Sustainability and Toxic Free Living

By Sharyn Wynters, California – September 2010

When you are in your 20s with lots of energy and enthusiasm, there are not
many things that hold you back. But failing health can put a crimp on just about
anyone’s style. That’s where I found myself when I was diagnosed with a
degenerative disease. Rather than accept the medical prognosis for my future I
chose to re-evaluate almost everything in my life.
I discovered the role of toxins in the development of disease. As I eliminated
them from food, water, personal care products, cleaners, and other areas of my
environment, my health improved. Eventually, I was pronounced disease-free. My
experience changed my life and it gave me a new passion.
I studied naturopathic medicine and many other disciplines—all the while
paying close attention to the growing deluge of environmental toxins around us.
Ultimately, I realized that going toxin-free did more than just support my health—it
supported the health of the entire planet.
The industrial revolution brought many advances in technology, but as
scientists began to manipulate natural substances in a well-meaning attempt to
create better, stronger, longer-lasting, more resilient, more colorful, and more
potent products, they also unwittingly created more toxins.
Unrecognized at first, and often discovered by accident, technology had
produced products (as well as wastes and byproducts) that were foreign to the
human body. They were also foreign to the ecosystem. At first, the solution was
simple: bury them, dump them in the water, or burn them. (These are also the
body’s initial strategies to deal with foreign wastes).
But an “out of sight—out of mind” mentality can only last so long. As more
and more toxins resulted from the continual development of glues and adhesives,
dyes and paints, plastics and polymers, preservatives, synthetics, etc., it eventually
became obvious that there were consequences from our technological advances.
Today, the human race has chemically-altered products for every purpose
imaginable. In agriculture, there are chemicals to kill pests, to make foods ripen
faster, to make foods grow bigger, and to lengthen their shelf life. In the food-
processing industry, chemicals are used to bleach flour, to add colors to food, to
preserve freshness, to line cans and boxes, and to trick your taste buds.
The textile industry uses chemicals to make fabric. More chemicals are used
to soften the fabric, to add color to it, to keep it from wrinkling, to make it fire
retardant, to create resistance to stains, to keep it from collecting static, and to
make it water resistant.
In the personal care industry, chemicals are used to create suds, remove
grease, stiffen your hair, make your skin feel smooth, stop you from perspiring,
change your hair color, lengthen your eyelashes, and make you smell good.
Unfortunately, these unnatural substances are now known to cause birth
defects, hyperactivity, learning disabilities, early onset of puberty, and
developmental problems. Many of these chemicals are known to cause allergies,
asthma, and other respiratory problems. Others are known to cause neurological
disorders, sexual dysfunction, and cancer.
A careful examination of the ecosystem reveals similar problems for the
Earth itself. Certainly the correlation to respiratory problems is obvious, as well as
the correlation between cancer and toxic waste dumps. Choked waterways struggling
to move wastes out to sea are similar to our sluggish lymphatic systems working
overtime to pump wastes from the human body.
What is the solution? My personal journey has shown me the connection
between the human body and the Earth itself. My attempts to live toxin-free have
repeatedly led me to sustainable options. They are everywhere from organic farming
and chemical-free agriculture to sustainable building practices that shun non-
degradable plastics, formaldehyde-ridden lumber, and mercury-containing
fluorescent lights. Sustainability and toxin-free living both attempt to bring balance
and harmony—the only real solution. They go hand in hand. They support each other
—they support us all.

Sharyn Wynters, ND, is the author of the new book, SURVIVE! A Family
guide to Thriving in a Toxic World. The book provides valuable information
and real solutions for thriving in our toxic world. It also inspires an
awareness of our connection with the Earth.

For more information you can go

to:www.wyntersway.com and www.sharynwynters.com.