Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Latest GMO Research: Decreased Fertility, Immunological Alterations and Allergies

Latest GMO Research: Decreased Fertility, Immunological Alterations and Allergies

http://www.naturalnews.com/025001.html

A friend of mine emailed me this very important article. I will paste what she wrote to those she sent it to here because I think it is a great summary:

If after reading this article, you still continue to buy conventional processed foods because 'organic is too expensive', you need to have a good strong look at your budget and figure out what really matters in your lives and the lives of your children.

Organic is not too expensive - in fact, you can't afford NOT to eat organic food as exclusively as you can. In addition, we all need to be putting pressure on our respective governments to require labelling of any foods that contain GMO ingredients and while we are at it - foods and other products that use nanotechnology.

Both of these 'sciences' have the ability to destroy living species including man in a very short time period. The English had the right idea when they went into the fields that were growing GM produce and burnt them. GMOs were banned by major supermarket chains in the UK within a very short time of those acts. Where has direct action gone? Why are we so accepting and apathetic when it comes to our own lives and the lives of our children?

I was at first hesitant about sending this out because if you don't have a working knowledge of what Genetic Modification is it may sound overwhelming at first. But if you just read it through you will get the point. In synopsis he is saying that Genetic Modification is not an exact science and as more information comes out it shows that it is actually a game of Russian Roulette.

There have been some biased short term studies and those that weren't biased have been suppressed. The recent research by independent (the key word) researchers show many hazards especially over the long term and carried across the generations. This being most likely because it is actually CHANGING OUR OWN GENETIC CODE!!! Genetic modification is a crime against humanity and should be taken seriously by every one of us.

We should question what we are consuming and demand labeling of anything genetically modified. And remember genetic modification is going beyond the foods we eat. Just as an example, the Hepatitis B vaccine is made up of genetically modified animal material. And this is injected regularly into babies only hours after being born. Always being wary of anything genetically modified.

( Thanks Arianna! )

Saturday, December 20, 2008

A Clear and Plastic Danger


The following article appeared in Natural Solutions magazine and I thought it was not only very scary, but extremely important. PLEASE read it- I believe everyone needs to. Can you eliminate plastics from your life completely? Probably not- but after reading this I did my best to try.

The full article:


Important excerpts:

"For a microcosm of what’s been happening with endocrine disrupters in the US, consider the case of the widely used chemical bisphenol-A (BPA). Industry loves BPA because it makes polycarbonate plastic clear and nearly unbreakable. An extensive body of literature supports the view that this chemical, originally developed as a synthetic estrogen, can cause hormonal chaos. “We’re talking about hundreds of studies with large sample sizes by the world’s premier scientists in endocrinology, neurobiology, and developmental biology—published in the major journals in the world,” says University of Missouri-Columbia neurobiologist Fred vom Saal, a pioneer in BPA research. But the FDA has so far declared BPA safe, citing instead two tiny studies. Those studies, unlike the independent research that counters them, were funded by the chemical industry."

"The government has also failed to act against phthalates—chemicals used mainly to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic soft and pliable—despite disturbing research that points to estrogen-related damage in both animals and people, including shrunken penises and impaired testes. As usual with profitable substances, the government claims that regulation is unwarranted until someone proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that phthalates cause harm. Relying on the same research available to US agencies, however, the European Union (EU) began enforcing a ban against phthalates in toys in 1999."

“When [fetuses and children] are exposed during critical windows of development, the effects are permanent,” says vom Saal. Women’s BPA and phthalate levels worry scientists as well, because these chemicals pass through the placenta to the fetus during pregnancy or through breast milk. Scientists worry less about men because, as vom Saal notes, “In adults, it’s like taking a birth-control pill.” In other words, when a woman takes the Pill, her hormonal activity is affected while the chemicals are in her body. Once she goes off the Pill, her hormonal activity eventually returns to normal. So it is with endocrine disrupters: If adults end their exposure to the chemicals, they also end the effects."

"The theory about how damage from endocrine disrupters transpires goes like this: As vom Saal points out, the cells in babies and children depend upon signals from hormones to determine how they should develop. The wrong signals produce the wrong result. Because both BPA and phthalates resemble estrogen, they can mimic or block estrogenic effects in the body. Females exposed to messed-up estrogen-like signals early in life may develop breast and other reproductive system cancers later, research suggests. If males are exposed at crucial developmental stages, they may develop female characteristics and/or have poorly developed male ones. Other possible consequences include testicular cancer, reduced sperm counts, smaller penises, and undescended testes."

"Vom Saal has worked exclusively on rodent studies, but he’s used breeds that respond to estrogen in a similar manner as humans. In 2006, an expert panel including vom Saal suggested that BPA may factor in such known human trends as increases in abnormal penises and urethras in males, early female puberty, decreased sperm counts, prostate and breast cancers, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, obesity, and type-2 diabetes. BPA led to all those conditions in rats."

"In a sense, one large-scale human study of estrogen mimics has already been conducted—and the results weren’t pretty. From about 1941–71, millions of US women were given a synthetic estrogen called DES to prevent miscarriages. Their babies seemed healthy at birth, but vom Saal notes, “as teenagers, the girls started developing uterine cancers that had never been seen in women under 60.” These same girls, now grown women, have hyper rates of breast cancer, too. “They looked OK from the outside,” vom Saal says. “But their internal systems were completely deranged.”

"How did the endocrine disrupter situation get so out of hand? The US was the first nation to aggressively regulate chemical pollution in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s. But as other industrialized nations began following our lead, an antiregulatory backlash—fueled by corporate lobbyists and their political allies—took over at home. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hasn’t banned a single chemical in 17 years and has only banned five—including dioxins and PCBs—in its entire history. In fact, it has allowed 95 percent of chemicals to be used with no testing whatsoever. Note, too, that one of the most dangerous sources of phthalates—cosmetics—is barely regulated at all, thanks again to the industry’s lobbying efforts."

Friday, December 19, 2008

How to Avoid Heavy Metals in the Kitchen

This is a topic I have been meaning to attack for some time. After reading an article in the Weston Price Foundation Quarterly discussing heavy metal poisoning I got to thinking about how I can reduce my family's risk. Environmental factors are difficult to control, but I knew I could do something in my own home.

At this point, most people know that cooking with Teflon (or any non-stick surface), aluminum, copper and plastics are unsafe- I did not realize that stainless steel could also leach heavy metals, especially when cooking acidic foods. Here is a good general article detailing the dangers involved with cooking in different types of pots and pans:
http://www.enotalone.com/article/10251.html

I was slightly overwhelmed at the thought of giving my kitchen an overhaul, especially because I am not on such a big budget, being a stay at home mom. But I thought this was very important because it is connected to what we are ingesting on a daily basis and therefore I decided to look into some solutions.

-Cooking with glass is an excellent way to go and is very budget-friendly. Corning used to make a line of amber-colored glass cookware called "Visions". You can buy one item or a whole set for a great price on Ebay. Just remember to tell the seller to pack carefully and write "Fragile" on the outside (hmm...wonder how I know that!). They are just great to cook in and extremely durable.

-Baking with glass is also easy to accomplish by buying Pyrex pans. I love the ones with tops that snap right one. They go from the oven to the refrigerator so easily. Just do not leave the tops on the oven while baking- they melt. (Personal experience of course!)

-Baking with Corning enamel pans is another very good option. You can get those with snap on tops as well.

-Cast iron cookware is yet another choice. I have a griddle that I really enjoy using for burgers and home fries. I also have another pan which has become rusty. Truth be told, I am not so good at maintaining cast iron. Many people swear by it and will not use anything else, but I have trouble seasoning it. If properly seasoned it is a really fabulous nonstick surface, but for most of my daily use, I just find glass easier.

-Broth is a very important base for our diet, but my stockpot was stainless steel. I found an enamelware pot (lightweight speckled) for around $15 at Target. So far it has worked just fine. You could also use graniteware as well.

-Pyrex glass mixing bowls are nice to use because they come with snap on lids- so you can also use them for food storage.

-I've seen a lot of glass bowls/jars/plates and more at IKEA for very good prices.

-I also "recycled" all my Tupperware. Although this does not have to do with heavy metals, plastics are dangerous too, so I replaced them with glass storage containers of various sizes. Both Pyrex and Anchor makes them- I recommend Pyrex because although the Anchor brand is cheaper, the tops have cracked on me. The neat thing about these storage containers is you can bake with them, freeze food in them, or stick them in the toaster oven/regular oven to heat up the food inside (without the lid on, of course).

-I peel the labels off old mayonnaise, sauce, and salsa jars or the like and use those for storage. It is nice because they are free! You can also freeze food in some of them, but make sure they are the Mason variety. Sometimes if the glass is too thin, they will crack in the freezer.

-My son was really never into drinking from a bottle, so I have used my sets of Evenflo glass baby bottles with the flat storage tops to store homemade salad dressing, spices and to mix homeopathic remedies.

-I have replaced Thermoses with stainless steel inside to the ones with glass inside. They sell them on the Thermos website. And of course my husband just lost our big one on his last trip abroad!

-I try to use bamboo utensils for cooking. To Go Ware sells bamboo cutlery, but at this point it is too expensive for me. It is really cool though!

-I got rid of my crock pot. From what I have read, Hamilton Beach is the only brand that does not use lead in their glaze. All other brands do- and while the lead content is suppose to be within the "safe" limits, I am not sure how much I trust the FDA on anything.

-I am attempting to find a glass sippy cup. My son can drink with a straw, but for travel it is either plastic or stainless steel. Any ideas are welcome- I am still working on a solution. For the time being I am using a stainless steel one and putting the water in and dumping it after he drinks.

I think this is a fairly good synopsis of the changes I have made- it has taken a few months and a lot of analysis, but I finally feel pretty good about the kitchen. If you are able to make small changes as you feel comfortable and can afford it, it does not take too long to make your food preparation space safe.

*** I want to note that although this does not have to do with the kitchen, amalgam fillings leach mercury directly into your mouth. If you have them, do some research about the dangers and how to remove them. Composite fillings are plastic, which is not great, but you might want to weigh your options. Of course, another HUGE source of heavy metal poisoning is vaccines. Avoid them for that and other reasons. ***