Bioregional herbalism — a more sustainable model of natural healing

Simply substituting echinacea for flu shots or arnica cream for Ben-Gay can still leave you hooked into the unhealthy and consumerist mainstream model of health. If you want to develop a truly holistic sense of health, learn to experience both yourself and the plants…

Industrial monoculture leading to the extinction of bananas

(NaturalNews) When too much of the same crop is grown in the same fields year after year, soils become depleted of vital nutrients and healthy bacteria, which allows for diseases to easily thrive and spread. And the global supply of bananas — at least the kind sold in most major grocery stores — could become a thing of the past thanks to a deadly, monoculture-induced banana disease that has already wiped out banana crops across Southeast Asia. It is called Race IV fungus, or “the HIV of banana plantations,” and it thrives in monoculture soils like the ones that grow Cavendish bananas, the type most commonly grown and sold internationally. Though there are thousands of other varieties of bananas in existence, many of which have a much better flavor and texture, large growers and exporters have stuck with the Cavendish variety because it ships well, and is said to be more visually appealing. But this lack of genetic diversity in the banana industry appears to be leading to its demise, as scientists have been warning for years that Race IV fungus will eventually spread to the Americas. When this eventually takes place, banana growers will no longer be able to grow bananas because the plants simply will not survive — and not only will the contaminated soil become unfit for growing crops for at least a few decades, but so will the land around it. “Race IV had probably been around for a long time, but it wasn’t until these (banana) plantations went in that it had the expansion opportunity that a monoculture provides,” writes Heather Smith in a recent Grist.com piece on the subject. “The 21st century looks to be the era in which those great monocultures are gradually becoming undone.” Prior to the 1960s, the Gros Michel variety of banana, also known as “Big Mike,” was the order of the day in the US. This variety is more flavorful, more complex, and generally more palatable than the Cavendish variety — but just like what is happening to the Cavendish variety, monoculture ended up ruining Gros Michel. Unfortunately this time, there is nothing in the wings to replace Cavendish when it eventually goes kaput (http://www.raw-food-health.net/Gros-Michel.html#axzz1dnsBTN1h). Throughout Central and South America, many countries still successfully grow a diverse array of bananas on small-scale farms and even in backyard gardens. And since they are not grown in a monoculture system, they remain largely free of disease — so when will the US and other nations that embrace industrial agriculture finally learn that the system is literally destroying food as we know it? Sources for this article include: http://www.grist.org/food/2011-11-11-slouching-toward-a-bananapocolypse

How to test for metals poisoning and remove heavy metals from your body

(NaturalNews) With all the recent news about iron pills that might harm you (http://www.naturalnews.com/034021_iron_supplements_harmful.html) and a popular dietary supplement that was exposed as having surprisingly high levels of aluminum sulfate (http://www.naturalnews.com/034005_Adya_Clarity_consumer_alert.html), NaturalNews has received numerous emails from readers wanting to know how to actually remove heavy metals (and light metals, for that matter) from their body. On top of the items mentioned above, there is also aluminum and mercury in many vaccines (http://www.naturalnews.com/031870_flu_shots_brain_damage.html), and people take in mercury from eating sushi, too (http://www.naturalnews.com/029189_sushi_mercury.html). There’s also a problem with copper exposure , as people who take in too much copper may literally lose their minds or become delusional (http://www.naturalnews.com/034037_Adya_Clarity_aluminum.html). The bottom line in all this is that we are being assaulted with heavy metals through medicines, personal care products, cosmetics, industrial chemicals and even some fraudulently marketed health products. So what can you do about it? Step one: Get tested – blood, hair, urine Before you can treat metals toxicity, you need to determine what levels of metals you actually have contaminating your body’s tissues. As metals toxicity expert Roy Dittman explained in our recent interview, a blood test alone cannot accurately determine your level of metals toxicity . Many metals quickly pass from your blood to your tissues , where they may lodge and cause serious long-term health problems such as: • Iron lodged in your heart tissue can cause heart disease. • Aluminum lodged in your brain tissue can cause Alzheimer’s or clinical insanity. • Mercury lodged in your brain can cause autism spectrum disorders. • Lead lodged in your bones can interfere with red blood cell production and even white blood cell production. To get tested, find a local doctor or naturopath who can run these tests and offer you an intelligent diagnosis. Get your tests done, review your results, then decide your next course of action. Step two: Consider treatment to remove the metals The most widely accepted treatment for removing heavy metals is chelation therapy , and its efficacy for certain metals is widely accepted across both conventional and holistic medical practitioners. Chelation therapy involves your doctor or naturopath placing an IV line into your arm (or other location), then dripping a chelation agent into your bloodstream. The most common chelation agent used today is ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid or EDTA. As the University of Maryland Medical Center explains (http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/ethylenediaminetetraacetic-acid-000302.htm): “Chelation therapy using EDTA is the medically accepted treatment for lead poisoning. Other heavy metal poisonings treated with chelation include mercury, arsenic, aluminum, chromium, cobalt, manganese, nickel, selenium, zinc, tin, and thallium. Chelating agents other than EDTA are also used to clear several of these substances from the bloodstream.” This page goes on to explain: “Heavy metal toxicity in humans has been associated with many health conditions, including heart disease, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Alzheimer’s disease, immune system disorders, gastrointestinal disorders (including irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS), and autism.” Be sure to replenish the good minerals Although there is tremendous controversy about the use of EDTA for removing plaque from arteries, it is widely acknowledged that EDTA very effectively removes metals (and minerals) from the body. The good news is that EDTA binds to heavy metals and allows your body to easily eliminate them. The bad news is that EDTA also binds to beneficial minerals such as zinc and calcium, taking them out of your body as well. For this reason, health practitioners who administer EDTA chelation typically recommend remineralization treatments with healthful minerals following chelation. There are many other areas to explore in the realm of metals detox. I don’t have all the answers for you here, but you may wish to explore various detox cleanses using apple cider vinegar or lemon juice as the primary liquids. Just “juicing” fresh vegetables and fruits with lemons is, all by itself, somewhat of a heavy metals detox (although it probably won’t eliminate inorganic metals lodged in brain tissue). We hope to bring you more stories on this topic in the near future, especially as so many people have a heightened interest in removing copper, aluminum, mercury and even excess iron from their bodies. Eliminating excess iron, by the way, is easily accomplished by donating blood . But make sure you get tested first, and discuss treatment options with your doctor or naturopathic physician. This is one topic in which even conventional doctors may have very practical knowledge. Although conventional doctors typically have a poor understanding of nutrition, removing heavy metals from your body is an area in which they may indeed be quite useful. Licensed naturopaths are also an outstanding resource for this. How to get “good” minerals into your body It’s simpler than you think: Simply feed minerals to your plants , then eat the plants. You can do this seasonally with a home garden or year-round with a sprouting machine. The sprouts will take up inorganic minerals and convert them into organic minerals which are then compatible for human consumption. Obviously, make sure the minerals you feed your plants don’t contain harmful metals (like mercury or cadmium), or else your plants will absorb those, too. Never consume inorganic minerals or metals (i.e. minerals made from rocks) if you can avoid it. Certain metals should always be avoided where possible, such as mercury, aluminum, cadmium, arsenic and lead.

Just launched: Surthrival Series features Daniel Vitalis, Health Ranger teaching lifesaving principles of urban preparedness

(NaturalNews) As protests continues to grow in major cities worldwide, those who are paying attention know that a time of rioting and collapse is fast approaching . European banks are on the brink of default, and a collapse in Europe will drag the U.S. even more deeply into its own downward spiral of financial insolvency. How long can the system hold out before we see massive protests, riots and even a “second American revolution” begin to unfold? More importantly, how will you not only survive the inevitable disruptions in basic resources (water, electricity, heating oil, local law enforcement, etc.) but how will you THRIVE through any crisis and always come out ahead? Real solutions for people who live in cities or suburbs My friend Daniel Vitalis is not only the founder of one of the most innovative nutritional supplement companies in America (www.Surthrival.com), he’s also an expert in primitive skills such as food foraging, fire starting, and shelter construction. One day as we were talking about primitive skills and the coming “reboot” of society (as he calls it), I asked the question, “Why isn’t there a course on preparedness and survival for people living in the cities or suburbs?” Most of the preparedness information available today is geared toward wilderness survival . But most people don’t live in the wilderness — they live in the city or surrounding suburbs. They might have a small yard to grow some veggies, but they don’t have huge acreage to go foraging for wild food, for example. They have a roof over their heads, but when the electricity and heating oil stops, they don’t necessarily know how to stay warm and well fed inside their house or apartment. In other words: How do city people survive the crisis that we all sense is coming? Introducing the Surthrival Series To help answer this question, Daniel Vitalis and I (the Health Ranger) put together a totally unique preparedness and survival course that teaches and even demonstrates the skills you need to survive in any city, suburb or even a ranch setting. Most importantly, this is not a “Rambo survival course” that tries to dramatize Man vs. the Wild . This is not a “run around a shoot everybody and be the last man standing” survival course. Instead, this is a thoughtful, thorough instructional course that focuses on the real skills you will need to survive and thrive: Skills like food preservation, bartering, staying warm in a cold climate, redundant systems for light and heat, how to deal with refugees who need help, how to rig your own non-lethal self defense weapons, and other valuable topics. Better yet, we don’t just show you the skills you need to thrive in any crisis, we share with you the principles of strategic thinking that will get you through almost any situation imaginable. We’ve packaged it all in an online course that you can watch instantly through NaturalNews.TV, our highly popular video site. This course consists of 10 online videos that you can watch on any PC or Mac, plus 3 downloadable audio files (MP3) that you can download and listen to on your iPhone, MP3 player or any computer. Click here for more details on the Surthrival Series course , available exclusively through NaturalNews.TV. What you’re about to learn may help keep you and your family alive How useful is the information you’ll find in this course? It could spell the difference between life and death. And yet, most people don’t know this information. They assume the tap water will always function; that the electrical grid will always be available; and that 911 emergency services will always respond. But in a breakdown scenario, none of these things are likely to be operational, leaving us all to fend for ourselves. How will you do that? The Surthrival Series gives you practical, low-tech solutions that really work to protect your safety, support your basic necessities, and keep you and your family warm and well fed. Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this information-packed course: • Why you need a Surthrival course: The most likely causes of disruption or collapse. • How you can feel more confident and prepared in facing the future with the skills and knowledge you need to stay safe. • Why society may be more fragile than you think, affecting banking and trade, food deliveries, municipal infrastructure and more. • Did you realize this? Urban planners never planned cities to suffer functional breakdowns. • Extraordinary tip: How to get FREE courses in emergency medicine , first aid, emergency rescue and much more — right in your own local community! • Why we are already IN the collapse. It has begun! • Why preparedness transforms fear into confidence. • How to stay balanced in being “prepared” for possible breakdowns in society while also remaining positive enough to stay confident. • How to prepare right now even if you life in an apartment or condo in a high-population city. • What simple source of carbohydrates you can store that will literally last for hundreds of years in storage . • How to use “counter thinking” to acquire supplies and resources when they are cheap and readily available. • Key barter items that are cheap now but will be almost invaluable in a collapse scenario. … learn all this and much more in the Surthrival Series . Click here for instant access (start viewing it immediately.) A wealth of survival and preparedness information at your fingertips In The Surthrival Series , you will also learn: • How to protect yourself from radiation, GMOs, petrochemicals, contaminated water and other planet-wide threats to your health. • Why modern society is so distorted that it promotes and favors sociopaths and narcissists — and why that will quickly shift in the post-collapse reality. • Why you should think about your stored food in terms of “thermal units” for heat and not just calories for powering activity. • Why SURVIVAL food is not HIKING food. And why granola bars are basically horse food ! • Why the water infrastructure in every major city is likely to suffer disruptions (or total failures) in almost any survival scenario. • Why to think seriously about the water supply of where you live: Huge regions of North America, Australia and other countries will quickly return to deserts in a collapse. • Why typical “survival kits” are just toys. They won’t keep you alive when you need them. Learn what works better. • Why most survival foods (MREs, etc.) are loaded with genetically modified vegetable oils and other garbage ingredients. • Why “people skills” are crucial survival skills. • Why a post-collapse world could actually lead to healthier people in the long run. • How to intelligently assess your local climate to prepare for the proper shelter and temperature variation. • How to survive in your home through any winter even without your furnace working! • How to source and easily assemble the Health Ranger’s secret light beam weapon for temporarily blinding groups of attackers — no one else is talking about this! • The four elements — earth, water, wind, fire — and what they have to do with Surthrival. • Why traditional “survival” foods are often extremely toxic and may even harm you! • Strategies for getting out of the city during a crisis, including finding alternative routes and practicing escape routes. • Great advice on light-producing devices which should always be in your carry kit. • Key strategies for redundancy for your most high-priority tools or systems. • Why you have to change your food buying habits when thinking about preparedness foods — you’ve got to aim for MORE calories in your food, not less. This is the opposite of the food purchasing habits people follow right now. • Inexpensive preparedness food items you can find at a regular grocery store. • Why merely STORING food isn’t a complete solution — you need to GROW food to live sustainably. Stored food is merely “transition” food, says Vitalis. • Which skills will suddenly become extremely valuable in a post-collapse scenario. Click here to learn even more about what’s in this course. (Watch the preview trailer!) The Surthrival Series also includes downloadable audio programs covering the following: How to create your own GO BAG ($19 value) In this audio program, Mike Adams (the Health Ranger) reveals his own personal recipe for creating a food preparedness GO BAG — a bag that you can grab and go in any emergency, supplying you with food, cooking supplies, water filtration equipment and basic food prep utensils. In this 90-minute downloadable MP3 audio program, you’ll learn: • Which foods you can buy at any grocery store that should be part of your go bag. • Which superfoods will boost your emergency nutrition during a crisis. • Why you should avoid glass containers and actually go with plastic. • Which food basics to be sure to include in your bag. • Recommendations on the actual brand of super heavy duty duffel bags to consider as your go bag. • Details on the world’s best portable water filtration equipment that you’ll want to include. • Which water bottles, cups and boiling pans to consider including. • The exact brand name of the portable camp cooking device to include in your go bag (it can boil water and make soup, tea, or hot beverages). • A list of the exactly cooking utensils to include in your go bag — it’s just enough to get the job done while staying light in weight. • Advice on lighters, matches, soaps, bleach, cleaning devices, plastic storage bags and much more. • How to protect your go bag from mice, ants or other pests. • How to find “processed food” that’s actually decent for your health and will have a long shelf life. • Which food bars to consider including in your go bag — high-density nutrition without the chemical additives. • Advice on items to AVOID putting in your food go bag. • Strategies for carrying water in a vehicle, and which storage containers to consider. • Additional authentic commentary from Mike Adams on the coming collapse, the need to prepare, and why most people won’t listen until it’s too late. Five Mental Strategies for Surviving Anytime, Anywhere In this additional audio program, the Health Ranger reveals his most protected secrets that kept him alive during episodes of being stalked and threatened by Big Pharma operatives. You’ll learn some of the most powerful methods for avoiding conflict and getting your business done without attracting attention. Inside, you’ll learn: • How to blend in and avoid drawing unnecessary attention to yourself. • The importance of setting your ego aside and backing down from a fight. • How to observe the people around you and then mimic them to fit in. • How to anticipate the warning signs of imminent collapse. • Which basic skills can increase your total resourcefulness , allowing you to accomplish more with less. • Why you need to be ahead of the crowd when the financial collapse comes (and ways to make sure you really are). • Why “gearing up” alone won’t save you during the collapse. You also need these crucial skills… • A lifesaving lesson the Health Ranger learned from his knife instructor (and why you should always remember this lesson if conflict looks imminent). • Understanding personal space boundaries and using them to stay safe while blending in. • How to project an unconscious message that you are not a person to be messed with (and why this is important). • The philosophy of the ethical warrior: Helping others when they are in need, yet viciously defending yourself, your family and your property when absolutely necessary. Learn all this and more in the Five Mental Strategies for Surviving Anytime, Anywhere . The full download is available FREE as part of this package. Listen to the MP3 file on any mobile device: iPod, iPad, mobile phone or MP3 player. All MP3 files are downloadable to your iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac or MP3 player All the MP3 files in this course are FULLY DOWNLOADABLE so you can download them all and listen to the course at your leisure, on any device that plays MP3 files. These are high-quality MP3s (320k) that are far superior to typical MP3 files used with audio books, for example. Load ‘em up on your favorite MP3 player and enjoy the program! The videos in this course are streamable (viewable) on any Mac or PC. Watch them any time you wish, and watch them an unlimited number of times from today into the future. They stay permanently in your NaturalNews.TV library so you can access them any time in the future. Tremendous value — get INSTANT ACCESS now In all, you can’t really put a price on the value of this course. You get: • 10 streamable videos • 3 downloadable audio files • 2 valuable bonus items • Huge money-saving discount codes that more than pay for the entire cost of this course Click here to get the Surthrival Series now. Here’s more of what you’ll learn in the Surthrival Series • How to use silver to “preserve” your stored water and protect it from pathogens. • Tips on how to transport water. • How to avoid being ripped off by cheap tools, cheap knives and other cheap tools that will fail when you need them most. • An awesome cordage tying technique, demonstrated by Daniel Vitalis. This technique allows you to keep long cords without tangling them! • The importance of eating clay (yes, eating CLAY) to protect yourself from toxins and radiation. • Why the trace element iodine is so crucial to stock in your preparedness medicine chest. • Unusual nutritional strategies for removing BPA (bisphenol-A), radiation and toxic chemicals from your body. • Why “success” in surthrival is not merely about surviving, but also protecting your genetic code. • How to choose a properly-sized backpack to carry just the right amount of gear. • How to choose a water carrier that protects your water and keeps it cool. Why to consider ceramic… • Why most people vastly underestimate the temperature variation in nature, especially at night. • Why you need to own and carry a thermal under layer made partially from merino wool . • Why you should cover your body’s “pulse points” with thermal protection during cold nights or cold weather. • Why you should never buy a bright color backpack if you really want to survive in the wilderness. • Key preparedness gear that can protect you from dust, keep you warm and even hide your face out in the woods. • Why natural wool is a far better material for warmth and protection compared to synthetic fibers like polypropylene. • Why you should always carry a map of the area in which you live (and add it to your kit). • Important tips for navigation, using a compass, having a declination chart, etc. • Which brand of compass works the most reliably year after year. • Light, portable, high-value items that are perfect for barter. • Why you need a small, portable magnifier • Watch Daniel ignite wood with a magnifying glass. • How to reduce the noise level of your pack and gear, to be quiet as you move through any environment. • The most practical multi-tool for using both in the wilderness as well as urban environments. • Tips about the ultimate wilderness tool – the “survival knife” and why it’s not what you think. • Advanced techniques for using a survival knife to split wood, cut trees for shelter, shave wood for starting fires and much more. • Why you need a dry sack to protect important documents and tools. • The importance of cordage and why you need to stock up on the right kind of cord. • Cold weather strategies for staying warm or treating hypothermia . • Which brand and models of LED lights are highly recommended for reliable, long-term use. • How to wear a knife so that it is accessible yet secure. • Why you are probably vastly underestimating your need for quality cutting edges (knives). • What kind of survival / preparedness gear to AVOID buying. • Demonstration video of using a woodsman knife to chop a tree for firewood, shelter construction, a fence post, etc. Also includes a video demonstration of a technique called “batoning.” • The ultimate toothpaste — it’s made with clay! Here’s the product that protects your gums, cleans your teeth, and provides protection against toxic substances. • Information about zeolites and how they can be used to pull toxic material out of your body . (These were used to help clean Chernobyl.) • Why the food supply may experience severe disruptions in a collapse scenario — and how we can become more independent with our own food supply. • Why it’s important to know your local food providers before a crisis appears. • Strategies for raising your own meat on a small scale. • Tips for gathering wild food: Foraging and hunting. • Why using your lawn to grow grass is a waste of resources: In the near future, lawns will be used to produce FOOD. • Strategies for food storage and how to make sure the food you store is the food that will power you through realistic situations you are likely to encounter. • Why you should sprout all stored grains before you eat them! • Why you should consider storing large quantities of OILS for preparedness — and we’ll reveal the No. 1 best oil to store (hint: You can’t usually find it at the grocery store.) • Strategies for choosing storable foods that last for years on the shelf and yet provide high-density calories when needed. • Why SALT will almost certainly become scarce in a collapse scenario — and where to get it right now dirt cheap from a surprising source. • How to source and store hard-to-get omega-3 fatty acids for long-term preparedness. • How to become proficient in wild plant medicine and food in a relatively short period of time. • Tips for choosing seeds to grow your plants, and then how to “evolve” your plants generation after generation to be better suited to your local soils and climate. • Fascinating thoughts on how the human species has been altered and why the gene pool is shifting. • How to avoid losing stored food to rodents or insects. • Understanding your body’s needs for clean water — and how to provide the very best water in the world. • Busted: the “Spring Water” hoax — most of it is actually well water! • How to find water-producing springs using a clever online map. • Why nearly all surface water on our planet has been contaminated with nuclear fallout from decades of nuclear bomb tests. • Why it’s important to actually store water in your home . • The coming age of water wars. • Important strategies for sourcing and owning water filters — how to make sure you always have one accessible. • What happens when Los Angeles runs out of water? Vitalis discusses various scenarios… • A video demonstration of the Katadyn Expedition ceramic water filter (hand pumped, filters enough water for a whole neighborhood). • Why “nice neighbors” suddenly transform into something very different when water or food becomes scarce. • The coming phase of collapse: People will begin to abandon the cities . • Why all these cities are completely unsustainable: Phoenix, Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, San Diego, Tucson, and more. • Why “earth changes” are completely normal and common, and why the coming changes will make major cities uninhabitable. • Why this course goes BEYOND mere “survival” and teaches how we stay healthy and thrive through any crisis or collapse. This isn’t about guns and ammo as much as it is about seeds and strategies. • Estimates on the survival count following a global economic collapse. • Why mental preparedness is just as important as physical preparedness. • What will happen to the “shelter” properties of your house if electricity and heating oil supplies are disrupted? • Learn about the No. 1 killer in the outdoors and how to avoid it with proper planning and equipment. • Why your current level of body fat dramatically affects your ability to survive in different temperature climates. • The physics of conduction and how to leverage these principles to stay warm in the winter or cool in the summer. • Strategies for “base layer” clothing – the best materials and layering tips. • Tips for easily and affordably generating short-term heat in your home. • Tips for using FOOD to boost your body heat and stay warm. • Why growing your own food requires huge calories and necessarily alters the way you think about food and caloric intake. • How to create your own insulated sleeping gear even if you don’t have a sleeping bag around. • Myths about camp fires and fireplaces — they’re mostly cosmetic and really don’t keep you warm (we explain why). • Why it’s smart to become familiar with using a woodstove for heat and cooking. • Advice on sourcing practical, lightweight tents in case you need shelter that’s mobile. • How to use heat to “sweat out” radiation and toxins. • My #1 top recommended flashlight: Lasts a lifetime and can also be used as a self defense tool. • How to use LIGHT as a powerful defensive tool. • How to project a sense of confidence in public to avoid being targeted by bad people. • How to out-intimidate would-be attackers to make them think twice about attacking you or your property. • The really big preparedness issue almost no one thinks about: Dealing with refugees from the cities . • Strategies for growing a “stealth garden” that isn’t easily recognizable as a sign of being “stocked up” on food. • Why disruptions in 911 and emergency services can cause “normal” people to suddenly become criminal minds. • The best fire-starting gear — what really works (and this may surprise you). • Important safety tips for storing fuels, candles or lighters. • Who to be sure to network with in your local community to make sure you’re considered part of the solution and not the problem. Click here for instant access to the Surthrival Series.

Scientific studies conclude GMO feed causes organ disruption in animals

(NaturalNews) A new paper reviewing data from 19 animal studies shows that consuming genetically modified (GM) corn or soybeans leads to significant organ disruptions in rats and mice, particularly in livers and kidneys (http://www.enveurope.com/content/23/1/10). “Other organs may be affected too, such as the heart and spleen, or blood cells,” stated the paper. In fact some of the animals fed genetically modified organisms had altered body weights, which is “a very good predictor of side effects in various organs.” The GM soybean and corn varieties used in the feeding trials “constitute 83% of the commercialized GMOs” that are currently consumed by billions of people. While the findings may have serious ramifications for the human population, the authors demonstrate how a multitude of GMO-related health problems could easily pass undetected through the superficial and largely incompetent safety assessments that are used around the world. The researchers, lead by French Professor Gilles-Eric Sralini, found that nearly 1 out of every 10 measured parameters in the studies, including blood and urine biochemistry, organ weights, and microscopic analyses, were significantly disrupted in the animals fed GMOs. The kidneys of males fared the worst, with 43.5% of all the changes. The liver of females followed, with 30.8%. The report, published in Environmental Sciences Europe on March 1, 2011, confirms that “several convergent data appear to indicate liver and kidney problems as end points of GMO diet effects.” The authors point out that livers and kidneys “are the major reactive organs” in cases of chronic food toxicity. Feed’em longer! One of the most glaring faults in the current regulatory regime is the short duration of animals feeding studies. The industry limits trials to 90 days at most, with some less than a month. Only two studies reviewed in this new publication were over 90 days — both were non-industry research. Short studies could easily miss many serious effects of GMOs. It is well established that some pesticides and drugs, for example, can create effects that are passed on through generations, only showing up decades later. IN the case of the drug DES (diethylstilbestrol), “induced female genital cancers among other problems in the second generation.” The authors urge regulators to require long-term multi-generational studies, to “provide evidence of carcinogenic, developmental, hormonal, neural, and reproductive potential dysfunctions, as it does for pesticides or drugs.” Pesticide Plants Nearly all GM crops are described as “pesticide plants.” They either tolerate doses of weed killer, such as Roundup, or produce an insecticide called Bt-toxin. In both cases, the added toxin — weedkiller or bug killer — is found inside the corn or soybeans we consume. When regulators evaluate the toxic effects of pesticides, they typically require studies using three types of animals, with at least one feeding trial lasting 2 years or more. One third or more of the side effects produced by these toxins will show up only in the longer study — not the shorter ones. But for no good reason, regulators ignore the lessons learned from pesticides and waive the GM crops-containing-pesticides onto the market with a single species tested for just 90 days. The authors affirm that “it is impossible, within only 13 weeks, to conclude about the kind of pathology that could be induced by pesticide GMOs and whether it is a major pathology or a minor one. It is therefore necessary to prolong the tests.” GMO approvals also ignore the new understanding that toxins don’t always follow a linear dose-response. Sometimes a smaller amount of toxins have greater impact than larger doses. Approvals also overlook the fact that mixtures can be far more dangerous than single chemicals acting alone. Roundup residues, for example, have been “shown to be toxic for human placental, embryonic, and umbilical cord cells,” whereas Roundup’s active ingredient glyphosate does not on its own provoke the same degree of damage. One reason for this is that the chemicals in Roundup “stabilize glyphosate and allow its penetration into cells.” Furthermore, toxins may generate new substances (metabolites) “either in the GM plant or in the animals fed with it.” Current assessments completely ignore the potential danger from these new components in our diets, such as the “new metabolites” in GMOs engineered to withstand Roundup. The authors warn, “We consider this as a major oversight in the present regulations.” “It’s not the same stuff that farmers spray” Regulators claim that the Bt-toxin produced inside GM corn is safe. They say that the Bt gene comes from soil bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which has been safely applied as a spray-on insecticide by farmers in the past. But the authors insist that “the argument about ‘safe use history’ of the wild Bt protein . . . cannot, on a sound scientific basis, be used for direct authorizations of . . . GM corns,” without conducting proper long-term animal feeding studies. In order to justify their claim that the wild Bt-toxin is safe, the authors state that it must first be separately tested on animals and humans and then authorized individually for food or feed, which it has not. And even if the wild variety had been confirmed as safe, the GM versions are so different, they must require their own independent studies. The paper states: “The Bt toxins in GMOs are new and modified, truncated, or chimerical in order to change their activities/solubility in comparison to wild Bt. For instance, there is at least a 40% difference between the toxin in Bt176 [corn] and its wild counterpart.” Even though the isolated Bt-toxin from GM corn has not been tested on animals, rodent studies on corn containing the toxin do show problems. Male rats fed Monsanto’s MON863 corn, for example, had smaller kidneys with more focal inflammation and other “disrupted biochemical markers typical of kidney filtration or function problems.” Stop with the dumb excuses If statistically significant problems show up in their studies, biotech company researchers often attempt to explain away the adverse findings. But the authors of this review paper describe their excuses as unscientific, obsolete, or unjustified. When male and female animals have different results, for example, biotech advocates claim that this couldn’t possibly be related to the feed. Since both genders eat the same amount, they argue, both would have to show the same reaction in all of their organs, etc. And if the group of animals fed with less of the GMO feed exhibit more severe reactions than the group fed the larger amount, advocates claim that this discrepancy also means that the GMOs could not be the cause, since there must always be a linear dose relationship. The authors of this paper, however, point out that effects found in a GMO animal feeding study “cannot be disregarded on the rationale that it is not linear to the dose (or dose-related) or not comparable in genders. This would not be scientifically acceptable.” In fact, most “pathological and endocrine effects in environmental health are not directly proportional to the dose, and they have a differential threshold of sensitivity in both sexes. This is, for instance, the case with carcinogenesis and endocrine disruption.” What’s the culprit, pesticide or plant? The shortcomings of the feeding studies make it impossible to determine whether a particular problem is due to the added pesticide, such as Roundup residues or Bt-toxin, or due to the genetic changes in the modified plants’ DNA. Mice fed Roundup Ready soybeans, for example, showed numerous changes indicating increased metabolic rates in the liver (i.e. irregular hepatocyte nuclei, more nuclear pores, numerous small fibrillar centers, and abundant dense fibrillar components). Since studies on Roundup herbicide also show changes in the liver cells of mice and humans, the Roundup residues within the soybeans may be a significant contributing factor to the metabolic changes. Similarly, rats fed Roundup Ready corn showed indications that their kidneys leaked . Such an effect “is well correlated with the effects of glyphosate-based herbicides (like Roundup) observed on embryonic kidney cells.” Thus, the rats’ kidney problems may also be caused by the Roundup that is accumulated within Roundup Ready corn kernels. In addition to the herbicide, the Bt-toxin insecticide produced inside GM corn might also cause disorders. The authors state, “The insecticide produced by MON810 [corn] could also induce liver reactions, like many other pesticides.” Studies do confirm significant liver changes in rats fed Bt corn. On the other hand, “unintended effects of the genetic modification itself cannot be excluded” as the possible cause of these very same health problems. The process of gene insertion followed by cloning plant cells (tissue culture) can cause massive collateral damage in the plant’s DNA with potentially harmful side-effects. In MON810 corn, for example, the insertion “caused a complex recombination event, leading to the synthesis of new RNA products encoding unknown proteins.” The authors warn that “genetic modifications can induce global changes” in the DNA, RNA, proteins, and the numerous natural products (metabolites), but the faulty safety assessments are not designed to adequately identify these changes or their health impacts. Population at risk In addition to the shortcomings mentioned above, the paper shows how GMO feeding trials are “based on ancient paradigms” with “serious conceptual and methodological flaws,” employ statistical methods that obscure the findings, add irrelevant control groups that confuse and confound the analysis, and rely on numerous assumptions that either remain untested or have already proved false. Unlike drug approvals, biotech companies do not conduct human studies. They would therefore fail to identify both general human health reactions, and the potentially more serious ones endured by sub-populations. “If some consumers suffer from stomach problems or ulcers,” for example, the paper states, “the new toxins will possibly act differently; the digestion in children could be affected too.” The paper recommends the implementation of post market monitoring, which, among other things, “should be linked with the possibility of detecting allergenicity reactions to GMOs in routine medicine.” But even if authorities wanted to conduct epidemiological studies on GMOs, the authors acknowledge that they “are not feasible in America, since there is no organized traceability of GMOs anywhere on the continent.” Not only is labeling of GMOs urgently needed to allow such studies to proceed, the study says: “The traceability of products from animals fed on GMOs is also crucial. The reason for this is because they can develop chronic diseases which are not utterly known today…. Labeling animals fed on GMOs is therefore necessary because some pesticide residues linked to GMOs could pass into the food chain.” They also point out that “even if pesticides residues or DNA fragments are not toxic nor transmitted by themselves” nevertheless, “nobody would want to eat disabled or physiologically modified animals after long-term GMOs ingestion.” “New experiments,” they concluded, “should be systematically performed to protect the health of billions of people that could consume directly or indirectly these transformed products.” In the meantime, for those not willing to wait for the new studies, we recommend consulting the Non-GMO Shopping Guide at www.NonGMOShoppingGuide.com Jeffrey M. Smith is the author of Seeds of Deception (http://www.seedsofdeception.com/Public/Home/index.cfm), the world’s bestselling book on GMOs. He is also the author of Genetic Roulette (http://www.geneticroulette.com), and the Executive Director of the Institute for Responsible Technology (http://www.responsibletechnology.org). The Institute’s Non-GMO Shopping Guide website (http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com), iPhone app ShopNoGMO, and pocket guide, help people navigate to healthier non-GMO foods. Join the Institute’s Non-GMO Tipping Point Network (http://action.responsibletechnology.org/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=2925) to connect with others in your area, to bring the truth about GMOs to your friends and community.

The true history of Dole, banana plantations, chemical pesticides and human suffering

(NaturalNews) One Hundred Years of Solitude, a novel by Gabrielle Garcia Marquez, is a historical account of the fictional town Macondo. A town loosely set around his Mr. Marquez’s hometown in Aracataca, Columbia. A tale that is a social commentary of sorts on the effect of the American banana industry and the environmental, social, and physical havoc that followed it its wake. Dole’s Early Years Castle and Cook to Standard Fruit to Dole, the name changes but Dole’s dirty game stays the same because dirty is the way Dole likes to play. American naturalist Dan Koeppel relates an often forgotten story surrounding some of Dole’s initial business dealings in the Honduras. In 1903 the town hall in La Ceiba burned down taking with it marriage, birth, and land records. (http://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/essa/det-sekellanga-kriget-om-bananerna) The destruction of the land records left the officials with no official determination of who owned what land. Joseph Vaccato and his company Standard Fruit capitalized on this event in two ways- they no longer had to pay plot owners for using their land to grow bananas and the Dole plantations surrounding the village got most of the land in the reshuffle. Fast forward to 2011 where Dole is now the largest fresh fruit company with revenues over 7 billion dollars. Dole and DBCP In June 1989, Mother Jones went down to Costa Rica to get a first hand account from workers in the small villages of Rio Frio and Valle de la Estrella regarding the effect of the toxin DBCP on their lives. DBCP, formally known as dibromochloroproprane, is often referred to by its street name Nemagon. This nematicde was the all the rage with fruit companies because it was extremely effective at killing a microscopic worm that feeds on banana plant roots without damaging the plants. The problem is that Nemagon is directly tied to sterility in men, miscarriages, stillbirths, birth defects, various types of cancer, depression, impotence and the list goes on. The workers interviewed explained that direct exposure resulted from workers carrying the chemical in containers on their backs as they treated the banana plants. One worker reported that the chemical felt at first hot and stingy, then quickly went to cool and icy and that “it smelled awful and made us sleepy”. Workers also commented on the environmental effects, ” All the frogs and toads were gone in the valley after we used Nemagon… the fish would die in the rivers”. (http://books.google.com/books?id=NucDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA20&lpg=PA20&dq=dark%20history%20of%20dole%20banana&source=bl&ots=h9OpHIZdlP&sig=h0vS5IgGNlaZ_FbOuOy3WcYWH8o&hl=en&ei=3W_mTfWTGpGjtgeloPHCCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBsQ6AEwADgU#v=onepage&q&f=false) Both the manufactures of Nemagon and the U.S. government have been aware of its sterility and carcinogenic effects since the 1950′s. Yet it wasn’t until 1977 when workers at an Occidental plant noticed that they all were sterile, that the true effects of Nemagon became painfully clear. In the midst of the news storm that followed the discovery- Dow and Shell closed down production of DBCP. Also, the EPA began the process of deregulating the toxin: making it illegal to use within the United States. Main competitors Chiquita and Del Monte stopped using the chemical in 1977, but not Dole. Instead Dole took the position of favoring its profits over the health and well being of its workers. When Dow tried to back out of shipping Dole DBCP, Dole threatened to sue them for breach of contract. (http://books.google.com/books?id=DY4r1GsMq1wC&pg=PT192&dq=dole%20banana&hl=en&ei=WHPmTbvAJM-UtwfX9vXuCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=dole%20banana&f=false) Mother Jones reporters Constance Mattheissen and David Weir spoke with Jack Dement, who was at the time of the Nemagon scandal, in charge of overseeing what chemicals were to be used on Dole plantations abroad. In an internal memo, dated August 6, 1977, Dement made the decision to continue to use DBCP until it was banned in the company’s areas of operation. EPA findings be damned – Dole publicly used the chemical in various countries around the world until mid- 1978. However, Mother Jones reported that another internal report existed that contained evidence that Dole was using Nemagon in its foreign banana plantations as late as November 1980. Again, in 1988 45 Dole workers were poisoned by a DBCP substitute named Temik a highly toxic known disrupter of the human immune system. In 2002 the Human Rights watch uncovered abuses by Dole in Ecuador, a country that supplies Dole with one-third of all of their bananas. The report contained evidence that children as young as 8 were working 12-hour days, using sharp and dangerous equipment, frequently exposed to pesticides, and subject to sexual harassment. Granted similar abuses existed on other fruit company plantations, however seventy percent of the children interviewed worked on a plantation that supplied Dole. (http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/bananas/hrw042502.html) In 2010 Dole was included on the scrooge list of the International Labor Rights Forum as a company notorious for suppressing workers right to organize. The company has been accused of making payment to a paramilitary group in Columbia known as the AUC. Statements given by AUC commanders attest to receiving this payment from Dole and other multi-national corporations. A lawsuit (that was subsequently dismissed) alleged that Dole was the mastermind being the murder of 51 men, in a bid to takeover their land. (http://www.laborrights.org/sites/default/files/publications-and-resources/WorkingForScrooge2010.pdf) Dole and DBCP Litigation Early litigation cases against Dole were relatively successful- in 1992 over 1000 Costa Rican workers won a damage awared of of 20 million. In 1993 another class action suit against Dole, Chiquita, Del Monte, Dow, Shell and Occidental resulted in a 41.5 settlement for workers from Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Philippines. Yet other cases have fallen short, Dole alleges fraud, and somehow verdicts are lessened and judgments are overturned. In a now infamous case, Attorney Juan Dominguez filed suit in 2008 against both Dow and Dole. In a classic Dole move the company sought to have the case dismissed on the grounds of fraud by Juan Dominguez and some of the Plaintiffs. In 2009, relying on testimony from John Doe witnesses (Dole successfully won a motion for them to remain anonymous due to concern for their safety), Judge Victoria Cheney dismissed the case. Another victory for Dole, but maybe just temporarily, in January 2010, the plaintiff’s new attorney made a motion challenging the dismissal. It seems as if some of those “Jane Doe” witnesses have come forward and publicly stated that their testimony was procured by Dole via bribery. http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/nacionales/74115 Earlier this year the Tellez case received another small victory – Juan Dominguez, the attorney whom Dole accused of participating in the fraud, was cleared of any wrongdoing by the State Bar of California Dole Goes BANANAS! Swedish filmmaker Frederick Gertten filmed a documentary about the Tellez case and when a trailer was shown after the film’s entry into the 2009 LA Film Festival competition, Dole flipped their wig. Dole didn’t even wait until it’d seen the movie to begin its campaign of harassment. Dole deployed their hired gun- law firm Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher – and sent numerous cease and desist letters to individuals involved directly and indirectly with the film. Dole even went as far as to petition Judge Cheney and the Swedish Embassy to step in and block the film. (http://www.bananasthemovie.com/wp-content/uploads/resources/letter_from_dole_may8_09.pdf ) (http://www.bananasthemovie.com/wp-content/uploads/resources/letter_dole-hafstrom_june5_09.pdf) Soon after the films limited release Dole filed a SLAPP suit, then they got slapped…. in the face with a furious backlash from the Swedish community that climbed as high as the Swedish Parliament. Soon a bi-partisan petition was circulating in Parliament that called upon Dole to dismiss its suit, which it eventually did. The anti-SLAPP filed by Gertten and his crew was granted and Dole was ordered to pay their attorneys fees. Dole’s reaction to the film was telling, this is a company that doesn’t want their machinations revealed to the American public. Those bananas on your kitchen counter come at a pretty steep price – the destruction of workers lives and their environment- the only question left to be answered is whether or not this system is one in which you want to be an active participant. 1. http://books.google.com/books?id=NucDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA20&lpg=PA20&dq=dark%20history%20of%20dole%20banana&source=bl&ots=h9OpHIZdlP&sig=h0vS5IgGNlaZ_FbOuOy3WcYWH8o&hl=en&ei=3W_mTfWTGpGjtgeloPHCCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBsQ6AEwADgU#v=onepage&q&f=false 2. http://www.bananasthemovie.com/juan-dominguez-cleared-of-any-wrongdoing-by-state-bar 3. 3. http://www.vipirg.ca/publications/pubs/student_papers/02_ecofootprint_bananas.pdf 4. http://www.bananasthemovie.com/wp-content/uploads/resources/letter_from_dole_may14_09.pdf 5. http://www.lakartidningen.se/07engine.php?articleId=12678 6. http://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/essa/det-sekellanga-kriget-om-bananerna 7. http://www.bananasthemovie.com/bananas-under-fire-timeline 8. http://www.bananasthemovie.com/dole-to-withdraw-defamation-suit 9. http://www.dailyfinance.com/financials/dole-food-company-inc-common-stock/dole/nys/income-statement

Philosophical Musings on the Juxtaposition of the Words "Commercial" and "Food"

(NaturalNews) So, how did it happen? How did we all get complacent enough to accept the phrase “commercially produced food” without even blinking an eye? How did Uncle Sam, in WWII public service announcements, go from advising the US public “to garden” to later telling the post-911 US public “to shop”. And, not just to shop, but to shop for food. Food is the hub of the wheel. It’s the one thing that we all have in common: we all have to eat. And, we are what we eat. Recent statistics regarding the number of people with early onset cancer, degenerative disease, diabetes and dementia all point to a decline in the quality of our food. “Commercial” anything is about profit, not quality. So, when food becomes a profit motive, a lot goes out the door. Some of the things that fly out the door are health, money (yours, not theirs), environment and energy. Big Agriculture is unconcerned about the environmental carnage left behind by pesticides, GMO crops, soil depletion or erosion.Big Agriculture is unconcerned about how much fuel it takes to run those mega-machines to produce, harvest and transport crops. And, Big Agriculture doesn’t care how much food costs you and your family. They care about directing profits to already rich corporate interests. Most of the food in your supermarket travels thousands of miles in trucks or planes to get from the farm to the shelves. Think about how much fuel us used to transport those items. What kind of impact does that have on the environment? When you purchase food at the store, you’re also paying for the cost of shipping, packaging and storing that food. What kind of impact does that have on your wallet? While organic foods have grown in popularity, many commercially available foods are still sprayed with pesticides, herbicides and preservative formulas to prevent disease and spoilage. The USDA currently allows “57 trace pesticides” in foods labeled organic. Are you scared (or angry) yet? Not only can these chemicals pose health risks to you, they also impact the environment through air and water pollution. The concept of “commercial food” really gets at the heart of the differential identified by Scott Nearing. Nearing made a clear distinction between “use production” and “market production”. Use production is when you produce something (in this case, food) for your own household’s use. Market production, obviously, is producing for sale on the open market. Nearing argued, and I agree, the “use production” was, in the Big Picture, the most efficient and effective economic model. By growing and preserving your own food, for example, you’ll save money. Food grown from seed costs a lot less than store-bought. By preserving your harvest you can reduce the amount of food you throw away due to spoilage. There is no packaging. There are no middle managers. In addition, you can save the seeds from the fruits of your plants and replant them next year. By following these practices you could feed yourself indefinitely. Food that you grow yourself just tastes better. Food in markets, even health food stores, is often in cold storage for up to a month before being sold. Fresh food is more nutritious and has better flavor than the stuff that comes from the store. I grow my own food. I “get my groceries off the ground”. When I walk through my garden and cut fresh greens for salad–and eat them no more than an hour later–the benefits of Nearing’s “use economy” are evident. Nothing, absolutely nothing, that I can buy at a market (even a Farmer’s Market) comes close to the level of quality that I can produce right outside my window. It’s my vision that more and more people will wave goodbye to “commercial food” and replace it with a “use economy” model. If Uncle Sam won’t tell us to GARDEN anymore, we’ll just do it ourselves!

The big fraud of green homes: they suffocate their owners with indoor air poisons

(NaturalNews) I’ve been wanting to write a story on this subject for at least two years now, but until recently there wasn’t any study to cite which would back up my position on this. But now a study has come out and it’s time to go public with information that will shock a lot of home buyers and homeowners: “Green” homes are often a complete fraud! Surprised? Here’s why this statement is true: Home builders know buyers want “green” homes. So they leap on the easiest opportunity to make a few simple modifications to the home and then slap a green label on it. Do justify this “green” label, they is seal off all the air flow between the home and the outside world, thereby creating an “air tight” home that has virtually no air leaks. Because this results in lower costs for air conditioning and heating, they call this a “green” home. And because home construction regulators are absolutely clueless about green living , this all gets the big thumbs up even though it’s not green at all! Why isn’t it really green? Because when there’s no air exchange with the outside world, the density of toxic chemicals in the air INSIDE the home skyrockets! Where a “leaky” home would vent out high concentrations of the toxic chemicals off-gassing from paint, carpets, glues, particle board furniture, varnishes and construction materials, a so-called “green” home traps all these toxic chemicals inside the home, greatly increasing the risk of cancer to its occupants. Meanwhile, even though these homes are called “green” homes, there is virtually NO reduction in the use of toxic chemicals in the construction of those homes. So all the materials used inside the home are still the same nasty toxic cancer-causing chemicals used in non-green homes: It’s the same paint, same glue, same caulking, same treated wood, same pesticide sprays around the foundation, and so on. There’s actually nothing GREEN about these homes at all! What’s a green home? To truly qualify as a “green” home, a house would need to be built with low-VOC or no-VOC paints, sustainably harvested wood from a local source, no chemical pesticide sprays on the foundation, and no glues, resins or caulking that gives off toxic chemicals. It’s a question of materials that go into the home, and today’s so-called “green” home builders pay almost no attention whatsoever to the materials. They’re all focused on the energy consumption alone. Furthermore, many people who own a “green” home still treat their lawns with chemical pesticides, completely contradicting the whole point of going green in the first place. Homeowners also typically treat indoor pest problems with chemical pesticides (“Call the pest control company!”) which ends up poisoning them even more because their “green” home is so air tight that the pesticide chemicals have no way to ventilate out. For those looking for safe indoor pest control , by the way, we’ve begun recommending a company called Always Eco (www.AlwaysEco.com/products) which offers botanically-based pest control products that use wintergreen oils and other powerful plant extracts to deal with ants, roaches, scorpions and other indoor pests. These products are all perfectly safe to use indoors — even around pets and infants. Greenwashing is alive and well in the housing industry The practicing of jumping on the “green” bandwagon to sell a home that isn’t really green is called greenwashing , and it’s happening throughout the housing industry. Truthfully, the greenest home you can buy is one that’s already built because no new materials are needed to build you a new home. Buying a used home also avoids the massive off-gassing of chemicals that usually happens in the first year after a new home is built. Many materials, in other words, are extremely toxic in the first year, but their toxicity goes down thereafter. Use indoor plants as living air cleaners No matter what kind of home you live in, the use of indoor plants can have a HUGE impact on reducing the toxicity of your indoor air. Plants are natural air filtration systems that quite literally inhale toxic chemicals and then process them into harmless elements that are then exhaled back into the room. The fast-growing jungle-type indoor plants are the best for this purpose because the greater the total leaf area of the plants, the more cleaning effect you’re getting. So don’t be fooled by the marketing of “green” homes which are really just toxic air traps for their owners. Know the difference between a truly green home versus an air-tight home. And don’t be a sucker for the new home builders who fill their homes with toxic chemicals while trying to pawn them off as somehow being green. Sources for this story include: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13115 http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/06/08/green-buildings-hazardous-to-health-report-cites-risks-weatherization/

Make use of Mother Nature-First Aid Kit this summer

(NaturalNews) Who can resist summer`s siren call, beckoning us to the great outdoors? When you commune with Mother Nature, you may encounter more on your outings than expected. From angry insect stings to a sunburned skin, it is a good idea to BE prepared. Bruises are the result of life and are not life threatening, but they are not very attractive either. Here are some ways to minimize this common occurrence. First, apply an ice pack to the area for thirty to sixty minutes. Afterward, soak a gauze or cotton pad in witch hazel, and then apply witch hazel to the area. Daily doses of vitamin C with bioflavonoid promote faster healing. Furthermore, vitamin K and zinc each day can speed up bruised skin repair. (NOTE: If you bruise easily and frequently, consult a physician.) From carelessness at campfires to run-ins with BBQ grills, burns are bad news. A burn that is painful and red, which does not blister, is generally considered first degree. Blistering occurs with second-degree burns. Third-degree burns indicated by several layers of skin are charred to either black or white. Second-and third-degree burns both require professional medical attention. For minor first-degree burns, soak the affected area in cold water, without applying ice, butter or oil on this type of burn. After, dry the skin and treat the burn with an antibacterial agent. Use Honey or St. John`s wort to heal first-degree burns. Cover the skin with gauze to keep clean. Later, apply aloe vera lotion or vitamin E oil to minimize scarring. Supplements can help burns heal: beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc. An occasional cut, insect bite, or sting is almost inevitable during summer activities. To treat cuts, try honey, St. John`s wort cream, or tea tree oil. Cotton or gauze soaked in calendula tea is another option. For bee stings, begin by using a sharp-edged knife to scrape out the stinger. Try to avoid pulling it out, since that method may squeeze it and release more toxins into the body. To relieve pain and inflammation, take calcium and vitamin C with bioflavonoids for a day or two. Applying vitamin C cream topically can also be helpful. After a bee sting occurs, it is very important to watch for allergic reaction, such as swelling or difficulty breathing, which can happen to people or pets hours after the sting occurs. If such symptoms develop, seek emergency medical treatment. It only takes one case of poison oak to convince most people to stay away from these skin-irritating plants. For people who are sensitive to urushiol, an oil found in the plants, the slightest contact can result in a painful itching rash. A soapy shower directly after eliminates the itch. Also apply Aloe vera or Vitamin E oil. Internally, the natural antihistamines in vitamin C and bioflavonoids decrease swelling. For sunburn relief apply ice cubes directly until melted, then pat dry and apply aloe vera lotion. You can also apply cooled black tea, Vitamin E, vitamin C, calendula, comfrey or zinc oxide ointment. If the skin is extremely painful, fill a spray bottle with 2 spoons of vitamin C powder. Then mix with one-half cup aloe vera liquid and spray on skin. With a little care and planning, many summer hazards can be avoided. But when an injury occurs, natural remedies may be your best bet for summer first-aid as well as year round relief for minor injuries. (Note: Pregnant women and nursing mothers should not take any herbs or large doses of vitamins, minerals or other nutraceuticals without consulting a health care practitioner). References The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines by Siegrid Klein, Robert Rister and Chance Riggins. American Botanical Council, 1998. Totonchi A, Guyuron B. randomized, controlled comparison between arnica and steroids in the management of postrhinoplasty ecchymosis and edema. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2007 Jul;120(1):271-4. Schneider C, Schneider B, Hanisch J, van Haselen R. The role of a homeopathic preparation compared with conventional therapy in the treatment of injuries: an observational cohort study. Complementary Therapies in Medicine 2008 Feb;16(1):22-7. About the author Leigh Erin Connealy, M.D. has specialized in Integrative Medicine for over twenty years, using conventional and natural methods to determine and discover the “root of the cause” in her clinic, Center for New Medicine in Irvine, California, each and every day. Many people come in to the clinic from all over the world with severe chronic illnesses that conventional medical protocols have been unsuccessful treating. She realized early on that she can truly change lives through education as well as treatment protocols. Leigh Erin Connealy, M.D. and her medical staff strives to look at the whole person while exploring the effects and relationships among nutrition, psychological and social factors, environmental effects and personal attunement. Out of frustration of trying to find the right products to help her patients she formulated the perfectlyhealthy brand of products. All perfectlyhealthy products are clinically tested. For more information on recommended products, please visit www.perfectlyhealthy.net or www.perfectlyhealthy.com.

Many types of organic compost are really packaged human sewage

(NaturalNews) Do you want everything that goes down your drain winding up on your backyard produce? Well that’s what happens to those who use organic compost made with municipal sewage. More than half of the 15 trillion gallons of sewage flushed annually by Americans ends up in a fertilizer product and those products contain everything that goes down the drain from Prozac flushed down toilets to the motor oil rinsed off factory floors (http://motherjones.com/environment/2009/05/sludge-happens). The U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn’t regulate which fertilizers can be labeled as “organic” which means anyone can use the term, including those companies that are packaging what we flush. A 2009 EPA survey of U.S. sludge samples found 12 pharmaceuticals, 10 flame retardants, and high levels of endocrine disruptors such at triclosan, an antibacterial soap ingredient that scientists believe is killing amphibians. In communities where sludge has been used, effects on the community have been reported by ailing residents with complaints ranging from migraines to pneumonia to mysterious deaths. In an often-cited 1994 episode, an 11-year-old Pennsylvania boy died of a staph infection after biking through sludge at an abandoned mine (http://motherjones.com/environment/2009/05/sludge-happens). Marketed with near zero regulation With those kinds of risks associated with the use of sewage sludge, compost consumers should know whether sludge permeates their choice of product. But compost products, such as Kellogg’s Amend, do not list sludge or even “biosolids” on their label and instead just list the vague term “compost” (http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/04/your-organic-compost-really-sewage-sludge-rosario-dawson-kellogg-amend). Although the USDA banned the use of sludge in organic agriculture, it does not regulate which fertilizers for private use can be labeled as organic. And the nonprofit U.S. Composting Council is no better, using its green image for the Orwellian rebranding of sludge while biosolids companies sit on its board of directors and sponsor the councils Composting Week, according to Mother Jones. (http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/04/your-organic-compost-really-sewage-sludge-rosario-dawson-kellogg-amend) Dodge the sludge If you want to keep the sludge and its chemical contaminants out of your organic garden, there are many alternative fertilizer choices that will keep your garden green — in both senses of the word. Some mineral-based fertilizers that will work over the long term include Epsom salt, gypsum, limestone and greensand. These rocks add essential minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, sulfur and phosphorus to the soil (http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/fertilizing-your-organic-garden.html). For more immediate results, plant and animal-based products will increase soil fertility and soil health. These include alfalfa meal, cottonseed meal, kelp/seaweed, blood meal, bone meal, fish products, manure and compost. Do it yourself Compost adds organic matter and helps to make nutrients available in the soil, and, if you want to have control over what goes into your own garden, making your own compost is the way to go. There are many methods for making your own compost: you can make a traditional compost pile; make a composting bin, if you live in the city (http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/composting-101?page=0,1); or, if you are really adventurous, use a composting toilet (http://www.organicauthority.com/organic-gardening/the-straight-scoop-on-composting-human-waste.html). Just remember, if you go the humanure route, whatever you eat will end up in your compost, so if you are eating conventional food with chemical fertilizers or food additives, or if you are taking prescription medicines, it will all end up in the compost and on your plants. So if you want the highest quality food for your garden, make sure you are eating the highest quality food yourself. Commercial products If you don’t have the time to make your own compost but still want to avoid the sludge, there are plenty of commercial products that will work just as well. Look for products like Buffaloam (http://www.buffaloam.com/about-us/), which is made from 100 percent buffalo manure produced and composted on a ranch in the Laramie River Valley of northern Colorado. The company uses no mixed feedstocks, no blends, no added chemicals, no artificial ingredients, and no unknown fillers or waste products. The company makes it by blending buffalo manure with locally produced wood shavings that are composted for over a year. Look for similar claims on other products and make sure that the wood shavings that are used are not chemically treated or those chemicals will end up in your food too. Sources for this article include: http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/04/your-organic-compost-really-sewage-sludge-rosario-dawson-kellogg-amend http://motherjones.com/environment/2009/05/sludge-happens http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/fertilizing-your-organic-garden.html http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/composting-101?page=0,1 http://www.organicauthority.com/organic-gardening/how-to-compost-in-the-city.html http://www.organicauthority.com/organic-gardening/the-straight-scoop-on-composting-human-waste.html

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