Organic Skincare, Bath & LIFE: Detox Your World

Why am I so passionate about organic skincare, bath & beauty products, food, and well, just organic living? It’s because we live in a toxic world. Don’t believe me? Check out some of these stats:

According to the American Cancer Society, men have a 1 in 2 chance of developing some form of invasive cancer. Women have a 1 in 3 chance. Not only that, but cancer has become the leading killer of children in recent years.
The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology claims that “then number of people with asthma continues to grow.” In 2009, 8% of the US population had asthma, up from 7% in 2000.
According to the American Heart Association, “The number of people diagnosed with heart failure is increasing and projected to rise by 46 percent by 2030.”
In 2015, Diabetes.org reports that more than 9% of Americans had diabetes, and 1.25 million children had type 1 diabetes.
50 million Americans have an autoimmune disease, according to American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, Inc., and costs associated with those diseases are about double the costs associated with cancer.

What is going on? As a country, we are sick and getting sicker. I keep hearing people saying that this will be the first generation of kids that won’t outlive their parents. We don’t want that for our kids. We have to do better. Parents, it’s up to you and me to do better.

What’s Killing Our Kids

Before we can figure out what to do, we have to determine what is causing people to be so sick. Using organic skincare, bath, and beauty products, detoxing our homes, and cleaning up what we eat and drink may help. I believe many of the problems that we are seeing now can be attributed to chemicals in the environment because I’ve seen the benefits of cleaning out these toxins. Here is a listing of just a few of them:

Glyphosate: This toxin, a component of RoundUp weedkiller, has been declared by the IARC to be a probable human carcinogen. In other words, it’s likely that it causes cancer in people. It’s on our lawns, our produce, our food, our water, our vaccines; it’s everywhere. Even certified organic foods can be found to have trace amounts of it.
GMOs: The reality is that while people call genetic modification “safe,” no one knows the long-term effects of this modification. (By “GMO,” I am specifically referring to the practice of combining DNA that is incompatible in nature, NOT the centuries-old practice of hybridization, mixing similar DNA.) This is something that you won’t find in organic skincare, foods, or other products.
Retinyl palmitate (Vitamin A/Retinol): According to WebMD, some doctors suspect this chemical may be linked to skin cancer. Learn more at EWG.
Endocrine disruptors and phthalates: These are in SO many products. They can disrupt the body’s hormonal system and mimic estrogen, mess with sperm counts, and are linked to early puberty. They have been linked to a 6 point drop in kids’ IQs, as reported by The Washington Post. They are also linked to reproductive issues. According to the National Health Institute, endocrine disruptors “produce adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects in both humans and wildlife.”
Parabens: These chemicals been found in breast cancer biopsies. They also disrupt hormones and mimic natural estrogens, a cause of breast cancer.
Phytoestrogens: These occur in food, most commonly in soy and soy products, which are pervasive in today’s food market. These have been found to be unsafe for some consumers.
MEA, TEA, and DEA: These may be used in fragrances or as a preservative and have varying levels of toxicity, according to the EWG.
Formaldehyde: This is a known carcinogen that can be found in deodorants and other products.
Propylene glycol. Another common ingredient, its toxicity is hotly debated because the CDC and the FDA have opposite opinions on its safety.
Aluminum: This known neurotoxin has commonly been found in elevated levels in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s (through autopsy). It’s not just found in tin foil, there are levels in certain vaccines as well.
Artificial coloring: Not only are many of these linked to ADHD, but those that are made from coal or tar may also be carcinogenic.
Fragrance: Because fragrance often contains propriety ingredients, there is no way of knowing which of the 10s of thousands of untested chemicals are in a product, unless the company voluntarily discloses ALL its components.

That’s just a sampling of what may be in your food and other products in and around your home and doesn’t even cover questionable ingredients (high fructose corn syrup) and products (Tylenol, Miralax), or other things like emulsifiers or nanoparticles.

Why Small Amounts Can Be A Big Problem

By now you may be wondering why these elements have been approved or ok’d for use in the U.S. There are two things that happen:

GRAS Designation: Some of these are determined as “Generally Recognized as Safe” – GRAS. That means that no one in the scientific community is aware of (or acknowledges) great harm caused by them. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, it just means it hasn’t been brought up. These are not tested for safety, they are just assumed to be safe.
Trace Amounts: Some of these are said to be in such small amounts that the would-be damage is negligible or nonexistent.

In a perfect world, GRAS could be fine. However, lobbyists and sponsored science have allowed people to shut their eyes to the problem. After all, we live in a world where doctors say things like, “A persistent rash is common. Nothing causes it.” Or, “He’ll talk when he’s ready. Come back if he’s not talking at age 3.” Or, “All kids with Down syndrome have dark circles under their eyes and sinus problems. It’s not an allergy.” (We were told that last mistruth about our daughter.)

The big problem, though, is the issue of trace amounts. The FDA (or CDC) often claims that a small amount of a toxin in a particular source is “safe” because it’s too small an amount to do damage. There are two problems with that statement:

Detox Problems.
It’s a problem for those who can’t detox. Kids and adults with methylation issues (such as the MTHFR gene mutation common to autistic people and people with Down syndrome) cannot process out those small amounts. That means those toxins bioaccumulate in the body, and what was once a small amount is now building up to toxic levels.
Trace Amounts Aren’t Necessarily Harmless.
That’s because this is chemistry and if you remember chemistry, it’s about WHAT particles get together in what ratio, not how many. It’s also how they bind, their shape, and other factors that determine the toxicity of a particle. (Interesting that in researching this, I found an article that pretty much said accumulation = the whole science and that’s that. Not true.) Read this article about silver nanoparticles and how they could not be washed off.

What You Can Do: Detox

The only real solution to this problem is detoxing your home. Now, take my word – you can’t clear out your whole home in one week. Maybe if you’re incredibly industrious and motivated, you can do it in a month, but you should look at this as something that might take years – and that’s ok. In fact, I’m sure in a year or two, more things will be determined to be toxic or carcinogenic.

First, determine what is your biggest problem. Is your water full of lead? Do you have black mold in your home? Was your child diagnosed with gut dysbiosis or ADHD, and you want to address food issues? Are you eating fairly clean, but don’t know where to begin with bath, beauty and personal products?

Once you determine your most critical or next issues, the next thing you should do is address it in any way you can. You may not have the budget for a whole house water filtration system, but you can start small with your kitchen tap, or a low-budget water solution (think Cullen delivery or Zero Water system). As you do, begin to research whole-house solutions or showerhead filters. Then be creative in how you save money to fund a safe water system, like giving up milk or soda or – dare I say? – coffee! That savings can fuel your house budget.