Where are the bees?

They are dying in the drift of chemical crop sprays. Where are the birds? Declining in numbers in the toxic wind with more dead from eating toxic seeds. How will the world cope without them? Where in this scenario does the agenda of feeding the world fit in? It really is incredulous that these chemicals applied to crops were produced without a complete scientific analysis of the environmental impact upon nature and our complex waterways.

So do you know what you are eating and drinking? The Association of Resource Management’s (NZARM) impact report outlines how badly polluted our national waterways are and that the identified level of nitrate and nitrogen fertiliser has reached a critical point in the water. The US and UK Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports also include data on the pharmaceutical drug contamination in our water supply. Their concern is over the sheer volume of pharmaceutical medication that is being discharged into our water supply that flows into waterways, rivers and the oceans that water treatment plants cannot routinely filter out. The Associated Press have even declared that major cities around the globe now drink ‘Pharmawater,’ whilst the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) classify drugs found in water supplies as ‘active ingredients’.

What is not commonly known is that in the field of medical science called ‘Pharmokinetics’, the recognised half-life (50%) is the length of time required for substances like drugs to eliminate half of its dose out of the body. That means that half of what you take, whether it is antidepressants, contraceptives, antibiotics, painkillers, prescribed medication, opioid drugs, legal and illegal, vaccines, diuretics, statins, sleeping tablets, anti-anxiety medication or any such drugs that you ingest is excreted into the water system, down the toilet. How about those who are having chemotherapy treatment? These patients are supposed to have contaminated toilet resources, but most patients go home and use the family toilet.

What I have witnessed over 45 years as a qualified health practitioner is a gradual change in normal human metabolism. In the past, most health complaints could be resolved by changing one’s diet, but now most patients need detoxing from chemical substances before they can even begin to improve their health. This observation led me to write the book ‘Ocean of Drugs – demise of our health options’, a complex read which unravels the past, present and future challenges of drug harm, corruption, corporate trade control, death by medical adventure and the increasing drug and chemical pollution in our waterways and oceans.

The core problem is that town or City Council’s water divisions cannot fully monitor the wastewater management sewerage systems, so significant levels of toxins are being dumped and eliminated into our water supplies. Most wastewater units are either antiquated or out-dated so struggle to handle existing conditions, let alone filter out the vast range of toxins that are present. The combined pollutant effect is all coming from artificial chemicals, pesticides, spray toxins, pharmaceutical medication, over the counter and recreational drugs. It’s time to take stock of the impact such toxins are having on our environment, waterways, marine life and oceans. The freshwater eco-systems have already declined by 50% and the impact is linked to disruptions of the endocrine systems in marine life, whilst the potential risk to humans is unequivocally risky when it comes to cancer, birth defects and balancing hormones. I often jokingly state at any given lecture that if you travel to cities around the world you don’t need to take your medication with you. Just drink the local water. www.janicepriest.com

Ocean of Drugs

For those who are concerned about the environment, the oceans, our drinking water and the future health issues stretched before us, this book outlines the background of stealth and profiteering that affects us all. The book begins with the protests on the drug war then unravels the disastrous pharmaceutical history and future plans over our wellbeing and how this has impacted on the environment. Also featured is the journey of the magazine Healthy Options and the various challenges the company met whilst trying to deliver international health information. The dramas, court cases, the stealth of medical, legal and government influences and what lies ahead. This is not a light read, but it will give you the insight behind the decisions being made over your health and our environment. Written from a personal journey as publisher of Healthy Options magazine.