jenny cares 

From Spring Cleanse Your Liver: 6 Foods, Nutrients, and Herbs | Care2 Healthy & Green Living:

THE LIVER: this overworked organ is responsible for over 500 different functions, including: detoxifying environmental chemicals, storing certain vitamins, controlling cholesterol levels, metabolizing fat, and even regulating hormones.  
 Your liver may need cleansing to help it detoxify alcohol, tobacco smoke, environmental pollutants, food additives, pesticides, and hidden chemicals in your personal care products.

1. WATER with LEMON JUICE (fresh juice of one-half to one LEMON) 
 Your body needs water to flush out toxins in your bowel movements and urine. The addition of fresh lemon juice helps to stimulate your liver to produce bile that helps flush out toxins.
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2. GARLIC and ONIONS
 Garlic and Onions contain important phytonutrients that break down fatty deposits in the body. Also, they kill viruses, bacteria, and fungi and protect against heart disease too.
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3. MILK THISTLE EXTRACT
 Milk thistle contains a potent substance called silymarin that protects the liver by inhibiting damaging substances that can cause liver cell damage. Silymarin also prevents the depletion of the nutrient glutathione–one of the most critical nutrients for liver detoxification. Both alcohol consumption and exposure to various types of synthetic chemicals can deplete glutathione in the liver. A typical dose for liver cleansing is about 140 mg of silymarin.
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4. VITAMIN C (1000 mg)
 While glutathione supplements are available, the best way to boost this important nutrient is to supplement with vitamin C. Give your liver an extra boost of glutathione by supplementing with vitamin C.
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5. DANDELION EXTRACT
 The Australian Journal of Medical Herbalism cites research supporting the liver-regenerating properties of dandelion. Due to pesticides and pollutants I don’t recommend picking dandelion root from your lawn.
 Take 1-2 teaspoons of dandelion root extract or supplement with 500-2000 mg daily in capsules for two weeks to help cleanse your liver.
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6. EAT INDIAN CURRIES for TURMERIC
 Turmeric, one of the main spices used in Indian cuisine, adds a yellow-orange colour to curry dishes along with a potent healing boost.
 Turmeric decreases cholesterol levels, lowers inflammation in the body, and protects the liver from free radical damage. 
 Add turmeric powder to soups, stews, and curries or supplement with 50 mg of curcumin (turmeric’s active ingredient) to bolster your liver’s cleansing abilities.
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Always consult a qualified health professional before taking any herbs or nutrients.
Michelle Schoffro Cook, RNCP, ROHP, DAc, DNM, doctor of natural medicine, author of: The Life Force Diet, The Ultimate pH Solution, and The 4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan.
Learn more at: www.TheLifeForceDiet.com. 

Fragranced Products Emit Toxic Chemicals
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News item in C2NN by Michael C. Please 'note' the story
http://www.care2.com/news/member/264827044/975326

by David Gutierrez, staff writer NaturalNews.com

Commonly used fragranced products emit a wide variety of chemicals into the air, some of which are federally regulated as toxic or hazardous substances, according to a study conducted by researcher Anne C. Steinemann of the University of Washington-Seattle and published in the journal Environmental Impact Assessment Review.

"I didn't find a brand that didn't emit at least one toxic chemical," Steinemann said.

Steinemann became concerned about the contents of fragranced products after receiving more than 200 complaints from consumers about side effects.

"I actually witnessed someone having a seizure when exposed to an air freshener," she said.

Steinemann put six different fragranced products - dryer sheets, a fabric softener, a laundry detergent, and three different air fresheners (one solid, one spray and one oil) - into an isolated, room-temperature enclosure and used gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify any volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that they emitted. She found that together, the products emitted almost 100 different VOCs, every one at levels higher than 300 micrograms per cubic meter.

This concentration is considered high enough to pose a risk in the case of toxic substances.

Ten of the detected chemicals are federally regulated as toxic or hazardous, including three considered hazardous air pollutants (acetaldehyde, chloromethane, and 1,4 dioxane).

Steinemann noted that one of the air fresheners is used in commercial airline bathrooms and another is regularly used in schools and medical facilities. Yet federal law does not require manufacturers disclose any of the ingredients used to make fragrances, let alone other chemicals that might be emitted during use.

"If an ingredient is hazardous, they still don't need to list it," she said. "They can just put on a warning label [such as 'don't inhale']."

Steinemann recommended that consumers use unscented laundry products and avoid synthetic air fresheners.

"Use baking soda, open a window, cut open an orange, or use spearmint leaves," she advised.

Sources for this story include: www.webmd.com.