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This weeks Fresh Abundance news is brought to you by p.e.a.c.h. Board member Tara Foote

Propylene Glycol

A few weeks ago I shared a story in the weekly news that detailed my protracted journey of health that led to a personal breakthrough with the discovery of my own food and chemical allergies. Despite the two week delay and all of the excitement of the p.e.a.c.h Farm School fundraiser, Brightspirit's new grandson, and the numerous birthdays and baby showers I have attended since we last met, I have finally found the time to reflect and bring you that list of Propylene Glycol products I promised.

As the cold weather hits and skin gets dryer, take a moment to read the labels on your lotions and potions that hydrate you during the high pressure of the winter season. Among other chemicals like Parabens that ordinarily appear on the labels of personal care products, Propylene Glycol is a relatively common chemical that can be found in a surprising, if not shocking, number of products. My allergy to this chemical was fairly easy to remedy since the only products I was using that contained it were my prescriptions to deal with the rashes I was getting (Propylene Glycol can be found in Corticosteroid creams in concentrations up to 70%) and my twice yearly trip to the salon to have my hair done (Propylene Glycol was found in EVERY product my hair stylist used, including all hair dyes etc.). Prior to discovering my allergy, I knew better but reasoned with myself every time I went to see her thinking, "I know there are bad chemicals in these products but a couple times a year won't hurt. Unless, of course, you have a severe allergy to the most common chemical used in all of those products, which I do.

For many years now, I have been suspicious of conventional products and while some people have undoubtedly called me paranoid for this, I find that my thinking is actually very sane and well researched. Deciphering the language of hundreds of chemicals found in our food and body care products was actually a HUGE part of the early work of p.e.a.c.h. Of many chemicals we found on labels, (including Propylene Glycol) our work unveiled that most, if not all of the chemicals were carcinogenic, endocrine disrupting lab experiments that paradoxically attempted to mimic nature by bringing us products like a dryer sheet that "smelled" like rain and lotion that "felt" like pearls. While this work became invariably frustrating at times, it could also be fun, in a strange sort of way. Sometimes things were so ludicrous and unbelievable, that all we could do was laugh. Who knew, for example, that artificial strawberry flavor had something like 26 lab created chemicals in it to make it the perfect pink strawberry flavored beverage? And so it goes, until people forget what a home made, hand picked and churned, strawberry milkshake really tastes like. The good news is you can still make a great milkshake with only a couple of healthy ingredients.

So where do you find Propylene Glycol? According to the Dermatology Contact Clinic of Oregon Health Sciences University, and stated on the information sheet given to me by my doctor, Propylene Glycol can be found in "thousands of over the counter and prescription products." In my own research I have found that it is essentially anti freeze, highly carcinogenic, and can cause a host of reactions in human beings, both local and systemic. Of the thousands of products, here is a list, as promised, of some of the most common culprits.

They include; antifreeze and synthetic resins, automotive brake fluid, bath oils, cosmetics, deodorants, food additives-solvent for colors and flavors, emulsifiers, foot powders, hair conditioners, hair dyes, humectants for tobacco, moisturizing preparations, mouthwashes, nail polish and remover, perfumes, (and) pharmaceuticals (including) topical corticosteroids, ear preparations, lubricant, electrocardiogram gels, and injectables" Glycol is also commonly found in shampoos and shaving creams. This list came from my doctor, but in my own research I have found it in cake mixes and other unsuspecting places as well. All I can think is how on earth does one of the main ingredients in antifreeze get into our food chain and how safe is it really to wash your hair with it, or put it under your arms, or lather it all over your body in lotions?  The answer is complicated but the solution is not.  There are natural alternatives to every single one of these products, and using them, for me personally, makes me feel the very opposite of paranoid, it makes me feel powerful.

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Community Roots Market Sunday 11-4
Green Smoothie Class at Fresh Abundance 2015 N Division 6PM $10 prepaid and $15 at the door

Have a great week, Tara