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1. 8 Hidden Toxins: What’s Lurking in Your Cleaning Products?
2. Building Health - What is the Best Diet?
3. Nerve Damage (neuropathy) as a Side Effect of Surgery
4. Vitamin E & B, Wheat Products and Your Heart
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8 Hidden Toxins: What’s Lurking in Your Cleaning Products? By Jessie Sholl
We wanted to forward this article as one of the two ways to create "bad health" is to not get all the nutrients your body needs and to put toxins into the body. This article really goes over all the ingredients you don't want in your cleaning products. It's very interesting.
Jessie Sholl gives different suggestions on what to use that is safe and we also have a recommendation for products that not only are not toxic BUT was created when years of
research indicated that most viruses, fungi, and bacteria cannot live in the presence of some essential oils. That is at the end of this article.
We assume they are safe. But in fact, many popular household cleaners are dangerously toxic. Learn about the eight scariest substances hiding under your kitchen sink, and how to replace them with safer, more natural options that really work.
When a pain in Beth Greer’s shoulder led her to a chiropractor nine years ago, she wasn’t that worried. After all, she led a healthy lifestyle: She watched her weight, meditated regularly, and ate mostly organic food. Greer’s chiropractor wasn’t worried either; he diagnosed her with a herniated disk. But after three sessions, not only was she not better, the pain was beginning to radiate down her arm and into her fingers.
An MRI revealed the true cause of Greer’s pain: a tennis-ball-size tumor in her chest. The good news was the mass was benign. Still, each of the three thoracic surgeons Greer saw strongly recommended she have it removed. One wanted to get at it by going in under her collarbone, one wanted to reach the mass through her armpit, and the third wanted to remove a rib to get the tumor from the back.
They all agreed on just one thing: The surgery was risky. Because the tumor was in such a nerve-packed place, there was a real possibility that removing it could cause Greer to lose feeling in her hand.
Greer opted out of the surgery, and instead focused on doing everything she could to support her body’s healing capacity. Curious by nature (she and her husband, Steven Seligman, owned the Learning Annex, a group of schools offering short-term classes on everything from relationships to real-estate), Greer decided to learn everything she could about her condition and discovered that tumors typically grow in response to irritation and inflammation. Eliminating environmental toxins that might be contributing to her tumor’s growth seemed like a practical first step.
First, she turned her attention to the conventional household cleaning products tucked away in her cabinets. “I’d look at a label and it would say ‘hazardous to humans and domestic animals,’” says Greer. “So why would anyone want to use that?”
She ultimately tossed her entire collection of toxic cleaning products and began making her own with ingredients like vinegar, baking soda and essential oil. She also swapped her commercial body-care products and makeup for nontoxic ones, and she cleaned up her already healthy diet by eating only whole, unprocessed foods — without any labels.
Nine months later, her tumor was gone. Completely. Although she can’t pin her results on any one environmental change, Greer’s confident that cutting down her exposure to toxins played a critical role — so much so that she’s made sharing that information with others a central part of her life.
Today, Greer consults professionally with others who want to detoxify their homes and offices. In 2002 she and Seligman sold the Learning Annex and she began writing about toxin-free living. The result is her book, Super Natural Home.
During her research for the book, Greer was shocked to learn that there’s no federal regulation of chemicals in household products. Rebecca Sutton, PhD, a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group (EWG), explains, “In terms of household cleaners, neither ingredients nor products must meet any sort of safety standard, nor is any testing data or notification required before bringing a product to market.”
The average household contains about 62 toxic chemicals, say environmental experts. We’re exposed to them routinely — from the phthalates in synthetic fragrances to the noxious fumes in oven cleaners. Ingredients in common household products have been linked to asthma, cancer, reproductive disorders, hormone disruption and neurotoxicity.
Manufacturers argue that in small amounts these toxic ingredients aren’t likely to be a problem, but when we’re exposed to them routinely, and in combinations that haven’t been studied, it’s impossible to accurately gauge the risks. While a few products cause immediate reactions from acute exposure (headaches from fumes, skin burns from accidental contact), different problems arise with repeated contact. Chronic exposure adds to the body’s “toxic burden” — the number of chemicals stored in its tissues at a given time.
This toxic body burden is EWG’s chief concern about household chemicals. Sutton explains: “Our concern is daily, weekly, chronic exposure over a lifetime. Maybe if you’re exposed to a chemical a handful of times it wouldn’t cause harm, but some chemicals build up enough or cause enough harm in your body over time that it triggers some kind of disease outcome. The concept [of body burden] is that pollution is not just in our air and in our water — it’s also in us.”
No one can avoid exposure to toxic chemicals altogether, but it is possible to reduce it significantly. In the following pages, Greer, Sutton and other experts weigh in on the worst toxic offenders commonly found in household cleaning products, and offer ways to swap them for healthier, safer options.
1. Phthalates
Found in: Many fragranced household products, such as air fresheners, dish soap, even toilet paper. Because of proprietary laws, companies don’t have to disclose what’s in their scents, so you won’t find phthalates on a label. If you see the word “fragrance” on a label, there’s a good chance phthalates are present.
Health Risks: Phthalates are known endocrine disruptors. Men with higher phthalate compounds in their blood had correspondingly reduced sperm counts, according to a 2003 study conducted by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Harvard School of Public Health. Although exposure to phthalates mainly occurs through inhalation, it can also happen through skin contact with scented soaps, which is a significant problem, warns Alicia Stanton, MD, coauthor of Hormone Harmony. Unlike the digestive system, the skin has no safeguards against toxins. Absorbed chemicals go straight to organs.
Healthier Choice: When possible choose fragrance-free or all-natural organic products. Greer recommends bypassing aerosol or plug-in air fresheners and instead using essential oils or simply opening windows to freshen the air. Besides causing more serious effects like endocrine disruption, “Aerosol sprays and air fresheners can be migraine and asthma triggers,” she says. Also consider adding more plants to your home: They’re natural air detoxifiers.
2. Perchloroethylene or “PERC”
Found in: Dry-cleaning solutions, spot removers, and carpet and upholstery cleaners.
Health Risks: Perc is a neurotoxin, according to the chief scientist of environmental protection for the New York Attorney General’s office. And the EPA classifies perc as a “possible carcinogen” as well. People who live in residential buildings where dry cleaners are located have reported dizziness, loss of coordination and other symptoms. While the EPA has ordered a phase-out of perc machines in residential buildings by 2020, California is going even further and plans to eliminate all use of perc by 2023 because of its suspected health risks. The route of exposure is most often inhalation: that telltale smell on clothes when they return from the dry cleaner, or the fumes that linger after cleaning carpets.
Healthier Choice: Curtains, drapes and clothes that are labeled “dry clean only” can be taken instead to a “wet cleaner,” which uses water-based technology rather than chemical solvents. The EPA recently recognized liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) as an environmentally preferable alternative to more toxic dry-cleaning solvents. Ask your dry cleaner which method they use. For a safer spot remover, look for a nontoxic brand like Ecover at a natural market, or rub undiluted castile soap directly on stains before washing.
3. Triclosan
Found in: Most liquid dishwashing detergents and hand soaps labeled “antibacterial.”
Health Risks: Triclosan is an aggressive antibacterial agent that can promote the growth of drug-resistant bacteria. Explains Sutton: “The American Medical Association has found no evidence that these antimicrobials make us healthier or safer, and they’re particularly concerned because they don’t want us overusing antibacterial chemicals — that’s how microbes develop resistance, and not just to these [household antibacterials], but also to real antibiotics that we need.” Other studies have now found dangerous concentrations of triclosan in rivers and streams, where it is toxic to algae. The EPA is currently investigating whether triclosan may also disrupt endocrine (hormonal) function. It is a probable carcinogen. At press time, the agency was reviewing the safety of triclosan in consumer products.
Healthier Choice: Use simple detergents and soaps with short ingredient lists, and avoid antibacterial products with triclosan for home use. If you’re hooked on hand sanitizer, choose one that is alcohol-based and without triclosan.
4. Quarternary Ammonium Compounds, or “QUATS”
Found in: Fabric softener liquids and sheets, most household cleaners labeled “antibacterial.”
Health Risks: Quats are another type of antimicrobial, and thus pose the same problem as triclosan by helping breed antibiotic-resistant bacteria. They’re also a skin irritant; one 10-year study of contact dermatitis found quats to be one of the leading causes. According to Sutton, they’re also suspected as a culprit for respiratory disorders: “There’s evidence that even healthy people who are [exposed to quats] on a regular basis develop asthma as a result.”
Healthier Choice: You don’t really need fabric softener or dryer sheets to soften clothes or get rid of static: Simple vinegar works just as well. “Vinegar is the natural fabric softener of choice for many reasons,” explains Karyn Siegel-Maier in her book The Naturally Clean Home. “Not only is it nontoxic, it also removes soap residue in the rinse cycle and helps to prevent static cling in the dryer.” White vinegar is your best choice for general cleaning; other types can stain.
Alternatives to chemical disinfectants abound, including antibacterial, antifungal tea-tree oil. Mix a few drops of tea-tree oil and a tablespoon of vinegar with water in a spray bottle for a safe, germ killing, all-purpose cleaner. Add a couple of drops of lavender essential oil for scent.
5. 2-Butoxyethanol
Found in: Window, kitchen and multipurpose cleaners.
Health Risks: 2-butoxyethanol is the key ingredient in many window cleaners and gives them their characteristic sweet smell. It belongs in the category of “glycol ethers,” a set of powerful solvents that don’t mess around. Law does not require 2-butoxyethanol to be listed on a product’s label. According to the EPA’s Web site, in addition to causing sore throats when inhaled, at high levels glycol ethers can also contribute to narcosis, pulmonary edema, and severe liver and kidney damage. Although the EPA sets a standard on 2-butoxyethanol for workplace safety, Sutton warns, “If you’re cleaning at home in a confined area, like an unventilated bathroom, you can actually end up getting 2-butoxyethanol in the air at levels that are higher than workplace safety standards.”
Healthier Choice: Clean mirrors and windows with newspaper and diluted vinegar. For other kitchen tasks, stick to simple cleaning compounds like Bon Ami powder; it’s made from natural ingredients like ground feldspar and baking soda without the added bleach or fragrances found in most commercial cleansers. You can also make your own formulas with baking soda, vinegar and essential oils. See the “DIY Cleaners” sidebar for a list of clean concoctions.
6. Ammonia
Found in: Polishing agents for bathroom fixtures, sinks and jewelry; also in glass cleaner.
Health Risks: Because ammonia evaporates and doesn’t leave streaks, it’s another common ingredient in commercial window cleaners. That sparkle has a price. “Ammonia is a powerful irritant,” says Donna Kasuska, chemical engineer and president of ChemConscious, Inc., a risk-management consulting company. “It’s going to affect you right away. The people who will be really affected are those who have asthma, and elderly people with lung issues and breathing problems. It’s almost always inhaled. People who get a lot of ammonia exposure, like housekeepers, will often develop chronic bronchitis and asthma.” Ammonia can also create a poisonous gas if it’s mixed with bleach.
Healthier Choice: Vodka. “It will produce a reflective shine on any metal or mirrored surface,” explains Lori Dennis, author of Green Interior Design. And toothpaste makes an outstanding silver polish.
7. Chlorine
Found in: Scouring powders, toilet bowl cleaners, mildew removers, laundry whiteners, household tap water.
Health Risks: “With chlorine we have so many avenues of exposure,” says Kasuska. “You’re getting exposed through fumes and possibly through skin when you clean with it, but because it’s also in city water to get rid of bacteria, you’re also getting exposed when you take a shower or bath. The health risks from chlorine can be acute, and they can be chronic; it’s a respiratory irritant at an acute level. But the chronic effects are what people don’t realize: It may be a serious thyroid disrupter.”
Healthier Choice: For scrubbing, stick to Bon Ami or baking soda. Toilet bowls can be cleaned with vinegar, and vinegar or borax powder both work well for whitening clothes. So does the chlorine-free oxygen bleach powder made by Biokleen. To reduce your exposure to chlorine through tap water, install filters on your kitchen sink and in the shower.
8. Sodium Hydroxide
Found in: Oven cleaners and drain openers.
Health Risks: Otherwise known as lye, sodium hydroxide is extremely corrosive: If it touches your skin or gets in your eyes, it can cause severe burns. Routes of exposure are skin contact and inhalation. Inhaling sodium hydroxide can cause a sore throat that lasts for days.
Healthier Choice: You can clean the grimiest oven with baking-soda paste — it just takes a little more time and elbow grease (see recipes in “DIY Cleaners” sidebar). Unclog drains with a mechanical “snake” tool, or try this approach from the Green Living Ideas Web site: Pour a cup of baking soda and a cup of vinegar down the drain and plug it for 30 minutes. After the bubbles die down, run hot water down the drain to clear the debris.
Beware of Greenwashing
If a cleaning product at your supermarket proclaims itself “green,” “natural” or “biodegradable,” that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s nontoxic. In 2010 the environmental consulting firm TerraChoice Group produced a report called “The Sins of Greenwashing.” In it the group found more than 95 percent of so-called green consumer products had committed at least one “greenwashing sin,” like making an environmental claim that may be truthful but unimportant. “CFC-free,” for example, is a common one, since CFCs are banned by law. Donna Kasuska of ChemConscious offers this advice: “When gauging ecological claims, look for specifics. ‘Biodegradable in three to five days’ holds more meaning than ‘biodegradable,’ as most substances will eventually break down with enough time.”
DIY Cleaners
Clean your home safely — and cheaply — with the following recipes:
• Basic sink cleanser — Combine ½ cup baking soda with six drops essential oil (such as lavender, rosemary, lemon, lime or orange). Rinse sink well with hot water. Sprinkle combination into sink and pour ¼ cup vinegar over top. After the fizz settles, scrub with a damp sponge or cloth. Rinse again with hot water. (From The Naturally Clean Home, by Karyn Siegel-Maier.)
• Oven cleanser — Put a heatproof dish filled with water in the oven. Turn on the heat to let the steam soften any baked-on grease. Once the oven is cool, apply a paste of equal parts salt, baking soda, and vinegar, and scrub. (From Super Natural Home, by Beth Greer.)
• Bathroom mildew remover — Good ventilation helps prevent mildew and mold. When they do occur, make a spray with 2 cups of water and 1/4 teaspoon each of tea-tree and lavender oil. Shake first and spray on trouble spots. The oils break down the mildew so there’s no need to wipe it down. (From Green Interior Design, by Lori Dennis.)
• Carpet shampoo — Mix 3 cups water, ¾ cup vegetable-based liquid soap, and 10 drops peppermint essential oil. Rub the foam into soiled areas with a damp sponge. Let dry thoroughly and then vacuum. (From The Naturally Clean Home.)
• Laundry soap — Try “soap nuts” made from the dried fruit of the Chinese soapberry tree. Available in natural groceries and online, the reusable soap nuts come in a cotton sack that goes into the washing machine with clothes.
• Dusting — Skip the furniture polishes. Instead, use a microfiber cloth. Made from synthetic fibers that are then split into hundreds of smaller microfibers, they capture dust more efficiently than regular rags. If necessary, a little olive oil makes a fine polishing agent.
Jessie Sholl has written about health for a variety of publications. She is also the author of Dirty Secret: A Daughter Comes Clean About Her Mother’s Compulsive Hoarding (Simon and Schuster/Gallery Books, 2010).
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Have questons? EMAIL or call (818)252-0138
Building Health - What is the Best Diet?
This is the one that we recommend. Some people think it is a fad diet, but when you examine and evaluate it, it is the best for health. I know I will never go back to eating any other way. You need to eat for your health, not your taste buds.
And you don't have to need to lose weight. The body will start to burn fat from your food, and not rely on all the sugar & carbs.
The 7 Benefits of Ketogenic Diet - Dr. Eric Berg
Here are the 7 reasons why the ketogenic diet is the best for long term health and for maximum weight loss.
Benefits of Ketogenic Diet
1. The wonders of ketosis —using your own fat for fuel.
When you actually get into ketosis, you’re running your body on a different fuel which is ketones. Ketones are the original fuel that our bodies ran on a long time ago. It’s using your own fat for fuel instead of glucose and we do very well on this “clean fuel.”
2. The Ketogenic Diet produces the most weight loss of any diet and gets rid of belly fat.
3. It’s fantastic for the memory.
It works for kids with epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other cognitive disorders.
4. It improves your mood.
The ketogenic diet plan is great for mood and your overall emotional state because when you’re running your body on sugar you get irritable and grouchy all the time.
5. It gets rid of cravings and hunger.
The keto diet plan virtually slays cravings and hunger, which is great because how are you going to “diet” when you’re overwhelmed by cravings and hunger? It won’t last and this diet will help you with that.
The reason is because when you run on ketones, you don’t get the fluctuations in blood sugar that creates all these cravings.
6. It fixes the metabolism.
It can actually repair a broken metabolism and help you get past your set point weight—that point at which your body stalls with weight loss.
It’s great for busting through weight loss plateaus.
7. It fixes any issues with insulin.
Think about it. If you have high insulin, diabetes, or insulin resistance, what will this turn into if you do not fix it?
Diabetes, strokes, PCOS, high blood pressure, a fatty liver, cardiovascular issues of all kinds, Alzheimer’s, aneurisms . . . all sorts of terrible things happen to people when you have high levels of insulin.
I hope I’m selling you on this concept because the ketogenic diet is the way to go for ultimate weight loss and ultimate health.
I don’t think you’ll ever go back to eating any other way once you see the Ketogenic diet benefits.
Nerve Damage (neuropathy) as a Side Effect of Surgery
How it happens. What can be done for relief?
Often, during the course of surgery it is possible that nerves may become damaged. This is called neuropathy.
Causes of nerve damage during surgery include the scalpel, a bruise that occurs on the nerve, inflammation of the tissue around the nerve, forces caused by patient positioning during surgery, or prolonged contact with rigid surgical equipment.
Prolonged stretching or compression of tissue surrounding a nerve hampers circulation and can deprive the nerve of nourishment. These effects can lead to nerve damage, which may be temporary or permanent.
There have been studies done in 2010 by Mayo Clinic that found that in some cases nerve inflammation may be the cause following surgical procedures saying that it was not the surgeon's fault but the immune system attacking the nerves.
The Mayo Clinic study found that nerve inflammation may cause pain, numbness and weakness following surgical procedures.
Although anyone undergoing surgery runs a risk of nerve damage, patients who have diabetes mellitus, cancer, a vitamin deficiency, or a history of previous injury have an increased risk. Other risk factors include smoking, alcoholism, obesity, a preexisting limitation in joint movement, personal or occupational habits that cause repeated bending of an extremity, or a lengthy surgical procedure.
This damage can be the result of all types of surgery.
In some cases the nerve damage will go away over time, as the injured portion of the nerve heals or the inflammation goes away. In other cases, the neuropathy is permanent unless the nerves can be made healthy again.
Symptoms of surgical nerve damage:
Symptoms include tingling or numbness in one area of the body. It may resemble "pins and needles: It can result in pain, which is generally a severe burning pain.
These symptoms may occur at the actual surgical site, or in distant parts of the body as the damaged nerve may supply these parts.
These symptoms may become worse due to sudden movements or unusual body positioning, such as those that occur during sleep.
The pain that comes from post-surgical nerve damage will be treated by medical doctors with pain medication, even narcotics.
Treatment for the Nerve Damage of Surgery
There are many medications, and other remedies to bring relief, you can read it in this article neuropathy.
What can you do:
Take a Quiz: Am I doing everything I can to daily help my neuropathy?
Find out what lifestyle changes will help, take the quiz and get our suggestions and get our assistance on what you can do.
Take Our Quiz
None of the various neuropathy treatments will build healthy nerves. You can cover up the symptoms and you can increase circulation and you can make a person feel less pain, etc., but if you build healthy nerves, there will not be any symtoms (healthy nerves don't hurt, tingle, burn, are not numb, etc.) and the relief will be lasting.
Rebuilding Healthy Nerves:
Healthy sensory nerves mean that they are not painful. Healthy nerves means that they communicate and don't send wrong signals such as burning, hot and cold, tingling when there is no reason for it. Healthy motor nerves mean that they relay messages from the brain to the muscle so that they move correctly. Nerves need to be healthy to function properly.
The body needs specific nutrients (vitamins) to be able to build healthy nerves.
It may not give immediate relief (although many do feel changes in the first week) as the vitamins are working at a cellular level, but it does address the actual problem, builds healthy nerves and brings lasting relief.
(For temporary relief while building healthy nerves, go to Pain Relief Formula )
What can be done for relief?
Find out how to Build Healthy Nerves
Vitamin E & B, Wheat Products and Your Heart
There is not a single cell in your body that can stay alive without vitamin E because vitamin E
regulates oxygen.
When your body is deficient in Vitamin E, your heart may require up to 250% more oxygen. Many people are not getting the entire Vitamin E complex. Vitamin E such as alpha-tocopherol is not the full vitamins.
It used to be that you could get the vitamin E complex from freshly ground wheat but these days almost all breads have had the vitamin E completely stripped out of them. If by chance you do eat freshly ground wheat that has not been bleached, you have to eat it within 7 days to get the Vitamin E. After 7 days the Vitamin E becomes rancid. If you eat commercial bleached flour products regularly it is likely you have a vitamin E deficiency.
Vitamin B, which is essential to heart tone and rhythm, is also depleted by consuming bleached flour products.
By Cindy Clayton, D.C. & Nutritionist - Practices in the Portland Oregon Area. Her office number is (323) 394-0194
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