Natural Papa » Health

Toxic Chemicals in Our Personal Care Products? You Betchya.

Derek Markham — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:39:30 +0000

You try to eat a healthy diet, stay active, and keep your kids safe from negative influences outside the home. You choose personal care products with claims like ‘natural’ and ‘organic’, but are those products in your bathroom really healthy? Or are they still full of dangerous chemicals?

You might be surprised.

“The Story of Cosmetics examines the pervasive use of toxic chemicals in our everyday personal care products, from lipstick to baby shampoo. Produced by Free Range Studios and hosted by Annie Leonard, the seven-minute film reveals the implications for consumer and worker health and the environment, and outlines ways we can move the industry away from hazardous chemicals and towards safer alternatives.

The film was made in close partnership with The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a national coalition working to protect the health of consumers and workers by securing the corporate, regulatory and legislative reforms necessary to eliminate dangerous chemicals from cosmetics and personal care products.”

What can you do?

Join the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
Ask Congress to get behind the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010
Find safer choices at the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Safety Database
Share this video with your friends and family

Mustard – Tiny Seed, Big Benefits

Guest Author — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:00:29 +0000

When you hear the word “mustard,” what do you think of?

Most of us are reminded of ballparks, barbeques and hotdogs. Mustard, however, is used around the world to flavor all sorts of food. It is one of the most popular spices. But did you know that this tiny little seed not only packs a lot of flavor, but also has big health benefits?

Mustard is a spice commonly used in East Indian cooking. Recently as I was learning Indian cooking from a friend’s mother, we began discussing the health benefits of the various spices we were using, including mustard. I was surprised to learn that this tiny little seed can help with ailments ranging from food poisoning to cancer.

Mustard comes from the cabbage family and can be found in forty different varieties. However, there are three principal types of mustard that are commonly used: white, brown and black mustard seeds. White seeds, that are actually yellow in color, are the most mild. They are the ones used to make the yellow mustard most of us put on our hotdogs. Brown seeds, which are dark yellow in color, are a bit stronger and are used to make Dijon mustard. Black mustard seeds are the most pungent in taste.

Mustard seeds are used in their whole seed form, as a ground powder or combined with vinegar, wine or other liquids to create the paste most of us are familiar with. Mustard grows well in temperate climates. While Hungary, Great Britain, India, Canada and the United States currently produce the vast majority of mustard seeds used in the world today, the origin of mustard seeds can be traced to different areas of Europe and Asia.

The ancient Grecians used mustard seeds for their culinary properties. And it was in Rome that a paste from the ground seeds was first created, which is probably the ancestor of the mustard condiment we use today. Ancient Sanskrit writings dating back approximately 5,000 years, mention mustard seeds. Mustard seeds are also discussed in the New Testament in which faith and the kingdom of Heaven are compared to a mustard seed.

Early physicians, including Hippocrates, used mustard seed in their medicines. And even today, in many parts of the world, mustard seeds are used medicinally.

Mustard is an age-old purgative, meaning, it can be used to induce vomiting. This can be necessary in cases of accidental poisoning. My friend’s mother told me that in order to induce vomiting, you need to drink a mustard-flavored water concoction. Simply boil a teaspoon of seeds in a cup of water. Drain and allow the water to cool completely. Drink the mustard-flavored water all at once to cause vomiting.

For head or lung congestion, mustard is also a wonderful remedy. I was told that to clear congestion, prepare a warm foot-bath with water and a tablespoon of ground mustard seeds. Soaking your feet in this will draw the blood to the lower part of the body, and thus relieve congestion.

Mustard can also be used to help alleviate respiratory issues by making a poultice of ground mustard and applying it directly to the chest and throat.

In fact, mustard seeds are like tiny multi-vitamin pills. They contain calcium, iron, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, niacin, and dietary fiber. Mustard seeds also contain omega 3 fatty acids, which can lower cholesterol levels and help prevent heart disease. The seeds also have selenium and magnesium, which both possess anti-inflammatory properties and can help reduce the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis or asthma. Mustard seeds are also known their anti-cancer effects due to the isothiocyanates in them.

So, next time you are at a ballpark, you don’t have to feel guilty about eating another hotdog. Just make sure you smother it in mustard!

[Author Bio: Cathryn Johnson is a freelance writer. She is currently a resident writer for Online Nursing Schools, which researches areas of nursing education, online nursing programs, and healthcare. In her spare time, she enjoys travel, theater and having fun in the sun.]

Image: WordRidden at Flickr

Toxic Chemicals Industry Designs PR Campaign for Survival: Exclusive Leaked Footage!

Derek Markham — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:48:37 +0000

Just in from Healthy Child Healthy World:

“The secret is out: the toxic chemicals industry is designing a PR campaign for survival! Bisphenol A in baby bottles, water bottles, and food cans. Formaldehyde in furniture. Phthalates in air fresheners, soft plastics, and fragrances. The manufacturers of these chemicals are not taking the push for regulation lying down (despite their public claims of support for safety). Don’t be duped!

Toxic Chemical Lobby: Exclusive Leaked Footage!

The characters you meet in the video are cartoons, but the plot is ripped straight from the headlines. (Just go to the industry funded “Coalition for Chemical Safety” or read one of Richard Dennison’s exposes and you’ll see what we mean.)”

We need Congress to act now, to make sure the products we reach for, sleep on, and eat from every day aren’t loaded with toxic chemicals. You can help Congress stay strong in the face of chemical industry push-back; but only if you speak out.

This is our time to make toxic chemicals history! Let’s tell Congress to strengthen and reform the law so that the most dangerous chemicals are taken off the market and that chemicals are safe for use before being added to products. ACT NOW!

Healthy Child Healthy World is a proud member of the Safer Chemicals Healthy Family coalition representing more than 11 million individuals and includes parents, health professionals, advocates for people with learning and developmental disabilities, reproductive health advocates, environmentalists and businesses from across the nation.

My Kids are Not Guinea Pigs

Derek Markham — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:04:50 +0000

In 1976, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was passed by Congress, and it was supposed to give the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to identify and regulate dangerous chemicals. The law was also supposed to require that the companies producing the chemicals give us enough information to assess the safety of their products in and around everyday items.

But the law “grandfathered in” 62,000 chemicals which were in use at the time it was enacted. The chemical companies could continue to sell those chemicals without safety testing, and most chemicals on the market today are among the original 62,000 – and have never been tested.

It’s time for serious reform in the Toxic Substances Control Act, and a new campaign by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), called I am Not a Guinea Pig, has the info you need in order to see that we need improvements to the current proposed bill and to let your representatives know that you care.

Protect All Americans From Toxic Chemicals

Toxic Chemicals Are Everywhere
There are ten of thousands of chemicals in your life, some of which can be harmful.
The Laws Aren’t Protecting Us
The current law, the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, is old and ineffective.
You Can Help Change That
The Safe Chemicals Act of 2010, will help add important and necessary safeguards.

Head over to I am Not a Guinea Pig and educate yourself. Then spread the message. (Check out their Facebook Page as well.)

Because it’s high time that our kids are no longer guinea pigs for the chemical industry.

Wide Variety of Kid’s Fruit Juices and Foods Contain Lead

Derek Markham — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 20:12:06 +0000

There is no safe level of exposure to lead, and it accumulates in the body through multiple exposures and from multiple sources. This toxin continues to be released into our environment from decades of lead-based pesticide application, the use of leaded gasoline and lead paint, and through our practice of burning coal in electrical power plants. And now we’re finding out that it’s in our kids food.

On June 9 the Environmental Law Foundation (“ELF”) filed Notices of Violation of California Proposition 65 Toxics Right to Know law, alleging lead was found in a variety of children’s and baby foods. The specific food categories included apple juice, grape juice, packaged pears and peaches (including baby food), and fruit cocktail. Perhaps most disappointingly, many organic products had detectable levels of lead in them. A complete list of the companies and products named appears with the notice and is located on the ELF website.

Manly Skill: Protecting Our Kids from Harmful Chemicals

Derek Markham — Thu, 13 May 2010 15:55:04 +0000

I think we might be able to agree that one of the stereotypical roles of the man in a family is protection. We don’t have to physically protect our families so much these days (I don’t have to beat up the bad guys very often, all of the cave bears are extinct, I believe, and we’ve managed to pretty much wipe out the wolves and mountain lions).

So unless you can count those instances when things go bump in the night and we’re called upon to investigate, it may be just a symbolic role.

But what about protecting our families from things in the environment, such as toxic chemicals in our food, water, personal care and household cleaners? That’s pretty manly.

I think keeping the family safe in that way qualifies as defending the family. It’s strange to me how few men are concerned with keeping their kids safe from substances that could affect their health for the rest of their lives, when so many moms are adamant about it. Perhaps it’s the stereotype of men being tougher than women, or the (mistaken) idea that the woman (the mom) should be solely responsible for the health of the children. Whatever the reason, I rarely see any dads blogging about or talking to others about the issue.

So when I was asked if I would become a Parent Ambassador for Healthy Child Healthy World, I felt that I really ought to ‘man up’ and be involved. Because it isn’t only up to the moms. Fathers are also role models and defenders of kids, and we ought to know about the things that may affect our children and do what we can to keep them safe.

If you don’t already know about Healthy Child Healthy World, it’s a non-profit which inspires parents to protect their young children from harmful chemicals, both outside and inside the home.

“We are leading a movement that educates parents, supports protective policies, and engages communities to make responsible decisions, simple everyday choices, and well-informed lifestyle improvements to create healthy environments where children and families can flourish.

Healthy Child Healthy World exists because more than 125 million Americans, especially children, now face an historically unprecedented rise in chronic disease and illness such as cancer, autism, asthma, birth defects, ADD / ADHD, and learning and developmental disabilities. Credible scientific evidence increasingly points to environmental hazards and household chemicals as causing and contributing to many of these diseases.”

The original request to be a Parent Ambassador said that they wanted input from us to guide their programs and outreach to better serve parents and engage them online. My first thought was that it’s not my place as a dad blogger (or papa blogger, to be more accurate) to enter the world of (mostly) mama bloggers in these efforts. But my second thought was that yes, it is well within my role as defender of my family, and that I might just possibly have something to add from a father’s point of view.

So what can you do to get involved and learn more?

Follow @Healthy_Child on Twitter
Participate in the Thursday #HealthyChild Twitter chats (and possibly win some free goodies!)
Become a Fan on Facebook
Read (and subscribe to) the Healthy Child Healthy World blog.
Check out the 5 Easy Steps you can take in your home
Read the Healthy Child Healthy World book
Download the free Pocket Guides to refer to when shopping
Take steps from Erin Brockovich’s Action Kit

I’m proud to be a defender of the children, a Parent Ambassador, and I’ll keep sharing the great information I learn from Healthy Child with you here on Natural Papa.

Sunburn Happens: Natural Sunburn Relief

Guest Author — Wed, 05 May 2010 10:00:27 +0000

[This is a guest post by herbalist Steven Frank]

Even though it has just turned to spring here in the Rocky Mountains, I was out looking at boats and couldn’t help but think about how summer is coming. The sun is getting higher in the sky, the average temperature is creeping up and summer will be here before we know it.

Every summer, the same thing confounds me. There is a balance that must be struck between getting enough sun to have healthy skin (we need to make vitamin D) and getting too much sun wherein we’ll burn. What most people don’t realize is that the sunscreen lotion takes 10 to 20 minutes before reaching full effectiveness. Then it remains effective for only about 2 hours. It must be replenished every couple of hours even if it doesn’t get washed off in the pool or lake. If it gets washed off, then it must be reapplied sooner.

So every summer, I see moms and dads dutifully coating their kids with sunscreen (while holding them by the arm so that don’t run off) and then turning them loose to play for hours. Invariably, they come back burned. Yes, sunburn happens. It happens every summer on every beach at every pool and in every backyard. It’s not because the parents don’t coat their kids, it happens because they don’t understand how to properly use sunscreen.

What do you do after your kids get sunburned or your husband (who refuses to apply it to the tops of his feet) comes back at the end of the day with lobster –feet?. You know that it’s going to happen. That’s why you buy Aloe Vera gel.

The problem here is that by evening, rubbing Aloe Vera on this sensitive skin is going to hurt. It hurts just to touch. Also, while Aloe Vera feels cooling at first, it doesn’t really satisfy the long term pain relieving requirements that one needs met in order to get in bed and go to sleep. Who ever would have thought how much those soft cotton sheets could hurt? Additionally, the next day the pain will turn into a crazy itch that demands that you scratch that sensitive skin and then the skin will start to peel and fall off. This predictable process plays out millions of times every summer: sun, redness, pain, itch, and peeling.

As an herbalist, I looked at these symptoms and thought, “Gee, I can put together a decoction of herbs that will deal with all these issues.” So, I did. Maui Aui (pronounced Mawie Owie and named after the Island of Maui) was born.

Of course you can make this at home too. It uses some very common herbs that you can find locally. For starters, it uses Arnica Montana and White Willow bark. These two herbs provide the analgesic (pain relieving) properties that make such a difference for the first day. Then, Calendula and Comfrey are considered cell proliferants. These two herbs will actually accelerate the rate at which new skin cells are made to replace the ones that were damaged by the sun. The Calendula is also very soothing to damaged skin. Lavender and St. John’s Wort are nervines. They will get the nerves to settle-down and this is what relieves the itch that occurs on days two and three after the sunburn. They will really relieve most any itch, including mosquito bites.

I prepare a decoction of these herbs by putting them in hot water (DO NOT BOIL THEM). Boiling herbs causes a breakdown in some of the delicate vital constituents. Most herbs cannot tolerate temperatures above 170 deg. F without some loss of quality.

After it has cooled down, put an Aloe Vera concentrate into the decoction.

Now here’s the trick. There are a couple of oils that are very helpful in treating sunburn. Kukui Nut, Macadamia Nut and Soy Bean oil are my favorites. These oils will seal moisture into the skin and keep it from drying out too badly while the healing process is occurring. I like to combine the oils with a little bit of an emulsifier to get them to disperse in the water decoction. You can use polysorbate 20, which is a sugar derivative that is commonly used in foods. You can even use lecithin can be found in the baking section of most supermarkets.

If you put this creation into a spray bottle, you don’t even have to touch the sensitive skin. Spraying this mixture onto sunburn cools the area by evaporation and the kids love that cooling feeling. Then, the herbs get rid of the pain, the itch and encourage rapid healing of the damaged tissues. My kids usually return every couple of hours to have the area sprayed again. You can re-spray as often as you like.

I think that this is the best that you can do when sunburn happens. As always, I’ve told you how to make it and would take great joy in knowing that I’ve made your summer a little better. If you don’t want to be troubled with making it, you can find it on my web site. Just search for Maui Aui.

Best of Health,
Steven Frank

[Mr. Steven Frank is an innovative herbalist. He uses a myriad of techniques drawn from North American herbology, Holistic philosophy and Natural medial practices to solve difficult but common maladies. Since his roots come from engineering and the practical sciences, Mr. Frank requires his remedies to prove efficacy by the highest standards of scientific testing. Years of self-study focused on the works of great scientists and healers of the past have provided Mr. Frank with the tools that he needs to synthesize well-rounded solutions to today’s difficult healing requirements. Blending the insights of historical remedies into solutions that address the cause, relieve the symptoms and support the body in its tendency to recover, guide the products that Mr. Frank develops towards being truly balanced holistic solutions.]

More of Mr. Frank’s products can be seen at www.NaturesRiteRemedies.com. He can be reached for comment at stevef@NaturesRiteRemedies.com

Image: emrank at Flickr

Two-fer Tuesday: Un-Hippie Co-sleeping and a Spring Workout

Derek Markham — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:30:59 +0000

For this week’s Two-fer Tuesday, I found a couple of interesting reads from fellow dad bloggers. Undad writes about co-sleeping, which is an important piece of my own family’s parenting methods, and Almighty Dad shares a great spring workout with us, including some speed rope work (one of my favorite ways to stay fit).

From Undad: On Co-Sleeping

“I want to preface this post by proclaiming that I am not a hippie. Are we clear on this point? I want to put it out there now, because I suspect that it will be increasingly difficult to explain how I am not a hippie as I discuss some of the lifestyle choices we have made.

Now let’s talk about co-sleeping. We do it.”

And from Almighty Dad: 12 Point Workout Jump Rope

“The workout should take about 25 minutes, give or take a few. It’s another full body workout that I think is quite challenging. You’ll get a good abdominal burn while also strengthening your legs, butt and chest. However, abs work is never useful without also a little bit of emphasis on the lower and mid back. Thus, a few of these moves, you’ll notice, give attention to that area.”

If you enjoy either of these, consider leaving them a comment on their sites or subscribing to their RSS or Twitter feeds!

On a dad blogger note, I just saw that the (very first?) dad blogger event is being planned for this fall in Atlanta! Check it out at Modern Media Man.

Kids, Day-Care and “The Catch of the Day”

Derek Markham — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:20:21 +0000

[This is a guest post by herbalist Steven Frank]

In the search to find meaning in our lives, we often forego or overlook the value of parenting and rush back to our jobs or careers while our kids are still young. It is often much later (decades) that we realize, the only real meaning in our lives was the love and learning that we passed on to our children with or without our knowing it.

When we go to work during the day, our kids end up in daycare. This can be a wonderful opportunity for them to be exposed to other adults and other children. They can learn social skills and develop a sense of independence. They also tend to share their colds, pink-eye, bronchitis, etc. amongst themselves. Ultimately, they return home to a big smooch for the folks and a perfect transference of their “catch of the day,” be it bacterial, fungal or viral. When they get ill, we hold them in our laps and funnel every bit of life-force we can muster through their frail little bodies. Who wouldn’t do that, even though it means possibly getting sick ourselves?

Been there, done that, got the karma.

When my kids were that age, I would take them to the doctor when they got sick. It didn’t take long before I could very clearly see that most of what western allopathic medicine (re: Kaiser) medicine had to offer was not only ineffective, but potentially damaging to the most precious aspects of my life… my kids. Modern medicine’s solution for tummy-aches, ear-aches, head-aches and all the myriad of skinned knees and bruises that children endure was pathetic at best and downright harmful at worst. Yes, the every-day maladies of childhood were being poorly handled by the great minds that brought us antibiotics for the masses.

It was this very realization that forced my second (or was it my third?) mid-life crisis whereby I re-educated myself and started a new path into the world of natural healing. It wasn’t a total upset like when I gave up engineering to become a construction worker. After all, I had spent my career designing rather sophisticated electronic medical equipment so I new a thing or two about human physiology, chemistry, biology and health. But when the doctor prescribed antibiotics yet-again for my son’s third ear infection a mere 3 weeks after the last one, I summoned all my gumption and said, “Doc, if that didn’t work last time, why are we doing the same thing again?” This was a natural question for an engineer to ask. He looked at me with his best ‘you must be a bad Dad’ look and said rather sarcastically, “Well, we could just cut holes in his ears and put in tubes.” As I struggled to overcome his outrageously sarcastic and pedantic manner it occurred to me that he lashed out because his insecurity was driven by not having a better solution to offer.

“No tubes.” I said as I watched him write a prescription for another drug that allowed him to feel as if he were doing his job. My son and I returned home, I swallowed my machismo and pride (only slightly) and allowed my wife to try this “silly” product that she got at the health-food store for ear infections. Two days later, the ear infection was gone. The pain had stopped after only one day. Anecdotal? Yes. Factual? Yes. Life changing? Perhaps.

What began as an effort to understand what I had just witnessed turned into more than a decade of intense study on my part of natural, herbal and holistic medical treatments. From ear-infections to pink-eye; Road-rash to Sinusitis; The common Cold to Food Poisoning; my journey has led me to understand, define and resolve very effective remedies for these common obstacles in life.

The first one that I would like to share with you is rather difficult to believe so I risk alienating you in the beginning; for the benefit of offering to you the most powerful tool that you may ever use in your quest to venture through life as a healthy human. It is ridiculously simple.

The common cold is caused by a group of virus that tend to remain (for replication purposes) in the nose. This is rather convenient as it allows us to constantly assault their breeding grounds with great accessibility. Virus replicate by stealing the cell machinery of the cells in the nasal mucosa and forcing them to divide (replicate) after they have imbedded their DNA into the host. This occurs at a very high rate and if you can block it, you can stop the progress of a cold. In fact, if you are around kids that have colds, washing your hands if very good practice but what can you do about the airborne virus that you breath?

The answer took me some time to develop but I will lay it out simply for you here. It turns out that an aqueous silver colloid of sufficient concentration, when sprayed directly on tissues that contain virus, will kill a large number of them. Since our noses run-strong with mucus when we have a cold, it is crucial to replenish the supply of colloid by continued spraying into the nasal openings. Also, the colloid will bind to the mucus and the natural salts in the area and this neutralizes (re: ruins) the effectiveness of the colloid. So one must have a sufficiently strong colloid (that is not bound to a protein or sugar like a mild silver protein) and spray it often enough so that it can maintain a presence sufficient to kill faster than the virus can replicate.

If this is done at the first sign of a cold, you can stop it from developing. I have stopped a number of colds in 12 hours or less. If you start spraying after you’ve had the cold for a day, it will take about a day more to stop. The longer you let it progress, the more damage is done to the cells and the more virus need to be killed…. Billions more. I have studied this in the lab, in the clinic, used it on my family and seen the results for 10 years. It is absolutely safe and works even better on kids than it does on adults. It absolutely will prevent a cold or terminate an existing one. Believe it or not. Here’s what you need:

First you need a clean nasal spray bottle. Clean it thoroughly. NO salt left in it from the previous solutions. Then you need a source of 30ppm silver colloid. Yes, some are better than others. I spent 10 years optimizing processes for making colloids and testing them on germs in the lab. Put the colloid in the spray bottle.

Here’s the most important part. I mean it. Spray it in your nose or in your kid’s nose at least every 10 minutes. I like to carry it around and spray it every 5 minutes. The more you spray it the better it works. You have to keep it present in the nasal environment.

If you spray it every 5 to 10 minutes, you will terminate that cold so fast that you will swear that you didn’t really even have one.

If you spray it every 2 to 3 hours it will do almost nothing. Why? Because after you kill a bunch of virus with a spray, they will simply double every 20 minutes until they return to the same amount that were there before you sprayed. It will take only an hour or so for the virus to grow back to the level that they were at before your last spray. So if you spray every hour, you make little or no progress.

When you wake up in the night, have it on your night stand and spray. Carry it in your pocket and spray, spray, spray. Repeated application is the key. Kids respond to this much better than adults and for some reason, even with less spraying, get better results.

Now when your child comes home from daycare with “The Catch of the Day,” fear not. Give them a hug and tell them that it will be all better. It will be. Hold them in your lap and look into those big trusting eyes staring back at you as they sneeze in your face. Just smile. You have the key to curing the common cold. You have no fear of lost work, of days in bed, of compromising your desire to coddle your child so you can maintain your health.

There will be those of you who will say that the silver will turn you blue. Yup. If you drink a quart a day for a year of two. Don’t do that. The amount that you will use to cure a cold is no more than you breath or eat from natural sources each day. It works because it is in the right concentration, in the right place and under the correct protocol.

There are those of you who will say that silver is toxic. Nope. I’ve spent 10 years studying the literature and doing testing in laboratories and clinics. It won’t harm you at all.

There are those of you who will say, “That’s ridiculous! Everyone knows there’s no cure for the common cold.” That’s what the medical director at my company told me when he first heard about it. He’s an old-school MD who taught pathology at Walter Reed Hospital. But… two years later, he marched into my office and refused to leave until I agreed to prove to the word that this was the cure for the common cold. He was so convinced from his own observations that he offered to run the clinical study himself.

Let me leave you with this bit of Native American wisdom. “Nature tells no lies and knows no favorites.” That is to say, “This either works or it doesn’t irrespective of what the experts say. Their talk is just talk.” You now have the cure for the common cold. You can use it and be free… or you can walk away from it.

If you want to do it yourself, I told you how. If you would be more comfortable buying it, I sell it. Either way, may you enjoy the best of health.

[Mr. Steven Frank is an innovative herbalist. He uses a myriad of techniques drawn from North American herbology, Holistic philosophy and Natural medial practices to solve difficult but common maladies. Since his roots come from engineering and the practical sciences, Mr. Frank requires his remedies to prove efficacy by the highest standards of scientific testing. Years of self-study focused on the works of great scientists and healers of the past have provided Mr. Frank with the tools that he needs to synthesize well-rounded solutions to today’s difficult healing requirements. Blending the insights of historical remedies into solutions that address the cause, relieve the symptoms and support the body in its tendency to recover, guide the products that Mr. Frank develops towards being truly balanced holistic solutions.]

More of Mr. Frank’s products can be seen at www.NaturesRiteRemedies.com. He can be reached for comment at stevef@NaturesRiteRemedies.com

Image: meddygarnet at Flickr

Natural Papa Chosen for Best of Green Award from TreeHugger

Derek Markham — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 15:54:16 +0000

Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. Natural Papa was chosen for Best Health and Wellness Website in TreeHugger’s Best of Green 2010!

When I first saw the nomination, I was flattered, but when I saw who I was up against (Environmental Working Group!), I dismissed any hope I had of winning the award. So when I got an email letting me know that Natural Papa won, I thought “This must be some sort of prank. Didn’t we pass April Fool’s Day already?”

But it’s not a joke. When I found out it was for real, I about fell over backwards! I clicked through to the link they sent me and read their summary, and I was stunned to read what they had to say:

“Lots of sites focus on natural remedies, healthy living, family life, and even natural parenting, but none do so with the heartfelt passion and emotional insight of Natural Papa. Curated by Derek Markham, the site goes where many men fear (but shouldn’t) to tread. Does your wife’s zeal for home birthing scare you silly? Curious about home schooling, but worried you’ll be ostracized by your community? Natural Papa is here to help.

But even if you aren’t in the market for natural-parenting advice, the site delivers mind-expanding commentary that’s wholly worthwhile. Articles such as When Does a Boy Become a Man? Our Missing Rites of Manhood and Advice to Myself as a Young Man peer keenly into the cultural complexities and societal norms that hamper personal development and interfere with the pursuit of true happiness.”

Many thanks to all of you who read Natural Papa!

Natural Papa » Health

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