Canaries in the Coal Mine

The word “sensitive” aptly describes many clients who seek massage therapy. Sensitive to touch, sensitive to energy, sensitive to light, etc., and overall sensitive to the environment. Sometimes I meet folks who either from past traumas, injuries or toxic exposures are sensitive to everything.

            

These hypersensitive folks come in and tell me they have “chemical sensitivity syndrome,” mercury poisoning, adrenal exhaustion, any number of debilitating conditions that make exposure to new smells and substances difficult to manage. They are trying to detoxify, relax and draw down these sensitivities to at least a manageable level.

            

I have had lots of allergies myself, so I have always tried to use natural and organic oils and linens. I never use aromas or candles without checking with clients first. So over the years I have seen more of these sensitive folks, I presume largely because I will accommodate them and not look at them like they are crazy.

            

As someone who tries not to “tox” clients any further, I find I am beginning to wonder what a prudent, not-too-sensitive person should avoid.

The question is “Are these folks the canaries in the coal mine? Should the rest of us be running for the exit?”

That is a scary question to me, as I sit surrounded by manufactured products, chemicals, electronics, wireless things and processed foods. Are these things OK or are we paying a price we do not yet see?

Well, I don’t go all Chicken Little about it (I seem to be picking on our feathered friends today) but I think it might be wise to steer clear of chemical fumes, pesticides and house cleaners. I’m not going to move next to a refinery.

But what about the little things we run into every day? We have lots of less noticeable sources of potential trouble such as sunscreens, hair dyes, hormones in meats and milk, pesticides in plants and fruit.

How we balance convenience and safety of our developed world with the potential unknowns may well define our generation.

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