Chemical Sensitivity

Yes. Was not diagnosed as a chemical sensitivity but I have always had a asthmatic bronchitis (at least once each year and it lingers) and was later diagnosed w/ allergy induced asthma. As time has went on, I found it to get worse.

You should see a program called Toxic Brew. It discusses the chemicals in various products.

I discovered a company that offers much better alternatives and converted my house...personal care products included. Now doing great. Thinking back to my childhood and the others in the same household (and the issues they still have that are getting worse all the time) and I know it could have been avoided. I did the right thing and have started trying share that information. I am now a representative for the company I found, I simply share information.

R.- Fist I am SO happy for you and your son that you were able to get him away from the harsh chemicals and off of his meds as well (as these have neg. side effects) I used to be deadly allergic to fabric softener and other 'scented' things- air fresheners, sprays, etc. I also spent many years working in manufacturing plants for major companies, as well as the 'fragrance and flavor' plants. (FYI: These artificial ingredients are not limited to your personal care items- they are also in your food) That was EXTREMELY educational for me, and to this day there are things I cannot eat because it triggers a memory of these chemical plants for me.
I now use products with out the known carcinagins in them, and I am actually able to use scented fabric softener (non chemical)! Naturally, I shared my findings with my sister, as my two nephews were on asthma meds, and used inhalers as well. They are now off of meds and haven't needed to use their inhalers for 3 months!
Not everyone will have the health problems from these products, it depends how much stress your body is under, how many 'toxins' you are exposed to, etc. I developed asthma while living in an apartment above a smoker. Clearly, my body was overwhelmed with the toxins and started experiencing failures.
Enjoy your 'new health' and your families health!!!
HUGS

Yes, thank you for posting this. Taking individually, these chemicals are "safe" but taken together plus all those other environmental toxins we have no control over are making people very very sick. I am using up all my "conventional" cleaning products and have only purchased "green" products in the last year. It takes me a while to use them up since I has never a cleaning freak.

That's great to hear that he's doing so well!! Your son is proof that there are too mnay chemicals in everything!!!! I'm guessing he's not in diapers? If he is (or for any future kids you have) I suggest cloth diapers, chemical free! Disposable diapers are covered in chemicals. It's also amazing how the food we eat effects kids behavior (and ours too!). Eating more real food (as opposed to processed food) makes a huge difference.

I haven't had any issues with my family but we play it better safe than sorry. Organic food when we can afford it, home cooked meals, I make my own soap so I know what is in it and I use one of those salt crystals as a deodorant. My suggestion is to read labels. I have a friend whose son has adverse behavioral reactions to artificial colors, especially reds. It is a puzzle what chemicals react with what parts of our body to cause this or that. Best of luck detoxing your family. Nat

Hi R., Your situation is, unfortunately, all too common these days as those in the medical field recognize that more and more children especially are suffering with allergies & asthma-type issues from our cleaning products, air fresheners, etc. My own health had a total "about-face" when I discovered Shaklee and threw out all my products that I had used my entire life and began using Shaklee products for all my laundry and cleaning needs. I would love to chat with you if I may and will send my contact info in a private message following this. I am actually open to chatting with anybody about this - ____@____.com E. Taft

I have completely changed over my household. I use natural products from everything to shampoo to cleaning my house. If you would like a link email me. I cannot post a link as I also now sell these products. I was so blown away by them that I became an independent distributor.

Also know that new carpeting and furniture gives off "fumes" as well. So air out your house if you have to get these items.

Things like toilet bowl cleaner, bleach and oven cleaner are the worst offenders. Tile cleaner too. I have taken all these items to the toxic dump!

Yes yes yes! i had fatigue, chronic bronchitis, reaction to metals (my rings, and my pierced earrings - I thought it was an infection but it wasn't). What people don't realize is that it's not just these chemicals that we breathe in, it's the ones that end up in our gastro-intestinal system. The digestive system is the key to a healthy body. Chemicals are on our food - our produce is gassed, for example, to make those tomatoes red even though they were picked green before they could mature and have all the lycopene they are supposed to. And things are treated so they will be in a state of limbo and not rot on the produce shelves. And don't think it doesn't happen with some organic food - it might have been grown organically, but if it was picked two weeks ago and shipped from the other side of the country or from the other side of the world (think out-of-season fruits, for example), then it's been treated with something!

Our packaged foods are treated for anti-spoilage to increase shelf life - they will sit on the shelves so long and even the insects and cockroaches won't eat them, but WE will! Then there are the chemicals in the packaging materials themselves - those plastic liners in boxes, plastic containers for everything else and those horrible bottled water products - most made with petroleum byproducts. So that stuff ends up in our colons, we cannot digest it, our 25 feet of intestine gets lined with sticky sludge (most of us carry 8-10 pounds of it), and so our food doesn't get properly absorbed. We are overfed but nutrient deficient. Parts of the colon can get so irritated that we have "leaky gut syndrome" and those toxins, plus the associated bad bacteria, sneak out into our bodies and travel to other organs. The lungs can be affected (allergies, asthma), our brains (behavioral and focus disorders), our muscles (weakness, fatigue) and then we get auto-immune diseases like MS and Parkinson's and lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

So there are 3 keys to combatting this: being more conscious of what you eat and where it comes from, eliminating toxins as you have done, and then supplementing our deficient diets with a comprehensive nutritional supplement with a high fiber content (both soluble and insoluble at the same time - crucial). The colon walls have to be clean and healthy, and there must be a synergistic blend of nutrients, NOT in pill form (no absorbed or broken down by the stomach acids), and not based on a single nutrient. So picking a bottle of vitamin C or Co-Q-10 at the health food store doesn't work - no vitamin or mineral or enzyme or amino acid is meant to work on its own. They all need each other, the way nature intended.

For your products - don't forget scented or treated tissues and, as I said above, bottled water or bottled drinks. Biggest waste of money. The bottles themselves are problems, the fossil fuels needed to transport cases of water-filled bottles from bottler to store to home add to what we breathe in, and the industry is not regulated at all. The water in your faucet is cheap and has a lot more testing than what's in the bottles. It is ridiculous to buy things like Dasani and Aquafina - they are made by Coca-Cola etc., which takes municipal water in Atlanta, filters it a little, puts it in bottle, uses big trucks to bring it to you, and then you drink it thinking it's better than what's in your tap water! Talk about expense! And those Vitamin waters are just as bad - they take a few different vitamins (isolated), pre-mix them, and then ship them to your store -- by then they have lost most of their potency, and they didn't have a comprehensive array to begin with.

I use a powdered supplement that is balanced, and then mix it with water just before I drink it. That's the freshest you can get. I also make sure it's made in a top manufacturing plant in the US, doesn't pass through a lot of factories and a lot of handlers, and that it has a patent so that I know it has been proven effective, unique, and safe - and that what it says is in the can is really in the can.

I think it's awesome that you have solved your medical problems without the use of drugs! You will all be so much happier!

Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes! My entire family is sensitive to fragrance, and it doesn't have to be just chemical. Things labeled as "natural fragrance" can be triggers, too! And our symptoms can be anything from sneezing to a full blown asthma attack or killer migraine! The biggest problem that we have found is that people get very defensive about their "scents". In the delivery room with my second child, a nurse vehemently denied that she was wearing "perfume", but was very obviously wearing some sort of scent (laundry soap, hand lotion, hand sanitizer?) and it was difficult for me to breathe with her in the room! But, it is getting better, every year more products come out as fragrance free. Just five years ago it was very difficult to find dish soap or laundry detergent or deodorant! You are not alone. Environmental illness/sensitivity is a real diagnosis.

I just wanted to say thanks for posting this. It's really interesting (as well as all of the other personal experiences everyone else provided). It's definitely given me food for thought and maybe some new strategies for the future. Thanks again!!

I'm a lifelong allergy sufferer and made the changes you've just made about 8 years ago (I've been off antihistamines for 3 1/2 years). Be aware that products that are labeled "green" or biodegradable can be deceptive. Look for plant based surfectants. Borax is natures natural whitening agent and white vinegar kills just as many germs as bleach.

New fabrics, carpet, carpet pads and pressed board all gas off formaldehyde and will do so for approx. 7 years. We have a solid wood policy in our home now.

Many food additives are petroleum based as well. You both would do well to avoid all artificial colors and flavors. Perhaps that is the piece of the puzzle that is keeping you from getting out of the woods....

No, I haven't, but I have never used any of that stuff. Fragrance has been known to mimic estrogen in the body, and so much of everything has fragrance in it! Luckily these days, there are literally hundreds of products out there for those of us who want to avoid it, so you're not limited to one brand if you don't have luck with it.