Making Smart Choices Keeps Kids Healthy and Safe

A recent study conducted by the Kresge Foundation and published in Health Affairs found that treating children who are exposed to air pollution, toxic chemicals and other pollutants costs a staggering $76.6 billion dollars a year. The study also found that children with existing allergies to common airborne allergens are even more vulnerable to chemical pollutants than others.

Chicago Healers Practitioner Martha H Howard, MD, says that simply being aware of what is most harmful to your children is the easiest way to protect them. She offers the following information and tips to keeping your children safe from air pollution and toxic chemicals. How can you avoid this problem? Steer clear of these indoor chemical pollutants:

~  Formaldehyde in new clothes, carpet, wallboards and furniture made of particle board or with particle board backing

~  Lead paint and other toxic paints. Children’s rooms should be painted only with non-toxic no-VOC paints. Even latex paints can emit toxic fumes over a long period of time, worsening allergies and asthma.

~  Mercury in any form—especially as a preservative in vaccinations, or in dental materials

~  Food dyes, additives, and artificial sugars. The so-called “generally recognized as safe” food dyes are made of coal tar. MSG and aspartame are neurotoxins (see Russell Blaylock MD’s comprehensive book, Exitotoxins: The Taste that Kills.)

~  Plastics that contain BPA

~  Fire retardant chemicals in pajamas and bedding

~  Sunscreens with “gender bending” chemicals like homosalate, octylmethoxycinnamate, octocrylene, oxybenzone. Use California Baby hypoallergenic sunscreen, Desert Essence sunscreen, or Aubrey Organic Sunscreen on all children (and on adults too!)

~  Shampoos and lotions are full of chemicals. Desert Essence makes a good line of shampoos, conditioners and lotions that are chemical free.

There are many things you can do to not only avoid indoor chemical pollutants but also keep your kids healthy in general.

~  Good indoor air filtration (with charcoal and zeolite in the filters, not just HEPA filters) can help limit exposure to airborne pollutants.

~  Drink filtered water

~  Give children fresh, mostly organic unprocessed foods. This doesn’t have to be complicated. A turkey sandwich with whole grain bread, Applegate Farms or Hormel natural turkey (no additives, MSG, nitrites or nitrates—both big causes of cancer), and an organic apple are a great lunch, rather than packaged “cracker and cheese” or many of the items that are currently offered in school lunches.

~  Become active in advocating for better indoor air quality and better food at your child’s school

~  Stay informed about air and water quality and pollution hazards in your neighborhood and your town.

About ChicagoHealers.com

Chicago Healers (http://www.chicagohealers.com/) is the nation’s pioneer prescreened integrative health care network, offering a comprehensive understanding of each practitioner’s services, approach, and philosophy. Our holistic health experts teach and advocate natural and empowered health and life choices through their practices, the media, educational events, and our website. With close to 200 practitioners and over 300 treatment services, Chicago Healers has provided nearly 400 free educational events for Chicagoans and has been featured in 300+ TV news programs and print publications. For more information, visit www.ChicagoHealers.com.

Tail Wags - Karyn Climans

My name is Karyn Climans and I am the owner and creator of Tail Wags Helmet Covers. After being a stay-at-home mom with 2 special needs kids for 15 years, I wanted to find a job that allowed me the flexibility to continue looking after my children and would provide an outlet for my creative skills. I was also determined to be my own boss because I couldn’t imagine having to report to someone else after being “independent” for so long. It’s been 4 ½ years since Tail Wags was officially launched and I haven’t looked back since.

Several years ago, while skiing with my sons, I was involved in a serious accident. Fortunately, I was wearing my ski helmet and it saved my life. The passion to promote safety awareness became the impetus behind starting Tail Wags Helmet Covers Inc. Over the years I had acquired a background in teaching, children’s programming and costume design and I took all of that knowledge and created Tail Wags Helmet Covers, a company making fun, whimsical helmet covers for every type of safety helmet. I make it fun for kids and adults alike to wear their helmets for every sport they enjoy and by doing so I have found a way to help prevent unnecessary head injuries.

There are over 40 adorable designs of helmet covers including the Fairy Princess, Menacing Monster, Bizzy Bee, Goldie the Goldfish, and Cheeky Monkey. The entire product line can be viewed at http://www.tail-wags.com/. People keep asking me if I’ll ever run out of ideas for new designs and I reply, “I doubt it but if I do, then I’ll retire”. Customers often suggest new designs for Tail Wags, for example, I’ve been asked for years to create a Moose. It’s taken a while because it’s a challenge to prevent the moose’s antlers from drooping but the new moose will be ready in the next couple of weeks.

My most unique design is the new bridal helmet cover. I received a special request to create a helmet cover for a bride who was riding off in to the sunset on her Harley motorcycle. I was so pleased with the final results that I am now offering a bridal cover for bike, ski and motorcycle helmets as part of my regular line.

Balancing work and family life is always a tough juggle. Owning my own business has been a lot more work than expected. My busiest season is September through March although summers are getting crazier ever since I launched my new lightweight lycra helmet covers, which are ideal for bike helmets. Even weekends are often booked with marketplace events. The only reason I can now devote this amount of time to Tail Wags is my sons are now 19 and 17 years old and slowly but surely, they are becoming more independent. The things around the house that suffer the most are home-cooked meals, housekeeping and laundry. In response, I’ve hired a housekeeper and my husband does all of the laundry. Fortunately, he doesn’t complain because he knows I’m working extremely hard.

The best piece of advice I can offer other moms planning to start their own business is to try and be as flexible as possible. Obviously you can’t postpone certain obligations with your kids but, whenever you can, make a conscious choice to ignore other tasks. I willingly gave up my good housekeeping award several years ago when I realized that it’s impossible for me to keep a spotless house while running my home-based business. I’ve simply learned to live with the chaos because there’s no point in driving myself crazy over the bits of thread all over the house. Before Tail Wags, I was a regular at the fitness club. Today, I’m happy to work out twice a week along with walking the dogs daily.

Tail Wags helmet covers retail from $30.00 to $45.00 (although the special edition Bridal cover is $60.00). They are available throughout North America and increasingly overseas. A complete list of retailers is available at: http://www.tail-wags.com/buy.html. You can also order online direct from Tail Wags at:

http://www.tail-wags.com/buycurrency.html.

I’d like to add one more thing: When you are passionate about what you’re doing, anything is possible. So if you’ve got a great business idea, a supportive family and the resources, I’d encourage you take the plunge and start your business. The growing number of mompreneurs is testament to the fact that it can be done!