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Vital Votes Health Blog - Natural Health Articles by Dr. Mercola
10 Reasons Why No One Needs GM Foods GM foods won’t solve the food crisisA 2008 World Bank report concluded that increased biofuel production (crops grown for fuel rather than food) is the major cause of the increase in food prices. GM giant Monsanto has been at the heart of the lobbying for biofuels -- while profiting enormously from the resulting food crisis and using it as a PR opportunity to promote GM foods!GM crops do not increase yield potentialDespite the promises, GM has not increased the yield potential of any commercialized crops. In fact, studies show that the most widely grown GM crop, GM soy, has suffered reduced yields.GM crops increase pesticide useU.S. government data shows that in the U.S., GM crops have produced an overall increase, not decrease, in pesticide use compared to conventional crops.There are better ways to feed the worldA major UN/World Bank-sponsored report compiled by 400 scientists and endorsed by 58 countries concluded that GM crops have little to offer global agriculture and the challenges of poverty, hunger, and climate change, because better alternatives are available.Other farm technologies are more successfulIntegrated Pest Management and other innovative low-input or organic methods of controlling pests and boosting yields have proven highly effective, particularly in the developing world.GM foods have not been shown to be safe to eatGenetic modification is a crude and imprecise way of incorporating foreign genetic material into crops, with unpredictable consequences. The resulting GM foods have undergone little rigorous and no long-term safety testing, but animal feeding tests have shown worrying health effects.Stealth GMOs in animal feed -- without consumers’ consentMeat, eggs and dairy products from animals raised on the millions of tons of GM feed imported into Europe do not have to be labeled. Some studies show that if GM crops are fed to animals, GM material can appear in the resulting products, and that the animals’ health can be affected.GM crops are a long-term economic disaster for farmersA 2009 report showed that GM seed prices in America have increased dramatically, cutting average farm incomes for U.S. farmers growing GM crops.GM and non-GM cannot co-existGM contamination of conventional and organic food is increasing. An unapproved GM rice that was grown for only one year in field trials was found to have extensively contaminated the U.S. rice supply and seed stocks. In Canada, the organic oilseed rape industry has been destroyed by contamination from GM rape. In Spain, a study found that GM maize “has caused a drastic reduction in organic cultivations of this grain and is making their coexistence practically impossible”.You can’t trust GM companiesThe big biotech firms pushing their GM foods have a terrible history of toxic contamination and public deception. GM is attractive to them because it gives them patents that allow monopoly control over the world’s food supply. They have taken to harassing and intimidating farmers for the “crime” of saving patented seed or “stealing” patented genes -- even if those genes got into the farmer’s fields through accidental contamination by wind or insects.
How to Survive an Earthquake -- Tips From a Pro (Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:54:09 GMT) Doug Copp is the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI). Here is his advice on how to survive an earthquake. Almost everyone who simply 'ducks and covers' when buildings collapse ARE CRUSHED TO DEATH. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed. Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position. You should too in an earthquake. That position helps you survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa or other large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it. Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. If a wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks, and will cause injuries but fewer squashed bodies than concrete slabs. Concrete slab buildings are the most dangerous during an earthquake. If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair. Almost everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. Never go to the stairs. The stairs swing separately from the main part of the building, so the stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. Get near the outer walls of buildings or outside of them if possible. It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked. People inside of their vehicles can be crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles. Get out and lie in the fetal position next to your vehicles. Paper does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.
9 Food Label Lies (Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:54:08 GMT) The most healthy food often has the least marketing muscle behind it. The Center for Science in the Public Interest recently published a comprehensive report on the subject, a persuasive indictment called "Food Labeling Chaos."Here are nine of the most common ways food labels lie, so you can prepare before your next trip to the grocery store.“Made With Whole Grains”Unbleached wheat flour still the main ingredient; whole wheat flour is further down on the list, indicating that the product contains relatively little. One truth -- the presence of whole grains -- masks another, that whole grains make up an insignificant portion of the food.IngredientsEven if the first ingredient listed isn’t sugar, the product may contain more sugar than anything else. How is it possible? Just add up all the sugars that go by different names, such as sugar, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup and white grape juice concentrate. Serving SizeThere are 2.5 official servings in a 20 ounce soda bottles, meaning that 100 calories per "serving" is really 240 calories per bottle.Omega 3Everyone knows Omega-3 fatty acids are healthy, but that doesn't mean every product emblazoned with the word is a healthy source of it. The FDA allows certain foods that are rich in two of the Omega-3 fatty acids to advertise that they can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, but only if they're also low in or other risk factors. Which is why some unhealthy foods use a bit of marketing misdirection: the packaging has the word "Omega-3," but nothing specifically about heart health.“Made With Real Fruit”Usually the only thing approximating fruit is concentrate (sugar). If you want real fruit, buy real fruit. If you want candy, buy candy.“0 Trans Fat”Many reformulated foods are basically just as bad, but they scream one truth: "0 trans fats!" to obscure another: "still bad for your heart!"“Free Range Eggs”This means chickens must be granted the luxury of exactly five minutes of "access" to the outdoors every day. Those eggs you buy may have been raised ethically, with room enough for hens to roam the yard. But there's no guarantee in the "free range" label. FiberThe fibers advertised in many foods are mainly "purified powders" called inulin, polydextrose and maltodextrin. These "isolated" unnatural fibers are unlikely to lower blood cholesterol or blood sugar, as other fibers can.Tastes Like Medicine!The FDA allows food manufacturers to make certain pre-approved "qualified health claims" about the health benefits of nutrients in food. But marketers have stretched this inch into a long mile. For instance, food makers can't say that their product "helps reduce the risk of heart disease" without FDA approval, so they say that it "helps maintain a healthy heart." That's why several public health groups, including the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society, have voiced concern about this trend.
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