DR. BYRNES' GUIDE TO CLEAN LIVING

Most of us do not realize the myriad of toxins and chemicals we are exposed to each day, not just in our environment, but even in our own homes! Did you know:

• That permanent press drapes and sheets, particle board furniture, and synthetic carpets and rugs leach formaldehyde fumes? 
• That air fresheners routinely have a toxic chemical in them called paradichlorobenzene? 
• That foam rubber cushions leach both pesticide and formaldehyde fumes?
• That virtually all cosmetics on the market have isopropryl alcohol and other poisons in them?
• That household cleaners and detergents have varying amounts of environmental and heavy metal poisons in them?

For this reason, I advise you to live as simply as possible and to replace many chemical items in your home with safe alternatives.

For more on this topic, I encourage you to read such books as The Healthy Home by Linda Mason Hunter and The Safe Shopper's Bible by Samuel Epstein, MD. You can also contact the International Institute for Baubiologie and Ecology, Inc., Helmut Ziehe, 1401A Cleveland Street, PO Box 387, Clearwater, FL., 33757. Phone: (727) 461-4371. The Herb Book by John Lust, ND, contains numerous recipes for herbal cosmetics, free of bizarre chemicals like isopropyl alcohol and dyes.  

In addition to chemical clean-up, you should consider:

• Replacing your mercury amalgam fillings with a safe dental plastic as there is considerable evidence that mercury fillings are not good for the body. For more on this, check out the book It's All In Your Head by Hal Huggins, DDS, Avery Publishing, 120 Old Broadway, Garden City Park, NY, 11040. Phone: (800) 548-5757.
• Practicing forgiveness.
• Facing and resolving hurtful memories or destructive behaviours. An excellent book for this is Mastering Your Secret Self by Serge Kahili King (Quest Books; Ill.).

In the meantime, here are a few of my recommendations to simplify your life and reduce the chemical load on your body:

(excerpted from Overcoming AIDS with Natural Medicine)

This appendix is a hodgepodge of natural, safe alternatives to hazardous household products. Remember: maintaining a healthy immune system is paramount and many everyday products contain solvents, like benzene or its derivatives, formaldehyde, and other harmful chemicals. These products can, and should, be replaced with the following suggestions. You'll find that all you need to take care of all your household cleaning chores are baking soda, borax, salt, water, lemon juice, and white vinegar. Gather up all those nasty chemical cleaners, detergents, etc., place them in a box and remove them from your house, disposing of them in an ecologically sound manner.

Laundry Detergent: Use plain borax powder, available in any supermarket, or Arm & Hammer washing soda. Borax can also be used for "spot removing." Health food stores also routinely carry biodegradable, toxin free laundry cleansers. Instead of chlorine bleach, which pollutes the Earth's waterways, use bluing, a product derived from indigo dye, available in any supermarket. Adding a ¼ cup of white vinegar to laundry will also act as a bleaching agent.

Laundry Starch: Dissolve one tbsp. corn starch in one pint cold water. Place in a spray bottle. Shake before using.

Window Cleaner: Five tbsp. white vinegar mixed with one qt. of warm water. Place in an empty spray bottle or apply directly with a cotton cloth. This mixture is also good as a furniture duster.

General Cleaner: ½ a cup of borax mixed with 1 gallon of warm water.

Drain Opener: ½ a cup of baking soda, one cup vinegar, boiling water. Mix thoroughly and pour down the drain. Continue to flush with hot water until the clog clears. A simpler alternative is simply a ½ cup of salt down the drain followed by boiling water.

Scouring Powder: Apply borax , baking soda, or salt directly to a damp sponge, scrub and rinse.

Oven Cleaner: Scour with baking soda.

Dishwasher Soap: Mix one part borax with one part washing soda and use in electric dishwashers.For those of you washing by hand, mix as above and add directly into your sink water. Keep a bit of washing or baking soda off to the side if you need to scour something.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Sprinkle baking soda into toilet, sprinkle white vinegar over it and scrub with toilet brush.

Mildew Remover: ½ cup vinegar, ½ cup borax, and warm water. Mix fresh for each use.

Bathroom Cleaner: For mirrors, use window cleaner listed above. For tiles, tub, and sink use borax mixed with lemon juice.

Shoe Polish: Rub shoes with the inside of a banana peel, then buff with cloth.

Silver Polish: Use toothpaste with an old toothbrush or soak tarnished silver in an aluminum container with salted water in it, then wipe clean.

Furniture Polish: Mix one tsp. of olive oil with ½ cup of lemon juice. Mix well. Dip cloth in liquid and wring out. Use this to dust furniture. Works great on wooden floors also.

Air Fresheners: Use herbal sachets, fresh flowers, or plant some night scented stock in your home. Boiling a handful of clove buds or cinnamon sticks will work also. Under no circumstances should you use commercial air fresheners, either solid or spray, as these usually contain paradiclorobenzene, a potent carcinogen.

Paints: Always use latex paint, never oil based. While the latex still has some solvents in it, the level is much less than the oil based. When painting, always keep the area well ventilated.

Body Soap: Use plain castille soap.

Shampoo: Use castile soap. Another option is to beat one egg and massage it into the scalp. Rinse with vinegar water, then plain water. One can also use borax mixed with water (one tsp. to one pint). A few squirts are all you'll need to thoroughly clean your hair though without lather. Be sure to rinse thoroughly!

Hair Lightener: Brew some chamomile tea and repeatedly pour over the scalp, let hair dry. This adds great highlights and does lighten the hair. For a stronger effect, add some lemon juice.

Hair Darkener: Follow the same procedure as above, but use sage or rosemary in place of chamomile. Don't use lemon juice.

Hair Gel: Aloe Vera gel works well.

Mouthwash: Brew up some peppermint or spearmint tea and refrigerate. Use as needed. Tea will keep for about a week. Avoid mint teas if you’re taking homeopathics.

Facial Astringent: The following herbs can be made into infusions and splashed or applied to the skin for various purposes:

• Chamomile: Tones up relaxed muscles.
• Lemon Balm: For wrinkles.
• Mint: All mints are excellent astringents.
• Thyme: Excellent astringent, use for acne.
• Yarrow: Use for acne.
• Coltsfoot: Use for oily skin.

Skin Freshener: Mix one part cider or white vinegar to eight parts water. Apply as needed especially after bathing to restore the skin's natural acidity.

Bath Salts: Sprinkle a few drops of your favorite essential oil into a cup of rock or table salt mixed with a little baking soda. Mix well. Use a spoonful at a time.

Deodorant: Dab a bit of baking soda under your arms after bathing. Corn starch also works well.

Perfume/Cologne: Use your favorite essential oils, just one or two drops on wrists and neck. Be careful though as some oils are very irritating, e.g., cinnamon. Always test spot a small part first.

Toothpaste: Use one of the ayurvedic ones (excellent!) or just use plain baking soda mixed with water.

Massage Oil: Use olive oil scented with a few drops of your favorite essential oil.

Skin Moisturizer: Use vitamin E oil. Also, mix one part water with one part vegetable glycerine; this is great as an after shave lotion. You can also use apricot kernel oil.

Cosmetics: If you must use them, use sparingly and always look for ones that are alcohol free and hypoallergenic.

Lubricant: Use vegetable glycerine mixed with some water or Probe, a water-soluble lubricant with all-natural ingedients. You can buy vegetable glycerine at most health food stores.

Roach Powder: Sprinkle boric acid around area but be sure to keep away from your pets! Another mix is one cup borax with ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar. For ants, wipe down counters and floors with white vinegar every few days.

Flea Repellant: Mostly for your pets, rub a few drops of pennyroyal oil into their fur and rub in well; this almost always works. For a quick treatment flea bath, infuse one cup of rosemary in one quart of boiling water. Cool. Remove herbs. Wash your pet and then pour this rinse over him or her. Let them dry naturally.

FURNISHINGS

Points to remember:

• Use epoxy adhesives or carpenters’ glue in place of adhesives, glues and mastics.
• No particle board furniture: it gives off formaldehyde fumes. Use pine boards instead.
• Instead of synthetic carpets and rugs with backings, which can contain a host of chemicals, consider a natural wood, tile, or concrete floor. Older rugs, made of natural wool or cotton, are also good options.
• Try to have natural fabrics for your drapes and upholstery fabrics.
• Have pine paneling instead of hardwood plywood.
• Never use paint stripper: it has benzene in it. If you absolutely must, make sure there is good ventilation.
• Test house for radon fumes. Kits are available at most hardware stores.
• Discard your microwave oven.

Copyright 1997, Stephen Byrnes. All rights reserved