The Wellness Bitch

Remember the dad from My Big Fat Greek Wedding? He went around spraying everything from tabletops to zits with Windex and “poof” problems disappeared?

Yeah, that signature blue spray bottle’s not getting anywhere near my house, nor my face, but there’s another powerful liquid that I will gladly tote around in a spray bottle…vinegar.

Yes, vinegar. That which is truly stinky, but truly amazing.

Vinegar is nature’s best kept secret. Or my best kept secret. One or the other.

I keep waiting for people to realize how incredible and useful vinegar is. Every time I go to the grocery store, I expect that the prices will have skyrocketed higher than gas. But no, people still have not yet discovered the wonders of vinegar. They insist on using their Tide and their Lysol and their Windex. Their penicillin and amoxicillin and diflucan.

Whie distilled vinegar: I use it as a cleaning solution and as a bug repellant; to remove mineral residue from pots and soap residue from laundry; to clean the trash can and the toilet bowl. It’s cheap, environmentally friendly and non-toxic.

Yes, it’s a little stinky. Something close to a metallic vomit like aroma. But the smell disappears quickly, and I will often include a nice smelling essential oil in the mix to dilute to stench of the vinegar.

Sister to white disillted vinegar is Apple Cider Vinegar…also a miracle of miracles. I had no idea how powerful this stuff was until about a year ago when my husband and I both got a terrible case of food poisoning. When I posted this on the WB’s Facebook fan page, a few people suggested downing a few tablespoons of ACV.

And you know what? While it’s quite a challenge to down ACV while you are trying to keep vomit at bay, it completely got rid of the food poisoning within only a few hours. Since then, I’ve learned the other wonders of ACV from curing bad breath and B.O., to wiping out candida, to helping ease sinus infections naturally. Apparently it’s also used for weight loss, acne, arthritis and gout too!

It really makes me sad that people continue to bombard their immune systems with toxic coverup medications, lotions, and creams…not to mention the assault on their gut flora from repeated use of antibiotics…when they could be turning to the wonders of vinegar.

I’m tempted to start my own traveling medicine show, bottling my cure-all elixir and hawking it at street fairs and crafts expos. Sure, the old ladies might recognize the scent, but they won’t care once their gout is cured and their skin is cleared up.

I did notice that Target has started to package white vinegar as a “multi-surface cleaner” in their cleaning aisle. At least someone is giving Americans what they want, the cheap, easy solution in pretty packaging with lofty promises.

I consider myself very lucky to be past the diaper phase. All three of my kids were potty trained within reasonable, developmentally appropriate times; with my daughter (my third) achieving genius status. She was fully trained by 23 months. I thought babies who were trained before the age of two were simply myths, legends, or products of overactive imaginations of mothers who spent way too much time gushing about their children. Not so.

It’s been a year or two since I’ve had to think about diaper accoutrements. But today I asked my coworker for something to clean my computer keyboard with and she handed me a baby wipe.

I took it…reluctantly.

After wiping down my keyboard with the baby wipe, it was no longer sticky but it smelled like an eighty-year old women who forgot that she already sprayed herself five times with perfume. Not a smell I want to be spending my day with.

And, not something you want to be wiping your babies bottom…or hands with.

Before I had my first child, a friend of mine told me she made homemade baby wipes for her baby using paper towel and water. She said her daughter never had baby rash – never a one! Being the psychotic mom I was with my first (and by psychotic, I mean obsessed with doing things “right”), I made my own baby wipes, too, and taught my husband how to use them and make them.  And, just like my friend’s baby, my son stayed rash free for months!

The truth of the matter is poop stinks. But baby poop, especially breastfed baby poop, is NOTHING. My refrigerator smells worse than your breastfed baby’s poop! You do not need to be wiping her fresh bottom down with chemicals that are trying unsuccessfully to smell like the summer garden of St. Petersburg! Even if your baby is formula fed – trust me, those poops are nothing compared to what they’ll smell like once she’s eating meat. Even still, you really don’t need to wash your baby’s bottom with anything more than water, and a little natural baby soap. (We liked California Baby brand’s unscented baby soap for sensitive skin, but castile soap is great too, and a lot cheaper.)

Janelle Sorensen of Healthy Child, Healthy World recently posted this great article with tips for homemade baby products, including baby wipes.  If you are a new mom, or a mom with a new baby, please keep in mind that what you put on your baby matters as much as what you put in her.

And if you are a psychotic new mom-to-be like I was, just remember: If you’re reading this and thinking about it, you’re one step ahead already.

This morning, I’m the lucky recipient of….a water main break!

We’ve been without running water for about 20 hours now. You know the situation must be pretty bad as the local water company has generously dropped off two quarts of bottled water for our use. (What would be more generous would be to get my toilet running again. It’s starting to get pretty stinky here. I supposed I should be happy it’s 20 degrees farenheit out today instead of 95.)

I reached for a pear this morning and wondered what would be the best way to eat it. First off, I was extra happy I buy organic, because even if I decided to chow down on the thing without washing it, I could rest assured I wouldn’t be eating harsh chemical pesticides.

Do you consider the chemicals you’re eating when you eat your non-organic fruits? The pesticides you’re ingesting? One old-school member of my family (no names mentioned to protect the innocence of my mother-in-law) pops conventional strawberries in her mouth straight from the box. If you haven’t started buying organic fruits on the “dirty dozen” list, you better think again. Even mainstream media are writing stories about how toxic these fruits and veggies are…so you know it must be true.

Back to my situation at home: Would dribbling a little bit of the bottled water over the pear do the job to reduce the residue? Would it be better to peel the pear and eat its innards?

I honestly didn’t know the answer. (Imagine that.) So I hopped online and tried to find a reliable source for an answer.

I googled “Do I need to wash organic fruits?”

The first answer that popped up was a terribly written article from MSN in Australia. I almost didn’t link to it because I was concerned that you might believe some of the trash that masquerades as news in this piece from 2006. It makes me sad that people searching for answers might not realize that this article has NO news or useful information in it whatsoever and yet it’s the top link coming up on a google search.

Remember when we used to get our information from Encyclopedia Britannica? Those were the days.

Further down the google results page, however, was an article from a source I trust a whole lot more:  The World’s Healthiest Foods, courtesy of The George Mateljan Foundation, a non-profit organization interested in informing the public about healthy foods.

The bottom line answer to the question “Do all vegetables need to be washed — even organic?” is yes. Ideally you wash organic produce with high pressured water and a scrub brush to get rid of bacteria. Since I have no high pressured water, I decided to peel the pear and pray that the guys who handled my produce along the way washed their hands with soap after they used the potty.

Wish me luck.

The Wellness Bitch is excited to welcome to the blog today Maureen McDonnell, a registered nurse with a strong interest in helping reverse the escalating number of children affected by chronic illnesses. After coordinating the Defeat Autism Now! Conferences for ten years, Maureen joined forces with Jill Urwick to form “Saving Our Kids, Healing Our Planet.” Her post is a real WAKE UP CALL for women, and men who love women, this Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

By Maureen H. McDonnell R.N.

I know some people like to wait until all the medical research has been done, the evidence is indisputable, and their physician conveys guidelines endorsed by the American Cancer Society or the AMA before making any changes to their lifestyle or diet. 

Personally, I don’t have the time or the inclination to wait!   Not when 1 in every 8-9 women is developing breast cancer, and not when good friends, colleagues and neighbors are being diagnosed way too frequently.

My sister (who has lost several close friends to breast cancer) lamented recently “it’s not a matter of ‘if’ anymore, it’s a matter of ‘when!’”  Being Irish, stubborn, and a strong believer in the idea that there’s always more we can learn and do to optimize our health, I refuse to accept this doomsday philosophy.  Knowledge about health is power, and being proactive about preventing illness (even when we and our physicians don’t have all the answers) is the smartest choice we can spend our time and money on.

Before I review what we can do to prevent breast cancer, I’d like to say to those women who have already developed the disease …Please don’t feel guilty.  First of all, illness is not always  preventable and second, other than the typical suggestions we read about (such as don’t  smoke, drink less alcohol, eat healthy fats), much of the information that is coming out now for preventing breast cancer we just didn’t have access to a short time ago.  

Additionally, despite billions of dollars spent on research, the medical establishment still doesn’t know the exact causes of breast cancer nor do they understand the specific interplay between genetic factors, environmental toxicity, hormones and diet and why some women are more vulnerable than others.

What comes to mind when you think about breast cancer prevention besides monthly self-breast exams and routine mammograms?  

I, too, had to think for a moment when I asked myself that question. Because although the above screening techniques are essential methods for early detection of an already existing tumor (and therefore can improve the prognosis), they only find the abnormality or problem once it occurs.  They don’t actually prevent breast cancer.

Given the current statistics, the question that begs to be answered is: What more can we do to prevent breast cancer from forming in the first place?

Let’s look at risk factors. 

Although 50% of women who develop breast cancer have no identifiable risk factors, there are several that we know of that increase one’s chances of developing breast cancer. 

• Gender (obviously women develop it more often than men)
• Age: the older you are, the higher the risk (to a certain age),
• Family or personal history of breast cancer
• Having dense breast tissue,
• Long term estrogen exposure (meaning you started menstruation early and or experienced a late menopause),
• Hormone Replacement Therapy (of the non-bio-identical type)
• Not carrying pregnancy to term (When a woman carries to term, she has higher levels of progesterone in the last 2 trimesters which cause breast cells to mature.   The more mature breast cells are, the less likely they are to develop cancer).
• Radiation ( including chest xray and mammograms )
• Heritage Ashkenazi  Jews (1 in every 300-600).
• A heavy animal based non-organic diet
• Environmental pollution
• Stress
• Smoking
• Genetics:  BRCA-1 gene mutation: > risk by 57% risk  BRCA 2: > risk by 49%

Sounds a bit dismal, but here’s the good news:

The American Cancer Society says that 33 percent of all cancers are related to diet and physical activity issues.  Other studies, however, have found that 50 percent of cancers are preventable with regular exercise and healthy eating habits.  An even more optimistic view comes from Dr. Elizabeth Vaughn, MD, an integrative physician from Greensboro, NC who estimates up to 90% of cancers are preventable.

Part of the problem lies in the fact that the information coming out of our leading cancer institutes such as the American Cancer Society is too vague and focused on early detection and not prevention. 

It’s time for women to look beyond these conventional guidelines to more cutting-edge research and concepts in order to develop effective strategies for preventing this illness.  Let’s examine the difference between these two perspectives by comparing a few of the suggestions from the American Cancer Society with recommendations from credible alternative/progressive health care providers who advocate prevention.

Statements from the American Cancer Society regarding chemicals, pesticides and the relevance of organic and genetically modified food:

“Whether or not environmental chemicals that have estrogen-like properties (such as those found in some plastic bottles or certain cosmetics and personal care products) increase breast cancer risk is not clear at this time. If there is an increased risk, it is likely to be very small. Pesticides and herbicides can be toxic when used improperly in industrial, agricultural, or other occupational settings. Although vegetables and fruits sometimes contain low levels of these chemicals, overwhelming scientific evidence supports the overall health benefits and cancer-protective effects of eating vegetables and fruits. At present, there is no evidence that residues of pesticides and herbicides at the low doses found in foods increase the risk of cancer, but fruits and vegetables should be washed thoroughly before eating.”
“No convincing evidence has shown that any additive at these levels causes human cancers.”
“At this time, no research exists to demonstrate whether (organic) foods are more effective in reducing cancer risk than are similar foods produced by other farming methods.”
“There is no evidence at this time that the substances found in bio-engineered (GMO) foods…. are harmful or that they would either increase or decrease cancer risk because of the added genes.”

Cutting Edge Approach: Compare this information with the concepts taught by James Biddle, MD (an integrative physician in Asheville, N.C.) in his presentation on breast health when he explained that there are over 80,000 chemicals in use in the US and less than 12% have been tested for safety in humans.  Some of these chemicals are referred to as Xeno-estrogens  (or “alien”) because they mimic our own estrogen in their capability to stimulate estrogen receptors in a dangerous way.  

Unlike the weak statement from the American Cancer Society, Dr. Biddle strongly suggests that women reduce their exposure to toxins (by using green cleaning and personal care products) and eating organically to avoid the damaging effects on breast tissue from hormone disrupting chemicals.

In addition to recommending adequate protein, he emphasizes the importance of eating more like a vegetarian (5 servings of veggies and fruit per day) along with healthy Omega 3 fats (flax oil, fish oil etc), high fibrous foods like whole grains and especially cruciferous vegetables including Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale.  He also suggests eating foods that have a lower glycemic-index (to avoid blood sugar spikes which can trigger an inflammatory response).  

It’s most important to eat organic dairy, Dr. Biddle, says because “every non-organic cow in this country has an estrogen pellet under the skin of its ear to get a 10 fold increase in milk production. The cows also excrete that estrogen into the milk.  To prevent infections of the udders, the cows are also given antibiotics.  So the resistant bacteria we are seeing that are not responding to even the strongest antibiotics are not just coming from antibiotics that physicians prescribe for humans, it’s due to the fact that 70-90% of the antibiotics used in the US are given to  livestock.”  (The overuse of antibiotics…that’s another article!)

Elizabeth Vaughn, MD suggests that the connection between toxins and breast cancer can’t be overemphasized: “Breast Cancer is the final stage of years of ongoing damage to the breasts from exposure to toxins and an impaired or overwhelmed immune system.”

The organizations we have placed in charge of our health are not responding quickly enough to the urgent need for cancer prevention solutions, and the recommendations they do give women are in many cases too weak, too vague, and too mainly focused on early detection.  It is up to us to reach beyond mainstream recommendations and seek out physicians, researchers and sources of information that emphasize prevention.   As women, we need to be better informed and proactive in our self-care so that more of us, as well as our sisters, mothers, daughters, aunts and friends, will be spared from developing this devastating disease.

This article is excerpted with permission from the author from “What More Can We Do Now to Prevent Breast Cancer?” originally published on www.sokhop.com

There’s a lot of discussion and griping about how wellness is only for the wealthy.

That the poor are so desperate to feed their families, that they have no other choice than to buy cheap imitation grape drink and Dollar Store brand cheese doodles. That the poor don’t have the benefit of spending time in Barnes and Noble browsing through Michael Pollan books. That the poor are so tired from working two jobs that they can’t summon up the strength to do more than throw some canned franks and beans into a pot to warm.

I’d like to know how those people– those compassionate champions of the working poor — how do they explain it when middle class Americans…or even upper class americans with nannies and luxury cars …make those same choices? Because they do. I see it all the time.

I walk into a $1 million home to pick up my kid from a playdate and find him eating rainbow goldfish crackers.

I see nannies pushing overweight kids in stroller. And moms in designer shoes handing their two-year-olds mocha frappaccinos to sip on.

I’m not a cold-hearted bitch. But I don’t think eating or living well really takes much money, brains, or higher education. Clearly, if that’s all it took, we wouldn’t be seeing commercials for Abilify, alongside ones for Macy’s One Day Sale.

Hey. Come a little closer. I’m going to let you in on a little secret.

I’m not rich. I put on a good show with my nice house and leased mini-van. My kids in their hand-me-down Old Navy clothes. My mock designer hand bag from Target.

But we’re struggling. We have debt. We count our pennies.

I don’t have the money for a gym membership or a trainer or even to go to weekly yoga classes. I take books out of the library or buy them second hand on Ebay.

But don’t cry for me. And don’t think I’m complaining that my life is so hard.

But, I think that bad lifestyle choices aren’t reserved for the poor.

And it’s about time we stop having that conversation and move on. Frankly, it bores me.

Your sympathy and your outrage would be better spent WAKING UP our government. And our schools. And your neighbors.

As you know, I am a wellness bitch loud and proud. People in my life have actually started introducing me that way to perfect strangers. Or, my husband for instance, will say something to the effect of, “watch out, here comes the wellness bitch.” As if I’m Bruce Banner morphing into the Incredible Hulk.

It’s all good.

What’s also fun is how much people relate to the concept of being a wellness bitch. I get comments like, “yeah, I’m the wellness bitch in my playgroup. People are terrified to bring snacks into my house without checking with me first.” Or yesterday, a practitioner I met for the first time said, “Is The Wellness Bitch anything like the Reiki Nazis I know?”

People who are passionate about health and wellness do not blend in with the crowd. They may not have a podium to speak on or rant daily on a blog, but people in their lives know what they’re up to.

For me, bitching usually happens around the topics of food, childbirth choice, parenting, education and health care. But I’m curious to know what you’re pissed off about. What WAKE UP CALLS are you sharing with your family and friends? What do you want to say that I may not be bitchin’ enough about?

Use The Wellness Bitch today as your podium. Go ahead. Rant. Here.

I’d say “keep it clean,” but that’d be hypocritical, wouldn’t it?