#body burden

[butterthatdldo]

lost like 50 ounces of blood in the last 2 weeks.. fun times.. and more to come (or go) as it seems

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[fabricdiva]

Choosing a fabric for your new sofa

Choosing a fabric for your new sofa http://wp.me/p7lU3-Qv

Design decisions influence our health –so your choice of a sofa fabric could influence you and your family in ways far beyond what you imagined.  Our children start life with umbilical cords infused with chemicals that affect the essence of human life itself  –   the ability to learn, reason and reproduce.  And fabric – which cocoons us most of the time, awake and asleep – is a contributor to…

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[fabricdiva]

Do we exaggerate the dangers of conventional fabrics?

We received a comment on one of our blog posts recently in which the reader chastised us for exaggerating issues which they believe are disproportionate to the facts. In their words: For instance formaldehyde… is a volatile chemical…no doubt it is used in the textile industry a great deal…but looking for this chemical in end products is an example chasing a ghost…. It has to be put in…

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[selfcaredoc]

Body Burden

The best way to detoxify is to stop putting toxic things into the body and depend upon its own mechanisms.

Andrew Weil

Toxic People

I think we would all agree the world is a toxic place. There are over 85,000 chemicals in the marketplace, and we come in contact with them in one way or another every day. 

There is no such thing as a pristine environment. Toxins are in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. They are in the homes we live in and the offices where we work. They are present in our children’s schools. They are prevalent in our personal care and cleaning products.

Decades of research and countless studies have contributed to our understanding that we carry a burden of toxic chemicals in our bodies, our Body Burden. When engaged in conversation on this subject many people think that such small amounts of these chemicals could do no harm. When we talk about parts per million or parts per billion our mind says, that is so small how could it be harmful. What most people don’t recognize is that many pharmaceutical drugs are effective at these very small levels. We must also ask: what are the interactions of all these toxins, and how does this affect us after decades of absorbing and sequestering them in our bodies?

It has been nearly 40 years since September 22, 1980, and the Time Magazine cover story entitled “The Poisoning of America” was published. Pollution is something we have all been aware of for a long time. It’s not a new problem, but has it gotten better or worse? It’s gotten worse, exponentially worse.

It has been said every 5 years there are 10,000 new chemicals in the marketplace that wasn’t here 5 years ago. That equates to over 5 new chemicals per day!

Most people are of the opinion that these chemicals are thoroughly tested before they are released into our environment when actually less than one percent have been tested for toxicity to humans.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has mandated safety testing for only a small percentage of the 85,000 industrial chemicals available for use today. And once chemicals are in use, the burden on the EPA is so high that it has succeeded in banning or restricting only a small amount of substances, and often only in specific applications. These include asbestos, dioxin, polychlorinated biphenyls, hexavalent chromium, and chlorofluorocarbons.

In 2010, at a hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health, Lisa Jackson, then the administrator of the EPA, put our current, hyper-toxic era into sharp perspective: "A child born in America today will grow up exposed to more chemicals than any other generation in our history."

Our Body Burden, the “Pollution in People”

The term body burden was first coined in the early 2000s. It is defined as the total amount of a chemical present in a human's or animal's body, typically a radioactive element or other toxic substance. This can include anything from dangerous metals like lead or mercury to pesticides and herbicides, unsafe food additives, and bisphenol A’s, (BPA’s) from plastics just to name a few.

Dr. Leo Trasande, assistant director of the Center for Children’s Health and the Environment at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, states, “We are in an epidemic of environmentally mediated disease among American children today. Rates of asthma, childhood cancers, birth defects, and developmental disorders have exponentially increased, and it can’t be explained by changes in the human genome. So, what has changed? All the chemicals we’re being exposed to.”

As stated by Dr. Sanjay Gupta on a recent CNN documentary entitled Toxic America, “A growing number of studies are finding hundreds of toxic chemicals in mothers' and subsequently their babies' bodies when they are born…” 

In 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a comprehensive study that suggests more than 33% of diseases affecting children under the age of five are caused by environmental exposures, and that by preventing these exposures, as many as four million children’s lives a year worldwide could be saved.

Our environment has changed very rapidly. We do not live in the same environment that we did 100 years, 50 years or even 10 years ago. Yet, biologically we change very slowly. Therein lies the problem. The inability to adapt to a more toxic environment takes its toll on our bodies resulting in a multitude of chronic health issues.

We monitor the pollution in our air, our water, and even our fish. It's time to start looking at the pollution in our bodies and take steps to minimize our exposure and absorption of toxic substances.

Although we as individuals may not have a big say in the chemicals in our environment, we do have control over those which we may ingest, breathe or absorb. Self Care Awakening, “Be Healthy by Choice,” looks at ways we can help reduce our individual body burden of toxic chemicals for a healthier life. Becoming aware of the problem is the first step the second is to take action for healthier choices.

This topic will be the focus of our next Healthy by Choice broadcast. The class will discuss steps we all can implement to reduce our body burden and how the Nikken Wellness Home provides the tools to accomplish this.

Please join us and invite guests for Body Burden Matters on Tuesday, February 25th at 9 pm Eastern, 6 pm Pacific. Together we can all help anyone Be Healthy by Choice. To Join the broadcast click this link and follow the prompts www.theroyalalliance.com/live see you on Tuesday.

Be Healthy by Choice.

[selfcaredoc]

Water Matters, Planet in Peril

Water Matters to People and the Planet

Today is World Water Day. On March 22nd every year, is about focusing attention on the importance of water. The theme for World Water Day 2018 is ‘Nature for Water’ – exploring nature-based solutions to the water challenges we face in the 21st century.

On this day we are all asked to “Take action, wherever you are and whatever you do on March 22, make it about nature and water.” For my part, I will take a little break in our current Wellness Home Series and talk about the environmental impact and waste of natural resources that are the result of the bottled water industry.

The effect of plastic bottles on our environment has been documented and although we have an awareness of the problem it is getting worse not better. There are over 100 million plastic bottles used each day globally and nearly 80% of these end up in our landfills. This means that only 20% are recycled. Approximately 1500 bottles end up in landfills and the ocean every second accounting for 2 million tons of plastic bottles that are landfilled each year.  It takes 700 years before plastic bottles start to decompose and can take up to 1000 years to fully decompose. Virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made still exists in some shape or form (except for the small amount that has been incinerated).

Consumption of natural resources related to plastic water bottles is a major concern. Producing the bottles for American consumption required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil and an additional 18 million barrels are used to transport bottled water. More energy is needed to fill the bottles with water at the factory, move it by truck, cool it in grocery stores or home refrigerators, and recover, recycle, or throw away the empty bottles. The Pacific Institute estimates that the total amount of energy embedded in our use of bottled water can be as high as the equivalent of filling a plastic bottle one quarter full of oil. Bottling water also wastes water, it takes three gallons of water to produce one gallon of bottled water.  Key environmental issues with bottled water, according to environmentalist David Suzuki, are waste and uncertainty over the long-term health effects created by plastic. "Not only does bottled water lead to unbelievable pollution…but plastic has chemicals in it. Plastics are ubiquitous. I don't believe that plastics are not involved in a great deal of the health problems that we face today."

Any way you look at it, bottling water is a tremendous waste as far as resources and a major contributor to the pollution of our planet and wasteful of our most essential nutrient, Water.

Just this week, a new study of 259 water bottles has found tiny pieces of plastic in more than 90 percent of them, prompting a review by the World Health Organization (WHO). As Graham Readfearn reports for the Guardian, the study was conducted by scientists at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Fredonia. Researchers analyzed water bottles from nine countries—the U.S., China, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Lebanon, Kenya and Thailand and found that 93 percent showed at least some sign of contamination from microplastics. Although stated that the consequences of ingesting microplastics are unknown, common sense would tell us they would not be good. Among the brands tested were: Aqua (Danone), Aquafina (PepsiCo), Bisleri (Bisleri International), Dasani (Coca-Cola), Epura (PepsiCo), Evian (Danone), Gerolsteiner (Gerolsteiner Brunnen), Minalba (Grupo Edson Queiroz), Nestlé Pure Life (Nestlé), San Pellegrino (Nestlé) and Wahaha (Hangzhou Wahaha Group).

As I have written before (The Body Burden) it is estimated that each one of us carry an average of over 200 toxic chemicals in our body. Everybody is being exposed to some degree at any given time from gestation through death to toxic chemicals from plastics. Plastic bottles are known to release harmful chemicals such as Bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins since the 1960s. BPA is found in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastics are commonly used in containers that store food and beverages, such as water bottles. BPA is one of many man-made chemicals classified as endocrine disruptors, which alter the function of the endocrine system by mimicking the role of the body's natural hormones.

A study of 77 Harvard College students found one week of drinking water from polycarbonate bottles increased the levels of BPA in by two-thirds (1). This suggests that regular consumption of water from such bottles significantly increases exposure to BPA. Bio-monitoring by the Center for Disease Control and other studies have detected levels of bisphenol A in the urine of 95% of the adult population of the United States.  

Health problems associated with BPA’s include, overweight, early puberty, hypertension, ADHD, heart disease, liver failure, breast and prostate cancer to name a few.

One other contaminant that is associated with plastic bottled water is antimony. Antimony is a regulated contaminant that poses both acute and chronic health effects in drinking water. In small doses, antimony can cause nausea, dizziness and depression. In large doses, it can be fatal. The longer water is stored in plastic bottles and the higher the ambient storage temperature, the higher the concentration of a potentially harmful chemicals can be, a recent study states (2).

Given the environmental impact of bottled water, the potential health risks that we know of, and the potential for risks we may not be aware of warrants serious consideration as to your choice for water.

When we consume bottled water, we pay far too much for it in terms of expense, our health and the health of our planet. Skipping the bottle is one step toward Being Healthy by Choice.

Visit the H2O shop for environmentally safe, healthy bottled water alternatives. For the month of March, we are offering a savings of $120 off the regular price of the Nikken Waterfall. A tremendous value at $299.

Be Healthy by Choice, not by Chance

[kellyp72]

The Body Burden: why kids, older adults, and overweight people are more vulnerable

(This post is based on an interview with Loni Mc Collin, MScCN, Clinical Herbalist and Nutritionist at Knowles Apothecary in Kensington, MD. You can find more information about Loni and her work, or schedule a consultation, through her website, www.lonimccollin.com)

As Loni noted in our interview, the Body Burden refers to the amount of chemicals that have accumulated within the adipose tissue and the fat tissue or in the body’s organs. Chapter 2 of my e-book, The Little Guidebook for Green Moms & Dads: how daily exposure to chemical toxins is hurting your kids (and what you can do about it) has more information about the body burden and how it affects the health of children (and adults). Because many of the toxic chemicals we are exposed to accumulate in fatty tissue, decreasing exposure is especially a concern with children.

Children’s bodies are not only still growing, but they typically contain a higher fat content that adults’ bodies do. Many of the clinical studies that have been performed on diverse populations around the world have demonstrated that the bodies of children contain a higher amount of harmful chemicals than adult bodies do. People who are overweight, pregnant women, and people who have suppressed or compromised immune systems also have a greater body burden than those who are not overweight, pregnant, or who have strong immune systems.

Surprisingly, being thin does not necessarily mean that you have less of a body burden than someone who is overweight The bodies of some thin people are flabby, lack muscle, and contain too much fat. Such people are “skinny fat”, or MONW (metabolically obese normal weight). A “skinny fat” person may even have more of a body burden than an overweight person who has taken steps to reduce her exposure to toxic chemicals.

So how do you know if you carry a heavy body burden? Should you be tested?

Body burden testing is referred to as biomonitoring. It is expensive and complicated: $10,000 or more for the series of tests you first must design with your doctor, then undertake in multiple labs. You may need urine, saliva, or blood tests, or all three. In fact, there is no standard body burden test out there. For these reasons alone, most people are unable to undertake body burden testing, unless they become part of a clinical study that offers it, or they have deep pockets or employers that are willing to foot the bill.

In Loni’s opinion, bio-monitoring tests may not be all that helpful. Unless someone has a serious health issue at hand and she really needs to know what is causing it, she advises clients not to worry about finding out about exactly how much of exactly what chemicals they have in their bodies. This would be true even for someone with cancer, unless that person was having a hard time following through on dietary changes, or was experiencing extreme side effects from chemotherapy. What is more helpful, she says, is learning about the carotenoid levels in your body, and your antioxidant levels, because those are the things that are going to enable you to fight and get rid of harmful chemicals. Testing for lead or mercury is also important because these chemicals can affect all kinds of quality of life issues, especially for young people. Otherwise, we should all assume that we are being exposed to chemicals that are potentially or actually toxic to our bodies.

So what can you do about it?

Since we have focused here on how fat in the body stores chemicals, it’s important to note that losing at least a modest amount of weight should be a goal for those who are carrying extra fat in their bodies. As Loni says, by doing this, you can also lose some of your body burden. However, this should not be a fast process: rapid weight loss can lead to all kinds of unwanted health complications, in part because shedding toxins from the body too fast can lead to unpleasant symptoms like nausea, headaches, fever, sleeplessness, and skin rashes, which last for over a week. Your immune system goes into overdrive, leaving you feeling run down. It can even cause death, as the tragic story of the University of Michigan wrestler Jeff Reese back in 1997 demonstrated. Of course, there are those who say that there is no such thing as losing weight too fast, and that the problem lies in the method used to lose the weight (this was true of Reese’s death).

For children who are overweight, and even those who are of a normal, healthy weight, physical activity and healthy eating are very important. As Loni points out, there’s more fat on their little bodies, and they need more fat in their diets. Try to feed them products that are as clean as possible as often as possible, especially when it comes to fatty products like milk, butter, cheese, and other dairy foods. And when that’s not possible, you want to try to get them as active as they can be (this can include bouncing on a trampoline! A mini version can be purchased on Amazon.com as little as $30). Physical activity boosts the lymphatic system, which houses metabolic toxins at the cellular level. It gets lymph moving through the lymph nodes and into the kidneys and liver, which can then do their work of eliminating toxins from the body.

Aside from losing weight and engaging regularly in exercise that is aerobic and strength-training, there are many things you can do to reduce your body burden. In the previous post I wrote about the importance of switching to non-toxic cleaning and disinfecting products in your home. Upcoming posts will discuss things like detoxing pros and cons, vitamin therapies, incorporating culinary herbs that rid the body of toxins into your cooking, choosing the right kinds of foods and food combinations, seasonal eating, exercise and other kinds of physical activities, complementary medicine, and the debate over eating organic.

 (*Please note, I may receive an affiliate commission for any products you purchase by clicking on the links in this document)

[selfcaredoc]

What can we do to reduce our body burden? Read: The Plastics Problem https://www.selfcarehub.com/blog/the-plastics-problem

[kellyp72]

Indoor pollution: how to protect yourself this winter

In the hard winter months we bundle up and stay indoors more often. We rarely air out our homes, although we should do this even when it is cold outside. These are just a couple of the reasons why we’re more likely to get sick in winter – germs thrive best in closed spaces. There’s another reason why we get sick more in winter that you may not have thought about, and it has to do with the kind of long-term, often subtle illnesses that result from exposure to indoor pollutants. Winter is the time of year when our body burden can increase the most.

The body burden refers to the total amount of chemicals present in the body at any given time. Most of these chemicals are harmful or potentially so, and have been classified by the EPA as possible, probable, or known human carcinogens. Nowadays no one is spared from exposure to toxic chemicals, even in some of the most remote parts of the world, because of persistent environmental toxins like dioxin. Even though dioxin is no longer allowed for commercial use, it remains in the environment and accumulates in the fat of the animals and animal products we consume. Another major contributor to the body burden is the use of conventional household cleaning products, most of which are petrochemical-based.

The levels of chemicals produced in your home are often hundreds of times higher than the outdoor air of the most polluted cities in the world. The worst part of it is that long-term, low-levels of exposure to these chemicals are just as harmful to the human body as high levels of exposure in a short amount of time, as scientists, medical professionals, and health advocates now know.

The majority of household cleaning products sold in retail stores contain one or more chemicals that are known to be harmful to human health. Products containing bleach can release dioxin – one of the most toxic chemicals ever known to human civilization – when they interact with certain chemicals present in the air. Many cleaning products contain formaldehyde, which usually does not appear in their list of ingredients, but is often a component of other chemicals that do appear on that ingredient list: formalin, formalith, oxy-methylene, urea, 1, 3 dioxetane, quaternium-15, methanol, methyl aldehyde, methylene glycol, methylene oxide, paraform, and BFV. Often, aerosol spray cleaners, air fresheners, and stain removers contain methylene chloride, a carcinogen, neurotoxin and reproductive toxin that can cause liver and brain damage, irregular heartbeat, and even heart attack when inhaled. Many common household cleaners, including laundry detergents, cause or exaggerate allergies, asthma, eczema, and memory loss. Switching to non-toxic varieties can result in a rapid reduction of these and other symptoms if you have been experiencing them.

These days, there are many options to purchase safer, non-toxic cleaners and disinfecting agents. Health food retailers like Whole Foods and your local organic or health food shops sell many such products. Online-only companies also offer various non-toxic options for household cleaners. A few of these companies have been around since the 1950s, while others were founded in the 1970s and 1980s, when, the wellness industry became popular in North America (and parts of South America), Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Many, though not all, of their products use plant-based agents and provide a list of ingredients on the label. Some of these companies also offer residual income programs for people who are willing to become regular monthly shoppers and help others to do the same. These can sometimes be cost-prohibitive options. However, there are other alternatives to toxic cleaning agents that even the poorest households can afford.

Before World War II, most people cleaned their homes using relatively safe, everyday ingredients: baking soda (mixed with a little water to make a paste), vinegar, salt, lemon juice, vegetable oil, soap, borax, soda water, cornmeal, and hydrogen peroxide are effective cleaning, stain-removing, and disinfecting agents that do not cause cancer, birth defects, hormone disruption, or any of the other adverse health problems associated with the use of most commercial retail cleaning products. They are also inexpensive and easily found. Click here for a list of non-toxic alternatives to personal care and cleaning products that you can make yourself or buy inexpensively next time you go grocery shopping.

Unless you are carefully reading the labels on the products you buy to clean your home, you are probably cleaning with formaldehyde and other chemicals known to be toxic to the human body. Even some of the “green” labels have engaged in “greenwashing” their products: making them appear to be non-toxic when in fact they do contain harmful chemicals. One good practice is to look for products that are listed as “readily biodegradable” or “non-toxic to humans and pets”. However, the best practice is to educate yourself, and those around you, about the kinds of ingredients and/or products you should avoid. The Environmental Working Group has developed a list of recommended cleaners (many of these commercially available products will surprise you!) and another list of cleaners to avoid. You can view the list here. You can also clip the “cheat sheet” on the www.greenandprosperous.com website and take it with you to the store to know which ingredients to avoid as you shop.

These are just a few of the small changes you can make to reduce your body burden and avoid the potential long-term health problems that come with short-term and long-term exposure to toxic chemicals in the everyday products you use. Start with small steps and it won’t take long to notice a big difference in your health and overall feeling of wellness.