It’s Earth Day today so it’s time to check up on our earth’s health – after all if we have a healthy planet it’s far more likely we’ll enjoy a healthy life.
We are increasingly confronted with news that gives us cause for concern when it comes to planet health. On every Continent we hear heart-breaking stories of people struggling with erratic climate patterns including floods, fires and cyclones. Thankfully the world is waking up to the role we can all play in addressing climate change through more conscious and restrained choices when it comes to food, consumer goods and travel.
What is less reported but equally threatening is the direct impact that environmental degradation has on every cell in our body. With over 80,000 unregulated toxins unleashed into our environment in such a short period (there were no chemicals in use 500 years ago), you can begin to understand how this impacts on humans who have not evolved to handle such a burden.
Chronic illness on the rise due to environmental toxins
Many integrative practitioners around the globe are reporting an increase in chronic diseases as a direct result of environmental toxins. A new term describes these illnesses as ‘environmental diseases’ – illness which is caused by chronic exposure to toxic environmental chemicals.
In past generations there were only a handful of people who struggled with allergies and chronic illnesses driven by exposure to toxins. These were the “sensitive” people who did not detox well. But now, with over 50% of both children and adults struggling with chronic illness, it is clear that even healthy people are not able to manage the wide variety of toxins in our extremely toxic environment. There are more people becoming ill with a wide range of ‘environmental illnesses.’
What are some of these ‘environmental illnesses?’
There are a wide range of toxins affecting the earth. Here is a list of some of the illnesses which can result from chronic exposure to them:
- Asthma – there’s a lot of pollutants in the earth’s air these days including vehicle exhaust, chemicals, mould and other toxins. People often have allergic reactions to these toxins and this can be an asthmatic reaction. There’s currently a global epidemic of asthma especially amongst children. For example, 50% of the people in the US have some form of asthma and this figure is on the rise (see study here).
- Cancer – Man-made chemicals including asbestos, PFOA, PFAS, VOCs and alcohol have been shown to cause some types of cancer in some people. Glyphosate used in herbicide has been found to cause Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma by a California court (see report here). Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the US, causing more than 500,000 deaths each year.
- Mercury poisoning –people usually get mercury exposure from eating contaminated fish or from amalgam fillings which are still being used by dentists in some areas. The issue is the human body cannot get rid of mercury so it gradually builds up inside the tissues. If it is not treated, mercury poisoning can eventually cause pain, numbness, weak muscles, loss of vision, paralysis and even death.
- Lead poisoning – we ingest lead either by breathing in fumes from lead paint or lead dust – or by drinking water contaminated with lead. Lead can damage the brain, kidneys, liver and other organs. Severe lead poisoning can produce headaches, cramps, convulsions and even death. Lead is found in mother’s milk as it’s stored for decades in the mother’s bones and released like calcium when breast-feeding (not a reason to stop breastfeeding but a good one to detox before getting pregnant). See more info here.
- Mould Illness or Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) – this illness is sometimes caused when a person breathes in mould from a building which is contaminated by mould. Often the mould combines with other toxic chemicals in the building materials and this creates a ‘super toxin’ which can cause extreme symptoms including inflamed joints, depression and anxiety, neurological problems and gut sensitivity.
- Immune System Deficiency – chemicals known as PFAS have been used in industries worldwide since the 1950s and have been shown to harm the immune system. PFAS are found in our water systems, the soil, some packaging and some non-stick cookware. These chemicals have been found to cause damage to the liver and the immune system, as well as birth defects in newborns (see info here).
Take the time to care about our Earth
Earth Day offers all of us an important opportunity to take action and make lifelong resolutions that will benefit our children and our children’s children. Together we can work to prevent environmental destruction and nurture our ourselves and our planet back to an original state of vitality and abundance.
As Dr Mark Hyman says in his book, Food Fix – Transforming Our Food System for Planet & Human Health – ‘The epidemic in chronic illness will be cured on the farm, in the store, in the kitchen, in our schools, not in the doctor’s office.’
1. Buy organic – food, tampons, underwear, make-up, cleaning products, bedding, furniture and clothing.
2. Shop local – for anything and everything – less fuel and energy used in transport, fresher and supports your local community (economic health translates to human health).
3. Work with an Integrative Practitioner – that which supports your body’s evolutionary needs also supports planet health. Take a look here at our Mindd Health Directory to find one.
4. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – a time tested program. When you shop at thrift shops you are reducing your footprint by finding another way to gather your clothing and furnishings and not buying new items which are produced in energy intensive ways which often harm the earth.
5. Create your own organic veggie and herb garden – healthy soil sequesters carbon, supports vital ecosystems, grows nutrient rich plants and keeps the earth healthy. Dr Mark Hyman, author of Food Fix is getting the word out– ‘Our food system as a whole is the number one solution to climate change.’
6. Source meat from a regenerative farmer who practices “carbon farming” by managing cattle grazing (sheep and goats too) to produce nitrogen-rich soil which sequesters more carbon (and without toxins from industrial fertiliser or pesticides). The pure and rich soil this promotes also translates to nutrient rich and non-toxic meat.
7. Work with your neighborhood to use alternatives to toxic herbicides, fertilisers and EMF pollution – for example, use ethernet connections and avoid 5G where possible.
8. Conserve water – the less water you use, the less runoff and wastewater will end up in the ocean. And don’t drink bottled water – use filtered tap water.
9. Be conscious of how you travel – walk, ride your bike or take public transport as much as possible. Plus, you can improve your petrol mileage by 0.6 per cent to three per cent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Every saving helps.
10. Give composting a try – Globally we produce millions of tons of waste every year. Yet, only a small amount of our waste is composted and most ends up in landfill. A little known fact is that food waste is the third largest contributor to greenhouse emissions after the United States and China. So If more of us composted our food waste it would help curb climate change while providing great fertiliser for your plant, veggie and herb gardens.
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Mindd Foundation has been working since 2005 to help practitioners and patients discover and implement effective root cause and personalised treatments for Metabolic, Immunologic, Neurologic, Digestive, Developmental conditions which often affect the mind.
At Mindd Foundation, support is offered for everyone looking for help so they can perform better and live life to the fullest. This is the basic philosophy behind Mindd Foundation – a winning solution for everyone in the community.
To find an integrative, functional or natural health practitioner with expertise in root cause, personalised care that includes diet and lifestyle, visit our practitioner directory at mindd.org.
