3 Things That Can Secretly Sabotage Your Health, From The Father Of Functional Medicine 

Our climate crisis is quickly becoming a health crisis; this year, we've seen just how much harm it plays in not only our planet but also our bodies. As such, doctors and health care professionals have a unique front-row seat to these damaging effects, and as we urge in our 2022 Wellness Trends, their voices can really make a difference in advocating for climate reform—in their exam rooms and beyond. 

It's something we've discussed here before: Soil health is critical for growing nutrient-rich crops—and thus, a nutrient-rich diet. But because traditional agricultural methods expose soil to a plethora of chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, the fruits and vegetables can't extract the healthy minerals and nutrients they need from the ground. And the food we end up eating isn't as nutritious as it could be if we weren't destroying that critical microbial life—and that trickles down to affect our overall health. 

"We need to take this back right to the soil," declares Bland. "We need to start building up our understanding of stability where health derives itself because it's part of this network of interconnection among soil organisms to plants, plants to humans, humans, to animals, animals to the planet, and so forth."

In terms of air quality, the climate-health connection is clear: Research suggests that climate change is extending the pollen allergy season1 and increasing the pollen count2 in the air. Another recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports found that substances in the atmosphere that contribute to air pollution may also affect vitamin D levels3. In short: The longer we ignore our growing emissions, the more we'll see its impacts on health care. 

In case you couldn't tell, Bland sees a connection between everything on this planet (we agree; hence, one word, mindbodygreen), and that includes your own emotions. "Ideas, experiences, feelings, thoughts, and attitudes we might call 'soft' can be materialized into molecules through a transduction process that's related to the interface between our nervous and immune systems," Bland says. 

Now, that sounds like a pretty technical process, but stay with us here: Every interaction you have is actually filled with molecules that create real effects in your body; so if you have a disturbing conversation, for example, you would create molecules of disturbance that lay down "cracks" in your nervous system. 

It's a concept rooted in science: In fact, neuroscientist and pharmacologist Candace Pert, Ph.D., called them "molecules of emotion," and they can significantly affect your physical health. "These things are more than just transient because they can influence epigenetic processes," says Bland. "They can lay down memories that actually tag our genes in such a way that they remember these experiences long after the conversation has stopped." In other words: These experiences become materialized in your body, and, if those experiences are consistently negative, they can result in negative physical outcomes. 

Our environment plays an integral part in optimal health and well-being, as everything in our world is interconnected (even our ideas, thoughts, and experiences can result in physical health outcomes). After all, according to Bland, the term ecology refers to the study of homes—it's derived from the Greek words oikos (meaning "house") and logos (meaning "study"). "Our home could be what we go to at night or during the day, or maybe we think of home as planet Earth," he says. "It could be our cells and our own health, it could be that of our relationships with loved ones, or it could be the broader community—but there is a general sense now that this connectedness is true."