Another reason to “go organic”

This isn’t the first time I’ve posted about the potentially disastrous health effects of Monsanto’s Roundup (e.g. blocking the body’s detoxification pathways). But now new evidence links Roundup - to male infertility. This effect and the many others which include male reproductive malformations such as undescended testes, have been found at levels of Roundup considered safe by US Environmental Protection Agency food safety levels!

Yet Roundup continues to be much used. Yes, I’ve even found it in friends’ tool sheds and garages, which mean they use it on their kitchen garden...Time for a rethink people. This stuff is toxic and even though organic may cost more initially, the savings you can expect to make long-term by avoiding spending on compromised health are not only beyond calculation but beyond price!

I’m on my personal soapbox here, but in my 66 years on the planet, I’ve been hospitalised for one night (shattered my patella) and in the last 12 years I’ve never used my Medicare card (until the patella incident). My sons (now 28 and 24) have visited a doctor a total number of six times in their combined 52 years (the same number of visits the average child makes to a GP in thir first year of life).

Organic, in season, whole, fresh, low food miles, healthy food from healthy soil, whatever descriptor you like, it all starts with what you put into your mouth and if you want to give the next generation a better health legacy, get started before conception. Right now, couples spend more time, energy and money on preparing for their wedding day than they spend on preparing for the conception of a baby! Give your baby something better - a lifetime of better physical and mental health!

Corporate Terrorism? Let's stop the rot!

Over two years, the rat subjects experienced significant ill-health, gross tumour development and early death, thanks to Monsanto’s GMO strains of corn and their associated herbicide Roundup. Not surprisingly, Monsanto didn’t like what the studies showed, so what did they do? Created a brand new position on the editorial board of Food and Chemical Toxicology, installed one of their ex-scientists, who promptly ordered the study unfavourable to Monsanto's interests to be retracted. 

Well rather than dousing the debate around GMOs and Roundup, the retraction has fueled the fires. Indeed, quiet outrage has followed, since there is no evidence of fraud or poor science in the much-publicised Seralini study. Fortunately Seralini is no stranger to walking where others fear to tread, is sticking by his findings and is prepared to fight the retraction in court. 

But this latest drama in the evolution of “corporate terrorism” strikes at the heart of dedicated, committed, unbiased science (yes, some is still being conducted). But unless we take a firm stand and demand the return of unbiased, impartial, non-commercial science we are doomed to ill-health and the over-riding money-making, controlling interests of massive enterprises like Monsanto and the more generalised Big Pharma. The so-called "Science Journals" should be in our sights too - with multiple recent examples of published papers being nothing more than thinly disguised advertorials for new drugs. Take a moment to sign the petition.

Good gut news, but then the bad news...

While scientists are unravelling the profound benefits of healthy gut bacteria, much damage is being done courtesy of GMO produce. In the US, an up-coming debate will determine whether GMO-containing produce will require mandatory labeling across the country. Let’s hope common sense prevails and that public sentiment isn’t swayed by the very powerful and extremely well-funded GMO lobby, who insist on the safety of their produce despite all the findings to the contrary.

Dr. Don Huber, leading GMO expert in the world says there are several key factors we must be aware of. Huber is an award-winning, internationally recognized scientist, and professor of plant pathology at Purdue University for over 35 years. His concerns about GMO rest on the following issues.

1. There are NO peer-reviewed scientific studies establishing the long-term safety of GMO crops. They simply do not exist.
2. There is an identical rise in over 30 human diseases, correlating exactly with increasing use of glyphosate (the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup Ready - herbicide for GM and other crops) and the increased prevalence of genetically engineered proteins in foods.
3. Foods heavily sprayed with glyphosate have a lower nutrient density than conventional crops, they contain higher levels of pesticides, along with novel, highly allergenic proteins.
4. As well as chelating minerals, glyphosate is an antibiotic - destroying not only beneficial soil bacteria, but also the all-important gut bacteria that are the foundation of both physical and mental human health.
5. Not only do GMOs alter your intestinal microflora, research shows that human cells are able to transfer those novel genes, thereby affecting the human genome.
6. Glyphosate may also be responsible for the collapse of bee colonies.

In other words, the potential damage to human and plant systems from GMO crops is incalculable and ongoing. Therefore take whatever steps you can to legislate for mandatory labeling, better still campaign for complete non-use of GMO seeds and associated herbicides/pesticides. And vote with your dollars - BUY ORGANIC!

"Roundup" ... leads to toxic overload

Dr. Mercola’s newsletter should be obligatory reading for anyone who wants to enjoy optimal health thanks to the best natural products, while avoiding the many toxins that slip into the environment courtesy of the vested interests of big Pharma and big Farming. 

Latest warning bell from Dr. M is not a new one, but the research now gathers momentum. The latest findings demonstrate more downsides of GM produce and the heavy use of Monsanto’s broad-spectrum “Roundup” on GM crops. First up, the researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) show that GM-corn is not equivalent nutritionally, but more frightening is the fact that glyphosate (Roundup), which has been deemed “minimally toxic to humans” actually inhibits cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes. The major function of these vitally important enzymes is to detoxify xenobiotic (foreign) substances in the body. Inhibited by glyphosate, there is no pathway for the conjugation and excretion of these foreign chemicals. The toxic burden in the body accumulates and with it the likelihood of ill-health and later disease. 

According to the authors: "Negative impact on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems throughout the body.”

I’ve always advocated the consumption of organic produce, but if you were ever in any doubt, this latest scientific finding should be the clincher.