The Woodford Files

When I think back to my teenage years, there is one memory that still brings a twinge and a chuckle. I was excitedly getting ready for a big date one day, and decided to shave my underarms vigorously and slather on a brand new deodorant. Then off I proudly strutted to meet up with my young man, confident in knowing that my underarms smelled like lilacs. Partway through the evening, our teenage gropings in the back seat of his Ford were rudely interrupted by my aggressive scratching of said underarms. Acutely embarassed, I rushed to the crusty bathroom at the drive-in where we were parked, and was horrified to discover an angry red rash from elbow to armpit. Alas, there ended both my love affair with that particular boy (he thought I was diseased) and my romance with lilac scented underarms.

Looking back, I count myself lucky. If I hadn’t had such an extreme reaction to deodorant early on, I might have continued to use the stuff throughout my life, increasing my risk of breast cancer along with numerous other illnesses than can result from toxic overload. As you will discover in our Green Grooming feature this month, chemical deodorants are only one of the many toxic products that we unwittingly slather on ourselves every day. In fact, according to writer Tara Thorne, the average North American woman douses herself in over 126 chemicals before she leaves the house. Yikes!

Thankfully, the natural cosmetic, skincare, and personal hygiene industries have now evolved to such an extent that one can find everything from non-toxic mascara to unbleached tampons in their local health food store, so there’s no need for us to endanger our health with poisonous personal hygiene any more. This month you’ll find many healthy products for skin care and body care right here in these pages.

Further on women’s health, naturopath Sherrill Sellman shares alarming information in her feature on Electropollution in this issue. By invading our homes and offices with ever increasing amounts of electromagnetic radiation, we are also damaging the body’s delicate hormonal systems. Since disease is often exacerbated by hormonal imbalance, we put ourselves at risk every day through repeated exposure to EMFs from appliances, cellphones, and wireless technology. Fortunately, Sellman also shares some of the ways to reduce exposure and protect ourselves, so forewarned is forearmed.

Helke Ferrie is in fine form this month as she turns the spotlight on two people making a big impact on the way we think about health. Dr. Shiv Chopra, a scientist from Health Canada, is actively working to clean up Canada’s food supply in an effort to protect consumers, and Charlotte Gerson, at the age of 83, is still actively spreading the word about curing cancer through detoxification and super-nutrition. On November 23, these two hell raisers will team up at Whole Life Expo to share the latest news on their work, and how to get involved.

Further on detoxification, one of Canada’s top herbalists introduces us to an important medicinal plant this month – Yellow Dock. This humble herb aids removal of toxins from the tissues by supporting lymphatic and blood circulation, and ultimately with their removal from the body by supporting the organs of elimination. Considering the toxic burden that we all now carry, it would seem that plants like Yellow Dock can play a vital role in our green medicine cabinet as allies in natural detoxification.

Check out our booth at Whole Life Expo for any back issues you might have missed. We look forward to seeing you there.    JW