Ever wonder why we believe what we believe? Do our views come from our own research and reflection? Or, from a favorite news channel or site that we know support our views and will basically “preach to the choir”?
Most people are beginning to realize the physical harms television and computers can cause. The blue light these devices emit result in an increase in stress hormones, especially when used at night. Television watching has been associated with an increased risk of death from heart disease and cancer, and just two hours of viewing per day increases the risk of Type II diabetes by 20%.
But beyond these bad health effects, let’s look at the “marketing” these screens bring (or as marketing was previously known the “engineering of consent”). Modern marketing, thought to have started with Sigmund Freud’s nephew, Edward Bernays, is not about educating the public. Its purpose is to achieve uninformed, irrational agreement affecting our thoughts, behaviors and spending.
To quote Bernays, “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. …We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of.”
All of the above is why you may not know:
• Exxon knew in the late 1970s that fossil fuels advanced global warming. They then spent money to “debunk” the connection.
• Monsanto knew in the 1980s their herbicide RoundUp could cause cancer and said nothing. The World Health Organization labeled it a probable carcinogen in 2015.
• Robert Kennedy Jr. reported he was told by the president of a U.S. network news division, during non-election years, 70% of the advertising revenues for his area come from pharmaceutical ads. The newsman said “he would fire a host who brought onto his station a guest who lost him a pharmaceutical account.” This is why there is such a silence on drug and vaccine side-effects and/or ineffectiveness.
• Here is a good one, so spread the word. The American Public Health Association is now encouraging the greater use of “alternative” and “complementary care” professionals (chiropractors, naturopaths, acupuncturists, etc.), who can provide natural methods of pain relief. Their hope is to reduce the damage and deaths narcotic drugs are causing.
We must remember what our parents told us: Who you hang with affects you. Let’s keep that in mind with our electronic “friends”, and realize we can take control of our health. Have a wonderful New Year!
Dr. Huntington practices Chiropractic, Biomedical Acupuncture and Physiotherapy in Oracle, Az. 520-896-9844 huntingtonchiro@hotmail.com.