How often do you overhear a conversation in public you’d love to jump in? For me, it always seems to be in the grocery store. Just the other day I overheard a young kid explaining the benefits of probiotics to his girlfriend- it was awesome to hear his vast knowledge on the topic. As I was waiting in line, I overheard a conversation I couldn’t possibly resist becoming a part of. A young man, who had just self-disclosed to the person ahead of him in line,told the customer that pesticides were probably not as bad as people think they are and there’s very little data to prove they’re harmful. It was so completely false, that I immediately began talking as soon as he stopped,”excuse me- you think pesticides aren’t harmful to you or you just don’t care if they are? Who exactly told you they were good for you? Who told you they weren’t bad for you? Have you researched countless hours to know that they aren’t harmful? You’re a physician and you operate under the un-informed guise that what you’re purporting is true? I’d call you a liar right now, but it sounds like you actually have no idea what you’re talking about.”
It’s really not like me to talk to people like this. In the past it was like me to talk to everyone that I overheard saying something ludicrous. But, let’s face it, we get a little older and we just “don’t go there” every time. The fact that this man strung together that he was 1. a physician, that 2. pesticides weren’t that bad for health and 3. that there’s very little data that exists to prove they’re harmful sent me over the edge. I looked at the consumer and said, “hey, didn’t mean to drop a bomb on your conversation, but I’m also a professional health care provider and I have an ethical, professional standard to uphold- to protect, advocate, liberate, heal and help deliver the truth to people at-large.” The 30-something year old customer smiled at me, thanked me and said to the physician- “dude, don’t be douchey, go learn what the hell you’re telling people if you’re going to call yourself a doctor.” It was a pretty intense five minutes in the grocery store line!
There is nothing worse than a person who is in a position to be a thought leader to cheat people out of a fair chance at understanding the way something really is.
Check out the photos below- this is the way it really is…
P H O T O O N E- this person is covered from head to toe in protective gear. Notice how his nose and throat are covered and he’s wearing protective goggles? Do you know why? He’s spraying a chemical intended to kill live insects and their larvae. What makes you think that what he’s spraying won’t kill you and your eggs or your ability to fertilize eggs?
P H O T O T W O- this is a diagram of the anatomical sites where pesticides have been shown to most readily enter the human body. In medical speak, we call it tissue affinity or tissue permeability. Notice the lit up area of the genitals? Did you know that Dole and Chiquita Banana employ banana farmers who have gone sterile due to their everyday, occupational use of pesticides?
P H O T O T H R E E- know what an endocrine disruptor is? It’s the primary and partial cause of 99.9 % of the health concerns that I treat people for in private practice. Endocrine disruptors aka environmental toxins that we absorb because we possess tissue permeability, are one of the leading causes of today’s modern diseases, including cancer, auto-immune diseases thyroid disease, infertility… All pesticides are known endocrine disruptors. If you think there’s a dispute about whether they cause cancer or not, then lay the debate to rest now- they DO cause cancer. Remember, fetus, babies and small children are sponges- they absorb everything and their cells rapidly divide- would you want pesticides that have been absorbed through permeable tissues to cause your child’s cells to divide atypically? I doubt it. The Environmental Working Group lists pesticides as known carcinogens and helps you learn how to avoid them.
Are you still not convinced you’re being duped? Think it’s no big deal that compounds delivered to eradicate a life form have no affect on your personal viability? Think that guy above spraying would be wearing all that gear if pesticides weren’t harmful? If after reading this you think it’s okay to eat foods with pesticides, well, then you’ve essentially handed over your freedom to choose for yourself. You’ve said, “hey, instead of growing me life-giving, nutrient dense food, I’d like food that will cause me diseases, which will lead to me incurring tons of medical bills as I get older, which can rob my children of having a fair chance at thriving free from chemicals…”
Think I’m being extreme? Good, I am. I hope you’re inspired to go organic and tell other people how they can too!
