Health & WellnessS


Cheeseburger

Food inspection is often flawed

Lena H. Sun
Washingtonpost.com
Fri, 22 Oct 2010 01:00 UTC
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© lambtononline.com
The voluntary quality control system widely used in the nation's $1 trillion domestic food industry is rife with conflicts of interest, inexperienced auditors and cursory inspections that produce inflated ratings, according to food retail executives and other industry experts.

Recent outbreaks of salmonella illness tied to contaminated eggs and peanuts have focused new attention on weaknesses in the decades-old system, which relies on private-sector auditors hired by foodmakers.

With food-borne illness and recalls rising, the use of private inspectors has grown rapidly in the past decade as companies try to protect themselves from lawsuits and tainted products that can damage their brand names. But experts agree that the inspections often do not translate into safer products for consumers.
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Bulb

Next Stop, USDA?: Birke Baehr, 11 Year Old Sustainable Food Advocate

Jennifer Bunin
Ecocentricblog.org
Mon, 25 Oct 2010 00:36 UTC
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© Tricia Baehr
YouTube hits don't lie: 11-year-old Birke Baehr is a celebrity. Over 200,000 people have watched his TEDx Next Generation Asheville talk on sustainable food, making him the movement's youngest star. In a mere five minutes, he hits on all of the biggest problems with our food system (no easy feat!) and tells kids what they can do differently to make a positive impact. I had to find out how this kid got so smart, so I spoke with Birke while he was visiting his Granddad in Central Kentucky and was blown away by the enthusiasm and intelligence of this future organic farmer.

I read in an article about you that your family didn't start eating organic or local until a few years ago. Can you explain how this change came about?

It all started when I peered over my mom's shoulder while she was reading her email and I saw an article about mercury in high-fructose corn syrup. I knew what mercury was and I knew that it could kill people and I was like 'Ok, what's up with high-fructose corn syrup?' My mom told me it's in sodas and, well, I was like "I'm not going to drink sodas anymore." Then I started reading the labels on things and I realized there was high-fructose corn syrup in bread and a lot of different things you wouldn't think it would be in. That was really the eye opener and the gate to the whole food system. After that I started researching even more and I found out about pesticides and herbicides and GMOs and all that kind of stuff. I brought a lot of information to my family and my mom got into it too and we would share our findings. I also noticed that you guys did The Meatrix! That was one of the things that helped me learn about factory farming.

Who are your role models?

One man that really inspired me is Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms. Just the way that he farms is amazing and how he thinks about things. He really makes chickens do what they're supposed to do - peck around and find bugs. He's just such an inspiration - he made me want to be an organic farmer.

Comment: For more information on Birke Baehr's speech, see this Sott link:

Video: 'What's Wrong with Our Food System' By 11 Year Old Birke Baehr

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Bizarro Earth

Thyroid-damaging fluoride may also be harmful to teeth


Endocrineweb.com
Thu, 28 Oct 2010 00:13 UTC
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© UnknownDental flourosis.
A new study suggests that infants who are fed formula that is reconstituted with fluoridated water are at greater risk for developing discolored teeth, which is also known as dental fluorosis. The compound is also classified as an endocrine disruptor that can cause impaired thyroid function, according to the National Research Council.

The study by Stephen Levy, which is published in the Journal of the American Dental Association, confirms his earlier studies, which show "fluoride intakes during each of the first 4 years were individually significantly related to fluorosis on maxillary central incisors, with the first year most important," and that "infant formulas reconstituted with higher fluoride water can provide 100 to 200 times more fluoride than breast milk, or cow's milk."


Comment: It's found that cow's milk as all dairy (with the possible exception of ghee or clarified butter) is harmful for humans.

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Evil Rays

"Disconnect": Why cellphones may be killing us

Thomas Rogers
Salon
Sun, 10 Oct 2010 21:33 UTC
cellphone
© Salon
A new book probes the connection between mobile devices and a host of health problems -- with frightening results

Strange how hard it is to remember a time before cellphones. Mobile phones have changed the way we spend our leisure time, the way we work and how we consume everything from groceries to news stories. Some countries even set up centers to treat those "addicted" to iPhones or BlackBerrys. But, as a new book shows, cellphones may actually be doing damage to far more than our attention spans -- and could, in fact, be killing us.

In Disconnect, Devra Davis, a scientist and National Book Award finalist for When Smoke Ran Like Water, looks at the connection between cellphones and health problems, with some disturbing results. Recent studies have tied cellphone use to rises in brain damage, cheek cancer and malfunctioning sperm. She reveals the unsettling fact that many new cellphones now come with the small-print warning that they are to be kept at least one-inch from the ear (presumably for safety reasons) and many insurance companies refuse to insure cellphone companies against health-related claims. Most troubling of all, science has shown that children and teenagers are particularly susceptible to cellphone radiation, raising questions about its effects on coming generations.

Salon spoke to Davis, via land line, about the real dangers of cellphone use, the industry's coverup and what we can do to protect ourselves and our children.
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Red Flag

Best of the Web: BP Dispersants 'Causing Sickness'

Dahr Jamail
Aljazeera
Wed, 27 Oct 2010 19:50 UTC
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© Erika BlumenfeldDenise Rednour of Long Beach, Mississippi, has been sick with chemical poisoning since July

Investigation by Al Jazeera online correspondent finds toxic illnesses linked to BP oil dispersants along Gulf coast.

Two-year-old Gavin Tillman of Pass Christian, Mississippi, has been diagnosed with severe upper respiratory, sinus, and viral infections. His temperature has reached more than 39 degrees since September 15, yet his sicknesses continue to worsen.

His parents, some doctors, and environmental consultants believe the child's ailments are linked to exposure to chemicals spilt by BP during its Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.

Gavin's father, mother, and cousin, Shayleigh, are also facing serious health problems. Their symptoms are being experienced by many others living along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
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Health

Putting Ice on Injuries Could Slow Healing

Richard Alleyne
The Telegraph, UK
Tue, 26 Oct 2010 08:20 UTC
ice pack injury
© CorbisThis discovery turns the conventional wisdom that swelling must be controlled in order to encourage healing and prevent pain
Slapping a packet of frozen peas on a black eye or a sprained ankle may prevent it getting better, new research suggests.

For years, people have been told to freeze torn, bruised or sprained muscles to reduce the swelling.

But now for the first time, researchers have found that it could slow down the healing as it prevents the release of a key repair hormone.

This discovery turns the conventional wisdom that swelling must be controlled in order to encourage healing and prevent pain.

It could also lead to new therapies for acute muscle injuries that lead to inflammation.

The study, published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology journal, suggests muscle inflammation after acute injury is essential to repair.

Professor Lan Zhou and colleagues at the Neuroinflammation Research Centre at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio discovered inflamed cells produce a high level of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) which significantly increases the rate of muscle regeneration.

Comment: Treatment with Far Infrared (FIR) heat is much more conducive to rapid healing:

Use Infrared Heat for Pain Relief and Other Health Benefits

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Attention

Everyday Chemicals May Be Harming Kids


CNN
Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:56 UTC
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© GreenpeaceUnborn babies are exposed in the womb to toxic chemicals.
Newark, New Jersey - Of the 84,000 chemicals on the market today - many of which are in objects that people come into contact with every day - only about 1 percent of them have been studied for safety, Sen. Frank Lautenberg said Tuesday.

Lautenberg, D-New Jersey, told a hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health that such little oversight means that children in the United States are virtual "guinea pigs in an uncontrolled experiment."

"Our current law does not allow EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] scientists to draw the bright line between chemicals that are safe and those that are toxic," the senator said in the hearing, which was held at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in his home state.

Lautenberg has introduced legislation that would require chemical manufacturers to prove the safety of their products before they're released into the market. He said the current law - the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 - is too lax, resulting in the banning of five chemicals in the past 34 years.
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Evil Rays

Study: Laptops with WiFi can Cause Sperm Damage

Dan Boniface
9 News Colorado
Wed, 27 Oct 2010 12:57 UTC
As little as four hours of exposure to laptops with WiFi can damage sperm, according to a recent study by the American Society for Reproduction in Denver.

"This is the first scientific study showing that a laptop computer connected by WiFi may damage DNA and decrease sperm motility," Conrado Avendano, Research Director at the Nascentis Reproductive Medical Center in Argentina, stated in a news release Wednesday.

Comment: The health of sperm is just the tip of the iceberg regarding the dangers of microwave radiation. This article has more information.

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Health

Don't Let Lectins Ruin Your Digestive Health

Dr. Michael Cutler
DrCutler.com
Wed, 27 Oct 2010 12:08 UTC
If you're having embarrassing digestive problems such as stomach cramping, bloating, smelly gas or "the runs," you may be confused as to why. You've probably heard that the root cause of your intestinal woes could include that you're lactose intolerant, allergic to wheat products, have a sensitive stomach or you're getting older and some foods just "don't agree with you" anymore.

Scientific research now shows that little-known proteins called lectins could be behind your uncomfortable... embarrassing... even painful intestinal issues. And if you're eating a traditional American diet your body is probably loaded with lectins found in...

* Nightshade plants such as tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant
* Wheat, rye, oats and barley malt
* Legumes
* All beans including soy and peanut
* Eggs
* All milk products, cheese, yogurt and kefir
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Health

Bisphenol A is everywhere - is it safe?

David Melzer and Tamara Galloway
New Scientist
Wed, 27 Oct 2010 10:48 UTC
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© Image Source/Rex FeaturesContains more than just water
Mounting evidence against a chemical we are exposed to daily is being ignored. What more do regulators need, ask David Melzer and Tamara Galloway

Three letters lie at the heart of our modern world: BPA. Short for bisphenol A, a synthetic oestrogen, a staggering 3 billion kilograms of the stuff is produced annually, with an estimated value of $500,000 per hour to the global economy.

BPA is used in the production of a hard and transparent form of polycarbonate plastic used to create food and drink containers and other consumer goods. It is also used in the epoxy resins that line metal food cans, and as an ingredient in dental sealants.

In fact, we are so consistently exposed to BPA that over 90 per cent of us excrete BPA metabolites in our urine at any given time. How exactly BPA enters the human body is not yet clear, although eating food kept in BPA-containing packaging, breathing household dust and handling plastics that contain BPA may all contribute to our daily exposure. Currently, BPA is not listed on food or drink labels so millions of people have no way of knowing their daily exposure.

BPA was first reported in the scientific literature in the 1930s as a synthetic oestrogen, and it is this property that has led to most of the subsequent controversy. Laboratory studies show that, at the right dose, BPA can act as a hormone mimic, binding not only to oestrogen receptors but to other related receptors, too. However, this "active" dose has been furiously contested in what has become an intense scientific dispute.
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