Are There Flame Retardants in Your Sandwiches?

Organic mattress shoppers will be interested to know the latest news by the Huffington Post that has highlighted a study finding flame retardant chemicals in consumer’s sandwiches in the USA. The idea of toxic chemicals in your lunchtime sandwiches is quite a scary one, the new study of testing popular products from grocery stores in Dallas, Texas, found that nearly half of the sampled peanut butter and cold cuts, as well as turkey, fish, beef and other fatty foods, contained traces of a flame retardant commonly used in the foam insulation of building walls. "This is not good news. Here's yet another toxic chemical that can be found in many of the foods we buy at our supermarkets," said Dr. Arnold Schecter of the University of Texas School of Public Health and an author of the study published on Thursday. "Food does not need to have flame retardants." The flame retardant found by Schecter's team was hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), which is just the latest in a string of manmade chemicals that researchers are discovering in popular foods. Previous research has turned up DDT, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury, dioxins and other flame retardants. And this is in addition to the chemicals purposefully added to products during processing, or that leach into food from packaging. These chemicals pose health concerns that range from diabetes to cancer. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, HBCD is "highly toxic" to marine life and may disrupt the proper function of human hormones and reproduction. Particularly worrying are the chemical's potentially damaging effects to a young child, even in the foetal stage of development. Sonya Lunder, a senior analyst with the Environmental Working Group (EWG), noted that the chemical has been discovered in umbilical cord blood. "The prenatal period is an incredibly sensitive time," she said, adding that breastfeeding and toddlers' penchant for putting their hands (and other objects) in their mouths is likely to add to a body's early burden of the chemical. "Exposure starts before birth and may continue on in the diet for their entire life." These are the flame retardants that are pumped into conventional mattresses, sofa’s, car seats, carpeting, and building materials all around us. The worst offending piece of furniture is our mattress as we sleep on it for half our lives. Investment in an organic mattress is an investment in your health. P.s : Make your sandwiches at home!! EWG article: http://www.ewg.org/news/huff-post-flame-retardants-your-sandwich Huffington post article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/31/fire-retardants-food-peanut-butter-meat_n_1559062.html?ref=green

Is Your Child Getting the Ideal Sleep for Optimal Learning?

The end of the Summer Holidays is already here and all those late nights and late risings are now heading out the window as the time fast approaches to get kids sleep habits and sleep schedule back on track. Not only is important for helping get them to school on time, but poor sleep can also lead to issues with school work, mood swings and health.
With help from Alberta’s Chiropractors in Canada we’ve compiled the following advice for helping kids back into that natural sleep routine for school.
1. Once you’ve set a sleep schedule, try and maintain it. Don’t use weekends to catch up on sleep, or slip out of the schedule, as it will have a jet lag effect and catch up with the kids on Monday.

2. Establish a relaxing bedtime ritual quiet time before bed to help them unwind, bath, story or reading time will help their mind settle down to sleep.

3. Maintain a relaxing sleeping environment, all electrical switched off or out of the room. The room should be dark, and video’s laptops, TV’s and Blackberry’s should be out of the room

4. Avoid large meals close to bedtime, as children may struggle to sleep as their body works to digest their food.

5. Avoid high sugary foods, snacks and drinks, including caffeinated ones like Fizzy drinks, up to 6 hours before they sleep.

6. Make sure you have the right pillow and mattress for your child, this is essential. A mattress should be comfortable supportive, and be flexible and adapt to the body’s shape whilst still providing firm support. An Organic mattress without harmful chemicals is important for longer term health benefits, so we recommend a natural latex mattress, which has no metal in and is therefore electromagnetically neutral. Pillows are also very important- for side sleepers, the head, neck and shoulders should remain level with the mid and lower spine. For back sleepers, the head and neck should remain level with the upper back and spine. Avoid pillows that are so thick or thin they angle the head and neck away from the body. We Recommend the Lana all Natural Latex Organic Mattress for children who sleep on their side or the Coco Lana for younger children or children who sleep on their back or stomach.

7. The best positions to sleep in are on the back and side which allows your head, neck and spine to relax into their natural alignment, sleeping on your stomach doesn’t allow you to do this and can cause stiffness in the morning.


8. Read more: http://www.thenownews.com/health/Help+your+child+well+rested+learning/5331844/story.html#ixzz1WbRhcxLq

Switch to a Metal Free Bed for Perfect Sleep

Organic mattress lovers will be interested to know how they can improve their sleep.
We are surrounded by technology everywhere we go, and often it becomes a part of our bedroom too; mobile phones under the pillow as we sleep, or a stereo next to the bed, or even a laptop on the floor or TV on the wall! All of these products emit radiation as well as electronic pulses that can interfere with the subtle electronic pulses in our brain.
Constant use in our bedroom environment can leave our bedroom feeling charged with negative ions that also cause our body damage, add to that a metal bed or the metal springs in our mattress and we could be distorting the energy in our room to the extent that could put our immune system in a permanent state of stress, the long term effect on our health therefore being affected. Even Low levels of this electro-magnetic smog and radiation pollution can distort the impulses in our brain and cause things such as headaches, nausea, muscular tension, night sweats and in the worst case, heart palpitations.
The solution is to switch to a mattress that is metal free; a metal free mattress is electromagnetically neutral and will result in a more peaceful sleep. Switch to a wooden bed and if you can, remove as many electrical gadgets from your room at night and invest in a calming and peaceful bed time routine, such as a few moments of deep breathing, meditation or reading a book. A salt lamp is also excellent to burn to counteract negative ions in the air with positive ones. Even if you are already keeping your bedroom gadget free, an electronically neutral metal free mattress will ensure that you really do get away from the stresses of the day when you go to bed.

Top Tips for Creating a Healthy Bedroom

Organic mattress lovers will be interested in IBTimes UK’s top tips for making sure you have a healthy bedroom.

As they rightly point out you do spend half your life in your bedroom so making sure that it is ecologically good for your health is essential.
1. Pillows – IBTimes UK suggest that getting rid of artificial synthetic fabric pillows is essential such as petroleum based foam or polyester, as these emit VOC compounds that can cause headaches, nausea, eye, throat irritation and possibly asthma attacks. Choose natural products such as natural latex instead.

2. Mattress – Opt for a natural latex mattress or organic cotton mattress because normal mattresses contain over 71 chemicals. To begin with they contain fire retardants (polbrominated biphenyl ethers, or PBDE’s), they also contain stain and moisture resistant chemicals that are toxic to humans. They also contain Formaldehyde. PVC was also used in Baby mattresses but watch out when you buy a mattress that it is PVC free as it was banned in 2009. It’s also important to change your mattress every 10 years due to Dust mite faeces which can build up in an ordinary mattress. So if your mattress is aging, better change it soon. An organic mattress contains no VOC chemicals, PVC Phthalates or any of the other toxic chemicals present in normal mattresses.

3. Bed Linen – Buying normal cotton may sound like the healthiest option, next to synthetic materials, but cotton is considered the world’s dirtiest crop. 16% of the world’s pesticides and insecticides are used on growing cotton which is bad for human and animal health. Buying organic cotton is healthier for the whole plant and yourself. Organic cotton, sheets, or hemp ones are best, but make sure that ecological dies have been used otherwise it egates the point really!

4. Shoe free zone – Avoid wearing shoes in your bedroom as they bring toxins, germs and bacteria from the outside world into your room.

5. Electricals – Electronic devices in the bedroom can interfere with sleep, leave phones, laptops, ipads, and t.v’s out of there, or at least especially not near your bed>

6. Creating Ambience – Ambience is good, it gets you in the mood to relax and unwind, use Soy Candles instead of Paraffin wax which emits VOC’s!

For any help creating a greener bedroom contact us at www.buyorganics.co.uk. We have a complete range of bedding that will raise the health barometer in your bedroom instantaneously.

Men stop sharing your bed, oh and you too Ladies!

Organic matttress fans will be tickled to know that the latest research today suggests that men who share their bed with a partner do not get a good night sleep and their performance is reduced the next day. According to the study, women are not affected so much as they sleep more deeply at night.

At first I was scoffing in surprise but then realised that the study does acknowledge that both partners sleep poorly when sharing a bed, but men just fare worse off. Maybe it's a bit like man flu!

How to get chemicals out of your mattress

An article today in the San Francisco Chronicle shared some top tips to getting chemicals and poisons out of your mattress.

Choosing a chemical free organic mattress or organic futon should be a number one priority on every ones list because of the following facts

Polyurethane Foam is one of the number one ingredients in mattresses these days, and off gassing from polyurethane foam can release harmful petrochemicals into the air as you sleep. The Petroleum based chemicals used in making foam are polymers and urethane, which contains an Isocyanate compound. The Isocyanate compound is one of the main culprits that causes illness, asthma and other diseases. Memory foam mattresses use an Isocyanate called TDI (Toluene Di-Isocyanate), which has a strong odor and over time seeps through a mattress, and into the air. These chemicals in mattresses releases hydrocarbons that evaporate into the air we breath throughout a mattress' lifetime. These hydrocarbons are powerful carcinogenic chemicals, attacking and severely damaging the immune and nervous systems of adults and children. United States Department of Labour, claims that the health effects of an Isocyanate exposure include irritation to skin, mucous membranes, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing.

Hidden fire retardants are the other issue as San Francisco Chronicle points out, The government here as well as in the U.S requires that mattresses must be flame retardant. PBDE, Polybrominated Dipheyl Ethers are commonly found in mattresses especially older ones and mattresses made in China. As the foam decomposes over time, harmful PBDE in older mattresses can pollute your bedroom. According to an EPA study in 2008, PBDE is especially toxic to brain development, leading to damage in learning and behaviour. This is not all that maybe in your mattress though. Melamine, TDCPP, APP and pentaBDE as well as cynanide may be sleeping with you at night.

Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey believes that Fire Retardants should be eliminated from all mattresses, he says, " America's system for regulating industrial chemicals is broken. Parents are afraid because hundreds of untested chemicals are found in their child's body." Many parents bring their newborn or toddler into their bed, unintentional harming their children. The EPA and the Agency of Toxic Substances and disease registry does claim that, " children do differ from adults in their susceptibility to hazardous chemicals, including carcinogens and neuro-developmental effects of the fire retardants commonly used in baby mattresses" This unfortunately doesn't just apply to America but to the UK too. But you don't get many high profile MP's fighting the case for consumer safety in the UK.

The latest advice from some bodies regarding cot mattresses recommends that we use ones with a pvc cover to avoid cot death, if nature intended us to cradle our babies in pvc, surely it would grow on trees! San Francisco chronicle points out that PVC waterproofs fabrics but has petroleum chlorine in it which is a known carcinogen.

At buyorganics we specialise in organic mattresses and organic futons without any chemicals toxins or poisons. We are trying to make your sleeping environment safer by recommending a safer choice of foam fill - botanical latex which comes specifically from plants, namely the rubber tree. The way it is formulated for us using the Dunlop method, nothing artificial, chemical, toxic or poisonous is added providing you with a 100% plant based mattress that is naturally hypo allergenic, and dust mite repellent. This combined with nothing but natural fibres and no chemical or toxic fire retardants is better for yours and your children's health all round.

 

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/06/14/prweb8554183.DTL#ixzz1PLQWNJOq

 

 

 

Do You Rest Enough?

Organic mattress lovers will be interested to know that proper rest is more than just a matter of getting a good night's sleep! Expert Dr Davidicus Wong advises that adequate rest is essential to our overall health, mental wellbeing, happiness and longevity.

 

Although 8 hours of sleep is essential to this formula, other forms of rest are also essential to help us cope with the pressures of multimedia, social networking, work and multi-tasking. Rest can take the form of spiritual rest such as yoga and meditation, physical and mental, rest such as taking a relaxing walk to the sound of pleasing music.

 

Make time every day to let your body re-coop or you could pay the price with your health later. Another great health tip, followed by many of our parents and a good lesson in life, go for a walk after having your dinner and before going to sleep. This maintains a healthy weight and fits with your body's natural rhythm.

Natural Beds in Un-Natural Positions Won’t bring you Good Sleep!

Room layout can be a tricky thing! The majority of rooms in British houses are quite small, so space is not always available to place your natural bed in the most ideal position.

The Position of your bed is however a very important factor to getting a good night's sleep. As a firm follower of Feng Shui principles, I have always been concerned about the placement of furniture in my home, much to my families' dismay; they are however used to it now, and also believe in it after seeing the results.

Feng Shui is the Chinese Art of Placement, it advocates that Chi Energy (the Energy of Life) if channelled correctly can enhance our lives and assist us to reach our goals.

Depending on how Chi Energy enters your bedroom mostly through doors and windows, and flows through the room, it will either hinder your sleep or enhance it. If for instance the Chi Energy enters your room very fast because it is flowing straight up the stairs and into your bedroom door without being slowed down by having to go round a corner for instance (a bit like this sentence!), then a natural bed anywhere in line of the doorway will receive fast flowing chi energy that is not conducive to sleep. Placing a natural bed directly facing the door (as if your feet are pointing out towards the door exit) is known as the coffin position for obvious reasons. This is not a good place to put your natural bed to get a good night's sleep. If it can't be helped, then place an object between the door and the bed such as a plant to slow down Chi Energy.

Also a bad idea is to place your natural bed in between two facing windows as this brings illness. As Chi Energy flows right through one window and out the other it takes positive Chi Energy away from you too quickly. If this position can't be helped then block one window by using something like room divider.

Wherever you place your natural bed, the number one rule is for you to be able to see the door; this is an empowered position that allows you to see what's coming into your life. If your natural bed is placed in a position where you can't see the door then ideally place a mirror on the wall in a position that allows you to see the doors reflection whilst you are lying in your bed. If this is impractical then you may be able to hang a gazing ball almost like a disco ball in your room that allows you to see its reflection that way.

 

 

 

 

 

Where does the latex come from in buyOrganics Latex mattresses? And how pure is it?

We often get asked about the purity of our latex in our latex mattresses by customers who find it really frustrating trying to figure out whether other online companies are selling really pure latex mattresses like ours or are just making empty claims.

Now with new regulations in place, it is no longer possible to make empty claims so we thought we’d show you directly what goes into the making of our latex and where it comes from.

The latex in our Boomarang brand latex mattresses comes from a company called Latex Green. They are a 100% natural latex foam manufacturer based in Columbo, Sri Lanka. The Rubber only comes from a specific planation and they have over 60 years’ hands on technical experience in Rubber technology and manufacture. Much more expertise than could be presented by a small, new or un-established company. The trees from the plantation remove 143 metric tonnes of Carbon Dioxide from the environment in 1 year alone. Meaning that your latex mattress is not only chemical free and pure, but is green in combating Climate change as well.

The process used is a Dunlop process rather than the Talalay method. General expert consensus is that this traditional method of latex production produces much sturdier latex foam and subsequently latex mattress which is more durable than the Talalay method of production. The Talalay method also allows for the introduction of chemicals so it is more difficult to assess the latex’s purity.

The Dunlop process at the Latex Green factory uses a high tech U.S foaming machine in which air is blended with latex to achieve the required density and hardness during its foaming and gelling process.

As a 100% natural latex manufacturer with customers who are particularly looking for a 100% pure product only, they choose their ingredients carefully.

The pure latex foam is then vulcanised using a steam cure technique that uses a highly energy efficient machine with design engineered pin moulds that keep the latex undisturbed through the process. The following multi washing cycle uses only pure clean drinkable water to wash the latex. The final stage involves a soft condition drying mechanism which is unique to latex green to enhance the natural feel of the end product.

The latex is quality controlled for correct hardness, weight and look so that you can be assured that the latex that goes into your mattress has been checked to ensure that it is in perfect condition before it goes into your mattress.

There are no toxic or synthetic fire retardents or other artificial additives or chemicals used in the latex foam or in any of the processes at Latex green, subsequently there are absolutely none used in the final production of our latex mattresses. The foam has subsequently been certified by oeko tex and our final latex mattress production involves the use of only natural fibres without any fire retardants or toxic glues. Where gluing of layers is required only natural rubber solution is used.


How can we be sure? If you paid for veggie burger and you got a beef burger you’d see, taste and smell the difference wouldn’t you?

With certifications and a fully transparent supply chain, we can see where our fabrics and materials come from so that when we assemble the components without the addition of anything impure we know with 100% confidence that what we are providing the end consumer is what we say it is.

See the video of production here

Keen DIYers may adopt latex mattresses in home improvement schemes

Latex mattresses could become popular among homeowners who are looking to make the most out of DIY tips while improving their property.

According to the Cayman Net News, the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands is currently offering an interior design course as part of its Continuing Education programme.

The news source stated organiser of the sessions Lisa Ebanks teaches both theory and practical work, offering tips of the trade in the process - such as the use of colour.

She told the publication: "We learnt it is not good to use red in bedrooms if you have high blood pressure," before adding: "Blues are good for the bedroom."

And those inspired by her remarks to spruce up their living area may want to invest in a latex mattress in the process.

The Ramsey mattress - described as the finest luxury natural latex mattress in the market today - is available on buyOrganics and is created with pure chemical-free latex.

Latex mattresses may be perfect for those 'clearing the cobwebs'

A natural latex mattress could be a good investment for people who are looking to spruce up their home and sleep better in the process.

In an article for wonderwoman.in, Richard Laliberte and Benia Se noted regularly replacing bedding items is a good idea and can improve and individual's health.

The writers explained swapping pillows removes the risk of bacteria being drawn to areas where hair and body oils are soaked in.

In addition, the journalists suggested homeowners change mattresses every five to seven years to improve the quality of their sleep.

They said: "A study at Oklahoma State University found that most people who switched to new bedding after 5 years sleep significantly better and [experience] back pain [on fewer occasions]."

And those taking heed of their advice might find they benefit from a natural latex mattress from buyOrganics.
The product is handmade in the UK and completely metal free, wrapped in pure organic Welsh wool and finished with a fixed organic cotton cover.

How to Care for and Clean your Natural Latex Mattress

Sleep is obviously an essential part of our daily routine. Therefore it’s really important that our mattress is not only clean in the sense of being toxin and chemically free but also daily clean from daily dust, mites, skin cells, and other allergens. A clean healthy mattress will give you a comfy and restful sleep.

1. Flip your latex mattress over and around every six months. To provide even wear, flip your latex mattress so that the top is now on the bottom, and turn it so that the foot of the mattress is now at the head. Depending on the size of your mattress, this can easily be a two person job. Be careful to protect your back and try not to let a latex mattress fold on itself otherwise it may get damaged.

2. Cover your latex mattress, to protect it and extend time between cleanings . Consider purchasing an organic mattress cover such as the Molton Mattress Protector, to protect the surface of your mattress. The mattress preotctor should be washable, easy to remove and replace on your mattress such as the Molton which can be washed at up to 95C which will kill dust mites.

3. Manually Remove dust from your latex mattress surface. Dust, dander, and dust mites build up in your latex mattress naturally, although the internal wool layer will prevent them from travelling deep into the mattress core. Even those of us without allergies can begin to notice dust and dirt in our latex mattress. Vacuum your mattress using the upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner on a weekly basis. If someone does have allergies in your home, you may need to vacuum more frequently and/or purchase mattress covers.

4 If the latex mattress surface becomes dirty or soiled, then patch wash the soiled area. Mix a mild detergent with water until suds form. Apply the dry suds only to the soiled area using a sponge. Wipe the area with a sponge that has had warm water wrung from it. Allow the area to dry thoroughly. If the cover is removable remove it and machine wash at about 60C to kill dust mites, but do not use the mattress until the cover is put back on. Don’t allow the interior padding of the mattress to get wet. If it's warm outside, you can dry a mattress quickly outside. You can also use a fan blowing across the mattress surface to insure that it dries quickly

5 Air Your Latex Mattress Regularly. As often as possible , remove all sheets and coverings from the latex mattress, after hoovering the mattress and floor below the bed , open windows and allow the air to circulate around the mattress.