Creating a Healthy Non-Toxic and VIBRANT Environment for you and your family
Assessing your "Toxin Bucket"
“Genetics load the gun, but environment pulls the trigger.”
Many of us can eat all the right things, and take all the right supplements, but if we are not being mindful of our environment we will still remain stuck. The world we live in is extremely toxic to the human body. Without knowing it, we can be exposing our children to chemicals and substances that are making them sick and keeping them from reaching their full potential. The overflow of the toxic bucket can wreak havoc on a child’s body.
Two things to be mindful in this module:
First, a reminder to not get lost in the sauce of it all. There are so many aspects to a healthy environment- physical location, what support you have, finances, resources, and more are all going to impact what control you have on your child’s environment. Little steps can go a long way. You cannot control everything, so focus on what you can impact and educate your children for their future choices as best you can.
Second, do not let this information make you fearful. Education is here to empower you, not create toxic fear over your life. If you do not feel empowered to make better choices, but instead are stuck in fear, take a breath and pause from information overload. Then, write down your questions and concerns, create a plan of action, and give the rest to God. He is faithful to fill in the gaps. ☺
Start with the low hanging fruit: allergens around the house
Let’s start with simple allergens that can lie around your house and some steps you can take to reduce their impact!
Dust Mites
These little guys can create an allergy component for sensitive folks . Easy steps to alleviate their allergic impact would include:
Dusting frequently
Vacuuming areas in the house that are cloth or fabric
Maintaining proper humidity levels, between 45% -55% (we talk about this more when illness is in the house, so this has a double impact for the good of your family health!)
Washing bedding and towels on a regular basis in hot water. This is not only important for basic allergens such as dust mites, but it is also very important for certain parasites.
And for items that cannot be washed in hot water, the sun is a very powerful antimicrobial. And when you can, airing beloved stuffed animals and other highly used soft toys and furniture such as favorite little cushioned chairs. Vacuumed and set out in the sun can be a great way to help eliminate unwanted allergens.
*Note on vacuum cleaners: I recommend looking for one with a HEPA filter for hypo-allergenic cleaning
Pets
Pets are another thing to be mindful of. They are a common source of airborne allergens, as well as parasites, and overall, outside dirt brought inside from outside. The solution is certainly not to get rid of pets, in fact children who are raised in a house with two or more dogs or cats during the first year of life are less likely to develop allergies. But instead, being proactive in house cleaning, brushing and washing the pet often, as well as above recommendations for vacuuming and keeping dust levels down are all great ways to have pets close by while maintaining a healthy home.
Chemicals
Chemicals in the home are not only associated with allergies, but also with overall toxic load. The more our kids are overburdened with chemicals, the more their bodies have to fight to maintain any sort of balance. Especially in young children whose livers are not fully up and running, they are so overburdened this becomes just an added assault to the body. Chemicals in the home are in everything from what you are putting on your skin, to cleaning products, and chemicals in your furniture. Toxic metals, plastics, flame retardants, pesticides, fluoride, various solvents and more have a huge cumulative impact on our families.
Simple swaps to reduce chemical use in the home:
Products with “frangrance” such as: skin care products, air fresheners, candles, house cleaners, and perfumes. Man made fragrances are composed of hundreds of solvents and are not regulated. A company could have almost anything listed under the word “fragrance.” Many of these solvents contain hormone disrupting chemicals, carcinogens, chemicals that are known asthma triggers, and many that are considered toxic to the human body.
Cleaning products- while fragrance is one issue in cleaning products there are many more ingredients that can negativity effect the body that are often found in cleaning products. The Environmental Working Group or EWG is a great place to check the toxicity of the products you are using and how they rate compared to others on the market. Some great products to look into are:
Branch Basics
Norwex Microfiber Cloths
Briotec
Truly Free Home
Force Of Nature
And don’t forget: simple water, vinegar & baking soda can go a long way ☺
Plastics
When you take inventory of plastics in your child’s life, it is shocking how many baby products such as sippy cups, pacifiers, mattresses, kids’ packaged food products, lunch boxes and more are filled with plastic. Be aware that “BPA free” does not mean it is safe, either. Some great plastic-alternative products out there are:
Avanchy silicone based toys
Love Every Toy Boxes
Plant Box
EZ PZ
Elk And Friends
Plan Toys
HABA
GreenToys
Oli And Carol
Itzy Ritzy
https://www.gentlenursery.com/play-learn/non-toxic-baby-toys/
Toxic Plastics Hand Out - pdf
Cookware
Cookware, bakeware, storage and utensils are often a source for toxic load. Between plastics, heavy metals, and toxins found in all the non-stick coatings you can be ingesting a lot of toxicity just from what you are using in the kitchen. As those products are heated up, they can leach out the chemicals which make them up, and end up in your food. Watch out specifically for lead, aluminum, copper, nickel, and flame retardants.
Glass, porcelain, ceramics, and cast iron is best and glass or bamboo are great options to look for in cooking utensils.
Skincare
You may have heard it said that your skin is your largest organ, and you should treat it with care. After all, what you are putting on it matters. It is easy to absorb what you put on your body. We need to be mindful what is going on our kid’s hair, on their skin, on their fingernails, and in their mouth. Amazing companies have come forth the past few years with products that nourish the skin while protecting it. It used to be the only options were “crunchy/homemade” if you truly wanted to avoid chemicals in your products. It is so amazing to have better choices now. Even with access to more products, and armed with more knowledge, parents can still have a hard time letting go of their classic “pink bottle” baby shampoo. But it is important. Remember, we cannot control all the toxicity in our children’s world, but we can certainly do a lot.
Things to be aware of that might be in your child’s personal products:
Hormone disrupting chemicals (HDCs)
Phthalates
Preservatives
Surfactants (foaming agents)
Talcum powder
Aluminum
Artificial colors and dyes
Fluorinated toothpaste
Dioxins
Formaldehyde and more
The best thing you can do is to read the ingredient list or do a quick search on one ingredient to determine if you have a safe product. There are some experts out there that go so far as to say, “If you cannot eat it then it should not go on your skin.” That can be a good guideline, but there is a little leeway when it comes to your child’s skin. Some safer skin care products still have some ingredients I would not recommend being ingested, but due to the size and weight of the particle it only is absorbed in the first layer of skin and has no known negative effects. But still for little ones, whose hands and feet are constantly in their mouths, that saying should be deeply considered. “If you wouldn’t let them eat it, should it be on their skin?”
Some great companies to check out:
MIG – Mighty In Good
Primally Pure
Beautycounter
Honest (Check EWG, not all products are recommended)
Pipette
Alaffia
E-Book https://www.flourishfundamentals.com/eat-your-sunscreen/
Mold
Mold – this is a big one. So much fear around this topic. Again, pause and take a breath if you need to.
Mold in the house has gotten a lot of attention the past few years and rightfully so. Only the most sensitive in our world seem to be able to smell it and are aware of its presence. It can hide, which makes it tough to detect or identify if it is causing issues in your child’s health. They are the greatest decomposers, so mold is found many places around the globe, including our homes. They do not contain chlorophyll, thus they do not need light to grow and thrive in moisture. This is why you will often find mold growing in dark, moist places. Mold is resistant and often plays off man-made EMFs. In the presence of electromagnetic fields, mold seems to grow much more quickly. Mold in the environment can trigger the body in a negative way, which we talk about at length in the “Root Cause Infection” module.
So, what can we do in the house to help with mold?
Providing good airflow into house. Newer, airtight builds have created an environment where ventilation has been compromised. Low ventilation increases moisture in the home.
Being mindful around the moisture in your home is important. Having good ventilation in the bathrooms where you will shower and bathe, making sure you have a vented clothes dryer, not overwatering indoor plants, and monitoring humidity levels in your house (50%-45%)
Having your HVAC cleaned out
Cleaning up accidental flooding and sealing up water that is coming in externally. And keep an eye out for water damage in the home where mold could be present.
Purchase a HEPA vacuum- The most dangerous mold spores are the ones that are dead. A HEPA filter vacuum is a great way to make sure you are cleaning up mold spores.
Opening up windows
HEPA air purifiers
Burning Ec3 Candles and Beeswax candles
Avoid indoor plants in the bedroom
If you do find mold in your home, having an expert such as Mold Authorities help assess the situation is going to be helpful. in understanding the difference between removing mold versus simply killing mold. When mold is discovered, Building Biologist, Nicole Bijlasma recommends vacuuming with a HEPA vacuum all surfaces, using a damp microfiber cloth to wipe clean, and vacuuming again.
“75% of mold spores are not viable but will still contain mycotoxins that, when inhaled, may cause serious health effects. As such, there is no point in using chemicals or ozone to kill mold as the microbial stew of inflammagens in a water-damaged building can still be a health threat.” -Nicole Bijlasma
1.) Brian Karr with Mold Finders
2.) PJ Harlow Mold Expert
3.) MoldAuthority on Instagram
Pesticides
Pesticides are another part of the conversation in “Root Cause Infection” section when we talk specifically about glyphosate. Pesticides around the home can be dangerous to the gut of your child as well as the neurological system. Again, we cannot control the neighbors or the soccer field, but we can limit exposure in the yard and around the house. Simple reductions at home include: eating organic, taking shoes off when your child comes in the house, and not spraying or putting weed killer on the yard or garden.
For more information on pesticides, check out:
https://www.beyondpesticides.org
AwakeningSpaces on Instagram
For a list of food additives: https://www.fedup.com.au
Book: Silent Spring – Rachel Carson
EMFs (Electromagnetic Fields)
“We know with certainty that electromagnetic hypersensitivity is not psychometric. EMFs provoke major effects in the brain, the most important of these is opening of the blood brain barrier. This allows mercury, pesticides and other pollutants to enter the brain, where they cause various neurodegenerative diseases.”
– Professor Dominique Belpomme
We have always had natural electromagnetic background on this planet from sunlight, the earth’s static magnetic field (geomagnetic field), radioactivity (within the earth’s crust), gravity and static electricity. Insects, animals, and humans all depend on natural electromagnetic fields. Our cells are electric, this is why we feel amazing when we are at the beach. The electro current from the water, salt, ground, and sunshine all make a perfect combination to boost our cells. Natural EMFs can help support our systems and they play a role in our circadian rhythm, sleep and wake cycles, brainwave activity, immune function, and more. While the earth has many healing frequencies, the strongest is 7.8 Hz.
It is suspected that those who are sensitive and can feel the negative effects of manmade EMFs are those whose cells are not holding a very high charge. The body is trying to pull it from it’s surroundings, which used to only be nature, but now the body is able to pull EMFs at a damaging frequency from man-made EMFs. This is just one of the many negative ways that manmade EMFs affect us.
Then humans started creating our own magnetic frequencies. Every electrical device gives off a frequency. Man-made frequencies have the power to disrupt the electrical symphony going on within our cells. And the “smog” of EMFs is only getting thicker. When this happens, our cells loose power and we are left sick. The “higher” the power, the higher the frequency, and the more damaging to the body. Similar to mold, EMFs are most dangerous because you cannot see them, taste them, or smell them. It can be hard convincing someone that their ear ringing, headaches, or neurological disorder is being amplified due to the overall EMF “smog” within someone’s environment. And while yes, we can test the amount of exposure, we have to remember that we are the antennae and that can be a little harder to measure the exact effect.
An important thing to remember is that kids are more sensitive to these types of frequencies. From the womb into childhood, these are the most susceptible to the negative impacts of these DNA damaging frequencies.
Just a few of the symptoms of low-level microwave EMF overexposure:
Fatigue & tiredness
Headaches
Dysesthesia - impairment of the senses
Dizziness & inability to balance
Difficulty concentrating and lack of focus
Depression & depressive symptoms
Concentration & attention dysfunction
Loss of appetite & sudden loss in body weight
Memory changes
Restlessness & anxiety
Nausea
Skin Burning & tingling
EEG Changes (Heart)
Things YOU can do to help you protect your kids:
Proximity to EMFs is key. While you cannot shut off all electrical devices, you can make sure your children are as far away as possible. Have your kids talk to grandma on speaker phone, vs putting the phone to their ear. Encourage them to avoid holding their electronics (tablets, iPads, etc) on their lap.
“Dirty Electricity” can be very problematic for some kids, have as little as possible plugged into their walls in their bedrooms.
Protect bedrooms – we will talk about this more in the sleep module, but we do need to be mindful, from an EMF perspective, what is in the bedroom and what is surrounding external walls.
Turn off Wi-Fi at night - set up a timer if it is to hard to remember to unplug it it daily, or switch to a wired connection and do not use Wi-Fi at all. Wi-Fi is essentially like having a small cell tower in your home all the time.
Have cellphones in airplane mode as much as possible.
Change your lightbulbs - incandescent bulbs are your safest choice.
Get rid of your smart meter or shield inside and outside.
Do not have Bluetooth devices, or at least limited
Do not use a microwave – Use toaster oven or oven instead or at least leave the room.
Boost your resilience through healthy lifestyle and minimizing exposure
Essential oils that might be helpful in EMF exposure. Clove, Fennel, Myrrh, Cypress, Thyme, Holy Basil, and Rosemary.
*See immune boosting blend in “Toolkit” module
*Note: Be aware of using too many EMF “blockers.” It is easy for people to throw one man-made device on top of another to help negate impact, and then carelessly use all sorts of EMF. Boost resilience. Useing good quality food and water, supplements, exposing your child’s body to natural EMFs frequently, and limiting exposure to unnecessary man-made EMFs can all create resiliency. Also, be sure that you are limiting stress and anything that puts stress on the body. This all pulls down the body’s ability to have resilience. Antioxidants are a very powerful tool to help fight excess oxidative stress.
Resources:
https://www.takebackyourpower.net/
Mission Assignment:
Identify which Top 3 Triggers / Burdens you think are most pressing for you to address first. Is there a certain area that you have no yet addressed? Start here and use the resources above to start making some healthy swaps
Disclaimer: The following information is not intended to be, nor should they be construed as a claim or representation of medical diagnosis or treatment. It is for informational purposes only.