***Toxins

We've discussed how toxins can affect our crops and the nutritional value of specific produce and we've discussed how these toxins are harmful but why? Why do we want to reduce toxins around us - they never seemed to hurt us before. I'm sure you've heard it from other generations – “I ate bacon and eggs every day, and I feel great...” But the toxins were as heavy and weren't hidden in virtually everything we subject our children and ourselves back even in the 70s or 80s. Let's first take a quick look at the 5 top places for toxins to hide in everyday life: the life of a mom.

1. Air - Environmental toxins are all around us from our cleaners to the atmosphere. If it isn't absorbed by a product then the air soaks it up and, sadly, we breathe it. Mold - pollen - dust mites etc... According to American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 50% of all Illnesses are either caused or aggravated by polluted indoor air quality.

What exactly is it in the air that causes such a large percent to increase our risk of illnesses? There are many toxins in the air that contribute to the indoor air quality being even 9 times worse than the outdoor air. Each person can be sensitive to a wide array of the various contaminants that lurk in the supposedly clean looking air.

The most common are as follows:

• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
• Airborne Mold Spores
• Dust
• Dust Mites
• Pollen
• Pet dander
• Hair
• Odors
• Tobacco smoke
• A wide range of viruses and bacteria
• A wide array of chemicals such as formaldehyde, toluene, benzene, airborne flame retardants

Since we know that poor indoor air quality increases our risks, what can we do to eliminate these sneaking toxins to protect our health and our family’s health? The easiest and most effective way to purifier our air is naturally with an air purifier. Air purifiers are like many health and wellness products, you want to find the best value for your needs and do some homework. Otherwise, you’ll be picking up a generic, ineffective, high priced unit from a local store because the clerk tells you it is best.

Air purification can be complicated and some units can even increase your risk if you aren’t careful. For instance, ozone is very dangerous and should be avoided, yet there are units that emit ozone. To find the best air purifier for your needs at the best price, visit Air Purifiers Direct 2U online. They have excellent customer service, best prices and best discounts.

When purchasing a home or office air purifier, it is like purchasing any major appliance. You are making an investment and, in this case, a necessary investment for your health so choose the one to best fit your needs. In fact, it is very common to have multiple air purifiers in a home to assure the air is safe.

2. Water - This is scary especially where we live in Illinois. Did you know that sewage can be dumped into the river if our water level is too high. Yuck! Then we put more chemicals like chlorine in the water to kill the YUCKY stuff. Do you want to be drinking chlorine with pesticides? Not me.

Jillian Michaels states in her new book Master Your Metabolism, “The only way to get clean water is to filter religiously…brands differ significantly on what contaminants they do and do not filter.” Whether you are talking with Jillian Michaels or Dr. Mercola, the consensus is still the same: You need to drink filtered water.

There are all levels of filtration from carbon filters (Carbon block is better than just a carbon filter) to distilled water. Please before you say you drink bottled water, you should know that bottled water is not an eco-friendly business nor is it a filtered water business. Yes, some bottles do say filtered but it is very hard to find out exactly what they filter.

A few major contaminants that you definitely want filtered from your water are the following:

• Lead
• Pesticides & Agricultural Pollutants like atrazine, methoxychlor
• Heavy Metals- Mercury and Cadmium
• Particle matter, debris
• Industrial pollutants – toluene, chlorobenzene
• Chlorine

Ideally, you’ll want to understand what is being filtered, to what degree, and is it certified by Water Quality Association (WQA). For pennies a day, you can enjoy real filtered water that is certified to strict ANSI/NSF Standards 42 and 53 by the Water Quality Association to reduce lead and over 50 other contaminants. Visit REAL FITLERED WATER to learn more.

It is critical to drink purified water because according to Institute of Medicine the recommended amount of water for a woman is 90 ounces and a man 125 ounces. Although this does include water that is already included in other foods we eat and drink like soups and vegetable, pure and clean water is still the most direct way for our bodies to absorb the water.

3. Cleaners - This is a killer. No, really. Mom's whether you clean your homes or hire someone, you still breathe these strong toxic chemicals. These chemicals are already proven to increase the risk of diseases and to deteriorate your immune systems.

According to a 15-year study presented at the Toronto Indoor Air Conference, women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than those who work away from home. The study concluded that this was a direct result of the increased exposure to toxic chemicals, many of which are found in common household products.

Why have them? You have tons of other options without the toxins. In fact, now numerous businesses have jumped on the “green” bandwagon. So much so that now we are seeing what is called Green Washing. Green Washing is when a product is green in nature, but the mother company, so to speak, is not. For example, Green Works is a green cleaner. However, the mother company also produces Clorox which we all know is anything but green, kind of contradictory, huh?

So now you are faced with just 2 important questions:

• Should you use toxic cleaners that may increase your risk of diseases or green cleaners?
• Where do you want your money to go? To companies that ultimately produce more toxic cleaners or to companies that produce more green, safe cleaners?

There are many companies that are truly green and eco-friendly. It is for us to change to protect our families. Change is a good thing and, in this case, can save us money if we focus on concentrated and effective products. Sloan Barnett mentions a number of various companies that she recommends in Green Goes with Everything. Get Clean, that was featured on Oprah a number of times, is an easy way to replace all the cleaners in your home with safe, effective cleaners from laundry to bathrooms to windows. It has it all because it is very versatile. In fact, Oprah stated, “It’s amazing. You can clean the windows. You can clean the counters. You can clean the floors. You can clean the dishes. You can clean everything…Love it. Love that H2.”

4. Food/Supplements - processed, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, premade foods, fast food (actually restaurant food), - these all have heavy amounts of chemicals in them so that we can store the food longer and keep it longer. Guess what? It keeps longer even in our bodies too. It doesn't break down as easily and as quickly as pure healthy foods so that our bodies can use it. It causes our hormones in our system to get out of whack and then the whole snowball effect takes place: gain weight, stressed out, add more 'chemicals', lower energy.... One hormone is related to another.

Our bodies are smart, but we keep throwing more toxins at them until the point they can't understand anymore. Fruits, veggies, meats and dairy are all ladened with chemicals so choose organic for the foods you eat most. In general the foods we eat simply don't have the nutrition that our bodies' crave. That is why Supplementation is a must to maintain a healthy body and, thereby, reduce your risk of illnesses.

Supplementation is a whole topic of its own with toxins. Protein drinks with mercury and cadmium. Fish oil with mercury. Prenatal vitamins and children vitamins with lead in them. The FDA doesn’t regulate supplements so it is difficult to keep a handle on them Again, greed sometimes takes over and fads start to guide businesses instead of science and results.

Critical Keys when Choosing a Company:

• Only buy from companies that use 3rd party testing
• Natural food supplements
• Cold processing
• Patents
• Real Clinical Studies

Our preference is the #1 Natural nutritional company in the US because their standards are always high, quality is consistent, and the focus is your health and safety. When other companies where pumping out ephedrine by the truck loads, this company didn’t produce it because of the harmful side effects. Click here to learn more.

5. Lastly skin care and personal care products - this is where society sneaks in the chemicals. Products that we feel are totally safe - shampoo, face wash, etc. Yet, many of these products have been found to increase the risk of cancer and other illnesses.

Environmental Working Group did an analysis of more than 23,000 cosmetic and personal care products. The results are as follows:

• 1 of every 30 products sold in the US fails to meet one or more of the standards set by the industry itself or by the government. So much for the government keeping an eye on these guys.
• Nearly 4000 products sold in the US contain chemicals that are prohibited for use in cosmetics in other countries
• More than 400 products contain ingredients that cosmetic industry’s own safety panels have found unsafe when used as directed on the product labels.
• An astonishing 98% of all products contain one or more ingredients never publicly assessed for safety.
---- Sloan Barnett - Green Goes with Everything

Although these facts are scary, don't worry, you don't have to give up sexy skin because you give up toxins. You have options. Choose a company whose philosophy is to protect your health by eliminating toxins. This way, your skin and personal care products will be treated just like anything else your body will digest or absorb like a vitamin for your skin.

Choose Safe Skin Care and personal care products by avoiding ingredients like parabens, petroleum distillates (phthalates), forms of formaldehyde such as imidazolidinyl urea, and DEA. Formaldehyde among other toxic chemicals is often found in facial cleansers and moisturizers. This particular toxin is tricky because it has many aliases. It is harmful to the immune system, is a known carcinogen, is linked to DNA damage and even Lou Gehrig’s disease. These toxins obviously can increase your risks of diseases and lower your immunity.

If you want to reduce your risk of illnesses especially cancer, then join us by choosing nontoxic options. As a USA, family owned business, OttersDream.com offers everything you need to reduce your risk of illnesses. Visit our nontoxic living store at www.HealthandHarmonyLLC.com and our air purifier supercenter for lowest prices and best value at www.airpurifiersdirect2u.com. Rest assured that your products will be the best value for your hard earned money.

Note: If you don't want to reduce your risk of illnesses, don't want to support a local US, family owned business, and don't want to use quality products, then save your time and don't bother reading this.