There seems to be a recurring theme describing our world today – nastiness.
That’s my chosen word for of all the hostilities, war, conflicts, differences of opinions, poor sportsmanship, strong opinions, abusive and insulting language, bigotry, racism, religious persecution, and so on. The nasty list is long and getting longer by the minute.
Perhaps it’s been this way for a long time, but it somehow seems different and it might be because we are able to swiftly and (almost) anonymously share our inner angers with the world.
While there may be some truth to this observation, I am not prepared to lay all the blame at the feet of social media. Some complain that modern users are becoming more distant from other people – more isolated. I take a different position and suggest that we actually communicate more frequently and with more people than I’ve ever experienced in all my days.
Are we really more nasty today or are we just recognizing it more? I conclude we are actually nastier AND, because it’s so convenient, we engage in it more.
Could something be causing the nastiness, something outside ourselves, our cell phones, and our human nature? I think so.
There is a standard punch line, “it’s in the water”, which is usually popped into a conversation when groups of people in an area all seem to be experiencing the same symptoms. If a number of people in a small town get lung cancer we wonder if it could be “something in the water”. The same applies to good things, such as when everyone in a certain school gets amazing SAT scores.
Well, what about when everyone’s just plain nasty? What if it is actually something in the water – or the air, the food, the soil?
Estrogen is an important hormone. Women usually have higher blood levels, but both genders have it and need it. It’s vital for growth and often referred to as the proliferative hormone. It’s what makes the female forms more curvy. Men have less and their body shapes – hopefully – are more angular.
Excess estrogen is associated with a wide range of unpleasant side effects including; decreased sex drive, irregular menstrual periods, bloating, fibrocystic breasts, headaches, mood swings, irritability and depression, weight gain, thyroid dysfunction, sluggish metabolism, foggy thinking, and on and on.
Any of those would understandably cause someone to be irritable – and anyone suffering with several of those bad effects could quickly be identified as someone who would naturally express his or her uncomfortable symptoms in nasty ways.
Sure, there are discussions about estrogen and women, especially as they age and approach the dreaded menopause. But, how would normal daily living make “everyone else” nasty? Let’s check the water – and the entire food supply.
Excess estrogen (the real human hormone) isn’t the only substance that invokes symptoms associated with nastiness. Many common chemicals act like estrogen when they enter our body – or even when applied to the skin. They are categorized as endocrine disruptors, substances that cause symptoms like estrogen, but don’t show up as real estrogen when the blood is tested. It’s called ESTROGEN DOMINANCE – a very uncomfortable situation.
Insecticides and pesticides act like estrogen, and so do plasticizers (the chemicals that make plastic pliable – such as BPA). Some medicines disrupt hormones – birth control pills, osteoporosis drugs. Cows are often given bovine estrogens to stimulate milk production and other food animals are injected with estrogen-like chemicals that cause weight gain. Soy is a known hormone disruptor. The vast majority of salad dressings contain soy oil, and many commercial brands of olive oil are intentionally diluted with it to reduce cost.
It is possible that our unintended chemical and pharmaceutical ingestion is part of the reason we all seem to be so angry, hostile, and argumentative – just plain nasty. We become estrogen dominant. If you agree, think about doing something about it for yourself. Start at home. Eat better (avoid hormones and soy), wash fruits and vegetables, and drink clean water, not tap water. Don’t expect this to be done for you. It’s your health and your responsibility. Guidance is just a click away.
What’s in your water?
Post Script: As a catchall word, NASTINESS might include; rudeness, anger, depression, anxiety, pain, emasculation, low sperm counts, gender confusion, autism, ADHD, coronary heart disease, diabetes, Irritable Bowel Disease, recurring infections, psoriasis, Alzheimer’s, and so on. There seems a solid correlation between increased environmental toxicity and chronic disease. Of course, correlation doesn’t always mean causation. I understand that much and I also understand that there is a tipping point (Malcolm Gladwell) where the entire paradigm will shift (Thomas Kuhn). While I pray this happens soon, I won’t be surprised if my days end before the shift occurs.