Pollution Begins in the Womb

I've been too busy to blog this week. Geesh- that means that I am too busy. But - I picked up a couple of projects, so it was good to have some work. Did I really just say that? All kidding aside, it is good to have work, it does cost money to shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.

OOOhhh, fun news! My brother and sil got a new puppy!! I love her. She's sooo sweet. I'll post some more photos of my new "niece" tomorrow (you've got to see her tail!) along with the only restaurant that Nick has been to in 4 months. It was a great experience and it's nice to be able to have some positive flowing around here, among all the negative.

IMHO...

The U.S. faces an epidemic of chronic and childhood diseases that are ofen linked to the pollution in (inside of) people. These include asthma, autism, ADHD, developmental and learning disorders, a decline in fertility, early puberty and childhood cancers. The list could go on...

"Scientists are still in the early stages of exploring the pathways through which environmental chemicals trigger diseases and disorders. This much is certain: Americans, including infants in the womb, babies and toddlers, are being exposed to a vast array of toxins that have contaminated food, water and household items such as stain-proofed fabric and foam furniture laced with flame retardants.

EWG's benchmark 2004 study, Body Burden - The Pollution in Newborns, found a total of 287 chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of 10 newborns. These included eight perfluorochemicals used as stain and oil repellents in fast food packaging, clothes and textiles - including the Teflon chemical PFOA, which the Environmental Protection Agency's Science Advisory Board characterized as a likely human carcinogen, dozens of widely used brominated flame retardants and their toxic by-products; and numerous pesticides. Of the chemicals found by EWG lab tests, 180 are believed to cause cancer in humans or animals, 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests.

In a September 2008 study entitled Teen Girls' Body Burden of Hormone-Altering Cosmetics Chemicals (http://www.ewg.org/reports/teens), EWG found 16 chemicals from four chemical families -- phthalates, triclosan, parabens, and musks - in blood and urine samples from 20 teenage girls. Studies indicate that these chemicals, all found in personal care products, can cause a number of potential health problems, including cancer and hormone disruption.

Also in September 2008, an EWG study of Fire Retardants in Toddlers and Their Mothers (http://www.ewg.org/reports/pbdesintoddlers) found 11 flame retardants in the bodies of 20 toddlers and preschoolers. The children typically had three times as much of these hormone-disrupting chemicals in their blood as their mothers.

Other academic and government biomonitoring projects have documented similarly high levels of dangerous industrial chemicals and pesticides in people's blood and urine. For example, a team lead by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found bisphenol a, a synthetic estrogen and plastics component that has caused reproductive and neurological system damage in laboratory animals, in 93 percent of Americans over the age of six (http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/environmental--phenols1.htm).

In a pioneering December 2008 study entitled Exposure to Bisphenol A and other Phenols in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Premature Infants (http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2008/0800265/abstract.html) a team of scientists from the CDC, Harvard Medical School, University of Michigan schools of public health and medicine and Rush University Medical Center tested the urine of 41 premature infants being treated in two Boston-area hospital neonatal intensive care units for the presence of BPA and other plastic chemicals.

The scientists detected BPA in the urine of every infant, with a median level of 28.6 micrograms per liter, nearly 8 times the median level (3.7 micrograms per liter) found by the CDC in children 6 to 11 in the general population. The most alarming finding: the infant with the most severe exposure to BPA had a total urinary concentration of 946 micrograms per liter, 256 times greater than levels in older children tested by the CDC.

The shortcomings of TSCA are well-known. Under the law, the EPA approves an average of 700 new chemicals for commercial use each year with or without safety tests. The agency has required testing for fewer than 200 of the 62,000 chemicals grandfathered in and presumed safe by TSCA and has banned or restricted just five chemicals. TSCA is the only major environmental and public health law that has never been modernized and is widely considered to be the weakest.

Last month, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) (http://www.ewg.org/node/27538) included reforming TSCA in its 2009 "high risk" priority list, indicating it is a must-do for the Obama administration."

Looking ahead... "Our Trip to the Best Restaurant in the County", maybe even the state; "Guess What MSG Did to Me" and "A Look at Created Chaos - Shopping with Nick"...

Success! GF-CF-SF Scones

Here in Wisconsin, the weather has gone mad. It does this in the springtime. Nine days ago, it was nearly 60 degrees. When I woke up yesterday, the windchill was below zero. Minus 9 (-9) to be exact. Brrr...

I have developed an intentional habit of baking something in the oven when it's cold outside. Not only does it warm the kitchen up a bit and provide food for Nicolas - it also smells great! I want our kids to associate our home with love, health, safety and scents/smells have a lot to do with creating an environment that they'll remember.




Good smells coming from the kitchen in the morning, should surely help my plan of making them always want to come home to mama (me)... Right?

I have been making scones twice a week for Nick. Not only are the gluten free, casein free but they are sugar free and YEAST FREE too. Of course, Olivia can eat them too, if she wishes to. Hubs and I usually just share one and leave the rest for the kids. We've both really cut back on what we eat. I don't really have the opportunity to "cheat" and eat donuts or muffins since I am home with the kids. But - for all I know, Hubs could be snarfing down donuts and greasy breakfast sandwiches since he can not find food like that in our home anymore. Who knows... and I don't mind. I am not at tempted by those kinds of foods. I have other demons that haunt me though... ((Sigh)) Like some (insanely) delish maple cookies I snuck in the cart from Trader Joe's! Shhh... Don't tell!





I like to use a GF flour mix of rice flour, tapioca flour, garbanzo bean flour and white sorghum flour - that I make myself, but - if I am running low, I can always count on Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour to work for me. I have come to know and respect this flour mix. It is reliable and always acts the same, each time I use it - whether for cookies, muffins, scones, etc. - Bob comes through me.




At the time I took these photos, I used EnerG's GF cornmeal mix. It was good, just a little different in texture. We have had to learn to not let texture bother us. I try to add something bigger than the grain to disguise the grittiness, such as chunks of apples, bit of fruit with the skin on or, in this case, orange zest. It works. It adds flavor and it does the job of disguising the texture.



These are the main ingredients. Sometimes I add a little GF Cinnamon and a drop or tow of organic white vanilla. The important thing is that these taste good, smell even better and that they are gluten free, dairy free, sugar free and yeast free.

Oh - and with scones, one expects them to be dry and crumbly, so I always have success at scones, as long as I use Spectrum shortening and take the time to really cut it in well. I use a pastry blender until my arm feels like it will fall off, or until the pieces of shortening are smaller than tiny peas.

Here's the fail-proof recipe:

6 Tablespoons organic GF-CF Spectrum shortening
1 1/2 Cups GF flour/corn mix
1/3 Cup chunky fruit, chopped - but not too fine (raisins, apples, gf-cf chocolate chips)
1-2 Teaspoons grated lemon or orange rind (zest)
1/4 - 1/2 Cup agave nectar, depending on preference
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup rice milk, Dairy-free or coconut milk
1/2 Tablespoon lemon or orange juice
A "pinch" GF spices to taste - ground cinnamon, cloves, etc.
Optional: 1/2 Teaspoon white vanilla
(I am certain I threw some guar gum in too... 1 teaspoon)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In mixing bowl, cut shortening into flour/corn mix with pastry blender or with 2 knives. In separate bowl, add agave nectar, fruit, zest, egg, milk and juice. Add to the well-blended shortening flour mix and stir it well! I use a fork to smash the clumps and mix.

The next part is where you can get creative, if you'd like. You can try to form the mushy goo into a circular pie-shaped dough-ball and cut it like a pizza, lifting the triangular "slices" and placing them on a greased baking sheet... to get the triangle-look. Or you can "drop - n plop" them onto the greased baking sheet, just like drop-biscuits... or you can gently roll them into little "balls".

Bake at 425 degrees just until lightly brown around the edges. I hate over baked, dry food, so I am very obsessive about getting food outta the oven on time.

Enjoy - the smell and the taste are both wonderful and best of all, they are "safe" to eat. Scones... I think I'll whip some up quick - I'm cold.

"Normal" Isn't

An acquaintance recently told me that she didn't notice anything different with Nicolas. In fact, she thought that he just "walked to the beat of a different drum". Yeah - that's one way to put it. Those artsy people are different - I'll agree. It's the "exchange" that makes them that way, or at least that's how I've always thought. Maybe it's genetic... I dunno. But, what I do know is that if someone who is an artsy person isn't allowed to express themselves through their art - painting, drawing, sewing, music, etc. - then they are merely existing and often just surviving. But - when they are doing what they love, and using their gifts, talents, abilities or just enjoying their own creativity, then they are thriving.

Big difference between thriving and merely existing. When I first suspected that there was something not right with Nick, I thought it was related to his blood sugar or to eating sweets on an empty stomach. After all, he learned to ride a bike, read and was learning to play the piano. There couldn't be anything really wrong with him then, or at least in my limited thinking. For months, I struggled so hard to find a connection to his odd behavior. I journaled about his sleep habits, his diet, his environment - even when he took his baths. I could not find a common denominator. The only thing that was consistent, was that there was no longer a "normal".

Normal didn't exist and it still doesn't. I had never heard of high-functioning autism, autism spectrum disorders (ASD's), or PDD-NOS, (Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified) which in my understanding is a middle condition on the spectrum that those with it exhibiting some, but not all, of the symptoms associated with classic autism. This almost always includes difficulty socializing with others, repetitive behaviors, and heightened sensitivities to certain stimuli/sensory defensiveness. Some of the symptoms are pretty severe and others are minor, but - they are all different; meaning that not everyone labeled with PDD-NOS is exactly like each other or will have the same symptoms/characteristics.

Ok - as long as we're talking about labels, let's look at Asperger's again. Asperger's can also surface at a later age, after 3 or 4 and PDD-NOS is so close to Asperger's I often confuse the two. Again, it's my understanding that those with Asperger's usually don't show signs of major cognitive difficulties and pretty much hit most of their milestones within reasonable time markers. Because of this, Asperger's kids are often called “high-functioning” or as having a “mild” form of autism, at least compared to others in the spectrum. To most, they may seem just like other kids… but not quite — socially awkward in a way or using mannerisms thataren't easily understood. Nicolas is not understood. His happiness and delight is frowned on, just because he is happy or enjoying himself in a way that seems “uncool” to some kids. I watch it happen. It’s sad, but – again, I am coming to terms with this.

Nicolas is also very literal. Poor kid, if only everyone used proper grammar...

I personally think that doctors and healthcare providers miss seeing it in younger kids, until there are enough wrongs for autism to show. Especially if it shows later and has "built up" with multiple factors contributing to this illness or condition. For us it took some time. It takes time for the damage to occur, build and then, when symptoms are more pronounced or displayed - we see it. And, by this point, for many of us, it is really, really hard work to recover our kids. But we do… and I will.

Autism Speaks Video

Spectrum Hope is a blog that I visit. It is also on Facebook, which is where I saw this video...





If this video doesn't move you, grab a tissue and read today's post at Spectrum Hope... she pretty much says it all. And, you need to read it.

A Different Benny...B-B-B-Benny and the Jets...

I am old enough to know songs off of almost every Elton John album, including Benny & the Jets from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, from the early 70's. Sir Elton was a part of my childhood, which makes me wonder just how old he is now?? Speaking of 'Benny", I think of that song every single time I see an ingredient with the word "benzoates" in it. Good grief, shouldn't I know what a "benzoate" is? After all, I went to cosmetology college just a mere 25 years ago... and, and - I homeschooled my kids through high school, including biology and chemistry... and... do you know what benzoates are? Well then - let me share with you, a little about sodium benzoate. Really, sit a spell and let me tell ya what I have discovered over the last few weeks about "Benny".

Sodium benzoate (and potassium benzoate) are preservatives that are added to many foods, beverages, medicines, cosmetics, mouthwashes and nutritional supplements/vitamins. They prevent the growth of yeasts, bacteria and fungi. Sounds like an ok thing – right? Read on…

From what I understand, products with benzoates that are exposed to high temperatures or light can react with vitamin C (ascorbic acid) to form the powerful carcinogen benzene. Benzene exposure has been linked with leukemia. Fact – true.

The U.S. government did tests in 1990 showing that benzoate preservatives do break down to form benzene. Apparently, the beverage industry was informed to monitor themselves and then work to reduce using this additive. As usual, nothing changed and the problem didn't come forth until a private citizen had beverage samples analyzed; he found they contained four times the permitted levels of benzene. Surprise ya? what about in soda??

Additional studies have also shown that sodium benzoate can cause hives, asthma and anaphylactic shock in sensitive people. I think it just gives some of us “the itchies”.

Here's what got me: benzene has the ability to affect mitochondria in cells and cause cell death. Scientists have called for the US Food and Drug Administration to retest the potential dangers of sodium benzoate and citric acid in soft drinks, because the tests proving its safety are old. I’ll hold my tongue.

Here’s a list I found online, that you may find very interesting - see if you recognise many of these: I sure did!

Benzoates: Benzoate's includes any of the following permitted preservatives (E numbers 210-219):

E210 or Benzoic acid

E211 or Sodium benzoate

E212 or Potassium benzoate

E213 or Calcium benzoate

E214 or Ethyl 4-hydroxybenzoate or Ethyl para-hydroxybenzoate

E215 or Ethyl 4-hydroxybenzoate, sodium salt or sodium ethyl para-hydroxy-benzoate

E216 or Propyl 4-hydroxybenzoate or Propyl para-hydroxybenzoate

E217 or Propyl 4-hydroxybenzoate, sodium salt or sodium propyl parahydroxybenzoate

E218 or Methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate or Methyl para-hydroxybenzoateE219 or Methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate, sodium salt or Sodium methyl parahydroxybenzoate.

Again, benzoates have been linked to allergies, asthma, skin reactions, ADHD, hyperactivity, gastric irritation and migraines. See that book over on the right -- by Dr. Bock? Healing the 4-A Disorders: Allergy, Asthma, ADHD and Autism? I've read that book. Twice, in fact. Doesn'tmean I understand it all, but - I wonder what Dr. Bock would have to say about benzoates... am I over-reacting?

Benzoates can affect the natural balance of bacteria in the intestines.

Tylenol contains sodium benzoate.

Tylenol also reduces glutathione levels, and glutathione is an important part of our detoxification process.

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Once again, my head is spinning... and I am sad. I am sad that there are so many factors that have contributed to Nick's condition. I've never run out of information to blog about. I wonder if I will. Will it end?

Time will tell...

Tylenol use after MMR linked to Autism? Say what?

Acetaminophen (paracetamol) use, measles-mumps-rubella vaccination, and autistic disorder: the results of a parent survey.

Schultz ST, Klonoff-Cohen HS, Wingard DL, Akshoomoff NA, Macera CA, Ji M.

University of California San Diego, USA. Stephen.schultz@med.navy.mil

"The present study was performed to determine whether acetaminophen (paracetamol) use after the measles-mumps-rubella vaccination could be associated with autistic disorder. This case-control study used the results of an online parental survey conducted from 16 July 2005 to 30 January 2006, consisting of 83 children with autistic disorder and 80 control children. Acetaminophen use after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination was significantly associated with autistic disorder when considering children 5 years of age or less (OR 6.11, 95% CI 1.42-26.3), after limiting cases to children with regression in development (OR 3.97, 95% CI 1.11-14.3), and when considering only children who had post-vaccination sequelae (OR 8.23, 95% CI 1.56-43.3), adjusting for age, gender, mother's ethnicity, and the presence of illness concurrent with measles-mumps-rubella vaccination. Ibuprofen use after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination was not associated with autistic disorder. This preliminary study found that acetaminophen use after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination was associated with autistic disorder."

Target's "Grand Opening" Experience

Target opened a new store in a nearby city, fairly near to where we live. We just happened to be over in that area (which, in Wisconsin, means that part of the county) on the very night of their grand opening. So, I thought... why not?

I only had one child with me, Nicolas - I thought I could handle him. And, I did - but, it was a narrow escape. Still - we did escape without bribery, extreme humiliation (vs. slight humiliation) or spending more than $4. ((They had fresh spinach for only 99 cents!)) I hafta wonder what it was rinsed with though...

Eating will never be the same. Ignorance was much tastier, but - extremely unhealthy. Hey - Pssst...Shouldn't I be skinny by now??

Whoa, I am all over the place in my thoughts today... Anyway, I am not going to go into detail about the chocolate truffles, soda, juices, energy drinks, trail mix, pizza, pre-packaged processed cheese and crackers or the cake with red Target symbols all over it. Nope.

I want to tell you about two wonderful ladies and our brief, but sweet experience with them. They weren't Target employees either, although all humans that were dressed in red were so very nice and friendly! It almost seemed like I was in a dream, really. Nice people dressed in red... scary! No - just kiddin'...

It might sound odd, but - it was just a really nice atmosphere - having everyone all on their best behaviors, smiling and so happy. A nice little live jazz band, free treats that we couldn't eat... Ya know - the more I keep thinking about it, the more odd it was. Why can't people be nice every day? Only on grand opening days?? ((sigh)) I am not used to people being nice. ARGH!

Back to the two very nice ladies. They were at Target to provide complimentary balloon animals and hand-sketched caricatures for the children. They were awesome! Their work? Yes, it was talent, absolutely! But - what affected me enough to blog about it, was their personalities and their ATTITUDES!


The young woman who did the balloon animals: dinosaurs, aliens, Easter bunnies, flowers, fishing poles, dogs, monkeys,and a T-Rex - - she did an extraordinary "job" entertaining us all, but - she was phenomenal in the way she interacted with the kids, especially our son - Nicolas. She handled it - she handled him. I wish you could have seen her - and I wish I could explain the way I wanted to cry... and hug that woman! She treated him like a regular kid. In fact, she acted as if she liked his little "oddities" - he asked a lot of questions, had specific comments and requests and left her wanting another balloon animal - one is never enough for him but - he left, with his great big eyes. I wish I could let her know how much this over-emotional-mom appreciated her, standing there for hours and hours, making kids happy. Not just my kid - but, all those kids. That saintly young woman's feet and fingers must have been killing her!

There was another woman there - who drew caricatures of the children. She was also impressive with her artsy drawing skills and patience with the kids. I asked her questions as she drew... and found out a whole lot in just a few minutes: she has one child in kindergarten, has been drawing all her life and has been doing caricatures for about 3 years. She works with/for the lady who was doing the balloons. And, she was sweet. Sweet kind voice, which made a nice impression on the boy who wants to be an artist who also invents robots!


I hope those two women have a wonderful and successful year with their business. In fact, I should let Target know just how positive our experience was with them. I let enough businesses know when I have an unpleasant experience; maybe it's time to give out the compliments! Ya think? (Nod head...)

Oh, by the way, I did sneak over to the free cake table and eat a piece of cake with red frosting. Red #40 has no apparent affect on me. In fact - it may have been just the medicine I needed to get through the night. Nick never found out, as he was at obsessing over some toy that I did not give in and get him. Not obsessing like you or I would, but - Nicolas obsessing. In the end, I did have to escort him out of the store - against his will, by holding his wrist. I knew it was time to go when he starting asking each and every red-shirt-wearing employee if they knew where the "free stick people cubes" were being given out. I guess in his mind, since they were handing out free treasures, Target would most certainly be handing out complimentary treasures like stick people cubes. In his obsessive mind, his switch was stuck. I couldn't get it to go back the other way, which is a technique I often use and even occasionally have success with; but, not that night. My reasoning was no match for his obsession and I think I hate stick cube people, which I hadn't even heard of until our trip to Target.

Clearly, I am alerted to my (shameful but not too embarrassing to admit) attitude, which hasn't self-adjusted yet... Wow - I hope I don't stay this way too long; it's been almost a week. Poor Hubs. Wait - he's not poor! See, I still have it... I do need an attitude adjustment.

I'd better lose the blogger-butt, get off the computer and get up and do something nice, like contact Target and let them know we had a delightful time with those two women from www.funnyfaces4kids.com. I could never be that nice for that long... well, they were getting paid I guess... it was their "job"... doesn't excuse it though! Those ladies rocked! I am calling Target right now!

I know I am not much for inter-active blogs, but - let's just try to improve my attitude. How about you compliment someone today and then leave the comment here. Go ahead, re-new my faith? Please??

Pesticides in Produce Guide - What A Find!

Ohhhh, I found something good last night! Well, this morning, actually. I found something that I have been looking for! No, not a spare $20 in an old purse (I wish), not quite that exciting... but - pretty darn exciting.

I found a list called The Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce. Wait! Don't click on it yet.

Nicolas called this pepper a Christmas pepper. Red and green...get it?

Before you check it out, which fruits and vegetables do you think are the worst? Which do you think are the safest? Think about it for a minute, then click here for the comparison chart. Any surprises?

I am so thankful he likes fresh fruits and veggies!

All the more reason to have our own garden again this year. Last year was the worst year ever! So, I am claiming that this year will be our best ever! I am sure my dad would just shake his head at me... he is such a faithful laborer in the garden. And it shows. He always has a wonderful huge garden.

Maybe this year will be my year for a wonderful huge garden, minus the weeds! Ha!

Time will tell...