The Impact of Pollution on Naturopathy and Health
Recently, the news has been exposing the risks related to pollution and warming, however, the risks associated between environmental pollution and human health aren’t being discussed enough.
“Most scientists did not expect the arrival of the climate crisis and the fast acceleration of its progress. Threatening natural ecosystems and therefore humanity’s fate, it’s more severe than anticipated”, as read in The Guardian in line with a press release published within the journal BioScience.
As environmental pollution increases worldwide, the impact that it’s isn’t only associated with negative environmental changes, but it’s also deeply impacting the standard of our health. If we only take a look at the numbers we’d find alarming news, but I feel that if health practitioners and everybody else work together, we will change the statistics.
In London, pollution affects everyone from children to elderly people, and even more those with heart and respiratory conditions. Partly because these areas are often near busy roads, people living in overpopulated areas even have poorer air quality.
In 2015, a study by King’s College London showed that, in 2010, there was the equivalent of up to five,900 premature deaths across London related to long-run gas (NO2) exposure.
Environmental pollution has been related to increased mortality for chronic-degenerative diseases. Recent data points out a relationship between proximity to industrial areas and mortality thanks to chronic diseases.
Acute and chronic exposure is additionally known to impair cardiovascular function, exacerbate disease, and increase cardiovascular mortality. Long-term exposure to pollution may also cause a rise in the rate of decline of lung function, especially in elderly individuals and in those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
ALSO READ: How the Effects of Climate Change are Causing Rapid Roof Deterioration in Florida Homes
One of the most mechanisms related to pollution and therefore the damage to our cells is that pollution interferes with mitochondria (a component of the cell to blame for the assembly of energy), and it disturbs the cell’s DNA, causing damage thereto. Additionally, it also disturbs the number of cellular metabolites that will be involved in several epigenetic processes. Some studies even suggest that these modifications can persist through generations, and end in specific vulnerable genes inherited by future generations.
As extremely important environmental health factors, the placement during which you reside, the situation where you’re employed, and therefore the places where you have got lived and worked before, should all be looked into by your health practitioner and taken into careful consideration, risk factors should be taken into consideration as well.
Your nutritional therapist will take these aspects into consideration, including your lifestyle and dietary habits, and also the practitioner should evaluate environmental factors very well.
As a natural medicine practitioner, your naturopath may suggest complementary approaches which will help your system to accommodate the pollutants that you simply can’t avoid. Other options may include the employment of natural treatments to support innate system mechanisms which will protect you from developing certain forms of diseases.
It is important that you simply openly speak together with your practitioner about all of those factors, and it’s also important to debate specific strategies that you simply think will facilitate your cope with environmental pollutants.
We can’t sleep in an ideal world, but we are able to create and discuss strategies to scale back the negative health impact that pollution has on us. It’s important that we work together to seek out good solutions which will have a positive impact on our health which will protect our planet for future generations.
