We all want to live long healthy lives, right? And, my guess is that if you, like me, assumed something and it wasn?t right, you probably would want to know, right?

Sadly we all make assumptions even when we don't know we are making them and a lot of the assumptions we make unfortunately have the ability to impact our health daily?

We assume things like?

1. The pesticides, insecticides and other chemicals sprayed on and put in our food are safe
2. GMO ingredients would not be allowed to be used if they weren?t safe
3. Products on our shelves are safe ? why would they be there if they weren?t?
4. Chemicals are tested for safety before they are used in any of our products
5. Baby products wouldn?t contain any chemicals that are detrimental to their health
6. The Cosmetics Industry is regulated and controlled
7. Our skin protects us and therefore we don't have to worry about what we put on it?.

These are just a few of the assumptions we make and ones that I have readily made, but none of the above is in fact true.

In 2001 I had tumours in my spleen and had to have my spleen removed. In 1995 I had endometriosis that bad that I had to have an operation that prevented me from having more children. I have Miranda and Matthew and always dreamed of having four children. The challenge is that I used to lather myself in products that I now know contain chemicals that are unfortunately allowed to be included in any product on the market on the basis they are safe until proven otherwise. If I had that knowledge when I was younger I would never have used even one one-hundredth of the products I used. I simply did not know as most of us don't, we assume and take for granted that the products on our shelves are safe and sadly they are not. I believe, after having personally undertaken the research I have undertaken, having worked with Bill Statham the author of ?The Chemical Maze?, having worked with Professor Marc Cohen, Dr Sarah Lantz (author of Chemical Free Kids) my endometriosis and tumours in my spleen were a result of the incessant use of fragranced products and teeth-whitening products. It is hard to believe how ignorant and how trusting I was and the biggest challenge I believe we face in wellness is to have people actually question if in fact what they are using and/or eating is safe.

Ignorance was not kind to me and it is not kind to the children of recent years or to those being born in today?s society with on average 200 synthetic chemicals in their little bodies. Professor Marc Cohen of RMIT University in Melbourne states openly: ?You never want to be the first born child in today?s world as your mum unknowingly passes her fat soluble chemicals onto you in utero.? He goes on to add that unfortunately because of the high level of chemical exposure we now live with through what we eat, what we put on our skin, the air we breath: ?You should thank your older sibling for taking the hit for you because pregnancy and breastfeeding are two of the fastest ways a woman will detox.?

We can choose to be ignorant or apathetic and/or turn a blind eye but there is a cost in doing so? Our ?developed? world is currently experiencing pandemic levels of illness. Chronic illness is at an all time high, thyroid problems, obesity, cancer, hormone-related diseases plague our modern society. PCOS, Endometriosis, Infertility are at an all time high, male semen quality at an all time low, early onset puberty occurring on average between age eight to ten and there is a 400% increase in the number of baby boys being born where the level of estrogen dominance in their little bodies is causing malformed genitalia (World Health Organisation Report of 2012).

For too long we have been complacent and accepting of things that have slowly but surely slipped into our everyday lives. Instead of seeking food or products from nature, we fuel the corporate giants who have fooled us into believing the garbage they provide us with (highly processed, sugar, trans fat content foods and mostly untested chemical-laden products) will support and sustain our bodies and not hinder or hurt us.

We are not outwardly questioning any of this, or are we? There is a growing movement of people who are deeply concerned. Concerned for our future; the future our kids will inherit, concerned about a planet poisoned by the decisions we have made and the question is, will we continue to make the wrong decisions especially given the solutions aren?t that difficult. We can talk all day about the negative aspects of where we are at, but that isn?t going to solve anything. It will not be people like myself or others wanting nothing more than to provide research and information so that informed choices can in fact be made by those who wish to make informed choices that will transform this. A transformation will only occur at the ground roots level when people stop buying the chemical laden products and switch to the healthy options but that will take understanding what healthy options truly are. Major corporations intent on sustaining their profit share are jumping on the bandwagon in relation to the increase in the demand for healthier options and they are producing ?green-washed? products ??[Tweet “…products that claim to be healthy but in fact aren?t.”]

Sadly, a company can claim something is ?organic? if it has one natural or ?organic? ingredient in it and yet it can contain hundreds if not thousands of chemicals and still be classed as ?organic??, that has to change. The astute consumer educates him or herself and understands that only certified organic products, i.e., products regulated by an organic certification body, that say ?Certified Organic? on the front of the label and contain a recognized certification body logo on the product labeling are in fact the true ?organic? products ? free from the nasty chemicals, pesticides, GMO ingredients so commonly found in the everyday products.

These are recognized certification logo?s:

The below are simply company made logo's not registered certification body logos:

Only an astute consumer understands that certified organic products support, not hinder the body. That certified organic products contain nutrient, antioxidant-rich ingredients that feed the skin and the body from the outside in. That the skin, even though i major role is to protect us, allows on average 60% of what we put on it to enter the bloodstream and organs. That the skin will absorb chemicals into the body up to ten times faster than by way of ingestion simply because the skin does not have the digestive enzymes available to it that the digestive system has to break the chemicals down. Further, the skin does not have the detoxification process of the liver to further break chemicals down.

Most of the everyday skin, hair, beauty, personal and baby care products on the market contain the following classes of chemicals:

• Carcinogens (chemicals known to cause cancer)
• Neurotoxins
• Chemicals that are toxic to the immune system
• Endocrine disruptors (chemicals that mimic our hormones leading to all types of health challenges)
• Teratogens (chemicals that cause embyro and birth defects)
• Obesogens (chemicals that cause our fat cells to multiply and reprogram our cells to become fat cells)
• Genetically modified ingredients

Almost all of the products we use everyday contain the word fragrance not to mention literally hundreds of other chemicals and Dr Carole Hungerford describes ?fragrance? as the number one gender bender ? containing phthalates that are potent endocrine disrupting chemicals.

To me everything is about balance and yes I do give myself little treats occasionally. I predominantly choose to eat certified organic (sometimes it is not possible when I am travelling so much) and I always use certified organic products on my skin, but I too enjoy the nice little treats and lash out occasionally.? For the most part I try to remain conscious with my decisions knowing that every choice I make is either moving me away from or moving me toward the healthiest me I can be.. I believe also our greatest responsibility to the next generation is to leave them with a planet that is worth inhabiting so being mindful of my choices now involves being mindful of the impact those choices have, both on our planet and what's possible for future generations.

About the author

Therese Kerr

Founder at Divine by Therese Kerr | Website | + posts

Therese Kerr is an Australian Organic goodwill ambassador, mother of model Miranda Kerr, public speaker, founder of Divine By Therese Kerrand author of?Lunchbox Solutions.?She?has a passion for organic and natural lifestyles and is an expert on common chemicals found in conventional beauty and body care products.

Therese Kerr?is an official 2015 Australian Organic Awareness Month ambassador.

To find out more about Australian Organic Awareness Month head to the Australian Organic Website or Facebook.

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