Green Cleaning

Spring is finally here!  One of the first things that comes to mind when we think about spring is clean.  Spring-cleaning has become a seasonal ritual but keeping a clean house should not be hazardous to your health.  Most commercially manufactured cleaning products contain dangerous ingredients that may put your health at risk. The government does not require testing or health studies for chemicals found in chemical cleaners.  There are more than 80,000 chemicals used in consumer products and in manufacturing in the United States.  Many of these chemicals have not been tested for their effects on human health and the environment. Ingredients in many household products are considered trade secrets and are not revealed in labeling.  To find out what ingredients are in commonly used household products and the health risks associated with them you can go to the following website: The Household Products Database of the National Library of Medicine-United States Department of Health & Human Services http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov. 

Experiencing nausea, dizziness and headache from you’re your cleaning products just isn’t right.  Along with the long-term health concerns regarding the use of commercial household products, we also need to be aware of the environmental impact of the manufacturing and disposal process. Green cleaning practices is a great place to begin minimizing our environmental impact as well as creating a healthier home environment.  Making your own natural cleaning products is easy and economical. It doesn’t need to complicated  and you can get started with just a few simple ingredients.

Basic Ingredients for Natural Household Cleaners

Distilled White Vinegar

Baking Soda

Liquid Castile Soap

Lemon

Borax

Washing Soda

Club Soda

Salt

Cleaning Applications

Vinegar:  Cuts grease, removes odor, soap scum, hard water deposits.  Use as all-purpose cleaner.

 Baking Soda:  Cleans, deodorizes, softens water.  Mild abrasive action good for scouring.

Soap:  Attracts dirt so that it may be rinsed away.  Use as all purpose cleaner.

Lemon:  Acidic, effective against bacteria.  Can be used in all cleaning applications.

Borax: (sodium borate) cleans, deodorizes, disinfects, softens water, removes stains.  Good all-purpose cleaner as well as laundry and dish detergent.

Washing Soda:(sodium carbonate decahydrate) stonger than Borax used to clean, deodorize, disinfect, cuts grease, removes stains.

Wearing gloves is recommended.  Stronger all purpose cleaning agent for tougher jobs.

Club Soda-Carbonated water: removes stains from fabrics, works well cleaning windows and stainless steel.

Salt: (sodium chloride)  

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Making natural cleaning products from scratch isn’t difficult.  Having the above ingredients on hand will make cleaning a snap.  Vinegar and water is a great all purpose cleaner.  You can use your own unique blend of ingredients to create cleaning products for specific tasks.  By adding a few drops of essential oils to your blend of cleaning agents will provide a fresh scent as well as adding additional cleaning power.  Essential Oils recommended for cleaning include: lavender, citrus, thyme, grapefruit seed extract, eucalyptus and tea tree oil. The following website: RN Central ,has a compilation of 30 green cleaning recipes with handy tips to address all of your cleaning needs: http://www.rncentral.com/nursing-library/careplans/30-Easy-Recipes-for-Greener-Cleaning.  Happy Cleaning!

Environmental Toxins and Our Health

As a result of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan there is elevated concern over the health and environmental consequences that may result from the damaged nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.  While the full impact of this ongoing crisis is not fully understood, experts seem to agree that the United States is not susceptible to significant health risks at this time.  While that is positive news; it brings an urgency to understand the seriousness of environmental and industrial pollution and the potential health risks.

 The complex affects of a nuclear disaster and the human body’s ability to reverse the damage of high levels of nuclear radiation are not very optimistic.  It raises the question about the cumulative effects of the toxic chemicals that we come into contact in our everyday lives.  Our bodies are under constant assault from pollutants in our environment.  Most of us are aware of the dangers of lead, mercury, asbestos, mold, cigarette smoke, radiation and other hazardous materials. What we need to be especially concerned with is the toxins we come in contact with in our daily lives through the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe and the consumer products we use.

What are the cumulative effects of low level toxins that accumulate in our body tissues over time?  As environmental research advances it is becoming more apparent that the environmental toxins we come in contact with could be a threat to our health and longevity.  Environmentally triggered illnesses are becoming more widely recognized.  Chronic multi-symptom illnesses such allergies, autism, ibs, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and other immune disorders have been linked to environmental sensitivities.

There are a number of things we can do to help strengthen our bodies to better cope the toxins in our environment.  Eating a highly nutritious diet, getting sunshine, exercise and performing routine metabolic cleansing to detoxify the body may help to reverse the cumulative affects of environmental toxins.  It’s also important to recognize possible hidden food allergies that can act as source of internal toxicity that can weaken our body’s natural defense and ability to tolerate external toxins.  Most importantly, we need recognize the risks and make a conscious effort to avoid adding chemicals to our lives and strive to live a natural, non toxic lifestyle.

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Making Healthy Choices

Making the right food choices can enhance our health and quality of life.  The energy that we’re able to expend is only as good as the quality of the food we take in and our body’s ability to assimilate and utilize the nutrients.  We can’t expect our bodies to perform efficiently if we regularly choose foods that are high in fat, sugar additives and preservatives.  Eating poorly over long periods of time can disrupt our body’s ability to process food properly.  It can overburden the liver, which can in turn create stagnation and cause other metabolic systems in the body to perform less efficiently.

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Health and fitness is much more than burning the calories that we consume to maintain a healthy weight.  It’s the total package of feeling well from the inside out mentally and physically.  Exercise and good lifestyle choices are imperative to maintaining good health.  If we’re not feeling well and our body is not functioning properly, it’s difficult to follow through with exercise.

Managing stress is another important consideration.  Not only do we need to manage the mental aspects of stress, we also need to manage the physical aspects. The stress that we encounter mentally affects us physically through biochemical reactions. The more we internalize mental stress, the more it takes its toll on our bodies.  Incorporating stress management techniques such as deep breathing and meditation can alleviate many of the side affects that stress can create. When we impart physical stress on our bodies by overburdening our systems with excesses, lack of sleep and improper nutrition it will eventually it wear on the body’s ability to function properly. Clarifying things mentally gives us a clear perspective on what we need to do to improve our lives.  When you put things in proper perspective the path to moving forward becomes free and clear of obstacles.  Mental preparation yields clarity and conviction and supports creating a positive environment for making positive healthy choices.



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Our Connection to Food

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Our relationship and connection to food can be quite profound.  It nourishes us and brings us closer together with the ones we love.  Creating a beautiful meal can at times feel as complex as orchestrating a symphony.  Enjoying a fabulously prepared meal can even feel magical as you appreciate the finesse and subtleties of fine cuisine.

Despite our good intentions many of us end up eating less than healthy as we try and keep up with our fast paced lives.  When we loose touch with the integrity of our dietary practices our health suffers. Eating a diet consisting of whole foods with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables will eventually payoff with the reward of increased energy and a feeling of well being.

Menu planning and food preparation can seem overwhelming at times.  But there’s something to be said about appreciating food in its simplicity.

 Enjoying food in its natural state can be a fresh and fast way to jumpstart a healthy diet. 

Building a healthy cooking repertoire using fine fresh ingredients and healthy cooking technique is a wonderful foundation to continually build upon.  But most importantly, respect the cycles of nature and choose seasonal foods that are at the peak of quality and freshness and appreciate the simplicity of nature’s seasonal bounty.

Cultivating Awareness

By evaluating our health and taking responsibility for making changes in our diet and lifestyle is one the first steps toward conscious living. Diet plays a big part in determining the state of out health.  Eventually bad habits take their toll. As we cultivate awareness of how our bodies feel we begin to recognize more clearly how the food we eat can impact our health.  If we don’t correct bad habits and allow small problems to develop into chronic conditions, the consequences for our actions or lack of action can become significant.

In addition to developing awareness of our diet, it’s also important that we become aware of dangers of the chemicals we introduce into our homes with everyday cleaning products, personal care products and anything that may expose us to potentially harmful chemicals.  Residual chemicals can remain stored in the body and is thought to disrupt the delicate chemical balance in the body in certain individuals and may cause long term health problems.

Rather than think of dietary changes as deprivation you should cultivate awareness of the life giving properties of a healthy nutritious diet and consider it to be a source of empowerment for your mind and body.  Think in terms of adding better quality food to your diet rather than what you’re being deprived of.  As you begin to make a conscious effort at providing a wide variety of healthy options including fruits, vegetables and whole grains you will eventually eliminate the desire to have less healthy options. 

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Creating Balance

It’s up to each of us as individuals to establish a sense of balance and well being in our lives.  It’s more than simply managing the work-life balance.  It’s about establishing harmony with the mind, body and spirit. Creating balance in your life depends on a certain degree of time management but it’s much more than managing time.  It’s about making room for quality time in your life. 

 Often times we try and take our bodies to the limit of what it can handle until we finally start making changes in our lifestyle. We should strive to push ourselves to our fullest potential while at the same time recognizing and honoring our personal limitations.

Yoga and meditation are great ways to help create balance in your life.  Both yoga and meditation have the ability to reduce stress, energize the mind and body and help cultivate clarity and peace of mind.  Even just taking a walk can have great health benefits. Making time in your life for introspection and reflection can help you to get in touch with your potential and purpose and help to maintain balance and promote self healing and contentment.

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