Without much effort on my part, I seem to find information about the chemicals and toxins that are in our everyday products.  The more I read about it the more I’m blown away – they are everywhere.  Chemicals are in our food and water, our personal care products, televisions, computers, mattresses and clothing.  I could keep going but I think you get the idea.  More and more studies are showing how prevalent these chemicals are in our lives and how they are having many undesired effects.  I would rather not make myself crazy about all the “Chemicals” that are everywhere and in everything that we touch.  So I do what I can for myself and my family.  I eat organic as much as possible, limit processed foods, stay away from all commercial cleaners and air “fresheners” (try more like carcinogenic pollutants) and I avoid using antibacterial anything, including soaps.  Why do I bother?  Because I am more than concerned by how common these chemicals are and how we really don’t know what they do to us.  Here is a great video called “The Story of Cosmetics”.  In it, Annie Leonard explains her theory of “toxins in, toxins out.”  If we put toxic chemicals in our products, we will get toxic chemicals in our bodies.  Even small but regular exposure to everyday products means we’re ingesting chemicals like lead, mercury, fire-retardants and triclosan.  Ms. Leonard also goes on to explain how the industry self-regulates and that putting “natural’ or “organic” on a label can mean absolutely nothing.  Manufacturers are permitted to put just about whatever they want on a label, even when it may have no relation to what is actually in the bottle.

I recently learned about a chemical called triclosan that is found in over 700 different personal and household consumer products.  These include toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, and antibacterial soap.  Triclosan is also used in products like children’s toys, bedding, trash bags, cutting boards and yoga mats.  You will most likely find it in anything that is marketed as “Antibacterial”.  You might think that a chemical that is in such wide use would have been thoroughly researched by the FDA.  Not the case with triclosan.  This past July, the National Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit against the FDA for not properly regulating triclosan and triclocarban, a related substance.  Here is a very informative file from the NRDC titled “Not Effective and Not Safe:  The FDA Must Regulate Dangerous Antimicrobials In Everyday Products”

Research has shown that triclosan is not effective in preventing sickness (surprise!), which would be funny if research also didn’t show that it has been linked to a number of human health problems.  These problems included increased risk of respiratory illness, such as asthma, cancer and even subtle effects on learning.   Some researchers are concerned that triclosan may be a potential endocrine disruptor and that it may interfere with the body’s thyroid hormone metabolism.  Triclosan is also a chemical that builds up in fatty tissues over prolonged use which is apparently why it is found in human milk and in the urine of 75% of the population.  Unsettling, considering we don’t actually eat it.  There’s an environmental impact as well.  Chemicals such as triclosan are getting into our water supply.  Researchers are finding them in rivers and in the fish that swim in those rivers.  For more information on triclosan and tricolcarban, please see the Beyond Pesticides website.   I also found an informative Washington Post article, “FDA says studies on triclosan, used in sanitizers and soaps, raise concerns” on that same site.

Another alarming study shows a link between breast cancer, cleaning products and air fresheners.  The study found that women who were exposed to the highest combined use of cleaning products and air fresheners were more likely to have breast cancer than women who were not exposed.  The study can be found here.  Many disagree with the study because the participants, 787 women with breast cancer and 721 controls, were “asked about product use, beliefs about breast cancer etiology, and established and suspected breast cancer risk factors.”  The researchers acknowledge that there is some bias but also state that “exposure to chemicals from household cleaning products is a biologically plausible cause of breast cancer and  is avoidable”.  I hope more research will be done soon but in the mean time why wait for scientists to tell us what the indicators are pointing to.  Why not throw out the toxic “cleaners” and start using natural and safe alternatives immediately?  You can even make your own!  Simply google “natural cleaning recipes” to find some great cleaning products you can make yourself.  Check out this interesting article from the New York Times about how we don’t need toxic chemicals to clean: The Claim: Cinnamon Oil Kills Bacteria

-In a country obsessed with germs and sickness, “antibacterial” soaps and sanitizers are becoming more and more common.  But because such products contribute to the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, some researchers recommend sanitizers made with cinnamon oil, which has been shown in many studies to have powerful antimicrobial properties.  A recent study by a team of surgeons, for example, found that a solution made with cinnamon oil killed a number of common hospital-acquired infections, like streptococcus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. The study found it was just as effective as several antiseptics widely used in hospitals.  Another study by French researchers in 2008 had similar results, showing that at concentrations of 10 percent or less, cinnamon oil was effective against Staphylococcus, E. coli and several antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.  Dr. Lawrence D. Rosen, a pediatrician in New Jersey who dispenses natural health advice on his blog, wholechildcenter.org, recommends a tried-and-true recipe for hand sanitizer called thieves oil. “I add cinnamon bark, lemon oil and eucalyptus,” he said, noting that “the recipe goes back to the Middle Ages, where it was used by these thieves who would go around stealing jewelry from dead bodies, and they never got sick.”

Cinnamon oil, when applied topically, is generally safe.  But in some people it can cause an allergic reaction.-

This is a no brainer.  Why would I use toxic chemicals when I can use products that are safe and natural and smell a lot better?  It really isn’t that hard to get started.  The first step is to get rid of all of your old cleaners.  You don’t even have to throw them in the trash right this minute, just replace them with natural products when they run out.  If you are interested in trying the Thieves blend, Young Living also has a great Start Living with Thieves Kit to get you started.  Note in the article when the pediatrician mentioned the Thieves recipe goes back to the Middle Ages and it kept the thieves from getting ill as they were robbing plague victims.  I consider the Thieves essential oil blend my “secret” weapon.  When the kids started school this year within the first week my daughter had a cough and my son had some sniffles.  I pulled out my Thieves, put some on their feet and I also diffused it while they were watching tv.  The cough and the sniffles went away the next day.  I’ve used it for sore throats, headaches and any time I feel like I am getting sick.  With the cold and flu season approaching now is a perfect time to supply yourself with this versatile essential oil blend.  As you will see, the kit has everything you need to get started.

The kit contains:

1-15ml bottle of Thieves essential oil,

1 Thieves Dentarome Ultra Toothpaste (my fave),

1 Thieves mouthwash,

2 -14.4 fl. oz.Thieves household cleaners,

2 Thieves foaming hand soap (8 fl.oz. each),

2 Thieves spray (1 fl.oz. each),

2 Thieves waterless hand purifier (1 fl. oz. each),

1 Thieves booklet.

You will also get everything that comes with the Start Living kit, which includes

• 1 – Welcome Letter
• 1 – Start Living Booklet
• 1 – Diffuser Coupon (only one per enrolling account)
• 1 – Essential Rewards Booklet
• 1 – Restore Your Core Booklet
• 1 – 5-Day Nutritive Cleanse Booklet
• 1 – Thieves® Booklet
• 1 – Everyday Oils Booklet
• 1 – Essential Oil User’s Guide
• 1 – Product Guide
• 1 – Product Price List
• 1 – Policies & Procedures
• 1 – Creating Abundance Booklet
• 1 – Compensation Plan Flyer
• 1 – Team Performance Flyer
• 3 – Distributor Application/Agreement
• 3 – Customer/Preferred Customer Form
• 1 – NingXia Red® DVD
• 1 – Gold of the Ages DVD
• 1 – A·R·T® DVD
• 1 – 5 ml Lavender essential oil
• 1 – 5 ml Peppermint essential oil
• 3 – NingXia Red Singles

Whether you decide to try the Thieves products or not please do consider switching to healthier cleaning options.  It’s ironic that we clean in order to kill germs that could make us sick but we are using chemicals that are not good for us and in turn those chemicals make us sick!  Using natural products to clean our homes and in our personal care products is something we can do to limit our exposure to unnecessary chemicals.  It is easy and it is cost effective.  Take back your home and your health by getting rid of those antibacterial soaps and toxic cleaners by replacing them with natural products that support a healthier lifestyle.

Please see the “How to order Young Living Oils” page if you would like to get started using Young Living products.