The Story of Bottled Water

We can  work collectively to end bottled water use in our schools and campuses, in our workplaces, and in our local, state and federal governments.  For resources and information to help kick the bottled water habit, and to join ongoing campaigns, see:

• Food & Water Watch takebackthetap.org
• Corporate Accountability International Stopcorporateabuse.org/think-outside-bottle
• Polaris Institute insidethebottle.org

Last month, I wrote about my recent hospital stay with Colitis in the post “My Pledge: NO Toxic Zone.”

Today, I write to you with a few resources, clearer goals, priorities and a new perspective on life.

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

I got a new attitude!

Ok, so I’m not Patti LaBelle – LOL!

My health is #1

I’ll be forty-fricken-five this year and have two young daughters… and I want to see my grand-kids give my girls as much joy –and grief– as they give me   Oh what a delight that will be!

This means I must:

• Stop eating unhealthy fast food, and start cooking healthier food at home. (Saving Dinner.com)
• Rid my home of toxic chemicals, dyes and allergens. (Household products database from the US Dept of Health & Human Services)
• EXERCISE and get outside more often. (<–shouting!)
• Take nutritional supplements for my digestive, heart, and physical health.
• Stop putting myself second. (Why do I do this?)

Solutions:

Going Green (Toxin Free)

I’ve found less expensive, toxin free products for myself, family and home at 30-40% off retail. Puts me in mind of Costco or Sam’s Club, and I can order online.  If you want to know more, schedule time to chat here or call and leave me a message at 419 775-7424.

Seriously – you NEED to do this! I’ve been walking around with alarming levels of toxins like formaldehyde, household cleaners, and weed killer without a CLUE!  Save money and your health!  (It’s the stuff you don’t know about that’ll kill ya!)

Physical

My mom has a sign in her living room that says, “If I REST – I RUST” and that is so true!

Not the rusting part – the being “sedentary” part.

Moving around blesses your soul and your heart. Whether it’s mowing the lawn or going to the gym – get some exercise – we weren’t built to sit on our arse!  And, we don’t have to spend a lot of money either.  (12 Frugal Exercise Ideas.com)

Mental

My mental health is not something I wake up thinking about each day – but what do you do DAILY that makes you happy?

Are “toxic” relationships holding you back?  Are you tolerating a less than perfect environment?  Lighten your mental load and dump the junk!

Michelle at “Making Shift Happen” has a great article on “Renewing Your Mental Outlook”

Proactively choose the type of energy that you want to use, and GIVE, during your life.

Tally-HO!

Poison Oak

In case you’re suffering with Poison Ivy/Oak and are looking for a way to control and soothe the itching, take a moment to read what I did, from a person who normally has a terrible reaction.

During the Fourth of July bonfire and fireworks I managed to get into some firewood covered with Poison Oak.  I tried everything to get the oil off me, but still managed to get an outbreak on my leg.

In the past, I’ve always had to go to the doctor for a round of steroids to treat poison oak or ivy, but not this time.

This time,

• I washed the area
• and applied tea tree oil to soothe the itching,
• and before bed, I applied an Intensive Skin Therapy lotion.
• I took one, 10mg Loratadine, an anti-histamine.

I’ve applied the Lotion 2x a day, and (1) 10mg Loratidine daily since 7/6 and have had minimal itching.  Matter of fact, I forget the poison oak outbreak is even there! There’s no oozing, or itching at all… just some angry looking bumps that should be gone by the end of the week (7/17).

I am pleasantly shocked! I thought for sure this outbreak would be 10x worse.

If it weren’t for acting quickly, I KNOW I would have had to make a trip to the urgent care, or my doctor to get relief!

The 5th and final member of our family had his testing…and not surprising the water is an issue for him also. (If you are not familiar with our situation you can catch up here Mentally Ill or Environmentally Sick)

My husband suffered with insomnia, severe snoring, flashes in his eye,  dizziness, exhaustion and irritability. For the past 2 1/2 months he has joined the rest of the family in switching to Reverse Osmosis water for drinking and cooking. He has also maintained at least one whole food meal a day and on the weekends all three meals. He has slightly increased his exercise (usually a bike ride on the weekends and golf once a week).

I mention this to say that he HAS NOT been on the detox and he still has seen remarkable results by making minor changes.

The Results

My husband no longer suffers from exhaustion and the only snoring comes from an 8 mile bike ride. He has lost 4 inches around the waste and the flashing in his eye is gone. Most importantly,I now have a spouse with the energy and desire to participate in life.

Unlike the rest of the family, my husband has metal in his system that he is removing with a homeopathic detox and we have discovered that several of the natural supplements he was taking were NOT effective for his system.

It is VERY IMPORTANT that everyone who reads this understands that each one of our systems is as unique as our finger prints. There is no magic pill or potion in our story.

We All Have Common Lifestyle Requirements

Clean Water, Healthy Food, Exercise, Strong Relationships but the details of each of our “Wellness Prescriptions” is uniquely ours.

Our testing has identified our physical weaknesses and our environmental weaknesses. While we have come a long way in detoxing our bodies we still have a long way to go on our environment.

The changes we need to make to our home are costly and we are investing sources of our water issues with testing that is also expensive.

One fact that we have become acutely aware of, is that we have no control over other peoples choices. With evidence in our bodies of ethanol, roundup and numerous preservatives (my oldest son)…no one is in a hurry to stop using these products.

We are focused on our decisions and encourage others to educate themselves.

Stay Informed and Be Healthy!

Kym Lamb…wife, mom, ceo, world partner

Consumer Reports purchased 15 protein powders and drinks and tested multiple samples of each for arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. Levels in several of the products could, with just three servings a day, result in daily exposure to arsenic, cadmium, or lead exceeding USP limits.

When taking into account the large serving size suggested, the number of micrograms per day for these products was comparatively high.

According to ABC 6 Action News:

“Cadmium raises special concern because it accumulates in and can damage the kidneys, the same organs that can be damaged by excessive protein consumption. And it can take 20 years for the body to eliminate even half the cadmium absorbed today.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Ewww! Nasty!  For those of you who don’t understand the term “Jimmy Germs” – that’s what parents said when I was little… You see, there was always one kid who was sick and we were told to steer clear of Jimmy ’cause he had lots’a germs.

Now that you understand…

Good Housekeeping recently did a study of the 3D glasses used for 3D pictures (eg. Avatar, Alice in Wonderland) and their findings are SHOCKING!

The Good Housekeeping Research Institute tested seven pairs of movie theater 3D glasses, both wrapped in plastic and unwrapped, and found a number of germs, including those causing conjunctivitis, skin infections, food poisoning, sepsis and pneumonia.

One was even contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus, the most common cause of staph infections.

My advice… keep ONE pair in your car or purse for future use – don’t assume that since the glasses are wrapped in plastic, they’re sterile or at least clean.

Putting it all in perspective… what happens when BP spills coffee.

If you are eating organically, then you have learned how important the diet and care of an animal is to the quality of its meat, and in this case, their eggs. But have you ever thought about what happens to these eggs AFTER they are collected?

Check out LocalHarvest.Org to find a farm near you

You would think that organic eggs would be your best choice when picking them up at the grocery store. However, most states have laws that make them illegal unless all the eggs that are sold commercially are processed in a way that could damage them.

Some states require that all eggs receive a chlorine bath and mineral oil coating before they are nestled into their cartons.

There are vast differences in how eggs are processed and handled, even under the “certified organic” label.

As it turns out, what happens outside the shell is as important as what happens inside the shell, and that is the focus of this report.

Your Egg’s Journey from Hen to Market

Ideally, eggs should be processed the day after they are laid. The USDA requires processing within 30 days of lay. High quality eggs are processed within seven days of lay.

Egg processing involves the following six steps:

1. Egg collecting
2. Cooling
3. Cleaning/Disinfecting
4. Candling (a measure for assessing the interior quality of the eggs whereby eggs are held up in front of a high-intensity light and visually examined; among other problems, cracks can be identified that necessitate disposal of the egg)
5. Grading
6. Packing/Labeling

It is the cleaning process that you as a consumer should be aware of, because in this step, chemicals and contaminants may be introduced that compromise your eggs’ quality.

Read the rest of the article here.

*UPDATE* June 8th 2010

My (2) Youngest children had their Bio Stress Testing done today…Guess What?

Toxic sensitivity to our water!

That makes 4 out of 5 of us…only my husband has yet to be tested and he has already experienced amazing changes just my drinking the RO (Reverse Osmosis) water.

My youngest is the least affected. He has very good resilience to chemicals and foods. This is mainly because he is 4 yrs old with the least amount of exposure time. He is also very particular about his diet. He is NOT a big meat fan and chooses fruits and veggies over junk most of the time.

My middle child, who struggles with strep and an emotional roller coaster shows neurological distress triggered by molds, isotropic alcohol, ethanol, petroleum and other chemicals like roundup.

We are blessed the the (2) younger children DO NOT suffer the food allergies that my 9 year old has. And if we can help it, never will.

Ironically…our solution has been simple, REMOVE THE TOXINS & CLEAN OUT OUR SYSTEMS.

I would NEVER wish this chaos on anyone, BUT I am thankful for the process. My family is now closer since we share a common problem. We are more aware of our environments than ever. And we are actively seeking ways to make a difference in our lives and hopefully in the lives of others.

We are not the only family that is going through this. We will not be the last. There are thousands of products that contain toxins that are still on the shelves. Many of these ingredients have been banned in other countries…but not ours.

“2006 Department of Environmental Health identified 201 chemicals shown to be toxic to the neurological system. Most of this list included common ingredients in food and consumer goods” (The Essential Green You Vol 3)

A Time for Precaution, Not Panic

It is not my goal to frighten you with what has happened to my family.

I am not trying to scare you into buying a hazmat suit and never enjoying your favorite donuts.

What I am trying to do is make you acutely aware the no one is looking out for you…but you. I know that is a harsh statement but it is true. You must be your own advocate.

You must be aware of what goes on and in your body. We can no longer assume that if it is on the shelf, then it is safe.

Also, there is not magic pill, no exact process and no test that can help you avoid sickness. But there are steps you can take to give you and your family the best fighting chance.

Shifting Our Focus

Our family has decided to shift from FEAR to ACTION. We have three daily goals:

1. Exercise Our Minds

2. Exercise Our Bodies

3. Exercise Our Spirits

These disciplines help us to stay strong, make educated choices and recognize we have a responsibility to more than just ourselves.

Our Journey Has Just Begun…

Kym Lamb…wife, mom, ceo, world partner

*UPDATE* May 21st 2010

As of today I am still doing well. Details on the rest of the family below. Playing hide and seek tag with the kids and riding our bikes regularly.

Progress on the house is a SLOW tedious process (and expensive). We have made the following changes to the house and our life styles:

• Only reverse osmosis water is consumed. (including cooking and brushing teeth)
• Filter for the shower (heated toxins are a bad thing)
• Hepa Air filter (had to go with the mobile room size for now)
• Duct worked completely cleaned and sanitized.
• Chimney and Heating Vent cleaned (found out there was a gap in the venting – NOT GOOD)
• Refrigerator Filter replaced
• Allergy bags for pillows and mattresses
• We are altering our diet to be whole foods and reading labels.
• My son and I are on supplements to clean out the toxins.

My oldest son was tested and he also has toxins in his system.

His pancreas is under working, which explains years of diabetic like symptoms that could not be diagnosed. (He had upper gi, stomach biopsy which showed nothing and we were told to keep him on a diabetic type diet to see if that helped.)

The most AMAZING change in him is his focus! He has had tutors for years. C’s and D’s were is typical scores. We knew he was bright but had a very difficult time getting thoughts to paper. We learned that he is allergic to 6 different preservatives and that they had been shown to cause focus problems. He is also allergic to chlorine which explains the vomiting at indoor swimming pools.

After changing his toxic water supply, avoiding the preservatives, and taking a detox to remove the chemicals in his system, he is now an A student!

We are having the rest of the family tested and while I DO NOT want my children to have neurotoxicity; I fully expect that my husband and 2 younger children will show similar issues.

WHAT IS NEXT

Once we have everyone tested we will take the “common denominator” toxins to be tested in our water. With this information we can then proceed in either adding a reverse osmosis filter on the entire house (they need to know what special filters we will need) or having a new well drilled if it is determined that the current one is toxic to the whole family or just my son and I are sensitive to it.

We are holding off on ripping up the carpets for (3) reasons:

(1) We have been told it can put more toxins in the air if not done properly
(2) We have NO hardwood floors underneath
(3) I do not have a “When your house toxes Your Family” Fund

I also am having a house inspector come in for more advice on what needs to be done…

Neurotoxicity was a new term to me just a few weeks ago. I am so glad that I know why I was sick and even though we have a lot to do I at least know that my family is reversing the damage to our home and our bodies. We are the wiser for our situation.We are making life style changes that can only improve our lives.

I will continue to share the information as we go through the process.

PS Here are the duct cleaning videos.

DUCTS BEFORE CLEANING

DUCTS AFTER CLEANING

Thank you ClearVent!

Kym Lamb…wife, mom, ceo, world partner