Asthma, food allergies, and environmental allergies are on the rise in developed countries. Allergies have gone from 10% of the Western population in 1980 to 30% today. Why? The Hygiene Hypothesis offers us an answer. This medical hypothesis states that a lack of early childhood exposure to germs has meant a rise in allergies and…Read the full article.

You may be wondering how to care for your yard in the most natural way, especially if you are concerned about the health risks pesticides pose to pets and children who spend a lot of time on your lawn. The King County, Washington, Department of Natural Resources has put together a clear, helpful list of…Read the full article.

You are concerned about natural foods for your family. Have you considered how to give your dog more natural food choices? The Environmental Working Group published a study a few years ago on the chemical body burden on pets. Dogs and cats get the exposures we do and more. For example, dogs have on average…Read the full article.

Since we’ve been experimenting with our own cleaning recipes and since both of my children came whining to me, “Mama, we’re out of toothpaste,” I decided that it was time to work more kitchen magic and create our own tooth powder. Because of questions about skin irritation or diarrhea-causing effects of Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS)—which…Read the full article.

If you are considering using simple basic cleaners for your household cleaning, you can easily add a nice smell by infusing with herbs or other aromatics. My children and I have been making and using herbal cleaning solutions as chemistry lessons. Yes, very sneaky! The cleaning is part of the lesson as we figure out…Read the full article.

Cleaning your house isn’t a mysterious process. If you want to clean your house without adding to your chemical body burden or to the overall environmental impact of your family, what do you do? Do you just buy a bottle that screams, “NATURAL!” You could, but why not just choose the basic ingredients you already…Read the full article.

For both of my children, their first birthday cakes were their first solid foods. That means all at once they covered their faces with milk, eggs, wheat, and other potential food allergens. A lot of us take the chance that our baby won’t have a reaction or sensitivity to birthday cake even if we are…Read the full article.

Meet my organic potato. Potatoes are among the Dirty Dozen foods most likely to have pesticide residues. They are one of the foods we should always buy organic. My husband, who buys the groceries in our family, is a sucker for a sale. He has also agreed to buy only organic potatoes. Combined, organic and…Read the full article.

Antimicrobial cleaners and treatments—disinfectants—kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi, but they also have potential harmful health and environmental effects. They don’t distinguish between good bacteria and bad bacteria. But, a lot of people continue to use antibacterial household products that promise hygiene and safety. Everyone wants to be safe, don’t they? Use of disinfectants such as…Read the full article.

Vitamin D is a building block in repair and maintenance of the body. Because of its role in building the body of a developing fetus, it is particularly important for every pregnant woman to eat vitamin D-rich foods and even to take a supplement. As research accumulates, it becomes clear that adequate vitamin D during…Read the full article.