August 18, 2022 general

That advertising slogan was adapted from one originated by chemical giant, DuPont, starting in the 1930’s. The problem with the cool sounding concept is that the “better” part too often applies to a limited aspect of living, e.g. convenience of some chore but pays no attention to potential health consequences. History is littered with thousands of examples, but this week I noticed the following current issues:

• Toxic toilet tissue. In TV commercials, cute colorful bear cartoons talk (in terms that I think has gotten a little bit too graphic and personal) about comfort and cleaning ability of their brand of toilet paper (T.P.). (To be sure, if you’ve traveled internationally, you know that there is some like sandpaper.) There is no mention in the advertising of the fact that many brands are contaminated with per- or poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). These are known as “forever chemicals” because they never go away. We’ve had guest experts on Healthy by Nature, such as Anthony Jay, PhD explain how damaging these (and other plasticizers like BPA) are to our hormone systems—e.g. then can act like estrogen but not as we might hope in a good way but in a way that causes disease.

The PFAS are typically used in non-stick frying pans, food packaging, firefighting foams, and toiletries. However, they end up in the environment with damaging effects on wildlife and our water supplies (they are not removed by municipal water treatment), and they can accidentally get into other consumer products. The bears’ favorite tissue, Charmin Ultra Soft Toilet Paper is one. (Oops, I just bought some because of a good coupon). We absorb chemicals though the skin. If T.P. was the only source, it might not be so bad, but of course there are many other ways we are exposed. What can you do?  This article describes gives more details and offers a way to help tell the government to put an end to this dangerous nonsense.

• Glyphosate…good for business, but not for you. Industrial scale agriculture has become a ginormous profit generator for chemical makers. In 1970, a Monsanto chemist discovered that the chemical ‘glyphosate’ killed plants—i.e., it is a broad-spectrum herbicide. You’ve likely seen news about cancer caused by glyphosate and the resulting lawsuits. People who don’t have a disease that is so obviously linked to a big exposure (as a farmer might have), are still being harmed and this insidious factor is not in the news. The government tests for immediate poisoning but does not seem to have much interest in what happens to our health when we accumulate a little bit of thousands of chemicals every day over years and years.

The discovery of glyphosate also led to the development of genetically-modified varieties of crops to resist the plant-killing effects of the herbicide. GMO corn is a prime example. So, now we must worry about the health effects of not only the chemical itself, but the Frankenfoods they created to sell it. Making matters worse, big agribusiness now uses glyphosate not just during growing but also to dry out crops to speed up harvest. This use puts more of the toxin into the environment and creates other subtle harm.  Also, as one example, drying out wheat abruptly with glyphosate interferes with a natural process and makes the gluten in wheat more likely to cause trouble.  What can you do? Being an activist for change, is useful and you can add your voice to the demand that General Mills get glyphosate out of our food. It will help, as much as possible, to eat organic foods. Visit the non-profit Environmental Working Group for guides to which foods are the cleanest and those most contaminated. I also recommend routinely detoxifying your body with Reg’ Active Detox and Liver.

• Are you fat? There is a drug for that. Besides the manufacturing of consumer products and agriculture, another major source of chemical risks is from medications. Of course some are necessary, even lifesaving. But their side effects are responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths per year in the US. Pharmaceuticals are used in situations where there are safer and more health-enhancing alternatives. Recently, I’ve been seeing commercials for Ozempic, a drug for diabetes and blood sugar problems. It is also being promoted as a weight loss aid. It has side effects, including kidney trouble and potential for thyroid cancer. Oh, another is poverty because it costs $1,359 a month. According to the studies, you might lose 15% of the problem weight, but as soon as you stop taking the drug, the fat comes back. So, instead of coming to grips with the cause of blood sugar trouble and weight gain (which might be endocrine disrupters as mentioned above), people are expected to take the drug the rest of their life (unless one of the side effects kills them first). This linked article offers more details as well as ideas on weight loss diet and on natural substances that safely help regulate blood sugar.