Alice vs. Science

For the past 21 years I have successfully convinced myself that science and I are not on friendly terms. We dislike each other. We do not comprehend one another (this is my blog post, so it is up to you to ask Science how it feels). We avoid each other at all costs. The times science and I have come toe to toe and eye to eye during class meetings I have struggled to get to know it, and have been pleasantly surprised by decent grades feeling as though I have tricked the system once again, (because Physics, I'm looking at you, we did not mesh very well either).

Considering the fact that I am an intelligent individual (once again, my blog post, my perspective), I am unsure if interest or desire to delve into science simply skipped a generation, or if I simply did not receive a strong enough educational base for it from the beginning. In fact, my mother was very good at science and worked in a Chemistry lab in Norway after high school, so this is definitely not a genetic issue.

Despite the fact that I am so wired against science, I have many perspectives and arguments that having a scientific background, or more substantial knowledge in the subject matter would be of help. I have been proclaimed to be on many occasions a true-hippie kid at heart as I became a vegetarian at five years old to save the animals (good news, it also will save my heart); won the title as "Most Likely to Save the Earth" for the Senior Mosts section of our yearbook; worked for the Natural Health Group after high school and circulated through Body Mind and Spirit expos like it was no one's business; worked as a canvasser for Greenpeace for a year (you like whales do you not?); and am currently one of those not-so-obnoxious vegans who has no respect for factory farming, Big Pharma, the majority of the food industry, the FDA, and especially Monsanto.

I believe that people have been blindfolded, beat, and brainwashed into believing that the lifestyles of typical Americans is worth living (I do not mean to offend anyone). Not only are chemists the ones creating our foods, but the majority of people live on diet filled with preservatives, hormones, antibiotics, chemicals, and who the hell knows what (see, I told you having more of a scientific background would help my argument). The fact of the matter is that so many of these scientific studies that I read are paid for by those who benefit from the sale of specific products in our consumer society. An example of this is the Got Milk campaign which is paid for by the dairy industry. I am not telling anyone to not consume dairy, as I remember how delicious cheese, butter, and ice cream taste, but just using common sense (and yes, I can actually use some science from my ANSC class--finally!) it does not make sense for a human to consume dairy after breast feeding and from another species. It is ridiculous that they even go out and tell consumers that milk will help them lose weight, because milk is made for a little calf to become a huge cow (no pun intended). And there is truth to the fact that humans need calcium, but consider this question for a moment: is it even the right type of calcium for your body? There is much contradiction to this perspective, and something to consider is that Norwegians are among the highest consumers of dairy, and have some of the highest cases of osteoporosis. In many countries in Southeast Asia and Africa where dairy is not a main component of their diets, they are naturally lactose intolerant, as are most people.

Why does this girl claim she dislikes the FDA, one may ask. I find it goes hand in hand for my dislike with Big Pharma and factory farming. Discussing both, well, I might as well right a book, but I'll discuss what I believe to be a corrupt system for just a moment. People are coerced into believing that doctors are God and that pills will fix them. The average person runs to the medicine cabinet to grab cold medicine when they get the first sign of a cold and then wonders why they are not getting better, while simultaneously continuing to fill their body with junk food instead of eliminating naturally (a cold is the body's natural defense mechanism) and taking a break while nurturing itself with fruits, vegetables, soups, teas, and water (it makes sense).

Also, my father had a three level spinal fusion in which a device they inserted into his body was defective--information the medical company knew before distributing the product. This has caused bone growth around his nerves which has culminated with outrageous pain and numbness. Because of the system we have, the Supreme Court has consistently decided that if a device is approved by the FDA, the medical company is no longer accountable for their mistakes. BULLSHIT (sorry Robin and Ben). The thing is, the only thing that has helped him in the past four years has been seeing a healer, which within two weeks eliminated over half of his pain. It has been amazing seeing my father begin to get his life back, and to learn about these alternatives to traditional western medicine.

I would go off on a tangent about how we rely on medication to cure diseases, but there simply is not enough time in this post, however I will say one thing. I know many who have been cured from cancer by following a strict raw vegan diet, now that does not make sense... or does it?

Therefore to conclude, I don't think it is genetics which has predetermined my disdain for science, I believe that this is one for nurture side of it all. However, a knowledge of science would sure help me support my arguments more sufficiently, so it is a double-edged sword.