GrannyXpress

Water Safety

Filed under: GrannyX Approves @ June 29, 2006 4:38 pm by healthiacynthia

This afternoon we bathed our little puppy on the deck in a tub of sun-warmed water from the hose.  She did quite a lot of her characteristic nose-twitching and some sort of sneezing.  I have to admit that there was a strange smell in the water, and I mean even before the little sweaty dog got in.  A kind of chemical scent… hard to describe.

I continue to read this helpful book, Raising Healthy Children in a Toxic World .   I'm not sure what businesses would be releasing their chemicals into our water supply, but it would be a good idea to find out.  According to the authors, the law has a theory that "dilution is the solution to pollution" but while this works in theory when a small release of chemicals in a large body occurs, the facts are that there are many large releases of chemicals and the large bodies of water are becoming 'chemcial soups'.  What effect does this have on our grandchildren and the generations to come?

Another consideration is the salt used on the roads in icy winter situations… that chemical salt runs off into waterways and eventually makes its way into our drinking water, affecting people with high blood pressure and others.

These are issues that we should explore as responsible, caring grannies.  Let's familiarize ourselves with whatever environmental protection agents are available to us.  If not us, who?

Lock up the Yummies…

Filed under: GrannyX Suggests @ June 26, 2006 8:43 pm by healthiacynthia

vitaminsBack to talking about safety for the wee ones we love!  This book– "Raising Healthy Children in a Toxic World: 101 Smart Solutions for Every Family" — should be on everybody's bookshelf when they are raising up kids. 

How shocking to read that in the US every year there are over a million 'accidental poisonings' of children under the age of 5.  

Most of us can tell stories of horrific stuff that little children we know have ingested: my nephew ate some jelled barbecue starter, for example.

We know they are as curious as they are nimble and quick.  In this book , the authors (2 of the 3 are MDs), spend a chapter on "avoiding exposure to household chemicals". 

"Household chemicals".  Hmm… that would be stuff like cleaners and bleach, right?  Yes.  AND… household chemicals would also include a whole table of things you might have lying around the house (particularly those of us who don't have full-time resident little ones), where as little as a couple of tablets or teaspoons could cause serious consequences if taken internally.  Examples?  How about Benzocaine– one of the ingredients found in teething gels, vaginal creams, and anticavity rinses?  How about Camphor or Methyl salicylate– found in various liniments and lotions?  

lock the medicine up!

Of course there is the whole raft of prescription medications.

AND– how about the two really serious medications listed that should be locked up for sure:

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) which can cause rapid liver failure when ingested by childen (there is an antidote, so get your child to the doctor pronto if you suspect they've eaten some), and even scarier,

Vitamins with Iron!  Iron represents one of the most common causes of childhood poisoning.  Not just adult iron supplements, but also those yummy cartoon character vitamins. Like acetaminophen, an overdose of iron can cause death! 

The book 's authors suggest that you don't just think about putting a lock on your medicine cabinet, but that you put one on that is age-appropriate (a 6-year old needs a different lock from a 3-year old, usually).  

 granny and baby

My other blogs with the theme of Eliminating Risks to Your Child’s Health and Safety:

  • Babies With Fewer Side Effects:Eliminating Chemical Toxins from Your Baby/Child Personal Care Routine
  • Where Do All The Recalled Toys End Up?
  • Children Safe and Secure in Canada?: The Issue of Children in Smoke-Filled Vehicles

    • The Healthy Organic Mentality…

    Filed under: GrannyX Suggests @ June 23, 2006 12:36 pm by healthiacynthia

    Now, this is just my opinion, but it seems like the people who have the most demeaning statements to make about an "alternative" (sometimes called "organic") lifestyle are the folks who have the most trouble with change.  I'm not going to go into a rant here, but if you are truly interested in your grandchildren's ongoing health and wellbeing, you will certainly want to support changes to promote a more natural and less chemically-infused home and yard.

     In her  fascinating book, Homes that Heal (and those that don't) , author Athena  Thompson suggests that "the only real way to know that the outside of your home is safe for your family and pets is to adopt an organic mentality." (p.225)

    There is a complete lack of integrity between getting rid of all petrochemical cleaners in your home and continuing to dredge your lawn with chemical pesticides– no matter how harmless your neighbors or family members might describe them to be.  Those chemicals will be tracked into your home.  Those chemicals will penetrate the skin of little paws and feet.

     Thompson suggests, as a start, that you make your home a "shoes-off" zone.  That will alleviate some of the tracking-in flak… (even if you get rid of your yard pesticides, shoes pick up stuff from other yards, etc.)

    She has several other brilliant suggestions that you will want to get this book to read about.  One of her suggestions around pesticides is that you switch to an Integrated Pest Management approach, and she recommends getting help from books such as Erik Grissell's Insects and Gardens: In Pursuit of a Garden Ecology.

    So, I'm off out into my garden to check to see if there are any potentially harmful building materials or whatnot.  Someday soon I want to look out the window over my kitchen sink and see little ones romping back there.  The changes are worth it!

    One thing you’ll want to toss from your baby’s diaper bag…

    Filed under: GrannyX Suggests @ June 22, 2006 3:48 pm by healthiacynthia

    Wow– continuing with this book (Raising Healthy Children in A Toxic World)–I'm shocked to read how toxic that sweet smelling "baby powder" can be! Baby powder– and even corn starch– can cause some nasty health problems, such as pneumonia, when the baby inhales it. Many powders contain talc which is a close cousin of the mineral, asbestos. Forget that, eh? A better, safer choice would be KidScents' Tender Tush , that is coconut-oil based and includes gentle healing therapeutic-grade essential oils of sandalwood, Roman Chamomile, lavender, cistus ladanifer, blue tansy and frankincense (Boswellia carteri)†
    Not only is it healing, but Tender Tush has the most heavenly fragrance you can imagine putting on your little one's bottom!

    Again, if I had to do it over again, I would never use talcum powder-type baby powder on my children.  Grannies, you might want to check out the complete line of KidScents for your grandbabies… they make great gifts, and they promise to do the tender, protective things for the little child's skin and developing body.  

    To order KidScents, go here and then click (1)Product Catalog .  When you are in the Product Catalog, click (2)Children's Products , and then choose Tender Tush from the menu. 

    Don’t Smoke in a House with a Baby!

    Filed under: GrannyX Suggests @ June 21, 2006 1:06 pm by healthiacynthia

    Now, in great guiltiness, I admit to having been a 2-pack-a-day smoker by the time my second child was growing up. In fact, in those “bad old days”, mothers were allowed to smoke right in their hospital beds, right after they’d delivered the little joy of their life.

    My children are so so blessed that they do not have asthma and that they were able to get through all the fumes and illnesses of childhood into adulthood. I want something much better for my grandchildren, don’t you?

    I’m continuing to go through this book, Raising Healthy Children in a Toxic World: 101 Smart Solutions for Every Family. Secondhand/used smoke that is exhaled from someone else’s lungs, or “sidestream” smoke that drifts across the room from someone’s burning cigarette, is harmful to everyone’s health. It contains cancer-causing chemicals. Maybe a million smokers in North America die prematurely every year, losing up to twenty-five years of their lives to tobacco and other smoking carcinogens. This is not the life you want for your precious little grandchild. Granny, if you still smoke, now is the time to quit! Get More Info on Triple Complex NicoTonic Tissue Salts for Withdrawal from Nicotine and Addictive Drugs

    The other issue related to this in this book is advising that a smoke alarm be installed in the baby’s (children’s) rooms, as well as other rooms, of course. Not only can a smoke alarm prevent invasion of the used/secondhand/sidestream smoke from cigarettes, but it can save your family from burning synthetics and plastics.

    Vinyls and plastics produce dioxins and carcinogenics when they burn. Burning lucite plastics (the thick, board-hard kind used to make clipboards, for example), create hydogren cyanide, choking people through asphixiation. Smouldering polyurethanes (like in some insulation) can cause/activate asthma. All of these substances produce carbon monoxide with a potential for asphixiation.

    After reading this I began to think that there is a lot of benefit to building and decorating with mostly “natural” products (wood, stone, metal) whenever possible, and cutting down on the plastics and other synthetics that are brought into the house as toys, clothes, dishes, etc.

    You have a lot of influence as a granny– use it wisely!

    Mercury in Paint?

    Filed under: GrannyX Suggests @ June 20, 2006 11:57 am by healthiacynthia

    Oh boy. Us grannies have our work cut out for us. If you want to be right up to the minute on advising your family about concerns you have about your precious grandkiddies’ health and development, well, you might need to know more about paint.

    Now, in yesterday’s blog I talked about getting rid of paint chips and lead in old paintwork… something that we have probably all hear of — but I didn’t know that some of the least toxic water-based latex paints (choose them over oil paint) will release volatile organic compounds (VCO) into the air for days or weeks after painting. (So it is not a good idea to expose a pregnant woman to paint fumes, or to bring a newborn into a freshly painted nursery.)

    And– did you know that some paints called “bathroom paints” or “kitchen paints” contain fungacides that contain MERCURY??? Mercury can be emitted as the paint dries… and we know that mercury is a toxin that can badly damage a person’s nervous system and brain.

    Yikes! I never thought of asking about what’s in paint when I buy it… will do that in the future!

    All of this information comes from this great book I am reading called Raising Healthy Children in a Toxic World: 101 Smart Solutions for Every Family by P.J. Landigran MD, H. L. Needleman, MD, and Mary Landrigan, MPA.

    Raising Healthy Kids in an Unhealthy World

    Filed under: GrannyX Suggests @ June 19, 2006 5:33 pm by healthiacynthia

    I just picked up a fabulous little book put out by Rodale Organic Living in 2001. It’s called Raising Healthy Children in a Toxic World: 101 Smart Solutions for Every Family by Landrigan, Needleman and Landrigan. This is a Granny’s very special kind of book… the kind that is chock full of warnings and sensible things to do to turn the nasty negatives into positives for our grandchildren.

    As I have said in previous blogs, the lovely Alyza is coming to live with us (and her parents), probably by September. This is a good opportunity for us to get our house into order– to eliminate any potential environmental hazards.

    Getting a safe space ready for our little family to live in starts with an inventory of the following issues:

    • Peeling or chipping paint
    • Dirty or dull paint on the walls
    • Problems with rodents or insects
    • Wall-to-wall carpet
    • Dampness or mold
    • Worn wooden or vinyl flooring
    • Windows that won’t open
    • Old wallpaper
    • Overstuffed furniture
    • Heavy curtains.

    Each of these problem areas is detailed for why or what effect it has upon a developing child, and what can be done to rectify the problem.

    For example, under Peeling and Chipping Paint it states that lead poisoning from chipping/peeling paint (with a lead-base) is the #1 source of childhood lead poisoning. Lead damages developing brains and nervous systems. Some people I know have had suggestions made to them that their child’s ADHD could be the result of lead poisoning.

    They suggest having the paint chips tested by a “certified lead paint inspector” or a certified lab. The inspection should be done with an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) detector, not with the type of detectors (crayon-type) that can be purchased in hardware stores.

    If indeed you have lead paint on the walls (anywhere in the house), ask someone in your state or provincial (or other governmental) health department to find out what resources are available for lead paint removal. The book stresses that one needs to get expert, experienced, trained removal of lead paint, so hazardous is it. You might want to check out the site of The Alliance for Healthy Homes to gain more information.

    If you are doing renovating, do not sand lead paint! Don’t clean up lead paint chips with your vacuum cleaner! Sanding and vacuuming will just pulverize the chips into a dust that spreads around the house.

    Getting the Kids to Eat Healthy

    Filed under: GrannyX Suggests @ June 16, 2006 12:03 pm by healthiacynthia

    I’ve been reviewing a fabulous book on the effectiveness of fasting and vegan-eating on another blog.

    Today I ran across a great podcast by the author, Dr. Joel Fuhrman on his diseaseproof.com site. You’ll want to listen to this on your computer, or on your Ipod (or whatever little device) if you have any questions about how to encourage your children or grandchildren to make the right food choices for their ongoing health throughout their precious lives.

    Dr. Fuhrman has four kids of his own. He has dedicated his life to helping people back to health when there doesn’t look like any hope. If you want to get just ONE parenting book this year, you want to consider the following: