Integritus Prime

In Part 3 of our Beyond Medicine series, Lifestyle Devils, we address food additives, including pesticides, insecticides and other chemicals, as well as addictive drugs. In Part 1, we discussed ‘junk foods’ and refined sugars, and in Part 2, we addressed the effects of high salt and saturated fat intake, and how to redeem these habits. In this blog, we look at how we can avoid and prevent the harmful effects of food additives, pesticides and insecticides, as well as addictive drugs.

5. Food additives and preservatives, pesticides, insecticides and chemical manure are present in almost all commercially grown, processed and packaged foods. Some additives enhance flavor, improve presentation and lengthen shelf life. A common and potent flavor enhancer is monosodium glutamate (MSG) mainly found in Asian cuisines and some snacks. It is a salt-based flavor enhancer that may give you a headache if consumed in large amounts. There are other manufactured additives that you may need to avoid, such as, certain food colorings, (e.g. red dye), sodium nitrate, potassium bromate and aspartame as they have negative effects on our health.

There are hundreds of food additives: some are safe and others are not so good for our health. Some major food-related organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are monitoring the use of food additives and creating awareness for consumers. Apart from food additives we also have pesticides, insecticides and chemical manure, which are used for bigger yields, pest control and longer shelf life of fruits and vegetables. We know from reports that some of these chemicals in the weed killers (e.g. glyphosate) are harmful for human health and some herbicides are used for intentional harm to self (e.g. paraquat). Sometimes, manure also has chemicals and/or antibiotics. An example is manure from commercial poultry and dairy farms.

In the olden days, there were very few and mostly natural preservatives, such as salt, vinegar and natural organic manure from free-range farm animals. Lately, if you look at the list of preservatives, there are many manufactured chemicals being used and some are fairly new. We do not really know the long-term effects of these additives on human health. If increasing rates of allergies, autoimmune and lifestyle diseases, and asthma are some measures to gauge the effect of harmful chemicals, then we do need to stop and re-assess. We need to ask ourselves what is causing these diseases. Are chemicals, including food additives safe for human use? Research for yourself and find out where you stand with the food you are consuming and what is your current state of health and wellness.

To redeem this habit, and reduce intake of food additives, consider the following:

• If you do not understand all the ingredient names in a packaged food, try not using a lot of that product, or eliminate it from your diet.
• Choose fresh, local, organic fruits and vegetables.
• If you are not vegetarian or vegan, choose free-range chicken eggs and lean meat, organic plant-based milk and/or low fat dairy products.
• Avoid treated or preserved meats like ham, as these have more added chemicals than fresh cuts meats.
• If you or your loved ones have (or want to avoid) allergies, asthma, autoimmune diseases or lifestyle diseases, make a note of what packaged or processed foods you consume and check out the chemical content of these foods, then experiment with not eating them one at a time to see if your symptoms start to go away.

6. Addictive drugs. These are called ‘recreational drugs’ which is a misnomer, as they cause a temporary elevated mental state, but ultimately are not good for health and may also lead to mental problems. There are 4 categories of ‘recreational drugs’ as follows:

1. Analgesics include narcotics such as heroin, morphine, fentanyl and codeine;
2. Depressants include alcohol, barbiturates, tranquilizers, and nicotine (mainly from tobacco and tobacco products);
3. Stimulants are cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy; and
4. Hallucinogens such as LSD (acid), peyote (mescaline), magic mushroom, marijuana, ketamine, phencyclidine (PCP) and salvia divinorum (diviner’s sage).

These drugs are typically taken without medical supervision, and cause tolerance and addiction, i.e. they enslave us. They alter perception, diminish our ability to reason, cause dependence and hence are dangerous to use. As the use continues, larger amounts are taken to have the same euphoric effect. This affects the brain and causes harm to the organs in the body; and may lead to depression and addiction. Most of these drugs are initially taken, maybe with ‘friends’ or peers, for pleasure or stress relief. However, addiction and dependence occur albeit insidiously. Trying to stop the use of recreational drugs by oneself is harder than anticipated and other problems occur, such as, gambling, debts, stealing, assaults, aggression, unprotected sex, compromised grades in studies and isolation from loved ones and reality. Drug addiction is also associated with suicidal tendencies.

 The root causes of drug addiction are chronic stress, history of trauma and/or abuse, mental illness and family history of drug use. An initial step towards drug addiction is substance abuse. Generally one starts using alcohol or tobacco products and then goes onto other addictive drugs.

To redeem or avoid this problem, these are some tips:

• If you have never tried any of these drugs (including alcohol and tobacco products), be smart don’t start. Look for other, healthier ways of dealing with stress – see below!
• If you are a current user of any drugs, take stock of your stress level and start taking steps towards relieving them in a better way.
• If friends and peers ask you to try out a drug to relieve your stress, tell them directly that it’s not for you. You may lose friends but it’s better to be up front and lose friends then losing yourself.
• If you do feel stressed, then stop to breathe freely, go out for a walk in nature, for example near a lake, river, ocean, listen to soothing music, exercise, or meditate.
• If you have trauma, talk to a trusted friend or go for trauma counseling.
• If you have a family history of drug abuse, practice detachment and help them to recover or find them a treatment option.

The good news is that all these harmful habits or Lifestyle Devils can be changed slowly, mindfully and purposefully to attain good health and a productively happy life. If you are having difficulty with these devils, share with us what you plan to do about them or how you are coping with them. Remember there is help available in most countries!