Ten Holistic and Green Living Tips To
Save Your Health and the Planet

Green living is not only good for the earth, but also for your physical and emotional well being.

Many of the common everyday chemicals in your home, like your cleaning supplies, clothing, personal care products, construction of your home, perfume, colognes, laundry detergent, air fresheners, pest and weed control etc., can contribute to not only harming the environment, but your health as well.

Symptoms such as headaches, gastrointestinal disturbances, anxiety, depression, nervousness, fatigue, irritability, inability to concentrate, hyperactivity, joint and muscle pain, insomnia, high blood pressure, increased pulse rate and many more can be the result of these chemicals. Not only that many of the chemicals in these products are also linked to a variety of debilitating health conditions like heart disease, cancer, immune disorders, endocrine disorders, central nerouvs system disorders and conditions like Alzheimer's, Parkinsons' and Autism.

Protect the environment and your health by incorporating some of these holistic and green living tips into your lifestyle.

1. Eat organic.  Pesticides, herbicides, etc. poison the soil, water, air and your body. They are linked to contributing to serious health problems including cancer, depression and central nervous system disorders.

2. Use earth friendly and natural household cleaning products. Most everyday cleaning products are very harmful to your health. Baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, lemon and vinegar are great green living alternatives and can be used for just about anything.

3. Wear only natural clothing fibers and organic clothes if possible. Synthetic fibers and non-organics are treated with high levels of formaldehyde and even petroleum. About $3 Billion is spent on pesticides for cotton fields each year worldwide, with over 600,000 tons of pesticides and chemical fertilizers on the US cotton fields alone.

4. Throw away your perfume and cologne.  They contain chemicals contributing to asthma, central nervous disorders, immune dysfunction and a variety of other health problems.

5. Use natural unscented laundry soap and fabric softener. They also contain chemicals contributing to asthma, central nervous disorders, immune dysfunction etc.

6. Use non-toxic alternatives for pest control. Pesticides are poison; designed originally for chemical warfare because they are so effective for poisoning. As mentioned above they are linked to a variety of serious health problems including cancer, immune suppression and central nervous disorders.

7. Don't use air fresheners. Just like cologne and laundry products they contain chemicals that contribute to immune dysfunction and central nervous disorders.

8. Don't get new carpet. New carpet is high in formaldehyde, benzene and a variety of other chemicals that can really destroy your health. Hardwood and ceramic tile are good healthy green living alternatives or look for a green carpet alternative.

9. Use non-toxic and all natural personal health care products. Shampoos, make up, body soap, deodorant, feminine napkins, tampons etc. usually contain many of the same harmful chemicals mentioned above in colognes and laundry. Seek out earth friendly personal care products that cater to the green living individual.

10. Don't use bleach or chlorinated household products such as paper towels, toilet paper, coffee filters etc. Scientific studies have linked chlorine and chlorination by-products to cancer of the bladder, liver, rectum and colon, as well as heart disease, artheroscelrosis, anemia, high blood pressure and allergic reactions. Bleach alternatives and unbleached products can be found at your local health food store.

11. Do you have a job where you work around toxic chemicals? Get a new one.

12. Build your house or remodel with green building materials. Standard materials for building houses and other structures contain high levels of toxins that are detrimental to our health.

13. Move to a location that has cleaner air and is away from agriculture and industry.

14. Use a shower filter or bath ball when showering or bathing. More chlorine is absorbed through the skin in a bath or shower, than it is when you drink it. As mentioned above, chlorine has been linked to numerous health conditions including bladder, colon and liver cancer, as well as anemia, artheroscelrosis, heart disease, allergic reactions and high blood pressure.

15. Don't drink tap water. It is contaminated with arsenic, prescription drugs, chlorine, pesticides, herbicides and a variety of other toxic chemicals. Buy a high-quality water filter or purchase water out of a filtration machine or water from the health food store that is in glass bottles.

16. Don't drink water that has been stored in plastic containers for long periods of time. Chemicals that are harmful to our health, called endocrine disruptors, leach out of the plastic and into the water.

17. Don't wear your shoes in the house. When you go into a building that has pesticides or a yard with herbicides, it gets on your shoes. You then track the pesticide into your house, where it actually becomes more potent and toxic than it was outside.

18. And don't forget to recycle to help save resources and reduce space in landfills and buy recycled products as often as possible to encourage recycling.

Make every day Earth Day! Practice a green living lifestyle and you just may find you feel better physically, emotionally and spiritually.