Question: My community-mate needs some convincing as of why hydrogen peroxide is a safe product to be used to improve hygiene in our community and educational center, here's what he wrote - can you write a brief answer
to calm him down? -
"After hearing about it, I was fully prepared to accept hydrogen peroxide as an alternative to soap. This morning I decided to look for some corroborating information about its superiority or acceptability as a substitute, just so we know what we're getting into, know that it's effective, and can justify it to the food safety people. I looked on the Centers for Disease Control website, hoping I'd find glowing reports about H202 and its use in cleaning hands. Unfortunately, that's not what I found."
to calm him down? -
"After hearing about it, I was fully prepared to accept hydrogen peroxide as an alternative to soap. This morning I decided to look for some corroborating information about its superiority or acceptability as a substitute, just so we know what we're getting into, know that it's effective, and can justify it to the food safety people. I looked on the Centers for Disease Control website, hoping I'd find glowing reports about H202 and its use in cleaning hands. Unfortunately, that's not what I found."
Today's "brief off-the-cuff, un-referenced" answer from Doctor T:
This does require a longer answer, and the topic will be covered in great detail during one of the upcoming seminars at Ecopolitan (see Free Tuesday Meetings below). Briefly I would state that FOOD-GRADE Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) is the safest antiseptic for our environment, because it breaks down to pure water and oxygen- with no artificial residues of any kind! In nature it appears within our immune cells, whose granules are used to eradicate "offending" pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites). It also appears in natural water (especially after lightening storms), in plants, and in certain natural products. It is used in mouthwashes (as REQUIRED by the FDA) and in ASEPTIC FOOD PACKAGING (approved by the FDA in 1981, and used to preserve milk and juices in cartons). It is commonly used in Europe (and also in the US, by the more aware individuals) as an antiseptic in pools, spas, and hot tubs. It is an approved antiseptic in dishwashing soak water and in fruit and vegetable soak (controlling pathogens and oxidizing pesticide residues). It would have been nice if corporate America made Food-Grade H2O2 available to the general public in a safe, convenient 3% concentration just as commonplace 3% H2O2 (with toxic compounds in its suspension) has become available in every convenience store. Reading books such as "Hydrogen Peroxide, Medical Miracle" (by McDonald, M.D.) and "O2xygen Therapies" (by Ed McCabe) is a good way to gain insight into the science (thousands of supportive scientific publications), history, and politics of H2O2 and how corporate interests effectively buried this natural substance in order to allow their drug-based (patent medicine) income stream to be protected. Looking for good H2O2 information at the CDC site is as futile as looking for disparaging remarks about water fluoridation at the American Dental Association's web site.
It appears that common H2O2 (NOT food-grade) is easier to make and maintain as a topical antiseptic agent when it is "stabilized" using toxic materials (that limit its use to topical applications only). Even as such, it is a safer (less toxic by volume) antiseptic comparing with most soaps, since soaps today are made with toxic, rancid fats and caustic agents plus a host of toxins, additives and fragrances, unlike soaps of yesteryears that were made entirely with FRESH, EDIBLE, STABLE natural oils and were sun-dried for several months before they became solid. Today's soaps are irritants, causing skin damage and dehydration, infusing toxins into the circulation, and leading to toxic waste in the environment. For hand washing and shower/bath purposes only, it is easiest to use TRULY NATURAL (EDIBLE) soap, because it is solid, convenient, and inexpensive. Gamila Healing Soap from the Upper Galilee in Israel is a good example, where the main ingredient (85%) is fresh, cold-pressed, edible olive oil, the water is tested-pure spring water at the source, wild medicinal herbs act as antiseptic and ealing sources of essential oils, and the soap is air-dried for 3 months according to ancient Druse tradition. This soap can be obtained via Ecopolitan and/or its nutritional distributor.
Food Grade H2O2 is obviously the safest and cleanest product, and has many topical and oral uses, medical and non-medical. Certain special-interest groups have succeeded in making it difficult to obtain by concentrating it to an extremely high level (35%), which must be diluted significantly to be used (or touched!) safely. Fortunately, it is easy to dilute, and the high concentration allows a reduction in packaging waste and price. It must be appropriately stored for safety. It is available at Ecopolitan and at a few distributors around the country.
If you have a nutritional or brief medical question you would like Doctor T to answer, please contact us and it may be answered in a future newsletter.
