Dee Atkinson: Chemical warfare in the home makes modern life bad for your health

BEFORE they have even left the house most people have put on over 50 different chemicals - which is a huge change from 30 years ago.

I am seeing more and more people coming in with problems linked to modern lifestyle - to the way we live today.

I know from my own practice that people are developing more and more health problems which are linked to the increasing number of chemicals in our homes.

The skin is the biggest organ of the body and often skin problems such as excema and dermatitis as well as some kinds of acne are a reaction of the body to too many toxins.

Another very common problem is athritis - which is also very often linked to toxic overload. As a medical herbalist I look at the situation as a whole. If they are business people suffering from migraines I will often ask them how much time they spend talking on their mobile phones.

Sometimes the problem comes from people's working environment. Painters and decorators and hairdressers often develop skin problems and breathing difficulties,

One very common cause of problems is when people have had their house remodelled - and they are breathing in the chemicals from new carpets and furniture,

If you think about the chemicals on breakfast cereals, the residue from pesticides the chemicals in shower gels, deodorants and shampoos, in washing up liquids, washing powders - there is a huge toxic build up. Our bodies are geared up to deal with that - but if you add to that the stress of modern living then you can develop problems.

What happens in all of these cases is the body is trying to deal with this chemical intake - and it hasn't got enough strength left to fight off underlying problems. You have to look at the big picture and ask how much is my modern lifestyle to blame. My view is that modern life has a lot to answer for.

The solution is really for people to take responsibility for themselves. You can eat less processed food, try to buy from local sources, if you buy meat go to the local butcher and ask where the meat came from, eat organic if possible and try to cut down on the amount of chemicals you use every day.

You'll also save money as well if you stop using fancy body lotions and go back to soap.

My advice would be take responsibility for yourself and start to go back to basics. The good news is that people are starting to ask questions and are looking for answers.

l Dee Atkinson is a medical herbalist and the owner of Napiers the Herbalists.