Cinco Vidas

As a conscientious parent, you have probably bathed your baby girl in safe, natural products, wrapped her up in organic cotton blankets and fed her organic fruits and vegetables. But what about when she turns 9, 10, 11 and starts playing with makeup? Where are the natural products then?

Though adults can now find, with some effort, safe personal-care products that contain few toxic ingredients, the tween scene continues to be dominated by brands full of propylene glycol (a hormone disruptor); sodium laureth sulfates (harsh on skin); and DMDM hydantoin, a skin, eye, and lung irritant. Add to that the sparkly packaging dancing with idols like Hannah Montana and Hello Kitty and your own plain-colored organic products will never compete, no matter how much you plead.

Fortunately, things are changing. We’re thrilled to hear of some new things happening for the well being of girls who are not yet full-blown teeneagers, but are starting to experiment with being young women—the “tween” set. “Good For You Girls” has hit the shelves, a brand of skincare for teens and tweens that combines natural and organic ingredients and avoids toxic chemicals like parabens, petrochemicals, dyes and irritants, and synthetic fragrances. Finally, young girls have a choice in the products they buy!

Another one—Sparklehearts—makeup, bath, and beauty products that steer clear of chemicals, avoid animal testing, and stay away from artificial colorants. Better yet, these companies know their audience—you’ll find no plain-Jane packaging with little color and pizzazz. Colorful pink and yellow labels that appeal to young girls help make the sale.

Young girls are more at risk from all the toxins we find in most mainstream products, as their bodies aren’t as able to detoxify. We mentioned in an earlier post how the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found 16 chemicals in the blood and urine samples of 20 teen girls—including phthalates, triclosan, and parabens. Young girls are still growing, and since they’re going through puberty, they’re just starting to develop reproductive systems. Hormone-altering chemicals present in the blood stream could be particularly harmful. Tween and teen girls also use more products than adults as they go through a period of experimentation, exposing themselves to over 100 different cosmetic ingredients.

Many girls in the tween years know little about the dangers present in the ingredients in personal-care products, but some are starting to change that, as well. An organization called “Teens Turning Green” (TTG) is a student-led movement educating other teens about eliminating toxic exposure. Started in 2002 as “Teens for Safe Cosmetics,” the group has grown to encourage teens to look for greener alternatives, with grassroots efforts that raise awareness. They’re also working with natural beauty companies to create new TTG products.

We invite you to support these companies and organizations by introducing your teen or tween girl to the new options available in safe products. With the power of our purchasing dollars and our voices, we are changing the marketplace, and can help continue and expand such changes so that more of our young people have the option to live safer, healthier lives—through the teen years and beyond.

Has your teen or tween girl tried some of these new, safer products? What did she think?

Photo courtesy K. Walls via Flickr.com.

It’s scientific name is “Nigella sativa,” and for centuries it was used in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa as an herbal remedy for respiratory health, liver and kidney function, blood pressure, and intestinal health. But could the tiny black seeds from this plant actually have an effect on cancer?

Early studies show it’s possible. The seeds, known as black seeds or black cumin, have been tested in the lab and found to have powerful antioxidant and anti-cancer abilities. “Thymoquinone,” one of the constituents of the seed, was found to reduce the growth and size of tumors in rats, and Nigella sativa oil showed a protective effect against tissue damage caused by radiation. Other studies show that the oil from black cumin seeds inhibited colon cancer, and Nigella sativa extract was found in lab studies to inactivate breast cancer cells and to kill human pancreatic cancer cells.
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We’ve talked about chemicals that can mess with your hormones in a few former posts. We’ve mentioned how BPA in plastics can cause neural and behavioral effects in infants and children, how personal-care products with hormone-like chemicals like parabens and phthalates may contribute to cancer risk, and how pesticides can have hormone-disrupting effects.

If you’ve been keeping up on your research, you’ve probably already changed your habits to stay away from BPA, pesticides, parabens, and phthalates. However, hormone-disrupting chemicals are lurking in other places you may not have thought about. To help you increase your level of protection, we gathered some more information. Read More »

It’s one of the hardest things to face, but if you have a loved one with terminal cancer, you may be wondering what to expect. How will you know when the end is near? What can you do about the symptoms your loved one will experience?

Someone who is close to death will go through some normal changes both physically and mentally. Fortunately, there are things you can do to help the person feel more comfortable. For example, she may lose interest in food and fluids, with little intake for days. If this happens, don’t try to force her to eat or drink—near the end of life, some dehydration is normal, and is more comfortable for the dying person. However, her mouth will probably be dry, so you can offer ice chips from a spoon, or sips of water from a straw. Apply lubricant (toxin-free moisturizer) on the lips to prevent chapping, and keep a humidifier going in the room. Read More »

In one of our former posts, we talked about the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) survey that found 16 chemicals in the blood and urine samples of 20 teen girls, ages 14–19 years. Phthalates, triclosan and parabens—linked with breast cancer and reproductive damage—were discovered, all of which are present in beauty, makeup, and personal-care products. We urged you to help your daughters find organic and chemical-free products that will help reduce their exposure.

We want to go a step further and ask you to take an overall look at the chemicals in your daughters’ worlds. The idea that chemicals in the environment and in the products we use can disrupt hormones and cause health problems is now an accepted fact. The question now is how much exposure translates to increased risk? Read More »

“I have very dense breasts,” says internet responder, Arl1947. “My doctor sent me for a mammogram after he detected a mass in my right breast. The mammogram was followed by an ultrasound because they couldn’t see anything on the film.”

“I don’t understand why they make women who have dense breast tissue go through so many hoops and emotions to find out that they are okay,” says fellow responder MesaMom. “It’s so time consuming, expensive, and emotionally draining.”

It’s something most of us haven’t heard much about, at least compared to other risk factors like smoking, drinking, and weight gain. But according to recent studies, having “dense breasts” may be an independent risk factor for breast cancer. Researchers from Toronto, Canada, for example, found that women who developed breast cancer had, on average, a baseline mammographic density that was 5.8 percentage points greater than the women who had not developed cancer. Then they compared women who had extensive breast density (density in more than 75% of their breast) with women who had only a small amount (less than 10%). Women with the most dense breasts had 4.7 times the odds of being diagnosed with breast cancer less than 12 months after a negative screening test. Read More »

If you’re a young man with testicular cancer, you may be the only one in your neighborhood, your town, or even your region.

Talk about a lonely experience.

However, today’s technology makes it possible to connect with other fighters and survivors, no matter what kind of cancer you have, or how old you are. And that can make a big difference in your recovery. I’ve found a huge community of cancer fighters and survivors through Twitter and Facebook. It’s been such a blessing. Read More »

She called you with the news. She may have been crying. Your girlfriend—that dear person you’ve shared so much with—has cancer. You desperately want to help, but what do you do?

Sometimes we can feel terribly helpless when it comes to friends with cancer. When I had cancer at 16 years old, most of my friends had no idea what to do or say. It’s almost easier when it’s a family member, as we feel we have “permission” to do anything we can think of to help. It’s different with a friend. How can we be sure what she will see as helpful, and what she will feel as intrusive? Read More »

Going through cancer once is challenging enough. No one wants it coming back.

Unfortunately, many survivors worry about recurrence, and with good reason. According to researchers, tumors can re-seed themselves—in other words, cancer cells can return to the tumor site and grow again. How do we stop this from happening? With a strong immune system.

If you’ve gone through cancer, you know what kind of a beating your immune system has suffered. Chemotherapy can wreak havoc on our natural killer cells, say nothing of the weight loss, malnutrition, and depression that can sometimes accompany treatment. In fact, the main contributors to a weak immune system are poor nutrition, lack of exercise, sleep deprivation, emotional trauma, medications, and toxins. Um, gee, anyone who’s experienced cancer has had all of those! Read More »

I love summer! After a long, cold, wet winter (especially in New York), I just want to soak up the sun. It’s so tempting to go outside, lay down in the park and soak up the nourishing rays. However, my sun bathing habits have been put away since my early twenties, since I want to avoid sun damage and skin cancer.

Unfortunately, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S.—according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, more than 3.5 million cases are diagnosed annually. Melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, continues to rise, at a rate faster than any of the seven most common cancers, and causes more than 75 percent of skin cancer deaths. If you’re thinking you’re too young, think again—melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults age 25–29 years old, and the second most common for adolescents. Read More »