Enveloped in a Veil of Pesticides
It’s Game Show time and you’re selected from the audience to answer the first question of the day: As estimated by the EPA, how many pounds of pesticides are used each year in the USA?
- 1 million pounds
- 10 million pounds
- 100 million pounds
- 1 billion pounds
I can see your thought process now, as you mentally consider the gravity of 1 million pounds of pesticides poured on our crops, fertilizing and weeding our lawns, parks and golf courses — entering our environment and food supply, and ultimately our own bodies. 10 million pounds would be an even graver reality, 100 million pounds — unthinkable.
The correct answer is… 1 billion pounds of pesticides are used each year in the USA — a number so large it’s beyond comprehension.
The good news is that some toxic pesticides such as Organophosphates continue to decline (with an estimated 33 million pounds still in use.) Organophosphates compounds are a diverse group of chemicals used in both domestic and industrial settings, especially as insecticides. These potent neurotoxins are still detected in most Americans (as quoted in the CDC’s National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals) and are commonly found in our food. As explained in Brenda Goodman’s article on WebMD, Pesticide Exposure in Womb Linked to Lower IQ, “They are of concern to both scientists and regulators because they work by irreversibly blocking an enzyme that’s critical to nerve function in both insects and humans. Even at relatively low levels, organophosphates may be most hazardous to the brain development of fetuses and young children. The EPA banned most residential uses of organophosphates in 2001, but they are still sprayed agriculturally on fruits and vegetables. They’re also used to control pests like mosquitos in public spaces such as parks. They can be absorbed through the lungs or skin or by eating them on food.”
Dramatically increasing in quantities used, are broad-spectrum systemic herbicides, such as Glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s RoundUp. Glyphosate is a toxic weed killer used prevalently throughout the USA and an ingredient in Monsanto’s RoundUp Ready genetically modified crops. These genetically engineered crops include corn, soybeans and canola and consumption of these should be completely avoided. One variety of RoundUp Ready corn was linked to tumors in rats by a 2012 study. (Gilles-Eric Séralini, et al., “Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize,” Food and Chemical Toxicology)
With an estimated 1 billion pounds of pesticides applied to U.S. farms, lawns and golf courses exactly what is our exposure risk? Farm workers, pesticide applicators and communities near farms and golf courses carry the most risk. But studies by the Centers for Disease Control show that we all carry pesticides in our bodies from environmental exposure including the food and water we consume.
Unless we’re living au natural on a tropical island surrounded by pure ocean water (if this even exists anymore) we must admit that through our food, air, water and clothing, we are a target for a toxic assault that corporate America is not about to back off of. What can we do about this to protect ourselves and our families? The answer is quite simple — go organic and take infrared saunas regularly.
In their book Beyond Antibiotics, Drs. Michael A. Schmidt et al., state the following: “Saunas are being used by some doctors to stimulate the release of toxins from the bodies of their patients. They have found that a lower temperature (105º-130ºF) sauna taken for a longer duration is most beneficial. These low temperatures stimulate a fat sweat, which eliminates toxins stored in fat, as opposed to the high temperature sauna, which encourages a water sweat.”
Dr. George Yu, Clinical Professor of Urology and Sex Hormones at George Washington University Medical Center and Researcher on internal fat accumulation of toxic chemicals has said, “We know that fat compartments hold huge amounts of toxins compared to the blood. The sauna is an excellent mode for the toxins to be released from the system.”
Regular detoxing keeps our toxic burden down to a manageable level so that we don’t reach the tipping point when the body is pushed into a state of serious illness and disease because the toxic overload has become too high.
Eliminating chemicals and stored pesticides through the skin is the most direct pathway and doesn’t overburden the liver and kidneys with processing these toxins. In addition, the other many benefits of the sauna — including muscular and joint pain relief, improved heart health, stress reduction and deep relaxation, immune system support, and rejuvenated skin — add to the appeal of an in-home sauna. To modify the old saying, “An (organic) apple a day keeps the doctor away,” I would say “An infrared sauna a day keeps the doctor away!” Turn up the heat, and go for it! Make your home a wellness center by having an infrared sauna close at hand for you, your family and friends.
