Because October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month, you will soon be seeing many companies, to include cosmetic companies encouraging you to purchase their products with proceeds from their sales going to those organizations that fight breast cancer.

As if it is not bad enough that cosmetics companies are using ingredients linked to certain diseases like cancer, they also have the audacity to play on the compassion and concern we all feel for those battling cancer by promising contributions from the sale of their potentially harmful products to cancer organizations! Hmmm. Think about that for a moment, they promise to give money to help fight the cancer that may develop as a result of exposure to ingredients in their products. How thoughtful?

Fortunately, people are taking notice of this and are educating the unsuspecting public about the “altruistic” marketing strategies employed by the cosmetic companies and about the health organizations that would partner with such groups. Food for thought next time you look to support specific causes with your purchase or donation.

http://www.thinkbeforeyoupink.org/

It is hard to keep up with all the ways in which unwelcome substances make their way into our body even when we are super vigilant.

Several years ago, I gave up eating any meat that was not grass fed and organic once I learned more about the farming methods employed by many of the top producers in our country. These methods lead to the mistreatment of animals and result in meats that not only lack the nutritional content of their grass fed counterparts but may even contain inorganic products not fit for animal or human consumption, which we in turn ingest. It is clear to me that aside from less nutritious food, we are taking serious risks that could threaten public health leading to exposure to BSE or Mad Cow disease or chronic illnesses that may result in an over exposure to antibiotics and hormones in beef. This is quite enough reason for me to avoid most meat.

But while I gave up eating inorganic beef for that reason, I had no idea that I was still slathering on lotions, soaps and foundation that could be carry BSE as I later discovered so many of our cosmetics and skin care products use cow parts in their ingredients.

If you understand the importance of organic foods, please give as much careful consideration to your cosmetics and daily skin care routine as it may have an equally pronounced effect on your health. Learn how to make your own skin care products or purchase those that are plant based & certified organic.

Also if you are interested in locating a safe supplier of meats or poultry for your family, investigate this website further for locations near you.

http://www.eatwild.com/articles/cheapmeat.html

To be fair, here is what the USDA is doing according to the AMA to prevent BSE in foods and cosmetics. Unfortunately many of these “downer cows” may not display BSE symptoms before they are allowed into the food supply, so I do not feel comfortable that it can be completely contained. The best idea, suggested by the creator or www.eatwild.com is to simply change how we farm. So I will support those suppliers whose farming methods give me confidence in their products and treat their animals humanely.

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/print/13748Avo

I recall as a child (during my Eloise phase) opening other peoples’ medicine chests with glee and abandon. I found it then, to be a productive exercise, as special knowledge was gained for my personal amusement, as I was the purveyor of supper time “shock & awe” with disclosures of what was contained within said medicine chests.

I promise I have given up such pastimes and while I don’t have to know anymore, you MUST know what is in yours because your future health may depend on it. Every day we are assaulted with hundreds if not thousands of toxins in our food, our water, our medicines and our personal care products to include cosmetics. Many of the companies that use these toxins are loathe to ever admit any link between these chemicals and various diseases despite many studies showing a correlation and well, err, duh, common sense. And so many of us to include myself have slathered on sweet smelling lotions, shampoos and the latest greatest facial concoction to preserve us well into the grave and in that we have done our bodies a disservice and have possibly set ourselves up for developing serious diseases. That need not be you or your family!

So go to your bathroom with pen and paper in hand and pull out all those personal care products and have a long hard look. Just for fun give extra scrutiny to the ones that you bought thinking they were “Organic,” “Natural,” “Pure” or “Botanical” and especially to the ones whose scent you cannot live without!

Can’t pronounce an ingredient? Definitely write that one down for more research on your product suspect list. Next plug your product list in at http://cosmeticdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1  and see how your products fair. Keep in mind, the database is a guide and has a classification system that can in certain cases leads to some confusion. For example, any certified organic product can still have a mark against it if it has an ingredient that can be irritating for some skin even though that product is likely quite safe. Organic doesn’t necessarily mean non-irritating. But overall, this database is an excellent way to evaluate the safety of your beauty routine!

Let us know what suprises you have found in YOUR medicine chest or shower? How many of you found your “Organic” products really were not so organic after all?