Environment

The first segment of this article deals with the vulnerability, through the lack of knowledge, of the individual in dealing with his or her health. The second segment discusses some of the special means available, through the use of technology, to far better deal with the environment as it relates to human health.

If you would, please refer to handout “B” (the Health Chart) The B handout can be viewed also by clicking on a link at the end of this article. The handout is also an essential part of this discussion.

Let’s say the sloping line in handout B represents our health in general. From the normal-plus level down to the potential disease level area. Although this chart is oversimplified, it does give us a better picture of what we are all presently dealing with on a day to day basis in our lives, and also, in general, what we are trying to accomplish here. It’s very sad but true, that we have no idea where we are at on any such line of wellness, up in the healthy areas or down in the disease area, nor do we have the ability to exercise any organized degree of control over our position on any such line.

The disease area is where our present health care system primarily operates. In fact, the present health care system is often referred to as a disease-oriented medical system. We hear a lot about this area, because this is where most research and other medical activities take place, not up in this pre-disease stage area, or for sure not up in the normal-plus area.
(Although I am using only one line here (in handout A) for discussion, and simplification, purposes, the use of a number of lines, possibly representing major body systems, may in fact provide a more realistic representation). Read the rest of this entry »

According to an article in the Ecologist magazine in July of 2000, there are now 70,000 chemicals in use. In fact, we are surrounded by chemicals, in our homes, in our personal care products, clothing, furnishings, our food, water and more. Most shampoos, for example, contain 10 or more chemicals that are toxic to your health, and these toxins are absorbed very quickly by your body through your scalp. Household cleaning products also contain various carcinogenic and other toxins, as do home building materials. Around 1 in every 6 Americans lives closer than 4 miles to a Superfund site, and many of us live in urban areas with bad air quality.

2000 New Chemicals Every Year Implicated in Cancer and More

In addition, there are approximately 2000 new chemicals introduced every year into our environment. These chemicals have been implicated in all sorts of diseases, from chemical sensitivity to MS to cancer, and this means that we probably all need to perform some type of detoxification so these chemicals don’t build up in our bodies and make us sick.

Even Low Level Exposures to Chemicals Can Accumulate and Cause Illness

In fact, there are many health professionals today who think that the barrage of chemicals we are exposed to in our environment today is causing a backlog in our bodies, and this is at least a contributing factor in many diseases, including cancer, heart disease, allergies, obesity, diabetes and more. Take cancer for example, researchers all agree that a high level of exposure to certain chemicals will cause cancer. What they are finding, though, is that low level exposures over time can also accumulate in the body and contribute to cancer over your lifetime, even if your exposures are at or below the accepted regulatory limit. That’s one of the reasons why as you get older, your chances of getting cancer grow. Read the rest of this entry »