Some soaps & cleaners can make you fat....

Today's post: Tuesday, 10-7-2008

Regular readers of this blog know that all kinds of soda, eating foods with high fructose corn syrup and refined grains, watching too much TV, and never exercising all will tend to make you fat.

A huge number of people in the United States and now around the world do all of those things. As a result, the rate of obesity and type II diabetes has become an epidemic.

But if you never drink soft drinks, have stopped eating 95% of the refined grain foods you once ate, never buy or eat foods with high fructose corn syrup, limit your TV watching, and exercise every week, would you like it if you continued to be fatter than you want to be?

Would you like to be slightly low on energy besides?

Few people would. But if your thyroid function is impaired by contact with a toxin that impairs it, that’s exactly the result you might get.

Oops !! It seems that a very large number of soaps, liquid hand cleaners, household cleaning products, and lotions now for sale at your local supermarket have just such a toxin in them. Even some toothpastes do. If you touch these products to your skin, you get a dose internally of this toxin. And, having it in toothpaste is scary.

The good news is that it’s avoidable. But you have to know it has this effect. Read labels to be sure it is NOT a listed ingredient. And, never buy or use those products.

The article on this was in today’s Early to Rise. After I include it, I’ll have some other comments.

“This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, an e-zine dedicated to making money, improving your health and quality of life. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.”

“Toxic Gender-Bender Approved for Widespread Use

By Shane "The People's Chemist" Ellison

I'm no health saint. Every now and then I do something really dumb. It's rare, but I've been known to drink too much wine or beer and even indulge in the occasional cigar. All of these are toxic. As a rogue chemist-turned-consumer-health-advocate, I'm not proud of imbibing. However, it's my choice. And that's the point. Exposing yourself to toxins should be a choice. But modern day society rarely allows this.

Many people are unknowingly poisoning themselves with man-made industrial toxins. The gender-bender known as triclosan is one example - and it makes my toxic indulgences seem as harmless as apple juice.

Triclosan is used in a nauseating array of household products, including toothpastes, soaps, and lotions. Synthesized over 30 years ago, it was once thought to be a safe and effective antibiotic. But results from a recent UC Davis study have sounded the triclosan alarm.

Researchers discovered that it accumulates in the body - even when applied topically - to eventually disrupt hormone activity. The study found that triclosan throws our thyroid and sex hormones out of whack, potentially leading to obesity, infertility, cancer, and age acceleration. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that 75 percent of people from a random sample were positive for triclosan.

There appear to be laws that protect us from such toxic exposure, but appearances can be deceiving. In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act. It requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine safe levels of toxins in drinking water and over-the-counter products like toothpastes and soaps. These levels are called Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLG). None of them are enforceable. That's why the gender-bending triclosan was recently approved for use in over 140 household products despite its real and present danger!

The best way to avoid this and many other toxins is to choose organic. Natural soaps and the safe antibiotic zinc oxide work as well as triclosan at beating infection. And neither of them can accidentally poison you.

[Ed. Note: With tricky substances like triclosan lurking everywhere you turn, it's not easy to stay healthy. But if you take a few simple measures, you can protect your health and live a longer, more satisfying life.

Health expert Shane Ellison simplifies the complex, and teaches you how the right supplements and lifestyle habits can help you beat today's pandemic killers. Learn how to overcome obesity, heart disease, and even cancer - and discover the latest natural cures - with Shane's Foundational Health Education program.
( http://www.thepeopleschemist.com/foundation.html?hop=etr07 ) “

X* X* X* X* X* X*

Other ideas for getting clean and killing germs without exposing yourself to this stuff include:

1. Shop for cleaners, soaps, and the like at Whole Foods Market. Their buyers often to usually edit out these kinds of ingredients. So if you find it works Ok for you at home & you buy it at Whole Foods, you’ll almost always be better off than picking up something at a less selective store.

2. Use soap without ANY germ killers and water instead of buying and using the “anti-bacterial” kinds. Washing with just soap and water kills or removes the germs you want to get rid of anyway. But it does not poison you or contribute to antibiotic resistant germs as the “anti-bacterial” kinds will do. (There have also been articles that quote studies showing that use of triclosan and other “anti-bacterial” compounds contributes to creating antibiotic resistant germs.)

I’ve not yet looked at the label; but the only liquid hand soap for use in a push dispenser I know of is the one from Ivory. And, since they do NOT advertise or label it as an “anti-bacterial” soap, I suspect it has no triclosan.

3. If you are washing out something with tons of germs such as cleaning a diaper or washing up after someone threw up, use chlorine bleach instead of “anti-bacterial” cleaners. The chlorine bleach smells like hell. But it kills the germs just fine. And, the smell gives you an incentive to wash quickly and rinse thoroughly. (I also use rubber gloves to keep the smell off my skin.)

4. Never use chemical air fresheners or have them in your house. Some may add extra “anti-bacterial” action with triclosan. And, they have other ingredients that are just as bad.

5. Read the labels today on the toothpaste and soap and lotions and household cleaners you use now and substitute triclosan free versions for any that contain it.