You may find that the more research you do into the contamination of produce from pesticides, herbicides, bacteria and other dangerous substances, the more afraid you become! But don't despair - there are things you can do to make your produce consumption safer. Here are some tips. 1. Buy locally-grown produce whenever possible. This means you will be eating primarily seasonal foods, but this is a healthy, natural choice anyhow. Local foods are less likely to be sprayed with chemicals - they are better adapted to their growing region, and they do not spend long amounts of time in transport. 2. Fruit and vegetable washes are helpful. Make sure you follow the directions on the label. It has been shown in various tests, however, that soaking produce in a solution of one teaspoon of bleach in a gallon of water will remove pesticides, waxes, microbes, and other undesirable residues from produce. This is a good way to wash leafy greens, too. Soak greens in this solution for at least ten minutes and more solid vegetables for at least twenty, and rinse well. 3. If you are concerned about pathogens like E. coli, try spritzing your produce with hydrogen peroxide followed by white vinegar. ...

Pet stores can be such fun to visit. The animals are so cute behind the glass windows, especially the dogs. They roll around, look cute, and often charm pet store customers into buying them. But where did that puppy come from? It's a good question, and often the answer is: a puppy mill. While not all pet stores obtain their stock from puppy mills, nearly all puppy mills sell to pet shops. The likelihood that the doggy in the window came from a puppy mill is very high. Puppy Mills versus Responsible Breeders A well-run breeding facility is not a puppy mill. The term is not clearly defined, which makes it frustrating for responsible breeders. But generally speaking, a puppy mill refers to unclean, over-crowded facilities where animals are irresponsibly bred for economic gain with no consideration for breed integrity or health of the animals. Puppy mill puppies are often inbred, or have diseases and chronic disorders. Buying Makes the Problem Worse You may really want to buy that poor pet store puppy. After all, it's not his fault he was bred in a puppy mill and he needs a good home. Yes, he does, but don't let your heart lead you. Buying a puppy ...

If you are concerned about food-borne illness, you may be wondering what steps you can take to protect yourself. It can make you feel helpless when thousands of people are unwittingly sickened because of unsanitary practices thousands of miles away. But there are things you can do to minimize your risk. 1. Buy Local Food Food that passes through the hands of many people has more chances to become contaminated. In the mass production of foods, dozens of different workers tend the crops and harvest them. As the food is sorted, packed, shipped, unloaded, and put on shelves, it could be handled by an enormous number of people. If the food is destined for a restaurant, even more hands are involved in its preparation, service, and storage. Local food is generally harvested by the farmers themselves with some hired help, then loaded onto trucks and shipped by these same people. The food spends much less time in transit, meaning that harmful microbes have less of a chance to flourish on and in the food. 2. Prepare Your Own Cooking your own food can reduce your risk of food-borne illness. If you follow the proper protocol (see below), your family will be much less likely to ...

Your pillow is a source of soft comfort and a good night's sleep. But it can also be a source of allergens, primarily dust mites. Because your face and head rest on the pillow all night, your exposure is inescapable. You spend about 1/3 of every day lying on your pillow. So if you have allergies, it's a good idea to maintain an allergy-free pillow along with the rest of your bedding. * Washing - If you have allergies, you probably already wash your bedding in hot water each week. Include your pillow case in this washing. While hanging clothes out to dry saves energy, skip this step with your bedding if you are allergic. Run your pillow case through the dryer on a hot setting. Wash your pillow itself every month or so (if it is washable - check the tag). Some experts say washing pillows every three months will suffice. Either way, use hot water and the dryer as well. Run them through the rinse cycle twice. * Freeze your pillow - Place your pillow in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer for 24 hours. This will kill dust mites. If you have a deep freeze or case ...

Parents struggle daily with the challenges of raising a child with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Adding to the frustration is that no definite cause has been found for this problem. Some possibilities are coming to light, however - among them is the possible link between pesticide exposure and the development of ADHD symptoms. The kind of pesticides in question are organophosphates, a group of pesticides commonly used in agriculture. The presence of these types of pesticides was tested on more than 1000 children (ages 8-15) and the results published in the May 2010 issue of Pediatrics. The findings were rather startling. Of the children tested, those who had the highest level of pesticide by-product in their urine were the most likely to exhibit behavior consistent with ADHD. Even those children with low-level exposure who had only the barest trace of pesticide by-product in their urine were still twice as likely to exhibit ADHD symptoms as those with no pesticide exposure. Organophosphates are commonly found on fruits and vegetables, and have been implicated in behavioral and cognitive problems in children before. In those studies, however, the test subjects lived in agricultural communities where pesticide exposure is obvious and frequent. What makes this May 2010 study so ...