When I’m knee deep in research into the impacts of environmental chemicals on health, it can be very sobering, and frankly, very depressing. Every day I get a digest of the top news headlines around the world relating to environmental health issues, and 95% of those headlines are not positive, upbeat, or in any way good news.
Here’s what I mean:
More women prescribed psychiatric drugs and left at risk of birth defects.
How climate change could make mercury pollution worse.
EPA warns modernizing Chicago water system may boost levels of lead.
Report: Environmental chemicals are a pregnancy risk.
254 Superfund sites threaten Long Island’s drinking water.
Pesticides’ effect on generations of field-workers.
Not very cheery is it?
So why do this work? Why bury myself in grim headlines, with scary statistics, and talk of birth defects, and cancers?
BECAUSE IT MATTERS. Because I’m not content to sit around waiting for government policies to protect us. Because I want to be pro-active about protecting my health. And because I know that you – my community of health & wellness professionals, are equally dedicated to protecting your own health and to changing the world by helping other do the same. Because even small changes help. Avoiding canned foods, reducing plastics, filtering your water, choosing safer, cleaner shampoos, lotions, and soaps… opening your windows, filling your house with plants… all of these things help.
AND, I do this work because no one else in our community of health & wellness professionals has stood up to do it!!
So while reading all those headlines can get me down, seeing how open, responsive, and hungry this community of practitioners are to learn about this – for themselves, their families, and their clients – past, present and future – well, shit, that just lifts me right up and make all that grim reading worth it!
So thank you 🙂
