I often talk to people about the toxins in our environment, and on many occasions someone will say, "there may be toxins, but people are living longer."  To which I reply, "they may be living longer, but they are suffering from diseases like diabetes and heart disease that were rare only five decades ago.  Now these diseases are epidemic - not just in the U.S., but globally. Biopsies of cancerous tissues have been shown to contain chemicals added to our food and personal care products. 


Environmental toxins are found not only in food and personal care products, but in many manufactured goods and plastics, pharmaceuticals, cleaners, toys, and water -- including some rain water.


Western (Allopathic) medicine often treats the symptoms of disease and not the cause, which is masked behind pharmaceuticals.  We take a pill for allergies, Type II diabetes, hypothyroidism, and any number of other issues.  Sometimes the root cause is sought out, but often we are told not to worry, just take another pill.  Then, we need to take a pill for the side effects of the first.  Some of these pills lead to heart attacks, diabetes, internal bleeding, and death.  Some actually cause obesity.


We have to start looking at our health as a symbiotic relationship with our environment.  This includes the food we eat - how and where it was grown, what kinds of synthetic chemicals were used and how many, and were the plants genetically modified?  We also need to look at the products we use daily - can I pronounce the ingredients in the lotion I put on my skin or the shampoo I use on my child?  Do I know what these chemicals are and if there is potential harm posed by them?


It would behoove us to overcome the idea that if I don't feel ill when I eat this food or use these cosmetics, then it is okay, even if I know it contains arsenic, lead, phthalates, BPA, or any other number of chemicals known to lurk in things we use.  They build up over time, and as I said, some of these chemicals have already been discovered in breast cancer tissue.


The good news is that some recent studies have shown that eating healthy, organic foods can ameliorate the negative effects of these chemicals and can help the body heal.  There is a great amount of research, much coming from Indian institutions, showing the healing properties of a large variety of foods commonly grown in the Caribbean and other tropical regions - foods like coconuts, mangoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, garlic, turmeric, ginger,, and pineapple.  Natural foods keep our bodies in a state of homeostasis.  Processed foods and personal care products loaded with chemicals through our bodies out of balance which causes chronic inflammation, leading to a host of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.


Please peruse the pages to find information or links on how to discover what exactly is in the consumer products and foods you enjoy, and if necessary, safer alteratives.


Feel free to share your own thoughts, insights, recipes, or links.


In Health,


Cristie Barron, Ph.D.