[quote]Dave2 wrote:
Mercola also believes:
“…women should not wear underwire bras because the metal is bad for them, don’t use microwaves, don’t stay up after 10 PM, don’t use an electric razor, don’t get a root canal, don’t drink water with meals, don’t use fluoride in your toothpaste, don’t get your kids vaccinated, don’t swim in chlorinated pools, don’t chew gum and don’t carry your car door remote in your pocket.”
Mercola is a paranoid whackjob. Grain of salt, people, grain of salt.
And as long as you don’t eat 14 pounds of artifical sweetener a day, you’ll be fine. You get more “toxins” walking down any city street and breathing. Maybe we should live in bubbles?
[/quote]
while most of that sounds absolutely rediculous, I don’t think it should be completely blown off as whackjob. Let’s break it down for a second.
Drinking water with meals:
Fact 1) Your stomach must maintain a certain pH (I think about 2)to digest proteins/fats and for proper enzymatic function.
Fact 2) Adding water to an acidic solution lowers the molarity of the acid, thus raising pH
Fact 3) Your stomach is not a very large container
Conclusion) Drink a lot of water when you are eating and it will take more time and effort to digest.
Underwire Bras:
Fact 1) you can and do absorb things through your skin (hence all the patch medication)
Fact 2) You also absorb metals through your skin
Fact 3) metal toxicity has been linked to a number of poor health issues. Many believe anti-perspirants to be dangerous due to the aluminum. People don’t eat tuna due to mercury.
Conclusion) put a bunch of metal on your skin for several hours every day and perhaps you might get sick
Flouride:
Fact 1) Flourine is the most electronegative element, and is one of the most reactive
Fact 2) Under light and heat, it is possible to create halogen radicals
Fact 3) There is significant evidence to suggest that flouride does NOT help prevent cavities. Comparing data between those areas with flourinated water and without (when economic level is the same) reveals no beneficial effect.
Fact 4) Sodium Flouride was heavily researched for use during WW2 by the Nazis to control the public (by adding it to drinking water). It is purported to inhibit proper mental function making people more sedate.
Conclusion) why the hell is it in toothpaste
Chlorinated pools:
Fact) Chlorine in pools is used to kill bacteria, and does so very well
Fact) Cl is also a halogen, and prone to radicalization by simply adding uv light.
Fact) The sun emits a lot of UV
Fact) Your intestine is full of bacteria, such as e. coli, which are necessary for healthy living
Conclusion) trans-dermal absorption and ingestion of pool water could kill off your bacteria, and make you sick.
I could go on, but I think you get the point. Not everything that is counter-culture is whackjob, and much of it makes some degree of logical sense.