Saturday, May 29, 2010

The Least of Our Worries

I've been thinking a lot about chemicals lately. I've made a number of changes in our household over the last year or so to eliminate chemicals as much as possible, but now have the time to get deeper into this and seek natural ways to keep a clean home.

We are a culture who seems to believe everything we see or read. Commercials tell us we need to use chemicals to "freshen" our homes, instead of opening a window. We saturate our clothing with chemicals to reduce static cling and make them smell nice, without considering that our skin is an organ that absorbs into our bodies what is in our environment. We use creams and shampoos and lotions and makeup and hair color with chemical ingredients we cannot even pronounce. We use harsh chemicals to "disinfect" our homes without consideration for our bodies, our environment, or the delicate balance of bacteria that actually keeps us healthy and protected against harmful bacteria.

Now that Zoe is 2 months old I need to consider her vaccination schedule. Considering the controversies that have arisen since Sabrina was vaccinated 7 years ago, or even the twins 3 years ago, I wanted to give it some thought before I proceeded with Zoe. But I'm beginning to think that vaccinations are the least of our worries. We are concerned about the minute amount of ingredients that are in a vaccine but give no thought to the constant bombardment of chemicals that we constantly expose our children to through processed foods, perfumes, cleaning supplies, clothing dyes, and building materials. I get overwhelmed just thinking about it.

The next series of posts will be around the steps I have taken and will be taking to bring our family and household back to a more natural state. Our culture is a consumer-based one, and that next new product you see is not likely to have been developed in our best interests, but because we will be convinced we need it. I encourage you to seek the truth behind what you are spending your money on and what you are allowing into your family's bodies and environment.