By Daniel J. Benor, MD

Environmental pollution is an increasingly serious problem. While the primary focus of environmentalists has been on industrial pollution, another major source of waste chemicals has been largely ignored.

The President’s Cancer Panel 2008–2009 Annual Report, “Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now” notes:

Pharmaceuticals have become a significant water pollutant nationwide. Water filtration plants generally are unable to remove dissolved medications that enter water systems after being excreted or poured into household drains or toilets. Excreted pharmaceuticals (or their metabolites) are a substantial pollution problem that may increase as the population ages and a growing percentage of people are prescribed medications to treat acute and chronic health conditions. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a national sample of the U.S. civilian population, found that during the period 2001–2004, 46.7 percent of the surveyed population reported taking at least one prescription drug in the previous month; 20.2 percent reported taking three or more prescription drugs in the prior month.  Among the human medications found in water supplies are antidepressants, medications for high blood pressure and diabetes, anticonvulsants, steroid medications, oral contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy medications, codeine, non-prescription pain relievers, chemotherapy drugs, heart medications, and antibiotics.

In addition, because unneeded or expired prescription drugs cannot by law be returned to the pharmacy, people have few options for disposing of them. Legislation has been introduced in the 111th Congress that would amend the Controlled Substances Act to facilitate the safe disposal of legally prescribed controlled substances by authorized facilities. If passed, it would help limit the disposal of these medications into the water supply and prevent their diversion into illegal sales.

The Federal government has not established limits on the amounts of pharmaceuticals in drinking water and does not require water testing to determine the amounts present. Scant research has been done on the long-term or synergistic effects of multiple drug exposures of this kind. Since medications are intended to have specific effects at very low doses, environmental scientists and others are urging increased research to identify both human and environmental risks and greater attention by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to this issue. One in vitro study showed that exposure to a complex mixture of medications at environmental levels can inhibit human embryonic kidney cell growth. The possible cancer-related effects of pharmaceuticals in drinking water are as yet unknown.

While the focus of the President’s Report is on cancer, the detrimental effects of drugs, their metabolites and their unknown interactive effects in the drug soups that we are drinking have many more detrimental effects.  Here are some of the possibilities:

Allergic reactions to medications are very common. It appears highly likely that allergic reactions of unknown origin may be due to unidentified drugs in drinking water.

More than 100,000 people die annually in the US alone every year from medications properly prescribed and properly used (Classen, et al. 1997; Lazarou, et al. 1998). These deaths are from unusual, unpredictable reactions to medications that normally are beneficial. How many more deaths are there from medications and combinations of drugs and chemicals that are swallowed with our water?

More speculative possibilities:

Autoimmune reactions might be stimulated by drugs that weaken or alter our immune systems – in diseases such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), scleroderma that are acknowledged to be autoimmune problems and in diseases that may have autoimmune components such as Alzheimer’s Disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

The explosion of Autistic Spectrum Disorders over the last decade, increasing in the US from 15,500 in 1992 to 293,000 in 2008 might be explained (at least in part) by toxicities or interactions of chemical exposures through drinking water.

Preventing the pollution

Most of the focus in dealing with these problems has been on how to dispose of unused drugs and of the drug metabolites in human urine and feces. This is a drug end-product contamination problem.

Prevention of the problem is a much better approach. There are many healthcare methods that do not produce environmental contamination. These are often highly effective and have only a few side effects – that are most often negligible, and virtually none of them lethal.

Looking at the diseases listed in the President’s Report, here are treatments that may be of help in reducing need for medications:

Arthritis:
Homeopathy – for pain, swelling
TWR – for pain and functional limitations

Multiple sclerosis (MS):
Spiritual healing
TWR for pain; depression; grief over lost functions and restricted activities

Antidepressants:
TWR
Homeopathy
Spiritual healing
Regular exercise

Medications for high blood pressure
TWR
Relaxation
Meditation
Biofeedback
Exercise
Spiritual healing

Medications for diabetes:
Homeopathy
Spiritual Healing
TWR for stress, emotional ups and downs

Steroid medications (in arthritis, Crohn’s disease, asthma):
TWR
Spiritual healing

Codeine, non-prescription pain relievers:
TWR
Spiritual healing
Hypnotherapy

Antibiotics (for children’s ear infections; viral upper respiratory infections):
Homeopathy
Spiritual healing

Multiple sclerosis (MS):
Spiritual healing

How TWR helps

TWR reduces pain, anxiety and stress reactions rapidly and deeply. When are more relaxed we feel less anxious and stressed; our muscles relax; we lower our levels of stress hormones; our body relaxes more; etc. This is the opposite of a vicious circle, which I call a sweetening spiral . Chronic stress is a drain on our immune system.

When our stress hormones are reduced, our immune system works better. Adrenaline and adrenal steroids are detrimental to the immune system, particularly when they are elevated for long periods of time. De-stressing harmonizes our body systems and strengthens our immune system.

TWR also enables us to install and strengthen positive thoughts, beliefs and feelings. This further strengthens our immune system.

On deeper levels, TWR also enables us to explore and identify unconscious issues and conflicts that are stressful and contribute to draining our immune system. Once we identify these, TWR provides the tools for learning the messages behind our problems and for clearing them.

Removing the need for medications

Symptoms and diseases are often messages from our inner wisdom – begging us to attend to stresses and disharmonies in our lives.  When we listen to those messages, we learn what we need to do to restore harmony in our lives. This removes tensions, reduces stress, anxieties and pain, and thus reduces the need for medications.

Using less medications, we excrete fewer drugs into our sewage system. This reduces the pollution of our environment. This is a healing for ourselves and for our planet.

Resources – brief articles
7 Minutes to Natural Pain Release: TWR for Tapping Your Pain Away

Pain Is a Choice and Suffering is Optional: TWR for Tapping Into Self-Healing Resources

References:
Classen DC, et al. Adverse drug events in hospitalized patients. Excess length of stay, extra costs, and attributable mortality, J American Medical Association 1997, 277(4), 301-6.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/277/4/301

Lazarou J, Pomeranz BH, Corey PN. Incidence of adverse drug reactions in hospitalized patients: a meta-analysis of prospective studies. J. American Medical Association 1998, 279(15), 1200-1205.
The President’s Cancer Panel 2008–2009 Annual Report, “Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now” p. 108-109.
http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/pcp08-09rpt/PCP_Report_08-09_508.pdf

You may reproduce all or parts of this article in your journal, magazine, ezine, blog or other web or paper publication on condition that you credit the source as follows: Copyright © 2008 Daniel J. Benor, MD, ABHM   All rights reserved. Original publication at WholisticHealingResearch.com where you will find many more related articles on this and similar subjects of wholistic healing.