PART ONE
We live in a toxic world, whether we like it or not. Our bodies are under attack from multiple directions.
There are numerous factors that could contribute towards falling victim to dementia or other serious disease or chronic condition. Of those mentioned in ‘THE BIG QUESTION’, there’s no doubt lifestyle tops the list. It’s never too early or too late to examine our everyday living choices and to make the necessary changes without delay.
Most of us have an idea of the function of each of our organs but, for the purposes of our subject, we need to look more closely at what I call, the big two – the liver and the immune system.
No need to go into great technical detail here, suffice to explain in very simple terms, their primary functions. The liver cleanses and filters the blood, utilises bile digestive liquid from the gallbladder and stores glycogen – back-up glucose for energy. Anything that enters our bodies via our mouths will pass through the liver. Substances that enter through our skins, can reach the bloodstream and pass through the liver too.
The immune system is said to be most active in our gut (70-80%) followed by our bone marrow, lymphatic system, white blood cells and spleen.
Our liver and immune system, as well as the rest of our body, will obviously function better when protected from environmental onslaught and supported by healthy-living strategies.
We should expect a healthy youngster to be able to break the rules while their liver and immune system are working well. But as we get older, the more we put them through, the weaker and less effective they’re likely to become. The accumulation over the years may reach overload and we become vulnerable to allergies, illness or serious disease.
What can we do to prevent this?
Here are just four of the factors we have to deal with:
- pollution
- non-organic foods
- toxic substances
- pharmaceuticals
POLLUTION
We all know about this and will probably think it doesn’t affect us too much if we don’t live in a town or city, but even those who live in rural areas will very possibly have to breathe air contaminated by agricultural chemicals at certain times of the year. To add to these will be natural airborne substances like pollen, dust and so on. Emissions from vehicles will likely be minimal unless we’re on or near a main through road but those from airplanes cannot be dismissed.
And what about water? How many of us look at the analysis of our water supply? If it’s not included on the back of our bill, we can ask for details. It’s scary what ends up in our water these days and some of it might well not be sufficiently filtered out at the treatment plant.
Currently there is little we can do about what’s in the air barring wearing a mask. As for water, we can opt for a filter system, either built-in or through a jug with a cartridge. There’s bottled water of course, but unless our tap water is absolutely dreadful, do we really need to add to the plastic pollution of our planet??? In the long run, filtering our water is by far the most economical as well as ecological solution,
NON-ORGANIC FOODS
It’s hugely encouraging that purchase of organic foods is increasing as people become aware of contamination through pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. The argument that organic is too expense is perennial but … if we want untreated food, we must expect to pay more for it. If we’re living in extreme poverty then, like millions of folk worldwide, we’ll need to get by on a simple diet – rice ‘n beans, seasonal local veggies and, very occasionally meat, probably chicken, and we mustn’t forget foraging for those who live in the countryside. We’ll likely know how to cook basic foods and waste nothing.
When I was growing up, my mother spent approximately 30% of income on food. Nowadays people expect to get by on 10%. I’m well aware there are other factors – increased cost of living and so on – but for those who have a reasonable income, then surely better health is more important than latest fashions and gadgets – outer displays of inner poverty!
A word or two about processed foods, meaning secondary processing: if appearances are anything to go by, there are more processed foods in our supermarkets than fresh foods. Garish packaging lures us into buying stuff that has multiple ingredients. As a simple rule of thumb, if a product has more than five ingredients, unless they’re organic and all recognisable as food substances, we should avoid probably it.
TOXIC SUBSTANCES AROUND THE HOME
These, as we know, are many and various from cigarette smoke to building materials. But we mustn’t forget our house cleaning, laundry and gardening products, cosmetics and toiletries.
Here again, we can, if necessary, make great changes. A supply of bicarbonate of soda, vinegar and lemons will do a perfectly adequate cleaning job and as for the rest, there are organic or green alternatives. By the way, a large pot of organic shampoo or shower gel will last for months and work out a lot cheaper.
PHARMACEUTICALS
Whoops! Aren’t these meant to make us well, cure us of our ills? However, we only have to look at the leaflets included with each drug to see the list of side effects. They may alleviate the pain or act to correct a particular malfunction, but how often do they actually cure us? We all know about the pill-poppers who have to buy special trays for all their medications, many of which are to counteract the effects of the others.
After checking out the possible side-effects, I think the questions we need to ask ourselves are:
- what are the ingredients of our medication/s?
- are they symptom coverers?
- will they work alongside our other medications, if applicable?
- how long are we expected to have to take them?
A figure to wonder at – according to the BMJ (formerly British Medical Journal), prescription drugs are the third leading cause of death after cancer and heart disease.
Certainly food for thought!
Comments
doodahtwo.home.blog 
john newson says
Excellent, sensible and well-presented data!
Thanks John!
Not only our bodies , but our Minds As well.
Indeed, not only our bodies. I will be tackling the other three important aspects of our being – mental, emotional and spiritual in due course.
Excellent again.
No one ever listens to warnings about pharmaceuticals; and no researcher seems interested in the notion that you can deal with many conditions without drugs.
I once told a researcher into antibiotic overuse that she had a natural control group available: people who take homeopathy etc but seeming to give credibility to complementary medicine is not the way to build a career.
Thank you Nicholas. It’s a travesty that we aren’t encouraged to embrace a holistic approach to our health via whatever ancient or modern means we think fit. ‘New medicine’, as I call it, seems hell bent on rubbishing the older, well-tried, methods. And many people fall for it, assuming, I suppose, that if it’s the latest, it must be best.