“By looking to the Source, to the Creator of nature, we can remember how to navigate life organically, with less struggle, and less suffering.” – Jeffrey R. Anderson, The nature of Things- Navigating Everyday Life with Grace
Organic Heals Planet Earth!
Simple definition of organic: grown or made without the use of artificial chemicals, related to or obtained from living things. Having characteristics of an organism, developing in the manner of a living plant or animal.
In the middle of the 1800’s, Justis von Liebig (1803 – 1873) analyzed plant material for its chemical components and found that while phosphorus, potassium, and in particular nitrogen were mainly responsible for the growth of plants.
Because it is critical for plant growth, nitrogen is a limiting reagent and usually a scarce commodity in a natural environment. However, man has introduced very large quantities of nitrates into the environment in the form of nitrates or anhydrous ammonia used as fertilizer.
Thomas Corriher writes a report published on “The Health Wize report & Fidelity Ministry” April 5, 2009, where he states that high applications of fertilizers and pesticides can increase nutrients and toxins in groundwater and surface waters, incurring health and water purification costs, and decreasing fishery and recreational values.
Organic crops are generally far more flavorful, since they contain many more nutrients. A person’s mouth can actually taste the difference between God’s goodness and man’s folly. For the environmentalists out there, growing organically embraces the ideal that agriculture should meet the needs of the present without harming future generations.
Now where do we stand when it comes to textiles and clothing as far as fertilizers, chemicals and toxin levels are concerned. My rating is, pretty bad.
It is really confusing and hard for an average person who does not have any knowledge on how textiles and clothes are made, to choose a piece of cloth having safety and health concerns in mind. Anyone can be easily deceived by the look and by devious fancy labels. Specially for teens, fancy clothes are attractive. Kids get attracted to them and buy them with a good thought. That thought is for looking good. They don’t know about the hidden toxins in those clothes. How would they know? Toxins don’t come labeled. Toxins are invisible and harm invisibly until some kind of infection or allergy they have caused on the skin. Consumers won’t know what they have inhaled from those “beautiful apparel”.
Anna Maria Clement, PhD, NMD, LN and Brian R. Clement, PhD, NMD, LN write in their book, Killer Clothes: Children are vulnerable to chemical sensitivities triggered by the clothing they wear, especially if they are required to wear uniforms during the school year. Many school uniforms are coated with family of chemicals called perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) and given the fabric stain resistance and the “noniron” resistance often found in school trousers and skirts. These perfluorinated compounds have been classified as probable cancer-causative agents by US Environmental Protection Agency.
Now here is my explanation in simple language. If you buy a polyester or other synthetic made shirt or bottoms, you are buying a Man-made fiber from petrochemicals. This is no less than plastic woven into thread and made into cloths and further loaded with dyes and chemicals to make it in a shape and form which is quite “likable”. It is topped with more finishes to make it fire retardant, stain resistance etc. By the time it covers your body, it is all ready to infuse your skin and nose with numerous toxins and put you on the road of “getting sick”, slowly but surely. And trust me, none of the words I wrote in this paragraph is exaggerated or inflated. It’s the truth which I learnt from my experience and working in textile and clothing industry for 20 years.
I cannot wear 100% polyester. It eats my body. I can feel it. I cannot wear polyester socks. They suffocate my feet and they are already in the synthetic shoes. I simply dislike polyester. I have disposed of many polyester clothes in the course of time. Am I polyester or synthetic free? No, I am not. It’s too hard. It is everywhere. It is hidden in blends. It is difficult to find clothes without polyester inside it. Specially woven clothes. Suits, women dresses have lots of synthetic. As far as knits goes, I can be considered as 90% polyester or synthetic free and when it comes to buying, I try to choose clothes with lowest levels of chemicals. Is it possible? Yes, it is. Learn on my blog how to buy clothes with lowest chemical levels. Just keep reading my articles.
So what to switch too. Cotton. Organic Cotton. Organic cotton is grown without the use of chemicals fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides. It helps to improve the quality of land, prevent water contamination and conserve biodiversity.
Organic clothing will cause fewer allergies, reduced respiratory problems (no sneezing in the closets is a sign of improvement). There might not be strong scientific proofs to back up these facts. But if you consult doctors or dieticians or even your grandmother, they will always recommend organic food. Well, that’s true for clothes too. We don’t eat our clothes but our skin inhales it, absorbs it. Like a patch of medicine applied on skin. I would call it indirect eating.
I mean think for yourselves, if we go organic who is going to be benefit? There is a long list of beneficiaries. The factory workers, handlers, sellers, stockers, farmers, farm workers, earth, water ways, herbivorous animals, plants, trees, dyers, garment workers, and finally consumers. Means you. I don’t think it’s a bad deal at all. We just have to make a start.
Fertilizers might have helped to create a lot of food at quick pace to feed the growing population all over the world, but we are starving in food abundance.
Keep reading my articles to know why industry uses so much of synthetic fiber.
- Killer Clothes written by Anna Maria Clement, PhD, NMD, LN and Brian R. Clement, PhD, NMD, LN
- Main image courtesy Pixabay.com