Chemical Demons

Sophia lives in an upscale neighborhood, thanks to her family's ability to pay the heavy mortgage. She enjoys the amenities: sleek roads, well-maintained public spaces, parks, libraries, nature reserves, picnic area, hiking trails, lakes, mountain view, sports complex, and community halls.

Living here feels like paradise. She's thankful for it. She knows, it is a privilege.

But she is also observant. She knows things that many people don't.

Consumerism isn't all of human existence. In fact, unchecked consumerism can be harbinger of inflammation.

It can make us sick. The human body was not made to survive endless chemicals - in food, grooming, or cleaning products. 

But here, chemicals run the show. 

There's always someone promising solutions - with chemical products,

 in this business-driven era. The claim is far from the truth. But in a society that craves quick fixes, people can be gullible. The persuasive mass media and social media is making fools out of many.

She goes for regular walks and sees the extent of chemical consumption around her. 

The smell of room fresheners drifts out of houses. She notices dog salons offering fancy treatments with scented soaps for pets. Pesticides are being sprayed openly to deter ants and spiders. Lawn mowers, vacuum cleaners, rose fertilizers, pressurized trash can cleaners - you name it, it's everywhere.

Yes, more electric cars are showing up, which is a good step forward. But the chemical load isn't going anywhere. In fact, it's getting worse. 

She recently witnessed the Fourth of July celebrations where massive fireworks sent suffocating fumes into the air for hours. Even during Halloween, some neighbors went overboard with special effects, installing fog cannons that spewed heavily perfumed vapors into the street.

Little girls are slathering sunscreen on hot summer days. The classrooms often smell of artificial scents from cleaning agents or room sprays.

And yet, nobody seems to recognize the dangers. These chemicals are endocrine disruptors and, in many cases, carcinogens. The public remains unaware, and the exposure continues unchecked.

If people here are so wealthy, they should also be living long. Her poor Indian village elders lived simply, frugally, and often made it well into their 80s.

But now, premature deaths are becoming disturbingly common.

Not long back, a neighbor who loved surfing - healthy and full of life - was diagnosed with melanoma. He was forced to sell his house and move away for treatment. 

Another young mother, in her late 30s, died of stomach cancer, leaving behind two little children.

She sees cars around the neighborhood with bumper stickers and license plates bearing pink breast cancer ribbons and slogans.

Infertility, too, is rampant. Young couples, despite having access to good nutrition and medical care, struggle to conceive. The reason? Disrupted hormones.

It seems more and more people are relying on intervention's like ozempic to lose weight, with no regard for side effects.

Aren't these signs devastating? Isn't it time we asked: what's really causing this silent epidemic?

She is empathetic and observant. She has spent decades researching the immune system. She has now decided to play her part in shedding light on the problem.

She sees the problems and tries to generate awareness through her writing. She writes on media platforms like Medium, Substack, LinkedIn, Facebook, Threads, Vocal Media, and Instagram. She shares videos on YouTube. She self-publishes books for Amazon KDP with stories and poem on health. She narrates the disease mechanisms in digestible ways.

She talks with teachers at her kids' school, asking them to keep the indoor air scent-free.

She teaches her children - because they are the stewards of the future. At just 5 and 3 years old, they already know words like hormones, inflammation, diabetes, dementia, and immune system.

They know what a chemical irritant means. She teaches them that even our body's pH changes when we are exposed to irritants. She shows them how squeezing lemon juice into blue botanical water turns it pink - a simple yet powerful demonstration. A change in pH, she explains, is at the root of many diseases.

She knows that discipline starts at home. Her spouse works in a technical field and, like many others, buys processed foods. She argues with him, if needed, to avoid processed foods. She reminds him how sulfites and carrageenan gives her edema, hives, mouth irritation, and respiratory distress. To some extent, she succeeds.

She knows, busy as we might be, we can't rely on food from outside every day. She cooks meals from scratch - it keeps their medical bills low, which itself is worth celebrating. Nobody in the house is on medication, which is a victory in these times of rampant sickness.

They use only organic coconut oil and natural skin emollients. They banished chemical grooming products long ago. She prefers a few freckles or fine lines over the risk of cancer, multiple sclerosis, vitiligo, or hormonal chaos. 

She reminds her son with eczema to not jump on carpet as his vulnerable skin will flare up.

She has advised his daughter with sweating problem to avoid holding the iPad case with PPD (paraphenylenediamine), for it can cause sensitivity. It has happened once, so she knows the risk

She knows that doing meditation or jogging while wearing deodorants and using synthetic perfumes is a joke - it defeats the purpose. She feels pity when she sees people with this habit.

She knows that truth crawls while lies gallop - but she still does her part. She keeps writing and talking, hoping to help people. She believes that a helping hand is often more powerful than preaching prayers.

She continues her crusade. She hopes it will make a difference. If no one speaks the truth, the lies will keep circulating.

She knows her voice is small, but she's trying to create a society where chemicals are not misused. It's not just a health calamity for humans, but for other creatures too. She has seen the death of bees and birds due to pesticide exposure.

She wants to repeat her health message as she sees people living faulty, chemical-dependent lifestyles:

🌼Cook food with minimal additives. 

🌼No matter how healthy or organic your food may be, if the air you breathe is filled with chemicals, you are still doomed.

🌼Your skin is your largest defense organ - don't cover it with toxins.

🌼Remember, poisons enter the body through the mouth, nose, and skin.

🌼Know the dangers of modern lifestyle and chemical overload.

🌼Accept that the human body has evolved over millions of years of fine-tuning. The immune system is not armed with tools to deal with chemicals demons.

Help her, for alone she can't tackle such a huge catastrophe.