Can Eating Organic Really Help You To Combat The Effects Of Electromagnetic Pollution?

Quite often I will receive an email from someone who is worried about the electromagnetic radiation exposure they are receiving. Or from someone that has just discovered they are electrosensitive. The question they ask: what must I do to get better? What is the cure? This is easier to answer than what you might think. Its putting it into practice thats the hard part.

Its not just popping a pill. It does not require doing just one thing. It requires doing lots of things. It requires a lifestyle change. One of the pillars of this lifestyle change is eating organically.

I believe organic food to be a VITAL and ESSENTIAL ingredient to living in good health ESPECIALLY in our increasingly electromagnetic world.

Eating organic is a fairly big deal for many people. Its hassle, you can’t eat at the restaurant. You can’t enjoy your Big Mac any more. The benefits are difficult to measure. They think its just a waste of money. Not true.

You can still have an occasional Big Mac (chances are you will not want one). You can still live normally. It costs a little more but not much.

I have been eating organic for 5 or 6 years now. I feel much, much better for it. I have more energy, I have lost surplus weight and I digest my food much better. AND my electrosensitivity symptoms have abated.

I bet I am not the first person you have heard saying that you should switch to organic food, thats why I wanted to share this video with you. Its one of the most comprehensive explanations I have heard on organic food benefits.  It covers two aspects, the personal health one and the environmental one, obviously they cannot be disassociated, but if you are suffering from an illness like ES, or chronic fatigue syndrome, epilepsy or MS (the list goes on) the environment goes right down to the bottom on your list of priorities. But the environmental angle is of major importance also.

I have done a transcript of the video and underlined in bold type the most important points, so you can skim through it quickly if you want to.

Here’s the message I want you to get; when I couple all the arguments (as detailed below) with my own experiences (for instance when I go back to eating normally at Christmas and on holiday I can feel my system getting more ES and sluggish again) eating organically becomes a total no-brainer.

Here is the video:

Announcer: The organic system is a holistic approach dating back to the late 19th and early 20th century in Europe. Organic foods are grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics, growth hormones, and genetic engineering which are permitted and often embedded in convectional agricultural practices. Studies comparing organic and conventional food production systems are difficult to design, implement and evaluate due to numerous uncontrollable variables. But keeping this in mind, we address12 key issues. These include: climate change, energy, biodiversity, nitrates, pesticides, micro toxins, nutrients, genetically modified organisms, human pathogens, antibiotics, hormones and chemical additives.

Climate change and energy use.

Currently one of the most pressing environmental issues of today is global climate change which is associated with rising concentrations of green house gases in the atmosphere. Conventional farming and agricultural methods rely heavily on energy intensive fertilizers, pesticides and concentrated feeds and use greater amounts of energy overall which translates into higher green house gas emissions than organic systems. Livestock are another example; livestock operations release green house gases as a result of land clearing for pastures and feed crops, for the use of fossil fuels in the production process and for the use of fertilizers. A variety of methods have been suggested for reducing the dependence on chemical fertilizers including composting, green manures, cover crops, intercropping, crop rotating and the use of livestock manure and all these are incorporated into organic farming. It is very difficult to compare and contrast organic and non-organic as they are both complex systems. Conventional and organic farming systems don’t really have a clear definition. A conventional system can range from a high input to a near organic system. Some organic systems are similar to conventional systems in that they utilize large monocultures but don’t use fertilizers or pesticides. Though there is ample evidence of the benefits of organic farming in agricultural practices in reducing green house gases and mitigating climate change the main obstacle to its implementation lays in the policy arena. In the US this means a fundamental shift in the way farmers are incentivized, from a quantity commodity payment system to a system that rewards farmers for implementing methods of farming that enhance the amount of carbon in the soil.

Biodiversity

Comparative biodiversity studies on organic and conventional production system are difficult due to many methodological differences affected by plot scale, landscape structures, soil organism and plant and animal species studied. Research on a wide range of habitant including birds, mammals and vertebrates, plants, insects and flora demonstrate that organic farming supports greater biodiversity and abundance across most sectors studied.

Nitrates and pesticides

Nitrates can be harmful to humans and the environment; the use of chemical fertilizers in conventional farming causes accumulation of nitrates in plants and drinking water. Nitrate levels are consistently and significantly lower in organically produced food. There are many of pesticides used in conventional farming that negatively impact agricultural ecosystems, the environment and human health. Pesticides bio-accumulate in food chain and food webs and persist in nature for years. They threaten biodiversity as well as farmed, wild, aquatic and human life. Chronic exposure can lead to cancer and the disruption of the nervous, endocrine, reproductive and immune systems. Multiple chemical pesticides exist in conventional produce, animal meat and milk fat. Eating an organic diet provides a dramatic and immediate protective effect against dietary pesticides exposure.

Nutritional Value

Nutrient levels in food vary. Many studies have reported no difference in nutrients levels of organic and convectional produce, too much variability in study design or results or contradictory findings. Conventional systems often add nitrogen based synthetic fertilizers causing plants to grow faster and larger. This may cause the food produce to have lower primary or essential and secondary nutrient levels. Studies comparing organic to conventional fruits, vegetables and grains often report that organic foods are higher in vitamin C, iron, magnesium phosphorous, anti-oxidants and various vital chemical including flavonoids. Flavonoids are secondary nutrients and humans with increased flavonoid intake have reduced risk for cancer and cardiovascular, photo-oxidative and neurodegenerative diseases. In general organic farming practices support equal or superior nutrient levels for some nutrients and in crop specific manners.

Genetic Modification

Genetically modified organisms or GMOs transfer insect and bio-resistance, herbicide tolerance, delayed ripening, antibiotic resistance, modified nutritional parameters and or farmer food traits. Numerous crops are commonly genetically engineered including soy bean, corn, rice, tomatoes potatoes and canola. Once a GMO plant species has been released outdoors there is no ability to recall it. No standardized safety tests exist for GMOs either. Toxic effects have been repeatedly reported in animal systems at the cellular, molecular tissue, organ system and organism levels. Negative alterations have been scientifically documented in the liver kidney, pancreas, gastro-intestinal tracks, spleen, pituitary and adrenal glands, reproduction and immune systems as well as pertaining to blood biochemical and immunological parameters. Eating organic foods will nearly eliminate the exposure of consumers to GMOs.

Exposure to Human Pathogens

There appears to be no more or less risk of food borne illness or exposure to human pathogens from organic food production as compared to conventional. There is possibly less risk of mad cow disease in organic production since there are no recorded cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in any animals born and reared organically in the United Kingdom. More infections outbreak occur globally in general due to improper processing, packaging and handling of foods before and after purchase or during preparation, more virulent bacterial strain emerging and international food trade. Mycotoxins are products from fungal infection of plant crops. Mycotoxins increase the risk of cancer, immune suppression, kidney gastrointestinal and nervous system damage, hormonal balance and stunted growth. Contamination of food with mycotoxins usually arises on the drying, storage and the manufacturing side rather than the growing side of the food production system.

Antibiotics, Hormones and Chemical Additives

In conventional systems antibiotics and hormones are used to reduce animal morbidity and mortality and to promote growth to meet production demands. These substances have negative ecological impacts from conventional feedlot run off. Antibiotic use contributes to antibiotic and multiple drug resistance in animals and humans and thus pose a greater risk of enteric pathogens. Hormones cause endocrine disruption. Conventional foods can be processed and manipulated into chemical cuisine containing hundreds of permitted chemicals. Organic foods are very limited in permitted chemical additives, those associated with adverse reactions in animals and humans are prohibited. Chemical additives can cause such adverse reactions as: abdominal cramps, anaphylaxis, asthma, allergy, cancer risk, behavioral disorders, diarrhea, dizziness, heart disease, headache, nausea, obesity, tooth decay and weakness.

The largest benefit of organic food production, both human and environmental, maybe from the process of growing rather than the actual food product. Organic methods are compatible with social environmental aims such as conserving energy, mitigating global warming, minimizing impact on native ecosystems, increasing biodiversity, reducing inputs such as fertilizers as well as air and water pollution, improving soil and promoting optimal health and nutrition. Though research maybe inconclusive or difficult to compare across study types the idea that a conventional farming or agricultural system practice or a component is either not proven safe or has potential negative implication for human health must be considered paramount. Practices such as genetic engineering and the heavy reliance on synthetic chemicals and conventional systems appear highly risky for human and environmental well being.  Consumers will benefit in many ways from avoiding high carbon, high calorie and possibly lower nutrition in processed and conventional foods. Probably the biggest human health reason to eat organic rather than conventional foods is to avoid unknown and potentially detrimental consequences at the gene, metabolic, cellular, organ system and being level, of genetically modified foods. Consumers are encouraged to consume organic, whole and unprocessed foods when possible. This switch will support personal and environmental health and sustainability.