In the quest to minimize toxic exposure, many people have started transitioning to more organic fruits and vegetables, but fewer people think to look for toxins in baby shampoo, cosmetics or toothpaste.
It’s there.
Personal hygiene products are drawing increasing attention from physicians and scientists who are growing alarmed by what they are finding.
“In the last 50 years, the introduction of new chemicals has grown exponentially. If they are not ingested, they are not so rigorously reviewed. We are swimming in a toxic pool, and we can each start to lessen our exposure,” said Dr. Jill Carnahan, a Peoria, Ill., physician at the Methodist Center for Integrative Medicine.
“For me, it started with switching shampoo, soap and then makeup. Anything that goes on the skin or hair should be the first item on your agenda.”
Rather than feeling overwhelmed by the task, she suggests people visualize toxic exposure as carrying a load of bricks. Each brick removed from the pile lightens the load and makes it easier for the body to carry the remaining weight.
Each brick added to the load approaches a tipping point that could lead to adverse health effects including disease, obesity or chronic conditions.
The liver works to remove toxins from the body and like a car filter, it can become clogged and unable to continue its cleansing function, Carnahan said.
“There is a huge increase in the pharmaceutical drugs applied to the skin and absorbed. If you use a lotion every day, that can be significant exposure,” she said. “Cancer patients especially want to reduce their exposures. They want a clean environment.”
Safety score
Carnahan uses an app on her iPhone called the GoodGuide. She uses it while shopping to scan in the bar code on items she’s interested in purchasing and receives a score on the product’s relative safety.
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If you have to go somewhere close consider riding your bike or walking there instead of your car. It is better on the environment and healthier.
