Green Living Now News, Edition One

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1. What's The Deal With DEET?

Nobody likes mosquitoes, and some of us are
very concerned about the risk of West Nile virus
from mosquito bites (like the itch isn't bad enough).
But not all insect repellants are safe. Studies show
that some popular repellents could carry dangers of
their own. To ward off those flying disease carriers,
each year approximately one-third of Americans use
insect repellents containing the insecticide DEET.
Duke University Medical Center pharmacologist,
Mohamed Abou-Donia, found that prolonged
exposure to DEET could impair functioning in parts
of the brain. He's spent 30 years researching the effects
of pesticides. Rats, given even small does of DEET for
60 days, had a harder time accomplishing even the
easiest tasks. Dr. Abou-Donia warns against using a
product containing DEET if you're taking any
medication because, "We found that the combined
exposure to DEET and other chemicals is more
dangerous than just DEET alone." He also warns
against using a product containing DEET on an
infant or child's skin because the side effects could
be more serious.

What to do?

Try Bite Blocker Natural DEET free insect repellant. It
works very well for me on the Vermont bugs that I deal
with. In fact, I did a test. I went out to pull weeds without any
repellant on, at around 6pm in the evening, when the mosquitoes
and other annoying pests come out. They were eating me alive.
Then I put Bite Blocker on everything but my bare feet. And,
Sure enough, only my feet were being eaten. So, it really works!
It says it repels up to 8 hours (I'm not sure it actually lasts that
Long, but pretty close). It contains plant oils, plant extracts,
plant derivatives and skin moisturizers.

2. Is Chocolate A Health Food?

Chocolate lovers rejoice! It appears that flavonoid
rich dark chocolate may actually help blood vessels
dilate, according to a recent study published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. What's a
flavonoid? It's the chemical compound with antioxidant
(of a group of chemical compounds that may prevent
certain types of cell damage) properties found in a
variety of plants. Flavonoids have been shown to
decrease the bad LDL cholesterol, and the clumping
of blood platelets that contribute to blood clots that
produce heart attacks and strokes. Eating chocolate
has also been shown to improve the inner lining of
blood vessels after a single use or several uses over
a few days. Wow!

So, what are you waiting for? One thing though…
milk chocolate doesn't count. Apparently adding milk
to chocolate cancels out the beneficial antioxidant
effects of chocolate. And, the processing of the
cocoa is important. Standard manufacturing of
chocolate can eliminate as much as half of its
flavonoids. Dark chocolate with 70% cocoa content
is the best. And, purist me prefers organic dark chocolate.

Where can you get it? Natural food stores sell organic
dark chocolate bits, and my online store now sells
an amazing soft and tasty organic food bar with
organic dark chocolate chips in it. Check it out.
I bet you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

3. Is That Shampoo Really Organic?

I was snooping around the third floor bathroom
of my sister's beautiful home last week looking
for her shampoo and bath soap bottles. Not because
I was going to use the products (I brought my own
stuff from home). No, I was doing research. And
there they were, peeking out from behind the mold
and mildew-free vinyl shower curtain in her
immaculately cleaned bathtub/shower enclosure.
Nice looking light brown colored bottle with attractive
earthy looking lettering. The front of the healthy
looking bottle said, "pure organic shampoo", "with
pure botanical essentials", "aromatherapy" and "not
tested on animals". Wow, sounded good, even to this
skeptical, purist, green living enthusiast. That was until
I turned the bottle around and starting reading the
ingredients. [Read the rest of the article...]

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Amy Todisco, President and Owner of Green
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and writer/editor of Green Living Now News

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