Month: October 2010

(NaturalNews) The historical use of aloe vera dates back to the ancient Egyptians, who used it for natural wound care and healing. Over the centuries, different cultures around the world have ascribed aloe gel with a near-miraculous healing capacity not only to promote the healing of wounded or infected skin and restore it to health, but also to help keep it beautiful.

How Aloe Vera Gel Works
Like all other succulents, aloe vera is a self-healing plant. If a living aloe leaf is cut or torn, it will immediately seal the "wound" to prevent the loss of water and nutrients and to protect against bacterial contamination. Within minutes, the aloe gel will seep out to the surface and form a water-tight, rubber-like coating over the injured area. This gel coating contracts as it dries, pulling the edges of the wound shut. Within days the wound heals completely with zero scarring.

The same natural, healing mechanism is triggered when aloe vera is applied topically to a wound, accelerating the healing process. Aloe gel forms a seal over the damaged skin, helping to staunch bleeding and protect against wound infection. It provides essential nourishment to the traumatized tissues, while stimulating the regeneration of skin cells and connective tissue. Aloe gel also alleviates inflammation, reducing redness and swelling.

A Wealth of Healing Properties
Aloe vera gel contains a wealth of biologically active compounds that give this herb its potent medicinal properties. It is rich in nourishing phytonutrients that play a key role in the healing process. These include vitamins, especially the antioxidant vitamins A, B complex, C and E, minerals including calcium, magnesium and zinc as well as amino acids like tyrosine and phenylalanine. Other beneficial compounds include: prostaglandins, polysaccharides, saponins, enzymes, glycoproteins, anthraquinones, plant sterols and lignin.

All these active components work synergistically to create a healing environment for burns, bruises, cuts, scrapes and other types of wounds. They work in tandem to promote the regeneration of new skin tissue, alleviate skin inflammation and soothe pain or skin irritation. Aloe gel also exerts strong anti-bacterial, anti-viral and antifungal properties that help prevent and fight wound infections.

(NaturalNews) The United States of America is currently in the midst of a hostile takeover by a rogue government hellbent on controlling the nation's food supply. And in one of its latest acts of domestic terrorism, federal and state officials recently decided to go after Morningland Dairy, a family-owned dairy farm in Missouri, ordering it to destroy 50,000 pounds of raw, artisan cheese — worth roughly $250,000 — for no legitimate reason.

According to testimony, the agents confiscated Morningland's cheese from Rawesome as part of their sweep and put it in un-iced coolers for later testing. Even though California state law mandates that confiscated food be tested immediately, it took officials seven weeks to conduct the tests, and nobody knows where the cheese was or how it was handled during that time — other than that it was not properly refrigerated from the moment it left Rawesome.

When the tests were finally completed almost two months later, they allegedly came up positive for bacterial contamination, which prompted immediate action by officials back in Missouri where Morningland dairy is located. Both the Missouri Milk Board and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) showed up at Morningland on August 26 and "embargoed" the dairy from making or selling any product because of the alleged contamination.

So for a month and a half, Morningland was forced to dump all of its milk and avoid all production, even though no official and properly conducted tests had proven there to be anything wrong with the cheese stock in the first place. The dairy was also forced to recall and destroy all cheese sold since January 1, 2010.

A month later, officials came back to Morningland Dairy and verbally demanded that it destroy its entire stock of cheese, even though an official FDA-conducted swab of the entire dairy plant and farm found no contamination whatsoever. The FDA did not, however, take any official samples of the dairy's cheese for testing, which makes the demand to destroy it all even more bizarre.

Morningland immediately contested the outlandish demands, pointing to "lack of scientific evidence, lack of transparent protocol and complete lack of any illness associated with [its] cheese." And as of this writing, the dairy is awaiting a proper response from authorities.

Officials improperly took and handled cheese samples
In order for the initial cheese samples to be considered legitimately valid, duplicate samples had to have been given to Morningland. But Morningland never received duplicate samples of the original, supposedly tainted product as it should have in accordance with the California Food and Agriculture Code (#32732). The code states that "[n]o prosecution which is based upon a sample of milk, cream, a product of milk or cream, or a product resembling milk products shall be had unless a duplicate of the sample is left with the accused."

And rather than properly test the samples right away, authorities took the unrefrigerated cheese and held it for seven weeks before deciding to test it. Such action negates both the integrity of the "evidence" and any warrant to pursue further action against Morningland.

Samples later collected directly from Morningland's cheese stock were not taken according to protocol, either. And after realizing that the samples had been improperly handled and possibly cross-contaminated, Morningland notified the FDA that new ones needed to be taken. But according to Morningland, the FDA refused to do anything and, instead, falsely indicated that the original samples were taken in accordance with official guidelines.

Morningland petitions for a reasonable alternative to destroying their entire business
Morningland Dairy has been operating for over 30 years without one single incident of a customer becoming ill from its products. The dairy is regularly inspected by both state and federal officials, and has a flawless track record of providing clean, raw cheese to its many satisfied customers.

Ordering Morningland to destroy all of its product because of a questionably tainted sample is both unwarranted and ludicrous. Such a demand is not only unjustified based on the aforementioned facts, but is also wholly unreasonable.

A reasonable remedy, which Morningland has instead suggested to the Missouri Milk Board, is to have proper tests conducted on the actual stocks of cheese in question. Morningland has agreed to test each batch individually before selling any of them. If any batch shows up positive for contaminants, the dairy has agreed not sell them.

But demanding that the entire stock be destroyed based on flimsy evidence appears to be nothing more than an attempt to put Morningland out of business. One report says the attack on Morningland is part of the FDA's goal to eliminate private, independent farms in accordance with the goals of Healthy People 2020.

No matter what the agenda, the government assault on Morningland is criminal. Protocol was not followed, laws were broken, and due process was ignored, paving the way for authorities to furnish illegitimate evidence to justify their tyrannical actions. And if they are not stopped, another honest, family farm devoted to real food will be destroyed.

Support Morningland Dairy and food freedom
Winning the battle against government tyranny takes both persistence and plenty of financial resources. And government agencies have a seemingly endless arsenal of both, which can be discouraging. But when citizens unite together in the fight for freedom and liberty, real progress is made.

Morningland Dairy needs your help, and supporters of the family farm have set up a website called The UN-Cheese Party (http://uncheese-party.webs.com/) where supporters can donate to dairy, which also supports the larger cause of defending food freedom. At the site, supporters can "sponsor a cheese" for $5 per pound.

To find out more about The UN-Cheese Party, visit: http://uncheese-party.webs.com/

Concerned citizens can no longer sit on the sidelines and hope that tyranny will simply stop on its own. The ruling authorities will only continue their abuses unless The People go on the offense and stop them. The good news is that, even though raids and threats have been increasing, so has the push back from both the public and those being raided. People like the good folks at Morningland Dairy simply are not standing for it any longer. But in order to be successful, they need our continued support.

(NaturalNews) Today's society is loaded with powerful toxins of all shapes and sizes. One of the most harmful & potentially lethal of these biological toxins is mercury. Mercury has a strong affinity for fatty tissue and loves to clog up the brain, liver, & kidneys. Science has now revealed that selenium is a powerful mercury detoxifying agents.

Selenium Synergy

The major sources of mercury come from dental amalgam fillings, processed foods, vaccines, fish, & industrial pollution. According to a large study published in the Journal of Environmental Health in 2009, mercury cell chloralkali chemicals are used to manufacture color additives such as FD&C Yellow 5 and FD&C Yellow 6 and high fructose corn syrup.

Selenium is a trace mineral that incorporates itself into proteins to produce selenoprotein enzymes. These enzymes act as an anti-oxidant in the body to destroy free radicals and boost both the immune system and thyroid function. Mercury binds with selenium and reduces selenoprotein production. This deficiency hampers immune & thyroid function.

Selenium acts as a mercury magnet with a very strong binding affinity for the toxic substance. This strong attraction allows selenium to mix and neutralize their reaction characteristics. This new Hg – Se substance that is produced is not absorbed by the body and gets flushed out of the system. This is a very beneficial interaction that removes mercury from the body before it can lodge in fatty tissue and cause damage.

It is critical that we maintain a surplus of selenium in our body to effectively neutralize mercury and produce the anti-oxidant enzymes that benefit us so much. We must consume less mercury and more selenium in order for this to happen. If we have increased mercury consumption (dental amalgams, vaccines, processed food consumption), then we will need increased selenium consumption of up to 1000 mg/daily.

We should normally consume between 200-400 micrograms of selenium daily. Too much selenium is toxic; however, the average American consumes just 60 mg daily. This creates a deficiency that leads to lowered immunity and increased risk of disease. The most common disorders associated with selenium deficiencies include cancer, fatigue, stunted growth, high cholesterol and liver & pancreatic disorders.

Fish consumption has been a source of controversy due to the elevating mercury levels from industrial pollution. However, fish is also a great source of selenium. The key is to use fish sources that are minimally processed and contain significantly more selenium than mercury.

Dr. Nicholas Ralston's report to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows that (southern) Flounder, Tuna, and Wild Pacific Salmon (including Chinook, Sockeye and Coho) have much more Selenium than Mercury. Pilot Whale, Tarpon and most types of Shark were shown to be the most hazardous.

"It's no surprise that what we get from the pharmacy will be contaminating the waterways," researcher Alex Ford said.

Water treatment plants are unable to prevent this kind of pollution.

"Drugs are partially broken down in the treatment process but what we are realizing now is that a lot more gets through than we thought," Ford said. "The treatment plants weren't designed to break down medicines so some inevitably get concentrated [and] released into streams or onto beaches. Effluent is concentrated in river estuaries and coastal areas, which is where shrimps and other marine life live – this means that shrimps are taking on the excreted drugs of whole towns."

To test the possible effects of this pollution, Ford and colleagues exposed prawns to the same levels of Prozac found in British wastewater. They found that the animals, which normally prefer hiding in dark places, became five times more likely to swim up toward light after drug exposure — thereby placing them at increased risk of being eaten by predators.

"Crustaceans are crucial to the food chain," Ford said. "If behavior is being changed this could seriously upset the balance of the ecosystem."

The researchers believe that, as in humans, Prozac is likely affecting the levels of serotonin in the brains of aquatic animals. The effects of other drugs — such as hormones, cholesterol drugs and antibiotics — remains unknown, as does the effect of drugs in combination.

"The presence of sulforaphane in measurable amounts shows that it's being converted in the lower intestine and is available for absorption in the body," explained Elizabeth Jeffery, a U of I professor of human nutrition. "It's also comforting because many people overcook their broccoli, unwittingly destroying the plant enzyme that gives us sulforaphane. Now we know the microbiota in our digestive tract can salvage some of this important cancer-preventive agent even if that happens."

Since broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables are rich in sulforaphane, it does not take very much of them to achieve a substantial anti-cancer benefit. Sulforaphane is so potent that even minimal amounts are capable of staving off the disease.

"The amount that you get in three to five servings a week — that's less than one daily serving of broccoli — is enough to have an anti-cancer effect," said Jeffery. "With many of the other bioactive foods you hear about, vast amounts are required for a measurable outcome."

But having a healthy digestive system with well-functioning gut microbiota is vital for obtaining the most benefits, which is why Jeffery stresses the importance of eating plenty of prebiotics and probiotics as part of a healthy diet.

"One way (to boost bacteria in the colon and enhance the anti-cancer effects of sulforaphane) might be to feed the desirable bacteria with prebiotics like fiber to encourage their proliferation," she said. "Another way would be to use a probiotic approach — combining, say, broccoli with a yogurt sauce that contains the hydrolyzing bacteria, and in that way boosting your cancer protection."

Belgian professor Willy Verstraete discovered a way of ‘studding’ harmless bacteria often found in probiotic yoghurts with nanoparticles of silver, each thinner than a human hair.

Sprayed up the nose or rubbed into the hands, the silver-studded bacteria stop any viruses that cross their path from infecting cells.

As viruses need to hijack a cell’s internal machinery to live and breed, barring them entry leads to their death.

The common cold wreaks havoc among all age groups but the huge number of different viruses behind the symptoms means that a cure has, so far, eluded scientists.

Foods that People Might Find Themselves Addicted To

Caffeine: Most people have heard and know that caffeine can be addictive. Caffeine is a mild stimulant that can be found in a variety of foods, such as coffee, tea, chocolate, and – of course – soft drinks with added caffeine. While there is still much debate as to whether caffeine is good or bad, many people would agree that any substance that causes addiction is not good.

Sugar: Few people would argue today that sugar is a good additive to have in food. Not only is sugar highly addictive, but it also has been proven to be bad for one's health. Sugar, in its many forms, can lead to many diseases, the most well-known being Type 2 Diabetes.

Salt: Salt is added abundantly to many processed foods and so it is easy to become addicting. Most Americans eat far more salt than is necessary and, like other foods, they can become addicted to it, craving more and more as time goes on.

Fat: One now-famous study published in Nature Neuroscience in March 2010 demonstrated that rats who became addicted to high-fat foods experienced withdrawal symptoms similar to those experienced by drug users, and they found it difficult to quit the fat. Fatty foods can be addictive to people as well.

Casein: Casein is a protein found in cow's milk and consequently cheese and other dairy products. Casein, according to Dr. Neil D. Barnard, breaks down during digestion into casomorphins, which are opiates that work just like any other opiate. They make the eater feel good during and after eating, create cravings, and cause withdrawal when the eater gives them up. Barnard states that casein is more concentrated in cheese than in milk.

So how does a person avoid becoming a food addict? Barnard, like other experts, recommends a low-fat vegan diet, which avoids many of these addictive foods; avoiding processed foods, which are known for being heavily-laden with salt, sugar, and fat, will also help people avoid the worst of these foods. People don't want to be slaves to their food; food should nourish, satisfy, and fuel a body, not make it go through withdrawal symptoms when people can't get their lunch fix right away.

[Editor`s Note: NaturalNews is strongly against the use of all forms of animal testing. We fully support implementation of humane medical experimentation that promotes the health and wellbeing of all living creatures.]