State Department uses taxpayer money to push GMOs in other countries

(NaturalNews) It is no secret that the vast majority of subsidized corn, soy, canola, and cotton grown in the US is of genetically-modified (GM) origin. But it has now been revealed that the US government is also using millions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize the promotion of GMOs across the globe as well. The administration of so-called “change” has actually taken the previous Bush Administration’s promotion of GMOs to a whole new level. Rather than push for mandatory labeling of GMOs like he promised, Barack Obama instead padded his administration with pro-biotechnology lackeys like US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, and Senior Adviser to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner on Food Safety Michael Taylor (http://www.organicconsumers.org/usda_watch.cfm). So is it any surprise that the head of the State Department’s Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs (EEB), Jose W. Fernandez, is also a pro-biotechnology expert lawyer that once held a key role in facilitating mergers and acquisitions in Latin America? His expertise, of course, is now being used to manipulate other countries into accepting GMOs, and the agency he heads is using taxpayer dollars to do it. According to AlterNet , Fernandez recently spoke at an event attended by high-level government officials, agribusiness CEOs, and others from around the world concerning the supposed benefits of biotechnology. During his speech Fernandez essentially lied to the group by implying that, without GMOs, it would be impossible to produce enough food to feed the world. Numerous recent studies have shown this to be false, of course, including a comprehensive report conducted by the Rodale Institute which found that organic, small-scale farming methods actually produce higher yields for less cost (http://www.naturalnews.com/033925_organic_farming_crop_yields.html). But why should we let facts get in the way of Big Biotech’s agenda to inject its “Frankencrops” into the agricultural economies of countries around the world? And EEB’s Office of Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Textile Trade Affairs (ABT) has been facilitating this agenda by promoting biotechnology for almost ten years now, which includes distributing roughly half a million in taxpayer-sourced “Biotechnology Outreach Funds” to thrust GMOs on foreign countries. AlterNet reports that in 2010, a US embassy in Ecuador petitioned ABT for $22,900 to fly five Ecuadorian journalists to the US to participate in a pro-biotech brainwashing retreat. That same year, US embassies in both Brazil and Mozambique requested $64,590 to hold a pro-biotech seminar in Maputo. Sources for this article include: http://www.alternet.org/story/152921/why_is_the_state_department_using_our_money_to_pimp_for_monsanto

Free energy scientist and NASA astronaut Brian O’Leary passes away (1940 – 2011)

(NaturalNews) Brain O’Leary passed away last week (July 28th, 2011). A former NASA astronaut and PhD recipient from the University of California at Berkeley (1967), Dr. O’Leary was more recently known for his research and advocacy into alternative energy (free energy). Originally trained as a conventional scientist, Brian O’Leary’s investigation of the universe opened his eyes to many advanced theories that aren’t yet recognized by conventional scientists (who remain far behind the curve on over-unity energy research). He eventually bucked the system, left the stifling world of academia and set out on his own to explore alternative science and free energy research. In his later years, he eventually settled in Vilcabamba, Ecuador and hosted several philosophical seminars and brainstorm groups at his Montesuenos retreat. That’s where I first met Brian and came to know him as a friend. I interviewed Brian several times about issues such as free energy and alternative science (which is really “advanced” science). To listen to one of our interviews, see “Health Ranger Show #59″ at http://www.naturalnews.com/Index-Podcasts.html Perhaps due to his exposure to toxic chemicals earlier in life as a conventional scientist, Brian battled cancer in his later years. He famously treated a skin cancer tumor on his back using a natural anti-cancer salve named Cansema , made by Gregory Caton who was kidnapped from Ecuador by the FDA, then dragged back to the USA and thrown in prison for selling “unapproved drugs.” (http://www.naturalnews.com/027750_Greg_Caton_FDA.html) Brian O’Leary credits Cansema with removing his skin cancer tumor and even wrote a testimonial for Greg Caton to use in the promotion of the Cansema product. The FDA, of course, considers this to be blasphemy. During several visits to his house in Vilcabamba, I spoke with Brian at some length about holistic nutrition and found that he was new to many of the topics. Being into alternative science doesn’t necessarily mean you’re into holistic nutrition, it seems, but Brian was very interested in learning more about nutrition, especially as his health challenges became more symptomatic. While I wish to respect Brian’s privacy and will not reveal certain medical details that he shared with me, I do think it is important to state that he was still engaged in the consumption of conventional medicine right up to the time of his death. This is important to note because critics might try to point to his death and link it to the Cansema product, when in truth it was Cansema that helped him and most likely toxic chemicals or pharmaceuticals that ultimately led to his death. Knowing Brian, he would definitely want the record set straight on any conjecture about the possible causes of his death, and he would not want alternative medicine to be unfairly attacked. Brian definitely recognized the value of holistic nutrition and would no doubt have pursued it more fully if he had been made aware of it earlier in his life. Also for the record, Brian’s death was definitely not a hit or anything like that. I say this because it is true that many free energy pioneers have been assassinated in order to kill their projects that promised to bring free energy technology to the world. Brian’s health was deteriorating over the last few years, but he continued marching forward, hosting conferences at Montesuenos and pursuing his mission of sharing the promising ideas of free energy creation with the world. I consider Dr. Brian O’Leary a hero of free thinking and a pioneer whose contributions to the world shall not be forgotten. May his work carry on through others who continue to pursue truth through the perspective of science.

Vitamins C and E linked to metabolic syndrome in low-income Ecuadorians

An epidemiological study shows that metabolic syndrome is prevalent in a small population of older adults living on the outskirts of Quito, Ecuador, and that a poor diet appears to contribute.

Cocoa Mojo superfood hot chocolate and my adventure through the Andes (with pictures)

(NaturalNews) In June of 2009, I embarked on an adventure into the Podocarpus National Forest near Vilcabamba, Ecuador. This trip was primarily on horseback (with a lot of walking through rugged terrain, too), and I documented the entire thing with photographs you can see here: http://www.naturalnews.com/phototours/podocarpus-vilcabamba-ecuador-tour/index.html Our trip involved interactions with some of the local families who lived “way up in the hills” such as these children: http://www.naturalnews.com/phototours/podocarpus-vilcabamba-ecuador-tour/content/IMG_1074_large.html Here’s an amazing picture of one of these children riding a pig (crazy, huh?) http://www.naturalnews.com/phototours/podocarpus-vilcabamba-ecuador-tour/content/IMG_1095_large.html And here’s my beautiful Rottweiler “Roxy” looking over the Valley of Longevity: http://www.naturalnews.com/phototours/podocarpus-vilcabamba-ecuador-tour/content/IMG_1111_large.html The terrain was rugged. We crossed swift-moving streams on horseback: http://www.naturalnews.com/phototours/podocarpus-vilcabamba-ecuador-tour/content/IMG_1162_large.html At times, we had to hack our way through dense forests with bamboo and other overgrowth: http://www.naturalnews.com/phototours/podocarpus-vilcabamba-ecuador-tour/content/IMG_1244_large.html And we traversed steep, majestic ridges with deep canyons on both sides: http://www.naturalnews.com/phototours/podocarpus-vilcabamba-ecuador-tour/content/IMG_1185_large.html At the bottom of those ridges, you can find abundant, pristine waterfalls like this one: http://www.naturalnews.com/phototours/podocarpus-vilcabamba-ecuador-tour/content/IMG_1342_large.html After a grueling day’s hike through rugged terrain (going uphill the whole way), we arrived at our humble camp house: http://www.naturalnews.com/phototours/podocarpus-vilcabamba-ecuador-tour/content/IMG_1215_large.html At this point, we were absolutely exhausted. This high-altitude hike really took it out of us, and one person in our group was even suffering from altitude sickness (probably combined with physical exhaustion). How we recovered from exhaustion I remember distinctly that our guide, Angel (pronounced An-Hel ) used his machete to prep some firewood from an old tree that had died perhaps a year earlier. Within minutes we had a roaring fire going, and Angel and his helper were steaming up some hot water. As I often do, I had brought a number of superfood powders with me, but there’s one in particular that I think really saved us from total exhaustion that night. It’s called Cocoa Mojo , and it’s made by a company called Enerhealth Botanicals founded by Steve Sinclair. Steve had visited me in Vilcabamba and handed me a 12 oz bag of this Cocoa Mojo powder. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but decided to bring it with me on the hike, figuring that it might come in handy during the cold nights at high altitude. Boy was I ever right! Cocoa Mojo is made with Organic Coconut Palm Sugar, Organic South American Cocoa and Organic extracts of a number of very potent mushrooms: Cordyceps Sinensis , Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi), Coriolus Versicolor and Agaricus Blazei . But even though it packs a nutritional punch, it tastes like hot chocolate , and that evening, we drank cup after cup of this warming, nutritional superfood drink while talking, laughing and playing cards. Within an hour, the exhaustion we all felt from the day’s hike just seemed to fade away. We were downright jubilant , in fact, and while I can’t credit Cocoa Mojo with all this — because obviously we were also in a very special region of the planet — I found myself deeply grateful to have remembered to bring Cocoa Mojo with me. At that time, I never would have imagined telling you what I’m about to share with you now: Steve Sinclair, the founder of Enerhealth Botanicals, has given us permission to carry Cocoa Mojo in our NaturalNews Store. Better yet, we’ve even been given exclusive permission to offer a NaturalNews reader discount on the 3-pack of Cocoa Mojo, which you can find here: http://store.naturalnews.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=100151_100410&products_id=1003836 This is a rare special price on a “hot chocolate” product that impressed me so much, I’ve often described it to people as “the best healthy hot chocolate product I’ve ever found,” period. If you love hot chocolate but don’t want refined sugars or low-grade cocoa, I think you’ll absolutely love Cocoa Mojo . It’s an organic, fair-trade product , and the combination of organic palm sugar (the best sugar!), South American cocoa and amazing mushrooms like Reishi and Cordyceps make it a one-of-a-kind superfood product that you simply mix with hot water to keep you warm throughout the winter months. The 3-pack really works as a gift, too. You can give the entire 3-pack to someone who loves healthy living and enjoys hot chocolate, or you can give each of the 12 oz bags to three different people! Click here for the single 12 oz bag of Cocoa Mojo … Or click here for the 3-pack of Cocoa Mojo at the special NaturalNews reader discount. Enerfood Superfood received my “Best Superfood Editor’s Choice Award” Beyond their amazing Cocoa Mojo product, Enerhealth Botanicals also makes a spectacular green superfood powder called Enerfood . I actually awarded it “Best Superfood” a year or two ago, and at the time I never imagined we’d actually be carrying the product in our store. But thanks to Steve, we’ve got it now — a 2-month supply comes out to about 75 cents a day. It’s one of my top superfood recommendations, along with several others like Boku Superfood, Living Fuel, and Rejuvenate Berries and Herbs. Click here to get more details about Enerfood Super Green Energy Drink . Enerfood ingredients Here’s what you’ll find in Enerfood: Organic Spirulina – A nutritionally dense blue green algae, rich in protein, Beta Carotene and B vitamins, especially B12. Organic Chlorella – Also a form of blue green algae, like spirulina, giving Enerfood an even more potent source of optimal nutrition. Organic Non-active, Vegetarian, Saccharomyces Cervisiae Nutritional Yeast – The second highest source of protein in nature and the richest source of B vitamins known. Organic Dulse – Seaweeds are nature’s richest source of minerals. Organic Kelp – Also a nutrient dense seaweed. Organic Barley Grass – Grain grasses contain more nutrition by weight than the grains themselves, providing a powerful source of vitamins, minerals and chlorophyll. Organic Wheat Grass – Is also a grain grass. Organic Alfalfa Leaf – Known as the most potent land source of minerals. It sends its roots down as much as 50 feet drawing up valuable minerals and converting them into a bioavailable form. Organic Spinach – Another rich source of minerals, especially iron. Organic Rose Hips – Along with orange and lemon peel this is a strong source of the nutrients that make up Vitamin- C complex, such as hesperidin and rutin, calcium and other nutrients necessary to assimilate Vitamin C. Organic Beet Root – Just as spinach, beets have long been known to provide us with iron and other minerals. Organic Orange Peel – Vitamin C complex and bioflavinoids. Organic Winter Cherry Root – An ayurvedic herb to strengthen and rebuild the body. Organic White Asparagus Root – Another ayurvedic herb to strengthen and rebuild the body. It is revered by women and also men in the ayurvedic pharmacopia. Organic Dandelion Leaf – Known herbally to build and cleanse the blood. Rich in calcium and organic sodium. Organic Lemon Peel – Vitamin C complex and bioflavinoids. Organic Papaya Leaf – Contains powerful proteolytic enzymes such as papain, which are known to assist in the digestion of protein. Organic Horsetail – Used by herbalists for millennia to strengthen tooth enamel, hair and nails. It also helps the body absorb calcium. Organic Barley and Wheat Grass Juice Powder – An even more potent source of the nutrition provided by the simple ground grasses themselves. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Consult your physician before beginning any diet, nutrition, exercise or dietary supplement program. Hiking back down from Podocarpus The Podocarpus National Forest hike we endured didn’t seem so bad the next day — the “downhill” day. It took about one-fourth the time, and our packs were lighter, too, because we had eaten most of the pack rations. (Our horses were no doubt happy about that, too.) Within a few hours, we reached town and I headed back out to Hacienda San Joaquin (www.VilcabambaHomes.com) where my home was located (I no longer live there, but did at the time) and took a long, hot shower. Three things stood out in my mind about the Podocarpus adventure: #1) Ecuadorian trail guides are amazingly resourceful people . In particular, I strongly recommend that if you visit Vilcabamba, ask for Angel the horse guy . He lives about two blocks South (downhill) from the Southwest corner of the main town square. You can’t miss his residence because he has a large wooden door with horses carved into it. #2) The Podocarpus National Forest is a real treasure of Ecuador . This is one of the most humbling yet inspiring places you’ll ever visit (and we barely got into it with a one-day hike, as you can actually hike in for weeks). #3) Cocoa Mojo earned a well-deserved place on my very short list of really amazing superfood products that have helped me through challenging moments in life. I personally credit this product with supporting the stamina and willpower I needed to recover from a very difficult journey while staying warm in a very unforgiving environment (it’s cold at high altitude in the Andes at night!). Today, I have fond memories of Ecuador, and every time a take a sip of Cocoa Mojo, it takes me back to my horseback adventure across breathtaking ridges and through lush waterfall canyons — an adventure that left me humbled and silent as I struggled to grasp the awesome power and beauty of Mother Nature. That’s why I took so many pictures of flowers along the way, by the way. You can see the entire collection of photos I took right here: http://www.naturalnews.com/phototours/podocarpus-vilcabamba-ecuador-tour/index.html On an interesting note, here’s something you won’t hear anywhere else, probably: Do you see these flower buds in this picture? http://www.naturalnews.com/phototours/podocarpus-vilcabamba-ecuador-tour/content/IMG_1086_large.html Those flowers are sticky, and they’re used by the high-altitude locals there as a fun, free set of earrings! I saw women picking the flower buds them sticking them onto their ear lobes and walking around with their own “natural jewelry!” As a side note, if you’re ever interested in visiting Vilcabamba, be sure to check with “Angel the horse guy” about horse tours. He’s super nice, and be sure to tell him you heard about it from Mike, because he’ll remember me. And if you’re ever looking to retire in Ecuador, the real estate company to work with is VREC, which you’ll find at www.VREC.org (ask for Nick Vasey). They are one of the very few officially authorized real estate companies in town (a lot of operators aren’t licensed). Ask for Marco Muoz there if you need help from an attorney for anything such as immigration papers, driver’s license, etc. (Yes, I have an Ecuadorian driver’s license. It was not an easy thing to get. I actually had to take the written test in Spanish…) And by the way, for all my good friends in Vilcabamba who might be reading this, I want to say hi and wish you all very well. I’m not going to print all your names here out of respect for your privacy, but I’m sending you all some positive vibes. To recap the Enerhealth Botanical products we now carry, here they are: Click here for the 3-pack of Cocoa Mojo Click here for Enerfood Super Food Energy Drink . You will really, really enjoy these Enerfood products. I feel fortunate that products this good are even available anywhere .

Healing herbs revealed on NaturalNews Talk Hour

(NaturalNews) This week’s NaturalNews Talk Hour presents “Rainforest Herbs – How to Heal Naturally”. The Amazon Rainforest is one of the richest places on earth. We’ll reveal the most powerful nutritional treasures in the world. Clear your mind, increase your energy and improve your health with a deeper understanding about healing herbs. Click Here to discover 3 powerful healing herbs. (must see video) Our show begins this Thursday evening at 6pm Pacific / 9pm Eastern, and registration is FREE. Simply enter your email address in the registration form on the right column of this page and you’ll receive call-in details for the show. Thank you Jonathan and Mike for the constant feed of life changing and empowering information… All you both do is so greatly appreciated…thank you! – Regina Discover the Amazon Rainforest The Amazon rainforest, also called the “Lungs of Our Planet” is one of the world’s greatest natural resources. Its rich vegetation continuously turns carbon dioxide into oxygen. About 30% of the earth’s oxygen is produced by the Amazon rainforest. The Amazon rainforest gets its name from the Amazon River, the life force of the rainforest. It starts in the Peruvian Andes, and travels east over the northern part of South America. It connects with the Atlantic Ocean in Belem, Brazil. Over 4,000 miles long, the river basin covers nearly 3 million square miles, and goes through Brazil, Columbia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, and the three Guyanas. Click Here to discover 3 powerful healing herbs. (must see video) Jonathan Landsman, Host of the Talk Hour says, “Get ready to experience greater clarity of mind, sustainable energy and a stronger immune system. Our next guest, Richard Cicchetti represents a unique blend of experience, wisdom and compassion. We’ll talk about healing, herbs and how to support an eco-friendly lifestyle.” Stop the Insanity Today, over 20% of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed and is gone forever. Trees are being killed for raising cattle, mining and logging. In the last 50 years, over half of the world’s rainforests have been destroyed by fire and logging. Experts estimate that 130 species of plants, animals, and insects are lost every day. In other words, the rainforest could be completely destroyed in less than 40 years – we must educate ourselves, share this information and prevent its destruction! This week’s guest: Richard Cicchetti, Rainforest Herb Expert Richard Cicchetti – “Rainforest Herbs – How to Heal Naturally” Thu. July 15th Richard Cicchetti, Founder of NATURALUTIONS is dedicated to supporting people in their desire to improve their health and lifestyle. For over 50 years, he has been passionate about nutrition and living green. His ability to teach and support others how to maintain a high level of health and well being will be inspiring for everyone. Get Your FREE Report. LIVE audience members will be offered a FREE gift. Connect with other NaturalNews readers, listen to great health content and have fun with us. Space is limited. Be sure to call a few minutes early to reserve your spot on the show. Register now using the email form in the right column, and you will be emailed show details. Register Now!

Top ten things to love about Vilcabamba Ecuador, the Valley of Longevity

(NaturalNews) If you love perfect year-round weather and enjoying your own locally-grown foods, you’ll love Vilcabamba, Ecuador. I lived there, on and off, for over two years, and in that time I came to know many of the people, places and cultural highlights of Vilcabamba. In this story, I’ll share with you some of the best of Vilcabamba, Ecuador, where you can visit as a tourist or find a home to live the good life for pennies on the dollar! Here’s what I like most about Vilcabamba, Ecuador: #1) Amazingly nice locals As my Spanish ability improved with practice, I made many friends with the local Vilcabamba people. They are exceedingly nice, polite and very friendly to visitors. They even have an unusual knack for understanding the really bad Spanish spoken by many visitors, and they go out of their way to try to communicate with you in simple words that you’ll easily understand. Most of the really good friends I made in Vilcabamba were locals, and we would spend hours chatting about various things: The climate, gardening, horses, tourist activity, politics, health and much more. #2) Ridiculously good climate The climate in Vilcabamba just can’t be beat: It’s absolutely perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. Not too dry, not too wet. The air is crisp and clean, and the temperature is so perfect that they don’t even build homes with air conditioning or heating units. I’ve traveled the world and the closest I’ve ever come to the perfection of this climate is the Big Island of Hawaii. But land on the Big Island can cost anywhere from 20 to 100 times the cost of similar land in Vilcabamba. #3) Papaya’s Cafe If you visit Vilcabamba, you’ve got to visit Papaya’s Cafe . Launched earlier this year by an American named Carey, Papaya’s Cafe became an instant hit with both the locals and the foreigners living in the Valley of Longevity. The cafe serves up a variety of menu items, both from the realm of health-conscious eating (they sometimes host raw food dinners) and local Ecuadorian cuisine. The decor and ambiance of the restaurant is outstanding, and the view from the second floor is quite breathtaking. You can hang out in Papaya’s Cafe for hours, chatting with friends and living the good life while enjoying smoothies, desserts, main courses and much more! Papaya’s Cafe is located adjacent to the Vilcabamba bus terminal, on the North side of the street. Just ask anyone in town to point you in the direction of either the cafe or the bus terminal. It’s easy to find. #4) Very low cost of living The cost of living in Vilcabamba, Ecuador is surprisingly low, even if you’re hiring a lot of help. A typical garden worker makes from $10 – $15 per day, and locals are always looking for more work. (I frequently had people stop by my house asking for more work.) To help create our amazing food forest ranch on 20 acres, I hired as many as 3 grounds workers, plus a house helper who would prepare raw food smoothies and keep the house clean for us. The total cost of these four people was significantly less than one full-time helper working in the U.S. If you want to see what we accomplished with the food forest, see the photos of my ranch at: http://www.naturalnews.com/Valley-of-Longevity-Property.html #5) Madre Tierra The most amazing resort in the Valley of Longevity is Madre Tierra (“Mother Earth”), a beautifully constructed resort with a spa, restaurant, water pools, and an assortment of other natural features. Madre Tierra offers an incredible value as a really nice place to stay in the valley. It’s just outside of town: Far enough away to avoid the party noise on Friday and Saturday nights, yet close enough to walk to town in about 15 minutes (or you can take a short taxi ride). Check out their website or make reservations at www.VilcabambaMadreTierra.com The resort is under new ownership as of one month ago, and I personally know the new owners. They’re really dedicated to updating and improving the resort to meet western standards. They’ve already enhanced many of the rooms, and they’re working on remodeling the kitchen to improve it as well. If you visit the kitchen, say hello to Lolita (one of the cooks), as I’ve known her for several years and she’s a really friendly lady who makes some wonderful Ecuadorian dishes. She makes an amazing (yet simple) dessert with egg whites and fresh Maracuya fruit! #6) Tourist activities There are a great number of fun and exciting tourist activities in Vilcabamba. The first is horseback riding , where you can take adventures into the Podocarpus National Forest (see below), or up to the sacred mountain of Mandango (the sleeping Inca) on horseback. There are several horseback riding tour organizers in town, and I don’t know them all, but here are two that I personally know and trust: • Angel. He’s a long-time resident of Vilcabamba who is extremely nice, humorous and highly skilled in the outback. His front door, which is a carved mural of horses, is located just 1-2 blocks North of the main town square (downhill from the town square). Just ask anyone for “Angel” and mention horses (“caballos”), and they’ll point you in his direction. • Holger is another horse tour guide, and he’s really fun to ride with. He’s a super nice person who really cares for animals and the environment. He has a cool temperament and solid knowledge of all the paths and roads throughout a wide-ranging area around the valley. His shop is located just one block East of the NE corner of the main square. Ask anyone for “Holger the horse guy” and they’ll point you in the right direction. (The photo at the top of this story is a picture of Holger and one of his horses, which usually grazes on the grass in front of my house.) Bicycle tours: There are also some great bicycle tours around Vilcabamba, including combination bicycling / walking tours to some amazing waterfalls! The bike tour guy in town is called “El Chino” (that’s his nickname), and he’s located 2 blocks East of the NE corner of the main square, right across from Maria’s shop (which sells fresh fruits, avocados and sometimes even organic tomatoes). Once again, just ask anyone for “El Chino” and mention bicycles (“bicicletas”) and they will point you in the right direction. There are many other tourist activities in Vilcabamba as well, including a hummingbird garden to the South, a botanical garden in Loja, the cacao-growing town of Zamora to the Northeast, and the Sunday market at Malacatos to the North. There are plenty of taxi drivers to get you from place to place (look for the white pickup trucks; they’re the taxis), and many of the drivers can now speak English. In fact, lots of the people in Vilcabamba have been learning to speak more English over the last two years. Be sure to also check out the nice restaurants located around the town square. You’ll find a selection of restaurants (including a French cafe), internet cafes and tourist shops. If you’re there on a Saturday, you’ll often find crafts for sale under tents set up along the sidewalk. It’s a fun time! #7) Podocarpus National Forest The Podocarpus National Forest is one of the natural treasures of Ecuador. Check out the photos from my own tour of the forest right here: http://www.naturalnews.com/phototours/podocarpus-vilcabamba-ecuador-tour/index.html Here’s one of the more amazing photos of the scenery you’ll experience there: http://www.naturalnews.com/phototours/podocarpus-vilcabamba-ecuador-tour/content/IMG_1185_large.html Read my description of our adventure into Podocarpus in this story: http://www.naturalnews.com/028997_Podocarpus_Vilcabamba.html Podocarpus is an immense and deeply diverse biological preserve that stretches from the edge of the Valley of Longevity all the way to Peru. It is an extraordinary forest with so many unique and fascinating life forms that scientists come here from all over the world to study it. I only took a short adventure into Podocarpus, and even then I got to see numerous waterfalls, lush rainforest trails, bizarre and unique plant life covering the tops of the mountain ridges, and much more. It was truly an amazing experience, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to catch a glimpse of the natural beauty that Mother Nature has to offer. By the way, you can hire the horse guides I mentioned above to take you into the Podocarpus National Forest. They’ll arrange anything from a 1-day trip to a 7-day tour, if you like! #8) Food everywhere! Food production in the Valley of Longevity is so easy and abundant that it’s almost hard to believe. In mere weeks , you can grow a huge garden full of vegetables from the rich topsoil. In a few months , you can grow endless papayas, figs, babacos and berries. In a few years , you can have your own orchard of oranges, macadamia nuts, jungle almonds, noni fruit, avocados and much more. (I’ve got all those in my orchard of over 100 fruit and nut trees…) And if you don’t want to grow anything at all, you can just start juicing the grass as we have been doing for several months. The field grass mixes extremely well with pineapple juice to make a delicious, refreshing raw living juice right from the fields. (And there’s grass everywhere in the valley.) The amazing food production capability in the Valley of Longevity is what makes Vilcabamba a destination of choice for many people concerned about preparedness and the world food supply. In Vilcabamba (and in Hacienda San Joaquin in particular, which has some of the best soils in the whole valley), you can grow a year-round food supply that will easily outlast any disruptions or interruptions that might impact the cities of western nations. #9) Affordable homes and properties Vilcabamba offers a wonderful place to live for those looking for homes or land in South America. Prices are relatively affordable compared to anywhere in North America or Europe, and there are some very nice properties available right now, in many different price ranges. The best location for living in Ecuador, in my opinion, is Hacienda San Joaquin , a 500+ acre ranch that is now a gated community where many people from all over the world have built homes and are growing a considerable amount of food on their land. This is where I’ve been living on and off for the last two years, growing my food forest. Because I now have a much greater need for privacy than I first realized, my “preparedness paradise” ranch is available for a new family. It’s a six-figure price range. Check out the amazing photos at http://www.naturalnews.com/Valley-of-Longevity-Property.html For those looking for something more on the high end, there’s a gorgeous estate property available on the same ranch, just down the road from my own property, that’s selling in the seven figures. Email us at vilcaland@gmail.com and we’ll send you the link to the photos and description for that property. It has its own indoor swimming pool, volleyball courts, tennis court, private orchards, horse fields and a whole lot more. If you’re looking for something on the more affordable side, my neighbor Matt has some land available right across the street from my own ranch. They’ve got something like 2.5 acres of good land available in the five figure range. Email us at vilcaland@gmail.com for more details. If you’re looking for something outside the Hacienda San Joaquin gated community, simply contact the Vilcabamba Real Estate Company (VREC), which is the local real estate company I recommend: Nick Vasey, nick@vrec.org or visit www.VREC.org for information. They have a lot of property listings for land and homes around the valley. Remember when buying real estate in Vilcabamba that land is cheap if it has no roads, no electricity, no internet, no water and no access. But land that’s actually usable for living or growing things needs support infrastructure, and that’s what ultimately costs more money. You can get land dirt cheap if it’s out in the middle of nowhere and has no roads. Some properties are literally only accessible by horseback… #10) Freedom from electromagnetic pollution, chemtrails, air pollution, water pollution Vilcabamba, Ecuador is remarkably free from most kinds of pollution: Electromagnetic, air and water. On the electromagnetic spectrum, Vilcabamba has only one cell tower, and the electro “vibe” of the valley is relatively clean and pristine. No planes fly overhead dropping chemtrails on the population, either. (So you can breathe a sigh of relief…) The ground water is amazingly clean because it’s recharged from rainfall on the nearby Podocarpus National Forest, where water flows down into the valley on a regular basis. It creates a unique situation where you have lots of sunshine hitting the valley, but you also have a very large water supply from the nearby mountains, so you have both full sunshine and lots of water (two things that normally don’t exist together in the same exact geographic region). The air in the Valley of Longevity is also strikingly clean. It has even been studied by scientists in an effort to determine whether some special property in the air encourages greater longevity. Personally, I think the longevity factor is more about eating lots of local foods and spending a lot of time outdoors walking, working or playing. Come visit Vilcabamba! Whether you just enjoy the natural beauty or you’re looking for a place to live in a “preparedness paradise” with abundant food, Vilcabamba has a tremendous amount to offer. Come check it out! Some travel tips: • Quito is the capitol of Ecuador. That’s where you’ll fly to. Quito is located south of Florida, almost to the equator. • Continental Airlines flies from Houston to Quito (roughly 4.5 hours). LAN Airlines flies from Miami to Quito. • From Quito, you fly TAME Airlines (the local Ecuadorian airline) which offers some very nice Embraer jets on routes between Quito and Loja. From Loja, it’s a 90-minute taxi ride to the Valley of Longevity. Once in Vilcabamba, you can stay at Madre Tierra, Hosteria de Vilcabamba, Hosteria Izhcayluma, or other available places. There are usually plenty of rooms available except during celebration events when the whole town sells out! If you’re coming to look at property, Nick at www.VREC.org can help you organize transportation. Joe’s staff at Hacienda San Joaquin (www.VilcabambaHomes.com) can also assist with that effort if you’re coming to look at properties on the Hacienda (where my ranch is located). There are also a few unsold lots at Hacienda San Joaquin that might interest you if you prefer to live in a gated community. Enjoy your trip and take lots of great pictures!

Raw tahini, organic sun-dried figs and my health products philosophy

(NaturalNews) Tahini is one of the favorite foods used by vegans, raw foodies and everyday health-conscious people. But not everyone is familiar with tahini. What is it, exactly? Just like peanut butter is made from grinding up peanuts, tahini is made from grinding up sesame seeds! It is essentially sesame seed butter , with all the beneficial nutritional properties of sesame seeds. Tahini is used by food enthusiasts to make all sorts of amazing recipes, from salad dressings and dips to cookies. You can use it to make a glazing for baked tofu, or add it to garbanzo beans to make a delicious hummus. You can even use it in veggie burger recipes (mix it with black beans and mushrooms). Tahini is extremely versatile due to its complementary taste that seems to go well in both sweet and salty foods. Why raw tahini is simply better Most tahini, by the way, is roasted . And as you know, roasting or cooking nuts destroys some portion of their inherent nutrients. That’s why many people who eat tahini like to get it raw . But raw tahini is a bit difficult to find in the stores, of course. And even when it’s raw, it’s usually extremely expensive, costing anywhere from $19 – $21 a jar at health food stores. That’s where the NaturalNews Store comes in. Once again, we’ve scored a huge discount for you on raw tahini. And not just any tahini, but the “Living Tree” brand of organic raw tahini, which is the brand that’s best loved by those who know about raw foods. Through what can only be called really good timing (and some good fortune to boot), we were able to acquire several hundred jars of this organic Living Tree raw tahini at an extraordinary price. You see, even at online retailers, these jars normally sell for $14.95 each. But through this special, we’ve been able to offer them to you at just $8.95 a jar — that’s over 50% off the typical retail price, and over 40% off the typical online price. But it gets even better: When you purchase 3 jars of this organic, raw Living Tree tahini, the price drops to just $8.06 per jar! That’s 57% off typical retail price , and it’s the best price you’re likely to ever see on this extremely high-end raw tahini product. Take advantage of this remarkable pricing by clicking here. At this price, these jars of extremely high-end tahini will go quickly. Sundried, organic JUMBO Turkish figs Having lived in Ecuador for quite some time, I really came to enjoy eating fresh raw figs. They’re called “higos” in Spanish, and it’s pronounced like “egos.” So my neighbors and I would joke about how big we could grow our figs, and we’d accuse each other of having “the biggest egos in Ecuador” which always drew a laugh. In the U.S., I’ve never seen fresh, raw figs in the grocery stores. That’s because they don’t last very long. They’re good for about a day, and then they go soft and mushy. But if you catch them on that day, fresh off the tree when they’re dark purple, they’re amazing! I must have planted over a dozen fig trees on my ranch in the Valley of Longevity. You can see pictures of these huge figs from my ranch right here (along with other amazing plants): http://www.naturalnews.com/phototours/vilcabamba/index.html Anyway, in the USA the figs you buy are normally dried figs , and they’re really delicious, too! When properly dried, they concentrate their natural (delicious!) sugars while preserving most of their nutrients, too. They make an incredible, all-natural fruit snack. What’s really fun is to dip them in tahini ! I often use a spoon to pack some tahini on a dried fig, then I pop it into my mouth and enjoy. It’s a satisfying yet simple snack. A great discount on organic dried figs New in the NaturalNews Store, we’ve got one-pound bags of sundried organic Turkish figs at a great deal price (as you’ve come to expect of us!). Normally, a one-pound bag retails for $12.95. At times you can find it at $9.95 a pound. But now, through our special acquisition, we’re able to offer these to NaturalNews readers for $7.95 / lb. . That’s a savings of nearly 29% off the retail price. It gets even better when you purchase 3 bags of these organic Turkish figs, because the price drops to $7.16 / lb. , which is really just an extraordinary price for organic sundried Turkish figs. Sure, you can find conventional figs at that price, but almost never organic figs at this price. If you want some of these amazing organic sundried figs, click here to take advantage of this deal. My philosophy for recommending products Here at NaturalNews, we’ve gained quite a winning reputation for putting together some really fantastic deals on some of the healthiest food and superfood products available anywhere. Through these product offerings, we’ve saved NaturalNews readers many tens of thousands of dollars on top-notch products. I thought you might like to know how I choose what to offer through the NaturalNews Store, because these are decisions I take quite seriously. Here’s my philosophy: • I only recommend products I consume MYSELF and would openly recommend to my closest friends or family members. • I only recommend products that contain NO JUNK, no artificial ingredients, no chemical sweeteners, etc. • I tend to recommend products from companies that I know and TRUST. For example, our special offer on X-Balance superfood came out of my trust and friendship with Jan Lovejoy, the formulator of that product (who is a really wonderful human being on top of her great product formulation ability). • I always work hard to bring you an extraordinary price on everything. It’s usually the best price you’ll ever find on that item. You’ll never see me recommending junk like conventional soy protein, food bars made with Sucralose, watered-down fruit beverages made with fructose, etc. I would never eat those things myself, so I wouldn’t dare recommend them to you, either. You see, I take a different approach than most resellers. I’m not interested in selling low-quality items, regardless of how much profit they might deliver. Most retailers know that the lower quality products actually give them MORE profit. That’s why mainstream grocery retailers stack diet soda and Frito-Lay fried snack chips on the aisle end caps: They generate huge profits (because they’re made with highly refined, cheap ingredients). But I don’t believe in doing business that way. My primary concern is your health , and when I can help bring you health-supporting products, I’m thrilled to be able to have the buying power to deliver those products at really good prices. Every item you’ll see me recommend here on NaturalNews is a top-notch food, supplement, kitchen appliance or other health-related item that I know you’ll find to be immensely beneficial in your own quest for health and happiness. Thank you for your continued support of the NaturalNews Store, and we’ll keep doing our best to bring you more high-end products when we get find them at deep discounts for you. See the full list of our store specials by clicking here.

X-Balance superfood makes a delicious, nutritious chocolate milk drink for adults and kids

(NaturalNews) Remember the taste of chocolate milk? That wonderfully sugary, chocolaty fatty taste is one you’ll probably never forget. And I bet you wouldn’t think you could recreate that taste with something that’s actually good for you… but now you can! One of my favorite all-time superfood powders is called X-Balance . It’s positioned as “the ultimate kids superfood,” but I must still be a kid at heart because I find myself drinking this all the time. I’ve been recommending this superfood product for years, in fact, and now we’ve started carrying it in the NaturalNews Store at a generous discount for NaturalNews readers! (See below…) X-Balance is simply the most delicious chocolate superfood powder you’ll probably ever find. Just as advertised, kids absolutely love it, but even the adults around your house will be amazed at the taste — especially after they read the ingredients and see how nutritious this is! Delicious and nutritious at the same time You see, it’s easy to make something that tastes great if you’re not concerned with nutrition. What’s tricky is making something that tastes great while delivering high-potency superfood nutrition at the same time. And that’s where X-Balance really shines. This chocolate superfood powder contains chlorella, organic barley grass, spirulina, moringa leaf powder, blackberry juice powder, blueberry juicer powder, freeze-dried aloe vera, ginger, curcumin, dulse seaweed, cinnamon, parsley juice powder and a long list of other remarkable superfoods (see below). But the really amazing thing is that X-Balance doesn’t taste like a nutrient-rich superfood. It tastes like chocolate milk! Of course, it really tastes amazing when you blend it with actual milk. And by “milk” I mean either coconut milk, almond milk or some other nut milk. (Or raw cow’s milk if you do raw dairy.) But even in water it’s pretty good. I actually take it traveling so that I can chase my travel meals with some superfoods. For example, I’m traveling today in Ecuador, and the place I’m staying gave me the dinner choice of beef with rice, pork with rice, chicken with rice, or fish with rice. (Or just plain rice, but that just doesn’t cut it for me.) So I chose the fish with rice, then I chased it with two spoonfuls of X-Balance superfood mixed with water, giving me a nutrition boost following the meal. My top superfood recommendations I’ve tasted a lot of superfood powders in the industry, and it is rare to find a product that’s so nutritious while tasting so good at the same time. In fact, I would say that my top two choices for best-tasting superfood powders are X-Balance and Living Fuel (www.LivingFuel.com) Delicious Greens is also really, really good, and we’ll be covering that product in a future announcement. Another important product to mention here is Boku Superfood (www.BokuSuperfood.com), which actually goes really, really well with X-Balance. In fact, I often mix the two: One tablespoon of X-Balance plus one tablespoon of Boku Superfood in a glass of raw almond milk, with a bit of stevia or Organic Palm Sugar to sweeten in a little more. I swear this combination tastes almost like the chocolate milk we all remember drinking as kids. And yet, there’s absolutely no sugar in X-Balance. No artificial chemical sweeteners, either. There’s no soy protein, no dairy and no artificial anything. The formula, by the way, was created by Jan Lovejoy, the creator of Emerald Balance and the founder of SGN Nutrition. I’ve known Jan for several years and have come to really respect not just her nutritional wisdom but also her remarkable product formulation abilities. Here’s an interview I published with Jan last year: http://www.naturalnews.com/027100_superfood_nutrition_foods.html Get X-Balance at up to a 36% discount You’ll be extremely happy with X-Balance. My friends just go crazy over it. I have to keep bringing more of it to Ecuador because I give it away so fast. Everybody loves X-Balance! Now you can get X-Balance at a generous discount! We’ve just started carrying it in the NaturalNews Store, and we’ve got it at a great price: A 30-day supply of X-Balance (270 grams) normally sells at a retail price of $38.95 . Right now at the NaturalNews Store, you can purchase it for just $29.95 (a 23% discount). When you purchase 3 canisters of X-Balance (a 90-day supply for one person, or a 30-day supply for three), the price per canister drops to just $24.98 per canister. That’s an amazing 36% discount off the normal retail price. Click here to take advantage of these NaturalNews Store discounts . This is a superfood you’ll really enjoy drinking. It’s like chocolate milk — but without the sugar and WITH amazing superfood nutrition! Here’s what’s in it: X-Balance ingredients Nutrient Dense Superfood 1464 mg – Moringa Leaf Powder, Carrot Juice Powder, Organic Barley Grass Juice Powder, Organic Beet Juice Powder, Spirulina Powder, Chlorella – Cracked Cell Antioxidant Blend: (ORAC value = 5566) 5210 mg – Decaffeinated Cocoa Powder, Chocolate Powder, Vitamin C – Natural Rose Hips, Strawberry Juice Powder, Acerola Berry Juice Powder, Blackberry Juice Power, Fig Powder, Pineapple Juice Powder, Orange Juice Powder, Bioflavonoids (Citrus), Papaya Powder, Blueberry Powder, Red Raspberry Powder, Turmeric Powder, Ginger Powder (Freeze Dried), Aloe Vera -Freeze Dried, Green Tea Catechins – 40%, Rosemary Pow R Fiber 639 mg – Apple Fiber, Apple Pectin, Rice Bran Powder, Organic Flax Seed Meal Balancing Support 919 mg – Soy Lecithin Powder – 99% oil free, Parsley Juice Powder, Agar-Agar, Cinnamon, Burdock, Stevia, Dandelion, Silymarin (Milk Thistle 80% extract), Nova Scotia Dulse Non-Dairy Probiotic Culture – 2.23 Billion 223 mg Proprietary blend 399 mg – Nettle Leaves, , Chicory, Astragalus Membranaceous, Quercitin, Plant Enzymes: Lipase, Protease, Amylase and Cellulase Natural French Vanilla – 150mg X-Balance recipes Here are some of my own favorite recipes using X-Balance: X-Balance with water – Just mix with water, blend and drink. It’s simple and easy when traveling. X-Balance chocolate milk – Blend X-Balance with raw almond milk and Agave Nectar or Organic Palm Sugar (or honey!). It’s amazing! X-Balance with Boku – Combine X-Balance with Boku Superfood for a super healthy, high-density chocolate superfood combination. Mix with either water or your favorite milk. X-Balance Avocado Smoothie – Blend an avocado with X-Balance, your favorite milk and your favorite sweetener. It makes a rich, chocolaty superfood blend with the added healthy fats of an avocado! (Really, it’s quite delicious.) Click here to get some X-Balance for yourself today . You’ll really be glad you did. And don’t forget: Kids love this, too! This is the “chocolate milk” they can drink with your approval… and you know it’s giving them outstanding nutrition at the same time. Very good stuff. The whole family will enjoy this superfood.

Free Greg Caton from FDA tyranny; your help needed

(NaturalNews) Herbalist Greg Caton remains under arrest in the United States after having been illegally kidnapped and extradited from Ecuador by the FDA (http://www.naturalnews.com/027750_Greg_Caton_FDA.html). He faces a hearing on March 17th in a Louisiana court, and he needs your help . To support Greg Caton’s bid for freedom, NaturalNews is organizing a letter-writing campaign that seeks to inform the presiding Judge of just how many people support Greg Caton’s work and website (www.AltCancer.com). This letter-writing campaign is being initiated as a courteous, supportive effort to lend support to Greg Caton during his hearing. It is not some sort of effort to bombard the Judge with hate mail or anything resembling that. In fact, if you choose to participate in helping Greg Caton, please keep your letters polite and professional. I’ve included my own letter to the presiding Judge below as an example. Background information on Greg Caton – What you need to know Why does Greg Caton deserve to be freed from being held by U.S. authorities? For years, he sold an anti-cancer salve that has helped thousands of people treat their own skin cancers. Using a recipe made with powerful anti-cancer herbs, Caton created the Cansema product line and marketed it to customers around the world using honest and truthful descriptions of the anti-cancer properties of its herbal ingredients. The FDA, not surprisingly, couldn’t tolerate this. The profitability of the conventional cancer industry depends entirely on preventing consumers from having free access to competing products like Cansema . So the FDA declared Greg Caton a criminal and turned his case over to their Office of Criminal Investigations which launched a witch hunt to put Greg Caton out of business and throw him in prison. They succeeded in forcing him to serve three years of prison time in the U.S., after which he was released on probation. During that probationary period, Caton learned through a source that he was about to be targeted for yet another trumped-up criminal charge brought on by the FDA, so he did the only thing a reasonable person could do: He decided to move out of the country and pursue his business in another nation where selling anti-cancer medicinal herbs is openly accepted (and even welcomed). As it turns out, herbal medicine is perfectly legal to sell in most countries — including Ecuador, where medicinal herbs have been an important part of cultural healing traditions for as long as anyone can remember. The idea of criminalizing someone who sells medicinal herbs would be considered absolutely loony in Ecuador. So Caton set up a legitimate business buying medicinal herbs from a variety of sources (including local farmers), manufacturing his Cansema product, and exporting it to customers all over the world, including the USA. His product is still sold online at: http://www.altcancer.com/cansema.htm The FDA, once again, couldn’t tolerate this. So the agency arranged for Caton to be placed in the Interpol “red notice” alert list along with a description accusing him of crimes related to “drugs” and “fraud.” The drugs, of course, were only medicinal herbs that the FDA deceptively calls drugs. And the so-called fraud stems from nothing more than Caton’s decision to not kow-tow to the FDA’s tyrannical attempts to flag him as a criminal. With the help of this Interpol listing, the FDA managed to get Greg Caton arrested in Ecuador. From there, a team of operatives from the U.S. State Department pulled Caton out of an Ecuadorian jail and placed him on an American Airlines passenger jet flying from Guayaquil to Miami. Despite the orders of a local Ecuadorian Judge who demanded Caton be released from the airplane while still on Ecuadorian soil, the American Airlines pilot refused to release Caton and proceeded to fly him to Miami, in violation of international law. This is how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration pulled off the illegal kidnapping of a U.S. citizen living legally (and running a legal business) in another country. Caton was guilty of just one actual crime: Violating his probation by leaving the USA and seeking freedom elsewhere. But even that probation was only part of a sentence stemming from the FDA’s deceitful attempt to destroy Greg Caton in the first place. Now, Caton is facing a hearing on March 17th to determine his punishment for violating his probation. As you might suspect, Caton only seeks to return to Ecuador where he can join his family and resume his legal, legitimate business of selling medicinal herbs to satisfied customers. What to write If you wish to help support Greg Caton’s bid for freedom, you may write a physical (paper) letter and mail it to the address below. Simply state your support for Caton’s natural products while expressing your strong disagreement with the way the FDA has violated international law in its illegal kidnapping and expatriation of Caton. If you are a customer of Caton’s, you might also wish to add that to your letter. Conclude your letter by asking for his release so that he may return to Ecuador and rejoin his family there. These letters can make a real difference. They will be presented to the Judge for consideration. (I’m also sending a letter.) Where to send your letter of support When you write your letter, address it at the top to The Honorable Judge Tucker Melancon. Mail your letter to this street address: Randal P. McCann, Attorney At Law 1005 Lafayette Street P.O. Box 3685 Lafayette, LA 70502 The letter written by Dr. Brian O’Leary Former U.S. astronaut Dr. Brian O’Leary wrote the following letter to Judge Tucker Melancon: To Judge Tucker Melancon: Greg Caton is an extraordinary healer whose product Cansema healed my skin cancer which made it unnecessary for me to go under surgery to remove it. He is a legal resident of Ecuador and conducts a legal alternative health product group here. I thoroughly support his work in healing untold thousands of people of cancer and other serious diseases. My own healing happened when Greg arrived at our home two years ago with Cansema. I had just been diagnosed with basal cell skin cancer after a biopsy had been taken from a very large and deep lesion on my back. I was scheduled for surgery the following week. I cancelled the surgery and Greg applied the Cansema (a black salve consisting of a mixture of herbs and a bit of zinc chloride), and, in 3-4 weeks, a black scab formed that subsequently fell off. After three applications of the salve over 2-3 months, the cancer disappeared, leaving only a slight discoloration where the cancer had been. An examination by a dermatologist at the St. Agustin clinic in Loja, Ecuador, showed that the cancer was completely gone. No new lesions have formed anywhere on my body, and diagnostic blood tests for any systemic cancers recently showed negatives, i.e., no cancer in my body. On the larger issue of the suppression of alternative possibilities in the health, environmental and technology fields, we see a pattern emerging that the true geniuses of innovation are all too often violently suppressed by authorities who illegally, unethically and immorally punish these true pioneers of our time — solely because of powerful vested interests that are far less effective in solving the problems presented. This is an outrage, and I ask that, if justice has any meaning left, that Greg be released immediately from his current detention and flown back to his residence in Ecuador. This plea represents one of many coming from those of us who strongly feel that justice can only be served by supporting rather than condemning those of us willing and able to move humanity into a new paradigm of healing and sustainability. Yours sincerely, Brian O’Leary, Ph.D. former U.S. astronaut Letter of support from Mike Adams From: Mike Adams, editor of NaturalNews.com To: the Honorable Judge Tucker Melancon As the editor of one of the largest natural health news websites in the world, now reaching over two million unique readers each month, I’ve covered issues of health freedom, FDA regulation and natural remedies for many years. In those years, I have never seen such an egregious violation of ethics (and law) as what I’ve witnessed in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s attempts to criminalize the work of Greg Caton. In my opinion, the FDA has engaged in an illegal and highly unethical “witch hunt” against Greg Caton that appears to have the sole purpose of destroying Caton’s products which compete with the more conventional (and profitable) products offered by pharmaceutical companies. As a permanent resident of Ecuador, I have access to local knowledge about how Greg Caton was arrested and illegally transported out of Ecuador by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Based on the information I have acquired first-hand, I believe the U.S. FDA illegally and with great malice plotted to submit false information about Greg Caton to Interpol via the U.S. Dept. of Justice office that interfaces with Interpol. This false information apparently resulted in Interpol listing Greg Caton under a “red notice” — a designation normally reserved for international war criminals, serial murderers, drug lords and other serious criminals. To my knowledge, in the entire history of Interpol no herbalist has ever been subjected to such aggressive and blatantly deceptive law enforcement tactics. Should Caton be granted his freedom, his sole intention is to return to Ecuador to be with his family and continue his work with healing herbs. Greg Caton’s work is of tremendous value to people all over the world. His business is an important and well-accepted part of the local economy of Ecuador, and through his sourcing of raw materials, he is providing income and jobs for a significant number of family farms. Whatever you decide in this case, I hope to cover your decision in upcoming articles on NaturalNews.com, as this is a story that is being closely watched by advocates of health freedom and civil liberties. I also hope that your decision will involve finding a way to allow Caton to freely leave the United States and return to Ecuador where his products, efforts and business operations are accepted and welcomed rather than vilified. Although I don’t know the details of your jurisdiction vs. the FDA, you may also have an opportunity to slap the FDA on the wrist and send a message that the illegal kidnapping of U.S. citizens from foreign countries will not be tolerated by U.S. courts. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration acts as if it believes it is above the law. You have the chance to remind the decision makers of this agency that we are a nation of law and that even the FDA must abide by that body of law. Thank you, Mike Adams Editor, NaturalNews.com

Product review: Rejuvenate Berries and Herbs superfood is rich in RNA, plant proteins

(NaturalNews) It’s rare that I discover a new superfood product that truly impresses me. SunWarrior (www.SunWarrior.com) has a new green superfood product that I still plan to review shortly, and I’m always a fan of LivingFuel (www.LivingFuel.com), Boku Superfood (www.BokuSuperfood.com), Delicious Greens (www.Greens8000.com), Pure Synergy (www.TheSynergyCompany.com) and X-Balance (www.SGNnutrition.com). But recently I was handed a sample of a new superfood product made by Health Products Distributors Inc (www.IntegratedHealth.com). It’s called Rejuvenate! Berries and Herbs , and it really caught my attention as a truly remarkable new superfood product. As you already know if you read NaturalNews.com frequently, I don’t recommend superfood products made with soy protein, chemicals sweeteners or junk fillers of any kind. So right from the start you already know that Rejuvenate! Berries and Herbs is a cut above the norm. It’s actually much more than that: Formulated by Dr. Hank Liers, this Rejuvenate Berries and Herbs superfood is a high-RNA , high-protein superfood concentrate powder made with organic freeze-dried berries and herbs. I’ve included a complete ingredients list below so you can see what’s in it for yourself. The best part of this product, though, is the amazing taste! You know how high-density green superfoods often have a taste that just makes you cringe? Seriously: I’ve managed to swig down some fairly smagnamanious concoctions in my days (yes, I just made that word up, don’t bother trying to Google it), but as I’ve gained more experience in the world of superfoods, I’ve come to realize a simple but powerful truth about my own habits: If it doesn’t taste good, I avoid consuming it . Even when I know that certain superfoods are really, really good for me, I’ve found that if they taste terrible, I just don’t drink them as often as I wish to. (Have you noticed the same habit about yourself?) Taste matters . Superfood powders that taste great get consumed with much higher frequency in my kitchen. That’s why I go through so much LivingFuel — it’s simply a great-tasting superfood product with an impressive nutritional profile to boot! Rejuvenate! Berries and Herbs tastes fantastic. So it automatically gets consumed with greater frequency in my household, and that feels good because I know just how impressive its nutritional profile is. It’s made with sprouts protein , hemp protein, brown rice protein, blueberries and so much more (see the complete ingredients list below). What really makes this product so remarkable is that it’s a high-RNA formula made with nutrients that are specifically chosen for their RNA content such as Chlorella Growth Factor (CGF) and RNA extracts of nutritional yeast . In terms of supplemental vitamins, it contains the coenzyme forms of essential B vitamins — these are the bioavailable forms, not the cheap chemical forms of vitamins you typically find in common multivitamin products. Beyond that, Rejuvenate! Berries and Herbs contains a wide array of immune-supporting herbs and mushroom extracts, liver-supporting nutrients, ginger root, sea vegetables, turmeric, astragalus and much more. The depth of its ingredients is really impressive. By the way, Rejuvenate is a 100% vegan product. No animal ingredients whatsoever. How to use Rejuvenate! Berries and Herbs Do you remember drinking strawberry milk as a kid? I used to love that sick stuff. As a kid, I drank the Quik brand strawberry milk product, loaded with processed sugar and artificial flavors. (No wonder I had so many cavities growing up…) Today, you can create your own nutritionally-potent “strawberry milk superfood” by combining this Rejuvenate! Berries and Herbs with raw almond milk fresh-pressed right out of the Hurom Slow Juicer (http://www.naturalnews.com/028232_Hurom_juicer_slow_juicing.html). Add a little stevia sweetener and you’ve got a super nutritious, ridiculously delicious “strawberry milk” superfood beverage that’s loaded with health-enhancing nutrients. It only takes minutes to make with the Hurom Slow Juicer. Just soak raw almonds in water for a few hours, then pop them into the Hurom Slow Juicer. Out comes fresh almond milk! Blend it with this Rejuvenate product and you’re in business! You can also, of course, blend Rejuvenate with just about any fruit smoothie. Here in Ecuador where I have fresh tropical fruit readily available, I’ve blended this product with bananas, papayas, pineapples (really good), guavas, zapote fruit (strange), wild gooseberries (uvillas), and of course fresh garden juice too (parsley, cucumbers, celery, beets, bean sprouts). But my favorite recipe with this product is the simplest one: Rejuvenate plus fresh almond milk pressed right on my kitchen countertop. Where to get Rejuvenate! Berries and Herbs This remarkable superfood product is available straight from the manufacturer at a 10% discount off the retail price. Check that out here: http://www.integratedhealth.com/hpdspec/rejuvenateBerriesHerbs.html The same discounted price is also available through our NaturalNews Store: http://store.naturalnews.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=100151_100371 For a very limited time, HPDI has supplied our NaturalNews Store with a quantity of this product with permission to offer it at a one-time “introductory discount” of 30% off when you buy three. This offer was only made possible with the permission of HPDI and it’s a one-time offer that’s good only while this inventory lasts. Take advantage of the 30% off discount here: http://store.naturalnews.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=100151_100371&products_id=1003187&zenid=n43c5pkes5bke1rv3aipob9cf6 A word about price I fully realize there are less-expensive meal replacement “superfood” products on the market. But all the really good ones I’ve recommended over the years — HealthForce Nutritionals, LivingFuel, Pure Synergy, and so on — have all been on the higher end of the pricing scale. That’s no coincidence . I only recommend the very best in the industry . There are cheaper products on the market, and there are some really awful products made with 50% lecithin filler, soy protein and other less desirable ingredients. (You noticed I’ve never recommended the Spirutein product line, right?) I don’t claim to know all the best products in the world, as I’m sure there are others I have yet to discover and review, but of the products I am aware of, this Rejuvenate Berries and Herbs takes its place among the very best in the world. You won’t find it in Whole Foods (not yet anyway) because if it were distributed through that retail channel, the price would probably have to be raised significantly higher. Getting it directly from HPDI or the NN Store helps keep the costs down vs. retail distribution. Besides, if you compare ingredients to ingredients, and you really look at what goes into these superfood products, you’ll agree that Rejuvenate Berries and Herbs is a serious contender for the “Best Superfood” award of 2010. Quality ingredients cost money. But a little goes a long way. If you’re on a tight budget, just using one tablespoon a day of this product can confer tremendous nutritional benefits that you might otherwise miss. Personally, I think it’s better to use a little bit of a high potency superfood each day rather than a larger quantity of some cheap product made with lots of filler. Speaking of filler, the most common filler to watch out for in the health products marketplace is soy protein . The second filler is usually soy lecithin . I don’t mind some amount of lecithin in a product, but when it starts to approach 25% of the total recipe, that’s when I know it’s just cheap filler. And of course, the really non-desirable products are sweetened with artificial chemical sweeteners like sucralose or aspartame. Don’t even think about buying those. Stick with the high-quality products and you’ll be far happier with your results. Rejuvenate! Berries and Herbs comes with a satisfaction guarantee, by the way, when you get it from the Natural News Store. I think you’ll really love this product! Pick up some right here: http://store.naturalnews.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=100151_100371 The ingredients Rice Protein, Vegetable Sprouts Protein (65% protein), Hemp Protein with fiber (37% protein), Flax Seed Flour (cold-milled), Rice Bran Solubles, D-Ribose, Blueberry powder (organic freeze dried), Cranberry powder (organic freeze dried), Strawberry powder (organic freeze dried), Raspberry powder (organic freeze dried), Nutritional Yeast (brewers yeast), Lecithin (High Phosphatide), Xylitol (organic hardwood), Mannitol, Inulin (chicory root), VitaBerry Plus, L-Lysine (USP grade), Vanilla Flavoring (Organic), Organic Mixed Berry Flavoring, RNA from yeast, Vitamin C (from Mg ascorbate), Chlorella Growth Factor (CGF), Burdock Root (Organic), Astragalus (Organic), Turmeric (Organic), Proprietary Enzyme Blend (Protease, Peptidase, Cellulase), Ginger Root (Organic), L-Malic Acid, Rhodiola rosea (root) (3% rosavins), Quercetin Chalcone, N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine, Milk Thistle Standardized Extract (82% silymarin), Licorice (root) (Organic), Kelp (Organic), Dulse (Organic), Inositol, Green Tea Extract (95% polyphenols), Dandelion Root (Organic), Aloe vera (ActivAloe 200:1), Vitamin E (d-alpha tocopheryl succinate), Magnesium (from Mg malate), Stevia Leaf Extract, Lipoic Acid, Vitamin B3 (niacinamide), BioVin Grape Extract, Choline (from bitartrate). Immune-Assist (organic medicinal mushrooms), Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin E (high-gamma mixed tocopherols), Vitamin B5 Pantethine, Germanium Sesquioxide, TransResveratrol (Polygonum cuspidatum), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxal-5′-phosphate), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin-5′-phosphate), Vitamin B1 (thiamin diphosphate), Magnesium (from Mg ascorbate), Biotin, Folinic Acid (from calcium folinate), Vitamin K1 (as phylloquinone), Vitamin B12 (as methylcobalamin), Selenium (from l-Selenomethionine), and Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Information from the manufacturer – Background on the formulation REJUVENATE! BERRIES and HERBS is designed to provide high levels of nucleic acids, including RNA, DNA, nucleotides, and nucleosides. Modern western diets can be deficient in nucleic acids, at least relative to many traditional diets. Food sources of nucleic acids include certain fish, organ meats, beans, yeast, and various food algae. In general, foods high in purines contain above average levels of nucleic acids. In comparison to most fish and organ meats, muscle meats (e.g., beef, chicken, pork, etc) are relatively deficient in nucleic acids. Moreover, while certain vegetables (beans, asparagus, spinach) and vegetable soups provide reasonably high levels of nucleic acids, most vegetables do not. Because modern western diets typically depend heavily on muscle meats, processed foods, and foods produced via industrial agriculture, nucleic acid intake generally is quite low (relative to traditional diets), and continues to decline, except when certain foods or supplements are added to the diet. For example, the Japanese consume higher amounts of spirulina and chlorella; the British consume a yeast extract known as “Marmite” and the Australians consume “Vegemite,” etc. Moreover, many fish-eating cultures are known for health and longevity. Many researchers have concluded that higher levels of health among fish-eating peoples not only relates to increased intake of essential fats, but also relates to higher intake of nucleic acids. Nucleic acids are involved in many bodily processes, especially energy production and communication within cells (i.e., they enable cells to use energy effectively for greater health). In the cell nucleus, RNA carries out instructions coded in DNA instructions containing information critical for cell structure and function which are essential for the very lives of our cells, and thereby for our lives. When our cells receive proper directions and energy to carry them out, they keep us youthful. In the 1960s and 1970s, the molecular biologist Dr. Benjamin S. Frank pioneered dietary nucleic acid therapy [through nutrition] using yeast extracts and fish, especially sardines. He wrote several books regarding his studies, including Dr. Frank’s No-Aging Diet: Eat and Grow Younger (1976), a bestseller that popularized the so-called “fish diet.” Dr. Frank’s experiments with high-RNA diets showed that increased dietary intake of nucleic acids produced marked improvements in health both in specific conditions, as well as in general health and vitality. Dr. Frank’s animal experiments, and his experience with human subjects, showed many beneficial effects, indicating that dietary nucleic acids (i.e., nucleic acid in the diet and through dietary supplementation) can be useful adjuncts in protocols for a wide variety of conditions. Among the beneficial effects Dr. Frank recorded were increased growth (especially muscle growth), greater endurance; positive effects on the cardiovascular system; greater lung capacity and easier breathing (i.e., better oxygen utilization); higher tolerance for temperature extremes (cold and hot); smoother skin and a more youthful appearance; greater vitality and longevity (in experimental animals compared to controls). Dr. Frank’s human subjects also showed many positive effects, including increased energy levels, greater endurance, improved muscle strength, easier breathing, lowered cholesterol levels, diminishment of angina pains and other beneficial cardiovascular effects, blood sugar stabilization, improved vision, and a more youthful appearance. In his books, Dr. Frank addresses how nucleic acids can dramatically increase cellular energy. Nucleic acids boost energy levels in the body is by significantly increasing production of the “high-energy” molecule ATP (adenosine triphosphate). The body requires the energy from ATP for many purposes, including for repairing, healing, metabolism, digestion, building a strong immune system, and other processes. The pioneering work of Dr. Frank has provided a scientific and clinical basis for pursuing development of nutritional formulas that leverage the power of dietary nucleic acids for greater health and well-being.

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