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Using Cleaning Products Is Like Smoking A Pack Of Cigarettes A Day

We have always used the same brands of cleaning products since the day we were born. You probably used for the same reason that all of us use them, and it isn’t because of their clever ad campaigns. We purchase these products simply out of habit as our parents bought them because their parents did as well. A long time ago these cleaning products were the only thing we had so no one ever thought to questions what might be in them and how could they be affecting our bodies.

Well someone finally took the time to see just how harmful ingredients like ammonia and bleach can really be and it turns out that the two key ingredients for making mustard gas are dangerous for you no matter what amount of the chemicals are used. The study followed over 6,200 people for 20 years and specifically studied the effects of cleaning products on both the deterioration of lung capacity and the obstruction it causes to your airways.

So how bad can it be? It turns out that cleaning your home once a week with these products is the equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day for an entire week. The damage doesn’t stop there though as others that are living in the house experience side-effects, just not as bad as the “first-hand” cleaner. Women tended to be more affected than men were and it appears that those that used the products periodically was more damaging than someone who worked with them on a regular basis. The speculation on this is that cleaning professionals are away of the dangers of cleaners and often wear protective masks.

The scariest part about this is that the evidence appears to be concrete. Normally studies like this can be shaken off due to a short period of research time or a lack of subjects being tested, but over 6000 people for the course of 20 years is a lot of evidence to ignore. In fact, major networks and publishers from CNN to The New York Times have acknowledged the article and it is published in the most credible of sources. To learn more, check out the actual study at http://www.thoracic.org/about/newsroom/press-releases/resources/women-cleaners-lung-function.pdf

So how do we combat this? We still have to clean our homes, but obviously we don’t want to continue poisoning our families and ourselves! There are natural ways to clean that are anti-bacterial and anti-microbial, so don’t give up hope. From Tea-tree oil to vinegar, switching to a natural cleaner can make your home safe from the germs without constantly burning out the aioli in your lungs!

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The Calming Effects of Essential Oils

You’ve probably heard of the craze sweeping the nation right now where people are creating their own personal concoctions with essential oils whether it be for cleaning products or personal use. The health and wellness communities are blowing up with different remedies for almost anything you can think of ranging from cleaning to curing autism.

Now you may find all of this to be bogus but a lot of essential oils can enhance your mood and has many practical and effective uses. With a recent study linking anxiety meds and dementia, you can see why society wants to know the pros and cons of utilizing essential oils as an alternative to anti-depressant medication. Another study that had been conducted in Taiwan provided clearer and more powerful evidence. The authors selected elementary school teachers as their stressed population and used inhalation of vaporized bergamot C. aurantium var. bergamia essential oil as the method of administration.

They found a significant reduction in both blood pressure and heart rate and the difference in physiological stress signals were showed notable positive change as a direct correlation. It also drove autonomic nervous activity toward a more balanced state and had a greater effect on participants who had more severe side effects than people not particularly plagued by anxiety or dementia.

Adults aren’t the only ones who have to worry about this, one of the main things children struggle with is anxiety. Anxiety can be led to give your child problems focusing and may start developing irregular sleeping patterns. There is a lot of conflicting information out there, but if using 100% pure oils and re-searching extensively the pros and cons, you will find the combination that works best for you.

Lavender is good for clearing the mind.

Frankincense helps with emotional well being.

Peru Blasam helps in comforting.

Cedar wood is good for helping you find down.

There are many more oils and hundreds to thousands of different combinations that can have different effects. The most important thing to realize is that none of these scents are guaranteed to bring the desired effect, it is best to test and measure different blends of oils to see which one gives you the best result for the ailment you wish to treat.

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The Many Uses of Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil, also known as Melaleuca, is known throughout the world as a great antiseptic and has great healing and cleansing properties to treat wounds. It has been used for several decades and can be found in multiple medical studies that shows Tea tree oil killing multiple strains of bacteria, viruses, and especially fungi.

There are so many benefits and uses to Melaleuca oil that I can not possibly go into everything but I will name some prominent uses and ideas. The movement sweeping the nation right now is creating homemade cleaning products using essential oils in place of toxic chemicals. You can add tea tree oil to almost anything. Diffusing it in the air to kill mold, applying topically to heal skin issues like eczema, and using it to treat viral infections. You can see why it’s a popular active ingredient in a variety of cosmetic and household products. Most people don’t even understand the extent of products that utilize Melaleuca oil, ranging from; face washes, shampoos, soaps, detergents, nail creams and other cleaning necessities.

Records around the world show that tea tree has been used for thousands of years by indigenous people, science today is finally catching up and more doctors and practitioners are coming forward describing why tea tree oil is so effective. To date, over 327 scientific studies refer to tea tree oils antimicrobial prowess alone. Melaleuca oil is known around the world as the “medicine kit in a bottle.” Not only can it be used as a natural antiseptic, it is also found to be soothing to relieve stinging and itching, minor wounds and irritated skin. It is safely penetrating, quickly delivering soothing relief deep into the source of the discomfort. It’s also Non-caustic, no caustic or harmful chemical reactions. Effectively works as a solvent, safely dissolves many different substances like gum, resins and dirt. The best but not the last note about tea tree oil, it is pleasantly aromatic and refreshes the senses with a natural pleasing scent.

The process of producing Melaleuca hasn’t changed much over the last 100 years, but the uses we find for it certainly has.

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What is the Most Efficient Way to Naturally Treat Head Lice?

Can I Naturally Treat The Lice My Child Brought Home?

Back to School time is great, right? Kids are out of the house, they are learning new things, meeting new friends, and bringing new stories back home every day. Unfortunately, for many of us, that’s not all our kids brought back home. 

That’s right: head lice. Millions of kids are infested every year. It is horrible, as a parent, to have these repulsive bugs crawling around on our child’s head. Studies show that there are many more cases of kids coming home from school with head lice in the Winter season. Don’t think that you’re completely in the clear just because there’s no lice in your home after the first month or two back in school. 

If we’re not prepared, our initial reaction is to get rid of them ASAP. Careful though, we want to avoid “fighting fire with fire”, necessarily. What we don’t want to do is just dump a bunch of chemicals onto their heads. Oftentimes, the treatment is worse than the problem! 

Rest assured: you do have options. There have been several home-remedy-type solutions that have become popular through online sharing and word-of-mouth, but which one of these is the safest and most efficient way to treat lice naturally?

The Best Natural Treatment For Head Lice

The best, natural treatment to use is Tea Tree Oil. It’s also called Melaleuca Oil. There’s both types of products and several ways you can apply this child-safe head lice treatment.

  1. You can get a Melaleuca / Tea Tree Oil Shampoo, and have your child (and anyone else in the house!) begin using it for bathing.
  2. You can get the oil in its Essential Oil form, and either place drops directly onto your child’s scalp and/or use an Essential Oil diffuser to fill the room with the Tea Tree Oil vapor 

Which form of the Tea Tree Oil that you use is entirely up to your own personal preference, as their effectiveness is equal.

This will kill both the adult head lice, as well as their larvae and any eggs that they have laid.

Apply this natural treatment for head lice for as long as necessary.

Remember:

You don’t want these abhorrent creatures crawling back onto your child’s head and laying their eggs there again!

Like many of these completely safe, natural, no-side-effects-type of solutions: once your head lice problem has been eradicated, you can continue using the products as a means of prevention.