Is Your Own Home Making You Sick?

Environmentalists love to rant about the air quality outside...air pollution is killing us all, they say. Industrialization and carbon footprints have doomed us! Not to impugn their outcries, but what if I told you that the air in your home may be far more toxic than the air you breathe outside? Just listen to these startling claims:

• A 5 year study conducted by the EPA found that the average air in the home has 70x greater chemical contamination than the outside air.

• The Consumer Product Safety Commission found more than 150 chemicals in ordinary household products are directly responsible for causing cancer, allergies, birth defects, and numerous psychological disorders.

• An estimated 1 in 2 will develop cancer in their lifetime, largely due to environmental factors, and most of us spend hours in our homes. In fact, the average woman applies 168 chemicals to her body every day.

These claims are sobering. Today I aim to both educate you AND convince you to strongly consider switching to a plant-based cleaner, for the sake of your and your family's health. I intend to do that by discussing:

1. Which cleaning supplies are contributing to my toxicity exposure? 
2. Which chemical ingredients are in them so that I may avoid them later? 
3. What is this Thieves alternative and what can it replace?
4. And finally, does it REALLY clean and kill germs as good as the toxic stuff?

Let's talk about where you can find these toxins that are contributing to poor air quality and unwellness? The main three areas are: your laundry room, under your kitchen sink, and in your bathrooms. 

Your laundry room contains three main culprits: laundry soap and two huge ones--dryer sheets and fabric softener. Dryer sheets and fabric softeners contain a hefty amount of harmful chemicals and we expose them to the clothes that touch our skin everyday. 

Under your kitchen sink also contains several chemical villains. Dish soap, carpet cleaners, mopping solution, glass cleaner, all-purpose cleaners, you name it. Yep, not a one of those is clean--pun intended. 

Your bathrooms probably contain the most diversity of toxin-laden products. These include bathroom cleaners, shampoos, conditioners, body washes, lotions, toothpastes, deodorants, and much, much more. Guess which two are the worst and should be ditched and switched before any others? Toothpaste and deodorant. 

Wow, I just listed the entirety of your non-food grocery cart items, didn't I? Just because it's on the grocery store shelves, doesn't mean it's safe for your family. Many of these products are made with ingredients that were "grandfathered" in and are not held accountable for their toxic load. Because of this, the FDA has only banned something to the tune of 11 ingredients, compared to over 1300 that European Union has banned. Shocker, huh? So just what are these dangerous ingredients so that you can keep an eye out for them as you start reading your labels (you will start reading your labels from now on when you leave this room, amiright?)

We don't have time to discuss every single harmful chemical, so I'll touch on the major ones. #1 Fragrance/Parfum. If your item is scented with fragrance/parfum, that one term can hide a myriad of ingredients that are super harmful to your health. (And hint: most items are scented with fragrance). We aren't even going to touch on candles, air fresheners, and plug-ins, just know that those are EXTREMELY TOXIC and should be disposed of immediately. The word fragrance is a nice term for phthalates and phthalates are endocrine disruptors. That simply means that they mimic hormones in your body and hormones are the chemical messengers that control, hmmm, pretty much everything in your body. Remember that laundry soap and dryer sheets I mentioned? Yep, loaded with fragrance. Shampoos/conditioners/perfumes, you name it.

#2 Sulfates. Sulfates are foaming agents and are found in dish soap, laundry soap, body washes, and shampoos. Sulfates have been linked to organ toxicity and cellular damage. Aren't cells the body's building blocks? Yes. So why are we exposing them to an ingredient that can hurt them? Because bubbles. Bubbles psychologically make you feel like things are getting clean.

#3 Parabens. Ethylparaben, methylparaben, diethylparaben. If you see any part of the word paraben in your products, think again: endocrine disruptor. Parabens mimic the hormone estrogen in the human body so think about the surge in breast cancer. This is bad for women, but men don't want an excess of estrogenic compounds in their systems either. Where are they found? Lotions, conditioners, and in a slew of cosmetics. 

For time's sake, we won't even get into aluminum found in deodorants, flouride found in toothpaste, and several others. But feel free to come to one of my nontoxic home classes to learn more! Now that I've adequately presented a clear case for ditching these harmful products; what's my solution? It's called Thieves!

Thieves is a plant-based alternative to toxic cleaning and personal care supplies and is formulated with essential oils and other plant-based surfactants.The key ingredients are cinnamon bark, clove, eucalyptus, rosemary, and lemon. Thieves oils were first used in the bubonic plague era (the bubonic plague was highly contagious and fatal) when spice traders had knowledge of their health-promoting and air-cleaning properties. They used them to be able to rob the dead and dying without contracting the illness themselves. Flash forward a few millennia and now Thieves oils have been used to formulate an all-purpose cleaner, laundry soap, dish soap, hand sanitizer, and even toothpaste. All without the necessity for harsh detergents, toxic chemicals, and dangerous bleach. 

This one bottle of cleaner can go in your dishwasher, your washing machine, your mop water, on your granite counters, wood floors, windows, and ceramic tubs and commodes. It's so gentle that you don't have to call the poison control center if consumed; simply drink water to dilute in the tummy. Bonus: It doesn't give you a headache when you walk in the house after someone has been cleaning with it (a surefire sign that something isn't right). This is the power of Thieves.

But does it REALLY work? Does it really clean as good as the other stuff??? Prove it, Michelle! In short, YES. Take a look at these images. 

Lysol and Bleach aren't near as effective.

Some of the dirtiest surfaces in your house are not cleaned by Lysol

I thought Lysol was supposed to kill 99.9% of germs. So why doesn't it? And why does nothing grow in the same vicinity as Thieves? Simple: it's made with high-powered essential oils that are known for their health properties. Take a look at this:

Thieves oil is made largely with cinnamon bark and clove essential oils. How 'bout them apples? It even works on mold; check it out:

Mother Nature has always done it better. Somewhere we came up with the notion that we can make things cheaper and more effective in the lab, AND profit it off it. But at what cost? We are finally seeing the detriment to human life as the consequences of using these hundreds of chemicals in our homes, day after day, and year after year is manifesting in some pretty widespread and debilitating conditions. The case has been made for plant-based products that not only WORK, but keep us healthier in the process. What's stopping you from making the ditch and switch today? If you haven't already, I challenge you to begin looking closer into the products you use everyday and seeing where you can make a change and then do it. Your family's wellness depends on it. 

Sleepless in Austin

Hey baby,

I can’t sleep. Which is ironic because I need all the sleep I can get right now. Today, 8/17/18, I’m 32 weeks pregnant with you and I can’t believe you could be here any day now. I’m emotional thinking about how long being pregnant with you has been an absolute dream of mine and I still occasionally look at my round belly in disbelief that you’re actually real. I don’t know how my heart will survive the explosion of love I’ll feel when you’re actually in my arms, because right now it already feels full to capacity. 

You should know how absolutely special you are. You have been prayed for for years. You have been dreamt and wondered about for as long as I can remember. Your daddy and I went through so much—working on materializing you from our imaginations to this Earthly realm—and we want you to know that you were worth every doctor appointment, every failed pregnancy test, every painful period, every hot tear-stained cheek, every invasive test, every moment of doubt, every fear of never ever meeting you.

Know this, baby. Hope is a million times stronger than fear. YOU get to choose how you respond to adversity. Also, one more big lesson for you: YOU have the power to ALTER your destiny, no matter what diagnosis you’ve been given. You don’t like something the doctors told you? Research it. Fix your body. WILL yourself into balance. Same with anyone that tries to tell you that you can’t. Can’t do this, can’t do that. If you want it badly enough and it’s worth pursuing to you, use that stubborn tenacity and relentlessly grab ahold of that magic that is belief in your dreams. And should you ever find yourself in a moment of doubt or despair, that’s okay too. It happens. Know that we are here to back you, sweet creation. 

You are evidence that dreams really do come true. Somewhere over the rainbow doesn’t have to be a myth...we create the rainbows in our lives...some just take longer than others. Oh but those rainbows—those promises fulfilled—they are so worth the grit and patience.

Shel Silverstein wrote “And all the colors I am inside have not been invented yet.” I find myself awake at almost 5 am wondering what new colors you will splash into our lives. 

Love, Momma

Dear Jackson

Dear Sweet Jackson,

I haven't written in awhile. Probably because I've been writing tons of short posts about you and putting them on FB! Well I thought I should update you on everything in case you read this someday...

Everything is chugging along. I feel you everyday, multiple times a day. You're an active little baby and I absolutely love connecting with you in this way. So much time passes between my appointments, that I sometimes wonder how you're doing in there. When you kick or turn, it's fun for me!

I'm now 30 weeks and my belly is getting rounder by the day! Everyday someone comments on my belly and I have you to thank! I'm getting the nursery ready, slowly but surely. Some sweet mama donated tons of reusable diapers and other baby stuff and it took awhile to get it organized, but it's done! I am trying to hold off on buying stuff until my showers, but I'm getting antsy. Please arrive on time; I'm still trying to prep the house for you! Nesting has begun and I'm slowly organizing and cleaning, even though my back starts to hurt and I don't have the energy I once did.

Still I'm trying to stay fit so I can birth you naturally at the birthing center! I go to the Y twice a week and work out my arms and legs, sometimes in the water and sometimes on the treadmill. I get Bowen work weekly to keep my energy in a good place and to deal with the discomforts of my changing body. Yes, it's becoming harder and harder to sleep at night. I do toss and turn and have some carpal tunnel which isn't fun. But I don't blame you one bit! It's all a part of this beautiful process that I wanted so badly for years, so I will take it all. Other than that, it's been a great pregnancy and I don't have much to complain about.

EXCEPT, baby, it's getting HOT here in Texas and because it's hard to breathe, the heat does not help. It kinda makes my feet swell up after I walk Presley at night. Again, I will take it all because you are more than worth it. But I sure am praying to God that rains and clouds come our way because it keeps the temperature manageable. You are a little incubator in there!

Oh, also, I am wanting to eat everything bad for me. Carbs and sweets. I didn't crave them at all at first and now it's all I want (pancakes are in my dreams). My glucose numbers are borderline, so I have to make sure I'm eating lots of protein and veggies and staying away from all of those tasty treats. It sure is difficult, but I also want to make sure that your palate is primed for healthy foods!

Dad and I have researched all the big health decisions for you. We plan to breast-feed you and not induce you or have any contraction-inducing meds, so long as everything goes well. You'll learn what circumcision is later, but just FYI dad says he wants to let you decide if you want that later. We plan to support your immunity naturally, even though tons of people will fight me on this topic. Don't worry; we've done our research and know we are making the best decision for you, sweet child. There are so many essential oils in this house; you are going to love it!

Dad and I sing to you a few nights a week. It's so cute to see dad put his head to my belly and sing sweet songs to you! He also reads books to you as well and he cannot WAIT to do more of that when you say hello to this world! Just so you know, your dad is a book-o-holic so you will have a huge library waiting for you in your room! I'm decorating your room with fun colors and polka dots and rainbows and animals, even though you'll probably sleep in our room for awhile at first. I pray that you and I get into a regular sleeping and feeding pattern quite quickly!

As far as our hopes and dreams for you, we are are trying not to put our expectations on you. We would love to see what you bring to the table and what you can teach us about life. We do not have everything figured out by any means, so we are on this journey right alongside you as we figure things out together. Along the way, just know that we have a huge community of people that already love you and are here to support you as well. You have tons of family and friends who can't wait to meet you. But again, cook longer, dear one!

Love,
Momma
8/6/18

Your Mom and Dad in the Lavender fields in Utah!