Did you know that cancer is currently the #2 cause of death in America?

Even scarier, the World Cancer Report estimates a 50% increase in cancer rates from 2003 to 2020, with 15,000,000 cases expected to be diagnosed in 2020.

It is estimated that there will be 1,762,450 new cancer diagnoses and 606,880 cancer deaths in 2019.  That means that 1,660 people will die from cancer every day.  Sadly, 1 in 3 cases of cancer in the United States is directly linked to poor diet, obesity, physical inactivity, or chemical exposure.  In fact, according to the American Cancer Society, only 5-10% of all cancer cases are related to genetics.  That means that up to 95% of cancer cases are within our control!  95 percent!  That also means that our lifestyle choices have the power to greatly influence our cancer rates.

Most people know that obesity and physical inactivity have negative impacts on our bodies.  Likewise, it’s common knowledge that a poor diet lacking in nourishing foods, like fruits and vegetables, can lead to chronic symptoms.  Most people also know that smoking and excessively drinking alcohol can be destructive.  It’s generally accepted that all of these lifestyle choices come with negative consequences.

However, the impacts of the chemicals in our everyday environment are often overlooked because they aren’t as obvious.  But we’re subjected to thousands of chemicals on a daily basis, and they can play a significant role in our health.  The modern makeup, hair care, skin care, soap products, cleaning products, and home products (candles, room sprays, etc.) that we use today can be loaded with hormone disrupting chemicals that cause all sorts of negative side effects.

Not only that, our livers are so overworked constantly trying to detox our bodies from these chemicals that were never meant to be in our bodies in the first place. With the average woman applying 80 chemicals to her body before breakfast, it’s no wonder we’re so exhausted and have unbalanced hormones!  In fact, it’s estimated that we come in contact with thousands of chemicals every single day.  On top of that, these chemicals are passing to our children and unborn babies still in the womb.  Terrifyingly, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found 287 chemicals in umbilical cord blood during a study in 2005.  This is information we need to taking seriously!

What’s scary is just how many chemicals are allowed in the products that most of us use in our homes.  Many of the chemicals that are considered “safe” in the U.S. have been banned in other countries because of their known potential harm.  Consider the fact that, as of 2009, the European Union has banned 1,328 chemicals from personal care products, but the U.S. has only banned 30.  We’re on constant chemical overload and plagued by many “unexplained” symptoms like lethargy, exhaustion, inability to focus, insomnia, sleep issues, chronic inflammation, unexplained pain, fibromyalgia, skin issues, hormonal issues (hot flashes, mood swings), fear and anxiety, autoimmune diseases, and yes, cancer.

Alarmingly, the FDA doesn’t assess the safety of personal care products and they don’t even require that all ingredients be listed!  I’ve written before about the scary implications of the ingredient known as fragrance.  It is a blanket term for over 3,500 ingredients (not just one simple ingredient) that are NOT regulated by the FDA. Companies aren’t required to disclose these chemical ingredients because they’re considered a proprietary “trade secret.” If companies did disclose what the fragrances consisted of, the ingredient list would likely be a mile long. Fragrance can include a super load of extremely toxic chemicals that should be avoided whenever possible.

Not only that, there are no legal definitions or regulations for many words that one might find printed on personal care products.  For example, the labels “herbal,” “natural,” and “organic” mean absolutely nothing and do not indicate safe ingredients.  Likewise, many products are greenwashed, meaning that the packaging and claims are deceptively presented to make consumers believe they are environmentally friendly, when they simply are not.  This is seriously concerning and completely misleading, but it is a real thing that we need to be aware of.

What we’re allowing into our homes and what we’re subjecting ourselves to everyday can have a huge impact on our health. The chemicals that we unknowingly (or knowingly) use and bring into our homes on a daily basis affect us slowly, so it’s easy to think they don’t make a difference.  Unfortunately, the consequences aren’t obvious overnight.  But the toxic ingredients in commercial soaps, shampoos, lotions, cleaners, cosmetics, detergents, etc. can play a significant role in our health.  What’s worse is that there’s no chance for these toxins to escape our bodies.  They simply bioaccumulate and build up over time.  Yikes!

We owe it to ourselves and our families to pay attention to the chemical ingredients in the products we’re purchasing.  With up to 95% of cancers being caused by lifestyle choices, why should we risk it?  We can do research and educate ourselves to find products that we can trust.  We can ditch the dangerous products and switch to safer alternatives by using apps like Think Dirty, or by supporting transparent companies that clearly outline their practices, like Young Living.  We can be mindful and make our homes a safe(r) haven to give our bodies a rest from the barrage of chemicals elsewhere.

We simply need to be smart consumers and make educated purchases.  We need to be our own advocates, because no one else is going to do it for us.  By going room by room, making one change at a time, we can control what we allow into our homes.  We can create a safer future for our children.

We can be the gatekeepers of our homes.