IT does not take an Einstein to understand that clean air, pure water, and unpolluted environment are conducive to health and longevity. In certain parts of the world, like in the serene Okinawa to the verdant valleys of Ecuador to the unspoiled hills of the Himalayas, a significant number of people normally live to a hundred. A common denominator among these centenarians is an environment that is nature’s best, untainted by the toxic byproducts of the advances in technology in this modern world of ours.
Today, man, in most parts of the earth, especially in well-developed cities, is no longer living in harmony with nature. He has been hostile to his environment, gradually killing it with poisonous gases and deadly chemicals from our factories and toxic smoke from our vehicles that pollute the air and deplete the ozone layer which shields and protects us from dangerous solar radiation. Irresponsible massive deforestation, obviously for financial gains and disregarding the law of nature, has caused widespread flooding and mudslides that kill thousands every year. Individually, we use countless noxious chemicals at home for cleaning which eventually end up in rivers and oceans that destroy bodies of water and their priceless inhabitants and contaminate our drinking water. And there are other human activities, some criminal like arson-causing forest fires, that negatively alter the “homeostasis” in our world, as well as the equilibrium in our environment and in our own selves.
These unwise and negligent human behaviors against Planet Earth and Mother Nature for centuries have boomeranged, causing untold calamities worldwide in the form of human diseases and destruction of our physical milieu, not to mention their immeasurable adverse effects on the human psyche around the globe. Our immune system as a species, for one, has been negatively impacted. Various diseases, including cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, diseases of the heart, lungs, and various other organs, and some unexplained ailments, have increased, especially in the last century or so. Our misadventures are now haunting us and our children.
While the governments of the world are trying to remedy this dire global “climate change,” it behooves us, earthlings, to do our daily share in showing more respect and love for our environment. After all, Planet Earth is the only home we’ve got today. And destroying it is like helping detonate a bomb on board a plane we are in.
Organic is healthier
Most of the produce and products on the market today are “contaminated” with some type of chemicals used in fertilizing them, protecting them, making them more appealing, preserving them, or enriching them. Let’s opt for organic foods, vegetables, meat products, fruits, etc. that are raised and produced without pesticides, herbicides, hormones, antibiotics, preservatives and coloring. We must also avoid processed foods, which increase our risk for cancer.
Versatile plastic wares abound in the world, many of them releasing vinyl chloride and other toxic gases, or phthalates, which are cancer and birth defect-causing agents, and which are also harmful to the lungs and liver. Surprisingly, unbeknownst to most of us, some plastics are also used in chewing gum, cosmetics, carpeting, mattresses, toilet paper, sanitary napkins, polyester clothing, and tissue paper. The use of glass containers, natural fiber clothing, personal care-cosmetic products made with natural ingredients, wooden toys for kids, etc. and staying away from aluminum cookware to prevent aluminum poisoning, are the healthier ways to go.
All white paper products are bleached with chemicals that leave behind residues of cancer-causing dioxin, which are likewise found in lunch bags, coffee filters, diapers, paper towels, napkins, tissue, and toilet paper. Dioxin, like other harmful chemicals, enters the soil and eventually contaminates groundwater.
The use of organic household cleaners, otherwise known as “Green Your Clean Routine,” is the safer and healthier alternative. An effective and safer cleanser, for instance, is diluted vinegar for use in the kitchen and bathroom tiles, mirrors, and even in carpets to inhibit mildew and bacteria. For hand sanitizer against viruses, alcohol (must be 75 percent or higher) is effective, but frequent handwashing with soap is still the safest. For COVID-19, social distancing is beneficial, and vaccination is a must to prevent getting infected with this killer virus with its Delta variant, and now, the new South African Omicron strain, which experts are closely monitoring.
Our obligation
The corporate world, our community, and we, as individuals, have the moral duty and responsibility as members of society to protect and preserve our planet and Mother Nature for our survival and the survival of our family and all our fellow human beings traveling with us in this journey on Planet Earth. We, as a species, our genus, our race, will only survive if we all endeavor together to save Mother Earth. We do not have any other option. If we don’t stop poisoning and destroying our only home where we are all trapped, the end of man is not far behind. I pray that reality catches up with our race sooner than later while there is still time.
The basic principle in all this is for us, the inhabitants of Planet Earth, to be responsible and be good to our environment by not contaminating our natural habitat with poisons in whatever form, and to allow Mother Nature to flourish at its best. We each can start this education, positive awareness, behavioral modification, compassion, and responsible practices in our own homes and community.
The purer the air we breathe in, the cleaner the water we drink, the more unadulterated food we eat, the more robust the ozone layer is, and the healthier our lifestyle is, the more wonderful our world will be, not only for us and our loved ones, but for humankind as a whole and for all the future generations to come.
Before the year 2021 ends, in the midst of this deadly COVID-19 pandemic which has so far killed 5.3 million, let’s be wiser and kinder to ourselves. Let us protect ourselves and others around us by wearing a mask and doing social distancing in public. More importantly, let us all get vaccinated. More than 4.5 billion people have been safely vaccinated around the world, with more than 230 million of them in the United States. It is really a matter of life and death.
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health.
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Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, a Health Public Advocate, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian and anti-graft foundation in the United States. Visit our websites: philipSchua.com and FUN8888.com Email: [email protected]
