Dr Jenny Goodman – a medical doctor with 25 years’ experience in nutritional and environmental medicine – provides us with a plan to detox each element of our lives, exposing how the toxins polluting the planet are also poisoning us.
According to the Lancet Commission on pollution and health, “pollution is the largest environmental cause of disease and premature death in the world today”. Goodman – who is a member of the British Society for Ecological Medicine, which explores the relationship between human health and the environment – is on a mission to arm us with the knowledge to shrink our exposure to the harmful substances all around us.
Goodman believes that everything is connected and that our wellbeing is interwoven with that of the natural world and as she paints a picture of the toxic mix of chemicals that we breathe in, eat, drink, absorb through our skin, and are irradiated by, Goodman shares real-life stories of patients who have been negatively impacted by toxin exposure and the treatment methods she has implemented. Her aim is to reduce preventable suffering and tragedies by putting in the good stuff first, such as nutrition, and removing the bad stuff, such as toxins.
It is farmers, rather than doctors, says Goodman, who hold the key to better health for people and planet. Shockingly, she tells us that the synthetic fertilisers and pesticides used in conventional farming are rooted in the history of warfare and implicated in various illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.
For Goodman, good health begins in the gut, and healthy food begins in the soil. Regenerative, organic farmers who refuse to use toxic chemicals boost their farms’ biodiversity (encompassing bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals) and restore the soil’s health rather than depleting it. This results in healthier food and a healthier gut microbiome for us – which mirrors the thriving biodiversity of the farm.
Goodman tells us about more than the pollutants in the soil, also detailing the toxins in the elements of air, water, and fire, or the damaging effects of certain energy wavelengths such as low-frequency electromagnetic radiation from mobile phone signals.
We learn about the pollutants in the air, such as particulate matter (tiny particles of soot and toxic chemicals) from car tyres, brakes, and engines—all of which result from the burning of fossil fuels like petrol.
We hear about the pollutants in our water system, including toxic pesticides and microplastics. Each time we wash our synthetic clothes, many millions of plastic microfibres – made from fossil fuels and contributing to air pollution and climate change – are released into the ocean, says Goodman.
We discover, too, the toxic chemicals inside our homes, from the cleaning products we use, often loaded with hazardous biocides, to personal care products, frequently filled with synthetic ingredients and toxic petrochemicals.
Whilst it can be overwhelming to learn about the daily cocktail of toxic chemicals we are exposed to, knowledge is power. Only when we know the problems we face can we find solutions—and Goodman offers us many solutions, such as to eat regeneratively-farmed, organic food, to use a plumbed-in water filter, to go plastic-free, and to refuse to purchase toxic goods, sending a clear message to those who produce them.
Getting Healthy in Toxic Times is an eye-opening, essential read for everyone who wants to lead a healthier life and reduce their exposure to toxins, plus policymakers who wish to make a positive impact on issues related to the environment and health. Goodman’s ultimate message is that we must do what we can to reduce the toxic load that our bodies, and the earth, are carrying – and to remember that even the tiniest action can make a difference.
Getting Healthy in Toxic Times: An Ecological Doctor’s Prescription for Healing Your Body and the Planet (Chelsea Green, 2024) by Dr Jenny Goodman. Reviewed by R.B.L. Robinson.
