Your chemical life, your health care crisis
Alan E. Moses
April 06, 2007
Have you ever walked into someone’s home that just finished cleaning their kitchen floor or bathroom with Pine-Sol or another heavily scented cleaner? The smell being so strong that your eyes begin to water, you begin to get an almost instant headache and start to feel nauseas? You may look around the room to find signs of others feeling as bad as you but realize that it is only you. Have there been times when you come across someone that seems to be wearing an entire bottle of cologne or perfume and you have the same reaction? Or have you walked into your favorite restaurant that has just reopened after renovation with new carpet and paint and again it hits you?
These are signs of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). There are more situations that you may have been in but to me this gives you the best scenario. And there are even more drastic responses with this disorder and some find themselves living a life of complete illness to what most appear not to be influenced by. Some may question how just scent can trigger this and not realize that actually it is the inhalation of a chemical agent.
There are other ways that we come into contact with chemicals that adversely affect us quickly or overtime. Our food supply is full of chemicals that we are unaware of. The government only requires that you are told about additives not the insecticides, fungicides or pesticides used prior to harvest. Even fresh vegetables draw up these chemicals from the soil that they are grown in or absorb them outright on leaves. It is widely known that fresh vegetables retain the vitamins and nutrients required for sound health. Whereas the canned or processed ones lose many during the production process, yet we forget about the chemicals ingested when we consume them.
We have all heard stories about MSG in Chinese foods here in the states and the adverse effects they pose to some. What about poultry, pork and beef? Again you are not told about the vaccines and additives prior to slaughter nor do you have a clue of what was added to the feed. Many of us that go to the meat counter look for the reddest beef products without the knowledge that this redness is achieved from a chemical dye. We assume that this coloration is a sign of freshness.
Fish are in the same boat, no pun intended. Certain types of these products contain mercury and dioxins. Most modern societies warn pregnant women, small developing children and elderly people to avoid consumption and for the rest of us to limit consumption. Over 95% of our lakes and rivers are under a fish advisory. Then add the Tuna, swordfish and others from the oceans of the world. Is nothing safe from chemical or heavy metal exposure?
Can you live a non-toxic life in today’s America? Unfortunately it is almost impossible. At least for the foreseeable future it will remain this way. It is part of our modern society to think that we need all of this chemical technology to survive.
Our food is not the only problem as we demand flame retardant clothing and furniture. We use non-stick cookware, plastics, fungicides, pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers, etc. This list just goes on an on. We believe this is a way to achieve a better life and disregard the quality. How many chemicals have we used under the assumption that they were safe and later find ourselves dealing with illness, injuries and even death form them? Asbestos, DDT, PCB’s to name just a few. It is almost a revolving door as we just continue to attempt to engineer that perfect chemical that we can live with.
We actually rely on other chemicals to fix the problems begun by the original ones. This is almost beyond understanding as it only creates other problems in the end. We have become so smart that we are now achieving our own destruction by our own unwillingness to see the trees through the forest. There are times in human history when we have out thought ourselves and it seems as though we are doing it again. I have personally witnessed a women diagnosed with the early onset of Alzheimer’s. Then she saw another doctor and he removed some of the chemicals prescribed and her thinking became clearer and she no longer fits the Alzheimer diagnoses. It was the chemicals not nature. Give it all a (K.I.S.S.) keep it simple science as nature tells us we don't need to be ill all of the time.
These are signs of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). There are more situations that you may have been in but to me this gives you the best scenario. And there are even more drastic responses with this disorder and some find themselves living a life of complete illness to what most appear not to be influenced by. Some may question how just scent can trigger this and not realize that actually it is the inhalation of a chemical agent.
There are other ways that we come into contact with chemicals that adversely affect us quickly or overtime. Our food supply is full of chemicals that we are unaware of. The government only requires that you are told about additives not the insecticides, fungicides or pesticides used prior to harvest. Even fresh vegetables draw up these chemicals from the soil that they are grown in or absorb them outright on leaves. It is widely known that fresh vegetables retain the vitamins and nutrients required for sound health. Whereas the canned or processed ones lose many during the production process, yet we forget about the chemicals ingested when we consume them.
We have all heard stories about MSG in Chinese foods here in the states and the adverse effects they pose to some. What about poultry, pork and beef? Again you are not told about the vaccines and additives prior to slaughter nor do you have a clue of what was added to the feed. Many of us that go to the meat counter look for the reddest beef products without the knowledge that this redness is achieved from a chemical dye. We assume that this coloration is a sign of freshness.
Fish are in the same boat, no pun intended. Certain types of these products contain mercury and dioxins. Most modern societies warn pregnant women, small developing children and elderly people to avoid consumption and for the rest of us to limit consumption. Over 95% of our lakes and rivers are under a fish advisory. Then add the Tuna, swordfish and others from the oceans of the world. Is nothing safe from chemical or heavy metal exposure?
Can you live a non-toxic life in today’s America? Unfortunately it is almost impossible. At least for the foreseeable future it will remain this way. It is part of our modern society to think that we need all of this chemical technology to survive.
Our food is not the only problem as we demand flame retardant clothing and furniture. We use non-stick cookware, plastics, fungicides, pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers, etc. This list just goes on an on. We believe this is a way to achieve a better life and disregard the quality. How many chemicals have we used under the assumption that they were safe and later find ourselves dealing with illness, injuries and even death form them? Asbestos, DDT, PCB’s to name just a few. It is almost a revolving door as we just continue to attempt to engineer that perfect chemical that we can live with.
We actually rely on other chemicals to fix the problems begun by the original ones. This is almost beyond understanding as it only creates other problems in the end. We have become so smart that we are now achieving our own destruction by our own unwillingness to see the trees through the forest. There are times in human history when we have out thought ourselves and it seems as though we are doing it again. I have personally witnessed a women diagnosed with the early onset of Alzheimer’s. Then she saw another doctor and he removed some of the chemicals prescribed and her thinking became clearer and she no longer fits the Alzheimer diagnoses. It was the chemicals not nature. Give it all a (K.I.S.S.) keep it simple science as nature tells us we don't need to be ill all of the time.
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