The clothes we wear

For a long time now I have wanted to write something about clothing. Wearing clothes is so obvious to us that we hardly think about it. Well of course we think about how we look and whether we're warm or cool enough, but how often do we really give a thought to what our clothing actually is made of? Acrylic fiber, for example, is something so complicated that I didn't understand any of the descriptions offered by Wikipedia. Same thing with polyester. No wonder these textiles don't feel good on the skin when they're so unnatural. Especially in the winter, synthetic fibres become static and make your hair stand up straight, and they're not even warm. Natural fibres are much more pleasant on the skin, and much more practical too.

Cotton is probably the most common material used for clothing and other everyday products such as sheets, towels, tampons, nappies etc. And even though this is a natural plant it's not so simple, because the word 'natural' lost its meaning long ago. Cotton fields only take up 3% of the world's farmland, but they are sprayed with 25% of the world's pesticides and herbicides, including some of the most toxic ones. This might be 'allowed' because cotton is not directly consumed as a food, but our skin absorbs stuff just like any other organs do. Imagine that you're probably sleeping in sheets full of toxins, rubbing your skin against them every night. And it's not just our outer skin, imagine the amount of pesticides absorbed from tampons.. In fact, we even eat cotton, through cottonseeds and cottonseed oil which is used in some processed foods and as feed for cows, entering our bodies through non-organic meat and dairy. Pesticides are not the only danger however, but dyes can be extremely toxic too, containing cancer-producing chemicals. Have you ever noticed how new jeans colour off on your skin? That's not such a good thing because the skin is just the gateway to the bloodstream and the rest of your body, including the brain. As if this wasn't enough, the biggest threat to 'natural' cotton is perhaps genetic engineering. Most cotton-production is owned by a Monsanto monopoly that pushes GE cotton as a 'green alternative'. The truth is, these plants have been genetically modified in a way that they either emit their own pesticide, or are resistant to mega-doses of pesticides. The problem with this is that other plants too become resistant to pesticides, resulting in a never-ending need of new ever more toxic pesticides. This is a real threat to organic cotton, as the GMO cotton crops spread with the wind and can settle in organic fields. If Monsanto inspectors then find these GMOs in an organic field they can basically fine the farmer for growing Monsanto-owned crops illegally. The farmer is then faced with the option to either pay Monsanto huge sums of money or to start growing the GMO plants and basically being owned by Monsanto. The 'cotton suicides' happening in India are a result of this. Basically, whenever you buy cotton that is not 100% organic, you can be pretty sure you're supporting Monsanto. And even if the cotton is organic, the dyes probably aren't.. If you care about these things, it might prove quite a challenge to go shopping, but I have as a rule to always wash everything I buy before I start using it, especially if it's not organic. It's good to wash them separately from old clothes the first time, in order not to contaminate the rest of your clothes. And also, an extra rinse programme can be used at the end. And this process should probably be repeated..a few times. And it probably still doesn't remove all the toxins. Plus you're still supporting Monsanto (unless you buy organic).. My answer: buy second-hand.

More cotton information:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/clothes/index.cfm

http://www.naturalnews.com/031266_GM_cotton_agriculture.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/030913_Monsanto_suicides.html

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-02/wuis-nfi020711.php

http://www.naturalnews.com/029904_organic_cotton.html


In addition to cotton, there are of course other fabrics that are also natural and much easier to find in a non GMO-version. In the summer I love to use linen and hemp because of their coolness. And wool is of course an obvious choice in the winter. And silk is an incredibly pleasant fabric, and it looks very elegant too.

Here's a blog about organic clothing.

If you want to know more about Monsanto:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto

http://www.naturalnews.com/033772_Monsanto_Roundup.html

http://bestmeal.info/monsanto/company-history.shtml

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/planet-2/report/2008/3/7-deadly-sins.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ENPyDuR23s

and a documentary film.


I hope you find what's important for you, and start manifesting it in your life.


Lots of love,

Emma

Skincare

Today I'm going to talk about skincare because it's important. Most people seem to have the idea that our skin is somehow different from the rest of our body, somehow outside of everything else and not connected to our inner body. This is not true at all, our skin is our largest organ, functioning as any other organ inside our body. Its purpose is to protect everything that's inside its cover, a great responsibility. Also, the skin is an absorbing organ, just like your bowels. It absorbs whatever comes into contact with it and transports it to the rest of the body. As such, you can imagine how much impact skincare has on your whole body and health.

Now most skincare products in 'normal' shops are bad for you. This is just a fact you have to accept even though it seems unreasonable. Business is business, and has nothing to do with your well-being. So what do they put in these horrible products? Firstly, any cream, balm, lotion, lip balm etc almost certainly has mineral oil as its first, second, or third ingredient (ingredients are listed highest amount first), and it is the only ingredient in Vaseline. The list of ingredients does not read mineral oil, but instead other fancy terms are used, such as paraffinum liquidum, petrolatum, or hydrocarbon oils amongst others, here's a good list. These mineral oils are actually petroleum, which is the stuff they drill out of the earth to use as motor oil, car fuel, to make plastic, or in asphalt. Does this sound like something you want to put on your skin, a precious organ of yours which purpose is to absorb good things and protect the rest of your body? No, I didn't think so. Mineral oil acts as a layer on your skin, clogging the pores and thus making the skin unable to eliminate toxins. Once it has slowly been absorbed by your skin, it is broken down by your liver and passes through your intestinal tract, absorbing fat-soluble vitamins and stealing them from your body. This eventually leads to nutrient deficiencies and can therefore result in decease and ill-health. So why do skincare producers use this crap? Because it's a byproduct of making fuel and other products from petroleum, and therefore very cheap. And unless you think you are cheap and invaluable, don't use products containing mineral oils. I feel I need to add that it is the main ingredient in baby oil and other baby products, sometimes I wonder how the owners of these bad skincare companies sleep at night.

Another toxin which you find in most skincare products in paraben. There are many different parabens, such as methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben, same stuff basically. They function as preservatives, giving products a longer shelf-life. These substances are, like mineral oils, very cheap and as such very valuable for business. I've tried to find out what these parabens actually are, but the chemistry was too deep for me, which I think in itself answers the question of whether I want to use them on my skin. Parabens have been shown to produce breast cancer, and have been found in breast cancer tumors. There are a lot of studies and reports claiming how non-toxic and safe parabens are, but do people ever make the effort of finding out who financed these studies? I'm pretty sure all of them are paid for by the same companies who frantically want to maximise their millions by selling you cheap crap to put on your skin. And here's a question for you: if there is even the slightest chance, the smallest study showing that parabens might give you breast cancer, even if other studies say it won't, would you like to rub it into your skin?

Stay with me a while longer, I want to mention sodium laureth sulfate. This is an inexpensive foaming agent, used in shampoos, shower gels, soaps, facial cleansers and the like. Many studies have proven it to be toxic, containing cancer-producing components and skin-irritants. Again, its availability is being guarded by multinational companies wanting to preserve their ability to make huge amounts of money by using cheap crap in your skincare products. Here, you might want to ask yourself the previous question again.

These products are just a few, and there are many many more. But this is a good start, and by avoiding these you avoid most other toxins too because these are usually the main ingredients in conventional skincare. And by skincare I mean lotions, oils, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, toothpaste, make-up, and everything else you use to make yourself pretty (as if you weren't already). So beware, you might actually be making yourself less pretty and more unhealthy.

The alternative? Visit any organic shop and you'll find loads and loads of great and healthy natural skincare products. Many other shops have started to sell such things too, but beware of words such as natural, they can be very deceptive, so always check the list of ingredients. Also, instead of skincare products, all organic natural oils can be used on your skin, such as olive oil or coconut oil. Ask me if you want to know more details, or if you want advice on which products to use, I have a few years' experience and some excellent tips to share.

Emma

About thinking

On Friday we went to my brother's place for dinner, together with a few of his friends. We had a good time and ended up discussing food until it was almost midnight. How is it possible that organic food is labeled as something a bit strange that one should be wary of? How can so many people be so truly fooled to actually regard organic, pure and high-quality food as something potentially harmful? It seems people are not thinking at all with their own brains. Shouldn't any sane person understand that plants that grow naturally in the same way they have been growing for their whole existence are better than those that have been manipulated and treated with chemically made substances? Excuse me but wtf can be harmful about natural? Why is the word 'natural' scorned upon? The only explanation is total manipulation and brainwashing of the human mind. Start thinking people. Everyone knows that the only purpose of business is to make money. There is not and never will be anything 'moral' about business, it is only there to financially benefit the ones who own it. Then, add this to the fact that food, medicine, healthcare, etc is business. Do you think medicines are made to make you better? What would happen if medicines cured people? The whole medicine industry would crash because people wouldn't need more medicine. And what would happen if supermarkets sold healthy food? People would be healthy and in no need of medicines. Understand that what is now main-stream is not meant to be good for you. Most things that are advertised are not meant to be good for you. People tend to have the naïve understanding that shops would not sell things that were bad for them. Newspapers would not tell things that were bad for them. Doctors would not prescribe things that were bad for them. And it's not the shopkeepers, journalists or doctors who are bad. They are just owned and controlled by larger parties, often without knowing it. They would not want to harm you, they're just dutifully doing their job. But it's the business behind everything that is harmful. That's what's controlling everything. When we understand that we have come a long way. When we understand that we have a brain of our own that we can trust. The beautiful thing about all this is that we all have a choice. We can choose what to eat and what to read. We can turn off the television if we want to, or we can stop reading the newspaper. Or continue watching and reading but stop believing what they say. We can make our own decisions and conclusions about our own lives and about what is good for us. We can study what we want, the information is out there. The point is, we can choose to be happy and healthy people, superpeople.

My breakfast this morning (I didn't have a photo when I posted about breakfast)

Emma

Bad vs good vs bad

I wanted to talk about something I have some trouble with whenever I go to the store. Seeing as we live in Finland, it's not all that easy to get local, organic fruits and veggies all year round. In the summer it's easier as our forests are filled to the max with lingonberries and blueberries etc. A few days ago, I had an enormous craving for apples, now easy enough you go to the store and buy some. But then you have the choice between local non-organic ones, or organic ones from south america. My first instinct would be to go for the organic ones anyway, as I don't want to pump my body full of toxins, but once you think a bit more about it, it's not actually that simple. At first one would think that it is obviously better for our dear Mother Earth to get the local ones, as they haven't been flown halfway across the planet to reach my local store. But what about all the toxins sprayed around these poor local apples? That can't be good. Neither for me nor for the Earth. So then you think that the organic ones are better. But they come from, let's say, Peru and are flown thousands of kilometers so that I can buy them (plus most of the time they're wrapped in plastic, a logic I simply do not understand) which is an enormous strain on the Earth. Then I start thinking about the nutritional facts. It's quite obvious that the organic ones should have loads more nutrients than the toxic ones, but how much of it do they lose in the week or so they travel to get to my corner store?

This is something I still have not been able to solve, I simply don't know which alternative's pros weigh out the other one's cons.

I have another issue with soy milk, but let's not get into that right now.

(yay my first post!)

Anna