Toxin Number One: Household Cleaning Products Part 1

Believe it or not, but household cleaning products are among the worst for toxins and chemicals in the air. When I was asked which one had the most chemicals, indoors or outdoors, I automatically thought, "Outdoors!" Well, you know, all the exhaust and different chemicals and polutants in the air have got to make it the worst. But when I learned what all is in my home, I knew I had a serious toxin problem inside.

How could it be so bad in my home? "Dishwashing detergent, oven cleaners, laundry detergent, floor and furniture polishes, air fresheners, hard-surfce cleaners (especially kitchen cleaners), antibacterial cleaners and soaps, dry cleaning, carpet and upholstery cleaners, and toilet cleaners"1 to name a few. Kind of overwhelming, isn't it? Should I just throw all of it out and go buy the non-toxic stuff? I've seen the prices for those cleaning products. There is no way I can afford them. I know it's an investment in my health, but when you don't have the money, you don't have the money!

I have discovered, though, that it is not necessary to buy the expensive products. In my next post I'm going to go through the list and give alternatives for the horrible chemicals we practically spray in our faces! These alternatives are cheap!! You'll wonder, just like I did, why I ever used the bad stuff in the first place.


1. Maximized Living Makeover by Lerner, Loman, and Majors p. 40.

Maximized Living-Essential One: Toxins

How can we possibly avoid toxins in the world we live in today? Well, to be honest, we can't avoid them altogether, but we can eliminate the ones that do the most damage. These are not the toxins that come from factories, cars, and other outdoor factors. The inside of our homes is what is causing most of the damage. So how can we change this? I will talk about that extensively in my next post, but for now let's discuss the major causes of toxins.

Did you know that medication is the number one cause of toxicity? Forbes put out an article on this subject called: "Pharma's New Enemy: Clean Living." Here's what they said:

The results of pill dependence are insidious and devastating; billions of dollars in ever higher drug costs; millions of people enduring sometimes highly toxic side-effects; and close to two million cases each year of drug complications that result in 180,000 deaths of life-threatening illnesses in the elderly...Every few years the ultimate medical catastrophe; a miracle cure that turns out to be toxic.

The book that I'm studying on this topic, Maximized Living Makeover p.37, says this about breast and uterine cancer:

It used to be that an apple a day would keep the doctor away. The recommendation now is an aspirin a day. It turns out that an aspirin a day for at least five years increases a woman's chance of developing breast cancer by 80 percent...And if you get breast cancer, chances are the drugs prescribed for that cause more harm than good. Many women have been prescribed Tamoxifen. Research now shows that taking Tamoxifen increase the chance of incidence and death from uterine cancer.

Not only are drugs extremely toxic, but so are the vaccinations that the medical industry is trying to force on us. The truth is they are so bad for babies and adults alike. Here's what Barbara Loe Fisher of the National Vaccine Institute says:

Vaccines can contain formaldehyde, phenoxyethanol, gluteraldehyde, sodium chloride, MSG, gelatin, hydrochloric acid, sodium acetate, hydrogen peroxide, yeast protein, lab-altered viruses and bacteria and unidentified contaminants...
There is more mercury in a flu shot than can be legally disposed of in most city garbage dumps...
A two-month old baby can be injected with four times the amount of aluminum in vaccines in one day than is considered safe.

Oh, but a friend of mine told me that her doctor said they don't put mercury in the vaccines anymore. This is not entirely true, but if it were, what about formaldehyde? MSG? Hydrochloric acid? Would you willingly inject your child with that stuff at home? I can bet you that each parent that gets the vaccines would say "no" to that question.

I said earlier the toxins we have in our homes are worse than what we encounter "out there." Why? Because we spray with them, clean with them, cook with them, "freshen" our houses with them. So many toxins. I will show us how we can clean up in the next post. And I will give solutions that won't break the bank.

Not only does the house have a lot of toxins, but so do other areas. These are all called "The Toxic Top Ten." I will discuss each one in detail in it's own post. Stay tuned!

All quotes and information comes from Maximized Living Makeover by Lerner, Loman,and Majors.

Maximized Living-The Five Essentials

So what is Maximized Living? Is it just another diet? I know I said this before, but it is not just a diet. ML is made up of five essentials. These are not just good ideas or something you may want to do, but they are essential. You cannot have one without the other. Without wasting anymore time, let's look at them.

1. Minimize the use of drugs, other toxins, and surgery.
-Toxicity - Toxins and chemicals found, for example, in medications and refined foods affect hormone balance and glandular function.

2. Maximize nerve supply.
-Damage or misalignment of the spine and nervous system-Correcting vertebral alignment and posture has a marked effect on the central nervous system and how well it functions and produces well-balanced body chemistry.

3. Maximize quality nutrition.
-Poor Nutrition. Diets high in carbohydrates leave a constant level of insulin in the system, which lowers serotonin levels and causes inflammation.
-Imbalances in omega-3 and omega-6 ratios have been found to be the first factor to address regarding depression, according to professors at Harvard and Oxford universities.
-pH balance that is off can lead to inflammation. Stimulants, sugars, and artificial additives negatively affect brain function.
-Nutrient deficiency can be solved by the right food and supplementation.

4. Maximize oxygen and lean muscle.
-Sedentary lifestyle-Inactivity and a lack of intentional exercise has many damaging effects to body function and mental health. That's why exercise consistently matches or exceeds the benefits of antidepressants.

5. Maximize peace and strong relationships.
-Lack of sleep, poor time management, and stress-Identifying and resolving the effects of inadequate sleep, abundant stress, and negative attitude will slow down the neurotransmitter burnout that these issues cause.

Of course, this is just a synopsis of what ML is all about. In the following posts, we'll discuss each one in detail and find out why they are so important to living the best quality of life that you can.

Maximized Living Makeover by Lerner, Loman, and Majors. pp. 28-30

Answer to Prayer

When you pray, do you ask God just for the "big" things? The "important" things? Or do you think He want us to ask Him about the "small" things? The things that make up our daily lives? Here is what He has been teaching me on prayer lately.

1. Believe Him.

2. Seek His face about what He wants you to pray for. By the way, this requires that you spend time with Him on a daily basis.

3. Pray for wisdom.

4. Ask for your needs, no matter how small and insignificant they may seem.

5. Believe Him. (No, that's not an error. I meant to repeat myself.)

I just have to share with you how the Lord answered a prayer today. Healthy eating is important to me, but we don't have the money to just go and buy everything organic. That would get expensive! I've tried to prioritize which foods are the most important. Organic milk is on top of the list. I've not been able to buy it, though, because of the cost. How do you buy it without breaking the bank? This has been my prayer. Actually, this morning I said this, "Lord, please show me how I can do this. I need you to do this for me!"

Well, guess what?!! He did! He showed me what I can do! Let me know what you think. Target often has deals where you can buy a couple of the products they have advertised and you'll get a $5 gift card towards your next purchase. It hit me today that I could use that gift card to get organic milk! Why have I not thought of this sooner? Of course, I won't buy something I don't need to just get the gift card, but many times I do need what they have on sale.

I wish I would have thought of this on Wednesday. I bought two containers of Downy fabric softener and got a $5 gift card. Oh, well. I'm just thankful God showed me this today.

Isn't the Lord so magnificent? Please write and share how the Lord has answered your prayer.

Mambo Sprouts Coupon Book

Mambo Sprouts is giving away a coupon book where you can save up to $35 on your favorite natural and organic products. If you're interested, go here.

Chemotherapy: Your Profit or Theirs?

What do we usually do when we get sick (particularly with cancer?) We go to the doctor, because they're the ones that have the answer to our problem, right? Well, you would think so, but as a matter of fact, they don't.

William Falloon is the founder of Life Extension, an organization that dedicates itself to researching the latest medicines that actually treat and beat cancer and other illnesses.

He told Suzanne Somers in her new book, Breakthrough, that chemotherapy is a huge money-maker for oncologists. In fact, when Falloon opened a medical center ( in which one of the objectives was "to treat cancer the right way" p. 78), he was not able to hire any oncologists, because "these doctors were looking to treat high-volume cases and administer lots of chemotherapy. In fact, the first thing they asked us was about their chemotherapy 'bonuses.' It turns out that a big part of these doctors' salaries comes in the form of how much chemotherapy they administer." (p. 78)

He also said that "when Life Extension tried to open a world-class cancer center in 2000, we had all these doctors telling us how much money we could make if we just set up the assembly line. We kept telling them, that's not why we are doing this. Interestingly, most of these doctors confidentially told us, 'If someone in my family had cancer, I would send them here.' That's how little confidence they had in their own practice." (p. 78)

If you would like to learn more about these life-saving technologies, I would highly recommend that you take a look at William Falloon's website here.

Sugar Cravings, Anyone?

I have sugar cravings. After I have eliminated it from my diet, it's not so bad. But, if I let go and "treat" myself too much...well, it takes awhile to get it out of my system again.

I have been reading Suzanne Somers' new book Breakthrough. What a good book! (By the way, she has an incredible sweetener that is 99% chemical free and it's wonderful!) She interviews doctors who are on the cutting edge of medicine. Being as pharmaceutical-free as they possibly can. (or at least it's their last resort.)

She spoke to Dr. Jonathan Wright and he said that "nature never chlorinates sugar molecules! That stuff is toxic. By the way, a way to really cut down on the sugar cravings is with the supplement chromium...we recommend between 5,000 and 6,000 micrograms daily until the sugar craving goes away, and then cut back to about 1,000 micrograms daily." (pp. 40-41)

I know that this blog is mainly about how to better your relationship with Christ and others. But, the Bible teaches that we should not be slaves to anyone or anything, except to Christ. So, if you have a problem with sweets, try chromium. It's not a drug. It's a supplement.

I'm going to try it and see what happens. Why don't you do the same? Let us know how it goes.