Why an Apple a Day Might Not Keep the Doctor Away
November 06, 2012
Does an apple a day keep the doctor away? Perhaps, but only if that apple is organic
and free of pesticides. If it isn’t,
that apple may send you to the doctor faster than you think.
Recent news stories outlining how organic foods are not proving to be any healthier reflect a poor understanding of logic and science in most levels of society – from the media down to the average person.
First, organic farming is not new. It is the way humans farmed for all of human history until the mid-1900’s when extensive use of fertilizers and pesticides began. We have over 10,000 years of organic farming proving to be a healthy way for humans to farm. By contrast, “conventional” framing has only been the convention for 60 to 70 years at the most.
What no one seems to be studying is whether conventional farming is as healthy as organic. The common approach is to study the opposite and this makes little sense as organic farming is already the standard.
Next, apples are one of the “dirty dozen,” one of the foods that are most important to consume organically due to the high level of residual pesticides present on conventionally farmed apples.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) operates under a paradigm of “the dose makes the poison.” Essentially, they continually lower the doses of pesticides in animal testing until no observable effects are seen. And this is terrible science.
Current research on a number of pesticides is showing conclusively that there are a number of non-immediately observable effects from a number of pesticides. They are proving to have powerful effects on hormones at lower doses (whereas at higher doses they show direct toxicity).
This alteration of hormones has powerful effects on the size and function of many structures in our brains and has direct implications for everything from lowered IQ’s in children exposed to high doses of pesticides in utero and after birth, to our brains’ susceptibility to diseases like Parkinson’s.
As it turns out, it’s the poison that makes the poison. If something is toxic to humans, there is proving to be no acceptable dose.
An organic apple a day will help keep the doctor away while a pesticide-riddled apple might just bring the doctor your way.
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Great article! Finally someone talking sense about organic vs. "conventional."
Posted by: Mery | December 29, 2012 at 02:02 PM