EVER SINCE THE Industrial Revolution we have poured dangerous chemicals and pollutants into our streams, soil, and air. As a result, through both food and environment, you are exposed daily to pesticides, food additives, solvents, and other chemicals and hazardous substances.
For example, at this moment you probably have some amount of lead in your body, usually stored in your bones.1 Most people have small amounts of DDT (or its metabolite DDE, which is what it changes into during metabolism) in their fatty tissues. Lead, one of the most commonly used metals (other than iron), is used for manufacturing batteries, chemicals, and other metal products. Lead has contaminated our entire planet, landing in some of the most remote areas on the planet.
Such toxic exposure can put us at hazard of fatal diseases such as cancer and, more commonly, sicknesses such as colds and flu. While these are seemingly inconsequential, we mentioned in the introduction that the flu is the fifth-leading cause of death in people over age sixty. Awareness of toxicity in your environment is the first step to reducing the substances and influences that can land you in a sickbed.
INGESTING TOXINS
Today going to the doctor and getting antibiotics at the first sign of the sniffles is about as common as eating a peanut butter sandwich. Don’t be too quick to do this. If you have had repeated bouts of antibiotics, or even a single bout of super antibiotics, then you could be at risk for developing an overgrowth of yeast and dangerous intestinal bacteria.
To explain, your intestines are filled with good bacteria called lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidus that prevent the overgrowth of bad bacteria (called pathogenic bacteria or microbes) in your intestinal tract. When you take antibiotics, these medications can kill many of your body’s beneficial bacteria. Your good bacteria function like a firewall to keep pathogenic bacteria and yeast in check. So when antibiotics throw off the balance, the bad or pathogenic bacteria may grow like a wildfire—out of control with nothing to slow it down or stop it. Now your body is in trouble, for bad bacteria may produce endotoxins. These dangerous substances may be as toxic as almost any chemical, pesticide, or solvent that enters your body from outside.
ADDRESSING YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Numerous toxic substances populate the modern world. Reducing exposure to them will improve your health, boost your mental outlook, and leave you feeling cleaner—inside and out. This involves everything from hazards in the outside environment to pesticides lying around the average home. You can address these through a variety of precautions and proactive steps.
First, let's review a few of the environmental contaminants that can weaken your immune system and adversely affect your health.
Air pollution
While particularly bad in metropolitan areas, poor air quality affects rural communities too. Even small-town residents know the familiar smell of gasoline fumes. Avoid them—and the smog they help produce. Travelers who wait for a taxi or bus at the airport should do so inside, away from traffic fumes. At a bus station, don’t stand behind the buses. Motorists should never sit in heavy traffic with the window open. In addition, if you are following a motorist whose car emits a cloud of nauseating fumes, take another route if possible. Those dangerous emissions are high in carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and other chemical pollutants. If you can’t take an alternate route, roll up your windows and drive a safe distance away from the vehicle while recycling the air in your car.
A word to joggers and bicyclists: never jog, run, or ride alongside a busy highway where your lungs can absorb high amounts of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and other toxins.
Oil spills
If you smell gas or see smoke from oil burns, stay indoors. Also, set your air conditioner to recycle the indoor air so the outdoor air doesn’t filter into the house. Avoid physical exertion that puts extra demands on your lungs and heart.
Follow local and state public health guidelines for consumption of seafood and water affected by petroleum spills. Stay up-to-date on local and state public health guidelines on water activities, such as swimming, boating, and fishing.
Extended contact with oil dispersants can cause rashes, dry skin, and eye irritations. If you experience prolonged exposure to oil dispersants, see your doctor immediately.2
Nuclear radiation
Nuclear power plants and other sources of radiation are part of twenty-first-century life. When exposed to nuclear radiation, pay attention to three principles: time, distance, and shielding.3
The amount of exposure increases and decreases according to time spent near the source. If radioactive material gets inside your body, you aren’t able to move away from it.
Concerning distance, the farther away from the source, the less the exposure. Alpha and beta particles aren’t strong enough to travel far, but gamma rays can travel long distances and create the need to be especially careful of exposure distance.
As a general rule, doubling your distance from the radioactive source will reduce its exposure power by a factor of four. In general the greater the shield you have from a radioactive source, the less exposure you have to it. The shield absorbs the radiation between you and the source, and the amount of shielding required depends on the amount of energy given off by the rays. A thin material, such as paper, is strong enough to shield against alpha particles. Heavy clothing is sufficient for beta particles. But a much heavier, dense shield, such as lead, is necessary for protection against powerful gamma rays.
OTHER SOLUTIONS
Sick building syndrome
You can minimize “sick building syndrome” (more about this in chapter 18) in your home by choosing less toxic carpets or installing hardwood floors or tile floors. Use less toxic paints. Never buy or use furniture made of pressed wood or particleboard. Instead, choose hardwood or metal furniture. Select drapes made of cotton instead of fabrics treated with formaldehyde.
Also, consider the medicinal and mental value of plants. Not only do they create an attractive environment, but plants also have a practical use: they take in carbon dioxide and other dangerous gases and give off clean, pure oxygen. If you suspect the office building where you work is sick, surround your work space with plants. Spider plants, philodendrons, Boston ferns, and English ivy are all easy-to-grow, hardy indoor plants. Best yet, they tend to be excellent natural air purifiers.
Bacteria, mold, and yeast
Minimize your exposure to mold spores and dust mites by keeping the heating and air-conditioning ducts in your home clean. Set up a schedule for periodic cleaning and stick with it.
In addition, lower the relative humidity in your home to less than 50 percent. This will discourage the growth of mold and dust mites. Take special note of the rooms that tend to be most damp, such as the bathroom and laundry room.
If you live in a very humid climate, consider purchasing a dehumidifier for your home. Use an air purifier, such as a hepa filter or ionizer air filter, to remove chemicals and toxins in the air. Open the windows and doors in your home during the day to get fresh air. Open the windows or doors in your office as well to get fresh air and to dilute some of the toxic air. Turn the ceiling fan on with a window open; there is even a better exchange for outside air. Be sure to dust the top of the fan periodically.
Pesticide pollution
One of the most important ways you can reduce your exposure to pesticides is to stop having your home sprayed. Try more natural methods of bug control, such as sprinkling cupboards and closets with boric acid.
In addition, avoid the use of air fresheners or air deodorizers. Try more natural air fresheners, such as a pot of fragrant flowers on your dining room table. Better yet, open your windows on cool mornings and evenings to air out your home. If you have a window that catches a regular breeze, try planting fragrant flowers such as jasmine nearby. Aromatic plants can refresh your home with a lovely, natural scent while at the same time providing natural air purifiers and fresh oxygen.
While some may react negatively to this request, ask everyone to take their shoes off before coming inside from outdoors. This is a major way that pesticides enter your home. House dust can accumulate large amounts of pesticides that have been tracked in from outside. Daily vacuuming just tends to send them into the air, making the situation even worse. It is much simpler to cultivate the habit of asking everyone visiting your home to remove their shoes.