Deodorant: Toxins in your Pits?

We're getting a little personal early on today! I'm going to talk about one of the most toxin laden sites on our bodies.... a site that needs some desperate help and is oft' overlooked when it comes to health and wellness.

So, today's the day we start thinking about detoxing ....our pits (yes, armpits!). Using standard commercial deodorant/antiperspirants are one of the most toxic things you can do to your body. Why?
  • Because of the chemicals in most commercial deodorants (especially the aluminum based ones,)
  • Because our armpits are highly populated with lymph nodes.... lymph nodes help remove and transport toxins and fight infection in our bodies, and they cannot work well if they are clogged with the ingredients in your current deodorant.

Why put a toxic product so close to your breasts?..... We need to be protecting and supporting our "girls" instead of hurting them! Right??

My challenge to you as we begin cleaning up our lives is to give an alternative product a chance, but first... DETOX!  When switching over to safer deodorant, most of our initial body odor comes from not detoxing first, so when you first switch to a healthier deodorant... your switch may be short lived, simply because (without detoxing), odor will erupt from your pits!! So let's do this right.....and begin by detoxing. ​
THEN, after you have done this at least once (it may take more than once), begin using an alternative and CLEAN deodorant.  Here is a great article on how to detox effectively.. And after you've done that, it's time to clean up our act and give our pits a little love. How?
  • Make your own safe deodorant! (there are tons of EO deodorant recipes on line to try, but these will get you started).
  • Use Thieves Toothpaste.... yes people, a little dab will do ya'! What's good for your mouth is also good for your pits! It is like free flying at first (very cool), but no odor and works like a charm if you don't mind the initial cool feeling after first applying. If you are an uncomplicated traveler, you will find this solution to be ideal! One product = two jobs
  • Young Living sells clean deodorants too... Aromaguard Meadow Mist as well as Aromaguard Mountain Mint.

The challenge today is that we all become healthier this year, and this is a great place to start!

Thieves Oral Care Products: Dragon Breath got you down?

Let's face it, bad breath stinks......It's also the 3rd most common reason (behind tooth decay and gum disease) that people seek dental care. Chronic halitosis (that's the medical term) affects 25% of us. Yikes. If you are the one with chronic stinky breath, it can also cause emotional distress, so we need to keep this bad boy odor under control. But every single one of us has had bad breath at one time or another in our lives...... occasional dragon breath just comes with the territory of being a human. The bigger question is this: How do we deal with it?

​Let's dissect this body system phenomenon.

Causes:
  • Oral hygiene. Poorly cared for mouths = simply put, if food particles are left too long in the mouth, bacteria builds camp. Bad bacteria is known for some pretty noxious odors.... ask any microbiologist! ​
  • What did you have for lunch? Onions, garlic, coffee, tuna.... these are some of the top offenders
  • Smoking & excessive alcohol intake
  • Poor gut health
  • Body system dysfunctions (including bowel dysfunction, liver, and kidney disorders and diabetes)
  • Tooth decay that is left unchecked
  • Certain Crash diets (tend to cause a buildup of ketones)
  • Dehydration.... or dry mouth
  • Allergies/ mucous production
  • Lung, throat, or nasal infections
  • Candida overload
  • Chronic Acid Reflux
  • Certain auto immune disorders that cause dry mouth as a side effect
  • Medications. (a few culprits include: antihistamines, certain antidepressants, certain blood pressure medications, anticholinergics).

Helpful Hints for Halitosis:
  • Restore your gut balance (remember my email about Life 9 and gut health?)
  • Brush, floss and care for your teeth... they're the only set you'll ever get for free!
  • See your dentist on a regular basis for checkups
  • Do your best to identify YOUR source of Halitosis.... Honestly, sometimes you will not be able to correct the root cause

The Pharmacist's (me!) 2 cents: I see two common mouth rinses used to combat halitosis. Chlorhexidine (Peridex- a prescription product) and Cetylpyridium chloride (an ingredient found in many OTC mouthwashes). Sadly, both of these can stain the teeth yellow or brown if used for any length of time. A third ingredient also found in OTC mouthwashes is called chlorine dioxide. This particular product does not discolor teeth over time, but the efficacy per rinse is only about 45 minutes..... not so great if you are looking for a longer lasting solution.

Regardless if you have morning breath, ate a plate of onion rings for lunch, or have chronically bad breath, I'd encourage you to give the Thieves Oral Care product line a try. We have been using the mouthwash, and toothpaste exclusively for a few years now, and have had nothing but stellar reports from our dentist since we began doing so. Young Living also carries a children's toothpaste, a nifty Thieves dental floss, Breath Mints, AND one of my favorite products..... Thieves lozenges.
There is also a Thieves Lozenge for scratchy throats and coughs, but I also use them whenever I feel like I might have bad breath. As you probably know.....Thieves is a powerhouse immune support product, and the oral care line is no exception. If you are a science guy or gal, you will likely find this article in Dentistry Today an interesting one! Our dentist is a believer in the powerful influence Thieves has on our oral health too.

Like all Young Living products, the Thieves toothpaste has no harmful or toxic ingredients. This includes Fluoride. The urban legend that we must have fluoride in our toothpaste to have healthy teeth is patently false. Daily doses of fluoride in the form of toothpaste is actually toxic on many levels. Even if you spit all of the toothpaste out, you've absorbed a great deal thru your inner cheeks and tongue....one of the quickest delivery systems in our body (why do you think nitroglycerin tablets are placed under their tongue when someone has an episode with a heart condition called angina?).
You can read more about the toxic effects of Fluoride here. Absent too from Thieves toothpaste are the low toxin load foaming agents..... it may feel a little weird at first...brushing without foaming like a rabid dog....but trust me, your teeth, mouth, and tongue are getting safely cleaned and sanitized better than by using your old drugstore brand, AND your breath will be much fresher and HOLD that freshness longer than you can imagine.

So there you have it... take care of your choppers and diversify your Thieves holdings in your home. Be sure to include Thieves Mouthwash and Toothpaste in your next ER order! If you've made it this far and DON'T have Essential Rewards as part of your life, please contact me and I can give you the scoop on what you've been missing out on all this time.

Dental Care

Did you know that the average American uses about 20 gallons of toothpaste in their lifetime? Of course we don't swallow most of that, but the mouth has an absorption efficiency of about 90%. Pharmaceutical companies know this and utilize that little nugget of information..... creating medications that are rapidly absorbed and quick to hit a target organ. Think of those nitroglycerin tablets people use when their heart is acting irregularly. The tablet provides rapid relief.

​But what if you were to put something in your mouth that was potentially toxic that was then rapidly absorbed? None of us would intentionally do that, right? Remember, what you don't know CAN hurt you. While the FDA does have a purpose..... it fails mightily in many ways. The topic of fluoride is one of them. 99% of western continental Europe has rejected, banned, or stopped fluoridation due to environmental, health, legal, or ethical concerns. Whoa. But isn't fluoride helpful? That's what we typically hear from most dentists. Cities add fluoride to our water. So there must be a reason for that too, right? ​
In my walk towards optimal wellness, I've learned that sometimes the best and most beautiful path means taking the road less travelled. Investigate. Read road signs along the way. Check out historical markers. Walk with your eyes and ears wide open. In other words, don't just follow the masses without doing your own thinking and interpreting of data. There is enormous pushback from the media on the subject of fluoride. Fluoridation is a multi-billion dollar industry and they won't go down without a fight.

The problem with Fluoride:
  • It's an endocrine disrupter
  • It negatively affects thyroid function (if you already have thyroid insufficiency, this is especially bad news)
  • It disrupts the synthesis of collagen (collagen is an important component of our joints, skin, tendons, and ligaments. It keeps us moving easily and smoothly without discomfort)
  • It inactivates or inhibits more than 150 enzymatic pathways in the body. Enzyme insufficiency of any sort will have detrimental effects on your overall health. 
  • It disrupts the immune system
  • It facilitates dementia
  • It increases the risk of bone fractures
  • It increases the risk of infertility both in men and women

If fluoride does all these things, then why is it an additive in standard toothpaste? I have my own personal opinion, but manufacturers claim it is good for our teeth..... despite the evidence indicating otherwise. (Non fluoridated countries have no greater incidence of cavities). Don't even get me started on the  triclosan or SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate ) .... two other health altering ingredients commonly used in standard oral care.

Young Living continues to stand in the gap for us, by providing us with toxin free products that only improve our wellness walk. Oral care is no exception.
If you struggle with oral health, these products will likely help you overcome those struggles without enduring harsh chemicals or heavy metal exposure (yes, fluoride is considered a heavy metal.... another reason it adds to our toxin load). 

The Essential Rewards program is a perk filled way to buy 'maintenance products' on a monthly basis. We all buy toothpaste anyway, and it behooves us to buy SAFE toothpaste and oral care products don'tcha think? It is a totally free program that rewards us with free products, discounted shipping, and points (redeemable for product) earned simply by buying what we need anyway. I would encourage you to check it out if you haven't already. Give me a shout if you are not sure how to set it up on your account.

Go show your choppers (and your body) some love and order Thieves Toothpaste on your next order. You can also show your pocketbook some love too when you order it using Essential Rewards.

Cool Azul: Get of the bench and back into the game

I just got back from my boot camp workout this morning, and although I'm feeling a bit sore, it's a good kind of pain..... the kind that lets you know you've accomplished something.... not the other kind... the one that is your warning signal of something gone awry. Like me, I'm sure you've experienced both kinds of pain, so you know what I'm talking about. Our bodies certainly do speak to us.

​Being a 'gym rat' is a fairly new concept for me... a late in life one at that. I always felt like I got my workouts in simply by working on the farm and 'doing life'. And up until the age of 48, I felt like that was enough. Midway thru that monumental year, I had a very significant run in with our bull, and ended up in the hospital. I'll give you the cliff notes version .... I very nearly lost my left foot, and spent about 6 months in intensive recovery. The experience taught me a great deal, not the least of which is this..... Regardless of your health situation, it is important to keep moving. My injury involved broken and dislocated bones, severed tendons, and soft tissue & nerve damage. I now have hardware in my leg that is a permanent part of my recovery. And yet, I do not walk with a limp. I give credit where credit is due, and in this case, the EMT's, a great surgeon, and our wonderful God all blessed me with great care and healing. But I had to do my part too. That part involved working hard to get past the initial discomfort of intensive physical therapy after having to be mostly sedentary for nearly 4 months. It also meant that my 'new normal' ​
necessitates that I move certain joints regularly, or like the tin man, I simply won't be able to move easily. This is where my new 'gym rat' moniker comes in.... (although my workout buddies and I typically meet in a parking lot!). What I've found is this:
  • If you don't move it, you WILL lose it
  • if you don't use it regularly, you'll have to 'work the rusty parts' loose or they will get so rusty they won't function at all (painful and annoying) 
  • If you've significantly damaged some part of your body in your life, you will have to work extra to keep those parts in good working order
  • Unless your doctor tells you differently, you've got to push thru the pain to get thru to the other side of recovery.

Whether you're like me, and have to occasionally push thru discomfort in order to make 'it' (whatever 'it' is for you) happen or you are a weekend warrior, I'd encourage you to give Cool Azul a try. Just as it sounds.... this blend provides cool relief.  Young Living has given us 3 oil infused options in the Cool Azul Family to help us with our daily locomotion.

  • Cool Azul Pain Relief Cream : Oh. My. Goodness. Young Living rolled out the red carpet for our achy joints and muscles... and enlisted the help of wintergreen, chamomile, peppermint, sage, oregano, copaiba, tea tree, lavender, blue cypress, elemi, dorado azul, and more.....a little goes a VERY long way. It is the first oil infused FDA approved OTC product of its kind. You can watch a short video that explains how Cool Azul works: Cool Azul Pain Relief Cream Video
  • Cool Azul Sports Gel : This is the original gym bag version. Some like cream... some like gel. You pick.
  • Cool Azul Essential Oil Blend: Feeling the urge to make your own topical roller bottle blend but not sure where to start? No worry... just get this instead, add the carrier oil of your choice, and you'll be good to go!

I don't need to use my Cool Azul every day, but on the days that I do need it..... I'm thankful I've got it on hand. I use it to augment the benefits I reap from Agilease and Sulfurzyme (supplements I take daily). 

A quick reminder: one of the active constituents of wintergreen oil is methyl salicylate. It has amazing pain relieving properties, but like another salicylate (Aspirin), it should not be used without a doctor's approval if you are currently on prescription blood thinners. As with all oil products, be sure to avoid eyes and mucous membranes.

The Seedlings Line

Babies are our world's most precious resource, and yet, without vigilance and intentional living most babies arrive bearing a toxin load in their little bodies.

The Environmental Working Group commissioned studies with five independent laboratories to examine the umbilical cord blood of 10 babies of African-American, Hispanic and Asian heritage and found more than 200 chemicals in each newborn.

"We know the developing fetus is one of the most vulnerable populations, if not the most vulnerable, to environmental exposure," said Anila Jacobs, EWG senior scientist. "Their organ systems aren't mature and their detox methods are not in place, so cord blood gives us a good picture of exposure during this most vulnerable time of life."
The first three years of a baby's life are the most critical in terms of development, and it's vitally important to limit babies’ exposure to toxins so that every baby has the chance to develop into a healthy adult. Contrary to popular belief, the FDA does not protect us from toxins the way it should. While the European FDA has banned over 1000 toxins found in skin care products, the USA FDA has only banned 8! Sadly, this holds true for baby products too. It is up to us.... the consumer, parent, guardian, and care giver .... to be vigilant and protect our tribe. 

Products of concern for babies are Shampoo, soap, conditioner, body wash, wipes, lotion, bubble bath, baby oil and sunscreen especially! 

Chemicals commonly found within these products include: 1, 4-Dioxane, formaldehyde, formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, fragrance (if a company uses this word, it is an approved mask for over 300 additional chemicals!), phthalates, parabens, octinoxate, benzophenones, ethanolamines and nitrosamines. I would encourage you to familiarize yourself with all of these toxins and what daily exposure to them can do to our body and our baby's body. 

Thankfully, Young Living has recently released an entire line of baby care products, aptly named YL Seedlings. These amazing baby products are formulated to be naturally gentle, safe, and pure. They are toxin free and infused with Young Living’s exclusive calming blend of essential oils, ​
including lavender, bergamot, coriander, geranium, and ylang ylang. Formulated without sulfates, parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals, synthetic preservatives, synthetic fragrances, or synthetic dyes. Dermatologist tested and hypoallergenic. Formulated with plant-based, naturally derived ingredients.

​One of the things I love most about Young Living is that I do not have to read labels and dissect ingredients. I know that whatever I buy will be a healthy alternative to whatever mainstream product I'm in need of. The YL Seedling line is no exception! 

I'll keep this email short, but you can click on each product to see more details about each!

Skin in the Game: Healthy Alternatives to Toxic Personal Care Products

Thanks for continuing on your education journey with me! My hope is that you find nuggets of useful information in these emails, and that they are empowering you to make changes in how you care for and love on yourself. That might sound selfish or self-centered, but honestly, the opposite is true. If you are not caring well for yourself, you likely cannot care well for others. 

​We've talked about kicking harsh chemicals to the curb.... the villains under the sink that you know are toxic to you, your family, and to your pets. I'm proud of you for making that switch a few months back! Don't feel like this is an 'all or nothing' concept. Succeeding in removing known toxins from your home takes baby steps or it can be easily overwhelming. Today, we're going to address skin care. ​

While we can recognize the big (toxin) guns under our sink, don't you find it odd that toxin laden skincare is rarely discussed? I do.  No aspect of the skincare industry is exempt. Shampoo,
conditioner, soap, body wash, lotion, sunscreen, moisturizers, toners, and cosmetics. While the European FDA equivalent has banned over 1000 toxic chemicals for use in skin care products, the US FDA has banned fewer than 10. ​

That means that you and I are left to decipher labels and determine what is safe and what is not. I have a pretty good noggin, but I certainly haven't memorized the list of all toxic ingredients. This is just a short list of some of the more frequent offenders:
  • Parabens
  • Phthalates
  • SLS (Sodium laureth sulfate... a biggie!)
  • Fragrance (the nebulous word that can hide about 300 toxin laden chemicals)
  • Triclosan
  • Formaldehyde
  • Toluene
  • Synthetic colors (ex: D&C Red 27 or FD&C blue 1)
  • Propylene glycol 
  • Chemicals found in sunscreen (There is debate on what's more dangerous.... the sun or the sunscreen?) Before the introduction of Young Living's Sunscreen, I rarely used anything.... finding sunscreen to be far more dangerous than the sun itself.

You can read more about each of these classes of ingredients in a great Huffington Post article HERE.

I am just thankful that Young Living makes one stop shopping as easy as ordering on Amazon.... easier even, because you don't have to read labels.... knowing that the products are safe. 

Young Living has given us safe alternatives and are constantly coming up with new products to fill in the gaps. Not only concerned with safety, their products contain beneficial ingredients for our skin, scalp, and yes..... even our emotions. For those of you multi-taskers, that's quite an accomplishment..... and all before even leaving the bathroom. Never forget the power that these oil infused products have on our health and emotional wellness! 
If you are not sure if the product you are currently using is safe, I'd encourage you to take some time to look each one up in EWG.org. This website grades products according to safety. I think you'll be surprised at the results. This is another beautiful thing about Young Living and their member Rewards program. We buy all these skin care products anyway.... and YL literally 'pays' us to be healthy with all the points we accumulate thru this program (that can be used to purchase products on future orders) . Trading in unhealthy products for healthy ones is just too easy this way!

But the best thing? Not having to memorize 990+ toxins and reading labels every time I want to purchase something! My brain is full enough already.

Enjoy your day, and spend a little time figuring which product will be the first to get booted out of your bathroom.

Elizabeth James

469.425.9091
ebj0203@gmail.com