Month: November 2010

Genetically modified potatoes now threaten the purity of potatoes internationally. All it takes is a careless farmer to allow his modified crop to be planted elsewhere, without properly labeling the crop as modified. This would mix in the genetically modified crop with traditional, and even organic, crops. This is a legitimate environmental issue, as it is a major threat to food integrity.

Arguably as important as the need to protect our food supply, is the need to protect ourselves from the deadly effects of genetically modified food. Consuming genetically modified food can lead to auto immune disorders, organ failure, sterility, and much more.

If you are unfamiliar with the risks associated with modified food, you are most likely not familiar with how it is created.

The process in which food is genetically modified is extremely outlandish. Billions are spent each year to genetically modify the food supply, leading to an influx of tainted food products. Modifying foods requires one to tamper with the very genetic coding of the crop and/or seed.

The process entails the transfer of genes from one organism to another, such as taking particular genes from a pig and transferring them to a tomato. Not only does this defile nature, but it also leads to a host of health problems.

Due to the complexity of a living organism`s genetic structure, it is impossible to track the long-term results of consuming genetically modified food. Introducing new genes into even the most simple bacterium may cause an array of issues, highlighting the complexity of even the simplest organisms. Introducing new genes to highly complex organisms such as animals or crops is even riskier.

When introducing the gene to its new host, it is essentially impossible to predict the reaction. The genetic intelligence of the host could be disrupted with the introduction of the new gene, creating an adverse reaction. There is truly no way of knowing the long-term effects of genetically modified food, as there are too many variables. There is simply no room for science when Monsanto is involved.

The study was led by Atul Singhal, a professor from the University College London. He said: "This study supports the case in the general population for breastfeeding since it is harder to overfeed a breastfed baby."

One aspect the professor did not discuss involves the bacterial balance in the intestines of the infant. Important for digestion and immune function, the right blend of species also remains important in the production of short chain fatty acids which enhance insulin sensitivity. The intestinal flora, comprising more than 100 different types of organism and weighing around 1.5 kilograms, have been described as a `microbe organ`; they complete a wide range of chemical transformations crucial to the normal functioning of the liver and other organs.

While the exact mechanism is yet to be confirmed, the most serious aspect of the latest data is the suggestion that altered dietary habits in the early years can make obesity more likely throughout the rest of the individual`s life. Previous research has already found that 20 percent of adult obesity is related to over-feeding and weight gain in infancy.

Childhood obesity has progressively become a major public health concern across all developed nations. In America, the rate of overweight and obese children tripled between 1980 and 2000. Doctors have raised concerns over the impending health costs that such an obesity time-bomb may cause as this generation enters adulthood. The risk of developing diabetes, hypertension and heart disease increases with obesity. While environmental, dietary and psychological factors may play an important role, formula bottle-feeding during infancy may have a larger role than previously thought.

In any case, the study confirms the positive benefits of providing breast milk to babies for longer periods. In Britain, 75 percent of children aged four months and older receive formula milk. Janet Fyle of the Royal College of Midwives said: "The UK needs to see breastfeeding as a normal process, and to move away from some of the outdated and negative stigma that is depressingly still attached to it."

How Dr. Newport Found the Coconut Oil Solution

Mary had helped her husband Steve volunteer for a promising Alzheimer drug trial, but not in time to be accepted. She researched the new drug and discovered it was a pharmaceutical version of MCT oil, (Medium Chain Triglycerides). Then she realized that both coconut and palm kernel oils naturally contained MCTs.

MCTs are easier to quickly digest than other types of fats. They require less bile and enzyme action for intestinal absorption, and they are metabolized quickly in the liver. Therefore, MCTs expend energy more rapidly and strongly with less fats storing in the blood and tissues.

Metabolizing MCTs creates ketones. Recent research, which led to Big Pharma`s attempt to duplicate naturally occurring MCTs, has shown that ketones help protect against Alzheimer`s, even reverse it. Compared to Big Pharma`s synthetic version of MCT Oil, naturally sourced ketones remain in one`s body over twice as long, eight hours compared to three.

So Mary Newport`s investigation led her to a less expensive solution for her husband without the often predictable side effects of a pharmaceutical. Her sharing of the information benefits all of us. And lately more and more nutritional value has been attributed to coconut oil. But this is all relatively new knowledge.

This is Now; That Was Then

Since a few decades ago, coconut oil was demonized by the food processing industry`s quest to lower their cost, boost profit margins, and create longer shelf life by using hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils. Butter and palm oil were also included in the food industry`s fear campaigns to get consumer consent for using the more unhealthy trans fatty acid oils, including margarine.

Until then, coconut and palm oils were used in all sorts of packaged foods and baked products. Butter was considered okay. That gradually changed until dangerous margarine and partially and fully hydrogenated cooking oils moved onto grocery shelves, packaged foods, and baked products – replacing the falsely demonized coconut and palm oils.

Recent research has debunked the emphasis of cholesterol dangers as exaggerated or even false. Even if saturated fats, such as coconut oil are high in "bad" cholesterol, trans fats or hydrogenated oils have been proven to be worse for human health, even toxic.

Now real science and human experience are proving the health benefits of coconut oil. Almost all health food stores have it. Large quantities can be ordered on line. The ideal coconut oil is organic virgin. But not so ideal has some virtues remaining as well.

Coconut oil is considered a saturated fat because it is solid, though it begins melting above 75 degrees Fahrenheit, or 24 degrees Celsius. In addition to ingesting it, say with dark chocolate to make it yummy, coconut oil is one of the best oils for cooking because of its very high smoke temperature; this makes it less likely to turn toxic from excess heat than olive and other pure vegetable oils.

Yes, saturated fats were falsely demonized and those lies were almost totally accepted by consumers and health professionals until recent years. But that was then, and this is now.

The researchers found that children who had been born close to the cut-off date for admission to kindergarten (who would be among the youngest in their classes) were 25 percent more likely to receive an ADHD diagnosis than children born just a few days later (who would start school a year later as the oldest in their classes).

There is no evidence that ADHD rates are actually higher among this group, the researchers said. Instead, it appears clear that younger children are more likely to be perceived as immature for their grade.

"This indicates that there are children who are diagnosed, or not, because of something other than underlying biological or medical reasons," Morrill said. "We believe that younger children may be mistakenly diagnosed as having ADHD, when in fact they are simply less mature."

The study gives new ammunition to critics who allege that overuse of the ADHD diagnosis has led to excessive drugging of children and the pathologization of childhood.

"If the forcing of the ADHD diagnosis and drugs can be justified, then why not do it for every other condition? After all, it is for the good of the child, right? " writes Fred A. Baughman, Jr. and Craig Hovey in The ADHD Fraud.

"The problem, of course, is that … anything that disturbs adults in authority can be classified as a disease and parents threatened with the loss of their children if they don't go along with 'treatment.' Do any of us want this to happen, to witness childhood itself held hostage by drug pushers?"

Processed Food Diet Leads to Skewed Omega Fat Balance
The ideal ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fats is ideally 1:1. Evolutionary scientists believe that this level provides effective blood saturation as it lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke and neurological damage that result from sub-optimal balance. Our modern diet includes excessive quantities of Omega-6 fat primarily from vegetable oils that have been used for frying. Processed foods such as chips and baked products frequently make use of hydrogenated oils to preserve taste and texture and skew the ratio of Omega fats.

A diet consisting of excess amounts of meat, refined foods and meals away from home result in typical Omega fat ratios between 20:1 and as high as 50:1. These levels create a cascade of dangerous metabolic alterations and lead to chronic inflammation and changes in the delicate endothelial lining of the coronary arteries. After years of dietary abuse, our vascular system begins to deteriorate setting the stage for atherosclerosis, blood clots and death.

Establishing the Proper Omega-3 Fat Ratio
Aside from fatty fish, very few foods provide a source of the two key Omega-3 fats. EPA and DHA are the pre-formed fats preferred by our body. Omega-3 fats can be found in walnuts and seeds such as flax and chia but must be converted by the body to EPA and DHA to be available for use. Due to excess body weight and metabolic dysfunction, many people are unable to complete this conversion and must either supplement or consume fish to achieve a healthy dose of EPA and DHA fats.

For some people eating fish is not an option due to mercury contamination of many species. Supplementation is a viable option that has been effective in raising Omega-3 blood concentrations. Research confirms that people taking between 2,000 and 4,000 mg of combined EPA and DHA daily have been able to achieve healthy ratios and experience significant reduction in all cardiovascular risk factors.

Humans have evolved on a diet rich in Omega-3 fats that have been critical to health and cognitive development. Lowering consumption of Omega-6 vegetable oils and supplementing with Omega-3 fish oil will provide documented heart health benefits.

"Nitrate and nitrite are precursors to N-nitroso compounds (NOCs), which induce tumors in many organs, including the bladder, in multiple animal species," the researchers wrote.

Participants were aged between 50 and 71, and were followed for eight years. The researchers found that while consumption of non-processed meat was not linked with bladder cancer, higher consumption of nitrates from processed meats increased the risk by nearly 30 percent.

High consumption of red meat (both processed and unprocessed) was associated with a non-Hispanic white ethnicity, being a current smoker, having a high body mass index (a measure of obesity), having a higher beverage and daily calorie consumption, less physical activity, lower educational level, younger age, and a lower intake of fruits, vegetables and vitamins C and E.

The study is only the most recent in a long chain of studies linking processed meat consumption to an elevated risk of numerous cancers.

"A recent study conducted at the University of Hawaii shows that even moderate consumption of processed meats causes a 6,700 percent increase in pancreatic cancer (that's a 67-fold increase in cancer risk!)," writes Mike Adams in Spam Filters for Your Brain.

"Thus, consuming these foods causes cancer. Yet, these packaged meat products appear to be perfectly healthy, thereby distracting you from their true nature, which is that of chronic disease."

This processing takes the "life" out of the salt making the unnatural sodium chloride and chemical fillers more challenging to metabolize. The body must sacrifice tremendous amounts of energy and up to 23 times the cell water to neutralize the damaging effects of the salt. The inability of the body to effectively neutralize these toxic substances results in:

Unsightly cellulite
Rheumatism, arthritis, & gout
Kidney & Gall Bladder stones
High Blood Pressure

Many people have turned to sea salts for their regular salt usage. Unfortunately, many of our lakes and oceans are loaded with toxic poisons like mercury, PCBs and dioxin. Oil spills can toxify a lake or ocean's salt stores for decades after the incident. Over 85% of all sea salt producers are using a refining process for their salt production. Based on this understanding it is wise to assume that sea salt can no longer be trusted as a pure source of essential salts.

Pink salts are one of the very few varieties of salts that have remained pure and stable in nature. Natural pink salts are known for their essential trace minerals and their ability to regulate cellular fluid balance. These salts take on their color due to the presence of iron oxide and their abundance of essential trace minerals. These minerals are in a very small colloidal form and inter-connected in structure allowing for easy absorption and a nutrient synergy that exponentially enhances their effect in the body.

Pink salt is often labeled based on its geography. The most reputable type of pink salt is Himalayan Salt although it is also found in Hawaii, Australia, Peru, Utah, and Poland.
Contrary to popular belief these salts do not elevate blood pressure. Their ability to regulate fluid balance allows them to naturally stabilize blood pressure at a healthy and supportive level for the body. Some of the other benefits of pink salts include:

Promoting blood sugar health
Energy Production (hydro-electrical)
Absorption of food particles
Supports vascular & respiratory health
Promoting sinus health
Prevention of muscle cramps
Promoting bone strength
Regulating your sleep & moods
Supporting your libido
Enhances immune function
Stabilizes heart rate & blood pressure
Extracts excess acidity

Pink salts provide a great remedy for asthma and allergy symptoms as well. The salts have a unique ability to unplug the thick mucus secretions in the lungs & stop overflow of nasal secretions when water is plentiful. Taking it as a natural anti-histamine, one can drink 2-3 cups of purified water with a pinch of healthy salts.

Remember to listen to your body when it comes to the use of these powerhouse salts. Certain body types depend on more salts than others. If you crave salts, you are typically in need of trace minerals. Follow your instincts and use a bit more pink salt on your foods. If you have no craving for salts then only use small amounts of pink salts.

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative brain and nervous condition that produces impairment of speech and movement dysfunction. Researchers do not know how vitamin D might affect the development of the disease, but they have suggested that it might help protect the body's nerve cells from damage.

"Further research is required to find out whether taking a dietary supplement, or increased exposure to sunlight, may have an effect on Parkinson's, and at what stage these would be most beneficial," said Kieran Breen, director of research at Parkinson's UK.

Vitamin D, which is produced in the skin upon exposure to sunlight, has long been known to play an essential role in the formation and maintenance of teeth and bones. Newer research suggests that it also plays a critical role in regulating immune function, thereby protecting against infection, cancer, autoimmune disorders and even chronic conditions such as heart disease or Alzheimer's.

These new findings have called into question whether recommendations for vitamin D intake have been set too low.

"At this point, 30 nanograms per milliliter of blood or more appears optimal for bone health in humans," wrote Marian Evatt of Emory University in an editorial accompanying the Finnish study. "However, researchers don't yet know what level is optimal for brain health or at what point vitamin D becomes toxic for humans, and this is a topic that deserves close examination."