Healthy holistic living is not only good for your physical and emotional well-being, but it’s good for the Earth as well.
Many of the common everyday chemicals in your home, like your cleaning supplies, dish soap, clothing, shampoo, cosmetics, body soap, construction of your home, perfume, colognes, laundry detergent, air fresheners, pest and weed control, carpeting, particle board and many more can contribute to not only harming the environment but your health as well.
These products contain harmful environmental toxins that alter, disrupt and damage the brain, nervous system, immune system, cardiovascular system, reproductive system, gastrointestinal system, detoxification system, metabolic system and endocrine system which results in numerous health conditions, syndromes and diseases.
Symptoms and conditions like headaches, gastrointestinal disturbances, anxiety, depression, nervousness, fatigue, irritability, inability to concentrate, hyperactivity, joint and muscle pain, allergies, insomnia, high blood pressure, increased pulse rate, violent tendencies 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 serious debilitating health conditions like heart disease, cancer, immune disorders, endocrine disorders, central nervous system disorders and conditions like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Autism.
Because they disrupt neurotransmitters in the brain and the autonomic nervous system, environmental toxins also play a significant role in multiple chemicals sensitivity, irritable bowel, fibromyalgia, adrenal fatigue, neurotransmitter imbalances, hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism, hormonal imbalances, food sensitivities, anxiety disorders, clinical depression, hyperactivity attention deficit disorder, alcoholism, addiction, compulsive overeating, and Candida overgrowth.
As a matter of fact, toxins play a role in just about every health condition you can think of. However, the good news is that you can make significant improvements in your physical and mental health by removing these common every day chemicals from your life. Just like diet, the level of environmental toxins in your living space lies within your choices. You can’t control what others around you use, but you can completely control what you allow in your personal space.
Holistic Living Tips to Protect Your Health
Protect your health and the Planet by incorporating some of these holistic living tips into your lifestyle.
- 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.
- 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 healthy and holistic living alternatives and can be used for just about anything.You can also find a variety of natural products at your local health food store.
- 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.
- Throw away your perfume and cologne. They contain chemicals contributing to asthma, central nervous disorders, immune dysfunction and a variety of other health problems.
- Use natural unscented laundry soap and fabric softener. They also contain chemicals contributing to asthma, central nervous disorders, immune dysfunction etc.
- Use non-toxic and natural 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 Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Autism, central nervous system and autonomic nervous system disorders.
- Don’t use air fresheners. Just like cologne and laundry products they contain chemicals that contribute to immune dysfunction and central nervous disorders.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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, arteriosclerosis, anemia, high blood pressure and allergic reactions. Bleach alternatives and unbleached products can be found at your local health food store.
- Seek environmentally friendly employment. Do you have a job where you work around toxic chemicals? Get a new one.
- 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 your physical and mental health.
- Avoid agriculture and industry. Move to a location that has cleaner air and is away from agriculture and industry.
- 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, arteriosclerosis, heart disease, allergic reactions and high blood pressure.
- Don’t drink tap water. It is contaminated with arsenic, prescription drugs, chlorine, pesticides, herbicides and a variety of other toxic chemicals that are harmful to the mind and body. 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Limit your usage of cell phones and electronics. Limit your exposure to things that have high levels of electromagnetic fields like cell phones, computers and other electronics. Don’t live next to high-power electrical lines or cell towers. There are a variety of devices that can be worn on the body and used on your electronic devices to reflect the electromagnetic radiation; you may want to consider getting one.
- Dont use amalgam fillings or get root canals. Go to a dentist who has been trained by Dr. Hal Huggins and get dental work that is non-toxic.
- Recycle. And, of course, 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.
- Be informed. Many people are not aware of the important role that environmental toxins play in our health or the extent that we are exposed to them, so the best thing you can for yourself is to be informed. Educate yourself with the truth about common everyday chemicals. Don’t allow yourself to be influenced by society’s delusion that these chemicals are safe.
- Make every day Earth Day! Practice healthy holistic living year-round and you will probably find that you feel better physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Right next to removing sugar from your diet, reducing your exposures to environmental toxins found in your common every day chemicals, is one of the most powerful self-care steps you can take. It’s an affordable, empowering health care strategy that requires no prescriptions, supplements, herbs or visits to the doctor — just simple changes in behavior and choices.
And, that doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy everything in one day. If you’re just starting out, then the next time you run out of a particular item, then when you go to buy another one, be sure to buy a natural non-toxic version. Continue this pattern with all products in your home, until you have completed the transition.
Healthy holistic living is the wisest and most beneficial action you can take to safeguard your physical and emotional health on all levels.
