About

Welcome, internet friends!

You might have come across (or stumbled across) this blog because of a few key words in its title—perhaps ‘living better’ or ‘chemically.’ Well, you’ve guessed it; this blog discusses the potential for us to improve our lives by raising awareness about the many chemicals we are subjected to on a daily basis and offering strategies to reduce their impact on our health and wellbeing.

Of course, we are subjected to chemicals—those we don’t have the power to affect on a personal level, and it is not the intention of this blog to add to the almost worldwide hysteria about how big corporations are plotting to poison us. What this blog does hope to achieve is to open our eyes to the chemicals we subject ourselves to every day.

“Wait a second,” you might protest, “why would I purposely put myself in harm’s way of toxic chemicals, you know, I’ve got that whole self-preservation thing going on?” And I completely believe you. You might even be an almond milk drinking, non-BPA bottle toting, locally sourced food shopping, water-filtering health nut. Alternatively, you might be a cynic who prefers to ignore the ‘health nut movement’ because you’re not convinced its worth the money or… the hysteria! Life is short, why spend it worrying?

Whether you’re already granola munching, or if you’re still skeptical, the story is the same for a huge percentage of developed society: there are chemicals we expose ourselves to on a daily basis that are often completely unnecessary and quite harmful over time to ourselves, our family, and our environment. We are poisoning ourselves and gradually causing all sorts of ill effects like allergies, intolerances, diseases, and mental health issues. Allergies to cleaners, cosmetics, foods, pets and really everything are on the rise. And it’s no wonder with the heightened use of synthetic chemicals in our everyday products, housewares, foods, and clothes that there has been a rise in cancers, fatigue, and depression over the last century.

I myself have just recently been through an allergy scare. I have never had any reactions to cosmetics, products, or seasonal pollen worth noting, but recently my eyelids and lips swelled up in a most painful and unappealing fashion (and in a very unattractive fashion!), and remained so for weeks. Of course, things that leave you feeling like a train wreck always hit at the most inconvenient of times—I was trying again with an ex and attending job interviews, all while feeling completely hideous and unable to move my lips properly! Let’s just say, it wasn’t a boost to the ol’ ego.

Like many of us would now, I consulted the internet to see if anyone had experienced my symptoms. I was extremely shocked when I landed on a blog that had literally hundreds of men and women with my similar symptoms commenting over the last few years, begging for help and frustrated after visiting doctors with no change. Some were lucky enough to visit allergists to try to get to the bottom of why they were reacting—some found answers, some didn’t. For most, they had developed an allergy to a chemical in their shampoo and now can’t use any shampoo that suds-up, or they can’t wear mascara again, or can’t eat citrus, or can’t sit on office furniture and had to leave their jobs. Chemicals mess up our lives in very personal and frustrating ways, but perhaps some of this can be avoided if we … simply try to avoid them.

It’s all very empowering, really. Do we need to rub aluminium under our armpits every day? No. Do we need to spray our rooms and furniture with fake scents to make it smell like faux orchid? (Do orchids even smell like anything?) No. Do we need to lace our babies’ diapers with toxic chemicals so that they will repel fire for .0005 seconds if near a flame? No. Do we need 20 unpronounceable chemical ingredients in our shampoos, to, well, get a bit of gunk out of our hair? No. Hopefully, now you are getting the gist (and maybe agreeing) about considering our daily products containing chemicals more closely, and whether they pass the test of being needed in our lives: are they good, bad, or ugly in our path to wellbeing?

I am not a doctor and I do not profess knowing what is right in your life—this blog is meant to offer perspective, so if unsure, please consult an expert, be it a doctor, homeopath, allergist, counsellor, etc. But I do hope to post information that will empower you to make better decisions and set up a gauntlet that chemicals have to pass to be a part of your precious life. Some chemicals are marvels and better our lives, like certain traditional drugs and medications, and some all natural products can cause reactions and be poisonous. This blog does not intend to condemn Western medicine or innovation, but supports a reasonable and informed approach to chemicals and suggests alternatives.

I have a friend who, like many diligent wives, uses lovely scented washer liquid, then scented fabric softener, then scented dryer sheets all within a home with a different scent theme for every room thanks to plug-ins, and ‘fresh’ smelling cushions thanks to fabric sprays. My mother, in reaction to atmospheres like this, always sarcastically comments with “live better chemically!”—the motto lived by in most homes in developed society. I hope to convert you to being a member of Those Against ‘Living Better Chemically’ and to, well, just live better! Please post your comments and experiences, they are very welcome!

Sincerely,

Gaia Girl