Monday, January 17, 2011

The Movement towards the use of Natural Products

Food for Life distributes food on an internati...Image via Wikipedia

How often do you find yourself looking at the ingredients of what we put in or on our bodies? Not often?  Well, you might want to.  What you will find in food and non-food items alike are ingredients that you have no idea what they are.  So it follows, if you don’t know what the ingredients are, how do you know if it is something you want on or in your body?
As consumers we trust that if it has made it to the market, it must be safe even if it is not necessarily good for us, right?  That is not necessarily true.  Just because the FDA or USDA approves something does not make it safe.  In fact the criteria that these agencies use are bare minimum criteria:  What is the amount of something a product can contain and still be ok to use or consume.  For example, the level of mercury that can be in our fish or in vaccines and be considered to be ok for consumption or use.  Or the acceptable level of blood present in milk from the host animal that can still be used.  Who sets the criteria?  Based on what?  Are these standards shared with the public to determine if the public agrees that this is ok for them?  It is our choice whether to partake or not.  It would be nice to be informed about what and how much of something we are partaking of before we choose to or not to.  We are told that scientists, who do research, know the amounts that are harmful to the body.  So we are to trust them because consumption or use in moderation is ok, even of toxic elements.  That’s the theory.  Really?  So we can use minute amounts of mercury (and not so minute in terms of babies and vaccines) overtime and it not harm us?  There is no additive effect?  So the use of lead is bad and we accept this as poisonous.  We warn people of its usage and effects and we can keep the public informed in this case, but not others that are used in manufacturing and products such as mercury, fluoride, manganese and more?  We just absorb it or flush it out of our system.  That’s what our liver and excretory system is for right?  To cleanse us from the poisons that we put in our body?  Here’s an idea, why don’t we choose NOT to put things in our body that we KNOW are harmful.  Let’s stop crossing our fingers with regard to the medical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural cartels that are willing to gamble with our lives in order to make a profit.
Is there any doubt that many of the “advances” that we have made in the name of convenience, progress, and profit are the very same things that are creating the rapid increases in disease in our time?  The statistics are going up, we’ve all heard them.  Do we not see a link or is it ok just to put the responsibility on the person and blame it on lifestyle choices?  In fact, it is those who produce the products to be consumed that have control over the increase or decrease in the wellness of our society as a whole.  It takes each of us to do our due diligence to pay attention and choose consciously.  Not to consume something just because it’s easily accessible or cheaper.  As we struggle in this economy, how can we afford to spend more when we have less?  I say, how can we afford not to?  It is a matter of sacrifice and making a decision about what is more important to you: saving money or prolonging your life and improving the quality of it, saving time or getting more out of the food you eat by how you prepare it?  In the long run, the very thing that you are trying to save, money, is what you end up giving away as you pay for the results after we become sick or pay for medication or vitamins to supplement what we can do ourselves. 
I choose to spend a little more now for my family to ensure that what I offer to them  is safe and nurtures their being and development, and not harming or degrading them in any way.  What about you?



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1 comment:

  1. Most people wouldn't even think that this kind of practice is done here in this country... Goes to show you what is really what. I think it is time we as a country wake up this isn't just about African Americans anymore this is about "the haves" vs "the have nots" and there's more of "the have nots" than you think. I appreciate that this woman is my wife...Continue to elevate my love...

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