Reducing our Toxic Load- Changes We Have Been Making

As I have mentioned in previous posts, as painful as our son's diagnosis of autism was for us and still is, among all of the struggles and tears, there have been some good things to come out of it. One of those being our "paradigm shift" when looking at what we are putting in our bodies, on our bodies and what we are exposing ourselves to on a daily basis. I have spent the last year learning about how to reduce our son's toxic load/exposure to toxins. This is crucial to his health and development. He is more susceptible to issues since he has a neurological impairment.

Here are the areas we have changed over the last 6 months. I will note that we are nowhere near where we should be but we are working towards changes. Little by little.

1) We have ditched our old cookware- no more non stick or stainless steel or aluminum. We are only using cast iron cookware, which has been found to be the safest option. Also, we are only using glassware to store food and drinks.

2) We installed a house water filter in our home to reduce the toxins we get from drinking tap water.

3) We switched our dog over to natural flea and tick prevention. No more topical ointments which are linked to neurological conditions and cancers.

4) We installed an air filter that clears more toxins from the air than a typical one does. It is more costly but the air quality is so important for a child with autism.

5) We are buying organic when we are able to. This has been a big change for us. We are also very careful about the meats we are using. It is more costly to do this but we know it is important.

6) We have switched over to safe toothpaste (fluoride free), shampoo/conditioner, deodorant, body wash, lotions and household cleaners (bathroom cleaner, laundry detergent, dish detergent). We are currently in the process of clearing our cabinets of chemical cleaners and sticking to all natural/safe products.

I still have not given up our microwave which is a big one that does need to go. I also need to look at my cosmetics and perfumes.