Infact, until relatively recently I never thought much about anything I ate, or the products I used on my body or in myhome. I just assumed if food looked appetising or a product was on sale in my supermarket or drug store then it must be safe. Silly me.

We live in a chemical soup. Toxins are everywhere.

I have an autistic son and am convinced now the reason he has this life long disability is because of the toxic preservatives in the vaccines he had as a healthy young baby. No-one told me there might be a risk and that thimerosal (a mercury derivative) had never been tested for safety - only efficacy.

The same thing happened with my teeth. I found out too late that the second most toxic substance on the planet (mercury) was in my mouth. I never asked and no-one volunteered to tell me until I developed mercury poisoning. I'm still recovering. You can read about both issues in my book Autism, Amalgam and Me, Jodi's Journey Continues.

I now know there are over 85,000 synthetic chemicals approved by the Environment Protection Agency and most have not been tested for long term health effects either individually or in combination.

Apart from being in our vaccines they are in food, drink, household products, furniture, toiletries and cosmetics. It's no wonder health is suffering.

As a nation we are better fed than we have ever been and yet when it comes to vitamins and minerals we are incredibly malnourished. It seems now we would need to eat eight oranges to get the same amount of Vitamin C our grandparents got from one.

Over farmed soils are depleted of natural nutrients and widespread use of pesticides, insecticides and fertilisers as well as airborne industrial pollutants makes crops a hazard to health.

Did you know the average apple has about 110 chemicals on it by the time you eat it and about 1.5 billion lbs of pesticides are sprayed on wheat and vegetable crops?

Food is exposed to thousands of chemicals during preservation and processing and even water takes a hammering. In most cities there are about 700 chemicals

in the water. No wonder people turn to alcohol!

Cosmetics also contain many synthetic chemicals and you can't always trust the ones that say "natural" and "organic". Some unscrupulous manufacturers mislead customers with false labels.

If you see "derived from...." (some natural substance) a chemical process has obviously taken place so it's no longer "natural".

Similarly, "organic" should mean grown and cultivated without the use of chemicals, but the industry definition is "a compound that contains a carbon atom". Since carbon is found in anything that has ever lived, certain companies can get away with using synthetic chemicals and still call their products "organic" - even those derived from tar!

So what's so special about true organic products?

Well, organic farming cares for the environment without relying on synthetic chemicals. Rather than using pesticides, farmers prevent pests by planting a diverse range of crops, using a rotation system and NO artificial pesticides, herbicides, hormones or growth promotants.

The organic farmer believes the food it provides should be as Mother Nature intended and strives hard to conserve natural ecosystems. Food should be pure and not contain anything questionable for good health.

In organic personal care products only natural or traditional ingredients are allowed with minimal processing. Again, there should be NO synthetic chemicals,unnatural dyes, colourings,flavourings or other additives.

Apparently there are now over 200 different types of cancer and most scientists agree at least 80% are related to toxins and carcinogens from synthetic and toxic chemicals.

The disease is caused when constant exposure overwhelms the body's natural immune system and we lose the ability to purge the toxins and chemicals. That's what happened to me with the mercury poisoning and now I've just had a breast cancer scare. Fortunately it was benign but with 1 in 2 of all men and 1 in 3 or all women developing some form of cancer in their lifetime many will not be so lucky.

I don't feel I can take any more risks with my health which is why I'm using Certified organic to food standard products as much as possible. I know they'll be safe.

How about you?