Unthought-of Health Tips

Ready to learn five of the most important and unthought-of tips from Dr. Christina Fick? That guy dancing above sure is. Here we go... 

Unthought-of Health Tip #1

The average American family goes through 300 gallons of water daily. Yikes! Most of the water used literally goes down the toilet. And when we flush, most of us are making a big mistake! After you read this you will not make this mistake ever again! When you flush the toilet, not everything goes down the pipe. Your toilet releases what's called "toilet plume" into the air. Toilet plume is a disgusting spray filled with microscopic bacteria, such as E. coli. According to research, the germs emitted in the spray can linger in the air for hours and they cover everything in sight! Most notably, your toothbrush and towels! Gross!!! The easy way to keep poop particles off your toothbrush is to ALWAYS close the lid when you flush, no matter what. From this point on, for the rest of your life, you will close the lid when you flush! By closing the lid when you flush you will prevent the most common ailment that comes from flushing with an open lid - the notorious norovirus. Norovirus is an infection that can cause a sudden onset of severe vomiting and diarrhea. The virus is highly contagious! I hope this info and the gif above gets my point across. Also, keep that lid closed at all times even when it's not being used. Here is the worst part, norovirus results in about 685 million cases of disease and 200,000 deaths globally a year.1.

Unthought-of Health Tip #2

Dust your house! Turns out regular old house dust is far more dangerous than scientists had previously thought. The previous thought was that household dust can harm people with respiratory problems and everyone else is safe. Unfortunately, new research has found that 45 potentially harmful chemicals are in household dust, that's according to a review of 34 studies published in the September 2018 issue of Environmental Science & Technology. Dust collects traces of every chemical that enters your house. Everything from insulation to hair spray builds up in dust. Then you inadvertently inhale the dust. The concern is, exposure to these chemicals has been linked to respiratory problems, reproductive system disorders, hormone issues, and various cancers. Who is at the highest risk? Children! Kids are still building their immune systems. Bouncing off the walls and crawling on the dusty old carpet exposes them to these 45 harmful chemicals. So dust frequently, says no to carpet, and use high-quality air purifiers. 

Unthought-of Health Tip #3

Do not drink tap water! Tap water (or even spring) water, is the most filthy it has ever been. When you drink tap water you are likely consuming chlorine. Yeah, chlorine the chemical that makes water parks possible is in tap water! For some reason, fluoride is in tap water. If you look at your toothpaste it says that if you eat toothpaste go to the emergency room immediately because fluoride is toxic! What purpose does fluoride serve in tap water? I have no idea but it will not be entering my body. Additionally, tap water can be filled with assorted hormones, pesticides, and trace amounts of prescription drugs. Even here in the rocky mountains where we think our water is a bit cleaner, the water has traveled through miles of pipeline, collecting contaminants, pesticides, and industrial run-off along the way. So please, if you do not have one get a high-quality water filter!

Unthought-of Health Tip #4

If you're going to take dietary supplements, ONLY use products that are cGMP and certified organic. If your dietary supplements are not cGMP certified, then you have no idea what you're actually taking. Just do a quick Google search, "supplement scams" and you will find a mountain of evidence that says dietary supplements are unregulated, fake, and even dangerous. That daily multi you take from some random company that you think is great could actually be doing you more harm than good. Several studies conducted in supplement stores and online have proven that 99% of all supplements being sold today do not have the same ingredients that are on the label, they are fake! Often your fake supplements are filled with rice powder. That's why the cGMP certification is vital! cGMP means the supplement company actually paid to have the FDA come into their facility and prove that what's on the label, is actually in each and every pill produced. The organic portion is vital as well. If you think GMOs are okay, then I must ask you, why do you think Monsanto has been banned in Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Japan, Peru, Japan, France, and many other countries? I find that many people try to eat organic diets but when it comes to dietary supplements they are not following the same logic. Most of us do require some dietary supplementation since we don't get enough nutrition from our foods. The proper way to go about supplementation is through blood lab analysis from a functional medicine practitioner. From there settle for nothing but certified organic and cGMP supplements. Do not pay for or consume anything else! To my knowledge, there are only a handful of companies that meet my cGMP + organic standard. 

Unthought-of Health Tip #5

Keep your artificial fragrances to yourself! Most deodorants, perfumes, colognes, hair sprays, and home cleaning products are toxic. It is largely unknown just how harmful all of these products are but at a minimum, we know these types of products contain a group of petroleum-based chemicals called phthalates that are quite harmful to you and everyone that comes in contact with your Axe body spray. Phthalates are a well-known hormone disruptor. We also know that there are at least 14 nasty chemicals that are not listed on these products and 80% of the ingredients in fragrance products have not been tested for human safety. So how can this "fragrance" business even be legal? Easy, "fragrance" slides through a loophole on the FDA's regulation of personal care products. They are considered a trade secret under the Fair Package and Labeling act of 1966, allowing companies to not list ingredients so their formula cannot be replicated easily. So what can you do to avoid artificial fragrances? Well, you can't prevent your co-worker from taking an Axe spray shower before work but you can completely cut artificial fragrances out of your home. Thankfully there are non-toxic fragrance companies and organic options out there. The bottom line is, humans are stinky animals. We really are, it's our nature. If you must have a scent go with the non-toxic options and maybe mention this info to your peers that smell so good.

1. https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/trends-outbreaks/burden-US.html