Plastic and Health

It is really unbelievable how much plastic we use in our everyday lives. Most of this plastic is pretty obvious. There is plastic packaging from tupperware, shampoo bottles, water bottles, granola bar packaging, shopping bags, the impossible to open packaging on children's toys, and so on and so on. Then there are the spaces we live in including insulation, windows, flooring, and the list goes on. There is also all of the things we use from day to day from toothbrushes (the handle), to coffee makers, to computers (casings), to toys, to cars, and another endless list of items.

There are also some other uses of plastic which are slightly less obvious. Many of our clothes are made from polyester, which is a type of plastic. There is now plastic lumber and things that used to be made of wood, such as picnic tables and decks, can now be made of plastic. Acrylic is another type of plastic that can be found in many items including paint. Plastic is even used as an additive in some fuels.

There are so many benefits to using plastics: they're affordable, flexible, light-weight, durable, and, as can be seen above, can be changed to be used in almost any way imaginable. In a society such as ours, it is no wonder that we have let plastic take over. Unfortunately, there are also many disadvantages to plastic.

Only some plastics are recyclable, and those that aren't don't biodegrade easily so they sit in landfills for up to thousands of years. Often, plastics don't even end up in the landfill but land in our rivers, lakes and oceans where they disturb marine life. Plastic is made of oil and we already know some of the problems with oil including that there is only so much oil to go around.

There are also additives put into plastic that cause health problems in people. The most notable of these are BPA and phthalates.^[1] Other chemicals have been found to leach out of certain plastics. All of these chemicals affect our environment and ourselves. There are many health issues now being found related to these chemicals including asthma, lower immune response, obesity and reproductive issues.^[1]

So what can we do about all this? We certainly can't change society overnight, particularly considering all of the benefits of plastics. Well, step 1 is to become aware of plastic and how we use it. Reduce how much plastic you use when you can and recycle whenever possible. Perhaps one day, we can find a healthier balance in our use of plastics.

[1] Emily Main. Protect Your Health: Shrink Your Plastic Profile, 2010. Accessed February 21, 2011 from http://www.rodale.com/disadvantages-plastic
Plastic Bottles: Keattikorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Doctor or No Doctor?

People who believe in holistic health often use a wide variety of complementary and/or alternative health practices. But what about conventional medicine? Holistic health practitioners and users vary in this regard - some will avoid conventional doctors at any cost. As for me, I see a conventional physician (a family doctor) on a regular basis.

I agree that, in general, conventional medicine sometimes relies too quickly on "quick fixes" such as pharmaceuticals and surgery. Also, conventional medicine often overlooks mental, emotional and spiritual causes of physical disease. But ignoring the system altogether is somewhat analogous to throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

There are many wonderful benefits to conventional medicine. Doctors excel at emergency trauma and disease diagnosis. If I break my arm, I want an x-ray and a cast. Then I can come home and take flower essences and get some Reiki. If I have cancer, my best chance may be to get chemotherapy in combination with complementary practices (though every such situation is different and requires a great deal of consideration). If I get a cold, I stay away from conventional doctors unless I know that something is really wrong. I also see my family doctor for an annual physical. My doctor can keep track of what is going on in my life and health and send me for tests if things don't seem quite right.

Ideally, each one of us would have a family doctor with whom we could discuss our lives and health, including our use of complementary and alternative therapies (CAM). Unfortunately, many doctors are not supportive of CAM use. Even more unfortunately, is that many people do not have access to a family doctor.

If there are many physicians accepting new clients, you may want to try a few different physicians to find one whose views are compatible with your own. Seeing a family physician may allow you to discover an illness early, when complementary and alternative practices have a better chance of being useful... and that's definitely a good thing.

Massage Therapy

Massage therapy is getting to be so common in our society that most people forget that it is really a complementary/alternative therapy. Though I find that I am not able to experience massage therapy as often as I would like, it is something that I do not want to live without!

According to the US National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine:

The term "massage therapy" encompasses many different techniques (see box for examples). In general, therapists press, rub, and otherwise manipulate the muscles and other soft tissues of the body. They most often use their hands and fingers, but may use their forearms, elbows, or feet.^[1]

There are so many benefits to massage therapy, the best in my mind being the general relaxation. Massage therapy has also been shown to reduce anxiety, blood pressure and heart rate.^[1] Over multiple sessions massage therapy can reduce the tendency to be anxious, and reduce depression and pain.^[1] There is also some evidence that supports the use of massage therapy to help with a wide variety of diseases including fibromyalgia and sleep disorders.

And there isn't just one type of massage therapy. Some of the most commonly known types are relaxation massage and deep tissue massage, but there are many other kinds including Swedish massage, hot stone massage, Thai massage and Shiatsu. Each type of massage therapy has a different background, involves different techniques and provides different benefits. Even among massage therapists of a particular type there are wide variations in style and strength so you may need to explore your options.

There are certain conditions that are not compatible with massage therapy. A well-trained massage therapist will know whether your situation warrants massage but you will not likely be able to experience massage if you have a fever, blood clots, kidney or liver conditions, serious inflammation, or uncontrolled hypertension. If you are pregnant, it would be wise to visit a massage therapist trained in prenatal massage as there are special precautions to be taken in that case.

When my back is tense, there's nothing I want more than a good deep tissue massage. Have you tried massage therapy?

[1] NCCAM. Massage Therapy: An Introduction, accessed February 6, 2011 from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/massage/massageintroduction.htm

Breastfeeding Benefits

There are so many things to be said about breastfeeding, yet most everything I would like to say references the benefits of breastfeeding. So, even though you can find this information in a host of different places, I'll put it in my own words.

There are only a few physical medical reasons that a mother should not at least attempt to breastfeed an infant, including the baby having galactosemia, or the mother taking certain drugs such as chemotherapy. You can find a more complete list here: US Center for Disease Control on Breastfeeding. Mental/emotional or other issues that may prevent breastfeeding are certainly possible as well. If there is no significant reason to prevent a mother from breastfeeding, here's a little look at why it's the best option available for feeding an infant.

Breastfeeding is so good for babies!

• The first milk that comes from a mother after a baby is born isn't really milk but colostrum. Colostrum is full not only of nutrients but of antibodies. These antibodies help protect the baby from it's first encounters with the microorganisms of the world. Many mothers (and others) worry about the tiny amount of colostrum that the baby gets but infants' tummies are tiny and the colostrum they get is just right.
• Breast milk then changes over time. The colostrum turns into milk after a few days, but the changes don't stop there; the milk changes in the amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein that are available to the baby as he or she grows.
• Breast milk is also easier for infants to digest. Human milk has human proteins whereas formula is created from cow milk or soy milk, each which can be difficult for babies to learn to digest.
• Breast milk helps prevent disease. Infants who are breastfed are less likely than formula-fed infants to experience ear infections, diarrhea, asthma, obesity, diabetes, childhood leukemia and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and more.

But if that's not good enough for you, breastfeeding benefits mothers too!

• Breast milk is easier to do (at least over time) than bottle feeding. There are no bottles to prepare or sterilize and the breast milk is always at the right temperature, any time of the day or night.
• Breastfeeding can save money. It's unbelievable how expensive formula can be - especially if your infant has dairy allergies.
• Breastfeeding can help mothers lose the weight put on during pregnancy.
• Breastfeeding provides long-lasting health benefits to a mother including reduced risks of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and postpartum depression.

Breastfeeding is definitely not all butterflies and roses. Particularly at first, breastfeeding can prove particularly challenging. It is not possible for every mother and infant, but when it is possible, with a little persistence and a lot of love, breastfeeding can bring a lifetime of benefits.

[1] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Why Breastfeeding is Important, accessed January 25, 2011 from http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/why-breastfeeding-is-important/