 Last week I reached under my kitchen sink to empty my indoor recycling bin into my curbside one for pickup. To my surprise it was empty. This was a first and I hope it won't be the last.
I have worked hard to get to this point, finding ways to purchase items with packaging I can reuse and stop purchasing items I cannot. This is a long way from being excited about having to use more than one blue box to do my part in recycling 15 to 20 years ago. What changes did I make? I purchase less canned goods and instead of recycling the ones I do buy, I find other ways to use them after thoroughly cleaning them I buy my fruit and vegetable loose whenever I can I buy in bulk at places I can bring my own containers or can reuse theirs I don't purchase prepared foods with all of their packaging and I am not a milk or juice drinker so no tetra containers. I choose glass over plastic containers for condiments I do not accept junk mail so I rarely receive mail Now I have to start working on what I put into the garbage for pickup
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 from Consumer Reports
Acupuncture There is some research to show acupuncture does work, especially for chronic headaches, chronic back/neck pain and osteoarthritis. Apple Cider Vinegar There is very little scientific evidence to support the claims of regulating blood sugar, promoting weight loss, lower cholesterol or reducing the risk of cancer. If you suffer from heartburn, drinking apple cider vinegar would be like "throwing gas on a fire" (Benjamin Kligler, M.D.). Regular use can trigger nausea, damage tooth enamel and irritate the esophagus. Ear Candling In 2017 a review by Seth Schwartz M.D. concluded candling to be ineffective and dangerous, reporting it can block the ear with wax, damage hearing and possibly set your hair on fire. Glucosamine and Chondroitin Combined, a top selling supplement for aching joints was shown not to be any better than a placebo during a trial of 1625 patients with osteoarthritis in 2015. Green Coffee Supplements have been linked to side effects, including headaches and urinary tract infections Kava Used in drinks and supplements to promote relaxation and ease anxiety. Some countries have banned Kava, Canada is not one. Kratom Promoted as a safe pain reliever it has been suggested it can be as addictive as opioids as it affects the same brain receptors. Light Therapy A proven treatment for seasonal affective disorder. It may also help with depression and bipolar disorder Massage A good massage will do more than relax you. Research shows it can help some people with back pain and those recovering from injury. Meditation Research suggests meditation may help lower blood pressure, ease anxiety, depression and insomnia. Melatonin A 2017 study found that some of the supplements didn't contain what the label stated. Instead of Melatonin, Seratonin was found in the products which is a chemical that regulates mood instead. Omega 3 A 2017 research review concluded the pills might provide some benefit to people with a history of heart disease but there was not enough evidence to show if they improve cardiac health in people without existing heart problems. Probiotics For general health you are better off getting probiotics from your diet than a supplement. fermented foods and yogurt may offer benefits far beyond what you can find in a supplement. Tai Chi Research suggests it cuts the risk of falls in older adults, helps with chronic pain and may ease symptoms of depression, osteoarthritis and Parkinson's disease. Tea After water, this is the most widely consumed drink in the world. Research shows regular tea drinkers have a lower risk of diseases such as Type A diabetes and heart disease. Doesn't matter what you drink, green , white and black teas are all rich in health friendly flavonoids. Turmeric Unlike the laboratory mice, when humans digest turmeric, little of the very important curcumin is absorbed. Make sure you check with the doctor before taking turmeric supplements as the can interact negatively with certain medications such as blood thinners. Yoga While many use practice yoga for flexibility or relaxing, it can also relieve low back pain, reduce blood pressure and ease depression.  you've heard the saying 'they are like oil and water' no truer words can be spoken when it comes to throwing straight essentials oils into your bath water they just don't mix which can become a problem for your skin excerpt from Tisserand Institute " do not put drops of essential oil into a bath and then step into it. Essential oils do not mix with water, they float in tiny droplets on the surface, and you are about to sit on those droplets of undiluted essential oil. Whenever essential oils are ‘mixed’ with water without a dispersing agent, there is a risk of irritation, since undiluted droplets of essential oil attach to the skin, often in sensitive areas. Because the oils are warmed up by the water, and also cannot evaporate, they often sting like crazy. Therefore, essential oils always need to be fully dispersed in and appropriate base before being added to a bath." SAFE TIPS FOR BATHING WITH ESSENTIAL OILS THESE CARRIERS ARE NOT SAFE TO USE IN YOUR BATHthese 8 substances are water soluble, so when you put them in your bath with your essential oil, they readily dissolve and become one with the water, leaving your essential oils all alone to hang out on the surface of the water causing havoc on your skin.
USE OILS AS A CARRIER - Essential oils can be safely added to oils (olive, sunflower, hemp, grapeseed) properly diluted (5 to 7 drops in a Tbsp. will do), if thoroughly mixed. These oils work well to safely dilute and ‘carry’ essential oils. this does make for a pretty slippery, greasy bath experience so be very careful when getting out.  by April Anderson
Just Another Natural Nut DID YOU KNOW your skin cannot absorb products with petrolatum/petroleum jelly, like Vaseline. Products with petrolatum/petroleum jelly, simply coat the skin, which does not allow your skin the ability to breathe, release toxins or absorb moisture when needed. by April Anderson Just Another Natural Nut I don't think there is a phrase in the world of products that confounds me more because it is one of those phrases that is so overused our brain has stopped recognizing it as something that we need to pay attention to...it has become that "white noise" of the visual world. WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN A PRODUCT SAYS DERIVED FROM It means the starting point of the ingredient was real (natural) at one time The greatest example I can use to explain this is....................................  ORANGE JUICE You know the one The container says fresh squeezed and pure 100% orange juice Not from Concentrate I am going to assume We, as consumers Know there is a growing season For oranges Just like all other fruits and vegetables I am also going to assume We don’t believe Someone stands over that carton And squeezes oranges Until it’s full But what you may not know The method used To store juice of squeezed oranges Makes the juice completely flavourless If you bought different cartons of orange juice They would all taste the same Well, except Texas, Mexico and Alaska I think I read somewhere that They found the consumers in these areas Preferred a different taste According to Food Renegade: “Juice companies therefore hire flavor and fragrance companies ... to engineer flavor packs to add back to the juice to make it taste fresh. Flavor packs aren’t listed as an ingredient on the label because technically they are derived from orange essence and oil. Yet those in the industry will tell you that the flavor packs, whether made for reconstituted or pasteurized orange juice, resemble nothing found in nature So you are
ingesting a product that is man-made, manipulated, modified ITS NOT NATURAL and they don’t have to tell you because they are doing nothing illegal because it is DERIVED FROM and as long as there is a smidgen of nature they can call it 100% Some manufactures and producers of CLEANING PRODUCTS PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS BEAUTY PRODUCTS HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS OUR FOOD AND DRINK do basically the same thing they modify they manipulate and they don't have to tell you WE INGEST IT WE BREATHE IT WE WEAR IT AND BY PURCHASING WE ACCEPT IT Use the voice that matters your purchasing power to affect change  Marketplace investigation reveals the truth behind environmental claims
CBC News · Posted: Sep 14, 2012 7:41 PM ET | Last Updated: September 14, 2012 **UPDATE** In 2012, when this investigation was aired Marketplace listed 10 products they considered the worst for Greenwashing. I did a search and found 6 of the listed products no longer available but we still have the four products below that you may want to steer clear of if you are trying to use products that are safe for you, your loved ones and the environment. Support companies who are transparant Biodegradable, natural and non-toxic are environmentally friendly promises plastered across many household products, but a CBC Marketplace investigation found that a number of them amount to little more than greenwashing. "There's so much greenwash on shelves today, it's just overwhelming," said Adria Vasil, a columnist and author of the Ecoholic book series. "It's like a tsunami of greenwash really." Figuring out whether products are actually environmentally friendly can be challenging since companies don't have to post the ingredients on cleaning products. "For companies, they think, 'Consumers aren't looking too deeply. We can bamboozle them.'" said Marc Stoiber, who worked in advertising for 20 years but now helps companies go green. Ecoholic author Vasil worked with Marketplace to examine environmental claims on household products and created the following Top 10 list of lousy labels. 1. Dawn Antibacterial dish soap The labels on Dawn's antibacterial dish soap feature baby seals and ducklings with the promise that "Dawn helps save wildlife." Dawn donates soap to clean up animals after oil spills and gives money to rescue groups, but the product itself contains an ingredient harmful to animals. Triclosan, an antibacterial agent, was recently declared officially toxic to aquatic life and it is an ingredient environmental groups have called for to be banned. "We don't need more of this in our rivers and streams," said Vasil. "And it's certainly not saving wildlife." Proctor & Gamble, maker of Dawn products, refused an interview request by Marketplace. In a statement, the company said, "All of our Dawn dishwashing products and ingredients are in compliance with current legal and regulatory requirements in Canada." 2. Organic Melt ice remover One of the key concerns around using road salt to melt ice is the damage salt does to aquatic life when it reaches rivers, streams and groundwater. Organic Melt ice remover advertises itself as being "environmentally safe" and an "agricultural-based product" with sugar beets. When Marketplace checked with the company, it revealed that only three per cent of its product is sugar beets by weight and the rest is rock salt — that despite the fact that the ingredient list puts beets first. There's no requirement for companies to put the main ingredient first on the list. The company, Eco-solutions, told Marketplace that using sugar beets makes the product work better so less is needed and overall there's less salt going into the environment. 3. Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner On the label, this cleaning product states it's non-toxic. But a Marketplace expert determined that one ingredient in the cleaner, 2-butoxyethanol, is listed by Environment Canada as a toxic health hazard that can damage red blood cells. Vasil notes that no one is policing use of terms such as non-toxic on household products. The toxin is also not listed on the back of the product because there's currently no requirement for ingredient lists on cleaning products. "No one is forcing them to list their ingredients and to come clean about what's actually in the product," said Vasil. Simple Green responded to questions from Marketplace about its non-toxic claim in a statement. "We have had independent laboratories … conduct a host of testing on our product as a whole to confirm that the complete formula is non-toxic." 4. Raid EarthBlends Multi-bug Killer With an insecticide derived from the chrysanthemum flower, Raid EarthBlends Multi-bug Killer touts itself as an alternative insect control solution. Despite its naturally derived component, the label warns users to avoid contact with skin and clothes, and not to inhale the mist when spraying it. "A lot of things in nature are actually dangerous and toxic," said Vasil. "Not all natural things are good for you. And this is a perfect example." The product states it can be used for bed bugs, despite that in many parts of Canada, homeowners are banned from using such pesticides on their lawns. "Banned from your backyard, but OK for your bed?" questioned Vasil. In a statement, the maker, SC Johnson, said it is "committed to using sustainable ingredients in our products" and the products are "safe and effective when used as directed."  by April Anderson Just Another Natural Nut aka sodium caprylic sulfate, sodium capric sulfate, sodium oleic sulfate, sodium stearyl sulfate, sodium myreth sulfate, sodium dodecanesulfate, sodium monododecyl sulfate, to name a few It's what gives you all that 'lather' and skin irritations dry skin allergic reactions dermatitis  but the label
says it's from coconuts so it must be natural not really! they took the lauryl alcohol from the coconut added a bunch of not so natural ingredients to manipulate and then used the words 'comes from' and 'derived from' to make it a 'feel good' product that is not natural that is a company finding ways to deceive you legally so they can use a cheaper ingredient to create a bigger profit they would actually believe their own words  by April Anderson Just Another Natural Nut from the Clorox Green Works Website Q. Is The Clorox Company merely jumping on the green bandwagon? A. We've been working on naturally-derived products for the past 5 years. We set ourselves a difficult task–to set the standard for natural cleaning and create products that clean with the power you’d expect from The Clorox Company. In fact, we delayed Green Works® products from hitting the shelves by 6 months to further perfect the formula. We are fully committed to continuing to develop naturally-derived products that continue to set the standard for natural. Don't get me wrong I am well aware Green Works is not natural but the answer should be YES The Clorox Company just like so many others is creating another profit stream by just merely jumping on the 'green' bandwagon think about if they truly believed Green Works would be their only brand of cleaners  How I make my purchasing decisions when it comes to essential oils RED FLAGS
The biggest red flag is when a company states their product is a special “therapeutic grade” superior to all other brands. There are no ‘grades’ of oils and by definition all are therapeutic. Excerpts from…The Quality of Essential Oils By Jade Shutes, BA, Dipl. AT., Cert. Herbalist The truth is that there is no such thing as ʻtherapeutic gradeʼ A grading system, quite simply, does not exist for essential oils. It is a product of marketing and marketing alone. CERTIFIED PURE THERAPEUTIC GRADE: is a trademark by a multi-level marketing company DoTERRA. It gives the appearance of being approved by some kind of higher authority and it has been said that the company states it is a FDA approved to use this label. According to Elston (2009), “This registered word mark has not been provided to them by the FDA as they claim and is meaningless in proving that an outside certifying body has declared or designated that DoTERRAʼs essential oils are certified pure therapeutic grade. DoTERRA, LLC owns the right to exclusive use of the mark (however not the exclusive right to the actual words “Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade” which is revealing) This seal or word mark is nothing more than a commercial trademark that they have registered and paid a fee for”.  April Anderson Just Another Natural Nut 'kind of' for the earth
“100% natural cleaning products are so expensive that’s why I buy ‘eco’ products” “By buying these ‘eco’ products I am still doing my part for the environment” “Well eco products are better than using the conventional products” “Eco products just work better” I have heard all the arguments for the purchase of ‘eco’, green or off the shelf so called natural cleaning products and I am always amazed at how good we are at convincing ourselves the products we are using in our homes and businesses are safe for the environment and for ourselves….our loved ones. And yes, I include myself as I have, in the past, used some of the same arguments When I first switched over from the conventional products used in my cleaning business, it was all about cost and performance without the thought of what was actually in the product. I trusted what was advertised and the short, in your face, synopsis…..the front label. You know the labels…..natural, organic, eco- friendly, green, earth friendly Once you see this you need not look any further……like the back where there should be a detailed list of the ingredients. I know I didn’t! Once I started looking past the marketing tricks I began to look in to the ingredients….and what most of those ingredients weren’t…..natural Ingredients that are derived from and/or plant-based are not natural. Derived from is all about copying….so when you see this on your product it basically means the ingredient/ingredients are copied from nature by human..... synthetic. Plant based is basically starting from a plant and then manipulated by human until it becomes something else altogether. Ingredients that are petroleum based are not natural. Products created with petroleum are not natural. Fragrance is not natural, in fact it is also a propriety issue…..meaning the list of ingredients to create that fragrance is private….you are not allowed to know….and a great place for the company to hide ingredients that may not affect the fragrance but affect the ability to sell a “natural’ product. These ‘eco’ and so called ‘natural’ products are not good for the earth and are definitely not good for you and your loved ones. But I get it…..it is also about performance for you and so far the 100% natural products you have tried just don’t cut it. There’s a reason why The years of using conventional and some of the ‘eco’ products have left a build-up due to residue from certain, sometimes silicone like ingredients in the products on your surfaces, making it difficult for natural products to easily break through. The natural ingredients are trying to figure out how to break through that barrier and given time they will but for most of us time is an issue. Unfortunately you are using a lot of the natural product and not receiving the results you need. You have now deemed the product costly and useless. Fortunately there is a solution to this problem….hot soapy water (preferably natural soap). This simple solution will remove the product build up so you now have a clean surface for your 100% natural product to be effective. As someone who used cleaning products with natural ingredients, successfully, in the cleaning industry from 2005 until 2012, these things I will share with you. When you use products that are 100% natural you do save money….the products actually last longer than the conventional because you less…..once that residue barrier is broken You have more energy....synthetic ingredients drain your energy. Your home smells much better….did you know the stale smell in your home is the ‘fragrance’ gone bad in your products. It is always there in the left behind residue, we just keep using more product to cover it up. |
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