Are Your Kids Missing School?

Not too long ago, a friend of mine mentioned that her two-year old grandson had been extremely sick over the past few months.

The poor little guy had been in and out of our local Children’s Hospital, subjected to one test after another.

But there was still no clear diagnosis.

Eventually, his doctors began to suspect that the real culprit was the new carpet recently installed in the family’s home.

As shocking as this might seem, the truth is things like this happen all the time.

Here’s something else that might surprise you:

Asthma in children is on the rise, resulting in a lot of missed school days. (According to the latest statistics, more than 25 million people are affected!)

The culprit?

Once again, these statistics can be traced directly to toxins in the environment, in this case a group of chemicals commonly referred to as VOC’s.

That stands for Volatile Organic Compounds  – even the word volatile sounds scary, doesn’t it?

You know how, when food has gone bad, it typically has a rather awful smell?

Well, think of VOC’s as being the household equivalent to rotten food.

Just as you wouldn’t eat food that has obviously seen better days – you really don’t want to surround yourself with toxins that poison the air you breathe, do you?

(According to recent studies, indoor air pollution can actually be 50% worse than outdoor air).

That’s why paying attention to your child’s sleep environment is such a great place to start!

While statistics show that at least 57% of today’s children are sleep deprived, what we’re talking about here goes beyond just making sure they are getting enough sleep!

Let’s say your children are, in fact, sleep deprived.

If you add toxins and food allergies to the mix, they are at an even greater disadvantage.

So how do you ensure adequate sleep, aside from sending them to bed at an appropriate time?

First, make sure their bedroom is as dark as can be – even when using a night light.

Next, if you’re redecorating, be sure to use non-toxic paints on the walls and preferably non-toxic carpeting on the floor.

That way, you can rest assured they are breathing safe, clean air.

Toxins are found everywhere, by the way, not just paint and carpets.

The following items are all on the ‘suspect’ list:  furniture and fabric, paints and household finishes – adhesives, wood, fabric finishes, and cleaning products.

While it’s true that under normal conditions our bodies detoxify naturally, it’s just about impossible to keep up with the daily build-up, based on what we’re typically exposed to.

The good news?

Alternate, healthier choices are available for almost everything.

And many of these changes are so easy-to-implement, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this sooner.

That’s just one more reason why I’m committed to exploring every part of your environment – in addition to your diet – so your health is really supported on every level!