Sicknesses aggravated by some of our choices
Respiratory illness and flu are rampant! Hospitals are full, as are physicians' offices. Absences at school and work are at an all-time high. So many people are miserable. Why? Immune systems are almost defunct.
Our bodies were wonderfully and fearfully made to fight germs, bacteria and viruses. But they are overloaded. With the chemicals we eat, drink and breathe, our immune system is not fighting these three major enemies; it is fighting an army. Therein lies the difference and the problem.
The World Health Organization estimates one in four deaths relate to living and working in a toxic environment. It lists diet, personal care and common household products as our most immediate risk. The European Union has a population of 510 million-plus, and the U.S. has less than 325 million, yet annual health care cost and loss of productivity associated with chemical exposure in the U.S. is nearly double that of the EU -- $163 billion vs. $340 billion.
What is our family eating and drinking daily? Fresh, homemade or organic food with mainly water, or is it processed, fast food with colas?
What are they breathing all day long? Some go to school/work in their heavily fragranced clothes (detergents and softeners), sprayed with perfume or cologne. They sit in a room that often has plug-in deodorizers or candles and floors mopped with strong chemicals and, again, fragrance. They come home and bathe in fragrant soaps and shampoos, then sleep in their fragranced bedding. Hours and hours of inhaling and absorbing toxic chemicals; yes, our fragrances are harmful chemicals. Sweet Poison is the name used in environmental realms.
The chemicals and fragrances in so many items we use daily contain ingredients that cause cancer, respiratory and skin irritations, central nervous system disorders, headaches, damage to liver and kidneys, and other illnesses. Many are on the EPA Hazardous Waste list (not regulated because of trade secret laws). Deodorizers contain additional harmful ingredients and supermarkets have huge displays of them.
Instead of an army and arsenal of toxins in the home, school and workplace, let's replace the harmful products with healthier, safer products. Essential oil and water sprays can replace deodorizers and fragrance in laundry; also, most detergents now have fragrance-free detergents and softeners (I use essential oil drops for a nontoxic scent.) White vinegar and water are great for cleaning countertops, floors, and windows and as a softener for clothes. The smell dissipates soon and is not toxic. Healthier cleaners can be found in many stores, especially health food stores.
Let's go to war against all this illness that pervades us.
Judy Dees
Bentonville
Commentary on 03/15/2018