Archives for February, 2012

Spring Cleaning

Although the official season of Winter is still upon us, the current warm weather means early spring cleaning is already underway in some households.  Why risk your family’s health and pay extra money for chemical household cleaners when you can use safe and cheap alternatives?

Here are a few reasons to choose simple alternative cleaning products

Your Health The list of potential health hazards goes on and on for household cleaners including central nervous system and brain damage, kidney and liver damage, reproductive damage, endocrine disruption, respiratory irritation, skin and eye irritation including potential blindness, cancer, and in some cases exposure to the chemicals can be acutely fatal (i.e. if you mix ammonia and bleach you create toxic chloramine gas).

Kids Health and Poisons  If you have children in your home, their health will be more susceptible to chemical influences including development of respiratory illnesses such as asthma.  If you have ever read the bottles of some common cleaners you may already know they can be poisonous if consumed; did you know that almost 90% of poison exposures occur in the home, and over 50% of those are from children under the age of 6.  The National Capital Poison Center states “Most poisonings involve everyday household items such as cleaning supplies, medicines, cosmetics and personal care items”.

The Environment  All the cleaners you put into the sink, toilet, bathtub or shower go into the sewage system, which  means that vegetation, soil, and wildlife (including fish you may eat) can all be chemically polluted.  Sewage can also end up in rivers and oceans that people swim in and drinking water must be treated to remove chemicals.

Bacterial Resistance  Researchers from the University of Ireland found that when they added increasing amounts of disinfectant to the bacteria culture of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the bugs survived not just the disinfectant, but a commonly prescribed antibiotic (ciprofloxacin) as well, even without being exposed to it.  This means that excessive use of chemical disinfectants may develop stronger harmful bacteria.

Money Locally you can buy a 1 gallon container of vinegar for around $4.00, a 1 lb box of baking soda for $2-3, and a 32 oz bottle of hydrogen peroxide for $2.  You can make a bottle of your own window cleaner for about 50 cents versus $3 or $4 for the blue stuff.

Alternative Cleaning Products

• Water
• Distilled white vinegar
• Baking soda
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Borax
• Castile soap
• Cornstarch
• Tea tree oil
• Elbow grease

Instead of bleach for disinfecting just about anything from countertops to fruits and veggies use vinegar, then hydrogen peroxide.  Get 2 separate spray bottles and fill one with vinegar and the other with hydrogen peroxide (do not mix the two).  Spray the surface with vinegar first and wipe, then with hydrogen peroxide.  In tests run at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, pairing the two mists killed virtually all Salmonella, Shigella, or E. coli bacteria on heavily contaminated food and surfaces when used in this fashion, making this spray combination more effective at killing these potentially lethal bacteria than chlorine bleach or any commercially available kitchen cleaner.

If you want some extra motivation to switch, go read all the caution labels for the products you are currently using (this includes “green” products, many of which can still be harmful).  Why not take the extra few minutes to change for your health and pocket book?  And most importantly, don’t forget the magic of plain old water and elbow grease.

Love and Health

Happy Valentine’s Day!  To celebrate, we thought it would be appropriate to share some healthful ideas related to love.  The concept of “love” may seem immeasurable, however numerous clinical studies have been conducted that measure and reveal the affects that love has on the human brain and general well being.

To reap the health benefits of love, contact does not need to come from a romantic relationship – healthy friendships, family relationships, parenting, general social contact, and self-love can all provide healthful advantages.

For expecting or new mothers, here’s an interesting case study to consider regarding loving physical contact with children.

Psychoanalytic psychiatrist Rene Spitz conducted a study which involved two groups of babies.  One group of babies was cared for with good hygiene and excellent physical care but received little if any individual love or attention. This group became physically and emotionally stunted. Most could not walk or talk even at the age of four. “Within two years 37 percent … had died from infection.”  In contrast, a second group of babies was cared for in a prison nursery that was “far dirtier” but received loving affection from their mothers each day. “Not a single one of the second group of children succumbed to infection during the five-year period of Spitz’s study.”

On the more romantic side of  things, a US News and World Report revealed, “Those who engage in frequent sex have a better sense of smell, lower rate of heart disease, improved physical fitness (probably because they’re motivated to work out), and healthier body weight.”  Don’t go jumping into bed with everyone you meet, but recognize the value that a healthy relationship can provide.

On a molecular level, the hormone Oxytocin (aka “the love hormone”) is responsible for regulating dopamine release into the brain.  Dopamine is a chemical that can make you “feel good” by giving you extra energy and motivation and decreasing pain – when falling in love or having loving interactions with others these hormones and chemicals boost your feelings of well being and mood.  Relaxing and having lowered stress is linked to health benefits such as a stronger immune system.

Love can be developed in many ways, here are a few tips to start today!

• Focus on a proper intake of nutrients such as selenium, iron, zinc, b vitamins and vitamin D.  Deficiencies can cause changes in mood or depression, which can make it difficult to want to interact with other people.
• Make a goal to give/receive 3 hugs per day, start with 1 if you have to.
• If you have a partner, go for a walk and hold hands, this will get you a dose of dopamine from the exercise and the warm contact.
• Meditate or pray for yourself and others, which allows you to mentally focus on positive loving feelings.

• If you don’t feel you have many family or friends to rely on, volunteer in an environment where you can be around other people.  Not only will you be giving care to others, you will introduce yourself to new potential social relationships.