JUST SAY NO…GMO

or at least label in California (that's genetically modified organisms)   With two blogs currently in the works that are taking me some time to research, I have a ton of new ideas after returning from the Natural Products Expo West 2012 this past weekend.  This...

Score One for Organic Milk

Minus one for those of us finding empty shelves... I heard a report the other day that Organic Milk sales were up by 15%.  It's apparent, when we got to the grocery store, the organic milk, especially the one with DHA seems to be gone the most.  The cost, however, is...

California Environmental Laws – 2012

Recycling Laws ~ every little bit helps Happy New Year!  Maybe you are starting the year out with a goal of living with less, out of necessity possibly, or because you feel you can make a difference.  For those who need a little help, California has enacted many laws...

Antiperspirant and Breast Feeding

Aluminum as cause for alarm? “Doctor, what do you know about the risks of using antiperspirant?” asked my 26-week pregnant patient, “Should I be worried?” Feeling pretty uninformed, I told her, “if it makes you feel better, switch to a natural deodorant instead”. I...

Aluminum in Antiperspirant

As a cause of human illness? “Doctor, what do you know about the risks of using antiperspirant?” asked my 26-week pregnant patient, “Should I be worried?” Feeling pretty uninformed, I told her, “if it makes you feel better, switch to a natural deodorant instead”. I...

This Holiday Season…

Think Green As the shopping frenzy unfurled on Thanksgiving Day (what happened to that holiday is for another blog) I began to compose the list of things I needed to get done for Christmas, my gift purchase list, and my own Christmas “want” list. Americans throw away...

Choose Organic Cotton!

The Perils of Conventional Cotton Cotton seems like such an innocent material. As “the fabric of our lives” the cotton industry led me to believe it was good for the environment and for my family.  When I saw something was 100% cotton, I felt good purchasing it.  That...

A Question of Thanks.

“What are you grateful for?” I’m going to start my patient visits this next week with that one question. At each patient visit I often ask them what they do, who they live with, do they feel safe and, as an obstetrician/gynecologist, any number of other lifestyle...

Christmas Cards vs. Environment

vs. Tradition My annual tradition is to write my Holiday card and family letter updates the day after Thanksgiving.  In addition to the timing of my writing, I have been choosing a ‘Peace’ theme for the past 7 years on my cards and the last couple years purchasing my...

Parabens in my child’s toothpaste!

Should I be worried? On my way home there was a physician speaking about environmental health and the topic of potential dangers of parabens arose, in my Time Magazine there was a blurb about the fact that Denmark banned parabens in products for children under 3, and...

“Made in China”

Is everything? Picking up my child's toys in his room the other day I realized that the majority had the words "Made in China" embossed on it’s surface.  The reaction I had was actually sadness.  Admittedly, I also felt a twinge of guilt for the toys we had accrued...

Bikram, Baby!

Pregnancy and Bikram Yoga As an obstetrician-gynecologist whose primary mode of exercise and personal well-being has become Bikram yoga, I wondered what was out there in terms of research on Bikram yoga and pregnancy.  There has been so few pregnant women attending...

World Food Day 2011

What’s for dinner? Today, October 16th is World Food Day!  I admit, I hadn’t heard about this until recently but I’m learning. The first World Food Day was celebrated in 1981 and is held in recognition of the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture...

Simple Call to Action

Just Think Before You Buy The more I pay attention, listen to news programs, and read articles, the more I feel like I have to, as the famous quote by Mahatma Gandhi reads “be the change you want to see in the world”. I can feel myself getting angrier about injustices...

Bikram Yoga for ALL!!

 Really! “Ninety minutes of hell…sooo worth it”, Troy, my yoga teacher at the Tri-Valley Bikram’s Yoga studio, proclaims during class.  Enthusiastically, I inwardly agree while dripping sweat and struggling with the current posture du’jour.  With an ideal temperature...