Green Options

Like most families, you’re probably being bombarded by the media regarding swine flu: precautions, symptoms, and the availability of the shot.

First, you need to know this: most widely available doses of the swine flu vaccine will contain thimerosal, a mercury-laden preservative that has been removed from most vaccines on the Recommended Immunization Schedule over fears of neurological effects.

Also, there are ways you can protect even the littlest members of your family, without giving them a vaccine.

What? It’s either stock up on the Tamiflu or line up for the vaccine? Not so fast, there…

Over half a dozen people have died in India with swine flu in the last one week. Newer cases are being reported by the hour even as a nation wide alert has been sounded. The Swine Influenza Virus (SIV) that was first reported in citizens returning from abroad has now spread in all parts of the country.

Cities that are worst hit are closing schools, shopping malls, theaters and other public places. Screening centers authorized for carrying out the H1N1 test are flooded with unwell people eager to get tested even as the Government struggles to keep panic at bay.

In a study published earlier this week, researchers from the United States reported that malaria originated in chimpanzees. The scientists discovered that the parasite that causes malaria is closely related to a parasite found in chimps.  

Stylish, practical babywearing with a message, and a real contribution to mother-friendly childbirth advocacy.

Moby Wraps, one of the most popular stretchy wraps for babywearing, is currently selling a custom-designed model sporting a “Born Free” butterfly logo, from the makers of The Business of Being Born (that’s Ricki Lake in the promo photo, along with the film’s director Abby Epstein).

A portion of the proceeds from sales of this wrap will go to support the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services, an organization now in its second decade.  CIMS seeks to promote evidence-based maternity care, and states their mission as follows:

The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) is a coalition of individuals and national organizations with concern for the care and wellbeing of mothers, babies, and families.  Our mission is to promote a wellness model of maternity care that will improve birth outcomes and substantially reduce costs. This evidence-based mother-, baby-, and family-friendly model focuses on prevention and wellness as the alternatives to high-cost screening, diagnosis, and treatment programs.

In Luanda, the capital of Angola, at least 93 children have died from rabies. They contracted the disease from stray dogs in the community.

A World Health Organization official called for action, “The high number of deaths in Luanda within the short period of time is a cause for serious concern and calls for a thorough investigation.”

Those of us in cooler climes often forget that malaria is an epidemic in many parts of the world— according to the World Health Organization, 300-500 million cases are diagnosed each year. And while insecticides are helpful, mosquitoes quickly build a resistance to the treatment. Fortunately, a Kentucky engineer named Tom Kruer has come to save the day with a cheap, low-tech solution to the malaria problem.

Last week, the East Bay Express published an article regarding the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) plans for aftermarket, plug-in hybrid conversions.

Proving once again that CARB is a political machine with something more than “clean air” in its agenda, the board is set to deal a punishing, bureaucratic body-blow to startup companies like 3 Prong Power and A123 Systems.

It gets worse:  CARB just got carte blanche to do whatever it wants.

Find out what the guys at CARB have to say about the evil of plug-in hybrid cars after the jump (and feel free to guess which corrupt CARB members will have to be bribed in the comments!).

On November 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it has established safe levels of melamine and an analogue, cyanuric acid, in infant formulas and associated products.

I interviewed a friend of mine who works in public health about breastfeeding being baby’s first natural immunization, in the hopes of sorting out perceptions and realities when it comes to germs, diseases, and vaccines from a ‘green’ perspective…

AJ: We’ve all heard doctors explain how breast milk protects newborns via antibodies, proteins and immune cells, but rather than deep dive into the science of secretory IgA molecules, I’m going to ask a simple ‘Earth mom’ question…Is breastfeeding enough of a ‘human vaccine?’

R: ‘Breast is best’ to boost immunity from infections, reduce respiratory illnesses…But breastfeeding ONLY offers limited protection from serious diseases like measles, pneumonia, and whooping cough.

Breastfeeding works synergistically with immunizations, boosting the levels of protection against disease to actually increase the protection your baby gets. ALL ingredients in vaccines serve a purpose, whether it’s triggering a child’s immune response, or keeping them germ free. Even though we’ve eradicated some diseases in this country before, our mobile society makes it easy to have them come right back over on a plane…‘Herd protection’ only goes so far.

US Statistics on Breastfeeding

Astonishingly, 77 percent of mothers in the US breastfeed their newborn babies. I would have suspected the number was far lower, due to the intolerance of public breastfeeding that still exists in some parts of the country, and I am partially correct. 77 percent of mothers breastfed their babies in the first month of life, according to a survey results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC). This is up from 60 percent in 1994. “The report shows that the initiation of breast-feeding is at an all-time high,” said Karen Hunter of the CDC.

Breastfeeding rates remain unchanged for children six months of age. According to the New York Times:

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend that mothers breast-feed exclusively for the first six months of their child’s life and continue breast-feeding with baby food as a supplement until at least the child’s first birthday.

The World Health Organization and the American Academy of Family Physicians also recommend six months of exclusive breast-feeding but suggest supplemented breast-feeding until the child is at least 2.