Breathe In/Breathe Out Far From Air Fresheners

The world is full of surprises. Sometimes good ones and sometimes bad ones. If you are a maniac of air fresheners, toilet bowl cleaners, mothballs and other deodorizing products, you may want to know the conclusion of a recent study of the National Institute of Health (NIH) about the impact of these products on your health.

In the past, people were spending a lot of time outdoors, so it didn't really matter what they were using in ... oh well, let's call things with their names, - the toilet (Actually, I don't think they were using anything at all. HaHa!). But nowadays, lots of us spend most of our time indoors, whether at school, at the office or at home. What kind of chemicals are floating in the air we breathe?

It looks like one of the chemical present in many of these products, which barbarian proper chemical name is 1,4 dichlorobenzene (1,4 DCB), can reduce your lungs function. In simple words, it means that it somehow reduces your ability to breathe well and it may open the door for respiratory diseases.

Breathing is deeply connected to Life. You can fast for more than a month, you can go without water for a couple of days, but you cannot go without breathing for more than a few minutes. There are tons of very good reasons why Yoga, Tai chi, Qui Gong and personal trainers emphasize the importance of breathing so much. The very ancient and wise Chinese Medicine tells us that the Lung meridian is responsible for receiving the divine energy (also called prana in yoga tradition) and gives a sense of life existence. The Lung meridian is also the channel through which inspiration comes to us. As you can see lung function, whether physiological or energetic, is crucial to the quality of life.

The warning of the NIH about the air fresheners and other deodorizing products is even more important for you if you have asthma or you have an asthmatic child: you want to stay away from such products not only because they are toxic and can reduce your breathing capacity, but more importantly, they may make your asthma worse than it already is.

So what is the alternative to having smelly interiors and bathrooms? Are you doomed to choose between poisoning yourself or enduring the bad smell? Not for a minute!!!! You just have to think a little out of the box to get the same result without damaging your health ...

1. Clay powder is a very powerful natural deodorizer. You can use it everywhere in cabinet, bathroom, exercising room, fridge and so on. Put a few tablespoons of clay powder in a saucer and place it adequately. Change clay every other week or so. Read more in our holistic self care section.
2. Natural essential oils will give a fresh scent to your home, they will purify air and kill bacteria. You can choose eucalyptus or lavender for a pure and relaxing aroma.

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