DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE ARE SIX MAJOR TOXIN SOURCES IN YOUR HOME?
Toxins are everywhere, its kind of overwhelming to think about. There are 6 major toxic sources in our home that we can conquer by the choices we make in our everyday lives. When we gain knowledge of what they are we have the power of choice to change the toxic atmosphere in our life.
Essential oils are a powerful solution to support your body, mind, spirit and will help you clean up toxins in your life.
My husband and I this month have been cleaning up our diet, you know cut out alcohol and sugar. We have been switching the inflammatory foods for foods that calm inflammation and since essential oils have been scientifically proven to be anti-inflammatory. Being the Aromatherapist that I am, I've been reading up on ways that aromatics can help cleanse toxins from our lives. Let me share with you the things I learned that can help you live a toxic free life too.
#1- Toxic Indoor air
Have you ever walked back into your home after cooking up some steaks and brussel sprouts? If you haven’t, what you will experience is fragrance that isn't very pleasant to the nose. So, you light a candle that is releasing synthetic chemicals in the air to cover those stinky brussel sprouts that seem to keep hanging around. Think about the candles that we burn and all the cleaning products we use that creates a cocktail of toxins in our homes.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air is 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air, regardless of where you live. And research shows that, on average, we spend approximately 90% of our time indoors, breathing in air filled with odors, potentially harmful, gases, and chemicals, pollution, dust, and viruses. You may ask yourself what is this doing to us? According to the American heart Association, poor, indoor air quality can cause heart problems in certain types of cancer, especially lung cancer. There are similar reports linking indoor air pollution to autoimmunity, Alzheimer’s, and general cognitive impairment. After reading that don't you think that your indoor air quality should be a high priority? Here are a few solutions.
Diffuse essential oils throughout your home to help kill, airborne pathogens and provide a natural, healing sent to your rooms.
Stop using commercial air fresheners. They may contain solvents, stabilizers, UV, absorbers, preservatives, and dyes, as well as harmful chemicals. Many of these chemicals are carcinogens, respiratory irritants, hormone, destructors, neurotoxins (which caused damage to the brain), and allergens. Try to make a this aromatherapy room spritzer from my last blog post.
Get rid of candles, they contain mostly synthetic chemicals for the fragrance. There are some neutral versions that can be purchased if you cannot live without candles. I have a couple of clean burning non-toxic candles that I love. Click here and here to check them out.
You can use some air purifiers to help minimize all the main sources of air pollution in your home. An efficient one can even filter out virus size particles.
To further clean the air, there are a number of natural alternatives: Himalayan salt, lamps, charcoal bags, house plants, or use essential oils diffused in the air.
#2 - Water
Is tap water safe? It's kind of complicated. Drinking tap water, won't kill you, but it will expose you to chemical contamination that may, in the long run, post harmful effects to your body. Some nasty contaminants may be flowing out of your faucet, to name just a few: fluoride is a neurotoxin and hormone disruptor. Chlorine is a trigger for respiratory problems and memory loss. Lead is highly damaging to children, as well as to the heart, brain, and reproductive organs. Mercury is related to brain damage, blindness, cognitive disability, impairment of motor functions, headaches, tremors, mood, swings, memory, loss, and skin rashes. PCBs may cause cancer and immune damage. Yikes. Here are some solutions to help clean up toxic water in your home.
You can detox your water supply with an excellent water filter. I read that reverse osmosis filters are a good way to help cleanse your water. They remove virtually all of the toxic chemicals from your tap water.
Hydrate yourself, drink several glasses of filtered water daily as well as herbal teas. I love to add hydrosols to my water. Hydrosols not only smell divine, they also carry a wide array of physically, mentally, and emotionally healing constituents. Chamomile tea is a relaxing nervine that makes a soothing bedtime drink by diluting a few teaspoons of chamomile hydrosol in a cup of warm water.
"Life is one long experiment. Keep testing new things!" Dr. Anastasia Zink
#3 - EMFs
Most of us loved the conveniences of modern life. But few of us are aware of the possible health risk presented by the gadgets that make our world work. EMFs concern some experts, because it turns out that our cell phones, microwaves, Wi-Fi routers, and other appliances send out a stream of invisible energy through electromagnetic fields. EMS are known to trigger oxidative stress on various tissues throughout the body and they can cause free radical damage to your cells. Here are a few solutions to help you with the effects EMFs.
Use essential oils as a way of life in your body care and cleaning products. Essential oil are rich in free radical, fighting antioxidants, and can help reduce the effects of these waves.
Use the speaker function or headphones so your phone is not right by your ear when talking. Avoid wireless earbuds and Bluetooth technology.
You can turn off your phone or put it in "airplane mode" when you are asleep.
You can turn off your Wi-Fi router at night.
You can stop using microwaves. You can reheat food quickly on the stove top or in your oven. Toaster ovens come in handy for the same reason.
Use EMF protection devices to help create a protected environment in your home office or car.
#4 - Household cleaning products
There are many household products that are loaded with toxins that can contribute to autoimmunity and other chronic health conditions. Some of the most toxic chemicals are parabens, which are hormone disruptors, and may lead to breast cancer, chlorine, associated with sneezing, skin, nasal, and throat, irritation, triclosan, another hormone disruptor, ammonia, which is corrosive to the lungs and phthalates, which are carcinogens. Also be wary of antibacterial cleaners. When you use them, good, bacteria are also killed. This could be harmful to your skins micro biome. If the ratio is good to bad, bacteria is disrupted, and bad bacteria can get the upper hand.
Solutions for the Laundry room.
Look for green detergents that are formulated with natural, plant-based ingredients.
Use baking soda. There's not much that baking soda cannot do. It's the jack of all trades when it comes to cleaning. Baking soda is great for washing clothing and is a natural stain remover.
Clean with distilled white vinegar. Simply put half a cup in your washing machines detergent compartment. You don't need to add any other detergent.
Solutions for house hold cleaners.
Baking soda is extremely helpful for scrubbing down the surfaces, including ovens, cleaning, smelly drains, cleaning, grout and mopping floors.
Distilled white, and apple cider vinegar's are all natural disinfectants. You can even clean glass and other services with them. I love adding citrus oils to distilled white vinegar mixed with water. It works so well on my mirrors.
You can use essential oils in your cleaning products, because they give big benefits: they are disinfectants, and they bring a pleasant sent to the cleaning job you're doing. If your too busy to make your own cleaning products I absolutely love using Supernatural cleaning products.
#5 - Cosmetics and Personal care products
Our skin is an organ, in fact, the largest organ on our body. Because our skin is so porous, it absorbs anything and everything we put on it. This means all the body creams, perfumes, deodorant, hair care, products, shampoos, and even or nail polishes, and all the chemicals in these products, eventually wind up inside our body. Here are some of the chemicals that I have read about that we're very concerning.
(DEA) Diethanolamine is found in moisturizers, shampoos, sunscreens and cleansers. DEA is a possible carcinogen.
Petroleum is found in hair products, lip balm, lipsticks, and in many skin care products, such as petroleum jelly, and baby oils, is often contaminated with cancer, causing substances.
Talc is commonly found in baby powders, face, powders, and body powders. It is a mineral shown to be a major cause of ovarian cancer.
Lead is present in many cosmetics, including lipsticks. It is a neurotoxin that can damage the brain.
Parabens are chemicals that are commonly found in cosmetics such as skin and hair care products. Parabens are hormone disruptors.
Aluminum is most commonly found in deodorants and in antiperspirants. There have been studies linking aluminum to all timers, disease and brain disorders.
Here are a few solutions.
Castle soap is available in bars or liquid. Castle soap replaces most any commercial soap, or cleanser.
Unfiltered, raw, apple cider vinegar is exceptional aa a clarifying hair rinse.
Witch hazel is known for shrinking pores and fighting aging. Which Hazel is a natural astringent with many skin boosting benefits. Hydrosols also do wonders for the skin.
Diluted essential oils, such as Lavender, Frankincense, Roman Chamomile, Neroli, Helichrysum, Sandalwood, and Rose are all popular choices for cosmetic or skin care.
Bentonite/ French clay is clarifying and is one of the top detoxifying ingredients that will give you glowing skin.
Honey is antibacterial it is very healing for the skin. It helps promote probiotic activity and reduces acne.
With my background of being in the spa industry, I am very picky with what I use on my skin. One of the products I use on my skin is called "The Rebounder" by Bully Blocker and I am a lifer with their non-toxic makeup.
#6 - Processed Junk Food
Good nutrition and diet is so important for a toxic, free life. There are so many toxins in many of our foods, including added sugar, saturated fats, additives, colorings, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and so much more. Found mostly in processed foods, fast food, and junk food of every type, these bad ingredients are among the leading reasons chronic disease is on the rise.
Solutions to these bad ingredients .
You can add foods, rich in bioactive compounds to your diet to ensure that you were getting the nourishment, your body needs. Bioactive compounds are antioxidants and phytochemicals (plant-based chemicals) that help boost, metabolism, prevent disease, and make you feel great. They are found mostly in plant foods, vegetables, fruits, healthy oils, nuts, and seeds.
Avoid unsafe items like bleached sugars, and white flour and products made with them. Also, on the list are vegetable oils like a canola oil which have been linked to numerous chronic diseases; commercial fruit juices ( store bought versions are pasteurized, which renders them useless, because they are void of nutrition) and artificial sweeteners.
Non-organic, GMO meat products, these are absolute death foods. So eat organically grown or raised foods whenever possible. They are free of pesticides, insecticides, hormones, antibiotics, and other toxins, known to cause harm to humans.
Living a toxic free life can be overwhelming.
That was a lot of information, I know! These changes don't have to be overnight. Start to be more aware of what products you are using and start to make small changes. When you run out of what your using now, try to use a toxic free option of that product . Cleaning up the toxicity in your life might take a moment, it is OK. Give yourself some grace you may have just learned something new about what is in all the items we buy. You have got this! I promise you and your body will be so happy when you make the switch to a toxic free lifestyle. Drop me a message on any of my social media accounts on some of your favorite toxic free items you have discovered. I would love to hear!