Page 57 - Fall2013

Homeopathy Journal

taking on the big guns:
homeopathic support for pesticide exposure
by Joette calabrese, hmc, cch, rshom (na)

Nineteen eighty-eight was an eventful year scheduling meetings with city council members
for me. I was pregnant for the second time. One who might take an interest in such an issue.
day while gardening in front of our home in Several members were indeed concerned, and I
Buffalo, New York with my nearly three-year- was ready to meet with the first one the following
old son at my side, he suddenly looked up and morning. This meant that I wouldn’t have to go it
pointed to an immense truck slowly creeping alone in my plan to have the spraying halted, and
down our street with a colossal cannon affixed the city council might take it from there. Well,
to the flat bed. The cannon was aiming a vile sort of.
substance that smelled like a mix of dog dew Buffalo City Hall is a grand Art Deco-style
and formaldehyde ripened in moldy carpet on a structure of thirty-two floors and I looked for-
diagonal towards the trees on our street . . . and ward to gazing on the spectacular architecture
inadvertently directly into my neighbor’s and our while waiting to make my first appeal to a council
bedroom windows. member. It was 8 a.m. only a day after the tree
Instinctively I plucked up my son, raced into spraying event and city hall employees were fil-
the house, slammed down the bedroom windows, ing into the building. I was instructed to take a
took a deep gulp of air, and called the Buffalo seat in the waiting room on the eighth floor.
City Parks Department. I forced my composure But while waiting I began to feel dizzy,
into a syrupy, “What is being sprayed at the elm breathless and jittery. By the time I entered
trees on my street today?” “Oh, just some Sevin,” the council member’s chambers I was certain I
was the nonchalant response. Let me mention couldn’t sit through our scheduled meeting and I
here that as soon as someone begins his reply to apologized that I was feeling uncharacteristically
a direct question that demands a serious answer odd, almost as though I had inhaled poison. “Oh,”
with a deflective “Oh, just. . .” my suspicions are said the council member. “I should have men-
aroused. tioned that the entire floor is sprayed the second
I immediately contacted the Department Friday of every month for ants and cockroaches,
of Environmental Conservation, environmental and they came in last night and doused this floor.
protection organizations, city council members, Here, let’s open a window.”
and the manufacturer of the chemical carbaryl, But it was too late. I was feeling too strange
which is sold under the brand name Sevin. I to speak with him. We arranged another date and
collected information on safety studies and the I staggered home. The remainder of that day I
material data safety sheet, and set for myself a could do nothing but endeavor to catch my breath
plan of action. in a state of steady anguish.
What I discovered on the second page of that The next day, I miscarried. Was it coinci-
safety sheet alarmed me. Certain words jumped dence? Or was it the two insecticide exposures What i
off the page that verified my initial fear and within days that signaled my body to let go? discovered on
permanently established my distrust. I learned If you have ever experienced the loss of a
that animal experiments had shown reproductive pregnancy you understand how uprooting this that safety fact
problems in females from exposure to carbaryl, trauma can be. It took weeks for my emotions sheet alarmed
including birth defects in beagle dogs and an to settle, but when it was over, the experience me and verified
increased rate of miscarriages in monkeys. had set my jaw. I became firm in my resolve to
I spent the rest of the day on the phone prevent my city from spraying lethal chemicals my initial fears.
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