There seems to be a dangerous misconception that products deemed as natural, green, or organic are automatically healthy and safe. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Cyanide is natural, but I don’t plan on adding a big spoonful to my daily cup of tea. The truth is that there are so many new ingredients introduced to the market each year, usage and interaction data is sparse. I chose to say ingredients and not chemicals because somehow chemical has become a dirty word. This is also a confused notion. Everything is made up of chemicals and whether they are naturally occurring or man-made does not inherently speak to their safety. To quote a basic principle of toxicology, “The dose makes the poison.” Even products that are generally accepted as harmless, such as vitamins, can lose their safety and effectiveness when used in the wrong amounts or in combination with the wrong things. There are also regulatory shortcomings that make it nearly impossible to decipher the standards, or lack thereof, that need to be upheld for a product to be labeled as natural. In fact, the FDA recently reached out to the public for aid in defining the term natural on food labeling (Follow this link to send the FDA your thoughts on the matter – Comments will be accepted until May 10, 2016).
If there are research gaps regarding the type, amount, and duration of exposure that make products harmful, how are consumers supposed to discern what’s actually safe to use? In the current state of affairs, I think that we each are responsible for doing our own due diligence. Sadly, no one should accept that a product is safe just because it says natural or organic all over the packaging. Do your research, ask questions, and make some noise when something doesn’t seem right. Personally, I try stay away from overly processed products and limit my use of any one specific item because today’s miracle ingredient could very well be on tomorrow’s warning lists. It is critical to remember that this is your health on the line; it is precious and should never be taken for granted.
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