Solutions for Nutrient Deficiency

The United Nations at New York celebrated 60^th year of its installation as a world body. The proceedings on the 14, 15 and 16^th of September 2005 selected some specific objectives to be taken up for the third millennium.

Reduction of extreme poverty and hunger, promotion of universal primary education, child care and mothers health, gender issues, social justice, environmental protection, fight against diseases like malaria, HIV, and others which develop as epidemics, supply of safe drinking water among other objectives may be mentioned.

In order to work with a project it is necessary to plan well in advance. A census of the population around which the project is to be developed is a must. Their individual and collective problems will have to be taken into account. Available resources, man- power, adequate technology, funds, time limits with in which the work has to be completed are all factors to be kept in mind. Suitable opportunities, training of the local population, allocation of funds are all part of the project.

Very few nations in the world maintain reliable statistical data on its own population. The tropical region with optimal environmental conditions houses 76% of the world population. The rest 24 % lives in temperate and Arctic regions. As far as the biodiversity is concerned about 80% of the world resources is available in the tropics.

The uncontrolled destruction of the natural habitats with a number of excuses, depletion of the forest wealth, soil erosion, silting of the rivers and lakes, production use and disposal of plastics in the environment, contamination of diverse kind extending over land water and air. Artificial lights and sounds, microwave radiation are all of concern to humanity. Some experts have found the population explosion as a major hurdle in the fight against hunger and poverty.

Modern civilization is a consumer- oriented model developed in industrialized countries to sell more and more with least interest in the item sold or its impact on the consumer. People in the rest of the world are following blindly this model as if a symbol of progress. The food and living habits developed in the temperate regions, when copied blindly do not fit into the tropical conditions. People are trying to enter the industrialized world legally or even illegally believing that such standard of living with food and life style is the best of its kind. That is the image projected by the media controlled by the economic interests. Side by side a modern technology has come up apparently to make things easier for the humanity, provided one pays for that.

About four centuries of scientific progress in Europe served to extend the same world wide either in the name of colonization or scientific exchange programs. The concepts and methodology are made to remain deep- rooted wherever it was taken. Those who do not fit into their measures are not considered as scientists at all. Some people consider this type of imposition on others and their acceptance as such to be a mere mental slavery. A reasonable revision of the entire issue is urgently needed to attain mental independence around the world.

At this juncture I shall focus the attention on the world population. The trend seems to be far from population explosion to an implosion. The empty cradle syndrome discussed at Cairo in the year 1994 is a clear indicator in this direction. The deterioration of human genetic material over the past sixty years is significant. The quality of life, the food habits, the living habits, contamination of soil air and water when compared with the genetic deterioration of humanity several eye openers appear.

Few examples should be sufficient to prove the statement.

The United States of America has a population of about 280 million. Life expectancy is about 75 years. By the year 2005 there are about 165 million above 70 years of age. They may not live another five years. Junk food consumed in the country has been the main factor in the obesity of people, young and old alike. Degenerative diseases like cardiovascular disorders, arthritis, diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis and many such disorders are associated with poor food habits and living habits. It is a type of malnutrition with fried food, refined cereals and sugar, artificial coloring matters and flavors, animal protein like eggs, cheese, meat, fish, chicken and their derivatives of all kinds with saturated fat. Drug abuse, alcohol and tobacco contribute to a society full of anxiety or stress. This is the life style and food habits projected as advanced model by the media. Are we to copy this blindly? Is this the way to improve the standards of living? What are the values for humanity?

China is the most populated country of the world with over 1300 million people. As per information available in 2005 more than 70% of river water is contaminated beyond possible recovery. Industrial drainage continues to produce more and more contaminants. About 450 million male (born during the Mao regime) remain unmarried and have no hopes of getting a couple. About 250 million female also of corresponding age were kept in caves away from sunlight and are crippled unable to bear a child. Primary school children are smokers. The Government Tobacco factories provide employment to many and the production should get good market disregarding the health hazard. Official efforts are to promote production of articles for export to earn foreign exchange. The extensive small- scale industries have failed to compete with the industries. Are we to imitate this life style?

Japan’s industrial progress is remarkable. But the senior citizen population is increasing day by day and fewer children born. Work force is getting reduced due to old age. A Japanese woman may live up to 84.9 years but a male may reach 79.5 years.

Industries may be out sourced to other countries where labor is cheap and abundant or raw material is easy. Elders at home require shelter, food, medicine and other amenities. With the limited space available for human activities all live under stress. Are we to copy this life style?

Australia is a continent by itself with least population pressure. The fertile soil is eroded due to mining. The reduced number of children born every year the government has issued circulars to the effect that Australian couples should beget a third child. The food habits and life style is that of the industrialized world.

People in Africa face ethnic or political problems. Absence of clean drinking water and food has been a major problem. Soy and its products are given to feed the hungry with vegetable protein. Malnutrition and especially under nutrition is the major problem where the children die at an early age. In South Africa three out of four are HIV infected. Dreaded diseases like Ebola appeared in Africa. Most of the African countries have been colonies of many European Countries, the food habits and living habits of Europe are considered as standard. That is the main mental barrier to be crossed. Probably nothing much could be copied.

The Middle East has been exposed to three modern wars in recent times. Gulf war of Kuwait, that of Afghanistan and the recent one at Iraq. Besides the direct damage suffered by the people and the society, the indirect damage in the future has not been evaluated. Every bomb carried a dead weight to attain precision target. The deteriorated Uranium is a radio- active waste remnant after extraction of Uranium for nuclear purposes. About 99.95%of the ore is discarded as deteriorated Uranium. Such toxic radioactive material had no known use until the experts found this heavy material to be used as dead weight for bombs. The radiation is known to cause cancer. The radioactive effect extends over a radius of about 1000 miles and probably will last for ever. The changed living habits and the food habits in the region imitate the industrialized society to raise the standards of living. Is it worthy of imitation?

European Community has serious problems with its population. Old age on one side and few children born leaves a significant reduction in the population. By 2005 Spain had more than 4000 villages shut down with no inhabitants. To maintain a school children were brought in from about 50 villages. University faculties are full of professors but few students. This is the reason advertisements appear in tropical countries to attract intellectuals to their faculties. Some countries like France have intended artificial insemination and test tube embryos. But there are no surrogate mothers available to carry out the 20 to 30 thousand embryos through the required period. Other countries like Germany or Italy offer bonus to women who are prepared to deliver babies. France has announced 15 day paid holiday for a father to take care of the new- born baby. The food and living habits, drug abuse, homosexuality, are all modern trend considered to be life. Do we need a copy of that life or an imitation of the same?

South American countries present high birth rate. Poverty and ill health, gender abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, are all common factors in any corner. About 7% population is rich enough to imitate the European or American life style. The remaining population mostly perched on the outskirts of cities cause social problems of diverse nature. Very few go to the agricultural sector. This may be due to the land -owners who live far away and do not permit cultivation by any body other than their kith, they too do not worry about the same. May be the population has forgotten the agricultural techniques after so many years away from the fields. The fields are abandoned and erosion has taken its share. For example in Brazil out of 165 million people about two thirds live under poverty line. Brazil is number one country in exporting Coffee. This earns the foreign exchange for the country but the workers have no food. Brazil grows sugar cane to produce gasohol but no food is available for such workers. No wonder the easily available rum and beer are the favorite drinks of the population in general, especially the working class. Drug abuse is also common among the poor. The health problem of people especially uneducated women and children in the rural areas is really alarming. The contamination produced by petroleum industries has been indicated as the main cause of birth defects among children in the affected areas. Are we to learn any lesson from these people? Is there any thing that can be imitated? Isolated efforts are there to rectify many of these problems but the industrial modern civilization has maintained the voice through media.

The modern civilization has contributed with wide range of day- to- day articles like mobile phones, microwave cooking ranges, television sets with cathode tubes, computer monitors, hair driers, vacuum cleaners and similar ones. Every one of them causes health hazards but invisible and equally dangerous. The industrial production of highly dangerous agrochemicals and chemicals for domestic use their distribution and marketing continue at full swing to earn more profit to the industries. All the out sourcing income of any country may not be sufficient to treat the sick resulting from the radiation junk out of the obsolete computer hardware.

A significant trend has been officially recorded and that is terrifying. About sixty years ago one milliliter of human semen contained about 250 active sperms. Recently the count came down to 50 million with morphological abnormalities and sluggish sperms. When the count is less than 20 thousand there is every possibility that a man is infertile, condition known as oligospermy. Many cases are known to have no sperms at all, condition known as azoospermy. The prevailing food habits and living habits and the contamination of the soil, air and water may be responsible to produce such genetic changes in such a short time.

Experts on their part have maintained that the present sperm count is 50 million per milliliter. This is the only possible explanation they handle.

Substances known to produce mutations or changes at nuclear divisions or chromosomes are as follows:Caffeine, theine, theobromine, nicotine, cocaine, cannabinin, alcohols, CFCs, DDT, Dioxin, Gossypol, Cyclamides, Dieldrin, Steroids, Afltoxins,lindane, methyl mercury, Lead, Cadmium, and others

Acidification of the body fluids is the direct consequence of consumption of the following items: Eggs, cheese, chicken, meat of any kind, pork and its derivatives, fish and sea food (capable of accepting high amounts of methyl mercury in the food chain).

Refined sugar, cereals and flours, vegetable oils especially when they are hydrogenated, deep fried food, tomatoes, soy bean or its derivatives, chillies of all kinds and derivatives contribute to malnutrition, irritability and prone to many diseases.

All these contribute to genetically alter the human being. Are we prepared to accept this degradation in the near future? Experts on the matter should start thinking fast. Planning for the future should consider the genetic damage already taken place.

Change of life habits and food habits is the only alternative left for the humanity, if it wants to save itself.