Stay away from Bisphenol A!

If you've got a bottle of water welded to your hand, or, horrors, your toddler is married to a Sippy cup, here's what you need to know:

Water bottles and Sippy cups are the source of deadly toxic chemicals called phthlates and bisphenol-A (BPA).

Phthlates are what makes plastics hard, like in baby bottles, sippy cups and toddler toys. BPA makes plastics soft, as in the bottles of water almost all of us drink (not to speak of soft drinks and other beverages dispensed in plastic bottles).

Both are called xenoestrogens or environmental estrogens. They are linked to early sexual development, and now, according to a report yesterday from the National Institutes of Health, "May cause cancer and other serious disorders."

The government knows these substances are extremely dangerous, yet declines to do anything to stop their sale, although some states are considering such legislation.

BPA and phthlates have long been linked to the development of secondary sexual characteristics in infant boys and girls.

I know this from personal experience: A few years back, my then 21-month old granddaughter began to develop a breast. Yes, one breast! I was absolutely horrified and even more shocked when my daughter said her pediatrician was unconcerned because this condition has become common.

It may be common, but it is not normal.

We know that the risk for breast cancer increases with lifetime exposure to estrogen.

If a girl begins exposure to estrogen a full 10 years earlier than natural puberty might take place, her lifetime risk is hugely increased.

We all need to stop buying bottled water. These water bottles are clogging our landfills and killing us.

We know that the rate of the release of BPA is increased when the bottle is exposed to heat and it's hard to imagine any bottled water that doesn't get heated somewhere in the shipping process, even if you're very careful about not leaving your bottle in the car.

There are alternative sources for our babies' bottles and our toddlers' sippy cups and toys. There are many available in your local store for only a little bit more than the BPA-bombs we're giving them now.

Way back when I was a kid, baby bottles were made of glass. I don't remember any of them breaking despite abuse by my five younger brothers and sisters. If glass bottles still worry you, look for products under brand names like Born Free, Green to Grow, Avent and First Years.

For your own water needs, install a water filter on your tap. Install a whole house filter if you can afford it. Even one of those pitcher-type filters is better than nothing. Then drink water from a glass bottle, or a stainless steel one if you're traveling.

And, if you're as concerend about this as I am, let your elected officials know. Hey, it's an election year and maybe, just maybe, they'll listen.

Beat the IRS Blues

Did Tax Day sneak up on you? Are you stressing to the max trying to sort through boxes of old receipts and satisfy The Beast in Washington before tomorrow night's deadline at midnight?

You know the old saw: There is nothing inevitable except death and taxes.

Stressing won't solve your problem, but here are a five simple ways to ease the pain:

1. Take a few deep breaths. When you are tense, your muscles are tight and the stress becomes an endless loop. A few deep breaths can break the stress cycle and help you be more focused so you can finish what you must do.

2. Move around at least once an hour. When your left brain is frantically trying to process the numbers, your efficiency is diminished after an hour or so. Just getting up and moving around and maybe taking a couple of minutes to boogie to your favorite song can actually help "re-set" your mathematical processing abilities.

3. Try a remedy. What you want is calm and focus. A cup of chamomile or passionflower tea (Celestial Seasonings Tension Tamer is great), a drop or two of valerian extract (more than that will put you to sleep -- you don't want to do that!) or a couple of capsules of rhiodiola rosea can do wonders to chill you out and help you focus without becoming sleepy.

4. Ask for an extension. Really! Just by requesting it, you can get an automatic six-month extension to file your 2007 taxes. BUT that doesn't exempt you from paying what is due on April 15th without interest and penalties, so if you owe or you think you might owe, you'd better soldier on and pay The Man.

5. Take the pledge to stop procrastinating. It's astoundingly stressful. While in the short term, a few stressors won't hurt you. Long-term chronic stress, also called toxic stress takes a heavy tool on your body and can actually shorten your life. If procrastination is a pattern for you, start keeping a to-do list, begin a regular regimen of meditation, vow to clear your desk every night before you leave your office, exercise regularly to blow of steam, take a vacation from electronics. Do whatever you need to do to chill out.