I don’t believe there is any greater insidious threat to our health than genetically modified foods (GE or GMO). Think about what it means. You are taking a gene that is in one species (say a lectin) and splicing it into species that may not even be in the same family. What will the body do with it? All one has to do is read about the immune systems response to oral antigens to know we are in for a potential catastrophic disaster.
This is not selective breeding. I hear pro GMO folks say well ‘we are just speeding up evolution.’ That statement is a fallacy as evolution is a process of slow change. Our immune systems and digestive systems are not changing and adapting along with the GMO foods
(From HealthDay News) — Pregnant women with low levels of vitamin D may be putting their children at risk for language difficulties, Australian researchers report.
Taking vitamin D supplements during pregnancy may relieve the problem, they suggest.
“Adequate vitamin D levels among pregnant women may be important for the optimal development of their baby,” said lead researcher Andrew Whitehouse, an associate professor and reader in developmental psychopathology at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research at the University of Western Australia. “However, it is important for the findings of this study to be replicated before any strong conclusions are made.”
Vitamin D levels among pregnant women have decreased steadily over the past 20 years, most likely because of less exposure to sunlight, Whitehouse said.
“The effects of lower maternal vitamin D levels on the developing offspring is not fully understood,” he said. “The current study found that women with vitamin D insufficiency during pregnancy have an increased risk of having a child with developmental language difficulties.” Read the rest of this entry
Since Valentine’s Day is upon us it is a good time to bring up chocolate and the moral consequences that goes along with purchasing the majority of chocolate we find on the shelves. Certainly chocolate has a plethora of benefits as can easily be found in research studies. These are often because of the powerful plant chemicals known as polyphenols which are made by the plant to protect itself, however us humans can ingest polyphenols for nutritional benefit. A truly polyphenol rich dessert would be a dark chocolate with Shiraz red wine which will warm and protect your heart.
Yesterday I watched a phenomenal webinar on the effects of food chemicals and child behavior. It was entitled “Driven to Distraction: Food, chemicals and child behavior” and hosted by an organization that is worth knowing, Healthy Food Action. The webinar was recorded and they promise to have it up soon, once they do I’ll post a link.
Today a video with a similar theme was posted on a Functional Medicine listserv I am on. If you want to see digestion of wholesome foods vs. processed foods you need to check out this video. Amazing how long long those Ramen noodles are intact in the stomach. I guess we can also just use a compost bin to compare processed vs. whole instead of expensive technology.
As we age we lose our ability to properly absorb B12. There is something called Intrinsic Factor which is needed for B12 to be properly absorbed. Therefore if we take oral supplements of B12 that we swallow they aren’t doing us much good either because the intrinsic factor is not available to absorb what is in a vitamin pill. That is why many physicians use B12 injections. In my office I use sublingual B12 that is absorbed through the capillaries under the tongue directly into the blood stream. Anyone who is severely B12 deficient should use injections to get their levels up. But really anyone over 60 might want to get a complete blood count (CBC) to determine if they might be B12 deficient. If you see your (Mean Corpuscular Volume) MCV greater than around a 95 and your Hematocrit (HCT) and Red Blood Cell Count (RBC) on the low end of normal you may be B12 insufficient. (A blood test for B12 directly is not a good measurement of B12 status. Better measurements are Methylmalonic Acid (MMA) and Homocysteine which is a measure of folate status.) Read the rest of this entry
I specialize in food sensitivities where certain foods and chemicals are tested for a loss of oral tolerance (a fancy way of saying food sensitivity). I’ve seen certain chemicals cause headaches in people. Today I had a patient that determined by a methodical food challenge/washout process that she can eat a non-organic apple only if it is washed very well, otherwise she will get a headache. Although not certain we can assume it is the pesticide residues on the skin of the unwashed apple as many people are reactive to chemicals. (and do not realize it!)
Trouble falling asleep is a common complaint and one that is typically easy to fix without pharmaceutical medication. One cause can just be from a lack of melatonin being produced by the pineal gland. Melatonin is a hormone like substance that helps regulate sleep/wake cycles. It has the opposite cycle as cortisol which is known as a ‘stress’ hormone.Some people take L-tryptophan amino acid which is converted into the serotonin and then melatonin to help them sleep. (It can also improve mood as serotonin is a ‘feel good’ neurotransmitter). Some people take a supplement with melatonin which is also a very powerful antioxidant.
The more light in our bedroom, the less melatonin we produce. If you have trouble sleeping then it is best to sleep in a totally darkened room. The moment a light goes on in a room and hits our eyes then our melatonin levels drop. Darkness is important for good sleep.
When buying olive oil I often wondered how there could be so many brands at such different prices. If you go into Whole Foods the unit price cost per gallon can vary dramatically. Trader Joe’s sells its ‘organic extra-virgin’ olive oil quite inexpensively. In addition, one can see distinct color variations between oils in clear bottles. What does this difference mean in terms of phytonutrients, taste and integrity? Read the rest of this entry
For so many years when people tell me they use honey in their tea or other foods I always question to make sure it isn’t honey from a plastic squeezable bear. I am surprised how many people use inexpensive ‘honey’ from a standard grocery. You get what you pay for.
There is a great new article from the Food Safety Network entitled “Tests Show Most Store Honey Isn’t Honey”. Please read it to learn about what was found in store bought honey. The results aren’t sweet.
We all have food sensitivities to some degree. If and when they manifest as overt symptoms is very space and time dependent. Genetically engineered foods will only increase the likelihood that people will become more sensitive to foods (the technical term is a loss of oral tolerance) as potential antigens from one food/chemical is spliced into a completely different food.
Please sign this petition to request labeling on Genetically Engineered foods. We have a right to know if we are eating a genetically altered food. The ignorance so many so called experts display when they say there is no harm with GE foods is baffling. I had constant battles with my biochemistry professor about this. Hopefully he has opened his eyes to the dangers.
If more food is clearly labeled “Genetically Modified” there will be less demand and less madness. Obama has already let Alfalfa seeds slip on through, now the government wants to not inform people if they are eating GE foods. Please sign, this is important for future generations.
I don’t believe there is any greater insidious threat to our health than genetically modified foods (GE or GMO). Think about what it means. You are taking a gene that is in one species (say a lectin) and splicing it into species that may not even be in the same family. What will the body do with it? All one has to do is read about the immune systems response to oral antigens to know we are in for a potential catastrophic disaster.
