The Tribune

By DR MONIQUE THOMPSON

In the previous article we touched on the toxicity of our environment and the fact that it impacts our health. I mentioned that it is nearly impossible to rid the body of toxins without due effort in avoiding or reducing our exposure to toxic substances. That’s right, avoidance is the name of the game this week.

Whenever patients come in wanting to reduce their body burden of toxins, avoidance of the specific problematic chemicals or substances are a huge part of every single protocol.

Here in the Bahamas we have not only been blessed with sun, sand and sea, but we also have very fertile land.

However, in spite of this, we still import many of the fruits and vegetables that we can grow right here in our own backyards. And although the various vendors bring them in, we do not have to buy the foreign goods, but we do. The point I am getting at, as I avoid the frustration with our agricultural industry, is that with the foreign goods come lots and lots of pesticides – pesticides like organophosphate pesticides, which even at low levels cause toxicity.

Organophosphates (OP) are a group of chemicals that are very toxic to humans and animals. Although the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned its use around homes in 2001, it is still found in many pesticides, herbicides, and nerve agents. It is used to kill mosquitoes, and is still sprayed agriculturally on fruits and vegetables.

This toxin can enter the body by being eaten, inhaled, injected, and through the skin. The scary thing is that this is one toxin that can enter the brain quite easily by bypassing the blood brain barrier (BBB). This is bad news for children and fetuses alike.

In 2012, the American Academy of Paediatrics issued an important report that said that children have “unique susceptibilities to (pesticide residues’) potential toxicity.”

OP exposure is linked with an increased risk for children to develop paediatric cancers, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other behavioural problems. A study conducted in 2010 found that when fetuses were exposed to OPs in the womb, even at very low levels, these children had lower birth weights, were born prematurely, and were more likely to develop attention disorders.

Linking all this back to the importance of avoidance in reducing body burdens and toxic loads, because OPs are sprayed on fruits and vegetables, an organic diet is an effective way to reduce exposure to the OP pesticides. I know what you are saying, “Oh goodness, not this again!” It is true, however. Children’s level of OPs fell below detectable levels within days of eating organic produce. This is just one example of the many benefits of “going green” when it comes to you and your family’s diet. After all, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found 165 different pesticides on thousands of fruit and vegetable samples examined in 2013. These pesticides persist on produce even after they are washed and in some instances even after being peeled.

Despite that disturbing finding, the truth is that in the world of avoiding OPs and other dangerous pesticides with your produce, not every single item has to be organic. Does that bit of information brighten anyone’s horizon a little? The EWG did us consumers a favour and essentially said, “Hey, after all the tests we have done, we have determined that the most important produce to be bought organic are apples, peaches, nectarines, strawberries, grapes, celery, spinach, sweet bell peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, snap peas and potatoes.”

This list is known as the “Dirty Dozen.” Conversely, the safest non-organic foods to consume are the “Clean Fifteen” – avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, cabbage, frozen sweet peas, onions, asparagus, mangoes, papayas, kiwis, eggplant, grapefruit, cantaloupe, cauliflower and sweet potatoes.

As we are bombarded with so many toxins whose long-term effects remain a mystery, in the big scheme of your health, eating organic as recommended above can do wonders to improve your health, and quality of life in the long run. Oftentimes we are admonished to take a certain course of action, but do not fully understand why it is important to do so. Hopefully, this insight may provide the extra bit of motivation needed to start on a healthier track.

• Dr Monique Thompson is the founder of and a physician at Cornerstone Healing Institute, an integrative and holistic medical clinic. Call 356-0083 or visit www.chibahamas.com for more information.