The Importance of Green Living in the 21st Century

September 18th 2011, marks the 115th anniversary of the birth of chiropractic and its contribution to a wellness based lifestyle. D.D. Palmer, the founder, it turns out was talking green well before it became a household name.

Wellness, or "green living" at its most basic level involves living in balance with nature and with one's self. D.D. Palmer condensed this to three key areas of physical, mental, and chemical wellbeing. Being balanced in these key areas is without doubt, both a lofty and critical goal. Let's take a closer look at the effect of chemicals on our wellbeing and what can be done to create a green environment within our own homes

Toxins refer to anything that does not belong in the body. They may be naturally occurring or man-made. They may come from outside the body or may be generated within. They include some minerals that are poisonous, millions of chemical compounds, living organisms such as bacteria, some electromagnetic energies, and even our thoughts.

The concept that toxic substances cause disease is very ancient. It is mentioned in Greek and Roman medical texts and even older writing as well. Ancient Chinese medical books speak of harmful chi and contain references to toxins that cause illness. Herbal medicine and natural healing methods have emphasized toxin removal for thousands of years. Toxins work in many ways but in the end they prevent the body from functioning the way it is meant to. Let's look at the recent events in Mt. Isa with their lead poisoning as an example.

A list of symptoms caused by lead toxicity is lengthy. Suffice to say that it affects the musculo-skeletal, nervous, cardiovascular, reproductive, digestive and psychological systems. It is a very pervasive and nasty toxin. What it does however is not nearly as important as understanding where it is coming from and how to get rid of it.

It turns out that toxins hitch a ride with nutrients. In other words through the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink etc. Once in the body they exert their effect. Lead displaces calcium. It literally blocks the effect of calcium in the body hence the lengthy list of symptoms. The very astute reader may have noticed that they are recommending, amongst other things, that Mt. Isa residents ensure they have good calcium intake and overall status. The take home point here is that if you are healthy with good mineral and eliminative organ status for example that you will not uptake the toxin and will expel it.

In the end the strategy for green living is quite simple. Avoid exposure and increase your natural immunity and overall wellbeing to deal with the chemicals that are inevitably going to come your way. Some simple strategies to avoid exposure include cleaning up your drinking water. Copper and lead are issues here. Good quality spring water is best for drinking and a shower filter should be installed to eliminate chlorine and other chemicals from being absorbed through the skin and lungs in the shower.

Food should be organic where possible. 75% of all anti-biotics in this country are used, not for humans, but for animals. Residues are inevitable. With plants cadmium (an extremely toxic substance right up there with mercury) is a natural and inevitable by-product of fertilizer. If zinc is deficient in the soil (and it often is) then the cadmium will be taken up into the plant taking the place of the absent zinc. Cadmium in the plant is then absorbed by whatever animal eats it eventually ending up in the apex predators (us).

Around the house we really need to take a very close look at the chemicals we use. There are harmful substances in shampoo, soap, laundry and dishwasher detergent, cleaning solutions, clothing, toothpaste, makeup etc. Skin is the largest organ in the body and is a great big sponge. Products are readily available that are free from known harmful chemicals.

Nutritionally we need to ensure we are in good biochemical status. Anti-oxidants for example work like an air bag. If you have them in adequate amounts they will minimize the impact but don't stop you from having the original crash. In other words you need good mineral, vitamin and antioxidant status BEFORE you have a crash (chemical exposure) to best deal with it. This is why calcium is so important for Mt. Isa residents BEFORE they are exposed to lead.

So it should be clear that minimizing exposure and maximizing body function is the key to being well and our modern day "green" lifestyle can contribute and accomplish this. A warning is important here. It has become clear that supplements are essential to complement diet. A problem is that with nutritional status too much of something is just as damaging as too little. The warning is therefore don't supplement haphazardly, guessing at what you need. Talk to an expert and determine what you need and regularly retest or measure to determine that you are on track and not over or under dosing.

Green living and the wellness lifestyle are in my opinion no longer an option. As in any ecosystem there is a delicate balance and if you keep putting toxins in eventually the ecosystem fails. We owe it to our health and our children and our future children to ensure the health of ourselves and our planet.

For more information please contact the author Dr. Todd Lizon (chiropractor).