GRAS My Ass | No Chemical is 100% Bad or Safe
In December of 2019, I wrote a piece titled ‘The Psychology and Chemistry of Wellbeing’. Although it clearly speaks to the importance of controlling our thoughts and mind, that wasn’t the original intention for writing it. Quite frankly, I had just been diagnosed with breast and skin cancer as well as osteoarthritis and scoliosis. While I had been experiencing higher levels of pain throughout my body, I chalked it up to stress. Neither arthritis or breast cancer runs in my family, and subsequently found out that it doesn’t have to.
As I do with everything health related, I search and investigate. However, my studies go far beyond understanding what’s not working and the processes conventional medicine seeks to control. Two good examples of this are histamine and aromatase. For the most part, these chemicals are viewed as inflammatory and potentially harmful; yet, in my mind, if the body is making it, there’s a reason besides discomfort and damage. The same can be said with my studies on gluten. Although not produced in the body, it’s impossible to imagine nature generating useless chemicals, or for that matter, the body being unable to manage it. When it comes to gluten, we have the wiring to break it down; it’s a protein. So, what’s the problem?
Instability, otherwise known as an active stress response.
I am in awe of the human body and nature. Through my work, I’ve established a very clear comprehension around why we interpret health issues as ‘defects in the system'. We see a problem, we fix it. Centuries ago, our forefathers used natural remedies. At the same time, there was a lot of suffering and death. Why? Because healing and recovery take time. Many severe health conditions don’t have a lot of time before ‘shit hits the fan’; therefore, brilliant minds began searching for ways to improve and hasten the process of getting better. With time, these efforts began paying off and by the early to mid-nineteenth century, Merck was extracting alkaloids from plants for sale to chemical companies.
(a little back history, Merck began as a family-run apothecary in 1668 in Germany)
Around the same time, 1828, Johann Buchner began distilling salicylic acid. Historically, humans had been chewing on plants such as willow bark and chamisa for the pain relieving qualities; yet, some pain couldn’t be alleviated with leaves and branches. Therefore, scientists accepted the mission to help their fellow ‘man’ out. Said another way, there are times when the body requires a more concentrated dose than what’s available in natural remedies.
Medications have undoubtedly played an important part in both the longevity and sustainability of the human race; however, they are nothing like they used to be.
While they are concentrated and specific in their mechanism of action, they are no longer produced from plant extracts. In many cases, they are scientific formulations that combine inorganic compounds in order to replicate the organic chemicals found in nature. Other times, they are grown in a lab using yeast. Although the latter sounds natural, such things as ascorbic acid and other nutrients aren’t typically found in yeast; therefore, the result is nothing like a naturally occurring substance.
Interestingly enough, nature does not judge anything as good or bad; it simply responds, and moves on. Humans, on the other hand, see things as good / bad, right / wrong, and in doing so, seek to right the wrong, not realizing that even though ‘we’ don’t care for the direction nature took, it’s in perfect alignment with the ‘information’ coming in. If this is your first time reading my work … thank you for being here, and … allow me to say that nature communicates with chemicals. Therefore, when I mention information or messages, I’m referring to chemicals.
Medications, like essential oils, are chemicals; yet, to use only manmade materials stresses the system. In other words, it’s like driving a car and never taking your foot of the gas or brake … just full on. This level of pressure is inflammatory. To complicate matters is the amount of additional manmade information being introduced into the environment i.e. pesticides, antimicrobials, antibiotics, paints, 5G (which is a form of light known as a millimeter wave) . All of these alter genetic expression albeit man, plant, virus or animal. DNA, no matter the organism, is in constant communication with the environment.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Albert Einstein
Health is simple. Sickness is complicated.
Between the thoughts of Albert Einstein and the current COVID19 pandemic, the message is clear. It’s time to rethink the way we manage health. Our current methods involve one of two ways:
juggling medications throughout life, wondering why this symptom popped up or how we ended up with another diagnosis .. here’s a little secret, it’s all related.
combining medications with natural remedies hoping something will knock it out or improve the situation when in reality, all we’re doing is stressing the body even further by ‘duplicating the mechanism of action’. This line of thinking is understandable given the fact that we want to feel better, so we do all that we can to quiet the symptoms. Unfortunately, there are a lot of potential complications with this type of practice (more on that in a moment). In the meantime, combining several medications with a number of supplements, herbal remedies and even oils overwhelms the liver and system, slows a person’s progress as well as suggests that natural remedies don’t work.
The simple way begins with:
taking the prescribed medications (if applicable) because they have a stronger ability to relieve the immediate discomfort
focus on digestion by taking a hydrochloric acid supplement i.e. Betaine as well as a digestive enzyme
using essential oils that support digestion. What makes this an excellent step is essential oils are packed with constituents that support the entire body, not just digestion and can be selected based on the diagnosis and medications.
sometimes other supplements, but not right away. The point is to simplify and stabilize. If that’s not enough, other steps can be taken when appropriate.
A big reason for doing it this way is the liver processes every chemical introduced into the body whether man or nature made. Often times, this is another place, the liver, where remedies conflict. Some chemicals induce activity, while others inhibit … too many at one time, overwhelms and stresses the system. In fact, I’m of the belief that this is the reason why we have statistics illustrating the number of pharmaceutical related deaths. Not overdoses, just an incompatibility with a medication. Or, was it really the drug?
I pose this question because I have yet to see any documentation or reports identifying whether or not a person was combining natural supplements with their medical treatment. The automatic reaction is an attempt to blame the drugs. Truthfully, it’s neither the medication nor the natural products; it’s the mix. But, the current mindset does not recognize this possibility because, for the most part, natural products are generally regarded as safe …. GRAS. This is as big a load of misinformation as anything else out there!
The problem with not reporting the use of natural supplements is negligence. While scientists continue to study and acknowledge countless chemical influences on a vast number of natural processes, the ‘powers that be’ refuse to let this be known. I honestly have no idea why, and refuse to speculate. On the other hand, it is sending a very dangerous message and why I encourage people to simplify their approach to wellness and health … especially where our children are concerned.
The number of young people being placed on some type of psychotropic drugs is skyrocketing. Between 2005 and 2010, it was reported by the CDC that at least 6% of the adolescents in the U.S. were taking at least one. In 2018, that number jumped to 19.8% according to the Official Journal of American Academy of Pediatrics This includes the use of antipsychotics with Autism.
My concern rests on the lack of systemic stability due to the use of medications and the misuse of natural remedies. Keep in mind, adverse reactions aren’t always negative. Sometimes, a person experiences an additive effect which is an amplification of medication side effects OR they are silently changing the way the epigenome ‘conducts business’ now and in the future.
It’s no secret; life is stressful. Between every day life and the introduction of better and stronger chemicals, we have a lot to manage; however, being misinformed about the safety of natural products is where I draw the line because this is an area we have some ‘control’ over. As adults, we may not be able to fully reverse our situation, but we can certainly improve the outcome. Yet, our children deserve a better future and not living the same health experiences we are.
The root of all illness is systemic instability which is prompted by the DNA’s reaction to the environment. No chemical is 100% bad or safe …
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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