An Interview with Jeffrey M. Smith
Editorial Article by Susan Booth with Jeffrey M. Smith
(Oct/Nov 2009)
In light of the seriousness of the subject of genetic engineering, it seemed extra important to me to interview Jeffrey M. Smith, author of the best-selling book, Seeds of Deception, and hear first-hand how we’ve been mislead by Ag biotech companies and the government about the health risks of GMOs. Smith has travelled the world to bring this issue to light, and as he tells us, this is a world-wide problem, but we can do something about it! ~ Susan
Susan Booth: You’ve done a lot of research on GMOs, and you’ve found out some things that are very alarming - everything from serious health problems, environmental problems… But, one question that a lot of people ask me is, "What is the difference between genetic modification versus just regular hybridization or selective breeding?"
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Jeffrey M. Smith: Genetic engineering is not natural. It carries unique risks and is fraught with unpredicted side effects.
In normal hybridization or selective breeding you take plants from the same species or related species and they essentially have sex and their offspring share genes from both parents. With genetic engineering, you take a single gene or combination of genes from other species, and you manipulate the gene in the laboratory. You add, typically, an "on switch" called a Promoter from a virus and other materials and then you force it into the DNA of the plant. Then you clone the cell into a plant… The process of insertion, whether through "gene gun" technology or bacterial infection, plus cloning, causes massive collateral damage in the DNA. It leads to hundreds or thousands of mutations up and down the DNA, and hundreds or thousands of genes that can change their levels of expression in the natural plant. These changes can lead to unpredicted side effects, such as new or higher levels of toxins, carcinogens, allergens, or anti-nutrients. And this is not theoretical. They have actually found these types of things in the genetically engineered crops already on the market.
Booth: If it’s that dangerous, and has that many problems, why do they do it?
Smith: Well, FDA scientists wrote in memo after memo specifically invoking the words I’ve already mentioned (toxins, allergens, new diseases), saying genetic engineering carries different and unique risks. They had urged their superiors to require long-term safety testing. But, the White House [George H. W. Bush administration] had been convinced that genetically engineered foods would increase U.S. exports and our domination in world food trade. They ordered the FDA and the other regulatory agencies to fast-track GM foods. So the FDA created a new position of the Deputy Commissioner for Policy in order to recruit Michael Taylor into a position of power over GMO policy. Taylor was Monsanto’s former attorney who later became Monsanto’s vice president. And while he was in charge at the FDA, the Policy lied about the information that the FDA had. It claimed that the agency had no information showing that GMOs were significantly different, whereas this was the exact opposite of what their own scientists were telling them. On the basis of that fiction, the FDA policy declared that absolutely no safety testing was necessary — that GM foods can be introduced if the biotech companies themselves say that they’re safe. And that turned out to be one of the most serious decisions any government anywhere in history has made. It meant that we now are exposing the products of an infant science to everyone who eats and because of the self-replicating genetic pollution associated with the environmental release of GMOs, we also expose all future generations.
Unfortunately Michael Taylor, who was in charge of this policy, has just been assigned as the de facto food safety czar for the FDA under the Obama administration.
Booth: Oh, my!
Smith: So, the danger continues.
Booth: You talk about this in your books and videos… the revolving door between the biotech industry and the government and the regulatory agencies. How can that be? I mean, these aren’t elected officials. But, they just seem to go back and forth between the two places and essentially regulate themselves.
Smith: This is a constant characteristic of GMO regulation around the world. We have individuals who did research on Monsanto’s bovine growth hormone [rbGH] and then took positions at the FDA overseeing the approval of rbGH. The former administrator of the EPA became a member of Monsanto’s board; the former US Trade Representative also went to Monsanto’s board; Linda Fisher went back and forth between the EPA and Monsanto and then the EPA. It’s a constant feature, and it shows how the corporations have hijacked the regulatory agencies that are supposed to regulate them. That has left us in a very dangerous situation with respect to GMOs in our food supply and in our environment.
There are many people trying to work to change the way government functions, but we don’t have to wait for that in order to solve the GMO crisis, because people would avoid GMOs if they knew how dangerous they are for human health. By simply educating a sufficient number of people about those dangers and providing them with Non-GMO Shopping Guides, they can make choices for healthier non-GMO brands and we can drive a tipping point of consumer rejection, forcing GMOs out of the market. It happened in Europe ten years ago based on a single, high-profile food safety scandal related to GMOs. It took only ten weeks from the day a scientist was un-gagged and could finally speak about the dangers of GMOs, until the tipping point was achieved. Within a single week, virtually every major food company in Europe committed to stop using GMOs. It completely turned the situation around in the world. If we had a bold and independent press we could do the same in the US. But, since the press has been reticent in reporting the health dangers, we are delivering the message directly to those most receptive in the country about the dangers—those who already choose to eat healthy. We’re conveying to them the knowledge that “Healthy eating starts with no GMOs" (through our Campaign for Healthier Eating in America) and providing natural food stores with Non-GMO Education Centers which display books, DVDs, CDs, and free Non-GMO Shopping Guides and brochures. We want to get the word out so that those who already make food choices based on what they consider to be healthy can now add GMOs to the "Do Not Eat" Category. If this becomes a popular notion among those who frequent the natural food stores, we could drive GMOs out of the market like we’re already doing with rbGH.
Booth: In Europe it appeared that once the population understood about it and the media was on board to educate people about what was going on with genetic engineering, then even though their government was in favor of it, the tide of public opinion changed that.
Smith: Yes, public opinion led the government. And in some cases the government is still resisting public opinion, like in the U.K. where the government just offered a hundred million pounds to promote GM crops in spite of the fact that 85% of the population is totally against them. In other countries, however, the governments are resisting GMOs. But the leading element was not the government, it was consumers. And consumer concern also forced food companies to withdraw GMOs from their foods. So, we’re using that formula in the U.S. to create similar changes.
Booth: And the United States, I understand, is one of about five or six countries that are heavily into GMOs, whereas in Europe they’ve almost virtually banned GMOs haven’t they?
Smith: Europe does not officially ban GM foods. There is a de facto ban by the food companies. To maintain market share, the companies committed not to use GMOs and therefore source ingredients from non-GMO countries or suppliers. There are some EU countries, however, that have banned the planting of GMOs. This "not-in-my-backyard" concept is spreading through Europe where many countries are demanding the legal rights to refuse any GM crops from being planted in their territory. This includes countries like France, Austria, Greece, Hungary, and Germany.
Booth: Well, here at Azure we’ve been trying to purge our products of things that have GMOs in them, and we’ve been doing that for years… trying to be conscientious about not picking up new items that contain GMOs. But, after reading your books and looking at your literature, it appears that there are a lot of hidden GMOs — for example, some of the enzymes that are used to make non-organic cheeses may be GMO. More ingredients are genetically engineered than the "main" GMO items: corn, soy, cottonseed, and canola. It feels like it’s impossible to stay away from this stuff completely when it’s not labeled.
Smith: As for the enzymes, additives, and colorings that come from genetically modified organisms, there’s been a general understanding among activists that it will be harder to deal with these often invisible ingredients than the direct GMO crop derivatives. The removal of GM enzymes, etc. from the food supply may occur later than the removal of GM soy, corn, etc. Fortunately, organic products are not allowed to use any of these GM derived ingredients.
As for purging your GMO-containing products, here’s good news. An organization called the Non-GMO Project has developed an industry-supported standard for making non-GMO claims. It supports consumer choice and is practically achievable by manufacturers. There are some major food companies supporting this and many are actually on the Non-GMO Project’s board of directors.
My suggestion would be to contact the Non-GMO Project and then become a conduit of their information to your vendors. Urge them to put their products through the Non-GMO Project. I believe that the entire natural food industry will end up going through and becoming non-GMO verified. As the awareness of the health dangers grows, natural foods stores will become the oasis for the growing number of avid non-GMO shoppers as people switch their brands to only those that have become non-GMO. The natural foods industry, however, will only have that unique advantage for a short period of time, as the rest of the food industry will also become non-GMO. So the early adaptors will benefit from the brand switching period.
The introduction of the uniform Non-GMO Project standard throughout the natural food industry makes it easier for everyone. As major companies like Whole Foods have already put products through the Non-GMO Project, this means that all of the co-packers and ingredient suppliers that support their 365 Brand have already been verified or are in the process of being verified. And many of those companies are suppliers to your other brands as well. So they can provide Non-GMO Project verified products to everyone.. Consumers also benefit because Non-GMO Project label is meaningful and defined. It is not just some self-defined criteria that might be quite a bit looser than what consumers are prepared to accept.
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Booth: You talk a lot about the dangers of consuming genetically modified food. For example, on the cover of your book Genetic Roulette you have "Sterility, Infant Mortality, Allergies, Organ Defects, Childhood Diseases…" and you’ve also said that the GMOs are particularly bad for children. And yet children are the ones that are going to school and eating what the school provides (generally, unless they take their own lunch). How do you handle school lunch programs where they use GMO soy fillers in the meats and use genetically engineered oils? How do you safeguard your children from GMOs when they’re eating at school?
Smith: There are a few ways, depending on a person’s situation. We have a GMO-Free School Campaign which educates schools about the dangers, as well as educating the parents and entire community. There are many schools that have transitioned to healthier foods and have even reported improvements in behavior and learning ability as a result of transitioning to freshly-cooked healthier foods. This is the case in Appleton, Wisconsin, which we include in our video, available on-line, called “Hidden Dangers in Kids Meals”.
We see many schools offering a portion of their products as organic or fresh or grown on-site, but not every school system has the ability to afford that or implement those changes. Bagged lunches is obviously one way that kids can be protected… if they can carry healthier, non-genetically modified foods with them. But, I urge parents to not just take steps to protect their kids, but also to contact us to implement a GM-Free School Campaign, because people want to rally around protecting children — not just parents, but the whole community. There’s an infrastructure of parents associated with schools, there are reporters who always write on initiatives associated with local school systems. We want to take advantage of that infrastructure and media reporting. We have a 60-page manual and a video, and a strategy to help get the word out to a whole community using school meals as the primary focus.
Booth: What are some of the bad things that could happen to children who are consuming a lot of genetically modified foods? I know you talk about allergies, and the fact that soy allergies skyrocketed in the U.K. when genetically engineered soy was introduced. What other things should parents be worried about with their kids eating GMOs?
Smith: Well, with allergies, I just found out… Emergency room visits due to allergies doubled in the United States in the five years following the introduction of genetically modified foods. So, allergies are a grave concern.
To understand what could go wrong, if you look at the science related to GMOs and some of the evidence (the thousands of sick, sterile, and dead livestock, the thousands of toxic and allergic reactions in humans and the various damage to the organs and systems… virtually every organ and system studied in lab animals), you realize that the range of things that can go wrong in the body of a child eating genetically modified foods, or even being born of parents who were eating genetically modified foods, is enormous. One top biologist in the world recently told me that he sees the increase in so many health problems in the United States in the last ten or fifteen years, and he believes that the introduction of genetically engineered foods into the American diet is largely responsible for those changes. So, these could be any of the "new" diseases, or the increases in diseases, from autism and allergies to obesity and diabetes, to digestive system cancers to virtually anything.
We have seen in laboratory animals for example, a compromised immune system which could also leave room for infectious diseases. We’ve seen damage to organs—their lack of proper functioning could result in all sorts of problems. We’ve seen reproductive problems like sterility, changes in the sperm cells, and also changes in the DNA of embryos of mice that were born of parents that were fed GM soy. There was even a five-fold increase in the death-rate of rats whose mothers were fed GM soy compared to those who were fed non-GM soy. Over 50% of the babies died compared to only 10% when mothers ate non-GM soy. And the size of the offspring is quite a bit less for the GM-soy eating group. There are similar results with genetically modified corn used in a government study done in Austria. The more GM corn was fed to mice, the fewer babies the mothers had, and the smaller the babies were.
Children’s digestive systems, their gut bacteria, their whole defense system is not particularly well-developed, and we find in the only human feeding study ever published, that genes can transfer into the DNA of bacteria living inside our intestines. Now, the fact that the digestive fires are less in children means that the DNA is broken down at a slower rate or not at all. So, there’s more opportunity for the DNA to transfer into the gut bacteria. Also, the gut bacteria in the infant, I’m told by doctors, is first populated by the bacteria inside the womb of the mother. So if there are already gut bacteria problems and imbalances due to GMOs in the mother, then that’s also a problem. If the Bt toxin, which is part of genetically modified corn, causes disturbance in the walls of the intestines, as it may in fact be doing, it might cause some kind of leaky gut which could cause toxicity in the blood. And since the blood-brain barrier in children is not well developed, it could also result in toxicity of the brain, which could contribute to a whole host of some of the psychological disorders and learning disabilities.
I’m mentioning just a small list compared to what could be happening due to GMOs. They’ve found, for example, that both soy and corn have higher levels of lignan, which was not supposed to happen. The metabolic pathway that produces lignan also produces Rotenone, a plant pesticide which is linked to Parkinson’s Disease. So, there’s a huge number of ailments and problems that could either be caused by unpredicted changes in the food or exacerbated by those changes. And the range of changes in the food is mind-boggling when you consider the huge number of changes in the DNA that is resulting from the process of genetic engineering.
Booth: And this is all done to increase corporate profits.
Smith: Exactly. Corporate profits have driven the entire development and deployment of this technology. I’m not against genetic engineering per se. I’m not against the use of genetic engineering in human gene therapy when there’s a specific individual willing to take a specific risk. I’m not against the use of genetic engineering in laboratories to produce certain products, although I do believe that there is a lack of respect for the unpredicted side-effects that can occur (as evidenced by a genetically modified food supplement that caused a deadly epidemic in the United States in the 1980s). But, to deploy this into the entire food supply, given that most of the fundamental assumptions used as the basis for safety claims have been proven false, is simply one of the most irresponsible actions that any corporation or government has done in human history.
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Don’t Put That in Your Mouth
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Booth: In some of the videos that you produce, the points were made that the genetic engineers are trying to "put a patent on Life"… trying to make Life actually an invention of man. And this doesn’t go well with a lot of people… like the idea of "farmerless farming", and the corporations "kidnapping the food supply"… these are some of the phrases that are used by people that are interviewed on the videos. One person made a really good point in saying, "Whoever controls the seeds controls the food; whoever controls the food controls the population." This is really scary for a lot of people, especially when there’s a chance that natural seeds could go extinct.
Smith: Yes, the potential for devastation is unprecedented. We saw already the huge biodiversity of seeds and varieties go through a massive collapse in the last hundred years, accelerated by the so-called "green revolution". Now we are seeing a grab also on the seed resources, primarily by Monsanto but by the four other bio-tech companies as well. Monsanto is now the largest seed company in the world and they are consciously eliminating the non-GM seed choices in the categories of seeds where the GM seeds are available. And they are hoping to introduce the technology called the Terminator Technology (not yet deployed but in the laboratory) where the crops that are grown would be sterile and not able to be replanted. The stated goal of the Terminator Technology is to force the farmers who are saving seeds to the start using the catalogs of the seed companies to buy seeds each year. When you think about the global implications of this, it’s devastating.
There are 1.4 billion farmers in the world that save seeds. This means there are millions upon millions of varieties of seeds that have been cultured to work for specific climates and geographical locations. If the bio-tech industry had their way (and their stated goal in fact was to genetically engineer 100% of all commercial seeds in the world), it would dramatically reduce the biodiversity, forcing farmers to pick from just this limited number of genetics available in the seed catalogs. And we know that when you have a limited diversity of genetics, you are at risk of catastrophic crop failure, due to famines or blight, etc. This was exhibited by the devastating consequences of the potato blight in Ireland, for example. So, if the bio-tech industry has its way, it’s further risking the food security of the entire human race in order to drive their profits.
Booth: I understand that India is changing their GMO participation because of such a bad experience with GMO crops and they’ve actually had farmers committing suicide because they’ve gotten into so much trouble with debt because of crop failures due to the GM seeds.
Smith: India has a schizophrenic outlook on GMOs. And it’s common in many countries where there’s a very strong pro-GM component of the government and a very strong anti-GM component. What often sways the balance is if there is media coverage that can push the population in one direction. I was recently in India for a couple of months and watched that battle, and helped it along.
The U.K. Daily Mail estimated that 125,000 farmers in India committed suicide after planting Bt cotton and were not able to pay back the debts associated with investing in the seed and chemicals. Thousands of farm workers in India have reported allergic reactions and rashes throughout their bodies as a result of picking the cotton. And thousands of livestock, which include sheep, buffalo, goats, and cows, have also died as a result of eating genetically modified cotton plants or cottonseeds. The deaths do not occur when eating natural seed, according to the farmers and investigators. So, there’s plenty of evidence, even supported by some studies and by government pronouncements. At the same time, there’s been a lot of independent evidence showing that the Bt cotton actually reduces average yield, and is not reliable. But, the bio-tech industry continues to put out disinformation claiming that Bt cotton has saved and dramatically improved the cotton output and cotton industry, even using statistics from states that don’t even plant Bt cotton! They claim great successes even where their product is not sown.
There are several in government there [in India] that believe that genetically modified cotton is very effective and want to push if forward. Also, the disinformation campaign has pushed farmers to take up the technology in large numbers, even in regions where independent evidence shows without a doubt that those planting the Bt cotton have lower incomes. So, it’s a big fight, and fortunately a famous Hollywood producer, Mahesh Bhatt, produced a 30-minute documentary called "Poison on the Platter", viewable at www.poisonontheplatter.com. It’s based largely on my second book, Genetic Roulette, and I helped him launch it (we released it in Delhi in February). It’s become the most talked-about film in India and it’s had a huge impact in galvanizing opposition among the population against GM crops. I think that the pro-GM Minister of Agriculture responded by announcing recently that they would introduce genetically modified eggplant, tomato and cauliflower within three years. This has escalated the fight between the two forces and we’re watching India very carefully.
On my website I commented on a recent report that there is a group that wants to introduce genetically modified mosquitoes in India!
Booth: Oh, no!
Smith: Imagine being hired to do a recall for defective GM mosquitoes! The madness can be multiplied exponentially. Mosquitoes give a very graphic example of genetic pollution with wings!
Booth: Oh, my! That’s really bad!
This truly is a global problem because I understand that even in Iraq the farmers that have been farming there for thousands of years are now having their natural seeds patented by Monsanto, so they can’t grow them anymore. They’re also being asked to grow crops they don’t eat in their own country. There’s also the problem of crops in Mexico where their native corn species is being taken over by the GMO pollen. It just seems like a worldwide problem. Is there any good news about all of this? Everything seems so bad.
Smith: Well, let me first comment that I can’t verify what I’ve heard about Iraq in terms of what’s being sold and planted. I have read Iraq’s Order 81 which can be used by the bio-tech industry to push their products into the hands of farmers, but I don’t know if it has yet been used that way. I can verify that the indigenous corn varieties in Mexico have been contaminated and that’s been known for a number of years.
There is a push-back, and the push-back is by individuals around the world, and also by many governments. We saw in the United States in the last few years, starting in the health food store aisles and spreading to the decisions made by parents of young kids and then the general population, that Monsanto’s bovine growth hormone was dangerous and that the drugged milk was something to be avoided. The push-back was so significant that Monsanto sold off its rbGH division to Eli Lilly. Wal-mart rejected it; Starbucks rejected it; Dannon and Yoplait are planning to remove the rbGH from their products this year. Fifty-five of the top 100 dairies so far have taken it out of some or all of their products. And this shows the power of the tipping point in consumer rejection. So, that’s excellent news.
We also see governments in Europe now trying to force changes in European policy so that they can keep their native agriculture free from GMOs. And we find that the more people learn about GMOs the less they trust them and they don’t tend to go back. Once people learn about the health dangers and the corrupt ways in which they were approved, they become immune to the spin of the bio-tech industry.
Also good news is the introduction of the Non-GMO Project, and the mass adoption of that by more and more in the natural food industry. We have seen more organizations around the country taking proactive stands in educating people. In fact, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine on May 19th of this year made public a policy urging doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets, asking the government for a moratorium, for labeling, and specifically stating that the animal feeding studies with GMOs have linked GMOs causally to diseases such as immune system problems, insulin dysregulation, accelerated aging, gastro-intestinal problems, major organ defects, and reproductive problems. We’re seeing more official condemnation of this obviously dangerous technology, and I think that’s going to spread through many more medical organizations this year.
Booth: I read your books and watched the DVDs and realized this is really very important for people to know about. We’re now carrying these and your Non-GMO Shopping Guide, and we have the audio CD that’s cheap enough people can buy it to give away. We’re offering these because this is so very important. Are there other resources besides these, where people can go to get more information? You mentioned www.poisonontheplatter.com. Your own website is www.seedsofdeception.com.
Smith: Our main website is actually www.responsibletechnology.org We have a non-profit organization, the Institute for Responsible Technology. And on that website we have quite a few resources, many of which are free and available to anyone, even to replicate, print, put on their own websites, etc. We have a syndicated monthly column called Spilling the Beans. We have an on-line video called Hidden Dangers in Kids Meals, and an on-line video called Your Milk on Drugs: Just Say No. We have a 3-minute description of what we can do in terms of the tipping point. We have a scripted PowerPoint presentation that people can download and use to speak about GMOs. We have a couple of Pod-casts. We will soon have available a video of me giving a PowerPoint presentation. We have about 40-45 archived articles. And our Spilling the Beans articles are available for people to make copies of and distribute, or put on their own website. We are going to be implementing a stand-alone Non-GMO Shopping Guide portion of our website which will be interactive and people can then search by category for the non-GMO brands that they want within brand categories they shop for.
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The World According to Monsanto
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We’re going to be developing a section for medical practitioners. We already have a section for retailers in the natural food industry called the Retailer Campaign Kit and that includes educational materials for the staff as well as a staff quiz. It includes recommendations of how they can sponsor free public showings of the World According to Monsanto, and suggests that they use our four-part series of articles in their newsletters or websites. Retailers are welcome to take a lot of the resources from our website and put it on their website or into their newsletters. We would like them to become an active partner in our campaign because every natural food store is a trusted source of information about healthy eating, and we want those that are patrons of the stores to understand that “Healthy eating starts with no GMOs,” and to “Ask for non-GMO products.”
This is the revolution that’s going to start in our kitchens and in our natural food stores. This is something that the entire natural food industry has been bitterly complaining about for years, but now we’re seeing that the industry itself has the capacity to end GMOs by mobilizing its enormous number of shoppers. On that basis we could end this nightmare.
Booth: I think you’re doing an excellent job! I think this is an important subject for people to know about and you’ve made a lot of good information available that isn’t available on the labels, so I commend you for that. You’re doing a very good job with that.
Smith: Thank you so much.
Booth: I really appreciate you taking the time to be interviewed today and help us get the word out to our customers and they can spread the word from there.
Smith: Great, I appreciate that.
Booth: This is exciting!
Lingo Guide
GMO = Genetically Modified Organism
GM = Genetically Modified
GE = Genetically Engineered
Bio-Tech = “Bio Technology” and the science of creating GMOs
Monsanto = the leading corporation in the bio-tech industry and the largest commercial seed supplier in the world.
rbGH and rbST = recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone. A genetically engineered drug that increases milk production in cows (created by Monsanto by inserting cow genes into bacteria).
Bt = Bacillus thuringiensis, a toxin traditionally used as an external (sprayed-on) pesticide for crops, now genetically engineered into Bt-Corn and Bt-Cotton so the plant itself contains its own pesticide.
Round-up Ready = A genetically engineered seed from Monsanto (soy, corn, cotton, canola, sugar beets) which does not die when Monsanto’s Round-up herbicide is applied to it.
Health Risks of GMOs
(as described in
Genetic Roulette, by Jeffrey M. Smith)
1. Sterility
2. Immune Dysfunction
3. Infant Mortality
4. Allergies
5. Organ Defects
6. Childhood Diseases
7. Inflammation
8. Chronic Illnesses
9. Liver Damage
10. Death
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Unintended GMO Health Risks
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Major Crops that are most commonly GMO:
• Corn
• Soy
• Cotton (Cottonseed)
• Canola
Other Crops commonly GMO:
• U.S. zucchini & yellow squash
• Hawaiian papaya
• Tobacco (some)
Foods which commonly contain GMO ingredients:
• Milk from rbGH treated cows
• Meat raised on GMO feed
• Aspartame (Nutra-Sweet)
• Cheeses
• Pharmaceuticals
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Non-GMO Shopping Guide
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Remember, organic foods are not allowed to be genetically engineered or contain GMO ingredients. Find out more about how to avoid GMO foods in the Non-GMO Shopping Guide.
Author: susan | Posted on 1. October 2009 at 09:57 am | Filed in articles |
An Interview with Sally Fallon
Editorial Article by Susan Booth with Sally Fallon Morell
(Aug/Sept 2009)
I’m very pleased to have had the opportunity to interview Sally Fallon Morell, author of Nourishing Traditions and president of the Weston A. Price Foundation. Her diligent work to educate people on the importance of traditional, nutrient-dense diets, and her willingness to go against conventional wisdom in search of the truth is truly inspiring. ~ Susan
Susan Booth: Many of our customers are trying to go by the principles in your book. I’ve heard from them, they’ve told me! And it seems like the Weston Price movement, if you could call it that, has become very popular. So, in a nutshell, who was Weston Price and what is the Weston A. Price Foundation primarily about?
Sally Fallon: Weston Price was a dentist. He wrote a book called Nutrition and Physical Degeneration back in the 1940s that discusses his findings of studies on indigenous peoples, studies that took him ten years to complete. He wanted to answer the question, "What is a healthy diet?" First, he had to find healthy people, and the way he knew that people were healthy was by looking at their teeth. If he could find populations that had no cavities, or virtually no cavities, and had naturally straight teeth and good facial structure, he could assume that the diet they were eating was the right type of diet for building the body and then keeping it healthy throughout life.
He discovered fourteen different populations that had excellent dental health, and by inference excellent overall health. He then looked at their diets. Their diets were all very different. Some had dairy foods and some didn’t. Some had lots of plant foods and some had almost no plant foods. So then, the question became "What are the principles of a healthy diet?" - because the particular foods available to people are different all over the world. He analyzed these foods for nutrient content and found that all the diets were very high in minerals, they were very high in the water soluble vitamins. But, they were extremely high in the fat-soluble vitamins - vitamins A, D, and what we now know as vitamin K2, the animal form of vitamin K. And the only place you can get those types of vitamins is in the food that we’re told not to eat — butter and fats from grass-fed animals, organ meats, fish organs, fish roe, shellfish and egg yolks from grass-fed hens. So all the high-fat, high-cholesterol foods that most people try to avoid are the foods that are absolutely critical to good health. So we set up the Weston A. Price Foundation to show the scientific validation for traditional food ways. We wanted to make these principles lay-friendly and to help people find these types of foods.
Booth: Yes, finding these foods can be a challenge. Certainly that has been the case with fermented cod liver oil until recently.
Fallon: Yes. Cod liver oil, especially the fermented cod liver oil that is now available, supplies A, D, and K, and we recommend it pretty much for everybody because it’s hard for us to get those vitamins in the American diet. A lot of the foods that contain these vitamins we don’t like, or they’re not available, or they’re expensive.
Booth: I understand that along with cod liver oil, butter oil is helpful especially in combination with cod liver oil.
Fallon: Right. You might call the combination of high-vitamin cod liver oil and high-vitamin butter oil Dr. Price’s magic remedy. It was the combination of these that he used with great success not only to reverse tooth decay, but to treat growth problems and bone problems; he even treated seizures successfully. The combination seemed to work for all sorts of health problems.
When we started the Foundation ten years ago, you couldn’t get either of these products. You could just get regular cod liver oil, not the high-vitamin cod liver oil. And now, of course, we have the high-vitamin butter oil in production again and the wonderful fermented high-vitamin cod liver oil. And, like Dr. Price, we are finding that this combination is quite a magic combination for providing the right types of vitamins and the right types of fatty acids to support the use of all the other minerals and vitamins in the diet. Actually, you can’t use minerals without vitamins A, D, and K no matter how plentiful they may be in the diet.
Booth: Since Weston Price was a dentist, and there are many people now who believe that fluoridated water is all that’s needed for healthy teeth, what’s your opinion of fluoridation?
Fallon: Fluoride is a poison. It’s very toxic. It’s an environmental poison and the solution that the industry came up with for getting rid of this environmental poison was to sell it to water districts to put in our water! It’s basically the by-product of three industries - the fertilizer, nuclear and aluminum industries. When Herbert Hoover became president (and the aluminum industry was very helpful in getting him to be president), he gave them free reign in the U.S. Health Department. So now, instead of having this toxic waste problem, they can sell it on the premise that it will stop tooth decay. There’s more cancer in areas that are fluoridated, there’s more hip fractures. Actually, Europe has banned it from drinking water. They know. But, here in the U.S. we haven’t done that. And the irony is that these healthy cultures that Dr. Price looked at, they were not fluoridating their water, and they didn’t have tooth decay.
Booth: Is a tendency toward tooth decay something that you’re pretty much born with or after you grow up can you do things to improve your dental health?
Fallon: You can actually do things after you’ve grown up, even if you’ve had a bad start. If you have a lot of vitamin K in your saliva, you do not get tooth decay. And vitamin K is supported by vitamins A and D, so that’s where the butter oil and the cod liver oil come in. The butter oil supplies the vitamin K and the cod liver oil supplies the vitamins A and D.
Booth: I like in your literature where you talk about "Prepared Parenting". Is there something special about your protocol?
Fallon: Dr. Price found that all these traditional cultures put a big emphasis on the diets of not only pregnant women, but pre-pregnant women and men before conception, in order to build up their nutritional stores to ensure that they would have healthy babies. They knew that the health of infants was not something that could be left to chance. Yet we are just so backward and stupid about this when we tell mothers that if there’s something wrong with their baby, it’s just heredity. It’s because of poor nutrition that we have all these problems with our babies –poor nutrition impacts heredity. And the solution is very easy. It’s just to make sure that you get the right kind of foods when you’re getting ready to get pregnant and when you’re pregnant. And these foods are the same foods that are so rich in vitamins A, D, and K. For example, liver is a food that was sacred in all these cultures and women ate liver to get ready for pregnancy and during their pregnancy. We have gotten to such a topsy-turvy situation in this country that pregnant women are told not to eat liver.
Booth: Really? Wow. Well, I’ve heard some advertisements that make it sound like you’ll have a wonderful pregnancy as long as you eat bread that has been fortified with folic acid. So, if you took bread as an example, just plain bread that you get at the store now, how is that different from the bread that these really healthy people were eating?
Fallon: The cultures that did make bread (and I think there was only one that Dr. Price studied and that was the Swiss), made a sourdough whole grain bread, and the sourdough process creates an abundance of folate and all sorts of B-vitamins; it also liberates the minerals. You don’t need to put additives in your food when you’re preparing your foods right. All of the ways of preparing grains and nuts and other foods in these cultures actually increase the nutrients. Whereas the way we prepare our breads and vegetables and everything else often decreases the nutrients.
Booth: Many people will say that that’s taken care of when they simply fortify the foods.
Fallon: That’s what the industry wants people to think — that you can go put your foods through horrendous processing, strip them of all their nutrients, and just add a handful of synthetic vitamins back into the foods and it’ll be fine. And look what we have. We have a health crisis. Until we realize what a fraud that argument is, we’re still going to have a health crisis. Man cannot do what Mother Nature can do and we’ve got to have a little humility here, and a little reverence, instead of this overweening pride that assumes man can do it better.
Booth: Now Weston Price was doing his work, about a hundred years ago?
Fallon: Price was doing his work in the 1930s and 1940s, so about 80 years ago.
Booth: Now that was before soy became such a popular ingredient. So, in the diet that he was calling "modern", soy wasn’t necessarily part of that, and yet the Foundation really comes down hard on it, especially in regards to soy infant formula.
Fallon: Oh, yes.
Booth: Why is that?
Fallon: Well, soy is a toxic plant and if you don’t believe me, go to the FDA’s website and look in their poisonous plant database. Input the word "soy" and you’ll get 288 references showing the toxins in soy. The Asians have always recognized this toxicity, and so what the Asians do is ferment the soy for a long time, and the fermentation gets rid of most of the toxins, but not the key ones, the isoflavones - the estrogens. And then, they just eat it in very small amounts in the context of a diet that’s very supportive of the thyroid gland, because these isoflavones are goitrogenic.
That’s not what we’re doing here in the U.S. We’re eating soy in large amounts, highly processed, and in the context of a diet that does not support thyroid health. So, once again, even though Dr. Price didn’t talk about soy, we can apply his principles and look at the way it’s prepared and consumed in traditional cultures. And we have the science to validate those traditions and show that that is the way to consume soy.
Just to give you an interesting example, the Japanese traditionally never ate butter. And butter of course is a wonderful source of vitamin K. But, they did eat a type of fermented soy called "natto" which is extremely high in vitamin K. So, when they fermented it, they actually created nutrients that were actually critical to their diet. But, once again, they weren’t eating it in large amounts either, so they didn’t get enough of the bad things to cause health problems.
Booth: Right. The readers that have been reading my articles for a long time know that I’m allergic to soy — it gives me a terrible headache. Even though I was breast-fed, I grew up on soy milk and had soy meat analogs and just loved it… but I don’t think it did me any good. I think it was actually detrimental to my health and I don’t eat soy anymore, of course. Is there a kind of recovery plan for people who have been adversely affected by soy and want to get well?
Fallon: I would think our diet would help. Of course I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but I say that for every health concern. A good diet contributes about 80 percent of the recovery and the other 20 percent is tweaking to your particular individual situation. But, the interesting thing is that there was a study done in Puerto Rico where they were looking at a sort of epidemic of premature puberty and they were trying to find the dietary factors associated with it. The researchers thought it would be milk. But, lo and behold, it was soy — soy formula — and the little girls who drank a lot of milk were spared from the adverse effects, even if they had had soy formula, and this was just ordinary commercial milk. Now, we of course do not recommend commercial pasteurized milk, but we do recommend raw milk. And I would say a lot of raw milk, a lot of broth (to heal the bones, heal the digestive tract), the cod liver oil, and our other dietary principles, would help an individual recover from soy.
Booth: One reason why people have gone to soy (aside from religious reasons) is because they are lactose intolerant. And it’s my understanding that raw milk doesn’t necessarily adversely affect people like that.
Fallon: Actually, we did a survey in Michigan and of the people that we had found who had been diagnosed (told by a doctor that they were lactose intolerant) we found that 82 percent of them had absolutely no problem with raw milk. So, most lactose intolerant people can do fine on raw milk. If you can’t get raw milk or if you’re one of these 18 percent that just don’t do well on any kind of milk, my answer to that is to not drink milk. Certainly don’t drink these fake beverages. You know, you don’t have to drink milk. There are many cultures that don’t drink milk. But, soy is not the answer in situations where people can’t drink milk.
Booth: In many states raw milk is hard to find because of legal restrictions on how or whether it can be sold. Is there something we can do to make it so that raw milk is easily available to everyone?
Fallon: Well, I would say support the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, which kind of grew out of the Weston A. Price Foundation. Our goal is unregulated direct sales of raw milk all through the country. Meanwhile the FTC Legal Defense Fund provides a 24-hour legal hot line for small farmers, especially those in the business of providing raw milk.
Booth: What about the movement to buy local - local meat, eggs, dairy, fresh produce?
Fallon: Buying local is not part of our mission statement, but I think it’s a good idea. I just don’t like to see people make a fetish or become obsessive about everything — anything. I mean, cod liver oil isn’t local, rice isn’t local, bananas aren’t local… a lot of things we take for granted, which we really enjoy, are not going to be local. Ditto for coconut, and coconut oil. So, I would say, try to spend a third to half of your food budget locally - from local farmers. And with the rest of your food budget, celebrate the fact that the world is becoming smaller.
Booth: When you buy locally grown foods, it seems that it’s easier to find more pasture-fed meat and poultry.
Fallon: Exactly. But, even if you’re not buying local, it’s still good to buy from small companies. Really, the whole country is our backyard in a sense today because of modern transportation.
Booth: You were saying that the best diet has a lot of fat and cholesterol in it because of these fat-soluble vitamins. And that kind of goes against the grain these days when there is so much heart disease, diabetes, and obesity… what you’re saying is exactly the opposite of what we’ve been hearing in the mainstream media.
Fallon: Right. All of these diseases have occurred as we’ve cut back on cholesterol, as we’ve cut back on saturated fats. So, they’re obviously not being caused by cholesterol and saturated fat. It just doesn’t make sense in any way, shape or form. And there’s a huge volume of literature that contradicts the theory that cholesterol and saturated fat cause heart disease. What the Lipid Hypothesis did was create a health crisis of enormous proportions because it has made people turn away from the very foods they need to be healthy.
Booth: So, do you think that if you take your cod liver oil, eat liver, and use butter and cream, it is possible then to get all of your nutrition from food and have it be complete? Or do you think supplementation is still necessary?
Fallon: I think it’s a goal to get all your nutrition from food, and of course, cod liver oil is a food. But, a lot of us have started off in not-ideal health. I personally need to take some natural vitamin C, especially during the allergy season. I’ve always had to. And that’s kind of where I ended up. I’m sure that if I had started out with a better diet, I wouldn’t need all that vitamin C. So, I take vitamin C, and I also take B12 just because there are a lot of symptoms of B12 deficiency in my family. So while the goal is to get your nutrition from foods, for a lot of people, some supplementation is necessary.
Booth: If there was something that you could tell Azure’s customers — the one thing you want them to take away from this article — what would you tell them?
Fallon: I would eat the way your ancestors ate and prepare the foods the way they prepared them. Now, by ancestors, I mean you have to go back to before they were industrialized. In America, that’s several generations.
Booth: Some of that information has been lost to us, so that’s what the Weston A. Price Foundation is doing. It’s bringing that back to us so we know how they ate. Are there resources that people can go to to find out more information?
Fallon: First, our website www.westonaprice.org is huge and full of information. Just say you’re looking for articles on diabetes… just put that in the search engine, and you’ll come up with a lot — both major articles and comments on recent studies. If you become a member of the Weston A. Price Foundation you’ll receive a quarterly journal that keeps you up-to-date on the various nutrition issues. We always have comments on the studies that are currently in the news to show what the studies really said, not what the media spin on them was. We also have a lot of literature that includes small flyers and pamphlets that are good to give to people; we have our dietary guidelines booklet which has a lot of concise nutrition information in a small package. We have a shopping guide published yearly that names brand names.
By the way, we also have some reprints. We did a "Healthy Baby" issue and a "Heart Disease" issue. Those are available from the Weston A. Price Foundation too.
Booth: So, these are available to purchase on your website?
Fallon: Yes, actually we’re launching a new website that will have online ordering and everything. It will have all the same material but with a new look, new functionality. It’s going to be very interactive. We have a "Butter Buddies" interactive members-only page (similar to Facebook), we have a couple of blogs, and all of the articles we’ve ever published are up there too.
Booth: Perfect! This is exciting! I’m happy to be able to share all this information and good news with our customers. Sally, thank you so much for taking the time to be interviewed today.
![[Image]](http://www.azurestandard.com/img/products/nourishing-open-book.jpg)
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BK117
Nourishing Traditions
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Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon, contains diet and nutrition information, interesting stories, anecdotes and quotes, plus recipes. Make homemade ginger-ale, beet kvass, even home-made infant formula. Try sourdough breads, cultured dairy, meat and wild game dishes, and learn how to properly prepare beans, nuts, and grains for best nutrient absorption. You’ll even find recipes for fermented fruits (like orange marmalade) and vegetables (like sauerkraut), sweets for kids of all ages… gourmet desserts. This book has truly become a classic! Packed with info. 676 pages (BK117)
Author: susan | Posted on 29. July 2009 at 10:59 am | Filed in articles |
Fermented Cod Liver Oil and Butter Oil
Special Interview: David Wetzel of Green Pasture Products talks with Susan Booth
and answers questions about Fermeneted Cod Liver Oil and Butter Oil
(Aug/Sept 2009)
Susan Booth: First, I want to say we are excited about picking up your fermented cod liver oil. This looks like it’s a cutting edge product that’s brand new, but at the same time, I understand that fermented cod liver oil, the way you produce it, is actually the way cod liver oil was produced over a hundred years ago. So, what is the history? How did cod liver oil used to be made and how did it change over the years?
David Wetzel: Well, prior to 1850 they still fermented the livers. In the 1850’s they discovered that they could use heat to render those livers and could produce substantially more oil. They could get ALL the oil out by rendering the cod livers.
But, back in the 1800’s they didn’t have the scientific understanding that we have today of what heat does to the oils. Typical problems would be short shelf life, rancidity, and oxidation. So, they tried various things to improve the process such as adding different flavors. Around the 1950’s molecular distillation was introduced to the industry which used even higher heat than the rendering process and this was done under nitrogen to help clean up the oil and give it a longer shelf life and make it more palatable. The livers render at 200-225 degrees F and molecular distillation approaches 400 degrees F.
In the 1990s they started using deodorization machines. The ensuing product becomes tasteless, odorless, and colorless. Those are all part of the nutrients so when you remove those you remove nutrients at well.
Today, that’s basically what you get — a very clear liquid. It’s tasteless, odorless, and easy to flavor because there’s really not a whole lot left.
In our process we don’t use high heat. We use the traditional lacto-fermentation process that has been used throughout history in this industry. This process takes time, not heat.
Booth: How long does it take you to produce a batch of fermented cod liver oil?
Wetzel: Oh, if I had to guess, I’d say somewhere around 6 months. It varies.
Booth: I take it that in the process you’re using, the oil must retain many nutrients. Your oil is darker colored and a lot stronger flavored than the regular cod liver oil that we’re used to. And your serving size, or "dose" if you will, is a lot smaller than that of regular cod liver oil. Why is that?
Wetzel: That’s because it’s very nutrient dense. To get roughly 100% RDA of Vitamin D you only need a milliliter or two, for example. So, you don’t need a whole lot.
Booth: I understand from the Weston Price literature that fermented cod liver oil is good, but that it works a lot better with butter oil. You offer fermented cod liver oil by itself (Blue Ice), and butter oil by itself (X-Factor Gold), and a combination of the two (Blue Ice Royal). Was Weston Price the inspiration for you to put together a product that has both of these nutrient-dense oils in it?
Wetzel: Yes. I was very much inspired by Weston Price’s work, and if any members of your community want to learn more about his work they can go to the Weston A. Price Foundation www.westonaprice.org, or if they want to pick up his book it’s called Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. You can buy it on-line at www.ppnf.org. That’s the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation. They offer some wonderful resources there.
Booth: Are there external uses for cod liver oil?
Wetzel: Historically, yes. I’ve found many references from the 1700s and 1800s that talked about how cod liver oil, used externally was just as effective applied to children’s skin for treating certain illnesses where their illness prevented them from taking the cod liver oil orally.
Booth: Do you test your cod liver oil for heavy metals and PCBs and all those nasty things?
Wetzel: Yes. We test every batch, and our batches are substantially smaller than industrialized cod liver oil. There are no detectible heavy metals, and the PCBs are below World Health Organization (WHO) standards. The US will actually allow something like 5-10 ppm for PCBs, but the WHO wants to see 0.090 ppm or below. And in all cod liver oils I’ve ever tested, including the ones we produce, all beat WHO standards, well below 0.090 ppm of PCBs.
Booth: So, where do your fish come from?
Wetzel: They come from the ocean. They’re wild caught; they’re not farmed. And that’s another thing, farmed fish can be higher in contaminates. From what I’ve seen I think the ocean fish have gotten a bum rap. And here’s another thing, also during processing, if you take a look at your heavy metals, heat breaks bonds. When you heat these metals, let’s say mercury, it becomes a free radical and it has to latch on to something and it forms hydrocarbons, salts. And those salts are what are dangerous. So it’s really the man-made or the heating that creates so many issues.
Booth: The flavor of your cod liver oil… it’s very flavorful. It has a somewhat tingly-in -the-throat, hot flavor. Because it tastes much different than the regular cod liver oils that we’re used to, would we be able to tell if it had gone rancid? Or does fermented cod liver oil go rancid?
Wetzel: I haven’t had any issues with the fermened cod liver oil going rancid. Of course if something is bad, you would know it. I’ve never seen a rancid oil returned to me.
Booth: Tell me about the flavors you use.
Wetzel: The flavors we use, they’re all oils. So they are not flavorings as such. And we’ve gone to the effort to use organic ingredients for everything we could use organic for. I think there are one or two things we could not get organic. In the Mediterranean flavor we use real garlic oil and real oregano oil. We use cinnamon oil for the Cinnamon Tingle which is very expensive. The Chocolate Creme has organic cocoa powder in it.
And the antioxidant we use… I think it’s so cool! So many manufacturers use soy and other very cheap antioxidants - some very highly processed and industrialized derivatives. But, we use a cold pressed cranberry seed oil. Cranberry seed oil has six times the vitamin E content of palm oil. Cranberry seed oil is a very broad based antioxidant because it contains all eight of the known vitamin E’s.
Booth: So all of the flavored cod liver oils contain the cranberry seed oil, but you also offer some without an antioxidant.
Wetzel: Yes, the raw food community approached me asking for a pure cod liver oil without any additional antioxidants. I respect this community and appreciate their good work, so, I agreed to make this product available for them. After much testing and customer feed-back we made that a permanent item in our product line. It actually sells beautifully; no issues at all. For people who are sensitive to so many different things, we produce a cod liver oil that has absolutely no antioxidant; nothing in it, just plain cod liver oil. And then, also, with the butter oil/cod liver oil blend, it’s just straight - without any antioxidant.
Booth: What is butter oil and why is your butter oil so special?
Wetzel: Butter oil was discovered by Weston Price back in the ’30s. The pinnacle of his discovery was the combining of the two — it did remarkable things for his patients. The one without the other (to paraphrase his quote) didn’t do his patients justice, but the two together worked like magic.
The nutritional value of the butter oil will be substantially different in cows grazed on green grass. It has to do with the speed of the grass growth, the consistency, the species of grass, the timing of the grazing; so it has to do with what stage the grass is in that the cows are consuming. It has to do with the climate, humidity, temperatures, and also how it’s processed and how we extract the oil. The constituents, the nutrients, will be significantly different than regular butter, and that includes the fatty acid makeup and what Weston Price called Activator X.
Booth: I don’t necessarily want to sway folks one way or the other on what flavor to try, but let’s talk about the different flavors you offer.
Wetzel: Well, first let me say cod liver oil is cod liver oil — so many people find it difficult for taste purposes. Some people use it on salads. But others will struggle to find a way to take it straight. In all my years I’ve never seen one of our products come back that was actually "bad." Some people think it doesn’t taste good, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad… it’s just FISH.
Booth: But, you’ve developed many very different flavors to help make it more paletable, and you’ve done a good job. Are there particular flavors you like?
Wetzel: I kinda like them all. There isn’t one I don’t like. As I said, people use flavors like the Mediteranean and the Salty Cod on salads. Actually, if someone wants an "unflavored" cod liver oil but doesn’t apprecitate the straight fish taste, I find the Salty Cod to be an excellent choice. We’ve simply added sea salt… it’s so complimentary you hardly notice the fish taste. It’s very paletable. The salt goes with the cod.
Booth: And the chocolate one to me tasted a bit like unsweetened chocolate syrup.
Wetzel: Yeah, you could just pour it on your ice cream! <chuckle!> That goes right along with my feeling that cod liver oil should be considered a food.
The chocolate, fruit, and mint flavors tend to go over well with children. A lot of adults like those flavors too, but for adults by far (when we did taste-testing for the Blue Ice Royal butter oil/cod liver oil combo) cinnamon out-sold everything 2:1. I don’t know if that would be the same for the [Blue Ice] cod liver oil by itself or not.
Booth: Yes, cinnamon was good, and again, perhaps because the fermented cod liver oil naturally has a somewhat hot taste and a bit of a burn on the back of your throat, flavors like chocolate, cinnamon, and the Mediterranean with its garlic either compliment or nicely cover-up the flavor of the cod liver oil. In any case, when you try these fermented cod liver oils, you’d better not be expecting it to taste like "regular" cod liver oil, because it’s very different.
Wetzel: Our cod liver oils are not an industrialized product and the flavor may vary from batch to batch. So, the next bottle you buy may taste slightly different than the first… or it may not. As with any truly natural product, variations do occur.
Booth: I really appreciate your taking the time to educate us on your very unique products. I can tell you’ve put a lot of research, effort, and time into this so we could benefit from it.
David Wetzel describes the flavors:
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NS857
Fermented Cod Liver Oil Mediterranean
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Most of the flavors are straight organic plant oils. Even our anti-oxidant, when used, is a cold pressed cranberry seed oil.
Flavor/Antioxidant Free — Fresh fish is best way to describe. It is fermented so there is a zing or tingle to it. Show your creative spirit and sprinkle on your favorite foods /ethnic foods such as Mediterranean sauces and dressings. Or, how about your next Roman toga party; surprise all with a real Roman Dish. Or as most commonly used, a wake up zinger right off the spoon. No sleeping through this experience.
Salty Cod — very nice combination. We use a sea salt from Utah. Salt naturally and historically goes with Cod. Sprinkle on your favorite foods that call for a unique Mediterranean, Nordic or other fish sensation. Great addition to many dressings and sauces or take straight off the spoon.
Mediterranean — with sea salt, oregano, garlic, and pepper oil. Some will crave this wonderful nutrient dense food. At the Weston A. Price Foundation 2008 conference, about 15-20% of the people surveyed said it was their favorite.
Cinnamon Tingle — This is the standard Blue Ice cod liver oil favorite. I like this one straight up. It is emulsified to assist those who would prefer to be shielded from the acidic or tingle feel in the throat.
Oslo Orange — Another Blue Ice standard. It is emulsified, too (see above).
Chocolate Cream — Kids of ALL ages will like this one, including me. It is a gel, so it will easily stick to a spoon and won’t easily spill. Take straight up to curb your chocolate craving since we use real organic cocoa powder for the flavor. Can anyone think of a better way to make home made ice cream nutrient dense?
Arctic Mint — This is another gel product. Very mild and a Blue Ice favorite for years.
Fruit Attack — This one we developed specifically for children. The trick was to make a sweet product without sugar and other inappropriate sweeteners. We found a source for organic stevia leaf and immediately put it to good use. This is another gel product, so it will dispense/handle with ease.
Author: susan | Posted on at 10:58 am | Filed in articles |
The Power of Appetizers
Editorial by Susan Booth
(June/July 2009)
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The cool crunch of a mouthful of fresh sauerkraut… a sip of dill pickle juice… the smell of stuffed green olives straight from the jar… the smell of onions being gently sautéed in a skillet. Mmmm… you can feel your salivary glands squirting, your mouth waters, your stomach growls in anticipation of more good food to come.
![[Image]](http://www.azurestandard.com/img/products/dill-pickle7097.jpg)
But, anymore these days, it seems appetizers aren’t used much in home cooking, and are usually only found at parties where the hostess wants to offer food to eat, but doesn’t want to provide an entire meal. These appetizers could be considered more like “snacks” than true appetizers.
True appetizers do just that; they boost your appetite, and cause your body to start producing all the necessary digestive juices, enzymes, and acids, to properly digest your food.
Sending Messages
It’s common practice in this society to “send a message”. Although it’s just human nature to communicate with others through often subconscious and perhaps even unnoticed signals such as body language (you can often tell when a person is uncomfortable in a situation based on their body movements), it’s not always unplanned. Many times you’ll hear how “So-n-so needs to be sent a message that dah-dah-dah…” which is then followed by overt actions to “get their point across”.
An appetizer could be seen as either of these… the final result being, the body is being told to prepare for what’s coming. Although I don’t know how it all works, I do know that drinking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (diluted in water) before a meal containing meat or protein can prevent indigestion. Sounds odd in this era when anti-acid medicines are all-the-rage.
![[Image]](http://www.azurestandard.com/img/products/spanish-olives7109.jpg)
Anti-Acids: Shooting the Messenger
Here I need to make a clarification because, in my opinion, the information “out there” has not made the definition clear to most people. There is a difference between antacids (such as Tums and Rolaids which simply neutralize the stomach acid by introducing an alkaline substance such as calcium), and acid blockers (anti-acids) that inhibit your body from producing acid. This latter group of anti-acids includes both H2 blockers (such as Zantac, Pepcid, Tagamet), and proton-pump inhibitors (such as Prilosec).1,4
Sometimes taking something to neutralize the acid (even a calcium supplement) is warranted, but I strongly suggest you avoid antacids which contain aluminum, and urge you to find a solution to your digestive problem so that antacid use can be kept to an absolute minimum. (If you have heartburn, I suggest the book No More Heartburn, by Sherry A. Rogers.)
But, when it comes to anti-acid acid blockers that actually turn off the acid producing aspect of your stomach, this is a recipe for digestive disaster. Essentially, your body is telling you it has a problem, and with these drugs, you can effectively “shoot the messenger.” You don’t want to feel the pain of the message, so you turn it off. But, stomach acid is there for a reason. We were designed to produce stomach acid in the proper proportions to digest our food. Often the pain only comes when that acid goes where it shouldn’t (such as up your esophagus), but does this mean we should stop the body from producing the acid at all?
The deleterious effects of anti-acids which actually block the production of acid are quite dangerous for your health and can have serious consequences.2
Hypochlorhydria
Some people’s digestive distress is actually caused by a lack of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. This can have many causes (and taking acid-blockers will certainly do it to you!), but the results can be devastating.
For example, without enough stomach acid, you won’t be able to properly absorb minerals. If you take zinc supplements and notice that they make you nauseated at times, it could be that you don’t have enough acid to properly break it down. The liquid minerals Azure recently began carrying from Arabesque, called Fulvic Minerals, have been extracted with hydrochloric acid so that the minerals are body-ready. This is enormously helpful for those who don’t produce enough acid to break down the minerals themselves.
The aging process can also reduce your output of stomach acid. As many as 40% of people over age 60 may have insufficient levels of hydrochloric acid.3 And it’s not just acid. Along with the acid, your stomach also produces pepsin. (Most good hydrochloric acid supplements will contain Betaine Hydrochloride and pepsin.) The stomach also produces something called “intrinsic factor” that helps you absorb and utilize Vitamin B12. For some elderly folks, their lapses in memory and general depression can be reversed when B12 is given by injection (by-passing the digestive system altogether, if the essential elements to break it down and utilize it are lacking.) Folic Acid, which must be in proper balance with B12, can also be adversely affected by low stomach acid.5
For the folks who have found they are benefited by a gluten-free diet, several theories have emerged on how proper digestion could resolve the problem. I’ve heard two different speculations on this. One says that if stomach acid is adequate to fully digest all the protein, the large gluten particles will be safely broken down and cease to cause a problem. The other speculation says that undigested starches around the glutens allow the glutens to reach the intestines without being properly broken down. Either way, it becomes understandable why digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid & pepsin supplements are being studied as possible aids to those who are gluten intolerant.
Many other digestive problems can occur due to lack of acid. So, if you are on a drug that specifically stops your body from making acid in the first place, please research natural alternatives. (See References for some excellent reading.)
Back to Appetizers
So, we need acid. And we need to send our bodies the message that food is coming so it will squirt the right juices. Perhaps it’s time to start utilizing appetizers not as snacks, but as true appetite stimulators.
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Nourishing Traditions
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In the book, Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon includes an entire section dedicated to “Great Beginnings” with ideas for appetizers and other delicacies to boost digestion before the main course. Many other (more healthy) cultures have relied on appetizers long forgotten in today’s mad-rush to grab-n-go. I think I’ve mention the Slow Food Movement before… eat an appetizer, enjoy your food, relax. Nourishing Traditions is packed full of interesting information and recipes, including recipes for fresh homemade “ginger ale”6 to quench thirst and boost appetite, and many lacto-fermented products with a bit of sourness to make your mouth water7. For example, did you know that ketchup was originally a lacto-fermented condiment rather than the sugary version we know today?8
![[Image]](http://www.azurestandard.com/img/products/sauerkraut-bowl-fork7071.jpg)
I’ve told you in previous articles about the benefits of lacto-fermentation. It fits right in here because it has such a positive affect on digestion and overall well-being. Raw lacto-fermented vegetables and beverages have all the healing and beneficial qualities that cooked foods do not. And one such lacto-fermented vegetable is cabbage… made into sauerkraut!
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Making Fermented Vegetables and Sauerkraut at Home
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I’m very pleased that Azure is now able to offer the Harsch Lacto-Fermentation Crock (with weight-stones and water seal) so that you can easily make fresh raw sauerkraut in your own home. You’ll definitely be interested in the book Making Fermented Vegetables and Sauerkraut at Home, and you’ll notice Azure also offers fresh cabbage, too! (In my experience, the 7.5 liter Harsch crock will require approximately 4-5 large heads of cabbage, or 5-6 small heads of cabbage).
![[Image]](http://www.azurestandard.com/img/products/crock-inside.jpg)
The Harsch Crock can be used to make many lacto-fermented foods (as you’ll read in the sauerkraut book and Nourishing Traditions), and part of the secret is the water seal. Before I bought my own Harsch Crock I had no idea what a water seal was. It’s really quite ingenious. The lid actually floats on top of the water in the “moat” allowing the air inside to “burp” out during the fermentation process, yet keep air or other contaminates from entering. (See illustration).
The German’s Know Something about Sauerkraut!
Is it any wonder that lacto-fermented vegetables (which contain good lactic acid bacteria) have been used by folks in different cultures for years? For the German’s, sauerkraut has long been a staple food and is typically eaten with meat such as sausage or hot dogs. No wonder! It helps the digestion and assimilation protein and other nutrients in the meat.
By the way, Azure is now offering 100% bison hot dogs (no pork or beef in them) from High Plains Bison. Perhaps the German’s didn’t have bison, but I’ll bet the bison hot dogs will go great with your own homemade sauerkraut!
Sending the body “a message”
How you think, what you believe, and whether you give and receive encouragement are major factors in your health. For the body, it needs to know what’s coming. I understand that folks who cannot see and must be fed by someone else, have better digestion and enjoy their meal much better when they are told what’s coming next. “Here’s some potatoes and gravy… this next bite is peas and carrots… are you ready for a bite of sauerkraut?”
And it’s not only food. Stress has a lot to do with not knowing what’s coming next. The Stress Effect, by Richard Weinstein, describes an interesting scenario:
“In his extraordinary book Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, Dr. Robert Sapolski discusses numerous research studies on the psychological factors of stress. What appear to be the two most important components in the response to this type of stress are control and predictability. The more control and predictability a human or research animal has, or even perceives it has, greatly determines what effect the stress will have on him or her. A rat that has some means of controlling the frequency of electric shocks will get fewer ulcers than a rat that has no control. Similarly, a rat that is warned when the shocks will occur will have a stress response that is less intense than that of the rat given no warning. At some point, if it is shocked frequently enough, the rat will perceive the shock as a predictable stressor and again will have a weaker stress response. A rat that has been trained to use a lever to avoid shocks will have a massive stress response if the lever is taken away, and the stress response will weaken if the lever is returned, even if it is disconnected and doesn’t actually prevent the shock from occurring. Just believing that it has some means of control helps the rat reduce its stress levels.”9
If you make efforts to be educated, stay updated on current events, take action to correct the wrongs that you’re bound to discover, you will be less stressed than if things take you by surprise.
Good news or bad?
Several decades ago Anne Murray recorded a song called “A Little Good News” which expressed a sentiment that could be echoed today. We need some good news! But, the definition of “good” is all in the perspective of the person hearing the news. For some, a drop in crime means fewer law-enforcement jobs. If you’re in law enforcement, this is bad news. A drop in disease rates could be bad news for health-care workers if it meant hospitals and clinics had to shut down. The end of a war could be bad news for a manufacturer that’s made a successful business supplying material to fight the war. It’s all in your perspective.
Would you say the following statement is positive or negative? “Three strikes - you’re OUT!” Well, it depends on if it’s a member of your team or the opposing team that just struck out. What about this statement? “I’ve got a gun!” I would say that’s negative if an assailant is telling you that, but positive if it’s being said by someone who is rescuing you from something dangerous.
Recently, I have received a number of positive comments about my most recent editorials. Some were suggesting other various subjects that they would like me to write about. I really appreciate the positive attitude of those that wrote. One lady told me that she couldn’t do much, but considering what’s at stake if she doesn’t take action, she is going to do what she can.
In one of my editorials I wrote “it’s not so much what you are eating, but what is eating you.” Well, just like at the dinner table where we may find some foods that we really don’t relish, be we metaphorically “hold our noses” and gag them down anyway, sometimes it’s like that in real life, too. Just like with food, sometimes it helps to have an appetizer before hand, or something good to mask the unpleasantness of a disliked food.
Intellectual Appetizers
Are there any “appetizers” to help us deal with the negative conditions we face today, helping us with a positive attitude and giving us confidence that we will prevail? Yes, there are. Try some of these intellectual appetizers:
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
“If it is to be, it is up to me.”
“He who stands for nothing will fall for anything.”
In these difficult times it becomes especially important to associate with people who are positive builder-upers, not negative tearer-downers. Don’t let the whiners and snivelers get you down. That’s easier said than done, of course. If you have an entire orchestra playing in tune, but one instrument is out of tune (or playing a different song!) the sour notes tend to ruin the entire musical experience. Don’t let criticism, sour notes, wet blankets, etc., dampen your enthusiasm to do the right thing yourself — whether it is opposing the many obstacles set in your way by the “powers that be” or determining your course for a better and healthier lifestyle.
In a way, the information in my articles could be seen as intellectual appetizers! Just enough to whet your appetite for more information. Just enough make you curious and spur you on to learn more. What you decide to believe about the information, and whether you determine it to be good news or bad, is up to you. Be aware of the things which could have a negative effect on you, but take positive actions to offset these things.
Last but not least, encouraging and supporting yourself and others is of utmost importance. It can’t be denied… these are tough times for everyone. But, that means each of us needs to rally for ourselves, boost our own health and wellness, while at the same time identifying those around us who are good, upstanding, righteous people, and supporting them with encouraging words, and truthful information.
BONUS SECTION: Your Responses
Recently, I have received quite a few comments regarding the news and information I’ve shared with you in recent articles. I’ve received magazines, links to information on the internet, and personal concerns about current issues. These are interesting times, and each day brings “news” that we must sort through and categorize in our own minds as “good news” or “bad news.” As I’ve said in previous articles, I don’t claim to be an expert on any given subject, but I do think it’s important to bring important issues to your attention so you can research them further on your own. Here is a sampling of issues that I think particularly deserve your further research because they involve regulations that affect your freedom to choose healthy food and live a healthy lifestyle:
Codex Alimentarius (literally “food code”) is a 16,000 page set of standards regulated by the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) through the Codex Alimentarius Commission, with the purported purpose of food safety. (Official website: http://www.codexalimentarius.net). However, it includes limits on levels of nutrients in supplements, requires food irradiation, animals must be treated with antibiotics and hormones, GMOs are mandated, elevated levels of pesticides and insecticides will be allowed.10 Growing your own meat, poultry, and vegetables at home would become the only way to ensure the quality of your own food. http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/?page_id=157
National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is a program of the USDA that if made mandatory, would have everyone who has even one horse, cow, chicken, pig, goat, sheep, or virtually any other livestock animal on their premises be required to register their homes and property into a database and subject their property and animals to government surveillance. http://www.farmand ranchfreedom.org/content/
Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009. Home gardens and farmers markets are threatened by a House Bill (HR875) which aims to boost sales of supermarket produce by forcing all “food production facilities” (the definition of which does not exclude home gardens) to register, report yields, plant what is dictated, and treat crops with the prescribed chemicals. http://www.proliberty.com/observer/20090317.html and http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=12671
More info at http://www.naturalnews.com/025824.html (Also important to investigate is HR759.)
Interstate commerce inhibited by FDA as they block raw milk from crossing state lines even when raw milk is legal in both states. What if they did this for raw apples (for example). Or what if they said no food could cross state lines? Does your state produce enough food to sustain everyone in it? Does this action improve local economies?
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Free-Our-Farmers_Let-the-by-Kimberly-Hartke-090206-353.html, http://www.www.westonaprice.org/federalupdate/aa207/21feb2007.html
http://www.californiarawmilk.org/
References
1) No More Heartburn, by Sherry A. Rogers, M.D, page xi. Kensington Publishing Corp., Copyright 2000 by Sherry A. Rogers, M.D.
2) Ibid. p. 8-18.
3) Dr. Whitaker’s Guide to Natural Healing, by Julian Whitaker, M.D, p. 62 Prima Publishing. Copyright 1995, 1996 by Julian Whitaker., M.D.
4) The 24-Hour Pharmacist, by Suzy Cohen, RPh., p. 52, Rodale, Inc., copyright 2008 by Suzy Cohen.
5) Ibid. p. 53.
6) Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon, p. 586, New Trends Publishing, copyright 2001 New Trends Publishing.
7) Ibid. p. 80 & 89.
Ibid. p. 104
9) The Stress Effect, by Richard Weinstein, D.C. p. 133-134. Avery/Penguin Group. Copyright 2004 by Richard Weinstein.
10) Codex Alimentarius: Population Control under the Guise of Consumer Protection, by Gregory Damato, PhD., Republic Magazine, publication number 13. http://www.republicmagazine.com/
Author: susan | Posted on 28. May 2009 at 14:22 pm | Filed in articles |
A Fine Mess…
Editorial by Susan Booth
(April/May 2009)
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Funny
Comedians Laurel and Hardy were always getting into some kind of trouble and Oliver (Hardy) was always blaming Stanley (Laurel). Just seeing their antics makes you have to laugh. There were many funny characters back in the days of black and white movies. Humm… Picture Laurel and Hardy in the White House, the Keystone Cops in Congress, and the Three Stooges in the Supreme Court. Surely, if that were the case, the country would be in a really fine mess. Wait a minute! The country truly is in a “fine mess” (as Hardy would say*) at this very moment! And it’s not funny. Could bungling idiots have gotten the country in the mess it is in today? I doubt it. It had to be planned.
(No, I’m not old enough to have enjoyed seeing the silent movies in a theater with their live music, but the humor of these slap-stick comedies is so classic and the experiences so universal, they make a lasting impression no matter your age!)
Not So Funny
But, the situation this country (and the world) is in right now is no laughing matter. One good thing that is coming from this is that no longer are people complacent and unwilling to discuss politics. No, things are different now, and discussion of politics and the economy is not only coming in vogue, but the healthy debate is necessary. People should have been talking about these things before it got so bad. Perhaps you wonder why I choose to discuss politics and the economy in an editorial dedicated to healthful living. The answer is simple: politics and the economy have a direct effect on my freedom to live healthfully. (Please see the article inset where I give examples of how the edicts of the government directly affect my food and health freedoms.)
So, what can be done about this “fine mess” we find our society in right now? Of all the proposals that I have heard about: bailouts, stimulus packages (strange description), tax reductions, etc., I haven’t seen anything that would do any good — surely nothing that would get to the root of the problem.
It’ll Never Happen
I am very pragmatic and realize that the solution I am about to propose will never happen – not because it wouldn’t work, but just because it will never happen. Just three basic things need to happen. (At the very least perhaps my solutions will be good conversation-starters!)
![[Image]](http://www.azurestandard.com/img/products/5-dollars-red-seal.jpg)
First: Repeal and rescind all the laws, statutes, executive orders, amendments to the Constitution, etc. made during and after the Lincoln Administration to the present. Some folks would recommend going back further than that, but just for the sake of discussion, consider what I read in a collector’s catalog about the “United States $5 Lincoln Red Seal Legal Tender Note”. According to the National Collector’s Mint catalog, “When the Civil War broke out, the U.S. government found itself unable to pay its debts by relying only on gold and silver coins, so Congress then adopted the Legal Tender Act of 1862 as a way to finance the Civil War.” The debasement of the currency, and the evils of the debt-based system have been around a long time! First, there were Silver Certificates, then United States Notes, now we have Federal Reserve Notes**. Even our coins have been debased. They’re not silver anymore, they’re “sandwiched” to look silver but have less value. Even the pennies aren’t copper anymore (after 1982 they’re all zinc). What will they be next? Aluminum? And made in China?!
Second: Amend the Constitution to require elected officials to prove that their IQ is at least above average by 10%. This would eliminate most elected officials and judges, so another election would be necessary.
Third: Reinstate the poll tax and amend the Constitution to prevent the voter from receiving a government benefit for the period of time that the incumbent that he voted for serves. Why should those that are only on the receiving end of benefits be allowed to vote themselves more benefits? And, furthermore, if a tax is to be voted on, the voter should only be allowed to vote on it if he will be the one paying it (e.g. property owners and property taxes). Simple, honest accounting should dictate that you can’t spend someone else’s money.
That’s it. Simple, huh?
Purging Can Be Painful
Well, my point is that bad decisions and actions become cumulative and purging is the only way to properly correct the situation. And the purging action is very difficult to accomplish and typically generates a lot of pain. The same could be said about your body and its health. A lot of adverse body conditions are attributed to age. While age is no doubt a factor, it may not be the root of the problem. Bad habits may be causing your body to “age” prematurely. In fact, every aspect of your life is a determining factor in your current and future health. Environment, nutrition, diseases, stress, and the vaccines that you have subjected your body to over a lifetime affect your well being today.
Circulation
What is it that every organ in your body requires in order to function at its best? Answer: A good blood supply. The Holy Bible says: “the life of all flesh is the blood thereof” (Lev.17:14). Obviously you will die if you are drained of all blood or your heart stops pumping it around, but what about impaired circulation? This is where it starts becoming subjective and relative. A little impairment might mean nothing. But at what point does the impairment begin to adversely affect the health and hinder the function of your organs? Every part of your body is absolutely dependent upon a rich and unimpaired supply of blood, from your skin to your bones, from your brain to your toenails. If there is impaired circulation, will you notice it before it becomes catastrophic in the form of organ failure – heart attack or stroke? Yes, you probably will if you know what to look for. One thing you should look for is signs of “aging.” And that includes just about everything.
Unexpected Symptom
of Impaired Circulation
Most of us are aware of the more common symptoms associated with impaired circulation. The popular thing for surgeons to recommend these days is heart bypass surgery (they don’t make any money simply by recommending a change in your diet). And those with diabetes are familiar with the ravages of circulation problems (type 2 diabetes is another malady that can often be corrected by dietary changes). Diabetics can suffer such things as eye disorders or gangrene of the legs due to circulation problems.
But did you know that back pain can also be a sign that your circulation is impaired? Your back works hard and your spine needs a good blood supply to make necessary repairs and remain healthy. The spine is provided blood from the lumbar arteries which branch off of the aorta. “Unfortunately, of all the arteries in the human body, the abdominal aorta is among the first to develop atherosclerotic plaques, bumps that slowly grow and end up blocking the flow of blood.” (Foods That Fight Pain, Neal D. Barnard, MD, Rodale, p.7) As you might guess, this is not good and it can happen to the best of us. The first signs of impaired blood flow may show up in any organ – even your back. Since this is more than likely happening to you right now, you don’t want to allow it to progress to the point that you begin experiencing symptoms. You want to have a regimen that precludes any organ from having to endure a restriction of its optimum blood supply. (Yes, your bones really are living, active, regenerating, hard-working “organs”, not just support-beams that the rest of your body is attached to!)
The concept of a little plaque impairing your body function isn’t new. You probably have your time for routinely dusting and cleaning your house, balancing your checkbook, washing your clothes, etc. You know that no matter how immaculate you try to keep your house, you will often find dust, even dust “kittens” in those out of the way places. It seems that similar processes are taking place in your own body. In fact, it seems that the body not only cleans itself up, but also has the ability to sweep bad stuff “under the rug,” so to speak! (More on that in a minute when we talk about fibrin.)
“Cleaning House”
What to do? Fortunately, our Creator has provided us with the means of cleansing our systems of accumulations of “stuff” that shouldn’t be where it is. Of course we want of avoid the sources or causes of blood flow impairment: poor diet, stress, vaccines, etc. But we need to be proactive in purging the system of things that probably have been accumulating since childhood.
Thankfully, a lot of this help can be found in the food we eat. As a Westerner, you probably don’t eat much Natto. This is a Japanese dish that has been found to contain an enzyme called Nattokinase. When I first heard about it I got the idea that it was something like a blood thinner and nothing more. However, I have learned that this enzyme dissolves fibrin — something that the body produces naturally when a blood clot is needed or an injury needs repair. The body has an enzyme that dissolves fibrin but sometimes it doesn’t do a good job or the fibrin is left in place to quarantine pathogens that are a potential threat to the body.
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When I was doing research on Nattokinase on the Internet, I came across a brand name that sounded familiar. I picked up an Azure catalog and, Voila! The product that Azure carries with Nattokinase is called Trevinol from Landis Revin. This is a blend of various enzymes that dissolve fibrin and promote a healthy blood flow. (As I always tell you, I don’t make claims to be an expert on what might be good for you, but I do want to alert you to information that could benefit you, then I let you do your own research. I think you’ll find Nattokinase and the other systemic enzymes in the Trevinol formula to be a fascinating thing to study.)
Other Helpful Foods
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Nordic Naturals Cod Liver Oil
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Azure carries a number of items that are purported to assist in the maintenance of a healthy circulatory system. One is Cod Liver Oil – many studies now confirm the beneficial effect of fish oils on circulatory health.
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Knudsen Pomegranate Juice
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I receive lots of information in the mail about all kinds of “cure-alls”. But, one thing in particular caught my attention. There was a flyer advertising a book about natural healing and the information there mentioned a few of the things I would learn in their book. Included in this hype for the book was a rather long statement about how pomegranate juice “does more than just prevent arterial plaque. It actually gets rid of existing plaque!” It said a “study” demonstrated this ability of pomegranate juice but it didn’t cite the study. So, considering that pomegranate juice has proven to be such a beneficial fruit I thought I would pass that along to you. Maybe it will help, and maybe it won’t. Ordinarily, I don’t think it’s a very good idea to consume large amounts of juice because of the high sugar content. However, according to the “study,” it only takes about 2 oz. a day to get about a 1/3 plaque reduction over a period of a year.
You say, “that’s not very fast.” No, it’s not. But it’s natural, and it’s just food - real food. Unless you are under the care of a health professional, you may not want it work really fast. You want the body to heal itself naturally and in the amount of time that it requires.
Expert Help
Considering the importance of the subject, if you have symptoms of a serious circulation problem, it would be wise to seek the help of a health care professional. A person that is up to date on the latest discoveries as well as the “forgotten cures” of the past that will assist you and your body in its healing process naturally. The body is so complex in its design and function that Intelligent Design by a loving Creator is the only explanation. Try to find someone who appreciates the extraordinary ability of the body to recover and function when given the proper care, nutrition, and time. And, yes, that person really has to have a broad knowledge of many subjects over a long period of time. Just because something is old doesn’t mean it doesn’t have contemporary relevance. Consider this statement:
"I believe banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies!
If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, 1st by inflation, then by deflation, the banks & corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."
- Thomas Jefferson, 1802
That was stated over 200 years ago. What should you think of a politician or former Fed Chairman that would say of the current fine mess: “I didn’t see it coming.”
As I have written before, the person most interested in and concerned with your health is you. Don’t ever have to say, “I didn’t see it coming.” Do your homework. Find someone that will work with you and not against you. And we at Azure will be pleased to help you in whatever way we can – providing good foods, supplements, and information. To your good health.
* Or, to be technical, Hardy would say "another nice mess". See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Fine_Mess
** By the way, there is nothing “federal” or “reserve” about the Federal Reserve. It’s a private bank. Congress has relegated its constitutional duty (to coin money and regulate the value thereof) to the private bankers.
Article Inset
An Economic Circulation Problem
It could be said this nation’s economy has a circulation problem. If we make the analogy of the people of this country being the “body”, and its government is the “brain” making all the decisions as to how that body is taken care of, you can begin to see the picture clearly… the “brain” (the government) is truly making decisions that are making the “body” (the country) ill. If this continues, a catastrophic body-event occurs and the “body” dies. Freedom is to a nation as blood is to your body. Freedom has been the “life blood of America”. Restrict freedom and you are clogging the nations arteries.
Raw Milk Can’t Flow
As an example of some of the restricted freedoms ruining the “circulation” of this country, did you know that the federal government prohibits the shipping of raw milk across state lines even when raw milk is legal in both states? How does this help each state’s local economy? How does this guarantee the freedoms of people to eat what they know to be healthful food? (Thankfully Ron Paul has introduced a bill [HR 778] in congress to change this… but why should the federal government have interfered with inter-state commerce of healthy food to begin with? And why should it be up the the federal government to again grant “permission” to the states for something that should have been their right all along?) For more information:
http://www.fa-rm.org/blog/2009/02/hr-778-repeal-interstate-raw-milk-ban.html (Free Agriculture - Restore Markets)
Hemp Can’t Grow
Another example comes from North Dakota where a lawsuit that started in June 2007 and is now in the appeals process. As I understand it, state-licensed industrial hemp farmers can grow oilseed and fiber varieties of Cannabis (which are genetically distinct from drug varieties and have absolutely no psychoactive effects) without first obtaining a federal DEA permit. In other words, it’s legal to grow hemp in North Dakota, and you don’t need federal government permission to do it. But, the Federal Appeals Court is now deciding whether federal authorities (DEA) can prosecute farmers in North Dakota for growing hemp. How does that work?! The federal court gets to decide whether a federal agency can interfere with something that the state has already deemed legal? Does that sound impartial, and fair? This sounds like a “states rights” issue to me, and one that adversely affects my ability to access food and clothing of my choosing, and depresses the economy of that state. (Currently most hemp products sold as food or clothing in the U.S. are grown in Canada.) All the legal details can be found here: www.votehemp.com/legal_cases_ND.html.
Bad laws restricting freedom are like diseases causing restriction of blood flow, either directly or indirectly.
Farmer’s of Non-GMO Crops Framed
There’s a fuzzy line between corrupt governement organizations, and malicious agribusinesses. Take Monsanto for example. I don’t know what exactly its ties are with government, but it sure acts with impunity, and almost as if it is doing the bidding of a corrupt government. Monsanto is synonymous with Genetic Engineering. Genetic engineering is an extremely important subject because it not only affects our future food supply, but also affects the environment, and personal choice. Genetically engineered foods are not labeled*. Farmers who grow traditional crops are not just having cross-pollination problems with adjacent fields. It appears that Monsanto is so malicious it will trespass, “plant” evidence and/or find GMO-contamination in a traditional-seed crop, harass/threaten the seed cleaners, essentially “frame” the farmer, and then sue the farmer for having planted Monsanto-patented crops! It’s a setup. No kidding. Check it out at this eye-opening article on the web: http://survivingthemiddleclasscrash.wordpress.com/2009/02/05/the-multiple-ways-monsanto-is-putting-normal-seeds-out-of-reach/ This is happening in this country. Is this freedom? Is this “live and let live”? Is this acceptable? No.
Another Fuzzy Line
The line between government and the pharmaceutical industry has become so blurred, I don’t know exactly who to blame. But, when substances that exist in nature are patented by the pharmaceutical industry, declared to be “drugs” by the FDA, and the substance’s natural counterparts are banned/made illegal, this is not freedom. This inhibits good circulation in a “free” country. An example can be found with a certain natural form of B6 (pyridoxamine) recently declared as a drug by the FDA. You can read about it here: http://www.naturalnews.com/025606.html.
Zero in on the Culprit(s)
And just remember, diseases have causes. The cause of a disease can typically be seen under a microscope. The cause of national disease can also be seen and heard on TV and radio. You just have to recognize them for what they are: individuals causing national disease and restriction of freedom.
Good circulation is the key to good health and longevity for the body and for the economy.
Ignorance isn’t bliss after all.
Seek news from alternative sources.
* The only way to avoid GMO products is to only buy organic foods. By definition organic crops cannot be genetically engineered. GMO corn and soybeans are currently the most ubiquitous in the food supply although the list of GM crops is long and getting longer.
Author: susan | Posted on 23. March 2009 at 17:06 pm | Filed in articles |
Hosing the People
Editorial by Susan Booth
(Feb/March 2009)
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HOSE 2. slang: to deprive of something due or expected: TRICK, CHEAT (Dict. Def.). Okay, maybe your idea of being “hosed” is a little different, but no matter how you look at it, the average American is taking a really bad beating – literally or metaphorically.
It seems that the person who is trying to just “live and let live”, have a family, and keep body and soul together is looked upon as a “human resource” to be exploited by a rather large and powerful segment of society. Recent weeks and months have really been a time of trial for a lot of people. Recession, bailouts, corruption, job losses, foreclosures, and much, much more have been plaguing Americans – and people around the world.
How did all this happen? Did no one see it coming? Why wasn’t something done to prevent it? Boy, you could write a really big book just to answer any one of those questions. Many people did see this coming, do know how this happened, had answers to prevent it and wrote books about it. In fact, a lot of big books have already been written about it. I’ve found some books in my dad’s library warning about what is now befalling this country (and the world)… and some of these books are 25 years old. Certainly, these were not reactionary, knee-jerk books trying to “spin” current news, but rather, they were predicting what was going to happen if the course of things was not changed. I’m not talking about any mysterious “prediction”, I’m talking about the simple concept of “you reap what you sow”. Just like when you plant an onion seed you can “predict” that an onion will grow, so when people make certain decisions (usually bad ones because they haven’t learned from history), the results are predictable. (This concept is very evident in the stories and admonitions in the Holy Bible – it’s certainly a book that always has insight for the current situation.)
Like Hurricanes & Tsunamis
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At the time that many of these “gloom and doom” books were printed (I’m thinking in regards to the economy, the government etc.), the future looked rosy to many Americans. The hard-work jobs were gradually going over seas and this country’s economy was becoming “service based”. No one was in a panic, and the local factory or plant going out of business didn’t affect the masses, and everyone enjoyed the cheap prices on foreign goods. But, just like there are usually blue skies and lazy breezes on the beach before the hurricane appears on the horizon, and just like the beaches get bigger before a tsunami hits, people could easily blow-off any talk of “gloom and doom”. Now things are different. It’s here, it’s not over. The course of things can’t just be “changed” it needs to be righted.
So why are we where we are today? It looks like malfeasance and betrayal of trust on leadership’s side and misplaced trust and lack of vigilance on the people’s part. And I don’t see that the situation is being corrected – it seems to be getting worse!
The Big Three go to The Big Loser
How is it that the Big Three Automobile Makers are going to the world’s most bankrupt government, one owing trillions of dollars that it can never repay, for a loan? How is it that the leaders, presiding over what was once the greatest and richest lender nation, but has been turned into the worlds biggest beggar nation under their management, are lecturing the Big Three Automobile Makers on how they need to straighten up their act? What’s this stuff about bailing out the bankers? Aren’t they the ones that have the money? Aren’t they the ones that examine you to see if you are worthy of a loan? Why is making money available to loan of such importance? Am I missing something here? I thought having a JOB was of the utmost importance! Without jobs people aren’t getting paid and a person without a job certainly can’t get a loan from a bank. And employers don’t need loans if nobody has jobs paying money to buy the employers products. (Truly a vicious cycle!)
Why, when just one American manufacturing company (the “first”, as such) had to move its operations out of the country to remain “competitive”, didn’t the Big Three Automobile Makers show up in Washington, D.C. demanding that the government get constitutional? Why didn’t they demand fair trade instead of free trade? This is just one instance of “hosing” the people.
Taking Care of Ourselves
We can grouse about what has happened, what is happening, and what is not happening all day and it won’t really accomplish much in a substantial way. If we are going to enjoy a better personal life, especially when it comes to our own personal health and well being, we will have to adopt the slogan: “If it is to be, it is up to me.”
If you are a regular reader of my articles in Azure’s sale flyers, you know that I am an ardent proponent of personal research. I also exhort you to seek Divine help as you search for truth no matter what the subject is. You will really need it. Even with health issues (perhaps especially with health issues) people are getting “hosed”. The misinformation disseminated by government agencies and “established medicine” is appalling, especially when you “follow the money” and realize you’re not only being “hosed” but “fleeced” too! I could cite all kinds of examples ranging from their admonitions to eat soy (something detrimental) and their vehemence that you not consume raw milk (something that has helped many regain their health), to their double-standards for prescription drugs versus natural foods and remedies. (Thousands of people can die from prescription drugs and “no one” bats an eyelash. But, if 30 people get sick from a natural product over a ten-year period, “they” seek to ban your access to it. Crazy! Control-freaks!)
But, en route to making my point here, I’ll give you this as an example of how facts can easily be twisted and distorted, to make a study appear to support something it does not. It has become known that eating cholesterol does not raise your blood cholesterol, because the cholesterol in your blood is actually manufactured in your liver. The liver makes more cholesterol when either the arteries start deteriorating (due to sugar intake and the resulting insulin spike) and must be shored up OR when hormones get out of whack due to emotional stress. Many folks still haven’t realized that it really is OK to eat eggs (yolks too!) and they won’t adversely affect your blood cholesterol levels. (And it’s been discovered that eating fat doesn’t make you fat — many other factors including excess carbohydrates, out-of-balance hormones, and stress will make you fat.)
But, recently I was reading a book by an author who apparently hasn’t heard the good news about dietary fat and cholesterol. The author was proposing that arterial blockage and damage could be reversed through diet and cited a study. His main thrust was that of the two groups in a particular study, the group which ate meat and skinless chicken and were “under their regular doctors’ care” saw little if any improvement in arterial blockage. (Reading between the lines, this group was allowed to just “do their own thing” without any special attention, support, or guidance.)
In contrast, the other group on a low-fat, vegetarian diet saw great improvement. Whoa! I have been led to believe that strict vegetarians live about 10 years less than their carnivore/omnivore counterparts. And we know that dietary fat and cholesterol are not the heart diseases culprits, so how can this information be reconciled?
Well, a closer examination revealed the mendacity of the author. The first group was told to follow the instructions of their regular doctors, favoring fish (something that is actually beneficial to heart health) and skinless chicken over red meat, not smoking, and trying to stay active. On the other hand, the second group was given a “completely different program.” They were to follow a vegetarian diet and to eliminate animal fat and cholesterol. They were also asked to not smoke, to take a half-hour walk each day (something that reduces stress and provides oxygen to stressed body organs), and (get this) practice stress management exercises! All right!
What this study proved is that: what you are eating is not nearly as important as what is eating you! Being stressed and unsupported no matter what your diet, will cause you health problems. Learning to manage your stress, having the support of others, being encouraged, and taking relaxing walks will likewise benefit you regardless of diet. The second group was being pampered beyond belief — even to the point of going to cooking classes together. It has been demonstrated that, all things being equal, babies and even animals will thrive when given lots of tender loving care (TLC) whereas those that are deprived, won’t.
From what I have observed (and have verified by books I’ve read), the most destructive things to your health, all else being equal, are the emotions of anger and hostility. You can be a “Type A” personality, a real eager-beaver, and it won’t harm you if you exclude anger and hostility. So, don’t get mad, get even! (Just kidding.) One of my favorite books on the subject (now out-of-print unfortunately) is a book by Rodale Press titled The Complete Guide to Your Emotions and Your Health. It sites many studies proving that your emotions (how you deal with the world around you, whether you have a fulfilling job, whether you are surrounded by supportive people and support others, etc.) has more to do with your long-term health than even your diet. (All this of course is assuming that you do not have a true nutritional deficiency, particularly a deficiency of the B-vitamins which can have a profound effect on your emotions and mental well-being). Stress makes all the organs in your body fail to work at optimum, and once that cascade of illness starts, it snowballs.
Now, getting back to stress management. Stress is most often the root cause of many, if not most, degenerative diseases. It weakens your immune system and unbalances hormones in a way that can prove detrimental when the stress is constant. We can’t eliminate all stress from our lives. And even good stress, like winning the lottery, is stress nevertheless. So, yes, stress management is absolutely necessary as well as proper diet, appropriate exercise, and elimination of all bad habits and toxins that constantly assault us. (As a side note, it’s also important to reduce the stress on those around you so they too can be more healthful. Particularly for those you love and want to be healthy, it’s important to replace put-downs with words of encouragement, to give lots of TLC, to not cause undue emotional stress in others through the decisions you make and actions you take. You will benefit by being nicer, because those around you will be less stressed and able to be nicer to you.)
Life’s Meaning and Purpose
One of the most important “tools” to manage stress is faith in a Higher Power than human strength. Kent Hovind, an evangelist and proponent of Creationism, addresses several points that I am addressing. (1) In his video series on Creation, you’ll often hear him advise you to “Eat the meat and spit out the bones”, meaning various “authorities” you’ve heard or read may have valuable and truthful information, but may have erroneous stuff mixed in. (2) He also has a Creation Science ministry that you will find on the Internet at www.drdino.com. Here you will find reason to believe that there is design, meaning, and purpose for life in general and your life in particular. Just knowing that you were specially designed by a thoughtful Creator and that you didn’t just evolve from a puddle of green slime is a real boost! A healthy self esteem is necessary for your good health as well as knowing that He is a “Friend that is closer than a brother.”
Friends Don’t “Hose” Each Other
No, Azure can’t eliminate all of your stress and we can’t stop people or entities from “hosing” you. But, we are trying to at least make it easier for you to find healthful products, foods that are specifically made to accommodate your particular food allergies or intolerances, and give you access to all-important organic raw fruits and vegetables. (As you may have noticed, we have been expanding our line of fresh organic produce to include not only new fruits and vegetables but new sizes to better suit your needs. All the currently available produce is listed on our website, and you might be surprised at how much we now offer. For some of you in particularly remote locations, fresh organic produce can really be a treat this time of year.)
Perhaps some of the atrocities I’ve mentioned in previous articles have spurred you on to fight for your freedoms – freedom to choose what foods to eat, freedom to “live and let live”, freedom to escape bondage (have you read the Declaration of Independence lately? It’s one of those documents that with only a few changes to its text could almost sound like a modern document!) Perhaps we can provide you with food, supplements and products to help you get healthy, be stronger, and live a happier life. I hope so! But, remember – attitude is everything. Bad emotions will ruin your health. Count your blessings – it’ll do your heart good!
Author: susan | Posted on 30. January 2009 at 16:27 pm | Filed in articles |
Extra! Extra!
News and information you may have missed.
Editorial by Susan Booth
(Dec ‘08/Jan ‘09)
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Always striving to give you information that you can use to improve your life and health, I’ve included here some of the things that have caught my attention recently, along with some editorial commentary for focus. (5 subjects in all!)
~ Susan
A Powder for Wounds that Stops Bleeding, Promotes Healing
Recently, it made news that the government has approved a new powder for the troops to use on wounds received in the battle-field. I don’t know exactly what that is, but I know of a super-powder that belongs in every first-aid kit. It’s called Cut Rescue from Well-In-Hand. This powder, which is made of herbs such as slippery elm, when sprinkled on a cut will stop the bleeding quickly, and promote healing (as well as create a very effective “scab” to protect the area while it’s healing.) I personally have at least 3 bottles - one at home for things like kitchen accidents, one at the office for paper cuts and one in the car for when the unexpected injury occurs and the bleeding needs to stop fast. Thankfully I haven’t had to test it on any bigger wounds, but wouldn’t hesitate because I’ve found this to work amazingly well. It even seems to reduce the pain within minutes.
Potassium Iodide and Iodine;
Unexpected but Profound Health Boosters
Tincture of iodine has a place in every first-aid kit as an anti-infective and potassium iodide tablets are recommended in case of nuclear disaster to protect the thyroid. But, potassium iodide (also known as SSKI or Saturated Solution of Potassium Iodide) belongs in every first aid kit and travel bag for water disinfection, nuclear disasters, and emergency treatment of urinary tract infections as described by Jonathan V. Wright on this website www.wrightnewsletter.com/nah/search/art/2002/nah_0211_a.shtml. You may have heard of him through his work at the Tahoma Clinic. The information he presents is corroborated in many other books and publications.
Iodine/Iodide and Women’s Health
It appears that potassium iodide also benefits those suffering from fibrocystic breast disease, breast tenderness and other female complaints such as endometriosis1 and PMS2 because of its interaction with estrogens. Dr. Wright says “various forms of iodine, including SSKI, can help your body metabolize estrone (a slightly carcenogenic human estrogen) and 16-alpha-hydroxyestrone (a much more dangerous metabolite of human estrogen) into estriol, an anti-carcinogenic - or at worst, neutral - form of human estrogen.”3
Of course there are constant warnings to monitor thyroid function when supplementing with iodine or iodide. That’s because iodine is one of the main building blocks of thyroid hormone (along with the amino acid L-tyrosine, selenium, and zinc4). But, actually it would take a lot of iodine to suppress thyroid function3 and many articles fail to emphasize that many people are iodine deficient, particularly those living in areas with low iodine content in the soil.5 Those with an autoimmune thyroid problem are the ones who should be particularly concerned about excessive iodine intake.6
What I read from Dr. Wright was validated by Suzy Cohen in her book The 24-Hour Pharmacist. Iodine/iodide is helpful for breast tenderness and fibroid tumors but can help endometriosis because iodine-iodide “creates safer estrogen by-products.”7 She goes on to say that iodine is “terribly misunderstood” but that it plays a critical role in breast health and “appears to reduce cancer risk.”7 She suggests a complex which includes both iodine and iodide such as Iodoral, or Lugol’s Solution.
Suzy Cohen spends a lot of time in her book discussing the many side-effects of popular prescription drugs (and suggests safer natural alternatives). She points out that iodine and iodide are needed to process estrogens (that includes birth control pills, HRT, etc.)7
Add to the equation the estrogenic effects of soy isoflavones. (Babies on soy-based formula can get the equivalent of 3-5 birth control pills per day.8 “Soy estrogens known as isoflavones can inhibit the action of thyroid drugs” and “many health professionals recommend that they not be taken at the same time as foods or supplements high in soy.”9 Just as eating soy and taking thyroid hormone supplements can cause the thyroid to be confused and overworked, the same goes for iodine and soy. The Whole Soy Story devotes an entire chapter to thyroid health, but of particular interest to the iodine question, it reveals something very interesting:
“The first report in medical journals of enlarged thyroid glands in rats and chickens fed soybean ration appeared in the 1930s. In 1961, researchers discovered that spiking the chow with iodine could prevent goiter. But this quick-fix solution to a serious problem turned out to be simplistic. Rats and chickens fed soybean-based chows required twice as much iodine to prevent thyroid enlargement as animals fed soy-free diets. Even then, their thyroid glands showed abnormal cell proliferation. When iodine is largely absent, soy can provoke malignant hyperplastic goiter.”10
So, if confusing the thyroid by feeding it thyroid-reducing soy and boosting it up by adding iodine does so much harm to animals, what does it do for babies whose soy-formula has been fortified with iodine to prevent goiter?11
Iodine Fortification, Then & Now
And speaking of iodine fortification… we all know that iodine is added to table salt these days specifically to prevent goiter in certain areas of the country where the soil has been depleted of iodine and thus those eating locally grown food (without eating iodine rich seafoods and sea vegetables such as kelp which are high in iodine) simply couldn’t get enough iodine.
The brochure that comes along with the Iodoral supplement included a brief history of iodine use. For example in the early 1900s Lugol solution (a liquid iodine/iodide supplement) “was used extensively, effectively and safely in medical practice, for both low activity and above normal activity of the thyroid gland.”12 But, what I found very interesting was former use of iodine in bread making.
“In the 1960’s, one slice of bread in the USA contained the full RDA of 0.15 mg iodine. The risk of breast cancer was then 1 in 20. Over the last 2 decades, iodine was replaced by bromine in the bread making process. Bromine blocks thyroid function and may interfere with the anticancer effect of iodine on the breast. Now, the risk of breast cancer is 1 in 8 and increasing 1% per year.”12
Could a simple change in bread manufacturing have such an impact on our health? Some sources have suggested that Japan’s high incidence of autoimmune thyroiditis has to do with excess iodine10, but several sources verify that Japanese people living in Japan enjoy many benefits from a high iodine diet.
“Several investigations have shown convincing evidence connecting inadequate iodine intake and breast cancer. Japanese women living in Japan consumed a daily average of 13.8 mg total elemental iodine and they experience one of the lowest prevalence (risk) for breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer.”12
Other Antagonists to Iodine
But, it’s not just dietary iodine that’s important to consider, but like bromated flour in bread which robs you of the iodine you do consume, other elements are out there making it more difficult to keep and utilize your iodine. These include fluoride and chlorine. Of course both of these are commonly added to municipal water supplies for various reasons (controversial, and rightly so, because they may do more harm than good*).
Iodine is worth your further research and consideration. Increasing your quality of life is well worth it.
*Fluoride is a particularly important subject which we have discussed in previous articles. Why poison everyone’s water just because a few people think their teeth might benefit?… Why not just sell fluoride mouth rinses and let people decide for themselves if they want to use it?
1) The 24-Hour Pharmacist, by Suzy Cohen, R Ph, copyright 2008, 2007 by Suzy Cohen, Rodale Inc., p. 187-188
2) Ibid. 182.
3) http://www.wrightnewsletter.com/nah/search/art/2002/nah_0211_a.shtml/
4) The 24-Hour Pharmacist, by Suzy Cohen, R Ph, copyright 2008, 2007 by Suzy Cohen, Rodale Inc., p. 16-17
5) Solved, The Riddle of Illness, updated 3rd edition, by Stephen E. Langer, M.D. & James F. Scheer, copyright 2000, Keats Publishing, p. 16
6) Thyroid Power, Ten Steps to Total Health, by Richard L. Sames, MD and Karilee H. Sajems R.N. Ph.D. copyright 2002, First Quill/Harper Collins, p 177.
The Whole Soy Story, by Kaayla T. Daniel, Ph. D. CCN copyright 2005, New Trends Publishing Inc. p.331 & 361 (See also the inset titles “Stopping the Stork” p. 361).
9) Ibid. p. 316
10) Ibid. p. 315
11) Ibid. p. 318
12) Iodoral Information Brochure, more info at www.optimox.com
Dietary & Food-Based Iodine Sources
Salmon & Sardines
Fish in the sea absorb iodine from the ocean waters, so coastal areas which eat more fish typically don’t have thyroid problems or iodine deficiencies.
Kelp & Sea Vegetables
Kelp and other sea vegetables (also known as macrobiotics) are the best sources of plant-based iodine. Azure offers these items from 3 different brands: Maine Coast Sea Vegetables, Eden Foods, and Azure Farm.
Rhea’s Herbal Thyroid Formula
Spring Runyan, Rhea’s daughter, has told me of the remarkable benefits she herself has seen from their Thyroid Formula which contains kelp and other beneficial herbs.
World Organics’ Liquid Iodine
A low-potency way to increase your total iodine intake: World Organics Liquid Iodine. Although it doesn’t contain the therapeutic amounts of iodine as the products recommended by Wright and Cohen, every little bit counts!
Gov. Schwartzeneggar Vetoes Raw Milk Bill;
Raw Organic Dairies Continue the Fight
In the state of California where the sale of raw milk is legal for sale for human consumption and can be found on grocery store shelves statewide (unlike most other states), you would think no one is being “starved” of this nourishing food. But, California has been a battleground this past year as raw milk producers and raw milk drinkers and advocates have made big efforts to push back against government and pasteurized-dairy special interests who wish to squash the production of clean, quality raw milk in California. The subject is complex but one thing is clear: the true culprits of disease and death in this country (too numerous to name, but let’s start with vaccinations, aspartame, prescription drugs, artificial foods, pesticides & herbicides, hormone disrupting foods and chemicals, etc.) are allowed to thrive and prosper under the government’s “watchful eye”, while the very things that offer good health and long life (lets start with whole, natural foods, vitamins, alternative therapies for disease) are touted as ineffectual, harmful, or simply made illegal in order to force you to abandon them.
I suggest you take the time to read about what’s happening in California with the raw milk issue. It’s important — not just for your access to raw milk, but so you can see the steps that are being taken against good food. It could happen to other foods that are good for you, too!
We have all heard about the “dog in the manger.” The dog couldn’t eat the hay, but he wouldn’t allow the cattle that could eat it to enjoy their feast. Then, there is the guy that cut his nose off to spite his face. Has someone ever really done that? There may be someone that has — there are a lot of nuts out there. But, metaphorically, it seems to be a common occurrence. How else would you explain California’s governor Schwartzenegger vetoing a recent raw milk bill that came before him? From what I hear, California is in dire straights with a lot of debt and an unbalanced budget. Why would he not merely sign the bill that would make it easier for a legitimate business to operate successfully and profitably, and thereby, bring in much needed revenue for the state? It seems like it would be a win, win, win situation. Raw milk dairies sell their products without undue encumbrance and prosper, customers consume the product and prosper with good health, and the State benefits from the commerce-generated revenue. What’s wrong with that? Do I have good reason to be cynical?
When Arnold Schwartzenegger vetoed a bill that would have corrected the injustices created by an earlier law which jeopardizes the production of clean raw milk in California, he “thumbed his nose” at health-conscious individuals. An excellent primer on the plight of raw milk dairies in California can be found in an article entitled “Some Like It Raw”, by John Schwenkler http://americasfuture.org/doublethink/2008/08/some-like-it-raw/ More information can be found through CREMA (California Real Milk Association) and at www.organicpastures.com. Other books are available such as The Untold Story of Milk [BK014].
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Although Azure cannot sell raw milk from the state of Oregon due to current Oregon State law, we do carry a nutritional supplement from Organic Pastures Dairy called “Lite Colostrum”. It’s available in plain (NS793) and chocolate (NS794), and is probiotic rich. Personally, I take this supplement by drinking it, pouring it on cereal, or using it to make probiotic-rich smoothies.We also offer Organic Pastures’ Truly Raw Cheddar Cheese (CH140, CH165) so you can support Organic Pastures Dairy even though we can’t carry their milk or cream products.
Gluten Free Diet Benefits those with Adult Acne, Mental Disorders,
Digestive Problems
The popularity of gluten-free diets has increased dramatically recently, and some nay-sayers have been crticizing the shift in dietary choices saying that most people seeking gluten-free foods have actually never been diagnosed with celiac sprue.
But, it’s not that simple. Who needs an official diagnosis if you simply feel better when you stay off of a certain food? And besides that, you don’t need to have full-blown celiac sprue to benefit from a gluten free diet. Some folks are simply allergic to wheat (not gluten), others have a gluten-intolerance and are unable to correctly digest gluten proteins. Others do have full-blown celiac disease. An excellent primer on gluten-free diets and their potential benefits is the book Can a Gluten Free Diet Help? How?1. Even those with MS are encourgaged to give a gluten-free diet a try to see if it will improve their quality of life. Most recently, www.naturalnews.com ran an article linking adult acne to gluten intolerance.
To help in whatever diet you choose, Azure has a growing number of gluten free items and dedicated brands to offer. While Bob’s Red Mill has many gluten-free items, dedicated gluten free brands include Gluten Free Mama Kitchen, Tinkyada, Gifts of Nature, & Namaste.
1 Can a Gluten Free Diet Help? How? by Lloyd Rosenvold (Keats Publishing, copyright 1992 by Lloyd Rosenvold.)
2 There Is a Connection Between Gluten and Acne That Often Gets Overlooked http://www.naturalnews.com/024669.html
Terminator Seeds,
GMO Crops Forced on Farmers;
Suicide increasing among those scammed by Monsanto.
If I were to put this next subject in a file folder, the folder would be labeled EVIL BEYOND BELIEF! It really is difficult to believe that such things could be perpetrated by people that claim to be intelligent and civilized. I wouldn’t have believed it if it hadn’t come from more than one credible source.
What caught my eye was the title: “The Assault on Iraqi Agriculture — U.S, Agribusiness targets the fertile Crescent.”1 I really didn’t expect maniacal and demented actions being reported in the article that I found on www.organicconsumers.org.
The article stated that “Over the past 20 years… Iraq’s agricultural sector has been devastated.” Well, I wasn’t really surprised by that. I wasn’t even surprised to read that much of the infrastructure of Iraqi agriculture has been destroyed and it will take years to restore it even under good conditions. After all, war is war and things get destroyed under wartime conditions.
However, whether you are for or against the war in Iraq, there has to be a point which goes beyond the pale of acceptable — even in war.
The article covers the Oil-For-Food (OFF) Program and covers information that would be filed under the “atrocities of war” category. However; the EVIL BEYOND BELIEF stuff begins when it addresses the 100 Orders that former Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) administrator L. Paul Bremer III enacted as head of the occupation authority in Iraq.
Of the 100 Orders, Order 81 contains the edicts pertaining to agriculture. Order 81 “was written to promote the patenting of seeds and the sale of GMOs.” (GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms; GM stands for Genetically Modified).
To make a long story short, agribusiness can patent a seed by describing or characterizing it. This means that the seeds Iraqis have been saving and passing down for thousands of years are no longer theirs. Now they must buy whatever agribusiness wants to sell them — at high prices.
Another candidate for the “evil beyond belief” category is what is happening in India. This came from www.dailymail.co.uk: “When Prince Charles claimed thousands of Indian farmers were killing themselves after using GM crops, he was branded as a scaremonger. In fact, as this chilling dispatch reveals, it’s even WORSE than he feared.”
The people in agribusiness (like Monsanto) that are pushing the sale of GM seeds to countries like India can only be described as ogres. The scenario goes like this. Monsanto comes in promising abundant crops and great profits if the farmers buy and use GM seeds. The farmers borrow money to buy the seeds. The crops fail. This goes through several cycles and then the Indian farmer - cropless, in debt, and destitute - commits suicide.
In the past, when crops failed, the farmers could replant with saved seeds, but not with GM seeds. The GM seeds contain so-called “terminator technology”. They have been genetically modified so that the resulting crop is sterile.
From Iraq where farmers essentially cannot legally save seed (or all of their farming equipment could be confiscated), to India where use of GM seeds is resulting in suicides, the thought occurs… what about the U.S.? What’s happening in this country? Could it happen here? Since it is the U.S. that is perpetrating these evils on the citizens of foreign countries, and GMO crops are huge in this country, it looks as though we’ve been set up for a very big failure at any time. Because there is no law demanding GM foods be labeled, currently the best thing is to buy organically grown food, which by definition is not GM.
1) http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_1867.cfm
Author: susan | Posted on 30. November 2008 at 15:01 pm | Filed in articles |
The Truth of the Matter
Editorial by Susan Booth
(Oct/Nov 2008)
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There’s been a study done on nearly everything. They have even studied the studies themselves! But, I remember one study that was perhaps more of a sociology or behavioral study than a health study. The conclusions were interesting to me. It seems that when a news event proclaims that something is bad for you, that news travels faster than the news that it’s good for you. The study was particularly about food recalls and contaminated produce. Right away folks quit eating the condemned food, but months after it’s deemed safe to eat, many folks still haven’t heard the good news of its safety and still aren’t buying it.
![[Image]](http://www.azurestandard.com/img/products/eggs-butter-milk-2-5648.jpg)
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BK014
The Untold Story of Milk
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In a more long term scenario, the same thing happened with eggs and butter. For years the government and health gurus (“diet dictocrats” as Sally Fallon calls them) proclaimed the evils of these very basic yet highly nutritious foods. Now the truth is back — eggs and butter are good for you — but a majority of people still haven’t heard the good news, or simply can’t believe they were so misled for so long. Another case in point, as I discussed in a previous article, is the virtues of raw, unpasteurized, non-homogenized milk. When handled correctly, the healthful qualities of raw milk far surpass other types of processed milk (particularly the oxidized and super-heated forms such as non-fat dry milk or UHT/Ultra-Pasteurized milk.[1]) Again, many folks either haven’t heard the good news that raw milk is good "again", or can’t believe they were misled for so long. (For the full story of pasteurization and contaminated milk, I suggest the book The Untold Story of Milk [BK014].)
But as with anything, it’s not so simple. Sometimes truly bad news doesn’t reach the majority (and only a minority find out through word of mouth and “fringe” publications and websites). Why is this? If there is a lot of money to be made by keeping the majority “in the dark”, the truth can easily be covered up or mocked so badly that people feel foolish to believe the truth. There’s also the element of advertising. Advertisers “foot the bill” for most publications and, therefore, magazines, medical journals, and other media sources don’t want to go against their advertisers for fear they will lose precious ad dollars.
Controversial Subjects
With that as a background, I’d like to bring several controversial subjects to your attention. I, of course, have my own constraints as far as how much I can tell you. But, as always, I don’t aim to be the final authority on these subjects. However, I want to bring your attention to these important issues and give you enough information so you can start your own research.
Fats & Oils
![[Image]](http://www.azurestandard.com/img/products/oil-grouping-small.jpg)
I had written an article several years ago on fats and oils which we had been reprinting in our Extra Info Book. But in this 2008-2009 edition I removed the article because it was a bit outdated and so many more new oils have become readily available. There are many books which discuss fats and oils (Know Your Fats, by Mary Enig is an example of a good one) and the Internet has lots of information on different oils. So, I don’t feel it’s necessary to describe and tell about each and every oil. But, here are a few tidbits about fats and oils you may want to consider and research further.
#1 - You need fat in your diet. A fat-free or nearly fat-free diet is not balanced or healthy. I have two personal stories to tell you about. I knew a very tall, thin, healthy young man who married a somewhat misguided health-enthusiast and she immediately put him on a fat-free diet. Soon his skin became incredibly dry, flaking off like dandruff everywhere. She realized the dietary mistake she had made, added fat back into his diet, and his skin returned to being healthy.
I also knew a young mother who wanted to lose weight quickly and went on a fat-free, low-calorie diet, which also happened to be devoid of everything nutritious because it basically consisted of Saltine crackers and water!! Yes, on this near-starvation diet she lost weight alright — and lost much of her beautiful blonde hair (what was left was thin and brittle) and lost her brain power too. Unable to think properly her life went downhill quickly. The brain is made out of fat and particularly thrives on Omega 3 fats. (This is why certain fats are called EFAs - Essential Fatty Acids.)
#2 - You need more Omega 3 fats than the modern industrialized diet provides. Over-consumption of Omega 6 fatty acids (prevalent in vegetable & grain oils such as soy, corn, and rice bran oils as well as grain-fed meats) leads to inflammation in the body and consequently other degenerative diseases.[2] To increase the Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio many folks are choosing grass-fed meats (not grain-finished), choosing nut & seed oils high in Omega 3 (such as walnut and flaxseed oils), and shunning the Omega 6 (we get plenty without choosing oils high in it). Many oil manufacturers are including this information on their labels these days - particularly if they are proud of the Omega 3 content.
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BK371
The Coconut Oil Miracle
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#3 - Eating saturated fats and cholesterol does not cause cholesterol to increase in the blood and does not cause heart disease. (This fact is what has finally put eggs back on the “good” list.) The sugars and simple carbohydrates that usually come along with saturated fats are the cause of many health problems. Sugars require the body to produce insulin, and it’s the insulin in the blood stream that breaks down artery walls. The body then manufactures it’s own cholesterol in the liver (not what you eat) and packs that into the tears and fissures in the arteries to “shore them up”.[3] You might seek out the book Cholesterol Myths, by Uffe Ravnskov for more details on this important subject. Coconut oil and butter, even though they have been vilified as saturated fats, are gaining popularity very quickly because of their many health promoting qualities.
![[Image]](http://www.azurestandard.com/img/products/mufa-group.jpg)
#4 - Rancid fats, or ones that go rancid easily in the body should be avoided at all costs. What fats go rancid easily? Polyunsaturated fats (usually found in vegetable oils such as soy, corn, safflower etc.). These fats can oxidize in the body causing wrinkles on the outside and tissue damage on the inside. Instead, go for monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) found in peanut oil, olive oil, avocado oil. Studies are showing that by increasing MUFAs in your diet (think peanuts, peanut butter, olives, avocados and their oils) you can actually reduce belly fat and increase metabolism.[4,5,&6]
#5 - Eating a variety of fats and oils (rather than doggedly sticking to just one type of oil and championing it as the single most healthful) could be the best choice. Your body needs all kinds of nutrition, and these days with the modern practice of mono-culture (growing only one variety on a farm) we need to make a concerted effort to eat a big variety of foods for the unique qualities each brings to the table.
Soy
Another important subject you should be aware of is recent studies on the detrimental effects of soy consumption across the population, but especially among the youth. For those of you who have read my articles over the years, you know that I grew up on soy milk and soy meat analogs and now suffer terrible headaches with even the smallest amount of soy. And I wrote an article several years ago about the potential dangers of soy. (It’s reprinted in our Extra Info Book [CT009].)
When I first came to realize that soy was my nemisis, I had found my first documentation of problems with soy on the Internet. Since then many health newsletters have sounded the alarm about soy, and a comprehensive well-written book has been published, The Whole Soy Story, by Kaayla T. Daniel. In preparing for this article, I looked for updated information on the Internet, and boy, did I find it! It’s worth your efforts to learn why soy is losing its acceptance in the world of naturopathic doctors and health advocates. At websites such as www.soyonlineservice.co.nz You’ll learn about soy’s links to cancer, hormonal imbalances, thyroid disorders, allergies, estrogenic effects on boys causing reproductive problems and effeminate characteristics, and girls beginning puberty at age 5 or younger. Remember, soy is regularly added to the meat in school lunch programs to not only “extend” the meat, but reduce the calories and cholesterol in school lunches to meet government requirements. So, you may be eating more soy than you think. Soy is added to so many foods, it’s really difficult to avoid completely. With something this serious, it deserves your careful consideration before you “chow down” on it.
If dairy products don’t suit you for some reason, diversify your non-dairy choices. Coconut, rice, and almond based milk substitutes may be much healthier in the long run than soy products. Variety is key. And variety may help you at least get a little bit of “the good stuff” while not getting too much of “the bad stuff” — whatever those things turn out to be!
[As a side note, part of the reason Azure Standard has done so well over the years is because people (like you and me) have chosen to take a different road toward better health than what was typically available in the mainstream marketplace. When someone learns that conventional crops are often contaminated with chemicals, and conventional meats are typically full of antibiotic residues and artificially high hormone levels, it just makes sense to switch to organically grown food. And for folks who discover they have an allergy or intolerance (for me it’s soy, for others it may be gluten or something else), Azure is striving to fill those needs with alternatives. It’s okay to be picky. It’s the right thing to do to seek out the truth and act on it… for your own good health!]
Why won’t you hear about these negatives from mainstream media sources, the government or even your health food store? Money. “Everyone” is afraid that telling the truth will reduce sales, reduce subsidies, force changes in farm crops, or reduce business at doctors offices and hospitals. With so much focus on their own “sacred cows” and not wanting their own “ox gored,” many people forget that a truly healthy, strong, mentally alert population living in a healthy environment is the basis of a robust and thriving nation.
Convenience Foods
Lately, there’s been a lot of fast-food “bashing” by the mainstream media and the “diet dictocrats”. But the real problem isn’t in how “fast” a food is, or whether it’s eaten “on the go”. An APPLE could be considered junk food if that was the definition! Ridiculous! The real questions we should be asking are, “What is the food prepared with?”, and “How many flavor enhancers and preservatives are used to keep you addicted to the ‘store-bought taste’ and make the food ‘convenient’ for a long time?” If your life is so fast-paced you can’t stop to find out what you’re eating and sit down together for relaxed family meals, you need to reevaluate your priorities, or get ready for some sickness in your future. “If you don’t make time to be well, you’ll have to take time to be sick.” Hamburgers, pizza, and even French Fries aren’t the real culprits in American’s ill-health. But, wrong attitudes, lack of will to demand truth, and inability to change our ways may be the reasons for our gradual decline - nationwide. This goes beyond food choices and to the very foundation of our civilized society. You’d think with all the knowledge and technology we have today, Americans’ life-spans would be some of the longest in the world — but that’s not the case.
Much attention is given to the healthfulness of the Mediterranean Diet even though it doesn’t conform to the current fad of “low-fat, low-carb, no-red meat, low-calorie, eat-nothing” diets. Sure, your diet (what you eat) plays a major roll in your health. But so does the attitude that goes along. As I said at the beginning, there’s been a study on nearly everything. I remember reading about a study in which people were asked to make a word-association when they heard the words “chocolate cake”. In the U.S. people typically associated that with the word “GUILT”, while in other more long-lived countries, the people were more likely to associate it with the word “CELEBRATION”. Eating rich foods in moderation, for special occasions, and with positive emotions has a beneficial effect on health. So, make good food choices, then enjoy what you eat.
Inconvenient Truths
"In times of universal deceit, speaking the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
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I continue to be amazed at just how effective lies really are. I’ve heard it said that “The best lie is the slice closest to the truth”. Even when we’re awash in information in this Information Age, it’s hard to find the truth among the lies, and the truth is so often covered up. What really happened on September 11? Is usury and a debt-based money-changer banking system the root cause of today’s economic problems? Is the election process really rigged? Is there really a cure (or cures) for cancer that is being covered up, suppressed, and made illegal? These are subjects that people dare not discuss for fear of reprisals!
How can we get to the 1,000% truth in a culture like this? The “1,000% truth” has been somewhat of a joke at my house since an experience I had several years ago. One morning when I came to work at the office, I found two co-workers wringing their hands over a computer that was apparently malfunctioning. I asked, “What happened?”
They replied, “We don’t know. When we came in this morning this is the way the computer was acting!” As I began to take a look at the computer, the rest of the truth came out. They said, “Well, uh… that was the 100% truth. The 1,000% truth is that we came in after hours last night and it wasn’t working right so we tried to fix it, but couldn’t.”
"Speaking the truth is a ‘hate crime’ when those who hate the truth make all the laws."
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To this day, I laugh. Basically, they were saying, “The truth is: we found it this way this morning”, but the complete truth is “we left it this way last night!” This is an example of why the oath in a court of law says the person will tell “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” (Turns out, the computer my co-workers had “broken” wasn’t really broken at all… the monitor was simply displaying the screen of another computer not apparently connected to it. They were attempting to fix something that wasn’t broken in the first place — they just didn’t understand it.)
Another example of hidden (and inconvenient) truths I found in a thick and very detailed but interesting book entitled Forbidden Archeology by Cremo and Thompson.[7] This book presents evidence of all sorts that modern-type human bones, tools, and possessions can be found in the deepest (and by their thinking, the oldest) of the stratographic layers of the earth. And they point out over and over how evolutionists have squashed, suppressed, and destroyed this evidence because if this evidence were to be accepted, it would turn the entire theory of evolution on its head. The book takes a different angle on just how these modern-type human bones can be found in such “old” layers, but I can see the many examples of hidden and suppressed findings all point to the truth as told in the story of Noah and the world-wide flood in the Bible. The layers at the bottom aren’t really “older” they’re just the first layers of mud and debris created in the first stages of the Great Flood. And in these first, deepest layers are the remains of the first people (and animals etc.) to die in the deluge. Subsequent (higher layers) were washed up later on in the flooding. A fascinating book on this subject is The Genesis Flood, by Whitcomb and Morris.[8] These are truths you can see with your own eyes whether you’re traveling through the Columbia River Gorge, visiting the Grand Canyon, or collecting fossils and shells on a mountain top. The evidence is there, but do we want to know the truth? Do we want to talk about it? What if it turns our previous conceptions of life and history upside down?
This quote seems appropriate: “My mind’s made up. Don’t confuse me with facts!”
But sometimes, the truth does come, it just comes a little at a time and you have to be patient and wait for all the pieces of the puzzle to come together. Years ago I heard about the Shroud of Turin, but didn’t know what to think of it. People claim it is the actual burial cloth of Jesus Christ, saved as a relic by His disciples. At the time, I thought it was kind of a neat thing, but with modern technology “anything is possible” and forgeries abound. I didn’t have enough information to satisfy myself as to whether I wanted to believe this was real or not.
Then, the “1,000% truth” came. It came in the form of additional evidence. A DVD entitled The Fabric of Time[9] introduced me to something I didn’t know existed. Called the “Sudarium Cloth” and located in Oviedo, Spain, the blood stains on it (Type AB) match perfectly the blood stains on the Shroud of Turin. It’s very existence verifies the validity of the Shroud of Turin. The scientific evidence is there, and “blind faith” isn’t necessary… the facts speak for themselves.
The truth isn’t always apparent at first. Either it can’t be known yet, or it’s been hidden on purpose. But, through diligent searching with an open mind and prayer for guidance, you’ll find it. “…and the truth will set you free.”[10]
References
1) http://www.westonaprice.org/motherlinda/ultra-pasteurizedmilk.html
2) Protein Power Lifeplan, by Michael R. Eades, M.D. and Mary Dan Eades, M.D. Copyright 2000 by Creative Paradox, Warner Books, Chapter 3, “The Fat of the Land”
3) Protein Power, The High-Protein/Low-Carbohydrate Way to Lose Weight, Feel fit, and Boost Your Health — in Just Weeks!, by Michael R. Eades, M.D. and Mary Dan Eades, M.D. Copyright 1996 by Creative Paradox, a Bantam Book, p. 328-330)
4) Flat Belly Diet, by Liz Vaccariello, copyright 2008 by Rodale, Chapter 3, “The Magic of MUFAs”
5) “Lose Inches of Belly Fat Now”, by the Editors of Prevention http://health.msn.com/print.aspx?cp-documentid=100185417&page=0
6) “Flat Belly Diet for weight loss, eat MUFA” http://www.simpleweight.com/blog/diet/flat-belly-diet-for-weight-loss-eat-mufa/
7) Forbidden Archeology, The Hidden History of the Human Race, by Michael A. Cremo and Richard L. Thompson, copyright 1998, Bhaktivedanta Book Publishing, Inc.
The Genesis Flood, The Bibilical Record and Its Scientific Implications, by John C. Whitcomb, Jr., Th.D. and Henry M. Morris, Ph.D., copyright 1965, the Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co.
9) Fabric of Time DVD from Grizzly Adams Productions. http://www.grizzlyadams.com/public/home/index.cfm?productID=3 (and widely available elsewhere on the internet)
10) John 8:32
Author: susan | Posted on 22. September 2008 at 15:36 pm | Filed in articles |
Planning for the Future
Editorial by Susan Booth
(August/September 2008)
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We’re living in interesting times. We don’t know what’s ahead but, we could ponder this saying: “Someone who fails to plan, plans to fail.” But, what should we plan for? It seems that the future looming before us is completely different from anything in recent history.
Then again, perhaps not. History repeats itself mainly because either history is forgotten, the true history was revised (and the truth covered up), or people in authority want to try the same failed approach again, figuring they “know better now”. What makes our current situation different than in previous times in history, is that many problems are coming together all at once. A nexus, you could say, of many problems that have been years, decades, or even centuries in the making.
The Survivalist Movement
People have seen these scary things coming for a long time. That was evident with the “Survivalist Movement” of the late ‘70s & early ‘80s. Magazines were on the cutting edge of practical ways to survive the upcoming adverse circumstances. Gizmos were sold so you could survive on nearly nothing, and a cry for self-sufficiency went up. But, in the decades since then, apparently their fears didn’t come upon them. It seemed that only the hard-core continued to fret, and most everyone else just became swept along with the rest of the inattentive public. But, perhaps they weren’t wrong, just premature.
Take, for example, the current economic crunch that’s causing such consternation right now. I know of several books which predicted a dire economic situation, but weren’t heeded — not because they were wrong, just premature. Any economy based on debt* and not on real money will come down eventually. But how soon? Perhaps we’re about to see.
* It was only recently that I became educated on the current debt system and came to realize the reason why other countries view “capitalism” as a bad thing. It’s based on debt - it’s based on nothing tangible, only numbers in thin air. I used to think, erroneously, that capitalism was the opposite of communism — so capitalism must be good. Not so! Individualism is the opposite of communism, and capitalism is just a scheme using debt and leverage to produce an illusion of real prosperity. However, a “Minsky Moment” (1) comes eventually when the “chickens come home to roost” - as they are doing now.
Today, this nation and even the world, is facing a time like the world hasn’t seen in recent history partly because everything is so interdependent. It really has become a world economy. A hundred years ago people had to buy nearly everything they really needed within their own little community. Today, goods are shipped far & wide over long distances. Imported goods used to be very costly because of transportation costs, tariffs, and monetary exchange. Not so anymore. If you want fresh produce when it’s out of season, check your big Supermarket. They’ve probably trucked some in for you - picked green, fumigated on the trucks so they look ripe, dunked in chlorinated water to disinfect them, perhaps even irradiated. And Voila! There you have it! But, the disadvantages of this practice are now becoming painfully obvious. High fuel costs, contaminated produce… Things have to be done differently. This way is not sustainable.
Reaping Consequences
So, here we have two major problems “coming to a head” — the economy, and unadvisable agricultural practices. And each makes the other worse. We’re looking down the barrel of food shortages, food varieties going extinct, high food prices for what is available (high because of demand, and high because of the devalued dollar). Take bananas, for example. I read I history of the modern banana on www.naturalnews.com, and learned that the sweet banana variety (common before the 1960s) was wiped out by disease, and new varieties may face extinction as well because of bad farming practices and reduction of plant variety diversity.(2) (That’s one reason why I was so pleased when Azure was able to start carrying heirloom seeds from Heirlooms Evermore. Get ‘em, grow ‘em, and enjoy ‘em!) Variety isn’t just the spice of life, it’s essential to life. And it is becoming apparent that the mono-culture of foods produced in this country and around the world is doomed for failure… and genetic engineering could spell doom for food as we know it. Serious stuff.
Yes, there is food shortage because of bad weather, political unrest, the mono-culture of big agri-farming — you name it. So, what’s a “modern survivalist” to do? Well, planning for “the worst” may be hard to do, when we just don’t know how bad things will get, how long the problems will persist, and what the world will be like “when it’s over”.
Local Markets
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Sandy Larson enjoys gardening with her grandchildren. (Photo by Michelle Stelzer)
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But, perhaps the best preparation we can make today is to get back to basics. This could mean grinding your own grain, baking your own bread, making your own cheese, and growing your own garden. Sadly, in our modern society, not everyone has a place for a garden. While some may decide to dig up their front lawn and replace it with garden plants, there is another option that would not only give you a diverse amount of fresh produce, but would put you in touch with good people too. That’s the local farmers market. In the Columbia River Gorge, farmers markets have become particularly popular as folks opt for fresh, locally grown, often organic, produce.(3) The benefits are starting to be discovered (or should I say re-discovered), since not as much fuel is used to transport local produce, each farm usually grows diverse foods (it’s not mono-agriculture), the produce has usually been allowed to ripen naturally on the vine or tree so that its nutritional qualities are higher than supermarket types that were picked green. And you can get to know the people who actually produce your food — something that could be a mutually beneficial thing should times get very hard. You can talk with them and discuss the benefits of organic growing practices. Sometimes farmers even have other products they can sell you if you ask for them (like meat, milk, eggs, flowers).
The popularity of CSA boxes has increased, too. A CSA box is like a subscription — you get a box of fresh, locally grown produce full of all kinds of goodies, delivered to you on a regular basis. It’s actually kind of fun because sometimes you don’t know what you’re going to get in your box and have to discover how to cook it and eat it. Diversity at work! (Although these boxes do demonstrate somewhat of a pulling away from the status-quo of bigger, more ensconced agri-business, CSA doesn’t stand for Confederate States of America… No…. It stands for Community Supported Agriculture. By the community supporting the agriculture of their local area, everyone benefits.)
Another major benefit to buying local produce that’s been grown on small farms, is that the likelihood of widespread contamination** drops to zero. If one small farm has a problem, it’s not like the big agri-business farms that can contaminate the food of thousands of people just from a single problematic rinsing tank.(4) So, buy local. Buy from the smaller farmers.
** The thought has been suggested that the government welcomes contaminated food because it gives them reason to impose new regulations and institute new methods/devises of denaturing your food and making you sick. So it is with fresh produce. It’s the one thing (along with meat) that they haven’t been able to cook, pasteurize, or otherwise make NOT-raw. The wonderful benefits of raw food are something they simply don’t want you to have. So, irradiation of food is next. You’ll never know it was done because the food will look, act, and taste “raw”, yet, in fact, it will have been cooked, and all the beneficial bacteria and enzymes will be gone.(5) How and why it gets contaminated doesn’t matter. The end result is the same… you lose the freedom to eat natural food the way it came from the ground. Another good reason to buy local, and buy organic!
That’s what many restaurants are doing these days. A look at the restaurant advertising in the Columbia Gorge Magazine shows that many restaurants in this area are sourcing their food locally, and trying to offer organic fare.(6) It’s an exciting trend.
A farmers market is even being started here in the little town of Dufur. Although the Dufur area is known mostly for wheat and cherry production, more and more local farms are starting to produce a variety of goods, from natural beef to goats milk.
Azure Farm is even expanding its variety of fresh farm goods. The fresh tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers we offer in our fresh produce section will all be grown on our farm in the foothills of Mount Hood. This spring and summer, fruit trees and berry bushes have been planted on Azure Farm. So, perhaps in the future, even more produce we offer will truly be grown “locally”. (This should help many of you who live in areas or climates where fresh local produce isn’t available.)
Go Organic
While supporting your local farmers is important for long-term food supply and variety, organic is still highly important. Local AND organic is the ultimate! I’ve seen some reports in the main stream media which try to minimize the value of organic produce and growing methods. But, where there is a debate, the other side must always be considered and it’s not always correctly or fully given in biased mass media sources. So, you have to go hunting for the opposing view. I found a great article on the Internet titled “10 Reasons Why Organic Can Feed the World”(7), and it spelled out in detail the many ways that organic farming practices are ultimately much more sustainable and beneficial for life on this planet — and yes, done correctly, you could feed the world without harmful chemicals, genetic modification, deforestation, etc.
In this era when pesticides and other toxic substances are causing life-long problems for children, and genetically modified seeds threaten our food supply, it becomes increasingly important to support organic agriculture. (The website www.organicconsumers.org has this and more information, with an entire section devoted to children’s health[8].)
The internet has a wealth of information on such issues, and this is a consternation to those who wish to keep everyone “in the dark”. It’s harder to get propaganda to be believed when a rebuttal to it can be found somewhere on the Internet. No wonder some people want the internet to be regulated! They don’t want “the other side” to be heard.
Interesting Times
Truly, we’re living in interesting times, and perhaps these times are a bit scary, too. Trusting our Creator and finding His purpose in our lives may be the best “planning” we can do. I’ve only touched on two of the major factors that are coming together to make this period of time perhaps the worst in recent history — economic problems, agricultural/environmental problems. That’s not to mention natural disasters, social and political unrest, medical/pharmaceutical atrocities, cell phone and electromagnetic dangers, chemical toxin exposure and subsequent disease.
It’s time to do things differently - to do things better. The path we’ve been on (been led down) isn’t the right one and now a “Dead End” sign looms ahead. In this election year, I can hear someone say, “Vote for the other of the two parties.” Well, no, the two parties are just two faces of the same ugly beast. It could be argued that a third party is the way to go, and I wouldn’t say that’s a bad idea. But, things are so far gone, I think only our Creator and Savior can fix the mess we’re in. This dire situation needs Divine intervention! By returning to Him and His way of eating, living, farming can we really have a “plan” for the future.
References
1) Triage in Financial Markets http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article4675.html
2) Bananas Are Dying, Killed by Corporate Monoculture http://www.naturalnews.com/023339.html
3) Gorge Grown Food Network http://www.gorgegrown.com/
4) CDC website on the 1998-1999 Salmonella outbreak http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol7no6/cummings.htm
5) The Food Irradiation Plot: Why the USDA Wants to Sterilize Fresh Produce and Turn Live Foods into Dead Foods http://www.naturalnews.com/023015.html
6) Columbia Gorge Magazine http://www.columbiagorge.com/
7) 10 Reasons Why Organic Can Feed the World http://rinf.com/alt-news/environmental-news/10-reasons-why-organic-can-feed-the-world/3715/
http://www.organicconsumers.org/afc.cfm
Suggested Reading:
“Simply in Season” BK436
Author: susan | Posted on 9. July 2008 at 17:47 pm | Filed in articles |
So, Where Do We Go From Here?
Editorial by Susan Booth
(June/July 2008)
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Would you agree that you know more about health right now than at any previous time in your life? If you look at it that way, everyone knows the same amount — we each know the maximum that we’ve learned so far!
Learning is (or should be) a lifelong pursuit of discovering the truth (and remembering it!). But, learning isn’t enough. Acting on the truths we learn is necessary, and often the more difficult thing to do. So is the journey to achieving good health. We’re all at different stages — not everyone has come to know and implement all the health truths. It’s a journey we’re each taking. But, sometimes the truth can be hard to swallow.
Carcinogen in that Soda Pop
![[Image]](http://www.azurestandard.com/img/products/pop-cans.jpg)
It seems to me that every attempt is being made to make people sick. What better way to keep people from rising up against unrighteous leadership than to poison them with what they drink? If you’re guessing that I’m going to come down on Aspartame and all it’s deleterious health effects, well… you’d be close, because that is bad, and I’ve come down on it before. But, no. I’m talking about something that was discovered about soda pop as early as 1990, but has not been greatly publicized — Benzene content.
Benzene is a known carcinogen (and linked to leukemia). It is not necessarily present in the soda pop when it is manufactured (although some companies reformulated their product to reduce benzene levels), but is produced when benzoates react with ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) or erythrobic acid. Heat or light exposure can trigger the reaction which forms benzene in beverages containing two ingredients: the acid (ascorbic acid or erythrobic acid) and the benzoate (sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate).1&2
And if that’s not enough, just sodium benzoate by itself (in everything from soda pop to pickles) is being blamed for cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease.3
If you’ve ever seen a “pop can drive” at a school, or looked at the huge square hunks of crushed pop cans at a recycle center, I’m sure you’ll agree… the population is drinking a lot of soda pop! If the sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, Aspartame, phosphoric acid, artificial flavors and benzene aren’t good for you, is there any redeeming value in soda pop? Oh. Maybe the water in there is okay. Then again, maybe not…
Fluoride
![[Image]](http://www.azurestandard.com/img/products/tap-water.jpg)
Even your drinking water isn’t safe from do-gooders who may really be out to ruin your health — and all for the “good cause” of your teeth. Fluoridated water is often used in soda pop production (and some bottled waters too.)
You need water! Pure water. And there are those who are vehement that you must drink fluoridated water - like it or not!
To me, this is the big issue. Why should something, anything, be put in the water supply of everyone (actually 66% of municipal water supplies in this country are fluoridated4) whether they like it or not? Why can’t those who wish to have fluoride, take it in supplemental form rather than contaminating the water of everyone?
The next question is whether fluoridated water actually has positive benefits or negative effects. You don’t have to dig very deep into this issue to realize several things:
1) Fluoridation advocates are typically dentists, medical organizations, and government health departments. Isn’t it a conflict of interest for dentists to actually want you to be cavity free? Same with medical organizations. They make money when you’re sick. And the government… is there something in the Constitution that makes it their job to keep everyone from getting cavities?
2) Fluoridation advocates typically simply downplay the concerns of fluoridation opponents, and attempt to rebut side-issues rather than addressing the big health concerns.
3) The health concerns about fluoridation are very serious. A report from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) indicated that fluoride levels in drinking water may be too high. The report “found persuasive evidence that fluoride in water increases bone fractures as well as stiffness in the joints of the elderly, and that it also may be related to Alzheimer’s disease, marginally reduce IQ in children and alter the endocrine and hormonal levels that control most of the functions of the human body with unknown side effects. The chemical may even cause bone cancer…”5
Excessive fluoride intake (which is easy if it’s in your water, soda pop, toothpaste, mouthwash etc. - and I suppose the term “excessive” would need to be clarified), has other negative consequences on bone, teeth, and the brain. “Too much of the ion can lead to skeletal fluorosis, a condition in which teeth have weak enamel and bones have poor mineralization…. Exposure to high levels of fluoride may also alter brain development.” The American Dental Association has even recommended that infants not be given formula reconstituted with fluoridated water to prevent excess exposures.6 Amazing statement, and even more frustrating when you realize that many people are deprived of a non-fluoridated water source!
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BK117
Nourishing Traditions
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There are better ways to protect children’s teeth - namely proper diet and nutrition (even before birth). Weston A. Price was a dentist who found people all over the world living on primitive diets (not on the modern Western Diet) who had perfect teeth. (You can find out more in the book Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon, which is based on Dr. Price’s studies.)
According to Tim Kropp, a toxicologist for the Environmental Working Group, the NAS report showed “that you can protect your children’s teeth by brushing them, and you can protect their bones by getting rid of fluoride in tap water.”7
So, everyone risks lower IQ, soft bones, and major diseases, just so dental do-gooders can force-feed fluoride to everyone and some may (or may not) have fewer cavities? Isn’t there something wrong with this picture?
If your drinking water comes from your own well that’s free of chlorine (which can disrupt the body’s chemistry itself), and fluoride, and tests free of contaminates and parasites, then count your blessings! You have a real treasure.
Real “Food” - not food-like substances
Of course as a health FOOD distributor, Azure tends to focus on, what else?… food! I recently read a very interesting book entitled, In Defense of Food - An Eater’s Manifesto, by Michael Pollan.8 And underneath the title it reads, “Eat Food. Not Much. Mostly Plants.” No, it isn’t a book about vegetarianism, although it strongly encourages eating more vegetables. Instead it’s a book that neatly describes the history of the Western Diet that is causing so much illness in this country. The government set the stage, technology provided the ability, and the food industry seized an opportunity to make money. The result? Grocery stores filled with “food-like substances” that resemble the real thing, but have been so engineered to try to conform to the latest popular health fad, that they really can’t be considered “food” anymore. The book brought together many pieces of the big picture in such a way that when I finished reading it, I was re-inspired to pursue the Traditional diets of pre-industrial times, and eat “real food”. Real Food doesn’t usually make a bunch of health claims, because it’s unprocessed. In my opinion, there are really only three* food groups: 1) fresh produce & nuts, 2) dairy & eggs, and 3) meat, poultry & fish. (That’s basically everything you’ll find on the outer perimeter of a grocery store - not the aisles in the middle). If you stray from those basics, you’re probably eating processed foods, and your health is in the hands of the food chemists. (Unfortunately, even fresh produce is at risk these days because of irradiation9… in my words it’s a way of cooking your fresh produce without you knowing it!)
* Some would argue that whole grains should be included as a food group, and it’s true that grains have been part of people’s diets for thousands of years and contain many valuable nutrients. But great care must be given to this “class” of food because of two main issues. First, modern hybridization of grains has adversely affected some folks (thus the rise in popularity of “ancient” grains such as Kamut® and Spelt). Second, many “whole grain” products available in the middle-of-the-store aisles are actually highly processed and their nutritional value has been reduced. Naturally occuring phytates in whole grains can cause digestibility and mineral absorption problems, so the best whole grain foods will be those that are naturally “cultured” just as they were years ago before modern methods were introduced. You can find out more about the importance of natural sourdough, “yeast-free”, and lacto-fermented breads and grains in the book Nourishing Traditions.
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The book also described in detail just how the popularity of “nutritionism” has come about, and how modern science wants to pick apart food and proclaim that it’s just a combination of different nutrients which could be simulated (think of their attempt to approximate breast milk with infant formula… it’s never as good as the real thing.) The whole is better than the sum of it’s parts!
We, and the food that gives us sustenance, are marvelous creations! For the body to utilize food, and for plants (and the animals who eat them) to provide the exact nutrition the body needs, is the work of a super-intelligent Designer! This brings up the only real negative thing I could say about the book… the author mentions evolution on several occasions, when it’s obvious that something that works so marvelously together (so well that man can’t duplicate it), could never have evolved by random chance! (Perhaps you’ll want to balance the evolutionary comments by reading about Creation).
Before You Could Make Your Own Decisions
It is very apparent that there are people, organizations, industries, and governments who want to ruin your health (for their own reasons) by contaminating most drinks, and most food. And they have other avenues they use to ensure your ill-health. One scary thing is, there’s something they’re using that you had no choice about. It was injected into you before you could hear the pros & cons, before you could decide, and before you could fight back. That dangerous thing is the Vaccination.
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Vaccination Deception
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I know this is a difficult subject to bring up because, well, once you’ve been vaccinated, it’s done. Over with. Why talk about it?…even if it is a probable cause of your ill health and suffering. The important thing now is to make sure your children and grandchildren grow up healthy, WITHOUT vaccinations. It can be done and everyone should be fully informed on this very important issue.
![[Image]](http://www.azurestandard.com/img/products/syringe.jpg)
Recently, the revised and updated edition of Vaccination Deception became available, and we now have it in stock. I encourage you to buy it and read it. In it you’ll find a mountain of information that will change the way you look at everything. For example, did you know that vaccines come from blood products?10 Did you know that some vaccines are made with diseased monkey kidneys, mice brains, or baby hamster kidneys?11 Did you know that these things get in your system and change your DNA?11 Did you know that vaccines can actually cause the very disease they are intended to prevent?12 Did you know that the vaccines that appeared to stop an outbreak were actually given after the disease was mostly through it’s cycle?13 Did you know that vaccines often contain mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde?11 Did you know that vaccines are probably the culprit behind autism, brain damage, and low IQ?14 Did you know that when vaccinations were stopped in Japan for children up to 2 years old, the SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) incidents “dropped dramatically to zero”?15 Did you know that feeding children quality food (real food), plus getting lots of sunshine, fresh air, and exercise, and living in sanitary conditions will do more to raise your child’s immunity to ward off disease than simply vaccinating?16 (The Vaccination Deception book includes information about healthful herbs and homeopathics.17)
It’s a subject that may shock you, but may explain the weird diseases in your family and give you reason to strongly question the intents behind the vaccination campaign.
Where do we go from here?
So, you might be asking… where’s the good news? The good news is that you can make changes in your own life to offset the negatives. You’re in charge of your own health and you can take a stand. You can give your children a better start in life. You can help change the world we live in… and there are many, many people, organizations, and businesses that are on your side. You just have to search them out a bit.
Take the Slow Food movement for example. As a backlash against fast food chains coming to Italy in the 1980’s a campaign was started to slow down people’s busy lives and encourage them to take time to enjoy the nourishment they live on, and socialize around. (Check out the U.S. website at www.slowfoodusa.com)
![[Image]](http://www.azurestandard.com/img/products/dinner-hands.jpg)
Speaking of socializing. This is one thing you can do to make a difference for your own health as well as the happiness of your family. Simply eat dinner together. Turn off the TV and enjoy getting to know your family. Listening, talking, encouraging. This is very beneficial, and nobody makes money off of this activity. (Perhaps that’s why families are encouraged by television to watch more TV, eat microwave food, avoid researching subjects that really matter, and not talk to each other… you might learn something they don’t want you to know!).
Another activity that is wonderful for your health, yet doesn’t cost anyone anything, is exercise. If you choose an activity that doesn’t require a lot of gear (I’m thinking, walking, dancing, gardening) you won’t line the pockets of greedy governments and industries. Or if you choose a sport that doesn’t have an ambulance backed up to the playing field, like football (so you don’t line the pockets of the medical establishment), you’ll be doing great things for yourself.
And don’t forget sunshine! Since it’s instrumental in helping your body manufacture the Vitamin D you need to stay healthy, go get some of it… it’s free!
Think outside the box. Do things differently — better.
I found an excellent news website recently that seems to cover many of the health issues facing us these days, and with good insight to boot. Everything was so interesting I hardly knew what to read first! www.naturalnews.com
The concerted destruction of the family, ruining of people’s health, debasement of the currency, and corruption of government have led us all down a very dark and deadly path. Fight back — with sunshine, physical activity, family time, good food the way our Creator designed it, fresh air, and pure water!
Discovering, remembering and embracing the ways of the past (the very ways that provided health and life to our ancestors) will actually give us a brighter future. The “modern” experiments of the last hundred years or so with food, farming, medicine, and health will be looked back on with disdain and disbelief by those who make it into the future with sound minds and bodies. To quote Mike Adams of NaturalNews.com, “The only healthy, aware, critically thinking individuals I know are all 100% free of pharmaceuticals and processed foods (and watch no television, either).”18 For a better future, we should implement the virtues of the past.
References
1) Soft Drink - Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_drink
2) FDA: Too Much Benzene in Some Drinks - CBS News http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/19/health/main1638170.shtml
3) Some Scientists Believe Soda Pop May Cause Cirrhosis of the Liver and Parkinson’s: That is because of a Preservative in the Carbonated Beverages. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/261745/some_scientists_believe_soda_pop_may
4) High Fluoride in Drinking Water is Associated with Poor Performance on Intelligence Tests. Environmental Health News. http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/newscience/2007/2007-0705wangetal.html
5) Fluoride Foes Get Validation, The Portland Tribune, March 24, 2006 http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=34527
6) High Fluoride in Drinking Water is Associated with Poor Performance on Intelligence Tests. Environmental Health News. http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/newscience/2007/2007-0705wangetal.html
7) Fluoride Foes Get Validation, The Portland Tribune, March 24, 2006 http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=34527
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, by Michael Pollan, copyright Michael Pollan, 2008. The Penguin Press, New York, New York.
9) The Plan for the Food Supply, by Mike Adams. http://www.naturalnews.com/023014.html
10) Vaccination Deception: How Vaccines Prevent Optimal Health!, Second Edition, by Teddy H. Spence, DDS, ND, copyright 2008 , page 6.
11) Ibid., page 41
12) Ibid., page 21 and 53
13) Ibid., page 30
14) Ibid., page 71 and 55
15) Ibid., page 26
16) Ibid., page 30 and 66-67.
17) Ibid., page 79
18) Negotiating with Big Pharma, by Mike Adams, www.naturalnews.com/022006.html
Author: susan | Posted on 25. May 2008 at 18:12 pm | Filed in articles |
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