Improving Your Family’s Health, Starting in Your Own Home
Let’s start off this article with a little bit of truth, shall we? Do you live in the United States? More than likely the answer is yes, as you may be a current or prospective patient with us at Modern Chiropractic Center. Here at MC2, we speak the truth, especially when it comes to the topic of health and living a healthy lifestyle. Well here it is: If you live in the United States, the top three ways of dying are this: 1-Heart Disease 2-Cancer 3-Medical errors/side-effects. Wait, what? That’s correct. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, an estimated 250,000 patients die due to medical errors each year, accounting for 10 percent of all U.S. deaths, and researchers believe that deaths from medical errors are under-reported. How does a country that is one of the wealthiest in the world have its medical system as the top killer of its citizens? I could get on a soap box about the pharmaceutical industry controlling and being behind politicians, medical schools, research industries BUT I won’t. Check out this article to read some more surprising stats and let them speak for themselves: https://www.onlinemedicalcare.org/40-surprising-facts-about-the-medical-healthcare-industry/
So how does an American Family who wants to be healthy start a life of health when they are surrounded by sickness and disease? Start in your own home. We may not be able to fix our country, but we can start within the walls of our own home. Here is a list of 10 items we should get rid of/exchange to increase our family’s health.
Fluorescent lighting
Why?: Fluorescent lighting has mercury within the bulbs, which has been shown to cause cancer. They emit high levels of ultraviolet radiation which has been linked to skin cancer.
Instead: Switch to LED lighting (plus they last longer and use less electricity, saving you money every year and the environment!)
Skin Care Products: Especially Deodorant, Lotions and Fluoride toothpaste
Why?: Your skin absorbs 90% of what you put on it, so make sure what you put on is healthy. Name brand deodorants include ingredients like propylene glycol and aluminum zirconium, two of which are linked to breast cancers and other cancers. Popular Lotion brands (such as from Bath and Body Works) contain mineral oil and ‘other fragrances’ and colored dyes which has also been linked to Cancer. Fluoride has been shown to be good for your teeth, but it is considered a heavy metal and wreaks havoc on your body. Heavy Metals have been linked to cancer, dementia, and Alzheimer’s.
Instead: Look for products without the underlined ingredients above. My personal favorites are Native Deodorant, The Healthy Deodorant, Doterra OnGuard Toothpaste, KissMyFace Triple Action Flouride-Free Toothpaste, and lotions from this website – https://www.skincareox.com/best-organic-body-lotions-butters-serums/
Non Stick Ceramic cookware
Why?: Teflon, PFOA, Non-Stick, and PTFE are all known ingredients to cause cancer and been shown to kill birds due to the toxins released from the fumes.
Instead: use safer alternatives like cast iron, stainless steel, and oven-safe glass
Dryer sheets and fabric softener
Why?: They both have harmful ingredients such as benzyl acetate (linked to pancreatic cancer), benzyl alcohol (an upper respiratory tract irritant), ethanol (linked to central nervous system disorders), limonene (a known carcinogen) and chloroform (a neurotoxin and carcinogen), among others.
Instead: use dryer balls with a few drops of essential oils
Candles/smelly stuff
Why?: VOCs. According to Steinemann and colleagues found the average number of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in common household Fragrances emitted was 17. Each product emitted 1–8 toxic or hazardous chemicals, and close to half (44%) generated at least 1 of 24 carcinogenic hazardous air pollutants, such as acetaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane, formaldehyde, or methylene chloride. These hazardous air pollutants have no safe exposure level, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Of the 133 VOCs detected, only ethanol was listed on any label (for 2 products), and only ethanol and 2-butoxyethanol were listed on any Material Safety Data Sheet.
Instead: Use diffusers with essential oils or essential oil sprays
Cleaning products
Why?: In the Group’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning, they found nearly three-quarters of the 2,500 cleaning products listed contain ingredients that can harm respiratory health, and over one-quarter contain carcinogenic ingredients.
Instead: Choose products from the EWG’s website or make your own cleaning products at home. There are many resources online that can help with this using vinegar and/or essential oils.
Bug spray
Why?: Ingredients like DEET, Pyethroids, Cyfluthrin, Permethrin which have all been linked to neurotoxicity and cancer
Instead: Doterra Terrashield Essential Oil Spray, Badger AntiBug Shake and Spray, Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Natural Insect Repellent, Neem Oil, Clove Oil
Weed killer
Why?: One word-Glyphosate. AKA Roundup. According to a new study done by Elsevier, Glyphosate increases cancer risk by 41%. Lawsuits against the manufacturer of glyphosate are growing exponentially after the 2 BILLION dollar verdict in California when the weed killer caused cancer in a man.
Instead: Boiling Salt Water, Mulch, Vinegar, Landscape Fabric
Foods
Including: GMOs, Popcorn, Sugary drinks including Gatorades and Soda, Canned Foods, Refined sugars, foods containing Nitrates/Nitrites, Flour and Wheat, farmed fish and Hydrogenated Oils
Why?: To be frank-all of these are a part of the Standard American Diet (SAD) and all linked to heart disease, cancers, diabetes etc.. We are trying to not be sad, right?
Instead: Eat foods without labels that are organic, switch to drinking only water and/or make your own drinks (i.e. lemonades, etc)
Sunscreen
Why?: Oxybenzone and Retinyl Palmitate. These are two ingredients known to increase the risk of cancer and promote cancer, ironically, when exposed to UV lighting.
Instead: use sunscreens that are organic and don’t use these ingredients. We recommend brands such as: Alba, 100% pure everywhere, and Aveeno. For a list of the best products, check out the EWG website. https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/best-sunscreens/best-beach-sport-sunscreens/
