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The on-slaught of drug commercials, media frenzies and the like, promoting the state of ill health today, continually makes me wonder why people do not look at the cause, but only seek a quick fix.  

Environment = condition.  The enviromental impact of factory farming and use of chemicals definitely affects our condition.  So why aren't we doing more to reestablish a better environment? 

A non-profit group centering on the inhumane conditions of factory farming recently released undercover footage from a typical egg factory farm.  The name of the group is Mercy for Animals............... the video shows the elimination of live male chicks by loading them on conveyor belts and dropping them into a grinder - and the agony some of them endure because they do not immediately die.  On NPR yesterday, the topic was water pollution - the largest polluters being agriculture - from the runoff created by factory farms, to the farm use on crops of pesticides and herbicides that do not break down in water. 

Did you ever check out a factory farm, whether it be dairy, beef, pigs, veal or chickens, and look at the living conditions the animals are forced to endure?  Did you ever look into all the drugs that are given to these animals, which in turn are ingested by those that eat their flesh or drink their milk?  Did you ever think about crops that are non-organic -- ever watch how many times non-organic potatoes and corn, for example, are sprayed?  These chemicals are absorbed into the vegetables; washing or peeling does not remove all the residue.    

This is just a sampling of what takes place - and absolutely nothing will improve until we change as consumers.  Instead of asking doctors if we need to take some new drug just seen on a television commercial -- why not see what we can do to avoid taking drugs? 

One of our local news channels did a report on organics vs. conventional grown foods.  They told the public the study they looked at said there was no nutritional difference between organic and conventional.  I found it interesting that pesticide use was not taken into consideration by the study group.  When you look at organics, it's not just about nutrition -- it's about the environmental impact of conventionally grown vs. organically grown foods. 

So, cruelty-free lifestyle - what is that?  It is a way of life that precludes cruelty and exploitation - whether it be farm animals, personal hygiene products, household cleaning products, ecosystem friendly products, or products produced from slave labor -- it means being an informed consumer - someone that takes health seriously - someone that is compassionate.  The next time you need to buy a household cleaner, shampoo, soap, makeup, coffee, foods -- find out if it has been tested on animals, if the coffee or tea is "fair trade", if the foods are organically grown or are full of chemicals, do they encourage the growth of factory farms.  Once you see the practices of factory farms - pigs living in gestation cages that only allow them to lay; veal calfs kept in tiny stalls and force fed formulas to keep them anemic while having constant diarrhea - so consumers can enjoy their milky white flesh; dairy cows constantly impregnated to produce more milk; the use of hormones to increase milk production while at the same time causing mastitis and other ailments; rabbits put in yokes and having chemicals dropped or smeared on their eyes to test results; because rabbits eyes don't tear, they can't wash the chemicals out; animals that are forced to swallow substances or have hair shaved and substances put on their skin to watch reactions.  This is just a sampling of what takes place.

We, as consumers, can stop these practices.  We have the power to establish healthy and humane living conditions for all.  There are many resources to help you live a more compassionate lifestyle.  There are many resources for buying cruelty-free products and organically grown foods. So please, next time you pick up that shampoo - or container of coffee - or bottle of drain cleaner - or laundry detergent - or consider buying a piece of meat -- please think before you buy!!  If everyone did that -- people would be healthier as the result of a clean and healthy environment, animals would be treated more humanely -- and there probably would be a lot less drug commercials on TV.