Letter to the editor

Eat organic for your health
As published Oct. 3, 2007

I have been reading a lot about cancer benefits recently, which I think is great. However, I would also like to see the causes of cancer identified and removed.

Since the petrochemical era began in the 1940s, cancer rates in America have shot up to the point where 50% of men and 40% of women will get cancer. This is not a coincidence; things have not always been this way.

We must make the link between pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers that are littered in our food supply from industrialized agriculture.

The best way to combat the causes of cancer is to stop ingesting chemicals.

Organic food is cultivated without pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, genetic modification, or irradiation. Not only is organic food healthy for you, it is healthier for Earth. Fertilizer runoff is one of the chief pollutants of waterways and our drinking water.

For instance, agricultural runoff is the biggest problem for the Chesapeake Bay. We must change our method of production and consumption, particularly for our food.

Some people complain that organic food is more expensive than "conventional" food, which is a misnomer if there ever was one. Organic was the norm, and worked fine for more than 2,000 years before World War II.

This complaint is only true in upscale markets, not farmer's markets or CSAs. Moreover, one must consider the true costs of "conventional" food. Think about what you are putting into your body and the harm it has inflicted on farmers and the environment. Think about the cost of chemotherapy.

Ask yourself, what commodity is more important than food? Why not spend a few dollars more on food that will sustain and nourish you in health and provide you with longevity and happiness? Are those not the most important things in life?

When did saving a few extra bucks become more important than one's livelihood?

Hippocrates said, "Let food be your medicine and your medicine be your food." When we look at the mysterious and widespread ailments in our society and environment, we have to make the connections to our system of food production and the havoc it is wreaking on farmers, consumers, animals, and ecosystems.

A good place to see what links have been scientifically drawn between conventional food and cancer is www.organiccenter.org. If you are like me, though, you only need intuition to know that pesticides and other chemicals in your body are not good.

Fortunately, it is easy to buy organic food, and quite cheap as well, while the growing season is here. Go to www.carrollag.org/html/farmersMarket.html to find fresh, affordable produce near you, and be sure to visit the Common Market or My Organic Market in Frederick for quality organic products.

I hope you visit the market in good health.

Tim Richards
Mt. Airy

[The writer is co-director of Citizens for a Green Mt. Airy, www.greenmountairy.org.]