There is currently a distinct alternative/allopathic divide in my household.  The kids and I are battling the first big bad cold of the winter, and using very different forms of treatment.  Some of it isn’t different.  Everyone is wearing pajamas and has tea and juice, but the children are on a variety of gentle herbal and homeopathic preparations while mama just had her Candyman drop by with some pseudoephedrine from across the Portland-Vancouver border.  Now my head isn’t just congestion-free, but alarmingly empty.  I can’t remember what thought I just had or why I had it, but I know I’m pleased that nobody has been this sick since sometime last winter. More...

Last night I went to a friend’s for dinner and a movie. However, it was not your standard eat-pizza-and-watch-Dumb-and-Dumber evenings. My friend and her friends served a lovely array of foods, and we watched Escape from Affluenza. Afterward, we had a discussion.

 

If you are reading this blog and visiting this site, you are probably someone who cares about living a “greener” life. As a group last night, we realized that all of us should want to do this, even if we are extremely dissimilar people. You can choose to reduce your consumption and cut back on your disposable lifestyle because you care about the earth, because you want more money, because you want to spend more time in your community, because you care about mankind, or even because you are just plain selfish! Whether you are Republican or Democrat; Christian, Buddhist, or atheist; adult or child; man or woman; you can have a better life if you just get out of the habit of being thoughtless. We were a diverse group of people, and in a way, it bonded us to watch the movie together. More...

In honor of October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month I want to highlight another benefit of leading a “greener” lifestyle: that is, you could lower your risk of getting breast cancer. The links between breast cancer and environmental factors are gaining an increasing focus in scientific research. And like the ghosts and goblins that share October with breast cancer awareness, I must warn you that some of the information I found is scary. But my intent is not to scare you, but rather to unmask the environmental goblins and help you to discover the likely potion for a healthy future. More...