This article originally appeared in the February 2015 issue of Maui Vision Magazine.
All that is left of America is banality and delusion. – Noam Chomsky
The matrix continues to be revealed, but we want to believe – in something. You don’t have to watch Fox News or CNN to understand how five corporate empires control our media, rarely looking behind the defense curtain at the military/industrial complex. Powerful forces are willing to destroy the Middle East to control the oil. With the near death of the Gulf of Mexico and even the oceans, we’re witnessing planet-wide impacts of chemicals and conglomerates with few controls. If you’ve engaged the health system lately, you know big pharma runs the show; they determine which drugs are developed, what doctors prescribe and what pharmacists dispense.
And what about our food supply? What happens to the millions of tons of pesticides used to grow our food? Where does it all go? The short answer is, in us. We have become human landfills!
Would the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allow such a thing? Of course, because they are under pressure and influence from the meat producers, their lobbyists and others they need to satisfy. For example, with no scientific justification, the EPA recently raised the allowable limit of glyphosate (Roundup) in humans by 200 times.
When you think of dioxins, do you think ‘agent orange’ or do you think prime rib? A recent study concluded that 93 percent of the average American’s exposure to dioxins comes through animal fat, meat and dairy consumption. The World Heath Organization states that “dioxins can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer.”
Almost all feedlot cattle are fed hormones and antibiotics to protect against the unsanitary conditions, but also to fatten them. Decades of study show that people on such a diet gain weight. Even ‘last resort’ antibiotics, like Colistin, are used to fatten animals and profits.
The toxic dump system begins on the land: low-level uranium waste is licensed as liquid fertilizer, lead-laced waste from a pulp mill is hauled to farms in Camas, Washington, and a toxic byproduct from steel mills winds up as fertilizer in Moxee City, Washington. These recycled fertilizers can contain cadmium, lead, arsenic, radioactive materials and dioxins. Read Brian Moench’s article, Apocalypse of the “Happy Meal”: The Cathedral of Cholesterol, at Truthout.org.
And read Michael Greger, MD’s article, MRSA Superbugs in Meat, at NutritionFacts.org. Each year, the MRSA infection kills more people in the U.S. than AIDS, and half of all swine workers carry it. The head of the Centers for Disease Control has warned of “catastrophic threat” to our health system due to overuse of antibiotics, which causes a minimum of 2 million illnesses per year and 23,000 deaths.
The China Study summarizes a 20-year review of the diet of 800,000 people from 67 counties in China. This study examined the relationship between consumption of animal products (including dairy) and chronic illnesses. It concluded that people who eat a whole-food and plant-based diet, avoid all animal and dairy products, and reduce their intake of processed foods and refined carbohydrates will escape, reduce or reverse development of major illnesses including heart disease and cancers.
If you’re addicted to meat, find a local, grass-fed source or look for venison. Navigating the meat matrix takes knowledge, access and wise use of your food budget.
Recent reports suggest we need less protein and more fats. Vegan sites provide dozens of alternatives to meet your protein needs outside the meat world. A thorough lab test may guide you to a better diet that will provide the missing nutrients you need. Don’t wait until you get sick; find a health consultant and get a health nutritional profile.
Look into ways to detoxify. Health food stores offer various ways to cleanse and there are colon therapists around the island. Fasting can also be beneficial.
Boost your immune system – your first line of defense. Vigorous exercise is universally recommended. Meditate, breathe deeply, and learn and practice qigong to strengthen your protective immune system.
Learn about glutathione, the ‘mother of all antioxidants.’ Also, get your Vitamin Bs checked along with Vitamins C and D. Most of us are not taking enough. Lastly, avoid banality and delusion. Be healthy and stay well.
Mark Sheehan is a real estate broker, organic farmer, environmental activist and health advocate. Email mark@marksheehan.com, or call 808.283.2158.