Cell Phone Radiation

For the record, I'm not an expert. I just play one on television.

So glad to have that off my chest.

Every once in a while I've heard snippets about radiation and cell phones, but nothing much to really make me question the truth of it. I mean, surely, the government and corporate America have our best interests in mind right? 

Right?

*Tap, tap, tap*  Is this thing on?

Between a recent conversation with my mom and a book I was reading, the topic has really been percolating in my brain. And a percolating brain can be a dangerous, dangerous thing.  (Side note - the book is Sex, Lies, and Menopause by T.S. Wiley- contact me if you would like to know more about the book, I recommend it with some reservations.)

The first time I began to question the effects of cell phone usage was this past fall when Richie attended a teacher in-service session on alternative health remedies. The leader of the class touched very briefly on cell phones and how they have been connected to bone loss on individuals who wore their phones on their belts or in the pockets. Without doing a lot of research, I found this article that pointed in that direction.

After doing a little digging (emphasis on little), I've found enough information to be concerned. It seems that researchers are just now being able to link some serious side effects with cell phone usage since it still remains a relatively "new" technology. A decrease in bone density, headaches, behavioral problems, benign and malignant tumors, soft tissue damage (think eyeballs, etc.), and lack of concentration are just a few of the side effects being linked to cell phone usage.

Having lived in the world of statistics and research before my retirement into the glamourous world of full-time homemaker, I cautiously digest what these studies are finding. I plan to keep looking for the actual studies to examine their findings for myself (if it isn't all scientific jargon), but in the meantime I'm going to be changing some of my phone habits.

• Stop carrying it in my pocket around the house.
• Try to only use my phone when I have a strong signal. A cell phone emits more radiation when the signal strength is low.
• Look into getting a good headset and use my speakerphone more often. There is some debate about which headsets protect against radiation.
• Monitor frequency and length of calls when the kids are on the phone. They aren't on that much, but I want to make sure their calls are kept brief or on speakerphone.

I'm really interested to see what develops as further research is done on this topic. I thought maybe (?) I wasn't the only one who was curious about the subject so I thought I'd share.

Here's a list of cell phone models ranked by radiation from EWG, whose organic Dirty Dozen list I've shared before. Find your cell phone and see how it ranks. Mine was in the upper middle.

Why Organic Produce

I've talked a little bit about how we've made some big changes in the way we eat over the last two years. One of those changes has included adding more organic foods to our diet.

I have found it very interesting lately to see articles reporting that organic produce are no healthier than conventional produce. The problem that I have with this study is that it totally failed to examine the primary factor that motivates me to buy certain organic produce.

Pesticides. *insert evil organ music here* Those nasty chemicals that can be linked to immune and nervous system problems among other things.

The Environmental Working Group has put together a lovely list called the Dirty Dozen. Go here to take a look at the list which also includes the Clean 15. The Dirty Dozen list includes the produce that were found to be the most contaminated with pesticides.

I use both lists to help me base my decisions on what produce to buy organically on a limited budget. Just thought I'd share what I use to help make those decisions.

By the way, the list can be easily printed and kept in your purse or coupon holder and they even have an application to download to your iPhone or iPod Touch.

The Kefir Project

So, 2008 saw major changes in the way our family ate and I plan to continue the trend in 2009. My first project of 2009 is adding kefir to our diet. Something that I did not know existed until a couple months ago. Something that makes me feel a bit hippie, granola, health nut-ish. Maybe a little science geek-ish, too. I am so multi-faceted. A regular Renaissance woman, I tell ya.

Kefir is a fermented milk drink. Yes, as in bacteria and yeast - think probiotics. It is similar to yogurt, but not as thick. It has a somewhat tangy taste. Some people like it straight, but I prefer it in smoothies. But then again, I am a closet smoothie addict. Pray for me.

I also think it's good when it sits in juice overnight. The only other way I've used it is in a soaked oatmeal recipe, but there are lots of ways to consume it. And it is quite easy to make. Okay, ridiculously easy. Not to mention that is really cheap to make compared to buying it. (Thanks for sharing the kefir grains, Mom!)

As odd as kefir may sound, it has numerous health benefits that I just can't ignore. I feel like my body can tell when I haven't consumed any within 2 days. One thing I have noticed is that Abigail does not spit up when I drink it regularly. She had symptoms of acid reflux around 1 month of age. When we switched to drinking raw milk her symptoms improved and now when I include kefir in my diet the symptoms appear to be non-existent. I thank God for bringing these resources into our path.

So many people have put together information on kefir that instead of reinventing the wheel, I'm just going to include some links if you would like to read more about it. (Yes, you may call it unmotivated or underachieving, but I'm going to call it resourceful.) And if you live close by, I will be more than happy to make you a smoothie to try...really, twist my arm. Please.

• I first heard about kefir at Passionate Homemaking here.
• A site dedicated to kefir.
• Some articles on its benefits can be found here, here, and here.

Vaccination Alteration - Part 2

I wanted to follow up and share our plan where vaccines are concerned. We have decided to go with an alternative schedule for Abigail. It's not the exact schedule that Dr. Sears recommends in his book, but pretty close. Like I said in my earlier post, I'm still not thrilled with vaccines, but I'm much more comfortable with this choice. Here are just a few highlights from my thoughts:

My precious baby girl

One of the main reasons I opted to use an alternative schedule was to stagger the shots she'd be receiving that contained aluminum. Since I was a sophomore in college (yikes-11 years ago), I have been against most things aluminum. I've been slack lately, drinks from soda cans, not looking for a deodorant that doesn't contain it, etc., but this was really important to me and her little body.

The biggest hindrance we face, which is extremely important to me, is getting the MMR broken into individual doses. I need to contact our local health dept. and see if they offer each single vaccine because our doctor's office cannot.

I personally did not feel comfortable with going unvaccinated. So, this offered a sensible option to me. I feel like her body will be able to process the "nasties" that are in vaccines better and it won't overwhelm her. All while still being protected against some pretty offensive illnesses.

I was surprised at how easily Abigail's pediatrician was in agreeing to an alternative schedule. He even commented that the alternative schedule in The Vaccine Book was one of the best he had seen. He and I tweaked it a bit to fit my family's needs and it was pretty simple.

I will have more co-pays and need to keep track of it, but her health is worth it. She will have shots every month for a while. I fell bad about that, but I think it's better than overloading her body in one sitting.

I do believe we might travel overseas as a family at some point, so better to space them out now than whammy her all at once, if the opportunity does present itself.

There is so much more controversy going on right now than I thought. I read an interesting post by Stephanie at Keeper of the Home and was surprised to learn that some public service announcements will be released soon concerning vaccinations.

I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say that the whole public health thing has me concerned to some extent. I don't know what the right answer is though. I guess that's another reason why I like the alternative schedule so much.

When trying to make our decision about vaccinations, I read several different viewpoints from other moms on the subject at Prayer of Hanna. I really appreciated reading what they all shared a while back and their blog is great to get different perspectives on a lot of topics.

I wish the vaccines contained different ingredients and I wish there was no risk of illness. But that's not the real world. Become informed and educated, pray, and make the right decision for your family.

Vaccination Alteration - Part One

Ah, the great debate. Or at least one of the great parenting debates of our time. Vaccinations.

It's a touchy subject and a decision each parent must make on their own based on a variety of circumstances in their lives. I personally have found it difficult to become educated on the subject or at least able to learn enough that I feel like I'm making a somewhat educated decision.

When I am presented with something, I like to take my time and get a feel for both sides. Many times I fall "on the fence" because of this, which is a difficult place to be...seeing both sides. I guess people view it as being wishy-washy, I think of it as insurance against mob mentality and many self-induced kicks to my bottom. *grin* I found myself there once again with the vaccine issue.

I was not comfortable with vaccines and not comfortable without them. So, now with baby number three all the issues come up again. But this time, a friend recommended reading The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears (another library borrow) as it offered an alternative vaccine schedule and had some really good information in it.

Gotta admit that got my attention. Alternative schedule? You mean I have a choice, what a novel thought. ;) It never occurred to me that there were also different brands and that each would have different ingredients. Isn't it crazy how we just accept things sometimes?! How many times have I done that in my life, especially when it comes to something that is contrary to one of God's truths or promises?

As I read the book, I alternated being grossed out by the disease a vaccine provided protection against and then the ingredients of said vaccine. It was quite interesting and made me slightly wish I was a scientist. He does a good job of presenting factual information for parents to make informed decisions about vaccinations and their children.

He is pro-vaccine, but it does not effect the format in which the material is presented. I learned so much. It provided enough information for me to make a decision concerning Abigail and her vaccinations that I feel more comfortable with than with the boys. His website/blog does have some interesting reading, but was thisclose to having too much of a marketing feel to it for me.

Anyway, I recommend this for any parent who wants to become more educated about their child's health, regardless of how you feel about vaccines. I'll have to tell you later what we have decided to do.