Wise Traditions, Volume 4, Number 2
FEATURES
- Environmental Toxins:
- The SARS Epidemic, Jim West looks at pesticides as a possible cause
- Health Hazards of Mercury, Eric Davis, DDS describes major sources and a successful protocol
- Troubled Waters, Katherine Czapp uncovers some surprising sources of mercury pollution in our oceans
- Conferences: Conference Album
DEPARTMENTS
- President’s Message: Surviving in the Modern World
- Letters: Letters to the Editor of Wise Traditions
- Caustic Commentary: Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, PhD take on the Diet Dictocrats
- Know Your Fats: Mary Enig analyzes the homogenization theory of heart disease
- All Thumbs Book Reviews
- Thumbs Up: Keeping a Family Cow by Joann S. Grohman
- Thumbs Up: The No-Grain Cookbook by Joseph Mercola
- Ask the Doctor: Tom Cowan on treating chronic mucus
- Soy Alert!: More studies confirm soy dangers
- Foundation Update: Bill Sanda provides news on Congress
- Food Feature: Antioxidant herbs (In the Kitchen with Mother Linda)
- Making the Transition: Lori Lipinski on the challenge of eating healthy while on vacation
- A Campaign for Real Milk (on realmilk.com): Ron Schmid reviews the early days of certified raw milk and pasteurization
President’s Message: Surviving in the Modern World
by Sally Fallon
Survival in the modern world is becoming more and more difficult. Not only must we navigate the treacherous waters of processed foods (particularly difficult for parents as advertising for the worst food items is aimed directly at children) but also contend with the growing presence of industrial and agricultural toxins.
In this issue we look at pesticides and industrial poisons as a cause of SARS–Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome–as well as the accumulation of mercury–one of the most toxic substances on the planet–in our biosphere: in the oceans, in fish, and in our own bodies. Levels of cadmium, lead, aluminum and arsenic are also rising. Add electromagnetic pollution, irradiation, ultrapasteurization, fluorescent lights and toxic additives like MSG and aspartame to the equation and we arrive at the explanation for rising rates of acute and degenerative disease.
How do we protect ourselves against this onslaught? Obviously, the first line of defense is to avoid these toxins as much as possible. That means choosing whole, unprocessed, organic or pasture-fed food, drinking and cooking with filtered water and avoiding the most flagrant sources of poison–saying no to thimerosal in vaccines, amalgam fillings and pesticides in our homes and gardens.
Most of us have less choice when it comes to where we live and work. Nevertheless, we should seek alternatives to jobs that expose us unnecessarily to pesticides and industrial toxins.
None of us can completely escape exposure to toxins–and neither could our ancestors. Smoke is filled with toxins–think of the primitive Gaelics that Weston Price described, living in smoke-filled cottages. Before electricity, smoke from lamps and fireplaces was a constant source of irritants and carcinogens.
Fortunately, many factors in traditional diets help the body deal with toxins. Last issue we read about how gelatin-rich broths helps the liver detoxify. In this issue, Eric Davis describes the benefits of a protein-and fat-rich diet in supporting the body’s various defenses against poisons. Lacto-fermented foods provide additional support.
Pesticides work by interfering with vitamin A pathways (Wise Traditions Fall 2002, page 40-42). Therefore, adequate vitamin A is key to surviving in the modern world. That translates into plenty of butterfat, eggs and organ meats from grass-fed animals with a supplement of cod liver oil to provide an extra measure of protection. Fortunately, mercury accumulates in the protein portion of fish, not the oil, so cod liver oil is clean and safe.
We were delighted to meet so many of you at Wise Traditions 2003. Plans are already underway for our 5th annual conference. Mark your calendars for May 1-3!
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