How How does one defeat the “bottom line – $?” I was listening to NPR on zika by 3 Ivy league medical experts. They definitely touted the benefits and safety of deet insecticides, One question from a mom was answered with a yes for use on her 15 month old. I shoot archery on a 10 acre wooded range often with standing water and mosquitoes. I often got nauseous, headaches, muscle aches and general fatigue . After much analyze started to attribute this to deet insecticide. Experiment: I used deet on my left side and natural mosquito repellent on the right. No difference in bites. So I tried the natural on two other people and deet on another. No difference in bites. Put the deet on myself 2 more times and each time I had the same previously mentioned symptoms for 36 hours. I conversed with other archers and 5 of them had the same symptoms as myself when using deet (which is being made stronger now). Being a physician for 50 years I knew that the skin is the bodies largest organ and absorbs many toxic elements from our environment; so why would deet not have an adverse affect on some of us especially children.
Now to get into scientific reasoning
Acetylcholine (ACh) is is the neurotransmitter released to activate muscles. Acetycholine affects both the automatic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system,therefore it hasnumerous functions.You need the biological amount for this transmission at the synapeses; too much and you overstimulate and can cause burnout and Ach resistence eventually. Therefore nature provides cholinesterase to do away with excess Ach. This property means that drugs that affect cholinesterase (cholinergic) systems can have very dangerous effects ranging from paralysis to convulsions and other numerous functions listed below.
Deet is a acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI): meaning it inhibits cholinesterase causing an overaboundance of actycholine and therefore overstimulation of ACh systems. There are so many symptoms so I only listed some beloew besides the ones I and other archers were getting.
- Salivation:
- Lacrimation (tears)Diaphoresis: stimulation of the sweat glands
- Gastrointestinal upset: gastrointestinal problems, including diarrhea
Vomiting
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Constriction of pupils and therefore visual problems
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bradycardia, hypotension, hypersecretion, bronchoconstriction, GI tract hypermotility, and decrease intraocular pressure.
Since toxic insecticides are being aerial sprayed (atrazine, carbamates) and affecting the mammalian systems there is no sense in having a synergistic effect by adding Deet. If one cannot do a lot of health things due to $ you can still by non-deet repellent!
Holistic Second Opinion 