Toxic Environment
While waiting to see Rachel’s DAN (Defeat Autism Now) doctor, a book in the waiting room caught my eye. I can’t remember the exact title, but I do remember that it terrified me—something about toxins in our daily environments. By the time the doctor was ready to see me I was in a near state of panic. I’d just been contemplating running outdoors, waving my hands in the air, and screaming, “We’re all going to die!”
I, thankfully, came to my senses, but the knot in my stomach didn’t go away. According to that book, everything is toxic—water, food, soap, detergent, cleaning supplies, medications, toys, air! The list goes on. The author also reported that many of our problems today (including some of our disabilities) are caused by or exacerbated by toxins. And we are all dying a slow death because of said toxins. So, I was right … “We’re all going to die!”
OK, time for a reality check. Yes. The biggest fact of life is that we are going to die, and now I ask myself if that is all bad? No, as a Christian, I know I will die to this world, but because of Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross my life will not end! In fact, it will be infinitely better. Heaven is a place without toxins and parasites and germs and disease and disabilities and sorrow! In Heaven, everyone and everything will be made whole. And that is something to look forward to.
Amen. But I am not going to stick my head in the sand down here either. Yes, there are things we just can't avoid, and no point becoming insane over it, but there are MANY things we can do to lower our exposure to toxins, and I believe we would be remiss to not do what we can, even one baby step at a time. It's kind of like saying "this earth is going to burn anyway, so who cares about re-cycling". I mean, God made us caretakers of this earth while we are on it, and our healthy, miraculously designed bodies are a beautiful gift from Him which we should care for as well.
We started with removing all chemicals and non-biodegradable cleaning products from the home. We use a combination of some Shaklee products, some Melaleuca. Since doing this my dh has gone from having severe allergies (perscriptions 10 months of the year), to only 1 week of slight runny eyes/nose at the height of spring blooming (we live in the country SURROUNDED by trees and crops that bloom for hundreds of acres around us). This is JUST from going from chemical to natural cleaners.
No, don't freak out. We will never free ourselves from toxins, we live in a toxic world. But do be informed, and do what little you can to make healthy choices. Every little bit helps.
Prairie Chick,
I agree that we should "not stick our heads in the sand" when it comes to taking better care of the resources God gave us. And I believe this includes our health. My family has also benefitted from some of the same changes you have. As you said, every little bit helps.
We are not to have a spirit of fear. We could be ran over by a car, choke on a carrot stick, or slip on the stairs and fall. We could do a lot of things. And, a lot of things could kill us. Only God knows when He will call us home. We need to spend our time focusing on what we can do for HIM rather than avoiding all the other stuff. It's just fluff in the end 🙂
God bless,
Sallie
I too run in fear. Yesterday I came upon a factoid, "The food with the highest toxin level is at the very top of the food chain…human breastmilk." I almost cried for my nursing infant. They quickly assured, "…but Breastmilk is still best," but that provided little comfort. i think I need to do some of the stewardship tips mentioned above.