Hawthorn University Holistic Detoxification Presentation

by | building biology, buildings and health, chemicals, cleaning products, detoxification, diet and lifestyle, electromagnetic radiation, EMF, environmental sensitivities, grinding teeth, health, high frequencies, indoor air quality, indoor environmental health, ingredients, mold, mould, perfumes, personal care products, radiofrequencies, scents, self-care, sleep, smart meters, stress, water damage

Hawthorn University: Holistic Detoxification

Hawthorn University offer high level online training to health practitioners, predominantly naturopaths. So, I was thrilled to receive an invitation from Hawthorn University to present a webinar.

I have watched many of their webinars, which are available for free and are presented by highly respected people, so as you can imagine, getting an invitation from them was such an honour.

The topic which I presented on is, of course, so dear to my heart – Holistic Detoxification: How to Create a Healthy Home Which Supports Healing.

Too often I hear stories of people on the (expensive) merry-go-round of treatments, objects, supplements, drugs… when in many cases the cause is environmental and can easily be addressed by changing the environment.

I wanted to help students of natural therapies and practitioners understand more about this and avoid unnecessary treatments and delays.

In a nutshell, the topics that I covered in my webinar include:

  • why detoxification is so important
  • case studies
  • our built environment
  • hindrances to detoxification
  • action steps for your clients/patients
  • when to think of the environment

After the webinar, I was able to answer the questions asked by the audience – and they were such fabulous questions.

I would like to publicly thank Hawthorn University for the opportunity to present this webinar, all of the audience members, and everyone who has watched it since. What an honour!! 🙂

Hawthorn University Presentation

#hawthornuniversity #holisticdetoxification #buildingbiology #health

Chemical In Baby Wipes Linked To Rise In Skin Problems

by | babies, chemicals, perfumes, personal care products

Australian newspaper The Age reported yesterday that a chemical ingredient used as a preservative in baby wipes and other personal care products is being linked to an increase of dermatological conditions.

In her article, Bridie Smith quotes Rosemary Nixon, dermatologist from the Skin and Cancer Foundation, who identifies that methylisthiazolinone (MI) was linked to 11.3% of skin reactions in the 353 patients seen in 2013 at two of their clinics.

The Chemical?

I am sharing this because I think that there is more at play that the isolated preservative methylisothiazolinone. I want to draw your attention to the information contained in the material data safety sheet (MSDS) about this ingredient.

Eye contact – Contact may cause severe eye irritation or chemical burns, which may result in permanent eye injury.

Skin contact – Contact may cause severe burns with symptoms of pain, local redness, swelling, and tissue damage. Prolonged or widespread contact may result in allergic skin reactions. 

Ingestion – These products can be toxic if swallowed. Large amounts may cause serious injury, even death. 

Inhalation – Heated vapor or mist may cause irritation of the upper respiratory tract (nose and throat) and lungs. 

Other – Similar materials have not caused cancer, birth defects, or fetal effects in animal testing.

(The Dow Chemical Company, 17 December 2010, Product Safety Assessment: DOW™ Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) Antimicrobial Products available at https://msdssearch.dow.com/PublishedLiteratureDOWCOM/dh_07ee/0901b803807ee59c.pdf?filepath=productsafety/pdfs/noreg/233-00792.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc)

Please note that prolonged skin contact can result in allergic skin reactions.

This is the sort of information that I procure when I determine the safety and/or the associated risk of ingredients and products for my clients.What upsets me, is that manufacturers KNOW about these risks of exposure while formulating their products, but choose to use these ingredients anyway.

I am going to also point out, that apart from alcohol, which is drying to the skin, and can damage the integrity of it, and this preservative that is known to cause allergic skin reaction with use over a long period of time, there are other ingredients to be mindful of in these kinds of products.

My #1 RED FLAG Ingredient is “Fragrance”

Fragrance is made up of a cocktail of chemicals that is never listed, in order to protect “trade secrecy” – that is the secret recipe to creating that scent.

Commonly, upwards of 100 chemicals are used to create a fragrance. Of the 10,000+ ingredients used to make fragrances, less than 10% have been tested for the safety for human use. As I have mentioned, due to trade secrecy, manufacturers are not required to list their ingredients for consumers – which makes it hard to avoid certain chemicals.

In an effort to create some transparency, the International Fragrance Association has listed ingredients commonly used in this industry. Scanning through the list, I was alarmed to see the number of known or suspected carcinogens, known skin and lung irritants and others that have been linked to adverse health effects. I have written more about this in a previous post “Perfumes Stink” – which you can read here.

eco-health-solutions-home

What To Do?

One thing I want to point out is that I have had a significant proportion of my clients report thrush-like symptoms. On my recommendation, they have begun to use UNSCENTED toilet paper. Interestingly, most of these symptoms disappear.

So, for babies to adults, I would highly recommend keeping products simple – particularly in those delicate areas.

  • babies: use water and microfibre cloths
  • children and adults: use unscented toilet paper
  • bathing: unscented and un-dyed natural soaps
  • menstruation: organic cloth pads that can be washed in unscented soap (ie avoid plastic-lined, scented, bleached products)

Join our Group on social media to find out more on a regular basis.

Perfumes – Their History

by | chemicals, diet and lifestyle, health, indoor air quality, ingredients, perfumes

The History of Perfumes

Perfumes have a long history…

Once upon a time in a land far away there lived a wise and wonderful woman.

Her name was Tapputi-Belatikallim, or Tapputi for short.

She worked within the palace with flowers, oils and balsam. Relying on her skills as a chemist, she made perfumes from these natural wonders that were available to her.

perfumes rose

Tapputi lived around 3000 years ago in Mesopotamia. Her work was referenced on a cuneiform tablet – a clay tablet into which messages were impressed or engraved. Tapputi is the world’s first recorded chemist.

Something else was happening in another land not too far away… At around the same time, there was an enormous perfume factory on the island of Cyprus. Amazingly, this factory covered 4000m2, which suggests that it was being made on a large scale.

Clearly, men and women have used perfume throughout the ages. It is also clear that there has always been a close interplay between chemistry and perfumery.

More Recently

During the first millennia, two Iraqi chemists established the perfume industry. Their names were Jābir ibn Hayyān (known as Geber) and Al-Kindi (known as Alkindus). They developed techniques that are used today. These include distillation, evaporation and filtration.

Al-Kindi extensively researched perfumes and pharmaceuticals, and wrote a book (during the 9th century). This book contained over one hundred recipes, “Book of the Chemistry of Perfume and Distillations.”

During the 14th century, a perfume was made for Queen Elizabeth of Hungary from scented oils in an alcohol solution. This became known as “Hungary Water.” During this time, it was mostly the royalty of the West that used perfumery.

As time went on, perfume became more and more popular. The perfume industry responded to this demand. This meant that they found ways to make large quantities of perfumes quickly, cheaply and without relying on crops.

Predominantly, perfumes today are made from chemicals, which are not so costly for the manufacturers and provide a reliable source.

eco health solutions health

My history of perfumes…

When I was little, Mum had a bottle of perfume that she would wear on special occasions. That single bottle, I think, lasted my whole childhood. It was precious and used to mark an event.

From a young age, I recall knowing where Mum was taking us because I could identify the smell. As a teenager, I retraced Mum’s steps and sniffed out the shop where she bought her freshly-ground coffee… An aroma that I still cherish!

Scents are strongly emotive and can cause the memories of places, thoughts, people, emotions and more, to resurface quickly.

Being blessed with an acute sense of smell, I count myself as super lucky. I have greatly enjoyed working with and blending essential oils since I was 18 years old.

I feel honoured to be using more traditional methods in my work. Using essential oils, to me, is using something as close to nature as possible. Not only the fragrance, but also the energetic qualities are captured through cold-pressing and distillation.

Now, with my allergies and sensitivities, I am grateful that I am absolutely fine with anything natural. A while back, a mere waft of a chemical fragrance and the story is very different.

In hindsight, Mum's sparing use of perfume probably kept my tolerance at a decent level… Hilariously, the only perfume that I was given, and I was 17 at the time, was “Poison”!!

Wishing you all the best of health!

(c) 26/10/12

Perfume Stinks

by | air fresheners, building biology, chemicals, endocrine disruptors, indoor air quality, perfumes, scents

They may smell nice, but perfume stinks in terms of what it is made of.

Prompted by the discovery of a list of ingredients used in perfumery on the International Fragrance Association, I felt it time to write, about the toxic chemical cocktail used in fragrances and perfumes.

Perfume – A Brief Overview

Perfumes are as old as humanity ~ in ancient times, perfumes were made from flowers and other naturally scented things, including wood (sandalwood), rind (orange), blossoms (jasmine, rose) and so on.

As technology “advanced,” (I always cringe at the idea that the industrial revolution only improved or advanced humankind), manufacturers found chemicals (esters and other aromatic compounds) that could mimic these smells.

These allowed for a cheap alternatives (although you would hardly think so when you consider the price of perfumes).

I remember in high school making smells from chemicals – banana and other sickly sweet smells that permeated our erasers, paper, pens and similar at the time.

Due to the “trade secret” aspect of perfumery, there is no need for manufacturers to list their ingredients (or potential allergens, for that matter) anywhere for the public to see.

Perfume – And It's Effects

Until now, I have felt like some eccentric spokesperson out on a limb far far away from reality, ranting and raving about the chemicals used, the toxic effects on our health, and the insanity of the inclusion of untested chemicals in our perfume and personal care products.

Added to this, there is the complete unknown consequences of using these chemicals together (known as the synergistic effect).

Rachel Carson (in “Silent Spring”) wrote about this in the 1960s.

Scientists are beginning to notice that there are changes to many species, these changes are particularly affecting the males. Male genitals are not developing normally, male are becoming “feminised.”

There is a lot that is being discovered, and a lot that is being brushed aside by the wealthy manufacturers and big businesses.

The WHO, in 2012 recognised that many chemicals contained in perfumes and other personal care products are in fact endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) – this means that they are disrupting the normal functioning of the hormone system which can have developmental, reproductive and longer-term health repercussions.

Recently, I saw this question: teen pregnancies are lower now ~ is this due to the marketing/education campaigns or the effects of the chemicals being used?

I can only guess at the answer, and no doubt, you will be able to guess at my guess.eco health solutions fresh

Perfume – Some Ingredients

But let's look at some of the chemicals used in perfume, from the list from the International Fragrance Association… and I will list the potential effects as per The Chemical Maze (Bill Statham's book).

Triethanolamine (TEA) made from ethylene oxide and ammonia

potential effects: allergic contact dermatitis; skin irritation; may react with nitrates to form nitrosamines [carcinogenic]; on NIH hazard list

Yikes! It is included in personal care products, perfumes too, that are applied to the SKIN even though it is a skin IRRITANT!

Benzyl Cinnamate

potential effects: Cinnamates can cause a stinging sensation in some people; on NIH hazard list

And another one!!

Acetal (derived from acetaldehyde)

potential effects: CNS [central nervous system] depressant; respiratory depression; cardiovascular collapse; no known skin toxicity; possible high blood pressure; on NIH hazard list

How reassuring (please excuse my tongue being firmly wedged in my cheek) that there is no skin toxicity… If my central nervous system and cardiovascular system collapse, I hardly think I would be worrying about the skin irritation…

What is ultra-scary, is that these chemicals, because they are “misted” are easily inhaled… This means that they bypass the skin and can directly enter the blood stream, and also affect the brain (hence the CNS involvement).

I won't keep going with the list. I randomly picked three… and to me, that says enough to know that at the very least CAUTION IS WARRANTED.

eco-health-solutions-house

Perfume – Why Do We Need It?

As a health care practitioner, I also have to ask: why do people need perfume???

  • Is it to mask body odour?
  • Or because their indoor air is polluted?
  • Do you smoke in the car? Why??

If it is any of these reasons, then I would be seeking to address the underlying problem: I would look into diet (including medications) and lifestyle, and probably prescribe herbs; I would suggest opening windows and increasing ventilation, and if the outside air is bad, suggest getting a decent air purifier; I would explore why they smoke and assist them with quitting, if they were ready…

A Word on Air Fresheners

Did you also know that “air fresheners” do three things: they inhibit your ability to smell properly, they coat everything with a layer of scent held there with phthalates and they add a synthetic fragrance.

What this means, is that the problem isn't addressed – and as such, they are hardly freshening the air.

The smell is still there, but –

  1. You can't smell it properly,
  2. Your nasal passages, skin, clothing and hair are all coated with fragrance and phthalates, and
  3. There is now an abundance of chemicals in your home ~ adversely affecting the indoor air quality.

Please think before using a synthetic fragrance of any kind…

And, if you need further advice please get in touch.

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References:

#perfume #fragrance #chemicalsandhealth
(c) 3/2/12, rev 11/2/16