The Journey to Organic and Greener Living

Each journey is sparked by an initial idea or chain of events. I would like to take this blog in a different direction today, and share the events that led to my personal quest and interest in organic apparel. My journey toward a greener and more organic lifestyle began with a trip to the hospital.

Since I was a teenager, I experienced some really painful and sometimes debilitating symptoms, including excruciating migraines, chest pains, heart flutters, stomach pains and muscular aches and pains. It would happen off and on and when it became unbearable, I would go to my doctor. And each time, after many uncomfortable tests, I was told there is nothing physically wrong with me. I felt like my family, friends and doctors looked at me and saw “hypochondriac” and that it was “all in my head”. I tried to stay positive about life and just tried to ignore the symptoms.

A few years ago, I had chest pains and a stifling heaviness and pressure in my chest. My doctor insisted that I go straight to the hospital. I was admitted, and while there, I had many tests, and again I was told that my heart was fine. That’s when I got curious. Something made me think about the Chinese food I had eaten for dinner the night before and also for lunch, right before the symptoms started. I kind of remembered something being said by a friend about something called msg….

I did some research and found a site about monosodium glutamate (msg). After reading some of the posts, I realized that the stories were just like mine. After years of living with the same symptoms I had, the posters cut msg out of their diet, and most of the symptoms went away. A light bulb went off in my head (fluorescent light of course!) and I immediately started reading all the information I could find on the subject. After much research, I started a quest to eliminate msg, aspartame, sulfites and caffeine from my diet. I started focusing on fresh real food, including meats, dairy, fruits, and vegetables. Little by little, one step at a time, I stopped eating fast food, most restaurant food, msg laden snack foods, soda pop, and frozen or canned processed foods. No more boxed or canned soups, store marinated meats, gravies or quick meal mixes. Guess what? My symptoms all went away, and I feel so much better now! Every once in awhile I will eat something by mistake and suffer the consequences. However, I now know that I am in control of how my body feels. When you fuel your body with fresh, pure, and organic foods as much as possible, you will reap the rewards with a new vitality. And a little inside info for you-when you cut out the msg, you develop your natural tasting abilities again, and truly enjoy natural flavors. The chemical taste of fast food and processed food is no longer pleasant.



The next logical step for me was to realize that our skin absorbs chemicals from everything we put on it: lotions, cosmetics, hair care, and also pesticides, chemicals and toxic dyes and inks used on our clothes. I started to look for organic cotton clothes for myself and my family, and that lead to our support of organic farming and organic apparel. I developed a new respect for the care of my own body, and also the earth that I was blessed with. That led me to make small, greener choices. We started Brand of the Free.net as a company that offered American made apparel, and then branched out to offer organic products because it was important to us to offer the best quality to our customers. I believe we can all make small changes to increase the quality of our lives and the world around us.

Hopefully my story will spark some curiosity and you will research what msg truly is, and how it affects you and your children. You will be amazed at how our food supply has been invaded. Please email me @ bmaluso@brandofthefree.net with any questions you may have, or leave a comment to share feedback and/or personal experiences.

MSG Info:
http://www.msgmyth.com/
http://www.msgtruth.org/

Brandofthefree.net Better Apparel for a Better World
www.twitter.com/blmaluso

How to Find American Made Products

Today is a beautiful, warm day in Northern Virginia! The rays of sunshine fill my spirit with faith and hope, leading me to think of all the good people that we are fortunate enough to have in our lives. One of those people is Todd Lipscomb. He is the President and Founder of MadeinUSAForever.com which provides an easy and fun way to buy products made in the USA. We would like to thank Todd, a true patriot, for his hard work and dedication. He invests many hours in researching American made products, and promotes them on his site, to give us the opportunity to find a variety of products in one place.

Please enjoy reading the following newsletter from Todd Lipscomb, and be sure to visit his site, MadeinUSAForever.com.

Team, I am going to make a special point of trying to find good news in the future, as it seems only bad lately. There has been 4 million jobs lost in the last 14 months, housing prices are looking like the Titanic in much of the country and the economy is spiraling downward, etc.

I would like say something to cheer us up like "it is always darkest before the dawn" but honestly we are not there yet.

Last week something happened that I did not expect for another year or so. As our biggest creditor, China's Premier publically expressed concern about the USA's surging federal debt (it's rocketing from $500 billion in 2008 to $2 trillion this year, which is another $8000 per American citizen) which is forcing Washington into a very embarrassing defense of spending way beyond one's means. This kind of conversation has probably been happening a lot in private lately. To see us being publically berated in front of the world is very humiliating. We need to turn this situation around soon! This is a very important moment in history. China is not just another Super Power, because as they win politically through economics they are becoming THE Super Power. You can read more as this unfolds in my blog.

Washington and some people in the media want to tell us (to support their own actions) that the budget deficit and trade deficit are two separate, unrelated issues. The simple fact is they are very much intertwined. For example, as economic activity drops here a lot of Americans are just standing by and watching all the good jobs get shipped to other countries. Since there are fewer people working here it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that the tax revenues will drop! The more we buy our own Made In USA goods, the more local, state, and federal tax revenue is collected. Alternatively, and more likely lately, the more we end production here and buy cheap stuff from abroad, the more tax revenue collapses.

As usual, the simple truths or the "old math" are what really adds up. I hope it does not sound like for a moment I am giving up on the USA, because you can be sure that it will never happen. Also I would like to thank all of you that are buying "Made In USA" products from this website. We ARE all making a difference.Patriot SaleI try to put something I hope you find interesting and timely on sale every week. This week is "Flags & Patriotic Stuff" week. You might find a cheaper flag made in China, but this is a darn good price on real ones made right here. Check it out. The sale ends Sunday night. Link to Sale on Flags & Patriotic Items

Double GiveawayWe have two different cool products that I want to give to three lucky winners for each product. First is a really neat new medical product for anyone, like me, with pain in the joints, hands, etc. The first one is the Topical pain reliever Ibunex by Core Products. The second one is a really neat video called "The Spirit of America" on DVD.

As usual, just take a quick peek at each one and tell me about it in one very brief sentence. You can reply to this email with your response. Yes, you can sign up for all of the items in one e-mail. I will pick three winners for each product randomly and also pay the shipping, so it is completely free for you.

Links are on the photo's at left. New Products: What could be more American than baseball? We are proud to add some really super Baseball Bats from a true expert on the subject. This excellent company is Akadema. Yes, the wood is from the USA, not to mention the skill, craftsmanship and passion that all come together to make the ultimate homerun tool.

Check out these beautiful cribs by "Cute Cribs". She (yes, this master wood worker is a "she") builds them one at a time in Georgia. These are not only an impressively artistic Crib, but they are also a very high quality product that is absolutely safe and will last for generations.

Core Products builds a number of really neat health related products here in the USA. They are the flagship our new Health Related Products Section.The products we have in stock now are:

• Excellent Orthopedic pillows of various shapes and sizes to help reduce neck and head pain.
  


• Several electronic massagers made right here in the USA.
  


• The topical pain reliever Ibunex and joint maintenance product Gluconex.
  


• And a lot of hot and cold packs that can either be used frozen or heated for pain relief all over the body.

Sincerely,

ToddTodd Lipscomb Founder MadeinUSAForever.com

Thank you Todd!

Brandofthefree.net Always Made in the USA and 100% Organic

Rising Demand for American Made Products

With the downturn in the economy, most people are taking a hard look at the direction their money is going. This was very evident to us as Brand of the Free (BOTF) participated in the Inaugural Crystal City Couture in Arlington, VA. The event was fun, trendy and entertaining. So many different fashions were spotlighted on the runway by very chic models. We had a blast! However, for me, the people we met were the most interesting. They shared with us that finding American made apparel was very important to them. They appreciated the BOTF fresh designs, and also the fact that the shirts and totes are organic and made in the USA.

Don’t be afraid to inquire about American made apparel in your favorite shops and boutiques. Most retail shops already offer lines that are made in the USA, and they would be more than happy to show them to you. If they don’t currently carry them, make sure to let the owner or manager know of your interest. The rising demand for products that are made in the USA will lead to more fashion options for you, the customer. And an added bonus is the support of American workers and the businesses that employ them. Very good for the economy.

Brandofthefree.net Made in the USA and 100% Organic