Clean bathroom fixtures and a tidy kitchen are not the only way to gauge a home's health index. As a teen I spent a great deal of time around a friend's home that onlookers would have sworn had a revolving front door. Set in a college town, that little house thrummed with the activity of older siblings coming and going, career parents on the run and a bevy of student boarders from all over the world calling it home. There was rarely a bare square inch of counter space in the kitchen for all the dishes that constantly needed washing, the laundry machines were never still and there was the subtle but continuous jockeying for an available bathroom.

They had a professional cleaning lady of sorts who gave the place little more than a lick and a promise once a week. You could not tell much more than six hours later if she had been there or not. The amazing thing I now recall from the years that I observed and participated in that milling microcosm, is that there was never a sick person among us, never more than a mild dose of the sniffles. Above the nearly always full kitchen sink, there hung a framed motto: "Our home is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy."

Scientists are now offering a good deal of support to this healthy home philosophy, giving academic credibility to the thinking that generations of homemakers have intuitively relied on to save their sanity. According to the "hygiene hypothesis", a certain skimming of bacteria and viruses in our everyday environments can be very beneficial, in fact even necessary in order to not compromise our immune systems. Ironically, this pro-germ thinking is coming to the forefront just when body soaps, laundry detergents and household cleansers infused with antibacterial chemicals have conquered supermarket shelves and invaded household cabinets. Latex gloves and protective masks are not that difficult to find in many homes either. Of course, it is precisely this hyperconscious cleanliness that helped precipitate the hypothesis.

The hygiene hypothesis contends that if during early childhood, an environment does not provide exposure to particular infectious microorganisms, an individual's immune system will be deprived of a valuable education. The expansive term "bacterial lipopolysaccharides", refers to a bacterial module that acts as the immune system's educator, stimulating certain immune system cells into protective action. Simplistically put, the hygiene hypothesis suggests that our increasing fixation with antibacterial sprays, wipes and soaps is removing too many of these important bacterial modules that need to be present to trigger the child's antibodies into developing.

Even as the national angst about stocking up on latex gloves and protective masks builds in anticipation of H1N1 and other maladies, there is a slowly growing movement of mothers across the country who are consciously encouraging their kids to play in what they call 'healthy dirt'. They then refuse to use antibacterial soaps when cleaning the children up afterwards. They recognize that regular soap and a good scrubbing is still a reliable way reduce bacteria counts to healthily manageable amounts that allow most people's immune systems to function optimally.

Ironically, locating a soap in the grocery or drug store that does not have an antibacterial label is not such an easy task anymore, but it is very likely worth the search. The axiom "clean enough to be healthy, dirty enough to be happy" is something we should keep in mind the next time we ponder which cleansing products to buy.

Posted under Allergies

A new baby is a beautiful and indescribable blessing to any family. Months of preparation and anticipation lead up to the climactic birth day. All is well it seems, mother and baby are doing wonderfully and in a day or two will head home. From the warm, safe, and very recognizable to the baby, environment of moms womb, what environment, what cocoon will provide your baby safety from here on out?

Once at home your baby may be faced with an endless array of gifts from family, friends and coworkers that are not safe. These chemical ridden, eye candy-type of blankets and sleepers can affect your child for the rest of his or her life. That is unless you specify during pregnancy that your baby will be wrapped in only the safest and best 100% cotton organic materials possible. This will ensure safe and cozy crib bedding for your sweet baby. Why cotton and why organic?

Certain clothes, especially permanent press, wrinkle free and water resilient fabrics are dipped or sprayed in formaldehyde, which is also used as embalming fluid. Many fabrics on sofas, chairs and carpets are preserved with harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde. Formaldehyde has some alias names to look for: Formalin, Methanal, Methyl aldehyde, Methylene oxide, Morbicid acid and Oxymethylene.

In any home, and especially next to the baby in the crib or anywhere in nursery decor, the materials will have a direct impact on the health and long term safety of a small child. Remember that when formaldehyde or other fabric-preservatives are in conjunction with synthetic materials, or even on top of so-called natural materials derived from plants that are pesticide sprayed, you have the ingredients for a toxic soup.

With constant contact, any person, and especially a small person will acquire sensitivities. These sensitivities are actually meant to be a warning signal that something is not right, to look at what is happening and make changes for the better.

Sensitivities are what many call allergies. An allergic reaction can appear as benign as a slight skin rash, or unbearable dermatitis. Allergies can also come on unexpectedly as a life threatening asthma attack or anaphylactic shock. No need for scare tactics though; it is enough said that any of those aforementioned reactions are not what you want for a newborn infant or any person.

What to Do If You Suspect Allergies?

What to Do If You Suspect Allergies?

First of all you must stop all contact with the irritant whether it is a food, a fabric, an environmental contaminant such as air, water, etc. This is most crucial when dealing with allergic reactions suffered by the very young or the very old.

The body is equipped with digestive juice factories. Some are located in the mouth, some in the stomach, some juices that digest travel from the liver and pancreas through the hepatopancreatic duct to supply digestive help in the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine.

Over time, when a person does not eat mineral and enzyme rich foods, the bodys built in enzyme-producing factories run out of those necessary enzymes. At this point the human body begins showing signs such as allergies or early aging; then, it is important that 75% - 80% of all foods ingested should be raw or lightly cooked.

Not only during times of allergy outbreak, I recommend that dairy be avoided completely, along with any food that looks white or colorless, processed meats canned or pre-packaged foods and sugars. In addition, having a good naturopath or nutritional counselor will create the support the parent needs to do the right thing for children who struggle with allergies.

Creating Green Environments is going to be our best ally for the future. Begin small and add something healthy and organic to your home each month. Eating whole and natural creates whole Human Beings. Expectant parents should begin now. Start by throwing out dead foods and replace them one by one with live food. Get older children involved in the making-home-green process. As they grow they will carry good habits forward.

Each baby is a new beginning for a family. Make it a fresh start for new and healthy resolutions for your sweet family. Look for whole and green everywhere. Live for the next generations to ensure they also have a lush green earth to enjoy.

Ellen Valentine is a nutritionist and naturopath dedicated to organic living. Organics today, a Green Earth tomorrow Wholeness is Wellness. Organics today, a Green Earth tomorrow

Posted under Allergies

Several in-duct systems are equipped with air filters to improve their performance. As a matter of fact, they really do not perform so well without the air cleansing devices. You might want to bear that in mind for all time.

How to decide which air filter best suits an application is not something a lot of people are aware of. It takes some technical knowledge, and that knowledge you can find by talking to some mechanical engineer or something. Unless you can glean it off of the Internet.

The types of air filters used in airplanes are similar to those used in high rise buildings. Because of the density of the air that high up - or the lack thereof - and other properties that it possesses, the air filter has to be able to work optimally there. However, they are not the same, and you should know that. Don't mix up your air filters when you are using them.

The pollutants in the air cannot all be removed, especially when you are in an open space. However, the amount of it that you breathe in can be regulated if you have the right type of air conditioning. Those things have air filters in them, you know. They help to keep you safe.

The very best air filters are also the types that you have to work the hardest to maintain. They are the HEPA type, and you have to replace them frequently because they soon get blocked with all the particles that they catch.

The better air filters certainly cost more, you know that. If you are only looking to get by the moment, though, you can try something a bit less expensive. Afterward, you can have it changed to the better type.

Depending on the cost of air filters you are using, you might want to keep an eye on how often you have them changed. At least, you should strive to use the utility out of them before you go ahead with it.

The home-wide solution for air filtration should not be the small type of air filter. Those are efficient in small rooms, but in larger spaces, they don't do so well. You should get the bigger type for this because that is what they are made for. You will do well to remember that, so that you always use your air filters in the applications they are designed for.

Pleated air filters are not quite in the same caliber as the HEPA type. They don't work quite as well for tiny particles, but they are great for dust and other larger pollutants. They have a great application in regions where dust is a problem.

You know there are particles in the air around you, and you know they are harmful. You know then that you need air filters in as many systems as you can afford. Even if you don't get 100% protection from antigens in the air, at least you get some.

Posted under Allergies

Perhaps we could live without air filters, but I don't suppose the prognosis on that is very good. Sure, the people in the olden days did it, but there really weren't all that healthy. Besides, they not only had better immune systems, but they certain lacked the chemical contaminations that are making life so much hell these days. There simply are too many air borne infections out there. You should not try being without air filters.

You probably don't have a clue how many particles are in the air around you. Even with air filters, some still get past into your respiratory system, sometimes causing sickness and infection. Without the filters, we could all be ridden with disease, for real.

You know there are particles in the air around you, and you know they are harmful. You know then that you need air filters in as many systems as you can afford. Even if you don't get 100% protection from antigens in the air, at least you get some.

Just about every home is fitted with air conditioning these days, and the air conditioning has got to have air filters in it. You just don't have a clue - do you? - just how much your life hangs on air filters at this time. You had better get some.

In your home and office, you have air filters. Sure you are not aware of it because you aren't an engineer or something. However, they are what makes your air breathable, otherwise, you could be dead already. Hate to seem so melodramatic, but it's true.

The environment isn't clean and healthy, and you know it. Why else is so much being spent on air filters all the time? The time has come to awaken, and begin to take steps to stay alive yourself.

You should know of the dozens of consumer products on the market that sport air filters. You should know which ones to choose for each instance you find yourself in. You don't want to contact a disease now, do you? You should know to understand air filters and use them well.

If a machine as unfeeling your vehicle needs an air filter to help clean out pollutants in the air that gets into its engine, I wonder how badly your body would need them too. You don't want to fool around trying to live without air filters. You could die of disease in very little time, and you would have no one else to blame than yourself for not doing the smart thing.

Indoor pollutants can do you in faster than you can imagine; and more thoroughly too. For that reason, they have air filters everywhere to try to keep you safe. They do what they can, but really, there are no guarantees.

There is a reason air filters were invented. It was because the air was getting too dangerous to breathe. You know how they say they don't know what causes asthma and a lot of those respiratory diseases? That isn't entirely accurate. It's the particles. Perhaps you want to take another look at the air filters, and maybe get a few for your home too.

If you have children, you may want to look into an air purifier in the baby room to help your child sleep more restfully. Clean room air filters can be portable and include hepa room air filters.

Posted under Allergies

A new baby is a beautiful and indescribable blessing to any family. Months of anticipation lead up to an indescribable day for families in-waiting. Babies go from the warm, safe and very recognizable environment of mom's womb to the outside world. Will the outside environment be as supportive as mom's body?

Once at home your baby may be faced with an endless array of gifts from family, friends and coworkers that are not safe. Unless you specify during pregnancy that your baby will be wrapped in only the safest and best 100% cotton organic materials possible you will receive lots of gifts in blankets and crib materials that will not be so supportive for a newborn. Let people know early on your preferences for organic and green. This will ensure safe and cozy crib bedding for your sweet baby. Why cotton and why organic?

Certain clothes, especially permanent press, wrinkle free and water resilient fabrics are dipped or sprayed in formaldehyde, which is also used as embalming fluid. Many fabrics on sofas, chairs and carpets are preserved with harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde. Formaldehyde has some alias names to look for: Formalin, Methanal, Methyl aldehyde, Methylene oxide, Morbicid acid and Oxymethylene.

In any home, and especially next to the baby in the crib or anywhere in nursery decor, the materials will have a direct impact on the health and long term safety of a small child.

With constant contact, any person, and especially a small person will acquire sensitivities. These sensitivities are actually meant to be a warning signal that something is not right, to look at what is happening and make changes for the better.

There is no need for scare tactics; it is enough to say that reactions are not what you want for a newborn infant or any person. It is enough said that an allergic reaction can appear as benign as a slight skin rash, or unbearable dermatitis. Allergies can also come on unexpectedly as a life threatening asthma attack or anaphylactic shock.

The best way to insure a healthy environment for the entire home, starting with baby is fine though, is to buy 100% cotton, organic and from a reputable company. There are many listed in the green directories, online and most search engines.

Which Children Are Most Susceptible in a Toxic Environment?

Babies and children who have a poor diet, rich in fast foods, sugars, hydrogenated fats and sodas will always be those that go to the doctor more, are diagnosed with strange diseases, labeled ADHD, etc. Children raised with good and healthy habits will not only survive to adulthood, they will be vibrant and creative with a passion for life.

What mom eats will make a difference too for breast fed babies. Moms have the job to eat mineal-rich diets prenatal, when breast feeding and afterwards. This especially so because all of the best goes to the baby while a woman i breast feeding.

What to Do If You Suspect Allergies?

It is most crucial when it comes to small children and older seniors to stop all contact with the irritant causing the allergy. It is known in the healing community that a little goes a long way with both the old and the young, whether it is good or bad.

The body is equipped with digestive juice factories. Some are located in the mouth, some in the stomach, some juices that digest travel from the liver and pancreas through the hepatopancreatic duct to supply digestive help in the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine. Even though proteins are the building blocks for the body, without the minerals and enzymes needed to digest and utilize the proteins it is useless to over-proteinize the system.

Minerals and enzymes, found naturally in raw or lightly cooked foods, are the beginning building blocks to life. Now, why did I not say proteins when I know proteins are the bodys building blocks? The body is equipped with digestive juice factories. Some are located in the mouth, some in the stomach, some juices that digest travel from the liver and pancreas through the hepatopancreatic duct to supply digestive help in the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine.

Parents have the sacred responsibility to ensure that the entire family, and especially the child indicating danger signs, eats foods that are agreeable for their particular body type or blood type, and eat lightly steamed vegetables or fruits. In addition, having a good naturopath or nutritional counselor will create the support the parent needs to do the right thing for children who struggle with health.

Precautions and Solutions

Creating Green Environments is going to be our best ally for the future. Begin small and add on something new each month.

Eating whole and natural creates whole Human Beings. If you are pregnant or newly into parenthood " begin now. Begin throwing out dead foods and replace them one by one with live food. Make it a family quest and project. What fun!

Each baby is a new beginning for a family. Make it a fresh start for new and healthy resolutions for your sweet family.

Look for whole and green everywhere. Expect the best and insist upon it. To Your Best Health, Ellen Valentine, CNC

Posted under Allergies

A new baby is a beautiful and indescribable blessing to any family. From the warm, safe and very recognizable, to the baby, environment of moms womb, what environment, what cocoon will provide your baby safety from here on out?

Once at home your baby may be faced with an endless array of gifts from family, friends and coworkers that are not safe. Unless you specify during pregnancy that your baby will be wrapped in only the safest and best 100% cotton organic materials possible you will receive lots of gifts in blankets and crib materials that will not be so supportive for a newborn. Let people know early on your preferences for organic and green. This will ensure safe and cozy crib bedding for your sweet baby. Why cotton and why organic?

Certain clothes, especially permanent press, wrinkle free and water resilient fabrics are dipped or sprayed in formaldehyde, which is also used as embalming fluid. Many fabrics on sofas, chairs and carpets are preserved with harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde. Formaldehyde has some alias names to look for: Formalin, Methanal, Methyl aldehyde, Methylene oxide, Morbicid acid and Oxymethylene.

Long term benefits will result from taking a stand for organic, especially next to your new precious baby. Remember that organic is different than merely meeting safety standards.

With constant contact, any person, and especially a small person will acquire sensitivities. These sensitivities are actually meant to be a warning signal that something is not right, to look at what is happening and make changes for the better.

Sensitivities are what many call allergies. An allergic reaction can appear as benign as a slight skin rash, or unbearable dermatitis. Allergies can also come on unexpectedly as a life threatening asthma attack or anaphylactic shock. No need for scare tactics though; it is enough said that any of those aforementioned reactions are not what you want for a newborn infant or any person.

The best way to insure a healthy environment for the entire home, starting with baby is fine though, is to buy 100% cotton, organic and from a reputable company. There are many listed in the green directories, online and most search engines

No parent knowingly wants to harm their child; and even with the best intentioned lifestyles there are always possibilities that as a child grows that he or she will be introduced to toxic materials. Good natural health and a healthy green environment is about creating strength, not a lifetime of protection. The best defense is a mineral-rich and enzyme-full diet, healthy support and respect for the environment.

Those babies and children who have a poor diet, rich in fast foods, sugars, hydrogenated fats and sodas will always be those that go to the doctor more, are diagnosed with strange diseases, labeled ADHD, etc. Not meant simply as a general statement, it is meant to emphasize what makes all the difference between a child that survives to adulthood and one that thrives to be a productive and vibrant part of society

Those babies and children who have a poor diet, rich in fast foods, sugars, hydrogenated fats and sodas will always be those that go to the doctor more, are diagnosed with strange diseases, labeled ADHD, etc. That may sound like a very general and grandiose statement; yet, diet is the integral and linking factor between merely growing and growing healthy.

What to Do If You Suspect Allergies?

First of all you must stop all contact with the irritant whether it is a food, a fabric, an environmental contaminant such as air, water, etc. This is most crucial when dealing with allergic reactions suffered by the very young or the very old.

First of all you must stop all contact with the irritant whether it is a food, a fabric, an environmental contaminant such as air, water, etc. That fact is most crucial when it comes to small children and older seniors. It is known in the healing community that a little goes a long way with both the old and the young, whether it is good or bad.

When the body is depleted of the juices it needs to digest, even proteins which could be building blocks, become instead boulders the body simply carries along until it has the capacity to rid itself of what has become a liability. At this crucial point 75% - 80% of all foods ingested should be raw or lightly cooked.

Over time, when a person does not eat mineral and enzyme rich foods, these internal juice factories become run-down with serious over "abuse. At this point the human body begins showing those signs in such things as allergies. When the body is depleted of the juices it needs to digest, even proteins which could be building blocks, become instead boulders the body simply carries along until it has the capacity to rid itself of what has become a liability. At this crucial point 75% - 80% of all foods ingested should be raw or lightly cooked.

So, in brief, besides seeing a good naturopath or nutritionist, parents can make sure that the entire family and especially the child indicating danger signs eats foods that are agreeable for their particular body type or blood type, and eat lightly steamed vegetables or fruits. During those times of outbreak, and I would add always, dairy should be avoided completely, along with any food that looks white or colorless, processed meats, canned or pre-packaged foods and sugars.

Creating Green Environments is going to be our best ally for the future. Begin small and add on something new each month.

Eating whole and natural creates whole Human Beings. If you are pregnant or a new parent, begin now. Begin throwing out dead foods and replace them one by one with live food. Get children involved in the food process. As they grow they will carry these good habits forward.

Each baby is a new beginning for a family. Make it a fresh start for new and healthy resolutions for your sweet family.

Look for whole and green everywhere. Expect the best and insist upon it. To Your Best Health, Ellen Valentine, CNC

Posted under Allergies

When allergy strikes, in more than half of the cases it doesn't come alone, but together with allergic asthma. Being incurable diseases, the only hope for the sufferers is the symptomatic medication, like antihistamines, which helps them live a normal life and keep the ailment under control.

Are you diagnosed with allergy to something? Then you'd better stay away from those allergens that give you the naughty symptoms. The more you expose yourself, the more your symptoms will become more severe. Death is also possible, so don't ignore this piece of advice.

An efficient prevention requires that you know precisely what are the allergens your body's immune system reacts to. There are standard tests such as the Rast and the Eliza, which indicate accurately enough the most active allergens for your situation. Tests are not painful and they are rather cheap. Check with your doctor and maybe he'll tell you more about that.

Spring and fall are two seasons which are dangerous for allergic persons, especially if they have airborne allergies. Pollens are everywhere in these times of year, so sufferers should try to stay indoors as much as they can. If this is not possible, at least avoid getting out in the second part of the day.

Allergy to food is easy to keep under control: read the labels carefully and do not buy any product which contains the foods that cause you allergy symptoms. There are cases of people who got almost killed by peanut traces in chocolate.

People who are allergic to pet dander should be very careful with their pets. Do not groom your pet by yourself. Ask another member of your family to take care of the pet's hygiene for you. Give up carpets in your house and vacuum very often. Steam cleaning can be highly beneficial as well.

Posted under Allergies