Trick or Treat!

It’s October once again, which means if you have kids chances are they’re already chomping at the bit in anticipation of the big night. After all, what’s better than dressing up as your favorite superhero and coming home at the end of the night with a sack full of candy? But as parents we always worry about the health and safety of our little ones, and this season I’d like to pass along some smart tips from our friends at EWG on how to have a greener, less toxic Halloween. Great ideas, guys!

Pick Play Makeup Carefully.

Many children like to wear colorful cosmetics as part of their costumes. If they do, make sure they use safer products and apply them as directed.

Skip the (Colored) Hairspray.

Many hairsprays contain toxic chemicals and fragrance. Kids can easily breathe in sprays. Instead, find a great hat or wig at a second-hand store; or create a great hair-do with ribbons, barrettes and safer, non-spray hair products.

Burn More Eco-friendly Candles (if at all).

Candles can off-gas toxic compounds. Choose fragrance-free candles made from bee, palm or soy wax. Traditional paraffin-wax candles are made from petroleum byproducts.

Don’t Wear Synthetic Facemasks or Teeth.

Masks and fake teeth are made from a variety of synthetic materials that aren’t always labeled. Plastics may be softened with endocrine-disrupting phthalates. Rather than cover your head in unknown, possibly toxic materials, make your own mask from simple materials or try a half-face, masquerade-style mask instead.

Offer Treats with Fewer, More Natural Ingredients

Products to Avoid:

Face Paints can contain lead, which can impact brain development at extremely low doses, as well as nickel, cobalt and chromium, which cause skin sensitization and contact dermatitis.

Lipstick can contain hidden lead. Because little ones tend to eat almost as much as they put on their lips, it is best to avoid lipstick all together. Opt instead for a shiny beeswax-based lip balm.

Nail Polish often contains dibutyl phthalate and toluene, chemicals linked to hormone disruption and cancer.

Cosmetics in Powder Form can easily be inhaled. Depending on the particle size, the powder can lodge in children’s nasal passages and even lungs – where it may cause damage.

Fragrance Products Read ingredient labels and avoid products listing “fragrance”. EWG research found that fragrances may contain allergens or hormone-disrupting chemicals.

Create a Low-impact Costume.

Rather than buying a new costume, get creative with items you already own or can get used at a local resale shop or from friends. Consider a costume swap at school or among friends.

If You are Going to a Party.

Rather than buying a new costume, get creative with items you already own or can get used at a local resale shop or from friends. Consider a costume swap at school or among friends.

If You are Going to a Party.

If you are going to a party or planning a quick meal, skip the single-use dinnerware. Choose a more sustainable option.

Decorate Naturally.

Grab pumpkins, gourds and hay bales from a local farm to create a haunting scene and reuse decorations from year to year.

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Anxiety, or worry, is experienced by just about everyone at some point. Some people have anxiety disorders, which are more serious conditions, but it’s safe to say that most people experience at least occasional anxiety. That’s why a new study on omega-3s found in fish oil is so exciting. It’s the first study to look at the effects of fish oil on anxiety in a healthy population—meaning, in people who don’t already have an anxiety disorder. It’s already known that fish oil can be helpful for those people. But what about people who only experience anxiety here and there?

The researchers took a group of medical students and gave them omega-3 supplements for three months. The supplements contained 2,085 mg of EPA and 348 mg of DHA. Another group got a placebo. After three months, the group taking the fish oil showed a 20 percent reduction in anxiety scores and a 14 percent reduction in the production of the inflammatory marker interleukin-6 (IL-6) over the placebo group.

IL-6 is an inflammatory cytokine. Depression and anxiety are both known to involve the production of inflammatory cytokines. This is one of the gut-brain connections, actually, since the inflammation can originate in the gut. Omega-3s were able to reduce these inflammatory compounds, highlighting just one way they may be helping mood disorders like depression and anxiety.

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