Saturday, August 28, 2010

E-Numbers inside your food

Greetings from "My Right to Safe Food"

The consequences of refined processed and junk foods are there for us to see. Distraught parents succumb to children's tantrums so as to satiate their junk food taste buds. Unfortunately most young mother's are unaware that these refined processed, junk foods are designed to appease the senses but nothing more. Appeasing leads to addiction that costs children, youth, even young mothers and adults their lives. Diseases that were rare at the turn of the century is invading every second home. Not to forget the big dent in the pocket, the pain, the grief upon seeing a loved one suffer. This pain cannot be quantified.

Yet consumers are either unaware or remain oblivious that their daily kitchen grocery purchases are anything but safe. The food ingredients that they purchase with such trust and loyalty undergo intense chemical processing. They range from branded refined oils, rice, grains, sugar, synthetic sugar, flour, salt, fats, spices and more. No wonder cold pressed coconut, sesame, mustard oils and more are less sought after and their uses nullified. A huge conspiracy is behind this but I will not get into it.

These refined processed food products promoted have a longer shelf life as they undergo lethal treatments and stripped completely of nutrition. A whole lot of gimmicky advertisements shriek out their safety and advantages. With not a reason to doubt, consumers knowingly or unknowingly lap up all of the above and the fast selling refined breads, snacks, pizzas, burgers, cookies, cakes, chocolates and beverages. As if safe food alternatives were a thing of outdated past! Our Indian belief "Buy fresh and cook fresh" is fast flying out of the window. "No Time to cook", more of a western trait prevails in Indian homes. Sadly, cooking is reserved for occasions only! But this major time constraint has been merrily encashed by fast junk foods and food processing giants.

By buying deceptively attractive fortified packaged foods, health is bound to be compromised. It is not just India but across the globe. These branded food products by MNC's and private companies available in super market shelves are passed liberally by the food safety authorities as consumers fail to raise concerns nor question the source. Snacks like cakes, biscuits, chips, pizzas and more have a whole lot of trans-fats or hydrogenated fats. Besides this, goes in E- numbers like emulsifiers, additives, stabilisers, colourants and flavor enhancers.

A culmination of sedentary lifestyles and dietary shifts to processed food products and fast junk foods containing a whole lot of synthetic E-numbers are silently poisoning us. No wonder the West is suffering no end. We always look up to America. The reality is much worse there -
One in three Americans dies of cancer
One in three suffers from allergies
One in three suffers from obesity
One in five is mentally ill
One in ten has ulcers , the other degenerative diseases like diabetes, Alzheimers and more are sapping the life blood of the nation
One out of five pregnancies ends in miscarriage and one quarter of million infants are born with a birth defect each year.
Learning disabilities such as dyslexia and hyperactivity afflict seven million young people.
Americans spend one dollar out of every fourteen for medical services. The most cursory survey of current statistics can prove this.

Now the question arises "Who stands to gain?" Maximum profits are reaped at a quantum speed by the most powerful and flourishing food processing industry, all at consumers cost. Parallely, the medical and pharmaceutical companies stand to gain.

Eat healthy! How do you do this with the escalating food prices, gas and everything else? Where are the alternatives? How do we get them? This is a question often asked by people when considering how to improve their diets. However, the real question should be “How can you afford not to eat healthy with the high costs of being ill?”

Re-thinking healthy eating habits may help you make food choices that work for you. Eating healthy means selecting foods that are nutrient-dense( this will be shared shortly) readily available to the individual. What is stopping us from going back to our time tested traditional diets? Get back to the basics. Substitute refined oils to cold pressed sesame, coconut, mustard oil and more. Substitute margarine, low fats to ghee and butter. Substitute white refined sugar to cane sugar if not available, then go for jaggary or jaggary syrup, date syrup. Ban apartame completely out of your diets...Nutra sweet, splenda. Substitute idozised salt to Himalayan rock salt, refined white rice to red/ brown rice. So many alternatives yet the will to do is lacking.

Eating nutritious foods does not have to be costly and can actually be a cost savings in the long-run. There are many things people can do to control food costs while still wishing to have a health-promoting diet. When budgeting, most people separate medical costs from food costs. However, these two are linked. As one eats more nutritious foods, medical problems and costs can be mitigated or eliminated, thus reducing overall spending. And actually, for the typical family, an increase in food costs is not even necessary for improving the diet. Improving one’s diet does mean spending more time to finding more nutritious foods and safe food sources/ alternatives.

What are E- numbers?

E numbers are number codes for food additives that have been assessed for use within the European Union (the "E" prefix stands for "Europe"). Check this link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_number

E- numbers is a chemical compound that is added to protect against decay or decomposition to inhibit spoilage. Not all E-numbers are bad for you. However, most E- numbers are prepared/produced synthetically as these are often less expensive than the natural product.

It is extremely wise to avoid eating food with harmful food additives, preservatives. Many of these food additives were once of natural origin and were not harmful. Reading product labels for its E Numbers is essential. Its an awakening by itself. If you care for your well being, then when you purchase a food product, make a note of the E- numbers, it does not take much time. Another useful link - http://www.foodfigures.com/ and below. This way you rule out many allergies or chronic symptoms from reoccurring. Invest in your health.

Classification by numeric range.

1. E100s are generally colours.
2. E200 to E282 are mainly preservatives and acids.
3. E300 to E341 are mainly antioxidants and acid regulators.
4. E400s include emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners, anti-caking agents, release agents and bulking agents.
5. E500-E599 - Mineral salts & Anti-caking agents
6. E600-E699 - Flavour enhancers
7. E900-E1520 and by name - Miscellaneous
In the links below, you will find the E numbers that are banned or forbidde by some responsible countries.

A peep into what you get to eat in the processed foods that you most enjoy....

a. E 102, Tartrazine, an azo dye, yellow and orange colourant. It is Forbidden - source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_number
Usage - Found in soft drinks, cakes, biscuits, puddings, meat products, sauces, tinned and packet convenience foods, confectionery.
Side effects - people who are intolerant to salicylates (aspirin, berries, fruits); in that case tartrazine also induces intolerance symptoms. In combination with benzoates (E210-215), tartrazine is implicated in a large percentage of cases of ADHD syndrome (hyperactivity) in children. Asthmatics sometimes react badly and may also experience symptoms following consumption of tartrazine, as it is a known histamine-liberating agent.

Interestingly, a valuable contributor to safe foods Dr. Madan Thangavelu of the Medical Research Council Cambridge shared his take on E102, "Some 20 years ago, aged 5-10, I was diagnosed as a "problem child", with fits of anger, rage and sometimes even hold my breath until I turned blue and passed out. The doctors just blamed parenting skills or my personality. But further investigation - mainly by my parents - found this was a reaction to E102, which at the time was used to colour cola, orange juice and other food stuffs. As soon as E102 was stripped from my diet I was as good as new".

b. E123 Amaranth, a synthetic coal tar dye, red in colour. Modern synthetics are more likely to be made from petroleum byproducts. Forbidden
Usage - sometimes in gravy mixes, cake mixes, fruit-flavoured fillings, jelly crystals; meat patties and black currant drinks.
Side Effects - can provoke asthma, eczema and hyperactivity; it caused birth defects and foetal deaths in some animal tests, possibly also cancer.

Banned in the USA, Russia, Austria and Norway and other countries

c. E220 Sulphur Dioxide, usage found in carbonated drinks, marmalade, glace cherries, mixed peel, cakes, fruit based products and meat products. Gas prepared chemically for use as a food preservative, flour improver, bleaching agent and vitamin C stabiliser.
Side Effects - Headaches, Intestine Upset, Skin Disorders, Destroys Vitamin B12

d. E621 - Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a Flavour enhancers derived from the fermentation of molasses, salt substitute; adverse effects appear in some asthmatic people, not permitted in foods for infants and young children; typical products are canned vegetables, canned tuna, dressings, many frozen food, and chinese foods. We Indians are very fond of Chinese food, thankfully in some well known restaurants they clearly mention - NO MSG, but most use it liberally. Warning: Adverse effects appear in some asthmatic people, Headaches, Intestine Upset and Skin Disorders. Not permitted in foods for infants and young children.

These are only a few of E- numbers one has shared. Most question labeling in India, that it has yet to come of age or for that matter can it be trusted? My take "First start the process of reading labels, slowly the jig-saw puzzle of your deteriorating immunities will unravel. Your road to recovery begins". Its best not to fear E-numbers as all are not bad for you. Just be informed, alert and take charge than be sorry. For many years now, my family and me have been cautious and conscious when buying anything off the shelve. It certainly has paid off.

If you have limited time, please find the excerpts from links below. Print it out and carry it in your shopping bags, pick up a food product, read the label and check out for yourself. It may shock you at first but just start. There is basic toxicology principle for safe consumption. Some Es are so safe there is no acceptable daily intake (ADI) level. E202, the preservative potassium sorbate, for instance, you can eat up to 25mg for each kg of your body weight. But there are others that have strict ADIs, although these limits aren't indicated on food packaging. Well, anything in excess over a period of time boomerangs on health. Think, how many chips packets, biscuits, cakes, chocolates, cokes you buy off the shelve and calculate the intake of E numbers, it will be a startling revelation!

You will agree that no amount of yoga nor pranic healing, reiki nor exercise nor meditation will gain ground, if your basic Sattvic Food( pure foods that are rich in prana) is under grave assault. Energy which has three qualities, known as Gunas exist together in equilibrium. With a balanced flow of sattva energy starting from food, a peaceful mind in control of a fit body emerges. This is not just a prescribed diet for a yogic. Millions throng spiritual ashram/centres in search of peace, health and harmony. The food prepared is simple yet delicious, moderation is maintained along with calm energies. But most ingredients are refined in nature be it from oils, rice, sugar, flours, snacks like biscuits, cakes with hydrogenated fats and more are served. Vegetables with pesticides are outsourced. Can this be done away with? The spiritual centres surely can evolve sustainable models of growing and procuring safe sattvic foods for their million devotees, given their financial muscle. Some ashrams are striving towards growing some vegetable produce which is good. But most are lagging far, far behind. In small spiritual gatherings or satsangs, the food served thereafter is so rajasic and tamasic that the whole purpose of a satsang is diluted. Exchanges on spiritual discourse via emails there are neither dissections nor actions stressed to caution/remedify the toxic food available nor its intake.

“When sattva predominates, the light of wisdom shines through every gate of the body” (BG 14: 11).Is this not what most want? Why, then take for granted the "powerhouse of energies, your body"?

Unfortunately consumers are victims of their own colonised minds. If such grief stricken awakenings of loved ones reaching puberty at age six, muscular distrophy at age 4, diabetes at 5, heart disease, BP at age 16 is not a reason to stand up and question. Then suffering is surely written.

Dare to find the safe food alternatives and sustainable solutions? We have them.
Come, join us.

In solidarity

Sangita Sharma
http://myrighttosafefood.blogspot.com/
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http://www.growingkids.co.uk/ENumbersToAvoid.html

Health specialists around the world are becoming increasingly convinced that the additives in processed foods are firmly linked to the dramatic rise in children's allergies. However, despite mounting evidence, there has been very few restrictions placed on the food manufacturers in the UK and the USA. Some countries have displayed a more responsible attitude and, as you will see from the lists below, have banned certain substances. Particular attention has been paid to infants and children's products because their immature organs are less efficient at removing such toxins from their systems. Unfortunately, it makes frightening reading.

Please note that, when reading the following lists, if a substance is shown as being banned in several countries, it means that the adverse effects are too numerous to list. These E-numbers should be avoided AT ALL TIMES. Any substance marked with * means that it is derived from animals (mostly pigs) and should be avoided if a child has pork allergies.

Colourant E- Numbers Banned in Some Countries


* E102 Tartrazine, yellow colourant - used in all manner of foodstuffs
* E104 Quinoline Yellow - used in all manner of foodstuffs and to colour medicines
* E107 Yellow 7G - used in soft drinks
* E110* Sunset Yellow FCF, Orange Yellow S- used in all manner of foodstuffs and medications
* E120* Cochineal, red colour
* E123 Amaranth - in cake mixes, fruit flavoured fillings, jelly crystals
* E124 Ponceau 4R, Cochineal RedA
* E127 Erythrosine red colourant - glace cherries, canned fruit, custard mix, sweets, snack foods
* E128 Red 2G
* E129 Allura red AC - in sweets, drinks and medications
* E131 Patent blue V
* E132* Indigotine, Indigo carmine - ice cream, sweets, baked goods, confectionery, biscuits
* E133 Brilliant blue FCF - dairy products, sweets and drinks
* E142 Green S - canned peas, mint jelly and sauce, packet bread crumbs and cake mixes
* E151 Brilliant Black BN, Black PN - brown sauces, blackcurrant cake mixes
* E153* black colourant used in jams, jelly crystals and liquorice
* E155 brown HT (chocolate) used in chocolate cake mixes
* E160(c)* Paprika extract
* E173 Aluminium colourant
* E174 Silver colourant
* E175 Gold colourant
* E180 Latolrubine BK

Preservative E-numbers Banned in Some Countries


* E214 Ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate
* E215 Sodium ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate
* E217 sodium propyl p-hydroxybenzoate
* E219 Sodium methyl p-hydroxybenzoate
* E226 Calcium sulphite
* E227 Calcium hydrogen sulphite
* E228 Potassium hydrogen sulphite
* E230 Biphenyl, Diphenyl
* E231 Orthophenyl phenol
* E232 Sodium orthophenyl phenol
* E233 Thiabendazole
* E236 Formic acid
* E237 Sodium formate
* E238 Calcium formate
* E239 Hexamethylene tetramine
* E249 Potassium nitrite
* E252* Potassium nitrite

Acids, Antioxidants and Mineral Salts E-Numbers Banned in Certain Countries

* E310 , E311, E312 - various gallates used in oils, fats and salad dressings
* E320 Butylated hydroxyl-anisole (BHA)
* E363 Succinic acid
* E370 1,4-Heptonolactone
* E385 Calcium disodium EDTA

Vegetable Gums, Emulsifiers and Stabiliser E-numbers Banned in Certain Countries

* E420 Sorbitol
* E421 Mannitol
* E432* Polysorbate 20
* E434* Polysorbate 40
* E463 Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose
* E470* Fatty acids salts
* E474* Sucroglycerides
* E483* Stearyl tartrate
* E493* Sorbitan monolaurate
* E494* Sorbitan mono-oleate
* E495* Sorbitan monopalmitate

Mineral Salts and Anti-Caking Agents E-Numbers Banned in Some Countries

* E513 Sulphuric acid
* E524 Sodium hydroxide
* E525 Potassium hydroxide
* E527 Ammonium hydroxide
* E528 Magnesium hydroxide
* E530 Magnesium oxide
* E540 Dicalcium diphosphate
* E541 Sodium aluminium phosphate
* E544 Calcium polyphosphates
* E545 Ammonium polyphosphates
* E553(a) Magnesium silicates
* E576 Sodium gluconate

Flavour Enhancer E-Numbers Banned in Some Countries

* E626, E627, E629 - various guanylates
* E635* Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide - flavoured crisps, instant noodles, pies

Miscellaneous E-numbers Banned in Some Countries
* E907* Refined microcrystalline wax - sweets, dried fruit.
* E927 Azodicarbonamide
* E952 Cyclamic acid - artificial sweetener
* E954 Saccharines - artificial sweetener

E-numbers, Not in the Banned Lists, that are Believed to Cause Allergic Reactions Ranging From Hyperactivity to Asthma, Migraines, Rashes and Digestive Upsets
* E120* Cochineal, Carminic acid - red colourant
* E150(a), (b), (c), (d) - caramel colourants
* E160(b) Annatto - used to dye cheese, butter, margarine, cereals, snack foods.
* E210* Benzoic acid - preservative in baked goods, cheeses, gum, ice creams, relishes, soft sweets, cordials
* E211 Sodium benzoate - orange soft drinks, milk and meat products, relishes, baked goods, ice lollies and lollipops and in medications
* E212 Potassium benzoate - as E211
* E220 Sulphur dioxide - soft drinks, dried fruit, juices, cordials, potato products.
* E221, E222, E223, E224, E225 - as E220
* E235 Natamycin - meat, cheese
* E249, E250, E252*- various nitrites used in the preservation of meat
* E280, E281, E282, E283 - various propionates used in bread and flour products
* E296 Malic acid
* E319 Tert-ButylHydroQuinone
* E320 Butylated hydroxyl-anisole
* E412 Guar Gum
* E413 Tragacanth
* E414 Acacia
* E416 Karaya Gum
* E441* Gelatine
* E620* Glutamic acid - flavour enhancer
* E621 Monosodium glutamate - flavour enhancer
* E951* Aspartame - artificial sweetener
* E967 Xylitol - used in low-calorie foods

Please note that the above lists are not comprehensive in that they do not include E numbers that relate specifically to lactose intolerance or gluten intolerance in children. If your child has been diagnosed with those conditions then your doctor should have given you a list of E-numbers to avoid.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Reputed Scientists threatened and stripped of their responsibilities from renowned institutes when they reveal their research findings on GMO's

Greetings from "My Right to Safe Food"

With the BRAI bill shortly to be tabled in the cabinet, this email is a reminder to strengthen forces and stand for our constitutional right - Safe Foods.
Moreover for those safe food campaigners who have recently joined our network, please find below the "Politics behind GM foods".

This is nothing new, these corrupt MNC giants use their financial clout to influence the decisions of country leaders. Upon revealing the hard facts of research findings be it on GM potato, Bt corn, here is what happened to Dr Arpad Putzai and other reputed scientists like Dr Eric Giles Serralini, Dr Mae Wan Ho and more for speaking up.

So many consumers connect with me, especially mothers who are distressed and distraught as to why their children are victims of so many diseases? The assault in our food chain needs to be stopped. We have the solutions. Just wake up first, spread the message and join us. Time is of essence.

In solidarity


Sangita Sharma
http://myrighttosafefood.blogspot.com/
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GM-FREE Vol. 1 no. 3 August/September 1999

WHY I CANNOT REMAIN SILENT

Dr Pusztai talks to GM-FREE


Dr Pusztai kindly agreed to interrupt his summer vacation to give us an exclusive interview. Here are his views on his suppressed research and the dubious science driving the introduction of GM technology.

On why GM is not safe, predictable or precise

GM-FREE: The rats in your experiment who ate potatoes genetically engineered to produce GNA lectin suffered reduced organ weights and immune damage. Why do you think this was?

Dr Pusztai: I think the reason is not the GNA lectin itself, but the technique. Probably the CaMV (Cauliflower Mosaic Virus [See The Use Of Cauliflower Mosaic Virus in Why Labeling Genetically Modified Organisms is Pointless --ratitor], a promoter used to switch on the introduced gene) had a part in it. It's a problematic thing.

The other problem is the positioning of the inserted gene. Our experiment showed up how imprecise the technique is, because we had two GM potatoes, both contained GNA lectin, and both came from the same pot. They were both grown in greenhouses or in fields in tunnels under identical conditions and at the same time. Yet they came out different. The only explanation is that the incorporation of the transgene [inserted gene] into the host genome happened at two different places. And the effect on the genome was different.

These positioning effects are not simple to predict. Think of William Tell shooting an arrow at a target. Now put a blindfold on the man doing the shooting and that's the reality of the genetic engineer when he's doing a gene insertion. He has no idea where the transgene will land in the recipient genome.

Meanwhile, while we are all arguing in Britain, scientists in other countries are getting on with the job. There are two new papers by Japanese scientists, on GM rice and GM soya. They say that the positioning effect has to be taken into consideration because we don't know which genes in the host organism the inserted genes will make silent or reactivate. It is clear from their evidence that some of the changes cannot be predicted on the basis of the gene insertion.

On substantial equivalence


Dr Pusztai: The idea of "substantial equivalence" is that there is no need for biological safety tests because the plants must be of similar composition as the parent line. This is the basis on which GM crops are being released. However, they cannot be substantially equivalent to the parent because you've introduced new genes. That's why I don't give tuppence for substantial equivalence.

We had two transgenic lines of potato produced from the same gene insertion and the same growing conditions; we grew them together along with the parent plant. With our two lines of potato, which should have been substantially equivalent to each other, we found that one of the lines contained 20% less protein than the other. So the two lines were not substantially equivalent to each other. But we also found that these two lines were not substantially equivalent to their parent. This could not be predicted. It demonstrates that the unpredictability is inherent in the GM process on a case by case basis -- and also at the level of every single GM plant created.

Our project should have ended right there, in my opinion, but we had to develop new testing techniques useful for all GM plants.

In genetic engineering, a lot of GM plants never see the daylight, because for one reason or another they don't grow or they have an unpleasant colour like the GM salmon which turned green. Where unpredictable effects show up, you throw them out. But from the point of view of science, these are important. Because if GM is such a predictable, precise science, then you should be able to produce the same thing again and again. But you can't.

Regarding our potatoes, even after many lines were thrown out, the ones which we retained were still all different from each other. Even though they all came from the same pot, using the same genetic construct, and were grown in identical conditions. So this is my challenge: if it is so predictable, so precise, they should not be any different. They must not be different. Causative logic says that they ought to be the same. That is for me the most worrying aspect.

On the allergy threat

GM-FREE: This lack of predictability is worrying for people with food allergies. These people can only live their lives on the basis that they know which foods to avoid. Biotech companies claim they test for "known allergens" like peanuts. But there are thousands of other foods that can cause serious allergies but which are not classed as known allergens. On top of this, there may be new toxins or allergens in GM foods that are not spotted because they are not looked for.

But what you are saying means that even if you test three potatoes and find that they do not cause an allergic reaction, a fourth potato of the same kind, produced by the same technique, could cause a toxic or allergic reaction.

Dr Pusztai: You are quite right. The only thing you could do is find a stable GM organism, which has been put through tens of generations and still comes out the same, and which is not crossed with any other potato. You keep the purity of the line.

GM-FREE: In the real world, this is impossible.

Dr Pusztai: I totally agree. We are storing up problems for the future.

On the "sound science" behind the GM push


Dr Pusztai: GM foods have been introduced on the back of just one published paper. Just one, in fifteen years of GM. It was written by a Monsanto scientist and published in 1996. The study was a feeding trial of Roundup Ready soya on rats, catfish, chicken and cows. I don't want to say anything about it because it's a published paper, but I could take it apart in 10 seconds.

GM-FREE: Ah, go on.

Dr Pusztai: Well, the main problem is that the researchers appear to have done their utmost to find no problem. They were using mature animals which are not forming body tissues and organs. Adults only need a small amount of protein because their bodies are in equilibrium, in homeostasis. But a young growing animal needs a great deal more protein because it's laying down muscle and tissues, and forming its organs.

With a nutritional study on mature animals, you would never see any difference in organ weights even if the food turned out to be anti-nutritional. The animals would have to be emaciated or poisoned to show anything. In this study, they gave the rats a commercial feed that contained 20% protein, of which only one-tenth was replaced by GM soya protein. Most of this high overall dietary protein was used by the rats for energy, thus masking any possible effect of the GM soya protein. You need to stress the animals if you want to see the effects of a feeding trial in a short enough time. This is my field, so you can take it for granted that if I had had the chance of refereeing that paper, it would never have passed.

Another problem was the way they did the post-mortem. They never weighed the organs; they just looked at them -- what they call "eyeballing". I must have done thousands of post-mortems so I know that even if there is a difference in organ weights of as much as 25%, you wouldn't see it. In my lectures I used to put up two identical computer-drawn rats side by side and put two different sized organs in them, and I asked the audience which rat was bigger, and they always got it wrong. You have to weigh them.

On the British Medical Association's call for a GM moratorium


Dr Pusztai: It stands to reason that they would take a strong line. If there is any problem, the doctors will have to deal with it. It's easy for a gene-basher to say, "I've got some fantastic product," because he doesn't have to see the consequences. He can only see that this or that insect is killed and as far as he is concerned that's the end of the story.

But this is a very unfair and unscientific attitude. It is close to being irresponsible, because we are playing God. You can call it God, evolution, natural selection, natural law, whatever -- but this is what it is.

On the scientific and political establishment's tactics


GM-FREE: In May this year, four major reports, all trumpeting the safety of GM foods and all condemning your work, were released within two days of each other. They were the Donaldson/May report, the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report, the Royal Society review, and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics' report. What's your view on the timing of these reports?

Dr Pusztai: Can you believe that four major reports could come out, all condemning me, within two days? That is stretching belief.

It's clear that there was a concerted effort to discredit me. The only body that invited me for discussions, the Environmental Toxicology Committee, gave me just eleven days' notice. I explained that on that day I would be on a plane, so could they please suggest an alternative day. They obviously were not interested, because they did not come back to me. The Royal Society, despite the fact that I offered my full cooperation, refused it; they just wanted to have pieces of paper which they could shred to bits to condemn me.

In 1956, when I was living in Hungary, I got a Ford Foundation Scholarship and they said I could go wherever I wanted. I chose England because I thought the British were fair, and that they would tolerate even an oddball like me. But then I found out about these machinations and duplicity.

On the Royal Society review of his research


Dr Pusztai: The Royal Society report was totally negative and unhelpful, and obviously made to cut me down, to give the political masters the backing they required from an august body.

You see, if you submit a paper to a journal, in 7 out of 10 instances, the reviewers are helpful. For example, they say, "I don't think you have done this well; could it not have been done this way instead?" Then there is a dialogue. The point is not to steam-hammer some poor soul, but, as I said in a letter to the Royal Society, to arrive together at the truth. But in this case, there has been no attempt whatever to discover the truth.

The Royal Society, instead of going back to last August and all that history, should be concentrating on how to make the experiments better. There is not a single word in their review that addresses this, apart from saying it should be better designed. My PhD students would have laughed at me if I said anything like that. Sanctimonious phrases are not enough -- if you criticise an experiment, you have to say how you would go about doing it better.

I have published everything in my life. I make a solemn promise that I shall try my best to publish my research. If I fail, I shall put it on the internet. I owe it to the people who have been supporting me that they should know all the facts. No matter how the Royal Society or whoever else machinates against me, I will do it.

On his decision to go public with his findings before peer review and publication

Dr Pusztai: The British tax payer has spent [pounds]1.6m for this Rowett-based research. You have paid for it. Yet if I had not spoken out, the information would have stopped at the Rowett.

Other scientists often ask me why I went against the code of practice and spoke out before publication in a peer reviewed journal. I made my 150-second testimony on TV's World in Action because I had facts that indicated to me there were serious problems with transgenic food. It can take two to three years to get science papers published and these foods were already on the shelves without rigorous biological testing similar to that of our GM potato work. I did indicate my concern and it cost me my job but I would do it again. If I had not done it, we would now be eating these potatoes and not discussing the safety of GM food.
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History of what happened to Arpad Pusztai and his work. Full article at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Árpád_Pusztai

Although James denied the calls ever took place, Professor Robert Orskov OBE, who worked at the Rowett for 33 years and is one of Britain's leading nutrition experts, claimed he was told that the phone calls went from Monsanto Company, the American firm which produces 90% of the world's GM food, to Clinton to Blair. "Clinton rang Blair and Blair rang James - you better keep that man (Pusztai) shut up. James didn't know what to do. Instead of telling him to keep his mouth shut, they should have told him to say it needs more work. But there is no doubt that he was pushed by Blair to do something."[6][8]


Gilles Eric Seralini has published work on a Monsanto pesticide.


Séralini is now the target of a concerted campaign to vilify and discredit him, involving not just Monsanto, EFSA and FSAANZ, but also scientific societies representing biotechnology in France: the French Association of Plant Biotechnology and the French High Counsel on Biotechnology. This seriously threatens his funding to continue research for public good and also his job.

A large number of academics, professors and researchers have signed up to protest against the defamation and victimisation of Séralini, and to defend openness and transparency in the risk assessment of GMOs. The protest is being organised by the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER) http://www.ensser.org/. They have produced a letter and Appendix with full details.


In Argentina: Another scientist questioning the same Monsanto product was also attacked. http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/11576-glyphosate-whistle-blower-comes-under-sustained-attack

Why didn't your study get support from other media and from companies? - Nearly a week after the publication shadowy players, for example from the business and media sector, got involved. Then the attacks commenced. The last straw was when I appeared in my laboratory to find commercial lawyers (CASAFE) demanding to see my research reports and data, and they conducted interviews which were very intimidating towards my staff. This was unacceptable bullying, but they have no right to access the contents of my laboratory on the pretext that they represent the law. I do not discuss my research with private companies or lawyers, especially if they are part of the problem. I discuss my results with my peers who will judge my professional expertise, in conferences, meetings, seminars and every day in my laboratory. On the other hand, I received intimidating calls, as reported. Therefore, I am careful about who I work for. Clearly, Clarín and La Nation, some say, have a vested interest, and act as spokesmen for the companies. When my peers examine my work, I will be there. As a researcher I will leave it to companies to seek to influence the media and temporary government officials.

When a researcher attempted to present research on Monsanto's pesticide in a town in Argentina, the unheard of happened.

http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2010/08/16/science-speech-on-glyphosate-toxicity-halted-by-attack-on-attendees-public-officials/

Amnesty International reports that:

On arrival in La Leonesa at around 4pm, the delegation headed for the school where the talk was due to take place. However, the talk was suspended because the delegation was attacked by a group of around 100 people who threatened them and beat them. One person has since suffered from lower body paralysis after being hit on his spine, and another is undergoing neurological examinations after receiving blows to the head. The former provincial Sub-Secretary of Human Rights, Marcelo Salgado, was struck in the face and left unconscious. Dr Carrasco and his colleague shut themselves in a car, and were surrounded by people making violent threats and beating the car for two hours. Members of the community were injured and a journalist’s camera equipment was damaged.

Members of the community who witnessed the incident have implicated local officials in the attack, as well as a local rice-producer and his workers and security guards. They strongly believe that the violence was promoted by them, and motivated by the powerful economic interests behind local agro-industry.

S 510, the "food safety" bill in the Senate, was designed by Monsanto.

http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2010/04/24/s-510-is-hissing-in-the-grass

“If accepted [S 510] would preclude the public’s right to grow, own, trade, transport, share, feed and eat each and every food that nature makes. It will become the most offensive authority against the cultivation, trade and consumption of food and agricultural products of one’s choice. It will be unconstitutional and contrary to natural law or, if you like, the will of God.” ~Dr. Shiv Chopra, Canada Health whistleblower who stood up to Monsanto at the risk of his job and helped stop Monsanto's rBGH from being approved in Canada.

Mae-Wan Ho ( Hong Kong; UK citizen) is a geneticist known for her critical views on genetic engineering.
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae-Wan_Ho

Ho has authored or co-authored a number of publications, including 10 books, such as The Rainbow and the Worm, the Physics of Organisms (1993, 1998), Genetic Engineering: Dream or Nightmare? (1998, 1999), and Living with the Fluid Genome (2003). Ho is the director of the The Institute of Science in Society (ISIS), an interest group that campaigns against what it sees as unethical uses of biotechnology.[6]
The vaccines are far more deadly than the swine flu by Dr. Mae-Wan Ho and Prof. Joe Cummins http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=14869
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The World According To Monsanto
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6262083407501596844#

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Still imprisoned. What Independence?



Greetings from "My Right to Safe Food"


Just back after attending Independence Day celebrations by the little stars of Parmanand Education Trust (P.ET). This incredible school educates 250 underprivileged children from various backgrounds ranging from domestic help, contract workers, security guards, orphans, including 12 of my farmers children and more from surrounding villages. Witnessing these children perform with such zeal and enthusiasm was so heart provoking. A dedicated lot of enterprising teachers choreographed painstakingly short skits and dance performances translating the essence of true Freedom.

This one particular skit made a deep impact on me. I hope it did the same to a whole lot of parents, educationists and passers by. This act depicted the currently existing vices like corruption, unhealthy environment, untouchability, dowry, poverty, caste system and ugly bickering politics. How each one of these vices need to be overcome by reflecting the need to stand up for honesty, transparency, harmony of one and all. After which as future awakened citizens, a celebration of FREEDOM ensued. Truly outstanding.

This to me is our Freedom, not this mindless futile emotive of wishing each other a "Happy Independence Day". The whole nation and NRI's galore go into a frenzy by showing patriotism on this particular day. Only to indulge in a superficial celebration, pretending all is well. But all is not! After 63 years of this so called Independence hard earned by our freedom fighters, we have not only let them down but ourselves unfortunately. Our policy makers, industry and scientists have progressed. But not the masses of citizens who remain mute spectators. Alarm bells ring loud. The health of our nation is under serious jeopardy.

The proof is right in front of you.

We have an an estimated 421 million in poverty. 360 million dying of hunger. We breed a sick nation with every second person a victim of some chronic disease. Is this Freedom? But there is not

- a squeak against the policy makers who get away by designing policies to suit the vested interests of the 48 dollar billionaires and about a 100,000 millionaires in our country.

- Not a squeak against faulty farm policies designed to suit industry but not our farmers. Traditional seeds are under threat, a direct consequence of our food being under assault.

- Not a squeak against pharmaceutical industry that releases day after day new drugs, new vaccines, new prescriptions to suit a new diseases. But the root cause is never tackled. Progress in science they call it but in reality designed to fill their coffers. No wonder India is the Diabetic capital in the world with only a 40.9 million people being diabetic.

- Not a squeak against the flourishing food processing industry that unleashes day after day countless toxic refined foods. In short, we blindly accept the claims of these politically correct nutritionists.

There is no distinction made by these diet dictocrats :

-between whole grains and refined grains, cereals, nuts and more that have lost their nutrients

-Between foods grown organically and those grown with fertilizers, pesticides and now genetically engineered.

-Between unprocessed dairy products and pasteurized dairy products from confined animals raised on processed feed.

•Between fresh and rancid fats

•Between natural and battery produced eggs and more

Just look at the irony - It single out foods grown by independent producers – small farmers but spares the powerful and highly profitable food processing industry, vegetable refined oil producers. It gives lip service to the overwhelming evidences implicating refined sugar as a major cause of degenerative diseases but spares the soft drink industry. It raises not a murmur against the refined flour, hydrogenated fats and foods adulterated with harmful preservatives like emulsifiers and coloring agents. In short, the traditional foods that nourished our ancestors is now replaced with the new toxic products that dominate the modern market place. Diet Dictocrats endorse this, they are none other than doctors, policy makers, scientists, health associations and more. Dr Sally Fallon has articulated this truths in her book Nourishing Traditions.

With the result being immunities are collapsing. Children are the victims for they are far more susceptible. Children as old as 6 reach puberty, youth at 18 suffering heart attacks, cancer, BP and more. Is this the future we wish to provide our children? What kind of independence is this?

We the educated citizens wear blinkers and stay trapped but do nothing within our own country, then who is to blame? The enemy is not outside of our borders. The enemy resides well within us. Colonised we still are but within our own minds. Our defenses and voice of reasoning dies a tragic death each day. We have no time to question the oppressive institutional policies that have constantly undermined the well being of our nation. Henry Kissenger forecast is well underway “ if you want to control nations control oil, but if you want to control the society control food”. A handful of MNC's are merrily controlling our food chain. Whilst they laugh their ways to their banks, you suffer your way to the hospitals with a big dent in your pocket.

Wake up. Set yourself free from the clutches of sense habits. Raise your voices against the dictats of the junk, processed food produce. Boycott all such products.
The Right to Safe Food Choices and Good Health is our constitutional Right. Demand it.

Freedom lies with us. Just shift the gears in your minds and START.

Below, please find an interesting but profoundly true "Obituary printed in the London Times", I could not resist sharing this with you and an apt poster above by Karmayog

In solidarity

Sangita Sharma
http://myrighttosafefood.blogspot.com/
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An Obituary printed in the London Times

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

A Clean and Green Home

GREENING HOUSE AND HOME
http://www.motherearthnews.com/greening-house-and-home/clean-and-green-2.aspx?utm_content=08.06.10+GEGH&utm_campaign=GEGH&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email

By Simran Sethi

I grew up in a house where my mom bragged you could eat off the floors. I, at one point, seemed to have inherited those same traits, once demonstrating to a boyfriend that my floors were clean enough to eat on by licking them. Now, I’m finding dust bunnies that rival the size of real ones, and have acquired a pesky habit of holding on to stuff I no longer want or need. I’m determined to do things differently.

Don’t get me wrong. I am cluttered, but my place is pretty clean. It’s just clean in a different way than what I grew up with and many folks are used to. My parents’ house was wiped down with bleach and other harsh chemicals, while mine is cleaned with eco-friendly products.

We’ve been somewhat indoctrinated to think that the acrid smell of bleach is the smell of “clean,” but the chemical found in bleach (sodium hypochlorite) and other household products, including mildew remover and toilet cleaner, can burn our skin, cause a host of respiratory and gastrointestinal problems, and may even be fatal.

My father, the most brilliant of scientists, will tell you that what matters are the amount, strength, and method of exposure to household chemicals. He’s right. Sodium hypochlorite is used to purify our drinking water (which, to me, seems dreadful and I wonder why we can’t just keep our water cleaner to begin with—but that’s for another post) and is a mighty powerful disinfectant. But what we must also consider are the toxic cocktails we’re whipping up when we mix bleach with, say, an ammonia-based cleaner. That causes the release of chloramines, generates hazardous fumes, and is part of the reason why the Environmental Protection Agency has found indoor air to be twice as polluted as outdoor air (a stat I have repeatedly recited).

Furthermore, we all have different tolerance levels. My sister is violently allergic to cats and pollen while I can’t even really conceive of what an allergy looks or feels like. The Food and Drug Administration doesn’t require companies to divulge the contents of their products or the concentrations with which they are used. This means the most vulnerable among us are exposed to potentially harmful substances that sit on our floors and countertops, cling in our air, and wash down our drains and toilets into our water supplies. (Just think about your pets or babies crawling around on floors cleaned with questionable contents, and then sticking their little hands and feet in their mouths.)

The Household Product Labeling Act, introduced into the House of Representatives this past summer, would require that household cleaning products and similar products bear full and accurate ingredient labels so we’d finally known the full contents of the products we use in our homes. Please contact your reps and let them know you support this effort. It’s ever more urgent now that a 2008 study published in Environmental Science & Technology by Dr. Mustafa Odabasi indicated (for the first time) that sodium hypochlorite and the cleaning agents (known as surfactants) and fragrances contained in several household cleaning products react within the product to create chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The study says these chlorinated compounds are released when we clean, that most of them are toxic and probable carcinogens, and that the indoor air concentrations increase anywhere from eight to 1,170 times while using products that contain bleach. The increase in chlorinated VOCs was lowest for plain bleach and highest for thick liquids and gels.

It’s absurd to think that all our efforts to be clean are actually making things dirty. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way. I challenge you to redefine clean and seek out eco-friendly, non-toxic, phosphate-free cleaning products that reduce your exposure to toxins and limit the amount of poison released into our air, soil, and water.

The Environmental Working Group tested the umbilical cord blood of a random sampling of American babies and found an average of 200 chemicals transmitted in utero. You can just imagine what the chemical body burden of an average adult might be if babies start off so compromised. Personally? I am a Seventh Generation junkie. They are a good company constantly trying to do better. They treat their staff well, care about where and how their materials are sourced (see their new palm oil initiative), want their consumers to be informed, and, most importantly, have products that work. (Who wants to clean twice as hard to get half the results just to win a green star on behalf of the planet? Not many.)

Seventh Generation paid me to moderate their chemical body burden and palm oil panels but I would never accept money to endorse their products. I’ve used them for much longer than I’ve been in the public eye and I am sharing their name here because I think the information is useful. I celebrate the companies that think about all aspects of their business. Seventh Generation embodies that for me. (But they are not perfect. The last time I saw the CEO I went on a mini-tirade about the chlorine-free feminine hygiene products that they mysteriously shroud in plastic!)


Photo by Jessica Sain-Baird.

Look at what you’re buying. Look at what your dollars are supporting. For me, it’s a disconnect to buy slightly cheaper green products from a company that makes most of its money making toxic ones. No one I know, except my mother and sister, cleans as well as I do. I hope one day to become one of those uber-eco angels who whips up her own cleaning products out of baking soda, lemon juice, and vinegar because they are so much cheaper than anything on the market and really do make the whole house feel so much healthier.

Clean and Green

I’ll make brewing my own cleaning products my resolution for 2011. In the interim, find my clean, green musings on Twitter @simransethi and check out incredibly comprehensive information on household cleaning products in the book Home Safe Home by Debra Lynn Dadd.

Simran
Eco-friendly home remodeling and care with environmental journalist Simran Sethi.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Aspartame the Sweet Deception

Greetings from "My Right to Safe Food"

An article that appeared in DNA newspaper on Aug 5th 2010 " Sugar substitutes are not all bad' by Dr Rajeshwari Kanakiraman, is nothing but Sweet deception. I have been receiving calls/ emails from safe food campaigners to counter the claims made by Dr Rajeshwari and to give consumers safe informed choices. Hence, this attempt to share my perspective based on scientific facts/ links given below. After which i leave this to the readers and to their better judgment.

Dr Rajeshwari happens to be a endocrinologist and diabetologist from a reputed hospital in Bangalore is misleading innocent consumers. Her facts needs be corrected. Only an an ignoramus endocrinologist will endorse artificial sweeteners and encourage the usage to diabetics and dieters. No wonder we breed a sick society where doctors like her endorse such dangerous excitotoxins as safe. The damage is there to see with India being rated as a diabetic capital in the world. 40.9 million people in India are diabetic. By the year 2025 there will be 7 million new diabetic cases in the world to quote International Diabetic Federation Findings & WHO

It is quite concerning and disturbing that doctors like her fail to keep abreast nor carry out in depth research before lending their voice. By promoting industrial toxic foods, the well being of fellow human beings is of least consequence. I have also addressed this earlier alerting consumers on Aspartame in Sugar Free and Diet soda. Hope these potent links baring out significant truths by reputed doctors repairs this incorrect information and damage.

1. http://www.whale.to/v/Aspartame_Truth.pdf,

2. Another revelation in this link from a leading newspaper An Overdue Ban On A Dangerous Sweetener by Samuel S. Epstein (Cancer prevention expert, professor emeritus at the University of Illinois in Chicago Posted: August 3, 2009 03:01 PM)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/samuel-s-epstein/an-overdue-ban-on-a-dange_b_250249.html

For more details on the story of how aspartame made it through the FDA approval process despite warning signs of potential health hazards and alleged scientific fraud, please watch the 60-Minutes report, as Wallace does a nice job of summarizing an otherwise long story.

Your Brain on Aspartame


In the Sweet Misery video above, Dr. Russell Blaylock, a recently retired board-certified neurosurgeon and author of the book Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, says that because aspartame is "a poison that affects protein synthesis; affects how the synapses operate in the brain, and affects DNA, it can affect numerous organs. So you can get many different symptoms that seem unconnected."

He's referring to a Department of Health and Human Services report that categorizes 10,000 adverse reaction reports logged by the FDA (Department of Health and Human Services Quarterly Report on Adverse Reactions Associated with Aspartame Ingestion, DHHS, Washington, DC, October 1, 1986), published here in a 24-page primer on aspartame by Donald Harkins [ix], the former editor and publisher of the Idaho Observer.

Two years prior to that, a CDC MMWR dated November 2, 1984 [x] , discusses several hundred adverse reaction reports received, and at that time, the majority -- 67 percent - of complainants also reported neurological/behavioral symptoms.Some of the most commonly reported neurological symptoms include: *Headaches*Changes in behavior or mood *"Fuzzy" thinking*Seizures *Depression[xi]

3. http://devinder-sharma.blogspot.com/2010/07/beware-of-aminosweet-sugar-substitutes.html

4. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/3/11/one-woman-s-astonishing-experiment-with-aspartame.aspx?aid=CD12

Some excerpts from this link


There is so much evidence showing aspartame to be a potentially deadly agent that several prominent, well-educated doctors and even judges have written books on the subject. Victoria Inness-Brown’s family was addicted to diet soda. After researching the effects of aspartame, she strongly believed the artificial sweetener might one day lead to their illness or even their early deaths. So she decided to perform her own aspartame experiment -- with 108 rats for 2 years and 8 months. Daily, she fed some of the rats the equivalent, for their body weight, of two-thirds the aspartame contained in 8-oz of diet soda. Eleven of the females who took aspartame -- 37 percent -- developed tumors, some of massive size. learn more

Sold commercially under names like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, Equal-Measure and Canderel, aspartame can be found in more than 6,000 products, including:

Diet sodas, juice drinks, and flavored waters
Chewing gum
Table-top sweeteners
Diet and diabetic foods
Breakfast cereals, such as Fiber One
Fiber supplements, such as orange flavored Metamucil
Jams and Sweets
It’s even found in vitamins, as well as prescription and over the-counter drugs such as Alka Seltzer Plus, and some Tylenol medications.

Need I say more, this is the assault in our food chain. Wake up before its too late.

In solidarity

Sangita Sharma
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here are few excerpts from Dr Blaylock on the politics behind promoting artificial sweeteners - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/samuel-s-epstein/an-overdue-ban-on-a-dange_b_250249.html

Mike: What about the American Diabetes Association? Given that aspartame actually promotes obesity, based a lot of the work you've uncovered, I find it curious that the ADA so strongly supports aspartame.


Dr. Blaylock: I don't, considering they receive huge amounts of money from the makers of aspartame. They fund their walk-a-thon and all that kind of stuff, so they get tremendous amounts of money from the makers of aspartame, and money talks.


Whether they're just deluding themselves and choosing not to believe it's toxic, refusing to look at the evidence, or they're just concerned about the money and could care less, I don't know, but when you look at the pathophysiology of diabetes and the effect of aspartame, it's absolute nonsense for anybody who has diabetes to be on aspartame. Particularly in a neurological aspect, it's going to make it a lot worse.


Mike: What about other popular chemical sweeteners like sucralose in Splenda?


Dr. Blaylock: There's really not a lot of research in those areas. They have some basic research, like with Splenda, showing thymus suppression. If that holds up in other research, it's a major concern. If you're suppressing the thymus gland in a child, that's affecting the future of their immune function. You can increase everything from autoimmunity to producing immune-related diseases, to infections and cancers. The implications of thymus gland suppression are enormous.


There have been reports of miscarriages associated with Splenda in experimental animals. The problem is, we don't have a lot of well-conducted studies on Splenda to ferret these things out, and they're not going to do them. The best way to protect your product is to never test it, or just to set up some phony tests and report it in a journal that's friendly to your point of view.


That's what they did with certain vaccines. They did thousands of phony studies and waved them around, claiming nothing was found. You can design any study to find whatever you want. Particularly, you can design it to have negative results. That's the easiest thing to do.


Mike: We've got government health officials telling us mercury is safe and we've got big business telling us both aspartame and MSG are safe. It sounds like every poison in the food supply or in organized medicine is perfectly safe.

Dr. Blaylock: We did that with lead. When they first started questioning the safety of lead, the levels they said were safe were just enormously high, and then a mere 10 years later, suddenly we're finding out that lead is toxic at 10 micrograms/L. In the '60s, they were fighting over the same thing. The defenders of gasoline-added lead were saying lead wasn't toxic, except in extremely high doses. Then neuroscience literature was contradicting them, but nobody would listen. Finally, the weight of the evidence was so overwhelming that they found extremely low concentrations of lead were toxic and accumulate in the brain.


It's the same thing with mercury. Mercury is even more poisonous than lead. An infant is getting 150 times the dose of mercury than the EPA safety limits. A hundred times higher than the FDA safety limits. Here's a little baby that's getting 150 times higher a dose than the EPA says is safe for an adult.


Mike: What are the big points readers to take away? What do you think they need to remember in order to protect themselves?

Dr. Blaylock: You need to abstain from all of these things. Aspartame is not a necessary nutrient, and neither is MSG. The weight of the evidence is overwhelming. If you want to avoid obesity, metabolic syndrome, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, and if you don't want to make your cancer more aggressive, then you need to stay away from these products.

The damage affects pregnant women, unborn babies and newborns. It can produce changes in the brain that are irreversible, depending on when it is stopped. What we've found is that it reprograms.


The Truth About Aspartame, MSG and Excitotoxins the wiring of the brain, particularly the hypothalamus, so it doesn't function normally. These children are abnormal for the rest of their lives in terms of their physiological function.

Mike: Well, hopefully the weight of this evidence will someday become overwhelming, and government regulators will listen to you.

Dr. Blaylock: The pressure on researchers is so enormous. Dr. Trocho came out with his research about the DNA damage by aspartame. Then his career was assaulted by the makers of aspartame. He said he would never do another research project concerning aspartame. Well, a number of researchers have said the same thing. Once they published their results, the full weight of these companies come down on their head. NutraSweet will contribute millions to a university and threaten to pull their donations if someone isn't quieted.

Mike: So there's blatant scientific censorship at work here.

Dr. Blaylock: There's blatant, and then there's just understood. You have NutraSweet manufacturers donating several million dollars to your university. The director of that laboratory, or the president of the university, will just quietly let them know that they'd really like to see such negative research come to a stop.

The biochemical editor of the Chemical Abstracts Service, Dr. John Yiamounuyiannis, went through that with fluoride. They fired him because he refused to be quiet about fluoride toxicity, and they had just received this huge grant from Colgate-Palmolive. His supervisor said, "We'll lose our grant if you don't get quiet about fluoride." He wouldn't, and they fired him. Researchers know this.

Mike: I want to commend you for being willing to stand up and tell the truth about all of this. I think you're doing a great, positive service to public-health.

Dr. Blaylock: You're the one doing the service, because you're putting the word out there. Without you, I would just be sitting in a room fussing at the walls. It's people like you that get this word out and let people know what's going on in the world.

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Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Avoid this Popular Beverage Until You Learn the Shocking

Acidophilus - This dying warrior

Food is very sacred to me. As George Bernard Shaw once aptly said: "There is no sincerer love than the love of food." But unfortunately the flourishing food and beverage processing industry does not see it this way. Milk is just one such tampered product. The links below are sent to me by my well wishers and practitioners of REAL RAW MILK. This triggered to pen my experience and share my research findings. When ailing children along with agitated mothers, fellow workers, associates suffer, the first thing i advice them is to stop drinking pasteurised milk off the shelf, more so, to avoid the commercial milk and yogurt in well designed branded tetra packs. Not to forget the menace of synthetic milk here in our country, see this link Adulterated milk -- Why is the dairy industry and consumers silent?

I am not against safe dairy produce. I relish cheese, wholesome butter, ghee, lacto-fermented beverages all made at home. But one also heeds the advice from experts to rule out dairy intake completely from certain diets for medical reasons. For instance - Link Between Cow's Milk Consumption And Risk Of Diabetes Type 1 by Dr. Ben Kim on Jun 01, 2009 - http://www.drbenkim.com/diabetes-type-1-dairy.htm,

The source of most commercial milk is the modern Holstein,* bred to produce huge quantities of milk--three times as much as the indigenous old-fashioned cow. But this cow has been made to fast disappear and rendered useless for many reasons, which i will not get into. The Jersey/holstein breeds of cows need special feed and antibiotics to keep her well. Her milk contains high levels of growth hormone from her pituitary gland, even when she is spared the indignities of genetically engineered Bovine Growth Hormone to push her to the udder limits of milk production. Fortunately GM milk was prohibited from entering India in 2003, thanks to the prompt and proactive action taken by prominent activists in India upon seeing the hue and cry raised in the West at the onslaught of mad cow disease.

Well if you believe that drinking pasteurized milk is healthy, then think again. Let me inform you, it is devoid of nutrition. We have been taught that pasteurization is beneficial, a method of protecting ourselves against infections. The process is not as hygienic and sanitised as it is made out to be. Secondly, most outbreaks of salmonella have occurred in pasteurized milk. Thirdly, heat alters milk's amino acids lystrosine making the whole complex less available, it promotes rancidity and destruction of vitamins. Unfortunately raw milk is at the heart of the battle for food freedom. The milk lobby is so powerful just like the food processing lobby. A hogwash of constant media badgering impressing benefits on pasteurisation to innocent consumers is nothing but a conspiracy. If you do not believe me, then read this link - www.westonaprice.org/.../1929-fda-steps-up-enforcement-against-raw-milk.html - Cached

But do you really believe that milk can last up to six months? Ultra-high temperature processing milk in 1 liter in Tetra Pack, six months shelf life so boldly advertised!!! For lack of time and common sense, consumers fail to question, reason, let alone research the well camouflaged tetra packs containing milk. These ultrapasteurized milk products, lowfat milk, skimmed milk, powdered milk or imitation milk products and tetra packed milk and yogurt are worse. Milk that has been given a shelf life for months is filled with lethal additives, emulsifiers to make it last longer. How else would it last?

Consumers live in sheer illusion. Mothers especially out of sheer concern and ignorance insist that their children drink pasteurized milk daily. Children are brain washed to drink two glasses a day to get their intake of calcium. Many children are lactose-intolerant and still being forced to drink pasturised unsafe milk. The educated adults indulge and succumb to their weak senses forced by patterns of habits. They convince themselves that a hot glass of the pasteurised milk helps wipe out acidity or aids in a good night's rest, doing themselves more damage. This white commercial culprit only breaks down your immunities. Most mothers are up in arms when i say this. As if I gain by depriving children, instead just wake up and lash out at the crafty culprits who are doing this to you.

My experience of several years of propagating and using organic real raw milk in my tea/coffee has been benefiting. Since we have lactating cows that graze and pasture in our pesticide free farm, NO hormones injected to increase the milk and the feed provided is from safe sources. Therefore drinking raw milk feels lighter on my system as it contains beneficial bacteria such as lactobacillus acidophilus, vitamins, enzymes and has the finest sources of calcium. There is substantial research proving raw milk benefits. Most important, raw milk has not been pasteurized, which is a violent, rapid-heating process that has a very detrimental effect on the proteins in the milk. A slow, gentle heating on your stovetop will more effectively preserve the integrity of fragile milk proteins. Read this link - http://www.realmilk.com/what.html and this http://www.seedsofhealth.co.uk/articles/milk_alive_well_england.shtml. However, a piece of caution to us Indians - Please do not indulge in raw milk unless the source of your milk is thoroughly verified. Given the assault in the food chain and adulteration that can happen at a blink, its best to avoid it.

One of the prime reasons for illnesses is when Lactobacillus acidophilus, the friendly flora(bacteria) available from real raw milk, yogurt, lacto-fermented beverages that lines our intestines to fight diseases is dying a quick death. Acidophilus relieves bad breath, foul smelling feces, detoxifies harmful chemicals, and reduces the risk of cancer and tumors. Our gastrointestinal tract consists of over 400 different kinds of bacteria. Our body needs this beneficial bacteria to be able to manufacture B vitamins, antibacterial substances, and to produce lactase. The human digestive tract maintains a balance of good and bad micro organisms. The 'microflora' is healthy micro organism that resides in the digestive tract. As people grow older, the proportion of healthy microflora declines, and therefore it can't effectively protect us from certain diseases. That is why we need more acidophilus. Please read facts in these links - http://www.ehow.com/facts_5138432_benefits-lactobacillus-acidophilus.html, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-acidophilus.html

But what is most concerning, today our children and youth are depleted of this healthy "microflora" due to the toxicity in the foods they consume. These friendly warriors as i call them helps maintain our intestinal health and serves as a natural antibiotic. So it is imperative to provide it in the form of a nutritional supplement to maintain the 'normal' balance of good bacteria in the intestines. Lactobacillus acidophilus has been reported to provide excellent therapeutic benefits. When you buy supplements off the pharmacies once the bottle is opened please ensure you store it in the refrigerator as its live bacteria. is My family, farmers, pets all get a friendly dose of it and the outcome is we are a happy bunch of us. Just do a google search and read its benefits.

But first a basic question- what is the shelf life of milk? Why is India's commonly used practice of using "FRESH" being thrown out of the window? We Indians grew up seeing our grand parents drink raw milk directly from the udders of cows, freshly extracted and drunk. Nutritious, no wonder they live a wholesome century. They stored milk a minimum of 24 hrs depending on climatic conditions and if it did curdle, it was used effectively. The curdled milk was never thrown away. Traditional diets used it for sour dough making delicious bread and more. But currently it is flushed down without a thought. I use curdled milk all the time as it has the large amounts of rich lacto basicillus.

Now for some alternatives, My Right to Safe Food gives you just that - safe solutions. Two simple alternatives, Be prepared to shift the gears in your mind, if you wish to bring back harmony and good health in your homes.

Since the democratic right to consume chosen real foods has been taken away from us. It is up to consumers who are keen on real dairy produce and wish for safe sources to make simple efforts and start a healthy trend.
1. Find out in your own location whether you live in an apartment block or a muhalla - You are sure to find a gwala(cowherd) who has a cow adopt them both. Get a few like minded people together to share costs, ensure a regular supply of nutritious feed, help maintain the hygiene of the gwala and the cow, take turns in keeping a vigilant eye during milking times - morning and evening. Senior citizens will certainly take pride in being suitably occupied. A good way to educate children to connect back to nature and remove their fallacy that milk comes from cows and not refrigerators! Then indulge in safe real raw milk. You/family not only benefit but aid in sustaining a livelihood of a farmer and save a cow from being either slaughtered or starved yet milked till it drops.

Not all is lost should you decide to take charge and start with a daily dosage of Acidophilus with pectin, check with the pharmacies and get the equivalent.

A home made remedy to increase the friendly flora acidophilus in the intestines is to make lots of yogurt. Take a muslin cloth put the yogurt and stand it in a jar for the night to extract the whey. The solidified yogurt can be transformed into mouth watering cheese. Add in a zest of aromatic medicinal herbs like rosemary, garlic, sea rock salt and stir well. A delicious spread is ready. It can be used for salads, dressings and more. Do not throw away the whey it contains masses of acidophillus. Whey being a superb form of easily digestible and efficiently absorbed form of protein. Store it in your refrigerator and daily serve a quarter of a glass with a little salt as its nice and sour.

Different kinds of salads can be prepared at Ishana. Mothers are just amazed when their children tuck away at the salads and breads at Ishana farms. This salad contains most home grown produce from lettuce, rucola, tomatoes, carrots, brocolli par steamed and green gram sprouts along with sea weed leeched gently(ensure its crunchy and not overdone) and some sunflower seeds. They are tossed in flaxseed and olive oil with a zest of lime along with this sumptuous cheese dressing. It is so wholesome that its like a meal in itself and yet so light and refreshing. The nutritious value is worth every effort. Apart from the acidophillus, it contains all vital vitamins C, A, D, beta carotene, proteins and trace minerals. I would never trade this lifestyle for any other. Would you?


2. Second alternative to milk is time tested millet based beverages and foods.


My farmers and me indulge in ragi malts and ragi mudday( balls) dipped in delicious curries delicately prepared. Each day our cuisine ranges from jowar, bajra, ragi rotis. One of my prime farmer woman Sharada is a classic example of the strength and energy she derives out of her staple diet Ragi. Her work is equivalent to that of two farmers. Absolutely amazing.

There is abundance of research carried out by the Millet Network of India. It was delight to visit them in Zaheerabad a few years back during the Shankranti festival. Millets are so easily available here in Bangalore. Millet provides nutrition for the babies from six months onwards. Millet are so easily digestible, and has a lot of nutritional values. From a year onwards, children can take hard foods like Ragi, Brerraka roti and Jowar roti. Should you want recipes, then view these links - http://www.milletindia.org/cuisines-recipes.asp. The Millet Recipes for 6 months to 6 years of age is also made available. As rightly said in this booklet " The cost of half kg Cerelac is 120 rupees where as the Millet costs only 30/40 rupees. Cerelac is artificial which is available in the market, we can feed our babies home made Millet which can keep our babies much more active, healthy and energetic".

Unravelling truths about the milk you ingest, it makes me livid, so should you. Have the courage to stand up and question the food product manufacturers, boycott their products. They laugh their ways to the bank all at your expense. Demand from the policy makers who get away scott free. They need to be held accountable.

Wake up to your traditional diets, they are time tested. Need I say more!

In solidarity

Sangita Sharma
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Avoid this Popular Beverage Until You Learn the Shocking

Conventional wisdom states that drinking milk causes an increase in phlegm. Scientists have generally dismissed the notion, though, since experiments do not seem to bear it out. In one study, researchers noted that even people who were inoculated with the common cold virus did not show any increase in symptoms when they drank milk.
>
> But a new report suggests that those earlier studies suffered from a critical flaw: not all milk is the same.
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> Certain breeds of cows produce milk containing a protein called beta-CM-7. This protein can stimulate mucus glands in both your digestive- and respiratory tracts.
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> Milk containing the beta-CM-7 protein could therefore very well stimulate phlegm -- particularly in people who suffer from chronic lung conditions.
> Sources:
>
> New York Times April 12, 2010
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> http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/health/13real.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss
>
> Medical Hypotheses April 2010; 74(4):732-4
>
> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19932941
>
> First of all, please understand that I do not recommend drinking pasteurized milk of any kind – ever. Because once milk has been pasteurized it’s more or less “dead,” and offers little in terms of real nutritional value to anyone, whether you show signs of intolerance to the milk or not.
>
> Valuable enzymes are destroyed, vitamins (such as A, C, B6 and B12) are diminished, fragile milk proteins are radically transformed from health nurturing to unnatural amino acid configurations that can actually worsen your health. Finally the eradication of beneficial bacteria through the pasteurization process actually ends up promoting pathogens.
>
> The healthy alternative to pasteurized milk is raw milk, which is an outstanding source of nutrients including beneficial bacteria such as lactobacillus acidophilus, vitamins and enzymes, and it is, in my estimation, one of the finest sources of calcium available.
>
> Raw milk is generally not associated with the health problems linked to pasteurized milk, and even people who have been allergic to pasteurized milk for many years can typically tolerate and even thrive on raw milk.
>
> However, some people may still experience problems, such as upper respiratory congestion, when drinking raw milk, and the difference between the breeds of cows the milk comes from appears to hold the answer.
> Different Cows = Different Milk
>
> This is an issue you may never have heard of unless you’re familiar with the bovine industry, or have done a fair amount of research on milk. But there are actually distinct differences in the milk produced by various breeds of dairy cows.
>
> So-called A1 cows are “newer” breeds that experienced a mutation of a particular amino acid some 5,000 years ago, whereas A2 cows are the older breeds that do not have this mutation.
>
> As Thomas Cowan, MD, a founding board member of the Weston A. Price Foundation explains in his article Devil in the Milk, milk consists of three parts:
>
> * Butterfat,
> * Whey and
> * Milk solids
>
> The milk solids consist of a variety of proteins, lactose and other sugars. One of these proteins is called beta-casein, and this is the protein of interest when comparing A1 and A2 milk.
>
> All proteins are long chains of amino acids. Beta casein is a chain of 229 amino acids. A2 cows produce this protein with a proline at number 67, whereas A1 cows have a mutated proline amino acid, which converts it to histidine.
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> The proline in A2 milk has a strong bond to another small protein called BCM 7, which helps keep it from being released.
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> Histidine (the mutated protein), on the other hand, only weakly holds on to BCM 7, so it is liberated in the GI tract of animals and humans who drink A1 cow milk. Now, BCM7 is a powerful opiate that can have a very detrimental impact on your body.
>
> As discussed in the article above, it is likely the cause of increased phlegm production in your digestive- and respiratory tract, which can worsen upper respiratory problems.
>
> This confirms previous findings, discussed in Keith Woodford’s book Devil in the Milk: Illness, Health and the Politics of A1 and A2 Milk.
>
> In it he writes that BCM 7 selectively binds to the epithelial cells in mucus membranes and stimulates mucus secretion.
>
> But that’s not all. BCM7 has also been implicated in other far more serious health problems, such as:
>
> * Type 1 diabetes
> * Neurological impairment, including autism and schizophrenia
> * Impaired immune function
> * Autoimmune disease
> * Heart disease
>
> For those of you who want to investigate this at greater depth, betacasein.net offers a comprehensive list of published scientific studies of the differences between A1 and A2 milk and their health ramifications.
>
> .
> The US Raises Mainly the “Wrong” Cows…
>
> A1 cows include the black and white breeds like Holsteins and Friesians. Unfortunately, Holsteins are one of the most popular breeds in North America.
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> The older breeds, such as Jersey’s, Guernsey, Asian and African are primarily A2’s. Goats and sheep also produce the healthier A2 type milk.
>
> “Our issue in America is that we have the wrong cows,” Dr. Cowan writes.
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> “When you take A1 cow milk away, and stimulate our own endorphins instead of the toxic opiate of BCM 7, some amazing health benefits ensue.
>
> One saving grace, as expressed in The Devil in the Milk, is that the absorption of BCM 7 is much less in people with a healthy GI tract... BCM 7 is also not found in goat’s or sheep’s milk, so these types of milk might be better tolerated.
>
> … We now have one more thing to put on our activism to-do list. Dr. Woodford explains that it is fairly straightforward to switch a herd to become an all A2 herd. No genetic engineering is needed, no fancy tests, just one simple test of the beta-casein and it can be done.
>
> Hopefully, when this becomes widespread we will end up with a truly safe and healthy milk supply.”
>
> Naturally, getting America’s dairy farmers to start switching breeds would require a massive campaign, but in the meantime, just being aware of this inherent difference between A1 and A2 milk can prove to be invaluable for many, especially if you have tried switching to raw milk and still experience problems with it.
>
> You may simply be drinking milk from an A1 breed… Switching to milk from an A2 breed could make a significant difference.
>
> This is also an important point for dairy farmers everywhere to at least consider, as A1 cattle may still not be producing the healthiest milk for human consumption, even when grass-fed.
> How to Find Truly Healthy Milk
>
> Depending on where you live, A2 milk may not be that hard to find. In fact, herds in much of Asia, Africa, and parts of Southern Europe still produce primarily A2 milk.
>
> If you live in the United States, New Zealand, Australia or other areas of Europe, however, you’ll need to look a bit harder since the majority of cattle in these areas are A1 breeds.
>
> As you know, I advocate getting your raw milk from a local dairy farmer that raises cattle organically, letting his livestock graze on fresh grasses. So to ensure the milk you’re getting is A2 milk -- the type that has not been associated with illness and instead appears to have numerous health benefits – you’d just have to ask what kind of breed he raises. (Remember, A2 breeds include Jersey, Guernsey, Asian and African cows.)
>
> Buying retail (in those states where raw milk sale is legal) would require just a little more work, since you’d have to get the contact information of the milk supplier and then call or write them to find out what breeds are used.
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> Fortunately, grass-fed, raw milk almost always comes from small dairy farms that do not co-mingle their milk with milk from other farms, so this makes ensuring you’re buying A2 milk quite a bit easier.
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> You can use the following link to find out the status of raw milk where you live.
>
> http://realmilk.com/happening-other.html
>
> Yet another option is raw goat- and sheep’s milk, as neither of them contains the harmful BCM-7.
>