Green Parenting News Roundup: BPA and male sex problems, Swine Flu Vaccinations in Europe, and Tamiflu

There have been so many important stories in the news this week that I need to do a news roundup just to keep up with it! If you have flu in your household, H1N1 or seasonal, two of the links below will be of great interest. And, more studies to prove BPA is toxic to humans (no surprise there).

Now that BPA is being linked to erectile dysfunction in men, maybe it will get some real national attention and legislative action! A new study on men working with BPA in China (probably making dollar store gadgets for the U.S.) links BPA exposure with male sexual problems. For more on this visit The Washington Post. Exactly how many studies do we need to see and report on before BPA is banned?


Swine Flu news from Europe: The most vulnerable don’t have to wait in long lines, but are invited to make appointments to receive their shots.

Dr. Steve Field, president of the Royal College of General Physicians, “said Britain's socialized health care system allows the country to target people who need to be vaccinated quickly: "It's not like the U.S., where it's the survival of the fittest and the richest."”

This is in response to the Wall Street firms getting their vaccinations before most of the nation’s children and high risk individuals.

To read more about other countries different approach and mindset about the Swine Flu vaccine, check out this story from the Washington Post.

Speaking of the flu, when doctors are to prescribe Tamiflu has been recently questioned. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states “antivirals should be given in the most severe cases of the flu, or when a patient is in a high-risk group, which includes pregnant women and children under 2.”

But I know of a friend, a healthy male of 38 years old, who has been prescribed Tamiflu with no underlying health conditions. The article discusses some side effects of Tamiflu that parents should know about before deciding with their doctor whether to use the medication. Read more about it at The New York Times.

Walmart Spreading the Flu: Sick Days = Demerit (and potential job loss)

Another reason to avoid Walmart! I know they are developing sustainability standards (that you have to pay thousands of dollars to have input on), but they are encouraging sick employees to work at their stores. And in doing so, spreading the flu to countless shoppers everyday.

According to Momsrising,

"The New York Times just reported that, "At Wal-Mart, when employees miss one or more days because of illness or other reasons, they generally get a demerit point. Once employees obtain four points over a six-month period, they begin receiving warnings that can lead to dismissal." 2 That's right, calling in sick gets you a demerit at Wal-Mart."

And we wonder why there are more emergency room visits and poor health outcomes in the United States. It is because people working close to the poverty level, in dead-end jobs like at Walmart, can't afford to take a sick day, and can't afford to lose their jobs. Then, they get seriously sick, and have to go to the ER and have worse outcomes than if they took the time to get healthy before the situation deteriorated.

I agree with Momsrising: "We think the real demerits should go to Wal-Mart for their sick days policy: It's bad for their employees, customers, and for public health."

Well said.

Let's give them a Dermerit for not taking care of their workers and public health. The signatures collected will be delivered to Walmart executives by Momrising.

A change in Walmart's policy could have a wide reaching effect. Again, from Momsrising:

"If we're serious about stopping the spread of the flu (and preventing all the costs associated with so many people getting sick), we need employers to step up and make sure their policies support employees making the right decision to stay home when they're sick. As one of the largest employers in the country, Wal-Mart's policies affect a large portion of our population. The way they handle the flu is has a huge impact on our nation's health and financial security."

Thanks to Momsrising for alerting me to this important public health issue. When you are sick, you shouldn't also have to worry about losing your job!

image: Ron Dauphin's on Flickr under Creative Commons

5 Ways to Raise a "Good Enough" Child

Here's a guest post by author Jan Denise. Enjoy!


How many times have you told your ebullient child he's too loud or too active? How often have you told your contemplative, cautious child not to be a scaredy-cat and so shy?


In subtle ways, you are giving your child, when is expressing his or her unique temperament, the message that he's not good enough. He will get the same messages at school, at church or temple, and from the media. By the time your child is an adult, he will have learned how not to follow the beat of his own drummer and how not to be himself. He will have learned exactly how to act in order to get the approval of others.

If you think that's not much a problem for a child, wait till she grows up and marries someone she thinks she should marry, works in a job she hates because it's expected of her, gets in debt buying a house or car that makes her seem more successful than she really is, or is on a perpetual diet and hates her body because women are supposed to be rail thin.

You can stop this negative conditioning! As a parent, you already instinctively know that your child is good enough. Your child was born good enough. Here are five ways to reinforce that positive message.

· Be there for him. Let your child have his true feelings--sadness or fear, for example. Show him with your support, reassurance, and presence that it's okay to have emotions, and that you'll stay with him through all those feelings, without judging.

· Teach her not to personalize rejection. If someone tells her she's ugly or too brainy, for example, remind her that someone else's words aren't the truth. The truth is that she's fine--just the way she is.

· Teach him not to worry what other people think. If he's afraid to take chorus at school for fear of being teased, or cuts class with his friends to be part of the "cool" crowd, help him understand that following others opinions won't help him be happy.

· Encourage her individuality. If your child wants to wear a pink tutu to church and it embarrasses you, consider the message you might be giving her about being an individual and expressing herself. Unless it's an act that could harm your child, try to allow her to be and do what she needs in order to fully explore who she is.

· Show him he is loved--unconditionally. Remind your child dozens of times a day, in gestures, words, and acts, that you love him just the way he is. A child who learns that he really is good enough will grow into a confident, healthy, fulfilled adult.



Jan Denise is a syndicated newspaper columnist, an empowerment guru, and author of the new book, Innately Good: Dispelling the Myth that You're Not (Health Communications, 2009). You can find out more about her and her teachings at www.innatelygood.com.

The Environmental Working Group Reports: Toxins in School Cleaners Make Kids Sick

The Environmental Working Group has done it again. They have another report out about a subject near and dear to my heart-- the greening of schools.

When I first start teaching, the cleaners made my lungs hurt. You could feel it in your nasal passages, literally burning your cilia. And just imagine what is was doing to those young, developing bodies.

Now, I am in a school with a strong green awareness. We use the green cleaners, and it has taken a few years for the full conversion. There is still lots to do, of course, because we all know public schools are not made of money, and there are old carpets, vinyl floors, and old, worn out building parts that cause air quality problems. But at least there is an effort, a strong effort to make our school the greenest it can be with what we have.

It is worth the fight. According to EWG, "Ordinary school cleaning supplies can expose children to multiple chemicals linked to asthma, cancer, and other documented health problems and to hundreds of other air contaminants that have never been tested for safety, a study by the Environmental Working Group shows. Laboratory tests done for EWG found that a typical assortment of cleaning products released 457 distinct chemicals into the air."

Chemicals such as chloroform, benzene, and formaldehyde. Not good for anyone, especially our most vulnerable, where they go everyday. To find out what brands test for what dangerous chemicals, click here.

To find out ways to help your school green the air, check this out. This link included tips for how to communicate with schools.

There is also this fantastic list of tips for how to clean your home without harmful chemicals.

For more information, check out the full report and the frequently asked questions. Thanks again, EWG! You've helped us parents learn another way to lessen our kids' exposures to toxic chemicals. All children (and everyone else in schools!) will benefit from this. No child in our nation's public schools should be at a greater risk for cancer or asthma from toxic cleaners.