suffer the pollution in the food (all photographs by the author).
The higher is located a creature in the consumption chain, the greater is its dependence on others, the wider is the exposing to others, and more important the control that exercises over the lower ones. A mammal has a lot to defend, many systems, many routes of entry, many organs, many different kind of tissues, many processes, many specialized functions, many possibilities of being an object of desire for others, or an easy target.
Every change introduced in this chain, as can be a molecule like a steroid, for sure could have effect not only over one target, but over many more; and the words “dose” and inherent toxicity do not need reflecting an immediate action, spectacular, as a snake poison, rather acts slowly, diffusely and secretly. The transmission or transfer routes for beings, or parts of them like may be the information that contains a chemical molecule or a virus, are a lot, and specialized. The more complex and intrincated is an animal, the more number of routes, ways, mechanisms, relations, specific mates, links and bounds will be found in this animal. And we cannot despise this ability and adaptation that could show this animal of be embedded with his environ, and be capable of response to opportunities and threats. But in Nature, nobody is essential, nobody is here forever, and every living in the Earth has limits in his adaptability, as we humans also have it limited.
Surviving to some flu is a great success, and not surviving to other flus is expected to occur also. Well, mankind is heterotrophic specie, the clever specie, and over all this is the “mega” and “super” omnivorous specie when eats more than exists in Nature, because creates their own food composed. Thus, increases enormously the ways to incorporate every substance that flows on the chain, despite eliminate many known threats, those natural: for example, its own compounds, the xenobiotics. Currently on speak of roughly 100,000 industrial compounds, widely used 7,500 of them. In foods, the more likely average figure is not even tested.
The good state of health.
A giraffe or a rabbit they get all their dietary needs by eating only plants, and… the same occurs with the rest of animals, barring the few carnivore predators. How is it possible? Will be the giraffes or rabbits weak or ill? Do they need some vitamins, perhaps? We should improve their food, all the wildlife? Laugh, yes laugh, which is what I do.
Not, they do not need any improvement, they are perfectly, it is not essential meat, but we are used to believe it, as many more things as this one, rather stupid. As we eat from all kind of sources of food - I am sorry, but I should say clearly it is in Occident only-, we are also exposed to all kind or sources of poisons that really us and no one else have put there. Do you know how animals know what to eat? They use the tasting, the smelling, and decide unaware, because its brain and genes tell they what they must choice.
In our case, humans, we are used to eat what we see in front of us, today in the shelves of malls. Do you know how it smells and tastes? Almost all you taste and smelling there is a design, it is not real, there are no one tomatoes nor potatoes that can taste naturally, all has been designed and modified to lead your habits. And finally, you end losing the ability to discern what you have in front: you have been trained to want what you buy. The rest is forgotten, is gone. I am sorry, ask it around, some mate of yours from an alimentary industry, you will see what is done.
For the producer, the story has another reading: “as I am a big producer, if you have many more food available than that you never has needed, the only way to force you to buy my product, will be that my product can talk you as you like hearing it”. Now, you can go and find a library, asks the bookseller for something that is titled "The Great Book of Advertising", read it (or rather see designs), come back, and you will realize that there is not need to explain more. Even when you want your pet eat, you do not need change the food, you only need change its taste: the same way we are taught to eat. So let's move on.
On the food.
I am not a radical in any sense; nonetheless what concerns me is the acceptance we make of things as supposedly normal. We hear that the maximum allowable concentration of a compound in the water, on the ground, at sea, in the air or in food, are safe and are allowed: clear, already cannot be removed, it would be incredibly expensive! And we accept it as if Life were really like.
Why could you be concerned about the tuna? Because the same way the tuna absorbed the mercury that was diffused on the seas, in its muscles and fat, also will be incorporated into our muscles and our fat. Why can you be concerned about the hamburger? Because the cow ate you do not know really what, a sort of "improved" forage, a mix of minerals, plants, drugs, hormones, and was treated as residue of meat (please, do not think this stuff could be the best part of beef), with a lot of nitrates into, was frozen, was thawed, and finally you go and cook it by roasting and almost burning: it means to have at once all tickets for cancer, the diabetes or the heart disease. It is your lottery, really, an issue of statistics. Why can you be concerned about cyclamate, talin or aspartame (note 2)? Because not being a poison, this sugars change your inner balance, above all makes the food palatable, crazily desirable, with quite less fiber, is in excess in all foods, acts slowly but along years unbalancing your inner energy storage, increases the cholesterol and triglycerides, and harms you especially if you are a young, because you will inherit this dangerous habit. Why can you be concerned about your habits? Because you are doing many strange things at once, everyday, like do not moving, drink not water but beer or sugary drinks, smoking, breathe hot gasses cooled, suck dust, and fill the body with fats really unnecessary.
(2) A good review of the sugar substitutes production and use comes from the honest book “Pure, White and Deadly”, by John Yudkin (Penguin Books, 1972, 1986)
If today we take for granted the existence of many compounds in such concentrations inside all natural compartments, what really do you expect in the future? Really think that international organizations are determined to stop it?
Instead, the company message, when it is accused of producing or distributing a product harmful is always the same. You distrust of my wonderful product? Prove you are right, do an experiment with 1,000 or 2,000 human (you know that with rats will reject your claims, it is not enough in your case, but enough for me), for at least ten years, pay the costs of the research, and shows that a sufficient proportion either has died or gotten sick, or has had a serious trouble for it. Maybe you go to jail for it, by trying to prove.
Moreover, at that time we will change the product, we will have a new patent, and you will have start over. But try, if you can.
Now we go see the world of “our animals” since other point of view: the natural diseases in animals, as expected, have been transmitted to the mankind; where they have been reduced, have been replaced by others, and where they have not been reduced, are causing misery for those who need them to live. It seems that neither well developed nor be very fair, however it is the real plight. Anyway, there are other real point of view, like job and source of food that needs many people.
The natural way for diseases.
The coexistence with livestock and poultry has had its place where other options have been lesser, where conditions have allowed the herding or the human habits accompanied this practice. The extensive herding and the crops aimed to the intensive livestock have made an overuse of lands, resulting in a decrease of predators of many kinds: reptilians, arthropods, amphibian, mammals and birds. This can ease the introduction of colonizer and invasive species, and the simplifying of biodiversity in the areas where it has been conducted. Every invasive episode is related mainly to human induced changes, as have indicated many former studies (Lodge, 1993; Elton, 1958; Hobbs, 1989; Lozon & McIsaac, 1997).
But the coexistence is extended to more beings: the zoonoses have an important role in health and economy; all are diseases that can be transmitted among animals and humans. That is why we need control these diseases at least to levels that permit manage the livestock as sup
port for household, and avoid the high mortality or disabilities that produce as the history has shown us. This is a real task in which work as none other, or at least should be done everywhere. Between diseases, the percentage of those with zoonotic origin that are already humans diseases and emerging diseases is in the range of 55-60% and 70-75% respectively. The groups of zoonoses include prions (it will be seen below), viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic diseases.
This job of control has been done, but in the "North" only. The results of development in treatments and programs on the field, have been different according to the world zones: the developed countries are affected by emerging and newborn diseases; on the contrary, in poorest countries or even developing ones, the natural route for zoonoses diseases continues being strongly related with conditions of poverty and hunger in areas and communities that keep the livestock. Sometimes, I realize how difficult it is for Western people realizing this: each time is removed the cattle or a small orchard from the hands of the people in these countries, this means they left with nothing absolutely, absolutely everything is taken away.
The areas of livestock as