Green Living Here to Stay: Dr. Andrea Purcell describes what the "Go Green" movement means for all of us
Apr 03, 2012 06:23PM ● By By Andrea Purcell, NMD
It seems that the latest trend to sweep major cities across the United States is the Go Green Movement, which suggests that consumer buying power can influence corporations to “clean up their act” and provide cleaner options for human consumption that impact health, life and the environment.
The Go Green movement also provides opportunities for innovation in the creation of new startup companies to offer products and services that support an eco-friendly lifestyle. April is the month of Earth Day and the manifestation of spring eternal, the desert in bloom, the celebration of Easter and the abundant fertility of Mother Earth. A time to recognize that we are part of something beautiful and powerful and that our choices matter, we matter, where we shop matters, cooking at home matters, and how each choice, one by one, changes the world.
The Go Green movement provides healthier options for our homes, cars and bodies, which in turn are better for the environment and for us. We are the most intelligent life form on the planet, yet we often miss the big picture in the daily struggles of life. It is important to remember the Native American saying that rings true, “The Earth does not belong to us, we belong to the Earth.”
We are part of the Earth and cannot be separated from it. That means what pollutes the Earth ultimately pollutes us. Our bodies are like filters; we walk through life filtering everything we eat, drink and breathe. Over time, the filters of our bodies become clogged, just like in our cars or homes. For our cars or homes we can buy replacement filters, but not so for our bodies. The more years we live on planet Earth, the more toxins we accumulate, and this becomes problematic as we age.
To get an idea of this, consider how many decades you have been on the planet. We know that many diseases set in with age, but how many are related to poor lifestyle decisions, body wear-and-tear, environmental toxins or a combination of all three? Our bodies are amazing machines, and they work the best they can in light of these obstacles. When toxins enter our body and our filters are already clogged, then the body looks for safe places to deposit the excess toxins, mainly in fat cells and organs. Over time, this can compromise organ function and lead to disease.
Some of the greatest environmental toxins that contribute to disease are metals such as mercury, lead and aluminum. They are fat-soluble and move up the food chain until they get into our bodies. An example of this is metal dust from refineries; deposited in our oceans and settling on plankton, the little zooplankton eat the plankton, the shrimp eat the zooplankton, small fish eat the shrimp, large fish eat the small fish and we eat the large fish. Tuna, salmon and swordfish have the greatest concentration of toxic metals, due their size and the large numbers of smaller fish that they consume.
Heavy metals are neurotoxins, or something that is toxic to the brain and spinal cord, which allow all of the fundamental workings of the body to take place and regulate the speed at which they occur. Heavy metals have been a suspected cause of many neurological conditions such as tremors, anxiety, depression, cognitive problems, autism, behavioral problems in children, low immune function and infertility. As many women wait to become mothers later in life, heavy metal accumulation is a greater concern, because elevated levels can interfere with the ability to conceive and the neurological development of the child. Testing for total body burden of heavy metals is recommended for any mother-to-be.
Detoxification strategies are also here to stay as more people become aware of the importance of unclogging their filters to regain and maintain health. The goal is balance; supporting our bodies so the scales do not become tipped in an extreme direction that results in disease. An eco-friendly lifestyle helps us maintain balance. The Go Green movement makes sense because we are not immune to the toxins that pollute our seas or the pesticides that dust our crops. As the movement to Go Green benefits the world, it in turn benefits our health, which in turn benefits the new generations, thus completing the circle and cycles of life.
Dr. Andrea Purcell, in private practice at Longevity Medical Health Center, in Phoenix, has just published her latest book, Feed Your Cells! 7 Ways To Make Health Food Fast, Easy, and Gluten Free. For more information call 602-493-2273 or visit 4wecare.com.
