Chemicals Help Us Live Longer And Better Lives – Or Do They

It often crosses my mind that in today's society there are very few people we know (including ourselves) that have not been diagnosed with one condition or another. Whether it be a physical or mental malady or both, many doctors are treating people for problems that 50, 40 or even 10 years ago no one had ever heard of.

Granted, we now have more scientific research going on than we did in 1950, but it brings up the question were these problems around in 1950 and we just did not know what they were, or are all these diagnosed issues new? The average life expectancy in 1950 was 67.3 years. Now it is 77.3 years. Something must have changed in the last 60 years.

Over the last half century we as a nation have begun adding more and more chemicals and additives to the growing and production of our food stuffs. From the fertilizers used to boost the growing capacity to the preservatives used to lengthen shelf life and everything in between, unnatural supplements have taken over the food industry. Our animals are injected with growth hormones, our vegetables and fruits coated with pest retardants, and our pre-packaged meals loaded down with enough inorganic materials to make you wonder if there is actually any food in the container. To make foodstuffs more affordable and there be less waste, preservation processes were introduced. Now you could grow the corn in Iowa, ship it to the processing plant in Tennessee and have it canned and on your table in Arizona without ever having to worry.

Could it be that the addition of chemicals to our drinks and foodstuffs has actually begun to alter the way our body performs? It would be grand if we could all grow our own consumables and drink fresh, naturally clean water, but we cannot. We have come to rely on super stores to provide what we need to sustain our existence because too few of us have the time, energy, ability or land to do that. Have you ever noticed the taste difference between an apple you buy at the grocery store and one picked fresh off the tree? It is amazing. Your taste buds tingle, your mouth waters and there is a fireworks display of joy going on in between your lips.

Time and time again we are warned not to eat this or drink that because it could be harmful to us. Scientists have tested the results of consuming these products over the course of time and realize that if you do not eat/drink them, you'll be better off. These are the same scientists that developed the additives/preservatives to supposedly help us live better/longer lives. If we take away all the natural things that are supposedly harmful to us, all we will have left is chemicals to consume. If these items are so harmful, why did nature provide them to begin with?

I know I have gone off track of how I began, but there is a reason for that. What if by adding all these chemicals to our diet, we are actually causing more problems? Is it possible? Probable? Once we are diagnosed with a disease/problem/issue we are given even more chemicals in the form of prescription drugs to control whatever it is we have. And as with all medications, there are side effects. Some become so severe we then develop more and more problems and must be given more and more drugs to counter the side effects. And those drugs have side effects, and on and on and on. It's a never ending cycle.

Twenty years from now I wonder if we will even need to embalm someone when they die.