My self-education efforts to learn more about hormone imbalance and the effects it has on our bodies has been revealing, to say the least. I have been shocked, disgruntled and just plain angry. We live in such an advanced society, yet there is little effort to study the effects of the industrialized nation and the environment we live in. I am convinced that the reason for this is $$$$$ and greed. U.S. industries thrive on putting chemicals and xenohormones into our environment. We clean with them, put them on our bodies, inhale them, and even eat them when commercialized growers and farmers spray their produce and feed hormones to their animals, which we subsequently ingest.
*"All xenohormones should be considered toxic; the majority of them have estrogenic effects on both male and female bodies."
I am convinced that cancer runs amuck because we subject ourselves to more chemicals. Although cancer cells can be genetic, the number of environmentally induced cancers has been steadily on the rise. A pesticide derivative (Triclosan) is an active ingredient in many popular pretty smelling soaps - this past week alone I found this active ingredient in handsoaps found in bathrooms of a best friend and of two relatives.
Pharmaceutical companies are doling out one nasty side effect after another, with the help of our doctors. We are essentially bathing ourselves in xenohormones. I am no longer surprised when I hear of yet another friend or acquaintance having cancer diagnosed, it is frustrating. But I also get angry - because if we were educated on this, I feel we would all be more careful of how we live and how we take care of our bodies. Of course the costs to clean up our industries producing and using hormonally active chemicals would be huge, not to mention these same companies are investing a lot of money to keep the information "quiet".
When I first learned about AB I wasn't sure my family could afford it, but the more I learned, the more I researched about the fillers and ingredients used in over the counter, drugstore, and department store products - my thought process was no longer, "how can we afford it? but HOW CAN WE AFFORD NOT TO?" I vowed to provide my family with safe products. I am fully aware of what we are exposed to and what we had been putting into our bodies, so how could I, with good conscience, continue to use such products? I could not. The risks are too great, in my personal opinion.
We made a choice. The products my family now uses are products we were buying anyhow - we redirected our buying focus to safe products from a company that has been around for 30 years with a philosophy focus of pure, safe and beneficial. The products are Swiss formulated, and subject to higher standards and European regulations, which are much different from the U.S.
What do "safe choices" mean for our family financially? It means fewer trips to Culvers, reevaluating our needs from our wants - do we need another music CD or movie DVD? How necessary is the latest iPhone? Are the latest in electronic toys necessary to our survival? We have talked about this in my family, and we all can agree that we want to use safe products. As a parent, I feel it is my responsibility.
I am reminded in this scripture from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body," that we are responsible for our own bodies and how we treat it.
If the FDA were to take an active role in cosmetic industry, and actually focus on testing chemicals, and if consumers were to redirect their purchasing power to safe products, and leave those with carcinogens on the store shelves...things would change. There is power in the people, words are spoken through action and our buying power - I firmly believe that. Maybe someday, safe products will be the norm and not an exception.
Here are some facts to "chew on".
- The average person has 148 synthetic chemicals in their bodies.
- Experts estimate that 40 million pounds of hormonally active chemicals are produced in this country per annum, with 2000 new varieties introduced to market each year.
- Chemical hormones do NOT show up in a blood test.
- According to the Environmental Protection Agency 60% of what you put on your skin enters you blood stream and every organ in your body in 26 seconds.
Curious about that last one? Try this at home - take a clove of peeled garlic and place it between your big toe and second toe and hold it there. Start counting, and see how long it takes before you taste garlic in your mouth. The human body is an amazing piece of equipment - to say God put a lot of thought into it is an understatement. We are called to take care of our bodies so that the Spirit can live well within us.
Resources:
*Dr. John Lee, "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Pre-Menopause", pg. 81
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