If you've never heard about the numerous problems that carpet can cause, please Google it! I don't want to re-hash old news here, as there are numerous excellent articles on-line about the dangers already. In a nutshell, new carpet is bad because of the off-gassing of chemicals, and old carpet is bad because it contains decades of everything that came off of shoes, as well as layers of dust, dust mites, and any other bug carcasses that died under fibers hidden from the vacuum cleaner's suction.
Cleaning your carpets is good, but has mold started growing due to the wetness from being "shampooed"? There is ALWAYS SOMETHING with carpet. I'm so glad we only have carpet on stairs (which we are removing) because my son was recently diagnosed with allergies to numerous things, including dust mites!
But what do you do when you have a baby you want to lie down on your floor? Or what if you take your baby to a friend's house and the only option is a carpeted floor? (And you know it's not clean...)
This solution is a no-brainer and it's so simple, it's crazy that others haven't already thought about it. It's the No-Chem Tummy Time Mat, a piece of food-grade plastic that is put between the baby and floor.
Now you can put your baby down, literally anywhere, because the plastic keeps any fumes, toxins, dirt, and dust mites away from your baby, keeping her healthy and free from harmful chemicals.
I also suggest using this mat on top of foam pieces, even if they are made for children. Some children's padding/ foam flooring is chemically unhealthy for babies and should be avoided as well.
This product would make a great gift for new moms who aren't aware of the dangers in carpet.
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Monday, September 26, 2016
Wrapping a Mattress That's Making You Sick
I just spent quite a bit of time reading about people discussing online how sick they are from their mattresses. And I feel guilty, because instead of yelling from the rooftops how I can help, I've been busy raising my kids and trying to also get enough sleep to survive. I might be currently dozing off from time to time, but I will try to get my point across.
New mattresses contain more chemicals than ever before. It doesn't matter what they are called or why they are in there if you are getting sick from your mattress (you aren't the only one!) You are probably here to figure out how to fix that, while skipping the education that gets you nowhere...
If your mattress is making you sick, here is the easiest, most affordable, and most sensible solution available:
Purchase a No-Chem Bed Solutions Mattress Wrap, a "pillowcase style" cover made from food grade polyethylene.
Yes, it feels like plastic, and yes, you can do something about it. First, I would see how much it really bothers you. Then, try different solutions. The more padding between you and the plastic, the less the plastic is noticeable (duh, right?) A down or poly-fill comforter that fits under the fitted sheet might make a big difference. (Do not lay a baby on this!)
If you are still bothered by the plastic, you might need to move onto another solution. You could purchase a non-toxic foam pad to go under the fitted sheet (and under a mattress pad if you choose). My son's entire bed is made of non-toxic foam pads and his bed is absolutely heavenly. That is the more expensive route to take, but if you are watching pennies like most Americans, one thinner pad would probably do the trick.
I would also want to wrap an older mattress, because let's be honest, we don't know what's in there. You can find that info on other sites, but I'm going to do you a favor just in case you're on your lunch break and say, "Trust me..."
I do want to say in closing, that if you seem to be getting more sensitive to chemicals, do some liver-friendly things like adding some good veggies to your diet and taking herbal supplements for liver health and de-toxing. Because Your Health Matters!
New mattresses contain more chemicals than ever before. It doesn't matter what they are called or why they are in there if you are getting sick from your mattress (you aren't the only one!) You are probably here to figure out how to fix that, while skipping the education that gets you nowhere...
If your mattress is making you sick, here is the easiest, most affordable, and most sensible solution available:
Purchase a No-Chem Bed Solutions Mattress Wrap, a "pillowcase style" cover made from food grade polyethylene.
Yes, it feels like plastic, and yes, you can do something about it. First, I would see how much it really bothers you. Then, try different solutions. The more padding between you and the plastic, the less the plastic is noticeable (duh, right?) A down or poly-fill comforter that fits under the fitted sheet might make a big difference. (Do not lay a baby on this!)
If you are still bothered by the plastic, you might need to move onto another solution. You could purchase a non-toxic foam pad to go under the fitted sheet (and under a mattress pad if you choose). My son's entire bed is made of non-toxic foam pads and his bed is absolutely heavenly. That is the more expensive route to take, but if you are watching pennies like most Americans, one thinner pad would probably do the trick.
I would also want to wrap an older mattress, because let's be honest, we don't know what's in there. You can find that info on other sites, but I'm going to do you a favor just in case you're on your lunch break and say, "Trust me..."
I do want to say in closing, that if you seem to be getting more sensitive to chemicals, do some liver-friendly things like adding some good veggies to your diet and taking herbal supplements for liver health and de-toxing. Because Your Health Matters!
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Sharp Stabbing Pain in the Head
We had just finished dinner at a restaurant I won't mention, when my son suddenly scrunched up his face, rubbing the front right part of his head (near the temple). I immediately thought he had an ice cream headache, but this was different. It lasted about 10 seconds, and he told me that he had been having these kind of headaches for about a month. They were growing in frequency, and I could tell they were starting to concern him.
I did the first thing I could think of, which of course was to Google this type of pain to see what I could learn on the internet. I quickly learned that he was having "ice pick headaches" which could be caused by something serious, or something completely "normal." At our next chiropractor's visit, we were advised to make a visit to the doctor for further investigation. We were able to get an appointment the next day.
After asking some questions, a urinalysis (which I later found out was a drug screen!) was done and blood was drawn. A few days later, a CT scan was taken of his head.
It didn't take long to find out that the CT scan was normal, he wasn't on drugs or alcohol (which I already knew), and his blood showed a low Vitamin D level (AGAIN). But it also showed that he had markers for allergies, so they wanted to take more blood to run a panel to find out what he's allergic to. There were many allergies, both food and environmental. The doctor said that this could certainly be the cause of the headaches, and while we wait to see the allergist, he should take Claritin daily.
I had already done some reading about ice pick headaches, and wasn't convinced that allergies were the likely cause. I got online again to find an article written about Mayo Clinic and how they had used melatonin in a study for these headaches. A couple of parents of teen boys had followed the same study and tried the melatonin with success. Because he had been having trouble sleeping for over a year, I decided that adding it to our regimen couldn't hurt.
His headaches stopped completely. A week after having none, he suddenly had one for no apparent reason. But after having five a day, one per week was an amazing improvement. The only problem is, we don't know if it was the (generic) Claritin or the melatonin that did it. And frankly, I don't care! I'm not a fan of medication, but I also started taking the (generic) Claritin and it's made the scratchiness in my throat go away as well.
If you (or your child) has ice pick headaches out of the blue, try melatonin first. We used 1 mg and it made an immediate difference in my son's ability to sleep at night, and was enough to work for his headaches (presumably). I know these are common for people who have migraines or cluster headaches, and I would suggest to search for the cause of these as well. Pain is the body's way of communicating something, and we just need to figure out what that is.
I did the first thing I could think of, which of course was to Google this type of pain to see what I could learn on the internet. I quickly learned that he was having "ice pick headaches" which could be caused by something serious, or something completely "normal." At our next chiropractor's visit, we were advised to make a visit to the doctor for further investigation. We were able to get an appointment the next day.
After asking some questions, a urinalysis (which I later found out was a drug screen!) was done and blood was drawn. A few days later, a CT scan was taken of his head.
It didn't take long to find out that the CT scan was normal, he wasn't on drugs or alcohol (which I already knew), and his blood showed a low Vitamin D level (AGAIN). But it also showed that he had markers for allergies, so they wanted to take more blood to run a panel to find out what he's allergic to. There were many allergies, both food and environmental. The doctor said that this could certainly be the cause of the headaches, and while we wait to see the allergist, he should take Claritin daily.
I had already done some reading about ice pick headaches, and wasn't convinced that allergies were the likely cause. I got online again to find an article written about Mayo Clinic and how they had used melatonin in a study for these headaches. A couple of parents of teen boys had followed the same study and tried the melatonin with success. Because he had been having trouble sleeping for over a year, I decided that adding it to our regimen couldn't hurt.
His headaches stopped completely. A week after having none, he suddenly had one for no apparent reason. But after having five a day, one per week was an amazing improvement. The only problem is, we don't know if it was the (generic) Claritin or the melatonin that did it. And frankly, I don't care! I'm not a fan of medication, but I also started taking the (generic) Claritin and it's made the scratchiness in my throat go away as well.
If you (or your child) has ice pick headaches out of the blue, try melatonin first. We used 1 mg and it made an immediate difference in my son's ability to sleep at night, and was enough to work for his headaches (presumably). I know these are common for people who have migraines or cluster headaches, and I would suggest to search for the cause of these as well. Pain is the body's way of communicating something, and we just need to figure out what that is.
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