Human beings have adopted a lifestyle that doesn’t really take health into consideration, especially when we are talking about the large number of products that we choose to surround ourselves with on a daily basis, many of which have serious health concerns associated with them. What’s even more troubling is the fact that these products are still approved as safe by government agencies despite all of the evidence clearly showing serious cause for concern.
The list of concerning items can indeed by a long one, and again, when we are talking about disease, there is a general and growing consensus in the scientific community that many of these products are responsible for the exponential rise in various diseases, including cancer.
Here is a list of 8 things you should throw away for better health:
Pesticides
We recently published an article titled “A Pregnant Woman Eating Organic Vs. Eating Conventinal: It’s Time To Think About Your Baby.”
In the article, we explain the difference between organic food and conventional food, as well as provide a number of sources and studies showing clear concern with the pesticides sprayed on our food and in the surrounding environment.
These chemicals have been linked to birth, defects, cancer, alzheimer’s disease, parkinson’s disease, autism and more. Using the Bradford Hill Criteria, the results of multiple studies indicate that we have nudged ourselves into quite the dilemma.
Again, you can find all of the health concerns that are associated with the chemicals sprayed on our food in the article linked above, and that doesn’t even include the environmental concerns.
This is precisely why multiple countries around the world have completely banned these pesticides from being sprayed. In fact, 19 countries in Europe just banned Genetically Modified Crops from being grown in their country, and that includes the pesticides that go with them.
Personal Care Products
Unfortunately, many personal care products are a terrible idea, and putting these products on our skin makes absolutely no sense. For example, if we look at cancer, it’s caused by physical carcinogens, chemical carcinogens, and biological carcinogens, all of which we surround ourselves with on a daily basis, and all of which are in various personal care products, such as many deodorants.
We recently wrote an article on how to prevent breast cancer through an armpit detox. The article goes into detail about concerns with regards to aluminum, and how substances put on our skin do not take long to penetrate and find their way into the bloodstream.
When it comes to cosmetics, there are thousands upon thousands of chemicals that are “okayed” by the corporate manufacturers, and considered safe. This is all that is needed, as there is no approved regulatory process for these chemicals and the potential harm they may cause.
Again, chemicals are very effectively absorbed via your skin. For example, the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Manitoba, Canada, conducted a study to quantify how many sunscreen agents penetrate the skin after it is applied. The results demonstrated significant penetration of all sunscreen agents into the skin. We are talking about multiple chemicals entering multiple tissues within the body. (source)
When it comes to women, they tend to use several different products on a daily basis that can contribute to an overload of toxic chemicals. Make up is a huge source for heavy metals. In the report Heavy Metal Hazard: The Health Risks of Hidden Heavy Metals In Face Make up, Environmental Defense tested 49 different makeup items, including foundations, concealers, powders, blushes, mascaras, eye liners, eye shadows, lipsticks and lip glosses. Their testing revealed serious heavy metal contamination in virtually all of their products.
96 percent contained lead
90 percent contained beryllium
61 percent contained thallium
51 percent contained cadmium
20 percent contained arsenic
90 percent contained beryllium
61 percent contained thallium
51 percent contained cadmium
20 percent contained arsenic
The Environmental Working Group has a great database to help you find personal care products that are free of potentially dangerous chemicals. Better yet, simplify your routine and make your own products. A slew of lotions, potions, and hair treatments can be eliminated with a jar of coconut oil, for example, to which you can add a high quality essential oil to for scent.
Commercial Cleaning Products
Having commercial cleaning products in your home is not a smart idea. Combined with all of the above, and all of the below, it’s not hard to see how a combination of all these products is associated with the dramatic rise in disease we’ve seen over the past few decades.
We’ve covered this topic before, and outlined why these products are dangerous and what alternatives you can use instead. “Why We All Need To Stop Cleaning With Bleach” is a great example, so check it out if you’re interested to see where we are coming from.
Alternatives include baking soda, white vinegar, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide, liquid castile soap, organic essential oils, mixing bowls, spray bottles, microfiber clothes and more.
Why is it that these products could be manufactured to be much less hazardous, and in some cases cheaper, but aren’t? It’s not hard to see why so many people believe that these corporations have no problem in contributing to the decline of human health. A scary thought? Yes, but there are things to do and preventative measures/ lifestyle changes you can make.
We are always talking about raising money and finding a cure for cancer, without a word mentioned regarding cancer prevention…
Air Fresheners
When it comes to health, air fresheners are probably some of the worst products you can have in your home. These commonly contain 2, 5-dichlorophenol (2, 5-DCP), a metabolite of 1,4 dichlorobenzene. This stuff is present in the blood of nearly all Americans, and has been linked to lung damage and has been known to cause organ system toxicity. (source)
“Air fresheners have become a staple in many American homes and offices, marketed with the promise of creating a clean, healthy, and sweet-smelling indoor atmosphere. But many of these products contain phthalates (pronounced thal-ates) – hazardous chemicals known to cause hormonal abnormalities, birth defects, and reproductive problems. NRDC’s independent testing of 14 common air fresheners, none of which listed phthalates as an ingredient, uncovered these chemicals in 86 percent (12 of 14) of the products tested, including those advertised as “all natural” or “unscented.” – National Resources Defense Council(source)
Plastic Food Containers & Bottles
Not long ago, German researchers discovered endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that could adversely affect development and reproduction, to be contained in 18 different popular bottled water products. Of the 24,520 suspect chemicals found to be present in bottled water, the one that showed consistent results and illustrated anti-androgenic and anti-estrogenic activity is di(2-ethylhexyl) fumarate (DEHF). Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that can interfere with the hormone system, they can cause cancerous tumours, birth defects, cardiovascular disorders, metabolic disorders and as mentioned earlier, other developmental disorders. (source)
There are other concerns, most notably bisphenol-A (BPA), bisphenol-S (BPS), and phthalates.
Here are some related CE articles on that topic with more information in them:
Your best bet here is to avoid plastic containers, and replace them with glass bottles and containers. It would be wise to choose glass baby bottles as well.
Avoid Processed Meats
The World Health Organization recently linked processed meats to cancer, and recommended reducing processed meat intake to reduce the chances of contracting cancer. (source)
“Eating processed meat such as sausage and bacon can cause cancer in humans, the World Health Organization’s cancer agency says. Monday’s official designation from the France-based International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the WHO, places processed meat in the Group 1 list as “carcinogenic to humans.” The agency said it based the classification on sufficient evidence for colorectal cancer.” (source)
This came after years of multiple researchers making this link. Whether you believe it or not, or don’t see it as alarming, the fact remains, reducing your meat intake, more specifically processed meat intake is a great path towards a healthier life.
In fact, some experts are suggesting that going completely meat-free is a better option for those looking to optimize their health.
“Studies are confirming the health benefits of meat-free eating. Nowadays, plant-based eating is recognized as not only nutritionally sufficient but also as a way to reduce the risk for many chronic illnesses.” – Harvard Medical School (source)
It’s important to note that a very high and alarming percentage of Americans eat hardly any vegetables whatsoever. According to the Wall Street Journal, in 2011, approximately 80% of Americans who ate meat rarely consumed vegetables at all. (source)
The American Dietetic Association weighed in with a position paper, concluding that “appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.” (Journal of the American Dietetic Association, July 2009) (source)
If you’re going to eat meat, it’s best to make sure it is from an organic, free range grass fed source.
Stress & Negativity
Science is starting to catch on to the idea that how you feel can directly alter your genetic expression. It’s not just the environment that your genes respond to, it’s also your conscious thoughts, emotions and unconscious beliefs. Emotions can regulate genetic expression, and a great book recommendation to found out more about that is called The Biology of Belief & Spontaneous Evolution, written by cellular biologist Bruce Lipton.
Researchers at the HeartMath Institute are showing the same findings. They show how emotional information is actually coded and modulated into the heart’s electromagnetic field. They show how that by shifting our emotions, we can change the information that is coded into these magnetic fields. Their research also sheds light on the fact that different emotional states are responsbile for creating different brain states. You can read more about that in an article we recently published here.
Furthermore, findings in quantum physics are showing how factors associated with consciousness can and do indeed have some sort of affect on our physical material world. You can find out more about that here.
There is also the case of neuroplasticity, which is the idea that the brain is changeable, adaptable and malleable. It shows how the brain can change it’s structure by how we perceive the world around us.
“Human thoughts and learning actually turn on certain genes in our nerve cells which allow those cells to make new connections between them.” – Dr. Norman Doidge, MD, author of “The Brain That Changes Itself” (source)
There is also the idea of distant healing:
“Over the past thirty years, significant scientific research has been conducted on the potential effectiveness and value of distant healing practices. The practice of distant healing is drawing increased attention as an important component of integral medicine models that blend a range of approaches to health and healing. Many leading health professionals and spiritual leaders believe distant healing practices may significantly expand the capacity to facilitate healing.” (source) Marilyn Schlitz, PhD, President of the Institute for Noetic Sciences (IONS)
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