Making Ourselves Sick

Yesterday I met a few neighbors for the first time. During that brief conversation, one woman, just a little older than I, told me that she has written a book on the Vietnam War and Agent Orange. She has leukemia as a result of her exposure to this chemical that was used to destroy the vegetation in the jungles of Vietnam. I was sad as I thought about how many people’s lives were damaged and cut short by Agent Orange. No one knew the long term impact of this chemical. Half a dozen or so companies manufactured Agent Orange. A class action suit was filed against these companies in 1979. The suit was settled out of court in 1987 for $180 million.

We aren’t being exposed to Agent Orange today but we are being exposed to all kinds of things that have the potential to cause long term damage to our health. Monsanto was one of the manufacturers of Agent Orange. Today Monsanto makes Roundup, a weed killer. In fact, Roundup is the world’s best selling herbicide. Roundup is marketed to commercial farmers and home owners. Monsanto is also the largest seller of genetically modified seeds. In fact, the herbicide and the seeds are often marketed together. What’s the selling point? These genetically modified plants are resistant to the herbicide! We get to eat the herbicide in the plants. Just like we were told that Agent Orange was safe, so now are we being told that Roundup and genetically modified foods are safe. This is certainly food for thought, especially when we reflect on how many people have chronic diseases that have no known cause-lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, etc.

In the United States, almost all of our soy and corn crops are genetically modified (GMO) and most of those seeds are engineered by Monsanto. 68% of corn and 90% of soy in the US are genetically modified. Soy and corn products are in almost all pre-packaged prepared foods. Food manufacturers do not have to reveal the fact that the food has GMO ingredients. In fact, the big food industry has fought to prevent organic companies from labeling their products as GMO free!

It’s nearly impossible to eliminate these products from your diet, but you can reduce your exposure or body burden. Be informed and read labels. Did you know that Starkist Tuna has soy in it? Is lecithin an ingredient in your food? Lecithin comes from soy. Awareness is the first step on the way to change. We can change our buying habits. We can spread the word. We can’t change what has already happened, but we can be influence the future.