MY son loved chewing on plastic straws. I guess he got that bad habit from me. I am thankful that I gave up that habit many years ago after learning of the possible harmful effect.

Plastic such as phthalate, bisophenol A (BPA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or teflon are used in many pots, pans, plastic plates or bags and are usually a cause for concern in relation to hormones, sperms cells, and the general health of the digestive system.

Today I am alarmed to know the many different sources of plastic that can be found in our diet. And these are not from straws, plastic bags or bottles. Food manufacturers are reportedly putting plastic into food for profit. Here are a few that I think you should know about:

1. “Plastic” rice, which is reportedly made by mixing potatoes, sweet potatoes and plastic shaped like regular rice grains.

2. Oil is used to make plastic and heated oil can be converted to plastic even in your backyard.

3. Flour lookalike: Azodicarbonamide is the plastic used to make exercise mats and it is now reportedly used to improve dough and maintain texture in many pastry products, especially bread and snacks for children.

4. Milk: A 2008 Chinese milk scandal revealed that melamine, a type of plastic, was being sold for milk.

TOTAL CLEANSE FROM PLASTIC

It is indeed sad that we live in a toxic world. Our water is toxic, the food we eat is toxic, the air we breathe is toxic, and even what we listen to in music, religion and media can be toxic to our minds, bodies and souls.

With the high levels of toxins in our society, and now some of us are eating toxic plastic for food, we need to revive the old tradition of total body cleansing, because the quality of our health and length of our lives depend on the prevention and elimination of toxins from our bodies.

The Healthy Living Total Body Cleanse detoxifies all the organs of your body. It increases elimination of toxins through the colon, kidneys, bloodstream, lungs, and skin. It is one of the products used in the successful treatment of cancer, HIVAIDS, diabetes, high blood pressure, fibroids, nerve-related disorders, heart diseases, old wounds, and other serious illnesses.

SYMPTOMS OF A TOXIC BODY

There are simple ways to tell if your body is toxic. Here are some symptoms to look for:

• Biliousness;

• Dizzy spells;

• Bloating;

• High body odour;

• Dark colour and strong odour of urine;

• Dark colour and strong, unpleasant odour of stool;

• Strong perspiration odour;

• Bitter taste in mouth;

• Unpleasant breath; and

• Blurry vision.

ARE THERE OTHER TYPES OF CLEANSING?

There are many products and methods of cleansing on the market, pharmaceutical as well as herbal. Herbal methods are recommended as they are natural and when rightly applied, have no side effects.

Not every product or method of cleansing the body is effective for all organs, people or health conditions. For example, if you take herbs for cleansing the liver only, when the toxic blood is passed through the liver again, toxins from the blood will be redeposited in the liver.

The world has truly gone plastic and we must live and be healthy in it. There is a simple solution of returning to the days of cooking in baddhu leaf and drinking from calabash, but I guess this offer is not very attractive to many. We have already chosen our plastic-mania world, so remember to make total body cleansing a vehicle to assist in your passage to long life and good health.

Maureen Minto is the chief naturopathic consultant at the Healthy Living Herbal Clinic and president of the Caribbean Natural Remedies Association. Contact her at 940-1197 or e-mail healthylivingjamaica@gmail.com