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The Health (and Beauty) Dangers of Common Soaps & Antibacterial Ingredients

The Health (and Beauty) Dangers of Common Soaps & Antibacterial Ingredients

If you are like most people, you believe that bar soap - the oldest cleanser around - is harmless. So you may be quite surprised to learn that today's popular commercial soaps contain synthetic compounds that are loaded with health risks.

These are some of the most common health symptoms that studies have linked to ingredients found in common commercial soaps and commercial personal care products:

• Sinus Problems
• Exacerbated Asthma Conditions
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Migraine Headaches
• "Unexplained" Sore Throats & Cough
  
• Rashes, Hives, Dermatitis, Eczema


• Irritations to mouth, eyes, skin, lungs


• Chest Tightness


• Shortness of Breath

You should know right away that the government does not regulate what "natural" means in soaps labeled natural, so commercial soaps can freely claim to be natural while still using the synthetic compounds discussed below - and they do. If you are already using a "natural" soap, or if you intend to seek a safe alternative, please keep this in mind.

Three Potentially Risky Synthetic Compounds
While there are a number of chemical concerns, there are three synthetic components in commercial soaps you need to be most concerned with:
1) Triclosan
2) Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
3) Fragrance

Most of the commercial bar soaps (and liquid and other forms) on the market today are composed of these and other chemicals.

Triclosan
The first antibacterial liquid hand soap exploded onto the market in 1995, claiming to be ten times more effective at eliminating disease carrying germs than regular liquid soap. In the eleven years since, antibacterial soaps have become a 16 billion dollar a year industry, adding shampoo, dishwashing detergent, toothpaste and various household cleaners to the "antibacterial" list.

Today, 75% of liquid soaps and over 30% of bar soaps in the US are antibacterial, all containing the synthetic chemical triclosan. Triclosan is the main ingredient in antibacterial products. The intention of triclosan is to prevent bacteria from reproducing, limiting the amount of bacteria on your skin, thereby decreasing illnesses.

Yet a study published in March 2004 found that people who used antibacterial soaps and cleaners developed cold and allergy symptoms as often as those who used regular soaps and cleaners, offering little more protection than ordinary soap against the most common germs.

Current research is showing us that if the widespread use of anti-bacterial soap continues in such an overused frenzy, we could be faced with super germs we can't get rid of.

What the Antibacterial Soap Makers Don't Tell Us
The triclosan in antibacterial soaps does NOT discriminate between good and bad bacteria. But we need good bacteria to survive, to help defend us against bad, harmful bacteria. Our immune systems are being left increasingly vulnerable with the use of antibacterial soaps. Children especially should be exposed to some bacteria in early childhood in order to strengthen their immune systems, but the primary marketing target of the commercial antibacterial soaps is parents with young children. Children who are not exposed to these common bacteria -- because they are being wiped out by antibacterial soap -- may be more prone to allergies and asthma.

Numerous studies have also found that the ongoing use of triclosan:

• Has been shown to kill your skin cells
• Dries your skin
• Can aggravate skin disorders such as eczema and psoriasis
• Does nothing to prevent most illnesses, since colds, flues and more are typically viral (and antibacterial only kills bacteria, not viruses)
• Dioxin, a highly carcinogenic may be formed during the manufacturing process of triclosan, making it a likely contaminant.
• Finally, triclosan has now been found in 3 out of 5 women's breast milk. It is also one of the most detected compounds in rivers, streams and other bodies of water, often in high concentrations, and is highly toxic to a number of different types of algae. This could have very destructive effects on aquatic ecosystems.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
One of the most dangerous chemicals being added to virtually every personal care product you can imagine, including soap, shampoo, conditioner, and cosmetics, is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate(SLS). SLS is an anionic surfactant and the most commonly used chemical in car soaps, garage floor cleaners, engine degreasers and personal care products.

SLS has been found to have many side effects:

• Eye, skin and mouth irritations
• Membrane alterations
• May be harmful for the brain, heart, spleen and liver
• Chronic irritant contact dermatitis
• Compromising the overall integrity of your skin barrier, rendering it open to exposure to bacteria
• May actually harm cell function
• Can corrode the hair follicle and cause hair loss
• Fragrance

95% of the chemicals used in fragrances are petroleum-based synthetic compounds. Most of these chemicals are not tested for safety. Manufacturers are only required to print "fragrance" on the label, nothing more.

Beet Tartare and Asian Inspired Chopped Salad

Here are the recipes for the dishes I brought to the last two potlucks:

Beet Tatare

I nearly gave away my entire cookbook collection in my early, overzealous raw food infatuation, but a more seasoned raw friend/chef suggested I hold onto them for inspiration, and it was excellent advice. In my traditional gourmet days, I shied away from steak tartare; though I liked my steaks rare, the thought of eating them completely raw was too much. However, I have found that the recipe lends itself quite nicely to raw beets--and it doesn't bother me a bit to eat them completely raw.

3 medium to large beets

2 large carrots

½ avocado

1 T. lemon juice

diced onion (mild, sweet, or green)

2 t. mustard powder

2 T. apple cider vinegar (unpasteurized)

1 T. nama shoyu

salt and pepper to taste

lettuce leaves

parsley

capers

olives

grape or cherry tomatoes

chives

Chop carrots and beets, then process in food processor with lemon juice, avocado, mustard, vinegar, nama, shoyu, salt and pepper. Mound on lettuce leaves or mold into a ring for a more formal presentation, sprinkle with parsley and chives, then arrange capers, olives, tomatoes, and onions attractively around each mound.

Or mix all together and serve burrito style in lettuce leaves for a more casual meal.

End of the Week Asian Inspired Chopped Salad

Ideally I like to shop twice a week for fresh produce; in reality it often ends up being a good week. So I have learned to buy several varieties of hard, longer storing vegetables to keep in the back of the fridge for those skinny days before the next shopping trip. This is one of my favorite ways to use them up. The ingredients vary depending on what I still have at the end of the week, but this is the version I brought on Tuesday:

1 jicama

2 celery hearts

1/2 green pepper

1 red pepper

4 green onions

1 handful sugar snap peas

1 large handful cilantro leaves

2 carrots, grated

Dressing:

juice of 1 lime

2 T. light miso

1 T. grated ginger

1/2 t. red pepper flakes

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup cold pressed sesame oil

Chop all salad ingredients into bite sized pieces. Whisk the dressing ingredients together, and toss with vegetables.

Raw Spaghetti with Tomato Chutney Pasta Sauce Recipe

Shred zucchini for pasta noodles - it is important to dry the zucchini after shredding as much as possible so it is not mushy.  put in a strainer and squeeze out excess water.  You can also squeeze the juice into a container and drink if you like. 

Sauce – serves 12 people

4 tomatoes in food processor

2 green onions

Small handful of fresh basil

Couple of leafs of fresh sage

1 cup sundried tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped dates

2 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp. of fresh ginger

1/2 cup coconut meat (fresh young coconut)

2 Bay Leaves

1 tsp. fine fresh thyme

1/2 cup of cilantro

1 tsp. black sesame seeds

Black pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup water - add only as needed, if your tomatoes are juicy, you may need less water or none at all. 

Sea salt to taste

Blend in food processor

Cilantro Chelation Pesto

Below is the famous yummy Cilantro Pesto that many of you have tasted.  I am excited to have others share and post some of their favorites too.  Janis

I add sesame seeds to mine. 

Cilantro Chelation Pesto
Heavy metal poisoning is rampant. It is a major cause of hormonal imbalances, cancer, thyroid problems, neurological disturbances, learning problems, depression, food allergies, parasites, etc. etc. This is a great recipe that is not only easy to make but also really yummy, and it tells you how to remove heavy metals from the body!   Cilantro is truly a healing food. 

Cilantro Chelation Pesto
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup Brazil nuts (selenium)
1/3 cup sunflower seeds (cysteine)
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (zinc, magnesium)
2 cups packed fresh cilantro (coriander, Chinese parsley) (vitamin A)
2/3 cup flaxseed oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice (vitamin C)
2 tsp dulse powder (optional)
Sea salt to taste

Process the cilantro and flaxseed oil in a blender until the coriander is chopped. Add the garlic, nuts and seeds, dulse and lemon juice and mix until the mixture is finely blended into a paste. Add a pinch to sea salt to taste and blend again. Store in dark glass jars if possible. It freezes well, so purchase cilantro in season and fill enough jars to last through the year.

Cilantro has been proven to chelate toxic metals from our bodies in a relatively short period of time. Combined with the benefits of the other ingredients, this recipe is a powerful tissue cleanser.
Two teaspoons of this pesto daily for three weeks is purportedly enough to increase the urinary excretion of mercury, lead, and aluminum, thus effectively removing these toxic metals from our bodies. We can consider doing this cleanse for three weeks at least once a year. The pesto is delicious on toast, baked potatoes, and pasta.

Cilantro Pesto

1 clove garlic
cup almonds, cashews, or other nuts
1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
6 tablespoons olive oil
Put the cilantro and olive oil in blender and process until the cilantro is chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients and process to a lumpy paste. (You may need to add a touch of hot water and scrape the sides of the blender.) You can change the consistency by altering the amount of olive oil and lemon juice, but keep the 3:1 ratio of oil to juice. (It freezes well, so you can make several batches at once.)
Can you imagine eating and detoxing? Yes by adding cilantro to your foods that's exactly what happens! 

Welcome to our New Blog

Hello raw food friends!  This blog is very rough at this point and still in the making but at least it is started and will need revisions and work but for now we can share and post receipes, etc.