Dispatches from the War Zone of Environmental Health

by Helke Ferrie

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Alton, Ontario, Canada: Kos Publishing, Inc., 2004, p. 3.

Helke Ferrie is a remarkable woman in many ways. She and her husband raised a family of 3 biological  and 12 adopted children, many of whom had major medical problems. In her own words:

When I became seriously ill in the early 1990s with what turned out to be a chronic illness called Myasthenia gravis and was told that the cause is unknown and no cure exists, the doctors were talking to an anthropologist who knew that every disease has a history and therefore had a cause that’s knowable. That implies, in principle, the possibility of a cure. I did not accept this standard verdict, found the cause of my illness to be a combination of years of exposure to DDT, while living in India, and a mouth full of mercury amalgam fillings; their removal and a subsequent detoxification protocol restored my health.

This experience of disease and medical ignorance (medicine in general and the education of doctors sorely lack the historical perspective) and coming face to face with the criminal refusal by the majority of the dental community to take responsibility for their toxic treatments, led me to write an article for The Medical Post about my journey back to health. I was mad as hell and wanted everybody to know about this. It has been a matter of profound satisfaction to me that, as a result of my articles on my own experience, I have helped a great many myasthenics get out of their zombie states, identify the causes of their illness (usually mercury “silver” amalgams were chief amongst them), and get back to life.

Soon I found myself listening to the stories of people with many other illnesses, all of which were supposedly of unknown cause, and I also began to hear stories about the suppression of the of treatments that work, such as chelation for cardiovascular disease and diabetic neuropathy, or cancer treatments without chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. I often wondered if I was caught in a nightmare and hoped to awake as soon as possible. All of this is a nightmare all right, but we are living in it wide awake. (p. 3)

I had entered a world I had not known existed: the dark side of medicine where ego and greed and power rule, and where ignorance is supported by ideology. (p. 4)

An emperor who went crazy started World War I. World War II was the project of a democratically elected chancellor who also went crazy and proclaimed himself Fuhrer. Both took the world on a ride to hell. Now we are in the midst of World War III, and this time the Fuhrers of biotechnology, with their mad scientists and greedy CEOs, are in the grip of so grand a megalomania, it makes Hitler look merely frightening and Emperor Wilhelm II look like a bully in a carnival suit.

Again the basic human right to chose one’s fate is at stake, but unlike those previous conventional wars, this war centers on Life itself and who shall own and control it, who shall unilaterally decide the quality of the future. The genetic code of plants, animals and ourselves is what’s at stake-and how much poisonous pesticides, herbicides and artificial fertilizer the world’s population can be forced to accept. The poison gas of World War I was confined to the battlefield. Its solid form is on your dinner plate today and you are no war hero when you succumb to cancer, but a mere statistic. What must be defended today, are the peaceful-looking supermarkets and pastoral scenes of the world’s food-growing fields which have become the theatre of war and life. (p. 27)

The Health Canada website has a great deal of information on pesticide reduction and the scientific support for such needed change. Of special importance is their information on the new standards for toxicology. In the past the idea was “the dose makes the poison”, now we know that synthetic chemicals are harmful to certain groups at certain specially vulnerable times and that –across the board- repeated exposure to small amounts (each exposure being below the old toxic threshold) causes the serious damage, i.e. cancer and neurological developmental diseases. (p. 62)

56% of the industry’s total sales profits are derived from just lawn care products. Lawn care products are sold at a higher margin of profit than agricultural pesticides. (p. 65)

It is within your power [in Canada] to pass a by-law that prohibits the cosmetic use of pesticides and herbicides. The Hudson Decision specifically allows you to do so. It only takes a phone call or a quick search on the website for the City of Toronto or the Province of Quebec and you can down-load the tests of their anti-pesticide ordinances. Furthermore, you are supported, apparently by a great many people in Orangeville in such an action, if Canadian Tire is any indication! Their lawn care department informed us that they have been selling non-toxic alternative products for two years, they are all cheaper than the chemical toxic ones, and they sell better than the traditional ones! President’s Choice no longer sells any synthetic lawn products as of December 2003. (p. 66)

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