-Natural Solutions
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Spring is here!  And with its arrival come thoughts of warmer weather, starting our gardening projects, and (perhaps not so pleasant - but necessary) spring cleaning.

For the past few years, we have noticed a direct correlation between the use of "noxious" cleaning products (everyday items picked up at the grocery store) and a decline in our health and well-being.  We have noticed a similar negative reaction whenever we are around the use of pesticides and other chemicals routinely used in home maintenance.  So, of course, we do our best to avoid these products and find better, more natural, solutions.

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14 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR TOXINS BEHIND
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[The following article is published in the December 1998 "Partners - The AIM Newsmagazine," and appears here with permission of the AIM (tm) Companies.]

    We all know we are awash in a sea of toxins.  We find them in the air we breathe and in the water we drink; we consume them through food additives and preservatives, and we absorb them through household cleaners and in yard fertilizers and other products.
    We also know that one way to maintain a detoxified body is to avoid toxins.  Although it is impossible to be 100 percent toxin-free, there are simple steps you can take to limit your exposure to toxins.

    1) Put the ex in Windex.
         This glass cleaner contains butyl cellosolve, which is toxic to blood cells, kidneys, and livers.  It's not listed on the label either.  Don't use it.

    2) Air out the aerosols.
         Aerosols can be toxic.  Forget the sprays.

    3) Mothball your mothballs.
         Mothballs are toxic to the brain, liver, and blood.  Use cedar chips.

    4) It's no magic carpet.
         Carpeting has two bad effects:  The chemicals used in its production are bad for you, and it traps dirt, dust, animal hair, fleas, and more (all of which cause allergies).  Get rid of it.

    5) Have a little sole.
         If you must have carpet, take your shoes off when you come into your house.  This cuts down on dirt and bacteria.

    6) Goodbye old paint.
         Paint contains all kinds of bad stuff, so be careful when using it.  Many pre-1975 paints contain lead.  This causes major problems, especially for children.  If you are stripping or sanding "this old house," keep the kids away and wear a face mask.

    7) The grass isn't greener.
         One study found that the rate of childhood leukemia is four to seven times higher in kids whose parents used home and garden pesticides.  These things are nasty.  Use natural pesticides, and don't worry about what the Jones think of your lawn.

    8) Water, water, everywhere...
         and most of it is filled with chemicals.  Use bottled or filtered water.  Hot showers open your pores and polluted water can get in.  Keep the temperature a little cooler or install a shower filter.

    9) Get the white out.
         Products bleached "white" -- white underwear, paper, tampons, milk cartons, napkins, toilet paper -- contain dioxin, one of the nastiest chemicals around.  Try to use unbleached products.

   10) Eau de death.
         Perfumes and colognes can contain some 600 chemicals, most of which are petroleum-based.  The can cause allergies and irritation.  Buy unscented products and cosmetics.  Use essential oils, not perfumes.

   11) Dye or die?
         The National Cancer Institute estimates that permanent and semi permanent hair dyes may be responsible for as much as 20 percent of all cases of non-Hodgkins lymphoma among U.S. women.  A common ingredient, phenylenediamine, causes cancer.  There are a few natural highlighters on the market.  And if you must dye, wait.  The younger you start dyeing, the worse the problems that may develop.

   12) Keep in tune.
         Keeping your car well-tuned means keeping pollutants out of the air.

   13) Don't bug me.
         Methyl bromide, Vikane (sulfuryl fluoride), and Dursban are all used as pesticides.  Methyl bromide may cause cancer, and nerve, liver, kidney, and brain damage.  Vikane causes liver and kidney damage.  Dursban is toxic to the fetus and causes nerve damage.  Its manufacturer, Dow Chemical Co., refuses to publish its safety data for public review.  Find alternatives.

   14) Barking up the wrong tree.
         We spray our animals for fleas and have them wear special collars.  However, carbaryl, commonly used in pet flea and tick killers, causes birth defects in dogs.  Cancer of the bladder is associated with lifetime exposure to tick and flea dips.  Childhood brain cancer is associated with flea collars.  Brush your animals and bathe them.

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NATURAL SOLUTIONS
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So if we don't use the products mentioned in the above article, what DO we use?  The answers may be simpler than you think.

Vinegar:  plain old distilled "white" vinegar has many uses.  Mixed with 50 percent water in a spray bottle, it makes an excellent window cleaner.  In fact, we find this mixture to be a superior cleaner to other, more expensive, window cleaning preparations!
   It also effectively cleans mirrors, ceramic tile, and many other household surfaces.  We've read that vinegar can also be used as an effective sting soother for mosquito and other insect bites, and as a safe, mild vaginal douche.
    [By the way, we only use the distilled type of vinegar for cleaning purposes.  It is too processed to be a healthy food.  Try organic apple cider, or other natural types of vinegar for food preparation.]

Baking Soda:  You have probably been using baking soda to naturally deodorize your refrigerator and freezer, as well as leaven your baked goods, for years.  But this versatile powder has other applications as well.
    It is a mild, scrubbing abrasive that removes dirt and grime from many surfaces.  Baking soda also actively absorbs all types of odors.  In addition to sitting it in your fridge and freezer, try it for treating musty clothing odors in closets, and foot odors in your shoes.  Try sprinkling it on carpeting or other areas where pet odors are a problem.
    Baking soda is also a great plaque-scrubbing alternative for commercial toothpastes (which are often full of dangerous chemicals), and is a natural antibacterial for the gums.

Chlorine bleach alternatives:  Many commercially produced cleaning products, picked up at the supermarket and used in most homes, contain chlorine bleach.  Please avoid the use of this noxious chemical.  Instead of using one of a host of bleach-containing cleansers, in addition to the above-mentioned baking soda, you may want to use Bon Ami (tm) or a natural-type cleanser found in your health food store.
    For laundry applications, we use a natural liquid enzyme preparation (unscented, of course), purchased from our local health food store.  This may be used for white clothes and most colored clothes as well (test for color-fastness, as directed).  We also use this liquid enzyme preparation for odor removal, carpet stain removal, and many other household cleaning applications (e.g. bathroom surface cleaning).
    Many people use hydrogen peroxide as a natural laundry cleaner and bleaching agent.  We use it regularly as a an anti-infective for cuts and scratches on our bodies.  It can also be used as a dental rinse (may be diluted with water - approx. 50 percent), as it kills bacteria on contact and promotes healthy gums (rinse only - don't swallow, please).

Other laundry solutions:  Please use unscented laundry products.  Do you or other family members have skin rashes of unknown origin, or "dermatitis?"  You may find that these rashes magically disappear when you stop using scented products in your laundry.  And make sure you avoid those awful dryer sheets.  Not only  are their chemical fragrances damaging to your health (many people are highly allergic to these products), but they "gum up" your machinery and make your dryer's life shorter as well!

This is a short, certainly incomplete, list of natural household products.  But perhaps it can help get you on a healthy start to your spring cleaning.  And be sure to check your local natural foods market for natural cleaning products.  These products are often not only healthier, but superior in action, to their unhealthy counterparts.

If you have a specific natural cleaning problem, or solution, we would love to hear from you.  Please email us at russell@healthyperspective.com.

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Don't forget to stop and smell the flowers!

God bless you.
-Rev. Clarence Russell, Kimberly and Nicole
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