Got left-overs? Keep this in mind when packing up food in plastic. A few days ago a new series of tests released by US-based organisation, Consumer Reports revealed that many leading American brands of canned foods contain Bisphenol A (BPA) -a toxic chemical linked to health risks including reproductive abnormalities, neurological effects, heightened risk of some cancers, diabetes, heart disease and other health problems. BPA is used in the lining of cans and the toxin leaches from the lining into the food. According to Consumer Reports just a couple of servings of canned food can exceed scientific limits on daily exposure for children. Sadly, of all foods tested, infant formula was among the top three foods that had BPA levels of highest concern.
The US federal government is currently studying the dangers of BPA and advocates are calling on the FDA to ban the use of BPA in food and beverage packaging by the end of the year. US-based companies in other industries, including Wal- Mart, Target, Nalgene, and Babies R Us have already made commitments to stop using BPA.
Want to reduce your intake of BPA?
1. Need to buy canned stuff? Then swap to foodstuffs in glass jars. Especially as canned tomato sauce is likely to have higher levels of BPA, because the high acidity of the tomatoes causes more of the chemical to leach from the lining of the can.
2. Consume fresh fruits and vegetables instead of canned. In addition to their BPA-free benefit, fresh produce usually has more nutrients, which often get lost in the process of canning.
3. Purchase beverages in plastic or glass bottles Canned soda and juice often contain some BPA.
4. If buying formula, use powdered infant formula instead of ready-to-serve liquid An assessment from the Environmental Working Group found that liquid formulas contain more BPA than powdered brands.
5. Think in terms of moderation follow a sensible approach, eating less of those foods that are higher in BPA.
6. Check out http://www.babypotz.com/- BPA-free pots for safely storing all your home made and left over baby foods!
source: http://www.enn.com/health/article/40728

Baby! Baby! What an Adjustment!
At first, it may appear to be coincidental. You are having trouble becoming pregnant and you also have a problem with low back pain. Are they related? Can low back pain actually cause infertility? The answer to the first question may be "yes," while the answer to the second question is more along the lines of, "The cause of your infertility may also be the cause your lower back pain."

Resolving back pain may also improve nerve supply to reproductive organs, restoring fertility.
Many women have problems conceiving because of a condition known as endometriosis. In fact, endometriosis is the cause for 30-40% of female infertility. This condition occurs when uterine tissue, known as endometrium, attaches itself to tissue and organs outside the uterus, including other reproductive organs, the bladder and the gastrointestinal tract. While the primary symptom of endometriosis is painful menstruation, back pain may result as well.
Obviously, it is imperative for you to see a health care professional when either one or both of these conditions are present. If your diagnosis is endometriosis, chiropractic care will often reduce much of the pain and discomfort associated with it. In addition, several chiropractic case studies have documented case studies in which infertile women have become pregnant after starting chiropractic care. (from Dr Carl Irwin - www.carlirwin.co.uk)

THE LAUNCH PARTY!

WOW! What a night! We had a fantastic evening, champagne, fabulous goodies, wonderful friends, family and wellwishing supporters of The Holistic Parent. Officially launched with a symbolic cutting of the ribbon, Dani and I declared our venture 'LIVE'!
Expert therapists offered informative and entertaining talks, stall-holders tempted us with the most beautiful of gifts and baby paraphernalia and our guests took home a fab goody bag - courtesy of Natracare, La Spiezia, Spirit of Nature, Nelsons, BabyLondon, Mumsense, Cupcake Bouquet, Falling Stars, BabyPotz and more!
One lucky lady won the prize draw, and took home a Stokke Tripp Trapp highchair, BabyCare TENS machine, Cupcake Bouquet, Baby Concierge vouchers and a 30 minute massage!
We now welcome parents-to-be and new parents to join the Holistic Parent Club and benefit from amazing offers and parenting infromation.....that you may not find elsewhere! Check out http://www.theholisticparent.co.uk/JOINTHEHOLISTICPARENTCLUB.html for details.
Oh and a special mention has to go to Roger, Ralph and Sara-Beth....without whom this whole project may have nose-dived!
Danine Irwin - co-founder The Holistic Parent

Puppy or baby?

OK! so Dani and I had a very business-like day yesterday, one whole day's worth of meetings!

But, the difference was that it took place at home - so we could use the large kitchen table to stack piles of paper on, have our laptops and mobiles all over the place (emf's flying around!), provide ourselves with copious amounts of tea, and above all, now all our 6 kids (between us) are at school, keep our little puppies company! How cute...labradoodle and cockerpoo, 'socialising', the dog trainer called it, (we thought it would be great to have them play in the garden whilst we worked!)Well, we both decided 'give us back those toddler years anyday!' Those puppies did not stop chasing each other around the table, under the table, yapping, growling, nipping and leaping over or off each other! We lost count how many times they pee'ed on the floor, us Mum's were 'frazzled'! So, after 4 hours we decided it was time for 'time out'! We needed a rest, let alone those pups! One went one way, the other went another....the peace as those doggies fell asleep was so blissful....reminiscent of those early days when our little bubbie darlings dropped off to sleep....like baby...like puppy! It's all a dog's life after all!

Sugar....Baby?

10 Reasons NOT to Eat Sugar!
Sugar, in its many forms, is an increasingly common ingredient in processed foods. Many of us eat the equivalent of 53 heaping teaspoons of white sugar every day!
Here are ten reasons to avoid refined (white) sugar:
1. Sugar contributes to tooth decay because it decreases the effectiveness of a particular type of white blood cell that “eats” bacteria.
2. Sugar causes the body to release more adrenalin, which may explain hyperactivity in young children.
3. Calcium loss in urine occurs when a person consumes a soft drink containing sugar.
4. Ingesting sugar makes the pancreas work harder to produce insulin. Diabetes results when the overworked pancreas can no longer eliminate sugar from the blood stream.
5. Bleached with chlorine, when white refined sugar is exposed to certain organic compounds it converts to dioxin, a lethal compound.
6. Sugar can hinder weight loss because high insulin levels (see #4 above) cause the body to store excess carbohydrates as fat.
7. Sugar increases the likelihood of chronic fatigue.
8. Sugar increases mood swings, irritability and anxiety.
9. Sugar compromises the immune system because it lowers the efficiency of white blood cells for a minimum of five hours.
10. Eating sugar can decrease helpful high-density cholesterol (HDLs) and result in an increase in harmful cholesterol (LDLs).