The green movement has been gaining traction and environmental issues are being brought to the forefront of a lot of our attention. Did you know that environmental issues can also impact our health as well? The air we breathe, water we drink and food we eat are all connected to the environment, so it makes sense for us to try and at least preserve what we can.
We spoke to Josephine Yew, Pharmacist at TrueHealth Pharmacy in Skudai, Johor Bahru on environmental issues and how we can make a difference.
1Twenty80: How does the environment impact our health?
Josephine Yew: If we pay close attention to the dots that connect us to our external living environment, we can
see that everything that we need for life to be possible and for living to be desirable, sensible and comfortable actually come from this physical and natural environment.
Anything that disrupts this delicate, dynamic and living balance will definitely affect and have an impact on our health. It is just a question of how perceptive we are in seeing this inter-connectedness.
Poor air quality is fast becoming a leading cause of health issues in children and the aged in cities such as India and China. Our experience with haze is another example. A more recent example is the acute air and water pollution in Sungai Kim Kim, Pasir Gudang due to improper waste disposal management by industrial manufacturers leading to deaths and various health issues. One of our regulars is involved in environmental work and research has shown that microplastic has been found in the marine life caught from the rivers and sea off the coast of Johor Bahru. Furthermore, it is an open secret that our fresh foods and produce are laden with synthetic chemicals to ensure its freshness, lengthen their shelf life and enhance their appeal to consumers. These chemicals have various health effects upon our bodies. Pollution can also come from commercial farming with the use of pesticides, herbicides and artificial fertilisers to improve yield but doubtful food quality. This is our current scenario.
So, just as we get sick when our internal bodily environment becomes overly toxic and polluted, our health can and will suffer if pollution goes unchecked. In a nutshell we have organised our world in such a manner where harmful chemicals have permeated into our life chain and they are finding their ways into our bodies, acutely and chronically affecting our health.
Quotes: Anything that disrupts this delicate, dynamic and living balance will definitely affect and have an impact on our health.
1Twenty80: Do you find that you have customers that come into the pharmacy with complaints that are related to the environment?
Josephine: Yes, we do see these types of patients, more during hazy periods, when the flu bugs are active or during hot and dry periods of the year. Then again, we are always alert to the possibility of customers’ health challenges that may be triggered, aggravated or caused by environmental pollutants. Patients with liver diseases, hormonal issues, weight issues, infertility problems, various types of allergies are some of the cases we pay particular attention to. Some of these health problems are related to the petrochemical pollutants present in our physical environment in various forms that enter our bodies via the air we breathe as some are volatile and exist in gaseous form, the water we drink (the mineral water we buy so conveniently), cosmetics, toiletries and household products we use to clean our homes.
1Twenty80: How important is it for us to be aware of environmental issues and take steps to help?
Josephine: Personally, I look at it this way. How can I reduce pollutants leaching into our natural environment? How can I reduce my exposure to potential pollutants? How can I assist Mother Earth in rejuvenating Her? Do I need this? Or Do I want this?
With the cliché minimalism gaining momentum and the likes of Marie Kondo becoming popular, we can become conscious consumers needing less but living more, reducing our exposure to pollutants and adopting healthier lifestyles and life choices. We can vote with our money.
Quote: No part is too small and every kind gesture goes a long way.
So, it is very important for us to be aware of environmental issues and see how we can play our part. No part is too small and every kind gesture goes a long way. In Malaysia, there is still much room for improvement. In Sweden, a young girl by the name of Greta Thunberg has taken to the streets solo initially but now has an international following pushing forward and raising awareness on the urgency of our current environmental challenge
1Twenty80: In what way does your pharmacy incorporate being eco-friendly in your practices?
Josephine: At our small shop we have put up posters, flyers, educational materials on prevailing environmental issues. We discourage and limit the use of plastic bags whenever we can help it.
We are offering paper boxes in place of plastic bags. We also encourage our customers to use their own shopping bags.
It takes a lot of education and patience to walk the path less travelled. For those who can see, we must continue to shine bright for those who can’t. If they can see and feel the same, they would not behave the way they do. That being said, we are also seeing customers who voluntarily refuse plastic bags and affirm the need to start to really care for our environment.
1Twenty80: What is your advice to our readers on being eco-friendly in their daily lives?
Josephine: I feel most of us to some extend or rather already know of some eco awareness campaigns like ‘Tak Nak Straw’, no single use plastics, bringing your own bag, water bottle and food carrier, and no plastic, cycle, walk and carpool when you can and look into the zero waste lifestyle.
I’d also like to encourage all of us to eat local and support local farmers and small industries. Shop for vegetables and fruits with cloth bags and the list goes on! What’s most important is to see that being eco-friendly is not just a fad. Rather, it is a movement!
