Health Risks Of Hand Sanitizers

Over-the-counter hand sanitizers seem such a quick and logical fix to disinfect hands, but when used on a regular basis or improperly they can cause adverse health effects. Health experts recommend washing hands with soap and water whenever possible, but even commercial hand soaps are full of toxic chemicals. Most hand sanitizers are made with potent toxic chemicals for the purpose of killing germs. The majority of hand sanitizers contain 60-90% of either ethyl or isopropyl alcohol, a concentration much higher than what is found in most hard liquors! Therefore, even small doses of sanitizer, when ingested, can cause headaches, dizziness, and slurred speech. Extreme cases of hand sanitizer poisoning include brain damage and death. Hand sanitizer poisoning is most common among children who are drawn to the bright colors and sweet scents. Children who ingest even a small amount of hand sanitizer can become intoxicated and be at risk for alcohol poisoning. 

Parents should teach children to keep hands out of mouths, eyes, ears, and noses when out in public such as at school, at the store, at a friend’s house and so on, and to wash hands immediately upon arriving home as well as frequently as possible. Parents themselves should be models of frequent hand washing as well as doing so for their own health. But, teaching children to keep hands out of mouths is especially important if children use sanitizers at school, at home, at friends’, and so on. It’s also important to keep hand sanitizers out of children’s reach as with any other chemical.

Since hand sanitizers contain a high amount of alcohol they are also highly flammable. Small quantities of hand sanitizer burn "very hot, very quickly" if set on fire. Keep sanitizers out of the hot sun, cars overheated by the sun, and away from incandescent light bulbs and heaters. Should you choose to use hand sanitizers when cooking or grilling make sure hands are completely dry before getting near a hot stove or grill!

Furthermore, due to their high alcohol content, sanitizers can cause dry skin, which in turn means skin can become cracked and broken. Broken skin exposes the body to "the same contagions hand sanitizers are trying to prevent." Do not use sanitizers if you have any open cuts and scrapes on your hands, including hangnails and paper cuts. Sanitizers can irritate cuts and scrapes, which can cause infection, burning, itching, and rashes. Health experts discourage the biting of fingernails or any touching of the mouth and lips with hands after using sanitizers.

Another problem with hand sanitizers is that they may not leave hands completely clean after use. Should hands be visibly dirty or have dirt under the fingernails hand sanitizers will not be very effective. Hand sanitizers are not a replacement for using soap and water, especially if the body is fighting illness. Sanitizers will not clean hands if hands are greasy, wet, or are covered with food residue.so washing hands is important.

Chemical hand sanitizers do in fact kill both the good and the bad bacteria. While, it is good to kill the bad, it is not so great to kill the good. The good bacteria protects our body from infection as well has helping it to fight the bad bacteria. If we get rid of the good, how will we fight the bad?? 

Ultimately hand sanitizers will not protect you from getting sick and some of the ingredients may actually make you sick. So a more preferable way to stay healthy and avoid viral and bacterial infections is to take plenty of natural vitamin C and vitamin D, eat powerful super-foods, drink plenty of clean water and use essential oils to support your body.   

Everyone knows how important it is to have clean hands. Cleaning them with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is the best method but there are times when you could use a quick cleaning.

Most folks would love to have a hand cleaner and hand sanitizer to use when they don’t have access to soap and water. Making your own sanitizer using essential oils is very simple to do. There are many recipes available to make your own.

Common essential oils for use in any type of sanitizer include but are not limited to the following: Tea Tree (aka Melaleuca); Oregano; Thyme; Eucalyptus; Cinnamon leaf; Geranium; Rosemary; Lavender; & Peppermint.

Essential Oils for Kidney Support

Back in 2003, I started experiencing strange pains in my back. They were easy enough to
ignore, so I did. Not too long after that, I started having sharper pains just below my
stomach on the sides. I remember the time frame, because it started before we came to
Houston for my brother's wedding at Christmas. I mentioned it to my mom. I decided that
it hurt more when I was drinking soda, so I stopped drinking soda.

A month later, the pain increased, so I went to the doctor. He had me pee in a cup. He told
me that nothing was wrong because there were no white blood cells in my urine. I didn't
know what to think about that, so I just left and went about life. Fortunately, the pain didn't
continue hurting too much longer after that.

Fast forward to the spring of 2008. I had a toddler and little baby only a few months old,
when I started having the same pains again. This time, they were MUCH worse. One
Saturday, we went to a party for a friend's son. On the way back, I was in excruciating
pain. I called my mom and she told me that it is probably kidney stones. She told me to
drink lots of water and go to the doctor or hospital. I decided I would call a doctor on
Monday. I am one of those silly people that only go to the doctor if I am on my death bed,
so you can only imagine what it would take to get me to go to the emergency room at
midnight. Apparently, a tiny (4mm) kidney stone will do the trick.

There is a reason that most people compare this pain to giving birth. I had just given birth a
few months before, so it was easy to compare. I can tell you that I would rather give birth
because at least you get something positive out of that agonizing experience. The hospital
gave me a CT scan and a prescription for pain killers. I left the hospital not feeling any
better. Pain killers may be great for someone who feels like they are dying of pain, but not
the best thing for a woman who is nursing a baby. The next few days were less than fun for
me. Trying to pass that huge stone was NOT pleasant. I visited a urologist after that and it
all came down to the fact that I don't drink enough water.

Fast forward again to 2013. Do you see a pattern here? It is not that I wasn't trying to
drink more water. I guess I am just not that successful at it. This time, as soon as the
pains started, I knew exactly what it was. I also knew that if I went to the doctor, I'd most likely be
told to drink lots of water and let it pass. I looked up remedies online and came across the
olive oillemon juice remedy. I put 2 TBS of olive oil and another TBS of lemon juice in a
shot glass and downed it. The pain subsided rather quickly. When it came back, I did it
again.

I also mentioned my kidney pains to a friend, Tiffany. She had recently started
using essential oils and was kind enough to give me my first bottle of lemon oil. She told
me to add a drop or 2 to my water to support my kidneys. Within a few days of doing these 2 things, my pain was gone. I finally felt like I had a good solution.

I guess I have to wait to 2018 to see if the pattern is completely broken, but I am doing my part to support my kidneys in the mean time. I drink lemon oil in my water on a regular basis, which
makes drinking water more appealing.

I have mentioned what I have used and liked. There are other great oils to support kidney function including lemongrass, cinnamon, juniper berry, clary sage, wild orange, rosemary and coriander.

Ramping Up Romance with Essential Oils

Happy Valentines Day!

In honor of this special day of romance, I'm posting about how you can use oils to ramp up your romance.  I, like most women, have close friends that share some of the more intimate details of their lives.  Fortunately, this kind of sharing helps us come up with ideas and share solutions for issues.  One of these topics is definitely romance in the bedroom.

Men, in general, tend to be more amorous. They are very physical and visual. It usually doesn't take a lot to get them in the mood. Although, men have issues too or drugs like Viagra wouldn't be a household word.  

Women seem to have lots of things that become obstacles for feeling that desire.  Some of these obstacles could be related to stress, fatigue, worry, anxiety, feeling ugly or fat, sensory overload from kids, etc.

No matter what the difficulty is, people crave love and romance, so this post is dedicated to ramping your love life up.  Here are some oils that can do that:

1. Cinnamon Bark

Cinnamon Bark is often called the Oil of Sexual Harmony. I put it at the top of the list because it nurtures healthy sexuality.  It invites people to be genuine and unguarded so that pure intimacy can surface.  This is a good one to diffuse because it helps to normalize amorous feelings, whether that means increasing or decreasing feelings.

2.  Ylang Ylang

This oil is on my list because it encourages play and joy.  It allows emotional mending to progress while healing the heart.  Ylang ylang is commonly used as an aphrodisiac as well as for exhaustion, hormonal balance, and libido.

3. Wild Orange

I am listing wild orange because it adds fun, joy, relaxation, and energy into life.  It assists individuals to give without thought of benefit.

4. Blend for Women

This blend is one of my favorites.  It has patchouli, bergamot, sandalwood, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, vetiver, ylang ylang, geranium and others. This blend helps women and men connect with their feminine side and encourages flexibility.

5. Grapefruit

Grapefruit oil is often used as an appetite suppressant or weight loss, but it is also known as the oil of Inner Beauty. It inspires individuals to discover feelings of self-worth and acceptance of physical appearance.

6. Geranium

Geranium oil definitely belongs on this list because it is the Oil of Love & Trust.  It mends the heart and instills unconditional love as well as cultivating trust. Some people are more logically minded and this oil helps to nurture the warmth in the heart.

7. Bergamot

Bergamot happens to be one of my favorite oils.  I love the way it smells and I am definitely drawn to it.  It is also known as the Oil of Self-Acceptance.  This oil encourages optimism and diminishes feelings of gloom and low self-esteem.


Reading through the list of oil and what kinds of feelings they generally foster, it is apparent why these would help with romance.  I hope you try them and smile more.  

       

Frankincense, A Biblical Oil

We are all familiar with the story in the Bible of the wise men bringing a gift of Frankincense and Myrrh to the baby Jesus, but we may not understand the real value of their gift until we begin to understand the power of essential oils. Perhaps the most precious of the ancient oils was Frankincense. Frankincense, Sandalwood, Myrrh, and Cinnamon were considered very valuable cargo along caravan trade routes and were often valued more than gold. The natural aromatic compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers and other parts of plants are fifty to seventy times more potent than herbs. For instance one drop of Peppermint essential oil is more powerful than twenty-eight cups of peppermint tea. Throughout history essential oils have been known for their medicinal and therapeutic benefits.

Frankincense has been proven to be effective when used topically, internally, and aromatically.

1.  Some ways to use it:

• Combine frankincense with Soothing Blend or Marjoram to help reduce muscle, joint, and bone pain. Massage two drops of each with fractionated coconut oil into the large joints like the knee and the shoulder. Half the dose for smaller joints. Reapply as needed.

• Place one to two drops of Frankincense under the tongue 1 to 2x daily for overall health.

• Oil pulling with Frankincense will help reduce gum disease and slow gum recession. Add one drop each of Frankincense and Protective Blend or Melaleuca to 1 to 2 tablespoons of fractionated coconut oil. Swish for 20 minutes, spit into garbage, and brush teeth!

• Minimize the pain of headaches by placing one drop of Frankincense on the pad of the thumb, pressing the oil on the roof of the mouth for several seconds.

• For restless legs, apply two drops of Frankincense with carrier oil to the bottom of each foot and massage.

2.  Frankincense is beneficial for various skin conditions including the lessening of wrinkles and the reduction of age spots.

• Apply Frankincense neat (undiluted) to help uneven skin tone.

• Add a drop of Frankincense to your moisturizer.

• Apply undiluted to acne or breakouts.

• Apply with a little fractionated coconut oil to wounds to reduce scarring.  It is also great for stretch marks while pregnant!

3.  Frankincense helps on a daily basis.

• Apply to the temples for stress relief.

• Apply to the brain stem and neck 2x daily to help lift your mood.

• Add Frankincense along with the respiratory blend and massage on chest and throat respiratory support.

Add Frankincense to any essential oil to enhance that oil's properties.  Think of it as "the kicking it up a notch" essential oil.

Diffusing Autumn

This morning, I went to Costco and the whole store smelled like pumpkin pie.  That is one of my favorite desserts.  I found myself wandering around to see where the smell originated.  Of course, it was back in the bakery area.  I had no desire to buy a gigantic pie, so I was thrilled to see that they were offering samples.  It really put me in the mood for changing leaves and cooler weather, which doesn't happen in my town for at least a few more weeks.  I'm actually out of luck as far as the leaves go.

On the way home, I remembered the Autumn Diffuser clip above.  I couldn't wait to come home and fill my house with the smell of Fall.  Diffusing is even better than a pie because there are no calories to ingest, it is cheaper, and there are numerous health benefits.