April 2012

Being a Woman and a Marine

Published on April 30, 2012

3210 views

When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Someone recently asked me, “If you could go back and do it all over, would you still join the Marines?” Wow. Do I answer that candidly, sarcastically, politically correct? Even though I had just recently met the man asking, I felt safe around former co-workers who were mostly former military.

“I don’t know.” I answered bluntly, taking everyone off guard.

Those that I worked with know me as a proud, yet humble, Marine officer. It’s a label that I have worn since I was twenty-three, and have earned the right to wear until the day I die. But, it’s so much more than a label; it’s a ratty, battered, beaten down and duct-taped-back-together piece of luggage I carry.

“I sometimes wish I had joined the Air Force,” I told the man and smiled. “I daydream how much easier that would have been.” Of course, I know the truth – it’s not easy if you are a woman in the military no matter what uniform you wear.

A History of Can’ts

I have always been told what I can’t do because of my gender – never what I can do. Growing up, I couldn’t go to Boundary Waters or other cool camping trips with my dad and brothers because they were Boy Scout trips. My brother’s went to Wabash College, an all-male, private school, and my mother will never look at my education at DePauw University, a nationally higher ranked school, as equal. I loved sewing and cooking as a kid, but when I was told, “a woman’s place is in the home,” by both parents under the guise of religion, I quickly abandoned those hobbies and church. In college, I saw the double standards of the Greek system at our university. While the frats hazed recruits with wild antics and had weekly parties, the sororities made their pledges line-up in their underwear so the senior members could take a Sharpie and circle their fat zones.

When I left for OCS, I was determined to pass every physical fitness test at the male standards, and I did. I’m not an athlete, as that would imply some degree of coordination and grace, but I am quite possibly the most stubborn and determined person on this planet. I excelled by repeating some of my mantras that I still use when facing a physical challenge: Mind over matter. My body is a slave to my mind. I am a robot. I’ll rest when I’m dead. I had to prove, to myself as much as anyone, that I was physically equal to the male candidates and Marines.

“You think this is going to be easy? You have to do everything twice as hard, twice as good, twice as often and never take credit for it.”

– SSgt Denizard, OCS female platoon sergeant

Unfortunately, my determination was overruled by Congress. While in training, I was reminded again of all the things I couldn’t do because I didn’t have a set of balls. I couldn’t pick infantry, tanks, artillery, ground intel and many other Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) considered combat-arms. Yet, Marine Corps doctrine states, “Every Marine is a rifleman,” and, therefore, trained as a basic infantryman. Likewise, officers spend six months training as an infantry platoon commander, regardless of gender. Female Marines have to go through training for an MOS that isn’t even open to them, because we have to prove that if shit hits the fan, we can step up and play GI Joe.

The Future of GI Jane

The recent announcement that women will be allowed to attend Infantry Officer Course, is a huge step for women; as is allowing female officers and senior enlisted on submarines and to serve in support roles (administrative, logistics, supply, etc.) at combat units. This means that if I ever have a daughter I can raise her to believe all the things she can do rather than the things she cannot.

As a logistician, I am aware of the logistical planning this will require – separate bathrooms, beds, and showers. As a woman I am aware of the emotional burden this will require – preparing for combat, knowing you will be in combat, not just if shit hits the fan.

Part of me envies these women who are going to be such a large part of our military history. Part of me is relieved that I’m not a determined, twenty-three year old, boot lieutenant, volunteering to face unimaginable trials. If I could tell these brave women one thing, it would be the same thing I tell to young women considering the military: You are going to face challenges you can’t even imagine. These challenges will change not only your history, but the history of women in the military. Every decision you make reflects upon all of us. It’s not fair, but that’s the way it is, right now. We have to work twice as hard and never take credit for it. When someone tells you, you can’t – show them you can. When you start believing you can’t, think of a little sister, niece, future daughter, girl you used to babysit and tell yourself, I have to for them. Every step we take today makes it easier for our sisters tomorrow. When you meet a woman who was in the service a year ago or fifty, thank her. She did what they said she couldn’t so you and I could be here today.

Would I do it again? I’d do it a thousand times over and a thousand more after that. As a woman, I’ve been told I can’t do the possible. As a Marine I was ordered to do the impossible. When I took the oath and put on that uniform I had no idea where that decision would lead me, what challenges I would face, how much a person can endure and keep on going, or how vital the bond of female friendship can be to a person’s sanity and survival. I will always proudly claim the title of United States Marine.

This essay is dedicated to the following warriors, whose friendship I could not live without.

Mechelle Sharpe – GySgt, USMC Elizabeth Jackson – Capt, USMC Rosella Iaccino – Capt, USMC

And all the candidates and instructors of OCS OCC Class 189, Charlie 1. Kill.

Female Marines to Attend Infantry Officer Course

by Lisbeth Prifogle, MFA

Published on April 29, 2012

3310 views

They (Women Marines) don’t have a nickname, and they don’t need one. They get their basic training in a Marine atmosphere, at a Marine Post. They inherit the traditions of the Marines. They are Marines.

– LtGen Thomas Holcomb, USMC, Commandant of the Marine Corps, 1943

A Brief History

Ask any Marine, male or female, “Who was the first female Marine?” The Devil Dog will immediately snap, “Opha Mae Johnson, Ma’am.” Even though the roles of women in the Marine Corps have been restricted to non-combat Military Occupational Specialties (MOS), our history is rich with heroines standing up to fight for their Constitution and their freedom. Women’s history in the Marines officially* started on August 13, 1918, when 308 women enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves. While Opha Mae Johnson was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, she was restricted from serving in war zones. In fact, it was another 49 years before that first. In 1967, Master Sergeant Barbara Jean Dulinsky had the honor of being the first female Marine in a combat zone.**

In the most recent conflicts that the US military is involved in, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, the battlefield has evolved and so must our military strategies, as well as our warriors. On today’s battlefields, there are no front lines and women are stepping up and into combat, regardless of their MOS, every day. As women’s role on the battlefield evolves, it will also force the laws and regulations restricting women from combat MOS’s and units to evolve.

Women on Submarines

Two years ago, the Navy’s website reported: “On February 19, 2010, the Secretary of Defense signed letters notifying Congress of the Navy’s intention to change the policy regarding the assignment of women to submarines,” said Bruner [Rear Admiral, Commander of Submarine Group 10], the lead for the Navy’s Women in Submarines Task Force. “The law required both houses of Congress to be in session for 30 days prior to the change in policy taking effect. Those 30 days have now passed and the Navy intends to proceed with the plan to integrate women into submarines.” Last May, eight female officers reported to Submarine Basic Officer Course Class 10040 (SBOC), a fifteen-month long school. After graduating they will be assigned to eight different crews of guided-missile and ballistic-missile submarines.

Female Marines to attend Infantry Officer Course

More recently, female Marines are in the news again! Female Marines are not allowed to serve with combat units, even in support roles. For example, as a supply officer I was restricted to only non ground-combat units like Marine Aircraft Group 16, where I served. General James F. Amos, the Marine Corps commandant, recently announced that women will be allowed to attend Infantry Officer Course (IOC), a grueling three month course that is required by all infantry officers in the Marine Corps. This course is after Officer Candidate School (OCS), where officers earn a commission as a second lieutenant, and The Basic School (TBS), a six month school where officers learn tactics to serve as a basic infantry platoon leader. After graduating IOC, the women will not serve as infantry officers, but continue training in other, non-combat, fields. Their success or failure will help determine women’s capabilities to serve in other combat MOS’s, as well as the infantry, in the future.

To Infinity and Beyond

Most civilians will miss why this news is so important to our history. Women have a long ways to go before they will be allowed to serve in the infantry, but as Stars and Stripes reports the Marine Corps “requested that Congress approve an exception to policy that would allow female company-grade officers and female staff non-commissioned officers who already hold certain military occupational specialties, such as communications, to be assigned to about 400 corresponding jobs with ground combat element units at the battalion level. The units include artillery, tanks, amphibious assault, low-altitude air defense, combat assault and combat engineers, but not infantry units.” That means women in supply, logistics, personnel and the many other combat support roles necessary for combat units to function, might soon have the opportunity to serve with combat units in a support capacity. It’s another first in women’s military history and it’s paving the way for the first females to be officially designated a combat MOS.

*Women have a rich history in the US military starting from the American Revolution on, but it has not always been in an “official” capacity. This article highlights women’s history in the Marine Corps. Please check out the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation online and at the Arlington Cemetery for an in-depth look at the role 2.5 million women have played in the US Armed Forces.

**Unlike the other services, the Marine Corps does not have a medical field and uses the Navy medics, nurses and doctors. In other services, nurses served in combat zones much sooner.

Photos compliments of Captain Elizabeth Jackson, USMC. Taken during a recent deployment to Afghanistan with 4th Civil Affairs Groups. And Captain Lisbeth Prifogle, USMC. Taken during a deployent to Iraq with Marine Aircraft Group 16.

Empower Your Health with Vitamin D3

by Susan Rex Ryan

Published on April 29, 2012

3523 views

Sharing an interest in vitamins and hormones, a friend asked me, “If you only could take one daily vitamin supplement, which one would you take?” I replied, “Vitamin D3.” Somewhat astonished, she clarified, “Vitamin D3, not just vitamin D?” I responded, “Not vitamin D or D2, but vitamin D3. Studies have indicated how beneficial vitamin D3 is to our cellular and bone health, and the prevention of some cancers and many other diseases including multiple sclerosis. Here we are living in sunny Las Vegas yet many of us are deficient in vitamin D3.” Believe it or not, my initial vitamin D3 blood test level was shockingly low. Since that time, I take at least 5,000 IU vitamin D3 daily and enjoy significantly better health. Today vitamin D3 is arguably America’s “it” supplement.

Most Americans—across generations and geographical locations—unknowingly suffer from deficient levels of vitamin D3 because our bodies lack the natural resources of this essential nutrient. Burgeoning medical studies indicate that low vitamin D3 levels are associated with the increased risk of cancers including breast, colon, and prostate, as well as a host of other serious medical conditions including heart disease, multiple sclerosis, autism, bone disease, diabetes, infections, and chronic pain. Symptoms of low vitamin D3 levels tend to be common complaints including muscle weakness, fatigue, and chronic back pain. The good news is that vitamin D3 deficiency is not only easy to diagnose by evaluating the results of a simple blood test, but can be readily resolved by taking inexpensive oral supplements.

Vitamin D3 is actually a steroid hormone, produced by our bodies when: a) our skin is exposed to solar ultraviolet B (UVB) rays for varying amounts of time and under certain conditions, or b) we consume vast quantities of cod-liver oil and fatty fish. However, unless you bask daily in UVB rays under optimal absorption conditions or eat immense amounts of wild-caught fatty fish, you probably have insufficient vitamin D3, increasing your risk of developing serious medical issues.

Simply sunbathing on a regular basis does not guarantee adequate vitamin D3 intake. A multitude of factors affect the degree of UVB sun rays absorbed by our bodies to produce vitamin D3: geographic location including latitude and altitude; a limited amount of solar UVB light; time of day and year; cloud cover; air quality; age; body weight; skin pigmentation; sunscreen use; and amount of clothing covering our bodies.

As we age, we produce less of circulating vitamin D3 (calcidiol or 25-hydroxyvitamin D) in our blood and, therefore, make less activated vitamin D3 (calcitriol) in our cells. Overweight and obese people also have difficulty producing sufficient vitamin D3. As vitamin D3 is fat-soluble, the human body’s fat cells absorb this essential nutrient, decreasing its availability to the tissue and organs. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the vitamin D3 levels of obese persons were 57 percent lower than “lean” people exposed to the same levels of UVB light.

Most American diets are not rich in vitamin D3. Foods that naturally contain vitamin D3 include salmon, mackerel, sardines, and cod-liver oil (they also contain a large amount of vitamin A, potentially causing vitamin A toxicity). In addition, a number of foods are fortified with “vitamin D” (either D2 or the preferred D3). Common vitamin D-fortified foods in the United States include milk, cereal, yogurt, and fruit juices but they contain only small amounts of vitamin D3. Therefore, fortified foods most likely will not effectively treat a vitamin D3 deficiency because large quantities of these foods would need to be consumed daily. For example, you would need to drink 10 eight-ounce glasses of vitamin D-fortified milk daily to obtain merely 1,000 IU of vitamin D. Another concern about fortified food products is the uncertainty of their vitamin D content. A study confirmed that the majority of the sampled fortified milk contained less than 20 percent of the stated amount on the product label. Furthermore, sampled quantities of the same brand of milk contained varying amounts of vitamin D on different days.

The most practical and effective treatment of vitamin D3 deficiency is simply taking an inexpensive, oral (a pill or sub-lingual drops) bioidentical vitamin D3, i.e., cholecalciferol, supplement that is readily available without a prescription. However, carefully read supplement labels before purchasing these products: accept no substitutes and ensure the dosage is commensurate with increasing your vitamin D3 blood levels!

In the United States vitamin D3 is available only over the counter. The only prescription for vitamin D in the United States is ergocalciferol or vitamin D2. Ergocalciferol, a plant product, is not naturally produced in our bodies, and is not a bioidentical replacement for vitamin D3. Research has indicated vitamin D3 supplementation “increases serum-25-hydroxyvitamin D more efficiently than does vitamin D2.”

Although the U.S. medical community is redefining (and increasing) the optimal levels of vitamin D3, a number of experts have opined that a healthy range of circulating vitamin D3 is at least 50-80 ng/mL. The most accurate way to determine your vitamin D3 level is to request a simple blood serum test from your healthcare practitioner. The name of the blood test is 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Owing to the medical findings over the past decade, routine blood work ordered by a practitioner often includes a vitamin D evaluation. Nonetheless, it is a good idea to check with your practitioner before your blood is drawn to ensure that the vitamin D blood test is included on the laboratory order form. Many healthcare plans cover all, or at least partial, costs of the blood test. (The ICD-9 code is 268.9.) Home test kits for 25-hydroxyvitamin D also are available on-line from reputable laboratories.

Despite the fact that vitamin D3 is stored in our fat cells and readily available in high dosages, vitamin D3 toxicity is rare. Monitor—in concert with your healthcare practitioner—your hormone and vitamin levels to ensure that your body’s tissues, organs, and cells enjoy optimal levels of these essential nutrients. Supplementing with vitamin D3 is an incredibly easy, safe, and inexpensive way to empower your health.

Citizen Activists in the Internet Age and the War on Women

by Chandler Marrs, PhD

Published on April 25, 2012

2098 views

With all of the negativity and the downright stupidity of the American political scene, I thought some positive trends deserved attention, and hence this post. There is a resurgence of citizen activism that is successfully and positively changing the legislative process. This inspired me. I hope it inspires you.

Passage of the JOBS Act

For those of you not on the investment bandwagon, the JOBS Act which stands for the Jumpstart Our Business Startups will legalize crowdfunded investment for small companies like ours and democratize the investment process. It will allow average, everyday citizens, not just the super wealthy, to invest small amounts in new companies- it will allow crowd-funded investment. You can read more about the legislation here.

What is truly remarkable about this legislation is the story of this bill came to be. Three entrepreneurs wanted to fund their start up. Eighty-year-old SEC rules prohibited the crowdfunding of investment to private companies (Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms are not technically investment. They more akin to sponsorship). These three guys decided to change the laws and regulations. They began a grassroots, Internet driven campaign and with much effort and persistence, succeeded. No ALEC or other nefarious Super PAC, just three guys and an idea. How cool is that?! Citizen activists have power in the Internet age.

SOPA

SOPA –the Stop Online Piracy Act was stopped dead in its tracks by the Twitterverse. At first glance, the legislation looked benign enough; who wouldn’t want to stop online piracy? On closer inspection, however, this legislation would have seriously limited the ability of Internet users to do business, especially small blogs, content related and social media type ventures. SOPA was stopped by intense Internet activism beginning with millions of average users and then followed by wide-scale Internet blackouts by Wikipedia, Digg, even Google protested. Citizen activists have power in the Internet age.

RWA

A few months later came a less well known bill, the Research Works Act (RWA), that would have prevented public access to taxpayer funded research by giving all rights to the publishing houses. RWA was pushed by Elsevier, one of the most powerful and profitable academic publishing houses worldwide. Scientist, academics, and average citizens rose up and said NO, promising to boycott Elsevier (the Cost of Knowledge protest) had it passed. The outcry killed the bill and I think might ultimately change the business of academic publishing for the better. Indeed, more and more universities are opting for open source publishing venues to counteract the high cost and the access barriers publishing houses have instituted in recent decades.

The success of citizen activists in social media age is just beginning. Citizens United, the Supreme Court decision that deemed corporations people and opened the flood gates for Super Pac sponsored elections, may have been the far end of the pendulum, which now must swing back. Americans have woken up from a decades long slumber and are realizing that they can make a difference. This may bode well for women’s rights, if we wake up and begin the arduous, but completely doable, task of creating and passing the legislation that matters to us (and voting out the scoundrels seeking to limit our rights).

The War on Women

The War on Women, though disputed by many, is evidenced by a very real and dangerous rollback in women’s health rights; rights many of us took for granted. At last tally, over 900 bills had been proposed restricting a woman’s access to health care and limiting her rights to make he own health care decisions, this year alone. Indeed, it wasn’t until the all-male birth control hearings and the subsequent diatribes by Rush Limbaugh, that many of us began to pay attention. Only then was the public outrage palpable, but outrage without focus or discernible goals to change something is, in my mind, a waste. We cannot just get mad. We need to fix this mess. We need new leaders, new laws and a new game plan for protecting the rights of our daughters.

This weekend, women will be uniting across the nation to protest the War on Women. When the outrage settles, we must begin to act. As the citizens responsible for initiating the JOBS act or stopping SOPA and RWA demonstrated, average citizens can change policy. Super PACs and the super wealthy are powerful, but not as powerful as millions of angry, Internet-connected, women. Hell hath no fury…

Let’s focus that fury on ensuring women are granted the basic human rights afforded the male citizenry. If three guys with an idea can change 80 year old, heavily entrenched, heavily bank supported, investment laws, if tweets can lead to the blockage of the media industry’s takeover of the Internet, and if scientists can all but take down a major publishing house, then certainly, women can get laws passed and politicians in office that support women’s rights.

For information about the War on Women protests planned for this Weekend, 4-28-12, click here.

What are you going to do to improve women’s rights?

Early Onset of Puberty

by Elena Perez

Published on April 18, 2012

3201 views

A colleague recently informed me that her niece, Kayla, just got her first training bra – but Kayla is only six years old. A photograph of Kayla captured the smile of a chubby, young girl that towered over her peers. Though Kayla is at the same psychological level as her classmates, her body is maturing at a faster rate as she deals with the early onset of puberty.

Kayla is certainly not alone. More and more girls are beginning to show signs of puberty earlier than previously recorded. In 1997, Herman-Giddens performed a study that confirmed breast development began younger than what had been considered the norm. She found that girls began developing breasts at the age of 9, two years earlier than the previously accepted age of 11.

Developed Nations Have Earlier Ages for Puberty

Parents, doctors and researchers are now trying to determine why girls are showing signs of puberty at such a young age. In 1998, research published in The American Journal of Epidemiology by the World Health Organization showed that menarche varied globally, with women in developing countries starting their periods at a later age than women in industrialized nations.
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Kitchen Cosmetics

by Lisbeth Prifogle, MFA

Published on April 17, 2012

5105 views

I like to consider myself a crafty person. However, more often than not, my good intentions and imagination get the better of me and instead of producing a home-made creation worthy of the cover of Martha Stewart’s Living Magazine, my project should be featured on Regretsy, my favorite site for DIY gone wrong.

As I started to research all the toxins in our cosmetics and personal products I also started pricing the “organic” and “all-natural” replacements, which, as I stated in my post, “Toxins in Cosmetics“, are most likely no better than the cheaper products. I don’t have the income to pay $10 for an ounce of lotion from a specialty store, but even if I did have that kind of income, I’m cheap. In the last year, I have researched various home-made recipes for beauty and personal products made with ingredients you very likely have in your kitchen right now. Most of the original recipes included essential oils and other froo-frooifying ingredients. If you are one of those people whose DIY looks closer to Martha Stewart than my regretsy projects, I’ll include some links to more complicated recipes. But if you consider yourself lazy or directionally impaired, please follow these very simple instructions for my extremely easy DIY Kitchen Cosmetics.

Kitchen Cosmetics #1 – Lotion

Your skin is the biggest organ of your body. The epidermis literally drinks the lotion you put on your skin. I live in San Diego where it’s dry. No matter how much water I drink in a day my skin is always dry. The average cost for an 8-10 oz. container of non-toxic lotion in a store or online is going to cost $10-15 or more. If you don’t cook with coconut oil, you should try it. Other than being the world’s healthiest cooking oil, coconut oil can also be used as lotion on your whole body – including your face! Worried that smearing oil on your face will make you break out like a teenager? Don’t be. Coconut oil is actually an anti-microbial and anti-fungal so it won’t clog pores or cause acne. In fact, it’s probably a better acne treatment than the chemically enhanced pimple creams sold at stores (I don’t have acne so I can’t confirm or deny this claim). Coconut oil has a melting point of about 75 F so it’s most likely solid at room temperature. Simply scoop some out of the jar with your fingers or a spoon and rub it in between your palms or directly against your skin. Your body temperature will melt it. Use it sparingly, as it is oil, and rub over your whole body. If you get too much, simply wipe it off with a towel; if you get it on your clothes, it will wash out.

Kitchen Cosmetics # 2 – Deodorant

If you are still using deodorant with the active ingredient aluminum, please reconsider this daily habit as the ingredients have been linked to breast cancer, Alzheimer’s and more. To make homemade deodorant you need coconut oil, baking soda and a container with a lid (preferably a glass jar or BPA-free plastic container). Take 1 C of solid coconut oil and put it in the jar, close the lid and run hot water over the container to melt the oil. Once melted add 1 cup of baking soda. Shake. I like to shake it as it cools so the baking soda doesn’t settle to the bottom. Once it has cooled, you can use your fingers or a spoon to scoop it out and apply to your underarms. I don’t have AC, so in the summer it melts and I apply the liquid the same way. Also, on warmer days I apply a second layer in the afternoon. The coconut oil is an antimicrobial and antibacterial so it fights the odor causing bacteria naturally. The baking soda is a natural odor neutralizer so it is a secondary guard. Only apply coconut oil the day you shave as the baking soda can irritate the skin.

Note: I know people allergic to coconut oil, so if you have never used it alone or in lotions I suggest applying to an inconspicuous area of your body first. If you are allergic to coconut oil, I’ve been told (but haven’t tried personally) that using lemon juice and baking soda works as well.

Kitchen Cosmetics # 3 – Toner

I add raw apple cider or coconut vinegar to my protein shake in the mornings to balance the pH level of my stomach. Guess what, it can also balance the pH level of your skin. I use it daily as a toner and acne treatment on my face. As I stated, I have dry skin so I dilute it with filtered water, dab it on a cotton ball and apply to my skin. You can use a stronger or more diluted amount depending on your skin type.

Kitchen Cosmetics #4 – Sugar Scrub

Previously, I wrote about the toxic and addictive properties of sugar. If you are looking for a way to get it out of your kitchen, here you go. Sugar scrubs can be expensive in the store, but made easily at home. Simply take a spoonful, or more, of sugar and mix with either melted coconut oil or just plain water and scrub away. You can also use grape seed or other oils as well.

Kitchen Cosmetics #5 – Deep Conditioning Treatment

This might be my favorite beauty secret of all times. I have long hair, or as my hairdresser would say, ‘mermaid hair.’ I love it, but it can be hard to keep healthy. The further your hair is from your scalp, the less natural oils it gets; only wash the roots using a tiny bit of shampoo. Additionally, once or twice a week you can do an overnight deep hair conditioning treatment using coconut oil. Simply rub coconut oil on the ends of your hair and let it soak in overnight (or at least an hour during the day). The next day wash it out (you will have to wash the ends for this). Again, a little goes a long way so only apply to the ends. I use a clarifying shampoo to wash it all out and still get the benefits.

Kitchen Cosmetics #6 – Teeth Whitener

Professional whitening treatments can be costly and questionably safe. Whitening toothpastes and at home treatments seem just as dangerous. All natural toothpastes don’t have the whitening kick needed to get rid of coffee and tea stains. Need a kitchen cosmetic secret? – baking soda. Either add it to your toothpaste or use it alone. It’s a completely safe and effective teeth whitener.

These are all tried and tested alternatives that I promise work. With exception of the deep hair treatment and sugar scrub, I use these tricks daily. If you are interested in trying more advanced recipes here are some links. Please share your own kitchen cosmetic treatments in the comments section!

Wellness Mama

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

Frugally Sustainable

Revitalise Your Health

Is Your Deodorant Linked to Breast Cancer?

by Lisbeth Prifogle, MFA

Published on April 16, 2012

2568 views

A new study reveals that parabens, a toxin found in most bath and beauty products, was found in 99% of breast cancer tissue tested. Parabens are used in everyday products like shampoo, deodorant, body wash, make-up, etc., as an antimicrobial. The parabens in various products enter the body through the skin and mimic estrogen in our system. This study demonstrates how parabens in our products are linked to the estrogen overload that can cause breast cancer and other health problems. For mor information please read Dr. Mercola‘s article on this study, our article on toxic cosmetics and DIY beauty products (including safe deodorant), and for an in-depth, scientific look you can read the study found in the Journal of Applied Toxicology.

Milk it does a Body Good?

by Lisbeth Prifogle, MFA

Published on April 16, 2012

4218 views

Recently, I bought a lunch-box sized container of Horizon organic milk. I don’t use milk regularly, but do use other dairy products like cheese, sour cream, and butter often. I was a bit disturbed when I noticed something on the label that I had not seen on other dairy products: “Our farms produced this milk without the use of antibiotics, added hormones, pesticides or cloning.” I’d heard of the dangers of growth hormones in milk, but decided to do some research into what’s really in our milk, if they use cloned cows or if that’s just another advertising scam and if current regulations really protect the consumer.

Pesticides, Antibiotics and Hormones in Milk

If you are a woman and you have ever been prescribed an antibiotic or medication of any type, your doctor or pharmacist most likely asked you if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Why? Because the medications come through the mother’s milk. Why would this be any different in animals? It’s not.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, commercial dairy farmers feed cattle corn silage, alfalfa or grass silage, alfalfa hay, ground or high-moisture shelled corn, soybean meal, fuzzy whole cottonseed, and perhaps commodity feeds (corn gluten, distillers grains, soybean hulls, citrus pulp, etc.), instead of grazing on grass in a sunny field. It might be cheaper up front, but the feed is likely genetically modified (GM) to withstand dangerous pesticides that the animals then digest and process into milk. The feed is a very unnatural food for the cows, wreaking havoc on their poor digestive systems. This makes them susceptible to various pathogens, such as E. coli, mastitis and other diseases contracted through their diet and poor living conditions. Farmers give cattle antibiotics throughout their life, when all they need to do is let them graze on grass to balance the pH level of their stomach and give them better living conditions in general. These antibiotics are found in milk we consume.

In order to increase the production of milk the cows are injected with the bovine growth hormone rGBH. While labels state, “No significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rGBH-treated and non-rGBH-treated cows,” the truth is out there. Investigative journalists, Jane Akre and Steve Wilson, tell their story on PR Watch about how Monsanto, former manufacturer of rGBH, lawyered-up and hid their revealing report on the dangers of rBGH in milk. According to the Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research (2003), there are at least 16 different harmful medical conditions for dairy cattle treated with rGBH, including:

40 percent increase in infertility
55 percent increased risk for lameness
Shortened lifespan
Hoof disorders
Visibly abnormal milk

It also increases the levels of Insulin Growth Factor -1 (IGF-1) in the cows as well as their milk. In this important report on the link between breast cancer and milk from cows treated with rGBH, Dr. Mercola explains that “IGF-1 is a potent hormone that acts on your pituitary gland to induce powerful metabolic and endocrine effects, including cell growth and replication. Elevated IGF-1 levels are associated with breast and other cancers. When cows are injected with rBGH, their levels of IGF-1 increase up to 20-fold, and this IGF-1 is excreted in the milk.”

In addition to the added hormones, we have to deal with the natural hormones in milk. Cows are now milked 300 days of the year, including entire pregnancies. According to Ganmaa Davaasambuu, who holds a Ph.D. in environmental health and is a current fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, “Milk from a cow in the late stage of pregnancy contains up to 33 times as much of a signature estrogen compound (estrone sulfate) than milk from a non-pregnant cow.” What does this mean to the consumer? Studies are not revealing that the increase in sex hormones are linked to cancers including prostate, breast and endometrial. According to Dr. Davaasambuu’s research, “One study compared diet and cancer rates in 42 countries. It showed that milk and cheese consumption are strongly correlated to the incidence of testicular cancer among men ages 20 to 39. Rates were highest in places like Switzerland and Denmark, where cheese is a national food, and lowest in Algeria and other countries where dairy is not so widely consumed. Butter, meat, eggs, milk, and cheese are implicated in higher rates of hormone-dependent cancers in general. Breast cancer has been linked particularly to consumption of milk and cheese.”

Cloning

Companies use different claims to appear more desirable to the health-conscious consumer. I have seen products labeled as non-GMO when the ingredients have not been genetically modified in general, yet. So, are cows really cloned, or is this a marketing ploy as well? The truth is stranger than fiction, I’m afraid. In 2008, the FDA approved the use of cloned animals for both meat and milk. Similar to genetically modified food, there are no regulations that cloned animal products have to be labeled and are thought to be safe. Personally, I’d rather not be the guinea pig to find out the safety of these products.

Regulations

Does the USDA and FDA protect the consumer? Well, I’m not so sure I’d consider rGBH or cloned animals safe. The FDA seems to be going out of their way to limit the sales of raw milk lately. However, consumers have been fighting for their right to buy and consume raw, organic milk so much that states have been forced to change their laws and allow the sale of it (Click here to see if raw milk is legal in your state). Meanwhile, the FDA continues to send SWAT teams out to arrest Amish farmers and the USDA allows the largest “organic” dairy companies to sell questionably organic products. The Cornucopia Institute is filing a formal legal complaint in an attempt to immediately halt the USDA from allowing factory farms producing “organic” milk from bringing conventional dairy cattle onto their farms. Cornucopia claims the practice, which places family-scale farmers at a competitive disadvantage, is explicitly prohibited in the federal regulations governing the organic industry.

When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

A History of Can’ts

“You think this is going to be easy? You have to do everything twice as hard, twice as good, twice as often and never take credit for it.”

– SSgt Denizard, OCS female platoon sergeant

The Future of GI Jane

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They (Women Marines) don’t have a nickname, and they don’t need one. They get their basic training in a Marine atmosphere, at a Marine Post. They inherit the traditions of the Marines. They are Marines.

– LtGen Thomas Holcomb, USMC, Commandant of the Marine Corps, 1943

A Brief History

Women on Submarines

Female Marines to attend Infantry Officer Course

To Infinity and Beyond

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Passage of the JOBS Act

SOPA

RWA

The War on Women

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Developed Nations Have Earlier Ages for Puberty

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Kitchen Cosmetics #1 – Lotion

Kitchen Cosmetics # 2 – Deodorant

Kitchen Cosmetics # 3 – Toner

Kitchen Cosmetics #4 – Sugar Scrub

Kitchen Cosmetics #5 – Deep Conditioning Treatment

Kitchen Cosmetics #6 – Teeth Whitener

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Pesticides, Antibiotics and Hormones in Milk

Cloning

Regulations

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When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist