Question from P. T.

I know that ordinary table salt is nothing but sodium chloride. My problem is trying to settle on a company to buy Himalayan salt from. Every one of the companies that I have looked at claim that they are the “one and only”. And, on one site, they claim that if the salt is not red, then it is not the real Himalayan salt. Gosh, I thought the salt came in a variety of colors, depending on where the salt was mined from. Which company would you buy from?

Debra’s Answer

First, let me say a few words about salt for readers who don’t yet know about different kinds of salt.

The salt that is in most salt shakers and used in most food processing is refined salt, containing pure sodium chloride and nothing else. Natural salt as it occurs in the Earth contains a broad spectrum of minerals. It is refined for industrial purposes, used in factories to make various products, and is also used industrially as a cheap food preservative. Refined salt has been associated with health problems such as water retention and high blood pressure.

Natural salt actually restores health to the body by providing needed minerals as well as sodium and chloride. Many functions in the body just won’t happen without sufficient salt. In ancient times, before salt was refined, natural salt was considered to be one of the most valuable substances on Earth, and essential to life.

Once you’ve made the leap from refined salt to natural, then the next choice is whether to choose sea salt or salt from the Earth. All salt originally was from the sea, but as the Earth changed over time, some of those evaporated seas are now underground in salt deposits. One area of such deposits is under the Himalayan Mountains.

Salt in the Earth is often mined by use of explosives and other devices that are less than eco-friendly. Mechanical mining can also change the energy matrix of the salt. Mining and processing by hand preserves the energetic quality of the salt.

I buy a brand of Himalayan salt called “The Original” Himalayan Crystal Salt. It comes from a deposit of salt from a sea that evaporated millions of years ago, from a time when the planet was a pristine ecosystem. Then when the Himalayan mountain range was formed, the degree of compression was so extreme that it created perfectly structured crystal grids within the salt, giving it a unique bio-energetic pattern. The salt is gently hand-mined, hand-selected, hand-crushed with stones, hand-washed, and sun dried, both to preserves the Himalayan ecosystem and retains the original bio-energetic qualities of the salt.

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Question from S. L.

Greetings! And thank you so much for your valuable service.

Any tips for a non-toxic, odor free or at least low odor lubricant for household uses such as oiling door hinges and windows? Food oils go rancid and we would like to avoid petrochemicals if possible.

Looking forward to your response. Thanks.

Debra’s Answer

Use jojoba oil. You can purchase it at natural food stores or online from many sources. Just type “jojoba oil” into your favorite search engine and you will find many possibilities.

Many years ago I dated a man who sold air filters to people who were sensitive to chemicals. He used jojoba oil to oil the machines.

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Question from H. G.

I am a regular reader of your columns and refer to your book regularly, however I must take exception with your recomendation of Talalay latex for the chemically sensitive. Talalay is processed with and contains 3% preservatives like poly ethylene glycol. Dunlop latex is probably a better choice for MCS types. Please see The “Dunlop VS Talalay” Truth and Natural Dunlop vs. Natural Talalay for more info.

Debra’s Answer

For those of you who don’t yet know about Talalay and Dunlop, they are two methods for processing latex used to make mattresses and pillows. They each produce a latex that has it’s own characteristics. But this question is not which is better latex, this question is about whether or not Talalay is safe for people with multiple chemical sensitivities.

As stated in your reference Natural Dunlop vs. Natural Talalay, “In the Talalay process synthetic chemicals are usually added, but not always.” The company making this statement, SavvyRest, says “We order natural Talalay only, and the company certifies that no synthetic chemicals are added to produce this latex.” So I don’t quite understand your statement that “Talalay is processed with and contains 3% preservatives…” and “Dunlop latex is probably a better choice for MCS types.”

To the best of my knowledge, it is true that some Talalay latex contains a percentage of preservatives and other chemicals. But I wouldn’t make a general statement that Dunlop latex is a better choice for MCS types. From the viewpoint of toxicity, chemical-free Talalay latex would be just as good a choice as chemical-free Dunlop.

I sent your question to Mary Cordaro, a certified Bau-Biologist who created her own line of natural beds “The Mary Cordaro Collection.” Bau-Biologie standards are the strictest in the world for toxics and she also has plenty of experience with multiple chemical sensitivities. And she chose Talalay. Here’s her reply to your question:

I agree with Mary and greatly admire the lengths to which she goes to ensure her materials are pure, but she is the exception. The practical reality is that most latex–Talalay and Dunlop–is not tested. For any material, the ultimate test for anyone with MCS is how you feel with the material. Does it feel life-supporting to your body or not? While it would be great to have a 100 percent toxic-free environment, that is rarely a reality. I believe that everyone should minimize their exposure to toxic chemicals as much as possible, within their ability to do so.

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Question from B.R.

I want to purchase an outdoor grill for my husbands birthday. Is there anything that would be nontoxic?

Debra’s Answer

The burning of all fuels produce combustion by-products and smoke, which make food taste delicious, but are harmful to breathe. So regardless of which type of barbecue you choose, try not to breathe a lot of smoke.

There are basically two types of grills: gas and charcoal.

My husband and I barbecue over a small, inexpensive, portable charcoal grill. The point for us is to cook over the natural wood flame. We use a simple chimney-type starter rather than toxic lighter fluid, and we burn only natural wood briquets that have not been treated with any chemicals.

I’m not a fan of gas grills. They are more expensive to purchase, they require the purchase of propane gas for fuel, they are large in size, untilizing a lot of metal, which is very polluting to the environment, and in the end, it’s not much different than cooking over a gas stove indoors.

You can read more about healthy barbecuing in my book Home Safe Home on page 309.

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Question from L. G.

I am looking for materials that works well as a non-stick baking and stir-frying surface and that will not harm my family. What do you think about silicone bakeware for environmental and health issues? I know Teflon is dangerous but what about silicone?

Debra’s Answer

Silcone bakeware and other kitchen utensils are safe to use. Silicones are made chemically by creating a “backbone” of silicon from common sand and oxygen molecules, a combination that does not occur in nature. Then various other synthetic molecules are added branching off of the main silicon-oxygen line to create hundreds of different silicones that range from liquids to rubbery solids. Though this is a completely manmade product, it is completely inert and will not transfer to foods.

I tried to find some information on the health effects of silicone rubber, but it was not listed in any of the toxic chemical databases I use.

I went to the Dow Corning website who makes over 700 different silicone rubbers and looked at a random sample of their MSDSs. The ones I read listed no hazardous materials or health effects, or needed first aid measures. All descriptions I read of silicone rubber describe it as chemically inert and stable, so it is unlikely to react with or leach into food, nor outgas vapors. MSDSs also note that silicone is not toxic to aquatic or soil organisms, it is not hazardous waste, and while it is not biodegradable, it can be recycled after a lifetime of use.

Some years back there was a question about the safety of silicone used in breast implants. Whether or not the health problems experienced by some women with breast implants were associated with the implants has been very controversial. I found an article from the year 2000 on a leading website on breast cancer and related women’s issues that states “A large study conducted by researchers from the National Cancer Institute NCI finds no correlation between silicone-filled breast implants and breast cancer risk.”

The prolonged inhalation of crystalline silica dust is associated with silicosis, but there is no silica dust exposure from the use of silicone kitchenware.

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Question from S. M.

I read your tip about avoiding water stored in plastic containers. We’ve been using a Brita pitcher as an inexpensive solution for the water we drink at home. The problem is that the Brita pitchers are plastic. Is there an alternative that is comparable in cost?

Debra’s Answer

I think the answer to this question is no.

I looked at the price of Brita pitchers and they range in price from $10-$35. There just aren’t water filters in that price range that are very effective.

There are really two major concerns about Brita pitchers. I’m going to give you the data I was able to get so you can make your own decision.

First, you were concerned about the plastic. In answer to another question about Toxic Plastic Water Bottles, the plastic in question was polycarbonate. I called Brita and they told me that the plastic used to make Brita pitchers is either styrene acrilonytrile or styrene methyl metacrylate. These plastics are entirely different, and I don’t think they are safer. I’ve included some links at the end of this answer that talk about the health effects of styrene, but what I’ve learned over the years is that when you combine chemicals, their health effects change–for better or worse. I wasn’t able to find anything on the health effects of these specific chemicals. And the form of the plastic also affects how much it will leach. We know styrene leaches from styrene foam cups and fast food containers. Does it leach from a hard plastic water pitcher? I don’t know. Tests probably have never been done. My educated guess is that some kind of plastic is leaching from the container.

My other concern about these pitchers is whether or not they are removing pollutants from the water. They remove chlorine, but do not remove chloramine. So you need to find out if you have chlorine or chloramine in your water. If it’s chloramine, it’s not removing it. Most communities now have chloramine, so check and find out.

Brita filters are designed to remove lead, chlorine, mercury, and sediment. That’s it. If you don’t have these in your water, there’s no point in using one.

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Question from C. H.

I am looking for an airjet tub that would be safe. One company [name deleted] said that their urethane tubs are the only green product around. My HVAC guy says that 100% acrylic tubs are inert. However, as far as I can see, the acrylic tubs have a fiberglass and resin shell which is where the problem mostly lies. Any info?

Also, do you know how to construct a tiled bathtub where the bathtub itself is made of tile?

Debra’s Answer

I contacted the company that is making the claim that their urethane bathtub is “green.” Here’s what I found out.

Acrylic-lined tubs have a shell of fiberglass. So it’s fiberglass on the outside and acrylic on the inside.

The toxic element in fiberglass is polyester resin. Polyester resin has a styrene carrier which outgasses VOCs.

This company replaces the polyester resin in the fiberglass with urethane, which does not outgas, so there are zero VOCs. That’s the green claim–that it has zero VOCs.

However, the fiberglass is on the outside of the tub, which usually is completely sealed against a wall or within a tile surround. So whatever VOCs do outgas probably are not going into the room once the tub is installed.

Still I am concerned about the acrylic liner being a plastic and that none of these materials are renewable or biodegradable. Certainly I would call this a less toxic tub, but I would still stay away from any plastic tubs. A standard porcelain tub would still come out ahead.

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Question from S. M.

We are curious – what pillows do you sleep on?

Debra’s Answer

Organic wool pillows from Shepherd’s Dream. I have slept on cotton and feather/down pillows, but when I tried wool, I fell in love with them. :- We have the standard size bed pillows and also the wool neck rolls. I love my neck roll so much I carry it with me when I travel. Even though I don’t have back or neck problems, I just sleep better with that extra support.

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Question from J. P.

Can you tell me about Sodium Laureth Sulfate? I know labels often say it is “derived from coconut”, but is it really a natural ingredient?

Debra’s Answer

To answer your question, here is an excerpt from my book Home Safe Home about natural ingredients bold added.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate is also produced via ethoxylation. Ethoxylated surfactants may be contaminated with carcinogenic 1,4- Dioxane dioxin, as a by-product of the manufacturing process. Carcinogens are considered cause for concern even at very low levels.

I’m not going to comment on whether or not one should or shouldn’t use products containing Sodium Laureth Sulfate. There is a lot of controversy about this which you can read by typing “Sodium Laureth Sulfate” into any seach engine.

My only point here is that even though Sodium Laureth Sulfate is “derived from coconut oil”, it’s not what I would consider to be natural in the sense that it is in the state in which it occurs in nature.

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Question from B. K.

Do you have any special natural remedies to detox the body……the liver and kidneys??? I think sometimes feeling fatigue all leads to a good cleansing of the liver….getting it to be strong and flushing out all the toxins! Thanks!

Debra’s Answer

I’ve used the Kidney Rejuvenator and Liver Rejuvenator products from Peter Gillham’s Natural Vitality and they were very effective.

I started taking them after I read an article by Peter Gillham called “The Body’s Filter” (this is not posted on their website, but I think they would send you a copy if you asked). It tells how our bodies have specific organs whose purpose is to purify the blood and organs to keep toxins of all kinds from building up in the body and causing disease.

The kidneys, among other functions, are one of the main organs that filter toxins out of our blood. But I suspect that for most of us, our kidneys are not doing their job. Kidneys can be damaged by poor diet, stress, and chemical expsosure, reducing their efficiency. When our kidneys are damaged, they can’t filter out the chemicals we are exposed to and they build up in our bodies. So one of the best things we can do to help our bodies withstand the chemicals we are exposed to is to have strong, well-functioning kidneys. The kidneys and liver work together to remove toxic chemicals from the body, so both need to be supported.

When I read this, it was like a light bulb went off in my head. Of course! If we want our bodies to better tolerate the chemicals in our environment, we should strengthen those functions in our bodies that process them. So I started taking Kidney Rejuvenator and Liver Rejuvenator and they made a big difference in my body. My husband took them too and they helped him. They are completely natural, made of a blend of herbs (not organically grown).

There may be other similar products on the market. I know these worked for me. And other vitamins I have taken from them were effective too.

Both kidneys and liver process toxins and need to be cleansed for good health. I definately think you are on the right track with this.

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