They’re in your mattress, your couch cushions, your vents. They live on your counters, in the food you eat, and the very air you breathe. You clean and clean with sprays and cleansers designed to kill the germs, but only make you sick. The cleaners and air fresheners you use may only manage to add to the toxins that already saturate your home and work environments.

That’s because what’s making so many people sick these days is not just bacteria and viruses. It’s also the toxins surrounding us on every surface, nearly every product we own, in the food we eat, the water we drink, and in every breath we take. 

Modern living brings with it many conveniences that make our day-to-day routines easier. However, we pay for these expediencies with our health – often unknowingly. We are surrounded by plastics, pesticides, chemicals, metals, and other environmental toxins that drive any number of physical and emotional maladies.

Our bodies are not equipped to handle regular doses of:

• Mercury from our fish, seafood, and old fillings in our teeth.
• Pesticides used to protect and keep food free of insects and continue growing until it’s time for harvest.
• Gasses designed to keep food fresher longer after it’s been packaged and sent to market.
• Particles from manufacturing production and waste that permeate the air we breathe.
• Chemicals leached from the plastics we use to hold life-giving water and warm food.   

As a result, we develop inflammation, allergies, and symptoms of toxicity and poisoning. Simple things, such as breathing, digesting, sleeping, and walking become difficult, leaving some disabled, others in pain or dependent on medicines to find relief.

In a world drenched with environmental toxins – from both natural and man-made sources – living is indeed more difficult than in pre-Industrial times. But a return to nature and the hidden power of its plants can help people overcome the negative health effects of environmental toxicity.

I know firsthand what it is to suffer from environmental toxins and harmful chemicals and have developed detox programs using essential oils to help me and my clients overcome chronic health conditions.

I thought I was making a health-conscious decision when I decided to have more than 30 amalgam fillings removed from my mouth. However, at the time, there was no awareness about the dangers of mercury toxicity when removing “silver” fillings.

I’ll digress a moment. You may be wondering how I ended up with so many amalgams in my mouth? Well, as a teenager I had a small amount of acne outbreak which my mom thought the wonder of medicine, in the form of tetracycline, would cure. A simple facial cleansing routine and a few dietary changes would have probably been much more advisable. Instead, the acne noticeably worsened and within a six month period after starting tetracycline, my dentist discovered I had more than two dozen new cavities. Today, we know this can happen since tetracyclines bind to calcium phosphate and allow the drug to be absorbed by the teeth. This sets up damage to the tooth's dental enamel, and causes discoloration and pitting that results in teeth becoming susceptible to dental cavities.

Soon after having the amalgam fillings removed, my body completely seized up on me. Almost overnight, my ability to move and perform my usual work-related tasks, including physical exercise, was severely limited. I ached to the bone and my muscles felt like they were on fire. I had low energy levels and couldn’t sleep at night. Fortunately, I had private disability insurance to help cover expenses while I sought care and answers.

Over the next ten years, I sought relief from the physical agony I experienced daily. I sought care from both traditional and holistic health care practitioners. No one was able to diagnose what the underlying problem was and I just kept getting worse.

One day, after having spent an extraordinary amount of money on allopathic and alternative health care, the intuitive light bulb went on. I finally connected the dots and realized the part that removing the amalgam fillings must have played in my physical disability. I’d been unknowingly chasing symptoms of mercury toxicity for more than a decade.

Mercury poisoning tends to develop slowly over time. However, in my case, the symptoms came on suddenly after the removal of amalgam fillings. This introduction of mercury into my body resulted in symptoms of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, nervousness and anxiety, memory problems, physical tremors, poor mood, muscle weakness, body aches, and pains. I constantly battled candida infections and developed a histamine intolerance, both of which I found out later are effects of mercury poisoning.

It was this ‘aha’ wake-up moment that changed everything.

As I’d worked with clients who suffered from toxic overload, I had developed protocols for detoxing from chemicals and heavy metals using essential oils and other natural healing methods.

To start, I began a program that included various health regimens, such as fresh juicing, an elimination diet, and using specific essential oils in various ways. Daily use of aromatherapy was a top priority for promoting detoxification and to strengthen my immune system.

After many months of detoxing from heavy metals and eliminating gluten from my diet, I felt much better, but still had a candida infection and histamine reactions. When I began a new dietary regimen and program of essential oils to heal my gut, I was able to clear up both.

Given my own experiences, as well as the healing I’ve been able to see with my clients who use aromatherapy and essential oils as part of their treatment program, I wanted to create a resource that directly addresses environmental toxicity.

Scented Air Purifying & Surface Cleaning Solution Recipe

Use this solution to safely promote the cleansing away of hidden toxins in your environment for better health.

Same great formula for each purpose with directions for how to make each.

To a 15ml (300 drops) colored glass euro-dropper bottle add your EOs. 15ml equals half an ounce.

• Lavender (Lavandula anguvstifolia) - 80 drops
• Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) - 60 drops
• Lemon (Citrus limon) - 40 drops
• Cinnamon leaf (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) - 40 drops
• Clove (Eugenia caryophylatta) - 40 drops
• Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus or E. radiata) - 20 drops
• Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) - 10 drops per ounce
• Oregano (Origanum vulgare) - 10 drops per ounce

Dispense your essential oils into a 15ml colored glass, euro-dropper bottle. Cap bottle tightly and shake vigorously to blend oils thoroughly together. Allow to synergize for 12 hours, or longer before using.

To calculate your recipe for a larger sized bottle, follow this ratio of essential oils in your formula for a 15ml bottle. So, since a 15ml bottle is equal to half an ounce you would simply double the amount of each oil used for a one-ounce sized bottle of solution.

Air Purifying Solution

What You Will Need

• 2 ounce colored glass misting bottle with atomizer top.
• 2 ounce fresh, purified water
• 60-120 drops essential oils, depending upon desired strength you'd like for your solution.

Half fill misting bottle with fresh water. Add 60-120 drops EO. Top-off bottle with water. Cap bottle with atomizer top and shake to blend oils and spray. Oils will not remain blended in water and float on surface of water. You’ll need to shake bottle vigorously before each use.

Surface Cleaning Solution

What you will need

• Wash bucket that can hold 1 to 2 gallons of liquid
• 3 to 6 teaspoons of essential oil (300-600 drops or ½ to 1 ounce)
• 6 to 12 teaspoons of unscented liquid Castile soap
• 1 to 2 gallons of heated water, purified or spring water is best
• Optional: Substitute 1 cup organic apple cider vinegar for water

Directions

• Add your essential oils to the liquid Castile soap and stir vigorously to blend. Essential oils are hydrophobic, meaning they will not mix with water. The soap acts as an emulsifying agent to help them combine and stay together as a stable emulsion. Set aside your scented emulsion for use later.
• Fill your cleaning bucket half-full with warm water. If you’re using vinegar, add it to the bucket now.
• Add the essential oil and Castile soap emulsion and stir into the water until fully blended.
• Fill the rest of your cleaning bucket or bowl with warm water and stir to mix thoroughly.

READ Related Article, Heavy Metal Detoxification Juicing & Essential Oils.