Hello All,
There are so many times in the past several months that I wanted to come back here and write a post. And there are a couple of reasons why I haven't. The first reason would be that I've been busy. But that is sort of a cop out. In addition to being busy (because really, we all are), I just haven't been happy with what I've been writing. I write posts fast and furious. I rarely check them and I'm not writing them as if I was expecting anyone to read them. They are not the posts that I read on other blogs, that sound like pieces of actual journalism or pieces torn from the pages of novels. I consider myself a fiction writer, that is my preference. I started the Pat Kramer Report not to be a writer but to put facts out there and share my passion for healthy and safe products and chemical reform with other people, while also providing information for those who may not know what sorts of chemicals go into their laundry detergent or lipstick or baby lotion and why those chemicals may be dangerous and why they may cause you harm. The second reason I stopped the report is because I have been working in my other life as an assistant accountant in the film and TV industry as well as (the more important job) being a mother to my three year old son.
So to kick off being back, it would not be the Pat Kramer Report if I didn't have something useful to say and so that brings me to the second part of the title, the healing power of Epsom Salts. I've always known that Epsom Salts are great for sore muscles, aches and detox baths. And since I'm new to the wonderful world of Aerial arts, I am really starting to make use of this stuff! But I do remember once upon a time hearing that this stuff can also be used on wounds. And how strange that sounds that salt would be used on wounds. So like I always do, I started to research it and came up with some really useful information.
The first thing I learned is that Epsom Salts are not a salt at all, but Magnesium & Sulfate. Some uses:
1. Alleviate sore aches and muscles (soak)
2. As a laxative (taken orally)
3. Alleviate symptoms of gout (soak)
4. Exfoliate skin
5. Relieve headaches
6. Prevent hardening of arteries
7. Eliminate toxins from the blood
8. Assists in healing cuts!
And really there are so many more. But since my focus was #8, I put it to the test with an elbow that I skinned on one of those giant bouncy castle slides. Now I couldn't tell if it stung or not because the cut was already stinging, terribly! I made a soak in the bathroom sink and stuck my elbow in it. The verdict? It might be my imagination, but I think it really helped by speeding up the scabbing.
And last but not least, I need to let you in on my ulterior motive. I recently decided to merchandise with a healthy, organic product company. It is one I haven't discussed before but I'm really excited about it. I'll keep a lid on the details until I'm up an running. And yes I may be crazy trying to juggle too much at once, but stay tuned and I promise to keep you posted!
Showing posts with label organic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organic. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Friday, December 21, 2012
What do cookies and shampoo have in common?
It's been awhile since I posted. Partly because I am busy being a working mama and partly because even with 915 page views, I feel as if no one is reading. Having said that, a lot of things have been going on lately that have prompted me to get back to it.
1. The people at work think I'm crazy
I cannot stand the smell of industrial strength windex every time I walk into my place of work, nor the flowery Febreze in the bathroom and certainly not lemony clorox they want to wipe my desk down with. My boss says "don't listen to Pam, she's crazy, everything according to her gives you cancer." Well yes, I did change out my "green" lightbulb for a normal one - those other ones give you skin cancer. And yes, what is wrong with cleaning your house with baking soda and vinegar and other natural cleaners (my wood polish smells of cinnamon and lavender.)? I stand by my decisions and bring my own travel sized Dr. Bronner's to wash my hands with.
2. The title of my post (also work related)
The other day at work, we got a great big holiday gift basket, loaded with fruit, jams, cookies, brownies, coffee, etc. The first thing to go, of course, the cookies. My co-worker came into my office and showed me a little packaged snowman cookie covered in icing and said "It's all-natural." Well sure, that is what it said on the package... on the FRONT. The back was a convoluted mess of both "natural" and highly "unnatural" ingredients... carageenan, "natural" and artificial flavorings, coloring and my personal favorite, the most shocking of all... PROPYLENE GLYCOL. Yes the same stuff I avoid in shampoo. Here is what wikipedia says about it...
"45 % of propylene glycol produced is used as chemical feedstock for the production of unsaturated polyester resins. In this regard, propylene glycol reacts with a mixture of unsaturated maleic anhydride and isophthalic acid to give a copolymer. This partially unsaturated polymer undergoes further crosslinking to yield thermoset plastics. Related to this application, propylene glycol reacts with propylene oxide to give oligomers and polymers that are used to produce polyurethanes.[4]
Propylene glycol is considered Generally Recognized As Safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and it is used as an humectant (E1520), solvent, and preservative in food and for tobacco products. It is also used in pharmaceutical and personal care products. Propylene glycol is a solvent in many pharmaceuticals, including oral, injectable and topical formulations, such as for diazepam and lorazepam that are insoluble in water, use propylene glycol as a solvent in their clinical, injectable forms"
Umm, thanks but no thanks. I'd rather not eat it. I worry about what medications I've ingested that have it (please don't get me onto the vaccination conversation). And it might have been a placebo effect, but about 20 mins after said co-worker finished the cookie, he came back in and said he wasn't feeling so well. Or it could have been, it was really just a crappy cookie!
3. My latest greatest obsession in continuation with the above, FOOD!
A lot of my facebook post these days have to do with the big companies donating tons of money to defeat Prop 37. I won't get into it now but if you are interested, check it out here http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_26620.cfm
Having said THAT, food is the one thing I generally don't like to discuss. There is nothing more I hate than when other people butt into my food eating business. So I promise you I won't tell you what to eat (unless truly asked). Maybe I'll let you in on those nasty chemicals that can often be found in food products, but that's the extent to which I will go.
Till next time... P
1. The people at work think I'm crazy
I cannot stand the smell of industrial strength windex every time I walk into my place of work, nor the flowery Febreze in the bathroom and certainly not lemony clorox they want to wipe my desk down with. My boss says "don't listen to Pam, she's crazy, everything according to her gives you cancer." Well yes, I did change out my "green" lightbulb for a normal one - those other ones give you skin cancer. And yes, what is wrong with cleaning your house with baking soda and vinegar and other natural cleaners (my wood polish smells of cinnamon and lavender.)? I stand by my decisions and bring my own travel sized Dr. Bronner's to wash my hands with.
2. The title of my post (also work related)
The other day at work, we got a great big holiday gift basket, loaded with fruit, jams, cookies, brownies, coffee, etc. The first thing to go, of course, the cookies. My co-worker came into my office and showed me a little packaged snowman cookie covered in icing and said "It's all-natural." Well sure, that is what it said on the package... on the FRONT. The back was a convoluted mess of both "natural" and highly "unnatural" ingredients... carageenan, "natural" and artificial flavorings, coloring and my personal favorite, the most shocking of all... PROPYLENE GLYCOL. Yes the same stuff I avoid in shampoo. Here is what wikipedia says about it...
"45 % of propylene glycol produced is used as chemical feedstock for the production of unsaturated polyester resins. In this regard, propylene glycol reacts with a mixture of unsaturated maleic anhydride and isophthalic acid to give a copolymer. This partially unsaturated polymer undergoes further crosslinking to yield thermoset plastics. Related to this application, propylene glycol reacts with propylene oxide to give oligomers and polymers that are used to produce polyurethanes.[4]
Propylene glycol is considered Generally Recognized As Safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and it is used as an humectant (E1520), solvent, and preservative in food and for tobacco products. It is also used in pharmaceutical and personal care products. Propylene glycol is a solvent in many pharmaceuticals, including oral, injectable and topical formulations, such as for diazepam and lorazepam that are insoluble in water, use propylene glycol as a solvent in their clinical, injectable forms"
Umm, thanks but no thanks. I'd rather not eat it. I worry about what medications I've ingested that have it (please don't get me onto the vaccination conversation). And it might have been a placebo effect, but about 20 mins after said co-worker finished the cookie, he came back in and said he wasn't feeling so well. Or it could have been, it was really just a crappy cookie!
3. My latest greatest obsession in continuation with the above, FOOD!
A lot of my facebook post these days have to do with the big companies donating tons of money to defeat Prop 37. I won't get into it now but if you are interested, check it out here http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_26620.cfm
Having said THAT, food is the one thing I generally don't like to discuss. There is nothing more I hate than when other people butt into my food eating business. So I promise you I won't tell you what to eat (unless truly asked). Maybe I'll let you in on those nasty chemicals that can often be found in food products, but that's the extent to which I will go.
Till next time... P
Saturday, June 30, 2012
A Cornucopia of Dairy Products and The Dirty Dozen
I'm sure this all what you wanted to read on this fine evening (ha ha). So far this blog has been documenting my quest to live a toxic free (for the most part) existence and has mostly focused on chemicals in products. I've mentioned before how there are lax regulations on organics and that goes for food and well as products, so I thought I'd share a couple of my recent finds. My husband actually prompted me to write this post when he texted me this afternoon asking what the "good" milk was.
So... where you can use the EWG's skindeep website to rate your products, now you can use The Cornucopia Institute's Scorecards to find out how your food rates. This one in particular is for dairy products... we usually go with a 4 cow rating in our house. We have a 15 month old so this has become a primary focus for us. Before he came along, I couldn't imagine having milk in the house. But only because I think it's gross.
The other find that I highly recommend is another EWG creation. They now have an app for The Dirty Dozen and The Clean Fifteen, a handy guide to produce with the highest and lowest amounts of pesticides. It definitely comes in handy if you need to save a few bucks or your local food source doesn't have what you are looking for in the organic variety. And of course they have the list online.
Enjoy!!
So... where you can use the EWG's skindeep website to rate your products, now you can use The Cornucopia Institute's Scorecards to find out how your food rates. This one in particular is for dairy products... we usually go with a 4 cow rating in our house. We have a 15 month old so this has become a primary focus for us. Before he came along, I couldn't imagine having milk in the house. But only because I think it's gross.
The other find that I highly recommend is another EWG creation. They now have an app for The Dirty Dozen and The Clean Fifteen, a handy guide to produce with the highest and lowest amounts of pesticides. It definitely comes in handy if you need to save a few bucks or your local food source doesn't have what you are looking for in the organic variety. And of course they have the list online.
Enjoy!!
Friday, May 18, 2012
Consumers Fight Back Against Hidden Toxins
Consumers are mad. They want to keep using your products... but they want them to be just as safe as they are effective!
My mother sent me this link the other day to Women's Voices For The Earth. Here is a quick guide to toxins found in your everyday commercial products - ingredients NOT found on product labels. Along with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, they want our help to take action!
And most of all, we don't want to be lied to. There is a reason why these chemicals are hidden. Because a quick internet search is going to tell us what these companies do not want us to know. That these products are harming us.
Recently I held a talk at a local mom and baby store about keeping your baby free of toxins. A lot of what was discussed will eventually show up here, but my #1 topic was KNOW YOUR INGREDIENTS. Something that is becoming harder when companies know how to hide them. But this should not discourage from always reading your ingredients and getting to know them.
I for one have fallen trap to the words "natural" and "organic" on labels and as it turns out, my "natural" deodorant wasn't so natural at all. Yes, it may have been paraben and aluminum free, it may have contained "natural" ingredients but that did not mean it didn't also contain a bunch of nasty stuff as well. Unfortunately, the words "organic" and "natural" are not regulated. So what can you do? For one, always look for the USDA organic approved seal.
And watch out for labels containing "made with" or "contains."
Familiarize yourself with safe products and if in doubt, check up on
them yourself by calling the company. I for one have great respect for
companies that answer your questions directly rather than giving you a
bunch of talk about how their products meet all safety requirements,
blah, blah, blah.
For further information on the topic...
A Guide to Organic Terminology
Organic Labeling Lies
My mother sent me this link the other day to Women's Voices For The Earth. Here is a quick guide to toxins found in your everyday commercial products - ingredients NOT found on product labels. Along with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, they want our help to take action!
And most of all, we don't want to be lied to. There is a reason why these chemicals are hidden. Because a quick internet search is going to tell us what these companies do not want us to know. That these products are harming us.
Recently I held a talk at a local mom and baby store about keeping your baby free of toxins. A lot of what was discussed will eventually show up here, but my #1 topic was KNOW YOUR INGREDIENTS. Something that is becoming harder when companies know how to hide them. But this should not discourage from always reading your ingredients and getting to know them.
I for one have fallen trap to the words "natural" and "organic" on labels and as it turns out, my "natural" deodorant wasn't so natural at all. Yes, it may have been paraben and aluminum free, it may have contained "natural" ingredients but that did not mean it didn't also contain a bunch of nasty stuff as well. Unfortunately, the words "organic" and "natural" are not regulated. So what can you do? For one, always look for the USDA organic approved seal.
For further information on the topic...
A Guide to Organic Terminology
Organic Labeling Lies
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