Unfortunately, the other side of the argument will tell us that a hundred years ago people didn't live as long as we do today, they died from diseases which no longer exist in this day and age, and in even earlier centuries there was plague. There always has been and always will be sick people.

My question is .. if we're so technically advanced, why so many? (So many sick people, that is.)

The trouble I think with your lists, Russ and Demi, is that no two people are alike. There are some men out there who smoke a pack (or more) a day of cigarettes beginning from the age 15-20 and yet they live to be a remarkable 80+ years old! Now I'm certainly not advocating the use of tobacco, or trying to insinuate that smoking is good for you. But toxins exist in the natural world, with or without all of these man made products. The eruptions of a volcano, for example, can cause cancer a lot faster than cigarettes! And yet, some of us have a higher tolerance for said toxins. Someone could go and have the same hazardous dental procedure that Nina went through (whereby the dentist merely drilled it out, thus exposing her to mercury vapors), and they might be completely fine and never, for the rest of their life, show any signs of affect. I sure wish I had an immune system like that.

I don't know if substances like caffeine are really that bad for "us" -- because who is us? For some people, honestly, caffeine (in moderation) may have positive affects. Or that milk is supposedly not as good as we've been told to believe all these years. Wheat. White bread. I'm a pretty slim guy and when I cut down on these I start to look malnourished real fast. So how can I be healthier by omitting these foods which "new studies" are suddenly claiming are bad for us? (Again, there's that "us".)

I supose I'm repeating myself here, but we're not perfect beings, we're organisms suceptible to injury and illness (irregardless of what toxins exist naturally or are man made). So, for me, it's very difficult to take a side in the argument. Are we less healthy than we were generations ago? Maybe we're not any more or less healthy, we're just suffering a different host of symptoms based on today's environment (was it any better in the past, honestly?). But if I had to take a vote, I'd side with the rest of you. Something's happening in today's generation(s) that seems to be causing unnecessary illnesses. I just don't know if it's so black and white for anyone to say "it's this" or "it's that". There are too many factors, for me, to pinpoint what exactly is happening these days. Take flouride, for example. It's poisonous. Sure, fine. I can agree with that sentiment based on what I've read. And yet .. again .. there are people out there who can tolerate these toxins and live to a ripe old age, ever vibrant and ever healthy. I think there may be factors that neither the conservatives nor the homepaths have yet to consider (or maybe I simply haven't read up enough on the subject.)

Anyway, interesting topic.