El Hogar Saludable (The Healthy Home - Spanish Edition): Simple Truths to Protect Your Family from Hidden Household Dangers

by Perseus, Donna K. Wallace (Contributor), Myron Wentz

In The Healthy Home , a father and son--Dr. Myron Wentz, well-known microbiologist and founder of the USANA Corporation, and Dave Wentz, CEO of the USANA Corporation--take readers on a tour of a specific home for a look at the surprising health risks posed by the everyday products and behaviors of a modern family. Beginning in the bedroom and ending in the garage and backyard, readers learn about the degenerative effects of toxins in the home and receive simple solutions to help minimize exposure without foregoing convenience. The Healthy Home is not a comprehensive tome on modern health hazards; nor is it a treatise on eco-conscious living. Instead, the book focuses on the most important environment--the home--and the problems that can most easily be lessened or eliminated. Busy parents who suspect that they should be doing more to protect their family but don't know where to start will learn about practical changes they can make in the next fifteen minutes, fifteen days, or fifteen months to create a haven for healthier living.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Environment, Parenting, Audiobook

270 pages, Paperback

First published March 22, 2011

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. This book started out good, but quickly took the crazy train. I can't take anyone seriously who advocates for no vaccines.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Healthy Home

Beware the cordless phone, my friend,
the microwave, the Internet.
Beware the baby monitor,
that fluoride toothpaste, minty breath.

Just take The Healthy Home in hand
and cast out fruit juice, nonstick pans.
Shun soda, night lights. Save
your glands by going braless. Ban

all use of lavender for vinegar
is magic juice. Though vorpal
blade won't ever thwack
the common cold, cholesterol,

the Wentzes are such beamish
men, you'll trust their worries even
when they damn vaccines--for
you love babies just like them.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I Can Tell You:

This is one of the most interesting books I have read on protecting my family from the every day products I use in my home and on our bodies.




I was shocked at how many toxins we have in our house. Once you get educated, it is easy to see why these items are a danger to you and your family.




We are all scent based and if something smells good, it is good for us. This is far from the truth. I remembered while reading this book that a friend of mine while taking clothes out of the dryer after as wash commented on how nice her clothes smelled. I wanted to call her and say, stop using products with scents. Our pores take in these toxins created by scientists in a lab.

"The whiff of moutain spring comes from Scientists dressed in white lab coats and masks, sitting on stools mixing compounds until they reproduce natural smells through the use of chemicals."

It was also an eye opener to read the section on pest control. The cartoon shows a guy wearing a protective suit armed with an oxygen tank and a spray can standing over two unprotected kids. The words under it are: "I think I saw a fly." In the summer, I spray the gazebo like crazy to keep the flying nats and mosquitoes out. It is time to read the labels or like for some pyretha (thanks Vexcon).

There is so much to discuss here. Like did you know that OJ after a few weeks loses Vitamin C? Or that Milk is acid producing which means it cancels out calcium intake.

I could go on and on. This is one of those books that you will want to highlight, dog ear and discuss with your friends and family for years to come.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I just skimmed this one, and it wasn't my fault. The subject matter makes you want to just find out the useful information, and the format is choppy and fragmented. I don't like contrived "conversation" narratives in non-fiction.

That said, I do believe most of his warnings and suggestions. It probably helps that my husband has already been preaching most of it to me for years. I let him read it too, and now he's got a few more things (including synthetic fabrics) to worry himself over. I liked the little quizzes at the beginning to find out how "healthy" your home is, but probably because I scored well on most of them, and could then be pleased with myself. Bottom line, even if some of the stuff seems crazy, it might not be, and unless it is inconvenient, why not make a few changes?

[USANA Health Sciences Inc. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Healthy Home focuses on the most important environment — the home — and reveals surprising health risks posed by our everyday products and habits.

The authors — Dr. Myron Wentz, a respected microbiologist and cellular health expert, and Dave Wentz, the CEO of an international health company — provide simple solutions you can put to use today to help ensure a lifetime of better health for you and your family.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were tons of interesting things here that you wouldn't normally think about being dangerous in your own home. It's important to keep things in perspective though and I have to remember that when reading things like this... We can't live in a bubble but we can make some minor changes to make our homes and lives a bit healthier!!!

[Gila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deodorant= Poison
Hairspray= Poison
Dish Detergent= Poison
Dryer Sheets= Poison
Perfume= Poison
Dry Cleaning= Poison
Lotion= Poison
Glade Plug-in's= Poison.....

You get the gist. This book scared the crap out of me! In a nutshell, you are slowly being poisoned by everything in your home. Your bedroom, bathroom, office, car, garage, and yard is killing you by filling you with deadly toxins that will eventually give you cancer.

Although some of the author's conjectures were completely flawed and borderline nuts, I will take some pieces of advice. I will try to use non-toxin cleaning products (thank you Method brand at Target), buy organic bedding, stop microwaving in tupperware, and- if I decide to embrace my inner tree hugging hippie- I may even try fluoride-free toothpaste. WILD!

[Pam Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative!! Who knew going braless was good for you!

[Melissa Loomis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is for anyone concerned with their invisible environment - the things we surround ourselves with that emit harmful chemicals or things that we ingest, spritz or lather ourselves up in that we don't truly know what they are.

I'm halfway reading through this book as it isn't one that you'd want to read through quickly. You'll want to absorb each chapter, identify whether it relates to your household and whether you want to make changes or not. It turns out with each chapter I've read - I want to make changes. One of those changes has included purging my bathroom of substances (hair care, lotions, scented candles, etc.) that I haven't used in years and ones that I just had purchased that contained what I felt were unneccessary toxins that I didn't want to expose myself too. Like the book suggests - just limiting your exposure is good - and so I still have one or two favorite items that I use, which do have one or two items on the list of chemicals they warn you about. But its better than the 20lbs of products I tossed out of my bathroom.

Another change I made based on the book was to declutter my nightstand of items that may emit electromagnetic radiation - the book makes good points about how we're exposed to this daily in our modern lives, but best to make your bedroom a clean/toxic free living space since a third of our lives are spent there.

I'm sure I'll be making other changes as well. I like the layout of the book. Very easy to reference when trying to revisit some of the areas you've already covered. When you are wanting more information, there are links in the side margins for you to go to, which has been really useful. I'll update my review once I've finished.

I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads, but have been reading many books that are similar to the topics covered in this book. This is by far the best book to use as a manual on how to make changes than just reading about the hazards.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just listened to this on audio books (app overdrive-using library card) it was so informative I just purchased book to have at home as my health bible. it was incredibly informative and scary. I thought I was doing better (as in eating healthier, environment, and cleaning) I was not even close. but I am learning and aware now. the Dr in this book even said its overwhelming to change everything in your world but changing a few things can add years to your life.
really read labels. if you don't understand what an ingredient is look it up. when in doubt ewg.org is a great resource for cleaning products and everything you use on your skin.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book, however I think focusing on not smoking, losing weight and eating right are the most important steps one can take to ensure they remain healthy.

I do LOVE the idea of an unplugged bedroom!

[Becki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes many good points about everyday items we have in our homes. I love that each section has “simple solution” blurbs to give you a starting point that doesn’t feel so daunting. Like a few other commenters, the vaccination section gave me pause. I do appreciate that they have safe tips for vaccinating instead of taking the approach that they are altogether to be avoided. For example, they suggest opting for a nasal spray vaccine when possible so that your child is not getting a dose of heavy metals along with their vaccination. I plan to vaccinate my future children (should I have any) but will definitely incorporate these safer techniques.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Laid out really well and easy to follow/understand with fun colors and graphics throughout. I enjoyed reading this and appreciate the honestly and transparency in this book. It’s difficult to go against the norm of western medicine. When you dive into nontoxic living, you have to have an open mindset and be open to change. Of course you can’t avoid every danger out there, but this book didn’t “scare me”, it just opened my eyes up to what I can do better. As a health care professional, I was so surprised by how much I didn’t know about health.

[Lisa Burrington · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book just confirmed a lot of what I have already been reading.

[Kelley Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some good ideas in this book along with some topics that are seriously outdated. Good surface read.

[Elizabeth Erickson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. This book started out good, but quickly took the crazy train. I can't take anyone seriously who advocates for no vaccines.

[Ashley H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Part of me wanted to dismiss everything once I got to the section where they try to suggest that vaccines cause autism. This is because that claim is one of the most widely refuted medical hoaxes currently out there. Not getting your children vaccinated does much more harm than good. While your child may or may not experience side effects from a vaccine, if they do not get vaccinated there is a very real and definite possibility that they will suffer(or even die) from a preventable illness. I know that reading this book isn't going to stop me from getting my third HPV shot (you know, that vaccine that prevents certain types of CANCER...)

That being said, I have heard some of this information (especially the parts on health care products, cleaning products, etc) from many other organizations. For anyone interested in checking out more information on household, and health care products, check out the reputable non-profit, Environmental Working Group. Also, you might want to check US products vs. European products. Europe (Western) has a much more rigorous screening process for chemicals.

As for the nutrition section, some of it was common sense, some of it I'd heard before and other parts were confusing and even bordered on nonsense.

All in all, I wouldn't take everything in this book for fact. Check out their sources to see if they are legit(if they are they should mostly be from peer reviewed academic sources), and do research for yourself (academic journals can be hard to read and find but a reference librarian may be able to help you out).

[Molly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I decided to pull the plug on this one. The author is actually the son, who only has an undergraduate degree in biology, and he hired someone to do the actual writing. It's written to be accessible to all audiences - so it doesn't get too sciency or technical - but that also makes a lot of it sound far-fetched and squirrely.
I don't think it's all iffy (e.g., where it talks about how personal care products have the fullest amount of toxic crap in them allowed by law, so when you're using three different products you're actually overdosing on badness). But they really lost me when I skipped to the part about why fluoride is bad; here's an excerpt (p. 164): "The story of fluoridated water may have an even darker angle than corporate greed. There have long been rumors that Nazi Germany employed fluoridated water for its potential neurotoxic effects. Fluoride was theorized to make people more docile and easy to control, and thus it was added to water supplies in occupied regions and POW camps. We'll let the online forums continue to debate whether this is a myth or historical fact, but it's an excellent example of how little we really know about the safety of the chemicals found in our everyday products and services."
Wow. There are so many things egregiously wrong with that paragraph that I can't even count that high with my socks off. Way to blow whatever shred of credibility you had going for you, Usana guys.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Borrowed from a Usana-selling coworker. I'm skeptical about the credentials of the writers, but I think some of what they're saying has weight.

[Craig a.k.a Meatstack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find this book has equal parts common sense, and crazy-talk.

Let's start with the positive. It's a quick and easy read. It suggests some easy ways to reduce toxins in our lives. It provides recipes for holistic cleaning agents.

But the crazy talk kicks in pretty strong. The fake walk-through narrative, with "The good Doctor" walking around with more death-detecting gadgets than a ghostbuster was a little much.

And advocating against vaccines is just irresponsible. (google: "Herd Immunity" to see why anti-vaxers not only put themselves and their children at risk, but the entire population)

And then the crazy train makes a stop at "fluoride as a mind-control agent". Yea, they went there.

Since this common sense was already common for me, I can't say I got much out of this read. Maybe we will attempt a couple changes, however there won't be any significant differences.

[Denese · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an easy read as I already knew much of it. If I was a parent of young children, I would consider it a must read and would take each chapter slowly. Trying to live green environmentally and be healthy don't always match up.For instance, the book is against CFL light bulbs but I have got most of my house switched over to them and the incandescent will be banned soon. LED's seem best but are so expensive.
I won't use plastic shopping bags but sure don't want to give up some of my plastic food storage. Eating canned foods is bad but I can't always have only fresh foods. And I will probably never give up my Pepsi. But I am looking at my toothpaste and deodorant a bit different.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb! The book's format even made this topic an enjoyable read!

Informative but not overwhelming, and the solutions are very practical. One of the best things you can do to improve the air in your home? Open the windows! (The solution to pollution is dilution.) Simple and free, of course with all the scientific details behind the reasons for doing so.

While he doesn't promote his products in the book AT ALL, I feel confident knowing that I have been using his products for years, considering his stringent standards. Seriously, google Dr. Myron Wentz--he's one amazing scientist!

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were some interesting things in there, more natural alternatives to chemicals an toxins we use a lot, information about pollutants I didn't know. But the authors' efforts to make the book easily readable and enjoyable ended up making me feel a bit talked down to. The "storyline" of following one of the authors through his house was kind of fake and made up. Even so, there was some good info in there, and I want to try switching out some cleaners and moving things a little differently in the house.

[Ben Donahower · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I'm familiar with much of the information was in this book, I really enjoyed it. It put a lot of things together and into perspective. The format was accessible, so it's something that I'm considering buying as gifts for people who are less aware of these issues.

This book, however, isn't particularly dogmatic. The author offers a number of suggestions about how you can reduce your exposure to toxins, eat healthier, etc. using the Pareto Principle or by suggesting simple changes that will have an impact.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is amazing what we allowed to come in our homes. I enjoy hearing these two doctors perspective on what is harming us in our homes and sometimes we don't realize it. For example, Wi-Fi in our homes. Wi-Fi is going through our bodies and we still do not know the outcome til decades down the road. They made a suggestion while we are sleeping to turn it off. Some people may think their ideas are a little overboard. But I personally enjoyed learning more about harmful toxins we are allowing to enter into our bodies by household products and things we use.

[Maggie V · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly basic book about living a more simple/natural lifestyle. I was already interested in this and knew a good portion of what was discussed. However, for someone just getting their feet wet, this is a good starting point. It would have been nice to have a list of resources/companies to use instead of our traditional chemical choices. The quizzes at the beginning of each chapter were interesting, but I liked how each part ended with a "checklist" of things to change. It was a nice summary of that part.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book to be a little over the top with scare tactics for the dangers around me. The information was excellent usually and I can say I scored well on their little quizzes, so I am doing most of their suggestions already. People who move into or are considering buying old houses would especially find this book to be a valuation tool. I don't agree with the fluoride and vaccine information, but that is just one example of there extreme stance on some public health issues. The book was attractive and the cartoons fun and spot on. Well worth giving a read

[Tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am a fan of learning about how to create a healthy home and I love anything medical, but I felt like this book was all about fear mongering without scientific proof to back it up. Not a fan.

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative book about the bad things in your house - trust me, the list goes on and on. Things you never suspected, according to the authors, are killing you. I'm assuming they have done exhaustive research to come to the point of writing such a book. Definitely worth reading and trying to follow their suggestions. I would have given it four stars if it hadn't been such a depressing book!

[Christa Cordova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, comprehensive overview of what a healthy home can/should look like. I've read a ton of books on this subject and this will be the one that I recommend to others as a "starting point" on a journey toward a holistic home. The only thing that might turn some people off is that there is a lot to learn ... that might be intimidating for individuals with no prior exposure to the concepts related to green living.

[Richard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ouch, anti-vaccine, anti-fluoride, pro multiple doses of megavitamins and minerals, active science denial and I am only 1/4 of the way through. Aluminum causes Breast cancer and ladders contain aluminum! "drink as much water as you can", confusing simple chemistry - just because some compounds of fluorine are regulated does not mean they all should be!! Some compounds of chlorine are - heck many containing carbon are regulated!
Water alone can remove most stains!