The Modern Day Lifestyle - A Toxic Wasteland

By Michael Tomberlin

Cell phones, high tech devices, fast food, microwaves, plastics ... these are just a few of the many modern-day lifestyle conveniences we use every day. Our lives have changed dramatically over the past 100 years. Science and technology have advanced in such a way as to be able to create some amazing products that have enhanced our lives in many beneficial ways.

But all these advances and conveniences have not come without a cost. Due to the technological advances since the Industrial Revolution, industries have continued to pour dangerous chemicals and pollutants into our waterways, soil and into the air we breathe. Science has continually discovered cheaper and better ways to create synthetic materials that mimic what we could get from nature.

We are surrounded by hundreds of thousands of new synthetic materials many of which are highly toxic. Much of our water, food and air is polluted by chemicals that are not biodegradable or take many years to break down. Every day we are exposed to thousands of toxins that slowly accumulate in our bodies. The scary part is we don't have to work in a factory or live next to a landfill to be exposed to these toxins. We get exposed to thousands of toxins everyday in our own homes and just by going about our modern daily lives.

Many of the chemicals are ingested through our food and food containers. Pesticides have become a staple for the modern-day farmer. They are continually sprayed onto our land and subsequently make it into our food supply. Pesticides can hang around in our environment for decades. For example, DDT, which was banned in the 1970's, can still be found in foods such as our dairy products.

These pesticides not only don't break down in the environment, they don't break down within our bodies. They get stored in our fatty tissues and in the tissues of animal fat. So the chicken, beef and pork we eat is supplying us with even more toxins (most animals are also given lots of other chemicals like antibiotics during the time they are being raised). And don't forget our brains are about 60% lipid (fat) material so the toxins within our body are affecting us mentally as well as physically.

Our modern processed foods have so much added to them. These food additives include preservatives, bleaching agents, emulsifiers, texturizers, humectants and ripening agents. And scarier still many of these additives are made from petroleum or coal tar!

We also ingest toxins through the water we drink. Pretty much anything sprayed on our land or in the air ends up in the water supply. Municipal water treatment plants don't detoxify water from most the chemical pollutants. In fact they add chemicals, like chlorine, to try to kill dangerous bacteria and parasites but that also form toxins for our bodies.

We breathe in toxins from the air. Solvents are everywhere. In 1993 alone more than 1,672,127,735 pounds of toxic chemicals were released into the air we breathe (EPA - Toxic Release Inventory of 1993). They are used in almost all cleaning products and in materials we use every day. Formaldehyde can be found in building materials, carpets, curtains and even make-up (cosmetics).

You can even absorb all these toxins through your skin. The solvents that don't out gas into the air can be absorbed when you come in contact with them in the solid form. Every time your baby crawls across the floor they are absorbing toxins from the carpet and the cleaners you sprayed around the house. Every time you use lotion, hand sanitizer, perfume, shampoo and put on your clothes you are absorbing toxins. And for many women, the morning routine of putting on make-up is a routine of applying toxins to their bodies. Cosmetics are some of the worst and most toxic products you can use.

Toxins are everywhere. They are pretty much unavoidable in our modern day lifestyle. But before you throw in the towel and give in to all the doom and gloom, let me tell you that you can still live a long and healthy life.

Our bodies are amazing machines. They are actually made to handle toxins and rid them from our bodies. The liver and the kidney along with various other organs in our body actually remove toxins from the blood and the cells and send it back out as waste.

So there you go, problem solved. A hundred years ago yes, problem solved. Today, there is just so much toxicity in the environment and the nutrition level of the foods we eat has been diminished so much that our body just can't keep up.

But I am here to tell you that it is still possible to live a long and healthy life. The secret is to avoid some of the toxins by understanding where they are and which are the worst. You don't have to completely change your life and check out of your modern day lifestyle, you just need to change some little things.

You also MUST supplement your diet. It is virtually impossible to get the nutrients you need from the foods available. Even the medical establishment has finally broken down and most doctors will agree that at least a multivitamin is necessary in today's diet (beware which one you choose, remember many supplements have additives and toxins in them so they really aren't helping if you choose these brands).

And it is a big deal when I say that the medical establishment has started agreeing with the fact that supplementation is necessary. Most doctors are not ever taught the ill effects of chemicals and fewer still learn the importance of nutrition. They really just aren't aware of how pervasive synthetic chemicals are.
Doctors are trained to believe chemicals (known to most of us as prescription drugs) are the answer, not the problem.

Some solutions offered by doctors, pharmaceutical drugs, include highly toxic chemicals such as pesticides and heavy metals that may actually add to the problem. The health of pharmaceutical industry has never been better, but the health of the general public has continued to plummet and really has never been much worse.

The consequence of our modern lifestyle and the constant poisoning it has placed on the human population has been linked to the development of an ever increasing number of diseases. These include things like obesity, asthma, a variety of autoimmune diseases, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, and thyroid disease.

All of these ailments have increased dramatically over the last 50 years. In fact the generation being born right now is predicted to be the first generation to actually have a shorter lifespan then the previous generation.
Millions of dollars are spent each year to combat these diseases but most research is geared towards finding treatments. This research has resulted in the development and MARKETING of an increasing number of drugs designed to tweak the system and CONTROL SYMPTOMS but usually NOT CURE the disease.
Like I said before, the pharmaceutical companies are not hurting. It is like they are just throwing band-aids on the problems and covering them up. Take this drug or that one and if it causes another symptom, just add another drug to help hide it. It is a never ending cycle.

Now is the time to break the cycle. A few companies are taking another path; a path of health and nutrition and disease prevention. Why wait until the body is so rundown and overrun with the toxins and poisons only to add more drugs and chemicals to try and hide the symptoms.

Start taking care of your body now by giving it the nutrition it needs to take care of itself. Your body truly is a miraculous thing that can heal and take care of itself when it is given what it needs. Don't wait; your health is truly your greatest wealth!

Michael Tomberlin has been teaching young people for over ten years. He is now directing his efforts to teaching people more about physical, financial and environmental health. He has a website at http://www.healthylife-healthyplanet.com. You can visit him there or contact Michael directly at michael@healthylife-healthyplanet.com with any concerns, comments or questions. When you are ready to start your journey to better health, let me know. I can give you honest science and real research for you to read and then decide for yourself if this is the path for you. Here's to your health!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Tomberlin
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Modern-Day-Lifestyle---A-Toxic-Wasteland&id=4010552