Happy and healthy homes

BubblyKitchenPowder [320x200].jpgSome of the ingredients in cleaning products can be as harmful to your family as the little bacterial beasties you are trying to banish.

Research has proven that high levels of toxins found in breast milk and blood can clearly be traced back to home cleaning products. If you have ever experienced your eyes, nose, head, skin or lungs feeling the effect of harsh chemical while you clean, it is definitely time to change to a safer and healthier alternative.

Two ranges of environmentally and family friendly household products have recently caught our attention;

Organic at heart

All Organic at Heart cleaning products are:

* made from 100% biodegradable formulas
* effective cleaning products
* 100% recyclable and/or decompostable
* full of gorgeous aromas to leave your home smelling great
* made with traditional ingredients eg vinegar and lemon
* free from toxic residues
* 100% safe with essential oils for family wellbeing
* environmentally aware and supporting ethical trade

Check out their new BUBBLY KITCHEN POWDER with sparkly organic orange. Containing absolutely no nasties and packed in a 100% decompostable waterproof bag, it’s a must for all healthy kitchens. Use it for washing up, surface cleaning, carpet freshening, deodorising and much more.

www.organicatheart.co.uk

Method

Like Organic at Heart, Method use plant ingredients for their cleaning products. They have a full range of cleaning products for every eventuality and are passionate about the environment. Their philosophy means they are completely committed to happy and healthy lifestyles and sustainability. Their range includes;

* all purpose products
* speciality products for granite, wood, glass, steel and leather – the wood wipes and sprays are especially yummy and make your rooms smell of almond
* a full bathroom range including the super handy all-surface wipes which are flushable                                                                                                                                                          * There is also a full range for your clothes, body and precious items (your kids!)

Method products are available in most supermarkets, even B&Q (!); for more info check out their website

www.methodproducts.co.uk

 

Most women ignorant of risk of body lotions & potions – new survey

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London: A UK health investigation has revealed that 60% of women still don’t examine the contents of their personal care products despite continued warnings about the health risks associated with the ingredients.

Over three thousand women were quizzed by Bionsen about their knowledge of the potential dangers linked with common ingredients such as parabens and aluminium. The results showed that a massive 70% of women are unaware of the risks and don’t fully understand the links that have been made with breast cancer.

As a result, the deodorant brand has been instrumental in launch of a new web site to explain the scientific research behind both sides of the debate: www.bodyhealthdebate.co.uk

Brand manager Lisa Cattell said: “We funded the site to help women achieve a better understanding of what the experts say and then make their own decision about whether they want to continue using products containing aluminium and parabens.

“Rather than sifting through endless newspaper cuttings and confusing research results, we have drilled down to the facts in an attempt to make things clearer and feedback so far has been great.

“We’ve had lots of women sharing their own personal experiences and a poll of the first 100 visitors to the site revealed that the majority of women do believe that parabens and aluminium and linked to cancer.”

The www.bodyhealthdebate.co.uksite looks at why the links have been established, what the experts say and recommend as well as a blog in which new pieces of information will be added as they come to light.

The site also contains a white paper on the subject, which can be downloaded and kept for reference alongside an area where viewers can leave their own thoughts, experiences and feedback.

Scientist agrees to become living experiment in anti-ageing chemicals

London: A scientist who has suggested that adding anti-ageing chemicals known as isotopes to food would give most people an extra ten years of life as agreed to be a living experiment.

Dr Mikhail Shchepirov, a visiting professor at Oxford University claims that adding these would defy the ageing process. Experiments on nematode works with these chemicals have increased lifespan by ten per cent. Pets are the first animals likely to be given these, he forecasts.

Dr Shchepinov suggests, in a report in Chemical & Industry magazine, that a longer life and protection against diseases such as cancer could be obtained by eating steaks, pork or chicken fillets high in the anti-ageing chemicals.

The 41-year-old plans to start eating the compounds within a few months. The treatment makes use of isotopes of carbon and hydrogen – atoms which have a different number of neutrons in their nucleus to other varieties of the element.

The isotopes used are chiefly deuterium – also known as ‘heavy hydrogen’ – which can be harvested from water, and carbon 13, which can be collected from CO2. Both occur naturally.

The theories might seem like science fiction, but the Russian academic has founded a company called Retrotrope to commercialise them and is seeking financial backers.

His research has also won support from respected academics on both sides of the Atlantic.

He said: ‘The isotopes are readily available in the water or the atmosphere. The processing is expensive at the moment, however given increased scale it could be done much more cheaply.’

Asked about the effect of feeding these elements to the nematode worms, Dr Shchepinov added: ‘We found life extension.’

He said the treatment is based on the idea that while the body can create key amino acids – which combine to form proteins in the body – it needs to absorb others from food.

It is believed the building blocks of these amino acids can be strengthened through the addition of an isotope such as deuterium. This protects cells against the damage from free radicals which is associated with ageing.

Dr Shchepinov said: ‘We don’t have to be consuming the isotopes as white powder. If you take a pig and feed those things to a pig, all you need to do is consume the pig in the normal fashion.’

He suggested the technology could first be tried in the pet food market. ‘There are several issues to be addressed, but I would say it would be possible within three years,’ he said.

‘As soon as we have the first compounds chemically made I am going to start having them myself. Hopefully within a few months.’

Charles Cantor, professor of biomechanical engineering at Boston University, said: ‘The idea of selectively using heavy natural isotopes to suppress oxidative damage is fundamentally and extremely clever.

‘If this is borne out by further experiments, the implications are profound.’

Many everyday foods contaminated with chemicals

Many every foods are contaminated with chemicals, says a report by the World Wildlife Fund.

A series of tests looked for eight groups of chemicals, including banned pesticides, artificial perfumes and industrial chemicals, in 27 different supermarket food. These included fish fingers, cheddar cheese, sausages, smoked salmon, tinned tuna and brown bread.

All the samples contained traces of at least one pollutant. Some were contaminated with several. Although the levels of toxins individually are not dangerous, the cumulative effect over years could be damaging.

Many of the compounds have been linked to cancers, genital abnormalities and birth defects. Even babies in the womb are in danger, as compounds enter the bloodstream through the umbilical cord, studies have shown.

Fish fingers were found to contain traces of several different types of chemical, including PCBs, industrial chemicals linked to liver cancer and male fertility problems.

Bought in a British supermarket, they also contained remnants of DDT, a banned pesticide linked to cancer.

Scottish cheddar contained one of the highest levels of flame retardants, compounds used in furniture and electrical products, and linked to problems with brain development and learning difficulties.

Meanwhile, olive oil had some of the highest levels of phthalates. Used in soap, make-up and plastics, they have been shown to disrupt the development of baby boys’ reproductive organs.

Some of the foods tested were bought on the Continent, but the majority were bought in the UK. The report warns that no one knows how the different pollutants interact and affect the body.

The WWF, which wants laws governing the use of chemicals to be bolstered, blames years of lax regulation for allowing them to enter the food chain.

All the chemicals are or have been used in everyday products such as food packaging and saucepans and are widely dispersed in the atmosphere and soil.

Chemical cosmetics health danger

London: Bad chemicals in toiletries and cosmetics are putting the users health at risk, according to a body representing the manufacturers of natural products.

Women who may use as many as 12 such products daily containing up to 175 different chemicals were putting themselves most at risk to cancers and other health problems, according to www.chemicalssafeskincare.co.uk

The culprit chemicals they say are parabens, used to preserve and linked to cancer; foaming agents such as sodium lauryl sulphate and sodium laureth sulphate used in shampoos which act as an irritant and formaldehyde which may cause asthma and headaches.

The organisation’s spokesperson, Julia Mitchell, said more detailed information and details of side effects should be displayed.

Chemicalsafeskincare said labels could mislead by, for example, using the word organic when only 1 per cent of the product actually is organic.