Issue 448: April 29–May 6, 2004

BITTERSWEET

Overindulging in sugar can give you more than bad teeth and a big belly

By Tracey Middlekauff

Photographs by Astrid Stawiarz

For years, 44-year-old TV exec Claire Scott suffered from severe mood swings and frequent bouts of depression. She was overweight, had little energy and felt desperate most of the time. When Scott finally sought help, she learned her symptoms were directly related to her addiction to the white stuff. But it wasn’t what you think: The monkey on her back was cheap, legal and, most of all, sweet. Scott had become dependent on refined sugar.

Your mom may have warned you that too many sweets would give you cavities and pack on the pounds, but recent studies from the Harvard Medical School and the Baylor College of Medicine reveal something more alarming: They’ve linked sugar—directly or indirectly—to all manner of health problems, including heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, cancer, PMS and depression. Recently, the World Health Organization recommended that refined-sugar foods (including high-fructose corn syrup, which is found in most sodas and cereals) make up no more than 10 percent of daily caloric intake, an announcement that has been heavily contested by the sugar industry. While the medical community debates the specific dangers of relying too heavily on sugary foods, no one is claiming that the stuff is actually good for you; and, in the last months, sugar-denouncing workshops have been popping up all over the city.

Regardless of the perceived risks, for many people sugar is simply too seductive to avoid. And according to a growing number of nutritional experts, a weak will might not be the culprit. Sugar, these health professionals contend, affects the system much like a drug, and over time, it becomes increasingly difficult to avoid. Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D., author of Potatoes Not Prozac and The Sugar Addict’s Total Recovery Program, pinpoints something she calls “sugar sensitivity” as the underlying cause of the compulsive habit. “[Sugar] has a drug effect in everyone’s brain,” she says. “But if you’re sugar sensitive, you get a bigger reaction and it’s easier to become addicted.” In other words, if you can’t stop at just one cookie, it’s not because you’re a glutton, it’s because you’re an addict.

At first, DesMaisons says, people thought her ideas were “nuts.” But a 2002 Princeton study may offer scientific vindication. In the study, rats compelled to binge on sugar displayed withdrawal symptoms when the substance was taken away. The symptoms—such as anxiety, teeth chattering and the shakes—were consistent with those experienced in nicotine or morphine withdrawal.

“I think we are a nation of sugar addicts,” says Rachel Kieffer, a holistic-nutrition counselor who advises the sugar-addled in public workshops and individual treatment programs. “Even if you don’t eat high quantities of sweets, there’s sugar in everything: packaged food, restaurant food, take-out food.” Kieffer believes people turn to the sweet stuff for many reasons, perhaps, most significantly, for the physical high you get after eating supersweet food such as candy. Like other substance-abuse patterns, that euphoric feeling is usually followed by a low, which can lead to a desire for more. Additionally, Kieffer thinks sugar is connected to poor emotional health. “A lot of times, people who turn to sugar are prone to depression or have light depression,” she says. “But sugar makes it worse. It numbs the pain or boredom. When you numb yourself, you can’t deal with your issues.”

But DesMaisons maintains that true sugar dependency is all about brain chemistry. “It’s always physiological,” she says. DesMaisons developed her theories while working as an addiction counselor, where she successfully implemented dietary change as an intervention tool for alcoholics and junkies. Her idea of sugar sensitivity boils down to three main components: carbohydrate sensitivity, low serotonin and low levels of beta-endorphin. Someone who is sensitive to sugar experiences a more extreme rise in blood sugar from carbohydrates than the non-addict, as well as a more intense kick from the release of beta-endorphins—and a person’s lack of serotonin can affect impulse control. After feeding his or her sweet tooth, a sugar addict will feel the same kind of rush an alcoholic or drug user will get from satisfying a craving. And when they don’t get it, they withdraw. Painfully.

DesMaisons’s diet doesn’t take an addict off sugar cold turkey. She’s developed instead a series of withdrawal stages designed to stabilize brain chemistry before removing sugar. The first stage is switching from a sweet, carb-laden morning meal, such as a bagel or cereal, to eating a protein-fueled breakfast, like an egg-white omelette. Next, DesMaisons recommends keeping a food journal so you can recognize the connection between food and mood. Eventually, addicts will eat three meals with consistent amounts of protein a day and transition from “white” foods (white bread, pasta, etc.) to “brown” foods (fare like brown rice, sweet potatoes and soy beans). By the time they get to step six—removing sugar altogether—brain chemistry will be stable and the diet won’t be sabotaged by cravings.

It was DesMaisons’s book that led Scott to realize sugar was the cause of many of her physical problems. “[Kathleen] was describing my life in a way that was quite remarkable,” she says. Scott kept a food journal and indeed noticed a correlation between what she ate and how she felt. After embarking on the program (”You don’t ever go through a withdrawal period,” she confirms. “By the time you get to removing sugar, it’s a nonevent.”) and sticking with it, she lost weight—and has kept it off. But more important, Scott says, she has her life back and has regained “energy, enthusiasm and a sense of humor.”

Kieffer agrees that slow weaning is the best way to kick the sweet stuff. Not only are accelerated withdrawal symptoms messy—some people throw up or get ill—but a clean break can also increase the chances of binging. Additionally, because sugar is present in many processed foods, Kieffer cautions her clients to read labels. Even better, they should learn to prepare their own food. In her Brooklyn office, Kieffer offers cooking lessons to those who don’t know the difference between barley and Swiss chard. “It’s not such a big deal,” she says. “[Cooking] isn’t so time consuming if you have some easy tips. When you know what you put in your food, that’s one of the best ways [to stay off of sugar].”

Although most holistically minded nutritionists agree, not everyone in the health profession buys the idea that sugar is addictive. Rachel Brandeis, a registered dietician and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, says, “We’re all born with an innate likeness for sweets; it’s built in. But I don’t agree that it’s a true addiction.” Brandeis claims cravings and compulsive eating aren’t the same as addiction. As for the Princeton study, she adds, “I wouldn’t make the jump from rats to humans.” And Dr. Robert Yanagisawa, an endocrinologist and director of the weight-management program at Mount Sinai, New York, believes that sugar addiction is hard to prove. “It’s definitely true that when you come down from a sugar high, you go low,” he says. “I can see people trying to avoid feeling low.” But, he offers, he’s not sure he’d equate this with something like cocaine dependence.

Because of these conflicting theories, I wanted to see for myself what impact (if any) my sugar intake has on my life. For seven days, I kept a journal of everything I ate, and I noticed a pattern almost immediately: My bad moods came at the same time every day (and night) and I got sleepy every afternoon at 3:00. After documenting my usage for a week, I cut myself off. The first day without sugar was ugly. While Kieffer and DesMaisons provided me with nutritional tools for coping, I initially wanted to feel the pain. I got a headache, I couldn’t stay awake, and I was very, very cranky. I tried to compensate with coffee, but it didn’t help. The second day, I decided to take the professionals’ advice: I included protein with breakfast and lunch and consumed a healthy portion of whole grains with dinner. I started to feel a little better. A few days into my sugar-free life, I realized I hadn’t taken a single nap. I wasn’t being mean to my boyfriend, and I seemed to have a decent supply of energy. Then came the biggest stunner of all: I didn’t experience any PMS symptoms (I didn’t even cry once).

Science isn’t conclusive regarding sugar’s addictive properties or detrimental health effects, but one thing seems certain: Cutting down isn’t a bad idea. If you think you might have a real problem with sweets and you’re not sure which expert to believe, DesMaisons has some simple advice: “Ask your body. Your body will tell you.”

GETTING PSYCHED

Got a hunch that you may be psychic? These classes might prove you right.

By Tracey Middlekauff
Illustration by Lynda Nardelli

There were times when I thought I was crazy for being psychic,” says Rina Persico, a 29-year-old executive assistant. “I was afraid of being sensitive to spirit presences.” For the past year, Persico’s been taking psychic development classes at the Holistic Studies Institute of New York. In her time as a student of the paranormal, she’s attended séances, given readings to her classmates and, she says, learned to unlock her own latent psychic ability.

For many, psychic phenom-ena are the stuff of fiction—fine for an X-Files plot device, but definitely not the stuff of real life. The idea that some people can “see” things that exist beyond the five senses has been around since ancient times. Today, parapsychologists—coming from disciplines as diverse as psychology, sociology, even physics—have attempted to prove or disprove the existence of psychic ability by experimental means.Depending on where you stand, their efforts are either laudable or laughable.

But there are some groups in the city—like the Holistic Studies Institute and the Association for Research and Enlightenment—who don’t need scientific proof. They not only believe that psychic ability is real, they maintain that everyone possesses it. And they say they can teach anyone to develop his or her intuition—it just takes desire, practice and know-how. If you’re open to it, the results may seem impressive; if not, you could chalk it all up to luck and coincidence. But if you’re at all curious to see whether or not there’s a John Edward lurking inside you, it can’t hurt to take a class. It might even help: Proponents believe unlocking the psychic within can have positive emotional and spiritual benefits. “Since I’ve become more open,” Persico says, “I’ve learned to have faith and trust in myself.”

At the Holistic Studies Institute (208 W 30th St, 212-337-3017; www.hoisticstudies.com), the course work is, in many ways, just like that at any other school. There are textbooks, lectures, exercises and, yes, students are expected to take notes. Completing the four course levels (which range from simple meditation to codes of ethics for counseling) can lead to certification by the American Board of Holistic Practitioners as an intuitive counselor—basically, a professional psychic, though not of the $5 storefront variety. But most students don’t come to HSI looking for a career change; they’re curious and they want to learn.

While the structure of HSI’s classes may be traditional, the subject matter is anything but: the philosophy and history of spirit communication, meditation, telepathy, clairvoyance and auras. As class levels progress, subjects get more in-depth andesoteric—among other topics, astral projection, trance work and reincarnation are introduced. The lectures are supplemented with exercises so that students can develop and hone their abilities. In the Level I classes, for example, students practice psychometry (receiving impressions from physical objects) or trying to telepathically send images of fruits to one another. In the final level, students devote a part of each class to giving one another readings.

HSI founder Stephen Robinson, a certified hypnotherapist, psychic medium and intuitive counselor, believes developing your psychic ability can reduce stress, focus the mind and even make you more extroverted. “Putting psychic and development together does a disservice to this work, but that’s what the public understands,” he says. “The real title of the course should be Psychic Awareness, because people are already psychic, they’re just not aware of it. It manifests through the unconscious? [that's] the seat of our soul and of our psychic ability.”

Felix Lee Lerma, 28, is a television production assistant and practicing psychic medium. He’s up to Level IV, and despite the fact that he’s been working on his psychic ability since he was 15, he was nervous when he started at HSI. “I thought everyone would be better than me,” he says. But he’s learned it’s not a matter of ability, so much as an issue of confidence. “We get signs and impressions all the time from psychic energies. But we need to not be afraid to speak up.”

Robinson believes psychic impressions can be received directly through the energies of a person, object or spirit—which is why the curriculum also incorporates receiving messages from the beyond, and séances are conducted during every class. Contrary to what you might think, there is nothing creepy about a séance, at least not at HSI. Everyone sits in a circle in a darkened room and Robinson leads the group in a meditation. At the s?©ance I attended, I detected no ectoplasm, shaking tables or strange voices. When Robinson or a student senses a spirit with a message, they give it to the appropriate party. There were some hits: a woman’s dead husband was identified by name; I was told I’ll be making more money by fall. Another attendee, “Anne,” came because her ex-husband recently passed away. Robinson received a message that Anne was to call her ex-husband’s cousin, a lawyer. “That’s something he would have said to me,” Anne says.

Another venue for course work in intuitive development is the Association for Research and Enlightenment (150 W 28th St, 212-291-7690; www.arenyc.org), but here, there are no séances. The ARE follows the teachings of the late Edgar Cayce, believed by his proponents to be a great mystic and medical intuitionist. While the Caycean method does have similarities to what’s taught at HSI—the idea of being able to receive messages from some other entity and the use of meditation, among others—instructor Coni Buro says that there isn’t the same kind of duality regarding psychic impressions. Intuiting things means being able to tap into a superconsciousness that we all share, she explains. That higher consciousness can be thought of as “God,” “energy” or “creator”—whatever you’re comfortable with, Buro says. In other words, it’s not your late Uncle Ralph talking to you, even if that’s how you hear it.

In a recent introductory class, many (myself included) got their first taste of tapping into their intuition by giving someone a reading. Buro paired us up and talked us through opening our heart chakras to one another. Holding a piece of paper with our partner’s signature, we were instructed to receive impressions about their personality, their talents and finally get a message on their behalf. We weren’t supposed to think—but just be open to receiving whatever came. For my partner, I saw a motorcycle and a cowboy bar where everyone wore fringe suede jackets. I was unsure: Was this a psychic impression or a newfound fantasy? But my partner found this significant: “Does this mean I should go to the Southwest? I’ve been wondering about that!”

Many in the class felt more confident than I did. One woman said she started to sweat, and found out her partner was from a hot region. Another felt strongly that his partner would travel within a week, which was confirmed. “It’s because your heart’s opened up,” Buro said, pleased. “The focus and intent allowed you to make the connection.”

Scientifically speaking, whether or not we all have innate psychic ability is up for debate, even among those scientists who are convinced of the reality of ESP and clairvoyance. Dr. Edwin May is an experimental nuclear physicist and president of the
Laboratories for Fundamental Research. For 20 years, the U.S. government funded research at his lab to determine if people can be trained to be psychic. And while Dr. May is convinced of the existence of ESP, he says there is “No evidence that we can teach psychic ability to anyone.” He adds, “Anybody who is paying good money for psychic development is getting screwed.”

Dr. Dean Radin, senior scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences in California, is less absolute. He believes that everyone may have some psychic ability in the same way we all have sports or musical abilities— only a small percentage will be really good. “For a world-class performance, you would need Olympic-athlete talent plus practice,” Radin says. “Can you bring out intuitive ability? Probably.”

Whether or not you believe in innate intuitive power, it’s hard to disagree with the concept of “getting in touch with your feelings,” so to speak. “We live in a stressful city,” Buro says. “The more you can be at peace and in balance, the more you will have the opportunity to make correct decisions.”

HSI’s next Level I course begins March 20.
ARE’s next Five-Week Psychic Empowerment course begins March 24.

DESK SETS

WORK IT The “seated palm” is a yoga move you can do at your desk. Photo: Astrid Stawiarz

Portable fitness gear, modified yoga moves and in-office personal trainers give new meaning to on-the-job training

By Tracey Middlekauff

“The body was not created to sit in an office all day,” says Alex Reznik, founder and director of Complete Body Development, a personal-training and life-coaching company. “It was made to run in the jungle. To hunt for food. If you don’t keep moving, it’s going to cause problems.” Even though our hunting and gathering days are long behind us, Reznik is right about the need to keep active. But when we’re stuck at a desk all day and into the night, we seldom feel we have enough time or energy left to exercise. However, doing modified yoga techniques, using portable exercise equipment or even hiring a personal trainer are relatively inexpensive ways to put a little workout into your workday.

Stretch to the limit

Looking to gain some of the benefits of yoga without ever leaving your chair? Wellness consultant and yoga expert DeDee Benrey can show you how. What’s more, you won’t need a mat, yoga gear or even much space to practice these asanas. Benrey offers both on-site corporate seminars in office yoga and frequent half-day workshops at the New York Open Center. Her holistic approach incorporates not only stretching and exercise, but aromatherapy and relaxation tips. To warm up the spine and keep it flexible, Benrey recommends the seated “cat stretch”: Begin seated in a chair, feet together and firmly planted on the floor. Relax your palms on your knees and straighten your spine. Inhale and expand the chest, then exhale and slowly drop your chin to your chest while rounding your spine like a cat’s, or the letter C. Repeat a couple of times.

Another asana Benrey suggests is the “seated palm,” great for both lengthening the torso and strengthening the arms. While sitting on a chair, raise your arms over your head. Clasp your hands together, palms up. (If this is too difficult, you can clutch a towel between your hands and work within your comfort level.) Breathe in; on the exhale, slowly and carefully turn your torso to the left. Inhale, come to the center and repeat, turning to the right side. It’s important to keep the shoulders dropped to help counteract what Benrey calls “the Uncle Fester look.” It’s also crucial that you move slowly to avoid injury, and Benrey advises consulting a health professional before beginning any exercise regimen.

Doing such moves may look odd to your co-workers, but the results are well worth any sideways glances you may get. Omayma Stephan, a designer at NYC Technical College, found that her constant back pain began to subside after she took Benrey’s on-site class last year. She now follows Benrey’s techniques at her desk every two hours, and says, “You can’t believe how much it has helped.”

For more info on Benrey’s Onsite Office Yoga Seminars, e-mail yoganews@earthlink.net. For Open Center Workshops, call 212-219-2527, ext 110.

Take it personally

Most people think only celebrities and CEOs can afford to pay a personal trainers to kick their butts. And while personal-training and life-coaching company Complete Body Development does boast an impressive clientele

At a $100 a session, not everyone can afford Complete Body’s one-on-one sessions, but it’s possible to use its service even if you’re on a tight budget. Just gather a group of three to ten co-workers, and if your boss will offer up the conference room, you’re good to go. The cost is just $15–$20 per person for a session with one or two trainers, depending on the size of the group. Corporations such as Credit Suisse, Chase Bank and Continental Airlines have used Complete Body’s services in the past, and many organizations have even footed the bill for their workers. “Some companies will pay half, and it’s worth it. Their workers don’t get sick as much and they concentrate better,” Reznik says. Workouts are adapted to the group’s interests, physical abilities and needs. If it’s a prework or lunchtime workout, exercises such as Pilates, tai chi or yoga are offered to keep sweating to a minimum. After work, expect more vigorous activities like kickboxing or boot camp.

Complete Body Development (212-777-7702, www.completebody.com)

Station agents

If you’re a multitasker, portable desk gadgets that allow you to exercise while you work are the way to go, and are readily available at most sporting goods stores. Rod Aviles, fitness supervisor at Paragon Sports, recommends resistance cables, such as the Sport Band System ($21.99) or Lifeline Fitness Cables ($24.99), as an alternative to an unwieldy collection of free weights. These bands are easy to store and can work many muscle groups. Balance and stability boards are also good for developing core muscle groups. Popular versions are made by Nike ($70 at Paragon) and Reebok ($149.99 at Modell’s), which are easy to stash under your desk. Dr. Robert Gotlin, director of Beth Israel Medical Center’s orthopedic and sports-medicine program, believes that although these devices can be extremely effective, they also have potential dangers. After all, the boards are designed to be unstable so you’ll work to maintain your balance. “Go about it slowly,” he advises. “Be close to a wall, and get on with two feet. Then try one [foot], then try to bend.”

Plenty of compact options exist for cardio action, too. The Lateral Thigh Training system, ($100 at Modell’s), is a mini-stepper, and while it’s a little heavy, it’s certainly compact enough to fit anywhere but the smallest of cubicles. It also has wide foot pads for good stability. And the portable mini-cycle at Sharper Image ($99.95) could theoretically be used while you’re working at your desk.

Before getting started with any equipment, Dr. Christopher Dunbar, professor of physical education and exercise science at CUNY Brooklyn, suggests checking out the American College of Sports Medicine’s site (www.acsm.org), where you’ll find guidelines and tips, as well as a physical activity readiness questionnaire, which should help you decide what level of exercise is right for you. Personal trainer Aaron Flynn, who has trained the likes of Calvin Klein and David Geffen, also notes that you can hire a trainer for just one or two sessions to get you started and teach you to use equipment properly. Flynn will do a one-time consultation for slightly more than his usual $75-per-hour fee. But, he adds, “if someone could budget for just four or five sessions to learn and memorize those exercises, that would be a smarter way to go about it.”

Experts point out that whichever method you choose, every step, no matter how small, counts. “New Yorkers want to do everything or nothing,” Reznik says. “Start with something. It all adds up. If you try to be perfect, it won’t last.”

•Aaron Flynn, www.aaronpersonaltrainer.com
•Modell’s Sporting Goods, 1293 Broadway at 34th St, (212- 244-4544)
•Sharper Image, 900 Madison Ave at 72nd St, (212-794-4974)
•Paragon Sports, 871 Broadway at 17th St (212-255-8036)

CLEAN LIVING

COUNTER ACTION There are plenty of options among green household cleaners. Photo: Shaniqwa Jarvis

Holistic cleaning products let you treat your home as well as you treat your body

By Tracey Middlekauff

Plus
• Bare essentials: Mix your own do-it-yourself cleaning supplies

In 1988, Mark Sklawer was cleaning houses part-time to earn extra cash when he sustained a chemical burn all over his forearm. The culprit: a conventional oven cleaner. Sklawer knew he needed a different approach to germ–busting. “In my grandmother’s day, they didn’t have all this [commercial cleaning] stuff,” he remembers realizing. “But they had clean houses back then.” So Sklawer stripped down to basics, and his Holistic Housecleaning Service (718-282-2408) was born. For $25 an hour, he’ll scrub, wipe, polish and muscle his way through a job, using whatever product it takes as long as it doesn’t contain fragrance, dyes or chemicals.

Chemical burns aside, there are other compelling reasons to avoid commercial cleaners. Common products such as Ajax, Windex and Formula 409 contain bleach, ammonia, or 2-butoxyethanol, all of which are recognized by the EPA as potential eye, skin or respiratory irritants. Some people develop sensitivities to these chemicals and can’t use products that contain them. And many widely used cleaners are petrochemically based; they’re derived from crude oil, a nonrenewable resource. All those substances wash down your drain and can find their way into drinking water, streams and lakes. Sklawer has noticed a rise in inquiries about his service since 9/11; he believes New Yorkers are “thinking more about the environment and our dependence on petrochemicals.”

When it comes to choosing products, 45-year-old Sklawer favors simplicity. For a scrubber, he likes the clay-based Bon Ami, which has been around since 1886, or the slightly younger Borax, available since 1891. Grandma would definitely approve, and if you want to use it yourself, so will your wallet: Bon Ami will set you back only about 79¢, and a 4-pound box of Borax, enough to clean a lot of bathrooms, costs less than $5 at the D’Agostino on West 23rd Street. Sklawer also likes CitraSolv ($3.39 at Whole Foods), an orange-based cleaner that cuts grease and wipes off as easily as Formula 409.

Julie Genser, a 37-year-old freelance copywriter who uses Sklawer’s service, admits that she’d wondered at first just how clean her apartment would be after it was scrubbed only with green products. “But I’m really impressed,” she says. “He used a lot of muscle, and that justifies why I’m paying more.”

But if elbow grease isn’t your thing, there are products out there that will do a lot of the work for you. Healthy Clean Buildings, a company based in Melville, New York, replaces toxic cleaning chemicals with safer alternatives in schools, offices and institutional buildings, and offers products for residential use. For $59.95, you can order the Healthy Home Cleaning Kit (631-643-1882 or www.cleaningpro.com/HSHOMECLN.cfm), seven products designed to replace virtually everything under your kitchen sink. The kit comes with four H2Orange2-brand hydrogen-peroxide-based cleaners for windows, toilets, tubs, carpets, countertops and the like; A-Ben-A-Qui, a nonchlorinated scouring paste; a citrus air freshener; and Ecotru, a hospital-grade disinfectant that can kill E. coli, TB, hantavirus and lots of other things you probably don’t want in your apartment. While 60 bucks may seem pricey, a little goes a long way—and the products work well. You can also order a three-item refill kit for $29.95.

There are plenty of local options, too, and they aren’t found only at natural-food stores. D’Agostino carries Earth Friendly Products window cleaner for $3.89, comparable to what you’d pay for Windex, and a bodega in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, stocks Seventh Generation laundry detergent for just $5.99. At Back to the Land in Park Slope (142 Seventh Ave 718-768-5654), Ecover and Seventh Generation are the best-selling brands, despite the occasionally higher price tag. Seventh Generation’s 22-load laundry detergent was a whopping $7.19, and the window cleaner was $4.79. But they do work: After a test run with Seventh Generation, my dishes and laundry were clean, although I did miss the scent of Downy, even if it does come from chemicals and not a mountain stream.

While you can pay more for some green products, Sklawer urges us to weigh the real costs. “I’m always surprised that people are going to yoga, living a healthier lifestyle, and yet their house is full of toxic chemicals, all of which stay in your body,” he says. “Aren’t you worth a dollar more?”

BARE ESSENTIALS

It’s all well and good to decide to spend extra cash on protecting your health and preserving the environment—unless you’re broke. That’s where Annie Berthold-Bond, author of Clean and Green and The Green Kitchen Handbook, can be helpful. After developing severe chemical sensitivities in 1980, Berthold-Bond created easy and cheap do-it-yourself cleaning recipes. Among our favorites:

Soft scrubber
Mix a handful of baking soda with enough liquid soap (the latter ensures easy rinsing) to create a frosting-like texture. Dr. Bronner’s castile soap with lavender essence works well, doubling as an aromatherapy session.

Window cleaner
Mix 3 tablespoons of white vinegar with 2 cups of water and a squirt of liquid detergent, like Seventh Generation dish-washing soap. This works as well as Windex, and vinegar is about as cheap as it gets: just over $1 for a bottle at D’Agostino. Vinegar and water also make an effective floor cleaner; Berthold-Bond recommends a ratio of one part vinegar to four or five parts water. Pointing out its deodorizing properties, Berthold-Bond recommends spraying undiluted vinegar on cutting boards and around the toilet rim.

All-purpose spray cleaner
Combine 1/2 teaspoon washing soda, a squirt of liquid soap and 2 cups warm tap water in a spray bottle and shake well. This solution is effective on stoves and kitchen counters, but some exertion may be required. And note: Washing soda is strong enough to strip wax, so think before you spray.

Mold killer
Mix 2 teaspoons tea tree oil with 2 cups water. Tea tree oil can be expensive ($7.49 for a half-ounce of Back to the Land brand), but it goes a long way and is remarkably effective.