Study Finds High Levels of Chemicals in Infants Using Baby Cosmetics

Ugh, you might be putting hormone-like substances on your babies. This info came from Miranda at the Green Goddess Gazette, thanks!

"Infants and toddlers exposed to baby lotions, shampoos and powders carry high concentrations of hormone-altering chemicals in their bodies that might have reproductive effects, according to a new scientific study of babies born in Los Angeles and two other U.S. cities. The research, to be published today in the medical journal Pediatrics, found that as the use of baby care products rose, so did the concentration of phthalates, which are used in many fragrances. The lead scientist in the study, Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana of the University of Washington's Department of Pediatrics, said the findings suggested that many baby care products contain a variety of phthalates that enter children's bodies through their skin.

Manufacturers do not list phthalates as ingredients on labels, so it is unknown which products contain them. The researchers at the University of Washington and the University of Rochester stressed that the potential effects on babies were uncertain. But previous animal and human research suggests that early exposure to some phthalates could reduce testosterone and alter reproductive organs, particularly in males." Marla Cone reports for the Los Angeles Times Feb. 4, 2008.

This item courtesy of Society of Environmental Journalist’s “EJ Today” : www.sej.org

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Heavy cell phone use tied to poor sperm quality - Sexual health- msnbc.com

From MSNBC.com:

NEW YORK - Spending hours on a cell phone each day may affect the quality of a man’s sperm, preliminary research suggests.

In a study of 361 men seen at their infertility clinic, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic found an association between the patients’ cell phone use and their sperm quality.

On average, the more hours the men spent on their cell phones each day, the lower their sperm count and the greater their percentage of abnormal sperm.

Read more here

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Congress Questions Jarvik's Lipitor Ads

Speaking of big pharma, it's so sad how Dr. Jarvik, the inventor of the artificial heart, has consented (likely for big bucks*) to be the "face" of Lipitor. I believe the U.S. is the only country that allow direct-to-consumer marketing of prescription drugs. Funny how we get so bent out of shape about illegal drugs but not about prescription drugs, which can be just as lethal, if not more...

(p.s. there's an article in the NYT about how the vigorous man shown sculling [rowing] in the river thanks to the benefits of Lipitor isn't even Dr. Jarvik himself! Apparently he hates the outdoors...)

** according to the ABC news, it was 1.35 million (via the blog Pharmalot).
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AP DataStreamAAA - Jan. 08, 2008

WASHINGTON_House Democrats are investigating whether consumers are being misled by advertisements for Lipitor, featuring the world-renowned inventor of an artificial heart.

In the ads, which began their heavy rotation in 2006, Dr. Robert Jarvik talks about the benefits of Pfizer's cholesterol-lowering drug, the world's best-selling medication.

Michigan Reps. John Dingell and Bart Stupak sent a letter to Pfizer Monday, questioning Jarvik's credibility.

"In the ads, Dr. Jarvik appears to be giving medical advice, but apparently, he has never obtained a license to practice or prescribe medicine," the lawmakers state. A spokesman for Dingell on Monday could not confirm whether Jarvik is certified to practice medicine, but cited media reports that he never took an internship or practiced medicine.

Jarvik could not be reached by phone Monday evening.

According to the Web site of his company, Jarvik holds a degree in engineering from New York University and a medical degree from the University of Utah.

After earning a medical degree, physicians must complete a series of tests to earn certification to practice medicine.

Pfizer spokesman Chris Loder said Jarvik's presence in the advertisements is meant to educate consumers on the importance heart health.

read more here.

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Heath Ledger

Funny how this is seen as an "overdose," when lots of people are similiarly overmedicataed. This is not James Dean or Sid & Nancy, this is just following doctor's orders! I know a lot of people on a similar cocktail of drugs, and they just accrue naturally. A friend went to get his physical, mentioned to the doc he was feeling a little blue...so the doc put him on Zoloft. The Zoloft messed up his sleep, so the doc suggested a sleeping pill...the Zoloft also made his libido dry up so the doc suggested Viagra...the guy was having headaches so the doc said to take tons of ibuprophen...then the guy was kind of depressed and anxious about his sex life, so the doc might have prescribed Xanax...but the guy said enough was enough and stopped it all. But he sounded like a perfectly reasonable person who could have pulled a "Heath Ledger." The guy even stopped the ibuprophen because he realized it was chewing up his stomach (for which the physician could prescribe yet another medicine).

From the AP:

NEW YORK - Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs that included painkillers, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication, the New York City medical examiner said Wednesday.

Mr. Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine," medical examiner's spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said in a statement.

The drugs are the generic names for the OxyContin painkiller, the anti-anxiety drug Valium, Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug, and the sleep aids Restoril and Unisom. Hydrocodone is another name for ibuprofen.

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Severe Stressful Events Early in Pregnancy May be Associated with Schizophrenia Among Offspring

I'm leery of theories that "blame" people for their children's condition, but I am also an adherent to the idea of the mind-body connection and the fact that stress can have real physiological effects. There's a lot of folklore surrounding stressful events and consequences to the baby, so here's a hot-pff-the-press study, take it as you will:

Newswise — Children of women who undergo an extremely stressful event—such as the death of a close relative—during the first trimester of pregnancy appear more likely to develop schizophrenia, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

“The common conception that a mother’s psychological state can influence her unborn baby is to some extent substantiated by the literature,” the authors write as background information in the article. “Severe life events during pregnancy are consistently associated with an elevated risk of low birth weight and prematurity.” Schizophrenia, a disabling condition associated with abnormal brain structure and function, is increasingly believed to begin in early brain development. Environmental factors, including those occurring during pregnancy, and susceptibility genes may interact to influence risk.

Ali S. Khashan, M.Sc., of the University of Manchester, England, and colleagues used data from 1.38 million Danish births occurring between 1973 and 1995. Women were linked to close family members using a national registry, and the same registry was used to determine if any of these relatives died or received a diagnosis of cancer, heart attack or stroke during each mother’s pregnancy. Their children were followed from the 10th birthday through June 30, 2005 or until they died, moved out of the country, or developed schizophrenia.

During the study period, mothers of 21,987 children were exposed to the death of a relative during pregnancy, 14,206 were exposed to a relatives’ serious illness during pregnancy and 7,331 of the offspring developed schizophrenia. The risk of schizophrenia and related disorders was approximately 67 percent greater among the offspring of women who were exposed to the death of a relative during the first trimester. However, death of a relative up to six months before or any other time during pregnancy was not related to risk for schizophrenia in the child, nor was exposure to serious illness in a relative. The association between a family death and risk of schizophrenia appeared to be significant only for individuals without a family history (parents, grandparents or siblings) of mental illness.

“Risk associated with exposure to a well-defined, objective stressful event confined to the first trimester of pregnancy suggests a number of possible mechanisms,” the authors write. Chemicals released by the mother’s brain in response to stress may have an effect on the fetus’ developing brain. These effects may be strongest in early pregnancy, when protective barriers between the mother and fetus are not fully constructed.
(Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008;65[2]:146-152. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org.)

Editor’s Note: This study was funded by Tommy’s the Baby Charity and the Stanley Medical Research Institute. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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Newswise — Eating fish is not the only way of increasing the omega-3s in our diet, as "The Queen of Fats: Why Omega-3s were removed from our diet

Yes, even though some members of my family are mad at me for my chicken murdering ways, there are many reasons we meet, greet, and slaughter and our grateful for our chicken guys at our friendly farmer's farm. Chickens that eat grubs -n- insects and things the way chickens are supposed to, make nice omega 3s. So sad how our industrial faming is cheating us out of simple and FREE (unless someone starts charging for insects) essential nutrients. From the journalists'-only site NEWSWISE:
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Newswise — Eating fish is not the only way of increasing the omega-3s in our diet, as "The Queen of Fats: Why Omega-3s were removed from our diet and what we can do to replace them," by science writer Susan Allport shows.

Many of the foods we eat every day, including eggs and bacon, used to be full of these essential nutrients -- when the animals they came from were eating grass, insects, and other green foods. Omega-3s originate in the green leaves of plants (not fish, as many people believe), and they accumulate in animals that eat those leaves, including fish.

Now that our livestock eat mostly seeds and grains, our foods are full of a second family of polyunsaturated fats, omega-6s which are much more prevalent in those parts of plants. This second family of polyunsaturated fats is also essential for health, but it competes with omega-3s for positions in cell membranes and affects cells in different ways. Fats in this family are not as dynamic, or speedy, as omega-3s. They also produce cell messengers called prostaglandins that are far more inflammatory and far more likely to cause thrombosis or blood clotting. As our reliance on seeds and seed oils has increased since the turn of the last century, so has the incidence of heart disease and other inflammatory disorders.

It may not be practical for us to eat only grass-fed meats and eggs. But it’s also not possible for us to catch, or raise, enough fish to correct this problem. We can, however, increase our omega-3s by eating small amounts of fish and grass-fed animals and using vegetable oils with a healthier balance of omega-6s to omega-3s. The Queen of Fats (University of California Press), out in paperback February, 2008 and described as a “must read” by physicians and nutritionists, explains the reasoning behind these simple steps and tells the compelling history of the omega-3 research.

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For Local Yokels in RI: Ledge End Farms CSA

If you live in Rhode Island, you might want to consider joining a CSA, Community Supported Agriculture. You financially help a farmer
put in his/her crop and you reap in the rewards (farm fresh food). Now's the time to join.

We have been members of Ledge End's CSA for years. Nice peeps, organic, they even tested the soil for heavy metals at our request. Besides meeting the meat, it's also nice to know where your veggies come from.

A little about Ledge Ends Produce

Ledge Ends Produce is located at the historic Briggs Boesch Farm in East Greenwich RI. This property was purchased by the East Greenwich Land Trust in 2001 in an effort to preserve a tresured natural and historic resource. Our farm is committed to growing high quality fresh vegetables and small fruits without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. The main market for the farm is our 200 member Community Supported Agricuture Program. Throughout the season the farm is host to several worshops with culinary, agricultural and natural themes. The farm is always open to the public for walks on the trails or through the fields.

More info here.

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