My latest article on
The Triune--
Hidden Poisons: Home.
One of the hot nutrition topics right now is
Hidden Poisons. When
I began researching this topic, I was amazed at how much we have in our
home that is harmful to our bodies! I’m beginning at home, with the
items in most of our homes that you may not realize are poisonous.
3 Steps to Eliminate Home Toxins
1. Avoid any product labeled antibacterial.
Problem: Trying to kill all bacteria is a big mistake. Antibacterial products can create indestructible superbugs.
A recent study determined that triclosan, the active ingredient in
many antibacterial products, has a profoundly negative effect on our
immune system’s natural killer cells, our primary defense against virus
and tumor cells.
Solution: Good old unscented soap and water has
worked for centuries, and there’s no reason to change now. A little bit
of dirt never hurt anyone. In other words, “if it’s not broken, don’t
fix it.”
2. Shop for cleaning products carefully.
Problem: When it comes to certain dangers, cleaning
products are clearly marked. But if you don’t understand the
terminology, warnings can be confusing. For example: What is the
difference between a product labeled “danger” and one that carries the
warning “caution”? According to the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), “caution” means fatalities can occur if more than two tablespoons
are ingested, while anything labeled “danger” or “poison” is so deadly
that just a few drops can be lethal.
In between the two, there’s the term “warning.” Just one teaspoon of
these products can be deadly, and these terms apply only to adults. It
takes far less to poison a child or an animal. In spite of the labels,
household products poison about two million people each year, and more
than half of them are children.
Other than these legally required warnings, manufacturers of
conventional cleaning products usually provide little health
information.
If you want to know what ingredients a product contains you are on
your own. Most mainstream product labels do not include ingredients nor
do they have to, thanks to trade-secret laws that protect these
“recipes.”
Solution: Read, read, read the labels. Don’t fall
for imitation-healthy “green-washed” products created by companies
hoping to profit from the nontoxic cleaning movement.
Terms like
- Biodegradable
- Natural
- Free
- Clear
- Gentle are legally meaningless, so they can be used on products loaded with petrochemicals and toxins.
Instead, concentrate on the ingredients. On safe cleaning products,
they are usually listed. Most of the ingredients should be recognizable
names — citrus or coconut extracts, for example — not what appear to be
answers to a chemistry quiz. If you have questions, contact the
manufacturers. Those with nothing to hide should give you
straightforward answers.
A great place to shop in Austin is at
Treehouse on S. Lamar, and
Meyers is a good brand to purchase that is found at most grocery stores.
3. Go homemade.
Problem: Nontoxic cleaning products are too expensive or hard to find.
Solution: You can make safe cleaning products
yourself. There’s nothing better than plain old soap and water or the
stuff our grandparents used — baking soda; borax; essential oils, such
as lavender; lemon and other citrus extracts; distilled white vinegar;
vegetable soaps or dyes; and linseed oil.
Kat Grosshaupt posted a blog
HERE
for a quick recipe on how to make a cleaning solution at home. You will
need some refillable spray bottles and a bucket or container for
mixing, but you’ll have the peace of mind that comes with not worrying
about your home’s chemical contamination.
