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It's the holidays and many of us fill our homes with the sweet smells that remind us of the holidays. But what many do not realize, that smell comes at a cost.
What exactly is a fragrance? Well, we don't really know. The truth is most fragrances contain thousands of different chemicals - all combined to create a certain scent - that have been link to many health issues including cancer. So anything that has any form of fragrance or scent should be avoided. Unfortunately there are countless products that contain these toxins including many that we use daily: skin care, shampoo/conditioner, candles (look for non-conventional forms of candle like those made of soy), perfume, laundry detergent, dryer sheets (invest in dryer balls) and even food additives (ie that buttery popcorn smell)!
Got asthma? Get rid of any product you have with a fragrance! Fragrance is increasingly cited as a trigger in health conditions including asthma, allergies and migraine headaches. A US study put fragrances in the same category as second hand smoke as a trigger for asthma in school-age children. Up to 72 percent of asthmatics report their asthma attacks are triggered by fragrance! Those signs you see in a Naturopath's office or doctor's offices that state 'no perfumes allowed' are up because of these reactions.
Just take a look around your home & see just how many products you use every day that contain 'fake'rances. These toxins are being absorbed through your skin and even inhaled into your lungs. Not only that, they are contributing to indoor air pollution and, in cold weather, are trapped in your home. Doing this check can be a bit overwhelming so just try to make one change at a time. As I've said in a previous post, when buying soap or skin care products look for fragrance free, not unscented. 'Unscented' products often use more chemicals to cover up a strong scent.
As usual, we need to get back to the basics. For a room spray, mix pure water with 25-50 drops of orange oil. For a lasting scent, try mixing 2 tsp of baking soda with your favourite essential oil.
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Interesting...The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (safecosmetics.org) lists the cosmetic companies who have signed their pledge to remove chemicals that are known or strongly suspected to be toxic from their products. (Avon, Estée Lauder, L’Oréal, Revlon, Procter & Gamble and Unilever have all refused to sign)!
Sources:
http://www.greenlivingonline.com/BeautyFashion/wake-up-and-smell-the-chemicals/http://www.naturallifemagazine.com/0210/perfume.htmhttp://www.naturalnews.com/023859.html
I do & I hate it. It is the worst feeling in the world to not be able to breathe. Now I don't know anyone who enjoys it. So why aren't we doing more to get rid of it and why is asthma on the rise so dramatically? Well, because we are only shown how to control it. When we go to our doctors for testing they will confirm we have this all too common condition and simply prescribe methods of controlling it when it does flare up, or so that it doesn't flare up as much.
I saw an asthma specialist in a local hospital about a year ago and have never gone back. Why? It wasn't because she wasn't knowledgeable in her field. She was taught to treat this condition with medications. So she told me that I would have to take this specific inhaler twice a day, every day for the rest of my life. Oh, and after inhaling this medication into my lungs, I have to rinse my mouth out so that it doesn't get 'sore'. So this medication was good enough to coat my lungs but should be rinsed out of my mouth. That's crazy. However, my asthma has taken a turn for the worse so I decided that I would only take it when my breathing tightened. So, now I take it only when I feel this happening and continue for 3-4 days. Then stop. If it flares up again, I do the same thing until this cycle is over.
Now I am certainly no doctor. So please don't think I am saying that this is the way everyone should do it. It's just a personal decision I've made for the time being. I am also doing everything I can to make breathing better for myself and my family. I never want my daughter to have any form of asthma and it is my goal to do anything I can to avoid this.
How do you avoid it? Start with getting rid of any and all fragrances (aka 'fakegrances'). I cannot stress enough how important it is to your health to avoid these toxins. Now I touched on this subject in one of my previous posts but what I didn't say is that each scent is composed of dozens if not hundreds of chemicals. Most of the products we use every day are affected including:
~ perfumes (most use phthalates which is a plastic/toxin that makes perfumes stick around longer so it's used everywhere!)
~ laundry soap
~ fabric softener
~ air 'fresheners'
~ microwave popcorn (for that 'buttery' smell)
~ clothes that have been dry cleaned
~ 'unscented' products (which simply means that more chemicals have been used to cover up the smell)
~ most 'naturally scented' products
I found this great article in NaturalNews.com that references the Environmental Working Group who states that, “Fragrance formulas are considered to be among the top five known allergens and can trigger asthma attacks.”
So, please avoid all fragrances whenever possible. You can't control everything but if you take these steps to rid your home and common environments of these fakegrances, you and your family will breathe a much cleaner air.
I am researching more methods on how I can breathe more clearly and I will pass any information I can find onto you so that you and your family can avoid these toxins (and asthma) in every way you can!
Source:
http://www.naturalnews.com/023830.html
http://www.ewg.org
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