If you’re one of the millions of Americans who have a vinyl plastic shower curtain hanging in your bathroom, you may be shocked to discover the toxicity of the materials used to make it.

PVC vinyl gives off a litany of toxic chemicals. When heated (like when you take your shower in scalding hot water!), it only enhances those chemical effects. Breathing in those chemicals for even a 5-minute shower session can damage your nervous system, brain, liver, respiratory and reproductive systems.

There are several chemicals to blame, but the main one is polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This chemical is added for a variety of reasons, but the main one is to make the shower curtain soft and pliable. Vinyl shower curtains made with PVC have high concentrations of phthalates which have been linked to reproductive problems.

Have you noticed all the reproductive issues we have going on? To name a few…

• Women are having longer and more miserable “transitions” into menopause.
• Fertility problems are unlike any we have ever seen before.
• Young girls are starting their periods earlier and earlier (I have seen as young as 9 in my clinic).
• More men than ever before are getting prostate cancer, and on and on.

I’m not saying that vinyl shower curtains are to blame for all of these health issues. Nonetheless, we need to be more conscious about our exposure to toxic chemicals that radically alter and harm our physiology.

So what’s the answer? Simple. Replace all your vinyl/plastic shower curtains with cloth ones. Yes, they will be more expensive. But, you can wash and re-use them over and over again and you won’t be inhaling toxic chemicals every time you take a shower. This is a simple but powerful solution.

A quick online search on Amazon.com or other retailers for “Cotton Shower Curtain” or “Cloth Shower Curtain” should yield plenty of results.

PVC health risk resources:

The Daily Green

Center for Health, Environment & Justice Study

Last week, I had another client experiencing chronic headaches. From a Naturopathic point of view, we have a completely different perspective as to why they happen, and we always want to look at the cause! We will not band-aid them by giving pain-relieving medication, but instead look at what is causing them and help you eliminate that from your life.

In my professional opinion, food allergies and chemical sensitivities are one of the main causes of headaches, whether they are chronic headaches, tension headaches, migraines or even “cluster” headaches. The foods and chemicals we ingest every day are 100% responsible for how we feel in our body.

If you’re suffering from a headache right now, skip to the remedies – if not, read on to learn more about the causes of your headaches and ways you can actually prevent them.

There are several main food allergies that I want to talk about:

MSG (Monosodium Glutamate or otherwise labeled as Glutamic Acid or Glutamate) — This chemical is commonly found in Chinese food; salad bars; fast food restaurants; sausages; luncheon and deli meats and cheeses; frozen meals, canned foods such as soups and vegetables; canned parmesan cheese; soy sauce; salad dressings; packaged gravies, etc.). Nearly any kind of processed or pre-packaged food has a pretty good chance of having MSG in it, so be sure to read the label and avoid it! The other problem with this chemical is that the government allows food manufacturers to use other names for it.  So when you’re checking labels, be sure to check for these ingredients also: caseinate, autolyzed yeast enzymes, beef or chicken broth, natural flavoring, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, soy protein concentrates, soy isolates and autolyzed yeast extracts. These names are all disguised names for glutamates, but the FDA allows these names to be used as long as the actual glutamate is less than 99 percent pure! So watch out and read your labels!

Aspartame (50% of which is Phenylalanine) – This toxic chemical is common in so many things: Diet Sodas, flavored drinks, chewing gum, juice, frozen foods, yogurt, diet or no-sugar foods. Aspartame is absolutely insidious and should be avoided at all costs. Unfortunately, as a nation, we are consuming WAY too much of it because it is in everything. Anything diet related or sugar free, is going to have this chemical in it. Even if you’re just chewing gum, that’s enough – there is enough of that chemical in a stick of gum to completely disrupt your brain chemistry! If you’re chewing gum because you’re worried about your breath, you can use Peppermint Essential Oil instead to freshen your breath. Peppermint essential oil is completely 100% pure and toxin-free.

Artificial Sweeteners (Splenda/Sucralose, Saccharin, etc.) - These are the pink, blue and yellow packets you see on restaurant tables. They are commonly added to Iced Tea or Coffee to sweeten. But beware! These chemicals significantly affect brain chemistry and absolutely can be causing your headaches. So opt for using REAL sugar, or carry packets of “Stevia” (an herbal sweetener) with you.

Food Colorings – Beware of the food dye colorings in some foods like juice, ready-made meals, frozen foods, cereals, cakes, cookies, chips, frostings, etc. Red Dye #40 and Yellow Dye #5 in particular are very common additives in many items such as yogurt, flavored powdered drinks; Energy drinks, etc. so please check your label and avoid food dyes as these are known to trigger headaches.

Other Known Food Triggers – Here is a list of some common foods that have been shown to cause headaches: yellow cheeses (cheddar), aged cheeses (blue cheese, gorgonzola, etc.), caffeine, chocolate, beer, wine, mushrooms, pickled meats like herring, wheat products (bread and pasta), nitrates in hot dogs, lunch meat, dairy foods.

Also, there are the other triggers like lack of sleep, lack of exercise, too much stress, and hormonal fluctuations. And one of the other common culprits is not drinking enough water! Please see this post about the importance of water and how it helps your body!

The best Natural Headache Remedies

In case you’re suffering from a headache right now:

• Soak your feet in a tub of hot water and apply an ice pack to the back of the head
• Have a friend rub your neck and scalp
• Rub Peppermint or Lavender Essential Oil on your temples (be very careful to avoid your eye area!) or at the base of your neck
• Do some EFT – a gentle tapping technique
• Drink fresh Ginger Tea
• Use other Homeopathic Remedies: There are many different homeopathic remedies for headaches and they are all based on the exact symptoms you have. To find the best remedy, you should consult a natural health practitioner. But, these 4 seem to be the most common remedies used, so you might try them: Lachesis 30c, Ignatia 30c, Nat Mur 30c, and Nux Vomica 30c. You can find them in a health food store.

My best advice on avoiding headaches altogether: Read all of the ingredient labels on the foods you buy. Avoid the “fake” foods. No “Diet,” “low/no fat” or “no-sugar” type of foods. They are laced with chemicals and absolutely can be causing your headaches.

Instead, use real sugar or Stevia (all natural herbal sweetener available in health food stores). It is best to always eat the food in as natural form as possible; that will always be fresh. Steer clear of the internal aisles in the grocery store where all the packaged and processed foods are located. Instead, shop on the outer aisles, spending most of your time in the produce section!

Buy a new cookbook that focuses on preparing natural, fresh, food and start cooking! Check out my Recipes for healthy, simple recipes that you can make easily in your own kitchen! There are soups, salads and casseroles, and I will constantly be adding new healthy recipes. Check back often, and don’t be afraid to try something new!

If you are struggling with headaches, you really need to dissect everything you’re eating to determine if any of your “regular” foods are contributing to this problem. One of the easiest ways to do this is to keep a daily journal. Get a spiral bound notebook that you can carry with you. Every day, write down everything you eat or drink and log the times of your headaches. This way, you can find out your trigger foods and then make the necessary nutritional changes in your life.

You can get relief from headaches! As you can see from the chemical list above, there are a lot of possible ways that you might be ingesting these chemicals. They are known to contribute to many different varieties of headaches. So before you reach for a pharmaceutical drug, please explore your diet and what you’re consuming everyday that might be causing your headaches. There are alternatives to chemical-laden food: buying fresh, organic food and preparing your own meals (rather than eating out all the time) so you have control over what goes in body. Your body will thank you for that extra care and you will find yoursel feeling better than ever!

Additional Resources to help you determine the cause of your headaches:

http://www.msgtruth.org/
http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-side-effects.html
http://www.red40.com/
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/393504/food_dye_yellow5_.html?cat=5/

A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives: Descriptions in Plain English of More Than 12,000 Ingredients Both Harmful and Desirable Found in Foods by Ruth Winter

A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives is back again, in an updated sixth edition. This valuable reference gives you all the facts about the relative safety and side effects of more than 12,000 ingredients that end up in your food as a result of processing and curing, such as preservatives, food-tainting pesticides, and animal drugs. For example, drugs used to tranquilize pigs may sedate diners!

There are hundreds of new entries to this edition, and topics covered include information about recently discovered resistant strains of bacteria credited to the antibiotics added to animal feed, as well as startling statistics on the amount of money spent on certain additives each year – $1.4 billion – on just flavorings and flavor enhancers.

As most of you know, the food we put into our body is considered fuel to our body and helps our body function. Unfortunately, most of us are putting the wrong types of fuel into our body and then, we’re putting too much food!  If you are suffering with indigestion, reflux, heartburn, and/or constipation, this is a sure sign that you are probably eating some of the wrong foods!

We need to be eating simply. Most American meals consist of massive quantities of a beverage (usually soda or milk), then a main course (meat), side dishes (rice, pasta and/or potatoes), vegetable (if we’re lucky), probably some bread and then a dessert. If we break out each individual piece, you can see that we are asking the body to (more…)

One of the best things you can do for your health — drink plenty of water — is one the easiest and most important too! Because our bodies are made up of 70-75 percent water, it is extremely important to replace it every day.

On average, your body loses approximately 10 cups of water every day while regulating body temperature, transporting nutrients and oxygen, carrying away waste and helping to detoxify your kidneys and liver.

Here are some healthy water tips:

1. “Eight” is not always the magic number for water. Of course, you have probably heard that eight 8-ounce glasses of water is the rule of thumb. I don’t necessarily agree with that philosophy.

My recommendation is that you base your water consumption on your weight and your level of exercise. For example, take your body weight and divide that number in half. Whatever the result, that is how many ounces of water you should drink in one day. If you weigh 140 pounds, you should consume approximately 70 ounces of water a day. If you exercise, that number should increase.

Doesn’t it make sense that if people are different sizes and have different exercise routines, they should consume different amounts of water? The standard of “everybody” needing 8 glasses of water a day simply doesn’t apply to everyone. I think it makes more sense to treat individuals like individuals with different needs.

2. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Take water with you when you run errands or travel to and from work. Keep water on your desk at work. Instead of a coffee break at the office, switch to a water break! Developing consistent plans to drink water will help you develop a healthful habit!

3. There is no substitute for water. One of the main surprises that some of my clients get is when I tell them that tea and coffee don’t count toward your water consumption each day. But they have water in them, you say? Yes, they do, along with chemicals that affect the body and in most cases actually cause a diuretic affect in the body, which causes dehydration. So in other words, only water is water. Drink it, not coffee or tea. Alcohol also is extremely dehydrating, so for every glass of alcohol, consume an extra glass of water to help with the dehydration.

4. Increase your intake of water when you’re exercising. Take frequent water breaks while exercising. Drinking extra water when you have finished exercising to replace perspiration lost during the exercise is advised. It is important to compensate for the amount of fluids you lose when exercising, so drink up!

5. Hungry, you say? Drink a big glass of water. Sometimes the body plays tricks on us, so you might mistake hunger pangs for dehydration. Dehydration symptoms can include dizziness, minor headaches and lack of mental clarity. Some of those same symptoms could also be due to low blood sugar if you’re close to needing a meal. If you’re unsure, make sure you try the water first! (And incidentally, if you’re trying to lose weight, drinking a large glass of water 10 minutes prior to a meal will help you eat less too!)

6. Drink 10-12 ounces of room temperature or slightly warm water with a little fresh lemon juice when you wake up each morning. It’s a good start to the day, and you’re getting some of the water you need, not to mention it’s a good way to flush out your system. Your body is very busy during your sleeping hours “cleaning house.” Drinking a large glass of water first thing in the morning will help it do its job more efficiently!

7. When you should drink additional water: When you have a cold or flu, or if you are in dehydrating conditions such as extremely hot or humid weather, severely cold weather or high altitudes.

8. Most of these tips apply to children too! Our children are constantly bombarded with opportunities to drink sodas in school and with friends. Make sure they are getting enough water too!