Tag Archive for "healthy home" | The Organic Beauty

10 Most Dangerous Household Toxins for Pets

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Healthy Pets, Organic Beauty healthy home, Healthy Pets, Organic Beauty, toxins Permalink 0

Detoxifying our homes, beauty routines, and eating habits obviously has a huge impact on our health and well-being, but what we often don’t take into account is the effect it has on the health and longevity of our pets as well. Our pets inhale our cleaning supplies, lick the floors, kiss our skin, and eat food of often questionable content. Focusing on quality, non-toxic products and natural foods and treats will help your pet live longer and be much healthier!

10 Most Common Household Toxins for Dogs

Chocolate. We all know chocolate can be deadly for dogs, and it is super important to consider places chocolate can be hiding (like candy bars, cake, and ice cream) so as to keep pets away from it at all costs. Chocolate contains theobromine, which causes severe stomach upset, vomiting, seizures, blood pressure elevation in dogs and cats. So no tasting (no matter how much they beg!), and keep those chocolatey treats covered and in a cabinet where pets can’t get to it.

Insect Bait Stations. All those little ant and roach houses are full of super toxic poisons. Even though a dog can’t crawl inside, it can chew through the trap and get to the poison nonetheless. Choose a non-toxic, pet-safe alternative if you have a bug problem to control. EcoSmart has some really good products made with plant oils that are safe for pets AND humans!

Rodenticide. Although there is definitely a valid ethical argument against using rodenticides, some people still choose to use them, which is fine, provided they don’t accidentally poison an unintended animal! There are some organic rodenticides on the market that only target rodents, and are generally harmless to other animals and humans. Kiwicare makes one that is supposed to work really well. But try to research some other options before resorting to poison. Sometimes, fixing some holes or crack in walls and floors, or keeping food covered and tightly sealed and be enough of a remedy!

Chemical Fertilizers. Ever see those signs on fertilized lawns warning you to keep pets and children away? That’s there for a reason. Fertilizers can cause seizures, liver and kidney damage, and potentially fatal levels of toxicity in pets. Use caution when letting your dog play on any manicured lawn, because you never know what it’s been treated with!

Xylitol. This sugar substitute is found in many sugar-free gums, diet products, and processed foods, and can cause severe hypoglycemia, acute toxicity, and even death in dogs. If you occasionally feed your dog human food, make sure it is a whole food like a good quality meat, fruit, or vegetable (but not onions!)… Never feed your dog processed junk food that isn’t even health-supportive for you!

NSAIDs like Advil and Tylenol. Unless recommended by your vet in specific doses, these over-the-counter medicines can cause a potentially lethal build-up of toxicity in your pet, and can cause severe stomach ulcers and kidney damage. NEVER give your dog human medication unless your vet prescribed it!

Silica gel. Those little packets that come in your vitamins and other products are sometimes irresistible to pets, both as little toys to bat around, and as a snack. Although a tiny amount won’t do much harm if eaten, a larger packet ingested by a small dog could wreak all kinds of havoc. Dispose of these packets immediately in a place your pup can’t reach.

Toxic household cleaners. Pets come into much more direct contact with the cleaning solvents we use than even we do… They eat things off the floor, walk on and touch various surfaces and lick their paws, and lick everything. Just as non-toxic household cleaners are important for your health, they can be even more important for the health of your pets. Make sure to only use non-toxic cleaning supplies that are natural when possible. Click here for an extensive list of recommendations!

Poisonous houseplants. Some houseplants are poisonous and potentially deadly for both dogs and cats, so before bringing home a new plant-buddy, make sure to check the plant against the ASPCA list of toxins!

Onions, grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts, and caffeine. All these foods can cause irreversible damage to your dog’s internal organs, and in some cases could even be fatal. Feeding your dog human food can be a great choice, but make sure you’re making educated decisions for your pet. Not everything that is good for us is good for them!

10 Most Dangerous Household Toxins for Pets 3 | The Organic Beauty Blog

10 Most Common Household Toxins for Cats

Lillies. These beautiful flowers are highly poisonous to cats. Eating just a few leaves can cause organ failure and even death! Best to keep lillies out of a kitty household altogether.

Canine Flea and Tick Medicine. Households with both types of animals need to be very careful. Medicine that is recommended for dogs can be lethal for cats, like the common topical flea and tick treatments used. Opt for a natural alternative to flea and tick treatments, like those found on Only Natural Pet.

Toxic household cleaners. Same as for their canine buddies, these toxic chemicals are bad for all beings! See above.

Rodenticide. See above.

Paints and varnishes. Just like many commercial paints and varnishes are super toxic to humans, our furry friends are especially vulnerable to the carcinogenic toxins in many of these products. VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) used to be a necessary component of indoor paints, but no longer. There are many safer low-VOC and no-VOC paints and varnishes on the market these days that are just as effective! Check out Earth Easy for all kinds of awesome, safe, non-toxic solutions for all of your painting needs.

Glow sticks and glow-in-the-dark jewelry. These relics of your 90’s party days are full of chemicals that can be especially toxic to kitties. If your nostalgic streak keep you from throwing them out, keep them out of your cat’s reach!

Amphetamines. ADD/ADHD drugs and other amphetamines may be what keeps you functional, but to a cat, it could spell heart attacks, tremors, and even death. And the worst part is, cats are especially attracted to these drugs, so it’s especially important to keep them hidden away.

NSAIDs like Advil and Tylenol. See above.

Onions, garlic, and root vegetables. These contain a substance that destroys red blood cells in cats, and can cause serious anemia.

Chocolate. We all know that chocolate can be lethal to dogs, but it also has some terrible effect for cats! A good blanket rule is to keep chocolate away from all domestic animals.

Animal Poison Control Center

1-888-426-4435

Everyday Products That Can Cause Cancer

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC Tuesday, June 21, 2011 Healthy Home, Organic Beauty, Wellness carcinogens, healthy home, Organic Beauty, Wellness Permalink 0

Not to be alarmist, but I really do believe that making informed decisions about what we put in and on our bodies is the first step to preventing disease and extending our life spans significantly. A leading cancer institute recently released a list of common foods and products that have been linked to cancer. Though it is really important to be aware of this these risks, it is also valuable to point out that genetics, environmental factors, and exposure to other toxins and carcinogens greatly effect the degree to which certain foods/products will effect you. For example, someone who eats a clean, organic diet, and uses organic cleaning and grooming products (like all of us Organic Beauties!) may be less effected by the regular consumption of coffee than someone who is on the Standard American Diet and uses conventional, toxic products on their body and in their home. If any of the following products figure prominently in your diet and lifestyle, it might be time to rethink your habits!

ALCOHOL: Regular consumption of alcohol has been linked 3.5% of cancer deaths worldwide. Alcohol increases risk of breast and ovarian cancer, colon cancer, mouth, esophagus, pharynx and larynx cancers, as well as liver and stomach cancers. Women especially should limit their alcohol consumption to 1 drink per day (men up to two).

COFFEE: Coffee has recently been labeled a class 2B carcinogen (along with chloroform, DDT, and gasoline exhaust), but the research around coffee consumption (who should and should not drink it, and how much is safe) is still relatively inconclusive. A recent study found that coffee decreased risk of prostate cancer in men who consume 6 cups or more per day. At the same time, other studies have found that drinking 2 or more cups a day increases risk of bladder and lung cancers. Coffee has also been linked to a host of other health problems. Unless directed otherwise, try to limit coffee consumption to a cup a day.. Green tea and yerba mate are great alternatives to get that caffeine fix, and have a lot of beneficial properties as well!

ANTIPERSPIRANT: Aluminum, a known carcinogen, is the main ingredient in antiperspirants, which block your pores and inhibits the release of toxins from your body. Both the aluminum and this blockage causes an increase in toxicity of the lymphatic system, which can cause a whole host of problems, including breast cancer, lymphoma, prostate cancer, as well as other diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. For non-toxic alternatives to antiperspirant, see my article “Smell Like a Rose, With No Lasting Side Effects!”

BODY WASH AND BUBBLE BATH: Almost ALL conventional beauty products contain sodium lauryl sulfate, which has been linked to many different forms of cancer and a whole mess of other complications. Parabens feature pretty prominently in these products as well. Children and babies are especially susceptible to this chemical, which is very common in most bubble baths and children’s soaps. For yourself, and definitely for your children, start reading your ingredients and consider switching to a natural or organic product. (Click here to read more about revolutionizing your beauty routine).

TALCUM POWDER: You can find talc in makeup, powders, and baby powder (where it’s especially dangerous for the same reasons you read above). Exposure to talc (which has similar properties to asbestos) significantly increases risk of ovarian and lung cancers. Try using corn starch-based baby powders and organic mineral makeup instead!

CELLULAR PHONES: We’ve been hearing debate on this topic pretty much since the introduction of cell phones into our culture. Earlier this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a statement stating that radio frequency electromagnetic fields, including cell phones, are “possibly carcinogenic” to people (a class 2B carcinogenic classification), and could increase risk of developing brain tumors and acoustic neuromas. CDMA phones (by Verizon and Sprint) are generally a bit safer than GSM phones (by AT&T and T-Mobile), due to the fact that they emit a steady stream of medium range radiation, as opposed to the pulsating radiation of the latter class of phone. The safest route is to use headphones…NOT Bluetooth devices! And never keep your phone in your pocket, close to your chest or reproductive organs.

{adapted from my post on One Minute News]

Get a Squeaky Clean, Organic Smile!

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC Saturday, January 29, 2011 Healthy Beauty, Healthy Home, Holistic Health, Organic Beauty, Product Reviews healthy home, natural remedies, non-toxic, Organic Beauty, toothpaste Permalink 0

A Little Back Story: Every winter, I get this annoying dry, red skin around my mouth and nose. It started in college, when I first discovered tinted moisturizers (bad move!), and has resurfaced literally every winter since. I saw a dermatologist, who told me it was perioral dermatitis, and promptly prescribed oral antibiotics (what else is new??) and an antibiotic cream. Not only did this whole plan screw up my belly (antibiotics wreak havoc on your intestinal flora), but it also only helped for a hot second before the whole unsightly mess reared it’s ugly head again. So this year, I started researching natural remedies for this issue… And what did I discover as one of the primary causes/irritants of the problem?? Fluoridated toothpastes full of sodium lauryl sulfates (check out Step 1: Read Your Ingredients if you’ve forgotten why they’re evil)!! And thus began my quest for the perfect toothpaste.

Toothpastes are a great example of where reading ingredients is so crucial. For as long as I can remember, Tom’s of Maine was always the go-to for healthy, natural toothpaste made from sustainable resources… right? Apparently, wrong. I had been using it for so long, that I hadn’t even looked at the ingredients in years. But after my getting schooled on the above connection, I took a peek.. and what did I find? Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, right there, clear as day. Imagine my surprise! I had been so busy eradicating parabens and SLSs from my moisturizers, hair products, and makeup, that I didn’t even realize I was exposing myself to the culprit twice a day, 7 days a week. Now, to Tom’s credit, they have since released an SLS free toothpaste, but it still contains fluoride (which has been shown to suppress the immune system, inhibit the production of essential enzymes, and break down collagen, among other things), so I’m afraid they are out of the runnings…

The Organic (and eco-friendly!) Pooch

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC Wednesday, January 5, 2011 Healthy Home, Healthy Pets eco-friendly, healthy home, Healthy Pets, Organic Beauty Permalink 0

Being the proud mama of a little tiny furball means making a lot of choices that effect not only another creature’s life, but also my own AND the environment.

I don’t know about your dog, but mine poops A LOT. I used to take care of this situation using leftover plastic bags that we had in the apartment from groceries, etc… until I had the mental image of my pup’s little poops calcifying in that plastic bag and spending the next 100 years in a landfill. That’s a lot of little plastic bags filled with poop. I set out to find a more responsible solution. Enter: BioBags! Which are a line of 100% biodegradable bags for a variety of uses, including little ones for pet waste! They are great for composting or simply thrown out with your other waste, and are a great option for responsible pet owners.

With all the pet food recalls that happened in the last few years, I started really thinking about the food I was feeding my pup. Not only did I not want to feed him sub-par food that could harm his health, but I also didn’t want to support the totally unregulated industrial agriculture system that uses bi-products from animals that were raised in unsanitary, inhumane conditions to make pet food. I wanted to find an all-natural dog food company that used human-quality ingredients grown in environmentally responsible conditions. I found that there were a lot of healthy, environmentally-friendly pet food companies out there, some of them even vegetarian! Here are some of my favorites:

Make your own DIY natural cleaning products!

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC Monday, August 23, 2010 Healthy Baby, Healthy Home, Healthy Pets, Lifestyle cleaning, diy cleaning products, healthy home, home remedies, natural Permalink 0

We’ve gone over some of the more natural and non-toxic cleaning products to use instead of the silent killers (extreme? I think not…) currently hanging out in our broom closets, but there is actually one further step hardcore Organic Beauties can take in naturalizing their homes… Make your own cleaning solutions, that are so safe you could eat them (well, maybe not ALL of them…)! Naturally! From ingredients you probably already have in your home! This is some super exciting stuff….

The Organic Beauty Book List 2010

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC Friday, August 20, 2010 Diet and Foods, Healthy Beauty, Healthy Home, Product Reviews books, Diet and Foods, health books, Healthy Beauty, healthy home Permalink 0

There is a whole lot of information out there about health, beauty, and food, some of it a little more contradictory that we would like. Some advocate local over organic produce, some the other way around; some say there is no way to be healthy and keep meat in your diet, others say the only an omnivore can be truly healthy; some push a hard line DIY lifestyle as the only way to keep your body and home safe and toxin free, others say everything in moderation. So how do we figure out which advice to follow?

My philosophy has always been to soak up as much knowledge as possible, and use common sense and a knowledge of one’s self and one’s own habits to figure out what works best. There is no universal cure-all or answer that will work for everyone. That said, there have definitely been some books that have been instrumental in my figuring out where to be strict and where to let things slide, as well as helping to create a general knowledge base that informs my decisions of what to put in, on, and around my body. Check out a few of these titles, or go the distance and read ’em all to make yourself a fabulously educated Organic Beauty!

Step One to Naturalize Your Life: Read Your Ingredients!

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC Tuesday, December 15, 2009 Healthy Beauty, Healthy Home, Lifestyle 4 steps, cancer, carcinogens, Healthy Beauty, healthy home Permalink 0

With the effects of the somewhat recent trend toward all things natural and organic (not to mention local, seasonal, Greenmarket, etc., etc.), most of us have gotten used to reading the ingredients on the things we put in our bodies. Most of us know to avoid high fructose corn syrup, bleached and refined sugars and flours, trans fats, and artificial colors and flavors. But do you know that there are equally (if not more) harmful ingredients in your beauty and cleaning products? Just as we read the labels of what we put in our pantries, we also have to read the ingredients of what we put in our medicine cabinets.