Treating Cancer with a Green Lifestyle , PART ONE

Monday, May 26th, 2008, 3:24 pm

Do you ever try to put a particularly tough day in perspective and calm yourself by saying “hey, it isn’t like I’m curing cancer”. As if curing cancer is commonly known to be the toughest task in the world and the act of doing so would justify all extraordinary and self-less efforts. What if you could help prevent cancer in you and your family partially through simple green living? What if this seemingly difficult task was made easier by adopting the principles of adopting an organic and eco-friendly lifestyle? What if you could help prevent cancer by changing the choices you make everyday?

Sound too good to be true? I know. I hear it everyday. People are immediately skeptical. My husband, Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, has been treating cancer patients for over 20 years with his own medical protocol based on personalized diets, nutritional supplements and a non-toxic, green lifestyle. He can best explain his treatment and results so I’ll provide a link to his website where you can find case studies, press, testimonials and details on his protocol.

What you won’t find on his website is what you can do yourself to create the safest, least toxic environment possible for you and your family. This is the best protection you have against disease, and you don’t need fancy doctors or health insurance. We live in an increasingly toxic world with chemicals in everything from the rugs we walk barefoot on to the home cleaning products we pour on the home surfaces we touch to the personal care products we put on our skin to the food we use to fuel our bodies. When you rid yourself of the toxins around you and your family, you enable your body to focus on healing itself rather than fighting off the chemicals and your body can live in a purer, more natural state.

Tags: cancer, organic, green, healthy

Treating Cancer with a Green Lifestyle PART TWO

Monday, May 26th, 2008, 3:19 pm

Tags: cancer, organic, healthy

Green Anxiety

Tuesday, May 13th, 2008, 11:05 am

I think I’m making myself sick. When I’m not thinking about new ways to go green, I’m thinking about how to get rid of the things in my life that aren’t green. As my green options have increased, so does my anxiety over making my life even greener.

Seven years ago, when I first started learning how to live an eco-friendly lifestyle, green products and information on how to go green were not easily available. There were just a few local options for where to get local and organic food, and only a few companies (many online or catalog companies) who made non-toxic cleaning supplies, natural personal care products and organic sheets/towels. Back then, finding low VOC paint, reverse osmosis water filters, natural carpeting, natural fiber clothing and sustainable furniture was very difficult. Yet, committed as I was to this eco-lifestyle, I searched out and found the few, true, green companies and just resolved myself to knowing that I was doing my best.

Now, with so many new green companies and products launching, I’m like a kid in a candy store finding new green treats everyday online and in local stores. Green television programming, websites and blogs surround me. Organic tee shirts, bamboo pillowcases, non-toxic nail polish, natural hair color, sustainable sofas…and I want it all! And when I have gifts to buy for others, all I can think about are all the fabulous green gift options, even if the gift recipient is likely not to even notice.

So, my green friends, I ask you…

Is it green to worry so much about going green when that means your mind is consumed with more consumption?

Is it green to want to support new green companies when that means buying things that must be shipped by gas guzzling, carbon foot-printing trucks and planes across the country?

Is it green to recycle my non-green items when that means giving my non-sustainable and chemically sprayed furniture to others?

Is it green to donate my abandoned, unopened, toxic personal care items to the poor when that means they might be the ones to get cancer?

When I struggle with these questions, I remind myself to strive for balance. I’ll continue to try to dispose of my “non-green” stuff properly. When I can, I’ll buy locally so that I don’t expend energy on delivery. And, of course, spending is only one half of the puzzle. As excited as I am about all the fabulous new green products on the market, I’ll aim to just buy what I need, not what I want. And every day, I’ll just keep doing my best.

Mary Beth Gonzalez

Tags: anxiety, morality, life balance

The Ultimate Green Mother's Day Gift Guide

Sunday, May 4th, 2008, 1:22 pm

Here at iVillage, we hear a lot about what Moms really want. And it isn’t jewelry or a scarf or even breakfast in bed. What Mom really, really wants is a good night’s sleep!

Mom has a lot on her mind at night and while we cannot make all Mom’s worries or her To Do list go away this Mother’s Day, we can help create the ultimate, environmentally-friendly, non-toxic, sleep environment so when her head does hit the pillow, she can have the best night’s sleep of her life, every night.

Here are a few suggestions for the Ultimate Green Mother’s Day Gift:

Get Her In the Mood:

First, Mom needs a little something to get her in the mood like a soothing, holistic, relaxing bath in Dr. Hauschka’s Lavender Bath. Try their entire aromatherapy line with their bath trial/ travel kit which includes Lavender Bath as well as Lemon Bath, Rosemary Bath, Sage Bath and Spruce Bath.

Wrap Her Up in Luxury:

Out of the warm bath…wrap Mom into a 100% Organic Cotton Robe from Under the Canopy. They have soft, cozy, “one size fits most” (which saves you from the embarrassing wrong size dilemma) kimono style robes in several pretty colors like mermaid and seashell.

Slip Her into Something Special:

Then Mom needs a special nightgown to slip into. I love DreamSack’s Bamboo simple nightshirts that are 95% Bamboo, 5% Spandex. Bamboo is a highly renewable, sustainable grass that is now used in a wide range of fabrics and household items. It feels like silk and yet can be thrown in the washer and dryer (which will make Mom love you even more).

Make Her Bed Magic:

Mom deserves bedding she loves that beckons her every night and welcomes her every morning. Sleeping in 100% organic cotton is an important green solution and thankfully organic sheet decor now comes in more than just “natural”. Try lovely printed 250 thread count sateen sheet sets and duvets like Earth Grove from Under the Canopy. Their gorgeous soothing bedding washes up beautifully soft and holds their color well (check out the photo to take a peak at my bedroom!)

Protect Against Bed Head:

Place Mom’s head on luxurious 95% bamboo pillow cases from DreamSack’s Bamboo Dreams pillowcase in 250 thread count. Mom will feel like she is sleeping on silk.

Sweet Dreams Guaranteed:

Bring her a cup of sweet dreams with organic calming tea. Numi’s Rosy Dreams herbal tea combines chamomile, lavender and rose petals for the ultimate relaxing tea. Numi is a strong, sustainable friend of the environment so take another look and try their Sweet Meadows tea with chamomile and lemon myrtle. And as frequenters of this blog know, Traditional Medicinals’ Organic Nighty Night tea does the trick for me every time.

Please share your own plans for making Mom’s day special for her and special for the planet this year.

Mary Beth Gonzalez

iVillage.com

The Ultimate Green Mother's Day Gift Guide

Sunday, May 4th, 2008, 1:22 pm

Here at iVillage, we hear a lot about what Moms really want. And it isn’t jewelry or a scarf or even breakfast in bed. What Mom really, really wants is a good night’s sleep!

Mom has a lot on her mind at night and while we cannot make all Mom’s worries or her To Do list go away this Mother’s Day, we can help create the ultimate, environmentally-friendly, non-toxic, sleep environment so when her head does hit the pillow, she can have the best night’s sleep of her life, every night.

Here are a few suggestions for the Ultimate Green Mother’s Day Gift:

Get Her In the Mood:

First, Mom needs a little something to get her in the mood like a soothing, holistic, relaxing bath in Dr. Hauschka’s Lavender Bath. Try their entire aromatherapy line with their bath trial/ travel kit which includes Lavender Bath as well as Lemon Bath, Rosemary Bath, Sage Bath and Spruce Bath.

Wrap Her Up in Luxury:

Out of the warm bath…wrap Mom into a 100% Organic Cotton Robe from Under the Canopy. They have soft, cozy, “one size fits most” (which saves you from the embarrassing wrong size dilemma) kimono style robes in several pretty colors like mermaid and seashell.

Slip Her into Something Special:

Then Mom needs a special nightgown to slip into. I love DreamSack’s Bamboo simple nightshirts that are 95% Bamboo, 5% Spandex. Bamboo is a highly renewable, sustainable grass that is now used in a wide range of fabrics and household items. It feels like silk and yet can be thrown in the washer and dryer (which will make Mom love you even more).

Make Her Bed Magic:

Mom deserves bedding she loves that beckons her every night and welcomes her every morning. Sleeping in 100% organic cotton is an important green solution and thankfully organic sheet decor now comes in more than just “natural”. Try lovely printed 250 thread count sateen sheet sets and duvets like Earth Grove from Under the Canopy. Their gorgeous soothing bedding washes up beautifully soft and holds their color well (check out the photo to take a peak at my bedroom!)

Protect Against Bed Head:

Place Mom’s head on luxurious 95% bamboo pillow cases from DreamSack’s Bamboo Dreams pillowcase in 250 thread count. Mom will feel like she is sleeping on silk.

Sweet Dreams Guaranteed:

Bring her a cup of sweet dreams with organic calming tea. Numi’s Rosy Dreams herbal tea combines chamomile, lavender and rose petals for the ultimate relaxing tea. Numi is a strong, sustainable friend of the environment so take another look and try their Sweet Meadows tea with chamomile and lemon myrtle. And as frequenters of this blog know, Traditional Medicinals’ Organic Nighty Night tea does the trick for me every time.

Please share your own plans for making Mom’s day special for her and special for the planet this year.

Mary Beth Gonzalez

iVillage.com