By Dr. Lynn Thompson
The short dark days of winter are now over, and we look to cleaning and renewing not only in our yards and external environment but also our inside environment. This is the perfect season to check our homes for toxic materials and perhaps to do an internal cleanse.
In previous articles we addressed outdoor toxins. This article will be limited to toxins inside the home and your body. Looking around the house, we can start in the kitchen. When did you last change the oils you cook with? Did you realize when oils are heated, they will oxidize and go rancid? Are you using quality oil for your cooking? (https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/common-cooking-oil-cancer-nightmare).
Recommendations are for using olive oil or organic coconut oil (lots of health benefits are attributed tousing these saturated fats). What are you using to cleanse your countertops, sinks, windows, or oven? Many of the cleaning materials have warnings on the label for avoiding inhalation and to protect yourself from skin contact. Many of the products we encounter also have known (easily referenced through google search) toxic materials. Even some of the “healthy” products contain ingredients like sodium lauryl sulfate for foaming and sudsing actions. There are so many natural, inexpensive materials we can use safely and effectively. (www.healthy-holistic-living.com/72-uses-simple-household-products-save-money-avoid-toxins.html?t=fol) Stepping into the bathrooms, similar challenges are found. Shampoos, conditioners, and body soaps can also be a source of toxins. When you bathe or shower the warm water will allow the pores to open, and any toxic material you apply for cleansing will have a pathway into your body.
In a new study, the chemical inhibited muscle activity in individual human heart cells, mice, and minnows. (www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/triclosan-a-chemical-used-in-antibacterial-soaps-is-found-to-impair-muscle-function-22127536/#JeSwD6kdWtHXZgoY.99)
There are alcohol and Triclosan-free natural alternatives that can be made at home quickly and inexpensively. The laundry room also has its share of toxins in laundry detergents and dryer sheets. In the United States, commercial dryer sheets are loaded with all sorts of toxic chemicals including benzyl acetate, benzyl alcohol, chloroform, and linalool, none of which are good for your health. In addition to all the chemicals that end up on your skin, when heated as from the heat of the dryer, the fumes are also toxic. These toxins go straight to the brain’s most sensitive neurological centers and wreak havoc.
In 2007, TIME Magazine Article How “Fresh” Is Air Freshener?
Research has identified phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates), a group of chemicals that are used to dissolve and carry fragrances, soften plastics, and also used as sealants and adhesives, and that are commonly found in a variety of products, including cosmetics, paints, nail polish, and children’s toys, have long been at the center of a larger international controversy over their health effects. (http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1664954,00.html)
According to Newsmax, Be Aware of Indoor Toxins from Scented Candles
Scented candles can be another source in indoor toxins. Check what’s in your candles carefully. (www.newsmax.com/Health/Health-News/scented-candles-killer-home/2016/04/06/id/722608/?ns_mail_uid=95883358&ns_mail_job=1663040_04082016&s=al&dkt_nbr=qitu3hoz)
Suggestions from Newsmax for cleaning the indoor environment include:
1. Add indoor plants. Common houseplants can help through their leaves and roots and turn them into nutrients. Dr. Wolverton recommends bamboo palm (chamaedorea seifritzii), Chinese evergreen (aglaonema modestum), English ivy (hedera helix), and gerbera daisy (gerbera jamesonii).
2. Use environmentally friendly cleaning supplies. Consider any product unsafe if it carries a warning.
3. Buy “green” products. Some products, such as low-emission carpets, paint, and building materials, have special labels that identify them as among those that give off the least chemicals. Low-emission carpets, for example, are labeled Green Label and Green Label Plus. Internal cleansing can include using nutritional supplements, essential oils, pure water, and sleep.
In Eau Claire County, we are able to dispose of old prescriptions and OTC (over the counter) medications, ointments, patches, non-aerosol sprays, vials, and pet medications to local drop-off locations at:
• Altoona Emergency Services, 1904 Spooner Ave., Altoona, M-F 8:00 A.M to 4:00 P.M. • Augusta City Hall, 145 W Lincoln Street, Augusta, M-F 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. • Fall Creek Village Hall, 122 E Lincoln Ave., Fall Creek, M-F 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. • Eau Claire County Jail Lobby (Enter from 2nd Avenue), Eau Claire, M-F 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. • Eau Claire County Courthouse Law Enforcement Center, 721 Oxford Avenue, Eau Claire, M-F 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M
Please do not bring: Illegal drugs, inhalers, needles/sharps, bio-hazardous materials (anything containing bodily fluid or blood).Removal or limiting the toxins we are exposed to in our homes will create a situation where we are able to detoxify our bodies and not continually re-introduce the very toxins were are trying to alleviate.
Dr. Lynn Thompson holds doctorates in chiropractic, naturopathy, and homoeopathy, and is one of sixty-five people worldwide certified by doTERR to teach the AromaTouch Technique of essential oil application. She is also authorized by NCBTMB to provide CEU for massage therapists for the AromaTouch Technique.
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