The Family Groove "Green Days"

OUR RESIDENT ECO-ACTIVIST, HEATHER WOLFSON, D.C., OF TWIGANDTWILL.COM,
TELLS YOU THREE THINGS TO TOSS IN ’09—JUST FOR THE HEALTH OF IT

NAIL POLISH
If you can forgo the unnatural—and in my opinion, ’80s—look of nail polish, go with a good clean buff instead.
Whoever thought of painting your nails anyway? And whoever decided that it even looked good? Here are
just a few of the toxic chemicals you are dumping into your body when you paint your nails: ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, nitrocellulose, isopropyl alcohol, polyester resin, dibutyl phthalate, styrene/acrylates copolymer, stearalkonium hectorite, stearalkonium bentonite, benzophenone-1, calcium pantothenate, titanium dioxide, red #6 and #7, ferric ammonium and ferrocyanide. Most, if not all, of those chemicals have been linked to cancer! Staying away from any and all salons while pregnant or breast-feeding is a must. Even if you aren’t getting your nails done, just being near the fumes can be harmful enough. Before you apply that next coat of toxic paint, do yourself a favor and go au naturel—you may just like it better! Also, if keeping your nails manicured is a must but you want to avoid the fumes, find a manicurist who may be interested in coming to your home instead. I do this for my hair and my nails—it’s extremely convenient, especially when you have little ones.
Green Days Health 09

MASCARA
Did you know that mascara can be harmful to your health? Mercury, among many other toxic ingredients, is added to mascara to act as a preservative and germ killer. Mercury is one of the most deadly toxins on the planet. Mercury, also known as thimerosal, has recently been in the spotlight because of its association with various neurological disorders, including autism. Even though the FDA does regulate plenty of products that they still allow toxic ingredients in, they do not regulate cosmetic products. The terms fragrance, other ingredients and flavoring are terms used when a company wants to hide harmful ingredients. This misuse of semantics is considered a loophole within the industry, and many companies take advantage of the loophole because they claim that the particular ingredient is proprietary information. We should be privy to any and all ingredients we are putting in, on or near our bodies. Most companies will also tell you that any ingredient in their product that is a known carcinogen is in such small amounts that it can do no harm. Have they ever heard of homeopathy? This science is based off of amounts of medicine so minute that they are immeasurable. Any amount of poison is poison. Try using a natural mascara instead. Dr. Hauschka’s line of cosmetics is wonderful and can be found at natural stores, such as Whole Foods.

Q-TIPS
Ready to go green but feeling a bit overwhelmed by it? Start with something small that will make a huge impact on the environment. Instead of stocking up on 12 boxes of Q-tips at a time from Costco, choose organic cotton Q-tips instead. Conventional cotton farming uses approximately 25 percent of the world’s insecticides and more than 10 percent of the world’s pesticides. These chemicals persist through the manufacturing process and find their way into the final products as well. Cutting back on the demand for conventional cotton means a big reduction in the global carbon footprint. Who would have thought that a little Q-tip could make such a difference?

Heather Wolfson, D.C., is the owner of Twig and Twill (www.twigandtwill.com), a chiropractor and an in-demand speaker who speaks around the country on health and well-being. Dr. Wolfson lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., with her husband and young son.