A Wake-Up Story: The beginning of all we can do together

Having set forth my manifesto of sorts, I'm feeling at a bit of a loss as to where to start.  There's so much to cover.  I hope that all of us involved will remember not to view this endeavor as an abandonment of the one cause that brought us here, whether it be childhood cancer or autism or neurofibromatosis or what-have-you.  We have become experts on our kids' conditions.  There is no reason to set that aside - indeed, you must honor that hard-won knowledge and experience.   You are simply thinking realistically, choosing to view some things through a wider lens. 


Because in many ways this is the easiest part, I want to begin with toxins in the home environment.  Hopefully we are all on the same page regarding the harm that chemicals cause our developing children.  If not, please click on the Healthy Child, Healthy World widget to the left of today's blog entry and you'll be amazed at the wealth of information. 


I first learned of HCHW by accident.  Doing some post-Christmas shopping, I ran across the book named after and produced by this organization in the bargain bin.  I thought the information was good, if cursory, but honestly . . . the celebrity essays annoyed me a bit:  I don't care whether Courteney Cox Arquette can't give up her Windex and I don't want advice from Gwyneth Paltrow on how to make baby food.  I just can't begin to fathom how their parenting experience is anything close to mine, not just because I have a child with cancer but also because my lack of resources has limited my ability to do what's best for her.  I highly doubt that Gwyneth Paltrow ever denies her children anything she deems necessary to their health and survival.  Still . . . the book covered the major points and the website was actually pretty stellar.  Spend some time on it when you can:  a lot of what I want to do here is already being done there.  (For my fellow cancer parents, HCHW was started by the parents of a five-year old who died from Wilms' tumor.)


A great place to start, if you're a newbie to this topic, or even if you're a seasoned expert, is this artful video clip put together by HCHW.  It's good. 


A Wake-Up Story, by Healthy Child Healthy World


Now I'm not going to bore you with too many of my long-winded musings today because I think I've given you enough reading to do.  However, some food for thought:  as you stand in front of your mirror tonight and smooth anti-aging cream on your crow's feet, ask yourself whether you really believe that the stuff will penetrate deeply enough into your skin to do any actual good.  If you didn't believe it, or at least believe in the possibility of it, then you would never have spent your money on it.  Consider for a moment how much thought you put into what substances you slather onto your children's bodies:  shampoo with parabens, sodium laureth (or lauryl) sulfate, and fragrance, or lotions and oils with petroleum, more parabens, dyes? 


You probably worry about their diet and the air quality more than you worry about this stuff, but it's actually the one source of contamination that we have the most control over.


Some scoff.  And the truth is, we may never know whether it made a difference that we became more mindful of such banalities as shampoo ingredients.  If you are aware of the lack of oversight by the United States government, the ridiculously low number of banned ingredients vs. the ridiculously high number of ingredients banned elsewhere but not here, and the new science of epigenetics - a topic for another day - then you understand that erring on the side of caution is the prudent course.  Especially when it concerns our children and our grandchildren. 


What have I, a woman of limited resources, done to clean up my kids' bathing routine?  Simple.  I keep everything simple because my life has its share of complicated.  And the answer is:  not much.  I had switched to a brand of baby shampoo that I thought would be very safe.  It's called Method.  It has no sodium lauryl sulfate.  Unfortunately, it still has fragrance, which is a neurotoxin.  I learned just how not-so-great my purchase was by visiting http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ .  Seems that Burt's Bees or California Baby would have been better choices.  Still, Method beats the classic Johnson's Baby Shampoo, probably the most popular brand out there.  I don't put lotion on my kids.  I've purchased a mister, filled it with olive oil, and used that on their damp, freshly-bathed skin.  It's a wonderful moisturizer and . . . no crappy added ingredients.  I have not yet switched to an organic conditioner; until one goes on sale or clearance, I'll simply limit its application to the ends and not let them soak in the tub with its post-rinse residue.  As for toothpaste, I use Animal Parade.  It doesn't have flouride, but it does have xylitol.  My older kids use a flouride paste on their permanent teeth.  I don't allow them to use pastes with triclosan.  Triclosan is the same antibacterial ingredient found in many hand sanitizers.  But . . . generally kids don't swallow hand sanitizers, like they do toothpaste.  Triclosan is bad news in any form, as it contributes to antibiotic resistance and destroys microorganisms at the bottom of our aquatic food chain - and it doesn't kill any more bacteria than a proper hand washing.  In typical American fashion, though, we prefer the magic pill, right?  When Rori was immunosuppressed, we used hand sanitizer.  But for everyday life, you just don't need it.  It's one of the most unnecessary toxic exposures we subject ourselves to.


If you're wondering why I shared that with you . . . I just want everyone to recognize that even a very noncommital approach can cut your child's exposure to toxins in personal care products by half or more.  It's really very easy.  So give it a go, see what you can eliminate.  (I highly recommend the olive oil.  It's also wonderful on adult skin, although you'll smell a bit like a salad.  Coconut oil is good and the smell is more subtle.)

If you're feeling very motivated, check out the petitions under the "Take Action" tab.  And consider a quick e-mail to your congressmen and women.  It's easy - just click on the following link:  https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcom/shtml

Don't know what to say?  You don't have to find the most compelling words.  It's more important that you just say something.  "I am your constituent, I am a voter, and I want you to vote this way." 

So go, speak.