Funny, how ironic life can sometimes be. There I was sitting in the waiting room of my friendly neighborhood holistic dentist, waiting to get my mercury fillings removed. On a mission to eliminate my exposure to as many of the harmful toxins that I had learned about as I could, I was now down to the last few items on my hit list. While waiting my turn for the chair, I picked up a popular Woman's magazine. Always on the lookout for new and useful information, I attempted to do a little multi-tasking while waiting. There was bound to be some good info here, after all, a top magazine doesn't get to be a hit with the masses for nothing, does it?

As I turned through page after page searching for something meaningful, I gradually came to the realization that my search looked futile. The only thing noteworthy seemed to be their outlandish quest to cram in as many pharmaceutical ads as they could. They were literally saturating the pages. I understand that a magazine's advertising revenue is the bread and butter that allows them to spread their glossy covers across the nation, but I guess I just didn't realize how influential those advertising companies might be over what lies inside that cover.

RISKY "PREVENTION"
As I flipped through the multitude of pages touting everything from aspirin to birth control pills, I finally came upon a substantial looking article. It was about the increase in cases of ovarian cancer and what women can do to protect themselves against it. Under the headline "Prevention" - two of the ways suggested were the following: "Taking birth control pills" and "having a tubal litigation", which the article went on to claim... "can reduce your risk by 30 percent. Experts theorize that it stops environmental carcinogens from reaching the ovaries". Fascinating magazine all right - the audacious irony of it almost made me fall over in my chair!

They were actually suggesting for women to not only take carcinogenic chemicals into their bodies to prevent a problem that can be caused by carcinogenic chemicals (see '95 study by National Cancer Institute & '96 Lancet Meta - Analysis which found a 24% increase of cancer in users of birth control pills) - but they were also suggesting that women should just go ahead and go under the knife with invasive surgery instead of simply trying to reduce their exposure to the environmental carcinogens, which, as they even suggest - can be the cause of the problem!

With a little common sense we can do much better than that - conscious awareness is the key. We need to stop burying our heads in the sand. Armed with knowledge, and the awareness that we can stand up and take responsibility for own health (instead of popping pills for quick fixes or having doctors just "cut it out") we can live much more vibrant healthy lives.

CUTTING DOWN OUR EXPOSURE
Actively making an effort to reduce our exposure to carcinogens can make all the difference in the world. We need to do it not only for our health, but for the health of the planet. It's not always easy. It takes some thought and effort to do because harmful chemicals are everywhere: from the preservatives & pesticides we consume to even the shampoos we use; from the fire-retardant sprayed upholstery we touch to the Styrofoam containers that leach out into our food. Each one of us is absorbing enormous amounts of toxic chemicals on a daily basis - 146 chemical ingredients from personal care products alone during the course of an average day. The more chemicals we can cut down our exposure to, the better.

Contrary to popular belief, the FDA doesn't require safety data on ingredients used in personal care products, and over a third contain ingredients classified by the government as possibly causing cancer. If you ever took a look at the Material Safety Sheets for some of the most popular brands you would be completely flabbergasted! Not surprisingly, this scourge of toxins is really starting to show up in our health statistics. For instance, just since 1994 when rbGH (growth hormone given to cows to increase milk production) was introduced into our nations dairy supply (other nations have banned it by the way!) lymphatic cancer has increased 2,000% - that's right 2,000%!! This is statistical evidence revealed by the U.S. Census Bureau. These figures may start making you wish you really could just bury your head in the sand - well, don't - because at the end of this article you'll find a list of some easy ways to help keep you from becoming one of the statistics!

WAKE UP AND TAKE CHARGE
Many of the diseases and ailments that are running rampant these days can actually be prevented by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and avoiding the chemicals and toxins that compromise our bodies' immune system. Awareness really is a vital key. There are some ailments, however, that are on the rise that we still need to do research on before we can determine how to actually prevent them. Autism is one of those ailments. As the above-mentioned magazine mentioned in another article - 20 years ago there were only 4 cases of autism for every 10,000 births, but currently in New Jersey alone, 1 in every 150 children has some form of it! Unfortunately, it seems avoiding the issues and not thinking about the root cause has become something of a mantra for some of us - the magazine actually went on to state that during one recent study on the suspected connection between autism and childhood vaccinations - the researchers recommended that NO further research be done into this possible link - because (God help us if it really is the culprit) "the public may become too afraid to get vaccinated"!

Once again, it seems the chemical/pharmaceutical companies have us all wrapped around their greedy little finger! It's time to wake up and take charge of our own health - because it's all too obvious that the chemical/pharmaceutical companies seem to be mainly interested in their own interests. What a monopoly they seem to have - exposing us to carcinogenic chemicals that are proven to cause disease, then treating us with chemicals which cause horrendous side effects, then using more chemicals on us to treat the side effects - it's a win/win/win situation for them all the way around!

But there are ways we can turn our situation into a winning hand... And one of the best ways is to simply try to avoid the toxic chemicals which threaten to pollute and poison our bodies and the environment! Every effort to do this, no matter how small, is a worthwhile step in the right direction. Good luck with your efforts, and may you have a healthy vibrant life, and never bury your head in the sand again!

Here's a simple checklist to help you in avoiding some of the most prevalent toxins today:

LOOK FOR:
1. Organic whole foods whenever possible.
2. Organic and natural personal care products. The fewer chemicals listed on the bottle, the better.
3. Natural and/or biodegradable household cleaners. Try making your own - you'd be surprised to see what a little baking soda or vinegar can do!
4. Natural materials and fibers when decorating your home. Simply ask for "environmentally safe products".
5. Natural and biodegradable pesticides. Some are made with a base of orange extracts, or even flowers. A little cayenne pepper can do wonders as well!

AVOID:
1. Conventional & processed foods - they contain pesticides, antibiotics, chemicals, fumigants, and growth hormones.
2. Especially avoid controversial chemicals in personal care products, such as: sodium lauryl sulfate, propylene glycol, diethanolamine (DEA), triethanolamine (TEA), and deodorants that contain aluminum.
3. The fumes and residues from conventional cleaning products can be highly caustic, and have in fact, been the cause of thousands of deaths.
4. The fumes and residues from conventional house paints, wallpaper & flooring adhesives, and some new carpets, can create havoc with your health.
5. Poisons are meant to kill life, period. Why expose yourself to any harmful chemicals when there are so many other healthier natural alternatives that do the job just as well, and oftentimes even better?!