HEART HEART

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FEBRUARY 2007
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
A New Look at Diabetes • Surviving Miscarriage • Immune-Boosting Foods • How to Mend a Broken Heart
DIABETES
redefined
N EW THINKING
}
TREATMENT
HOPE
HOW TO MEND
A BROKEN
HEART
p.75
THINK
your way
MOVING
THROUGH
MISCARRIAGE
THIN!
COLA
BAD FOR
THE BONES
p.15
*
C HAI
5
RECIPES
Foods
JUST FOR
YOU
TO BOOST
IMMUNITY
February 2007 Issue 94
DISPLAY UNTIL FEBRUARY 20
$4.95US $5.95CAN
0
75470 08325
02
9
p.47
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Solutions for healthy good looks
natural
RADIANCE
For those mornings you can
linger longer, Good Karma’s
organic cotton negligee flatters
your curves with its torsolengthening empire waist.
Slip Into Something
Soft (and Sustainable)
When eco-friendly meets sexy
Brooks Freehill; model: Kelly Mikler
BY JENNIE NASH
E
Even though the word lingerie implies
more than a bit of self-indulgence, buying a fetching little number can provide
a good deal more than retail therapy—
it can be a great chance to do your body
(and the planet) some good. And you
can do it in style. No need to settle for
inside
frumpy, basic unbleached briefs and
bras if you want to wear eco-friendly
underwear. The same revolution that
brought organic cotton clothing to highend retailers such as Patagonia and
American Apparel also brings us
healthy lingerie that looks cute, playful,
and—gasp!—even sexy. Going organic
with your underwear follows the same
principles as going organic with your
apples. “Every time you choose organic
over nonorganic, you create a healthy
environment for yourself and others,”
says Lori Wyman of the Organic Trade
A P E D I C U R E P R I M E R • R X : E X F O L I AT E AWAY I N G R O W N H A I R S
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RADIANCE
1.
2.
Association. “After all,” says Wyman,
“We all live downstream from someone.” It takes about a third of a pound of
pesticide to produce a standard T-shirt,
so buying organic can keep a measurable
amount of toxins out of the soil and off
your skin.
What makes that pesticide dose even
more disturbing? Most of the cotton
plant—minus what gets spun into
cloth—ends up in our food supply one
way or another. Processed foods, from
cookies to tuna fish, often contain cottonseed oil. Beef and dairy cows get fed
cotton straw, cottonseed meal, and the
waste from cotton gins. But because
farmers grow cotton mainly for its fiber,
cotton escapes the regulations applied
to food crops. Many of the chemicals in
the pesticides sprayed on cotton have
been linked to cancer, birth defects, endocrine disruption, and even nervous
system disorders. Above and beyond
their human impact, pesticides can be
fatal to birds, fish, and other wildlife.
3.
1. Good Karma has more up
its sleeve than negligees.
We also love its butterflyfestooned cami and shorts set
($42 for set; www.goodkarma
organics.com).
2. Lotus Organics’ camisole
and tap shorts, each embroi30
dered with a strategically
placed dragonfly, have a
smooth fit and feel like velvet
(camisole $32, shorts $20;
www.lotusorganics.com).
3. Global Girlfriend’s tunic
dress works equally well as a
nightie, perfect for the woman
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4.
who likes to be in style 24-7
($38; www.globalgirlfriend.com).
4. Princess Cornflower’s
Baby-doll pajamas come in
yellow and pink and make you
feel both girlie and environmentally responsible ($32;
www.princesscornflower.com).
Organic underwear, on the other
hand, comes with an abundance of silver
linings. According to Rebecca Klein, the
founder of Organic Exchange, a nonprofit organic agriculture group, organic
cotton needs to be grown in rotation with
other organic crops to avoid depleting
the soil. “When you make the shift to organic cotton,” she says, “it also expands
the supply of available organic food.”
Choosing to buy organic cotton also
offers a way to “wear” your talk: The
proof of your eco-ethics lies about as
close to home as you can get. Who knew
Brooks Freehill
“Every time you
choose organic over
nonorganic, you
create a healthy environment for yourself
and others.”
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n a t u r a l
ORGANIC ONLINE:
>> www.aboutorganiccotton.org
>> www.organicexchange.org
>> www.theorganicreport.com
>> www.beyondpesticides.org
that the right bare necessities could have
such an impact? “By buying just two
articles of organic cotton, people are
making the choice to live better, not just
for themselves but also for the people
who grow the cotton,” says Klein.
Organic basics
Wyman, too, wears her talk—specifically a bra from Blue Canoe, a bodywear
company based in northern California.
Giving women an attractive, organic option in bras and underwear since 1991,
Blue Canoe has inspired a devoted following, drawn to such irresistible colors
as buttercup, terra-cotta, and blackberry
and to the company’s comfortable designs for all shapes and sizes. Blue Canoe
uses the least toxic dye on the market—
a fiber-reactive dye that binds to the
fiber and doesn’t wash away or leach off.
Its underwear styles range from thong
and bikini to boy shorts, while its bras
come in banded, crossover, shirred,
yoga, and maternity styles.
If you’re looking for a more traditional bra and panty in organic cotton,
you may want to check out Silver Linings from Christine Erteszek, the
daughter of intimate apparel legend
Olga. Silver Linings offers finely spun
organic cotton panties in four styles.
These pieces feature a gusset made of
XStatic, a nontoxic, silver-treated fabric that puts antimicrobial fabric and
odor-eliminating properties right where
you need them most. Silver Linings also
features one of the only organic alternatives to underwire bras out there.
Enlightened loungewear
Everyone knows how comfortable it is
to sleep in a soft, old T-shirt, but thanks
to Good Karma Lingerie, you can go
one step better with a seductive thighlength organic cotton negligee. Made
from supersoft, ring-spun fabric, one
figure-flattering style includes a pretty
lace inset empire waist and a shape that
will hug your curves. The nightie comes
in unbleached cotton printed with
sumptuous yellow hibiscus flowers and
sprays of hot pink and turquoise leaves.
Good Karma also produces tap
pant–cami sets with similar patterns and
attention to fit—the result of co-owner
Linda Fassa’s 12 years as a high-end
fashion model. “I know what looks good
and feels good,” says Fassa, “and what
you wear underneath can change the
way you feel all day and all night.”
RADIANCE
Good energy
Feel like a pick-me-up is in order? Retail takes therapy to a new level with
lingerie designed to impact your chakras
(energy centers). Be Present offers a line
of organic cotton chakra thongs in seven
It takes about
a third of a pound of
pesticide to produce a
standard T-shirt.
colors that correspond to the seven
chakras of the body (the specific chakra
symbol adorns the front of each thong).
Continued on page 33
For Men Only
Organic bras, camis, and knickers of various cuts
and colors abound, but until recently the male
>>Cottonfield<<
of the species has had only a rack of organic
tighty off-whities and bland boxers from which
to choose. Now color-conscious companies like
Rawganique (www.rawganique. com), which offers a line of organic hemp and cotton underwear in lush earth and indigo tones, bring
>>Red Dog Sportswear<<
welcome relief to a beige-stricken industry. Of
course, if everyday, pesticide-free comfort is all
you need, bGreen (www.organicselections.com),
Cottonfield (www.cottonfieldusa.com), and Red
Dog Sportswear (www.reddogsportswear.com)
>>bGreen<<
have you covered.
—Einav Keet
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RADIANCE
3.
2.
1. Be Present’s slimming tank and thong is
embellished with the symbol for the root chakra,
which governs our sexuality and our ability to
ground. Red gives an extra boost of strength
(tank $29, thong $15; www.bepresent.com).
2. Ecoland’s underwire bra and hipster are an
elegant case of form following function
(bra $10, hipster $9 for a packet of two;
www.ecolandinc.com). 3. Blue Canoe has the
most extensive line of organic cotton intimates, and
none of its bras have hooks or wires. We adore its
gathered bra and boy shorts (bra $28, shorts
4.
$17; www.bluecanoe.com). 4. Intimate Health,
developed by Christina Erteszek, features a bra
with Brassage: a raised-foam bubble panel
underneath the armpit that stimulates lymphatic
flow ($48; www.intimatehealth.net).
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n a t u r a l
Brooks Freehill; model: Kelly Mikler
Continued from page 31
Need more grounding? Wear root
chakra red for stability and inner
strength. Feel like you need a hug?
Heart chakra evergreen helps attract
compassion and unconditional love.
Although shopping can often feel
like a drain on your principles as well
as your wallet, buying organic cotton
offers partial redemption. Changing the
world through bras and bikinis may
seem far-fetched, but the revolutions
RADIANCE
Enjoy the hush of a snowed-in
morning while cuddling up in
this luscious kimono robe ($48;
Under the Canopy,
www.underthecanopy.com).
<<
with the most staying power often start
out closest to home.
Jennie Nash is the author of The Victoria’s
Secret Catalog Never Stops Coming and
www.greenstoday.com
Other Lessons I Learned From Breast Cancer
(Scribner, 2001).
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