The scientist have done it again. They have discovered how important it is for us to keep in touch with nature, walk in the woods and enjoy the trees. They have also taken the time to isolate wood essential oils emitted from the trees and leaves as one of the main health benefits of being in nature.

We carry many of the tree essential oils in our store, cedar wood, pine, fire and cypress to mention a few.  read more here

But really. Do we need to have a scientist to tell us what we already know. Who can not walk through a forest and feel a sense of calm wash over them. Fly fishing is a sport who's participants  know that the catch is the prize but the reward is a day spent being in nature and breathing in all those wonderful smells.

Science will need a long time to isolate all the benefits that the natural world brings to humans. In the mean time I hope they can do studies that help protect the green spaces that we still have.   

We are Free Spirit Botanicals because we love nature and all it has to offer. Nature is abundant with cures for our diseases and illness.  Take some time this summer solstice to enjoy the extra long days, walk in the woods and feel the cool waters wash away the winter stress.

There are a lot of studies being done about sunscreen these days. These studies are being funded by the manufacturers, chemical companies and consumer groups. The most interesting thing about the studies is that they contradict each other.
All of the studies have some sense of validity. The risk comes in putting too much faith in the products themselves and not enough in common sense. Sun Blocks that don't come off in the water penetrate the skin deeply. Sunblocks that wash off easily need to be re applied more frequently, but do not penetrate the skin. Chemicals that penetrate our skin reach our blood stream and can have an adverse effect on our skin and immune systems through cumulative use.


Recent medical research is indicating that certain sunscreen ingredients are in fact having a detrimental effect through cumulative use. I was also surprised to find out that the UVA rays that cause sunburn are not the same as the UVB rays that are responsible for causing many of the skin cancers. A lot of commercial sunblocks only protect against the UVA rays.
When applied to breast cancer cells in vitro (test tubes) the following chemicals increased cancer cell proliferation/growth:

• Benzophenone-3
• Homosalate
• Octyl Methoxycinnamate
• 4 Methyl-benzylidene camphor (4-MBC)
• Ocryl-dimethyl-PABA
  These are the Chemicals found in your typical store bought sunscreens that they sell to you and you may be using on your children!  Even some health food store brands have these chemicals in them.
  
  [Source: Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 109, Number 3, March 2001, In Vitro and in Vivo Estrogenicity of UV Screens.
  Margaret Schlumpf, Beata Cotton, Marianne Conscience, Vreni Haller, Beate Steinmann, and Walter Lichtensteiger]

In fact one particular article by Professor Johan Moan of the Norwegian Cancer Institute (Moan, J. & Dahlback, A. The relationship between skin cancers, solar radiation and ozone depletion. British journal of Cancer, Vol. 65, No. 6, June 1992, PP. 916-21) makes the startling discovery that the increased occurrence of skin cancers is attributed more to the increased use of traditional sunscreens (with the nasty chemicals) than the depletion of the ozone layer.
He also notes that Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world per head of population, and that Queensland has the highest rate in Australia.
All of our sunscreens are free from ingredients like:
Octyl Methoxycinnamate, octinate, Octyl dimethyl PABA,Benzophenone, Oxybenzone, Phenethyl Alcohol,  Parsol-17,4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor, Phenoxyethanol, Diazolidinylurea,Hydroxybenzoates, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic, Methyl Paraben, PropylParaben, Sodium laurel sulphate.
We recommend that you investigate the above ingredients in order to assist you in making a conscientious, informed choice.
The research data is readily available on the web.

The Sun is not an enemy, it is healthy in moderation and with the proper protection the whole family can enjoy the summer.  Slap on natural non-toxic sunscreen, wear a hat, put a shirt on when in the water for prolonged stretches of time and monitor exposure. And enjoy the outdoors and sun this summer.  Suwndawg products are a good bet for blocking out both types of sun rays.

Why are our bees disappearing.

 Last week I planted wild flowers to help out our poor bees. It seems GMO crops have a lot to do with affecting the immune system of bees all over North America. Monsanto started planting GMO crops in Maui a couple of years ago. Coincidentally the bee population has been in decline ever since.

Bacillus thuringiensis

( Bt) is proving to be the culprit. Scientist have modified crops to contain this bacteria. Most of the corn comming from California is GMO corn. Man made crops containing Bt have a weakening affect on the bees. It seems to make them loose their way back to the nest causing Colony Collapse Disorder ( CCD) Bt is found in the pollen of the crops. It will then be found in the bee pollen. Studies from Jenna University shows that bees fed Bt have a low resistant to mites. Mites are another cause for the reduction in bees.  It has been 15 years since GMO crops were allowed in Canada. This is just the first results of  GMO technology, so how will the long term results be on  humans and nature ( insect, plants and animals). The certain way to avoid GMO food is to buy organic. 

More news from Global news on Pesticides and the affects on our bees. Click Here