Pernicious Plastics Part 2

Get yourself informed about Plastics in your life!

Welcome to the Sunday Herbalist Newsletter

Well how did you go detecting phthalates in your everyday household products? Well let me tell you how I found it nearly everywhere I looked.

So, there it is in the shampoo and conditioner – and the soap – and the hand cleaner - plus the washing up liquid which particularly shocked me. Dish washing detergent has the ingredient fragrance (code for phthalate) for heaven’s sake.

Time to go to the health food shop and buy from their lines of truly eco-friendly products. I am going to keep looking I hope you do too – its nearly everywhere.

Here is a hint look at your room / air freshener in the loo – odds on it has parfum or fragrance as an ingredient. I found it at home awhile back and made my own proper anti-toilet smell fragrance with alcohol glycerin and and essential oils. Works fine - no phthalates.

Next step in our journey is talking about volatile organic compounds or the shorthand term VOC. These are organic chemicals that are part of the manufacture process which then evaporate off over the lifetime of the item. It’s the new car smell or smell of a popular auto parts shop.

Now, let me tell you a story. At one time I am working in high security building complex where everything that enters the inner perimeter has to be scanned for explosives radiation and biological agents. A range of detection devices are used for this.

The arrival of new chairs and furniture always set off the monitors with the volatile chemicals VOC. They had to stand out in the sun to air off before being let through to the main building, and that took a few days sometimes even a week before the all clear was given.

So, imagine the air you breathe inside an office with all the plastic furnishings and carpet etc. You may not even smell it but you are exposed to this daily breathing it in. The term you will hear for this release of chemicals is outgassing – sounds like one of those terrible American verbs.

My neighbour a long time ago told me about all this. She was chemically sensitive (a human canary in the coal mine). I didn’t pay enough attention at the time – I do know.
Just so you know some of the chemicals (VOC) are outgassed are Formaldehyde, benzene, ethylene glycol, methylene chloride, tetrachloroethylene, toluene, xylene and others.

VOC also come from car exhausts, building surface chemicals. burning solid fuels and industry manufacturing.

Click on this link to go to the Commonwealth Government State of the Environment report 2016 about REPORT that talks about VOC.

Now the Corona virus or CONVID19

So you have just returned from the Supermarket with the last of the rice and toilet paper what else can you do?

You already know the common sense actions such as masks hand washing reducing physical contact that you have been told about.

What about bolster your immune system for starters! using good food and some simple household items. Try the following simple actions

As mentioned above greatly increase your vitamin C levels. Most of us are deficient in Vitamin C as it is. We are an unusual animal in that we do not make our own Vitamin C as other animals do.
- Oranges have varying levels of Vitamin C so a prepared orange juice with added Vitamin C is a good choice
- Rose hip syrup or Blackcurrant juice are good choices
- Vitamin C tablets (sodium ascorbate)

How to take it – Use the sodium ascorbate form, take with meals, build up your dosage gradually 250 mg at a time. Vitamin C is very safe and the easiest way to determine your individual need is the bowel tolerance test. That means the amount of Vitamin C necessary to give you loose stools. When that happens back off the dose.

Tea tree oil and Eucalyptus oil – Either applied in a dilute form (diluted in olive oil for instance) onto the skin, your handkerchief or mask is a powerful ally against viruses. Also you could have it in an essential oil vaporiser so that it wafts around your house shop or workplace.

Eat more Fresh Fruit and vegetables Eat less processed food. This pretty simple nutrition where you will be eating more mineral and vitamins plus fibre and less sugar, salt and preservatives and artificial flavouring agents. A foundation for better health for everyone.

Kelp powder or tablets – a personal favourite I add this powder to nearly all dishes. It supplies a broad range of minerals especially the ones we are so commonly deficient in such as Zinc, Iodine and Selenium. Easy to use, with no yucky flavour.

As always if matters progress to a more serious state contact your health care provider whoever that may be.

ACTIONS TO GAIN TRACTION

Remember the plastics code

4, 5, 1 & 2 - all the rest are bad for you.

Got it?

The Sunday Herbalist