by
Edward R Close, PhD, PE
and Jacquelyn A Close, RA

Webster’s New World Dictionary defines a toxin as “any of various unstable poisonous compounds…” The same dictionary defines poisonous as “capable of injuring or killing by or as by poison;”, and poison is “a substance causing illness or death when eaten, drunk, or absorbed even in relatively small quantities.” According to US government reports, more than 75,000 chemicals are currently in use in the United States and about 3,000 new synthetic compounds are being introduced every year. Many of these chemical compounds are toxic and many may become toxic in combination with other chemicals.

In recent years, a number of scientific studies have shown us that our exposure to environmental toxins is steadily increasing, and that we are absorbing them at an increasingly alarming rate. It may surprise you to know that the greatest danger of exposure occurs in the home. We absorb toxins from personal care products, household cleaners, various manufactured products, pharmaceuticals, food, water, and the air we breathe.

In addition to the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from manufactured products, our homes are often laden with mold spores and VOCs produced by toxic mold. Because the modern home is sealed to keep us warm in the winter and cool in the summer, the least bit of moisture, from a leaky pipe or roof, or even from condensation, provides all that is required to allow mold to grow. And we are only just beginning to learn how the various mixtures of toxic mold spores and VOCs from synthetic chemicals can adversely affect human health.

Many personal care products, that millions of people put on their skin and hair every day, contain toxic chemicals that are readily absorbed through the skin. Our skin is the largest organ of our body and we must do everything we can to reduce the body’s burden of toxins and synthetic chemicals if we wish to enjoy a healthy, productive life.

Trace amounts of toxins, added to enhance color, smell, and texture, are found in soaps, lotions, creams, cosmetics, shampoos, deodorants, and other common products. The FDA allows toxic chemicals in products as long as they are under “threshold” levels that are thought to be safe. The problem is that the government cannot mandate safety studies. Only 11 percent of the 10,500 ingredients FDA has documented in personal care products have been assessed for safety. Even in that 11 percent, the studies do not consider bioaccumulation, interaction with other chemicals, or their effects on hyper-sensitive individuals or immune-deficient people.

In 1989 the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) analyzed 2,983 chemicals used in personal care products, and 884 were found to be toxic. Of these:

Not everyone gets sick the first time they use a product containing toxic ingredients, although many do. In most cases, health problems develop slowly, as the toxins are absorbed over a long period of daily or weekly exposure. With the exposure we experience IN OUR HOMES every day from personal care products, chemical household cleaners, pharmaceuticals, food, water, toxic mold, and other pollutants found in the air we breathe, it’s no wonder that diseases caused or aggravated by toxic exposure, diseases such as immune system failure, cancer, diabetes, fungal and viral infections, allergic reactions, and infectious respiratory diseases are on the rise.

Americans tested in recent studies have various levels of chemicals in their blood and bodily tissues, depending upon age, gender, hereditary factors, and level of exposure. Toxic residues, the result of eating, drinking, breathing and coming into contact with synthetic products, tend to accumulate in our bodies. In one study, carried out by the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York, nine volunteers were tested for 210 chemicals, commonly found in consumer products. The researchers chose only volunteers who did not work with chemicals in their jobs or live in industrial areas. Tests on the blood and urine of the volunteers found a total of 167 chemicals with an average of 91 industrial compounds, pollutants and other chemicals per individual.

This Mt. Sinai study and a recent, even more comprehensive survey done by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provide a clear picture of the “body burden” of toxic chemicals carried by Americans.

Over the last seven years, CDC scientists have tested blood and urine samples from a cross-section of the U.S. population, for exposure to environmental chemicals. These CDC studies, comprising the largest group ever studied, focused on 148 chemicals suspected of causing health problems, including heavy metals, chlorinated solvents, insecticides and other pesticides, PCBs, and plasticizing agents. The study concluded that significant levels of potentially harmful chemicals are showing up in our systems and scientists have no idea how most of these chemicals will affect us over time.

A 1985 EPA report concluded that the toxic chemicals in household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air pollution. Also, a report by the Consumer Product Safety Commission on chemicals commonly found in homes identified 150 that have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological abnormalities. With windows sealed shut in the winter to conserve heat and save energy, and in the summer to hold in the cool air-conditioned air, these toxins build up to higher and higher levels.

Household cleaning products are among the most toxic substances we encounter daily. In one study conducted over a 15-year period, women who cleaned their own homes had a 54% higher death rate from cancer than women who did not. The study concluded that the increased death rate was due to daily exposure to hazardous chemicals found in ordinary household products. In addition to their inherent toxicity, these products also create tons of toxic waste which is disposed of in the environment in the form of air and water pollution and solid toxic waste.

A report published by the Government Accounting Office found that the EPA only collected data about potential long-term effects of new chemicals on human health for 15 percent of the chemicals it approved in a 30-year period, and that the studies were done only after the chemicals were in use. D. L. Davis, a professor at the Heinz School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University and director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh, noted that by testing chemicals after they have been released into the environment "We're conducting a global experiment on ourselves and nobody can really tell us what this will mean".

Mold and toxic chemicals are now pervasive in our world. So, how can we escape serious damage to our health? What can anyone do to help preserve or recover their health?

One easy step that anyone can take is to stop using personal care products and household cleaners that contain toxic chemicals. We can educate ourselves so that we can avoid foods containing toxic artificial colors and preservatives. We can rid our homes of toxic mold and toxic housecleaning agents. We can stop taking synthetic pharmaceuticals and immune system damaging antibiotics, except in rare cases of necessity, and we can replace them with natural health care alternatives.

It has been our experience that we can do all of this most efficiently by replacing those toxin-containing products we had been using for years with Young Living Essential Oils products. Our personal experience has shown us that we can stop and even reverse the damage done to our health by using Young Living products to cleanse the liver, digestive tract and colon. We can restore our immune system and enjoy longer, happier, healthier lives by incorporating Young Living’s great essential oils and oil-enhanced products with organic foods, a moderate amount of exercise, and by replacing soda, coffee, tea and other drinks with pure water to cleanse toxins from the cells, and by adding 1-5 ounces of NingXia Red wolfberry juice to our daily regimen to provide the best antioxidants that will prevent the inflammation and cell congestion that leads to chronic illness and disease.

When people say: “You know those Young Living products are a little pricey.” We tell them: They are worth every penny.

Where would you rather spend your money? In getting or staying healthy? Or in recovering from a life-threatening illness. We have done both and we know that a penny’s worth of prevention now will save more than $100 worth of recovery later. The truth is, recovery not only takes more money but surviving the recovery is not guaranteed.

So, start today. Reduce the toxic burden on your body.

Eliminate mold from your home with the Thieves oil blend and the Thieves Household Cleaner. We know it works. We have scientific data that proves it. V To see the data, visit our website and order the DVD: Toxic Mold - A Breakthrough Discovery. And look for Ed Close when he speaks at the Young Living Convention in September.

Replace your shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, mouthwash, hand creams, soap, facial cleansers, moisturizers, household cleaning products, and your juices and drinks that are laden with toxic chemicals, colors and sweeteners. Use, instead, the healthy, rejuvenating, life-supporting Young Living oils, wolfberry juice, and other oil-enhanced products. We know, by our own personal experience, that doing this will add vibrant, joy-filled life to your years.

Edward Close has a PhD in environmental science and engineering. He is a Professional Engineer in the State of Missouri, and has worked in the environmental industry since 1965.

Jacquelyn Close is a Registered Aromatherapist. She has used and taught Alternative and Complimentary Techniques (ACT) for health and wellness since 1975.

For more information on purchasing Young Living products, contact the person who sent you this article.

To order our DVD entitled:
TOXIC MOLD - A BREAKTHROUGH DISCOVERY, please visit our website:
http://www.MoldRx4u.com
And click on: Order DVD in the left-hand column

IMPORTANT NOTE: The safety and life-changing effects of essential oils are dependent on their purity and their quality. Generally speaking, essential oils that you find in department stores, and even health food stores, are of uncertain quality at best. I have personally used oils from many other companies, and found that most are a waste of money. That's why I only use Young Living oils and oil-enhanced products. Gary Young, founder and owner of Young Living Essential Oils, has made it his mission to provide you with the very best, independently tested essential oils and oil-enhanced products available. Don’t settle for less. Choose the best! Choose Young Living! -- Jacquelyn Close, RA

DISCLAIMER
The information provided here is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure any disease, ailment or injury to the body.

The decision to use or not to use any of this information is the sole responsibility of the reader. Any products, techniques, and/or personal usage tips referred to are not suggested as a replacement for proper treatment from a licensed health care professional.

Statements made herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.