Your Skin and Your Health
Is your skin a toxic sponge?
It is widely accepted that what we put in our bodies is important to our ultimate health. This is common sense. What we don't always think about is what we put on our bodies, in the air around us and in our water supply.
For many years the sciences agreed with the "fact" that our skin was a waterproof membrane that gave us an effective protective layer allowing only compounds with very small molecular structure to penetrate it.
This "fact" has come under much higher scrutiny and been found to be untrue.
To save myself a lot of typing to show you the truth to this statement, I will put your health in your own hands and provide a link at the bottom of the page which will by itself, scare the dickens out of you especially if you have children.You can also goggle "public water skin absorption" for further evidence.
The real fact is that our skin, especially when wet and at warmer temperatures (like during bathing) becomes a sponge for everything which comes into contact with it.
Most of the studies you will find are focusing on toxins in our water (see below for links to solutions to this problem), but it is easy to make the further association to the personal care products we use.
Think about your shampoo, soap, shaving cream, toothpaste, hair spray, hair conditioners, skin conditioners and lotions. Read the labels of all the products you use on your hair, skin, face or teeth and don't be fooled by claims of "natural" and "derived from natural ingredients". If the products you use don't say "Certified Organic" and have ingredients listed which you could never pronounce, you could be coating your skin with toxins.
Understand that you are using these products when your skin is most vulnerable - when it is wet and warmer than normal. Talk about toxic overload.
This is on top of all the toxins in the water you regularly bath in. Don't think your water is full of toxins, read the information I referenced earlier. These are from Public Health Associations, the EPA, Universities and Public Utility Associations. The worst part is that some of the most toxic chemicals in the water are put there by our government in the name of health. While the reasons they were first used, to kill bacteria and to help control tooth decay, were correct, what is now being found is that the harm outweighs the benefit. Especially considering there are new methods being developed to handle the original problems without the harmful effects.
The two toxins in reference are chlorine and fluoride. After reading these reports please think about all of the products you use that contain these compounds and stop using them. (Does fluoride being toxic surprise you? Look on your toothpaste label and read the warning.)
The ultimate point here is that both your and your family's health is in your hands and there are steps you can take to ease the toxic load.
Find Certified Organic Personal Care and Natural Biodegradable Cleaning Products which don't have toxic chemicals and your body and your families bodies will thank you. These products are becoming more available and the prices are getting better, but even at their current expense, they are cheap compared to the alternative in future health costs.
To combat the toxic compounds in your water supply, check out these CostPlusAppliances Filters. There are models for the whole house, drinking supply and shower/bath. While you're exploring filters to eliminate water borne problems, also look at your home's air quality.
Also read the article about Probiotics and how they can help the body combat and remove those toxins that still get in despite all your efforts. Probiotics can also help the body break down and dispose of the accumulated fat cells where the body encapsulates and stores previous toxins that it just could not eliminate. These fat cells are coded not to be broken down by the usual bodily functions because the body just didn't know what to do with the toxins and are left to build up over time.
The Scary link I told you about
YOUR CHILD'S VULNERABILITY TO TOXIC SUBSTANCES IN THE ENVIRONMENT
Share this knowledge with everyone you love and even those you don't.
It might just help them love you back.
TB