[Vegas69]

Allergens:

There are three major categories that we can work on to reduce our toxic load. The less we make our immune system and organs labor, the more vibrant you will feel.

Food/Water: Where your food is sourced and the chemicals used is important. Eating whole foods and USDA organics is a good start. Reducing your dairy and wheat intake is also a good trend in the right direction. As they tend to be two that create some problems. Dairy has been linked to breast and prostate cancer but that's a different discussion.

Our immune system is largely in our digestive system. Pre and Probiotics are crucial to healthy digestive balance and strong immune system. Pre comes from fresh fruits and vegetables, pro normally comes from yogurts and supplements. I eat mostly coconut yogurt with occasional non fat dairy. Probiotics are strains of good bacteria that fight the bad in our guts. The balance can lean towards the bad with a poor diet and over consumption of alcohol. This can lead to constipation, chronic sickness, and lethargy to name a few.

Many foods can grow mold without you knowing it. Things that sit in your cupboard and even your fresh veggies. Mold can be a problem for some. Peanut Butter has a tendency to have to much mold. Consider rotating almond/sunflower butter into the mix. All natural of course.... It's recommended to wash produce with vitamin C crystals to remove molds and chemicals.

How you prepare your food is also important. Using Teflon/Non Stick pans can slowly load your system with PFOA which our bodies have trouble eliminating. Even aluminum or stainless steel can load our bodies with Nickel/Aluminum and other harmful compounds. It is recommended to use cast iron, glass, or ceramic. Cast iron actually helps us with our iron needs. Wood utensils eliminate the leaching while cooking and won't scrape up your pans.

Storing your food in plastic or heating a plastic container in the microwave is not advisable. Many are bpa free these days but glass should be your goal for all storage. Plastics can leach. Also, for your young kids. Make sure their toys are bpa free.

Water is a huge deal. They haven't changed the regulations much in a long time. That means that many chemicals that have become prominent in our environment aren't regulated. I have a whole house filtration system that removes particles and chlorine. This comes into play with showering as well as the chlorine and chemicals are inhaled and absorbed through the skin. We have bottled water delivered that is sourced responsibly and filtered thoroughly for drinking a majority of the time. A good reverse osmosis system will do the trick.

Alcohol in moderation. The fermentation effects some worse than others. Fermentation creates mold and it does effect your allergies. I know it does mine. In fact, it seems certain alcoholic drinks are worse than others. I'm sure it comes down to the ingredients and process.

Air: Enviromental loads come with the territory. Where you live dictates the air we breath. Las Vegas has some of the worst air in the nation but there are things we can do to control our indoor air quality.

Some new furniture leaches formaldehyde for years. (The cheap stuff) Chemicals should be in the garage like paints. Cleaners used should be non toxic. Large HEPA filtration units in different areas of your home with a charcoal filter clean up the air greatly. Buy the better filters for your AC/Furnace and change them often. Keep the house clean and animals bathed. The goal is to reduce compounds like the VOC's from cars, industry, dust mites, pollen, and on down the line.

Take a shower before bed to remove the pollen, chemicals, and dust mites from your body. This will improve the air you breath at night and extend the service life of your pillow and mattress.

Dust mites which live on your dead skin congregate in your pillow and mattress over time. Replace your pillow on a regular basis and your mattress every 5 years. We actually inhale the dust mites and they can take a toll on your respiratory system. Constant problems with your respiratory health may lead you to the recommendations here.

Skin: This is one I didn't really think about until finishing a book recently. Most of the soap used is anti-bacterial. The problem, it kills GOOD and bad bacteria. That means you are removing the bacteria that is your first line of defense against sickness and disease. They make probiotic soaps that are gentle on the good and help eliminate the bad. I read and plan to try it, but she claims you can get away with natural deodorant after restoring the good bacteria on your skin. That means not subjecting yourself to the Anhydrous in your deodorant which has aluminum and adds to your toxic load. Clearly chemicals like oils, brake cleans, etc. are bad and can cause long term problems. Use gloves to reduce your toxic load.

I don't know about you, but I want to achieve the greatest physical health possible. These small changes compound into greater cellular health and play a role in overall health. The state of our bodies directly effect our mental health.

To take it one step further, the elimination of toxic load on our bodies may very well extend our lives and help us avoid major sickness like cancer. This is speculation on my part but it can't hurt.

I hope this helps you and your family become healthier and more vibrant.