Everything we breathe, eat, drink, and even touch, contain toxins, substances that creates irritating or harmful effects in the body, which can sometimes even damage our tissues and organs. IR for this reason that holistic detox shouldn’t be about only the food and water we eat.

I’d like to share with you an extract from the article TOP “10″ Hazardous Household Chemicals by Richard Alexander, specialist in personal injury litigation published in www.consumerlawpage.com

Most Hazardous Household Cleansers and Chemicals

AIR FRESHENERS: Most air fresheners interfere with your ability to smell by coating your nasal passages with an oil film, or by releasing a nerve deadening agent. Known toxic chemicals found in an air freshener: Formaldehyde: Highly toxic, known carcinogen. Phenol: When phenol touches your skin it can cause it to swell, burn, peel, and break out in hives. Can cause cold sweats,convulsions, circulatory collapse, coma and even death.

BLEACH: It is a strong corrosive. It will irritate or burn the skin, eyes and respiratory tract. It may cause pulmonary edema or vomiting and coma if ingested. WARNING: never mix bleach with ammonia it may cause fumes which can be DEADLY.

CARPET AND UPHOLSTERY SHAMPOO: Most formulas are designed to over power the stain itself, they accomplish the task but not without using highly toxic substances. Some include: Perchlorethylene: Known carcinogen damages liver, kidney and nervous system damage. Ammonium Hydroxide: Corrosive, extremely irritable to eyes, skin and respiratory passages.

DISHWASHER DETERGENTS: Most products contain chlorine in a dry form that is highly concentrated.# 1 cause of child poisonings, according to poison control centers.

DRAIN CLEANER: Most drain cleaners contain lye, hydrochloric acid or trichloroethane. Lye: Caustic, burns skin and eyes, if ingested will damage esophagus and stomach. Hydrochloric acid: Corrosive, eye and skin irritant, damages kidneys, liver and digestive tract. Trichloroethane: Eye and skin irritant, nervous system depressant; damages liver and kidneys.

FURNITURE POLISH: Petroleum Distillates: Highly flammable, can cause skin and lung cancer. Phenol: (see Air fresheners, Phenol.) Nitrobenzene: Easily absorbed through the skin, extremely toxic.

MOLD AND MILDEW CLEANERS: Chemicals contained are: Sodium hypochlorite: Corrosive, irritates or burns skin and eyes, causes fluid in the lungs which can lead to coma or death. Formaldehyde: Highly toxic, known carcinogen. Irritant to eyes, nose, throat, and skin. May cause nausea, headaches, nosebleeds, dizziness, memory loss and shortness of breath.

OVEN CLEANER: Sodium Hydroxide (Lye): Caustic, strong irritant, burns to both skin and eyes. Inhibits reflexes, will cause severe tissue damage if swallowed.

ANTIBACTERIAL CLEANERS: may contain: Triclosan: Absorption through the skin can be tied to liver damage.

LAUNDRY ROOM PRODUCTS: Sodium or calcium hypocrite: Highly corrosive, irritates or burns skin, eyes or respiratory tract. Linear alkylate sulfonate: Absorbed through the skin. Known liver damaging agent. Sodium Tripolyphosphate: Irritates skin and mucous membranes, causes vomiting. Easily absorbed through the skin from clothes.

TOILET BOWL CLEANERS: Hydrochloric acid: Highly corrosive, irritant to both skin and eyes. Damages kidneys and liver. Hypochlorite Bleach: Corrosive, irritates or burns eyes, skin and respiratory tract. May cause pulmonary edema, vomiting or coma if ingested. Contact with other chemicals may cause chlorine fumes which may be fatal.

If you think you eat healthy and lead a healthy lifestyle, think again. Look around your house and maybe make some changes if you want to be healthy and feel and look fabulous.

Breathe, smile and be happy

©Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition and Relationship Coach and Counselor

NaturalCounselor.com

Many of us are into detox: we want to try it, we all have opinions how to do it, we like it or we hate it. It might be a recipe for a drink, or a several day procedure, or maybe even fasting, juicing or cleansing program.

What is a toxin, anyway?  It is basically any substance that creates irritating or harmful effects in the body, which can sometimes even damage our tissues and organs. A lot of people are not aware of the fact that everything we breathe, eat, drink, and even touch, contain toxins; in other words, we can acquire toxins from our environment by breathing them, by ingesting them, or through physical contact with them.

Anything that supports elimination can helps us detoxify. As a matter of fact, our body cleanses itself by an absolutely natural process. If the body is working well with a good immune system, we can handle the basic every day exposure to toxins. But sometimes we need to change our dietary (healthier food choices) habits to reduce intake of toxins and improve elimination which can be also a great weight loss technique.

Simply drinking more water (filtered of course!) can help you eliminate toxins from your body.

One Extra Glass of Water to Drink and 500 Calories to Burn the Easy Way

Shifting from the most congesting foods (sweets, diary products, bread, fats, fried foods, refined flours, meats, hydrogenated fats, drugs) to the least (fruits and vegetables, grains, nuts and legumes) can help most of us detoxify our system and bring us into balance in general.

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And we don’t need an excuse to wait for spring to cleanse our bodies, because we can detox it using seasonal super foods, such as apples, beets, celery, cucumbers, garlic, grapes, leafy greens, lemons, onions, parsley, seaweed, etc.

We need to include these fantastic fruits and vegetables in our routine and use one or two every day. Why? Because these foods purify our blood, support our liver, cleanse the intestines. Amazing, isn’t it? The power of food can make miracles!

From all said above, I hope you have made a very important decision already: to drink more water and eat more fruit and vegetables-the high-water-content cleansing foods. It will be your first two steps to better and healthier you.

If you want to take another step, consider to buy organic or local fruits and vegetables because of the high level of pesticides in conventionally grown produce. To eat healthier doesn’t mean to spend much more. You can start buying the fruits and vegetables with lower levels in pesticides using “dirty / cleanest dozen” chart, saving some money and still improving quality of foods you consume.

Why Strawberries, Peaches and Cherries Can Be Dangerous for Your Health

Remember: simply eating detox super foods every day can increase your energy, boost your immune system, help you lose weight and make you feel and look fabulous.

And don’t forget to always breathe, smile and try to be happy.

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition Coach and Relationship Expert