This
article by journalist Sloan Barnett appeared in the Huffington Post
Healthy Living section. When her experience with son Spencer
terrified their family, Sloan became passionate about eliminating the
strongest asthma inducing chemicals from their home. She studied
intently to find the reason for his attack. Do you know a child with
asthma?
My
son Spencer had just turned three when, one day, I noticed he was
coughing a lot. At first, I didn’t think anything of it. Kids get
sick. I told him to lie down, thinking he’d be fine — it was just
a cough. A short time later, I realized that his heart was pounding,
as if it were trying to beat right out of his chest.
Terrified,
my husband, Roger, and I rushed him to the hospital. We spent the
next two nights in the ICU. The doctors told us he had something
called reactive airways dysfunction syndrome — a form of asthma.
Neither my husband nor I had any family history of asthma, going back
four generations. So we concluded that the cause was environmental.
It
didn’t take long to discover that the U.S. is in the midst of an
asthma epidemic. The number of people diagnosed with asthma grew by
4.3 million in the last decade. About one in 10 American children
currently suffer from asthma
— a nearly threefold increase from 3.6 percent in 1980. A suspected
cause of these stunning changes?
At
least six well-designed epidemiological studies have pointed to one
answer: A strong link between the use of certain cleaning products
and asthma. That stopped me cold. The cause of my son’s asthma may
have been me. I may have been poisoning my own son.
The
good news is that this is one area where easy, affordable solutions
are available. First and foremost, you should avoid what can be the
strongest asthma triggering chemicals present in conventional
cleaners such as bleach, hydrochloric
acid and ammonia. And as we discussed last
week, these chemicals are often mixed together to create an even
more dangerous combination. Next go out and buy yourself non-toxic,
biodegradable, green cleaning products.
1.
Gather all your cleaning products and read the labels.
2.
Notice how dangerous and toxic they are. Then, take a deep breath
(but not near the cleaning products).
3.
Take all the ones that say “danger,” “poison” or contain
chlorine bleach and ammonia and put them in a garbage bag.
4.
Call your local sanitation department and ask them how to dispose of
them safely.
5.
Buy green cleaning products, and breathe deeply and safely.
By
the way, my son is 11 and hasn’t been to the emergency room in
1,825 days. But who’s counting?
Thanks
for sharing your experience and for all the research you have done,
Sloan. So glad you found safe products for Spencer and your entire family.
Let's
clean house by getting every nook and cranny spick-and-span. And
let's make sure you do it right with the products that are safe,
especially around your little ones; powerful against even the most
stubborn dirt; green for the planet; and smart on your wallet. In
other words, let's Get
Clean with Shaklee.
Shaklee
believes that health isn't just about what you put in your body, it's
about everything around you. Shaklee brings you a full line of
natural and nontoxic cleaning choices that are Safe for You, Your
Home, and Your Planet called Get Clean.
Inspired
by Earth Day, Shaklee is giving away a Get Clean Starter Kit
to three lucky cleaners. Each of the three kits contains cleaning
power equivalent to more than $3,400 worth of conventional cleaning
products, but unlike many conventional cleaning products all Get
Clean products are safe for you, your home and the environment. Enter
on Facebook by April 29th for the chance to win your Get
Clean Starter Kit.
Wellness Wednesday Thought
Earth Day Every Day
Making choices about your lifestyle that are also smart choices for the Earth is a great way to set a responsible example for your family and friends. Explaining your choices and why are the best for you and the environment lets those around you know they also can have an impact on the future of the planet while living a healthier life.
Wishing you health and wellness from the inside out,
Lisa
LQ WELLNESS
Professional Wellness Coach
973-383-0955
lisaquinnwc@embarqmail.com
Interested in Optimal Wellness? Take a look at products available here!
Make sure to follow me on Twitter @lq_wellness
Like me on Facebook
Follow me on Pinterest
" The proper use of science is not to conquer nature but to live in it."
~ Barry Commoner ~
No comments:
Post a Comment