfully told in a new HBO documentary, “Toxic Hot Seat,” that is scheduled to air on Monday evening.

This is a televised window into political intrigue and duplicity that makes “House of Cards” or “Breaking Bad” seem like a Sunday school picnic.

read more here: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/opinion/sunday/kristof-danger-lurks-in-that-mickey-mouse-couch.html?smid=pl-share

Flame-retardant free sofa bed?

Anyone out there have a good one, for a Manhattan apartment?

Wholesome Chow ORGANIC Gluten Free Flour - a winner~

Gluten-free flour is hard enough to find as it is, but I worry about GMOs and pesticides and I was so thrilled to try Wholesome Chow's ORGANIC GF flour (it's also vegan). Substituted it 1:1 for normal recipes, and here's Smitten Kitchen's chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. I also substituted coconut sugar and GF chocolate chips, etc., and made not only a healthy version but they tasted pretty close to "real" cookies. Then again, I've been GF/organic/white sugar free for so long, who knows.

Even better, this mix is completely allergy free: no wheat, soy, gluten, dairy, eggs, casein or nuts.  At our son's school, everyone has some kind of allergy, and this is going to be perfect.

I also made these wonderful pumpkin muffins, for which I just mixed up mooshed organic steamed pumpkin from the farmer's market, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and flour and got these beauties:

They also make baking mixes and it uses organic evap'ed cane juice--as well as cake and frosting mixes. These aren't low-carb, for the paleo types, but when I want to bake things for guests and have them not necessarily scream GLUTEN FREE, this is my go-to mix. For kids who need to be allergy-free, this is heaven!

Carcinogens in your Trader Joe's shampoo:

Yesterday's post was about using soap nuts do to you laundry AND use the last bits for a healthy shampoo. Maybe after you read this, you'll see it makes loads of sense; I didn't know cocamide DEA was so horrible, I remember seeing it in almost all my shampoos. It causes CANCER:

The Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health has sued four retailers -- Walgreens, Vogue International, Lake Consumer Products and Ultimark Products -- for allegedly selling shampoos and personal care products that contain thecarcinogenic chemical cocamide diethanolamine (cocamide DEA) without proper warning, CEH Communications Director Charles Margulis told The Huffington Post.

If the claims are true, the companies may be in violation of California law, as the state identified the chemical as cancer-causing in June 2012. Under Proposition 65, businesses must notify Californians of "significant" amounts of chemicals in products for purchase. Cocamide DEA, a chemically modified form of coconut oil, is used in shampoos and other personal care products as a thickener or foaming agent. Companies were given until June 2013 to comply and properly label the products.
These companies are only the first four of more than 100 against which the CEH has vowed to pursue legal action; others include Trader Joe's, Walmart, Kohl's and Sephora, Margulis told HuffPost. According to a study commissioned by the CEH (which is not yet available online), the chemical was found in 98 products, including some manufactured by Paul Mitchell, Colgate Palmolive and Colomer. Other products marked as organic or marketed for children were also found to contain the carcinogen.

read more http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/30/shampoos-carcinogens-center-for-environmental-health_n_3831982.html?utm_hp_ref=women&ir=Women:

Karma Clean soap nuts

I was recently doing a residency where they provide (wonderful!) food, the artists do the cleanup. They had those brightly colored soap pod things, very convenient, someone laughed as I carefully used two spoons to pick it up. When asked why, I said it's that they FELT very toxic. They now have these pods for laundry detergent, too.

Sadly, I was right, I read a story about how a toddler DIED after he ate one of those detergent pods: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/15/child-eats-laundry-detergent-pod_n_3764770.html

Anyway, if you really like the convenience of packets, there's nothing easier than these Karma Clean soap nuts packets. You toss 'em in the wash--up to 5 washes--then toss 'em into the compost OR you can even soak them in hot water and use as shampoo. I use a product from India called Aritha, that is also made of soap nuts. Soap nuts are basically just the nuts of a kind of tree and they lather and clean GREAT, I think better than chemical soap. We've been using these for years, plus, our appliance guy said they seem to be very gentle on the washer.

Check out Karma Clean, which is a genuine small business owned by a real person--and maybe bug your local health food store to carry these: http://karmaclean.info/