Cancer has run rampant through my family, a group known for their overall good health and robust nature. On my maternal side, there's serious longevity passed down through the women, who often live until their late 90's. But recently, minor cancers have been cropping up: first with my aunts, then my mother, a finally with my father. A more serious and life-threatening Stage Four lymphatic cancer attacked my paternal cousin, who ultimately won her long, hard battle, though not without knowing she would develop ancillary cancers as the result of her very aggressive treatments. She fought those and won, too. None of them smoke, drink, or eat to excess.
When our lifespans should be increasing, and they slowly are, isn't it natural for diseases to crop up among the aged? I used to think that, but my cousin was in her 50's at the time of her diagnosis, as was one of my aunts. So then, what is it? I remain convinced it is from the combined toxins we are constantly exposed to through the products we use and consume. A co-worker, her father a leading geneticist, told me the theory I proposed was essentially the same as her father's, a man who ran a famous lab with big, moneyed grants: cancer is the result of environment combined with genetics.
What then can we do to rule out environmental causes? Be very, very careful with the items we bring into our households. It's unfortunate that most "green" products remain more expensive than the cheaper chemical laden products we grew up with. We're also a nation on the go, used to quick, easy fixes. But, that cleaner that works so well for you carries a hefty price tag by compromising your health.
I started using green cleaners years ago, when I could afford them. The problem is, they just aren't that effective. I'm also no stranger to the recession, so I went back to using cheap cleaners laden with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate*. In of itself it may not be harmful, but more research needs to be done about how daily usage of common products interact with each other in our bodies, causing gene mutations. Since these products have been altered chemically in a lab, do we really know how that soapy bath product combines with the chemical you just washed the tub with? Probably not well, and the skin is a porous layer that opens upon immersion into warm water. * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_lauryl_sulfate.
I've been researching readily available green products for cleaning and beauty for awhile, especially those that are less costly and effective: http://www.mariedoucette.blogspot.com/2012/11/green-on-cheap.html. The experiments continue, and the very old tub in the bathroom was ripe for it. Years and layers of soap scum became immune to commercial cleansers anyway, forcing me to improvise. I'd been using baking soda as a hair rinse. Why not as a cleanser?
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| Buh-bye tenacious soap scum! |
I was amazed at the results. It stripped away tough clinging
soap scum like the most expensive, fume-laden, cough-inducing product you've ever
used, and with very little elbow grease. I just used a sponge, no abrasive pad or anything like that, and it
actually came away with a couple of swipes. Fantastic! Not the cleanser you buy, but the
baking soda we've had in our kitchens all this time and overlooked. Give it a go. It's a $1.00 a box for something that works and isn't bad for you. How often does that happen? Not often enough, in my book. Happy Cleaning to you!
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| Me, in the bathroom. Glamorous, right? |
