March 8 is International Women’s Day. While we celebrate the advancement of women’s rights and equality that we have earned over the past decades, the few remaining fortresses of social resistance will be threatened.
My grandmother hoped for me to marry well and raise children in a safe and peaceful environment. Instead, I chose to go to law school, before founding my own company, some twenty years ago. Am I proud of these accomplishments and being able to have the freedom to create my own destiny (something my grandmother could have never even dreamt)? Yes, for sure. Am I confident that our society is going in the right direction? Actually, not so sure.
We, the women, the daughters, wives, mothers, teachers, employees, bosses, consumers, caregivers, breadwinners, leaders…have become accustom to doing whatever is necessary and rising to every challenge in our increasingly demanding society.
Advancements in society, education and corrections of social injustices have allowed women to redefine our culture on the principle of equality. Actually, we have become pretty good at shattering glass ceilings; however, we would be lying to ourselves if we denied the price we are paying for it.
Superwoman, exhausted, but still trying to run with her high heels, does her best to cope with the many pressures coming along with each one of her multiple roles in society. She needs a drink, or some other display of mindless consumerism, to shatter the inner whispers: the way we live is not sustainable. Our home, planet earth, is full of pollution, which will cause not only ourselves, but our children to live shorter lives. Babies are exposed to an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants, which one can correlate to the increase of childhood cancer and autism. Additionally, our parents are not doing any better: today, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s dementia every 66 seconds. According to Alzheimer’s Association, by mid-century, it will be every 33 seconds.
And what if we get sick ourselves? With one out of three people getting diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetime, who will take care of them? Who will take care of us?
There is no point in mixing imagination and fear. It is a deadly cocktail. As we were busy climbing the corporate ladder, we have to wonder if have we lost touch with what was the initial mission: taking care of the physical and emotional well-being of our families? Our health, as individuals as well as a society, should not be an option; however, even the option has become elusive.
There is an old Arabian proverb saying, “He who has health has everything.” We cannot allow environmental toxicity, through corporate greed and weak public policies, to rob us from everything. We, the women, must reclaim health as a priority for ourselves, our families, and our countries.
What’s the point of fighting inequality, if we are to reign on a dead planet? The ongoing opioid crisis is just the tip of the iceberg. Our society is sick, and our health care system broken. Doctors will see us for an average of seven minutes and are required by health companies to use the least expensive route. Thankfully, women have traditionally done a great job at nursing their families. More than ever it is critical that we get involved and address the major health issues we are facing as a society.
We have to come to the realization that the industrial revolution did not serve us well and that a serious life change is not only imperative, but essential to our well-being. We must move from a sick-centered health system, to a prevention-based health system.
We have to become mindful consumers who will stop the cacophony of carcinogens that weaken our immune systems, and those of our children. Learn to choose health. Ask yourself: why so many cancers, why so much inflammation? Then carefully read the labels around you and stop buying harmful products. If you stop buying them, they will disappear. It is actually that simple. Instead, embrace the idea of supporting businesses which act responsibly, but please, when ordering, don’t just consider the carbon print of the manufacturer. Consider what you are doing by buying and returning stuff on line. Each delivery, even sold as “free,” translates into additional traffic in the streets, additional pollution, gas and carbon consumption.
We need to learn what one can do to detox ourselves and our home. Learn which supplements will support a gentle removal of “heavy metals” such as lead, mercury, aluminum and arsenic. These all induce acute or chronic toxicity and are widely distributed in the environment. Learn about traditional medicine and the ancient use of botanicals. Some, like pao pereira, will help ward off the onslaught of viruses which may eventually lead to cancers. Learn about the benefits of natural vitamins over synthetic ones, often poorly bio-available. Learn about the importance of maintaining a healthy microbiome for your gut and mouth. When times become too challenging, give your immune system a healthy boost, with good RNA fragments.
It is seriously time to shake things up and we know we can do it! You go girls! Who said we can’t have it all?