Accidentally Green

Making Healthy Decisions That Honor God and Happen to Help the Environment

Vaccines: What Part Does Religion Play?

Ever since vaccines were created, religious anti-vaccination movements have been prevalent. In the early 1800s, British clergy opposed vaccines because they utilized animal elements and were “unchristian.” 1 Currently in the United States, forty-eight states allow people to use religious exemptions from vaccines. 2 Christians tend to be divided on the issue of vaccines. While some Christians support vaccinations as a scientific way to prevent disease, other Christians oppose them. These ... Read more

Debunking Vaccine Myths

Even though vaccines are proven to be both safe and effective in government studies, many parents don’t trust them. While twenty-two percent of parents refused or delayed vaccines for their children in 2003, the number rose to thirty-nine percent of parents refusing or delaying vaccines for their children just five years later in 2008. 1 Who really wants to inject their healthy newborn with a bunch of germs and preservatives? Can that really be beneficial? By getting vaccines, children are ... Read more

Vaccines 101

As a mother, I know the decision to vaccinate can be a difficult one. I’ve lost sleep over it, talked to several doctors, have read much research on the topic – and I finally feel like I have an adequate understanding. Please let me explain what vaccines do and don’t do. How they work A vaccine does not prevent infectious diseases. But a vaccine does introduce a weakened antigen (a germ that’s a form of the bacteria or virus that causes a disease) to your immune system. Since the antigen is ... Read more

Potent Polish

I have some good news, and I have some bad news. The good news is that nail polish isn’t as unhealthy as hair dye  and perfume. The bad news is that it’s not the healthiest product on store shelves. Today I’ll explain what’s so dangerous about painting your fingers and toenails – everything from nail polish to polish remover. Nail polish Not all nail polish is bad. (Check out Skin Deep’s Cosmetics Safety Database for safe choices, including some water-based, solvent-free options.) But just ... Read more

The Big Stink About Perfume

On Monday I started talking about one of the three biggest offenders in personal care products: hair dye. Today, we’ll explore the smelly truth about perfumes and colognes. A lot of people are pretty serious when it comes to trying to smell good. If you walk into any public place, you’re bound to smell someone who’s covered in perfumed products.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing … strong perfume is better than foul body odor, right? The difference between the two is that strong perfume is ... Read more

Color Me Dangerous

I hate being the bearer of bad news. Really, I do. But I figure if someone knew information that could radically affect my health and didn’t tell me, I’d be pretty upset. It’s with this frame of mind that I’ll start this week’s posts where I’m sharing information about three of the most dangerous types of personal care products available – hair dye, perfume, and nail polish – along with healthier alternatives. The initial information is frightening – after I learned what I was putting on my ... Read more

Thought You’d Like to Know about Cadmium

Last year, McDonald’s Shrek Forever After drinking glasses received a lot of publicity after 12 million were recalled for being contaminated with cadmium-based paint. Cadmium, a heavy metal, is much more toxic than lead. But because lead products and lead-based paint have been banned, manufacturers are getting more creative and toxic with the heavy metals they can legally put in their cheap paint and jewelry – like the inclusion of cadmium. (Before the Federal Hazardous Substances Act banned ... Read more

Benefits of Buying Organic

Now that organic foods are becoming more mainstreamed and the quality of some products has been compromised (as discussed on Monday), what should concerned cooks do? One route is to ditch big businesses. Buy local from reputable, pesticide-free farms. When buying direct from farmers and gardeners, you can develop relationships and know exactly what is going into your food, from fruits and vegetables to eggs and meat. Surprisingly, many small, local growers end up using more pesticides than ... Read more

Questioning the Integrity of Organics

If you’ve stepped foot in a grocery store during the past few years, it’s obvious that organic is the latest fad. Perhaps driven by a desire to eat healthier, customers are willing to pay more – sometimes twice as much – for organic products. But is the extra price worth it? As documented by The Washington Post1, the integrity of organic food is in question.? In 2006, lobbyists from the Organic Trade Association – a group representing big businesses Kraft, Dole, and Dean Foods – persuaded ... Read more

Thought You’d Like to Know about Parabens

We’re working our way through chemicals that contribute to a person’s body burden. Last week I explained phthalates. This week, I’d like to introduce you to parabens. Used as preservatives in cosmetics – and in certain foods and drugs – parabens protect against microbial growth. They’re easy to spy on labels – check for butylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, methylparaben, and propylparaben. Parabens are easily absorbed by humans, especially when applied to the skin in moisturizers, ... Read more

Greener Ways to Clean

On Monday, I divulged how many typical American cleaning products actually are quite toxic. Since cleaning products leave a residue on surfaces, it’s important that you and your family aren’t exposed to harsh chemicals. I did promise healthier solutions. The good news is you can find healthier cleaning products either by buying specific kinds or making your own. Healthier commercial choices When cleaning with store-bought products, try to use fewer sprays and scrubs – the fewer products you ... Read more

How Clean Are Your Cleaning Supplies?

As a wife and mother, taking care of my home is important since it’s the main place I nurture my family. To me, the thought of managing my home means making sure everything is going smoothly, which also entails making things clean and presentable. This kind of home maintenance is biblical. In Titus 2:4-5, Paul asks older women to “train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so ... Read more

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