Those of us who specialize in Environmental Medicine define Optimal Health as “a state of optimal physical, neuro/cognitive, psychological, and social well being. It is achieved and sustained by an active, ongoing expenditure of metabolic energy to insure a homo-dynamic stability of interactive biologic function despite the chemically changing disruption from all environmental and internal disorders.”

Although I personally am not so concerned about the ongoing controversy over global warming, I am concerned about the increasing, real, and more imminent danger of chemical contamination of the planet with herbicides, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers.

I can understand both sides of the global warming debate. On the one hand , the planet may be getting warmer because of a cyclical change in planetary weather. Over the millennia the polar caps have melted and re-frozen more than once, and we may be experiencing such a cyclical melt. This melt may take millions or billions of years to cycle, so we are really standing still in time millennium.

There are many reputable scientists who do not believe a planetary warming is occurring and they have their body of evidence to substantiate their claim.

On the other hand , there are other equally as reputable scientists who believe that global warming is the result of human-related contamination of the environment with what they call greenhouse gases which are destroying the ozone layer which acts as an insulation from excessive heat from the sun. These scientists have accumulated a body of evidence which they claim substantiates their claim.

Another aspect of this debate is to consider the tremendous amount of greenhouse gases spewed forth with one volcanic eruption – an amount which can be so large as to minimize anything that man can do.

Although, as mentioned earlier, I am more concerned at this time about the ongoing contamination of the planet with chemical herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers, I do recognize and am concerned about the so called “greenhouse gases because these contaminants are created by man and nature has not evolved to rid them from the planet.

At this point, let me concentrate on planet contamination by chemical herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers.

CHEMICAL HERBICIDES, PESTICIDES, AND FERTILIZERS

The main reason why I consider chemical herbicide, pesticide, and fertilizer contamination so dangerous is because we are exposed to them every single day of our life.

Most individuals eat three times each day and snack in between. The above mentioned chemicals get into of food chain because manyh are absorbed by plants (grains, fruits and vegetables) which both we and other animals consume.

As it is with us humans, the animals we eat must eat contaminated grains, fruits, and vegetable matter. The biologic systems of all animal life are unable to rid their bodies of these chemicals. If they do their ability to detoxify is minimal, again because these chemicals are man made and the animal has not evolved to create the enzymes necessary to destroy these chemicals. As a result, the chemicals accumulate within the body.

Since we must eat either a vegetarian fare of grains, fruits, and vegetables or a meat diet of fish and animals, we consume contaminated food. Similarly, our human biologic system accumulates these potentially dangerous chemicals. It is little wonder why we see more allergic and chemically challenged babies, children, and adults.

It does appear that the nervous system is more susceptible to the damaging effects of chemical poisons. We should thiunk about why we see so many nervous system-related diseases: autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, nerve palsies and paralysis, etc.

Using a protocol we have developed which is based on a strict elimination diet and some supplements, we can see almost immediate (3-6 weeks) response in children with autism ADHD, and Tourette's Syndrome.

Although we cannot hope to get rid of the influence of chemicals in food, we can make a dent in such a way to return sick individuals closer to that state of Optimal Health mentioned earlier .

nicola michael c. Tauraso, M.D.