Today I am talking about chemicals. More so the ones that interact with us on a physical level. The ones we ingest, put on ourselves, and the ones that are involuntarily put on us. When I say chemicals I am talking about high concentrations of compounds that do not exist normally in nature most likely artificially produced by humans. Now that we have that straight lets dive deeper into the world of chemicals.
Personal Experience
I have become more and more aware of when there are chemicals around me and how I feel after I have come into contact with chemicals. I have realized that chemicals exist in our lives that do more harm than good on a daily basis than we are aware of. In my opinion we have not been protected by the various federal agencies that regulate what we are exposed to in various forms. Even with this realization I still find it hard to lay off of products that have an abnormal amount of chemicals in them. This includes food, cleaning products, and personal hygiene. I frequently write blogs about things I want to change for myself, maybe in an attempt to keep myself accountable for plans I have made for myself to live a happier and more rewarding life. I have made some lasting changes so far that minimize my exposure to unnecessary chemicals. You will never find me in the pharmacy section of the store to buy pills of any kind for myself. I have maintained a vegetarian diet for the last two years. I have stopped using shampoo, hair gel, and most soaps. I don’t drink tap water unless it has been filtered. Then there is the list of things I am trying to do which is too much to list here.. 
Effects of chemicals
There are two main side effects when we come into contact with chemicals. The first is a physical effect on our body and the other is a mental and possibly emotional effect. If you are aware of how you feel after you come into contact with certain chemicals then you can make changes in your life to prevent the bad chemicals from getting into your system and doing damage. And yes there are plenty of chemicals out there doing damage to us on a daily basis. The best advice I can give is be aware of what makes you feel bad and then don’t do it again. Easier said than done of course. The physical effects of chemicals can lead to mental and emotional problems as the organs in our bodies try their best to filter out the bad stuff and get rid of toxins in the body. However if they are present for long periods of time they can overwhelm the body and organs including the brain leading to mental problems and undue suffering.
Food
To me food is the number one thing that people take for granted when it comes to nutrition. I don’t believe we were taught properly in school on the four major food groups. In my opinion we should all be eating more raw organic fruits and vegetables. I strive to eat only raw, uncooked, unprocessed foods with seeds and some nuts mixed in. Some people can’t handle not eating meat, but really I think some humans have evolved to require meat to survive, but we weren’t designed that way. We are the only meat eaters that have to cook our meat in order to eat it, and our teeth are not designed to eat meat unless we have cutting tools or process it. But one of the main reasons I don’t eat meat is because of the chemicals that could be in the meat. From what that animal eats to the injections and additives that are added while the animal is alive or dead it is all too much of a risk. Not to mention the emotional stress the animal may go through that we have no idea about. I have recently seen a study about emotions being carried within our cells as we experience feelings and even when our cells are separated they all sense an emotion from miles away and carry it with them until it is properly released. With animals we have no idea what kinds of chemicals are in the meat especially cheap fast food type meat. Pesticides can even be there since most likely the food that the animals eat comes from a commercial farm that is trying to cut costs at all levels. Processed lunch meats are bad because they have added nitrates to keep the meat fresh. Even though I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables I don’t always get the organic stuff just because it is more expensive. I need to pay more attention to that even though I shop at grocery stores that advertise organic and healthy food. I try to stay away from the standard grocery stores. Anything that has preservatives, food coloring, artificial flavors, and heavy metals should be avoided. If uncertain read the labels. When there are an absurd amount of ingredients I tend to put it back on the shelf. Gas station food is the worst for the amount of ingredients that stuff has in it. Chips, donuts, cookies, candy, soda, and even some bottled water are bad news when on the road and hungry. There have been articles written about the amount of bad stuff in beer. Alcohol in america does not require the ingredients to be listed for some reason. Thanks FDA for looking out for us! Unless it is a special occasion I try to not drink alcohol for the same reasons I don’t eat meat. You don’t know what is in it from an ingredient perspective. You don’t know what pesticides or preservatives have been put on those hops, barley, wheat, grapes, corn, etc. And in general the body has a hard enough time processing alcohol. The organs in the body work overtime when alcohol is present and for heavy drinkers the long term affects will be cancer and organ failure. Hangovers are not just an inconvenient side effect, your body is telling you something, and you should listen. Restaurant food is also a questionable place to eat, just because you have no control of where the food came from. Does that restaurant take the time to pick organic ingredients? My gut will tell me when a restaurant doesn’t use the best freshest ingredients. If I feel like crap after eating there I most likely won’t go back there even if it is delicious. If you would like to read more on food here is a blog post on nutrition for you.
Skin
An organ all in itself the skin can reveal many things about what you put in and on your body. I like chocolate but my skin will break out when I eat it. I just accept it if I choose to eat chocolate which is usually organic dark chocolate but I sometimes will sneak in some M&Ms. When I stopped eating meat my skin seemed to clear up as well. When I eat bread I tend to have a gluten sensitivity and my skin will get itchy especially at night when I am trying to go to sleep. I will also get a rash on my waist when I eat bread with larger amounts of yeast. Enough about me. The skin is capable of absorbing anything you come into contact with. This includes makeup, hygiene products, soap, shampoo, conditioner, cologne, perfume, sun screen, bug spray, chlorinated water, lotion, and creams. Pay attention to the ingredients of these things just as you were eating them. When the chemicals are absorbed they then make their way into the other organs of your body which can cause long term damage.
Smells
For me the worst smell ever is when I walk into a Walmart. It just smells of petroleum based products and preservatives. I want to get what I need and get out. I think our noses are far more useful than we realize in determining what is good for us and what isn’t. What is going into our bodies when we smell something unpleasant? I don’t really know but it seems like it isn’t good. What comes to mind is cigarette smoke. Most people already know that cigarettes are horrible for your health, filled with chemicals, and highly addictive. Guaranteed to get cancer if you continue to smoke cigarettes, and the vapor products are probably not much better as they have to use chemicals to make all of the various tastes and flavors. As cannabis becomes more legal bigger companies are preparing to take advantage of the market share that is unfolding. If you do use cannabis products be aware that the seeds are being modified, and the cigarette companies are getting into the game. We know they don’t care about your health so be careful when that happens. Do you use candles? Something that people are not aware of is that most scented candles use chemicals in the wicks. These chemicals are released into the air and can cause damage to your body just by breathing it in. I have for some time used beeswax candles as they do the opposite of conventional candles. They clean the air with negative ions which is great! I would like to make my own beeswax candles some day and give them to my friends and family. Also be aware of the scented air fresheners as they have the same dangers as conventional candles.
Cleaning products
As humans we like pleasant smells. We like our clothes to smell clean. I have recently stopped using fabric softeners and I plan to use a more natural alternative to store bought laundry detergent soon. That stuff does touch our skin and we also breathe it in. Lots of chemicals in cleaning products. I also try to buy dish soap that is natural as well as all purpose cleaner. There are plenty of plant based products that clean just as good as conventional products. And in general I think bacteria and the need to clean clean clean is over rated. We have lived with bacteria for thousands of years and we are still here. If you take care of your body and your body is healthy it doesn’t have any problem fighting off the bad bacteria.
Medicine
The pharmaceutical companies have really done some damage in our society. Take this pill to feel better, take this pill to go to sleep, take this pill to correct damage from eating poorly. But oh ya you may have side affects, don’t worry about those, just keep buying our pills. It is really sad to me that so many people are dependent on prescription drugs. Let us not forget about cancer. All of these chemicals in our modern day society can cause various forms of cancer in our bodies mostly because we are not taking it upon ourselves to be aware of our surroundings. We trust big companies and the government far too much to keep us healthy when they are making money on us being sick. It is basically poison in my opinion. There are alternative medicines out there that can’t be used or are kept secret because it would hurt profits of big companies. I am optimistic about the future however. With more awareness comes better health and those companies that thrive on us will eventually cave to the fact that they can not control us forever. So do your research and make better choices on what chemicals you allow into your lives. It is a matter of life and death. I hope you choose life.
Alternatives
As people are becoming more aware of the dangers of chemicals that big companies push out on us more and more of us are looking for alternative more natural substances to use for various things in our lives. Of course coconut oil is good for everything it seems. Essential oils are being used more often these days. Going back to the basics that we once used 100’s of years ago seem to be coming back to peoples lives more and more. We don’t need the big companies to provide us with the next big thing because they need to keep their share holders happy. Once again it isn’t all about money, it is about our happiness and living better chemical free lives.
Live better, be happy, and love all that is!
Namaste!