Transcript*

Hello dear friends.

The past few weeks we’ve been prepping for the cold months ahead with strategies to support a strong immune system. First, we covered how nature’s aromatics and her essential oils can be great allies to keep us balanced and defend against infectious agents. Next, we started looking at the often-overlooked aspect for enhancing our resiliency. This is through protecting ourselves from the ubiquitous chemicals and pollutants found in the environment.

These harmful substances have been linked to various diseases and often create unrecognized havoc in the body. They are a very stealth contributor to poor health that many doctors and patients are not considering. Often, they block the vitality and healing responses one desires, even with proper treatment.

When we take steps to decrease the detrimental impact of these exposures, we raise our chances of optimizing our overall wellness. Furthermore, by removing these contributing factors to biochemical and organ system imbalances, our essential oils, supplements, and lifestyle interventions become more effective.

In our last clinical tip, we began reviewing my resource for non-toxic living to clean up and green-up our lives. We started with a background on our toxic environment. Then, we discussed how to nourish our bodies with clean and nutrient dense foods to decrease our total chemical burden.

In part two, we are going to review nine tips for cleaning and beautifying yourself and your house with safe substances. You will learn:

• tips to avoid unnecessary exposures in the home
• how to purchase safer personal care, beauty, consumer, and cleaning products

In the final section of this series, I will summarize why it is important to purify our water, different types of filters, and my personal favorite water purifiers.

I know that swapping out our products for healthier choices can be overwhelming.

So, as we go through the next steps, remember this is just an overview. You can bookmark this post as you make your way through various steps and then return to it.

As always, references and links to this video will be available in the resource section.

So, let’s get started.

Avoiding Toxic Effects in the Home and Body

Now that we understand how we can decrease our chemical exposure from cleaning up our diet, we can take more empowering actions to live a non-toxic life. This is through paying attention to what we bring into our home, what we put on our body, and what cleaning agents we use.

Women’s Voice for the Earth (WVE) recently offered suggestions for avoiding toxic chemicals in your living area and personal care products. I thought they were a great summary of greener living and have highlighted some of the major takeaways to share with you.

Nine Tips for Cleaning and Beautifying Yourself and Your Home with Non-Toxic Products

1. Purchase greener cleaning products or make your own.

Various companies offer essential oils-infused and/or natural cleaning products that you can purchase. You can find them and check their safety rating through the Environmental Working Group (EWG) Cleaning Database.

If you are a DIYer, you may opt to make your own non-toxic cleaning products using essential oils and safe ingredients. There are plenty of recipes online. I also have a DIY Essential Oil Recipe Facebook group you can join. There, you will learn how to upgrade your chores and life by using aromatics with soothing scents that also support your wellness.

2. Get rid of fake, synthetic fragrances loaded with chemicals.

Fragrances are unregulated and many are considered “propriety” formulas by their manufacturers. This means their individual ingredients don’t have to be listed on the bottle. As a result, safety testing can be inadequate or absent entirely for the full product.

So, please swap things with fake smells for fragrance-free alternatives.

3. Purchase non-toxic beauty products.

You can replace your personal care products and cosmetics with safer, more natural options found on the Environmental Working’s Group (EWGs) Skin Deep Database.

I personally have a favorite line of essential oils infused products that I use and recommend to my clients.

4. Avoid plastics as much as possible.

Plastics pollute our environment and leach into our foods and various consumer products. There are many dangerous ingredients in plastic. One is BPA (bisphenol A) which is an endocrine disruptor. It has been associated with hormonal and reproductive imbalances and many other negative effects in the body.

You can start decreasing your plastic burden by swapping your containers for glass. You can also use glass or stainless-steel water bottles filled with purified water vs. bottled water.

5. Go Quat-Free.

“Quats” are often found in antibacterial products and end with “-onium chloride.” There have been increasing concerns about their toxicity due to the rise in their use in hand sanitizers.

“Quat’s may cause irritation to the skin and are linked to lung inflammation, allergies, and reproductive issues in preclinical studies. They have not been vigorously tested and there is a potential for them to contribute to antimicrobial resistance.

Rather than subject yourself to quats, use plain soap and water. If you use hand sanitizers, try ones with alcohol and natural ingredients and that are quat-free.

6. Keep chemicals out of the house.

Avoid carrying in pesticides and pathogens from the outdoors by taking off your shoes. Remember, our pets and little ones are increasingly vulnerable to chemicals and toxins due to their tiny bodies and developmental stage. They are also more often on the floor and are more susceptible to the chemicals we track in from outside.

You also will want to dust and clean regularly, as dust contains pollutants and mold. If you have allergies, consider a HEPA-filter vacuum to bring the allergens down.

7. Avoid non-stick cookware and products that contain PFAS.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals that include PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and others that make cookware easy to clean. However, there are health risks associated with them that include developmental, reproductive, liver, immune, and kidney harms.

Choose safer cookware when possible, which is ceramic, glass, cast iron, or stainless steel. According to a great review article by Deanna Minich:

…there are a few ways to make your kitchen as clean (and safe) as possible within your budget and other hurdles you may face:

• Look for cookware that does not have a note with a California Prop 65 warning, since it is a pretty rigorous law that requires posting a notice if an item has any chemicals or toxins known to cause cancer, reproductive harm, or birth defects.
• Use non-abrasive sponges to clean any metal or nonstick cookware to avoid hurting it and releasing the chemicals in flakes.
• Line bakeware with unbleached parchment paper—avoid using aluminum foil for this.
• If your budget does not allow you to replace everything at once, especially since many of the safer varieties also come with a hefty price tag, start with the pot or pan you use the most.

8. Avoid air fresheners with fragrances. (see #2)

Replace them with an air purifier and diffuser instead.

9. Stay informed and be active.

Toxins not only impact our own cellular and systemic health, but they also affect our healthcare system, planet, economics, and culture. It is a reality that socioeconomics and accessibility are issues for many in choosing these options.

This is why we need to continue to advocate for better regulations from our representatives. Those who have means can also vote with their dollars for companies that care for our planet and our well-being.

Greening Your World for a Brighter, Healthier Future

So, that was a lot!

Take a breath.

We are only one tip away from the close of this series and our final steps for cleaner and greener living.

Please remember that it is best to divide and conquer.

Every little action you do today is making an investment in your wellness and preventing future health risks.

Go slow, do one thing at a time. You can always come back to this post as you move through the steps.

Thanks for sticking with me.

Here’s to a happier, more rejuvenating life.

Please share this information and comment below!

(Grab the resource guide with additional references here.)

If you like this content, please help me spread the word by sharing the links to my YouTube channel and newsletter. This will help us reach more people and empower them with natural health information and safe and evidence-based essential oil education.

As a subscriber yourself, you’ll stay up to date on my latest clinical tips, blogs, news, and podcasts. You will also be the first to hear about the release of my upcoming brain health program!

If you haven’t yet checked out my free resources and additional educational tools, click here.

Resources

• My Four Favorite Essential Oils and Top Supportive Herbs and Supplements to Enhance Your Resiliency and Wellness During the Fall (My clinical tip with references)
• Four Ways Essential Oils Enhance Resiliency for the Fall – The Power of Aromatic Molecules to Support Healthy Immune Function (My clinical tip with references)
• Resources for Living a Healthy, Non-Toxic Life for Better Mind-Body Balance: Greener Living with Clean Food, Safe Cosmetics, Chemical-Free Household Products, and Quality Water (My article with references)
• Why Cleanse and Detoxify in Our Toxic-Soup, Chemical World? A HAES (Health at Every Size) and Naturopathic Perspective: Part II (My article)
• The Therapeutic Order (AANMC article)
• What Is Environmental Medicine? (National Association of Envriornmental Medicine article)
• Personalized Medicine: Why A One Diet-Fits-All Approach to Food Goes Against Naturopathic Principles (My article)
• Do We Really Need to Cleanse and Detoxify in Our Chemical World? A HAES (Health at Every Size) and Naturopathic Perspective on Shielding the Body from Toxic Insults: Part I (My article with references)
• The Unclean Truth That is Finally Spreading and Why We Should Know About It (Part 1) (My article on NaturalPath)
• Psst…The Dirty Little Secret That May Kill You! Is There Hope for a “Cleaner” Future? (My article on Natural Path)
• Science Daily. Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. 2021
• Health Effects of Chemical Exposure (ATDSR)
• Environmental Chemicals and Autoimmune Disease: Cause and Effect (Toxicology. 2002.)
• Environmental Risk Factors and Health: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses (Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jan; 18(2): 704)
• Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Implications in Human Health (Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2020 Aug; 8(8): 703–718.)
• When an Enticing Aroma Turns Out to Be a Deadly Smell- Something Stinks! (And It’s Not Pure Essential Oils!) (My article)
• The Two New Things I’ve Recently Learned About Essential Oils Diffusers (My article)
• Keeping Clear of the Hidden Dangers of Chemicals Lurking in Your Favorite Foods & Products: A HAES (Health at Every Size) and Naturopathic Perspective to Cleansing and Detoxifying Part III (My article)
• EWG’s Skin Deep Database
• EWG Cleaning Database.
• What Is BPA? Should I Be Concerned About It? (Healthline)
• The Big Problem With Plastic (Consumer Reports)
• Quaternary Ammonium Compound Toxicity (NIH)
• Scientists Warn of Disinfectant Dangers: Study (EHN)
• Why Is Avoiding Such Small Chemicals Such a Big Topic in Health? (My article)
• The Ugly (and Filthy) Truth About Wearing Shoes in the House (The Realtor)
• Addressing Daily Toxin Exposure in Pets (Wholistic Matters)
• PFAS Explained (EPA)
• Toxins from Cookware: What Is the Best Option to Avoid Adding to Your Burden (Deanna Minich blog)
• The Economic and Medical Implications of Living in a Toxic World: A HAES (Health at Every Size) and Naturopathic Perspective Part IV (My article)
• DIY Essential Oil Recipe Facebook group

*Transcript has been edited for grammar and ease of reading.