First of Many!

Bette Dowdell

The incidence of thyroid disease doubled in the last thirty-or-so years. Auto-immune diseases, which relate to the endocrine system, are skyrocketing. So, too, are diseases of the brain, such as autism, Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer Disease.

A significant part of the problem is the dangers that lurk all around us as part of everyday life in the 21st Century. Most were created by people–and can be changed by people if we make enough noise about what they’re doing to us.

One of the menaces the fly in under the radar is parabens. I know, I know. Almost everybody reading this will say “para what?” Don’t feel left out if you’ve never heard the word before. How do you think they became so prevalent without being noticed?

Manufacturers of lotions, potions and cosmetics add parabens to their wares to extend shelf life. There’s methyl paraben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, propelparaben, and so on.

Parabens are estrogenic. That is, they imitate estrogen in the body. They bind to our estrogen receptors, keeping real estrogen at bay. However, these pretenders can’t function as estrogen in any way, the body tries to compensate and things go south.

Men may grow breasts, little boys take a lifetime hit in their testosterone levels, little girls can experience an early puberty and women end up in all kinds of grief: PMS, menopause woes, etc. Everybody’s endocrine system takes a hit.

So what to do? Well, you could read labels. You’ll need a magnifying glass and a lot of patience, but that’s one choice.

Or you can patronize companies that don’t use parabens. If manufacturers who make a point of not using parabens start making big bunches of money, other companies will see the light. Your choices and your dollars have power.

Jason Natural Products makes a wide range of great products; I particularly like their lotions and shampoo. I use their shampoo for color-treated hair and like it a lot.

I also like Kiss My Face’s lotions and toothpaste. I like their Triple Action toothpaste because of a different health threat–sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate , another topic for another day. Jason’s makes toothpaste, too, but I’ve never tried it. If you have, let me know what you think. Tom’s of Maine has a big reputation, but I don’t know why. One trip through their ingredient label convinced me not to buy the stuff.

Noah’s Naturals has a facial moisturizer that I really like. I’ll be trying more of their products in the future.

You can also rely on Avalon Organics products. They have great fragrances in their shampoos and lotions.

Burt’s Bees disdains parabens in their products, as well.

Here’s a way to make your choices and your dollars count. Walmart carries some of these natural, paraben-free products. They’re in just a small corner of the cosmetic department, so you have to look, but if people buy more and more natural products, they’ll stock more. Walmart keeps very close tabs on what people are buying so they can react to what customers want. Plus they offer good prices.

Some people, of course, sneer at Walmart and vow never to darken their doors. Well, get over it. Most companies focus on telling us what they want us to buy. I want to do business with a company who listens to me. So far, Walmart does. If that stops, I’ll be the first to let you know.

What is the criteria for returning a 360 to walmart with an extended warranty?
I'm thinking about buying an 360 from walmart and getting the extended warranty, but I am also planning on opening the xbox to "add cooling". If the box RRODs, will I be able to take it back to walmart and get a new one?

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