The Silent Scandal:
The Toxic Attack on Our Bodies from One Angry Chick
By: Brittney Kara
Copy Right 2011 Brittney Kara
Smashwords Edition
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Introduction In February of 2010 I began writing my blog called One Angry Chick. I became inspired to start writing the blog after having lunch with a friend and discussing the downward spiral of American health and the food industry. As we were driving in the car, something just came over me and I exclaimed, “I just wish I could wake everyone up and show them what is really going on in our world! I am so mad about all the lies being spread about our health and our well being! I am just one angry chick, and I need to talk about it!” That day was a pivotal day in my journey on the health and wellness crusade. I went home immediately and started writing my first blog post. After a few months of blogging, and getting some awesome feedback from my articles, it was heavy on my heart to start writing my first book. The Silent Scandal is all about the health crisis in America, and what each of us can do to have empowered health. So, welcome to my world, welcome to my passion, and welcome to my mission to impact lives. After years of being passionate about health, doing hours of research, reading countless books and watching documentaries, I feel in my heart it is time for me to share with the world the things that have blessed my life, empowered me to make better choices about my health, allowed me to help thousands of people, and, of course, what has made me One Angry Chick. This book is the culmination of the knowledge I have stored in my brain for years. I made the decision to take the time to look at what was going on around me, and make a conscious effort to change. People have asked me for years about ingredients, non-toxic products, cleansing, health, vaccines, and for nutritional advice. This is my way of giving back to more people than I could just talk to over the phone. So, what am I angry about you may be wondering? While I am not an angry person I am actually a very positive- open- and loving person, I am angry about some injustices I believe are going on in our world. I am angry that our world is so polluted; I am angry that our food is sprayed with poison, and somehow that it's legal; I am angry that obesity rates are skyrocketing; I am angry that there are deadly chemicals in our personal body care items that cause cancer; I am angry that the pharmaceutical industry has taken over our healthcare system and people think that it's normal; I am angry that I have to even worry about where and how my child’s toys are made due to toxic ingredients in plastics and paints,; and most of all I am angry that not that many people are educated or even talking about these subjects!! This book is my mission to empower YOU - to take control of your health, and your life by becoming an educated consumer, so together we can break this toxic cycle. No one knows your body like you do, so why do we constantly let other people tell us what we should do with our health? I'm not saying that you shouldn't seek medical advice when needed, but you need to always be educated about your body and your options before you walk in that door to see your physician. What I want to make very clear in this book is that I will state my opinions, my personal recommendations, and suggestions for the things I believe can help you achieve optimal health, but in no way, shape or form am I telling you, you have to do these things. It's a personal choice and commitment to be healthy everyday. No one can make that decision for you but YOU. One Angry Chick, and my personal mission, is about empowering others to become educated so they can make the right decisions for themselves and their families. We have all sat by the wayside for too long, letting the media, government, and our healthcare professionals tell us what is right for our bodies, our minds, and souls. Enough is enough! Take control of your health now and know that you have the absolute power to live the healthiest, happiest, fullest life possible. Blessings, Brittney Kara, MNLP, MH.t
Chapter 1: Our Toxic World: What They Don’t Want You To Know
It used to be that our world protected us. Our environment, our land, our water, and our air made it possible for us to live. It provided us with the proper nutrients in our foods, it allowed our bodies to get good, clean water to drink and bathe in, and fresh air filled our lungs so we could breathe. After the Industrial Revolution, all that would change forever. Our health would start declining in ways we could have never imagined. As industry started to progress, our world started to become more toxic. Government agencies and large corporations started to see the profits in mass-producing goods. In a few short decades we had gone from clean to corrupt. Our air became polluted with thousands of poisons and gasses, our water became contaminated from chemicals, oil, and bacteria; and our food became a vicious trap that would cause thousands of deaths a year. Today we truly live in a very toxic world. We hear it every single day, yet, most Americans choose to ignore the reality of what is going on around us, or, they don’t even understand what a “toxic world” means.
On average, 600 tons of toxic chemicals are pumped into our air each year. Our water is estimated to have over 700 poisonous chemicals in it. Our food is sprayed with dozens of insecticides, herbicides, pesticides, and larvacides. It is ironic that the term “cide” in Latin means death. We are literally spraying death on our food, and then consuming it. I will talk a lot more about food in a later chapter, but just know that the food you eat every day is covered with countless chemicals, poisons, dyes, and preservatives that are flooding your body. Our homes are beautiful little toxic sanctuaries filled with flame-retardants and chemicals that have been sprayed on our mattresses, bedspreads, carpets, and drapes. The products that we use to clean our homes are usually more dangerous that the bacteria and dirt we are trying to remove. Our clothes are laden with dyes, chemically sprayed fabrics, and synthetic materials. Our lotions and cosmetics contain carcinogenic ingredients, like parabens and sulfates that disrupt our body’s functions. Even our children’s toys have become something to worry about, with the plastics and paints that contain things like phthalates, (polyvinyl chloride additives) and lead in them. In fact, the United States remains one of the few developed countries to permit the import of plastic toys made with these ingredients. It seems that our environment is actually a breeding ground for disease and illness, yet little is being done about it. Are you getting at all concerned yet? Do you get the picture that we must be aware of what we are exposed to daily?
Many of these things we can’t control anymore, but there are many ways to diminish the amount of toxins you allow to come into your body everyday. There are steps you can take to remove them from your body and life. Some people don’t like to hear this information because it freaks them out. It's almost easier to just put their head in the sand and pretend like none of this is going on. The truth is, we have to be aware. Our safety and lives depend on it. All of these factors affect you everyday whether you want to be aware of it or not. So, you might as well know about it, so you can do something about it.
I have been teased, criticized, belittled, and laughed at over the years as I shared my passion about helping others understand the concepts I am going to discuss in this book. There were times that it bothered me, of course, I am human and I have feelings. But, for the most part, I have felt for a long time that this is my purpose on this planet. I know now that it truly is. It is my purpose to educate others, to fight for change, and to make a positive impact on the world. There has never been a better time in our history for humankind to band together to make some serious social changes. We have so much power and potential in us, but we get overwhelmed and bombarded by negativity, and, yes, by toxins. Through this foggy mess, we have somehow lost our way.
All of these toxic areas I discussed are vitally important to your life because they can actually dictate who you are, what you end up accomplishing, and the life you lead. If our bodies are not healthy we cannot function, and therefore, we cannot live the life we want, and deserve to live. Toxins affect us in many ways. They affect our cells, which in turn affects our organs, our blood, our brains, and our emotional well-being. A toxic body cannot produce the proper brain chemicals that it needs, it cannot produce healthy cells, and it cannot protect you against disease and illness.
Have you ever stopped to think why we are in such a massive health crisis in the United States? Did you know that cancer rates are higher than they have ever been in history? In fact, in the 1950's, 1 in 12 people would develop some type of cancer. It is now 1 in 2! In my seminars I always ask the room to raise their hand if they or anyone they know has ever been diagnosed with or died from cancer. Every single person in the room always has their hand up, every time. What about the rise in diabetes, heart disease, and autoimmune diseases? What about the increase in children that have ADHD and autism? Do you think toxicity has any part in any of these issues? The answer is, yes, it absolutely does!
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) found that people of all ages have, on average, 116 toxic chemicals in them at all times. The American Academy of Pediatrics, did a study on 250 newborn babies where they tested the umbilical cord blood at the time of birth to see what their toxic levels were. It was shockingly the same as everyone else. They had between 116 and 118 toxic chemicals at the time of birth. We used to think that the uterus protected the baby from the mother’s impurities, but science now tells us that is not the case. Our poor children are literally being born polluted. Worse yet is the fact that they have been soaking in a toxic environment for the first nine months. This is the most essential part of development for humans, and they are being shot in the foot before they are even exposed to greater risks in the real world. I will talk more about the health of our children in later chapters, but it is devastating and infuriating to see what is happening to our youth in this toxic world. I am pregnant now with my second child, and it is my mission everyday to diminish what I am exposed to in order to protect my baby. If you are a parent and reading this book, please think not only about your own health, but the health of your child, and how by implementing some of the things we are going to be discussing, you can absolutely change your child’s future!
Every year there are more and more studies that come out linking toxicity to disease and illness. There is countless information out there to read, and become educated on this subject. The problem is that most people are not reading it. We all live very hectic, stressful lives, and people just do not take the time to know about the world around them. I believe that through education comes empowerment. In fact, your education is the only thing that cannot be taken away from you. Knowledge truly is power. My goal with this book is for it to be a guide for you to start your journey of empowering yourself to become healthier, happier, and more balanced.
People often say to me, "how come the government isn’t doing anything to stop this if the problem is so bad?" My answer is always the same: The government is a big part of the toxic problem. It used to be we could put 100% faith, trust, and support in our government officials. We know today that this is not the case. Washington has become a very corrupt, and should I say, toxic place. Greed is the biggest factor contributing to the problems we are facing as a society. The truth is that the government does not want us to be healthy. In fact, they make a lot of money from us being very sick, overweight, and depressed. Our government, media, healthcare system, and pharmaceutical industry in the US is entirely controlled by greed and corruption. The FDA, in my opinion, is one of the scariest institutions we have. They continually put drugs on the market that are barely tested, contain highly damaging ingredients to the body, and are promoted as “healthcare”. The bottom line is that we don’t really have healthcare in this country anymore; we have “sick care”. I work with a lot of doctors, some western medical doctors, and some eastern and holistic doctors. All of my doctor friends say that the quickest place to get sick or die is in a hospital. How sad is that? I will show you later how that is absolutely a fact.
There are certain governmental agencies, lobbyists, and investors that are running our world and making the decisions for our health. It is not an accident that our food is filled with junk, our water is polluted, our air is deadly to breathe, or that we are bombarded with drugs and medicines to put a band-aid on these issues. This is all part of a very specific plan, designed to have control of Americans. You might be thinking that I sound like some sort of conspiracy theorist by saying this, but unfortunately it is not just a theory, it is truth. You don't have to take my word for it though, please do your research and formulate your own opinion. There is loads of information, documentaries, and writings out there that reveal what is truly going on in our government behind our backs. Although I am not going to go into depth about my personal philosophies on this matter in this book or rehash that material, I do recommend you doing your research and become educated on the subject. You will be shocked!
One of the biggest toxic problems in America besides our food, is our drug addiction. I am not speaking about illegal drugs, which, of course, are a problem too; I am speaking about prescription drugs and the horrific effects they are placing on our health. It has become acceptable and mainstream to be on a plethora of prescription drugs. Most people don’t even know or ask what or why they need certain prescriptions. We have been taught and programmed that doctors are all knowing and Godlike. We must obey what they tell us, because they are educated and we are not. The truth is that most doctors are barely educated on the mass amounts of drugs they shell out daily to patients because they lack the time to do the research. Plus, most of their continuing education is payed for and offered by the pharmaceutical companies. Pharmaceutical companies distribute drugs like candy, and there are lots of perks for the doctors who participate. A lot of the new drugs don’t even have proper research behind them before they are shoved out into the market. The FDA is not an organization that I trust, and they have proven time and time again to be wrong with their studies and findings on health.
How many medications have been pulled off the market because of their deadly side effects? There are too many to even count. Do you know how many people die each year from complications due to modern medicine? According to the report "Death by Medicine", there were 783,936 deaths in 2003. That is the equivalent of six jumbo jet crashes happening each day for a whole year! If six jumbo jets crashed, even all on one day, it would be world news! We would think the world was coming to an end and that terrorists must have been involved. Yet no one is talking about this healthcare statistic. This is happening to us, right here, right now. According to Natural News, prescription drugs are 1,645% more deadly than terrorists. I bet you won’t see that statistic on the news either. Well I wonder why not? If our government and medical community were really trying to protect us, why are they not regulating this problem? Why is the mass public not being educated on this issue? Why are there not press conferences about this every day? Why are people not searching for a solution to this epidemic? The answer is greed. The pharmaceutical industry is a multi-billion dollar a year industry, and the sad truth is, there is no money in healthy people that don’t need drugs. I will discuss more about drugs in Chapter 2.
The best six doctors anywhere,
And no one can deny it,
Are sunshine, water, rest, and air,
Exercise and diet.
These six will gladly you attend
If only you are willing
Your mind they'll ease
Your will they'll mend
And charge you not a shilling.
~Nursery rhyme quoted by Wayne Fields, What the River Knows, 1990
Personally I rarely ever go to a medical doctor. I do my annual female check-ups, and that is it. I would much rather go to a holistic practitioner get acupuncture, go get reiki, and take homeopathic remedies than take one step into a traditional M.D’s office. The funny thing is I rarely ever get sick. Most people I know that go to the doctor regularly to get their antibiotics, prescriptions, and pharmaceutical drugs are always sick. The healthiest people I know rarely go to the doctor. I'm not saying you should stop going to the doctor, I'm saying that if you become educated enough about your own body and what your choices are for health, then maybe you would be better equipped at handling some of the issues that life throws at you. If my arm gets severed and I need medical attention, then I will, obviously, go seek a doctor’s care. If I have a cough, or a headache, or an upset tummy, I will not run to my doctor to get drugs, but a lot of people do. That is the result of a toxic world that is uneducated about their bodies. We have so much more control than we think over our health and ourselves, but we have put our faith into organizations and people that do not have our best interest in mind.
According to Natural News, a study was conducted that reviewed thousands of medical records to research this exact issue. Here is what they found:
“The United States spends $282 billion annually on deaths due to medical mistakes, or iatrogenic deaths. And that's a conservative estimate; only a fraction of medical errors are reported, according to the study. Actual medical mistakes are likely to be 20 times higher than the reported number because doctors fear retaliation for those mistakes. The American public heads to the doctor's office or the hospital time and again; oblivious of the alarming danger they're heading into. The public knows that medical errors occur, but they assume that errors are unusual, isolated events. Unfortunately, by accepting conventional medicine, patients voluntarily continue to walk into the leading cause of death in America.”