In doing some research for an ebook I wrote recently, I was shocked to discover this statistic: since 1965 over 10 million chemical compounds have been created in labs! That’s a LOT of new chemicals that we can potentially be exposed to.

It’s true that some of them have little or no adverse affect on human health, but others can cause sickness or even death.   I won’t go into all the details in this article, but I do think it’s worth sharing a few stats.

According to Linda Berry, ND. , author of “Internal Cleansing,”  2800 chemicals are added to our foods everyday,  700 toxic chemicals show up in drinking water, especially the supposedly “pure” water from plastic bottles.   Plus 800 proven neuro-toxic chemicals are used in common cosmetics and perfumes and 500 toxins can be found under kitchen sinks and in laundry rooms.

You’ve probably heard of some of the most well known of these chemicals like:

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
• Mineral Oil
• Parabens
• Benzene
• Formaldehyde

But these are just the most infamous.  There are 100s of others that may be as dangerous.

Given the sheer amount of chemicals available combined with poor regulation in the cosmetic, food and clothing industires, it’s little wonder that people suffer from diseases linked to chemical toxins in epidemic numbers.

But I don’t mean this to be a gloomy article.  In fact, I believe we can do something about this situation – it’s up to each one of us to eliminate as many dangerous chemicals in our lives as possible.

One of the first things I’d recommend is to go through your entire house and get rid of as many chemical products as possible.  This includes food, cosmetics, cleaning supplies and even clothing.

If you don’t think something as simple as eliminating the chemicals in your everyday environment would make much of a difference, consider this story from environmental toxoligist, Peter Dingle.

“We went through a really traumatic half-decade when my wife had horrendous joint pain that the doctors couldn’t diagnose. Ultimately, through a lot of research on the web, we found out that she is highly allergic to what are called “formaldehyde precursors”, which are present in many scented soaps and detergents, and definitely in cosmetics. We cleaned out the bathroom and kitchen cabinets of any products using these chemicals. Within 24 hours, she was able to walk without pain, as miraculous as that sounds.”

I’ve read at least 25 similar stories about  chemicals in cosmetics, foods, water and even clothing over the past few years.   And I have no doubt that there are 1000s more like them.

In my opinion, the best way to protect yourself is to educate yourself.  Find out what chemicals are considered most dangerous and read labels so that you can avoid products that contain them.

You can do this on your own if you put in some research time,  but if you’d like to get the information  quickly and all in one place, pick up a copy of my ebook, “A Toxin Free Life.” In it I list the most dangerous chemicals in cosmetics, household products, foods, clothing plus give practical strategies on how to get them out of your life.

Eating a diet based on raw vegetarian food is one of the simplest, most direct and most influential ways that each of us can improve our own health and support to the health of the earth. Over the past 10 years I’ve met thousands of people who have transformed their health and even saved their lives by replacing devitalized cooked food with fresh, vibrant raw fruits, vegetables nuts and seeds in their daily diets.  Listening to others as well as experiencing major improvements in my own health, I am continually amazed at our bodies’ miraculous ability to heal when given supportive circumstances.  And as our bodies heal with enzyme rich, high fiber raw foods, so heals the earth.

That statement is not an esoteric cliché.  Because of  each of  us who shifts to a raw food lifestyle does make a positive contribution to the health of  the environment.

First, the amount of food packaging – cans, boxes, and bags – that we consume goes down by about 90%. The supermarket literally shrinks when you are raw and all that other stuff begins to seem like such a waste.

Second, there is a major increase in organic awareness and the desire to eat organically grown foods. This supports organic farmers who are committed to producing natural whole foods and to saving and growing heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables. Third, because you are eating fresh, you are also eating locally as much as possible. That means less transport and less fossil fuel emissions into the environment.

Finally, any decision to eat a natural raw diet means that there can be more food for all.   It takes up to 100 times more land to feed a meat eater than a vegetarian.

From my perspective and in my experience, there simply is no downside to enjoying the raw food lifestyle.   You get to enjoy the benefits to your health, contribute to a healthier planet while you eat great tasting, creative dishes that are nourishing as they are filling.

I encourage you to take  a step in this direction.  It may be the start of something big.

If you’ve been following the news these days, you’ve no doubt heard the warnings and grim predictions about the economy. There’s certainly a lot of information out there and not all of it is hopeful.

I don’t follow that much of it, but if some of these predictions come true, life could change dramatically for many of us.

With that in mind, I want to share 6 tips for staying healthy and well during any crisis.

1. Don’t buy into fear and panic - keep things simple and use the opportunity to stay in the moment. Fear and panic lead to nowhere. That’s the first thing you learn when you spend time in the wilderness – if you get lost or disoriented, stay calm.

2. Stay connected - especially with your community and the environment where you live. Think about things like where you could get

water if you needed it and where you could go if things get chaotic and dangerous where you live now.

3. Get small bills - if you live in the US or use US dollars, get and keep at least $1000 in 1s, 5s and 10s. According to one economist, if

US currency does start to fail, you won’t be able to get cash at the banks and larger bills will the first to be refused.

4. Invest in gold, silver or foreign currencies - I’m not specialist in this, but it makes sense to me to move US paper or electronicdollars into something that has a more stable value at this point.

5. Keep some extra food supplies - some people predict that the price of food will increase by 40% in the next 6 months. So, any staples you can get in bulk now, go ahead and do it.

6. Get some survival essentials - this is simple but really important. Make sure to have a good first aid kit, a good portable water filter, some dust masks, some extra blankets a good flash light and a battery operated radio.

This is just a partial list. If you have some other ideas, please leave a comment below.

The main thing to remember is this – humans are survivors and we’ll survive an economic crisis too.

Here’s a quick story from my life:

I was in Brazil in 1994, shortly after the government froze the entire country’s bank accounts. Most people literally had no money and those who did, never held on to it, because inflation was almost 100% per week. You might expect there to be chaos, but you know what? Mostly what I saw was cooperation and sharing. People did their best to help each other get through the situation. Families and friends came together. And there was plenty of laughing and smiling even in the face of disaster.

So don’t buy into the panic if something similar happens where you are. Do what you can now to prepare and be able to help yourself and others around you stay healthy and well.