Wellness Wednesday: Are you Giving Your Kids Asthma?

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 29^th 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 ~