What's really in the contraceptive pill?

The last element of ridding toxins from my body, for me, was to stop taking the contraceptive pill. I had been taking the pill for nearly 15 years, day in day out. There was some resistance from my behalf to stop taking the pill, I am married, but I'm not convinced that I am ready for children. My thoughts were along the lines of...if I stop taking the pill I might get pregnant, the pill keeps me regular. However, I knew that if I was to walk my talk and live within the boundaries of what I believed in and what my business stands for then I had to rid the pill from my body.

I discussed this with my partner and he was all for it. "Of course, get the chemicals out of your body", was his response. What happened next I was not prepared for. I skin developed 'bumps'. Bumps were forming everywhere, on my face, on the tops of my arms, on my back. It wasn't a nice thing to see. I started to doubt my decision. However, I knew that I had to push through this.

I stayed 'bumpy' for 3 months, before I went to see my natropath. She told me all about "the pill"...stay tuned for part II.

Zero Waste - Lets Make it Happen in Your Location

Zero Waste in South Australia

Plastic Bags are now banned in South Australia (SA). We congratulate the SA government for this initiative. Let's get the rest of Australia and the World to follow suit.

Non Toxic Life encourages you to take your recycled cloth bags or green bags with you when you go shopping. Say 'No' to plastic bags when you are out and about.

What's wrong with plastic bags?

Plastic bags are seen as a symbol of a wasteful society as they are a form of packaging that is often not essential. Plastic bags are a problem for various reasons:
- As a single use disposable form of packaging, plastic bags are typically used for a short period of time but take hundreds of years to break down in landfill (National Plastic Bags Working Group, Report, page 5).
- Plastic bags are an extremely visible and unsightly component of litter. If plastic bags continue to be used, the number of bags littering the environment will increase over time. Local and State Governments around Australia spend more than $200 million per year picking up litter.
- The production of plastic bags accounts for some 20,000 tonnes of plastic polymer derived from non-renewable resources. While plastic bags can be recycled, only a tiny proportion of plastic bags are collected and reprocessed.
- Plastic bags are considered to be a 'free' commodity, but the cost to households of $10 to $15 per year is added to the price of goods that they purchase.

Marine life mistake plastic bags for food.

- The Sydney Morning Herald (27/12/2008) has reported that an endangered hawksbill turtle was put down after it swallowed plastic and was found sick on a beach at Tomakin, near Batemans Bay in NSW.
- A crocodile died after its capture off Magnetic Island in November 2008. Wildlife authorities found the crocodile had ingested 25 plastic shopping and garbage bags, a plastic wine cooler bag and a rubber float. These items prevented the crocodile from digesting his food so he died of starvation.
- A penguin was found washed up on Troubridge Island with a plastic bag around is breathing passage.
Source: http://www.byobags.com.au/

Tip of the week
To remove Glue - eucalyptus oil will remove glue from clothes, fingers and appliances.

If you know someone who could be interested in this information, you have my permission to pass it on. This article was prepared by Keeta Gibson, public speaker, author and Carbon Reduction Coach from http://www.nontoxiclife.com.au/, your online eco-store for biodegradable, compostable and earthwise goods.

Why is our Acid-Alkaline balance important?

The pH level of our internal body fluids affects every cell in our body. Healthy metabolic processes require an alkaline environment. In contrast, an acidic body is a magnet for illness, disease, cancer and aging. Chronic over-acidity corrodes body tissue, and can ultimately disrupt important cellular activities and functions. Some believe that over-acidity in our bodies is the root of all disease. So long as your body is in an acidic state, it is in a state of degeneration.

What exactly do we mean by Acid and Alkaline?
Acid and alkaline states are measures of pH, or “potential hydrogen”. All organic matter, including the human body has a pH level. The pH scale covers a range from 0-14 (Ph of 7 is neutral, less than 7 is acidic, and above 7 is alkaline).

How to Eliminate Excessive Body Acid
Poor diet and stress increase our body’s acid levels. Eating more alkaline foods and reducing stress will help you maintain a healthy pH level, oxygenate your system, promote healing and prevent illness.

There are many ways to reduce stress in your life. Here we will focus on understanding what food choices you can make to promote an alkaline body state.

Foods contain different levels of acid or alkaline content in their own right. But what determines the pH condition in the body is the whether the food is acid or alkaline forming after being digested. With an understanding of acid or alkaline forming foods, we can work toward our optimum health objective. From a biochemistry perspective, it is the levels of inorganic matter in food (sulphur, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium) that determines its impact on the acidity or alkalinity of our body fluids.

Choosing foods according to whether they are acid forming or alkali forming can have a major impact on your ability to heal and maintain health. Aim for 70-80% of your diet to be alkalizing foods, such as green veggies. That means a much lesser portion of our diet is left for acid forming foods (such as meat and grains). Furthermore, high-quality supplements will help you achieve and maintain a healthy pH balance.

If you know someone who could be interested in this information, you have my permission to pass it on. I'm Keeta Gibson, the Carbon Reduction Coach from http://www.nontoxiclife.com.au/, your online eco-store for biodegradable, compostable and earthwise goods.