Magazine article on thriving in a toxic world
Striving to thrive in a toxic world
The difference between surviving and thriving with health can be determined by the toxins that infiltrate our bodies. We merely survive in life as we absorb and battle germs, viruses and toxins throughout our lives; but we thrive in our health as we overcome and expel those germs, viruses, and toxins.
We will grow weaker to the point of only surviving with the toxic buildups of metals, chemicals and pathogens that we allow to enter our bodies and take up residence in our tissues; but we can grow stronger to the point of thriving as we rise to meet the challenges of our ever-growing toxic environment with naturally strengthened immune systems and strategies of defense against these insidious invaders.
Medical schools are cranking out over 2,300 fresh MDs this year according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. With this many new front-line troops of higher learning to “battle” our human maladies, disease and human suffering should be shrinking; but there is no shortage of ailments for these specialists to treat! One big reason is because of the growing levels of poisonous chemicals, heavy metals and microbes we now harbor in our bodies. Higher than ever levels of insecticides, toxic metals, water and food processing chemicals and additives, super bugs and fungal over-growths are taking their toll on our overall health and increasing spectrum disorders (such as autism and ADHD), as well as physical and mental issues (such as obesity, chronic fatigue, depression and Alzheimer’s).
Toxic pesticides
Let’s take a small look at pesticides. Pesticides are designed to kill insects by affecting the neurology of the unwanted pests. Plants, which have no central nervous system, are unaffected by the neurotoxic chemicals we call pesticides; but the plants often carry these toxins all the way to our dinner table for us to ingest. Because we have a central nervous system as do insects, we suffer the effects of the pesticides we eat! The harmful effects of pesticides are especially critical during rapid growth and development times of children. According to the book; Pesticides, A Toxic Time Bomb in Our Midst, page 90; “for infants 6-12 months of age, commercial baby food is the dominant source of unsafe levels of OP pesticides.” Furthermore the book also states that 1 out of 20 children under the age of 5 ingest unsafe levels of pesticides.
Organic and pesticide free food along with careful acid vinegar-water washing of our fruits and veggies can reduce the amount of neurotoxic pesticides we expose ourselves and our children to.
Heavy metal toxins
Heavy metals affect our neurology also. The developing fetus is particularly sensitive to toxic metals and becomes a sort of dumping ground for metals and other toxins lodging in the mother’s body. Umbilical blood sample studies show that the fetal blood is more burdened by heavy metals than the mother’s blood. Vaccines nearly always contain mercury and/or aluminum and can be especially troublesome to developing children. (even the “mercury free” ones contain mercury according to biochemist Boyd Haley and other sources). Other ubiquitous sources of heavy metals that infiltrate our bodies can be milk, meats (this especially includes fish), vegetables that are grown in toxic soil and disinfectants in diapers, band-aids, gauze and sanitary pads.
Metals in vaccines: Careful consideration of the need for vaccines along with consuming organically grown foods are some great ways to reduce neurotoxic metals introduced into the body. Cilantro and chlorella naturally remove toxic metals from the body. Visit www.ewg.org for more food safety and toxicity information.
Read more: Vaccine Toxins: A collection of excerpts from anti-vaccine lectures and blog discussions. Includes many valuable web-links
Chemicals in our water
The chemicals used in water and food processing expose us to a constant flow of various chemicals from chlorine and sodium fluoride to food dyes and preservatives. Tap water in America is full of chemicals, toxins and even pharmaceutical drugs. Sodium fluoride is added liberally to most city water supplies (see Placating a Nation) Fluoride: Placating a Nation Medication of America without informed consent. The dangers of fluoride
Chemicals in our food
Farm raised salmon meat is gray instead of pink unless the food processor adds chemically derived colorants to make it appear “healthy pink” as the wild salmon appears.
Common food preservatives like BHA and BHT (Butylated hydroxyanisole and the related compound butylated hydroxytoluene) are highly oxidative and may contribute to carcinogenicity or tumorigenicity (See www.chemistry.com).
There is ample evidence that BHA and BHT can result in health and behavior changes including ADHD symptoms according to Feingold.com and other sources.
Become educated and informed on the contents of food labels and what the ingredients represent. Boiling water does not remove some of the volatile chemicals in it. Drink reverse osmosis water and keep plastic drink bottles away from elevated temperatures to avoid carcinogenic xenoestrogens.
Antibiotic resistance
Superbugs happen! America’s magical romance with antibiotics has spawned a new generation of superbugs and fungi. Bacteria will become more resistant to antibiotics when antibiotics are over-used and mis-applied.
Antibiotics are indiscriminately sprayed on crops, applied to animal feeds and grossly over-prescribed by Medical Doctors. Cows feeding on grains and antibiotics grow fatter quicker and the tasty marbling in their flesh is actually caused by a diabetic like condition!
Studies have shown a correlation between human diabetes and the consumption of this less-than-healthy cow flesh.
Doctors have also continued to wrongly prescribe up to 95% of all antibiotic prescriptions for ear infections according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians. With the loss of a healthy balance of good bacteria in the digestive tract, fungus can proliferate and take over sometimes causing severe conditions.
According to the American Journal of Physiology some 80% of the immune cells in the body reside in the gut. Our immune systems, neurochemical production and even a bulk of our metals and toxins removal depend on a healthy balance of bacteria and fungus in our gut.
Pathogenic fungus
Fungal over-growths and related neurotoxins produced by fungi change human behavior insidiously by producing exogenous (from without the body) neurotoxins that change the balance of neurochemicals, immune cells and heavy metals in us! Fungus attaches to the bowel walls much like an ivy vine will attach itself to brick or wood. This causes “leaky gut” syndrome with immune responses to partially digested food particles that cross the gut wall where they normally would not.
Fungi in the gut produces opioids, alcohol and other neurotoxins that affect behavior and even more so during a full moon when the fungus proliferates best. This excess of neurotoxins supplied by fungus perhaps explains the werewolf syndrome that the police brace for at the full moon phase of the lunar orbit!
A healthy balance of intestinal bacteria like acidophilus and bifidobacterium will help keep unhealthy fungi in check and promote healthy digestion and immune function.
Avoiding toxins
We make choices daily about what grade of fuel to put in our cars, how fast we want our new computer to process, how many premium cable channels we can now have and how soft do we want our tissue paper to be. But when it comes to fueling our precious bodies we sometimes opt for the seemingly economical, highly processed and nutritionally deficient foods. Cars, computers, cable TV packages and toilet tissue will come and go in our life but our health, once destroyed, can be very difficult to recover. When we eat sick, toxic and depleted food and imbibe chemical infiltrated water, we become sick, toxic, and exhausted people. However, when we choose to avoid toxins and eat healthy plants, well-nourished animals and drink life sustaining water the body is allowed to thrive and we become healthier, cleaner and vitalized.
I have always said “The best time to seek your health is while you still have it”!
Authored by Cancer Nutritionist Craig Stellpflug NDC, CNC, Dayspring Cancer Clinic Scottsdale, AZ
Copyright 2009 Craig Stellpflug© Permission is hereby granted to copy and distribute this article but only in its entirety