Detox Challenge: Detoxify your Cupboards

A Blog Post by Elizabeth Farrell

It's time to clean the house of toxic chemicals... but where to start? Let's start with simply getting to know what products you are using in your home and on your body. Start by going through your cleaning supplies and then personal care products.

The Environmental Working Group makes this process a little bit easier for all of us curious about what is in the products that we are using in our home, putting on our skin, and putting in our bodies. Even though an all natural or organic product says that it uses all natural ingredients, it might contain carcinogenic compounds, endocrine disruptors, and other toxins.

For years, I used mineral based makeup thinking that this was better than using any of the other leading brands like Cover Girl, Chanel, or Lancome. I ended up doing a heavy metals toxicity test and found high counts of Bismuth in my body along with Cadmium. I wondered where I might have gotten Bismuth and Cadmium. I looked at my makeup and there it was. Bismuth oxychloride as one of the leading ingredients. Bismuth oxychloride is a by-product of lead and copper smelting as well as a known irritant which can cause acne break-outs. Take a look at what's in your cosmetics bag or in your personal care products. I just discovered that the mascara I have been using is carcinogenic, so it's time to find another one. It's best to look carefully at the ingredients and then look up what you find on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Database. Now, onto our cleaning products.

Take a look at our dish soap, both say that they are natural and include natural ingredients. Which one do you think is better to use? Well, neither of them are that great. The Seventh Generation Natural Dish Liquid received a D grade on EWG's Guide to Healthy Cleaning and the Ultra Dishmate received a C+, which is not much better.

The best cleaners that I have found to use are: bleach, white vinegar, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, lemon essential oil, and Bon Ami. Yes, Bon Ami gets an A from the EWG. It does deep clean, and it's safe.

In the spirit of cleaning your pantry and personal care products, I am sharing with you my homemade face salve. I used to buy a $60 cream made out of organic ingredients until I decided that I could make it for cheaper and could control the ingredients. This face salve can be used as a general salve and is good on extra dry skin.

1. Place a mason jar in a sauce pan with water. Heat the water on medium high heat. Not boiling.

2. Add in the following ingredients, and let sit over the heat until combined:

-1/2 Cup Grapeseed Oil or Almond Oil

-1/4 Cup Coconut Oil

-1/4 Beeswax ,grated

-2 Tablespoons Organic Shea Butter

-2 Teaspoons Pomegranate Seed Oil or Rosehip Seed Oil (You can purchase both ingredients at Mountain Rose Herbs.)

-Essential oils of your choice. I used Geranium, Lavendar, Chamomile, Ylang Ylang, Frankinsense, and Grapefruit. You can use as many drops as you like of each.

3. Once all of the ingredients are combined and the beeswax has melted, let all ingredients cool. Then, use. You can use this salve for more than 3 months.

If you have any questions, please e-mail Elizabeth at info@drgrasser.com or complete our Contact Form. Thank you and happy detox!

Detox Challenge

Dr. Grasser is inviting you to participate in the Detox Challenge sponsored by the Institute for Functional Medicine. We will be participating in the Detox Challenge from September 4th to September 29th. You can learn more by visiting our Detox Challenge page. If you are curious about whether or not you need to detoxify, you can begin by asking yourself a few questions. Do I experience fatigue, pain, or have inflammation? Do I have unresolved chronic health issues like chronic gut problems? Am I frequently exposed to several toxic chemicals in my work or home environment? Do I want to feel more vibrant and vital? If so, consider participating in the Detox Challenge with us.

We will be hosting a Detox Challenge Check-In on Monday September 15th in Santa Fe. If you would like to join us for the Check-In, please e-mail us your request to info@drgrasser.com.

To find out more about the Detox Challenge please watch Dr. Grasser on the video below.

10 simple steps to wellness...

Follow these 10 simple steps to PROTECT yourself, PROMOTE wellness in your life, and PROJECT radiance through balance of body, mind, and spiritual self.

1. Avoid overused tests and treatments. This may include x-rays and MRIs for low back pain, too many tests for cancer, antibiotics for colds, bronchitis, and sinus infections, or over-the counter drugs like ibuprofen and acetaminophen. See www.choosingwisely.org for more information.

2. Know your health history. Don’t count on your doctor to know about and be aware of your past at the time of treatment. Know the medicine you take and don’t forget to ask your doctor when you can be weaned off of unnecessary drugs. Often, you have been prescribed a drug without sufficient evidence that it will protect you and without attention to your individual person.

3. Journal. Write about your health from week to week and season to season. Tell your journal about physical symptoms, energy levels, mental and emotional state, diet, sleep, exercise, and more. Then you can look back and make connections among all the elements and experiment with changes on the path to perfect health.

4. Eat mindfully. This starts with preparing for your meal: the what, where, when, how, and with whom you eat. It lasts during the meal (think: slow, think: chew), and after the meal: what Ayurveda describes as the taste, immediate effect, and post-digestive effect of every food.

5. Customize and control your daily routine and what enters your body (food, water, medicine, breath, sun, conversation, sound, sight, and energy) according to your personal and individual needs. Do not do as others are doing if it is not right for you. Nature shows us how to do this; a partner in your health can assist.

6. Move. Move in a way and amount which suits you, but whatever you do, move. Humans are made to move every day except in time of illness. In this busy world, I recommend a triple combination of resistance training balanced with a slow, supportive, breath-controlled modality such as yoga movement, tai chi, dance, or similar, rounded off with endurance movement. I call this triad strengthen, soften, and sustain.

7. Detoxify. Most of the time, this means supporting your body’s natural detoxification mechanisms through the other tips mentioned here. Avoid taking in toxins or things which can promote toxicity: processed food, poorly combined foods, foods to which you have an allergy or intolerance, chemically polluted food, water, and air, anything but the cleanest skin and beauty products, medicine, and even “toxic” conversation and relationship. At certain times under certain circumstances, formal cleansing routines are necessary to flush toxins out of the deeper tissue layers and emotional levels. Expert supervision is helpful when utilizing these routines.

8. De-stress. Stress management is also individualized and may necessitate prioritizing: alone time, organizing tasks, saying no to others, meditation, breath-work, movement, religion, spirituality. Do whatever it takes (read: stress is a premature killer) even if it involves the help of family, friends, a teacher, a life/health coach, or a wellness consultant.

9. Rejuvenate. This is known in Ayurveda as Rasayana, and it is given paramount importance. Fill your life with the good stuff: nourishing, seasonal, local, properly-combined food, plenty of filtered water which retains its healing nature, exposure to the natural elements, and additional support of quality nutrients, vitamins, minerals, herbs, and compounds, when necessary.

10. Love. Cultivate love and compassionate connection in your life. This tip is the essence of health. This will bring meaning and purpose to what you say and do. I am convinced that one thing is more powerful than all else when it comes to being healthy, happy, and vibrant. That thing is LOVE. It cannot be divided, only multiplied. Look for places and ways, however small, where you can inject love into the situation. It is an antidote to all unhealthy sentiment. You and your health will thank you.

Traveling Tips
1. Lavender Essential Oil- Place on your nostrils to prevent viruses.
2. OnGuard Essential Oil Blend by DoTerra. This blend is great for hand sanitizer.
3. Bring your own food. A lot of the food at the airport is laden with GMOs, chemicals, and is over-processed i.e don't eat the peanuts.
4. Take an immune building supplement before traveling to boost your immunity during travel.
5. If you get anxious while flying, try taking some Ashwagandha or Rescue Remedy.