Thousands of Chemicals Greet Children Every Day

Toxic Environment: How safe are the thousands of chemicals children encounter every day?

That's the headline from an article in Time Magazine, My 9, 2011, page 15.

Quote: "They're in the toys children play with, on the foods they eat and in the air they breathe.  Each year, about 27 trillion lb. (12 trillion kg) of chemicals are produced in or imported into the U.S., and pediatricians say there is precious little research regarding the effects that the bulk of these compounds may have on children's development." 

This is one of the serious environmental dangers The Healthy Home book is warning us about.

The primary law regulating chemicals in the U.S., the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, is outdated, with only five chemicals regulated in the past three decades.

The article reports that three research groups independently reported that babies with higher prenatal exposure to pesticides had lower IQs in childhood than those born to women with less exposure.

I thought that meant women from the farm and orchards where chemicals would be used.  But no,  the contact came from fruits and vegetables, obviously not washed well before use.  That includes any family who trusts produce without washing it well.


Even foods and condiments that say "all natural" have no meaning, because there are no regulations for that statement.  Check pages 122 through 124 in The Healthy Home book for more on this topic.  You can learn even more from the website: wwwmyhealthyhome.com   Use the passcode: 1UFF521HH

USANA Health Sciences has a Detox Program to help clear out the chemicals in your system:  www.thehealthyhomesite.com 


Protect your family.   Be wise.

Contact us for further information or to obtain a book
\Dave and Deanna   204-237-8250

The Healthy Home Tips To Avoid Toxins And Live Healthier

Therese Borchard

Author of the blog, Beyond Blue, on Beliefnet.com 

31 Ways To Protect Yourself From Toxins In Your Home

In their exceptional, informative book "The Healthy Home: Simple Truths of Protect Your Family From Hidden Household Dangers," son-and-father team Myron Wentz and Dave Wentz tackle the topic of toxins from room to room, starting with the bedroom and ending with the garage and yard. "Every second of every day, we face an onslaught of unnecessary dangers -- toxic chemicals, negative energies, unforeseen side effects and more -- in our modern world," writes Dave, the younger Wentz.

Myron, his father, who holds a Ph.D. in microbiology with a specialty in immunology from the University of Utah, throws in the statistics: "A new chemical substance is discovered every nine seconds during the workday. Chemists discovered the eighteenth millionth chemical substance known to science on June 15, 1998. Many thousands more have been developed since then." Wrap your brain around that figure for a moment. It looks like this: 18,000,000.

Their book is an excellent, comprehensive resource to learn how, exactly, we go about protecting ourselves from all the toxins. Following are just 20 of the simple solutions they pepper throughout the book.

1. Cut down on the wrinkle-free materials. Five minutes of ironing will spare you from a lifetime of PFC exposure.
2. Make certain your body is wrapped in safe, natural material for at least a third of the day by purchasing pajamas and bedding made from organic cotton.
3. Train and trust your nose. Of all our senses, smell makes the most direct connection between the outside world and your brain.
4. Use one-half cup of white vinegar in place of fabric softener in the washer to reduce static cling and soften clothing.
5. Unwrap and air out your dry-cleaned garments for at least two days in an exterior area, like a garage -- never in a closet or bedroom.
6. Whenever you launder your sheets, open your windows and leave your mattress exposed in order to allow your bed to off-gas for the day.
7. Unplug your electronic gadgets and appliances when they aren't being used.
8. Buy nightlights, alarm clocks and other bedroom electronics that are illuminated with red light, which is less disturbing to melatonin production than white or blue light.
9. Open a window whenever you can to let in some fresh, cleansing air. The air outside is cleaner.
10. Cut down on toxic preservatives like parabens, phthalates and formaldehyde by first replacing products that sit on your skin all day -- like a moisturizers -- with more natural, preservative-free alternatives.
11. Avoid aerosol products that have non-spray alternatives. If you must use aerosols, open a window and run your bathroom fan. Wash products off your face as soon as you get home instead of waiting until bedtime. A few additional chemical-free hours each day could add up to more than six years over a lifetime.
12. Don't use antiperspirant during cooler months or on weekends when it doesn't matter if you sweat a little.
13. If you've been exposed to mercury, consider taking a supplement containing N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and alpha lipoic acid to aid in detoxification.
14. Give your immune system a boost with the beneficial bacteria found on a probiotic supplement. Just be sure to look in your pharmacy or grocery store for a product that contains "live and active" cultures.
15. Avoid buying products that contain triclosan and its chemical cousin, triclocarban. Simply wash your hands with regular soap and water to get rid of germs.
16. Start with good antioxidant protection, supplemental B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and lots of CoQ10. Also, try one or more of the foods that have been shown to lower cholesterol, such as steel cut oatmeal.
17. Start each day with an alkalizing glass of lemon water by squeezing a fresh lemon (no sugar) into purified water. Make sure you include the pulp.
18. Trade in your table salt for natural sea salt, which contains a mixture of alkaline complexes. And use pepper or other spices to liven your meals.
19. Maintain a good distance -- at least ten feet in front or five feet to the side -- between yourself and the microwave when it's on.
20. If you must use a PTFE-lined pan, keep your stove's burner on medium or lower. Also, never preheat an empty pan.
21. If you plastic wrap, ensure it's LDPE-based plastic, and regardless of what type it is, never use it in the microwave.
22. Purchase reusable grocery bags made of natural materials such as cotton and use them as often as you can.
23. Use a pitcher with an activated carbon filter to reduce contaminants in your water. Although it won't filter out all pollutants, it's a good start at a low cost.
24. If you are cleaning with products that you wouldn't eat, wear gloves!
25. Instead of using an aerosol freshening spray, mist your room with real citrus scent. Simply pour a few drops of orange, lemon or lime essential oil into a spray bottle of water.
26. Buy the best vacuum you can afford. Optimally, get one with a HEPA "completely sealed" system.
27. Use a regular, corded telephone when at home or at work. Cutting even 20 percent of your daily RF exposure is a step in the right direction.
28. If you have Ethernet ports in convenient areas, you can access the Internet using good, old-fashioned wiring.
29. Don't set your car's air conditioner or heater to recirculated air. Selecting the outside air option on your dashboard will reduce the number of pollutants you're circulating inside the car.
30. Take a daily vitamin D supplement with at least 2,000 IUs (International Units) during the winter or year-round if you can't get out into the sun each day.
31. Plant a large, diverse range of plants in your yard--native species are best. The more the merrier and healthier.

Originally published on Psych Central. Therese is Associate Editor at Psych Central, where she contributes to "World of Psychology." She writes the daily blog, "Beyond Blue," for Beliefnet.com, and is the author of "Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes." Visit her at www.ThereseBorchard.com.

 

Follow Therese Borchard on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thereseborchard

Tips For A Healthy Home, Healthy You

Staying Healthy with USANA: Tips for All Types

April 18 2011 written by Teresa Elias, USANA Health Sciences

Most people want to be healthy. And for some people, that means losing weight. But sometimes losing weight can be a mind game. In fact, I don’t even like the term “losing weight.” You don’t lose it. You work it off. Keep that in mind, and you’ll be mentally prepared to put up a fight rather than passively thinking the pounds will fall off and get lost in the cookie aisle at the grocery store.

That being said, here are a few tips I use to keep my mind in the game of fitness, weight loss, and health.

Learn how to balance (figuratively). Things always come up — birthday parties, mini vacations throughout the year, special nights out, dinner with friends. These don’t have to throw you off track. Just compensate when you can. If you know you’re going to be eating cake and ice cream in the evening, have smaller portions of your usual breakfast and lunch meals. Or, when you’re working out, add 15 minutes on to your usual routine for a few days before and after your day of indulgence. You may also try upping, ever so slightly, the resistance on the cardio machines you’re using. Then, enjoy the party!

Do yourself a favor. Don’t weigh yourself after a cruise or other vacation away from the gym. It’ll only bum you out. Get yourself back into your normal eating and exercise routine for a week or so before stepping on the scale and continuing your fitness goals.
But besides that vacation “free” pass…

Weigh yourself weekly. Choose one day a week at a certain time (right after waking up in the morning works well) to step on the scale. [Tip: I prefer not to do this on Monday, because if the news isn’t good, it just makes a hard day worse.] Also, realize there will always be some natural fluctuations, and try not to let the “weighty” news affect you too much either way.

Remember: slow and steady wins the race. Keep at it, and don’t lose focus on your goals. This is a lifestyle change, not a temporary one.

Try the “half rule.” Okay, so it’s not a “rule” — I just made it up. But I think it’s a good way to get a handle on all those special treats we all seem to come in contact with. Think about all the food and goodies you get offered day in and day out at the office or hanging out with friends. You don’t like offending people, right? And some of that stuff looks delicious. But imagine if you could say yes only half the time, and you said no the rest of the time. You could save yourself a lot of calories over a whole year. So practice saying no with me. Really. Say it right now. It’s a powerful word. A no, thank you also works.

Know your triggers. Mine are stress and staying up past my regular bedtime. Both of these send me running for sweets of any kind, and put my will power and resolve on the back burner until I get a fix. Now, I stop myself and notice what I’m feeling or what I’m doing. Usually I can relax my shoulders and do some deep breathing to relieve stress, and if I am trying to stay up late unnecessarily, I brush my teeth, wash my face, and I’m instantly ready for bed instead of another meal. Be mindful of what triggers you to throw caution to the wind and eat things you’re trying to avoid. Then, do your best to avoid those triggers in the future.


Adjust to your mood. If you’re feeling strong during one of your workouts, up the resistance on your cardio machine, add a few pounds to the weights you’re using, or consider working out a little longer. At the same time, if you’re not feeling up to your workout, don’t skip it. Challenge yourself to put in at least half your usual time and at a lower resistance level. Once you get through that, you might find you can stay and complete your whole workout. Or, go home feeling proud that you stuck it out as long as you did. Do this a couple times, and your body and mind will get used to these (mentally) tougher workouts, and you’ll gain confidence in yourself that you can at least complete a toned-down workout when you’re feeling drained.

Your Turn

What tips do you have that have helped you meet or move toward your fitness, health, or weight-loss goals? Please let me and your fellow readers know in the comments.