Dryer Balls and Home Made Laundry Soap

We found these at Gilroy's Hardware

Since our personal experience with cancer, my husband and I have done everything that we can to avoid and protect ourselves from exposure to toxins.  We have found that natural cleaning agents in our home have saved money as well as protected our health.  I have been making my own laundry soap for more than a year.  It works very well, saves the environment from the constant consumption of plastic jugs and costs just a penny and a half per load!  I will post the recipe that I use at the bottom of this post if you are interested in trying it.

Dryer Balls?
Yes, dryer balls!  They look more like baby toys, but the purpose is far different.  Dryer balls work inside the dryer while the clothes are being tossed around.  They help to keep the clothes separated and offer a reduction in static.  I like how they keep certain clothing items from getting twisted and wrapped around other garments.  I only have two but the manufacturer recommends using up to 6 balls per dryer load.  This has allowed me to greatly reduce the use of fabric softener.  We currently purchase the Seventh Generation brand of plant based fabric softener.  However, I only use a quarter cap full in select loads when I need static control - fleece lovers know this.  Static issues are only a problem in the cold, dry, winter months.  

Dry cleaning? NO!
The chemical used by professional dry cleaners has been known for decades to cause cancer.  When the dry cleaned articles of clothing are handled, toxic chemicals can be absorbed through the skin (even when dry) or inhaled.  I have made the choice to no longer purchase clothing or sewing material that requires dry cleaning.  There are a few dry cleaning companies who have changed their solvents to organic and non-toxic alternatives to the chemicals that have been used since the 1930's.  If I ever had to use a dry cleaner, I would search for the "green" option.

Sprays and Fragrances?  NO!
Do you love the clean smell of window cleaner, all-purpose household cleaners or the latest anti-bacterial disinfectant spray that you use on surfaces?  Beware!  The chemicals are gaining entrance into your body through the most efficient route you have - the lungs.  If you can smell it, you are pumping it right to your liver, brain and every other cell in your body.  There is only one living cell between the air you breathe and the blood you pump.  If you are wiping it off the surface with bare hands, the chemicals are seeping into your skin and entering the blood stream through the blood system that serves every living cell of your body.  How about adopting a new concept of how "clean" should smell?  Maybe no smell at all is a "clean" smell.  Perhaps fresh air and warm potable water with a douse of vinegar can give you the "cleanest" result to your housekeeping efforts.

Laundry Soap!
I really love this stuff.  The ingredients are a bit of an investment up front, but the cost per load is only 1.5 cents.  

1/3 bar Felsnaptha soap, grated
6 cups water
1/2 cup Borax powdered detergent booster
1/2 cup Washing Soda - Arm & Hammer is one brand

1. Add grated Felsnaptha soap to 6 cups water in a sauce type pan.  
2. Heat on the stove, stirring until soap pieces melt into the water.
3. Add Borax and Washing Soda, stirring until dissolved.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Use a large pail or other 2 gallon container to finish the laundry soap.
6. Pour 4 cups hot water into container and add the hot soap mixture from the pan.  Stir.
7. Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups water.  Stir.
8. Allow to sit at room temperature for 24 hours, stirring as often as you desire.
9. Store in air tight container - I use old laundry detergent containers to keep mine. 

    

The Danger of Fluoridated Water in Children and Public Health

There is a chemical difference between the fluoride used in toothpaste and the fluoride dumped in the public water supply.  Studies have revealed the danger that fluoridated water poses to the health of the population, and most concerning to the development of young children.  In fact, fluoridation of water could easily be considered a method of poisoning the population.  Fortunately, the USA is in the minority worldwide with its fluoridation of water.  Since 2009, more than 2000 scientific, medical and environmental professionals have called for an elimination of worldwide fluoridation.  Here is the reason why it needs to stop:

Professional Perspectives on Water Fluoridation

• Fluoride is a neurotoxin
• Fluoridated water cannot be delivered to individuals with dosages proportional to the age or weight.
• National Academy of Sciences states that there is no essential use for fluoride in human growth and development.
• If there is any benefit of fluoride, it is only effective topically, not systemically.
• USA is in the minority of countries that fluoridate water.  The dental health of the populations who do not consume fluoridated water compare to or exceed that of the USA.
• Children are getting a lot of fluoride from many sources, especially toothpaste.  
• 2005 CDC said 32% of children in the country have dental fluorosis - damage to the tooth from too much fluoride (white spots, splotches or lines, chipping or pitting).
• Fluoride is a common component in pesticides.
• The adverse effects of fluoride on teeth is a sign that the bones have also been adversely effected by too much fluoride.
• Many organs are effected by fluoride beyond the teeth and bones.
• Fluoridation of water causes a toxicity problem.
• American Dental Association has advised parents not to use fluoridated water for infant formula.
• The level of fluoride in mother's milk is 250 times less than what we put in drinking water because nature keeps fluoride away from the infant!
• Fluoride interferes with the pineal gland, thyroid gland and seriously effects the development of the infant brain.
• There is confirmed evidence that fluoride can damage the brain in the young and in adults and lowers IQ in children.
• Fluoride's effect on the thyroid is multi-fold.  The most common problem associated with fluoridated water is hypothyroidism (low thyroid function.)
• Studies revealed increased risk of bone fracture in those who drink fluoridated water.  Fluoride accumulates in the bone and makes it brittle.
• The first sign of skeletal fluorosis is arthritis, bone and joint pain.  68 million Americans have some form of arthritis.
• The fluoride added to water is hydrofluorosilicic acid.  Hydrofluorosilicic acid is considered a pollutant if sent out a smoke stack or dumped into the environment but is a "water treatment" when added to public drinking water.  Hydrofluorosilicic acid is a waste product from the phosphate industry.
• Fluoride can be absorbed through the skin, increasing the body's exposure to the toxin.

Fluoride and chlorine are very difficult to remove from drinking/bath water.  Reverse osmosis has shown to remove up to 85% of fluoride.  This is an expensive solution, but worth the investment as a health protective measure where public water contains fluoride and chlorine.  Click here for a company that makes RO systems. 

To reduce exposure to topical fluoride by making your own toothpaste, see my blog post on Why I don't use toothpaste or chew gum.

Asthma and Acne - what they have in common

The skin and the lungs are both organs.  But this is not the only thing that asthma and acne have in common.  The organs that are affected by these diseases have a function of detoxification.  When the body comes in contact with environmental toxins (food, insecticides, household cleaners, air pollutants, dry cleaned clothing, or health care products),  the liver has to filter them out because toxins kill cells.  The liver sends toxins out through the lung tissue, the skin and the intestinal tract.  A low nutrient diet can trigger the liver to store toxins until the proper foods are eaten, which then trigger the liver to dump its junk.  When someone is eating a diet that is low in fruits and vegetables but high in fat, sugar and protein, the liver is bogged down with stored toxins.  When ready for elimination, the toxins should be eliminated quickly.  This requires sweating (exercise), unimpeded air exchange and frequent intestinal eliminations.  

A person who eats a poor diet will have a difficult time getting toxins out quickly.  Poor nutrition means that every cell in the body is starving for nutrients.  Nutrients come from plants, not animals.  The body's cells were designed to run on plant fuel.  Acne and asthma are just two of the many conditions that result from food borne or environmental toxins.  You might ask, "Why, then, do young children have these conditions?"  Toxins get into everything, including babies before birth.  A staggering number of industrial toxins have been found in the umbilical blood of newborn babies.  I imagine that these mothers thought they were being careful to avoid chemical exposures during pregnancy.  It goes without saying, but I will say it anyway, our nation pushes dairy and animal products on pregnant women with the promise of good nutrition!    

Foods that trigger asthma and acne are also common in each case.  Meat, dairy and junk food are listed in Dr. Popper's video that follows.  Meat and dairy products (even the lean and low fat variety) cause inflammation, contain chemicals used to treat the animal, trigger an immune system response in the body which can damage the body's own cells, and slows digestion causing general poor health.  Dairy, in particular, is naturally high in estrogen.  Boys and girls don't need any more of that to contribute to their acne problems.  As Dr. Popper will explain, dairy protein is found to be a real acne contributor!

Dr. Pam Popper: More about the Flu; Acne and Diet

Know This About Detoxification - Robert Scott Bell

This is the Key to Healing - Robert Scott Bell

For more information regarding detoxification, see my February post, Why Detox

Fertility, Pregnancy and Childhood Diet

Pregnancy and child rearing was before a major dietary change in my life.  I consumed a full fat diet of meat and dairy along with regular - albeit low - consumption of fruits and vegetables.  I successfully carried four babies to full term; but due to cephalopelvic disproportion, everyone of them was born via Cesarean section.  

There is a new video from Dr. McDougall's most recent Advanced Study weekend.  Dr. McDougall, though he lends toward Darwinian thought (I disagree with that theory of origins), has a reasonable argument regarding C-sections.  The rising number of surgical interventions for childbirth is more evidence that we are not eating properly as a nation.  The starch based diet can provide perfect nutrition for everyone - even men and women in child-bearing years. Dr. McDougall compares his wife's pregnancy while eating a Standard American diet versus a strict starch based diet.  This is an encouraging video to watch.  He gives good reasons to try to avoid C-section as a method of childbirth.  I agree with that!

Dr. John McDougall: Pregnancy and Children

A few highlights:

• All male herbivores have seminal vesicles.  All male carnivores lack seminal vesicles. Humans are the only living being with seminal vesicles that consumes meat.
• Sperm counts are reduced by consumption of meat and dairy.
• Women are also less fertile when consuming animal products.
• Cesarean section prohibits the baby from being inoculated with good intestinal bacteria and instead inoculates the baby with hospital bacteria.
• Babies are bigger because the diet of pregnant American women is rich in meat and dairy.
• Fish should not be consumed by pregnant women due to environmental toxins in the meat and fat of the fish.
• 770 pregnant women studied who ate a vegan diet were completely free of pre-eclampsia.
• Don't take multi-vitamins!  Pre-natal vitamins pose a significant risk to unborn babies.
• Consumption of animal foods is the cause of precocious puberty in young boys and girls - up to 5 years earlier than should naturally occur.
• 60% of a woman's pesticide content is dumped into her breast milk during the first 6 months of lactation!
• In the unfortunate event of needing a substitute for breast milk, McDougall recommends a hypo-allergenic formula: Silimac Alimentum, Advance Ross Pediatrics EleCare, Nutrimigen Lipil.  Add 1/4 tsp sugar to 2 oz formula for taste acceptance.
• Fast growth in children does not mean better health.
• California is the first state to establish law (2011) that requires doctors to learn about human nutrition and diet therapy.  The state of Hawaii has recently followed.
• The McDougall plan made the top 10 Best Diet list in USA Today Magazine.

Your Kid's Health Starts at the Grocery Store

I have a personal motto about making a dietary change.  My diet has never started on "Monday" or "after the holidays", but my motto has always been that my diet starts with what I put in my shopping cart.  Now, it is freeing to have reached the point that I don't need to "diet" for weight loss because my eating patterns have eliminated all the foods that were robbing me of my health and causing weight gain.  But still, I "choose" to eat for my health every time I go grocery shopping.  Sometimes the bakery department will turn my head.  I look, and I keep on going.  I don't want that stuff anymore; but as I walk by it, I remember how it tasted.  Then, I remember how I used to feel when I ate doughnuts and cookies along with other processed foods.  My choice is to find the foods that will nourish my body, make me feel good when I have eaten them and provide me with energy for an active life.

While raising my family, processed treats and snack foods were still around for my kids, even though I knew that I didn't want to eat them.  They taunted me from the pantry until the last one was gone.  A 2 liter of soda was always stored for company and I believe that my kids would dream up a way to have friends over in order to get into the soda.  I baked cookies and made loaded pizzas for "kid" parties.  We were just victims of the American deception.  Mothers are fooled into thinking that kids need daily "treats", that kids are young and can handle a few extra bad calories, that parties have to be "junk food" friendly.  The training begins, in the minds of the kids, that fun is associated with tasting sugar, salt, fat and toxic food additives.  There is a not-so-popular direction that parents can take regarding food, and it is imperative to get the message out today!  US kids are not going to outlive their parents if the parents don't take the reins and pull this bolting horse back into submission.  We can't let our kids eat whatever they want because they will become fat and sick.  Don't cave at their complaining.  It is easier to hear them whine (ignore it) now than to watch them fall prey to some deadly degenerative disease as young adults.

Start packing lunches, offer a fruit and vegetable tray of snacks between meals, make cooked oats for breakfast with berries and nuts to top, or make a personal box of fresh berries or other favorite fruit as a special reward instead of ice cream.  Study the dangers of dairy, share what you learn with your kids and offer some nut milk dairy substitutes at home.  With a little more concern on a daily basis, parents could change the direction of this nation's health!  Remember: If you buy it, it will be consumed!

A Real Weight Loss Story 

Dr. Popper sites a study and explains how dairy contributes to weight gain - even low fat dairy products!

Dr Pam Popper: Soft Drinks & Milk for Kids...Not!