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Have you ever arrived to work full of pep and energy, ready to take on the day, only to slowly sink into a slump after a few hours?   You love your job, the project you're working on, and even the people you work with, but that mid day slump hits like a rock and lunch break couldn't come fast enough.  It's a common workplace complaint.  Some people say they feel better after getting some fresh air.  But then they settle in after lunch and start feeling that way all over again.  It's usually blamed on the food.  But food is meant to energize, and if your lunch is good for your body, your body shouldn't feel so slumpy.  So what's causing this daily burn out?  It could be a number of things, but this week, we're taking a good look at Electro Magnetic Fields.

Otherwise known simply as "EMF's", these Electro Magnetic Fields come from a variety of different places.  At work though, you're usually surrounded by them.  You sit in front of them, under them and even hold them in your hand.  EMFs can cause a range of symptoms, most commonly fatigue and anxiety.  When I started feeling fatigued at work, despite a healthy lifestyle, I began questioning my environment.  Sitting in front of a computer is surprisingly low in EMF exposure.  Ranking highest on the list, fluorescent lighting, which most of, myself included, sit under all day long.

As I kept reading the research done on EMF exposure, especially from fluorescent lighting, the first thing I wanted to do was replace the lighting in our office.  For most people that's not always an option.  We ordered floor lamps right away.  These EMF's are proven to cause biological stress.  Evidence links prolonged exposure to a higher risk of cancer.   In fact, a 250% increased risk of skin cancer from fluorescent lighting alone! 

 So besides being scared, or quitting your job to work in a National Park, what can you do?  Well, you can limit your exposure at home so that you aren't bombarding yourself with them all day, everyday.  You can put some plants in your work place.  The best ones for removing toxins are Bamboo Palm, Spider Plant, English Ivy and Peace Lily.  Full spectrum lighting is known to give an energy boost.  Keeping a lamp on your desk with a full spectrum bulb will do wonders to perk you up.  Perhaps the best thing you can do though, to combat EMF's, or any other toxins in your environment, is to lead a healthy lifestyle.  Proper nutrition, exercise, spinal care, detoxification, and supplementing as needed all play a part in combating the things you have no control over.

A walk through the supermarket can be like sensory overload.  Bright colors grab our attention.  Big, bold letters make us stop and read the catchy phrases that potentially make us want to buy these beautifully packaged treasures.  But are they really treasures?  Is it really even food wrapped up so geniously?  How about beverages?  We know soda and sugary drinks are no good.  But what about water?  And on these hot summer days, can you even get your kids to drink water?   It sure would be more tempting for kids to drink it if it was packaged like some of the other things on the shelf.  And that is exactly what kraft foods has realized as well.  Sitting on the supermarket shelf, in a brightly colored bottle, with a funky design, is what's being marketed as a "water enhancer."  It goes by the catchy name of Mio. 

So what could possibly be in this Mio that makes it so bad?  For starters, a little chemical called propylene glycol.  Propylene glycol is also used as anti freeze.  Along with artificial coloring and preservatives, that's pretty much what you get out of the little dropper.  Kraft says their target market is men and women, ages 18-39.  Unfortunately, the market that seems to love it is under 18.  Propylene glycol was approved by the FDA for adults in very small doses.  There was never an amout set as approved for children.  And it appears that these children aren't just squeezing droplets of this Mio into their water, they are squeezing large amounts into their mouths!  They're squeezing small doses of antifreeze mixed with artificial coloring and preservatives right into their growing bodies.  The real kicker in all this is that the FDA banned the electronic cigarette because if the propylene glycol in it.  Interesting.

The moral of all of this is to check your ingredients.  Even if you only shop the perimeter of the store, you'd be amazed to see what's in some of the yogurt on the shelf.  So when you are getting lured in by the pretty packaging, stop and see what's in it.  If you aren't sure, it's probably a safe bet it doesn't belong in your body.