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Pam Arnold
Helping you live a toxin-free life
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"For last year's words belong to last year's writers,
and next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning."
T.S. Elliot
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(Previous Christmas with daughter, Cynthia, and granddaughters,
Amanda, Ashley, and Elise)
Warmest Holiday Greetings
As you receive this newsletter, you're in the beginning stage of the busy holiday season. If that is not enough, a year is ending and we usethis as a time to reflect on the previous months. The pages of this newsletter are no different than the rest of life. We have completed a full year of sharing news and information on toxins. What a year it has been. As the months have passed the newletter has tken shape thanks toyour suggestions and comments.
I look at previous letters and see changes in the format, but I also see the progression of public awareness and the positive changes that are taking place. There is daunting news when new exposures are discovered in our environment, but these are knowledge and opportunities. More victories down the road -- we will win!
I know you tether the fine line of living in a world of toxins and living in a normal world. A realistic approach is that everything cannot be changed at once. Life does have to continue in a world that can only be changed slowly, and in small ways. As we move forward, I hope you are finding a sense of achievment in every change you make. There will be others ahead but, small steps of change are leaps to progress.
As you reflect on the year, I ask you to take a moment and give yourself a pat on the back for becoming aware, re-evaluating your life, and making changes where you can. If you made one adjustment in your lifestyle toward toxin-free living each month, you have eliminated 12 toxic sources since this time last year. When the numbers add up, the toxic exposures decrease! You and your loved ones are the winners. You deserve that pat on the back.
As this year comes to an end, I encourage you to look at it as a beginning.More and more information will come to you this year. Let's welcome the gift of knowledge and see the endings as new beginnings.
Personally, I wish you blessings through the holidays, which will support and carry you into the joy of beginning a new year.
Warmest regards,
Pam |
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The nicest thing about the future is that it always starts tomorrow | |
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In the Kitchen
The Kitchen is a busy place and it can be easy to overlook potential hazards.
For holiday breakfast,
packaged pancake mix beyond the expiration date should be discarded. There have been serious health incidents, including one death, due to toxic mold formed from the yeast in the mix as it lapsed beyond the safe shelf life. Four dangerous toxic molds, not visually detectable, were found in the mixes. By the way, this could be true for all mixes of this type --- biscuit, bread, muffins, etc.
Remember salmonella!
It can develop from many food products, but two of the most common are eggs and poultry.
Be sure the turkey is cooked until done, using a meat thermometer is a wise choice.
Don't forget the stuffing. If it contains raw eggs, remember they need time to cook.
More cooks in the kitchen may mean added confusion.
Use timers to make sure the food is cooked as long as it should be. And don't let hungry guests pressure you to serve food before it's thoroughly cooked.
*************** Remember larger quantities of food need to cook
longer than your average serving sizes.
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Be careful not to store food before it has cooled, but be aware of leaving it out too long also.
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With multiple cooks using utensils and cutting boards, keep the detergent handy, making sure everything is well cleaned after exposure to raw meat.
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Food allergies don't take a holiday. If there is a guest who has allergies, be aware of cross contamination, like spoons taken from one bowl to another.
A separate area for the non-allergenic food would show consideration by the host. |
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Around the House
**Dry cleaning your clothing for special holiday gatherings --- use an organic or green dry clearners. The traditional dry cleaning chemicals are strong, harsh, and toxic. The off-gas is a risk to the workers, a risk to you, and loved ones who share your home. Check your local listing of cleaners. Cost should be no more than the traditional method.
**If items of winter or holiday clothing were stored in mothballs, consider natural cedar shavings for future storage. Remember the old days when homes had cedar chests? Moths hate cedar. Moth- balls contain paradichorobenzene, which causes cancer in lab tests.
**While we are on the subject of mothballs, toilet bowl cleaners and deodorizers contain the same poison as mothballs. Instead, consider using vinegar, baking soda, or citrus juice (lemon, orangeor grapefurut) for cleaning and to freshen the room. Less expensive too!
**Another reminder of the winter season is the humidifier, which helps balance the humidity in homes that are drier due to indoor
heating. It is recommended that humidifiers be replaced at the
beginning of each winter due to difficulty in detecting
micro-organism which may have been missed in spring cleaning. In addition to your humidifier, it is recommended to use a humidity monitor as a way to gauge the level of moisture ---- low (too low can create dry throats and sinus conditions), as well as high (too high can become a nutrient for mold)---in your home. You can read more at www.HumidifiersMayoClinic.com
Fragrances---- chemically compounded fragrances contain toxins that have been shown to cause cancer, nervous system disorders, abnormalities in the brain, as well as other adverse conditions. This goes beyond "an allergy" to fragrances. A point to consider in giving fragrances as a gift, as well as wearing the toxic scents yourself. I know someone may say a little on your skin shouldn't hurt you, but think about transdermal patches used to treat a variety of health issues. It has been proven, if it is on the skin, it is absorbed by the body.
(Refer to October 2009
Newsletter in Archive)
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More toxin information
Special Baby Report |
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Link to Web Site
Read Pam's
personal story
and the beginning
of her battle
against toxins. | |
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house
**That lovely mistletoe, which elicits a kiss, can also cause some serious health reactions ranging from stomach upset to visual disturbances and convulsions when ingested. Distance the mistletoe to keep it away from children and pets, ----- but
you don't have to give up the kiss.
**Holly leaves and berries make beautiful decorative additions to your
home, but beware --- eating more than 3 berries can cause severe and prolonged diarrhea, vomiting, and drowsiness. While you may know not to eat the berries, pets and young children will find them bright, shiny and tempting.
**Speaking of the children. There has been much said about safe toys. If in doubt, there is a web site which allows you to check your toy list. www.HealthyToys.org
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Wash Your Hands
Often
* More Shopping
* More people to greet
* More traveling
* Flu Season
* Dining Out
* Routines and
schedules
are disrupted.
* Your body is
under
more stress.
*Your immune
system is
compromised.
All more reasons
to wash your
hands ---
OFTEN ! | |
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By Ashley
Recycling: Top 10 for 2010
1. Batteries
3. Plastic Water Bottles
4. Glass Bottles
5. Magazines
6. Newspapers
7. Plastic Bags
8. Tires
9. Car Oil
10. All those returned homework papers
1. 36 billion aluminum cans were thrown away last year. If they had been recycled, that would have added up to more than $600 million.
2. If everyone recycled 1 out of every 10 bottles they used, that would mean 200 million pounds of plastic out of the landfills every year.
3. It takes 450 - 1,000 years for a water bottle to biodegrade.
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BPA continues to make the news. An extremely dangerous toxin that has received more and more interest because of the the release of toxins in our water bottles.
Studies are finding more information on this toxin and none of the news is good!
Keep watching your labels! I'll follow the studies and report more in future
newsletters.
More information: ARCHIVES PAGE, September 2009 Newsletter
at Pamarnold.org (or use Archives link)
Victory: Those harsh cleaners, polishers, floor waxes, etc. used in your
grocery markets are now under scrutiny. In the near future, you will
see tighter safety standards to protect your health as an employee or shopper, as well as the toxins that are absorbed in the clothing and food sold in those stores. For those of you who have experienced asthma attacks,
coughing, sneezing, headahces, or dizziness, it was not your imagination.
Continue to be aware: The biggest contributors of toxins to our bodies are the ones we bring home ourselves. The Cancer Prevention Coalition in the US has reported that the average home is considerably more toxic than the center of Times Square, in New York. The American Academy of Science has shown that a woman staying at home has 40 per cent more toxins in her blood than her sister who goes out to work.
Household products, cleaning products, toiletries, make-up, perfumes these are the self-inflicted toxins, along with the pesticides we might spray on our roses and lawns, even the road lead we bring in on our shoes. Be aware
of your labels.
Safe Toys for Gift Giving: HealthyToys.org
If you have concerns about the safety of the toys, this site can help you. |
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I will return in the beginning
of the new year.
In this season of holidays, may you know the joy of memories,
the old, as well as the new,
yet to behold.
From my heart to yours,
may you know love in every form.
Pam | |
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Philippians 3:13-14
No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven. (NLT)
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