EVEN OUR WATER IS ON DRUGS

[Guest guest]

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Natural-Health/2003-04-01/Herbs-or-Drugs.aspxEVEN OUR WATER IS ON DRUGS Many studies have surfaced in the past few years detailing the appearance of drugs of all kinds, including antibiotics, antidepressants and hormones, in our water supplies. Some of these substances have been documented as causes of genetic mutations in small fish and amphibians. The primary methods of water treatment in the United States fail to remove all of these micro-contaminants from our drinking water, although some studies indicate that activated charcoal filtration appears most effective. The FDA has said drug residues in water supplies are at such low levels that they are unlikely to pose risks to human or aquatic life. But little research exists on how much of this micro-contamination out-bodies can tolerate or what is likely to happen when Substance A mixes with Compound B plus a little fertilizer or pesticide runoff from local fields. Perhaps nothing, perhaps a lot. The point is, no one knows. "The unnatural synthetic drugs our genes are just now experiencing are much more likely to accumulate in the environment and to harm the human body than natural compounds our genes have known for 7 million years," Duke says. "Researchers have estimated that up to 80 percent of drugs taking by people and livestock are excreted and thin go hack into the environment. If more and mere synthetic drugs are made and sold, isn't it reasonable to believe that these substances will increasingly show up in our drinking water? I would certainly expect that even low levels of some drugs in our water will have an effect. Fish and frogs' sex lives today our lives tomorrow." Given medical care's skyrocketing cost and the tact that cheap, sale and effective herbal alternatives exist lot- many companies ills, maybe insurance companies will lead the way to prevention and more natural treatments. A clash among titans is sure to ensue— Forbes magazine ranks the pharmaceutical industry as the most profitable industry in the country, one that's not likely to go quietly into that good night. But this doesn't mean we arc cut the mercy of the drug companies and an overly influenced medical profession. We should review reliable research on whatever medicines we consume—whether herbal or synthetic—and we should ask who paid for that research. The Internet makes it possible as never before to do our own research, carefully and with a grain of salt. Quackery and deception abound and we need to be informed enough to spat it—on either side of the medical divide. Adverse drug reactions are one of the leading causes of death in the United States.All articles in this Archive are reprinted just as they were originally published; the publication date is shown in the URL address at the top of the page. Source listings, addresses and prices have not been updated; some details may have changed and terminology may be outmoded.In some cases the scanning software used to create the digital articles has introduced typos into the text. In particular, the software often translated fractions incorrectly, i.e. "1/2" now reads as "112". We are working to correct these errors.