Danger of “ANTIBACTERIALS”

Years ago my husband Bob had a conversation with a co-worker about the additives in the fast foods he ate every day for lunch.  He asked the guy,

     “Does it worry you that these chemicals maybe unhealthy for you? 
The guy replied,
     “I love this stuff and I’m building up a resistance to the harmful effects by eating like this regularly.” 
My husband responded,
     “That resistance just might be called cancer.”
     
     Where do you stand when you here the latest information about something that COULD be bad for you?  As I have been getting more involved with gardening Organic Gardening magazine now pops up on my email, almost daily so I get to read a lot of this news breaking information.  Today the subject I thought I should share as it is particularly appropriate for spa people as the subject is about the problems with antibacterial cleaners.

     The latest villain is Triclosan an ingredient in almost every “antibacterial” product from dish soaps to your toothpaste.  Like many of the chemicals in common household use today Triclosan is known to interfere with human hormones and is suspected of contributing to a rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria.  But wait there’s more! 

     It could be damaging your heart and muscle tissue.

     University of California, Davis found that even moderate triclosan exposure significantly reduced muscular strength and cardiac function in mice and slowed the swimming pace of fish. 

     Even the FDA does not acknowledge that there are additional benefits to using this ingredient and maintain that good old soap and hot water is just as effective. Tufts University reports Triclosan in soap breaks down when exposed to chlorinated water, rendering it ineffective.  What they don’t say is that it also reacts with the chlorine to form chloroform, a carcinogen.  The only reason that it is there is the new and improved excuse or that someone had to make their money back on the deal as far as I am concerned.

What to DO?

• Skip "antibacterial" everything.  It can pop up in unexpected places like the insoles of your sport shoes or the lining of a pillow case.  Be suspicious of anything that says  "germ-killing," "antibacterial," or "odor-killing".  Unbelievably it does not have to be listed as an ingredient in household items.  You will find it on the label of personal care products.

• Check your personal care products.  For a great source of information about “safe” products check the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database.  As you know the skin is an organ of absorption this is particularly so in the mouth, under the arms and on the soles of the feet so check toothpaste, deodorant and soaps particularly carefully.

• Have faith in hot water.   Maybe Granny was onto something, it seems regular old soap and hot water cannot be beat. 

My opinion – it took centuries to discover that maybe Rome fell because they were all just a little mad from the lead in their revolutionary pumping systems and decades for us to find that certain plastics are really disruptive to our hormone.  So, when I read a report like this I tend to ere on the side of caution and go as green as I can and extend the wish that the world comes to its senses one day so none of us has to suffer, mouse, fish, factory worker or grandchild.

CHOOSE ORGANIC FOOD

Since the mid 1970’s Bob and I have eaten mostly organic whole grains, vegetables and fruits.  We have also avoided refined sugars and synthetic additives.  From time to time have been vegan, vegetarian, and even followed a Tibetan “white” foods diet for a month. Like many people now closer to 60 than 30 we have seen organic food shops develop from hippy coops to mega supermarkets, and the choice of organic move from being counter culture to an accepted way of taking care of yourself and the planet.  For myself, I can say I have journeyed from being a tight brown rice eating macrobiotic to a happier, rounder omnivore. I will eat anything given with love or just plain anything available when travelling but still prefer low sugar, non-dairy and wheat free items.  My attitude has become much looser and I can honestly say most of the time I am happy with my broader choices.  Recently, however, I have been wondering if I have been too neurotic all these years.  Then, as chance would have it, an article from Organic Gardening Magazine popped up on my email and I realize I have been on the right track all along and I felt proud about the way I fed my three kids.  I also felt inspired to share the “bones” of the piece on this blog.

 

Let’s be clear all pesticides are designed to kill living things.  They kill by the introduction of:

·         nerve gases that work by disrupting the bug’s nervous system

·         chemicals that unbalance of key reproductive hormones

·         stunting of a plant's ability to absorb life-sustaining trace minerals from the soil so the bugs that eat them are weakened

These chemicals are designed to be harmful to life and to weaken vitality of all living things.  They don’t just get sprayed onto food they get right into our food taking their life diminishing toxins with them and lowering mineral levels.  If you have ever wondered why organic produce tastes better than commercially raised items it is because of the mineral content.  The higher the mineral content is the better, stronger and sweeter the taste of the food.

If you have thought "the dose makes the poison" think again.  Science is now proving that incredibly tiny doses could set a person up for health problems that might not crop up until decades down the line. As these chemicals make it into our air and water our food, cleaning products and cosmetic choices (things we can better control) become ever more important.

If you are still sitting on the fence read the list of illnesses that are now linked to pesticide use.  Then check the list called the DIRTY DOZEN, produce that has the highest level of pesticide sprays and the CLEAN FIFTEEN the least sprayed produce.

SEVEN HEALTH PROBLEMS LINKED TO PESTICIDE USE.

 

1.    Diabetes - tolyfluanid, a fungicide used on farm crops, creates insulin resistance in fat cells and overweight people with higher levels of organochlorine pesticides in their bodies also faced a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

 

2.    Cancer
More than 260 studies link pesticides to various cancers, including lymphoma, leukemia, soft tissue sarcoma, and brain, breast, prostate, bone, bladder, thyroid, colon, liver, and lung cancers, among others.

 

3.    Autism & Other Developmental Diseases
Many insecticides effectively kill bugs by throwing off normal neurological functioning. That same thing appears to be happening in some children. Children with organophosphate pesticide breakdown materials in their urine were far more likely to live with ADHD than kids without the trace pesticide residues.

 

4.    Obesity
Pesticides interfere with your body's ability to regulate the healthy release of hormones. More than 50 pesticides are classified as hormone disruptors, and some of them promote metabolic syndrome and obesity as they accumulate in your cells.

5.    Parkinson's Disease
More than 60 studies show a connection between pesticides and the neurological disease Parkinson's, a condition characterized by uncontrolled trembling.

6.    Infertility
Atrazine, a common chemical weed killer used heavily in the Midwest, on Southern sugar cane farms, and on golf courses have been linked with increased miscarriage and infertility rates. While other pesticides cause a plunge in male testosterone levels.

7.    Birth Defects
Babies conceived during the spring and summer months, a time of year when pesticide use is in full swing, face the highest risk of birth defects.

The Environmental Working Group has released an updated list of the DIRTY DOZEN the fruits and vegetables with the worst pesticide levels.

• Apples
• Celery
• Strawberries
• Peaches
• Spinach
• Nectarines (imported)
• Grapes (imported)
• Sweet bell peppers
• Potatoes
• Blueberries (domestic)
• Lettuce
• Kale/collard greens

Avoid these if you can, wash them very well if you cannot.  If you cannot afford organic everything organic then try shopping for more on the CLEAN FIFTEEN list.

• Onions
• Sweet Corn
• Pineapples
• Avocado
• Asparagus
• Sweet peas
• Mangoes
• Eggplant
• Cantaloupe (domestic)
• Kiwi
• Cabbage
• Watermelon
• Sweet potatoes
• Grapefruit
• Mushrooms

Remember, the market responds to demand.  The more people asking for clean food, pure water and fresh air as a birthright the more it will happen.  Bob and I, personally, have seen amazing changes in the last forty years.  The trick now is to get organic produce to be affordable and make organic items more widely available.  That might mean growing your own.  Basic health and beauty should never be only for the 1%.  The 99% can always find ways to plant seed.  Organic Gardening Magazine might be the best place to start.  I just ordered mine for the year.