To go green or not to go green: The organic question

Aside from being a marketing buzzword nowadays, do any of us know what the term "organic" really means? Or that some federal agencies are just as confused as we are about defining this ubiquitous catchphrase? It's no wonder: look up organic on dictionary.com and find 15 different definitions! In terms of consumer products, organic can mean that most or all ingredients or sources are derived from a plant or animal source as opposed to manufactured chemicals. I'll be talking mostly about home and personal care products and produce in this post.

So how do you decide on buying something that's labeled organic vs. something that isn't? Learn a little bit more about regulation, reading labels, and why the item would be better for you and the environment if it's organic.

Regulation
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) makes efforts to regulate how agriculture, produce, food sources, and farming practices are defined as being organic. The USDA's National Organic Program (NOP) has specific guidelines that producers must follow in order to use an organic label including how agricultural products must be produced and what is used in the production, saving people from worrying that companies are simply using the term organic to charge more.

Unfortunately, the Food and Drug Administration doesn't regulate home and personal care products in terms of being organic. However, a lot of companies (mainly in the cosmetic industry) are pushing to be regulated by the USDA and it's starting to work. The USDA says this about non-agricultural industries:

If a cosmetic, body care product or personal care product contains or is made up of agricultural ingredients and can meet the USDA/NOP organic production, handling, processing, and labeling standards, it may be eligible to be certified under the NOP regulations.

There are, of course, other requirements to meet such as verifying the source of the organic ingredients, how they are produced, that these ingredients are USDA-certified organic, and various label requirements. Sounds like a lot of work just for a little green sticker..
If you're thinking about buying something organic, make sure you read the label and ingredients so you know you're actually paying for the organic ingredients and not just that little green sticker.


Reading the Label
These four label categories will help you understand what you are buying:

100 percent Organic. Products with this label must contain only organically produced ingredients (excluding water and salt). Product may display the USDA Organic seal and must display the certifying agent's name and address.

Organic. These products must contain at least 95% organically produced ingredients (again, excluding water and salt) and the remaining ingredients must consist of non-agricultural substances approved on a national list. The USDA seal can still be used with the certifying agent's name and address.

Made with Organic Ingredients. Products contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients and the label can list up to 3 organic ingredients on the main display, such as a body lotion made with lavender,rosemary, and chamomile. These products may not use the USDA seal.

Less than 70 percent Organic Ingredients. These products cannot use the term organic anywhere on the main display but can identify which ingredients are USDA-certified organic.

Why Organic? And where's the proof?

Food
We've all heard claims that organic food is more nutritious and is better for the environment, your health, and the economy. How true is it? I spent a good week looking up myriads of websites trying to weed through facts and claims. Most of them were extremely biased and both sides claiming numerous studies but would not cite them. Where's the middle ground?

I finally settled on Wikipedia's Organic food article: the author addresses both sides and information is backed up by references. The bottom line of the article:
1) organic food only sometimes has more nutritional value than conventional foods,
2) organic farms don't release chemicals into the environment which have the potential to harm soil, water and wildlife,
3) there is no scientific proof that consuming organic food is better for your health (however there is less risk of chemical-related illness of workers employed at an organic farm compared to workers at a non-organic farm), and
4) organic food sales have gone up by 17-20% in the past few years as demand rises, despite the lack of facts regarding the benefits of organic food.

My opinion: Most organic food tastes better (according to my personal palate anyway), but there are only a few things for which I'm willing to pay more to taste better.

Cosmetics
I have found absolutely zero fact-based evidence that organic makeup and other skin care is better for you. I'm currently in the process of researching whether your skin actually does absorb metals and chemicals, so for now all I can offer is my opinion and personal experience. My skin is prone to acne and using organic skin care has reduced my breakouts significantly.
I would also like to point out that sometimes, risk of allergic reactions can increase with more plant-based ingredients being used. Always test a product on a small inconspicuous area before applying and if possible, before buying a product!

Cleaners/household products
Again, I found an overwhelming lack of scientific evidence that organic cleaners are better for your health and the environment. However, my common sense points out that products that have warnings to only use in well-ventilated areas (the ones that make you light-headed and even pass out if you don't) can in no way be good for you. I've had great success with any organic cleaners I've used and try to stick to ones with pine or citrus oils which are disinfectants.
I've never tried this, but I came across information for non-toxic, clay-based paints which use plant extracts for colors anywhere from pastels to rich, vibrant hues. Not only do you avoid the icky fresh paint smell, but I like the idea of painting like Native Americans did.

Bottom Line
Whether you support and live an organic lifestyle or are deciding on whether you want to or not, I just hope you do your own research and make a decision based on your own personal convictions, not just because someone tells you you're a hippie if you do or that you don't care about the environment if you don't.

Acupuncture follow-up

For my first Acupuncture treatment, I decided to go to Cedar City Community Acupuncture, located south of Maverick on 200 S and Main. There is a one-time $10 paperwork fee on your first visit and a sliding fee scale starting at $15 for the treatment. The treatments are done in a community or group setting consisting of about 5 recliners clustered together in a room. This is supposedly how traditional Acupuncture is done in Asia, the benefits being lower treatment costs and making it easy for you to get your treatment at the same time as a friend or family member.

The Office
The new patient paperwork consisted of about 15 pages of a very thorough medical history and asking very specific questions about your complaints. After I finished this, I waited for about 5 minutes for the Acupuncturist, Carol Levesque, to look over my intake, determine the best combination of points to best help my complaints, and prepare new needles for me (she uses single-use needles and opens a sterile, sealed package for each patient.)
I was escorted to the treatment room which is adjacent to the reception area and hidden behind curtains. The room had dimmed lights and soft music, much like a massage room, and blankets are provided if you get cold. A lot of people I know would probably find the place a little... how to put it... hippy-dippy. I'm used to that kind of thing I suppose, so I didn't mind. I was then asked a few more questions about my complaints then the treatment started.

The Treatment
I was surprised to find that the only needles I even felt were on the tops of my feet. Other placements included the inside of my left ankle, outside of my right ankle, just below my right knee, one below the elbow, middle of the forearm, and between the thumb and finger on both arms, the middle of my chest just below where the collarbones meet, between my eyes, at my hairline, and right on the top of my head. I requested a blanket for my feet, and Carol was very careful not to disturb the needles in my feet and ankles while wrapping them. I found it fairly relaxing and spent most of the time (a little less than an hour) with my eyes closed. I have not noticed any obvious effects yet, but will update again in a few days if I note any changes in my initial complaints.

The Setting
When I got into the treatment room, there were two other chairs being occupied. I was really uncomfortable talking about my health issues with non-personnel strangers in the room. We also realized that Carol is an old acquaintance of my family so she asked a lot of questions about my parents and siblings. That's to be expected, but also very awkward with other people in the room. I would have loved to have fallen asleep and came very close more than a few times, only to be jolted awake by the phone ringing, the door opening, or another patient getting their treatment started. Not that any of these noises were very loud, but I'm a light sleeper. Also, as hard as I tried to fall back asleep, I couldn't help but hear conversations about other patients' health issues. Again, I felt very awkward and uncomfortable. Since I wasn't able to sleep, I started getting pretty bored and antsy by the time Carol came back to take the needles out. Note to self: bring a book next time!

Overall
While I plan on trying Acupuncture again, I'm not sure I will go back to Cedar City Community Acupuncture. I can understand the intended benefits of having a community setting, but after growing up having private interviews with doctors and learning the importance of privacy in my massage practice, I just didn't like it. In the future will make an appointment with Dr. Holcomb at Cedar Natural Health and do another update when that happens.

P.S. - For those of you who were wondering (you know who you are!), this did not happen:

3/4/11 Update

Last night I slept very well. I typically do sleep well but the past few days have had a hard time getting comfortable. I didn't notice a significant difference in my stress levels, but I usually have a major problem with clenching my jaw without realizing it. It's been mostly relaxed all day (even after a very intense gossip session!)

Without getting into too much detail (if you really want to know, go ahead and ask but I won't post it), the biggest effect I've noticed is a reduction in premenstrual symptoms.

Acupuncture

The other day, a friend asked me for my opinion on Acupuncture. I think it's common for people in this area to view things like Acupuncture as a scam run by a quack, but there is actually a lot of science behind the theory of Chi (energy) and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

To de-mystify the term energy, let's think of it in terms of physics. You know how when you have your eyes closed and someone puts their hand REALLY close to you and you can feel the heat before they actually make any contact with you (or when someone is being mean and wants to put their ice cold hand on the back of your neck- YIKES!)? Well, that's the transfer of energy. Same with things like gravity or getting the feeling you're not alone/being watched or instinctual/intuitive urges. For some reason, there is a great separation between physics-related energy and the idea that energy is actually part of the human body. The first step in recognizing the legitimacy of Acupuncture is to erase this separation.

Next is the idea that all Acupuncturists are quacks when in fact, most colleges of Acupuncture require applicants to have a Bachelors degree as an admissions requirement. They then go on and get a 2nd degree in Acupuncture, and many actually go on to receive a Masters or even a Doctorate. That's a lot of schooling just to be a quack, don't you think?

So what IS Acupuncture? This is my favorite definition found on Google: "Acupuncture is based on Chinese traditional medicine. It is the strategic insertion of fine needles into points on the body's surface for the purpose of stimulating healing. This practice is believed to promote the healthy flow of "Qi" or life force, through the body."
www.thenewmedicine.org/resources/definitions

You'll notice the use of the word Qi in this definition- it is pronounced the same as Chi and has the same meaning. The strategic points of insertion are called acu-points and correlate to specific points along energy pathways in the body called Meridians. I'm honestly not sure how ancient China discovered or mapped these meridians, but over hundreds of thousands of years, these acu-points and Meridians have been proven to have effects on our physical and emotional health in pretty much ever aspect of our lives, making Acupuncture a treatment source for a wide range of ailments.

I'll admit that some of the claims of Acupuncture seem pretty far-fetched and downright silly (Acupuncture is better than Botox to get rid of wrinkles, anyone?), but there are many studies that prove certain health conditions can benefit from Acupuncture, such as:

• Headaches
• Stress and anxiety
• Depression
• Low back pain
• Insomnia
• Addictions, particularly smoking
• PMS/menstrual disorders
• Weight loss/craving control
• IBS/digestive disorders

The list goes on, but this gives you a pretty good idea of the types of things that Acupuncture can treat. I learned what is called Acupressure which is the same basic principle of Acupuncture but using topical finger pressure to affect the Acu-points with no needle insertion. I have never experienced Acupuncture but as a follow-up to this post, I plan to sometime soon and will note my thoughts and results when I do!