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It can be really annoying to learn about health hazards that are difficult to avoid. For example, I really didn’t want to know that farm-raised salmon are artificially colored pink (sorry for telling you). I also did not enjoy hearing that those same farmed salmon are treated with neurotoxic (brain poisoning) parasiticides (parasite-killing poisons). I didn’t want to know this because farm-raised salmon tastes better to me and is easier to find than ocean caught, and I like to buy it. I still buy it sometimes, but I can’t say that I enjoy it as much as I used to…

I also don’t feel too empowered knowing that soy has been genetically modified to be “Roundup (a toxic pesticide) Ready” so that it is resistant to a chemical which kills practically all life except the soy plant. In other words, this pesticide would normally kill the soy crops as well, but instead the heavily contaminated vegetal products survive until our table.

The food industry has also genetically modified corn (with the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis) so that it makes insects’ stomachs explode. Though they claim that they have not found evidence that this bacterium is harmful to humans, I suspect that time will tell a different story.

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Sometimes it’s hard to completely avoid pesticide-contaminated or genetically modified foods. And one can start to feel pretty powerless faced with this sort of information, when there is little that can be done about it. I think the expression “ignorance is bliss” can be perfectly applied here.

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We do the best we can. I certainly would not purchase a bottle of “Roundup” during my next visit to Walmart, no matter how many weeds I find in my garden. But can I say that I will completely avoid cornflakes? In reality, however, ignorance is not always bliss. In fact more often than not, ignorance is simply dangerous.

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I don’t like being duped. And the bits and pieces of information that we receive from the media often leave us with an incomplete even misleading picture. Therefore, I have made it my business to turn over every stone and find the truth behind many pervasive half-truths.

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So ignorance isn’t bliss because:

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• Problems don’t simply cease to exist because we don’t know about them; the bliss gained from ignorance is transient at best

• Knowing about the potential dangers of certain products or interventions can be the key to avoiding them

• Sometimes it may seem like there is only one correct path. However, those who are well-informed will be aware that they have options

• Coercive tactics and bullying will not work on those who are equipped with knowledge; in fact, ignorance can make us easy victims by forcing us onto a path that we have not chosen, with no recourse

• Knowledge is power… is it truly plausible that lack of power equals bliss?

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That said, in the coming articles, I will be sharing information that I have gathered on genuine and largely avoidable health hazards. We may not always be able to avoid all pollution or pesticides even when we know about it. But there are many other areas where knowledge will help us become the masters of our own destiny and learn what true freedom really is. My goal is to inform and empower you; and to help you make well-informed decisions for your family.

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In the upcoming series I will be attempting to dispel myths on health topics that fall under one of the following two categories. They are either:

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1. Easy to avoid, and most people only use them because they don’t know how harmful they are or that safer alternatives exist. (Or on the flip-side they are easy to obtain.)

2. Not easy; but their negative effects are so devastating, that they are generally worth avoiding by those who truly value their health, even if doing so causes inconvenience.