Posted on

Therapeutic Grade: Fact or Fiction?

The topic of essential oils has become a hot one throughout the world, and it seems that every day there is a new use or medicinal purpose for what we originally thought just had a benevolent fragrance. The question has now become “what is fact versus fiction, what are its medicinal benefits, and what does therapeutic grade really mean?”.

There is no denying that essential oils have many fascinating uses, but what exactly can you do with them? While most companies don’t recommend imbibing the oils themselves, they say it is ok to use them sparingly while cooking. Science has shown there is no medicinal benefit to doing so, but it has created a new fragrant style of cooking where chefs can use their creativity by adding powerful aromas to their dishes.

While cooking it produces one effect, many people believe that combining the pure oils with carrier oils and applying them to specific areas can have many health benefits. While some of the claims tend to be a bit outlandish, scientists have insisted to not throw all of the claims, such as healthy skin, acne treatments, and other small ailments. Other claims such as curing cancer and serious illness tend to take away from some of the amazing therapeutic benefits essential oils can be used for.

This is where people generally get confused with the term “therapeutic grade”. The definition tends to vary from company to company which makes sense when you see that most of the research was done within their own facilities. In fact, there is no certification or credibility behind the term “therapeutic grade”. You can only mention purity of an oil and it is either pure or it is not.

Scents have more power than we think and when used properly they can help us remember things we may have suppressed or bring back warm memories of our youth. It can help us unwind and lower our blood pressure by relieving our stress. There are scientific reasons for why essentials oils are actually good for you, so stop looking for miracles and focus on the facts behind and the ingredients in the product you are using. There is only one type of essential oil you should be looking at for the best results, 100% pure essential oils. Therapeutic grade is a marketing, not a scientific term.

Posted on

Ammonia-D Danger & Damage: 7 Side-Effects You Should Know

With our current ability to communicate quickly and openly online, there’s no longer any excuses to remain ignorant on all of these Ammonia-D side-effects.

“Ammonia-D” is actually Proctor & Gamble’s version of this public poison, which they put in Windex. What’s the “D” in “Ammonia-D” stand for?

Danger? Death? Dishonesty? Who knows? One thing is certain: the general public is still largely in the dark about Ammonia-D.

Imagine you’re an uncaring, greedy, big chemical company and one of your best-sellers suddenly stopped being ordered by all your big commercial buyers because of OSHA & EPA regulations. You would try to downplay the danger, maybe rename the poison, and recoup some of those losses by selling to an already-busy, over-worked, unsuspecting public.

Long-term exposure tests are still being conducted, but there’s a lot of studies on ammonia already published. I’ve gone ahead and sifted through pages and pages of reports for you.

In no particular order, here’s a quick rundown of 7 major side-effects of Ammonia-D.

  1. Contact can cause skin irritation (like dermatitis), and, with repeated exposure, possibly lead to severe skin damage
  2. Contact can severely burn your eyes, including potential eye damage.
  3. Inhaling Ammonia-D can irritate the nose and throat.
  4. Inhaling Ammonia-D can irritate the lungs.
  5. Higher exposures can severely damage the lungs, causing a build-up of fluid (also known as a pulmonary edema), a medical emergency
  6. Repeated exposure can also cause an asthma-like allergy and permanent airway damage.
  7. Contact with liquid ammonia can cause frostbite(!)

Does this sound like a substance you would want near your pets, friends and family?  Of course not! We wouldn’t wish these Ammonia-D side-effects onto our worst enemies.  And we’re bringing this poison into our homes, spraying it and allowing it to work its way through our air vents, while our children are sleeping.

There’s no longer any reason to keep our head in the sand. Take a stand with me, please, and avoid using these horrible products—at all costs.  Myrna, Green Clean Life Champion!

Posted on

What Does Green Really Mean?

The Environmental Working Group, or EWG, has come out with a “Hall of Shame” list and what it contains will shock and educate you. Many of the products you use in your home contain carcinogens, asthma inhibitors, and toxins. Are you paying more for that name brand cleaner for unregulated product? According to research shown, a staggering 93% of cleaning products in this independent study did not accurately state the contents nor the quantity of contents properly! The EWG research also showed that 53% of the solutions contained chemicals that are hazardous to the lungs and can cause serious damage. To add insult to injury, many of these cleaners also contained common carcinogens like formaldehyde and chlorine, but something even worse lurks around the corner

Being green is one way to combat these pesky, poisonous materials, but that “green” label you see on most products in the store also doesn’t has hidden meanings! Companies have made mild changes to their formula to qualify for these new “green” labels, but it is an attempt to take advantage of a rising market. These cleaning products might as well be toxic moltov-cocktail filled with phthalates, benzene, and phenols. This is why the movement is making so much cash though, because the manufacturer and middle-man are taking advantage of your trust.

You can’t judge a book by its cover, and you can’t trust a label jus because it says green. If you really want a green product that won’t be filled with chemicals, look to natural anti-bacterial replacements like tea tree oil and baking soda. Real Simple Magazine suggests. Lemon juice, cooking oil, and vinegar are some that you can find around the house and start using right away, so what are you waiting for? Time to join the Green Clean Life Movement.

Posted on

Be Wary of Cartoon Vitamins

Everyone remembers getting some sort of delicious gummy in the shape of a famous cartoon character that was supposed to be good for kids. After a certain period of time, parents deem these sugary vitamins unnecessary, and we usually pick them back up in our 30s to 40s. There are so many vitamins, which one is the right one? If the supplements many of our friends and family are taking aren’t making them healthier, then what are they doing?

Several studies from independent sources show that hardly any of the supplements on the market can guarantee any benefit or even show that their product is being absorbed. In some cases, they might even increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mortality due to a raise in free radicals. Of course we need certain vitamins and minerals because certain malnourishments in our body can lead to disease and organ failure.

This leaves us with the tricky question of how do we get enough vitamins in minerals, but avoid improperly digested minerals from crystalizing in our intestines. If you eat a “healthy” diet filled with fruits, veggies, and healthy sources of protein, you are taking a solid step towards proper nourishment. If you are taking vitamins, look for ones that offer high absorption. Some supplements use a special plant-cell casing that can offer up to 22% higher absorption of the nutrients inside! This offers great support to the reduction of free radicals as well work to help fight off inflammation, which is another major cause for cancer and other illnesses.

No one supplement is going to cure all your ailments, make you skinny, or turn back the clock. However, when proper supplementation is taken into account, we can help to combat free radicals and aging. If you trust just any old product though that isn’t certified, green, and patented, then you could be putting yourself in harm way.

 

Posted on

What’s In Your Pet’s Food & Treats?

Just because you bought a bag of dog food from the veterinarian’s office claiming it is a higher quality than supermarket options does not make it nutritional.  One look at the order of the ingredients list will show that the protein comes from grains, or grain by-products such as cornmeal, wheat, & brewers rice rather than from premium meat sources

There are hundreds of brands across the country in grocery stores that mostly contain poultry by-product.  These leftovers consist of feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs, and intestines. Most formulas contain a couple of specialized ingredients to make them appear as a specialized health diet for limitless reasons. The truth is a healthy diet can help keep your dog healthy and happy for much longer, but it must consist of a proper protein source and appropriate nutrition supplementation.

When you’re looking for the best high quality food, look for ingredients like chicken meal or lamb meal to be listed before any grains are. Our family pets are designed by nature to eat protein from meat sources, so the high grain content many pet foods contain is one of the leading contributors to the growing obesity issues in pets. This being said, it isn’t recommended to completely remove grains from your animals diet.

Most people will tell you that “human food” is not good for your pets, while most holistically trained veterinarians encourage the practice of feeding fresh food to our pets. If you do feed them non formulated food, keep it to healthy items such as meat, steamed and finely chopped veggies & fruits, baked sweet potato, rice, oatmeal (and no junk food!) If you feed them this way, remember to lessen the portion of their own food so that they don’t put on extra pounds.

Remember, not all healthy foods for us are good for them. Onions, grapes and raisins can all be toxic to our cats and dogs. If you’re not positive it’s safe for them, don’t feed them it!  And, don’t forget to supplement for things like hip and joint problems.  The correct supplementation can add years to your pet’s life and life to your pet’s years.