MOMS ROCK!!

The Go Green Expo in New York City this past weekend was packed with fabulous exhibitors with services and products for living healthier and living greener. But HMN was especially honored to meet and get acquainted with Joy Rose, Founder of Mamapalooza. The mom of four, Joy founded Mamapalooza "to enlighten and empower all women to claim their voice" by creating a space to celebrate mothers, give them an outlet for their artistic and literary talents, and to host sustainable opportunities and events to showcase the amazing talents of moms. Their mission is a big one: "MAMAPALOOZA’s mission is to change the way modern mothers think about themselves. By giving voice to the daily struggles, joys and triumphs women face as mothers, we are providing a platform for women to discover (and re-discover) their creative selves." As moms, we have all experienced that identity shift that comes with motherhood and recognize how easy it is to lose ourselves, our passions, and our outlets in the day-to-day of motherhood. Mamapalooza helps mothers to regain their souls, find their creativity, and showcase it in powerful ways. The creative talents of moms reach far and wide, and it is time that we help reveal them!

In addition to hosting stages and events, Mamapalooza is dedicated to eco-consciousness and sustainable businesses that are mom-powered. They also celebrate the herstory of mothers with the founding of the Museum of Motherhood (M.O.M.) honoring the experiences, work, and art of moms. MamaZina, the new publication of Mamapalooza, gives voice to mothering. What fate and honor it is to have shared some space and time with an organization who is also passionate about empowering, supporting, and celebrating mamas! We look forward to connecting our mama communities and invite you to check out Mamapalooza!

Green Your Home

BPA, VOCs, and CFLs, oh my! Just the language of greening your home can make one's head spin. It can be overwhelming to learn that everything from the chemicals used to make your mattress to the toxins in your paint are having deleterious effects on the health and well-being of your family. Sometimes, we cannot digest it all and we react with fear and inaction. But we can choose to be paralyzed by uncertainty or empowered with new information. We just need the right tools and the support to help us feel confident in our choices.

Connecting parents with credible information and empowering them with knowledge and support is what the Holistic Moms Network is all about. And we are excited to become an education partner with the Sierra Club's Green Home program to help our members discover ways to live more sustainably and more healthfully! Founded in 1892 by John Muir, the Sierra Club is the oldest and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the country. Working to protect the planet and its inhabitants, the Sierra Club works to safeguard communities. Sierra Club Green Home was designed "to help Americans make their homes more energy efficient, environmentally sustainable and healthy." Their user-friendly website is packed with fun information from the online Home Health Quiz to a video library including a lesson on Composting 101.

The Raising Healthy Kids section is packed with attainable goals for every family - from switching to eco-friendly personal care products to focusing on whole, local foods. Realizing that we can all make simple changes, one step at a time, is an approach we can all relate to. Understanding that day-to-day choices add up and make a difference is a valuable lesson for us and for our children. Beyond the basics? Then use their CO2 calculator to find out what your home's carbon dioxide footprint is or determine your savings for going solar with their Solar Savings Calculator. Fun, educational, and making a difference! A nice combination that we are happy to share with our members!

Oddball Weather

Growing up in the Northeast, March was always an exciting month when crocuses first pop through the ground and the birds are audibly chirping at the signs of spring. Yet, here we are and if the crocuses are trying to rise up, they have a good three feet of snow to get through before they'll find sunlight. And the birds aren't happy.

February was nothing short of bizarre. Heavy snowstorms dumped piles of snow across the mid-atlantic states and others saw deep freezes previously unknown in their area. What is with the oddball weather? The National Wildlife Federation knows: they say it's all thanks to global warming. Oddball Winter Weather: Global Warming's Wake-Up Call for the Northern United States was just released. According to the report, winter is becoming milder and shorter on average while at the same time we are experiencing record-breaking snowstorms. Indeed, winter seemed rather condensed into the month of February here in the Northeast - and what a month it was! Huge snowfalls closed schools, roads, and businesses, while also taking down trees and power lines - not to mention the rampant cabin fever experienced by children across the region. On a serious note, the report argues that global warming is altering temperatures, moisture availability, and storm tracks - all of which disrupt ecosystems. The lack of bone-chilling cold has been credited with an explosion of pests and invasive species normally tempered by cold. One particular concern is the explosion of ticks who carry Lyme Disease. Warmer winters mean winter tick survival is more likely and populations will rapidly expand as global warming trends continue.

Is global warming to blame? Most Americans don't think so. The number of people who are confident about global warming is declining. A recent study conducted by Yale and George Mason Universities shows that only 57 percent of respondents believe that global warming was "happening", down 14 percentage points from October 2008. American who don't believe in global warming argue that these are just normal weather patterns. The Washington Post recently reported that area residents are quickly tiring of this year's heavy snowfalls - more than double the normal average. But a quick chart of average DC snowfall from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows marked increases about every eight to ten years, with the last occurrence in the winter of 2003-04. So are this year's storms just part of a weather trend or is global warming a scientific reality?

The Stanford University's Solar Center argues that global warming is "now well documented and accepted by scientists as fact." The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), also concurs and agrees that warming trends are due to human behavior. Changing our everyday lives, individually and collectively, can make a difference. The Environmental Defense Fund suggests some actions you can take now to help reduce global warming: for example, buying the greenest vehicle you can for your budget or choosing energy efficient appliances in your home. Mother Nature isn't very predictable these days, so it seems. But with a few simple changes we can try to impact our climate and, hopefully, our weather.

Techno-Kids

Sitting at a recent school performance where my eight year old son was participating, I remarked at the amount of technology parents showed up armed with - digital video cameras, camera cell phones, digital still cameras - and we mused about being technologically-challenged. But the mom next to me was proud that her daughter (also age 8) was proficient at her cell phone, texting, iTunes, social networking, and all things high-tech. On the one hand, I felt woefully behind in keeping up with the Joneses and on the other, my brain was screaming "what does an 8 year old need a cell phone for?"

No doubt that kids today are far more technologically savvy than many of their parents. But is that always a good thing? News reports show that today's teens have taken on media as a "full time job", showing that kids age 13 to 18 spend more than 72 hours a week using electronic media. According to the report, 75 percent of teens spend at least 2 to 3 hours a day downloading or listening to music online and 68 percent of them have profiles on social networking outlets such as MySpace or Facebook. The Nielsen company assures us not to worry - teens are still engaged in "traditional" media such as watching TV and listening to the radio - in fact, television watching is up 6% in the past five years. None of this makes me feel any better as a parent, though.

Watching too much television has always been a concern of parents. We know that sedentary behavior is not good for our kids - or for us. But as a recent Time magazine report indicates, even television viewing is of great concern to children's health. Higher rates of tv-watching have correlated with higher blood pressure which, surprisingly, is not true for other inactivity such as playing video games or surfing the internet.

We have all heard reports about the radiation from cell phones being dangerous as well. According to Mercola.com, 20-60% of the radiation emitted from your cell phone is transferred to your head in use, exposing your brain to high levels of electromagnetic fields (EMFs). Even if you dispute the dangers of EMFs from your cell phone, ABC News has a whole host of reasons why your cell phone may not be good for your health - from transporting germs to causing accidents while driving or walking.

But what about social networking? Could it be unhealthy? Neuroscientists are starting to warn that social networking may actually be re-wiring children's brains to have shorter attention spans, an inability to empathize, and shaky self-identities. There is also a growing fear that we are creating a disconnect from the unpredictability and deepness of communication between human beings by promoting short snippets of chatter to fill our social time. Psychologist Aric Sigman also fears that social networking reduces our face-to-face contact with others which is essential to health and wellness. According to Dr. Sigman, more than 209 "socially-regulated" genes have been identified that are "involved in the immune system, cell proliferation, and responses to stress." These genes respond to social interaction and work to reduce inflammatory response or otherwise protect our health as a result of direct connection with real, live people.

Declining social interactions impact our health and the health of our communities, our towns, and ourselves. When we interact in person, we boost our immunity and gain value insights and lessons on human behavior. Technology has given us huge advantages and access to information but we need to balance it with personal time, an appreciation of nature, and time to connect, dream, and use our imaginations and creativity. Needless to say, my eight year old will not be getting a cell phone or a Facebook page anytime soon.

Nursing Our Future: The Video

This week we are inspired by how organically a project comes to be and how beautifully a community can come together and create a powerful statement about holistic living.

Just last week, an idea was born thanks to HMN Advisory Board member Linda Folden Palmer who forwarded along a link to a Herald Sun article about Generation-Y women being reluctant to nurse publicly. At the same time, I was chatting with HMN Celebrity Spokesperson Mayim Bialik about nursing and she shared with us a lovely photo of her nursing on the strip in Las Vegas. In a moment, an idea was conceived and a passion to show young women that nursing in public is normal came about. Within a few days, we began to receive dozens of photos from our Holistic Moms members showing them nursing their newborns, babies, toddlers, and children in high profile locations like the Eiffel Tower and Tavern of the Green to their local coffee shop or park. Another HMN member volunteered use of one of her piano compositions and HMN National Team member, Julie Wagner, put it all together in what became - in just one week's time - our Nursing Our Future video.

The response?
"Thanks so much for this gift to the world."

"Today I am in tears. It is a joy to watch HMN grow, and now you have created this video project which is so extraordinary. It has such an enormous impact. I love it. It is so moving."

"This is the MOST amazing video of breastfeeding I have ever seen!!! THANK YOU for making this and for putting the message so succinctly. I cried and feel so proud to be a Holistic Mom."

Women feel and care deeply about nursing. We want to nourish and nurture out babies until they no longer desire it. We want to nurse when our babies are hungry or need soothing, no matter where we are, who sees us, or what else is going on. We want to feel empowered and confident, and not to be given sideways glances or to be asked to cover up. We shouldn't need to - and don't have to. Nursing is normal, beautiful, and good for moms, babies, and the planet. If we can strengthen our pro-breastfeeding sentiment, we all win. It's time to let young women know the value of nursing, the power of nursing, and its importance. You can nurse in style, openly or discreetly, publicly and privately, with infants and older children, and be proud!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this exciting project. We are honored to be able to share your breastfeeding images with the world and hope we can inspire more women to do so!

Getting Back on Track: Food and Influence

No matter what your political leanings, if you are a holistic parent you have reason to applaud recent efforts by the Obama Administration to refocus our attention on real food. First came the White House garden - a remarkable project spearheaded by the First Lady and designed to remind us of the value of natural, whole foods and the joys of getting back to the land. Simple acts of donating produce to local food banks and bringing in elementary school children for a lesson on nutrition may be written off as publicity stunts by critics. But, in fact, such actions make a bold statement about the power of individual efforts and how we can each produce change. Heads of State have been inspired by the garden and its message, as have gardeners and families across the country.

Now the Obamas are taking another step - this time toward ridding our school systems of junk food. According to the New York Times, the Obama Administration is introducing legislation to remove candy, soda, and other toxic foodstuffs from our educational institutions. With childhood obesity rates increasing from 6.5% in 1980 to more than 19% of children by 2008 according to the CDC, this is an important step in the right direction. Our schools should be committed to helping children learn and highly processed, artificial foods have no place in that commitment. A nutrient-deficient diet has been linked to host of learning problems, including ADD/ADHD, hyperactivity, and mood disorders. Recent studies are also finding a link between junk food diets and violence, yet another issue our schools battle to manage. And, just the other day, a new study was released indicating that soda consumption is correlated with increased risk of pancreatic cancer. Is this what we want to teach our children?

Not surprisingly, the American Beverage Association is opposed to the efforts but more shocking is that resistance is also coming from school administrators and parents. Schools earn money by promoting junk food within their buildings and both parents and administrators find a bit of twisted logic to explain how kids will miss out on programs and supplies if deprived of the things that rob their bodies of good health. Fortunately, some schools have already decided that the price to kids is simply not worth it and others have found healthier, greener options to raise money for school programs. One smart group of students in Florida protested an effort to sell candy and potato chips for a school trip after learning about their less than stellar nutritional profile in health class - a protest that resulted in a $16,000 donation from the widow of Robert Atkins, ensuring that their trip would be held.

As parents- and as the President - we need to set an example about the value and importance of real food for our kids and for our future. Love them or not, the Obamas are in a position of influence and thankfully they are throwing their weight behind a healthy and sustainable future.

Anger Management: Remove Plastics

Concerns over the risks of exposure to BPA (Bisphenol-A) have been escalating for some time, ranging from massive mainstream media attention to popular baby stores pulling products containing BPA from their shelves. BPA, a chemical used in plastics, managed to sneak into every aspect of our daily lives and environment in such forms as baby bottles and sippy cups, formula cans, canned food linings, water supply pipes, medical tubing, and even cash register receipts. This chemical, which enables plastics to be flexible, appears to be an insidious companion and has been linked to reproduction problems, heart disease, and diabetes as well as to developmental disorders among infants and hormone disruption. Despite years of claiming BPA is safe, the Food and Drug Administration is now looking to spend more than $30 million to research the effects of BPA in our food supply.

Now a new study by researchers at the University of North Carolina adds more fuel to the fire: their findings indicate that high levels of BPA exposure in baby girls is related to aggressive behaviors. The UNC study examined infant girls born to mothers with high levels of BPA during pregnancy. By age 2, the girls born to mothers with high levels of exposure "were more likely to have aggressive and hyperactive behaviors than children of women with lower BPA levels, especially if higher exposure was seen earlier in pregnancy."

How can you avoid BPA? Switch to stainless steel bottles for drinking and stay away from plastic water bottles, avoid using plastic baby bottles and sippy cups, do not purchase canned foods (chicken soup, ravioli, and baby formula have been shown to have particularly high levels of BPA), store your food in glass, stainless steel, or ceramic containers and not plastic ones, skip the receipts, and cleanse your home of toxic toys. And be sure to visit Bisphenol-A Free for even more information and guides to removing plastics from your household.

The Healthy and Green Disconnect

Green, eco-conscious expos and conferences seem to be popping up everywhere in recent months. Many of these events feature innovative, interesting products and services with an eye toward sustainability and conservation. Green proponents tout "completing the cycle", encouraging us not only to reuse and recycle but to purchase recycled and reclaimed products. Yet somehow in this greening process there is a gaping disconnect between what is green and its relationship to health and wellness.

At a recent green event on the east coast, we discovered that the only food offerings for vendors and attendees were pre-packaged snack food, pizza, ice cream, and candy. A national doughnut chain sold their products including doughnuts spelling out "G-O G-R-E-E-N", complete with fluorescent green icing. Seriously. A vendor across from us marketed their organic food home delivery company and yet the two company founders were clearly obese. Smokers stood outside during the show while others wandered through with cans of soda in hand.

People simply are not getting it. Yes, it is wonderful to bring your own bags to the supermarket and reduce the amount of plastic in landfills, but if you're stocking your reusable bags with processed, artificial foods not only are you NOT living sustainably (consider for a moment the amount of energy and resources that go into the packaging of processed foods alone), but you are missing half the cycle. Healing the planet is also about healing ourselves. We don't buy organic because it's trendy or just because it's "green", but because it is healthier for us and for the planet while also supporting a community of farmers who treat the earth with respect. We need to avoid toxins in our environment and on our foodstuffs, as well as in our bodies, to build a sustainable future.

It's about developing a holistic consciousness. Knowing that even the simplest choices matter - for our health, our family's health, and for the health of the planet. Green doesn't always mean healthy. A green building isn't truly going to support sustainability or health if you then fill it with furniture off gassing VOCs (volatile organic compounds) or electronic devices emitting high levels of radiation or EMFs. By the same token, stocking your pantry with "natural" and "organic" products wrapped in plastics or disposable packing fails to recognize how environmental waste and pollution undermines human health.

As Holistic Moms, we do "get it". We are not perfect. Our journey to living more healthfully and sustainably may be a long one. But we are on the path and understand the connection. As parents we have to get it for the sake of our children and their future. We need to put the healthy back into green!

Creating a Holistic Wellness Revolution

Revolution: [n] a sudden, complete, or marked change in something; a procedure or course, as if in a circuit, back to a starting point; a turning round or rotating.

When the Holistic Moms Network and Wellness Possibilities sat down to consider how we could collaborate, it became very clear to us that our synergy, our connectedness, our simple interaction represented nothing less than a Holistic Wellness Revolution. The founders of Wellness Possibilities shared with us a passion for helping others on their healing journey, for connecting people to resources for wellness, and a gratitude for doing something they believe in and support as a life purpose. Like the Holistic Moms Network, Wellness Possibilities was founded by moms. Moms who are personally, passionately involved in natural living. Moms who know the value of support and community.

Bringing together our organizations creates a revolution on many levels. It is a revolution as if the turning of a wheel, as we connect Holistic Moms members seeking natural resources with quality wellness providers who can help them on their journey to healing. And as the circle rotates, those same providers can assist their clients in finding support and community through Holistic Moms, giving them the self-confidence and empowerment to follow their healing instincts and to trust in their wellness journey.

But our collaboration is also a wellness revolution, creating a marked change in the way we see, experience, and understand health. It is a turning back to simpler, more natural ways of living and creating wellness that recognizes the body's ability to heal. A trust in the natural solutions that are available to us. And it is reclaiming our own wisdom and knowledge about healing - taking back our health in a radical transformation from a modern medical system that isolates and treats symptoms and idealizes specialists who disconnect body parts from the whole experience of living and being. It is revolutionary by starting in a place of connection and acknowledging the power of intangible things like energy, intention, and awareness. And it is revolutionary by building communities and connections, making individuals and their healers part of team that works together rather than creating an authority-subject relationship.

A Holistic Wellness Revolution is a fundamental shift in our philosophy - a radical departure from conventional thinking. We know that we cannot separate out physical health from emotional, psychological, or spiritual health. We understand that health and wellness are about connecting mind, body, and spirit and we see that parents are embracing this movement. By empowering parents through community support and wellness resources, we are helping them on their journey - building the momentum for a true paradigm shift. And we recognize that seemingly small baby steps combine to make for huge strides. Wellness is a journey that takes many paths but that starts with just one powerful step. As we step together, we begin the revolution. As Daisaku Ikeda, peace activist and Buddhist Leader once said, "A great revolution in just one single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a society and, further, will enable a change in the destiny of humankind." Join us!

Real Organic Milk

While every day is a great day to go organic, there are times when committing to a diet free of pesticides and other toxins is especially important - motherhood. From conception and well beyond, eating an organic diet may have a powerful impact on the health and well-being of mom and baby. Six months prior to conception through pregnancy, birth, and within the first two years of life marks the period of "heightened vulnerability to developmental abnormalities" according to an Organic Center report. During this time, what we eat and what products we are exposed to can have life-long impacts for our children and for ourselves.

Conventional fruits and vegetables found in your local supermarket is sprayed with pesticides and herbicides that cannot be removed by simple washing. Pesticides found on conventional produce make their way into the womb and into the blood of newborns, according to the Environmental Working Group's study Body Burden: The Pollution in Newborns. The chemicals found in the blood of infants, as well as in their mothers, are linked to cancer, birth defects, developmental delays, and immune system issues. Additionally, a 1993 study in the Journal of Applied Nutrition demonstrated that organically grown fruits and vegetables have a higher nutritive content than those that are grown with traditional farming methods. Organically grown apples, wheat, sweet corn, potatoes and pears were examined over a two-year period and were shown to be 63% higher in calcium, 73% higher in iron, 118% higher in potassium, and 60% higher in zinc than their non-organic counterparts. The organic produce was also 29% lower in mercury.

Eating a nutrient-rich and non-toxic diet during pregnancy simply makes sense. And continuing a healthy lifestyle while nursing enriches the benefits for mom and baby. A 2007 British Journal of Nutrition study revealed that mothers who consumed organic milk and meat products positively affected the quality of their breastmilk by "markedly increasing beneficial fatty acids." Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is important for immune system development in infants, as well as having anti-carcinogenic and anti-diabetic properties.

Early exposure to toxins, such as endocrine distruptors, may also have long-term health impacts. Scientists are now studying the "developmental origins of adult disease", taking into consideration prenatal and neonatal exposure to environmental toxins. Several researchers have pointed to early exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides as a trigger for misprogramming metabolism and appetite, potentially contributing to escalating rates of obesity and diabetes among children.

Limiting our exposure to pesticides and harmful toxins is a healthy choice at any age, but one of monumental importance for the next generation. Whether planning a family, expecting, breastfeeding, or trying to raise healthier kids, resolving to lead a more organic lifestyle is a wise choice.

Sleep Like a Man

I ventured into this motherhood journey nearly nine years ago and am certain that it has been that long since I have had a solid night of sleep. My first child was not a sleeper. Night wakings every hour and a half to two hours were the norm for more than a year, as was a 4:30 am wake up time. Any semblance of a nap ended by 18 months of age and I was one frazzled and weary mama. I knew then why sleep deprivation was used as a form of torture and began to understand the toll that little or inconsistent sleep can take on the body, particularly for mothers.

My second child is a great sleeper and even approaching the age of four, still relishes his two hour daily naps. He is happy to sleep in on the weekends with his dad who, remarkably, rarely understood my level of fatigue. As a co-sleeping family, I thought it impossible for him not to realize how many times our children woke during the night or how restless they were. We were, after all, in the same bed. Until recently, I thought something must be wrong with his hearing. But, as a recent study reveals, the only "issue" is that he is a man. According to the research, a crying baby is not even among the top ten sounds that disturb a man's sleep. Instead, male slumber is roused by car alarms, howling wind, and buzzing flies. Women, however, place the sound of a crying baby at the top of the list, with rowdiness and snoring ranking among the top ten.

Not surprisingly, at least to a parent, is the study's finding that 29 percent of adults report disturbed sleep five to seven nights a week, and 33 percent move to another room to get some shut eye. I would not be surprised if the researchers had set up hidden cameras in my home, as these behaviors are commonplace for us - still. For many of us, sleep deprivation takes a huge toll. Lack of sleep impacts not only our mood and patience, but can also make us more prone to illness, heart disease, depression, and hypertension, among others. "Lack of sleep disrupts every physiologic function in the body," said Eve Van Cauter of the University of Chicago, in the Washington Post. "We have nothing in our biology that allows us to adapt to this behavior."

Sleep is necessary to regenerate parts of the body, and particularly the brain. Lack of sleep can impact our language ability as well as our memory. Sleep deprivation can also impact our ability to think creatively, to problem solve, and to multitask. In other words, it actually affect our ability to parent.

"Sleep when your baby sleeps" is the usual recommendation, but this may be hard (if not impossible) for mothers who are juggling careers, other children, or a never-ending to-do list. There are some great resources out there to help you along the way, including several books by HMN Advisory Board member Elizabeth Pantley that address infant and toddler sleep issues. But what about racking up years of sleep deprivation? The good news is that you can recover. According to Rick Nauert, PhD, it may take weeks to recoup decades of lost rest but each eight hour restful night brings benefits and gains for mind and body.

Although I fantasize about sleeping like a man, I'm not holding my breath. Instead, I am counting patiently down to those teenage years when my kids want to sleep in and I can get some rest. I figure I'm going to need it - they'll be teenagers, after all!

Road Food

The holidays always mean extended car trips for us and, despite grand intentions, we never seem to have all the food or snacks we need to get us through. Plus, traveling with the kids and two dogs also means everyone needs a break and a chance to move around. Although a little compromise always seems to be in order to keep everyone happy, road food is not exactly filled with great options for holistic-minded families. Rest stops are desperately in need of some healthier options, although I have to say we have come across a few random farmers markets set up at highway rest stops much to our surprise. While we couldn't make a meal out of the offerings, we were excited to pick up organic garlic, local apples, and winter squash for our destination.

Although McDonald's feeds more than 27 million people a day, an astounding figure, even on road trips it remains out of the question for our gluten-intolerant, health-oriented family. Yes, you can make "healthier" choices at the fast food locales that you will find at the average rest stop but even these may be pretty significant compromises. Those of you who are organized or high-tech do have some options: you can map out your trip in advance and locate healthier places to eat, coordinating your route accordingly or if you have an iPhone, you can search out restaurants along the way. Unfortunately, I am neither. But, there is a resource that should not be missed by those of us lacking organization, planning, or technological savvy: Healthy Highways: The Travelers' Guide to Healthy Eating by Nikki and David Goldbeck. This handy little guide, perfect for your glove compartment, lists nearly 3,000 stops across the U.S. where you can locate vegetarian, natural, or health food eateries or stores en route to your destination. Each chapter maps out a state marking the locations of health food stores, markets, restaurants, and other places to find organic, fresh, whole foods options. Addresses, phone numbers, and directions will guide you there even without a GPS and keywords will tell you if it is an eat-in, take-out, cafe, self-service, or other type of establishment. Non-smoking and handicapped accessible notations can also serve as useful guides.

Thanks to the Goldbecks, you can eat healthier on the road and also support greener, more sustainable options. Enjoy the holidays!

Personal Touch

My kids are snugglers. They love to curl up on your lap, to be held and carried, and to cozy up to their parents, our pets, and to each other. I am always surprised when people remark at how affectionate they are because it is so natural. Nothing can calm an upset or help an ill child better than personal touch.

Science backs up the importance of being close to our kids. Touch advocates recount the work of Dr. Fritz Talbot who visited a children's clinic in Dseldorf in the 1940s and discovered that children who received regular touch and mothering grew and thrived, even when all medical possibilities had been exhausted. A 2001 study by Dr. Lynda Harrison showed that very brief (10 minutes twice a day) touching of premature infants significantly reduced stress behaviors. Yet another 2003 study of orphaned Korean infants demonstrated that an extra 15 minutes a day of stimulation (personal touch, auditory simulation, and eye contact) improved weight gain, head circumference, and overall health. "Kangaroo Care" has been adopted in many hospitals, encouraging skin-to-skin contact between mothers and their newborns, helping to regulate the infant's temperature and promoting better physiological outcomes and greater success with breastfeeding. The University of Arkansas even has a fun worksheet about hugs and their importance to share with friends and family!

So why is touch so controversial? Parents lament that they are spoiling their children by carrying them too much, being too affectionate. Plenty of websites back this up, advising that we should be able to walk away and set boundaries, even at the tender age of six months! Inappropriate touch and media reports of child and sexual abuse have created a rather touch-phobic culture, with devastating results. More than 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety disorders, including aphenphosmphobia, the fear of being touched. Early social experience and the deprivation of physical touch can have a long-term impact on future development. A 2005 Natural Academy of Sciences report shows that "the social attachments formed between human infants and their caregivers begin very early in postnatal life and play a critical role in children's survival and healthy adaptation."

As parents we instinctively want to hold, hug, and snuggle our children, and with good reason. A simple hug is a vital component of physiological, emotional, and social health both over the short and the long term. Parents should trust their instincts, and snuggle away, no matter the age of the child. Personal touch benefits extend way beyond childhood and may help overcome some of the disconnection of future generations. New research on a variety of touch therapies are showing positive results with geriatric patients, including improving communication and overall health with those suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Physical interaction is a simple and vital aspect of well-being and a cornerstone for overcoming our detached social order. Sometimes getting back to basics is the most powerful thing we can do.

How Clean is Too Clean?

As a parent, I gave up on serious cleaning a long time ago. But then I have never been blessed with a penchant for cleaning. Commercials of sparkling kitchen floors, shimmering countertops, and spotless bathrooms always fascinated and repelled me at the same time. And now, thanks to Women's Voices for the Earth (WVE), I feel better about lacking the clean gene.

WVE's new report, Disinfectant Overkill, demonstrates the dangers of overuse of antimicrobial chemicals in the home and beyond. Despite the report's contention that "old-fashioned cleaning with soap and hot water has been scientifically proven to keep most homes sanitary," many of us are on a quest for something stronger, more powerful, or more thorough to rid our homes of dirt and germs. As a result, we are welcoming products into our home that were intended for sterile hospital settings, with a great deal of risk to our own health and well-being.

More than 5,000 antimicrobial products are currently registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and many of them are classified as pesticides. However, recent efforts to "streamline" the approval process for such products may remove the more stringent warnings about these chemicals and expedite their approval for public use, allowing even greater numbers of antimicrobial products to flood the market. Of concern is that these products are not only dangerous to human health, but may be ineffective and may lead to "increasing acquired bacterial resistance" while also polluting groundwater.

A number of conditions, from asthma to skin rashes, are associated with antimicrobial chemicals. Newer studies indicate that antimicrobial agents may act as hormone and endocrine disruptors and may mimic both estrogen and testosterone in the body. These pollutants are also passed through breastmilk to babies and are stored in fat cells among women.

Of course, the cleaning industry is big business. According to WVE, "analysts project that the global disinfectant market will reach $2.5 billion by
2012." As consumers continue to demand cleaner, germ-free environments, the number of products containing antimicrobial agents will continue to grow. Estimates show that nearly 70% of all liquid soaps currently available contain antibacterial agents, despite the research indicating that they have essentially no benefit over plain, standard soaps.

Reducing our exposure to these chemicals is as simple as using or making your own natural cleaners. Simple, safe ingredients such as baking soda, castile soap, and vinegar can become your primary tools for effective home cleaning. Both HMN cookbooks, Growing Healthy Families and Many Paths, One Journey to Health include easy recipes for natural cleaners to use in your home. Gather your friends or fellow holistic parents and host a green cleaning party - it's easier and more fun than you might think!

Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

The holiday season is rapidly approaching and despite tough economic times and a year filled with personal challenges, many of us sense building excitement as twinkling lights and decorated trees begin to appear.

As holistic-minded parents, we may view the season's arrival with both anxiety and happiness. We may dread the commercialism of the holidays; the wastefulness of the cards, trees, and wrappings; and the unhealthy temptations that creep into our diets. But we may also celebrate the sentiments in which this season is embedded: generosity, family, love, and giving. Embodying these virtues is the jolly figure of Santa Claus, a legend of the season that is hard not to embrace. My eight year old puts us on the spot regularly about the existence of Santa Claus, looking for evidence to demonstrate that he is real or any indication of a total commitment to the fantasy in either of his parents.

Our response? We wax poetic about jolly old Santa Claus, leave him gluten-free cookies (and organic carrots for his reindeer), and insist upon the veracity of his being. Although we may be roundly criticized for telling tall tales or being dishonest with our children, we believe that Santa Claus is, in fact, a part of all us. Yes, we know that the legend is grounded in the benevolent Saint Nicholas and his penchant for giving to children and those less fortunate and that there may well be some truthful historical roots for the character we celebrate today. But our certainty about the existence of Santa Claus is an acknowledgement of our personal philosophy that people are essentially good and generous at their cores, and that love and giving are values we all want to live by.

So when asked by my older son "Mom, do you really believe in Santa Claus?", I can honestly say "yes" because I have seen people who give of themselves every day, people who anonymously reach out to help someone who is struggling, people who dedicate their lives to making the world a better place for all of us, people who radiate love and generosity, light and passion. I believe in the magic that Santa can create by bringing smiles and love to families, opening hearts, and how his presence (real or mythical) inspires us to give and to share. I believe in the Santa in all of us and celebrate the season that allows us to bring forth that positive, loving energy. Besides, who can resist a good belly laugh?

Cultivating Gratitude

Sharing this Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends reminds us to put our attention on what we are grateful for in our lives. Cultivating gratitude is a spiritual practice and one that may not come easily in our secular, materialistic world. But from a holistic perspective, learning to be grateful has benefits on many levels. For example, research on gratitude has found that people who express gratefulness have higher vitality, more optimism, suffer less stress, and are less likely to experience clinical depression. Jeffrey Froh, professor at Hofstra University also found that "students who counted blessings were less likely to report headaches, stomach aches, pains in the body."

How do we shift our attitude to one gratitude? According to Robert Emmons, one of the foremost authorities on the topic of gratitude and professor at UC-Davis, keeping a gratitude journal is an important first step. "This process of writing, just putting it on paper, helps people focus, and people report that it helps them to think about things a little differently than they had before," says Emmons. Emmons' research shows that those who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, and were more optimistic about their lives compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral life events (Emmons & McCullough, 2003).

You can start with a simple list of things that you are grateful for today or this week, and jot them down in a notebook. You may be grateful for the sunny day, a kind word, or a moment of peace and quiet. Acknowledging the simple things can help you refocus from what you may not have, to what you do have. The practice of keeping a gratitude journal may also help people to feel more connected and to be more helpful, according to Psychology Today Magazine.

While the holiday season is a wonderful teaching moment to help our children to understand gratitude, we can help them learn gratitude all year round. Putting loose change into a jar for a charitable cause, bringing our children along to help out with food or clothing donations, or putting our children in charge of special clean up or tree-planting projects are simple yet powerful ways to help them to cultivate gratitude at an early age. Gratitude is best expressed in our actions and how we choose to live. As John F. Kennedy once said, "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

New Mammography Guidelines

Just this week the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued new guidelines regarding routine mammograms for women in their forties suggesting that they skip the dreaded routine mammograms until later on. "The benefits are less and the harms are greater when screening starts in the 40s," said Dr. Diana Petitti , vice chair of the panel. The new recommendations are not without controversy, as a few vocal healthcare professionals and journalists feel that women may now become "complacent about the dangers of breast cancer". Although some medical professionals are up in arms about the new guidelines, they may actually be a blessing for women.

As a medical procedure, mammography is certainly not without risk. Mammography uses low levels of radiation to detect cancer. Terry Rondberg, author of Under the Influence of Modern Medicine argues that radiation-induced breast cancer is a growing concern. Taking four films of each breast in a standard mammography means that "premenopausal women undergoing annual screening over a ten-year period are exposed to a total of about 10 rads for each breast," according to Samuel Epstein, MD. In addition, according to Epstein and Seaman, the breasts of premenopausal women are "highly sensitive to radiation, each rad of exposure increasing breast cancer risk by 1 percent, resulting in a cumulative 10 percent increased risk over ten years of premenopausal screening, usually from ages 40 to 50."

Mammographies may also be less effective than women are led to believe. False positives are common in mammograms, with studies showing that "70 to 80 percent of all positive mammograms do not, upon biopsy, show any presence of cancer." Dr. Samuel S. Epstein, author of The Politics Of Cancer, "claims that in women ages 40 to 49, one in four instances of cancer is missed at each mammography."

So why the protest and disagreement coming from organization such as the American Cancer Society? According to the Cancer Prevention Coalition "cancer is a multi-billion dollar business". Large organizations such as the American Cancer Society have much at stake here. James Bennett, professor of economics at George Mason University, stated that "in 1988 the ACS held a fund balance of over $400 million with about $69 million of holdings in land, buildings, and equipment. Of that money, the ACS spent only $90 million— 26 percent of its budget— on medical research and programs." Both the ACS and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have been criticized for conflicts of interest, including links to the major manufacturers for mammogram films and machines, such as DuPont, Kodak, and General Electric. Corporate "heroes" and "friends" listed by ACS include Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Novartis, among others. Novartis manufactures Femara, a breast cancer drug, and earlier this year Johnson & Johnson acquired Cougar Biotechology, a maker of experimental cancer medicines.

Once again it is up to women to become informed and educated about the risks and benefits of a medical procedure such as a routine mammogram. Women should explore alternatives, such as thermography, with their healthcare providers and also take into account what is behind the messages and recommendations that they receive from their doctors or through ad-driven campaigns targeting their participation.

Whole Pets

Somewhere along our holistic parenting journey as we become informed about the quality and safety of the foods we eat, the risks and benefits of the healthcare choices we make and the products that we bring into our homes, we realize that our holistic perspective applies not only to our children, but also to our pets. Our beloved family pets are subjected to the many claims and products of a multi-billion dollar pet industry that may not have well-being as their guiding principle.

Holistic pet choices, like parenting decisions, should begin before the pet or pets are welcomed into our homes. According to the Humane Society, more than 5 million cats and dogs are killed in shelters each year in the United States - that's one every six and a half seconds (and several while you are reading this blog). Adopting homeless pets saves lives, reduces the profits of inhumane puppy mills, and offers a sustainble alternative to pet purchases. What's more, many animals in shelters are pure breeds. In fact it is estimated that this number may be as high as 25 to 30percent.

As a pet parent, you'll be faced with many of the same choices - how to feed your pet, how to care for and discipline your new family member, and what the benefits and risks are to vaccinations. Increasingly, veterinarians are beginning to question our vaccination recommendations as recent studies show substantial links between frequent vaccines and cancer rates. Author and veterinarian Dr. Richard Pitcairn has also pointed out the rising incidence of vaccinosis among pets, manifesting itself in a variety of common pet problems such as diarrhea, eye conditions, and skin eruptions. Fortunately, there are quite a few veterinarians who will check titres on pets rather than continually revaccinate against common illnesses. In addition, there are a growing number of holistic vets who focus on disease prevention and health through diet, as well as through the use of natural remedies and homeopathy. Other natural solutions, such as herbs and essential oils can offer holistic approaches to common challenges from skin disorders to nervousness.

Nutrition is an important key to well-being for all living things and our pets are certainly no exception. Food additives and byproducts are frequent components of commercial pet food. The Animal Protection Institute describes the commercial pet food industry this way: "What most consumers don't know is that the pet food industry is an extension of the human food and agriculture industries. Pet food provides a market for slaughterhouse offal, grains considered 'unfit for human consumption,' and similar waste products to be turned into profit." To preserve shelf life, many pets foods also contain BHA, BHT, and propylene glycol, the safety and toxicity of which has not been accurately determined.

Whole foods, natural remedies, eco-friendly pet beds and toys made from sustainable, non-toxic resources need to be part of every holistic pet owner's program. Sharing out lives with pets can bring great joy, compassion, and love. Good health and well-being should also be part of that equation.

Unsavory Alliances

An old Japanese proverb says "when the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends." The same could certainly be said about organizations and corporations - who we choose to align with reflects our own integrity and the level of commitment we have to our purpose, above and beyond convenience or financial gain. Building a community, an organization, or a corporation is about building trust and bringing our vision to a wider audience. But if we are not honestly serving the common good, we may choose an unsavory alliance that exposes our truth.

As Norwegian economist Eivind Reiten once said "Credibility takes years to build, but a few hours to destroy." Perhaps the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) needs to listen up. The AAFP "is the national association of family doctors. It is one of the largest national medical organizations, with more than 94,600 members in 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam." Among their stated purposes are: "To provide responsible advocacy for and education of patients and the public in all health-related matters" and "To promote and maintain high standards among physicians who practice Family Medicine." Where exactly an alliance with one of the world's greatest offenders to public health, Coca-Cola, fits into this purpose is beyond comprehension. Seriously, folks. It is almost too unsavory to speak of, to write of, even to think. But, alas, here it is. Just this week, The American Academy of Family Physicians has signed a six-figure alliance with the Coca-Cola Company.

Talk about integrity. Putting aside the AAFP's CEO claiming that "the deal won't influence the group's public health messages", let's speak for a moment about credibility. Can any family physician who is a member of the AAFP honestly believe that being in the back pocket of Coca-Cola sends a positive message about their commitment to health and well-being? Soda consumption has been linked to osteoporosis (Mayo Clinic), obesity (UCLA), and diabetes (American Diabetes Association), among other ills. Drinking just one can of soda a day can increase a woman's likelihood of developing Type 2 Diabetes by 85 percent, not a statistic health professionals should be overlooking. As Harvard University epidemiologist and nutrition expert Dr. Walter Willett told the Associated Press "Coca-Cola, like other sodas, causes enormous suffering and premature death by increasing the risks of obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, gout, and cavities." But perhaps these are no longer "health-related matters" for the AAFP or are now outside the scope of the practice of family medicine? According to the AAFP's press release on the new alliance, "The Consumer Alliance program is a way of working with interested companies to develop educational materials to help consumers make informed decisions so they can include the products they love in a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle," said AAFP President-elect Lori Heim, M.D., of Vass, N.C. So, Coca-Cola can now be part of a "balanced diet and healthy lifestyle" according to America's family physicians?!

Credibility lost.

The Upside of Halloween . . . or Hand Over the Chocolate!

Not being a big fan of ghouls and goblins or anything remotely resembling a werewolf, one might correctly assume that Halloween does not rank high on my favorite holiday list. Except, of course, for the chocolate.

Without a doubt, I am a confessed complete and total chocoholic. Nothing is quite as irresistible as smooth, silky chocolate. Chocolate has a magical ability to transform a moment into something rich and delectable, with a hint of the exotic. And, yes, as a holistic mom I am the strange lady down the street handing out fair trade chocolate, organic lollipops, or non-toxic crayons to the little neighborhood trick-or-treaters. But I am also the first one to plead with my family to save some of the chocolate for last (in case Halloween "traffic" is light this year), in hopes of sequestering the leftovers into a secret chocolate stash.

But, honestly, what's so bad about chocolate? Well, according to some scientists, not all that much. Studies have shown that "cocoa powder, dark chocolate and milk chocolate have higher Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity (ORAC) values than many common foods, such as prunes and blueberries. (ORAC values measure how powerful an antioxidant a substance is. An antioxidant is a substance that inhibits oxidation or reactions promoted by oxygen and peroxides, and that include many held to protect the living body from the deleterious effects of free radicals. Examples include beta-carotene, vitamin C, and alpha-tocopherol)." Although some of the pro-chocolate research trials have been funded by those with a vested interest in the outcome, I personally have little motivation to refute their findings.

But not all chocolate is created equal. Rich, dark, organic chocolate holds the greatest potential for positive health benefits and the less processed, the better. More importantly, how our chocolate is produced is critically important as trafficking in children to be sold into labor in cocoa fields in West Africa or their exposure to high levels of pesticides during farming should be a deciding factor for all of us when we choose to indulge. The wages earned by cocoa farmers around the world are desperately low, largely due to a lack of corporate responsibility. "Producer income remains low because major chocolate and cocoa processing companies have refused to take any steps to ensure stable and sufficient prices for cocoa producers," explains the Global Exchange website.

Fair trade, organic chocolate is not hard to find. It may not be what is offered at the next house on your Halloween tour of the neighborhood, but it should be! With a little effort and a lot less guilt, we can all enjoy the spoils of Halloween for weeks (well, maybe days) to come!