According to a recent study of about 10,000 Chinese women, the use of cosmetics such as facial creams, mascara, foundations, eye shadow, eyeliner and cleansers was associated with a complication in pregnancy.

The complication is called “Small for Gestational Age,” meaning some of the babies born to pregnant women who used the products mentioned above had this issue. They were smaller than babies who had not been exposed to such products. In the world of neonatologists (doctors who care for sick babies), this is a problem.

The risk was 23 percent higher in the cosmetic users than in those who did not use the products. It could most certainly be argued that there are variables that do not apply to people in our area.

This study was done on pregnant Chinese women, and my guess would be those variables do not apply to a lot of readers here. This study also relied on recall of those interviewed for its data.

A known problem with recall is that it is not always accurate. But the fact is that toxins, even ones that come from cosmetics, play a role in your health. If tiny babies are affected by these chemicals, what are they doing to you?

If you have health concerns of any kind, avoiding toxins that could be playing a role in that less-than-desired health status is essential. This is also where good eating habits and daily movement come into play.

When you are exposed to toxins, good gut health, strong kidneys and liver, and a good hard sweat most days of the week help clear out the toxins you are exposed to. This is an area you can control. So be aware of toxins in your environment. We even need to consider the chemicals we put on our skin.

It is back to the game of balance. If you wear or use cosmetics, or are exposed to any potential toxin for that matter, then make sure the rest of your lifestyle is as healthy as it can be — diet, exercise, stress control, gut health, relationships, etc.

Dr. Warren Willey is a Pocatello physician. Visit his website at http://drwilley.com.