“MAINTAINING HEALTH IN A TOXIC WORLD”

August-September 2026

Among the many health challenges we face, perhaps the greatest is the context in which we seek to address health issues. Simply put: we live in a toxic world.

Over the past century, we have dramatically altered our environment through the chemical by-products of modern agriculture, industry, power generation, and transportation. Pollution exists everywhere on Earth, from the largest cities to the remotest part of Antarctica.

On the micro-level, it’s inescapable that all health care providers are witness to, and asked to help overcome, the consequences of toxic overloads—inhaled or ingested—whatever the source. Food, water, paint, carpets, bedding, packaging, noise—it’s hard to find any part of our lives that might not be “polluted” and therefore potentially harmful to our health.

The damage these toxins cause is profound: affecting our immune systems (causing infections, allergies, and cancer); affecting our endocrine systems (causing thyroid and adrenal disease, and diabetes); affecting our nervous systems (causing learning and behavior problems); and affecting our reproductive systems (causing major sexual difficulties and changes).

Many Kinds of “Toxins”

In terms of contemporary, every-day issues, we have also come to understand that toxins take many forms—beyond air, water, and soil pollution.

For many, taking medicines can itself be hazardous to health. Adverse interaction of drugs is a critical health issue. “Medical mistakes”—most often related to medication cocktails that become toxic nightmares—take more than 700,000 lives each year.

And there are toxic social issues, as well: Internet bullying, over-exposure to electronic media; peer pressure leading to eating disorders, and such critical issues as a toxic political system affecting all parts of our lives. And high doses of stress, fear, anxiety, and chronic worrying are among the most toxic “substances” of all.

In the upcoming issue of Health&Healing, we will ask local experts to discuss the challenges of maintaining health and healing disease in a toxic world. How do they advise avoiding, mitigating, and countering the toxins prevalent in our lives? What new diagnostic tools, treatments, and technologies help them to address the diseases emanating from environmental hazards— allergies, cancer; thyroid and adrenal disease; diabetes; etc.? And what about healing environments? What are the treatment practices, spaces, and policies that make for positive and effective healing environments?

We invite you to be part of the conversation.

OTHER VOICES, OTHER CHOICES ARTICLES

For each issue, we invite area health care/health service providers who have a special connection to the feature topic to write articles about their work. We call this section: Other Voices, Other Choices.

Many healers are called upon to treat the ailments caused by toxic exposure, others work with their clients and patients to help mitigate or prevent such problems. Whether you are a dietitian or an allergist, a psychotherapist or functional medicine therapist, an oncologist or physical therapist, you are among such healers. And we welcome your voice in the next issue.

If you wish to be part of the conversation, see information about the Other Voices, Other Choices section in Advertising in Health&Healing, and contact us at 919-967-6802.

TO BE INCLUDED IN THE ISSUE ON MAINTAINING HEALTH IN A TOXIC WORLD

Options include:

Advertorials: articles written by H&H staff, based on an interview. To reserve space and schedule an interview, contact H&H at 919-967-6801.

Other Voices, Other Choices: articles written by practitioners, focused on the feature topic. To reserve space, contact H&H at 919-967-6801.

Classified Health Services Directory: Contracts for listings in the Health Services Directory are for either six or twelve months. New listings may be posted at any time; complete the form on the Health Services Directory page.