How effective are my supplements?

As a naturopath, I am often called on for reference material.  Today, a lady called me asking for contraindications for homeopathic remedies.  To the best of my knowledge there are none.  When I asked her about her products, she gave me a brand name, but it was not something that I was familiar with.  She was using an allergy formula and was having trouble with her ears.  She felt dizzy, and nauseated.
I took the liberty of looking at the brand’s website.  What I found was this statement:  “Besides ingredient enhancements with the accumulation of proven homeopathic ingredients and ingredient additions to the Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States, the original formulation line-up has remained unchanged for over twenty years and counting; a testament to the pioneering fortitude of {the founder}.”
I understand the pride this company feels in that their products have stood the test of time.  Or have they?   In the last twenty years, what new pesticides, herbicides, or chemicals have been released into the environment?    “Unexpected releases of toxic, reactive, or flammable liquids and gases in processes involving highly hazardous chemicals have been reported for many years. Incidents continue to occur in various industries that use highly hazardous chemicals which may be toxic, reactive, flammable, or explosive, or may exhibit a combination of these properties. Regardless of the industry that uses these highly hazardous chemicals, there is a potential for an accidental release any time they are not properly controlled. This, in turn, creates the possibility of disaster.” (Osha)   Unexpected releases cannot be controlled, to state the obvious.  What about the radioactive poison which has been released by Fukushima?  Admittedly, these toxic releases cannot be planned for.

What about environmental toxins that we do plan for?  I know some of you think that it is incredible that we would plan for toxic debris in our environment, but think about it.  For example, we now use more plastic than ever before.  We have plastic waste in the form of disposable diapers, water bottles, other plastic food packaging, not to mention the plastic in the bags we use to carry home the groceries.  These plastics are full of xenoestrogen material, which further contaminate the environment.   There are some 70,000 registered chemicals having hormonal effects, in addition to being toxic and carcinogenic. (Suite101.com)  And it is not only women who are affected by the pseudoestrogens in the environment.  “Male reproductive health has deteriorated in many countries during the last few decades. In the 1990s, declining semen quality has been reported from Belgium, Denmark, France, and Great Britain. The incidence of testicular cancer has increased during the same time incidences of hypospadias and cryptorchidism also appear to be increasing. Similar reproductive problems occur in many wildlife species. There are marked geographic differences in the prevalence of male reproductive disorders.” (Environmental Health Perspectives)

I am sure that as you are contemplating the ever-expanding toxic elements in our environment, you will agree that we need to make sure our remedies (homeopathic or otherwise) are keeping step.  We need to take remedies that are pure, organic, and natural, while at the same time, being developed and handled in such a way that they are delivering therapeutic effective doses to target said toxins.

Until next time,

Polly
List of Xenoestrogens – Chemical Estrogens: How to Avoid Xenoestrogens | Suite101.com http://suite101.com/article/list-of-xenoestrogens—chemical-estrogens-a205523#ixzz23YiL6FUL

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1469672/

http://www.osha.gov/doc/outreachtraining/htmlfiles/psm.html