The Big C Causing Havoc
Last week I was watching Die Hard with a friend for the umpteenth time and marvelling at how great a career the “bad guy” in the movie (Hans Gruber) had gone on to have. That career has now been cut short, as actor Alan Rickman passed away overnight of cancer, aged 69.
Amazingly, in the same week, the world lost another legendary entertainer, with singer David Bowie also passing away from cancer, aged 69.
Both these superstars have lost their lives at a comparatively young age, in a time where modern medicine has increased our life expectancy significantly and more and more people push on towards triple digits.
But unfortunately more and more people are also succumbing to our deadliest killer, which cuts short the lives of not only those in the spotlight, but our family, friends and millions of strangers.
In 2015, nearly 50,000 Australians died from cancer. The risk of being diagnosed with cancer by age 85 is now 1 in 2. And this continues to rise!
While a lot of time and money (rightfully) goes into research for a cure, not nearly enough attention is placed on cancer prevention. It is true that genetics and other factors we still don’t fully understand can play a part in cancer, but a large number of cases are due to environmental factors that we have significant control over.
A person’s cancer risk can be reduced with healthy choices like avoiding tobacco, limiting alcohol use, using safety-conscious products at home, eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, keeping a healthy weight, and being physically active.
A major factor contributing to the increased prevalence of cancer in today’s society (along with a range of other health issues) is prolonged exposure to toxins or harmful chemicals. Human biomonitoring studies show that many environmental contaminants, including known and potential carcinogens, are finding their way into people’s bodies through chemicals in consumer products.
Toxic exposure in our homes
Our homes are full of products loaded with toxins, from shampoos and shower gels to dishwashing liquid and laundry powder. There is no real control over what the mainstream brands choose to put in their cleaning and person care products because they are not ingestibles (not being eaten).
However these items are placed directly on our skin which makes it even easier for them to be absorbed into our bloodstream. And so starts our prolonged exposure to toxins, with the majority of us totally unaware it’s even happening!
And we can’t blame the consumers for putting themselves at risk. After all, I would assume that if I buy a product for my body from a well known brand, it must have gone through rigorous testing and government safeguards, and can’t possibly be harmful to my health. And I did assume exactly that, until I saw this 2 minute video:
After watching the above video, I immediately stopped buying supermarket cleaning and personal care products and haven’t looked back! For the past couple of years, I have made it my mission to spread awareness about the health risks associated with prolonged exposure to harmful ingredients in the products we use on a daily basis. And thankfully, found a company that aligns perfectly with this.
Modere launched the “10 million healthy homes” campaign in an effort to help people easily make the switch to safety-conscious products that are 100% free of harmful ingredients. They are doing their part to help reduce the prevalence of cancer, as well as looking after the environment, never testing on animals and donating strongly to numerous charities.
David Bowie left an amazing legacy with the brilliant songs he produced over 6 decades. I don’t have quite the voice he did, but would love to leave my own legacy, helping others make healthy decisions, and hoping to give cancer a big kick in the teeth!
