According to the Environmental Protection Agency, virtually every body of water today contains detectable levels of pharmaceuticals and drug byproducts and metabolites. A 2002 US Geological Survey found traces of 82 different contaminants including hormones, pain killers, antibiotics, antidepressants, high blood pressure and cholesterol pills. Most people have no idea that just by drinking the water that comes out of the tap, they are consuming a toxic cocktail. We all know that water is essential to life. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we have clean, drug free water available at all times.
So, how exactly do these drugs get into our water system? The most obvious source of the pharmaceutical byproducts is via the urine of people taking those medications. Also, many people, including hospital personnel, flush unused or expired medication down the toilet instead of disposing of it properly. The drug companies manufacturing waste gets into nearby bodies of water. All of this water goes into the city/county water system, where it is pumped with more chemicals used to “treat” the water. Unfortunately, the filter systems used by most municipal water treatment companies do not remove these pharmaceutical drugs and drug byproducts.
How much medication could we possibly be talking about? The average number of medications taken by a person 65 or older in the US is twelve. Here in Naples, how many 55 years and older communities and nursing homes do we have? A lot! Even if people in those communities were taking half of the average amount of medications it is still way too much. Just because the drug has left the body, does not mean that the pharmaceutical action has stopped. The effects of this water pollution on our wildlife and ourselves is only just beginning to be discovered.
There is extensive documentation of the effects of environmental medications:
• Tadpoles exposed to Prozac morphed into undersize frogs – University of Georgia Scientist
• Shellfish spawning behaviors profoundly effected by antidepressants – EPA
• Sperm activity in aquatic organisms is inhibited by blood pressure and angina medication – EPA
• Prozac was found in the liver and brain tissue of channel catfish and black crappie from a creek near Dallas – Baylor University Researcher
• More than 200 water and land species have suffered adverse hormone disruption due to medicinal and synthetic estrogens – Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment
• Fin regeneration in fish is blocked by ibuprofen, steroids, and antibiotics – The Rife Handbook
Estrogens are a big problem in our world. Not only are they are found in large amounts in our water supply, they are in most plastic containers that store food and that are used by restaurants for take out. These estrogens lower sperm count in males, feminize male infants and children and may even lead to enlarged breasts in some men. Some doctors and researches are proposing a possible link between the amount of estrogen the developing fetus (female and male) are exposed to in utero and the increasing trend toward transgenderism. I find this to be an interesting point to ponder.
The neurological, hormonal, cognitive, immune, behavioral and reproductive effects on people are even more disturbing. What happens if you take a medication that you do not need? You might get sick or start to have symptoms. Now think about what happens if you take multiple amounts of drugs you do not need, simultaneously, with every sip of water that you drink? The effects can be profound and devastating.
Awareness is the first line of defense. It is vitally important that you stop drinking the municipal tap water and water that is purchased in plastic bottles. An investment into a high quality water filter is your best option. There is a ton of information about water filters on the internet, but the smaller the particle size filtered, the better. If you are drinking distilled or reverse osmosis filtered water, it is vitally important that you add trace minerals back into the water so your body can utilize it more effectively.
Keep an eye out for a future article exploring water filtration systems. Also, be sure to check out the “Featured Articles” page of my website, www.AcupunctureSolutionsOnline.com for more information on how to improve your health and the quality of your life.