Back to School - Protecting Your Family's Immune System

It is back to school time and flu season is earlier than ever! I want to share with you natural ways to support the immune system and options for a natural approach to prevent sickness. There are also natural ways to speed up the recovery process if you or someone in your family gets sick. Below is a letter from Jamie McManus, Chairman of Medical Affairs for Shaklee, and she gives great information on protecting your family during the flu season.

To see what is in my family's natural medicine cabinet, click here.

Hello Shaklee Family,

Back to school shopping, anxiety over who your child’s teacher will be this year, sending your oldest (or youngest) child off to college—all very exciting activities, but not without a bit of stress for all involved. And to add to all of these very typical types of activities and concerns, we have some new and additional threats to staying healthy. So it has never been more important to focus on doing all you can to protect your family’s

health—beginning with arming yourself with the latest information.

Your ability to stay well and not fall prey to circulating pathogens rests upon the vibrant functioning of your immune system, and an optimally healthy immune system occurs when you are doing a few simple things:

1) Eat a healthy diet, full of antioxidants and immune supporting nutrients. This means avoiding the fast food restaurants (generally empty calories) and committing to eating at least FIVE servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day—salads, stir-fry vegetables with chicken breast or salmon or hearty stews or soups made

with plenty of colorful vegetables!

2) Be sure you are taking supplementation to support immune health. Your favorite version of Vitalizer™ along with Nutriferon® provides a solid nutritional foundation for immune function. Sustained Release Vita C® (or Chewable Vita C®), Optiflora® Probiotic, and Defend and Resist Complex can be added for additional support on an as needed basis. 

For children ages 10 and younger, choose Incredivites™ with immune supporting lactoferrin and more vitamin D, and our terrific ShakleeBaby™ Multivitamin & Multimineral

Powder with clinically tested prebiotics and more Vitamin D to help support immune function.*

3) Get plenty of rest. Your immune system can be very negatively impacted by inadequate sleep. Your school age children require at least nine hours of sleep each night so be sure that becomes a routine as the school year gets started. And Moms and Dads, you need seven and a half to eight hours yourself!

4) Talk to your doctor about immunization. We encourage everyone to speak with your doctor to determine if vaccination is right for you, especially if any member of your family falls into one of these target groups at higher risk identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than six months of age, health care and emergency medical services personnel with direct patient contact, children six months through four years of age, and children five through 18 years of age who have chronic medical conditions. Click this link to learn more: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/public/vaccination_qa_pub.htm.

5) Wash your hands frequently. You don’t need antibacterial soaps; in fact, many experts are concerned that the widespread use of antibacterial products may contribute to the increasing prevalence of resistant bacteria that antibiotics do not work against! So, use plain ordinary soap, warm water, and wash your arms and wrists and lather up for 30 to 60 seconds before rinsing off. When hand washing is not possible, hand sanitizers are

sometimes recommended.

6) Wash down your countertops, bathroom wash areas, and other hard, non-porous surfaces that your hands contact with an effective germicidal product such as Shaklee Basic-G®. Basic-G has been tested and shown to be effective in neutralizing influenza type A viruses as well as a host of other2 microorganisms and the EPA has issued a statement that it believes, based on available scientific information, that the currently registered influenza A virus products will be effective against the 2009 - H1N1 flu strain and other influenza A virus strains on hard, non-porous surfaces.

Sending warmest regards,

Dr. Jamie McManus M.D.

Chairman, Medical Affairs and Health Sciences

Shaklee Corporation

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not

intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Click here to see why chemical cleaners are so harmful

Click here to purchase Get Clean non-toxic products

Children's Vitamins - What's in them could make a huge difference!

Vitamins are not all the same. There are synthetic, man-made vitamins and there are whole food vitamins made from whole foods and vegetables. I will be posting more about this later. Shaklee's Incredivites are all-natural and quality tested by Shaklee to ensure only the best ingredients. It is also the only children's vitamin that contains immune supporting, lactoferin, that is found in breastmilk. Take pride in knowing that your little one's body is actually absorbing the vitamins and minerals they need, unlike sythetic vitamins that may not dissolve, or most of the time, do not disolve at the right time for their bodies to absorb the vitamins properly.

Vunerability of Children Related to Typical Household Cleaners

If you haven't decided to make the change to non-toxic cleaners and remove all chemical cleaners from your home, I hope these statistics will help you make the change to a healthier home!

Why are children so vulnerable?


Children exposed in the womb are at greatest risk of all. Because cellular structures change so rapidly during embryonic and fetal growth, a toxic exposure at the wrong moment can permanently alter further development... Government and university scientists are currently investigating the possibility of a connection between fetal exposures to toxins and developmental disabilities such as ADHD.

Children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxicants. Pound for pound of body weight, children drink more water, eat more food, and breathe more air than adults. The implication of this is that children will have substantially heavier exposures than adults to any toxicants that are present in water, food, or air.

Asthma is the most common serious chronic disease of childhood.

Children's metabolic pathways, especially in the first months after birth, are immature. Their ability to metabolize, detoxify and excrete many chemicals differs from adults.

Carcinorgenic and toxic exposures sustained early in life, including prenatal exposures, appear more likely to lead to disease than similar exposure encountered later.

There are over 80,000 chemicals registered with the EPA and fewer than 20% of them have been tested for toxicity.

Organic pollutants are 2 to 5 times higher inside homes than outside. According to the EPA, sources of organic pollutants from household cleaners include: solvents, wood preservatives, aerosol sprays, cleansers and disinfectants, and air freshners. Health effects from organic pollutants include: eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; and damage to liver, kidney, and cental nervous system. Many organic compounds are known to cause cancer in animals; some are suspected of causing, or are known to cause, cancer in humans.
Source: U.S. EPA

Source of data: Data Related to Typical Household Cleaners. Compiled by Shaklee Corporation. For all sources, see Shaklee Article.
Sources: U.S. EPA, New Chemicals Program, Landrigan, P.J. & Weiss; Natuional Research Council

My Eco-licious Baby Girl

I wanted to share a few photos of my precious little girl, Haylee, who is now 21 months. She is so much fun and loves to smile and laugh and make funny faces. She is my encouragment and motivation for everything I do and I love sharing every minute with her. She is definitely a mommy's girl, at least for now, so I soak in every minute I can. She has tons of energy and as you can see from the photos, she has a very big personality.

She's mommy's helper around the house and loves to dust and carries around the spray bottles of Basic H2 since they have a lady bug and butterfly on them lol! :) So glad they are non-toxic and safe because sometimes I can't pry them out of her hands so I can clean. She is my Shaklee baby and of course uses all of the Shakleebaby products! :) I am so thankful to have such a healthy baby and take pride in creating the healthiest life I can for her. I use only Get Clean products and I took Shaklee vitamins while I was pregnant and she's been taking the infant and toddler vitamins since she was 6 months old. I love the Shakleebaby wash because it makes her so soft and clean and the lavender and chamomile put us both in a peaceful mood! :) It feels good knowing that I can do a huge part in providing the best for her.

ShakleeBaby - The Shaklee Difference

Babies are the most precious gifts in the world, and it's up to us to keep them safe and healthy. Chemicals such as phthalates, parabens, and sodium lauryl sulfate-ingredients that can be skin irritants or endocrine disruptors have turned up in shampoos, lotions, and baby washes. They may also contain harmful chemical by-products such as 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde, which is known as a "probable carcinogen". Choose only the best for your baby and see why Shaklee is always safe, always gentle, and always healthy.

                  

Click here to see my website for information on the Shaklee Baby line.

Infants and Children are at Greater Risk for Chemical Exposures

Environmental Health Hazards

Children are particularly susceptible to environmental hazards that are surfacing in everyday environments. Potentially toxic chemicals show up in our food, as contaminants in air and water, in common household and personal care products, in packaging, and in furniture. It has been estimatedthat the average home may contain 1,500 compounds that may be eroding our vitality and increasing our health costs. Although children should be the first to be protected from environmental hazards, the truth is they are at the greatest risk for chemical exposures. As parents and caregivers, we need to do a better job of screening and choosing household and personal care products to reduce our children’s exposures.

Infants and Children are at Greater Risk for Chemical Exposures

It’s no secret that infants and children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxins. Infants and young children spend a lot of time putting things in their mouths, raising their risk of ingesting chemical residues. Pound for pound, children drink more water, eat more food, and breathe more air than adults.

So children are likely to have substantially greater exposures than adults to potential toxins in the water we drink, the food we eat, and the air we breathe.

And yet, so many of the popular and most trusted brands of household cleaners, personal care products, and even baby care products continue to include harsh chemicals.

 

An immature immune system and metabolic pathways affect a baby’s ability to metabolize, detoxify, and excrete chemicals and counteract toxic challenges. In an adult, a blood-brain barrier insulates the brain from many of the potentially harmful chemicals circulating through the body. But in an infant, that barrier isn’t fully developed, so early exposures may be especially risky. Children also have more time to develop chronic diseases triggered by early chemical exposures. Some diseases related to environmental toxins may require decades to develop, so exposure during childhood may increase health risks later in life. Some scientists also believe that a mother’s exposure

to toxic chemicals during pregnancy can have developmental consequences on the fetus. Because growth is so rapid at this time, early toxic exposures may have a significant impact on development.

Information taken from Shaklee Corporation, "Superwellness For Super Kids"

Photo taken from: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=151

Household Cleaners and Asthma Risk in Children

The prevalence of asthma in the U.S. increased by 75% from 1980–1994, and the asthma rates in children younger than 5 increased more than 160% during that same period,

It’s the most common chronic childhood disease in the developed world and has become even more commonplace in the past three decades.

In a 2004 study evaluating the risk of asthma development in children, researchers concluded that “domestic exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at levels below currently accepted recommendations may increase the risk of childhood asthma.” VOCs are found in many household products and also may be embedded in the house itself as part of the paint, flooring, or furniture.

Another study of nearly 14,000 children found that the more frequently household chemicals such as bleach or window cleaner were used during pregnancy, the higher the risk that the young child would have persistent wheezing. More troubling was that the relationship between household chemicals and wheezing remained even after factors such as parental smoking and family history of asthma were taken into account.

Although there’s no cure, asthma often can be controlled by avoidance of triggers, appropriate dietary and supplement strategies, and, of course, medication as prescribed.

• Exclusive breast-feeding is believed to be effective in reducing subsequent development of allergies and may reduce the the risk of asthma in children.
• Antioxidants in the diet, including selenium and vitamins C and E, may have a protective effect.
• Probiotics are promising as they may produce changes in the gut that stimulate the immune system.
• And preliminary research has shown that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation may decrease the inflammatory response, including the production of inflammatory mediators in asthmatic patients.

Asthma and related conditions are not the only risks associated with ingredients in common household products.

• Butyl cellosolve, often found in all-purpose cleaners, abrasive, and glass cleaners, is a potentially toxic chemical in the glycol-ether family of chemicals. Ingesting large amounts of butyl cellosolve may cause breathing problems, low blood pressure, low hemoglobin levels, acidic blood, and blood in the urine.
• Exposure to high levels of ammonia, found in glass cleaners, may be irritating to the skin, eyes, throat, and lungs, and it can cause coughing and burns. Also, asthma sufferers may be more sensitive to breathing ammonia than others.
• Hypochlorite, found in common household bleach and automatic dishwasher detergents, causes more poisoning exposures than any other household cleaning substance and was the source of over 50,000 poisonings in 2005 alone, according to a report from the Poison Control Center’s National Poisoning and Exposure Database.
• Drain cleaners, oven cleaners, and toilet bowl cleaners are some of the most dangerous products in our homes. Drain and oven cleaners may contain lye or sodium hydroxide, which can cause severe corrosive damage to eyes, skin, mouth, and stomach if swallowed. Toilet bowl cleaners may contain chlorine or hydrochloric acid. Even brief exposure to low levels of hydrochloric acid vapor can result in throat irritation, and increased exposure can result in rapid breathing, narrowing of the bronchioles, blue coloring of the skin, accumulation of fluid in the lungs, and even death.

There’s a long list of dangerous chemicals that are under most sinks in this country—they’re even in some products that claim to be green. For more detailed information about the chemicals used in household products, visit the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Web site at http://www.householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/.

Information taken from Shaklee Corporation, "Superwellness for Super Kids"

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=503

Other Health Hazards Related to Cleaning-

Product Ingredients

Fighting The Flu - The Natural Medicine Cabinet

It's Holiday Season... but that also means that it's flu season! It's not that I don't believe in over-the-counter or prescription drugs, but why take that when you can take something that is all-natural and just as effective.

Did you know that things like stress, high cholesterol levels, sugar, alcohol, and second-hand smoke can depress the immune system?

Here is what I always have on hand for flu-season:

1. Nutriferon - This is the most amazing product that actually boosts your body's own immune system by naturally increasing your body's level of interferon*. This boosts your immune system to 100% in 3 days! Different than other immune system supplements out there, this was created a World-renowned immunologist who discovered interferon in the body. I have not been sick one time since taking this starting over a year ago! This is my absolute must!

2. Defend & Resist Complex - This combination of elderberry, echinacea, and zinc, is clinically proven to stimulate the body's natural resistance and support healthy immune function*. You take this when you start to feel that first tickle or you think you might be getting sick.

3. Vitamin C - Did you know that your body is not capable of making or storing Vitamin C? So all of those products that you take with tons of Vitamin C only last a couple hours and then your body gets rid of it. Make sure you are taking a sustained release and all natural vitamin C supplement. Shaklee's sustained release Vitamin-C delivers vitamin C for 5 hours. It is the equivalent of eating one-and-a-half oranges every hour for five hours! Vitamin C is also a natural decongestant.

4. Garlic - Garlic serves as an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory and a natural decongestant. It can aid in infections, enhances the immune system, and acts as a natural antibiotic. This has been helpful with people suffering from symptoms of bronchitis.


5. All-natural, whole food, Multi-vitamin - The multi-vitamin is the most basic thing you can do to help avoid or aid in the recovery of the flu. Vita-Lea, from Shaklee, is made from whole foods and is never synthetic and it contains 23 essential vitamins and minerals, including high levels of immune building Beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium.



*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Some information provided by HealthQuest newsletter
Photo from: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=413

Eco-licious Mama was at the OC Baby & Toddler Fair!

The OC Baby & Toddler Fair by Parenting OC Magazine was last weekend at Saddleback Memorial Hospital. We had so much fun talking with all of the expectant parents. We had such a great response of parents who were so excited to see alternatives to traditional chemical cleaners and that there are more effective and less expensive products than the chemical products.

Thank you everyone who stopped by our booth! We had a ton of fun!

 The Baby & Get Clean Products



 I love the Shakleebaby non-toxic, safe and organic line. The lavender always calms my baby.

 The magic is in those 3 spray bottles and the Basic H2 right next to it! Amazing! It was funny to see everyone's eyes double in size when they heard one 16oz. bottle of Basic H2 is equal to 5,824 bottles of windex!

Jennifer, myself, and Michele, our Get Clean Expert and Nutritionist, at our Shaklee booth.

Products I Love For My Eco-licious Baby!

A lot of people ask me what products I use for my baby that are safe and chemical-free. I have compiled a list of some of my favorites. I always look for BPA, Phthalate, Lead, and PVC Free products as well as paraben, sodium lauryl sulfate, PEG, petroletum, PABA and nano particle and fragrance free products (there is a long list of other chemicals, but these seem to be used most frequently).

Websites I Love:

www.thesoftlanding.com - BPA, PVC and Phthalate and Lead Free Products for the whole family! Food storage, toys and bath toys, toxin free lunch gear, plates and utensils, and much more!
www.theglassbabybottle.com - Great selection of toxin free baby and children essentials like bottles and sippy cups, food storage, pacifiers, nursery and a toxilogic blog.
www.healthychildhealthyworld.com - Great information on raising your child in a healthy world. They have great updates on chemicals and toxins in the home and in our food. As far as the products they recommend, I don't think this is the best source for chemical-free living, but the products are still better than most traditional options.
www.bubbleandbee.com - Wonderful natural skincare products for moms like lip moisturizer, soap, and my favorite, Pit Putty deoderant. They have a great chemical database.
www.safemama.com - Extremely helpful website when purchasing anything for your baby. I love the cheat sheets that make buying safe products easier.


A Few Everyday Products I Love for Eco-licious Babies:

The products listed are BPA, Lead, Phthalate and PVC Free.
Bath toys - Boon toys & most Sassy bath toys
Shampoo & Baby Wash - ShakleeBaby Wash (my fav) and Earth Mama Angel Baby
Lotion - ShakleeBaby Lotion and Earth Mama Angel Baby Lotion
Sunscreen - Episcencial Sunscreen and Badger All-Natural Sunscreen
Toothbrush - Kushies Baby Banana Silicone Brush and Green Sprouts Toothbrushes
Toothpaste-  Weleda Tooth Gel, still want to try Burt's Bees Kid's Toothpaste
Teethers - Vulli Sofie the Giraffe, Nuby, and Green Sprouts Cornstarch Teethers
Food Storage & Plates/Utensils, etc. - Boon, Kids Konserve, Lunchbots, & see websites above for a huge selection of these items
Baby Food - Plum Organics (these pouches are the best on-the-go food! No spoon or bowl required, love this!), Ella's Kitchen, Earth's Best
Toddler Snacks - Plum Organics and Happy Baby

More products to come, including favorite products for mom!

Most of the products listed above can be found at www.thesoftlanding.com, www.theglassbabybottle.com and my shaklee website for ShakleeBaby products.