The Myers Way® Toxin-Free Home Guide

TOXIN-FREE HOME GUIDE THE MYERS WAY ®

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

Information in this ebook is provided for informational purposes only. The information is a result of years of practice experience by the author. This information is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. Do not use the information for treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or another healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem.

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The Thyroid Connection Book www.AmyMyersMD.com/thethyroidconnection

The Myers Way® Community Forum www.AmyMyersMD.com/community

TOXIN-FREE HOME GUIDE

INTRODUCTION

Detox! You can’t walk into a health food store today without seeing this word on countless product labels lining the shelves. From 21-day “detox” programs to full body “cleanses,” our detoxification choices are practically limitless. You’ll find recipes for homemade “detox” concoctions of ginger and cayenne water to a myriad of juices, supplements, and hot teas. You are inundated with this message that we need to “detox” to be truly healthy, however, what does this really mean, and is it even necessary?

Every day, you are bombarded with toxins thanks to our modern lifestyles. Even people who live outside of big cities and away from factories have toxins in their bodies. You breathe them in, you eat and drink them, and

you absorb them through your skin. In fact, the CDC estimates that 80% of all illnesses have environmental and lifestyle causes. This is why I made Taming the Toxins the third pillar of The Myers Way®

For optimal health, it’s important to reduce our exposure to chemicals and toxins. Here are my tips to help you keep your home and work environment clean and green!

Wishing you great health,

TOXIN-FREE HOME GUIDE

THE BASICS

In order to prevent toxic overload, it is necessary to remove the sources of toxins from your day-to-day environment. Some ways that I do this are by eating organic food and making my home as toxin-free as possible. Because we have to be able to live out in the world, I think controlling what you can within your home is critical to your wellbeing. You can minimize the toxins in your home by incorporating the following methods:

CLEAN YOUR AIR

It’s no surprise that air pollution can affect your health, but did you know that indoor air is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air? Have you ever thought about how much time you spend inside? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that people spend roughly 90% of their time indoors. Because of this, the EPA also ranks indoor air pollution as one of the top five environmental risks to public health. So how can you detoxify the air in your home?

Invest in a HEPA Air Filter/Purifier

You can clean the air in your home with a HEPA air filter, which I have in both my home and office. My favorite air purifiers from IQ Air are designed to remove even the tiniest particles from your air, including viruses, pet dander, dust mites, air pollution, and even cigarette smoke.

Use

Non-Toxic

Materials in Your Home

These are some of my favorite materials and many of them I have used in building my own home in order to

create as non-toxic of an environment as I can for me and my family.

• Wood, bamboo, cork, or tile floors instead of carpet

• Organic cotton or wool rugs

• No-VOC or low-VOC paint

• Solid wood furniture instead of particle board

• Organic, untreated fabric for bed and table linens, shower curtains, towels, and window treatments

• 100% natural latex mattress with organic wool mattress cover

Buy Air-Purifying Plants

One of the most economical ways to purify your air is to keep plants in your home. Plants are major contributors to clean indoor air. Many plants are capable of absorbing a number of toxins and removing them from the environment. Some air-purifying plants include:

• Aloe vera

• Spider plant

• Dracaena

• English ivy

• Bamboo palm

Consider a HEPA Vacuum

When vacuuming dust and/or pet dander, you will want to ensure that your vacuum is not just spreading toxic air from one place to another. Look for a vacuum with a HEPA bag filter to be sure that you are successfully removing toxins from your home environment.

TOXIN-FREE HOME GUIDE

CLEAN YOUR WATER

More than half of your body is comprised of water, so the quality of your water is tied directly to your health. Heavy metals, chemicals from plastic, and other pollutants can get into your body through your drinking water, or through your skin when you bathe.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) discovered in a three-year study that 85% of the population in the US consumes water with about 316 contaminants, most of which are completely unregulated.

Whether it’s water you are drinking or bathing in, you can eliminate the toxins in your water by installing

filters in your home on the faucets and shower heads or by having a full-house filtration system installed. Many people don’t think about their shower water. However, the warm water and steam make any toxins in the water more readily absorbed by your skin and lungs.

Avoid drinking out of plastic bottles as well. Even those that are BPA-free can leach toxins into your water, especially toxins that mimic hormones such as estrogen.

TOXIN-FREE HOME GUIDE

BUY ORGANIC FOOD

The conventional American diet is full of pesticide-treated produce and animals that have been given artificial growth hormones and antibiotics. The National Research Council claims that, in children especially, dietary intake of pesticides accounts for most pesticide exposure.

Because we are at the top of the food chain, when we eat meat that is not organic, we are consuming all of the antibiotics, growth hormones, and other chemicals given to the animals, as well as the herbicides and pesticides sprayed on the grains fed to those animals. This is why I recommend eating only organic, grass-fed meats. Likewise, I recommend organic produce over conventional, which is contaminated with insecticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals.

Each year, the Environmental Work Group publishes a list of the Dirty Dozen foods that are most important to buy organic. Strawberries and spinach are often at the top of the list. They also publish a Clean Fifteen list of foods that are least likely to contain toxins. This year, avocado was deemed number one. However, buying both organic produce and meat can get expensive, so if you have to choose, buy organic meat first.

STRAWBERRIES

SPINACH

KALE

NECTARINES

APPLES

GRAPES

PEACHES

CHERRIES

PEARS

TOMATOES

CELERY

POTATOES

AVOCADOS

SWEET CORN

PINEAPPLES

SWEET PEAS (FROZEN)

ONIONS

PAPAYAS

EGGPLANTS

ASPARAGUS

KIWIS

CABBAGES

CAULIFLOWER

CANTALOUPES

BROCCOLI

MUSHROOMS

HONEYDEW MELONS

DIRTY DOZEN CLEAN FIFTEEN

TOXIN-FREE HOME GUIDE

BUY CLEAN BODY PRODUCTS

Your skin is your largest organ and your main barrier to the outside world. Substances ranging from beneficial to bad come into contact with your skin and can be absorbed into your bloodstream. That includes the chemicals in soap, makeup, and lotions. The average person uses 10-15 personal care products per day, each with 125 different ingredients, and many of these chemicals are approved for use by the FDA with little or no safety testing.

Further, the FDA does not require the testing of combinations of chemicals so even ones that are tested for safety on their own may react differently when combined with another substance. Just think of vinegar and baking soda! Each is perfectly safe on its own however when they’re combined, they actually create two different chemical reactions.

You shouldn’t put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t eat, because your skin absorbs whatever you put on it. There are many things that we keep in our kitchen that can also be used to replace your daily beauty products. For example, you can use coconut oil as a moisturizer and baking soda as a toothpaste. However, I understand

personal care products can also be very costly. If you can’t replace everything at once, you can replace each product you use with a clean one as you use it up. Make it your goal to eventually have all clean beauty products

Avoid These Ingredients:

• Benzalkonium chloride

• BHA and BHT

• Coal tar

• Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)

• Ethanolamines (MEA/DEA/TEA)

• Formaldehyde

• Hydroquinone

• Methylisothiazolinone and Methylchloroisothiazolinone

• Oxybenzone

• Parabens

• Pthalates

• Polyethyene glycol (PEG compounds)

• Sodium lauryl sulfate and Sodium laureth sulfate (SLS and SLES)

• Synthetic flavor and fragrance

• Toluene

• Triclosan and Triclocarbon

Physician-Formulated Support for Detoxification.

Our modern environment exposes us to potentially harmful toxins, chemicals, and heavy metals such as mercury, aluminum, and cadmium. That’s why it’s more important than ever to help the body process and eliminate them.

When you’re under stress or toxic burden, supplementation can be crucial to effectively mediating these challenges. From powerful free radical scavengers to optimal support for your body’s detoxification processes, look no further than Amy Myers MD®.

SHOP DETOX SUPPORT

A TOXIN-FREE KITCHEN

When it comes to shopping for your kitchen, do you have no idea where to start? Do you wish you could find an easy-to-use guideline for kitchen cookware and storage? Look no further! I have received so many questions from patients about healthy cookware that I decided to write this guide with my own personal product recommendations. And while changing out your cookware won’t happen overnight, progressive steps in the right direction, like switching out pots and pans one at a time, can still greatly benefit your health. The list below describes 4 toxic materials to avoid and 4 kitchen materials to gather for your home.

TOXIC COOKWARE TO AVOID

Ceramic-Coated Pans

Ceramic-coated pans and cutlery are various metals coated with a synthetic polymer that is softer than metal. This coating can easily wear off and usually only lasts for about one year. Once the coating begins to wear off, toxic metals can begin leaching into your food, depending on the material underneath the coating.

Non-Stick Cookware (Teflon)

Non-stick cookware contains a similar synthetic coating of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which is a plastic

TOXIN-FREE HOME GUIDE

polymer that can release harmful and carcinogenic gases at temperatures exceeding 500 degrees fahrenheit. In humans, these fumes can cause flu-like symptoms several hours after exposure, resulting in a condition called polymer fume fever that is often misdiagnosed as the viral flu. The gases are so toxic that they are fatal for most birds.

Aluminum Cookware and Aluminum Foil

Aluminum cookware is often coated to prevent leaching of aluminum, however these protective coatings can chip and wear off very easily. Aluminum can be very affordable cookware, but may not be worth the risk of leaching aluminum into your food and contributing to a potential aluminum toxicity. Aluminum can accumulate in your brain, lungs, bones, and other tissues, causing tangles in nerve fibers and leading to muscular dysfunction and memory loss. Aluminum has not been shown to be a cause of Alzheimer’s disease, but increased levels of aluminum in the brain have been noted in autopsies of Alzheimer’s patients which suggests that aluminum toxicity may be a risk factor in the disease. Common sources of aluminum include: antiperspirants, some toothpastes, aluminum foil, aluminum cans, and aluminum cookware. Simply ditching the aluminum foil for a glass baking dish can help you reduce your intake of aluminum.

Copper Pans

Copper cookware heats very evenly which is wonderful; however, I do not recommend using it in your home. Uncoated copper can leach into your food and even protective coatings will break down over time. Too much copper can suppress your zinc levels and weaken your immune system, interfering with adrenal and thyroid function which most commonly results in fatigue.

TOXIN-FREE HOME GUIDE

NON-TOXIC OPTIONS TO USE INSTEAD

Enameled Cast-Iron

Coated cast-iron pans offer the non-stick benefits of teflon without the harmful gases. Enameled cast-iron pots are easier to care for and available in various colors, but if you want the benefits of iron, then opt for the bare pots.

Bare Cast-Iron

When seasoned properly, bare cast-iron is the ideal nonstick surface. It can also leach small amounts of iron into your food when cooking acidic ingredients. This can be beneficial for those who suspect an iron deficiency and need to increase their intake of iron. Bare cast-iron requires a little more care than enameled cast-iron, but it is more affordable and tends to heat more evenly than its enameled counterpart. Bare cast-iron can also be used in an oven or on a grill.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel cookware is affordable and very stable at high temperatures. This cookware is non-stick, lighter than cast-iron, resistant to scratching, and lasts significantly longer than coated materials.

Glass

Similar to cast-iron and stainless steel, glass is a sturdy material that will not release chemicals or toxic metals into your food. Glass dishes are ideal for baking and storing leftovers. I recommend using glass storage containers instead of plastic tupperware in order to avoid toxins like bisphenol-A (BPA), which can imitate estrogen and other sex hormones.

TOXIN-FREE HOME GUIDE

CLEAN HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS

Currently 80,000 chemicals are registered for use in the US, and each year about 1,700 are added to this list with little to no testing. Furthermore, if you try to read the labels of most cleaning products, you will find their ingredients list incomplete. That’s because the companies that make cleaning products aren’t even required to list the ingredients on their packaging.

The EWG found that out of 1,000 cleaning product labels they studied, 48% listed three or fewer ingredients on the label. These incomplete lists of ingredients are often accompanied by pretty serious warning labels, although even those don’t tell the full story.

It’s true that there are often warnings for poor reactions that can happen as a result of acute exposure such as skin burns or headaches from noxious fumes. However, as I mentioned, one of the biggest risks from these toxic chemicals is the destruction they cause at the cellular level through regular, low-level exposure.

I also recommend using DIY cleaning products, as household cleaning products can be highly toxic. Choose nontoxic chemical cleaners and healthier options like steam cleaning clothing instead of dry cleaning. Avoid pesticides. You can help prevent pests by covering trash cans, storing food in airtight containers, and sealing off cracks and small gaps.

Fortunately, more and more “clean” products for your home are becoming widely available. If you must buy commercial products, avoid these ingredients:

• Parabens

• Chlorine

• Triclosan

• Ammonia

• Phthalates

• Sodium hydroxide

• Perchloroethylene

• Quaternary ammonium compounds

TOXIN-FREE HOME GUIDE

DIY HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS

LAVENDER ANTI-BACTERIAL SPRAY

• 1 cup water

• 20 drops lavender essential oil

ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER

• 3 Tbsp vinegar

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp castile soap

• 2 cups hot water

GREASE CUTTER

• 2 cups water

• 1/4 cup castile soap

• 10 drops lavender oil

BATH, SINK, & TILE CLEANER

• 2/3 cup baking soda

• 1/2 cup castile

• 2 Tbsp vinegar

• 1/2 cup water

• A few drops of tea tree oil

A natural anti-bacterial oil that smells wonderful.

Castile Soap

An all-natural soap that’s surprisingly strong. A few drops go a long way!

Tea Tree Oil

A natural oil that cleanses and disinfects.

Baking Soda

A strong base that works great as a laundry detergent. It has a million uses around the house.

Vinegar

A natural, acidic disinfectant that can cut through dirt, grease, and grime.

Lavender Oil

TOXIN-FREE HOME GUIDE

A TOXIN-FREE BEDROOM

Since you’re hopefully sleeping 8-10 hours a night, you spend a lot of time in your bedroom! This is your time for your body to recharge and relax, so make sure you’re doing it in a toxin-free environment.

TOXIN-FREE MATTRESSES

Where you sleep and what you sleep on is one of the most important decisions you can make — I can’t stress this enough! We spend nearly half our lives asleep, and most of our detox and body repair occurs while we sleep. Conventional mattresses contain harsh chemical and fire retardants which can out-gas for years! Choose 100% natural latex mattresses and organic wool mattress toppers.

TOXIN-FREE BEDDING

Choose organic, untreated sheets, blankets, and pillows. Otherwise, most commercial materials use fire retardants, pesticides, bleach, and dyes. Organic sheets are very popular and widely available.

MINIMIZING EMFS

A growing area of concern is electromagnetic fields (EMFs), the charged area produced by electric and electronic devices, including computers, televisions, cell

phones, microwaves, and the like. Although these devices have been around for a while, we’re only just beginning to understand how they impact our health.

Of the few long-term studies that have been published, the results they reported can be pretty scary, especially for those of us with an autoimmune disease.

Now, I’m not advocating you toss out all electronic devices, our modern work and social lives just don’t really allow for that, and I never advise anyone to do anything I wouldn’t do myself. So, instead of ditching all electronics, I try to focus on ways to minimize my exposure, especially after work hours and while you’re sleeping.

• Turn your router off at night. You’re not using it then, so why expose yourself to more electronic radiation while you sleep?

• Keep your phone in airplane mode while you sleep. That way you can still use your alarm clock.

• Don’t keep a television in your bedroom. This has a double benefit of reducing your exposure and preventing TV from messing up your sleep routine when you feel like you can’t bear to miss the end of a show.