Month: June 2010

Household Chemical Reactions

Toxic Chemicals in the Home:

There are many household chemicals which are very poisonous.  Household chemical reactions are not uncommon, as there are  not only many invisible toxic chemicals in the environment, but those  to be found  in many products you have around the house, from cleaning products to that face cream you smear on your face daily.

There are many household chemicals which could cause reactions: 884 different toxic chemicals have been found in personal care products alone.

Here are some of the most common household chemicals which you would be best to avoid using, whether they be found in cleaners or make-up, or products designed for your baby:

PROPYLENE GLYCOL:

Even if you avoid using products which contain harmful chemicals, it is difficult to avoid contaminating your environment with this chemical, as we shall see. This insidious chemical is found in many products which we use every day in the bathroom or the kitchen. Propylene glycol is used in many toothpastes, face creams, shampoos, conditioners, ice cream, and BABY PRODUCTS.

Propylene glycol  is commonly known as industrial anti-freeze. It is one of the most corrosive chemicals known. It is to be found in the mechanic’s workshop, and sometimes in the garages of the home handy-man, as it is used in brake fluid, degreasers and anti-freeze products .

Petrol stations are the worst place for picking this chemical up, as it gets spilt about when people top up their brake fluid, or use anti-freeze.  Propylene glycol is carried about from place to place very easily, as the greasy quality of anti-freeze and brake fluid makes it easily transferrable. You get a coating of it on the soles of your shoes as you fill up your car with petrol, and walk over to the check-out to pay your bill. The coating on your shoes then  gets transferred to your car floor, and then to  floor of the house when you return home.

This is one very good reason for removing your shoes at the door, before you enter your house, or that of anyone elses.

In a chemical analysis which I read about, it was found that propylene glycol was the most common chemical to be found on the floor of well-trodden public places, such as pubs, or railway stations. It was commonly found in the carpets of most households. You can see how easily propylene glycol can get onto your skin, or onto your food, simply because there is a film of it on the floor of your house which has been  tramped in from the street.

Propyelene glycol, or ‘anti-freeze’ is  known as a humectant, which means that it is capable of attracting water. This is the reason it is used in cosmetics, because it keeps your skin moisturized. This is why it is used in baby products, as it works to ‘protect’ your baby’s skin from nappy rash.

So- there is a danger to health if you regularly  apply  face creams to your skin, or use nappy-rash creams or moisturisers on your baby: you will absorb small amounts of propylene glycol through the pores of the  skin. The stuff then finds places to store itself in the body, most commonly in the liver.

Propylene glycol, or anti-freeze has very bad  side effects.  In my view, this chemical is possibly more to blame  than plastics are, for the many conditions of ill health which afflict so many people today.

Propylene glycol is an  extremely corrosive substance, it eats away at your nervous system, and weakens the walls of the veins, capilliaries and arteries. Breathing the fumes from brake fluid is just about as damaging to your throat and lungs as is smoking. It is extremely irritating to the eyes. It will increase blood pressure and cause heart palpitations. This is because the body sets off alarm bells in order to try and shunt the blood around more quickly in order to rid it of the toxins eroding its pathways. This increases the liklihood of stroke and heart disease.

It has an immediate effect on the pituitary gland, which controls the hormonal production of the various centers in the body’s glandular system. The  result of exposure to propylene glycol – a disfunction of the pituitary gland,  could be the reason so many people have a problem with obesity and depression today.

Remember that whilst  the application of a nappy-rash cream will protect against nappyrash, your baby will be absorbing propylene glycol directly into its body through the pores of the skin. This could cause problems such as anxiety, or excessive crying.  Propylene glycol upsets the digestion and ruins the beneficial bacteria in the bowel. This, alone, can cause a crying baby. This toxin also  causes, from my own experience, breathing problems, asthma-like symptoms,  sinus trouble, ear ache and poor memory.  If you are not the sensitive type which suffers these reactions,  toxic chemicals  in your body are still a potential hazard to your health, as they will lie dormant, building up over time only to take the body by storm later in life:  serious immune deficiency diseases  such as arthritis, osteoporosis,  multiple sclerosis, parkinson’s disease, or cancer could be the outcome.

Some warnings on the use of Propylene glycol state that ‘prolonged and repeated contact with the skin may cause irritation, skin rash, and dermatitis’, however, these are the least of the health concerns regarding propylene glycol, or brake fluid. It is extremely damaging to the immune system and to the nervous system.

A relative of mine who worked as a mechanic for years, changing brake fluid for people as part of his job, became very ill with ‘M.E.’  and acute depression. His immune system shut down completely, and it took several years before he was well enough to work again. His health practitioner blamed it on the brake fluid, the propylene glycol.

Of course, the amounts he was getting splashed onto his skin and onto his clothes was far more than what your baby will absorb through use of a nappy-rash cream. However, this chemical IS absorbed through the skin, and if you use the cream on a daily basis, then your baby’s health will be affected, in the long run. You just cannot tell what a ‘safe’ dose will be. It could cause early cancer in the child’s life, or the child may be prone to arthritis, or multiple sclerosis later in life, if he/she is continually exposed to this, and other, chemicals during its childhood.

It is important to avoid this chemical: avoid those commercial products which contain it, and take measures to avoid  the contamination of your home and environment by removing shoes at the door. Be careful to wash the hands  well after going downtown for petrol, or even shopping.

FORMALDEHYDE

This is another chemical to watch out for. It is probable that you will have reactions to this household chemical, not realizing where the root of the problem may lie: It is found in many products commonly used about the house. Many cosmetic products: nail varnish, lipsticks, face creams and conditioners, have formaldehyde added, because it is a very convenient and cheap preservative.  It is found in many house paints and varnishes. It is found in many cleaning products, including some soap powders. It is found in some commercial dyes, such as leather-tanning dye, and clothing dyes.

Formaldehyde, like the propylene glycol in brake fluid and other products, is easily absorbed through the pores of the skin.

Formaldehyde is a carcenogen. However, the immediate effect one notices after exposure to this chemical is loss of memory, disorientation and confusion.

I have personal experience with the effects of formaldehyde poiisoning: This chemical was fairly new to the medical profession when I was a girl. It was regarded as the latest wonderful invention, as it  immediately sterilized medical equipment upon contact.  In the 1950’s, when I had my appendix removed after peritonitis, a jar of formaldehyde was kept beside the bed to sterilize the thermometer. The thermometer sat in this fluid day by day, until the nurse came around to take temperatures, at which point the thermometer was simply flicked a few times, then put straight into your mouth. I noticed some alarming and frightening reactions after each thermometer reading: it was obvious the stuff in the jar, which had the most distinctive and sickening smell, was causing a general blanking out of the brain, then  memory loss , disorientation and confusion once my brain ‘came to’ again.

I consider myself lucky: many nurses who used formaldehyde regularly in the 1950’s suffered such  extreme memory loss that they had to give up nursing.

If you use products which contain formaldehyde on a daily basis, you might not  associate your poor memory, or lack of motivation, with the source, because the poisoning will occur gradually, over a period of time.  But there is no doubt about it – formaldehyde directly affects the brain and its memory function. It also causes cancer.

Being a painter of buildings, or boats, is probably the most hazardous of occupations where formldehyde is concerned. But glamorous women who use nail polish all the time are also at great risk of getting cancer, or suffering memory loss in the interim. Formaldehyde is absorbed through the nail tissue on your fingers and toes. This has been proven by doctors who analysed Jacqui Davison’s cancer in the 1980’s:  the source of the cancer had come from the big toe, and the big toes were the only toes which she kept continually painted with nail varnish.

PROTECT  THE  HEALTH OF YOUR CHILDREN:

The  American Red Cross did a study in 2008, at the request of the Environmental Working Group.  The blood from the umbilical cord of newborn babies was analysed. These are the facts from a leaflet entitled ‘The Scandal of this Generation’ which was recently  given to me by a promoter of  ‘New-ways’ products:

287 compounds were found which had MILTIPLE toxic effects:

134 were found to cause cancer

151 were found which are known to cause birth defects

154  were found to disrupt hormone production

186 caused infertility

130 were known to affect the immune system

158 were known to be neurotoxins

Even if you do not perceive an immediate reaction from using products with these harmful chemicals in them, it is advisable to avoid them if you want to protect your health and the health of your children in the long term. Below is a list of some of the most common  toxic ingredients  used in household products and cosmetics:

Di-ethanol-amine, used as a foaming agent, reacts with nitrates in babies’ drinking bottles. The chemical forms the compound  NDEA – nitrosodiethanolamine, which has long been recognized as a cancer causing agent. Apparently, in 1980 the FDA announced that about 42% of all cosmetic products were contaminated with this compound.  Germany banned the use  Di-ethanol-amine, which forms DEA/NDEA. Dr Samuel S. Epstein M.D. who wrote the books  ‘The Politics of Cancer’ and ‘Unreasonable Risk’ discusses this ingredient.

Dioxin, Sodium Laureth Sulphate, Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, PEG-12 (polyethylene glycol-12), Sodium Monofluorophosphate, Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate, and Sodium Saccharin are other very dangerous chemicals widely used in personal care products, and other household products.

Green Tea Benefits Teeth

Green Tea and your Teeth.
Japanese style green tea is so good for you,  and good for your teeth too.
Research has been done by the University of California, Berkeley, which indicate many benefits from drinking Japanese
green tea. Isao Kubo, who has led the research at Berkeley, has shown that the compounds found in green tea work best
in their naturally occurring combination within the tea itself.
Natural green tea  contains compounds which help kill some bacteria such as  Streptococcus mutans:  this bacteria is the one which is responsible for eroding tooth enamel and  causing cavities.

The tannin found in green tea, and also good old ceylon tea,  also has a useful function:
The tannin in tea helps inhibit this tooth- bacteria’s production of glucans. As the name implies, glucans are a glue-type substance
which many  acid-forming bacteria use to stick to the teeth. After the bacteria have latched on to the teeth, they are thus enabled to eat  their way into the teeth.
More green tea in your daily diet means a cleaner, fresher mouth which will deter bacteria from setting up house there.

Use green tea as a mouth wash to help the gums and the teeth stay healthy.
Source: Science News (141,16:253)
More green tea will promote a healthy digestive system.
Gastrointestinal upsets, and acne, often respond to green tea therapy, as green tea compounds  work as an antiseptic. Green tea compounds can kill many yeasts, molds and bacteria which cause digestive ailments.
Drinking green tea will give benefits to your eye-sight and sharpen your brain.
Green tea improves the digestion of your food, helps restore the liver, kidneys and heart

Green tea helps to  keep cholesterol levels regulated, and aids the elimination process.
Coriander, sage and thyme have similar compounds to those found in green tea, and can be used for similar therapeutic
effect.

Bloodroot juice will dissolve plaque on teeth. It contains a substance called sanguinarine, which inhibits some
bacteria and has the capacity to dissolve plque within eight days. Toothpastes which contain this ingredient,
if you can find them, are therefore likely to reduce plaque build-up on the teeth.
Source:The Lawrence Review of Natural Products (November 1990)

Isao Kubo has also found that an oil found in cashew nut shells is also effective for reducing plaque and discouraging
cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth.
Science News (139,12:191)

Calcium Rich Foods

ABOUT CALCIUM:

Calcium is necessary for forming and maintaining healthy bones, teeth, nails and hair. Calcium helps to nourish the nervous system, which  helps  to prevent anxiety and keep your brain function up to scratch.  Calcium is a natural tranquillizer.
Magnesium is Important:  For the body to absorb and use calcium appropriately, it is important to include plenty of Magnesium-rich foods in the diet. The other  essential ingredients for maximizing your Calcium absorption are   Zinc, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K.

Health worries which may result from a diet with insufficient calcium are:

irritability, insomnia, and mental disorders,

irregular heart beat, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, numbness and tingling in the legs, muscle cramps, and slow blood clotting,
osteo-arthritis, osteoporosis, calcium growths, eye cataracts,

colon cancer.

Calcium helps to keep the heart muscle healthy.  Lack of Calcium is linked also to high cholesterol and high blood pressure, which, in turn affect the heart muscle:  some people with these conditions have been helped by increasing their Calcium intake through diet and additional Dolomite supplements.

Adequate Calcium intake is thought to help prevent sunburn and skin cancer.

Milk is the best food source for calcium, although many people have an intolerance to milk. There is a link between protein and calcium absorption:  It could be that some high protein diets consume large amounts of calcium in the digestion process, thereby robbing the body of the  dietary calcium in Vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables. But the reason could very well be that people who consume large amounts of animal pretein simply do not eat enough of  the Vitamin C-rich, magnesium-rich, fresh fruit and vegetables.
It has been found that vegetarians process the calcium from their food better than  those meat-eaters do, which is perhaps why vegans, who often do not take any meats or dairy products,  still manage to maintain
healthy calcium levels. Vegans and vegetarians  might also be inclined to use Dolomite powder as a supplement: this is highly concentrated in Calcium and Magnesium.
However, Dolomite should be used in moderation, as it sometimes contains traces of lead and asbestos.

The RDA, or recommended daily allowance  of Calcium is 800 mg daily, but this amount seems conservative in the light of several studies which show that a higher intake of calcium does protect against many diseases:
Peope who have an abundant intake of calcium-rich foods in their diets tend to have less colon cancer than those whose intake of calcium  is less than 800 milligrams daily: Of course, the lower rate of colon cancer in this group would also be attributable to the high-fiber content in the foods which are high in calcium, with the exception of milk and cheese.

It is recommended that you try to have more than 1000 milligrams  of calcium daily, half of which should come from your high fiber greens, to help prevent colon cancer.

Expectant and breastfeeding mothers and growing teenagers need a minimum of 1300 mg daily.

You get 600 mg of Calcium per every 2 cups of milk which you drink – nearly the RDA of Calcium. However,for those who
cannot take milk, there are many other excellent sources of calcium which rate very well in their calcium content:
Dolomite powder is the richest source of calcium, beating milk by far. One teaspoon of Dolomite equals 2500 mg of calcium, which, on its own,  would give you more than the needed recommended daily allowance.

One cup of cooked broccoli yields about 160 mg of Calcium. If your meal were to include 3/4 cup of baked beans, then you would have another 80 mg of easily-digested Calcium.

All the brassica family contain high amounts of calcium:   These are: brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, and that trojan of vegetables,  broccoli.
Parsley is high in Calcium and in other minerals and vitamins.
It is easy to see how you can make up your calcium intake just from eating healthy, calcium-rich, ,magnesium-rich  vegetables.
Adding Dolomite powder to a meal ensures that your Calcium intake is more than adequate.
You might like to try the home-made calcium and magnesium-rich tonic made from egg shells:  see the recipe below.

If your diet is too rich in fats (but we DO need fats – it is best to eat a range of the different fats, but of course, in moderation),  or you eat a diet high in protein, or grains, cocoa/chocolate, spinach/silverbeetsoy bean products, then you need to increase your broccoli-brussels sprouts-cabbage intake.

These foods listed directly above can impair your calcium absorption if other foods are not used  to compensate Calcium lost through the digestion of these foods.

Cocoa, spinach and silverbeet contain high amounts of oxalic acid
This latches on to Calcium in the body, robbing it of some food Calcium. However, the effect of oxalic acid in some food items,  such as silver beet
and spinach,  can be negated if you eat baked beans and an egg with these foods, or some oily fish, or follow the meal with some fresh fruit,
a glass of milk, either dairy milk, or soy milk, or a nut milk such as almond or cashew milk.

Remember to include Vitamin D in the diet if you are relying on vegetable sources for your intake of Calcium:
Vitamin D is necessary for the assimilation of Calcium in the body.

You can get Vitamin D from the sun’s rays directly falling onto your skin, and also by taking foods such as oily fish, cod liver oil, butter and eggs. Dolomite Powder, which has high concentrations of both Calcium and Magnesium, is usually enriched with Vitamin D to aid its absorption.

HOME- MADE:   CALCIUM-Rich, MAGNESIUM-Rich  TONIC:
Crumble the dry egg shells of two free range eggs into a small glass jar. Cover with apple cider vinegar and leave the mixture for 24 hours. Keep  it in the fridge so that it does not spoil.  Take a teaspoonful morning and night, or more if you have a condition such as osteoporosis where
you need to take more than a maintenance dose. The acid in the vinegar is neutralized by the calcium in the egg shell, and so the  combination should not upset those delicate stomachs which cannot normally take cider vinegar.

Chlorine in Water

CHLORINE

Chlorine is a necessary part of our cell make-up. It forms part of the hydrochloric acid in our stomachs.
Fish, meats, eggs and vegetables all contain naturally occuring chlorine. We get additional chlorine from table salt, which is known as sodium chloride, which is really not the best thing.

Natural, dietary chlorine helps in the digestion of food and forms  part of cell fluids.
It helps to maintain the health of the lymph system
It helps to maintain correct acidity of blood
It helps to maintain correct action of the liver.

However, too much chlorine destroys intestinal flora which can upset your digestion and inhibit absorption of valuable Vitamins, Minerals and fats.

The most common way in which we overdose ourselves on chlorine is through the chlorination of water, which  is something most of us  have to live with these days.

Water is chlorinated to protect us  from diseases such as cholera,  typhoid fever and many other life-threatening diseases  which previously were a threat before the practice of chlorinating water was adopted. However, the many side effects from drinking chlorinating water would suggest that it really is better not to drink it at all if you can possibly avoid it.

If you drink a lot of water, or tea, or coffee, then you will be ingesting high amounts of, not just  chlorine, but also  fluroide, and aluminium.  Filtering your water to rid it of  the chlorine in your water supply, or boiling your tap water, or letting it stand in the sunlight in a green bottle for several hours, are several options to consider for minimizing the chlorine in your water. However, these treatments do not necessarily remove all the harmful or un-wanted additives which are in tap water. 

One helpful tip: The volume of some  chemicals in treated water can be reduced, and their toxicity negated,  by putting fresh grass or some fresh garden herbs into a bottle of water which is then left in the sun
for an hour before straining.

Drinking chlorinated water affects our digestion on a long term basis.

The effect of absorbing too much chlorine can be felt  after you have bathed in a swimming pool for half an hour or so: this causes excess chlorine to be absorbed through the  pores of the skin. From there, it enters  the bloodstream:  Heart palpitations, weak pulse, pins and needles,  numbness in the limbs, and dizziness,  are some symptoms which can be experienced by sensitive people when they are  exposed to  excessive chlorine such as the amounts found in swimming pools.
The kidneys have to work hard to eliminate this surplus: this can tire the kidneys, which often results in a candida infection,  or some other urinary tract infection after swimming in chlorinated pools. People often think that they have ‘caught’ something’ in these pools, and in a way they probably have, but it is the chlorine which sets the climate for bugs to invade, as it kills off the friendly bacteria in your body, lowers immunity, and tires and
weakens the kidneys as they try to cope with the overload.

Aluminium And Your Brain

ALUMINIUM

Aluminium is not needed as a supplement, although it is found naturally in our bodies. The problem with aluminium is that we tend to have a surplus of it rather than a deficiency.
Aluminium destroys vitamins and minerals in our food and hinders the absorption of nutrients in the body.
Too much aluminium in the body causes many health problems: It has long been suspected that aluminium build-up in the body could be the cause of serious diseases such as alzheimer’s and senility, as aluminium builds up in the brain, along with other toxins.  Arthritis, cancer and osteoporosis are just some of the other diseases which some think are attributable to aluminium toxicity.
Aluminium excess can cause fat to build up in the kidneys and liver.
It can also cause numbness in the limbs with pain and pins and needles in various muscles, especially in elderly folk.
Aluminium also affects your quality of sleep. Women in a study who took more than 1000 milligrams of aluminium daily,  over a period of time, slept less well than those women who took only 300 milligrams per day.

Aluminium build-up in the body and brain is hard to avoid, because it is used widely in food processing: it is sometimes used as a softening agent in the processing of cheese,and in the whitening of flour.

It is used as a free-flowing agent in common salt: A compound
called sodium aluminium silicate is added to salt to help stop it becoming damp and sticky in wet or humid weather.
It is used in some self-raising flour and baking powders.
It is also used in stomach antacid preparations: one teaspoon of some antacid powders can contain up to 250 milligrams
of aluminium. Aluminium which is used in antacid stomach powders has been shown to cause the rapid development of diseases such as osteoporosis, arthritis, and weakened muscles in older people.
Other medicinal preparations which may contain aluminium are: buffered aspirin, antidiarrhea medicines, douches, and some  haemorrhoid pessaries and creams.
Aluminium is also found in many under arm deodorants.It is found in some hair dyes, face creams and other cosmetics.
These products are just as harmful as antacid powder, as the
aluminium is easily absorbed through the pores of the skin and into the blood stream and soft tissues of the body;
This includes the brain.

WATER
You may be ingesting an unknown quantity of aluminium into your blood stream through drinking water from the city water
system. Amounts seem to be higher in summer time for some reason. This is probably because of the use of
water-treatment chemicals, one of which is aluminium: In the summer time, more chemicals would be needed to keep the
water bacteria-free than in the winter time. In the winter, most germs go into hibernation, hence less chemicals would
be utilized in water treatment stations during cold parts of the year. Whatever the reason, it is a good idea to filter
your water, at all times of the year, to remove it of impurities:
A reverse-osmosis filter system is recommended to remove aluminium from your water supply, as activated carbon
filters are thought to be ineffective on aluminium.

Fluoride and Aluminium:
It is probable that fluoridated water may increase the aluminium content drawn from water pipes and cooking vessels.
Cooking food using fluoridated water with an aluminium cooking pot produced 1000 times more aluminium in the food
compared to the same experiment done whereby unfluoridated water was used with an aluminium cooking pot.

ALUMINIUM COOKING POTS

Aluminium cooking pots, which were once the rage, and which are still manufactured cheaply today despite the growing
awareness of the danger of aluminium in food, are another cause of aluminium building up in the body and the brain.
Cooking acid fruits like rhubarb and apples in aluminium is especially bad, as their acids cause much aluminium
to be leached out into these fruits as they cook.
Even potatoes, which contain quite a lot of Vitamin C and iron, are contaminated by the use of an aluminium pot to
cook them in.A simple experiment can be done whereby you leave the potatoes in the pot after they have cooked. Before
too long, you will see that they become extremely discoloured and blackened by the aluminium effect on them.

DETOX FROM ALUMINIUM

You can reduce your aluminium build-ups in the body and the brain by taking Ester C, or another non-acidic form of
Vitamin C such as calcium ascorbate. Dose will vary on your body build and the amount of toxicity you are enduring.
Anything from 1000 mg per day to 3000 mg per day, in divided doses, is useful in ridding the body of aluminium and
other chemicals.
Other antioxicants such as Vitamin E will also help reduce poisons from the body.Eating oily fish several times a week,
or daily if you can, is helpful in reducing toxins, including metals, in the body.
Alzheimer’s is a major health concern for people today, both old and young.
It is the fourth major killer of people in America today. You can reduce the chances of getting this
and other degenerative disease by taking care to avoid products which contain aluminium, and by taking measures such as
those recommended above, which will help you eliminate aluminium from your body and abrain.
Castor oil is very effective in removing metals like aluminium and lead deposits from the body and brain: If you take
castor oil, take 2 tablespoons followed by a cup of black coffee, or chamomile tea. Take a bowel rinse within 5 hours.
See our post on CASTOR OIL COLON CLEANSE
A fast of raw fruits and vegetables for a day or two or more can help reduce aluminium and other chemicals in the body.
Note: Do ask your health professional about doing this if you are debilitated in any way or have some sickness. Again,
it is advised that you follow up the fast with a colonic cleanse or bowel wash after three days of a fruit fast.