Are We Ready Yet?

Just in case you have had enough of breathing in toxins, I'd like to ask you: are you ready yet? Ready for what? Ready to stop buying unhealthy products. Almost every product we buy has a dangerous aspect to it. We can choose to get overwhelmed by it or we can start to recognize the products that are in our best interest and buy only those products. Whether the item is clothing sprayed with pesticides, formaldehyde, or toxic dyes, or conventionally grown produce sprayed with pesticides, or household cleaners imbibed with toxic odors or home building supplies loaded with formaldehyde, glues and other toxic ingredients we have our work cut out for us. And why do we have to work so hard to undue the toxic life we have created for ourselves? Because the FDA Toxic Substance Act hasn't been updated since the 1970's and too many companies hold too much power in making you think you need what they are selling. Do you use Windex -- use white vinegar instead. Do you use Bounce, Gaiam now sells non-toxic dryer sheets. Do you use Tide - Seventh Generation has non-toxic laundry detergent.

New companies are being born every year to antidote the toxicity in our environment. Buy the Green America directory sold on line or at Whole Foods and find companies that sell whatever you need. That's how I got help with stores I could not find on the avenue. In previous blogs I mentioned the powerful benefits and multiples uses of white vinegar. I've written about the need to eat organic as much as possible. I've given tips on staying healthy.

Today I want to offer a service that people write and call me about. I stopped this service when I changed my original website to feature only articles on writing and publishing but which I now want to add to this awareliving blog. So here is my offer,

If you want help getting your life turned around so that your cleaning supplies, clothing, remodeling and other concerns slowly get recast in a healthy direction, I offer fifteen minute phone consultations for $25.00. In the past I have helped a  therapist from Washington tell her clients not to wear perfume in her office. She was fearful no one would want to use her services if she asked them to change their products for her. One woman in Georgia had health reactions to a remodeling she did in her basement. I have consulted with people from all over the country on a variety of issues involving toxicity, health and reorganizing their lifestyles. I love doing  this. In the past decade I have done a great deal of research and by trial and error have learned how to heal  from environmental toxicity. Although I have always had a sensitive nose and can still smell formaldehyde and other pollutants that are declared odorless, I do not get sick the way I used to. I understand the need to breathe without discomfort or disability.

I nearly died from toxic mold and had to learn how to detox from that too. I have been through enough to help you with your problems and concerns. Just contact me through this blog and I will call or email you.

Do you have MCS, EMF, or other environmental sensitivities? Most of us do. The word allergy is a misnomer. It is simply a one or two on a scale of ten on toxicity. It is not surprising that cancer, autism, ADD, COPD, RLS, or any of the other illnesses we are getting by the millions are becoming plague-like. What are we breathing and eating and putting on our bodies? Think about it. If you think you are healthy enough not to take this blog seriously have your doctor give you a blood test for toxicity. Hillary Clinton had one as well as other members of the European Union and they were horrified at the results. Does your home have a carpet or plywood and particle board furniture? Just how much toxic overload do you think you can handle before you get a medical diagnosis that will force you to make the changes you can start doing NOW?

Think you have no power to stop the toxins in your world? Think again. Every dollar you spend is a vote for what you want companies to continue producing? Put your dollars in some other company's pocket and watch companies who make toxic products change their tunes. You, as consumer, are the only ones with the power. I want to say that again: YOU, AS CONSUMER, ARE THE ONLY ONES WITH THE POWER.

Think about this message. It might just save your life. Contact me. Let me help you.

Until next time,
stay healthy,
Jan

Are You Really Cleaning Your Home?

Are you really cleaning your home by using toxic chemicals? Think about it. If you use Windex, Clorox, Lysol, Pinesol and toilet cleaners then I am telling you the truth when I tell you that you are poisoning yourself. Don't believe me? Turn the bottles over. Look at the ingredient list. I promise you that the chemicals listed in the ingredient list are not safe to inhale. The restrictions imposed upon chemical companies are based on a Toxic Substance Control Act that was passed in 1976. I won't go into the political debate about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of this act. Suffice it to say it falls far short of what you want the EPA to monitor for your health. This is not rocket science. Each product you have in your home gives a safety level for the chemicals in it. But if you combine the acceptable level of toxins in the total amount of products you use, you are looking at impending illness. Add up all those safety levels, is it safe now? Chemicals change our cellular structure and guess what that equals--cancer.

So when you use chemicals that emit toxins into the air you breathe, you are not cleaning your home but instead polluting it. The current statistic is that near 70% of the population is chemical sensitive and it doesn't take much of an overload to get seriously sick or acutely chemically and environmentally sensitive. This means that life as you know it would change dramatically. We are exposed to 80,000 chemicals a day and when someone gets sick from chemicals, believe me on this, it will feel as if you are living in the presence of 80,000 chemicals because you won't be able to live outdoors and you won't be able to live indoors or feel comfortable in your own skin. I say this from my own experience. When you smell those 80,000 chemicals and they are impacting both your immune and adrenal systems life becomes hell.

In the organic clothing shop I once owned I heard stories of customer after customer who got sick from one or multiple chemicals. The stories were heartbreaking and these customers are average people like you and me going about daily life. One customer was a realtor who stayed in too many new houses while performing open houses and now he can't handle formaldehyde any more. Formaldehyde is in everything--it is called by the name aspertame in food products like gum and sodas and is neurologically dangerous. The EPA changes chemical names in different products so you won't know what it is. Do yourself a favor -- check out the names of chemicals. Best yet, stay away from them. And it is possible to take control of this in making many of your decisions for your immediate environment.

What is the solution to this? Eliminate all chemicals--but since we live in a toxic world and companies are making a fortune off your faith that they are doing the right thing, this will not happen. But again, as a consumer, you have the control to keep your immediate environment safe. Looking at the economics of it, I'm sure products with chemicals are cheaper, just like junk food with trans fats are cheaper. But I want to give you the name of a line of non-toxic cleaning supplies that you will love, that are affordable and that will keep your home safe to breathe in. You can order them on the net and if you don't like them, call and get your money back with no questions asked.

Remember Amway? I don't know about you, but my mother used Amway products decades ago. Amway has a line of non-toxic cleaning supplies called Legacy of Clean. You can check them out on: www.Amway.com/Awareliving. While you are there you might want to check out their certified organic vitamins. The ingredients for their vitamins are grown on Amway's own farms. Their paper products are certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. We must work with corporations bold enough to change their products and who offer an awareness of what chemicals do in our environment. As consumers we have the power. If customers only bought the non-toxic cleaning supplies then corporations would change. Everyone heads towards the money. But we must head towards good health and wellness because I am here to tell you that being chemically sensitive gets you no help from insurance companies. None. I got not one cent returned. It cost me over $100,000 in doctors let alone what it did to my lifestyle. As I said formaldehyde is in everything. Try doing without everything. Take your house and throw everything out and if your house isn't ten years old without anything new in its structure you can't stay there either. Now imagine you have nothing and live nowhere and your immune and adrenal systems are failing. Can you imagine it? Think this is an hyperbole and I've lost my mind? Check out Dr Rei's clinic in Dallas, the only clinic that treats the acutely environmentally sensitive. After you get sick it is too late. The repairing to these bodily functions takes decades. Dr. Rei's clinic is not mostly outpatient. His patients live there because there is no other dwelling in which they can reside and get well. Think about it, please.

Think about changing the air quality in your home. It just might save your life. Please don't wait until you get sick to change the products you buy and it is dangerous to think that illness from the toxic chemicals you breathe with every breath won't someday make you sick. Check out www.Amway.com/Awareliving

Until next time,
be aware,
Jan

How Often Do You Detox?

How often do you detox? For many of us, the thought of detoxing our bodies doesn't come to mind until after we get sick. That wouldn't be such a bad time to detox, except for the fact that by the time we are sick, our bodies are already overloaded with pollutants.
Because we are exposed to approximately 80,000 a day, detoxing before we get sick is much smarter. In fact detoxing on a daily basis might prevent us from getting sick at all. Lessening the load of pollutants keeps our immune system stronger. A strong immune system is much more able to fight against illness. So here are a few tips to get you thinking about how easy it is to reduce the number of pesticides, chemicals and other poisons from taking hold in your body.
1. Eat organic as often as you can. If you can't eat organic spray your fruits and vegies with a mixture of white vinegar and water then rinse well. Remember white vinegar is edible.
2. Do not use any product with the word fragrance in it. The word fragrance means there could be as many as 800 carcinogenic chemicals in that product.
3. Dry brush your body before you shower. You can actually purchase a dry brush at any health food store. It is a hard bristled brush with a long wooden handle. Rub it in circles starting at your extremeties and working your work up towards your heart. Take your time. You are activating your lymphatic system. Your lymphatic system is your body's built-in detoxification system.
4. Oil pulling - for specific instructions type in oil pulling and follow the directions. This is a simple 15-minute morning routine you can do while showering, making a cup of coffee or getting dresssed.
5. Aspartame is formaldehyde. Remove all products with aspartame as an ingredient (a neurotoxin) from your diet.
These simple five steps will help you clean and wake up your body's natural energy.
This blog is devoted to aware living topics. As a psychotherapist and author of books on wellness, I will be writing an a variety of topics. If you are chemically sensitive or would like comments on non-toxic living write to me and I'll address those issues.
For the wellness of all,
Until next time,
Jan

To find out more about me, check out my site www.JanMarquart.com and my writing blog www.freethepen.wordpress.com. I am a psychotherapist and author of 9 books. My books can be found on www.Amazon.com and www.JanMarquart.com. The titles are:
Kate's Way  www.createspace.com/3498926     The Basket Weaver  www.createspace.com/3553668
Voices from the Land   www.createspace.com/3552509   The Mindful Writer  www.createspace.com/3546101  Echoes from the Womb, a Book for Daughters   www.createspace.com/3556083
The Breath of Dawn, a Journey of Everyday Blessings  www.createspace.com/3546000
The Write to Heal, How to Write from Your Heart and How to Write Your Own Memoir - these books can be purchased on www.JanMarquart.com  Kate's Way, Voices from the Land and The Mindful Writer are also ebooks on www.Amazon.com

I welcome all comments and suggestions and intend to offer you the best health guidance for mind/body/spirit wellness. I am not a physician and do not claim to override any medical attention you are getting. When in doubt always consult an allopathic or hollistic medical professional. My expertise comes from both personal and professional experience having had to find my own solutions to many health issues through alternative methods.

Credit for the header design for Aware Living goes to Shawn Kirsten Maravel, author of Severance and Volition. Shawn's books can be ordered on www.Amazon.com