Thankfully, near the end of 2019, I was blessed to meet a new friend…..but not just any friend.  I was introduced to Cady Kuhlman – a true and gracious holistic health professional.  Cady received her formal training with her Masters of Holistic Health through American College of Healthcare Science in Portland, OR. What’s more?  Cady has been living a very health conscious lifestyle since she was a child.  And guess what?  Cady agreed to do a blog post with me!  (Yayyyyyy)!

“My background with holistic health began long before I could even type, maybe before I could even read… But really, I am very fortunate that I was raised in a household where food was considered medicine, sugary cereal was a big no-no & needing to go to a doctor was very far and few between,” writes Cady.

“My father & mother began our family health food store in 1979. We started small but my dad had a very clear vision. Our store has grown a great deal from those initial few years as it now is health food store along with 16 other holistic health practitioners who have their own practice,” she continues. 

The store Cady is speaking of is Nutrition World (located at 6201 Lee HWY Chattanooga, TN 37421).  From supplements, to wellness services to educational resources, Nutrition World is a leader in its industry.  Even if you do not reside in the Chattanooga area, you can order from their online store.

Aside from running her store, Cady is simply devoted to helping others live a toxin-free lifestyle.  Most recently, she created a Facebook group called, Earth Conscious Mama, in which she helps her community make conscious decisions on everything from household cleaning products, to makeup, to supplements, to food….and everything in between.  

Without further ado, let’s hear more from Cady!

“It’s 2020. A new year. But even bigger than that, a new decade.  There is no denying the last decade brought the focus back in check for many of us to realize that being healthy and living a vital life, does not happen by chance. It takes daily intentional steps. As a collective nation, there are so many aspects of our world that have gone under the scrutiny of the public eye. We see a push for less GMO’s.  We see dozens of books pushing us to eat in the outer aisles of a grocery stores so that we shop fresh.  We hear professionals suggesting that exercise does improve a multiple of health conditions – and all of that makes my heart absolutely bubbly, like really bubbly,” shares Cady.

“But, there is one area that I rarely see given any attention. Even worse, an area that nearly “pretends” to be clean, conscious and natural, is sadly one that every single american uses in some form of every single day – if not used multiple times a day.  It’s our everyday household & personal care items,” she adds.

Some examples of the concerning items include, but are not limited to deodorants, face wash, makeup, detergent,toothpaste, shaving cream, dishwashing soap, hand soap, face cream, body lotion and the list goes on.

“Most people use cosmetics, household and personal care items without a second thought, as they truly believe that the government is overseeing the safety of the ingredients. Sadly, this is very far from the truth. The personal care industry uses over 12,500 chemicals -unique chemicals with many of them being classified as known endocrine disruptors, toxic to reproductive health and suspected or known to be carcinogenic.   Now, just to paint this image a little clearer:  In Europe they have started to catch on the potential hazards that could lie within these chemicals, so they have banned 1,328 of them.  Here in the US, we have banned only 30 (ah!),” reveals Cady.

So what does this mean for our bodies?

“Let’s go back to that anatomy and physiology class for just a minute. The skin, simply stated, is our largest organ – that means it is bigger than our lungs, our heart, our kidneys. Our skin is literally the barrier that we have between our internal organs and the world. Between 60-90% of what is placed on our skin goes into our bloodstream! This varies depending on the concentration, size of molecule and location on the body. Basically this is way too many opportunities throughout the day for potential harmful chemicals to enter our body,” explains Kuhlman.

Yikes.  As someone who has applied plenty of lotions and makeup in my lifetime….I never really thought about the products actually going into my bloodstream, prior to talking with Cady.  (I certainly think about it now)!  Now, with that said, we all know that we probably aren’t going to see many immediate effects from these products.  However, that certainly doesn’t mean we should rejoice and assume we are free and clear.

“Does it mean that you are automatically unhealthy by using conventional makeup from the drugstore? No. Does it mean that if you clean your clothes with Tide you will get eczema? No. Does it mean that if you use a body lotion with chemicals that you will get cancer? No. But what it does mean is this: Every chemical that you introduce to your body is adding to your overall body burden. So, if we eat bad foods, live a high stress environment, rarely incorporate movement into our daily life, bathe in chemicals, wash our hair in toxins & slap on aluminium ridden deodorant, we have just severely burdened our entire body. The more our body becomes burdened, the more time our body has to spend detoxing, attempting to function properly around all of the chemicals that are constantly flowing within….and ultimately, our body then has no choice but to use its energy to survive, rather than thrive,” expresses Cady.

“This is where I hope I can educate you to become an awakened consumer. You vote with your dollars, so I hope we can all begin voting with truly natural, clean and conscious companies,” she adds.

Now, with all of that said, Cady realizes we simply cannot create a toxin-free house over night.  She knows the struggle and the ongoing quest to create a healthier environment.  However, she encourages us to start making simple, but important changes, as we can.

To teach, rather than overwhelm, today we are going to provide you with 3 of Cady’s “ditch and switch” suggestions:

1. Laundry Detergent– “Sadly many laundry detergents are greenwashed. This term simply means, the company uses jarnigan, photos and a color scheme that makes the consumer feel as if the product is healthy and clean. Examples of being greenwashed within this category: Seventh Generation, Dreft & Meyers. My number 1 recommendation in this category hands down is Molly’s Suds. It is comprised of 4 ingredients: sodium carbonate sourced from the Green River Basin in Wyoming, sodium bicarbonate, magnesium sulfate, unrefined sea salt & peppermint oil. Best part- it performs well too! For extra dirty clothes, I just throw in a big splash of vinegar, plus the detergent – And it works wonders!!” shares Cady.
2. Lipgloss & Lipstick– “Maybe you are one of those women who every now and again, feels extra beautiful with vibrant red lips…..or maybe you are one of those who loves a little color on the daily! I feel you. But sadly, these products fall into the personal care industry where there are over 13,000 unregulated chemicals used! A dismal fact about the lipstick industry and its synthetic color pigments is, lipsticks are notorious for using coal tar which contains heavy metals salts. These can absorb into the skin, deplete the body of oxygen and ultimately give us less overall energy. Numerous studies using the common FD&C pigments have been studied and shown some nasty side effects. These include correlation with tumor growth, organ damage, birth defects and nerve cell damage. This ditch & switch is simple for me –  follow my page, Earth Conscious Mama for all of the details!!” invites Cady. (You can also visit Cady’s Crunchi page to read more and place an order).
3. Air fresheners– “Now, here is a ditch that gets me sweating from desire to share this with the WORLD! Please consider ditching Febreeze. The Environmental Working group did a test for the ingredients within one of the Febreeze air effects and found 87 chemicals in total being used within one product. Yet, the manufacturer, P&G would only disclose 3 ingredients. Thankfully EWG brought to light 11 of the 87 chemicals. I will just highlight the top 5: BHT (neurotoxin), acetaldehyde( potential carcinogen and immunotoxin, fragrance(a slew of scary chemicals!), propylene glycol (increases allergies), 1-2 dicholoro-2 proponal (carcinogen), methyl pyrrolidone (toxin to reproductive system). I have so commonly heard of people who had consistent headaches, brain fog, chronic fatigue & more that felt better once Febreeze exited their house. Now, for a safe switch. There truly are so many. My favorites: houseplants to purify the air, quality essential oils in a spray bottle with witch hazel (yes!), charcoal bags in obscure locations that nobody will see to help deodorize and finally, just a nice, beautiful beeswax candle made with essential oil,” reveals Cady. 

So, outside of these 3 everyday switches, how can we begin our toxin-free journeys?  How will we know what to buy?  Remember, the answer is not as simple as trusting fancy labels that simply say, “organic” or “natural.”  In addition to joining Cady’s Earth Conscious Mama Facebook page, there are also some helpful free apps you may want to consider downloading.  Cady recently told our Earth Conscious Mama group about “Think Dirty.”  It features a great deal of every day products, and all you have to do is scan the item to find a profile and a grade for it.  When you find out your go-to product isn’t what you hoped for, you can click for alternatives.  “Healthy Living” and “Fooducate” are also helpful and work in a very similar manner.  

Cady closes with, “So, yes.  2020 is here. Resolutions are here. My absolute goal for you is for you to make this decade your absolute most vital one yet. We can do that together as we begin removing toxins from your body so that there is more freed energy to feel well & fully ALIVE.”

Have you made any product changes lately?  Share your thoughts, favorite products and resources in the comment section below!

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