Dr. Ken Dychtwald stated in his June 17th Huffington Post column:
“Make disease prevention and self-care a national priority. Let’s be honest….we’ve become a nation of gluttons. We eat too much, exercise too little and then get angry at the healthcare system when we’re sick. This lack of proper prevention, self-care and disease management winds up being a key factor in many of our eventual struggles with illness.”
I responded this comment:
Hi Ken,
I totally agree that it’s important to make disease prevention and self-care a national priority. However, it’s hard when major consumer brand products don’t make disease prevention an easy task. People must become aware that everyday, commonly used items can cause allergies, asthma, fatigue, headaches, lack of sleep, mood swings, skin rashes, obesity and worse.
Each day we are being bombarded with chemicals in our food, cosmetics and personal care products that can cause significant illness. For example, a recently released study from the University of Parma, Italy, found that common food additives can alter our hormones. More than 3,000 preservatives, flavorings, colors and other ingredients are added to food in the U.S., and none of them are required to undergo testing for hormone disruption, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Hormone disruptors can make us fat. Researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center just reported that they discovered that child obesity is linked to hormone disruptors known as phthalates. These make plastics pliable, keep nail polish from chipping and are found in things like water bottles, toys and pacifiers. They also act like estrogen in the body and can increase the likelihood of breast tumors.
These are just a few examples of how the chemicals we are exposed to play a big role in ill health. Once people become aware they can choose alternatives.
Beth Greer
Ken’s response to me was:
Dear Beth,
You make an excellent point (and I’d recommend that everyone read your wonderful and empowering new book “Super Natural Home: Improve your Health, Home and Planet, One Room at A Time” by Beth Greer). However, I agree that trilions of dollars are spent to cause us to think we want products that are ultimately unhealthy for us. However, I’ve also seen that if people want something different, companies will orient to follow the money. So….we certainly need a better informed populace, better health role models, perhaps some more government influence a la food labeling (but I don’t want my mayor telling me what to eat) and a much more health-oriented culture. Wouldn’t you agree?
All the best,
Ken
P.S. Keep up the GREAT work!
I then responded:
Hi Ken,
Yes, you’re absolutely right, if people want something different, companies will follow, but the key is for people to KNOW to want something different. For example, did you know that while some very large cosmetic companies are raising millions of dollars for breast cancer, they are also producing lipsticks that contain ingredients linked to cancer and other illnesses? It’s time for people to make their voices heard and let cosmetic and personal care companies know that changes need to be made.
Best,
Beth Greer
Ken responded:
Thanks Beth – you’re absoutely right.
Ken
To read Ken’s full column go to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ken-dychtwald/the-biggest-problem-with_b_216446.html
I agree with everything said.
I beleive that the Agri-businesses and pharmeceutical companies are all in cahoots with big corporations. They create food and products that make us sick, and treat us with medications that can only treat the symptom-not cure the problem or disease!
Could this be why President Obama has an “organic” garden? Why not go “organic” for all of America?
I guess that would put a lot of healthcare professionals and insurance companies out of business!
Dianne Gregg
Thank you, I’ve recently been hunting for facts about this topic for ages and yours is the best I’ve discovered so far.