The Bad Things That Global Warming Can Do to Your Health

It is common to see news in the paper or on television about flashfloods in the country or in other parts of the world. These are all caused by changes in the weather and environment which are usually attributed to global warming. Although you may know that these phenomena are serious and can wreak havoc in the future, you may not be aware that environmental changes may actually have a direct effect on your health. While the melting of the polar caps should be a cause for alarm, you should be more concerned about the little changes in your body that global warming can bring.

Here are some health concerns linked to environmental changes:

Extreme Rashes

Due to the rise in greenhouse gases, deadlier strains of poison ivy are on the rise. As a result, the rashes expected from more lethal strains would be worse. A Duke University study found that urushiol oil, which is the one responsible for making poison ivy dangerous, when exposed to higher levels of carbon dioxide are 30% more potent than those that are exposed in prevalent CO2 levels. In fact, some experts believe that the toxicity of poison in plants like poison ivy is already higher today than decades ago.


Heatstroke

For the past few years, more and more people in the US have died from heatstroke. The people who are at a higher risk of getting heatstroke are the elderly and the very young children. One of the main reasons why temperature is high in some places in the country, particularly during summer, is that changes in climatic patterns are affecting the region's nighttime cooling. In Europe back in 2003, figures have shown that about 35,000 people were killed during heat waves.

Skin Cancer

Experts have estimated that over 1 million new cases of skin cancer will be reported in the US in 2008. In fact, this type of cancer is the most common in the country today. Although efforts in dramatically reducing the production of chlorofluourocarbons (more commonly known as CFCs) were successful, the damage has already been done in the ozone layer. As a result, more deadly ultraviolet rays are penetrating the earth.

Toxic Seafood

The rising ocean temperature is making sea-borne bacteria flourish. In the past decade, you will see a rising trend of red tide outbreaks in clams, oysters, mussels and other shellfishes that did not only affect fish, but also humans. Aside from making shellfish unfit to eat, these sedimentary organisms are also responsible for turning regular mercury into methylmercury, a more toxic form, which can be found in aquatic animals like shark, tilefish, tuna, king mackerel and swordfish.

Severe Allergic Reactions

People allergic to pollen are sneezing and coughing a lot more as the spring and summer seasons seem to be longer due to global warming. The increase in CO2 is also making plants produce bigger and more pollen. Furthermore, the greenhouse gases are also encouraging more fungi spores to grow.

What You Need To Do

The first thing you need to do is to start caring for the environment. The little things that you do in saving electricity and resources or minimizing garbage and pollution can go a long way in stopping the further deterioration of the planet.

Secondly, it would be wise for you to start protecting yourself from the harmful rays of the sun by using sunscreen every time you go outdoors during the day. Make sure that the sun block that you buy protects you from both UVA and UVB rays.

Lastly, boost your health by eating right and exercising daily. You may also perform detoxification at least once or twice a year to make sure that the toxins inside you will be safely eliminated out of your body and system. One product that can help you undergo detoxification with ease is Colpurin. For more information about Colpurin, simply click on to