Customer Reviews

The Healthy Living Space: 70 Practical Ways to Detoxify the Body and Home

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This book seems to cover every possible topic relating to creating a healthier and less toxic home and body. The author addresses products that most of use everyday and points out the potential hazards.

How many of us would consider a long hot relaxing bath a potentially toxic experience? After reading this book you will understand why it is important to have a whole house water filtration system and to choose carefully your bath products.

I was not aware of all the products in my home that potentially contained volatile organic compounds (VOCs) before reading this book. Some examples of products that typically contain VOCs are dry cleaned clothes, common household cleaners, chlorinated water, tobacco smoke, treated fabric, pressed wood products, building insulation, cosmetics, carpet, plastic, moth balls and deodorizers. If any of these items surprise you, this might be a good book for you.

Are you still using fabric softener in your laundry? This book references a group called CITIZENS FOR A TOXIC FREE MARIN CALIFORNIA that claims there are at least 9 toxic compounds in many brands of fabric softener. I had read about the toxicity of fabric softener in the past. However, this information was enough for me to switch to green laundry products. Why risk your health for something so trivial as fluffy and highly perfumed fabrics.

I don't know that I believe all the information in this book. However, much of the information just seems like common sense. Artificial products/chemicals may be contributing to other health related problems in our homes and our lives. It makes sense to avoid as many of these as we can. The author makes you think about the products that enter your home and your life. I have learned to close every window in my home for a few days when the lawn services are applying toxic chemicals in my neighbors' yards. Just think what those chemicals are doing to the children and pets that play in the grass.

If you are interesting in learning more about green living this is excellent resource.

Detox diets and cleanses, dry skin brushing, dental tips, green cleaning, feng shui, meditation and much, much more. Mr. Leviton covers every aspect of your life in this guide. He includes good instructions on how to do everything along with recipes and where to buy the things you need for the various detoxes. I bought this book after a very disappointing experience with a different detox book. This one is hands down GREAT!

Readable and important. Excellent for both the initiated and uninitiated. I thought I was thoroughly initiated, and was overwhelmed with information anyway. I'm glad somebody's attempting to put all this stuff together, from science to conjecture. It's like several books rolled into one, well worth the time and money.

This is, for the most part, a pretty good book that jam packs a myriad of ways that everyone can follow to detoxify and enjoy greater health. However, it seems that, as most health journalists seem to follow this fundamental flaw, they do not give a pure scientific review to every piece of material, and thus, by taking the word of some authority figure, they take the word as truth.

An example of this would be where he suggests a sodium hypochlorite (bleach) produce wash. Firstly, no studies have ever shown that any such wash, whether it being diluted bleach or the like, have been significantly better at removing residues than pure water. Secondly, sodium hypochlorite is a corosive poison that acts as an irritant, can cause respiratory problems, neurotoxicity, cancer, endocrine disruption, and other various issues. What's even more odd is that he got this piece of advice from a Naturopathic doctor's book; how on Earth could a Naturopath recommend this?

So with that, while generally has quite a bit of good information, make sure to read the book critically, and question EVERYTHING! Be your own scientist and do your own research!

I always try to live as healthy, sustainably, organically, etc as possible. But, I also lead a practical life. I gave up toxic cleaners long ago and typically only use baking soda, vinegar and a few essential oils. I make my own detergent (laundry and dishwasher), my own cleaning supplies, shampoo, etc. This book was mostly fluff and it ranged to the deranged. Too new age-y for my taste. I live in the real world and require real solutions, I found this to be an unhelpful resource. (I didn't just read it, I own it...I've read through it multiple times and still find it to be a waste) Much shorter books with much more useful information exist out there...don't waste your money on this one.

Far more common household and personal care products contain toxic substances than many of us realize. Those toxins affect our bodies and may lead to serious illness. At the least, they can reduce the quality of life by making us feel less than vibrant and healthy.

Richard Leviton is a health journalist and author with more than twenty-five years experience. The Healthy Living Space is his eighth book.

In it, he offers "70 practical steps on how to use safe, proven, nontoxic, self-care methods drawn from the fields of natural and alternative medicine." Leviton not only explains how to detoxify, he also explains why. He also emphasizes that it's important to detoxify both home and body, as the poisons accumulated in both can make you sick.

He begins with an eye-opening inventory of substances most of us are exposed to every day. He then describes some of the health symptoms people suffer. Many of these symptoms can be vague or subtle, leading health-care professionals to either mis-diagnose or label sufferers as hypochondriacs. Instead they need to be treated as early-warning signals of what may become severe health problems.

Leviton says "the truth is that we are being slowly poisoned, because although the toxins are potent, we are rarely exposed to a lethal or even sub-lethal, but dangerous, dose. We are instead routinely exposed to very small doses of many toxic chemicals, which together overwhelm our body's natural detoxification system." He says the key is to recognize that toxicity is occurring so slowly that most of us don't realize it until too late.

Because few of us can entirely avoid all toxic substances, Leviton explains how we can reduce our exposure, while at the same time strengthening our body's ability to resist damage from the elements we are exposed to. He includes chapters on emotional and spiritual detoxification as well as extensive information on physical detoxification. The chapters on detoxifying homes describe how to remove common pollutants, as well as utilize the more esoteric techniques like feng shui.

Whether we realize it or not, all of us know what it feels like to live in a toxic environment. The Healthy Living Space provides readers with the practical information and tools they need to create healthy bodies and homes.

This book has a similar title to Healthy Living Spaces: Top 10 Hazards Affecting Your Health by Daniel Stih.

Get them both.

As one review said of 70 Practical Ways, "This is a huge book, lots of info... Lots to read...."

Healthy Living Spaces: Top 10 Hazards, is an easy read that simplifies things.

This is a huge book, lots of info...almost too much. Lots to read...too much. Not an easy or quick read.