Toxins

Toxins are everywhere and them seem to have increased in recent years.

Certain toxins can be dangerous and can affect the health of anyone.

For individuals with autism who are already carrying an extremely heavy toxic load and dealing with compromised immune systems, toxins can have an even greater negative impact.

I have discovered in the last couple of years through a lot of research, just how damaging even things we don’t think about can be a huge negative for individuals with autism.

How often do you think about things around your home being toxic? For me, I truly did not give it much thought.

Then I discovered that it was not only one thing that was contributing to our son’s toxic overload, but it was a combination of a whole bunch of things.

I didn’t change everything all at once, but I did start to make small household changes a bit at a time.

First I stopped using cleaning products that contained chemicals and switched to all natural ones like baking soda, vinegar and some essential oils. Not only was this healthier for all of us, it was also cheaper!

I also switched out soap, shampoo and laundry detergents for alternatives that were more pure with no chemicals. Anything that is in the air or being absorbed through your skin can have the most negative impact. Of course, you can only control your own environment, but by doing this, you are reducing some of the daily exposure you are getting.

Next I looked at cookware. I discarded all pans that were teflon coated as there can be harmful fumes emitted from these that go right into your food and then ingested. Stainless steel and wrought iron are good substitutes to use.

I still have some old baking sheets, but I put parchment paper on them so when the food is on the sheet it is fairly safe. Even for old muffin tins, I use paper inserts when making muffins so that I can still utilize the pan.

The next thing for me was the plastic containers. I slowly replaced these with glass ones; however at times I still use the odd one but I usually wrap the item in paper towel and then put it into the container. I do the same for ziploc bags.

I also diffuse essential oils into our son’s room and in the kitchen as well.

Occasionally I do need to give some areas a deeper clean, like the bathrooms, so I do this when no one is home and when I can open the windows so that fresh air is circulating around.

I’m not perfect, but these few things I have control over on a daily basis.

We also use the Ion Cleanse footbath from AMD on a daily basis for our son, which has tremendously helped open the pathways for his body to excrete toxins. This has been an integral part of his healing process and daily health regime.

If toxins are a concern for you (as they should be) you may wish to try some of these simple things to start out.

You may be surprised at how much a few simple choices can make everyone in your house a little healthier!