Don't Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

If you know anything about me, you've probably come to realize that I have a new found passion:  wellness.  Wellness encompasses many things, not just your health...the food you eat or the exercise you should be doing.  It also applies to the air you breath in and outside, the stuff you place into the environment, your financials, and your personal life, i.e., living life on your terms...time freedom. It truly is an all-encompassing concept.  You can be fit as a fiddle and eat properly, but still be breathing horribly toxic air while you sleep.  Wellness is your life.

When we're young(er) we tend not to think about being vulnerable.  We took people's words as truth and went about our lives.  Today, if it's on the internet, it just has to be true.  Let's not forget that it's not official until it's Facebook Official.  Am I right?  We live on the internet.  What does this mean for us?  TOO MUCH INFORMATION!!  It also comes down to the fact that we are a much more informed consumer...or we CAN be if we pay attention. 

There is also the fact that we are now bombarded with news; it's on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  It's relentless.  With the always-on news and the internet, we are now faced with tragedies.  Child tragedies.  They break our hearts.  We're more aware of dangers around every corner and tend to play "what if" scenarios in our heads.  I did the same thing.  Being a victim of molestation by a family member as a child, I was keenly aware of who was around my children at all times.  I empathize with the plight.  My daughters (yes, Michelle, you're my daughter now...haha) will get a speech from me about keeping their own children safe from predators.  It's a sad fact of life in which I live.  I digress.

Another facet of wellness that we are bombarded with nowadays is toxins within the home.  More and more children are being poisoned by the chemicals found in "normal" "every day" cleaners we tend to write off as innocuous.  We leave them under sinks and on counters.  Sure, we put those child locks things on the doors, but whose toddler hasn't figured out how to manipulate those?  Storage placed under washers and dryers put laundry pods right at eye level for little exploratory eyes.  Oh, and aren't they colorful!!  Look tasty, huh.  They are ordinary things we don't think about all the time. 

It is said that our indoor air is 2-5 times more toxic than our outside air.  That's quite a difference.  When it's 100+ degrees here during the desert summers, I don't get much outdoor air flowing through to help rid those fumes.  Those who deal with the extreme cold will have the same issue during the winter seasons.  It's a fact of life. 

Cleaning our bathroom can be a nightmare with all the fumes. We have tub cleaner, then we get out our toilet bowl cleaner, and our mirror cleaner.  All of those fumes are now obnoxiously combining and flailing around our bathroom and throughout our homes.  We're breathing in bleach fumes, ammonia fumes, and goodness knows what else they have in those bottles.  My dad once told me a story that he was cleaning his stand alone shower.  By the time he was done, he was dizzy and had an awful headache.  Can you say poison overload in his body?  Yet we continue to use the products and don't demand better, safer ones. 

Our laundry pods are putting our children's lives at risk every day.  I don't understand why we're not knocking on the manufacturers' doors and demanding better safer products.  I started making my own stuff for a while I was so fed up.  I kept getting sick.  It was ridiculous!  Then i had to surf through hundreds of recipes and Pinterest ideas to find one that works...and i was disappointed. 

Don't get me started on Lysol Disinfectant, either!  OMGosh...in fine print it tells you that if you're going to touch the surface you sprayed, allow children to touch the surface, or prepare food on that surface to wash it down with soap and water first!  Who knew this?  Who does this?  I see people spray this stuff around children and on their toys all the time!!!  Where do those toys end up?  Into the mouth of babes.  Ugh!!

Pay attention to your everyday beauty supplies, like makeup and shampoos and conditioners.  They can have toxicity issues as well.  Seriously, start paying attention.  Don't allow these companies to poison you anymore.  Take a stand. There is a better way.  I promise.  Search out the companies who care about people and the environment.  I know I am.  I don't get sick anymore from fumes/smells.  I don't have to worry about my grandchildren accidentally being poisoned.  I have peace of mind.  Let's do this...together.
#livetotalwellness

Soil depletion and the unfortunate result

I'm sure y'all have heard that we should be eating plenty of fruits and vegetables to ensure we get our daily recommended allowances of vital nutrients. Get your nutrients from whole foods.  Eat better!   But, is this enough?   Is eating a diet rich in whole foods, fruits and vegetables keeping us healthy?  I can say that if you are eating out of boxes or in restaurants, you're not getting your required daily allowances of vitamins and minerals.  Let's stop doing that...for starters.  If you're not eating your fruits and vegetables...please start.  If you eat boxed or processed food all the time...STOP!  Someone loves you and would like you to be the best and most healthiest you can be. 

I will remind you that our bodies do not produce minerals on their own.  We must get them from the foods we eat.  Now, back to wondering about the fact that is eating a proper diet enough.  I did a little research and found some interesting information.  Guess what?   Today, it is not enough to just eat plenty of all the right foods, and "current peer review scientific literature does not support" (Ref2) that claim.  The nutrients in our fruits and vegetables has declined over the last 30 years due to breeding "new varieties of crops that provide greater yield, pest resistance and climate adaptability." (Ref1)  "[T]he mineral content of soil used to grow today's group is one sixth of what it was fifty years ago...." (Ref2)  Let's not forget that shipping and storage increases that depletion as well. To top it off, over cooking food takes even more of the nutrients away. The National Institute of Health showed that 75% of the recommended daily allowances of nutrients are not being met.  SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT!!!  This is being overlooked by the general public, but also, sadly, our healthcare providers.  (Ref2)

Here are 18 causes of mineral depletion in our bodies (Ref3). I encourage you to read the whole article for more information on each of these. 

1.  Soil depletion is the number 1 cause, for reason stated above.  

2.  2. Antacids & Acid blockers.

3.  Low stomach acid/Hypochlorhydria 

4. Cortisone

5. Pharmaceutical drugs

6. Birth control pills

7. Coffee

8. Alcohol

9. Soda consumption

10. Sugar 

11. Excess insulin

12.  Excess estrogen

13.  Hyperthyroidism 

14.  Standard American diet (SAD)

15. Excess grains 

16. Dietary insufficiency 

17. Heavy metal toxicity (Mercury, aluminum, lead)

18. Radiation

Buying from local farmers markets may increase your mineral consumption if they replenish their soil. Growing your own food will at least remove pesticides and if you feed your soil, you will get more minerals.  Let's face it though, with the wide variety of foods you need to eat, it's hard to get them all at a farmers market or through your own garden.  I'm thankful I found a supplement that gives me 85% absorbability of the vitamins and minerals.  It eases my mind and I'll be honest, I haven't felt this good in a very long time.  For me, it's worth it. I can't eat the amount of food it would take to meet my recommended daily allowances of vitamins and minerals.  I just don't eat that much.  I also believe this is something that needs to be talked about a lot more.  We are starving our bodies of essential nutrients and wonder why we can't fight off this disease or are tired and achy and sick.  Let's work together to do this better.  Let's talk about it.  

There are many more articles you can find on this subject. This won't be the last we chat about this, either, I'm sure.  For now, G'night. 

References 

1. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss/

2. http://www.colloidalworld.com/soil-mineral-depletion.html

3. http://preventdisease.com/news/12/090712_18-Causes-of-Mineral-Depletion.shtml