Did you know.. Liptor and Grapefruit Juice..Don't Mix!

Grapefruit Juice + Lipitor = Death
Dr. Mercola's website has devoted an incredible amount of space to cataloging the toxic effects drugs can have on your health. Since this blog is all about keeping toxins away, I felt the need to post this. This is so sad.. think of the fatal effect, for example, a statin drug can have when it interacts with fresh grapefruit juice?

Drinking grapefruit juice can be deadly for people who take certain medications, according to a recent paper. In one case, a "snowbird" retiree who was living in Florida for the winter died two months after he arrived. Physicians believe the two to three glasses of fresh grapefruit juice he drank every day caused a fatal interaction with the dose of Lipitor he took.

The patient profiled in the article had high cholesterol and other risk factors for cardiac disease. Subsequently, the doctor put the patient on Lipitor, and the patient began dieting and exercising. Two months after the patient went to Florida for the winter, he suddenly had muscle pain, fatigue and fever, and went to the emergency room. The patient ended up going into kidney failure and ultimately died.

Although experts recognize the problem, they're concerned many layman and health care professionals still don't understand the risk. Nevertheless, the FDA requires all prospective new drugs to be tested for interactions with grapefruit juice. And a warning about grapefruit juice is included in the "food-drug interactions" that come with dozens of medications.

Grapefruit juice is one of the foods most likely to cause problems with drugs, because it is metabolized by the same enzyme in the liver that breaks down many drugs. When the system is overloaded, scientists said, the grapefruit juice can "swamp" the system, keeping the liver busy and blocking it from breaking down drugs and other substances.

The most severe effects, scientists say, are likely with some statins. While the liver devotes its resources to grapefruit juice, the medication can build up to dangerous levels, causing a breakdown of the body's muscles and even kidney failure.

Just another great reason to consider eating a better diet & supplementing instead of taking a statin drug to treat your high cholesterol.
Read more about this...

Hidden Health Hazards....BEWARE!

Common household toxins
Here's a condensation of a publication in Natural Health Magazine.
Would you bring something into your home if you knew it could cause allergies, birth defects, or even cancer? Many are doing just that.
The culprits: window cleaners, dishwashing detergents, laundry soaps, and scouring powders, to name a few.
By some estimates, the average American uses 25 gallons of these products in the home every year. That's a potentially dangerous amount when you consider that of the tens of thousands of chemicals available for commercial use, only slightly more than 2000 have been tested by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), a government watchdog group. And of those that have been tested, 198 are know or suspected carcinogens.

The problem is that when we're repeatedly exposed to these chemicals, they accumulate in our bodies.
An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study found more that 400 kinds of toxic chemical residues in humans, some of which are linked to cancer, birth defects, and nervous system damage."
All-Purpose Cleaners: Many popular household cleaning solutions, like Fantastik and Formula 409, contain a synthetic solvent and grease cutter called butyl cellosolve. This hazardous petroleum-based chemical can irritate your skin and eyes, and repeated exposure to it can cause permanent liver and kidney damage, and impair the body's ability to replenish its blood supply.
Bathroom: Dow Bathroom Cleaner contains dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, which can burn eyes and skin. Many traditional scouring cleansers, like AJAX powder, contain crystalline silica, an eye, skin, and lung irritant, classified as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen" by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Glass Cleaners: Many familiar window cleaning sprays, like Windex and Glass Plus, contain buryl cellosolve, a neurotoxin that's easily absorbed through the skin. Laundry Detergent: Many well-known laundry powders, like Tide, All, Gain, and Dash, contain sodium silicate-a corrosive that can burn the eyes and skin. Other chemicals often found in laundry detergent are sodium sulfate (a corrosive that can cause severe eye, skin, and respiratory irritation), ethoxylated alcohols (which may contain I,4-dioxane, which is "reasonably anticipated" to be a human carcinogen). And the harshness of many soaps and detergents can cause mild to severe irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract.
Dishwashing Detergent: Cascade and Sun Light, two of the best-selling brands of automatic dishwashing detergent, contain phosphates and chlorine-two extremely toxic chemicals. Phosphates released into the environment rob lakes and ponds of oxygen, leading to the suffocation of aquatic plants and animals. And chlorine fumes are highly irritating to the eye, throat, and respiratory tract. Inhaling them can cause headaches, burning eyes, and breathing difficulties.

THE SOLUTION?Eliminate all of the above, Change your home to Safe Cleaners your home with bio-degradable, non-toxic products:
All Purpose Cleaner H -- Safe and economical general-purpose household cleaner. For more information, CLICK HERE.
Germacide -- Safe and effective germicide / cleaner. For more information, CLICK HERE.
Safe Laundry-No skin rashes, no eye irritations, no respiratory problems. For information, CLICK HERE.
Safe Dishwasher Cleanser-No toxic fumes from your dishwasher. For more information , CLICK HERE.
Safe Scrubber-For all tough or challenging cleaning projects. For information CLICK HERE.

Toxic Household Products
Last update: April 4, 2001
Source unless noted: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Common household toxins and the products they're found in:

Sodium hypochlorite (chlorine bleach) Lung and eye irritant. (Source: Washington Toxics Coalition) If mixed with ammonia or acid-based cleaners (including vinegar), releases toxic chloramine gas. Short-term exposure to chloramine gas may cause mild asthmatic symptoms or more serious respiratory problems.

Petroleum distillates (metal polishes) Short-term exposure can cause temporary eye clouding; longer exposure can damage the nervous system, skin, kidneys, and eyes. Ammonia (glass cleaner) Eye irritant, can cause headaches and lung irritation. If mixed with chorine, releases toxic chloramine gas. Short-term exposure to chloramine gas may cause mild asthmatic symptoms or more serious respiratory problems.

Phenol and cresol (disinfectants) Corrosive; can cause diarrhea, fainting, dizziness, and kidney and liver damage. Nitrobenzene (furniture and floor polishes) Can cause shallow breathing, vomiting, and death; associated with cancer and birth defects.

Formaldehyde (a preservative in many household products) Suspected human carcinogen; strong irritant to eyes, throat, skin, and lungs. Spot removers and carpet cleaners can contain (perchloroethylene or 1-1-1 trichloroethane solvents) Can cause liver and kidney damage if ingested; perchloroethylene is an animal carcinogen and suspected human carcinogen.

Naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene (mothballs) Naphthalene is a suspected human carcinogen that may damage eyes, blood, liver, kidneys, skin, and the central nervous system; paradichlorobenzene can harm the central nervous system, liver, and kidneys.

Hydrochloric acid or sodium acid sulfate (toilet bowl cleaners) Either can burn the skin or cause vomiting diarrhea and stomach burns if swallowed; also can cause blindness if inadvertently splashed in the eyes.
Formaldehyde, phenol, and pentachlorophenol (spray starch) Any aerosolized particle, including cornstarch, may irritate the lungs.

How sick is your home?

Indoor Air Polution --- from Mold to Radon --- Presents Health Risks

Nobody wants environmental hazards such as toxic-waste dumps or smokestacks bellowing gritty plumes in their backyards.

But the same sort of pollutants that come from these sites could be lurking right in your own home.

Indeed it can be teeming with allergens, such as dust mites. Carbon Monoxide can escape from fireplaces, mold and bacteria often funnel from heating, ventilation, and cooling systems and volitale organic chemicals seep out of paint and carpets.

Scientists have also found that innocuous household products, such as air freshners, can become dangerous when their fumes react with ozone and create carcinogens, such as formaldehyde.

It's no wonder the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has deemed indoor air quality one of the top 5 environmental health risks the U.S. faces today. the agency says ndoor levels of pollutants can be 2 to 5 times...and sometimes more thatn 100 times... as high outdoor levels.

"Just because outdoor air is cleaner doesn't insure that indoor air is cleaner" says William Narzaroff, professor of environmental engineering at the University of California at Berkly.

Barefoot Secret Air Purifier an affordable solution to clean air in your home!