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July 11, 2013

Homemade Deodorant: Friend or Foe?

Middle of summer. Great time to throw off the balance and try a new deodorant, isn't it? 


 I'll admit, I had qualms about trying to make my own deodorant. Won't it irritate my skin? How effective can this be? I sweat a lot, you know; what's wrong again with antiperspirants? The fact is, I've been hearing rumblings about how unhealthy antiperspirants are for a while now. And I've always hesitated to apply it more than once a day, after a shower or shave, or before bed.

While the researchers at the National Cancer Institute and The American Cancer Society agree that antiperspirants are non-carcinogenic (don't cause cancer), they also have no problems stating the fact that the aluminum used creates a "temporary" plug in the sweat glands under the arm. Isn't sweat, in moderation, through the armpits good for detox though? And these groups also make note of the connection of using antiperspirants after shaving (and starting this habit before the age of 16) may or may not be linked to breast cancer later in life. Both these fundamental scientists groups mention that parabens used as a preservative in deodorants and antiperspirants do build up in breast tissue and may or may not contribute to breast cancer. This sounds like there is still enough "what ifs" out there to question commercial antiperspirant use.

July 09, 2013

What Its Like To Be A Student Midwife - Part 1

I haven't blogged about my education and current course of training yet so I thought today would be a great place to start. After graduating high school through home school, and completing a year at Bible/missionary college, I have taken the plunge to learning the skills of a traditional midwife. No, I don't paint the pregnant woman's stomach, sing kum-ba-yah or any other hippy dippy voo doo type of thing. And no, I don't wear scrubs and go from room to room on the maternity ward of some big hospital monitoring blood pressure. Instead, I got to make a drawing today!
Drawing by Me!

What's a midwife? And what's a student midwife? And why did I did draw this today? And what is it a picture of? You may have many questions. Here, let me answer some for you.

July 02, 2013

Mouth Health Revisited

Like I've said before, I haven't used commercial toothpaste in over 2 months, instead I get rid of bacteria through an ancient therapy called oil pulling (read my post here). However, I quickly became aware of the fact that coconut oil isn't the only thing that my mouth needs. Using just the oil pulling technique left me waking up with dry mouth. And I really began missing that peppermint fresh taste first thing in the morning or before bed after a salty snack. Enter an all natural tooth soap made by US company Rose of Sharon Acres. Ever wondered what kind of tooth cleaning options are out there besides sweetened and abrasive toothpaste?


Photo credit goes to Rose of Sharon Acres
Meet Tooth Chips Spritz - Liquid Soap for Your Pearly Whites with Neem Bark.What's it like? Let me tell you.