Pregnant Women and Flame Retardants?

This seems like an odd combination, but sadly it's a combination that is wide-spread. This was evidenced in a study conducted through the University of California at San Francisco. Polybrominted diphenyl ethers or PBDE's are chemicals used in flame retardants and were very prevalent in California because of strict laws that had been enacted for years. These toxic chemicals were banned in 2004, but as evidenced by the studies they have remained pervasive in the environment. Herein lies the major concern for many toxic chemicals that are introduced without any prior testing of their safety. They are put into circulation before we understand anything about them and then they may remain a problem for years.

So the how and what to do about their existence is problematic. This story was covered in the Los Angeles Times in an interview with the study's lead author Ami Zota. It sheds light on this very real problem of chemicals in our environment. Even though this group of chemicals is one of thousands, there are some general rules of thumb that can help all of us manage our exposure to toxicants. Read the full article here...every step you take can help you live healthier.

Practice Balance...Wherever You Are

The balance in our skeleton is critically important, both from a purely postural standpoint and from the perspective of having awareness of how to react and stay upright in our environment. This awareness, called kinesthesis, is elemental when we need to respond to the changes in our physical world so that we don't get hurt. If this is an area of concern for us, we must re-educate the body to develop patterns that we can call upon quickly to prevent falls and avoid collisions. One of the most effective ways for the neuromuscular system to learn is by doing activity that provides input which enables it to respond in a reactionary manner. Muscle exercises that provide this are called "closed chain" activities. The "stance phase" of the walking gait is an example of this. As well, balance exercises by their very nature are closed chain exercises. What we ideally would like to achieve is muscle balance and the way to go about this is by giving quality input to the system. In addition, this activity has to be frequent enough for it to be adopted as a pattern.

So one of the easiest ways is to gain awareness of what your body needs to be doing and then performing it on a regular basis to shift to the improved pattern. A couple of key body positions to be aware of are how you stand on your feet and how you hold your hips. A large majority of the population has their hips shifted forward like they are riding a Harley with the weight of their center in front of their feet. This spells disaster when trying to respond to our environment. Also, many individuals have no tactile sense of how the feet should be contacting the ground. Due to genetics and developed patterns over the years, many people do not have neutral arches that are both pliable and stable. When our feet contact the ground, we should have the "four corners" of our feet contacting the foot's surface. These are the balls of the big and little toes and the inner and outer edges of the heels. When we are truly grounded through these points in our feet it can align our ankles and give a lift to the arches which creates symmetry all the way up into our hips. So finding balance to adapt to our environment can be as simple as knowing these body alignment tips. The challenge is creating the awareness so that we may perform them often enough so they become dominant. Start to think about these elements in your body using the tips below and use a mirror for the first few times so you can see how you are positioned. Then perform them as you are standing in line at the bank, the grocery store or when you are in conversation with someone.

- Find a slight crease in your hips so that you feel as though your sit-bones are broadening apart and then draw your low belly muscles in to engage your deep pelvic stabilizers.

- Simultaneously, find grounding through the four points in your feet with the surface your feet are in contact with.

- As this becomes easy for you, start trying to balance on one leg while maintaining this hip and foot position and use a few fingers on a surface to help keep your hips level and foot from rolling.