When did Humans become ‘harmful organisms’?
Recently I’ve noticed a buzz in the toxin-free living community online. If you do a quick google search, a toxin is defined as “a harmful substance produced within living cells or organisms.” Read that again. If we are going to use this working definition of toxins, are toxins really the root cause of death and disease?
According to the CDC, in 2019, the top two leading causes of death were heart disease and cancer (broad, I know). So, let’s focus our attention on heart disease for time and clarities sake.
If you’re thinking ‘what does heart disease even mean?’, don’t worry! Heart disease is an umbrella term for a number of conditions that ultimately lead to cardiac dysfunction and demise ie: heart attack. These conditions include coronary artery disease, angina (stable or unstable), aortic aneurysm/dissection, arrythmias, atherosclerosis, atrial fibrillation, cardiomyopathy, congenital heart defects, heart failure, Marfan syndrome, peripheral artery disease (PAD), pulmonary hypertension, rheumatic heart disease, valvular heart disease, and finally acute coronary syndrome or myocardial infarction (heart attack).
Lots of big words. I know. So, let’s break this down. What causes the ‘leading cause of death’ in the United States. What causes heart disease?
When you browse the media produced by the American Heart Association (AHA) and Center for Disease Control (CDC), even my old textbooks, the solutions offered for prevention and treatment of heart disease are pretty simple: lose weight, “eat smart”, sleep, decrease stressors, quit smoking, stay active, see your doctor regularly. If you’re reading these words, I am rather certain you’ve heard these recommendations at least one time prior to now.
If it was that easy to avoid the number one cause of death in the United States, the ‘greatest country in the world’, why would our life expectancy rank 26th among OECD countries? Why would 1 in 4 Americans die from heart disease? The CDC reports 655,000 people die from heart disease annually (that’s one person every 36 seconds). If avoiding the death sentence of heart disease is SO EASY, with such simple solutions laid out in front of us; is it really fair to say 1 in 4 people who die, were just ‘lazy’, or ‘unmotivated’ people that didn’t care about living a long, healthy life? Surely not.
Physicians might argue that people who continue bad behaviors (smoking, unhealthy eating, sedentary lifestyle) ‘don’t care’ about their health, or unhealthy people are ‘just set in their ways’ and will ‘never change’. The argument that the average person who suffers from heart disease simply doesn’t care about living a long, healthy lives is a baseless claim, and in my opinion, completely untrue. This is how we view disease through the lens of Western medicine. Are we really too lazy, too poor, or too busy to save our own lives? Surely if we truly knew better, at a subconscious level, we would do anything possible to not only survive, but thrive. I mean, a vast majority of people locked themselves inside their homes, for over a year, and clung to the television like the sky was falling down… Let the pandemic serve as proof that people certainly fear their own mortality; and would eagerly adjust their lifestyle for survival if provided the proper education and resources. But why is it so difficult to integrate these lifestyle changes to actually reap the benefits of ‘good health’? Hint: health is extremely complex and an infinite amount of forces affect our physical, emotional and spiritual health on a daily basis. There is no ‘quick fix’ for anything we experience in life! The Western model doesn’t adequately address the top two causes of death in the United States, how can we accept this as good enough?
What are biocides? Another key vocabulary word for this lesson… Biocides (say it out loud to yourself for effect… I want this to be dramatic!), defined by European legislation are “chemical substances or microorganisms intended to destroy, deter, render harmless, or exert a controlling effect on any harmful organism.” Read that again… they are intended to destroy, deter, render harmless or exert a controlling effect on any harmful organism. Biocides are commonly used and found in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, forestry, and industry. Examples include pesticides, antimicrobials, disinfectants, preservatives, pest control, and biocidal products. The intended use of these products is to prolong shelf life of products and increase profits through killing living organisms and microorganisms. Did we forget that we are also living organisms, made up of the same substances as the very ‘pests’ we are trying to exterminate? When did fellow humans become harmful organisms or pests?
I could list the scientific evidence about glyphosate, or other pesticides; I could detail the lengthy list of acute and chronic side effects they have on human, ecological and environmental health and function. Would it really reach you? Would it impact your daily routine? I could make obvious links between chronic inflammation, immune dysfunction, hormonal imbalances and decreased cognitive function from prolonged biocide exposure and accumulation within the body. The association between biocides and the development of chronic illnesses, heart disease and cancer could be made as well. These chemicals are intrusive; found in our food, soil, water, personal care products… even the air we breathe… Would that article scare you enough to change your entire life? Sadly, the answer feels like no. This information is readily available to all with an internet connection and capacity to care for something outside of their little world. We all subconsciously know that the events and things happening around us are wrong or at least ‘off’. I want to understand why the very people who sheltered in place for the last year, somehow find solace in the system that feeds us industrial strength chemicals designed to kill.
In conducting research, and soul searching… trying to find the words to make the most impact for you, I feel a sense of urgency and responsibility to help my fellow humans make better decisions for their health and wellness. I don’t have all the answers. But someone who reads this might. For now, please support local organic farms and eat whole, non-processed foods. Please read more labels and do more personal research… decide for yourself what feels safe for consumption. Learn about supplements and take them regularly. Please drink more water. Please exercise more. Please help your neighbors and friends. Please take more conscious deep breaths and take time to express gratitude for the miracle that is your life. Please love yourself more and laugh more. Please question more of what you’re told, express original ideas confidently and… care… Please care more about your life and love; because that’s all you have. Make these things necessities and watch your life change.
With love, always,
Audrey
