Hidden Toxins

One of the first things that the Nurse Practitioner at the Thoughtful House mentioned to us was the importance of “cleaning up” Aidan’s environment. This was honestly something that I had not even considered. I hadn’t taken in to account that the non-stick pans we used were releasing toxins into his food, or that our drinking water contained trace amounts of lead and chlorine. After our first appointment at the Thoughtful House we took a hard look at what toxic exposures we could limit for Aidan. 

Cleaning Supplies

The first step we took to remove toxins from the house was easy and affordable. We removed all standard house cleaners and replaced them with natural alternatives. Here is a great site that outlines the effects that certain cleaning supplies can have on our health: http://www.mamashealth.com/doc/cleanprod.asp
A great book for cleanser recipes: Make your Place: Affordable, sustainable, nesting skills by Raleigh Briggs.

Kitchen

We tossed all of our non-stick pots and pans, and now use only stainless steel or cast iron. This was a great excuse for me to round out my collection of LeCrueset cookware : ) Natural News ran a good article outlining some of the concerns about us teflon pots/pans http://www.naturalnews.com/026678_Teflon_iron_cookware.html

Food

Luckily my husband and I had just watched Food Inc. right before we changed Aidan’s diet, so we already understood the importance of buying everything organic. I use gluten free flours here and there that are not organic, but other then that everything else we eat is organic. 

Water

Have your water tested for chlorine, lead, bacteria, etc. May companies will come out to your house and do this for a small fee. There are also test kits that you can purchase on Amazon. We have awful water where we live, so we went ahead and bought a whole house filtration system. Many parents I have chatted with online came to find that their water had higher than safe levels of lead. Lead poisoning can cause major behavioral issues and learning difficulties. This is outlined beautifully in the book Turning Lead into Gold by a Nurse and mother who found out that her twin boys had lead poisoning. 

Bedroom

This weekend we finally got around to putting Aidan into a HEALTHY organic bed. I had no idea about the awful flame retardant chemicals that are used in our mattresses. If you have a typical mattresses, you are literally sleeping on a chemical plant. Organic (and even natural) mattresses are really the best option.

No more vaccines!

I know that this is a HUGE topic of debate for many people. While I am not anti-vaccine, I AM for cleaning up all the crap that goes into the vaccines. Here are links to both the FDA and CDC reviewing what is found in vaccines (just so that you don’t think I am a crazed Autism Mamma making it up!)

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/additives.htm

http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/ucm187810.htm

There is absolutely no reason to inject a child with a vaccine containing thimersol, aluminum, formaldehyde, etc. The CDC says, “Some parents are concerned that aluminum in vaccines might be harmful to babies. However, healthy babies quickly eliminate aluminum from their bodies without harmful effects." Hmmmm…really? Well, what if your baby is not healthy? I know that we gave Aidan vaccinations during an appointment where I brought him in for a cold. We were reassured this was ok because "you want him to avoid getting anything else, right?!" Unfortunately, he received several vaccines that day. So, in theory maybe (and this is a BIG maybe) most children can naturally eliminate these toxins when given in small amounts, but many of these kids are given vaccines when their immune system is already down (compromising their ability to detox) and then they are not given just one vaccine, they are given anywhere from 3-6 vaccines in one visit.

And Thimerisol…don’t even get me started. No amount of mercury is safe! Dentists follow extremely stringent guidelines when disposing of amalgam fillings. Flu shots containing thimersol CANNOT be disposed of in a landfill, they have to be disposed of as hazardous waste because their mercury content exceeds the EPA safety standards by 250 times. Yes. You read that right. So how on earth is it safe enough to shoot into my child? Watch the video below to see what mercury does to the brain.

Formaldehyde is known to cause cancer, and according to Sanofi Pasteur may cause Autism. I came across an insert for Sanofi Pasteur's DTaP vaccine, Tripedia (which contains formaldehyde) and it has Autism listed under possible adverse effects. Click (here) to see. Gee, too bad more doctors won’t tell you that before you vaccinate your kiddo.

Still makes me sick to my stomach all of the research that my husband and I thought we did before vaccinating Aidan. At least now our next child will benefit from all that we’ve learned.