• A Healthy Planet = A Healthy YOU!
• Environmental Detox
• Is Your Lawn Making You Sick?
  
   

A Healthy Planet = A Healthy YOU!

by Andrea Chervenak

If you are interested in good health, you should have an interest in the health and well-being of Planet Earth.  It is not always apparent, but the health of one is tied to the health of the other! The water we drink, to the clothes we wear, the food we eat, and all of the things that fill our homes, has an impact on the amount of exposure we have to carcinogenic and toxic chemicals, in addition to having an impact on the health of the environment. 

Exactly what are carcinogens and toxins, and why do we want to avoid exposure to them?
A carcinogen is a substance that causes cancer.  A toxin is a compound produced by microorganisms with the potential to cause disease. As technology advances, the sheer number of chemical compounds we are exposed to, and that are polluting our planet, continues to grow. Although the human body, and even Mother Earth, have natural detoxification systems, continued and increasing exposures can overwhelm these systems, thereby creating an environment that fosters illness and disease – to humans, as well as to plant and animal life. 

An example is water. Our water is filled with industrial chemicals, pesticides, lead, chlorine produced DBPs, mercury, and many other toxic chemicals that when ingested can become stored in the fatty tissue of the body. These same toxins can distrupt the natural balance of the eco-systems of  lakes and rivers, even our oceans, and the resulting pollution can result in irreversible damage.

Cotton is one of the most heavily sprayed industries, creating exposure to pesticides and herbicides in everything from our clothing, to our bedding, furniture, and home accessories. The domino affect of this can pollute our water supply, and deplete the soil of nutrients, having a detrimental impact not only to humans, but to fish, animals, and other wildlife as well.

But the good news is there is something we can do about it!  By preserving and protecting our natural resources, and reducing our pollution contribution, we can become a part of the solution – and help to improve the health of our planet, along with our own health!

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?

1.  Make recycling a way of life!  Recycling reduces waste, conserves energy, as well as the planet’s natural resources.

2. Conserve Water – you’ve heard the saying, “water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink.”  Many areas of the world are running out of clean drinking water!  Building and pollution controls must be implemented.  You can help by treating water as the precious resource that it is – take shorter showers, shut the water off when brushing your teeth, make sure the dishwasher and washing machine are full before using, use conservation showerheads and faucets.  And stop, or limit use of pesticides and herbicides, that can pollute our lakes and rivers.

3. Buy energy efficient appliances - this is easy to do today, the choices are plentiful and the money you save on energy make these appliances a great value.  We have saved a great deal of money since purchasing an energy efficient washer a couple of years ago. We spent alittle more up-front, but the money we’ve saved on water and electric, has made it a great investment.

4. Drive energy efficient vehicles – this is a no brainer…the benefits of reducing gas consumption  range from  less dependence on foreign oil, to reduced use of energy to refine and distribute oil.

5. Raise the thermostat in summer/lower it in winter.  I admit it took a little getting used to, but in the winter our thermostat is never higher than 68 and in the summer not lower than 79.  By taking these steps we’ve lowered our heating and cooling costs by over 25%!

6. Eat organic food & wear organic clothing.  Not only do organic foods taste better and are more nutritious (when foods aren’t preserved they can’t sit on store shelves for months and months!), but they are grown without the use of pesticides and herbicides – a win/win all around.  The same with organic clothing – the skin is the body’s largest organ, so why expose it, and yourself, to toxic chemicals when there are so many clean options, like organic cotton and bamboo available today!

7. Use chemical- free cleaners and detergents. They are readily available everywhere today – supermarkets, home improvement stores, even discount stores like Walmart offer natural alternatives.

8. Reduce use of toxic chemicals in and around your home.  Articles of interest on this subject: Reduce Toxic Exposure article index, Environmental Detox, Is Your Lawn Making You Sick

9. Educate others about ways they can live cleaner, greener lives!

10. Celebrate Earth Day by planting a tree, organizing a community clean-up, or volunteer to clean-up rivers, lakes and beaches.  And don’t forget to take a hike or walk, visit a park, or go to the beach and be reminded of the miracle and beauty that is nature’s gift to us all.

*For more information & tips visit:
www.epa.gov/earthday
www.earthday.org
www.envirolink.org

Environmental Detox

By Tiffany Noojin,
Certified Sports Nutritionist & Holistic Fitness Trainer

In these times of instant gratification, tight budgets and high stress, we place ourselves in very vulnerable situations for health risks. It’s not just the long hours of work and the restless nights of anxiety that are taking their toll on us, it’s the way we rush through our day to day  without paying attention to the hidden dangers of what we put into our mouths, onto our skin and even surround ourselves with. Our environments have become toxic and this is having an impact on our health!

BPA

We head out to the gym 3-4 times a week in order to add minutes onto our lives and subtract inches off our waists. We even follow it up with a home cooked meal of farm raised salmon and canned organic vegetables. What you probably didn’t realize is that the water bottle you used to keep yourself hydrated during that workout, and even your canned organic vegetables, could be loaded with a harmful chemical called Bisphenol A, otherwise known as BPA. This chemical lurks in the lining of canned goods and just about all plastic containers. In a small amount of time, BPA leaches its way into your food and liquids. According to the Consumer Reports, even cans of food that were specifically labeled as “BPA Free”, tests showed that they still contained the harmful chemical. So what is the harm, you ask? Well, BPA has been linked to reproductive abnormalities, heightened risk of breast cancer, diabetes and even heart disease.

Every time you heat your food up in a plastic, microwaveable container, you are virtually sealing this chemical fate into your food! Keep an eye out for the triangle on the bottoms of water bottles and plastic containers. You will want that number to be a:  #2 HDPE, #4 LDPE or #5 PP. These 3 types of plastics transmit no known chemical into your food and all are generally recyclable. A plastic labeled as #1 PET is ok for a single use but because it is porous, it is very difficult to clean and should not be reused due to the likeliness of bacteria, according to The Green Guide. Your best bet when it comes to purchasing food, however, is to opt for fresh organic vegetables, and foods that are packaged in glass or cardboard containers. Being aware of how your food and drinks are packaged is just as important as knowing what your food contains.

Healthy Dieting?

Some have come to think of the word “diet” as synonymous with health and eating well. Contrary to this belief, many of the products that claim to be a part of a healthier lifestyle are in some cases a more dangerous trade-off. Diet sodas, fat-free ice-cream and low calorie sports drinks, are just a few of the hooks that big companies use to lure you in. As we try harder than ever to live healthier lives, there are companies out there hoping to keep you in the dark. While excess and refined sugar has risks all its own, like tooth decay, weight gain and diabetes, its substitutes will leave your head spinning. If you have taken recent notice of an ever growing trend in the development of the “better, sweeter” artificial sweetener every time you turn around, you are not alone. It seems that we can’t sit down to a cup of coffee without first trying to differentiate a packet of honey from the blue, yellow and pink packets blanketing the table.

We flip on the television, only to see another fit physique reveling in the sunlight as he or she sprinkles the magic crystals all over a perfectly delicious bowl of fruit. What gives? If you for one second thought that you were doing yourself a favor by replacing sugar with chemicals, then think again. Chemical sweeteners like aspartame and saccharin are associated with severe health risks like gastrointestinal complications, depression, central nervous system disorders, cell damage, panic attacks, male infertility, multiple allergic reactions and the big one…cancer. In an article on Mercola, in 1981, a statistician for the FDA, stated that the brain tumor data on aspartame was so “worrisome” that he could not recommend approval of NutraSweet. Apparently, the FDA wasn’t all that worried about us because somehow NutraSweet still made it out onto the market.

Something else to consider according to Nutra Legacy, is although you may not be consuming extra calories, your body is receiving the message that you are. When your body recognizes that it isn’t receiving the calories that it believed it was going to get, the result is hunger. Hunger will most often lead you into the trap of consuming more calories and you will be just as well off as if you had consumed sugar in the first place.

So, what can you do to protect yourself, you might be wondering? You might be saying to yourself, well I like things sweet, my food or drinks will taste awful without a sweetener. I’m certainly not suggesting that you resort back to sugar if that is what you are thinking. What I am suggesting is that you try the sweeteners that nature intended, like honey, agave nectar, or even real fruit! A splash of fresh squeezed orange or even pineapple is a fabulous sweetener in teas, and even on fish or to sweeten up a salad. Maybe it’s time that you start thinking about fruit as dessert. After all, fruit contains a nutritional value that sugar and sweeteners only wish they had. It’s not just what we put in our bodies that we need to stay conscious of, it’s also what we surround ourselves with. 

Environmental Dangers

Environmental dangers are constantly surrounding us and literally whispering in our ears if we pay close attention. Cell phone frequencies are one of the most controversial dangers lurking in our fast paced world. We rely on these little contraptions to do just about everything from planning, texting, surfing the internet, oh…and to actually make phone calls. Our cell phones spend several hours a day resting next to our brains, which has the potential to expose us to dangerous levels of electromagnetic radiation (EMR).

EMR exposure has been linked to a host of health consequences like: genetic damage, brain dysfunction, brain tumors, headaches and sleep disruption. Urban legend, you ask? In a 2007 article in Life Extension Magazine, Sue Kovachs explains that there exists no conclusive study proving that cell phone use is safe. In fact, cell phones reached the public market with little to no testing at all. So, is it really worth the risk? I say no! Switch to a headset or wireless Bluetooth ear piece, which is a lot safer for your brain. You may  choose to use your speakerphone option, or even limit your phone use all together- we can all use a little more quiet time anyway!

As if brain cancer isn’t scary enough, we are constantly handling these phones that drop in the street, sit on public surfaces, and rumble around in the bottoms of our purses and bags. Did you ever stop to think that you are putting that filthy thing against your face and around your mouth? According to a study conducted by Dial-a Phone, cell phones carry more pathogens than any other surface in your home and due to the warm and moist conditions of a cell phone, they may be even dirtier than the bottom of your shoe! Statistics show that an average cell phone can contain dangerous bacteria like staph, which can be responsible for many problems ranging from pimples to meningitis. ABC’s Good Morning America tested 10 phones of their employees and crew for bacteria. Tests came back showing that on the soundman’s phone alone, there were somewhere between 10 and 50 million bacteria growing. Regularly disinfect your phone with a swab of isopropyl alcohol. Separate your faceplate from your phone as well as your battery and clean around these surfaces with a q-tip to insure that you capture even the sneakiest bacteria.

Awareness & Wise Decision-Making

It’s important to take notice of your life and your habits on a day to day basis. Try slowing things down a bit and being more present in your own world. It is the act of noticing things that gives us the power to change them and actively make our lives healthier. Stay informed about modern dangers like chemicals, bacteria hotspots and radiation, as they threaten to take minutes if not years from your life.  Living a well rounded and holistic life doesn’t just come from the things that we don’t do to ourselves, but more often it comes from the great things that we do for ourselves. After all, it’s our awareness and wise decisions that ultimately determine our well being and health, cheers to yours!
 

Tiffany Noojin  is a  certified sports nutritionist, holistic fitness trainer and figure competitor.
For more articles and information about Tiffany, please visit www.DrivingForceFitness

Is Your Lawn Making You Sick?

by Jeff Brower

While the use of lawn chemicals and pesticides continues to grow, evidence mounts concerning the increasing hazards and environmental consequences. The chemical pesticide industry has made every effort to keep this information from the public.
 
Pesticides & Herbicides

Contrary to what lawn "care" companies would like people to believe, herbicides (weed killers) and other pesticides are not "magic bullets" that do no harm pets, plants, and people. They are broad spectrum biocides, and by their very nature can harm organisms other than targeted species. This includes homeowners and their families, neighbors, pets, and all other forms of life. The pesticide industry downplays this by claiming their chemicals are heavily diluted, but doesn't mention the toxins are still extremely dangerous in small amounts. They also are unwilling to mention all of what is in their mixtures. Many components are classified as "inert", which allows them to be kept hidden from the public and not listed on product labels. These are more than just fillers or solvents. "Inert" does not mean "inactive" - some, such as benzene and xylene, are more toxic than listed chemicals.
 
 Listed chemicals can be just as dangerous. They include components of war-time defoliants like Agent Orange, nerve-gas type insecticides, and artificial hormones.  The Federal Government has even prohibited use of some of these chemicals on its own property. In areas where lawn spraying is common, pesticides accumulate in a toxic smog throughout the entire season. Some remain active for years after application. Fat soluble pesticides accumulate over time in our bodies, and then are released at potentially toxic levels when illness or stress results in our fat reserves being metabolized. A large portion of a woman's lifetime exposure to such pesticides is released in the breast milk for her firstborn child.
 
 It is a violation of U.S.Federal law to claim pesticides are "safe when used as directed" since nothing can assure safety. Some pesticides labeled "bio-degradable" degrade into compounds more dangerous than the original. The pesticide industry also implies that "organic" means safe and natural knowing that the term legally may be applied to any compound containing carbon and hydrogen. Many lawn "care" companies and manufacturers have often been sued for fictitious claims. Many applicators are just as conniving and deceitful, using statements like "absolutely cannot harm children or pets" and "perfectly safe for the environment" to mislead the public.  It is up to the consumer to make sure they are really purchasing a safe organic alternative to dangerous chemicals.
 
The United States General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, has also tried to alert the public to lawn chemical dangers. GAO's undercover team noted many fictitious claims by many in the lawn "care" industry. Many included illegal claims of product safety. Others were just deceiving, such as the ChemLawn claim that a child would have to ingest ten cups of treated grass clippings to equal the toxicity of one baby aspirin. In fact, the real danger is not that people will be grazing the lawn but that most poisonings come from inhaling pesticide residues or absorbing them through the kin.
 
Studies show that most do-it-yourselfers don't even look at the warnings on their toxins. They don't wear gloves, goggles, or protective clothing to decrease exposure. Worse, many don't keep people off the contaminated area after chemicals are applied. Homeowners commonly use up to ten times as much pesticides per acre as farmers. 

Pesticides drift and settle during application.  Pesticides engulf the home and are easily tracked inside, readily inhaled and absorbed through the skin. They do harm by attacking the central nervous system and other essential organs. Symptoms of pesticide poisoning are often deceptively simple, commonly mis-diagnosed as flu or allergies. They include, but are not limited to, headaches, nausea, fever, breathing difficulties, seizures, eye pains, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea, sore nose, tongue, or throat; burning skin, rashes, coughing, muscle pain, tissue swelling, blurred vision, numbness and tingling in hands or feet, incontinence, anxiety, irritability, sleep disorders, hyperactivity, fatigue, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, spontaneous bleeding, and temporary paralysis. Long-term consequences include lowered fertility, birth defects, miscarriages, blindness, liver and kidney dysfunction, neurological damage, heart trouble, stroke, immune system disorders, menstrual problems, memory loss, suicidal depression, cancer, and death.

The National Academy of Sciences reports that at least one out of seven people are significantly harmed by pesticide exposure each year. Increasingly, reports from many people around the country are "beginning to link feeling terrible with the fact the neighbors had the lawn sprayed the day before", notes Catherine Karr, a toxicologist for the National Coalition Against The Misuse Of Pesticides.
 
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Connection

Many Americans are developing Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), a bizarre and extremely disabling condition. In 1979, the Surgeon General issued a report stating "There is virtually no major chronic disease to which environmental factors do not contribute, directly or indirectly." MCS is a result of the destruction of the body's ability to tolerate and synthesize chemicals after exposure to toxic substances. Victims develop extreme reactions now not only to lawn pesticides but also hair sprays, perfumes, soaps, formaldehyde, and many other common household products. Many victims include former lawn pesticide applicators and users, their families, and children.  For the price of green, weed free lawns, children are also being poisoned.
 
The Cancer Connection

Documented cases of pesticides in groundwater wells are suspect for cancer clusters showing in many towns. However, there is still no requirement or systematic program designed to test for drinking water contamination. As Michael Surgan, Ph.D., Chief Environmental Scientist for the New York State Attorney General, and an advocate for responsible pesticide use, puts it, "If you buy the notion that we have to accept a certain amount of risk from pesticides to safeguard the food supply, that's one thing, he notes. But with lawns, people are applying carcinogens simply for the sake of aesthetics. That's got to change" 

Pesticides and chemical fertilizers are becoming some of the worst water pollutants in America. And anEPA study found potentially harmful levels of nitrate from chemical fertilizers in drinking water wells nationwide. This can cause serious problems in both humans and environmental impacts are also devastating. Documented cases of owls, mourning doves, sparrows, blue birds, and many other songbirds killed by lawn chemicals are on the rise. Waterfowl like Canadian geese, mallards, wood ducks, and others have suffered even worse.
 
Most people seriously overestimate the amount of protection given them by governments regarding pesticide safety. Congress found that 90% of the pesticides on the market lack even minimal required safety screening. Of the 34 most used lawn pesticides, 33 have not been fully tested for humanhealth hazards. If any tests are done, they are performed by the chemical manufacturers, not the EPA. 
 
You Can Protect Yourself & Your Family

People can protect themselves and their families by knowing the facts. If having grass that looks more like Astroturf than living plants still seems essential, it doesn't have to come with pesticides, but is possible with products or programs that are organic and natural.

Chemicals add salt to the soil and kill beneficial nitrogen-fixing microorganisms that provide necessary nutrients for grass, turning a lawn into a junkie.Each quick fix of green creates a dependence for the next.

• Synthetic fertilizers kill earthworms and other organisms that aerate soil, causing it to compact and kill grass plants.
• Compounds in chemical fertilizers also acidify the soil and aid in breeding of some insects.
• Lawns need a soil pH between 5.8 and 6.3 or they turn pale and thin out. Additional doses of chemicals will only make matters worse.
• Recycling grass clippings saves money, reduces waste, and according to Lawn Institute Director Eliot C. Roberts is equivalent to three applications of fertilizer a year without unhealthy chemicals and their side-effects.
• Natural fertilizers are also better because they are time released, allowing grass to grow slower and tougher, requiring much less care. 

 
Insect Control

Insects have been best controlled by other insects for millions of years, and the lawn is no exception. Insecticides often kill more beneficial insects than problem ones. Once the natural balance is destroyed, continued reliance on insecticides will occur. In the long run, pesticides can actually help the very pests they target by also killing their predators, and their use becomes self-perpetuating. Until a natural balance is restored, more and more will have to be spent each year on chemicals, and resistant pests may also invade. Pesticide resistant pests are already are huge problem for the “pest control” industry.

In my professional opinion the best alternative for restoring natural balance is Cedar Oil.  It has been used for hundreds of years to safely and efficiently control pests.  This product will not harm beneficial insects but will prevent infestations in landscape, prevent bugs from even entering a homes and buildings, and will even rid the home of dangerous mold, algae, and bacteria.  The best Cedar oil formulation is not just a great preventative but acts as a contact killer to harmful pests such as chinch bugs, beg bugs, spiders, ants, and a long list of other pests.  It will dissolve flea and tick eggs breaking the pest cycle and is safe to spray on pets, furniture, and carpets.  Plus, it makes your home smell great.
 
The lawn pesticide industry is a very recent creation by chemical firms to expand the market for aging farm chemicals. These products are not necessary for use on lawns and pose serious ecological and human health risks that outweigh any benefits they offer. Proper legislation to protect the public regarding pesticide use is still seriously insufficient. Therefore, the responsibility rests on the public to be the ultimate judge of what the acceptable levels of risk will be for their families and environment.

Fortunately there is a growing list of safe and effective pest control measures available to businesses and homeowners.  The best solution is to hire a professional organic based pest control company who does not promote a silver bullet quick fix.   Make sure the company you choose offers a comprehensive program including sustainable cultural practices and pest control measures.  Some companies will even offer products and services for the do-it-yourselfers.

Now there is even an essential Cedar Oil which can be infused into the air for a healthy alternative to toxic commercial “air purifiers”.  There is an FDA approved product which is safe and effective for use around your home, elderly, children and pets.   This product comes with an inexpensive delivery system which periodically diffuses tiny particles of the essential oil into the air for cleaner, odor free air, aromatherapy, bacteria and mold control. Cedar Mountain Essential Oils can help you reduce the harmful airborne and surface contaminants found in most businesses and homes.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its Science Advisory Board (SAB), indoor air pollution is one of the top five environmental risks to public health in the World.  The EPA says 90% of homes have shown indoor air quality issues. In addition, there are 55 million allergy and asthma sufferers in the U.S.  Many common construction materials can emit dangerous compounds and harbor infectious molds, fungi and bacteria.   For people confined indoors due to illness and particularly for those with depressed immune systems, the consequences of any of these impacts can be significant. Facility staff and visitors in business, schools, hospitals and institutions are susceptible to a range of potential health effects of poor indoor air quality, including respiratory health problems, cancer, reproductive and developmental impairment. 

What you do outdoors comes into your home.  While it is important that you eliminate toxic chemicals in your lawn and landscape, we are wise to consider our total environment.  There are safe alternatives that allow us to have a beautiful lawn and landscape without costing a fortune.  Unfortunately, you have to search for them as they are not the “preferred” option in the big box stores or in the yellow pages.  But, the cost of neglecting this important area which has such a great impact on your health and well being is indeed expensive.

Jeff Brower is the owner of Organic by Design, an organic based lawn, landscape, and indoor pest control company.  For more information about natural lawn care and pest control visit:  www.GoOrganicbydesign.com.
 

 Sign up here to recevie notification of article updates, newsletters, & exclusive offers!
Send questions and comments to: andrea@HealWithHope.com