Health, Fitness,Dite plan, health tips,athletic club,crunch fitness,fitness studio,lose weight,fitness world,mens health,aerobic,personal trainer,lifetime fitness,nutrition,workout,fitness first,weight loss,how to lose weight,exercise,24 hour fitness,
This article was previously published October 29, 2020, and has been updated with new information.
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a powerful adaptogenic herb, which means it helps your body adapt to stress1 by balancing your immune system, metabolism and hormonal systems. It is known as a multipurpose herb and was used in ancient Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine.2 The plant is native to India and a member of the Solanaceae family, along with eggplant and tomato.3
A 2020 study tested ashwagandha for its ability to promote sleep. Based on the results, the researchers believe the herb could be an alternative treatment for insomnia.4 They gathered 80 participants, 40 of whom were healthy individuals without a sleep disorder and 40 who had a known diagnosis of insomnia.
Each group was further split into two groups: one intervention and one control group. The intervention group received ashwagandha and the control group received a placebo. The participants took the supplements for eight weeks during which assessments were done to evaluate sleep parameters, sleep quality and anxiety.
The results revealed that the groups of healthy individuals and those with insomnia who were taking ashwagandha demonstrated significant improvement in the study parameters. Those who had insomnia showed the most improvement. The researchers wrote the “root extract was well-tolerated by all the participants irrespective of their health condition and age."5
The participants took 300 milligrams (mg) twice each day of the root extract KSM-66 sold by Ixoreal Biomed.6 The same supplement was tested in another study in which the researchers found it improved quality of sleep, quality of life and mental alertness in older adults.7
The researchers in the second study suggested the root extract may be effective in the elderly population as they tolerated the supplement well and "it was reported as safe and beneficial by the study participants."8 Kartikeya Baldwa, CEO of Ixoreal Biomed Inc., commented on the results of the newest study to a reporter from NutraIngredients:9
"Sleep is critical to be healthy, to recover from exercise and to function optimally both physically and cognitively. Ashwagandha root has been referenced for centuries for its sleep benefits. This study is the first clinical study to evaluate the effect of ashwagandha root extract on sleep quality in both healthy adults and insomnia patients and demonstrates significant positive effects on sleep quality in the participants.
The paper is published in a prestigious journal and is a valuable contribution to the scientific literature. It substantiates the use of ashwagandha root extract as an adaptogen that helps reduce anxiety and promote restful sleep."
The importance of getting enough quality sleep each night cannot be overstated. You likely recognize that a good sleep schedule is a vital component of a healthy lifestyle. But, according to a survey from Mattress Firm, which revealed some disturbing facts about sleep patterns in America, getting a good night's sleep may be challenging.10
The results showed the average adult who responded to the survey didn't get the seven to eight recommended hours of sleep each night. Of those who responded, a total of 40% said their sleep was "not very good" or "not good at all." This may be related to the activities people reported doing in bed, which included watching TV, eating and playing video games.
But it's not only the number of hours that's important, but also the quality. Fragmented sleep can trigger chronic inflammation and contribute to mental health conditions and neurological disorders such as major depression and Alzheimer's disease.11
Fragmented sleep is also associated with atherosclerosis,12 a buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries sometimes called clogged or hardened arteries that can result in fatal heart disease.13
Experts estimate that up to 70 million people in the U.S. of all ages are plagued by sleep-related health conditions.14 They are common in both men and women and span all socioeconomic classes. The potential for being sleep deprived has risen significantly in the past 30 years, according to the American Sleep Apnea Association.
Contributing factors include digital technology and blurred lines between work and home. This may be exacerbated by the recent pandemic and an increasing number of people working remotely.
In addition to improving quality of sleep, the researchers found ashwagandha reduced the measure of anxiety in the participants.15 According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, there is a relationship between stress and anxiety. They define the difference as stress being a response to a threat, while anxiety is a response to the stress.16
Another study evaluated the effectiveness of a full-spectrum extract of ashwagandha root to help reduce stress and anxiety.17 Since stress can lead to poor performance and increase your risk for adverse health conditions, the researchers sought to evaluate the effectiveness of ashwagandha in adults who were known to be under stress.
They gathered 64 individuals who had a history of chronic stress. Before beginning the intervention, the participants underwent laboratory testing that included measuring serum cortisol and assessing their stress level using a standardized assessment questionnaire.
The group was randomized into a treatment group and control group. Those in the study group took 300 mg of ashwagandha root twice a day for 60 days. Analysis of the data revealed a significant reduction in stress assessment at the end of 60 days when compared to the placebo group.
People taking ashwagandha also had substantially lower serum cortisol levels. The group taking ashwagandha reported only mild adverse effects that were comparable to the placebo group. The results led the researchers to conclude that the root extract was safe and effective at improving resistance to stress and self-assessed quality of life.
A systematic literature review evaluating five human trials found similar results to the interventional study. The researchers concluded each of the five studies demonstrated ashwagandha resulted in greater improvement than a placebo when measuring anxiety or stress.18
Nonrestorative sleep is a subjective feeling you have that your sleep had been “insufficiently refreshing."19 This may happen despite appearing like you had slept through the night. It is one of the symptoms of insomnia that can be independent of other signs.
Difficulty with nonrestorative sleep plays an important role in medical conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, heart disease and obesity.20 Scientists have found it is associated with other sleep disorders such as restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea and periodic limb movement disorders.
Although it has been studied in people with sleep disturbances, one team of researchers published their study protocol and rationale to evaluate the role ashwagandha may have in nonrestorative sleep in the general population.21
Because nonrestorative sleep plays an important role in medical conditions that are linked to chronic inflammation and ashwagandha has demonstrated the ability to reduce stress and prepare for sleep, researchers hoped ashwagandha would help improve scores on a restorative sleep questionnaire given to participants taking the supplement for six weeks.
The results of the study were published in the journal Sleep Medicine. The scientists enrolled 144 individuals who completed the study and found there was a 72% improvement in sleep quality in those taking ashwagandha compared to 29% in the placebo group.22
The researchers monitored data that showed a significant improvement in sleep efficiency, time, latency and wakefulness after sleep. Quality of life scores were vastly improved in physical, psychological and environmental domains. Additionally, there were no adverse events reported.
A traditional use for ashwagandha is memory enhancement, particularly the root of the plant. In 2017, a published study in the Journal of Dietary Supplements demonstrated the root extract helped improve memory and cognitive function in 50 people who had mild cognitive impairment.23
This is a slight decline in cognitive ability that is associated with an increased potential risk for developing other serious dementias, including Alzheimer's disease.24 The participants were split into two groups either receiving 300 mg of ashwagandha root extract twice a day or placebo over eight weeks.
The participants taking ashwagandha also demonstrated improvement in executive function, information-processing speed and sustained attention.25 In addition to improving function, the root extract may help slow deterioration of brain cells in people diagnosed with dementia. In one review of Ayurvedic medicines, the researchers wrote:26
"The beneficial effects of Ashwagandha root constituents in neurodegenerative diseases may be due to their neurite promoting, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, and anxiolytic activities, as well as their ability to improve mitochondrial dysfunction and restore energy levels and increase levels of antioxidant defenses such as reduced glutathione."
Another study engaged 20 healthy men who were randomized to receive 500 mg of encapsulated root and leaf extract of ashwagandha or a placebo for 14 days.27 They were put through a battery of computerized psychometric testing and researchers found those taking ashwagandha showed significant improvements in their reaction time, card sorting testing and choice discrimination.
If you choose to consider an ashwagandha supplement, talk to your holistic health care practitioner since even natural remedies, like herbs, can interact with other medications or supplements you may be taking.
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should avoid ashwagandha since it can cause spasmolytic activity in the uterus that may result in a premature birth. In general, ashwagandha is associated with only mild side effects, if any, and appears to be safe for most people.
Typical dosages can range from 125 mg to 1,250 mg each day. Many of the current studies provided participants with 600 mg of root extract each day. In addition to being taken internally, ashwagandha can also be useful in topical form as an essential oil diluted with a carrier oil.
Sonia Elijah with TrialSite News was the first U.K. journalist to interview Dr. Robert Malone, the inventor of the mRNA and DNA vaccine core platform technology.1 That interview was taken down by YouTube within a matter of hours because Malone detailed scientific truths that go against the narrative being pushed globally.2
Her second interview with Malone is above. You can now hear some of the points that have been censored, starting with scientific censorship at medical journals. Malone has had multiple peer-reviewed papers seeking to repurpose existing medications as COVID-19 treatments blocked from publication by journals.
In one example, Malone and colleagues found that combined treatment with celecoxib, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, and high-dose famotidine, a heartburn drug sold under the brand name Pepcid, led to improved outcomes among COVID-19 patients, including 100% survival.3 It’s been repeatedly rejected for publication.
Malone was also a former guest editor of a special issue of Frontiers in Pharmacology, which published an abstract of a peer-reviewed study by Pierre Kory on ivermectin for COVID-19 — until it was pulled due to a third-party complaint, with no chance for resubmission.
“That was completely inexplicable,” Malone said. “Some third party complained to Frontiers and successfully had that pulled, even though it had passed peer review with an expert panel of peer reviewers including senior reviewers from the FDA.”4
Working in tandem with scientific censorship is a modern-day witch hunt targeting physicians. Malone describes it as a three-step process in which, first, third parties complain about physicians who are treating COVID-19 patients early on in the disease. “It’s almost never patients” who complain, Malone says, but once the third-party complaint is made, medical boards are obligated to open an investigation.
“Basically, physicians are accused of … the sin of administering licensed drugs off-label, which is about 30% of all prescriptions are off label. Then, then these complaints are filed with the medical boards,” he said. Once the investigation process is initiated, the press is alerted, which subsequently writes multiple articles about the physician being investigated, destroying their reputation.
“This destroys the credibility of the physician,” Malone said. “They're typically fired from their hospital for creating a controversy. Often they are kicked out of their medical practice group and basically are forced to become free agents.”5 It’s a systematic attack that deprives those accused of their ability to earn a living, while frightening others who might speak out into remaining silent.
Meanwhile, scientific journals have financial motivation to print only research that’s favorable to the pharmaceutical industry. “They don't have to advertise or buy stock in one of these companies,” Malone said. “What they do is buy very large numbers of reprints of papers that are favorable to their position.”
The reprints “don’t come cheaply,” which means “the journals end up with a large fraction of their revenue coming from the sale of these reprints to pharmaceutical companies.” The pharmaceutical companies hand the reprints out to physicians’ offices, and the scientific journals rely on this revenue — a major motivation to continue printing research that’s favorable to Big Pharma.
“It's another nefarious way that the pharmaceutical industry has figured out how to exert influence by bending the law,” he explains. “They don't have to disclose the conflict of interest because it's not a direct payment.”6
Malone believes we’ve entered a period of rampant lawlessness, in which rules and regulations about bioethics are being completely disregarded. Experimentation without proper informed consent violates the Nuremberg Code,7 which spells out a set of research ethics principles for human experimentation.
This set of principles was developed to ensure the medical horrors discovered during the Nuremberg trials at the end of World War II would never take place again, but in the current climate of extreme censorship, people are not being informed about the full risks of the shots — which are only beginning to be uncovered.
Even children are now subject to this experimentation. The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted unanimously for emergency use authorization of COVID-19 shots for children ages 5 to 11 years — with one abstention.
The person who abstained is Dr. Michael Kurilla, director of the division of clinical innovation at the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, who said he doesn’t believe all children need a COVID-19 jab.8 Malone explained:9
“The VRBPAC committee … suddenly it's unanimous with one abstention to go ahead and jab the kids. So who's the one abstention who is making the position that he's a conscientious objector? He's one of Tony Fauci’s leading lieutenants and one of the leading candidates to replace him.
There's the appearance of him basically staking out a position that will give them a fallback in the event that all this catches up with them. Somebody is going to be having to run the shop, and I think he now has plausible deniability. I think that was all Kabuki theater to give him plausible deniability about his position, his culpability in what's going on, because he's one of the leading candidates to take over the NIAID.”
Through his professional career, Malone has worked closely with the U.S. government for many years. He’s now trying to speak out about the manipulation of data that’s occurring at multiple levels. “There are strong disincentives for physicians to report information,” he said, including at the local level, and there are also strong incentives for U.S. hospitals to over-report COVID-related deaths.
“The average cost of hospitalized COVID per patient, the average case cost, is between $300,000 and $400,000.” Part of that is driven by the antiviral drug remdesivir, which they’re required to give because it’s the licensed product in the U.S.
“Remdesivir requires a multiday stay in order to provide the infusion,” Malone said. “So by requiring remdesivir, the hospitals are getting more revenue from hospitalized patients. So there is an additional payment if the diagnosis is SARS-CoV-2.”10 He continued:
“So that's how we end up with these grossly overinflated risk analyses for the virus. And we ended up with grossly underinflated and under-reported vaccine adverse events, because there are so many disincentives to reporting any of them. And then if they even get reported who tests whether or not they're valid and makes a determination? It's the CDC … There's also multiple reports of mass deletion of adverse events by the Israeli government.”
Data that contradict or question the status quo is buried by the media, while the official narrative is pushed to the top. Malone, who travels frequently and has contacts all over the world, has witnessed firsthand that the same scripts are being used by the media globally.
“We end up with these various public service announcements that are coming out from traditional media in which you can virtually overlay the script. And yes, it's coming from 50 or 75 different outlets simultaneously. And you can overlay the script so that you basically have multiple broadcast anchors reading a script about the threat to democracy, for instance, of anti-vaxxers, and it is all harmonized,” he said.11
If you follow the money, it all traces back to BlackRock and the Vanguard Group, the two largest asset management firms in the world, which also control Big Pharma.12 They’re at the top of a pyramid that controls basically everything, but you don’t hear about their terrifying monopoly because they also own the media.
Blackrock and Vanguard hold large interests in pivotal companies, and Vanguard holds a large share of Blackrock. In turn, Blackrock has been called the "fourth branch of government" by Bloomberg as they are the only private firm that has financial agreements to lend money to the central banking system.13
Aside from world media, the companies controlled by Blackrock and Vanguard span everything from entertainment and airlines to social media and communications. “We're experiencing a threat of global slavery of the entire population to these financial interests,” Malone said.
“Science” has become a loaded word, one used as a basis for decisions that affect basic freedoms, life and death itself. We’re now “at war” with a virus, and dissenters to this “war” must be silenced. What’s less clear is who gave these “orders” that dissenters must be silenced. Dr. Peter McCullough, an internist, cardiologist and epidemiologist, has described it as a form of psychosis or a group neurosis.14
Malone also believes a mass psychosis has taken over. “The documentation now about the conspiracy within the government to kill early [COVID-19] treatment is well-documented. It's well known that we're in a situation in which a large fraction of the population has literally gone mad.”15 He explained:16
“The governments, out of desperation, are flailing around. That's what's really happening is they don't understand it. They don't. They think that they have no other options. They are hypnotized into believing that the vaccines work. They've been bombarded by all this lobbying and information control and everything else to believe that the vaccines are effective.
Even though we know they aren't, the data show that they aren't, it doesn't matter. You can't penetrate through them. Why? Because they've undergone mass psychosis … the politicians have, they believe that this is the case and they believe that they have to do these [authoritarian] measures because there's no other option than mass vaccination.”
The way to circumvent global totalitarian control, Malone says, is to think global and act local. Build communities with the people around you and stay in touch with others, especially older people and others who aren’t internet savvy. Malone also leaves three key points that he believes everyone should know — and which you can share with others in your circle:
In addition, find physicians in your area who are willing to administer early treatments for COVID-19, and download the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Working Group (FLCCC) I-MASK+ protocol in the event you do get COVID-19.17 It provides step-by-step instructions on how to prevent and treat the early symptoms of COVID-19.
Phthalates are chemical compounds primarily used in plastics. Past research has identified a link between phthalates and cardiovascular disease,1 and a recent study2 has helped to identify at least one mechanism linking phthalate exposure to cardiovascular disease.
A review published in 20163 showed that there was a significantly increased risk to cardiovascular disease and infertility with phthalate exposure. Despite phthalates having been first introduced in the 1920s and gaining popularity in 1931,4 there are few studies comparing exposure to phthalates with atherosclerosis, arrhythmias, hypertension and hypertension in pregnancy.5
One study6 of 675 individuals with Type 2 diabetes demonstrated a positive association of phthalate exposure with cardiovascular disease in the population. An animal study7 published in 2017 in the American Journal of Physiology found that exposure to phthalate compounds could decrease heart variability and exaggerate arterial pressure.
The scientists believe theirs was the first study to show an association between plastic chemicals used in medical devices with an alteration in heart rate variability, cardiovascular reactivity, and autonomic regulation. These changes, which have been found to precede hypertension, atherosclerosis and conduction abnormalities, may warrant adopting safer materials for use in medical devices.8
The current study, published by researchers from the University of California Riverside, discovered one potential mechanism that may link phthalate plasticizers with dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease risk.9
Plastic use is ubiquitous and has become a part of modern life. While the products have proven useful, they also contribute to an array of health damage and can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, while the link has been identified, researchers have found the underlying mechanism contributing to the development of heart disease has remained elusive.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,10 people are exposed to phthalates by eating foods and drinking beverages that had contact with plastics containing the chemical. You may also be exposed through breathing phthalates; children can be exposed to phthalate-laden dust while crawling on the floor. Their hand-to-mouth activities may raise their risk.
Using a mouse study11 biomedical scientists discovered a link between dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP), a chemical used to make plastics more durable, and dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease. Changcheng Zhou, Ph.D., led the team of researchers. He explained the association in a press release, saying:12
“We found dicyclohexyl phthalate, or DCHP, strongly binds to a receptor called pregnane X receptor, or PXR. DCHP ‘turns on’ PXR in the gut, inducing the expression of key proteins required for cholesterol absorption and transport. Our experiments show that DCHP elicits high cholesterol by targeting intestinal PXR signaling.”
The scientists found that the animals exposed to DCHP had higher levels of ceramides circulating in their blood.13 This is a type of lipid molecule associated with cardiovascular disease risk. The researchers found the higher levels were PXR dependent. Zhou points out that:14
“This, too, points to the potentially important role of PXR in contributing to the harmful effects of plastic-associated chemicals on cardiovascular health in humans.”
Nuclear pregnane X receptor (PXR) is part of the body's adaptive defense mechanism against foreign chemicals.15 The receptor is activated by several chemicals, including antibiotics, steroids, bile acids and antimycotics.
Using an animal model,16 researchers found that PXR plays a role in controlling metabolism of these chemicals and influences the homeostasis of steroid hormones, such as vitamin D, and bile acids.
It also plays a role in inflammatory bowel diseases. More recent research17 finds PXR negatively regulates fibroblast growth factor 15, which plays an important role in energy metabolism. The researchers postulate that it may "represent a potential therapeutic target for the treatment for metabolic disorders such as obesity."
Endocrine disrupting chemicals are among the most destructive in our environment. Evidence links them to growth, neurological and learning disabilities, obesity, male and female reproductive dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, birth defects and some cancers.18
The fact that endocrine disrupting chemicals like phthalates increase your risk of obesity is not new news. Phthalates are described as obesogens, or chemicals that increase your risk of obesity by disrupting lipid metabolism and producing metabolic changes. This is the type of disruption in energy metabolism found in the 2017 study published in Biochemical Pharmacology.19
Circulating levels of phthalate metabolites are related to the prevalence of diabetes and insulin resistance in an elderly population.20 Another study published in 2017 found an association with overweight and obesity in childhood after exposure to certain phthalates in utero.21
There is a common belief that increased calorie consumption and reduction in exercise causes obesity. Yet, this does not completely explain the phenomenon society has experienced. Research in the journal Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology showed that people may be predisposed from exposure to obesogens in the womb.22
The interaction between phthalates and PXR is one mechanism that may increase the risk for weight gain. Other studies have documented that these plasticizers and metabolites have biochemical activity and antiangiogenic effects that also contribute to obesity. One paper23 reviewed the evidence linking exposure to phthalates and the possible effects on the development of obesity.
The researchers found emerging evidence to suggest childhood exposure can increase the risk. However, the effects appear dependent on several factors, including the level of exposure, the type of chemical and the time of exposure during childhood development.
Research at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health revealed that more than 9 out of 10 of the participants tested from 2016 to 2017 had eight different plasticizers in their urine.24 The aim of the study was to refine the risk assessment relative to food safety and public health by measuring plasticizers, bisphenols and parabens in participants’ urine. Half had parabens in their urine and more than 90% tested positive for bisphenol A and triclosan.25
The researchers believe that the number of chemicals found in the study was lower than would be measured in the general population since the participants did not appear representative of the general public. For example, no one in the survey smoked and all the participants had a higher education.
The vulnerability to endocrine-disrupting chemicals like phthalates is not limited to obesity and the consequences such as Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and limited mobility. This mass exposure to phthalates may also be leading humanity to extinction.
In 1992, Shanna Swan, Ph.D., reproductive epidemiologist and professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, learned about a potential decline in fertility in humans. One study published that year showed evidence for a decreasing quality of semen in the previous 50 years.26
Thinking the conclusion was extreme, she spent six months analyzing and evaluating 61 studies included in this review.27 This led to 20 years of research during which she found the “smoking gun” disrupting human development and reproduction is a class of chemicals called phthalates.
Swan’s book, “Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race,” is based on a 2017 study that found sperm counts dropped by 59.3% from 1973 to 2011.
Swan found something she calls the “1% Effect,” which alludes to the synergistic movements between sperm count, testosterone and fertility dropping, and testicular cancer and miscarriage rising, each at about 1% per year.28 According to Swan, exposure to phthalates in utero is the most sensitive time for development and leads to Phthalate Syndrome.
She confirmed Phthalate Syndrome, which refers to several disturbances to male reproductive development that are observed after exposure to phthalates in utero, in a study published in 2005.29 These changes in sexual development pose a significant threat to human survival.
According to Swan, humans meet three of the five criteria for making a species endangered.30 “Of five possible criteria for what makes a species endangered only one needs to be met; the current state of affairs for humans meets at least three.”
Phthalates are also damaging babies' brains. In 2015, a group of scientists, health professionals and advocates for children and the environment formed Project TENDR (Targeting Environmental Neuro-Development Risks).31 In April 2021, the group published a call to action in the American Public Health Association journal32 focusing on the link between phthalate exposure in utero and neurodevelopmental damage.
The paper evaluated the results of 30 studies in 11 countries and found strong associations between exposure to phthalates and hyperactivity, emotional reactivity, defiance, aggression and delinquent behaviors. The study concluded:
“To date Federal regulation of phthalates in the United States has been minimal with several exceptions, including restrictions on 8 phthalates in children's toys and childcare articles. We strongly urge both federal and state agencies to move rapidly to eliminate phthalate use … states should not wait for the federal government to act, as state action can galvanize federal regulation."
Because people are exposed to multiple phthalates simultaneously, the report called for regulation of the chemicals as a class and policy reforms to eliminate the chemicals from products that lead to exposure in pregnant women, women of reproductive age, infants and children.
“We're exposed to multiple phthalates, and that mixture can come within a single product, but also across multiple products that people are exposed to in a day," lead author Stephanie Engel told CNN. "The reality is that we need to think of phthalates as a class because that's how people are exposed to them.”33
A different study published in Environmental Health Perspectives34 in 2018 showed mothers exposed to the highest levels of phthalates during their second trimester had children who were three times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD as moms with much lower levels.
And another study35 found a link between children exposed to high levels of phthalates in utero and lower IQ levels by age 7 years. That study concluded:
“… our analysis of the associations between prenatal phthalate exposure and IQ in the early school years showed significant decrements in IQ associated with two specific phthalates. These findings are important to inform policy makers of the potentially harmful effects of this class of chemicals.”
Reviewing the chemicals as a class would also prevent manufacturers from simply swapping one phthalate with another. While industry groups have pushed back due to the “costs” associated with removing the chemicals, some retailers and manufacturers have taken voluntary action to replace them.
For example, Home Depot introduced a policy to restrict phthalates in vinyl flooring and wall-to-wall carpeting and Apple removed the class of chemicals from nearly all its products.36 There are several steps you can take each day to reduce your exposure to phthalates and other plasticizers. These include:
|
Avoid plastic containers and plastic wrap for food and personal care products. Store food and drinks in glass containers instead. |
|
Avoid plastic children's toys. Use toys made of natural substances, such as wood and organic materials. |
|
Read labels on your cosmetics and avoid those containing phthalates. |
|
Avoid products labeled with “fragrance,” including air fresheners, as this catch-all term may include phthalates commonly used to stabilize the scent and extend the life of the product. |
|
Do not microwave food in plastic containers or covered in plastic wrap. |
|
Frequently vacuum and dust rooms with vinyl blinds, wallpaper, flooring and furniture that may contain phthalates, as the chemical collects in dust and is easily ingested by children. |
|
Eat mostly fresh, raw whole foods. Food packaging is often a source of phthalates. |
|
Use glass baby bottles instead of plastic. Breastfeed exclusively for the first year, if you can, to avoid plastic nipples and bottles altogether. |
|
Remove your fruit and vegetables from plastic bags immediately after coming home from the grocery store and wash before storing them; alternatively, use cloth bags to bring home your produce. |
|
Replace feminine hygiene products with safer alternatives. |
|
Avoid fabric softeners and dryer sheets; make your own to reduce static cling. |
|
Check your home's tap water for contaminants and filter the water if necessary. |
|
Teach your children not to drink from the garden hose, as many hoses contain plasticizers such as phthalates. |
|
Use reusable shopping bags for groceries. |
|
Take your own non-plastic leftovers container to restaurants. Avoid disposable utensils and straws. |
|
Bring your own mug for coffee and bring drinking water from home in glass water bottles instead of buying bottled water. |
|
Consider switching to bamboo toothbrushes and brushing your teeth with coconut oil and baking soda to avoid plastic toothpaste tubes. |
