I am in the business of wellness. I have been immersed in it since the moment I asked my dad, “Why can’t we own a microwave?”. His reply, “Because we don’t know what it will do to our food and that could affect your health”.
I was in my teens. This struck a cord with me and I grew up and studied Naturopathy. I have been educating, consulting, debunking myths in the realm of health ever since. So when I was asked to share five health newsflashes I’m excited about, well naturally, I couldn’t wait to share the latest with you.
1. Demand for organics is on the rise. Consumers demand cleaner food and this is backed by research on the detrimental health effects of chemicals found in our food chain and environment.
The latest Australian Organic Market Report reveals the nation’s organic industry is worth $1.72 billion, up by 35% since 2012 and growing by over 15% each year. Buying certified organic means you are buying food that is cruelty free, pasture fed, socially responsible, free range, sustainably fished, biodiversity friendly and grown and processed without synthetic pesticides and herbicides, genetic modification, antibiotics and artificial hormones.
Consumers are demanding cleaner food, as confirmed by the latest research, which concludes that hormone-altering chemicals are linked to attention problems, diabetes, and other health problems. Chemicals that can mimic or block oestrogen or other hormones are commonly found in thousands of products around the world, including plastics, pesticides, furniture, and cosmetics.
The estimate was limited to a handful of chemicals commonly found in human bodies: bisphenol-A (BPA), used in hard plastics, food-can linings, and paper receipts; two phthalates used as plasticizers in vinyl products; DDE, the breakdown product of the banned insecticide DDT; organophosphate pesticides, including one called chlorpyrifos used on grain, fruit, and other crops; and brominated flame retardants known as PBDEs that were extensively used in furniture foams until they were banned in Europe and the United States.
BPA, DDE, and the phthalates were examined for their links to obesity and diabetes, phthalates for male reproductive effects, and flame retardants and organophosphate pesticides for neurological effects.
References:
- Austor Organic, AO Report 2014
- National Geographic, Chemicals Endocrine Distruptors Diabetes Toxic Environment, 2015
2. Preconception Care is even more important than ever! Exposure to endocrine disruptors during pregnancy affects the brain two generations later.
Prenatal exposure to low doses of the environmental contaminants polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, change the developing brain in an area involved in metabolism, and some effects are apparent even two generations later, a new study finds. Hereditary effects included increased body weight, but only in descendants of females and not males exposed to PCBs in the womb.
Preconception care, which includes removing all chemicals in the products you use and consume, detoxification and assessing and improving nutritional status is what us Naturopaths have been harping about for the last 3 decades. This is another important reason to choose organic.
Reference: Endocrine Society. ScienceDaily, 5 March 2015.
3. Health gadgets on the rise.
TempTraq, is one of the latest and claims to be the first and only 24-hour intelligent thermometer that continuously senses, records, and sends alerts of a child’s temperature to your mobile device. It is in the form of an adhesive bandage. Placed under the baby or child’s arm, the patch is a Bluetooth-connected sensor that tracks the child’s temperature continuously, with alerts available via a smartphone. The companion app shows both current temperature and historic records, letting parents and doctors spot changes, too. It’s not available for sale as yet but you can sign up here and be informed about its release.
4. Gene testing
Within five years every Australian will be able to know their likelihood of developing cancer, diabetes, heart and other diseases in a breakthrough that will revolutionize health care.
The executive director of the Garvan Institute, Professor John Mattick, says within the next 12 months genetic testing in Australia will move out of the research laboratory and into prime time medicine.
I am excited about this one as I am hoping more research will be put into disease prevention as well as valuing the importance of how we take care of health through food and lifestyle.
5. Just released – the NSW Government provides welcome boost to aboriginal dental services in South Western Sydney.
Aboriginal people have higher oral health needs in all age groups than non-indigenous Australians. This is compounded for those with diabetes and other chronic diseases linked with a higher prevalence of periodontal diseases.
Of all the peoples visited by the nutritional pioneer, Weston A Price, during his historic research expeditions of the 1930s, none elicited as much awe as the Australian Aborigines. Price’s photographs of Aborigines on their native diets illustrate dental structures so perfect as to make the reader wonder whether these people were wearing false teeth.
But like all the other indigenous groups Price studied, the Aborigines soon succumbed to rampant tooth decay and disease of every type when they adopted the “displacing foods of modern commerce” – white flour and sugar, jams, canned foods and tea.
References:
