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According to the American Lung Association, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) causes serious long-term disability and early death and is the third leading cause of death in the United States.
People with asthma or COPD have airways that make them more sensitive to dust, mold, pet dander, chemical household products, and more.
You might think that this awful disease is caused by smoking, and yes smoking is a terrible risk factor, but scientists are finding that the roots for developing COPD can go way back, long before lighting that first addictive cigarette.
COPD may start in childhood
Very recent studies revealed that three-quarters of COPD cases start with risk factors encountered as children, yes, even as babies.
This article notes that having asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, allergies, and eczema, and also parents who smoke, increased the link to COPD in later life.
Non-toxic cleaning products are recommended.
Cleaning or personal care products that come in aerosol cans require extra caution. The Melaleuca Wellness Guide notes two potential problems. First aerosol cans send a fine mist of chemicals into the air that's easily inhaled and absorbed. Second, the ingredients themselves may be harmful.
Convert your home to Melaleuca products, beginning with the Eco-Sense laundry system and household cleaners.
Allergies may be triggered by exposure through the skin.
This study on how children develop allergies makes you want to shake your head in amazement. The allergies start with a baby that inherits a less-protective skin barrier. Allergies then develop after the skin is exposed to dust and food. The lead scientist in this study realized that there is a strong connection with the development of allergies from skin exposure and the use of baby wipes. Baby wipes leave soap residue on baby’s skin, and soap is a known agent sometimes used to deliver other chemicals through the skin. Please read the full article to understand how allergies can be prevented.
Babies who have an inherited skin barrier defect will also often develop eczema. Many times children will outgrow eczema, but later develop food allergies, hay fever, and/or asthma.
Parents are advised to help protect the skin barrier by moisturizing their baby's skin.
Renew Intensive Skin Therapy Lotion
Two independent, double-blind clinical studies determined that Renew quickly improves dry skin, and improves the severely dry skin symptoms associated with eczema. Renew users with eczema-prone skin had improved skin hydration and significant improvements in the reduction of redness, itching, flaking and scaling.
Good to Know
We noted in Newsletter 275 “Safer Cleaning Products,” a recent study that followed over 6000 participants for twenty years and found that those who used cleaning products at least once a week had their lung function decline. Women whose occupation was cleaning lost more lung function, almost as if they smoked a pack of cigarettes every day for 20 years.
The EcoSense line of household cleaners is very different from common brand name cleaners. They do not depend on harsh alkaline chemical reactions. Instead, soil is dissolved and rinsed away by the use of natural enzymes, solvents, and surfactants. They do not contain surface damaging abrasives, bleach, ammonia, phosphates, or glycol ethers. And they do not contain quats. And they are not packaged with the endocrine-disrupting chemicals, BPA, or phthalates. They also are non-aerosol and do not contain petroleum distillates or hazardous solvents.
~ Richard M Barry
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