Patients Are Powerful

I’m a Chicago chiropractor, and I believe in a holistic approach to health. Naturally, I believe in chiropractic care. I also believe that “you are what you eat,” and that exercise and a good night’s sleep are essential for good health. Most of the time, good health depends on what you put into your body to give it what it needs to function optimally. But, an essential component to being healthy also lies in what you “don’t do,” i.e., what you don’t put into your body, like avoiding fruits and vegetables that are sprayed with pesticides, and not drinking your spring water out of plastic bottles that contain BPA.

Just as patients are powerful when it comes to reforming health care, consumers are powerful when it comes to reforming product safety standards. Along those lines, I just read a really good article on Enviroblog: “BPA: Can consumer revolt trump K Street?” The blog post is all about Massachusetts’ strictly voluntary approach to reducing human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA). On Monday, August 3rd, the state Department of Public Health issued a warning to parents and caretakers to avoid BPA-based polycarbonate baby bottles and infant formula packaged in cans lined with epoxy resin, another material whose key component is BPA.

Apparently, the Massachusetts advisory lacks the force of laws enacted earlier this year by Minnesota and Connecticut legislators, who have banned BPA in baby bottles and other containers used by young children. But, health warnings can spur consumer resistance that can change the marketplace faster than laws and regulations.

There’s a lot more interesting (and inspiring) information contained in the blog. You can read it at www.enviroblog.org. But, the point to remember is that change, really, is up to you. As a patient and a consumer, you are powerful and you can make a difference.

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