Going Green with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

In an effort to ease the burden on my immune system, I made some changes in 2007.
I switched to Burt's Bees shampoo and lip gloss.
I threw out all my hair gels, sprays, and lighteners. I quit colouring my hair with commercial dyes and switched to henna. Which covers the grey nicely, by the way.
I started using Tom's toothpaste, and sometimes use a mixture of baking soda and coconut oil to brush my teeth.
I quit using moisturizers and used only coconut oil.
I quit wearing makeup for a while (no real sacrifice at that point. I was spending so much time in bed, all mascara gave me was raccoon eyes, and a battered appearance.)
Quit wearing perfumes and nail polish. Again, not difficult. Finessing my appearance in those days was not high on my list of priorities.
I used a loofah for dry skin brushing. The idea being, to help my body detox and cast off toxins through every possible means, including my skin. I used to have a horrific time with itchy skin all over, especially in the winters. After dry skin brushing for a few weeks, this problem went away.
I learned nasal rinsing (also known as nasal irrigation or nasal lavage). This is an Eastern technique for removing toxins from the sinuses. A neti pot is the traditional container but a turkey baster will work as well. You can do a web search of these terms and find out all you need to know.
I quit using dryer sheets and put 1/4 cup of vinegar in my washload. Used borax in place of a portion of laundry detergent.
I outlawed all purpose cleaners and bleach for cleaning, and replaced them with vinegar and baking soda.
I'm not as strict with myself these days, on every item listed here. But even the things I don't necessarily do every day, I will do part of the time. And when I have days when I don't feel so good and am losing some ground, I know what to do about it.
I still use Burt's Bees products. I will never take colour out of my hair or add it to my hair chemically ever again. I have a very light hand with makeup. And I see no reason to ever buy dryer sheets again.

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