Page 90 - Spring2018

All Thumbs Book Reviews

What’s Making Our Children Sick? The book's main focus is on our food supply,
How Industrial Food Is Causing an but the two authors do not ignore environmental
Epidemic of Chronic Illness, and What and other considerations. Rather, the role of
Parents (and Doctors) Can Do About It environmental and other factors in increasing
By Michelle Perro and Vincanne Adams the toxic burden of the modern world and com-
Chelsea Green Publishing promising our immune, genetic and microbial
defenses helps explain why some people become
Cancer. Digestive disorders. Autoimmune far sicker far sooner than others.
disorders. Allergies and asthma. What once was Discussing the EPA, Perro and Adams state
rare or reserved for the elderly now afflicts the (page 45), “The EPA’s task has been to monitor
young in startling numbers. Indeed, the only the nearly 100,000 chemicals produced in or im-
reason I am writing this review is because, as ported into the United States. Of these 100,000
a so-called “healthy” twenty-four-year-old, I chemicals, the EPA has only taken action to re-
suffered from dental decay, terrible allergies duce the risk of over 3,600 chemicals, and it has
and eventually duodenal ulcers that drove me banned or limited the production or use of only
to change my diet to save my body. 5. It has not actually regulated a single chemical
Michelle Perro, MD and Vincanne Adams, in the United States since the mid-1980s…. The
PhD attempt to explore and explain what is EPA does not conduct rigorous research on the
causing our children to face such significantly effects of chemicals.”
increased rates of disease. Their thesis is that our What’s Making Our Children Sick? is also
food supply—the very thing meant to nourish careful to explain that just because modern
and sustain us—now sows the seeds of our sick- foods and chemicals make us sick does not mean
ness. Genetically modified (GM) foods, glypho- that we all will get sick in the same way, at the
sate and other pesticides lead to compromised same speed or for the same reasons. Genetic,
gut health and set the stage for the rapid, early environmental and other factors all play a role
onset of disease, sometimes even before birth. in why we become ill. Thus, “not all people will
The book is a densely written, two-hundred-plus get sick from eating unhealthy foods at the same
pages that combine discussion, stories from the rate”—but “this does not mean…we should
doctor’s practice, history and science. assume that those foods are therefore healthy.”
There is one important thing to note. In this A great deal of the book (Chapter Six, in
The authors book, the authors use the word “pesticide” ac- particular) discusses the microbiome. The au-
state that cording to the Environmental Protection Agen- thors report that “some researchers now suggest
“The EPA has cy (EPA) definition, which includes herbicides, microbes might themselves be a source of the
fungicides, insecticides and other chemicals that mucus layer and its associated metabolites.”
not actually all fall under the umbrella term “pesticide.” In In other words, that essential protective layer
regulated other circles, many people use the more common that coats our entire digestive tract—microbes
a single division of pesticides (bugs and other critters), do that! Indeed, that isn’t all that microbes do;

chemical herbicides (grasses and plants) and fungicides certain species can produce folate and other
as separate divisions or categories, but in the nutrients right where our body can easily ab-
in the government classification system, everything sorb them. This means that gut dysbiosis may
United States gets lumped under “pesticides.” The authors explain certain nutrient deficiencies even bet-
also use the word “toxicants” to refer to all the ter than dietary factors. Perro and Adams also
since the various, potentially damaging chemicals we point to a growing body of research showing
mid-1980s.” encounter from the environment and our food. that many substances that are not considered

88 Wise Traditions SPRING 2018