| May you find great benefit by learning and shopping at White Lotus Living!
Hello, I'm Jan Tucker, founder of White Lotus Living. Like many people, I used to believe it when I heard that “miniscule” amounts of harmful chemicals in our products are not enough to harm us.
But thanks to serendipity, while writing an article about The Breast Cancer Fund (BCF) for Your Health Connection magazine in Southern California, I became quickly aware that this is not true. Chemicals in our products (which we breathe in as well as apply to our skin or contact directly while using the products) damage our liver, kidneys, brain, lungs and other organs while we simply try to look beautiful, decorate our homes, prepare meals and try to keep our house clean. These chemicals can harm our reproductive systems, too—and they are most harmful to babies and children since their bodies are still developing.
In spite of the fact that I do the best to take care of myself, my acupuncturist always finds weaknesses in several internal organs. I was shocked the first time this happened, because I felt healthy. But I've learned a lot since then—things I want to share with you.
What are the facts?
Thousands of research studies show that the synthetic chemicals in our everyday products are harming us in myriads of unseen ways—in ways we simply don’t connect to chemicals. It's a silent problem, which is serious because so many of us are unaware of it, and others choose not to do anything about it because they don't feel it's real.
In spite of our viewpoint, scientists are linking the significant increases in many of our current diseases to our exposure to these harmful chemicals through the everyday products we use, the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat (see Table below, “Statistics of a Hidden Problem”).
In 2008 the Breast Cancer Fund (BCF) published a State of the Evidence Report (updated every two years) that quotes a survey by the Silent Spring Institute in Massachusetts, revealing that “216 chemicals and radiation sources have been recognized by national and international regulatory agencies as being implicated in breast cancer causation.” And these 216 do not include the endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which increasingly are being linked to breast cancer risk.
Today, one out of eight women will face breast cancer. And for those of us who might feel complacent because our families have not experienced this disease, a major statistic sited by BCF is that no more than one in 10 women who have breast cancer have a genetic history of the disease. I learned that after the surgical removal of a cyst in my breast.
How many women do you personally know who have lost their lives to breast cancer at a young age? I personally know four, which really surprised me when I realized it.
What, exactly is going on here? Science has not been able to explain the significant increases in our diseases. They honestly don't know why we are more frequently susceptable. And statistics like these make it difficult to understand how anyone arguing on the side of chemicals being safe can continue to do so without checking the facts.
How serious is the problem?
Unfortunately, the chemical issue doesn’t stop with cleaning products. Harmful chemicals are in our cosmetics, all of our personal care products, our furniture and clothing, the food we eat—the list goes on and on.
These chemicals harm our children even more seriously than us because our little ones breathe in twice as much air as we do, eat three to four times more food per pound of body weight than the average adult, are closer to the ground where germs and chemicals accumulate, and they’re still developing.
Their bodies are far less equipped to handle the onslaught of chemicals to which they’re exposed and this makes it difficult for them to develop normally.
It's scary!
In fact, our children are affected even before they’re born! A study conducted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in 2005 identified an average of 200 chemicals invading the umbilical cord blood of 10 newborn baby subjects from across the U.S. And they were only specifically testing for 413 chemicals—not all 83,000 of the chemicals in use today (so this average might be underestimated).
This phenomenon of chemicals in our bloodstream is so prevalent there’s even a term for it—it’s called the “body burden.”
BCF further reveals that the causes of breast cancer are a complex web. Not only are many chemicals involved, but the timing of our exposure to environmental threats, the mix of chemicals we encounter each day and the doses we are exposed to, interact with genetic and lifestyle factors to affect our health. It’s important for us to know that low doses of chemicals over time can be harmful.
It's difficult to know which products are truly green
When I learned about this and more, I decided I wanted to “detox” my home from all the harmful chemicals harbored by my trusted products. I just wanted them out of my home. But when I began the process, I realized what a daunting task it is, how long it takes, and how it's difficult to be sure you're doing it right. The "safe" products aren't in one handy, easy to find place, and the unsafe ones aren't always obvious.
As you know, manufacturers and distributors are marketers—they realize the demand for safe, healthy, “green” products is one of the fastest growing markets in our lagging economy, and they want to profit from it. So they market their products as “natural,” “organic,” “green,” or "eco-friendly" or use marketing slogans like “contains no parabens, PEG or sodium lareth sulfate” while the products still contain harmful synthetic chemicals we need to avoid in order to maintain our health. Even certified organic products can have certified organic ingredients plus harmful chemicals. So choosing organic is not enough.
Test this yourself—I’ve done this thousands of times and it really upsets me to realize how consumers are being tricked and kept in the dark. Pick up almost any product that looks like it would be safe and/or free of synthetic chemicals because of the words you see on the label or the company’s advertising. Now turn the product around and read the label (please, always read the labels!). 9.5 times out of 10, you will see more than one synthetic chemical ingredient on the ingredient list.
Who are they trying to fool? Us, of course!
This problem doesn't stop with unknown brands. Most of our major brands are still manufactured using harmful chemicals—not because they are healthy—but in spite of the fact that they are unhealthy.
The truth is, the chemicals are cheap, readily available, and they can make us look and smell great...we even think we feel better using them (advertising has us convinced).
Even some of the newer brands that have built their reputation around being eco-friendly and green are anything but. I repeat—please read the labels! Don't just listen to what they say.
There is an easy answer
When I decided to detoxify my own home of the harmful chemicals in my products, I discovered that although information about these chemicals and our plight is readily available, no one provided a roadmap to help us determine what is safe and what is hype. Where should we go? What products are safe? What should we purchase? I soon realized I had to go to too many places to accomplish my goal. There had to be an easier way.
That’s when White Lotus Living was born. Today, I’m sharing with you all of the great, safe (truly natural) products I’ve discovered to replace those that are harmful. I have conducted and still am conducting a lot of time-consuming, third party research to find these products.
These are not products that I, alone have evaluated. And no one is saying that by using them you will never fall prey to an illness or disease.
I will say that you will feel a definite shift when you begin the process of "going natural." It's a change you will appreciate for the rest of your life. You'll know that you are taking care of yourself and your loved ones, and you will truly cherish the natural, as opposed to synthetic aromas of your products.
It feels so right to use them. Contrary to popular belief, it's not more expensive, either. Just take a look at the products on this site. I also took pains to seek out those that are reasonably priced.
There's a war out there, so review the literature and decide for yourself
Please take the time to read about the problem we have with harmful chemicals on our Beyond Green Blog and in other places. Even if you’re well aware of the problem, it’s probably worse than you realize. I know it was for me.
I give presentations on the topic of harmful chemicals in order to inform consumers. I found some studies from sources such as Harvard that are really scary, and I point you to them on this site to encourage you to make the commitment to select your products with care! I want you to realize how critical it is for your health to stop using products containing harmful, toxic, carcinogenic chemicals.
Make a commitment to help change the world
A key message I encourage you to think about is that it’s time for us to ban together to do something about this problem before it’s too late for us and for the health of our entire planet. In spite of the lobbying efforts of some very powerful environmental and other non-profit groups, we as consumers have even more power to change the system and change it more quickly.
The reason is simple—the power of purchasing! We consumers spend the money. And manufacturers simply go where the money is. They will only manufacture what we want to buy. If we stop purchasing unsafe products and start buying only those that are safe, we will find more and more safe products lining our shelves—and the prices will come down even more as the supply increases (we learned that in economics class.)
So next time you think, “It’s too difficult to find a replacement for [whatever product you’re using now],” or “It’s just easier to go with my familiar brand,” remember that no matter what product you select from the shelf at White Lotus Living, you’ll know it’s been determined to be void of harmful, toxic, carcinogenic chemicals.
Every time you purchase an unsafe product, you are casting your vote for the problem to continue. It takes a commitment to make a change, and we can make a difference if we act together. The change will be worthwhile!
White Lotus Living scours the labels, we read the third party reviews and ratings, and we have established relationships with our suppliers so we know they’re producing the safest products! Take advantage of this valuable service that we offer. Tell your friends we’re here, and always know that our door is open for your questions, input and suggestions! (see this article in our Beyond Green blog to understand our process: http://www.whitelotusliving.com/blog/2012/04/how-to-find-safest-products).
Here’s to the purest, “White Lotus” Living for you and your family and friends!
To Your Health!
Jan Tucker
Table: Statistics of a Hidden Problem
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Our modern epidemics
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Increases
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Respiratory irritation/Asthma
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200% increase children under 18 (1980-2005)
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Childhood cancer
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27% increase (1975-2002)
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Autism and ADHD
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400% increase (last 20 years)
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Mental development/retardation
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600,000 births per year: mild to moderate IQ loss
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Breast Cancer
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1 in 8 women
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Prostate Cancer
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1 in 8 men
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